Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Business Write Up on Tuition Fees Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Write Up on Tuition Fees - Essay Example Fortunately advances will be profited to take care of the full expense brought about during the investigation with understudy not expected to reimburse these except if they secure employments acquiring them at any rate 15,000 every year. Along with these there will be awards, bursaries and grants which will assist them with taking care of the expense of living. On meeting qualification rules set for those students from the UK and EU, one can apply for an advance adding up to 3,000 which will cover charges for every scholastic year. Anyway the individuals who are monetarily steady are not expected to apply. Qualified UK understudies can likewise apply a non-refundable upkeep award adding up to 2,700 every year, 300 bursary and other related types of account. Those concentrating in London and lives away are qualified for a greatest support credit of up to 6,170 per year while those living with their folks will get a limit of 3,415 every year as upkeep advance, at least 4,630 per year and 2,560 per year separately. Understudies with dependants will be qualified for more help which will be directed by their discretionary cashflow, those with kids can get a 85% childcare costs award joined by up to 1,365 per year additional award. A grown-up dependant will draw in up to 2,400 every year additional award. Ultimately, the college is offering different scholarsh... Over each one of those understudies who despite everything face money related challenges considerably in the wake of accepting all the subsidizing are urged to apply to the University's Access to Learning Fund for more help. Effects on the understudies Advantages Understudies will obtain information, abilities and manner that will empower them to take an interest at pretty much successful individuals from gatherings and social orders. Qualified understudies from United Kingdom and European Union will effortlessly evaluate credits that will assist them with clearing expenses in every scholastic year For those understudies with dependants the college will consider them by giving 85% childcare costs award which will be joined by up to 1,365 yearly additional award. Those with grown-up dependants will get an award adding up to 2,400 per year. These will extraordinarily help this understudies thus making their learning smooth and continuous by cases, for example, charges and dependant's upkeep Understudies will get current and improved offices from the college, this will incorporate a well outfitted library with essential exploration materials They will get efficient donning exercises that will draw in local and global rivalry along these lines enhancing their extra-educational plan exercises. Disservices The new charge structure will prompt a decreased open door for understudies to join Westminster University This will prompt an impressive abatement on the quantity of understudies who will apply to join the establishment since the vast majority of them will avoid the new expenses. Understudies will encounter disparity dependent on the affirmation framework The absolute understudy obligation will increment because of the expense increase Astute understudies from less wealthy families are reject in the framework consequently denying them a chance to improve their circumstances in life just as making a difference

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Diabetes :: essays research papers

What is diabetes? Diabetes mellitus is a gathering of maladies portrayed by significant levels of blood glucose coming about because of deformities in insulin emission, insulin activity, or both. Diabetes can be related with genuine complexities and unexpected passing, yet people with diabetes can take measures to diminish the probability of such events. 15.7 million individuals - 5.9% of the populace - have diabetes. Be that as it may, just 10.3 million individuals are analyzed with the goal that leaves 5.4 million individuals not analyzed. Studies have seen demise rates as twice as high among moderately aged individuals with diabetes as among moderately aged individuals without diabetes. In view of death endorsement information, diabetes added to 193,140 passings in 1996. Diabetes was the seventh driving reason for death recorded on U.S. passing testaments in 1996, as per CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. Diabetes is accepted to be underreported on death declarations, both as a condition and as a reason for death. 6.3 million. 18.4% surprisingly 65 years and more established have diabetes. 15.6 million. 8.2% surprisingly 20 years and more established have diabetes. 123,000. 0.16% surprisingly under age 20 have diabetes. Pervasiveness information for diabetes among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are restricted. A few gatherings inside this populace are at expanded hazard for diabetes. For instance, information gathered from 1988 to 1995 propose that Native Hawaiians are twice as liable to have analyzed diabetes as white inhabitants of Hawaii. The four sorts of diabetes are:  · Type 1 diabetes was recently called insulin-subordinate diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or adolescent beginning diabetes. Type 1 diabetes may represent 5% to 10% of all analyzed instances of diabetes. Hazard factors are less all around characterized for type 1 diabetes than for type 2 diabetes, however immune system, hereditary, and natural components are associated with the improvement of this kind of diabetes  · Type 2 diabetes was recently called non-insulin subordinate diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or grown-up beginning diabetes. Type 2 diabetes may represent about 90% to 95% of all analyzed instances of diabetes. Hazard factors for type 2 diabetes incorporate more seasoned age, weight, family ancestry of diabetes, earlier history of gestational diabetes, weakened glucose resistance, physical latency, and race/ethnicity. African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, and some Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are at especially high hazard for type 2 diabetes.  · Gestational diabetes creates in 2% to 5% everything being equal however vanishes when a pregnancy is finished.

Friday, August 14, 2020

Our Best TOEFL Essay Templates for 2020

Our Best TOEFL Essay Templates for 2020 TOEFL essay templates can help you to answer both of the TOEFL writing questions. To write a strong TOEFL essay just fill in the blanks with the required information from your notes (in the integrated essay) or from your experiences (the independent essay). Note that we also have a set of TOEFL speaking templates.Integrated Essay Template (Writing Question One)The IntroductionThe reading and the lecture are both about _____.The author of the reading feels that ______.The lecturer challenges the claims made by the author.He is of the opinion that _____.The Body ParagraphsTo begin with, the author argues that _____.The article mentions that ____.This specific argument is challenged by the lecturer.He claims ____.Additionally, he says ______.Secondly, the writer suggests ______.In the article, it is said that _____.The lecturer, however, rebuts this by mentioning ______.He elaborates on this by bringing up the point that ______.Finally, the author posits that _____.Moreover, it is state d in the article that ____.In contrast, the lecturers position is _____.He notes that _____.You dont need a conclusion.Your TOEFL integrated essay should be about 280-300 words in length. Do not include a conclusion. To see this template in use, check out my collection of sample essays.Independent Essay Template (Writing Question Two)Paragraph 1 (Introduction)Sentence One:The “Hook” This is an interesting sentence that introduces the general theme or topic of the essay.Sentence Two:The Main Point This is your main argument and direct answer to the question. Start with Personally, I believe ______.Sentence Three:The Transition Just use: I feel this way for two reasons, which I will explore in the following essay.Paragraph Two (Body 1)Sentence One: A TopicSentence This summarizes your first supporting reason. Begin with First of all ____.Sentences Two toFour: The Explanation Explain what you mean, without talking directly about a personal experience. Shorten if necessary.SentenceF ive:The Transition Just use: My personal experience is a compelling example of this.Sentence Six to End: The PersonalExample An example from your life that illustrates this argument. Make it longer than the explanation part.Paragraph Three (Body 2)Sentence One: A TopicSentence This summarizes your second supporting reason. Begin with Secondly ___.Sentence Two to Four: The Explanation Explain what you mean, without talking directly about personal experience. Shorten if necessary.SentenceFive:The Transition Just use: For instance, ____Sentence Five to End: The Personal Example An example from your life (or someone elses life)that illustrates this argument. Make it longer that the explanation part.Paragraph Four (conclusion)Sentence One: Restate the Thesis Paraphrase your thesis. Begin with In conclusion, I am of the opinion that.Sentence Two: Restate the Two Reasons Just use: This is because ______, and _______.Your whole essay should be between 380 and 400 words. See this template in action by visiting our collection of sample essays.Demonstration VideoFurther Reading How about more details? Or Speaking Templates?We also have in-depth guides to the independent and integrated writing tasks. Check them out! We also have TOEFL speaking templates. Wow!Sign up for express essay evaluation today!Submit your practice TOEFL essays for evaluation by the author of this website. Get feedback on grammar, structure, vocabulary and more. Learn how to score better on the TOEFL. Feedback in 48 hours.Sign Up Today

Sunday, May 24, 2020

The Practice Of African American Slavery As We Are Familiar

The practice of African American slavery as we are familiar with today, began with a Portuguese expedition. Portugal was a small and poor country, so Prince Henry and other leaders wanted to acquire wealth and compete with Arab traders who traded these slaves to North Africa and Europe, so they began to send ships to Africa in order to capture and enslave people. Religion played a big role in promoting and justifying taking Africans as slaves. In the fifteenth century, many medieval European societies started to believe it improper for Christians to enslave other Christians. Because Africans were black and therefore not Christians, they became the prime target for enslavement. It was also believed that God was helping sailors to†¦show more content†¦Gradually, over the seventeenth century, laws were passed to institutionalize the practice, usually by articulating divisions between blacks and whites. By keeping the two racial groups socially apart, lawmakers were able t o firmly put slavery into place. In 1640, Virginia gave everyone the right to bear arms except â€Å"negroes†, as it was too risky to arm slaves (Williams, 26). The same year, the court in Virginia outlined the ways in which black people were to be treated. In one example, where three indentured servants escaped together from their master, two of which who were white (Victor and Gregory) and the other black (Punch), Punch received a much harsher punishment of being locked into servitude while Victor and Gregory were only given four extra years of service. The court made it clear that this harsher sentence was given to Punch simply because he was black (Williams, 27). Later in 1662, Virginia passed a law making slavery hereditary and declaring that the status passed through the mother (Williams, 28). So a child of a white man and a black woman could be claimed a slave by the owner of the mother, however a child of a black man and a white woman would immediately be free. It’s important to note that interracial sex in and of itself was looked down upon and made illegal. It was considered a â€Å"dishonor of God† and the colony disapproved of interracialShow MoreRelatedThe Transatlantic Slave Trade And The United States1012 Words   |  5 PagesMy ancestors, along with many other African Americans living in society today are decedents of African slaves. I can remember as far back as age 5 listening to the elders in my family talk about slavery. The word slavery originated when millions of African men and women were forcible taken from their families and the familiar surroundings of their African villages. Brought here to an unfamiliar environment and forced to work on plantations in different parts of the United States, usually from sunRead MoreSlavery : A Rough Draft1315 Words   |  6 PagesMichael Gaudioso Mr. Alexander Freshman Theology Honors 28 October 2014 SLAVERY IN CHURCH ESSAY ROUGH DRAFT When we think of the word slavery, extremely negative connotations to mind. We think of how millions of African people were rounded up like sheep, stuffed into boats with horrible conditions, and brought to this country where they were treated as lesser people. They were forced to work without pay, in one of the most unforgiving occupations, farming. All this because of where they were fromRead MorePystopia Vs Utopia1382 Words   |  6 Pagesbetter society. However, the utopian ideal many of us are familiar with has several underlying problems, most of which have to do with the unpredictability of human nature. People often act out of self interest and greed and are prone to corruption, or the abstract ideas that seem to work on paper have no feasible way of being reproduced with the desired results. There are too many outside factors that influence the way we behave, and the change we seek may not always be supported by the majority. ItRead MoreLiberty Was Not Absolute For Anyon e In The Beginning Stages1215 Words   |  5 PagesUnfortunately, for the African American slaves, women and the Native Americans, freedom was hard to obtain until the American Revolution changed the principals of independence. African Americans have an extraordinary past that includes the lifestyles before slavery, during slavery, and the beginning of the abolition and petitions which lead to their freedom. Many people are unaware of the African American lifestyle before slavery took place. Much like the Europeans, African Americans lived similar lifestylesRead MoreExchanging Our Country Marks by Michael Gomez.1495 Words   |  6 Pagesa stunning fusion that points the way to a definitive history of American Slavery. In this fusion of history, anthropology, and sociology, Gomez has made expert use of primary sources, including newspapers ads for runaway slaves in colonial America. Slave runaway accounts from newspapers are combined with personal diaries, church records, and former slave narratives to provide a firsthand account of the African and African-American experiences during the eighteenth to the mid-nineteenth centuriesRead MoreSlavery Is A Fundamental Part Of American History1649 Words   |  7 PagesVictor R/ST 302 Question #1 Slavery is a fundamental part of American history and this country would not be where it is if it were not for the importation of the African American people, albeit against their wills this was a cornerstone of our country. Slavery is defined as a relationship in which absolute power and control is exerted over an individual’s life effectively leaving them with no liberty or much chance at a life of freedom as American citizens. Slavery overall cannot be attributed toRead MoreEssay on Slavery In Illinois1556 Words   |  7 PagesSlavery in Illinois This essay talks about the dated events that happened in Illinois, focusing on slavery, from the time it begun, whether it should be implemented or not, its abolishment, and up to the time it ended. The paper also contains a well-opinionated reaction about slavery, how it is different from today. The Civil War Period has always been the primary hub of teaching in any American History classes. The era between the American Revolution and the Civil War was of a great importanceRead MoreJazz And Jazz Culture1273 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is culture? What is African culture? What is Jazz music and where did it come from? How can one culture, in a sense, impact the musical landscape of the whole Western world and eventually assimilate into ‘pop’ culture? If we want to truly understand jazz and it’s concepts, we have to navigate through history and explore it’s roots. Simply put, jazz is African American music, and the genre, as we know, formed in New Orleans. However, the origins of jazz started well before then, in Africa. TheRead More Slavery Essay1534 Words   |  7 Pages Slavery is something that should have never happened, but unfortunatly it did. This project is about the history of slavery in America, and the terrible unfair reality that slaves had to deal with. When the Meso American, or the Middle American natives first encountered the Europeans, they were very familiar with slavery. Among the most advanced civilizations in Central America was the Aztecs and Maya. In these places slavery, although not necessary, was common. The Aztec used the theRead MoreHuman Dignity And The Inalienable Rights Of Every Person1251 Words   |  6 PagesWhen Europeans began to colonize the New World at the end of the 15th century, they were well aware of the institution of slavery. Slavery has been a part of human society since its beginning and it continues to increase today. This kind of activities continues to growth in today’s society in different forms every country in the world. Mostly women are forced to practice prostitution, children and adults may be required to work in farming or factories producing goods for global corporate companies

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Technology and Cyber Crime - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 770 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2019/08/19 Category Law Essay Level High school Tags: Cyber Crime Essay Did you like this example? Cyber technology is characterized as a field of technology that arrangements with the advancement of manufactured gadgets or machines that can be surgically embedded into a humanoid shape to enhance or generally expand their physical or mental capacities. Cyber mechanical items are known as Cyber technology. The FBI is the lead government office for examining Cyber assaults by offenders, abroad enemies, and psychological oppressors. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Technology and Cyber Crime" essay for you Create order The risk is unbelievably genuine and developing. Cyber interruptions are winding up more ordinary, more unsafe, and more refined. Our countrys basic framework, including both private and open segment systems, are focused by enemies. American organizations are focused for exchange mysteries and other touchy corporate information, and colleges for their front line innovative work. Nationals are focused by fraudsters and personality cheats, and kids are focused by online predators. Similarly as the FBI changed itself to better address the psychological oppressor danger after the 9/11 assaults, it is attempted a comparable change to address the unavoidable and developing Cyber risk. This implies upgrading the Cyber Divisions investigative ability to hone its emphasis on interruptions into government and private PC systems. As of late, weve manufactured a radical new arrangement of innovative and investigative abilities and organizationsso were as open to pursuing fugitives in the internet as we are down back rear ways and crosswise over mainlands. That incorporates: A Cyber Division at FBI Headquarters to address Cyber wrongdoing in a planned and strong way. Uniquely prepared Cyber squads at FBI base camp and in every one of our 56 field workplaces, staffed with operators and examiners who ensure against research PC interruptions, burglary of licensed technology and individual data, kid smut and misuse, and online misrepresentation. New Cyber Action Teams that go the world over on a minutes notice to aid PC interruption cases and that accumulate crucial knowledge that causes us distinguish the Cyber violations that are most unsafe to our national security and to our economy; Our 93 Computer Crimes Task Forces across the nation that consolidate cutting edge technology and the assets of our government, s tate, and nearby partners; A developing association with other elected organizations, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and others which share comparable concerns and resolve in battling Cyber wrongdoing. The number and complexity of Cyber assaults has expanded drastically finished the previous five years and is relied upon to keep on growing. The danger has achieved the point that sufficiently given time, inspiration, and financing, a decided foe will probably have the capacity to infiltrate any framework that is open specifically from the Internet. The current security break by unapproved gatecrashers into the parent organization of NASDAQ is a case of the sort of ruptures coordinated against imperative budgetary foundation and represents the trouble of deciding clear attribution. As we would because of any such break, the FBI is attempting to recognize the extent of the interruption and help the casualty in the remediation procedure. The FBI has recognized the most critical Cyber dangers to our country as those with high aim and high capacity to cause harm or passing in the U.S., to unlawfully secure resources, or to illicitly get touchy or ordered U.S. military, insight, or financ ial data. Technology has developed to such an extent that the administration needed to take out a unit the points particularly for Cyber violations. With the way that technology works everything is traceable, yet when technology is in the hands of specialists who mean no great things begin to move. Which has occurred after some time. There are numerous sorts of Cyber assaults that can happen. Like a ransomware. In a ransomware assault, casualties after observing an email routed to them will open it and may tap on a connection that seems authentic, similar to a receipt or an electronic fax, yet which really contains the pernicious ransomware code. Or then again the email may contain a true blue looking URL, however when a casualty taps on it, they are coordinated to a site that contaminates their PC with pernicious programming. The FBI upheld the foundation of a forward-looking association to proactively address the issue. Called the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA), this association made in 1997 and situated in Pittsburgh has turned into a global model for uniting law implementation, private industry, and the scholarly community to manufacture and offer assets, vital data, and danger insight to recognize and quit rising Cyber dangers and relieve existing ones. In the current innovative condition, there are various dangers to private division systems, and the present Internet condition can make it to a great degree hard to decide attribution.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Vampire Diaries Dark Reunion Chapter One Free Essays

â€Å"Things can be just like they were before,† said Caroline warmly, reaching out to squeeze Bonnie’s hand. But it wasn’t true. Nothing could ever be the way it had been before Elena died. We will write a custom essay sample on The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion Chapter One or any similar topic only for you Order Now Nothing. And Bonnie had serious misgivings about this party Caroline was trying to set up. A vague nagging in the pit of her stomach told her that for some reason it was a very, very bad idea. â€Å"Meredith’s birthday is already over,† she pointed out. â€Å"It was last Saturday.† â€Å"But she didn’t have a party, not a real party like this one. We’ve got all night; my parents won’t be back until Sunday morning. Come on, Bonnie-just think how surprised she’ll be.† Oh, she’ll be surprised, all right, thought Bonnie. So surprised she just might kill me afterward. â€Å"Look, Caroline, the reason Meredith didn’t have a big party is that she still doesn’t feel much like celebrating. It seems-disrespectful, somehow-â€Å" â€Å"But that’s wrong. Elena would want us to have a good time, you know she would. She loved parties. And she’d hate to see us sitting around and crying over her six months after she’s gone.† Caroline leaned forward, her normally feline green eyes earnest and compelling. There was no artifice in them now, none of Caroline’s usual nasty manipulation. Bonnie could tell she really meant it. â€Å"I want us to be friends again the way we used to be,† Caroline said. â€Å"We always used to celebrate our birthdays together, just the four of us, remember? And remember how the guys would always try to crash our parties? I wonder if they’ll try this year.† Bonnie felt control of the situation slipping away from her. This is a bad idea, this is a very bad idea, she thought. But Caroline was going on, looking dreamy and almost romantic as she talked about the good old days. Bonnie didn’t have the heart to tell her that the good old days were as dead as disco. â€Å"But there aren’t even four of us anymore. Three doesn’t make much of a party,† she protested feebly when she could get a word in. â€Å"I’m going to invite Sue Carson, too. Meredith gets along with her, doesn’t she?† Bonnie had to admit Meredith did; everyone got along with Sue. But even so, Caroline had to understand that things couldn’t be the way they had been before. You couldn’t just substitute Sue Carson for Elena and say, There, everything is fixed now. But how do I explain that to Caroline? Bonnie thought. Suddenly she knew. â€Å"Let’s invite Vickie Bennett,† she said. Caroline stared. â€Å"Vickie Bennett? You must be joking. Invite that bizarre little drip who undressed in front of half the school? After everything that happened?† Caroline stared. â€Å"Vickie Bennett? You must be joking. Invite that bizarre little drip who undressed in front of half the school? After everything that happened?† For a moment Caroline looked helplessly frustrated. Bonnie thrust her chin out, put her hands on her hips, and waited. Finally Caroline sighed. â€Å"All right; you win. I’ll invite her. But you have to take care of getting Meredith to my house Saturday night. And Bonnie-make sure she doesn’t have any idea what’s going on. I really want this to be a surprise.† â€Å"Oh, it will be,† Bonnie said grimly. She was unprepared for the sudden light in Caroline’s face or the impulsive warmth of Caroline’s hug. â€Å"I’m so glad you’re seeing things my way,† Caroline said. â€Å"And it’ll be so good for us all to be together again.† She doesn’t understand a thing, Bonnie realized, dazed, as Caroline walked off. What do I have to do to explain to her? Sock her? And then: Oh, God, now I have to tell Meredith. But by the end of the day she decided that maybe Meredith didn’t need to be told. Caroline wanted Meredith surprised; well, maybe Bonnie should deliver Meredith surprised. That way at least Meredith wouldn’t have to worry about it beforehand. Yes, Bonnie concluded, it was probably kindest to not tell Meredith anything. And who knows, she wrote in her journal Friday night. Maybe I’m being too hard on Caroline. Maybe she’s really sorry about all the things she did to us, like trying to humiliate Elena in front of the whole town and trying to get Stefan put away for murder. Maybe Caroline’s matured since then and learned to think about somebody besides herself. Maybe we’ll actually have a good time at her party. And maybe aliens will kidnap me before tomorrow afternoon, she thought as she closed the diary. She could only hope. The diary was an inexpensive drugstore blank book, with a pattern of tiny flowers on the cover. She’d only started keeping it since Elena had died, but she’d already become slightly addicted to it. It was the one place she could say anything she wanted without people looking shocked and saying, â€Å"Bonnie McCullough!† or â€Å"Oh, Bonnie.† She was still thinking about Elena as she turned off the light and crawled under the covers. She was sitting on lush, manicured grass that spread as far as she could see in all directions. The sky was a flawless blue, the air was warm and scented. Birds were singing. â€Å"I’m so glad you could come,† Elena said. â€Å"Oh-yes,† said Bonnie. â€Å"Well, naturally, so am I. Of course.† She looked around again, then hastily back at Elena. â€Å"More tea?† There was a teacup in Bonnie’s hand, thin and fragile as eggshell. â€Å"Oh-sure. Thanks.† Elena was wearing an eighteenth-century dress of gauzy white muslin, which clung to her, showing how slender she was. She poured the tea precisely, without spilling a drop. â€Å"Would you like a mouse?† â€Å"A what?† â€Å"I said, would you like a sandwich with your tea?† â€Å"Oh. A sandwich. Yeah. Great.† It was thinly sliced cucumber with mayonnaise on a dainty square of white bread. Without the crust. The whole scene was as sparkly and beautiful as a picture by Seurat. Warm Springs, that’s where we are. The old picnic place, Bonnie thought. But surely we’ve got more important things to discuss than tea. â€Å"Who does your hair these days?† she asked. Elena never had been able to do it herself. â€Å"Do you like it?† Elena put a hand up to the silky, pale gold mass piled at the back of her neck. â€Å"It’s perfect,† said Bonnie, sounding for all the world like her mother at a Daughters of the American Revolution dinner party. â€Å"Well, hair is important, you know,† Elena said. Her eyes glowed a deeper blue than the sky, lapis lazuli blue. Bonnie touched her own springy red curls self-consciously. â€Å"Of course, blood is important too,† Elena said. â€Å"Blood? Oh-yes, of course,† said Bonnie, flustered. She had no idea what Elena was talking about, and she felt as if she were walking on a tightrope over alligators. â€Å"Yes, blood’s important, all right,† she agreed weakly. â€Å"Another sandwich?† â€Å"Thanks.† It was cheese and tomato. Elena selected one for herself and bit into it delicately. Bonnie watched her, feeling uneasiness grow by the minute inside her, and then- And then she saw the mud oozing out of the edges of the sandwich. â€Å"What-what’s that?† Terror made her voice shrill. For the first time, the dream seemed like a dream, and she found that she couldn’t move, could only gasp and stare. A thick glob of the brown stuff fell off Elena’s sandwich onto the checkered tablecloth. It was mud, all right. â€Å"Elena†¦ Elena, what-â€Å" The air was no longer warm and scented; it was hot and sickly sweet with the odor of rotting garbage. There were black pits in the green grass, which wasn’t manicured after all but wild and overgrown. This wasn’t Warm Springs. She was in the old graveyard; how could she not have realized that? Only these graves were fresh. â€Å"Another mouse?† Elena said, and giggled obscenely. Bonnie looked down at the half-eaten sandwich she was holding and screamed. Dangling from one end was a ropy brown tail. She threw it as hard as she could against a headstone, where it hit with a wet slap. Then she stood, stomach heaving, scrubbing her fingers frantically against her jeans. â€Å"You can’t leave yet. The company is just arriving.† Elena’s face was changing; she had already lost her hair, and her skin was turning gray and leathery. Things were moving in the plate of sandwiches and the freshly dug pits. Bonnie didn’t want to see any of them; she thought she would go mad if she did. â€Å"You’re not Elena!† she screamed, and ran. The wind blew her hair into her eyes and she couldn’t see. Her pursuer was behind her; she could feel it right behind her. Get to the bridge, she thought, and then she ran into something. â€Å"I’ve been waiting for you,† said the thing in Elena’s dress, the gray skeletal thing with long, twisted teeth. â€Å"Listen to me, Bonnie.† It held her with terrible strength. â€Å"You’re not Elena! You’re not Elena!† â€Å"Listen to me, Bonnie!† It was Elena’s voice, Elena’s real voice, not obscenely amused nor thick and ugly, but urgent. It came from somewhere behind Bonnie and it swept through the dream like a fresh, cold wind. â€Å"Bonnie, listen quickly-â€Å" Things were melting. The bony hands on Bonnie’s arms, the crawling graveyard, the rancid hot air. For a moment Elena’s voice was clear, but it was broken up like a bad long-dis-tance connection. â€Å"†¦ He’s twisting things, changing them. I’m not as strong as he is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bonnie missed some words. â€Å"†¦ but this is important. You have to find†¦ right now.† Her voice was fading. â€Å"Elena, I can’t hear you! Elena!† â€Å"†¦ an easy spell, only two ingredients, the ones I told you already†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Elena!† Bonnie was still shouting as she sat bolt upright in bed. How to cite The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion Chapter One, Essay examples

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Cloud Based System Child Protection

Question: Discuss about theCloud Based Systemfor Child Protection. Answer: Introduction Cloud based system is the most convenient service that can solve any kind technical problem in the contemporary time. The purpose of this study is concerned with data exchange and payroll service proposed for the Child Protection. This system can provide efficiency to Child Protection for solving their problems within their payroll system as well as in data exchange operations. In addition to this, the report is elaborating the deployment and delivery modules required for analyzing the impact of these modules on the employees of Child Protection. Cloud Deployment and Delivery Models for Child Protection The deployment and delivery model of the cloud base explains the accurate purpose and type of the cloud. In addition to this, the deployment models of the cloud base also provide information about the websites that the cloud base is using for adopting the facilities and meeting the user demands (Ampatzidis et al., 2016). Most important advantages of the cloud deployment model is that this model reduces the capital expenditures involved within the system. There are mainly four cloud deployment model available: Private Cloud: This type of cloud provides the service internally. The system in this type of cloud base is secured with a safeguard such as firewalls. This protects the user data from being leaked. Public Cloud: This type of cloud provides the services to the network that is open to all the users. This model represents the accurate hosting structure (Barbera et al., 2013). Hybrid Cloud: This type of cloud service provides all the facility that are mentioned for the Public and Private cloud applications. Community Cloud: Community cloud is used to make sharing of cloud resources in between multiple organizations those belongs to a particular community (Calheiros et al., 2013). According to the specific requirements of the Child Protection Hybrid Cloud will be the perfect cloud deployment model for fulfilling their demands. Following are the specific implementation advantages that will be achieved by Child Protection if they implement Hybrid cloud within their system. The benefits of Hybrid cloud according to the demands of Child Protection are as follows: Cost effectiveness: Cost effectiveness is one of the effective advantages of the Hybrid Cloud based system (Curry et al., 2013). In other deployment modules, the system requires the manual updating facility in order have effective performance but in Hybrid Cloud this is automatically done by connecting the system with internet. Architectural Flexibility: Hybrid Cloud set up within any system allows the user to achieve flexible set of operations that can help the user in mandating the requirements as per their demands (Garrison et al., 2012). According to the situation, the cloud based system adopts with the system requirements. Increased Security: Hybrid Cloud base allows the server to isolate the threats from the actual system architecture. Influences of Deployment and Delivery Model on the Employees of Child Protection The Implementation of the deployment model of cloud based system will provide specific impact upon every employees of Child Protection. These impacts may be positive or negative. All of the positive and negative impacts of cloud based system is as follows: Possitive Impacts of Cloud Deployment and Delivery Models on employees within Child Protection The positive impacts of deployment model of cloud base on the employees of Child Protection are as follows: Hybrid cloud base helps each employee to learn new thing and aspects every day. The entire system set is improvised with the help of the Hybrid cloud base. Hybrid Cloud model is more time efficient than any other manual system, so the employees of Child Protection can do their job in a flexible way (Guo et al., 2015). From the perspective of knowledge, the knowledge of the employees of Child Protection can be improvised. Improvement of the employee is influencing the developmental perspective of Child Protection. Negatiive Impacts of Cloud Deployment and Delivery Models on Employees of Child Protection The negative impacts of the deployment model of cloud base on the employees of Child Protection are as follows: Reluctance to change of work environment of the employees may leads to less production of Child Protection. Complexity of the deployment model can make employees unmotivated (Lin Chen, 2012). Communication process between the employees can be more complex for using cloud deployment model. Developments of the employees are blocked with implementation of new and complex cloud based models (Tan et al., 2013). Billing and Cost Assessment Billing and Cost Assessment of Cloud Merchants Related to Data Exchange The cost and billing comparison of the cloud vendors that provides data exchange services are as follows: IBM Bluemix Amazon Web Services Engine Yard Service Model PaaS IaaS SaaS PaaS IaaS PaaS Deployment Models Public and Public Public and Private Public Cloud Server Operating system Windows, Linux Windows, Linux Linux Base Operating Pricing Start up business: 250 MB, Free Midsized Business: 600 MB. 24.15 AU dollar Big Enterprise: 900 MB, 205.35 AU dollar 2 TB of data: 0.04 AU dollar/month Next 70 TB: 0.0226 AU dollar/month Next 500 TB: 0.0230AU dollar/month 0.04 dollar per hour Billing and Cost Assessment of Cloud Merchants Related to Payroll Services The cost and billing comparison of the cloud vendors that provides payroll services are as follows: Windows Azure Cloud Payroll MyPAYE Features This payroll system provide automated salary providence facility System keeps records of all the financial transactions This payrolls system maintains all the data related to leave and staff This payroll system provide automated salary providence facility System keeps records of all the financial transactions This payrolls system maintains all the data related to leave and staff This payroll system provide automated salary providence facility System keeps records of all the financial transactions This payrolls system maintains all the data related to leave and staff Interfaces Xero, MYOB, Intuit, Max, Palace etc. Sherpa, Workflow Max, palace etc. Xero accounting software is used in as the interface of MyPAYE. Price 0.02 AU dollar 0.45 AU dollar 1 dollar/ month Elaboration of Information Safety Measures of Proposed Cloud Merchants (Windows Azure) The security perspectives for choosing Windows Azure are explained bellow: Safety and identity management: Windows Azure system provides the assured security and integrity measures that protects the user data (Park Ryoo, 2013). The identity thefts can be prevented by this. Data security: In the cloud base, data integrity, accountability and confidentiality is maintained. This aspect prevents the chances of data breaches. Encryption: Windows Azure provides end-to-end encryption of the user data (Pearson, 2013). This aspect leads to better protection of user data within any concerned system. Conclusion It is concluded that the above mentioned deployment and delivery model of cloud computing system can help Child Protection in achieving their goals in order to solve the problems related to payroll and data exchange system. This report is providing examples of six cloud vendors that provides the data exchange and payroll system to their users. References Ampatzidis, Y., Tan, L., Haley, R., Whiting, M. D. (2016). Cloud-based harvest management information system for hand-harvested specialty crops.Computers and Electronics in Agriculture,122, 161-167. Barbera, M. V., Kosta, S., Mei, A., Stefa, J. (2013, April). To offload or not to offload? the bandwidth and energy costs of mobile cloud computing. InINFOCOM, 2013 Proceedings IEEE(pp. 1285-1293). IEEE. Calheiros, R. N., Netto, M. A., De Rose, C. A., Buyya, R. (2013). EMUSIM: an integrated emulation and simulation environment for modeling, evaluation, and validation of performance of cloud computing applications.Software: Practice and Experience,43(5), 595-612. Curry, E., ODonnell, J., Corry, E., Hasan, S., Keane, M., ORiain, S. (2013). Linking building data in the cloud: Integrating cross-domain building data using linked data.Advanced Engineering Informatics,27(2), 206-219. Garrison, G., Kim, S., Wakefield, R. L. (2012). Success factors for deploying cloud computing.Communications of the ACM,55(9), 62-68. Guo, Z. X., Ngai, E. W. T., Yang, C., Liang, X. (2015). An RFID-based intelligent decision support system architecture for production monitoring and scheduling in a distributed manufacturing environment.International Journal of Production Economics,159, 16-28. Lin, A., Chen, N. C. (2012). Cloud computing as an innovation: Percepetion, attitude, and adoption.International Journal of Information Management,32(6), 533-540. Park, S. C., Ryoo, S. Y. (2013). An empirical investigation of end-users switching toward cloud computing: A two factor theory perspective.Computers in Human Behavior,29(1), 160-170. Pearson, S. (2013). Privacy, security and trust in cloud computing. InPrivacy and Security for Cloud Computing(pp. 3-42). Springer London. Tan, L., Haley, R., Wortman, R., Ampatzidis, Y., Whiting, M. (2013, August). An integrated cloud-based platform for labor monitoring and data analysis in precision agriculture. InInformation Reuse and Integration (IRI), 2013 IEEE 14th International Conference on(pp. 349-356). IEEE.

Friday, March 27, 2020

Entertainment And Education Essays - Occitan Literature,

Entertainment and Education Both entertainment and education have been integrals parts of the human experience since the beginnings of time. Many scholars insist that the two institutions often serve jointly, with entertainers and entertainment serving as a main source of education. There is little argument, then, that in addition to generally appealing to the masses, entertainers have regularly fulfilled the role of a teacher to typically unsuspecting audiences. Entertainers have served as educators throughout history, from the origins of oral narratives through the Middle Ages. The earliest forms of unwritten communication were essentially used to spread knowledge from one source to another. Religious disciplines were the first information passed from person to person through entertainment. In the third century B.C., Buddhist monks tried to win converts outside India through the use of theater and song (Burdick 97). They taught the precepts of Siddhartha and Buddha in such theatrical epics as Ramayana and Mahabharata, setting exacting rules for theater performance in the process (Burdick 99). Similarly, Irish monks established singing schools, which taught uniform use of music throughout the church (Young 31). Through chants which were all the same, they spread identical teachings. Christian psalms and hymns in Apostolic times were sung to spread the knowledge and faith of Christianity. In fact, Christianity was promoted from the start by music. Churches were for long the only centers of learning, with monks teaching all lessons through music (Young 39). Through the use of sacred music, monks and clergy successfully spread the teachings of their religions in a practical manner. Entertainers used the theater as a place to tell the stories of the day, both fictional and topical. The African oral tradition was rich in folk tales, myths, riddles, and proverbs, serving a religious, social, and economic function (Lindfors 1). Likewise, Asian actors covered their faces with masks in order to act out a scandal of the day without the audience knowing who was passing along the gossip (Archer 76). European puppets were another medium which permitted entertainers to spread current gossip without revealing the identity of the storyteller (Speaight 16). The theatrical productions of the Greeks further explored the use of theater as an instructional tool. Because the theater provided such a diverse forum for expression, stage actors and playwrights consistantly utilized this locale to eduate the general public. Oral communication was widely used to educate society about morals and basic truths. The most highly developed theoretical discussions from ancient times were those of he Greeks, who passed on this knowledge through music and stories. Homer, the eighth-century B.C. poet, court singer, and storyteller, embodied ideal Greek morals and heroic conduct in his spoken epic, The Iliad (Beye 1). Homer and other poets used qualities not found in written language to make the memorization of their works easier so their sagas could be repeated for generations (Edwards 1). African tribes people and Native Americans also instilled morals and lessons to their communities through stories and fables (Edwards 1). These oral narratives were soon after recorded on paper as early forms of literature became prevalent. Many of the thoughts previously expressed through oral communication only could now be recorded for the future as writing became wide-spread. The era of writing began with Chinese literature more than 3,500 years ago, as the Chinese recorded tales on oracle bones (Mair 1). The Greeks, however, were the first known civilization to translate their oral history into writing (Henderson 1). While the earliest Greek literature was produced by the Indo-Europeans in 2,000 B.C., the most essential works began in Ionia with the epics of Homer in the eighth century B.C. (Henderson 7). This oral poetry is the foundation of Greek literature, and epic poetry such as Boetian?s Hesiod explored the poet?s role as a social and religious teacher (Henderson 8). These written works clearly informed those who read them, but were not as successful in educating the masses as the Greek dramas. Any spoken works that were especially significant could now be transcribed for posterity and future use. Greek plays were also recorded on paper beginning around 500 B.C., reflecting issues of the day and entertaining audiences concurrently. The tragedies of Euripides reflect political, social, and intellectual crisis. Plays such as The Bacchae reflect the dissolution of common values of the time, while other works criticized traditional religion or represented mythical figures as unheroic (Segal 1). Each Greek drama was similarly structured: problems were ?presented by the chorus, and resolved in purely conventional--but always instructive--ways? (Burdick 18). Topical comedies reflected the heroic spirit, and problems facing Greek society during times of great change (Henderson 2). Meanwhile, the dramas of Socrates spoke

Friday, March 6, 2020

Soil Sampling essays

Soil Sampling essays These instructions are for taking a soil sample from a yard, pasture, or any other piece of land. The purpose of a soil sample is to determine the pH of the soil. These instructions give a simple step by step procedure that anyone can do. Anyone who is trying to grow something can use a soil sample to help them get the best growth for whatever they are planting. The reason for needing to read these instructions is so that a proper sample will be taken so you will get the best results for your soil. There are not a lot of materials and equipment needed to take a soil sample. You are going to need the area of soil to be sampled, a soil sample bag, a small shovel or other digging tool, a measuring cup (optional), a bucket, and a pen or pencil. A soil sample bag is the bag that you will put your sample in. It can be obtained from fertilizer dealers, the Soil Conservation Service, your local Soil Conservation Service, or the Stephen F. Austin Agriculture Department. Samples usually cost about ten dollars and take about a month to get the results back, so plan ahead. shovels buckets soil sample bag CAUTION: Do not take samples from different fields or areas and put in the same bag. This may cause you to get the wrong results for a specific area. This does not apply to your yard. One sample is OK in this case. This comes in to play if you are sampling different spots over a large area, say over twenty acres. WARNING: Do not stab shovel into your foot, this may cause injury to your toes or other parts of your foot. Choose an area where you want to have the soil tested before you plant something on it. Obtain a soil sample bag from one of the places listed above. Choose 5 to 15 spots in your area to take samples from. At each of the spots you chose in your area use your digging devic ...

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Talk about one engineering ethics case or issue in the last 4 months Essay

Talk about one engineering ethics case or issue in the last 4 months - Essay Example The engineers needed to make repairs and most of these repairs required human labor. Crews were sent in with full knowledge that these workers could suffer from severe health consequences. Along with the employees of the plant there are lots of ethical dilemmas associated with eh Fukushima disaster. There is not enough information to determine whether the accident was preventable. Engineers are supposed to implement safety protocols to ensure these types of accident don’t occur even if nuclear plant is hit by an earthquake. The government of Japan must launch a full investigation of the matter in order to get the truth. The government of Japan faces a logistical nightmare in regards to its electricity infrastructure. The nuclear system in Japan was responsible for providing 25% of the electricity of the entire country. The Fukushima disaster has left a very sour taste in the minds of the Japanese people and the international community. The disaster will have long term repercus sion in the population of Japan. It is estimated that 5.5% of the population living within a 200 km radius of Fukushima will develop cancer in the long term (Youtube). There are 7.8 million people living within that distance of Fukushima. There are going to be over 400,000 new cases of cancer as a consequence of the disaster. The Japanese government and its engineers have to reconsider the composition of its energy system.

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Gender, ethnicity and social class issues in higher education Essay

Gender, ethnicity and social class issues in higher education - Essay Example Most governments emphasize on equal opportunity for all in education attainment and stern actions are taken against those found discriminating students. The question that begs answers is therefore, if there is equal education opportunity, why do issues of gender, ethnicity and social class matter or why do they continue to bog down the education system? According to Ball (2006) such education policies just contribute to a meritocratic education system. This view is supported by the Virginia university teaching resource center (2004) which believes that such classifications influence â€Å"what we teach, how we teach and how students learn’ and that â€Å"gender equality is taken for granted but it is not yet a reality.† In view of this, this paper will discuss how socio-economic, national identity, gender and English proficiency affect student behavior or faculty behavior towards students. To start with, the socio-economic factors will be discussed. These include the c hallenges faced by students from low socio-economic background such as emotional and social challenges, acute and chronic stressors, cognitive lags and health and safety issues that affect participation rates and educational achievement. It will then look at gender issues such as gender stereotyping and their effects on education after which it will look at issues of national identity and language proficiency faced by international students and their effects on students as well as faculty behavior. Lastly, a short summary will be made. Society is divided into various classes of citizens; the upper, middle and lower class. These represent the hierarchical ordering of society especially due to the emergence of the capitalistic mode of production. Karl Marx often criticized this mode of production for many societal problems and for bringing about exploitation of some people by others, that is, exploitation of working class by the dominant ruling class or capitalists (Morrison, 2006). Emile Durkheim on the other hand, blamed this system for eroding family values and morals but he believed the division of labor in society was the key to enhance social solidarity which had been dismantled by the system. It helps to move from mechanical to organic solidarity but at the same time division of labor may also result in classification of people into high class and low classes depending on their occupations (Morrison, 2006). For examples, professionals such as accountants or lawyers are considered as from high classes while cl erks are in the low social class. Individual identity in modern system is defined by what one does rather than what one is. Paid employment is thus very crucial in defining identity and determining the future of individuals especially where work ethic is emphasized. Education being the key to employment is thus very vital in society and determines what people become in future and can also affect social mobility. This is the reason why issues of equality and equity in education provision are the center of education policies. According to Weis and Dolby (2012) social class determines most aspects of our lives such as which schools to attend and even influences participation in education, academic achievement and student interactions. This view is supported by Jensen (2009) who asserts that students from different socio-economic status bring into the education system their experiences which

Monday, January 27, 2020

The History Of The Heavyweight Methodologies

The History Of The Heavyweight Methodologies INTRODUCTION Software has become an essential part of human life both at professional and personal end. The development of software has become a chaotic business and is normally cited as the code and fix. In the initial days the software programs were written without much of plan, design and without long term site. This however was fine for the small systems. With the advancement of technology several changes were made and it became difficult to incorporate these changes and it was hard to fix the bugs. This was the result of improper planning. This has led the roots to another alternative, Methodology. This emphasized on the disciplined process of software development to make the whole software development process smooth and predictable. Traditional methods were heavily dependent on documentation, design, work plan and structure making it the way to call it the heavy method. However, this seemed increasingly lengthy and frustrating for few developers who were looking for rapid change. This has resulted in consultants preparing methodologies independently. These methods are known as agile methods. Agile methodology is getting extensive popularity in the industry. This is a mix of accepted and controversial practices. It is the features of the projects such as scope, requirement, resource and size that determine the appropriate methodology that should be used. Thought practicing professionals still emphasise on the importance and usage of heavy methods, the empirical studies are emphasizing on the Agile methods. Heavyweight methodologies Heavyweight methodologies are considered the traditional way of software development. These are based on step by step evolution approach. Several steps in this process include, defining requirement, solution formation, testing and development. In this process it is also mandate to prepare a document that has a set of requirement at the beginning of the project. Waterfall approach: This emphasizes on structured approach. Each stage in this process has a set of actions. These activities much be fulfilled before progressing to the next stage. Each phase is named differently. The first phase determines what the system will be, the second phase determines how the system will be developed. It is in the third stage that the actual coding and designing is started. The developed system is tested in the fourth stage. In the fifth and final stage appropriate training and documentation are provided. In terms of engineering, the term waterfall is used to denote a subsequent or sequential development. Waterfall Model Life Cycle Unified Process (UP) Each activity comprising modelling is divided into workflows in the UP process. This process takes place in an repetitive and incremental manner. In this method the whole process is divided into four phases. The below diagram depicts the stages of this process: Inception At the end of this process the feasibility of the project is determined. The scope of the design is set and a business plan is prepared. Elaboration In this phase, a basic design is made and a plan of structure or construction is made. A risk analysis is also done at this stage. The major risks determined should also be addressed. Construction In the construction phase the system of beta-version is prepared. A well developed system good enough for the preliminary test should also be available in this stage. Transition This is the final stage. In this stage the system is commenced to the stakeholders and end users. The process is considered complete if the stakeholders agree that the objectives mentioned in the inception phase are met. As part of UP there are approximately 50 work items that should be completed. This rigid approach and heavy documentation add a lot of the complexity to the UP. Also, the roles in this process are predefined making it less flexible. Spiral Model This is another heavy model which merges both design and prototype stages trying to combine the benefits of top-down and bottom-up benefits. The four phases in the development model are as follows: Objective setting- In this phase objectives of the project phase are identified. Risk assessment and limitations In this phase key risks are identified and analysed. Information about reducing these risks is also collected in this phase. Development and validation A suitable model is selected for the next phase. Planning The project is reviewed and plans for the next round of spiral are made in this phase. Characteristics of Heavyweight methodologies Heavyweight methodology is known for a long time. This is a very disciplined approach in the software development. Few characteristics of heavyweight methodologies are as follows: Predictive approach: This methodology plans most part of its software development for a longer time. A great emphasis is given to drawing focusing on the needs and measure to answer these needs. Drawings determine how to build the system and act as the basis for the construction process. This also predicts time table and budget for building or constructing the software. Inclusive Documentation: Traditional software development considers the requirements documentation as a key element of documentation. It collects all the customer and stake holder requirements before writing code. Process orientation: The purpose of this method is to allocate or define a process of work that suits the one using it. A process may contain few processes just a manager or a tester can perform. For every task in this method there is a procedure. Agile modelling Agile process concentrates on adding lightness to its processes leading to high quality of software and customer satisfaction. Few of the agile models are as follows Extreme Programming (XP): This has evaluated out of problems raised from traditional systems. This process is known for short cycles of development, incremental planning and continuous feedback, communication leading to evolutionary designing. This methods life cycle is divided into 6 phases i.e. Exploration, Planning, Iterations to release, Production, Maintenance and Death. During the Exploration stage, the client creates story boards about his needs. This is followed by the planning phase in which the story boards are prioritised and a first release schedule is prepared. In the Iteration to Release stage it is the responsibility of development team to create the whole system by continuously testing and integrating the code. In the Production Phase additional testing and performance checks are done. Developments and suggestions detected in this stage are documented for later implementation. Based on this updated releases are made in Maintenance Phase. The final stage is the Death Phase is reached when customer has no more stories to be implemented and the final documentation is prepared. Scrum: Scrum is a repetitive and incremental process of product development. Scrums main focus is on how members should work in order to generate flexibility in a continuously varying environment. At the end of each iteration it makes a set of potential features. In this method it is not compulsory to use any specific software development methods. Key practices in this method are : Product Backlog, Sprints, Sprint Planning, meeting, Sprint Backlog and Daily Scrum. Dynamic System Development method: This is a mixture, and extension for rapid application development and iterative development practices. The basic notion behind this method is to give more importance to time and resources before the functionality of a system. In this method a high emphasis is given to quality. This method has five stages : Feasibility Study: A decision is made about usage of DSDM. This decision is based on project type, organization requirement and people. This stage has two outcomes, 1) feasibility report ii) A prototype plan Business Study: A business study to understand the business aspect of the project. This forms the base for prototype. Functional Model Iteration: This phase includes analysis, coding and prototypes. The output of this stage is a prototype code and analysis models. Design and build iteration: Main system is built in this stage. The prototypes are reviewed and developments are made based on user comments. Implementation: This is the final stage where the project is handed over to the user. Appropriate training is also provided. Characteristics of agile methodologies People oriented: All the stakeholders. i.e. customers, developers, users and end users are very important in this methodology. Adaptive: This methodology is preferred by those who are open to change and are flexible. Balancing Flexibility and Planning: Though planning is important, a trial and error method is followed in this approach as it is hard to predict the right things in the initial stage of software development. Simplified process and small groups: A simple process of concentrating on the present rather than the future is the motto of Agile process. It also maintains small teams and any communication is provided to the whole team. Comparison Traditional heavy methodology for software development is prevailing successfully for a long time now. However, it has several disadvantages such as inflexibility and high time consuming etc. Taking these drawbacks in to account a new system was developed which is Agile. Both the methodologies i.e. (agile and heavy weight) have their advantages and disadvantages. People usually use one of these methods based on the feasibility. A Summary of difference in agile and heavyweight is shown in the following table. There are important factors influencing the decision and selection methodology, which is suitable for different conditions. These factors can be divided into the size of the project, people and risk Project size: One of the major limitations in this process is size of the project. The important elements in this process are budget, time span of the project and team organization. A huge project needs huge team and huge budget. This in turn requires better co-ordination and better communication. Heavy methodology provides this by a thorough planning, design and documentation. However, this is not possible in case of Agile process. According to Alistair A light process needs few people in contrary to the heavy method where more people are required. A major limitation of agile methods is the size of the project. Main elements of the same are budget, duration of projects and organization of the project team. The larger unit or a larger budget, you need the larger project. Thus, requires a compilation of more demands, requirements of more people and better coordination. Heavyweight support this methodology by providing planning, documentation and processes for better communication and coordination in large groups. Fewer people are needed if the methodology used is lighter. However, more people will be needed if the heavier methodology (Alistair Cockburn, 2003). The larger group also has its impact on communication in the design and performance. The methodology is a matter of coordination and management of human communication. This implies that the level of methodology must be increased if the numbers of people increase. This makes it even more difficult to use agile methods with large groups. However, Ken Schwaber (one of the deve lopers of SCRUM) argues that large groups can be broken down into small teams using the dimensions of the scrums. Project duration is another factor in the choice of methodology. Heavyweight methodology needs a lot of extra time for output such as documentation, design documentation, writing, analysis etc. Therefore, it can be concluded that when time is short agile development methodologies would be the best option. People Factor: The Agile methodology gives very much importance to stakeholders i.e. it concentrates on peoples factor. This methodology makes sure that experienced people and skilled people are part of the process. Experts who are part of the team provide continuous feedback about the effects that the use may face in selecting the project. As part of this process the customer also gets a right to check progress and change the direction of development at any stage or iteration. This is one of the main features that make the agile process more attractive than the heavy process. Organizational culture is another important factor while choosing the methodology. If any organization is not open to change and is inflexible, An agile process cant be used there. Risk Factor: An important risk factor in the software development is how it responds to change. Agile methods can be used in case of applications that should be built quickly and dont have any quality hurdles. If the project is critical and requires several quality layers then the traditional system is appropriate. Improper definition may lead to several defects. Agile methodologies help in developing short term projects and give importance to customer reviews. Conclusion I would like to end it by saying that heavy methodology consisted of severe methods of comprehensive planning, design documentation.. Heavy thoughts that accompany them will be taken over by the agile movement not in the distant future. The need for Heavyweight approaches still prevails in large, long-lived projects that have specific security, reliability and security requirements. However, business needs to respond quickly to the environment in innovative, cost-effective and efficient manner is increasing the need to use agile methods of software development.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Schizophrenia and Substance Abuse; Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?

Schizophrenia and Substance Abuse; Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? Terry V. Hites Prof. Bramlage Dual Diagnosis / Co-Occurring Disorders December 6, 2008 Schizophrenia and substance abuse; which came first, the chicken or the egg? This is a greatly debated topic within families of schizophrenics that abuse alcohol.In this paper I hope to explore the prevalence of substance use with those that suffer from schizophrenia, the age of onset and the age of first use, treatment issues, recovery issues, and finally, the issues regarding the high rate of suicidal thoughts, attempts, and completions within this specific population of individuals. â€Å"The 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health in the United States found that over 23% of adults suffering from serious mental illness abused alcohol or other drugs.In the population without a serious mental illness only 8. 2% abused alcohol or other drugs. Among adults who abused alcohol or other drugs, 20. 4% had a serious mental illness† (Cherry, 2007, p. 37). â€Å"Over 75% of people with a co-occurring disorder who were surveyed during treatment reported a history of childhood physical abuse† (p. 38). Interestingly enough, surveys have shown that individuals are readily willing to address their substance abuse but are not so willing to acknowledge their co-occurring mental illness (p. 9-50). â€Å"The lifetime prevalence of substance use disorders (SUD) in schizophrenia is close to 50%. Substance abuse in schizophrenia is associated with numerous negative consequences, including psychotic relapses criminality, homelessness, unemployment, treatment non-compliance, and health problems† (Potvin, 2007, p. 792). In this population, â€Å"substance abuse is highly prevalent† (p. 792) not just used by a few individuals; but people will abuse substances to cope with the negative or positive symptoms of their illness.When looking at the symptoms that they experience, Potvin goes on to sa y, â€Å"addicted schizophrenia patients suffer from more severe depressive symptoms, relative to non-abusing patients† (p. 793). Furthermore, the research also shows that males experience the depression more severe than females (p. 797); the depression scale includes anhedonia, psycho motor retardation, etc. (p. 796). Keith goes on to say, â€Å"Substance abuse affects approximately half of patients with schizophrenia and can act as a barrier to compliance† (2007, p. 59). â€Å"The lifetime prevalence of substance abuse (excluding smoking) in patients with schizophrenia has been estimated to be approximately 35 to 55%† (p. 260). â€Å"In addition to experiencing these more severe symptoms, or potentially also as a result, psychosocial problems such as occupational, housing or financial difficulties and crime are endemic in the dual-diagnosis population† Keith asserts (p. 261). When examining the prevalence of the co-occurring disorders, one would be remi ss to not identify the etiology of each. It could be tempting to conclude that PAS [psychoactive substances] use exacerbates depressive symptoms in a subgroup of schizophrenia patients, because long-term use of alcohol, cannabis and cocaine is associated with depressive symptoms† (Potvin, 2007, p. 797). Although these assertions may be concluded, it is also important to not â€Å"draw inferences about causality, and the reverse explanation cannot be ruled out. That is, severe depressive symptoms may lead patients to use PAS, as proposed by the self-medication hypothesis† (p. 97). â€Å"Psychoactive substance use in juveniles and adults is highly correlated with a number of psychiatric diagnoses, including schizophrenia. Young adults with schizophrenia have a 3 times higher prevalence of substance use disorders (SUD’s) than the corresponding age group in the US general population. † (Hsiao, 2007, p. 88). While the amount of research data on this age group i s limited due to studies not addressing them, it is difficult to generalize the data collected (p. 88). Alcohol and marijuana were the two most commonly abused agents in our sample. This is consistent with population-based studies of adolescents. The onset of substance use preceded the onset of psychosis in all of our subjects with co-occurring SUD and schizophrenia. Therefore, it is possible that substance abuse precipitated or exacerbated psychosis in these subjects. Epidemiological and neuroscientific evidence suggests that substance abuse, especially cannabis abuse, can precipitate psychosis in vulnerable subjects.Their sample of 50,413 male adolescents who were suspected of having behavioral problems, Weiser et al. found that adolescents who self-reported abuse of drugs at age 16-17 years were twice as likely to be hospitalized later for schizophrenia† (p. 95). Hsiao goes on to state that, â€Å"the onset of substance use preceded their reports of psychotic symptoms in 9 0% of the cases† (p. 95). In accordance of the research Keith emphasizes that, â€Å"the onset of substance abuse often occurs before or around the time of onset of schizophrenia.In a study in which 232 patients with first episodes of schizophrenia were interviewed, 62% reported that drug abuse began before the onset of schizophrenia symptoms, and 51% said the same of alcohol abuse. Within this population, 34. 6% of drug abuse and 18. 2% of alcohol abuse began within the same month as the onset of schizophrenia symptoms. In addition, patients with schizophrenia are twice as likely to have had a history of substance abuse at the time of the first episode of schizophrenia than are healthy subjects† (p. 260).Keeping all of these early onset of use issues and early occurrences of the illness in mind there is a tremendous amount of barriers between the individual and their recovery. Next we will explore what issues are barriers to their treatment. â€Å"[T]he realization th at co-occurring problems are best treated with an integrated approach has only recently been recognized by the treatment community† states Cherry, (p. 38-39). Universal screening is needed but many barriers stand in the way of its implementation, from training time to building an infrastructure of clinicians who support everyone being screened, (p. 9). Ultimately, universal screening is as much about the attitudes of administrators and clinicians as it is about having a reliable and valid screen to identify co-occurring disorders. Nonetheless, a screen that is quickly administered, easy to interpret and takes little or no training to administer can break down many of those barriers. Even though there are barriers to instituting a screening procedure during intake, the importance of screening for concurrent substance abuse and mental health problems is crucial in the effort to provide effective treatment for people with a co-occurring disorder† (p. 0). Potvin reminds us i n his research that, â€Å"ideally, depressive symptoms would be measured both during the active phase of substance abuse and after a period of drug withdrawal, to determine whether the observed differences reflect the acute effects of PAS or more stable traits† (p. 797). Likewise, â€Å"[p]ersons with mental heath or substance abuse disorders may not seek help, at least not in the form of professional treatment (i. e. , psychotherapy, medication), because these treatment options are perceived by the person, family, or social network as inappropriate or undesirable† (Kuppin, 2008, p. 20). Kuppin goes on to say, â€Å"[t]hese findings offer important insights for furthering our understanding of how we think about the discrepancy between mental illness and substance abuse prevalence and treatment seeking and adherence† (p. 124). Research echoes with relapse among individuals in this particular population; nonetheless, there are those who investigate options availa ble to improve compliance. â€Å"Many patients with schizophrenia may abuse substances for â€Å"hedonistic† reasons, while others may use them in an attempt to reduce symptoms or distress.Alcohol, in particular, can tend to be used more often than illicit drugs, such as opioids or cannabis, though it has also been reported that patients may turn either to alcohol or illicit drugs to alleviate the negative symptoms inadequately treated, or potentially made worse by conventional antipsychotic and the side effect of dysphoria associated with these agents. However, although patients may believe that substance abuse ameliorates symptoms of schizophrenia, data suggest that many of these underlying symptoms may, in fact, be worsened† (Keith, 2007, p. 260).Therein lies the problem, trying to convince a person that the drug he is using is hurting him, when all he sees is this drug is the only thing that keeps me from hurting myself or others; and in itself that is the lie they tell themselves, they do end up trying to hurt themselves, statistics show it. Additionally, statistics show that non-compliant dual-diagnosed patients account for 57% of hospital readmissions, which is an average of 1. 5 admissions per patient each year (p. 261). â€Å"As schizophrenia is a lifelong illness, it requires long term, uninterrupted treatment to optimize outcomes.The low rate of therapy compliance already associated with schizophrenia can be further compromised when patients are also active substance abusers. Intoxication may impair judgment; reduce motivation to pursue long-term goals and lead to a devaluation of the protection offered by antipsychotic medications, resulting in increased hospital readmissions and significantly more severe symptoms† (p. 262). Treatment is further compromised when a patient does not fully â€Å"buy into† his treatment regime and comply with his doctors, counselors, or therapists.Research shows that several different ways h ave been developed to try to improve compliance such as pharmacologic methods, case management, and assertive community treatment programs; these do help but improved insight and attitudes about schizophrenia has shown to be most helpful for an individual to take ownership for their recovery. â€Å"Moreover, without treatment, many individuals continue to experience several relapses because the untreated disorder is not addressed† (Cherry, 2007, 39). Atypical antipsychotics are recommended for reducing substance abuse in schizophrenia patients and have been shown to be effective in this manner† (Keith, 2007, 259). Studies however do show that those that have developed a strong alliance with their therapist are more likely to comply with a prescribed medication regime (p. 262). Keith additionally adds that, â€Å"treatment for persons who have both schizophrenia and substance abuse was evaluated by incorporating cognitive-behavioral drug relapse prevention strategies in to a skills training method originally developed to teach social and independent living skills to patients with schizophrenia.Results demonstrated that participants learned substance-abuse management skills, and that their drug use decreased. Improvements were also noted in medication adherence, psychiatric symptoms and quality of life† (p. 263). All in all, recovery is possible for the dual-diagnosed patient, but long term treatment and persistence is required; studies have shown that most individuals experience a long line of relapses and several suicidal attempts before fully embracing recovery. Although it is an ugly part of recovery for many of those with schizophrenia, suicidal thoughts and attempts are common. [S]uicide accounts for approximately10-20% of patient deaths in schizophrenia. In this context, the identification of factors contributing to depression in schizophrenia may have implications for the prevention and treatment of these symptoms† (Potvin, 2007, 793). Research has shown that this particular population is at an increased risk after being prescribed clozapine or olanzapine and they are currently abusing substances; likewise an increased awareness needs to be made by those working with these individuals to identify and screen for the suicidal ideation (Keith, 2007, p. 61). In conclusion, the prevalence of schizophrenia and substance abuse is great in this country; as well as the age of onset of symptoms and age of first use. Individual treatment issues as well as recovery issues can act as a barrier to one achieving recovery. Although recovery has been shown to be attainable, suicidal thoughts and attempts can be a major deterrent to many individuals experiencing it; through increased compliance via pharmacological services, case management or other methods, individuals can see it.So, schizophrenia or substance abuse; which came first, the chicken or the egg? I’ll let you decide; personally I will work in the framework of integrated treatment and work with the co-occurring disorder. References Cherry, A. L. , Dillon, M. E. , Hellman, C. M. ,   &  Barney, L. D. (2007). The AC-COD Screen: Rapid Detection of People with the Co-Occurring Disorders of Substance Abuse, Mental Illness, Domestic Violence, and Trauma. Journal of Dual Diagnosis*, [No Volume/Issue], 35-53. Academic Search Complete. Ebsco Host.OSU/Lima Campus Lib. , Lima, OH. 10 October 2008 . Hsiao, R. ,  &   McClellan, J. (2007). Substance Abuse in Early Onset Psychotic Disorders. Journal of Dual Diagnosis*, [No Volume/Issue], 87-99. Academic Search Complete. Ebsco Host. OSU/Lima Campus Lib. , Lima, OH. 10 October 2008 . Keith,  S. (2007). Dual Diagnosis of Substance Abuse and Schizophrenia: Improving Compliance with Pharmacotherapy. Clinical Schizophrenia & Related Psychoses, 1(3), 259-269. Academic Search Complete. Ebsco Host. OSU/Lima Campus Lib. , Lima, OH. 10 October 2008 .Kuppin. (2008). Public Conceptions of Serious Mental Illness and Substance Abuse, Their Causes and Treatments: Findings from the 1996 General Social Survey. American Journal of Public Health, 96(10), S120. Academic Search Complete. Ebsco Host. OSU/Lima Campus Lib. , Lima, OH. 10 October 2008 . Potvin. (2007). Meta-analysis of depressive symptoms in dual-diagnosis schizophrenia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 41(10), 792-799. Academic Search Complete. Ebsco Host. OSU/Lima Campus Lib. , Lima, OH. 10 October 2008 .

Friday, January 10, 2020

Apple Swot

Apple SWOT In the 2011 Fortune 500 rankings Apple finished 35th, jumping from the 56th position it established the year before. As of January 2012 Apple surpassed Exxon to become the largest Corporation in the world. Apple’s rapid climb from virtual bankruptcy in 1996 is an incredible story. (Eberhard) Strengths: The products The company's reputation as an innovator Strong, loyal following Control over applications and operating systems Brand AwarenessWeaknesses – Apple's â€Å"All In† philosophy has some drawbacks – for example, my Windows phone will not sync on my Macbook. This perceived â€Å"if you're not one of us, you are one of them† mindset makes new converts to Apple products wary. Apple doesn't â€Å"fail† often but when they do it makes major headlines. Apple Maps served to show how big of a blunder one Apple branded failure can really be. (Goldman). The lack of forethought into the iPad.No matter how great of a success – an d it certainly is – Microsoft's Surface's screen size and inclusion of USB ports and a keyboard is going to make the next generation of the iMac – which could very well be a super charged iPad with all the required ports and a new OS – make Apple look like it is playing catch up instead of leading the innovation themselves. Closed source applications and operating system Brand perceived as â€Å"elitist† Diversity of products Cost of product vs. competitors Over saturation (iPhone)Opportunities – Apple is readying a Pandora like streaming music service and Apple TV could change the way we view our programing much in the same way the iPod and iTunes revolutionized the music business. Music streaming service Apple TV Shifting more production to US factories The Chinese Market yet to be fully tapped Integration with automakers Threats – Basically everyone who isn’t Apple – Google/Android, Microsoft/Windows 8, Samsung, the list goe s on – if you plug it in and talk, listen touch, type, or surf on it and it isn't an Apple, it is a threat to Apple.Apple's threats come from all directions because Apple not only produces product, it also produces all of the operating systems for it's product and tightly controls what content outside vendors can sell on the App Store. Changes in economy Changes in marketplace Chinese labor controversies Google's Android OS Microsoft's Windows 8 and Surface tablet Windows retail stores http://www. heavy. com/news/2012/12/google-maps-returns-to-iphone/ http://robeberhard. com/? page_id=130 Samsung SWOT Samsung was founded in 1938 as a fish and vegetable grocer. After the Korean War, Samsung's assets were divested and the grocery business was laid to rest.In 1969 SEC, the Samsung Electronic Corporation was created, beginning the Samsung as we know them today. Samsung now produces televisions, mobile phones, tablet computers, DVD and Blu-Ray players, MP3 players, cameras and sem iconductors. Over the years as they acquired new business and branched out into new ventures they have been subject to a variety of lawsuits involving copyright infringement, including those with watchmaker Rolex, mobile phone maker Ericsson and most recently Apple Computer. Apple recently surpassed Samsung to take the number one spot in marketshare in the mobile phone category. Tinari) Samsung's partnership with Google has provided a consistent OS (operating system) for it's mobile devices with Android. Android is an â€Å"open source† operating system, which, unlike Apple's, allows for third party users to openly contribute application and programs without company interference or oversight. While this gives users a wider variety of applications, there is no quality control over them, nor is there a way for Samsung to provide the customer service often required of these applications as Samsung has no part in their creation and distribution.Samsung recently won one of many la wsuits with Apple over the design of their popular Galaxy tablet. The recently released Microsoft Surface tablet and the Kindle Fire are Samsung's largest non-Apple competition in this market, however there are a number of super low cost tablets coming out of China that are also relying on the Android OS. These low cost, low quality tablets are forcing Samsung to advertise more aggressively to assure they are not lumped into this sub group of iPad knock offs. Strengths: Wide range of products Multiple partnerships with other brands, particularly Google and their Android operating system Growing marketshareHigh brand value Open source operating system Weaknesses: Lack of control over product once it's partners become involved Slow to release new product Lack of focus on one core product Lower price means lower perceived quality Complaints of not being â€Å"user friendly† Opportunities: Open more retail outlets Partnership with new brands means more innovation Reintroduce phon es with more user friendly interface Capitalize on Apple's failures Provide more customer service Threats: Continuing legal battle with Apple over copyright infringement Low cost competition in the tablet marketEmulation phones with Android OS weaken Samsung's image Microsoft's Surface tablet Windows Retail stores Changes in marketplace Changes in economy image: www. businessweek. com image: www. talkandroid. com image: www. obamapacman. com http://www. intomobile. com/2013/02/01/apple-grabs-34-mobile-market-share-passing-samsung-become-1/ http://www. businessweek. com/articles/2012-07-03/samsungs-smartphone-pitch-fuels-mobile-ad-boom http://www. talkandroid. com/154223-samsung-ramped-up-advertising-in-2012-outspent-apple-by-68-million/ http://obamapacman. com/2010/11/fail-samsung-galaxy-tab-flash-pop-up-ad-annoys-cnn-users/

Thursday, January 2, 2020

The Fourteen Points of Woodrow Wilsons Plan for Peace

November 11 is, of course, Veterans Day. Originally called Armistice Day, it marked the ending of World War I in 1918. It also marked the beginning of an ambitious foreign policy plan by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. Known as the Fourteen Points, the plan—which ultimately failed—embodied many elements of what we today call globalization. Historical Background World War I, which began in August 1914, was the result of decades of imperial competition between the European monarchies. Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Russia all claimed territories around the globe. They also conducted elaborate espionage schemes against each other,  engaged in a continuous arms race, and constructed a precarious system of military alliances. Austria-Hungary laid claim to much of the Balkan region of Europe, including Serbia. When a Serbian rebel killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, a string of events forced the European nations to mobilize for war against each other. The main combatants were: The Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, TurkeyThe Entente Powers: France, Great Britain, Russia The U.S. in the War The United States did not enter World War I until April 1917 but its list of grievances against warring Europe dated back to 1915. That year, a German submarine (or U-Boat) sank the British luxury steamer,  Lusitania, which carried 128 Americans. Germany had already been violating American neutral rights; the United States, as a neutral in the war, wanted to trade with all belligerents. Germany saw any American trade with an entente power as helping their enemies. Great Britain and France also saw American trade that way, but they did not unleash submarine attacks on American shipping. In early 1917, British intelligence intercepted a message from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmerman to Mexico. The message invited Mexico to join the war on the side of Germany. Once involved, Mexico was to ignite war in the American southwest that would keep U.S. troops occupied and out of Europe. Once Germany had won the European war, it would then help Mexico retrieve land it had lost to the United States in the Mexican War, 1846-48. The so-called Zimmerman Telegram was the last straw. The United States quickly declared war against Germany and its  allies. American troops did not arrive in France in any large numbers until late 1917. However, there were enough on hand to stop a German offensive in Spring 1918. That fall, Americans led an allied offensive that flanked the German front in France, severing the German armys supply lines back to Germany. Germany had no choice but to call for a cease-fire. The armistice went into effect at 11 a.m., on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. The Fourteen Points More than anything else, Woodrow Wilson saw himself as a diplomat. He had already roughed out the concept of the Fourteen Points to Congress and the American people months before the armistice. The  summarized Fourteen Points included: Open covenants of peace and transparent diplomacy.Absolute freedom of the seas.The removal of economic and trade barriers.An end to arms races.National self-determination to figure in adjustment of colonial claims.Evacuation of all Russian territory.Evacuation and restoration of Belgium.All French territory restored.Italian frontiers adjusted.Austria-Hungary given opportunity to autonomous development.Rumania, Serbia, Montenegro evacuated and given independence.Turkish portion of the Ottoman Empire should become sovereign; nations under Turkish rule should become autonomous; Dardanelles should be open to all.Independent Poland with access to the sea should be created.A general association of nations should be formed to guarantee political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike. Points one through five attempted to eliminate the immediate causes of the war: imperialism, trade restrictions, arms races, secret treaties, and disregard of nationalist tendencies. Points six through 13 attempted to restore territories occupied during the war and set post-war boundaries, also based on national self-determination. In the 14th Point, Wilson envisioned a global organization to protect states and prevent future wars. The Treaty of Versailles The Fourteen Points served as the foundation for the Versailles Peace Conference that began outside of Paris in 1919. However, the Treaty of Versailles  was markedly different than Wilsons proposal. France—which  had been attacked by Germany in 1871 and was the site of most of the fighting in World War I—wanted to punish Germany in the treaty. While Great Britain and the United States did not agree with punitive measures, France won out. The resultant treaty: Forced Germany to sign a war guilt clause and accept full responsibility for the war.Prohibited further alliances between Germany and Austria.Created a demilitarized zone between France and Germany.Made Germany  responsible for paying  millions of dollars in reparations to the victors.Limited Germany to a defensive army only, with no tanks.Limited Germanys navy to six capital ships and no submarines.Prohibited Germany from having an air force. The victors at Versailles did accept the idea of Point 14, a League of Nations. Once created, it became the issuer of mandates which were former German territories handed over to allied nations for administration. While Wilson won the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize for his Fourteen Points, he was disappointed by the punitive atmosphere of Versailles. He was also unable to convince Americans to join the League of Nations. Most Americans—in an isolationist mood after the war—did not want any part of a global organization which could lead them into another war. Wilson campaigned throughout the U.S. trying to convince Americans to accept the League of Nations. They never did, and the League limped toward World War II with U.S. support. Wilson suffered a series of strokes while campaigning for the League, and  was debilitated for the rest of his presidency in 1921.