“Astronomer’s Wife” by Kaye Boyle Essay

In the opening paragraph of Kay Boyle’s Astronomer’s Wife, Boyle depicts a woman who is oppressed of an equal, intelligent conversation with her spouse. Mrs. Ames sees to all matters of running a successful household, while the astronomer sleeps late and is a loner. His profession makes it clear that he spends a lot of time in thought and alone in the dark at night. Boyle explains, â€Å"He was a man of other things, a dreamer. At times he lay still for hours, at others he sat upon the roof behind his telescope, or wandered down the pathway to the road and out across the mountains.† Since the astronomer is often in his own world, Mrs. Ames is expected to cater to his needs. â€Å"That man might be each time the new arching wave, and woman the undertow that sucked him back, were things she been told by his silence were so.† This quote exemplifies how involved in his work the astronomer is. Whenever he is on the brink of a brilliant idea, she interrupts his train of thought. Therefore, she is the undertow that breaks the force of the arching wave. The astronomer was obviously obsessed with his work leaving little time to act as a husband. The marriage appears to be one that compromises Mrs. Ames’s, and perhaps the astronomer’s, happiness. This is where the plumber is introduced and Mrs. Ames begins to find stimulation outside her marriage. Something as simple as a conversation with a plumber about a stopped elbow is enough to trigger an awakening in Mrs. Katherine Ames. When Mrs. Ames realized that the plumber was talking about something she understood, she in turn realized that her marital problems were not the result of a division between the sexes; instead, she avalid one. She is not happy with a man who wants to go â€Å"up† and that she rather prefers â€Å"down†. Through meeting the plumber, she recognizes this and is â€Å"called to go down†. Mrs. Ames is seeking happiness and someone in whom she can relate. She needs something that speaks to her, something that means something to her, and she wants to change. Mrs. Ames feels a connection to the plumber. He involves her in his theory and she develops her own thoughts. Where her husband treats her as unimportant, the plumber makes her â€Å"bewildered that it should be a man who had spoken to her so†. The astronomer’s wife is trapped in a lifeless  marriage and somewhere there appears a line in which she is not sure if she should cross. The plumber has made her feel like she thought no man ever could. The point is simple; Mrs. Ames has desired respect over the years and finally along comes a man that gives her that much needed self-dignity. When one’s feelings are taken advantage of or neglected, it is natural for that person to begin to look for a beau who will nurture those needs. Whether this is an act that is carried out subconsciously or intently does not matter. In the case of Mrs. Ames it is happening without her permission, but even as she tries to deny her inner feelings and needs she finds them leaking through, like water from a pipe, and the reader begins to wonder if maybe the plumber wasn’t there just to fix a dripping wash-basin.

The 10,000 Hour Rule

The 10,000 hour rule by Malcolm Gladwell talks about Bill Joy and he has a very interesting life story. Bill Joy attends University of Michigan that only has time-sharing system for computers. He is able to develop the system and prepare himself for the computer revolution when it is not even ready to arise. In section 2 of this book, â€Å"In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours. † Bill Joy spends about 10,000 hours for the computer programs and people still use those programs in these days. In this story, Gladwell tell us that Joy is known as â€Å"Most Studious Student† back in high school. The definition of studious is hard-working and disposes. Bill Joy does not have an innate talent, but he is very dedicating to his works. He work very hard to improve that computer programming and very passionate about his work. Also, the computer center is open for 24 hours and this has nothing to do with Bill Joy’s innate ability. Bill Joy is just hard worker and that’s what makes him a genius. Gladwell is definitely not suggesting Blii Joy’s success because of his innate ability. He is actually trying to tell the reader about Bill Joy’s dedication of his work. â€Å"Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good,† states in section 2 from this story. Bill Joy never stops to develop the Oh 2 computer programs. Therefore, 10,000 hours are the amount of practice time for a person to become best at something or successful. Not everyone can do that because it is a very long time and a person need a lot of patience to reach that goal.

Lack of democracy in the 3rd world Research Paper

Lack of democracy in the 3rd world - Research Paper Example The paper will also provide information about third world countries that are claiming for a democratic system by conducting free elections but still authoritarian tendencies and political violence persists. An audit of the main components of a democratic system will also be part of this report. We take a gander at human rights, the arrangement of government and common society noting in specific the dynamic evolving nature of these elements. The report puts light on the reasons of the failure of the democratic system in third world countries. The interrelationship between democracy, legislation and development is discussed about next. Legislation is seen as a subset of the democratization process. Great legislation helps development and advertises democratic system. Here we also address the factors that could contribute to the sustainability of democratic system as well as will also discuss major development issues caused by the dictatorship. It will also provide an insight to the reasons for which democracy has failed or succeeded in different countries, however, it is not possible to narrate the whole story. At the end of the report a conclusion will be added to support all the findings regarding the lack of democracy and dictatorship in the third world. The democratic government is an institutional arrangement that permits participation through the elections or electoral process. The democracy is focused around two standards: political participation and political contestation (Dahl 1998). Political participation obliges that all the individuals who are qualified to vote can vote freely. Electoral processes must be free, reasonable, and focused. When the votes have been cast and the winner reported, power must be calmly exchanged starting with one individual then onto the next. These criteria are to be reproduced on a regional, state, and national level. Contestation alludes to the capability of individuals to

Individual report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Individual report - Assignment Example However in 1923 his son invented a new product called ‘Mars Milky Way’ bar, which was very well received. Between 1911 and 1932 the company was relocated a number of times until Forrest Mars established Mars Limited in the United Kingdom. Over time the company has expanded into different avenues and it operates in six different business segments; food, chocolate, pet care, drinks, confections and symbioscience1. The marketing strategy of Mars incorporated is one that is geared towards the success of an industry built on the ambitions of a man who ran the company with a fanatic dedication. The following description by Joel Glenn Brenner (the only reporter ever to interview him) of Mr. Mars in New York Times (1999) explains to some extent the reservoirs of commitment and dedication with which the company has been run. He stated that there was an extremist who got down to his knees, in a praying manner, and he prayed for all the candy brands like Milky Way, Snickers, and so on. By doing so, he aspired respect of his employees and their loyalties for attaining quality, showing his will to pay salaries thrice better than the competition offerings. A noticeable point is that the pay-checks at Mars, are linked to the output and performance of the business. Higher market penetration- Initially when the company was still starting out and had few competitors, expanding market base was also accompanied by an increase in the overall market growth which meant that the Mars market share also increased rapidly. Over the last couple of decades however, competitors such as Kraft and Hershey’s have acquired a dominant presence in the candy market. Mars and Hershey’s due to their dualistic domination of the confection industry have become known as the ‘Candy Kings’ of the chocolate world (New York Times, 1999). Having a lot in common, the two companies in the initial decades

Burger King's Position on Ethics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Burger King's Position on Ethics - Term Paper Example Guiding Documents First, Burger King has ethics policy documents guiding aspects of the firm’s operations. One of the four documents is the Code of Business Ethics and Conduct which guides the overall firm operations. Through this policy, Burger King commits to â€Å"†¦taking no ethical shortcuts of any kind. Integrity and honesty are simply not optional† (Burger King Corporation, 2009). The other one is the Code of Business Ethics and Conduct for Vendors that guides vendors on internal and customer relations to ensure ethical practices. The Code of Conduct for Directors is Burger Kings third ethical policy document. This document details the ethical execution of the directors’ roles in the firm. The last document the Code of Ethics for Executive Officers (Appendix 1) also explains how the senior management at Burger King ought to execute their functions in an ethical manner. The document acknowledge the special challenges posed by occupying leadership posit ions and the ethical dilemmas faced, and then details the steps that ensure ethical carriage of duties. Together, these four policy documents exhaustively establish Burger King’s position on ethics in all the firm’s operations (Investor Relations, 2009). ... Burger King’s budget on Lobbying is considerably high- $135,289 in 2010- from which we can discern maintenance of a public position on ethics through the connection of the Vice President heading ethics and being a lobbyist. However, Burger King concentrates on internal mechanisms to ensure ethical operations and does little on a public ethics position. This is a major fail on the part of the firm as issues on ethics are largely swayed by the public’s perception. Internal Guidelines The internal guidelines on ethics revolve around guiding matters of inclusion and diversity, conflicting interests, data privacy, financial reporting, food and drink safety and quality, hiring practices, communicating with the outside world and protecting the environment among other important aspects. The internal guidelines aim at ensuring ethics forms an important part of Burger King’s company culture and hence are exhaustive, covering all possible aspects at which ethical considerat ions and dilemmas may arise. These Codes of Ethics policy documents for the different levels of workforce- employees, vendors, directors and executive officers- effectively cover aspects of employee-employee and employee-public interactions. Defined Process The Burger King Corporation (2009) details the internal process to follow in case of a breach of ethics; first, each employee has to understand the firm’s ethical policies. In cases where an employee discerns a breach of the firm’s ethical policy, he/she should report to the chief of ethics, compliance officer, human resource representative or attorney from the law department. Such information will only be disclosed to the relevant parties, with the reports taken seriously and promptly investigated. However,

Company Background - Microsoft Corporation Essay

Company Background - Microsoft Corporation - Essay Example The essay "Company Background - Microsoft Corporation" discusses company background of Microsoft Corporation. In the 21st century the company has diversified into other business sectors such as the video game industry. The firm in 2001 released the X-Box and subsequently in 2005 created the X-Box 360 which has sold millions of units worldwide. Microsoft has grown a lot during the last 28 years. The firm has a global workforce of 94,000 employees and a market capitalization value of $266.2 billion. The firm’s common stocks are sold in the NASDAQ under the symbol MSFT. As of April 25, 2013 the price of Microsoft common stocks was $31.94. During fiscal year 2012 Microsoft generated total revenues of $73.72 billion. The net income of Microsoft during 2012 was $16.98 billion. I selected Microsoft because I have been a customer of the firm for over a decade. My preferred game console is the X-box 360 and I have Windows 8 installed in both my computers at home. This analysis will hel p me determine whether Microsoft would be a good investment option for my personal investment portfolio. The common stocks of Microsoft are considered blue chip stocks. A blue chip stock can be defined as a stock issued by a well-known company with an established record of making money and paying dividends. A ratio analysis of Microsoft is illustrated below Ratio Analysis. Accountants and business analysts can utilize ratio analysis to evaluate the financial performance of an enterprise. Ratio analysis uses the input from the common size. financial statements of a company in order to insert that data into financial formulas. The five major categories of ratio analysis are profitability, market value, liquidity, leverage, and efficiency. One of the benefits of using ratio analysis is that any person with basic math knowledge can use the formulas to calculate the ratios of a company. The financial statements that must be used to calculate ratios can be retrieved from the annual report of public firms. One of the limitations of ratio analysis is that its results are not forward looking since they focus on the historical performance of a company. This report will focus on three financial ratios: net margin, asset utilization, and return on assets (ROA). The results of Microsoft are going to be compared against one of its main competitors and against the industry. The competitor chosen for comparison purposes was Oracle. The liquidity position of the company will also be analyzed by calculating the free cash flow ratio and through analysis of the cash flow statement of the company. The net margin measures the profitability of a company. The formula to calculate net margin is net income divided by the total sales. Microsoft had a net income in 2012 of $16.98 billion and total sales of $73.72 billion. The net margin of Microsoft in 2012 was 23.03%. Microsoft’s net margin in 2011 was 33.10% which implies that the company’s profitability decreased by 10.0 7%. When compared to Oracle the net margin of Microsoft was 3.85% lower than Oracle’s 26.89% result. The industry standard net margin in the software industry is 4.50% (Dun & Bradstreet, 2012). The software industry is classified under SIC code 7372 (Prepackaged software). Microsoft’s profitability was superior to the industry by 18.53%. The asset utilization is a ratio that measures how effective the company has been at using its assets to generate sales. During 2012 Microsoft had an asset utilization of 1.65. The asset utilization of the company has declined by 0.09 since the previous fiscal year. Oracle had an

Evidence informing policies regarding positioning lithotomy patient to Essay

Evidence informing policies regarding positioning lithotomy patient to prevent compartment syndrome - Essay Example It happens most generally in an osseofascial compartment of the forearm or leg, but it may happen in the upper foot, arm, abdomen, thigh, buttock, and hand. Positioning the particular patient for a surgical practice is the shared duty of the entire group of medicos. â€Å"There are many concerns to address when placing a patient in the lithotomy position. The patient can be injured while being placed in and out of the position, as well as while in the position. When placing the patient in the lithotomy position, both legs should be moved in unison to avoid overstretching the nerves of the lumbosacral plexus† (Rank 2012). Patient positioning in operation theatre relates to how a particular patient is transferred and positioned for a specific procedure. The incident I came across in this case in related with a patient in recovery, subsequent to prostactectomy, handed over by the anaesthetist. That particular patient was in the position of lithotomy - rendelenburg for 8 hours, wi th bilateral extremities supported on the parts with stirrups. While the patient woke up from anesthesia, he appeared to be restless with complaining ache on his right leg. Though in a higher amount of analgesia, the patient complained of severe pain with passive movements. He also complained of decreased feeling on the toes and feet in the right leg. His feet were temperate and warm, and he had a palpable pulse. I noticed his calf was tender, and tense on the right side of the leg. The study is carried out to understand the Evidence informing policies regarding positioning (lithotomy) patient to prevent Compartment Syndrome. â€Å"In the lithotomy position, calf compression is almost inevitable and this predisposes to venous thromboembolism and compartment syndrome. The aetiology of compartment syndrome is probably a decrease in perfusion pressure caused by a combination of the weight of extremities against the supportive devices, reduction in compartment capacity and elevation of the lower limb above the heart† (Knight & Mahajan 2012). Aim of the Study: 1) To identify the various policies regarding positioning (lithotomy) patient to prevent Compartment Syndrome. 2) To identify the various symptoms of Compartment Syndrome. 3) To identify the various types of risk factors for growth of acute Compartment Syndrome, resultant from this kind of leg positioning. Safety of the patient is the central focus of patient care in the framework of NHS (Carruthers & Philip 2006), and all healthcare practitioners should guarantee that patients are defended from harm as far as possible. Appropriate positioning decreases the risk of pressure-connected damage to joints, nerves, skin, and muscle. The sedated or anaesthetised patient, are not capable to converse if they have been positioned in a compromising or hazardous position. Therefore a proactive approach must be taken to stop the delerious consequences of the patient mal-positioning. Right positioning of a patient p ermits the most selected exposure of the operative field (Millsaps 2006). Positioning should also consider the scale of movement that may be essential for the duration of the procedure, for example, for shoulder and knee arthroscopy, it needs considerable movement of the upper and lower limbs respectively for the duration of the process, and that the surgical field should be setup accordingly. Discussion: Compartment Syndrome is one of the problems that may occur because of the poor

French Revolution Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

French Revolution - Coursework Example Furthermore, the author discusses the cultural, economic, and social changes in France during the period, as well as France’s international relations. Robespierre and the Terror by Marisa Linton is a readable discourse on contemporary terrorism based on French history. The author is Kingston University’s Reader in History and has written widely on 18th-century French culture and politics and the French Revolution. Vividly narrating the beginning of the Great Terror mobilised by Robespierre, this engaging work provides incomparable images of apparently unreasonable acts of murder and cruelty. Linton examines Robespierre’s reformist enthusiasm, his part in the king’s prosecution and the demise of the monarchy, and his determined effort to build a modern republic. This work also discusses how Robespierre has contributed to the course of French history, influencing not only the country’s domestic life, but also its responses to overseas events. Roger Price’s Napoleon III: Hero or Grotesque Mediocrity is a historiographical analysis of the monarch and his government. Price, an Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Wales, has thoroughly worked on the history of France. In this work, he takes into consideration the mid-century predicament which gave Napoleon III the chance to acquire the presidential post. This work is very relevant to the discussion of the impact of foreign events on France during the period 1789-1906 because not only did the author explains the goals or purposes of Napoleon III, he also presents a summary of the ruler’s accomplishments and administration, his political, social, and economic influence, as well as the evolving historical views of the period. The book France 1870-1914 by Robert Gildea talks about the union of republican regime and the regaining of national self-reliance.

Colonization in Pakistan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Colonization in Pakistan - Essay Example British colonizers got access to the country during the reign of Sikh rulers. However, in 1857, Sepoy Mutiny, an Indian Rebellion, initiated a struggle against the British colonizers. Also Indian National Congress spearheaded several non-violent freedom struggles in early 1900s against the British. Britain could not resist the opposing powers and it ended its rule in Pakistan in 1947. Modern state of the country was, therefore, established on August 14, 1947. The country was then partitioned into five provinces: East Bengal, Balochistan, West Punjab, North-West Frontier Province, and Sindh. The partitioning process, however, led to riots across Pakistan and India (Lieven, 2012). War in Pakistan Pakistan has had four major wars since independence. The first war was the Kashmir war in 1947. The war was triggered when the country gained control of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. The war involved Pakistan and the neighboring India. The two countries were later involved in war in 1965 and in 1971. The latest war was the Kargil war, which occurred in 1999. Pakistan has also had several skirmishes with its northern border country, Afganistan. Famine in Pakistan Famine in Pakistan is attributed to unevenly distributed rainfall patterns. Famines in the country have caused various devastating effects. Apart from leaving large expanse land derelict, famine in the country also triggered bushfires in various locations. Dereliction processes have not only created food shortages, but have also resulted to death of humans and animals because of hunger. Famines in Pakistan are, therefore, considered as an economic crisis because many resources are spent in mitigating them. Relations with African Countries Pakistan has strong relationships with countries in both Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa. The relationships are evident in the Pakistan embassies in African countries. Also, business relationships between Pakistan and African countries exist. Religion is another area where Pakistan and Arab-related African countries intermingle. In Tunisia, Pakistan supported the country in taking full control of Bizerte. Apart from offering support in various tasks or projects in African countries, Pakistan also helped some African countries during their fight for independence. Pakistan, for instance, supported Algeria during her independence struggle. Relationship between Pakistan and Egypt, Libya, and both Sudan and South Sudan is attributed to similarity in religion. Libya, however, shares similar culture with Pakistan. Pakistan has diplomatic relations and it maintains honorary consulate with various Sub-Saharan African countries. African countries with good relations with Pakistan include: Congo, Botswana, Kenya, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mauritius, Madagascar, Lesotho, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, and Somali among others (Lieven, 2012). Strengths of Pakistan Pakistan has been using its strengths for three main reasons; eradication of poverty, increasing overall gross domestic product of the country, and lowering inflation rate. As strength, location of Pakistan is an advantage to its economy. The country is located at the corridor of major maritime oil supply networks. That is, the country is a major oil producer in Asian countries. Through exploitation of the natural resource, Pakistan has significantly improved its economy. Advanced technology and accessibility to infrastructure is another strength point of the country. Apart from, having modern

Critical Analysis of Hebrew Literature Curriculum for Arab Sector in Article

Critical Analysis of Hebrew Literature Curriculum for Arab Sector in Israel - Article Example The first curriculum for Arab schools was implemented in 1948 while the Israeli-Palestinian war was ongoing and military rule reigned over the territories occupied by the Arab minority (Zamir & Hauphtman 2001). The March 1975 curriculum approved by the Minister of Education has the objectives of imparting upon the students the cultural heritage of the Jews, literature aesthetics and awareness to social and cultural sensitivities. Although Arabic is considered one of the official languages in Israel, it is excluded in the curriculum as a subject in schools, and rather imposed the Hebrew language upon Arab students. This non-use of Arabic language is justified on the ground of its diglossic nature. The Hebrew Language is a compulsory requirement in all elementary and secondary Arab schools and in colleges where students aspire to become teachers. The linguistic concern is intertwined with the political and religious aspect of the Jewish existence, thus, there is a strong opposition on teaching Arabs Hebrew following the revivalism of the Hebrew language and nation (Zamir & Hauphtman 2001). Those in favor of teaching Hebrew to Arabs believe that it would allow the latter to learn Jewish culture, an important tool for written and oral communication and an important element in acquiring Israeli citizenship (Zamir & Hauphtman 2001). The school curriculum for studying Hebrew in secondary schools in the 1960s was â€Å"Hebrew Language and Literature Curriculum for Arab Secondary Schools: Grades 9 – 12† with three objectives (Zamir & Hauphtman 2001, p. 219). But it was only in 1972 that a  secondary school curriculum was used approved by the Ministry of Education on March 24, 1975, and revised a year later and published in the special circular A of the director general (Sept. 1976). In the revised curriculum, the language and culture of Jews will be taught for three years (Zamir & Hauphtman 2001). An Arab was appointed to supervise the implementation of this new curriculum, a part-time job until 1995 when the position became a full-time job.  

My Achievements and Inspirations Essay Example for Free

My Achievements and Inspirations Essay Education does not stop after graduating in college. It actually starts once a person realizes that it should be innate until the last years of his or her life as it would ultimately become one of the treasures that we can keep in old age. I was born on July 19, 1983 in Lahore, Pakistan. However, when I was still very young, my parents Nisar Ahmad and Rubina Nisar decided to move to Bahrain, the country where I was raised. They sent me to a reputable school where I completed my high school. They have always been supportive when it comes to the quality of my education. Indeed, I was very young, but I believe this was where my dreams were born. In high school, I became very interested in biology and chemistry. I found out that there is much more to discover in a living organism than just its physical nature. This realization left me an overflowing surge of curiosity. My chemistry teacher, Mrs. Prasana, was the one responsible for this passion that I have right now. She provided me everything she could with regard to chemistry and biology-related information. Read more: Inspirational Essays about Life Gradually, she became my inspiration in pursuing this complex but wondrous fields of science. After high school, I moved back to my hometown in Pakistan where I earned my bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry in one of the most renowned universities of this field. It was absolutely a new phase of my life because I get to further my education in something that I have always dreamt of learning. Studying life sciences was my dream, which is why during my undergraduate program; I have undergone internship in a hospital near my home. It was a life-changing experience for me. I would feel most alive when I worked in the laboratory under the supervision of my supervisor. I am confident with myself every time I do laboratory works, and I know that I have significant skills in handling lab works with high efficiency which I believe should be necessary for a healthcare worker. I have lived in three different countries; Bahrain, Pakistan, and in the United States. As an effective clinical scientist, it is a must that one practices flexibility at all cost as it can be a necessary trait in producing quality outputs.

Testing of Aggregates Analysis

Testing of Aggregates Analysis Numerous test has been developed that test toughness and abrasion resistance and durability and soundness of aggregates. This report analyses the testing of Aggregates using three Main tests to analyse the degradation of aggregates so best performance is observed in construction, asphalt, concrete or any other field. The aggregates must be abrasion resistant and weather durable to provide good base in pavements for roads. Detailed description of these tests is provided with their respective results. The results are then examined to see which of the following three test are more accurate to check the durability and abrasion of the rocks. Based on the Laboratory results and the Literature reviews, Los Angeles Abrasion test results are used more than others. Although most of the DOTs and construction companies use all three test prior to use of the materials. Soundness test has poor repeatability so it is often not considered as primary test. This research was conducted at Englobe Corp laboratory located in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. It was performed under the direction of Mr. Mark Downie. The laboratory supervision was provided by Mr. Daniel McMorran. The quality of the aggregates in the construction materials, asphalt concrete is determined by various tests out of which Los Angeles, Micro Deval and Soundness are most widely used in construction industry. Los Angles Abrasion test and Micro Deval test involve the spinning of aggregates in a close vessel where there are spun in a medium of water or air. The vessel is filled with contact charges (Iron sphere) for a specific amount of time. The analysis of particle degradation using mechanical test can be classified in two class, fragmentation and wearing. The sample that has more wide range of grain size ( e.g. 1250 gm of ) indicates fragmentation and has a well graded distribution curve whereas the sample that has poor range of grain size( 5000gm ofà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) indicates wearing with a bad graded distribution curve. Soundness test involves testing the durability of the aggregates using sodium sulphate or magnesium sulphate solution. Samples of different grain sizes are washed and dried and kept in salt solution for 16 hours and then kept in oven to dry. This cycle is repeated for seven days and then the sample is weighed to see the loss of sample. This test usually received poor rating for its inconsistent repeatability and correlations. Standard Testing methods Los Angeles Abrasion Test AASHTO T96 ( ASTM C131) Micro Deval Test AASHTO T327 (ASTM D6928) Sodium and Magnesium Sulfate Soundness AASHTO T 104 (ASTM C88) As Per American Standard of Testing Materials following pass-fail criteria were used: LA abrasion: Passed if loss à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 40% Micro Deval: Passed if loss à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 18% Sodium Sulphate Soundness: Passed if à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤12% If the aggregates passed the above criteria, then they are durable.   Los Angeles Abrasion test involves the test to measure the degradation of the aggregates by creating actions like impact, abrasion, grinding and constant wear and tear inside a rotating steel drum. The steel drum spins for a specific time with a specific number of steel balls of specific weight to create an abrasion of aggregates. The number of steel balls and the amount of aggregates put in the steel drum depend upon the grading of the test sample. The steel sphere carries the aggregates and the steel balls creating a grinding effect and then drops it to the other side making a crushing effect. This cycle is repeated again and after certain number of revolution the sample is sieved too see the amount retained from the degradation and too see the percentage loss. Apparatus Los Angeles Machine with wall thickness of at least 12mm. The inside diameter should be 711 ±5mm and the length of 508 ±5mm. The rotating drum should be closed from all ends and should be set at a rotating speed of 30 ±3 rpm. ( ASTM C131) Sieve with 1.7mm (No.12) passing. An accurate scale with no more than 0.1% error of the test load. The charges or the steel balls. The number of steel balls used in the test depend on the gradation of the sample to be tested. The steel balls should have diameter between 46.038mm and 47.625, with mass between 400g and 440g each. A constant weight check should always be performed on the charges because this test is very aggressive and could lead in loss of weight of the charges. Table 1: Mass of Steel balls for LA Abrasion Test Grading Number of Spheres Mass of the charges, gm A 12 5000 ±25 B 11 4580 ±25 C 8 3330 ±20 D 6 2500 ±15 Table 2: Grading of the Test Sample for LA Abrasion Test Sieve Sizes (Square Opening) Mass of the aggregates, g Passing Through Screen Retained on Screen Grading A B C D 37.5 mm (11/2 in.) 25.0 mm (1 in.) 1250 ±25 25.0 mm (1 in.) 19.0 mm (3/4 in.) 1250 ±25 19.0 mm (3/4 in.) 12.5 mm (1/2 in.) 1250 ±25 2500 ±10 12.5 mm (1/2 in.) 9.5 mm (3/8 in.) 1250 ±25 2500 ±10 9.5 mm (3/8 in.) 6.3 mm (1/4 in.) 2500 ±10 6.3 mm (1/4 in.) 4.75 mm (No.4) 2500 ±10 4.75 mm (No.4) 2.36 mm (No.8) 5000 ±10 Total, g 5000 ±10 5000 ±10 5000 ±10 5000 ±10 Select the appropriate Grading according to the amount of aggregate available for test. It is recommended to go from higher to lower grade to gain accurate results. Wash and oven dry the sample at 110 ±5 °C (230 °F) to constant mass and then separate into individual sizes per their respective weights. Put the aggregates and the sample in the rotating drum. Close the Los Angeles Abrasion machine tightly and let it run for 500 revolutions at 30 to 33 rpm. After the drum stops take all the sample out and remove the steel balls from it. Now take the crushed aggregates and sieve it on 1.7 mm (No.12) sieve. Weigh the sample retained on the sieve and calculate the percentage loss. Micro Deval Micro-Deval is a test that involves measure of resistance of aggregates towards abrasion and test durability of the sample towards grinding of steel balls (ASTM D7428). The medium that is used here is water of room temperature. The sample and charges (steel balls) are kept in the Micro-Deval tank and then the apparatus is filled with water. The apparatus is rotated so that the aggregates undergo grinding and abrasion. The use of this test is mainly towards the aggregates that degrade more in presence of water than air. This test also gives a measure of how soft or shaley the sample is. The materials that give a high percentage loss degrade more during mixing or handling in industries. (ASTM D7428) Apparatus Micro-Deval Abrasion Tank with volume of 5.03 L and external diameter of 202mm and the internal height shall be from 170 mm to 177 mm. The stainless-steel tank comes with a rubber sealing to make it water-tight. The inner and outer surface of the tank should be smooth and ridge free. (ASTM D6928) Micro-Deval Abrasion machine is a rolling machine with an adjustable speed which rolls the tank at 100 ±5 rpm. Steel charges of diameter 9.5 ±.5mm are requires. The total mass of steel balls needed is 5000 ±5g. Sieves with 5mm and 1.25mm sizes are also required. An accurate scale with no more than 0.1% error of the test load. Table 3: Mass of Aggregates for Micro-Deval Test. Passing Retained Mass 20 mm 16 mm 375 g 16 mm 14 mm 375 g 14 mm 10 mm 750 g Take washed and oven dried sample so it loses the dust on it. Prepare a representative sample of 1500 ±5g put it in the Micro-Deval tank. Add 5000 ±5g of steel charges in it and 2.0 ±.05L of tap water in the Micro-Deval tank. Let this sit for 1 hour. After the sample, has been soaked tighten it up and put it on the Micro-Deval rolling machine to roll for 2 hours ±1 minute. After the machine stops rolling pour the sample on a stack of 5 mm and 1.25 mm sieve. Wash the remains of the sample in the tank on the sieve. Oven dry the sample at 110 ±5 °C and weigh it later. Calculate the percentage loss using the calculation sheet. Soundness Soundness test is a very crucial test in paving industries especially when making massive highways, bridges and dams. This test measure the amount of degradation caused by weathering freeze-thaw cycles. The aggregates that pass this test are more durable to be used and dont cause premature distress in pavements (http://www.pavementinteractive.org/article/durability-and-soundness/). The aggregates are kept in a sodium sulphate or a magnesium sulphate bath. The solutions is at a saturated state and causes salt crystals to be formed on the aggregates. This test is usually carried out for seven days which involves simultaneous wet-dry cycles. When the sample is submerged in the salt solution bath, salt crystals are formed in minute pores of the aggregates and causes internal forces that eventually lead crack in the aggregates. This gives us a replicated demonstration of how the substance will behave in natural habitat. This test has very poor repeatability so it is never considered as pr imary test to measure the degradation of the aggregates. Apparatus Sieves of different sizes- 5à ¢Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾16 in., 3à ¢Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾8 in., No. 50, 1à ¢Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾2 in., 5à ¢Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾8 in., No. 30, 3à ¢Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾4 in., 1 in., No. 16, No. 8, No. 4. Metal baskets made of wire mesh or stainless steel that allows the aggregates to freely contact the solution and permit free drainage of the loss of sample. Temperature regulator to ensure that the temperature of the sulphate bath is constant at specified one. Balances with the accuracy of 0.1% are must for this test. Hydrometers are also needed for this test to measure the specific gravity within  ±0.001. Procedure Prepare the sodium sulphate solution that has specific gravity between 1.154 and 1.171. COARSE AGFREGATES Mass of the Sample Sieve Size Mass 2 in. (50 mm) 3000g 1.5 in. (37.5 mm) 2000g 1.0 in. 1000g 0.75 in. 500g 0.5 in. 670g 0.375 in. 330g No.4 300g Prepare Sample as per the table displayed above. The sample should be washed and dried at 110 ±5 °C. Mix the 2 inch and 1.5 inch retained material and place the 5000g sample in a container. Mix the 1 inch and 0.75 inch retained and place the 1500g sample in a separate container and mark the container by making a groove on it with a particular symbol so it does not get mixed up with the other containers. This way it is also more efficient to identify them when changing the cycles. Mix the 0.5 inch and the 0.375 inch retained samples and put the 1000g sample together in a container. After the test samples are ready place them in the solution prepared for 16 to 18 hours and then let them drain for 15 minutes. Let the sample oven dry at 110 ±5 °C for 4 hours and then let them cool down until they reach 20  °C to 25 °C. Again, immerse it in the solution and repeat this cycle 5 times. After the 5 cycles are done the aggregates are to be washed thoroughly so that all the salt on the surface is removed and then oven dried at 110 ±5  °C. Table 4: Sieve Sizes to be used to Measure Loss Aggregate Size Sieve Used >1.5 inch 1.25 inch 1.5 to 0.75 inch 5/8 inch 0.75 inch to 0.375 inch 5/16 inch 0.375 inch to No.4 No.5 Use the above given table to respective sieve the aggregates used in the test. Utmost care must be taken to sieve samples from each container separately. Take the sample that is retained on the sieve and weigh it to note it. The difference in the mass of the aggregates before and after the experiment gives us the amount lost due to the disintegration of the sample. To compare the results of the following three, test a study was examined in which 20 Lab results were considered. These tests were performed by Montana Department of Transportation either in the Montana State University soil laboratory or Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) Helena materials laboratory. The samples were obtained from various random pits and quarries across Montana by MDT personnel. (Western Transport Institute) To get a very good relation and a study between these test, 5 repeats were done on the Micro-Deval test and at least 3 repeats were done for L.A Abrasion test. This also provided a good study of the repeatability of the tests. There was no repeat test done on the soundness test since it has a very poor repeatability. Repeatability To analyse the repeatability of the tests, repeated Micro-Deval and Los Angeles Abrasion test were done on the same sample. The Coefficient of Variation was calculated to examine the variation in the test results for the same sample. There was no COV calculated for the Sodium Sulphate Soundness test because only one test result was provided by MDT. The Coefficient of variation is standardized measurement calculate by diving the standard deviation of a set of results by the average mean and then multiplying it by hundred to get a percentage value. By analyzing and comparing this value we can predict the repeatability of the test. If the COV is a lower number, then the test is less variable and hence it has a good repeatability. The COV calculated for L.A abrasion test came out to be 6.5% with standard deviation of 1.5 loss percentage. Similarly, the COV for Micro-Deval test came out to be 6.5% for a standard deviation of 0.7 percentage loss. Since both the Coefficient of variations are less than 10%, both the tests are considered to have good repeatability. Another evidence to support the repeatability of the test is that there is no significant difference in the COV of Micro-Deval and L.A abrasion which are 6.6% and 6.5% respectively. As per the comparative bar graph plotted below, majority of the coefficient of the variation fall between 5% to 15%. The COV of Lab number 861553 rocketed to 26.9% because the result was very small accounting to be 2.1% average loss. So, a small change in small result make a large COV. Figure 1: Graphical Representation of Coefficient of Variation for L.A Abrasion and Micro-Deval Tests. COMPARTITIVE RESULTS As per the specifications provided by American Standard for Testing Materials the aggregates are classified as durable if the loss percentage is less than the cut-off percentage and they are non-durable if the loss percentage of the aggregates is more than the cut-off percentage. The cut-off percentage that we have used for L.A Abrasion, Micro-Deval and Sodium Sulphate Soundness Tests are as follows: LA abrasion: Passed if loss à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 40% Micro Deval: Passed if loss à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 18% Sodium Sulphate Soundness: Passed if à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤12% To create a direct comparison in between these tests normalized value for each test is calculated. Normalized value is used for a direct comparison between Micro-Deval, L.A Abrasion and Sodium Sulphate Soundness test. Normalized value is average loss percentage divided by the cut-off for that test. (MDT paper) The ideal Normalized value is 1.0. If the calculated normalized value is greater than 1.0 it means that the test did not pass and the aggregate tested are not durable and if the value is less than 1.0 it means that the aggregates are durable and the test passed. To draw a direct comparison in between two, test a two-dimensional scattered graph is plotted with four quadrants. The top right (North-East) quadrant depicts the are where both the test failed and the aggregates are not durable. The top left (North-West) quadrant depicts the area where the test plotted on the X-axis passed but the one on Y-axis failed. The bottom right (South-East) quadrant indicates the area where the test plotted on the Y-axis passed but the test that was plotted on X-axis failed. The bottom left (South-West) quadrant depicts the region where both the tests passed and the aggregates are durable. The data points plotted in the top-right (NE) and bottom-left (SW) quadrants indicate that the tests are consistent as the aggregates were either durable for pass/pass or not durable for fail/fail. On the other hand, the data points plotted in the top-left (NW) and bottom-right (SE) quadrant indicate discontinuity and lack of coherence since one of the test would indicate that the aggregates passed the cut-off and are durable while the other would indicate that they didnt pass are not durable for use. L.A abrasion vs Micro-Deval. Figure 2. Graphical Representation of Comparison between Normalized Loss of L.A Abrasion and Micro-Deval Tests. The above shown graphical representation is the plot of comparison between the Micro-Deval and the L.A Abrasion test on 20 different samples that were tested by Montana Department of Transportation. The blue dotted line that runs at 45 ° along the centre of the graph indicates symmetry and a perfect correlation. The data points close to the line indicate a good co-relation between the test. There was only one result that had failed both the test and was considered to be non-durable which accounted 5% of the materials tested. There were five results (25% of the samples tested) that fall in the awkward category and had lack of coherence since, according to L.A abrasion test it passed as was considered durable but according to the Micro-Deval test it was considered to be non-durable. The relations between these two test is quite strong as 70% of the samples tested i.e. 15 out of 20 passed the test and fall in the bottom-left quadrant which indicates that the samples were durable accor ding to both the test. Sodium Sulphate Soundness Test Vs L.A Abrasion Test. Figure 3. Graphical Representation of Comparison between Normalized Loss of Sodium Sulphate Soundness and Micro-Deval Tests. Sodium Sulphate Soundness Test Vs Micro-Deval Test. Figure 4. Graphical Representation of Comparison between Normalized Loss of Sodium Sulphate Soundness and L.A Abrasion Tests. The co-op report guidelines suggest separating the Results and Discussion sections. I think that it is usually easier to present a discussion immediately after the results. But, you may choose to use the structure that makes the most sense for your report. Gregates typically encountered on Montana highway projects, and to determine if the MicroDeval test provides better, timelier, and more repeatable information about the quality of an aggregate than the Sodium Sulfate test. The laboratory testing program was structured to examine how well three aggregate durability test methods correlate for a sampling of Montana soils. Aggregate durability tests were conducted on 32 different soils using the Micro-Deval, L.A. Abrasion, and Sodium Sulfate tests. Multiple Micro-Deval and L.A. Abrasion tests were conducted on some of the soil samples to investigate the same-lab repeatability of the test methods. The methods differ in their treatment of the aggregate during testing; and consequently, each method produces a unique value of percent loss, which is used to distinguish between durable aggregate and non-durable aggregate. For the purposes of this study, the following percent loss pass-fail standards were used for each test: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Mic ro-Deval: passing (durable), if % loss à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 18%; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ L.A. Abrasion: passing (durable), if % loss à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 40%; and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Sodium Sulfate: passing (durable), if % loss à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 12%. Because of the differences in percent loss criteria for each method, results from the suite of laboratory tests were normalized to facilitate direct comparisons between the three methods. Normalized results were obtained by taking the average percent loss for a particular soil and dividing it by the cutoff for that test. Table 16 summarizes the comparisons between each test using data collected during this study. Based on the metrics identified in the table, the MicroDeval and Sodium Sulfate tests had the best correlation, while the Micro-Deval/L.A. Abrasion and the L.A. Abrasion/Sodium Sulfate correlations were significant, but not as strong. Table 16. Summary Comparison of Test Methods Test Methods R2 Pass/Fail Agreement (%) Inconsistent Durability Determina tion* (%) M-D versus NaSO4 0.72 92.9 7.1 M-D versus L.A. 0.46 85.2 14.8 L.A. versus NaSO4 0.28 84.0 16.0 Perfect Correlation 1.0 100.0 0.0 *Note: Column 4 refers to the percentage of samples that passed one of the tests but failed the other test. This inconsistency is identified as a data point that plots in one of the cross-hatched zones identified in Figures 3, 4, and 5. Conclusions and Recommendations Western Transportation Institute 35 The percentages of inconsistent durability determinations (pass or fail inconsistencies) listed in column 4 of Table 16 are indicative of a discontinuity between tests and are probably the most important metric for the comparison study. In this case, one test characterized the material as durable aggregate, while the other test characterized the same material as non-durable aggregate. Qualitatively, the authors believe that an excellent correlation between two test methods is obtained when the percentage of inconsistent results is less than about 5%, values between 5 to 10% signify a good correlation, values between 10 to 20% signify a fair to poor correlation, and values above 20% signify a poor or unreliable correlation between tests. Multiple tests conducted on samples obtained from the same sources indicate similar values of same-lab repeatability for both the Micro-Deval and L.A. Abrasion tests. The coefficients of variation for the multiple tests were less than 10% for both methods. Considering the natural variability that occurs within an aggregate source, the measured variations were low, indicating good repeatability of the test methods. This conclusion has also been supported by others (Jayawickrama et al., 2006; Tarefder et al., 2003; and Hunt, 2001). Repeatability of the Sodium Sulfate test was not examined in this study. The relationship between Micro-Deval test results and field performance was not examined in this study; however, evaluations by Fowler et al. (2006), Rangaraju et al. (2005), Tarefder et al. (20 03) and Wu et al. (1998) indicate that Micro-Deval test results relate well with field performance. An excellent correlation between rutting performance and Micro-Deval test results were observed by White et al. (2006). They sug There are many reference styles available to choose from. It is not very critical which one you use, as long as you are consistent throughout the report. The APA reference style is an appropriate choice. You can quickly generation citations for your reference list using the online citation generator from RefME (RefME, 2016). Always review the text the generator has populated in the form for you as it is not always accurate. Entries in the reference list are sorted alphabetically. Some examples of common references for the reference list and in-text citations are shown below. Websites Robertson, J. (2016, August 8). Man solves Rubiks cube while free-falling. Retrieved August 9, 2016, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/learning-to-solve-a-rubik-s-cube-while-free-falling-1.3712116 RefME. (2016). FREE APA citation generator format. Retrieved July 30, 2016, from https://www.refme.com/ca/citation-generator/apa/ In-text Citation: (Robertson, 2016) In-text Citation: (RefME, 2016) Books Felder, R. M., Brent, R. (2016). Teaching and learning stem: A practical guide. United States: John Wiley Sons. In-line Citation: (Felder Brent, 2016) Journal Articles Lombardo, S. J. (2010). Teaching technical writing in a lab course in chemical engineering. Chemical Engineering Education, 44(1), 58-62. In-line Citation: (Lombardo, 2010)

Economic Impacts of Climate Change

Economic Impacts of Climate Change Economic Impacts of Climate Change and Variability on Agricultural Production in the Middle East and North Africa Region 1. Introduction The accumulation of scientific evidences indicating that growing greenhouse gases will warm our planet becomes clearer. Higher temperature and changes in precipitation level will shrinkage crop yield in many countries. IPCC (2007) reported that most land areas will experience an increase in average temperature with more frequent heat waves, more stressed water resources and desertification. Stern and Treasury (2006) noted, that the â€Å"the poorest countries and populations† will bear the greatest costs of climate change. Therefore, the impact of climate change on agriculture has received increasing attention in the last decade literatures. Climate change coupled with population growth will deeply affect the availability and quality of water resources in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region (Alpert, Krichak, Shafir, Haim, Osetinsky, 2008; Evans, 2010; Gao Giorgi, 2008). In a similar way, Sowers and Weinthal (2010) argued that since most of the MENA region is arid and hyper-arid, slight changes in water accessibility and arable land have substantial consequences for human security. It is worth to take into account the climatic variability in addition to climate change in order to provide an integrated analysis of the impact of climate variables. Selvaraju and Baas (2007) stated that climate variability is the way climate fluctuates yearly above or below a long-term average value while climate change is the long-term continuous change (increase or decrease) to average weather conditions or the range of weather. In this study, we consider the possible impacts of climate changes and climate variability on agricultural production, with a focus on the region of Middle East and North Africa, where the deleterious impacts of climate change are generally projected to be greatest. In order to achieve such objective, Fixed Effect Regression (FER) is used to Estimate the agricultural production function using cross-section time series data of MENA countries. The advantages of panel data analysis are; getting actual responses is more informative to policy makers than resul ts from field trials. Second, country fixed effects capture all additive differences between various countries (Stock Watson, 2003). 2. Data Sources In order to estimate the production function, cross-sectional time series (panel data) are used. The panel set consists of 20 MENA countries for the time period between 1961 and 2009 including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Table 1 shows the data description and data sources. Due to unavailability of the data for few countries, some observations are missing therefore panel data in the model are unbalanced. The data set consists of two variables group. The first is economics variables such as net agricultural production index number in international dollar, agricultural machinery, total fertilizers consumed, labors, and land. The second data subset is climatic variables like temperature and precipitation. The monthly climatic data were available by meteorological stations rather than by country as shown in Table 2. Therefore, it was necessary to calculate monthly country averages of climate variables and summed up into seasonal data. Table 1 Data description and sources Variable Unit Description Source Agricultural production 1000 I$ Net agricultural Production Index Number (2004-2006 = 100) FAO statistics Agricultural machinery (tractors) Number Agricultural tractors, refer to total wheel, crawler or track-laying type tractors and pedestrian tractors used in agriculture. FAO statistics Fertilizers consumption Ton nutrients Total consumption of chemical fertilizers (N+P2O5+K2O) International Fertilizer Industry Association Livestock Head Buffaloes + cattle FAO statistics Labor Million Total economically active population International Labor Organization (LABORSTA) Land 1000 Hectare Total area of cultivated land FAO statistics Temperature Celsius Monthly mean temperature FAOClim-NET: Agroclimatic database management system Precipitation millimeter Monthly mean precipitation FAOClim-NET: Agroclimatic database management system 3. Climate change and agriculture in Mena countries According to the World Bank, The Middle East and North Africa is one of the regions that is most vulnerable to climate change, with the highest level of water scarcity in the world. The region has a total area of about 14 million km2, of which more than 87 per cent is desert. It is characterized by a high dependency on climate-sensitive agriculture and a large share of its population and economic activities are located in flood-prone urban coastal zones. Bucknall (2007) classify the MENA countries into three groups on the subject of water source and availability. First group is countries have adequate quantities of renewable water, but the within-country and within year variations are problematically large including Iran, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia. Second group is countries that have low levels of renewable water resources and highly dependent on non-renewable groundwater sources and supplies by desalination of sea water like Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The last group is countries that mainly dependent on the inflow of transboundary rivers such as the Nile, the Tigris, and the Euphrates including Syria, Iraq, and Egypt. Table 2 Descriptive Statistics for Aggregated climatic variables during the Period 1961-2009 No. Metrological stations Temperature (c °) Precipitation (mm/year) Mean Std. Dev. Mean Std. Dev. Algeria 95 19.91 0.99 23.98 5.99 Bahrain 1 26.62 0.91 8.51 7.74 Egypt 52 22.42 0.63 4.14 2.15 Iran 67 17.31 2.70 20.03 9.05 Iraq 29 22.35 2.82 13.62 7.98 Israel 13 19.80 1.53 29.33 14.31 Jordan 15 18.95 1.08 15.77 5.04 Kuwait 15 25.91 1.23 13.73 7.49 Lebanon 12 18.49 1.78 56.58 17.08 Libya 27 21.14 0.80 14.74 4.12 Morocco 34 18.03 0.71 32.29 10.95 Oman 27 26.78 0.60 8.00 5.34 Qatar 2 27.46 0.70 6.40 5.05 Saudi Arabia 67 25.19 0.91 5.93 3.73 Sudan 47 28.30 0.89 48.51 57.62 Syrian Arab Republic 20 18.30 0.90 21.61 7.26 Tunisia 25 19.35 0.98 30.30 8.34 Turkey 315 13.03 0.89 51.31 7.73 United Arab Emirates 13 27.56 1.33 5.47 5.11 Yemen 12 25.52 3.52 9.70 7.44 4. Methodology There are various models can be employed to assess the impact of climate change on agricultural production. Ricardian model, Agronomic model, and crop simulation models are most widely adopted models for the climate impact studies (Lee, Nadolnyak, Hartarska, 2012). The Ricardian model estimates the examines the impact of climate and other variables on land values and farm revenues using cross-sectional data (Mendelsohn, Nordhaus, Shaw, 1994). Crop Simulation Models (CSM) restrict the analysis to crop physiology and compare crop productivity for different climatic conditions (Salvo, Begalli, Signorello, 2013). Because of the country level panel analysis, the production function model is adopted for the analysis in the present study. Model To estimate the impact of climatic change on agriculture production in MENA countries, an empirical production function for country i at time t net agricultural production index is a function of some economic inputs (Frisvold Ingram, 1995) and climatic variables: . Y represents the net agricultural production index,; M, F, L, A, and V are economic inputs which include agricultural machinery, fertilizer consumption, labor, cultivated area, and livestock respectively. T and represent temperature and precipitation. Number of agricultural tractors is used as proxy of agricultural capital stock and number of cattle and buffaloes is used as proxy of livestock production. For climatic variables temperature and precipitation, mean of the winter season (January, February, and March) , spring (April, May, and June), summer (July, August, and September), and Fall (October, November, and December) are involved in the model. Following (Barrios, Ouattara, Strobl, 2008; Belloumi, 2014; Lee et al. , 2012), The agricultural production model in the present study has the following specification form: (1) By taking the log on both sides, the fixed effect panel model is: (2) According to the fixed effect model, ÃŽ ±i (i=1†¦.n) is the unknown intercept for each country that absorb unabsorbed time variant effects and is a time varying effects. For climatic variables, both the linear and quadratic forms are integrated into the model in order to consider the nonlinear relationship between agricultural production and climatic variables. Variability As it is also sensible to estimate the impact of the variability of climatic variable along with the seasonal deviation and the mean temperature and precipitation, the squared of the mean differences of temperature and precipitation for each season observation is used in the second model. Then, This variability was measured by the seasonal coefficient of variation (CV) calculated as the seasonal ratio of the standard deviation to the mean of each climate variable for each country. 5. Results and discussion Review different papers to strengthen the discussion Table 3 shows the results of fixed effects regression analysis in which we estimated the impact of agricultural inputs and climatic variables on agricultural production in MENA countries. The results show that the regression coefficient of temperature is positive and statistically significant in spring, summer, and fall seasons. By contrast, temperature in winter has negative coefficient at significance level of 0.01. Regarding the estimated parameters of precipitation, precipitation during spring showed negative impact at significance level of 1%. The estimated parameters of nonlinear climatic variables indicated that each of the squared summer temperature has positive coefficient at significance level 0.05 while squared winter temperature has negative and significant impact at level of 0.05. In addition, squared spring precipitation showed positive influence. As expected, production inputs showed significant and positive relation with agricultural production except machinery and fertilizers consumption. As inputs and agricultural production are in logarithmic form, the regression coefficients reflect the production elasticity of each input. Therefore, 1 percent increase in each input of livestock, labor, and land, with keeping all other inputs the same, leads to increase in agricultural production by 0.16%, 0.98%, and 0.91% respectively. Table 3 Fixed Effects Regression analysis of climate change Variables Coefficients S.E. P value Intercept -0.0582 0.0160 -0.058 Winter Temperature -0.0582** 0.0160 0.000 Spring Temperature 0.0431* 0.0212 0.042 Summer Temperature 0.0730** 0.0213 0.001 Fall Temperature 0.0408** 0.0154 0.008 Winter Temperature Squared -0.0024* 0.0010 0.014 Spring Temperature Squared 0.0002 0.0016 0.892 Summer Temperature Squared 0.0043* 0.0019 0.028 Fall Temperature Squared -0.0005 0.0010 0.643 Winter Precipitation -0.0006 0.0004 0.128 Spring Precipitation 0.0004* 0.0002 0.050 Summer Precipitation -0.0001 0.0002 0.760 Fall Precipitation 0.0002 0.0003 0.438 Winter Precipitation Squared -5.0600E-06 5.1400E-06 0.325 Spring Precipitation Squared 3.8800E-06 6.2400E-06 0.535 Summer Precipitation Squared 1.5300E-05* 7.6600E-06 0.047 Fall Precipitation Squared -3.4000E-06 4.7100E-06 0.470 Machinery -0.0471 0.0282 0.095 Fertilizers Consumption -0.0269 0.0166 0.107 Livestock 0.1599** 0.0389 0.000 Labor 0.9802** 0.0481 0.000 Land 0.9128** 0.1000 0.000 R2 within 0.8932 R2 between 0.7827 R2 overall 0.7917 F test 120.8300 F-ui=0 951.88** Obs. No 980 The results of Fixed Effects Regression analysis of climate variability as explanatory variables and agricultural production are presented in Table 4. The results suggest that temperature variability in fall season seems to have significant and positive relation with agricultural production while it has negative relation in spring. Squared variability of temperature during winter and summer seasons have significant and negative relation. Furthermore, variability of winter precipitation have positive and significant relation. Likewise, the regression coefficient of squared variation of winter and summer precipitation showed significant and positive relation with agricultural production.. Table 4 Fixed Effects Regression analysis of climate variability Variables Coefficients S.E. P value Intercept 3.8918** 0.0422 0.000 Winter Temperature -0.2451 0.1818 0.178 Spring Temperature -0.5086** 0.1921 0.008 Summer Temperature 0.0418 0.1850 0.821 Fall Temperature 0.8505** 0.1929 0.000 Winter Temperature Squared -0.0825* 0.0408 0.044 Spring Temperature Squared 0.0204 0.0370 0.581 Summer Temperature Squared -0.0571** 0.0216 0.008 Fall Temperature Squared -0.0071 0.0487 0.884 Winter Precipitation 0.0425** 0.0090 0.000 Spring Precipitation 0.0269 0.0774 0.728 Summer Precipitation 0.1717 0.2138 0.422 Fall Precipitation -0.1943 0.1946 0.319 Winter Precipitation Squared 0.0221** 0.0062 0.000 Spring Precipitation Squared -0.0020 0.0034 0.558 Summer Precipitation Squared 0.0005* 0.0003 0.044 Fall Precipitation Squared 0.0056 0.0042 0.18 R2 within 0.793 R2 between 0.943 R2 overall 0.769 F test 11.620 F-ui=0 11.330 Obs. No 980 Marginal Impact analysis The excepted marginal effects of climatic change and variability on agricultural production appraised at the mean are calculated by the first-order differentiation of the equation 2 to temperature and precipitation respectively: (3) (4) The elaticities of climate change and variability of temperature and precipitation are derived from equations (3) and (4) respectively by dividing both equation (3) on and equation (4) on . therefore, the elasticities can be computed as : (5) (6) Where and refer to temperature change or variability and precipitation change or variability respectively. The marginal impact of climate change and climate variability on agricultural production in the MENA region are presented in Table 5. The impact and the elsticities of Climate change and climate variability are calculated using the regression coefficient and mean values of temperatures and precipitation. The results indicate that increase of temperature in winter season has negative impact on agricultural production as one percent increase in temperature during winter season will lead to a decrease in agricultural production value by 1.12 percent. Instead, increasing the temperature during the other seasons showed positive impact. Temperature variability negative impact on agricultural production during winter and spring as one percent increase of temperature variability, will lead to about 0.09 and 0.14 percent decrease in agricultural production. In regard to the impact precipitation changes, the results confirmed that increasing precipitation during winter and fall season have negative impact on agricultural production in MENA countries while it has positive impact in spring and summer seasons. Moreover, the results of the impact of precipitation variability showed that precipitation variability has negative impact during winter and summer seasons, whereas one percent increase of precipitation variability will lead to decrease in agricultural production in the MENA region by 0.037 and 0.013 percent respectively. However, precipitation variability showed positive impact during the season of spring and fall. Table 5 Marginal impacts of climate change and variability on agricultural production Climate change Climate Variability Marginal impact Elasticity Marginal impact Elasticity Temperature Winter -4.517 -1.115 -12.408 -0.087 Spring 3.746 1.567 -29.211 -0.139 Summer 4.130 2.025 7.039 0.027 Fall 2.897 0.927 41.713 0.265 Precipitation Winter -0.162 -0.092 -2.884 -0.037 Spring 0.019 0.005 1.038 0.013 Summer 0.272 0.046 -3.303 -0.071 Fall -0.040 -0.019 0.071 0.001 References Alpert, Pinhas, Krichak, Simon O, Shafir, Haim, Haim, David, Osetinsky, Isabella. (2008). Climatic trends to extremes employing regional modeling and statistical interpretation over the E. Mediterranean. Global and Planetary Change, 63(2), 163-170. Barrios, Salvador, Ouattara, Bazoumana, Strobl, Eric. (2008). The impact of climatic change on agricultural production: Is it different for Africa? Food Policy, 33(4), 287-298. Belloumi, Mounir. (2014). Investig

Bosnia-Hercegovina :: World History Essays

Bosnia-Hercegovina Missing Works Cited The origin of the arms with the argent between 6 fleur-de-lys, which is now on the flag of the republic of Bosnia-Hercegovina, has long puzzled me, but they are in fact the arms of the Kotromanic family, which ruled Bosnia in the 14th and 1 5th centuries. Other arms have also been attributed to Bosnia in the 19th century. I finally thought of a way to get at this question of the origin of the current Bosnian flag: numismatics, of course. I found a book by one Ivan Rengjeo, Corpus der mittel-alterlichen Mnnzen von Kroatien, Slavonien, Dalmatien und Bosnien, Graz, 1959, which is as exhaustive as you can get on the topic (coins from those regions, that is). I have also consulted an article by Pavao Andelic on Medieval Seals of Bosnia-Hercegovina, in the monograph series of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia-Hercegovina (Sarajevo, 1970),but it is in Serbo-Croat, so I can only look at the (numerous) illustra tions. What follows is a historical/heraldic account, pieced together from these sources, and a few encyclopedias. Bosnia was dominated alternatively by Serbia and, from the 12th c. onward, by Croatia (in personal union with Hungary) until the early 14th c. Typically, the king of Hungary and Croatia appointed bans, or local governors; and, in typical medieval fashion, these bans took advantage of any weakness of the central monarchy to carve out territories for themselves. In the early 14th c., the ban of Croatia was Pavao (Paul) Subic of Brebir or Breberio (a town in Dalmatia which was given to the family in 1222): his father and grandfather were counts or Trau or Trogir, his cousins were counts of Spalato or Split. This p owerful man titles himself ban of Croatia and dominus Bosniae, and appoints his brother Mladen I Subic (1302-04) and later his eldest son Mladen II (1312-14) as ban of Bosnia. His second son Georg was count of Trau and Split, his third son Pavao was count of Trau. By the third generation, however, the family had lost its power. This first dynasty of bans issued byzantine-style coins, with no heraldry. Their seals, however, show the Subic arms: an eagle wing displayed, and 5 flowers with stems as crest (mi sread by Siebmacher as ostrich-feathers). The style of the arms is very German, with the shield tilted to the left, a German helm, lambrequins, and a crest. There are no tinctures, but a junior branch issued from Pavao count of Trau, the Subic de Zrin, bo re Gules, two wings sable (an interesting violation of the s -called tincture rule).

The History Of Computers :: essays research papers

The History of Computers A computer is a machine built to do routine calculations with speed, reliability, and ease, greatly simplifying processes that without them would be a much longer, more drawn out process. Since their introduction in the 1940's. Computers have become an important part of the world. Besides the systems found in offices, and homes, microcomputers are now used in everyday locations such as automobiles, aircrafts, telephones, and kitchen appliances. Computers are used for education as well, as stated by Rourke Guides in his book, Computers: Computers are used in schools for scoring examination papers, and grades are sometimes recorded and kept on computers (Guides 7). "The original idea of a computer came from Blaise Pascal, who invented the first digital calculating machine in 1642. It performed only additions of numbers entered by dials and was intended to help Pascal's father, who was a tax collector" (Buchsbaum 13). However, in 1671, Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz invented a computer that could not only add but, multiply. Multiplication was quite a step to be taken by a computer because until then, the only thing a computer could do was add. The computer multiplied by successive adding and shifting (Guides 45). Perhaps the first actual computer was made by Charles Babbage. He explains himself rather well with the following quote: "One evening I was sitting in the rooms of the Analytical Society at Cambridge with a table full of logarithms lying open before me. Another member coming into the room, and seeing me half asleep called out, ‘Well Babbage, what are you dreaming about?', to which I replied, ‘I am thinking that all these tables might be calculated by machinery'"(Evans 41). "The first general purpose computer was invented in 1871 by Charles Babbage, just before he died"(Evans 41). It was still a prototype of course, but it was a beginning. Around this time, there was little or no interest in the development of computers. People feared, due to the lack of their knowledge, that computers would take over everything and run their lives (Buchsbaum 9). If only these 18th century Americans, who were ignorant to the necessity of computers, would have known the many benefits they were missing out on, they would have more readily funded individuals such as Charles Babbage. As Glossbrenner states in The Complete Handbook of Personal Computers,

Forced Reading :: Reading Writing

Forced Reading Before I entered kindergarten, my mother, who had been an elementary school teacher, had me read and do arithmetic every day while my brother, four years my elder, was in school. I remember the days sitting at the dining room table. I was only four and my body was still disproportional to the furniture. The chair was too low and the table too high. My easy reader was on the table, and I strained to view it properly from my position. I fidgeted a bit as I wondered why I had to do this. I could hear the dogs outside. I wanted to play with them. I spotted my kitchen set in the next room. I wanted to play with it. My mother was in the kitchen baking something that smelled much more appealing than reading. She must have been looking at me through the pass-through window, as she caught me in my daydream and reminded me that I was supposed to be reading my book. The cat ran away from the man. I made my own story up in my head. The girl ran away from the table. She played with the toys. She was happy. I suppose, for quite a few years, I was a big disappointment to my mother as far as reading went. It wasn’t that I couldn’t read, it was that I never wanted to, and compared to my older brother, who read a book everyday, I was quite a let down. It might not have been such a dilemma to any other parent, but to my mother who’d taught and encouraged kids to read for many years, it certainly was. Kindergarten was successfully useless, as between recess and nap time there was only time for coloring, and none for reading or learning of any type. I kept this fact hidden from my mother, though I’m certain she knew as my daily dining table ritual continued throughout the year. When I started first grade, I finally started to appreciate some of my mother’s work. At the beginning of the year, everyone had to take a reading level test, and I ranked the highest among my classmates. I flexed my reading skills before everyone. I volunteered to read during class. I read to my parents, to my grandparents, to my dog.

Examples from placement

Whilst on my placement, there was a girl starting school full time; named Megan. Megan was why and reluctant to Interact with the other children, I noticed this and sat down next to her. To make her feel more secure, I tried talking to her In a calm voice. When listening to her, I was showing Interest In what she was saying, by positive facial expressions I made sure I gave enough time for Megan to think about her answer and if she answered correctly, I praised her to effectively boost her self-esteem and make her feel valued.However, she asked to participate in an activity that wasn't available, I calmly said in a slow voice â€Å"you are not allowed to do that†. When she kept asking, I reinforced my previous statement, to help her understand the boundaries expected of her. After she told me what games she enjoyed, I asked if she wanted to join in with the other children. Whilst asking her, I showed her pictures of the activities. Megan asked toxin the play-doe group, so I se tup an area for her.I introduced Megan to some of the other children, so she would feel more comfortable and welcome within the group.. Throughout the day, I was making sure Mean's needs were being met, for example asking her If she needed the toilet. I felt Like Megan was at an age, where she can Independently ask for the toilet, but to be safe I asked anyway. I needed to make sure that when asking her. I spoke clearly, so she could fully understand what I was asking and she could reply appropriately.I also, needed to make sure that she knew where things were, so she felt confident going herself. So I didn't lower Mean's self-esteem, I spoke to her in an assertive tone, if I had spoken to her in an aggressive manner it would have made her feel uncomfortable talking to me. For example â€Å"Can you please help the other children clean up? During my placement, there was a three year old girl, named Victoria. Victoria and family had just moved from Russia. Her parents could speak lit tle English and Victoria none.Very shy and reluctantly, she sat in the corner, playing by herself. I decided to have 1-1 time with her, and try to build a trusting relationship. I knew she was shy because she turned her body away from me and wouldn't make eye contact with me. Violator was obviously upset leaving her parents and feeling left out from the other children. In order for Victoria to understand me I spoke In basic minting to the picture of the sandpit, because she didn't understand English and it made it easier for her to understand which activities I was saying.When I gain some for her trust, she started using eye contact and more body language. By rubbing her eyes, I sat down with her and slowly and calmly asked what was wrong. She looked at me and said â€Å"tired†. I had to have her explain to me in more detail, so I showed her pictures of a bed and of possible activities she would enjoy. I made sure that I gave her enough time to reply, without interrupting and waiting patiently, or this could sibyl lower her self-confidence.She regained eye contact and pointed to the jigsaw puzzle. I taught Victoria a few basic words in English, by pointing to the object and waiting for her to repeat the word after me in English. When she repeated the word, I made sure I had positive facial expressions and body language, and praised her when she said it correctly. It was important that I used non-verbal communication, because it would affect her emotionally, by boosting her self- confidence and self-esteem and she would comfortable talking to me.If I made no effort to acknowledge she didn't know English, this would lower her self-esteem and make her feel isolated within the setting, because she wouldn't feel comfortable coming to talk to me and make her feel like she couldn't trust me. This means, she would have trouble communicating and interacting with the other children, and she wouldn't be able to tell me any problems she has; because of the lack of trust. To build our relationship further, in return, Victoria can teach me some words/phrases in Russian. This will allow us to have conversations in her language and she can feel more comfortable.

American Apparel Case Analysis Essay

Key Facts of the Case (no analysis) -Who is the decision maker? (Remember: in analyzing a case you have to put yourself in the position of the decision maker and try to figure out what YOU would do in his/her position). -maximum 5 key facts that summarize the case. Key Decision Maker Board of Directors (AA is a publicly traded company) Key Facts American Apparel minimized their use of outsourced labour. They localized their manufacturing activities and were known for their anti-sweatshop practices The company was also praised for their environmentally friendly practices such as using organic and recycled materials in several of their products, and participating in charitable causes Their advertising campaigns stirred up a lot of controversy for the company, as some consumers believed them to be too sexual and borderline pornographic Charney (CEO) took the ad pictures himself using women he found on the streets or his own employees. As a hiring practice, employees were required to provide full length self-portraits to him Charney brought heat to the company via sexual harassment lawsuits and by creating a hostile working environment (using foul language, walking around in his underwear, flirting with employees, etc.) Problem(s) Statement -What is the main problem(s) or opportunity(s) that you (as decision maker) must deal with? -How urgent and how important is this issue and why? Main Problem The main problem presented for American Apparel is that there are discrepancies between their controversial advertisements and workplace practices and their positive business initiatives, which has resulted in a loss of sales for the company. They must determine how they are going to move forward and inspire a turnaround. Urgency Moderately urgent The company forecast a turnaround by 2015 (3 years to the future) Problem(s) Analysis -What is the background that has led to the problem(s)? -What are the key points that the decision maker must consider when figuring out a solution? (eg. constraints that limit the possible solutions or opportunities that could arise) -If a financial analysis is required, outline that in this section. -Perhaps a different format for analysis is more appropriate? (eg. SWOT, PEST, Porter’s Five Forces). Background American Apparel strived to promote raw natural beauty. To do this, they used real, non-photo-shopped, airbrush-free models in their advertising campaigns Their signature advertisements featured women in racy outfits and poses Charney took the pictures himself and either found women on the streets or used his own employees Charney said it was the company’s way of marketing to millennials, targeting contemporary adults who desired sexual freedom, and fighting against the pressures on women to achieve perfection Charney’s strange and inappropriate workplace behaviours made some employees feel uncomfortable SWOT Strengths Pro-labor practices Anti-sweatshop Made in USA label Pay their employees nearly double minimum wage Provide job security and good benefits for employees Environmentally friendly practices Use of organic and recycled materials Strong international presence – 253+ retail stores in 20 different countries Reasonably priced and good quality products Weaknesses Provocative advertisements Store environment makes some customers feel uncomfortable – â€Å"reeked of sexual sin† CEO Dov Charney’s workplace behaviour and practices which have led to complaints and lawsuits The company’s cost of production is likely higher than their competitors because of their â€Å"made in USA† policy High labour costs $120 million in debt Opportunities The company has the opportunity to tame their provocative advertising campaigns They can also steer the focus back onto their positive business initiatives Ethical buying habits are on the rise – consumers are becoming more conscious of the environment Expand online and catalog business sectors – Focus product lines – eliminate those that aren’t as successful and profitable – Reform advertising campaign – focus more on AA’s  positive political activism and â€Å"homegrown† products – Restructure corporate-executive-suite and construct a more positive public image Expand online and catalog business sectors – Focus product lines – eliminate those that aren’t as successful and profitable – Reform advertising campaign – focus more on AA’s  positive political activism and â€Å"homegrown† products – Restructure corporate-executive-suite and construct a more positive public image Threats Their competition who offer similar products at equal or lower price points, and have cheaper production costs Threats of lawsuits against Charney which create a negative public image Threats of consumers shopping elsewhere due to dissatisfaction with AA’s sexual advertisements SWOT Findings: The SWOT analysis shows that American Apparel needs to bring the focus back onto the strengths of the company. They need to remind consumers of the ethics the company was built on and their goodwill and valuable contributions. Their weaknesses primarily revolve around being too overtly provocative, whether this is towards consumers or within the workplace itself. The company clearly cannot continue with this controversy, as they risk overshadowing the positive aspects of their business. Decision Criteria for Solutions -What goals or objectives must be achieved by any potential solution to the problem? (eg. Must maximize market share) -What constraints limit the range of solutions (eg. Can’t cost more than $1 Million) Goals and Objectives The goal is to save the company’s reputation which will in turn stop their money-losing streak Constraints Must not incur further debt 10 Identification of Realistic & Practical Alternatives available to the Decision Maker – In most situations there will be at least 3 alternatives, one of which can be status quo. One or two short sentences to describe each. – Each alternative MUST be a stand alone solution to your problem(s). Alternative 1: American Apparel should fire their current CEO, Dov Charney,  and elect a replacement. Alternative 2: American Apparel should change their advertising strategy by toning down their sexual nature and focusing on their business strengths to create positive publicity. Alternative 3: American Apparel should continue with their current advertising strategies. Pros and Cons of each Alternative Alternative 1 Pros Charney’s provocative vision and proneness to scandal will leave the company with him It shows that AA will not stand for sexual harassment and inappropriate workplace behaviours The company can bring in a new vision and have a fresh start Cons The company may lose customers who supported Charney and his vision The replacement CEO may not be any better than Charney at running the business Alternative 2 Pros It helps AA to fix the disconnect between their ethical and unethical practices It reminds consumers of the company’s positive values Cons Charney may not go for the new vision; he may push back It doesn’t solve the issue of unethical workplace incidents The company may lose customers who support the provocative and â€Å"natural† ads Alternative 3 Pros No changes will need to be made, therefore employees will not need to be trained or guided through any change The controversy surrounding the company may actually bring in customers Cons Discrepancies of the company’s business practices will not be solved Consumers who do not like the provocativeness of the company may continue or  start to avoid it Recommendation & Implementation Plan – You must have a sentence that says, â€Å"I recommend alternative†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – Do not combine alternatives. Pick just one. – Defend your choice of alternative. Explain WHY it is better than the others. – If applicable, explain how the alternative will be implemented. (who, what, where, when, how) Recommendation I recommend alternative 1 – firing Dov Charney. I do not believe alternative 3 is an option because the unethical advertisements and workplace practices would likely catch up with the company and really affect their performance in the long run. The reputation of American Apparel would just continue to deteriorate if nothing is changed, which would deter consumers from shopping there. Alternative 1 is a better path to take than alternative 2 because it really gets at the root cause of all the issues – Dov Charney. The provocative and controversial advertisements were largely inspired by the CEO himself. Simply changing the company’s advertising campaigns is good and well, but there is no guarantee that Charney will even go for that. And what’s to say he wouldn’t go back to his old ways in the future? Also, alternative 2 doesn’t fix the issue of employee complaints and sexual harassment lawsuits that have given the company a bad image. Alternative 1 has the potential to resolve both the advertising strategies and the inappropriate workplace incidents. Implementation Who Board of Directors What Fire Dov Charney Where At a board meeting When As soon as possible How Gather all documentation of Charney’s inappropriate behaviours Review the termination agreement that was made at the time of hiring Charney Review the company’s succession plan for the CEO – determine who may be able to take Charney’s place in the interim Seek counsel from the company’s lawyers on the best method to fire Charney Overall Quality (logical consistency & readability)

Journeys Speech

To complete any Journey one must take risks and overcome obstacles. Inner or physiological Journeys are Journeys of the mind which when traveled can increase one's knowledge and sense of fulfillment. This type of Journey is explored in both Robert Frost's â€Å"The Road not Taken† and Gabriele Musician's film â€Å"The Pursuit of Happiness. † In Frost's poem the idea of decision-making is explored through the use of the extended metaphor of the two roads, â€Å"Two roads diverge in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both.Frost uses this extended metaphor to illustrate that Journeys involves choices we have to make and like the split path in the woods the choice we do end up making will shape the next part of our lives. The two road are also contrasted, one said to be â€Å"having better claim† and â€Å"wanting wear. â€Å"Frost indicates here that taking the path less traveled or the riskier path has â€Å"made all the difference† and therefor e delineates the fact that although we face obstacles such as these difficult decisions in our own Journeys, when we overcome them we increase our knowledge and our self-worth.Another technique used by Frost is that of first person, which enables the audience to be included in the decisions Just as he, himself was, â€Å"Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by. † Here Frost shows his inner Journey Through his thoughts and thinks, at the caesura, about the path he has taken. Although Frost is happy with the path he took there is still a bit of regret as he will never know what would have happened if he took the other path. Musician's film â€Å"The Pursuit of Happiness† portrays the concept of an inner Journey through its protagonist Chris Gardener.A defining moment in Chrism's Journey is when he passes by a stock broking firm and learns of an internship which he'd like. In this scene Nuncio uses calm uplifting music to symbolism the opportunity which has arrived Chrism's Journey. A viceroy accompanies this scene where Chris says, â€Å"They all looked so damn happy, why couldn't I look like that. † Although over 500 applicants plied for the internship and only 20 get in Chris decides to take a risk by applying and in doing so misses the opportunity to sell his bone density scanner which would have been used to pay the rent.When Chris takes the risk of becoming an intern and later becomes a stockbroker he had to overcome many problems such as homelessness, unemployment and being a single parent but in overcoming these obstacles, he gained a sense of identity and became fulfilled. Nuncio also uses the cinematic technique of close ups to show the difficulty of risks. When Chris finds out that his internship is unpaid the camera closes in straight onto Chrism's face and all music suddenly stops.This is very effective in showing an obstacle in Chrism's Journey. Again, like Frost's poem, this adds to the idea of decision making and risk taking and thereby enhances the audience's perception of the characters' Journey. Both of these texts are affective in their uses of techniques to express the concept of effective technique as it allowed the audience to see how difficult decisions in a Rooney are made and gives an insight to what and how the character feels about this decision.Frost's poem, I believe, is open to so many different readings that may add to a responder's confusion. In studying the concepts of Journeys through my two chosen texts I have extended my knowledge and found out that Journeys involve risks and obstacles, however, if you overcome these aspects you become a better person. As David Viscose said, â€Å"If your life is ever going to get better, you'll have to take risks. There is simply no way you can grow without taking chances. â€Å"

A wide range of technologies Essay

In this report I will describe a wide range of technologies used by John Smith. John was involved in a car accident 5 years ago where he lost the use of his legs and also injured his spinal cord. He has used a wheel chair ever since. He works as a lecturer at imperial university where he teaches science. This has been deeply traumatic towards his physical, social and working aspects of his life. I am going to find out what technologies he uses to get by in life and to decrease the hardships he faces with his disabilities and also to find out how he uses these technologies for his personal, social and working aspects of his life. John is known by all his colleagues and is very popular in his work place. He also goes out with friends in his workplace on social gatherings like clubs but this doesn’t often happen because of the trouble he has coping with his disability. Technology 1 – Work Related One technology that John uses for work is his eyegaze. An eyegaze is a communication and control system for people with complex disabilities it’s a response interface that tracks the eye allowing hands free computer operation. By looking at certain control keys a person can do almost anything e.g. turn his house light’s on and off, open certain doors in his house and use the internet. The eyegaze is an excellent system used by many disabled people. John has an eyegaze computer system attached to his wheelchair. At his university he can monitor his students and use the interactive white board in his classroom to show his students pictures or set them question for class work. His eyegaze can also connect to his printer wirelessly so that he can print out question that he has set his class for homework or revision sheets for their test. Advantages Advantages of an eyegaze are that it allows people with complex disabilities like spinal cord paralysis to surf the net and do day-to-day tasks that would normally have been impossible in their current state of wellbeing. The eyegaze allows them to do their work and play games that they would normally have been unable to do due to the fact that they would not have been able to reach the keyboard with their disability. The eyegaze allows them to surf the net, keep in touch with others around the world and have video conferences. Disadvantages The eyegaze has many disadvantages is that it’s harder to use then a normal keyboard as it track you’re eye if you make the slightest twitch it will follow and go onto what you looked at. It is very difficult to use as it will follow every move you eye make and the slightest twitch could change the page or delete the sentence you were on. It could also turn off the lights when you want them on or shut a door you want open. Eyegazes are also very expensive and if they break down it take along time to replace because only a small minority of business produce the technology also the technology needs to shipped from other countries and that takes a lot of time. How the technology meets the Needs of the adult in a work related environment: To John his eyegaze is a great comfort as he needs to mark his class’s work and as he is disabled it would take along time with normal pen and paper so his students send it to him by email. He uses a special program which allows him by using his voice to mark their work and send it back to them on by one. His eyegaze allows him to do this without putting a great strain on his back whereas using a keyboard and mouse would have put a great strain on his spinal cord and caused him a great deal of pain. His eyegaze is very useful to him in work related situations as it allows him to go throw his work and lecture note quickly without any strain or pain on his back. WHAT WOULD HE DO WITHOUT THIS PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY Without his eyegaze John wouldn’t be able to monitor his students in class or set them work by email. Also he would have to use a normal mouse and keyboard to monitor his constant stream of emails which he receives from students, his colleagues and his doctors and this would have been a constant strain on his back and would have put him in a lot of pain. He would also be unable to automatically turn on lights or open doors as his eyegaze is connected wirelessly to his house and allows him to control his environment. Technology 2 – Socially Related One technology that John uses in his personal life is his electronic wheelchair which allows him to move around anywhere without the hassle of pushing the wheels. His electronic wheelchair has a portable eyegaze computer connected to his electrical wheelchair allowing him to take his work with him on the go. He uses his electrical wheelchair in a number of personally related activities. Thanks to his electrical wheelchair he can move anywhere around his house and area without straining his back by having to manually push the wheels. Advantages Electrical wheelchairs have many advantages including because they’re battery powered there is no hassle of moving it instead you push the control stick forward and the wheels move of their own accord. This is excellent as John has spinal paralysis which means that he cannot use his back and if he had a manual wheelchair then someone else would have to push him around and John has told me that â€Å"I don’t like having people wait on me as I had difficulty coping with the realism that I cannot use my back or legs anymore†. Disadvantages An electrical wheelchair has many disadvantages like: it is dependant on batteries therefore it will not work if it has no charge. Another disadvantage is that it cannot be folded and be put into the boot of a car. It is also very heavy and it can be quite a nuisance when going up the university stairs as he needs his students help as the ramps are on the other side of campus and it would take him an hour to get from his car to the back to his lecture hall. His wheelchair is also very expensive and if it breaks down it will take along time to repair. How the technology meets the Needs of the adult in a socially related environment: For John his electric wheelchair is one the best pieces of technology he can use as it is fast and reliable and allows him to go everywhere without the hassle and strain of a normal manual wheelchair. It is also a great relief as his back is often in pain and thanks to the wheelchairs special cushions he can lie back and have the special in-built massagers take his backs pain away. WHAT WOULD HE DO WITHOUT THIS PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY Without his wheelchair John would be unable to move around as efficiently as with his electric one. Also it would have put increased constant strain on his spinal cord and put him in a great deal of pain. He would be unable to take his work with him on the go as there would be no battery to connect the wires to. Without his electric wheelchair it would take him longer to go shopping or go anywhere else. Technology 3 – Personally Related Another piece of technology that John uses is his single fingered keyboard. The single fingered key board is a special type of keyboard which follows a new style of keyboard allowing the disabled person to be able to type on his/her computer without putting a lot of stress on themselves. Another definition for a single fingered keyboard is: The Maltron Single-handed keyboard is curved, with a single recess. It comes in left-handed and right-handed versions and is divided into four major blocks of keys: * 1 block for the fingers * 1 block for the thumb * 1 flat panel of keys to the side * 1 row of function keys along the top The keyboard has â€Å"push-on push-off† functions for the shift, control, and alt keys. The blocks for the fingers and thumb are mirror images of one another in the left-handed and right-handed versions (whereas the flat block and function key row are identical in both). Advantages There are a lot of advantages of a single-fingered keyboard like the fact that it doesn’t put a lot of strain on the individual using the keyboard. Another advantage is that the special shape and layout takes into account of the letters used in modern day typing. This is done to make the layout more efficient than a normal QWERTY keyboard and can save strain and unnecessary movement between keys. The user of this type of keyboard will find input than is ideal so it’s recommended that the user used a predictive word processor such as TEXTHELP or prototype to speed up entry and avoid frustration. Disadvantages Some disadvantages of using a single fingered keyboard is the fact that it’s very slow and takes long time to process a sentence you wrote and even longer for a paragraph. Also because of it’s design you’re hand may be to small to reach the buttons or too big and you may press the wrong button meaning that you would have to wait until the entire word or letter or sentence appeared before being able to change it. Needs of the adult in a personally related environment: John enjoys writing papers and articles for various scientific magazines. Thanks to his keyboard and software that increases the speed of appearance of words he can write fast without straining his back or being frustrated at the slowness of his keyboard. This piece of technology allows him to type fast as he is a fast single fingered typer and the keyboard allows him to do this without the fear of him injuring his back further. Without this technology John feels that he cannot have the same hands on affect to his work like so many of his colleagues. WHAT WOULD HE DO WITHOUT THIS PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY Without his technology John would have to use a Braille keyboard which in affect would have been more comfortable to use thanks to the special polymer which allows the user to type with his hands on the surface of the table but this would have injured John further as he cannot strain his back as that may prolong his recovery further. CONCLUSION In conclusion I feel that the technologies available to disabled people have been enhanced exponentionally as more people these day’s are concerned about the welfare of the disabled. This means that there is more awareness now than there was several years ago. The technology in our decade has also been enhanced therefore the development of newer, more practical technologies are easier to produce. The technologies in John’s life mean that he can now appreciate life and enjoy experiences like a normal, healthy person. However there is still room for improvement in the technologies in our life today. In the future we should expect life to become much better for the disabled as there has been much more research into how our body works so their may be development in flexible devices for the disabled.