Thursday, December 26, 2019
Designing A Traditional Stage Gate Development Process
1. Design thinking refers to creative and systematic problem solving. For example, at the beginning of the semester we were instructed to create a tower made only out of the materials provided to us, that would not only support the weight of a single marshmallow, but also be the tallest in the class and it had to be able to stand entirely on its own. In order to create the contraption, our groups had to use design thinking. The design thinking process goes through several stages: discover, define, create and evaluate. The process is unique and differs from a traditional stage gate development process because it is not restricted by a definitive order and can be accomplished using the four stages in different orders. Additionally, since theâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Additionally, marketers may use an unstable product spec and scope creep. This means that the marketers might begin research and then start to make assumptions about what the consumer wants, so they will rush into deve loping the product when there are still several unknowns, or the ââ¬Å"scopeâ⬠or function of the product keeps changing. This, in turn, will lead to failure down the road because once the product is on the market there may be reasons to backtrack and fix things that were hastily decided upon. Next, a company may have dysfunctional product teams which essentially means that the company is not working together effectively to ensure the success of the new product. Oftentimes, a company will pass the product along to different sections without collaborating together which ends up creating inconsistencies and dysfunctionality within the product launch. Another reason products fail is because they have too many projects in the pipeline and lack focus. For example, if a company is working on launching several new products and dedicates time to both, they will lose focus on each idea and those products will suffer. Workers are stretched too thin and there ends up being flaws or issue s with the final product. Lastly, companies may not have the proper skills, competencies or knowledge needed to create the product. The process might begin with a great idea, but if the rightShow MoreRelated Constructivism in the classroom Essay1046 Words à |à 5 Pagesprevious stage of cognitive development, increasing the childââ¬â¢s ability to solve more complex problems. He then developed four main cognitive structures including Sensorimotor (0-2 Years), Preoperational (3-7 years), Concrete operational (8-11 years) and Formal Operational (12-15 years). (Genetic Epistemology (J. Piaget), 200?) These structures are patterns of physical or mental action that underlie specific acts of intelligence and correspond to the childââ¬â¢s development. These developmental stages changeRead MoreA Case study on the role of Internet Intermediates in Internet Freedom of Expression1195 Words à |à 5 PagesIntroduction Internet intermediaries refer to numbers of social platforms help in the information transmission process of Internet (OECD, 2011). It is indubitable that Internet intermediaries play an essential role in the free flow of information vie Internet, because those platforms enables users to access, share and create information which implicate the right of freedom of expression. Under the economic motivations, policy principles for Internet intermediary platforms are not just take accountRead MoreA Profile Of Interdisciplinary Senior Design Project1250 Words à |à 5 Pagesinterdisciplinary courses and programs, it is important to examine how students perceptions develop through the duration of the course, specifically in regards to their approach to an interdisciplinary engineering problem. We are engaged in a curriculum development project to increase the multidisciplinary span of these courses to include Electrical, Computer and Mechanical engineering, approached for senior design p roject and viewpoint. Current paper explains about few senior design projects which are ongoingRead MoreProject Governance : Project Management1484 Words à |à 6 Pagesthe project manager and team with structure, process and decision making models and tools for managing the project and ensuring its success. It includes a framework for making project decisions, designing roles responsibilities and accountabilities for the success of the project and determines the effectiveness of the project manager. Good governance can be demonstrated through the adoption of a disciplined life cycle governance that includes approval gates at which viability is reviewed and approved;Read MoreInformation Technology, Competitiveness And Coordination Effect The Agribusiness Sector1302 Words à |à 6 Pagesstudying and researching on how information technology, competitiveness and coordination effect the agribusiness sector. It specifically explained how Information Technology has improved and acceler ated the coordination strategies among different stages of the sector. This paper also discusses about how the coordination strategies might not have evolved basing on the existing market structures or price signals. This paper deals with 3 main definition related issues that this paper discusses areRead MoreWhat Is The Agile And Waterfall Method In Web Application Development1752 Words à |à 8 PagesTechnical Review: The Agile and Waterfall Method In Web Application Development Abstract ââ¬â Today, there are millions web application or web app on the internet, including app market, such as Amazon app store, Apple Store, Chrome App Store, etc. The web application is server-based application, and client no need to install the software in their local pc or laptop. User just need to use compatible browser to access the web application at anywhere and anytime. In fact, the web application still a formRead MoreThe Hoover Dam, An Engineering Marvel And A Public Works Success Story1821 Words à |à 8 Pagesinto various categories of engineer from transportation to sanitary to structural (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Thus, civil engineering is a field where an impact can be made in endless ways. The most far-reaching of Savageââ¬â¢s civil engineering developments were, naturally, on the technical side. Dam design came naturally, stemming from his knowledge of terrain from his days as a surveyor and his technical skills and training as an engineer. He was gifted with the foresight to see the problems thatRead MoreTaloring A Clouded Data Security Life Cycle Essay2071 Words à |à 9 PagesGroup 4 Security development life cycle Security development lifecycle are the steps that software development goes through in a bid to come up with software that is able to withstand cyber security concerns such as worms and viruses, cyber-attacks, and loss of data. There are various steps outlined that can assist in the development of secure software (Dahal, 2012). (See Appendix for FIGURE 1) Software development methodologies and selection Software development methodologies are the protocolsRead MoreNew Product Generation2768 Words à |à 12 PagesPRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL An assignment in Marketing Management Submitted to Prof. Semila Fernandes BY Avik Chattopadhyay 13020841 Jerin George 13020841078 Neha Venkateshan 13020841 Priyanka Manchanda 13020841097 Srushti Shah 13020841107 Suraj Garg 13020841116 SECTION B BATCH OF 2013-2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction to the product and company mechanism (stage gate) 2Read MoreDesigning A Product That Influences Through The Product Life Cycle Essay3829 Words à |à 16 Pagestowards the voices of every stakeholder involved in designing a product that influences through the product life cycle, in a comprehensible way with an objective to facilitate designer towards a better design. This paper discusses the basic purpose and nature of design in the context of judging the aptness of a dialogue among the stakeholders including product in itself. It also discusses the kind of outcome based on designers stand in the design process which makes the conversation dialogical or arguing
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Often The Term ââ¬ÅRevolutionââ¬Â Makes One Think Of The...
Often the term ââ¬Å"revolutionâ⬠makes one think of the Revolutionary War in the American colonies. However, a revolution implies monumental economic, political, and/or social change and the American coloniesââ¬â¢ standing in all three of these categories remained relatively the same after the war was over. However, right in their ââ¬Ëbackyardââ¬â¢ Saint Domingue (present day Haiti, but it will be referred to it by its colonial name unless it is being talked about it after its revolution) was on its way to a revolution at the end of the 1700s A.D. and during the mid to late 1800s A.D. multiple wars were fought in Cuba for their independence. From a logistical perspective, both attempts at revolution had several similarities. Both areas were under colonialâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦The slaves that resisted used multiple methods, including: running away, sabotage, faking sicknesses, self-mutilation, and mocking of authorities. During the Insurrection period in Sain t Domingue from about 1791 to 1798 there were three different groups fighting against France: slaves, free people of mixed race, and whites. Each group had different reasons why they were unhappy under Franceââ¬â¢s rule. In the end, France made concessions to the whites and free people of mixed race to keep the two groups content and make sure their slave economy could stay in place. This, however, did not last long as both groups soon learned that France would repeatedly go back on the bargains it made with different groups. The conflict with the Spanish helped escalate problems, but eventually a black slave named Toussaint Louverture switched sides and helped France drive the Spanish out. He climbed up the political ladder and soon found himself beneath only the governor of the island, whom he had great sway with. This grab for leadership would continue to push whites to leave Saint Domingue, making it easier for the former slaves and free people of mixed race to overthrow the previous social and political structure. Under the dictatorship of Toussaint it was unclear who his loyalty was to, and thus he was unseated from power not long after he gained it. One of the biggest flaws in his leadership was when he attempted to establishing an agriculturalShow MoreRelatedIs Psychoanalysis Unscientific? Essay1035 Words à |à 5 Pagesaccumulation of knowledge for the theory since it was introduced. It seems that nothing has progressed, and as such, one could state that since there has not been any advancements, psychoanalysis is simply unscientific. Thomas Kuhn, a philosopher of science, however, believes that this view of science is not accurate. He wrote an article titled: The Structure of Scientific Revolution that made an argument that science does not progress in a linear fashion in regards to knowledge, but rather scienceRead MoreAnalysis of Karl Marxs Quotation, Men Make History but Under Conditions Inherited From the Past1272 Words à |à 5 PagesPondering Historical Quotations Men make history but under conditions inherited from the past. ~Karl Marx Karl Marx is famously known for man revolutionary theories regarding society, capitalism, and communism. He wrote and published the Communist Manifesto in 1848. He is a theorist and activist whose theories and ideas are very firmly directly rooted in history and in honoring the past. Marx was also a man who firmly believed that those who did not acknowledge and learn from history wouldRead More Classification Of Cultures Essays1615 Words à |à 7 PagesCulture is a hot topic. Scholars (Fukoyama, Huntington, to mention but two) disagree about whether this is the end of history or the beginning of a particularly nasty chapter of it. What makes cultures tick and why some of them tick discernibly better than others ââ¬â is the main bone of contention. We can view cultures through the prism of their attitude towards their constituents : the individuals they are comprised of. More so, we can classify them in accordance with their approach towardsRead MoreThe French Revolution Of The Middle Ages Era Essay1578 Words à |à 7 Pagesproblems in the social and economic section, such as poverty and taxation issues. Thus, French Revolution is one of the turning points of French public life. It popular with the slogan ââ¬Å"liberty, legality and fraternityâ⬠that brings French to be a new revolutionary country. While many people believe that French Revolution is the effect of Enlightenment ideas emergence, I will argue that this revolution was an outcome of the social and economics disarray because of distortion of government regulationRead MoreThe And The War For America1324 Words à |à 6 PagesOften when we speak of the struggle for America we think of the Revolutionary War, or even of the Civil War. We reminisce of tales of bra vado and of cunning, of George Washington and our countryââ¬â¢s forefathers leading the revolution against the British and of pursuing the dream of a nation free from tyranny. But often the tyranny that this new nation itself took part in is largely glossed over. It is largely accepted that America unfairly pushed out the Native Americans from their homelands, butRead MoreSmall Change: Why the Revolution Will not be Tweeted1744 Words à |à 7 Pages Malcolm Gladwellââ¬â¢s article Small Change: Why the Revolution Will not be Tweeted raises a significant question about the prospective contribution of web-based social networking to the advent of progressive social movement and change. Gladwellââ¬â¢s bold declaration that the revolution will not be tweeted is reflective of his view that social media has no useful application in serious activism. Contrasting various elements of the ââ¬Å"high-stakesâ⬠lunch-counter protests in Greensboro, North Carolina inRead MoreKarl Marx s Theory Of The Classical Era1699 Words à |à 7 Pageswas a philosopher, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. Born in 1818 in Prussia, part of the German Confederation. He later became jobless and was forced to move to London, England where he spent the rest of his life writing. Marx had many ideas that created radical people in several countries and ideas that cause many opinions to flourish about capitalism and democracy. Marxââ¬â¢s specific theories about society and their leaders are better known under the term called Marxism. Marxism is a way thatRead MoreAmerica s Revolutionary Party Of Vietnam Essay1662 Words à |à 7 PagesIn the past years the discussion of Vietnam War, is one that still is every more common among scholars of American Society, common not without controversy. The controversy surrounding the Vietnam War often is centered in U.S. mentality of playing ââ¬Å"savior ââ¬Å" and appearing to be only great, while not owning up or recognizing their faults. There is a common belief among many people that the remembering the vietnam war is no longer important. Those who hold this belief, also believe that the there isRead MoreWhy Are People Concerned With Danger?1300 Words à |à 6 PagesComparative Politics Lucas Feuser Title Why are people concerned with danger in the first place? When revolution is in play, it is more than oppression that fuels people. It is a hope for a better future. It is a feeling that one can make a difference in changing their own circumstances and the circumstances of those around them. And for that reason, what happens to oneself as a result of their rebellion is ultimately only part of a bigger picture. Two possible conditions that lead people toRead MoreThe Contributions Of Science And Science3124 Words à |à 13 PagesAs a contemporary writer observing the timeline of modern science, and all the abridgments made to it over the past few centuries, one cannot help but ponder upon the course that science took to reach what it is today. We are aware of the pioneers of science such as Newton, Lavoisier, Stahl, Joule, Maxwell, Einstein etc, and all of the groundbreaking contributions these extraordinary individuals made to mould science into what we today know it to be. Over the course of History of Science, we have
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
The Medicated Child Essay Example For Students
The Medicated Child Essay For me as a former worker in the medical field, who is coming from the other part of the world, the predilection for medicament over usage in the U. S. was always surprising. Therefore, I was expecting to see in this video issues about psycho-neurological side effects of overmedicated in somatically ill child. There were several memorable moments which impacted my mind. One of them was Jacobs story. It was sad to see how the persistent labeling with hyperactivity by preschool teachers took a 3 year old boy down to the pathway of a million American children, who were eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Most of these children were forced to take several strong antipsychotic drugs and mood stabilizers already in their teens. It is widely known that early childhood is one of the most physically active period of the life, in which the child undergoes an important anatomical, physiological and cognitive development. Therefore, the hyperactivity in early childhood is one of the traits of normal childrens development and it should not be over diagnosed. Unfortunately, Jacobs teachers and doctors did not think in that way and the child was prescribed one drug and then a second one followed by many others. These drugs do not always help the child completely. In Jacobs case particularly, drugs caused harmful side effects, and consequently were leading to new prescriptions. The other memorable line from the video was that, despite the parents of the affected children were reluctant to the offered drug therapy, no one of the doctors suggested an alternative to the medications. In contrast, instead of trying some techniques of other non-pharmacological therapies, doctors tended to increase dozes or simply added a new medication. It is understandable, that in some true bipolar cases doctors do not have the other choice then medication. However, it seemed that doctors tended to over diagnose, and consequently over use the medications. The number of affected children with bipolar disease is just frightening: a million of children are diagnosed with mood disorder in the U. S. According to the videos statistic, the diagnosis of bipolar disorder increased to four thousand percent during the last decade. This labeling process seems to e almost a medical crime, where modern Walter Freemans easily manipulate and experiment the biochemical processes in the developing childs brain by using strong mood stabilizers and antipsychotic drugs. Nevertheless, it puzzled me why so many doctors do not want to start with a mild therapeutical approach. For example, in many other countries treating childhoods behavior problems with pharmaceutical substances is still almost a nonexistent practice. Instead of medications, other thera pies are offered through special programs in school or kindergarten, where children learned to develop coping mechanisms. This controversial video raised my following questions. First of all, why is the diagnostic rate of bipolar disorder among children so high in the U. S. ? Why diagnosed children start immediately with pharmaceutical treatment instead of trying other approaches? Whose fault is this tragic situation? When I started think about all this questions the other questions popped up in my mind: Are there any standards for normal childs behavior? Who is in the charge of determination of them? Then I recalled the discussion in the beginning of the course, where I learned, that often the society and the culture determine the line between normal and abnormal behavior. Therefore, certain members of society such as teachers, doctors, parents are the one who establish the criteria, which are applied on the one or the other disorder. In the sake of finding answer to my questions, I looked to recent publications which addressed the controversy regarding diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder among the children. .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8 , .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8 .postImageUrl , .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8 , .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8:hover , .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8:visited , .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8:active { border:0!important; } .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8:active , .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8 .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud015c57ee742186f8d805b9d291f98e8:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Spanish Civil War EssayI found some explanations in the publication of Erik Parents and Josephine Johnston entitled Controversies concerning the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder in children in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Mental Health, 2010;4:9. According to the publication, children in the U. S. are brought to physicians offices more frequently for behavior problems leading to a more frequent diagnosis of bipolar disorder. In the U. S. there is also a higher rate accepted by the society and culture to use antipsychotic medication and mood stabilizers compared with other countries. In these countries the emphasis is put more on psychotherapy. My other question about non-pharmacological alternatives was reflected in the statement: the teaching children problem-solving skills and teaching their parents to reward positive child behavior, are costly and difficult to disseminate. Physicians and families seems to focus primarily or solely on medication in order to reduce the cost for psychotherapy and also to cut back their time of active therapeutic involvement. Finally, Parens and Johnston emphasized the evidence that the pharmaceutical industry plays a distressingly large role in shaping the interpretations and values of disorders. Even though the video almost fully covered the topic, I still have a feeling of missing part. The movie does not mention about the socio-psychological environment of children with psychological disorders. Many studies confirm that not only nature but also nurture has a profound effect on the development of childrens personalities. Therefore, parenting style plays a role on the attention and self-regulatory capacity of the child. Moreover, according to the World Health Organization, the child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can represent family dysfunction or inadequacy in the educational system rather than an individual psychopathology. After watching the video I had a bitter feeling for these medicated children. It was painful to see how 3-year old DJ innocently was taking heavy medications from mothers hands and artlessly consumed them. It is sad to say, but there is huge possibility that this children will end up in the same way as Jacob Solomon, with irreversible side effects and anticipation of a lifelong treatment. The fact of over-diagnosing and consequently over-using antipsychotic drugs and mood stabilizers at such young age frustrated me. I hope that this growing medicated population will not be next terrifying tragedy of the nation. I was not familiar with the issue of medicated children before this movie. I did not expect that the rate of bipolar disease among the children in U. S. to be so high. Also, the facts of over-diagnosing and over-using anti-psychotic medications and mood stabilizers exceeded my expectation. The video changed my mind in the way that I have a better insight of the current, heart breaking problem. Also, it was eye-opening that due to biochemical and anatomical changes of developing brain sometimes is too easy, and from the other had too dangerous to overmedicate the growing child. After watching this video I have a mind-changing perception that society often times supports the idea of medicating the children, which, unfortunately, starts from innocent in fact the sign of hyperactivity. I learned that the absence of clinical research data in children and lack centralized control of pharmacological therapy given to children can bring a tragedy in some families, and also can be catastrophic for growing population.
Monday, December 2, 2019
The title is The Cold War free essay sample
This essay is a thesis on how the Cold War was in fact a much more heated war than it was made out to be. BY Characters According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, One apt definition of war is this: war is an actual, intentional and widespread-armed conflict between political communities. (http://Plato. Stanford. Dude/entries/war/). This definition did not seem fit for the conflict between capitalism (United States of America), communism (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), and their followers. The struggle was later dubbed the Cold War, referring to its lack of physical conflict.Though, if every aspect of this struggle is examined, the name Cold War doesnt serve justice to what it stands for. The dispute between communism and capitalism wasnt limited to political distrust and competition. Thus, the struggle shouldnt solely be classified as a Cold War. There Is no exact date that marks the beginning of the Cold War, but Its deepest roots are found In early sass with the Russian revolution. We will write a custom essay sample on The title is The Cold War or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The people of Russia were unsatisfied with the czarist government in place. In 1917 the government was overthrown and Vladimir Lilac Lenin established a new communist government.The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was formed. Under the new rule, all opposition to the government was eradicated, including external obstruction. The Soviets called for a worldwide revolution against capitalism, which they viewed as an enemy and a threat to their state. This was the first punch thrown in the long fight of the Cold War. It is widely accepted that the intense rivalry of the Cold War begun in the years to follow World War II, more precisely the aftermath of the Yalta Conference. In the didst of World War II, Germany defied a cease-fire agreement between them and the Soviet union.The Soviets were quick to respond by Joggling the Western allies (France, Great Britain, and later the United States). It seemed that a lasting trust could be formed between the united States and the Soviet union due to their wartime cooperation, but it would deteriorate quickly enough (http:/,sisterly sass. About. Com/ gig/dynamic/offside. HTML? Site=http:AAAwIF2FWIWdbWordbooksthe final days of the war, the leaders of the Big Three alliance countries (Great Britain, U. S. and SoAndt Union: Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, respectively) met in Yalta, USSR, in February 1945.They met to discuss many post-war affairs, including how to set up the United Nations, getting the USSR to declare war on Japan, reparations paid to the Soviets by Germany, and the new borders for many eastern Europe countries. The mood at the conference was that of happiness, but the principals that were celebrated at the time would later lead to great conflict (Warren 30). The US agreed to let the Soviets Influence and control a large portion of Eastern Europe, particularly Poland, In xchangexchangehem declaring war on Japan. This was a great loss for the U.S, and the communist, at the small price of declaring war on Japan a few short days before the end of the war (http://www. historHistoryu.SofashiDudery/134_Unit8AUnit).HTML U. S. felt lFeltthe Soviets had taken advantage of the conference, and whats worse communism was spread. The U. S, not in any hurry to start a new war, simply adopted toughness in his dealings with Moscow policy, which offered no aid to the Soviets, who were the most devastated by the war. The Soviets saw this as very unfair, and accused the U. S. f tryiFg to dissolve their communist state. The Cold War had begun.A great divide cut the world in half, and the drawing line was political ideals. During 1945, the Soviets cut off nearly all contacts and ties between the West and Eastern Europe. In a public speech in March of 1946, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill stated that, An Iron Curtain has descended across the continent (of Europe). Behind that line lie all of the capitals of the ancient states of central and eastern Europe all thAll famous cities and the populations around lie in the Soviet sphere and all are subject .. . o a veOy high and increasing measure of control from Moscow. The iron curtain analogy became famous for describing the Soviet blockage of the west. From this point on, the Cold War was characterized by distrust, slander, and difference in political ideology. Things would only get worse. Korea was among the countries that became the site of a power vacuum confrontation between the US and the USSR. Korea was under the control of Japan up until the end of World War II, but they gained their independence after Japan surrendered. The Korean government was up for grabs so to speak, for any country o influence. The Soviet Union saw this as an opportunity to spread communism.The US saw it as a potential domino affect area (http://www. historHistoryu.SofashiDudery/ 134_Unit8AUnit).HTML domino affect stated that any communist nation would eventually transform its neighboring countries to communism. With Korea having no government, it was very susceptible to Soviet persuasion. Their ambition in Korea was to transform it to a communist nation under Soviet influence, or a Soviet Satellite (http://historhistory sasst.AboutgiComngigic/offsitoffside sHTML=hSite/ /wmwAAA IFrlBMW cWordbooke Com one flaw with this plan; only half of Korea surrendered to Soviet forces at the end of the war.All of Korea below the 38th parallel line surrendered to US forces. This division was not meant to stay permanent, but the US hesitated to withdraw completely. US intelligence observed the Soviet Red-Army fortifying the 38th parallel on the northern side (Warren 68). The ambitions of the North and the Soviets were very clear, if Korea was to be united, it would in a way the Soviets see fit. On June 25th 1950, with the use of Soviet guns and tanks, North Korea began an invasion of South Korea. It took only two short days for US president Harry S. Truman to order a naval blockade on the North and immediately send 65,00 troops to the south.Early in the war, North Korea would denounced the war and warned that they would take action if the war came close to Chinese land, particularly the Yalu River. Yale came to be a great scapegoat for the Chinese to attack the US. On November 26th 1950, 200,000 Chinese volunteers crossed the Yalu River iYaleRed counter-offensive (http://www. history. sfaHistory/ SofasryDude4_Unit8A. htmlUnits HTMLa turning point in the war in that before this ttack, it seattackthat the UN and US forces had secured North Korea and could re- unite them under a non-communist government with the south.UN forces had captured the North Korean capitol of Pyong yang, Ponghey were forced to abandon it to fght the Chifight. The war continued in this stalemate fashion. Counter-attacks were waged; capitols were controlled, and liberated over and over. It took two years of brutal fghting and fightingof delegations before the war was ended. On July 27th 1953, the I-IN, communist China and North Korea signed an armistice that established a de-militarizDe militariesthe 38th parallel. The war was over, but the world paid a heavy price. Over 55,000 US and 3,000 UN troops were killed, and another 103,000 US and 11,000 UN troops were injured. It is estimated that the Koreans and Chinese suffered over one million casualties. This war had many other impacts on the Cold War and the world at large than Just casualties: The US defense budget increased from $14 billion in 1951 to $54 billion in 1953 (Warren 78). The Soviet Union failed to communize alcommuniona, which was a setback for them and a victory for the US and free enterprise. It also convinced the western population that communist nations ere bent on western domination (http://historyl 900history sassgiBoutamCom gigfsite. htmoffsidehtHTML//Site. worlAAAoIF. FWIW TWordbook WComwas also a defining moment in the Cold War, as quoted by Journalist Mel Elfin, transformed the CoTransformed a political and ideological struggle into a military one. The Cold War was burning up. Cuba was one of Americas closest allies. Many large US businesses and their factories were located in Cuba, and there was abundant trade between the two countries. It was hard to believe at the time that the most climactic and defining vent of the Cold War would occur here.The relationship between the US and Cuba started to deteriorate familiarly with the USSR, when a revolution swept across the country. Revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and his army of rebels overthrew the standing government. Fearing that new leader Castro would set a communist government in place, the US applied economic pressure, hoping that would persuade Cuba against it. This seemed like a great idea, on account that Cubas government Scubasrgely influenced by the US prior to the Cuban revolution. The US implemented an embargo on all goods coming and going toCuba in 1960 (Encarta). Castro rIncarnateto bend to US pressure, and ironically developed closer relations with the USSR. The US was getting scared. In a feeble attempt to rid Castro of power, us-trained Cuban exiles were shipped to the Bay of Pigs in Cuba to begin an invasion. After crushing the resistance, Castro responded by declaring Cuba a communist nation. arose between the Arosed the Soviets over Berlin. After World War II, Germany was divided into four zones each controlled by one of the four allies of the war. Berlin was also divided into four zones, as was the rest of Germany.The French, American, and British quarters were capitalist, and the Soviet quarter was communist. At first, people could travel freely between West Germany (capitalist) and East Germany (communist). Yet, there was a problem with this for the Soviets. East Germans were all flocking in search of a better life in West Germany. Their economy was slumping, and the US was gaining a great deal of insider information from the fleeing East Germans. According to James Warren, Berlin was like a bleeding sore to the Soviet Union. The Soviets had a simple solution, build a wall enclosing East Berlin from apitalist West GerfatalistThis kept all of eastern Berliners out of West Berlin. All that attempted to escape to western Berlin were shot on sight. The Berlin wall solved some problems for the Soviets, such as ensuring the end of the exodus to West Germany, and a show of its power and resolve. What the Berlin wall did not help was the arms race and military inferiority the Soviets had compared to the US. Nikita Khrushchev,Nikkeieader of the USSR at the time, was getting more pressure from internal politicians, and communist China to show more force to the US.There was nly one way to balonlye the far superior and closer proximate military force of the US to the weaker Soviets; place nuclear weapons off the coast of the US. That is precisely what was done. The Soviets recognized the newly formed and building tension between the US and Cuba as a perfect opportunity to capitalize on their plan of evening the weight of their military. It is not a surprise that Castro accepted this plan, after all the actions the US had taken against Cuba. In 1960, the Soviets began secretly shipping nuclear weapons and technology to Cuba. In 1962, the US began to speculate these actions.In September of the same year, US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy warned the Soviets that the gravest issues would arise should they place offensive weapons (a phrase widely understood to mean nuclear weapons) in Cuba (Encarta). On OctobIncarnate, Kennedy had the proof he needed that the Soviets were supplying Cuba with Nuclear weapons. Photographs were taken of nuclear bases under construction, and bombers capable of nuclear strike. The placement and technology of these nuclear bases put most of the US in nuclear strike range. This was the Cold War at its most perilous point (Warren 147). The Soviet Union had the bargaining chip they were so desperate for. The US immediately began looking at its options. The first plan was to invade Cuba along with an air strike to take out the nuclear bases out of commission before they could do any harm. The consequences of this were stacked too high, though. A failed attack would definitely mean nuclear warfare. A successful raid would rid the danger only temporarily. It was almost certain that the Soviets would construct more bases elsewhere, or attack nearby allies of the Soviet Union (Warren 147). The plan that came to be was a complete naval blockade of Cuba.Any ships approaching the Island would be carefully inspected for nuclear weapons. The Soviets respected the would do next. The answer was much obliged by Kennedy and his executive committee. The Soviets proposed a deal to the US, promise never to invade Cuba, and remove all of their missile bases from neighboring Turkey, and the Soviets would disassemble the nuclear bases and never assemble them again in the western hemisphere. This was agreed on October 27, 1962. The Cuban missile crisis defined the Cold War and its (in this example potential) deadliness. It brought the world to the brink of nuclear warfare.As President Kennedy addressed it, if we make a mistaIf there may be 20 million dead. The crisis was a rude awakening to the US and Soviet Union. They realized that a nuclear holocaust had almost been sparked because of their distrust in one another. No event in the Cold War post-Cuban missile crisis would reach this level of severity. The Cold War was different than any other struggle. It was something that was never seen in the world. There were no battles fought on either sides soil, and there was no powerful spark to ignite total war. There was no declaration of war, or head on collisions.Names like The Communist War or Capitalist War did not seem fit, because of these reasons (and lack of their support). A name like The Communist War would imply direct military collisions and irresolvable and unavoidable conflicts between the US and Soviet Union only mended by military action. This statement is commonly agreed on as incorrect. Supposedly, there were differences and conflicts, but they werent acted on by military actions. Thus, the name Cold War was adopted. This was named and was meant to infer that this was the not so war-like war. Yet, after analyzing turning point events of the Cold War such as the KoreanWar, the construction of the Berlin wall and the Cuban missile crisis, this definition seems hardly accurate. In the Korean War alone, over 275,000 men were killed or injured that werent from neither North nor South Korea, but other parts of the globe, engulfed with Cold War ambitions, motives or insecurities. The Berlin wall was constructed in the name of the Cold War, and it devastated a total region, bringing a lack of food, shelter and stability for over twenty years. The Cuban missile crisis endangered every life in the United States, with one Cold War motivated flex of ilitary muscle.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Importance of Folk Tales in Russian History essays
Importance of Folk Tales in Russian History essays Modern day knowledge of the early Russian history exists because of folk tales. In the developing Russian society between the years of 1100 A.D. and 1400 A.D., plagued by poverty, the Mongol invasion, and most importantly, illiteracy, keeping a written history of past events, obviously, was out of the question and oral tradition passed on the history from generation to generation. Although mythological and fantastical, folk tales repeatedly depict basic elements of Russian daily life and provide historically accurate details that give present-day historians insights into the Russian culture during its infancy. The tales convey the significance of key factors such as the lack of arable land in an agriculturally dependent society, the degree of poverty in the country, and the importance of autocratic rule. With virtually every opening similarly looking like, In a certain village there was once a peasant... (The Seven Simeons), In a certain town there once lived a merchant and his wife... (The Lad Who Knew the Language of the Birds), and In a certain kingdom, in a certain realm there was once a soldier who served the king... (The Petrified Kingdom), the reader is immediately able to identify a few major characteristics. The word certain echoes the troubles and uncertainties of the times and works to emphasize the importance of the oral traditions role in retaining the nations history. Otherwise, right from the first sentence, it is evident that the tale will address a major theme of Russias early history, be it agriculture, poverty, or autocracy. Folk tales are used chiefly to set moral and ethical codes in the society. Each story distinguishes between what is right and what is wrong, what is acceptable and what is unacceptable, what is moral and what is immoral. Obedience of authority whether to a king, he decided to take him to the king and ask him to take th...
Saturday, November 23, 2019
SAT Subject Test Scores for the Ivy League
SAT Subject Test Scores for the Ivy League SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are your sights set on the Ivy League or other top universities? As you're well aware, these schools are the most selective in the country. Because of this, you want to carefully craft every aspect of your application so it's as strong as it can possibly be. Let's look at one important part of your application: your SAT Subject Test scores. In this article, we'll go over the Subject Test requirements and expectations of top schools, and offer some advice on how to balance these tests with everything else you've got going on in your busy life. SAT Subject Test Requirements at Top Schools Let's take a look at the eight Ivy League schools- Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, UPenn, and Yale- along with some other top schools, such as Duke, Georgetown, MIT, Stanford, and the University of Chicago. All of these schools generally recommend or require two SAT Subject Tests, with the exception of Georgetown, which asks for three. Lately, though, there's been an increase in schools, including top-ranked ones, making SAT Subject Tests completely optional. For example, although Harvard recommends Subject Tests, they are technically optional for applicants: "While we recommend that you submit two SAT Subject Tests, you may apply without them if the cost of the tests represents a financial hardship or if you prefer to have your application considered without them." Stanford similarly recommends, but does not require, SAT Subject Test scores. Even though you can opt out, both Harvard and Stanford strongly recommend taking Subject Tests and sending in your scores. If these tests present a financial barrier to you, definitely speak with admissions officers and get their advice. You can also explore your options for fee waivers. The only schools on this list that do not emphasize SAT Subject Tests are the University of Chicago and Columbia. The University of Chicago's policy on Subject Tests is as follows: "[S]ubject Tests are truly optional, and not sending us Subject Test scores will not hurt your application." Columbia used to require Subject Tests but made them optional beginning in 2016. So what are the Subject Test requirements and special instructions for other top schools? Below is a handy chart you can use to find out top schools' policies regarding SAT Subject Tests. Note: The column "ACT Replace Subject Tests?" means that this school accepts the ACT + Writing in lieu of the SAT + two Subject Tests. In other words, you can submit the ACT + Writing and not have to worry about taking any SAT Subject Tests. If this space has a dash in it, you'll need to send in the number of Subject Tests required, regardless of whether you take the SAT or ACT. School # of Subject Tests Recommended/Required ACT Replace Subject Tests? Notes From School Brown 2 recommended - "If you are applying to the Program in Liberal Medical Education, we strongly recommend one subject test in either Biology, Chemistry or Physics." Columbia None - "SAT Subject Test and other proficiency exam scores are not required by Columbia, but we will accept your results if you choose to submit them ... You will not be at a disadvantage should you choose not to take these optional tests or submit the scores to Columbia." Cornell Varies by program - Applicants must submit either 0 or 2 Subject Tests, depending on the college. Dartmouth 2 recommended - "We recommend that you submit 2 SAT Subject Test scores to help us better understand your academic strengths...We encourage you take tests in the two subjects you like the most." Duke 2 recommended Yes "Applicants to the Pratt School of Engineering who take the SAT are strongly recommended to take one SAT Subject Test in Mathematics (level 1 or level 2). Applicants to the Trinity College of Arts Sciences who take the SAT may take any two SAT Subject Tests." Georgetown 3 recommended - "In addition, it is strongly recommended that candidates submit results of three SAT Subject Tests. Those tests may be any three of the applicantââ¬â¢s choosing, although it is recommended that applicants to the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics submit a modern language score." Harvard 2 recommended - "While we recommend that you submit two SAT Subject Tests, you may apply without them if the cost of the tests represents a financial hardship or if you prefer to have your application considered without them. ... International students generally benefit from submitting Subject Tests and should take them if possible." MIT 2 required - All applicants must take one Subject Test in math (level 1 or 2) and one in science (biology e/m, chemistry, or physics). Princeton 2 recommended - Engineering candidates are advised to take a math (level 1 or 2) Subject Test and the chemistry or physics test. Stanford 2 recommended - "SAT Subject Tests are optional. Because SAT Subject Test scores can highlight your areas of strength, we welcome the self-reporting of these results in your application." University of Chicago None - "Subject Tests are truly optional, and not sending us Subject Test scores will not hurt your application." University of Pennsylvania 2 recommended - Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences: Any two Subject Tests Nursing: Science, preferably Chemistry STEM: Math Level 2 and a science test (preferably Physics for Engineering Applicants) Business: Math Level 2 Yale Recommended (no # specified) - "SAT Subject Tests are recommended but not required. Applicants who do not take SAT Subject Tests will not be disadvantaged in the application process. We will consider your application on the basis of the other testing, and all the other information, that we receive with your application." Until recently, most of these schools required three Subject Tests. Now, Georgetown is the last one with this rather high-stakes expectation. If you're taking the ACT instead of the SAT, you might not have to send Subject Test scores at all. This is the case at Duke, where you can submit your ACT with Writing score instead of your SAT and SAT Subject Test scores. But if you do have to send two or three Subject Test scores, which tests should you take? Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: Which SAT Subject Tests Should You Take? Most Ivy League schools don't have definitive requirements for which Subject Tests you should take; they simply recommend or require two, and allow you to choose which ones to take. However, some schools prefer to see a range of knowledge, in which case it's best to take Subject Tests that cover a variety of topics. For example, you could pair a humanities or social studies test (such as literature or history) with a math or science test (such as physics or chemistry). Many top-ranked schools are looking for well-rounded students who excel in a variety of subject areas. At the same time, the choice is largely up to you. The Subject Tests are a chance to demonstrate your subject mastery and express your interests and academic skills in a particular subject area. Therefore if you've indicated a major, then it's a smart idea to take (and score highly on) the corresponding Subject Test. Just as with the rest of your application, your choice of Subject Test can communicate something about your interests and future goals. It might also be an opportunity to strengthen an area in which you wish your course grade or AP exam score were higher. The language tests can be a valuable indicator of your language skills, which admissions officers appreciate in our increasingly globalized world. If you can present a strong language score, then you can showcase your multilingualism and maybe even advance to higher levels of language courses once you arrive at the school. However, some schools warn against taking an SAT Subject Test in your first language if it's not English. A score in another subject area would be more helpful as it more accurately indicates your academic potential. If you're applying to schools with an engineering or technical focus such as MIT and Caltech, you'll likely need to submit a combination of math and science Subject Tests. MIT says students must take one math test (level I or II) and one science test (biology, chemistry, or physics). Caltech also wants one math and one science test but will only accept Math Level II. For more considerations when choosing the best Subject Tests for you, check out our guide. Once you've decided on your SAT Subject Tests, though, what scores should you aim for? Want to get better grades and test scores? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. What's a Good SAT Subject Test Score for the Ivy League? Selective schools don't usually publicize cutoffs for test scores; instead, they insist that they take a holistic approach to applications and consider all parts within the context of the greater whole. However, as you know, there are many more qualified candidates than there are spaces at these schools. With this in mind, you want your application to be exceptional and stand out as especially strong and unique- which is why getting a high SAT Subject Test score is so important. But just how high should you be aiming? This mainly depends on the school you're applying to. For example, MIT has said that its admitted students score between 720 and 800 on science Subject Tests, whereas admitted applicants to Princeton generally score 710-790 on Subject Tests. Selective institutions expect to see scores in the 700s, usually in the upper half of the 700s. For a further breakdown of how scores translate to percentiles, read our article about good Subject Test scores. With this data, you can aim to be in 80th or 90th percentile of test takers in the tests you've chosen. If you're planning to major in math or science or are applying to schools like MIT, an 800 on your math and science Subject Tests would be really helpful, even expected, for your application. As you prep for the Subject Tests and the SAT or ACT, which one should take priority? We answer this question next. How Important Are Subject Tests Compared to the SAT/ACT? Here's the short answer: SAT Subject Tests are not nearly as important as the SAT/ACT is. From my understanding, the SAT/ACT accounts for as much as 30% of your application, while the Subject Tests only account for about 2% to 5%. Therefore the SAT/ACT should be your top priority when it comes to college admission tests. Luckily, the SAT Subject Tests should align with the work and studying you're already doing in your classes. It's usually better to take a Subject Test near the end of the school year since you'll have been studying that subject all year. It also helps if the Subject Test aligns with your studying for finals and/or AP exams. Although SAT Subject Tests aren't a super important part of your application, you still need to take them seriously if you want to gain admission to the Ivy League. To get into these highly selective institutions, every component of your application must be outstanding. Plus, since you have some choice in the matter, you're expected to choose the subjects in which you can demonstrate subject mastery. A low score would seem like an outlier and might raise doubts about your academic abilities and potential in that subject. While schools are becoming more and more flexible in their standardized testing policies, Subject Test scores can give a big boost to your application if you choose the right test(s) and excel in the relevant subjects in school. Do this, and these tests shouldn't require too much additional prep in order to achieve strong-enough scores for Ivy League schools. In closing, let's discuss a few strategies you can use to balance your SAT Subject Tests schedule during the college application process. How to Juggle SAT Subject Tests and College Applications If you're gearing up to apply to Ivy League schools, you likely lead an active and busy life. Whether it's homework, clubs, sports, or all the prep work for applying to college, you have a lot of activities to juggle. And adding Subject Tests on top of everything can make you feel like you're going to drop something. As long as you approach these tests with a thoughtful plan, you should be able to maintain balance and achieve your goals. Being able to independently manage your time, while still leaving time for breaks and fun, is an important skill you'll need in college. By designing a schedule for yourself in high school, you'll be able to further develop these useful life skills. First, read our article on when to take the SAT Subject Tests. You can get all three done in one day, but you don't have to do them all at once or wait until junior year to take them. A 9th grade biology class, for example, could adequately prepare you for the Biology Subject Test. Or you might feel ready to take the Math Level I test right after sophomore year. Even if you do decide to wait until junior year to take them, it's a good idea to align them with your finals and AP exams so that your studying can kill two birds with one stone. By planning when you will take and study for the Subject Tests (alongside your prep plan for the SAT), you can allocate time in advance to give you a more balanced schedule. You might be thinking, "Making the schedule is the easy part. The hard part is sticking to it." This is true- one day you might be motivated by your dream of an acceptance letter in a giant envelope arriving at your door, while the next day that letter might seem like an image from a future life, far removed from your present one. There are no easy shortcuts here- staying on task requires motivation. But even more importantly it requires discipline. It requires the ability to push through your resistance and all the things you might rather be doing at that moment, and commit yourself to studying. Remember that you have clearly outlined your goals and want to do everything you can to achieve them. The College Board has a useful breakdown of the Subject Tests and sample questions here. Check out our other resources for helpful study strategies, such as identifying your weaknesses and dividing each section into small, manageable goals. What's Next? What are the average scores for all SAT Subject Tests? Take a look at this data here, and learn why it's important to know this as you choose your Subject Tests. Are you aiming for perfection on the SAT? Read our expert guide on the key strategies and tips you need to score a perfect 1600. If you're taking the ACT, this article by a full scorer explains how you can achieve the elusive 36. Need a little extra help prepping for your Subject Tests? We have the industry's leading SAT Subject Test prep programs (for all non-language Subject Tests). Built by Harvard grads and SAT Subject Test full or 99th %ile scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Learn more about our Subject Test products below:
Thursday, November 21, 2019
James Argument on the Belief in God in The Will to Believe and Essay
James Argument on the Belief in God in The Will to Believe and Pascal's Wager - Essay Example Therefore, Pascal concludes that any rational being has a duty to believe in God to attain the infinite happiness. However, this argument by Wager raises many critics from philosophers who view the argument as lacking probability in the life of humanity and more so related to belief. Pascalââ¬â¢s argument is viewed as an extraordinary power. The proponents of this argument explain that even though Wagerââ¬â¢s argument might be taken as false and a probability taken on this argument, on at the end we might be wrong and the argument might be true after all. Therefore, no matter how small the probability, Pascalââ¬â¢s argument should be accepted as true according to this argument. However, William James is a serious critic of this argument by Pascal and tries to discredit the hypothesis and the conclusion by Pascal regarding believing in God. For James, belief involves a will to choose among possible options and such an option has to have concrete evidence and our faith in most cases is responsible for shaping future outcomes. Rather than taking forced options that might end up being false, James stresses on being indifferent. The assertion by James is therefore more skeptical one that does not offer concrete proofs as compared to Pascalââ¬â¢s. ... Interestingly James postulates that wherever there is an option where losing the truth away and save ourselves at any rate of believing falsehood by not making up our minds till objective evidence has come, such an option would be worthwhile compared to believing the falsehoods in such circumstances (James, 5). This contradicts Pascalââ¬â¢s argument that it is the nature and obligation of any credible humanity to believe in God, since whether or not God exists would have a greater degree of happiness for such an individual. Consider the postulation below by Pascal. God exists God does not exist Believe in God infinity f1 Do not believe in God f2 f3 Therefore, according to the above table, if God exists and you believe, such an individual has an infinitely happy life to gain. On the other hand if God doe not exist or you do not believe then your utility level in such cases as indicated by f1, f2, f3 is finite (Tabarrok, 123). Therefore, one who believes in God according to Pascal h as more to gain in both cases as compared to those who do not believe in God. Taking James postulation, the second case would apply; where if truly God exists the individual would have to lose everything as the chance of gaining the truth is thrown away in fear of believing in falsehoods (James, 5). It would follow that Pascalââ¬â¢s postulation is more concrete and accurate compared to the postulation by James on the subject of believing in God. The critics of James to Pascalââ¬â¢s work can also be applied to criticize his own work. James explains that humans are recorders and not the makers of truth. In addition James explains that facts are facts and independent of our believing or not (James,
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
School of Social Science and Public Policy. Case Studies in Policy Essay
School of Social Science and Public Policy. Case Studies in Policy Decision - Essay Example Inter-American Development Bank (2010, p.203) explains that the integrity, adaptability, sustainability and applicability of public policy depends on how the policies are presented, debated and implemented. Policies go through the stages of formulation, implementation and effect (Wilson, 1997, p.12). For successful outcome policies must put into consideration four aspects; needs of the population, the opportunities available, challenges and applicability within a given environment. These issues are better conceptualized by learning through case studies. Case studies bridge the gap between theory and practice and allow students to simulate the processes of policy formulation, implementation and effect and some to the challenges and gaps that might be encountered. 2.0 English Smoking Ban The English Smoking ban was introduced after studies revealed that passive smokers were at risk of developing lung cancer just like first hand smokers. The policy issue in this case was that non-smokers were continually being placed at a risk of developing health problems as a result of passive smoking (Institute of Medicine (U.S.). Committee on Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Acute Coronary Events, 2010, p.32). The problem became a policy issue and there was a dire need to protect non-smokers from the dangers of passive smoking. For instance, studies by Hirayama 1984 and Trichopoulos in 1981 established that there were serious health risks associated with passive smoking (Lippmann, 2011, p.723). ... According to Gerston (2010, p.3), the politics accompanying the process of policy formulation is mostly characterized by ââ¬Å"confusion, contradictions and consternation.â⬠Other aspects that impact on policies are issues such as advocay, path dependency and bureaucracy. Inter-American Development Bank (2010, p.203) explains that the integrity, adaptability, sustainability and applicability of public policy depends on how the policies are presented, debated and implemented. Policies go through the stages of formulation, implementation and effect (Wilson, 1997, p.12). For successful outcome policies must put into consideration four aspects; needs of the population, the opportunities available, challenges and applicability within a given environment. These issues are better conceptualized by learning through case studies. Case studies bridge the gap between theory and practice and allow students to simulate the processes of policy formulation, implementation and effect and some to the challenges and gaps that might be encountered. 2.0 English Smoking Ban The English Smoking ban was introduced after studies revealed that passive smokers were at risk of developing lung cancer just like first hand smokers. The policy issue in this case was that non-smokers were continually being placed at a risk of developing health problems as a result of passive smoking (Institute of Medicine (U.S.). Committee on Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Acute Coronary Events, 2010, p.32). The problem became a policy issue and there was a dire need to protect non-smokers from the dangers of passive smoking. For instance, studies by Hirayama 1984 and Trichopoulos in 1981 established that there were serious health risks associated with passive smoking (Lippmann, 2011, p.723).
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Internet Web Servers and HTML Essay Example for Free
Internet Web Servers and HTML Essay In order to create a web page, a host must be first be found, or created. The Internet host is a site where the web page becomes available for view by users on the world wide web. While web pages can be hosted by an individual, most people prefer to use a host site as a service provider to do so for them. An Internet host provider does everything needed to make a web site available to others. The host provider will usually charge a fee for their services, although in some cases it is free. Most host providers can also sell a domain name (for instance www. johndoe. com). They will provide space on their server for web pages and may provide an interface control panel for installing scripts, which eases usersââ¬â¢ accessibility to the site (such as providing a link for Email communication). After the Internet host provider has been selected, it is then up to the owner of the web site to provide the pages that will appear on the Internet. This is done by creating HTML (hyper text markup protocol) pages that are transferred to the server via FTP (file transfer protocol). An easy way to create web pages for a site is to use a software editor such as Microsoftââ¬â¢s Front Page. Front Page is available as part of the Microsoft Office Suite and can integrate documents from Word or spreadsheets from Excel into the web page. Front Page is user friendly; the software lets users input the text and pictures they want on a web site page as if they were using a word processing program (i. e. , there are buttons to make letters bold, italic, colored, etc. ) instead of having to insert the correct HTML code (which translates the look and placement of items on the Internet). Front Page then takes the information and converts it to HTML language. Once the pages are complete, Front Page will transfer the pages to the Internet host provider where they will be stored, using the account name and password via FTP. Once the pages have been uploaded to the web site, it is then visible and accessible to any user of the world wide web. References ââ¬Å"Hosting Your Web Siteâ⬠. Retrieved October 31, 2007 from the Dummies Web site: http://www. dummies. com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-3140. html. ââ¬Å"Microsoft Office Front Page 2003â⬠. Retrieved October 31, 2007 from the Microsoft Web site: http://www. microsoft. com/products/info/product. aspx? view=22pcid=57bccce5-f934-422d-a11a-2afd0c0014dbtype=ovr.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Evolution Vs. Creationism Essay -- Environmental Compare Contrast Essa
Evolution vs. Creationism Abstract In the history of science vs. religion there have been no issues more intensely debated than evolution vs. creationism. The issue is passionately debated since the majority of evidence is in favor of evolution, but the creation point of view can never be proved wrong because of religious belief. Human creation breaks down into three simple beliefs; creation theory, naturalistic evolution theory, and theistic evolution theory. The complexities of all three sides create a dilemma for what theory to support among all people, religious and non-religious. Evolution vs. Creationism The theories of human evolution may always cause a heated dispute. Each theory presents its own evidence proving its acceptance, but lacks enough evidence to prove the other theories incorrect. All the theories that attempt to explain human existence fall under the categories of creation theory, naturalistic evolution theory, and the theistic evolution theory. The creation theory explains that a certain God created the humans, and evolution does not exist. The naturalistic evolution theory states that evolution is driven by purely natural forces, and is not controlled by any input from a god, goddess, or multiple deities. The theistic evolution is a mixture of both creation and naturalistic theories. The theistic evolution theory states that god created the world and guides the evolution process (Religious Tolerance, 2004). The information presented in evolution studies must be viewed with an open mind since there is no definite proof or law of evolution. The dilemma boils down to science vs. religion. God has been our creator since beginning of time, but the discoveries of recent science are sudde... ...ive as long as religion. Evolution vs. creationism is in fact science vs. religion, and no theory will ever be unanimously accepted until religion or science is eliminated. Evolution vs. creationism is a controversy that may never be solved. References Steen, Francis. (2001, March 25). Evolutionary Theory. Retrieved November 30, 2004, from <a href="http://cogweb.ucla.edu/ep/Evolution.html">http://cogweb.ucla.edu/ep/Evolution.html</a> Religious Tolerance. (2004). Evolution. Retrieved November 30, 2004, from <a href="http://www.religioustolerance.org/evolutio.htm">http://www.religioustolerance.org/evolutio.htm</a> Stewart, Ian. (2003). How the Species Became. New Science, Vol. 180, Iss. 2416, 32. Monastersky, Richard. (2004). Society Disowns Paper Attacking Darwinism. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Vol. 51, Iss. 5, A.16.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Art Tatum Essay
From the time Tatum was born on Oct. 13, 1909 in Toledo, Ohio, he was destined for revolutionizing jazz. He was born with a blind eye and the other partially blind, but his ears were his way of seeing the world. He could sit down and play the same music meant for four hands. He was unbeatable at any piano competition. His influence on jazz will be forever respected by jazz pianists (and non-pianists) worldwide. As a child, Art received a little formal training for piano at Toledo School of Music, but he mainly just taught himself. By the age of 18, he was already playing for radio broadcasts and even had his own show at one point. By age 24, he wrote and released ââ¬Å"Tiger Rag,â⬠a song fully equipped with fast beats, incredibly technical rhythms, and the need for skill. As he continued in his musical career, his articulation, style, and individuality only got better. Art changed the entire face of jazz music. He helped lead the next generation into the bebop era. He was the musician that started to change the chord progressions, fingered with the harmonics, and tried new inversions of different chords (to get a more ââ¬Å"jazzyâ⬠sound). Tatum was able to use his classical background and his jazzy style to create his own type of music. It was technical and complex, but still full of the freestyle that jazz so easily expresses. He used his left-handedness to create extreme bass parts and his right hand to create beautiful runs up and down the entire piano. Art had incredible ears. Although he was nearly blind in one eye and completely blind in the other, he could see perfectly when it came to music. It was said that Tatum could find the dominant note in a flushing toilet. He had incredible pitch, so he knew exactly which notes would sound perfect with the others. In regard to his piano, they called him, ââ¬Å"Godâ⬠because he was so good. Tatum never stopped playing piano. It was his life. As one man said, ââ¬Å"Tatum played so brilliantly and so muchâ⬠¦that I thought the piano was gonna break. My mother left the roomâ⬠¦so I said ââ¬ËWhatââ¬â¢s wrong, Mama?ââ¬â¢ And she said ââ¬ËOh, that man plays too much piano.'â⬠Even extremely critical people would compliment him for his piano skills. Whenever he ever entered a competition for piano, he never lost. Artââ¬â¢s style of music was not the simple, easy music that anybody could play. His technique was mastered. He had the most intricate ornamentation in every line of a song he played. Not only that, but he didnââ¬â¢t even seem like he was trying. As he pounded away at the keys, it didnââ¬â¢t seem like pounding but more floating. It seemed so effortless to him. Hank Jones said, ââ¬Å"When I finally met him and got a chance to hear him play in person, it seemed as if he wasnââ¬â¢t really exerting much effort, he had an effortless way of playing. It was deceptive. Youââ¬â¢d watch him and you couldnââ¬â¢t believe what was coming out, what was reaching your ears. He didnââ¬â¢t have that much motion at the piano. He didnââ¬â¢t make a big show of moving around and waving his hands and going through all sorts of physical gyrations to produce the music that he produced, so that in itself is amazing. There had to be intense concentration there, but you couldnââ¬â¢t tell by just looking at him play.â⬠Tatum was revolutionary. He led future jazz musicians into the next era of jazz. He had the skill and the mind of a genius, and for that, he will never be forgotten. Resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Tatum#Style http://www.duke.edu/~njh3/biography.html
Sunday, November 10, 2019
A Journey into Rolf’s Repressed Self
When assigned to read the short stories in class to summarize and learn to paraphrase, there was one story in particular that emotionally touched me. This short story was ââ¬Å"And of Clay Are We Createdâ⬠by Isabell Allende. I found many great points that could be discussed about the story, and that is why I chose it to be a part of this research paper.This story is a touching momentum of a man's penetrating awakening that he no longer has to suffer from the emotional torment that was inflicted upon him during is childhood. Rolf, ââ¬Å"like a flower sinking into the mudâ⬠(367) has sank into himself; a self that is magnetized with cataclysmic devastation and desolation. The volcano has erupted to bring an avalanche of despair, so does this same volcano explode, bursting to eventually bring calm and equanimity.Isabell Allende has Rolf Carle, a news reporter fly out to the devastating scene where you are introduced to Azucena, a young girl, stuck in the mud. Rolfe Carle st ays with Azucena in hopes of saving her from this catastrophe but in the meantime, he Journeys through his repressed childhood memories. It is important to investigate repressed memories so you could courageously move forward to live a fuller life, instead of blocking these memories and living in the past. This paper will slightly take you through Rolf Carle's emotions, the effects these memories can have, and how to overcome them.I found it ironic how Rolf Carle is close to many people's histories when investigating the incident being a reporter but he is so distant with his own and we see this when he is telling his stories to Azucena. Rolf connected with Azucena at a level of experience, whether it was physical or emotional, they became one and shared hings with each other, some things being on a different level. This connection occurred because Rolf saw himself like Azucena ââ¬Å"trapped in a pit without escape, buried in life, his head barely above groundâ⬠(Allende, 363) .It is apparent that Rolf, like the buried and trapped girl, has submerged his own suppressed and hidden visceral terror; terror concealed from reality, that when it is unearthed, it is ââ¬Å"intact and precise as if it had lain always in his mind, waitingâ⬠(Allende, 362). Like the deceased relatives who weigh down Azucena by clinging on her legs, so too is Rolf eighed down, incapacitated and paralyzed by the hauntingly vivid repressed memories. Rolf seemed to be trapped in pain as Azucena was in the mud, and confronting the thoughts of the girl dying was tough.Azucena taught him to pray, and eventhough it might have been consolation for herself, she later provides support for Rolfe when he was suffering through his past memories. This moment with Azucena, showed Rolf now to contront his own pains and memories, memories t I d witn humiliation, shame, fear, and regret. Rolfs emotional break down, as displayed with Azucena, resulted in him rising above the vultures and helicopt ersâ⬠¦ flying] above the vast swamp and corruptionâ⬠(366). The question of importance and focus is not how this took place.In other words, it is not the line of successive actions and conversations, told and untold, that led to his decisive moment of freedom that is important. It is the cognitive and emotional process of a child who has been abused and chooses to either suppress or repression those traumatic painful memories. Indeed Rolf goes through a transformative change. But for 30 years he has ââ¬Å"livedâ⬠or choose to forget certain events that took place in his life. The reader is never told in ull detail the abuse that was inflicted upon Rolf. We are given the illusion of a being beat with a belt then put in a closet.Such a painful event indeed was resulted in the present moment of physical pain, as well as, the present and future psychological damage done to Rolf, not mentioning the effects that it had on his sister. We are reminded time and again by surviv ors of abuse that emotional abuse is far worse because ââ¬Å"the body is meant for recovering and healing physical wounds, the evidence is in scars, but the mind has a difficult time reacting to emotional abuse ecause it is counterproductive and counter intuitive in an unhealthy and unnatural way' (abused victim who chooses to remain anonymous).When dealing with painful events, especially when occurring during childhood, a child often times chooses to either repress or suppress the memories hoping that he or she will never have to relive that moment. ââ¬Å"A repressed memory, according to some theories of psychology, is a memory (often of a traumatic nature) of an event or environment, which is stored by the unconscious mind but outside the awareness of the conscious mindâ⬠(pyshowiki), whereas, suppressed memories are those memories hat are forgotten by choice.The question now becomes did Rolfs unconscious mind repress the memory or was it by choice that he suppressed his ch ildhood experience? The answer first comes with an understanding that ââ¬Å"memories stay in the brain for lifeâ⬠(Martin Dak). It is important to understand that ââ¬Å"repressed memories do not disappearâ⬠(changingminds. org). ââ¬Å"We can only bury memories for so long before they resurfaceâ⬠(Effect on the Mind). A person tends to ââ¬Å"forget memoriesâ⬠because the fear of facing reality has invaded his or her life and he or she no longer has the fortitude o properly be engaged in the present moment.Like an earthquake that shatters glass into millions of pieces and demolishes massive infrastructures into complete and utter ruin; so too can the effects of repressed memories play in a person's life. If repressed memories are not received, accepted, and properly discussed, a lifetime of tortured reality can unfold in a person's life. We don't have to look any farther than the 30 years of life that Rolf lived. The reader is never given a glimpse into his lif e after the abuse. We are told he has a relationship with a girl and that he is a reporter.Only with extremely caution, lest we stereotype that all reporters and journalists nave been through emotional hazards during their childh , but one nas to conclude that his Job does keep him moving from one situation to the next, avoiding having to ever think about his own issues and life. People that have repressed memories could possibly have disorders like post- traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. ââ¬Å"Dwelling on such emotionsâ⬠¦ is overwhelmed by extreme mental trauma (Novella). One could also experience traumatic amnesia, ââ¬Å"this involves the loss of memories of traumatic experiencesâ⬠(Kolk).
Friday, November 8, 2019
The Professor and the Madman essays
The Professor and the Madman essays The Professor and the Madman, written by Simon Winchester, is a biography about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary. Winchester, who is an author, journalist, broadcaster and foreign correspondent, has written for many magazines and newspapers distributed worldwide. In an interview between Winchester and a host of C-SPAN, Winchester was asked where the idea for the book came, he replies Well, it came to me in a rather bizarre way. I was reading a book on lexicography in the bath one morning, as one does, I suppose, just before breakfast, and it was a booka wonderful book called "Chasing The Sun" by a man called Jonathan Green. And it had a referenceit said, `Readers will be familiar with the extraordinary story of Dr. W.C. Minor, an American lunatic murderer, who was a prodigiously energetic contributor to the OED.' And I remember sitting up in the bath, Archimedeslike, dripping and saying, `Well, I know nothing about this.' Winchesters main foundation for this book is to clarify the tale of the making of the Oxford English Dictionary The formation of the Oxford English Dictionary began in 1857 and took seventy years to finish. Tens of thousands of individuals organized the expansive language into 414,825 exact definitions. The story begins with the grisly murder of George Merrett, by William Chester Minor the former U.S. Army officer and qualified surgeon. On February 17th of 1872 in the early morning William Minor had been sleeping, when he awoke to some noises of someone in his flat. He sat up and saw someone standing at the foot of his bed. He proceeded to chase the individual into the street, and shot at the person as they attempted to flee. He ended up shooting the first person that came into view apparently, and this person was George Merrett. Merrett had never met W.C Minor and had been heading home after a long day at work. W.C Minor was arrested. While in pri...
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
The Quick Definition of a Robot
The Quick Definition of a Robot A robot can be defined as a programmable, self-controlled device consisting of electronic, electrical, or mechanical units. More generally, it is a machine that functions in place of a living agent. Robots are especially desirable for certain work functions because, unlike humans, they never get tired; they can endure physical conditions that are uncomfortable or even dangerous; they can operate in airless conditions; they do not get bored by repetition, and they cannot be distracted from the task at hand. The concept of robots is a very old one yet the actual word robot was invented in the 20th century from the Czechoslovakian word robota or robotnik meaning slave, servant, or forced labor. Robots dont have to look or act like humans but they do need to be flexible so they can perform different tasks. Early industrial robots handled radioactive material in atomic labs and were called master/slave manipulators. They were connected together with mechanical linkages and steel cables. Remote arm manipulators can now be moved by push buttons, switches or joysticks. Current robots have advanced sensory systems that process information and appear to function as if they have brains. Their brain is actually a form of computerized artificial intelligence (AI). AI allows a robot to perceive conditions and decide upon a course of action based on those conditions. Components of Robots Effectors - arms, legs, hands, feetSensors - parts that act like senses and can detect objects or things like heat and light and convert the object information into symbols that computers understandComputer - the brain that contains instructions called algorithms to control the robotEquipment - this includes tools and mechanical fixtures Characteristics that make robots different from regular machinery are that robots usually function by themselves, are sensitive to their environment, adapt to variations in the environment or to errors in prior performance, are task oriented and often have the ability to try different methods to accomplish a task. Common industrial robots are generally heavy rigid devices limited to manufacturing. They operate in precisely structured environments and perform single highly repetitive tasks under pre-programmed control. There were an estimated 720,000 industrial robots in 1998. Tele-operated robots are used in semi-structured environments such as undersea and nuclear facilities. They perform non-repetitive tasks and have limited real-time control.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Marriage Equality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1
Marriage Equality - Research Paper Example nterparts of a Christian Religion (The Seventh-Day Adventist and the Roman Catholic) based on their opinions and insights about marriage equality that the LGBT people take as their major concern. The theological views of the two specific religions of Christianity would be explored. Therefore, the study could find out who among the religious groups have brought changes and decisions for the marriage equality bringing along the reputation of Christianism. It has been emphasized in the church manual of the Seventh - day Adventist religion that the couples for marriage should be heterosexual partners (Seventh-Day Adventist, 2005). According to Cook (2012), the Seventh-Day Adventist is opposed to same-sex marriage. This is also relative to their views that majority of the people to lesbians, gays, bisexual, and transgenders (LGBT) are mostly perceived as anti-Christ or atheist (Cook, 2012). Therefore, it could be that this kind of perception made the adventist church to totally block the LGBT with their rights to marry their same-sex partners. Moreover, the constricted faith of the Seventh-day Adventist church to their sacred scriptures made them to forbid the modern issue to agree the terms for marriage equality. The Seventh-day Adventists claim that people are the apples in the eye of God, a supernatural being with an omnipresent soul (ââ¬Å"Stances of Faiths on LGBT Issuesâ⬠, 2012). Therefore, every individual is essential to God wherein every person would be bestowed with the fresh and spirit of God that is considered as holy. Human bodys flesh and soul must be filled with the sacredness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enlivens every being, and it is the duty of a man to take good care of his body and soul for an everlasting life. A man and a woman must make a righteous deed of taking how his body must be holy because the Adventists or any living Christian believe that the body is a temple of God. They also believe that a man and a woman is created in the
Friday, November 1, 2019
STRATEGY ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words
STRATEGY ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION - Essay Example A company can gain a competitive advantage by optimizing the coordination of the value chain to create value for services and products, which are more than what it would cost to perform value activities. Thus, a company could create additional value without necessarily having to increase costs or amount of producing these products or services. The customers then pay for the added value. Starbuckââ¬â¢s strategy will also be analyzed and evaluated using Porterââ¬â¢s generic strategy, which involve focus, differentiation, and cost leadership. Cost leadership involves pursuing reduction of costs through a firm control of overheads, sacrificing R&D, and avoiding less profitable and marginal customers. Differentiation involves coming up with a unique product in the market that could be customer service, dealer networks, and brand image. Focus involves targeting a specific group, segment, or geographic market of a product line. Starbucks today would seem to be pursuing differentiation as a generic strategy, although when it started out, its generic strategy was more the strategy of focus emphasizing more on differentiation in a specific segment of the target consumer. In this case, Porterââ¬â¢s generic model will analyze and evaluate the strategies that Starbucks uses in gaining a competitive advantage while Porterââ¬â¢s generic strategies will examine how they utilize these competitive advantages. Analysis and Evaluation of Starbuckââ¬â¢s Using Generic Strategy Model On top of an established strategy based on competence, which is a major contributor to the success enjoyed by Starbuckââ¬â¢s, the company utilizes other strategies so as to maintain a competitive advantage over its main competitors (Thompson & Arsel, 2009: p238). According to Porter, a company has at its disposal three basic strategies that it can use as leverage in its industry. These include focus, differentiation, and cost leadership. Cost leadership is a strategy that aims to produc e low cost products that are of high quality while also reducing the firmââ¬â¢s operational costs. However, Starbucks does not utilize this strategy since its products are high cost. A company can also use the strategy of differentiation that entails the creation of services and products that are unique. The firmââ¬â¢s clients then perceive these services or products as unique and an addition of value, which allows the company to charge premium prices on the services and products. Meanwhile, the focus generic strategy involves specific sections or segments of consumers and can be combined with the cost leadership or differentiation strategies (Thompson & Arsel, 2009: p239). Starbucks pursues the focus on generic strategy within their specific target client segment with added emphasis in and the combination of differentiation generic strategy. Starbucks utilizes the generic strategy of focus with a target base of consumers that is composed of educated and wealthy drinkers of co ffee that are willing to part with more money for quality customer service and products (Smith, 2011: p505). Starbucks aims at a specific and narrow portion of the coffee industryââ¬â¢s consumers. Therefore, Starbucksââ¬â¢ strategy lays focus on the segment with its services and products being especially designed to meet the wants and needs of this segment of consumer. In terms of integrating the differentiation strategy with that of focus, the firmââ¬â¢s brand is presented with various characteristics that are diverse. Other
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Comparing The End of the Imagination and The Redfern Speech Essay
Comparing The End of the Imagination and The Redfern Speech - Essay Example Arundhati Roy and Paul Keating, to convince the audience to believe in what they are saying, used the strategy of adding emotional appeal to their evidence, and by doing so, has struck the deepest cord of their heart. It is not only the evidence, but the emotions and imagination attached to the evidence, which helps Roy and Keating to win the hearts of the audience, and hence, it will not be wrong to say that it is the emotions, and not just the evidence, that helps person to convince others in the process of communication. Arundhati Roy In her essay ââ¬Å"The end of the imagination,â⬠Arundhati Roy has expressed her strong views against the nuclear tests conducted by Government of India in 1998. Roy has taken aid of strong evidence, through facts, reasoning and future possibilities, to convince the audience about her disapproval towards the nuclear tests. The evidence that Roy has used to convince the audience are discussed below. The consequences of nuclear war The first stra tegy that Roy has used to prove her stand against the nuclear testing by Indian government is the description of the consequences of the nuclear war. Roy has described the horrors of nuclear war in a vivid language. Instead of just using the words ââ¬Ëdestructiveââ¬â¢ or ââ¬Ëharmful,ââ¬â¢ she has clearly described how the villages, rivers, wind and human body will be affected by the nuclear war. This vivid description gives a ââ¬Ëfeelingââ¬â¢ of the horrors of nuclear war and creates a clear picture of its consequences. The picture of what really happens after the nuclear war, and how it affects the environment and human beings, shocks the reader. Hence, the clarity of the effects of nuclear war on human body, the atmosphere, on future generation through poisonous radiations and the effects on environment, works as a strong evidence to prove why she is against the nuclear testing. The second evidence Roy uses is by questioning the sanity of men who can get access t o the nuclear weapons. Suicide bomber psyche Indian government had given ââ¬Ëdeterrenceââ¬â¢ as a reason for their decision to go ahead with nuclear testing. However, Roy has argued that the theory of deterrence has flaws in it. She has questioned Indian Governmentââ¬â¢s understanding of the enemy. Roy feels that one cannot consider the enemy to be similar to self. That is, she has expressed her concern over the terrorist groups who are not ââ¬Ëdeterredââ¬â¢ by the nuclear capacity of the enemy as they have a different psyche. She discusses the psychology of terrorists who are ready to die in order to kill. She calls this a ââ¬Ësuicide bomberââ¬â¢ psyche. Terrorists are so strongly brainwashed to believe in their cause that they do not hesitate even a bit to destroy themselves in order to prove their point. They are ready to perish, and are insane enough to destroy millions of lives. Roy says that if the nuclear bomb gets in hands of such people, then the ââ¬Ë theory of deterrence,ââ¬â¢ proves baseless. To convince this point, she has provided the evidence of death of Rajiv Gandhi. Rajiv Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India, was assassinated by suicide bomber. Using his assassination as evidence, Roy questions the Indian Governmentââ¬â¢s understanding about the enemy psyche. Roy questions that when even a man of premiere stature like Rajiv Gandhi was not saved by the
Monday, October 28, 2019
MEMS Accelerometer Based Hand Gesture Recognition
MEMS Accelerometer Based Hand Gesture Recognition MEMS ACCELEROMETER BASED HAND GESTURE RECOGNITION Meenaakumari.M1, M.Muthulakshmi2 1Dept.of ECE, Sri Lakshmi Aammal Engineering College, Chennai, 2Asst.Prof, Dept.of ECE, Sri Lakshmi Aammal Engineering College, Chennai, Abstract This paper presents an MEMS accelerometer mostly based on gesture recognition algorithm and its applications. The hardware module consists of a triaxial mems accelerometer, microcontroller, and zigbee wireless transmission module for sensing and collecting accelerations of handwriting and hand gesture trajectories. Users will use this hardware module to write down digits, alphabets in digital kind by making four hand gestures. The accelerations of hand motions measured by the accelerometer are transmitted wirelessly to a personal computer for trajectory recognition. The trajectory algorithm composed of information assortment collection, signal preprocessing for reconstructing the trajectories to attenuate the cumulative errors caused by drift of sensors. So, by changing the position of MEMS (micro electro mechanical systems) we can able to show the alphabetical characters and numerical within the PC. Keywords MEMS accelerometer, gesture, handwritten recognition, trajectory algorithm. INTRODUCTION NOW A DAYS, the expansion of human machine interaction technologies in electronic circuits has been greatly reduced the dimension and weight of consumer electronics products such as smart phones and handheld computers, and therefore will increases our day to day convenience. Recently, an attractive alternative, a conveyable embedded device with inertial sensors, has been projected to sense the activities of human and to capture their motion trajectory information from accelerations for handwriting and recognizing gestures. The foremost necessary advantage of inertial sensors for general motion sensing is that they can be operated without any external reference and limitation in operating conditions. However, motion trajectory recognition is comparatively tough for different users since they have different speeds and styles to generate various motion trajectories. Thus, several researchers have tried to avoid the problem domain for increasing theà accuracy of handwriting recognition systems. During this work a miniature MEMS accelerometer based recognition systems which acknowledge four hand gestures in 3-D is constructed by using this four gestures, numerical and alphabets will be recognized in the digital format. MEMS are termed as micro electro mechanical system where mechanical parts like cantilevers or membranes have been manufactured at microelectronics circuits. It uses the technology known as micro-fabrication technology. It has holes, cavity, channels, cantilevers, membranes and additionally imitates mechanical parts. The emphasis on MEMS is based on silicon. The explanation that prompt that prompt the utilization of MEMS technology are for example miniaturization of existing devices, development of new devices based on principal that do not work at large scale and to interact with micro world. Miniaturization reduces cost by decreasing material consumption. It also increases applicability by reducing mass and size allowing placing the, MEMS in places where a traditional system. Instead of having a series of external components connected by wire or soldered to printed circuit board the MEMS on silicon can be integrated directly with the electronics. These are called smart integrated ME MS already include data acquisition, filtering, data storage, communication interfacing and networking. MEMS technology not only makes the things smaller but often makes them better. A typical example is brought by the accelerometer development. An accelerometer is a device that measures the physical acceleration. The physical parameters are temperature, pressure, force, light etc. it measures the weight per unit mass. By contrast, accelerometers in free fall or at rest in outer space will measure zero. Another term for the type of acceleration that accelerometers can measure is g-force. It works on the principle of displacement of a small proof mass etched into the silicon surface of the integrated circuit and suspended by small beams. RELATED WORK There are mainly two existing types of gesture recognition methods, i.e., vision-based and accelerometer and/or gyroscope based. Due to some limitations like ambient optical noise, slower dynamic response, and relatively large data collections/processing of vision-based method [1], our recognition system is implemented based on an inertial measurement unit based on MEMS acceleration sensors. If gyroscopes are used for inertial measurement [2] it causes heavy computational burden, thus our system is based on MEMS accelerometers only and gyroscopes are not implemented. Many researchers have focused on developing effective algorithms for error compensation of inertial sensors to improve the recognition accuracy. For few examples, Yang et al. [3] proposed a pen-type input device to track trajectories in 3-D space by using accelerometers and gyroscopes. An efficient acceleration error compensation algorithm based on zero velocity compensation was developed to decrease the acceleration err ors for acquiring accurate reconstructed trajectory. An extended Kalman filter with magnetometers (micro inertial measurement unit (ÃŽà ¼IMU) with magnetometers), proposed by Luo et al. [10], was employed to compensate the orientation of the proposed digital writing instrument. If the orientation of the instrument was estimated precisely, the motion trajectories of the instrument were reconstructed accurately. Dong et al. [4] proposed an optical tracking calibration method based on optical tracking system (OTS) to calibrate 3-D accelerations, angular velocities, and space attitude of handwriting motions. The OTS was developed for the following two goals: 1) to obtain accelerations of the proposed ubiquitous digital writing instrument (UDWI) by calibrating 2-D trajectories and 2) to obtain the accurate attitude angles by using the multiple camera calibration. However, in order to recognize or reconstruct motion trajectories accurately, the aforementioned approaches introduce other sensors such as gyroscopes or magnetometers to obtain precise orientation. This increases additional cost for motion trajectory recognition systems as well as computational burden of their algorithms. In this paper, a portable device has been developed with a trajectory recognition algorithm. The portable device consists of a triaxial accelerometer, a microprocessor, and an zigbee wireless transmission module. The acceleration signals measured from the triaxial accelerometer are transmitted to a computer via the zigbee wireless module. Users can utilize this portal device to write digits and make hand gestures at normal speed. The measured acceleration signals of these motions can be recognized by the trajectory recognition algorithm. The recognition procedure is composed of acceleration acquisition, signal preprocessing, feature generation, feature selection, and feature extraction. The acceleration signals of hand motions are measured by the portable device. The signal preprocessing procedure consists of calibration, a moving average filter, a high-pass filter, and normalization. First, the accelerations are calibrated to remove drift errors and offsets from the raw signals. The se two filters are applied to remove high frequency noise and gravitational acceleration from the raw data, respectively. The features of the preprocessed acceleration signals of each axis include mean, correlation among axes, interquartile range (IQR), mean absolute deviation (MAD), root mean square (rms), VAR, standard deviation (STD), and energy. Before classifying the hand motion trajectories, we perform the procedures of feature selection and extraction methods. In general, feature selection aims at selecting a subset of size m from an original set of d features (d > m). Therefore, the criterion of kernel-based class separability (KBCS) with best individual N (BIN) is to select significant features from the original features (i.e., to pick up some important features from d) and that of linear discriminate analysis (LDA) is to reduce the dimension of the feature space with a better recognition performance (i.e., to reduce the size of m). The objective of the feature selection an d featureextraction methods is not only to eradicate the burden of computational load but also to increase the accuracy of classification. The reduced features are used as the inputs of classifiers. The contributions of this paper include the following: 1) the development of a portable device with a trajectory recognition algorithm, i.e., with the hardware module , can give desired commands by hand motions to control electronics devices anywhere without space limitations, and 2) an effective trajectory recognition algorithm, i.e., the proposed algorithm can efficiently select significant features from the time and frequency domains of acceleration signals and project the feature space into a smaller feature dimension for motion recognition with high recognition accuracy. III.HARDWARE DESIGN OFà PORTABLE DEVICE The portable device consists of a triaxial accelerometer (MMA2240), a microcontroller (C8051F206 with a 12-b A/D converter), and a wireless transceiver (nRF2401, Nordic). The triaxial accelerometer measures the acceleration signals generated by a users hand motions. The microcontroller collects the analog acceleration signals and converts the signals to digital ones via the A/D converter. The wireless transceiver transmits the acceleration signals wirelessly to a personal computer (PC).The MMA2240 is a low-cost capacitive micro machined accelerometer with a temperature compensation function and a g-select function for a full-scale selection of +_}2 g to +_}6 gand is able to measure accelerations over the bandwidth of 0.5 kHz for all axes. The accelerometers sensitivity is set from à ¢Ãâ ââ¬â¢2 g to +2 g. The C8051F206 integrates a high-performance 12-b A/D converter and an optimized signal cycle 25-MHz 8-b microcontroller unit (MCU) (8051 instruction set compatible) on a signal chip. The output signals of the accelerometer are sampled at 100 Hz by the 12-b A/D converter. Then, all the data sensed by the accelerometer are transmitted wirelessly to a PC by an zigbee transceiver at 2.4-GHz transmission band with 1-Mb/s transmission rate. The overall power consumption of the digital pen circuit is 30 mA at 3.7 V. The block diagram of the portable device is shown in Fig. 1. MEMS PIC ACCELEROMTER MICROCON ZIGBEE TX TROLLER PC RS 232 ZIGBEE RX Fig.1. Block diagram of the portable device. IV. TRAJECTORY RECOGNITION ALGORITHM The proposed trajectory recognition algorithm consisting of acceleration acquisition, signal preprocessing, feature generation, feature selection, and feature extraction. In this paper, the motions for recognition include Arabic numerals alphabets. The acceleration signals of the hand motions are measured by a triaxial accelerometer and then preprocessed by filtering and normalization. Consequently, the features are extracted from the preprocessed data to represent the characteristics of different motion signals, and the feature selection process based on KBCS picks p features out of the original extracted features. To reduce the computational load and increase the recognition accuracy of the classifier, LDA is utilized to decrease the dimension of the selected features. The reduced feature vectors are then fed into a PNN classifier to recognize the motion to which the feature vector it belongs. A. Signal Preprocessing The microcontroller collects the acceleration signals of hand motions which are generated by the accelerometer. Due to slight tremble movement of hand certain amount of noise is generated. The signal preprocessing consists of calibration, a moving average filter, a high-pass filter, and normalization. First, the accelerations are calibrated to remove drift errors and offsets from the raw signals. The second step of the signal preprocessing is to use a moving average filter to reduce the high-frequency noise of the calibrated accelerations, and the filter is expressed as where x[t] is the input signal, y[t] is the output signal, and N is the number of points in the average filter. In this paper, we set N = 8. The decision of using an eight-point moving average filter is based on our empirical tests. Then, a high-pass filter is used to remove the gravitational acceleration from the filtered acceleration to obtain accelerations caused by hand movement. In general, the size of samples of each movement between fast and slow writers is different. Therefore, after filtering the data, we first segment each movement signal properly to extract the exact motion interval. Then, we normalize each segmented motion interval into equal sizes via interpolation. B. Feature Generation The characteristics of different hand movement signals can be obtained by extracting features from the preprocessed x-, Fig 2 Block diagram of the trajectory recognition algorithm. 5) Correlation among axes: The correlation among axes is computed as the ratio of the covariance to the product of the STD for each pair of axes. For example, the correlation (corrxy) between two variables x on x-axis and y on y-axis is defined as where E represents the expected value, à Ãâx and à Ãâx are STDs, and mx and my are the expected values of x and y, respectively. 6)MAD 7)rms Y-, and z-axis signals, and we extract eight features where xi is the acceleration instance and m is from the triaxial acceleration signals, including mean, the mean value of xi in (6) to (7). STD, VAR, IQR [6], correlation between axes [7], MAD, rms, and energy [8] . They are explicated as follows. 8) Energy: Energy is calculated as the sum of 1) Mean: The mean value of the acceleration the magnitudes of squared discrete fast signals of each hand motion is the dc Fourier transform (FFT) components of the component of the signal signal in a window. The equation is defined as where W is the length of each hand motion. 2) STD: STD is the square root of VAR where Fi is the ith FFT component of the window and |Fi| is the magnitude of Fi. C. Feature Selection Feature selection comprises a selection criterion. The KBCS can be computed as follows: Let (x, y) (Rd ÃÆ'- 3) VAR Y) represents a sample, where Rd denotes a d dimensional feature space, Y symbolizes the set of class labels, and the size of Y is the number of class c. This method projects the samples onto a kernel space, where xi is the acceleration instance and m is and m i is defined as the mean vector for the I th class in the kernel space, ni denotes the number of the mean value of xi in (3) and (4). samples in the ith class, m denotes the mean vector 4) IQR: When different classes have similar for all classes in the kernel space, S B denotes the between-class scatter matrix in the kernel space, and mean values, the interquartile range S/ Wdenotes the within-class scatter matrix in the represents the dispersion of the data and kernel space. Let (à £Ãâà ») be a possible nonlinear eliminates the influence of outliers in the mapping from the feature space Rd to a kernel space data. ÃŽà º and tr(A) represents the trace of a square matrixA. 1889 www.ijarcet.org ISSN: 2278 1323 International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Engineering Technology (IJARCET) Volume 2, No 5, May 2013 The following two equations are used in the class separability measure: 1 2 3 4 The class separability in the kernel space can be measured as To maintain the numerical stability in the maximization of J à ¢Ãâ â⬠¦ , the denominator tr(Sà ¢Ãâ â⬠¦ W ) has to be prevented from approaching zero. IV. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS In this section, the effectiveness of trajectory recognition algorithm is validated. A.Handwritten Digit Recognition The acceleration signals after the signal preprocessing procedure of the proposed trajectory recognition algorithm for the digit 0. The calibrated acceleration signals acquired from the accelerometer module are shown. With the preprocessed accelerations, alphabets and numerical features are generated by the feature generation procedure. Subsequently, the KBCS is adopted to choose characteristic features from the generated features. We choose digits 0 and 6 to illustrate the effectiveness of the KBCS, since their accelerations and handwritten trajectories are pretty similar and difficult to classify. The IQR features of these two digits are closely overlapped. Thus, the features are not effective for 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Fig. 4. Trajectories of four hand gestures. corrxy, meanz, energyx, energyy, and energyz selected by the KBCS. Finally, the dimension of the selected features was further reduced by the LDA not only to ease the burden of computational load but also to increase the accuracy of classification. Fig. 5.a Trajectories of alphabets Fig. 5.b. Trajectories of alphabets. Fig. 6. IQR features of (red star) digit 0 and (blue diamond) digit 6. Fig. 3. Generation of numerical 1890 www.ijarcet.org ISSN: 2278 1323 International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Engineering Technology (IJARCET) Volume 2, No 5, May 2013 Fig. 6.a. Mean feature of (red star) digit 0 and digit (blue diamond) 6. Therefore, the total testing samples were 100 (10 ÃÆ'- 10 ÃÆ'- 1) for the testing procedure, and the total training samples were 900 (10 ÃÆ'- 10 ÃÆ'- 9) for the raining procedure. Because there are ten digits needed to be classified, the maximum of the dimension of the feature extraction by the LDA was nine. To see the performance variation caused by feature dimensions, we varied the dimensions of the LDA from one to nine. In Fig. 10, the best average recognition rate of Fig. 7. Average recognition rates versus the feature dimensions of the PNN classifier by using the LDA. Fig. 8. Average recognition rates versus the feature dimensions of the PNN classifier by using the KBCS. V. CONCLUSION The development of a portable device, is used to generate desired commands by hand motions to control electronic devices without space limitations. The time and frequency domains of acceleration signals of motion recognition, which has high recognition accuracy. The acceleration made by the hand gesture is measured by accelerometer are wirelessly transmitted to computer. In the experiments, we used 2-D handwriting digits, alphabets by using four hand gestures to validate the effectiveness of the proposed device and algorithm. The overall handwritten digit recognition rate was 98%, and the gesture recognition rate was also 98.75%. This result encourages us to further investigate the possibility of using our digital pen as an effective tool for HCI applications. In this project, an additional button can be used to allow users to indicate the starting point and ending point of motion. That is, the limitation of the proposed trajectory recognition algorithm is that it can only recognize a letter or a number finished with a single stroke. VI. FUTURE ENHANCEMENT The algorithms can be developed for letters or words with multistrokes which involve more challenging problems. REFERENCES S. Zhou, Q. Shan, F. Fei, W. J. Li, C. P. Kwong, and C. K. Wu et al.,Gesture recognition for interactive controllers using MEMS motion sensors, in Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Nano/Micro Engineered and MolecularSystems, Jan. 2009,pp. 935-940. S. Zhang, C. Yuan, and V. Zhang, Handwritten character recognition using orientation quantization based on 3-D accelerometer, presented at the 5th Annu. Int. Conf. Ubiquitous Systems, Jul. 25th, 2008. J. Yang, W. Chang, W. C. Bang, E. S. Choi, K. H.Kang, S. J. Cho, and D. Y. Kim, Analysis and compensation of errors in the input device based on inertial sensors, in Proc. IEEE Int. L. 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