7 Effective Reading Strategies and Activities

Incest and Sexism in Hamlet - 1022 Words

In my readings of Hamlet, sexism was a immense element in the story. It is not fairly unambiguous where the incest comes in and who is involved, but the unorthodox relationships that have taken place shows how things were during the Elizabethan Age, or were they? My goal in this paper is to research the gender roles between the males and females in the story and to prove how women were treated during these times, and to determine who was involved in incest and sexism. The characters in focus will be Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, and son of the deceased King Hamlet; Polonius, counselor to Claudius; Laertes, Polonius’ son who has returned home due to King Hamlet’s death; Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother and Queen of Denmark; and Ophelia, daughter of†¦show more content†¦In the relationship between her and Hamlet, he desired her like bait. He only showed lust for her, and wanted her to fulfill his sexual desires. â€Å"The majority of the critics have viewed Ophelia as a week character, in both form and function, and many have dismissed her as a woman †¦ she has been consistently viewed as the least complex of the principal characters of Hamlet, the least useful.† (Resetarits). Ophelia loses her identity as a woman as she becomes a pawn to the men. Incest flows abundantly through this play like no other. The relationship between Claudius and Gertrude could be considered incest from Hamlet’s perspective even though they are not blood related. He sees his blood uncle and his blood mother together which tortured his conscience. Why did the thought of his mother having sex deter him so bad? Did Hamlet want to look to his mother for sexual comfort? Hamlet was said to have ‘Oedipus Complex’ which is explained as every sons supposed desire to kill his father and have sex with his mother. Whether this is the case is unsure the reason for him to beShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Shakespeare s Hamlet 1021 Words   |  5 Pages Ochoa1 Daniela Ochoa English Mrs. Levine 19 April 2016 Women’s Roles in Hamlet â€Å"There’s a remarkable amount of sexism on TV. When male characters are flawed, they’re interesting, deep and complex, but when women characters are flawed, they’re just a mess.† Ellen Pompeo. In â€Å"Hamlet† Ophelia and Gertrude are the only females mentioned throughout the Shakespeare’s tragic play. The two women are unappreciated and are consideredRead More Shakespeare in Contemporary Movies Essay4875 Words   |  20 Pagesthis context, school is seen as completely out-of-touch with the (post) modern world and unable to teach necessary survival skills. In the one scene where Danny does go to school, his elderly teacher (Joan Plowright) shows a 16mm film of Oliviers Hamlet. Since the film is set in the present day, this is anachronistic; even the most old-fashioned teacher would use a VCR and tape, since that is what the audio-visual department would provide. Moreover, the much more action-packed Zeffirelli version

Milpa Agriculture vs. Industrial Agriculture Free Essays

â€Å"Milpa Agriculture vs. Industrial Agriculture† The Milpa agriculture and Industrial agriculture have many similarities and differences. Milpa agriculture is a form of swidden agriculture that is practiced in Mesoamerica. We will write a custom essay sample on Milpa Agriculture vs. Industrial Agriculture or any similar topic only for you Order Now Traditional Milpa is planted with maize, beans, and corn. Industrial agriculture is a modern faming that produces a life stock, poultry, and crops. The methods that industrial agriculture use to techno scientific, economic, and political. In Milpa agriculture some farmers use a coa stick in order to plan their crops and industrial farming the farmers use different machines. Industrial agriculture makes their job easier and faster by using the machines and technology. In Milpa agriculture is the totally opposite thing they don’t use technology in order to grow their crops it takes them longer to plant their crops by using simple method and one of the methods is the coa stick. Milpa agriculture has more than one plant such as maize, beans, and squash. Industrial agriculture only focuses on one plant. For example if industrial agriculture wants to grow maize they focus only in that specific plant that is being planted. Milpa is traditional in Mesoamerica. What I mean by this is that when milpa is planted in Mesoamerica is passed down in the family generations. Mesoamericans try to keep their tradition of planting milpa. In industrial agriculture is not really traditional to pass it down into their families mostly it is done because of the money. Industrial agriculture uses lots of pesticides in order to keep their crops from danger. By using pesticides they won’t lose lots of their crops. Milpa agriculture doesn’t really rely on the use of pesticides. Milpa agriculture does have the advantage of losing crops because they don’t use pesticides. That’s the reason in milpa agriculture more than one crop is incorporated at the same time they have the other crops to rely on not just on the maize. If industrial agriculture loses all their crops they won’t have anything to rely on because they only focus on growing on type of crops. How to cite Milpa Agriculture vs. Industrial Agriculture, Papers

Early Roman Architecture Essay Example For Students

Early Roman Architecture Essay The Romans gained much of their engineering skill from the Etruscans and drew on Etruscan and Asian models for the semicircular arch. From them, the Romans learned the use of the keystone arch, which enabled them to build extremely strong and durable structures. Many of these engineering and architectural projects are still standing. Some are still in use after two thousand years like this bridge in Spain. Early Roman architects were influenced by Greek post-and-lintel construction. But the Greek design was limited in its capabilities to span large distances and being able to bear heavy loads while not falling down of its own weight. Post and lintel construction comprises a flat piece of stone bridging a space between two upright supports. Post and lintel supports have a flaw. When a heavy weight is placed on the middle of the span too much stress may be put on the stone and it can break in the middle. The Romans solved this problem by using a type of construction called voussoir arc h with keystone. The engineering principle of the arch is quite simple. The circle is the strongest structural shape. The arch is just half of this perfect form. To create a voussoir arch, tapered stone blocks were cut then arranged like the diagram at the right. It was then stood up on its ends. The ends rested on piers made of stone blocks or bricks mortared together with pozzolana cement in the typical Roman arch bridge. The cement was named after a local mountain that the ingredients of the cement came from. The weight of the stone and concrete of the bridge itself compressed the tapered stones together, making the arch an extremely strong structure. During construction, the voussoirs were supported by a temporary wooden frame until the keystone was inserted. The Roman invention of the arch allowed architects to build larger structures than ever before. The extension of the arch idea lead to the development of domes, alcoves, and soffits. The arches and its derivatives were also employed in Triumphal Arches, aqueducts, bridges, houses, theaters, exedra, nynpheum, basilicas, thermal baths and temples. The Coliseum is a prime example of the many uses of arches. The arches allowed for a tall and wide structure to accommodate many people. The wide arches also enabled people to move in and out of the building safely and quickly. They also provided spaces for visitors to sit and places to display works of art. The Romans took the form of the simple arch and developed it into many forms. With their insight, modern day architecture has been functionally advanced its beauty enhanced and variety diversified. Bibliography:

Pestle Analysis Essay Example

Pestle Analysis Paper Just to the person at the top of the enterprise. Increasingly general management responsibility is shared. All members of the management team and the organization need to appreciate how their actions contribute to the overall success of the enterprise. Instead of focusing on a particular functional area (e. G. Finance, operations, marketing, accounting, etc. ), this course provides you with a process for problem- solving and decision-making that requires you to build on, integrate, and apply the knowledge gained from those disciplines in order to develop an overall general management perspective. Because strategic issues are characterized by ambiguity, complexity and uncertainty, this course is as much about asking the right questions s it is about having the right answers. We will reach consensus on some issues, yet many among you will have differing interpretations on the most appropriate course of action. Such is the nature of strategy issues. Those of you with the need to reach the right answer may find yourself frustrated by the lack of definitive answers and multitude of reasonable courses of action. This is a reflection of the real world! The course covers analytical tools and conceptual frameworks that aid in the development of Judgment. We will write a custom essay sample on Pestle Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Pestle Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Pestle Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The primary objective of the course is to develop expertise in formulating (analysis) and implementing (action) strategy. Although the course progresses from formulation to implementation, one cannot presume to fully understand strategy formulation without the realization of what it takes to implement strategic change. Ultimately strategic choices represent a tension between what an organization needs to do given its competitive and market environment, what it can do given its resources and capabilities, and what it wants to do given the values and preferences of key stakeholders. The overarching framework that guides this course is provided below. The flow of the course is sequenced around this framework. PESTLE Analysis Essay Example PESTLE Analysis Paper The external business environment is elaborated using the PESTLE Analysis. The PESTLE Analysis entails political, environmental, socio-cultural, technological, economic and legal factors. Political factors: Toasts operations in the US are affected by political factors like government policies. For example, the government policy is that all foreign companies must hire USA citizens to reduce the high rate of unemployment in the county. Furthermore, Toyota suffers from the high taxes levied by the IIS government to protect local automobile firms from foreign competition. Economic factors: the taxation lulls, economic trends, the economic slowdown and recession affect business operations of Toyota. The above makes Toyota forced to change its operation such as recruitment policy to avoid losses during recession (Cannon Olivares, 2010). Socio-cultural factors: Toyota must meet the demands and needs of the customers in the automobile industry because their tastes and preferences change very often. The rising rates of unemployment have forced consumers to purchase more economic vehicles that use fuel efficiently. Technological factors: the US government has invested heavily in technology velveteen, information and communication, Innovations and research funding. There is a fast change in technological environment among the customers that call for Toyota to embrace technological advancement and hire skilled employees to cope up with the change so as to compete with the rivals. Environmental factors: the US government is keen on environmental conservation via the Vehicle Pollution and Control Act 1970 and the Clean Air Act. Toyota must comply with the above laws in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. We will write a custom essay sample on PESTLE Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on PESTLE Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on PESTLE Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Legal factors: Toyota must comply with the strict intellectual property laws and taxation laws in USA. The company must follow ethical practices where all employees are treated equally without discrimination. The internal business analysis of Toyota The internal business environment of Toyota is analyzed using SOOT analysis that entails the strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat Strengths: Toyota is a leading automobile manufacturer due to its strong brand name, good competitive advantage and production. It has invested heavily in research and development, Just-in-Time and Total Quality Management production line. The above has given the company a loyal customer base. Toyota manufactures high-quality products that satisfy the customers. Weakness: there are few assembling plants in LISA leading to low production capacity. Also, Toyota has poor product differentiation. Opportunity: Toyota should embrace the new hybrid technology by competing with Honda Civic Hybrid model. The hybrid technology will give Toyota a competitive advantage. The company should take advantage of the rise in fuel tax by manufacturing models that consume low fuel. Threat: there is a Constant shift in consumer taste and the emergence of substitute vehicle products. Besides, there is market saturation and stiff competition in the automobile industry. Furthermore, the inconsistency of the exchange rate FORE affects Toasts profitability (Hines, Found, Griffith Harrison, 201 1). Porters five forces analysis The Porters five forces analysis entails the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of substitutes, the bargaining power of customers and the nature of competition. First of all, Toyota faces a high threat of substitute products such as train service and bus transport. Secondly, the suppliers have a low bargaining power due to the presence of few firms in the market. Besides, there is a low threat of new entrants cause it requires a huge capital. On top of that, the customers have a high bargaining power due to availability of several car brands in the market. Last but not least, Toyota faces less competition in the automobile industry. Toyota uses value chain analysis to gain competitive advantage. The efficient Production Systems (T AS) traces the value chain analysis. Moreover, Toyota uses lean manufacturing process to improve the quality and reduce wastage (Monde, 2011). The internal and external business environment of Apple The internal business analysis of Apple Strengths: Apple has a strong and well-established brand name due to its laity products. The company is innovative and regularly comes up with new products and ideas. Besides, it has a strong research and development, financial vitality and customer loyalty. Weaknesses: One of the weaknesses of Apple is its poor relationship with Intel and Microsoft. Also, its products are sold at a higher price compared to rivals making it hard for customers with low income to access their products. On top of that, Apple has small product life cycle and technological complications (Has, 2013). Opportunities: The mobile industry is growing fast, and Apple should manufacture new products. The company should take advantage of its technological innovation by developing strong position in the market. Also, Apple should take advantage of the rapidly growing online store. Lastly, it should improve warranty program and reduce prices in order to beat the rivals. Threats: Apple faces stiff and fierce competition from the rivals. Also, the economic crises will impact the sales of Apple negatively. Furthermore, the profitability of tunes (online store) is affected by free downloading of videos and music. Apple uses value chain analysis to gain competitive advantage over the rivals. Its rodents are in developed in USA and the software and hardware products assembled in China. The products are of high quality compared to those of the rivals. The final products are distributed via outbound logistics. The external business environment of Apple Political factors: The governments in most countries regulate business operations. The prices of Apples product will rise because the VAT rate in countries such as the UK is going up. Economic factors: The spending patterns of consumers have changed due to global economic downturn. The inflation, consumer spending and interest rate affects Apple. Socio-cultural factors: The current generation of 21st century consumers has a strong passion for new innovative technology. Apple must consider the culture, religion, population growth rate and lifestyle of consumers because it will affect its operations. Technological factors: The young consumers are attracted to the latest technologies. Apple must move on to recent and new technology and be updated to avoid being obsolete because there is a fast change in technology. Environmental factors: The awareness of environment conservation will force Apple to use environment-friendly materials to avoid pollution. Apple has to consider packing its products in materials that can be recycled because most governments are keen on green production and control of environment pollution. Legal: The new legal laws on employment, health, regulatory bodies, safety and trading policies affects Apples operations. The company must comply with them. Porters five forces First of all, Apple faces a high threat of substitute products such as train service and bus transport. Secondly, the suppliers have a high bargaining power because there are several firms that ARQ Eire their services. Furthermore, there is a high threat of new entrants because small capital is squired to establish a company. Moreover, the customers have a high bargaining power due to availability of many electronics in the market. Last but not least, Apple faces high competition in the electronics industry due to the presence Of several rivals. Apple Uses value chain analysis to gain competitive advantage. The company differentiates its product from the rivals to create a premium product with a premium price. The efficient Production Systems (TAPS) traces the value chain analysis. Moreover, Apple uses lean manufacturing process to improve the quality and reduce wastage. Also, Apple maximizes on research and development to stay ahead of the rivals (Average, 2013). Apple has been able to differentiate itself from competitors even though when the industry has a huge competitiveness. Apple verifies the effectiveness of its strategies by examining the link between the objectives and plans of achieving them through innovation. It continuously checks whether the strategy is meeting the targets by evaluating the performance and use of resources. The measurement guideline of Apple is effective since it uses the resources allocated according to the plan to deliver the expected results. On the other hand, Toyota verifies the effectiveness of its strategies by developing measurable strategies, measuring the variables and implementing the objectives. Additionally, the performance is contain joyously evaluated and reviewed. The measurement guideline of Toyota is effective because the customers are provided with products just in time. Conclusion Toyota and Apple are successful organizations due to their compliance with the internal and external business environment. Furthermore, they have good business strategies that have given them a competitive advantage over the rivals.

Autism and Care

Autism and Care Free Online Research Papers Autism 1. Description: Autistic disorder is categorized as a Pervasive developmental disorder, according to the DSM –IV TR; it is usually diagnosed in the toddler and/or early childhood years. According to Ben J. Atchison (2007), Autism falls in the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) umbrella, alongside other developmental disorders such as Rett’s disorder, Asperger’s disorder and etc, each varying in the degrees of their severity. Autistic disorder is marked by detachment and impairment in social, communication and behavioral skills and development. Autism is usually detected by the age of three; however Atchison (2007) notes â€Å"characteristics of autism noticeably emerge between 12 to 36 months of age† when specific developmental mile stones are not reached or regression occurs. Regression involves the typical development of an infant/child followed by degeneration and loss of skills. Diagnosis can occur later in children for those who are labeled at a higher functioning form of autism. Autism is characterized by challenges and delays in language, social and behavioral development. Autistic children display impediments in verbal and nonverbal communication and interaction; according to Atchison (2007) â€Å"approximately half of children with autistic disorder remain nonverbal or struggle with severely impaired speech as adults.† Other core characteristics include difficulty with social interactions, lack or limited use of eye contact, and understanding and interpreting social gestures, facial expressions, e tc. Overall an Autistic child displays atypical developmental skills that lag behind typical developmental highlight. Other common characteristics include indulgence in severe repetitive self stimulating movements and behaviors, severe sensory distortion, limited or repetitive play routines, absent and/or limited pretend/imaginative play skills, and preference for playing alone. In general autism involves an intense inter directedness and lack of ability to communicate, engage and understand the outside world. The incidence of its prevalence has been on an extreme rise within the recent years; according to Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) 1 in every 150 children in the United States will be diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. It is the third most common developmental disorder occurring more often than Down syndrome and congenital malformations. A disproportionably higher number of males are diagnosed with autism, with three to four males diagnosed for every one female (Atchison 2007). 2. Biological Systems: Physically, autistic children have no outside characteristics that may point out their disorder; most are born quite healthily in appearance, weight and etc. In addition newborns autistic children score equally as well on assessments, such as the APGAR, in comparison to normal developing newborns. The discrepancy in biological development tends to become more apparent in the later months following birth, as motor, adaptive, social and language skills fail to develop and/or are non existent. For example, at eighteen months, a child is able to walk, feed him/herself, imitate adults, there vocabulary consists of three to fifty words, can understand language to some extent, attempt to â€Å"talk† with frequent chatter of jargon, and understands and respond to his/her name and simple commands. An autistic 18 month old may not completely be up to par with such developmental markers, he/she may not be walking or feeding his/herself, may not say any words at all, may also not respo nd to his/her name or simple directed commands and may not show eye contact and interest in others including other similar aged children. Children with autism demonstrate varying degrees of delayed skills in all the different areas of development, all diverse ages and stages, making each case unique when considering the different areas of developmental impediments. There is no concrete agreed upon cause of Autism, researchers in the area know there is strong connection to genetic, hereditary influences with this neurodevelopmental disorder. According to Atchison (2007), the general population has a 0.2% of having autism, where as individuals with an autistic male sibling have a 3%-7% chance of autism and if sibling is female, a 7%-14% chance exists. Other researchers focus on environmental factors that may contribute to such abnormalities, including but not limited to pre/post natal influences, viruses, bacterias, exposure to toxic chemicals, metabolic imbalances and trauma during delivery and/or pregnancy. These neurological, biological and environmental factors may all strongly influence autism and its characteristics and more significantly the high rise of this epidemic. 3. Psychological System: Cognitive abilities in Autistic children tend to only slightly vary from that of typical developing children, depending on the severity and mental IQ of the Autistic child. Jean Piaget’s first state of cognitive development involves, the sensorimotor period from birth to roughly 2 years of age. The sensorimotor stage involves an understanding and awareness of the senses in which the can contain information from the outside world/environment, goal directed behavior, object permanence, representation, etc. In the preoperational thought period, symbolic representation is brought into phase as children use symbols and mental images to depict objects, situations and circumstances. In concurrence with new language development children use there new founded words to describe objects and situations. They also seem to understand grouping objects and ideas based on shared abstract qualities. Around the age group of both the sensorimotor and preoperational stages, autistic children tend to show less impairment in theses areas of cognition. For example, some exceptional autistic children may be able to complete puzzles for children of twice their age, grou p items impressively by colors, sizes and shapes, may be able to read at early ages or may be extremely talented in the areas of music, memorization and etc. Cox (1993) explains, â€Å"It is when cognitive development becomes more symbolic and less concrete, as in the development of language, that autistic children usually show major deficits.† 4. Social Systems: According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, â€Å"race, ethnicity, family income and educational levels do not affect the chance of the disorder’s occurrence.† Societal factors may not influence the occurrences of autism however it does significantly influence Autistic children and their families in terms of diagnosis, treatment, and services. Early diagnosis is an important factor in putting autistic children on an early intervention strategic plan. However, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status notably affects when and how early diagnosis will occur, if treatment is available and etc. For example, with non-English speaking clients there may be a lack of non-English educational brochures and literature, group parent advocacy groups, language barriers etc. Autistic minorities of low socio-economic statuses may experience lack of access to facilities and services, or may not have legal residency to apply for such services. These issues significantly affect how and to what extent the disorder will be served and handled. This creates a repertoire of problem for minority individuals with autisms and there families who cannot afford high rated specialist and test, but merely qualify for Medicaid programs with limited options and available programs to serve the autistic population. Significant disparities exist in terms of equal access of diagnosis, services and treatment for minorities with Autism and their families. 5. Mezzo-level intervention: Creating an advocacy group for minority autistic children and their families is a mezzo-level intervention that will aid in the dilemma of lack of resources for individuals of minority race, ethnicity and socio-economic status. This Autistic minority advocacy group will work with both the parents and children, more specifically with parents and getting them educated about autism, its effects, causes, diagnosis, treatment and etc. The groups will work within low socio-economic communities and will monitor autistic children and their families, working closely with other parents and staff that are sensitive to the unique needs and circumstances of minority families and will further aid in the successful treatment of autistic minority children. There will be pamphlets, brochures in all languages and well as specialist who speak different languages and have experience in successfully working with diverse racial, ethnic and cultural groups. The advocacy groups will strengthen family rela tionships, by setting up small meeting for parents of similar background and languages to discuss the unique needs and circumstances of their family and autistic children. For example, there will be groups for Spanish speaking parents, Chinese speaking parents, and other languages, relative caregivers, adoptive/foster caregivers. The program will also provide family counseling and referral services for parents who have just had there children diagnosed. On the group site their will be a parent facility and a child facility. The children facility will provide learning groups for autistic children while their parents receive supportive group services. It will contain developmental disorder specialist and will work with designing plans and referrals for the unique case of each autistic child. The program will serve a vast diversity of populations and will primarily focus on educating families and individuals, while promoting and creating supportive group systems, counseling and most importantly treatment and intervention skills. A social worker in this setting will serve as an advocate and facilitator; organizing, gathering groups and providing information, defending, supporting and aiding in setting goals for the minority Autistic population. The weakness of this intervention choice lies in the ability to have a program of this nature funded. Finding financial support to furnish a community based program of this type will be difficult, especially in our states/nations declining economical situation. Other weakness may also be finding specialist who have significant and successful experience in working with minority families and children. Overall, the main disadvantage would be in accessing funding to operate and minority Autistic advocacy program. 6. Macro-level Intervention: A national policy that addresses and takes action in combating and working on behalf of the rising and alarming rate of Autism in America is a Macro-level approach of intervention. An insurance legislation that provides accessible health care and services for autistic children/ adults and their families will allow for a more available and approachable management in handling Autism. The strengths of this legislation will allow for readily available communication and developmental specialists and treatment for all autistic individuals regardless of race, socio-economic status, ethnicity and etc. The legislation will work grant funds to autistic service providers and will set up policies that make sure early detection, awareness and treatment are available and accessible by having autistic service providers collaborate with schools, preschools, pediatrician, clinics, and other social service agencies where children and families come in contact with. With this Macro-level intervention a Social Worker would serve as analyst and evaluator, examining where most funding and services are needed and evaluating how well program and policies work. The analyst will also evaluate the effectiveness of the policy. The major deficit of this Autistic insurance legislation/act is once again is financial resources. Today our nation is battling with severely heated and debated issue of health care. Also if such a policy program existed there may be a lack of monitoring the grants and the successes services and collaboration. In addition, grants and services may be unequally distributed and placed in middle/upper class community, where there exist strong lobbying efforts and large advocacy groups for autistics and families of upper, middle dominant classes. Overall there is a significant weakness and it involves having funds allocated to serve and create such a legislative initiative. References American Academy of Pediatrics, Johnson, C. P. (2007, November 5). Identification and Evaluation of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Pediatrics, 33. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from aap.org/pressroom/issuekitfiles/IDandEvaluationofChildrenwithASD Atchison, B. J. (2007). Autism Spectrum Disorders. In Conditions in Occupational Therapy. (pp. 23-49). (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott William Wilkins. Berg, K. (1998). Pers Pages. In Catalano, R. A. (Ed.). When Autism Strikes. (pp. 1-12).New York: Plenum Press. Capps, L, Sigman, M. (2000). J. Bruner (Ed.). Children with Autism: A Developmental Perspective. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Cox, R. D. (1993). Normal Child Development From Birth to Five Years. In E. Schopler (Ed.). Preschool Issues in Autism. (pp. 39-56). New York: Plenum Press. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Department of Health and Human Services. (2008, April 30). About Autism: An Overview. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/ National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. National Institue of Mental Health. (2007, January). Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Pervasive Developmental Disorders. 41. Retrieved May 19, 2007, from nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/autism/nimhautismspectrum.pdfDepartment of Health and Human Services. Research Papers on Autism and CareThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThree Concepts of PsychodynamicComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoResearch Process Part OneHip-Hop is ArtLifes What Ifs

Strategic Financial Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Strategic Financial Management - Coursework Example However, among all these objectives, the main one for business organisations is supposed to be an increase of the value to its shareholders. In this case, the bid to maximize the wealth of its shareholders becomes a fundamental goal of management. It is important to note that investors often anticipate earning satisfactory returns from the investments they establish in the firm. Shareholders are the actual owners of the business, which means that senior managers are have a responsibility to ensure maximisation of investor’s wealth, not just for the success of the business, but also for continued investments, thus gaining the ability to increase its market share and financial position. Maximizing this wealth can be determined by the payout of dividends as well as capital gains through an increasing market value for a particular share price of the business. In the process of achieving this objective, conflicts can sometimes arise in the business. In this case, business managers may end up making decisions based on their interests and not achieving the investors’ wealth. Therefore, traditional view is that profit maximization needs to be made the ultimate goal and objective for the business. Financial managers are often involved in managing cash flows on behalf of the companies they work for as well as their respective owners. In any firm, financial management is often concerned with the process of making decisions in three main areas, which include; investing, financing as well as dividend policy. In all these, wealth maximization always remains to be the fundamental goal for the firm. Business managers are expected to ensure that they effectively manage the stock prices for the benefit of their respective shareholders since they are needed towards increasing the financial muscles for the company so that it can achieve its other objectives (Kaen 2003, 87). In this case, the criticisms raised against this

The Automobile in American History and Culture Essay

The Automobile in American History and Culture - Essay Example Cars operate on the four-stroke combustion cycle to convert the gasoline into motion (Gottlieb, 1997). The four-stroke combustion cycle is also known as the Otto cycle a name that honors Nikolaus Otto who invented the technology in 1867. Successive improvements on both the technology and other features of a car have resulted in the near perfect modern car that boasts of increased efficiency. Â  Development of the car engine readily manifests in the features of the contemporary car engine most of which portray dedicated technological improvements that succeeded in the modern day engine from the traditional engine invented hundreds of years ago. Among the features that prove the difference are engine sizes, efficiency, power and supporting components among many others. Efficiency in the modern car engines arises from the completeness of combustion. Engines emit smoke through the exhaust pipes depicting the incompleteness of the combustion (Brain, 2014). Old engines, for example, emitted more smoke and thus consumed more gasoline per mile. This arose from particular features of the engine that inventors improved progressively thereby resulting in the modern day engine. Direct injection, for example, is a major invention that has increased the efficiency of combustion thereby reducing the fuel consumption of cars while increasing the power that engines produce. Additionally , the reduced amount of smoke that modern engines emit has reduced the amount of pollution, which was a major concern with the traditional engines (Norman, 1902). Â  Other features of the modern engine that improves its efficiency include mechanisms of compressing air and cylinder deactivation. Air compression ensures that the gasoline receives adequate air to sustain efficient combustion of the fuel.

Unit 3IP Green Power Sources Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unit 3IP Green Power Sources - Research Paper Example Inherent conversion losses that lead to energy wastage also result from the power distribution and usage (Patrick, 5). Given that the sum of energy is constant, energy conservation can be achieved by maintaining high efficiencies in the machines used during energy conversion in order to minimize the amount of energy wasted during conversion. Adaptive power control can be adopted at the user end that will substantially reduce energy wastage and loss through the use of light loads. With adaptive power control, a tremendous amount of energy can be conversed since there is an automatic monitoring and control of energy consumption by optimizing the light load efficiency. The current appliances used at home only utilizes about 20-50% of load for a significant amount of time leading to lots of energy wastage. Adaptive control ensures an optimized light load efficiency through the use of automatic switching of the appliances and devices (Patrick, 23). Fossil fuel includes oil, natural gas and coal. The combustion fossil fuel generates high amount of energy that is considered to be of high efficiency. Fossil fuel is easily available and their conversion into a usable form is simple. Coal is cheap as compared to the other energy sources and can be easily transported from one point to the other. Transportation of oil and natural gas over long distances is also easy through the use of pipelines. Coal is plentiful and is easily available in addition to its low costs of extraction and processing. A major disadvantage of fossil fuel is pollution. The processing and conversion of fossil fuel into a usable energy form releases hazardous gasses in addition to the greenhouse gasses released during their consumption. The greenhouse gasses released causes global warming and acidic rain. Oil spills in deep sea destroys the aquatic ecosystem. Oil drilling and excavation is quite

Neural Network Architecture Construction

Neural Network Architecture Construction Introduction This article is going to discuss neural network construction from a different perspective than is usual in conventional approaches. This approach, which will be referred to as Neural Architecture, is intended to explore construction of neural networks using neurons as explicit building blocks rather than anonymous elements trained en mass. Simple Python programs will be used to demonstrate the concept for simple boolean logic functions. The approach of this article is intentionally named Neural Architecture because it is meant to parallel the way in which a traditional architect systematically constructs a fine building: by developing well-known patterns of construction elements, which may be re-used to create ever more sophisticated structures. The conventional approach to neural network development is to define a network as consisting of a few layers in a multilayer-perceptron type of topology with an input layer, output layer, and one or two hidden layers. Then a training algorithm such as backpropagation is applied to develop the interconnection weights. Sometimes a more sophisticated approach is taken such as using a cascade or recurrent topology but for all intents and purposes, the end result is a standard topology of a few highly-connected layers. This approach was a major breakthrough in the field because it led some people to start thinking outside the box of symbolic reasoning that dominated Artificial In telligence at the time. It has also been successfully used in a variety of pattern recognition and control applications that are not effectively handled by other AI paradigms. However, these applications would not generally be considered to represent higher levels of intelligence or cognitive processing. For example, suppose a neural network is developed that can successfully recognize human faces under a variety of conditions. This is a highly useful application and well within the realm of conventional neural networks. However, that is where the capability of the network leaves offat recognizing the facial image. Aside from generalizing facial features, it can offer nothing more in terms of reasoning about those facial features. Further, it is asserted that the standard approach to neural network development is not suitable for realizing these higher levels of intelligence. One of the fundamental problems is the limited manner in which we approach the neural architecture. To illustrate this problem, we will return to the building architecture analogy. In this way, our standard approach to neural architecture can be likened to designing a building using bricks. An architect who always thinks in terms of bricks will not likely progress beyond a certain level of sophistication, because as a component, a brick only offers one purpose: to support other bricks. Instead, an architecture progressively develops more sophisticated, proven structures based on the brick (or other primitive components) which can be re-used to develop higher-level components. A house is conceived, not in terms of bricks and wood, but rather in terms of walls, doors, and rooms. A sophisticated architect might even find these components mundane and instead think in more abstract terms of spaces, energy and flow of human traffic. This is the notion of patterns, and in fact these (architectural) patterns were exactly the inspiration for the field of software patterns. The same thinking can be applied to neural networks: a neuron by itself only serves the function of exciting other neurons. And conventional neural net learning algorithms are geared toward categorization or other mapping operations. As a proponent of neural networks, one believes that arbitrarily complex intelligence processes can be realized, and we have the human brain as pretty convincing support of that belief. However, to continue progress in this direction, it is likely that we have to develop more sophisticated abilities as neural architects and develop useful, proven neural patterns similar to the way that building architects have done over time, and in the way software architects are now doing. Enough philosophy we will now be taking a fresh look at how patterns can be constructed starting with simple neural elements, and specifically we will start with boolean logic elements. Architecting using boolean logic does not immediately offer an advantage over using regular logic gates, but illustrates how crisp logic or symbolic elements can arise from fuzzy neural processing elements. It will also provide a conceptual foundation for future articles. Neural networks Neural network: information processing paradigm inspired by biological nervous systems, such as our brain Structure: large number of highly interconnected processing elements (neurons) working together Like people, they learn from experience. Neural networks are configured for a specific application, such as pattern recognition or data classification, through a learning process In a biological system, learning involves adjustments to the synaptic connections between neurons. The first step in the architecture process is to define the primitive building block, and if you havent fallen asleep at this point, you have no doubt figured out that this will be a neuron. The neuron model we will use is a version of the tried-and-true model used for software neural networks, also known as the perceptron. As illustrated in , the perceptron has multiple inputs and one output. The mathematical model of the perceptron is given by: a = squash(ÃŽ £(iiwi)) where: is input i to the perceptron is the weight for input i is the activation (output) and squash(x) = { 1 if x >threshold 0 otherwise The nature of the perceptron has been discussed many times elsewhere, including in Matthews, so we wont dwell on it here. But basically, the perceptron calculates a weighted sum of the inputs and then subjects it to a nonlinear squashing functionin our case, this is a simple threshold operation. The nonlinear threshold operation is part of what makes a neural net exhibit interesting behavior. Otherwise it would amount to matrix operations. Nature of the game Now that we have the model for a basic neuron defined, we can now proceed to define basic logic gates by simply working out two things: the weight values the threshold For our discussion we will assume that weights can be positive (excitory) or negative (inhibitory) and be in the range between -1 and 1. The threshold will also be assumed to be in the range -1 to 1. If we cast this in terms of signals, then it equates to the requirement that both inputs have to be sufficiently high to produce an output. So, we will set our threshold to a high value of 0.8. Next we will set the weights for the two inputs at 0.5 each. If one input is one (=1) then the neuron activation (output) will be given by a = squash( 1 * 0.5 + 0 * 0.5) = squash( 0.5 ) = 0 since 0.5

Heart of Darkness - Summary Essay -- essays research papers

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is based on Conrad’s firsthand experience of the Congo region of West Africa. Conrad was actually sent up the Congo River to an inner station to rescue a company agent who died a few days later aboard ship. The story is told by a seaman named Charlie Marlow and is rearranged through the thoughts of an unidentified listening narrator. This story, on level, is simply about a voyage into the heart of the Congo. On another level, it is about the journey into the soul of mankind. On a boat anchored in the Thames River outside London, a sailor named Marlow remarks to his friends that the land they’re standing on was once a place of darkness and an uncivilized wilderness. This contemplation leads him to remember an incident in his past when he commanded a steamboat on the Congo River. When retelling his story, Marlow is a young man anxious to see the unexplored African jungles. An influential aunt in obtains an position as captain of a Congo steamer for Marlow. But when he arrives at the Company's Outer Station in Africa, he's faced with a horrible display of black slavery and white greed and hostility. In a shady grove he discovers a crew of sickly African workers that have crawled away to die. He also meets the Company's chief accountant, who mentions a man named Kurtz who is a remarkable agent that has sent more ivory from the jungle than the other agents combined. Marlow's interest is perked in Kurtz and will eventually grow into an unhealthy obsession and become the focus of the story. After a difficult journey, Marlow arrives at the Company's Central Station where he learns that the steamer he was supposed to command has been destroyed in a wreck. He meets the local manager, who mentions Kurtz and says that Kurtz is assumed to be ill at his station up the river and that it's necessary to get to him as quickly as humanly possible. One night Marlow talks with one of the agents at the station, who speaks of Kurtz with great esteem and admiration but also with resentment at the talents that make him a likely candidate for a job promotion. He says that Kurtz is one of those types of men that have come to Africa not only to gain wealth, but with the notion of spreading enlightenment to the uneducated people. On another occasion, while na... ...ach his minion’s camp. Marlow and Kurtz make an intense departure the next day, surrounded by warriors who seem ready to attack under the leadership of a barbaric looking woman. But Marlow, again, sounds the whistle and frightens them away. As they sail back down the river on the vessel, Kurtz's life slowly slips away and on his deathbed he has a moment of enlightenment or a vision, and he cries out, "The horror! The horror!" before he dies. Marlow is also stricken by the fever that claimed Kurtz’ life and nearly dies. He survives the fever and returns to Brussels. Upon arriving in Brussels, he decides to visit Kurtz’s fiancà ©e to inform her of her intended’s passing. In mourning, she is heartbreakingly devoted to the memory of Kurtz, whom she thinks was noble and generous until the end of his life. She pleads with Marlow to relay to her Kurtz’s last words and Marlow simply cannot bear to tell her of Kurtz’s true nature or what really happened. And so, sparing her emotions and not finding it within himself to shatter her illusions: "The last word he pronounced was- your name," he says to her and she shrieks and collapses in tears.