Saturday, August 31, 2019
Contracts Practice Exam
Bob v. Alex Was there an Offer from Alex to Bob on February 1st ? An offer is an outward manifestation of intent to be bound by contractual agreement requiring definite and certain terms that are communicated to the offeree. Bob will assert that when Alex mailed him a letter offering him ââ¬Å"Oceanhavenâ⬠for the May-June season that Alex did this act with a present contractual intent in mind. Further, the facts stipulate that Alex identified the terms as ââ¬Å"same terms as last yearâ⬠which implies both parties are aware of the terms.Lastly, given that Alex asked Bob to respond within a week, implies that he sent Bob an offer to lease Oceanhaven for the season. Was there an indirect revocation of the offer on February 4th? The knowledge by an offeree from a reliable source that offeror can not perform. It requires acts inconsistent with the contract. The facts assert that Bob learned about Oceanhaven no longer being available on February 4th. Further, Bob heard this in formation from his real estate agent. Since his real estate agent is probably in the business of knowing what properties are available for season rentals, this appears to be a reliable source.Moreover, the news the real estate person shared was that Oceanhaven was rented to someone else for 6 months, effective March 1st. Accordinly, Oceanhaven would no longer be available from May through June. Because of this, the offeror can no longer perform. Lastly, since the person who is renting Oceanhave is not affiliated with Bob, it is reasonable to say that the acts are inconsistent with the terms of the offer. Did Bob accept Alexââ¬â¢s offer on February 5th? An acceptance is an unequivocal assent to the terms of the offer. A bilateral contract requires a return promise while a unilateral contract requires complete performance.According to the facts, Bob wrote Alex on February 5th stating ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ll take Oceanhaven per your leeter of February 1st. Being that Bob accepted Alexâ⠬â¢s terms as-is, Bob unequivocally assented. Further, given that to the terms of the offer were ââ¬Å"same as last yearâ⬠, it is reasonable that Bob was aware of the terms of the agreement. Should the court determine that Alex did not have an indirect revocation on February 4th, Bobââ¬â¢s acceptance is valid because he wrote back within a week, as per the terms of the offer. Bob v. Tom Was there an offer from Tom to Bob on February 2nd?See supra Here, the facts show that Bob visited the Shores to inquire about homes for rent for one season. Further, Tom, the caretaker of the Shores, showed Bob both the Yellowhouse and Greenhouse as homes that would be available for Bob to select from. Lastly, Tom mailed Bob a letter stating he had confirmed all terms with the owner of the home, Dave. Because of Bobââ¬â¢s actions of touring the Shores and because of Tomââ¬â¢s actions of confirming the terms of contract with the homeowner before mailing the letter, both parties had a clear and present intent to form a contract.Next, Bob will assert that the terms were definite because Tom had stated he already confirmed them with Dave and that the terms were Yellowhouse at $5,000, or Greenhouse at $2,000 for the May through June season, all services included, payable in equal monthly installments. Since the price was specified, the length of the contract was identified, and the item being considered for rent was specified; either the yellowhouse of the Greenhouse. Accordingly, the terms were definite for both parties. Lastly, Tom mailed the letter to Bob, who received it on February 2nd.Thus, the offer was communicated to the offeree by mail. Was there a counter-offer for Yellowhouse on February 4th? Words of conduct that a reasonable person would understand as a rejection of the terms of the offer. Here, the facts show that bob wrote to Tom on February 4th regarding the yellowhouse and stated, I believe your prices are high. Will you take $4,000 for Yellowhous e? Because Bob was trying to affirmatively change the terms as specified by Tom for yellowhouse, Bob rejected Tomââ¬â¢s offer of the yellowhouse for $5,000 a month.Did Bob accept Tomââ¬â¢s offer on February 4th for Greenhouse? See Supra ââ¬â Acceptance is effective upon dispatch. The minority rule is acceptance effective upon receipt. Further, in his response to Tom, Bobââ¬â¢s letter stated ââ¬Å"If not, then Iââ¬â¢ll have to settle for Greenhouse, and I agree to the $2,000 you ask. â⬠Because Bob unequivocally assented to the terms of the contract, and since the terms were definite, $2,000 a month for the months of May through June, Bob accepted the offer. Finally, Bob mailed the acceptance letter on February 4th, just two days after he received the offer from Tom.Since Tom initiated the offer via the mail, the acceptance now falls under the mailbox rule. The majority views acceptance upon dispatch while the minority views acceptance upon receipt. Was there va lid consideration for the Greenhouse contract? That which is bargained for and given in exchange for a specified returned promise. Here, the facts show that Tom, an employee of The Shores, had confirmed the prices for both Greenhouse and Yellowhouse. For $5k a month, Bob would be able to rent Yellowhouse between the months of May through June or, Greenhouse for $2k a month between the months of May through June.Since money is a valid item used for bargaining, there was a bargained for exchange. Further, Bob promised to rent Greenhouse between the months of May through June and since he was not already obligated to this promise, he was privileged to enter into the consideration. Was there a valid revocation of the contract for Greenhouse on February 5th? An offeror may expressly revoke an offer as long as it is communicated to an offeree prior to a timely acceptance. It is effective upon receipt.Here, the facts state that Bob received a letter from Tom on February 5th stating, ââ¬Å "our deal is offâ⬠. Since the terms are clear that Alex no longer wishes to engage in the contract, it is decisively determined upon the mailbox rule. Given that Bob mailed his acceptance on February 4th, the majority has the acceptance effective upon dispatch. Thus, if Bob is in a jurisdiction that follows the majority, there was not a valid revocation because the revocation was received after the acceptance. However, in jurisdictions following the minority, acceptance is valid upon receipt.Given that Tom received Bobââ¬â¢s acceptance in the mail on February 5th, in the minority, Bobââ¬â¢s acceptance did not occur until February 5th. Accordingly, in the minority, in order for Tomââ¬â¢s revocation to be effective, it must be received by Bob before Tom received Bob received the acceptance letter. Since Bob received the revocation on February 5th, it can be inferred that Tom mailed the revocation before that date, as such, in the minority, Tomââ¬â¢s revocation was val id since he had not yet received Bobââ¬â¢s acceptance.
Education Is the Only Key of Life for Turkish Women Essay
Education right, right to vote and stand for election are basic rights of humanbeings and the elements of democracy. These rights are essential to prove the existence of a person in society. Altough, these rights were given to Turkish women before many western countries, Turkey fell behind in applying and improving these rights. In many parts of Turkey, women are not allowed to use their rights and it is still debated that should women have job, should they get education and basically, how women should live. Even if, there are many dissenting opinions about if women should be educated or not, Turkish women should be educated to be able to get their economic freedom and be aware of their rights.. Being able to make own decisions, living independent is crucial necessity for people and having economic freedom is the first step to be independent. However, in Turkey, either women are not allowed to work or they prefer to be housewifes. When they are not married, they live with their families and they depend on them, after they marry, they are dependent on their husbands. Either way, they never live their life the way they want to and they are content with what they have. In Turkey, if a woman works, she is accused of not being good mother or wife. Yet, on the contrary, if woman work, she feels herself productive, effective, social and only then,she gains self-confidence. Meghan Oââ¬â¢Rourke says, ââ¬Å"Only by working, can women can have a fully ââ¬Å"flourishingâ⬠lifeâ⬠As she says, only a working woman gets whatever she wants and so, she becames more beneficial for her families. Also, if women work, she supports family financially and it brings to having high life standards. However, in patriarchal societies, being independent women mostly causes problems in family. Times of Indiaââ¬â¢s IDiva research shows that, The survey of over 24,000 adults in 23 countries, conducted by Reuters/Ipsos and released on the eve of International Womenââ¬â¢s Day, showed that people from India (54 percent), Turkey (52 percent), Japan (48 percent), China, Russia, Hungary (34 percent each) and South Korea (33 percent) were most likely to agree that women should not work. 52 percent women in Turkey think that womenââ¬â¢s place is at home because, women and man not equal in working arena. When women work, she is still charged of house chores and these chores take a lot of time, besides these chores women have to take care of children. So, it is really hard to carry out all together these works and when women cannot balance house work and job, man began to complain. These complaints are another reason for womenââ¬â¢s stress therefore, women are fed up with everything and they give up their job. If they do not, it causes serious damages in family, and if women insist to continue her job, it even may leads to divorce. So, many women have to give up their job fort he sake of family. Another reason why women should get education is that education brings women awareness, only an educated women can be aware of her rights. Being aware of rights is important for women because, women are exposed to violence, rape. Also, they are forced to marry when they are children and in Turkey, man can have a second wife and women are forced to live together. According to KSGMââ¬â¢s research, 39 percent of Turkish women are exposed to violonce by their husbands and 48. 5 percent women cannot tell anyone about violance that they are exposed. Women are ashamed of being subjected violance and also, due to they afraid of their husband, they do not tell anyone. Mostly, they cannot tell because they depend on their husband and their families usually do not protect themâ⬠¦ After violance, one of the biggest problem in Turkey is child brides. Especially in east of Turkey, little girls are forced to marry a man who is older than them for Money. According to surveys, ââ¬Å"Turkey has one of the highest rates of juvenile marriages in the worldâ⬠( Tokyay). Also, the survey points out that, in Turkey there are 28 percent of child brides, and 41 percent of this is unofficial religious marriages. Tokyay). To challenge with these injustice, cruelty, and oppression they have to get education because if they get education, they become independent and aware of their rights therefore, they do not have to yield man anymore. They can sue their husband, their families that commit violance or force to marry and they can defend themselves. In a patriarchal society like Turkey, woman who are aware, and protect her own rights, is thought as insolet versus man and she is accused of losing femininity. In this type society, there are certain roles for man and women. Man are charged with taking care of his family, protecting his wife. As to women, ââ¬Å" their main preoccupation, fostered by parents and educators alike, is ââ¬Å" the pursuit of a wedding ring. â⬠As one editor put it, college for women was the ââ¬Å" worldââ¬â¢s best marriage mart. â⬠â⬠(reed 4) They are raised to be perfect wifes who respect, trust, yield to their husbands. It does not matter how she is smart or successful, marriage is the only aim. If she does not have good marriage, she thinks that she is inadequate. Therefore, men see women as their properties. So, when a woman defends herself, resists again her husband, man takes this as disrespectfulness and disobedience. Not just man, also society think that if woman is smart and she has job, if she can live herself without man supporting, she is tought that she loses her femininity. ââ¬Å" Collage girls, terrified lest they lose their ââ¬Å"femininityâ⬠through any display of brains or serious study, learn to camouflage their intellegence or obediently empty their minds altogether ( Reed 3). They avoid to show their intellegence and talents because they are not supposed to think, they supposed to toe the line by told their husband or families. substaining and extending this redirection of women are the powerful moulders of public opinion: editors and writers of slick magazines for women, newspaper columnists, TV shows, movies, popular novels, pulps, and aii the rest. Indiously and unremittingly they warn women that even yearning to Express their intellects and talents would be ââ¬Å" heavily paid forâ⬠by the loss of their ââ¬Å"femeninityâ⬠â⬠( Reed 5). In All soap operas, all women magazines there are subtitles that manupulate women to stay at home and to be good wife. They teach them how they can make merry their husband or what they sould do to not lose their husband. Because all women should live for their husband, children and all they should think to protect this joyful life. So, if women put herself with brains and qualifications, it makes her unfeminine and not to proper for marry. To conclude, women should get education in order to be stronger, to be independent, to stand on her own legs. In patriarchal societies like Turkey, women should not yield to rules, traditions, on the contrary, they try to change society perspective because women shape the whole society.. As Mustafa Kemal Ataturk says, ââ¬Å"Insan toplulugu kad? n ve erkek denilen iki cins insandan olusur. Kabil midir bu kutlenin bir parcas? n? ilerletelim, otekini ihmal edelim de kutlenin butunu ilerleyebilsin? Mumkun mudur ki bir cismin yar? s? topraga bagl? kald? kca, oteki yar? s? goklere yukselebilsin ? â⬠. society will progress, upgrade as long as women have a real sense of community. Finally, first and foremost a woman should get education for herself if she wants to make her life meaningful. otherwise, she will be nothing but manââ¬â¢s slave.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Embed Functional Skills in Your Specialist Are
Theory 5: Evaluate a range of ways to embed elements of functional skills in your specialist area. Functional skills, according to the definition by the Qualification and Curriculum Development Agency (www. qcda. gov. uk) are practical skills that people need in order to function in everyday life. These skills are practical skills in using the English language, Mathematics and Information and Communication technology (ICT) that will enable individuals with the essential knowledge, skills and understanding to perform confidently, effectively and independently to progress in their education training and employment.As an educator you should be able to embed these skills in the curriculum catered for the foundation levels and level 2 Diplomas and GCSE, and as a stand alone qualification by its own right. In general almost every subject provides an opportunity to improve on functional skills. In the subject area I have chosen, functional Mathematics are embedded by including various metho ds of calibrating measuring equipment, making actual measurements and calculations. In addition, accuracy, reliability, errors and by comparison to true values, functional Mathematics can be used to determine the level of skills for upper levels (Level 2).Functional English can be embedded by getting the students to collate all evidence in a meaningful way and present it orally to an audience or in a written form thereby giving an opportunity to gauge their skills in English. Embedding ICT can be achieved when using a computer to research and obtain material that is relevant which will give an indication to their ability to read and understand. The level of writing and ICT skills can be tested by getting them to produce a report using a word processor including all its inbuilt functions, such as Spell check, Grammar, Thesaurus, layout and Printing etc,.In addition, presenting data in a structured way using a spreadsheet and develop presentation skills by designing and presenting usi ng software such as PowerPoint. To have a meaningful impact on the learner, the curriculum should be designed so that it will encourage the use of all these skills in an integrated way where all skills are embedded within it.Bibliography: Gravells, Ann ââ¬Å"Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sectorâ⬠Third Edition, 2008. Cowley, Sue ââ¬Å"Guerilla Guide to Teachingâ⬠Second Edition, 2007. http://curriculum. qcda. gov. uk/key-stages-3-and-4/skills/functionalskills/index. aspx
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Political science Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2
Political science - Assignment Example Normally, the cycle is considered complete when feedback is given from decision maker. National security assistant behavior should involve strong team ethics, excellent people skills, reasonable level of fitness and sound judgment in all situations. Since matters of security are crucial a national security assistant should always be non partisan. Bureaucratic politic model deals with advocates for proper accountability; it strengthens participation and also ensures reasoned decision making by giving guidelines to be taken .This model promotes growth in the government as it enhances participation in policy formulations (Waterman,2004). The war resolution power of 1973 is a federal law which was formed for the intention of checking the presidentââ¬â¢s power to commit United States to an armed conflict without congress consent. The resolution was passed by two-thirds of the congress, further it requires president to notify the congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military actions. However, it forbids armed forces from staying there for more than 60 days with a further 30 days withdrawal period. In the past it has been alleged that the War powers resolution has been violated for instance President Clinton in 1999, on the bombing campaign n Kosovo. Isolationism is the coherent and complete grand strategy, it involves economic isolation, military and diplomatic non-intervention and cultural seclusion. In the past, isolation ideas have greatly influenced American foreign policy, most notably in the late 1930s and with disastrous consequences. According to George Herring, isolationism did not become fixed in the American political lexicon way until twentieth century. Realism just like other social sciences has analysis and prescription. It involves n efforts to explain both behavior of individual states and the characteristic of international system as whole. Realism ontological
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Summary of chapter 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Summary of chapter 6 - Essay Example Sole proprietorship is a kind of business formation where the enterprise is under the ownership of one individual. Some of the advantages of this type of business form include, profit retention, it is very easy to form, ownership pride, control retention and tax related advantages. Disadvantages for this type of business form include financial limitations, unavailability of permanence and unlimited liability. Corporations are business entities that are separated from owners completely and are thus considered as legal entities. The stockholders are the real owners of the entities but they have a board of directors who are responsible for the formulation of objectives and missions. The stockholders elect the board for their interestââ¬â¢s representation. Apart from these, other business forms that exist in the world are acquisitions and mergers. Acquisitions result from the buying or take over of one business enterprise by another. Mergers occur when two business organizations make an agreement to combine and form a single organization. These mergers are of three types and these are vertical, horizontal and conglomerate. A business may also adopt a divestiture approach where spin offs and carve outs are done on the business. This allows the business to streamline its focus and operations. Another mode of a business specialization is franchising where a new franchise that uses the original businessââ¬â¢ practices and trademark is formulated. An example of a successful company that has used this model is
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Staffing Process in Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1
Staffing Process in Organizations - Essay Example Actually, after the recruitment and apportionment are done, the employees will be prepared to start the work as soon as possible. But, sometimes or most times, the recruited employees should need to be given orientation and training to integrate or assimilate with the working environment and importantly fulfill the work needs. That is, the prospective employees may show optimum interest, performance, etc at the time of recruitment, but after selection, while working in the organization they may underperform. That is, after performing well during the recruitment process and getting the job, they may become over-confident and may not put the same effort during their work. Also, if the organization fails to give them an optimal working environment as promised during the recruitment process, employees may not perform well in that scenario also. So, this where an optimal staffing process through coaching and mentoring will come into the picture, equipping the recruited employees and match ing the job needs of the organization. Staffing involves coaching and mentoring the job seekers to make them fit for a particular job (koreone.com) As part of the staffing processes, organizations should coach or mentor the recruited staffs and even the old employees, for it reaches the top echelons. ââ¬Å"Coaching and Mentoring can be used to effectively unlock the potential that already exists within any organization. The organizationââ¬â¢s most valuable resource is its people or puts more concretely, the knowledge and passion that resides within the hearts and minds of its people... introducing coaching and mentoring within any organization, will reap the benefits to the organizationâ⬠(oaktraining.com). That is, when the recruited employees fall short in their performance, mainly due to lack of skill andà knowledge about the process, they can be coached or mentored.
Monday, August 26, 2019
Major Corporation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Major Corporation - Assignment Example Wal-mart Corporation has managed to maintain corporate responsibility as a form of philanthropic effort by enhancing close relationship among all its stakeholders. Moreover, the corporation has managed to maintain social responsibility as a way of developing its success. The corporation has managed to enact its business practices according to the set legal and ethical values. For example, Wal-mart has always been able to maintain a clean name all over the years that it has been operation. The corporation has also been able to engage in corporate social responsibility (Kneer, 2009). This means that Wal-mart appreciates its customers and the community by engaging in various development activities for the well-being of the society. In order to achieve the best within the competitive business sector in America, Wal-mart has also managed to enact a number of core values. One of the core values include offering respect for all individuals associated with the company daily operations (Kneer, 2009). This means that the corporation offers respect to all its employees through employing the appropriate leadership. The other core value that the corporation has managed to employ in its business operations is offering the best service to customers (Kneer, 2009). Each customer in Wal-mart is plays a significance role in enabling the corporation to meet its profit goals. Therefore, the corporation maintains a strong relationship with all its customers by treating them well and equally. The other core value that Wal-mart has been employing in its operations is striving for excellence (Kneer, 2009). This means that the corporationââ¬â¢s goal has always been being the best in the competitive market through providing better services to all its potential customers (Kneer, 2009). Wal-mart Corporation has also played a significant to enhance core competence through
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Influence of Religion on Developing Societies Research Paper - 1
Influence of Religion on Developing Societies - Research Paper Example Research has shown that one of the most significant contributions that any religion makes to societal development is by playing its role as a means of enforcing morality to society members. In societies where there is a prevalent belief in God and a substantial number of the members of society are religious, the moral value of integrity is also prevalent. As such, the resources in such societies are more likely to be fairly distributed to all members of society; this is because those who are in charge of the distribution of resources work with integrity. In a society that is prevalently religious, members of such societies are less likely to be distrustful of firms/companiesââ¬â¢ ethics since such companies also have ââ¬Ëreligiousââ¬â¢ employees who share similar moral values. While this may be a quite naà ¯ve outlook, such trust may also create a suitable business environment, which enhances development in a society.In his book ââ¬ËThe Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalismââ¬â¢, Max Weber advances the idea that the work ethics that were instilled to European societies during and after the Protestant Reformation in the church played a major role in the development of capitalist ideals, which led to the rapid economic development in Europe and America. According to Weber, the Reformation emphasized moral values, such as hard work, austerity, frugality, and loyalty to interests of the group. These values, according to Weber, were the cornerstone of capitalism, which led to intensified economic development.
Saturday, August 24, 2019
The Context in which Health and Social Care Managers Operate is as Essay
The Context in which Health and Social Care Managers Operate is as Important as the Decisions they Make - Essay Example Management also finds its application in the social and health care industry because it is a versatile discipline. Managers are present at almost every level of a health care providing facility. This brings us to the context of management at a health care facility. Managers in a health care industry, also referred to as healthcare administrators, perform the typical functions expected of a manager. These functions include planning, leading, directing and controlling the involved health care services. Healthcare managers work closely with other medical service professionals like physicians and economists in ensuring effective delivery of healthcare services to the society. In their practice, healthcare administrators base their professional duties to healthcare policies operating within a given social setting. According to Stephen (2007), health and social policies guides health professionals in their healthcare provision responsibilities. At this juncture, it is procedural to underst and management from an academic perspective. According to Armstrong (1999), scholars with potential of developing their careers in the healthcare administration industry receive training concerning theories, practices and policies within the actual healthcare management environment. These educational processes include evaluation of different cases, which aims at helping a student to develop an insight on the application of management theories in real life situations. This brings us to the context of the case study. The case on Ellenââ¬â¢s story provides an illustration on how management applies during actual delivery of healthcare services. Ellen finds herself in a nursing home after developing a health complication. On arrival at the nursing home, Ellen had given up on her life. She was unable to respond to her needs and decided to life a life of dependency. However, healthcare providers at the nursing home helped Ellen to recover. Ellen recovered upon completion of her stay at the nursing home. Ellen is in a position to perform some of her hobbies and economic activities which includes knitting. In addition, Ellen came out confidently and started engaging in social activities like sports. The underlying issue in this case concerns the provision of healthcare and the management activities that facilitate effective delivery of healthcare to the society. According to Armstrong (1999), efficient management services during healthcare service delivery is responsible for the successful recovery of Ellen. Ellen was in a compromising state of desperation when she entered the nursing home. Medical providers acknowledged that Ellen would require intensive and time consuming healthcare in order to help her recover. Upon acknowledgement of this fact, the responsible professionals, who included the facility administrators and nurses decided to commit their efforts towards helping Ellen recover. This context illustrates a situation concerning the effectiveness in health care management and quality service delivery to the society. In the context of Ellenââ¬â¢s case, the main contextual factors with respect to the underlying subject of healthcare are healthcare administration and quality of services delivered to the involved parties. The entire case highlights the elements of management and service provision. Since this essay deals with the aspect of management, we will appraise these contextual factor
Friday, August 23, 2019
Chicano Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Chicano Movement - Essay Example Luis Valdez was a Mexican American who hailed from a family of migrant farm workers. Valdezââ¬â¢s parents, Francisco and Armida Valdez, moved from farm to farm as hired hands where Valdez was also expected to help out in order the support to the big family of 10 children that his parents had. Even though Valdez was expected to both work and read and his schools kept changing, Valdez attained a strong position for himself as a student excelling in performing arts (Meier, 230). Luis Valdez is the father of Chicano Theatre. This is because he formed the El Teatro Campesino which served as the first platform for performing arts for the Chicano Movement. Valdezââ¬â¢s love for the performing arts began when his school teacher introduced him to puppet art. Later during his college and university days, Valdez pursued the love and created his own theatre group. The purpose of this theatre group was to bring the plight of the Mexican Americans to the forefront. Valdez began working in theatre during his college days at San Jose State College. In 1963, he introduced his first play. The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa was one play that Valdez directed and wrote during his time in San Jose State College. After leaving college, Valdez went on to join a Mime Troupe based in San Francisco. It was from here that Valdez learned the method of using theatre as a platform for expressing his own pent up anger. It was on the basis of this work that Valdez formed his theatre group in 1965. This was a group that toured different cities and enacted short one-act plays, also known as an actor.
Physical wellness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Physical wellness - Essay Example Proposed fitness plan: Diversify cardio activities if possible through different activities - running on treadmill, swimming, spinning, step aerobics, kick boxing. Increase cardio activity to 40 minutes at least 3 days a week. Intensify by using weights - ankles, waist, or specially designed weight jacket. Goals: Maintain weight through cardio and strength training. Proper and regular eating habits will be instituted. 4 - 5 small meals each day will be used to maintain energy. Fruits and vegetables can be eaten for healthy snacks between meals. Avoidance of high sodium, high carbohydrate, and high fat foods. Consistent water intake of at least 64 ounces a day for optimum body functioning will be needed. Avoidance of energy drinks and caffeine. Drinks containing electrolytes should be careful consumed, assisting in the body maintaining homeostasis. Proposed plan: Alternate upper body and lower body work-outs in minimize fatigue of larger muscle groups in each area. For each exercise, a total of 12 -15 reps, and a total of 3 sets of reps should be followed. Work major muscle groups and smaller muscle groups to maximize the workout. Circuits can provide cardio during strength training - this entails moving from one exercise to the next with little to no rest in between. Free weights and exercise bands can be used for resistance training. Less weight more reps for lean muscle and less reps higher weight for creating heavier muscle mass should be taken into consideration. Exercises to be used: To work large muscle groups within the legs, squats and lunges should be used, with or without weight. Arms: bar bell bicep curls - allows for heavier weight usage and is easiest in technique; alternate dumb bell bicep curls, allows for one arm to rest while another arm works; use of bands with these exercises - use one foot or both feet to hold the band in place while pulling the band in the same motions used with free weights. Abs: standing abdominal work will reduce the stress that is placed on the back while doing crunches in a lying position - the basic standing tuck position works the abs by having the person tuck their hips while maintaining a straight back. Bending from side to side will work the obliques in concert with the abdominals. Goals: Increase muscle tone through gradual weight increments and usage. Increase the amount of weight that can be used during workouts before exhaustion sets in. Use of strength training equipment at Planet Fitness Gym and/or exercise instructional videos for wide variety of exercises. Stress Management Plan: Part 3 Current stressors: Full time college student, living at home with parents, working 3 -4 days a week as a secretary. Inable to sit for long periods of time. Constant stress and high anxiety levels present. Current stress relief activities: Use of sports/exercise; playing piano. Proposed plan: Using time effectively, both exercise and relaxation techniques could be employed. Yoga, pilates, and the newest combination called piyo can be used for stretching, strengthening, as well as for meditative purposes. Receiving a full body massage monthly will help reduce muscle fatigue and lower stress levels by fully relaxing the entire body. A hot bath will also relax the body and help reduce muscl
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Human impact on climate Essay Example for Free
Human impact on climate Essay Abstract Climate change has long been a controversial issue among governments and world bodies. It is defined as the variation in the Earthââ¬â¢s global climate or in regional climates over time. These variations may be caused by a multitude of factors, some of which include geological changes within the Earth itself, changes in forces outside the earth, or human activity. When talking about this issue, two terms are often interchanged to refer to these variations in normal weather patterns, namely global warming and climate change. The two however, while similar, belong to different spectrums. This paper seeks to examine the role of human activities as a form of climate change. Overview Global warming simply pertains to the recent gradual warming of the temperature in different locations around the earth. Climate change, as defined by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), talks of variations in weather in general, but which are caused particularly by human activity. Although there have been steps taken towards curbing the destructive effects of climate change, there continues to still be a sense of apathy on the parts of some governments with regard to it. The continued burning of fossil fuels in power plants, vehicles and other machines are directly responsible for producing air particles that contribute to warming the earthââ¬â¢s atmosphere. The conversion of forests to farmland or real estate developments has also reduced the amount of trees overall, thus cutting down the chances of more trees mitigating the carbon levels in the air, as well as absorbing and acting as a natural control for floods. Effects of Climate Change Climate change will have many effects on the environment, some of them already visible while others are slowly already being experienced in different parts of the world. Currently, scientists project that the mean global temperature will rise about 3 degrees Celsius, assuming the amount of carbon dioxide in the air doubles due to continued use of fossil fuels. Another projection was the rising of the mean sea level by about 50 cm, a relatively significant rise in light of the fact that computer model estimates have shown that several low-lying states and countries may, in part or whole, be submerged by the rising water level. The warming of temperatures at the mid-continent levels, as well as those in higher latitudes, will also be greater as compared to other locations. It has therefore been predicted that a considerable amount of polar and glacial will melt, as well as the continued warming of the oceans. These two events will constitute for the most part the increase in water levels mentioned earlier. Also to be seriously affected is the ecosystem, along with the natural order of the environment. Due to the heat that would be generated, more tropical climates would be prevalent, thus the focus on migration as well as agricultural production and output would shift all over the world. For the wildlife, the changing ecosystems would directly affect their natural habitats and breeding places. As it is, researchers continue to forecast that global warming may cause the easier proliferation of disease due to the idea that disease-carrying insects and other animals may migrate to other locations due to the changing weather. The hydrologic cycle will also intensify, with changes in water supplies as well as weather seasons such as droughts and flood, which could then greatly affect crops and other natural sources of food. Lastly, the effects of climate change on the broad concept of international security cannot be discounted. With more poor countries potentially facing an environmental disaster of catastrophic proportions, masses of refugees could converge on those remaining industrialized and highly urbanized nations that remain only somewhat affected. Also, should fossil fuel use not be successfully curbed in time, the scarcity of it will only mean that nations who have remaining reserves will become more powerful and dominant in the world stage, with new influential nations possibly developing.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Beam Adaptive Algorithms For Smart Antennas Computer Science Essay
Beam Adaptive Algorithms For Smart Antennas Computer Science Essay Smart antennas employed in space division multiple access systems can cater the high demand in terms of capacity in mobile applications without further increase in radio frequency spectrum allocation. Furthermore, smart antennas provide better quality of service (QoS) and better coverage. Therefore, beam adaptive algorithms used in smart antenna systems are of great interests. 1.2 Project Aims The project aim is to study and understand the adaptive algorithms for beamforming for Smart Antenna Systems and to develop research skills, by reading research papers and journal papers related to the topic. Moreover, to produce the technical draft that contains the analysis, results and discussion of several adaptive algorithms employed in Smart Antenna Systems. The research work conducted and a simulation will provide the better understanding of the subject and can be a possible contribution to the existing work. 1.3 Project Objectives The project objective is to attempt systematic comparison of the performance of different Adaptive Algorithms for beamforming for Smart Antenna System. The algorithms that will be under investigation in this project will be training sequence algorithms like Recursive Least Squares (RLS) and Least Mean Squares (LMS), and Constant Modulus Algorithm (CMA). Simulations will be done to find out which algorithms are best for beamforming i.e. to form main lobes towards desired user and for convergence rate. The comparison of algorithms will be made on the basis of formation of main lobe and the convergence rate. The effect of jammers in algorithms will also be studied. 1.4 Project Outcomes The outcome of the project is come up with simulation software that will calculate the parameters of Smart Antenna and tell us which algorithm performs better in a particular situation. Moreover to prepare a research report that contains critical analysis different beam adaptive algorithms. 1.5 Structure of the report The first chapter of the final report is the Introduction which describes the motivation for research, project aims and objectives. The second chapter is the Literature review. The overview of recent work conducted in this domain and the brief summary of several research papers studied for conducting this research has been presented. Reading list is appended in the references section. Third chapter is the introduction to antennas and smart antennas. The fundamentals parameters of antennas and smart antennas are briefly described. Fourth chapter is on smart antenna system. Types of smart antennas and their comparison are done in detail. In fifth chapter description about the signal processing algorithms is presented. Lastly given are the results and conclusion. Chapter 2: Literature Review Smart antenna is the most efficient leading innovation for maximum capacity and improved quality and coverage [1]. They can adapt to varying traffic requirements dynamically. Smart antennas radiate narrow beam to serve different users and are normally employed at base stations. The complex weight computations that are based on different criteria are integrated in the signal processor in the form of software algorithms [3]. Due to the rapid growing demand in mobile applications not only for capacity but for high quality of service (QoS) and better coverage without increasing the radio frequency spectrum allocation the wireless systems that uses fixed antenna systems will no longer be in use [3] discuss the need for smart antennas in space division multiple access systems. The article focused on adaptive beam forming approach based on smart antennas the adaptive algorithms that are employed to compute the complex weight are discussed and LMS and RLS in particular. The fact that error c omputed from the filter at time n is used to provide the filter coefficient at time n+1 provides a nontraditional way to understand adaptive algorithms. [2] describe the approach of seeing classical adaptive algorithm like LMS, RLS, CMA, Decision directed) as recursive structures. [4] Explain the normalized least mean square (NLMS) algorithm for smart antenna system. The algorithm was implemented on the StarCore SC3400 DSP core and the performance was evaluated on MSC8144 DSP and the antenna coverage pattern was obtained and analyzed to find towards the desired signal source. With adaptive beamforming algorithm to name LMS for smart antenna the downlink multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) multi-carrier code division multiple access system is proposed [5]. [1] Describes the sequential Studies of beamforming algorithms for smart antenna systems. 2.1 Scope of Smart Antennas Smart antennas assured to award the significant increment in the capacity of system and its performance in the wireless communication system [11]. Which will eventually lead into increase profits for the telecommunications companies and also a decline in blocked and dropped calls. Its been about 45 years Antenna was first used in applications related to radar communication in the form of fixed array. In later years many researches on antenna helped into smart antennas and tiled the way for their uses in commercial wireless systems [12]. These are the main reasons smart antennas got so much interest over the few years. At present the application of smart antennas are predominant at the mobile base stations due to compact area and processing power requirements [13]. Currently, a lot of research is going on the mobile terminal based smart antennas. In the coming future we can expect smart antenna skills to be present at the base station and mobile terminal too. Chapter 3: Introduction to Antennas and Smart Antenna 3.1 Antenna According to IEEE Standard Definitions of Terms for Antenna, it is defined as a means for radiating or receiving radio waves. 3.2 Fundamental parameters of Antenna The fundamental parameters of Antenna are: Radiation pattern Radiation intensity Directive gain and directivity Power gain and Radiation efficiency Front to Back ratio Antenna beamwidth Antenna beam efficiency 3.2.1Radiation Pattern Radiation pattern show the angular variation of field strength. They are drawn at some distance r proportional to field intensity in the direction ÃŽà ¸ and à â⬠. Normalized Field Pattern: It is obtained by dividing the field component by its maximum value. It is dimensionless. EÃŽà ¸(ÃŽà ¸,à â⬠) = EÃŽà ¸(ÃŽà ¸,à â⬠) / EÃŽà ¸(ÃŽà ¸,à â⬠) max Power Radiation Pattern: Power density Pd is defined as power flow per unit area and is given by: Pd(ÃŽà ¸,à â⬠) =1/2*[E (ÃŽà ¸,à â⬠)] 2/ÃŽà ·0 Pattern may also be expressed in terms of power per unit solid angle .The normalized power pattern can also be expressed in terms of this parameter as the ratio of radiation intensity U(ÃŽà ¸,à â⬠) as function of angle to its max value. Pn(ÃŽà ¸,à â⬠) = Pd(ÃŽà ¸,à â⬠) / Pd max(ÃŽà ¸,à â⬠) The co-ordinates are ÃŽà ¸ and dB are used to draw the pattern and calculate by following relation: dB= 10log10Pn(ÃŽà ¸,à â⬠) 3.2.2 Radiation Intensity The power radiated from an antenna per unit solid angle is called the radiation intensity U. 3.2.3 Directive Gain and Directivity For omnidirectional antenna: the power density at all the points on the surface of a sphere will be same. Pavg = Prad/4à â⠬r2 The directive gain is defined as the ratio of the power density Pd(ÃŽà ¸,à â⬠) to the average power radiated. For isotropic antenna, the value of directive gain is unity. The directive gain can be defined as a measure of the concentration of the radiated power in a particular direction (ÃŽà ¸,à â⬠) . The ratio of the maximum power density to the average power radiated is called maximum directive gain or directivity of the antenna. GDmax = Pdmax/Pavg 3.2.4 Power Gain and Radiation efficiency The relation between input power and power radiated is given as: Prad=ÃŽà ·r Pin ÃŽà ·r=Prad/ Pin Pin=Prad +Ploss ÃŽà ·r=Prad/(Prad +Ploss) The power radiated and the ohmic power loss can be expressed in terms of r.m.s. current as: ÃŽà ·r=Rrad/(Rrad +Rloss) The ratio of the power radiated in a particular direction (ÃŽà ¸,à â⬠) to the actual power input to the antenna is called power gain of antenna. 3.2.5 Front to Back ratio (FBR) It is the ratio of the power radiated in the desired direction to the power radiated in the opposite direction. FBR = Power radiated in desired direction/Power radiated in opposite direction FBR depends on frequency of operation, spacing between antenna elements (inversely proportional) and electrical length of the parasitic elements of the antenna. FBR is an important consideration especially in receiving antennas 3.2.6 Antenna Beamwidth Antenna beamwidth is the measure of the directivity of the antenna. The antenna beamwidth is an angular width in degrees. It is measured on a radiation pattern on a major lobe. 3.2.7 Beam efficiency Total beam area ÃŽà ©A consists of the main beam area ÃŽà ©M plus the minor lobe area ÃŽà ©m. ÃŽà ©A= ÃŽà ©M+ ÃŽà ©m So Beam Efficiency is, M= ÃŽà ©M/ ÃŽà ©A Stray Factor: The ratio of minor lobe ÃŽà ©m area to the total beam area ÃŽà ©A is called stray factor. Em= ÃŽà ©m/ ÃŽà ©A EM + Em= 1 3.3 Smart Antenna The smart antenna is defined as an antenna array system that is supported by processing system that deals with the received and transmitted signal by the array using proper array algorithms to advance wireless system performance. [4] Numbers of distributive antenna elements are combined to make arrays of antennas called smart antenna. The different signals collected by individual antenna are calculated in such a manner that increases the signal strength of desired signal and reduces interference from other signals. [12] A smart antenna can be observed as a combination of antennas, whose transmitted or received signals are processed using smart algorithms. These smart algorithms make antenna work efficiently, and reliable in communication [13]. Main purpose of smart antenna is that the signal comes from the source hit the target in that way if the target is moving the antenna is such a smart and intelligent that it would change its direction according to the target movement and the main lobe of the antenna must be toward the target so that the maximum strength of the signal strikes the target. Mostly Smart antennas are being used in wireless communication systems to provide interference reduction and enhance user capacity and the data rates [6]. 3.4 Uses of Smart Antenna Smart antennas are considered useful in the wireless communication systems. The area coverage and the capacity of a system are increased by Smart antennas. Maximum data rate is increased by using smart antennas in multipath and diminish fading due to the terminating the component of multipath. One of its most useful applications is direction finding with the applications including emergency services and traffic monitoring [11]. In areas with less population, extended coverage is predominant in those areas than increased capacity. I such areas the gain provided by the antennas can extend the range covered by a cell and hence more users can communicate with less system capacity than any other typical antenna. It is used for the interference reduction and rejection as well. Finding the location of user will be a useful application of smart antenna, geo-locations of user and to make downlink beam forming easy [14]. Smart antennas are currently used in Radars, Radio astronomy and mostly used in cellular systems to keep the system speed equal with the number of increasing subscribers. It is also used in defense for safe communication purpose. 3.5CHARACTERISTICS OF SMART ANTENNA There are four main characteristics of smart antenna, DOA (direction of arrival) evaluation Beam forming, antenna diversity beam-width 3.5.1 DIRECTION OF ARRIVAL / ANGLE OF ARRIVAL A measure of the direction of the propagation of electro magnetic radiation upon arrival at a receiver; it is the angle between the plan of the phase front and some plan of reference, usually the horizontal, at the receiver antenna. [9] Direction of arrival indicates the direction from which usually a signal arrives at a point [3]. We can guess the direction of arrival of the signal by using different techniques like multiple signal classification. In this technique an algorithm is used to for frequency estimation and the location of emitter, matrix pencil method or their derivatives. [9] Usage Geodesic location or Geo-location of the cell phones is the main application of direction of arrival nowadays [9].Multiple base stations calculate the angle of arrival of the cell phone signal and this information is combined to locate the cell phone anywhere on the earth. It is generally used to locate the pirate or military radio transmission point. In submarines acoustics, angle of arrival is the method to localize objects with active and passive ranging [9]. 3.5.2 BEAM-FORMING Beam forming is a technique of digital signal processing and its is used for directional signal transmission or reception form the preferred signal direction as compared to some undesired direction [3]. It mean that the techniques which we used have the capability to make the radiation pattern of the antenna by constructive and destructive interference for reception and transmission and to accept moving beams in the direction of preferred signal and put nulls in the direction of interfering signals. This mean due to this co-channel and interference reduce and antenna gain is increased in the direction of desired signal [13]. Figure 3.1 These rebounds from different surfaces can set up time delays, attenuations, phase shifts, and distortions that can interfere with each other at the receiver end of the antenna. It can be set by the digital signal processing techniques used in smart antenna system [15]. 3.5.3 ANTENNA DIVERSITY Antenna diversity uses more then two antennas to develop the quality and dependability of a wireless link [3]. Specially in the areas where LOS is not clear between transmitter and receiver. Before reaching at the receiver end signal is reflected along several paths. This result in introducing phase shift, time delays, attenuation, and distortion which results in the interference between signal arriving before and after the particular signal [9].As two or more antennas receive several observations of the same signal they will calculate the most strengthen signal give the output. 3.5.4 BEAM-WIDTH It means the half-power beam-width [7]. The maximum radiation strength is found, and then the points on both side of the maximum, represent half power of the maximum strength are located. The distance between the half power points is known as the beam-width [16].Half of the power expressed in decibels is -3dB, so half power beam-width is often referred to as the 3dB beam-width. We considered both horizontal and vertical beam-widths. [6] 3.6 TYPES OF SMART ANTENNAS There are two major types of smart antenna switched beam smart antenna and adaptive array smart antenna. 3.6.1 SWITCHED BEAM SMART ANTENNA There are different permanent beam patterns presented in switched beam system. A decision is made as to which beam to be taken, at any given point in time, depend upon the necessities of the system [3]. 3.6.2 ADAPTIVE ARRAY SMART ANTENNA It allows the antenna to focus the beam to any direction of direction of desired signal continuously ignoring interfering signals. Beam direction can be estimated using the direction of arrival (DOA) estimation methods [3]. 3.7 ADVANTAGES For the most part smart antennas are employed at the base station in the mobile network to improve system capacity. Capacity means the number of the users that can be handled in a system. Using of Omni-directional antennas originate co-channel interference when two users use the same band of frequency that finally limits the user capacity in the system [8]. In case of smart antennas beams are focused towards the desired user minimize interference to other users using the same frequency band. 0: Figure 3.2 It helps against multipath fading noise which improves dependability of received signal. Reduced power consumption for cell phones, low probability of interception and detection improved location estimation and improved range of reception [1]. 3.8 DISADVANTAGE Most major disadvantages of smart antenna is in their design and completion in hardware. Multi RF chains can boost the price and make the transceiver bulkier [4]. Most of the devices in the making of a typical antenna used non-linear devices and using smart antenna also increases the components used. If not checked properly, this affects the performance of the antenna [15]. As the data bandwidth required for the digital signal processing increases with the number of antenna elements used. This can limit the data rate for different applications Chapter 4 SMART ANTENNA SYSTEM 4.1 INTRODUCTION Smart Antenna System is combination of multiple antennas which Transmit or Receive Signals using an Adaptation Algorithm [4]. A smart antenna system is combination of many antennas elements with a signal receiving and transmitting ability to optimize its radiation and reception pattern robotically in reaction to the signal environment [10]. 4.2 TYPES OF SMART ANTENNA SYSTEMS There are mainly two ways to implement antennas that dynamically change their antenna radiation pattern to minimize interference or multipath affects by increasing coverage area and range. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Switched beam: There are finite numbers of fixed patterns which are defined by the system (sectors) à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Adaptive arrays: There are an infinite number of patterns (scenario-based) which are adjusted in real time The Switched beam approach is easy and simple then the adaptive approach. It increases the network capacity as compared to the usual Omni-directional antenna systems. In this technique, an antenna array produces over lapping beams that cover the neighboring area as in the figure [17]. When a signal is coming and detected, the base station determine the beam that is best associated in the signal-of-interest direction and then switch that beam toward the user for communication [6]. 0: Figure 4.1 [17] The Adaptive array system is efficient then the switched array technique [2]. A mobile user is tracked by this system constantly by routing the main beam towards the destination and at the same time sending no signal in the direction of interfering signals like switched beam. 0: Figure 4.2 [17] 4.2.1 SWITCHED BEAM SYSTEMS Switched beam antenna systems make many fixed beams with finely tuned sensitivity in particular directions [17]. These antenna systems detect strength of signal, choose one from numerous already determined, fixed beams, and switch his beam from one beam to another as the user moves during the sector [11]. The output of many antennas combine through Switched beam systems in such a way that it form finely directional beams with more selectivity than can be achieve with usual, single-element antenna technique. 4.2.1.1 WORKING In this type of adaptive approach in reality did not steer or scan the beam in the direction of the desired signal [17]. Switched beam use an antenna array which radiates a number of overlapping permanent beams covering a elected angular area. The directional beam leads to increase the factor of a frequency reuse in channel by decreasing possible interference and it also increases the range [14]. These antennas system not have a uniform gain in all directions but when they are compared to simple antenna system they have more gain or increased gain in the desired directions. The Switched beam antenna has a switching method that enables the system to select and then switch the desired beam which gives the best response for a mobile user. The selection is generally based on maximum received power for user [9]. 0: Figure 4.3 [3] A usual switched beam system for a base station consists of many antennas with each array covering a certain sector in cell. Take an example of switched beam-forming system below [7]. It consists of a phase shifting network, which forms many beams look in certain directions. The RF switch targets the correct beam in the direction of interest. The measurement for selecting of the correct beam is done by the control logic unit. The control logic unit is controlled by an algorithm which scans all the beams and then selects that beam which is strongest signal based on a measurement calculated by the algorithm. 0: Figure 4.4 [17] This technique is not good when interference is high this technique is simple in operation. Let us consider an example where User 1 is at the side-edge of the beam receiving low power which is entertained by this beam [6]. If there is a second user were at the direction of the null then there will be no interference but if the second user also moves into the direction where user 1 is located then there will be interference occur therefore the switched beam system is suitable where there is no interference [17] 4.2.2 ADAPTIVE ARRAY ANTENNAS Switched beam systems only give a limited performance improvement when compared to common antenna systems in wireless communication [3]. Greater improved performance can be achieved by using superior signal processing technique to practice the information achieved by the antenna arrays. The adaptive array system is Opposite to switched beam systems, they are smarter because they are able to react to the changing RF environment. They have a huge amount of radiation patterns as compared to fixed finite patterns in switched beam systems to adjust in the changing radio frequency environment [9]. An Adaptive array is just like a switched beam system which use number of antennas but they are controlled by signal processing [17]. This signal processing moves the radiation beam towards a desired user as he changes his direction and ii limit the interference happen from other users by launch nulls in their directions. This is shown in figure below [17]. http://i.cmpnet.com/embedded/gifs/2005/0503/0503feat1fig2.jpg 0: Figure 4.5 [17] 4.3 COMPARISON Here are the differences between switched bean array and adaptive beam array 4.3.1 SWITCHED BEAM SYSTEM It uses many preset directional beams with slim beam-widths. The necessary phase shifts be provide by normal preset phase shifting networks e.g. the butler matrix [11]. They do not need difficult algorithms, easy algorithms are used for selection of beam It need only reasonable relations between mobile and base station as compared to adaptive array system [15]. Because low technology is used it has minor price and complication. Mixing is easy and cheap into existing cellular system. It give important increase in coverage and capacity compare normal antenna based systems [6]. Since many slim beams are used, normal intra-cell hand-offs occur between beam when a mobile moves from one beam to another [15]. It does not make a distinction between direct signal and interfering signal this leading to undesired improvement of the interfering signal more than the desired signal [6]. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Switched beam systems offers limited co-channel interference control as compared to the adaptive array system. 4.3.2 ADAPTIVE ARRAY SYSTEM A whole adaptive system; moves the beam towards desired signal and put nulls toward interfering signal directions [17]. It is implemented on DSP technology [17]. To steer the beam and the nulls complicated adaptive algorithm is required [6]. Rejection capably of interference is much better then the switching beams system [15]. It is difficult to impose on existing systems, i.e. up gradation is hard and costly. Since nonstop moving of the beam is required as the user moves, high contact between the mobile and base station is required [17]. It provides improved coverage and improved capacity because of improved interference elimination as compare to the Switched beam. It can either decline multipath components or add them by correcting the delays to improve the signal quality[6]. 4.4 ANTENNAS SMARTNESS Smart antenna systems using these adaptive systems are quite smart in the true sense and that is why they are referred as smart antennas [17]. The smartness of these systems is due to the intelligent processor using digital processing techniques which are integrated in these systems. These signal processing techniques use complex algorithms which are our main concern in our project [11]. As modern world is using advanced technology in different fields, smart antenna also comes with such type of digital formation algorithms that operate the signals in accurate and flexible manner. On the way to the smart antenna, the signal is received, converted and modulated for transmission into digital signal and at the other end it is reconverted in analog information [5]. 4.4.1 BASIC MECHANISM There are a lot of function a smart antenna can perform on the bases of techniques used for desired scenario. Some of them major functions smart antenna can perform are listed below First: Smart antenna can locate the direction as well as the angle of arrival of all the incoming signals [16]. Whether they are interfering in the signal of our interest or they are same signals arriving at the antenna from different directions after reflection from different surfaces. Their direction is estimated by the processing techniques used in smart antennas. Secondly: The signal of our interest can separated from the cluster of all the incoming signals using smart antenna systems. Lastly a beam is moving in the direction of the wanted signal and the user is traced when he moves in the area and placing noting at interfering signal directions by continually updating the weights [17]. It is pretty obvious that the direction of radiation beam of the main lobe in an array depends upon the phase difference between the elements of the array. Thus it is possible to constantly move the main beam in any direction by adjusting the phase difference between the elements. The same concept is used in adaptive array systems in which the phase is tuned to attain highest radiation in the most wanted direction. 4.5 ADAPTIVE ALGORITHM CLASSIFICATIONS The adaptive algorithms can be classify into category base on different approach given below Continuous adaptation: The algorithms based on this technique fine-tune the weights as the arriving data is sampled and continue updating it in such a way that it converges to an finest solution. This approach is suit able when the signal information is varying with time. Examples: The Least Mean Square (LMS) algorithm and the Recursive Least square (RLS) algorithm [17]. Block adaptation: The algorithms based on this technique calculate the weights depend on the approximation achieve from a temporary chunk of data [3]. This method can be used in a non-stationary situation provided the weights are calculated from time to time. Example: The Sample Matrix Inversion (SMI) algorithm [17]. Reference signal based algorithms: These types of algorithms worked on the principal of minimization of the mean square error between the received signal and the original signal. Hence it is necessary that an original signal is available which has high relationship with the desired signal [17]. Examples: The Least Mean Square (LMS) algorithm, The Recursive Least square (RLS) algorithm [17]. Blind adaptive algorithms: These algorithms do not want any original signal information. They are generating the necessary ordinal signal from the received signal to get the desired signal. Examples: The Constant Modulus Algorithm (CMA). CHAPTER 5ALGORITHMS It is obvious that themselves antennas or not much intelligent to perform such.It is the importance of antenna system which is such clever in aspect of advanced signal processing algorithms. In order to use the smart antenna to its full smart techniques superior and computationally smart algorithms must be used. There are number of algorithms which are optimized and specialized for different smart antenna system and for different scenarios. For this purpose here are the few algorithms we have studied till the day to get a brief idea about the smart antenna systems are given below. LMS (Least Mean Squares) RLS (Recursive Least Squares) CMA (Constant Modulus Algorithm) We will try to give a logical comparison on the performance of different Adaptive Algorithms for beam forming for our Smart Antenna. In this study we have exposed that these algorithms RLS and LMS are best for making beam forming like main lobe towards desired user but they have boundaries towards reject interference. In case of CMA has improved response towards beam forming and it gives improved results for interference rejection, but there is a problem the Bit Error Rate (BER) is greatest and high in case of single antenna element in CMA. It is confirmed that convergence rate of RLS is faster than LMS so RLS is proved the best choice for us. The effect of changing step size for LMS algorithm has also been studied. 5.1 CMA (CONSTANT MODULUS ALGORITHM) CMA is based on those methods which are old but many of them are modified or completely changed techniques. This is popular algorithm and we are using this algorithm for blind adaptive array processing for beam pattern. But there is a problem with this algorithm it has low convergence rate because it is a type of instant gradient searching method depend on performance surface. Later some enhanced algorithms such as orthogonal constant modulus (OCMA) and least square constant modulus algorithm (LSCMA) are proposed [4].OCMA use the Newton algorithm and LSCMA is a type of block-update interactive algorithm. Both use estimation of revision of covariance matrix. This means high calculation complexity and convergence rate is improved. But they will not converge when covariance matrix is positive and singular. Faster convergence rate, constant convergence steps, lower computational complexity and better numerical stability will be achieved with instant gradient searching and conjugate gradi ent algorithm [2]. Conclusion A constant modulus algorithm based on modified conjugate gradient for adaptive array processing. CMA algorithm has the similar performance as high convergence rate algorithm such as LSCMA; there is an advantage that they do not need to perform matrix inversion and its performance is improved then other type of conjugate gradient algorithms 5.2 LMS (Least Mean Squares) and RLS (Recursive Least Squares) An adaptive algorithm has a natural recursive formation even in the case of a limited impulse response modelization. As the error
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Comparison of Parks: Central Park and Forest Park
Comparison of Parks: Central Park and Forest Park The Central Park Construction began on 1858, continued during the American Civil War, and was completed in 1873. New York as the most important economic center in Eastern United States, rises and falls several times, and the Central Park rises and falls as well. And today it is one of the most successful park in the city. The Forest Park, which opened in 1876, more than a decade after its proposal. St Louis as big city locate in Mid-Western United States, plays a very important role in the US history, The Forest Park changes several times, also rises and falls in its history. These two parks participate a very important role in the city, both of them are very large parks, and built contemporarily. In this paper, I will compare the similarities and differences between these two parks and try to find out the reason by using the urban design knowledge based on the development of the city. ââ¬Å"Forest Park was originally designed as an English Romantic park with open, flowing spaces and diverse environs. Today it retains much of that character, especially in the eastern half of the park. Many of the spaces envisioned in the original 1876 plan, which designed by M. G. Kern, and 1904 Worlds Fair plan remain in some capacity, with a range of modified uses. The parks topography changes a lot after River Des Peres brailed into concrete sewer tubes. In 1876, Forest Park already had a prepared plan and was established. The park was envisioned as a great romantic landscape, with winding trails and carriageways through deep woods and pastoral fields surrounded by informal water bodies and naturalistic streams. At that time, the land had several owners and was primarily the site of farms and coal mines. The River Des Peres wandered through the northern and eastern parts of the area and a major east-west thoroughfare, Clayton Road, passed through the property. The first park commissioners authorized a plan for the new park, ââ¬Å"To preserve the natural beauties of the ground, so that it will always appear in fact as well as in name, a Forest Park.â⬠The plan called for a hippodrome, floral decorations, a bandstand, and a Forest Park Zoo. In preparation for Opening Day, June 24, 1876, 19 miles of roads and 20 miles of walkways were built along with some bridges, water and sewer pipes, including Round Lake, Pagoda Lake and a portion of Peninsula Lake. Other facilities included a restaurant, bandstand, a large race track, and superintendentââ¬â¢s home. A small zoo was built and later a fenced area for five buffalo became a major park attraction. By 1891, there was a variety of animals to be viewed by the public at no charge. In 1876-77 St. Louis City and St. Louis County separated, with Forest Park remaining part of the City. By 1894 the park had 2.5 million visitors, brought there by street car and improved roadways. Park activities were diverse, including annual bicycle race, carriage rides, boating, cricket, lacrosse, baseball, tennis, croquet, golf, and harness racing. The most significant changes to the park came as the result of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, which was held over much of the parks western half. To accommodate the fair, most of the trees in the western part of the park were removed, except for what today is Kennedy Forest. Large portions of the park were land-filled to accommodate the new structures. The River Des Peres was rerouted, channeled and sections of it were placed underground. The Art Museum and the Zoos Flight Cage were remained. Grand Basin and Post-Dispatch Lake were reshaped from Peninsula Lake. The plan for the fair required that the park be returned to its original condition after the conclusion of the fair, but too many trees had been cleared and the added wear and tear of the fair left an indelible mark on the parks natural systems. In addition, after the fair, the park became the home for cultural and recreational facilities the Jefferson Memorial, Zoo, and Worlds Fair Pavilion were soon added- all done in a piecemeal fashion that did not adhere to any comprehensive plan. In the years following the Worlds Fair, up until the late 1920s, Forest Park underwent a series of changes which altered the shape, design, and use of many areas of the park. Many of these changes involved the addition of active recreation facilities in the park, under the guidance of Park Commissioner Dwight Davis. The changes, while greatly expanding the attraction of the park for many citizens, resulted in a park whose natural systems and linkages were disturbed, a condition that exists to this day. The park continued to change, as new facilities, institutions, and amenities were built. In 1930, the River Des Peres disappeared from the park as it was buried in two underground sewer pipes. More and more of the parks passive green space was replaced by buildings, athletic fields, golf courses and paths. Highway 64/40 and the Forest Park Parkway were routed through the parks perimeters during this time. Some attempts were made to plan for the parks continued growth during this period, but none had any significant physical impact. The 1983 plan was adopted by the Community Development Commission of the City of St. Louis as the only comprehensive plan for the park since the 1904 plan for the fair and the original plan of 1876. However, it was not significantly implemented. There have been a number of changes to the park subsequent to the 1983 plan. The most significant have been a number of road removals, road re-surfacing and in-fill of the lagoons around Post-Dispatch Lake. In Fall 1993, a plan was prepared by the New York firm of Kelly/Vernell Landscape Architects to augment the 1983 plans landscape component. However, it was never adopted or implemented. â⬠[1] A comparison between the 1983 and 1993 plans reveal different approaches to the park. The most significant differences are: different attitudes regarding Grand Basin/ Art Hill and Post-Dispatch Lake area in terms of active recreation and access, circulation and parking; the 1993 Plan incorporating a more extensive lake and lagoon system; different resolutions for the cultural institutions expansion needs; and some differences in roads and paths. ââ¬Å"Central Park is of great importance as the first real park made in this country ââ¬â a democratic development of the highest significance and on the success of which, in my opinion, much of the progress of art and esthetic culture in this country is dependent. ââ¬Å" Frederick Law Olmsted, August 1, 1858 The creation of Central Park is the beginning of the nationââ¬â¢s urban landscape park tradition. It plays a role of open space on the island of Manhattan: ââ¬Å"the dynamic tension between pavement and pasture, between city noise and rural quiet, between fresh air and foul; between private and public land, between city and state government; between city square and urban park.â⬠[2] It shows how an extraordinary work of public art emerged from the crucible of New York City politics. By 1800 New York Cityââ¬â¢s burgeoning commercial future was clear. The Central Park was not a part of the governmentââ¬â¢s plan until 1855, which the population of the New York City get four times than 1811ââ¬â¢s. The City officials recognized the need to plan for the growth which to build a big park to makes more open space. In 1857, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won the Central Park Design Competition. Before the construction of the park, the original inhabitants of the land inhabited need to leave, however most of them are low income African-American, German or Irish immigrants, which lived in a relatively small village (such as Seneca Village), around 1,600 residents occupying the area at the time. In 1857, by public land expropriation legislation was imposed, the lands were recovered, while Seneca Village and other communities were demolished to make room for the construction of the park. In 1860 by the effort of park commissioners, theyfinalize the negotiations for the purchase of an additional 65 acres at the north end of the park, between 106th and 110th Streets. Between 1860 and 1873, most of the major hurdles to construction were overcome, and the park was substantially completed. ââ¬Å"Following completion, the park quickly slipped into decline. One of the main reasons for this was the lack of interest of the Tammany Hall political machine, which was the largest political force in New York at the time. Around the turn of the 20th century, the park faced several new challenges. Cars were becoming commonplace, bringing with them their burden of pollution, and peoples attitudes were beginning to change. No longer were parks to be used only for walks and picnics in an idyllic environment, but now also for sports, and similar recreation. Following the dissolution of the Central Park Commission in 1870 and Andrew Greens departure from the project, and the death of Vaux in 1895, the maintenance effort gradually declined, and there were few, All of this changed in 1934, when Republican Fiorello La Guardia was elected mayor of New York City and unified the five park-related departments then in existence. Robert Moses was given the task of cleaning up the park. Moses, about to become one of the mightiest men in New York City, took over what was essentially a relic, a leftover from a bygone era. Despite the increasing numbers of visitors to the park, Robert Moses departure in 1960 had nevertheless marked the beginning of a twenty-year period of decline in its management. The city itself was also experiencing economic and social changes, with some residents fleeing the city and moving to the suburbs in the wake of increased crime. The Parks Department, suffering from budget cuts and a lack of skilled management that rendered its workforce virtually ineffective, responded by opening the park to any and all activities that would bring people into itââ¬âregardless of their impact and without adequate management, oversight, or maintenance follow-up. Some of these events nevertheless became milestones in the social history of the park, and in the cultural history of the city. Management of the restored landscapes by the conservancyââ¬â¢s zone gardeners proved so successful that core maintenance and operations staff were reorganized in 1996. The zone-based system of management was implemented throughout the park, which was divided into forty-nine zones. Consequently, every zone of the park has a specific individual accountable for its day-to-day maintenance. Zone gardeners supervise volunteers assigned to them, (who commit to a consistent work schedule) and are supported by specialized crews in areas of maintenance requiring specific expertise or equipment, or more effectively conducted on a park-wide basis.â⬠[3][4] Central Park which is the first park made in US, leads the American parks movement that occurred in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. It did not change a lot after it was built, but the different management could leads a very different result in this Park. A good maintenance makes it more vibrant and serves people well in the city Forest Park is a unique land asset that seems caught between the need for reform and the need for revolution. It requires reform to correct the inadequate copy of the plan for New Yorkââ¬â¢s Central Park, to redress damage from massive deforestation and earth moving for the 1904 Worldââ¬â¢s Fair, and to adjust the park to the automobile and other realities of the world of 1976. To compare those two parks we can find: The designer of the Forest Park probably was influenced by the Olmsted-Vaux plan for Central Park, Several of the features of the original design of Forest Park, the Grand Drive, the Promenade, the Sheepfold, the irregular lakes, reflect similar features in Central Park and other parks such as Prospect park in Brooklyn, which designed by Olmsted and Vaux as well. To compare the Forest Park and Central Park, we can find Olmsted and Vaux solved the problem of crossing park traffic brilliantly with four grade-separated east-west crossing and so successfully screened these from view. However the Forest Park visitors are acutely aware of the north-south commuter traffic passing their park. Kernââ¬â¢s curves and loops were designed to serve only a single system of traffic, whereas the designers of Central Park built into its infrastructure four grade-separated movement system: the transverse roads already mentioned plus pedestrian paths, bridge trails, and carriage drives. Unfortunately , lacking grade-separated transverse roads and because of the location of certain traffic-generating uses deep within the boundaries of the park, we cannot at the present time as in Central Park ban the automobile altogether on certain days and turn the entire park over to cyclists and pedestrians. Forest Park today is the result of these various plans as they were overlaid on each other over time. It is clearly apparent that the park is essentially split down the middle, with the eastern section being more reminiscent of the pre-Worlds Fair design approach and the western section reflecting the post-Worlds Fair design approaches. ââ¬Å"Prosperous cities of that period sought to display their municipal pride with civic adornment, and parks ranked high as a cultural expression of the new wealth.â⬠[2] In addition, the dynamic of intense urban growth which had been set in motion by Post-Civil War industrialization brought about a change in the contemporary attitude toward land use: the rapid obliteration of so much open space caused civic leaders to put a value on openness itself. Parks were viewed as therapeutic and often referred to as the ââ¬Å"Lungs of the city,â⬠More demonstrable perhaps than their effect on the health of the constituent populace was their effect on adjacent land values, an argument that was often candidly advanced by park proponents of the period. It was not accidental that, as in New York baronial mansions began to march up Fifth Avenue in response to the creation of Central Park, The fashionable quarter of St. Louis grew up at about the same time on the perimeter of Forest Pa rk. Nor was it accidental in either of these cities that their chief cultural resources clustered in or near their premier parks. In sum, Both Central Park and Forest Park are the treasures of their cities. For the government the park is also the very important cultural resources, and a good maintenance could makes the park more valuably. As the development of the city, the park may needs to be changed to match the peopleââ¬â¢s developing requirements , but the main idea of creating a great Park is never changed, which makes people living a better place. Bibliography Forest Park master plan: City of St. Louis. St. Louis, Mo.: Commission, 1995. Print. St. Louis Forest Park R/UDAT, Oct. 28-Nov. 1, 1976. St. Louis: St. Louis Chapter, American Institute of Architects, 1976. Print. Heckscher, Morrison H..Creating Central Park. New York, N.Y.: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008. Print. Central Park. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Mar. 2014. Web. 3 June 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Park>. Olmsted, Frederick Law, Charles E. Beveridge, and David Schuyler.Creating Central Park, 1857-1861. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1983. Print. Lehnerer, Alex.Grand urban rules. 2nd ed. Rotterdam: nai010 Publishers, 2013. Print. Martin, Richard.The New urban landscape. New York: Olympia York Companies (U.S.A.), 1990. Print. Dams, Bernd H..Central Park NYC an architectural view. by Bernd H. Dams, Andrew Zega.. New York: Rizzoli, 2013. Print. Altman, Sally J., and Richard H. Weiss.Forest Park: the jewel of St. Louis. St. Louis, Mo.: St. Louis Post-Dispatch Books, 2007. Print.
Monday, August 19, 2019
Perhaps Too Much Make Up :: Personal Narrative Writing
Perhaps Too Much Make Up The other day I went out with a couple of friends, both students and staff members of the Middlebury community, to eat dinner at the Panda House, a small Chinese restaurant in the town of Middlebury. As we were all sitting at the Chinese restaurant, waiting for the waitress to come and take our orders, we suddenly noticed that I was the only guy at the table. Lately, this has been the topic of many of my conversations. Furthermore, this has been the story of my life, for everywhere I go, every step I take, there have always been girls along the way. A couple of Pepsiââ¬â¢s later, the waitress approached us, ready to take our orders, and the seven year old sitting next to me jumped up from her seat and said to the waitress, ââ¬Å"you know, he looks like a girl, but he is a boy.â⬠At the sound of this, I must say that I grew a bit nervous since her voice carried out into the room making everyone turn towards her and turn back to their business. We simply laughed and after a fe w seconds continued ordering our food. This incident reminded me of another one where coincidentally, the same people who were at the restaurant were also present. That time, the same seven year old took one good look at me and asked, ââ¬Å"why do you look like a girl?â⬠Astounded at her question, I simply laughed and went about my business. I wish I would have had an answer for the little seven year old, who was asking questions I have never been asked before. Just recently I read an article on androgyny entitled ââ¬Å"Here be Dragons,â⬠by James Baldwin, and it helped me sort out some of my personal issues pertaining to the questions and comments that were generated by the seven year old. As a ââ¬Å"gay manâ⬠of color who ââ¬Å"embodies femininity,â⬠whatever that may be, I have been faced with questions and comments like that of the seven year old. Living in Middlebury in the state of Vermont, I have realized that embodying femininity has become the biggest issue in my life. As I walk around swinging my hips to the beat of my mp3 player, I see how different people perceive me to be. My scandalous voice and walk tantalizes the walkways on my way to class.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Graduation Speech: I Will Miss You All! :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address
It's only been two years here, and I have grown to love this school. It's funny because when my dad told me about Tates Creek High School (TC) I begged him not to make me go there. It just didn't sound interesting. I felt like I wouldn't belong and I figured that I wouldn't get along with any of the teachers, but boy was I wrong! I never thought that TC would have changed me, and get my life back on track. First of all, everyone is always complaining about the uniforms, but I love them! All I have to do is throw it on in the morning. I don't even have to make them match or anything. One day I got up a few minutes before school stared, but since I didn't have to pick out my clothes I was still on time. It's so easy, no one is judging you because they have the exact same thing on. Now, to the teachers. What could I do without them? I remember one time during the year I had some family issues. The teachers could see that in my work and in the way I was acting, something was wrong with me. So basically every teacher talked to me to see what was going on and helped me to raise my grades back up. That is why it's so great to have that one on one attention. All the teachers, also make class endurable, and entertaining. They make it more fun to learn and put it in a way that makes me want to learn. They also are always going out of their way for me. I can't think of a time I have asked a teacher to help me with something or go over something and they have said "no I'm busy or "no I can't." It's always "sure, when?" I never would have guesssed that an acronym could change me, but it has. That acronym is C.R.I.S.P. C.R.I.S.P. inspired me to be a better person. Its great having that writeen everywhere and seeing it every day. I actually try to be a citizen, and try to respect and try to show initiative, and well you guys no where I'm going with this. I am just grateful for having something that inspiring 24/7. I never thought that I would say this, but I am happy how strict the school is.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Government and Education: Partners or Competitors Essay
The United States government has been subsidizing education for decades in increasingly stronger ways. Today, government invests multi-billion dollar price tags in education on all levels. Secondary education is highly subsidized by government on a federal, state and local level. K-12 education has a hand in the subsidy game as well. There has been controversy regarding whether or not subsidizing secondary education is beneficial to the students, staff and institution. There are also those that say that government involvement with K-12 education can be more of a hindrance than effective assistance. Another hot topic regarding education subsidies is charter schools and what their impact is on public education, and whether or not the programs should be eligible for government subsidies as well. ââ¬Å"The Higher Education Act of 1965 is the basis for many of todayââ¬â¢s postsecondary education subsidies, including student loan and grant programs, college library aid, teacher training programs, and other subsidiesâ⬠¦ Federal aid for higher education soared from $10 billion in fiscal 2000 to $30 billion in fiscal 2008. (McCluskey & Edwards, 2009) Education subsidies have given students that might not otherwise have been able to afford college the opportunity to attend. Grants are funds that do not have to be repaid. Loans are funds that must be repaid, after the student stops taking classes; and have very low interest rates. ââ¬Å"The rise in student subsidies over the decades appears to have fueled inflation in education costs. Tuition and other college costs have soared as subsidies have risen. â⬠(McCluskey & Edwards, 2009) The costs of college tuition and fees has risen dramatically over the years. The steep rise in costs directly correllates with the rise in subsidy funds. ââ¬Å"Federal control over K-12 education has risen dramatically in recent decades. Congress has increased funding for the schools while imposing layers of rules and regulations on local school districts. â⬠(McCluskey, K-12 Education Subsidies, 2009) The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) states that it is, ââ¬Å"To close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice, so that no child is left behind. â⬠(Ed. ov, 2012) ââ¬Å"Members of Congress and the Department of Education readily admit that the current NCLB requirementsâ⬠¦ ask too much of students too quickly. Unfortunately, folks in Washington have neglected to make any changes and are moving forward with a flawed system that is setting up students, schools and states to fail. â⬠(Oââ¬â¢Connor, 2012) It is thought that the idea behind NCLB is a good one because it encourages schools and school districts to increase standards for education of all students. The program, however, seems to expect more of students than can be achieved in such short time frames. It is not always possible to take a failing group of students and transform them into high achievers in a one year span of time. (Oââ¬â¢Connor, 2012) An additional aspect of education includes the charter school model. Charter schools were introduced originally to give parents and students a free alternative to public education. Charter schools are freed from the traditional bureaucracy and regulations that some feel divert a schoolââ¬â¢s energy and resources toward compliance rather than excellence. Proponents of charter schools argue that instead of jumping through procedural hoops and over paperwork hurdles, educators can focus on setting and reaching high academic standards for their students. â⬠(Unknown) There are multiple sources for funding for Charter Schools according to the National Charter School Resource Center website. Not all forms of funding come from the government. There is private, foundation, state and federal funding opportunities for these charters. Most charter organizations boast high achievement of their students with staggering graduation statistics. These entities are concentrating on teaching children at their own speed and seem to be quite successful on a total scale. Overall, education subsidies are utilized for the positive assistance for students and institutions to enhance educational availability and experiences. The purpose of this government funding is to assist educational facilities with improvement and competitiveness with a global educational marketplace; as well as providing funding for students to pay tuition and fees. In elementary education, this assistance provides funding for school districts for each child in attendance. Although the details of this government funding may need some updating, the program is still quite necessary. There would be many students who could not attend school without government assistance; as well as schools that would surely close without government funding.
Creating Human Service Agencies Essay
Human Services agencies play a vital role in connecting community resources to those in need of services. Some of the agencies are more beneficial to the community than others. Some of the larger agencies that are well connected with political figures tend to receive more funding, and directly affect local policy changes. Inadequate, funding prevents most human services agencies from conducting program evaluations that could be used to help strengthen their capacity, increase funding and track success. One small organization located in Tallahassee, Florida defies those odds. The agency is located inside Bond Community Health Center the largest community health center in Tallahassee. The small agency is a pioneer of social change in the field of HIV/AIDS creating the only active Peer Navigator program. The Minority Alliance for Advocating Community Awareness and Action, Inc. (MAACAââ¬â¢s) mission statement is to empower the minority community through the linkage of services, the creation of culturally sensitive programs and through mobilization strategies. According to the history ââ¬Å"the Minority Alliance for Advocating Community Awareness and Action, Inc. MAACA), formerly known as the Minority AIDS Action Committee (MAAC) was established in October 1999, under Shisa, Inc. Shisa, applied for federal funding from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to help with the increasing number of new African American HIV infections cases in the United States. The CDC cooperative agreement capacity-building grant no. PA00003 Priority 3: Strengthening Community Capacity for HIV Prevention was awarded to Shisa, Inc. Shisaââ¬â¢s task was to build the capacity of African American communities to address the growing need for HIV prevention. States and counties covered under the cooperative agreement included Mobile, Alabama, the pan handle of Florida down to Jacksonville, Florida and then over to Thomasville, Georgia. According to the contract the boards were to provide three areas: 1) create community boards in each of the locations, 2) the board provides prevention events in the African American community especially during National HIV Observance Days and 3) the MAAC boards were to host community capacity building workshops. ââ¬Å"In the early days of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, there has been since the 1980s a ââ¬Å"profound re-medicalization of sexuality. One of the best-known works on the history of HIV is 1987ââ¬â¢s book And the Band Played On, by Randy Shilts. Shilts contends that Ronald Reaganââ¬â¢s administration dragged its feet in dealing with the crisis due to homophobia, while the gay community viewed early reports and public health measures with corresponding distrust, thus allowing the disease to spread and hundreds of thousands of people to needlessly die. This resulted in the formation of ACT-UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power by Larry Kramer,â⬠Wikipedia. According to Wolf Wolfberger, conscious rather than unconscious ideology; ââ¬Å"One thing that can be very bad about our ideologies is that more often than not, we are not aware of them. Sometimes we take them so for granted that we lose sight of their existenceâ⬠¦ At other times, we simply are not equipped intellectually to formulate our ideologies into words. At yet other times, our ideologies are so bad that we cannot consciously face up to them. â⬠ââ¬Å"For example, we all claim to believe in equality ââ¬â and then we practice gross discrimination, but deny it because we cannot admit it and therefore do not realize that we discriminate. It is with those ideologies that the stigma, fear, discrimination, homophobia, and negative perceptions about HIV/AIDS that places too many US citizens at a higher risk of infection. Many at risk for infection fear stigma more than actual infection itself especially in the African American communities. They instead choose to hide their high-risk behavior rather than get counseling and testing. The lack of awareness of oneââ¬â¢s HIV status can affect the overall HIV rates. According to CDC data, ââ¬Å"approximately 1 in 5 adults and adolescents in the U. S. living with HIV donââ¬â¢t know their HIV status. This translates to about 116,750 persons in the African-American community. â⬠Just as it was in the early years of the pandemic the African American community was not prepared for HIV prevention and did not understand capacity building. The rural south communities did not welcome HIV prevention work especially HIV prevention work in the black churches. Many of the other agencies were not willing or not culturally sensitive to the needs of the African American community. Human service organizations are archetypically ââ¬Å"institutionalized organizations. That is, their growth and survival depend less on the technical proficiency of their work and more on their conformity with dominant cultural symbols and belief systems, that is, institution rule (Meyer & Rowan, 1977) (page 14 ââ¬â 15). â⬠By 1990, those institutional rules fo r HIV prevention became more structural. Policy, laws and standard operating procedures were beginning to take form such as the US Congress enacting ââ¬Å"the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act. Ryan White is the largest federal program dedicated to providing care and treatment for people living with HIV. A key component of the public health safety net, it reaches hundreds of thousands of people every year with medical care, drugs, and support services. The CARE Act has been a huge success in reducing sickness and death from HIV disease and helping people live longer, more healthy and productive lives. â⬠Yeheskel Hasenfeld writes, ââ¬Å"recognizing that human service organizations engage in moral work impede that they must constantly seek and maintain legitimacy for what they do. They do so by making references to institutionalized moral system in their environment. That is, they adopt and uphold moral systems and cultural frames that resonate well with their significant audiences, such as legislative bodies, government bureaucracies, regulatory agencies, professional associations, other human services organizations, various civic and political associations, and clients (Scott, 2008). â⬠By 2005, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines stated that all agencies providing HIV prevention intervention programs must follow the ââ¬Å"Behavior theory Interventionsâ⬠as outlined in the CDC procedure guidance book. With this shift many of the small minority based CBO closed their doors to HIV prevention work. Of the fifteen Minority AIDS Action Committee (MAAC) boards formed during the five year of the CDC contract only the agency in Tallahassee, Florida remains. There is still a great need for the African American community to engage in HIV/AIDS prevention work. MAACA host some of the largest events in North Florida from HIV conferences to community workshops and forms. It is only when we chose to engage, constantly seek and maintain legitimacy that what we do in the field of HIV/AIDS that MAACA will continue to exist. MAACA is a champion for the people and was able to diversify funding sources while remaining true to its mission.
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