Models of decision making Essay

When we speak of rational behavior, we should remember that our focus in this discussion is not on making decisions, but rather on how to support the process of making decisions. Managers are change agents, not just decision makers, so the steps before and after a decision are as important as the actual choice of action. Preparatory steps include creating tension for change, understanding the positions of the various constituencies, and developing political support for a chosen action. Steps after the decision include naming the change monitor and identifying the monitoring methods. Therefore, the mission of good information system is broader than just collecting data to make a choice. Designers of information systems must understand not only how managers think but also how the decision process will be implemented in the managers’ environment. An information system that is well design is an information system that is used. Thus, an information system, in order to be useful, must be implemented. To understand the implementation process better, we review three models of organizational decision making rational, administrative, and political. The Rational Model. The rational model of decision making was introduced earlier in this chapter. It is based on the logic of optimal choice: the choice that would maximize value for the organization. The manager is assumed to be an objective, totally informed person who would select the most efficient alternative, maximizing whatever amount and type of output s/he values. We can summarize the rational choice process as follows: 1. An individual is confronted with a number of known alternative courses of action. 2. Each alternative bears a set of possible consequences. These consequences are known and are quantifiable. 3. The individual has a system of preferences or utilities that permits him or her to rank the consequences and choose an alternative. There is no empirical support for the contention that these three phases are actually used. In reality, managers seldom have the time or money to analyze all alternatives or envision all consequences. If rationality were ever-present among members of an organization, the organization would appear as a coherent and rational  policy-making entity that maximizes the attainment of a unique set of goals and has no internal conflicts. In other words, a rational decision process implies a rational organization. A rational organization is an organization that has (1) centralized power, (2) harmony and consistency of goals across boundaries, and (3) members who are objective, fully informed, and inclined to choose alternatives that maximize the common good of the organization. The rational model represents a sanitized vision of how organizations make decisions. In reality, organizations often seem more like complex groups of coalitions fighting for shares of limited resources, and using multiple sources of information with varying reliability to achieve a set of fluid goals. Individuals within organizations typically have widely divergent perceptions and goals and act to maximize their own gains, not necessarily those of the organization. Because of this disparity between the rational model and reality, we prefer to accept the rational model primarily as a benchmark for comparing the remaining two organization decision-making processes. In searching for a more realistic description of how organizations make decisions, we turn to the satisficing, or administrative, model. The Administrative Model. The quest for a more realistic description of organization decision making produced a variation called the administrative model. This model sees decision makers as people with varying degrees of motivation who are besieged by demands but have little time to make decisions and thus seek shortcuts to find acceptable solutions. Under the administrative model, a decision maker does not try to optimize but instead â€Å"satisfices† treats objectives as loose constraints that can tighten if there are many acceptable alternatives that fulfill those constraints. While optimization would require choosing the alternative with the highest value, satisficing requires finding the first alternative with an acceptable value, that is, an alternative with a value above a minimally acceptable level on a given constraint. Assume you had a car you wanted to sell. If you listed your car for $2,500 and had 10 offers, you could choose with either method. With the rational method, you would determine which offer had the highest value in terms of conditions and price. With the satisficing model, you would accept the first offer that met your lowest acceptable price. Satisficing may lead to a reduced decision quality, but it saves time and effort. Satisficing is a dynamic construct: the aspiration levels of the manager and the number of alternatives determine what is a â€Å"feasible, good enough solution.† It has been pointed out that satisficing is an appropriate (i.e., rational) strategy when the cost of delaying a decision or searching for further alternatives is high in relation to the expected payoff of the supposedly superior alternative. When you take into consideration the costs related to extended search, it is questionable whether the optimum procedure is to search for the optimum value. When a decision has been reached and the solution to the problem implemented and found to be acceptable, then the organization institutionalizes the procedure used to solve the problem into astandard operating procedure (SOP). SOPs are rules, programs, and routines that are invoked by managers to gain time and to avoid the task of solving a problem from scratch each times it appears. Sometimes managers invoke those SOPs when the organization is facing a similar but not identical problem to the one that the SOP originally solved. Since SOPs are often processes that worked once but nobody is quite sure why or whether it was the best way to solve the original problem in the first place. SOPs are not always the time-savers they are supposed to be. Once implication of having rationally bounded decision makers in organizations is that organizations cannot be seen as single entities. Rather, problems are broken down and assigned to specialized units within the organization that develop their own priorities and goals. These goals, sometimes termed subgoals, may not agree with the organization’s overall goals. This phenomenon has been called local rationality.3 Using the perspective, organizations could be viewed as constellations of loosely allied units, each having a set of SOPs and programs to deal with its piece of the problem. As time passes, these units become more distinct and their subgoals more entrenched. These divergences are enhanced by increasingly distinct perceptions of priorities, information, and uncertainty; they are further reinforced by recruitment, rewards, and tenure. When these tendencies are very strong, the loose alliance of organization units breaks down into â€Å"organized anarchies.† In the extreme case, coalitions are created with conflicting interests. This leads us to the political model of rationality. You should note that the term political does not imply that this model is only relevant in the public  (government) sector; rather the term applies to a type of organization that may exist in any industry or industry sector. The Political Model. In contrast to the rational model, players in the political model (often referred to as incrementalists) do not focus on a single issue but on many intraorganizational problems that reflect their personal goals. In contrast to the administrative model, the political model does not assume that decisions result from applying existing standard operating procedures, programs, and routines. Decisions result from bargaining among coalitions. Unlike in the previous models, power is decentralized. This concept of decision making as a political process emphasizes the natural multiplicity of goals, values, and interests in a complex environment. The political model views decision making as a process of conflict resolution and consensus building and decisions as products of compromise. The old adage, â€Å"Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours,† is the dominant decision-making strategy. When a problem requires a change n policy, the political model predicts that a manager will consider a few alternatives, all of them similar to existing policy. This perspective points out that decisions tend to be incremental— that managers make small changes in response to immediate pressures instead of working out a clear set of plans and a comprehensive program. This incrementalist approach can be seen as the simplest or most extreme form of satisficing. The incremental approach of the political model allows managers to reduce the time spent on the information search and problem definition stages. Incremental decision making is geared to address shortcomings in present policy rather than consider a superior, but novel, course of action. In the political model, the stakeholders have different perception, priorities, and solutions. Because stakeholders have the power to veto some proposals, no policy that harms a powerful stakeholder is likely to triumph even if it is objectively â€Å"optimal.† Our purpose in reviewing these models of organizational decision making is to highlight the realities of decision making that must be recognized when developing or acquiring information systems. If the designer of an I/S assumes that the rational model is a valid representation of the way a given organization is being managed when in fact the political model is a more valid description, s/he may encounter serious implementation  problems. For example, access to information can be very sensitive issue, since in politics, â€Å"information is power.† If managers discover that once a new information system is implemented they will no longer have access to certain data, it is quite possible they will resist the implementation effort. When we consider the issue of organizational decision making, it is important to recognize that the structure of the organization has a strong influence on how and when information is communicated and who gets involved in what decisions. We now turn our attention to the issue of organizational structure.

Different Types of Sausages

Variations of sausages are made available in different cultures and cooking styles. Nowadays, we see and taste sausages in all forms and their flavors have been quite distinctive as well. Some of it is classified as ready to eat while others require maximum precautions of thorough cooking. This is the reason why there have been various divisions which separates the different types of sausages based on how it has been prepared. Sausages are usually made out of ground or minced meat for as long as it is chopped exceedingly small, with pounded spices, aromatic herbs, and animal fat (Lee 193).This food is always packed in a casing and can be easily perceived as a food which is elongated in form. The casings in traditional sausage making are made out of intestines of animals. However, times have changed and now sausage makers utilize synthetic as an alternative to the animal intestines. There are also variations in its ingredients. A sausage can actually be made out of poultry or red meat , and are served cooked or uncooked. These different kinds of sausages are further classified into various types. Cooked SausageOne classification of sausages is a special kind which is cooked. This kind of sausage is branded with such delight as it is made with a certain way in which it is cooked in a heated oven then eaten immediately after the cooking or may be preserved to be eaten at a later time. The procedure of making this kind of sausage starts with the mincing of the meat in a very fine consistency. Along with the minced meat, come the ingredients, spices, and cure that make up the sausage’s flavor and prolong its shelf life for its storage.After all these are combined, cooked sausages require a great effort of mincing to achieve a certain fine texture requirement. This serves as the stuffing of the sausage. After the combining and mincing process, the stuffed created out of the both processes are put into a casing which is later dried. This, thereafter, is cooked a s its final stage in an oven, then either served immediately or stored in a refrigerator for preservation. Cooked sausages are usually made available through various forms.Some of which are as follows; bratwurst, knockwurst, liverwurst, salami, bologna, blood sausage, hot dogs, jellied beef loaf, thurignger style and braunshweiger (Grigson 84). Fresh Sausage Usually, the curing of sausages which serves as the preservative is used in cooked sausages; however another type of sausage does not require exactly the same initial stage of preservation. This kind of sausage is known as the Fresh Sausage in which it is made out of fresh meats that has not been previously cured. Fresh sausages require tremendous cooling in the refrigerator.The method requires such kind of refrigeration as keeping the meat cold stores the fat. This is true in its sense as the fat melts when the meat is left warm. The lack of moisture out of the warmness of the sausage only leads to the grainy texture of the sau sage. This sausage, after being made and being kept in the refrigerator should be cooked thoroughly before serving. Undercooked sausages are deemed to be toxic at a certain extent if not safely prepared. The content of fresh sausages differs from various styles and forms.A whole hog of sausage, for example, contains swine meat and has no more than a fat weight of 50 %. This goes with breakfast sausages as well as it is similar to fat weight which contains various kinds of meat. Italian Sausage, on the other hand, contains 85 % meat, sometimes a combination of meat and fat. This also contains herbs and spices and a little amount of water. Fresh pork sausages, however, may contain no more than 50% fat weight and is prohibited to contain pork byproduct. Fresh beef sausages, also, may not contain beef byproduct and can only have around 35% fat weight (Coxe 196).Dry Sausage Another type of sausage has been made available to us under circumstances of elongated preservation. Normally, saus ages require tremendous attention in taking note its shelf life. However, a type of sausage is set aside for its prolonged shelf-life under proper refrigeration. This type is called the dry sausage. Dry sausages are very much intricate in production and require more time in preparing compared to other types of sausages. Also, this type of sausage has a more concentrated form of meat.To further illustrate this type of sausage, examples of this are classified into the following; chorizo, pepperoni, Genoa Salami, and Frizzes. Cooked Smoked Sausage Another type of a sausage is classified as a Cooked Smoked sausage. This kind of sausage falls into the same category as the cooked sausage because of its similarities in its production process. As its name suggests, Cooked Smoked Sausage is also prepared the same way as the Cooked Sausage is made, however another method is added into the procedure to make this kind of sausage.Smoking is integrated to complete the procedure. This method is em ployed as a means of preserving the sausage as there are implications on how the chemicals in the smoking process builds up in the sausage’s storage life. However, nowadays the smoking method gives in more than the preservative feature; it is now perceived as a means of cultivating flavor in the sausage brought about by the cooking procedure itself The smoking method is done by drying the sausage as its initial stage of the process as its moist surface may actually mottle the surface.There are two variations in smoking a sausage; cold smoking and hot smoking. Cold smoking is usually done in a room temperature between 70 and 90 degrees. This kind of smoking can actually take up a week to complete the process. Hot smoking, in the other hand, is done in a room temperature that is between 100 and 190 degrees. Fresh Smoked Sausage The smoking method is also employed in fresh sausages. Though smoked sausages are previously discussed as a method which is utilized after the cooking o f sausages in a heated oven, the smoking method also gives the same amount of flavor to fresh sausages.This is the reason the smoking process is integrated to the making of fresh sausages as the distinct smoky flavor gives the exact same flavor it gives to the cooking process. The process of cooking of this kind of sausage is quite simple. It basically integrates the making of a fresh sausage and the smoking process. After making the fresh sausage, which involves constant chilling to keep the texture and the fat intact, the smoking process is subsequently applied.All these types of sausages are classifications which makes it more comprehensible to us the different cooking styles employed to various kinds of sausages. Some of these sausages can be classified into various common forms which have different flavor and ingredients; Salami, Summer Sausage, Italian Sausage, British Sausage, Braunschweiger, Liver Sausage, and a lot more. With the variety of sausages available to us, it is q uite indiscernible as to how a sausage has been made. These types make it easier for us to know the ways in which a certain flavor has been achieved and how the process has preserved it.

Motor Development Autobiography Essay

The motor development was consisted of seven periods across the lifespan, each period is characterized by the different motor skills. Progression from one period to another would depend on the changes in three critical constraints, as well as individual’s skills and experiences. According to the developmental perspective, the changes in the motor skills were defined as sequential, cumulative and individual. Everyone would follow the same sequence of the motor development, however, age does not determine the sequence because the skills are built based on individual’s background experiences and knowledge. Prenatal Period The first stage of motor development is the prenatal period, it is the period from conception to birth. The prenatal period is characterized by three major sub periods: Germinal, embryonic and period. The germinal period represents the first two weeks after the fertilization, where the ovum attached the uterine wall and the cell layers are formed. The embryonic period began from two to eight weeks, when the cephalacadual and proximodistal growth took place. At this time, infants could move around to obtain the upright posture, where different parts of the body are also distinguishable. Our motor development began prenatally, usually started from the embryonic and fetal period. The fetal period started from two to nine months, when most of the body systems were getting more structurally developed. However, the organs and body systems were still functionally immature. The fetal period was characterized by rapid growth and organ completion, as well as reflex activities and movements. As early as three months, babies could demonstrate both spontaneous and reflexive movements. My mother told me that she first felt my kicking and hand movement around the fourth month, and she also went to do the ultrasound to check if I was a healthy baby. My mother kept the testing record updated, the doctor also told her about my gender when I was a six-month-old baby. During the prenatal period, the development represented the interaction of  heredity and environment. The organism constraints such as genetic makeup, would dominate the development, while the environmental constraints could also affect the development. Teratogen was an environmental factor that cause harm to the embryo or fetus, it could lead to the birth defects. However, the baby’s genetic makeup and the amount of exposure would play important roles that affect the degree of harmfulness. The epigenetic crisis represented a time of particular susceptibility to harm, that different trimester exposed to teratogen would lead to different degrees of functional or structural damages. I was a healthy baby and received high APGAR scores mainly because my mother did not drink alcohol nor smoke during the pregnancy. My mother was a housewife, she stayed home most of the time looking at baby pictures and listening to classical music. Her daily exercise was walking, when she had to g o to the supermarket near my house. During the pregnancy, my mother’s life was simple and worriless, she was also a happy and a healthy mother. Reflexive Period The reflexive period started from birth to two weeks, the reflexive or spontaneous movements are used to insure the infant’s survival. There were two types of reflexes, the primitive and postural reflexes. The primitive reflexes were used for the protection and nutrition purposes, usually disappear by the sixth month. I demonstrated the rooting reflex when I was one month old, when my mother tactile my cheek, I immediately turned my head toward her finger (see picture five). My mom also told me that I used to like sucking my thumb before I go to sleep (see picture four). It showed sucking reflex, which was the biological response for the basic needs and helped infants to survive. The asymmetric tonic neck reflex appeared around the same time, when my right arm was extended and the left to keep my body facing a direction (see picture four). On the other hand, the postural reflexes are used for the development of later voluntary movements. The postural reflexes may never disappe ar, those reflexes also automatically provided the maintenance of infant’s upright position in relation to the environment. Setting up an upright posture could also help infants survive in the environment, as the environmental constraints began to have more  influences on the development. Overall, the organism constraint dominated the development during the reflexive period, and the environmental constraints were influential. Preadpated Period The motor development of preadapted period would usually take place when an infant is around two weeks to a year old. During this early developmental period, the organism constraints played a dominated role, the environmental constraints were influential, and the task constraints organized the action. The goal of the movement would be the attainment of independent walking and independent finger feeding. When I was an infant, I followed the sequence of motor development to obtain my upright posture. At two weeks, I couldn’t lift my head off the support surface to gaze about the environment. I would need help on lifting my head, therefore my mother would put her hand behind my trunk to support my body (see picture two). The posture at this age was the prone position (see picture one). At birth, infants would show their first motor movement by learning to prone. Soon after that, I began to elevate myself on my arms. As soon as I reached five months old, I was able to sit alone without support (see picture seven). Around five and half month old, I could demonstrate rolling, which was the earliest pattern of infant locomotion development. However, I skipped the stage of crawling, an important stage of motor development that helps infants to prepare for later walking skills. Because I was the oldest child in the family, my parents thought maybe I was too fat to demonstrate crawling (see picture six – I couldn’t crawl up to a chair). I thought the main reason for not crawling was that I often played with older children in our community. Since I am able to see many â€Å"role models†, it is likely that I learn how to stand first, thus skipped the crawling. The environmental constraints played an important role for me in the process of learning to stand, walk, and later running. The rate enhancer would be the opportunity for me to play with the older children, and to learn more motor skills from them. However, the rate limiter and organism constraints for not acquiring the walking or running skills would be the strength. Because my  mother was a housewife, she spent a lot of time taking care of me. She taught me how to stand by holding both of my arms first, to give me strength support (see picture nine). Soon I was able to acquire the standing motor skill, I can stand by myself (see picture ten). My parents then bought me a â€Å"walker† to help me learn how to walk (see picture eight). The walker was very helpful because it had wheels under the chair, I can actually go anywhere I wanted, just like a walking person. Around approximately ten-months old, I began to cruise and showed walking patterns. However, the rate-limiter and constraint of walking is my posture, because I have not yet obtained the upright posture for walking. It might be the fact that I wanted to play with the older children, and I was also able to see how other children walk, I showed early mature walking patterns at the age of eleven-months old. At this time, I was an independent walker with newly learned walking skills! When I first began to walk, I was walking very slowly, making short strides and put my arms up high to make balance. The primary rate limiters for not acquiring the upright position in walking were the postural control and strength. My body proportion was also a disadvantage to obtain the walking skills, because the proportion of my head was thirty percent of the body while my legs are only fifteen percent. I had heavy body and short legs, (heavy center of mass and light base of support) it would be hard for me to keep the upright postural control and balance for walking pattern. At this point, the environmental and task constraints would show more influences on the motor development. As I obtained the skill of independent bipedal locomotion (walking), I encountered movement problems. According to dynamical systems perspective, the degrees of freedom and context-conditioned variability are the problems for a new walker. If I was able to go anywhere I want, then I had the right of choosing where to go, or how to get to the desired place. However, the problems were solved from self-organization of the body system and the emerging of the constraints. The major rate limiters for not acquiring the running skills would mainly come from the organism constraints, such as the posture, strength and motivation. For me, I was motivated to learn those motor skills because I  wanted to play with older children. I was a fast learner also because my parents spent time and efforts to help me obtain the locomotion skills. Therefore, six months after I learned how to walk, I was able to run anywhere I want to go (see picture eleven). I have also developed manipulative skills as I learned to use hands to feed myself, and I was able to show better hand-eye coordination and movement. Fundamental Motor Skills Period The fundamental skills period began at the age of one, ends by the age of seven. In a way, this period of time would be a sensitive period to learn certain motor skills for later skillful movements. The fundamental motor skills period would be the building blocks for later emerging skills, and acquiring those skills were essential to later developing motor skills. Those skills were characterized as the phylogenetic skills, which are skills typical to individuals. Obtaining the locomotion and manipulative skills would be the fundamental and developmental process to obtain later movements. At this time, both fine and gross mother skills were beginning to develop. Those skills might not be maturational determined, and the arm and leg coordination were still immature. When I was a year old, I would throw a ball only using my arm movement, my legs and trunks barely made any movements. As I grow two more years older, I could demonstrate the pattern of block rotation, at the point where my body moved as one long axis. I would step my feet first, then put my arm backward ready to throw. My arm, leg and trunk have lined up as straight along the axis, and allowed me to have more power in throwing. Around the age of six or seven, I was able to demonstrate the differentiated rotation movement. My arms, legs, hip and shoulder would move separately as I began to obtain higher level of throwing. When I threw, my hip usually showed the first movement, followed by my shoulder and arms. At this young age, I had difficulties to demonstrate the locomotion skills of skipping. Skipping would be the latest motor movement for children to learn, not only because it had higher level of difficulty, but also it required the ability to hop on each leg sequentially. Older children would have no problem demonstrate skipping because they have better postural control, movements and coordination. Fine motor skills were begun to develop, such as drawing skills. When I was a one-year-old child, I would draw some scribbles on the paper, the outline and the shape of the objects were not clear to see. As I grew older, I showed more realistic drawings by making more clear lines, shapes and forms. I was also able to draw many different emotions on the faces and I used more variation in coloring my pictures. At the age of six, both my sister and I were interested to learn roller-skating. My father had brought two roller-skates for us, and we also took roller-skating class. It was really hard for me when I first started to learn roller-skating, and it was difficult to keep the balance. Skating is a complex motor skill because the arm and leg movements could not be in the same direction. My arm and leg coordination was also messed up, because I would always freeze my arms as I put it up high to obtain the balance. After many practices and countless falls, my sister and I have finally learned some basic fundamental skills of roller-skating (see picture fourteen). We wore kneepads because it was impossible not to fall, but we took them off as we were able to perform better in roller-skating. My father have also signed me up for a swim class, because he thought swimming was a very healthy exercise and it would help me to become healthier (see picture fifteen). Swimming was also a complex motor activity, while I tried to keep my legs padding in the water, the degrees of freedom limited me from doing any arm movements. Overall, the organism constraints dominated the development, the environmental constraints were influential and the task constraints organized the action. The rate limiter would be the proficiency barrier, the immature functional organism constraints held me back from acquiring the higher level of motor movement. Context-Specific Skills Period As I began to get older, around the age of seven to eleven, I reached the context specific period. The context specific period was characterized by the ontogenetic skills, which are skills unique to individual. Most children  at this period have obtained context-specific knowledge and experience to acquire their individualized skills. The context-specific period also represented a transition period between the attainment of the fundamental motor skills and the transformation into skillful motor performance. Because it was influenced more by the environmental and task constrains, motivation and parental support would be important to help children move on successfully to the skillful period. Organism constraints also played important roles, such as physical, social and emotional development. At this time, I have grown taller and gained more body weight. There were also changes in my cardiovascular system, the aerobic power increased because I was able to uptake more amount of oxygen at a time. The improvement can be seen from exercising, such as swimming. I was still at the swimming class, my swimming had improved and I was moved up to a higher level. In order to graduate from the swimming class, it was required for everyone to pass an examination by performing the swimming skills in a weekly competition. I remembered how nervous I was when I had to swim butterfly in the competition, I felt so relieved when I passed the examination and get the award. Because of the training from swim class, I had more swimming experiences and obtained better swimming skills. Swimming has also helped me to improve arm and leg coordination in the development of gross motor skills. At this time, both fine and gross motor skills have also improved. I was still in love with roller-skating, but I have also fallen in love with ice-skating. Once my friends asked me to go ice-skating with them, they were surprised to see my skating skills. I have never gone ice-skating before, but because I knew how to roller-skate, thus it was easier for me to stay balanced. I showed better skating skills because I had already obtained the gross motor skills needed for skating, the arm and leg coordination had also improved as I gained more skating experiences. During the winter of my senior year in high school, my uncle asked me to go skiing with him. I was a little nervous because I have never skied before, and also I heard that skiing was a dangerous sport. However, all those worries had gone away as I began to learn skiing. As my uncle taught me how to ski, he was surprised to the pattern of well-coordinated arm and leg movement, as well as my balance. I was still in love with flute, and I had also become a member of the concert band in my middle school. At this time, I am more skillful in playing flute. Because I have been practicing everyday, my fingers are also more flexible as I gained more experiences. As I practiced more, the perceptual and speed processing increased, which allowed me to read the music faster. During my last year of the school, our concert band was informed to attend a National Musical Competition. We were invited to go to Florida State for three days for the competition, which we had to play against ten middle schools in the United States (see picture sixteen). I still could remember that moment when the judge announced our school to be the one winning the first price, for a moment I thought I was dreaming. It was unbelievable, it was the happiest moment in my life, and all the hard work has been paid off. I felt so proud to be a member of our concert band, because I had also contributed my effort to win the price. My parents and friends were very happy for me, and they encouraged me to take more challenges. The environmental and task constraints are the rate enhancers to help me move on to the next skillful period, and I have also gained more confidence in myself. However, the rate limiter for not acquiring the skillful skills would be the proficiency barrier, because of the functional organism limitation. I have not yet obtained the skillfulness of the perceptual cognitive functioning, such as not having enough knowledge base and a slower speed of processing. Skillful Period The skillful period usually started at the age of eleven, the word â€Å"skillfulness† could also represent context-specific because the skills were also individualized. After winning the first price and gaining the recognition, I decided to devote myself into playing flute. My parents supported me, they have also asked a professional flutist to be my tutor. With the hope that I might be a professional flutist someday, I have been practicing two hours per day to improve my playing skills. It was the organism constraints that influenced my determination and persistency, because I was motivated go achieve the goal (see picture seventeen). The environmental constraint also played an important role during the skillful period. For me, not only because my parents set high expectations toward me,  but also we were in the middle socio-economic status where the money for tutoring was affordable. If I ever become a successful swimmer or flute player, I’d thank my parents for gi ving me the opportunities. I have also been consistently going to swim, and it had become my regular exercise every week. At this time, my father did not need to force me nor sign me up for a swim class, because I liked swimming as much as I loved playing flute. I would still go ice-skating with my friends, and I have also learned how to perform some tricks. My uncle would still take me up to the mountain every winter to ski, I was able to ski on a higher hills and under more complex tasks. For those motor activities, I know if I were able to be persistent to practice, it would enhance my knowledge and experiences and my performance would get closer to the professional level. From the dynamical systems perspective, self-organizing system and organism constraints have set a balanced, equilibrium and coordinated state in the individuals. Compensation Period The compensation period represented a time when a skilled individual is compensating for a change in an organism constraint. Throughout the life span, our motor skills performance would keep on improving. As we reached at the point where organism constraints took place to change, our motor skills performance would decline. It showed the adjustment of our motor behavior, and our movements might not be as skillful. Due to the changes in organism constraints, a person at this period of time was also particularly vulnerable in gross motor skills, because those skills required larger forces and aerobic efforts. Changes in organism constraints are due to the declines in the body system such as maximum oxygen uptake, stroke volume, or maximum heart rate. There would be changes in our fundamental motor skills, such as locomotion and balance. At this time, our walking skills and balance have declined and we became more vulnerable to falls and injuries. It is also because the decreased bone ma ss, led to the changes in strength characteristics of the bones. In addition, our auditory and somatosensory systems would not be functioning well; a person could suffer from hearing loss or loss of sensitivity. Changes in the environmental constraints would also influence an individual at this period of time. The lifestyle, societal expectations or socio-economic status would make differences on their perceptions and actions. At the compensation period, the declining of physical abilities had impact on individual’s psychological and emotional systems. A person at this period might lose the interests in doing their favorite sports, or change the interest or hobby. Other than obtaining an active lifestyle, the higher socio-economic status would play a role to help an individual at this period to live longer and healthier, because of the better medical care. Future Goals As for now and the future, I would keep up with the concert band in the University of Maryland College Park, and attend as many musical performance as I could. I would still take private lessons and practice one to two hours per day to get myself on the right track. I know my dream would come true if I could keep up my persistency and hard work. This could be characterized as my organism constraints, because I was self-motivated and have confidence at what I do. My uncle would still invite me to go skiing with him every winter, we have been great skiing partners. However, it was harder to keep up with the skiing skills at a certain level if you just practice once or twice a year. The environmental constraint had limited my skiing skills, if I were to live somewhere in Alaska, I would have better chance to be a skillful skier. I also would continue my swimming practices, because it would be hard to catch up the butterfly if I stopped practicing it. I know I would never forget how to m aster those motor skill performances, they have been a part of me. However, to reach a certain level of expectation and goals, I would still need my parental support and encouragement, as well as my persistency and practices.

Technological Advances In Video Games Research Paper

Technological Advances In Video Games - Research Paper Example 2000s – A virtual universe F. Future technological developments of the video game industry G. Conclusion Technological Advances in Video Games Through the Years The video game industry has evolved into what it is now through the advancement in technological developments. This essay aims to present the technological advances that the video game has undergone spanning more than 50 years of constant innovations. A. The early beginnings (1947 to 1960s) In January 1947, a patent was filed by Thomas T. Goldsmith Junior and Estle Ray Mann for the first electronic video game, the Cathode-Ray Tube Amusement Device, where the players hit targets printed on overlays through light beam missiles by just adjusting knobs (Polsson , par 1). Later in 1952, a tic-tac-toe game, Noughts and Crosses, became the first known computer game which was created by A. S. Douglas (KCTS Television 1). It ran on the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC), a big Cambridge University computer. T his game enabled a person to play tic-tac-toe against a computer player. Six years later, Tennis for Two, an interactive game which uses an analog computer and an oscilloscope as a screen was created by American physicist Willy Higinbotham to entertain visitors of the Brookhaven National Laboratory (KCTS Television 2). A milestone was achieved in 1962 when Steve Russell created the Spacewar! which ran on a PDP-1 computer and uses a vector-graphics screen. The game consists of two small flying spaceships which are controlled by two players with joysticks and buttons (Polsson , par 4). The â€Å"Brown Box†, the first console that works on a standard television was created by German-born television engineer, Ralph Baer in 1967. This marked the birth of the first television ping-pong video game system (Polsson , par 9). Baer later applied for a patent for his invention. B. 1970s – The video game empire is born a. Home game console The 1970s was the start of the video game empire. It was in the year 1971 when Nolan Bushnell created Computer Space, the first coin arcade-style game and first commercial video game (Polsson , par 19). This game did not gain much popularity though, as that of the Magnavox Odyssey, which was the first home game console which contains 12 different games, including Ping-Pong (KCTS Television 6). This console was also the first to use a light gun for target shooting. Cards are inserted to select the games. The Odyssey however only used â€Å"simple black and white graphics enhanced by plastic overlays for the television screen† (Miller , par 4). In 1975, Atari sold a home version of Pong whose â€Å"unique feature is the single chip that produces both an on-screen score and the sound the game makes when the paddle hits the ball† (Time Inc. 3). In August of 1976, Fairchild Camera and Instrument introduced the first programmable home video game system (Miller , par 11). Moreover, it boasted of 16-color graphics and a variety of games as programmed by removable ROM cartridges. A year after, Atari launched the Atari 2600 which is the first multi-game home console which had cartridges that store game information (KCTS Television 9). It included the famous games Space Invaders, Breakout, Missile Command and Combat. It was during this decade that home computers were released in North America such as the Apple II, the TRS-80 and the Commodore PET, along with the famous Atari 400/800. b. Arcades Aside from home computers, arcade games rose in popularity because consumers could just

Intercultural competence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Intercultural competence - Essay Example â€Å"Every period of history held its own standards on what was and was not considered beautiful† (Sullivan 2002). It is unarguably true that ideals of beauty have always changed with time and Men and women have different notions of beauty. Although Geography, race, and culture has played a dominant role in evolving concepts of beauty; Literature, anthropology, history and contemporary views illustrate their diversity in different parts of the world. Never the less culture still remains a deep rooted factor of governance. However globalization, technology and media have become a strong influence over pre existing ideals of beauty. Men’s perceptions of ideals of beauty vis a vis in Africa and Russia differ widely; the comparison brings forth vivid concepts ranging from race, symmetry, skin color, body size and even hair as determinants of beauty evident from literary works of social scientists, psychologists and the surveys of electronic media. Although the concepts of beauty the world over vary in ideals, they can be generalized to quite an extent with reference to those in Russia and also in Africa on the basis of tradition and culture in those countries. Men have always vied beauty differently than their counterpart genders. Occidental vividness in their perception is evident in the study reports of anthropologists. While men in Russia incline towards features of Caucasian race, those in Africa signify African primitiveness in their ideals of beauty. The Russian men may prefer, sharp noses, dark eyes, long flowing strands of hair and dainty build in their women, the In Beauty and Culture the concept of beauty as seen by African men elucidates â€Å"Throughout history, people in every culture have sought to change the natural appearance of their bodies†. â€Å"They reshape, sculpt their bodies and adorn them with paint, cosmetics, clothing

Transfer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Transfer - Essay Example In real sense, I greatly hope to join university y because the courses offered at the university especially at higher levels, match my career aspirations. My current course is in line with my career path but I would like to go into specialization in my advanced years of study so that I become more competent in few areas of my choice. This is exactly the opportunity that university y offers and I strongly feel that I am better placed at university y as far as my career progression is concerned. Another reason I have the passion to transfer to university y is that policies and the reputation of the university suit my life’s visions. More specifically, I believe that there is more quality education in university y especially when it comes to teaching and research. When I receive the transfer, I will be able to come out of university y a more refined professional because I will be able to utilize my full potential. Besides, university y focuses more on nurturing professionalism than simply imparting academic knowledge on the students. For these reasons, I am fully convinced that university y will suit my lifestyle both as a student and as an aspiring professional. Therefore, I am humbly requesting for a transfer from university x to university

Localisation the workplace in UAE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

Localisation the workplace in UAE - Essay Example In the later section of this paper, the case study of of Emiratization in practice is presented to identify the issues in the implementation of Emiratization (employing UAE nationals) programmes. The findings of the study demonstrate some of the complexities in implementing Emiratization. The complexities that were identified in implementing Emirazatization were management commitment, quantitative evaluation methods, resistance to change and the role of expatriates in implementing Emiratization programmes. The implication of the research also identified areas for future research. The areas were identified in the study that needs future research are; Political leaders in the Middle East knew that their dependence on expatriate workforce has has serious long-term political, economic and social consequences (Al-Lamki, 1998). Such, the region has implemented nationalization strategies to employ nationals(citizens) instead of foreigners/expatriates. This initiative has various names in the region such as Omanization, Saudization and Emiratization. These nationalization strategies attempts to integrate HRM policies and practices in the change management practices (going to nationalization from employing expatriates to a local national) (Mellahi and Wood, 2001).is a topic in HR literature which lacks research at present (Hallier, 1993; Palthe and Kosseck, 2003; Mendenhall et al., 2003; Ruona and Gibson, 2004; Sheehan, 2005). At the outset nationalization strategies seemed to be associated with globalization, economic growth and reform, and competitiveness (Al-Dosary, 2004; Looney, 2004; Mellahi and Wood, 2002). Thus, nationalization strategies is an international issue albeith Middle Eastern leaders have implemented nationalization policies that are specific to their own countries. This initiative however is not exclusive to Middle East. Similar parallel programs can be seen in countries such as Malaysia (Ahmad et al., 2003), Zimbabwe, South

Poverty in america Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Poverty in america - Essay Example Conservatives tend to focus on the poor, suggesting their behaviors are the cause of their poverty. Liberals, on the other hand, believe that poverty is created through social problems that cannot be solved by focusing on an individual. Poverty is a social issue and both liberals and conservatives have strong opinions on the topic. Liberal Point of View In their book on the welfare system and the aspects of social policies that have inadequately approached understanding the problem of poverty, Joel Handler and Yeheskel Hasenfeld suggest that the biggest problem with the system is that it is perpetually built upon a structure of myths that do not accurately represent the problem within the United States. The pervasive policy that causes the worst decision making is that through getting if the impoverished would just get a job, the impoverished state of a family would be improved. This policy does not take into consideration the low wages of most positions that are available without a college education, the cost of providing a roof, and most importantly, the lack of jobs and the impermanence of low paying jobs within the United States (Handler and Hasenfeld 4). This theory does not take into account that there are not enough jobs for the labor force. The liberal point of view embraces the idea that being poor is a state that comes from circumstance, many of which are out of the control of the individual. This point of view recognizes that poverty affects lives and that not having adequate shelter, food, or resources for health perpetuates a problem that may never be rectified even if those things are provided due to the economic state of the nation. Handler and Hasenfeld argue that one of the problems with defining poverty in the United States is the assumption that attaining a state above the federally defined poverty line means that a family is adequately supported through their own means. However, this is not often the case. The elements that go into to determ ining the concept of the poverty line are ’deeply flawed’, providing an inaccurate picture of the struggle of financial insecurity within the United States (Handler and Hasenfeld 5). In exploring the liberal point of view, there are many aspects to discuss, but the argument that Handler and Hasenfeld have made about the myths upon which public policy has been built appears to support the basic liberal viewpoint about poverty. People have needs, whether or not they can work. Hunger, according to FRAC (Food Research and Action Center) affects 50.2 million people who are living in food insecure households, with 23.2% of all children not eating on a regular basis. Social support is not about defrauding the taxpayer through welfare, but in trying to find a way to support the needs of people who are starving and in need of basic services for which the state of the economy cannot provide. Incidentally Conservative Point of View One of the stronger theories from the conservati ve point of view which emerged in the 1970s and 1980s on the poor is that of behavioral poverty. Behavioral poverty is based upon the concept that certain behaviors, primarily three behaviors, contribute to the state of poverty. The behaviors that lead to overcoming poverty are â€Å"completing high school, once an adult, get married and stay married (even if not on the first try), and stay employed, even at a wage and under conditions below their ultimate aims†

The lack of IT systems within the logistics department of TATCO Yemen Literature review

The lack of IT systems within the logistics department of TATCO Yemen - Literature review Example Tatco-Yemen is a branch of Abudawood Group,a diversified group of companies that operates in the Middle East,Europe and the United States.The company specializes in the professional management of assets in different sectors including trading,sales and delivery of commodities,real estate,education and training of staffs,and financial investment. The company’s logistics focuses on supplying various products to consumers, an area where it has registered significant successes in the recent past. However, due to the rapid growth and expansion of its consumer base, stark challenges in the company’s management of inventory continue to exist. Tatco grapples with multiple problems related with the lack of Information Technology systems within the logistics department; these include, delays in the arrival of hard copies of important documents like invoices, causing unnecessary delays in customs clearance. Moreover, cargoes remain in the Yemeni port for longer due to lack of stora ge; and wrong information about the date of product. These problems have proved to be costly to the company. The paper explores the challenges of lack of IT systems in Tatco’s logistics department. Generally, logistics is an all-encompassing aspect of business involving planning, controlling and organizing the movement of goods and services, communications, real-time facts and people from the one point to another (Slater, 2012). Most of successful companies such as Tatco have in place strong a logistical department that supports the movement of its various assets across the country. The main problem with Tatco, however, is that most of its logistics processes are not properly integrated and built around IT systems. Processes such as handling of the materials, storage, information, shipment, packaging and inventory still lag behind, with the old paper work methods still in place (Safadi, 2003). The company suffers from ineffective logistical support and as such geographical restructuring of unfinished products, and the cleared inventories have been largely unpredictable, leading to products delays and rising operational costs (Von Der Gracht, 2008). Farooquie and Nasir (2010) in dicated that in any organization, the logistics department is expected to deliver on everything related with logistics by ensuring that the processes are developed in line with the organizational objectives of cost reduction and maximization of efficiency. However, the lack of IT systems within the organization present grave challenges to the organization’s storage processes distribution of wares, warehousing, and transportation of goods (Raj, 2009).

Why abortion should be illegal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why abortion should be illegal - Essay Example For instance, in the UK it is legal for termination to be carried out up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. On the other hand abortion in the United States is a highly-charged issue with significant political and ethical debate. Statistics point out that, there were 854,122 legal induced abortions reported to CDC in the US in 2003.If abortions are legal, there are several problems that can occur. For instance, the number of abortions can increase tremendously. In families where there is a gender bias, it can result in the termination of unwanted gender. Additionally, it can also result in youngsters getting involved in unsafe sex. Though getting an abortion is a difficult decision to make, many women take this decision under pressure. It is also an emotionally disturbing decision as the process requires the pregnant women to go through a procedure where the fetus in the uterus is killed and extracted from their body. Abortion is a morally wrong decision and it affects society, families, and t he individuals who allow the procedure to be done. It is important to note that there are several methods to avoid pregnancy and people should adopt these methods to prevent pregnancy than to terminate it and that's why it should be illegal. Today, it is important to create awareness among the youth that abstinence from sex is a good option so that they would never have to worry about experiencing an unwanted pregnancy.

Biology 4(plant and society)b Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biology 4(plant and society)b - Essay Example It is a plant which is used also for medicinal purposes as analgestic narcotic for the treatment of lower to relentless pain (Papaver Somniferum, n.d.). The cultivation of opium poppy was first initiated in the south-east region of Italian Peninsula, for past 2500 years, according to the archaeological evidences which also emanate from the Neolithic and Bronze Age (Merlin, 2003). It can be stated that opium poppy is not extensively cultivated in various regions around the globe. It is a domestic plant and has been cultivated mostly in areas of Europe, Australia, Japan North and South America and Northeast Africa among others. Moreover, the distribution process in the current status can be observed on the basis of the World Drug Report presented in 2010, which states that Europe holds the highest percent of consumption rate of opium which is around 9% as of 2008 (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2010). The opium plants are used as medicinal herbs as well as multipurpose plant s which include Cannabis, and are required for production of fibre. It is also used for cult (Merlin, 2003). In terms of the psychoactive principle of the opium plants, it can be observed that there is a strong relation amid human beings as well as the psychoactive plants as these plants are considered for offering the ceremonial issues. People are very much conscious regarding religious experiences. Nevertheless, according to a few of the classical authors, human beings use these plants as a drug. Moreover, it is also considered as a plant which was originated in the Neolithic Age and is offered to the ancestors or gods by human beings for establishing direct communication. The physiological effects comprise relaxation, reduction in alertness, anxiety relief and pain, which depends on the chemical nature of the substance. Overdosing of opium could lead to coma, stupor as well as death (Opiumaddiction.Com, 2012). In this essay, the hypothesis presented by Merlin i.e. â€Å"humans h ave a very ancient tradition involving the use of mind-altering experiences to produce profound, more or less spiritual and cultural understanding† will be argued for or against based on a plant i.e. opium poppy. Arguments For or Against the Hypothesis In the context of mind-altering organisms, the relation between the plant and human beings comes from the very ancient period. In those days, it was used in the ceremonial offerings and was extensively related to the spiritual world. Moreover, it was used as an organism of offering to the ancestors as well as god in the ceremonial offerings. In the modern day context, it is used in medicinal uses as well as applications in the secular aspects. It is also used in making capsules for curing certain diseases from various herbal plants. In non-industrial societies, these products or herbs are used to a great extent. It can be evidently observed that these plants were traditionally used by the people across diverse cultural societies for religious offerings. According to the survey conducted by Merlin, it can be stated that out of 488 societies, 437 were culturally involved in the usage of these plants in various industrial societies. It can be argued with reference to the evidences presented by several authors that consciousness altering plants such as opium poppy rendered the inspiration with regard to ancient

The Relationship Between Ideas And The Historical Context Essay Example for Free

The Relationship Between Ideas And The Historical Context Essay During the Qin Dynasty, the commencement of the Imperial China begun under the First Emperor Qin Shi Huang in 221 BCE in which the said period, the Imperial China, continued until the Qing or Manchu Dynasty, the ruling dynasty of China. Furthermore, in this dynasty that Legalism became the vital prevailing inspiration that wraps up in the confederacy of China. According to the history, Pinyin Shang Yang, a Chinese statesman and thinker, generated the idea of Legalism in China in order to unify and reorganized the Chinese empire. He supposed that having a very authoritative and influential power would maintain the integrity of the country. Shang Yang made ‘a body of Legalism writings’, which was now known as ‘The Book of Lord Shang’ and this passed through the whole nation strengthening the Legalism policy that accentuated on the sectors of agriculture, war, rewards and chastisements and in dwindling the people in order to reinforce the government that time. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007) Legalism – its Application Legalism is the application of philosophical ideologies and political beliefs in governing the people in China. Many people supposed legalism as a demonic movement in the Chinese history, however, the practice of legalism left a major impact in the nature of Chinese government. According to the thoughts of Confucius, humanity or jen, a key term, caused to be â€Å"goodness†, â€Å"benevolent† or â€Å"love†. Confucius believed that this humanity is very necessary for a man to continue for so long the multiplicity and take pleasure in the riches of the world (de Bary, et al, p11). On the other hand, it is assumed by Hsun Tzu that the goodness of one’s person is acquired and the man in evil in nature (de Bary, et al, p20), the exact reverse of Confucius thought that man is basically good in nature. Han Fei Tzu, a student of Hsun Tzu began his perceptions from his master’s point of view but modified that with the laws of state, goodness in the people can be determined. Thus, establishment of the rewards and punishment is strongly given the focus to recompense those people that offered advantages to the state and to penalize those who violated the rules. As stated by Han Fei, this law should be superlative even that of the power of the emperor to direct individual self-interests. Here with, the written laws alone were enough to preside over the whole state. This practice of Legalism dominated the imperial power of Qin Dynasty that gave birth to ‘totalitarianism’ in which the creation of the famous Great Wall of China was attributed to the long labor of the people in accordance to the law of the Legalists. Unity, commitment to the states and absolutism were the common words in the said era. (Hooker, 1996) Conversely, Confucius answered one man who questioned him about the killings of those acting outside the law that as one desire the good, people will follow like the wind. He even compared those outlaws to a ‘weed’ that when being forced, the more they bend to the laws. (de Barry, et al, p13) As it was, the native people began repulsive to the way the government was regulated and policies being implemented, therefore led to the collapse of the Qin Dynasty. This period in the Chinese history was marked distasteful and obnoxious to the Chinese populace. Nonetheless, the way of the Legalist in ruling one’s state was overpoweringly influential to the succeeding administrations. Utilitarianism, rule of law and uniform standardization of the law and culture were some of the ideas of Legalism that were adopted in the Han Dynasty, the successor of the Qin Dynasty. These adapted ideas tended to standardize and to have a centralized government in merging the rival schools of thought into single system that gave birth to the Han Synthesis. Reference http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9067124/Shang-Yang

Design Of A Pipe Climbing Robot Engineering Essay

Design Of A Pipe Climbing Robot Engineering Essay This technical paper explains the design process and simulation of a concept vehicle to drive inside a circular pipe of the desired configuration as shown in figure 1. The design is developed to facilitate; pipe climbing and carry an inspection of an inspection panel. This vehicle when operated will travel in a horizontal section of pipe initially, before entering the inclined part of the circular pipe. It then drives within 0.2m of the inspection panel and starts inspecting it with the help of an on-board camera. Specific equations and assumptions are used to monitor vehicle motion and system controllers are designed to enforce there is enough traction applied by the vehicle to grip the pipe and move forward. Figure 1 Pipe inspection Scenario Index Terms-design, linear actuators, multi-wheel drive, proximity sensor, robots Introduction Inspection and maintenance are essential in all industries. Failure to conduct proper maintenance could result in potential danger to workers and machines. Carrying out these inspections impose rigours hurdles in case of various industries where the conditions are unsafe for human workers, for example, inspection and maintenance in a nuclear industry, where the environment poses serious risk for the humans. The most common way for conducting these inspections in hazardous conditions is to use long manipulators which could be expensive. The alternate way of carrying these inspections is by using walking/climbing robots. Pipe climbing robots are advanced robots, which have the potential to climb inside/outside of a pipe to perform specific functions, where a normal operator cannot be used. The improvements in this sector have grown rapidly, since its a cheap and effective way for investigating various properties inside a pipe. An assignment has been assigned to design a concept vehicle to drive inside a circular pipe as in fig 1. This vehicle needs to enter the tunnel and drive to within 0.2m of the inspection panel and inspect the panel at the end of pipe. The vehicle must also carry a wire which is tethered. The climbing robots can be classified into four major categories based on their approach to climbing: adhesive, brute force fixture, spines and grasp. The robots with adhesive approach use a mechanism such as suction or an electromagnetic fixture on the climbing surfaces. The brute force robots use a mechanism to grab on to the structure and move forward. The spine group of robots use spines/multi-spines to attach themselves to the climbing surface so as to propel forwards. The last group of grasp robots use their own dynamic and kinematic state to grasp on to the engineering structure and moves forward. The present conceptual design can be categorised under grasping group of climbing robots. These robots consist of mainly two mechanisms, one to power the robot to move and the other to grip the surface of the structure. The mechanisms used to grip on to the surface can be facilitated by the usage of spring and v-shaped arm or longitudinal actuators. A v-shaped arm along with a compression spring is connected to the body of the robot. The compression springs tends to expand the arms, if the outer arm reaches the surface, it exerts a force normal to the contact of surface thus proving the traction for gripping the surface. In case of linear actuators various mechanisms are used to produce the linear motion of the arms to exert force onto the surface. The present design employs a linear actuator. It has longitudinal arms connected to linear actuators. The linear actuator is a simple rack-pinion mechanism, but consists of three racks to synchronise the outward motion equally in all three directions, thus providing an equal amount of force on each surface of the structure. A multi-wheel drive system is employed for the present case, as there is a need for requirement for more torque when the robot climbs the inclination part and to reduce the slip generated by the wheel. In the present case, the robot has five wheels and hence five individual motors, two on the bottom of the base, one on either side of robot and one at the top of the robot. When in operation the outer end of the wheels on all directions would be perfectly inscribed in a circle of 200cm when looked at front view. This mechanism coupled with linear actuators makes sure that at any instant all the wheels are in contact with the surface of the pipe thus providing maximum available traction for the robot. Robot model and modelling assumptions In the present concept of design the circular pipe is considered to be even and has a constant coefficient of friction throughout. Designing the robot requires a methodological approach to implement a professional structured robot is done by generating a CAD model of the robot. The components of the robot are selected with maximum care with feasible materials, since theoretical tests and scenarios can be modelled based on weight and dimension of the robot. After selection of optimum materials for robot, the design process is finished. The weight of the vehicle including the power source (batteries), on-board camera and computer controller along with other drive motors and actuators will approximately be around 1.8 kg. The dimensions of the robot while in operation are 0.275m in length, 0.2m in both width and height. The front part of the robot is designed in such a way that it gets inscribed in a circle perfectly during motion. To maintain perfect contact at all time the wheel positioning is very critical. Both the bottom wheels are place below the base of the robot to facilitate more space for other components such as power source, camera, controllers, sensors etc. The remaining three wheels are positioned perpendicular to each other on the actuator arm. The length of this arm can be varied using the linear actuator mechanism. In the present case this linear actuator mechanism is a simple rack-pinion mechanism. All the three arms are synchronised such that under operation the displacement of arms is equal in all directions. Four proximity sensors are used to calculate the distance between the surface of pipe and surface of the tyre. Three sensors are linked to one at each actuating arm in their respective direction. One sensor is linked to calculate the distance from surface of front tyre to the surface of the inspection panel. The three sensors on actuator arm are categorised into a single sensor unit (say sensor unit 1), while the other sensor (say sensor unit 2) is categorised separately. The categorised bill of the materials used is as follows Working of the robot Initially when the robot is at rest, all the three linear actuating arms are in contracted position. When the system of the robot is started, the sensor unit 1 present on the linear actuator arms calculates the distance between wheel and surface of pipe and sends the feedback to the on-board CPU. The CPU then sends a signal to increment the step motor to one step. This whole process of increment of steps continues until the wheel touches the surface of pipe and thus exerts a small normal force to grip onto that surface. Once this process is completed, drive motors of the robot are actuated. These motors are controlled by on-board CPU with the help of feedback from the sensor unit 2. All the five motors through a gear box connected to the wheels are powered with equal force, hence powering robot equally in all directions and sensor unit 1 ensures theres maximum grip available at the end of the actuating arms. The power to the motor is stopped once the sensor unit 2 senses the distance between the front wheels and the inspection panel is 0.2m, thus activating the camera to carry the inspection process. This whole process can be controlled using a manual operation panel or fully autonomous programmed GUI on-board. Simulation of vehicle dynamics The vehicle dynamics of the robot are established using specific equations for motion. This analysis is used to determine the performance capacity and capability of the robot. It also helps to calculate the velocity, force dynamics at any instance of time. Before using the equations a few assumptions are considered. The drag forces exerted on the body and wire are neglected. The drive force from the wheels is considered to be a constant ideal force, where wheel slip and wheel tyre deflection are neglected. The gravitational constant and the friction coefficient considered to remain constant throughout the process. The simulation emphasises more on the vehicle motion along the entire length of pipe including the inclined part of pipe. The terminology used for the following calculaitons are as follows Parameter Description Value mb Mass of robot 1.8 kg r Radius of the wheel 0.03m mw| mass of wire per unit length 0.2 kg/m Ub Coefficient of friction of body 0.5 Uw Coeffient of friction of wire 0.2 G Gravitational constant 9.81 m/s2 Ts Stall torque of motor 0.9 kg-m Wn No load speed of motor 38 rpm O Angle of inclination of pipe 40o Straight path A constant force is produced through five drive motors and is calculated as follows, where Fm is the force exerted by the motor, But the torque generated by the motor changes with velocity of the body. Torque at any time is given as Where w is rotational speed at that instant of time. W can be written in terms of velocity v of the body Since there are five motors present to power the robot, the net force exeterd by motors at any time is The frictional force (Ffb) acting on the body due to its own weight Frictional force (Ffw) due to mass of wire Where mw is mass of wire carried at that time and is calculated by using length l of distance travelled by the robot The resultant force(F) resulting in forward motion of the robot Acceleration(a) of the body is given by Velocity vf of the body is given by Displacement lf of the body is given by à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€ š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Inclined path Consider the instance at which the robot just reaches the inclined path of the pipe. The force exerted by the motor remains constant as in eq(). When the robot is in inclined position weight gradient of body(Fgb) and weight gradient of wire (Fgw)opposes the motion of body. These are given as The frictional forces acting opposite to motion also changes as follows Where l is the total displacement along the pipe The net force (Fi) acting on the body along the pipe is Acceleration of the body along the pipe Velocity (vi) of the robot at any instance is given by Where vf is the velocity of the robot at the start of the inclination. Abstract-These instructions are a guide to the assignments to be submitted for Mech5090 Mechatronics and Robotics Applications [this section should contain a brief description of the task and outcomes] The assignment must not exceed 6 sides of A4!!!! Index Terms-About four key words or phrases in alphabetical order, separated by commas. INTRODUCTION THIS document is a template for Microsoft Word versions 6.0 or later. Do not change the font sizes or line spacing to squeeze more text into a limited number of pages. Use italics for emphasis; do not underline. To insert images in Word, position the cursor at the insertion point and either use Insert | Picture | From File or copy the image to the Windows clipboard and then Edit | Paste Special | Picture (with float over text unchecked). This section should contain a description of the problem and a critical discussion of the references used for the work. System designà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Mechanical considerationsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. eg This section should contain the description of the system you propose including any specific hardware you are proposing to use. You can be flexible how you use headings and divide the work up. References Number citations consecutively in square brackets [1]. The sentence punctuation follows the brackets [2]. Multiple references [2], [3] are each numbered with separate brackets [1]-[3]. When citing a section in a book, please give the relevant page numbers [2]. In sentences, refer simply to the reference number, as in [3]. Do not use Ref. [3] or reference [3] except at the beginning of a sentence: Figures The assignment should contain technical/non-technical illustrations of important aspects of the work. Graphs The assignment may contain graphs produced by a software package such as Matlab. They should have the correct axis/units. They must have a figure caption and be referenced in the text. Tables of information are also fine with the rules above adhered to. Equations Number equations consecutively with equation numbers in parentheses flush with the right margin, as in (1). First use the equation editor to create the equation. Then select the Equation markup style. Press the tab key and write the equation number in parentheses. To make your equations more compact, you may use the solidus ( / ), the exp function, or appropriate exponents. Use parentheses to avoid ambiguities in denominators. Punctuate equations when they are part of a sentence, as in (1) Conclusion A conclusion section is required. Although a conclusion may review the main points of the paper, do not replicate the abstract as the conclusion. A conclusion might elaborate on the importance of the work or suggest applications and extensions.

UV Of Sodium Aminosalicylate Biology Essay

UV Of Sodium Aminosalicylate Biology Essay Specific absorbance of the sodium aminosalicylate can be determined by using the Beer-Lambert law equation with the presence of the value of concentration of the sodium aminosalicylate and the absorbance values which can be obtained through UV spectrophotometry. The concentration of Unknown solutions can also be determined by getting the absorbance values through the calibration graph, absolute method and comparative method. Introduction UV spectrophotometry is a technique which is based on measuring the absorption of near-UV or visible radiation by molecules. [1] It acts by where the electrons in the bonds within the molecule become excited to reach up to a higher quantum state and in the process to absorb some of the energy passing through the solution. The more loosely the electrons are been held within the bonds of the molecules, the longer will the wavelength of the radiation (lower the energy) been absorbed. [2] Radiation in this wavelength region causes the characteristics of the molecular structure of the molecule to be determined. [1] As there is a broad absorption bands due to different vibrational and rotational energy levels, UV spectrophotometry is used mainly for quantitative purposes rather than identification.[3] Spectrophotometer works by where the sample of the solution is inserted into the spectrometer for the UV/visible light to pass through the sample to get the value of absorbance/transmittance. The value of the absorbance indicates the amount of light being absorbed by the sample. The measurement of light absorption of molecules can be governed by Beer-Lambert law equation, A= e.c.l. With the presence of the absorbance value (A), concentration of the sample (c) and the pathlength of the cell (l), the molar absorptivitiy (e) can therefore be determined. Concentration of an unknown solution can also be determined by measuring its absorbance using the UV spectrophotometry at the selected wavelength. The determination of the concentration of the unknown can be determined by using three methods, which are by using the Beer-Lambert graph, comparative method and absolute method. In this experiment, sodium aminosalicylate will be used as the sample as it is a good absorber of ultraviolet light which allows it to be conveniently to be analysed using spectrophotometry. The purpose of this experiment is to find the specific absorbance of the sodium aminosalicylate solution by using different concentrations of it and also to determine the concentration of the unknown solutions by using calibration graph of Beer-Lambert, comparative method and absolute method. Experimental (a) Absorption Spectrum of Sodium Aminosalicylate in 0.1M NaOH The spectrum of a 1-cm layer of 0.001% solution of sodium aminosalicylate in 0.1M NaOH over the wavelength range 235 to 325nm was been scanned and examined. The wavelengths (ÃŽ »max) and the absorbance values at these wavelengths of the two maxima was then been measured from the spectrum. Approximate specific absorbance [i.e. the absorbance of a 1-cm layer of a 1% solution, A(1%,1cm)] was then been calculated at each of these maxima using the Beer-Lambert equation ; A=A(1%,1cm).c.l Where A= Absorbance A(1%,1cm) = Specific absorbance of a 1 cm layer of a 1% solution c = Concentration (%) l = path length (cm) (b) Beers Law, Specific Absorbance and Molar Absorptivity 50mL volumes of 0.0002, 0.0004, 0.0006 and 0.008 % solutions of sodium aminosalicylate in 0.1M NaOH from the 0.0010 % stock solution had been prepared. One of the ÃŽ »max from (a) had been selected and the wavelength was set to the selected value. The solvent (0.1M NaOH) was been placed in both cells and the absorbance reading of the single beam spectrophotometer was been set to zero. The absorbance was been checked a few nm each side of the selected wavelength using the 0.0010 % and been recorded. The new ÃŽ »max from the table of absorbance values that had been recorded was been selected and the spectrophotometer was been set to that wavelength. The absorbance of a 1-cm layer of each of the five solutions of sodium aminosalicylate that had been prepared earlier were been recorded and replicate readings were been obtained. A graph of absorbance against concentration had been plotted and the specific absorbance had been determined using the gradient of the graph. The molar absorptivi ty of the sodium aminosalicylate in 0.1M NaOH at the selected maximum was been calculated. (c) Determination of Concentrations (i) Calibration Graph The absorbance of a 1-cm layer of Unknown 1 was been determined. Unknown 1 was then been diluted so that its absorbance is in the mid range of the graph of absorbance against concentration. The graph was then been used to determine the concentration of the diluted solution and hence the concentration of Unknown 1 was been calculated. (ii) Absolute Method The absorbance of a 1-cm layer of Unknown 2 was been recorded. The concentration of Unknown 2 was been calculated using the A (1%.1cm) value which had been determined previously. (iii) Comparative Method The wavelength was set to the second ÃŽ »max which had been determined in (a). The absorbance of a 1-cm layer of the 0.0010 % and a 1-cm layer of Unknown 2 was been recorded. The concentration of Unknown 2, C2, using the relationship below, = Results (a) Wavelength / nm Absorbance Reading 264 0.630 300 0.430 Wavelengths (ÃŽ »max) = 264nm and 300nm Concentration) = 0.001 % At 264nm, Specific Absorbance = = = 630 At 300nm, Specific Absorbance = = = 430 (b) ÃŽ »max which been selected from (a) = 264nm Wavelength / nm Absorbance Reading 259 0.584 260 0.588 261 0.588 262 0.582 263 0.573 264 0.559 265 0.546 Table of Absorbance Values New ÃŽ »max selected from table of absorbance = 261nm Concentration of sodium aminosalicylate solution / % First Absorbance Reading Second Absorbance Reading Average Absorbance Reading 0.001 0.608 0.606 0.607 0.0008 0.477 0.482 0.480 0.0006 0.360 0.364 0.362 0.0004 0.243 0.243 0.243 0.0002 0.119 0.123 0.121 Specific Absorbance (Gradient) = = 606.06 From the graph of absorbance reading of 0.46, Concentration of Sodium Aminosalicylate = 0.00076 % RMM of sodium aminosalicylate = 211.15 0.00076 % = 0.00076 g/100mL = 0.0076 g/1000mL = 0.000036 mol/1000mL = 0.000036M By using the Beer Lambert equation, A= e.c.l., e = = = 12777.78 Molar absorptivity (e) of sodium aminosalicylate in 0.1M NaOH at the selected maximum = 12777.78 (c) (i) Type of Solution First Absorbance Reading Second Absorbance Reading Average Absorbance Reading Unknown 1 1.187 1.188 1.188 Diluted Unknown 1 (Unknown 1 + Â ¾ 0.1M NaOH) 0.286 0.287 0.287 Concentration of Diluted Unknown 1 Solution from the graph = 0.00048 % Using the formula C1V1 = C2V2 , (0.00048) (100) = (C2) (25) C2 (Concentration of Unknown 1) = 0.00192 % (ii) Type of Solution First Absorbance Reading Second Absorbance Reading Average Absorbance Reading Unknown 2 0.525 0.525 0.525 Using Beer-Lambert equation, A=A(1%,1cm).c.l A(1%,1cm) = 606.06 l = 1.00 Concentration of Unknown 2 (c) = = 0.000866 % (iii) Wavelength (ÃŽ »max) selected from (a) = 300nm Type of Solution First Absorbance Reading Second Absorbance Reading Average Absorbance Reading 0.0010 % sodium aminosalicylate 0.337 0.336 0.337 Unknown 2 0.300 0.300 0.300 = C2 (Concentration of Unknown 2) = 0.000890 % Discussion From the experiment (a), we can see that the absorbance reading decreases with the increase of the wavelength where 0.630 absorbance value had been recorded at 264nm wavelength and 0.430 absorbance at 300nm wavelength. When wavelength increases, the amount of energy of the molecules of sodium aminosaliylate will decrease as well. Therefore, the amount of light that will be absorbed by the sodium aminosalicylate will decrease which resulting in the decrease in the value of the absorbance. By using the Beer-Lambert law equation, we can know that the specific absorbance of the sample decreases with the decrease of the absorbance value with a fixed concentration of sodium aminosalicylate and pathlength of the cell. In experiment (b), new ÃŽ »max had been selected from the table of absorbance which is 261nm because it had the highest absorbance reading among all values which had been obtained. Repeated readings of absorbance had been recorded when measuring the absorbance values of each of the different concentrations of sodium aminosalicylate. This is to prevent getting an error in the measurement of the absorbance reading in the experiment. When plotting the graph of average absorbance against concentration of sodium aminosalicylate, a linear line was obtained. This shows that the value of absorbance increases with the increase of the concentration of sodium aminosalicylate in the experiment. The value of specific absorbance that had been obtained from the gradient of the graph of average absorbance against concentration of sodium aminosalicylate is 606.06. The value is quite typical which is in the range of 20-1,000. However, the value of the molar absorptivity of the sodium aminosalicylate o btained from the graph is 12777.78 which is more than the typical values ranging from 1,000-100,000. This may be due to some errors produced during the experiment. In experiment (c)(i), the concentration of Unknown 1 obtained from the spectroscopy and calibrating graph are almost the same. However, the concentration of Unknown 1 obtained through the calibrating graph is slightly higher than that of the one obtained from spectroscopy. This might be due to some errors in calibrating the graph. Error in the graph will result in getting an incorrect absorbance reading which will be used to calculate the concentration of the unknown solution. However, several measurements can be recorded to minimize the errors. In experiment (c)(ii) and (iii), the results showed that the concentration of Unknown 2 obtained using absolute method is almost the same with the value of concentration obtained using comparative method. Absolute method can be carried if the value of specific absorbance is known with the presence of the value of absorbance. It works exactly based on the Beer-Lambert law equation and is a preferred method in BP. If the specific absorbance of the solution is not known, then comparative method is preferably to be used as it only needs the absorbance reading of the standard solution and the unknown solution.This is a preferred method in USP and works the best if the standard and sample concentrations are close.[3] As the specific absorbance of sodium aminosalicylate used in (c)(ii) is obtained from experiment (b), there might be some errors in the value of the concentration of Unknown 2 if errors had occurred when calibrating the graph in (b) which resulting in the value of specific abs orbance to be not accurate. Compared to comparative method, only the absorbance reading of the standard and sample solutions obtained from the spectroscopy are required in order to calculate the concentration of Unknown 2. Therefore, in this case the concentration of Unknown 2 using absolute method is not as accurate as the one obtained by using comparative method in this experiment. Conclusion UV spectrophotometry is an universal technique where it can find the value of specific absorbance of a sample using the Beer-Lambert equation with the presence of the other 3 factors value and also to identify the concentration of an unknown either through methods of calibration, absolute and comparative.

If I Were George Bush Essay example -- essays research papers

If I Was George Bush   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If I was George Bush I would follow the exact same path he is following right now. His plans for our countries Education and Health Care plan live up to their promises. These plans also benefit the country greatly as a whole. Yet, if I was President Bush, I would make the positive effects of these plans to prove themselves more immediate than they have been. This would urge America to follow my, or Bush’s, plans to make America a better place.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Education Plan the Bush has produced is almost perfect. It contains six key points that I totally agree with. The first part of the plan says that American will provide state grants to recruit and train teachers. The second part of the plan being that America will be recruiting high quality Individuals to become teachers. The third part says that America will be expanding programs to train teachers in specific subject areas. The fourth part suggests that America will implement the Teachers Protection Act. The fifth part says that a new teacher’s tax deduction will be implemented. Lastly, the sixth part of the plan says that America will be providing expanded student loan forgiveness for teachers. All of these goals lead to one key plan. This plan is to put a quality teacher in every room. If this feat can be accomplished, I would follow the exact same plan Bush is following right now. Bush basically has this plan covere...

The Feminist Movement Essay -- Gender Roles, New Women

The changes that occurred in gender relations at the turn of the twentieth century were a factor in the emergence of modernism. The first wave of the Feminist Movement began during this period with the New Woman as its protagonist. The New Woman was a figure that was independent, relatively sexually liberated and educated. Many women no longer lived their lives according to the Victorian ideal required for them and it became more acceptable for women to be seen unaccompanied outdoors and working in certain types of employment. The new woman was perceived as being a treat to men and after the First World War the independence that women enjoyed received a repercussion as women were once again put inside the home and were and were marginalised in the streets. In Jean Rhys Good Morning Midnight and Stella Gibbons Cold Comfort Farm are examples of women new women who were marginalised as well as women, who although lived in the modern embraced both new and old gendered traditions. Discussion of modernity tended to focus on the city and opportunities for adventure and danger or pleasure which the metropolis offered to women. As women became more mobile from the nineteenth century onwards, their presence in the metropolis consisted of shopping expeditions or city outings. (Parkins 2001, p77) In Good Morning Midnight, Jean Rhys explores a claustrophobic kind of exile in the character of Sasha Jansen who has been send back to Paris at the expense of a friend as an alternative to her alcoholic amnesia in London. Sasha wanders through Paris aimlessly, the site of the dissolution of her marriage and death of her son, trying half heartedly to re-establish her life. Sasha is at a literal and emotional impasse at the beginning of the novel. ... ...ve her room by enticing her out of the Victorian world she lives in, into the Modern world by use of modern magazines offering new things. Aunt Ada emerges from her room dressed in leather clothing ready to travel by aeroplane to Paris. (Gibbons 2006, p 220) Although most of the characters problems are resolved by the traditional method of marriage, Cold Comfort Farm is not a reactionary novel in that it seeks to present marriage as the best or most suitable outcome for a young woman. Flora, at the end of the novel jets off to be married to her cousin Charles. Traditionally marriage was considered as being the most suitable outcome for a young woman. Instead, the author positions within the novel â€Å"contemporary debates concerning the nature of marriage and alerts the reader to the social constructions of femininity in the 1930’s. (Horner & Zlosnik 2002, p 170).

Reasons For The Cold War Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Cold War With the aim of preventing East Germans from seeking asylum in the West, the East German government in 1961 began constructing a system of concrete and barbed-wire barriers between East and West Berlin. This Berlin Wall endured for nearly thirty years, a symbol not only of the division of Germany but of the larger conflict between the Communist and non-Communist worlds. The Wall ceased to be a barrier when East Germany ended restrictions on emigration in November 1989. The Wall was largely dismantled in the year preceding the reunification of Germany. The victorious Allies agreed to give most of Eastern Germany to Poland and the USSR, and then divide the rest into four zones of occupation. However, they could not agree of whether or how to reunite the four zones. "As Cold War tensions grew, stimulated in part by the German situation itself, the temporary dividing line between the Soviet zone in the East and the British, French, and U.S. zones in the West hardened i nto a permanent boundary. In 1949, shortly after the Western powers permitted their zones to unite and restore parliamentary democracy in the Federal Republic of Germany, the Russians installed a puppet regime of German Communists in the East, creating the German Democratic Re-public."(Niewyk, 1995) According to Galante (1965, p.vii) "a city is the people who live in it. Berlin is 3,350,000 people in twenty boroughs. A rich city of factories, an airy city of farms and parks and woods and lakes†¦On Sunday, August 13, 1961 Herr Walter Ulbricht stopped that. He built the Wall." One reason for the building of the Wall was due to the more than fifty-two thousand East Berliners who crossed the border everyday to work in West Berlin. These people were referred to as the "grenzgaenger or border crossers." "East Berliners said the grenzgaenger were parasite who should stay and work on the East side of the boundary, for the benefit of Communism and the prosp erity of the German Democratic Republic."(Galante, p.3) Gelb (1986, p.3) states, "Berlin was where the Cold War began with a Soviet blockade, where Soviet and American tanks faced each other virtually snout-to-snout for the first time, and where the grisly game of nuclear brinkmanship was introduced." The Wall was constructed of concrete and steel and barbed wire. It was 28 miles long, if stra... ...), p.23) On Sunday, 18 March 1990, East Germans held the first free election on their territory since 1933-"the first fully free election in Eastern Europe since the Second World War."(Borneman, p.229) The wall opened because its reason for existence had disappeared. The East German regime erected it in 1961 to stem the flow of refugees to the West. In a paradox of history, the same government was forced to open the Wall in a desperate, last-ditch effort to stop an even more massive wave of deflections in 1989. Bibliography References Borneman, John (1991). After the Wall. U.S.: Basic Books, Inc. Cate, Curtis (1978). The Ides of August. New York: M. Evans & Company, Inc. Galante, Pierre (1965). The Berlin Wall. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. Gelb, Norman (1986). The Berlin Wall. New York: Times Books. Bornstein, Jerry (1990). The Wall Came Tumbling Down. New York: Outlet Book Company, Inc. Heaps, W.A. (1964). The Wall of Shame. New York: Meredith Press. Niewyk, D.L. (1995). Groliers Multimedia Encyclopedia. Garrard, Margaret (1989). Facing Up to the German Question Newsweek, pp. 51-52 Anderson, Harry (1989). A Mixed Blessing for Bonn Newsweek, pp. 33-34 v

Human Resource Management in Canada Essay

The human resource department of any company plays a significant role to the advancement of its employees as well as the increase of the company’s profits and improvement of the manner of production. Although the process of hiring employees may appear to be a simple task, the execution thereof as well as the complications and intricacies involved in the process is not that easy to counter. The job of the human resource department, according to Dessler and Cole is two-fold. First the human resource is responsible for the handling of the hiring of employees. They assess the qualifications of the employees and determine if their skills and capabilities are suited for the job that they are applying for. It is essential that the human resource adequately match the capabilities and educational attainment of the applicant as this will benefit the company in the long run. Hiring employees who cannot deliver the expectations of the company from them will not only be problematic, it will also unjustly drain the resources of the company. Another role of the human resource is to employ individuals who will meet the strategic goals of the company. Going over the qualifications of an applicant is not enough in order to complete the task of hiring. There must be a suitable position for him and the placement of this individual to such position should be made not just because of pure discretion but also in order to meet the goals of the company. There should be human resource planning in order to anticipate the future needs and demands of the company. Without this process, it will be more difficult for companies to combat the different challenges that may hamper their path to success. Having strategic goals mean evaluating the available resources of the company and the needs thereof. This is important so as to avoid the creation of redundant positions and it will also allow the employees and the management to maximize their skills and resources respectively. There are several ways and means in order to plan for the human resource needs of a company. Among these ways are the quantitative techniques for forecasting and the two qualitative techniques which are utilized for forecasting demand. Aside from setting the strategic goals of the company, there is also a need for the human resource department to go through job analysis. Through the job analysis, the people from the human resources department of a company will investigate and collect data regarding the needs of the company. Dessler and Cole have indicated six steps in order to complete the process of job analysis and they are as follows: determining the information that will be assessed, collecting background information, selecting the positions as well as the jobs that will be analyzed, collecting the available data, reviewing the information which are collected with the superiors, and developing the specifications of the job as well as the job descriptions. After the creation of a plan, recruitment and the assessment of the qualifications of the applicant, the human resource department goes through reference checking. This is very essential as the process will spill relevant information about the applicant. Once the human resource is satisfied with the qualification and the information gathered about the applicant, the latter will go through a training period. This process will show whether or not the applicant is capable of meeting the expectations from him. Orientation follows after the hiring. Through the orientation process, the newly-hired employee become knowledgeable with the do’s and dont’s in the company and for them to be fully aware of the systems and procedures. The job however of the human resource does not end in the hiring of the employee. Just like a guardian, the human resource continuously oversees the performance of the employee. Such performance will be used as the basis of the employee is entitled to a promotion or to the assignment of different tasks. Overseeing the performance of the employee is not limited to his work productivity. Other factors such as work ethics and the way the employee deals with his superiors, subordinates and other co-employees will also be assessed. The information gathered in this process may be instrumental in deciding issues which may concern the employee in the future. In addition to the task of overseeing the employees, it is also the job of the human resource to determine the ways and means to motivate employees and improve their performance. Among these methods are the appraisal and giving of additional pay or benefits to those who have exhibited excellent performance. Coming up with effective incentive plans may increase the productivity of the employees and yield to the increase in profits that employers are looking for. In the creation of such plans, the interests and needs of the employees should be taken into consideration in order to attain the greater success rate. In order to determine what the employees desire, it is important that the human resource make an effort to establish good communication relations with them. Good communication as well as the imposition of proper and fair treatment may help the company in avoiding labor cases. The human resource should take an extra effort to make sure that the employees are short changed by the company or the other way around. The human resource should make sure that the employees’ rights are not being violated. The role that the human resource undertakes is very important to the advancement of the company since they handle all matters which concern the employees–the life blood of every company. Without the human resource, the company may face great difficulties in attaining the progress that it desires.