Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Why Did Alexander Invade the Persian Territory Essays

Why Did Alexander Invade the Persian Territory Essays Why Did Alexander Invade the Persian Territory Paper Why Did Alexander Invade the Persian Territory Paper HST 225- 01-TRACEY MARTIN -042267773â€Å"ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND THE HELLENISTIC AGE. †Why did Alexander invade the Persian territory? The question on why Alexander invaded the Persian territory has only been guessed at by historians in the past. The true reason why, may never be known. What is known however is the fact that Alexander had continued what many before him had done, invade the Persian territory. Rome and Parthia, had first clashed after Pompey had annexed the Syrian rump of the Seleucid empire in 64B. C. , then there was Crassus in 53B. C. , who was governor of Syria at the time, and was eager for glory, only to be destroyed by the Parthian horse arches. Then after Crassus we know there was also Caesar, who had planned an invasion only to be assassinated before he was able to see his plans take place. We know that even Alexander’s father Phillip, had planned an invasion of the Persian territory prior to his death, which could be seen as a reason behind Alexander’s decision to invade. Alexander had admired his father Phillip, and was known to be loyal to his father’s intentions, with his father wanting to reclaim the cities which had been lost to them. Alexander himself, would have wanted to accomplish the same. By reclaiming the cities, he also would have succeeded not only in rebuilding the empire, but also fulfilling one of his father’s intentions, and in his own mind, making up for his previous errors. Other factor’s were also considered to be behind Alexander’s invasion, such as, the fact that there was still a lot of bitter feelings from the cities that had been burnt by the Persian’s years before, along with wanting to claim the trading routes to the east, all which were considered to be strong motivations behind his reasons for invading the Persian territory. Persia has always been considered one of the richest empires at the time, trading routes and financial gain was always a strong motive for invasion. Even with peace treaties worked out with neighbouring empires, it never took long for a reason to warrant an invasion. It is also believed that Alexander’s financial position at the time was a contributing factor to his invasion of the Persian territory. Although, it is reported that Alexander had inherited gold mines, it is also reported that Alexander also inherited debts. Where we have Quintus Curtius, who goes onto state that Alexander was reported as saying that the entire royal assets were no-more than 60 talents at a time. Where according to Plutarch, Alexander was reported to have given most of his estates away in Macedonia. Plutarch even goes on to quote Aristobulus as stating that Alexander had no more than 70 talents to provision his army with. Even though Alexander had inherited the gold mines that did indeed supply him with a good income flow, the cost to Alexander running armies the size he had was quite expensive, which explains the writers as all agreeing that Alexander was in a poor financial situation at the time of the invasion of the Asia Minor, where it is implied by Durius, that the funds Alexander had, was only enough to last for a period of 30 days for supplies. Both Plutarch and Arrian agree that Alexander has indeed amassed a considerable debt, just with the upkeep of keeping his army functioning. The differences with the two accounts, is basically stated by Plutarch, who admits to using multiple sources for the information he has obtained following Alexander. Arrian, more than likely had used many of the same sources as Plutarch to gather a majority of his information. With Alexander’s father’s death, which Alexander quickly ascended to the throne of Macedonian, he had to quickly dispose of all of his enemies by ordering their exercusions, his father’s death had caused a lot of rebellion with the conquered nation, in which the Greeks had also seen as a chance for independence. Alexander was forced to act quickly to gain control, by the end of 336B. C, there was no choice but to except Alexander’s authority. Alexander had become enraged when rumors of his death had reached him, and he found out a major revolt had engulfed the nation. Alexander was quick in covering the 240 miles, and was quick in letting them know that he was still in fact alive, and that it wasn’t too late for them to cahance their minds. Since his father’s death, everything seemed to move quickly for Alexander, and even with all that was going on around him, and his financial situation, there may not have been any other option left open to him than to invade the Persian territory. One thing that we do know about the invasion is, the writers all tend to agree that it was around the spring. When learning about Alexander and his invasion of the Persian territory, it became a puzzle working out the different information supplied by the ancient writers on the reasons why he invaded along with the number of the infantry involved with many other aspects involved. We are told in Arrian,30,000 infantry, including light troops and archers and over 5,000 cavalry were used. Diodorus who (17. 17) gives a list of Alexander’s forces after the crossing into Asia totaling 32,000 infantry and 5,100 cavalry. The higher number for infantry (43,000; 40,000) as they state the extra number involved may have included the troops who were in Asia. As for the inconsistency in the number of the infantry and the cavalry involved used is unknown. One reason the writers may have accounted for this, could be how each leader that came, would either add to their numbers or divide their numbers and assigned them to different sections in need of protection, even though when reading Arrian, in the footnotes 38, an explanation for the discrepancy in numbers is explained as the possibility of the numbers in Asia at the time may have been included in the calculation of all involved in Alexander’s campaign. As for the reason why Alexander invaded Persian territory, is only one, that historians can guess at from the many accounts that have been written. However, Polybius makes the better assumption in Polybius, 111. 6, One thing that can’t be argued is that Alexander had proven himself to be not only a great military, but a great leader in general. [ 1 ]. Quintus Curtius: 10. 2. 24 [ 2 ]. Plutarch doc 3a â€Å" in Austin† pg-27. [ 3 ]. Plutarch doc 3a [ 4 ]. Arrian 7. 8-9 [ 5 ]. http//www. historyofmacedonia. org/AncientMacedonia/AlexandertheGreat. html. cited 12/6/2011 [ 6 ]. Arrian, 1. 11. 3 â€Å"states, the start of the next campaigning season†, which according to Arrian 1. 10 ( footnote 32) The Great Mysteries of Demeter were celebrated at Eleusis from the 15th to the 23rd of the Attic month Boedromion, corresponding to Sep/ Oct. 7 ]. Arrian 11:37-38 [ 8 ]. Arrian ( footnote 38) [ 9 ]. Polybius, 111. 6 pg23-24. Arrian, â€Å" The Reign of Alexander. †BIOGRAPHIES:Ancient sources. Quintus CurtiusPlutarchArrianPolybiusModern;Austin,M. (2ND ED. 1994) The Hellenistic World from Alexander to the Roman Conquest† The reign of Alexander . ( Cambridge university press)http/www. historyofmacedonia. org/AncientMacedonia/AlexandertheGreat. html. cited 12/6/2011

Saturday, November 23, 2019

4 Creative Ways to Advance Your Career

4 Creative Ways to Advance Your Career There’s no worse feeling in the world for a job hunter than finding the perfect position but being eliminated from consideration simply because you fail to meet one requirement. There may be some ways around these â€Å"must-haves,† but in most cases failure to meet the job description - or even one small component of it - can remove you from the running. Instead of taking a chance on it happening again, cover your bases by padding your resume with one or more of these four sought-after skills. 1. Basic CodingWhile a weekend-long program in basic coding won’t land you a job as a software engineer, it will round out your resume. Sites like Codeacademy offer free lessons in a range of programming languages, including PHP, HTML, Python, Javascript, CSS and others. Each lesson is short, powerful, and delivers just what you need to add â€Å"Programming† to the â€Å"Skills† section of your resume.2. Public SpeakingTen percent of people love public spe aking, 10 percent are terrified of it, and the remaining 80 percent are somewhere in the middle - they know it’s not going to be very fun, but they also know they’ll survive the experience.Aside from helping you pass the â€Å"good communication skills† requirement part of a job description requirement, there’s another important reason the majority of people should work on this skill: why would you want a job when you can merely tolerate a major aspect of it? Comfort with public speaking won’t just land you a job; rather, it will continue to be a useful skill throughout your life.Coursera’s â€Å"Introduction to Public Speaking† course is free, always open, and delivers useful instruction and plenty of opportunities for practice through its public speaking curriculum, including a series of videos totaling 18 hours, videos, and peer assessments.3. Graphic DesignGraphic design skills are highly desirable for a wide range of positions, particularly with the growth of social media, digital technology, and ever-popular infographics. While fudging knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, InDesign or Illustrator on your resume can lead to catastrophic results - particularly if you’re called upon to demonstrate your knowledge or experience - it is possible to learn the basics on your own.For example, Adobe offers tutorials designed to help everyone from novices to experts expand their skill set, while online education website Lynda’s â€Å"Photoshop CC Essential Training† offers the training you need to feel comfortable working with Photoshop.4. Website BuildingAn increasing number of employers are requesting that candidates include links to personal websites along with their application materials. Don’t have one of your own? Unfortunately, this may indicate a lack of initiative and/or the inability to keep up with 21st century expectations.Rather than risking coming off as unmotivated, take advantag e of classes aimed at helping beginners acquire the knowledge they need to to build their own websites. The Muse’s â€Å"Your Guide to Building a Personal Website That’ll Land You a Job,† offers the perfect starting point.The best part of many of these web courses and tutorials? Many are taught during a single day or weekend so you can increase your job marketability without investing significant additional time or expense. Your resume will thank you for it.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Capital Structure Pre and Post Global Financial Crisis Dissertation

Capital Structure Pre and Post Global Financial Crisis - Dissertation Example When debt financing is concerned, it includes borrowing from the banks, financial leasing, and bond issuing in the bond market. Equity financing mainly constitutes the retained earnings and issuing of additional shares in the stock market. Capital structure has its own importance in a company. There are primary two reasons supporting this fact. Firstly, debt and equity having differences in the costs, in the interest rates, and the required rates of return, there arises a need have an appropriate combination of debt and equity that can maximize the value of the firm by reducing the total cost of the company. This is achievable through the capital structure of the company (Broyles, 2003, pp.303-304). Secondly the knowledge and understanding of capital structure proves important since the borrowing of capital has an influence on the financial risk of the firm. The volatility of the net income or earnings per share of a company increases with the interest payments that represent additio nal fixed expenses for the company. This in turn increases the payment of interests on the issuing of bonds. The cost of equity capital also increases in the stock market as a result of borrowing. All these factors might eventually lead a company to financial distress or risk that leads to the increasing need for an appropriate capital structure (Broyles, 2003, p.304). ... primary aim of the study is to evaluate the capital structure of firms in the UK before the global economic crisis in the years around 2007 and after the financial crisis in the years 2011 or 2012. In order to achieve the above mentioned aim of the study, the following objectives have been considered: Review theories on capital structure in order to determine how it might change during a period of prolonged recession and liquidity crisis. Compare and contrast the capital structure of public UK companies in 2007 and in 2011/2012. Evaluate the extent to which any changes in capital structure are due to the ongoing global crisis. Capital Structure: An Understanding towards the Effect of Economic Crisis: There are four basic theories related to capital structure of a firm. These are: Net Income Theory of Capital Structure: This theory stresses on a firm’s ability to choose a capital structure where the level of share capital or equity is less than the debt of the firm. This helps a firm to increase its market value and thus decrease the weighted average cost of capital of the company. If the content of the debt in the capital structure mix is high, it is referred as financial leverage increasing which increases the value of the firm (Theories of Capital Structure, 2010). Thus it can be understood that when there is an economic crisis prevailing in a country, the availability of the debt reduces that affects the ration of the debt to equity and hence the capital structure of a firm would alter as a result. Net Operating income  Theory of Capital Structure: According to this theory, the concept of increasing financial leverage does not exist. It believes that changing the capital structure of a firm does not bring any change in the overall financial cost and value of the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Persuasive memo Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Persuasive memo - Assignment Example Because of this, I would like to propose a comprehensive training program that will initially focus on our front-liners as they are in direct contact with the customers. Based on the conducted survey, 44% of the customers who took time to write comments complained of slow service while 50% suggested other pastry products because of â€Å"soggy Danishes.† For employees, many of them commented about the desire to be trained. From these feedback, it can be assumed that a comprehensive training program would be welcomed by the employees and the resulting acquired skills would result to service and products customers would be happy with. The proposed training program will be specifically designed to meet the standards of the company with regard to production and customer service. The survey suggests that these are the areas that will greatly benefit from immediate training. It is also proposed that that the training program be implemented immediately while more clients are satisfied with the company’s services. A happy customer can help with the marketing and boost the company’s financial numbers. Designing and implementing any new program will incur costs. Also, even with the proper training, some employees may still not manifest the newly-acquired learning or skill. Nevertheless, given the results of the two surveys conducted and in line with the company’s business improvement program, I am of the mind that this program is important to despite the expense it will bring to the organization. It is possible that with solid research and careful planning, the potential costs and downsides of the suggested endeavor will be minimal compared to the benefits the company will attain in the future. The sooner we invest on training our employees, the sooner we can satisfy our clients and the people working for us. Based from my experience in the industry, these two groups can have a big influence on the success of any company. Capitalizing on an

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Journal Assignments Essay Example for Free

Journal Assignments Essay Topic 1 The Critical Role that Parents played in the learning and social development of Children with Disabilities The reading on this particular topic is concern about the critical role of parents towards the education of children with disabilities. The author cited that in the past and even today, parents have been blamed by teachers and professionals for their children’s learning and social problems claiming that parents are responsible towards their children’s development. In the particular research regarding the role of parents with their children with learning and social disabilities, the author cited that parents are not entirely to blame for their children’s learning and social disabilities.    Instead the author pointed out the neurological organization theory which had placed all the burdens to parents regarding their children’s learning and social problem (p. 109). This line of reasoning is challenging because most of us are used to the idea that parents are responsible for their children. Nevertheless, I would agree with the author that parents are not to blame completely especially in the context of what the author calls â€Å"reciprocal effects† wherein researchers have found that some babies, especially those with disabilities, â€Å"are born with difficult temperaments, which can influence how their parents respond to them† (p. 110). For me this is interesting because it shows how parents care for their children. It is also interesting to note that the government is doing its part in order to insure that children with disabilities are given necessary attention and care so that as they grow they will realize that despite of their disabilities they are part of the normal society. Indeed play a critical role in helping meet the needs of children with disabilities. With the enactment of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the author cited the teachers and professionals are now cooperating closely with parents as this law provides parents opportu nities to participate in activities relating to forming curriculum for their children’s learning and social development. New Learning and relevance What I have learn from this reading is that parents with children with learning and social disabilities should not be ashamed to bring them into the society as there are a lot of opportunities awaiting them. Many parents having this problem would not dare to admit their child has learning disability. But the lesson that could be drawn here is that they should not be ashamed to admit this reality, instead recognized their child’s need for special attention, special care, and special education which could be provided to them by the government through the help of special education teachers. This learning is relevant to my work with children with learning disabilities as it helped me realized my responsibility towards these special children. Topic 2 Prevention of Learning Disabilities Discussion Can learning disability be prevented? What is this all about? At first glance on the first question, this seemed impossible as we do not know the new born child will have learning and social disabilities when he or she grows up. Besides, I am used to the fact that most of the programs for children with disability are concerned about correcting if not merely to comply with the provision of No Child Left behind Act, as this law provides that all children including those with disabilities have an access to quality education. But before going into detail, let’s answer the second question. There are three types of learning disabilities prevention namely: the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary prevention. Primary prevention is concern about keeping the disability from occurring. This could be done by reducing the chances of brain injury, by improving teacher’s skills particularly in behavior management, and by providing parents necessary child-rearing skills. To achieve this goal, utmost care and protection is needed against potential causes such the one mentioned earlier. As per the reading is concern, secondary education assumes the responsibility of correcting disability after it occurs. These include keeping the disability from getting worse which could be facilitated by remedial instructions that could be provided by special education teachers.   That means that there should be close cooperation between parents and special education teachers on how their children’s disability can be corrected. The tertiary prevention which is already a higher concern goes beyond correction. It is â€Å"keeping the effects of disability from spreading to other areas of functioning† (p. 144). New learning and relevance Based on the discussion above learning disabilities are possible to occur but it can be prevented by reducing the chances of its occurrence such as brain injury, or any type of accidents during pregnancy. Learning disability can also be corrected. What is needed is utmost care, sincere effort to provide love and affection for children with disabilities, and commitment to teaching them. For, what is new here is the idea that learning disability can be prevented and corrected. My concept regarding special education for children with learning disability is to provide them education using the most appropriate instruction in order for them to be at par with normal students. I just realized that it is possible that the goal for this type of education is for corrective purpose. Given this, notion, I can develop this idea further to provide a more meaningful programs using the knowledge I just gained. Topic 3 Technology assisted instruction for Children with Disabilities Discussion What is this topic all about? The idea of technology assisted instruction for children with disabilities seemed odd because these children need somebody whom they can hold, can communicate with them, and somebody who will show them affection. But today, according to experiments computer assisted instruction or CAI is an instructional task option â€Å"that can be used with good results for teaching preacademic or basic academic skills.† Findings on the use of computer assisted instruction for children with early childhood learning impairment (ECLI) reveals that CAI can be a good tool towards the promotion of skills generalization and for motivating students to participate in the study. According to the reading, children enjoyed interaction and the control they had with the computer. It also facilitates teacher and students interaction through the items in the display which serve as an instant visual aid. In general, researchers in this type of instruction listed quite a number of benefits on the use of CAI both for teachers and students. New Learning and relevance Given this development, this study is certainly interesting and relevant because of the current trend in the use of technology almost in every realm from communication to identification, and now for learning instructions. Of course this is not really surprising given the trend of using technology, but what is surprising for me is the success that it has contributed to teaching/learning situation of early childhood learning impaired students. This is something new as we are used to see this job done by a real person skilled in teaching special education to children with learning disability. Given this findings, those who are computer literate will surely feel comfortable because they can further enhance the benefit of using their computer. In my case I can use this knowledge by creating programs in the computer that could further enhance the learning process. This is exactly the reason why I chose this topic being computer proficient my self.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Essay --

B12 Deficiency What is Vitamin B12 Deficiency Vitamin B12 deficiency limits selenium methylation and excretion resulting in higher tissue selenium levels and subsequent toxicity. It occurs in people whose digestive systems do not adequately absorb the vitamin from the foods they eat. Vegetarians who eat eggs and milk products are the most at risk because, on average, they consume less than half the adult vitamin B12 Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) while strict vegans (who don't eat any animal products, including meat, eggs, or milk) are at an even greater risk. Vitamin B12 is important since it works with the vitamin folate to make the body’s genetic material and help keep levels of the amino acid homocysteine in check which helps to decrease heart disease risk. It is also essential in the production of red blood cells which carry oxygen through the blood to the body’s tissues. Life Extension gives offers some of selenium supplements. Babies who are born of parents with low selenium and vitamin B12 rich foods a re at risk of anaemia. Causes of Vitamin B12 Deficiency Selenium is a...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Satirical Texts: Dead White Males & World of Warcraft Episode

Dead White Males DAVID WILLIAMSON Make Love not Warcraft SOUTH PARK (SEASON 10 EPISODE 8) INTRO The role and function of satirical texts is ultimately to expose the follies and vices that we see today in contemporary society. Satire may be effectively defined as a device used to highlight and the expose the failures of human nature in society.Two texts in particular, Dead White Males by David Williamson and a particular episode of South Park named ‘Make Love not Warcraft’ will be spoken upon, one satirising the follies in the educational system through a very arrogant and narrow minded aspect and the other ridiculing those people who play World of Warcraft. Satirical techniques such as caricature, understatements, situational irony and characterization are all used to effectively satirise and expose human vices and hypocrisy. WoW CARICATUREThroughout the Southpark episode ‘Make Love not Warcraft’ it is evident that it caricatures the stereotypical heavy Worl d of Warcraft players. Through the use of caricature we are able to understand that the social roles of those who partake in the digital game reach a point where they do not leave their keyboard. In this particular text the four main protagonists become increasingly obese, lazy and unsocial. Give an actual example of one of the characters. Explain the caricature – their exaggerated physical attributes and the exaggereated aspects of their personas as WoW players.The follies of the digital world are intemperately exaggerated within the text so as to highlight and reinforce the absurdity of the social and physical sacrifices made by some people in the real world in order to be part of the World of Warcraft. A very visible example of this within the text of ‘Make Love not Warcraft’ is where one of the main protagonists, Cartmen, suggest that they sacrifice all but three hours of their day in order to level up their characters for the following seven and a half weeks in order to face their rival.This is a clear technique of caricature and parody as they reenact what some might do in the real world. DWM CARICATURE In contrast, within the text of ‘Dead White Males’ there is much dramatization surrounding the traditional roles of males and females. Shakespeare argues that from the moment of birth it has been in a males nature to wear boyish clothes and play with toy cars, and in a girls nature to wear skirts and play with dolls. In response to this Swain argues that Shakespeares’ theory was incorrect, rather it was society that had invented the nature in which males and females should act.Angela Judd, the main protagonist in the play questions her grandfather Col on the topic of her father Martin Judd, unemployed and supported by his dominant wife Sarah. Angela quotes: â€Å"He didn’t fit the traditional male role did he? † In return Col argues: â€Å"If you can’t stand up for yourself you sink, male or fe male. † This particular quote by Col reinforces the theory of Swains’ that the way in which males and females were taught to act, this links to the satirical technique of caricature.There is also an element of Inversion within this as the characters have been given opposite roles in order to ridicule. The social roles and behaviours of Angelas’ parents are ridiculed as her mother is portayed as dominant over her father. WoW UNDERSTATEMENT Another satirical technique that is used almost always throughout the South Park series is an understatement. Defined as being the opposite to exaggeration it may be used to address something very casual in a serious manner.An example of this is found midway through the ‘Make Love not Warcraft’ episode whereas one of the main protagonists, Cartmen, addresses his friend Butters in quite a threatening manner, quoting: â€Å"Butters, go buy World of Warcraft, install it on your computer and join the online sensation b efore we all murder you. † This example of understatement links directly back to the technique of caricature, once again highlighting the absurdity of their immoral social behaviour when on the topic of World of Warcraft. DWM CHARACTERIZATIONThroughout the text of ‘Dead White Males’ there is a bitter satirical comment on many of today’s familiar poses of sexual and political rectitude, it also conveys the topics of deconstruction in human nature and the nature of male and female relationships. Grant Swain, a university lecturer takes our attention in both the first and second scene by lecturing us on his subjective views of society and literature. The satirical technique of characterization (THIS IS CARICATURE) portrays Grant Swain as very opinionated, an intellectual fascist who’s goal is to indoctrinate not educate.As the story progresses there are many stereotypes that are formed showing Swain in a very negative light, one of these stereotypes inc ludes that he is an ageing and belittled university lecturer who wishes to achieve a patriarchal and charismatic figure amongst his younger students. It is therefore clear that Grant Swain is used in order to satirise the vices of the educational system. WoW SITUATIONAL IRONY Situational irony, which is also commonly used throughout the South Park series is simply when something happens and as a result the reversal of expectations may occur.Cartmen once again reappears and as before mentioned suggests that the four of them continue to play and level their characters sacrificing all but three hours of their day to the game in order to face their rival, someone who is considered to have no life. Cartmen then quotes: ‘What do you say guys? You can just hang outside in the sun all day tossing a ball around or you can sit at your computer and do something that matters† To the viewers amazement, they do so, linking to the element of Situational Irony and once again back to car icature as their their social behaviours’ alter for the duration of their involvement with World of Warcraft.DWM SITUATIONAL IRONY In contrast, Grant Swain, being previously portrayed as quite opinionated is also characterized to the reader through the use of situational irony. In the first few scenes of the play Swain quotes â€Å"the dominant ideology has constructed a female stereotype† this also links directly back to the dramatization of the traditional roles of sexes. Verbal irony is shown soon after as Angela counters his theory quoting â€Å"your average woman may find swaggering macho master far more attractive than intellect†.This in turn sheds Swain in a negative light as being stereotypical, previously referring to himself as an ‘average woman’, satirising the hypocrisy of humans and in particular linking back to Swains characterization as an intellectual facist. CONCLUSION All things considered through both texts ‘Dead White Males ’ and ‘Make Love not Warcraft’ we are able to understand that the roles and functions of satirical texts in contemporary society are crucially important and particularly illustrated through the use of satirical techniques.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Separation of a Mixture of Solids

Separation of a Mixture of Solids My Flow Chart First remove iron filings with magnet since this is the only substance in the mixture that it is magnetic and will be attracted to a magnet. Second remove the sand by adding the mixture to hot water, which the other two substances are soluble. Third remove the benzoic acid since this is less soluble in cold than salt by cooling the mixture in the heated water. This will then leave the table salt behind in the water as the last substance. Observations Data Table 1: Experiment Data| Grams (g)| Percent of Mixture (%)| Initial Mixture| 6. 5| 100| Iron Filings| 1. 8| 27. 69| Sand| 1. 7| 26. 15| Table Salt| 1. 9| 29. 23| Benzoic Acid| 0. 8| 12. 31| Combined Total| 6. 2| 95. 38| Questions A. How did your proposed procedures or flow charts at the beginning of this experiment compare to the actual procedures of this lab exercise? My proposed flow chart was very close to that of the actual lab exercise. The only step that I did not include was le tting the water evaporate to find isolate the table salt.I suppose I was thinking that it would be estimated by process of elimination. However, I can now that this would not accurately show that true weight and is therefore not scientific. B. Discuss potential advantages or disadvantages of your proposed procedure compared to the one actually used. The disadvantage of my flow chart would be that although the end numbers would be closer to the original mass of the mixture, it would not accurately represent the correct percentages and would not account correctly show the rror that occurred during the process. C. How would you explain a sand recovery percentage that is higher than the original sand percentage? I would explain a sand recovery percentage that is higher than the original sand percentage from water that could still be let in the sand if it has not been given the proper time to fully dry. However, the a small amount of table salt and benzoic acid particle were also left be hind in the small amount of water that needed to be dried out of the sand and could account for the higher percentage.D. What were potential sources of error in this experiment? I think that the largest potential for error is in the transfer and handling of the substances. Small particles were left behind in the original weighing dish, graduated cylinder and cup that were not able to be transferred. Human error, like spilling small amount of the mixture in transfer, and mechanical error, like a miscalculated calibration of the scale, could also be sources of error. Separation of a Mixture of Solids Separation of a Mixture of Solids My Flow Chart First remove iron filings with magnet since this is the only substance in the mixture that it is magnetic and will be attracted to a magnet. Second remove the sand by adding the mixture to hot water, which the other two substances are soluble. Third remove the benzoic acid since this is less soluble in cold than salt by cooling the mixture in the heated water. This will then leave the table salt behind in the water as the last substance. Observations Data Table 1: Experiment Data| Grams (g)| Percent of Mixture (%)| Initial Mixture| 6. 5| 100| Iron Filings| 1. 8| 27. 69| Sand| 1. 7| 26. 15| Table Salt| 1. 9| 29. 23| Benzoic Acid| 0. 8| 12. 31| Combined Total| 6. 2| 95. 38| Questions A. How did your proposed procedures or flow charts at the beginning of this experiment compare to the actual procedures of this lab exercise? My proposed flow chart was very close to that of the actual lab exercise. The only step that I did not include was le tting the water evaporate to find isolate the table salt.I suppose I was thinking that it would be estimated by process of elimination. However, I can now that this would not accurately show that true weight and is therefore not scientific. B. Discuss potential advantages or disadvantages of your proposed procedure compared to the one actually used. The disadvantage of my flow chart would be that although the end numbers would be closer to the original mass of the mixture, it would not accurately represent the correct percentages and would not account correctly show the rror that occurred during the process. C. How would you explain a sand recovery percentage that is higher than the original sand percentage? I would explain a sand recovery percentage that is higher than the original sand percentage from water that could still be let in the sand if it has not been given the proper time to fully dry. However, the a small amount of table salt and benzoic acid particle were also left be hind in the small amount of water that needed to be dried out of the sand and could account for the higher percentage.D. What were potential sources of error in this experiment? I think that the largest potential for error is in the transfer and handling of the substances. Small particles were left behind in the original weighing dish, graduated cylinder and cup that were not able to be transferred. Human error, like spilling small amount of the mixture in transfer, and mechanical error, like a miscalculated calibration of the scale, could also be sources of error.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

A Proposal for a Web

A Proposal for a Web Introduction The proposition to utilize web-based credit approval systems to enhance the credit approval process is an appealing prospect for banks and other lending institutions. This is because the credit approval process is laden with risks that all lending institutions spend many resources managing.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on A Proposal for a Web-Enabled Hybrid Intelligent System Architecture in Support of Solving Credit Approval Problems in Banks specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The risks arise from poor quality information brought about by fraudulent applications, interagency nature of its collection and outdated information. By using a web-based system, the efficacy of the process will improve, reducing the process overheads and increasing the margin for the banks. It calls for the use of a system architecture designed to produce the best possible results from the analysis of credit applications. The re are a number of system architecture options to choose from in the process of designing such a system. Their typical composition includes, a database, model base and a user interface, which interact to produce the analysis report that decision makers rely on . They form the critical components of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems used for decision support. Burnside and Kahn (2004) identified the most common AI tools as, â€Å"Bayesian Network, Artificial Neural Networks, Case-Based Reasoning and Rule Based Systems†. In the case of a Web-Based decision support system for credit approval, the system must solve two problems. The first problem is the comprehensiveness and accuracy of information. This problem arises from databases in use because each database has its limitations. Some provide more wholesome information on clients than others. The second problem is in the procedural issues that relate to the handling of the information. The preferred solution encompasses, on one hand, a large data collection capacity that spans the entire internet, and on the other hand, a superior processing capacity of data for the availing of critical information credit officers require to make lending decisions. The system proposed to meet this challenge will utilize Bayesian system running on a web-based platform for frontline screening. It wil make possible the identification of clients with the best possible credentials for credit.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The second set of AI tools it will use is Rule-Based System and Case-Based Reasoning to identify potential for fraud. The third tool for it to use is the Artificial Neural Networks to provide massive fraud detection capabilities. Proposal of System Architecture Performance Specifications The required system must meet the following specifications. It requires the capacity to ha ndle a large volume of data. Data handling includes data acquisition and filtering. The security needs of the system will also require attention. The system should identify and flag incomplete or inconsistent individual applications to detect fraud and inconsistent applications. The third element that the system must have the capacity to handle is the ability to detect massive fraud. This stems from the possibility of the generation of multiple identities to defraud financial institutions. AI tools The proposed system employs AI tools at three levels. Bayesian Networks form the first level. They consist of a structure, a set of probabilities, and an inference algorithm, which forms the basis of operations. Expert input goes into the development of the inference algorithm. This makes it useful for frontline screening. A practical application of this AI tool is the separation of clients who have the characteristics that match those of clients with good relationships, from those whose initial conditions match clients with difficult relationships. This will help to weed out clients who do not bring in the potential for a good relationship with the bank. The second level consists of Artificial Neural Networks and Case-Based Reasoning systems. At this level the feature that it will have include the capacity to detect fraud by identifying similar patterns in new credit applications, which may be fraudulent. Artificial Neural Networks provide the basis for deriving relationships between various data sets. On the other hand, Case-Based Reasoning provides the capacity to compare fresh applications with the ones stored in the database. It provides the credit officer with the comparison of the two data sets ensuring that there is no repeating of mistakes made in the past.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on A Proposal for a Web-Enabled Hybrid Intelligent System Architecture in Support of Solving Credit Approval Problems in Banks specifically fo r you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The third level will comprise of Rule–Based Reasoning, which will allow forward chaining, and back chaining to analyze applications. This tool makes it possible for credit officers to determine whether an application will end up in a successful relationship poor whether it will end up in fraud. In addition, it can provide information that will make it possible for the banks to design its marketing effort by starting with the desired final conditions, and using the tool to generate the initial ones. Physical Architecture The physical architecture of the system will comprise of the standard computing equipment. There are a number of topology choices for the system. They include the star topology that links PC’s in an asterisk pattern, bus topology that have all the PC’s connected to a main network line, ring topology whose main feature is the circular interconnection of all PC’s using, â€Å"paire d physical interfaces† with other network equipment. Point to point connection applies when there are only two devices in the network, while point to multipoint applies when all the devices connect to a specific device. Schematic diagrams of star, ring and bus topologiesAdvertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For the system under consideration, the best system architecture will be a hybrid system featuring the bus topology, and the point to multipoint topology. All the computers used for analysis will connect to the bus while the main storage server will be at one end of the bus with a point to multipoint connection. The other connection and the end of the bus will be the internet server. In addition to the PC’s, the system will require a number of components that will provide the basis for utilization of internet search capabilities. This includes servers, switches, routers, hubs, and network cables. Protocol Architecture At the protocol architecture level, there is a choice of two protocol models. They are the TCI/IP model and Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Network Model. There is widespread use of the TCP/IP model, hence it presents the least installation challenges, and has capacity for expansion and cross platform communication. All the layers that the OSI model has are i ncluded in the TCP/IP model. This means that there is minimum loss when using TCP/IP. Comparison of TCP/IP and OSI Model Layers Therefore, the proposed system features four artificial intelligence tools at the software level, the TCP/IP protocol, and a hybrid topology that includes bus, and point to multipoint topologies. The three elements take care of the software requirements of the system, the physical interconnection and the networking platform required for making the entire system operable. Selection and Justification of Software Packages The Business Criteria Business operations design their systems to achieve any number of business objectives that ensure that the business returns a profit. The two forms these measures take are increasing revenue and cutting costs. The proposed system will lead to increase in revenue by eliminating business uncertainties. It will do this by providing the bank with the ideal starting conditions in the lending process, checking it against the application brought in and based on the system, making appropriate judgments. With this system, the bank can quickly determine whether a particular credit relationship is worth pursuing in the first place. In addition, the banks will be able to work backwards to identify who its target customers are, therefore providing a greater degree of focus for its marketing efforts. On cost savings, the system will seek to eliminate fraud, which is a serious loss risk to the bank. This will protect the banks revenue and will ensure the bank does not incur the losses through fraud. This will improve the margin. Management Criteria The system will be labor intensive at the onset. It will require various experts and analysis to develop the AI components, while networking engineers will be the ones to install all the networking equipment. In addition, software programmers will develop the system and install the required user interfaces which the credit officers will use to access the system resour ces. The justification of all this effort from a management point of view is that it will reduce the effort spent in analyzing applications and related costs, such as litigation costs from fraudulent applications. Other management issues that the system will solve include better marketing strategy because of better identification of the target market. Technical Criteria, The choice of the system includes the best technologies available in terms of AI, the best physical topology that provides for enhanced functionality, and the use of TCP/IP, which is the most recommended networking protocol. This means that this is the best possible design given current state of development and limitations. In addition, elements like ease of implementation and maintenance come to the fore. Other considerations Other considerations in the criteria included in the system design include the security requirements of the system. As an internet based system, there need to ensure that the system is secure is high. Cyber security of the system should have a high degree of robustness because the system will face cyber attacks from different quarters. Explanation for the choice given The choices given for the above system take into account the need to implement a robust system that can handle the sensitive requirements of AI tools and to provide uncompromising performance required for the banking business. The business will not have much time for down time hence the software implementation must be such that it has minimum maintenance requirements, and performs its tasks well. System Evaluation Measures and Methods Fisher (2008) identified six measures that a proposed system needs to go through before evaluation. These measures include measurement of functionality, technology, software vendor, implementation, maintenance, and support, and the total cost of ownership. Functionality refers to the way the software fulfils its assigned role to it in the system. This calls for a careful compa rison between software options that can support the required system functions. The one selected and implemented must be the one that fulfils the functions assigned best. The second measure to consider in the evaluation of a software option is technology. Technology refers to the degree of congruence and compatibility with the programming platform and the database in use. This means that the software option chosen should be able to work well with the systems carrier platform and the form of database that it will interrogate. It also calls for settling for software that in-house staff members are familiar. It is also prudent to pick software that will operate well within the rest of the organizations systems. The third major issue to consider during software evaluation is the degree of support that the vendor will provide after the implementation of the software. It is crucial to know whether the vendor will provide enhancements and additional support after selling the software. Fishe r (2008) says that when someone buys software from a vendor, he is not just buying software, but he is establishing a relationship with the vendor. The fourth major consideration during software evaluation is implementation. Again, the vendor is critical. The idea is to find a vendor who will provide support to the implementation team and continue providing support during the entire implementation phase to ensure that the implementation team handles all technicalities. The next issue that is critical in the evaluation of software is support and maintenance. While having in-house staff to maintain the system is a good practice, the need for a relationship with the vendor where they provide upgrades and regular software check is very critical. This stems from the fact that the vendors provide a wide range of software solutions to different clients. They therefore have a wider experience with the systems operations and functions. It makes them uniquely qualified to find holes in the sy stem and to close them up in their entire software range before they cause any real damage to all their clients. Finally, there is need to have in mind the total cost of ownership when evaluation software. The costs here include cost of licenses, cost of maintenance and cost of upgrades. Fisher (2008) recommends looking at these costs over a five to seven year horizon to determine the long-term costs of implementing the software. In order to ensure that the entire project achieves the objectives, the need for the application of good IT project management skills will come into play. The project will require organization into stages marked by relevant milestones. This will make sure that there is adequate preparation and implementation of each stage including testing to achieve the set objectives. Conclusion The process of implementing a web enabled hybrid intelligent system that supports credit approval process in banks has several bearings. From the discussions presented above, we c an conclude the following. A strong business, management, and technical case for implementing software project to address the credit approval problems that banks face, exists. The business case is that it will reduce overheads by improving the efficiency and certainty of the approval process. It will also reduce losses associated with fraud and will make it possible to cut back on litigation costs arising from defaulting, thereby reducing overheads. From a management front, the system will reduce the overall business management requirement of the system by taking up the work required to process applications. Finally, the availability of the AI techniques to implement this system makes it technically viable. The system will use a combination of AI tools to achieve the goals. These techniques include Bayesian Networks, Case-Based reasoning, Rule Based reasoning and Artificial Neural Networks. The arrangement of these tools will be to provide the best result for the functions since eac h has its strengths and weaknesses. Use of TCP/IP as the most appropriate protocol architecture will bring in the benefits of easy linking with various information networks found on the internet Security concerns will form a key aspect of the implementation process because the system will operate on a web-based platform. This will expose if to cyber attacks hence the need to invest in cyber security for the system. In order to evaluate appropriately the suitability of the software choices, the system will call for the application of several measures. These measures include functionality, technology, software vendor and implementation. In addition, it will require taking into account maintenance, support and the total cost of ownership. These elements necessary for the implementation of a web-based decision support system that will provide a solution to credit approval problems that banks face. Reference List Burnside, E.S. Kahn, C.E., 2004. Artificial Intelligence Helps Provide Dec ision Support in Radiology. [Online] UBM Medica LLC Available at: diagnosticimaging.com/cme/display-cme/article/113619/1173862 . Evans, T., 2011. Improving Your Credit Rating. [Online] Available at: thisismoney.co.uk/credit-rating . Fisher, C.R., 2008. 6 Key Software Evaluation Criteria. [Online] Available at: http://ezinearticles.com/?6-Key-Software-Evaluation-Criteriaid=1784790 . Hill Associates, 2002. Telecommunications: A Beginners Guide. Berkeley: McGraw-Hill/Osborne. InetDaemon, 2011. InetDaemon: Real training for Internet Professionals. [Online] Available at: http://inetdaemon.com/tutorials/networking/index.shtml . Leotta, J., 2011. Credit Approval. [Online] Advameg, Inc. Available at: referenceforbusiness.com/encyclopedia/Cos-Des/Credit-Approval.html . Lewis, M., 2010. Credit Rating: How it Works and How to Improve it.. [Online] Available at: moneysavingexpert.com/loans/credit-rating-credit-score . Microsoft, 2011. TCP/IP Protocal Architecture. [Online] Available at: http:// technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc958821.aspx . Oesterreichische Nationalbank, 2004. Guidelines on Credit Risk Management: Credit Approval Process and Credit Risk Management. Vienna: OeNB Printing Office. Power, D.J., 2002. Decision Support Systems: Concepts and Resources for Managers. Westport CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. Servigny, A. Renault, O., 2004. Measuring and Managing Credit Risk. Illustrated ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Professional. The Computer Technology Documentation Project, 2011. Network Layers. [Online] Available at: comptechdoc.org/independent/networking/protocol/protlayers.html . Zopounidis, C. Doumpos, M., 2011. Decision Support Systems. [Online] Available at: referenceforbusiness.com/management/De-Ele/Decision-Support-Systems.html .

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How to Indicate Unspoken and Indirect Discourse

How to Indicate Unspoken and Indirect Discourse How to Indicate Unspoken and Indirect Discourse How to Indicate Unspoken and Indirect Discourse By Mark Nichol What type of markers or emphasis should a writer give to signal that a character’s thoughts are unspoken? Though some people disagree, the consensus is that they should be enclosed in quotation marks as if they were said aloud: 1. â€Å"She surveyed the shambles of her room and thought, ‘Where do I start?’† This mode of what is known as unspoken discourse assumes that internally vocalized thoughts are a form of direct speech. â€Å"Unspoken discourse† is not to be confused with â€Å"indirect discourse,† which describes indirect speech, or paraphrase: 2. â€Å"She surveyed the shambles of her room and wondered, where should she start?† In this case, the person would not think, â€Å"Where should she start?† in those words, so the final phrase of the sentence is a paraphrase, not a quote, and should not be enclosed in quotation marks. Indirect discourse has another, similar form: 3. â€Å"She surveyed the shambles of her room and wondered where she should start.† Notice that in this example, a different type of paraphrase, a comma does not precede the thought, and no question mark punctuates this sentence, because it’s not a question. As I mentioned above, some writers prefer to omit quotation marks in unspoken discourse: 4. â€Å"She surveyed the shambles of her room and thought, Where do I start?† This style is also correct, but it requires greater attention from the reader, and it seems more trouble than it’s worth to distinguish between spoken thoughts and unspoken ones, especially in fiction. Employing italics is an alternative strategy for unspoken discourse, but this method is best used in internal dialogue, when a person is conversing with their alter ego, or with a disembodied entity such as a spirit, or perhaps a guiding force from within: â€Å"The voice seemed to resonate inside her: Go forth, and fear not.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing Prompts 10150 Idioms About Roads and Paths50+ Words That Describe Animals (Including Humans)

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Individual Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Individual Case Study - Essay Example To maintain ethics in the society, there needs orders and legal protections to protect kids and avoid harm. Greater power is needed in the government to help control ethical egoism in firms to help curb cigarette smoking among young adults as it is an unhealthy lifestyle. Joe Camel case created a lot of controversy as issues related to smoking and health continued increasing. Maintaining integrity and goods morals in business is important. Businesses should accountable to the society by ensuring that their operations are ethical. The normative standards ethical model would have been the best as it would have helped Joe Camel from getting into trouble with the law. They would have been accountable and avoided making their advertisements personal especially among children. Social responsibility school of thought that was being used allowed the business to make profit and be responsive to the society. The invisible hand school of thought would have been the best as it would have allowed the government too set standards for the firm to operate

Friday, November 1, 2019

Health Education Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Education - Case Study Example It greatly depends on the perception people have on a situation and their actual ability to handle and cope with such situations. Stress can cause marginal and severe health related problems, and ultimately death in extreme cases. Although most stress management techniques and tools have previously shown positive impacts on minimizing stress, there only serve as guidance, and therefore readers are highly advised to seek help from highly qualified health professionals in case of their stress is causing them persistent or significant unhappiness or severe stress related illness. The baseline in most cases is emotional, that is, we need emotional intelligence in order to have stable relationships (Sedgeman 47-50). Relationships are major causes of stress to many people. This is because of the nature of such relationships of bringing people of different backgrounds and various diversities. Every person has his or her own choices, beliefs, values and preferences. People in a relationship are not exceptional; they have different goals and values in such relationships. Some take it seriously others don’t. It also takes time for people in a relationship to understand one another, especially to master the traits, preferences, and views of each other in life situations. This is why relationships are sources of stress. It appears that people get attracted to one another due to the commonalities, but may be to a subconscious extent, partners are more attracted due to the differences exhibited by each other. This therefore is a source of stress in a relationship, particularly because of the growing frictions resulting from the differences. However, it is due to this growing friction that relationships grow. This is particularly why relationships are major sources of stress to many people (Allen 25-27). Most people handle relationships and stress differently. This is because of individual upbringing and past experiences either of the partners may have had in the past. Some people have adopted stress management as a broad spectrum of psychotherapies and techniques that seek to control the level of stress of a person in a relationship, especially chronic stress, often for reasons of improving their day to day functioning, and the differences in their relationships. The availability of various techniques of stress management for self help and for use by health professionals, to help people limit stress and provide optimistic feelings of putting life situations under control, as well as promote the state of general well-being, are reasons for handling stress and relationships differently. Those who are aware of such techniques find it easy to handle and manage stress, while the others find it way too difficult (Lazarus & Folkman 45-49). In an evaluation of the situation of Mary and DeWayne, the two have been dating for over two years. The partners discussed their eventual marriage, and perhaps either of the partners did not take it that serious, as seen at the later stage of the relationship. Mary practically took this very serious and her whole world centers on DeWayne. She takes her time thinking about DeWayne constantly; however, DeWayne is less interested in the whole affair. This is evident from several broken dates with work excuses. DeWayne lacked respect for the feelings of Mary; this came out on an occasion when Mary spotted him strolling into a restaurant with another woman. DeWayne was supposedly studying on this particular occasion. To