Microeconomics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Microeconomics - Assignment Example These goods are traded in the market where the buyer and seller first agree on a price level and then the buyer acquires the good. Thus, consumers have to pay for the good in order to acquire its benefits. Cars and cell phones are examples. In contrast, a public good is one that is available for all and does not necessarily need to be acquired by paying for it. For example, street lights or a light house benefit all instead of one person. The increase in the number of public goods by the government helps it to cut across the system of class disparity and allows everyone to benefit from them without actually paying for the goods. The government thus produces public goods to increase the social welfare of the society. Ans 3) Private goods are paid for by the consumers in order to get ownership of the good. Thus, only the person buying it acquires all the benefits. However, the free rider concept comes into play when one entity such as the government is responsible for providing all the benefits that are equally shared by the people. An example of this can be bridges and roads that are used by everyone while the government builds them. Ans 4) The optimal quantity of pollution can never be zero because any production activity in the economy makes pollution an unavoidable spillover effect. For instance, a car manufacturing company will cause air pollution and for an economy that is operating on a free market basis with no government intervention, even though the cost of the pollution will not be borne by the company, it will be a byproduct of that production process. Thus at any point, the optimal quantity of pollution can never be zero unless all forms of economic activity are halted (Mankiw, 2002). Ans 5) Increasing the gas tax would have a number of adverse effects. Firstly, the cost of other goods will increase with the increase in gas tax. The automobile, aviation and shipping industry rely heavily on gas and will raise their prices in accordance to the increas e in tax so that the costs can be covered. In addition to this, the purchase of automobiles will decrease since the gas tax would result in a higher cost of the car for the consumer. Secondly, the demand for gasoline is considered to be inelastic in the short run. This means that the gas consumption would not decrease with an increase in gas prices. Therefore, an increased gas tax would be a further strain on the costs of manufacturers and consumers. Also, this increase would be reflected on specifically the lower and middle income groups that own fewer vehicles than the higher income group. People in rural and remote areas depend on public transportation and thus a high gas tax would be unfair to the low income groups (O’Sullivan & Sheffrin, 2005). Ans 6) Pollution is defined as damage or harm caused to the environment that we live in. A pollution tax will thus reduce pollution by making large and small organizations to take responsibility for the pollution their economic ac tivities cause. The revenue from these taxes can be used to take measures to eliminate the pollutants that are responsible for harming the environment. For instance, a carbon emission tax can allow the government to invest in projects that reduces industry pollution such as CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage). Moreover, a pollution tax will balance the pollution costs that many organizations may not incorporate in their production proces

Prevalence of Self-Medication Essay Example for Free

Prevalence of Self-Medication Essay Antibiotic self-medication among university medical undergraduates in Northern Nigeria Joseph O. Fadare 1* and Igbiks Tamuno 2 1Department of Medicine, Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, Nigeria 2Department of Pharmacology, Bayero University, Kano, Kano State, Nigeria. Accepted 20 April, 2011 Self-medication is becoming a common type of self-care behavior among the population of many countries. Many international studies have investigated the prevalence and nature of self-medication practices at the population level. In Nigeria, some workers have also looked at the population prevalence of self-medication in general; however the prevalence of antibiotic self-medication among medical undergraduates has not yet been studied. The interest in studying this practice among this select group is due to the fact that they are the future prescribers and health educators of the population of Nigeria. The study was a cross-sectional pre-tested questionnaire-based study carried out among medical students of the Bayero University, Kano, North-West Nigeria during a two-week period in August 2008. The information from the returned questionnaire were coded, entered and analyzed using SPSS Version 12 statistical software. A total of 183 students filled and returned the questionnaire giving a response rate of 83.2%. Out of these respondents, 120 (65.6%) were males and the mean age of respondents was 23.2  ± 2.5 years (Range 17 to 31). 71 (38.8%) of the medical students admitted to the practice and there was no statistically significant difference among the different levels of medical education (p 0.05). Antibiotics from the penicillin group (ampicillin/cloxacillin, amoxicillin and ampicillin) were the most frequently used. Self-medication with antibiotics is prevalent among medical undergraduates in Northern Nigeria. There is a need for an intervention to address this practice. Key words: Antibiotics, self-medication, medical undergraduates, Nigeria. INTRODUCTION Antibiotics are one of the most prescribed drugs worldwide (Tà ¼nger et al., 2000). Self-medication with antibiotics is a common practice in many countries in the world although the trend seems to be more in developing or resource-poor nations (Awad et al., 2005). Some of the reasons that have been found responsible for this trend include lack of access to health care,  availability of antibiotics as over the counter (OTC) drugs and in open markets and poor regulatory practices (Vaananen et al., 2006). Self-medication with antibiotics has been identified as one form of irrational use of medicine contributing to *Corresponding author. E-mail: [emailprotected] Tel: +234- 8138048127. increased healthcare costs, antimicrobial drug resistance and sometimes increased morbidity among the popu- lation (Aswapokee et al., 1990; Okeke et al., 1999). The practice of self-medication in general has been widely studied among populations of many countries in Africa, Asia and Europe (Martins et al., 2002; Yousef et al., 2008; Awad et al., 2007a). One of the factors that have been found to influence this practice is the level of education of the research participants (Afolabi, 2008). Many studies have also previously looked at the pre- valence, nature and reasons for self-medication among university undergraduates (non-medical) in different countries of the world (Zafar et al., 2008; Sawalha, 2008; Lucas et al., 2007). There are also studies on general self-medication practices among medical undergraduates in some other countries (Buke et al., 2005; Chowdhury 218 J. Public Health Epidemiol. et al., 2009). In Nigeria, previous studies have concen- trated on general self-medication practices among the population (Afolabi, 2008) and health care workers (Bamgboye et al., 2006). This study of antibiotic self- medication practice among university medical undergraduates in Nigeria is very important as they are a segment of the population that is highly educated and with access to information regarding their health. Looking at this practice among medical undergraduates is also very vital as they represent the future generation of drug prescribers and health educationists. The understanding of the level of antibiotic self-medication practice and the reasons for it will enable for different interventional strategies. It will also help policy makers to develop approaches for a more rational use of antibiotics in the community in general. The main objective of this study was to determine the frequency and nature of antibiotic self-medication practice among university medical undergraduates in the Northern part of Nigeria. This study also sought if there is any relationship between the level of medical education and the self-medication  practice. METHODS The study was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study carried out among medical students of the Bayero University, Kano, North- West Nigeria during a two-week period in August 2008. Sampling A total of two hundred and twenty self-administered questionnaires were distributed to students from different level of medical education (200 to 500 Level) using a convenient sampling system. Questionnaire The questionnaire which had been pre-tested among students of another faculty in the university consisted of both open and close ended questions. The questionnaires were administered to the students through their class representatives who also returned the filled ones. The act of filling and returning of the forms was taken as consent of the students to participate and the study was approved by the Hospital Ethics Committee. The lead question was â€Å"Have you practiced self-medication with antibiotics in the last two months?’The duration of two months was chosen because of the belief that recall of medication use is still very reliable within that time frame. Other questions include: The reasons for indulging in self-medication, conditions for which the drugs were taken and the antibiotics that were being used. Statistical analyses The information from the returned questionnaire were coded and entered using SPSS version 12 statistical software. Results were expressed as counts and percentages while Chi-square test was used for to investigate possible associations between sex, level of medical education and antibiotic self-medication practice. A p-value 0.05 was considered as statistically significant for the purpose of this study. RESULTS A total of one 183 students filled and returned the questionnaire giving a response rate of 83.2%. Out of these respondents, one hundred and twenty (65.6%) were males and the mean age of all respondents was 23.2  ± 2.5 years (Range 17 to 31 years). The distribution of the respondents according to level of medical education is shown in Table 1. In response to the question  whether respondents had practiced self- medication in the preceding two months, 71 (38.8%) of the medical students admitted to the practice and there was no statistically significant difference among the different levels of medical education (p 0.05). Though self-medication with antibiotics was more common among the male students, this difference was not statistically significant (p 0.05). The common conditions for which the antibiotics were taken include diarrhea, sore throat, fever, cough and catarrh among others (Table 2). Antibiotics from the penicillin group (ampicillin/cloxacillin, amoxicillin and ampicill in) were the most frequently used for self-medication among the respondents (Table 3). 29 (42.6%) of the medical undergraduates who indulged in the practice did it because they considered their ailment as being mild while 24 (35.3%) were involved in it because of their past experience with the particular antibiotic. Regarding the source of the antibiotics used for self-medication, majority of the respondents (57.4%) patronized patent medicine stores while hospital and community pharmacies were the suppliers for 13 (19.1%) and 11 (16.2%) of the respondents, respectively. Only 1 respondent (1.5%) used the leftover from a previous prescription in this study. Majority of the medical undergraduates (89.6%) knew that the normal duration of treatment was supposed to be at least a minimum of 5 days; however only 34 (49.3%) of the respondents actually completed the course of treatment. This study also found out that gender of the respondents did not influence significantly the practice of antibiotic self-medication (p = 0.07). DISCUSSION Sample population and self-medication The frequency of antibiotic self- medication observed in our study is slightly lower than that reported in similar studies in Africa (Awad and Eltayeb, 2007b) and closer to that found in population-based studies in Jordan and Lithuania (Al-Azzam et al., 2007; Berzanskyte et al., 2006). This goes to show that there might not be a signi- ficant difference in self-care or health-seeking behavior between our segment of the population and the general population. This conclusion is also supported by findings from a study on self-medication in general among Fadare and Tamuno 219 Table 1. Distribution of respondents by level of medical education and practice of self-medication. University level Self-medication (Y) Self-medication (N) Total number of respondent 200 10 31 41 300 20 26 46 400 27 43 70 500 12 9 21 Missing value 2 3 5 Total 71 112 183 Table 2. Conditions for which self-medication was practiced. Condition No. of respondents (Percentage) Diarrhoea 17 (24.6) Sore throat 14 (20.3) Fever 12 (17.4) Cough 6 (8.7) Catarrh 4 (5.8) Toothache 4 (5.8) Body aches 2 (2.9) Others 10 (14.5) Table 3. Commonly used antibiotics by respondents. Antibiotics Frequency (Percentage) Ampicillin/cloxacillin 15 (22.1) Amoxicillin 12 (17.6) Metronidazole 12 (17.6) Co-trimoxazole 8 (11.8) Ciprofloxacin 6 (8.8) Tetracycline 6 (8.8) Amoxicillin/Clavulanic acid 3 (4.4) Penicillin G 1 (1.5) health care workers of a tertiary healthcare facility in South-West Nigeria where over 70% of them were engaged in the practice (Bamgboye et al., 2006). Another possible explanation is that the earlier quoted population- based studies were carried out in societies where the literacy levels are relatively high. It is also important to note that such levels of antibiotic self-medication even exists in some countries with more stringent access to drugs, this being made possible by use of left-overs from previous prescriptions. Clinical features and self-medication There are similarities in the conditions for which self- medication was practiced in our study with several other university and community-based studies (Zafar et al., 2008; Shankar et al., 2002; James et al., 2006). These findings emphasize the fact that self-medication is usually resorted to by individuals for perceived mild clinical conditions. The problem with this practice is that fever and other similar symptoms which could be due to viral conditions are usually wrongly treated with antibiotics creating a foundation for possible development of resistance to antibiotics in addition to financial loss and possible adverse drug reactions. Antibiotic and self-medication The choice of the antibiotics from the penicillin group (especially ampicillin/cloxacillin and amoxicillin) by majority of respondents in our study is in keeping with findings from other studies (Awad et al., 2005; Awad and Eltayeb, 2007b; Raz et al., 2005). The choice of the antibiotics from the penicillin group could be due to the following reasons: 1. They are cheap, easily accessible, have a good safety profile and somehow broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. The relatively low patronage of antibiotics like amoxicillin/clavulanic acid could be due to its cost (about 1500 Naira /10 US Dollars) per course of treatment, this in a country where over 60% of the population survive on less than 2 US Dollars daily. 2. It is also pertinent to note that at the moment, there are no restrictions to how and where antibiotics can be sold in Nigeria hence the easy accessibility. Most of our respondents got their supply from patent medicine stores, hospital and community pharmacies reinforcing the earlier mentioned problem of lack of regulation. This is at variance with findings from other studies where left-over from old prescriptions were the main source of supply reflecting a more regulated access to antibiotics in these societies (Awad and Eltayeb, 2007b; James et al., 2006). This study revealed no strong associations between gender, level of medical education and the practice of antibiotic self-medication, a finding that is somehow different from the result of similar research in the Arabian Gulf (James et al., 2008) where the prevalence of self- medication was higher in the more senior medical students. Presently in many medical schools in Nigeria, 220 J. Public Health Epidemiol. pharmacology is taught either before the clinical training or at its initial stage and there is no significant reinforce- ment during the latter stages. Also too much attention is being placed on the basic aspect of pharmacology to the detriment of its clinical section and paying attention to this problem might be one level of intervention to address it. Conclusion This study has shown that self-medication with antibiotics is common among medical undergraduates in Northern Nigeria. There is a need for a review of educational programs especially the teaching of clinical pharmaco- logy to include modules on self- medication and rational use of medicines. At the  policy-making level, there is an urgent need to legislate and enforce laws restricting access to antibiotics in Nigeria. Most importantly, there is a need for a robust public enlightenment campaign to educate the populace of the disadvantages and possible complications of antibiotic self-medication. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors’ gratitude goes to the medical undergraduates of Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria who participated in this study. He is also grateful to the organizers of the International Training Course on the Promoting Rational Drug Use in the Community, Jaipur, India where the idea for the work was conceptualized. The author was a participant in the 2008 training course and the contribution of the faculty and fellow participants is really appreciated. REFERENCES Afolabi AO (2008). Factors influencing the pattern of self-medication in an adult Nigerian population. Ann. Afr. Med., 7(3): 120-127. Al-Azzam SI, Al-Husein BA, Alzoubi F, Masadeh MM, Al-Horani MS (2007). Self-Medication with antibiotics in Jordanian population. Int. J. Occup. Med. Environ. Health, 20 (4): 373-380. Aswapokee N, Vaithayapichet S, Heller RF (1990). Pattern of antibiotic use in medical wards of a university hospital, Bangkok, Thailand. Rev. Infect. Dis., 12 (1): 136-141. Awad A, Eltayeb I, Matowe L Thalib L (2005). Self-medication with antibiotics and antimalarials in the community of Khartoum State, Sudan. J. Pharm. Pharm. Sci., 8: 326–331. Awad AI, Ball DE, Eltayeb IB (2007). Improving rational drug use in Africa: the example of Sudan. East Mediterr. Health J., 13 (5): 1202- 1211. Awad AI, Eltayeb IB (2007). Self-medication practices with antibiotics and antimalarials among Sudanese undergraduate university students. Ann. Pharmacother., 41(7): 1249-1255. Bamgboye EA, Amoran OE, Yusuf OB (2006). Self medication practices among workers in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Afr. J. Med. Sci., 35(4): 411-415. Berzanskyte A, Valinteliene R, Haaijer-Ruskamp FM, Gurevicius R, Grigoryan L (2006). Self-medication with antibiotics in Lithuania. Int. J. Occup. Med. Environ. Health, 19 (4): 246-253. Buke C, Hosgor-Limoncu M, Ermertcan S, Ciceklioglu M, Tuncel M,Kà ¶se T, Eren S (2005) Irrational use of antibiotics among university students. J. Infect., 51(2): 135-139. Chowdhury N, Matin F,  Chowdhury SF (2009). Medication taking behavior of students attending a private university in Bangladesh. Int. J. Adolesc. Med. Health. 21 (3): 361-370. James H, Handu SS, Al Khaja KA, Otoom S, Sequeira RP (2006). Evaluation of the knowledge, attitude and practice of self-medication among first-year medical students. Med. Princ. Pract., 15 (4): 270- 275. James H, Handu SS, Khaja KA, Sequeira RP (2008). Influence of medica l training on self-medication by students. Int. J. Pharmacol. Ther., 46 (1):23-29. Lucas R, Lunet N, Carvalho R, Langa J, Muanantatha M, Nkunda LP, Barros H (2007). Patterns in the use of medicines by university students in Maputo, Mozambique. Cad. Saude. Publica, 3(12): 2845- 2852. Martins AP, Miranda Ada C, Mendes Z, Soares MA, Ferreira P, Nogueira A (2002). Self-medication in a Portuguese urban population: a prevalence study. Pharmacoepidemiol. Drug Saf., 11(5): 409-414. Okeke NI, Lamikanra A, Edelman R (1999). Socioeconomic and Behavioral Factors Leading to Acquired Bacterial Resistance to Antibiotics in Developing Countries. Emerg. Infect. Dis., 5: 18-27. Raz R, Edelstein H, Grigoryan L, Haaijer-Ruskamp FM (2005). Self- medication with antibiotics by a population in northern Israel. Isr. Med. Assoc. J., 7(11): 722-725. Sawalha AF (2008). A descriptive study of self-medication practices among Palestinian medical and nonmedical university students. Res. Social. Adm. Pharm., 4 (2):164-172. Shankar PR, Partha P, Shenoy N (2002). Self-medication and non- doctor prescription practices in Pokhara valley, Western Nepal: a questionnaire-based study. BMC Fam. Pract., 3: 17. Tà ¼nger O, Dinà § G, Ozbakkaloglu B, Atman UC, Algà ¼n U (2000). Evaluation of rational antibiotic use. Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents, 15 (2): 131-135. Vaananen MH, Pietila K, Airaksinen M (2006). Self-medication with antibiotic — does it really happen in Europe, Health Policy, 77: 166- 171. Yousef AM, Al-Bakri AG, Busta nji Y, Wazaify M (2008). Self-medication patterns in Amman, Jordan. Pharm World Sci., 30(1): 24-30. Zafar SN, Syed R, Waqar S, Zubairi AJ, Vaqar T, Shaikh M, Yousaf W, Shahid S, Saleem S (2008). Self-medication amongst university students of Karachi: prevalence, knowledge and attitudes. J. Pak.

Compressive Sensing: Performance Comparison of Measurement

Compressive Sensing: Performance Comparison of Measurement Compressive Sensing: A Performance Comparison of Measurement Matrices Y. Arjoune, N. Kaabouch, H. El Ghazi, and A. Tamtaoui AbstractCompressive sensing paradigm involves three main processes: sparse representation, measurement, and sparse recovery process. This theory deals with sparse signals using the fact that most of the real world signals are sparse. Thus, it uses a measurement matrix to sample only the components that best represent the sparse signal. The choice of the measurement matrix affects the success of the sparse recovery process. Hence, the design of an accurate measurement matrix is an important process in compressive sensing. Over the last decades, several measurement matrices have been proposed. Therefore, a detailed review of these measurement matrices and a comparison of their performances is needed. This paper gives an overview on compressive sensing and highlights the process of measurement. Then, proposes a three-level measurement matrix classification and compares the performance of eight measurement matrices after presenting the mathematical model of each matrix. Several experimen ts are performed to compare these measurement matrices using four evaluation metrics which are sparse recovery error, processing time, covariance, and phase transition diagram. Results show that Circulant, Toeplitz, and Partial Hadamard measurement matrices allow fast reconstruction of sparse signals with small recovery errors. Index Terms Compressive sensing, sparse representation, measurement matrix, random matrix, deterministic matrix, sparse recovery. TRADITIONAL data acquisition techniques acquire N samples of a given signal sampled at a rate at least twice the Nyquist rate in order to guarantee perfect signal reconstruction. After data acquisition, data compression is needed to reduce the high number of samples because most of the signals are sparse and need few samples to be represented. This process is time consuming because of the large number of samples acquired. In addition, devices are often not able to store the amount of data generated. Therefore, compressing sensing is necessary to reduce the processing time and the number of samples to be stored. This sensing technique includes data acquisition and data compression in one process. It exploits the sparsity of the signal to recover the original sparse signal from a small set of measurements [1]. A signal is sparse if only a few components of this signal are nonzero.   Compressive sensing has proven itself as a promising solution for high-density signals and has major a pplications ranging from image processing [2] to wireless sensor networks [3-4], spectrum sensing in cognitive radio [5-8], and channel estimation [9-10].   As shown in Fig. 1. compressive sensing involves three main processes: sparse representation, measurement, and sparse recovery process. If signals are not sparse, sparse representation projects the signal on a suitable basis so the signal can be sparse. Examples of sparse representation techniques are Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT), and Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) [11]. The measurement process consists of selecting a few measurements,   from the sparse signal that best represents the signal where. Mathematically, this process consists of multiplying the sparse signal by a measurement matrix. This matrix has to have a small mutual coherence or satisfy the Restricted Isometry Property. The sparse recovery process aims at recovering the sparse signal from the few measurements selected in the measurement process given the measurement matrix ÃŽ ¦. Thus, the sparse recovery problem is an undetermined system of linear equations, which has an inf inite number of solutions. However, sparsity of the signal and the small mutual coherence of the measurement matrix ensure a unique solution to this problem, which can be formulated as a linear optimization problem. Several algorithms have been proposed to solve this sparse recovery problem. These algorithms can be classified into three main categories: Convex and Relaxation category [12-14], Greedy category [15-20], and Bayesian category [21-23]. Techniques under the Convex and Relaxation category solve the sparse recovery problem through optimization algorithms such as Gradient Descent and Basis Pursuit. These techniques are complex and have a high recovery time. As an alternative solution to reduce the processing time and speed up the recovery, Greedy techniques have been proposed which build the solution iteratively. Examples of these techniques include Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) and its derivatives. These Greedy techniques are faster but sometimes inefficient. Bayesian b ased techniques which use a prior knowledge of the sparse signal to recover the original sparse signal can be a good approach to solve sparse recovery problem. Examples of these techniques include Bayesian via Laplace Prior (BSC-LP), Bayesian via Relevance Vector Machine (BSC-RVM), and Bayesian via Belief Propagation (BSC-BP). In general, the existence and the uniqueness of the solution are guaranteed as soon as the measurement matrix used to sample the sparse signal satisfies some criteria. The two well-known criteria are the Mutual Coherence Property (MIP) and the Restricted Isometry Property (RIP) [24]. Therefore, the design of measurement matrices is an important process in compressive sensing. It involves two fundamental steps: 1) selection of a measurement matrix and 2) determination of the number of measurements necessary to sample the sparse signal without losing the information stored in it. A number of measurement matrices have been proposed. These matrices can be classified into two main categories: random and deterministic. Random matrices are generated by identical or independent distributions such as Gaussian, Bernoulli, and random Fourier ensembles. These matrices are of two types: unstructured and structured.  Ã‚   Unstructured type matrices are generated randomly following a given distribution. Example of these matrices include Gaussian, Bernoulli, and Uniform. These matrices are easy to construct and satisfy the RIP with high probability [26]; however, because of the randomness, they present some drawbacks such as high computation and costly hardware implementation [27]. Structured type matrices are generated following a given structure. Examples of matrices of this type include the random partial Fourier and the random partial Hadamard. On the other hand, deterministic matrices are constructed deterministically to have a small mutual coherence or satisfy the RIP. Matrices of this category are of two types: semi-deterministic and full-deterministic. Semi-deterministic type matrices have a deterministic construction that involves the randomness in the process of construction. Example of semi-deterministic type matrices are Toeplitz and Circulant matrices [31]. Full-deterministic type matrices have a pure deterministic construction. Examples of this type measurement matrices include second-order Reed-Muller codes [28], Chirp sensing matrices [29], binary Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) codes [30], and quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check code (QC-LDPC) matrix [32]. Several papers that provide a performance comparison of deterministic and random matrices have been published. For instance, Monajemi et al. [43] describe some semi-deterministic matrices such as Toeplitz and Circulant and show that their phase transition diagrams are similar as those of the random Gaussian matrices. In [11], the authors provide a survey on the applications of compressive sensing, highlight the drawbacks of unstructured random measurement matrices, and they present the advantages of some full-deterministic measurement matrices. In [27], the authors provide a survey on full-deterministic matrices (Chirp, second order Reed-Muller matrices, and Binary BCH matrices) and their comparison with unstructured random matrices (Gaussian, Bernoulli, Uniform matrices). All these papers provide comparisons between two types of matrices of the same category or from two types of two different categories. However, to the best of knowledge, no previous work compared the performances of measurement matrices from the two categories and all types: random unstructured, random structured, semi-deterministic, and full-deterministic. Thus, this paper addresses this gap of knowledge by providing an in depth overview of the measurement process and comparing the performances of eight measurement matrices, two from each type. The rest of this paper is organized as follows. In Section 2, we give the mathematical model behind compressive sensing. In Section 3, we provide a three-level classification of measurement matrices. Section 4 gives the mathematical model of each of the eight measurement matrices. Section 5 describes the experiment setup, defines the evaluation metrics used for the performance comparison, and discusses the experimental results. In section 6, conclusions and perspectives are given. Compressive sensing exploits the sparsity and compresses a k-sparse signal by multiplying it by a measurement matrix where. The resulting vector    is called the measurement vector. If the signal is not sparse, a simple projection of this signal on a suitable basis, can make it sparse i.e. where. The sparse recovery process aims at recovering the sparse signal given the measurement matrix and the vector of measurements. Thus, the sparse recovery problem, which is an undetermined system of linear equations, can be stated as: (1) Where is the, is a sparse signal in the basis , is the measurement matrix, and   is the set of measurements. For the next of this paper, we consider that the signals are sparse i.e. and . The problem (1) then can be written as: (2) This problem is an NP-hard problem; it cannot be solved in practice. Instead, its convex relaxation is considered by replacing the by the . Thus, this sparse recovery problem can be stated as: (3) Where is the -norm, is the k-parse signal, the measurement matrix and is the set of measurements. Having the solution of problem (3) is guaranteed as soon as the measurement matrix has a small mutual coherence or satisfies RIP of order. Definition 1: The coherence measures the maximum correlation between any two columns of the measurement matrix . If is a matrix with normalized column vector , each is of unit length. Then the mutual coherence Constant (MIC) is defined as: (4) Compressive sensing is concerned with matrices that have low coherence, which means that a few samples are required for a perfect recovery of the sparse signal. Definition 2: A measurement matrix satisfies the Restricted Isometry Property if there exist a constant such as: (5) Where is the and is called the Restricted Isometry Constant (RIC) of which should be much smaller than 1. As shown in the Fig .2, measurement matrices can be classified into two main categories: random and deterministic. Matrices of the first category are generated at random, easy to construct, and satisfy the RIP with a high probability. Random matrices are of two types: unstructured and structured. Matrices of the unstructured random type are generated at random following a given distribution. For example, Gaussian, Bernoulli, and Uniform are unstructured random type matrices that are generated following Gaussian, Bernoulli, and Uniform distribution, respectively. Matrices of the second type, structured random, their entries are generated following a given function or specific structure. Then the randomness comes into play by selecting random rows from the generated matrix. Examples of structured random matrices are the Random Partial Fourier and the Random Partial Hadamard matrices. Matrices of the second category, deterministic, are highly desirable because they are constructed deter ministically to satisfy the RIP or to have a small mutual coherence. Deterministic matrices are also of two types: semi-deterministic and full-deterministic. The generation of semi-deterministic type matrices are done in two steps: the first step consists of the generation of the entries of the first column randomly and the second step generates the entries of the rest of the columns of this matrix based on the first column by applying a simple transformation on it such as shifting the element of the first columns. Examples of these matrices include Circulant and Toeplitz matrices [24]. Full-deterministic matrices have a pure deterministic construction. Binary BCH, second-order Reed-Solomon, Chirp sensing, and quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check code (QC-LDPC) matrices are examples of full-deterministic type matrices. Based on the classification provided in the previous section, eight measurement matrices were implemented: two from each category with two from each type. The following matrices were implemented: Gaussian and Bernoulli measurement matrices from the structured random type, random partial Fourier and Hadamard measurement matrices from the unstructured random type, Toeplitz and Circulant measurement matrices from the semi-deterministic type, and finally Chirp and Binary BCH measurement matrices from the full-deterministic type. In the following, the mathematical model of each of these eight measurement matrices is described. A. Random Measurement Matrices Random matrices are generated by identical or independent distributions such as normal, Bernoulli, and random Fourier ensembles. These random matrices are of two types: unstructured and structured measurement random matrices. 1) Unstructured random type matrices Unstructured random type measurement matrices are generated randomly following a given distribution. The generated matrix is of size . Then M rows is randomly selected from N. Examples of this type of matrices include Gaussian, Bernoulli, and Uniform. In this work, we selected the Random Gaussian and Random Bernoulli matrix for the implementation. The mathematical model of each of these two measurement matrices is given below. a) Random Gaussian matrix The entries of a Gaussian matrix are independent and follow a normal distribution with expectation 0 and variance. The probability density function of a normal distribution is: (6) Where is the mean or the expectation of the distribution, is the standard deviation, and is the variance. This random Gaussian matrix satisfies the RIP with probability at least given that the sparsity satisfy the following formula: (7) Where is the sparsity of the signal, is the number of measurements, and is the length of the sparse signal [36]. b) Random Bernoulli matrix A random Bernoulli matrix is a matrix whose entries take the value or with equal probabilities. It, therefore, follows a Bernoulli distribution which has two possible outcomes labeled by n=0 and n=1.   The outcome n=1 occurs with the probability p=1/2 and n=0 occurs with the probability q=1-p=1/2. Thus, the probability density function is: (8) The Random Bernoulli matrix satisfies the RIP with the same probability as the Random Gaussian matrix [36]. 2) Structured Random Type matrices The Gaussian or other unstructured matrices have the disadvantage of being slow; thus, large-scale problems are not practicable with Gaussian or Bernoulli matrices. Even the implementation in term of hardware of an unstructured matrix is more difficult and requires significant space memory space. On the other hand, random structured matrices are generated following a given structure, which reduce the randomness, memory storage, and processing time. Two structured matrices are selected to be implemented in this work: Random Partial Fourier and Partial Hadamard matrix. The mathematical model of each of these two measurement matrices is described below: a) Random Partial Fourier matrix The Discrete Fourier matrix is a matrix whose entry is given by the equation: (9) Where. Random Partial Fourier matrix which consists of choosing random M rows of the Discrete Fourier matrix satisfies the RIP with a probability of at least , if: (10) Where M is the number of measurements, K is the sparsity, and N is the length of the sparse signal [36]. b) Random Partial Hadamard matrix The Hadamard measurement matrix is a matrix whose entries are 1 and -1. The columns of this matrix are orthogonal. Given a matrix H of order n, H is said to be a Hadamard matrix if the transpose of the matrix H is closely related to its inverse. This can be expressed by: (11) Where is the identity matrix, is the transpose of the matrix. The Random Partial Hadamard matrix consists of taking random rows from the Hadamard matrix. This measurement matrix satisfies the RIP with probability at least provided    with and as positive constants, K is the sparsity of the signal, N is its length and M is the number of measurements [35]. B. Deterministic measurement matrices Deterministic measurement matrices are matrices that are designed following a deterministic construction to satisfy the RIP or to have a low mutual coherence. Several deterministic measurement matrices have been proposed to solve the problems of the random matrices. These matrices are of two types as mentioned in the previous section: semi-deterministic and full-deterministic. In the following, we investigate and present matrices from both types in terms of coherence and RIP. 1) Semi-deterministic type matrices To generate a semi-deterministic type measurement matrix, two steps are required. The first step is randomly generating the first columns and the second step is generating the full matrix by applying a simple transformation on the first column such as a rotation to generate each row of the matrix. Examples of matrices of this type are the Circulant and Toeplitz matrices. In the following, the mathematical models of these two measurement matrices are given. a) Circulant matrix For a given vector, its associated circulant matrix whose entry is given by: (11) Where. Thus, Circulant matrix has the following form: C= If we choose a random subset of cardinality, then the partial circulant submatrix that consists of the rows indexed by achieves the RIP with high probability given that: (12) Where is the length of the sparse signal and its sparsity [34]. b) Toeplitz matrix The Toeplitz matrix, which is associated to a vector    whose entry is given by: (13) Where. The Toeplitz matrix is a Circulant matrix with a constant diagonal i.e. .   Thus, the Toeplitz matrix has the following form: T= If we randomly select a subset of cardinality , the Restricted Isometry Constant of the Toeplitz matrix restricted to the rows indexed by the set S satisfies with a high probability provided (14) Where is the sparsity of the signal and is its length [34]. 2) Full-deterministic type matrices Full-deterministic type matrices are matrices that have pure deterministic constructions based on the mutual coherence or on the RIP property. In the following, two examples of deterministic construction of measurements matrices are given which are the Chirp and Binary Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) codes matrices. a) Chirp Sensing Matrices The Chirp Sensing matrices are matrices their columns are given by the chirp signal. A discrete chirp signal of length à °Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ… ¡ has the form:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (15) The full chirp measurement matrix can be written as: (16) Where is an matrix with columns are given by the chirp signals with a fixed and base frequency   values that vary from 0 to m-1. To illustrate this process, let us assume that and Given , The full chirp matrix is as follows: In order to calculate, the matrices and should be calculated. Using the chirp signal, the entries of these matrices are calculated and given as: ; Thus, we get the chirp measurement matrix as: Given that is a -sparse signal with chirp code measurements and is the length of the chirp code. If (17) then is the unique solution to the sparse recovery algorithms. The complexity of the computation of the chirp measurement matrix is. The main limitation of this matrix is the restriction of the number of measurements to    [29]. b) Binary BCH matrices Let denote as a divisor of for some integer an

Physics of Paintball :: physics paintball gun

Fuel For A Paintball Marker The Reason that people need a tank when they play paintball is because you need a way to force the paintballs out of the gun and this cannot be achieved effectively by just using a spring. What they decided to do was to fuel the paintballs by pushing them with a gas. The way in which they did this was to put the gases, either Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide or Nitrogen under extreme pressure until they turned into a liquid and once they are in a liquid form they can be blown into a tank which probably looks something like this. Carbon Dioxide must be under a pressure of at least 415.8 kPaA For it to turn into liquid form. Oxygen and Nitrogen are very similar to this. The way in which the gas is let out is that there is a needle in a valve in the top of the tank and when the tank is screwed into the paintball marker the needle gets pressed down and the entire system becomes pressurized and is ready to be fired. Then when the gun is cocked and the trigger is pulled the bolt is pushed forward, accelerated by the force of the C02 acting behind it and pushes the paintball out. Then the bolt comes back into the read position and the C02 is no longer flowing and is again pushing against the bolt. There are some problems with this system however. One of the major ones is called snowing, where liquid C02 actually gets into the paintball marker, this is not good for multiple reasons, first of all having the liquid C02 on the moving parts inside a marker is not good for it, since many of the parts inside are rubber or plastic. The second problem with this is since the gas is in liquid form it is not expanding as fast and there for is not pushing the paintballs as effectively. This causes a white snow like substance to come out of the barrel of the marker. There are several way that this problem is dealt with, some markers have the guns stored in a vertical position to keep the liquid in the bottom of the tanks. Other markers employ gas lines or expansion chambers, these are basically just tubes or cylinders that run from the tank to the marker and give the C02 a chance to turn from a liquid to a gas.

My Favorite Season of the Year

My favorite season of the year is autumn. There are three main reasons why it is my favorite of the four seasons. During this season nature is an absolute wonder to see, Thanksgiving holiday occurs at this time, and the weather is perfect for many outdoor activities. The first reason I enjoy autumn so much, especially down here in the South, is because nature is such an absolute wonder to see during this time of the year. There are many animals that are preparing for the cold winter. A good way for me to get out in the wilderness and watch these spectacular events take place in nature is to go hunting.It really is a great experience for me. While hunting in the woods, I am enjoying listening to the different sounds that the birds are making. Then, out of nowhere, I hear the sound of dead leaves rustling all around me. I look around to see what is making the noise, and then I see them. Two squirrels are digging around for food. Then, all of a sudden they begin running, and they shoot straight up a tree one behind the other. After they get close to the top, they begin jumping from limb to limb and from tree to tree, one still following the other.Then they eventually disappear. I have seen this happen quite often with both chipmunks and squirrels. They like to sneak and hop around on top of the dead leaves, quickly searching and competing to gather the most nuts and acorns for their families for the winter. Something else I get to see in nature while hunting in the woods is the different beautiful colors of the leaves both up in the treetops and down on the floor of the woods. Some of the leaves are variations of red, golden yellow, or maybe even a combination of the two.Another way I like to see the beautiful leaves that autumn has to offer is to just ride around and take in all the wonderful sights. Seeing the different colors of the leaves is my favorite part of nature during autumn. The leaves really are quite a sight to see. The second reason autumn is my fav orite season is because Thanksgiving occurs during this time. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. It is the holiday for giving thanks to all of those in my life whom I love and care for. There are many things I like about the Thanksgiving holiday.One thing I like is the road trip my family and I take every year to visit our families. My family includes me, my dad and stepmom, my two younger brothers who are seventeen and twelve, my little sister who is nine, and my cousin who is fourteen. On the way traveling to Madisonville, Tennessee, we get to see nature at its prettiest. The treetops are absolutely beautiful with their different shades of red and yellow. It takes us about two hours to get to where we are going, so we have to figure out things to do to entertain ourselves while enjoying the beautiful scenery.One way to spend the time is to talk. We all discuss what has been going on in our lives, such as school, work, politics, and many other areas of life. Something else we do along the way is to play different games like I Spy. We see who can spot the most cars of a certain brand or color, or we play trivia games. Another favorite activity we like to do is to sing songs and just have a grand ole time. For me a road trip like this is a great way to spend quality time with the family. The second reason why Thanksgiving is so appealing to me is because of our great family reunion we have every year.It is a very good time for family members who have not seen one another in a year or more to reunite for Thanksgiving. Some family members who usually show up are the following: of course my great aunts and uncles and my cousins and their sides of the family who live there in Tennessee where we have our reunion, my family from Georgia, including my grandfather and my aunt and uncle, and my aunt and uncle and their children who travel all the way from Texas. It is quite a pleasure for me to see everybody talking and laughing and just having a great tim e enjoying one another’s company.Third, and probably my favorite part about Thanksgiving, is the massive amount of deliciously fulfilling food I get to eat on this wonderful holiday. I probably gain around ten to fifteen pounds throughout the Thanksgiving weekend! Let’s start with appetizers. We have nice, juicy, mouth-watering turkey and chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, green beans, corn on the cob, those sweet English peas that just dissolve in my mouth, homemade macaroni and cheese, all different kinds of pastas and veggies, and one of my favorites, the freshly baked, sweet-smelling, buttered rolls. Mmmmm!I am becoming hungry just thinking about them. Then there are the delicious desserts. My favorites are that creamy banana pudding my aunt makes, pineapple upside down cake, and the sweet, moist strawberry shortcake. But do not be mistaken. We have brownies, different kinds of cakes such as red velvet, German chocolate, regular chocolate, and cheesecake. Oh, and w e have many varieties of tasty pie. So those are some good reasons I enjoy Thanksgiving so much, making autumn my favorite season. The third reason autumn is such an awesome season is that it provides excellent weather for several outdoor activities.I really can appreciate the perfect weather fall brings along with it. Taking a weekend hiking and camping trip with my friends or family out in the wilderness of the mountains is always fun. This is especially true when the sun is out, the temperature stays around fifty to sixty degrees, and the winds are calm throughout the day. On this trip I spend with my friends, we fish from the ice cold river or creek to catch lunch and dinner with the warmth of the sun on our backs. Later, during the evening when the temperature drops, we get the fire started and everybody sits around it and sings, talks, tells stories, and just has a grand ole time.Sitting next to the hot fire, I can feel the heat from the flames warming my face, and my nose bec omes filled with the sweet smell of wood burning. There are other things I like to do as well. I like to go cycling or running and feel the nice cool air blow over my skin to cool my body down. These two activities have three advantages to them. It is good exercise, I can do it almost anywhere, and it is a good way to enjoy those cool days fall has to offer. It’s a three for one deal, baby! All of these are enjoyable activities for me to do with my friends or family, but sometimes I like to do them alone.Mainly, these are some activities that bring people closer together and are enjoyable to do during the fall because the weather is perfect. Autumn is neither too hot nor too cold. It is a season that keeps me active. In conclusion, these are three positive traits about the season of autumn I enjoy the most. Nature is an absolute wonder to see during the season of autumn, Thanksgiving occurs, and the weather during this season is perfect for many outdoor activities. All in all , autumn is the best season of the year and my favorite for these three reasons.

Heat and Temperature Difference Essay Example

Heat and Temperature Difference Essay Example Heat and Temperature Difference Essay Heat and Temperature Difference Essay Heat and Temperature Difference BY abevl 23 Name: Date: Student Exploration: Heat Transfer by Conduction Vocabulary: conduction, convection, insulate, radiation, thermal conductor, thermal energy, thermal insulator Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo. ) Suppose two frying pans have been left on the stove with the burners on. One of the frying pans has a metal handle and the other has a wooden handle. 1 . Which handle do you think you could safely touch? 2. Why do you think one handle will be cooler than the other? Gizmo Warm-up Heat, also called thermal energy, can be transmitted through space (radiation), by oving fluids (convection), or through direct contact. This final method, called conduction, is explored in the Heat Transfer by Conduction Gizmow. To begin, check that Aluminum is selected. Select the BAR CHART tab and turn on Show numerical values. 1. What is the initial temperature of each beaker? Beaker A 95 Beaker B 5 2. Click Play ([pic]) and observe. A. What happens to the temperature of Beaker A over time? Beaker a goes down over time. B. wnat nappens to tne temperature 0T Beaker B over time? Beaker D goes up. 3. Why do you think the temperatures of Beaker A and Beaker B changed as they did? Because of conduction. I Aactivity A: [pic] I Get the Gizmo ready: I Click Reset ([pic]). I I Measuring heat transfer I Check that Aluminum is selected. Question: How does the temperature difference between two containers relate to the rate of temperature change? 1 . Observe: Select the GRAPH tab and press Play. Wait until the temperatures of the two beakers are both close to 50 oc, and use the zoom out button ([pic]) to see the whole graph. Sketch the graph in the space at right. What does the graph show about the rate of temperature change over time? 2. Form hypothesis: How do you think the temperature difference between the eakers relates to the rate of heat transfer? 3. Gather data: Select the TABLE tab. Click Reset, and then click Play. Click Pause ([pic]) every 100 seconds (does not have to be exact). Each time you click Pause, record the temperature of each beaker and their temperature difference in the table below. (To find the temperature difference, subtract the temperature of beaker B from that of beaker A. ) I Ilme (s) I Beaker A temp. I Beaker B temp. difference (oc) 1 1100s I poos 1 1400s 1 1600s (Aactivity A continued on next page) Aactivity A (continued from previous page) lemp. . Calculate: At each time, what is the sum of the temperatures in each beaker? 5. Apply: In this simulation, the beakers are perfectly insulated. This mearns that no thermal energy (heat) is lost to the outside environment. If the beakers were not perfectly insulated, how do you think the sum of their temperatures would change over time? Explai n. 6. Compare: Compare the temperature changes in the 0-100 second interval to the 500-600 second interval. First, record the temperature difference at the start of each interval. Then, calculate how much the temperature in each beaker changed during the interval. I Value 10-100 s interval 1500-600 s interval I emperature OITTerence at tne sta I interval IChange in Beaker A temperature IChange in Beaker B temperature tne time 7. Analyze: How does the rate of temperature change depend on the temperature difference between the two beakers? 8. Think and discuss: Why do you think the rate of temperature change does not stay constant over time? If possible, discuss your answer with your teacher and classmates. I Aactivity B: I I Conductors and insulators ISelect the TABLE tab. Introduction: Materials that allow heat to pass through easily are called thermal conductors. Materials that resist the transfer of heat are called thermal insulators. Questlon: wnlcn materlals are tne Dest conductors? wnlcn are tne worst conductors? 1. Predict: In the Gizmo, you can use aluminum, copper, steel, or glass to connect the two insulated beakers. A. Which material do you think will be the best thermal conductor? B. Which material do you think will be the best thermal insulator? 2. Gather data: With Aluminum selected, click Play. Click Pause after about 200 simulated seconds. Record the temperature of each beaker at 200 seconds. Next, calculate the temperature change of Beaker A. Repeat with each material to complete the table. I Material I Beaker A temp. at Beaker A temp. change (oc) seconds (oc) 3. Analyze: What does your data indicate? I Beaker B temp. at 1200 seconds (oc) I IAIuminum I ICopper I Glass 1200 4. Classify: Which materials would you classify as thermal conductors, and which would you classify as an insulator? Which material was the best thermal conductor? Thermal conductors: Thermal insulator: Best thermal conductor: Apply: A good Trying pan wlll transTer neat qulcKly Trom tne stove Durner to tne food. Based on the results of the Gizmo, which material would be best for frying pans? Why?

The Great Gatsby and the Love of His Life essays

The Great Gatsby and the Love of His Life essays A tragic figure, as described by the Websters Dictionary, is a figure dealing with the sorrowful or terrible side of life. F. Scott Fitzgerald worked this into the title character of his classic, The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby loses his love when he goes to fight in World War I and upon his return, he must live a life filled with sorrow. He continues to pursue this lost love with Daisy Buchanan regardless of the fact that she is now married. Due to Daisys wealth and social status, he considers these aspects of life measures of success. Also, since he spends his time pursuing Daisy, he does not have time to make friends. To an outsider, Jay Gatsby looks like a man who has everything he could ever want, but that is not the case as long as he does not have the one person he wants more than anything else. Jay Gatsby cannot stop thinking about the woman who is no longer his. Everything that he does is for the purpose of being reunited with Daisy Buchanan, a woman he was involved with five years before. She was in love with Gatsby then, but time has passed and now she is married to Tom Buchanan and has a young daughter. In addition to these obstacles, Gatsby fails to grasp that he is not, and can never be, of the same social class as Daisy. He wants to impress her and as a result, he buys a lavish mansion across the bay from their house hoping that Daisy might see him or come to one of the social gatherings that occur there. At his parties, he does not socialize because he is not throwing them to have a good time. Rather, he spends this time trying to find people who know Daisy, so that a coincidental meeting between the two of them can be arranged. At one of the parties, Gatsby finds out that Nick Carraway is her cousin. He then befriends Nick and arranges to see Daisy again . Soon after the two are reunited, Daisys husband finds out about their affair and decides to confront them. At this poi...

Robert F Kennedy vs Francis Broadhurst Essays

Robert F Kennedy vs Francis Broadhurst Essays Robert F Kennedy vs Francis Broadhurst Essay Robert F Kennedy vs Francis Broadhurst Essay Authors demonstrate their arguments in many ways. Writers differ in their organization, mode of discourse, and style in making their arguments. An example is of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Francis Broadhursts essays on the Cape Wind project. The respective essays are of the same topics but with opposing views. Both opinions are neither right nor wrong, it depends on how well the writer supports his case. Kennedy uses descriptions and examples to draw in the reader, while Broadhurst uses statistical evidence and studies to illustrate his point. Facts and research are powerful when speaking to scientists and politicians. But to the average reader and tourists that visit or live in the Nantucket Sound area, the pathos reasoning is far more relatable and hits close to home thus, it is more appealing. Ultimately, Kennedys An Ill Wind off Cape Cod makes a stronger and more effective argument because he can manipulate his readers prospective and outlook on the topic of the Cape Wind project through the organization of the essay, the mode of discourse, and the style in which the essay is written in. Kennedy first begins to create an image of the effects of turbines in Nantucket sound by organizing his essay in a cause and effect style. Kennedy explains the Cape Wind project to his audience, Cape Winds proposal involves construction of 130 giant turbines whose windmill arms will reach 417 feet above the water and be visible for up to 26 miles. This is the cause. The effect is that the turbines will need flashing lights to warn the airplanes and boats that they are in the path of a turbine. And as Kennedy puts it, Hundreds of flashing lights rom the turbines will steal the stars and nighttime views. The turbines will wreck the views of Nantucket Sound, seeing that they will be inescapable; able to be seen and heard from miles away. Another effect the turbines will have is the economy. First of all, the area will lose many of its small businesses like hotels, motels, whale watching tours, and many more due to the decline in tourism that the wind turbines will cause. It is estimated that 2,533 jobs will be lost (using a study from The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University). Secondly, Nantucket Sound is an affluent fishing area. There are hundreds of fishing families in the areas where the Cape Wind project would be built. These families make half their annual income from catching fish. The family-owned businesses will be destroyed from the risk that their gears will become trapped in the cables of the 130 towers. The collapse of the fishing and tourist businesses will cost the local economy over a billion dollars. The cause and effect method is successful in Kennedys essay because the reader can fully understand what the problem is and why it is a bad idea. Furthermore, Kennedy chooses an argumentative mode of discourse. He takes a position on the issue and stands by it. Kennedy opposes the idea of the Cape Wind project on Nantucket Sound. His essay is set up like a persuasive essay. Kennedy begins with exposing his main argument, while acknowledging the other side. He writes As an environmentalist, I support wind power, including wind power on the high seas But I do believe that some places should be off limits to any sort of industrial development. I wouldnt build a wind farm in Yosemite National Park. Nor would I build one on Nantucket Sound Then, Kennedy provides examples and descriptions, one after another. The examples are the body paragraphs of the persuasive essay. They are the reasons and the descriptions are the details that support the examples. The descriptions only strengthen the reasons by adding a sense of reality to the reader because now he or she can visualize it. Kennedy rationalizes that Nantucket Sound is among the most densely traveled boating corridors in the Atlantic. The detail that he supports the reasoning is that the towers will be close to the main navigation channels for cargo ships, ferries, and fishing boats. And because the area is infamous for their fogs and storms, collisions are inevitable. In this way, it is very difficult to not agree with Kennedy, especially because there are consecutive paragraphs that supply the audience with so many examples. Each one is more intense than the last; it starts out with Kennedy pointing out the monetary irresponsibility of Cape Wind and ends with arguments that the turbines impact the local economy and the environment of the Cape region. Kennedy then has concession paragraphs that give points about what his uncle did to help preserve Nantucket Sound and why it needs to be preserved. He agrees that there should be something done to reap the same benefits as the Cape Wind project and suggests alternatives, such as the Scottish deep-water wind project that is also mentioned in Broadhursts essay. The argumentative mode of discourse is makes the essay a powerful case because Kennedy provides reasons for rejecting the wind turbines. The line between an opinion and a legitimate argument is how one defends himself. Kennedy proves to his readers that he can justify his case. Kennedys writing style was big in developing his argument. His use of descriptive language is consistent throughout the entire essay. A very large part in the essay was Kennedys practice of descriptive language and imagery to make his emotional case. The reader can not but be moved when he says, The humane society estimates the whirling turbines could every year kill thousands of migrating songbirds and sea ducks, or when he makes an ardent petition about the charm and appeal of Cape Cod. His central argument is that wind turbines would desecrate the natural beauty of Nantucket Sound and in turn, have adverse effects on the region. Kennedy writes, There are those who argue that Cape Cod is far from pristine and that Cape Winds turbines wont be a significant blot. I invite these critics to see the pods of humpback, minke, pilot, finback, and right whales off Nantucket, to marvel at the thousands of harbor and gray seals lolling, to chase the dark clouds of terns and shorebirds descending over the thick menhaden schools exploding over acre-sized feeding frenzies of striped bass, bluefish, and bonita. He rebuts his opponents allegations using lucid descriptions of Cape Cods magnificence. Kennedy uses description as an extremely effective and central part of his argument against the Cape Wind turbines. The illustration of windmills as instruments of demolition allows him to persuade the readers that the massive wind turbines can destroy the utopian Nantucket Sound. As a result, Kennedy is able to guilt the reader into supporting his anti-Cape Wind position. Kennedy is so successful because he reaches his audience emotionally and tricks them to feel that if they are supporting Cape Wind, they are also supporting a felony against nature in Nantucket Sound itself. Lastly, Kennedys second apparent writing style was the application of a specific tone in his essay. Kennedys enthusiasm and passion for the topic clearly shows throughout the essay, and only adds to his strategy of appealing to the audiences emotions. The passages in which Kennedy discusses the turbines possible impact on fishermen and describes the aesthetic of Cape Cod show that this is an issue that is very close to him. This topic is something that he obviously really cares about, and that helps Kennedy establish his credibility with the reader. He passionately describes the area, I urge them to come diving on some of the hundreds of historic wrecks in this graveyard of the Atlantic, and to visit the endless dune-covered beaches of Cape Cod, our fishing villages immersed in history and beauty, or to spend an afternoon netting blue crabs or mucking clams, quahogs and scallops by the bushel on tidal mud flats He uses words and phrases like beauty and endless dune-covered beaches to draw in the reader and lets them know that he, himself, is very fond of Nantucket Sound. However, there is always a hint of antagonism in his tone; it especially shows when he addresses his critics. He uses words like I invite and I urge to refer to them. The use of the hortative expresses that Kennedy truly wants to prove to the critics that they are wrong. Kennedys tone throughout his piece further permit him to emotionally inspire the audience and consequently, he pulls the reader to his side of the dispute. Kennedys strategy in this essay is clear. He targets the audiences emotions and sympathy in order to win over their vote in opposing wind turbines and he is able to do this through his cause and effect organization, his argumentative mode of discourse, and in his tone and use of imagery. Kennedys essay is well written and successfully defends the argument against wind turbines.

United States History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

United States History - Essay Example The Spanish conquistadors conquered large empires in the New World. The Spanish colonizers had superior military technology and advanced military tactics that enabled them to form alliances with local tribes and carry out surprising attacks to conquer different areas. The Spanish conquistadors would then partition the conquered areas into encomiendas. The encomienda system converted Indians into slaves. In the sixteenth century, Spain had emerged as the most successful colonizer. Other colonizers such as England and France felt threatened by continued success of Spain in colonization. Spain was the first colonize America and had managed to capitalize on vast regions of America while other rivals such as England and France had not entered America. Spanish colonizers managed to acquire vast natural resources from its colonies and develop the economy in its mother country. Although the Spanish government was operating from Madrid it made use of viceroyalties, royal courts of appeal and audencias to manage its colonies in the new world. Megellan started circumnavigating the globe but natives killed him while he was crossing the Pacific. Spaniards then captured Aztec in 1519. In 1507, Waldseemuler named the newly discovered world as America. The terrain was characterized by harsh conditions. Moreover, few native laborers had been reduced to slaves. They could not satisfy the growing number of Spanish settlers. Therefore, Spanish started importing African slaves. Francisco later invaded and conquered Peru. Later on Jamestown was founded in Virginia for English settlement. In 1680, Pope Rebellion led to end of the encomienda system. 2) Describe the major difficulties that early settlers in Virginia encountered and how these difficulties were overcome. The early settlers in Virginia encountered numerous challenges. One of the challenges was hunger and disea ses, which left several of the settlers dead. Most of the settlers were vulnerable to diseases and most could hardly stand diseases. Although most of the settlers died due to famine, a number died from water poisoning. The river water they were using had slime, which caused salt poisoning, typhoid and dysentery. The poisoned water caused an epidemic that killed most of the colonizers. This resulted in disintegration of the leadership. Moreover, most of the remaining settlers were ill and could hardly work. In the early 1608, there was a fire that destroyed the fort as well as the colonist dwelling and provisions. This left the colonizers without food and they had to depend on Indians. Around 1609 major hunger had affected Virginia, resulted in instances of malnutrition, and made settlers vulnerable to diseases. Moreover, the local Indians retaliated and would and times attack the settler. The settlers overcome the challenges by carrying out faming to obtain food. Additionally, they would use guns to threaten the Indian attackers. Moreover, the settlers built a wall around their houses to prevent themselves from the attacks. The settler’s leaders such kept recruiting new settlers to replace the dead ones, which helped the colony survive. Moreover, the settlers imported slaves from Africa to help in the faming. 3) Define mercantilism and describe the obligations of the colonies under England’s mercantilist policies. Mercantilism was an economic system adopted by England, which was based on the belief the national wealth depended on the contribution of the colonies in supplying resources such as precious metal and purchasing the goods

Cause and effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cause and effect - Essay Example Indeed, at the very early stages, there was very little to show as the advantage and merits of space program and so many were they who felt that the program did not need to continue. But after decades of journey into space, there is much evidence to suggest that much revelations are being made about space life that are highly necessary for the survival of the human race on earth. If for nothing at all, the earth as we know it to be today was not discovered in a day. In fact the five planets of the earth were discovered at different times in world history but together, a collective society of planet called earth can be boasted about, being connected with a simple device called the computer, causing the whole earth to be nothing more than a global village. So who knows what the future relationship between the earth and space would become? Will it be prudent to stop the battle half way? Why would it be necessary to see the glass as half full instead of half empty? Indeed, if the discove ry of the various continents had been seen as a waste of money at any point in time, there is no the regional benefits being enjoyed today would have been present. The following points shed more light on reasons why continual investment into space program should continue to be seen as a necessity for the country and not as a liability. Hub of Resources for Medicinal Purposes There is evidence to the effect that the survival of the human race is highly dependent on medicine and for that matter, the pharmaceutical industry. This is because this industry has been responsible for the production of life saving drugs that have protected the human cells from depleting and destroying at a rate, faster than it was originally created to be (Doniger, 1999). But has the medicine industry come to that stage where it can be said that it has completed its entire breakthrough with medicine and drug production? The simple answer is no. as a matter of fact there remains so much to be done such that m an has resorted to the use of the weirdest forms of interventions, only to make discoveries and breakthroughs in medicines. So for the fact that after 1985 Dan Carter joined the NAASA and came back from space with the development of space-produced crystal used in the production of atomic components of albumin, which acts as an essential human protein (Adamu, 2012) would be called a useful discovery associated with investment in space. Knowing cancer to be one of the deadliest medical conditions that man has ever battled, it is refreshing to note that the findings made through the space-produce crystal led to the development of various cancer drugs and skin care medicines (Wagner, 2006). If such precious resource exists in space for the medicinal need and use of humankind, there can certainly not be a justification on why investment into space program should be halted – for who knows; tomorrow may be the discovery of resources for the production of drugs to cure AIDS. Advancem ent in Information Technology There is a saying that if you do not know where you are going, any road takes you there but you will never knows whether you have reached (Brophy, 2002). In simple terms, not

Entrepreneurship and venture creation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Entrepreneurship and venture creation - Essay Example In the current scenario, concept of entrepreneurship has expanded, in terms of including social and political activity. Entrepreneurs are often regarded as leaders who are even denoted as risk takers. These leaders undertake risks so as to accomplish set goals and explore market opportunities. Entrepreneurs are even inclined towards planning, employing and organizing resources. There are two forms of entrepreneurial skills – to improve upon existing product line or design a completely new product. Changing mind set is also observed within entrepreneurs and this leads to formation of social entrepreneur, knowledge entrepreneur, political entrepreneur, etc. Successful entrepreneurs basically possess two important attributes such as team building skills and management skills (Audretsch and Lehman, 2005). A new business idea is also generated by Marvin Hill as per the case study. Marvin Hill in present scenario is a multi-millionaire. He has been able to deliver creative ideas and develop solutions for market based problems. Marvin Hill had worked for Ford Motor Company since six years and then he decided to shift towards building his new business. He was determined to design computer aided software for providing assistance to engineering projects. This CAD software was a relief for many large scale organizations that undertake engineering projects. MarvCAD Inc., had been able to acquire desirable profit margins within few years of its incorporation. The company was more inclined towards addressing critical issues related to engineering products. Software quality designed by Marvin Hill was much higher and it was user friendly. Users could easily work with CAD in terms of facilitating search capabilities, visual, proprietary and website content, audio, etc. The different pieces of this software were highly customized and modularized. It enabled users to attach add-ins as and when required.

Insurance Claim Follow-Up Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Insurance Claim Follow-Up - Essay Example The follow-up process of insurance claims is essential, especially when such claims are unpaid. It is important to follow up unpaid insurance claims in order to ensure that relevant authorizations are made, and that the underlying payment will actually be made. Without follow-ups, claims that are not authorized are hard to detect (Padfield, 2012). This may lead to the clinics or hospitals realizing deteriorating financial well-being. Following up insurance claims especially those that are not paid confirms whether or not claim records are available to the insurer. This facilitates timely reimbursements by ensuring that claims are correctly and timely filed. Finally, the follow-up informs the claiming party of the claims that have been approved, those that have been denied, and those that are likely to be underpaid. In so doing, mistakes related to insurance claims are easy to detect and correct. Therefore, insurance follow-up ensures that the insured-insurer dealings do not jeopardize the normal operations and performance of

Is outsourcing work to other countries a good thing or a bad thing Essay

Is outsourcing work to other countries a good thing or a bad thing - Essay Example This essay discusses that in an increasingly globalized world, the physical boundaries for international and even domestic firms are vanishing fast. The interconnected nature of the world has made it possible for the firms to continuously look for better ways of conducting their business. Outsourcing is also considered one such step towards achieving efficiency and reducing costs. Outsourcing is not a recent phenomenon as firms at international and national level often engaged themselves in such activities since long. Some of the reasons for outsourcing include reducing the overall cost of business as well as regaining or developing the competitive advantage by outsourcing those activities which do not fall under the core competencies of the firms. International firms also take advantage of this as they can achieve the economies of scale at relatively rapid rate as well as get the benefit of cost advantage over their competitors. It is however, important to understand that due to out sourcing of the jobs and functions, resources from one country move to another country. It has been politically debated that due to outsourcing, jobs have been relocated to other countries and as such domestic jobs are being relocated to other countries. There is a widespread debate that as a result of outsourcing the overall number of jobs available is reducing as well as they also create skill shortages. The relocation to new jobs therefore not only results into getting low paid jobs but also significantly reduce the overall quality of life of the workers. One of the key reasons as to why I have chosen this topic is the overall magnitude and volume of outsourcing work to other countries. US is probably the largest country which has outsourced many activities to countries which can offer American firms a distinctive competitive advantage. Above all, this topic can also affect the way future dynamics for the employment will shape and might help in determining my own future once I st ep into the practical field. This paper will therefore discuss whether outsourcing work to other countries is a good or bad thing. Competitive Nature of the Business Before discussing different arguments and issues, it is important to discuss and outline the theoretical background of the phenomenon of outsourcing. It is argued that the business in current times is changing very fast and the overall dynamics of doing business have rapidly changed. The way firms compete with each other therefore requires that the management of the firm becomes more pro-active in approach and design and develop strategies which can offer it a consistent and sustainable competitive advantage. There can be different reasons for such increase in capital however, globalization and the resulting opening of the markets for international firms has become one of the key reasons as to why the international and domestic firms have increasingly open to new ideas and strategies. Globalization has also allowed the firms to move beyond their traditional physical boundaries and access the markets which are either more profitable or cost effective. (Schniederjans, Schniederjans, & Schniederjans, 2005). Such nature of markets therefore has made them more competitive. Outsourcing It is important to understand that in order to decide whether a firm should outsource or not should consider its overall goals and objectives of the firm. A critical evolution of the firm’s overall objectives and goals therefore require that the firm must decide in its best interest before going for outsourcing. It is also critical that a firm must get a clear and well-defined insight about its core and non-core competencies because outsourcing of non-core activities of the firm is more dominating. It is important therefore that in order to successfully outsource, the correct identification of the core competencies of the firm is essential and failure to do so may result into spending of firm’s resources on things which can significantly impact the firm. Outsourcing is defined as â€Å"

Short Paper 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Short Paper 1 - Essay Example At most, what was achieved was a failed attempt to establish morality and anarchaic is the order of the day. One may dispute this by raising the argument that nations are forming groups and alliances with the objective of making this world better by fostering peace, economic prosperity, harmony and cooperation. Nobody can dispute that. It can even be added that there is the UN with its councils and courts, the WTO, the G7, NATO, ASEAN or what have you. But the question is, were they ever successful in their objectives. The glaring truth is No and morality will only be considered when it serves a certain purpose but in reality, it really has no place as nations asserts with their selfish interest. Can you blame them? No. We cannot blame because nations has to advance the interest, welfare and security of its own people and country even if it means transgressing other countries. What is moral is becomes relative and immorality can be twisted to something moral to justify an interest. Y ou just cannot be nice in international arena otherwise you will be eaten alive. One may protest that this is a very harsh description of international arena but harsh as it is, it is true. We can cite many recent examples and we do not have to go far. In the United States, the anarchaic war of terror is plaguing us and the way it is waged on us is devoid of morals. Imagine killing innocent civilians just to destroy our way of life. And the way we respond cannot be categorized as moral no matter how we justify it that we are the good guys. We kill, we bomb, we torture people, we connive and manipulate other governments just to achieve our end. Is that orderly as contrary to anarchy or moral as we would like it to be? The answer is a glaring no. What made the situation worst is that we and everyone else never learned the lesson of history and experience. We all know that war is a lose-lose situation where its destructive force knows no one. But look around, the international arena is anarchaic war of all as if we never knew the concept of morality. Syria is now undergoing a brutal civil war. In Libya, we help them oust their former dictator Gaddafi thinking that they will be grateful to us. Instead, they attacked our embassy and killed our personnel. Now, you may ask where is order and morals there? Isn’t that a classic examply of anarcy where all is against all because you are not sure who your allies are? Perhaps one is inclined to wonder why we are so predisposed to war and anarchy? The answer is obvious. For as long as there is conflict of interst, there will always be anarchy and our sense of morals will always be set aside in pursuit of our interest. Dostoyoevsky already anticipated this as he wrote a sketchy outline in his short essay The Dream of a Ridiculous Man that anarchy without morals is about to happen as we esteemed governments advancing our interests as people. Why not esteem them? They get elected and it is morally upright for governmen t to assert the aspiration of the people they represent. The problem is, this interests could also be in conflict with other countries who also have the same mandate to assert the interest of their people. So what happens next? Conflict ensued and anarchy became the order of the day despite of the efforts to establish order and morals only exist in words to justifiy a nation’s interest. The clear example is the conflict going on in Sabah. The Sultan of Jolo had been the traditional ruler of Sabah and they had the island

Insurance Claim Follow-Up Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Insurance Claim Follow-Up - Essay Example The follow-up process of insurance claims is essential, especially when such claims are unpaid. It is important to follow up unpaid insurance claims in order to ensure that relevant authorizations are made, and that the underlying payment will actually be made. Without follow-ups, claims that are not authorized are hard to detect (Padfield, 2012). This may lead to the clinics or hospitals realizing deteriorating financial well-being. Following up insurance claims especially those that are not paid confirms whether or not claim records are available to the insurer. This facilitates timely reimbursements by ensuring that claims are correctly and timely filed. Finally, the follow-up informs the claiming party of the claims that have been approved, those that have been denied, and those that are likely to be underpaid. In so doing, mistakes related to insurance claims are easy to detect and correct. Therefore, insurance follow-up ensures that the insured-insurer dealings do not jeopardize the normal operations and performance of

Short Paper 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Short Paper 1 - Essay Example At most, what was achieved was a failed attempt to establish morality and anarchaic is the order of the day. One may dispute this by raising the argument that nations are forming groups and alliances with the objective of making this world better by fostering peace, economic prosperity, harmony and cooperation. Nobody can dispute that. It can even be added that there is the UN with its councils and courts, the WTO, the G7, NATO, ASEAN or what have you. But the question is, were they ever successful in their objectives. The glaring truth is No and morality will only be considered when it serves a certain purpose but in reality, it really has no place as nations asserts with their selfish interest. Can you blame them? No. We cannot blame because nations has to advance the interest, welfare and security of its own people and country even if it means transgressing other countries. What is moral is becomes relative and immorality can be twisted to something moral to justify an interest. Y ou just cannot be nice in international arena otherwise you will be eaten alive. One may protest that this is a very harsh description of international arena but harsh as it is, it is true. We can cite many recent examples and we do not have to go far. In the United States, the anarchaic war of terror is plaguing us and the way it is waged on us is devoid of morals. Imagine killing innocent civilians just to destroy our way of life. And the way we respond cannot be categorized as moral no matter how we justify it that we are the good guys. We kill, we bomb, we torture people, we connive and manipulate other governments just to achieve our end. Is that orderly as contrary to anarchy or moral as we would like it to be? The answer is a glaring no. What made the situation worst is that we and everyone else never learned the lesson of history and experience. We all know that war is a lose-lose situation where its destructive force knows no one. But look around, the international arena is anarchaic war of all as if we never knew the concept of morality. Syria is now undergoing a brutal civil war. In Libya, we help them oust their former dictator Gaddafi thinking that they will be grateful to us. Instead, they attacked our embassy and killed our personnel. Now, you may ask where is order and morals there? Isn’t that a classic examply of anarcy where all is against all because you are not sure who your allies are? Perhaps one is inclined to wonder why we are so predisposed to war and anarchy? The answer is obvious. For as long as there is conflict of interst, there will always be anarchy and our sense of morals will always be set aside in pursuit of our interest. Dostoyoevsky already anticipated this as he wrote a sketchy outline in his short essay The Dream of a Ridiculous Man that anarchy without morals is about to happen as we esteemed governments advancing our interests as people. Why not esteem them? They get elected and it is morally upright for governmen t to assert the aspiration of the people they represent. The problem is, this interests could also be in conflict with other countries who also have the same mandate to assert the interest of their people. So what happens next? Conflict ensued and anarchy became the order of the day despite of the efforts to establish order and morals only exist in words to justifiy a nation’s interest. The clear example is the conflict going on in Sabah. The Sultan of Jolo had been the traditional ruler of Sabah and they had the island

Sample Speech To Persuade Essay Example for Free

Sample Speech To Persuade Essay I. Body The problem that we are facing is the deadly intersection of H Street an Laurel Avenue. This intersection is dangerous to us all because it has no stop light. According to a summary of Lompoc City Police reports filed within the last 14 months, there have been 19 collisions at the corner of H Street and Laurel Avenue. Of these, 19 collisions, 11 were attributed to the failure of East/West Laurel Avenue traffic to stop at H Street. The remaining 8 accidents were attributed to motorist traveling North and South on H Street, striking cars in the rear that had just turned on to H street from Laurel Avenue. An analysis of Lompoc traffic accidents was prepared by Mr. J. T. Brown of the California Department of Motor Vehicles Mishap Investigation Division, and published February 22nd,1996. In this analysis, the underlying cause of these specific 19 traffic accidents was listed as the lack of adequate traffic control at the intersection of H Street and Laurel Avenue. The analysis further went on to site the installation of a traffic signal as the recommended solution. I have copies of both the Summary of Lompoc City Police reports and Mr. Browns analysis If you would care to review them for yourself later. Well, now that weve examined the nature of the threat we are facing lets take a look at what has been done so far t defend against this threat. II. Debate by city officials and increased patrols by law enforcement have not solved the problem. The Lompoc City Council has debated installing a traffic signal. During the last two City Council meetings held in January and February of this year, the council acknowledged the need for a traffic signal but concluded that the cost of $127,000.00 would take away from funds needed for other city projects. Police increased patrol of this dangerous area from October to December of 1996. 6 of the 19 accidents occurred during this three month period. Police can not be permanently assigned to observe one intersection. Manning just wont permit that. According to Patrolman Danny Glover, a Lompoc City Policeman who was involved in the additional patrol of the H Street and Laurel Avenue intersection area (and I quote) While Police were present and visible, people were normally more careful, but when no police were present it was business as usual. So weve taken a look at what has been done so far, now lets look at what we can do to further protect ourselves. III. In order to protect ourselves and those we love, we can drive defensively, but most importantly, we must demand a traffic light be installed without further delay. Driving defensively is always a good idea. Just being aware of a dangerous situation will naturally make us more alert. The more attentive we are anywhere, but particularly at this dangerous intersection, the more apt we are to avoid an accident. but driving defensively is just not enough. We must have that traffic signal and we must have it NOW!!! When we get this traffic signal installed we will all be safer. Tragedies will be prevented. The city council must hear our voices. Remember, 27 people have already been seriously injured and 4 have died at this intersection. $127,000.00 may be a lot of money but can we afford not to spend it on a traffic signal for the intersection of Laurel Avenue and H Street? How long will it be before you and I are one of those accident victims? How often do you use this Intersection? Will you use this intersection tonight when you leave class? We cant wait any longer !!!!! If we do not act now and demand the installation of this traffic signal then we will be contributing to the injuries and deaths and pain to surviving families because of our lack of action. We must act now!! The next City Council meeting will be held April 12th, next Thursday at 7:00 p.m.. The agenda includes comments and a call to vote on this traffic signal issue. The more of us who attend that council meeting and support immediate installation of a traffic signal, the better the chance we will have of getting it. Ladies and Gentlemen, attend that meeting with me and with me, demand this traffic signal be installed immediately!!! Conclusion 1. Summary: Well, tonight we took a look at the nature of a serious problem we are all facing. The Intersection of Laurel Avenue and H Street is a disaster waiting to happen to you and me and those we love. Remember the two separate documents which point to the lack of a traffic signal at this dangerous intersection as a prime contributing factor in the accidents which occurred there. Remember the 27 injured and 4 who were killed there, not one block from where we are right now. Then we discussed what has been done so far by both city officials and law enforcement to deal with this problem. We saw that the City Council has been debating installing a traffic signal. We saw that the Police Department tried increased patrol of the area. But remember the words of Patrolman Glover, when he said that as soon as police were not immediately present it was business as usual. And finally, We looked at what we can do to further protect ourselves from the threat posed by the serious problem of no traffic signal at the corner of H Street and Laurel Avenue. Remember, driving defensively is always a good idea. But most importantly, we saw that the immediate installation of a traffic signal is our best defense against this threat and we need to let our City Council know that we cant wait any longer. 2. Purpose Statement: So, ladies and gentlemen, now you have the information that can literally save your life. And so the time for action is here. I urge you to go to the City Council meeting with me next Thursday at 7:00 p.m. and demand a traffic signal be installed at the intersection of Laurel Avenue and H Street immediately!!! 3. Closure: If you need a ride to the meeting or if you have any questions, see me after class. Ill be happy to talk with you.

Consequences Of Cell Phone Use While Driving English Language Essay

Consequences Of Cell Phone Use While Driving English Language Essay Cell phone use while driving should be illegal everywhere because 1) it causes major distraction, 2) it can cause harm to the driver and others near the driver, and 3) it shows negative influence on young people. In more ways than one, using a cell phone while driving has been proven to be a dangerous thing for people to do. The cases of fatal automobile accidents, related to cell phone use while driving, have risen dramatically over the past few years. The majority of these accidents are younger people, usually 25 years of age and younger. A new study confirms that the reaction time of cell phone users slows dramatically, increasing the risk of accidents and tying up traffic in general, and when young adults use cell phones while driving, theyre as bad as sleepy septuagenarians (Britt). David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah says if you put a 20-year-old behind the wheel with a cell phone, their reaction times are the same as a 70-year-old driver who is not using a cell phone. Its like instantly aging a large number of drivers (Britt). The use of a cell phone while driving causes more negative incidents than positive incidents. It causes road rage from other drivers, traffic jams, minor accidents and even fatal accidents: According to the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the journals publisher, cell phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year. . . . Drivers talking on cell phones were 18 percent slower to react to brake lights, the new study found. In a minor bright note, they also kept a 12 percent greater following distance. But they also took 17 percent longer to regain the speed they lost when they braked. That frustrates everyone. . . . Once drivers on cell phones hit the brakes, it takes them longer to get back into the normal flow of traffic. The net result is they are impeding the overall flow of traffic. (Britt) Now, after looking into more research, it seems that cell phone use while driving is more dangerous than most people make it out to be; teenagers seem to be the worst at this. The cell phone has many applications on them now days and some are more distracting than others. For example, a young girl is driving down the road at 55 miles per hour and her cell phone rings. She reaches across the car to grab it, takes a quick look at the screen to see who it is, looks back up and sees she is about to rear end another vehicle. Even though her reaction time is slowed from normal, she slams the breaks on just in time to avoid a major collision. Only minor damage is done to both vehicles and luckily no one is hurt. This young girl only took a quick look off the road, but still put herself and others in danger. Now, another young girl is driving down a road, in a school zone, doing only 15 miles per hour and her cell phone goes off as well, only hers is a text message from her boyfriend. She lo oks down at the screen, eyes off the road, same as girl number one, only her eyes are off the road for a longer period of time. She takes time to read the text, only to briefly look at the road, and looks back at the screen to send a text message back. With one hand on the wheel, one hand on the cell phone, texting, and her eyes on the cell phone, she hits a young child and her mother walking across the street. This accident just so happens to be a fatal one. Next, let us talk about hands free cell phones. People may and probably will argue these are not dangerous or distracting at all, but in fact, they are just as distracting. Whether a person is texting or just talking, their concentration is broken. People think that if they are just talking and listening, with eyes still on the road, not taking them off, that they are just as alert as a driver not talking on a cell phone. According to Strayer and his colleagues, those people are wrong. This is what Strayer and his colleagues found: In 2001, they found that even hands-free cell phone use distracted drivers. In 2003, they revealed a reason: Drivers look but do not see, because they are distracted by the conversation. The scientists also found previously that chatty motorists are less adept than drunken drivers with blood alcohol levels exceeding 0.08. (Britt) A man named Arthur Kramer, who led an Illinois study, stated these words: With younger adults, everything got worse, . . . . Both young adults and older adults tended to show deficits in performance. They made more errors in detecting important changes and they took longer to react to the changes' (Britt). It was documented by Robert Roy Britt, the publisher of this article, that the impaired reactions involved seconds, not just fractions of a second, so stopping distances increased by car-lengths. A study, done by Strayer, showed the following results: The latest study used high-tech simulators. It included people aged 18 to 25 and another group aged 65 to 74. Elderly drivers were slower to react when talking on the phone, too. The simulations uncovered a twofold increase in the number of rear-end collisions by drivers using cell phones. Older drivers seem to be more cautious overall, however. Older drivers were slightly less likely to get into accidents than younger drivers, Strayer said. They tend to have a greater following distance. Their reactions are impaired, but they are driving so cautiously they were less likely to smash into somebody. But in real life, he added, older drivers are significantly more likely to be rear-ended because of their slow speed. (Britt) Not only is it a problem with the younger people using cell phones while driving, but older people as well. Even though, the older people had better reaction time, it is still dangerous, regardless. No matter how cautious a person is, a distraction is a distraction. It takes away from the important things that need to be focused on and still poses threats and dangers to all those involved. Okay, let us focus on texting while driving. As said before, texting while driving takes a lot more concentration than just simply talking. Not only does it take a persons mental concentration away, but physical concentration as well, also known as the eye site. It takes more time to text someone than it does to simply answer a call. People are killed in fatal accidents due to the use of cell phones while driving and the rise in numbers is just ridiculous. In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a young girls mother was killed, while driving, but she was not the person using the cell phone, the other driver was. A story, done on this accident, by Doug Warner from News 9, seems to have touched some peoples hearts: Jennifer Smiths mother was killed at a northwest Oklahoma City intersection less than a year ago. You never know how irreplaceable your mother is and how much of you your mother is. The day your mother passes away, youll never be the same, Smith said. Linda Doyle would have turned 62 this past Sunday. But on September 3, 2008, she was hit and killed on Northwest Expressway by a driver who was distracted by his cell phone. Every day I want to yell at people and tell them to put the phone down, Smith said. Now Lindas smiling face is on billboards across the country including one along Interstate 40 near downtown, which towers above drivers who continue to risk Death by Cell Phone. Awareness is always the best approach up front to see if you can get people to change habits, but some youre not going to get to, said David Koeneke with the National Safety Council. Koeneke said the billboards arent the perfect solution but are certainly a step in educating the public to the dangers of mixing cell phones and driving. Smith, who often returns to her native Oklahoma City, hopes to help warn Oklahoma drivers and make a difference in the state by sharing the facts, like how texting and driving is considered worse than drunk driving. I dont want to be on the road with 100 million drunk drivers, Smith said. Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas have all passed some level of cell phone restrictions. Missouri and Oklahoma have not. Smith said she isnt sure what Oklahoma is waiting on. In Oklahoma, I know all the bills have been thrown out or squashed, and Im just hoping when they see the neighboring states are doing this, that theyll jump on board, Smith said. It seems like you have to hear the horror stories before changes will be made, Im afraid. Horror stories like Linda Doyles death by a cell phone. My mother is gone and Im only 35, Smith said. Chris Hill, who caused the crash, never served a day in jail, but he said he now lives with a heavy burden for the rest of his life. Right then, I was screaming, witnesses coming up holding me up because I couldnt handle it. I knew what had happened. I knew right then I had killed her, Hill said. After reading a story like this, one would think it would convince more people to take more caution with using cell phones while driving. Sadly, it does not really do anything. People will show sympathy and say things referring to how awful it is that something like that happened, but just as soon as it is all said and done, the majority of them are already back on the road . . . using their cell phones while they are driving. In addition to the previous statements, what other things are said about cell phone use while driving. For instance, the cell phone use, or as some call it, multi-tasking, has been referred to as aggressive driving. Dr. Leon James says this about it: There is a tendency to think that multi-tasking while driving is the cause of driver inattention or distraction. This belief leads to demands for new laws that restrict or ban the use of in-car communication devices such as phones and computers. But the correct argument is that multi-tasking can lead to driver distraction when drivers havent properly trained themselves to use the new car gadgets. This is true for older devices like the familiar radio and CD as well as the new, like GPS, phones, and e-mail. So its true that multi-tasking becomes the occasion for drivers to make more mistakes, when they fail to train themselves properly. This increased training is a joint responsibility of the individual driver and the government. Multi-tasking behind the wheel is a matter of degree and all drivers are responsible for determining when they need additional self-training activities. When drivers overstep this line, they become socially and legally responsible. Drivers who allow themselves to be distracted by their multi-tasking activities are increasing the risk factor for themselves and imposing that dangerous limit on otherspassengers, other drivers, pedestrians. This increased risk to which others are subjected is thus similar to other driver behavior that are considered aggressive and illegal: going through red lights, failing to yield, exceeding safe speed limits, reckless weaving, drinking and driving, driving sleepy or drowsy, road rage, etc. Even though Dr. Leon James believes this: But the correct argument is that multi-tasking can lead to driver distraction when drivers havent properly trained themselves to use the new car gadgets, the so-called multi-tasking should still become illegal. No matter how well-trained a person thinks they are at multi-tasking while driving, their concentration is still broken and taken away from the road. As soon as a person takes their eyes off the road to answer a call or respond to a text, they are automatically putting their lives and everyone elses lives around them, in danger. How many people are going to have to be seriously injured or even killed before people start to realize how dangerous cell phone use while driving actually is? People run red lights, break speed limits and go all over the road when intoxicated. The same things happen when people use cell phones behind the wheel, so what exactly is the difference? The majority of automobile accidents, mainly during the daytime, are caused by the distraction of the cell phone. Jennifer Claerr published an article in May of 2007 about the dangers and effects of cell phone use behind the wheel. Jennifer found this: A recent study has shown that while dialing was found to be the most common cause of crashes (one has to take his eyes off the road to dial) the simple act of talking on a cell phone, even on a headset, was a proven distraction and caused accidents. Cell phone users are four times more likely than non-cell phone users to be involved in an accident. In these studies, the conversation itself was as distracting as dialing or calling up messages. People who talk on a cell phone while driving develop an extremely narrow focus, and become unaware of many of the things happening around them on the road. (Claerr) After taking a look at just this excerpt, it should make people think. There have been many people that have been either cut off, been hit, or have been close to being hit by a driver using a cell phone. Claerr expresses another opinion of her own that most people should most definitely agree with: A lot of advocates of cell phone use while driving cite that some studies have shown the total number of accidents and fatalities from cell phone use is small. However, they miss the point. Cell phone use while driving is a totally unnecessary activity, and if even only one fatality is caused by it, the practice is unacceptable. As a result of people using cell phones while driving, kids, parents, and people of all ages are being hurt and even killed. How do people expect to drive safely when their attention is focused on other things besides the road and other drivers around them? As a result, many people are hurt badly and even killed, on a daily basis because of the distractions caused by cell phones use while driving. How many fatalities are going to happen before people realize how dangerous their habits can be? How many children are going to have to lose their parents, or for that matter, how many parents are going to have to lose their children before this danger can be stopped? No one will ever know the answer. All that can be done, as of now, is to try the best ways that can be done.