Tell us about the types of housing foundation used today in terms of Essay

Tell us about the types of housing foundation used today in terms of building structure and interior design - Essay Example ce, a house built in a bad soil might require the use of a deep foundation Because of this, an individual is free to choose on the type of foundation to use. The following are some of the popular types of foundations used today: This is a type of foundation in which a concrete slab is prepared and then used as a foundation. Here, a 4-8 thick concrete slab is made on an initially prepared frost line footing then used as a base for the entire building. In this situation, the foundation is directly constructed on a place in which there is no crawlspace or basement. However, for slab foundation to be effective, it needs to be embedded with steel bars (Dearborn & Verton, 2007). These are necessary for preventing any faulting or cracking which might be experienced. Besides, it should be made after the construction of all the necessary waistlines and waterlines. Thus, it will produce a very firm and long lasting foundation for the structure. Slab foundation has become very popular with many interior designers because it is less costly. In fact, it is the cheapest of all the construction foundations. Unlike other foundations, it only requires the use of a slab. This helps in saving on the money that would otherwise be used in floor joints that are used for supporting the building. In addition, the construction of this foundation is much easier as compared to others. Once it is made, the house is directly erected on it (Nicholson, 2011). Hence, it helps in saving a lot of time during the construction process. Nevertheless, slab foundation might be undesirable to some designers and house owners because it is more expensive to maintain. For example, in case of any breakage, the entire slab might be torn a part before any reparations are made. Meaning, it is expensive to repair in case of damage. Crawlspace foundation is constructed from the outside of the house. They are raised above the ground to elevate the building to around 5 feet above the ground level. It is

The value of brands to organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

The value of brands to organizations - Essay Example establish the aforementioned by elucidating on the value of brands through a definition of the concept, an analysis of the implications of brand equity, a discussion of the benefits of brands and a clarification of the relationship between brands and firms. Brands are firm-owned products which have undergone a process of branding. It is â€Å"the means by which a company aims to differentiate its products from competition and-through marketing-protect its position in the market. profitably over time† (White 1999) It is recognized as â€Å"the sum of ail elements of the marketing mix† (Ambler and Styles 1996). The most commonly accepted definition of brand is a distinguishing name and/or symbol (such as a logo. trademark or package design) intended to identify the goods or services of either one seller or a group of sellers and to differentiate those goods or services from those of competitors (Aaker 1991. p. 7). Other relevant brand concepts include brand associations, brand image, brand identity and brand equity. Brand associations are â€Å"anything that connects the customer to the brand.† They include â€Å"user imagery, product attributes, use situations, organizational associations, brand personality, and symbols† (Aaker and Joachimathaler 2000. p. 17). Brand strategies, the set of â€Å"perceptions about a brand as reflected by the brand associations held in consumer memory† (Herzog 1963). Brand identity is defined as the totality of the brand associations that the marketer wishes to create or maintain for the brand: Brand identity is a unique set of brand associations that the brand strategist aspires to create or maintain, These associations represent that the brand stands for and imply a promise to customers for the organisation members (Aaker, 1996, p. 68) It represents â€Å"what the organization wants the brand to stand for† (Aaker and Joachimathaler 2000. p. 40). Brand identity is thus contrasted to brand image, where brand image is a

Physics Behind the Dambuster’s Bouncing Bomb

Physics Behind the Dambuster’s Bouncing Bomb Brookie Trant Introduction The Dambuster Raid and the bouncing bomb played a key role in WW2. The aim was to disrupt industrial productivity of Germany. The Raid was also a well-publicised success story when Britain was stretched to breaking point during the war. The bomb was used to destroy the Mohne and the Edersee Dams and flood the Ruhr Valley, thereby destroying a large proportion of the Germans manufacturing power; thus having the desired knock on effects for the German war effort. The bomb was initially conceived by Dr Barnes Wallis in April 1942 in a paper he wrote called ‘spherical bomb – surface torpedo’[1]. The concept was then taken up by Air Chief Marshal the Hon Sir Ralph Cochrane of the Royal Air Force a strong advocate of precision bombing. Also important to bringing the concept to fruition was Air Marshal Arthur Harris commander of Bomber Command. Through these influential commanders Wallis’ idea was brought to a committee and it given the go ahead. Wallis faced a range of practical issues such as: the size-to-weight ratio of the bomb with the ability of the aircraft to physically lift and deliver it; how much backspin was needed to be imparted to the bomb in order for it to have a controlled and accurate flight; speed of flight; height from which to drop it and the velocity of the aircraft at point of delivery. All these factors needed to be understood and overcome in order that the bomb could be delivered to the optimum point on the dam wall and then detonated. In answering this question this study will consider four key factors: the weapon design, the delivery of the weapon, the detonation and how all of these had a great enough affect to destroy the dam. It is useful at this point to qualify the definition of the bouncing bomb. The use of bouncing to describe the Operation Chastise bomb is loose. The physics of bouncing by definition requires a level of elasticity which as the object hits a solid, a fluid or a powder results in a permanent or non-permanent change in the objects form (elasticity). This doesn’t occur with the ‘bouncing’ bomb. It is better to define the Chastise Bomb as ricocheting but for the purpose of this study the phrase bouncing bomb will be used[2]. Weapon Design This was where the bomb started. A key area which needed to be addressed was the shape of the bomb. This had a major role in providing a reliable and successful bomb. This section explains the reasoning behind the cylindrical shape and how this affected the bombs delivery. The shape of the bomb was a key issue. Wallis’ initial trials used spherical models, so that identical contact with the water would be made throughout its flight; however the bounces were often too unpredictable due to release and water surface conditions. Therefore, to achieve greater stability Wallis experimented with a cylindrical bomb. This negated the unpredictability but did not stabilise the issues of trajectory and keeping it level. He realised that by using backspin these problems could be overcome. Backspin was also a key aspect in the delivery of the weapon to the detonation point. This vital aspect will be further discussed in this study in the delivery method section. Once at the point of detonation the bomb was required to explode underwater. On explosion a shock wave would be created, enough to destabilise the dam wall. The weight of water would then provide the breach. Wallis started with trying to find the correct measurements for the amount of explosive needed to breech the dam. He used a model on a scale of 1/17 of the real thing. He then used 100g of gelignite 1.2m away from the wall giving the same effect as a 10 tonne bomb 60m away from the dam. This had no effect. He continued his trials until he achieved 150g of explosive 0.3m away from the dam, which meant that he had to use 13 tonnes of explosive 15m away from the dam. When scaled back up, this would need 18 tonnes of casing which would give a 31 tonne bomb to match the effect required. This was a significantly larger bomb that could be dropped by the aircraft to be used. It was clear that he would have to find a different method. He reduced the mass to 4.3 tonnes and would use multip le bombs to breech the dam[3]. The final dimensions of the bomb were 60 inches long and 50 inches wide[4]. This is roughly 1.52m in length and 1.27m in width, with a final weight of 9,250[5]. See figure 1. Delivery Method His next problem was working out speed of the bombs, how far above the surface they needed to be dropped, the distance from the dam and the best way to control the skips of the bomb. His first trials were conducted in his garden at home. He fired marbles across a bucket of water to see whether it would bounce off the surface. It worked and he could control the skip by adjusting the catapult. He now needed to discover if he could control the bomb when it was using multiple skips. For this he needed a slightly larger apparatus and used a huge ship tank at Teddington. Starting with a spherical bomb, he tested different size-to-weight ratios and by using backspin he could control the bounces. This also helped the bomb to sink in a predictable manner when it reached the wall. Here he had success, however Wallis found the flight of the bomb was often unpredictable. He found if he increased the mass significantly it became more stable however for reasons already stated a larger bomb was impractical. Wallis had realised that stability could be achieved by using a cylindrical casing and imparting backspin. This would keep the barrel on its axis and stop it from tilting and therefore follow its correct trajectory. Much like a child’s spinning-top toy, the more backspin you gave the bomb the harder it would be to knock it off its axis, this is angular momentum (this is explained in the paragraph below). He tested the idea in the tank trying out the different revolutions. He also found that by varying the size-to-weight ratio of the cylinders he could keep a 5 ton barrel level on the water and then get it to spin down the dam once it hit the water[6]. Also by rapidly spinning the device backwards this would counteract the forward velocity of the aircraft. Wallis calculated how many bounces would be required before reaching the dam. This calculation needed to include the drop distance from the dam, the elevation of the aircraft and its forward velocity. Importantly with each bo unce the bomb would slow due to the viscosity of the water and the drag effect that it had. Using this equation Wallis was able to calculate the speed of the spin to ensure that the bomb had slowed down to almost zero velocity by the time it reached the dam[7]. He measured that the cylinder would need to be going at 450 to 500 revolutions per minute2 in order to achieve this effect. Angular momentum has the same role as linear momentum but in rotation. The equation for angular momentum is. The equation for linear momentum is â€Å"†. In the equation for angular momentum the ‘I’ replaces the ‘m’ and the ‘ω’ replaces the ‘v’. The ‘I’ is the moment of inertia which is an objects reluctance to change its state of rotational motion[8]. The equation for the moment of inertia changes with the different shapes it is acting on. For a cylinder the moment of inertia is. This meant that by increasing the mass and the radius the moment of inertia will increase making it more stable. However Wallis was restricted by the size of the planes and their ability to carry a heavy bomb. So he used the largest diameter as possible and then put the majority of the weight of the bomb as close to the edge of the cylinder as possible. This way it would have the same effect as a flywheel giving the barrel lots of m omentum. The ‘ω’ is the angular velocity which is how quick the cylinder is rotating its unit is rad s-1. The equation for ω is which shows as you increase the frequency then the ω will increase by a considerable amount. When you put the moment of inertia and angular velocity together you get the angular momentum of a rotating object. It also shows you that by increasing the angular velocity makes it much more difficult to knock the barrel off its axis. Going back to the spinning top the faster you spin it the more difficult it becomes to knock it over. This is what gave the bouncing bomb a clean flight and made sure that it remained on course and didn’t tilt off its axis. The backspin had a secondary effect. By dropping the bomb without backspin the device would naturally receive a turning effect through the horizontal axis in the opposite direction; the net result of this would be that the bomb would not slow in a uniform or predictable manner and therefore likely skip out over the dam rather than slowing and dropping down the inside face. Forward spinning the bomb would have a similar effect to that experienced by a bicycle wheel being rolled at a curb. It wants to keep going[9]. There is a third effect achieved by imparting backspin. This is the key relationship that Wallis would have been aware of and used to calculate speed, height and turning effect. This effect is the Kuttas Lift Theorem or the Kutta–Joukowski Theorem. Developed by German Martin Wihelm Kutta and Russian Nikolai Zhukovsky (Joukowski), in the early twentieth century, the theorem demonstrates the aerodynamic relationship between lift, speed of a rotating cylinder and density of the substance it is moving through (air or fluid)[10]. This theorem sometimes known as the Magnus effect when applied to the conditions of the Dam Buster raid allowed the bomb to ‘crawl’ down the face of the dam wall. The water surrounding the cylinder in conjunction with the back rotation caused striking hydrodynamic forces that pulled the bomb back towards the wall[11]. As seen in figure 2. All three of these effects were identified, quantified, understood and overcome by Wallis, through his thorough trials and experiments and his deep knowledge of physics. Detonation Mechanism The aim of Operation Chastise was to blow up the dam; the easiest way to do this would be to blow the explosive charge on the water side of the dam at the optimum depth. This would make the most of the explosive power. With the weight of the water behind the explosion, it would increase the affect of the force of the bomb. This weight would pressure the dam to breaking through whatever weaknesses had been caused by the initial force of the bomb. The bomb contained three hydrostatic pistols which measured the water pressure as the bomb sank, the bomb would then detonate at a depth of 30 feet. It also had a time fuse that would detonate after 90 seconds as a backup. This was reasonably well developed technology drawn from the experiences of the First World War naval fighting and the ongoing anti-submarine war effort. In essence the hydrostatic pressure, used in the hydrodynamic pistol, increases uniformly according to the simplified equation of P = p g h (where P is hydrostatic pressur e, p is the fluid density (kg/m3), g is gravity and h is height of the water)[12]; the change in the hydrostatic pressure would trigger the hydrodynamic pistol to explode at a depth of 30 feet (9.14m)[13]. Target Effect Once delivered to the detonation point against the dam wall at the correct depth the weapon exploded. This maximised the benefits of the bubble pulse effect typical of underwater explosions, greatly increasing its effectiveness of the explosion and the pressure. The dam wasn’t going to fall by just using the explosive power of the TNT and RDX applied to the external wall of the dam, but by using the pressure of 30 foot (9.14m) of water pressing down on the explosion. The initial force exerted by the exploding bomb was meant to weaken the dam; the water would do the rest. Compared to air water has a significantly higher density than air. Water has a higher quotient of inertia than air. Although this makes water more difficult to move it does mean that it is an excellent conductor of shock waves from an explosion. The damage achieved by these shock waves will be amplified by the subsequent physical movement of water and by the repeated secondary shockwaves or â€Å"bubble pulse †[14]. The small seemingly insignificant cracks formed by the bomb would then be exploited by the water forcing the gaps to get larger until the point where the dam couldn’t hold it any longer. The dam then crumbled. The equation for pressure is (P=pressure, F=force, A=area) this can be rearranged to give this shows us that the pressure will make a huge difference to the force of the explosion. Summary In summarising this study of the physics behind the dam buster raid it is important to recognise the breadth of Barnes Wallis’s experimentation and trials. He overcame the issues of weapon design: its explosive effect and detonation method and issues of casing; the delivery method in terms of speed, height and skip effect; the detonation method; and then the weapon effect on the target. A clear understanding physics and a deep understanding of fluid mechanics, hydrodynamic pressure and the crucial consequence of Magnus Effect were essential for Wallis’s concept to succeed. Bibliography 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouncing_bomb I used wikipedia just to gain some background knowledge and to use in my introduction. 2 Johnson, W. (1998). Ricochet of non-spinning projectiles, mainly from water Part I: Some historical contributions. International Journal of Impact Engineering (UK: Elsevier) – this was from the same Wikipedia page but the extract was taken from this paper written by W. Johnson. 3 http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~stinner/stinner/pdfs/1989-dambusters.pdf this is another paper on the bouncing bomb providing information on the facts and figures on the bomb 4 http://everything2.com/title/bouncing+bomb again this is just facts about the bouncing bomb itself 5 http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/617-squadron-and-the-dams-raid/designing-the-upkeep-mine.aspx another with facts an about the bombs dimensions and weight ect. 6 http://simscience.org/fluid/red/DamBusters.html this is a paper for those doing a-level so has very relevant information on it and is a reliable source 7 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_did_Barnes_Wallace_decide_to_spin_the_dambusters_bomb_backwards#slide=16article=Why_did_Barnes_Wallace_decide_to_spin_the_dambusters_bomb_backwards this is using Wikipedia again but it is a general statement so not needing a confirmation reference 8 Advanced Physics (p.101/105) – this is a book used in the physics a-level it gives a great level of understanding and was a very useful book when wanting to look beyond the syllabus 9 A.M. Kuethe and J.D. Schetzer (1959), Foundations of Aerodynamics, John Wiley Sons, Inc., New York ISBN 0-471-50952-3. – this is a book and it explains basic aerodynamics which can also be related to the forces acting on an object in fluid which is the context used in this essay 10 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/357684/Magnus-effect this briefly explains the Magnus effect which is used when the bomb is trying to sink down the dam face 11 Pascal’s law – found on http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/pascal-laws-d_1274.html 12 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/dambusters.htm information about the bomb. 13 Fox, Robert; McDonald, Alan; Pritchard, Philip (2012). Fluid Mechanics (8 ed.). John Wiley Sons – another book used briefly to explain how the bomb created a large enough force to break the dam. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouncing_bomb [2] Johnson, W. (1998). Ricochet of non-spinning projectiles, mainly from water Part I: Some historical contributions. International Journal of Impact Engineering (UK: Elsevier) [3] http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~stinner/stinner/pdfs/1989-dambusters.pdf [4] http://everything2.com/title/bouncing+bomb [5] http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/617-squadron-and-the-dams-raid/designing-the-upkeep-mine.aspx [6] http://simscience.org/fluid/red/DamBusters.html [7]http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_did_Barnes_Wallace_decide_to_spin_the_dambusters_bomb_backwards#slide=16article=Why_did_Barnes_Wallace_decide_to_spin_the_dambusters_bomb_backwards [8] Advanced Physics (p.101) [9]http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_did_Barnes_Wallace_decide_to_spin_the_dambusters_bomb_backwards#slide=16article=Why_did_Barnes_Wallace_decide_to_spin_the_dambusters_bomb_backwards [10] A.M. Kuethe and J.D. Schetzer (1959), Foundations of Aerodynamics, John Wiley Sons, Inc., New York ISBN 0-471-50952-3. [11] http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/357684/Magnus-effect [12] Pascal’s law [13] http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/dambusters.htm [14]Fox, Robert; McDonald, Alan; Pritchard, Philip (2012). Fluid Mechanics (8 ed.). John Wiley Sons.

The Relevance of Ancient Texts in Today’s Society Essay examples -- Li

Ancient texts are utilized as guides and references for the people of today. Some people live by their rules, laws, and stories and truly take them to heart. Many of these texts have been read and interpreted by students, historians, and professors all around the world for many generations. Three specific texts, the Tanakh, Sophocles’ Antigone, and Plato’s Apology, are all examples that have been analyzed and discussed for many years. There are key concepts in each of these works that are still relevant in society today and some that should be left in the past. The Tanakh provides the groundwork for the Jewish/Hebrew religion from the third century BCE (Trulove, Woelfel, Aauerbach, & Buller, 2007). One centralized theme discussed in the Tanakh is going against a higher power. In Genesis, God told Adam and Eve â€Å"‘you shall not eat of [the tree of the knowledge of good and evil] or touch it, lest you die’† (Trulove et al., 2007, p. 40). Adam and Eve chose to consume a piece of fruit from the tree; as a consequence, God banished them from the Garden of Eden (Trulove et al., 2007). As a result of their sin, the world became corrupt and â€Å"filled with lawlessness† (Trulove et al., 2007, p. 43). In these instances, the higher power was the people’s God. When they disobeyed him, they suffered the consequences. These consequences were more severe since a divine power was in charge. Similarly, in Exodus, the Pharaoh â€Å"set taskmasters over [the Israelites] to oppress them into forced labor† (Trulov e et al., 2007, p. 58). The Pharaoh established rules and punishments for the taskmasters to bestow on the Israelites. In this situation, the higher power was the ruler of the land. The Israelites not only had to follow the laws set forth by the Pha... ...the sky and below the earth† instead of the god that the state permitted people to worship. People in every country, not just the United States, should be free to worship however they choose. Fortunately, in the United States, our Constitution prevents the government from controlling our religious freedoms. In summary, even though ancient texts are looked to as reference, they should not always be taken literally. Some concepts, including gender roles, government-appointed religions, and covenants with God, need to or have already been done away with. On the other hand, the determination to do what is morally and legally proper must continue to be an integral part of modern society. People should examine these ancient works, analyze how different civilizations dealt with success as well as conflict, and try to incorporate the lessons learned in their own lives.

Political science as a social science Essay

Political Science is in part a social science, and in part a humanity. Both are important. In this topic, we will look at the basics of social science inquiry, and then proceed to show how this differs from, on the one hand, inquiry in the natural sciences and, on the other, inquiry in the humanities. Social Science Social science inquiry seeks to develop empirical theory. ?Empirical? refers to things that can be experienced through the five senses of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, or (in the case of political corruption) smelling. Theory? basically means explanation. An empirical theory of politics, then, is an attempt to explain why people behave the way they do politically. If a social scientist (or anyone else) observes people engaging in political behavior, he or she will need to focus on certain characteristics of the people being observed. The observer may wonder why some people differ from others in their political characteristics. Why, for example, are some people Liberals while others are Conservatives and still others are New Democrats. Characteristics that differ from one person to another are called one variables. Those that do not are called constants. Constants are generally less interesting than variables. There is not much point in trying to explain voting behavior in a country in which only one party appears on the ballot. Of course, we might then ask why some countries have only one party whereas others have multi-party systems, but now we are treating ? number of parties? as a variables. Everyday language is full of what are, in effect, hypotheses about political behavior. For example, talk about a ? gender gap? in voting hypothesizes that vote (the dependent variable) is in part a function of gender (the independent variable), with women more likely to vote for the Liberals or New Democrats and men more likely to vote Conservative. Social science research differs from everyday discussion of politics in two ways. The first is where hypotheses come from. Anyone who follows politics will likely carry around in his or her head a lot of ideas about what explains political behavior. Such ideas may come from personal experience, from conversations with others, or from following politics through the mass media. This is true as well for the ways social scientists think about politics. In addition, however, social scientists develop hypotheses more systematically by studying the scholarly literature for the results of previous research. This is important for at least a couple of reasons. For one thing, it is usually the case that the more you learn what is already known about a subject, the more new questions you are likely to have. A review of the literature helps generate new hypotheses. Even more important, social science seeks not merely to describe raw facts, but to explain why people behave the way that they do. To accomplish this, we need to put our ideas into a broader theoretical context that offers such an explanation. It is a fact that in the United States, from 1936 through 2000, the incumbent party has always won the presidency whenever the Washington Redskins won their last home game before the election, and lost whenever the Redskins lost. However, since there is no reasonable explanation for why this should be the case, it is merely an interesting bit of trivia, and no serious observer of politics would rely on it in analyzing the next presidential contest. A second difference is that, for many people, ideas about patterns of political behavior remain merely assumptions. Social science insists that the validity of assumptions must be tested against data. Conceptual definition. We need to know, and be able to communicate to others, what our independent and dependent variables mean. What, in other words, is the idea in our mind when we use a term? Definitions found in dictionaries are examples of conceptual definitions. Sometimes, the idea that is in our mind when we use a term will be obvious, but often it will not. Many concepts used in political science are anything but clear. If we are to study political ideology, for example, we need to spell out with as much precision as possible what that concept means in the context of our research. Operational definition. For hypotheses to be tested, we will need to come up with measurements of our variables. An operational definition is one stated in a way that can be directly measured by data. We strive for a one-to-one correspondence between our conceptual definitions and our measurements (operational definitions) of them. If we succeed, then our measurements have validity and reliability. Data needed to provide operational definitions of our variables come from a wide variety of sources. We may gather the data ourselves. Analysis of data that we gather in order to test hypotheses that we have formulated is called primary analysis. Often, however, this approach would be totally beyond our resources of time, money, and expertise. A nationwide survey of public opinion, for example, would take months to design and carry out, would cost many thousands of dollars, and would require the services of a large survey research organization. Often, secondary analysis of data (that is, analysis of data originally gathered for other purposes) will suit our needs far better. Indeed, very important databases are used almost exclusively in secondary analysis. The Census Canada data is a good example. Other surveys such as the Canadian National Election Study and the General Social Survey were created, in part, for the express purpose of providing quality survey data for secondary analysis by students of Canadian politics. Indeed much of the work using the Canadian National is based on secondary analysis. To facilitate secondary analysis, the University of Toronto Data Library, and other university-based data archives have been established throughout the world. The largest of these is the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) established in 1962. Today, over 500 colleges and universities from all over the world, including the University of Toronto are member institutions. Students and faculty at these institutions obtain datasets that provide the basis for numerous scholarly books, articles, and conference papers, graduate theses and dissertations, and undergraduate term papers. The Social Sciences and the Natural Sciences What we have described as the social science method ? the effort to explain empirical phenomena by developing and testing hypotheses ? could as easily be called simply ? the scientific method,? without the ?  social? qualifier. There are, however, differences between social sciences, including political science, and the natural sciences. Though these are differences in degree, they are important. One difference is that the natural sciences rely much more heavily on experimental design, in which subjects are assigned randomly to groups and in which the researcher is able to manipulate the independent varia ble in order to measure its impact on the dependent variable. Often, when people think about the scientific method, what they have in mind are these sorts of controlled laboratory experiments. In political science, we for the most part are not able to carry out experimental designs. If, for example, we wish to study the impact of party affiliation on decisions by judges, we cannot very well assign judges to different parties, but rather have to take the data as they come to us from observing judges in their natural setting. Experimental design, however, does not define the natural sciences, nor does its absence define the social sciences. Astronomy, for example, must of necessity rely on observation of things that cannot be manipulated. ?Epidemiological?  medical research also relies on non-experimental data. Conversely, the social science discipline of social psychology has been built in large part from experiments in small group laboratories. In political science, a great deal of laboratory research on the impact of campaign commercials has been carried out in recent years. Field experiments are also common, as when survey researchers will test the impact of alternativ e question wordings by splitting their sample and administering different questionnaire forms to different subsets of respondents. Nevertheless, it is fair to say that experimental designs are much less common in the social sciences, including political science, than in the natural sciences. Most of our research design is, in effect, an effort to approximate the logic of experimental design as closely as possible. Other differences, also differences in degree, have to do with lower levels of consensus in the social sciences. There is less consensus about conceptual definition. Even if we agree that power is a key concept for the study of politics, we may not agree on what power means. Chemists, on the other hand, not only agree that molecules are important, they also mean pretty much the same thing when they use the term. There is less consensus about operational definition. Chemists also agree on how to measure the atomic weight of a molecule. Social scientists are far from unanimous in the ways they go about measuring power. It bears repeating that these differences are ones of degree. In the natural sciences there are also disputes at the frontiers of the various disciplines about what concepts are important, what they mean, and how they should be measured. In the social sciences, consensus is likely to break down from the start. Even if we can agree that a particular concept is important, on what it means, and on how it should be measured, we will encounter far larger problems of measurement error than those in the natural sciences, where measurement is not without error, but is typically much more precise. Finally, remember that we are involved in trying to explain human behavior. People do not seem to behave as predictably as molecules. Philosophers are not in agreement on this point, but it may be that human behavior is inherently less predictabl The fact that we deal with tendencies rather than with laws means that, for the most part (and despite impressive work by ? rational choice? theorists to develop formal mathematical models of political behavior), political science makes relatively little use of elegant systems of deduction, but considerable use of statistics, which provides us with valuable tools for dealing with probabilities. Despite its unavoidable limitations, political science as a social science has produced an explosion in our knowledge about politics. This has had important practical consequences. For example, no serious aspirant for a major elected office in an economically developed democracy would consider embarking on a campaign without consulting experts in survey research, a signature social science technique. In addition to being, in part, a social science, political science is also in part a humanity. Political science as a humanity means at least a couple of different things.

Effect of extracurricular activities on the gpa

An example of this would be a varsity player who has training in the afternoon till evening, then goes home with the notion that he still has to do an immense amount of paper work due the following morning. Furthermore, Roland, a professional writer, graduate of B. S. En may also pull his grades down if he becomes too engrossed [Emphasis mine] with other activities. This all boils down to the fact that poor time management will be the main downfall of an individual's academic performance. At this point, the question to ask is what's in it for one's character formation? Well, the experts have some points on this matter. First, McNealy summarizes that these activities actually are conducive to facilitate effective communication [Emphasis mine] (Francisco) because an individual is put in a situation wherein interaction is a just.To illustrate this point, there is no such thing as a theatre actor who cannot communicate with his fellow actors, much more to the audience. He cannot be calle d one if he does not exemplify this trait. Second, confidence [Emphasis mine] is also attained through the process of the venture (Francisco) Nominal 3 for the same reason that one is put in this situation wherein bravery must be exercised with the help of this so called confidence. Again to compare it with an actor, one must be able to deliver his lines with absolutely no evidence of fear while he is carrying the weight of a performance.These two points presented are further strengthened by † [a] 2001 survey of more than 50,000 high school students in Minnesota published in March 2003 issue of the Journal of School Health found that those who participated in extracurricular activities had higher [Emphasis mine] levels of social, emotional, and healthy behavior than students who did not participate (Francisco). † Altogether these findings indicate that confidence and communication skills, two of the many, are integral to building one's character through extracurricular a ctivities as backed up by the prior evidence that are found inFranciscans research. On the other hand, there are also a few drawbacks or cons when it comes to character formation when one considers other miscellaneous influences. One would be the parents' influence wherein they'd force an individual to learn this certain activity but that task isn't to his liking, thus, all the more he is stressed [Emphasis mine] out (Roland). According to Frederick's, another drawback would be the unavoidable internal influences that one may encounter such as malicious authorities and peers who will force him to do harmful vices and delinquent actions (Francisco).What's more is that the people who are participating in the extracurricular activity may actually be the one bringing themselves down for neglect of their other obligations like family, friends, etc. Without a doubt it would be disastrous if they were to treat their extra undertakings as their own vices. Finally, these findings would certa inly be mainly dependent in the kind of educational context one is in. In conclusion, after all the facts have been presented, it all depends on an individual's choice whether or not he chooses to Join and bestow upon himself the benefits and pay a price or stay free with little or no improvement.

Applications of fluorescent protein-based biosensors for the elucidation of protein function within cells Essays

Applications of fluorescent protein-based biosensors for the elucidation of protein function within cells Essays Applications of fluorescent protein-based biosensors for the elucidation of protein function within cells Essay Applications of fluorescent protein-based biosensors for the elucidation of protein function within cells Essay Biosensors are used for sensing of an analyte ( e.g. a little molecule, a protein, or an enzymatic activity ) and its interaction with a molecular acknowledgment component, MRE ( e.g. a protein sphere ) . It consists of 3 parts ; the sensitive biological component, the transducer or sensor component ( which transforms the signal resulting from the interaction into another signal that can be more easy measured and quantified ) , and signal processors ( show consequences ) . Biorecognition processes require biosensors to hold the ability to transduce an event into an discernible alteration e.g. coloring material or fluorescence hue i.e. an effectual transducer component. A alteration frequently attach toing an event is an change of the geometry of the MRE ( distance alteration between the MRE and its analyte protein-protein interaction, or a conformational alteration of the MRE allosteric proteins ) . In recent old ages, biochemists adapted the term biosensor to mention to genetically encoded designed proteins that are self-sufficing sensing systems for a figure of marks. The chief difference between conventional biosensors and genetically encoded biosensors is the nature of the transducer. Conventionally, a transducer is a man-made and modified surface that is electrochemically or optically sensitive to the action of the biomolecule. In contrast, the pick of transducer for a genetically encoded biosensor is constrained to being genetically encoded ( 1 ) . Aequorea green fluorescent protein ( FP ) and its discrepancies are a critical constituent of genetically encoded biosensors. The scope of FP-based biosensors which include different designs can be used by research workers to supervise alterations in the geometry of an MRE through the assorted features of the FPs e.g. transition of the fluorescence chromaticity or strength of an intrinsically fluorescent protein. The usage of genetically encoded FP-based biosensors offers several advantages compared to other techniques ( such as dye-based investigations ) . They are comparatively easy to build utilizing standard molecular biological science techniques and can be used to analyze protein localization of function and kineticss within life cells. The latter occurs through the non-invasive debut of these biosensors into cells ( they are produced utilizing cellular machinery ) where they can obtain information of specific biochemical and biorecognition procedures from any one of a broad scope of cellular compartments without interfering with the interaction ( 2 ) . All genetically encoded FP-based biosensors can be assembled into the undermentioned 5 groups depending on their construction: * Group 1 intramolecular FRET-based biosensors * Group 2 intermolecular FRET-based biosensors * Group 3 BiFC-based biosensors * Group 4 individual FP-based biosensors with an exogenic MRE * Group 5 individual FP-based biosensors with an endogenous MRE Group 1 biosensors are based on intramolecular Forster Resonance Energy Transfer ( FRET ) . FRET is the distance- and orientation-dependent nonradiative transportation of internal energy from a higher-energy giver fluorophore to a lower-energy acceptor fluorophore through dipole-dipole yoke. FRET-based biosensors have all of their constituents on a individual polypeptide concatenation ( two FPs flanking an MRE ) and the analyte brings about a alteration in the construction or conformation of the MRE unit ( see Fig 1 ) . Modulating the distance or comparative orientations between the fluorophores affects the FRET efficiency, which is revealed by the acceptor ( IA ) /donor ( ID ) emanation ratio i.e. an addition in IA at the disbursal of ID. FRET occurs about outright and is reversible, therefore supplying better declaration than the BiFC method ( discussed subsequently ) ( 3 ) . Application of this biosensor design includes sensing of proteolytic activities. An MRE consisting of a polypeptide that is a substrate for the peptidase under probe is used to observe proteolytic activity. Tsai MT et Al ( 4 ) late carried out a survey to supervise intracellular human enterovirus ( HEV ) peptidase activity by utilizing a HEV 3C peptidase FRET-based biosensor. They found that this system was a agency for rapid sensing, quantification and drug susceptibleness proving for HEVs. FRET-based biosensors can besides be used to observe post-translational alteration ( PTM ) enzymes activities. An MRE with the ability to observe PTM enzyme activity ( catalyses the covalent alteration of a substrate ) is composed of a specific substrate and a binding sphere. The MRE so undergoes geometry alterations in response to PTM activity. This attack was late used to observe ERK ( kinase enzyme ) activity. EKAR, a genetically encoded FRET-based detector of ERK activity was designed and te sted. EKAR selectively and reversibly reported ERK activity after EGF stimulation in HEK293 cells, leting for the analysis of ERK signalling in life cells ( 5 ) . A 3rd application of this design is to observe MRE conformational alterations triggered by the presence of its analyte. Some proteins e.g. bacterial periplasmic binding proteins ( 6 ) undergo such a alteration. Consequently, they have been used to do FRET based biosensors for analytes such as glucose, Ca2+ and Zn2+ . Group 2 includes biosensors based on intermolecular FRET. The two FPs are in two different polypeptide ironss ( the MRE is fused to one FP and the analyte protein is fused to another ) and are brought closer together by a protein-protein interaction ( see Fig 2 ) . This design has been used to analyze the oligomerisation province of different members of the G-protein-coupled-receptor ( GPCR ) superfamily. It has besides been used to analyze mGluR1 activation. Marcaggi P et Al ( 7 ) employed the FRET phenomenon to analyze the activation dynamicss of mGluR1. The writers show that the alterations in FRET correlative with activation of the receptor. Care must be taken when construing intermolecular FRET consequences, since FRET may perchance happen between two proteins that show no interactions straight. There may besides be fluctuation in the look degree of the two halves of the biosensor. This is of peculiar concern when ratiometric measurings are taken. Group 3 biosensors, bimolecular fluorescence complementation ( BiFC ) , enable direct visual image of protein interactions in life cells. The BiFC attack is based on the reconstitution of a fluorescent composite when two proteins ( MRE and analyte ) , fused to non-fluorescent fragments of a fluorescent protein, interact with each other. The interaction between the merger proteins facilitates the association between the fragments of the fluorescent protein ( see Fig 3 ) . This attack enables visual image of a assortment of protein-protein interactions in the normal cellular environment. BiFC composites have been visualized in all major subcellular compartments of mammalian cells, including lysosomes, the plasma membrane, lamellipodia, Golgi, the endoplasmic Reticulum, chondriosome, viral atoms, and lipid droplets. It has provided particular penetration into the ordinance of complex localization of function including atomic translocation ( 8 ) . It has besides been used in a survey of the grippe A polymerase composite to find the interaction between its 3 fractional monetary units ( PA, PB1 and PB2 ) required for the written text and reproduction of the viral genome. It revealed a antecedently unknown PA-PB2 interaction and provided a model for farther probe of the biological relevancy of the PA-PB2 interaction in the polymerase activity and viral reproduction of grippe A virus ( 9 ) . A motley BiFC check may besides be used for coincident imagination of more than one event in unrecorded cells. This check is based on the formation of fluorescent composites with diffe rent spectra through the association of fragments belonging to different FPs, making Chimeras with a assortment of fluorescent chromaticities ( see Fig 4 ) . This technique was used in a survey to look into the oligomerization province of adenosine A ( 2A ) and dopamine D2 GPCRs found to be ligand-dependent, and besides how they were affected by the presence of certain drugs ( 10 ) . A restriction of the BiFC attack is that there is a hold ( dependent on the sensitiveness of the sensing method ) between the clip when the merger proteins interact with each other and the clip when the complex becomes fluorescent. This is due to the slow rate of the chemical reactions required to bring forth the fluorophore. Therefore, an advantage of FRET over BiFC analysis is that real-time sensing of complex formation and dissociation is possible. Group 4 biosensors use an exogenic MRE inserted into a individual FP at certain locations. Information about the birecognition event from the MRE is carried to the chromophore altering its spectral belongingss ( see Fig 5 ) . A biosensor with this design was used in a recent survey by Berg J et Al ( 11 ) . The detector was constructed by uniting cmpVenus ( a circularly permuted discrepancy of green fluorescent protein ) with a bacterial regulative protein ; GlnK1 ( used an ATP specific MRE ) . Binding of ATP caused conformational alterations in GlnK1 protein which ratiometrically changed the excitement profile of cmpVenus. Initially, the purpose was to find the ATP concentration. However, as ADP binds to the same site ( bring forthing a smaller alteration in fluorescence than ATP ) , competition between the two substrates made the detector more suited for ratiometric measuring of ATP: ADP concentration ratio by excitation. , in unrecorded cells. This is a all right illustration of tuning and optimizing biosensors. The same design has been used for Ca2+ , Zn2+ and cGMP sensing in other surveies. Group 5 biosensors besides use a individual FP but with an endogenous MRE. An illustration of this design is a redox-sensitive GFP ( roGFP ) . By permutation of two surface-exposed residues on the Aequorea Victoria green fluorescent protein with cysteines in appropriate places to organize disulfide bonds, redox-sensitive GFPs ( roGFPs ) were created, which allowed for ratiometric measuring of the cell oxidation-reduction position ( 12 ) . This theoretical account has late been improved through merger of roGFP to human glutaredoxin-1 ( Glx1 ) , which catalyses rapid equilibration between roGFP and glutathione, bettering the response rate of roGFP ( 13 ) . Most FP discrepancies show pH-dependent alteration in their spectral belongingss, which consequences in a alteration in their fluorescence strength. This makes measurings hard to graduate. To get the better of this restriction, the pH-dependent alterations in EGFP ( an engineered avGFP discrepancy ) fluorescence life-time have late been imaged, instead than strength, as the former does non depend on fluorophore concentration ( 14 ) . It must be noted that some designs do non suit the 5 chief classs. Esposito et Al ( 15 ) displayed an interesting illustration of FRET-based pH biosensor that is composed of a pH-insensitive giver fluorophore and a pH-sensitive acceptor fluorophore. Unlike the conventional FRET-based biosensors that depend on the alterations in comparative distance and/or orientation of the fluorophores, this biosensor depends on the spectral alterations of the acceptor fluorophore that accompany pH alterations which in bend change the overlap built-in impacting FRET. Decision As research continues, life scientists will look to engineer a complete set of biosensors that are specifically tuned to the conditions of the event under probe. In add-on to building new biosensors, it is of import to go on bettering the specificity of the current theoretical accounts. This may even happen through incidental findings such as that found in the survey by Berg J et Al, which looked ab initio at ATP concentration but subsequently found that the biosensor was a better index of the ATP: ADP concentration ratio ( see above ) . Another avenue which can be explored is the monitoring of more than one cellular event through a combination of different types of biosensors. An interesting illustration of this is a survey by Ai H W et Al ( 16 ) which looks at observing caspase-3 activity in the cytol and nucleus utilizing two FRET braces at the same time. This survey shows how the usage of this brace preserved the temporal declaration of the caspase-3 activity in the cytol and in the karyon. Despite the unknown and yet to be explored, there has been immense advancement in the development of genetically encoded biosensors. Through such devices, researches now have an increased ability to image specific biochemical and biorecognition procedures with the saving of subcellular information. Mentions 1. Campbell, R. E. Fluorescent-Protein-Based Biosensors: Transition of Energy Transfer as a Design Principle. Anal. Chem. 2009 ; 81:5972-5979 2. Ibraheem, A. and Campbell, R. E. Designs and application of fluorescent protein-based biosensors. Curr Opin Chem Biol. 2010 ; 14:30-36 3. Wang, Y. X. et Al. Fluorescence proteins, live-cell imagination, and mechanobiology: visual perception is believing. Annu Rev Biomed Eng. 2008 ; 10:1-38 4. Tsai, M. T. et Al. Real-time monitoring of human enterovirus ( HEV ) -infected cells and anti-HEV 3C peptidase authority by fluorescence resonance energy transportation. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2009 ; 53:748-755 5. Harvey, C. D. et Al. A genetically encoded fluorescent detector of ERK activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2008 ; 105:19264-19269 6. Dwyer, M. A. and Hellinga, H. W. Periplasmic binding proteins: a various superfamily for protein technology. Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2004 ; 14:495-504 7. Marcaggi, P. et Al. Optical measuring of mGluR1 conformational alterations reveals fast activation, slow inactivation, and sensitisation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2009 ; 106:11388-11393 8. Kerppola, T. K. Biomolecular fluorescence complementation ( BiFC ) analysis as a investigation of protein interactions in life cells. Annu Rev Biophys. 2008 ; 37:465-487 9. Hemerka, J. N. et Al. Detection and word picture of grippe A virus PA-PB2 interaction through a bimolecular fluorescence complementation check. J Virol. 2009 ; 83:3944-3955 10. Vidi, P. A. et Al. Ligand-dependent oligomerization of Dopastat D2 and adenosine A ( 2A ) receptors in populating neural cells. Mol Pharmacol. 2008 ; 74:544-551 11. Berg, J. et Al. A genetically encoded fluorescent newsman of ATP: ADP ratio. Nat Methods. 2009 ; 6:161-166 12. Hanson, G. T. et Al. Investigating mitochondrial redox potency with redox-sensitive green fluorescent protein indexs. J Biol Chem. 2004 ; 279:13044-13053 13. Gutscher, M. et Al. Real-time imagination of the intracellular glutathione oxidation-reduction potency. Nat Methods. 2008 ; 5:553-559 14. Nakabayashi, T. et Al. Application of fluorescence life-time imagination of enhanced green fluorescent protein to intracellular pH measurings. Photochem Photobiol Sci. 2008 ; 7:668-670 15. Esposito, A. et Al. pHlameleons: a household of FRET-based protein detectors for quantitative pH imagination. Biochemistry. 2008 ; 47:13115-13126 16. Ai, H.W. et Al. Fluorescent protein FRET brace for ratiometric imagination of double biosensors. Nat Methods. 2008 ; 5:401-403 6

Earley North America essays

Earley North America essays In the early 16th century, the European super powers, England, France and Spain decided to "broaden" their horizons. All three set sail in an attempt to further their power. But when they reached the shores of what is now known as Canada and Mexico what would they find? Would they find a land all ready occupied by a new and distinctly fascinating society? No, they found a land for the taking. These European "settlers" gave no regard to the native populations whom already occupied this vast land. Explorers such as Hernan Cortes and Jacques Cartier carried out this travesty by such factors as political and psychological warfare, economic competition between native cultures, and through the importation of disease. The Spanish, led by the Hernan Cortes, were responsible for the near annihilation of the native populations of Mexico. The main objective of the mission was to accumulate wealth so that Cortes could get rid of the large debt he and his men had incurred for this expensive expedition, as they had not been very successful on previous missions (Meyer 93). When the expedition arrived in Tabasco, the local natives resisted Cortes and the bloodshed began. The Spanish fought and killed two hundred natives while suffering only two deaths. Because of this battle the natives believed that the Spanish were invincible. Cortes used this to his advantage. He used horses, greyhounds and firearms to scare and intimidate the natives. He even went so far as to stage mock battles (Meyer 98). Cortes also used the native rivalries to his advantage. He would use all the natives that were against the Aztecs, the only known threat to the Spanish, as slaves and warriors to help him fight. In 1519, Cortes and his new men found their way into a town called Cholula that was allied with the Aztecs. The Spanish attacked and burned the town killing six thousand Cholulan warriors (Meyer104). Cortes used this massacre to send a powerful messa...

Advantage And Disadvantages Of Fixed Wing Versus Rotor Wing Engineering Essay

Advantage And Disadvantages Of Fixed Wing Versus Rotor Wing Engineering Essay Since 1919, law enforcement agencies have used fixed wing and rotor wing aircrafts to assist in enforcing the law. In 2007, data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics showed that large law enforcement departments provided aerial enforcement in the District of Columbia and 46 states. There were 295 airplanes and 604 helicopters being operated, which flew more than 330,000 missions. http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/aullea07.pdf The types of airplane that are used by law enforcement are Cessna 182, Cessna 206, Pilatus PC-12 Spectres, P-3 Orions, Citations, Learjets, Gulfstream jets, King Air 350s and 200s and some larger airliner-type aircraft. Some of the helicopters used are the American Euro-copter EC120/130/145, AStar AS350/355N/350 B2, Dolphin HH-65C, Blackhawk UH-60, Maverick, Raven II R44, Cayuse OH-6 and McDonnell Douglas MD 600. The types of missions these aircrafts conduct are surveillance, drug interdiction, fugitive searches, routine patrol or support, search and re scue, personnel transport, prisoner transport, SWAT operation, traffic enforcement, speed enforcement, homeland security, photographic, medical support and evacuation. Both types of aircrafts have their advantages and disadvantages in airborne law enforcement. http://www.kansas.com/2010/08/01/1427779/aviation-sees-growth-in-law-enforcement.html. The advantages that a helicopter has over an airplane are that they can land and take off without the need for run ways. Their airfoil shape rotors are like the wings of an airplane, as the rotor spins, air flow faster over the tops of the blades than it does under, thus creating lift for flight. Their unique rotor design allows for them to takeoff vertically, fly in any direction including sideways, backwards and hover over an area. Their ability to hover provides coverage for the ground units on the street and if needed land to assist in foot pursuits. They can be equipped with a winch for the purpose of lowering or picking up personnel or equipments on the ground, at sea or on mountains during a search and rescue mission, where there is no place to land . They are better able to maneuver around tall structures at lower altitudes. manhttp://library.thinkquest.org/J0112389/helicopters.htm. On 14 November 2008, San Diego Police Department ABLE helicopter used the FLIR camera to catch a man facing murder charges for beating another with a crutch in the middle of the street. http://www.policeone.com/police-products/tactical/night-vision/videos/5954944-police-helicopter-catches-bizarre-street-fight-on-flir-camera On 30, January 3013 the NYPD police helicopter rescues a shipà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s captain who was having a heart attack. A dramatic nighttime helicopter rescue in New Yeark Harbor may have saved the life of a shipà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s captain. Police say they received a call Tuesday night that the captain of the Panamanian cargo ship Grey Shark was having a heart attack. The NYPD harbor medical team stabilized the 6 0 year old captain before calling the help of a police helicopter. A basket was lowered to hoist him up into the chopper, which then flew him to Staten Island University Hospital North. He was listed in stable condition. http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/176246/police-helicopter-rescues-ship-captain-who-was-having-a-heart-attack The helicopters are force multipliers for ground units, because they can monitor the tactical environment, give alerts or observe things which the ground units are unable to detect. Additionally, they can respond and cover ground more quickly than ground units. The flight deck of a helicopter can be equipped with multiple electronic equipments. Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) also know as glass cockpit that provides flight and system information to the crew, Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera allows the crew to see images created from infrared energy, moving map system show their location, satellite phones provide direct communication, di gital video downlink gives real time images, night vision goggles can be used in low light situation if needed, loudspeakers for communication or message deliver to the ground, tear gas dispensers, police and aviation radios . Disadvantages helicopters are that they cost more to operate and maintain. A fully equipped helicopter can cost from $500,000 to $3 million and the flying costs ranges from $200 to $400 per hour. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-30-cophelicopters_N.htm Maintenance, fuel, leasing and financing cost are three times then the cost to operate and maintain airplanes. Due to its abilities to fly lower and hover over areas it creates lots of noise and is easily detectable. The capacities of passengers that a helicopter can carry are limited. The Robinson RA-44 can carry 2 to 4 personnel and others like the Blackhawk UH-60 can carry 11 personnel or the Bell UH-1 that can be configured to carry 15 personnel. The general commercial helicopters used by t he law enforcement agencies have a flight time of two to four hours, with top speed from 50 to 200 knots and an average range of about 200 miles. The operations of fixed wing aircraft have some advantages over rotor wing aircrafts in law enforcement. They can perform a wide range of missions which requires them to stay airborne longer then a rotor wing aircraft is able to. Fix wing aircraft can carry more payloads and engine performances are great then those of rotor wing aircrafts. Aero surveillance, homeland security, speed enforcement and transport of people or gear are mostly the missions performed. http://www.lawofficer.com/article/patrol/fixed-wing-aircraft-law-enforc They are equipped with a variety of high tech equipments just as their rotor wing counterparts. The cabins are pressurized and allow for higher altitude flights. They can perform surveillance 5,000 ft to 6,000 ft and not be undetected. The average costs to maintain and operate a fixed wing aircraft per flight is about $54 for maintenance and $45 for fuel compared to a rotor wing aircraft. http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/aullea07.pdf The Custom Border Patrolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s P-3 AEW Orion airplane has a large fuel capacity of 60,000 lbs; flight time up to 10 to 13 hours, maximum range at low altitude is 2,500 NM and at high altitude 3,800 NM. Average cruising speed is 300 to 330 knots. It can carry a crew of 12 to 21 personnel. Normal crew consists of four systems operators, three pilots, two flight engineers and three maintenance crew members. This aircraft is integration with the E-2 Hawkeye aircraft radar system, which allows for it to see 200 NM in all directions. They coordinate and direct Navy and Coast Guard ship and aircrafts to the location of drug smuggling boats or planes. Primary mission are interdiction, over water operations, surveillance and homeland security. The use of this aircraft between the Jacksonville, Florida and the Texas office have contributed to the cap ture and seizure of 50 metric tons of drugs worth a roughly about 2 Billion dollars. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqCtrB_FZvE Fixed wing light sport aircraft generally cost between $60,000 and $130,000 to purchase and $50 per hour to fuel and maintain. They can fly at wide range of speeds of 35 to 125 knots making them an excellent platform for performing a broad range of law enforcement missions. It can carry up to 500 lbs and travel twice as far as a helicopter could. http://nij.gov/nij/topics/law-enforcement/operations/aviation/types-of-aircraft.htm The disadvantages of fix winged aircrafts are they require a runway to take off and land, assembling of the flight crew, delay on taking off due to congestion at airport, unable to see the other side of the aircraft. They cannot monitor the tactical environment very well and or unable to alerts or observe things which the ground units are unable to detect. Unable to land and assist with foot pursuits, canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hover, t he aircraft is not equipped with rescue winch.

What are the marketing strategies of Amazon Research Paper

What are the marketing strategies of Amazon - Research Paper Example Political environment is slightly unfavourable for Amazon as several political parties in several countries opposing FDI due to several political interests. These oppositions may affect the global business expansion strategy of Amazon. Economic environment is unfavourable for Amazon. Recent financial crisis and global economic recession affected the economic condition of common people. Low disposable income and limited purchasing power are the major consequences of this economic crunch. People trying to save more rather than consumption. This may affect the business performance of Amazon. Social environment is favourable for Amazon. People are trying to consume products through internet and web-sources due to increase in the number of internet and social media users. This favourable socio-cultural aspect can help the organisation to maintain its business growth. Technological environment is favourable for Amazon. The business operation of Amazon requires effective support of advanced technological applications and web sources. Recent technological revolution is helping Amazon to enhance effective business operation activities. Legal environment is slightly unfavourable for Amazon. It is a multinational organisation. Therefore, the organisation has to follow different legal policies in different countries. Sometime, it affects the communication process among the employees and employers within the organisation in different market places. Government of each and every country is developing environmental sustainability policy in order to reduce the level of carbon foot print and carbon emission. The management and officials of Amazon are trying to follow the policy by integrating sustainable business approaches in business operation process. Government is supporting the initiatives that have been taken by the

Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research Paper - Essay Example People like leading life that is far from fear. Natural justice demands respect to human life and dignity. Freedom ceases when human life is under the fear of terror attacks. Terror attacks and threats of terror attack impact on economy of a country. My thesis will dwell on terrorism since it has been an issue of interest in the recent past with several terror attacks reported in many parts of the world. Many people fear security threat and would rather keep off from places that have security problems. People would be keen to listen to information regarding terrorism. Research indicates that businesses and human activities, which lead to economic development becomes victims of terror attacks at a given time of their operations. Terrorism attack in the United State has led to closure of several businesses and death of dozens of citizens (Bruck 28). It is quite unfair for innocent people to die merciless in the hands of people who do not wish to air their concerns in dignified manner. How would a person feel when an innocent child loses his life because of terror attack? The government security agencies endeavor to provide security to the citizens. Protection from terror attack must come first in top government agenda. Stable economy of United States depends on the security system of the country. Many investors are reluctant to invest in countries, which suffer from terrorist attack. Terror risk deprives people from achieving natural justice. Terrorist acts fail to acknowledge respect for human dignity and rights. Institution of governments among people aims to provide checks and balances in human authority and activities. United States cannot progress when terrorism rule the society. It will water the progresses that the country has made. The society has viewed terrorism as a suicide attack for a very long time. Changes in technology have introduced new strains of terrorism in the society. These strains include biological terrorism, chemical terrorism and inform ation warfare. Information warfare is an act that would leak basic security information of a country thereby exposing the country to attack by the terrorist. This form of terrorism is quite recent and very difficult to control. United States is a superpower and would harbor information which when leaked would expose the country to security risks. Individuals who want the country to sympathize with their criminal acts would crack the information and expose it to the internet. On the other hand, biological or chemical terrorism would use the chemical technology to cause harm to the society. Manufacture of chemicals that would lead to massive death violates human rights. Death of innocent people is not acceptable. Biological engineering may result in formation of products that would lead to human death. The above forms of terrorism expose human life to risk thereby calling for protection against such. Researchers’ and database articles around the globe have shown that, societies have come up with means of airing their grievances. Terrorists approach to societal problems has attracted condemnation throughout the world. Countries feel insecure when terrorist are on the loose. The political system of the country would suffer on the hands of terrorist. The society expects the political government in office to take responsibility of providing security to the people (Bruck 78). When the government sounds a terror risk, the political system of the country becomes weak. The political responsibility demands that a

Critique of Anand Hollas Article Entitled Obsessed with Your Cell Essay

Critique of Anand Hollas Article Entitled Obsessed with Your Cell Phone - Essay Example The article is timely because the author was able to determine that our dependency towards technology particularly cellphone has already developed to a proportion that is already a disorder. The author intended to create awareness among the readers so that they would examine themselves if they are already addicted to their smartphones by comparing their behaviors to the behaviors cited in the article. And if they are, they can seek help just like what the subjects did in the article. The good thing about this article is that the author made its audience realize that addiction towards cellphone is not healthy. Many people especially teenagers think that their dependency towards their smartphones are cool when it is in fact not. It would be difficult to ascertain with certainty if the author had successfully convinced its audience that smartphone use has already assumed a proportion of disorder. There no surveys included in the article that provided reader response. But personally, I t hink the arguments of the author are quite persuasive. I may not be that totally sold with the point of view yet because I am still looking for more literature to support his claim, but the article has definitely made me think and consider that smartphone dependency of many people is already troublesome. If the study is to be believed smartphone addiction is already â€Å"similar to drugs or cigarette addiction† which is already troublesome. To say that I agree already with the author would be quite premature considering that there is only one point of view that is presented to me and does not have anything to support or refute his arguments. Basing however from experience and observation, I think that the author made a good case and if presented with supporting scientific literature that is peer-reviewed, his case could convince me. Inferring from my observation, I see a lot of young people who are hooked not just with their smartphones but also to social media such as Faceb ook and Twitter. Some are even exclaiming that they cannot live without their smartphones or their Facebook or they could not imagine life without it.     

CONTRACT LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

CONTRACT LAW - Essay Example Promissory estoppel is important in the sense that it can be used as a defense by a party to prevent another from turning back from the concession he or she has given and enforce his or her rights against the recipient of the concession. In order for promissory estoppel to arise, there must be a clear and unequivocal representation made by the parties that a right will not be enforced against the other. According to the court in the case of Woodhouse Israel Cocoa v Nigerian Produce Marketing Company2, there is a need for the party or the parties making the concession to inform the other party or parties regarding the concession made. The parties must clearly state the rights being waived or the favors which are extended to the other parties to create a clear representation. In other words, the concession made must be clearly communicated and understood by both parties otherwise said concession may not be considered as validly made. As decided by the court in the case of Baird Textiles holdings ltd V Marks & spencer plc3, where the concession made is ambivalent and insufficient to establish a clear representation, the party or parties to whom the concession was made may not use the doctrine of promissory estoppel as a defense. Is there a need to make an express concession to in order for the parties to make use of the doctrine of promissory estoppel? Apparently, the court does not require an express concession from the parties but rather it only requires that the concession must be unequivocal and sufficiently clear to be understood by the parties. According to the decision of the court in the case of Hughes V Metropolitan Railway Co.4, an implied representation can be a ground for promissory estoppel. Thus, if the acts of one party impliedly tell the other party that it is granting a favor to the other and the party who had been impliedly

How popular music is used to express the artists views of contemporary Coursework

How popular music is used to express the artists views of contemporary society in Black Eyed Peas - Where is the love music text - Coursework Example 9). The music highlights the dire confusion that characterizes the global community to date, where instead of living by what it professes it is doing the contrary. This is via killing and encouraging evils that tend to fuel disunity like discrimination emanating from the love of one’s race, hence offering it adequate space to block other people from mingling freely. Conversely, some verses in the song address some selected people especially the leaders who have incalculably yielded to the eruption of global wars. The wars like WWII that have erupted due to the motivation from own gains where the leaders assume they are right. Additionally, the song’s composer in a way encompasses even the audience as having contributed to the same scenario globally. This is because the text addresses the humanity (world) and uses pronoun â€Å"we† to imply the entire people. The song’s intention is to inform global inhabitants who have high intellectual competence than oth er creatures. The message is in the form of a query regarding the utter dehumanization that is evident worldwide and persists to the present. Music text gives an illustration of terrorism, which the global securities are tying to curb it, especially the America via utilizing its sophisticated CIA organ, but all in vain (Miller, 2004, p. 9). The vice is still evident in the world, and its impacts nobody can refute since it terminates guiltless people primarily the children and youths. Its core question is the where has love vanished and the world’s sympathy besides respect for people. Since all the ills that characterize the world presently emanate from the nonexistence of love that should unite and bring harmony. Contrary, disunity, animosities have taken the lead where they characterize... This "How popular music is used to express the artists’ views of contemporary society in "Black Eyed Peas - Where is the love" music text" outlines the connection between the songs texts and author's personal opinion about society on the Black Eyed Peas "Where is the love" example. The song’s intention is to inform global inhabitants who have high intellectual competence than other creatures. The message is in the form of a query regarding the utter dehumanization that is evident worldwide and persists to the present. Music text gives an illustration of terrorism, which the global securities are tying to curb it, especially the America via utilizing its sophisticated CIA organ, but all in vain (Miller, 2004, p. 9). The vice is still evident in the world, and its impacts nobody can refute since it terminates guiltless people primarily the children and youths. Its core question is the where has love vanished and the world’s sympathy besides respect for people. Sinc e all the ills that characterize the world presently emanate from the nonexistence of love that should unite and bring harmony. Contrary, disunity, animosities have taken the lead where they characterize humanity’s actions besides resulting to deaths and crying of guiltless children, leaving them as orphans. The text is calling upon the world to live according to what it preaches (love) instead of the contrary, hence the song’s title â€Å"Where Is The Love?† The composer unveils brewing of wrangles amid states that yield to grievous wars (Miller, 2004, p. 9).

Information Systems - Risk Management wk3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Information Systems - Risk Management wk3 - Essay Example the challenge it can provide for securing an environment, The User Domain, one of seven domains in an IT infrastructure, is considered to be the domain most at risk for attack and compromise, primarily due to the inherent weakness of the human interaction element. There are several types of attacks on the User Domain that are prevalent, as they can be quite successful against an uninformed or untrained employee. Unnecessary access to User Domains can allow segmentation of various groups peeking into confidential data. Imagine a scenario in which the sales department can look up salaries in HR. This is an unsafe practice and can be mitigated by giving each department its own VLAN. Tipton (2005) Before studying User Doman, it is crucial to understand the essence of user domain. The whole focal point of User Domain is to ensure that segregation of duties is conducted in computer’s main frame. Before attempting to observe the issue, it is essential to understand the focal point of user domain itself. In essence, user domain is defined  as set of objects that allow a user to have controls and permissions. In essence, user domains can overlap. Tipton (2005) Another element of user domains is the fact that is allows users to possess segregation of duties. Segregation of duties allows users to have separate domains and grant permissions. User domains can range from simple user access accounts or it can be a specific domain such as sales, marketing, and managers. In the computing world, the weakest link in user domain is a user that has the least privilege. In essence, the weakest link is based on a hierarchy model in security policies and implementation issues. The weakest link can also be a possible vulnerability that can be exploited. A huge flaw in providing securities even with one’s own organization is outside threats. It is clear that many organizations are in this danger as they constantly battle outside risks on daily basis. For instance, denial of service and

How popular music is used to express the artists views of contemporary Coursework

How popular music is used to express the artists views of contemporary society in Black Eyed Peas - Where is the love music text - Coursework Example 9). The music highlights the dire confusion that characterizes the global community to date, where instead of living by what it professes it is doing the contrary. This is via killing and encouraging evils that tend to fuel disunity like discrimination emanating from the love of one’s race, hence offering it adequate space to block other people from mingling freely. Conversely, some verses in the song address some selected people especially the leaders who have incalculably yielded to the eruption of global wars. The wars like WWII that have erupted due to the motivation from own gains where the leaders assume they are right. Additionally, the song’s composer in a way encompasses even the audience as having contributed to the same scenario globally. This is because the text addresses the humanity (world) and uses pronoun â€Å"we† to imply the entire people. The song’s intention is to inform global inhabitants who have high intellectual competence than oth er creatures. The message is in the form of a query regarding the utter dehumanization that is evident worldwide and persists to the present. Music text gives an illustration of terrorism, which the global securities are tying to curb it, especially the America via utilizing its sophisticated CIA organ, but all in vain (Miller, 2004, p. 9). The vice is still evident in the world, and its impacts nobody can refute since it terminates guiltless people primarily the children and youths. Its core question is the where has love vanished and the world’s sympathy besides respect for people. Since all the ills that characterize the world presently emanate from the nonexistence of love that should unite and bring harmony. Contrary, disunity, animosities have taken the lead where they characterize... This "How popular music is used to express the artists’ views of contemporary society in "Black Eyed Peas - Where is the love" music text" outlines the connection between the songs texts and author's personal opinion about society on the Black Eyed Peas "Where is the love" example. The song’s intention is to inform global inhabitants who have high intellectual competence than other creatures. The message is in the form of a query regarding the utter dehumanization that is evident worldwide and persists to the present. Music text gives an illustration of terrorism, which the global securities are tying to curb it, especially the America via utilizing its sophisticated CIA organ, but all in vain (Miller, 2004, p. 9). The vice is still evident in the world, and its impacts nobody can refute since it terminates guiltless people primarily the children and youths. Its core question is the where has love vanished and the world’s sympathy besides respect for people. Sinc e all the ills that characterize the world presently emanate from the nonexistence of love that should unite and bring harmony. Contrary, disunity, animosities have taken the lead where they characterize humanity’s actions besides resulting to deaths and crying of guiltless children, leaving them as orphans. The text is calling upon the world to live according to what it preaches (love) instead of the contrary, hence the song’s title â€Å"Where Is The Love?† The composer unveils brewing of wrangles amid states that yield to grievous wars (Miller, 2004, p. 9).

Blood Brothers Essay Example for Free

Blood Brothers Essay You are the director of a new production of blood brothers. Give advice to the actors playing the roles of Eddie and Mickey about how to tackle the age changes. You must comment on at least two scenes in detail. If you have seen a production of Blood Brothers you may also refer to this. In the scene when you both meet for the first time you must consider your body language. You must consider how an eight year old would walk and stand. An eight year old would have fewer worries than someone who is older than them so they would walk not really paying much attention to what is around them. You would also have to think how someone who is better off would walk compared to someone who is from a less well off background. You have got to consider how to use the tone of your voice. At first they were a bit shy. But after they first met you would have to consider how an eight year old would not be shy so they would say anything so say your lines so the audience have no clue to what you will say next. Another important factor to consider is the way you deliver your lines. You should deliver your lines in a free flowing way. When they are swearing you should not feel like people might be offended. In the scene when you Mickey and Eddie meet for the first time after they have both moved to the country you should pay attention to your body language. This time Eddie and Mickey are both 16 17 years olds. So you have to think about how a 16 17 year old would act. A 16 17 year old would have more problems than a person of 8 years old but still not as many as an older person. You still have to consider how a person who is better off would act compared to a person from the ghetto. Again you would have to consider the tone of your voice. You would expect a teenager to swear more and they may speak with a slight mumble. Again you should consider the way you deliver your lines. In the scene when Mickey is trying to kill Eddie you should again pay attention to your body language. This time Eddie and Mickey are both in theyre thirtys. Mickey is depressed and he has a lot of problems an example of which was that he was put in jail for his brother shooting someone. While Eddie on the other hand has few, because he has a successful business. Mickey has just realised that Eddie is seeing his girlfriend Linda. When Mickey is pointing the gun at Eddie, Eddie has to act scared because he fears for his life. Mickey is holding the gun so that he feels in control instead of having Eddie control his life. Mickey has to act confused because Eddie made his life; he gave him a job and a nice home. You again have to consider the tone of your voice. Mickey should say his lines in a sort of stuttery way. Eddie should deliver his lines in a scared voice, while Mickey should deliver his lines in a scared and confused way.

Analysis of the telecommunications industry in China

Analysis of the telecommunications industry in China Vodafone is a London-based major telecommunication firm employing over 84,000 employees worldwide as of 2010. They are in more than 20 countries and have partnership in another 40 more for total revenue in 2010 of  £44 billion.  [1]  There focus is on RD and license management which make Vodafone a leader in new technology and product development. With this reputation, a lot of local companies can be interested in partnership with Vodafone in order to gain a technological boost which can help them overtake on the local competition. In 2000, Vodafone added CMHK (China Mobile Hong Kong) to his partner list by buying 2.19% of the company shares at a price of $2.5 billion. Two years later a second purchase of $750 million increased their share to 3.2%. By creating this partnership, Vodafone gained access to over 477 million subscribers in Hong Kong and China. From CMHK side, the alliance with the British firm set the table for a technological innovation campaign. The first remarkable output of this collaboration was JIL (Joint Innovation Lab), with the goal of accelerating the innovation process.  [2]   China and the WTO -How has Chinas entry into the WTO affected Vodafones development in China and Hong Kong? -How has it affected foreign telecommunications in general? C:UsersMYDocuments2011-1à ­Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ªÃ‚ ¸Ã‚ °Ãƒ ªÃ‚ µÃ‚ ­Ãƒ ¬Ã‚  Ã…“à ªÃ‚ ²Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¬Ã‹Å" Ãƒ «Ã‚ ¡Ã‚  china telecom statistics.jpg After almost 15 years of negotiation, China joined WTO as of 11 December 2001. Before the adhesion, Chinas policy protected the national emerging telecom industries  [3]  while allowing only foreign equipment vendors to invest in Chinas economy.  [4]  The new contract gave entry to foreign investment for up to 49% of one of the local companys share in the 17 largest cities in China.  [5]   As well as other markets, Chinas telecommunication market is expected to grow very rapidly especially if open to foreign service suppliers. The whole market generated over $130 billion in 2010 and is expected to grow by an average rate of 8.8% in for the next five years. Thus overtaking Japan and becoming the leader in the Asian market.  [6]  For foreign investors, those odds were quite attracting. The Reality -Why has Vodafone still held a minority stake in CMHK? -What factors do you think have inhibited Vodafones investment in the Chinese telecommunications market? Still, even after the entry in the WTO, Chinas telecommunication market stayed under the large influence of the Ministry of Information Industry (MII). The maximum level of stake ownership was set up to 49% under WTO agreement but no foreign telecommunication companies got close to that number. Vodafone, for example, was planning to increase its share up to 20% by 2005; in 2009 the 3.2% was still the reality. The main problem in the Chinese market is a multitude of complex and multi-layered political, economic and cultural factors.  [7]  China is still operated with ancient art of Guanxi (network of contacts)  [8]  and MII is considered to be both regulator and party in Chinese telecommunication market. So even if the contract allows some expansion for foreign companies, the huge bureaucracy makes investing in China a long and laborious process. China Unicom and SK Telecom -What has China Unicom done in its attempt to remain competitive? What are the advantages and challenges of such a strategy, and how effective do you think it will be? In 2006, a few years after the entry of Vodafone in the Chinese market, SK Telecom of South Korea invested $1 billion in China Unicom. In total the South Korean firm received about 7% of the company shares in return of this investment. The great advantage for the Chinese giant was a possibility for a technological advancement. The two firms would now work together on handset development and IP sharing. China Unicom could then have a glance at foreign technology, just like their main competitor did 6 years ago with Vodafone. For SK Telecom, the transaction was also a great advancement. It allowed them to gain entry in the protected Chinese market and escape the South Korean saturated market. On the other hand, as part of the contract, China Telecom had to accept SK Telecom as the sole partner until the end of 2007.  [9]  In technology business, one year and a half tied to only one partner could hold you backward. Another foreign company could release a great new technological advancement and it would be impossible for China Unicom to get their hands on it. The Third Giant: China Telecom -What actions do you think China Telecom should take, given the competitive position of the CMHK-Vodafone and China Unicom-SK Telecom partnership? The telecommunication market in China has been quite homogeneous so far. Looking for foreign partnership could be a way to get a hand on advanced technology or management system that would give the firm a competitive advantage over their competitors, especially since the two other leading companies already stepped forward by accepting foreign investment. With that in mind, China Telecom should get into a serious search for a foreign partner in order to keep up with the competition. But what if those foreign partnerships were not as successful as planned? In fact, in September 2010, Vodafone sold their 3.2% stakes in China Mobile, pocketing $6.5 billion which is nearly twice the original investment4. After the sale, CMHK and Vodafone will continue to cooperate in areas such as roaming, network roadmap development, multinational customers, and green technology and so on  [10]  . Vodafone left with a profit and the alliance stayed but most of the cooperation died in the separation process. What about China Unicom and SK Telecom? Well in November 2009, the Korean firm sold the whole 3.8% stake of China Unicom to unknown buyer(s). SKT also earned more than 50% of their initial investment but abandoned their business plans in China. China Unicom dropped CDMA business, which was SKTs main strength, and absorbed China Netcoms GSM part and decided to focus on GSM. However, SKT is continuing cooperation in technology and conversion service area.  [11]   Accepting foreign investment is not a definite key to success. As said before, China used to be a quite closed and homogeneous market, so as the customers. Outsiders may have a hard time to understand how to conduct business in China and how to understand the needs of its people. In brief, the most important is for the host company to analyze how foreign firm could help them in their actual market and if the fusion can be done efficiently. Surely in a few years there will be a lot of success story in the telecommunication firm in China, but for now China Telecom is better not to jump on the first offering.

Natural Resources And Management Essay -- essays research papers

Natural Resources and Management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cultural resources are the traces of all past activities and accomplishments of people that includes designated historic districts, archeological sites, buildings, structures, and objects. These also include less tangible forms like aspects of folklife, traditional or religious practices, and landscapes. These nonrenewable resources often yield unique information about past societies and environments, and can provide answers for modern day social and conservation problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  a ship wreck   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  an arrowhead a canon   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  an Indian campsite   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Indian rock art   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  a tin can   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  a Victorian house   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  an historic mining town   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  an irrigation canal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  a dam   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All of these can be cultural resources. Cultural resources are the physical remains of a people's way of life that archaeologists and historians study to try to interpret how people lived. Cultural resources are important because they help us to learn about our past. These tangible remains help us understand other cultures, appreciate architecture and engineering, and learn about past accomplishments. Furthermore, they offer educational and recreational opportunities and provide links to our past. &nb...

Ma Joad as Leader in The Grapes of Wrath :: Grapes Wrath essays

In a crisis, a person's true colors emerge. The weak are separated from the strong and the leaders are separated from the followers. In John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family, forced from their home in Oklahoma, head to California in search of work and prosperity only to find poverty and despair. As a result of a crisis, Ma Joad emerges as a controlled, forceful, and selfless authority figure for the family. Ma Joad exhibits exelent self-control during the sufferings and frustrations of the Joad's journey. Ma knows that she is the backbone of the family, and that they will survive only if she remains calm. Ma keeps her self-control when Ruthie tells some children about Tom's secret. The family becomes nervous and enraged over the situation, but Ma restores order by handling the situation in a calm and collected manner. If Ma were to ever show fear, the family would most likely collapse. For, "Old Tom and the children could not know hurt or fear unless she acknowledged hurt or fear." Thus, if Ma acts as if everything is all right, then the family will assume everything is all right. Most members of the family openly express their doubts or fears. Ma may be just as frightened as the rest of the family, but she always maintains a front for the rest of the family. When Ma had fears, "She had practiced denying them in herself." This extraordinary self-control helps to keep the Joad unit together and alive. Ma, like all leaders, must be forceful for things to work in her favor. Numerous situations occur in which Ma must be forceful or relinquish her role as the head of the family. Her forceful leadership occurs once when the family, without Ma's consent, agrees to leave Tom and Casey behind to fix the Wilson's car. Ma feels this will break up the family and uses a jack handle to prove her point. It is at this point Ma replaces Pa as the official head of the family. Ma's forceful leadership also surfaces when she threatens a police officer with a frying pan and when she decides for the family to leave the government camp. In both situations Ma must use force to achieve her objectives; in both situations, she emerges victorious. Eventually, Pa becomes angered because of his loss of power to a woman and says in frustration, "Seems like times is changed.

Plato’s Laches

During his lifetime Socrates’ various interactions with his fellow Athenians left his intentions debatable. Popular belief in Athens seemed to be that, â€Å"he [Socrates] was an evildoer, and a curious person, who searches into things under the earth and in heaven? and makes the worse appear the better cause† (Plato, pg. 5) as stated by the unofficial charges against him in The Apology. After discussions, his interlocutor’s were left confused in a state of aporia, with no conclusion.And so while negative views of Socrates became increasing popular in Athens right up until his death, Socrates was, on the contrary, serving as Athens’s benefactor, opening up their eyes to the truth of world in which they lived in. In Plato’s Laches, Socrates does in fact tear down his interlocutors’ claims but only to prove to them that they don’t know what they claim to know by exposing holes in their fundamental thoughts and to redirect them on a path to finding true knowledge.Through a method of elenchus, Socrates aimed to prove to his interlocutor that the ideas they held about certain topics were in fact false. When a person would come to him with a question, as Laches and Nicias do in Laches, Socrates would first direct the conversation in such a way that the question lying before the men is a foundational one, and not necessarily the original question.In his explanation of this Socrates states, â€Å"So, in a word, whenever a man considers a thing for the sake of another thing, he is taking counsel about that thing for the sake of which he was considering, and not about what he was investigating for the sake of something else† (Plato 185D) and redirects the question of whether or not young boys should learn the art of fighting in armor to how to care for the souls of young men. By doing this Socrates is able to expose the very source of his interlocutors’ belief system and demonstrate that if the basis of the s ystem isn’t true nothing built on it can be true.Socrates goes on to have the men discus virtue, because they are trying to discover what virtue could be added to their sons’ souls to make them better men and because virtues are the basis for the moral ethics by which they live.. He then invites them to define a virtue: courage. When Laches gives a less than sufficient answer, Socrates rephrases his question and asks for a true definition of courage, one that would encompass every sort of courageous act. Eventually Laches gets to a point where he is unsure of how to proceed, saying, â€Å"I am really getting annoyed at being unable to express what I think in this ashion. I still think I know what courage is, but I can’t understand how it has escaped me just now so that I can’t pin it down in words and say what it is† (Plato 194B). By admitting that he is unable to concisely express the definition of something he considered himself knowledgeable abo ut, Laches allowed Socrates’ method to have a reflective effect on him. The dialogue ends in an aporia, or a state of unknowing, leaving Laches and Nicias still without an answer to whether or not young men should learn the art of fighting in armor and more importantly without what a proper definition of courage.They leave the conversation confused, realizing, that they don’t know what they thought they knew, which is what Socrates had originally intended for them to eventually understand. Coming out of a Socratic dialogue usually left the interlocutor feeling one of two ways. Laches, after conversing with Socrates and Nicias, is aware that he isn’t as informed on the idea of courage as he would have like to think, but still agrees to go Lysimachus’ house the next day to continue the discussion in hopes of revealing an answer.Being made aware of his shortcoming, instilled in him a desire to further explore it. Leaving the Socratic dialogue left Laches wan ted more; because it ended in aporia, the only piece of knowledge he got of the conversation was that his definitions were wrong. Instead of giving Laches the answer, and having him just accept it as true, Socrates invited him to search for it, because in searching for an answer to the definition of courage, Laches would gradually begin to question and search for other pieces of knowledge relevant to his life, and it would become an ongoing process.However, other Athenians eventually grew tired of Socrates’ extensive questioning and can be seen in The Apology putting Socrates on trial for it. Instead of taking Socrates’ conversations for what they were worth, they labeled him as argumentative and a man who was corrupting the youth of the city. By breaking down his interlocutors’ various thoughts, ideas, and theses, Socrates was trying to reveal to them that they were not in fact wise and that the knowledge they thought they possessed was not true knowledge.Socra tes himself was only considered wiser than his fellow Athenians because he considered his one piece of knowledge to be that he didn’t know anything. By breaking down, piece by piece, the arguments of those he conversed with, he intended for them to realize that their knowledge was relative and therefore meaningless in the grander scheme of things. By recognizing this, only then could they begin living a life in search of finding true meaning. In searching for meaningful things they would have to learn to question things.While he is on trial in The Apology, Socrates tells the jury that, â€Å"The unexamined life is not worth living† (Plato pg. 24) Living life without asking questions, and without inquiry, is not living life at all, and is therefore worthless. As an Athenian himself, Socrates wants to help the fellow men of his city led â€Å"examined† lives and is quick to let them know, if they do away with him, there might never be someone else who does for the m what he is attempting to do. In conclusion, Socrates is