Effect of Light Color on Plants

Introduction Living organisms have been classified by humans according to several different characteristics, one of them being the manner in which they obtain nutritive organic molecules (1), in other words, their food. Plants are denominated as autotrophs, organisms that can produce their own food from abiotic sources surrounding them, such as light, carbon dioxide and water (2). Plants use these three factors in photosynthesis to convert light energy into chemical energy, which is then stored until the plant needs it, or used right away (3). The process of photosynthesis takes place on organelles (substructures inside eukaryotic cells) called chloroplasts, more specifically, on the membrane of the thylakoids inside the chloroplasts, where protein complexes known as photosystems are situated. It’s these complexes that are responsible for the photosynthetic processes. Because this is the main way in which plants obtain their food, and light energy is the base of said process, light is absolutely essential for their growth. Sunlight contains many different wavelengths which, when isolated, present different colors of visible light. Plants cannot use all wavelengths of light, however, because the different chlorophylls (pigments in the plants’ chloroplasts, also responsible for photosynthesis) absorb and use only certain wavelengths of light ; the rest is reflected back out, unused (4). Exposed to sunlight, plants have available to them, a range of wavelengths wider than the light spectrum visible to us, from which they utilize only a select range for photosynthesizing. This essay will investigate the effect light color/wavelength has on plant germination and rate of photosynthesis. Cellophane sheets of different colors (red, yellow, blue, green) and clear plastic wrap were used to provide these limited wavelengths . The experiments dealing with germination consisted of different seeds being planted separately from other species and being covered by the different colored cellophane or the clear wrap; they were then watered and monitored for a week, taking note of any growth. The plants used were the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), brown mustard (Brassica juncea), and common oats (Avena sativa). For the photosynthesis rate experiment, same sized Brazilian waterweeds (Egeria densa) were inserted in eudiometer tubes filled with water and then placed in a beaker half-filled with water. Each test tube was wrapped with a different color, and the volume of oxygen produced, through photosynthesis, by each of the plants was compared. Beans, specifically all the plants under the genus Phaseolus, are amongst the fastest growing plants and are said to germinate within a week. To make them germinate faster, it’s usually recommended to soak them in water before planting because hydrating the seeds stimulates germination. (5) They also benefit from warm temperatures because they are native to more tropical climates (6). They need to be planted in well drained soil because they aren’t tolerant to water excess. Mustard is also among the fastest sprouting plants, but its growth afterwards is relatively slow as it’s meant to grow flower buds five weeks later. It does better in cool conditions than warm and can usually withstand short periods of mild drought with little to now consequences. In addition, it too, is not tolerant to water clogging in the soil (7). Oats are native to warm, sub-tropical regions and can manage well in poor soils (8) but they also require good water draining . The Experiments Germination Fifteen equally sized plastic containers (cylindrical in shape, approximately 8cm in diameter and 6cm in height) were filled with the same amount of soil. Five of them were allotted to each plant species; making sure to add the same amount of seeds in each segment (comparing to the same species, since the size of the beans and oats is much greater than the brown mustard seeds and would therefore be unreasonable to compare their numbers). Each of the containers was covered with cellophane of a different color (red, blue, yellow, green, or clear plastic wrap) and secured with a rubber band so that each species had a sample exposed to each different light color. They were watered with normal tap water, placed next to the same windowpane for a week and monitored every day. The cellophane secured with the rubber band created a seal that was too tight, preventing excess water from evaporating which overloaded the plants with water and deprived them of enough oxygen. Towards the end of the week, the plants were left covered by the cellophane, but unsecured by the rubber band so that the water was able to evaporate, to provide the dry mass of the samples, which were on average 0. 06g lighter than at the beginning of the week, when they were planted . The mass measured included the seeds, soil and plastic container. Even though an unknown type of fungus started growing in the containers because of the high humidity and warm temperature, some shoots were visible (Table 1). Cellophane ColorQualitative Data Red Some oat and mustard shoots, fungus growth Yellow Fungus growth, no shoots visible Green Oat and some mustard shoots visible, some fungus growth Blue Some oat and few mustard shoots, fungus growth Clear Fungus growth, no shoots visible These samples were discarded and a new method was devised: A cardboard egg container was cut into fifteen separate segments (for the five colors for each of the three species) which were to be used instead of the plastic containers to allow excess water to evaporate through the porous walls and bottom of the cardboard. These segments were then loosely filled in with cotton-wool. After the first experiment, where seeds drowned and fungus started to grow instead because of the excess of water, cotton seemed the best substitute for soil; it would allow for even dispersal of water, a lot of more light would be able to reach the seeds, it would be easier to observe the germination process, and since the cotton didn’t weigh practically anything, it would be easy to measure the change of plant mass on a scale. The segments were weighed once they had the cotton and seeds in them; their mass was noted down individually. A thin layer of cotton was placed on top of the seeds so they would retain moisture above them as well as below, but still allowing light to reach them. Then, the segments were watered with a handheld sprayer until the cotton was thoroughly moist and then were weighed again. To provide the different light coloring, one sample of each species was placed underneath a handmade cover fashioned out of bamboo and cellophane. These covers (Figure 1) provided the needed space for the plants to grow, free flow of air, and control of light shining on the plants. The cotton wool wasn’t a good substitute for soil since it retained little water and evaporated too quickly for the plants to take it in; it mostly bled into the cardboard, which, because of its porous nature, allowed for further evaporation of water. The results are shown in the following table: Color of CellophaneQualitative Data Red Few mustard shoots + very few oat shoots Yellow Very few mustard shoots Green Mustard shoots* + oat shoots ~4cm Blue Mustard shoots* + oat shoots ~3cm Clear Mustard shoots* + oat shoots ~6cm New cardboard segments were cut out and filled in with soil this time. Care was taken to add the same amount of soil (~ 4. 25g) and water (2. 0g) to each container at the beginning of the experiment. The following three days, the amount of water was altered from day to day to find the adequate amount of water that could be retained by the soil without too much bleeding into the cardboard container (since this would weaken its structure and remain unused by the plant); the conclusion was derived that the amount of water should be of the same mass as half of the soil in the container in order to maximize water intake by the plant: about 2. 5g. The results can be seen in Table 3 on the following page. Color of CellophaneQualitative Data Red Mustard sprouts* Yellow No growth Green Mustard sprouts * + oat shoots ~5cm Blue Mustard sprouts* + oat shoots ~8cm Clear Mustard sprouts* + oat shoots ~8cm Photosynthesis Rate The rate of photosynthesis was measured through the volume of oxygen produced in a set amount of time. To do this, six eudiometer tubes were wrapped with different color cellophane (one was left bare, to be the control) and filled with tap water. Next, six strands of Brazilian waterweeds were cut to the same size, each inserted into an eudiometer tube and then placed in a half filled beaker. The eudiometers were held with clamps on a stand and left next to wide windows to photosynthesize at their own rate. The oxygen produced by the plants floated to the surface creating bubbles that could then be measured and compared to each other. The sunlight provided was insufficient however, and the oxygen produced was too little to be measured accurately, but there were clear differences between the different samples; the waterweed in the red light was the one the produced most oxygen, followed by the green, then the blue, yellow, and clear. The control, the one without any cover, was the one that produced the least oxygen. After the experimentation, the data collected was reviewed to determine the most beneficial color for plant germination and photosynthesis rate. Taking the data from each week, the cellophane colors were arranged in order of effectiveness, to make it easier to compare the results (Table 4). Germination Photosynthesis Rate Week 1 Week 2Week 3 Red Green* Clear* Blue* Green Red* Green* Clear* Blue Blue* Blue* Green* Yellow Clear Red Red* Clear YelllowYellow Yellow No cover

Balance School and Social Life Essay

School and social life are like oil and water – they don’t mix. You absolutely want to go hang out with your friends, but you need to study for that test the next day! Dear teens, here’s how to balance your social life and school! Steps Do your homework as soon as you get home. It’s tough, and you want to relax. But this is a great strategy to use; if you do your homework the second you get home, you have the rest of the night to relax. Do this even on Friday. Make it a habit. Listen to music while doing homework. This helps you work at a faster speed and seems to make time go by quickly. However, not everyone can work while listening to music, so if you happen to be one of these people, then you can work in an environment without music – it’s perfectly fine. Turn off your cellphone and television while doing your homework. Distractions are the number one reason why you take five hours instead of one to complete your homework. Have a lot of homework? Then maybe do some on the bus ride home. This won’t work if you walk home from school, though. What you can do is try not to burn the midnight oil or do your homework at the eleventh hour. During lunch break, try to do at least some homework given to you earlier in the day. Don’t ever be afraid of being made fun of. If you really have no time to complete your homework, try explaining it to your teacher. She or he will understand, because teachers used to be students, and after all, they’ve gone through what you’re going through now, right? If your teacher announces there’s going to be a test the following week on Friday, don’t study for it on Thursday. Slowly take your time to study a few chapters a day in the afternoon so that you have lots of free time to socialize after that. Now you’re free to hang out with your friends. I know you’re thinking, â€Å"None of these steps will work! † Well, you’ll never know unless you try. After all, if hanging out with your friends is really that important to you, you would take any option you have.

California Space Heaters

New line of invented, convection, kerosene space heaters Due to high energy prices In the ass, the units were expected to do well The target market was aimed at low Income consumers who had electric heating systems – especially In the east Also would be used by those consumers who had their heat shut off 1) Is this heater a socially useful product? Should it be produced at all? Yes, based on the incremental benefits of existing heating mechanisms, the space heater is a socially useful product.More cost efficient, enabled heat to be focused where needed eliminating unnecessary waste In rooms where heat wasn't needed, and could enable certain demographics to have heat where they otherwise wouldn't (due to high energy prices). 2) under what legal standards will consumer In]rules be dealt with? Liability lawsuits were probable should there be injuries or adverse health consequences. Strict liability in tort would in all likelihood be the applicable liability standard, so the compa ny could be held liable even if an injury were due to reasonable misuse by a consumer.Total costs would include the cost of liability insurance, legal and court costs, and the time of management required by the cases. Insurance costs could be reduced by adding safety features. 3) What framework should the company use to make decisions about which product safety features to add? Given that framework, which particular product safety features should they add? The company should weigh the costs of the bare bones option of the space heater.From here determine the costs and benefits of adding subsequent safety features while incorporating the likelihood of harmful effects based on the data that they have. Electric spark ignition should clearly be incorporated given that it reduced the likelihood of death by an estimated 50%. 4) Should the company offer a line of products with various safety features/price combinations from which customers can choose? How should the product be priced? Ther e should be one consistent, standard safety level that the company should strive o achieve.By implementing different safety levels, the company runs a large risk of legal risk of future penalties and the final price should have an optimal balance between cost of parts and labor vs. future liability. 1) What were the underlying cases of the spill? 2) Evaluate the political and economic logic of the $20 billion fund from both President Obama and BSP point of view. 3) Should the U. S. Government change the way that it regulates this industry? Implement policies that minimize risk California Space Heaters There is a fine line between how much safety a corporation should provide to the consumer regarding its products vs. how much responsibility of safety should fall on the average consumer. Take, for instance, the all too familiar McDonald’s coffee episode. Does McDonald’s have a responsibility to its customers to ensure the coffee isn’t hot enough to scald if spilled upon one’s lap? Or should the customer be held responsible for their own safety in regards to common sense judgment? This is what California Space Heaters, Inc. CSH) must consider when deciding exactly which products to launch. Kerosene heaters are often times used in shops and garages as well as inside homes. They are quite a bit heavier than standard electric space heaters, which tip over easily. Because of their weight (and low center of gravity with fuel), kerosene heaters are typically very sturdy. Tipping over a kerosene heater takes some doing. Additionally, because there is fuel involve d, people are probably more cautious than they might be with an electric heater. Users have the responsibility to use extreme caution when operating any fuel-based component, especially any type of heating device. Due to the stability of these types of heaters, a corporation should not be held liable for recklessness that results in a kerosene heater tip-over. Using these arguments, I would recommend that CSH does not incorporate an automatic cut-off when tipped over on any of its units. Instead, one of the most important features that should be implemented is an electric spark ignition. The first danger of no electric start option is simply the repetitive lighting of a match. While it is the users’ responsibility handling matches safely in their own home, a combustible fuel is also involved, which increases danger significantly. According to CSH engineers, adding an electric start option would decrease the probability of death by 50%. Even though the cost of the feature is relatively high at $19. 50, the risk of death is simply too high to ignore. A corporation that has been given such estimates from its engineering department has a responsibility to implement a safety device. Electric start is the single most important ption that should be incorporated on all models for safety reasons. The profile of users in a shop or garage setting differs greatly from users in a home. Users in a shop or garage are more likely to be mechanically inclined. Additionally, safety features are arguably more important in a home than in a shop or garage. In a home, the heater is typically closer to combustibles, including furniture, curtains, and carpet. Due to these v ariables, CSH should market an indoor/outdoor heater and an outdoor only heater. The only necessary option on the outdoor heater is the electric start, as previously discussed. A shop or garage user will likely be more mechanically inclined and able to adjust the wick accurately. A thermostat shouldn’t be needed because the unit will less likely be near combustibles. Overheating due to flare-ups will not be as big of an issue either because of the surroundings, not to mention the user is more likely to notice flare-ups because the unit will only be operating when he or she is in the garage or shop, in most cases. A removable tank would also not be necessary since fill-up is easier outdoors. On the other hand, the indoor/outdoor heater should have three options incorporated on the base model. The first is the electric start option, as mentioned previously. The second most important option is the wick stop. This option keeps users from lowering the wick too much, which causes inefficiency and increased emissions. The average home user is probably less likely to know how to operate the wick for ideal combustion. And because the unit is operating indoors, emission control is much more important than it is in a garage or shop where there is more ventilation. The third and last option absolutely necessary for the indoor heater is a removable tank. Refueling a tank indoors is dirty, aromatic, and more dangerous than refueling outdoors. A removable tank also eliminates the need for a siphoning system. A tank level gauge is just a â€Å"bell and whistle† not needed for a base model. An electric wick adjustment is an option that could be implemented on higher-end models, but is not a big safety concern, so does not justify the high cost. For both indoor and outdoor heaters, it would be very important to apply warning labels in clear view on the kerosene heater in regards to asphyxiation, proper wick adjustment methods, re-fueling methods, and other pertinent safety information. The cost of the basic heater without any safety options is $44. To add the electric ignition for the outdoor model, the cost would be $63. 50. Adding the wick stop and removable tank to the indoor model, the cost would be $76. With an average of a 95% markup for retail, the outdoor unit would sell for about $124. The indoor unit would sell for about $144. 50. The safety features implemented for these base models do three things. First of all, they address basic safety concerns that are considered (at least in part by the engineers) to be relatively dangerous to the average user. Secondly, by keeping the safety features to a minimum and including only the options deemed pertinent to safety, it keeps the price as low as possible, while maintaining corporate responsibility. And lastly, by implementing these features (though few), insurance premiums per unit should drop from the estimated $55 per unit. In conclusion, corporations have a responsibility to provide reasonably safe products, but consumers must also use common sense judgment and take responsibility for their own actions. By introducing these base model products as suggested, sales shouldn’t lag far behind the estimated 2,000,000 units annually; and on top of that, the units can be something CSH can proudly produce knowing that safety precautions have been provided to customers. Oh, and my view on the McDonald’s coffee case? Whether the coffee was 100 or 200 degrees, the customer who spilled the coffee was solely to blame.

The fundamental principles of organization and management commonly Essay

The fundamental principles of organization and management commonly involved in the paralegal practice to your trainees - Essay Example Working hours – Now mention of the working hours is only a way to ensure that the paralegal works in the most effective manner, bringing all his or her tasks to completion. Depending on the law firm, the working hours may vary. Then again, the compensatory time, overtime, holidays, absence procedures etc are only a few other ways of providing the complete guideline to the paralegal. 2. Area of work – Legal research, Drafting letters and documents, Preparation of briefing notes, Document Management, proofreading, taking notes from the clients and courtroom, attending the client meeting, court meetings, preparing the billing, pleadings, court applications, instructing the counsel and so on. 3. Employee conduct – Each and every firm has a different code of conduct. The conduct spans an area covering the grooming and the dress code, the ensuring that the procedures are secure, set evaluation procedures, confidentiality and so on. 4. Ethics for work – Confidentiality, fees and funding of the client, non-disclosure, proper court room conduct, proper representation of the client, illegal activities and so on make for the other important aspect for the paralegal. Several of the presets of the management and organization system aiming at the paralegal, such as, time management, the work ethics required on behalf of the paralegal, the area of legislation and work to be handled by the paralegal – these all only make the task at hand clearer, while also enhancing the understanding of the way a paralegal is supposed to work. Secondly, the memo also helps enhance the understanding of the paralegal trainees about the way of functioning of the law firm, providing a clearer view into the legalities, policies and modalities. A trainee paralegal can successfully follow the presets mentioned in the memo and work accordingly. Following a strict routine of filling in the forms (for time management recording the hours worked every day), document management (indexing,

Write ten personal strategies you can employ to help you deal with Article

Write ten personal strategies you can employ to help you deal with stress - Article Example First strategy that can be used to ensure that there is no stress at all is to recall that no matter what happens, an individual would not take stress in entirety. He would remain contented with whatever is available at his disposal and thus be satisfied with the things around him in a professional way. He would feel that he is completely at ease with the surroundings around him and would in no way fall for such nuances of stress which would further deflate his individual self. This is a clear indication of how well he handles stress and how he can keep away such issues in the future as well. The second strategy that can be listed here is of seeking someone’s help and assistance so that the stress epidemic does not actually creep into the individual’s system. It would mean he is taking help from an elder or soliciting advice that shall solve the problem at hand. This is a very significant undertaking that can reduce stress immensely and would handle the long term stressful conditions that come about as a result of the same. Help is always easily available because people readily give out their assistance to the ones who are professionally fatigues and do not know where to end up (Shuttleworth, 2004). The third such strategy is to heal one’s own self through certain exercises which would relieve this individual of stress. This would mean that he would undergo different acts and behaviors which would not burden his mind at all, rather assist him in understanding the nuances related with stress and how it can be kept at a safe distance from his peculiar domains. Even though this requires persistence on the part of the person under question, it also demands a great deal of motivation by the people around him at all times. The fourth strategy which can be employed here is of soliciting help and facilitation from medical counselors who would tell exactly where this person is lacking professionally and what he needs to do in order to move ahead further in life.

Current marine issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Current marine issue - Essay Example tion at the international level via amendments to MARPOL Annex VI is the most effective way that can be followed by the shipping companies to achieve both financial as well as ethical success. To accomplish this, hardwares, including the internal as well as the hardware need to be quality tested and has to be made sure that it is sea worthy. Then importantly, the environment should be made devoid of the dangerous SOx and NOx. For that, variety of technologies is available in the market for the shipping companies. Thus, shipping organizations should understand the serious nature of the problem and put their minds to come up with strategies that can overcome the negative fallout. For every ship management company, the concept of social responsibility is of vital importance. Vital importance in the sense, it is not a compulsion on the part of ship management company to imbue social responsibility in their policies, strategies and goals. However, if it were added, it would function as a right ingredient positively changing the lives of not only the common people but as the well as the organization, both in the financial sense as well as in the image sense. So, ship Management Company has to find ways to initiate plans to cater to the common people in the society and importantly protect or not destroy the environment through eco-friendly measures. They could do this by organizing separate actions or events that will fulfill its social responsibility. Or the ship management companies could do this, by integrating certain policies or rules into their setup, which apart from helping the organization in smooth and effective functioning, also helps to fulfill its so cial responsibility. â€Å"It is worth stressing that being socially responsible means not only complying with relevant legislation, but also going beyond compliance and investing more than required into human capital and the relations with stakeholders† (Fafaliou, Lekakou and Theotokas 2002) Nowadays, management

Explain the logic behind the ideal of compassion in the Mahayana Essay

Explain the logic behind the ideal of compassion in the Mahayana perspective - Essay Example Bodhisattvas or the enlightened beings are characterized by a number of features that distinguish them from the arhants (Humboldt, n.d.). The bodhisattva path lays emphasis on karuna (compassion). The Mahayana tradition explains that arhant is a noble path as it stresses that every being should concentrated on the spiritual achievement of one’s self but in doing this one does not embrace the suffering of others. Buddha intended that Buddhism should be used as a vehicle to liberate all sentient beings from sufferings. This is possible through Mahayana which believes that compassion and compassionate love for all beings makes one help others to attain the same liberation. The basic doctrine of Mahayana centers around the tenet that eternal Buddha is present but hidden in all sentient beings and it is possible to understand this presence through the process of liberation from sufferings. Hence it focuses on the bodhisattva path and emphasizes that this liberation has to be for all beings and not for the self alone (Kaplan, 1998). To help all beings liberate from sufferings requires compassion for all beings. The goal of Mahayana is not to remain an arhant but to attain buddhahood. Thus to save all sentient beings from samsara is the basic concept on which Mahayana is based. Various definitions of compassion can be found. For instance, karuna in Pali is related to our concern for others. It is more than an attitude of mind. It is anukampa and daya. Compassion is essential for a just and a harmonious society. It is essential towards the path of wisdom; it is an action towards liberation by those who have become enlightened and by those who sincerely follow the path towards attaining it. When others suffer it makes the heart of good people tremble (kampa) and this is compassion (Jenkins, 2000). Effort to demolish others’ suffering is karuna. Mahayana emphasizes that one should postpone one’s liberation so

Home Inspection Case Study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Home Inspection Case Study - Assignment Example This created a market opportunity to the sellers and filling it one had to do it in a manner that the consumers’ needs, preferences and wants are attended to their satisfaction. Furthermore Lack of professionalism was a problem to the industry because no one viewed any of the inspections firms to being very qualified or professional as argued Ramesh (59). With this the market opportunity availed itself to Doug for him to fill the gap thus come with a solution to the problem through his services and product. Additionally there was the need to deliver on any promise made to prospective customers. These two aspired to attain their mission and objective of their business in that they would offer the best services to the consumers both at a professional level and technical approach to the satisfaction of their customers. They also wanted their business to accomplish the needs and want of the customers that coming up with a brand name that the buyers associate with easy and simple to identify with. Doug and Mary wished that their consumers would have a good perception on their service where professionalism and trustworthy is an essential matter that is always put into consideration to appoint of them doing research on how other inspection firms do their work and Doug enrolling for an 8 week course on home inspection to acquire skills thus make him professional ascertain to the industry thus boasting professionalism problem in the business. There are two targeted audience in this case study, first the primary audience who are the real estate agents who will actual need the service as first hand customers due the functional and emotional need they have for the services. The functional need is the purpose of the service in this case is what Doug and Mary has to offer them in terms of services which must be tangible and visible while the emotional need is the intangibles need, where the customers can actually trust and

Marketing Communications Models and Their Application to Adidas Research Paper

Marketing Communications Models and Their Application to Adidas - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that Adidas Company deals with sports shoes and clothing. It is a maker and a designer of sports ware. The company has its headquarters in Germany.   The company’s acquisition of Reebok was fundamental for its operations. This is because the acquisition gave the company a competitive advantage. The company managed to acquire a considerable market share. The company is responsible for the sale of products used in a variety of sporting activities including cricket, basketball, football and other activities. The products offered by the corporation are availed in all countries of the globe. The company employs strategic marketing, with an objective of improving the brand strength, acquiring a competitive advantage and raising its performance in terms of finances. The subsidiaries in other countries receive management information from the headquarters in Germany. Statistics on sports apparel usage indicate a possibility of an increase i n sports equipment market value. From 2008 to present, the market value has been rising, an implication that Adidas can benefit from the market growth by attracting customers through appropriate marketing plans. Situation analysis involves the analysis of the company by considering political, economic, social and technological factors. The analysis takes into account both the strengths plus weaknesses of Adidas. One of the current strengths of the company is the political stability that exists in the United Kingdom. This enables the company to performs well as the political environment plays a significant role in business operations. Political challenges that Adidas might face is the influence of regime policies on the purchase of goods. The company is subject to both the challenges and strengths that relate its economic environment. The company has already established a strong economic base thus; it is possible to maintain its status through adequate strategic management. Adidas en counters challenges in cases of unstable interest rates likely to result in inflation. The company benefits from the high population that exists in towns.

The Pro and Con of Obama's New Healthcare Policy Essay

The Pro and Con of Obama's New Healthcare Policy - Essay Example However, there has been a stir of controversies revolving around the implementation of the reform in the health sector. Some of the controversies that have been noted include the effectiveness of the reform, incurred costs, and the impact of this particular reform on the debt of the United States. As a fact, many cons and pros can be derived from the Obamacare reform. Many families, individuals and the society as a whole are bound to benefit (Zephyros Press, 2013). Similarly, the Obamacare deems to benefit the medical practitioners in the United States. Since it is a collective benefit for many professionals, individuals and society, it is a prudent approach in the health sector. The first positivity of the Obamacare is provision of affordable healthcare to the entire population of the United States. Apparently, the reform is to provide affordable health insurance to the whole population in the country. It has been noted that many people do not have health insurance due to the high r ates payable for health insurance. Since some people have skewed budgets, they are not in a position to afford the basic services of healthcare insurance (Tate, 2012). This has affected a large part of the population as they find it difficult to access some of the services incorporated in health insurance. Therefore, this will be a prudent approach to provision of such services to the people. This will be helpful especially to people that find it hard to cater for the up surging expenses of health insurance. The Obamacare is a positive approach to health insurance. As a fact, with the implementation of this reform, it is believed that over 32 million Americans will have access to health insurance. In addition to this, the initiation of this reform will help protect Americans from discriminatory health practices. Similarly, it will weed out unfair practices from the medical practitioners in the health sector (Maglione, 2011). It is noted that some insurance companies have established unfair and discriminatory practices in their scope of their service provision. Therefore, implementation of this reform will protect and encourage other Americans that often face unfairness from the discriminating insurance companies. This will pave way for a comfortable living for all Americans (Boehner, 2011). This will also have a positive impact on the health of many Americans as they will have equal opportunity. This is an encouraging aspect in ensuring equality for all Americans. The Obamacare is set to benefit a cross-section of individuals in the whole country. First, Unemployed persons in the United States will be in acceptance of the stated Obamacare. For example, unemployed persons with an annual income of up to 15, 000 will be legible for healthcare coverage. This will be effective from 2014 under the Medicaid, for single individuals (Pipes, 2013). However, unemployed persons with families will have to pay a higher amount for the same services. Secondly, patients will n ot face any discrimination when they need health coverage. For example, it is noted that many insurance companies do not cover patients that are diagnosed with existing conditions. It is noted that many insurance companies do not insure people with disabilities and deformities. Similarly, insurance companies are selective on patients with cancer and other diseases. However, with the provision of Obamacare, such patients will not be discriminated. Thirdly, patients who

How and why has your experience and understanding of gender changed Essay

How and why has your experience and understanding of gender changed through this exploration of gender and popular culture this quarter - Essay Example I had romanticized obsession with popular culture as a mark of civilization and being up-to-date with things happening in the world. In my school experiences, individuals with more knowledge of the popular culture appeared more fashionable than the studious types. Popular culture, in this sense, is a concept that traverses commercial advertisements, sports, television, movies, internet products, and other related concepts. I realized that popular culture is an element that individuals have followed due to its allure. The efficiency and convenience of using internet products such as social networking sites distract individuals from evaluating whether such concepts corrupt our conscience. This suggests that popular culture is not a wholly beneficial concept. For instance, although commercial advertisements promote our awareness on products, they use certain images that promote a distorted view of sexuality. In addition, social media is a platform that can fuel hate messages about certain forms of sexuality. In this sense, critics of media content may be sometimes ignored because individuals are drawn to the entertainment perspectives of popular culture. One of the assumptions that support this campaign argues that analysts should view popular culture superficially. This suggests analyzing popular media in its intended realm. For instance, an advertisement on a beauty product promotes analysis from an aesthetic perspective. I have learnt, however, that popular culture is not as superficial as it seems. This is because media content submerge into our conscience. Repeated commercial images eventually inform how individuals perceive the world. In addition, such images infringe on the rights of individuals who deserve perception in their unique ways. For instance, commercial advertisements may not give a comprehensive view of how women feel. This is because they do

A Salty High Essay Example for Free

A Salty High Essay I gazed there, looking among the horizon, a dawn sky brightened with the rising sun; waiting for the most unique peeler to form my way. Sitting on my 62 fiberglass surfboard, i was in awe at the beautiful lively nature that surrounded me. The ocean breeze sprayed against my face and the salty moisture in the air plastered to my dry lips. I noticed the seagulls in the distance, were soaring around a gigantic school of flounder, among the shallow waters of the sandbar. The tide was  demanding and it pulled me along south as I watched my towel on the beach, diminish. Surfing- its more than a weekend activity with the kids, or a successful football game; its a way of life, a lifestyle. Being encompassed by the most natural environment, can be so unwinding. Successfully maneuvering a wave takes concentration, superior balance, and no fear to a new rank. The natural high of surfing is as good a feeling as making an A on an exam [if not better]. The white water was breaking behind me and I was forced to move beyond it. I paddled as hard as I could, but progressed nowhere. Why, I pondered to myself, Why am I so weak? I slowly pushed to the furthest sandbar, where the waves were less trifling. Surfers: the tan, salt induced bodies of them all were in harmony with natures sea of sodium. The hard-core wave riders were off in the distance waiting for the sets, as I rode over the falls at the shallow cold sandbar. Becoming one with nature is the most rewarding feeling someone can experience. People have become so caught up in their daily routines, they dont allow themselves the good points in life. In the cool waters of the ocean are the people enjoying the high, the Salty High.

Fish Recognition and Classification System Architecture

Fish Recognition and Classification System Architecture 1.1 Introduction In the previous chapter, the architecture and the approaches of object recognition and classification system were shown in details. Moreover, the features of shape characters of fish that will be used for classification stage are provided. Therefore, this chapter focuses on some background of literature approaches on related work and concepts in the field of object recognition and classification. In particular, a main component to design fish recognition and classification system architecture is used; it will show these experiments history of development in several cases. The following literature review is divided into four main sections. The fish recognition and classification, first aspect is covered. The second aspect relates with image segmentation techniques to segment underwater images are presented. Investigates most of the feature extraction and selection by shape representation and description, the third aspect is applied. Finally, the classifiers technique for object recognition and classification in aspect of support vector machine is reported. 1.2 Fish Recognition and Classification Recently, there were many researchers who attempted to design and apply the interaction between an underwater environment and learning techniques to develop the recognition and classification system in order to classify the fish. Therefore, Castignolles et al., (1994) used off-line method detection with static thresholds to segment the images that recorded by S-video tapes and enhance image contrast by using background lighting. Furthermore, to recognize the species a Bayes classifier was tested after extract twelve geometrical features from fish images. However, this method needs control on the light of background, determine the value of threshold and multiple imaging. Moreover, where fish are lined up close to each other, the applications tend to be impractical for the real-time. The moment-invariant for features extraction is fast and very easy to implement. Therefore, Zion et al. (1999) stated the features extraction from dead fish tails by using moment-invariants in order to identify of species. Moreover, the image area is used to estimate fish mass. Furthermore, the accuracy of 99%, 93% and 93%, respectively, for grey mullet, St. Peters fish and carp is got for identification of fish species. Therefore, later Zion et al., (2000) tested this method with live fish swimming in clean water. The accuracies were 100%, 91% and 91%, respectively for fish species identification. However, the features of the tail in the image which were extracted by the moment-invariant are strongly affects by the water opaqueness and fish motion. This method needs clear environments and all features appear clearly. An automatic system to select the desirable features for recognition and classification object is needed. Therefore, Chan et al., (1999) developed a 3D point distribution model (PDM) in order to extract the lateral length measurement automatically from the images without an extensive user interaction to locate individual landmark points on the fish by using an n-tuple classifier as a tool to initiate the model. Moreover, the WISARD architecture is used as a Look-Up Table (LUT) which holds information about the pattern that the classifier tries to recognize, in order to assess the performance and usefulness of the n-tuple classifier in the application of fish recognition. However, this method needs to fix the pre-defined threshold value, amount of prior knowledge for the fish and the bigger training set. Determine the landmarks as tips of snout or fins for fish are very important to recognize the fish. Therefore, Cardin Friedland (1999) stated the morphometric analysis by biometric interpretation of fish homologous landmarks as tips of snout or fins for fish stock discrimination. However, they did not refer to algorithms for determining landmarks and the external points are not satisfactory because their locations are subjective. From other aspect, Cardin (2000) reviewed the landmarks of shape by using morph metric methods for stock identification of fish. Moreover, Winans (1987) used the fins points, extremities point and arbitrarily landmarks in order to identify the fish from those points. Therefore, the attachment of fin membranes were found to be more effective for finfish group discrimination than landmarks located on extremities. Furthermore, Bookstein, (1990) stated the homologous landmarks were found to be more effective in describing shape than other arbitrarily located landmarks. However, these methods should be considered fish sample size, life history, stage of development and the features discriminating power. Fourier descriptor for geometric features description is very famous algorithm. Therefore, Cadieux et al., (2000) stated the Fourier descriptors of silhouette contours, the geometric features described by seven of moment-invariants stated by Hu (1962) are developed in order to count fish by species from fish ways mounted next to river. Therefore, the 78% of accuracy is achieved by using a majority vote of three classification methods. However, this method needs sensors that generate silhouette contours as the fish swim between them and the hardware based on a commercial biomass counter. The manual measurement for the landmarks points is more accurate to identify the object. Therefore, Tillett et al., (2000) proposed the modification of point distribution model (PDM) in order to segmented fish images by means is proposed. Moreover, the edge and its proximity in order to attract landmarks are considered. Furthermore, the average accuracy of 95% by estimating fish length to manual measurement is compared. However, this method required manual placement of the PDM in an initial position close to the centre of the fish, thereby affecting the accuracy of the final fitting. Also, neighboring fish images forced the PDM away from the correct edges and fish whose orientation was very different from the initial PDM or were smaller than the initial values could not be correctly fitted. The combining of more than one classifier is important to get more accuracy to classify the objects. Therefore, Cedieux et al., (2000) proposed intelligent system by combining the result of three classifiers in order to recognize the fish. Therefore, Byes maximum quantification classifier, a learning vector classifier and One-class-One-Network of neural network classifier are used by analysis algorithm of an infrared silhouette sensor to acquire the fish and the majority vote. Moreover, the results depended on at least two from three classifiers should be show the same result. However, this method needs other approach for feature selection in order to improve the recognition performance and to optimize the selection of relevant characteristics for fish classification. Moreover, it needs more computational to identify and classify the object. Detection, representation the features of object and then the classification are the main steps for any recognition and classification system. Therefore, Tidd Wilder (2001) stated a machine vision system to detect and classify fish in an estuary by using a video sync signal to drive and direct the strobe lighting through a fiber bundle into a 30 cmÃÆ'-30 cmÃÆ'-30 cm field of view in a water tank. Moreover, to segment fish images and eliminate partial fish segments, the window-based segmentation algorithm and an aspect ratio are used by means of the segment aspect ratio and a length test. Furthermore, Bayes classifier is used to classify three fish species from extracted fish image area and aspect ratio. However, this method is tested on only 10 images of each of the species, and needs more computation. Moreover, they concluded that the system and method have the potential to operate in situ. The monitoring objects in underwater is difficult problem. Therefore, Rife Rock (2001) proposed Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) in order to follow the marine animal in underwater. However, this method needs continuous hours of the pieces movements. Locating the critical points of object is very important to determine the length, weight and the area of the objects. Therefore, Martinez et al., (2003) stated an underwater stereo vision system is used to calculate the weight of fish from their length by using a prior knowledge of the species in order to find points of the fish image and linking them with real-world coordinates. Moreover, in order to find caudal fin points and the tip of the head, the template matching with several templates is used. Furthermore, accuracy of 95% and 96% for estimated fish weight is reported. However, this method needs a prior knowledge of the species, critical points to calculate the length and only used to find the weight. The shape of object is very important feature to recognize and identify the objects. Therefore, Lee et al., (2003) developed automated Fish Recognition and Monitoring (FIRM) system, as shape analysis algorithm in order to locate critical landmark points by using a curvature function analysis. Moreover, the contour is extracted based on these landmark points. Furthermore, from this information species classification, species composition, densities, fish condition, size, and timing of migrations can be estimated. However, this method utilizes high-resolution images and determines the location for the critical points of fish shape. In a conventional n-tuple classifier, the n-tuple is formed by selecting multiple sets of n distinct locations from the pattern space. Therefore, Tillett Lines (2004) proposed an n-tuple binary pattern classifier with the difference between two successive frames in order to locate the initial fish image for detecting the fish head. Moreover, the dead fish hanging in a tank are used to estimate the mean mass. However, the estimation accuracy was low for live fish images due to poorer imaging conditions and larger fish population density. The different features can used together to classify the object. Therefore, Chambah et al., (2004) proposed Automatic Color Equalization (ACE) in order to recognize the fish spaces. Furthermore, the segmentation by using background subtraction was presented. The geometric features, color features, texture features and motion features are used. Then, Bayes classifier is used to classify the selected fishes to one of the learned species. However, this method depends on the color features that need lightness constancy and color constancy to extract visual information from the environment efficaciously. The semi-local invariants recognition is based on the idea that a direct search for visual correspondence is the key to successful recognition. Therefore, Lin et al., (2005) proposed neighbor pattern classifier by semi-local invariants recognition to recognize the fish. Moreover, when they compare it with integral invariants, they found it less mismatching. Furthermore, they compare wavelet-based invariants with summation invariants and found it has more strong immunity to noise. However, this method needs some critical point of the fish shape. The Bayesian filter was originally intended for statistical recognition techniques, and is known to be a very effective approach. Therefore, Erikson et al. (2005) proposed fish tracking by using Bayesian filtering technique. Moreover, this method models fish as an ellipse having eight parameters. However, this method considers only counting the fish without looking into its type. Furthermore, the fish may be having varying in number of the parameters. From other aspect, Lee et al., (2008) stated several shape descriptors, such as Fourier descriptors, polygon approximation and line segments in order to categorize the fish by using contour representation that extracted from their critical landmark points. However, the main difficulty of this method is that landmark points sometimes cannot be located very accurately. Moreover, it needs a high quality image for analysis. Table 1.1: Critical Analysis of Relevant Approaches Author Algorithm Remarks Castignolles et al. 1994 Off-line method This method needs control on the light of background, determine the value of threshold. Moreover, where fish are lined up close to each other, the applications tend to be impractical for the real-time. Zion et al., 1999 Moment-invariants The features of the tail in the image which were extracted by the moment-invariant are strongly affects by the water opaqueness and fish motion. Therefore, this method needs clear environments and all features appear clearly. Chan et al. 1999 PDM this method needs to fix the pre-defined threshold value, amount of prior knowledge for the fish and the bigger training set. Cardin and Friedland 1999 Morphometric analysis They did not refer to algorithms for determining landmarks and the external points are not satisfactory because their locations are subjective. Cardin 2000 Develop Morphometric analysis These methods should be considered fish sample size, life history, stage of development and the features discriminating power. Cadieux et al. 2000 Fourier descriptor This method needs sensors that generate silhouette contours as the fish swim between them and the hardware based on a commercial biomass counter. Tillett et al. 2000 Modify PDM This method required manual placement of the PDM in an initial position close to the centre of the fish, thereby affecting the accuracy of the final fitting. Also, neighboring fish images forced the PDM away from the correct edges and fish whose orientation was very different from the initial PDM or were smaller than the initial values could not be correctly fitted. Cedieux et al. 2000 Intelligent System This method needs other approach for feature selection in order to improve the recognition performance and to optimize the selection of relevant characteristics for fish classification. Moreover, it needs more computational to identify and classify the object. Tidd and Wilder 2001 Machine Vision System This method is tested on only 10 images of each of the species, and needs more computation. Moreover, they concluded that the system and method have the potential to operate in situ. Rife and Rock 2001 ROV This method needs continuous hours of the pieces movements. Martinez et al., 2003 Template Matching This method needs a prior knowledge of the species, critical points to calculate the length and only used to find the weight. Lee et al. 2003 FIRM This method utilizes high-resolution images and determines the location for the critical points of fish shape. Tillett and Lines 2004 n-tuple The estimation accuracy was low for live fish images due to poorer imaging conditions and larger fish population density. Chambah et. al. 2004 ACE This method depends on the color features that need lightness constancy and color constancy to extract visual information from the environment efficaciously. Lin et al., 2005 Neighbor Pattern Classifier This method needs some critical point of the fish shape. Erikson et al. 2005 Bayesian Filtering Technique This method considers only counting the fish without looking into its type. Furthermore, the fish may be having varying in number of the parameters. Lee et al. 2008 Several Shape Descriptors The main difficulty of this method is that landmark points sometimes cannot be located very accurately. Moreover, it needs a high quality image for analysis. 1.3 Image Segmentation Techniques Basically, there are different techniques that would help to solve the image segmentation problems. Therefore, Jeon et al., (2006) categorized these techniques into, thresholding approaches, contour approaches, region approaches, clustering approaches and other optimization approaches using a Bayesian framework, neural networks. Moreover, the clustering techniques can be categorized into two general groups: partitional and hierarchical clustering algorithms. Furthermore, partitional clustering algorithms such as K-means and EM clustering are widely used in many applications such as data mining, compression, image segmentation and machine learning (Coleman Andrews 1979; Carpineto Romano 1996; Jain et al., 1999; Zhang 2002a; Omran et al., 2006). Therefore, this research will focus on the literature review relates with image segmentation techniques to segment fish of underwater images by using k-means algorithm and background subtraction approaches. 1.3.1 K-Means Algorithm for Image Segmentation In general, the standard K-means clustering algorithm is employed in order to cluster a given dataset into k groups. Therefore, the standard K-means algorithm consists of four steps: Initialization, Classification, Centroid computation and Convergence condition. Moreover, several methods attempt to improve the standard K-means algorithm related to several aspects associated to each of the algorithm steps. Furthermore, regarding the computational of the algorithm the steps that need more improvements are initialization and convergence condition (Amir 2007 Joaquà ­n et al., 2007). Therefore, the following sections will be focused on this step in order to represent and address the review for this step. 1.3.1.1 The Initialization Step of K-Means Algorithm Basically, the earliest reference to initialize the K-means algorithm was by Forgy in 1965 that choose points randomly and used as the seeds. Therefore, MacQueen, introduced to determine a set of cluster seeds by using an online learning strategy (MacQueen 1967 Stephen 2007). However, this method can be choosing the point near a cluster centre or outlying point. Moreover, repeating the runs is the increased time taken to obtain a solution. The approach in order to divide the dataset to classes without prior knowledge of classes is required. Therefore, Tou Gonzales (1974) suggested the Simple Cluster Seeking (SCS) method by Calculating the distance between the first instance in the database and the next point in the database, if it is greater than some threshold then select it as the second seed, otherwise move to the next instance in the database and repeat until K seeds are chosen. However, this method depends on the value of threshold, the order of pattern vectors to be processed and repeating the runs is the increased time taken to reach the seeds chosen. For optimal partition of dataset which can achieve better variation equalization than standard. Therefore, Linde et al., (1980) proposed a Binary Splitting (BS) method, based on the first run for K = 1, Then split into two clusters until convergence is reached and the cycle of split and converge is repeated until a fixed number of clusters is reached, or until each cluster contains only one point. However, this method increased the computational complexity by split and the algorithm must be run again. Good initial seeds for clustering algorithm are significant in order to rapidly converge to the global optimal structure. Therefore, Kaufman Rousseeuw (1990) suggested selecting the first seed as the most centrally located instance, then the next seed selected based on the greatest reduction in the distortion and continue until K seeds are chosen. However, this method needs more computation in choosing each seed. In order to select the optimal seed artificial intelligence (AI) is used. Therefore, Babu Murty (1993) and Jain et al., (1996) proposed a method by using genetic algorithms based on the various seed selections as population, and then the fitness of each seed selection is assessed by running the K-means algorithm until convergence and then calculating the Distortion value, in order to select of near optimal seed. However, this method should be run K-means for each solution of each generation. Moreover, a genetic algorithms result depends on the choice of population size, and crossover and mutation probabilities. Enhancement approach in order to improve the clustering quality and overcome computational complexity is required. Therefore, Huang Harris (1993) stated the Direct Search Binary Splitting (DSBS) method, based on Principle Component Analysis (PCA), in order to enhance splitting step in Binary Splitting algorithm. However, this method also required more computational to reach k seeds chosen. Calculating the distance between all points of dataset in order to select the seed is used. Therefore, Katsavounidis et al. (1994) proposed the algorithm as the KKZ algorithm based on preferably one on the edge of the data as the first seed. Then, chosen the second seed based on the point which is furthest from the first seed. Moreover, choosing the furthest point from its nearest seed is repeated until K seeds are chosen. However, this method obvious pitfall from any noise in the data as preferably seed. In order to increase the speed of the algorithm based on divide the whole input domain into subspaces is required. Therefore, Daoud Roberts (1996) proposed approach to divide the whole input domain into two disjoint volumes, and then this subspace is assumed that the points are randomly distributed and that the seeds will be placed on a regular grid. However, this methods refers at the end into randomly choose. The mean of the any dataset is important value in order to estimate the seed depends on it. Therefore, Thiesson et al., (1997) suggested approach to calculate the mean of the entire dataset based on randomly running time of the algorithm to produce the K seeds. However, this method uses the random way to repeat the steps until reach the desirable clusters. In order to find better clustering initialization of k-means algorithm, Forgys method is used. Therefore, Bradley Fayyad (1998) presented a technique that begins by randomly breaking the data into 10, or so, subsets. Then it performs a K-means clustering on each of the ten subsets, all starting at the same set of initial seeds, which are chosen using Forgys method. However, this method needs to determine the size of the subset and used the same initial seed for each subset. A way of reducing the time complexity of initialization for k-means algorithm calculation is to use structures like k-d trees. Therefore, Likas et al., (2003) stated a global K-means algorithm which aims to gradually increase the number of seeds until K is found, by using the kd-tree to create K buckets and use the centroids of each bucket as seeds. However, this method needs to test the results to reach the best number of clusters. The performance of iterative clustering algorithms depends highly on initial cluster centers. Therefore, Mitra et al., (2002) and Khan Ahmad (2004) proposed a Cluster Centre Initialization Method (CCIA) based on the Density-based Multi Scale Data Condensation (DBMSDC) by estimating the density of the dataset at a point, and then sorting the points according to their density and examining each of the attributes individually to extract a list of possible seed locations. The process is repeated until a desired number of points remain. However, this method depends on other approach to reach the desired seeds, which lead to more computation complexity. On the other read, in order to reduce the time complexity of initialization for k-means algorithm calculation is to use structures like k-d trees. Therefore, Stephen Conor (2007) presented a technique for initializing the K-means algorithm based on incorporate kd-trees in order to obtain density estimates of the dataset. And then by using the distance and the density information sequentially to select K seeds. However, this method occasionally failed to provide the lowest value of distortion. Table 1.2: Critical Analysis of Relevant Approaches Author Algorithm Remarks Forgy 1965 and MacQueen 1967 Random initial K-means This method can be choosing the point near a cluster centre or outlying point. Moreover, repeating the runs is the increased time taken to obtain a solution. Tou and Gonzales 1974 SCS This method depends on the value of threshold, the order of pattern vectors to be processed and repeating the runs is the increased time taken to reach the seeds chosen. Linde et al., 1980 BS This method increased the computational complexity by split and the algorithm must be run again. Kaufman and Rousseeuw 1990 Selecting the first seed. This method needs more computation in choosing each seed. Babu and Murty 1993 GA This method should be run K-means for each solution of each generation. Moreover, a genetic algorithms result depends on the choice of population size, and crossover and mutation probabilities. Huang and Harris 1993 DSBS This method also required more computational to reach k seeds chosen. Katsavounidis et al. 1994 KKZ This method obvious pitfall from any noise in the data as preferably seed. Daoud and Roberts 1996 two disjoint volumes This methods refers at the end into randomly choose. Thiesson et al. 1997 the mean of dataset This method uses the random way to repeat the steps until reach the desirable clusters. Bradley and Fayyad 1998 randomly breaking technique This method needs to determine the size of subset and the same initial seed for each subset. Likas et al. 2003 Global K-means This method needs to test the results to reach the best number of clusters. Khan and Ahmad 2004 CCIA This method depends on other approach to reach the desired seeds, which lead to more computation complexity. Stephen and Conor 2007 kd-trees This method occasionally failed to provide the lowest value of distortion. 1.3.2 Background Subtraction for Image Segmentation The basic approach for automatic object detection and segmentation methods is the background subtraction. Moreover, it is a commonly used class of techniques for segmenting out objects of a scene for different applications. Therefore, Wren et al., (1997) proposed running Gaussian Average based on ideally fitting a Gaussian probability density function on the last n pixels values in order to model the background independently at each pixel location. Moreover, to increase the speed the standard deviation is computed. Therefore, the advantage of the running average is given by the low memory requirement instead of the buffer with the last n pixel values are used. However, the empirical weight as a tradeoff between stability and quick update is often chosen. The detection of objects is usually approached by background subtraction based on multi-valued background. Therefore, Stauffer Grimson (1999) proposed the multi-valued background model in order to describe the foreground and the background values. Moreover, the probability of observing a certain pixel value at specific time by means of a mixture of Gaussians is described. However, this method needs assigning the new observed pixel value to the best matching distribution and estimating the updated model parameters. Density estimators can be a valuable component in an application like in the use of object tracking. Therefore, Elgammal et al. (2000) proposed a non-parametric model based on Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) by using the last n background values, in order to model the background distribution. Moreover, the sum of Gaussian kernels centered as one sample data by the most recent n background values as background is given. However, complete model estimation also requires the estimation of summation of Gaussian kernels. The eigen-decomposition methods are computationally demanding by involving the computation of each eigenvector and corresponding eigenvalues. Therefore, Oliver et al., (2000) proposed eigen backgrounds approach based on eigenvalues decomposition by using the whole image instead of blocks of image. Moreover, this method can be improving its efficiency, but depend on the images used for the training set. However, this method not explicitly specified what images should be part of the initial sample, and whether and how such a model should be updated over time. In order to generate and select of a plurality of temporal pixel samples derived from incoming image, the temporal median filter is used. Therefore, Lo Velastin (2001) proposed temporal median filter based on the median value of the last n frames as the background model. Moreover, Cucchiara et al. (2003) developed the temporal median filter by computing the last n frames, sub-sampled frames and the time of the last computed median value in order to compute the median on a special set of values. However, the disadvantage of the temporal median filter approach, the computation by a buffer with the recent pixel values is required. Moreover, the median filter does not provide a deviation measure for adapting the subtraction threshold. The information of the difference frames is accumulated, in order to construct a reliable background image. Therefore, Seki et al., (2003) proposed the background subtraction based on co-occurrence of image variations. Moreover, it works on blocks of N x N pixels treated as an N2 component vector, instead of working at pixel resolution. However, this method offers good accuracy against reasonable time and memory complexity. Furthermore, a certain update rate would be needed to cope with more extended illumination changes. Background modeling of a moving object requires sequential density estimatio

Contrastive Analysis And Error Analysis

Contrastive Analysis And Error Analysis Contrastive analysis is a method to distinguish between what are needed and not needed to learn by the second language learner by evaluating languages (M.Gass Selinker, 2008). In addition, contrastive analysis is a technique to identify whether two languages have something in common which assess both similarities and differences in languages, conforming to the belief in language universals. (Johnson, 1999). Both statements indicate that contrastive analysis holds a principle which is important in order to identify what are required by the second learner and what are not. If there is no familiar characteristic in the languages, then it is not necessary to compare the languages. While much could be said about comparing languages, a more important aspect is about influence from L2 in L1. Contrastive analysis stresses the influence of the mother tongue in learning a second language in phonological, morphological, lexical and syntactic levels. It holds that second language would be affec ted by first language (Jie, 2008, p. 36). On the same score, Wardhaugh asserts that first language of second language learners can clarify all errors that are constantly made them. These arguments prove that the common mistakes make by the second language learner are explainable in the first language if there is a relation in both languages. Indeed, this idea is conform to the rule of contrastive analysis which believes in language universal. On the other hand, contrastive analysis is used to identify one language origin and connection between the languages with other languages if it does. In Robert Lados words (1957:p.2): The fundamental assumption is transfer; individuals tend to transfer the forms and meanings, and the distribution of forms and meanings of their native language and culture to the foreign language and culture. I agree with Robert Lado since the second language learner tends to use direct translation to make a complete sentence. However, this might become a problem when the placement of the part of speech is not the same. For example, Malaysian who use Malay language as their first language and English as their second language might have a problem in placing the adjective. This is because in Malay language, adjective is put after the noun, such as; Rumah yang cantik but in English, adjective is placed before noun, for instance A beautiful house (adj) (Noun) This may cause confusion for the second learner but if they make a sentence, it is still understandable. The degree of clarity of the sentence can be a positive transfer of negative transfer. This example is supported by Jie (2008): In the course of language learning, L1 learning habits will be transferred into L2 learning habits. Therefore, in the case of L1 transfer into L2, if structures in the MT have their corresponding structures in the TL and L1 habits can be successfully used in the L2, learners would transfer similar properties successfully and that would result in positive transfer. Contrastingly, in the case of negative transfer or interference, certain elements of the MT have no corresponding counterparts in the TL, L1 habits would cause errors in the L2, and learners would transfer inappropriate properties of L1 It is important to know that L2 learners be likely to apply their L1 grammatical system in L2 grammar (Smith, 1994). They would opt for L2 words those they familiar, blending them using L2 grammar to formulate a sentence. For example; a Malay speaker would say; Saya makan epal semalam (Pronoun) (Verb) (Noun) (Adverb) Or in English; Yesterday, I ate the apple (Adverb) (Pronoun) (Verb) (Determiner) (Noun) If the L2 learners apply Smith argument, they would say; I ate apple yesterday As mentioned earlier, this statement is logical at one point but in other point, it shows that errors and transferred inappropriate properties those made by L2 learners are noticeable and this should apply the rule of contrastive analysis. However, this analysis has disadvantages. In Susan M. Gass and Larry Selinker words, they believe that this analysis is questioned because of the concept of difficulty as the basic theory of the contrastive analysis is concerning the difficultness. If an error is made by a person, this shows that the person has problem in some area, not because of the native language. Thus, we cannot presume that fluency of a L2 learner in L2 is depending on the nature of L1. There are more aspects that related to this matter. There are other factors that may influence the process of acquisition such as innate principle of language, attitude, motivation, aptitude, age, other language knownà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (M.Gass Selinker, 2008). Next, contrastive analysis cannot d etect some difficulties experienced by the L2 learners. For example, Je vois les/elle/la/le . I see them/her/her/him(this phrase is not possible in French) (Choi, 2009). Error analysis is a type of linguistic analysis that focuses on the errors learners make (M.Gass Selinker, 2008). This analysis is almost the same with the weak version of contrastive analysis which is comparing the errors which made by L2 learners. However, error analysis is not evaluating the errors with L2 native language, but it compares with the target language. Error analysis provides a broader range of possible explanations than contrastive analysis for researchers/teachers to use account for errors, as the latter only attributed errors to the native language (M.Gass Selinker, 2008). I do agree with Gass and Selinker because as Corder (1967) says that by producing errors, it shows that the learners are progressing and participating.

Resplendent Rivendel :: Free Essay Writer

Resplendent Rivendel Imagine a world of such serenity where you have no enmity and worries, but how to enjoy your life to the endless boundary. A land of such astounding, imperial beauty that makes you wants to pinch yourself, yet you dare not to for the fear of losing a splendid moment. Unimaginable beauty of peacefulness, yet stunning of its solemnity, we are in Rivendel, the Elvin city, where everyone’s fantasies lie. Every step, beautiful colored leaves cushion your feet and create a delicate sound of a person gently biting in to golden brown, delicious potato chips. All around you, under the pleasant sunlight, the warmth surrounds your body, gently ameliorating your troubles and pain, and slowly pacifying your turbulent mind. The wind swiftly sprints toward you, splits upon the very tip of your nose and flutters your hair that ferociously fought for its independence. The chill of the autumn air swirling around your ear slowly promises your brain of the traitorous, humid summer day’s closure. No matter what atrocities exist in the world, the trees, neutralized in quiescence, continue on with their life. Slowly shedding their old, worn out coat, they watch as leaves glide down to the ground, slicing through the air. Sometimes they did flips or spins until they finally bowed for applause on the ground like a masterful ballet dancer. On the other side, as to ambitiously compete with its idealistic beauty, the forceful water, rushing through the river like a bright, white stallion drops as the rainbow colors reflect upon every droplet. The bubbles launch up to the surface of the well, exploding in rhythmic harmony. The soothing mist fills the atmosphere. Smoothly colliding on to your skin, they moisturize your body delicately, like a feast after a famine. Its marvelous clarity refreshes your mind, like a rain in a fiery summer day. Do you wander what it’s like to live here, as an elf? Elves are handsome, admirable creatures. Their silvery hair flawlessly comes down to their shoulders, lustrous as a gleaming, full moon, as to show the conscientiousness in resemblance. Yet, their eyes, pair of polished emeralds and sapphires show only a taste of their mysterious, impenetrable ingenuity. Anyone who stares into them falls into the immense depth of clarity, until they finally swim out from the exquisite, dream-like ocean. Behind the radiance of their aura, two pointy years, in full appearance shows their necessary belligerence, in their nature of survival.

Lord of the Flies: Human Nature :: Character Analysis

I believe that human nature shows what type of person we are. Human nature guides us as individuals to do the right thing. We learn by our surroundings and it plays on our society and the nature of us as humans. This question had me ponder the question whether or not humans can be born evil? The book just made me think of all the times I have grown up and seen some bad incidents that are part of life. Someone close to me has made an abundance of bad choices in his life and when I was younger, he was the one I always looked up to as a â€Å"brotherly figure† but also as a best friend. He was the one that saved my life when I was younger. He was also somebody that I could trust with my life, but then I ask myself how he became such a bad person because he started hanging with the wrong crowd. He ended up pushing me aside to be with his so-called friends at the time. I think his true nature was starting to show through. He was not the brotherly figure I used to know when I was just a child; he had changed from a brotherly figure I used to know and have so much admiration for, but now he is someone that I do not like being around. I wonder if environmental surroundings had shaped both him and me, and to what extent this influence had on the both of us. He and I had changed very much since we were both children, now he is getting ready to turn 25 and I am 19. I believe our human nature makes us the type of people we are today. In Lord of the Flies, I realized no matter how good of person you are your true nature always comes through. For example, in the story you see how evil Roger can be while on the other side you see how good Ralph is. I think that is where I saw the symbolism between all the characters and each character has their own characteristics from our true human nature. I have seen that each character in the story had their shown their true nature. Roger’s character in the story is someone that has a true nature of being evil, but if you look at Simon’s point of view, you would see how he represented the good side of human nature.

Police: Racial Profiling in America

POLICE: RACIAL PROFILING IN AMERICA Naomi D. Hopkins Stevens-Henager College APP 101 9 February 2013 Abstract This paper will discuss the relationship between Fear and how it relates to Racial Profiling in Police Practices. We will also discuss and illustrate real life examples under which Racial Profiling has occurred and how it is scientifically defined. The communication between peace officers and ordinary everyday citizens will also be examined. Police: Racial Profiling in America The issue of Racial Profiling in America by our Police Force is an undeniable truth and tragedy.Steve Holbert and Lisa Rose in their book the color of Guilt & Innocence recount a story of a Caucasian woman who is forced to walk alone with her young daughter down dark unfamiliar San Francisco streets at night in the dark. We’ll call this woman Lisa. She had just exited a train car with her young daughter and was walking down the dark streets unsure of her surroundings when she noticed that a stran ger man, whose features she couldn’t make out, was following her and her daughter.Lisa had heard and seen reports about a young man in his mid-20s that was dark complected and had been robbing tourists. She felt her body tighten as she began breathing rapidly and she had quickened her pace pulling her daughter along without realizing it, until her daughter started pulling her in the opposite direction because she had dropped her candy cane that she had gotten from the cable car employee earlier that evening. After her experience in the city, she began to question whether the irrational fear of monsters conjured up in the mind of a four year old was so different from the â€Å"monsters in the closet† we perceive as adults, the only difference being that the â€Å"monsters† we see as adults have a face and the face is of those who are different or those whose skin color is darker than our own. (Holbert, S; Rose, L 2004). This begs the question, â€Å"Did she fear this man because it was nighttime and she couldn’t see him and was unsure of her surroundings?Or was it because the man following her reminded her of that minority man who had been on the news who was robbing tourists? This brings to mind another quote I found while writing this paper: â€Å"Rather, racial profiling is more about our human response to an instinctual and primitive fear buried deep in each one of us. † (Holbert, S; Rose, L 2004) On the subject of Fear and Racism, I’m led to another quote in the book used primarily for my research on this very subject as it relates to American Law Enforcement practices. When we ponder the concept of fear in the comfort of a classroom, almost all would agree that to fear a person because of skin color, religious affiliation, or appearance is irrational. In the phobic sense, this fear is xenophobia, the fear and/or hatred of foreigners or anything that is foreign. † (Holbert, S; Rose, L 2004). I would even go so far as to say that contempt prior to investigation is in itself, a form or fear and intolerance. How can we judge a situation, let alone a person, accurately without all the facts?Do we assume we are Gods or Goddesses that are worthy to judge our fellow men or women? If so, what makes us so different, or dare I say, â€Å"Superior† to another? I am reminded of my own feelings, when as a small child; I made the decision to say that â€Å"all white people are racist. † This statement in and of itself is in fact, a form or racial profiling. That is, I was judging a certain race of people, in this case, whites and assuming that I had gathered enough information to do so.This brings me to another quote out of my research, â€Å"To understand the complexities of prejudice, racism, and racial profiling, we must first explore the origin of fear and understand how it can dictate the way in which our body responds to outside stimuli long before we become consciously aware of the racial implications. † (Holbert, S; Rose, L 2004). In fact, the word â€Å"fear† comes from the old English word for â€Å"danger. † When we, as human beings, experience fear our brains respond to perceived danger by using three distinct systems.The first is called Primal or Primitive fear system, and is found in most animals and mammals. This system responds first by alerting the body to any danger. This reaction is automatic and triggers our â€Å"fight or flight† response. The second is triggered by the â€Å"fight or flight† response and is the mind’s Rational or logical fear system. â€Å"This system takes over in an effort to assess the potential danger and weighs options for survival or escape. † (Holbert, S; Rose, L 2004). This system effectively plans possibilities we need to consider to escape an immediate or future threat.The third system is called a person’s Consciousness or Awareness, and acts as a mediator bet ween Primal Fear and Rational Thought. This system will strike a balance between the mind’s emotion and reason and will become the ultimate decision maker in the entire process. Now, let’s examine some history on racial profiling that is actually quite interesting. This thought brings me to another quote I pulled out of this book I used to research this topic/ â€Å"Start with a good idea. Test it thoroughly, and use it with care.Put it in the hands of those who don’t have the experience and training to apply it properly. Add a little discrimination and pressure, and turn up the heat for 20 years. What do you get? Racial Profiling. (Holbert, S; Rose, L 2004). â€Å"In a nutshell, this is the story of Howard Teten, a former FBI Chief of research in the late 1950s who many criminologists credit with popularizing the concept of â€Å"criminal profiling. † A man who lived the best of both worlds, Mr. Teten studied psychology at the University of California at Berkeley while working crime scenes in San Leandro, California.Back in the 1950s, cops typically looked for clues at a crime scene to try to tie the crime to a particular suspect. Teten took this concept one step further by looking at the manner in which the criminal committed the crime in order to develop a psychological profile. This profile ultimately helped officers identify a criminal’s personality traits and mental state and led to a classification of potential suspects who could have committed the crime. † (Holbert S; Rose, L 2004). This very method, which is called â€Å"criminal profiling†, has been widely distorted, especially when it comes to the United States â€Å"War on Drugs. For example, it is assumed that if a person, particularly a person belonging to a minority group (that is not white or Caucasian), is seen wearing gold jewelry that is large in size, a â€Å"corn roll† hair style, baggy clothes, and perhaps gold teeth, Law Enforceme nt Officials automatically assume that this individual is a â€Å"drug courier,† or an individual that smuggles drugs or money into or out of the country. It can be said that a person’s appearance, jewelry, and travel habits can be used as a basis for identifying and prosecuting those involved in the â€Å"drug trade. The end result of these discriminatory attitudes is that these â€Å"profiles† do not demonstrate â€Å"good science† or offer sensible approaches to productive Law Enforcement procedures. Now, let’s examine the other side of the coin, as it were as it relates to basic race relations. When we all think of a police officer, we all have this stereotypical view that they are tough, intimidating, and very arrogant. In actuality, police officers have learned their very behavior and personality traits from the general public. Most people, when contacted by a police officer, become irritated, hostile, overbearing, and even belligerent.So, i n turn, officers have learned how to desensitize or become â€Å"numb† to their emotions and feelings. It wouldn’t be a far cry to say that they have learned to behave as â€Å"not human† just so that they can get through their day without having to worry about what they said, was it rude, right or wrong, what the repercussions might be, and so on. So it is accurate to say that the general public ourselves, have contributed to the attitudes and behaviors of our own Police Force in America. What we don’t hear about or realize often times is that when an officer goes on duty, he or she faces any number of different variables.For example, having a gun pulled on them, being attacked, being shot, taken hostage, being kidnapped, and any number of other things that would threaten or endanger their lives either mortally or fatally. I will illustrate an example of what ought to be advertised when hiring police officers: WANTED: LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS: Must be a social worker, mediator, a fighter, a priest. Must be savvy to the criminal element yet have an unblemished criminal background. Candidates should be compassionate yet distant. Intimidating yet gentle. Aggressive yet always in control. Daily risk of death.Low Pay. Must be willing to work all hours of the day and night in hazardous and extreme conditions. The Faint of Heart need not apply. (Holbert, S; Rose, L 2004) WANTED: LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS: Must be a social worker, mediator, a fighter, a priest. Must be savvy to the criminal element yet have an unblemished criminal background. Candidates should be compassionate yet distant. Intimidating yet gentle. Aggressive yet always in control. Daily risk of death. Low Pay. Must be willing to work all hours of the day and night in hazardous and extreme conditions. The Faint of Heart need not apply. Holbert, S; Rose, L 2004) Realizing these facts, we all ought to be a little gentler with the officer next time we are pulled over for speedi ng or contacted about a conflict resolution issue. Police Officers deserve respect, but they also do not have the right to demand respect, and it is the same with the rest of us. That being said, when we think of â€Å"use of force† by police officers, we all know the familiar image conjured up; the Rodney King beating on March 3 1991. In case you’re wondering, the case went to trial and all of the officers involved were NOT convicted. The result was the L.A. Riots of 1992. When we think of this case, we wonder, what could have gone so wrong in our justice system? The answer is not as clear as one might speculate. The â€Å"code of silence† is as much to blame as ignorant and wrong attitudes are to blame. â€Å"The Code of Silence† also known as â€Å"The Blue Wall of Silence† is based on the premise that an officer does not reveal negative information about a fellow police officer. (Holbert, S; Rose, L 2004). I can recall an experience I had in Ca lifornia with an officer who responded to a call about me when I was homeless and sleeping in my vehicle.The officer responded alone, without backup, and contacted myself and two friends of mine. He falsely accused us of smoking weed, arrested my friend for a warrant she had, shined his flashlight deliberately in my face, and pulled his Taser on me when I reacted unfavorably to his â€Å"bullying behavior. † I then had to demand that he call his Watch Commander, or Supervisor out to the field to discuss what happened and what I wanted done about his misconduct. I told the Watch Commander that I wanted an apology, both written and verbal, but to my dismay, he responded and told me, â€Å"I’m sorry ma’am I cannot do that.If I promise to talk to him about this incident, will you refrain from reporting it? † I was appalled to say the least. I later had to go through the channels to report this incident at the Police Department in person, but this is a prime r eal-life example of â€Å"The Code of Silence† in action. How many times has this happened to other citizens, but for whatever reason, they are too afraid or intimidated to report such misconduct. If we as a society wish our Police Force to be more accountable, we must take the action to make sure that happens. Otherwise, we are just birds preaching to a choir with deaf ears.The sad fact is that many Police Departments still retain the right to â€Å"police† themselves on such issues of misconduct and â€Å"use of force† incidents. This is the main reason that the officers involved in the Rodney King beating of 1991 were cleared of guilt. First of all, to even file a complaint against a police officer, citizens must endure a lengthy and time consuming process that involves appearing in person at the police department, then weeding through the trouble and intimidation of even telling a department employee or filling out a report about the alleged incident, and so metimes are refused and intimidated out of that process.Second and most important, even after all that trouble has been endured by the complainant, little or nothing is ever done about the problem other than to refer it to the Internal Affairs Division of the police department and they in themselves have their own policies and procedures which may or may not include final review by the Chief of Police and even then, the issue may not be resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant. In conclusion, I have learned it is sometimes better to ignore arrogant and racist comments by officers unless I have the time to devote to a complaint and investigation process.I’ll end with this quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. â€Å"We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. † (King Jr. , Martin Luther 1963) References Holbert, S; Rose, L (2004) the color of GUILT & INNOCEN CE RACIAL PROFILING AND POLICE PRACTICES IN AMERICA King Jr. , Martin Luther (1963) â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† April 16, 1963 Retrieved from www. history1900sabout. com/od/martinlutherkingjr/a/mlkquotes. htm

Difference between internationalization and globalization Essay

What is the difference between the phases of internationalization and of globalization? Internationalization and Globalization are two terms that are often assimilated and sometimes used as synonyms. This is a mistake because these terms have many differences, starting with the time they began to occur. Internationalization started as part if the Industrial Revolution between 1870 and 1914, whereas globalization is a post 1960’s phenomenon. Other differences between these two terms include their impact on firms, on global trade, and on society and culture. First of all, while globalization is often used to describe the change in the world economy to a more liberal and interdependent system, internationalization refers more narrowly to the activity of firms on an international scale and the resulting impact of their decisions. Internationalization is, for example, a European firm trying to export its product overseas, and the causes and the consequences of this act. A firm trying to standardize its products on an international scale is also considered as internationalization. Secondly, many recent advances in technological fields such as communication and transportation have helped globalization increase worldwide trade and investment. The beginning of this ‘free-trade’ era started when the Soviet Union was defeated by the United States, and the end of the Cold War. This helped many organizations such as the WTO (World Trade Organization) or the IMF (International Monetary Fund) support free markets, making the economy less state dependent. These organizations have helped to create a more globalized economy by the creations of TNCs (Transnational Corporations). This resulted in the rapid and successful industrialization of some nations (NICs) and on a different way of dividing production worldwide (NIDL). On another hand, internationalization did not really globalize the economy but rather promoted the activity of a nation and its companies internationally. A typical example would be signing a trade or investment contract with another country (or countries) to install good economic relations between them.

Pestel Analysis of Mobile Phone Industry

Pestel Analysis of Mobile Phone Industry Political Mobile phones have now become a tool with which political parties can directly target voters. People with smartphones can now receive video advertisements and messages via the internet. According to the Economic Intelligence Unit (2012), 83% of Americans who own a smartphone or tablet are registered to vote. This new gimmick is called â€Å"m-campaigning† and is currently most common in America. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are both using this as a medium for their campaigns. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy set up a Twitter account to help him in his re-election bid.This shows the growing importance appreciation of mobile phones by politians. There is potential here for some companies to use this strength as a bargaining tool with governments and potentially charge political parties to have built in apps on the phones. (Economic Intelligence Unit, 2012) â€Å"Thanks to location-tracking, potential supporters may recei ve an automated message urging them to drop in just as they are passing a voter-registration office, or to turn up to a nearby rally† (EIU, 2012) The mobile phone market in Africa is one which is heavily affected by politics.The more unstable a country is the more the economy is constrained. This has a negative effect on imports going into these countries. Africa has a history of political instability and coups. According to AfricaGoodNews. com the last few decades have seen a huge decline in the number of war torn countries. The number of countries in Africa considered completely(11) and partially(34) free today has risen tremendously since 1972(3 and 10 respectively). These figures suggest that, from a political point of view at the very least, Africa has turned a major corner. A new more stable standard of life looms over the horizon.This may signal a new era of stability in the continent. (AfricaGoodNews. com) According to Techwireasia. com China is the biggest telephone m arket in the world. They boast over 1 billion mobile phone subscribers. However political factors have a huge influence on the market. The three biggest players in the market China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom are majority-owned by the Government. This can be a potential oportunity or threat. It can be an opportunity as long term agreements with these providers can cement a companies place in the market and provide a platform for further growth.On the other hand these companies in the next few years may begin to promote and seek to make deals with China based manufucturers and slowly dilute the market share of the market leaders. (Techwireasia. com, 2012) Economical The global smartphone market is quite an competitive market. Across the globe people are paying high prices for these products. In Ireland the prices for the top three phones on the market are the HTC One X (â‚ ¬519. 99), the Samsung Galaxy SIII (â‚ ¬569. 00) and the iPhone 5(â‚ ¬579. 99) (Carphone War ehouse, 2012). These phones are in excess of â‚ ¬500 to buy which is expensive to the average person.At such a high price, such goods are very sensitive to a customer’s economic situation. We will look now at such economic indicators which could influence sales in this industry. The growth of an economy can be measured by its Gross Domestic Product(GDP). According to figures released by Trading Economics (2012) the GNP in the Euro area is -0. 4%. This figure represents the effect of the financial and economic crisis Europe now finds itself in. European countries like Italy(-2. 6%), Greece(-6. 3%), Portugal(-3. 3%) and Spain(-1%) are all in recession.Other countries which have a positive GDP are experiencing very slow growth like Germany(0. 5%), France(0. 25%) and Austria(0. 2%). The smartphone industry will suffer in Europe due to these figures and sales growth will be slowed significantly. These figures can be used to highlight countries and regions where economic growth is strong. It is shown in tables 2,3 and 4 (Appendices) that there is strong economic growth in Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa. (Trading Economics, 2012) These are areas in which the mobile phone industry should concentrate marketing strategies.Countries which show huge market opportunities are China, India and Australia. These countries are booming. China has a population of 1. 3 billion and GDP of 7. 4%. India has a population of 1. 2 billion and GDP of 5. 5%. The mobile phone industry should place huge emphasis on trying to gain a share of these expanding markets. Africa is a continent known more for its poverty than prosperity. However it is a continent with great potential. From an economic perspective many countries are showing strong economic growth such as Rwanda and Nigeria for example which have a GDP of 9. % and 6. 3% respectively. â€Å"Over the past decade six of the world's ten fastest-growing countries were African. In eight of the past ten years, Africa has grown f aster than East Asia, including Japan† (The Economist, 2011) If we look at unemployment figures released by the IMF (2012) we can see a similiar trend that shows unemployment rising across europe with the notable exception of Germany. The rate for the euro area for the second quarter of 2012 is 11. 2%, up from 7. 6% in 2007. Rates in North America don’t look too good either with Canada at 7. 2% and US at 8%.Again we can see that the shining lights are in Asia with China, Korea and Japan showing the lowest unemployment rates (need figures ). Even though many of the industry’s products are made in Asia, but the markets over there seem to have the most potential to grow. Socio-Cultural The way we use phones is constantly changing. A recent OECD publication goes into great detail about how people are using the internet and mention a study called the Global Internet Phenomena Report in Canada (OECD, 2012). Table 1 in the Appendices show that people’s demand for real time entertainment is growing rapidly over the last few years.In 2012 the video streaming service Netflix accounted for 32. 9%, almost one third, of all downstream traffic in the United States. This suggests that consumer preferences are moving towards high quality video streaming and audio features. People want more entertainment from their phone. There is an opportunity the industry to notice this and focus resources on achieving these demands. (OECD, 2012) There is surely a fear amongst those companies in the market that somebody is going to come along with a new product which yet again revolutionises what we define as a mobile phone.The good news for the market is that even though technology and demands are constantly improving and increasing we feel it is worth mentioning that a mobile phone is still an essential device for almost everybody. Nowadays people have a wide selection of devices with which to use the internet, blackberrys, iphones, pcs, macbooks, ipads and tabl ets. Everyone has their own favourite device. Some people have switched from pc to mac. Some people prefer tablets. But everybody needs a phone and its capabilities seem to be consolidating all those of other devices.It can send e-mails, it can browse the web, it has Facebook and Twitter, it has live tv, it can be a music player etc. There is very little you can no longer do on a phone. From a social point of view there is nothing that could threaten the need for mobile phones Environment Environmental issues are becoming more prominent in the mobile phone industry in recent times. The WEEE Directive was introduced in the EU 2005 whereby any waste electrical or electronic equipment can be returned to the retailer free of charge provided that you purchase an item similar to the returning item (Selin & VanDeveer, 2006).This means to help the environment, mobile phone companies are required, by law, to take unwanted mobile phones. It is estimated that two million phones will be replace d this year causing 2,000 tons of waste (Kavanagh Environmental), proving it is anthropogenic what has caused radiation issues. For several years now, many people have speculated about the dangers of radiation from making calls. The main worry is that this could be a cause of cancer. It is reported that the risk of gliomas (brain cancer) has increased by 40% since the introduction of mobile phones (Kovach, 2011).Radiation from mobile phones may have serious consequences to humans as it is causing the population of bees to decline who are essential for crop growth preventing food shortages (Lean & Shawcross, 2007). Legal There is a lot of legislation associated with the mobile phone industry. Patents are currently a big advantage in the mobile phone industry. [pic] Source: The Atlantic, 2012. One can see that the common denominator is Apple. They are the only company which own valuable patents with regards to design and hold a strong market share in the market in which these phones a re sold.According to the Atlantic (2012), Apple are making the lions share of operating profits while Samsung and HTC are the chasing pack. Ownership of these patents is a competitive advantage. Issues arise again and again over patents, which is most notably seen in the Apple versus Samsung court case, which only came to a final decision in recent weeks. According to the US Daily Mail, Samsung had to pay $1. 05 Billion to Apple for copying their iPhone in the manufacturing of the Samsung Galaxy range (Murphy, 2012).A law went into effect in San Francisco early last year which required that all retailers must display how much radiation each phone emits (Kang, 2010). With just under 300 million Americans using mobile phones, this is something which has the potential to hit the industry very hard if any significant study shows a link between phone use and cancer (Kang, 2010). The EU has introduced new legislation in the last few years aimed at significantly reducing the cost of making international calls and roaming. It is now 68% cheaper to make a call while abroad than it was in 2006 and it is 81% cheaper to receive a call.The price of text messages has been reduced by 60% (Europa, 2012). References Economic Intelligence Unit (2012), ‘World Politics: Spreading the m-word’, ABI/ INFORM Global. Available Online at: http://search. proquest. com/abiglobal/docview/926036961/139DAC0C8916F0BFAF4/18? accountid=40346 [Accessed 10th October 2012] Africa Good News (2012), ‘Fast facts and quick stats about Africa’ AfricaGoodNews. com. Available Online at: http://www. africagoodnews. com/africa/facts. html [Accessed 16th October 2012] OECD (pg. 24, 2012) ‘OECD Internet economy outlook’ Available at: http://www. keepeek. om/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/science-and-technology/oecd-internet-economy-outlook-2012/expanding-connectivity-and-measuring-the-internet-economy_9789264086463-3-en [Accessed 4th October 2012] Techwireasia. com (201 2) ‘An in depth ananlysis of China’s mobile phone market’ Techwireasia [Online] Available at: http://www. techwireasia. com/2733/an-in-depth-analysis-of-chinas-mobile-phone-market/ [Accessed 12th October] Carphone Warehouse (2012), Pay as you go smartphones, Carphonewarehouse. ie [Online] Available at; http://www. carphonewarehouse. ie/category/Pay-As-You-Go-Smartphones/1_3 [Accessed 15th October 2012]Europa (2012) ‘Travelling in Europe 2012-2013’ Europa. eu [Online] Available at; http://europa. eu/travel/comm/index_en. htm#phone [Accessed 3rd October 2012] IMF (2012) ‘Principal Global Indicators’ IMF. org [Online] Available at: http://www. principalglobalindicators. org/default. aspx [Accessed 4th October 2012] Trading Economics (2012), GDP growth rates, Available at: http://www. tradingeconomics. com/gdp-growth-rates-list-by-country [Accessed 4th October 2012] The Economist (2012) ‘After decades of slow growth, Africa has a real chance to follow in the footsteps of Asia’ The Economist[Online] Available at: http://www. conomist. com/node/21541015 [Accessed 18th October 2012] Atlantic. com. (2012, August). The State of play in the mobile industry in one venn diagram. Retrieved October 1, 2012, from The Atlantic: http://www. theatlantic. com/technology/archive/2012/08/the-state-of-play-in-the-mobile-phone-industry-in-one-venn-diagram/261712/ Europa. (2012). Travelling in Europe 2012-2013. Retrieved October 16, 2012, from Europa: http://europa. eu/travel/comm/index_en. htm#phone Kang, C. (2010). Cell Phone Indusrty attacks San Francisco's ruling on radiation. The Washington Post Kavanagh Environmental. (n. d. ). Environmental Objectives.Retrieved October 2, 2102, from Kavanagh Environmental: http://www. kavenv. ie/environment. html Kovach, S. (2011, May 31). Cell Phones may Cause Cancer. Retrieved OCTOBER 1, 2012, from Business Insider: http://www. businessinsider. com/cell-phones-cause-cancer-2011-5 Lea n, G. , & Shawcross, H. (2007, April 15). Are Mobile Phones wiping out our Bees? Retrieved October 4, 2012, from The Independent: http://www. independent. co. uk/environment/nature/are-mobile-phones-wiping-out-our-bees-444768. html Murphy, D. (2012, October). Samsung losing Apple Court Case. Retrieved October 16, 2012, from Mobile Marketing: http://www. obilemarketingmagazine. com/content/samsung-loses-apple-court-case Selin, H. , & VanDeveer, S. D. (2006, December). ABI/INFORM Global. Retrieved October 1, 2012, from ProQuest: http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. wit. ie:2048/abiglobal/docview/224017129/13 99337313516FFA994/1? accountid=40346 Appendices Table 1: Aggregate Traffic Compisition, North America [pic] Source: (OECD, 2012) Table 2: GDP in Asia 2012 Q2 [pic] Source: (TradingEconomics. com) Table 3: GDP in Eastern Europe 2012 Q2 [pic] Source: (TradingEconomics. com) Table 4: GDP in Africa 2012 Q2 [pic] Source: (Tradingeconomics. com)