Child Punishment Is An Controversial Topic On America And...

Discipline in Schools Child punishment is an extremely controversial topic in America and the parenting sphere. A particular point of contention is whether or not it is effective parenting to hit children when they misbehave. There are arguments on both sides; those against it say it could turn the children into revengeful individuals. While those in favor of this form of child punishment mostly argue that they are emulating the way they were raised. Recently the subject has reemerged when the NFL suspended Minnesota Vikings Running Back Adrian Peterson for punishing his child by hitting him with a switch. The case gained national attention and sparked debate despite Peterson escaping any real punishment after reaching a plea agreement in Texas. Peterson and his supporters argued he had the right to strike his child and raise him the same way he was raised, while much of the country was appalled by his actions. His punishment came in the form of a yearlong suspension from football. W here parents and guardians can be subject to legal punishment if they hit their children, teachers in some states are protected under the constitution. Which in theory could spark a Peterson type debacle for the American media and public. The Supreme Court Case Ingraham vs. Wright in 1977 declared that the 8th Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment did not exclude corporal punishment in public schools. Additionally the 14th Amendment’s due process clause does not requireShow MoreRelatedLgbt19540 Words   |  79 Pagesthe belief of lesbian amp; gay separatism (not to be confused with the related lesbian separatism), which holds that lesbians and gay men form (or should form) a community distinct and separate from other groups normally included in the LGBTQ sphere.[28][64] While not always appearing of sufficient number or organization to be called a movement, separatists are a significant, vocal, and active element within many parts of the LGBT communi ty.[64][65][66] In some cases separatists will deny theRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesTiffany Ruby Patterson, Zora Neale Hurston and a History of Southern Life Lisa M. Fine, The Story of Reo Joe: Work, Kin, and Community in Autotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and Culture in Recent America Joanne Meyerowitz, ed., History and September 11th John McMillian and Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Read MoreBackground Inditex, One of the Worlds Largest Fashion Distributors, Has Eight Major Sales Formats - Zara, Pull and Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home Y Kiddys Class- with 3.147 Stores in 70100262 Words   |  402 Pagesto Hà ¥kan Rodhe, my second supervisor, who has not only provided valuable input related to my research and writing, but who has also been a rich source of advice and inspiration when it comes to many other aspects in life ranging from teaching to parenting. Thank you Hà ¥kan; for your support and for always having a good perspective on what is important in life. A large part of my research was carried out within the realm of the FLIPP research programme (Furthering Life Cycle Considerations through IntegratedRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesreproduced, with permission, in this textbook appear on the appropriate page within text. Copyright  © 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopyingRead MoreOcd - Symptoms, Causes, Treatment131367 Words   |  526 Pagesreproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher. Printed in the United States of America This book is printed on acid-free paper. Last digit is print number: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 LIMITED PHOTOCOPY LICENSE The Publisher grants to individual purchasers of this book nonassignable per mission to reproduce the appendices of this book. This license

The Social Change Of Tattoos And Young Adults - 1511 Words

The Social Change of Tattoos and Young Adults in the Workforce Body art modification has changed drastically over the last several decades. The negative association that society has with tattoos is beginning to become over looked as the newer generations are adapting more and more. The younger crowd has begun to embrace the tattooed culture either through self-expression or stylistic body modifications, although the social stigmas still remain evident. Despite the military’s current views on tattoos, countless military members also still fully embrace their ink. The overall cultural associations of tattoos, although they have changed drastically since the earlier times of prison and military associations, have grown more appealing to a broader group of society. Tattoos are viewed as a trend to some, while the other’s view them as a way of life. It is difficult to deny the place that tattoos have within American culture. Nonetheless, researchers still often argue the negative points and focus on the criminally tattooed and mentally ill individuals, completely disregarding the American Youth who are adopting the art of tattooing as their own cultural norm. This negative approach taken by researchers instills fear in the younger population, even though many professionals have body art themselves. Popular news outlets such as the LA Times and the Associated Press often contribute a different view based on the industry professionals’ opinions, and the surveys andShow MoreRelatedSocial Deviance and Social Norms Essay911 Words   |  4 PagesSocial deviance is a violation of social norms. So what qualifies as a social deviant? According to sociologist, Howard S. Becker the best definition of social deviance is, â€Å"It is not t he act itself, but the reactions to the act, that do something deviant.† In cultures around the world, there are many practices Americans find deviant, but in other cultures, it’s the norm. In many countries around the world, girls are married as young as 11 years old. To Americans, that is considered child abuse andRead MoreFreedom of Self- Expression: Tattoos and Body Piercings at 16 Should be Permitted1232 Words   |  5 Pagesthat children should have permission to get tattoos and body piercings. I believe that teens should have the authority to get them on our own. The current Texas law states that any person under the age of 18 must have parental permission before getting a tattoo or any body piercing. Identification is required to verify the persons age. I feel that by the age of 16, any student should have the authority to express themselves in a way such as tattoos and body piercings. There are various aspectsRead MoreInfluence of Music Essay834 Words   |  4 Pagessociety is today. The different types of music genres have shaped American culture and social behavior of Americans. Audio media has had a major affect and influence on the attitudes of Americans and especially today’s youth and young adults. Music and radio has given American culture its values, the way that jazz, blues, and Ramp;B created rock amp; roll, music created American culture. Music appeals to young adults, and youth as an escape to the hard times of real life. Drawn by the explicit lyricsRead MoreEssay about The Art of Tattoos1110 Words   |  5 Pageshas grown to now be considered a mainstream activity and is no longer confined to prison populations, sailors, and gang members. Tattooed bodies now include adolescents, career women, and college students (Millner 425). Throughout all these years, tattoos have been used as protection against danger, as love charms, to restore youth, to ensure good health and long life, to accomplish fertility, to bring about the death to an enemy, to cure an illness, to insure a happy afterlife, and even to acquireRead MoreIs Tattooing A New Physical Representation?1860 Words   |  8 PagesAs generations progress from teenage years to adulthood, a new physical representation a lso rises with young adults. Though not all may participate with the given trend, there are those who find individuality within societally approved social boundaries. Compared especially to the 1960s trend of long hair representing a sense of freedom and independence, tattooing within the last decade provides a similar effect for those who participate in the kind of body modification. Regardless, the art of tattooingRead MoreThe Tattoo By Chris Mckinney Essay1704 Words   |  7 Pages‘The tattoo’ is a novel which was written by Chris McKinney about a young adult named Ken ‘Kenji’ Hideyoshi who was sent to the Halawa Correctional Institute. Inside he tells his personal struggle of living life as a Japanese male brought up in Hawai’i, being exposed to poverty, colonialism, violence, urban gangs, and drugs. In this essay, I will argue that one can learn criminal and violent behaviour by those who they hold close interpersonal relationships with, for ex ample, family and friends.Read MoreTattoos And Its Effect On Society Essay2019 Words   |  9 PagesThe tattoo is a very old form of body modification, but in spite of that there is still a certain rejection towards those who carry them in a visible area of the body, for some it disfigures what has been created in the image and likeness of God while for others associates this with convicts or gang members mainly because they were one of the first groups to use tattoos to differentiate themselves from the rest of society. But also it is true that there is a very limited understanding about thisRead MoreHow Gangs And Their Social Meshwork1661 Words   |  7 Pagesanalyzing gangs and their social meshwork, it is without a doubt that gangs are seen by the majority as social pests in the community. As a whole, these numerous gangs throughout the country are more than just a bunch of criminals covered in tattoos, they are people, with feelings, who just need positivity in their lives. M ost gang members, living in impoverish conditions, grew up in households were they were abused, unloved, and neglected. They grow up with no positive social support and become accustomRead MoreTattoo Culture and Influence in Society1780 Words   |  8 PagesTattoo culture and influence in society Nowadays, tattoo has been regarded as a sign of fashion. â€Å"A trend that started growing in America and Europe in the early 90s, tattooing soon became so popular that 36% of Americans aged 25-29 had at least one body tattoo by 2003(Julie Genser 2007).† However, tattoo could probably bring health risks to tattoo carrier. 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The Department of Homeland Security Free Essays

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is an agency created to secure and protect the homeland. It is established primarily to protect the people and the country against attacks from terrorists. Since 2001, 22 separate agencies were merged into a one single cohesive unit which makes up the Department of Homeland Security. We will write a custom essay sample on The Department of Homeland Security or any similar topic only for you Order Now Although the primary purpose and very reason of DHS existent is securing the homeland, DHS is also in the forefront in providing assistance to people during natural calamities and disasters (Vieira, 2005). The agency also administers and monitors the country’s immigration status and system, thus protecting American people from migrating citizens entering the nation, which are bent on spreading fear and terror. As a result of monitoring the migrating patterns, entry of illegal drugs are prevented as they are stop before crossing American Borders. Thus, by merging the 22 various agencies into single more powerful and cohesive team, coordination and efficiency in performing tasks is achieved. It is no secret that in order to perform such huge missions, unity must be achieve across all government levels all over the nation. With the huge effort and major help the agency has provided and will provide in the near future it is important to understand the plan and strategic actions DHS and the federal government has adapted in protecting our nation. It was a dream come true in creating DHS, since it is a single department built in the primary principle in protecting the people and the nation. The administration has allotted a bigger budget of 11 billion dollars to support state preparedness (Vieira, 2005). The increase in budget will further solidify and strengthen aviation security, border security activities, purchase of necessary medical equipments and would provide an effective mode of managing a new human resource system that will enable hiring of â€Å"cream of the crop† personnel. With larger budget at hand DHS can now secure advance equipments and devices manufactured by the advent of technology. For instance, in order to secure the nation’s borders, ports and transportation systems from various criminal elements, an effective method that would screen goods and people is necessary. Use of advance information is also vital in managing the risk of guarding the nation’s borders that stretches across 7500 miles of land. Thus, a program that relies in the use of advance information to identify potential high risk shipments and cargo is being build on. The idea is to prevent cargo and shipments from reaching U.S. territory. Pre-screening of cargo and shipments in 20 main foreign ports around the world provides DHS a major assistance in intercepting dangerous people and goods before reaching shores. The process which focuses on the pre-screening tests is known as the Container Security Initiative. On the other hand, ports are made safer by deploying large number of coast guards and strict implementations of maritime security standards for coastal activities and waterway system. Together with the Transportation Security Administration, DHS provide aid to the field of aviation by making of air craft flight safer. Advance screening devices that keep dangerous weapon off the airplanes are provided by the joint efforts. Field air marshals are also called and deployed to protect passengers. Pilots are also trained as last line of defense. DHS also provide assistance to people during disasters and natural calamities. Chaos is not only brought about by people, terrorist and biological warfare. Bigger destructions are brought by disasters and catastrophic accidents generated by the environment such as hurricane, forest fire, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In order to response to such incident and other terrorist attacks preparedness is important (Baldwin, 2005). Today, DHS is working on it’s readiness to response on those various emergencies. On top of its agenda is to better prepare and coordinate the Nation’s capabilities to improve speed and efficiency of delivering services to our people. Another major assistance the organization provides to the people is information dissemination. With the creation of DHS, warning systems have become more effective and public warning has been enhanced (Baldwin, 2005). With the improved warning systems, cyber and terrorist threats are easily identified, as a result people are warned in advanced. With threats known, countermeasure and contingency plans can then be generated. With a single agency dedicated in providing security to the American people, works are carried out more efficiently and at faster rate, as information is made centralized and securing of documents, which eat ample amount of time, in order to coordinate with other agency which has jurisdiction in certain case is not necessary. Time is conserved and as a result DHS functions more effectively. The agency then is able to generate necessary countermeasures. Also, by merging the different agencies and forming one immense organization strength and skills are then concentrated and focused much better. Resources are also conserved and man power is utilized more efficiently. Furthermore, confusion into which jurisdiction the different cases will fall not arise, since operations are all sanctioned by the department. Leakage of information can also be controlled, since there is no need for the DHS to inform other agency, thus a more controlled surrounding which is manageable is attained. However, creating a single agency which handles affairs that provides protection to the homeland poses several critical issues. The scope of DHS mission is broad which encompasses terrorist affairs, natural calamities and entry of illegal drugs. With the merging of different agencies to form the DHS, special agencies and units which are created for specific functions are also merged with the homeland department. Although by merging, it has become a part of a new organization, it has also become a regular unit which receives general orders unlike before when they are called for special situations and specialize in performing specific functions. Also, the budget the department needs balloons every year as several agendas are needed to be tended. Since, DHS is the organization which functions and executes actions with all matters related and concerning about security and protection of our people and homeland, the organization requires large financial assistance and grants. After the 2001 attack, the lives and the way our people live had change. For instance, the creation of DHS as a sole organization that would provide security and protection to the people and homeland are actions that are generated by the attacks. In an effort to strengthen intelligence reports and ability to combat and fight terrorists affairs, various agencies have joined hands and merged to prevent incidents that lead to the September 11 attacks. The end result is an agency that promises to protect the people by controlling the borders, provide protection and support to aviation and port security, increase preparedness in emergency response and counter act the affairs of different elements that threatens the peace and security of the people. From the organization’s mission we can infer that they are logically tied together as they all sought for stoppage of criminal and terrorists acts that are detrimental to the nation and the people. They are measures and strategic actions that are carried out in order to safe guard the people and allow them to live their everyday lives free from fear uncertainties. As various elements continue to threaten the nation and its people, DHS will continue to be at the forefront of the war against them. With the advent of new technology and new devices and equipments being invented, preventions and countermeasures to terrorist and criminal attacks are not impossible to achieve. Furthermore that administration had greatly supported the organization and had generously provided it with a â€Å"generous† amount for its budget. There is no doubt about the importance of the organization and its value to our citizen. From anticipation and early forecast of warning of threats discovered that the public are about to encounter up to operations and countermeasures and emergency response after attacks and disaster, the department’s unwavering efforts would be evident and as long as there are elements that are trying to cross the American borders, spreading fear and terror to our people, DHS will live to its promise and expectations and provide our people with the much needed services. References Baldwin, Craig. (2000). Catastrophe Preparation and Prevention for Law Enforcement Professionals New York, NY: McGraw Hill Vieira, Edwin Jr. (2005). â€Å"Homeland Security† — For What and For Whom? News With Views.    How to cite The Department of Homeland Security, Papers

Education Reforms in Australia

Question: Discuss about the Education Reforms in Australia. Answer: It is worth noting that Australians value education and understand its usefulness to the nations social and economic success. Despite this recognition, international experience shows that the country is at risk lagging behind its peers if the country does not inculcate more effective programs that result in better education outcomes. According to analysis, the genesis of the problem is not the value of the ideas, but instead the gap between resources and capabilities necessary to carry out the change in the education industry. With this view in mind, the article Quality teaching must be the focus of school reform published in the Australian highlights the fact that quality teaching is the first step to achieving reforms in education and scaling the system to greater heights. In this article, the author elucidates that the educational quality is an imperative factor that either makes or breaks a students success at school. Likewise, the Australian council Educational Research report indicates that students learning is inhibited by teachers failing to meet the individual needs of its students. Further, the article reports that teacher absenteeism, resistance to change and being unprepared for classes act as significant impediments to learning. Unfortunately, these are some of the major factors that characterize the current education system in the country. Discussion For years, Australia ranked among the top in the world student achievement in schools league tables. However, this element has declined over the years following a continued slip in the education sector. The ministry has tried various experiments in restructuring schools. However, these efforts have since been rendered ineffective in improving the current state. Regardless, literature indicates that teacher quality is a great determinant of students performance all over the world. Therefore, education reforms within a nation should focus on improving the quality of teaching within the nation before instigating other reforms. Essentially, there are five key steps in implementing reforms in the Australian school system. The first step pertains to identifying the type of reforms that are required within the education system (PWC, n.d.). What follows is the conducting of a student-centric approach to reform using standards and building aspiration. Afterward, the ministry gets help from people with professional expertise in reform. The fourth step involves setting up a plan to realize the ideas on potential improvements (PWC, n.d.). Lastly, the ministry used technology and available data to make more informed choices on what reforms will have the most impact on the current education system. There is a significant correlation between teacher quality and student performance. Imperatively, promoting teacher quality is a fundamental element in enhancing primary and secondary education within the country (Hamid et al., 2012). More specifically, good teachers do not only demonstrate proficiency in their subject area but also nurture their students by displaying optimism, friendliness and creating a conducive environment for learning (Darling-Harmond, 2010). In turn, this guarantees the quality of teaching by enhancing the students class experience and improving their overall performance. Additionally, it is also important for the teachers to possess academic qualifications and professional expertise in the subject that they teach. Unfortunately, a report by the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute highlights the fact that approximately one-third of mathematics classes between years 7 to 10 are taught by teachers who lack proper math qualifications (The Australian, 2017). For this reason, the teacher quality is compromised since they lack adequate knowledge of the subject matter that they try to pass to their students (Hattie, 2011). It is also saddening that despite the teacher shortages in key subjects such as science and mathematics in the schools in Australia, a significant proportion of primary teaching graduates are unable to find employment every year (Karp, 2016). Thus, the government should step up and encourage the incorporation of graduate trainees into the payroll system to maximize their potential in achieving high-quality performance among students . From the article, it is commendable that the education minister alongside other ministers are ready to address and instigate entry standards and quality assurance of teacher education courses in the country. The proposed evaluation of literary and numeracy skills of new teachers may also come in handy (The Australian, 2017). Often, individuals enroll for education diploma and degree courses following poor performance as relates to the admission ranks of most university programs. For this reason, most teachers become teachers due to the lack of better alternative and missing out on their preferred courses. Consequently, this results in little motivation to improve their quality as teachers, thereby inhibiting not only their performance but also that of their students. It is, however, worth noting that the education ministry of Australia is working towards reforms to correct this issue. More precisely, these weaknesses in the system are being remedied to ensure that individuals do not become teachers due to lack of other alternatives, but on merit with proper numeracy and literacy skills (Australian Government, 2017). Despite this, it is imperative to note that reforms take several years to materialize and be effective (The Australian, 2017). Yet, currently, the Australian economy, quality of life, and the job market demand a more effective school system. In this regard, the government through the ministry of education should instigate creative means to improve teacher quality and enhance student performance (Reforms, 2014). It is through such reforms that the education sector, society and the economy at large will realize the full potential of the nations academic system. Conclusion Education is an essential element in every society. Factually, it is the cornerstone of every social and economic unit in the world. For years, the countrys education system was ranked among the top achievers according to international standards. However, the past few decades have seen the education sector dwindle and reduce in terms of students performance. Hence, reforms are imperative in the education industry. According to the article, teaching quality is a sure way of improving student performance. for this reason, the Australian government should ensure that it employs qualified teachers with requisite training in their subject area to not only improve the quality of teaching but also to enhance the student experience and offer an efficient learning environment. References Curriculum reform in Australia. International Education News. Retrieved on 18 Apr. 2017, from: https://internationalednews.com/2014/12/04/curriculum-reform-in-australia/ Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness. Center for American Progress. Retrieved on 18 Apr. 2017, from: https://www.highered.nysed.gov/TELDH.pdf Education improvement in Australia. PWC. Retrieved on 18 Apr. 2017, from: https://www.pwc.com.au/education/education-reform.html/ Hamid. A., Hassan, S., Ismail. H. (2012 Teaching Quality and Performance Among Experienced Teachers in Malaysia. Australian Journal of Teacher Education 3711), pp. 1-20. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ999392.pdf Hattie, J. (2011). Challenge of focusing education reform. The Australian. Retrieved on 18 Apr. 2017, from: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/business/rethinking-education-the-challenge-of-focusing-reform/news-story/320a7a0664bad45f074f3d6eb320e059 Karp, P. (2016). Pisa results: Australian students' science, maths and reading in long-term decline. The Guardian. Retrieved on 18 Apr. 2017, from: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/dec/06/pisa-results-australian-students-science-maths-and-reading-in-long-term-decline Quality teaching must be the focus of school reform. (2017). The Australian. Retrieved on 18 Apr. 2017, from: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/editorials/quality-teaching-must-be-the-focus-of-school-reform/news-story/b068e3d469cd0494304bdc2d80c0d97b. Upholding Quality - Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching. Australian Government. Retrieved on 18 Apr. 2017, from: https://www.education.gov.au/upholding-quality-quality-indicators-learning-and-teaching

The Catcher In The Rye Character Analysis Of Holden Caufield Essays

The Catcher In The Rye: Character Analysis Of Holden Caufield ` The Catcher in the Rye In J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden Caufield, describes in detail the parts of his life and his environment that bother him the most. He faces these problems with a kind of naivety that prevents him from fully understanding why it is that he is so depressed. His life revolves around his problems, and he seems helpless in evading them. Among others, Holden finds himself facing the issues of acceptance of death, growing up, and his own self-destructiveness. One of the hardships Holden must cope with is his inability to come to terms with death, in particular that of his younger brother, Allie. Holden seems to have experienced a rather happy and carefree childhood; he lived with his siblings, Phoebe and Allie, and had his older brother D.B. to look up to. Then Holden suddenly is faced with the realization that he has to grow up, and learn to live without Allie. The initial reaction is painful; Holden breaks his hand in a fit of emotion soon after the death. By the time Holden is sixteen years old, he has done little more than accept the fact that Allie is dead. We still see Holden seeking Allie in his bouts of depression. In chapter twenty-five, Holden, while walking along Fifth Avenue, begins to believe that he will not be able to get to the other side of the street each time he reaches the end of a block, as if he will just fall off. He talks aloud to Allie to help him get through the ordeal. Holden also continues to see Allie as one o f the few things he likes about life. Yet another demon that Holden avoids is the process of having to grow up. Throughout the book, he seems hesitant to develop any real ambitions or goals. He is a perpetual failure at school. He refuses to associate himself with mature ways of living, and so isolates himself from anyone his own age or older. This is all directly connected to Holden's picture-perfect image of his childhood. He sees this particular period of his life as his own personal paradise. He does not want to finalize the fact that he has to concede it's innocence in the end. Towards the end of the book, Holden shows his desire for life to remain as it was by saying, ...certain things should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone. Holden does not want to join a world of phonies and greed, a world lacking in carelessness and irresponsibility. He won't, whether consciously or not, accept the fact that he has no choice. A final conflict in the life of Holden Caufield is his own self-destructiveness. That he is suicidal is never deliberately pointed out in the book but there are several instances in which it is implied. Mr. Antolini, being perhaps the only adult in the story that truly understands the seriousness of Holden's situation, at one point remarks, I can very clearly see you dying nobly, one way or another, for some highly unworthy cause, possibly insinuating that Holden might not value his life enough to avoid throwing it away. Phoebe asks Holden about what he really likes about life, and all he can think of is a young boy named James Castle that commited suicide. At least one chapter finds him irrationally thinking he has cancer, and wandering around thinking he will certainly never make it to the other side of the street. One of the most significant allusions to suicide is when he walks around as though he has been shot, and afterward, in Central Park, he convinces himself that he has dev eloped neumonia and will die very soon. He imagines his funeral, and the reaction of his parents and Phoebe. By the end of the novel, Holden has envisioned his own death by at least four different methods: neumonia, nuclear warfare, homicide, and suicide. All of Holden's problems appear to have been derived from change, one way or another, and they all

Stages of the Research Process Essays - Scientific Method, Knowledge

Stages of the Research Process Essays - Scientific Method, Knowledge Anthony Moreno RES/351 Stages of the Research Process Instructor: Said Nik-khah October 19th, 2015 Stages of the Research Process This week's assignment is to research peer-reviewed articles in our schools library. The topic I chose to find these articles is guns since my learning team is also doing the same topic. I will attempt to state the purpose of the business research, determine the research questions & hypotheses, and identify the dependent & independent variables being manipulated to measure in each article. The Effects of Guns and Money I gave this paper the title of the effects of guns and money because it seemed fitting and connected both articles. Both articles involve gun violence but are very different. One-article studies the chance of people committing a violent crime using a gun and the other article is about doing the right thing and making public safety a priority. Controversial Study Suggest Seeing Gun Violence Promotes It The purpose of research. The Purpose of this research is to find out if seeing gun violence at a young age increases the probability of that child will go on to commit a similar act down the road. Research questions and hypotheses. The main research focus question in my opinion was "Can a single experience of seeing someone shoot at someone else make an individual more violence-prone?" (Constance Holden, 2005) This led to a hypothesis of a single exposure to firearm violence doubles the chance that a young person will later engage in violent behavior. Dependent and independent variables. Reading into this study I found quite a few variables but mostly dependent variables. The one independent variable that I recognized was if the participant has ever been exposed to violence. The rest of the variables I found were of the dependent type of variables that included the participants family structure, his or hers temperament, and their IQ. New York City Considers Divesting From Walmart Over Gun Sales The purpose of research. Public Advocate Letitia James put it best when she made the statement of "We need to study the potential consequences and risks of continuing to own equity and fixed income holdings in gun retailers, whose weapons and ammunition reach the streets, towns and cities across our country." Which means to me that they want to conduct this research for the greater good but at what costs? Research questions and hypotheses. I found two research questions in this article. The first research question I found was what will be the impact of selling its shares in major gun retailers, including Walmart, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Cabela's. The other research question I found is will other states follow suit and sell their shares to divest and force those major companies to make a change and stop selling guns and ammunition. Dependent and independent variables. The only independent variable would be that these major companies sell guns and ammunition and are in compliance with the law. The dependent variables could be public safety. Would the public be safer if the companies stopped selling guns and ammunition? Another variable would be money. How would the companies react to investors that decided to divest? That could change the dynamic public safety if the companies decided to stop selling guns and ammunition. Conclusion By reviewing both of these articles, I found it easy to identify the reason for the research being conducted. In both articles, the authors made it clear of what the purpose of the research was for. As for finding the research questions and hypotheses it was also relatively easy to find one or maybe two questions they based their research on. Finding the independent and dependent variables, I struggled with. Not having the actual results of the study it was hard for me to determine any of the variables. I tried to find variables by asking myself questions on if it this plays a part and if so does it or can it change. From there I just decided if it was a dependent variable or independent variable. Overall I feel that both articles gave me some good practice getting familiar with understanding how business research is started. Still a little new to it but I feel I have the basics down. Reference Page Mathias, Christopher. "New York City Considers Divesting From

The Americas Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Americas - Research Paper Example This essay compares the perspectives, issues, and the concerns of the Aztec and the Inca peoples, and with relation to their contacts with the Europeans. For a thorough comparison of the perspectives, issues and concerns of the Aztec and the Inca peoples, this essay will analyze five major issues thus: religion and rituals; structures, architecture or earthworks; agriculture trade and their reasons for decline. The paper will use historical methodology to do this comparison. The paper thus will analyze and interpret both primary and secondary sources. The online e-core material shall also be used to supplement the primary sources. The Aztecs was a group in Mexico that had around ten thousand members while they controlled an empire of more than 22 million people. They, however, had never developed a bureaucratic system as the Europeans. Andreas and Overfield (129) observe that the Aztecs political system allowed their kings to remain in power as long as the kings continued to send tribute. They held both religious and political power. The kings were seen as the representatives of the gods, and they also controlled the civil powers. The Aztec believed that a religion was a very important element in keeping the conquered peoples in control, especially the use of the sacrificial system. In 1519 with the arrival of theSpanish in the current day Mexico, with 11 ships, the capital city of the Aztec was Tenochtitlan (Sahagun and Anderson 128). The Inca, on their part, had a sophisticated bureaucracy, and they had incorporated the ideas into their culture to form a true and unique empire. Their empire consisted of bet ween nine to 12 million people. The Aztecs were led by emperors thought to have demigod powers, while the Inca were led by a supreme ruler, also seen as a god. Just like with the Aztecs ruler with absolute political and religious powers, the Incan ruler was an authoritarian ruler who controlled movement, marriage

Only conduct a paragraph(250words) for a topic given Coursework

Only conduct a paragraph(250words) for a topic given - Coursework Example or example teachers, during tutoring sessions, can give feedback to students verbally, which in turn, enables students improve on their accuracy and nurture their confidence (Smith, 1997, Ferris and Robert, 2001) . Peers can also make significant contributions to the students’ writing development , by proving the student writers with a glimpse of reader-based feedback on their writing efforts (Black et al., 2003, Yang et al., 2006). Without feedback, there is little learning. Ferris and Roberts (2001) reported that students who received feedback, whichever form, improved their writing. However, the worth of teacher feedback in writing, particularly, in second language writing classes, has been subject to controversy (Ferris, 2004). If feedback is given students at the end of students’ writing, the students do not find the comments invaluable, as intended by the teacher(s). Few students are interested in incorporating the feedback to already graded work (Black et al., 20 03, Peterson, 2010). Therefore, feedback only becomes significant to writing development, if it is given in the beginning and middle stages (Peterson, 2010). A study has revealed that most students rely on teacher feedback, without necessarily understand their significance, in part, because the teachers are authoritative (Yang et al., 2006). In some cases, the teacher’s written comments are illegible (Lee, 2008),making it hard for the students to understand. FERRIS, D., R. 2004. The ‘‘Grammar Correction’’ Debate in L2 Writing :Where are we, and where do we go from here?(and what do we do in the meantime...?). Journal of Second Language Writing 13, 49-62. PETERSON, S. S. 2010. Improving Stdent Writing: Using Feedback as a Teaching Tool. What Works: Research Into Practice. A research-into-practice series produced by a partnership between the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat and the Ontario Association of Deans of

Coke and Pepsi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Coke and Pepsi - Essay Example cator of working capital, also means that Coca Cola operated within its working capital range and was therefore not in a good position to pay for its current liabilities as they fell due. A comparison of the company’s current ratio with the ratio in the period ended 2011 suggests a decline because 2011 had a current ratio of 1.399. This raises concern because the company could be experiencing a continuously declining solvency potential and may compromise stakeholders such as suppliers and investors. Pepsi reported a current ratio of 1.095. Like the ratio for Coca Cola, this was low, compared to the recommended ratio of 2:1. The organization therefore operated close to its working capital and was unlikely to meet its short-term liabilities as they fell due. Pepsi’s current ratio for the year ended 2011 was however 0.961, an indication that current liabilities were more than current assets. Consequently, Pepsi experienced an improvement in its ability to meet its current liabilities, from the year ended 2011 to the year ended 2012 (Debarshi, 2011). Pepsi is doing better in management of its current assets and liabilities, into better solvency. This is because it reported a higher ratio than Coca Cola did, 1.095 compared to Coca Cola’s 1.071. In addition, Pepsi improved its ratio in the year 2012 while the ratio for Coca Cola decreased to suggest better management in Pepsi than in Coca Cola. Coca Cola had better profitability than Pepsi. Return on assets measures effectiveness in use of assets to generate income. Higher values are therefore preferred. Coca Cola had a return on assets ratio of 11.46, a value higher than Pepsi’s 8.33 percent and this suggests more effective assets management in Coca Cola. The following table summarizes the companies’ return on assets ratios for the years 2010, 2011, and 2012. In addition, Coca Cola experienced improvements in its profitability over the period while profitability of Pepsi declined. Pepsi, however reported

Methods to Assess Groundwater Potential by Spring Locations

Methods to Assess Groundwater Potential by Spring Locations Abstract Regarding the ever increasing issue of water scarcity in different countries, the current study plans to apply support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and genetic algorithm optimized random forest (RFGA) methods to assess groundwater potential by spring locations. To this end, 14 effective variables including DEM-derived, river-based, fault-based, land use, and lithology factors were provided. Of 842 spring locations found, 70% (589) were implemented for model training, and the rest of them were used to evaluate the models. The mentioned models were run and groundwater potential maps (GPMs) were produced. At last, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the efficiency of the methods. The results of the current study denoted that RFGA, and RF methods had better efficacy than different kernels of SVM model. Area under curve (AUC) of ROC value for RF and RFGA was estimated as 84.6, and 85.6%, respectively. AUC of ROC was computed as SVM- linear ( 78.6%), SVM-polynomial (76.8%), SVM-sigmoid (77.1%), and SVM- radial based function (77%). Furthermore, the results represented higher importance of altitude, TWI, and slope angle in groundwater potential. The methodology produced in the current study could be transferred to other places with water scarcity issues for groundwater potential assessment and management. Key words: Geographic information system, Ardebil, Iran, Support vector machine, Random forest, Genetic algorithm Introduction Water scarcity is regarded as one of the most substantial soicio-environmental challenges in different countries. The demand on groundwater is increasing, and the overexploitation of this valuable resource is threatening future generations (Todd and Mays 2005; Rekha and Thomas 2007); Thus, its management is believed to be vital. A better water resources management plan would be possible when there is enough knowledge about the resources (i.e. high potential and susceptible zones). In recent years, researchers have made use of a variety of models to map groundwater potential such as frequency ratio (FR), weight of evidence (WofE), logistic regression (LR), index of entropy, evidential belief function (Oh et al. 2011; Ozdemir 2011a, b; Pourtaghi and Pourghasemi 2014; Davoodi Moghaddam et al. 2015; Naghibi and Pourghasemi 2015; Naghibi et al. 2015). Also, some researchers used machine learning methods including boosted regression tree (BRT), classification and regression (CART), general linear model (GLM), and RF algorithms in this field of study (Naghibi and Pourghasemi 2015; Rahmati et al. 2016). Lee et al (2012) employed artificial neural network (ANN) to assess groundwater productivity. Their results showed satisfactory performance of ANN. Recently [M1]Naghibi et al. (2017) used four recently developed data mining models including AdaBoost, Bagging generalized additive model, and naÃÆ' ¯ve bayes for groundwater potential mapping. They have also introduced a novel ensemble method from combination of the mentioned models and FR. In addition, Magaji et al. (2016) used geographic information system and evidential belief function model to produce groundwater recharge potential zones map. Theodossiou (2004) investigated how climate change influences the sustainability of groundwater in watershed-scale in Greece. Furthermore, Thivya et al. (2016) conducted a study to identify recharge mechanisms of groundwater in hard rock aquifers implementing stable isotopes. Support vector machine (SVM) algorithm has been employed in different fields of study such as flood susceptibility assessment (Tehrany et al. 2014; Tehrany et al. 2015), and landslide susceptibility investigation (Brenning 2005; Kavzogluetal 2014; Tien Bui et al. 2012; Yao et al. 2008; Yilmaz 2010; Tien Bui et al. 2015; Chen et al. 2017) with suitable efficacy. Genetic algorithm is one of the most advanced and pervasive developed heuristic search techniques in artificial intelligence and its application has been done in many fields of study including urban planning, ecological, climatic modelling, and remote sensing studies (Hasegava et al. 2013; Termansen et al. 2006; Chang et al. 2006; Chen et al. 2009). In the current study, we aim to investigate the performance of a novel method for optimization of random forest and its results are compared with RF and SVM models in groundwater potential mapping. Based on the literature review, application of different kernels of SVM and RFGA in groundwater potential mapping are two main novelties of this study. Also, the importance of different effective factors in groundwater potential is discussed. The results of the current study could determine high potential and susceptible groundwater potential zones and be used by water resource managers. Material and Methods Figure 1 shows the methods and the flowchart implemented in the current study. Study Area: The study area lies from 48 ° 18à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ² 26à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ³ to 48 ° 53à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ² 16à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ³ eastern longitudes and from 37 ° 41à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ² 23à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ³ to 37 ° 09à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ² 26à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ³ northern latitudes in Ardebil Province, Iran (Fig. 2). It covers an area of 1,524 km2. The elevation in the study area ranges from 840 to 3,320 m above sea level with an average of 1,930 m. The mean annual precipitation of Khalkhal region is measured as 345 mm. The mean annual temperature of Khalkhal region is 12 degrees Centigrade. In the respect of land use, 89.69% of Khalkhal region is covered by rangeland, and other land use classes are forest, agriculture, orchard, and residential areas. In the respect of lithology, Khalkhal region comprises of 14 lithological categories. Eav class (andesitic volcanic) covers most of the study area. Khalkhal region is located in Ardebil province of Iran which includes 14 hydrological watersheds. The se watersheds are located in three main parts including central part, Khoresh Rostam, and Shahrood areas. In this area people exploit water resources by wells (42%), springs (47%), and qanats (11%); therefore, it can be seen that a high percent of the water requirement is obtained by springs. Data preparation Spring characteristics The springs location map was prepared for the study area using national reports (Iranian Department of Water Resources Management) and extensive field surveys in 1:50,000 scale. From 842 springs identified in the study area, 70% (589 springs) were considered for training purpose, and 30% (253 springs) were used as validation dataset (Fig. 2). Approximately ninety percent of the springs are permanent and ten percent of them are seasonal. Discharge of the springs in Khalkhal region alters between 0.1 and 100 liters per second having an average of 1 liter per second. It can be seen that there are different kinds of spring in the study area such as contrast, drainage, and fracture springs with 5.34%, 29.81%, 58.08%, and 6.77% of the springs, respectively. The average pH of the springs is measured as 6.68. The average electric conductivity (EC) of the springs is measured as 470 . Groundwater effective factors In this study, based on the literature review (Ozdemir 2011a, b; Oh et al. 2011; Naghibi et al. 2017), fourteen groundwater effective factors such as altitude, slope angle, slope aspect, plan curvature, profile curvature, slope length (LS), SPI, TWI, distance from rivers, river density, distance from faults, fault density, land use, and lithology were provided and mapped. The digital elevation model (DEM) of the Khalkhal region was created using the 1:50,000-scale topographic maps in 20 m resolution. Groundwater effective-factors such as altitude, slope angle, and slope aspect were prepared using DEM in ArcGIS 9.3 and represented in Fig. 3a-c. Plan curvature describes the divergence and convergence of flow and discriminates among basins (Fig. 3d). Profile curvature shows the rate at which the slope gradient alters in the direction of maximum slope (Catani et al. 2013) (Fig. 3e). Slope length is the combination of the slope length and slope steepness that shows soil loss potential from the combined slope features (Fig. 3f). SPI is a measure of the erosive power of flowing water based on the assumption that discharge is relative to specific catchment area (Moore et al. 1991) (Fig. 3g). The TWI affects accumulation and movement of surface runoff over the land surface (Elmahdy and Mostafa Mohamed 2014) (Fig. 3h). Distance from rivers and river density were created using topographical map of Khalkhal region (Fig. 3i, j). Also, distance from fault and fault density layers were produced using geological map (Fig. 3k, l). The land use map was created using Landsat images (Fig 3m). There are five land use classes in the study area such as agriculture, forest, orchard, rangeland, and residential area. Most of the study area is covered by the rangeland land use class. The lithology map was acquired using a 1:100,000-scale geological map and the lithological units were grouped into fourteen classes (GSI 1997, Fig. 3n, Table 1). Support vector machines (SVM) SVM is known as a supervised machine learning technique that is performed based on the (SRM: structural risk minimization) principle and statistical learning theory (Tien Bui et al. 2012). SVM transforms original input space into a higher-dimensional feature space to find an optimum separating hyper plane. Marjanovic ´ et al (2011) affirmed that separating hyper-plane is built in the original space of n coordinates between the points of two distinct classes. If the point is situated over the hyper-plane it will be classified as positive 1, if not, it will be classified as negative 1. Penalty (C) controls the trade-off between margin and training errors, which assists to prevent the models over-fitting (Marjanovic ´ et al. 2011). The kernel width (É ¤) controls the degree of nonlinearity of the model (Tien Bui et al. 2012). Parameter (d) is the polynomial degree in the PL kernel function and (r) is the bias term in the kernel function for two kernels of SVM including PL and SIG kernels (Tehrany et al. 2014). In the current study, the 10-fold cross-validation was used to select the optimal kernel parameters of SVM (Pradhan 2013; Zhuang and Dai 2006). Random forest (RF) model Random forests (RFs) are very flexible and powerful ensemble classifiers based on decision trees which were firstly developed by Breiman (2001). RF constructs multiple trees based on random bootstrapped samples of the training dataset (Breiman 2001). The algorithm runs random binary trees that implement a subset of the observations over bootstrapping approach, of the initial dataset a random choice of the training data is selected and implement to create the model, the data which is not included are described as out of bag (OOB) (Catani et al. 2013). The RF predicts the importance of a variables by looking at how much the error of prediction increases when out of bag data for that variable is permuted while all others are left fixed (Liaw and Wiener 2002; Catani et al. 2013). Random forests need two parameters to be tuned including the number of trees (ntree), and the number of variables (mtry). Genetic algorithm (GA) model A genetic algorithm (GA) is a search heuristic which mimics the natural selection process in the field of artificial intelligence. GA beings with a population of presented random solutions in some structure series. Then, a number of operators are repeatedly implemented, until convergence is obtained. As a matter of fact, the optimization strategy in GA could be described as a global optimization procedure with the benefit of not being dependent on the initial value to gain the convergence. Crossover and mutation are implemented to produce newer and better chromosomes populations (Yetilmezsoy and Demirel 2008). Random forest optimization methods In this study, we used two different methods for RF parameter optimization including caret package and genetic algorithm. Both of the models were applied in the R software. At first, we presented a hybrid RFGA model to predict groundwater potential which was firstly introduced by Hasegawa et al (2013) in the field of commute mode choice analysis. A simple method is trial and error, but there are many mixtures of parameters, and it needs much iteration to evaluate the options. Another method for optimization of these parameters is to use caret package. So, we proposed a practical method for optimizing the parameters of RF by meta- heuristic optimization using GAs. The rgenoud package of the R program (R Core Team 2012); Mebane and Sekhon (2011) were used to implement the optimizing process of RF parameters ntree and mtry. Input parameters of the RFGA model are subject to the GA-based parameter optimization process. Only that pair of parameters that minimizes the OOB error rate in this step is used as input to the RFGA model. For running RFGA, maximum number of generations was considered as 100, the population size was 300 and the domain of allowable valu es for each parameter of the function being optimized (mtry values between 1 and 14, ntree values between 1 and 2000). The run time of this process till the calculation is complete was approximately 2 h 20 min. Validation of groundwater potential maps (GPM) In the current study, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was used to determine the performance of the GPMs produced using the implemented models. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) shows the quality of a forecast system by representing the ability of the system to predict correctly the occurrence or nonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ occurrence of specific events (Negnevitsky 2002). The area under the curve of ROC ranges from 0 to 1. The qualitative relationship between AUC and prediction accuracy could be classified as excellent (0.9-1), very good (0.8-0.9), good (0.7-0.8), average (0.6-0.7), and poor (0.5-0.6). Based on the reviewer comment, and in order to consider the discharge values of the springs, two weights were assigned to the springs to take their discharge into account in the evaluation process. For conducting this idea, median was calculated for discharge values of the springs. Then, weight 2 was assigned to the springs with greater discharge than the median value, while othe r springs were assigned to a weight of 1. Finally, for calculating ROC values, values of the springs with weight 2 were considered twice in the analysis, while other springs were considered once. This procedure enhances the influence of the springs with higher discharges in the evaluation process. Results Support vector machine In the current study, four kernels of the SVM model were optimized by cross-validation and GPMs were plotted in ArcGIS 9.3. Based on the results, the best SVM with LN kernel had a cost value of 0.001. The results of PL kernel showed that gamma=0.5, cost= 0.1, and degree= 2 had the best performance. In the case of SVM-SIG, best performance was gained by gamma= 1, and c= 0.01. The results of SVM-RBF showed that gamma= 0.5, c= 10 had the best performance. The resultant GPMs produced using different kernels of the SVM are represented in Fig. 5 and Table 2. According to the results, low, moderate, high, and very high classes in GPM produced by SVM-LN occupy 15.88, 36.05, 33.75, and 14.32% of the study area, respectively. Low, moderate, high, and very high classes in SVM-PL cover 3.38, 22.12, 47.52, and 26.98% of the study area, respectively. In the case of SVM-SIG, 22.87, 32.98, 30.50, and 13.64% of the study area were designated to the low, moderate, high, and very high classes, respectively. The results of SVM-RBF showed that low, moderate, high, and very high classes cover 22.01, 45.85, 22.39, and 9.74% of the study area, respectively. Random forest (RF), and genetic algorithm optimized random forest (RFGA) As mentioned in the methods section, two methods were used to optimize RF model including caret and genetic algorithm. Final model by RF-caret had ntree= 1600, and mtry= 2, while final model by RFGA had ntree= 1744, and mtry= 2. The results showed that out of bag error for RFGA (0.316) was lower than its value for RF-caret (0.35%). Also, the results of the ROC analysis showed better performance of RFGA than RF-caret by area under the curve of ROC values of 86.5, and 85.6, respectively. Considering the better performance of the RFGA model, its results about the importance of effective factors and final GPM were represented and the results of RF-caret were ignored. Figure 4 represents the mean decrease accuracy, and mean decrease Gini obtained by RFGA. According to the mean decrease accuracy, altitude had the highest importance, followed by TWI, slope angle, and aspect, while the profile curvature, and plan curvature had lowest importance. On the other hand, results of the mean decrease Gini depicted that land use, and lithology were the least important factors in groundwater potential mapping. The GPM produced using RFGA is represented in Fig. 5. According to the results, low, moderate, high, and very high classes in GPM produced by RFGA occupy 27.2, 32.4, 25.5, and 14.8% of the study area, respectively. Validation of the GPMs The ROC was calculated for all GPMs with springs validation dataset. The results of AUC-ROC are represented in Fig. 6. AUC-ROC for GPMs produced by the implemented methods in the current study ranges from 76.9 to 85.5%. AUC-ROC values for RF and RFGA were estimated as 84.6, and 85.5%, respectively. AUC-ROC values were estimated for SVM- LN, SVM-PL, SVM-SIG, and SVM- RBF as 79.3, 77, 77.7, and 76.9%, respectively. Discussion In this section, the results are discussed by three parts including (i) the performance of the models, (ii) the importance of the effective factors, and (iii) the precision of the GPMs. The performance of the models: The results showed that RFGA represented better performance than RF-caret. One of the advantages of GA is the capability to solve any optimization problem based on chromosome approach; another important characteristic of GA is its capability to handle multiple solution search spaces and solve the problem in such an environment (Tabassum and Mathew 2014). These advantages may have caused RFGAs better performance in the current study. Also, it can be seen that both RFs (i.e. RF-caret and RFGA) had better performance than different kernels of SVM model. The results of different SVM kernels showed that SVM-LN had the best performance, followed by SVM-SIG, SVM-RBF, and SVM-PL; However, their performance was similar. Based on the results, it is evident that SVM could be used as an efficient machine learning model in groundwater potential mapping. One of the drawbacks of the SVM relates to the needed time for the analysis. In addition, several criteria should be tested in order to find the optimum values for the modeling process (Tehrany et al. 2015). However, the efficiency of the SVM could be increased by making ensemble models. In a research, Tehrany et al (2015) used an ensemble weights of evidence and SVM model in flood mapping. Their results proved the efficiency and strength of the ensemble method over the individual methods. There are several potential reasons for error in the datasets implemented for groundwat er modeling, including measurement errors, limitations in field data collection, sampling bias, etc. The mentioned errors could affect the overall accuracy of the SVM models (Moisen et al. 2006). The importance of effective factors in groundwater potential mapping The importance of effective factors was determined using RFGA as the best model in the current study. Based on the results, in total, altitude, TWI, slope angle, and slope aspect were the most effective factors on groundwater potential. On the other hand, plan curvature, profile curvature, land use, and lithology were the least effective factors on groundwater potential. A growing body of literature investigates the importance of different effective factors in groundwater potential mapping (Naghibi and Pourghasemi 2015; Rahmati et al. 2016). The results of Naghibi and Pourghasemi (2015) showed that altitude, distance from faults, SPI, and fault density had the highest importance in groundwater potential mapping. In another research, Rahmati et al (2016) depicted that altitude, drainage density, lithology, and land use were the most influence factors on groundwater potential. Comparing the results of the current study and the results of the two mentioned researches shows that the impo rtance of effective factors in groundwater potential mapping is dependent on the indicator, methods, and hydrological, geological, and climatic conditions of the target area. The precision of the GPMs: With this assumption that a better model is the one which determines the high and very high classes more precisely, a model with lower percent of high and very high classes area could be more helpful in water resources planning and management. A more precise GPM could help water resources managers to make better and more accurate decisions about areas for exploitation and even water conservation techniques. According to the results, SVM-RBF, and RFGA models had the lowest percent of the high and very high classes with 32.1, and 40.3% of the study area, respectively. Conclusion In general, the water crisis in the 21th century is much more related to management and planning than to a real crisis of scarcity and drought stress. Lack of knowledge of water resources and inappropriate water resources management plans and strategies have made water crisis worse in arid and semi- arid regions. Therefore, the first step in appropriate planning of water resources is to know and gain knowledge of these vital resources. Groundwater is one of the most important water resource supplies, especially in arid and semi- arid countries with extreme lack of water, growing population, and successive droughts. Considering the mentioned problems and issues, in the current study, we evaluated the performance of different kernels of SVM model and two strategies for optimization of RF (i.e. caret and GA). The results of the current study showed that RFGA had the best performance, followed by SVM-LN, SVM-SIG, SVM-RBF, and SVM-PL. The RFGA was successfully implemented in the current s tudy. Also, different kernels of the SVM were used for producing GPMs with acceptable performances. However, their result was not as well as RFs performance. Furthermore, it can be seen that altitude, TWI, slope angle, and slope aspect were the most effective factors in groundwater potential assessment. The methodology produced in the current study could be transferred and tested in other areas for producing GPMs. As a final conclusion, GPMs could significantly help water resources managers and planners for better understanding of water resources conditions, exploitation, and conservation plans.

The Contributions of Adam Smith and John M Keynes to the Study of Economics :: Adam Smith, John M Keynes

Adam Smith was the founder of economics, as we know it today. His thoughts have shaped modern ideas about the market economy and the role of the state in relation to it. Smith laid the intellectual framework that explained the free market (which still holds true today) and laissez-faire. Both are connected with the underlying theme of economic growth. Smith's analysis is not confined to showing the interrelation between the different elements of a continually maintained system. It also explains how the system can generate the continual accumulation of wealth. And since, according to Smith, this process is most successful when left to the play of natural forces, his analysis leads him to urge governments to let well alone. Laissez-faire government believes commerce and trade should be permitted to operate free of controls of any kind; there should be no tariffs or other barriers. The direct translation from the French language is â€Å"leave alone to do†, which is self-explanatory. He is most often recognized for the expression "the invisible hand," which he used to demonstrate how self-interest guides the most efficient use of resources in a nation's economy, with public welfare coming as a by-product. It simply encourages businesses to provide what consumers want and at the same time it discourages government involvement. He believed that the only responsibilities of the government should be to define property rights, set up honest courts, impose minor taxes and subsides to compensate for well defined and narrowly specified â€Å"market failures†. To underscore his laissez-faire convictions, Smith argued that state and personal efforts, to promote social good are ineffectual compared to unbridled market forces. Adam Smith explained that a monopoly charges any price that it chooses, robs consumers and makes countries less efficient and poorer. Competition, he said, means that businesses try to charge the lowest price possible, so consumers get maximum value for money. If they can buy more, they support more jobs in the economy and the country grows richer. Without the police stopping competition, he said, monopolies cannot survive for long. Around the world today, government monopolies and other bad practices are under major assault from Adam Smith's ideas. Adam Smith believed that strong government was a great necessity, particularly to create and enforce laws and to ensure justice. He believed in a democratic partnership between government and the people, but knew that each should do what it does best - businessmen should not control the justice system, nor should government try to run businesses.

Animal Fable

And lastly, the Ilon Is Indeclslve and often regrets to his decision. Right after killing the bull, he realizes the bull's absence is huge and regrets about his decision. is anger giving way to softer feelings, he spoke aloud his sorrow at the death of Schanzabeh, whom he allowed to have been probably nnocent of the crimes laid to his charge, and to have fallen a victim to the calumnies and false accusations of his enemies† (p. 1 58) _ These three characteristics of the lion symbolize two aspects of leader Firstly, the lion symbolizes a big and strong leader. But more in-depth symbol is Caliph A1-Mansur, the leader at the time when this book was translated. Caliph A1-Mansur succeeded in revolution and seized power. With authority in his hands, he executed and assassinated many people for trivial reasons.Moreover, claiming to support an ideology of equality, he actually discriminated OF2 fable, was a Persian origin who naturalized as an Arabian and converted to Islam. Even thoug h he was an ‘Arabian' in a sense of a civilian, he was not a â€Å"pure Arabian† in a sense of ethnicity. Feeling more suppressed than Arab-Muslims, he had a strong dissatisfaction of the then authority. Thus, he compares the pure Arabians, who lived in a splendor of authorities obtained by coercive territorial expansion, to the lion, whose appearance is splendid but substance is in fact feeble.The animal fables are often used to educate young people. It is told to these days that Kalilah wa Dimna was used to teach lessons about morality and wisdom to even the princes of one kingdom. Although the fables are written with a purpose of giving lessons, more meanings, either literal or figurative, can be assigned when it is translated to another language. Kalilah wa Dimna shows figurative meanings hidden in the text as well, which shows public sentiments at the time. This is a valuable trait of literature since this shows something that cannot be achieved in another means.

Chinas Boxer Rebellion of 1900

China's Boxer Rebellion of 1900 The Boxer Rebellion,  a bloody uprising in China at the turn of the 20th century against foreigners, is a relatively obscure historical event with far-reaching consequences that nevertheless is often remembered because of its unusual name. The Boxers Who exactly were the Boxers? They were members of a secret society made up mostly of peasants in northern China known as I-ho-chuan (Righteous and Harmonious Fists) and were called the Boxers by the  Western press; members of the secret society practiced boxing and calisthenic rituals that they thought would make them impervious to bullets and attacks, and this led to their unusual but memorable name. Background   At the end of the 19th century, Western countries and Japan had major control over economic policies in China  and had significant territorial and commercial control in northern China. The peasants in this area were suffering economically, and they blamed this on the foreigners who were present in their country. It was this anger that gave rise to the violence that would go down in history as the Boxer Rebellion. The Boxer Rebellion Beginning in the late 1890s, the Boxers began attacking Christian missionaries, Chinese  Christians  and foreigners in northern China. These attacks eventually spread to the capital, Beijing, in June 1900, when  the Boxers destroyed railroad  stations and churches and laid siege to the area where foreign diplomats lived. It is estimated that that death toll included several hundred foreigners and several thousand Chinese Christians. The Qing Dynastys Empress Dowager Tzu’u Hzi  backed the Boxers, and the day after the Boxers began the siege on foreign diplomats, she declared war on all foreign countries that had diplomatic ties with China.   Meanwhile, a multinational foreign force was gearing up in northern China. In August 1900, after nearly two months of the siege, thousands of allied American, British, Russian, Japanese, Italian, German, French and Austro-Hungarian troops moved out of northern China to take Beijing and put down the rebellion, which they accomplished. The Boxer Rebellion formally ended in September 1901 with the signing of the Boxer Protocol, which mandated the punishment of those involved in the rebellion and required China to pay reparations of $330 million to the countries affected. Fall of the Qing Dynasty The Boxer Rebellion weakened the Qing dynasty, which was the last imperial dynasty of China and ruled the country from 1644 to 1912. It was this dynasty that established the modern territory of China.   The diminished state of the Qing dynasty after the Boxer Rebellion opened the door to the Republican Revolution of 1911 that overthrew the emperor and made China a republic. The Republic of China,  including mainland China and Taiwan, existed from 1912 to 1949. It fell to the Chinese Communists in 1949, with mainland China officially becoming the Peoples Republic of China and Taiwan the headquarters of the Republic of China. But no peace treaty has ever been signed, and significant tensions remain.

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buy custom Five Theme of Geography essay Geography is an interesting subject, but sometimes, the teachers may fail to express the point correctly, hence misleading the students. Teachers in Texas should employ the data presented in Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) to ensure that they give all the relevant information to the students. In geography, a teacher should be able to discuss the five themes to ensure that the students receive the necessary information. These include location, place, human-environment interactions, movement, and region (Davis, Ochman, Boehmer, McLarty, Ojo, 1992). Location can be either absolute or relative. Place is concerned with human and physical characteristics of a location. Human-environment interaction relates to ways in which humans adapt to and modify the environment. Movement theme relates to traveling of goods, ideas, resources, and information from one place to another. Regions are subdivisions of the world (Davis et al, 1992). Different events and people are included in the TEKS that helps the students to understand the subject of geography. Aristotle is one of the philosophers quoted by Davis in his book Dont Know Much about Geography. Aristotle was one of the great philosophers who relied on simplified reasoning. He thought that the closer to the equator, the hotter the temperature. His argument was based on the black skin of the Libyans, which made him believe that the black skin was as a result of being scorched by the sun. He believed that life on the equator was unbearable due to excessive temperature. Aristotle also believed in the natural balance that made the continents in the south of the equator equal to those in the north. He introduced the concept of the anti-poles, which lasted from his times till the voyages of Captain Cook in mid-eighteenth century. Aristotles philosophy is presented on the TEKS. However, the students need to get more information on this philosophy because it formed the basis of the geograpy history. Students should get more information about Aristotles contribution to the division of science into theoretical, practical, and productive group views, which is fundamental in understanding the geographical science. More emphasis should be put on Aristotles argument about the shape of the earth. TEKS should explain Aristotles observation. He observed that the shadow cast by Earth on the Moon during an eclipse is an arc. He also observed that the phases of the Moon and its appearance during eclipses are spherical, which led to the suggestion that the Earth might also be spherical (Seroglou Koumaras, 2001). The appearance of the stars as a person moves towards North or South and the falling away of the horizon when a person approaches is another indicator that the Earth is spherical. The things fall to the Earth in a way that appears to be close to the surface. It is the spherical shape that facilitates this as the sphere is the only shape that has the smallest surface in consideration of a given volume. Aristotle argued that the Earth is the center of the universe since all things move around it or fall towards its center (Seroglou Koumaras, 2001). Aristotles philosophy deserves the status given by the TEKS he it gave the idea of the shape of the Earth, which is now known for sure to be a sphere. Although Aristotles philosophy was developed in 384 BC, his observation has been approved by other philosophers that came after him. His philosophy marked the beginning of determining the shape of the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun. For this reason, it is essential to emphasize the contribution made by Aristotle to defining the shape of the Earth. Much information should be included in the TEKS concerning how Aristotle based his argument on logics. Although he was trying to be logical, he argued that the logic is just a dialect; hence, the study of reasoning should be analytical. The modern scientists use most of mathematical models and abstracts developed byy Aristotle. There are many people who apply these theories and equations without understanding how they were developed. Although most of the natural events were associated with actions of gods, Aristotle and other ancient philosophers were not sure about the role of gods. There was controversy about who causes particular event if not gods with most philosophers trying to explain those occurrences through the application of mathematical and philosophical principles. Aristotle, being unsatisfied with such arguments, offered a suggestion that such occurrences were found within nature (Seroglou Koumaras, 2001). He argued that nature was available within nature, which was pos sible to reveal through inductive reasoning and careful observation. This kind of thinking and reasoning is essential in teaching students to enable them to exercise their thinking capacity. Davis depicts Aristotle as one of the key contributors to the evolution of physical geography. He explained how Aristotle agreed with Platos argument that the Earth is a sphere by moving from philosophic reasoning to providing observable evidence. However, Davis explained how Aristotle failed in fairly simplistic reasoning by arguing that the closer to the equator, the hotter the temperatures. Again, Davis showed how Aristotle explained the theory of natural balance. I agree with the way Davis portrayed Aristotle as a great contributor to the modern geography. It is due to his argument that the current maps are drawn the way they are, and time is also determined. However, Davis did not give details about Aristotles argument and other ancient philosophers in his book. Davis only pointed that Aristotle had given evidence about the shape of the Earth by observing the shadow cast during the solar eclipse, but he did not explain how this information is applied in modern-day science. I believe much more information should be included in the book to ensure that the students understand the depth of Aristotles philosophy. Buy custom Five Theme of Geography essay

Reconstrution and Race Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reconstrution and Race Relations - Essay Example The exercise of freedom for the freed slaves was quite a challenging prospect especially in the southern states as the white southerners set up road blocks to any achievement of freedom for the former slaves. The southern states’ economies were in shambles at the time and many of its young men were dead or maimed after the war. They, however, formerly owned fewer slaves yet ironically, they vehemently opposed the freedom of the slaves. The Radical Republicans (as they called themselves) used their white majority during voting exercises to pass legislations and restrictions against the black minority, their legislators and voters. In Georgia poll tax of 1877, white southern legislatures passed laws that created more barriers to voting by blacks and poor whites, working to suppress the black vote and reduce it through changes in voter registration, election procedures, poll taxes, residency requirements, rule variations, literacy and understanding tests which were particularly h ard for the poor and especially blacks to fulfill while, for instance, exempting other white voters from literacy test using the grandfather clause. In addition, cases such as the Williams v. Mississippi (1898) and Giles v. Harris (1903) including white primaries created situations that prevented most blacks from voting in southern states. The white southerners also used force to prevent the exercise of any freedom by the former slaves. The enactment of the Jim Crow laws and the subsequent use of force and terror to enforce them aided them greatly in their aims. They waged terror through members of a secret vigilante organization called the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). The clan waged war even against whites they considered traitors to the race and the region as they sought so desperately to turn back the hands of time to before when African Americans gained the right to vote. Apart from the Ku Klux Klan, other such groups included the White League and the Red Shirts. The southern whites also used racial segregation in many forms as a tool to meet their aims. Blacks and whites rode in different parts of the bus, supported different baseball teams, enjoyed separate public parks and watched movies in separate theatres. Public schools were established separately for whites and blacks (1867) (Hofstadter (1982) where the white dominated municipal governments withheld funds from black schools. White residents also refused to sell or lease land for colored school construction. Due to the segregation, enrolment in black schools greatly exceeded the standard capacity as there were fewer black schools for the growing black community leading to low education standards. The blacks in turn challenged these efforts by the white southerners through law suits amongst other means and according to Foner (1988), the Freedman’s Bureau threatened lawsuits over unfair division of school funds eventually getting some money turned over to a panel of colored trustees for administration o f colored schools. Other such successful lawsuits included Guinn v. United States (1915), Lane v. Wilson (1939) and Smith v. Allwright (1944). The freed people also sought to enhance educational advances, one of the reasons they had been deemed inferior. They begun to buy and lease land for school construction and housing, for example, from the Barry family north of the insane asylum of Anacostia. Most of this they

Weekly reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Weekly reflection - Essay Example Therefore, the goals of anyone who is studying business will be to be able to make viable decisions either as an employee, employer, or a manager in a business organization. Studying business enables someone to be of contribution to the economic growth and development of a country. My expectations at the beginning of this unit were that I would be able to understand the most important aspects of business operation and management. However, after going through this subject I am surprised that I was able to know more than I ever expected. Initially I used to imagine that business was all about the process of selling and buying. I never paid much attention to the external factors that might be of effect to the buying and selling processes. I was surprised to come to the realization that there are some underlying factors that influence day-to-day business activities. During the lectures I was able to develop some level of appreciation towards my lecturer and classmates. The lecturer would come and make sure that he explained every detail of the week’s coverage frequently giving us a chance to seek clarification. I would have trouble understanding some of the terms at the beginning, but was able to get conversant with them as time went by. The modules were of high help because they helped me in understanding some of the concepts that I might have not been able to understand in class. The modules sourced from MyBecket also proved to be high importance in understanding the subject. Business can be described as a way of dealing with scarcity. Given the fact that scarcity is a common problem, societies have to find ways through which they can deal with the problem. Business as a process involves inputs being transformed into outputs that are capable of satisfying the wants and needs of consumers. Inputs include things such as land, labour, materials, technology, finance, managerial skills, and many