Kate Essays - Films, Three Colors White, Frdric Chopin, Karol

Kate Chopin And Athenaise In the story "Athenaise," Chopin portrayal of the character Cazeau is almost a direct reflection of the character Karol Karol from the film "White." Both men love their respective wives deeply, but they also realize that their wives do not feel the same. These men have to struggle with the inner turmoil of letting go of the women they love. In the film "White," the director portrayed the change in Karol Karol through the use of flashbacks. Kieslowski uses flashbacks to show us Karol's past. This is done many times throughout the film; the audience saw Karol Karol reflect back to his wedding day as he walked up the steps of the court house on his way to his divorce hearing. This flashback was interrupted when a bird relieved himself on Karol Karol; the author used the bird as a subtle kickback to reality. Kieslowski uses this method many more times in the duration of the film, and as a result he shows the importance of Karol Karol letting go of his wife. Chopin also used flashbacks to show us the change in Cazeau. The character Cazeau is in love with Athenaise, but she like Karol's wife Dominique does not feel the same about Cazeau. Athenaise ran away to her parents house, and Cazeau followed her determined to take her home with him. The flashback occurred on their trip home. Cazeau and Athenaise passed an oak tree on their journey, and this tree triggered the flashback. Cazeau upon seeing this tree recalled a memory of when he and his father were returning a runaway slave to their home. This memory caused Cazeau to feel as if he were treating Athenaise as a slave. The author used the flashback of Cazeau's youth to make the character realize the importance of freeing his wife. Both, Chopin and Kieslowski used flashback as a tool to bring about a change in both Karol Karol and Cazeau. In both stories the husbands loved their wives, but upon remembering a event of their past the husbands both felt that for all to be happy it would be best for them to let go of their love. There is a strong similarity between the way both characters went through their change, and also in the change that occurred.

sex offered Essay examples

sex offered Essay examples sex offered Essay examples atement of Emma J. Devillier Asst. Attorney General Criminal Division Chief Sexual Predator Unit Office of the Attorney General of LA Committee on House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime Terrorism and Homeland Security March 10, 2009 My name is Emma Devillier. I am here on behalf of Attorney General James D. ``Buddy`` Caldwell, as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Louisiana where I serve as Chief of A.G. Caldwell`s Sexual Predator Unit. I come before you this afternoon as someone who has been a frontline prosecutor of sexual offenders for over a decade and also as a representative of A.G. Caldwell, who has thirty years of experience as a frontline prosecutor. It should first be said that A.G. Caldwell and I believe that establishing some uniformity among the states regarding sex offender registration laws is a worthwhile goal. Ultimately, a reasonable degree of uniformity will lead to increased compliance by offenders and fewer legal defenses for those who continue to be non-compliant. A.G. Caldwell and I also speak to you today as parents, who want to know if there is a predator next door. As prosecutors and parents, we understand what it takes to successfully prosecute sex offender and child predator cases, how registration issues affect the administration of justice in some of those cases and we understand a parent`s desire to have information that will allow them to protect their children against such predators. We, however, believe very strongly that SORNA, did not get it right. SORNA is not the pinnacle of good public policy where sex offender tracking is concerned. In fact, in some respects it is not good policy at all. When you look at what Louisiana has done to craft and implement a tough and targeted policy of mandatory sex offender registration which maintains the integrity of the criminal justice system and does not impede the administration of justice, it will become abundantly clear to you where SORNA falls short of the mark and why states are having difficulty adhering to it. We all believe in mandatory sex offender and child predator registration, but if we do not do it right we are helping the true predators go undetected. The devil is in the details. I am here to tell you why Louisiana has not and why other states probably will not come into compliance with the current legislation and to respectfully implore you to take a hard look at what it will take to have an effective public policy that accomplishes effective tracking of sex offenders and child predators while not impeding the administration of justice. A.G. Caldwell and I are g rateful to Chairman Robert C. ``Bobby`` Scott, Ranking Member Louie Gohmert, and the other esteemed members of the subcommittee for the opportunity to testify regarding the current Barriers to Implementation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (hereinafter referred to as ``SORNA``) and for your commitment to exploring and crafting sex offender registration and notification policy that works to enhance public safety. The Office of the Attorney General of Louisiana suggest that the Subcommittee delay the July 27, 2009 enforcement date of SORNA and create task forces to examine the significant barriers to implementing the Act. This is not just an arbitrary suggestion. It is an informed and educated analysis developed over time. The Hurdles of Implementing SORNA in Louisiana I was the Assistant Attorney General responsible for coordinating Louisiana`s efforts to implement SORNA compliant legislation. In fact, I was one of the first Assistant Attorneys General in the country to work with the SMART Office when it first opened for business. Between late 2006 and mid-2007, my office worked closely with all stakeholders (District Attorneys, Sheriffs, Corrections officials, etc) to help craft Louisiana`s version of SORNA, House Bill 970, which passed in the 2007 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature

Argumentative Essay : Fighting The Cost Of College Tuition

Fighting the cost of college tuition is a hot topic these days. As long as I can remember, tuition has always been a reason why most people don 't pursue their bachelor’s or even associate degree. Today 's society has changed students are fighting for grants, financial aid, and even loans to pay through school. In order to be financially comfortable in the 15th century a college education is a must. It is an everyday battle getting financial support from a college’s administration. Colleges need to be more affordable, obtaining funds less stressful, and colleges must enact policies that condone these principles. According to the New York Times article by Steve Cohen, the soaring cost of college a 1,225 percent increase since 1978, nearly twice the rate of the rise in health care costs is such a problem for most families that politicians across the board are actually taking notice. The main people that are affected by the tuition increase are middle-class families. Beca use low-income and middle class families rely heavily on government scholarship and private loans to pay through school. On average, students are graduating with more than $50,000 in loan obligations, and parents often have to borrow even more money. The interest rates on private loans are higher than an average car loan, and each year the interest just increases. I believe there is a simple solution for all this, colleges should offer tuition deferment, offering alternative to traditional loan programs letting students defer up to 80 percent of the cost of attending school. Such as tuition, room, board, and fee and they have up to 30 years more or less. By doing so it gives the parents a peace of mind, and it gives the student enough time ill benefit the whole nation, it will offer more government sponsored programs such as, Pell Grants to students. It will also balance the income gap between those with a college education and those without. Companies are trying to build their work force with skilled employees by offering to pay for a higher education. Companies understand it will be cheaper to pay an employee to get an education than hire a new grad. To motivate employees many companies are requires a Masters degree in order to move up in management. The number of people graduating High School each year is increasing, but the number of college graduates is decreasing due to cost. The wage gap between a bachelor’s degree and high school diploma is dramatically different; because of getting a higher education is so expensive individual decide to start working right from high school regardless of pay.

Administrative Challenges Employers can expect with Current Health Research Paper

Administrative Challenges Employers can expect with Current Health Exchanges - Research Paper Example Heath exchanges are significantly important despite the cost and implementation challenges. Despite the positive contributions of the health exchange, employers face administrative challenges including training needs for employees, cost control challenges, compliance complexity and procedural difficulties. Employers need to train their employees on how to use the health exchange marketplace to suit the health insurance needs of their families, including how to use the price calculator to determine the amount of subsidies (HealthCare.gov, 2015). Employers also expect cost control challenges because the healthcare exchange will require them to provide medical benefits and attempt to reduce the cost burden associated with the current health exchange (Kingsdale & Bertko, 2015).Complying with the health exchange is also complex for employers because they need to monitor their health insurance plan to ensure that they achieve compliance with minimum standards of the health exchange (Pauly and Herring, 2007). The procedure for obtaining coverage for several employees through the health exchange marketplace is also challenging because it takes time and may be costly. Employers can, therefore, expect several challenges with the current health exchange including training needs for employees, cost control challenges, compliance complexity, and procedural difficulties. These challenges are experienced because the health exchange brings new methods of complying with insurance requirements for employees. The implementation of the Affordable Care Act continues to burden the administration of employees’ processes for a greater part of employers. In fact, the likelihood of the Supreme Court to uphold a ruling by a lower court opposing the legitimacy of the federal marketplaces is taking the place of state managed. According to Sally Doubet King and James McEllgot, who have a partnership at McGuire Woods LLP,

The Six Principles of Political Realism' by Hans Morgenthau Term Paper

The Six Principles of Political Realism' by Hans Morgenthau - Term Paper Example Morgenthau has been criticised by many on the basis of his indistinct use of language and unsatisfactory scientific rigor, however his successive revisions and updates resulted in the â€Å"Six principles of political realm† in the 1954 revision (Scheuerman). The principles depict Morgenthau’s own political struggle and insight and they have been used by most of the international scholars to describe the international politics since 1945. Morgenthau states in his first principle, â€Å"Political realism believes that politics, like society in general, is governed by objective laws that have their roots in human nature† (Morgenthau). Morgenthau highlights that human nature does not change regardless of any attempts made to impose laws or policies against the human preferences. International politics can be applied only after the facts have been tested by rationale and reasoning. Otherwise they would be rejected by the laws of nature itself. For a theory to be acce pted in reality, it has to contain both ascertaining facts which are given meaning through reason. Political power is explained as a psychological relation between those who exercise it and those over whom it is exercised (Scheuerman). To understand the objective laws of politics it is important to study the history of human relations, as it is the fundamental base of the political facts and policies. The theory of politics holds its roots in human nature and hence the laws of human nature apply to the political laws as well. Morgenthau states, â€Å"Hence, novelty is not necessarily a virtue in political theory, nor is old age a defect†. Morgenthau elaborates that human nature has not exhibited any change of behaviour with the passage of time and similarly the laws of politics are not subjected to get out dated or obsolete only because they are old and ancient. Only the notion, that a theory was developed hundreds of years ago does not alter its credibility or integrity. As in human nature, old age is not a defect; political theories are not subjected to presumptions of being outmoded. Conversely, an innovative theory cannot be accepted only on the grounds of its newness or modernization. It is because of these aspects of the political theory that it has to be tested irrespective of it being outmoded or innovative. â€Å"A theory of politics must be subjected to the dual test of reason and experience† (Morgenthau). The dual test is of both reasoning and experience. For realism, a theory cannot be rejected merely on the basis that it is old without presenting rationale and reasoning. Inability to do so would be only an example of modernistic prejudice. Hence, a foreign policy can only be labelled as acceptable when its ability to perform political acts as well as the predictable consequences have been determined and tested. Morgenthau establishes that there is one morality for the private sphere and a very different and separate one for the publi c sphere. The political ethics and private ethics are not similar and they should not be reduced into one another. He states, â€Å"Yet while the individual has a moral right to sacrifice himself in defence of such a moral principle, the state has no right to let its moral disapprobation of the infringement of liberty get in the way of successful political action, itself inspired by the moral principle of national survival†. For example, if a ruler operated in accordance with Christian private ethics and would not agree in many ways to other political rivals as they cannot be counted on to operate in same Christian way (Jackson and Sorensen 73,74). This mergence of the two ethics would lead to a disaster

Boston Red Sox Spring Training Stadium Essay Example for Free

Boston Red Sox Spring Training Stadium Essay Figure 1 the center of gravity model According to the requirement from City Council Members, the weighted of important places (included the Population Center) had ranked in the table above. The highest weight mean the important of that location. Therefore, according to the center gravity model, the best result of the training stadium site is the red dot in the figure 1. 2) Weighted Scoring Model Table 2 Calculation of Weight Scoring Model (Considering the Cost) According to table, the best stadium site from all the candidate would be Site C, because the weighted score of Site C is the highest among all Sites. However, the weight ranked by the important of the issues in the future. On the other hand, the Site C does not include the Cost of the Land, because it is a wetland and preserve area, so that it is not fair to other sites, which they have the land cost. Therefore, I come up with the new Table that not consider the cost of the land. Table 3 Calculation of Weight Scoring Model (without Considering the Land Cost) Therefore, it turn out to be that the Site D has the best score among all the sites. PS: The minus sign means the value is negative because it is a cost. 3) Combine the result from Center of Gravity Model and Weight Scoring Model Accord to the answers from Figure1 and Table3, the best result would be the Stadium Site A because it in between the â€Å"Best Point† and the weight scoring is nearly the same as site-D 4) Final Recommendation According to these analysis and modeling, the best site would be the Site A  for two reasons. First, Site A is closed to two major Shopping Malls, which this could provide the jobs in the area and generate more revenue in the area. Second, it is very close to the Interstate 75 (I-75) which means it is very easy to access the stadium from the Airport and the stadium would be the new landmark for the city, because the stadium would huge enough for seeing from the I-75. However, the cost of the utility is highest among those sites, but for the long-run with revenue that generate from the long lease with Red Sox team, it is a guarantee that the revenue will cover all the cost and generate a really nice profit for the city. Therefore, Site A is the best suite for the new Boston Red Sox Spring Training Stadium that generate the better economic in the local businesses in the shopping malls and area around there and also created the new landmark for the city that is very easy to access from the interstate 75.

Forest Application Vs. Agricultural Application Essay -- Nature Sludge

Forest Application Vs. Agricultural Application There is increasing interest in using forest systems for the treatment of wastewater sludge. Forest application offers several advantages over agricultural application. There is usually a long period of time between the application and removal of the crop. This gives an opportunity for organic compounds to decompose. Another advantage is that there is less of a chance that organic or inorganic compounds will enter the food chain after harvest. Trees benefit from sewage sludge through increased growth rates. In an oak forest in northern Michigan, sludge was applied at a rate of 8 Mg dry solids/ha to provide 400 kg/ha of nitrogen. Tree diameter growth was increased by 63% over areas that had no application (Nguyen et al. 1986). In loblolly pine stands in South Carolina, basal area growth was increased by 46% and tree volume by 33% by the application of sludge (McKee et al. 1986). Sludge increases the productivity of understory vegetation on poor-quality sites. Herbivorous animals benefit for the increased quantity and quality of vegetation(increased phosphorous and protein levels)(Haufler and West 1986). Sludge may be applied to all ages of forest, from clearcuts to mature forest. However, each growth stage has advantages and disadvantages. Clearcuts offer economical application, since temporary spray irrigation or solid spreaders may be used. The disadvantage is that applying high nutrient levels will increase weed growth and subsequent small mammal populations, making establishment of trees difficult. Application to young forests eliminates tree survival problems. However, overhead application is required due to small tree heights. This dictates that application be d... ...es. In Cole, D. W, C. L. Henry, and W. L. Nutter, eds. The Forest Alternative for Treatment and Utilization of Municipal and Industrial Wastes. University of Washington Press. Seattle, Washington. Nguyen, P. V., J. B. Hart,Jr., and D. M . Merkel. 1986. Municipal sludge fertilization on oak forests in Michigan: Short-term nutrient changes and growth responses. In Cole, D. W, C. L. Henry, and W. L. Nutter, eds. The Forest Alternative for Treatment and Utilization of Municipal and Industrial Wastes. University of Washington Press. Seattle, Washington. Red, J. T., and W. L. Nutter. 1986. Municipal wastewater renovation on a coastal plain, slash pine land treatment system. In Cole, D. W, C. L. Henry, and W. L. Nutter, eds. The Forest Alternative for Treatment and Utilization of Municipal and Industrial Wastes. University of Washington Press. Seattle, Washington.

Flood Monitoring System

Sensors 2012, 12, 4213-4236; doi:10. 3390/s120404213 OPEN ACCESS sensors ISSN 1424-8220 www. mdpi. com/journal/sensors Article A Real-Time Measurement System for Long-Life Flood Monitoring and Warning Applications Rafael Marin-Perez 1, , Javier Garc? a-Pintado 2,3 and Antonio Skarmeta G? mez 1 ? o 1 Department of Information and Communication Engineering, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, E-30100, Murcia, Spain; E-Mail: [email  protected] es 2 Euromediterranean Water Institute, Campus de Espinardo, E-30100, Murcia, Spain; E-Mail: [email  protected] om 3 National Centre for Earth Observation, University of Reading, Harry Pitt Building, 3 Earley Gate, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AL, UK Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email  protected] es. Received: 7 February 2012; in revised form: 14 March 2012 / Accepted: 22 March 2012 / Published: 28 March 2012 Abstract: A ? ood warning system incorporates telemetered rainfall and ? ow/water level data measu red at various locations in the catchment area. Real-time accurate data collection is required for this use, and sensor networks improve the system capabilities.However, existing sensor nodes struggle to satisfy the hydrological requirements in terms of autonomy, sensor hardware compatibility, reliability and long-range communication. We describe the design and development of a real-time measurement system for ? ood monitoring, and its deployment in a ? ash-? ood prone 650 km2 semiarid watershed in Southern Spain. A developed low-power and long-range communication device, so-called DatalogV1, provides automatic data gathering and reliable transmission. DatalogV1 incorporates self-monitoring for adapting measurement schedules for consumption management and to capture events of interest.Two tests are used to assess the success of the development. The results show an autonomous and robust monitoring system for long-term collection of water level data in many sparse locations during ? o od events. Keywords: real-time data acquisition; sensor network; hydrological monitoring; ? ood warning system Sensors 2012, 12 1. Introduction 4214 A warmer climate, with its increased climate variability, will increase the risk of both ? oods and droughts [1], whose management and mitigation are important to protect property, life, and natural environment. Real-time accurate monitoring of hydrologic variables is key for ? od forecasting, as well as for optimizing related warning systems for damage mitigation. Recent studies show that in the speci? c case of semiarid and arid areas, adequate deployment of monitoring networks is essential to a real understanding of the underlying processes generating run-off in storm events, and to achieve effective emergency systems (e. g. , [2]). Traditionally, researchers have directly collected data at the places of interest. This has now been commonly substituted by automatic sensor and datalogger systems, which provide high temporal data resol ution, while reducing operational human resource requirements.Dataloggers permit local automatic and unattended data gathering, and reduce environmental perturbation. However, data retrieval from standard dataloggers and storage in processing and control/warning centers still has to be done either manually, which prevents its applicability in ? ood warning systems, or through wired connections, which leads to substantial investments and operational costs. To confront these problems, sensor network technology has been proposed in many monitoring applications [3]. Yet, speci? c literature on sensor network for ? ood forecasting is sparse, with only a few examples available (e. . , [4–8]). Basically, a sensor network comprises a set of nodes, where each node includes a processor, a wireless radio module, a power supply, and is equipped with sensor hardware to capture environmental data. Each node performs the tasks of data gathering, physical parameter processing, and wireless d ata transmission to the control server. Speci? cally, for hydrologic applications, sensor nodes must also ful? ll a number of additional requirements: †¢ Power lifetime: Power sources are often not available at the locations of hydrological interest.Moreover, these locations are usually unprotected, and if renewable energy devices are used, there are prone to vandalism or theft. Thus, sensor nodes must have low-consumption, which along with existing standard batteries, should last at least one hydrologic cycle. †¢ Sensor hardware compatibility: Most hydrologic sensor nodes include a datalogger device connected through a cable to one or more measurement instruments. The datalogger must provide multiple wired interfaces to be able to communicate with a range of speci? c sensor hardware interfaces.This also involves issues of power supply, and selective time for power dispatching, which leads to optimal power management and facilitates the expansion of connected instruments. †¢ Reliability: Harsh weather conditions may cause failures in the wireless communication over the monitoring network. Backup mechanisms in local sensor dataloggers must be used to avoid information losses in unexpected crashes. †¢ Long-range communication: Hydrologic measurement locations are commonly sparse over large areas, and far away from the control center (i. e. , tens or hundreds of kilometers).Sensor nodes must have a peer-to-peer connection with the control center. Sensors 2012, 12 4215 In general, these, sometimes opposing, requirements are dif? cult to be satis? ed by existing developed solutions. For example, multiple sensor readings and long-range communication are high power-consumption tasks, which diminish battery lifetime. For instance, many existing wireless solutions for agriculture applications (e. g. , [9–11]) use a set of tens or hundreds of motes, which collaborate to gather dense data in a small area. Motes have low consumption, but they pr ovide limited sensor interfaces, and short-range communication.On the other hand, several hydrologic and meteorologic applications have been implemented with a few wireless datalogger stations, which individually obtain multi-sensor data in a few sparse locations over a large area (e. g. , [5,12–14]). These dataloggers permit high computing and long-range communication. However, they have an excessive investment cost and a high consumption that may be, in the long-term, unsustainable. This paper describes the design, development, and deployment of a real-time monitoring system for hydrological applications.The paper is focused on the description in detail of our wireless datalogger device, so-called DatalogV1 [15], which combines the low consumption of motes and the reliable communication of most powerful multi-sensor datalogger stations in order to satisfy the requirements of ? ood warning system scenarios. The DatalogV1 provides automatic monitoring and long-term autonomy i n sparse points over large areas. To demonstrate the goodness of the DatalogV1 design, we deployed a monitoring network in the Rambla del Albuj? n watershed, in Southern Spain. The severity of ? ash ? ods in the Rambla del o Albuj? n has caused important environmental and economic damages over the last years. Accordingly, the o wireless monitoring network is intended to provide real-time accurate hydrologic information to support an operational model-based ? ood warning system. This is an excellent test to asses the DatalogV1 performance and success in a real case scenario. The remainder of the paper is organized as follows. Section 2 introduces the context of environmental monitoring and ? ood warning systems. Section 3 depicts our hydrologic monitoring scenario.Section 4 presents the design of DatalogV1 hardware. Section 5 shows the implementation of DatalogV1 software. Section 6 describes the architecture developed for remote hydrologic monitoring. Section 7 describes the deploym ent of the monitoring network in the Rambla del Albuj? n watershed. Section 8 shows the results o obtained regarding power consumption and data collection. Section 9 provides concluding remarks. 2. Environmental Monitoring Environmental monitoring is the most popular application for sensor networks. At present, sensor networks have been applied for a number of applications as, e. . , soil moisture monitoring [16], solar radiation mapping [17], aquatic monitoring [18], glacial control and climate change [19], forest ? re alarm [20], landscape ? ooding alarm [21], and forecasting in rivers [22]. The ability to place autonomous and low cost nodes in large harsh environments without communication infrastructure enables accurate data collection directly observed from interest areas. With sensor networks, environmental data can be observed and collected in real-time, and used for forecasting upcoming phenomena and sending prompt warnings if required.Sensors 2012, 12 2. 1. Model-Based Floo d Warning System Context 4216 The developed sensor network was incorporated within the context of a model-based ? ood warning system in the Rambla del Albuj? n watershed. A model-based ? ood warning system, for mitigating the o effects of ? ooding on life and property, incorporates a catchment model based on observed/forecasted rainfall and telemetered observations of hydrologic state variables at various locations within the catchment area. Generally, observed variables are ? ow and/or water level in channels.Also, other variables such as soil moisture and piezometric levels may be of interest, depending on the watershed response. Real-time updating of the ? ood forecasting involves the continual adaptation of the model state variables, outputs and parameters, so that the forecasts for various times into the future are based on the latest available information and are optimized, in some sense, to minimize the forecasting errors (e. g. , [23]). This is the process of data assimilati on. Implementation of environmental sensor networks for data assimilation within model-based ? ood warning systems involves complex engineering and system challenges.These systems must withstand the event of interest in real-time, remain functional over long time periods when no events occur, cover large geographical regions of interest to the event, and support the variety of sensor types needed to detect the phenomenon [8]. 3. Hydrological Monitoring and Forecasting in the Rambla del Albuj? n Watershed o The Rambla del Albuj? n watershed (650 km2 ) is the main drainage catchment in the Campo de o Cartagena basin, in Southern Spain (see Figure 1). The main channel in the watershed is 40 km long and ? ows into the Mar Menor; one of the big coastal lagoons in the Mediterranean (135 km2 ).The Campo de Cartagena basin is an area with semiarid Mediterranean climate, where the average temperature ranges from 14 o C to 17 o C, mean potential evapotranspiration is 890 mm yr–1 and me an precipitation is 350 mm yr–1 . Most rainfall comes in short-time storm events, and the watershed hydrologic response is highly complex and non-uniform. Previous studies have shown the complex ? ash-? ood response of the Rambla del Albuj? n watershed o and the importance of spatially distributed observation for adequate forecasting (e. g. , [2]). Also, for ? ooding evaluations, stage gauges provide an advantage over ? w gauges that the observations remain unbiased when ? ow goes out of banks, in which case the validness of calibrated rating curves (stage-? ow relationships) is prevented. In this sense, remotely-sensed information (from aerial photography and/or satellites) is appealing as it contains much more spatial information than typical stage gauge networks in operational watersheds. Accordingly, recent studies are evaluating the potential of aerial photography and remotely sensed (from satellites) synthetic aperture radar to provide measurements over large areas of w ater levels and ? od extents in lakes and rivers (e. g. , TerraSAR-X or COSMO-Skymed constellations [24]). However, the current low temporal frequency of satellite acquisitions relative to gauging station sampling indicates that remote sensing still does not represent a viable replacement strategy for data assimilation into model-based forecasts [25]. Also, before the ? ow goes out of banks, the accuracy of standard stage gauges is higher than that provided by airborne information, which is key for early warnings.Thus, if economically viable, a spatially distributed network of stage gauges remains the best option to capture the observations required to feed the forecasting and data assimilation processes. Sensors 2012, 12 4217 At the Rambla del Albuj? n watershed, we implemented a hydrological monitoring system consisting o on a network of stage gauges located at eight critical junction points between major tributaries. The monitoring locations were carefully chosen in order to achi eve effective water level monitoring during ? ood events and a reliable model-based forecasting system.Figure 1 shows the selected locations which are far away (? 50 km) from the control center at the University of Murcia, to the North of the watershed. In this area, an existing phone infrastructure enables the communication among the server in the control center and the DatalogV1s in the ? eld. The DatalogV1s must be autonomous only with batteries, because no power source exists in the monitoring area and solar panels are frequently stolen or vandalized. In the following sections, we describe the design and development of the DatalogV1 to provide remote data gathering of the water stage in channels during ? ods. Figure 1. Deployment scenario. The embedded image shows the location of the Rambla del Albuj? n watershed at the Southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The violet line describes the o watershed boundary drawn on a digital terrain model (DTM). Within the watershed, the main cha nnel network is shown in blue, and labeled squares indicate deployed gauge locations. Sensors 2012, 12 4. Design of DatalogV1 Hardware 4218 The DatalogV1’s design was developed to address the requirements of the described application. The block diagram of DatalogV1 is illustrated in Figure 2(a).The critical components are a low-power microcontroller ( µC) module that supervises the DatalogV1’s operation, multiple sensor interfaces (Pulse, SDI-12, RS-485, Analog) that enable to take measurements from different kinds of sensor devices, and a GPRS module for long-distance communication with the control center. Moreover, two communication modules (USB and Bluetooth) enable the in-situ interactions via a laptop. All electronic components and a battery are mounted in an IP65 waterproof box to protect from harsh weather conditions, as shown by Figure 2(b).The DatalogV1’s design is balanced between low-power consumption for long-lifetime, and computational capability for multi-sensor reading and long-range communication. The hardware design of these components is described in the next subsections. Figure 2. Two different views of the DatalogV1. (a) Block diagram showing the main components. (b) The electronic components and the battery are mounted on a IP65 protection box. SDI-12 Interface RS-485 Interface Pulse Counters Analog Inputs Power Connector DC/DC Converter GPRS Module Linear Regulator Battery Connector Linear RegulatorMosfet Switch  µC DC/DC Converter Pulse Counters Bluetooth Module RS-485 Interface USB Module Battery Connector Power Connector Analogic Inputs SDI-12 Connector GPRS Module Bluetooth Module USB Module  µC (a) (b) 4. 1. Design of Microcontroller Module The circuit schematic of the microcontroller module is shown in Figure 3. The central part of the schematic represents the low-power 8-bits microcontroller (PIC18LF8722) manufactured by Microchip. The PIC18F8722 operating to 3. 3 V is ideal for low power applications ( n anoWatts) with 120 nW sleep mode and 25  µW active mode.It provides high processing speed (40 MHz) with a large 256 KB RAM memory. A 12 MB data? ash memory is included for local storage of sensor data. The top-left portion of the schematic (IC3) shows a security mechanism to avoid microcontroller blockage in case that available energy is not enough. Thus the microcontroller resets when there is less than 2. 4 V. The center-left part of the schematic contains the crystal oscillator setting to 11 MHz. (OSC1/OSC2 tags). The oscillator provides a precise clock signal to stabilize frequencies for sensor readings and data transmissions. Sensors 2012, 12 Figure 3.Circuit schematic of the microcontroller module. The center portion is the microcontroller used to control DatalogV1 operation, and the center-left is the crystal oscillator used for setting the clock. 4219 4. 2. Design of Sensor Interfaces DatalogV1 provides multi-sensor interfaces to take readings from a wide set of hydrologic instruments. Its sensor interfaces are two pulse counters, two digital connectors (RS-485 and SDI-12), and eight analog inputs. Each pulse counter reads from a tipping-bucket rain gauge (pluviometer) which generates a discrete electrical signal for every amount of accumulated rainfall.Digital interfaces supply power to and read measurements from instruments, which can themselves include some degree of computational capability. Analog connectors enable the reading of simple instruments which modify the supplying voltages to return voltage values proportional to the physical observed variables. These multiple interfaces are compatible with the most of hydrological sensor devices in the market. Pulse-counters typically connect to rain-gauge devices. The standard rain gauge collects the precipitation into a small container. Every time the container is ? led and emptied, it generates a electric pulse. According to the number of pulses and the size of the container, DatalogV1 estimates t he precipitation without requiring power supply. Sensors 2012, 12 4220 For each digital interface, DatalogV1 can supply and read multiple sensors. Both RS-485 and SDI-12 interfaces consist of three electronic wires for data, ground and supplying voltage. The RS-485 is a standard serial communication for long distance and noisy environments. In addition, the SDI-12 is a serial data interface at 1,200 baud designed for low-power sensors.Using serial protocols, DatalogV1 can directly obtain the physical measurements. The analog inputs allow to read 8 differential sensors, 16 single-ended sensors, or a combination of both options. A differential connection comprises four electronic wires acting as voltage-supplier, ground, positive-voltage, and negative-voltage, while a single-end connection contains two electronic wires for supplying-voltage and positive-voltage. The main difference between differential and single-ended is the way to obtain the voltage value. In single-ended, the volta ge value is the difference between the positive voltage and the ground at 0 V.However, single-ended connections are sensitive to electrical noise errors, which are solved by differential connections. Because twisting wires together will ensure that any noise picked up will be the same for each wire, the voltage value in differential inputs is the difference between the positive and negative voltages. Figure 4. Circuit schematic of analog interfaces. (a) Selector of analog connections to plugged-in sensors, (b) ADC converter from output voltage to digital data. (a) (b) To obtain the measurements of the physical variables, output voltages are processed using three main hardware components: multiplexer, ampli? r, and ADC converter. Two multiplexers MC74HC4051D from Motorola company enable to select the output voltage of a speci? c analog sensor (Figure 4(a)). Each multiplexer contains 3 control pins CA0, CA1, and CA2 to choose an output voltage among 16 possibilities. The selected outp ut voltage is ampli? ed for preserving high effective resolution. DatalogV1 uses an AD8622 ampli? er, manufactured by Analog Devices, that provides high current precision, low noise, and low power operation. The pre-con? gured ampli? cation depends on the output range Sensors 2012, 12 4221 of the selected sensor.Finally, the ampli? ed output signal is converted to a digital value through an Analog-Digital Converter (ADC), as shown by Figure 4(b). DatalogV1 contains a 13-bit ADC MCP3302, manufactured by Microchip, that provides high precision and resolution. This ? exible design provides full compatibility with presumably all kind of available sensors for hydrologic use. 4. 3. Design of GPRS Communication Module A GPRS module is used to transmit monitoring data from DatalogV1 to the control center. Figure 5 shows the GPRS module implementing all functions for wireless communications. Figure 5.Circuit schematic of the GPRS module. The center portion is the GPRS module used to control the long-distance communication, and the top-left portion is the SIM card connection. The top-left part of the circuit shows the connection of SIM phone-cards according to the manufacturer speci? cation. The bottom-left shows a uFL coaxial connector to the wireless antenna. We chose a Wavecom Q2686 chip, which is connected to the microcontroller via an USART interface (CS-USART). The Wavecom Q2686 contains a programmable 256 KB SRAM memory and includes a ARM9 32-bit processor at 104 MHz.This Q2686 chip makes possible to join a GSM/GPRS base-station and receive/send data reliably in quad-band communications on the 800, 900, 1,800 and 1,900 MHz Sensors 2012, 12 4222 bands. Also, the chip makes it easy to upgrade to 3G when needed. This GPRS module enables long-distance UDP/IP communications through cellular radio networks. 4. 4. Design of Power Module The power module consists of two power sources and three regulable mechanism to provide a secure supply of electronics components. The main energy source is a 12 V DC battery of 7,000 mAh power capacity which can be rechargeable using an optional solar panel.To adapt the input tension of the solar panel (17–20 V) to a lower tension (12–15 V) to supply the battery, we use a commutated DC/DC regulator in step-down mode, as shown by Figure 6(a). The microcontroller turns on the DC/DC regulator when it detects that the battery has a low level according to a pre-established threshold. Three circuits guarantee stable energy levels for battery, solar-panel, and sensors, as shown by Figure 6(b). The circuits of battery and solar-panel include security mechanisms to avoid a too low power level input to the sensors.For this, the circuit of sensors is used, before readings are taken, to check if the power supply is stable as to obtain an accurate measurement. Figure 6. Circuit schematic of the battery, solar-panel, and power-control modules. (a) Battery and solar modules, (b) secure power control for battery, so lar panel, and sensor. (a) (b) Figure 7. Circuit schematic of the power supply module. (a) Power supply for GPRS, sensors, and ADC converter, (b) power supply for microcontroller. (a) (b) To reduce the power consumption, DatalogV1 keeps almost all electrical components deactivated, such as GPRS, sensors, and ADC.Only the microcontroller circuit is always supplied at 3. 3 V Sensors 2012, 12 4223 (Figure 7(a)) through a linear regulator LM2936 from National Semiconductor with ultra-low current in the stand-by mode. This LM2936 regulator features low drop-out voltage (50 mA) to minimize power losses. Also, this circuit includes a diode (D10) to provide a security power to protect the microcontroller and all board at most 5 V. When it is necessary, the microcontroller supplies independently the electrical components using two DC/DC converters, two linear regulators and a MOSFET switch (Figure 7(b)).Concretely to supply sensors, a DC/DC converter and the MOSFET switch is combined to crea te a adjustable commutation cell. The design of the commutation cell includes high-power isolated chips in order to reduce interferences. At the same time, it has a good linearity and load regulation characteristics, and allows to establish the voltage supply between 3 V and 10 V. The chosen MOSFET is a FDC6330L, manufactured by Fairchild Semiconductor, which provides high performance for extremely low on-resistance (

Crossing Essay

Since the beginning of human life, fathers from around the world have played a vital role in their sons’ lives, whom they have had to learn to fish, hunt and survive in general. It has been crucial for fathers to hand over their knowledge to their sons. Concurrently with the development of human life and its foundation, it has been possible to form a social stratum given that it has been facilitated for some people to make more money than other people have. Furthermore, this evolution was an influence on the family relationship, were the man became the new capital in society, and thus became more important than the woman. As the men were working, the women became responsible for the children and therefore had an enormous impact on the behaviour and upbringing of the children. Mark Slouka’s short story, ‘Crossing’, from 2009 shows a number of these important themes, such as the father/son-relationship and man vs. nature. The protagonist in the short story is the father, an unnamed man somewhere between 30-50 years old. The father finds himself in a small depression: †He hadn’t been happy in a while.† 1. Recently, the father was divorced from the mother of his son, which is shown in his thoughts about whether he had missed his wife or not. â€Å"†¦he hadn’t wanted her back, hadn’t wanted much of anything really† 2. Even though the main character has a guilty conscience, and it seems that he is the one to blame for the divorce – he feels a desire to make things work again – both his relationship to his ex-wife and most important of all, the relationship to his son. â€Å"When he looked at her she shook her head and looked away and at that moment he thought, maybe — maybe he could make this right.† 3. The father comes across as an honest, caring and loving father to his son, and quickly we consolidate sympathy with him as a reader. â€Å"†¦when the boy came running into the living room he threw him over his shoulder, careful not to hit his head on the corner of the TV†¦Ã¢â‚¬  4. The protagonist takes his son on a trip to make up for the divorce and to improve their relationship. The father wants to share some of his childhood memories he had as a young boy with his dad. The main character used to go on this exact trip; therefore, he repeats the same rituals and traditions to give his son the same experience. †This is it, kid, the old man would say whenever they turned off the main road, you excited? Every year †¦Ã¢â‚¬ Almost there,† he said to the little boy next to him. â€Å"You excited?†Ã¢â‚¬  5. As the main character sees  the river for the first time in many years, he is considering calling of the trip – the river is much greater than he had expected from it. Yet, he believes that there is no way out – he cannot turn around. There is nowhere else to go, which could symbolize him being in the middle of something – with no turning back. †For a moment he considered pulling out, explaining †¦ but there was nowhere else to go.† 6. During the short story, the father gives his thoughts and some comments on the things happening, which builds up a thrill in the story. The protagonist points out repeatedly that what they are about to do is dangerous. He knows that he is putting himself and his son into danger, but he wants to convince himself and his son about the fact that he is a good father. â€Å"People in a hurry get in trouble.† 7. â€Å"†So what do you do if you fall? He remembered asking once †¦ – and the old man calling back of his shoulder, â€Å"Do not fuckin ‘fall.† 8. The solicitude of the father reappears as he tries to calm down the boy as he stumbles in the river on their way back. The father knows that they are in a bad situation but he remains calm for the boy’s sake. In fact, the father himself is very scared and afraid of what is going to happened – at this point he has lost hope. Even though, he wants to appear brave and to show himself from his best side, when all he wants is to be a good father. â€Å"He could hear himself, breathing hard. †I’m okay, kiddo. I’m okay. That was not good, but we’re fine. â€Å"They were fine. 9. Since we do not have access to the boy’s thoughts and feelings, Mark Slouka draws a picture of him with descriptions through the father’s mind of the boy. We get the picture of a little fragile boy, who needs to be taken care of by his father. This makes us sympathize with the boy and especially the father, who needs to take care of him throughout their trip in the wilderness. †He tried not to look at the boy sitting where he’d left him on the opposite shore because there was something about the smallness of him in his blue shorts against the bank of stones he didn’t like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  10. There is a third person narrator in the short story, which is attached to the father since we get to know his inner feeling and memories. â€Å"You never see it, he thought.† 11. Slouka places the point of view with the father in order to show us how he experiences the situation of having been divorced, and how he now tries to regain order and meaning in his difficult life. The short story is arranged in chronological sequences, but with flashbacks. The time jumps from the present to the past. The present is in the wilderness at the river, and the past is when the father picks up the boy at his moms, and when he thinks back on his own childhood. The amount of energy used to build up the tension in the story is great. From start to finish, the reader is given a feeling of discomfort, and that something bad will happen. The author achieves this suspense by using the environment and the mood of the story. From the beginning the mood ominous and menacing. Rain, fog and emptiness dominate the description of the environment they find themselves in. In this way, the thrill is build up just as slowly, and as a reader, you are waiting for something terrible to hap pen. †It was raining†¦ [†¦] A black road†¦ [†¦] The line of the open sky in the east was razor sharp†¦ [†¦] The empty road†¦Ã¢â‚¬  12. The river is the main environment in which the story takes place, in and around. The river is larger and more violent than the main character remembers it: â€Å"The river was bigger than he remembered it, stronger.† 13. The river itself show some ominous signs as well which helps building excitement in the story. You always have the feeling that something bad is going to happen. When standing in front of the river, they sees something in the river that looks dead, something that has been shot. As a reader you are left with the question whether they survive the river or not. Furthermore, the ending points in the direction of death. †He wanted to scream for help. There was no one – just the rushing plain of the river, the trees†¦Everything had come together. He couldn’t move. He was barely holding on. There was no way.† 14. In addition, the title â€Å"Crossing† points in the direction of death. When you use the phrase â€Å"crossing over† it is usually associated with death. You will go to the other side. It is a bridge between life and death. The river becomes the tunnel – the question is if they reach the light or survives from it. The ending might seem unfair, tragic and unreasonable. However, the open ending gives the reader a choice of life and death – The author puts the characters destiny into our hands. Even though the story ends up in a bad way to the father and son, the trip has been a journey that has brought the two characters even closer. In fact, the father gets the perfect opportunity to perform the action of being a good parent. The most important thing in the father’s life ended up being the last. The short story shows how little and insignificant man is in relation to Mother Nature.

In Terms of Consumer Behaviour, What Individual Factors Might Help to Explain the Pampered Pets Phenomenon

In Terms of Consumer Behaviour, What Individual Factors Might Help to Explain the Pampered Pets Phenomenon There are four broad categories of factors that influence organizational buyer behaviour. They are environmental factors, organizational factors, interpersonal factors and individual factors.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on In Terms of Consumer Behaviour, What Individual Factors Might Help to Explain the Pampered Pets Phenomenon? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Individual factors relate to individual thoughts, feelings and actions. The most difficult is to assess motivation and perception of the individual. Essentially pampered pets are often treated as family members or an extension of their owners, who may name them, dress them in special clothing. Pampering pets has created profitable opportunities for all kinds of businesses (Elliott, Sharyn David 2009). Consumers who once felt sad or guilty about leaving a pet alone when they were at work or boarding a pet when they were travelling now seek out pet day care s ervices, pet friendly hotels, and upscale boarding facilities like the TV equipped private suites offered by PetSmart, the world largest pet product retailer. There are several psychological factors that influence consumer behaviour. These include motivation, perception, learning as well as beliefs and attitudes. When a consumer is motivated, one is usually ready to act. How we act is largely influenced by the kind of perception that a person holds of a given situation. It is important to note that people learn when they act (Elliott, Sharyn David 2009). Furthermore, learning is a process which involves changes in individual’s behaviour which arises from experience. Consumer behaviour which is mostly learned takes place with the interaction of drives, stimuli, cues, responses and reinforcement. Beliefs and attitudes are obtained by acting and learning. Some of the individual factors which determine or influence development include the occupation of the person, the level of i ncome of the consumer and the new knowledge learning ability of the consumer. Motivation refers to the forces which drive a person to get their needs and wants (Elliott, Sharyn David 2009). Needs are the basic forces that motivate one to get to a certain end. On the other hand, wants are needs that are learned during an individual’s lifetime. Lifestyle refers to individuals’ or families’ way of living. The lifestyle concept provides descriptions of behaviour and purchasing patterns, especially the ways in which people spend their time and money. Personality, motives and attitudes also influence lifestyle. Age and life cycle stage is a major factor which influences consumer behaviour patterns. The consumer behaviour changes with stages of life. Essentially, some marketers will define their target market based on the consumers’ present stage in life. This implies that there are cases where the subject of pampered pets will make much sense to a given stage of life as compared to another. Lastly, ability is an important concept when it comes to the subject of consumer behaviour. This is directly related to knowledge and familiarity with the product or brand.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this case, one cannot be able to keep pets if they are not able to understand what the intricacies which are associated with keeping pets are. One study found that consumers with higher education and greater health – related experience were more likely to pay attention to the highly detailed technical information in â€Å"direct – to – consumer† ads such as the pharmaceutical advertisements (Elliott, Sharyn David 2009). The information in this case forms a very important aspect when it comes to the pets. It is worth noting that one cannot have a pet if the information that they have is minimal or sma ll for that matter. Thus consumer behaviour in line with pampered pets is also influenced with the kind of information that one has. In conclusion, today people are concerned about their image, status in the society which is usually a reflection of their material prosperity. Some have gone a notch higher to associate affluence with the kind of pets that they keep. Pets to some extent have become status symbols which have been used by people. Reference List Elliott, Sharyn, R-T David, W 2009, Marketing, John Wiley Sons Australia, Limited, Sydney

Numro Magazine Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Numro Magazine - Article Example Besides, concurrently to the author’s idea who contends that she felt bored owing to numerous global publications that pertained to women issues featuring similar â€Å"stupid issues†, she has blended fashion with various aspects. The â€Å"stupid issues† that she implied encompassed â€Å"how to seduce male gender†, â€Å"how to shun wrinkles† and similar, interrelated topics. These topics recurred in numerous publications where only the wording used to change, but their implication is the same. This depicted the absence of adequate creativity that would make women smart and innovative, especially in utilizing the present nature. Numero magazine’s creativity mainly acknowledges diversity of cultures to heighten its standard value, which entails incorporation of architecture, beauty and varied designs globally. Since it is an international publication, it does not have any of its emphasis on certain region or civilization, but implies a wide coverage. It also encompasses cinema, varied designs and music coupled with international icons who are similar fashion-minded. Consequently, equipping women and upcoming either design or fashion icons with adequate creativity entailed in their fields. This is because the Numero’s content normally constitutes of contributions from numerous women globally, who have specialized in fashion or have a passion in the field. Additionally, Numà ©ro boasts of featuring both the current and the future’s creativity, for instance, in Fig. 3 besides global icons that have shown exceptional sophistication in the fashion field. Primarily, this emanates from the des ire to advertise diverse merchandise ranging from clothes, through beauty to vehicles where their volume sales in this competitive market rely on creativity. Besides, Numà ©ro Magazine having been my favorite publication for a long time, I love the mode of presentation coupled by its content uniqueness. This is contrary to other publications

Fiscal policy and the US economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Fiscal policy and the US economy - Essay Example 'Auerbach and Feenberg (2000) have estimated that automatic tax stabilizers offset about 8% of the impact of an economic shock to GDP.'(Economic Research and Data. The Role of Fiscal Policy. 2002) Mere anticipation of projected fiscal action can have an impact on the U.S. economy. Households and business enterprises will operate their individual spending habits based on both present economics as well as future economics. For instance, a tax cut will leave households will more disposable income, however, if the tax cut is looked upon as a temporary measure it will not contribute to increased consumer expenditure. Similarly, investment tax credits which will only lower the cost of investment ventures on a temporary basis will likely encourage investors to time their spending so as to capitalize on the tax credit initiatives. It is therefore imperative that fiscal policy be considered and conducted in such a manner as to take into consideration the likely impact of both the current and future implications. 'When expectations of future fiscal policy are important, "expansionary" fiscal policy-an increase in government spending, for example-may actually be contractionary'. (Economic Research and Data. The Role of Fiscal Policy. ... It can also influence financial markets to anticipate future tax hikes. The implications are detrimental to the general economy. As a result, long-term interest rates will go up, investors will hold back somewhat on investments thereby circumventing the government's intended expansionary effects of its spending. During the country's recession of the 1990-1991 fiscal year the President Bill Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) made a similar observation: 'an attempted stimulus that abandoned, or was perceived to abandon, serious discipline on the growth of future spending or on the reduction in the multiyear structural deficit probably would produce a substantial rise in interest rates. That would offset a large portion of the direct stimulus in the short run and would leave the economy thereafter with a higher cost of capital, which would be detrimental to investment necessary for long-run growth.'(US President. 1992. p.25) According to Alesina, Perotti and Tavares a reduction in deficits are more likely to be expansionary when they entail government spending cuts and government salaries as well as transfers. These cuts have the effect of indicating decreases in government spending activity on a permanent basis and as a result there is a general public perception that taxes will be decreased in the future. On the other hand, decreases in the deficit which are accomplished via tax increases appear to be 'contractionary'.(Alesina. 1998. pp-197-248. The US government's role in the nation's economy cannot be accomplished by merely regulating its fiscal spending and management. The government can only achieve the best results possible for the good of the US