Thursday, October 31, 2019

Art Class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Art Class - Essay Example American art tend to be more inclined towards presenting self-determination, achievement and liberation of the colonies. However, American art was always overshadowed by the European art and was popular at that time contrary to popular belief. Consequently, Romanticism focused more on emotions, paint textures, and highlights to truly capture the heart of action and emotion. American art is more modern compared to the Renaissance art and European art. The American colonial period consisted of portraits as colonists wanted to establish their identity in the new world. Undoubtedly, this picture is not achromatic as it uses very light colors. From my perspective, it seems as if it is American art since it is very cosmopolitan. There are countless ways of describing a work of art and great depths of one’s expressions and mines of creativity In this particular image, the artist clearly has been extremely creative from every angle and touch. This graphic is a great image as it depicts a typical hand brush that is utilized for cleaning purposes. The brush itself is painted in a very elegant manner with amazing finish. Every bristle is clear and gives the feeling of cleanliness to the audience. Furthermore, the bristles variation in color is a clear depiction of a unique style that the artist has embraced. From my perspective, it seems that the bristles are made using very thin rods of sheets that are strong and durable. The most interesting aspect about this image is the fact that the bristles are very clear. The dustbin in this image is blue and resembles the one that is used for regular housecleaning purposes. The background colors are very solid and in essence truly bring the hue of light and dark c olors. The assimilation of colors is truly the embodiment of modern day art with clear pixels and each color dot being unique. Truly, the brushing was conducted in an elusive manner which

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Leadership Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Leadership Theories - Essay Example ing and scanning the environment, coaching people working under him, making regular input in the work of subordinates, and managing activities (Hackman & Wageman, 2005). Transactional theory argues that a leader should have power and formal position which is used to control, reward, and punish employees. Leadership is seen as a give and take between leader and his subordinates. This theory calls for a leader to make sure that employees are motivated enough to perform at their highest potential. Transformational theory is focused more on understanding employees and treating them with respect in order to achieve good results. This theory does not see leadership as merely a transaction between two parties but much more than that. This theory argues that a leader’s job is to make an environment that is feasible for work and in which employees are able to work together like a well oiled machine. A leader works to develop this environment and then the rest is done by employees. Contingency theory takes on a different view and argues that effective leadership is heavily dependent on factors like environment and technology (Woodward, 1958). A good leader has to evaluate the environment and make decisions accordingly. According to this theory, there is no set outline that a good leader can follow instead he or she has to decide differently on a case by case basis. The theory that best outlines effective leadership in an organization is the transformational leadership theory. This theory calls for motivating employees and giving them power and independence. This theory gives importance to subordinates and views them as assets. This is why transformational theory of leadership is the best and can help foster effective leadership in an

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Image Pre-compensation for Ocular Aberrations

Image Pre-compensation for Ocular Aberrations Introduction Motivation On-screen image pre-compensation has good prospect with the increasing usage of various display screen devices in our daily life. Comparing to glasses, contact glasses and ocular surgery, on-screen image pre-compensation can be easily carried out by computer calculation without any irreversible change in the eyes, as long as the ocular aberration is known. Further, since neither contact lenses nor glasses are advised to be worn all of the time, on screen pre-compensation could even supplement glasses and contact lens use. It is known that compensation for higher aberrations can lead to super-sight, which is the neural limit of human eye. On-screen compensation also has the prospect of achieving this with customized screens in the foreseeable future. Image Processing Theories Human Visual System The human visual system is the combination of the optical system of the eye, and the neural processing of the light information received [Roorda (2011)], in which the latter is out of the concern of this research. The optical system of the eye is an intricate construction including the pupil, cornea, retina and lens (see Fig.1). The light come through the pupil is refracted by the lens and make an inverse image on the retina. During this process, any deficit would cause aberrations. For instance, myopia may result from the lens that the refraction is too high or that the distance from the lens and retina is too long. Fig.1 Cross-section of eye structure There is a limit resolution dominated by the neural receptor on the retina, which is below the diffraction limit. Although even for normal emmetropic eyes the sight is below neural limit and diffraction limit due to the minor deficit of eye structure. [Austin (2011)] For eyes with refractive issues, caused by cornea or lens from an ideal spherical shape, the aberrations would significantly dominate over this limit. Thus, in the following research, we shall omit the neural limitation. To increase the efficiency in the following, we can simply model the eye structure as such: a lens (regarding the cornea and the lens as a whole) with an adjustable size (pupil size) and an image plane (retina). Point Spread Function and image quality As is stated in the previous section the aberrations would come from any deficit of eye structure. In order to quantify the distortion in mathematical means, we introduce the Point Spread Function (PSF). Fundamentally, the PSF is defined as a function describes the response of an imaging system to a point source or point object. Note that the loss of light would not be considered in the PSF. Then, if we consider the PSF does not change across the field of view, which applies to the central 1-2 ° of visual angle [Reference!!!], the image can be expressed by the convolution of the PSF and the object in this area. (1) Where denotes the convolution algorithm. Note that the deconvolution method is based on the inverse operation of Eq.1, which will be introduce in Section 1.2.4. Fig.2 A contrast of PSF and MTF of an ideal emmetropic eyes (up) and a typical myopic eyes of -1.00 dioptre (down) Now we introduce two functions that can show the quality of the image: Optical Transfer Function (OTF) and the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF). Either OTF or MTF specifies the response to a periodic sine-wave pattern passing through the lens system, as a function of its spatial frequency or period, and its orientation [WIKI]. The OTF is the Fourier transform of the PSF, and the MTF is the real magnitude of the OTF. In a 2d system, these two functions are defined as: (2) Where denotes the Fourier transform, and denote the phase space and Euclidian space, respectively. (3) Where means taking the absolute value. Zernike Polynomials The Zernike polynomials are a sequence of polynomials that are orthogonal over circular pupils. Some of the polynomials are related to classical aberrations. In optometry and ophthalmology, Zernike polynomials are the standard way to describe aberrations of the cornea or lens from an ideal spherical shape, which result in refraction errors [WIKI]. The definition of orthogonal Zernike Polynomials recommended in an ANSI standard is represented as: (4) Where m and n denote the radial degree and the azimuthal frequency, respectively. The radial polynomials are defined as: And the triangular functions: (6) Note that nm and nm must be even. The relationship between double index (m, n) and single index (i): Table.1 Eye aberrations presented by Zernike Polynomials Aberrations are expressed as the distortion of the wavefront as it passes through the eye. As is stated, Zernike polynomials are the standard way [Campbell (2003)] of quantifying this distortion. The aperture function (or pupil function) can link Zernike polynomials with the PSF: Where denotes complex aperture function (or pupil function). denotes the phase of the wavefront, and the i is the imaginary unit and denotes the amplitude function, which is usually one inside the circular pupil and zero on the outside. The PSF can be expressed as the square of Fourier transform of the complex aperture function: We now know that the PSF can be calculated with a known wavefront and the distortion of the wavefront caused by refractive error can be actually represented by several orders of Zernike Polynomials with different amplitudes, which can be precisely measured with a Shack-Hartmann wavefront analyser device. Deconvolution Method We introduce a way to pre-process the image to neutralize the aberration caused by eyes, which is also called image pre-compensation. Simplistically, to compensate them in advance to proactively counteract degradations resulting from the ocular aberrations of different users. Point Spread Function (PSF) is defined as a function describes the response of an imaging system to a point source or point object. The sinusoidal function is an eigenstate of the PSF (i.e. if the input image is a sinusoidal function, no matter what the PSF is, the output image would also be a sinusoidal function) The Image on the retina (or) can be linked with PSF by convolution as shown in Eq.1. Then we do Fourier transform on both side of the equation Note the convolution has changed to multiplication in the phase space. If we define a new OBJ as: The new image is This means If we can process the OBJ as defined, we will have the intended image in the observers eyes. To form the OBJ we introduce Minimum Mean Square Error filtering (or Wiener Filter) Where K is a constant. Computing Theories Fast Fourier Transform As is shown in previous sections, we use two algorithms that require an amount of calculation, which is Fourier transform (inverse Fourier transform) and convolution. Since computer images can be seen as 2-demension lattices, we will use 2d Discrete Fourier Transform: It is known that this process requires a significant amount of calculation. The conventional way of doing this would take a long time for regular PC. However, for research need, we will need to do this calculation in real-time. Thus, we introduce the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). A definition of FFT could be: An FFT is an algorithm computes the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of a sequence or its inverse. Fourier analysis converts a signal from its original domain (often time or space) to representation in the frequency domain and vice versa. An FFT rapidly computes such transformations by factorizing the DFT matrix into a product of sparse (mostly zero) factors. [Van Loan (1992)] Also, all convolution within our program will be calculated by means of the FFT through the following equation: (16) Fig.3 A contrast of the speed of two means of calculation with respect of data length. The purpose of doing so is to accelerate the speed of calculation, since the conventional way of calculating convolution is much slower than the FFT. This difference of speed is shown in Fig.3. Nyquist Limit As is stated, we need the image and the PSF to before doing the pre-compensation. The PSF is calculated by aperture function Eq.9. To simulate the pupil, we can use a circular apertureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. However, this circular pupil has some restrictions in computer simulation, which is the Nyquist limit. In signal processing if we If we want to reconstruct all Fourier components of a periodic waveform, there is a restriction that the sampling rate needs to be at least twice the highest waveform frequency. The Nyquist limit, also known as Nyquist frequency, is the highest frequency that can be coded at a given sampling rate in order to be able to fully reconstruct the signal, which is half of the sampling rate of a discrete signal processing system. [Cramà ©r Grenander (1959)] For our simulation the sampling rate n is represented as: Aliasing will occur when . Psychometric Theories In order to quantify the enhancement of the Deconvolution Method to the subjects, we need to measure the change of the thresholds of the eyes before and after the compensation. Specifically, in our research we need to find out the threshold of minimum contrast and size of an image that the subjects can correctly recognize. This requires the use of some psychometric theories. Adaptive Staircase Method The staircase method is a widely used method in psychophysics test. The point of staircase method is to adjust the intensity of stimuli according to the response of the participant. To illustrate this method we shall use an example introduced by Cronsweet (1962): Suppose the problem is to determine Ss absolute, intensive threshold for the sound of a click. The first stimulus that E delivers is a click of some arbitrary intensity. S responds either that he did or did not hear it. If S says yes (he did hear it), the next stimulus is made less intense, and if S says no, the second stimulus is made more intense. If S responds yes to the second stimulus, the third is made less intense, and if he says no, it is made more intense. This procedure is simply continued until some predetermined criterion or number of trials is reached. The results of a series of 30 trials are shown in Fig.4. The results may be recorded directly on graph-paper; doing so helps E keep the procedure straight. Fig. 4 An example trail by Cornsweet (1962) There are four important characteristic of adaptive staircase method (1) Starting value; (2) Step-size; (3) Stopping condition; and (4) Modification of step-sizes. [Cornsweet 1962] The starting value should be near the threshold value. As is shown in Fig.4, the starting point determines how many step until it reach a level that near the threshold. The test will be most efficient if the starting value is near to that threshold. The step-size is 1 db for the example test. Step-size should meet the requirement that it is neither too big that not able to measure the threshold accurately nor too small to slow down the test process. It is advised that the step-size would be the most effective when it is the size of the differential threshold. The result with the staircase method would be like Fig.4 in general when it hover around a certain level of intensity of stimuli. When reached this asymptotic level, the trails should be taken into account. An efficient way is to set a number of trails that need to be record and start to count after it reach the asymptotic level. Under some conditions, the step-size need to be changed during the test. For careful experimental design, the first stimulus in each of the staircases are at same intensity-level. [Cornsweet 1962] However, then the staring level would be too far from the final level. This can be avoided by using large steps at the start, and smaller steps when it approach the final level. For instance, this can be done by decrease the step from 3db to 1db at the third reversal. It should be stated that the adaptive staircase method is a very efficient way of measurement. For a given reliability of a computed threshold-value, the staircase-method requires the presentation of many fewer stimuli than any other psychophysical method. Related Work General image compensation has long been used since the invention of lens. The invention of the computer and portable display devices make it easier to perform on-screen image pre-compensation. On-screen compensation has the advantage of convenience in that it can easily be carried out with any display-screen device that can compute. In addition, acuity limits in the human vision on the fovea are found to be between 0.6 and 0.25 arc minutes [Schwiegerling 2000], which is better than the typical acuity of emmetropic eyes [Pamplona 2012]. This means that effective compensation may increase the performance of emmetropic eyes. Deconvolution Method On screen image pre-compensation is based on the idea that the aberrations can be neutralized by pre-compensating the object. Specifically, it requires dividing the Fourier transform of uncorrected image by the Fourier transform of the PSF (i.e. the OTF). A detailed derivation can be found at section1.2.4. Early research by Alonso and Barreto (2003) tested subjects with defocus aberration using this method. Their results showed an improvement in observers visual acuity compared to non-corrected images. However, in practical use, for example, defocus, the defocus magnitude (in dioptres) as well as the pupil size, wavelength and viewing distance (visual angle) is required to calculate and scale the PSF, which means measurement and substitution of these parameters are also required to deliver the intended compensation. Enhancement of Deconvolution Method Recent research has further improved the deconvolution method. Huang et al (2012) carried out work with dynamic image compensation. They fixed the viewing distance from the screen and measured the real-time pupil size with the help of a Tobii T60 eye tracker device. Then they compensated the image with this real-time pupil size data. The reliability and acuity were improved by this dynamic compensation. Unlike perfect eyes, for which bigger pupil size would lead to smaller diffraction limited PSF, for most eyes, a bigger pupil size would lead to an increase in aberrations. That is also why dynamic compensation is important. As is mentioned in previous section, the principle of pre-compensation is to divide the Fourier transform of the image by the Fourier transform of the OTF. In order to avoid near-zero values in the OTF, most of the research used Minimum Mean Square Error filtering (Wiener filter). However, the outcome usually suffers from an apparent loss of contrast. Recent research has revealed other ways to optimize the compensation to have higher contrast and sharper boundaries. The multi-domain approach was introduced by Alonso Jr et al. (2006). They claimed that there are unnecessary parts in pre-compensated image. Simplistically, there is compensation that is irrelevant with respect to the important information in the image. This work showed an improvement of acuity using this method with respect to recognising text. More recently, Montalto et al. (2015) applied the total variation method to process the pre-compensated image. The result is slightly better but still suffers from a trade-off between contrast and acuity. Fundamentally, the impaired human eye can be seen as a low-pass filter, and either an increase of image aliasing or a decrease of contrast is inevitable. Other Approaches The research described above can be seen as an enhancement and a supplement of the original method carried out by Alonso (2003). However, as is stated, there is a limit of image pre-compensation by the PSF deconvolution method. Others has studied other on-screen methods to achieve a better outcome. Huang et al. (2012) introduced a multilayer approach based on the drawback of normal on screen pre-compensation that was shown by Yellot and Yellot (2007). This method is based on the deconvolution method, but uses a double-layer display rather than normal display. According to Fig.2, if we have two separated displays, then we have two different MTF curve. Then, the near-zero gap in MTF can be filled. This approach has showed a demonstrable improvement of contrast and brightness in their simulation. However, it required a transparent front display that does not block the light from the rear display at all, which is not plausible in practical use. Later, Pamplona et al. (2012) investigated a light field theory approach and built a monochrome dual-stack-LCD display (also known as parallax barriers) prototype and a lenticular-based display prototype to form directional light. Huang et al. (2014) restated the potential of using light field theory on image compensation and built another prototype with a parallax barrier mask and higher resolution. The outcome of both methods were similar. They could produce colour images with only a little decrease in contrast and acuity. However, it should be stated that both methods were carried out with a fixed directional light field, which used a fixed camera to photograph the intended corrected image. It is obvious that is not feasible in practical use with moving observer. Adjustable directional light has not been implemented due to the limits imposed by diffraction and resolution. In addition, there are minor issues on the loss of brightness as well in these research. Overall, the most applicable way of on-screen image compensation is still deconvolution method. The light field method requires very precise eye tracking to inject the light into pupil, while deconvolution only requires the observer to keep a certain distance and to be in front of the pre-compensated image. Method Subjects Implementation We built a program for the test that can proceed the pre-compensation in real-time using deconvolution method. This program can pre-compensate any aberration that can be represented by Zernike polynomials The experiment is based on adaptive staircase method. During the experiment, the program shows optotype Landolt-C in four directions (i.e. up, down, left and right) which is randomly generated at each trail. The subjects choose the direction of the Landolt-C. Staircase: This research intend to find two thresholds: contrast and size. Though the We shall describe the staircase method for the contrast threshold. The experiment for size threshold is taken likewise. The four characteristic for our adaptive staircase method are: The start value is relatively large since the subject The step-size The experiment ends in N trials after it reached the final level For our research, we cannot determine an ideal starting value because the subjects have different type and intensity of aberration. Thus, we have to change the size-step to make our experiment efficient. The threshold is calculated using the record the last N trails of the experiment, which is determined by the following equation: Eq.() The program was design as such that Assumptions, Approximations and Limitations Assumption: About Subjects Limitation: Polychromatic issues, No. of Pixels, Staircase References Alonso, M., Barreto, A. B. (2003, September). Pre-compensation for high-order aberrations of the human eye using on-screen image deconvolution. In Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2003. Proceedings of the 25th Annual International Conference of the IEEE (Vol. 1, pp. 556-559). IEEE. Alonso Jr, M., Barreto, A., Jacko, J. A., Adjouadi, M. (2006, October). A multi-domain approach for enhancing text display for users with visual aberrations. In Proceedings of the 8th international ACM SIGACCESS conference on Computers and accessibility (pp. 34-39). ACM. Campbell, C. E. (2003). A new method for describing the aberrations of the eye using Zernike polynomials. Optometry Vision Science, 80(1), 79-83. Cornsweet, T. N. (1962). The staircase-method in psychophysics. The American journal of psychology, 75(3), 485-491. Harvey, L. O. (1986). Efficient estimation of sensory thresholds. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, Computers, 18(6), 623-632. Huang, F. C., Wetzstein, G., Barsky, B. A., Raskar, R. (2014). Eyeglasses-free display: towards correcting visual aberrations with computational light field displays. ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG), 33(4), 59. Huang, J., Barreto, A., Adjouadi, M. (2012, August). Dynamic image pre-compensation for computer access by individuals with ocular aberrations. In 2012 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (pp. 3320-3323). IEEE. Montalto, C., Garcia-Dorado, I., Aliaga, D., Oliveira, M. M., Meng, F. (2015). A total variation approach for customizing imagery to improve visual acuity. ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG), 34(3), 28. Pamplona, V. F., Oliveira, M. M., Aliaga, D. G., Raskar, R. (2012). Tailored displays to compensate for visual aberrations. Roorda, A. (2011). Adaptive optics for studying visual function: a comprehensive review. Journal of vision, 11(5), 6-6. Schwiegerling, J. (2000). Theoretical limits to visual performance. Survey of ophthalmology, 45(2), 139-146. Yellott, J. I., Yellott, J. W. (2007, February). Correcting spurious resolution in defocused images. In Electronic Imaging 2007 (pp. 64920O-64920O). International Society for Optics and Photonics. Young, L. K., Love, G. D., Smithson, H. E. (2013). Different aberrations raise contrast thresholds for single-letter identification in line with their effect on cross-correlation-based confusability. Journal of vision, 13(7), 12-12. Van Loan, C. (1992). Computational frameworks for the fast Fourier transform (Vol. 10). Siam. Cramà ©r, H., Grenander, U. (1959). Probability and statistics: the Harald Cramà ©r volume. Almqvist Wiksell.   Ã‚  

Friday, October 25, 2019

Affirmative Action :: Affirmative Action Racism History Essays

Affirmative Action Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Though affirmative action may have been valuable in the beginning, it has long since outlived any usefulness it may have had. That it ever had any usefulness is questionable, based on comparisons between overall black populations socioeconomic standing today and that of the mid-1960’s. Today, it is little more than a scapegoat behind which inferior performance can hid very well, and that scapegoat’s upkeep has become far too extravagant in today’s society.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock my brothers and sisters--Plymouth Rock landed on us,† Malcolm X’s observation is brought out by the facts of America history. Snatched from their native land transported thousands of miles--in a nightmare of disease and death and sold into slavery blacks were reduced into the legal status of farm animals. Even after emancipation, blacks were segregated from whites--in some states by law, in social practice almost everywhere. American apartheid continued for another century. In 1954 the Supreme Court declared state compelled segregation in schools unconstitutional, and it followed up that decisions with others that struck down many other forms of official segregation. Still discrimination survived, and in most southern states blacks were either discouraged or prohibited from excersizing their rights to vote. Not until the 1960’s was compulsory segregation finally and effectively challenged. Between 1 964 and 1968 congress passed the most sweeping legislation since the end of the Civil War. It banned discrimination in employment, public accommodation,( hotels, motels, restaurants, etc.), and housing; it also guaranteed voting rights for blacks in areas suspected of disenfranchising blacks. Today, several agencies in the federal government excursive sweeping powers to enforce these civil rights measures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the United States congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it became apparent that certain business traditions, such as seniority, status and aptitude tests, prevented total equality in employment. The president Lyndon B. Johnson decided something needed to be done to remedy these flaws. On September 24, 1965 he issued an Executive Order #11246 at Howard University that required federal contractors â€Å"to take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed... without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.† When President Johnson signed that order, he enacted one of the most discriminating pieces of legislation since the Jim Crow laws were passed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Affirmative action was first created in effort to help minorities leap the discriminative barriers that were ever so present when the bill first took action in 1965.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

African Society

This study seek to highlight why some people in the case study felt that alcohol controlled behavior. This case study analysis individual unit ( e.g a person, group, or event) stressing developmental factors in relation to the study. The case study is common in social sciences and life sciences. Case studies may be descriptive or explanatory. The later type is used to explore causation in order to find underlying principles. They maybe prospective, in which criteria are established and cases fitting the criteria are included as they become available, or retrospective, in which criteria are established for selecting cases from historical records for including in the study. It also highlight how a belief in ancestors related to behavior (e.g overlooking ancestral directives, there by getting cursed and how some one blamed the behavior of some people on the names they were given from birth. The assertion that the person's behavior after which a child was named determined the behavior of the person who bore the name afterwards. And the extent theory of nature/reflection in the case study. Furthermore, this case study analyze the validity that behavior is a matter of tradition (e.g up bring of children by parents. DEFINATION According to Thomas (2011) â€Å"case studies are analyses of persons, events, decisions, periods, projects, policies, institutions, or other systems that are studied holistically by one or more methods. The case that is the subject of the inquiry will be an instance of a class of phenomena that provides an analytical frame- an object- within which the study is conducted and which the case illuminates and explicates† Silverman (2005) reveals that, rather than using samples following a rigid protocol (strict set of rules) to examine limited number of valuables, case study methods involve an in- depth, longitudinal (over a long period of time) examination of a single instance or event: a case. They provide a systematic way of looking at events, collecting data, analyzing information, and reporting the results. As a result the researcher may gain a sharpened understanding of why the instance happened as it did, and what might become important to look at more extensively in future research. Case studies lend themselves to both generating and testing hypothesis. According to Lamneck (2005) another suggestion is that case study should be defined as a research strategy, an empirical inquiry that investigates a phenomenon within it's real- life context. Case study research means single and multiple case studies, can include quantitative evidence, relies on multiple sources of evidence and benefits from the prior development of theoretical propositions. Case studies should not be confused with qualitative research and they can be based on any mix of quantitative and qualitative evidence. Single- subject research provides the statistical framework for making inferences from qualitative case- study data. This also supported and well formulated in (Lamneck, 2005): â€Å"the case study is a research approach, situated between concrete data taking techniques and methodological paradigms†. The case study is sometimes mistaken for the case method, but the two are not the same. Generalizing From case studies Kyekye (1996) states that, a critical case can be defined as having strategic importance in relation to the general problem (e.g like in Mwense district research where some people in the case study felt that alcohol controlled behavior) A critical case allows the following type of generalization, ‘if it is valid for this case, it is valid for all (or many) cases.' In it's negative form, the generalization would be, ‘if it is not valid in this case, then it is not valid for any (or only few) cases.'( Lamnek, 2005). According to Karl popper, the case study is also effective for generalizing using the type of test called falsification, which forms part of critical reflexivity. Falsification is one of the most rigorous tests to which a scientific proposition can be subjected: if just one observation does not fit with the proposition it is considered not valid generally and must therefore be either revised or rejected. Popper him self used the now famous example, â€Å"All swans are white, and proposed that just one observation of a single black swan would falsify this proposition and this way have general significance and stimulate further investigations and theory- building. The case study is well suited for identifying â€Å"black swans† because of it's in- depth approach: what appear to be â€Å"white† often turns on closer examination to be â€Å"black† By selecting cases strategically in this manner one may arrive at case studies that allow generalization (Flyrbjerg, 200 6, P. 225-6). Misunderstandings about case study Research According to Flyrbjerg (2006) identifies and corrects five prevalent misunderstanding about case study research: > General, theoretical Knowledge is more valuable than concrete, practical knowledge. > One cannot generalize on the basis of an individual case and, therefore, the case study cannot contribute to scientific development. > The case study is most useful for generating hypotheses, whereas other methods are more suitable for hypotheses testing and theory building. > The case study contains a bias towards verification, i.e, a tendency to comfirm the researcher's preconceived notions. > It is often difficult to summarize and develop general propositions and theories on the basis of specific case studies.(Osei, 1971). According to a research which was conducted in Mwense district some people in the case study felt that alcohol controlled behavior and to add value to the case study: > In the first stage of alcoholism, drinking was no longer social but became a means of emotional escape from problems, inhibitions, anxiety, and in many instances, from realities of life. Stated in another way, early in the disease problem drinkers starts to depend on the mood altering capabilities of alcohol consumption. Also at this stage of alcoholism, a gradual increase in tolerance develops, meaning that increasing amounts of alcohol are needed in order for the problem drinker to â€Å"feel the buzz† or to â€Å"get high†.(Flyvbjerg, 2006). Furthermore, it is common for people with a drinking problem in the first stage of alcoholism to quickly drink a few alcoholic beverage before attending social functions and to increase social drinking to 3 to 5 drinks per day. Obviously, it can be determined that such behavior will eventually result in a host of drinking problems. > In the second stage of alcoholism, the need to drink becomes more intense. During this stage of the disease, the individual with the drinking problem frequently starts to drink earlier in the day.(Lamnek, 2005) As tolerance increases, moreover, the person drinks because of dependence on alcohol, rather than because of emotional and psychological stress and anxiety relief. During this stage, loss of control does not yet happen on a regular basis; it is however, gradually observed by others such as neighbors, co- workers, relatives, friends, and family members. > In the third stage of alcoholism, the loss of control becomes more pronounced and more problematic. This means that the problem drinker is usually unable to drink according to his or her intentions. for example, once the person takes the first drink, he or she can no longer control what will happen, even though the intention might have been to have one or two drinks. During this stage of the disease, most problem drinkers start to experience serious alcohol- related, financial, employment, legal, and relationship problems.(Robert, 1970). > The fourth and final stage of alcoholism is characterized by a chronic loss of control. In the earlier stages of the disease, the alcoholic may have been successful in maintaining a job. Now, however, drinking starts earlier in the day and usually continues throughout the day. Few, if any, full- time work positions, however, can be maintained once an individual has reached this state of affairs.(Thomas,2011). Classic Alcoholic Behavior The term â€Å"alcoholism† means the same thing as â€Å"alcohol dependence,† â€Å"alcohol addiction, â€Å"and â€Å"alcohol dependence.† Hence, some people in the case study felt that alcohol controlled behavior in Mwense district because of the information articulated above, it is clear that the four stages of classic alcoholic behavior do not point a pretty picture of the sad realities and the drinking problems that most chronic alcoholics experience in Mwanse district. In fact, it is clear that as the disease progresses, so do the drinking problems that are experienced by the alcoholic. Perhaps the damaging and unhealthy consequences of this disease might not make much of an impact on those who are already alcohol dependant. It is hoped, however, that exposing the facts about this disease to our youth before they start abusing alcohol will prevent many of the teens from suffering the grim fate of most alcoholics. Belief In Ancestors Relates To Behavior A belief is a degree of certainty we have that something is true. Our core beliefs are often based on the beliefs of other people we unconsciously accepted as true when we were too young to decide if the person's belief really served us.(Osei, 1971). Hence, ancestral belief refers to a generalized belief about the amount of control people have over their own lives. Individuals who feel that they are very much in charge of their won destiny have an internal locus of control; those who think that events in their life are due mainly to fate/luck or powerful others have an external locus of control. Locus of control is a generalized belief, so people with an external locus can feel in control in familiar situations. (Steven L. Mcshane et al. 2005). Moreover, from the research, we have suggested that perception of people and events is organized into categories. How this is done depends partly on sensation, partly on the principles of perception, and partly on the nature of the individual. Another fact of the individual is the set of attitudes that he/she holds. Attitudes are, essentially, â€Å"feelings† towards people or things. How people feel, what they believe, what they intend to do, and whether and how they do it may all be connected, and may all be related to the process of perception. However, to try to reduce the confusion in this area over the use of words and concepts such as â€Å"feelings† and â€Å"beliefs† Fishbein (1967) put forward the following hierarchical model Beliefs What we think about people, things, relationship e.t.c Attitudes Affective responses to those people, things, relationships e.t.c Intentions Cognitive states Behavior or Action Observable events The Theory of Nature/Reflected In The Case Study The extent theory of nature/reflection in the case study refers to the personality. Personality defined as the pattern of relatively enduring ways in which a person feels, thinks and behaves. Fincham R. describes personality as the relatively enduring combination of traits which makes an individual unique and at the same time produces consistencies in his or her thought and behavior. A similar definition Rollision Derk defines personality as, ‘those relatively stable and enduring aspects of an individual that distinguish him/her from other people and at the same time form a basis for our predictors concerning his/her future behavior. (Rollison D., 1998). A complementary definition, Robbins Stephen defines personality as the sum total of ways in which an individual reacts and interacts with others. It is a relatively stable pattern of behaviors and consistent internal states that explain a person's behavioral tendencies. Hence, we say that personality explains behavioral tendencies because individuals' actions are not perfectly consistent with their personality profile in every situation. Personality traits are less evident in situations where social norms, reward systems and other conditions contrain behavior. Traits may be defined as individual characteristics of thought or feeling that result in tendencies to have in specific ways. Also traits may be defined as enduring characteristics that describe an individual's behavior. The more consistent the characteristic and the more frequently important that trait is in describing an individual. Traits can additionally be grouped to form personality types. Traits may be grouped into groups namely; surface traits and source traits. Surface traits for example assertiveness, can be observed in behavior while, source traits such as self- discipline can be inferred.(Rollinson, D. et ,1998). Behavior And Tradition According to Robert (1970) refer human behavior as a range of behaviors exhibited by humans and which are influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethies, authority, rapport, hypnosis, persuasion, coercion and/or genetics. Hence, the behavior of people (and other organisms or even mechanisms) falls within a range with some behavior being common, some unusual, some acceptable, and some outside acceptable limits. In sociology, behavior in general is considered as having no meaning, being not directed at other people, and thus is the most basic human action. Behavior in this general sense should not be mistaken with social behavior, which is the more advanced action, as social behavior is behavior specifically directed at other people. The acceptability of behavior is evaluated relative to social norms and regulated by various means of social control. In addition, the behavior of people is studied by the academic disciplines of psychiatry, psychology, social work, sociology, economics, and anthropology. Factors affecting human behavior and actions Mcshane et al (2005) states five factors as below: * Genetics (see also evolutionary psychology) – affects and governs the individual's tendencies towards certain directions. * Attitude – the degree to which the person has a favorable or unfavorable evaluation of the behavior in question. * Social norms – the influence of social pressure that is perceived by the individual (normative beliefs) to perform or not perform a certain behavior. * Perceived behavioral control – the individual's belief concerning how easy or difficult performing the behavior will be. * Core faith – the person's set of beliefs, like religion, philosophy, e.t.c provided sometimes subconsciously, by his or her family, peers, social media, and the society where he or she lives. > Social Factors Factors that influence behavior or personality that arise from interacting with other people; early socialization, which consists in interaction with parents, siblings and peers has an effect on the way we act and think. The behaviorist school of psychology which views all human as environmentally determined refer to personality as just accumulated learning experiences (skinner, 1974). Much of personality comes through learning and so childhood experiences are paramount to the unfolding of personality. > Cultural Factors According to Kyekye (1996) a wider social beliefs, values and motives that are absorbed by an individual and guide behavior towards that which is acceptable within a particular social context; when high value is placed on achievement and individualism in a certain society, we will find that this may affect individual personality in instilling a trait of ‘the need to achieve'.(Shutte, 1993). > Situational Factors According to Osei (1971) this refers to the effect of a specific experience or situation on a person's feelings and behavior. And individual's personality, while generally stable and consistent, does change in different situations call forth different aspects of one's personality. Situations like church, tradition, a picnic in a picnic in a park do affect behavior differently. Examples here may be trauma of losing a parent or loved one. Certain situation can bring out unrecognized aspects of personality we have never been aware of. Personality development is an ongoing process, but to some degree personalities can be deemed as stable.(Senghor, 1963). According to Gyekye (1998), regard concepts of the individual and self to be almost totally dependant on and subordinate to social entities and cultural process. Kenya theology professor John S. Miti (1969 and 1992), for example, believes that individual has little latitude for self determination outside the context of the traditional African family and community. He writes: â€Å"whatever happens to the individual happens to the whole group, and whatever happens to the whole group happens to the individual. The individual can only say: â€Å"I am, because we are; and since we are, therefore I am.' This is a cardinal point in the understanding of the African view of man† (1969: 109). Furthermore, Ghanaian philosopher Gyekye (1998), the individual, although originating from and inextricably bound to his family and community, nevertheless possesses a clear concept of himself as a distinct person of volition. It is from this combined sense of personhood and communal membership that the family and community except individuals to take personality enhancing and socially responsible decisions. Although he accepts the dominant entity of African social order is the community, Gyekye believes â€Å"it would be more correct to describe that order as amphibious, for it manifests features of both community and individuality. African social thought seeks to avoid the excesses of the two exaggerated systems, while allowing for a meaningful albeit uneasy, interaction between the individual and the society (1988:31-32) According to senegales philosopher Leopold senghor (1966) regards tradition African society to be â€Å"based both on the community and on the person in which, because it was founded on dialogue and reciprocity, the group had priority over the individual without crushing him, but allowing to blossom as a person† (1966:5). According to South African philosophy professor Shutte (1993), citing the Xhosa proverb umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu (a person is a person through persons), writes: This (proverb) is the xhosa expression of a notion that is common all African languages and traditional cultures. It is concerned both with the peculiar interdependence of persons on others for the exercise, development and fulfillment of their powers that is recognized in African traditional thought, and also with the understanding of what it is to be a person that underlies this. In European philosophy of whatever kind, the self is always envisaged as something â€Å"inside† a person, or at least as a kind of container of mental properties and powers. In African thought it is seen as â€Å"outside† subsisting in relationship to what is other, the natural and social environment. According to Ghananian historian Osei (1971) believes that Africa should chart it's future from it's indigenous cultural traditions and adopt only those aspects of no- Africa cultures that are compatible with Africa's needs, goals and circumstances namely, a scientific perspective and western educational practices. Taking a broader perspective, Thairu (1975) argues for a future of greater regional integration through educational and cultural exchanges within and between African nations. This, he says, will bring into the open pan- Africa cultural similarities, promote more widespread understanding and tolerance on the continent, and contribute to greater overall African unit philosopher Gyekye (1998) shares much of Nyasani, Makgoba and Thairu concern over Africans too often for saking Indigenous African values and their wholesale and uncritical adoption. According to Gyekye (1996) abhors the fact that ancestors continue to be of paramount importance in modern and traditional African life. He also recommends that for Africa to progress scientifically and technologically, â€Å"science should be rescued from the morass of (traditional) African religious and mystical beliefs.† Gyekye insists there are main â€Å"cultural values and practices of traditional Africa that can be considered positive features of the culture and can be accommodated in the scheme of African modernity, even if they undergo some refinement and pruning to become fully harmonious with the spirit of modern culture and to function†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. satisfactorily within that culture â€Å"(ibid). he discusses these traditional African values at length under the humanity, brotherhood, communalism and individualism, morality, the family economic system, chief ship and politics, human rights, knowledge and wisdom, aesthetics. CONCLUSION It is clear from the foregoing study that behavior is affected by numerous factors as discussed in this paper. Among the factors are ancestral directives, alcohol, belief, culture, emotions values, ethics, authority, rapport, hypnosis, persuasion, coercion, genetics, attitudes, situational e.t.c.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Pilgrimage of Grace

DBQ Pilgrimage of Grace The Pilgrimage of Grace was to protest Henry VIII’s actions such as his Act of Supremacy. This lead to the implementation of new polices such as taxes, the expansion of the royal power in the North of England, the dissolution of monasteries, and the confiscation of Catholic Church lands. These actions took their toll on the country, and led to the Pilgrimage of Grace from October 1536 to February 1537. The Pilgrimage consisted of marches and protests and armed demonstrations. The re-creation of a banner of a marcher depicts God suffering, a plow and a cattle horn.This symbolizes the motivation for the Pilgrimage of Grace. It can represent the peasants who are suffering just as Jesus did (3). Peasants, clergy and gentlemen were involved in the Pilgrimage of Grace. Each of these groups of people had a distinct part in the pilgrimage. Those who opposed the movement killed many of the rebels, as they feared the rebellion of authority. The participants of th e Pilgrimage of Grace were concerned for their country and safety from enemies, and therefore, their goals were more representation, and a restoration of the Catholic organizations such as monasteries.The peasants and clergy were the largest group in the Pilgrimage of Grace, and the most affected by Henry VIII’s actions. Due to the closure of the monasteries by the government, the peasants made a declaration that they must now rely on charity, faith, poverty, and that they must be ready to help one another should thieves or Scots try to rob them (2). This reason for protest contradicts other reasons such as the â€Å"Oath of Honorable Men†, which states that one should not enter the Pilgrimage for wordy gain, but for his love of God (1).The Catholic clergy, who now could not practice their faith in England, had their land taken away and were heavily convicted by the government, as shown in the lyrics to a ballad a monk wrote, â€Å"†¦And held in bonds. Robbed, sp oiled and shorn†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (4). The clergy and peasants were concerned for their future in northern England, and protested to get back the land and religion, which the government had taken from them. Gentlemen also were involved in the Pilgrimage of Grace.Some who were members of Parliament did not like Thomas Cromwell’s influence on the King, which took power from the Parliament. In an anonymous pamphlet, Cromwell is called a traitor and that he should be removed from office to restore authority to Parliament (6). Robert Aske gives the goals of all those who participated in the Pilgrimage in his petition to the member of the King’s Council, which includes having the head of the church be the pope in Rome, to have Thomas Crowell punished, and to have the monasteries and church lands restored (5).Throughout the Pilgrimage, there were riots in which both commoners and gentlemen were involved (8). Many of them were arrested and convicted. The closing of the monastery w as a detriment to the country in the eyes of the gentlemen, as can be seen in Robert Aske’s testimony, in which he asks the king to return to the ways of the Catholic Church (11). Although many common people, clergy, and gentlemen supported the Pilgrimage, it was opposed by the creators of these laws, King Henry, and high ranking officials.In Richard Madison’s â€Å"A Remedy for Sedition†, Madison argues that the inferior must be content that the wiser rule them, which is necessary in a commonwealth. If this order isn’t in place, then no one would obey and there would be chaos (7). Nicholas Leche criticizes the gentlemen who did not stand up against the opposition in his testimony (8). Henry VII himself gives a speech pardoning the commoners would have rebelled against him on the grounds of ignorance, so long as they immediately stop protesting and submit to his monarchy (9).In the trials against those involved in the Pilgrimage of Grace, 67 percent of th e gentlemen tried were convicted, and 62 percent of the peasants that were tried were convicted. In comparison, 80 percent of the clergy tried were convicted. This reflects heavy opposition against the clergy, who in the government’s eyes were the cause of the Pilgrimage. In spite of the efforts of the participants of the pilgrimage of Grace, none of their goals were met. England was not reconciled to the Catholic Church, nor did the monasteries reopen. Cromwell’s moves toward Protestantism were final.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Daydreaming essays

Daydreaming essays Daydreaming has some historical background. Daydreaming is something that has been occurring for centuries. Some of our greatest scientists, activists, and mathematicians were once found daydreaming. For example, Albert Einstein was failing in math, and was almost kicked out of college for daydreaming. Einsteins daydreaming may have been the secret of his incredible creativity. He maintained that he discovered the theory of relativity by gazing at sunbeams on a summer day, and fantasized about what it would be like to ride on them. Another example of daydreaming would be Winston Churchill. While living in political exile, he imagined or daydreamed what leadership of his country would mean to him. The exercise helped him to plan and prioritize in advance. It gave him a head start when he fulfilled his dream and became head of state in Britain during the war years. Another person would be Martin Luther King Jr. He used daydreams to create a vision for the future. He had to daydream to motivate others. He had to mentally remove himself from his present worries, and think of a better place to be. In fact, some of our civilizations greatest advances in engineering, medicine and physi cs began with a conscious dream. Sleeping dreams and daydreams are similar because they are an expression of our wishes and fears. They can project our longed-for triumphs, such as overcoming a difficult challenge. It may also project our worst fear like dreaming of something that frightens you the most. The difference between sleeping dreams and daydreams is that daydreams can consciously be brought under control. You cannot control sleeping dreams. Sleeping dreams occurs naturally even if you remember them or not. Therefore, you can use daydreams to deal with problems and uncertainties in your lives. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Daydreams bring the possible and the ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Cracker Barrels Porters Five Forces Analysis

Cracker Barrels Porters Five Forces Analysis Threat of Substitutes Cracker Barrel faces the threat of immediate substitutes in the retail store chain. The business has however tried to mitigate the effects of direct substitutes to its products by creating additional gift shops. In doing so, the risks of low sales because of available substitutes have reduced considerably (Dess, Lumpkin Eisner, 2009).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Cracker Barrel’s Porters Five Forces Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although the business continues to face threats of heightened competition, Cracker Barrel occupies a comfortable position as a family restaurant of choice across the market. This condition leaves Cracker Barrel business advantaged over its peers in the restaurant business (Dess, Lumpkin Eisner, 2009). Threat of New Entrants In spite of the fact that a business may easily enter the restaurant industry, it is increasingly difficult to create a stron g franchise that matches Cracker Barrel. Therefore, Cracker Barrel as an established business in the restaurant industry faces fewer threats of new entries into the market. In general, it is difficult for the new entrants to turn around the tables in their favor because Cracker Barrel already enjoys the highest customer loyalty in the market (Ireland, Hitt Hoskisson, 2011). Bargaining Power The industry evaluation demonstrates that the customers have the bargaining power as opposed to suppliers. Although there exists numerous restaurants from which to choose from, customers still have the market authority to decide from which restaurant to eat (Ireland, Hitt Hoskisson, 2011). This owes to the fact that there is lack of a switching cost when customers select different restaurants. This scenario demonstrates that Cracker Barrel as a player in this market environment must take an active step to entice its customers to generate loyalty through happiness. This implies that a customer m ay decide to eat in a different chain given that he or she will experience no cost in the process. It becomes necessary for all the restaurants to practice good customer service in order to leave their customers happy and satisfied (Dess, Lumpkin Eisner, 2009). SWOT Analysis Strengths Family values remain Cracker Barrels greatest strength since the experience most customers, especially families makes it the restaurant of choice. Its differentiated products and services serve as another great strength (Ireland, Hitt Hoskisson, 2011). It utilizes unique combination of both retail and restaurant chain, which leaves it unique from other restaurants such as IHOP and Denny’s. Weaknesses- the negative image and reputation that emerged from racist facets throughout its chain affects Cracker Barrel in its business. Additionally, the requirement of its staff to exhibit heterosexual characters during service has attracted heated debates from activists of gay rights.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Opportunities The ability to respond to the needs and desires of its clientele offers Cracker with a unique opportunity to change its image. As briefed in its weaknesses, Cracker used to demand of its staff to display heterosexual values before. This scenario led to it poor rating on a scale of 0-100 by scoring 15 points in a survey conducted by Human rights campaign in 2008. However, a change in this orientation has put it a notch high to attain a 55-point, which demonstrates improvement to the market. Threats Cracker Barrels greatest competitor is Dennys. However, although Dennys registered revenues of 75% less than Cracker Barrel, their net incomes remained less as compared to Cracker Barrel. This indicates that Cracker still sits on a better ground, but potential competition is likely to influence its business. Strategic business Analysis Cracker Barrel’s business strategies remain differentiation and strategic expansion. The business has successfully generated advantages through differentiation by creating a unique retail store and restaurant chain combination unmatched by other players (Dess, Lumpkin Eisner, 2009). On the other hand, its ability to generate sufficient revenues and subsequent investments in multiple chains in the excess of 600 locations brings Cracker Barrel to the brink of its success. Based on the analysis, the strategies implemented by Cracker would still survive the market tests since expansion and differentiation remain to be suitable, especially in the restaurant industry (Ireland, Hitt Hoskisson, 2011). References Dess, G., Lumpkin, T., Eisner, A. (2009). Strategic Management: Text and Cases. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Ireland, D. R., Hitt, M. A., Hoskisson, R. E. (2011). Understanding Business Strategy: Concepts and Cases. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Assessment of the Connection between Unlawful Acts and Genetic Make-Up

Assessment of the Connection between Unlawful Acts and Genetic Make-Up It is argued that violent criminal behaviors are the unfortunate results of genetic transmissions of mental and psychological problems from one generation to another. Research in neurochemistry and advanced technology has supported this notion by indicating that various violent behaviors and emotional disorders result from disruption of the normal activity of the brain. The disruption of the normal activities of the brain, results from altered gene and various environmental factors that lead to violent behaviors. Despite the claims that have often been made, humans do not have an instinct to kill nor a special aversion to it. Instead, as this paper maintains, the propensity to kill results from a subpersonal level due to genetics. Each one of us is a product of genetics, the predisposition of nongenetic constitutional proclivities and aversions, of motives and compromises determined by our interpersonal and somatic experiences. Research showing a family connection to criminality often attracts extensive media attention. The news coverage of research on a Dutch family found to have had a genetic mutation that seemed to predispose its males to aggressive behavior sounded like reports of pathological families in the early part of the century. Although journalists will consistently quantify, showing that family patterns do not settle the debate over root causes, they tend to promote the theories of scientists who believe that genetic predisposition is an underlying basis of violent behavior. Research guided by Charles Darwin’s (1809-1882) theory of evolution, hypothesized that aggression associated with violent behaviors, like most forms of aggressive behaviors, an innate characteristic of the human species. Darwin believed that at any particular point, the features of every life form, from the smallest microbe to the largest mammal which includes human beings are the result of changes brought about over several generations through a process of â€Å"natural selection (Wright, 2014)..† Natural selection happens because, in every species, there is a genetically influenced variability among people in terms of behavior and appearance. People whose inherited characteristics help them in adapting their environment through eluding predators, withstanding the elements, and finding food and water are the most likely to survive and mate successfully procreate and mate, thus passing on their genetic heritage to the next generation. The genes of those without adaptive characteristics are more likely to die out along with unfortunate individuals who carried them. While considering the evolutionary roots of crime, psychologists have maintained that people have inherited genetic propensities for aggression from early ancestors and that violent behaviors have helped human species in adapting and surviving during thousands of years of changing environmental demands. Others have maintained that the aggression is adaptive even today, still required in making sure that human species survive. Evolutionary theories note that all through the history of mankind, males have been more active compared to a female individual in terms of survival associated activities like hunting for food, finding and fighting for mates, and protecting close relatives and territory. So, it does not come as a surprise that compared to females, human males, are considered more aggressive and still retain the physical as well as hormonal features essential in displaying aggression. These aggression-related features have survived because they have been seen to work out. The book by Barabara Oakley â€Å"Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed, and My Sister Stole My Mother’s Boyfriend† provides explanations on the impact of genetics in our neurobiology and the way in which genes have effects on peoples habits towards sociopathy and selfishness. The argument that the author brings forward proposes that some people may be inclined to take advantage of others or be â€Å"born bad† due to personality disorders that were present during birth. Even though the Y chromosome theory, was for the most part media hype, research on the genetic influence of chromosomes is promising. Since males only have a single x chromosome, in any case, that chromosome is a mutated gene, men tend to be stuck with dysfunctional copy, while women have a backup copy safeguarding against this problem. The MAOA gene, found in the x chromosome is said to result in aggressive behavior in cases of abnormal versions of the gene (Baum, 2013). The protein in the MAOA assists the body in metabolizing and taking control of the chemical messenger known as neurotransmitters. For the people who cannot make the MAOA protein, they are exposed to the suffrage of borderline intellectual disability, the lack of impulse control, violent behavior and aggression. Often, human beings can inherit some form of a gene that is less effective in producing the MAOA protein hand has been associated with violence. For instance, a recent study discovered that a variant of the MAOA gene that is less effective in producing proteins leads to increased possibility of violent behaviors, but this only happens when the person has undergone childhood abuse or maltreatment. And even though still in their childhood stages as a legal defense, genetic influences are currently being introduced as mitigating circumstances in cases involving murder, with different outcomes. An example is the case of a convicted murderer Abdelmalek Bayout, who stabbed and killed a man and had his sentence reduced in court because he had a low-activity MAOA gene (Farisco, Petrini, 2012). He had his sentence reduced from 12 to 9 years, even though he was still considered responsible for the behaviors he committed, the mitigating circumstance of having an aggressive gene was important during the sentencing. Therefore, genes have a connection with antisocial behavior and empathy, but these featuring characteristics relate to the environment. The DNA of some people may make them look for dangerously exciting environments, which results in the reinforcement of the genetic effects. Genes alone, however, do not determine behavior, but instead, it is a combination of genetics and life events and circumstances that might contribute to violent behavior. Genes are often used in explaining frequent and troubling contradictions of violent behaviors. Why do some people, despite extreme challenging childhood experiences, become productive, even celebrated members of society, while others who had every advantage and opportunity, turn out badly? Based on the literature review above, it can be concluded that genetic contributes to violent behaviors at an approximate rate of fifty percent. On the other hand, environmental factors also account for the other fifty percent of the unexplained cases involving violent behavior. Acts of murder, rape, serial killings and destruction caused on people; family violence, gangs wars; and even terrorist activities are examples of violence that arise from intergroup rivalry, from the need to have a higher status to striking fear in others. Currently, the age-old habit of human beings to divide into status-differentiated groups like victors and vanquished or interpersonal violence continue to lead others to believe that in an era of weapons of mass destruction, the same genetically influenced behaviors that have long ensured the survival of human species will eventually lead to its demise.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Aviation in the United States Navy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Aviation in the United States Navy - Essay Example ogically superior and readily available. Using a full-spectrum approach, the command delivers solutions at optimal costs and provide support for vital programs for the U.S. Navy.NAVAIR works effectively as part of a warfighting partnership, known as the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) and the larger Navy Enterprise, through which interdependent issues affecting multiple commands are resolved on an Enterprise-wide basis. The NAVAIR Commander serves as the NAE operations officer" In this particular case, it is now established that the industry focuses more on conventional and advanced warfare. In this case, if we are to analyze the said inductry is limited to industries concerning avaition operation solely on the category of warfare technology. In this case, the said industry is only concerned on the propagation, development, repair and evaluation of aircrafts that are needed by the Naval Branch of the armed forces. Furthermore, Goodspeed (2006) in dealing with history claims that "On May 8, 1911 the Navy ordered its first airplanes and United States Naval Aviation was born. The Navy's aviation arm was founded on the same courage and spirit that still define its ranks: self-taught flier Eugene Ely, wearing a football helmet and bicycle inner tube as a life preserver became the first man to both take off and land on the deck of a ship. Over the next nine decades Naval Aviation has roared forward on the backs of the most advanced aircraft and well-trained avia tors and flight crews in the world" This means that if we are to deal with the number of interest and services it caters; categorically it only caters the microcosm part of the society particularly the armed forces. In this case, it only meets the needs of a certain amount of individuals in one particular organization which is the Naval Command. However, if we are to further deal with how it affects individuals as a whole, then we have to search for macro economic variables to know how it affects or influence individuals and organizations in general. Environmental Analysis of Aviation in the United States Navy 3 In looking for a macrocosmic variables, it is very important to look into the process and the quantity of how the organization affects individuals through its productions, services rendered and other variables to point out the origin of these and how it affects macrocosmic activities. The impact of the Naval aircraft with regards to security of the United States as a Nation and as a frontline of democracy in the world is so tremendous and this industry is of big help- The website Navy.mil (2006) states that "The objective of Navy Aerial Support is to help facilitate and coordinate the distribution of naval aircraft and aviation resources to public demonstrations across the United States" which means that the said

Friday, October 18, 2019

Contemporary Issues in Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Contemporary Issues in Accounting - Essay Example Around the world, governments (typically following the lead of practice) have begun to take notice, putting new disclosure regulations on the book. Despite these new regulations, significant questions remain about whether, and, possibly more importantly, how corporate disclosures about their social, environmental, and economic practices should evolve." (Corporate Disclosure of Social and Environmental Data Mandatory Vs Voluntary. 2004). If a particular organization is operating with an appropriate emphasis on its environmental issues, it means that it is focused on sustainability as well as the well being of the particular society in which the organization exists. Nowadays, the accounting system requires the disclosure of environmental facts in respect of financial accounting reports. The main purpose of preparing the financial accounting report is that to provide useful information about the business to its ultimate users. Such categories of users shall be owners, shareholders, investors, employees, suppliers, creditors and the public as a whole. Moreover, the report so made should be more relevant, it should possess the quality of materiality, accuracy and comparability. Environmental performance and economics measurements relate to a certain extent, as far as the accounting policies and reporting procedures are taken in to consideration. "Environmentally driven innovation can create shareholder value by lowering cost, improving production processes and service delivery, and helping to find new markets. Increased process efficiency is an example of a proven sustainability strategy for decreasing cost and adding revenue, there by improving profitability." (Slater and Gilbert 2004). The users of accounting reports should have a thorough knowledge about the changes that take place within the organization as well as in matter of accounting standard context. The accounting report should disclose the environmental performances, for the purpose of easily identifying and evaluating whether the organization is running as per the requirements of the society. Moreover, this helps to develop the reputation of the organization by comparing various environmental data obtained from the annual accounts of the company. "Investors and users of financial statements need information about the impact of environmental risks and liabilities on the financial position of the company, as well as the company's attitude towards the environment and its environmental performance, to the extent that these factors may have consequences for the financial health and performance of the company. Regulatory authorities have an interest in monitoring the application of environmental regulations by companies and the costs incurred as a result. But companies' voluntary disclosure of environmental data in annual accounts and annual reports is low. Users of annual reports have an interest in ascertaining to what extent environmental protection is an integral part of the company's policies and activities and what costs and benefits are associated." (Accounting: Commission issues Recommendation on environmental issues in companies' annual accounts a

The Role That Customer - Brand Identification Plays In Brand Loyalty Literature review

The Role That Customer - Brand Identification Plays In Brand Loyalty and Brand Promotion - Literature review Example A brand is principally responsible for establishing a strong relationship with the customers. Therefore brands hold the accountability to build a healthy and strong relationship with the customers of the company. In that process customer brand identification plays a major role. Brand identification is defined as the process of developing a brand that offers positive consumer benefits and in turn results in repeat purchase. Also in the process of customer brand identification, identity of a brand acts as a significant factor. Identity of a brand provides the direction, meaning and purpose of the brand. Brand identity is thus considered as the central unit towards the development of a strategic vision. Brands generally have 3 aspects namely brand image, brand identity and brand position. Brand image portrays about how the brand is being perceived by the customers, brand identity is about how the strategist desires the brand to be perceived by the target audience. Brand positioning is also a part of brand identity; it is about the way by which the intended audience can be effectively targeted. However modern studies highlights that branding has 5 aspects that are, design, positioning, customer relationship, storytelling and price (Healey, 2008, p.8). Thus in order to sustain with a brand in the market and continuously communicating the messages to the target customers, Relationship Marketing is a key process. The next half of the project will offer insights about relationship marketing. The area of relationship marketing has been an area of focus for the last few years. Relationship marketing mainly puts emphasis on the retention of customers rather than acquiring new customers. It heavily stresses on the process of customer satisfaction and gives less importance to sales transactions. Relationship

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Bottled Water Industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Bottled Water Industry - Case Study Example In 1990, it was found that Perrier bottles contains Benzene contents which are poisonous and even though Perrier assured it was a minor mistake done during operations, people didn't believe and had to reposition their brand after calling back 160 million dollars worth of sale. Perrier then introduced the lime and lemon flavors, and to introduce new stuff, they have also introduced Grape mint flavor after 2000. The bottled water boom was actually an unpredicted and strange phenomenon because the demand rose when Britain was at a height of recession, but now that it is mature and people are consuming it, there is cut-throat competition to capture the 1 million Euros per day market (second-opinions.co.uk). The UK market for natural bottled water has grown by 54% between 1993 and 1997, with volume sales reaching 804 million lt and worth an estimated 402 million pounds sterling. Still mineral water sales amount to 504 million lt in 1997, representing 62.6% of the market, with sparkling water sales estimated at 300 million lt. Premier Waters, with its Evian and Voltic brands, leads the branded market with a 17.6% share. The mineral waters market is forecast to reach volume sales of 1.42 billion lt by 2002, worth 493.6 million pounds sterling (faqs.org). Spokeswoman for P... This resulted in Perrier having 5.7% of total market share in bottled water market and it was ranked third, with Arrowhead and Sparkletts at number 1 and 2 respectively. Unlike most of the similar products that promote health and safety through the water, Perrier shows the way to be cool and target youth. The restaurant chains make a big time business for Perrier as the brand is widely used and even after so many ups and downs with the brand, it still remains at the top with a relatively good image. Perrier's sales in 1987 were 180 million Euros and they captured 40% of the market that year (books.google.com). Although the UK government and the ministry has tried several times to tell people that tap water is as safe as mineral water and they should not spend Euros on it, but nothing helped and people still use it in a large quantity. The market has now grown to more than 92 mineral water producers and another 30+ flavored mineral water producers. Most of the companies market themselves as a drink that is a family need, with sophistication and love. On the other hand, only Strathmore water and Perrier markets itself as a cool and chilling drink for the youth which should be taken on beaches and events. The most common observation is the sport event sponsoring done by most of the companies. Highland Spring sponsored UK cycling marathon held in January 2010 and British tennis in November 2009 (highland-spring.com), similarly Buxton water called itself 'the official water of England cricket'. This shows that there is a cut throat competition and companies are constantly trying to be at the to p by spending millions on advertising and promotional campaigns. Deside water even announced that they have scientifically proven that

Reponse to a Shakespeare Play Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reponse to a Shakespeare Play - Essay Example In essence, it leaves only one villain for the story who can be blamed for the tragedy and that is fate. It can be shown with the evidence present in the play that fate is the villain of the story and thus with fate lies the blame for the tragedy. The first instance where we know that fate will have a hand in this tragedy comes from the prologue itself where we are told that the lovers are â€Å"star-crossd† which essentially means that their futures have been completely determined by their fate. Spoken by the Chorus, the prologue foreshadows what is to happen in the play and it does not mention any other person responsible for the tragedy than fate itself (Nevo, 1969). Of course we know that the Capulets and the Montagues have a bitter feud between them but we are also told that this feud will be removed soon albeit with the death of their children. Of course this does not happen before a fare share of other characters in the play have died. For example, in Act 3, Scene 1, Mercutio is killed by Tybalt and Tybalt himself is slain by Romeo after which Romeo has to flee the city. This course of events prompts Romeo to cry out and say, â€Å"O, I am fortunes fool! (Act 3, Scene 1)†. Romeo seems quite aware of fortune playing tricks on him and fate controlling his destiny. Learning about Juliet’s death and knowing that he could do nothing to bring her back does not lessen his love and he remarks, â€Å"Then I defy you, stars! (Act 5, Scene 1)† showing his intent to take some disastrous step which would seal both their fates. â€Å"Romeo and Juliet is an tissue of improbably coincidences: Capulet’s illiterate servant happens by mere chance to ask Romeo to read the list of those invited to his master’s entertainment; Romeo, by a most unusual chance, decides to attend his arch-enemies’ festivities, and so chances to fall in love with Juliet; at just this time the Prince chances to make a stringent

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Company Promoter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Company Promoter - Essay Example 1) On 15th August, Bill signed a letter that stated, "For and on behalf of Cornhill Ltd, as agent only, Bill". He agreed to purchase computer equipment costing 30,000 pounds together with a servicing agreement for five years costing 120 pounds per month. Logitech was charging an exorbitant rate for the servicing agreement; hence they wished to terminate the contract. Owing to Salomon3 principle, a company is a separate legal entity different from its members and it can therefore sue and be sued in its own name. According to Salomon principle, Cornhill Ltd can claim can claim for wrong done against it. But here the company was not registered. A company does not come into existence until the promoter has completed the registration Requirements and the Registrar of the Companies issues a certificate of incorporation Prior to this time a company cannot bind by contracts entered into in its name or on its behalf. In practice, however, promoters will need to contract with the third parties for such things as a lease of premises, business equipments and connection to utilities so that once the certificate of incorporation is issued the company can begin trading4. The problem that arises in the relation to incorporation contracts is whether Bills can avoid being personally l... 9(2) of the European Communities Act 1972, now found in s.36C of the CA 1985. If somebody does not exist they cannot contract [Rover International Ltd v Cannon Film Sales Ltd (No 3)]5. So if this principle applied Cornhill Ltd can deny to follow the contract with Logitech because impose high price. Further, since at the time of a pre incorporation contracts the company does not exist, upon its subsequent creation it is necessarily a stranger to it and the doctrine of privity will operate to prevent rights and the liabilities being conferred to imposed on the company. The Contracts (Rights of third Parties) Act 1999, which allows enforcement of contracts by third parties if the contract expressly so provides or a term of the contract confers a benefit on the third party, does not apply to pre incorporation contracts. The Act is based on the recommendations of the Law Commission on its report, Privity of Contract: Contracts for the benefit of the Third Parties (Law Commission report No. 242, Cm 3329 (London, HMSO (1996)). Addressing the issue of pre incorporatio n contracts, the Law Commission drew the distinction between a contract on behalf of the third party and a contract for the benefit of a third party. The Law Commission stated that the former category involves the third party company becoming a party to the contract, and subject to all its rights and obligations, after its incorporation. In Kelner v Baxter6 promoters of a hotel company entered into a contract on its behalf for the purchase of wine the company, when incorporated, ratified. The wine was consumed but before payment was made the company went to liquidation.7 The promoters, as agents, were sued on the

Reponse to a Shakespeare Play Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reponse to a Shakespeare Play - Essay Example In essence, it leaves only one villain for the story who can be blamed for the tragedy and that is fate. It can be shown with the evidence present in the play that fate is the villain of the story and thus with fate lies the blame for the tragedy. The first instance where we know that fate will have a hand in this tragedy comes from the prologue itself where we are told that the lovers are â€Å"star-crossd† which essentially means that their futures have been completely determined by their fate. Spoken by the Chorus, the prologue foreshadows what is to happen in the play and it does not mention any other person responsible for the tragedy than fate itself (Nevo, 1969). Of course we know that the Capulets and the Montagues have a bitter feud between them but we are also told that this feud will be removed soon albeit with the death of their children. Of course this does not happen before a fare share of other characters in the play have died. For example, in Act 3, Scene 1, Mercutio is killed by Tybalt and Tybalt himself is slain by Romeo after which Romeo has to flee the city. This course of events prompts Romeo to cry out and say, â€Å"O, I am fortunes fool! (Act 3, Scene 1)†. Romeo seems quite aware of fortune playing tricks on him and fate controlling his destiny. Learning about Juliet’s death and knowing that he could do nothing to bring her back does not lessen his love and he remarks, â€Å"Then I defy you, stars! (Act 5, Scene 1)† showing his intent to take some disastrous step which would seal both their fates. â€Å"Romeo and Juliet is an tissue of improbably coincidences: Capulet’s illiterate servant happens by mere chance to ask Romeo to read the list of those invited to his master’s entertainment; Romeo, by a most unusual chance, decides to attend his arch-enemies’ festivities, and so chances to fall in love with Juliet; at just this time the Prince chances to make a stringent

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Low Voter Turnout in the United States Essay Example for Free

Low Voter Turnout in the United States Essay Throughout American history, there has been a steady decline in voter turnout. Not only has this been humiliating for the United States, low voter turnout has been and always will be a threat to American Democracy. The concept of democracy is dependent on citizens actively participating in elections and voting to select representatives for public office. The government cannot be representative of the people, unless the people elect its representatives. Voter turnout is a major indicator of how citizens view their electoral system, and whether or not they believe that the system is working. There are numerous factors that impede voter turnout, including: citizens political attitudes, demographic factors, and the structure of the electoral system. The established registration process is one of the main causes of low voter turnout in the United States. Unlike many democracies, the United States places the burden of registration on the individual (Vanishing Voter, 7). There are no penalties for citizens that do not register or vote in American elections. Some propose that requiring citizens to vote and imposing penalties on those who fail to do so will increase voter turnout. The dilemma with this proposal is that it is fundamentally undemocratic. Citizens of democratic societies are promised the right to vote. In guaranteeing the right to vote, citizens are guaranteed the right not to vote as well. There are better solutions to the problem of low voter turnout in the United States than enacting compulsory voting laws. America has not established a national system of automatic registration; procedures for voter registration differ from state to state. A universal system of voter registration would make it much more simple for people to vote. The problem with this solution is that automatically registering people to vote does not imply that they will actually go out and vote. Six states have enacted a good solution, same day registration, which has been proven to increase voter turnout anywhere from 10 to 17 percent (Donovan, 182). Same day voter registration allows qualified citizens to register to vote on the day that elections are held. Because many states do not allow same day registration, many Americans do not take the time and effort to register in the first place; same day registration helps to solve this  problem. The registration process and electoral system also creates a problem of convenience. Not only is the registration process inconvenient, Election Day itself is problematic. Election day is held on a Tuesday, impeding the majority of the population from voting due to work-related duties and responsibilities. The solution for this problem is to make Election Day a national holiday. If citizens did not have the responsibility to be at work, they would be much more likely to find time and take the effort to go out and vote. Other solutions have been offered, including: extending the voting period, enacting absentee ballot systems, and voting by mail. While all of these other solutions have made it easier, cheaper and more convenient for citizens to vote, the costs do not fully outweigh the benefits. In any kind of early voting solution, the biggest concern is that early voters vote without knowing all of the significant information needed to make a well-informed vote. Many occurrences and revelations come at the end of the campaigns and can no longer influence voters that have already voted and cannot change their selection. A voters political attitude is the biggest indicator of whether or not he or she will vote. Interest in the election, concern over outcome, feelings of civic pride, and political efficacy [all] affect how people vote (Wayne, 83). Throughout American history, there has been a decline in partisan identification. Party allegiance is a stimulus for voting. Since citizens are not as loyal to partisanship as they were in the past, they have less incentive to actually go out and vote in elections. As a group, independents are 12 percent less likely to vote than are strong partisans (Wayne, 83). Along with the decline in party identification, interest in political campaigns has been declining steadily overtime as well. In todays society, politics is forced to compete with so many other things in the media or at home for peoples attention. Media audiences are more interested in human-interest and celebrity stories than they are in politics. Because of this, election coverage in the media has greatly declined. The medias coverage of the election is dominated by the use of  negative advertising and attack journalism. The frequent use of negative advertising in the media has played a role in Americas declining voter turnout. These negative advertisements repel potential voters; causing them to lose interest in the political campaign. Along with negative advertising, the lack of competition between candidates has also decreased political interests and led to low voter turnout. Low political efficacy has greatly reduced voter turnout in the United States. Voter efficacy is the belief that ones vote counts and that voters can change the way government works or public officials behave (Wayne, 83). There are many factors affecting voter efficacy, including education and income. Income plays a major role in voter turnout. With the expansion of poverty in the United States, the gap between the rich and the poor is steadily growing. Citizens of lower income typically have lower voter efficacy. They are also less concerned with the outcome of the election than citizens of higher income levels, therefore, many of these people simply choose not to vote because they feel that they will not be affected by the outcome of the election. Income, education, and likelihood to vote are all positively correlated; more educated citizens have higher income levels and are much more likely to vote. Education is the greatest influence on voting behavior. It provides people with the skills for processing and evaluating information; for perceiving differences among the parties, candidates, and issues; and for relating these differences to personal values and behavior (Wayne, 83). The more educated a citizen is, the more interested they are in the election and the more concerned they are with the outcome. Educated citizens also have a great sense of civic pride and higher voter efficacy. All of these factors combined lead to a much higher likelihood of a person to actually turnout and vote. To increase political education, some propose conducting citizen education campaigns. The goal of these campaigns is to educate the people on the benefits and responsibility involved with voting. The main problem with this solution is that it is easier said than done. It is very hard to persuade  nonvoters to take the time and make the effort to educate themselves on the reasons why they should vote. A better way to increase education and voter turnout is to encourage grassroots campaigns. These get-out-the-vote campaigns help motivate interest in elections with nonvoters and can influence them to vote, increasing voter turnout. Neither conducting citizen education campaigns nor encouraging grassroots campaigns can promise an increase in voter turnout, but both can help influencing citizens to vote and possibly lead to higher voter turnout in the United States. Low voter turnout is a big problem in the United States. According to Wayne, Low turnout suggests that people may be alienated, lack faith in the candidate and parties, think that the government is and will remain unresponsive to their needs and interests, and believe that they cannot achieve change through the electoral process (Wayne, 85). The voter turnout problem is very hard to solve because low voter turnout itself leads to less voting. The numerous factors that impede voter turnout include: citizens political attitudes, demographic factors, and the structure of the electoral system. Some of the impediments are structural, but the most influential impediments are caused by other factors, such as the media, political campaigns, and the American citizens. Overall, the benefits of increasing voter turnout greatly outweigh the costs of doing so. While some proposed solutions may work better than others, it is most important to change voters attitudes about politics and make it more convenient for Americans to both register and vote. Higher voter turnout will reverse the relentless cycle of low voter turnout and help lead to a more representative democracy. Bibliography 1. The Road to the White House 2008. 8th edition. Stephen J. Wayne. 20082. Reforming the Republic: Democratic Institutions for the New America. Todd Donowan and Shaun Bowler. 2004

Monday, October 14, 2019

Differences Between RPC And RMI

Differences Between RPC And RMI In enterprise application there is possibility that resources need to be access across multiple system to do a business process. One of the Javas solutions for distributed application is Remote Method Invocation (RMI). Objective of this paper is understand how a RMI system works in real time scenarios and how enterprise application can implemented using java RMI APIs. An enterprise distributed system is a set of objects that isolates the consumers of services from the providers of services by a well-defined interface. In other words, clients are completely abstracted from the implementation of business method as data structure and executable code. This is how one can distinguish with simple client / server application with object based remote invocation method model. In the distributed enterprise object model, a client sends a request message to an object, which in turns analyzes the request to decide what service to perform. This business entity service, selection could be performed by either the object or a broker. Remote Method Invocation (RMI): RMI is one of the possible ways to access distributed business objects from another JVM and RMI uses object serialization to marshal and unmarshal parameters. If you want send objects across the wire, your class (object) need to implements Serializable interface. Here is the RMI architecture and how RMI s works internally. RMI Transport Layer Client Server skeleton stub Interface Interface Client Process Server Process Process According to sun web site Java Remote Method Invocation (Java RMI) enables the programmer to create distributed Java technology-based to Java technology-based applications, in which the methods of remote Java objects can be invoked from other Java virtual machines*, possibly on different hosts. RMI uses object serialization to marshal and unmarshal parameters and does not truncate types, supporting true object-oriented polymorphism. When a enterprise server process wants to export some remote method invocation based service to consumer, it does so by registering remote method invocation enabled objects with its local rmiregistry (Registry interface). Every remote object is registered with a name consumer can use to reference it. A consumer can obtain a reference of stub to the remote object by requesting for the remote object by name through the Naming interface. The argument for Naming.lookup() method is name of a remote object and locates the object on the network. The objects fully qualified name can be composed with host name port and the name of the object look like url syntax for the naming resource. Few of the terminology one should know about RMI are listed below. rmiregistry A executable program used to bind remote object to names and that provides a bootstrap naming service which is used by servers on the server machine. JVMs on client and server machines can then look up remote objects and make remote method invocations. rmic: The rmic compiler tool generates stub, and skeleton class files for remote objects. These classes files are generated from the compiled Java language classes that contain remote object implementations (implemented java.rmi.Remote interface). skeleton : A skeleton for a remote object is a JRMP protocol server side business object that contains a method which dispatch calls to the actual remote object realization. stub: A proxy object for a remote object which is responsible for delegating method on remote objects to the server where implementation of the actual remote object resides. A consumer program reference to a remote object, therefore, is actually a reference to a local stub. Remote Interface: The Remote interface serves to recognize interfaces whose methods may be invoked from a non-local virtual machine. Any object that is a remote object must directly or indirectly implement this interface. Difference between RPC and RMI Remote procedure call (RPC) is a network communication protocol with server and client architecture and the idea behind RPC is to call implemented code remotely as if we were just calling a function. The only difference between RMI and RPC is in case of RPC functions are invoked through a proxy function, and in case of RMI we invoke methods through a proxy object. RMI is java solution to RPC, with connectivity to existing systems using native methods. RMI can take a natural, direct, and fully powered approach to provide a enterprise distributed computing technology that allows us to add Java functionality throughout the system. To get the cross-platform portability that Java provides, RPC requires a lot more overheads than RMI. RPC has to convert the arguments between architecture so that each computer can use its native data type. Java-RMI is tightly coupled with the Java language. Whereas RPC is not specific to any single language and one can implement RPC using different language. Because RMI can implemented using Java, its get all the advantages like object oriented, parallel computing, design pattern, easy to write and re use, safe and secure, Write once and run anywhere. But in the case of RPC, to achieve any of these advantages one has to write implementation code. Sample application: To demonstrate RMI and distributed application in real time I have implemented a Lottery system. The Lottery system is developed as per UK Lotto system. Assuming that user before using this RMI client application already purchased the lottery ticket. Lottery client system displays the welcome message to customer. Lottery system also displays the winning amount to the customer. The Lottery system is developed as per UK Lotto system. But simplifying system I have modified certain rules. Here how winner is chosen. Jackpot, Match 6: Â £500,000 Match 5 numbers: Â £1,500 Match 4 numbers: Â £60 Match 3 numbers: Â £10. System asks customer to enter positive integer number ranging 1 to 49. Once he enters all 6 numbers Lottery system generate 6 winning non-repeating random number between 1 to 49. System checks the match between user entered number and server generated number and calculate winning amount and display the result Implementation: Here is how I have implemented Lottery system Define a remote interface import java.rmi.Remote; public interface LotteryGenerator extends Remote { public ArrayList getLottoryNumber() throws java.rmi.RemoteException; } Implement the remote interface Below is the just a snippet of the implementation class for the remote interface. I have not listed the supporting private methods of the class. import java.rmi.RemoteException; public class LotteryGeneratorImpl extends java.rmi.server.UnicastRemoteObject implements LotteryGenerator{ private ArrayList numbers; // Integer array for holding repeat private ArrayList lot; private java.util.Random gen; public ArrayList getLottoryNumber(){ lot.clear(); for(int i=0;i