Accessibility Of Services As Facilitating Factors

1) Accessibility of services: Accessibility of services as facilitating factors: Accessibility of services was defined as those factors related to the availability of screening services to participants. Good accessibility of services was seen as a facilitating factor for screening, under the general theme of government and community support. Issues related to this category included a women’s insurance status, the availability of affordable screening services, particularly mass screening projects at the workplace, and having adequate transportation to screening sites (Hatefnia et al., 2010). Accessibility of services as barriers: Factors such as high cost, too busy and inadequate distribution of clinics were cited as barriers to breast cancer early detection. Participants mentioned that employed women have competing responsibilities (housekeeping and work outside the home), so they are unable to get to health services (Hatefnia et al., 2010). 2) It takes too long to get a doctor’s appointment is one of the barriers founded against breast cancer screening practices (Mamdouh et al., 2014) 3) Lack of female nurse/doctor: The lack of female physicians was found to be an important barrier to breast cancer screening for Saudi Arabian women (Akhtar et al., 2010). In a UAE study, 97% of the women participants reported preference for a female physician (Bener et al., 2011). Although deeply embarrassed and uncomfortable, women believed that Islam would support medical examinationsShow MoreRelatedThe On Health Care Delivery1606 Words   |  7 PagesThe Alma Ata Declaration of 1978 had significant consequences on health care delivery in Australia, facilitating the introduction of primary health care (PHC) in Australia. 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I am going to be looking at how they have secured their place in the market and what they have done in the way of marketing to become such an ‘extraordinary’ hotel (Jumeirah, 2012). Customer Needs and Buyer Behaviour MarketingRead MoreIndustrial Location Theory As Defined By German Economist Alfred Weber1506 Words   |  7 Pagescommuter costs from the proposed I-5 I-85 freeway connector. All the while, this transportation development will create a greater population distribution to the San Diego periphery cities and thus a larger demand for a variety of commodities and services outside the CBA area. 2). Industrial Location Theory as defined by German economist Alfred Weber is a theory that looks at how businesses will seek to locate to areas where the cost of transportation, labor, and raw materials of the final productRead Moreconference and banqueting1191 Words   |  5 Pagesother different halls that can provide the space for any type of event even if this kind of service is now being hired by various food service companies, like restaurants, due to its profitability. The traditional meaning of the banqueting business is â€Å"providing food and beverages to a group of people who will eat together at the same time†. The scope of banqueting is to accomplish and deliver good service focusing most on celebration, bringing together a group of people for a certain event and

The s Arms Down, Out Of Breath - 1412 Words

Ebon put his arms down, out of breath. He imagined his master smiling and telling him what a good job he had done. The thought made him swell with pride. Something he saw yanked him out of his thoughts. The back of the crowd was stirring. He turned and cut the man, who was about to be burned, loose. â€Å"May the King bless you!† The man cried as he ran to the outstretched arms of his family. Ebon smiled as a deep sense of satisfaction washed over him. He then turned and pushed his way to the back of the crowd. He stood aghast at what he saw. The two Dark Wizards that had killed Eldon were fighting each other! The boy had drawn his sword and was hurling spheres of green light at the girl. The girl tried hard to deflect all of them with her sword. Dark Wizards could not do shield spells. The boy grabbed his sword with his other hand and pulled it apart. It split into two swords! His voice roared like thunder. â€Å"You are a disgrace to the Dark Wizards! You are a disgrace to me!† The boy continued to yell a spell that Ebon had never heard before. Ebon could see that the girl was beginning to lose the battle. He watched her swing her sword in vain. She kept stumbling back. Finally, she tripped and fell over. Her sword clattered a few feet away. Ebon found himself with an inner struggle. These were murderers. They killed without hesitation. They were ruthless, unstoppable, and unforgiving. But the boy was really about to kill her. Even if they were bad, he still felt a need to help. HeShow MoreRelatedI Felt My Heart Beating807 Words   |  4 PagesThree more steps. Thud. Thud. Two more steps. Thud. Thud. One more step. Jump. Closing my eyes I leaped into a swan dive with outstretched arms and wings. The moon was in the sky with the sun disappearing as I dropped. Opening my eyes I wrapped my wings into a tight dive. It was now dark and the moon gave a shape on the glossy water. 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She provided the items and I could smell a very strong odor of consumed alcoholic beverage coming from her breath. I also noticed her eyes were blood shot, watery and glazed. I asked Schultz how much alcohol she had consumed and she stated 3. I asked whatRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Crucible By F. Scott Fitzgerald1407 Words   |  6 Pageshis face protectively covered by his arm. A heavy ache throbbed in the dark-haired officer’s heart and closing the door, he walked over to the side of Tom’s bed and sat down. His hand hovered over Hanson’s trembling body, unsure whether to offer comfort or let sleeping dogs lie. Tom was wary of contact, and he did not want to cause him more pain than he already had. Seconds ticked slowly past, and eventually his heart ruled his head. 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Catholic Teachings on Racism and Stealing free essay sample

Humans, by their very nature, are social animals and it is how society deals with these interpersonal interactions that makes the fabric of any given society or culture. There are many issues in today’s society which were paramount in society through the ages, through our modern and ancient history and as far back as biblical times. Institutions such as the Church provide some teachings as to how society should be expected to behave on various issues. For instance, the Catholic Church’s position on both racism and stealing are stances which could be adopted world-wide to help aim towards world peace, equality and justness for all. The concepts of having respect for each other as people and for individual property are as much an issue today as yesteryear and will continue to be in the future. The Church’s guidelines remain relevant now and can help mankind in the future. It is all about the moral choices that people make. Exactly what is â€Å"moral† or â€Å"immoral† may be interpreted by different people and cultures differently. Morality is â€Å"a code of conduct put forward by society, or some other group such as religion, or accepted by an individual for his/her own behaviour† (Sirswal, 2010, p. ). Catholics have teachings laid down in the narratives of the Bible which help them to make moral choices in their lives. The Ten Commandments are a guideline to morality set down by God himself and give Catholics a guideline for their living. The pace of change in today’s world is fast and the Church also, through the Vatican, endeavours to keep pace with these changes and to inform its followers of the Catholic moral stance on various social issues through encyclicals and the catechism. The basic Catholic law of love , loving your God and your neighbour are the linchpin of Catholic morality and seeing racism as immoral is directly linked to the concept of loving thy neighbour. Racism can be defined as â€Å"a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others† (Random House, 2013). Racism is seen by Catholics as a sin as it goes directly against God’s teachings that we should all treat others the way we would like to be treated. The Bible says that we were all formed in the image and likeness of God and that we are all one in Jesus Christ. This does not gel at all with any form of racism; we are all equal and no one (race or otherwise) is superior to another. The Bible tells us â€Å"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment† (John 7:24) and Romans 10:12 tells us that â€Å"there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is the Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him†. It is about respect for ourselves and our fellow human beings. Another issue similar to this is stealing, which involves people having respect for other’s property. Stealing is a complex issue but basically revolves around the issue of theft, â€Å"the secret taking of another’s property against the reasonable will of that other† (New Advent, 2013). It is essentially depriving an individual or group of their possessions. Not only is it seen by the Catholic Church as a sin, in most cultures around the world it is also an illegal act which is legislated against. The Seventh Commandment states that â€Å"Though shall not steal† and is repeated many times in the Bible (Matthew 19:18,Exodus 20:15). This appears to be a clear teaching and also ties in with the Catholic doctrine that all people must respect the property rights of others. However the Church’s stance on the issue is not cut and dried. There are so many levels of stealing, in terms of the material value of what has been stolen, the intent to which the stolen item was to be put, the intent the person had when they deprived the other of that property and whether restitution will be made for the property taken. The Catholic Church does make exception in circumstances such as where someone does not have the basic necessities of life (food, water and shelter) and the theft of such things may be condoned if they are necessary for life to continue and are taken from another’s excess. Proverbs 6:30-31 states that â€Å"Men do not despise a theft if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving. Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold; though it costs him all the wealth of his house†. It is all about compassion for fellow man. The Catholic lore on stealing can also be difficult to interpret in modern times when not only material property can be stolen, but also intellectual property such as copyright and internet/web rights. Appendix 1 is an article regarding some American teens who, following Obama’s re-election, tweeted racist comments, including calling President Obama a â€Å"nigger† and making monkey jibes. This article highlights that despite the Bible’s teaching and the country’s moral codes, there are still some people who have racist attitudes. Catholics should have zero tolerance f racism and it is right that many people went to the teenagers’ schools to make them aware of the comments made. It should not matter whether the teenagers meant no malice in their comments or not, perhaps they just thought they were being â€Å"funny men† or were succumbing to peer pressure and following the lead of others. In modern society, where countries are increasingly mu lti-cultural it is important that society promotes the concept of different races and cultures living together in harmony. The Catholic teachings are a good basis for society as far as racism not being tolerated and that no race is superior to another. It is particularly important in modern society as the world-wide web and social media means that actions and comments are shared throughout the world in an instant. Whereas years ago, a high-schooler making some comment like this amongst friends would not have spread any further, the mere typing of the words on to a tweet mean they were beamed around the world in a flash. It is great that many people complained and got up in arms about the comments. The other danger today is that such comments broadcast to millions around the world, may incite others to behave in a similar manner. The Catholic teachings are still as relevant in these sorts of circumstances as they always have been. People do need to treat others fairly and justly and all are equal in God’s eyes. The article in Appendix 2 refers to a gang of teenagers, led by three girls, using a gun and hammers in a robbery of a takeaway store in New Zealand in 2010. They unsuccessfully tried to steal money and ended up taking backpacks full of ice creams. The whole act of violence and robbery is against the Church’s teachings. Given that the perpetrators were after money at first, it does not seem that they committed the crime out of desperation or hunger. They have breached another person’s right to their property and their right to earn a living from their labours, The store owner also had their personal rights of safety and security breached having a gun brandished in his face. Apart from the fact that such stealing is illegal in terms of New Zealand law, the Catholic Church’s teaching would also apply here. Modern day society is becoming more and more materialistic and more than ever people need to abide by the Church’s teaching of Thou shall not steal†. Social issues such as drugs and alcohol abuse may also make some people more prone to resort to stealing to feed their habits and practices. Despite all of this everyone needs to get back to the basics of the Church’s teaching and to respect other people and their property. The concept of Love Thy Neighbour should be more applicable than ever. What does the future hold for both these issues and the Catholic viewpoint on them? We do not and never have, lived in a perfect society and Catholics cannot lay claim to their teachings giving rise to a perfect society. However, if more people embraced some of the Catholic teachings in relation to the issues of racism and stealing, it would be a big step in the right direction. Our society today is more nomadic than ever, with people regularly travelling to other countries around the world and experiencing more and more cultures. People settle in new countries and Australia is a good example of a multicultural society. The key to all these races and ethnicities living as one has to be the same as the key to Catholic teachings, the love of one’s God and one’s neighbour. There has to be racial equality and justice for all around the globe. The golden rule of do unto others what you would want done to you still applies today, even with all the mod-cons and technology at our disposal. The days of social media mean our actions and words as an individual can be viewed and judged by others all around the world in a split second. Catholics and indeed all people need to respect the rights, individualities and property of all others. The whole concept of â€Å"property† itself needs to be reconsidered as it does not necessarily mean only material things can be stolen, but also intellectual property, thoughts and ideas of others are to be respected as belonging to them. In its simplest form this means â€Å"Thou shall not steal†, however it is also important to have compassion and to follow our duty to help those less fortunate than ourselves. A person’s understanding of morality may stem from a code of conduct set down by any number of institutions, such as government in the form of laws and religion. It is about how one grows into adulthood and forms their own set of personal and faith based guides to living life, in the bounds of the law of that society. The teachings of the Catholic Church, via the Bible, its beatitudes, encyclicals and the catechism all still have relevance in today’s society. The rapid and ever-changing face of modern society could lead some people to question the relevance of the long-standing Catholic Church and it’s moral code in light of how the world has changed. On the contrary though, the basic moral concepts upon which the teachings are based remain as relevant as ever. In terms of racism and stealing, the Catholic Church’s stance of loving one another, treating everyone as equals, having respect for one another’s property and the Ten Commandments could be adopted all over the world in an effort to somehow work towards the attainment of world peace, equality and justice for all. There is something to be said for the moral doctrines of the church and Christianity in general and in the end, no matter what one’s religion, boils down to following the moral codes set down by whatever faith and whatever society we live in, coupled with an individual’s use of common-sense, practical judgment and compassion for all. REFERENCES About. com, 2013, What is Racism, viewed 3/3/13, http://racerelations. about. com/od/understandingrac1/a/WhatIsRacism. htm Archdiocese of Chicago, 2000, Moving Beyond Racism: Learning to See with the Eyes of Christ Brothers and Sisters in Christ, viewed 3/3/13, http://www. rchchicago. org/catholic_values/catholic_teaching/moving_beyond _racism. html Bible. org, 2013, The Sin of Stealing, viewed 8/3/13, http://bible. org/print/book/export/html/155 Clarke. edu, 2013, Definitions of Racism, viewed 3/3/13, http://www. clarke. edu/media/files/multicultural_student_services/defintiionsof racism. pdf Dictionary. com, 2013, Racism Defini tion, viewed 3/3/13, http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/racism eHow. com, 2013, Principles of Catholic Social Teaching and Bible Stories, viewed 8/3/13, http://www. ehow. com/print/info_8236130_principles-social-teaching-bible-stories. tml Jezebel. com, 2012, Racist Teens Forced to Answer for Tweets Abut the ‘Nigger’ President, viewed 3/3/13, http://jezebel. com/5958993/racist-teens-forced-to-answer-for-tweets-aboutt-the-niggerpresident. html New Advet. org, 2013, Theft, viewed 8/3/13, http://www. newadvent. org/cathen/14564b. htm Random House Dictionary, 2013, Racism, viewed 3/3/13, http://dictionary. reference. com/brose/racism Sirswal, DR, 2010, Professional Ethics and Morality, PG College for Girls, viewed 3/3/13, http://drsirswal. webs. com/documents/Professional%20Ethics. pdf

The Immortal Speaker free essay sample

Martin Luther King is considered a genius in public speaking by many. When he lived, he possessed the incredible ability to capture and convince a crowd with only his words. Students today analyze the techniques used in his works in order to obtain a similar effect when they write essays or deliver speeches. Three of his most effective techniques are his biblical references and allusions, his use of appeals, and his use of opposites. These techniques are used widely in persuasive writing because they all fall under the umbrella term, â€Å"pathos,† but King was able to use them in ways that changed America forever. King was a reverend, so it is natural for his works to be filled with biblical references and allusions. For example, even though A Letter From Birmingham Jail is dripping with sarcasm, King takes time to be serious and include biblical support for his belief that extremism can have a positive connotation. We will write a custom essay sample on The Immortal Speaker or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In â€Å"I Have a Dream,† Martin Luther King mentions time and time again that all people are Gods children, and that with faith his dream can become reality. In finding intelligent ways to use his knowledge of the Bible, King bends peoples emotions and sways their opinions of the way things should be. He was able to do this partly because the Bible was a common interest to whites and blacks of all ages, allowing his words to resonate within a wide spectrum of people. Another reason his references and allusions were so effective is because he knew his religion so well that he could pick out exactly the support he needed to make his point. Kings use of the biblical history is undeniably effective in a logical sense, but it is even more so because of the emotional effects the uses have on the audience. Kings works are peppered with appeals to sympathy, patriotism, faith, justice, and numerous other kinds of pathos. He justified his appearance in Birmingham because â€Å"injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,† and justice was something much of his audience desperately wanted. Kings periodic sentence in A Letter From Birmingham Jail is coated in appeals, pulling at the readers sympathy with every mention of violence to the undeserving and injustice to children. â€Å"I Have a Dream† is filled with appeals to hope and faith from promising to â€Å"cash a checkto which every American [has fallen] heir† to when he openly states â€Å"With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.† With his carefully chosen words, the emotions of Kings audience are like putty in his hands. Listeners and readers feel obligated in a sense to join King in his campaign for equality. Using opposites in his speeches and essays allows King to touch people from remarkably different backgrounds all at once. In â€Å"I Have a Dream,† King calls out to people from eight different states and links them with their mountains. By creating this unity between apparent opposites, King makes all of America burn with the desire to â€Å"let freedom ring.† In the final paragraph of â€Å"I Have a Dream,† King describes a day when â€Å"black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics† will all be united in freedom. He makes it a point to connect opposites here in order to highlight the idea of equality despite differences. For a similar reason, King writes in A Letter From Birmingham Jail â€Å"Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.† This statement resonates with any reader who has felt like an outsider and sparks sympathy in those who have not. The three stylistic devices are all connected to pathos, one of the pillars of public speaking. Pathos is particularly effective in Kings works because of their persuasive nature. His ability to influence the emotions of his audience is a large part of the reason why his campaign for equality proved to be such a success. His mastery of biblical allusions and references, appeals, and opposites allow him to persuade effectively, and change the course of American history in the process.

Understanding Quantum Optics

Understanding Quantum Optics Quantum optics is a field of quantum physics that deals specifically with the interaction of photons with matter. The study of individual photons is crucial to understanding the behavior of electromagnetic waves as a whole. To clarify exactly what this means, the word quantum refers to the smallest amount of any physical entity that can interact with another entity. Quantum physics, therefore, deals with the smallest particles; these are incredibly tiny sub-atomic particles which behave in unique ways. The word optics, in physics, refers to the study of light. Photons are the smallest particles of light (though it is important to know that photons can behave as both particles and waves). Development of Quantum Optics and the Photon Theory of Light The theory that light moved in discrete bundles (i.e. photons) was presented in Max Plancks 1900 paper on the ultraviolet catastrophe in black body radiation. In 1905, Einstein expanded on these principles in his explanation of the photoelectric effect to define the photon theory of light. Quantum physics developed through the first half of the twentieth century largely through work on our understanding of how photons and matter interact and inter-relate. This was viewed, however, as a study of the matter involved more than the light involved. In 1953, the maser was developed (which emitted coherent microwaves) and in 1960 the laser (which emitted coherent light). As the property of the light involved in these devices became more important, quantum optics began being used as the term for this specialized field of study. Findings Quantum optics (and quantum physics as a whole) views electromagnetic radiation as traveling in the form of both a wave and a particle at the same time. This phenomenon is called wave-particle duality. The most common explanation of how this works is that the photons move in a stream of particles, but the overall behavior of those particles is determined by a quantum wave function that determines the probability of the particles being in a given location at a given time. Taking findings from quantum electrodynamics (QED), it is also possible to interpret quantum optics in the form of the creation and annihilation of photons, described by field operators. This approach allows the use of certain statistical approaches that are useful in analyzing the behavior of light, although whether it represents what is physically taking place is a matter of some debate (although most people view it as just a useful mathematical model). Applications Lasers (and masers) are the most obvious application of quantum optics. Light emitted from these devices is in a coherent state, which means the light closely resembles a classical sinusoidal wave. In this coherent state, the quantum mechanical wave function (and thus the quantum mechanical uncertainty) is distributed equally. The light emitted from a laser is, therefore, highly ordered, and generally limited to essentially the same energy state (and thus the same frequency wavelength).

Biography of James Monroe, Fifth U.S. President

Biography of James Monroe, Fifth U.S. President James Monroe (April 28, 1758–July 4, 1831) was the fifth president of the United States. He fought with distinction in the American Revolution and served in the cabinets of Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison before winning the presidency. He is best remembered for creating the Monroe Doctrine, a key tenet of United States foreign policy, which warned European nations against intervening in the Western Hemisphere.  He was a staunch anti-Federalist. Fast Facts: James Monroe Known For:  Statesman, diplomat, founding father, the fifth president of the United StatesBorn:  April 28, 1758 in Westmoreland County, VirginiaParents: Spence Monroe and Elizabeth JonesDied:  July 4, 1831 in New York, New YorkEducation: Campbelltown Academy, the College of William and MaryPublished Works:  The Writings of James MonroeOffices Held: Member of the Virginia House of Delegates, member of the Continental Congress, U.S. senator, minister to France, governor of Virginia, minister to Britain, secretary of state, secretary of war, president of the United StatesSpouse: Elizabeth KortrightChildren: Eliza and Maria HesterNotable Quote: Never did a government commence under auspices so favorable, nor ever was success so complete. If we look to the history of other nations, ancient or modern, we find no example of a growth so rapid, so gigantic, of a people so prosperous and happy.   Early Life and Education James Monroe was born on April 28, 1758, and grew up in Virginia. He was the son of Spence Monroe, a  well-off planter and carpenter, and Elizabeth Jones, who was well educated for her time. His mother died before 1774, and his father died soon after when James was 16. Monroe inherited his fathers estate. He studied at Campbelltown Academy and then went to the College of William and Mary. He dropped out to join the Continental Army and fight in the American Revolution. Military Service Monroe served in the Continental Army from 1776–1778 and rose to the rank of major. He was aide-de-camp to Lord Stirling during the winter at Valley Forge. After an attack by enemy fire, Monroe suffered a severed artery and lived the rest of his life with a musket ball ​lodged beneath his skin. Monroe also acted as a scout during the Battle of Monmouth. He resigned in 1778 and returned to Virginia, where Governor Thomas Jefferson made him Military Commissioner of Virginia.   Political Career Before the Presidency From 1780–1783, Monroe studied law under Thomas Jefferson. Their friendship was the springboard for Monroes swiftly rising political career. From 1782–1783, he was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He then became a delegate to the Continental Congress (1783–1786). In 1786, Monroe married  Elizabeth Kortright. They had two daughters together,  Eliza and Maria Hester, and a son who died in infancy. Monroe left politics briefly to practice law, but he returned to become a U.S. senator and served from 1790–1794. He had a short tenure in France as a minister (1794–1796) and then was recalled by Washington. He was elected Virginia governor (1799–1800; 1811). President Jefferson sent him to France in 1803 to negotiate the Louisiana Purchase, a key achievement of his life. He then became minister to Britain (1803–1807). In President Madisons cabinet, Monroe served as secretary of state (1811–1817) while concurrently holding the post of secretary of war from 1814–1815, the only person in U.S. history to have served both offices at the same time. Election of 1816 Monroe was the presidential choice of both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. His vice president was Daniel D. Tompkins. The Federalists ran Rufus King. There was very little support for the Federalists, and Monroe won 183 out of 217 electoral votes. His victory marked the death knell for the Federalist Party. First Term of Presidency James Monroes administration was known as the Era of Good Feelings. The economy was booming and the War of 1812 had been declared a victory. The Federalists posed little opposition in the first election and none in the second, so no real partisan politics existed. During his time in office, Monroe had to contend with the First Seminole War (1817–1818), when Seminole Indians and escaped slaves raided Georgia from Spanish Florida. Monroe sent  Andrew Jackson  to rectify the situation. Despite being told not to invade Spanish-held Florida, Jackson did and deposed the military governor. This eventually led to the Adams-Onis Treaty (1819) where Spain ceded Florida to the United States. It also left all of Texas under Spanish control. In 1819, America entered its first economic depression (at that time called a Panic). This lasted until 1821. Monroe made some moves to try and alleviate the effects of the depression. In 1820, The Missouri Compromise admitted Missouri into the Union as a slave state and Maine as a free state. It also provided that the rest of the  Louisiana Purchase  above latitude 36 degrees 30 minutes was to be free. Re-Election in 1820 and Second Term Despite the depression, Monroe ran unopposed in 1820 when he ran for re-election. Therefore, there was no real campaign. He received all electoral votes save one, which was cast by William Plumer for John Quincy Adams. Perhaps the crowning achievements of Monroes presidency occurred in his second term: the Monroe  Doctrine, issued in 1823. This became a central part of American foreign policy throughout the 19th century and to the current day. In a speech before Congress, Monroe warned European powers against expansion and colonial intervention in the Western Hemisphere. At the time, it was necessary for the British to help enforce the doctrine. Along with  Theodore Roosevelt’s  Roosevelt Corollary and  Franklin D. Roosevelt’s  Good Neighbor policy, the Monroe Doctrine is still an important part of American foreign policy. Post Presidential Period Monroe retired to Oak Hill in Virginia. In 1829, he was sent to and named the president of the Virginia Constitutional Convention. After his wifes death, he moved to New York City to live with his daughter. Death Monroes health had been declining throughout the 1820s. He died of tuberculosis and heart failure on July 4, 1831 in New York, New York. Legacy Monroes time in office was known as the Era of Good Feelings due to the lack of partisan politics. This was the calm before the storm that would lead to the Civil War. The completion of the Adams-Onis Treaty ended tensions with Spain with their cession of Florida. Two of the most important events during Monroes presidency were the Missouri Compromise, which attempted to solve a potential conflict over free and slave states, and his greatest legacy the Monroe Doctrine, which continues to influence American foreign policy. Sources Ammon, Harry. James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity. Mcgraw-Hill, 1971.Unger, Harlow G. The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nations Call to Greatness. Da Capo Press, 2009.

AMERICAN HISTORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

AMERICAN HISTORY - Essay Example For them Africans and Indian tribes were of low grade as these people were darker in complexion. Indians were distinct in the way they lived, their cultural habits and customs. Indian was thought to be Barbarians by Europeans. Indians used to perform human sacrifice and hunt and lead a primitive life. For these reasoned, they were considered less human and many Europeans countries tried to invade them and destroy their empire. However, Indians were rich in terms of gold and silver acquisition and also had a classic architectural towns and cities. The Europeans also had an eye on their wealth which led to the invasion. The Europeans brought lot of diseases to Native America which has killed many of the native men. The greed for land and wealth has led to the encroachment of Europeans into the land of Native tribes. According to (Colonies, commerce and the Empire Ch- 3, pg 60) â€Å"For some Englishmen, colonization was one way to remove what they considered an extremely large and inc reasingly dangerous population†. Speaking on the basis of our value, the natives had every right to live freely as it was the land where there were born and raised. Everybody has the right to live on earth as all belong to this planet and no one is superior or inferior according to nature’s law. The depredation of Europeans on Native people was a cruel some act. They attacked the men and raped the women for no reason. The Native Americans had wealth which was plundered by the Europeans. This is against human rights and freedom of people to live. Morally it is wrong to attack people, kill them, torture or steal from them. So the acts done by Europeans were heinous. We can give our moral judgments of this shameful act as we are socially reacting creatures and has right to give our opinion. Every person has reasoning and ability to conduct normal livelihood. A person need to share and live and if one need assistance, one can ask or request from a person. But acquisition of land and wealth by force is condemnable act. On moral grounds, it is no way acceptable as we are all human beings and if the same situation doom upon us we may despise that situation. Native Americans have been living in American since time unknown. They have built their empire and were living peacefully in their territory which was disturbed by the Europeans. Morally, it is inhumane to steal their wealth and torture their women and children. Today our values have changed and if compared to the atrocities of Europeans on Native people then we would be ashamed of European civilization. The white men used to capture the native people and used their women physically and men were utilized as slaves. They were treated as animals and given less priorities. We have every right to judge the atrocities of Whites on moral grounds. Since so many centuries, it is obvious the human rights and freedom rules have changed. However, the basic humanity and ethical values has been same since many cen turies. People have the core values embedded in them which cannot be taken by any force. Based upon them there is a basic standard with which people are supposed to interact with each other. The colonization and invasion by the Europeans were resisted by the Native people on a large scale. According to ( Chapter 3,Colonies, Commerce and Empire, pg.62) â€Å"By 1616 colony’s population hovered at only 380, and a well –

Compare and contrast these speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Compare and contrast these speech - Essay Example Both the speakers know what points of the other they can counter and take those up first. They want to make an impression on the listeners to gain votes but their content is up-to-date and thorough. The style is simple, but the pauses between speeches make the speech more effective. The tone of voice varies in accordance to the importance of the point and the importance that the speaker wants to give the point. Nixon last few sentences literally rattle the people because it makes them fell that it is eventually up to them to help the country. Those last words leave a lasting impression on the people who have heard the speech. This speech is more ethical because they do not interrupt each other and do not make personal attacks. In the debate between Edwards, Obama and Clinton, speech ethics are lacking. They both are trying to make personal attacks and interrupted each other. Although, it is not their turn to speak in the debate, they interrupt the speaker just to justify themselves. Content is not focused towards the issue of helping the American people and what they would do to make further amendments. The debate is over things that have already happened and who has raised how much money for their campaign. They are, as I said earlier making personal attacks rather than just political ones. Competence of speech is not lacking in both speeches. All these five people are very good speakers and can have the effect that they want on people. Style is aggressive for Obama while defensive for Hilary. They stress upon the right words to get the effect they want and their nonverbal cues are in accordance with their verbal cues. In my opinion these debates have moved away from the people of America to the personal issues of the candidates who are standing up for the elections. The way the Nixon and Kennedy debate took place, with poise from both candidates and their

History of Mexican Revolution Essay Example for Free

History of Mexican Revolution Essay The novel transports readers to a ghost town on the desert plains in Mexico, and there it weaves together tales of passion, loss, and revenge. The village of Comala is populated by the wandering souls of former inhabitants, individuals not yet pure enough to enter heaven. Like the character Juan Preciado, who travels to Comala and suddenly finds himself confused, as readers we are not sure about what we see, hear, or understand. But the novel is enigmatic for other reasons. Since publication in 1955, the novel has come to define a style of writing in Mexico. Sparse language, echoes of orality, details heavy with meaning, and a fragmentary structure transformed the literary representation of rural life; instead of the social realism that had dominated in earlier decades, Rulfo created a quintessentially Mexican, modernist gothic.. The haunting effect of Pedro Paramo derives from the fitful story of Mexican modernity, a story that the novel tells in a way that more objective historical and sociological analyses cannot. As an aesthetic expression characterized by imaginative understanding, the novel explores Mexican social history of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The decadent remnants of a quasi-feudal social order, violent revolutions, and a dramatic exodus from the countryside to the city all gave rise to ghost towns across Mexico. Pedro Paramo tells the stories of three main characters: Juan Preciado, Pedro Paramo, and Susana San Juan. From the point of view of Juan Preciado, the novel is the story of a sons search for identity and retribution. Juans mother, Dolores Preciado, was Pedro Paramos wife. Although he does not bear his fathers name, Juan is Pedros only legitimate son. Juan has returned to Comala to claim [j]ust whats ours, as he had earlier promised his dying mother. Juan Preciado guides readers into the ghost story as he encounters the lost souls of Comala, sees apparitions, hears voices, and eventually suspects that he too is dead. We see through Juans eyes and hear with his ears the voices of those buried in the cemetery, a reading experience that evokes the poetic obituaries of Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology (1915). Along with Juan Preciado, readers piece together these fragments of lives to construct an image of Comala and its demise. Interspersed among the fragments recounting Juans story are flashbacks to the biography of Pedro Paramo. Pedro is the son of landowners who have seen better days. He also loves a young girl, Susana San Juan, with a desire that consumes his life into adulthood. I came to Comala because I had been told that my father, a man named Pedro Paramo, lived there. —page 3 Although the story line in these biographical fragments follows a generally chronological order, the duration of time is strangely distorted; brief textual passages that may read like conversational exchanges sometimes condense large historical periods. Moreover, the third-person narrative voice oscillates between two discursive registers. On the one hand, poetic passages of interior monologue capture Pedros love for Susana and his sensuality; on the other, more exterior descriptions and dialogues represent a domineering rancher determined to amass wealth and possessions. Within this alternation between the first- and third-person narrative voices, readers must listen for another voice and reconstruct a third story, that of Susana San Juan. We overhear bits of her tale through the ears of Juan Preciado, listening with him to the complaints that Susana—in her restless death—gives forth in the cemetery of Comala. I was thinking of you, Susana. Of the green hills. Of when we used to fly kits in the windy season. We could hear the sounds of life from the town below; we were high above on the hill, playing out string to the wind. Help me Susana. And soft hands would tighten on mine. Let out more string. —page 12 Poetic sections evoke her passion for another man, Florencio, and Pedro never becomes the object of Susanas affection. Juan Preciado, Pedro Paramo, and Susana San Juan are all haunted by ghosts; in turn, they become ghosts who haunt the realities of others. They say that when people from there die and go to hell, they come back for a blanket. —page 6 Although as readers we have the sense of lives once lived by these characters, they emerge for us as phantasms, as partially known presences who are not immediately intelligible and who linger with inexplicable tenacity. Reading Pedro Paramo creates a transformative recognition of Mexicos move toward modernity in the early twentieth century; more than the objective lessons learned from social and cultural history, as a novel, Pedro Paramo produces a structure of feeling for readers that immerses us through the experience of haunting. As ghosts, Pedro, Susana, and Juan point outward to the social context of Mexico in the difficult movement toward modernization, toward social arrangements that never completely die as a newer social order is established. Pedros accumulation of land as a rancher harks back to the trends of capital accumulation during the benign dictatorship of President Porfirio Diaz (1876-1911). The Porfiriato strove to modernize the nation through the development of infrastructure and investment; it allowed for anomalies such as the creation of the Media Luna ranch and strong local power brokers such as Pedro Paramo who shared the interests of the elite and helped maintain a thinly veiled feudal social order. Within this context, Susana San Juan and other individuals murmur their complaints in ghostly whispers. Indeed, at one point, Rulfo planned to call the novel Los murmullos—the murmurs. Speaking in the streets of Comala, overheard in dreams, and groaning in the cemetery, these spectral murmurs bespeak a reality hidden beneath the facade of Porfirian progress. The Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920 gave expression to repressed peasants—the campesinos of rural Mexico—and put an end to the Porfiriato. Susana San Juan, in turn, reveals the repressed role of women in a patriarchal order. In this world women are chattel and ranch-owners can forcibly populate the countryside with bastard children by asserting feudal rights to the bodies of peasant women living on their lands. Peasant revolutionaries and Susana San Juan as well are all manipulated by Pedro Paramo. He can force events to keep them all in the places where he would have them, but he cannot control their desires and their pleasures. The peasants celebrate festivals, and after the revolution they eventually rebel again by participating in the Cristero Revolt of 1926-1929. Susana suffers guilt and remembers pleasure in evocative passages that underscore her erotic ties to Florencio, a man unknown to others in the novel, perhaps a dead soldier from the revolution, the man Pedro would have had to be in order to have Susanas love. The sky was crowded with fat, swollen stars. The moon had come out for a little while and then vanished. It was one of those sad moons that nobody looks at or even notices. It hung there for a little while, pale and disfigured, and then hid itself behind the mountains. -Juan Rulfo References Carol Clark DLugo, The Fragmented Novel in Mexico: The Politics of Form (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997), 70-81. Patrick Dove, Exigele lo nuestro: Deconstruction, Restitution and the Demand of Speech in Pedro Paramo, Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies 10. 1 (2001): 25-44,

The Diamond Essay -- Diamonds Jewelry

The Diamond Diamond is the best known gem. It is known as the â€Å"king of gems† for its brilliance and for being the hardest mineral on earth. (Foa, p.50) Its characteristics enable it to be used for many different purposes. Since diamonds are the hardest gems on Mohs’ scale, they make useful tools for industrial purposes, such as drilling hard materials. However, they are quite rare, which makes them very valuable. Their beauty and brilliance make them perfect for jewelry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Diamond is made up of carbon. Another form of pure carbon is graphite. Graphite is the stable form of carbon, found at the earth’s surface. Despite the fact that they have identical chemical composition, the two minerals are drastically different. Diamond is the hardest known substance and is usually light colored and transparent, while graphite is greasy, easily powdered, and very dark in color. Diamond is the hardest gem on Mohs’ hardness scale and graphite is the softest. Diamond is very hard because of its dense packing and interlocking atomic arrangement. Graphite, on the other hand, although it is the same element, is more loosely packed and has a six-sided, layered configuration, which makes it soft (Pough, 1991). The differences between graphite and diamonds are accounted for by the conditions in which they are created. Diamonds form over long periods of time, between 100 km and 200 km below the surface. At this great depth, carbon gets a chance to cool very gradually, forming diamond crystals. When volcanic eruptions occur, magma carries the diamonds up to the surface of the earth. Kimberlite lavas carrying diamonds erupt at anywhere between 10 and 30 km/hour and increase their velocity to several hundred km/hour within the last few kilometers. (Pough, 44) At the surface, this lava cools and turns into Kimberlite rock. That is why diamonds are often found in kimberlite, a volcanic rock, which is often much younger than the diamonds themselves. All diamonds that are around today are at least 990,000,000 years old. If the same element carbon found its way to the surface, before it got a chance to form crystals and solidify, it would turn into graphite. Diamond crystals occur in a variety of shapes and forms. There are octahedral, cubic, and dodecahedral diamond crystals. The octahedral crystals are formed with eight sides, the cubic ones have six sides, and the dodecahedra... ...es where mining takes place, high quality diamonds are not abundant at all. On the average, a diamond mine yields less than one carat of diamond for every five tons of rock. Of this, on average, less than 20% is usable for gems and half of this is lost in cutting. (Arem, p.37) In order to be used in jewelry, after diamonds are mined, they must be cut. Because diamonds have such a high hardness, they are cut using other diamonds. What allows them to be cut at all is the fact that they do not have uniform harness throughout the entire stone. For example, the point of an octahedron is harder than the surface of an octahedral face. Therefore, when powdered diamond is used to cut a diamond crystal, the powder will always contain some particles that are oriented in a â€Å"hard† direction in relation to the crystal being cut. (Arem, p.38). BIBLIOGRAPHY Arem, Joel E. All-Color Guide: Gems and Jewelry. 2nd edition. Geoscience Press, Inc. 1992. Fisher, P. J. The Science of Gems. Charles Scribner’s Sons. New York, 1966. Foa, Emma. Pockets Gemstones. DK Publishing. New York, 1997. Pough, Frederick H. Peterson Guide to Rocks and Minerals. Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston, 1991.

Life Cycle Assessment Essay

This Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) aims to evaluate the environmental impact of the production of candlesticks. All the different materials and processes required to manufacture candles need to be taken into consideration to determine the impacts on the environment. The most common material used to manufacture candles is paraffin wax. Each candle comes in some type of individual packaging most of the time. Candle wicks are made using various natural fibers, such as reeds, rushes, or cotton. An important refinement in wick technology introduced the plaited wick, which burned more than unplaited wicks. Currently, twisted or plaited cotton makes up most of the wicks. The candlestick is made of steel, or could also be made of metal. The functional unit will be a 125ml candle able to generate up to 25 hours of light. Each steel-made candlestick can only hold one candle, and can be used several times. Inputs: †¢Paraffin wax †¢Cotton †¢Metal †¢Materials for packaging Outputs: †¢Gas emissions: when candles burn, paraffin wax emits greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide. †¢Depletion of natural resources: paraffin wax is derived from crude oil. Paraffin candles are petroleum products, a non renewable resource. It could increase pollution due to oil spills and the processes needed to extract petroleum. At the same time, the extraction of metal needed for the candlestick causes large volumes of solid waste, requires large amounts of energy, and produces air, soil, and water pollution. †¢Chemicals toxicity: some candles might have lead or zinc in their wick, which release harmful gasses when they burn. Also, scented candles can release toxins from the chemicals used to give them scent. Question 2 of 3 (10 points) Corporate Environmental Management Tools †¢Ecolabelling: Swan eco-label was developed for candles by the Nordic ecolabelling. The main purpose is to reduce the emission and effect of substances harmful to users’ health and the reduction of gases that have and impact on climate change. According to this scheme, 19 out of 28 are environmental requirements, such as description of the candle, description of chemical additives, among others. †¢Design for the Environment: Enabling consumers to quickly identify products that are safer and that can help protect the environment will make them choose a certain product more frequently. If manufacturers start focusing on producing candles that are made from the safest possible ingredients, consumers, producers, and the environment will benefit. †¢Sustainability reports: Keeping track of environmental performance and the capacity of a company to use and maintain resources in a way that prevents depletion, will improve economic, and social performance. If candles can be produced in a more sustainable way, that is, using substitutes sources that are renewable and less harmful, the final product will be more successful in all the areas. Therefore, reporting this information will allow constant improvement of all the processes. †¢Integrated supply chain management: It is important to know which stages in a supply chain are the ones that are being less efficient, and negatively affecting the production of a good, in this case, candlesticks. Determining these processes can enable their improvement to have a more environmentally friendly supply chain. †¢Carbon footprint: As we need metals for producing a candlestick, we depend on large amounts of energy and, if the energy is generated using fossil fuels, it has a large carbon footprint. Measuring carbon footprint allows the whole manufacturing process to be analyzed, realizing which stages have a stronger impact and how can they be improved. †¢Cleaner production: improvement of the machinery used in each stage of production can decrease the environmental impact of producing candles, as it will decrease waste created after different processes. It can also make the processes more efficient, benefiting the company. Development of technology has made these improvements possible. †¢Stakeholder analysis: every single company must consider all the interested parts in a product as they are the ones that decide how successful and efficient a good will is. If the manufacturing of candlesticks is for example affecting the surroundings of a plant, people, that are consumers too , can generate social impacts that will worsen the company’s performance and image. Question 3 of 3 (4 points) Challenges and limitations Candles can be made of different types of wax that have different impacts on the environment. Some of the raw materials that could be used to produce a candle can be less harmful than others. The candleholder life span could vary depending on the quality of the metal that is being used. Therefore, changing the life span of the candlestick. Transition from a â€Å"Cradle to Grave† to a â€Å"Cradle to Cradle† Steel has high scrap metal recycling value. Old metal material can be reused to make new products. Recycling old metal products uses 95% less energy than manufacturing it using new materials. Metal recycling processes require using a lot of energy. If we recycle metal products we only have to use a low percentage of this total energy, decreasing the use of our natural resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. To minimize wasteful wrapping of candles, the material used for packaging can reduce the environmental impact by choosing more recyclable materials. Aluminum, for instance, could be used as a base for the candles, or even to manufacture a candleholder, considering it can be easily recycled. Glass, can be recycled too, reused, and even upcycled into new materials or products. Avoiding candles with extra plastic packaging can also decrease the negative impacts on the environment. In addition to packaging decisions, considering the materials used for manufacturing of candles can benefit the producers, consumers and the environment. For example, soy and beeswax candle emit fewer harmful chemicals when burned. Another way to reduce pollution is to buy from local candlemakers. This reduces wasteful packaging, and there is no need to transport raw materials to a farther manufacturing plant, and to consumers at longer geographical distances. Thus, reducing fuel usage and supporting local bus inesses as well.

Current debate on good governance and civil debate

IntroductionNon-government organizations are organizations that are not controlled by government and are non profit making. Their purpose is to provide a service or object in which they are formed for they offer social welfare services to workers and communities in which they operate they play a major role in the society because they determine family structures, family relation and also the education system that would produce effective man power for them and others. NGO, s has control over political power nationality and even power over borders. (Steve. Witt. (2005)They also contribute to the needs of the poor, deals with issues of the religion in a given area and hence impact heavily on the attitude and values that a given community adapts to. NGO, s helps in the contribution of the humanitarian affairs that serve the communities interests. NGO, s also deals with national and multilateral policy making and even local actions, .NGO, s provides employment to the citizens and assist in matters of dividing international authority, help to research, assess, report and publicize details on behalf of those accountable to them. (K.Rodman, (1998). They also deal with stability and security issues. Most non-government doesn’t depend heavily on the government for funding but the government may assist them partially with funds. They thus do not involve government representative within their organization and they also don't involve them in their decision making process. â™ «AREAS OF INEFFECTIVENESS, UNACCOUTABILITY AND   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ELITIST NATURE OF NGO, SNon-governmental organizations are supposed to be effective on their objectives and also accountable to those they serve. However, this non government organization have increasingly failed by being unaccountable to those they are supposed to work for, they have continually been ineffective in their performance and they have adapted to elitist nature whereby they segregate themselves from others and only work for their own selfish interest and for the interest of those whose status they consider important to their affairs and has influential power that makes them be treated preferentially this attitude can be termed as a mechanism of elite capture. (Steve. Witt. (2005) â™ «The ineffectiveness, the unaccountability and the elitist nature of NGO, s is evident among much renowned organization and this can be seen to be true when one assesses their performance with regard to the current debate on good governance and civil society. (K.Rodman, (1998).Roles of good governanceThe current debate on good governance and civil society emphasizes on peace building, democratization, quality leadership, responsibility and proper civil institutions. NGO, s should assist in helping in peace building in countries in which they are situated, they should be involved in the resolving existing issues in the country for example by  Ã‚   helping to find solutions to a countries conflic ting issues when they arise, mediating disputing groups when there are ethnic tensions caused by political instability, coming up with measures that will reduce tribalism, nepotism and corruption, help in recovering the economy when the country is experiencing economic depression, assisting the needy   in their surrounding environment for example when natural disaster arise such as flood, earthquake ,terrorist attacks among others,Stabilizing political turmoil being experienced in that particular country and many other issues. (K.Rodman, (1998).   However, the current non-government organization do not engage themselves with this issues on the contrary instead of doing this, the NGO, s have left this in the ruin of government and civil societies. Non-governmental organizations have also in some instances contributed to peace downfall by supporting one side of the worrying groups rather than being neutral.They tend to favor that group that have influential power and assumes those who are less powerful. This has made them to be unaccountable and untrustworthy and cannot be depended upon by both the government and the members of the societies who would have otherwise depended on them. The management allows political influences when making decisions which imposes a negative impact to all the organization stakeholders and employees who oppose the decision on the basis that they are not consulted and. this causes conflicts, lots of job turn over, redundancy and withdrawal and this leads to job inefficiency. (K.Rodman, (1998).They have been ineffective with regards to matters of enhancing democratization. This is because they have indulged in politics funding complains and supporting certain politicians who have influence upon them and this has contributed heavily in the reduction of democracy as they do not play their role as pressure group to pressurize the government to observe democracy.Non governmental organization have also been ineffective to help in matte rs of maturation of nation’s policy and economy other than participating in development and transformations, this organizations involve in the achievement of their own interest that is; what will benefit them other than what will be beneficial to all who are accountable to them, they pursue their own goals without incorporating the objectives of government and civil societies and this leads to lack of goals commonality hence retarding the government policies such as poverty and illiteracy eradication.LeadershipLeadership and quality management are important for any country or institution to have good governance. Non governmental organization are poorly managed because of lack of qualified staff because the recruitment of workforce is based not on technical competence and merit, but on favoritism and thus the management have no proper management skills, the employees under such management thus work with a lot of skepticism and heavy opposition and most of them resist changes a nd all the rules that the management enforces and this leads to difficulties in implementation of proper practices, policies and procedures that are fundamental in developing strategies that ensures that organizations objectives are met. (K.Rodman, (1998).This also has led to poor selection of policies and allocation of resources. The leadership style in current non-governmental organization is that of authoritative and bureaucratic which ignores human elements due to impersonality of interpersonal relations. This style of leadership imposes rules, norms and procedures to be followed. The leaders make decisions and demands everyone to follow, they do not allow the other members of staff to be involved when making decisions and they harshly react when the rules they enforces are not properly followed this causes slow development, work delays, inefficiency and frustrations to citizens, employees and any other stakeholders and this reduces the effectiveness of NGO, s as a whole. (Carri e Meyer, (1999),Corruption eradication is a key issue in good governance especially in Africa. . NGO, s are faced with issues of corruption where they demands bribery to assist in matters they were supposed to deliver to the citizens without demanding any form of payment and this makes them unaccountable to those who rightfully depended on their services. (sH.Englund, (2004) There’s also a lot of misappropriation of funds and lack of proper fund management.This causes inadequate funding leading to shortage of resources to implement their policies and this can also eventually lead to the liquidation of the organization. When organization funds are mismanaged it causes serious implications, which makes the organization unaccountable and inefficient, which leads them to a step back to transparency and accountability. This vice has passed on to civil societies and government at large.Environmental issues  NGO, s engages in activities that are harmful to the surrounding environm ent. This is by social unethical and unaccountable activities. For example, they may engage in activities that involves emissions of exhaustive gases that pollute the environment or even have technological machinery that produce disturbing noises around the environment they are situated in. They often do not take   proper measures and responsibility   to eradicate this implication arguing that since they are a non profit making organizations, members of the communities should take care of their environment and the fact that they are in needs of the organizations   services   they should allow them to deliver them respectfully without dealing with environmental issues. This causes negative impacts to the community and it has hampered the life of the society and animals especially where there is water and air pollution. They can be termed as negligence of the virtue of accountability to the society.( K.Rodman, (1998).NGO, s has turned into a mechanism of elite capture. They te nd to involve only the elite in formulation of their policies. (H.Englund, (2004) There is lack of representation of civil society as a whole and the marginalized social movements are sidelined. Regional consultative of African non-governmental organizations, s and civil society organization lay foundation for the governance forum stressed on role of women in leadership. It has been observed that there is evident gender inequality within these organizations. Few non government organizations in Africa have observed this as few women are employed or hold decision making positions in management of NGO, s. the elites in NGO, s have various skills that they can utilize in government running but they are trapped in the NGO, s. in addition, instead of involving the locals to do various jobs they subcontract them. (Carrie Meyer, (1999),NGO, s has been ineffective because of selective area of operations. They concentrate in certain areas than the others. This makes those sidelined areas not to enjoy their operations. The NGO, s may not operate in certain areas that have poor infrastructure, lack of effective communications and lack of technology. This has led to unequal distribution of resources. The NGO, s have not helped in establishment of proper running civil institutions and instead they leave this role to the governmentConclusionIn order to ensures that non-governmental organizations work effectively and successfully there is need to ensure that there is interactions of workers, formal and informal groups, government itself and any other influential factors to the organization. Democratic involvement by this organization should be considered as it is equally and critically important in enhancing the effectiveness of this organization. (Carrie Meyer, (1999),   They should be committed to implement their services to all interested stakeholders successfully. They should also avoid favoritism and avoid authoritative leadership and adapt to other ways of leading tha t will bring about motivation and morale of workers in the organization. Non governmental organizations should also ensure that they take responsibility and take the necessary actions required of them when their activities imposes harm to the surrounding environment. (Steve. Witt. (2005) They should also ensure that all non-governmental organizations are effective, efficient and accountable and are not expressed as mechanism of elitist capture. References:l Steve. Witt. (2005). Changing roles of NGO, s in the creation.l Sangeeta Kamat. (2002), development hegemony, American university pressl Carrie Meyer, (1999), The economics and politics of NGO, s in Latin American; praeger publisher.l Maha abreirahman, (2004), the politics of NGO, s in Egypt; the American university press 5H.Teegen(2003) international NGO, s as global institution; Journals of international managementl K.Rodman, (1998). Think globally; vol 12l Daniel .a. Bell and Jean Marc (2004) university pressl H.Englund, (2004 ), prisoners of freedom; human rights and Africa poor.l S, Goonahlak, (2006). Journal, foreign fundedl Lyal.s.Sunga, (2003), NGO, s involvement in international human rights monitoring

Free Essays on Diffrences Of North And South Colonies

â€Å"Differences of the Southern Colonies† The Northern and Southern Colonies were settled around the same time by the same people and they had some similarities but many differences, They were settled by the English and therefore both were English Colonies. Hopefully, this will help you better understand the developmental and economical differences of the Southern and Northern Colonies. The Southern Colonies were originally settled by joint-stock colonies that sought gold and other riches, but after finding none, they began farming tobacco after realizing the success John Rolfe had. He was a man who lived in Jamestown and pretty much saved the Southern Colonies through the cash crop, tobacco. He realized that growing tobacco could be extremely profitable for the Southern Colonies because everyone in England wanted the sweet-flavored tobacco that could be grown easily in the Americas. Since there was such great demand for the tobacco, they needed people to tend to the crops. England sent over 30,000 convicts over to America to work the fields. There was such a need for workers, that traders began kidnapping men from England. However, most of the workers were indentured servants looking for a new start in the colonies. These people signed a contract with a wealth farmer stating that if the man worked on the farm for seven years, with no pay, that he would be given land of his own to farm. Indentured servants were mainly poor, uneducated, white males from England with no skill in farming. When the finally realized indentured servants weren’t a very good idea, they would go to Africa to get blacks for slavery. Slavery eventually became the backbone of the Southern Colonies. Women in those days were the keys to education because the men worked all day and, since there were not many women in the South, none of the people were educated. This would affect the Southern Colonies even into the twentieth century. The North, was... Free Essays on Diffrences Of North And South Colonies Free Essays on Diffrences Of North And South Colonies â€Å"Differences of the Southern Colonies† The Northern and Southern Colonies were settled around the same time by the same people and they had some similarities but many differences, They were settled by the English and therefore both were English Colonies. Hopefully, this will help you better understand the developmental and economical differences of the Southern and Northern Colonies. The Southern Colonies were originally settled by joint-stock colonies that sought gold and other riches, but after finding none, they began farming tobacco after realizing the success John Rolfe had. He was a man who lived in Jamestown and pretty much saved the Southern Colonies through the cash crop, tobacco. He realized that growing tobacco could be extremely profitable for the Southern Colonies because everyone in England wanted the sweet-flavored tobacco that could be grown easily in the Americas. Since there was such great demand for the tobacco, they needed people to tend to the crops. England sent over 30,000 convicts over to America to work the fields. There was such a need for workers, that traders began kidnapping men from England. However, most of the workers were indentured servants looking for a new start in the colonies. These people signed a contract with a wealth farmer stating that if the man worked on the farm for seven years, with no pay, that he would be given land of his own to farm. Indentured servants were mainly poor, uneducated, white males from England with no skill in farming. When the finally realized indentured servants weren’t a very good idea, they would go to Africa to get blacks for slavery. Slavery eventually became the backbone of the Southern Colonies. Women in those days were the keys to education because the men worked all day and, since there were not many women in the South, none of the people were educated. This would affect the Southern Colonies even into the twentieth century. The North, was...

Burmese Python Snake Facts

Burmese Python Snake Facts The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is the third-largest species of snake in the world. Although native to tropical southern Asia, the beautifully patterned, docile snakes are popular throughout the world as pets. Fast Facts: Burmese Python Scientific Name: Python bivittatusCommon Name: Burmese pythonBasic Animal Group: ReptileSize: 12 feetWeight: 15-165 poundsDiet: CarnivoreLifespan: 20 yearsHabitat: Tropical rainforests of southern Asia; invasive in FloridaPopulation: Unknown; rare in the wildConservation Status: Vulnerable Description The wild form of the snake has black-bordered brown blotches on a lighter brown background. Captive-bred species come in other colors and patterns, including albino, green, labyrinth, and granite morphs. Albino Burmese Python. Stuart Dee / Getty Images Wild pythons average 3.7 m (12.2 ft), but specimens exceeding 4 m (13 ft) are not uncommon. Rarely, snakes attain lengths between 5 and 6 meters in length. Females are slightly larger than males, but much thicker and heavier. Recorded weights of mature females range from 14 to 75 kg (30 to 165 lb), while weights of males range from 7 to 15 kg (15 to 33 lb). Dwarf forms of the snake occur in some parts of its range and in captivity. Habitat and Distribution Burmese pythons live in tropical regions of southern Asia, always near a permanent source of water. While they are excellent climbers with prehensile tails, they may be found in grasslands and marshes as well as woodlands and jungles. The species is invasive in the southeastern United States. Burmese python range in Asia. Termininja   Diet Like other terrestrial snakes, burmese pythons are carnivores that feed mainly on mammals and birds. The snake is a constrictor that captures and kills prey by biting it and holding it with its rear-pointing teeth, wrapping its coils around prey, contracting its muscles, and suffocating the animal. Prey size depends on snake size. A young python may eat rodents, while a mature specimen can take livestock, adult deer, and alligators. Burmese pythons dont hunt humans, but they have caused some deaths. Burmese pythons adapt their physiology to prey availability. The snakes are opportunistic and will eat whenever prey is offered. Obesity is common in captive specimens. When fasting, the snake has a normal heart volume, reduced stomach volume and acidity, and reduced intestinal mass. Once prey is ingested, the ventricle of the snakes heart increases 40% in mass to aid digestion, its intestines gain mass, and its stomach enlarges and produces more acid. The Burmese python is an apex predator that doesnt face many threats by other animals. Hatchlings may be preyed upon by birds of prey and other carnivores. In Florida, Burmese pythons, depending on their size, may be preyed upon by alligators and crocodiles. Behavior Burmese pythons are primarily nocturnal. Younger, smaller snakes are equally comfortable in trees or on the ground, while larger, more massive snakes prefer the rainforest floor. Most of the snakes time is spent hidden in underbrush. The snakes can stay underwater up to 30 minutes and are excellent swimmers. In cold weather, the snake may brumate in a tree. Brumation is a period of motionlessness and low metabolism, but it isnt the same as true hibernation. Reproduction and Offspring Mating occurs in early spring. Females lay clutch of 12 to 36 eggs in March or April. They incubate the eggs until they hatch by wrapping around them and twitching their muscles to release heat. The female leaves the eggs once they hatch. A hatchling uses its egg tooth to break free of its shell and may remain with the egg until after molting before venturing out to hunt. Burmese pythons live about 20 years. There is evidence Burmese pythons, unlike most reptiles, can reproduce asexually via parthenogenesis. One captive female, isolated from males, produced viable eggs for five years. A genetic analysis confirmed the offspring were genetically identical to their mother. Conservation Status The IUCN lists the Burmese python as vulnerable within its range. All of the large pythons face challenges because they are killed to make leather, used in folk medicine, eaten as food, and captured for the pet trade. To a lesser extent, habitat destruction affects the snakes, too. While the Burmese python occupies a large range, its population has continued to decline. Invasive Species in Florida Meanwhile, the snakes population growth in Florida poses a significant threat to other wildlife. The Burmese python gained a foothold in the United States when Hurricane Andrew destroyed a python breeding facility in 1992. The escaped snakes spread into the Everglades. The release or escape of pet snakes has contributed to the problem. As of 2007, Burmese pythons were found in Mississippi and throughout much of Florida. Where the snakes are well-established, populations of foxes, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, white-tailed deer, panthers, coyotes, and birds are seriously depressed or have disappeared. Pythons compete with the American alligator and also prey upon it. Pets and livestock in affected regions are at risk, as well. Florida sponsors hunting contests; regulates the importation, breeding, and sale of reptiles; and works to raise public awareness of invasive species. However, Burmese pythons remain a problem in the southeastern United States. Sources Campden-Main SM.  A Field Guide to the Snakes of South Vietnam. Washington, District of Columbia. pp. 8-9, 1970.Mazzotti, F. J., Rochford, M., Vinci, J., Jeffery, B. M., Eckles, J. K., Dove, C., Sommers, K. P. Implications of the 2013 Python Challenge ® for Ecology and Management of Python molorus bivittatus (Burmese python) in Florida.  Southeastern Naturalist,  15(sp8), 63-74, 2016.Stuart, B.; Nguyen, T.Q.; Thy, N.; Grismer, L.; Chan-Ard, T.; Iskandar, D.; Golynsky, E. Lau, M.W.N. Python bivittatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2012: e.T193451A2237271. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T193451A2237271.enWalters, T. M., Mazzotti, F. J., Fitz, H. C. Habitat Selection by the Invasive Species Burmese Python in Southern Florida.  Journal of Herpetology,  50(1), 50-56, 2016.Van Mierop, LHS and S.M. Barnard. Observations on the reproduction of Python molurus bivittatus (Reptilia, Serpentes, Boidae). Journal of Herpetology. 10: 333–340, 1976. doi:10.23 07/1563071

Evolution of Gender Norms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Evolution of Gender Norms - Essay Example The first wave of liberation, which has been named feminism led to the allowance of women to vote. The success, however, was not achieved in all the other demands. The start of the industrial revolution led to discrimination based on sex, and despite the role accomplished by the women in the earlier slavery struggles, they were not allowed to assume offices. They were given positions that did not require decision making. The mistreating and discrimination based on sex resulted in the creation of and start of second liberation. The second liberation started in the 1960s addressed issues relating to employment discrimination and other social injustices that were not addressed in the earlier revolution. The urge for second liberation was brought about by the discriminatory laws passed by their male counterpart that barred discrimination in the basis of race originality, religion, color and not sex. This law did not address the feminine problems thereby forcing women to start lobbying, f or recognition and change of laws to cover them against discrimination. The resultant effect of their liberation was the inclusion of sex in the anti-discrimination law. The women's liberation movements were marked by the struggle against certain issues that needed to be addressed. Despite their involvement in the liberation wars and the Second World War, women were not respected in the society leading to the creation of the new approach in the fight for their right. Minority groups worked with them in the process of liberation. Several issues were highlighted as the major reasons for the liberation movement. Among the conspicuous ones are; equity, employment inequalities, freedom of choice and the ability to vote in the elections. The liberation movement witnessed in America was marked with several issues but the main focus of the liberation movement was the protection and development of women rights. The challenge of the liberation was the role of women in the society and the chan ging trends in the development of the various issues including change in marriage. In addition, the involvement of women in the social issues contributed to the increased awareness of the need for freedom (Davis, 1999, p. 135). Several authors have written articles based on personal experience and events that caused or propelled women liberation movement. Several events affected the speed and effectiveness of women liberation movement. These events include the Second World War, the tradition and culture of the different races. The liberation movement and trends The Victorian era was marked with several discrepancies, especially the rights of women. The women of that time were not allowed to own property, sue, and did not have suffrage rights. The Victorian England was distinguished by a strict social hierarchy (Drewnowski & Specter, 2003, p. 14). The explanation of the complicated nature of class social system is depicted by the position of the governesses. Additionally they were ex pected to participate in the labor as paid workforce during the era following the industrial revolution. Beginning after the industrial revolution in 1948, the revolution did face several changes and challenges. Women's liberation started as a result of the discussion in a small friendly meeting, where Elizabeth Stanton wrote the eighteen injustices facing women, resulting in the start of a

Innovation Process Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Innovation Process Design - Essay Example Key Components of Theories Innovation is a common way for companies today to initiate in order for them to reach a specific competitive advantage (Weerawardena & Mavondo, 2011). In order to achieve this, many firms are trying to establish the point that they need to ensure execution of strategies that are competitive enough to provide them the competitive edge over the other established firms in their industry or specific niche (Salunke, Weerawardena & McColl-Kennedy, 2011). In many technological-related companies, innovation has become the major point of their business, because that is one of the substantial ways by which they can compete and even set among themselves a cutting edge advantage over the other competitors to ensure a smooth flow of their operation or achieve a potential market share. At the most specific level, firms that are into innovation or are risks lovers are expected to provide unique product or service offerings (Cucculelli & Ermini, 2013). In this way, they ca n offer highly differentiated product or service offerings that matter to people. Many technological-based firms today from time to time have to produce offerings that are new to the market for the target segments to try and they remarkably eliminate old products in order to introduce success or opportunity for the new ones. This is common to take place in the mobile phone industry where old models will have to be phased out and leave a path for new products and gain from them. Establishing a new product or a unique one is therefore a form of strategy that a firm must embrace. Strategic business innovation is therefore one of the ultimate moves of technological-based companies today. They want to set a new way for them to be able to provide something that is new that matters a lot to their target market. In doing so, a clear business plan must be associated with the goal to innovate. Innovation is not just a simple process, but a complex one that it requires the most appropriate bus iness model. Prior to the emancipation of this business model, every firm that wishes to go for innovation will therefore have to set a clear business plan for themselves. In this way, they can be guided on what to do next especially in cases when there is a need to involve the right plans. Business plans are integral components of a successful innovation process. After all, it requires substantial planning moments prior to the actual innovation process. These plans need to be considered because they fuel the essential growth or development of the organization as far as the concept of innovation is concerned. Innovation therefore is a forward approach that positively aims for advancement and growth (Colombelli, Haned & Le Bas, 2013). Anything that hinders this growth will have to be remarkably considered a contradictory approach against innovation. The backward approach might have to consider plans, actions or initiatives that are to produce backward results. In this case, no innova tion will be necessary, because innovation as a process of growth development requires more engaged idea to embrace something new or fresh ideas for future enhancement of the business. In this regard, proper orientation of the company concerning their evaluation process is necessary or required because such move will have to ensure the emancipation of the right program or actions to be taken into account. Concerning actions that are allowing companies to move forward with

Christology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Christology - Essay Example Parables can also easily be transformed to different situations, cultures and modern societies. They offer a real-life experience version and a psychological and spiritual accuracy. Jesus never just handed out the truth on a silver platter. He wanted the people to really think about their meaning and the impacts. Jesus’ parables, on the one hand, referred to everyday life situations, such as the ‘Parable of the Sower’ (Mark 4:1-20), the ‘Parable of the Good Samaritan’ (Luke 10:30-37) or the ‘Parable of the Pearl’ (Matthew 13:44-46). These parables deal, on the other hand, with much heavier messages about religious themes such as the Kingdom of God and the importance of praying (John). According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a Gospel is a â€Å"message concerning Christ† or â€Å"one of the first four New Testament books†. According to history, the Gospels were written at least 30 years after Jesus’ death. Can these Gospels be accurate accounts? Many believers agree on this and blindly follow the words of the writers, but since scholars started to research the Gospels, they discovered that Jesus in the Gospels is quite different than Jesus in the historic accounts (Albl 276). Five of the main points of dispute are these mentioned in Albl (281-282). The first point is that the Gospel of John differs from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. The second is that the first Gospel was written approximately 30 years after Jesus’ death, which means that it is not an eye-witness account. The third is that Jesus spoke Aramaic and the Gospels are written in Greek. The high ‘supernatural’ incidents that raise questions of reliability is number four and number five is that the Gospels were written to encourage faith. Supporting the last point given by Albl (282), that the Gospels were written with the explicit purpose to encourage faith, is the rumor that the Christian church burned

Generalized Cross Correlation With Phase Transform Information Technology Essay

Generalized Cross Correlation With Phase Transform Information Technology Essay The sound signal from a source is captured by a pair of microphones. The analog signal from the microphone must be amplified and converted into digital for further processing. Hence, an analog to digital converter external to the FPGA is used. After the analog signal is digitized, the signal is fed into FPGA for source localization. The digital signals are first saved into input buffer. In our case, we have used First in First out (FIFO) as a memory controller. The signals in time domain are then converted into frequency domain by using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Generalized cross correlation (GCC) is used for the estimation of time difference of arrival (TDOA) of the sound signals from the microphone pair. After TDOA is estimated, we then calculate the direction from which the sound signal is arriving which we refer to as direction of arrival (DOA). The appropriate degree is used by the stepper motor controller module which controls the rotation and speed of the stepper motor. The signal from stepper motor controller module is fed into stepper motor driver circuit which is responsible in energizing the appropriate coils of the stepper motor in particular sequence so as to rotate the stepper motor to the direction of the sound source. 4.2 Time difference of arrival (TDOA) estimation: Consider a sound source and a pair of microphones located at some distance from the source. As sound travels through air with constant speed, it takes time to arrive from source to the microphone location. The farther a microphone is located from the sound source, the longer it will take for the sound to reach the microphone. Two microphones located at different places will receive the same sound (plus noise) at a different time. The TDOA method takes advantage of this delayed arrival to estimate the location of the source. [ref mediatech4] For a source signal s(t) propagated through a noisy and reverberant environment, the sensor signals of two spatially separated microphones and and can be expressed as: (4.1) (4.2) where is the attenuation factor, and are the time delays, and the additive term includes the channel noise in the microphone system as well as any ambient noise for the sensor. This noise is assumed to be uncorrelated with . The TDOA estimation calculates the relative delay of the time delays and of the two recorded microphone signals and defined as: [ref 10.1.1.9.3680] (4.3) Now formulae (4.1) and (4.2) can be written as (4.4) (4.5) The Fourier transform of captured signal from microphones and is expressed as: (4.6) (4.7) HELLO!! I am here! Fourier Transform GCC-PHAT Inverse Fourier Transform Max value to give TDOA xi(t) xj(t) Fig 4.2 Block for estimating TDOA Cross correlation between the two signals is calculated to estimate the time difference of arrival. The cross correlation of signals and is (4.8) The cross correlation, reaches its maximum at the time delay (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  t). is the fourier transform of the cross correlation spectrum and is obtained from the individual spectra of and : (4.9) where is the Fourier transform of and is the complex conjugate of the Fourier transform of . And may be expanded using equation (4.6) (4.10) It is assumed that the average energy of the captured signals is significantly greater than the interfering noise, such that (4.11) The last three terms of equation (4.10) are negligible compared to first term based on the above assumption. Expression (4.10) now reduces to: (4.12) The can be found by evaluating (4.13) where IFT stands for inverse Fourier transform Generalized Cross Correlation with Phase Transform (GCC-PHAT) A major limitation of the approach is that it is highly influenced by noise and reverberation. To minimize its influence on TDOA estimation, we need to whiten the cross correlation by using Generalized Cross Correlation with Phase Transform (GCC-PHAT) (4.14) And its time domain counterpart is: (4.15) Where FT stands for Fourier transform and IFT stands for inverse Fourier transform The output of the GCCPHAT function is delta like with peak at . The above analysis is based on analog signals and stationary . For digital processing, the are sampled and become discrete sequences . Also the are not stationary as the source of sound is liable to change location. For analysis, finite frames are also required due to computational constraints. Hence the usual windowing techniques are applied and the sampled signals are broken into analysis frames. [10.1.1.43.5850] After conversion into the discrete finite sequence domain, equation (4.15) becomes: (4.16) Direction of arrival (DOA) estimation It is possible to compute the position of the source through geometrical calculation once TDOA is estimated. We consider a simple model based on far field assumption. Microphone i Microphone j source direction  Ã‚ ¦  Ã‚ ± Figure 4.3 Computing source direction from TDOA Consider the Figure 4.3, which illustrates the case of 2 microphone array with a source in the far field. Using cosine law, we state that: (4.16) where is a unit vector pointing in the direction of the source and is the vector that goes from microphone i to microphone j. It can also be stated that: (4.17) where c is the velocity of sound. Taking microphone i as reference, we place stepper motor in the position of microphone i. The angle of sound signal arrival is given by (90- Ã‚ ¦) as shown in Figure 4.4. Also, from the figure, (90- Ã‚ ¦) =  Ã‚ ±.  Ã‚ ¦  Ã‚ ± stepper motor position 90- Ã‚ ¦ Microphone i Microphone j source direction Figure 4.4 Stepper motor position and estimation of direction of sound source. Fast Fourier Transform: Frequency analysis of discrete time signals is usually and most suitably performed on a digital signal processor, which may be a specially designed digital hardware or a general purpose digital computer. We convert the time-domain sequence to an equivalent frequency domain representation to perform frequency analysis on a discrete-time signal {x[n]}. We consider the representation of a sequence {x[n]} by samples of its spectrum X( Ã‚ ·). Such a frequency domain representation leads to the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), which is a powerful computational tool for performing frequency analysis of discrete time signals. In the view of the importance of the DFT in various digital signal processing applications, such as correlation analysis, linear filtering, spectrum analysis, its efficient computation is a topic that has received considerable attention by many mathematicians, engineers, and applied scientists[ ]. The number of complex multiplication and addition operations required by the simple forms both the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and Inverse Discrete Fourier Transform (IDFT) is of order N2 as there are N data points to calculate, each of which requires N complex arithmetic operations. For length n input vector x, the DFT is a length n vector X, with n elements: (4.18) Basically, DFT computes the sequence {X(k)} of N complex valued numbers given another sequence of data {x(n)} of length N, according to the formula (4.19) Where, Similarly, Inverse Discrete Fourier Transform (IDFT) is given by, (4.20) The DFT and IDFT involve essentially the same type of computations. Therefore, efficient computational algorithms for the DFT also apply to the efficient computation of the IDFT. Direct computation of X(k) involves N complex multiplications or each value of k, 4N real multiplications and N-1 complex additions (4N-2 real additions). Hence to compute all N values of the DFT requires N2 complex multiplications and N2-N complex additions. We may say they have algorithmic complexity O(N2) and hence is not a very efficient method. Hence, DFT will not be very useful for the majority of practical DSP applications if we cant do any better than this. However, there are a number of different Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithms that enable the calculation the Fourier transform of a signal much faster than a DFT. FFT exploits the symmetry and periodicity properties of the phase factor WN. In particular these two properties are: Symmetry property: (4.21) Periodicity property: (4.22) As the name suggests, FFTs are algorithms for quick calculation of discrete Fourier transform of a data vector. The FFT is a DFT algorithm which reduces the number of computations needed for N points from O(N 2) to O(N log2 N). The response of an FFT looks like a sinc function (sinx) / x, if the function to be transformed is not harmonically related to the sampling frequency, Radix 2 algorithm: It is one of the commonly used FFT algorithms. The Radix 2 algorithms are useful if N is a regular power of 2 (N=2p). If we assume that algorithmic complexity provides a direct measure of execution time and that the relevant logarithm base is 2 then as shown in Table 4.1, ratio of execution times for the (DFT) vs. (Radix 2 FFT) (denoted as Speed Improvement Factor) increases tremendously with increase in N. [fft.pdf] Number of points, N Complex multiplications in direct computation N2 Complex multiplications in FFT algorithm (N/2)log2N Speed improvement factor 4 16 4 4.0 8 64 12 5.3 16 256 32 8.0 32 1024 80 12.8 64 4096 192 21.3 128 16384 448 36.6 256 65536 1024 64.0 512 262144 2304 113.8 1024 1048576 5120 204.8 Table 4.1 Comparison of execution times, DFT and Radix -2 FFT There are two different radix 2 algorithms, Decimation in Time (DIT) and Decimation in frequency (DIF) algorithm. They both rely on the recursive decomposition of an N point transform into 2 (N/2) point transforms. This decomposition process can be applied to any composite (non prime) N. The method is particularly simple if N is divisible by 2 and if N is a regular power of 2, the decomposition can be applied repeatedly until the trivial 1 point transform is reached. Divide and conquer method is used to obtain the radix -2 decimation in frequency FFT. Figure 4.5 shows the first stage of the 8 point DIF algorithm. The decimation causes shuffling in data. -1 -1 -1 -1 x[0] x[1] x[2] x[4] x[3] x[5] x[6] x[7] X[0] X[1] X[2] X[3] X[5] X[4] X[6] X[7] N/2 Point DFT N/2 Point DFT g[0] g[2] g[1] g[3] h[0] h[1] h[2] h[3] WN0 WN1 WN2 WN3 Figure 4.5 First stage of 8 point Decimation in Frequency Algorithm The entire process involves v = log2N stages of decimation, where each stage involves N/2 butterflies of the type shown in the Figure 4.6. Here is the Twiddle factor. a b A=a+b B=(a-b)WN WN Figure 4.6 Butterfly scheme Consequently, the computation of N-point DFT via this algorithm requires (N/2) log2N complex multiplications. For illustrative purposes, the eight-point decimation-in frequency algorithm is shown in the Figure 4.7 below. We observe that the output sequence occurs in bit-reversed order with respect to the input. X[0] X[1] X[2] X[3] X[4] X[5] X[6] X[7] -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 WN0 WN0 WN0 WN0 WN0 WN2 WN0 WN2 WN0 WN1 WN2 WN3 x[0] x[1] x[2] x[3] x[4] x[5] x[6] x[7] Figure 4.7 8 point decimation in frequency algorithm Matlab Simulation Figure 4.8 Simulink model for verification of TDOA algorithm Simulink model is used to verify the algorithm for calculating the time difference of arrival (TDOA). Samples of audio signal is read from a wave file hello_8000.wav at 8kHz Windowing is done to take certain number of samples of the signal each time for further processing in order to estimate the TDOA . Audio signals are taken through two channels, where each channel assumes to be the signal from each microphone with certain delay samples added to one channel. From Figure 4.8 we can observe that 25 delay samples have been considered. Noise has been added externally using Gaussian Noise Generator block to check the resistance of the system against ambient noise. Our system showes good resistance to noise after analyzing with different noise conditions added to two channels. Figure 4.9 Plot of samples of time delay as viewed in scope The plot for samples of time delay obtained for simulation time of 20 sec is shown in figure 4.9. We see that a straight line is obtained at delay sample of 25. But, we can also see variations in between, with maximum value of delay samples shooting to 128. But the maximum probability we obtained is of 25 delay samples. Figure 4.10 Plot of time delay (secs) as viewed in scope Corresponding to the delay samples, we then calculate the time delay in seconds between the signals in the two channels. For 25 delay samples, we obtain the time delay as 0.003125 sec. The plot for the time delay obtained is shown in figure 4.10. Figure 4.11 Stepper motor drive model Figure 4.11 shows a Simulink model of stepper motor drive using 2 phase hybrid stepper motor. The motor phases are fed by two H-bridge MOSFET PWM converters. 28 V DC voltage source provides the voltage required for the driver module. The movement of stepper motor drive is controlled by the STEP and DIR signals generated from the Signal Builder block. Square-wave current references are generated using the current amplitude and the step frequency parameters specified in the dialog window of the Signal Builder block. The STEP signal from the Signal Builder block controls the movement of the stepper motor. A positive value of STEP signal will rotate the motor whereas a zero value will stop the rotation. The DIR signal controls the direction in which the motor rotates. A positive value of DIR rotates the motor is one direction while a negative value will impose the reverse direction. Consider simulation time of 0.25 sec. The STEP and DIR input is shown in figure 4.12. The resulting waveforms are given in figure 4.13. The stepper motor rotates in positive direction for 0.1 sec, stops for 0.05 sec and then rotates in the opposite direction for 0.05 sec and then stops. Figure 4.12 Signal Builder for generating the STEP and DIR signals Figure 4.13 Waveforms as viewed in the scope STEPPER MOTOR A stepper motor is an electromechanical device which converts electrical pulses into discrete mechanical movements. The shaft or spindle of a stepper motor rotates in discrete step increments when electrical command pulses are applied to it in the proper sequence. The motors rotation has several direct relationships to these applied input pulses. The sequence of the applied pulses is directly related to the direction of motor shafts rotation. The speed of the motor shafts rotation is directly related to the frequency of the input pulses and the length of rotation is directly related to the number of input pulses applied. [motorbas.pdf] Figure 3.13 Stepper motor Whenever controlled movement is required, stepper motor can be a good choice. They are effective in applications where you need to control rotation angle, position, speed and synchronism. Stepper motors have found their place in different applications like printers, plotters, medical equipment, hard disk drives, automotive and many more. One of the most important advantages of a stepper motor is that it can be accurately controlled in an open loop system. Open loop control means no feedback information about position is needed. The position is known simply back tracking the input step pulses. Hence, taking into account these advantages, we have used a stepper motor for pointing to the direction of a sound source. A magnetic flux is developed in the stator when a phase winding of a stepper motor is energized with current. The direction of this flux is determined by the right hand rule. Consider figure , when phase B is energized with winding current in the direction shown, rotor aligns itself to minimize the flux opposition. In this case the motor would rotate clockwise so that its south pole aligns with the north pole of the stator B at position 2 and its north pole aligns with the south pole of stator B at position 6. Hence, in order to rotate the motor, we must provide a sequence of energizing the stator windings providing a rotating magnetic flux which the rotor follows due to magnetic attraction. [motorbas.pdf] Figure 3.14 Stator and rotor of stepper motor showing the current direction We have used a stepper motor with half step drive stepping mode has. In this case, every second step only one phase is energized and during the other steps, one phase on each stator is energized. The stator is energized according to the sequence: and the rotor steps from position: Table: Excitation sequences for different drive modes Stepper motor driver circuit: Q1 + R2 R3 D3 D5 D2 Q2 D1 D4 B1 R4 D6 GND2 GND1 R1 Stepper Coil Figure. Driver Circuit for stepper motor coil Components: Resistors: R1=330 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ R2=2.2 kà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ R3=2.2 kà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ R4=2.2 kà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ Q1 is optoisolator, PC 817 Diodes D1, D4 are 1N 4007 Diodes D2, D3 are 15 volt zener diode Diodes D5 and D6 are LEDs Q2 is IRF540N n-channel MOSFET B1 is 12 V supply for motor GND1 is FPGA ground GND2 is motor supply ground Operation: The MOSFET generally remains off due to the pull down of the gate voltage by the series connection of the resistor R3 and LED D5. When the input from FPGA is of high logic the diode of the optoisolator is turned on biasing the transistor, increasing the gate voltage which turns the MOSFET on. This way the winding of the stepper motor is energized. When the input from the FPGA is of low logic, the MOSFET is turned off, which de-energizes the winding. MOSFET is highly sensitive to high voltage and gets damaged if the gate to source voltage exceeds 20V. Hence, for protection 15V zener diode is used. The protection for high reverse voltage is obtained by using diodes D1 and D4. MULTIPLIER Figure The Multiplier core can be configured in either parallel architecture or constant-coefficient architecture. In parallel architecture, the multiplier accepts inputs on buses A and B and generates the product of these two values. While in constant-coefficient architecture, the multiplier accepts the data on the A input bus and multiplies it by a user defined constant value. The multiplier core generates fixed point parallel multipliers and constant coefficient multipliers for twos complement signed or unsigned data. It supports input ranging from 1 to 64 bits wide and outputs ranging from 1 to 128 bits wide. Input signal: A[17:0] : A operand input bus, 18 bits wide B[17:0] : B operand input bus, 18 bits wide (parallel multipliers only) CLK: Rising edge clock input Output signal: P[35:0]: Product output bit 35 downto bit 0 6. EPILOGUE 6.1 System Required To deploy any system, both supporting hardware and software must be good enough to make the system work properly. The major requirements in our system are mainly FPGA, microphones, audio amplifiers, stepper motor, MOSFETs and the necessary software for VHDL coding and simulation. Hardware: Microphones Audio amplifiers Connectors and cables Proto board Resistors, capacitors MOSFETs Power supply Software: Xilinx ISE Modelsim Matlab Proteus Windows XP, Vista COST INCURRED We have presented here, the cost incurred during the undertaking of the project. Input section: S.No. Component Quantity Rate (NRs) Cost (NRs) 1 Microphone 2 10 20 2 ADC (0808 CCN) 1 450 450 3 Buffer (HEF4050BP) 2 50 100 4 Audio Amplifier (LM 386) 2 25 50 5 Resistor 1 pack 50 50 6 Capacitor 1 pack 200 200 7 Miscellaneous 400 Total 1,270 Output section: S.No. Component Quantity Rate (NRs) Cost (NRs) 1 Stepper motor 1 500 500 2 12 V battery 1 1000 1,100 3 Optoisolator (PC 817) 4 25 100 4 MOSFET (IRF540N) 4 45 180 5 15 V zener diode 8 5 40 6 Resistor 1 pack 50 50 7 Diode 20 1 20 8 Miscellaneous 250 Total 2,240 TOTAL COST (NRs) = 3,510 Note: Spartan 3E starter kit was provided by the Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering. Communication and transportation cost has not been included.