Spring Jazz Band Concert Report

On Friday, April 29, 2011, I went to see Spring Jazz Concert at Sophia B. Clarke Theater. Most of performers have great instrument skill and show us a wonderful music. Each movement highlights the character, range, and technical abilities of an individual instrument, all of pieces stand on their own as intricate musical gems. The show was divided for two parts, and they have different sections on those two parts.During the concert, we would hear different music programs by playing in different music instruments such as saxophones, trumpets, trombones, drums, bass, guitar, and piano. Each performer represents different music instruments. On the first parts of the concert, there were three songs. In conclusion, I enjoyed this concert very much because the music in this concert was very nice. In my opinion, I had totally different feelings between I listened music in the concert and at home, and the atmosphere of concert was awesome.Besides the music, I had deep impression in the perfor mers; every performers in the concert had much passion when they were performing. In my opinion, because of their wonderful performance, I could hear such nice music. Also, everyone in the concert was polite. Every times when conductor came to the stage or the song was end, almost every audience stood up and applauded to the performers, the applause lasted for a pretty long time. At that time, I felt so good. All in all, I really enjoyed this concert.The tone color of most of the jazz bands that I saw was smooth and inviting. This made the bands easier to listen to. They were polyphonic in structure, where all of the different instruments were playing different melodies. The rhythm that was used was in a quadruple meter. This was true for all of the bands. The only thing that I wished would have happened was that there would have been more improvisation instead of reading from sheet music. They were very structured in that way.

Target Costing

Robin Cooper and Regine Slagmulder Editors’ Note: This article is an updated synthesis of in-depth explorations contained in Target Costing and Value Engineering, by Robin Cooper and Regine Slagmulder (Portland, Oregon: Productivity Press, 1997). Part two of the series discusses product-level target costing; part three, to be featured in an upcoming issue, will address component-level target costing. omers. Consequently, the objective of product-level target costing is to increase the allowable cost of the product to a level that can reasonably be expected to be achievable, given the capabilities of the firm and its suppliers (see Exhibit 1). EXECUTIVE SUMMARY†¢ Product-level target costing works to increase the allowable cost of the product to a level that is both reasonable and achievable given the capabilities of the firm and its suppliers. Step one establishes the target cost by incorporating the capability of the firm and its suppliers into the allowable cost so that an achievable product-level target cost is established. †¢ Step two uses value engineering to identify ways to design the product so that it can be manufactured at its target cost. †¢ Step three applies the disciplining mechanisms to help ensure that the product-level target cost is achieved. The target costing process contains three major sections: market-driven costing, product-level target costing, and component-level target costing.In part two of a three part series, this article discusses how product-level target costing works to increase the allowable cost of the product to a level that is both reasonable and achievable given the capabilities of the firm and its suppliers, in a three step process. Step one establishes the target cost by incorporating the capability of the firm and its suppliers into the allowable cost so that an achievable product-level target cost is established.Step two uses value engineering to identify ways to design the product so that it can b e manufactured at its target cost. Step three applies the disciplining mechanisms to help ensure that the product-level target cost is achieved. PRODUCT-LEVEL TARGET COSTING The objective of product-level target costing is to establish aggressive but achievable product-level target costs. These target costs should place considerable pressure on the firm’s product engineers to find creative ways to reduce the manufacturing costs of the products that they are designing.Target costs differ from allowable costs, because they incorporate the capabilities of the firm and its suppliers into the target costing process. In practice, it is not always possible for the designers to find ways to achieve the allowable cost and still satisfy the firm’s cus1 Product-level target costing can be broken into three steps (see Exhibit 2). In the first step, the product-level target cost is established. This step consists of incorporating the capability of the firm and its suppliers into th e allowable cost so that an achievable product-level target cost is established.The second step consists of using value engineering (and other similar techniques) to identify ways to design the product so that it can be manufactured at its target cost. In the third step, the disciplining mechanisms of target costing are applied to help ensure that the product-level target cost is achieved. The disciplining mecha- Article 32. TARGET COSTING FOR NEW-PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: PRODUCT-LEVEL TARGET COSTING thereof require that the firm must reduce costs if it is to maintain its desired level of profitability.The degree of cost reduction required to achieve the allowable cost is called the cost-reduction objective and is derived by subtracting the allowable cost from the current product cost: Cost-Reduction Objective = Current Cost–Allowable Cost The current cost is the cost of a new product if it were manufactured today using existing components or variants thereof. No cost-reduction a ctivities are assumed in computing the current cost of the product. For the current cost to be meaningful, the components used in its estimation must be very similar to those that eventually will be used in the new product.If the existing model uses a 1. 8-liter engine and the new model uses a 2. 0-liter one, for example, current cost would be estimated using the cost of the most similar 2. 0-liter engine currently produced by the firm. Because the allowable cost is derived from external conditions without consideration of the firm’s internal design and production capabilities, there is a risk that the allowable cost will not be achievable. In this case, to maintain the discipline of target costing, the firm must identify the achievable and unachievable parts of the cost-reduction objective.Analyzing the ability of the product designers and suppliers to remove costs from the product (see Exhibit 3) derives the achievable or target cost-reduction objective. The process by whic h costs are removed from the product is called value engineering, and it depends heavily on an interactive relationship with the suppliers. The purpose of this relationship is to allow the suppliers to provide early estimates of the selling prices of their products and, when possible, insights into alternative design possibilities that would enable the firm to deliver the desired level of functionality and quality at reduced cost.The unachievable part of the cost-reduction objective (referred to in Exhibit 2) is called the strategic cost-reduction challenge. It identifies the profit shortfall that will occur when the designers are unable to achieve the allowable cost—a signal that the firm falls short of the capabilities demanded by competitive conditions. Typically, in a firm with a well-established target costing system, the strategic cost-reduction challenge will be small or nonexistent, and intense pressure will be brought on the design team to reduce it to zero.For the m ost capable firms, the achievable cost reduction for a product might exceed the cost-reduction objective. Such firms do not face a strategic cost-reduction challenge. They can take advantage of their superior capabilities by reducing the selling price of the product to increase market share, by increasing product functionality while maintaining the targeted selling price, or by keeping both price and functionality at their targeted levels to earn higher profits. To maintain the discipline of target costing, the size of the strategic cost-reduction challenge must be managed carefully.A strategic cost-reduction challenge should reflect the true inability of the firm to match competitor capabilities. To ensure that the strategic cost-reduction challenge meets this requirement, the target cost-reduction objective must be set so that it is 2 nisms include progress monitoring and validation and the application of the cardinal rule of target costing: products whose manufacturing costs are above their target costs should not be launched. The monitoring and validation process helps ensure that the savings identified through value engineering are actually achieved.The application of the cardinal rule ensures that the discipline of target costing is maintained. When designers know that target cost violations lead to serious consequences, they are subjected to a real pressure to achieve the target costs. SETTING THE PRODUCT-LEVEL TARGET COST In highly competitive markets, customers expect each generation of products to have higher value than that of their predecessors. Value can be increased by improving the quality or functionality of the firm’s products or by reducing their selling prices. Any of these improvements or some combinationANNUAL EDITIONS cost-reduction challenge, which creates a powerful pressure on the design team of the next generation of the product to be even more aggressive about cost reduction. In this way, the failure to achieve the allowable c ost this time around is turned into a challenge for the future, not a permanent defeat. Second, allowable cost avoids weakening the cardinal rule, which applies only to target costs, not allowable costs. The process by which the strategic cost-reduction challenge is established must be highly disciplined.Otherwise it becomes a mechanism to reduce the effectiveness of target costing by setting target costs that are too easy to achieve. In most firms, top management approves the strategic cost-reduction challenge before the product-level target cost can be set. Technically, the target cost of a product is the target selling price less the target profit margin plus the strategic cost-reduction challenge. Many firms blur the distinction between the allowable cost and the target cost, however, by stating that the target cost is determined by subtracting the target profit margin from the target selling price.This simplification makes it easier for people to understand the spirit of target costing as being price driven. Obviously, if the strategic cost-reduction challenge is zero, the allowable and target costs are identical. At some firms, even when the allowable cost is considered achievable, it is not referred to as a target cost until the process has reached the stage at which the major component target costs are established. The retention of the term â€Å"allowable costs† shows that top management is not willing to invoke the cardinal rule until it is convinced that the target cost is indeed achievable. chievable only if the entire organization makes a significant effort to reach it. Consistently setting the target cost-reduction objective too high can lead to workforce burnout and, ultimately, the discipline of target costing will be lost. Conversely, if the target cost-reduction objective is consistently set too low, the firm will lose competitiveness, because new products will have excessively high target costs. Again referring to Exhibit 2, the produ ct-level target cost is determined by subtracting the proposed product target costreduction objective from its current cost.That is: Product-Level Target Cost = Current Cost–Target Cost-Reduction Objective The strategic cost-reduction challenge is determined by subtracting the allowable cost from the target cost: Strategic Cost-Reduction Challenge = Target Cost –Allowable Cost The value of differentiating between the allowable cost and the target cost in this manner lies in the discipline that it creates. In most firms, the allowable cost will sometimes be too low to achieve, given the relative capabilities of the firm and its suppliers compared to competitors and their suppliers.Target costing systems derive their strength from the application of the cardinal rule, â€Å"The target cost must never be exceeded. † If a firm continuously sets over-aggressive target costs, violations of the cardinal rule would be common and the discipline of the target costing proc ess would be lost. Even worse, if the allowable cost is known to be unachievable, the design team might give up even trying to achieve it, and effective cost reduction during product design would cease. To avoid this motivation problem, firms frequently set target costs higher than the allowable costs.These target costs are designed to be achievable but only with considerable effort. They allow the cardinal rule to be maintained for almost every product. Consequently, the distinction between allowable and productlevel target costs plays two roles. First, it identifies the strategic 3 ACHIEVING THE PRODUCT-LEVEL TARGET COST Once planners have identified the target cost-reduction objective, the second stage of product-level target costing begins— achieving it (see Exhibit 4). Several engineering techniques can help product designers find ways to reduce the costs of products.They include value engineering, design for manufacture and assembly, and quality function deployment. Val ue engineering, the most important of the three techniques, has the primary objective of maximizing customer value—it tries to increase functionality and quality while at the same time reducing cost. In contrast, DFMA focuses on reducing costs by making products easier to assemble or manufacture, while holding functionality at specified levels. Finally, QFD provides a structured approach to ensure that customer requirements are not compromised during the design process.Target costing and value engineering can be viewed as concurrent activities, as can kaizen costing and VA. The application of value engineering begins with the conceptualization of the product and continues through the design process until the product is released to manufacturing. Even then the process continues, but under the name value analysis (VA). Article 32. TARGET COSTING FOR NEW-PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: PRODUCT-LEVEL TARGET COSTING The difference between VA and VE is not in the approach taken or the tools u sed but the point at which they occur in the life cycle of the product.VE is used during the product design and development stages, and VA is used for the manufacturing stage and for purchasing parts. For this reason, target costing and value engineering can be viewed as concurrent activities, as can kaizen costing and VA. It would be wrong to view VE as just another cost-reduction program. VE is primarily about product functions and only secondarily about cost. The motivating force behind VE is to ensure that the product achieves its basic function in a way that satisfies the customer at an acceptable cost.Consequently, VE programs are the domain of the product engineer, not the accountant. bility of the existing functions. Second-look VE is applied during the last half of the planning stage and the first half of the development and product preparation stage. The objective of second-look VE, unlike that of zero- and first-look VE, is to improve the value and functionality of existi ng components, not create new ones. Consequently, the scale of changes is much smaller than for zero- and first-look VE. Comparative applications of VE consist of tearing down other products to identify new ways to reduce costs.We define tear down as â€Å"a comparative VE method through visual observation of disassembled equipment, parts, and data arranged in a manner convenient for such observation. † Numerous approaches to tear down exist. The six dominant techniques are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Dynamic. Cost. Material. Static. Process. Matrix tear down. VE Techniques The VE techniques can be broken into three major categories: 1. Direct application of VE principles to the product. 2. Tear down approaches using comparative VE. 3. Miscellaneous VE. VE can be applied directly to proposed products at different stages of the product design process.These different approaches are known as â€Å"looks. † Zero-look VE is the application of VE principles at the concept proposal st age, the earliest stage in the design process. Its objective is to introduce new forms of functionality that did not previously exist. First-look VE focuses on the major elements of the product design and is defined as developing new products from concepts. The objective is to enhance functionality of the product by improving the capa4 The first three methods are designed to reduce a product’s direct manufacturing costs.The next three are intended to reduce the investment required to manufacture the product through increased productivity. There are at least four miscellaneous cost-reduction techniques: 1. 2. 3. 4. The checklist method. The one-day cost-reduction meeting. Mini VE. The VE reliability program. ANNUAL EDITIONS Checklists The checklist method is used to identify a product’s cost factors and to suggest ways to reduce costs. The checklist consists of a number of questions designed to guide the firm’s cost-reduction activities by discovering cost-reduct ion opportunities.Checklists help ensure exploration of all possible avenues for cost reduction. One-day cost-reduction meetings are designed to improve the efficiency of the entire cost-reduction process, including VE and tear down methods. Participants from engineering, production, cost, and sales are expected to come up with ideas for new costreduction possibilities. The meetings are a way to overcome limitations in the approval process used for most cost-reduction proposals. The approval process entails circulating written proposals to all involved parties, who indicate acceptance by signing off on them.Unfortunately, this approach severely reduces the exchange of information and modification of ideas. At the oneday meetings, presentation of the results of various tear-down programs helps initiate discussions. production/sales-preparation stage, and the production/salespreparation stage. DISCIPLINING THE PRODUCT-LEVEL TARGET COSTING PROCESS Disciplining the product-level target costing process begins with monitoring and validating the progress of the design engineers toward reaching the cost-reduction objective.It is at this stage in the process that the cardinal rule of target costing is applied. Only when getting the product to market is so imperative that cost is of secondary consideration should the cardinal rule be violated. Finally, when the product is released for mass production and its actual cost of manufacturing can be measured, steps sometimes have to be taken to reduce those costs to the target level. Once the target cost-reduction objective has been established, the process of designing the product so that it can be manufactured at its target cost can commence.The discipline of target costing requires that the chief engineer and his or her superiors continuously monitor and validate that the progress the design engineers are making toward this objective. This monitoring ensures that corrective actions can be taken as easily as possible and th at the cardinal rule will not be broken. Some firms define an as-if cost at this point in the development process. The as-if cost reflects cost-reduction opportunities identified when the previous generation of the product was being designed or manufactured. In most cases, the as-if cost is above the target cost of the new product but below its current cost.The additional cost that must be achieved is defined as the difference between the target cost and as-if cost. As the design process proceeds and costs are removed from the major functions, the estimated manufacturing cost gradually 5 Mini VE and VE Reliability Mini VE is a simplified approach to second-look VE. It is applied to specific areas of a part or to very small, inexpensive parts. Mini VE is applied during the development and product preparation stages, the development and production-sales preparation stage, and the production-sales preparation stage.A VE reliability program is designed to ensure that the most appropriat e form of VE is applied to each problem. Essentially, it is a â€Å"quality of VE† program. If a completely new product design is required, for example, applying second-look VE is not appropriate. Like mini VE, the program is applied during the development and product-preparation stages, the development and Article 32. TARGET COSTING FOR NEW-PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: PRODUCT-LEVEL TARGET COSTING falls toward the target cost. Many firms call the updated estimate the drifting cost (see Exhibit 5).Thus, the product design process starts with an as-if cost higher than the target cost and across the design process reduces the expected or drifting cost until it reaches the target cost. At most firms, once the drifting cost equals the target cost, cost-reduction activities cease. There is no reward for achieving greater savings than those required to achieve the target cost. The engineers’ time is better spent on getting the drifting cost of other products to equal their target co sts. estrictive, because the product under review causes additional revenues to be generated beyond those generated by the product itself. Such products include flagship products that create high visibility for the firm, products that introduce the next generation of technology, or products that fill a critical gap in the product line. For such products, the target cost is often relaxed to allow for the â€Å"hidden† revenues. However typically, cost reduction pressures are still applied during the early stages of manufacturing until the target cost is achieved.For the products that feature a variety of options, the final fine-tuning of the target cost is often achieved by specifying the features that the standard product will contain. If the manufacturing cost is too high, for example, one or more â€Å"standard† features might be converted to â€Å"options† that the customer now has to pay an additional amount to obtain. Converting features to options both red uces the cost of manufacturing the standard product, allowing the target cost to be achieved, and increases the selling price of the originally specified product, allowing the target profit to be achieved.Obviously, the reduction in the functionality of the standard variant must be subjected to market analysis to ensure that it is acceptable in the eyes of the customer at the target selling price. An example might include the conversion of side air bags from a standard feature to an optional one. This reduction in functionality will be acceptable only if competitive offerings treat side air bags in the same way. This fine-tuning process gives firms more leeway to achieve target costs set several years earlier. Similarly, the actual selling price is not fixed until just before the product is launched.Delaying these two critical decisions significantly reduces the uncertainty that a firm, in a multiyear product development process, faces with respect to achieving target costs. At most firms, once the drifting cost equals the target cost, cost-reduction activities cease. The process of comparing the drifting cost to the target cost continues throughout the design process. Often when the product is ready to be released to production, for example, planners undertake a final review of the feasibility of the target cost.If the estimated production cost is too high, the design is subjected to additional analysis. Frequently, relatively minor changes in the product’s design are all that is needed to reduce the cost estimate to the target cost level. As long as these changes do not alter the product’s price point, the product’s functionality is reduced and the product is submitted for approval. If the design changes will reduce the price point, the product is typically returned to the research and development group for design.The cardinal rule of target costing plays an important role in maintaining the discipline of target costing. Great care is ta ken to ensure that the sum of the component target costs does not exceed the target cost of the product. Often, an increase in the cost of one component causes the engineers to explore ways to reduce the costs of other components by an equivalent amount. In addition, to help ensure enforcement of the cardinal rule, most firms have a policy against launching unprofitable or sub-profitable products.When the product design phase is over, the product moves to manufacturing. As part of this transition phase, the target cost is compared to the standard cost of production. If the standard cost is higher, usually the firm takes steps to reduce manufacturing costs to the target level. Often, if the standard cost is at or below the target cost, the design of the product is frozen for the rest of its life, and no further actions, other than general kaizen, are taken to reduce the cost of the new product.As with any rule, the cardinal rule occasionally is broken. It is violated when a broader a nalysis indicates that breaking it will be beneficial for the firm. Target costing, by its nature, takes a single-product orientation. Sometimes, this view is too NEXT STEPS One of the key constituents of the product-level target cost is the target costs of all of the outsourced components. These costs are the focus of the next step in the target costing process, component-level target costing.It is in this portion of the target costing process that the discipline of target costing is extended to the supplier base of the firm. Journal of Cost Management board member ROBIN COOPER is a professor in the practice of cost management at Roberto C. Goizueta Business School at Emory University and can be reached at (404) 7276679. REGINE SLAGMULDER is associate professor of accounting and control at INSEAD France. She can be reached at regine. slagmulder @insead. edu. From Journal of Cost Management, July/August 2002, pp. 5-12.  © 2002 by the Journal of Cost Management. 6

Reaction Paper in Opening Bank Account Essay

Opening bank account today would seem so easy. We can easily avail of a wide range of deposit products that answer our needs for greater accessibility to our funds, value-added features, competitive rates and convenience. Upon opening an account to the bank (RCBC), the bank gave me a registration form that includes details and some basic information about my identity. Honestly, I find it uneasy to fill up those forms because of lots of information it requires. However, I just used to think that the reason for this is to protect them and to comply with a variety of banking regulations. Aside from signing the information sheet, the bank also requires me to sign their banking terms and agreements which only mean that I have to abide to certain rules and accept responsibility for certain actions. Like other banks, the RCBC also offers ATM card known as MyWallet card. This all-in-one card allows us to enjoy electronic banking convenience anytime, anywhere and it will allow us to do transa ctions like a regular ATM card: withdrawals, cashless shopping, balance inquiry and bills payment–all these, without the hassles of keeping a monthly maintaining balance. Plus, no penalty will be charged even if we’re going to withdraw all the money in our account. For me, this is really advantageous especially for us as a student who only have limited budget and allowance for savings. Also, having bank account is really convenient. For example, if I have a bank account, I can easily pay bills using ATM. It’s also cheaper than buying a money order (and I will have proof of bank statements that I paid my bills). If I get an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) or debit card for the account, I can withdraw money easily or make payments at stores since a debit card is usually accepted for purchases anywhere credit cards are accepted. I can say that opening a bank account is an opportunity for me to learn how to manage financial aspects especially in the near future if Ià ¢â‚¬â„¢m already a professional.

How I Reduced My Ecological Footprint Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How I Reduced My Ecological Footprint - Essay Example The reduction of the electricity levels that I consume also plays an important part in conserving the energy in our environment (Beder 13). Before attending the environmental class, I usually left electrical devices plugged on even when they were not in use. I also used drying machines despite there being enough sunlight to dry my clothes. These activities resulted in the wastage of energy resources at my disposal. After learning from my mistakes, I changed from most of my previous habits and adopted behaviors that enhanced my endeavors in conserving nature. Whenever I am using an electrical device at home or in school, I always leave it unplugged to ensure that   energy is conserved. The adoption of substitute energy sources such as wind, lunar and other forms of natural energy may be used to preserve energy. I have changed from using systems that consume fossil fuels when performing my routine activities. I am an active campaigner for the reduction of carbon emissions in the envi ronment by advocating for use of natural forms of energy. To reduce the emissions I produce as a result of the lighting in my house, I have adopted the use of halogen lighting. This is because it does not produce harmful emissions and is efficient in saving energy. These practices enable me to ensure reduction of the effects of my ecological footprint.  As a young child, I was greatly fascinated by the people who worked for lumbering factories. I really admired watching them cutting down trees and was aspiring to join them in the future. I viewed timber as a very important commodity that facilitates man’s development. Little did I know that the trees were only being cut down and there was nobody to plant new ones to replenish forests. The presence of trees ensures people live in clean and safe environments. This is because they help to filter out

Crafting and Executing Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Crafting and Executing Strategy - Essay Example The taxi business section is operated by a fleet of 120 units headed by the taxi department while the other car rental functionality is operated by a fleet of 65 luxury vehicles with chauffer services available at the request of the clients. Both sections operate in ten different locations within the city. There are several players in the taxi business, and competition is relatively higher than in the luxury car rental section, which enables the company to diversify its markets. Under the circumstances of a business environment with challenges of different types such as economic volatility and continued competitors growth, a strategic plan is important in formulating the appropriate planning to overcome the challenges (Wasti, 2003). In terms of a volatile economic environment, a strategic plan enables the business to set goals within the potential and operation level that company affords and to produce the best possible sustainability results. In view of the competition experienced from rival companies in the transport section, it is imperative that the business stays ahead of the competitors by designing the most competitive products that enable sustainable operations. Better decision-making processes made from a vantage strategy view enable the business to make few mistakes and exploit the best opportunities achieved from appropriate decisions taken (Darbi, 2012). A strategic plan also facilitates the concentration of focus, resources, and energy on a com mon agreeable decision made on behalf of every participant of the company, and this reduces conflicts and divergent priorities. Customer satisfaction is facilitated by a competent team operating from a strategic plan as opposed to an ambiguous action approach. Alternatively, it is possible to grow a business brand from a coordinated strategy as opposed to a brand from an amorphous action approach. Drive America is a world-class transport service taking

Savage Inequalities and Their Impact on the Life Chances of Children Essay

Savage Inequalities and Their Impact on the Life Chances of Children - Essay Example It is generally considered that the process of tracking (education by separation) is a sort of discrimination and is likely to affect the performance and educational attainment of many students. While tracking is commonly done based on the abilities and performances of students, factors such as race, class, and language also act as determinants in tracking systems in many instances. Tracking based on color or race is quite dangerous as it harms the prospects of students of color to perform like their white counterparts. Many social scientists hold that â€Å"tracking is one of the most obvious mechanisms through which students of color and those from low-income families receive a diluted academic program, making it much more likely that they will fall even further behind they're white, middle-class counterparts† (Kendall, p. 356). Ultimately, tracking, in this sense, results either in dropping out of the school or ending up in â€Å"dead-end† situations where the studen ts become incompetent to pursue higher studies. The severity of the issue needs to be understood in the light that many of such school drop-outs later turn to be criminals or anti-socialists. Labeling and self-fulfilling prophesy are the other two forms of social inequality in education in the United States. The practice of labeling students as low achievers, gifted or talented based on standardized test scores or classroom performance has adverse effects on the educational attainment and subsequent career choices of many students who have been labeled as low achievers or slow learners. Such students are most likely to internalize the label attributed to them and this naturally prevents them from performing naturally.

Human Resource 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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Discussion Board 5 - International Relations Essay

Discussion Board 5 - International Relations - Essay Example Keohane argues that the USA is still a hegemon despite its troubled economy because it has what he calls ‘soft power’ – the power to legislate and the power to persuade (Keohane, R. O., & Nye, J. S., 2001) Although the Bush administration has severely damaged the image of the USA as a credible hegemon, there is little doubt about the status of the USA as a hegemon in 2011. Keohane, R. O., & Nye, J. S., (2001). Power and Interdependence, 3rd Ed. New York: Addison–Wesley. 2. What is Comparative Advantage? Given the case studies of Japan, the United States, and Costa Rica, in which products do you feel they have the comparative advantage? Comparative Advantage is a concept developed by David Ricardo during the early 19th century, which refers to trading exchanges between entities, where each entity benefits most if it produces those products where the comparative cost are lowest. In the case of Japan and the United states had a comparative advantage in food pr oducts, aircraft, chemicals and in optical and digital instruments. Japan in turn has a comparative advantage in the high technology area (although for items with low entry capital).

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Final Examination - Term Paper Example They then undertake a video exam where they watch a scenario and give their feedback. The applicants then undergo a physical fitness test. A background investigation is then conducted. A drug test, psychological test, polygraph oral interview and medical examination are taken to determine the suitability of the candidate. A background investigation is conducted to ensure applicants with criminal pasts and current criminal dealings are barred from being recruited. Police recruitment agencies have invested huge resources to ensure thorough background checks are conducted to determine the integrity of the applicants. The credit histories, history of drug use, academic records employment history are reviewed. This to establish any issue from the past that might jeopardize the applicant’s ability to perform their duties should they is recruited to the force. 3. The three main branches of our federal government are equal and each has their own individual checks and balances they can exert over the other two. Name the three branches and give some examples of each of their individual checks and balances. The U.S government is made up of three parts, the Executive, the Legistrature and the judicially. The three branches of government share power between them through clearly stipulated checks and balances that provide the separation of powers. The legistrature exerts influence on the executive through several ways. They include the power to override presidential vetoes; it has the power to declare war, allocate state funds and to impeach the president. It also influences the judicially through the senate’s role of approving federal judges and the power to set the court’s jurisdiction. The executive checks on the legistrature through its ability to call either of the houses or both of them for an emergency session. The

Literature Review on Nursing Home Quality Essay

Literature Review on Nursing Home Quality - Essay Example This website contains a study on quality improvement programs in nursing homes in various states. The site claims that the purpose of this "study is to inform state and federal policymakers about state-initiated quality improvement programs, with the particular goal of providing information to states that may wish to develop similar programs in their state." An independent site that provides information on various medical facilities including nursing homes. The site contains information on quality efforts by IPRO in the state of New York alone. The site claims that "IPRO has entered into the 8th Scope of Work (SOW) as the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for New York State. IPRO's Nursing Home Quality Improvement (NHQI) team works with nursing homes throughout the state to help improve the quality of care for nursing home residents by providing facilities with complimentary clinical resources, quality improvement materials, and, where indicated or requested, 1:1 technical support." This site provides legal information concerning nursing homes in the US. The site deals particularly with the NURSING HOME REFORM ACT OF 1987 and any information pertaining to that can be accessed on this site. It is an excellent site containing important information on elderly abuse in nursing homes. This site helps consumers identify signs of elderly abuse and directs them to seek legal help in their states. This article addreArticles The Extent of Quality Improvement Activities in Nursing Homes -- Lee and Wendling 19 (6): 255 -- American Journal of Medical Quality This article addresses the problem of quality of nursing home care, which it recognizes as a cause of concern. The article discusses in detail the Nursing Home Quality Initiative launched by the federal government, which is meant to improve quality (QI). In order to assess the effectiveness of this initiative, the article examines the preparation done for the implementation of QI. The data comes from surveys of two Kansas nursing homes and it is found that most answers are

Frederick Douglass’ Paper Essay Example for Free

Frederick Douglass’ Paper Essay This map portrays a mass exodus into the Northern states as well as Canada. The trip from Louisiana to Indian was an arduous expedition taking several weeks or months to transverse. In this trek African Americans prove their stalwart bravado in the face of danger and prove that their freedom is worth the trail . Frederick Douglass With the idea African American influence in the Civil War, the name of Frederick Douglass is synonymous with freedom, or free blacks. His belief in an unshackled African American race led him to be the spokesman of abolishing slavery. His importance in shaping the fate of the Civil War is found in his being a voice for the freed slave, the oppressed slave, and the sympathizers of abolition. He changed the course of the war simply by speaking out and demanding to be heard, as well as his actions against oppression. His advocacy in abolition changed the tide of not just the war, but also the mentality of many whites to the capabilities of blacks, their intellect, as well as their strength and ingenuity in battle. Douglass was not only a lecturer on anti-slavery but he was a journalist and writer as well. Douglass was invited to join the Anti-Slavery Society and journeyed on a circuit across the Northern states to speak out against slavery by using his own life as a basis for others to become abolitionists. During one of Douglass’ speeches in Pendleton Indiana he is accosted by a mob and has his right hand broken, only a friend and fellow abolitionist stopped the mob from murdering Douglass; in this story and many others, Frederick proves to be a guiding light for other African Americans to unite and be free. Along with these feats of bravery, Frederick Douglass has a magazine entitled Frederick Douglass’ Paper, and subsequently has another paper entitled, Douglass Monthly in which he speaks of the horrendous nature of slavery, its disgrace to humanity and ways in which free blacks are regaining their lives in this country. (Tracy O. 2005). Bordewich describes Frederick Douglass as such, Douglass was one of the most charismatic members of an emerging generation of black intellectuals who were beginning to give African Americans a national voice through antislavery lecturing, journalism, and the ministry. More than anything else, however, it was the steady growth of independent black churches that provided the African American with what John Mercer Langston, the found of the Ohio State Anti-Slavery Society, a black organization called the ‘opportunity to be himself, to test his own powers. ’ (226) The bases of Douglass’ speeches were to encourage abolitionists’ fight in freedom of the African Americans. Many parts of the Northern states were still segregated, especially in areas that could prove to encourage African Americans to learn and be educated. In a Philadelphia, Robert Purvis instituted a black library . In New York, David Ruggles instituted a similar library. Blacks were rising up; they were speaking their minds about suffrage, about oppression, discrimination on public transportation, and schools. Frederick Douglass aided in the movement of a race to define themselves as free to a forming nation, and with the idea of personal liberty laws helping to protect fugitives once they entered the North, this movement quickly became a staple in Douglass’ speeches as well as becoming a changing force in the course of the Civil War. (Bordewich, 226). In striking contrast to white abolitionists, black abolitionists incited their own personal struggles with slavery to get their point across that humans do not belong in bondage. In extreme cases of rebellion groups, some believed in the taking up of arms against their former masters and in the issue of slavery using the events happening on the Amistad d as a vehicle to incite further rebellion and to stoke the fires of freedom and to attest that the supposed supremacy of white slave owners could be overthrown (Bordewich, 227). The antislavery movement, with the help of Frederick Douglass, became one which, though devastated the South’s economy, defined the history of a nation during the Civil War. During his speech with the Anti-Slavery Society, Douglass met with many other like-minded abolitionists, and the lectures proved to be indispensable in allowing the general public to know what abolition was and why it was so integral in the Civil War. As Bordewich describes of Douglass’ life during these lectures. The antislavery movement provided Douglass and a host of his fellow speakers with a forum for their views and life experience that African Americans had never enjoyed before. The stories that they told of floggings, sadistic overseers, shattered families, and prostituted mothers and sisters overwhelmed skeptical Yankees for whom slavery was an unpleasant but abstract national problem, and turned thousands of them into active abolitionists. Douglass soon became one of the movement’s most popular lecturers. ‘All the other speakers seemed tame after Frederick Douglass,’ Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote, after a convention at Boston’s Faneuil Hall. His immensely popular autobiography, first published n 18445, made his name close to a household word (227) Douglass was so adamant about his views of abolition that once during a train ride where he paid for his first class ticket he refused to leave his seat despite the insistence of the conductor. When his refusal couldn’t be tolerated any longer, the conductor had six men physically lift him from his seat to try and remove him due to the enforcement of Jim Crow laws. (Bordewich, 228). The Anti-Slavery Society offered Douglass the opportunity to lecture in New England in the spring of 1843. The lectures began in Vermont and New Hampshire and they ended in Ohio and Indiana. As Bordewich states of this event, Douglass was selected as one of the corps of traveling speakers who would cross the country. He was thrilled. This was his breakthrough, his opportunity to carry his message to a national audience. ‘I never entered upon any work with more heart and hope,’ Douglass wrote. ‘All that the American people needed, I thought was light. Could they know slavery as I knew it, they would hasten to the work of its extinction. ’ 228. Among some of the other noted lecturers there were Charles L. Remond, Henry Highland Gernet, Amos Beaman, and Charles M. Ray. During this period, Frederick Douglass found within himself the ability to offer to an audience the reality of slavery through his own tale of it, and his eventual fugitive state and then freedom. The Church In times of crises, faith is tested, and through this testing there is a revelation of belief and a growing of churches. During the Civil War, both the enslaved blacks and the freed blacks depended on a source of stability and in no other place was this found more strongly than in the church. The church provided a meetinghouse for abolition events (lectures, etc. ), it gave the black community not only a place in which to worship but also a place in which to become united as a people. Not only were many Northern abolitionists found within the sight of the church and religion but also many blacks found within the church a place of sanctuary. As Bordewich states on the subject of black revival religion. Between 1863 and 1846, African Methodist Episcopal congregations grew from eighty-six to nearly three hundred, and spread from the churche’s orginal base in Philadephia as faw wast as Indiana. Black Baptist churches, meanwile, had grown from just ten in 1830 to thirty-four in 1844. Not surprisingly, black churches were usually outspoken in their denunciation of slavery, and many of them were woeven into the web of the abolitionist underground, like the Bethel AME church in Indianapolis, a key station on the Underground Railroad, and Cincinnati’s Zion Baptist Church, which regularysheltered fugitives in its basement (226). Religion was also a source by which the African Americans could be educated. In this turn of events it is not necessarily the African Americans who were a great influence on the Civil War but the war gave them an opportunity to become educated and this happened mainly through studying the bible and learning to read it and become familiar with its morality. In the South, the general opinion was that education for blacks was not stunted through un-exposure to education, but the North held a very different idea ; being removed from the obstacle of slavery allowed freeman to discover their propensity for learning. It is through religion that this education was made possible, as Glatthaar states, â€Å"The more Southern black soldiers studied the Bible, and the better they learned to read and write, the sooner proper character, represented by morality, thrift, industry, and striving for perfection, would take shape among these new freedmen. In turn, this would help to uplift the entire South† (225). The view taken by the abolitionist movement in regards to religion and education was that in the reconstruction it was essential for African Americans to be able to read, write and do arithmetic. One of the overwhelming sentiments that came out of the Civil War was the engrossment of religion to the newly freed blacks. Their strength now came form a religious source and this source gave them the means by which to discover for themselves the true meaning of freedom and gratitude for that freedom. This can best be described through McPherson’s quoting of Susie King Taylor , There are good friends to the negro. Why, there are still thousands that have not bowed to Baal†¦Man thinks two hundred years is a long time, and it is, too; but it is only as a week to God, and in his own time-I know I shall not live to see the day, but it will come-the South will be like the North, and when it comes it will be prized higher than we prize the North to-day. God is just; when he created man he made him in his image, and never intended on should misuse the other. All men are born free and equal in his sight (314). McPherson goes on to give detail about sentiment in the church, and Rev. J. Sella Martin a former slave became pastor of the Joy Street Baptist Church in Boston and wrote this note to Frederick Douglass, Just think of Dimmick and Slemmer (Union Officers) sending back the fugitives that sought protection of them. They refuse to let white men sell the Southerners food, and yet they return slaves to work on the plantation to raise all the food that the Southerners want. They arrest traitors, and yet make enemies of the colored people, North and South; and if they do force the slave to fight for his master, as the only hope of being benefited by the war, they may thank their own cowardice and prejudice for the revenge of the negro’s aid and the retribution of his bullet while fighting against hem in the Southern States. I received a letter form Mobile, in which the writer states that the returning of those slaves by Slemmer has made the slaves determined to fight for the South, in the hope that their masters may set them free after the war, an when remonstrated with, they say that hey North will not let them fight for them (23). The influence that can be seen today with religion and African Americans is the vastness of churches rising across America, and the gospel hymns inspired by wanting to break free of slavery.

Womens Day Essay Example for Free

Womens Day Essay Good afternoon. It’s an honor and a pleasure to be invited to speak to you today. International Women’s Day is many things – a cause for celebration, a reason to pause and re-evaluate, a remembrance, an inspiration, a time to honor loved and admired ones and in several countries – including China, Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Madagascar, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, but clearly not India! – a public holiday1. So I’d like to extend, first of all, a note of thanks to all of you for taking time out of your work schedules to come here, as well as to inviting me to speak. On this day, all over the world, we consider both the steps forward toward better lives for women that have been taken in recent times, as well as the progress still required. Necessarily, we name our enemies: patriarchal structures, perhaps, or more specifically, legislative and political decisions, corporate entities, criminal menaces, culture-based ignorance and economic disenfranchisement. They are all significant things, and I am not suggesting that they are not. But I have felt for a long time n ow that something else is at the heart of female disempowerment. Something that isn’t as easy to deconstruct or dismantle. Something that is difficult to even name, and at times feels bewilderingly counter-intuitive. What, to me, is at the heart of female disempowerment is the profoundly painful fact of how women can be each others’ worst enemies. One of the most famous things that former American Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has gone on record to say is â€Å"I think there is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.†2 A special place in hell – can you imagine what torment that would be, and how deeply wounded a person has to feel to condemn someone that way? When you think of what she said, that such a special place is reserved for women who don’t help other women – what associations come to mind? I don’t know about you, but my heart burns to remember the countless times I have been betrayed and ev en sabotaged by women I loved or looked up to – teachers, relatives, peers, friends and colleagues. Haven’t men done the same? Of course they have – but somehow, it stings worse coming from another woman, because of how deeply counter-intuitive it feels. This is the sort of heartburn that makes me think, yes, Albright was right – there is a place in hell for women who don’t help – who hurt – other women. There has to be. Even if there is no Hell – how could there not be such a place? How could such treachery be  left without retribution? There are big ways and little ways to this treachery. The little ways I hardly need to enumerate, because the best examples of these are empirical ones, and you know them in your own life. The big ways tend to be a matter of collusion: for instance, it may have been men who created archaic and repressive social codes, but is it not women who pass them on, who ensure that their families function within and continue to carry forward the same logic? To choose to not break a chain is to choose to propagate it. We can begin by taking a look at the very fact of us all being in this room today. How did we get here? Each of us have overcome difficulties in our own lives, each of us has dared to dream, and fortunately, has been born in a time where we were able to pursue some if not all of these dreams. We have had access to resources and options whi ch were denied to women of just a few generations ago – resources and options which are even denied to other women today, in this country and elsewhere. Some of us have endured bad luck, made bad decisions, or failed at things we tried our hands at – but we haven’t been ruined by these misfortunes. We have alternatives. We have second, third and ninety-third chances. We have more autonomy than our foremothers may have been able to imagine. In short, we are all so lucky. And this is only because of the brave women and men who fought for certain rights and equality, who went against the tide of what was acceptable, who challenged the status quo, who refused to take as an answer that â€Å"that’s just how things are†. We are here because they did not think of themselves alone. They did not relegate their abilities to simply securing a better life for themselves, but put the vision of a better world above their own personal journeys, and in doing so secured a better life for millions. I am asking you today if we too can demand a better explanation than â€Å"that’s just how things are†. I believe that as women, we are conditioned on a deeply embedded level to be wary of or threatened by, and consequently cruel toward, one another. Perhaps there are biological or evolutionary reasons for this. But I refuse to accept that we cannot evolve female rivalry out of our systems. Larger systems of power, yes, but more importantly, smaller microcosms of the same. In our own lives, can we get over our mistrust of other women? Can we leave cliques and factions behind in our school years and embrace a greater loyalty? Can we see that another woman’s success need not necessarily mean our own failure? Can we cease to  be judgmental or jealous? Can we cease to be threatened by other women, for reasons of our own insecurities, and can we stop acting out of that sense of fear? Just as our palette of big life choices continues to expand the more society develops, I would like to think that in our day to day interactions, we should also become more mindful of how we choose to treat one another. Can we make choices that deprogramme the way we have learnt to feel about other women – learnt from all the ways we ourselves have been hurt – and choose to say, â€Å"This stops with me. What has been done to me by girls I went to school with, women in my extended family, superiors I worked under or any other situation, incident or environment that fostered in me a sense of female rivalry or mistrust will no longer control the way in which I respond to individuals now.† Will we choose to undermine other women, in ways big and small, or will we choose to embrace a less cynical view? Can we work together to create new environments in which all of us can feel free to meet our highest potential without being hindered by unhealthy competition? You may be wondering why I have taken a less festive approach to International Women’s Day and am asking these potentially uncomfortable questions. I promise you I didn’t start out this cynical. In fact, I started out quite the opposite – if I could have had feminist slogans on my diapers, I would have! Throughout my teenage years I volunteered with women’s NGOs, and continue to do so in some capacity today. I was one of those girls who would rather have a tee-shirt that said â€Å"the revolution is my boyfriend† than have an actual human one. I think I limited my own literary forays for some years by refusing to read anything by authors I derogatorily labeled â€Å"dead white men†. I was proudly, radically, obviously and – I must admit, perhaps a little obnoxiously – feminist. And then the disillusionment set in. At some point in my life as a young activist, I began to see that polemics and politics only go so far. How far does philosophy translate accurately into one’s practical realities? One’s fundamental humanity and compassion are all that really matter  œ it is of no consequence if this can be backed up by proselytizing or theory. You know how this works. I am almost certain that there is no one here today who would not name her grandmother, mother, aunt or sister as her personal inspiration – a woman who did not necessarily know of or say that she subscribed to theoretical ideals but nonetheless manifested the best of them in her life and across the lives of all she  touched. Today my feminism is nuanced by the understanding that as with all great adversaries, the most significant challenge to female empowerment comes from within. From within our ranks, from within our own hearts, from within our own inability to look beyond a reactionary and defensive stance. But there is something else that also comes from within. And that is strength. Women have always regarded as being strong, and we are, but in modern times we are also powerful. I think of power as originating from an external source, from the validation of being in a certain position of influence. But strength has a far more esoteric source. It manipulates less, and moves more. There is a difference between strength and power – which do you operate from? And I ask these uncomfortable questions not because I am above reproach but because I also deal with them in my day to day life and work. Sometimes, I frown on the actions of teenage girls because they do not seem as empowered as I was at their age. Or I might secretly judge someone of my generation for having had an arranged marriage, letting her in-laws dictate her career choices, or not realizing how beautiful she is because TV commercials tell her otherwise. But who am I, really, to judge? How would I know what those girls or women have been through and what has shaped their decisions? Why can’t I just respect that they are different, but no less equal? Concurrently, I struggle to undo and unlearn traumas imprinted on me because I am a certain kind of woman, born into a certain kind of culture, in a certain era. I struggle to not be manipulated into being pitted against other women in soci al and professional situations by those who know just how to push those buttons. I struggle to deal graciously with female associates who have backstabbed, cheated and even plagiarized me without having to descend to petty conflict that would only satisfy those who believe that women cannot evolve out of our habituated enmity. Because I believe we can. As we celebrate International Women’s Day this year (and celebrate it we should!) let us also bear in mind that the struggle is far from over. Women’s empowerment should never be reduced to individual success stories. It should be about collective well-being. As long as women continue to operate from that deeply embedded place of suspicion and resentment, we will never be free. No matter what material, social or intellectual heights we scale, we will never be free unless we learn a new paradigm with which to see other women. With which to see ourselves. There are two ways to light a second lamp: you can do so by snuffing out the first as you ignite the second, or you can allow the flame of one wick to touch another, and inspire its own flame. You are a luminous being. Be secure in this knowledge. Let your light illuminate as many lives as possible. It will not diminish your own. I would like to end this talk with a quote from an anonymous source that I came across on the internet. I find it comforting – and I hope that you too will be inspired by it. â€Å"Blessed are the women, who have grown beyond their greed, and put an end to their hatred. They delight in the beauty of the way things are, and keep their hearts open, day and night. They are like beautiful trees planted on the banks of flowing rivers, which bear fruit when they are ready. Their leaves will not fall or wither, and everything they do will succeed.†3 Thank you.

The Disabled Patients Using Embedded Systems Information Technology Essay

The Disabled Patients Using Embedded Systems Information Technology Essay Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal. This quote was rendered by a famous philosopher Hannah Moore in order to motivate the Disabled. Of the disabled people those who are physically challenged, the blind, old people and those suffering from diseases such as Osteoporosis and rheumatics face problems in their routine life mainly because of LOCOMOTION. ASTHRA is an automated, dynamic memory mapped robotic vehicle (wheel chair) which enables the disabled to carry on their locomotion with ease and confidence. The Vehicle mainly consists of four basic components including a EMBEDDED WEB SERVER, DC MOTOR (WIPER TYPE) with driver circuit, an ULTRASONIC transmitter and receiver to detect obstacles, a Radio Frequency remote (transmitter receiveR) and Programmable and control memory unit. The entire component can be viewed as a robotic-vehicle fitted with 2 High power and high torque Motors. These motors are placed at the hub of the vehicles tyre and their chief aim is to drive or render sufficient power to pull the weight of the patient to move about. The two motors are fixed on the hub of the wheels and they are placed in such a manner that they render suitable locomotion based on the desire of the user. The most important feature of ASTHRA is the embedded web SERVERS. The use of the embedded web servers is to transfer informations rega rding the patients temperature, pulse, ECG and other important necessary features that needs to be transmitted during times of emergency. The use of the embedded systems is an added advantage for our system. In our case, a RF remote is provided as an interface between the user and the vehicle. The motors are provided with a DRIVING CIRCUIT which is connected to a PIC MICROCONTROLLER BOARD. The Microcontroller board enables DYNAMIC MEMORY MAPPING by utilizing the TRAIN AND EXECUTE method. Utilizing the ULTRASONIC OBSTACLE DETECTION circuit, the Microcontroller unit programs itself as per the dimensions of a particular house/place. The ULTRASONIC TRANSMITTER/RECEIVER driven by the COMPARATOR CIRCUIT enable enhanced Obstacle detection. Thus ASTHRA combines upon various features which render effective locomotion to the disabled. INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST This is what the world is all about today. Every individual is expected to excel irrespective of his/her disability. ASTHRA is a combination of the automated vehicle and the embedded systems. ASTHRA also provides a platform for the automated locomotion fro the disabled. A Disabled person is one who faces upon the challenge of being not able to perform a particular or a basic function which is rendered upon by a normal individual. Disabled persons are those who are visually impaired, Deaf, Dumb, physically challenged etc. Human life is incomplete without locomotion. The main aim of ASTHRA is to provide an interface between the patients and their locomotion to the desired place especially in the hospitals. The added concept of the embedded web servers also makes effective communication between the hospital record system containing the details of the patients records regarding their modes of treatments Utilizing a suitable decision making device such as a MICROCONTROLLER, we render effective and AUTOMATED locomotion. A MICROCONTROLLER can be regarded as a COMPUTER-ON a CHIP. Such a microcontroller can be utilized for DYNAMIC MEMORY MAPPING, wherein the microcontroller unit programs itself utilizing the TRAIN AND EXECUTE mode. Hence by utilizing this Dynamic memory mapping technique we can think of building up Vehicles which can be AUTOMATED as well as ADJUSTABLE to a particular scenario/environment. This idea of building automated vehicles combined with embedded systems for the disabled would revolutionize the existing scenario of manual wheel chair movement which makes a patient to be DEPENDENT on someone to enable him carry out his locomotion. EXISTING SCENARIOS Manual wheel chairs and stretchers are provided today for the in-patients and physically handicapped. These chairs are the special mechanical entities fitted upon with side wheels along with several holders which enable movement from one place to another. The primary disadvantage in this mechanism is the NEED TO BE DEPENDENT on others for locomotion. Also this system is MANUAL, ie it operates completely by human operation. To sum up the project the servers and the entire locomotive unit provides transportation as well as transfer of necessary information. It should be noted that the mechanism of transferring the information regarding the status of the patient while taking him/her from the ward to the ICU or the Operation theatre automatically is extremely appreciable. The disadvantage of the traditional medical transportation facilities are: It isnt DYNAMIC. There is no mechanism to detect OBSTACLES. The patient needs to be highly alert regarding the obstacles The wheel chair cannot reach onto the patient every time. No kind of information could be passed from the existing system. The disadvantages proposed here are successfully overcome in our PROPOSED system. PROPOSED SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE OF ASTHRA The above diagram is a brief outline of the entire system. The specifications are as follows. DCM These are high power DC Motors which are utilized to render necessary power to carry on / support the patients weight. These are fitted on the hub of the robotic vehicles wheels and they enable to control the motion of the Vehicle. The movement of the vehicle based on the motor is enunciated below: STATE OF THE RIGHT MOTOR STATE OF THE LEFT MOTOR DIRECTION OF MOTION ON OFF MOVES RIGHT OFF ON MOVES LEFT ON ON MOVES STRAIGHT OFF OFF STOPS Table1 Vehicle Movement table MDC This stands for the Motor Driving Circuit. It is connected to the MEMORY MANAGEMENT UNIT. Based on the control rendered by the Memory management unit, the MDC drives the motor which controls the movement of the vehicles wheels. RF MODULE This stands for the Radio Frequency Receiver Module which is used to summon the vehicle to a particular place. The patient is provided with an RF remote by which he can summon the chair to any place OBST DRV This stands for the Obstacle detection drivers which detect obstacles on the way. Ultrasonic Receivers and Transmitters are fitted upon the Obstacle detection device which detects Obstacles on the way. A Buzzer is also fitted to this circuit which beeps when an obstacle is encountered. This Obstacle Driving circuit is run by a COMPARATOR circuit which responds to obstacles. MMU The heart of the system is the Memory management Unit, which consists of a PIC MICROCONTROLLER. It enables DYNAMIC MEMORY MAPPING which enables the vehicle to be AUTOMATED. The MMU controls the other circuits connected. It can be regarded as the centralized system of the Vehicle. EWS (Embedded web server) -The central function unit to get access on an embedded system via Web browser is the Web server. This is used to send the information through the inter-network it maintains for future use. DYNAMIC MEMORY MAPPING Memory Mapping is nothing but PROGRAMMING your Microcontroller unit to perform the necessary tasks. DYNAMIC MEMORY MAPPING enables a microcontroller unit to program itself according to the present scenario. It uses a technique namely, TRAIN AND EXECUTE. This enables the device to program itself based on the situation. This is utilized to determine the end points of the room. Suppose the vehicle reaches to the wall of the room and is unable to move forward, if u hit upon the TRAIN circuit the device automatically adjusts its path and traces to the door. Now it stores the exact co-ordinate values onto its memory and traces the path correctly. This is called as DYNAMIC MEMORY MAPPING TECHNIQUE. There is another schema called as STATIC MEMORY MAPPING. In this schema the microcontroller unit is programmed beforehand. The exact positions of the door, co-ordinates of the house are fixed. The vehicle automatically moves based on the patients wish. But if the place is changed we need to REPROGRAM the microcontroller. So in order to overcome this difficulty we normally prefer DYNAMIC MEMORY MAPPING. SWITCHING CIRCUIT The Switching Circuit consists of a series of Switches which enable the Vehicle to move based on the patients opinion. These are directly coupled to the MMU which in turn drives the motor and the entire Vehicle. When the patient enters in a particular choice, the appropriate action is performed. Thus when the appropriate switch is pressed upon the adequate movement to the corresponding section is enunciated. Also the main purpose of ASTHRA is the ability of transferring of information such as Blood pulse rate Heart beat count Blood pressure Body temperature The entire above are captured using robotic medical tools which contain suitable sensors detecting any change from the pre-stored values and sends them to the system which controls it. The main capability of this robotic vehicle is moving from room to the room with just the control of the rf remote. The embedded web server is utilized for the sole purpose of passing message to the internet which is maintained by itself and can be checked for future references. Also the development of softwares and the implementation of hi-fi robots will ensure that automatic causality treatment may be given to the patients without the help of trained professionals. RF LINK The RF Link mainly consists of two components. The RF Transmitter The RF Receiver The RF Transmitter is made onto a Remote Control and rendered to the patient. This can be utilized to summon the vehicle to any given place. The RF Receiver present at the Vehicle responds to the RF Transmitter remote and follows the Radio Frequency Link path to reach onto the Remote(RF Transmitter) The signal given from the RF remote instructs the robotic vehicle to arrive at the suitable place needed. This might be a disadvantage as he range of this remote will be lesser, even though the vehicle will have station points in each room. DIAGRAM The overall block diagram of the automated vehicle is shown. The remote control is in the hand of the patient and he can summon the vehicle. This remote transmits a RF signal which is received by the RF receiver in the automated Vehicle. Based on the signal received the PIC is programmed to move the wheel chair to the user. The movement of the Vehicle to the person is based on the program embedded in it. The vehicle consist of the ULTRASONIC sensor circuit which is driven by the comparator circuit ( COMP CKT ) as shown in the figure. This detects the obstacle and stops the wheel chair from getting hit. It produces a sound when there is an obstacle. Depending on the memory map in the PIC the driver H bridge IC drives the DC motor circuit. This DC motor is connected to the hub of the wheel. Using the SWITCHING CIRCUIT the MMU moves the Vehicle in the appropriate direction. The EMBEDDED WEB SERVER circuitry enables to transfer informations onto a centaralized Web page/Web server. The above diagram shows the brief outline of the movement of the vehicle. Embedded web servers The most important feature of this project is the Embedded Web Servers. The need for using Web Servers is to transfer necessary information about the patients even during the process of transferring the patient from one room to other. The embedded Internet integration for remote maintenance and diagnostic as well as the so-called M2M communication is growing with a considerable speed rate. Just the remote maintenance and diagnostic of components and systems by Web browsers via the Internet, or a local Intranet has a very high weight for many development projects. Innumerous development departments people work on completely Web based configurations and services for embedded systems. The remaining days of the classic user interface made by a small LC-display with front panel and a few function keys are over. Through future evolutions in the field of the mobile Internet, Bluetooth-based PANs (Personal Area Networks) and the rapidly growing M2M communication (M2M=Machine-to-Machine) a fu rther innovating advance is to be expected. The central function unit to get access on an embedded system via Web browser is the Web server. For example consider a patient being transferred from the normal ward to the ICU or the OP the ward boy or the patients relatives can press the RF remote. The robotic vehicle would come to that place. If the normal heart beat rate is 72 beats per min and if ASTHRA detects it to be some 45 beats per min (all these happening in the due course of motion) it may be seen that ASTHRA would inform or send information using the embedded web servers. The doctors would adapt to the situation suitably and be prepared before the patient reaches the destination. key advantages OF THE PROJECT The key advantages of the project include DYNAMIC MEMORY MAPPING TECHNIQUE which enables the vehicle to adjust to any location The ability to SUMMON the vehicle to any given place. The patient can be INDEPENDENT without being DEPENDENT on others for his movement. Efficient Obstacle detection performance due to the presence of ULTRASONIC transmitter/receiver. Efficient communication between the web servers and the High power Pull-up ability is established due to the presence of two High power motors. Easy circuitry wherein the MMU acts as the Central Control unit of the vehicle. FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS The following are the future enhancements which we have planned, In the present project, the origin of the vehicle, ie the place from which it has to start is predetermined. In our next venture, we would like to include upon ORIGIN FINDING ALGORITHMS which would dynamically fix upon its origin. So each day the vehicle can start from different unique locations. Rapid construction of the human activity observation system at low cost is necessary with respect to research into human activities and commercialization. The use of the omni directional ultrasonic sensors is also optimum. The reason for the above is as follows, the omni directional ultrasonic location sensor is useful because the number of sensors to be attached can be reduced. We have also planned to introduced GPS to make our system far amore efficient Also we have planned to increase the efficiency of the system by using VLSI and other mechanisms in our future endeavors. CONCLUSION The automated vehicle is aimed towards the welfare of the disabled. Even though various technologies have been introduces off late, a few alone are aimed towards locomotion. ASTHRA being a venture which is fully based on locomotion fulfills this requirement by rendering an efficient mechanism of locomotion for the disabled. Locomotion which is the essential function for any individual is also made available to the Disabled by the use of ASTHRA. ASTHRA goes on to the supreme level of fulfilling the dreams of the disabled thereby bring them close to the common man. Also ASTHRA eradicates the necessity for the disabled to be dependent on others, thereby making them INDEPENDENT. The complete automated feature of ASTHRA makes it possible to handle it upon any given place under any given circumstances. The dynamic memory mapping feature portrays upon its Self sufficiency and the ability to adjust itself to any given environment. The EMBEDDED WEB SERVERS concept further acts as a feather in the crown of ASTHRA. This concept enables the doctors to get fast access regarding the patients. In todays fast and ever-changing world, the quality of services rendered is becoming highly important. ASTHRA caters to this need in a highly effective manner. Also it is 100% user friendly which can be rendered from the fact that it can be summoned to any given place. To help others is to help God himself is a well known saying. Hence by developing ASTHRA we feel that we can help a couple of disabled people thereby rendering a small piece of contribution to both the Society and the Country. Being Students of Technology we strongly feel that ASTHRA would be a landmark of both Technological as well as Social excellence .If our project could help the disabled and render a peaceful life to them, then the success of our project would have been achieved.

The Ghost in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay -- GCSE English Literature Cou

The Ghost in Hamlet      Ã‚   In Hamlet Shakespeare has designed a supernatural, ethereal character who lacks a physical existence, and yet who is a participating character in the drama. It is the Ghost, the subject of this essay.    Marchette Chute in â€Å"The Story Told in Hamlet† describes the ghost’s activity prior to the opening scene of Shakespeare’s tragedy:    The story opens in the cold and dark of a winter night in Denmark, while the guard is being changed on the battlements of the royal castle of Elsinore. For two nights in succession, just as the bell strikes the hour of one, a ghost has appeared on the battlements, a figure dressed in complete armor and with a face like that of the dead king of Denmark, Hamlet’s father. A young man named Horatio, who is a school friend of Hamlet, has been told of the apparition and cannot believe it, and one of the officers has brought him there in the night so that he can see it for himself. The hour comes, and the ghost walks. The awed Horatio tries to speak to it but it stalks away, leaving the three men to wonder why the buried king has come back to haunt the land. [. . .] Whatever the message is that has wakened the ghost, it refuses to share it with them. (35)    As Chute indicates, the Ghost makes his appearance even before the play has opened. In the beginning scene of Hamlet, Marcellus, Barnardo and Horatio see the Ghost and trifle with it in an effort to prompt it to communicate with them. Horatio and Marcellus exit the ramparts of Elsinore intending to enlist the aid of Hamlet, who is dejected by the â€Å"o’erhasty marriage† to Hamlet I’s wife less than two month’s after the funeral of Hamlet’s father (Gordon 128). There is a post-coronation social gatheri... ... Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981.    Rosenberg, Marvin. â€Å"Laertes: An Impulsive but Earnest Young Aristocrat.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Masks of Hamlet. Newark, NJ: Univ. of Delaware Press, 1992.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html    West, Rebecca. â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957.    Wilkie, Brian and James Hurt. â€Å"Shakespeare.† Literature of the Western World. Ed. Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1992.

Xenotransplantation Essay -- Medical Medicine essays

Xenotransplantation Introduction According to Webster's Dictionary, a doctor is one skilled or specializing in healing arts. However, what is entailed in these "healing arts" has expanded time and time again over the course of history. At one point in time, to be a doctor was as simple as administering the right dose of a certain elixir, and then as time went on advances were made in the areas of antibiotics and other medicines, as well as in surgical arenas. Now we have come to a new age where doctors are pushing the boundaries of their capability far beyond anyone imagined they could. Since the first kidney transplant less than 40 years ago, a lot of innovations have been made in the world of organ transplantation and various forms of these procedures continue to be hot topics in today's society. Unfortunately, there are about 68,000 people awaiting a transplant of some sort at any given time and only about 20,000 a year actually receive them. In addition, the demand for transplants is increasing at a rate of 15% a year. It is statistics like this that continue to keep medical professionals striving for alternative methods of transplanting. This limited availability of human organs and tissues, coupled with recent technological advances, has increasingly led to the implantations of living cells from other species when human donors are not available, when a bridge organ is needed, or when animal cells may provide some sort of unique benefit. This is called xenotransplantation. Xenotransplantation is perhaps the most talked about area in the medical community today as it involves the loaded issue of cloning and gene mutation. Although a large portion of the material found on xenotransplantation focuses on the transpl... ...in a state of a free for all. We cannot let humans in legitimate need suffer just in case the public might think a certain way about the medical industry. However, there are certain cases when I think the medical industry does have an effect on society. For example, on the topic of human cloning, I say ban it. There is no real need to clone a person, sure it would be neat, but there isn't a need. Then there is xenotransplantation where there is a real need and you are actually able to save lives. In society we have an obligation to do what we can, within reason, to save the lives that can be saved under the guidance of skilled medical professionals who have made an oath to act ethically. We trust them with our lives, why not trust their opinions? Bibliography 1.www.ama-assn.org 2.www.diabetic.org> 3.www.encarta.msn.com 4.www.dukenews.duke.edu Xenotransplantation Essay -- Medical Medicine essays Xenotransplantation Introduction According to Webster's Dictionary, a doctor is one skilled or specializing in healing arts. However, what is entailed in these "healing arts" has expanded time and time again over the course of history. At one point in time, to be a doctor was as simple as administering the right dose of a certain elixir, and then as time went on advances were made in the areas of antibiotics and other medicines, as well as in surgical arenas. Now we have come to a new age where doctors are pushing the boundaries of their capability far beyond anyone imagined they could. Since the first kidney transplant less than 40 years ago, a lot of innovations have been made in the world of organ transplantation and various forms of these procedures continue to be hot topics in today's society. Unfortunately, there are about 68,000 people awaiting a transplant of some sort at any given time and only about 20,000 a year actually receive them. In addition, the demand for transplants is increasing at a rate of 15% a year. It is statistics like this that continue to keep medical professionals striving for alternative methods of transplanting. This limited availability of human organs and tissues, coupled with recent technological advances, has increasingly led to the implantations of living cells from other species when human donors are not available, when a bridge organ is needed, or when animal cells may provide some sort of unique benefit. This is called xenotransplantation. Xenotransplantation is perhaps the most talked about area in the medical community today as it involves the loaded issue of cloning and gene mutation. Although a large portion of the material found on xenotransplantation focuses on the transpl... ...in a state of a free for all. We cannot let humans in legitimate need suffer just in case the public might think a certain way about the medical industry. However, there are certain cases when I think the medical industry does have an effect on society. For example, on the topic of human cloning, I say ban it. There is no real need to clone a person, sure it would be neat, but there isn't a need. Then there is xenotransplantation where there is a real need and you are actually able to save lives. In society we have an obligation to do what we can, within reason, to save the lives that can be saved under the guidance of skilled medical professionals who have made an oath to act ethically. We trust them with our lives, why not trust their opinions? Bibliography 1.www.ama-assn.org 2.www.diabetic.org> 3.www.encarta.msn.com 4.www.dukenews.duke.edu

Mona Lisa’s Smile: Single-sex Education for Girls Essay -- Movies Femi

Mona Lisa’s Smile: Single-sex Education for Girls â€Å"Men Are from Mars - Women Are from Venus,† it is the title of a bestseller book, which tells us how different boys and girls are. Single-sex education was introduced because of the huge differences, and it once flourished in the United States. Since the 1970s, however, it began to be regarded with a degree of suspicion. Many girls’ schools closed or amalgamated and the trend towards co-education continued to spread. Until nowadays, the debate between single-sex education and coeducation still carries on. Single-sex education benefits girls especially, by offering equally rigorous academic opportunities, and helping them cultivate leadership and greater confidence; yet it also creates over-confidence and social problems. Thus a real solution is to offer â€Å"single-sex classrooms at coed schools†, which combines the advantages of both single-sex education and coeducation. The huge differences between boys and girls provide the foundation of single-sex education, and especially for girls, whose potential is not fully nurtured in an elitist male education system. Among a great number of gender differences, girls differ most distinctively from boys in brain and learning style. Many studies demonstrate sex differences in the structure of the brain. According to researchers at Johns Hopkins, â€Å"the higher association cortex, the part of the brain thought to be responsible for our most complex boystal operations, is markedly asymmetric in boys but not in girls; and in boys, the area is larger on the left, whereas to the extent that there was asymmetry in the brain, girls' association cortex is larger on the right.† ( qtd. in NASSPE 3) . In another study, L. S. Allen and R. A. Gorsk... ...g environment. Meanwhile, they could socialize with guy friends at coed schools, which will prepare them for later entering into society much better than had they not interacted with boys at girls’ schools. Admittedly, this â€Å"single-sex classrooms at coed schools† education is not perfect, but it makes the most of both single-sex education and coeducation. It might be the future of single-sex education. Works Cited Gu, Tong. Telephone interview. 1 December 2004. Grà ¶n, Georg et al. â€Å"Brain activation during human navigation: gender-different neural networks as substrate of performance.† Nature neuroscience. April 2000, 3(4):404-408. National Association for Single Sex Public Education (NASSPE). Brain Differences. January 2002. . The National Coalition of Girls’ Schools (NCGS). Benefits of Attending. December 2004. < http://www.ncgs.org/type0.php?pid=16>.

Academic Achievement of Homeschooled Children Essay

These days many American children are schooled at home, with the number growing more and more per year; however, t the same time home schooling has received less attention than other recent changes in the educational system. It could be argued that home schooling may have a much larger impact on educational system, both in the short and long run. This research will basically provide the home school population, its growth and its characteristics. Also, with the beginning of a discussion of the data sources used in the analysis, this research examines characteristics of home schooled children and their families such as those characteristics most relevant for gauging trends in home schooling. Lastly, there will be talked about implications of home schooling for regular schools and a brief conclusion. Therefore, based on all these researches, I am going to research whether or not home-based education cause higher academic achievement than the institutional schooling in U. S. A. Proposal Methods The researchers will use quantitative research regarding the influence of the educational background of parents on the performance of their home schooled children. The performance of the home schooled children will be quantified in comparison with the public school children with also varying educational backgrounds. Survey method—using will be used in order to obtain the more generalized results of the study. Participants will be contacted first through phone to have permission or consent of being part of the study. This part will also inform the family, especially the parents about the research study that will be conducted. According to Timothy Johnson of University of Illinois at Chicago, having an informed consent of the participants is part of the ethics of conducting researches. (Johnson) If the participants agree on being part of the study, mailed questionnaires will be distributed. The group that I propose to study is 75 homeschooled eleventh (11th) and twelfth (12th) graders. The chosen sample size is a significant number in order to study the influence of the educational background of parents on their homeschooled children since 75 is not much of a high number, making it too pricey or having too much effort given on the study, or not too low of a number. Studies were also made regarding the influence of parents on their homeschooled children, but these studies were more focused on the primary education (Grades 1-4, as indicated in the Literature Review), and not on the high school level. This study will further explore if the influence of parent’ educational background will change if the students are at a higher level of schooling. This study will also be limited on eleventh and twelfth graders. The sample size 75 students will be divided into three groups. Group 1 will consist of children that have been schooled at home by parents that have less than a high school education. Group 2 will consist of children that have been homeschooled by parents that have a high school education. Group 3 will consist of 25 children that have been homeschooled by parents. Additionally, 75 public school children also in eleventh (11th) and twelfth (12th) grade will serve as the control group. Group 4 will consist of children that have been schooled in the public school system and whose parents have less than a high school education. Group 5 will consist of 25 children have been schooled in public school and have parents that have a high school education and Group 6 will consist of 25 children that have been schooled in public school whose parents have a college education. These particular groups were chosen to research two key areas addressed in the research proposal. First the area of whether homeschooled children outperform those that are educated by public school. Second this method will attempt to address if the parents education significantly impacts academic achievement in both groups. Eleventh (11th) and Twelfth (12th) grade students were chosen for this research because they are at the end of their respective high school education and one can better assess their overall education. Obtaining the data necessary to conduct the research will consist identifying the test subjects in home school by contacting a home school association within the target state(s) for a mailing list of parents. A small questionnaire will be sent out to ascertain the educational background of parents with return postage and a request that they mail the questionnaire back. This feedback will be divided into the three groups identified to study. At this point, 25 families will be randomly chosen from each group and contacted by the researcher via telephone. If a family elects not to be part of the study group, another family will be randomly chosen from that category. The researchers will continue to distribute questionnaires on families that fit the criteria, until a response is made. Once a telephone interview with the parents is conducted and they have agreed to participate, a paper assessment will be mailed to the family. A return envelope with postage paid will be sent with the assessment. This assessment will be an ACT/SAT style test addressing the four main academic components: Math, Reading, Science, and English. The child or children will have 24 hours to complete the assessment and return it to either the post office or mailbox so that the return envelope can be stamped for that day. This method will put urgency into the test being completed and sent back and may reduce some forms of cheating. While a computerized test was considered, it may not be possible for all children schooled at home to have computer access so a paper assessment was the most versatile method of data collection. The same process will be conducted for the public school children. Eligible families will be identified by contacting the target state(s) Department of Education. Again, a paper questionnaire will be sent asking for data on the parents’ education and a request to return it. These parents will also be contacted for permission. Once consent is given, the assessment will be sent to the family with the same procedure outlined above. In Groups 1, 2, and 3 we can assess the general academic achievement of children schooled at home. We can also measure, to a degree, how much the parents own education impacts the academic achievements of the child or children. The same is true of Groups 4, 5, and 6. In the case of the latter group, parents’ education may not be relevant however it is necessary for the continuity of the study. In order to obtain accurate results, these assessments should be conducted sometime within the school year after the first quarter of either the eleventh (11th) or (12th) grade. Students should be assessed after being accustomed to their routine learning guidelines in their respective schooling. Respondents will also be assured that they will be guaranteed that their responses will be confidential, as also stated in the Code of Standards of Council of American Survey Research Organizations. (Council of American Survey Research Organizations, 2009) In a working paper written for the U. S. Census Bureau, Kurt Bauman pointed out several characteristics that may determine home school trends (Bauman, 2001). However, the purpose of this study is purely to identify academic achievement within both the home school student group and public school student group. SURVEY QUESTIONS: The survey questions will be divided into three parts: basic information, performance section. These questions will be the same for Groups 1, 2, and 3, and Groups 4, 5, and 6. The first part, as the name says, contains all the basic information about the student and the parents. This part will include the educational background of the parents, the reasons for home schooling, what they know about the regulations regarding home schooling of their state, etc. The questionnaire for those that are homeschooled, in order, will provide this series of questions: name, name of parents, age, grade, educational background of parents, number of years being homeschooled, reason/s of being homeschooled, and organizations that are involved in regarding homeschooling. The questions, on the other hand, of those that are in public schools will be the same of the homeschooled questionnaire, except for the last three questions. The next part on the other hand, will include the academic test that will determine the performance of the student. The students will answer questions on subject matters like Math, Science, Reading and English, in order to at least have a grasp about their overall academic knowledge. ETHICS ON RESEARCH The researchers acknowledge the fact that the study can be a critical matter especially for parents since discrimination, especially on educational backgrounds, might be possible. However, it is also an essential for the researchers to keep in mind the ethics of conducting a research as stated by Thomas Watson. First is that the researchers will give privacy to the respondents, meaning they can willingly say or not say information that they aren’t comfortable with. Second, the researchers will ensure voluntary participation—that is, the researchers will respect if they want to be part of the research or not. Lastly, the researchers will maintain confidentiality and non-attribution. The respondents will remain to be anonymous. (Watson, 1996) References Bauman, Kurt J. , Home Schooling in the United States: Trends and Characteristics, (2001). Retrieved April 13, 2010 from the U. S. Census Bureau website: http://www. census. gov/population/www/documentation/twps0053/twps0053. html Literature Review Academic Achievement of Homeschooled Children Does home-based education cause higher academic achievement than the institutional schooling in California? Early studies as well as the more recent studies illustrate that this is indeed possible, as they examine the academic performances of homeschooled students in different locations and with various independent variables. For instance, Belfield and Levin (2005) showed that homeschooled students have better SAT verbal scores than the non-homeschooled students. Although homeschooled students have higher SAT math scores as well, the gap seems to be greater in the verbal scores (Belfield & Levin, 2005). After controlling for 21 independent variables, Belfield and Levin showed that the advantage of homeschooled students over private school students was reduced, but the great gap still exists when the comparison is between homeschooled students and public schools students. Moreover, the scores of the homeschooled students and private school students in SAT are at par with each other, with no group outperforming the other (Belfield & Levin, 2005). According to Basham et al. (2007), whether having at least one or no parent as a certified teacher do not significantly matter on the achievement levels of the homeschooled children, although parents who acquired university degree have homeschooled children who outperform significantly those parents who did not earned a degree. However, Bansham illustrate that regardless of these parental backgrounds, homeschooled children all scored between the range of 80 to 90 percent, as opposed to the average score of 63 percent for public school students, who have parents with university degree and average score of 28 percent of public school students who have parents with no degree. Moreover, around 25 percent of homeschooled students have academic performances better than students above their age-level studying either in public or private schools (Bauman, 2002). This can be seen in grade 1 to 4 homeschooled students. All of them perform better compared to the performance of the non-homeschooled students of at least one-grade level higher (McDowell & Ray, 2000). When it comes to 8th grade, the homeschooled students have academic performances better than non-homeschooled students at least four grade levels higher. All these evidences illustrate that being homeschooled leads to better academic performances despite the children’s background, which would have played negative roles when the children were not homeschooled (McDowell & Ray, 2000). Homeschooling reduce or eliminate altogether the negative effects low family income, low parental educational attainment, large family size, race or ethnicity or even gender would have played if the students were not educated in the home setting (Bansham et al. , 2007, Ray, 2000; Ray & Eagleson, 2008). Not having computers or other materials required by formal schools or not having access to public libraries seems not to matter as much for homeschooled students as compared to homeschooled students as well (Bansham et al. , 2007). All these factors do not affect how the children perform academically either. The academic achievements of homeschooled children cannot be generalized. Researchers doubt generalizations because it is difficult to compare homeschooled children and those who are not. However, despite all the doubts of the generalizabilty of the better academic performance of homeschooled children, more and more studies are producing evidence that homeschooled children achieve better performance against their non-homeschooled peers on various types of tests (Basham et al, 2007). The present study will determine if in California, the same findings would emerge. the scores of the homeschooled students and certain Californian private school students in SAT will be examined to test this. Factors such as socio-economic background, gender and ethnicity will also be tested to determine whether each of them will have a significant relationship with the academic achievement of homeschooled students in California. Homeschooling laws depend on the state where the family is residing—whether be it the requirements of the parents, the testing procedure, etc. In a state like Washington, parents are required to have 45 quarter units of college level credit, complete parent qualifying course, an average of an hour a week meeting with a certified teacher, and a qualification to provide home-based teaching instruction by the superintended of the local school district. (Russell, 2008) The case is otherwise different in Michigan since no law requires for parents or teachers to have certain qualifications in order to teach. ( Home School Legal Defense Association, 2009) According to Home School Legal Defense Association, there are already 40 states that adopted the home school regulations. It is also stated in their website that â€Å"Forty-one states do not require home school parents to meet any specific teacher qualifications. The eight states which require only a high school diploma or a GED are: GA, NC, NM, OH, PA, SC, TN, and WV. DC also requires either a high school diploma or GED. (In TN, there is no qualification requirement for grades K-8 if home school is associated with a church-related school). The remaining state has the following qualification requirements: ND requires only a high school diploma or GED, provided that the parent is monitored by a certified teacher for two years. † There are three states who qualify home school teachers to be â€Å"competent† such as CA, KS, and NY. Having less than GED are considered to be competent in those three states. (Home School Legal Defense Association) References Bansham, P. , Merrifield, J. , Hepburn, C. R. (2007). â€Å"Home Schooling: From the Extreme to the Mainstream. Studies in Education Policy. † The Fraser Institute. Retrieved from http://www. netzwerk-bildungsfreiheit. de/pdf/From_the_extreme_to_the_mainstream. pdf Bauman, K. J. (2002). Home schooling in the United States: Trends and Characteristics. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 10(26). Retrieved from http://epaa. asu. edu/epaa/v10n26. html. Belfield, Clive R. and Henry M. Levin (2005). Privatizing Education Choice: Consequences for Parents, Schools and Public Policy. Boulder, C. O. : Paradigm Publishers. McDowell, Susan A. and Brian D. Ray (2000). â€Å"The Home Education Movement in Context, Practice, and Theory. † Peabody Journal of Education, 75(11), 1-7 Ray, B. D. (2000). Home schooling: The ameliorator of negative influences on learning? Peabody Journal of Education, 75(1 & 2), 71-106. Ray, B. D. , & Eagleson, B. K. (2008, August 14). State regulation of homeschooling and homeschoolers’ SAT scores. Journal of Academic Leadership, 6(3). Retrieved from http://www. academicleadership. org/emprical_research/State_Regulation_of_Homeschooling_and_Homeschoolers_SAT_Scores. shtml Bibliography Home School Legal Defense Association. (2009). Home Schooling in the United States: A Legal Analysis. Retrieved April 30, 2010, from Home School Legal Defense Association: http://www. hslda. org/laws/analysis/Michigan. pdf Council of American Survey Research Organizations. (2009). CASRO Code of Standards and Ethics for Survey Research. Retrieved April 29, 2010, from Council of American Survey Research Organizations: http://www. casro. org/codeofstandards. cfm Home School Legal Defense Association. (n. d. ). Summary of Home School Laws in the Fifty States. Retrieved April 29, 2010, from Home School Legal Defense Association: http://www. hslda. org/laws/Summary_of_Laws. pdf Johnson, T. (n. d. ). Ethical Issues in the Conduct of Survey Research. Retrieved April 29, 2010, from College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs: http://www. srl. uic. edu/seminars/ethicsint. htm Russell, L. (2008, June 12). Washington Homeschool Law. Retrieved April 29, 2010, from Suite 101: http://homeschool-regulations. suite101. com/article. cfm/washington_homeschool_law Watson, T. (1996). Survey and Interview Ethics for Data Gatherers and Respondents. Retrieved April 30, 2010, from Independent Job Analysis: http://www. ijoa. org/imta96/paper64. html