Preparation and Reactions of Boric Acid

To prepare boric acid from sodium deteriorate (borax) To carry out tests on the prepared sample of boric acid To study the physical and chemical properties of boric acid Introduction: Boron is an element in the p-block of the periodic table. It has the electron configuration of 1s22s22p1 and is in group 3 or coup 13 (PUPAS classification). In nature, it consists of two isotopes BIB (19. 6%) and BIB (80. 4%). Boron is bonded to the oxygen in nature. The important sources of Boron are borax and kerning.Boron sides and their derivatives are technologically important and are relatively inexpensive to produce. Boron oxides is very difficult to crystallite and normally exists in a glassy state (d=l . CACM-1). Molten boron oxide has a high melting point of 450 degree Celsius that is readily dissolves metal oxides to form colored borate glasses as one of the main commercial uses of boric oxide. Particularly, borosilicate glasses find wide applications in glassblowing and the production of gl ass objects. On top of the boric acid, it is also known as hydrogen borate as a weak monobasicLewis acid. At room temperature, it exists as white powder or colorless crystals with a chemical formula of HOBBS or B(OH)3. Apparatus and materials: ;Sodium deteriorate ;Concentrated hydrochloric acid ;Concentrated sulfuric acid ;Methyl red indicator ;Imitation ;Beaker ;Methanol ;Distilled water ;Electric heater ;Test tube ;Test tube rack ;Glass rod ;Suction funnel ;Suction pump ;Filter flask ;Filter paper ;Spatula ;Watch glass ;Splint Procedures: 1 . About log of sodium deteriorate (borax) is dissolved in CACM of water in a beaker. 2.The mixture is boiled and CACM of concentrated hydrochloric is added into the solution. 3. The beaker is immersed into a container with ice and water to cool down the temperature. 4. After the solution is cooled down, the boric acid is crystallized out by using the Boucher funnel, 2 layers of filter papers, suction pump and a filtering flask. 5. The remaining crystals in the beaker and on the glass rod are washed well with ice-cold water for a few times and filtered off with the Boucher funnel. 6. The yield is left aside to be dried and the weight is measured and recorded.Test 1 1. A little boric acid is inserted into a test tube. 2. Small amount of distilled water is added to dissolve the acid in the test tube. 3. A drop of methyl red indicator is added. 4. Test tube is labeled as A. 5. Steps 1 to 3 are repeated again by replacing the acid with the imitation and the test tube is labeled as B. 6. Half of each solution in test tube A and B are mixed in a test tube labeled as C. 7. All results and observation are recorded. -rest 2 1. A small amount of boric acid crystals is inserted into a Tyrant boiling tube. 2.A little ethanol is added into the boiling tube Just to cover the acid. 3. Some concentrated sulfuric acid is then added into the tube. 4. The boiling tube is held by a test tube holder and heated on a Bunsen burner. 5. The vapor produced is ignited by using a burning wooden splinter. 6. All observations are recorded. Discussion: First and foremost, we managed to yield 4. Egg of HOBBS. According to our calculation, the theoretical mass that we are supposed to obtain is 6. Egg. This means that our percentage of yield is 74. 64%. According to Vogue's Textbook ofPractical Organic Chemistry, yields around 100% are called quantitative, whereas yields above 70% are good. This means that our team did quite a great Job. Boric acid is a Lewis acid that is able to interact with the water molecules to give out hydrogen ions and dehydrogenation ion in the solution. In test 1, the methyl red indicator is used to determine the acidity of the each solution in different test tubes. The indicator can show the pH range at around 4. 4 – 6. 2. At pH 4. 4, the solution with the indicator will appear to be in red in color and whereas at pH 6. , it will show allow. On test tube A, solution turns from colorless to pink color . This shows that boric acid is a relatively weak acid with pH around 4-5. Next on test tube B, the methyl red indicator is added into a imitation solution. The color of the solution seemed to remain unchanged. It is colorless. In fact, the solution is supposed to change from colorless to yellow. Perhaps, we accidentally made some mistakes by adding the wrong reactant in the experiment or we were a bit of too rush deciding the color of the solution without looking at it carefully.Thirdly, when we mix both he solutions from A and B, an intense pink solution is formed. This means that a stronger acid is formed. It can be simply explained by the stronger acid complex formed in between imitation and boric acid. The pH is less than 4 for sure. According to the test 2 results, a beautiful green flame is formed when we ignite the vapor with a burning wooden splinter. By mixing the alcohol (methanol) and acid (conch HOSTS) will create ester (CHI)BIBB. An alcohol flame itself is usually, ord inarily colorless. The presence of the green in the flame is indicating the ester formed contains boron element.A strong acid like concentrated sulfuric acid is needed to propionate the HOBBS and this will create the electroplate which attacks the O atom of the methanol. Without the existence of a strong acid, an intense green flame might not be formed. This is because ester may not formed and even if it is formed, it will exist in equilibrium with the alcohol & boric acid. Thus, making the green flame not really intense. There are a few precautionary steps that should be taken during this experiment. Firstly, suction pump used in test 1 is powerful and thus, 2 layers of filter papers are seed to cover the holes of the Boucher funnel.From our experience, the suction pump will cause the filter paper to be torn if only a piece of filter paper is used. Furthermore, we shall always pour the solution slowly on the rod, so that the solution will flow slowly without causing any wastage. By using this method, we can make sure the crystals are accumulated in the middle of the filter paper and it eases our Job to take out the filter paper from the funnel. On top of the safety, all acids are corrosive. In this experiment, we use concentrated hydrochloric acid and concentrated elliptic acid.We shall wear gloves and handle them with extra care to prevent and avoid any accident to occur. In addition, a tyrant boiling tube is used instead of a test tube in test 2 (flame test). A boiling tube can withstand strong heat without breakage. Test 2 (flame test) has to be carried out in the fume hood as the vapor released from the boiling tube is toxic. Therefore, we shall remain our distance with the vapor, although the green flame is beautiful. Last but not least, we shall discard the excess boric acid into the waste bottle instead of basin as to prevent water pollution.

Discrimination of African Americans in Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander, is a book about the discrimination of African Americans in today's society. One of Alexander's main points is the War on Drugs and how young African American males are targeted and arrested due to racial profiling. Racial profiling, discrimination, and segregation is not as popular as it used to be during the Civil War, however, Michelle Alexander digs deeper, revealing the truth about our government and the racial scandal in the prison systems.She writes, â€Å"†¦ in major cities wracked by the drug war, as many as 80 percent of young African American men now have criminal records and are thus subject to legalized discrimination for the rest of their lives. These young men are part of a growing undercaste, permanently locked up and locked out of mainstream society. (Alexander pg. 7)† In our nation today, we hardly think of discrimination as being a big issue, but Alexander shows tha t our prison systems are proof of discrimination.Other studies help support this by saying that, â€Å"African Americans make up 57 percent of the people in state prisons for drug offenses. † This colorblindness has become a part of our daily lives. We can not see how much our nation is affected by racism until we stop and actually listen to those who have fallen victim of being placed in prison due to their skin color. Not only are African Americans racially profiled, they are also punished much worse than Caucasians by being sentenced longer in prisons and losing all of their rights once they are released back into society.As if it is not bad enough, being in prison for many years and having a felon label tattooed on their foreheads, colored people are exiled from everyday life. They can not vote, they can not buy a house, they can not work in many places, they can not have a normal life. They are looked at differently by society in turn putting them in a racial caste syste m, while we go about our lives over looking this mass incarceration. If I were to ask, â€Å"Is racism current in the world today?‘ Many Caucasians would say no, while African Americans would say yes. This is due to the fact that we are all colorblind. The worst part of this mass incarceration is that African Americans who have been placed in prison and are now free have no voice. They are unable to protest against this terrible system because they have no rights. Thus making them go back to their old ways, because it is what they know, therefore creating a cycle of mass incarceration. So how do we as a nation stop this disgusting system?Noel Sheppard, the Associate Editor of NewsBusters, wrote an article on Oprah Winfrey's interview with Will Gompertz from BBC on racism. Sheppard wrote that Oprah's view is that, â€Å"†¦it's older white people that are the problem, and once they die, racism end. † The problem with this is that families keep traditions, and they a re loyal to each other, so if the grandfather is racist then his children are most likely going to be racist, so on and so forth. This is not true for all families, however it is for most.Let us just say those points of view are a generational curse that should be stopped, but that is not the solution to stop the war on drugs and the racism that tags along. Neill Franklin, a Baltimore ex-police officer who is Executive Director of Law Enforcement against Prohibition, asked a question as he was being interviewed with Judith Brown Dianas, Co-Director of the Advancement Project by Roland Martin, â€Å"What part of our current policies of drug prohibition are working? Do we have less crime, less addiction rates, less disease, less overdose rates?†He goes on to say, â€Å"No, none of it is working and the only solution to ending the drug war is to end the prohibition of drugs, that means legalization. † This is a good point, however, then it would be a tax issue on the drug s, and there would be more problems making bills to allow people of a certain age to use them, how much you can and can not have at one time, etc.. and then the whole racism problem would not be stopped, yet again because people are still going to abuse those privileges and African Americans will still be the primary target.The only way to end this issue is step by step. In Michelle Alexander's conclusion, she goes on to say that, â€Å"What we need is an Underground Railroad for people coming out of our prisons to bring them back into society, instead of permanently stigmatizing and marginalizing a whole underclass numbering the millions. † I agree with her. We need to help those who are out of prison due to being victim of mass incarceration become normal, active citizens of the United states. Discrimination of African Americans in Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander, is a book about the discrimination of African Americans in today's society. One of Alexander's main points is the War on Drugs and how young African American males are targeted and arrested due to racial profiling. Racial profiling, discrimination, and segregation is not as popular as it used to be during the Civil War, however, Michelle Alexander digs deeper, revealing the truth about our government and the racial scandal in the prison systems.She writes, â€Å"†¦ in major cities wracked by the drug war, as many as 80 percent of young African American men now have criminal records and are thus subject to legalized discrimination for the rest of their lives. These young men are part of a growing undercaste, permanently locked up and locked out of mainstream society. (Alexander pg. 7)† In our nation today, we hardly think of discrimination as being a big issue, but Alexander shows tha t our prison systems are proof of discrimination.Other studies help support this by saying that, â€Å"African Americans make up 57 percent of the people in state prisons for drug offenses. † This colorblindness has become a part of our daily lives. We can not see how much our nation is affected by racism until we stop and actually listen to those who have fallen victim of being placed in prison due to their skin color. Not only are African Americans racially profiled, they are also punished much worse than Caucasians by being sentenced longer in prisons and losing all of their rights once they are released back into society.As if it is not bad enough, being in prison for many years and having a felon label tattooed on their foreheads, colored people are exiled from everyday life. They can not vote, they can not buy a house, they can not work in many places, they can not have a normal life. They are looked at differently by society in turn putting them in a racial caste syste m, while we go about our lives over looking this mass incarceration. If I were to ask, â€Å"Is racism current in the world today?'Many Caucasians would say no, while African Americans would say yes. This is due to the fact that we are all colorblind. The worst part of this mass incarceration is that African Americans who have been placed in prison and are now free have no voice. They are unable to protest against this terrible system because they have no rights. Thus making them go back to their old ways, because it is what they know, therefore creating a cycle of mass incarceration. So how do we as a nation stop this disgusting system?Noel Sheppard, the Associate Editor of NewsBusters, wrote an article on Oprah Winfrey's interview with Will Gompertz from BBC on racism. Sheppard wrote that Oprah's view is that, â€Å"†¦it's older white people that are the problem, and once they die, racism end. † The problem with this is that families keep traditions, and they are loya l to each other, so if the grandfather is racist then his children are most likely going to be racist, so on and so forth. This is not true for all families, however it is for most.Let us just say those points of view are a generational curse that should be stopped, but that is not the solution to stop the war on drugs and the racism that tags along. Neill Franklin, a Baltimore ex-police officer who is Executive Director of Law Enforcement against Prohibition, asked a question as he was being interviewed with Judith Brown Dianas, Co-Director of the Advancement Project by Roland Martin, â€Å"What part of our current policies of drug prohibition are working? Do we have less crime, less addiction rates, less disease, less overdose rates?†He goes on to say, â€Å"No, none of it is working and the only solution to ending the drug war is to end the prohibition of drugs, that means legalization. † This is a good point, however, then it would be a tax issue on the drugs, and there would be more problems making bills to allow people of a certain age to use them, how much you can and can not have at one time, etc.. and then the whole racism problem would not be stopped, yet again because people are still going to abuse those privileges and African Americans will still be the primary target.The only way to end this issue is step by step. In Michelle Alexander's conclusion, she goes on to say that, â€Å"What we need is an Underground Railroad for people coming out of our prisons to bring them back into society, instead of permanently stigmatizing and marginalizing a whole underclass numbering the millions. † I agree with her. We need to help those who are out of prison due to being victim of mass incarceration become normal, active citizens of the United states.

Succubus Shadows Chapter 2

I tossed and turned the rest of the night. Being visited by a weird supernatural force will do that to you. Besides, I had never fully recovered from the time an ber-powerful entity of chaos had merged with me in my sleep and sucked away my energy. Her name was Nyx, and last I'd heard, she was imprisoned. Still, what she'd done to me – and what she'd shown me – had left a lasting impression. The fact that Roman couldn't identify what had happened tonight was a little unnerving. So, I woke up bleary-eyed, sporting a massive headache that was probably equal parts hangover and sleep deprivation. Succubi had the rapid healing that all immortals possessed, which meant I must have seriously screwed myself up to have these lingering effects. I knew the headache would pass soon, but I took some ibuprofen to help the process. The condo was quiet when I shuffled into the kitchen, and despite my efforts to clean up the food last night, I was still surrounded in the tattered and worn-out feel that followed most parties. Godiva, curled up on the back of the couch, lifted her head at my arrival, but Aubrey continued sleeping undisturbed in her spot on an armchair. I started some coffee and then wandered over to my patio, staring out at the sunny day and the Seattle skyline on the other side of the gray-blue water stretching off before me. A familiar sensation suddenly swept me, like brimstone and red-hot needles. I sighed. â€Å"Kind of early for you, isn't it?† I asked, not needing to turn around to know Jerome, archdemon of the greater Seattle area and my hellish boss, stood behind me. â€Å"It's noon, Georgie,† he replied dryly. â€Å"The rest of the world is up and around.† â€Å"It's Saturday. The laws of time and space are different today. Noon qualifies as early.† I turned around at last, largely because I'd heard the coffee-maker finish. Jerome was leaning against my kitchen wall, immaculately dressed as always in a black designer suit. Also, like always, the demon looked exactly like a circa 1990s version of John Cusack. He could appear as anything or anyone he wanted in this world, but for reasons he kept vague, Mr. Cusack was his preferred shape. I'd gotten so used to it that whenever Say Anything or Grosse Pointe Blank came on TV, I always had to pause and ask myself, â€Å"What's Jerome doing in this movie?† I poured a cup of coffee and held up the pot by way of invitation. Jerome shook his head. â€Å"I suppose,† he said, â€Å"your roommate is also being a sloth and isn't actually out running errands?† â€Å"That'd be my guess.† I doused my coffee liberally with vanilla creamer. â€Å"I used to kind of hope that when he wasn't around, it meant he was out looking for a job. Turns out I was just setting myself up for disappointment.† Honestly, I was glad it was Roman that Jerome had come to see. When Jerome was looking for me, no good ever came of it. It always tended to result in some traumatic, world-threatening event in the immortal underground. I trudged back across the living room, noting that the cats had disappeared upon Jerome's arrival. Coffee still in hand, I headed to Roman's room, knocking once before opening the door. I figured as landlady, I had that right. Also, I'd found Roman had a remarkable ability to ignore knocking for large amounts of time. He was sprawled across his bed, wearing only a pair of navy blue boxers that gave me pause. As I'd noted before, he was terribly good-looking, despite the prickly attitude he'd had since moving in. Seeing him half-dressed always gave me a weird flashback to the one time we'd slept together. Then, I'd have to remind myself that he was probably plotting how to kill me. It went a long way to stifle any residual lust. Roman's arm covered his eyes against the sunlight streaming through his window. He shifted, moving the arm slightly, and peered at me with one eye. â€Å"It's early,† he said. â€Å"Not according to your exalted sire.† A few seconds passed, and then he grimaced as he too sensed Jerome's immortal signature. With a sigh, Roman sat up, pausing to rub his eyes. He looked about as exhausted as I felt, but if there was one force in this world that could drag him out of bed after a late night, it was my boss – no matter Roman's bold claims from last night. He staggered to his feet and moved past me in the doorway. â€Å"Aren't you going to get dressed?† I exclaimed. Roman's only answer was a disinterested wave of his hand as he headed down the hall. I followed him back and discovered Jerome pouring himself a mug of some vodka leftover from last night. Well, it was five o'clock somewhere. He arched an eyebrow when he saw Roman's scantily clad state. â€Å"Nice of you to dress up.† Roman made a beeline for the coffee. â€Å"Only the best for you, Pop. Besides, Georgina likes it.† A moment of heavy silence followed as Jerome's dark eyes studied Roman. I knew nothing about Roman's mother, but Jerome was the demon who had fathered him thousands of years ago. Technically, Jerome had been an angel at the time, but making the moves on a human had got him fired from Heaven and sent off to work for those down below. No severance package. Roman occasionally made snide comments about their familial relationship, but Jerome never acknowledged it. In fact, according to both Heaven and Hell's rules, Jerome should have blasted Roman from the earth ages ago. Angels and demons considered nephilim unnatural and wrong and continually attempted to hunt them to extinction. It was kind of harsh, even with the sociopathic tendencies nephilim tended to have. Roman had been instrumental in saving Jerome recently, however, and the two had struck a deal that allowed Roman to live peacefully in Seattle – for now. If any of Jerome's colleagues found out about this illicit arrangement, there would literally be hell to pay – for all of us. A good succubus would have told on her rule-breaking boss. â€Å"So what brings you here?† asked Roman, pulling up a chair. â€Å"Want to toss the old football around?† Jerome's face remained impassive. â€Å"I have a job for you.† â€Å"Like one that pays the rent?† I asked hopefully. â€Å"Like one that ensures I'll continue to allow him to live in the lifestyle he's accustomed to,† replied Jerome. Roman had an amused, devil-may-care smile on his face that was typical of him, but I wasn't fooled. He knew the threat Jerome represented and also knew that part of their deal involved Roman doing errands for his father. Still, Roman made a good show of acting like he was the one doing Jerome a favor. The nephilim gave an unconcerned shrug. â€Å"Sure. I've got nothing else going on today. What's up?† â€Å"We have a new immortal visitor in town,† said Jerome. If Roman's attitude annoyed him, the demon was just as good at masking his feelings. â€Å"A succubus.† My removed, psychological study of father and son dynamics came to a screeching halt. â€Å"What?† I exclaimed, straightening up so quickly that I nearly spilled my coffee. â€Å"I thought we were set after Tawny.† I'd worked the succubus scene solo around here for years until Jerome had acquired another one several months ago. Her name was Tawny, and while she was annoying and pretty inept as succubi went, there was still something rather endearing about her. Fortunately, Jerome had sent her off to Bellingham, keeping her a comfortable hour-and-a-half drive from me. â€Å"Not that it's any of your business, Georgie, but this one's not here to work. She's here†¦as a visitor. On vacation.† Jerome's lips twisted with bitter amusement. Roman and I exchanged looks. Immortals could certainly take personal vacations, but clearly, there was more to this. â€Å"And?† asked Roman. â€Å"She's really here because†¦?† â€Å"Because I'm sure my superiors want to check up on me after the recent†¦incident.† His words were delicate, with a very subtle warning not to elaborate on said incident. It was the one Roman and I had rescued him from – a summoning that had imprisoned Jerome as part of a demonic power play. Letting yourself get summoned was embarrassing for a demon and could call his territorial control into question. Hell sending someone to survey the situation wasn't that crazy. â€Å"You think she's spying to see if you can still run things?† asked Roman. â€Å"I'm certain of it. I want you to follow her around and see who she reports back to. I'd do it myself, but it's better if I don't appear suspicious. So I need to stay visible.† â€Å"Lovely,† said Roman, voice as dry as his father's. â€Å"There's nothing I want to do more than trail a succubus around.† â€Å"From what I hear, you're pretty good at it,† I piped in. It was true. Roman had stalked me invisibly a number of times. Lesser immortals like me couldn't hide the telltale signature that wreathed all of us, but Roman had inherited that ability from Jerome, making him the perfect spy. Roman shot me a wry look, then turned back to Jerome. â€Å"When do I start?† â€Å"Immediately. Her name is Simone, and she's staying down at the Four Seasons. Go there and see what she does. Mei will relieve you off and on.† Mei was Jerome's second-in-command demon. â€Å"The Four Seasons?† I asked. â€Å"Is Hell paying for that? I mean, we're in a recession.† Jerome sighed. â€Å"Hell's never in a recession. And I didn't think your droll commentary started until after you'd finished your coffee.† I showed him my cup. It was empty. Jerome sighed again and then vanished without warning. He apparently had no doubts that Roman would follow his orders. Roman and I stood there for several quiet seconds, during which both cats resurfaced. Aubrey rubbed against Roman's bare leg, and he scratched her head. â€Å"Guess I should shower and get dressed,† he said at last, rising to his feet. â€Å"Don't trouble yourself,† I said. â€Å"And won't you be invisible anyway?† He turned his back to me and walked off down the hallway. â€Å"I was thinking of dropping off some job applications when Mei gives me a break.† â€Å"Liar,† I said. I don't think he heard. It wasn't until the shower kicked on that I realized I should have asked Jerome about that weird sensation last night. It was so odd; I didn't even know how to describe it. The more I pondered it, the more I wondered if it had been alcohol-induced. Admittedly, Roman claimed he'd sensed something, but he'd drank as much as me. And speaking of jobs†¦my kitchen clock was telling me I needed to head off to mine. One thing about this condo was that the skyline view had come at the cost of work convenience. My old apartment had been in Queen Anne, the same neighborhood that Emerald City Books and Caf? ¦ resided in. I used to be able to walk to work, but that was impossible from West Seattle, meaning I had to allow commuting time. Unlike Roman, I had no need to physically shower and change – not that I wouldn't have liked to. I found human routines comforting. A brief burst of succubus shape-shifting cleaned me up, putting me in a work-appropriate peach sundress and arranging my light brown hair into a loose bun. Roman didn't surface before I had to leave, so I grabbed another cup of coffee and left him a note asking if it would kill him to take out the garbage before he went off to play secret agent. My headache and the last effects of the hangover were gone by the time I walked into the store. It was abuzz with late afternoon shoppers, people out running Saturday errands and tourists who had wandered over from the Space Needle and Seattle Center down the street. I dropped my purse off in my office and then did a managerial sweep of the store, satisfied that everything was running smoothly – until I noticed we had a line of eight people and only one cashier. â€Å"Why are you alone?† I asked Beth. She was a long-time employee and a good one, answering my question without even looking up from her customer's order. â€Å"Gabrielle's on break, and Doug isn't†¦feeling well.† Memories of the vodka competition came back to me. I grimaced, feeling both guilty and smug. â€Å"Where is he?† â€Å"Over in erotica.† I felt my eyebrows rise but said nothing as I turned away and walked across the store. Our small erotica section was bizarrely stuffed in between automotive and animals (amphibians, to be precise). And crammed in between the two shelves of the erotica section was Doug, sitting on the floor with his head resting facedown on his knees. I knelt beside him. â€Å"Hair of the dog time?† I asked. He lifted his head and brushed black hair out of his face. His expression was miserable. â€Å"You cheated. You're like half my size. How are you not in a coma?† â€Å"Older and wiser,† I said. If only he knew just how old. I took hold of his arm and tugged it. â€Å"Come on. Let's go to the caf? ¦ and get you some water.† For a moment, he looked like he'd resist, but a valiant effort soon followed. He even managed not to stagger too much as I led him to the store's second floor, which was half books and half coffee shop. I grabbed a bottle of water, told the barista I'd pay for it later, and started to drag Doug to a chair. As I scanned around, I nearly came to a halt, causing poor Doug to stumble. Seth was sitting at a table, laptop spread open in front of him. This was his favorite place to write, which had been nice when we dated and now was†¦awkward. Maddie sat with him, purse in hand and light coat on. I recalled that we started at the same time today. She must have just arrived. They waved us over, and she gave her brother a chastising look. â€Å"Serves you right.† Doug took a long gulp of water. â€Å"Whatever happened to sisterly love?† â€Å"I still haven't forgiven you for the time you shaved my dachshund.† â€Å"That was like twenty years ago. And that little bastard had it coming.† I smiled out of habit. Doug and Maddie's bantering was usually must-see TV for me. Today, Seth held my attention. It had been easier to ignore him last night while in the throes of alcohol, easy to pretend I'd grudgingly accepted him moving on to Maddie. But now, in the cold light of sobriety, I felt that old ache stir within my chest. I swore I could smell the scent of his skin, his sweat mingled with the woodsy apple soap he used. Sunlight from the caf? ¦'s large windows infused his messy brown hair with copper, and I could perfectly recall what it had been like to stroke the lines of his face, the smooth skin of his upper cheek and stubble on his chin. Looking up to his eyes, I was surprised to see his attention on me as the siblings continued their playful bickering. I'd almost convinced myself last night that he only thought of me as a friend, but now†¦now I wasn't so sure. There was something warm there, something considering. Something I knew shouldn't be there. I suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that he might be remembering the handful of times we'd had sex. I was thinking of it too. My powers had been shut off when Jerome disappeared, and Seth and I had been able to have â€Å"safe† – by which I meant, no succubus side effects – sex. Except for one. He'd still been dating Maddie at the time, and cheating on her had tainted his soul with sin. That was worse than if I'd sucked his energy away. As of this moment, Seth was a Hell-bound soul. He didn't realize that, but regret for betraying her was part of what had spurred him to a hasty engagement. He felt he owed her. The guilt forced me to look away from him, and I noticed then that Maddie and Doug had stopped their arguing. Maddie was glancing over at the coffee counter, but Doug's eyes were on me. They were bloodshot and weary, with heavy dark circles. But in the midst of that miserable, hungover look†¦there was a glint of something puzzled and surprised. â€Å"Work time,† said Maddie cheerfully, standing up. She poked her brother's shoulder, making him wince and turn his attention from me. I was glad. â€Å"You going to survive your last couple hours?† â€Å"Yeah,† he muttered, drinking more water. â€Å"Go count inventory in the back,† I told him, standing as well. â€Å"I don't want customers thinking our staff can't hold their liquor. They'd be over at the chain stores so fast, it wouldn't even be funny.† Maddie's lips quirked into a smile as her brother wearily rose to his feet. â€Å"Hey, Georgina. Do you mind if Doug and I switch shifts on Tuesday? I need to go run some wedding errands during business hours.† Doug cut her a look. â€Å"When were you going to ask if I minded?† â€Å"Sure,† I said, trying not to wince at the word â€Å"wedding.† â€Å"You can work the night shift with me.† â€Å"You want to come along?† she asked. â€Å"You said you would.† â€Å"I did?† â€Å"Last night.† I frowned. God only knew how many promises I'd made and had now forgotten, thanks to vodka and weird magical forces. Vaguely, I recalled her showing me wedding pictures. â€Å"I think I have some errands of my own to run.† â€Å"One of the places is right around the corner from you,† she urged. â€Å"Maddie,† said Seth hastily, clearly as uncomfortable with this change of topic as I was. â€Å"If she's busy – â€Å" â€Å"You can't be busy all day,† Maddie begged. â€Å"Please?† I knew it was disastrous, knew it would be courting heart-ache and trouble. But Maddie was my friend, and the pleading look in her eyes did something to my insides. It was guilt, I realized. Guilt over how Seth and I had betrayed her. Her expression now was full of such faith and hope in me – me, the best friend she had in Seattle and the only one she believed could help her plan this wedding. Which is why I found myself agreeing, just as I had last night. Only this time, I had no alcohol to blame. â€Å"Okay.† Guilt was probably the worst culprit of all when it came to stupid behavior.

Philosophical Ethics Final Project Research Paper

Philosophical Ethics Final Project - Research Paper Example However, the current society has witnessed high levels of abortion because moral standards have gone down. Additionally, laws that permit abortion have been enacted in several countries especially when the mother’s life is threatened. Abortion in ancient history In the ancient era, abortion practices were tolerable in Greece and Rome. Safeguarding of the unborn life was a matter of consideration only if the father was interested in the child. Children conceived outside wedlock, or bore to prostitutes or with other men other than their husbands were killed pre and post birth. Several western countries held the belief that abortion was acceptable between 18-20 weeks or before embryo movement. As a result, most women who fell in these categories procured abortions to save themselves from anguish and embarrassments. Abortions and contraception were unsafe. In pre-colonial America, there were strict laws regarding pre marital sex. Consequently, abortions were procured and the issue kept secret. Only in cases where the mother’s life was at risk was abortion legal. In 1973, the Supreme Court judgment legalized abortion in America in the case of Roe vs. Wade (BBC journal 23) Philosophical Aspects of Abortion Aristotle In order to understand Aristotle’s view on abortion, one has to understand his nature. He was a kind, hardworking and devoted man. In his quest for knowledge and information, he observed practicality and societal processes using a keen eye. Many people described him as fair and calm. Most Aristotle’s views were rooted in his belief for equality among all people and the need to follow natural law. He said that abortions performed before the onset of life and sensation are permissible. According to him, the onset of sensation and life begins forty days after conception for males and eighty days for females. He iterated that abortions procured before forty days after conception are allowed and those after are illegal and inhuman. Many scientists said that his remarks are pro life because he focused on embryo development at that time. They also argue that had he understood the scientology behind embryo development as the current society does now, he would have been against abortion. He stated that, â€Å"As to the exposure of children, let there be a law that no deformed child shall live. However, let no child be exposed because of excess population, but when couples have too many children, let abortions be procured before sense and life has begun† (Pangle 5) John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham The two renowned philosophers, Mill and Bentham justified abortion using the idea of utilitarianism. John Stuart Mill came up with the happiness principle. It states that the most desirable things are pleasurable and free from pain. Utilitarianism is based on the consequences of human actions. The philosophers advocated for actions whose consequences are good irrespective of the motive. Bentham was a principled hedonist who thought that pain is quantifiable using calculus calculations. In his calculations, the tendencies of committing an action are measured using seven different factors. For Stuart Mill, the quality of pleasure was the defining factor. He believed that the good can only be defined using the level of pleasure. Utilitarianism supports abortion and concentrates on the outcome and not action. In this approach, a woman who conceives through rape has the choice of terminating the pregnancy or keeping it to term.

Does the salary of human resource managers depend on the sex Research Paper

Does the salary of human resource managers depend on the sex - Research Paper Example This test shall assume equal variances in the hypothesis testing whereby 95% confidence level and a pooled standard deviation shall be considered. The critical value is a two-tail test which will form the rejection regions.This test shall assume equal variances in the hypothesis testing whereby 95% confidence level and a pooled standard deviation shall be considered. The critical value is a two-tail test which will form the rejection regions.Research QuestionAre salaries for female human resource directors equal to the salaries for male human resource directors?  HypothesisThe mean salary for female human resource directors is equal to mean salary for male human resource directors.H0: Mean salary for female human resource directors is equal to the mean salary for male human resource directorsVs.  Ha: Mean salary for female human resource directors is not equal to the mean salary for male human resource directorsThus, at 95% confidence level, we can find the critical region using ÃŽ ± = 0.05. Since the absolute calculated t value is less than the critical, we fail to reject the null hypothesis of the test. Thus, we can conclude that at 5% level of significance, the mean salary for female human resource directors is equal to the mean salary for male human resource directors. Moreover, as much as the means for the two independent samples are literary, not equal, the t-test has statistically proven that female human resource managers’ salaries are not different from that of male human resource managers.

Having our say and black men and public space (racism) Essay

Having our say and black men and public space (racism) - Essay Example The African American life is detailed in these stories. The story has a purpose of promoting harmony, courage and equality among American people. The stories talks about the mean ways of human and how they think color of skin decides the quality of a human. The writers alerts us that racism is an obstacle which is not easy to overcome and one need lot of determination and willpower to succeed in life in such a situation. Both the stories tell us that black people are treated in public place with despise and hatred. These narrations make us realize the hard life of black people in America who had to face racism throughout their life. They feel stolen of their identity, rights and freedom. They had to face racist attack at school, restaurants, public transport and work. This kind of alienation put forward a kind of resentment, revenge and frustration among black population. The black sisters in the novel â€Å"Having our say† talk how they handled the racism. One of the sisters responds strongly while the other one was submissive. This reality as many do not respond to criticism while some may be expressive. Staple understands that such racist view can hurt one immensely but keeps silence as he think it is a better way to face the situation. The racism is unfortunate for a country like America where people are educated and civilized. These readings show that education necessarily does not mean being civilized. The reading â€Å"Black men in public space† indicate that black people are often taken as criminals. Black men are often mistaken for being a rapist, mugger or burglar. People lock their doors or stay away when they see black men at public places. It is as if the black people represent crime and white people are perceived as moral and decent. The author of this tells that he has been mistaken for being a criminal many times which shows the ignorance and racist attitudes of white race. The author claims that white people have a misconception

Talent Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Talent Management - Essay Example The emergence of technology, particularly the Internet, makes this process even easier, as companies worldwide are now recruiting via the Internet ("Leadership Advantage"). The Cayman Islands, for example, recruit people from various nationalities to join the international organizations on their islands. The Cayman Islands have clearly benefited from doing so, as they form the fifth largest financial centre in the world, with over 5,945 registered companies in the financial industry (Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce). Furthermore, some of the current senior managers are headed for retirement, so it is important to have a new younger generation of fully competent persons for the future. It is expensive to always re-hire and re-train. Therefore, managing the talent already available within the organization is crucial (Sullivan 2005). Duttagupta (2005) has established a framework for managing talent. The process includes executive assessment, effective recruiting, coaching, providing feedback, mentoring, empowering, leadership assessment and development, as well as creation of a rewards system. The HRD as part of its business strategy may organize a company retreat for a weekend, perhaps at a hotel, where all the managers get together and assesses the organization's "current and future strat

Medical Ethics and Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Medical Ethics and Law - Essay Example The courts consider the best interests of the patients, and this situation can be seen in cases where the interests of the mother and her unborn child are involved. In the Re A case, the court opposed the wishes of the parents and held that a surgical operation was to be performed, so as to separate the conjoined twins1.The English courts have made it very clear that every individual is at liberty, under the common law, to accept or reject any kind of medical intervention, including surgery. Medical practitioners are required by law, to comply with the ethics of the medical profession and to exercise considerable skill and competence in their work. If they fail to work in accordance with this legal duty, they will be deemed to have been negligent in their profession. Communication plays a central role in the medical profession. Therefore, medical practitioners should maintain adequate communication with other medical professionals2. This is essential in cases entailing medical complications. The absence of such communication would result in poor deliverance of medical care to the patients. Moreover, doctors would be subjected to the allegation of clinical negligence, if there were to be inadequate communication between them. Similarly, doctors who fail to inform the dangers, inherent in the illness to the patient, are considered by the law to be negligent3. Such physicians will be prosecuted for negligence by the courts, if the patient files a case in this regard. Blab performed an emergency operation upon Sophie, without her consent. She is a competent adult, and as she is vehemently opposed to any medical intervention, the question arises, as to whether Blab is liable for having provided the surgical intervention to her. Patients can refuse medical treatment or surgery under the concept of freedom. However, their decisions will be valid only if they have the required levels of competence. If the patient

(RESEARCH PROPOSAL) EVALUATING QUALITY OF SERVICE DELIVERY IN Essay

(RESEARCH PROPOSAL) EVALUATING QUALITY OF SERVICE DELIVERY IN MARKETING OF BANKING SERVICES IN NIGERIACASE STUDY OF BANK PHB PLC (NIGERIA) - Essay Example Specific emphasis will be given to Bank PHB which is one of the most influential and successful banks in this country. (Obafunmilayo, 2007) All banks in any part of the world are expected to provide efficient payment systems, conduct financial mediation and serve as platforms for implementation of monetary policies. Consequently, countries whose banks are able to perform these functions efficiently can boost their respective economies by sufficiently channeling and saving funds that can prove to be very useful for those who are planning on setting up their own businesses or carrying out a specific project. In any country with banking institutions, there are always certain conflicting needs between banks and governments. Banks usually want to operate under liberal market forces yet the Government needs to ensure that the former reflect the fundamentals of the economy. This is actually the reason why the banking sector is one of the most regulated sectors in most world economies and the same applies to Nigeria. This matter is further compounded by the fact that certain actions taken banks are done secretly or in private. Consequently, most of them tend to hide their agenda from the public. (Elumelu, 2005) The Nigerian banking indust... It should be noted that in Nigeria, universal banks take up the largest share; others such as community banks usually restrict their consumer base to certain communities. On the other hand, universal banks operate in the entire nation and may sometimes extend their services to other parts of the world. The Nigerian banking industry has been recording considerable growth over the past few years. This is indicated by the following; Total deposits Total assets Total advances Total loans Over the past five years, these numbers have been increasing. Consequently, one can assert that there will be potential growth in the sector. Competition within the Nigerian banking industry can be classified as oligopolistic. This industry is very saturated but only a small number of banks dominate it. In this case, ten of them are responsible for driving the industry. The dominance of these ten banks is reflected by their market share, loans and advances and their total deposits. As of 2003, it had been established that fifty one percent of the Nigerian banking industry was driven by these companies. (Obafunmilayo, 2007) There are a number of reasons why the latter industry is oligopolistic. First of all, these banks have established consumer loyalty due to the fact that they are old generation banks. Additionally, some historical facts in the previous decades contributed to this outcome. In the nineteen eighties, there was an emergence of commercial banks that saw the dilution of these old generation banks. However, in the next decade, there were a series of distressed banks that had to be liquidated thus causing the earlier concentration that had characterized the nineteen eighties

Health care marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 15

Health care marketing - Essay Example Usually, new businesses that are establishing are more seriously concerned about customers’ satisfaction and actually tend to modify their services to enhance the customers’ experiences, but old companies generally take these surveys just for research and development purposes. It is absolutely true that when an organization responds to the crisis immediately, it manages to set a positive impression on the stakeholders and the public before the bad publicity can have a chance. In every situation of crisis, people want to know what the organization has to say about why the crisis happened and what measures is it taking to reduce its negative implications on the environment and on the society at large. Crisis management and control is essentially an art. It takes right things to be said at the right times to convince the stakeholders that the organization is loyal to them. It is more useful for an organization to say the right things at any time than saying wrong things immediately after crisis, like placing blame on others rather than taking

Catawba Industrial Company Essay Example for Free

Catawba Industrial Company Essay 1.Is the company correct in its practice of not manufacturing standard model compressors on Sundays because of the accounting loss incurred on each unit? 2.The compressor department and its manager are evaluated based on profit. Compute the compressor department profit with and without Sunday production. 3.If Marge McPhee decides to manufacture ten light-weight compressors each week and to sell them at a price of $8,000, how much better or worse off financially would Catawba be? 4.What weekly production plan for standard and light weight compressors would result in the highest financial return for Catawba? That is, how many of each product should Catawba produce each week? Assume that you have been hired by Marge McPhee to help with the three decisions she must make: (1) whether to produce on Sunday, (2) whether to produce any light-weight compressors, (3) how many of each compressor should be manufactured each week. You will recommend and justify a course of action for each decision. McPhee wants to make the right decision for herself and her division, which is treated as a profit center and evaluated based on profit as computed in Exhibit 2. However, the correct decision model and her best interests (in terms of short term performance measurement) may not agree. As an accountant, you must inform her of this inconsistency and explain it so that she can, in turn, explain it to owners or top management. Be sure to discuss all the assignment questions within your written analysis. You will need to determine the optimal volume and price to choose the correct production schedule. Memo Instructions 1.The memo is an individual project, so you are expected to work on it yourself without seeking any one’s help other than the instructor. You should bring TWO complete copies of the memo and any exhibits to class. All assignments must be handed in by the beginning of the class. Bring a copy of the memo and/or detailed notes to class with you so you will be able to discuss the case intelligently in class. 2.Download and read the memo about writing memos provided by the communications specialists. You can download it from the course’s web page in the announcements section. 3.The memo should: a.Be written in proper memo format to Marge McPhee. Several templates are provided in MS Word. This assignment has a three-page maximum page limit, not including exhibits. b.Indicate the author’s name and show his/her handwritten initials. c.Begin with a short introductory paragraph stating the purpose of the memo, and end with a brief concluding paragraph. d.Your memo should contain at least the following sections: Sunday manufacturing, Minimum light-weight production, Optimal light-weight and standard production, and Performance evaluation issues. e.If you wish to use brief references to the work of others (including the text and readings assigned for this course, as well as any other sources you may choose), you must acknowledge the source using appropriate footnotes.

Developing Shop Online in China Essay Example for Free

Developing Shop Online in China Essay I. The development of new technology A. The Internet communication skills B. Computer program systems 1. The feedback-based reputation system 2. The E-payment system II. The characteristics of shopping online A. Low-price strategy B. Diversity of products III. Some changes in people’s lifestyle A. Logistics development makes life more convenient B. People prefer to stay at home because of the Internet Developing Shopping Online in China Have you had a good experience of shopping online? It might have been common in the US; however, the only approach for Chinese to buy clothes or food was to go to the mall or supermarket ten years ago. Shopping online has become more and more popular in China and has been adopted as a common way to shop. A report, conducted by iResearch, an online market research company, said that the first year’s trade volume of Chinese online market soared 95.8% (as cited in Ding, 2009,  ¶2). People in China now prefer to click to the website, select products and make sure to purchase. There are two common types of e-commerce websites in China: B2C and C2C. B2C presents business-to-consumer, and C2C stands for consumer-to-consumer. A few e-commerce websites, such as Dangdang (www.dangdang.com.cn, the largest and most popular B2C website in China), and Taobao (www.taobao.com, the largest C2C website in China, owned by Alibaba.com), â€Å"have won great success and established good reputation among online consumers†(Lu, Zhou Bin, 2007,  ¶1). The reasons that shopping online has been developed and improved in such a high speed in China are the development of technology, the characteristics of shopping, and the improvement of people’s lifestyle. The first reason why shopping online has become a significant role in China is the development of the technology, such as network communication skills, e-payment system and the feedback-based reputation system. The Internet has had widespread effects on Chinese since it was first introduced into China in 1995. The Internet, a recent innovation, has become a significant intermediary for not only communication but also commerce. Compared with traditional shopping approaches, the features of the Internet will be considered by buyers, and people will think whether the characteristics of the Internet are preferred when shopping online (Joseph Dong, 2006,  ¶6). The three steps when consumers are shopping in the Internet are to click their mouse, search for what they want to buy, and make sure to purchase, while they even don’t have to talk to sellers. The convenience of the Internet leads shopping online to be the first choice. Moreover, most consumers are concerned with computer program systems related to payment safety or product reputation when shopping online. Such computer program systems have been set up to ensure consumers’ profits. A lot of online shopping websites, such as eBay.com and Taobao.com use feedback-based reputation system, in which the sellers’ and buyers’ reputation and credit will be recorded and marked based on transaction in the past. It means a lot in online C2C market, and the seller will be trusted if s/he has a good reputation, which brings about good sales (Bo, Zhangxi, Bingjia, 2010,  ¶20). Nelson (1970) sorted products into experience and search goods. People want to try the quality of experience products right before they buy the products, while people have to see search products through some information provided online. In other words, the products bought online are search goods. People have to decide whether to buy only after reading a few lines of words (as cited in Bo, Zhangxi, Bingjia, 2010,  ¶22). Without feedback-based reputation system, potential consumers would not have accepted the new approach of shopping. Also, the former comments and scores from buyers and the scores which buyers get from sellers, depending on whether the buyers pay in time or not make feedback-based reputation system become a special credit system for not only vendors but also consumers. Another important system researched and developed for shopping online is payment system which protects consumers’ money from being taken away by sellers without receiving products or not being satisfied with the products. â€Å"Alipayment†, which belongs to Taobao.com, is the typical payment system known among online buyers. Even though there are still some shortcomings needed to be improved in these systems, technology makes it possible and promotes the development of shopping online in China. Secondly, the characteristics of shopping online are considered to be another important reason that promotes the development of shopping online in China. Low-price strategy, diversity of products and convenience of shopping style are three of the most obvious features of shopping online, which attracts more and more people in China involved in shopping online, and not only young people but also old people are interested in online shopping. Price and type are two of the most significant features of product, which influence buyers’ choice when they are shopping online (Bo, Zhangxi, Bingjia, 2010,  ¶21). Because sellers can reduce operation and storage cost, products online are usually less expens ive than products bought in a traditional way. Lower price has been one of the most important factors, which makes shopping online the best choice in China. There are 10,000 shops which were opened everyday in 2008, while more than 140 million Chinese became loyal customers of shops online (Lan, 2009,  ¶4). Nevertheless, product price is sometimes connected with cheating and fraud, and buyers can’t recognize whether or not the sellers online are cheating on product price. That will be an important issue in online shopping (Bo, Zhangxi, Bingjia, 2010,  ¶21). Had sellers online had the same price as traditional sellers or higher price, the online market would not have bloomed. Another characteristics of shopping online, diversity of products, promotes the development of shopping online. Imagine that there are two choices for consumers when shopping: buying goods in different shops or buying all stuff in one big shop. Obviously, people prefer to shop in one place and purchase all the stuff they list. Like shopping in a b ig shopping mall, people buy all they need online on one website without driving out or walking a long distance, crowding in the crowd and sweating in different shops. All consumers need is to search what they want, and compare the prices and comments. Liu claims, â€Å"Best selling online items include clothing, cosmetics, home furnishing, outdoor sports equipment, personal computer, jewelry, laptops and small home appliance†(Liu, 2009,  ¶27). The characteristics of shopping online, low-price strategy, diversity of products and convenience of shopping style, attract more and more people and lead to the promotion of shopping online. Thirdly, the development of people’s lifestyle contributes to the emergence and development of shopping online in China. With the rapid growth of Chinese economy, not only has per capita income improved significantly, but also people are getting accustomed to the faster pace of life. That involved in the development of shopping online as an important factor. Due to the faster pace of life, a kind of new industry—express delivery industry—has arisen. The convenience of shopping online is considered to be a significant reason for consumers. Because of the development of express delivery industry, which belongs to modern logistics, the buyers don’t have to go out to take stuff back home, and just sit in front of the monitor to wait for delivering. Express delivery industry is developing in a rapid pace because of the boom of online shopping. In China, people now are interested in sitting in front of a computer, clicking the mouse, and shopping online (Liu, 2012,  ¶1). The development of express delivery industry has been outstanding in recent years, which has been proven by a year-on-year increase of 20% from 2009. There are 542,000 people working for express delivery industry, and express delivery companies have been set up everywhere around China. Because of the appearance of online shopping, the express delivery industry developed better and faster (Liu, 2011,  ¶3, 4, 5, 6). At the same time, express delivery industry promotes the development of shopping online. The promotion of express delivery industry makes more and more people trust in shopping online.What consumers need to do after making sure to purchase is to wait for stuff being delivered in a few days. Such convenience really helps people who suffer from the faster pace of life: they don’t have to go out to shop, and just stay at home to get everything they want. Another change in people’s lifestyle is that people prefer to stay at home rather than go out for fun. Because of the Internet, online entertainment has become the most popular way to spend time. Not only chatting online or playing online games but also shopping online has been a significant role in people’s daily life. Evidences are that not only can people buy concrete goods online, but also a lot of abstract goods, such as game cards and mobile phone recharge cards, can be found in online shops. The changes of people’s lifestyle and the emergence and development of express delivery industry make contribution to the development of shopping online in China, which makes life more convenient. In conclusion, the development of technology, the characteristics of shopping and the improvement of people’s lifestyle are three main reasons why shopping online has become an important role in China. Due to the developing of shopping online, a new approach of shopping has appeared which makes shopping more convenient for consumers; moreover, it promotes the development of tertiary industry and economic development in China. Shopping online offers many jobs in China; for example, Taobao.com, the biggest shopping online website, provided 570,000 jobs in 2008. Moreover, shopping online offers much more chances for young persons between 23 and 32 years old to run their online shops with government’s support (Lan, 2009,  ¶16, 17, 18). Because of the development of Chinese shopping online, many overseas shopping websites have noticed the future of this market flourish. Alipay, third party payment tool, has enrolled 300 overseas online shops to get access to Chinese online shopping market (Lan, 2009,  ¶9). In other words, the local online shoppers will face more opportunities in the future. References Bo, X., Zhangxi, L., Bingjia, S. (2010). Factors affecting consumer behaviors in online buy-it-now auctions. Internet Research, 20(5), 509-526. doi:10.1108/10662241011084086 Ding, W. (2009). Cheaper prices or better services?. Beijing Review, 52(37), 28-29. Lan, X. (2009). Online shopping spree (cover story). Beijing Review, 52(37), 26-27. Liu, X. (2009). You want it, the web has it. Beijing Review, 52(37), 30-31. Liu, X. (2011). Express reform for speedy deliveries. Beijing Review, 54(30), 36-37. Liu, X. (2012). Delivering satisfaction. Beijing Review, 55(2), 34-35. Lu, Y., Zhou, T., Bin, W. (2007). A comparison of prices in electronic markets and traditional markets of China. Chinese Economy, 40(5), 67-83. doi:10.2753/CES1097-1475400504 Joseph, R., Dong, S. (2006). E-commerce adoption among Chinese consumers: an exploratory study. Journal Of International Consumer Marketing, 18(3), 33-55. doi:10.1300/J046v18n03-03

Effect of Colours on Blood Pressure

Effect of Colours on Blood Pressure ABSTRACT This project was designed to determine the effect of different colours on blood pressure. A total of 24 subjects were required to look at specific colour for 2 minutes. Their respective blood pressure was measured respectively before and after each experiment. Time interval of 3 minutes after each measurement was set up to ensure blood pressure falls back to normal value before the next colour exposure. Friedman test was carried out to test the data and this led to the rejection of null hypothesis. To conclude, there was sufficient evidence from the statistical testing to suggest that different colours in our daily life can affect our blood pressure. RESEARCH AND RATIONALE Colour is perceived by human eyes when different wavelengths composing white light are selectively interfered by matter.1c Humans can see colours due to the cones present mainly in the middle of our retina and a few on the periphery.1a Each eye contains six million cones with pigment that is sensitive to either red, green or blue.1b Sensation of light and visual sharpness are created through transmission of high levels of light intensity.1a Colour with wavelengths between that of primary colours stimulates a combination of cones. As a result, all colours can be detected in the visible spectrum which is about 400 to 700 nanometers.1b,1c One interesting fact about our eyes is that they can perceive more variations in warmer colours than cooler ones as almost two-third of the cones process the longer light wavelength.1a The picture below shows the respective wavelength each cone is sensitive to. Both scientific and psychological effects of colour are suggested by many top scientists or researchers. The study of psychological effect of colour is defined as chromology.1d Maryland study by University of Loyola stated that colour increases brand recognition up to 80 percent.1g Improvement of readership, learning and comprehension with the help of colours is also noted.3a,3b Another interesting observation is recorded by Paul E. Boccumini, director of clinical services of San Bernardino County Probation Department in California. Children under detention are observed to cool down within 10 minutes after they are put in a room of bubble gum pink.4a Meanwhile, scientific application of colour in medical field is the usage of lights in full spectrum to cure depression for Seasonal Affective Disorder especially during winter months when the people are deprived of light.1e,2a Hence, the ancient and once dishonoured field of chromotherapy is regenerated. Red is used to stimulate the body and increase circulation while yellow is thought to play a role in body purification. Blue soothes illness.1f This experiment was carried out to investigate the true effect of colours on blood pressure and whether different colours affect us differently. If colours are found to really affect our body differently, then more attention should be put into colour consideration in fields such as marketing, education, art, and medicine. A person of high blood pressure should be more aware of the colour of their living and working environment. Colour surrounds us all the time. If we can fully understand and use it, it will undoubtedly influence and change our everyday life. Statistical analysis showed that there is a significant difference in the effect of different colours on blood pressure. Red and yellow increases blood pressure, blue decreases blood pressure while green and black have fluctuated stabilising effect. This proved that it the effects of colours are biological and not merely due to psychological effect or experimental error. From the table we could conclude that yellow showed greater increase in blood pressure with a higher mean and median of 11.54 and 10.50 respectively. However, it had results over a big range of data from minimum increase of +4 to a maximum increase of +29 and a highest standard deviation of 5.93 compared to other colour, which limited the creditability of the data. By plotting a box plot, we could determine that +29 is an outlier. Psychological effects that have been suggested for this colour are anger provoking and activeness. Nevertheless, compared to yellow colour, a significant increase was also noted for red colour. But, red colour recorded shown a smaller range of data, and hence, smaller value of standard deviation, which made the data more reliable than the yellow colour. Furthermore, it was also interesting to note that the box plot of red colour was positively skewed with more people showing greater increase than the median. Red colour is more commonly associated with excitement and awareness of danger. Blue colour, which is always linked to sadness and calmness, showed a neutral box plot with no skewing of data on the other hand. It was more concentrated with most people showed decrease between -3.00 and -7.00. Therefore, it could be concluded that blue decreases our blood pressure. The range of data is also smaller than that of yellow colour. Green colour, a colour of stability, showed a positively screwed data of a mean of -0.17. Therefore, the effect of green is hard to be explained and might have slightly opposing effects under different circumstances. The differences and fluctuations of data could be due to cultural association and personal experience as well. Some fluctuation could be due to experimental error. Last but not the least, three outliers were calculated for black colour. Though having a very small inter-quartile range, black colour portrayed the second largest standard deviation (5.52). Black is suggested to be a neutral colour. Yet, a few subjects displayed a very high increase of blood pressure when exposed to black colour. It could be due to sleepiness, or fear of dark environment. Although the real scientific mechanisms of colours on our body are still undefined, but effects of colour are not directly psychological. This opinion was also voiced by Mr. Birren, an expert of colour. Alexander Schauss, a CEO and Senior Director of Natural and Medicinal Products Research at AIBMR Life Sciences, found interaction of colours in some unknown way with pituitary and pineal glands and hypothalamus deep in the brain which controls basic body functions and emotional responses. One or more brain neurotransmitter are affected by minute amount of electromagnetic energy according to Professor Harold Wahlfarth, president of Colour Science in German Academy and photo-biologist at the University of Alberta.4a Exposure to pure red light has been shown to stimulate the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system. Pure blue light, on the other hand, lowers the heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure with special effect on the parasympathetic branch.2aÂÂ   In conclusion, colours can affect our blood pressure and different colours affect blood pressure differently. EVALUATION OF EXPERIMENT Limitation Firstly, the subjects were of different cultural backgrounds and could have different life experiences that lead to change of mood and blood pressure when subjected to a certain colour which links to their past. Results obtained could be due to personal psychological effect instead of the pure biological effect of colour. Furthermore, digital blood pressure monitor was used. Small fluctuations of data could occur and might be assumed to be change of blood pressure. Besides, the subjects involved in this investigation were of small sample and involved merely college-aged students. It was not an exact representative of the true population of general-aged students. Limited availability of participants also occurred as the students tested were only from one college. Moreover, a humans feelings are not controllable. Subjects might feel nervous or bored throughout the whole experiment even though a briefing was given beforehand. Sources of error and ways to improve The blood pressure might not be measured at exactly 2nd minute as there could be slight delay or increase of reaction time. In order to increase the validity and reliability of the result, reaction time is trained before the experiment. Second data cannot be taken as this will influence the time of measuring and also time of exposure to colours. Blood pressure of normal humans also varied slightly throughout the day due to hunger, sleepiness and also a full meal. Therefore, all the experiments should be carried out within the period of 2p.m. to 5p.m. to prevent fluctuations of data. Besides, the colour intensity exposed to the subjects might have varied a little bit due to the surrounding light although clothes were used. The environment could have changed throughout the experiments as not all the subjects data are collected in one day. Fluctuating weather, sunlight intensity, temperature and humidity all might influence the mood and feeling of subjects which indirectly affect the reliability of the experiment. Human are complex subjects. The experiment should be carried out in a constant air conditioned room with the same fluorescent light so that minimum changes of colour intensity can be achieved. Further research Study can also be done on the effect of colour on mood, stress, work performance and memory. As colour can affect our blood pressure, it might affect our daily mood and performance. Therefore, a good choice of colour in our surroundings can be made in order to achieve greater and better performance. A comparison between effects of colour on different gender can also be made as males and females have different anatomy. Hence, there could be interesting findings. CONCLUSION There is significant difference between the effects of different colours on blood pressure. Red colour and yellow colour increase blood pressure while blue colour decreases blood pressure. Green colour and black colour have fluctuating effects. Experimental hypothesis was accepted. EVALUATION OF SOURCES Sources 1 (b), (e), and (g) are all operated by educated professors. Source 1(e) is operated by Judie C. Snelson who is a Holistic Health Practitioner with a Masters Degree in Behavioural Science and a PHD in Religion. Source 1(g) is operated by Professor Jill Morton who gives seminars about colour and marketing, colour theory and everything that colour impacts. Lastly, Source 1(b) is established in 1997 by Professional Colour Therapist and Colour consultant- Valerie Logan-Clarke. Therefore, all the information of these sources is highly reliable. On the other hand, Source 1(a), (c), (d), (f) and (h) are supported by big company and are very experienced. Source 1(a) is established by Pantone LLC, world-renowned authority on colour and provider of colour systems. It is a leading technology for the selection and accurate communication of colour across a variety of industries. Source 1(c) is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education. Source 1(d) is based in UK and has been practising for over 10 years. Source 1(f) is a part of New York Times Company. Source 1(h) offers clear understanding of statistics basic learning. It is new with copyright 2010. All of this sites and companies are awarded and are ranked trustworthy. Besides, newspapers, journals and books are all published. Therefore, they are definitely valid as sources of references. The authors are knowledgeable and are well-regarded. The newspapers and journals are peer-reviewed and have been cited by other people. Therefore, I feel that they are strongly valid as a choice of references.

Charles Darwin Essay -- Biography Biographies

Charles Darwin was a man who shaped the way in which we think about evolution in modern times. He brought forth and described the theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest. To fully understand modern evolutionary thoughts it is necessary for one to completely understand the early theories of Charles Darwin. In this paper I will provide the reader with a complete background on Charles Darwin, describe his voyage on the HMS Beagle, and discuss his theory of natural selection. Charles Robert Darwin, the founder of evolution, was born on February 12, 1809 in rural England. Charles was the son of Robert Darwin and Susannah Wedgewood. His mother died when he was seven and his father died when Charles was thirty-nine. Until the age of eight, Charles was educated at home by his sister Caroline. Charles soon thereafter developed a fascination for biology and natural history. The young student began to hoard, collecting anything that captured his interest, from shells and rocks, to insects and birds. Darwin’s beetle collecting while at Cambridge seems to have been a little more than collecting. His collecting began to control all of his time, and eventually his thoughts. But they proved very useful once on board the Beagle. (Freeman 91) His hobbies laid the framework for a wonderful life of discovery. In 1825, Robert sent Charles to Edinburgh Medical School to follow in the footsteps of Eras (Charles’ brother) and himself. It was at Edinburgh that Charles discovered that medicine was not in his future. Charles was extremely squeamish and hated working on cadavers. This sent Charles back to his old ways of collecting and dissecting animals and bugs. Meanwhile, while attending Edinburgh, Darwin was also receiving instruction on taxidermy. This also proved useful on board the Beagle. Also, while attending Edinburgh Darwin became familiar with the evolutionary theories of Lamarck. Darwin gave up his education at Edinburgh after his second year studying medicine, without a degree. Next, Dr. Darwin sent his son to the University of Cambridge to study religion. It was at Cambridge that Darwin developed his new obsessive fascination, entomology (especially with beetles). He struggled through his first three years, but in his fourth he pulled himself together. Charles gra duated in 1831 from Cambridge and began to look for a job with... ...n a subject which the public had relatively no knowledge of. He described the way in which an individual of a species reproduced and genetically passed on variations. The species that adapted through variation was the one who survived. This is where the phrase â€Å"survival of the fittest† came from. As pointed out, Charles Darwin was a man ahead of his time, and his work laid the structural basis for how we now look at evolution. On the last page of Origin of the Species, Darwin summarizes his findings, â€Å"as Natural Selection works solely by and for the good of each being, all corporeal and mental endowments will tend to progress towards perfection†. Works Cited: Barnett, Samuel A. A Century of Darwin. New York: Books for Libraries Press, 1969. Campbell, Bernard. Human Evolution. Chicago/New York: Aldine and Atherton, 1970. Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of the Species by Natural Selection. 1859. Gribben, John and Michael White. Darwin: A Life in Science. New York: Dutton, 1995. Jurmain, Robert; et al. Essentials of Physical Anthropology. International: West/Wadsworth, 1997. Sears, Paul B. Charles Darwin. New York: Scribner’s Sons LTD, 1950.

The Wall and the Books :: Jorge Luis Borges

In â€Å"The Wall and the Books†, the essay which belongs to â€Å"Other Inquisitions†, Borges mentioned an interesting historical clue. The First Old China Emperor, Shih Huang Ti, burnt all antique books for abolishing the History and the past and, by other hand, he built the long China Wall for the barbarians were being taken off, when they were threatening from North. But this great first essay of this great book ende with an emotive, lightful phrase, â€Å"this inminent revealment never happen, perhaps is the aesthetical fact†.Then let ´s see the looking fancies that Borges viewed at this smart essay. If we didn ´t pay enough attention to this last phrame, perhaps we couldn ´t mean the real meaning. If we think of the aesthetical fact (that) never happen we will probably find that that never happen is because it doesn ´t have any contain as proper Borges said, and then this fact with no contains would hide something. It means the aesthetical, the aesthetic borned from weird and too familiar causes. The german word â€Å"heimlich† referrences to this both significances. That never happen is due to only rests for waiting. Waiting for a symbol or something that would rescue us from the ignorance. According to Schopenhauer the aesthetic is the saving element for reach out from the circle of the Will, for Borges, instead, the aesthetic is almost that never happen, or something we lost for ever and ever, or something that always announcing something that never will occur. For Borges the aesthetic is the dark shades system of the proper shapes, something like a crowded furious ghosts troop, and like this, the shapes nothing have to do, just to behold in the plenty eternal silent, where they nothing can ´t change at all. Then, that never happen finds some referrence. That will never come back or, we wouldn ´t recognize it or we never met each other. The aesthetical fact is an operation which serves for fading the sex and death away the main myths of Humanity. Otherwise the aesthetical fact serves to own the place and time and all things belongs to the uncertain as Todorov said, where is too easy to fork. However this wide world keeps on the same. According to Borges the aesthetical fact is used to hide, to sham the unknown bedimmed rules that conform the reality. But Borges called aesthetical in some sense, in an inversed mode. In this case the aesthetic isn ´t mere, gentle and delicate shapes.

Communicaton between animals and humans Essay -- essays research paper

INTRODUCTION The importance of communication between animals cannot be underestimated. Through communication, animals are able to concentrate on finding food, avoiding their enemies, mating and caring for their young. The study of communication between animals and humans is a never ending fascination and a way to learn more about ourselves. The development of human communication is what makes us exclusive to any living thing on this planet. The ways in which we communicate with one another is uniquely important in our everyday lives. Without it’s presence, the world would have no development, holding the same appearance as one million years ago. We would be lacking a sense of society and most probably be still in the Stone Age. The mystery of the development of human language constitutes how we are uniquely human from other animals. Human beings have a daily working vocabulary of 1000 words, and with our knowledge on how to use grammatical rules is what makes our sense of communication more sophisticated than any animal. Verbal communication between humans is the central, most relevant factor in a sophisticated society. People have evolved into expressive and capable members of society. The human language has been around for five thousand years and it is apparent that language has been complex long before that. The human language is quite problematic as grammar and syntax play a major role in defining language. Animals have an extremely primitive way of communicating compared to humans, and the way in which we communicate. Animals cannot verbally speak like us humans and studies verify this. HUMAN AND ANIMAL COMMUNICATION It is the existence of human communication that has made the world the place it is today. Through communication, human beings have created skyscrapers, long bridges to complicated forms of transportation. We have also had the ability to start world destruction and encourage world peace. It is through learning how to communicate with other humans for almost five thousand years that a persons way of thinking has expanded and information has been passed on from generation to generation. Without a well-advanced language system, we would not be able to function as a successful society that is constantly making advanced and technological developments. The ways in which we communicate to each ... .... Humans have also been able to build a comfortable society and work at it from generation to generation. As far as we know, animals are still using the same forms of communication as hums did 5000 years ago. There have been no signs of advances in the ways in which they live or the ways they choose to communicate. I don’t underestimate animals as I think they can be intelligent in their own little ways. In conclusion, the only means of animal communication involves a basic information transfer from the sender to the receiver. However, no animal could come close to an affective communication system like the human language. They can however convoy their needs, desires and reactions to the environment via some sophisticated signalling of their own. BIBLEOGRAPHY (1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Harley T (1996) â€Å"The psychology of language from Data to Theory†. Psychology press publishers. (2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ting-Toomey. S and Korzenny. F (1989) â€Å"Language, Communication, and Culture†. Sage Publications Ltd (Volume X111) (3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wardhaugh. R (1993) â€Å"Investigating Language†. Blackwell publishers.

Drivers of Industry Financial Structure

Executive summary Ratios of ten companies are presented in this study. The companies are all headquartered in the United States and the financial statements are the most recent annual financials for the respective fiscal years ending in 1999 or 2000. The companies are: 1. Developer of prepackaged software 2. On-line retailer 3. Warehouse club for food and general merchandise 4. Major passenger airline 5. International hotel chain 6. Temporary staffing agency 7. Supermarket grocery retailer 8. Pharmaceutical company 9. Manufacturer of electronic communications equipment 0. Manufacturer and marketer of consumer products Analysis 1. Innovation is extremely important in the software industry and it requires investments. The gross margin is very high: 90. 7%. Office buildings and computers are the services needed. High R&D/Sales: 19. 8%. The Net Plant & Equipment is low: 8. 6% 2. Receivables are unimportant for an online retailer. No R&D since the company sells goods and products from oth ers and it has zero R&D expense. 3. Warehouse Club for food and general merchandise has high Net Plant & Equipment 44. % and zero Unearned Revenue. The Inventory is high 41. 6% comparing with a supermarket grocery retailer. 4. Major passenger airline has some Accounts Payable 13. 0%, high Unearned Revenue as a result of prepaid ticket purchases for future air travel 11. 0%. 5. International hotel chain has high Goodwill: 25. 1% 6. Temporary staffing agency has a relatively low percent of Net Plant. The temporary workers are the main resource of a staffing agency. Because it is a service industry, there is no Inventory and R&D is not necessary so they are 0.A high Asset Turnover: 4. 130. 7. Supermarket grocery retailer is similar with warehouse club for food and general merchandise but the supermarket gross margin in higher 26. 5% and net profit margin is lower. High inventory 21. 9% and high Net Plant &Equipment 46. 1%. 8. Pharmaceutical company has a low inventory 8. 0% and a mediu m size of Net Plant & Equipment 27. 2%. The Gross Margin is pretty high 46. 4%. A common use of the Gross Margin is to estimate a company’s breakeven sales volume. (Higgins,2012) 9.Manufacturer of electronic communications equipment has the lower Profit Margin and longer Accounts Receivable characteristic of a firm effectively bidding for government contracts. 10. Manufacturer and marketer of consumer products have a small size of Inventory 10. 4% and its Net Plant & Equipment is 39. 3%. The Unearned Revenues is zero and R&D/Sales is also 0. Conclusions ?Service Industries: Temporary staffing agency, hotel and airline: balance sheets are C, D & I. I is the temporary staffing agency D is expected to be the airline C remains as the hotel R&D Based Firms: Software, On-Line Retailing, Pharmaceutical and Communication Equipment. Financial statement candidates would be A, F, G & J. J is the software firm A is clearly the on-line retailer since it is losing. G is the communication e quipment firm because it has the lower Profit Margin and higher Accounts Receivable. F remains the pharmaceutical firm because it has higher Margins due to the capacity to keep high drug prices. It also spends a significant amount on R&D while the competition is always coming up with a new product. Consumer or Retail Based: Warehouse Club, Supermarket and Consumer Products firm. Remaining financial statements are B, E & H. B & H have low Accounts Receivable, Margins and high Inventory turnover so must be the warehouse club and the supermarket. E must be the consumer product company. B must be the grocery chain since it has the higher markup and higher expenses relative to H. H, by process of elimination, is the warehouse club. References: Higgins, Robert C. (2012) Analysis for Financial Management, 10th edited by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc

Haptic Technology †Feeling the Future Essay

What is haptic technology? It’s the technology relating to or based on the sense of touch. We see it every day with our touch screen phones. It is needed to interact with your phone, computer, keyboard, mouse, car, gaming system and more! It can also be used in medicine, robotics, art, design, electronics, toys, and more! Where is the technology feeling to go? What is haptic feedback? What is haptic feedback? Haptic feedback the shake of your gaming console’s remote, the vibration of your phone, clicking of the keyboard and mouse. the interaction of touch and response (Figure 1). How does this correlate with human memory?   Memory has several categories. There is long-term memory, short-term and sensory memory. Each one plays an important part of overall memory. â€Å"They all cooperate in the process of memorization, and can be seen as three necessary steps in forming a lasting memory† (Mastin, 2012). Haptic technology uses sensory memory. What is sensory memory?   According to Mastin, sensory memory is the shortest-term element of memory. â€Å"It is the ability to retain impressions of sensory information after the original stimuli have ended. It acts as a kind of buffer for stimuli received through the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch† (Mastin, 2012). Touch is the key word in haptic technology. How will this technology change the way we interact with computer? The interactions of computer and humans are known as human-computer-interface (HCI). Human-computer-interface (HCI) developers and engineers goals are to improve the user’s overall experience. This can be accomplished by creating a lasting memory for the end user and a good feeling of using the technology known as haptic technology. What is HCI? HCI is the study on how to better improve the interaction between human and computers. For example – Human Machine Symbiosis Laboratory – Department of Biomedical Informatics – Arizona State University conducted a study on the Psychology of Haptics, Haptic User Interfaces and Human Motion Analysis. Their main goal for the haptic user interface study is to design effective and efficient interfaces; in psychology of haptics study they focused on the role of haptic modality in formation and retention of memory and categorization; and in the human motion study they concentrated on gesture analysis. Human computer interaction (HCI) has emerged as a focal area of both computer science research and development, and of applied social, behavioral and psychological research† (Kahol, 2010). The research team in Arizona State University focused on memory and categorization controlled experiments using mechanisms of haptic memory and categorization. They also explored whether individuals who were blind and sighted can abstract a haptic prototype from a study set; the nature of haptic space through multidimensional scaling; and haptics in early detection of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The Arizona State University research team are concerned with design, development and testing of tactile and force feedback devices and its associated software(s). â€Å"These devices have widespread applications such as surgical simulations, medical and procedural training, scientific visualizations, assistive and rehabilitative devices for individuals who have physical or neurological disorders and assistive devices for individuals who are blind† (Kathol, 2010). The human motion research field is guided towards understanding human motion through gesture analysis. The research team from Arizona State University has developed novel gesture segmentation and gesture recognition tools for understanding and modeling human motion. They plan to develop scalable gesture segmentation and gesture recognition tools. They plan to apply the models to generic human motion as well as specialized human motion as in dance and in various scenarios such as surveillance, human computer interfaces and 3D Dance motion. Once these devices are implemented, they must remain consistent. Why you ask? Image a medical procedural being done on you. The doctor is located in different part of the world and is using new technology which allows him to operate remotely, but wait. The controls he is using are not consistent with the standard controls accepted in the USA. Will you risk your life on this doctors questionable HCI? I know I wouldn’t. Designing the right HCI is key to any successful implementation of new technology. What are some design factors to consider in the implementation of HCI and where does the future of HCI feel to go? Figure 2 – User-Centric Design (SAP, 2013) One possible design process we can use is UCD. What is is UCD? User-centered design (UCD) is a design methodology and process that focuses on the needs of end users, limitations of end users, preferences of end users, and business objectives (USABILITY, 2013). The UCD has several components: plan, research, design, adapt, and measure (Figure 2). â€Å"Plan – In the Plan phase, the team determines all of the UCD activities and ensures that the necessary resources are available. Research – Before you can design a product, it is imperative that you have a clear understanding of the users’ goals and tasks, the market needs, and related work. Design – In the design phase, you define your system from the users’ perspective. Initially, this phase takes the form of use cases and an object action model, which describes the tasks that the system will support. From these tasks you create UI designs, beginning with rough sketches and ending with detailed UI design specifications. Adapt – The adapt phase acknowledges that even the best conceived designs often need to be adapted when development begins coding. This adaptation can occur as a result of unforeseen limitations in the target technology, new requirements, or missing functionality in the initial design. Measure – When the product is released, it is possible to measure its usability quantitatively. These tests measure a product’s effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction† (SAP, 2013) HCI FUTURE Microsoft researchers wrote Being Human – Human Computer Interaction in the Year 2020. In the paper they state: â€Å"HCI needs to extend its methods and approaches so as to focus more clearly on human values. This will require a more sensitive view about the role, function and consequences of design, just as it will force HCI to be more inventive. HCI will need to form new partnerships with other disciplines, too, and for this to happen HCI practitioners will need to be sympathetic to the tools and techniques of other trades. Finally, HCI will need to re-examine and reflect on its basic terms and concepts. Outdated notions of the ‘user’, the ‘computer’ and ‘interaction’ are hardly sufficient to encompass all that HCI will need to attend to† (Microsoft, 2008).

Database Development Essay

Abstract This paper defines the Software Development Life Cycle phases specifically the Waterfall method with a review of tasks to improve the quality of datasets throughout the cycle. It includes recommendations of actions to be performed for full optimization for enhancing performance from data quality assessment. Although full optimization may be reached throughout the process of SDLC, continued maintenance must be in sued to properly retain the database error-free and protected. An evaluation of three methods and activities to ensure maintenance planning is implemented is discussed. An in-depth analysis of an efficient method for planning concurrency control methods and lock granularities that are available to use that will minimize potential security risks that may occur. Finally, serializability isolation model is introduced that ensures transactions produce less record-level locking while operating the system and how a verification method allows review of proper inputs and error checks to increase consistency. Introduction There are several Software Development Life Cycle methods that are availabel to utilize although, the Waterfall SDLC is the most desirable due to the simplicity and straight forward methods utilized and will be discussed in regards to topics in this paper. The benefits of this model type include departmentalization and manegerial control. A schedule can be set for each phase similarly to a how a factory system works from one step to the next in a proceeding manner until the product is complete. However, once in the testing phase it is difficult to revert back to make any additional changes.  (SDLC Models., n.d.). Tasks to Improve Dataset Quality Using SDLC Methodology The Waterfall SDLC incorparates the following stages of planning and executing software, requirements specification, design, implementation, testing and maintenance. The requirements phase of the SDLC is to ensure clearly defined requirements via all parties involved in the processes. Deliverables in this stage include requirements documents that incorporates descriptions of requirements, diagrams and references to necessary documentation as well as Requirements Tracability Matrix (RTM), this displays the manner in which products being developed will interact and correlate to previous components that have already been developed. This phase prepares datasets integrity success throughout the SDLC process when requirements are properly defined. (The Software Development Cycle (SDLC)., n.d.). The design phase lists software features in detail with psuedocode, entity-relationship model(s) (ERM), hierarchy diagrams, layout hierarchy, tables of business rules, a full data dictionary, and business process diagrams. This phase transforms the requirements into system design specifications. In this phase it is imporatant to review software and hardware specifications and system architecture. This will create the foundation for the implementation phase. Lastly, the implementation phase begins the coding process in which portions of programs are developed and tested. Clearly defined requirements are defined via use-case scenario that enables context based definitions and a visualization of the completed product for clarifications, accuracy, and completeness of requirement request. (SDLC Models., n.d.). Actions to Optimize Record Selections and Improve Database Performance Actions to optimize record selection and improve database performance include automated controls that can be applied in the design phase of SDLC. The design phase specifically it is important for developers to set proper  automated controls such as input, processing, and output controls to enhance integrity, security, and reliability of the system and datasets. Input controls such as completeness checks and duplication checks ensure blank fields and duplicate information is not entered into the data sets. Automating process controls to ensure systems correctly process and record information. (FFIEC IT Examination Handbook InfoBase – Design Phase., n.d.). Quality management techniques that improve quality assessments include error detection, process control, and process design. These processes detect missing values, improve recurring errors, and help optimize effeciency. (Even, A., & Shankaranarayanan, G., 2009). Three Maintenance Plans and Three Activities to Improve Data Quality Three types of maintenance plans include: preventative, corrective, and adaptive maintenance which improve the data quality. Activities to improve data quality include database backups, integrity checks, optimizing the index. Preventative maintenance incorporates creating and continuously maintaining daily and/or weekly backups for data loss prevention, corrective maintenance ensures system errors are corrected. One activity associated to corrective maintenance includes resolving deadlocks, which occurs when two or more tasks permanently block each other. Adaptive maintenance includes enhancing system and database performance via based on utility assessments and optimized queries to improve performance. (Coronel, Morris, & Rob., 2013). Methods for Planning Proactive Concurrency Control and Lock Granularity Concurrency issues revolve around conflicts that occur when simultaneous tasks are performed on multiple systems, the conflict may cause inconsistencies. The goal of concurrent controls is to establish consistent throughput and accurate from results in concurrent operations. Granular locking schemes enable locking pages, tables, rows, and cells. After reviewing â€Å"Process-centered Review of Object Oriented Software Development Methodologies,† the methodologies mentioned were outside of the scope of concurrency and lock granularity. However, there are two methods, high  granularity approach and low granularity approach that will enable a distributed database with consistency. High granularity offers maximum concurrency although requires more overhead versus low granularity which offers minimum overhead although reduces concurrency. Additional overhead in the form of locking granularly at different object-oriented hierarchy levels helps create proactive concurrency control within the system. This provides additional security via the ability to control which users are modifying the database at the same time. (Ellis, R., n.d.). System Analysis to Ensure Tractions do not Record-Level Lock Database in Operation In multiuser database transactions that are executing simultaneously must have consistent results, it is vital to have control over concurrency and consistency. To enable processes that provide this control a transaction isolation model named, serializability is available for use. This model gives the illusion that transactions execute one at a time. The multiversion consistency model provides multiple users with a separate view of the data concurrently, which prevents record-level locking from affecting the database. (Data Concurrency and Consistency., n.d.). Once updates are commited to the system verifyoption can be utilized to ensure the integrity of data entered will enhance system effectiveness. (SqlCeEngine.Verify Method (VerifyOption) (System.Data.SqlServerCe)., n.d). Conclusion In conclusion material discussed includes an analysis specific tasks that will improve the quality of datasets within a database. A review of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and more specifically the Waterfall methodology SDLC. Recommended actions in the design phase that will enhance the optimization of record selection are considered along with three maintenance plan options and activities to improve the quality of data within the database. Serializability isolation model ensures transactions that will produce less record-level locking while operating the system and verification methods will allow for review of proper inputs and error checks to increase consistency. Overall, research shows that multiuser distributed databases utility will depend on specific functions created from the  origination of the product in the SDLC to the finished product and continued maintenance for consistent and efficient performance. References Data Concurrency and Consistency. (n.d.). Oracle Documentation. Retrieved September 12, 2013, from http://docs.oracle.com/cd/B10500_01/server.920/a96524/c21cnsis.htm Even, A., & Shankaranarayanan, G. (2009). Quality in Customer Databases-Centered Review of Object Oriented Software Development Methodologies. ACM Computer Database, 15, 3,4,5. Retrieved September 12, 2013, from the ACM Computer database. Ellis, R. (n.d.). Lock Granularity. Granularity of Locks_and Degrees of Consistency_in a Shared Database. Retrieved September 12, 2013, from www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&sqi=2&ved=0CF8QFjAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpages.cs.wisc.edu%2F~nil%2F764%2FTrans%2FGranularity.ppt&ei=kQ8yUqOhPIzl4AOM6oDIDw&usg=AFQjCNEdfijo3XG83N7W2WlglSi3cEJsQQ&sig2=WGLffPJ8amqYRjHXJAHLuQ&bvm=bv.52109 FFIEC IT Examination Handbook InfoBase – Design Phase. (n.d.). FFIEC IT Examination Handbook InfoBase – Welcome. Retrieved September 12, 2013, from http://ithandbook.ffiec.gov/it-boo klets/development-and-acquisition/development-procedures/systems-development-life-cycle/design-phase.aspx Rob, P., & Coronel, C. (2002). Database systems: design, implementation, and management (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Course Technology. SDLC Models. (n.d.). One Stop QA. Retrieved September 12, 2013, from www.onestopqa.com/resources/SDLC%20Models.pdf SqlCeEngine.Verify Method (VerifyOption) (System.Data.SqlServerCe). (n.d.). MSDN the Microsoft Developer Network. Retrieved September 12, 2013, from http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc835509%28v=vs.100%29.aspx The Software Development Cycle (SDLC). (n.d.). Pelican Engineering. Retrieved September 13, 2013, from www.pelicaneng.com/DevDocs/sdlc.pdf