Monday, September 30, 2019
Four Software Development Methodologies
Student Name Student ID Student Signature Assessor Name Assessor's Signature Final Result / Grade Assessed By / Date Case Study Research (worth 20% of final grade)100 MarksSOF535: Application Design and DevelopmentVersion 1.1, Level 5, Credits 20New Zealand Diploma in Information Technology Technical Support Level 5Task 1: Requirement Gathering and Analysis(Total 40 Marks) comparison between four software development methodologies. Four Software Development MethodologiesWaterfall Development MethodologyThe Waterfall approach to systems analysis and design was the first established modern approach to building a system. This method was originally defined by Winston W. Royce in 1970, (ââ¬Å"The Waterfall Development Methodologyâ⬠, 2006). It quickly gained support from managers because everything flows logically from the beginning of a project through the end, (Jonasson, 2008). Sources differ when it comes to the specific steps in the Waterfall process.Rapid Application Development MethodologyRapid application development is a software development methodology that uses minimal planning in favor of rapid prototyping. A prototype is a working model that is functionally equivalent to a component of the product.In the RAD model, the functional modules are developed in parallel as prototypes and are integrated to make the complete product for faster product delivery. Since there is no detailed preplanning, it makes it easier to incorporate the changes within the development process.RAD projects follow iterative and incremental model and have small teams comprising of developers, domain experts, customer representatives and other IT resources working progressively on their component or prototype.The most important aspect for this model to be successful is to make sure that the prototypes developed are reusable.Agile Development MethodologyThere are many different forms of theà Agile development methodà including: Scrum, Crystal, Extreme Programming (XP), and Feature-Driven Development (FDD).à Agile methodsà attempt to minimize risk (such as bugs, cost overruns, and changing requirements) by developing the software in iterations thatà are mini-increments of the new functionality. The benefit of multiple iterations is that it improves efficiency by finding and fixing defects and expectation mismatches early on.Agile methods rely on real-time communication, which fails to provide new users with documentation to get up to speed. They require a huge time commitment from the users, and is labor-intensive on the developers due to the need to fully complete each feature within each iteration for user approval. The benefits to the software are realized early on due to the incremental addition of the iterations. The Agile methods are similar to RAD, andà can be inefficient in large organizations. Programmers, management and organizations accustomed to the Waterfall Method may have difficulty adjusting to Agile, and often a hybrid approach works well for them.DevOps Deployment MethodologyDevOps deploymentà is centered around organizational change thatà enhances the collaboration between the departments responsible for different segments of the development life cycle, such as development, quality assurance and operations. It is focused on improving the time to market, lowering the failure rate of new releases, shortening the lead time between fixes, and prioritizing minimal disruption as well as maximum reliability. To achieve this, DevOps aims to automate its continuous deployment to ensure everything happens smoothly and reliably.Companies that useà DevOpsà have benefitted by significantly reducing the time to market, improving customer satisfaction, improving product quality and improving productivity and efficiency of its employees. A fewà drawbacks of DevOps includeappropriate methodology that is suitable for this project.It totally depends on the nature of the project. Many people might argue that Agile is the best methodology for software development and it does have significant advantages in most cases; however, saying ââ¬Å"Agile is better than Waterfallâ⬠is like saying ââ¬Å"A car is better than a boatâ⬠. They both have advantages and disadvantages depending on the environment.Agile/Scrum works best with projects that have high levels of uncertainty and require an adaptive approach. A plan-driven approach (what many people loosely call ââ¬Å"Waterfallâ⬠) works best in situations where the requirements are fairly certain and there is some need for predictability of project costs and schedules. And, of course, that is not meant to imply that there is a binary and mutually-exclusive choice between two extremes. There are many ways to blend an adaptive (Agile) approach with a plan-driven approach in the right proportions to fit the situation.There is no ââ¬Å"silver bulletâ⬠methodology that fits all possible projects and the right solution is to fit the methodology to the nature of the problem rather than force-fitting a project to some predefined methodology.https://blog.blackducksoftware.com/top-4-software-development-methodologiesTwo types of requirements1.Functional Requirements Functional requirements define the fundamental actions that system must perform.The functional requirements for the system are divided into three main categories, Reservation/Booking, Food, and Management. For further details, refer to the use cases.EXAMPLE 1.Reservation/BookingThe system shall record reservations.The system shall record the customer's first name.The system shall record the customer's last name. The system shall record the number of occupants.The system shall record the room number.The system shall display the default room rate.The system shall allow the default room rate to be changed.The system shall require a comment to be entered, describing the reason for changing the default room rate.The system shall record the customer's phone number.The system shall display whether or not the room is guaranteed. The system shall generate a unique confirmation number for each reservation.The system shall automatically cancel non-guaranteed reservations if the customer has not provided their credit card number by 6:00 pm on the check-in date.EXAMPLE 2FoodThe system shall track all meals purchased in the hotel (restaurant and room service). The system shall record payment and payment type for meals.The system shall bill the current room if payment is not made at time of service.The system shall accept reservations for the restaurant and room service.ManagementThe system shall display the hotel occupancy for a specified period of time (days; including past, present, and future dates).The system shall display projected occupancy for a period of time (days).The system shall display room revenue for a specified period of time (days).The system shall display food revenue for a specified period of time (days). The system shall display an exception report, showing where default room and food prices have been overridden.The system shall allow for the addition of information, regarding rooms, rates, menu items, prices, and user profiles.The system shall allow for the deletion of information, regarding rooms, rates, menu items, prices, and user profiles.The system shall allow for the modification of information, regarding rooms, rates, menu items, prices, and user profiles.The system shall allow managers to assign user passwords.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Indudtrialisation, Class & Culture: The Early Victorians Essay
Dorothy Thompson was born on 9 July 1893 in Lancaster, New York, to a Methodist pastor and his wife. Her mother died when she was eight years old. She was sent in 1908 to relatives in Chicago, as a result of her frequent disagreements with her stepmother. (ââ¬Å"Dorothy Thompson (1893-1961)). â⬠In 1914, Thompson graduated from Syracuse University, after which she joined the womenââ¬â¢s suffrage movement. In 1917, she moved to New York and started a career as a journalist. (ââ¬Å"Dorothy Thompson (1893-1961)). â⬠She tried to exercise her career in Germany, beginning in 1920. After five years, she already ââ¬Å"headed the Berlin bureau of the New York Post and the Public Ledger. â⬠However, in 1934, she was forced to vacate Germany due to her negative writings about Adolph Hitler and the Nazis. Thereafter, she returned to America to write political editorials and commentaries. As a prominent journalist, she was considered one of the most influential women in America. She was also the ââ¬Å"most syndicated woman journalist in the country. â⬠She wrote many political articles, mainly relating to the Nazis, but she also wrote about womenââ¬â¢s issues, since she wrote a monthly column for the Ladies Home Journal entitled ââ¬Å"On the Record. â⬠(ââ¬Å"Dorothy Thompson (1893-1961)). â⬠One of the commentaries Thompson wrote concerning women was her opinion about women in the Victorian age. According to her, women at that time were considered and treated as outsiders in society. This paper shall examine the validity of her conclusion by looking at the historical and societal events during the Victorian period, particularly those relating to the role of women in all aspects of Victorian life. Victorian Theory The starting point of this inquiry could be the perception of those who lived in the Victorian Age of matters relating to sex and sexuality. Scholars believe that theories relating to sex and sexuality were ââ¬Å"unavoidable issues for the Victorians. â⬠(Lee). The primary impression about men and women of the Victorian age is that they are pedantic and sexually repressed. However, this prevalent view has been constantly questioned and even challenged through historical accounts. (Lee). This matter, however, is not the most significant aspect of Victorian theory of sex and sexuality that is relevant to Thompsonââ¬â¢s assertions. The more important question involves the determination of the treatment of men and women in Victorian society. More particularly, it is important to know the basis of such treatment. Victorian men and women were generally not regarded as equals. Men were seen as superior to women; and as a consequence of this perception, women were delegated roles of less importance in society while men took on the more important ones. Victorian Theorists Spencer and Geddes Herbert Spencer and Patrick Geddes were the leading theorists in the Victorian Age who probed the issue of sexuality and gender differentiation. They immediately took notice of the differences in physical and physiological aspects of men and women. Aside from this, they saw in men and women two different sets of attributes, which formed the basis of their stereotypical dyadic model based on the two sexes. (Lee). Led by these two, Victorian theorists divided the sphere of men and women into two, and delegated certain tasks to men and women, based on their perceived differences. It is believed that the differences in their attributes began form the earlier forms of life. (Lee). The foundation of this division of sphere was the belief that men and women had different energy levels. Men were considered as the ââ¬Å"active agents,â⬠while women were considered sedentary. To men were attributed the katabolic nature of temperament, which means they release energy, while to women were attributed the anabolic nature of temperament, which nurtured energy. (Lee). The Division of Spheres and its Biological Foundation The division of spheres between men and women in the Victorian Age is primarily based on biological grounds. It was believed that menââ¬â¢s role in the home is only fertilization, which leaves him free to do other, more energy-consuming activities, such as hunting or foraging. Moreover, it was believed that only men had the capacity for abstract reasoning, a sign of ââ¬Å"highly-evolved life. â⬠(Lee). On the other hand, women were constantly seen in the home beset by biological occurrences, such as pregnancy and menstruation. This led to the notion that women were passive and weak, that they can no longer pursue other activities outside the home. It should be noted that at this point in time, menstruation was believed to be a time of womanââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"illness, debilitation, and temporary insanity. â⬠Thus, women were told to stay home to save her energy, while men were allowed to pursue other activities outside the home. Geddesââ¬â¢ theories were more sweeping. He claimed that not only did men possess greater intelligence and energy than women, they also had greater independence and courage. It was apparent that Geddes found this assertion unfair to women, and so he attributed certain characteristics to them. However, these attributes were still of a domestic nature; namely, ââ¬Å"constancy of affection and sympathetic imagination. â⬠While men were given the attribute of intelligence, women were limited to the gift of rapid intuition. In addition, women were given passive attributes such as great patience, open-mindedness, and a keen appreciation of subtle details. (Lee). The ââ¬Å"Family Claimâ⬠Jane Addams discussed another, more degrading pattern found in the lives of women in the Victorian Age. She called it the ââ¬Å"family claim. â⬠(ââ¬Å"Life for Womenâ⬠). According to Addams, Victorian women were considered as mere possessions by their families. Men were initially given the same regard, but such treatment waned by the end of the 18th century. (ââ¬Å"Life for Womenâ⬠). This notion of the ââ¬Å"family claimâ⬠was grounded on many reasons, the foremost of which is the role of Victorian women in the home. To women were delegated most, if not all, of the housework, such as cleaning, cooking and aiding ailing people. Another factor that underlies the ââ¬Å"family claimâ⬠is the womenââ¬â¢s role in birth and child rearing. She is the one seen as responsible for carrying a child in her womb, and the one responsible for caring for the infant after the latter was born. Women were also responsible for birth control, such that unplanned pregnancy can be blamed to tem and not to the men. (ââ¬Å"Life for Womenâ⬠). Finally, women at the time did not have money-making occupations, as their main activities were domestic. Hence, the control of the family over women, who were seen as dependents on the men for support, was considerably great. (ââ¬Å"Life for Womenâ⬠). Womenââ¬â¢s Profession and Education As gleaned from the above discussion, women lived in a state that is only a tad better than slaves. Since only men were seen as capacitated to work for a living, most, if not all, women had no independent means of subsistence. This leaves women with no other better choice than to obey the men. Moreover, women were not allowed to follow any occupation, as such is not part of their duties, which all belong in the home. These situations are based on even more fundamental difference in treatment. Only boys were allowed access to universities; thus women received less education than boys. This aggravated the problem of women concerning employment and independent means of living. (ââ¬Å"Womenââ¬â¢s Status in Mid 19th Century England A Brief Overviewâ⬠). Marriage The institution of marriage was another factor that contributed to the unpleasant treatment of women in the Victorian Age. The concept of marriage during the period was fraught with many notions and beliefs about women and their role and society. Most of these notions were negative and demeaning, and had no other function than to emphasize the higher position occupied by the husband in the home hierarchy. (ââ¬Å"Womenââ¬â¢s Status in Mid 19th Century England A Brief Overviewâ⬠). Since women had no opportunity to earn a living independently during the Victorian Age, most had no choice but to marry someone who could provide such necessities for her. Moreover, women who expressed their desire to remain unmarried were not regarded favorably and were condemned to social disapproval. (ââ¬Å"Womenââ¬â¢s Status in Mid 19th Century England A Brief Overviewâ⬠). This primary motivation for women to marry in the Victorian age was due to their lack of sufficient education. Women were only taught domestic duties and were left uneducated in other, more important aspects of life. Moreover, women were told at such a young age that they have to marry someday, as their future roles would only be as wives. (ââ¬Å"Womenââ¬â¢s Issues Then and Nowâ⬠). The situation gets even worse after a woman gets married. Everything that she owns, including herself, becomes property of the husband. This means that the man can do anything to the woman without her express consent. The man is also authorized by law to exercise complete control and dominion over his wifeââ¬â¢s body. The marriage contract contains ââ¬Å"a vow to obey her husband. â⬠Thus, a married woman has no choice but to obey her husband and allow him access to her body if he wants the same. (ââ¬Å"Womenââ¬â¢s Status in Mid 19th Century England A Brief Overviewâ⬠). Marriage was an instrument by which women experienced great degradation. They were non-entities in all aspects of life, especially in law. ââ¬Å"Women were, under the law, ââ¬Ëlegally incompetent and irresponsible. ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ Thus, they cannot act except where their husbands gave their consent thereto. In addition, they were afforded neither legal rights nor personal property. (ââ¬Å"Women in the Victorian Ageâ⬠). Marriage was also an instrument for the further strengthening of the notion that women were mere objects or chattels, owned by their husbands. Thus, under the law, ââ¬Å"a husband and wife are one person, and the husband is that person. â⬠Only husbands had the right to act, women were mere passive actors in Victorian society. (ââ¬Å"Women in the Victorian Ageâ⬠). The unfortunate existence of women during this period was dramatically described by Florence Fenwick Miller in 1890, thus: Under exclusively man-made laws women have been reduced to the most abject condition of legal slavery in which it is possible for human beings to be heldâ⬠¦ under the arbitrary domination of anotherââ¬â¢s will, and dependent for decent treatment exclusively on the goodness of heart of the individual master. (ââ¬Å"Womenââ¬â¢s Status in Mid 19th Century England A Brief Overviewâ⬠). The Deviant View of Victorian Women Amidst the prevalent view of women as slaves or property of men or their families, there is a rather atypical notion of women during the Victorian Age. This notion placed women on a pedestal and treated them as goddesses. They were even worshipped in some accounts. This concept of women was reflected primarily in Victorian novels, movies and television shows. (ââ¬Å"Womenââ¬â¢s Status in Mid 19th Century England A Brief Overviewâ⬠). However, this notion is too much of a contradiction to the real state of affairs in the Victorian Age. The real situation consisted of the different treatment between men and women, particularly as to their rights, duties, education and occupation. Personal Viewpoint This writer agrees with the assertion of Dorothy Thompson that women were treated as ââ¬Å"outsidersâ⬠during the Victorian Age. Having seen the disadvantaged position of women from that period, such conclusion is inescapable. Women were not allowed to participate in relevant affairs because they were seen as the ââ¬Å"weaker sex. â⬠Despite proof that they are able to take on great responsibilities and that they possess intelligence as much as men, Victorian society did not see them fit to acquire sufficient education to equip them with skills to earn independent living. Women had been the pillars of the Victorian home, but they were degraded by placing them under the control and supervision of their husbands or their families. Worse, women had been treated inhumanely, as they were regarded as chattels or property for the longest time. Men and women were divided into two spheres, despite the lack of basis to do so aside from mere physical makeup and biased social conclusions. Men were seen as the active actors while women were seen as the passive actors. These attributes were ascribed to men and women, despite the fortitude manifested by women in performing all the duties assigned to her by society. Given all these, it is easy to agree to the proposition that men had been considered as mere outsiders in Victorian society, next only to men who were the ones who enjoyed preferential status, with all the benefits appurtenant thereto. Works Cited ââ¬Å"Dorothy Thompson (1893-1961). â⬠Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. 11 Dec. 2006 . ââ¬Å"Late Victorian England. â⬠10 Dec. 2006 . Lee, Elizabeth. ââ¬Å"Victorian Theories of Sex and Sexuality. â⬠1997. 10 Dec. 2006 . ââ¬Å"Life for Women. â⬠10 Dec. 2006 . ââ¬Å"Queen Victoria and Victorian England ââ¬â the Young Queen. â⬠10 Dec. 2006 . ââ¬Å"Women in the Victorian Age. â⬠10 Dec. 2006 . ââ¬Å"Womenââ¬â¢s Issues Then and Now. â⬠11 Dec. 2006 . ââ¬Å"Womenââ¬â¢s Status in Mid 19th Century England A Brief Overview. â⬠11 Dec. 2006 .
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Advantages and the disadvantages of magistrates and jurors
In this essay I intend to evaluate the effectiveness of lay personnel and the advantages and the disadvantages of magistrates and jurors. Lay members (Magistrates) have legal advisers within points of law and live locally as they have to live close so that they know the area well. Also it is cheaper to send cases to lay magistrates than using professional judges because they are cheaper and do their work voluntarily. Many magistrates are from a good gender balance; this can benefit them because they are able to understand males and females. Lay magistrates are not legally qualified which doesnââ¬â¢t aid them as they could give an incorrect sentence when someone is actually innocent. They are not as good as cross section, as most magistrates are often perceived as being middle-aged and middle-class. Also they prosecute biased, as they believe the police too soon; there fore they could be sentencing someone innocent. Moreover there is an inconsistency in sentencing, so offenders in different areas are sentenced for different lengths of times for the same offence. Magistrates come from a ride range of backgrounds than professional judges and are much older then district judges. Lay magistrates get paid a ââ¬Ëstipeââ¬â¢ which is called a ââ¬Å"stipendâ⬠thus the term stipendiary comes from. District judges sit in the county and magistrateââ¬â¢s court; an additional name for district judges is stipendiary judges. Lay magistrates are not legally qualified and do not get paid, where as stipendiary magistrates are legally qualified and get paid for there job. The advantages of having jury service are that the legal system becomes more open and justice is seen to be done as members of the public aim to get fair results and they are made without bias. It also helps to keep the law clearer as points have to be explained to the jury, enabling the defendant to understand the case more easily. For the jury service there is public confidence and it is an open system of justice they are also considered to be a fundamental part of a democratic society. The jury services are free from pressure during discussions and are protected from outside influences when deciding on the verdict. Although there is a lot of media influence and reporting information, which can mean that, the decision can be manipulated. Other disadvantages of having the jury service can be that they may be a case of racial bias. In conclusion there are many advantages and disadvantages of both magistrates and juries, which are that there is public confidence, fair results without being bias and juries represent the public as a whole, this means that they are a fundamental part of a democratic society. On the other hand the disadvantage of magistrates is that there is a lot of media influence and there is also racial bias.
Friday, September 27, 2019
Expanding Walmart into Turkey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Expanding Walmart into Turkey - Essay Example For instance, the company operates as Walmex in Mexico, Asda in United Kingdom, Seiyu in Japan and Best Price in India. It is worth mentioning that till date the business is located in around 15 countries under 55 different names (Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 2013). The Republic of Turkey generally known as Turkey is a transcontinental nation located in the western part of Asia. The country is considered to be a democratic, secular, unitary constitutional republic with diverse cultural heritage. Turkey is measured to be the official language that almost 85% of the people use and English is the secondary language. In terms of the present day statistics, the nation is listed in the 15th position in accordance with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and is placed in the 17th position concerning nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Istanbul is considered to be the most populated state in the nation. In terms of education, turkey is determined to be one of the most literate countries having a literacy rate of almost 94.1% as of 2011, additionally the current health care suspect of the country is considered to be quite sound in comparison with the past. It is worth mentioning that two of the universities of turkey are glo bally recognized as the best universities in the world (CIA, 2013; Zà ¼rcher, 2004). The main objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of Turkey that would facilitate in understanding the various factors that are essential for a business to evaluate before establishing in any nation. The study would also provide a recommendation section that would help in understanding whether Walmartââ¬â¢s plan to expand in Turkey would be profitable for the company in the long run or not. Cultural facet is considered to be one of the major constituents that any business needs to consider before expanding in a new country. The vital reason behind this is that it plays a major role in the dynamics of the way in
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1
Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin - Research Paper Example The most famous inventions of Eli Whitney was the cotton gin which saw forth the revival of slave trade, a practice that was by the time of the invention was on its rapid decline not only in the south but also in the northern parts of the American continent (Alan, 2014)1. The cotton gin bore tremendous benefits to the slave owners and plantation farmers. The invention and production of Eli Whitneyââ¬â¢s cotton gin created a very profitable business in the cotton industry. This invention later led to increased slavery in both the south and northern America and consequently seeing through the dawn of civil wars. Eli Whitney was born in Westborough, Massachusetts on December 8, 1765. He graduated from Yale College in 1792 with some hopes of becoming a lawyer (Olmstead, 1832: 207)2. After graduation, he got a job as a tutor in South Carolina. On his way to South Carolina, he met a woman by the name of Catherine Greene, who was a widow of a general. She had invited Eli to stay on her plantation called Muylberry Groove to study law (Mitchell, Simon, & Schuster, 1954: 75)3. After Eli found out that his tutor job was not going to be half of what he was told, he accepted Catherine Greeneââ¬â¢s offer. While staying on Catherine Greeneââ¬â¢s plantation, Eli learnt about cotton production and the difficulty farmers underwent while eking out a living from cotton production. Cotton was a very important crop, it was easy to grow and its fibers could be stored for a long time. The problem however, was that cotton had seeds that were very hard to separate from the fibers. Another type of cotton called ââ¬Ëthe lone stapleââ¬â¢ was very easy to clean but only grew along the coast. Most of the farmers had to grow the ââ¬Ëshort staple cottonââ¬â¢ which required a lot of labor. It had to be cleaned by hand, which was a very difficult and very time consuming4. A cotton picket could pick the seeds from one pound of short staple cotton a day. In this
The Reglatory & Econ Envirnmnt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
The Reglatory & Econ Envirnmnt - Essay Example Gist includes supply chain services and management mainly in the UK (Lines of Business online). Being a capital-intensive business, BOC's profitability hinges on its sustained investment in technology to develop new products and services across all businesses and novel uses for existing products, as well as to design efficient methods for manufacturing industrial gases such that economies of scale could be achieved (Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Group Profile, 16; Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Risk Factors, 39). For example, for its PGS business segment, better plant reliability has led to a 16 per cent improvement in total revenue and an 11 per cent increase in total adjusted operating profit for the first half of 2006 (BOC Interim Report 2006, 2). Other than plant reliability, investment in new production facilities will also affect the profitability of PGS as such investments are critical in securing long-term supply contracts (Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Group Profile, 18). For the ISP business, BOC is planning the construction of a helium production plant in Au stralia. When completed, it will be only one of its kind in Australia (Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Group Profile, 20). This monopoly of the Australia market should be beneficial to profits. Furthermore, state-of-the-art technology to efficiently use power has delivered tremendous savings (Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Social, Environmental and Ethical Performance, 31). Technology can also be viewed from the perspective of its customers. Technological developments in industries where customers operate can increase the profitability of BOC. For example, success with major flat panel fabs in Korea has led to a soar in materials consumption and equipment demands, which brings about the strong vacuum equipment market share (Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Research, Development and Information Technology, 36; Merrill Lynch Chemicals Conference, 12). On the economic front, energy costs are particularly influential on profits, especially for PGS (BOC Interim Report 2006, 2) and ISP (BOC Interim Report 2006, 2). Domestic revenue depends on the manufacturing economy and pension costs (BOC Interim Report 2006, 2), while revenue and profit in the US and Canada hinges on demand from the oil and gas sector in the western region (BOC Interim Report 2006, 2). Exchange rate movements are also particularly influential on profitability (Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Operating Review, 40; BOC Interim Report 2006, 3) since BOC operates worldwide such as the UK, US, Europe, China, Asia, Australia, and Africa (Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Group Profile, 18; BOC Interim Report 2006, 2-3). Lastly, BOC is affected by the semiconductor business cycle as manufacturers in the semiconductor industry form the bulk of BOC Edwards' customer base, and BOC Edwards' profitability is directly influenced by the demand of these manufacturers for vacuum e quipment, services and industrial gases (Annual Report and Accounts 2005: Risk Factors, 38) There are many factors in the legal environment that are particularly influential on BOC's profitability. These factors include compliance with accounting, safety, health and environmental regulations and laws. They are discussed in the
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Sociological Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Sociological Theory - Essay Example In arriving at his conclusions, Durkheim identified few factors relating to the issue and applied theories one at a time to the data until they fitted. He concluded that ââ¬Å"suicide rate varied from group to groupâ⬠(Gelles and Levine, 1999, p.25). It means to say that there is no exact causal pattern for suicide and the tendency that people may or may not commit suicide depends upon the attributes of the group he belongs. For example, Japanese soldiers were most likely to take their lives than other members of armed forces; ââ¬Å"unmarried people had much higher rates than married people didâ⬠(Schaefer, 2001, p. 11). Though Durkheim offered a more scientific explanation of the causes of suicides compared to other findings, his conclusions were still weak. A theory is not a final explanation of events, like human behavior. That is why sociologists continue to determine other factors that will explain why people commit suicide (summarized based from Shaefer, 2001, p.11; website reference containing closely similar facts at http://www.hewett.norfolk.sch.uk/CURRIC/soc/durkheim/durkw2.htm)There are three major sociological perspectives that are useful in explaining the presence of a society. These are the functionalist, conflict, and, symbolic perspectives. Under the functionalist perspective, a society is looked up as an integral part that plays a vital role without which a world can not exist. In the conflict theory, a society is looked up as the causes of struggle, competition, and other conflicts.
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Thematical Analysis Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Thematical Analysis Assignment - Essay Example munication, decision-making autonomy, the use of project teams, and differentiated models including socialisation, formalisation, and centralisation (Ambos and Schlegelmilch 2007). The results of this study indicate that MNC units give high priority to their agenda on R & D and interdependent control mechanisms; also that political approaches have relatively weak predictive power as compared to contingency approaches. According to Pagell and Halperin (1998, p.64) the mulinational corporation has its home in one country ââ¬Å"but operates and lives under the laws and customs of other countries as wellâ⬠. The control mechanisms used in managing Research and Development international units are the various contingencies such as the role of communication and decision-making autonomy. theory and organisational power having the potential to unify the contingencies mentioned above into one framework, there is inhibition to the further progress and integration of this innovative development relating to control of R & D. This is because of the isolated treatment of individual contingency variables and the absence of a unifying theoretical framework. Data was collected from 134 R & D units of German MNCs with research and development units located overseas, to test the hypotheses (Ambos and Schlegelmilch 2007). The strengths of the research methodology are that the size of the sample is adequately large for drawing relevant conclusions from the study, and the variables are comprehensive, including centralisation, formalisation, socialisation, cultural distance, R & D unit size, embeddedness, interdependence, international adaptors, and international creators. No variable exhibits distribution or correlation problems. On the other hand, the weaknesses of the study include the fact that there is significant variance due to the sample size. The R & D units range in age from one year to over sixty years. The number of employees in the units also differ widely from 34%
Monday, September 23, 2019
Movie review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13
Movie review - Essay Example The two characters, Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis give a distinguished performance as maids and rack the entire audience sympathy. Since this is a feminist tale, all the male actors are invisible. Most of the women are on the right side of arguments displaying bravery and boldness while those on the wrong side are poor, timid and deluded bastards. Allison Janey plays Skeeterââ¬â¢s mother, the only three-dimensional character in this play, a core part of the redemption story and a truly confused figure. The movie gives a glance at the treatment African-Americans received back in the 1960ââ¬â¢s when their rights had no value in the American Society. This film is in tandem with the USââ¬â¢s current state of affairs in the political arena. The fight between the right and wrong, Obama as the first black president and the same Southern fundamentalistsââ¬â¢ racism today respectively, are vivid truths to the viewers. Unlike the 1960ââ¬â¢s audience, it invites the todayââ¬â¢s audience to support the right course and shun racism. Despite the few flaws in the movie, it is a true inspiration for blacks and whites living in the USA to rise above the pettiness of skin colour and condemn racism. As directed by Steve McQueen, the film offers an insight into the mistreatment that the slaves received. Chiwetel Ejiofor deserves Oscar award for his stunning performance in 12 Years a Slave, a fascinating, engrossing movie about the era of slavery in America. The movie is a realistic reflection and engaging throughout. One of the clear depictions of slavery, Ejiofor, and Lupita, have demonstrated phenomenon and sterling performances with Michael Fassbender distinctly standing out. Excellence and amazing cinematography from Sean Bobbit and a thrilling script by John Ridley greatly marries the modern orchestrated work with contemporary tunes underscoring the emotions. The film gives a deeper reflection of inhumane slave treatment. It
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Is there a benefit in bonding amalgam restorations to remaining tooth structure Essay Example for Free
Is there a benefit in bonding amalgam restorations to remaining tooth structure Essay The use of bonded amalgam in restoring the teeth began as early as the 1990ââ¬â¢s when a few practitioners began to use certain substances to bond the amalgam restorations directly to the tooth. These practitioners began to bond the amalgam directly to the enamel and/or the dentin. The process of bonding amalgam to the tooth was fairly simple. First, the cavity was prepared and the surface of the cavity was thoroughly cleansed, washed and dried. An etchant was applied to the surface of the cavity, and etching was done for certain period of time. Then, a bonding agent was applied to the surface of the prepared cavity. This bonding agent was chemically cured. After this, amalgam can be condensed into the cavity. The resin can whilst curing, bond the magma to the tooth. A mechanical interlocking between the amalgam and the resin would develop. Such restorations would have a lot of advantages over conventional amalgam restorations. However, the evidence available currently regarding bonded amalgam is rather insufficient, as the results of long-term studies are lacking. Studies for a period of two years following the insertion of bonded amalgam have been conducted, and benefits predicted on a long-term basis needs to be thoroughly tested (Bryant, 1998). The use of bonding agent for dental amalgam was first thought of immediately after composite resins were successfully bonded clinically. One of the most frequently utilized agents for bonding amalgam to the tooth structure is 4-META. This enables bond shear strength of about 10 MPa. On the other hand, if the same agent is utilized to bond composite resins to the tooth structure, a bond strength of about 20 MPa is achieved (Graig, 2002). One of the main reasons why dental researchers began to work on the use of bonded amalgams for clinical use was because the newer restorative material have not been very successful in replacing dental amalgam. During the early days when bonded amalgams were initially tested, researchers were able to notice that bonding helped to provide certain benefits against unbonded amalgams (Zbynek, 2002). Bonded amalgam restorations claim several benefits:- 1. The retention form of a cavity may be improved following use of bonded amalgam (Bryant, 1998). However, some researchers feel that the bond retention offered by bonding amalgam be very less or even negligible. This is because the bonding agent may not adopt in a proper manner to the surface of the cavity or the amalgam (Graig, 2002). 2. There is no much of need to cut the tooth extensively and to prepare several retentive features such as grooves, dove tails, undercuts, etc. 3. As the tooth is prepared conservatively, the resistance form of the tooth is improved. This means that the restoration can tolerate stresses better that could fracture the cusps. The clinical evidence available for this in the form of clinical trials is rather insufficient in this regard (Bryant, 1998). Studies have shown that in a MOD (class VI) cavity prepared with amalgam, the resistance to fracture was more than doubled when a bonding agent was utilized, compared to in situations when a bonding agent was not utilized. The case of the improvement in the facture strengths of bonded amalgam was comparable to that of bonding composite resins. The fracture strength achieved by bonding composites was similar to that of bonding amalgam in case of MOD restorations. However, in both cases, the resistance to fracture was as not as high as that of normal tooth material. The fracture resistance depended on several factors such as the amount of tooth material cut, the width of the proximal box, etc. Studies have shown that as the width of the restoration is increased, the resistance to fracture decreases. Research has also demonstrated that the retention obtained by bonding amalgam for MOD cavities was similar to that of placing pin-retained restorations. Hence, the potential to use bonded amalgam instead of pin-retained restorations could be considered. However, long-term studies in this regard have not been considered (Graig, 2002). Some other situations in which bonded amalgam restorations could be useful include large cavity preparations in posterior teeth (as the extent of the cavity preparation would reduce) and in class V cavities in which the occluso-gingival height is reduced, as the need for pins is eliminated (Zbynek, 2002). 4. As the tooth is cut to a conservative extent, and the need to build several retentive features is reduced, the chances of the patient developing post-operative hypersensitivity are greatly reduced. Besides, the resin bonding agent tends to seal the dentinal tubules and prevent the excessive drying (Zbynek, 2002). However, several other factors plays a very important role in preventing the development of hypersensitivity including the extent to which the amalgam is condensed, excessive drying of the tooth, the experience and the technique utilized by the dental practitioner, etc (Bryant, 1998). 5. Bonding agents help to improve the marginal seal and reduce the microleakage in a dental amalgam restoration. The gap present between the tooth and the amalgam is reduced thus lowering the microleakage (Zbynek, 2002). The fluid flow into the cavity is either abolished to decreased (Graig, 2002). Besides, the dentinal tubules are sealed to a greater extent, which could reduce and prevent damage to the pulp (Bryant, 1998). The microleakage is frequently measured using the dye leakage technique (Cenci, 2004). 6. The bonding strength between the tooth surface and the restoration is increased when an amalgam bonding agent is utilized. Studies have shown that the bond strength that develops when no bonding agent is utilized is about 4 to 8 MPa. However, when a bonding agent is utilized, the bond strength shoots up to about 20 MPa (Graig, 2002). 7. The rate of secondary caries is reduced (due to better marginal integrity and reduced marginal leakage) (Zbynek, 2002).
Friday, September 20, 2019
Free Space Optical (FSO) Communication
Free Space Optical (FSO) Communication INTRODUCTION Free Space Optical (FSO) communication involves the transmission of data through a wireless medium using modulated near infrared light beam (with wavelength between 800 nm-1700 nm) [1] as carrier wave. FSO communication links can be used for satellite-to-satellite cross links [2] [3], up-and-down links between space platforms- aircraft, ships, and other ground platforms, and among mobile and stationary terminals within the atmosphere [3]. Light as a medium of communication is not a recent innovation as it was used in the Roman era, where polished metal plates where used as mirrors to reflect sunlight for long-range signaling. A similar sunlight-powered device was used by the U.S. military to send telegraph information between mountain tops in the early 1800s [4]. Additional optical communication developments occurred during the World War II, and the post-war era experienced further developments in this field fueled by electronic innovations such as the transistors, vacuum tubes and i ntegrated circuits, and most especially the invention of the laser in the early 1960s [1]. The unique characteristics of laser such as its powerful coherent light beam, the possibility of modulating it at high frequency and the low beam divergence has made it the preferred light source for enhanced FSO applications. FSO communication is considered to be one of the key technologies for realizing very-high-speed multi-gigabit-per-second large-capacity communications when fibre optic cable is neither practical nor feasible [4]. FSO communication can be of crucial advantage particularly because of its wireless nature and several applications, making it a viable alternative to the laying of fiber cable underground which is expensive and has environmental consequences. Unlike radio and microwave systems, FSO has higher data rate due to its high carrier frequency, low power requirements, no frequency license required and much smaller packaging [4]. In FSO links, atmospheric turbulence is capable of degrading the wave-front quality of a signal-carrying laser beam, resulting in signal loss at the receiver and thereby impairing the link performance [4],[5]. In addition, fog, snow, rain, dust, smoke and other aerosol particles contribute to the attenuation of the signal-carrying beam and eventual degradation of the FSO link. Several studies have been done on the atmospheric turbulence channels of a FSO system [3], [5]. The real performance measure of an FSO communication system is provided by the binary error probability also referred to as Bit Error Rate (BER).FSO communication involve the use of optical amplifiers either as an optical booster or optical preamplification. Amplification is achieved by stimulated emission of photons from dopant ions in the dopant fibre by using a pump laser as used in Erbium Doped Fibre Amplifiers (EDFA) or electrically as used in semiconductor lasers, due to the excitation of ions from a higher ene rgy state to a lower energy state. The excited ions can also decay spontaneously (spontaneous emission) or even through non-radioactive processes involving interactions with phonons of the glass matrix. These last two decay mechanisms compete with stimulated emission reducing the efficiency of light amplification introducing what is known as the Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) noise. Digital Pulse Position Modulation (DPPM) with direct-detection is the preferred modulation technique for FSO communication systems because of the lack of dispersion over the free space channel [2] , none requirement of threshold for detection [3] and the complexity associated with phase or frequency modulation [5]. At the moment, the benefits of FSO communications have not been fully exploited, hence more applied researches are needed at the laboratory to help transfer the performance of FSO optical systems into real life applications. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 FSO ââ¬â PRINCIPLES AND CLASSIFICATION A FSO system consists basically of a transmitter, usually a modulated laser or light emitting diode (LED) which produces light for conveying data through space, and a receiver such as a photodetector which receives close to collimated radiation independent of the transmitter pointing concentrated lens [1]. Other components include beam control optics, collection lens, optical amplifier, solar radiation filters and other electronics [6]. In general, FSO systems can be classified into indoor and outdoor FSO communication [4], [7] based on the distance covered for communication and the absence of environmental effects in the indoor FSO link. The basic operating principles of indoor point to point systems are not different from outdoor communication links but the designs are very different to accommodate various requirements. Some research on transmitter and receiver designs for long-range FSO communication systems, [8] like satellite and atmospheric optical communications, have already been reported, which might be beneficial to short-range systems. Recently, many indoor communication systems employ laser diode as light sources [8]. 2.1.1 INDOOR FSO COMMUNICATION The indoor FSO communication link can be further classified as point and shoot links which are subdivided into infrared data association (IRDA) and retro-reflect links; and networks which have two types namely the diffuse networks and line of sight networks [4],[7]. Indoor FSO applications are confined to short distances; hence it is appropriate to optical FSO systems that use wide divergence beams rather than narrow beams which are suitable for point to point systems. Such systems are sometimes referred to as optical telepoint systems [7]. Due to the fact that indoor FSO systems are not affected by atmospheric effects, the power budget depends solely on the transmitter launch power, free space loss, and receiver sensitivity. As reported in Mahdiraji and Zahedi [9], the use of infrared frequencies for short-range wireless communications has received extensive interest over the decade, and many potential applications of this technology have been suggested. Some of the applications inc lude portable device such as laptop computers, personal digital assistants, and portable telephones. Many indoor communication systems employing infrared LED wireless links have been reported in [7], [9]. Using pure diffuse link, a high speed and power efficient indoor wireless infrared communication using code combining was reported in Majumdar and Ricklin [4], where a multiple transmitter link design was used with a narrow field of view direction diversity receiver. The design goal was to eliminate the effect of inter symbol interference (ISI) so that power efficient signalling schemes such as DPPM can be employed at a very high data rate. A portable transceiver for indoor FSO link was reported by Jiang et al [8] .The system employs a transmitter of eye safe infrared LEDs and a receiver of photodiode arrays with multi channel trans-impedance-summer architecture. The received signal achieved a BER of 10-4 at a plane of 2 m away from the transmitter, even at a point 50 degree off the transmitters vertical axis. The bit rate of the transceiver was up to 40 Mbit/sec in an indoor non-directed infrared FSO link to be extended to 100 Mbit/s using LEDs with higher cut frequency. 2.2.2 OUTDOOR FSO COMMUNICATION Unlike the indoor FSO communication link, the outdoor link covers a long distance over 500 m [7] using the atmosphere as its natural medium of communication. It is unlikely that long distance point-to-point systems will exceed the 4-5 km range due to atmospheric channel degradation. Outdoor point-to-point systems use high power lasers that operate in the Class 3B eye safety band to achieve optimum power link budget, particularly if high bit rate (e.g., 155 Mb/s) is required [7]. In order to achieve an improved power budget, an experiment was carried out by Heatley et al [8] to achieve a trial 155 Mb/s link that cover a 4 km distance between Imperial College and University College London. The aim of the experiment was to minimize the overall propagation loss focussing on the free space loss and the receiver sensitivity as little could be done to reduce the atmospheric losses. A low power laser coupled to an erbium doped fibre amplifier (EDFA) was used as the source; two astronomical t elescopes (Schmidt-Cassegrain, 20 cm aperture) were used at both the source and receiver ends, and an Avalanche photodiode (APD) was used as receiver. The result of the experiment was that the diameter at the receiver was reduced to 0.5 m which corresponds to 8 dB free space loss from a beam diameter of 2 m (20 dB free space loss). The major problem encountered was maintaining the beam alignment which depends on temperature changes. Although the APD receiver is relatively costly, it helped to improve the receiver sensitivity and they are generally used for long distance systems. FSO is well established for intersatellite and deep-space communications [3] but it can also be used in ground-to-space link, Unmanned-Aerial-Vehicle (UAV) to ground link, and among mobile and stationary terminals within the atmosphere [10]. New areas of application include quantum key, traffic and telematics [6]. It has been predicted that FSO can be fruitfully utilized as alternative for last-mile problem [3], [10], [11]. According to Majumdar and Ricklin [4], a group of researchers reported the design and development of acquisition, tracking and pointing subsystem for UAV to ground free space optical communications link. The communication link was developed from a UAV to stationary ground stations located at Wrightwood, California and Maui, Hawaii. The range of the UAV was 50 km. the downlink laser transmitter wavelength was 1550 nm and had power of 200 mW for developing a 2.5 Gbps data rate communication for a BER of 10-9. Furthermore researchers have presented results from exper imental demonstrations using a very lightweight optical wavelength communication without laser in space (LOWCAL) [4] between ground based telescope and a space shuttle. The uplink/downlink established at 852 nm wavelength and 852 nm signal beam. Some of the specifications for the experiment were: range of 640 km, data rate of 10 kbps, telescope diameter of 0.6 m, modular weight of 2-4 kg and retro-reflector area of 70-180 cm2. For the downlink, differential circular polarization keying (DCPK) format was used while Frequency Shift keying was used for the uplink. Both the downlink and uplink achieved a BER 2.2 FSO- TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES Theoretically, the wavelength range of the near infrared electromagnetic spectrum (800 nm and 1700 nm [1]) used in optical communication implies it offers extremely high bandwidth, hereby providing higher data rates compared to other communication media such as the radio (1 mm-100 Mm ) and microwave (1 mm-1 m) systems [1]. Further, this technology requires no spectrum licensing requirements i.e. traffic free bands, no mutual interference between the FSO systems (high spatial selectivity of the beam), no Fresnel Zone requirement and difficult to eavesdrop on transmitted data [4], [6], [10]. The integration of the optical wireless and fibre is a research area been worked on by my many researchers [4]. This integration is possible because the two optical technologies offer highââ¬âspeed optical bandwidth to meet market needs. They both use the same optical transmission wavelength (800 nm ââ¬â 1700 nm) [1]. In addition the two optical technologies both share the same system compo nents and can transmit digital information using a range of protocols. The business advantages of FSO communications for network extensions include the reduction of cost incurred on fibre-optic cable and other associated costs, as well as time for deployments [4]. Despite its potentials, FSO communication link is affected by atmospheric attenuation owing to aerosol particles such as fog, haze, rain and snow which causes fluctuations in both the intensity and the phase of the received light signal hereby limiting the availability of FSO for a given transmission range and increasing the systems bit error rate [5]. These includes the fine mode with diameter, less than 2.5 à µm, the accumulation mode with particle diameters 0.1 à µm à µm and the coarse mode with diameter > 2.5 à µm [12]. These particles can grow in size in regions of high humidity, and shrink by evaporation as humidity decreases. The effect of atmospheric aerosols in the channel on laser beam propagation can be determined using the Mie theory which depends critically on wavelength and particle size [13]. The dimensionless size parameter illustrates the nature of the Mie calculation as it gives the relationship between the particle size and radiation wavelength. This is given m athematically in equation 2.1[13] as where is wave number, is particle radius and is particle wavelength. Table 2.1 adapted from Ricklin et al [13] show some sources of aerosol in the atmosphere. Aerosol particles can be classified into three modes based on the diameter of the particles. Table 2.2 adapted from OBrien et al [6] shows the attenuations caused by rain, snow and fog. Table 2.1 Estimates of particles smaller than 20 micron radius emitted into or formed in the atmosphere (106 metric tons/year) (adapted from [13]) *Includes unknown amounts of indirect man-made contributions. Table 2.2 Attenuations caused by rain, snow and fog (adapted from [6]) Extinction is a term which describes the attenuation of a laser beam as it passes through a medium containing atoms, molecules, and particles. As reported in Ricklin et al [13], Goody and Yung defined the fundamental law of extinction as that of Lambert, which states that ââ¬Å"the extinction is linear in both intensity of radiation and in the amount of matter, provided that the physical state (i.e., temperature, pressure, composition) is held constantâ⬠. Intensive researches [3], [4], [5], [13] have been conducted on the effects of atmospheric losses, most especially atmospheric scintillation, on FSO communication and some solutions have been proffered to reduce these effects. 2.2.1 PROPAGATION LOSS This atmospheric loss is associated with the distance covered by the laser beam. According to Prokes [12], free space propagation loss can be expressed as shown in equation 2.2 [dB] (2.2) where L is the link path distance, is the beam divergence full angle and is the diameter of transmitting circular aperture. For the Gaussian beam and a sufficiently long link distance ( >>) the additional gain is = 3.7 dB. In Heatley et al [7], it was reported that for a point-to-point system that operate with a slightly diverging beam, the free space propagation loss would be 20 dB whereas in an indoor system using wide angle beam, the free space loss would be 40 dB or more. At very short link distances, the total transmitted power is detected at the receiver because the beam spot diameter at the receiver position is lower than the diameter of the receiver lens [12]. 2.2.2 PHYSICAL OBSTACLES Physical obstructions such as birds, insects, tree limbs, buildings or other factors can temporarily or permanently block the laser line-of-sight [6], [13]. Platform/building motion due to wind, differential heating and cooling, or ground motion over time can result in serious misalignment of fixed-position laser communication systems [13]. Proper planning and site measurements are ways of avoiding this effect [6]. 2.2.3 ABSORPTION AND SCATTERING Molecular absorption process which is wavelength dependent is a major factor in beam attenuation. At wavelengths greater than 1à µm, the effect of molecular extinction can be negligible as atoms couple weakly with electromagnetic field [4]. Furthermore, molecular absorptions at these wavelengths are due to absorption of incident radiation with only minor scattering contributions [4]. Aerosol scattering effect is caused by rain, fog, mist and snow. This effect accounts for the degradation in quality of service experienced during snow, rain, fog and mist as reported in a detailed measurement take by [7] over a period of one year in both rural and urban areas. The results also reported in Heatley et al [7], showed a similar trend but with rather less variability between seasons and higher average attenuations. For many molecules, the absorption spectra have been measured experimentally in the laboratory and the respective extinction ratios of specific molecules have been made available for evaluation [4]. Molecular absorption can be minimized by appropriate selection of the optical wavelength [4]. It has also been suggested in [7] that the attenuation effects due to scattering can be minimized by reducing the link range and/or reducing the optical power budget. The attenuation caused by scattering in decibel scale A10, scat is given by the product of the atmospheric attenuation coefficient à ±10, scat and the link distance in kilometres. The mathematical expressions are shown in equations (2.3), (2.4) and (2.5) [12]. [dB/km] (2.3) Where is the particle size distribution coefficient defined as: [dB] (2.5) 2.2.4 ATMOSPHERIC SCINTILLATION Scintillation is caused by solar energy heating up small air pockets inhomogenously, thereby creating varying refractive index along the FSO link [7]. This results in the scattering of laser beams at various angles along the propagation path and a resultant fluctuation in both the intensity and phase of the received light [5], [7].Atmospheric scintillation is less significant at distances less than 500 m [7], [12], but degrades performance of a FSO link at ranges of the order of 1km or longer [5]. The intensity I of an optical wave propagating through turbulent atmosphere is a random variable. The normalized variance of optical wave intensity, referred to as the scintillation index, is defined by equation (2.6) [12] where the angular brackets denote an ensemble average. The scintillation index indicates the strength of intensity fluctuations. For weak fluctuations, it is proportional and, for strong fluctuations, it is inversely proportional to the Rytov variance for a plane which is shown in equation (2.7) [12] where is the refractive-index structure parameter. This parameter is dependent on temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, altitude and wind strength [12]. Beam wander is another occurrence in an atmospheric channel which causes similar effects as atmospheric scintillation. This is characterized by the deflection of the entire laser beam by optical tubules of larger diameter than the beam, resulting in a random movement of the light beam about the target point. Atmospheric scintillation is a major impairment of FSO communications systems, as it can produce large transient dips in the optical signal. It has been studied extensively with various theoretical models already proposed to describe the signal fading [3], [5], [11]. In addition, several communication techniques have been described to mitigate the signal fading effect [5], [6], [12], [13]. In [3], the error performance of terrestrial FSO links were modelled as PPM/Poisson channels in turbulent atmosphere. The scintillation effects were modelled as lognormal for weak turbulence and as exponential for heavy turbulence. In Kiasaleh [11], the performance of a direct-detection, APD-based PPM FSO communication system in atmospheric turbulence was characterized. Here the weak turbulence link was investigated by modelling the received signal as a log-normal random process and also as a negative exponentially distributed received signal intensity. The binary PPM was used as the modulation sch eme for the system. It was assumed that the receiver thermal noise is non-negligible and the average signal intensity was large enough to justify as Gaussian approximation. It was concluded that the performance of the APD-based PPM FSO system was severely affected by turbulence and that the optimum APD gain must be used to avoid excessive APD noise at the receiver. It was also concluded that the negative exponential channel scintillation affected the systems performance with only large signal power capable of influencing the performance. Zhu and Kahn [5] employed the statistical properties of signal fading, as a function of both temporal and spatial coordinates as an approach of mitigating turbulence-induced intensity fluctuation. In spatial domain technique, at least two receivers are used to collect the signal light at different angles. In temporal domain techniques, only one receiver is used. Here signal-by-signal maximum likelihood detector (ML) is used to optimize performance w hen the receiver knows only the marginal statistics of the fading while maximum-likelihood sequence detection (MLSD) is used when the receiver knows the temporal correlation of the fading. The investigation showed that BER has greater degradation when the standard deviation of the turbulence induced fading is large. Furthermore, the diversity reception with the two receivers can improve the performance than a single receiver. According to Prokes [12], the receiver lens area causes an integration of various intensities incident on particular parts of the lens. It was reported in [12] that optical scintillations can be reduced by increasing the collection area of the receiver lens. This phenomenon is known as aperture averaging and the aperture averaging factor for a spherical wave is shown in equation (2.8) [12] where is the power scintillation index and is the Rytov variance for the spherical wave. An experiment was carried out by Prokes [12] to investigate the effect of the aperture averaging factor on the power scintillation index using two different refractive index structure parameters for the calculation. The result showed that the influence of both the lens diameter and refractive-index structure parameter on the scintillation level was relatively large. The power link budget of a FSO communication link was given in [12] based on statistical analysis of the atmospheric attenuation. Figure 2.1 shows a power level diagram of FSO deployed at a distance of about 1 km. According to figure 1, the total received optical power, was given by Prokes [12] in equation (2.9) as where is the mean optical power of a laser diode, includes the coupling loss between the laser and the transmitter lens and the attenuation loss in the lens, is the beam attenuation due to propagation loss, includes random losses caused by atmospheric phenomena (scattering and turbulence), and represents the coupling lens between the receiver lens and photodiode and the attenuation and reflection at the lens. 2.2.5 AMPLIFIED SPONTANEOUS EMISSION (ASE) Optical amplifiers are important components in communication links, as they are used to boost output power levels in the order of one Watt and higher. Due to the atmosphere medium used in FSO, only optical booster and pre-amplification schemes can be used [14]. Apart from the desired optical signal amplification, the optical booster amplifier constitutes a source of background radiation that can exceed the background radiation from the sun. This radiation is called amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). The ASE power spectral density is represented in equation (2.10) [14] as where is one photon energy, denotes the optical amplifier gain, and is the amplifiers noise figure which ideally should be 3 dB. Equation (2.10) is valid for a single spatial mode (including polarization modes); in multimode applications has to be multiplied by the number of emitted modes to arrive at the total ASE power spectral density [14]. The effect of ASE radiation in optical booster and preamplification in FSO communication link was investigated by [14] using on/off keying (OOK) as the modulation technique. In the case of the booster amplifier, considering the fact that the maximum on-axis gain of a central unobscured optical transmit antenna with respect to an isolator radiator equals where is the diameter of the telescope optics and is the optical transmit wavelength .The value 0.81 is the optimum value of the fraction of incident power that can be coupled to an optical fibre from an incident plane wave. On inserting into equation (2.10), the ASE power spectral density generated by the booster amplifier and coupled to the receiver is given in equation (2.11) [14] as [W/Hz] (2.11) where is the transmitter gain, is the transmitter noise figure and and are the transmitter and receiver telescope diameter respectively. Also the signal power coupled to the receiver was given in equation (2.12) [14] as [W] (2.12) where is the transmit optical power at the output of the booster amplifier. Figure 2.2 [14] shows the general setup of an optically boosted FSO system. Modulated TX data Optical Receiver Optical booster amplifier GTX, FTX Telescope optics DTX Amplified data signal transmit booster ASE DRX R Using Erbium-doped booster amplifiers with specifications, telescope diameters, and a communication distance of , Winzer et al [14] arrived at which is of the order of the magnitude of the background radiation per mode produced by the sun. It also was reported that the booster ASE constitutes the dominating background radiation term up to communication distances of 600 000 km. In the optically preamplified FSO communication system, (see Figure 2.3) the received signal passes through polarization filter and optical bandpass which reduces the detected preamplifier ASE power. The preamplification introduces additional noise terms such as the shot noise, ASE-shot beat noise, signal-background beat noise, signal-ASE beat noise, background-preamplifier ASE beat noise, background-background beat noise and the ASE-ASE beat noise. It was reported by Winzer et al [14] that up to a link distance of 1000 km the beating of the signal and the transmit booster ASE dominates all other noise terms, c ausing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to become independent of R. The communication quality does not in this case increase with decreasing communication distance. It was thus concluded that the optical booster ASE has significant impact on the performance of a FSO communication link, especially at short link distances [14]. Optical preamplifier POL- filter (optional) Optical bandpass Decision logic RX data In Winzer et al [14], the use of the pointing, acquisition and tracking (PAT) system (see figure 2.4) to reduce the optical booster ASE at the receiver was presented. The proposed patent-pending PAT system eliminates the need for the using separate power or hardware for beacon lasers, taking care of alignment procedures between the beacon-laser and the transmit or receive telescopes, and splitting off a certain fraction of the information carrying data signal for PAT purposes [14].The booster ASE is applicable to the PAT system because the ASE spectrum exceeds that of the data signal by orders of magnitude and also the ASE has the same spatial modes as the data signal. Figure 2.4 The PAT system retrieving pointing/tracking information from ASE emitted by the booster amplifier at the transmitter [14] Phillips et al[2] carried out an analysis of the optically preamplified intersatellite pulse position modulation (PPM) receiver employing maximum likelihood detection (MLD) using Gaussian approximation (GA) and Chernoff bound (CB) techniques. The results from the calculations carried out at a wavelength of and bit rate of 25 Mb/s showed that this mentioned receiver configuration is approximately 1.5 dB more sensitive than the optically preamplified OOK non-return-to zero (NRZ) signalling. This method is proposed to have future implementation in future laser intersatellite communication systems. This paper has been reviewed in my report, with special interest in the BER evaluation. 2.2.6 EYE SAFETY FSO systems involve the emission of high power optical power which can be unsafe, especially if operated incorrectly [7]. As a result of this, laser safety standards have been established and classified based on the amount of power emitted by the transmitter source. Table 2.3 (adapted from [7]) summarizes the principal classifications. Table 2.3 Laser safety classifications for point-to-source emitter (adapted from [7]) 650 nm (visible) 880 nm (infrared) 1310 nm (infrared) 1550 nm (infrared)
Thursday, September 19, 2019
America Does Not Need Gun Control Essay -- argumentative, persuasive,
Gun control is often considered as an effective means of protecting ordinary citizens. We all want to feel safe, and it's easy to ascribe notions of safety to the idea of gun control. Unfortunately, feeling safe and actually being safe can be very different things. Gun control sounds wonderful in theory: no guns means no shootings. If only it were that simple. When one considers some of the worst shootings and gun-related crimes in recent history, it's peculiar to realize how often these occurred in places where guns were illegal to carry or even own. It's downright disturbing to realize that, in some cases, the only armed person in sight was the one planning a crime. A sign that says 'no guns' might as well say 'no resistance'. What safer environment could existââ¬âfor a criminal? It is my intention, throughout this paper, to discuss the disadvantages and incongruities of gun control policies, and to highlight and provide argument for the positive benefits of gun ownersh ip. The major problem with gun control laws is that it is likely only the law-abiding will obey them. In the midst of planning or perpetrating a crime, is it plausible that criminals stop and wonder whether their firearm is duly registered with the state, or even legal in their local ordinance? Seems kind of silly. In the meantime, some conscientious citizens have turned in their firearms while others no longer carry them out of the house, or carry their handguns about in a locked case in their car (where they are about as useful a means for defense as butter for cutting granite). Clearly, the law is only a restriction upon those who obey it. Another problem is deciding whether or not gun control laws are even, well, lawful. This is not as cut and dried ... ...it is up to individuals to decide whether or not owning a gun for self-defense is the right choice in their life. It is a responsibility, and not to be taken lightly. All persons must decide this on their own, but no one should be able decide that it is the wrong choice for everybody else. Works Cited DeShaney v. Winnebago Cty. Soc. Servs. Dept., 489 U.S. 189, 196 (1989). ââ¬Å"Injury Prevention & Control: Data & Statistics (WISQARSTM).â⬠CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Mar. 2015. Web. 16 May 2015. Lott, John R. Jr. More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws, Third Edition (Studies in Law and Economics). Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2010. Print. McDonald v. Chicago, 561 U.S. ___ (2010). (slip op., 44). Small Arms Survey. Small Arms Survey 2014: Guns and the City. Web. 16 May 2015. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/
Old Major :: Free Essays
Old Major Comrades of before the Rebellion, you know me. For the new animals here I am Old Major. As you well know the Rebellion has caused a great change to our farm. I must say you have done exceedingly well on the upkeep of this farm. Isn't the rebellion about being free? Also, did you not get rid of Jones so that we could all feel equal? Be treated equal, share the work equally? Tell me who under these current conditions is benefitting? I have spoken to a few of you and now know how the initial plan went so very wrong. You listened to the pigs, they seemed smart, and some of them would have had good ideas. One pig Napoleon had an idea, and made promises to the rest, so they followed. All but Snowball. Snowball was chased away by the vicious dogs Napoleon raised and he himself took Snowballs plan to use in his own beneficial way. Those pigs care only for themselves and because of their intelligence, they have taken full advantage of you. You now see that you are working for them. They are the ones benefitting, they have all the apples and milk for themselves. They don't do much work and they don't care about you animals as long as they have the power. You will not now let these unfair conditions continue will you? For you have done so much, and received so little in return. I forward my idea of a new revolution. This new revolution will be gone with all unequal facts. Food, working and living conditions will all be fair and you shall not be ruled over by one kind of animal. A committee of two of each animals on this farm will represent and give forward your ideas to each other. Everyone is invited to the meetings so you all know what is happening and you an be involved in the planning for your future, as it is your future! You have been pushed over though, by the pigs, just because they seem
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Elizabeth Ferneaââ¬â¢s Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Vill
"You arrive at a village, and in this calm environment, one starts to hear echo." -- Yannick Noah The writings of various ethnographers and anthropologists are intended to inform and educate the reader by imparting awareness and understanding of unexplored cultures. The value of such a work is directly related to the authorââ¬â¢s familiarity with the culture. For instance, an individual intimately acquainted with a situation have different insights, but also different biases than an outsider. Elizabeth Ferneaââ¬â¢s work "Guests of the Sheik" is a combination of the two perspectives. It documents her immersion into the society and culture of El Nahra, a village in Iraq, during the first two years of her marriage to Bob, an anthropologist. Her honest and frank narrative provides a fascinating glimpse at the lives of the men and women living in the village and the relationship Elizabeth, affectionately referred to by the people of the village as Beeja, has with them. Elizabeth begins her journey apprehensively, but not without excitement. She takes many of her western ideas with her to El Nahra, but quickly discovers that in order to be accepted she must embrace the local customs. The practice of purdah, or the seclusion of women, is one with which she struggles immediately and often. Her preconceived notions regarding the veiling and seclusion of women seem to show that she regarded the practice as removing women from society. Upon her arrival, she realizes that, as the only woman without an abayah, she is a curiosity, and reluctantly changes her position on the garment, thinking ââ¬Å"Well, it seemed Iââ¬â¢d capitulated; I was going to wear that servile garment after all. I discovered that my principles were not as str... ...e women form a crucial part of this society, and are integral to its maintenance. In spite of her early hesitance and her preconceived notions of the status of women within this society, Elizabeth learns that every member has a place within the social hierarchy. While Elizabeth, or Beeja did not manage to change the society of El Nahra as she thought she might, she was given a place within it and granted respect from both the women and men of the society. Works Cited Fernea, Elizabeth. Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village. New York: Anchor Books, 1969. Joseph, Suad, ââ¬Å"Gender and Relationality among Arab Families in Lebanon,â⬠Feminist Studies 19:3 (1993): 465-486. Pierce, Leslie. The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire. London: Oxford University Press, 1993. The Holy Qurââ¬â¢an, Al-Ahzab 33:53.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Reaction Paper- Asian and Global Crisis Essay
Reaction Paper Asian and Global Crisis During the Asian and Global Crisis many of the criticisms are against accounting and accountants. In my further readings, Iââ¬â¢ve read that during the Asian Crisis in 1997, where affected countries suffered severe setbacks in their economies and where development stagnated, the accountancy profession, including its standards, policies and levels of information disclosures, had played a role in the start of the crisis, and perhaps had even worsened it. Moreover, Iââ¬â¢ve also read that during both crises, the Asian Crisis and Global Crisis in 2008, insufficient clarity in what was being measured, the wrong things being measured or things being measured inappropriately, lack of standards, inadequate transparency and poor ethical conduct, in short, poor corporate governance is the main breadth and depth of the crises. As a future accountant, what will I do after all the doubts and criticisms against the profession? In my opinion, sufficient clarity on what to measure, measuring things appropriately, following the applicable standards, adequate transparency and good ethical conduct are the things that I should carry out. It should be clarified in the accountant on what is the thing that he/she should measure. If Iââ¬â¢m the accountant I should be knowledgeable on the nature and I should have understood necessary facts about the account when doing measurement or on examining the reasonableness of the measurement method used by the management. In addition, in measuring risks like financial risk, I should use a valid and reliable risk measurement technique because the information that Iââ¬â¢ll be giving will be the basis for the managementââ¬â¢s decision-making. If I have measured the things incorrectly or a wrong technique has been used, it could be misleading to the decision-making of the management and may cause chaos in the future to the company. In an accounting perspective, applicable generally accepted accounting standards should be used in the accounts of the financials of the company. Strict compliance should be observed so that transactions are properly recorded, summarized, classified and accounted for. Adequate disclosures should also be done. In the auditing perspective, as an auditor, auditing the company should be in accordance with the applicable generally accepted auditing standards. The auditor should be independent so that the opinion will be unbiased. I would like to emphasize that in compliance with the generally accepted auditing standards, the auditor should always take into consideration if the company provided adequate disclosures. Disclosure on significant matters is really important for the users who donââ¬â¢t have enough information regarding the matter will be informed. However, I have read in an article that there is also a lack of standards that also caused the hitch on crises. Regarding the lack of standards, I think it is already in the hands of the appropriate groups with authorities. Accountants need to refocus the structuring of financial transactions so that they comply with generally accepted accounting principles and that the economic substance of financial transactions is communicated. More accountability and ethical awareness needs to be instilled in the individuals who deceitfully structure financial transactions. Regulatory bodies need to ensure more transparency by closing loopholes and better enforcement of accounting standards. Audit committees, need to be sure that a company is communicating the true economic reality of the financial transactions and financial position of the business entity. Off-balance-sheet financing is one of the most significant ways, among others, that the user of financial statements can be misled. It is time for regulatory bodies to eliminate overly rules-based standards, clearly state the economic objective of each standard, and require firms to disclose the economic motivations for the accounting practices they adopt. While making judgment accountants need to be cautious and prudent. Accounting transactions and other events are sometimes uncertain but in order to be relevant it should be reported in time. Accountants have to make estimates requiring judgment to counter the uncertainty. Prudence is a key accounting principle which makes sure that assets and income are not overstated and liabilities and expenses are not understated. The bottom-line for all of these is to have good corporate governance. As defined by Robert M. Bushman, corporate governance structures serve: 1) to ensure that minority shareholders receive reliable information about the value of firms and that a companyââ¬â¢s managers and large shareholders do not cheat them out of the value of their investments, and 2) to motivate managers to maximize firm value instead of pursuing personal objectives. I believe that all of the things I have mentioned are some of the keys that can help me as a future accountant in dealing the reality and to get out of all the doubts against the accounting profession.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Motivation for Advanced Level Esl Learning Essay
In recent years, TESOL has called for the study of the social and cognitive factors that affect adult English learnersââ¬â¢ participation in formal language learning. Numerous research projects have investigated the motivational influences and factors of adult immigrant English. In particular, factors and motivations which led them to take an advanced ESL courses after already having adequate fluency in English to conduct their work and daily lives. Using both qualitative and quantitative approaches, these studies have frequently uncovered that the ESL students opted to pursue advanced language training to, primarily, join the dominant language culture and community. Practical reasons, although very important to the learners, seem to be outweighed by the psychological drive to integrate into the culture. Social identity often proves to be the major factor in this process as student motivation often fostered by a self perceived difference between their current and desired identities as assimilated speakers of their new language. Fundamentally they saw language education as an essential transitional requisite for attainment of this preferred identity. Introduction The study of TESOL, which can trace its roots applied linguistics, occasionally failed to think about many non-linguistic aspects and situations of use which can influence learning. A large part of this knowledge, though, collected through education and psychology investigations could be applied to the groups of people and areas of interest being considered in TESOL. In places such as California second-language English users make up 63% of the target adult learners and almost a third in the country overall (Lasater and Elliott, 2004). The literature studied below begins by recapping major endeavors of psychology and education investigation so as to establish a baseline of studentââ¬â¢s imperatives to learn. The study later focuses on motivation studies in linguistics related to ESL attainment and advancement. Part 2 Andragogy and Self-Motivation Andragogyà Review of the Literature Adult Learning from a Social Cognitive Perspective The foundation of adult learning theory was established in Lindeman (1926) who identified important distinctions between adult and child learning. These ideas were later developed by Knowles (1990) and constitute the hypothetical learning model dubbed andragogy. Andragogy, a mode of education starkly contrary pedagogy, which is characterized by children being instructed by adults in a directed and authoritarian environment. Knowles posited that because of significant psychological and physiological differences between youth and adult learners, the modes of educational motivation must be equally disparate. Knowlesââ¬â¢s teachings are very well regarded in the education worldwide. Psychological metamorphosis in adult life, human factors brought to the learning situation, adult outside world demands, and life duties distinct from childrenââ¬â¢s, particularly a greater breadth of life encounters, varied incentives, and educational requirements all act in concert to create a distinctly different mode of motivation for adult learners. In particular, adult learning, per Knowles (1990), is predicated upon six vital components: 1. Justification for learning, that is, the rationale for desiring the education, before pursuing it. 2. Transformation of the adult concept of the self into that of an independent, self-directed human being. 3. Life experience that influences the adult body of accumulated knowledge, desires as well as being a component factor of self awareness. 4. Developmental willingness and practical feasibility relating to the synchronized pacing of learning experiences to their appropriate phases of emotional maturation. . Problem-centered approach of learning which can immediately be applied to real-life situations. 6. Self-motivation to learn by self-generated factors, as opposed to externally imposed requirements Kolb (1984) offered an expanded depiction of the process as a self-perpetuating process where actual events necessitate a review, analysis leading to later research and proper scientific revi ew. The learnerââ¬â¢s assimilation into a different culture and society facilitates creation of educational desires with eventual engagement in a formalized educational environment as a key to attaining the desires. Learning occurs in myriad encounters/interactions with the studentââ¬â¢s world in psychological process. In a social context, the actual knowledge gained is not so much seen as an acquisition but more as one of externalization. A way to get out of oneââ¬â¢s self and into their new environment. Cognition of facts occurs which is a pro-active, relevant, and meaningful adult response to confusion created by previous discontinuity. A disjuncture can serve as ââ¬Å"the point at which needs and wants and interests convergeâ⬠. as well as an origin point for jumping into the learning process. By extending this idea to immigrant experiences, it seems as though basic everyday activity changes caused from immersion in a society which communicates in a foreign tongue, and made all the more real by the imperative to become functional in this society, can create disjuncture in their lives and compel them to pursue ESL education so as to not be overwhelmed. While many will pursue language education at once, others may find that language disjunctures happen later in their lives when greater proficiency beyond basic functional skills is required for a variety of reasons. Knowledge deficits plus a developed self-concept grounded within a cultural milieu can generate pressing need ââ¬â a need to learn. Self-Motivation There are many different definitions for Motivation. In an educational context, one of the more comprehensive and useful definitions is from John Kellerââ¬â¢s 1983 publication called Motivational Design of Instruction: ââ¬Å"the choices people make as to what experiences or goals they will approach or avoid, and the degree of effort they will exert in that respectâ⬠(Keller, 1983). Motivation is mercurial in nature. Keller identified a perception of applicability of the learning presented as fundamental for maintaining long-term motivation. Relevance exceeds the subjectââ¬â¢s education requirements to encompass perceptions of satisfaction desired through the process in fulfilling psychological imperative senses of achievement, belonging, power and freedom. Encountering disappointment during a learning situation can dissipate motivation and possible cause learned helplessness (Bandura, 1982; deCharms, 1984; Weiner, 1984) or dismotivation going beyond mere discouragement. Educational psychology accepts that motivation also varies because of varied contexts in which learning occurs. Studies have brought to light additional connections between the act of learning a language and the evolving perspective of learners in the L2 environment. Peirce (1995) introduced the idea that acquisition of proficiency in a dominant language allowed learnersr to ââ¬Å"acquire a wider range of symbolic and material resources [and] increase the value of [the learnersââ¬â¢] cultural capitalâ⬠. Sfard & Prusak (2005) insinuated that the learning itself is closing the gap between learnersââ¬â¢ actual and projected identities. Qualitative studies offer a model of language learning motivation which is dynamic, longitudinal process whereby learnersââ¬â¢ cognitions and beliefs (Ushioda, 2001), and relevance of the curriculum to their interests (Syed, 2001) directly affect involvement in learning. Part 3 Language Learners vs Second Language Learners Linguists only recently have begun distinguishing foreign language students from second language students when studying their drive to pursue language education and have proposed ââ¬Å"the dynamics involved in learning these two different types of language may be quite differentâ⬠(Gardner, 2001). To date, the great majority of these studies are in foreign language (FL) classes. Gardenerââ¬â¢s quote was actually taken from a volume containing 20 separate motivation studies, none of which contained ESL students. ESL students, for whom English was a gateway ability for study in different subjects or earning a university degree, were more compelled by exterior forces to learn than heritage and non-heritage EFL learners. A motivation survey of 580 adult immigrants at a local college based ESL program in Toronto rated the following motives highest: linguistic needs, basic skills, cultural awareness, social interaction, and resume writing (Paper, 1990). It found no significant difference in motives based age, duration of residence or level of education. The influence of integrative orientation in the data compelled the author to recommend including Canadian culture in the curriculum. Conscious intention of immigrating to the U. S. was another motivating factor for language learning in a separate exploration conducted on adult learners (Brilliant, Lvovich, and Markson, 1995). Studentââ¬â¢s beliefs seem to fill a vital role in adult learning accomplishments, consistent with educational psychology, thus making them ideal subjects for motivation research. A particular study, Bernat (2003), examined the views of 20 unemployed Vietnamese learners in a vocational ESL course in Sydney, Australia. Their scores were high on two motivations: 85% of respondents expressed the integrative desire to develop their interpersonal relations with the Australians better and make friends among them, and all agreed that speaking English well would enhance their prospects for employment. Part 4 The Attitude Motivation Test Battery (AMTB)à This is a large battery of tests which measures a number of different aspects of language learning. The instrument was originally used to measure attitudes of students studying English and French in Canada. Scales included attitudes toward French Canadians, interest in foreign languages, attitudes toward European French people, attitudes toward learning French, integrative orientation, instrumental orientation, anxiety, parental encouragement, motivational intensity, and desire to learn French. The scale instrument has been modified more recently. The Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) is designed to measure different components of the socio-educational model of SLA. There are eleven sub-tests, nine with ten items each, and two with four items. The five main variables assessed in the AMTB are attitudes toward the learning situation, integrativeness, motivation, instrumentality and language anxiety.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Are Test Scores a Good Indication of a Student’s Competency?
Are test scores a good indication of a student's competency? Nowadays, many students spend all their time in learning the courses and preparing the tests, and they don't have any time to take part in other activities. Is this phenomenon good or not? However, are test scores a good indication of a student's competency? Opinions vary from person to person. As far as I am concerned, test scores are not the only standard of evaluation, but it is still very important. First of all, not only those who get very high test scores can achieve success.Test scores only stands for a small part of one's competency. Test score is a reflection of your daily study. A good examination results indicates that you study hard, know how to go ahead and be different with those who lives without any aims. Scores themselves aren't what count, it's the fact that you are a person of ability or not. For example, the college entrance examination score of Jiang Fangzhou, who is a talent young writer, was not so hi gh. But Because of his outstanding writing ability she was unconventional admitted by Tsinghua University.Besides, the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Mo Yan, but he had only primary education. On the other hand, high test score does not always represent a very strong personal capacity. ââ¬Å"High scores and low abilitiesâ⬠is a new phrase in china. Xiao Li, a graduate who was freshly out of school, hasnââ¬â¢t found a job yet. He said, ââ¬Å"I canââ¬â¢t do anything except studying, especially interpersonal skills and the ability of living independence. Maybe because my ââ¬ËHigh scores and low abilitiesââ¬â¢, I canââ¬â¢t get an offer from any company. When you are a person who has no other ability, test score can be a standard to evaluate your ability. But when you enter the society, maybe it is meaningless. It just represents your history, and you need to have various other abilities, such as practice ability, innovation ability, target power and interpersonal communication ability. Thirdly, test score is not a capital, but some time it is the knocking brick of success. Test score is still an important standard of selecting candidates in today's china.For example, in most cases, the college entrance examination and the civil servants examination are completely according to the examination scores for students' admission. In addition, many employers choose better employees in according to their test scores. So to most ordinary people, if we have high scores, we can have more opportunities All in all, test scores are not the only standard of evaluation. But under the exam-oriented education, we must have a high score, only then we can be recognized by the society. Of course, we should not only manage to get high test scores, but also improve our other abilities as far as possible.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Pro and Contra Student Work
STUDENT WORK STUDY AND PRO-contrast BY MOHAMMAD ZAKARIA CHE ZAKWAN UKM: Although PTPTN loans or scholarships have been awarded, but so the price increases and cost of living are higher indeed inadequate. Therefore, they began looking at ways to overcome the financial difficulties experienced by them. According to the fourth edition of the chambers dictionary, the word ââ¬Å"Temporary Worksâ⬠means work done while normal work or other regular work. For a student, their main task is to learn and focus their attention on academic aspects, while working part-time at leisure intended to supplement pocket money or looking for work experience.If seen from the positive side, working part-time as to train students to become independent. Desire to work comes from themselves masing. Bagi some students they do not want to burden their parents with problems faced by them. Thus they take their own initiative to work part-time in order to reduce the financial burden of their parents. In addit ion, part-time work can increase revenue or give incomekepada students. With the availability of this income from part-time work, to some extent they are able to buy all the equipment needed or whether an item needs to meet themselves.Worked part-time for those who hold student status is indeed a big challenge. Both in terms of time or energy. Time constraints for a student is a challenge indeed. They need to complete assignments given by lecturers and review the lecture notes given in preparation for the final test of the semester and at the same time they have to work part-time to cover their living costs. Furthermore, the study work is also very tiring. Family life far from their need to do it all alone. Starting from toiletries, food, drink and everything should be done independently.However, every single thing that we do indeed have its own pros and contrast and need our wisdom in finding a solution. MAHASISWA KERJA SAMBIL BELAJAR DAN PRO-KONTRANYA OLEH MOHAMMAD ZAKWAN CHE ZAKA RIA UKM : Walaupun pinjaman PTPTN atau biasiswa telah diberikan namun begitu dengan kenaikan harga barang dan kos sara hidup yang semakin tinggi sememangnya masih tidak mencukupi. Oleh sebab itu, mereka mula mencari jalan penyelesaian bagi mengatasi masalah kewangan yang dialami oleh mereka.Menurut kamus dewan edisi keempat, perkataan ââ¬Å"Kerja Sambilanâ⬠membawa maksud kerja yang dibuat disamping kerja biasa atau kerja tetap yang lain. Bagi seorang pelajar, tugas utama mereka ialah belajar dan menumpukan perhatian mereka terhadap aspek akademik, manakala bekerja sambilan pada waktu lapang bertujuan untuk menambah duit saku ataupun mencari pengalaman kerja. Jika dilihat dari sudut positif, bekerja sambilan dapat melatih mahasiswa untuk berdikari. Keinginan untuk bekerja itu datang daripada diri masing-masing.Bagi sesetengah pelajar mereka tidak mahu membebankan ibu bapa mereka dengan masalah yang dialami oleh mereka. Justeru itu mereka mengambil inisiatif sendiri dengan beke rja sambilan bagi mengurangkan beban kewangan ibu bapa mereka. Selain itu juga, bekerja sambilan dapat menambahkan pendapatan atau memberi incomekepada para pelajar. Dengan adanya pendapatan daripada kerja sambilan ini, sedikit sebanyak mereka dapat membeli segala peralatan yang diperlukan sama ada barangan keperluan ataupun untuk memenuhi kehendak diri mereka sendiri.Bekerja sambilan bagi golongan yang memegang status pelajar sememangnya merupakan satu cabaran yang besar. Baik dari segi masa mahupun tenaga. Kekangan masa bagi seorang pelajar sememangnya merupakan sesuatu yang mencabar. Mereka perlu menyiapkan tugasan yang telah diberikan oleh pensyarah serta mengulangkaji nota-nota kuliah yang diberikan sebagai persediaan untuk menghadapi ujian akhir semester dan dalam masa yang sama mereka perlu bekerja sambilan bagi menampung kos sara hidup mereka Tambahan pula, kerja sambil belajar juga amat memenatkan.Kehidupan yang jauh daripada keluarga memerlukan mereka melakukan semuanya se cara sendirian. Bermula daripada kelengkapan diri , makan, minum dan semuanya perlu dilakukan secara berdikari. Walaubagaimanapun, setiap perkara yang kita lakukan sememangnya mempunyai pro dan kontranya yang tersendiri dan memerlukan kebijaksanaan kita dalam mencari jalan penyelesaiannya.
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