Saturday, August 31, 2019

Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay

Ralph Waldo Emerson, who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century, once wrote, â€Å"The virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion. † The Transcendentalist were a group of people who believed that everyone was equal and had power inside them as an individual. In the mid-19th century Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Walt Whitman were the main writers and thinkers of the transcendentalist movement. In the 1960’s as African American’s fought for civil rights in a cruel society. William Melvin Kelly combines the two in the book â€Å"A Different Drummer. † This book tells the story of Tucker Caliban, a black farmer who encourages a huge amount of blacks to leave the south when he decides to salt his crops and burn down his house and leave. Tucker embodies the characteristics of a Transcendentalist according to Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman in three ways: he does what he wants without an explanation, he’s self-reliant, and he fights a corrupt system in his own way. Tucker does what he wants without an explanation or logic. Tucker stays out all night to teach Dewey how to ride a bike, even though his grandfather would be mad. Tucker also burned his house down and salted his crops without explaining this to his wife or to anyone else. Tucker writes Dewey a letter in college, he ask about the bike he taught him to ride. Dewey doesn’t understand why because Tucker really didn’t explain what he wanted to know about the bike. This shows Tucker really doesn’t tell anyone his logic behind his actions. â€Å"To be great is to be misunderstood†, Emerson. This quote refers to Tucker because he is misunderstood by the whites. This shows he’s also self-reliant and free spirited. Tucker Caliban is self-reliant and unique. Tucker self taught himself to farm and ride a bike. He also doesn’t believe in the civil rights movement which most other blacks strongly believe in. He also believes everyone has to free themselves or else there not really free. This shows that Tucker Caliban is not just any other black, he’s unique. But he also fights the south’s corrupt system in his own one of a kind way. â€Å"We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents. † This quote refers to Tucker because he is different and others are afraid to be different. Tucker Caliban is a rebel and he fights the system. He burned down his house and salted his crops because that’s where the slaves worked for the Willsons. He broke the grandfather clock because it was bought the same day as the African. He cut down the tree that separated his land from the Willisons, that was there from the days of slavery. He did all of this to cut his ties from slavery and from the south.† Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of everyone of its members. † This refers to the south and other blacks like Tucker. Therefore Tucker Caliban embodies the characteristics of a Transcendentalist according to Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman in three ways: he does what he wants without an explanation, he’s self-reliant, and he fights a corrupt system in his own way. Tucker’s movement from the south is a strong step in the right direction for racism in the south. To me what Tucker did was strong and no else was strong enough to leave before Tucker did it.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Reading methods

English 1001 requires you to take additional classes including English 105 and 106, personally I do not like this method of classes but I do enjoy my 105 class out of all of them, because of this I am always given tons of reading material! In my 1001 class I recently read an article called â€Å"O. K. Glass† by Gary Shteyngart which is an article about the glasses developed by Google that can take pictures, record video, enable video chat with another person over Skype, and many other functions.When I was reading this article about 2 weeks ago it became extremely confusing to figure out ho was talking either the author or the person he was interviewing. I used this article to write a critical examination essay, examining the aspects of the article and deciding whether I agreed with the author or not. The Reading was about how the author was able to get ahold of a pair Google Glass and he was invited by Google to attend their Google Basecamp, which was to teach him about the fu nctions of Google Glass and all the possibilities using these glasses could produce.Shteyngart went around interviewing people on what they thought of Glass and also conducted his wn tests on it as a part of this article. For this reading I chose KWL+, personally I feel this strategy works the best for me it helps me remember what I read and shows me what I already knew. Some of the questions I came up with for this reading were why did Google not make the glasses compatible with Apple products, I realize they are competitors but more than 70% of the population that would buy Google Glass has an Apple IPhone.The reason you want the glasses to be compatible is because when they are synced the glasses they will show your phone screen through the lasses and you are also able to have a phone call without holding your phone. I also wondered about the quality of the camera on the glasses, considering the glasses are fairly small I wondered if it was as good as an IPhone camera. What I did learn from using KWL+ was that the audio recording on the glasses sounds like you are underwater when you talk, definitely something Google needs to work on.Also this accessory will only appeal to those willing to pay a hefty price tag of $1 500 for this pair of tech glasses. Even with the price tag in consideration almost everyone thinks hey are awesome: â€Å"that is so dope' says a college studentm (O. K. Glass). I believe Google Glass definitely has a place in todays society of ever advancing technology, 10 years ago something like this would be unheard of as well as way over the price tag of $1500.If Google is able to work out the kinks with the compatibility with Apple products I think the glasses will sell even better, and also working out the issues with the voice recognition. Shteyngart's article was relatively unbiased, it really did a great job of focusing on what the people thought of the glasses and what didn't work and hat worked straight forward and no deceptive sta tistics were in the article. One thing that helps Google Glass is that it is the first of its kind, nothing like this is available anywhere else.The glasses are scheduled to be released in 2014 so we will have to wait and see if Google is able to work out the kinks with its product. I plan to research the Glasses when the first real reviews come out in 2014 because I am excited to see if they are really worth buying. I will definitely use the KWL+ strategy again because it works the best for me and helps me retain information doesn't work well I will use ole faithful, KWL+.

Quality Of Life Elderly Osteoarthritis Health And Social Care Essay

Health and quality of life are of course interrelated. This gives rise to the construct of Health-related quality of life ( HRQOL ) . HRQOL is a multidimensional construct that covers a wide facet of wellness and good being of a individual both the constructive and unconstructive facets of life. . Harmonizing to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( 2000 ) , HRQL is regard as the most suited facet of quality of life ( QOL ) for probe in footings of which facet of QOL have the impact of a disease or any medical status, and defined it as â€Å" an person ‘s or group ‘s sensed physical and mental wellness over time. † . By analyzing HRQOL of a disease, it will be possible to mensurate and show the impact of wellness on quality of life scientifically. HRQOL covers many facets of good being including the emotional, physical, societal and subjective feelings that reveal patients ‘ appraisal and response to their unwellnesss. It is suited particularly in look intoing on the functional wellness position and wellbeing which are perceived and self-reported by the persons. DeSalvo, Bloser, Reynolds, He, Muntner ( 2002 ) showed that self-reporting by persons on their wellness position has proved to be a important forecaster of mortality and morbidity compared to other nonsubjective steps of wellness. Therefore, it has been recognized as a suited wellness index and service demands index in many diseases including arthritis. Problems that are associated with arthritis are simply non merely in medical unwellness. It besides has significant impacts on patients ‘ functional capacity and QOL. Escalante and Del Rincon ( 1999 ) had emphasized that the joint stiffness, changeless hurting, and joint harm due to arthritis cause important physical disablement and give negative influence in many facets of the patients ‘ lives, including functional disablement, work, relationships, and psychological impact. It has been shown that populating with arthritis is associated with decreased in QOL ( Nadal, 2001 ) . Harmonizing to WHO ( 2003 ) , arthritic diseases which include degenerative arthritis ( OA ) are the chief cause of morbidity throughout the universe and the diseases have an of import influence on the single wellness and quality of life. OA is peculiarly common among older people. Longitudinal surveies have found that incidence of degenerative arthritis increased with progressing age ( Sowers, Zobel, Weissfeld, Hawthorne and Carman, 1991 ) . The bing QA continues to come on in a long tally with the rate of patterned advance increased as the person aged. No uncertainty that in both the development and developed states where the life anticipation has increased in recent decennaries and with the alterations in the life style and diet, a rise in the incidence and prevalence of non-communicable diseases which includes the OA has present. This phenomenon is markedly seen in developing states which show betterments in wellness results. Statistically, WHO ( 2003 ) claimed that the prevalenc e of OA is that 10 % of the universe ‘s population who are 60 old ages or older. It besides claimed that about 40 % of the aged age of 70 old ages and above enduring from OA of the articulatio genus, and about 80 % of patients with OA have restriction of motion in assorted grade, and worst of all, about 25 % of patients with OA can non execute their major day-to-day activities of life. Osteoarthritis is the most common signifier of arthritis and is considered as one of the stressful, chronic unwellness and extremely prevalent in our society. Arthritis including OA is one of the major chronic unwellnesss that affect the morbidity of Malaysian ( Doris Padmini, et al. , 2010 ) . The prevalence of OA is in the Asia Pacific part is about 10-20 % of the grownup population. In all populations studied so far the prevalence of articulatio genus OA is higher than that of hip OA but this is more pronounced in Asiatic populations ( WHO, 2003 ) . The similar status occurs in Malaysia in which the most common signifier of OA is the articulatio genus OA ( Veerapan, Wigley and Valkenburg, 2007 ) . Although there is no exact figure of patients with knee OA, the Community Orientated Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases ( COPCORD ) survey showed that 21.1 % of grownup Malaysians complained of arthritic hurting and the ailment rate increased with age those as shown as the prevale nce of OA was 53.4 % in those over 65 old ages. The exact prevalence of articulatio genus OA in Malaysia is non known. There is merely one survey done in primary attention puting in Malaysia and the survey showed that patient with articulatio genus OA go toing the authorities wellness clinic had comparatively hapless QOL in their physical wellness but there was less in their mental wellness. ( Zakaria, Bakar, Hasmoni, Rani and Kadir, 2009 ) There is a batch of information proposing that musculoskeletal diseases including OA have a negative consequence on HRQOL. One big wellness study ( Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey ) done yearly in United States of America ( USA ) by CDC Atlanta incorporating informations from 32,322 grownups in 11 provinces showed that those persons with arthritis had about three times higher HRQL damage compared to those without the creaky disease ( 28.6 % vs. 8.3 % ) . They besides accounted a significantly larger figure of yearss when usual activities were restricted and physical and mental wellness was hapless ( Cook, Pietrobon and Hegedus, 2007 ) . Therefore, their creaky status made it difficult for them to populate in state of affairs they wanted. In the other states, assorted survey done on OA, for illustration in Korea in which the findings noted that OA are common in the elderly grownup population with the prevalence of 37.3 % for radiographic OA and 24.2 % for diagnostic OA, and significantly more in adult females ( Inje, Hyun, Yeong, Jin and Dong, 2010 ) . In Greece with prevalence of diagnostic OA of 8.9 % showed similar findings in gender, where OA was significantly higher among adult females and it increased with age significantly. Similar state of affairs occurs in Britain, in which the most normally reported ground of morbidity among persons aged 65 old ages and over peculiarly among adult females, is the upset of the musculoskeletal system ( Brown, Bowling and Flynn, 2004 ) . Findingss from the IQOLA Project Group ( 2004 ) gave groundss that legion surveies have shown that patients with musculoskeletal diseases have worse HRQOL, but the worst HRQOL was reported by patients with OA, Rheumatoid Arthritis ( RA ) , Oste oporosis and Fibromyalgia ( Picavet and Hoeymans, 2004 ) . These similar findings were seen in a survey done in Hong Kong which concluded that patients with knee degenerative arthritis had more impact on the HRQOL than other chronic diseases ( Lam and Launder, 2000 ) .Problem StatementThis survey is designed to analyze the wellness related quality of life in aged with OA go toing authorities wellness clinics in Kuala Lumpur. OA is chiefly an unwellness of aged individuals presented as moderate to severe symptoms ( McCarty, 1989 ) . For those who have mild symptoms normally will non seek medical attention. Harmonizing to Brown et Al. ( 2004 ) , the factors that may act upon the HRQOL in patients with OA are the demographic factors such as age, gender and socioeconomic position ; the OA conditions ( illness-related stressors ) that can impaired the patients ‘ day-to-day activity and the intervention for the status could besides impact people ‘s wellness perceptual experien ce. These factors will be studied as the dependent variables. The illness-related emotion and the header schemes that the patients have, would be the go-between variables.Theoretical ModelHarmonizing to Ventegodt, Merrick and, Andersen ( 2003 ) , Quality of Life ( QOL ) indicate ‘a good life ‘ , which imply a life with a high quality. HRQOL is one of the studied constituents of QOL, by and large referred to ‘a good life ‘ patient/client- based outcome indexs of wellness and societal attention engagement. OQL is a multi-level and obscure construct. It is accepted as the terminal of the rating of public policy. Although the cardinal spheres of QOL were identified in the literature are applicable to grownups of all ages, most of the research community has accepted no unequivocal theoretical model of quality of life, and no individual research model has been utilised in its probe ( Brown et al. 2004 ) . However, Ventegodt, et Al. ( 2003 ) presented a theoretical model of ‘the integrative theory of the quality of life ‘ ( IQOL theory ) refering facets of a good life which is showed in Figure 1. This integrative theory is an overall theory or meta-theory embracing eight more factual theories including the theory aspired by Maslow, in a subjective-existential-objective spectrum. By presenting this IQOL theory, a strength into the wellness and societal scientific disciplines is a measure towards a new recognition and regard for the profusion and complexness of life. Using the IQOL and Stress Coping Model ( Lazarus and Folkman, 1984 ) , the conceptual model for this survey will be based on. The HRQOL manifests itself as the index variable. The header schemes and the stressors ( assessment of demands and end ) will be the go-between. In this survey, the internal and external resources will non being studied. The constituent that being written boldly in the theoretical account above is the chief elements that will be look into.JustificationThe HRQOL has ne'er been studied in an urban scene in Malaysia boulder clay today, except in Putrajaya which has different population composing compared to other province. Kuala Lumpur being the most urbanised metropolis in Malaysia and populated by about 72,345 aged ( Department of Statistic Malaysia, 2010 ) . The composing of races and age is about similar to other urban puting in Malaysia The figure of aged with OA in Kuala Lumpur is non known. By put to deathing this survey, the basal line of prevalence of OA go toing the authorities wellness clinics can be obtained. Another ground why analyzing HRQOL in OA patients is of import because harmonizing to Woolf and Pfleger ( 2003 ) , musculoskeletal upsets are the most common cause of terrible long-run hurting and physical disablement, and it affects the societal operation and mental wellness of the patient and later diminishes the patient ‘s HRQOL. Arthritis diseases which include OA are one of the groups of diseases that cause a major public wellness job. Not merely are they progressive enfeebling diseases with no known remedy, but they besides have a annihilating impact on HRQL. This disease affects the patient ‘s capableness to populate a full and active life. In the study of The Bone- and Joint Decade 2000-2010, it has highlighted the significance of bettering the patients ‘ HRQOL with musculoskeletal upset. With the outgrowth of ageing population in Malaysia, the incidence and prevalence of people who suffer from chronic diseases such as OA, RA, osteoporosis and low back hurting, will go on to increase. The musculoskeletal upsets will and hold taken up a big proportion of healthcare resources compared to other chronic diseases, ( Osborne, Nikpour, Busija, Sundararajan and Wicks, 2007 ) . Clinicians and public wellness decision makers are concern about the wellness attention resources effects of arthritis ( March and Bachmeier, 1997 ) . Normally the results in wellness attention have been determined by the medical appraisal but the perceptual experience of the patient is besides an of import variable. Therefore, the importance of measuring wellness attention has shifted increasingly towards ratings of medical/health-related results from the patient ‘s position. This can supply excess information more than what being obtained by the traditional wellness measurings, and, therefore is valuable in assisting to understand the OA conditions.Significant of StudyFor Malaysia Ministry of Health, quality of life betterment is an indispensable public wellness end. The policy involvement in quality of life in older age is illustrated in the Malaysia National Policy for The Elderly, in which one of its purposes is â€Å" To develop the potency of the aged so that they remai n active and productive in national development and to make chances for them to go on to populate independently † . Therefore, HRQOL can be a national wellness criterion which can associate different subjects and other services. By mensurating HRQOL, the ministry will be able to supervise the national wellness advancement, in carry throughing the national wellness aims. To do alterations in some federal policy, the information on HRQOL needed to complement current public wellness ‘s traditional morbidity and mortality measuring because HRQOL is related to both self-reported chronic diseases and their hazard factors- giving valuable new penetrations on the relationships between HRQOL and hazard factors. Other than that, it can besides assist to happen out the load of chronic diseases, place which subgroups in population that have hapless perceived wellness and this will assist in steering intercessions to better their state of affairss and prevent more serious effects. Wi th all the information gathered, it can assist in placing the demands in the wellness policies and statute law, aid to administer resources consequently based on unmet demands, conduct the strategic programs development, and supervise the effectivity of the intercessions. Since OA is one of the chronic diseases with high morbidity, survey in its impact on the HRQOL may change the policy devising of the chronic diseases. Besides that, HRQOL appraisal is an of import public wellness tool for the aged. As mentioned above, informations from the appraisal will able to find the hazard factors of chronic diseases. In this epoch, when the life anticipation is increasing, the figure of aged will be increasing. It is the purpose of the public wellness that the aged will hold healthy ageing despite the overall wellness effects related to normal ripening and pathological disease processes. It is expected to be concerned with easing the aged in keeping their mobility, prolonging their independency and go oning their active engagement in society. The aged should be able to respond expeditiously to the physical, psychological and societal challenges of ageing. In other words, the consequence of all the activities should add quality to old ages of aged life. The information from HRQOL can be interpreted into the cognition, consciousness and pattern taking towards healthy ageing that will be executed to the communit y. The information from the survey will be able to assist physicians and wellness attention givers in placing the demands of patients with chronic diseases. It shall better their services and could be more patient-centred. As betterment in interventions and pull offing patient with OA take topographic point, new and better ways will emerge to back up the patients in take part a more active function in commanding their disease. Consequently, betterments in the HRQOL of OA patients can be seen in the hereafter old ages. The pathological definition for degenerative arthritis is of a status characterized by focal countries of loss of articular gristle within the synovial articulations, associated with hypertrophy of the bone ( osteophytes and subchondral bone induration ) and inspissating of the capsule. However in this survey merely the diagnostic OA will be studied which based upon the American College of Rheumatology standards. The chief standards is joint hurting with at least 3 out of these 6 clinical findings nowadays: age more than 50 old ages, crepitus, stiffness more than 30 proceedingss, bone tenderness, no tangible heat, bony expansion and bony tenderness ( Altman et al, 1986 )Health Related Quality Of LifeHarmonizing to CDC ( 2000 ) , HRQOL is defined as a wide multidimensional construct of quality of life that normally includes self-reported steps of physical and mental wellness by the inidividuals. To mensurate the HRQOL, the survey will be utilizing outcome survey of 36-item short signifier ( SF-36 ) . It is a multi-item graduated table that step eight wellness constructs.Illness Related StressorAny signifier of emphasis that derived from the disease. Illness-related stressors are traveling to be measured by the six subscales utilizing the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales. The subscales are: Permission to carry on the survey in the authorities wellness installations need to be requested from the Ministry of Health, before pursues the survey. All the aged with OA that will be registered by the wellness personal will be informed about the survey and requested to take part in it. For those who agree to take part, the wellness personal will necessitate to hold the participants to subscribe the written consent. The wellness personal will carry on and help the aged in replying the questionnaire that will be taken topographic point in a one to one unfastened interview session. The questionairres will be prepared in three linguistic communications which are Bahasa Melayu, Chinese Language and Indian Language. If the aged does non able to understand the inquiries proposed to them due to linguistic communication barrier, the research worker will name a linguistic communication transcriber.Data CollectionThe research workers will ab initio inquire the permission from the Ministry o f Health in July 2011 to utilize their installations to carry on this survey, and informing the authorities wellness clinics sing the survey. In December 2011, the research worker will name at least 13 helpers to assist carry oning this survey. The helpers will be the wellness attention personals in which they are good verse with the medical footings and conditions. The helpers will be informed sing the aims, the consent needed from the aged, the information needed, the entry of informations in informations sheet and every bit good trained and brief on the behavior of the survey in footings of utilizing the questionnaires. The research workers and helpers will be carry oning the survey in 1 January 2011 boulder clay 30 June 2011 manually. The aged who fulfil the inclusion standards will be accepted in the survey whereas those who fulfil the exclusion standards will be excluded. The research workers and helpers will inquire the consent from the aged before questioning them. The consent signifier shown in Annex 2. The informations collected from the interviews will be collected and natural informations will be entered in SPSS statistical programme by the research worker. The information will be cleaned and edited. The Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales ( AIMS ) . The graduated tables used are scored in a consistent manner so that a low value indicates a high wellness position. The trial for dependability showed that the Guttman graduated table coefficients for scalability is more than 0.6. Whereas, the Guttman graduated table coefficients for duplicability is more than 0.9. The internal consistence by Cronbach ‘s alpha is more than 0.60 for each of subdivisions. The points in AIMS are based on the constituent of the Rand Health Survey Questionnaires, the Quality of Well-Being Scale, and Katz ‘s Index of Activities of Daily Living. Factor analysis identified three factors that have been replicated in following surveies. ( Meenan, Mason, Anderson, Guccione and Kazis, 1990 ) The Stress Questionnaire. The questionnaire has 16 points included in the four subscales of injury, challenge, menace and benefit. It is used to mensurate illness-related emotions which show how people review their nerve-racking brushs. Folkman & A ; Lazarus ( 1986 ) stated that high alpha coefficients between 0 80 to 0-87 for these graduated tables and maintain for their concept cogency via a factor analysis attack, the Cronbach alpha coefficients of 0.76 to 0.85 The Jalowiec Coping Scale ( JCS ) . JCS content cogency has been evaluated by expert panels and it is supported by a broad theoretical and empirical foundation. Construct cogency has been calculated. The 60 points in JCS are categorized into eight subscales, with concept cogency runing from 94 % on the Supportive subscale to 54 % on the Emotive subscale. The dependability of the graduated table is evaluated with Cronbach ‘s alpha coefficients. Based from consequences of 24 different surveies the Cronbach ‘s alpha coefficients for the usage subscales ranged from 0.48 to 0.81 and for the effectivity subscales from 0.48 to 0.82. ( Sigstad, Pedersen and Froland, 2005 ) .

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Determine whether the First World War started a slow change in Essay

Determine whether the First World War started a slow change in attitude toward the traditional American foreign policy of Isolationism - Essay Example The evidence of American expansionist ambitions, however, was seen in the following. Cuba remained under American occupation till 1902, when it received permanent naval bases and rights of intervention. Puerto Rico was annexed and its people were given American citizenship in 1917. Guam and the Philippines were also annexed. The Philippines were given partial self-government in 1907, and in 1916 a promise of independence if they achieved a stable democratic government (Ketelbey p 673). Thus the US developed her own individual power and interests in strategic locations across the world. But to the ferment in Europe, she maintained a distance, tinged with moral disapproval. This attitude was not inconsistent with the role of mediator, which she played (e.g in the Russo-Japanese War of 1905; the holding of the Algericas Conference in 1906 to ease tensions between France and Germany.) This was to a great extent due to the initiative of Theodore Roosevelt. When Woodrow Wilson took over the president-ship, he continued to keep the US neutral, refusing to intervene in the crisis of 1914. When war was declared, Wilson declared neutrality. In fact in 1916, Wilson came back for another term on the electoral plank of having kept America ‘out of the war’. However, it soon dawned on the American people that the massive redistribution of world power would affect the country. And America had to join the war. As a matter of fact, the sequence of events that led America to openly declare hostilities against Germany speaks of extreme patience on the part of Wilson. America had a large number of people of German origin and did not wish to enter the war. In 1915, an American ship was sunk, Americans traveling in British ships were drowned, and then the Lusitania was torpedoed. Wilson sent a strong note to Germany citing a violation of international law. In 1916, an English ship, which had on board seventy-five American passengers was torpedoed; in 1917 there was an announcement of unrestricted submarine warfare - that all ships, neutral or otherwise - would be sunk. Just some time before that an alliance between Germany and Mexico was also unearthed, in which the former promised the latter help in regaining Texas, Mexico and Arizona On April 6th, 1917, the US declared war on Germany "to make the world safe for democracy." (Ketelbey ps 428-429) After the end of the First War too, the US continued with its policy of Isolationism. There was a feeling that it had been unwittingly dragged into a situation, that was of no concern of its. The Great Depression was believed to have been caused by the War. Despite information of the atrocities of the Holocaust, America chose to remain neutral and focus on domestic affairs. With the conclusion of the First World War, President Wilson took the lead in the formation of the League of Nations, though this was rejected by the Senate. Following Wilson, American presidents went ahead with formulating international policy, whereby it was okay to have strategic relationships with other countries,

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

General Motors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

General Motors - Essay Example How does the company plan to rally. Are they being realistic in their efforts to meet foreign competition Are they actually looking at the areas that need further attention, or are they looking for short-term incentives as a means of increasing their market share Exactly what are the main issues that must be addressed before GM can begin to recoup its losses In 2005, GM North America reported a loss of $1.6 billion in the third quarter, compared with a loss of $88 million in 2004. In the last quarter of 2005, GM had to revise its losses by a further $2 billion (Krolicki, 2006), the reason said to be charges related to factory job losses and Delphi Corporation's bankruptcy. Unfortunately, the company can be compared at present to a house of cards, easy to topple. Toyota, on the other hand is growing by leaps and bounds and is expected to take over the number one spot in auto sales within the next few years. The chart below is based on an NPR study by Diane Geng (2005) and indicates some of the more telling statistics regarding competition between these companies: Unfortunately, the company does not seem to be focused on global issues, and its efforts have been limited to quick fixes. The recent agreement with United Auto Workers union to cut health care costs, perhaps by $3 billion a year, offers an immediate boost. However, this savings is expected to be achieved by higher co-pay for doctor's visits and prescription drugs. The company also announced its intention to eliminate 25,000 jobs. Where is the incentive for employees to increase output How much emphasis does the company place on employee satisfaction The most recent effort is a promotional incentive for anyone who buys a new SUV in California or Florida. With gas prices at present well over $3 a gallon, the offer for a redeemable card with gas at $1.99 a gallon for one year if the customer signs up for On-Star, free for a year and then $16.95 a month (Durbin, 2006) is an immediate benefit. But will this incentive improve the way customers see the GM brand The major marketing push has been for trucks, especially popular over the past few years, and SUVs. The company's promotional incentive will help sell the SUVs that are no longer as popular as they were, but then what Future Issues to be Addressed at General Motors Because of the present interest in fuel consumption, commentary on the current economy as it relates to automobile design and manufacture is being updated every day. Some of the online publications that offer a running commentary are Business Day, MarketWatch, YEALD and NPR, as well as books and journal articles as noted in references. Certain areas must be explored if GM wants to stay ahead of the market. Because of the serious issues facing the company, a study directed

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Enterprise Systems Case Study Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Enterprise Systems Case Study Analysis - Essay Example For example, an organization has a number of departments include: sales & marketing, procurement & inventory, finance & accounting and human resources. In order to automate the organization develops independent or separate information system for each department and these individual systems might not be integrated because of incompatibility. Therefore, the information or data available in one system might not be accessible to the other independent information system. In this regards, it can be stated that the organization could not be benefited from the main purpose/advantages of the information systems including the information must be shared easily, correctly, and on time among business units. Disparate Independent Systems – High Maintenance Cost Problem The second problem of disparate information that has been identified in the paper is the huge cost of their maintenance. There are two types of maintenance costs, the first is the direct maintenance costs and the other is ind irect maintenance costs. ... nformation or communication flow problem in the independent information systems, the organization’s management has to bear indirect costs by taking wrong decisions by their own instinct rather than the decisions based on the information / reports provided by the group of independent information systems. Precisely, it can be stated that if an organization has the fragmented or autonomous information systems, the operations of the organization is fragmented (Davenport, 1998). Identification of Two Issues in each Organization in China Implementing ERP CosmeticCo Company There are total five (5) problems have been identified in the case study for implementation of ERP in CosmeticCo company by Sweden’s Intentia AB – the software package provider (ERP vendor). The five problems include: the language, Business Process Reengineering (BPR), Partnership, human resource, report and table. From these I have chosen the language, and report and table problems and it is pertine nt to mention here that according to the authors of the paper, both chosen problems are categorized as cultural problems. Language In the words of Davison in 2002, the culture is â€Å"A collective programming of the mind which distinguishes one group from another†. Particularly the Chinese are strict to their language and the only way to make the Chinese understand is to write in their own language rather than the Western language. However, the MOVEX ERP software did contain English words by which the human resources got confused and unable to use the software effectively. The Davison identified three cultural reasons of failure in ERP in China from which one is â€Å"miscommunication due to homonyms in the Chinese language†. It is one of the important factors to be considered while deployment of software

Monday, August 26, 2019

Stem cell research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Stem cell - Research Paper Example Although no person can forecast the outcomes from fundamental research completed during the past generation, there is sufficient existing information to suggest that a great deal of this enthusiasm is warranted. This passion and interest is not shared by persons of the religious conservative faction who was instrumental in slowing stem cell research in the U.S. during the previous presidential administration. This group is against embryonic stem cell research which they allege is immoral and describe as devaluing human life, in much the same way as legal abortion do, drawing a connection between the two controversial subjects. This dialogue will provide a summary of stem cell research and its benefits to humanity, the debate involving the matter and the arguments for continued studies. Definition of Stem Cells Stem cells are essentially the building block cells of a living being and in humans are capable of becoming more than 200 different kinds of tissue. â€Å"Stem cells have trad itionally been defined as not fully differentiated yet to be any particular type of cell or tissue† (Irving, 1999). Adult stem cells are located in small numbers within most tissues, but the preponderance of stem cells can be acquired from the umbilical cord. A more accurate term is â€Å"somatic stem cells† (Sullivan, 2004). ... A good example (of adult stem cells) is blood, but this is true for muscle and other connective tissue as well, and may be true for at least some nervous system cells† (Chapman et al, 1999). Consensus of Studies Much research has been performed by scientists in an effort to establish whether adult tissue stem cells have comparable developmental possibilities as the embryonic stem cells. Scientists now agree that this research has conclusively demonstrated that adult stem cells are not as feasible as embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells possess a far superior potential and effectiveness because, contrasting adult stem cells, they have the capability to develop into virtually all cells present in the human body. Adult stem cells merely have the capacity to develop into a small number of cell types. Additionally, embryonic stem cells divide perpetually but adult stem cells do not which diminish their capability of developing into new kinds of cells.   Stem cells are of ext ensive interest for science and medicine, because they boast the potential, under appropriate conditions, to develop into nearly all of the cell types. Goals of research The three main goals for doing stem cell research are acquiring essential scientific information regarding embryonic development; treating incapacitating disorders such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s and for testing new medications rather than having to use animals (Irving, 1999). Stem cell research is also likely to help victims of diabetes, bone diseases, spinal cord injuries and stroke. The scientific techniques for acquiring stem cells could be the forerunner to unparalleled advances and possibly cures for these and other maladies. It has been

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Geico Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Geico - Case Study Example Such, each company must strive not only to attract talent, but also to retain them as well through a total rewards program. Traditionally, rewarding employees has been equated with pay. Today, it is no longer applicable and â€Å"the definition of rewards encompasses the overall value proposition that the employer offers to the employee. It’s a total package that includes compensation (comprising of base pay, short-term incentives and long-term incentives), benefits (including health, retirement and work/life benefits, which account for an increasing portion of the rewards package) and careers (including training and development, lateral moves,stretch assignments and career incentives)† (Morris, nd, pg 6). In the case of Geico (2012), it employed a six facet item as part of its Total Rewards program which include Health and Well-being, Building and Securing Your Financial Future, Time Off and Leave Programs, Family and Life Programs, Education and Development and Amenit ies and Perks. Many aspect of Geico’s total rewards are consistent or aligned with the lectures in the Chapter 2 of our textbook which are as follows; 1. Increased Flexibility Geico’s reward program is not only tied up with pay. ... This provides Geico greater latitude to address the needs of its employees that would not keep them but also to make them highly motivated to perform. 2. Improved?recruitment and?retention The range of Geiko’s total reward program is indicative that the company really intends to retain its employees. More especially is the emphasis on family and life programs which very few companies offer as part of its compensation package. This component of Geiko’s total reward program would also be very attractive if not hard to resist among prospective employees who values work-life balance (Guld, 2007). It would also serve as a retention tool among its employees who have families to attend. For Geiko’s part, it would retain its best talent and attract the best talent in the market because of its attractive total rewards program. 3. Reduced Labor Costs/Cost of Turnover Having a flexible reward system designed to retain its employees will have an effect on Geiko’s bott om line in terms of minimal attrition rate, reduced labor cost and low or no cost for turnovers. Opportunity costs associated with labor turnover such as the low learning curve of a new recruit, higher inefficiency and disrupted work will also be avoided. 4. Heightened Visibility in a Tight Labor market One of the big advantages of having a responsive reward program is that employees would not only stay longer in the company but are also motivated to perform. Highly motivated employees performance would resonate to the labor market that a particular company, such as Geiko is a good place to work thus becoming Geiko as a preferred place of work among the best talents in the labor market. 5. Enhanced Profitability All of the

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Organisation of Engineering Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Organisation of Engineering Business - Essay Example They offer these services both in the private and the public sector (Interforum, 2003). D&W provides services in several development sector including energy performance and analysis, site infra structure and master planning, in the commercial and residential establishments, and in the health and the education centre. Apart from where their offices are located, D&W has also carried out work in Russia, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. D&W has recently received the ISO 14001 accreditation because of a balanced approach towards sustainable development and socially responsible design in all their projects. They attempt to create inherently low energy buildings and use low carbon technology as a vital part of the modern design. Because of their contribution towards a greener environment, D&W has received The Green Organization Award from greenbusiness.ie for the year 2009. This demonstrates the company’s commitment to a sustainable environment. D&W has also invested in information technology, which is essential for their core business. Until 1994, technology was used only sparingly but the management realized that technology could help to streamline its business processes. This in turn would help them to provide enhanced service to their customers. To improve staff communication, they installed a Wide Area Network (WAN) which could link its computers and the telecommunication system across all its offices (UKonline, 2003). All the sites now work as a team, exchanging information, and they also use technology to discuss CAD drawings with clients. The company has substantially reaped the benefits of their IT investment. It has helped to reduce their print and travel cost by  £500 per month (Interforum, 2003). Because of their ability to share information, productivity has enhanced by 20 percent. The process of change at D&W has been incremental and has not taken

Friday, August 23, 2019

Effects on ground water from leaking underground fuel tanks Research Paper

Effects on ground water from leaking underground fuel tanks - Research Paper Example These toxins are released silently into the drinking water supplied in the houses, or workplaces thus creating significant threats to living (Leakage Underground Storage Tanks: A Threat to Public Health and Environment, 1). The study has included detailed learning on the overview of the prevailing problem of ground water contamination due to leaking USTs, the administrative systems and their failure to protect the supplied drinking water, the slowdowns in the processes of cleanups, the dangerous chemicals that are leaked and thus the harmful effects and vulnerability of humans and animals, discussion on few reported cases like Michigan and California, as well as understanding of some probable solutions to the problem. The study is based on the existing literature. However, it can be understood that there are still certain gaps in the studies since the studies have not been able to reach out to conclusions and recommendations that might prove beneficial to the removal of the problem. The current study will try to focus on the existing studies and try to determine the current status of the problem with probable solutions for a safer environment. Method: The study has been based on secondary research. The sources that have been used are from the existing literatures. ... These include studies conducted by the Sierra Club, by New South Wales Government, by Alabama Cooperative Extension System, as well as by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Studies of authors like Nadim et al, have also been considered. Also, few books have been discussed for the study, along with cases reported at Michigan and California that reflect on the experiences of such ground water contamination. Ethical factors have been duly considered while making use of existing literature and drawing analysis and conclusions from them. Moreover the credibility and verification of all the information used have also been taken into concern for the study to be made effective. Observations: Leakage in USTs has become issues of serious concerns in the recent times to the safety of groundwater. Considering countries like America, around 50 percent of the population and almost all the families in the rural areas are known to depend on groundwater for their drinking water purposes. Toxic mat erials are held in these USTs that easily flow through the soil thereby polluting the underground water, making it severely harmful for humans and children. Studies reveal that there are several backlog and rejections in areas where cleanups are necessary. Protections could not be successfully enforced by the federal and the state UST programs such that the pollution may be prevented (Leakage Underground Storage Tanks: A Threat to Public Health and Environment, 2). The Chemicals Stored in USTs and Their Effects: The following chart provides an idea on the chemicals that are stored in the USTs and their probable effects that can occur on humans and animals’ health: Toxic Substance Health Effects Health-Based Drinking Water

Thursday, August 22, 2019

IN WHAT WAYS AND TO WHAT EFFECT IS 'GENRE' QUESTIONED IN IF ON A Essay

IN WHAT WAYS AND TO WHAT EFFECT IS 'GENRE' QUESTIONED IN IF ON A WINTER' S NIGHT A TRAVELLER', BY ITALO CALVINO - Essay Example (Broderick, 2000, p.11) The novel in question employs a radical new narrative structure, where not only are events shuffled across time-scales, but also the narrative perspectives. In conventional novel structures, either a first-person or a third-person narratives are used consistently through-out the work (with varying degrees of omniscience on part of the narrator). But in If On A Winter's... address to the second-person is made, bringing a new dimension of reader-interactivity that was unimagined previously. For example, the first line of the novel goes â€Å"You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino's new novel, If on a winter's night a traveller. Relax. Let the world around you fade." (Calvino, 1981, p.3) Here the reference is both directly to the reader as well as the novel itself; which could be construed as the mathematical equivalent of fractals. In this respect, the novel is avant-garde, making it one of its kind. In the novel, ten other novels are embedded, â€Å"all of them echoing aspects of the surrounding diegetic story. Strictly speaking, none of these ten constitutes a true novel en abyme, since what they double is local aspects of the story, not continuous aspects, as called for by the criteria of mise-en-abyme. But there are two nested texts which do meet the criteria fully, though neither is actually presented but, like Dampfboot’s, merely described.† (McHale, 1987, p. 125) Even within serious literature, certain distinct genres can be identified. These include, Social-realism (as exposited by Charles Dickens, V.S. Naipaul and Dorris Lessing); Magic-realism (Salman Rushdie being its chief exponent in modern times); Satire (Evelyn Waugh and the early novels of Aldous Huxley); Meta-physical enquiries (Iris Murdoch and Huxley's later novels); Feminist novels (Dorris Lessing and Margaret Atwood being leading lights of this genre) and Marxist Realism (George Orwell's early works and numerous Russian authors). (Mullan, 2006, p.7 7) Given Calvino's experiences in childhood, as well as his father's involvement with Communist causes, it would be a natural inclination for him to adopt the Social Realism or Marxist Realism genres. Indeed, Calvino has successfully explored and mastered these genres in other works. But what makes If On A Winter's... unique and places it outside these well-trodden genres are the following aspects. First, the novel carries a labyrinthine and looping narrative structure, whereby the reader is continuously taken from one embedded novel lead to another, without ever resolving any of the started leads. (Tandello, 2007, p.537) Second, the employment of second person reference, adds a whole new dynamic to the reading experience, making it more personal, interactive and involving. The work lucidly shows how a text can signify subjective experiences of the reader by immersing him/her in a â€Å"process of identification† (Fludernik, 1994, p.525). For example, the text addresses the r eader directly as one of the characters in the plot. As a result, â€Å"it foregrounds, as conventional narrations do not, the extent to which your subjectivity as a reader depends upon identification with the signifier you. An effaced narrating agency makes itself apparent only indirectly in the form of imperatives and questions.† (Cohan & Shires, 1988, p.150) Third, the novel is a detailed introspection on the process of writing itself, taking the reader through the complexities and challenges that the author

American Housing and Global Financial Essay Example for Free

American Housing and Global Financial Essay To do this, lawmakers needed to understand what had happened, particularly because housing had until then seemed like such a bright spot in the US economy. The US housing â€Å"bubble† in the early 21st century In his 2001 letter to shareholders, Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines wrote, â€Å"Housing is a safe, leveraged investment – the only leveraged investment available to most families – and it is one of the best returning investment to make. Home will continue to appreciate in value. Home values are expected to rise even faster in this decade than in the 1990’s. His optimism was due in part to the importance Americans attributed to owning a home. The importance was reflected in Fannie Mae’s motto, which was â€Å"Our Business in the American Dream. † Raines was not alone in touting the advantages of housing as an investment. While house prices in particular region had suffered temporary declines at various points, average housing prices across the United States had risen fairly steadily since at least 1975 (see Exhibit 1). This trend accelerated in 1996, and reached about 12 percent per annum in late 2005 and early 2006. Many observers felt that this rise in prices was due in part to the Federal Reserve’s policy of maintaining low interest rates after the 2001 recession. In the period from 1980 to 2001, the Federal Funds rate (an overnight interest rate that bank charged each other and which the Federal Reserve targeted) had generally tracked economic conditions (see Exhibit 2). After 2001 and until July 2004, however, the Fed kept interest rates low in spite of signs of growth in output and prices. Perhaps fearing a recession that did not materialize, the Federal Funds rate was set to only 1 percent from July 2003 to July 2004. After this, anxiety about inflation seemed to gain the upper hand and interest rates were increased steadily, with the Federal Funds rate reaching 5. 25% in September 2006. A debate over house prices started around 2004. Some economists, such as Dean Baker, the co-director of the Centre for Economic and Policy Research claimed at the time that house prices were like a bubble ready to burst, and that the economy needed to brace itself for a loss of $2 to $3 trillion in housing wealth. Others felt that, even though increases in housing prices had far outstripped increase in residential rents, this was reasonable in light of the low interest rates. Even in October 2005, when it was common to hear mentions of a housing bubble, developer Bob Toll disagreed and complained â€Å"Why can’t real estate just have a boom like every other industry? Why do we have to have a bubble and then a pop? † Meanwhile, several economists pointed out that house price increases were concentrated in particular areas such as San Francisco and New York, where zoning restriction made it difficult to expand the housing stock. Professor Chris Mayer of Columbia University saw the attraction of these areas coupled with the inability to increase supply as allowing house prices in these areas to remain high â€Å"basically forever†. Nothing that Tokyo real estate was still more expensive than real estate in Manhattan, he stated: â€Å"There’s no natural law that says US housing prices have to stop here. None. † While house prices reached eye-popping levels in what Chris Mayer called â€Å"superstar cities,† construction was booming elsewhere. Cities like Phoenix, as well as many communities in Florida and around Los Angeles, saw such a torrid pace of construction that builders had difficulty even procuring the cement they needed. New houses in these areas were often snapped up by eager investors and newspapers relished reporting on individuals who managed to resell houses at a gain even before they took possession of them. According to Loan Performance Inc, more than 12% of Phoenix-area mortgages were obtained by investors in 2004, as compared to just 5. 8% nationwide in 2000. Home finance before the 1990’s In the United States, it was common to talk about the â€Å"Traditional† fixed 30 year mortgage. This instrument required the borrower to make a constant stream of monthly payments during the 30 year term of the loan. These payments were specified in advance; so the interest rate on this loan was fixed. Many of these traditional loans allowed borrowers to ‘pre-pay† their mortgages without penalty. When interest rates declined, borrowers often took advantage of this feature and refinanced their homes at lower rates. Savings and Loan Associations (Samp;Ls) already offered mortgages with constant payments before the Great Depression, though they were typically less than 12 years long. At the time, other lenders mostly offered short-term mortgages that needed to be refinanced because they had â€Å"balloon† payments at the end. During the Great Depression, many households went into default in part because this refinancing became difficult. One government response was to create the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC), which made simultaneous offers to borrowers and lenders. If they both agreed, lenders received HOLC obligations in exchange for their claims against households, although this exchange required bank to recognize a loss on their assets. Households, meanwhile, freed themselves of their previous obligation by accepting new ‘self-amortizing’ mortgages with fixed payments whose terms were based on new assessments of their home’s worth. After WWII, banks and Samp;Ls originated many fixed 30 year mortgages and held them to maturity. The results were not always happy. When short-term interest rates rose in the early 1980’s, the yield on mortgage assets fell below the cost of paying depositors for their funds. This mismatch was one of the causes for the failure of about half of the 32,234 Samp;L’s that existed in 1986. Because the government insured the Samp;L’s depositors, it incurred considerable losses and had to set up a special institution to dispose of the failed Samp;L’s assets. The Samp;L crisis also boosted the securitization of mortgages by two governments sponsored enterprises (GSEs), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Fannie Mae was originally created in 1938 as a government agency. Like Freddie Mac, a twin that Congress chartered in 1970, Fannie Mae eventually became a privately owned publicly traded company. Starting with bundles of mortgages purchased from mortgage originators, the GSEs created and sold mortgage-backed securities (MBSs), which delivered to holders the payments made on these mortgages. In exchange for a fee, the GSEs guaranteed the interest and principal on these loans. This meant that, assuming the GSEs remained solvent (or that the government came to their rescue if they found themselves in financial trouble), the only payment risk faced by the holders of these MBSs was the risk that the underlying mortgages would be repaid before they were due (Known as prepayment risk). Congress capped the size of the loans that GSEs could accept. In 2006, for example, the maximum loan for single-family homes was $417,000. To limit their credit risk, the GSEs used standards that were similar to those of traditional originators. To secure sufficient collateral, they took only senior mortgage and generally required the loan-to-value ratio (LTV) to be below 80 %. The LTV was computed as the ratio of the mortgage to the property’s market value at the time of origination. Before underwriting loans, the GSEs also looked at the borrower’s income and employment status, level of other assets, and history of foreclosures and bankruptcies. Consistent with the rules of GSEs, home lenders before the 1990s only lent to borrowers they deemed credit worthy, and generally required documentary evidence on these variables. Until the practice was penalized by a 1977 law, most lenders also denied mortgages to people living in certain â€Å"redlined† communities, where these were predominantly inner city neighborhoods with large black populations. An avenue that remained open to borrowers with problematic credit histories was to apply through conventional lenders for loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). The lenders then had to verify that the loan met FHA requirements and the process for doing so was somewhat more time-consuming than in the case non-FHA mortgages. In spite of these standards, about 8 % of FHA loans were past-due in 1993, while the delinquency rate on standard mortgages was only 3 %. FHA loans were packaged into mortgage-backed securities by Ginnie Mae, a government owned corporation that dealt exclusively with federally guaranteed mortgages. Innovation in the mortgage In the 1990s new firms started to lend money to borrowers that did not qualify for ‘prime’ mortgages. Rather than lending directly, many of these firms sought the help of mortgage brokers to whom they paid commissions. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s list of lenders who specialized in such ‘subprime’ loans increased from 63 lenders in 1993 to 209 in 2005. Wall Street firms Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley all acquired such lenders, though all but Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns did so only in 2006. One obvious difference between ‘subprime’ and ‘prime’ loans was that the former had higher interest rates and fees. There was, however, no precise dividing line between the two, so that there was no consensus on how to measure the fraction of subprime loans. According to one definition, the value of these loans grew from about 1% of new mortgages in 1993 to 20% in 2006. At the same time, the FHA share dropped from 11% to 1. 9%. An independent analysis by the Wall Street Journal concluded that 29% of the home loans made in 2006 had high interest rates. A large fraction of these loans refinanced existing loans. In many cases, these refinancing loans increased the borrowers’ mortgage debt and thereby made it possible for households to keep some cash for other purposes. From being virtually unknown in the 1980s, Countrywide Financial became the largest mortgage lender in 2005. A 2003 government report showed that it was also the leading mortgage lender to minority homeowners, as well as one of the largest providers of home loans in low-income communities. When this report was released, Countrywide’s CEO Angelo Mozilo said: ‘We’re extremely proud of our accomplishments, as they clearly demonstrate our long-standing commitment to provide all Americans with the opportunity to achieve the dream of homeownership. These results underscore our ongoing efforts to discover new approaches to turn individuals and families into homeowners, to develop new loan products that reduce or eliminate the obstacles to homeownership and to make it easier for families to qualify for loans. Contrary to what had been standard practice in the past, lenders such as Countrywide did not offer the same interest rate to all borrowers. This customization was facilitated by the use of automated statistical models that predicted the likelihood of default on the basis of borrower characteristics. Interestingly, the first statistical tools that came into wide use were those developed by Freddie Mac (called Loan Prospector) and Fannie Mae (called Desktop Underwriter). These were introduced to make it easy for mortgage originators to know whether their loans would be acceptable to the GSEs, though their use expanded well beyond this purpose. One variable that played a key role in these models, and which had apparently been absent from previous methods of qualifying borrowers for mortgage, was the borrower’s credit score. While there were several approved commercial credit score formulas (regulators did not allow scores to depend on race, gender, marital status or national origin), the most popular one was the FICO score invented by the Fair Isaac Corporation. This score, which ranged from about 300 for poor credit risks to about 850, appeared to give considerable weight to the punctuality with which borrowers had paid their previous obligations. One reason these scores became important in mortgage applications was that studies by Freddie Mac had shown a strong correlation between FICO scores and defaults on mortgages in the pre-1995 period. One type of mortgage that became popular among subprime lenders was known as 2/28 because its rate was fixed for 2 years and then became variable for the remaining 28 years. This mortgage was quite different from adjustable rate mortgage (ARMs) offered to prime borrowers. The introductory rate on 2/28 was above the typical rate offered on 30-year fixed mortgages, whereas ARMs for prime borrowers had initial rates below those on fixed mortgage. Also, rates on 2/28s rose considerably when they were ‘reset’ after 2 years. According to the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Eric Rosengren, the average initial rate for subprime mortgages issued in 2006 was 8. 5% (when the conventional 30-year mortgage rate was below 6. 4%) and reset to 610 basis points above the 6-month LIBOR rate (which averaged about 5% in 2006) after 2 years. In the case of reasonable 2/28 mortgages, there were pre-payment penalties if the mortgage was pre-paid in the first two years but there was no cost associated with pre-paying right before the interest rate was reset. From the point of view of mortgage brokers, this arrangement was attractive because it ensured that many borrowers would refinance after two years, allowing brokers to collect new origination fees. Borrowers were also told that this arrangement was good for them because, if they made timely payments, their FICO score would improve and they would be able to refinance at a lower rate. There were widespread allegations that some borrowers in this period received home loans on terms that were substantially less favorable than those of conventional or FHA loans for which these borrowers would have qualified. It was also claimed that unsophisticated borrowers had been duped into signing mortgage that continued to have severe pre-payment penalties even after interest rates had been reset to high levels. A lawsuit in Michigan claimed that a mortgage broker working for a unit of Lehman Brothers ‘confused and pressured’ an elderly couple so that they would sign a loan whose interest rate would reach 17. 5%. Several borrowers told Federal officials that they had simply been laid to regarding their future monthly payments. What is certain is that some borrowers agreed to make payments that were impossible for them to keep up with over time. A 79-year old retired engineer named Robert Pyle, for example, moved from a $265,000 to a $352,000 mortgage in 2005 and cleared his credit card debts in the process. Almost immediately after signing the mortgage, which involved over $33,000 in fees, he found himself unable to cover the $2200 monthly payment. Terry Dyer, the broker who issued Robert Pyle’s mortgage said, â€Å"It’s clear he was living beyond his means, and he might not be able to afford this loan. But legally, we don’t have a responsibility to tell him this probably isn’t going to work out. It’s not our obligation to tell them how they should live their lives. † Some subprime loans required less documentation than was traditionally demanded. Instead of requiring proof of income of independent appraisals of the value of the home, some subprime mortgages were based only on â€Å"stated income† or â€Å"stated value†. Stated income loans were very convenient for borrowers who had casual jobs that were difficult to document, though they opened the door to fraud by both borrowers and brokers. Another dimension in which some subprime loans departed from traditional ones was in their down-payments requirements.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Importance Of Data Collection

The Importance Of Data Collection In this chapter, data collection will be carrying out to meet its aim and objectives. Data collection is a way to describe a process of preparing and collection data. Furthermore data collection can defined as an important aspect of any type of research study. Any inaccurate data collection may lead to invalid result and affect result of study. In other word, this chapter will review method applies in data collection that determine the level of knowledge of the all site workers awareness to hazardous work and safety and health training. A research study can gain information with two sources which are primary sources and secondary sources. The information that obtains by internet, book, journals and magazines are secondary sources. However interview and questionnaire are classify as primary sources which these two method can obtains information and get a real picture of the study. There are three methods can be carried out to collect data. These three methods can define as case study, interview and questionnaire. In this chapter, researcher decides to use interview to collect data. To make the research more clearly and fully interpreted for achieving three objectives. Researcher will discuss rationale of the research interview and revise the statement of the research aim. In this chapter, researcher will be explaining the way of conducting the interview questionnaire. However, rationale of the questionnaire design will be included in this research which to enable interviewees understand the questions that stated in questionnaire. Last parts of this chapter will be determining the method of analysis that selected to evaluate and analysis the data. 3.1 Data Collection Technique After review to method of data collection, the method to be use in collecting data is qualitative data collection method. The reason of select qualitative data collection method; it is because qualitative data collection method is more suitable in this research study. 3.2 Interview Interview can defined as a conversation between two or more people, purpose of interviewer questioning is to obtain information from the interviewee. Beside that, interview can be flexible or inflexible which it is depending on the freedom of formulate the questions and issue being investigated. According to Dr S. G. Naoum, the interview can be classified in two forms which are structure interview and unstructured interview as Fig 3.1 Flexible interview structure Flexible interview contents Flexibility in interview questions Rigid interview structure Rigid interview contents Rigidity in interview questions and their wording 3.2.1 Advantages of Interview Interview is more applicable and useful for a complex situations compare to the other method. If interviewee encountered difficulty in answering questions or unable to understand the questions, the interviewer can direct clarify doubt to interviewee and ensure the interviewee is properly understood. In this case interview can obtain a higher understanding. Furthermore, interview will help in collecting depth data and information. The researcher can gain more detailed and accurate data through probe deep in interview situation. Face to face interview can produce a higher response rate which interviewee provides the answer through communication as interviewee may not require reading and writing the answer. Beside that, interviewing has a wider application, especially suitable for those who are week and lacks reading skills. 3.2.2Disadvantages of Interview Interview is more time-consuming and expensive compare to other method of research. Interview will spend a lot of time and may not be cost efficient if particular of research have number of tasks to study. On the other hand, the quality of data is depending on the ability of the interviewer. Quality of data collected might affected by experience and skill of communication of the interviewer. Interviewee may provide inaccurate information if interviewer being faulty in ambiguous questions to interviewee. Furthermore the other disadvantage is interviewer bias in leading. Leading is the way that interviewer guide the interviewee in answering the questions. Verbally may affect the leading by the actual word used, other than that non-verbally which is body language might effected the leading during the interview. Any faulty of leading will cause inaccurate data collected. In additional, quality of interaction might affect the quality of data collected. The interaction between interviewer and interviewee might vary from different interview, in the result the quality of data collected may dramatically lower and lack of credibility. 3.3 Statement of Research Aim In this research will carried out based on one aim and three objectives. To make the research more credibility, one aim and three objectives will apply in design of the interview and conduct the questionnaire. The aim of this study is to determine roles of safety officer to implement safety training programs, in order to create a safe workplace. In achieving this aim, there objectives stated as following: To highlight the hazard and accidents that most commonly found at construction sites, To identify the scopes and characteristics of safety officer to create a safe workplace To determine effectiveness safety training programs for site workers in Malaysia construction sites. These three objectives are generated, after the researcher critically reviews the book, articles and journal. Three objectives might apply in interview through face to face interview to local construction site personnel. 3.4 Rationale of Questionnaire Design This dissertation title is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Safety Plan in Construction Site: Safety Officer Perspectiveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . Safety and Health Officer is playing a very important in create a safe workplace. The accident occurs in construction site are usually affect the objective of the project. Questionnaire design may touch on background and organization of interviewee. Questionnaire will identify causes and effect of accident occurs in construction site. The interviewees are request to elaborate the hazard and risk in construction site which to achieve the first objective set out by researcher. Furthermore, roles of Safety and Health Officer will be included in the questionnaire, it is to understand task and job done by Safety and Health Officer which related to the second objective of this dissertation. Other than that, questionnaire might investigate the process of hazard assessment. The third objective will achieved that the questionnaire will determine the training element which ca rry out by Safety and Health Officer. The interviewee is requiring to explain the contents of the safety training. 3.5 Research Sample The interviewees were selected based on certain characteristics required to meet the research objective. In this chapter, the site personnel with experience in safety and health issue and training will be selected. In this case, with experience and knowledge of the interviewee, the data collected from them will become more credibility and accurate. Furthermore, project manager, site supervisor and safety and health officer will be the target population for this study. This survey target on different construction position level of interviewees, it is because every position of work may have their own opinion and knowledge in safety and health issues. The sampling area will focus in peninsular Malaysia and Sabah construction sites. It is more easier to gather the accurate information and answer. 3.6 Method of Analysis In this element, the analysis will do based on data that collected from the interviewees. The method of analysis used is trend approach that require to analysis the interactions provided by interviewees. In the analysis part, researcher will describe the out come of interview with ten site personnel in a conversation from. Every question will provided with three answers that collected from the selected interviewees. In the other hand a discussion will be included to analyze and compare the information obtained from the interviewees. 3.7 Reason of choose interview In this research, interview will carry out to gather data and information. By using this matter, data collected from interviewees will more accurate compare to other matter. If used questionnaire method, the respondents may simply answer the questions, due to respondent might not understand the questions asked. But used interview method, if interviewees not understand the questions asked, the interviewer can explain to them. In the other hand, if interviewees understand the questions asked, the answer provided by them will become credibility. 3.7 Potential Problem and Contingency plan Quality of data collected The problem might encountered during the interview are the quality of information and data that collected from the different interviewees. All interviewees are from different background, furthermore they have different experience and opinion in safety and health issues, so the data that obtained by them may vary. To over come this problem, interviewer might select the interviewees who have number of years experience in construction firm. Beside that, interviewer may interview the site personnel who currently on position project manager or site supervisor or safety and health officer. Low respond rate During the interview, the interviewer may encountered hard to make appointment with the interviewees, because not many people are willing to interview. In interviewees opinion, interview are not part of job for them, the interviewees might think spend time to accept interview and answer the questionnaire is wasting time. Therefore, the interviewer have responsibility to minimize the problem that ensure have enough people to accept interview. The method can be use to solve this problem is interviewer should list out the company to be interview. Companies selected for this interview should more than 20 companies to avoid some of the people refuse to accept interview. 3.8 Rationale of Questions The below questions were designed based on Objective 1. Question 1: Do you think apply Personal Protective Equipment can reduce the number of accident? Why? This question is to identify use of the PPE and purposes apply PPE when site workers carried out the hazardous work in construction site. Interviewees require to explain how their apply PPE when carried out the hazardous works. Question 2: In your opinion, what are the causes of accident happened in construction site? This question attempts to find out the factors and causes of accidents happened in construction site. Question 3: In point of view, what are the effects of accident occurs in the site? Please elaborate. This question attempts to request the interviewees to mentioned the effect that generated by accidents occur on site. Question 4: How does the first-aid unit locate in construction site? This question attempts to determine how interviewees locate the first-aid unit in their construction site. The below questions were designed based on Objective 2 Question 5: In practical standard, what are the roles of a Safety and Health Officer? This question attempts to identify the tasks and works should carry out by a Safety and Health Officer. Furthermore interviewees are requiring to elaborate what are the scopes of work of a Safety and Health. Question 6: Who is responsible for risk assessment and hazard control? This question attempts to find out who is responsible for risk assessment and hazard control. Question 7: What are the procedures for risk assessments? This question attempts to determine process of risk assessment to be carried out before and during the life of project. The below questions were designed based on Objective 3. Question 8: Who is responsible for safety and health training? This question attempts to find out who responsible for safety and health training. Question 9 Based on your experience, what are the elements needed to cover during the safety and health training? This question attempts to determine the contains of safety and health training. Beside that, interviewees have to explain what to be trained during the safety and health training. Question 10: In your organization, did the site personnel receive the refresher Safety and Health training? If yes, please explain how frequent the training held and how long of the training period. This question attempts to find out does every construction company have provide refresher Safety and Health training to their workers.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Triad Of Impairments In Asd Psychology Essay

The Triad Of Impairments In Asd Psychology Essay Having aspirations to become an educational psychologist, I have always held a strong interest in clinical conditions such as Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and how they can affect a persons behaviours. This interest has been further fuelled by my nephew having been recently diagnosed with high functioning ASD. Whilst I am familiar with the behavioural aspects of this disorder I lack knowledge on the neurological explanations. I wish to change this to increase my understanding of ASD in order to be better equipped to offer my nephew and others with ASD the best possible support. Introduction The complexity of Autistic Spectrum Disorders is partially due to the fact that, until recently, there were no clear biological functions which corresponded with the syndrome. Scientific developments in brain imaging in recent years, however, have enabled psychologists to begin to research ASD from a neurological perspective, meaning that the symptoms of ASD are beginning to be understood more clearly as an expression of a neural disorder (Just et al, 2012). According to the DSM-IV a person can be diagnosed with ASD when they exhibit symptoms under the following three primary criteria: Qualitative impairment in social interaction Qualitative impairment in communication Restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behaviour, interests and activities. The above symptoms are often referred to as a triad of impairments. However, in the proposed DSM-V there is the possibility that the social and communication impairments will be combined and that in the future the definition will form a dyad of impairments instead (Pina-Camacho et al, 2011) . At the time of writing, however, a triad of impairments still exists. This essay is focusing not on the general differences between the brains of typically developing (TD) humans and humans with ASD, but on the neurological explanations for the most prominent behavioural symptoms of ASD. Accordingly the triad of impairments will be taken, one by one, and possible neurological explanations will be explored. Qualitative impairment in social interaction Much of the neurological research on ASD focuses on this impairment following the pattern of behavioural research on ASD. Indeed, one of the most prominent theories of ASD, the Theory of Mind (Baron-Cohen, 1985), focuses almost entirely on the social deficits, arguing that people with ASD struggle with mentalising; they lack social insight and are unable to perceive the world from another persons viewpoint. From a neurological standing, however, it is not enough to assume that people with ASD do not have a Theory of Mind; instead, we must understand biologically why this may be so. Brothers (1990) conducted a variety of studies, both with humans and other primates, and proposed that primates alone have social cognition they are able to perceive psychological facts about others. Through the examination of evolutionary studies, as well as the study of clinical conditions which can affect social cognition, Brothers proposed a neural network of regions in the brain, which, combined create the social brain: Superior temporal sulcus (STS) plays an important role in social perception and is implicated in the processing of many types of sensory information which are relevant to social interaction, e.g. selective sensitivity to vocal and speech sounds rather than to non-vocal sounds and the processing of the motions of hands, face, eyes, and body, especially if the motions relate to emotion in some way (Neuhaus et al, 2010). Fusiform gyrus (FG) region is thought to display a selective response to human faces and is often referred to as the fusiform face area (FFA) (Neuhaus et al, 2010). Prefrontal cortex (PFC) a subdivision of the PFC is the ventromedial PFC, a region including the orbital frontal cortex and the ventral part of the anterior cingulate cortex areas implicated in motivation, reward, and emotion processing, and planning for the future. This region also has extensive connections with the amygdala (Neuhaus et al, 2010). Amygdala involved in processing emotions, empathy, perspective taking and social judgements (Neuhaus et al, 2010). Figure A A diagram of the regions of the brain thought to comprise the social brain. Data retrieved from: http://www.jaynejubb.com/june2012article.htm It seems highly probable that damage to a region in the social brain is likely to cause some visible social deficit. Thus, ASD may be explained, to a certain extent, through abnormalities in these regions when compared to TD humans. Various studies support this idea; the amygdala theory of autism, for example, proposes that there is an amygdala impairment in people with autism, which can help to explain the deficits in their social behaviour (Baron-Cohen, 2000). Given that the amygdala is strongly associated with emotion along with other social functions, irregularity in this region could well contribute to the lack of social insight so often noted in people with ASD. In an earlier study, Baron-Cohen et al (1999) conducted an fMRI study comparing TD subjects with patients with high-functioning ASD or Asperger Syndrome (AS) on a mentalising task whereby participants were asked to judge from a photograph of another persons eyes what emotion that person was feeling. They found that when TD participants were attributing emotional states to the photographs, there was increased activation in their STGs and amygdalas areas associated with social perception and emotion. The ASD and AS group, however, did not show increased activation in the amygdala. Other research suggested that as well as decreased amygdala activity, people with ASD tend to process faces differently to TD people, using the right inferior temporal gyri (ITG) an area more commonly associated with processing objects, rather than the FFA (Schultz et al, 2000). Research by Pierce et al (2001) also found that there was either weak or no activity in the FFA and the amygdala in response to the human face in autistic patients but found no evidence to suggest that they used the ITG as an alternative. The differences in the results of Pierce and Schultz may be due to their samples, with Schultz using a sample including participants with autism and AS and Pierce using a sample only of participants with autism. Caution is urged when placing too much emphasis on the FGs association with faces as previous research has suggested that this region may not be face specific but may be activated when objects increase in familiarity (Gauthier et al, 1999). Fletcher et al (1995) used PET scans to compare brain activity in normal volunteers when reading Theory of Mind stories, physical stories and unlinked sentences. When activity during the Theory of Mind stories was compared with the others, the authors discovered significant activation in the left side of the medial frontal gyrus and in the posterior cingulate cortex regions in the prefrontal cortex suggesting that these regions are specifically activated when a person is mentalising. Furthermore, Castelli et al (2002) used PET scans on ten able adults with ASD or Asperger Syndrome (AS) whilst they watched a variety of animated sequences, and were asked to attribute mental states to the animations based upon what they had seen. The TD group showed increased activation in their medial prefrontal cortex, superior temporal sulcus and temporal poles, areas associated with social cognition, as described above. The autism group, however, showed less activation than the normal group in all of these regions. Qualitative impairments in communication Symptoms in this impairment range from a total lack of development of spoken language, to a person having adequate speech but being unable to use it in conversation with others, to stereotyped and repetitive use of language (DSM-IV) making it difficult to explain the impairment as a whole. There is also less literature in general on trying to explain the communication deficit in ASD than there is on trying to explain the social deficit. This may be because aspects of the communication deficit are not applicable to people with AS or high-functioning ASD whereas the social deficit is central to all ASDs. Within the left hemisphere of the brain are two areas that govern the understanding and production of speech: Brocas area and Wernickes area. Brocas area is in the frontal lobe and is primarily involved in the production of speech; Wernickes area is in the temporal lobe and is mainly involved with speech comprehension (Passer et al, 2009). Also in the left hemisphere of the brain is the primary auditory cortex an area associated with hearing and thus also largely involved in language production and comprehension (Passer et al, 2009). One possible explanation for a lack of language development is therefore likely to involve damage or irregularities in the left hemisphere of the brain and more specifically in the above areas. Boddaert et al (2004) used PET scans to compare the brain activity of eleven autistic children with six non-autistic mentally retarded children while they were listening to speech-like sounds. They found that there was less activation in speech-related areas, including Wernickes area, in autistic children. In previous work with autistic adults (Boddaert et al, 2004) they had found abnormal right frontotemporal activity but this was not found with the children. Research by Eyler et al (2012) measured the brain activity of forty toddlers with ASD and 40 TD toddlers during the presentation of a bedtime story. Their results showed that a region of the left STG, an area which includes both Brocas and Wernickes area, was significantly less responsive to speech stimuli in the group with ASD than in t he TD group. The TD toddlers showed dominance in the left hemisphere of the brain, as one might expect, given the association between the left hemisphere and language. Contrary to the Boddaert et al study, Eyler et al did find that toddlers with ASD however displayed stronger activation on the right anterior portion of the STG rather than the left. The differences in the results of the groups may be that the sample in the Boddaert et al study was significantly smaller than the sample used by Eyler et al, with only 11 autistic participants compared to 40. Eyler et al propose that the right STG may be trying to compensate for the incompetent processing of the left STG but that by doing so the development of social communication and language abilities is being lost, thus providing an explanation for not only language delay but also ineffective communication in people with ASD. Restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behaviour, interest and activities There are very few neurological studies focusing on this aspect of ASD. An fMRI study by Shafritz et al (2008) on repetitive behaviour in ASD showed that the severity of restricted, repetitive behaviours was negatively correlated with activation in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and posterior parietal regions areas associated with attention, motivation and error detection (Neuhaus et al. 2010). Research by Thakkar et al (2008) supports this finding. Through an experiment on response monitoring they found functional and structural abnormalities in the ACC in ASD participants and suggested that this may cause rigid and repetitive, rather than responsive and flexible behaviour. As the cerebellum is concerned primarily with muscular movement co-ordination but also plays a role in learning and memory (Passer et al, 2009), Pierce and Courchesne (2001) examined the possibility of a link between cerebellar abnormality and exploration in autism. They held an experiment where 14 autistic chi ldren and 14 TD children were in a large room with several exploration containers and encouraged to play. The results showed that children with autism spent significantly less time in active exploration and were more likely to engage in repetitive movements than TD children. They found that the more abnormal the cerebellar vermis, an area in the medial cerebellum (Passer et al, 2009) the less time spent in exploring a new environment. Conclusion Much more literature exists examining the neurological explanations of social impairments in ASD than in the other two impairments. A vast amount of evidence exists associating the social deficits in ASD with irregularities in various regions of the social brain; the superior temporal sulcus, the fusiform gyrus, the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. A lack of activity in the left hemisphere of the brain is likely to contribute to the communication impairment visible in AS. There is very little literature on the restricted behaviour impairment but recent work has proposed a possible association between cerebellar abnormality and exploration and between the ACC and repetitive behaviour. Further work is needed in all three areas ideally work could be conducted that could help to explain all three impairments rather than focusing on a single one.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Capital vs. Labor Essay -- Economy, Stock Market

Chapter 19 of Liberty, Equality, and Power, asks what the most significant ways in which the ongoing struggle between capital and labor reshaped American society during the late 19th century (Murrin, 523). In response, one of the most important contributions was the introduction of new technologies utilized primarily in factories. This in turn lead to the revolutionizing of production lines, and corporations. This domino effect continued on to spur the birth of unions in the United States, who organized rebellions against corporate power still used today. Finally during this time women underwent a transformation of their civil rights, as well as their role in society. The introduction of new technologies was a double-edged sword in forming society. On one note, inventions like the phonograph, or the electric dynamo brought entertainment and commonplace items to the middle class, as well as household appliance to today's society. Another benefit, included the shift from steam engines to that of internal combustion, seen in automobiles (500). On another side, factories became more efficient by means such as the open-hearth process used in steel mills, leading to lower wages, and longer hours for workers (500). Although the first example has provided today’s society with modern appliances, the latter was more significant during the early 19th century. Now that production lines were more prominent, workers no longer needed to be skilled in multiple jobs, and in turn they were easily replaced by those willing to work for the lowest price. As factory operators pushed their employees to work longer and harder in order to increase profits, unions were formed. An example of this would be the fraternal organizat... ...found that the book gave perspective to each of the individual classes, rather than covering only the bourgeois or the proletariat. Today you will scarcely find a job or institution were women are not allowed, had I not read this chapter it would have been very difficult for me to understand what women at this time went through. Understanding how the people of this time period lived allows me to relate this information to today’s society. This will aid me for the exam by allowing me to connect with these events, in a very personal manner. However I believe that if there were more potential questions at the end of the chapters it would provide more food for thought, and better help one learn the material. Furthermore being able to use more outside material for this assignment, would have led to a more diversified view, as well as more supported arguments.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Essay --

The acceleration of string pattern matching problems in hardware has started as early as 1980 [1] with the special purpose VLSI chip used by Foster and Kung to compute an algorithm for the string pattern matching problem using systolic array architecture. The term systolic array was coined by Kung and Leiserson in 1978 at the Carnegie-Mellon University [2]. This one-dimensional array enables the acceleration of Dynamic Programming (DP) algorithms by means of computing the recursive equation in anti-diagonal flow instead of sequential flow as in a standard microprocessor. Another early study which implemented the DP algorithm on special-purpose VLSI chip was reported by Lipton and Lopresti in 1985. The sequence edit distance algorithm was implemented in the processing element and a total of 30 systolic processors were used for the acceleration of the pattern matching problem. Following that, the Princeton Nucleic Acid Comparator (P-NAC) was reported by Lopresti in 1987 [3]. This VLSI core performed DNA sequence comparisons and achieved speeds 125 times faster than a minicomputer (DEC VAX 11/785). In the early 1990s, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) were used to accelerate the algorithm using a linear systolic array. SPLASH was among the first off-the-shelf FPGA-based sequence edit distance accelerators, and was reported by Hoang and Lopresti [4]. It comprised of 24 PEs where each implemented the sequence edit distance algorithm. However, at that time FPGAs were not as competitive as they are today. Thus, other parallel architectures were developed, including the single instruction multiple data (SIMD) architectures such as micro grain array processor (MGAP) [4] in 1994, Kestrel [5] in 1996 and Fuzion [6] in 2002. These parall... ...poses a new processor array architecture for the Smith-Waterman with affine gap penalty alignment algorithm that are more efficient in speed and area than the processor array architecture of [23] specially for short query sequences. This is achieved by applying a nonlinear mapping methodology to the Smith-Waterman with affine gap penalty alignment algorithm after expressing it as Regular Iterative Algorithm (RIA). This methodology uses a data scheduling and node projection techniques to explore the systolic array architecture of the algorithm. Also, we present the hardware implementation of the processing element (PE) of the proposed systolic array structure and apply a scheduling strategy to the PE architecture in order to re-use the systolic array for the multiple pass processing of such biological sequences without requiring additional time for PE configuration.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

A prototype of the Mahindra REVA NXR Essay

Last week, the Indian government revealed more details about its plan to spend 230 billion rupees ($4.2 billion) to stimulate a domestic market for electric vehicles. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that government and manufacturers would split the pot equally in order to build a domestic industry of low-carbon transport. EV makers and aspiring drivers have reason to doubt the government, which has shown a lack of follow-through in its promises to subsidize electric cars and two-wheelers. In 2010, the government offered buyers a generous rebate on their purchases, but payments stopped a few months later, and the following year the plan was abandoned. India‘s electric auto industry is tiny even by the standards of the fledgling global EV market. The only company making cars is Mahindra REVA, whose two-seater REVAi has sold 2,500 vehicles domestically. Motorcycles and scooters are wildly popular in India, and electric offerings are more diverse, including such players as Yo Bykes, Hero Electric, Ampere and Lohia Auto. All of these manufacturers face a tough sell to the Indian motorist, who has shown reluctance to pay a premium to go electric. Also, frequent power outages have eroded consumer confidence in battery-powered vehicles. Despite these doubts, Mahindra REVA sees big potential for EVs. Early this year it expects to debut a sporty new model, the NXR, and manufacture it in a new factory in Bangalore slated to make 30,000 cars a year within three years. In an interview two weeks ago, Sohinder Gill, the head of the Indian Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles and CEO of Hero Electric, said that he and other leaders in the industry are meeting with government officials to hammer out the details of the EV stimulus plan. In his speech last week, Singh said the subsidies would shave up to 1.5 percent off of India’s carbon dioxide emissions, eliminate the need for up to 2.5 million tons of fuel, and add 6 million to 7 million electric vehicles to the roads by 2020. The last goal may be hard to obtain, considering that the U.S. plan to produce electric vehicles, a far more modest 1 million vehicles by 2015, has been in place several years longer and is already lagging.