If I Could Meet Any Historical Figure Essay

If I could meet any historical figure I would chose to meet Rosa Parks. She is an  unbelievable inspiration and a great role model. She is also a great example for everyone that no matter what race you are, you should stand up for what you believe in. Rosa Parks is not only one of the most important people in Black History; she is also a great role model for women everywhere. If I was ever blessed to sit down and meet with her; I would ask her how long it took her to get up enough courage to refuse to move. I’ve often wondered if she planned that out or if she did it as an adrenaline rush, spur of the moment kind of thing. If she had planned it out, I would ask her if she tried to get people to do it with her or if she wanted to do it by herself. What made her finally want to stand up for herself and do it? Next I would want to know if she had any role models her self and what she valued most in life. These characteristics are extremely important to me and in my opinion they show stability and strong sense of character. It’s interesting to think about if she valued the same type of things like me because she seems so much more courageous. Then would be a good time to inform her on how much of a role model she is and how much of an impact she made in the world today. On the topic of black people who made great impacts, she would probably wonder who else was big in black history. It would be my pleasure to tell her about many the great names in black history such as: Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Angela Davis, Wilma Rudolph, Sojourner Truth, Madam C.J. Walker and Malcolm X. Hopefully she would find this information interesting. I would have loved to have gotten the chance to meet her and discuss all my questions with her. I’m proud of her and I hope she can still see today what an impact she has made in American Black History.

How Recent Japanese Boys Are Getting Femininize Essay

The recent male Japanese gender identity is so unique in the same way as their culture. Most of them are fashionable and they always care about their hairstyles just like girls, and desire to be skinny. The reason why they look so feminine is not just because they want to become a Kabuki Onnagata actors. There is a controversial reason. Since the women are getting a bigger part in the society, Japanese gender roles have drastically changed. Previously in Japan, women used to be expected to follow men and learn house works to get married with men who are introduced by parents or marriage meeting. However, as women’s rate increased in the company, men more and more feel small. As women has got more money and free time, the media started to illustrate their desire. If they have the high expectation for men, guys tried to fill up it. This is the beginning of the system where guys follow the women’s expectations, and recently it is distorting Japanese male identity. Women’s expectations for men cause the disturbance of masculinity, and especially the medias emphasis the distort the images of male identity. The media always represents the value of the current people, and especially recent Japanese media is inclined to the women’s opinions, and it distorts gender identity. Recent Japanese guys are so feminine. Whenever you walk around a city, you can find guys who are wearing skinny jeans, or guys who have long hair like girls. You can even find guys wearing girls’ clothes. To describe those guys, there are a lot of slangs words, such as â€Å"Sousyoku-kei-danshi†, â€Å"Otokono-ko†, â€Å"Jyosoushi†, â€Å"Oto-men†, and so on. Sousyoku-kei danshi† means herbivore men who do not act aggressively and they favor the peace in the group, so they don’t have interest in girls, love, and they even don’t want to make love. There is a ranking research for asking them why you don’t have girl friends. The popular reasons are that â€Å"they want to enjoy their time†, â€Å"they are satisfied with current situations†, â€Å"troublesome†, â€Å" because of shyness†, â€Å" feeling easy with guys†, and so on. Thus, they are negative for not only girls but also other things. It’s kind of similar as herbivore animals, so they are named like this. For them, violence is not real and they hate to compete with people, so they don’t work out like other counties’ guy want to become muscular. Instead, they believe working out is a gay’s work, and good men should be skinny to wear fashionable clothes. They have grown up in the resection, so they don’t desire luxuries. If someone show off the richness the they would look down on the Off course there are opinions that the economic situation and education influence their value to live. While Japanese young people used to consume cars, brand products and travel to overseas during bubble era, current youth do not desire these things because they have shifted value. Previously Japanese youth wanted to emphasize richness, so they bought expensive products as if they were competing, but that is considered as stupid now because recent young people want average things. They are not good at competing with others and do not want to be distinguished from others because they experienced how much it scares to been left out. For example, the media has exposed the decline of big stars. Most poplar actress, hottest athlete and other famous talents are charged just because they made a slip of a tongue. They treat them as criminal. Moreover, once comedians become popular and are shown on too many programs, audience tend to want them to disappear. Not only the other world, they also have watched the real life bullies. That is why they do not behave like muscular guy, and cherish the cooperativeness with others. That is what girls have expected to have in Japan. education also affect their value. Japanese young generations are lacking the competitive spirit because Japanese have gotten a more relaxed education since the 1980’s, which means setting high price on the individualistic value. this education system is influenced by America because Japanese education system was too competitive. They had memorized text as much as possible to pass the entrance test for university. To improve such machine like education and prize the individual value, they needed the system that makes students have their own opinions and take more time to discuss how to solve problems around them. However, it didn’t work because Japanese people are culturally passive, so few people make statements in classroom, as a result, while the amount of the words which students have to memorize decrease, they came not to consider, as a result, the system just cut off the amount of study. Furthermore, it becomes easy to go to university because the traditional entrance test become easy, 50% student pass the entrance test only by the interview. Which is not enough to explain the reason why Japanese guys are motivated to be feminine or skinny. However, those facts do not directly influence the gender identity because they still have money if they live with family and Japanese schools still have traditional gender treatment for each boys and girls. The media is the most influential factor to distort the male role in Japan, and drama is one of the good sources to know how different the gender role is. Traditionally Japanese TV love dramas illustrate the trend of each age, so if it’s compared up to each age, it’s easy to understand the value for the era. In the bubble age, the heroes had longing jobs, such as advertising, travel agency, or someone who works at oversea, and story is about the love affairs of a group of several characters. Most women admire life in the drama and fashion of female role, and they desire to have same one or try to find those guys who can purchase it for them. At that time they expected guys to economic force, and they thought guys should have the competitive power, so that was common like other countries. However, some women started to be suspicious about the masculinity because Japanese society was still male-dominated base, so it was not interesting for some. And then, they became to hope that the next generation or their kids to be more kind. Women’s expectations shifted from the masculinity to gentle conduct to females. Thus, the herbivore men generations started to be born. Fashion is the most the concern things in some people feel young generation feel they want to go drink or play around if they don’t have the good cloth Likewise the topic in the girls’ magazine, Japanese guys also interested in health and not only the talent Japanese male life is not also become feminine. I did not mean the discrimination, but just criticize the Japanese too much self-concerning. In the 80s, Japanese media used to show the Yankees or yakuza kind of stories on the drama, and that was a fundamental stereotype in Japan because people in that age still believed that the guys must be strong and male also dominated society. The representative drama is â€Å"School Wars†. The story is about that a former Japan national rugby team player hired as a high school rugby coach. However, the school is famous for the bad boys and especially the rugby kid’s were uncontrolled. The team straggles with a lot of problems and in the story, but finally the coach pulls the team together and won the high school national rugby tournament. That kind of story is so-called â€Å"spokon†, and this genre became a popular at the era because the story is quit simple and make audience refresh the mind. However, the some guys also admire those images on such a drama, so it let them go into juvenile delinquency, and it became a social issue. To prevent from such behavior, Japan broadcast committee came to make restrictions for violence scenes, so those dramas disappeared from the screen. At the same time the male gaze objectified women on screen, so there are so many comedy shows that describe the women naked on midnight. In the 90’s to early 00’s, Japanese media was drastically changed and the contents had became to reflect women’s request, so the popular genre shifted from â€Å"spokon† to love romance which is so-called â€Å"trendy-drama†. The stories look at the girl’s comics and got a large female audience. In this decade, a lot of women came into the society, so feminists and female employee criticized about the strongly male dominate society. Those dramas also illustrate the ideal women workers role, so that got support from women, and Japanese media gradually start leaning to the women side. Not only the dramas, the music shows also became popular because J-pop reached the peak of popularity, especially Johnny & Association, producing boys’ celebrity groups company, turn out many popular groups, and got the many funs, so the media producers learned that they can got huge viewers and sponsored instead of the actors if they have the acting skills or not. As a result, those good-looking celebrities dominated Japanese dramas, movies, or even music industry. At the same time, those body images threat people’s self esteem. It was raised as a social issue that Girls obsess with the dieting and desire to be thin, so it also caused the eating disorder. Current youth guys has grown up in this era and exposed those ideal models of new masculinity by the media, as a result appearance is spontaneously placed on their primary concerns. As Iida says â€Å"It was the development of an image/information oriented mode of capitalist economy of the 1990s that made the imaginative exploration of alternate selves, including the aesthetically sophisticated self-representation by young men, a highly desired economic practice. (2) People were motivated to imitate the behave of celebrities, so young generations takes it for granted to blush up their appearance to be attractive or popular in their class room. Since later 00’s, the image-oriented capitalism became hash and distorts body images, and especially guys are objectified as much as female objectification on the screen because the media producers change the strategies to get audience. TV stations basically depend on the advertising income, but sponsors do not offer the advertising cost because youth generations came not to watch TV compared to the 90’s young generation. Even thought drama story were written by originally until beginning of 90’s, most recent dramas are based on the girl’s comics because there are funs that already know the comic, so it’s easy to correct audience. Moreover, the girls comic stories usually appear a lot of hansom roles, and producers can adopt good looking celebrities who also have a large number of funs, so it can get viewers As a result, particular kind of fetishisms become to be represented in the drama. For example, â€Å"Ouran High School Host Club† is a drama, which visualized originally from popular girls comic. The story is about the official host club in boys school treat the patrons from girls school next to there. In such a daily life, character makes problems. The male characters are unique and created by the women’s fetish. Suou Tamaki is a selfish but good at to escort girls and categorized as an â€Å"Oujisama kei ikemen†, which means prince kind guy. Yusuke Yamamoto, a most popular young actor plays this role. His face is well organized and looks feminine, but girls regard him as neutral and adore. Mitukuni Haninostuka is also representative in this drama. He always has a rabbit dole and behaves like a girl, but it stimulates the maternity of girls. Although Yudai Chiba is a popular fashion model in the male magazine, but he paly this role because his face is so sophisticated and feminine. Even though this drama is for girls, both Yamamoto and Chiba are supported by male youth and they suggest those guys a new kind of masculinity that is leaning to famine side not only on the screen but also on the magazine. Guys who are sensitive for appearance imitate their fashions, behavior or life stile. That’s the major reason why Japanese youth are getting feminine. In later 00’s, this male objectification has started on the drama commercials or paper media also force them pay attention to their appearance. While Japanese commercials are traditionally celebrities make the products look good, the characters on the current commercials are different from a decade ago. The clients favor to use more neutral guys to promote their products. A typical example is that suits company, â€Å"Haruyama†, adopt AKB48 for their male suits commercial. The company considers that AKB48 is a Japanese most popular female group, so they can attract a lot of guys fun. At the same time, they wanted to highlight their thinness of suits by letting girls wear the male suits. What we can see this commercial is that how much Japanese guys desire to be thin or look slim. As I mention that, most of Japanese girls are stick to the skinny body images, but it’s not only women’s issues anymore. Japanese guys also want to be skinny because those who are recognized as an ideal guy is like a western looking just like girl’s comic represent. To the matter is worse, Japanese cosmetic company; publishing company or TV comedy shows have a promotion campaign, and exploit for them to come close to the images. For example, Rohto Pharmaceutical CO. , Ltd produce a many kinds of male cosmetics, and push the strong messages on commercials like â€Å" if you don’t use this, girls never come close to you†. The extreme campaign is that they force them to do whitening their skin just like women. This kind of objectification to guys as a female is often seen on the media. Magazines for men force them to be fashionable as much as girls do, and teach them how to deal with the male cosmetic products. At the one corner of popular TV comedy show, guys are dressed like women and compete how much they are beautiful even though they are not homosexual or transvestite. Iida mentions, â€Å"†¦the idea that the â€Å"feminisation of culture† leads to the â€Å"feminisation of masculinity† is an interesting proposition†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (3). Thus, Japanese society itself threat young guys to be clean, skinny or feminine. Japanese young men are looking for the new muscularity under the media pressure, women’s high expectations, and hyper pure society. As the media describe, the ideal parson is that he is tall, skinny, understanding what girls are thinking and having the flexibility to correspond to the social requirement. That model is rare or no exist case, but the media never stop exposing those ideal. To matter worse, Japanese are not good at to accept or discuss the extra ordinal thoughts. While that ideal mode is completely unusual or wrong, they are stick to it, so most of guys feel unconfident about themselves. They are lacking self-esteem, so they cannot be aggressive toward girls. They think they must be fashionable and keep cleanness wherever they go, but women do not so much care about the men’s appearance when they chose their partner. In fact, some of them are more likely to get marry with previous generation guys in 30’s to 40’s because their self-esteem is high enough to approach the women regardless of their appearance. If male appearance is the first priority for women to decide marriage, the young generation must superior to that generation. However, the fact is different. The thing is that women are more realistic than men. While they admire those who inside of the media, they know that is not real. That becomes variance for those guys wants to response to women’s demand. While elderly critic often argue about this issue, that was never understood by their generations because their generation was not complex as much as nowadays, so it stereotypically analyzed and label young guys as inferior new type, and make fun of them it just like a game. However, they should take it account that social expectations are shifted, and guys are expected to have more female role to coexist with women. The gender could not be easily judged by biological role in current complex society. â€Å"Sue Thornman claims that a â€Å"female person† holds a â€Å"doublesubjectivity† ;while â€Å"she represents herself to herself,† she also performs a role of another subject who â€Å"consciously creates, manipulates, and compensates for the figurability of an imaginary subject that projects cohesiveness as its founding assumption through a fictional body. â€Å"(5 Iida). To response to social demand, guys are just imitating the female behavior not because they actually wants to be a women, so the media should let them know it, and suggest how understand the female role and new male identity. In conclusion, distorted masculinity by the media make Japanese young guys hard to find appropriate model. Older generations also critici ze their constructing new way, so it makes more difficult issue. Most young generations get the complex from that reason, and they seem lack the self-esteem. However, those who suffer the issue must ignore what the media expose. Most Japanese people tend to believe that the media is truth because they used to follow the majority. As I mentioned, most Japanese people are disciplined not to have the individualistic opinions. In the class, it’s rare to be asked their opinions and only take the note what teachers are talking or writing on the board. As a result, they stick to one idea. They also lack the experience to acknowledge other cultures. They don’t know how fouling people observe themselves because majority of Japanese never been abroad. Japanese society is traditionally closed, so problems become too domestic. If it’s the U. S. people express the rejection to the media like Justin Bever is criticized as a gay singer. Even though minority people criticize about that on 2ch, those people are thought they are dropped from the main stream and are not persuasive because they hide their name. Anyway, to combat this issue, Japanese must be more flexible and reject to be brainwashed by the media.

Online Integrated Marketing Communication Essay

Integrated marketing communication – the evolution of a concept The IMC approach has received almost instant recognition at the end of the 1990s, as a result of the existing trends to reduce the budget allocated to mass advertising campaigns and to concentrate on segmented or personalised communication with final consumers. The increased fragmentation of media and customers, as well as the revolution introduced in mass communication by the new communication channels – internet and mobile communication technologies – has created the need for a new approach to marketing communication, that can insure centralised management and a consistency of corporate messages sent towards various audiences. The concept of IMC was defined in many different, often contradictory, ways: Pickton and Broderick (2001) claim that synergy is the principal benefit of bringing together the various facets of marketing communications in a mutually supportive way. Definition proposed by Keegan et al. (1992, p. 631): Integrated marketing communications is the strategic co-ordination of all messages and media used by an organisation to collectively influence its perceived brand value. At the heart of this definition is the assumption that the credibility and value of both the company and its brand(s) will increase, when messages transmitted to various audiences become consistent across time and targets. Another definition proposed by Duncan (2002, p. 8) demonstrates the current conceptual perception of IMC: A cross-functional process for creating and nourishing profitable relationships with customers and other stakeholders by strategically controlling or influencing all messages sent to these groups and encouraging data-driven, purposeful dialogue with them. The notion of stakeholders implies the shift in the IMC concept from customer target audiences to the inclusion of key stakeholder groups such as employees, investors, suppliers, distributors, media and the social community. The most significant organisation barriers for the implementation of the IMC concept: * lack of horizontal communication; * functional specialisation; * decentralisation; * lack of IMC planning and expertise; * lack of budget; * lack of database technology; * corporate culture; and * fear of change. The impact of the internet technology on marketing communication: The rapid development of the internet in the last ten years has changed the classical communication procedures (Blattberg and Deighton, 1991; Holtz, 1999), because of three specific and co-existent characteristics that differentiate it from any other communication channel: * Interactivity. The internet offers multiple possibilities of interactive communication, acting not only as an interface, but also as a communication agent (allowing a direct interaction between individuals and software applications). The traditional communication channel was uni-directional, Even when communication was considered a two-way process, the institutions had the resources to send information to audiences through a very wide pipeline, while the audiences had only a minuscule pipeline for communicating back. Now, the communication channel is a network, not a pipeline. Communicators have grasped and even embraced this new proximity, fact demonstrated by the vast number of web sites which display â€Å"Contact Us† buttons and links. However, in most of the cases, these new facilities are not fully used. * Transparency. The information published online can be accessed and viewed by any internet user, unless this information is specifically protected. * Memory. The web is a channel not only for transmitting information, but also for storing information – in other words, information published on the web remains in the memory of the network until it is erased. The new realities of how audiences get and use information: * The audience is connected to the organisations * The audience is connected to one another * The audience has access to other information * Audiences pull information (info has to be available where audiences can find it, and it must be customizable) { Today, we get messages from multiple media channels: email, voice mail, faxes, pagers, cell phones, interoffice memos, overnight courier packages, television (with hundreds of channels), radio, internet radio, etc. As a result, the media that used to provide an efficient channel of communication for practitioners have become now only noise that most of the audiences have learned to filter out} Different definitions of IMC: Some retail organisations track the interaction between the online user and their web site: â€Å"the time spent by a client on a specific web page can represent an indication of his/her present interest†. â€Å"We use the results provided by our online behaviour tracking system to create personalised promotions targeted to individual customers†. The meaning is not simply transmitted, but has to be negotiated separately with each online audience. The message needs to be adapted to the specific level of understanding and interpretation of each public, but, on the other hand, has to express the same core organisational values, in order to display a coherent organisational image If the company attempts to reach foreign audiences, the message needs to be adapted to the cultural specificity of the overseas public. This raises important questions regarding the possibility of integrated online marketing communication in the global context: â€Å"we often communicate with customers from various cultural and economic backgrounds. In these conditions we must apply a clear segmentation and positioning strategy, in order to match the needs of every cultural group with our marketing messages.† The specific characteristics of the internet therefore create two conflicting tendencies: (1) the fragmentation of audiences and communication contexts requires the customisation of online marketing messages; but (2) the interactivity, transparency and memory of the web necessitates the consistency of communication and the coherence of the transmitted meaning Below figure presents the place of integrated online marketing communication in the online CRM process of the firm. The customer data/feed-back collected online is used directly to better design and implement the online integrated marketing communication, which are then targeting selected online audiences. Correctly implemented, the IMC program is a continuous cycle of gathering data and implementing response-generating marketing communication which is based on previously gathered consumer data. the specific characteristics of the internet are making the implementation of integrated online marketing communication both inevitable and efficient for an online organisation. The transparency, interactivity and memory of the internet force the organisation to adopt a proactive-reactive attitude in online communication, and to combine consistency and continuity with flexibility and customisation. These characteristics can be integrated by designing and implementing a specific model of integrated online marketing communication. The use of advanced online applications to collect customer data and feed-back information is paramount for the success of the online communication campaign (O’Malley and Mitussis, 2002). Because of the high interactivity of the internet, the communication process has become a real-time dialogue. Important issues relevant for the implementation of integrated online marketing communication have not been addressed because of space and methodology limitations. These areas can represent the subject of future research projects investigating: the management process of integrated online marketing communication; the criteria used for selecting and combing various channels in the online communication mix; the relation between the organisation and web advertising agencies; or the challenges raised by the general integration and co-ordination of online and offline (traditional) communication.

Rating Sites Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rating Sites - Essay Example So the reader has to use his own intelligence and judge for himself if the posting is genuine or false. Pfeiffer concludes that as the traffic to these rating cites increase, we will be forced to think of closing the anonymous rating sites. Although the rating sites can be abused, they can also give us useful information. Instead of trying to close the rating sites, we should do something to make the rating sites more responsible and truthful. According to Pfeiffer, the phenomenal success of sites like RateMyProfessor.com and RateMyTeacher .com, other rating sites sprang up, which rate different things. There is now a huge network of online forums which rate professionals like doctors and lawyers, and services like car repair, plumber service and childcare centers. Even entertainment centers like nightclubs are rated. All the rating can be done anonymously. The public gets enormous amount of information about any service they want. This helps them to choose a lawyer or doctor, or a service provider, which suit them. The sites may be giving genuine information, or just be misleading the users. The critics of the system say that clients who are angry or dissatisfied can post a malicious comment about any person or service. Similarly, bad tempered students can post an ugly comment on the teacher. Envious colleagues and estranged friends or relatives can post malicious comments. Malicious persons might post comments suggesting malpractice, about a lawyer or doctor. According to Professor Michael Rustad of Suffolk University Law School, who specializes in Internet Law, many of the rating sites are just platforms for getting rid of their strong emotions, for some persons. Rustad further states that "they are not random samples of how this professor or lawyer or doctor is doing." On the other hand, the person concerned can post excellent comments on himself. Since the sites are anonymous, there is no accountability. Fraud can be detected and removed Internet entrepreneur Bob Nicholson recognizes the problem of abuse of the sites. Calling the rating cites "magnets of abuse", he says that internet users should take the information they get from these sites "for what it's worth." If there are many comments coming from the same Internet address, it points to fraud, where a doctor or lawyer might be generating the comments himself. Similarly, if there are many comments which use similar sentences or phrases, it would mean that the same person is writing the comments in different names. The sites screen such multiple ratings. Online service providers are protected from being dragged into lawsuits over materials posted by third parties, by the Federal Communications Decency Act. Most of the rating sites bar only obscene and racist comments, and allow everything else. The online users are sure of anonymity on the Internet. It is only because of the anonymity that we have useful sites such as Craig's List and Amazon's user feedback. If there is no anonymity for the user, the nature of Internet itself would change. Kurt Opsahl, a staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit San Francisco digital rights group, argues that if some people think that they have been misrepresented, they can

Internet devepolment Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Internet devepolment - Research Proposal Example The main motive behind the site is improvement of ways of the business by incorporating the e-business. So the website with e-business provides more efficiency related to e-business. The website should use simple and efficient ways to handle the customer and also site visitors. You can have hyperlinks everywhere you can move anywhere on the web site freely and come back where you want. One of important thing that is customer learn-ability, if he/she is able to get the information then he will be satisfied and move forward with you. As I early mentioned that business provides its clear policy and its offers, this thing attracts the customer. So customer retention by learn-ability is more forced here. Accessibility is an attempt to get better the accessibility of the Website for people who are working or using that website. This is especially significant for people who are doing any online transaction or involved in any business on the Web. All elements on the site have to be perceivable i.e. provide text for non-text content. Here in web site you will need to all information related to your account, business policy, new offers and many other things that are important for a customer. Interface parts must be in the content and must be operable (i.e. ... As I early mentioned that business provides its clear policy and its offers, this thing attracts the customer. So customer retention by learn-ability is more forced here. Structure and navigation Site structure needs to be simple and proper. There should be no complication in its design and navigation. We need to see where you are and how to go back from where you have come. Accessibility Accessibility is an attempt to get better the accessibility of the Website for people who are working or using that website. This is especially significant for people who are doing any online transaction or involved in any business on the Web. Perceivable All elements on the site have to be perceivable i.e. provide text for non-text content. Here in web site you will need to all information related to your account, business policy, new offers and many other things that are important for a customer. Operable Interface parts must be in the content and must be operable (i.e. right to use via a keyboard or keyboard interface) for instance, if you make use of the site it should also provide you TAB capability to move to next button or menu. You can also make use of other keys for assessing any thing. If we view this in other prospective then any proper person can be able to access his account. Its mean that account in operable only to him. Understandable Information and data that is provided on the web site must be understandable i.e. text should not be ambiguous. This point is design related. Here we talk about the font size its style and its readability level. Business site gives you a apparent and suitable font style. That is same all the way through the site. This

Induced Theraputic Hypothermia after Cardiac Arrest Research Paper

Induced Theraputic Hypothermia after Cardiac Arrest - Research Paper Example This technique involves cooling of a patient to about 32 to 34 degrees Centigrade. Although introduced in 1950’s, it was abandoned due to certain difficulties however it was re-introduced in 1980’s after animal studies. After some successful studies, it is now approved by American Heart Association and is a part of their updated resuscitation standards. Given below is an insight into the steps involved, side effects and possible prognosis of induced therapeutic hypothermia. Therapeutic hypothermia is also known as ‘targeted temperature management’. Michelle E. (2011) has discussed in detail about the induction of therapeutic hypothermia and its outcomes in patients undergoing open cardiac surgery. She defines the therapeutic hypothermia as a ‘deliberate reduction of the core body temperature’ typically to a range of about 32 to 34 degrees Centigrade (89.6 to 93. 2). This is especially true for those patients who are unable to regain consciousness as the blood starts to circulate again following a cardiac arrest. During an open heart surgery, there is significant risk of neurological injury on account of the lack of oxygen supply to brain as the circulation comes to a halt. In the absence of oxygen, the brain undergoes anaerobic metabolism as reported by Michelle E. (2011). This leads to damage to ATP dependent cellular functions with a resulting increase in calcium and glutamate excretion. The brain cells thus become more active, consuming more oxygen. With the increasing hypoxemia, further damage occurs leading to cell death. The resultant cerebral edema further enhances the damage. Also, as a result of all these processes, the blood brain barrier also becomes ineffective further contributing to cerebral edema As soon as the circulation returns after the heart starts pumping again, reperfusion injury occurs which adds up to the ongoing damage. Meanwhile, there is already an onset of the inflammatory reaction as a result of

Alzheimer's disease Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Alzheimer's disease - Research Paper Example There are many challenges when dealing with the disease. Those who are affected, however, may find comfort in some outreach programs offered to both the patient and his or her family. This paper explores the causes, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease as well as its devastating effects on the individual who has it and on the people around him or her, usually members of the family, and recommendations on how it can be prevented or at the least, delay its adverse effects. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that progressively destroys memory and thinking, eventually leading to dementia and the inability to do the simplest of tasks. It occurs mostly among older people above the age of sixty years (Singh et al., 2011). It is the most common form of adult-onset dementia which affects over 5 million people in America alone. Thus far, there has been no known cure for this disease, although research on at least delaying the adverse effects of the disease has been very promising (Trends e-Magazine, 2012). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that currently 35.6 million people currently have Dementia and will increase to 65.7 million by the year 2030 and further increase to 115.4 million in the year 2050 (Wimo & Prince, 2010). Of the 5.4 million people in America living with Alzheimer’s disease, 5% are men and 6% are women over sixty years. Unless the prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease controlled, as many as 16 million Americans will be afflicted by it by the year 2050. As of 2012, the cost of caring for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias sum up to about $200 billion, which is expected to balloon to $1.1 trillion per year by mid-century (Alzheimer’s Association, 2012). In the state of California, the following estimates of people aged 65 and older have Alzheimer’s Disease

Statement of Cash Flows- Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Statement of Cash Flows- - Assignment Example The formula for the return on assets is Net income divided by total assets (BPP 2009). Market share _(c) A company's percentage share of total dollar sales within its industry. Working capital _ (d) Current assets less current liabilities. Price-earnings ratio _ (e) A measure reflecting investors' expectations of future profitability. The formula for the price-earnings ratio is price per share divided by earnings per share (EPS) (BPP 2009). Quick ratio _ (f) A measure of short-term solvency often used when a company has large inventories that cannot be quickly converted into cash. The formula for the quick ratio finds the total of all current assets with the exception of inventories and divides the result by the total of all current liabilities. This ratio is the acid test for short term solvency. It takes into consideration the cash cycle of turning inventory into cash, the fact that it may take a while before the inventory and the cash s received by way of cash sale or credit sale. Additionally, inventory can become obsolete. Earnings per share _ (g) A ratio that helps individual stockholders relate the net income of a large corporation to their equity investment.   The formula for earnings per share EPS is: Net income divided by number of issued shares. ... $163,000 + $96,000 = $259,000 (3) The current ratio: 1.5 to 1 i.e. the ratio of current assets to current liabilities - $388,000/259,000 = 1.5 (4) Net Working capital: $129,000 i.e. $388,000 - $259,000 (b) Assume that Red Missile Company pays the note payable of $163,000, thus reducing cash to $17,000. Compute the following after the completion of this transaction: (1) The current ratio: 2.34 to 1 – i.e. 225,000 ($388,000 – 163,000) divided by 96,000 ($259,000 – 163,000) Calculation of current assets: Cash ($180,000 - $163,000) $17,000 Accounts Receivable $84,000 Inventory $124,000 Current assets $225,000 Calculation of current liabilities: Accounts Payable $96,000 Current liabilities $96,000 (2) Net Working capital: $129,000  - i.e. current assets minus current liabilities – $225,000 - $96,000 3- Shown below are selected items appearing in a recent balance sheet of Grant Products. (Dollar amounts are in thousands.)   Ã‚   (a) Compute the following: (1 ) Total quick assets $2,770 and is calculated as follows: Calculations of Total quick assets: Cash and cash equivalents $620 Investments in marketable securities $300 Receivables $1,400 Prepaid expense and other current assets $450 Quick assets $2,770 (2) Total current assets $3,870 and is calculated as follows: Calculation of total current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $620 Investments in marketable securities $300 Receivables $1,400 Inventories $1,100 Prepaid expenses and other current assets $450 Current assets $3,870 (3) Total current liabilities $2200 i.e. $1,600 + $300 + $300 Calculation of current liabilities: Accounts payable $1,600 Bank loans payable within a year $300 Income tax payable $300 Total current liabilities

Face of Racial Profiling Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Face of Racial Profiling - Research Paper Example The horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 left an ineradicable mental image in the minds of people worldwide and changed many aspects of life in America not the least of which is the moral, ethical and legal debate regarding the concept of profiling based on a person’s race or country of origin.   The government and various agencies such as the transportation industry, as a response to possible future terrorist attacks, has led an anti-terrorism campaign focused on identifying people of Arab descent extending even to people of the Muslin faith and those who appear to be of   Middle Eastern origin.   Undoubtedly, if profiling in the name of terrorism has not been proved effective, the profiling of black citizens in the name of ‘getting tough on crime’ is not effective as well and causes more harm, ultimately, than whatever good may come of it.   â€Å"Racial profiling in any manifestation is a flawed law enforcement tactic that is in direct conf lict with constitutional values† (MacDonald, 2001).   There is no conclusive evidence that proves either way if the profiling of suspected terrorists which includes the factor of ethnicity or race is effective in safeguarding U.S. citizens.   What is known is that the majority of U.S. residents, legal or not, of every racial group are not involved in terrorist activities and were alarmed by the September 11 attacks.   Consequently, harassing, detaining or intruding on the liberty and privacy of individuals haven’t caused any reason to justify such an intrusion.... Undoubtedly, if profiling in the name of terrorism has not been proved effective, the profiling of black citizens in the name of ‘getting tough on crime’ is not effective as well and causes more harm, ultimately, than whatever good may come of it. â€Å"Racial profiling in any manifestation is a flawed law enforcement tactic that is in direct conflict with constitutional values† (MacDonald, 2001). There is no conclusive evidence that proves either way if the profiling of suspected terrorists which includes the factor of ethnicity or race is effective in safeguarding U.S. citizens. What is known is that the majority of U.S. residents, legal or not, of every racial group are not involved in terrorist activities and were alarmed by the September 11 attacks. Consequently, harassing, detaining or intruding on the liberty and privacy of individuals who are of a certain ethnic group will undoubtedly cause a certain amount of personal detriment to countless numbers of peo ple who haven’t caused any reason to justify such an intrusion. The reality of the situation will not totally convince those persons who argue that profiling is effective and helps keep the public safe. Unlike illegal drug trafficking which involves large numbers of U.S. citizens of all ethnicities, there is every reason to assume that very few people in the U.S. are not engaged in terrorist activities or are planning attacks. Hence, â€Å"any criteria police use to identify or ‘profile’ terrorists, whether or not those criteria rely on suspect classifications such as race, ethnicity, or national origin, will yield many more false positives than they will disclose

Prospect and Effectiveness of Web 2.0 Tools Usage Research Proposal

Prospect and Effectiveness of Web 2.0 Tools Usage - Research Proposal Example The research proposal "Prospect and Effectiveness of Web 2.0 Tools Usage" talks about the prospect and effectiveness of the use of web 2.0 tools in information literacy in education, workplace, and everyday contexts by carrying out a comparative study in Australia and other countries as digital information affects modern life aspects of people. This study is exceedingly beneficial because it will center on the effectiveness of web 2.0 tools in information literacy in education, workplace and everyday lives of the peoples in Australia and New Zealand. Digital information affects every modern life aspects of the people. This aims to develop guidelines ‘formalizing academic standard practices’ and reporting using web 2.0 forms of authoring or content creation like blogging, social bookmarking and podcasting. This study is intended to investigate the strategies and tools available to further develop the success of web 2.0 tools in the sectors of education, workforce and the society as a whole, specifically in Australia and New Zealand. Web 2.0 technologies provide teachers new ways to engage students in a meaningful way. Children raised on new media technologies are less patient with filling out work sheets and listening to lectures because they already participate on a global level through the internet. The use of web 2.0 technologies proves the fact that education is a constantly evolving process. Research methods will include literature review, experimental investigation, modeling, and data validation.

Managing Waste Products from Dairy Factories in Greece Dissertation

Managing Waste Products from Dairy Factories in Greece - Dissertation Example Nutrients and proteins can also be extracted from wastewater for various business purposes. The question is what technology is effective in the treatment of dairy wastewater. Wastewater management, which includes treatment, is part of an effective environmental management system (EMS) which dairy factories should implement immediately at the start of the operation. In countries such as Greece, EMS implementation is not uncommon. This is so because, in the countryside where wastewater usually flows to rivers and adjoining bodies of water, wastewater has to be treated first before it has to be discharged. Environmental impact created by businesses, organizations and dairy factories has to be minimized in order to deliver sustainability for the next generation. An Environmental Management System is a way of addressing the impact on the environment by issuing guidance to organizations, businesses, and governments which maintain or regulate establishments that produce wastewater. An EMS a nswers the environmental compliance regulations and other relevant activities for environmental best practice. An EMS aims for sustainable development in the community, and minimize waste and hazardous materials. It is a set of rules and requirements that set up a policy for environmental promotion and can be effectively implemented through the guidelines set by ISO 14001. The International Standards Organization states that businesses should implement an EMS which carries out its environmental objectives in accordance with the legal and other significant requirements of the organization and the laws of the land. Wastewater treatment, to include reuse and recycle, is a best practice in line with ISO compliance. (Edwards, 2004) There are a number of methodologies in wastewater treatment that have been implemented by the dairy industry, but some problems in the methods have to be identified. This paper, therefore, will provide an in-depth analysis of some of the methods and technologi es available, along with a business model that can be created out of these methods. 1.1 Objectives The objectives of this paper are: 1.1.1 To analyse how Greek dairy factories, conduct wastewater treatment and reduce wastewater generation that leads to minimization of effluent-treatment costs, and how to extract proteins and nutrients from wastewater; 1.1.2 To analyse the business side of the treated wastewater, taking into consideration the business model that can be created from the nutrients and proteins extracted and separated from the wastewater; 1.1.3 To provide an in-depth analysis of the methods and technologies available so that clear recommendations can be provided. 2. Literature Review There has to be a holistic view of the various ways of waste production, including collection and treatment and subsequent disposal of wastewater. The treatment to be implemented would depend on what type of wastewater is produced by the dairy factory or pond. Wastewater comes from milk, bu tter, yogurt, ice cream and other varieties which may be composed of desserts. Initial planning of wastewater treatment plant includes the following aspects: 1.) The various data and information gathered from the field surveys should be put together, inputted into a database, and carefully studied; 2.) What type of wastewater collection and system will be implemented?

The Irish Culture Essay Example for Free

The Irish Culture Essay The Irish are the people living on the Island of Ireland. Their culture is not that huge as per many beliefs. This is due to the prominent divisions that are there between urban and rural people, between the Protestants and the Roman Catholics and also divisions between the Irish speakers and the English speakers. This division has gone ahead to even affect the new migrants and the native population (Mitchell, 1998). With such divisions, the Irish culture is bound not to be monumental, though it is significant to as far as international levels. The old pagan tradition is still considerably reflected in the Irish calendar up to date. The Christian traditions have also a significant effect even though they came much later. For instance, in other countries around the world, Christmas coincides with the winter solstice, something that was chosen deliberately (Comerford, 2003). In Ireland, Christmas just like most places have several local traditions, some of them are in no particular way connected with Christianity. One example is on 26th December where it is also known as St. Stephen’s day. There is a custom of â€Å"Wrenboys† who make door to door calls with assorted material’s arrangement. These equipments tend to vary with place which is meant to a dead wren that has been trapped in the furze. There is also the 1st of February which is the Brigid’s day. This day has also acquired different names which include Imbolic and Candlemas. This too does not have any Christian origins. Instead, it is seen as another observation that is religious in nature and was superimposed during the start of spring. There is also the Brigid’s cross that was made on this day out of rushes. It is used to be a symbol of a solar wheel that is pre- Christian. Sumhain in November is another festival that is still greatly observed to date and it is currently called Halloween. Halloween has gained popularity and is celebrated world wide. The other pre- Christian festivals that have their names as Irish months name include Bealtaine that is May and Lunasa which is August. Easter and Marian observances are part of the important church holidays (Mitchell, 1998). The most eventful and prestigious of all is the S. t Patrick’s day. It is marked as a national holiday in the republic of Ireland. To really ascertain its importance, the day is celebrated with a lot of festivals in the cities and within towns all around the country. Parades and marching bands are also availed to mark that day. Dancing is part and parcel of the Irish culture. In Irish dancing, two main kinds have been identified. They are the Riverdance and Real Irish dance. The Riverdance is very popular in that it is running up to the moment in major cities apart from Ulan Bater. It is even credited with the Irish economic boom by some economists. On the other hand, the Real Irish dance is performed in such a manner that men do not dress in frilly blouses and one is not allowed to communicate except in a note in print to the panel of adjudicators (Comerford, 2003). The work habits in the Irish community vary with different people. Farming is largely prevalent in Ireland even though it is one of the activities in the Irish culture that comes from way back in history. Therefore in arming, the men are the ones who handle most of the activities that are related to it. The women on the other hand do the marketing of the produces. The Irish farmers have come to be known for using the latest methods in agricultural production. The kind of produce that they make includes meat and dairy products. Cereals like wheat and barley are also chiefly produced. In production the Irish industry has done tremendously well in pharmaceuticals textiles, clothing, and even in fishery (Mitchell, 1998). Language is only one way of communicating. There are other forms of sending a message that bring forth communication. Gestures are one way of communicating. The Irish culture also has its own unique gestures. Women are allowed to sit first before the men. The women are supposed to sit with their legs crossed right at the ankle or even at the knees. It is considered informal to have ones ankles crossed over the knee. A good gesture also includes buying your friends or drinking partners a round of drinks when your turn comes. It is looked at as rather rude not to. Therefore the people tend to be disciplined and everyone knows what is expected of them at a particular situation no matter how informal it may seem or be. Shoving the line is frowned upon. Order is highly regarded and no one is supposed to be treated unfairly to an extent of having others shove the line. Using a firm handshake is also seen as a good gesture. Loose handshakes are associated with disrespect towards the person greeted or eve lack of interest. Therefore firm handshake symbolizes reverence (Comerford, 2003). In terms of governance, the Irish government of the time holds the office only and only when it still has the support of the majority of Dail Eireann members. The Taoiseach who is the head of the government can voluntarily resign and if he/she does so, the whole cabinet is considered to have resigned. Then a new nomination is put for Taoiseach before the parliament to approve a new one. The Irish government according to its constitution should constitute between 7-15 members. The head of the government is nominated by one of the houses of parliaments and the Irish president formally appoints him. For that post, each political party nominates its member who needs the support of the majority members of parliament to win (Mitchell, 1998). The Irish government is elected for a ruling term of five years. In this case since the current government was elected in 2007, it is expected to conclude its term in 2012 and go for a general election. In parliament, the senate and parliament debates are available and even published all the way through the session. The issues and questions tabled by the members of parliaments during the sitting are taken by the minister in whose docket it concerns. The replies are published at the end of each day’s parliamentary proceedings. Each committee meeting has an official report which is published in 2-3 working days and at most in a week’s time. Therefore Ireland has a democratic system of governance (Comerford, 2003). In essence, the Irish culture is a unique one and identifies the Irish people. It is richly religious with over 80% of its population being Roman Catholics. They have lots of days they observe that are not necessarily Christian oriented but that is what makes them uniquely Irish. References. Comerford, R. Ireland Inventing the Nation. New York: Hodder Books, (2003). Mitchell, Frank and Ryan, Michael. Reading the Irish landscape. London: SAGE. (1998).

Force Plate Design And Use Health And Social Care Essay

Force Plate Design And Use Health And Social Care Essay Force plates are a powerful tool for examining the kinetic characteristics of an athletes movement. The plates offer a large variety of information about the external forces involved, but have very specific characteristics that define the potential quality of collected data. Through proper understanding of these qualities, and sound use of calibration, filtering, and sampling procedures, the user can ensure that the error disguising the signal of interest is minimized. Thus, the collected data is at its highest possible quality, and inference about the athlete in question is strongest. This paper deals with the aforementioned topics related to force plate design and use, including a section describing an example laboratory set-up. Keywords: force plate, filtering, sampling, data collection, kinetic Introduction Force is the entity that results in movement- it can be understood as a push, or pull, or simply, a tendency to distort a material. Measurement of force can allow a coach or sport scientist to quantitatively understand an athletes execution of a skill, or to assess an athletes physical progress. For example, assessment of the external forces applied to the ground by an athlete in a vertical jump provide a very good picture of the explosive abilities of an athlete, as well a very good indicator of the progress of those abilities if measured at multiple time points in a training program. Force plates and other force measurement devices are widely used to assess the external forces generated by athletes. Force plates in particular measure external ground reaction forces in up to three planes -vertical, anterior-posterior, and medial lateral. This data provides a picture of the interaction within an athlete-ground system, something extremely difficult to do without a force plate. It is important to distinguish between kinetic and kinematic analysis. Kinematics is related to movement, what is visually observable, e.g. positions velocities and directions, while kinetics refers to what causes the movement to occur (i.e. torques and forces), and is not directly observable. Force plates allow one to see the kinetic characteristics of a skill, and thus the forces that cause the precise execution of that skill. Force Plate Design and Use Force plates measure external forces based on the principles of Newtons third law- that an object exerting a force on another object has a simultaneous force exerted upon it that is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the original force exerted. Thus, the force plate measures ground reaction force (GRF). GRF is the force the ground exerts as a reaction (equal, opposite, and simultaneous) to the forces applied to the ground or other object by the athletes body (see Figure 1). This principle allows the researcher to determine the forces exerted by an athlete while in contact with the force plate. In a vertical jump for example, the athletes body mass and propulsion forces from the jump exert a push on the plate, causing a tendency of the plate to distort. This tendency is measured as GRF. The kinetic information obtained from force plate data then provides an understanding of the kinematic characteristics through a derivation of Newtons second law that the force on a body is directly proportional to the mass of the body and the acceleration of the body, represented by the equation force = mass X acceleration. Given that the forces can be measured by a force plate, and the mass of the athlete is known, a very good understanding of the kinematic characteristics of the skill can be obtained through calculation of the acceleration of the athlete using the aforementioned equation. Five important pieces of information can be obtained from a modern full featured force plate: force in the X, Y, and Z directions, the center of pressure, and moment (torque) around each of the axes. Each of these variables shows a picture of the forces exerted by an object (i.e. a limb) on the force plate. This data allows the investigator to determine a multitude of measures. For example, force plates have been used to study the take-off forces in pole vault technique (3) and the forces involved in the second pull in weightlifters (7); as it stands, the uses for force plates are numerous. Before analysis and use of the collected data, processing of the analog signal must occur. Figure 2 shows the complete flow of the force plate data, from the initial analog signal output (continuous voltage) from the force plate, to the final digital input signal leading into the final analysis. Force is applied to the force plate, which changes the excitation charge sent through the force plate in proportion to the force applied. That new charge is sent to an amplifier. Analog signal processing (some kind of filtering or smoothing of the signal) can occur. After the signal has been amplified, the current goes to a data acquisition device, where it enters an analog-digital converter which converts the continuous analog signal to a discrete digital signal. The newly-converted digital data is recorded as evenly spaced samples, and more processing of the digital signal can occur. It is at this point that the recorded digital signal can be analyzed. Load Cells Forces must be measured through indirect means, through a force transducer. A force transducer functions toconvert physical states into electrical signals (21). The load cells in a force plate transduce the force applied to the plate into a measureable electrical voltage and current. There are a variety of load cell types. Two commonly used load cells in force plates are piezoelectric transducers and strain-gauge load cells. Both types of load cells receive an excitation voltage input, and output an different electrical current which is proportional to the load experienced by the cell (based on Ohms Law: current = voltage / resistance) (1). The operation of each differs in a few distinct ways. Piezoelectric cells operate based on the fact that when a piezoelectric material has a force applied to it, a charge appears on the face of the material; This charge is proportional to the force applied. Recording of the resultant voltage allows calculation of the applied force. The strain gauge load cells operate on the fact that changes in electrical current occur when a metal or semiconductor is deformed (1, 19). A thin sheet of metal or semiconductor material is bonded to a metal object, which provides a solid structural device on which to apply the force. Deformations in the device and the bonded sheet result in changes of the electrical resistance of the bonded sheet, thus modifying the current that moves through the bonded sheet. Monitoring of these changes allow for calculation of the force applied to the device. A common form of the strain gauge is the shear beam load cell (1, 19). One end of the beam is anchored to a stable platform, while the other is extended so that it can receive a load. A foil sheet or semiconductor is bonded to the beam, and an electrical current is run through the sheet. Force applied at the end of the beam (perpendicular to the plane of the sheet) causes deformation of the beam, resulting in electrical resistance changes across the sheet bonded to the beam. This results in a different electrical current and allows measurement of the applied force. Shear beam load cells have the advantage of a high force capacity and accurate measurement, which can make them a good candidate for use in force plates. A typical tri-planar force plate is constructed with four three-component load cells (14). Each three-component cell measures force in the X, Y and Z direction, and the placement of the load cells allow for calculation of center of pressure, center of force and torque about the axes. The four load cells are arranged in each of the four quadrants of the force plate, evenly spaced from each other and from the edges. Moment about the axes, center of pressure and center of force can be calculated based from measurements from data from individual load cells and their respective locations on the forceplate. Typically, the forces that are transduced from force plates are summed from measurements from individual force transducers on the plate. For example, in a force plate with four load cells, one in each corner, vertical ground reaction force is calculated from the sum of the forces measured on each cell. Likewise, in a force plate that is capable of anterior-posterior measurement or medial-lateral forces, the forces of interest are the summed composed of the total of the load cells of the plate. Sampling Monitoring the changes in force applied to the force plate requires sampling at regular intervals. Sampling frequencies of 500 to 2000 hertz (Hz) have been noted in the more recent sport science literature, however a sampling frequency of 1000 Hz is perhaps most common (14). While substantial research has examined sampling frequency in a wide variety of applications (engineering, for example), substantially less has been done to examine sampling frequency in sport science, although several authors have evaluated the variability of vertical jump performance data with different sampling frequencies. Vanrenterghem, et al. (24) found that sampling frequencies of above 100 Hz were adequate and Hori, et al. (10) found that sampling at about 200 Hz was accurate enough for accurate measurement. Contrary to the previous authors, Street, et al. (23) found that sampling rates of less than 1080 Hz could lead to an underestimation of jump height (calculated via the impulse method) by up to 4.4%. Other authors have recommended a sampling frequency of 500 Hz or 1000 Hz in force plate research to ensure accuracy, especially when impact is involved (2). Sampling frequencies must be high enough to ensure accuracy of measurement and reduction of signal aliasing (where the recorded digital signal fails to accurately show the original signal due to inadequate sampling). The Nyquist Theorum suggests that the absolute minimum sampling frequency is two times the frequency of interest. Bartlett (2) recommends a sampling frequency of at least 500 Hz, however 1000 Hz is a common choice for force plate capture of human motion (14). High sampling frequency is especially important when creating force-time curves in the early time segments of the curve. For example, some performance monitoring testing evaluates forces applied in the first 50ms of application of force in the isometric mid-thigh pull (12). At a sampling frequency of only 200 ms, if one were to construct a force-time curve, only 11 data points could be used for constructing this 50ms long curve. While a polynomial function could be applied to the 11 data points, a greater degree of accuracy for the curve will be obtained with a frequency of 500 Hz or 1000 Hz, because there would be 26 and 51 data points, respectively, from which to construct a curve. Signal Amplification and Conditioning Data collected from the force plate is not useable until amplification and signal processing occurs. Typically, analog signals (the raw voltage values) from the force plate are amplified and sent to an analog to digital (AD) converter (14). The AD converter then converts the analog voltage signal into a scaled digital signal, a signal that is able to be processed by computer software. Custom software developed in programs like LabVIEWTM (National Instruments, Austin, TX, USA) or Matlab (Mathworks Incorporated, Natick, MA, USA) can perform signal processing to clean up some of the noise from the data for use. Other methods exist for smoothing data that can be done in spreadsheet software such as Microsoft ExcelTM (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA). Many force plates come with proprietary software with filtering and smoothing methods included. Through the collection process, amplification and A/D conversion, there are a number of electrical noise sources that may contaminate the data (5). A number of methods exist for filtering the noise in the signal, in order to best isolate and identify the signal of interest. This filtering can be done on either the analog or digital signal, or both. A low-pass filter eliminates frequencies above a certain level defined in the method, while a high-pass filter eliminates frequencies below a designated level. As noise often occurs at higher frequencies, a low pass filter is able to eliminate much of the noise in the signal. Sometimes it is necessary to restrict the data collected to within a range of frequencies, during which time a band-pass filter can be used. Other times it is necessary to eliminate a certain range of frequencies from a signal; a notch filter will be able to accomplish that task. There are a multitude of signal processors and conditioners that are used in digital signal processing. Three common methods of reducing signal noise are Butterworth filters, splines and frequency domain techniques, such as Fourier Analysis (5). Yet another method is a moving average, which is relatively simple to calculate in Excel. Each of these methods operates differently, and provided that the optimal filter is applied to a signal, the end result is the same: the signal is less choppy and smoother, thus data is cleaner and easier to analyze (for more detailed information, the reader is directed toward Bartlett (2), Challis (5)) and Street, et al. (23). The general recommendation for filter choice is the one that most effectively and accurately isolates the signal of interest. Calibration Force plate calibration is necessary to establish a regression equation to calculate ground reaction forces from output voltage, as well as to ensure accuracy of data obtained from testing. Because force plates only provide an output voltage, a calibration equation must be used to calculate what the ground reaction forces actually are. Unfortunately, often little is done by researchers to address the proper calibration of force plates (9). While calibration of some of the testable variables of the force plate can be difficult, calibration is absolutely necessary given the immense error that can be introduced even with small errors in calibration (9). The general idea behind calibration is that a range of known forces is applied to the force plate to see the resultant voltage given by the load cells, allowing the creation of a regression equation (1). For the Z-direction, a common method of calibration is to place a range of dead weights of known mass on top of the force plate, which allows the researcher to calibrate based on the resulting output voltage of the known mass. Calibration of the horizontal forces, torque and center of pressure can be a more difficult endeavor. However, researchers have proposed methods of calibration that are possible in the laboratory environment, such as a pulley system for X- and Y-direction calibration as proposed by Hall, et al. (9). In the pulley system, a regression equation is built from the output voltages with progressively higher (horizontally) applied loads. A pendulum system for dynamic calibration designed by Fairburn, et al. (6) is also a possibility for more advanced calibration. In-laboratory testing would allow a laboratory to avoid the potentially expensive calibration that is done by the force plate companies and private metricians. Technical Information of Note Force plate technical reports typically contain a data table with information about some or all of the following: linearity, hysteresis, crosstalk, and/or natural frequency. Each of these items provides valuable information about the characteristics of the force plate, as each affects the data obtained from it. Refer to Table 1 for recommended ranges. Linearity Linearity is the maximum deviation of collected force plate data from a straight line (2). Perfect linearity is ideal, but is not necessarily a requirement for accurate data collection and analysis, as it can be calibrated for by applying a higher order polynomial to the data points(2). Linearity can be expressed as: ( Where y=maximum deviation from linearity, and Y=full scale deflection (8). Full scale deflection refers to the voltage output with the highest load within the limit of the force plate. Dividing deviation from linearity by the highest voltage achieved gives a relative measure of linearity, and allows comparison to a standard. Hysteresis Hysteresis is the difference in output values seen during the loading and unloading of a material (2). This is a quality that should also be minimized, as many force plate measurements involve both a loading and unloading component (see Figure 3). For example, large hysteresis in a load cell might over-estimate the forces in the eccentric portion of a squat, while correctly estimating the forces during the concentric portion. Hysteresis is sometimes seen as a result of a mechanical lag in deformity return to normal shape occurring during loading of the force transducers. Hysteresis can be calculated with the equation: ) Where XL = output voltage for a given load during loading, XU = output voltage for the same given load during unloading, and Z =full scale deflection (2). Cross-Talk Many force plates measure forces in multiple planes; the components required to measure the different directions generally have at least a minor amount of cross-talk. Cross-talk refers to the interference of force in one component direction with the measurement of force by a component in another direction (2). It is important that this quality is minimized, so that forces from one plane are not measured on another, thus falsely attributing forces to an incorrect source. Bartlett (2) stated that less than 3% of full-scale deflection is preferable. Natural Frequency Maximum Frequency Ratio When struck, every object has a frequency at which it will tend to vibrate, (5). Force plates, as they are constructed of multiple materials, sometimes have multiple natural frequencies. Force plate manufacturers often report the natural frequency of the force plate when set up according to manufacturer specifications. This natural frequency should be significantly higher than that of the measurement, as it greatly increases the ease of isolating the measurement signal from the plate vibration. Force plates generally have high natural frequencies to aid in the ease of isolation through filtering. For example, the Kistler Type 9281E Triplanar force plate has a natural frequency of 1000 Hz (Kistler Group, Winterthur, Switzerland). The high natural frequency of this force plate is high enough to measure the impact activities of sports, which can surpass 100 Hz (2). The ratio of frequency of the measured skill to natural frequency (Maximum Frequency Ratio) should be less or equal to 0.2, so that the information of interest in the signal can be effectively isolated from the natural frequency of the plate. Minimizing Error The possibility of inaccurate measurements must be minimized if accurate conclusions are to be drawn. Certain steps can be taken to reduce the possibility of error, although even the most optimal setup will have at least a small amount of error. First and foremost, if a user does not know how to properly use the force plate and the software associated with it, the largest source of error may be the user himself. In this article, it is emphasized that with a proper education and the right information, the reader of this paper should be able to understand the basics of using a force platform, thus severely reducing potential for user error. Adherence to the recommendations by Bartlett (2) will also serve to ensure accuracy of the data collected by the plate. Any deviance of the force plate characteristics outside of the recommendations increases the risk of inaccuracy. For example, Lees and Lake (14) and Hall, et al. (9) showed how cross-talk of even 1% could introduce a large amount of error in certain gait measurements. Calibration should occur over a range of loads, from unloaded to above the highest expected load, within the manufacturer-specified loads of the force plate (if the expected loads are outside of the range, then a new plate with greater load range is necessary). For example, in an isometric pull, where measurements of vertical ground reaction force can exceed 7000 N or more (4), the force plate should be calibrated in the Z-axis with loads ranging from 0kg to more than 700kg. For horizontal calibration, a pulley system, like the one designed by Hall, et al. (9) would suffice. Dynamic calibration can be a bit more tricky, requiring expensive equipment or complex methodology. This can be done by major force plate companies or by private metricians. It is also extremely important to install and adjust force plates based on manufacturer recommendations. Manufacturer-reported technical data about the force plate (e.g. hysteresis, linearity) are measured and determined under set conditions. Recommendations for where the force plate is installed, the type of flooring installed on and which floor level it is installed on must all be followed. A level surface for installation is required. Should the conditions during use deviate from those specified by the manufacturer, there is the possibility that those reported qualities (linearity, hysteresis) are no longer accurate. Even with an ideal setup, there remain other sources for error. Other such sources of error are thermal noise, chemical noise, and electrical interference. Thermal noise is associated with the temperature of the device in use. Part of the reason for allowing a device to warm up is so that thermal noise is allowed to stabilize, as rising component temperatures result in changing electrical noise. Chemical noise is random noise that exists everywhere, and comes from variations in temperature, humidity, pressure and other sources. Electrical noise results from devices around the testing area that use electricity, such as lighting and equipment. Electrical noise is at 60 Hz and progressively weaker at its harmonics- 120 Hz, 180 Hz, etc. For example, if a force platform is placed in a room that has fluorescent lights, air conditioning/heat, and the building is located near power lines, electrical noise may be a substantial source of interference. In all devices, the measured value is the result of the true score plus error. While one can attempt to eliminate as much error as possible, there will always be a degree of error in the collected data. It is up to the tester to eliminate and reduce as many sources of error as possible, and a theoretical judgment as to how much error in the collection is acceptable. Our Laboratory Equipment and Processing While our laboratory uses tri-directional force plates, the majority of force plates we use are unidirectional, and measure only in the vertical direction (See Figure 4 for a photo). Although it is a drawback to only allow collection in the vertical direction, the plates offer a substantial reduction in cost over other plates offered by KistlerTM or AMTITM, for example. Furthermore, a number of studies have demonstrated that vertical forces and vertically- oriented skills have strong relationships to explosiveness and speed in sporting movements, thus measurement of vertical forces is of substantial importance (12, 20, 22, 25). In addition, we use force plates (0.914 x 0.46 m; 3 x 1.5; Rice Lake Weighing Systems, Rice Lake, WI) situated side-by-side to allow for collection of unilateral force data. For bilateral data collection, the forces from each force plate are summed. Each plate sits on a level concrete pad that is on the ground floor of the laboratory, to reduce contamination o f data from extraneous sources. Each force plate in the Sport Science laboratory is attached to Transducer Techniques TM0-2 amplifier and conditioner module (Transducer Techniques, Temecula, CA, USA). The amplifier provides both the excitation signal (the initial current going to the strain gage load cell) and amplification of the analog signal. In addition, the module provides an analog low-pass filter at 16 Hz. In between the amplifier/conditioner and the A/D converter is a shielded connector block. The BNC-2110 (National Instruments, Austin, TX, USA) accepts the analog signal and conveys the signal to the A/D converter. The block then connects to a DAQCard-6063E (National Instruments, Austin TX, USA). The DAQCard-6063E converts the analog signal to a digital signal. The digitized signal is then analyzed with custom software developed in LabVIEWTM (National Instruments, Austin TX, USA). The custom software weve developed in LabVIEWTM samples the analog signal at 1000hz. The custom software has been set up to save the digital signal file and filter the digitized signal using a 4th order low-pass Butterworth filter at 100 Hz. From there, the signal can be analyzed for whatever variables are of interest. Refer to Kraska, et al. (12) for examples of measures of interest for static and countermovement jumps, and Leary, et al. (13) for examples of measures of interest in the isometric mid-thigh pull. The Data Collection Process Calibration of our force plates is performed immediately before the data collection process, which ensures that the calibration equation used in data analysis is established under similar environmental conditions as the data collection as well as avoids a potential shift of voltage output over time. Prior to calibration, force plates, amplifiers, A/D converters and computers are all turned on so that all of the collection equipment can warm up (thus stabilizing thermal and instrumentation noise). After this warm up period, the force plates are calibrated using loads from 0 kg to 350kg or 500kg, depending on the specific use of the plate (either jumps or isometric pulls). The plates are progressively loaded in 25kg increments, with the output voltage recorded each time. A linear regression equation is then applied to the calibration load data set in Microsoft Excel. This regression equation is saved, and used in the custom LabVIEWTM program during analysis. Conclusion A full understanding of a testing device and its characteristics are an integral part of accuracy, validity and reliability of testing. The force plate is a rather complex device. The complexities of the device and its peripherals allow the user to collect a large variety of high-quality data for analysis that are difficult to obtain via other means. While it is somewhat difficult to master use of the device, the plethora of information that can be obtained from a force plate makes the endeavor more than worthwhile.

The role of government in economic development

The role of government in economic development Using national and internationally examples critically assess the role of government in the management of the economy and the economic development. Government plays an important role in keeping the economy stable. Economic during extreme regression such as World War II force governments to take part in rehabilitating the economy. During 1980s, the growth of many developing countries faced a serious down turn (Adelman, 1999). However, many Asian countries assisted by their government are able to maintain or even improve the economic development. Their government found their way out by avoiding deflation and restriction of import and wage. Instead, they promoted their export capacity which allows foreign country to trade and invest in their market. The US federal government is another example of government managed economy. By adjusting the tax, money supply, or the wages, the governments are capable of controlling the rate of economic growth in which affect the amount of employment and price, in turn affect demand and supply. During the Great Depression, in the period of 1930s, government faced economic recessions (Governments Role, 2010). By concerning about slow growth rate, the government treated this situation as the most serious. They greatly reduced taxes rate and funded the money supply themselves. Later in 1970s, the government faced against another problem, the inflation. To deal with inflation, government leaders controlled the situation by restricting the rate of demand, avoiding tax cut, and maintaining the growth in money supply. For decades, Thai government has focus mainly on industrialization policy along its economic situation. To stabilize economic development, they improvise industrial market to be their priority. First, the government allowed the private sector to support the industrial development. Then they would avoid forming any investment that might compete with the industrys private support. These strategies are used to support the private sector, providing governments support, and promote people to compete. However, to be able to take part in international competitive market, the government would have to enhance their productivity rate in both quality and quantity. Therefore, the government reinforces skilled labor and more advance technology to assist industries to increase the standard of their products. With government assistance, we were able to cooperate with Indochina countries in their international trade and investment(Adelman, 1999). Q3. Think about the connection between food production and climate. Write as essay which covers a list of the various ways that production, distribution, and consumption contribute or neutralize effects on the climate. One of the main factors regarding agriculture is climate. As climate change, it causes serious damage on soil, crops, livestock, pest, or even diseases. Therefore, we human tried to find solutions that could neutralize these damages. Policies are made to solve problem from climate changes. First the policy called Agricultural subsidy and trade policies(Antle, 2010). This method was established since 1930; it promote farmer to grow funded crop rather than trying to adapt to climate change. This policy controls the farmers activity. It eventually twisted international market. The second policy or, Production and income insurance policies and disaster assistance(Antle, 2010) is a long term method that insurance disasters. This policy insures that farmer will receiver partial payment in return if their farms are damage but natural disaster. The third policy is called Soil and water conservation policies and ecosystem services (Antle, 2010). This policy protects the fertility of soil and water in a certain area. Crop are ordered to be taken out and replaced by trees. However, this policy do not granted the wish to adapt to climate change even though it promotes environmental value (Antle, 2010). The next policy is Tax policies (Antle, 2010). Because taxation affects almost everything, it gain control of adaptation by speed up the depreciation of assets or promote investment that are eco-friendly. However, taxes can only assist agriculture indirectly. It is more effective in other area in economy, so this policy is often neglected. The fifth policy is the Energy policies (Antle, 2010). We became more and more concern about our climate condition. Therefore, we are more interest in non-fossil-based energy (Antle, 2010). Food production can help fix this problem too. Crops or waste product could be turned into energy. The cost of this method is also very low. Environmental policies and agricultural land use is another policy that contribute to climate change(Antle, 2010). This policy manages the amount of land used since climate change varies in different areas. For example, animal waste has been placed together in a specific site so that the place can be used later. Unknowingly, food production or agriculture could be useful in helping the environment. Since climate changes could not be avoided, every available resource is used to delay it. From animal waste to taxation, they all have their own values to adapt against climate changes. Q4. Where is the future demand for energy likely to be the greatest and why? What sources of energy are likely to dominate in the short run future? In the longer run? Should we be optimistic or pessimistic about the short-run and long-run prospects for energy? India is a home to over 15 % of the world population (India Energy Data, 2010). With high growing economic rate, they consume high amount of energy resources equal to developed countries such as US or Japan. In future, the demand tends to increase due to higher rate of population and vehicle. As the world 5th largest energy consumer, India used 3.7% of the worlds commercial energy (Shanker, n.d.). In contrast, the availability of resources is low; it is likely that someday resources will be insufficient. According to statistics, 8 percent growth of DGP rate would also require higher commercial energy, such as coal, from 3.7% to 6.1% and primary energy supply, such fossil fuel, from 2.2% to 5.1% (Shanker, n.d.). However, every resource is limited especially for coal. Not only they are shortage in the amount, but they also provide low quality of energy including the damage to the surrounding environment. Knowing that someday we will use up all these nonrenewable resources, we also discovered other source of reliable energy such as solar energy. Many scientists assure that in short future, solar energy can be No.1 energy source (What will solar energy need to dominate in future, 2010). With unlimited amount of energy, the sun has a potential of creating solar power enough to fill the need of every single human being. Moreover, energy provided by the sun is acceptably clean and it does not require any maintenance (Future Uses of Solar Energy, 2009). However, this energy resource is still incomplete. Solar energy does not have the power to complete with fossil fuel. It also is costly to obtain this energy and it still requires farther research. Despite the incomplete factors of solar energy, this type of energy is likely to dominate the short run future. Nuclear power is the second to nothing in creating energy. Like solar energy, nuclear energy leaves no trace of carbon behind (Liptak, 2009). The amount of energy it is capable is extremely high. However, nuclear energy has its own disadvantages. Start off with the unstable cost of uranium. The amount nuclear power plant requires could be estimated around four million tons. Calculating from today uranium price ($50/lb) it could, one day, suddenly raise up to twice its original cost (Liptak, 2009). The other disadvantage would be its risk factors. Nuclear power is dangerous, and its toxic waste is highly contaminated. Scientist still has to do research no how to keep it safe. But the usage today is already abundant; it supplies energy for over 7.5% of total consumptions (Liptak, 2009). So it is now slowly crawling to the peak of long term energy. Both solar and nuclear energy are to be look forward to. I believed they are capable of replacing existing nonrenewable resources like fossil fuel. Future science and technology would be able to reduce the cost of these energies. Finally, it will be both worthy and safe. Q5. Regionalization verses Globalization, discuss how globalization has led to regionalization and the tensions that have arisen between these two forces, as these are involved in the current trends towards formation of continental trading blocs and trade regimes. Compare and contrast the protectionist tendencies of the 2000s with those of the 1930s. Many countries economy tried to expand their market internationally. Globalization process led them worldwide. However, sometime, it encourages these countries to invest in the smaller area instead. The barriers between cultures may interfered the market (Clancy, 2009). So it is more convenient to invest in area with same living style or belief. This is why some countries change their method from globalization to regionalization. Trading with neighbor is obviously easier than trading with far foreigners. The price rate too differs between places. For example, text book used by Thai university cannot be sold in US. Why is this so? The price rates between Thailand and US differ so much that the prices of books made in US is unaffordable for Thais. Thats why books were printed in here just for us, and they are strictly restricted by the US. Since is it harder for South East Asian countries to do trading with United State compare to the nearby countries. These countries established their own market with neighboring countries to strengthen themselves. ASEAN is one of them. With cooperating countries, to trade with far foreign countries is far easier. During the early 1930s, protectionism kept US trading away from outside. With low international trading partners and less economic tools, this period were known to be disastrous (Clancy, 2009). In 2000s, the United Stated seems to have learned their lesson. The tendencies in protectionism decline allowing global trade to grow. When money supply is stable, investor again have confident in the market, therefore, economic rate growth. Most people agree that protectionism is not the right way out. This method in both periods risked the market with depression state. Q6. Describe and explain the differences in age composition of populations in advanced countries and those in less-developed ones. What economic and social problems do these populations characteristics create in each case? In the different living environments, the different is population age is distinctive. Fertility rate is one factor that decides the amount of population (World Population Prospects, Volume III). In well-developed countries, fertility rate due to technology and medication is higher compare to the developing countries. This is why age composition in these two environments differs. In advanced countries, the ratios of older persons are much higher compare to the less-developed countries. According to statistics, the rates of people with age above 65 tend to rise from 15.3% in 2005 to 25.9% in 2050, whilst the population of the young ones under age of 15 will slightly decline from 17 % to 15.6% in the same period. For the less-developed countries, population of old-age people increase from only 3.2% to 6.6 %, while population of youth under 15 will apparently decrease from 41.5 % to 28.9 % due to lesser fertility rate. However, these children do not just vanish, as time changes the ratios of population age around 15-64 will rise up from 55% to 64.5% in this period of time (World Population Prospects, Volume III). As overall rate of young population decrease while the rate of old people increase the rate of dependency too will rise. During the period of 2005 2050, in the developed countries, the ratio rate of dependency per 100 working person rise from 47.7 to 71.2. This will obviously cause independency problem for people with age over 65 since the number of working population compare to retired people is decreasing. In contrast, ratios of dependency per working people in the less-developed area drop from 81.8 to 55.1 which means, children in these regions are stepping into workable stage while old (retired) dies (World Population Prospects, Volume III). The dependency rate not only affects peoples living, but it also affects economic performance. If the populations of workable people increase, the income per capita of this group will too rise. In the less developed countries, economic growths are effected by growing of working-age population (World Population Prospects, Volume III). As the income per capita grows, people tend to spend more which motivate active economic market. In this period, the workable population boosts the rates of economic growth. However, the rates differ in developed countries. As the workable population decrease, the countries economic growth will too delay.

Internet & Society: Technologies and Politics of Control Essay

Internet & Society: Technologies and Politics of Control From the moment Internet file-sharing became a reality, exploding into millions of homes and dorms, something changed. Internet file sharing brought with it the opportunity to access for free what had previously cost money. Beyond that, file sharing created a social norm that music and digital media ought to be free. How did this happen? How did file sharers warp reality and forever create this notion that digital media, notably music doesn’t require the money it always had before? Through this paper, I will attempt to prove that the social norms of the Internet public were corrupted by code, by deceptive P2P programs that mask reality for the sake of prosperity. It is this warped social norm that plagues the future of digital media tomorrow. By examining the programs that have forced this revolution (Napster, LimeWire, KaZaA) much can be learned and understood about where and how society failed to recognize its Internet world is in fact an extension of the physical world, and the same rules of civility and morality ought to apply. It is my contention that the P2P networks created an atmosphere built around harmonious sharing—using the ideas of strength in numbers and anonymity to create richly stocked P2P networks. Finally, after careful analysis and discussion of the facts, I will offer suggestions on moving forward and hopefully solving the chaos and problems faced by the present system (or lack thereof). In â€Å"Code and other Laws of Cyberspace†, Lawrence Lessig outlines the four modalities of regulation—law, markets, norms, and architecture. Law has the ability to regulate behavior through penalty and markets create incentives for people to behave in particular... ...the Internet and online file sharing no longer be a chaotic jungle of copyright infringement, but an extension of community and relationships as we understand these terms in the offline world. Works Cited Goulder, Alvin. â€Å"The Norm of Reciprocity: A Preliminary Statement† American Sociological Review 1960. Levin, Daniel. â€Å"Building Social Norms on the Internet†. Yale Journal of Law & Technology. 2001-2002. Steiner, Peter. â€Å"On the Internet, Nobody Knows You’re a Dog†. The New Yorker 5 July 1993. Strahilevitz, Lior Jacob. â€Å"Charismatic Code, Social Norms, and the Emergence of Cooperation on the File-Swapping Networks†. John M. Olin Law & Economics Working Paper No. 165. The University of Chicago Law School. http://law.uchicago.edu/lawecon.index.html Takahashi, Nobuyuki. â€Å"The Emergence of Generalized Exchange† American Journal of Sociology 2000.