Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Markiting Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Markiting - Case Study Example The paper would make an attempt to explore marketing mix of Sainsbury’s (2011), effect of internet on the same, issues that have arose from cultures or globalisation and Search engine optimisation (Pickton & Masterson, 496-499, 2010). Marketing Mix Product Quite understandably, being a retailer the product of Sainsbury’s (2011) ranges from grocery to home furniture, organic products to frozen foods, sports goods to clothing, from fashion to DVDs, the product line of Sainsbury’s is spread over different products. However, the focus has been to create a product line, which is more inclined towards non-perishable items rather than perishable items. For most of the large sized stores of Sainsbury’s would end up stocking more than 30,000 lines. However, important here to note is that out of these 30,000 lines around 6,000-7,000 product lines would be the company’s â€Å"own label†goods. Important here to note is that Sainsbury has been actively e xtending many product lines as well. For example, there are more than 700 line of the â€Å"basic†product, which the economy product line of the company. Furthermore, the company has also extended to include more than 1100 premium products in its line under the umbrella of â€Å"Taste the difference†category. Moreover, this has also allowed the company to customise its product line greatly. Sainsbury’s is now selling many well-known brands and along with them, it is selling many brands that have been custom made for its customers. Place Without any doubts, the factor of place has great importance in marketing. The company currently holds more than 872 stores all over United Kingdom. The stores appear to be in three formats including the regular stores, convenience and smaller supermarkets and the hypermarkets. In order to satisfy the needs and demand, there are some superstores of the company that operate on a 24/7 basis. The format of the store opened by Sain sbury’s largely depends upon the area and the need of the customers of that locality (Lancaster & Massingham, pp. 264-266, 2010). Important here to note is that how well Sainsbury’s and other retailers have been able to respond to the threat of disintermediation. Critics predicated that with the rise of brick and motor companies, retailers would become extinct. However, Sainsbury has been able to respond well to the challenge of disintermediation by intermediation and setting up new online business. Promotion Sainsbury’s has been an aggressive marketer and promoter for its products. The same is evident with the fact that recently, Sainsbury’s signed a deal with the administration of 2012 Summer Paralympics, which will take place during 29 August and 9 September 2012. Sainsbury’s has taken a bold step by signing a deal, which is the largest in the history of this event. Sainsbury’s also takes the credit of giving the advertising world â€Å" the best known slogan in retail advertising†which is of â€Å"Good Food Costs Less at Sainsbury’s.†Furthermore, since 2000, after being pushed at the third position in the retail industry of United Kingdom, it pursued aggressive promotion strategies. Using Jamie Oliver as the ambassador for the corporation, it has been able to add more than extra 1 billion Euros
Monday, October 28, 2019
Price Discrimination Revised Essay Example for Free
Price Discrimination Revised Essay Jane, thinking that a vacation in San Francisco to visit her parents would provide her with a much-needed rest, bought a ticket two weeks in advance for a weekend flight. She would be sitting in 11A. On the day before Janes flight, Freya gets a call from her boss, instructing her to attend the companys meeting in San Francisco. She booked a flight for the next day immediately upon getting the call. Freya sat in 11B            Freya paid $500 more than Jane for basically the same service, occupying adjacent seats. And this is a prime example of price discrimination. * * *            Price discrimination is simply the charging of different prices to different customers (Stavins, 1996, p. 3). It is characterized as price discrimination when the difference in prices are not due to difference in costs.            Scott Woolley writing for Forbes.Com simplified it further, saying that price discrimination is when an airline charge some customers more than other customers for the same (or almost the same) thing (Woolley, 1998.)            Tricia Ellis-Christensen stated that price discrimination is a widespread practice, and it doesnt necessarily imply negative discrimination.            Price discrimination is categorized into degrees depending on the market segmentation, the customers ability to pay or demand elasiticity. (Ellis-Christensen, undated).            First-degree price discrimination occurs when identical goods are sold at different prices. This is most evident in the sale of both new and used cars wherein the salesperson gauges the maximum price at which the car can be sold. This type often includes bargaining, or negotiating for a lower price (Ellis-Christensen, undated).            Second-degree price discrimination is when lower prices are charged for bulk or higher quantities (Ellis-Christensen, undated).            Third degree price discrimination requires understanding the market, and is more prevalent. This type often plays on segments of the target market. An example is discounts offered to students. (Ellis-Christensen, undated).            Conditions for Price Discrimination. Joanna Stavins further explains that for an airline or company to successfully discriminate on price, it must have some market power, to be able to charge prices above the marginal cost. Typically it has monopolized that business. Another condition is the heterogeneousity of its consumers. Lastly, product resale should be costly and impossible, to prevent arbitrage. (Stavins, 1996, p. 3)            Stavins also explained that the monopolistically competitive: conditions in air transportation business allows for price discrimination. (Stavins, 1996, p. 3)            Stavins stated that airlines differentiate between each other by offering different flight schedules and routes. Stavins also wrote that airlines attach various restrictions to cheaper tickets, making them more unattractive to consumers who give more importance to time and convenience. Meaning, a business traveler wouldnt mind paying more to ensure that he arrives on time, as opposed to a passenger on a budget.            Advantages.  In some cases, price discrimination can implement efficient prices (Armstrong, 2006 p. 6). Arvind Sahay writes that pricing products differently can increase revneues and profits by 8% and 25% (Sahay, 2007, p. 54).            Price discrimination also opens markets, as in offering ones goods at a high value market at a certain price, while giving it at a lower price at a lower value market. (Armstrong, 2006 p. 8)   This way, a business owner can reallocate demand to more suitable times while supply is limited (Sahay, 2007, p. 54).            On a more practical level, price discrimination will enable more firms to increase revenue, which can then be used for research and development. Consumers, on the other hand, will be able to benefit from lower fares (economicshelp.org, undated).            Disadvantages. On the other hand, some consumers will end up paying higher prices. Price discrimination will also cause a decline in consumer surplus. There maybe costs associated with segmenting market. Price discrimination also opens the field for predatory pricing (economicshelp.org, undated). Price Discrimination in Airlines            The increasing use of price discrimination, in all industries, is due to the new and affordable technology that most companies can install and use. Recent studies have also shown that consumers will pay different prices if the companies use the right approach (Sahay, 2007, p. 53).            In short, these days, airlines are pulling off price discrimination easily. On a purely technical level, Airlines are able to practice the third degree of price discrimination (segmentation-based), and even to some respects, the second degree of price discrimination by employing yield management tools.            Cunningham and Brady explains that airlines have been dividing their customers into groups: government vs. business vs. leisure travellers, first or economy class, etc. With the advent of the computer and I.T., airlines have gained more ability to match fares with their customers demands. (Cunningham and Brady, 2001, p. 10).            Yield Management tools allows the airline to sell the right seat to the right passenger at the right time and price, basically charging various rates for the perceived service benefit (Cunningham and Brady, 2001, p. 11).            Also, yield management allows for Ramsey pricing, which involves varying the prices for fare based on demand elasticity in relation to the marginal cost. Meaning, the more sensitive the market is to its price, the closer its price will be to the marginal cost. This explains why business market fares are higher than those who are on vacation (Cunningham and Brady, 2001, p. 11).            Since it is not easy to explain various yield management techniques of airlines, it would be best to look at practical scenarios for airline companies. Empirically, here are some examples of airline price discrimination.            Joseph Turow, writing for the Washington Posts, cites an example regarding airline Web sites that offer lower fares for first-time customers (Turrow, 2005). Technology has also made it easier for businesses such as airlines to do customer profiling. Turrow (2005) and Wooley (1998) insinuates that since businesses can now use computers and databases to store more information about a customer, it can create profiles on that customers and price accordingly. Turrow cited the case when Amazon.Com came under fire for selling the same compact disc album to different customers at varying discounts. Wooley, on the other hand, says that catalogs sent to somebody who lives in a high-end neighborhood include only one price, while the another version of the catalogs featuring the same products sent to other less-glitzy neighborhoods have discount information on them. With more and more information about the customer being easily made available, the more airlines know how to push the correct buttons and learn their ability to pay, and their willingness to pay.            Airlines also give early-bird discounts wherein those who book early get lower prices. This type of price discrimination plays on demand inelasticity.            People who book late are usually those who needs to be on the plane, and thus would be willing to pay any price just to get to where one wants to be. (Riley, 2006). Differences in ticket pricing is most reliant on supply and demand (Devlin, 2002). Fredrik Wallenberg explains that to get an advance purchase discount, one will have to book from one to three weeks in advance. (2000, p. 7)            On the other hand, SoYouWanna.Com advises that some of the cheapest plane tickets become available at the last minute. This is due to the fact that airlines typically want to fly with a full plane. Also, airline seats are seen as a perishable product, in the event that they are not used before expiration it becomes worthless (Sahay, 2007, p. 55)            Other airlines also use Saturday night stay-over as a mechanism for price discrimination. Airlines set a higher rate for business travelers who are unwilling to spend the weekend away from home (Wallenberg, 2000).            For some, airlines often reward loyal customers with a lower price on premium tickets if theyve reached a certain number of mile on their frequent-fliers programs. Keith Devlin said that he was able to buy a round trip ticket from San Francisco to Milan for a bargain price of $1000. Devlin upgraded it to business class at no cost. Devlin got the bargain beceause he has earned enough miles on Uniteds Mileage Plus. Devlin adds that a colleague who will be on the same flight at the same time, was not able to upgrade (Devlin, 2002).            US Airways has the EZ Savers Club, which is actually an automated mailing list where subscribers can get mails detailing reduced rates on specified travel dates (Bringing market discipline, 1998).            Other programs are age-dependent. Students and seniors typically get a discount on airlines.            Another form of price discrimination employed by airlines is temporary seasonal discounts for airfares that are meant to increase business. (Ellis-Christensen, undated).            Airlines have a big market with a large number of heterogenous customers, the more disparate their customers are and their behaviors, the more willing their customers would be to pay different prices (Sahay, 2007, p. 56).            Is Price Discrimination Illegal? Price discrimination may be illegal in some cases.            However, for it to be deemed illegal, it has to be seen in light of anti-competitiveness. Carl Person said that the Robinson-Patman Act protects victims of unlawful price discrimination. Persons provided the following example where in a retail store purchases the same thing from the same supplier for a much higher price. The store who bought the merchandise at a higher price would be unable to compete on price and usually loses business to its competitor (Persons, 1997).            The Federal Trade Commission clarifies that price discrimination may be used as a predatory pricing tactic to harm competition at the supplier’s level (Federal Trade Commission, undated).            This whole scenario doesnt apply to airline tickets. Imperfect Information            In a perfect world or market situation, each consumer should have perfect information about the price of services and goods. However, information problems are highly ostentatious in complex and opaque markets, where there is infrequent patronage. Markets with intermediaries or those with a time lag between the time of purchase and the expected benefits are also susceptible to the problem. The airline industry is also a primary industry for imperfect information due to its complex pricing structures (Lindley, 2007, p. 74).            Imperfect information could harm a customer because it would effectively prevent him from turning to certain potential substitutes (Lande, 2007).            Moreover, some customers might not know of the existence of an option. Some customers might not even realize that best cost-saving option (Lande, 2007).            In short, as Dominic Lindley writes, the customer may not buy the cheapest or even the most appropriate product or service; may buy a service or product that does not perform as well as planned; or may be unaware of their rights and remedies if something goes wrong (Lindley, 2007, p. 74). Conclusion            It all boils down to the fact that imperfect information could hinder a customer from making a more informed decision about what hes purchasing.            Determining the cost of an airline ticket is a complicated task. With price discrimination, it really just an interplay of demand and the customers ability to pay. Price discrimination allows businesses to optimize their operations for maximum benefits and income on their marginal costs. Airlines, among other businesses, are in a position to exploit that advantage because they satisfy all conditions needed for price discrimination.            For consumers and passengers to get the optimum value for their money, they must be vigilant. They must know their options, and choose accordingly. References  Armstrong, Mark. (2006). Price Discrimination. University College London. Retrieved on 3 April 2008. http://else.econ.ucl.ac.uk/papers/uploaded/222.pdf Brady, Stephen P. and Cunningham, William A . (2001). Exploring predatory pricing in the airline industry. Transportation Journal, 41(1), 5-15. Retrieved 21 April 2008 from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 124411971). Bringing market discipline to pricing. (1998, January). Businessline,1. 21 Retrieved April 2008, from ProQuest Asian Business and Reference database. (Document ID: 25422269). Devlin, Keith. (2002). The crazy math of airline ticket pricing. Retrieved on 3 April 2008. http://www.maa.org/devlin/devlin_09_02.html Ellis-Christensen Tricia. What is Price Discrimination? Retrieved on 3 April 2008. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-price-discrimination.htm Lande, Robert. (2007). Market Power Without A Large Market Share: The Role of Imperfect Information and other Consumer Protection Market Failures. Retrieved on 3 April 2008. http://www.justice.gov/atr/public/hearings/single_firm/docs/222102.htm Lindley, Dominic. (2007). Imperfect information for consumers. Consumer Policy Review, 17(3), 74-79. Retrieved 21 April 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1328552571). Persons, Carl E. (1997). Do You Have an RPA Price Discrimination Claim? Retrieved on 3 April http://www.lawmall.com/rpa/rpaclaim.html Riley, Geoff. (2006) Price Discrimination. Eton College. Retrieved on 3 April 2008. http://www.tutor2u.net/economics/revision-notes/a2-micro-price-discrimination.html Stavins, Joanna. (1996). Price Discrimination in the Airline Market: The Effect of Market Concentration. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Retrieved on 3 April 2008. http://bosfed.org/economic/wp/wp1996/wp96_7.pdf SOYOUWANNA FIND A CHEAP PLANE TICKET? Retrieved on 3 April 2008. http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/planetix/planetix.html Sahay, Arvind. (2007). How Dynamic Pricing Leads to Higher Profits. MIT Sloan Management Review, 48(4), 53. Retrieved 21 April 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1360146151). Turow, Joseph. (2005). Have they got a deal for you. Washington Post. Retrieved on 3 April http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/18/AR2005061800070_pf.html Wallenberg, Fredrik. (2000). A study of airline pricing. School of Information Management Systems, University of California at Berkeley. Retrieved on 3 April 2008. http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~fredrik/research/papers/InternetTravel.pdf Wooley, Scott. (1998). Mine was cheaper! Forbes.Com. Retrieved on 3 April 2008. http://www.forbes.com/global/1998/1102/0116058a.html
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Electronic Trade and Money Laundering :: Economics
Electronic Trade and Money Laundering ELECTRONIC TRADE  FEATURES AND EXPECTATIONS Electronic trade is a reality that reveals and promises both rapid and exponential growth. Its constant progress, as well as increasing innovation in electronic payments, has for long been the subject of wide attention, especially for regulatory bodies, in respect of the opportunities for money laundering that these new instruments can provide, and of the responses that regulatory systems can and must develop in their regard. Detailed reports on the wholesale implementation of the new payment systems are available from the Bank for International Settlements. These reports show that, with greater or lesser speed, such systems are taking on a global dimension. Innovation continues incessantly; and rumours spread every day about the development of newer instruments, residing even in the most familiar tools such as mobile telephones." Aside from unpredictable shocking events, which could thwart the advance and availability of technological resources, electronic trade is eventually likely to become the norm, at least in the most advanced countries. It will spread over all markets, just as other instruments  cars, household appliances, telephones  have done before, because it is equally effective, cheap, and within everybody's reach. The main factors still inhibiting widespread diffusion are security risks  such as problems of transparency and symmetry of information; a need for defence from intrusive technologies; a call for guarantees against threats deriving from fraud, embezzlement, counterfeiting, false identities and privacy. These risks are likely to be scaled down, as the diffusion of the new instruments enlarges the market in such a way as to make lawful behaviour thoroughly prevail  which in turn will make the market itself more reliable. Under such conditions, obstacles and constraints that interfere with market development will not be able to resist its inner pressure, or will turn into discriminations and losses in commercial competition, which is positively unwelcome for the economies involved. It is certainly not by chance that in this matter the governments of many countries have so far shown a 'wait and see' attitude. NEW INSTRUMENTS AND MONEY LAUNDERING RISKS In its broadest sense, money laundering includes whatever activity is apt to disguise the source of illicitly earned wealth, dissolving the tracks that can lead back to it. To this goal, whatever means the economic and financial system can supply is beneficial. Experience has shown that money launderers prefer environments featured with poor control, high risks that justify high losses and profits, multiplier effects, little transparency and thus asymmetric information, ease of manipulation, chance of connivance or illicit profit sharing. In this perspective, the internet is an ideal environment. The access to new technologies is more effective, and at
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Progress And Movement In America Essay -- essays research papers
Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines progress as â€Å"to develop to a higher, better, or more advanced stage.†In today’s society, there are many views on the educational and economic progress of African Americans. They have encountered many stages during the civil rights movement such as Jim Crow Laws; and are now entrepreneurs; middle-class Americans, and some attend college. Despite this, presently, African American achievement has not been as significant since. The question at hand is that in modern times, is it â€Å"progress or just purely movement†? (Morrison) The Civil Rights Movement was a political, legal, and social struggle to gain full citizenship rights for black Americans and to achieve racial equality. The civil rights movement was first and foremost a challenge to segregation, the system of laws and customs separating blacks and whites that whites used to control blacks after slavery was abolished in the 1860s. During the civil rights movement, individuals and civil rights organizations challenged segregation and discrimination with a variety of activities, including protest marches, boycotts, and refusal to abide by segregation laws. Many believe that the movement began with the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 and ended with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, though there is debate about when it began and whether it has ended yet. The civil rights movement has also been called the Black Freedom Movement, the Negro Revolution, and the Second Reconstruction. (Encarta) ...
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
“Hills like White Elephants†Literary Analysis Essay
Trying to decide on a course of action when faced with an unexpected pregnancy, an American and a girl sit outside a train stop in the dusty part of Spain and drink on it. Indirectly approaching the sensitive subject of abortion, each member of the couplehood sets out to test the other in a verbal battle of the wills, engaging in a staccato like dialogue that offers some insight into the two main character’s personas. Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills like White Elephants†churns out a hefty sum of symbolism in a very short story ultimately leaving the imagination free reign to interpret. While they wait for a train to take them to Madrid, the dangers of persuing happiness unfolds (choices – how bad do you want something – how restrictions help you to understand yourself†¦if you put yourself out of your element – thats when you learn the most about yourself) . The timeline of the story is significant. Post WW1, opulence has landed in Amerci a and 20’s reign Roaring 20‘s, post WW1 Although setting is not talked about at length, what is written says many things about the underlying psyche of the two main characters, the American and a girl he calls Jig. Immediately, Hemmingway establishes an obvious conflict between the couple’s interests with the line â€Å"[o]n this side†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This is further emphasized with â€Å"two lines of rails†, symbolizing their inability to connect with each other. A beaded curtain is then introduced, â€Å"to keep out the flies†, in reality, it is a grounder representing the girl’s shifting state of mind; while everything seems to change and turn and dance about around her, the curtain – not solid, but as fluid as her decision making skills – appears whenever she makes an important decision. Here, the curtain is a means of concealing their current dilemma. The pair are also described as being â€Å"outside the building†, where they are supposedly waiting for the train – a justification for their underlying purpose of waiting on a decision to be made. The Mediterranean sun finds them somewhere between Barcelona and Madrid, two major cities in Spain, where there is â€Å"no shade and no trees†on their side of the valley. This represents the crossroad they’ve reached in their relationship: they are stuck in limbo, coming from beauty and going into it, but must first make their decision of whether they go together or not. Lastly, throughout the story the girl looks out at the valley and the hills in the distance, which are â€Å"white in the sun†, while she and the American are stuck in a â€Å"brown and dry†country, hardly conducive to life at all. The fertile valley and the hills represent the unborn baby – the potential for life. She mentions these hills and looks over to them many times, whereas the man refuses to acknowledge them, ignoring her when she initially brings them up. This is highlighted later when the American refers to ‘the operation’, or the potential abortion, as being â€Å"perfectly natural†. The presence of the beaded curtain shows that she does not agree with him. This fundamental disagreement of the concept of something as basic as nature foreshadows the couple’s impending separation. Furthermore, while she is perfectly aware she speaks of the white hills metaphorically, he takes her literally; they do not operate under the sa me mode of thought. Throughout the story, the American behaves according to the traditional idea of masculinity: rugged, knowledgeable, and always in control of himself and the given situation. Even when vexed or confused, he maintains a relaxed exterior and feigns indifference; such as when he tells the girl â€Å"if you don’t want to you don’t have to†. He avoids directly voicing his opinions, but when pressured collapses, oversimplifying the operation and relentlessly pushing her to have it. Thinking himself to be the more reasonable of the two, even identifying more with the other passengers â€Å"waiting reasonably†at the station, he inherently fails to provide the sympathy and understanding she needs during the crisis. Compared to the American, Jig is portrayed as being naà ¯ve, helpless, and indecisive. Her nickname, Jig, subtly indicates that the two characters merely dance around each other and the issue at hand without ever saying anything meaningful. In fact, the girl, unable to speak Spanish, can’t even order drinks from the bartender on her own – suggesting a strong dependence on him. Although her mind is constantly changing as it receives new information, she still is being pressured to make a decision while under the influence of his persistent attempts to control her. Jig is very much like the following comment made by Hemmingway on the 1920s, when the story was published: The age demanded that we dance And jammed us into iron pants. And in the end the age was handed The sort of shit that it demanded. (Audre Hanneman, Ernest Hemingway: A Comprehensive Bibliography: Princeton University Press, 1967) By the end of the story, Jig seems to understand that her relationship with the American has effectively ended, despite her earlier professed desire to make him happy. She knows that even if she has the operation, their relationship won’t return to how it used to be. In many ways, the girl’s realization of this fact gives her power over the American, who never really understands why they still can’t have â€Å"the whole world†like they once did. Imagery and symbolism are common themes throughout this story. When Jig first tries the Anis Del Toro, she comments â€Å"[i]t tastes like liquorice†¦ everything tastes of liquorice†. Liquorice is a popular sweet, but in medicine it used to induce vomit. This sort of duality runs throughout the text. Here, Jig speaks about how everything possesses two natures: a positive and a negative. One not able to exist without the other. The curtain appears at the beginning of this scene, when the American orders the drinks. This might mean that she is becoming aware of a truth the man isn’t picking up on. At the end of the forty minutes, it is implied the train has come to pick them up. This too has a hidden meaning: once a train comes, it goes. Symbolically, the train represents Jig’s choice. Like the coming of the train, if she decides to abort the baby, there is no turning back. The train will keep on going just as her life will keep going; but will she ever be the same? The American tries his best to make his opinion known that he and Jig’s life will be easier and go back the way it was if she just goes through with this â€Å"simple operation.†It is also interesting to see how the man reacts to the indecision of his girl when â€Å"he picked up the two heavy bags and carried them around the station to the other tracks. He looked up the tracks but could not see the train. Coming back, he walked through the barroom, where people waiting for the train were drinking†¦ He went out through the bead curtain. She was sitting at the table and smiled at him.†As the man takes both of their bags over to the tracks, he is hoping that Jig will go through with the surgery. He is still uncertain as to whether she will in fact go through with the abortion, but lets his opinion be known by taking their luggage and setting it by the tracks to be loaded on the upcoming train. He looks up the tracks, waiting for the train that is supposed to come, but does not see it. Similarly, he anticipates that Jig will listen to his suggestion but is still uncertain whether she will go through with it. When the American comes back into the barroom, he hopes that Jig has made a decision, preferably in favour of the abortion, but when he reaches her she has still not made up her mind. The drinks that the couple share are another instance of symbolism regarding Jigâ€⠄¢s decision about the abortion. Even though it may not have been known that alcohol consumption negatively affects the fetus in the womb, Jig’s consistent drinking gives way to the thinking that she may have thrown in the towel on the possibility of having the child. For instance, the Anis del Toro is a drink that is illegal in many countries because those who gorge themselves on the drink can, and probably will, die of alcohol poisoning. Knowing this, Jig’s drinking the Anis del Toro symbolizes her thinking of the child as a separate entity, perhaps already dead. Jig’s drinking several alcoholic beverages points toward her decision to abort the baby as her American boyfriend wants. There is also the recurring theme of the number â€Å"two.†For instance, the train stopped for â€Å"two†minutes, the couple drinks â€Å"dos†cervezas, they receive â€Å"two†glasses of beer, â€Å"two†felt pads and the American carries their â€Å"two†heavy bags to the other side of the train tracks. This overemphasis of the number two could inspire two different readings. The first could be that the relationship between the couple is the largest the relationship can span; they can’t include a third person into their twosome because three’s a crowd. The other way to read this is that perhaps â€Å"two†refers to Jig and her baby. Jig is still weighing the possibility of becoming a mother because she has not yet made a decision as to whether she will abort the baby or not. The overuse of two is definitely symbolic within the story. Even Hemingway’s title is symbolic which alludes to a deeper meaning in the term â€Å"white elephants†than just scratches the surface. A white elephant is a saying meaning â€Å"a gift not recognized by the receiver, whose value is outweighed by its cost†. The girl’s comment in the beginning of the story that the surrounding hills look like white elephants initially seems to be a casual, offhand remark, which in reality represents her desire to speak about the issue at hand. Later, her comment â€Å"the hills don’t really look like white elephants†is a subtle hint at her defiance: perhaps she won’t have the operation at all. The term â€Å"white elephants†originally was used in Indian cultures where a white elephant is â€Å"a possession unwanted by the owner but difficult to dispose of†. The term originally came about in an apocryphal tale about the King of Siam who would â€Å"award a disagreeable courtier a white elephant, the upkeep of which would ruin the courtier†(Dictionary). Even though these elephants were beautifully ornate and were given as great gifts, the upkeep is atrocious. Basically the cost and care for the white elephant would supersede the actual joy of receiving it. In sum, a white elephant is an unwanted gift; much like Jig’s pregnancy seems, especially to the American: like an unwanted thing. Both the American and the girl drink alcohol throughout their conversation. They start by drinking large beers the moment they arrive at the station. Then, as soon as they begin talking about the hills that look like white elephants, the girl asks to order more drinks. Although they drink primarily to avoid thinking about the issue at hand, readers sense that deeper problems exist in their relationship, of which the operation is merely one. The girl implies this herself when she remarks that she and the American man never do anything together except try new drinks, as if constantly looking for new ways to avoid each other. By the end of their conversation, both drink alone- the girl at the table and the man at the bar- suggesting that the two are winding down their relationship and will soon go their separate ways.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Abraham Maslow Essay Example
Abraham Maslow Essay Example Abraham Maslow Paper Abraham Maslow Paper After returning from a shopping trip with his mother, little Tommy reported, â€Å"I goed to the store and eated candy. †Why might a behaviorist such as B. F. Skinner have had some difficulty explaining Tommys incorrect grammatical construction? What sort of theory could explain the errors? What would that explanation be? B. F Skinner was an American Psychologist who invented the operant conditioning chamber. The chamber he set up had rats in it and a lever, once the rats pulled the lever they were given a piece of food. After this happened the rate of bar pressing would increase dramatically and remain high until the rat was no longer hungry. He was a firm believer of the idea that human free will was actually an illusion and any human action was the result of the consequences of that same action. If the consequences were bad, there was a high chance that the action would not be repeated; however if the consequences were good, the actions that lead to it would be reinforced. He called this the principle of reinforcement. B. F. Skinner’s operant conditioning theory would lead him to believe Tommys parents spoke the way Tommy did after leaving the store, and his parents had no consequences for Tommy speaking in such a way but instead of giving him positive reinforcement for the incorrect grammar. The fact That Tommy has a learning disability which causes him to absorb words used around him, instead of absorbing both the vocabulary and the grammatical rules. Tommy’s grammatical errors show that language is acquired through osmosis, and that there is more to it than just memorization. Skinner’s way of operant conditioning mainly focused on cause and effect; by doing something good you are rewarded and by doing something bad you are punished. Even though tommy’s parents don’t reward him it would seem to Skinner that his grammatical errors were positively reinforced making it difficult for Skinner to provide an explanation for Tommy’s grammatical errors. Myers, D. G (2013). Psychology: 10th Edition in Modules. Worth Publishers, Inc. 4. Abraham Maslow suggested that â€Å"a person who is lacking food, love, and self-esteem would most likely hunger for food more strongly than anything else.†Conversely, the novelist Dostoyevsky wrote, â€Å"without a firm idea of himself and the purpose of his life, man cannot live even if surrounded with bread. †What evidence from the field of psychology might support each statement? Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist who is best known for creating Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is represented by a pyramid with four different levels, the bottom of the hierarchy are the Basic needs or Physiological needs of a human being: food, water, sleep and sex. The next level is Safety Needs: Security, Order, and Stability. These two steps are important to the physical survival of the person. Once individuals have basic nutrition, shelter and safety, they attempt to accomplish more. The third level of need is Love and Belonging, which are psychological needs; when individuals have taken care of themselves physically, they are ready to share themselves with others, such as with family and friends. The fourth level is achieved when individuals feel comfortable with what they have accomplished. This is the Esteem level, the need to be competent and recognized, such as through status and level of success (Myers, 2013, p. 420 ). Maslow suggested that a person lacking food, love, and self-esteem would most likely hunger for food the most. Yet on the other hand the novelist Destoyeski viewed this issue in an entirely different matter. He wrote that without a firm idea of himself and the purpose of his life, man cannot live even if surrounded with bread. My opinion is that if a person does not know who they really are or what they are doing with their life then what is there to live for, therefore food wouldn’t matter without everything else to follow. Destoyeski quote, I believe that everyone has a place and a purpose in life, yet if a person doesn’t know where they stand or their purpose in life who are they And this is why I believe that knowing yourself, your standards, and goals is more important critically speaking because without those, all you would have in your life is food. I believe both Maslow and Destoyeski are right in their own ways, since Maslow just focuses on the basics showing a person will go for food before they go for self-esteem, and Destoyeski looks at the bigger picture and seeing that if you have nothing to live for then you would have no reason to care about food. Fyodor Dostoevsky Russian Author Biography. (n. d. ). The European Graduate School Media and Communication Graduate Postgraduate Studies Program. Retrieved April 28, 2013, from egs. edu/library/fyodor-dostoevsky/biography/ Myers, D. G (2013). Psychology: 10th Edition in Modules. Worth Publishers, Inc. 5. Andy, a high school sophomore, lacks self-discipline, fails to plan ahead, and is excessively anxious. He is quickly frustrated by challenging tasks and frequently becomes overly critical of others. Use the psychoanalytic, humanistic, and social-cognitive perspectives to give three contrasting explanations of Andys behavior. Since we do not know Andy’s past, he could have been bullied in school when he was younger or possibly beaten by his parents as a child, which could have created trauma causing him to act out. Because he is acting out, the idea is acting on its pleasure principle and allowing Andy to release his built up frustration and stress. The humanistic side of things is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid that breaks down a person’s basic needs for self-fulfillment. Andy Pushes towards finding where he belongs and he strives to build up his self-esteem. Rogers thought we could reach our full potential by receiving unconditional positive regard. This included caring for someone no matter what they are going through, openness, acceptance, and empathy. His parents probably did not give him unconditional positive regard contributing to how he feels now. The social cognitive side is close to the cognitive-behavioral viewpoint. Andy’s friends, family, and along with his environment influence, his actions and behavior which contributes to how he views himself is influenced by his surroundings. If Andy’s parents used a particular style of parenting such as permissive parenting style, it could have been a contributing factor causing Andy’s lack of self-esteem and self-discipline to include Andy failing to plan ahead. The common anxiousness Andy feels would be caused by the negative self-image he created of himself. Since Andy is so critical on himself it would also make him very judgmental of others as well or possibly even resorting to suicidal thoughts. Myers, D. G (2013). Psychology: 10th Edition in Modules. Worth Publishers, Inc. 6. Geraldo, a second-year college student, is so fearful of medical procedures that he has avoided routine dental checkups for over three years. He has recently decided to seek help in overcoming his fear. Compare and contrast (what are the similarities and differences) the methods that would be used by (a) a behavior therapist and (b) a psychoanalytic therapist Psychoanalytic and Behavioral are the two main types of psychotherapy which are techniques employed to improve psychological functioning and promote adjustment to life for every patient. The two types of therapies are generally to help gain a greater control over and improvement of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The two therapies are grouped together as insight therapies. Although their goals are similar, their approach is very different from each other. The difference between behavior therapy and psychoanalytic therapy is that psychoanalytic therapy is used to bring the patient’s unconscious and underlying conflicts to consciousness. This process helps the patient to discover their reason for their abnormal behaviors or fears of certain situations or even fear of certain objects or places. Once the patient has the insight on their underlying conflicts or fears, the conflicts or fears can be resolved and the patient can change to a better behavior. There are five methods that are used in psychoanalytic therapy: free association, dream analysis, analyzing resistance, analyzing transference, and interpretation. Behavior therapy which is similar to psychoanalytic therapy but instead it uses learning principles to help prevent and eliminate maladaptive behaviors and create a more healthy way of thinking. Behavior therapy focuses on the problem behavior instead of the underlying cause. The methods used in this particular therapy are: classical conditioning techniques, including systematic desensitization and aversion therapy; operant conditioning techniques, including shaping, reinforcement, and observational learning techniques, to include modeling therapy. Psychoanalytic therapy and behavioral therapy both push to better a person’s thinking and outlook on life. Both types of therapy’s work in different ways to resolve the conflict. Psychoanalytic works by bringing the underlying conflict out and behavior therapy works on the conflict that is currently at the surface not focusing on the underlying factors more or less teaching the patient ways to defeat the conflict should it come out. Myers, D. G (2013). Psychology: 10th Edition in Modules. Worth Publishers, Inc. McLeod, S. (n. d. ). Psychoanalysis. Simply Psychology Articles for Students. Retrieved April 28, 2013, from simplypsychology. org/psychoa Behavioral Therapy. (n. d. ). Spectrum Behavioral Health. Retrieved April 29, 2013, from spectrum-behavioral. com/WhitePapers/behavioralthera
Monday, October 21, 2019
My name is Khan Essay Essay Example
My name is Khan Essay Essay Example My name is Khan Essay Paper My name is Khan Essay Paper My name is Khan is an Indian movie that revolved around the life of Rizwan Khan. a Muslim who suffered Asperger’s Syndrome. Because of his job in covering with new topographic points. people. loud colourss and crisp sounds. he was given particular attention by his female parent and private tutoring by a bookman which led to jealousy on portion of his brother. Khan was taught by his female parent that there were merely two sorts of people in this world- the good and the bad. After her female parent died. Rizwan moved to San Francisco and lived with his brother and sister-in-law. He was so employed by his brother as a gross revenues adult male for Mehnaz Herbal Beauty Products. While working. he met and fell in love with Mandira. a divorced Hindu hairstylist who has a 6- twelvemonth old boy called Sam. After Khan showed a topographic point that hasn’t been seen before by Mandira. they married and settle down in Banville even against the will of his brother. It was considered blasphemy. harmonizing to Rizwan’s brother. to get married a Hindu. Mandira and Sam took Rizwan’s family name. Everything seemed to be perfect for the household when the 9/11 onslaught happened in New York City and shattered the lives of the Khans. The Khan household. every bit good as the other Muslims. began to see favoritism. torments and hate offenses from the American community. Mandira had to shut her occupation ; Rizvan’s sister-in-law was attacked for she was have oning a scarf ; Sam experienced intimidation and his best friend turned off from him. He got into a battle with few school childs for they were faulting him as a terrorist and was beaten to decease. Mandira blamed Rizwan’s family name for Sam’s tragic decease. She banished him and told him non to return until he tells the U. S president that even though he is a Muslim. he is non a terrorist. Rizwan so started a long and alone journey across America to state the President of the USA: â€Å"My name is Khan and I am non a terrorist. †Along his journey. he met Mama Jenny and her boy Joel. helped them when a hurricane hit the topographic point they lived. was arrested by the constabulary after been mistaken as a terrorist in a crowd and was stabbed by one of the followings of a adult male he reported in the authorization after catching his violent rhetoric. Amidst the obstructions he underwent. he was able to run into the president. and told him â€Å"My name is Khan and I am non a terrorist†. The movie concluded with Mandira and Rizwan traveling place. Conventionally. existent adult male should be tough and should non demo emotions. But seeing the movie My Name is Khan. my bosom of rock trembled and I caught myself watery-eyed. I was greatly impressed of Rizvan’s particular ability to mend mechanical things peculiarly when the immature Rizwan made an alternate pump to drive the H2O out from his teacher’s house and how he can mend about everything. I was inspired by how Rizwan get the better of his restriction as an autistic adult male in order to travel on across the different provinces of America merely to run into the president of the USA. I was saddened by how favoritism can rupture a household apart ; how it can convey harm to the oppressed party particularly when favoritism is to be blamed for a decease of a loved one. No affair what. Rizwan’s life brought felicity to us and proved that every cloud will ever hold its Ag liner. Faithfulness is the 1 of the values I have learned in this film. Rizvan’s strong religion to Allah neer waived amidst the bias against Muslim by the American community. â€Å"Prayer should neer depend upon the topographic point or the people. It should depend upon your belief†. said Rizvan. Second is respectfulness non merely to the people. but besides to one’s ain faith. Mandira and Rizvan respect one another’s faith. They gave each other infinite to execute their ain beliefs. Third is selflesness. Rizvan rushed to Georgia in the center of hurricane to assist Mama Jenny who one time sheltered him. His act of kindness moved the universe and brought voluntaries to Georgia to help the victims of the hurricane. Fourth is humbleness. Rizvan neer failed to stay low. When he was ill- treated in the airdrome. he did non kick. When he was released from being detained. he did non contemn the people who imprisoned him. When Mandira asked him to go forth. he did non inquiry. Alternatively he merely asked when he can return. Last. Rizvan taught me the kernel of love. It wasn’t choler or hatred that helped Rizvan win in his journey. it was his love for his household and of Allah. It was besides love that helped Rizvan and Mandira moved on after the decease of Sam. After watching the movie. I can state that media took a large function in cultivating the heads of the people to look Muslims as a violent people and Islam as a violent faith utilizing the issues refering them like the 9/11 onslaught. One statement from the media can greatly impact the perceptual experience of the people towards the issue. We tend to concentrate on the negative sides of the Muslim and know apart them. What we don’t know is the brighter side of them. their irrevokable love for Allah and cardinal patterns that does non recommend force and advance peace. Then what about the Muslim terrorists and their actions? For me. they did inhumane Acts of the Apostless non for their faith but for their ain selfish motivations. non sacredly but politically. But what happened was that media took incrimination on their faith and their instructions. I can’t fault the media wholly since this pattern of blaming is even pattern by our society and households. It became traditional that altering it will be hard and will take a longer clip. For illustration. person commit a offense. Our society will non fault you wholly but besides your household. your background. and your faith. Furthermore. My Name is Khan taught us that differences in faiths can non impede two individuals in love to hold a successful matrimony and peaceable life. We may hold different names for our God. but all of them have one in common- they all symbolize love.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Common German Idioms, Sayings and Proverbs
Common German Idioms, Sayings and Proverbs Ein Sprichwort, a saying or a proverb, can be a fun way to learn and remember new vocabulary in German. The following sayings, proverbs, and idiomatic expressions (Redewendungen) are our favorites. Some expressions are more common than others. Many of these work with Germanys love affair with its endless variety of Wurst (sausage). Some may be a little more contemporary, some may be a bit old-fashioned, but they can all be used in everyday conversations. Tips for Learning German Phrases The best way to learn these is to read each sentence to yourself and immediately read the English equivalent. Then say the same sentence aloud in German. Continue saying these aloud in German and, with practice, youll automatically remember the meaning; it will become subliminal and you wont even have to think about it. A good exercise: Write each phrase or sentence out as you say it the first two times. The more senses and muscles you engage as you learn a language, the more likely you are to remember it correctly and the longer you will remember it. A third time, cover the German and read the English version; then task yourself, as in a dictation, with writing the sentence in German. Keep in mind that the symbolÂ ß (as in heiß) stands for a double s, and remember correct German word order, which is different from that in English. Dont forget that all German nouns, common or proper, are capitalized. (Even Wurst.) Below youll find expressions, the colloquial English translation, and the literal translation. Expressions About Sausage (Wurst) and Other Things to Eat Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei. Everything must end.Literally: Everything has an end; only the sausage has two. Das ist mir Wurst. Its all the same to me.Literally: Its a sausage to me. Es geht um die Wurst. Its do or die / now or never / the moment of truth.Literal: Its about the sausage. Äpfel mit Birnen vergleichen. Comparing apples and orangesLiterally: Comparing apples and pears In des Teufels Kà ¼che sein. To get into hot waterLiteral: In the devils kitchen Dir haben sie wohl etwas in den Kaffee getan. Youve got to be kidding.Literally: Youve probably done something in/to the coffee Die Radieschen von unten anschauen/betrachten To be pushing up daisies (to be dead)Literally: To see/view the radishes from below Expressions With Animals Die Katze im Sack kaufen To buy a pig in a pokeLiterally: to buy a cat in a sack Wo sich die Fà ¼chse gute Nacht sagen The middle of nowhere/the back of beyondLiterally: Where the foxes say goodnight Stochere nicht im Bienenstock. Let sleeping dogs lie.Literally: Dont poke around in the beehive. Expressions With Body Parts and People Daumen drà ¼cken! Keep your fingers crossed!Literally: Press/hold your thumbs! Er hat einen dicken Kopf. Hes got a hangover.Literally: He has a fat head. Was ich nicht weiß, macht mich nicht heiß. What you dont know, wont hurt you.Literally: What I dont know wont burn me. Er fllt immer mit der Tà ¼r ins Huschen. He always gets right to the point/just blurts it out.Literally: He always falls into the house through the door. Was Hnschen nicht lernt, lernt Hans nimmermehr. You cant teach an old dog new tricks.Literally: What little Hans didnt learn, adult Hans never will. Wenn man dem Teufel den kleinen Finger gibt, so nimmt er die ganze Hand. Give an inch; theyll take a mile.Literally: If you give the devil your little finger, hell take the whole hand.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Labor market equilibrium Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Labor market equilibrium - Assignment Example Workers want to work at highest wage rates while firms want to hire at lowest wage rates. This keeps on pulling the demand and supply curves up and down and hence the equilibrium keeps shifting from one point to another. Hence, these supply and demand patterns in the labor market largely affect the market equilibrium. Suppose there is an equilibrium position in the labor market. Then, many new graduates enter the market and the supply of labor increases. When there is excess supply in the market, the employers have a free hand at the wage-rate and they can hire workers at lower wage rate and the equilibrium shifts inwards. However, if the workers are being paid less than other related industries, or cannot find a job altogether, they might start switching to the industries that pay higher or might start their own business. They may also resort to starting their own business and become self-employed, or might stop looking for a job and start relying on other sources of income dropping out of the labor force altogether, or they may become unemployed. This reduces the supply of labor. At this point in time, the supply of labor decreases than the demand and the employers are forced to increase the wage rates in order to attract the workers needed. This shifts the equilibrium back outwards. This increase and decrease and supply and demand keeps on taking place as the employers continuously tend to minimize wage rates and workers keep on demanding higher wages affecting the supply of labor accordingly. This in turn keeps on moving the equilibrium inward and outward as the demand and supply continue attempting to reach
Friday, October 18, 2019
Education as a Primary Defender of Human Rights Essay - 1
Education as a Primary Defender of Human Rights - Essay Example Not every child receives an education, not every woman receives the same rights as her male counterparts, and the voice of the poor remains unheard. A black, lower-class woman, for instance, has less chances of getting her opinions across than a while male belonging to the upper crust of the society, whose voice yields the power to influence society’s major institutions. The Magna Carta of 1215, the most important legal documents to date, set the initial foundations of human rights in the society. One of its key principles stated, "No freeman shall be taken, imprisoned, disseised, outlawed, banished, or in any way destroyed, nor will We proceed against or prosecute him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers and by the law of the land. To no one will We sell, to no one will We deny or delay, right or justice" (The Magna Carta). This centuries old charter was the first legitimate document passed to protect the rights of the people. It evolved over time to form the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the United Nations passed in 1948. This was, in effect, the turning point for the human rights campaign; indeed, issues of race, social class, and gender inequality would still traumatize society today were it not for the Declaration. The concept of human rights works very well in theory; it is easy to advocate equality for all in text. Reality, however, is an entirely different story. There are still a considerable percentage of men, women, and children who are marginalized and discriminated within the society for one reason or the other. It is precisely for them that human rights defenders function. As the term suggests, human rights defenders are individuals who advocate the provision of human rights to all; they are endorsers of the victimized, and aim to champion the rights of all humans. However, the term ‘human rights defenders is not just restricted to human beings. Instead, it encompasses anything and everything that
Supplements, nutrients, and stored energy to the proper function of Essay
Supplements, nutrients, and stored energy to the proper function of the human body - Essay Example Nutritional supplements are products from foods used for the support of good health and treatment of illnesses. According to the dietary supplement health and education act (DSHEA), supplements are not foods put contain the elements in the food that increase their supply to the body. â€Å"The supplements contain one or more ingredients of the diet including minerals, vitamins and amino acid†(Liddle and Connor, P. 487). The use of supplements and energy stores is high due to an increase in demand of energy that cannot be provided through food intake during any particular incidence of a meal. The demand for this energy is to promote weight gain, enhance weight loss or improve the performance of athletes. Vitamins and minerals as supplements contain micronutrients that are responsible for enhancing the normal hormonal and chemical functions of the body. These supplements are important for enhancing the reproductive functionality of hormones, as well as other endocrine functions of the body. Botanical (herbal) supplements are ingested for their medical functions in the body. â€Å"The botanical supplements are taken to support specific areas of functionality of the body†(Calbet et al., P. 1005). These areas could be for the improvement of the liver, skin, bone or kidney function, thus are important for the improvement of the efficiency in the functionality of the targeted part. â€Å"Supplements and energy stores are composed of combinations of two or more of the eight key nutrients that are important for the proper functionality of the body†(Frary, Johnson, and Wang, P. 56). Calcium is one of the eight key nutrients that is important for bone formation, muscle contraction and helps in the transmission of nerve cell messages. Calcium is chiefly derived from the dairy foods but can also be acquired from vegetables like
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and International Human Essay
Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and International Human Rights - Essay Example Most of the non-governmental organisations that champion for women rights’ are under United Nations. United Nations member states adopt several treaties that seek to protect the rights of women. The Charter of United Nations recognises that persons have basic human rights and should live a dignified-life. In addition, the Charter prevents all forms of discrimination because every person is has equal freedom regardless of gender. Discrimination against women infringes the rights and respect for human solemnity. It limits women from taking an active part in political, social, cultural, and economic developments in their country. In addition, inequality between in genders demeans women’s contributions in the family, society, and in individual states. This is because women do not have enough space to exploit their potentials. In the light of this, United Nations has entered into several treaties that seek to cushion women from any form of discrimination (General Assembly). This paper will analyse the convention of elimination of discrimination against women. It will then endeavour to highlight the contribution of the convention to development of international human rights. Women have been on the receiving end of all forms and mannerisms of men behaviour. Patriarchy dominates virtually all the indigenous and marginalised societies. Men perpetrate all forms of discrimination to women. Women suffer because they are voiceless in presence of male dominated societies. Discrimination against women happens in all sectors. These forms of discrimination include forced relocation from women’s ancestral lands, pollution and destruction of their homes, limited or no education at all, and poor health care. Other human right’s violations that women face include rape, domestic violence, forced sterilisations, and inadequate reproductive health care. These vices have significantly limited women participation in national and international matters. These b ad experiences of women have attracted the international attention to provide an amicable solution. Women use various ways to demand for call for recognition of their human rights. These are efforts to end discrimination and oppression of women (Kambel, 2004). United Nations stepped forward to safe women from wrath of patriarchal nature of society. It did this through signing of various treaties that recognises women rights. United Nations is replete with regional commissions, specialised agencies, programs, and other instruments to address the plight of women. Nations have presented entities that seek to recognise women rights. The countries do so in the international circles. The commitment of all the world society structures is to achieve equality and human rights. Steiner (2008: 175) notes that the number of movements advocating for women rights has increased over the years. Leaders and champions of human rights hold international conferences with the main goal of reducing the g ap between men and women. Non- governmental organisations are in the forefront to advance the efforts to eliminate discrimination against women. Women have formed movement aiming to draw the attention of international community to recognise their rights (Steiner, 2008:173). The lessons that international community learned from the tragedies of Second World War led to signing of the Charter of United Nations. The aim of this alliance was to bring peace, mutual aid, and human rights
Needle stick injuries Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words
Needle stick injuries - Research Paper Example These injuries pose a risk for development of various infectious diseases to the injured threatening their employment, health morbidity and mortality. More than 20 different pathogens have been identified to be transmitted through exposure to body fluids or sharps injury. Injuries by sharps and splashes of body fluids are the main routes of transmission for occupational acquisition of blood-borne pathogens among health care workers (Bi et al, 2008). Despite these injuries being common, they are often under reported and in many places, both health care and non-health care workers are unaware of safety methods to prevent these infections. Globally, needle stick injuries are the most common cause of blood-borne infections among health care workers (Wilburn and Eijekamans, 2004). More than 35 million people worldwide constitute health care work force and they represent 12 percent of the working population in the world (Wilburn and Eijekamans, 2004). It is estimated that people working wi th them as non-health workers are even more in numbers (NHS, 2008). ... In this essay, various concerns pertaining to needle stick injuries will be discussed along with current and best practices and strategies to change. Needle stick injuries: causes, risks and concerns According to the Health Protection Agency report (2008), the most common type of exposure that has been reported among health care workers is the percutaneous injury which accounts for 45 percent of exposures. These exposures contributed to significant seroconversion for HCV, HIV and other diseases. The HIV seroconversion rates reported were high, 0.8 percent. In the NHS, needle stick injury continues to be the most commonly reported adverse incident among healthcare workers, which are a potential source for transmission of various diseases like Hepatitis B and C and human immunodeficiency virus. These injuries are also a potential source of transmission of prion-related diseases. The risk of transmission of hepatitis C with needle stick injuries is 3 percent, for hepatitis B is 30 perce nt and for HIV is 0.3 percent (Elmiyeh et al, 2004). The transmission from the patient to the healthcare worker through the injury depends on the viral load of the patient and also on the amount of blood that passes from the patient to the healthcare worker. Other infections which are transmissible through needle stick injuries are malaria, syphilis and herpes (Wilburn and Eijekamans, 2004). Needle stick injuries: current practices There is uncertain information about the prevalence of the diseases among hospital population and health care workers and non-health workers (Elmiyeh et al, 2004). According to a study by Elmiyeh et al (2004), 38 percent of health care workers had atleast one needle
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and International Human Essay
Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and International Human Rights - Essay Example Most of the non-governmental organisations that champion for women rights’ are under United Nations. United Nations member states adopt several treaties that seek to protect the rights of women. The Charter of United Nations recognises that persons have basic human rights and should live a dignified-life. In addition, the Charter prevents all forms of discrimination because every person is has equal freedom regardless of gender. Discrimination against women infringes the rights and respect for human solemnity. It limits women from taking an active part in political, social, cultural, and economic developments in their country. In addition, inequality between in genders demeans women’s contributions in the family, society, and in individual states. This is because women do not have enough space to exploit their potentials. In the light of this, United Nations has entered into several treaties that seek to cushion women from any form of discrimination (General Assembly). This paper will analyse the convention of elimination of discrimination against women. It will then endeavour to highlight the contribution of the convention to development of international human rights. Women have been on the receiving end of all forms and mannerisms of men behaviour. Patriarchy dominates virtually all the indigenous and marginalised societies. Men perpetrate all forms of discrimination to women. Women suffer because they are voiceless in presence of male dominated societies. Discrimination against women happens in all sectors. These forms of discrimination include forced relocation from women’s ancestral lands, pollution and destruction of their homes, limited or no education at all, and poor health care. Other human right’s violations that women face include rape, domestic violence, forced sterilisations, and inadequate reproductive health care. These vices have significantly limited women participation in national and international matters. These b ad experiences of women have attracted the international attention to provide an amicable solution. Women use various ways to demand for call for recognition of their human rights. These are efforts to end discrimination and oppression of women (Kambel, 2004). United Nations stepped forward to safe women from wrath of patriarchal nature of society. It did this through signing of various treaties that recognises women rights. United Nations is replete with regional commissions, specialised agencies, programs, and other instruments to address the plight of women. Nations have presented entities that seek to recognise women rights. The countries do so in the international circles. The commitment of all the world society structures is to achieve equality and human rights. Steiner (2008: 175) notes that the number of movements advocating for women rights has increased over the years. Leaders and champions of human rights hold international conferences with the main goal of reducing the g ap between men and women. Non- governmental organisations are in the forefront to advance the efforts to eliminate discrimination against women. Women have formed movement aiming to draw the attention of international community to recognise their rights (Steiner, 2008:173). The lessons that international community learned from the tragedies of Second World War led to signing of the Charter of United Nations. The aim of this alliance was to bring peace, mutual aid, and human rights
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Article Summary for MacroEconomics 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Article Summary for MacroEconomics 4 - Essay Example The money provided by the package was almost over and the state’s police, firefighters and teachers were going to lose their jobs. President Obama is once again going to appear before the Congress for another $300 million to create jobs and help the economy. Three rounds of stimulus aid have already been provided by president Obama. The round one was openly and fully criticized by the republicans, in round one $200 billion were used to support tax cuts, $300 billion were used or the support of those who did not have jobs and $300 billion were used for direct investment in different projects. The spending on various projects contributed the most in creating jobs. The round two mainly contributed to the bailout of the auto industry of United States and helped a great deal in creating jobs. The money spend on bailout of auto industry was recovered and returned by the auto manufacturers. The step of helping the auto industry was the most successful one as this helped the auto manu facturers in solving their financial issues, this step alone helped in saving more than 1.5 million jobs. Before the bailout program, the auto manufacturers were in very bad shape and were on the verge of being forced out of the market. The bailout of auto manufacturers has a long term positive impact, these firms are currently doing very well and even employing more employees and posting higher profits. The use of stimulus money in other arenas had very little impact and an overall view suggests that stimulus money invested in other sectors was wasted. The round three of stimulus help was quite effective as huge amount of jobs were created because people had money to spend and due to increase in demand for goods and services there was increase in demand for more workers. More than $858 billion was spent as a part of the stimulus package; money was spent on unemployment assistance provided to those who were out of jobs. During summer, the economic growth and employment growth once a gain stopped and jobs created in the private sector decreased. It is even estimated that president Obama will continue providing unemployment assistance to employees. In my opinion, the president could have dealt with the stimulus package in different ways. The stimulus money was used in certain areas that did not turned out to be quite productive. For example: the tax subsidy, the unemployment benefit was of no great help in creating jobs. Whereas certain developments made with the stimulus money were quite helpful in decreasing unemployment in US. For example: investment in projects and bailout of the auto industry. Instead of giving money directly to the unemployed individuals and providing them unemployment benefits, stimulus money could have used to finance and bailout other sectors of the economy. This would have helped businesses with their liquidity issues and they would have saved themselves from being bankrupt. If businesses would not have closed and money would have been used to help these businesses, employment would have increased. Thus the unemployment assistance would not have been important and neither the tax cuts. The businesses that would have been saved with the help of stimulus money would have made money and they would have paid taxes. Taxes are revenue for the government and are necessary for the development of the economy. The taxes
Effects of Methamphetamine on the Human Body What Cases Have Been Seen to Prove this and How It Leads To Addiction Essay Example for Free
Effects of Methamphetamine on the Human Body What Cases Have Been Seen to Prove this and How It Leads To Addiction Essay Effects of Methamphetamine on the Human Body What Cases Have Been Seen to Prove this and How It Leads To Addiction Introduction Part A       What effects does the over dependency to methamphetamine cause to the human body.       Are there any cases that have been reported to prove this and if yes which ones are they? Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that is a bitter tasting white crystalline powder devoid of smell. In street language it is popularly known       as ice, chalk, crystal or meth with high solubility in water and alcohol making it an easy target for packaging into various forms. Methamphetamine affects the central nervous system and once it is in the body system, it creates a short but intense rush and users start experiencing a sense of increased activity, decreased appetite, and strong feelings of well being, high energy levels and sense of more power with the feeling lasting from a period of 20 minutes to 12 hours. When the effects start to where off, the user is left with a feeling of drained helplessness and depression this effects leads to the user having a high craving for the drug to maintain the state of euphoria. This craving for a sense of well being, hyper activity sense of power is what leads to addiction. Addiction to methamphetamine has to a large extent been classified as a moral issue by the public while to medical practitioners it has also gained weight as a medical issue.       Methamphetamine causes development of side effects which are increased activity, euphoria and decreased appetite with methamphetamine being more potent because it passes through the blood brain barrier and enters the brain cells. The effects are more long lasting making it more dangerous on the central nervous system. It has been reported to have effects lasting as long as eight hours. This inquiry will focus mostly on the scientific research that has been carried out on methamphetamine addiction, its side effects and how it causes them and any remedies. Part B       By the end of this learning process, the following objectives should be met. Reasons that lead to use of methamphetamine should be clearly understood. The various side effects should be well outlined and possible causes explained. Mechanisms involved and leading to methamphetamine addiction should be comprehended.       Medically methamphetamine was developed for the treatment of nasal blockages and clearance of bronchioles in the lungs. Lately it has been used in low dosages for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and also in weight loss programmes but in a controlled manner and prescriptions is usually not refilled.       Effects of methamphetamine vary and they mostly depend on the dosage type. For small doses, the drug causes strong and quick addiction, lack of sleep, increased blood pressure, pulses and respiration with decreased reaction times. This effects leads to a desire for more and in large doses, it causes convulsions, overheating of the body, and in more severe cases stroke and even heart attacks. The side effects are grouped into the following major categories (Methamphetamine in Jefferson County, 2008 p 3). Physical effects       The most noticeable are muscle weakness, tremors and seizures dental decay, weight loss, anorexia, coughing, dry mouth , facial aging, brain damage kidney, heart and liver damage, skin sores and infection and also increased risk of stroke. Cognitive effects:       This effects lead to decreased ability to recognize and recall words and pictures, make inferences manipulate information, learn from experience and users have the tendency to ignore irrelevant information Psychological effects:       These effects are classified into two depending on the duration for short term effects; users experience increased sense of euphoria, high confidence and increased alertness. The users become more talkative, they are not bored easily and have an increased sex drive.       Increased confidence Increased alertness Increased good mood Increased. Long term effects include increased aggression, lack of sleep; they become over anxious and are confused most of the time. Meth users become moody and they develop psychotic behaviours characterized by false delusions, they become paranoid and become suicidal.       When ingested by pregnant women, the methamphetamine dissolves in the blood stream and is able to pass through to the fetus. The effects on the unborn children are diverse and so serious since they affect the normal development of the child. The most common effects are premature child birth and low birth rates for long time users, low birth weight since the mother does not eat enough food due to poor appetite and in most severe cases brain damage. Nutritionally, the baby is disadvantaged since the mother does not care a lot apart from craving for the next fix. Mechanisms leading to methamphetamine addiction       Addiction to methamphetamine is caused by the drug’s pharmacology mainly how it is ingested, absorbed in the body, broken in the body and excreted (Otero et al., 2006 p. 4). The pharmacology of the drug is quite a complex process which involves the peripheral and central nervous actions. The drug belongs to the group of drugs known as amphetamines with a structure closely related to that of epinephrine norepinephrine and dopamine (Kish, 2008 p. 2).       Due to its structure which is close to that endogenous neurotransmitters the drug is classified as a sympathomimetic drug and as such it interacts with sympathetic receptors of the central nervous system. Specifically, methamphetamine interacts with pre-synaptic receptors and induces effects by competitive antagonisms.       There are different modes of methamphetamine usage and they determine how long the effects take to kick in and also increase the chances and easiness of addiction. When ingested the effects may take up to twenty minutes to be effected while I snorting the effects set in much quicker as fast as five minutes. The two routes of usage are not so much addictive. Highest rates of addiction have been reported when the route of intake was intravenous injection and lung inhalation through smoking. These last two routes potentiate risk of addiction since the drug is absorbed more rapidly in the brain. Effect on the central nervous system       The amphetamines potent central nervous system appear as a result of the release of biogenic amines from the nerve terminals. This enhanced release of norepinephrine results in the anorexia effect of amphetamine and together with release of dopamine it creates a feeling of euphoria. When higher levels of dopamine are released to the mesolimbic system, it results in increased levels of serotonin which is responsible for mental disturbances and the psychotic behaviours.       When the high dose of reaches the brain, it leads to a decrease in the levels of dopamine and serotonin and this is achieved through the activity reduction of the enzymes used in their synthesis mainly tyrosine dehydroxylase and tryptophan hydroxylase respectively. The following table shows a list of websites that were visited for the purpose of this research Title of report Website Retrival date Medication and behavioral treatments (2004) www.psattc.org11-11-2014 Children at clandestine methamphetamine labs: Helping meth’s youngest Victims(2006) www.ojp.usdoj.gov10-11-2014 NIDA Community Drug Alert Bulletin: Methamphetamine (n.d.). www.drugabuse.gov10-11-2014 Methamphetamine – Drug Facts 2005 www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov11-11-2014 Parenting Children Who Have Been Exposed to Methamphetamine (n.d) www.orparc.org10-11-2014 The sites used for this study are from various government departments, and organizations that carry out various health and substances abuse researches. From the websites, they end with either gov. or org. meaning they are reputable websites. Hence, the information obtained from these websites is also reliable and thus they were considered for this paper. In addition, the sources have evidenced based reports where quantitative or qualitative research were used to write the reports thus making the data included in this paper very reliable and viable. Part C Data from various website sources on methamphetamine and journals published online was used to come up with this report. Table showing the various side effects for methamphetamine users Physical effects Cognitive side effects Short term psychological effects Long term psychological effects Weight loss Failure to recall pictures Increased good mood Mood disorders Kidney and heart damage Failure to learn from experience Increased alertness Lack of sleep and increased anxiousness Increased risk of stroke Decreased ability to make inferences Increased talkativeness Confusion and aggression Skin sores and infections Decreased ability to manipulate information Increased confidence Increases psychotic behaviour Tooth decay Increased sex drive Hallucinations and increased suicidal tendencies Increased transmission of HIV due to sharing injecting needles Table showing usage of methamphetamine in terms of age (a 2003 survey on methamphetamine users among college going children and non-college attending children obtained from NSDH, 2005). Ages/ grades Used at least once Used in the past year Used in the last 30 days College students 5.8% 2.6% 0.6% Young adults(19-28) 8.9% 2.7% 0.7% Table showing use of methamphetamine in USA (NSDH, 2005 n.p) Used at least once Used in the past year Used in the last 30 days 12+ YEARS 4.9% 0.6% 0.2% Table showing use of methamphetamine in school going children (NSDH, 2005 n.p) Grade Used at least once) Used in the past year Used in the last 30 days 8th 2.5% 1.5% 0.6% 10th 5.3% 3.0% 1.3% 12th 6.2% 3.4% 1.4% Part D       Comprehensive data obtained from various government and non-governmental websites, show that methamphetamine abuse cuts across all ages and social classes with the high-risk groups being people with low self-esteem, social pressure such as weight loss to gain an athletic or modeling body, depression, and those traumatised. While continued abuse leads to addiction, amount and ingestion routes are also determinants with smoking and injection contributing greatly to addiction. Though used medically for nasal and bronchial blockages, its abuse is the main concern due to the resulting side effects and the damages it causes. Journal       Methamphetamine side effects are as a result of it passing through the brain blood barrier into the brain cells, where its main action is to decrease extracellular monoamine neurotransmitters, especially dopamine, via interfering with their reuptake and promoting their release at the nerve endings (Fleckenstein, et al., 2007 p. 687). Dependency on methamphetamine is a serious issue with major medical, psychiatric and social economic impacts in the society (Lapworth, et al., 2009 p. 383). Withdrawal from methamphetamine also results in impaired social functioning, fatigue and aggressiveness and more craving for the drug. This menace affects most people and users should not be alienated but helped to overcome the vice by taking them to rehabilitation centres.       While it has been used medically to solve medical conditions such as nasal and bronchial blockages, it misuse is the main problem. Methamphetamine abuse cuts across all ages and social classes with the main contributing factors being low self-esteem, peer pressure, social pressure, depressions and even people suffering from traumas. The resulting side effects vary from person to person but prolonged abuse results to both physical defects such as tooth decay, weak limbs due to poor appetite, damages of organs especially the heart, kidney and liver and also psychological effects. The psychological effects are usually aggressive behaviors which endangers their lives and of those around them and psychotic behaviors which leads them in committing suicide. References Fleckenstein A., E., Volz, T., J., Riddle, E., L., Gibb, J., W., and Hanson, G., R. 2007. New insights into the mechanism of action of amphetamines. Journal of Annual Review in Pharmacology and Toxicology. 47: 681–698. Kish, S., J. 2008.Pharmacologic mechanisms of crystal Methamphetamine. Journal of Canadian Medical Association, 178 (13):1679-1682. Lapworth, K., Dawe, S., Davis, P., Kavanagh, D., Young, R., Saunders, J. 2009. Impulsivity and positive psychotic symptoms influence hostility in methamphetamine users. Journal of Addictive Behaviours ,34: 380–385 Methamphetamine in Jefferson County. 2008. Methamphetamine in Jefferson County. Understanding the Impact of Methamphetamine Abuse: Issue Paper and Recommendations NIDA Community Drug Alert Bulletin. n.d. Methamphetamine. www.drugabuse.gov. Office of National Drug Control Policy. 2005. Methamphetamine. www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov. Otero, C., Boles, S., Young, N. K., Dennis, K., 2006. Methamphetamine Addiction, Treatment, and Outcomes: Implications for Child Welfare Workers. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Substance abuse department. 2008. National Survey of Drug Use and Health: National Findings. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. US Department of Justice. 2004. Children at Clandestine Methamphetamine Laboratories. www.ojp.usdoj.gov. Source document
Monday, October 14, 2019
Algorithm to Prevent Obstacle Collision
Algorithm to Prevent Obstacle Collision Description: In this paper, we develop an algorithm to prevent collision with obstacles autonomous mobile robot based on visual observation of obstacles. The input to the algorithm is fed a sequence of images recorded by a camera on the robot B21R in motion. The information is then extracted from the optical flow image sequence to be used in the navigation algorithm. Optical flow provides important information about the state of the environment around the robot, such as the disposition of the obstacles, the place of the robot, the time to collision and depth. The strategy is to estimate the number of points of the obstacles on the left and right side of the frame, this method allows the robot to move without colliding with obstacles. The reliability of the algorithm is confirmed by some examples. Keywords: optical flow, the strategy of balance, focus of expansion, the time for communication, avoiding obstacles. 1. Introduction The term is used for visual navigation of robot motion control based on analysis of data collected by visual sensors. Golf visual navigation is of particular importance is mainly due to the vast amount of recorded video sensor materials. The aim of our work is to develop algorithms that will be used for the visual navigation of autonomous mobile robot. The input consists of a sequence of images that are constantly available navigation system while driving the robot. This sequence of images is provided by monocular vision system. Then, the robot tries to understand their environment to extract data from a sequence of image data, in this case, optical, and then uses this information as a guide for the movement. The strategy adopted to avoid collisions with obstacles during movement a balance between the right and left optical flow vectors. The test mobile robot models RWI-B21R. The robot is equipped with WATEC LCL-902 camera (see. Fig. 1). Visuals caught using Matrox Imaging cards at a rate of 30 frames per second. Fig. 1 The robot and the camera. Fig. 2 shows a flowchart of navigation. Fig. 2 Algorithm for prevention of obstacles. The first optical flow vectors are computed from image sequences. To make a decision about the orientation of the robot, the calculation of the position of the image plane in the DMZ is necessary because the control is transferred to the law with respect to the focus of expansion. Then, the depth map calculates the distance to an obstacle, to provide an immediate response to a short distance from the obstacle, or to give a signal to the robot to ignore obstacles. 2. Otsenka movement Movement in the sequence of images obtained by camera induced movement of objects in 3-D scene and / or camera motion. 3-D objects and the camera motion is a 2-D motion image plane via the projection system. It is a 2-D movements, also called apparent motion or optical flow, and should be the starting point of the intensity and color information of the video. Most of the existing methods of valuation movements are divided into four categories: basic techniques of correlation, the basic methods of energy, basic methods of parametric model and the basic methods of differentiation. We chose the technique of differentiation, based on the intensity of the preservation of a moving point for the calculation of the optical flow, for this purpose, the standard method of Horn and Schunck (Horn and Schunck manual, B., 1981). After calculating the optical flow, we use it for navigation solutions, such as trying to balance the number of left and right sides of the flow to avoid obstacles. 3. The laws of optical flow and management As well as the observation point moves through the environment, and the sample beam, reflecting this point varies continuously generates an optical flow. . One way in which the robot may use this information to a movement to achieve a certain type of flow. For example, to maintain the orientation of the environment, the type of optical flow does not flow at all requests. If some flow is detected, the robot should change their strength by producing their effectors (whether wings, wheels or legs). so as to minimize this flow, in accordance with the control law (Andrea, PD; William H. Lelise PK, 1998) .. Thus, the change of the internal forces of the robot (as against external forces such as wind) is a function of changes in the optical flow (here from a lack of flow to the minimum flow) .. The optical flow contains information about the location of the surface and the direction of the observation point called the focus of expansion (CLE), the time to contact (TTC), and depth. 3.1. The focus of expansion (RF) For the translational movement of the camera, the motion picture is always directed away from the only point of the corresponding projection of the vector transmission to the image plane. This point is called Focus Expansion (DF), it is calculated on the basis of the principle that the flux vectors are oriented in certain directions with respect to the focus of expansion. At full optical flow is the horizontal part of the DF horizontally located, in accordance with the situation in which the majority of the horizontal components of variance (Negahdaripour, S. Horn, CP 1989). It can be estimated using a simple counting method, which counts the horizontal components of the signs, which focus on each point of the image. At the point where the maximum divergence, the difference between the number of RF components on the left of the right and the number of components must be minimized. Similarly, we can appreciate the vertical position of the FF by identifying the positions of most of the vertical components. Fig. 3 Calculation of the DF. Fig. 4 shows the result of calculating the risk factors in indoor RF is shown as a red square in the image. Fig. 4 The result of the calculation of risk factors. We also use optical flow to estimate the remaining time of contact with the surface. 3.2. Contact time The contact time (VC) can be calculated from the optical flow, which is extracted from monocular image sequences acquired during the movement. Speed Image can be described as a function of the camera parameters and is divided into two periods depending on the rotation (Vt) and the translational components (Vr) at the camera speed (V), respectively. The rotational part of the flow field can be calculated from the proprioceptive data (for example, the rotation of the camera) and the focal length. After global variable optical flow is calculated, (Vt) is determined by subtracting (Vr) from (V). From translational optical flow contact time may be calculated by the formula (Tresilian, J., 1990): Here? is the distance from the point in question (xi yi) on the image plane, the focus of expansion (FR). Note how the flow rate indicating the length of vector lines increases as the distance from the focus of the image expansion. In fact, this distance is divided at a constant speed, and is a relative rate used to estimate the time of contact. In Fig. 5 we show the VC assessment transfer sequence. (A). The corresponding graph of VC (b) consistent with the theory. Fig. 5 Evaluation of the VC. 3.3. Calculating the depth (intensity) Using the optical flow field is calculated from two successive images, we can find information about the depth of each flow vector calculation by combining VC and speed of the robot while taking pictures. where X depth, V is the speed of the robot, and T VC (calculated for each optical flow vector). Fig. 6 Calculation of depth. Fig. 6 shows an image depth, which is calculated by the VC. The darkest point is near, while the brightest point is the farthest from the scene, so the brightest point is the navigation area of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹the robot. 3.4. Balance strategy for obstacle avoidance The basic idea behind this strategy is offset (parallax) movement, the robot translates nearest objects rise to more rapid movement on the retina than more distant objects. He also takes advantage of the prospects that closer objects also occupy a larger field of view, rejecting the average with respect to the associative flow. The robot turns away from the stronger flow. This control law is formulated: Here the difference in the strength of the two sides of the body of the robot, and Is the sum of the magnitude of the optical flow in the visual field of the hemispheres on one side of the header robot. We have implemented a strategy to balance our mobile robot. As we have shown in Fig. 7, the left optical beam (699, 24) is greater than the right (372, 03), so the solution is to turn to the right to avoid obstacles. (A chair to the left of the robot). Fig. 7 The result of the strategy of balance. 4. Experiments The robot has been tested in our laboratory robotics, robot containing, office chairs, office furniture and computer equipment. In the next experiment, we test the ability of the robot to detect obstacles using only the strategy of balance. Fig. 8 Robot vision. Fig. 8 shows a view from a camera robot initial snapshot. Fig. 9 The first decision. Fig. 9 (a) shows the result of a strategy of balance in which robots have to turn right to avoid the nearest obstacle (the board), and Fig. 9 (b) shows the corresponding depth image, which is calculated from the vector of the optical flow. We see that the brightest point is localized to the right of the image, which determines the navigation area of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹the robot. Fig. 10 shows a robot when it turns to the right. Fig. 10 Robot vision. Fig. 11 (a) shows the result of a balance strategy in which the robot must rotate to the left to avoid the walls, and Fig. 9 (b) shows the corresponding depth of the image in which the brightest point located on the left side of the image. Fig. 11 The second solution. Fig. 12 The robot is in motion. Figure 12 (a) pokazyvet picture robot in motion in our laboratory, and Figure 12 (b) shows the path that passes by the movement of the robot. We notice that the robot found two principal positions, in which it changes the orientation, position (1) fit into the image and the position of the board (2) corresponds to the wall. Fig. 13 Schedule contact time. Figure 13 shows a graph of left and right optical flow. At the beginning of the stream picture left more than the right, so the robot turns to the right, which corresponds to Figure 12 (d), then right flow increases until it is larger than the left, because the robot is approaching closer to the wall than to the board and we see an increase in the two columns (left and right flow) through the structure 13 in Figure 5, and then the robot turns left, to prevent the wall, it corresponds to position 2 in Fig. 12 (g). It can be seen that the robot successfully wandering around the lab, avoiding obstacles; however, we found that the lighting conditions critically important to detect obstacles, because the image produced by the camera is more noisy in low light and makes the optical flow estimation more wrong. 5. Conclusions The article describes how the optical flow which provides the ability of the robot to avoid obstacles, use control laws, called strategy of balance, whose main purpose is to detect the presence of objects close to the robot on the basis of information on the movement of image brightness. The main difficulty in the use of optic flow to navigate, is that it is unclear what is causing the change of gray values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹(motion vector or changing the lighting). Further improvement of the developed method is possible by connecting other sensors (sonar, infrared ), in cooperation with the sensor chamber. 6. Links Andrew, PD; William, H. Lelise, PK (1998). Environmental Robotics. Adaptive behavior, Volume 6, No. 3/4, 1998 Bergholm, F. Argyros, A. (1999). The combination of central and peripheral vision to navigate reactive robot, in the basis of IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, Vol. 2, October 1999, pp. 356-362. Horn, KP Schunck, BG (1981). Determining optical flow. Artificial intelligence, à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾- 7, pp. 185-203, 1981. Negahdaripour, S. Horn, KP (1989). The direct method is to place the focus of expansion, comp. Visible Graph. Strongly Protsess.46 (3), 303-326, 1989. Sandidni, G.; Santos-victor, J .; Curotto, F. Gabribaldi, S. (1993). Divergent stereo navigation: learning in bees, in the proceedings of the Company IEEE Computer. Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, June 1993, pp. 434-439. Santos-victor, J. Bernardino, A. (1988). Visual behavior for binocular tracking, robotics and autonomous systems, with 137-148, 1998 Tresilian, J. (1990). Perception information Timing of capturing action, Perception 19: 223-239, 1990
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