Community Profile (demography) - Brisbane City Inner Essay

Community Profile (demography) - Brisbane City Inner - Essay Example Brisbane is the busiest commercial centre of the Queensland, which not only earns significant revenue for the entire state, but also it carries the load of unemployment, educational and health requirements of Queensland. It is therefore the people from suburb regions migrate towards the capital city for business and employment purposes. The history as well as the demographic, cultural, social, economic and religious aspects of the city have been analysed under the following headings: Historical Background: The archaeologists have defined various methodologies while detecting the historical backgrounds of different regions and cities of the world. The same is the case with Brisbane city, where the archaeologists and theorists lay stress upon estimating and analysing the nature, characteristics and features of creeks, hills, meadows and ravines, situated in Brisbane, around which this splendid city has been constructed. â€Å"To discover the early history of Brisbane, one needs to look no further than the oyster shell mounds found along the canyons and ravines of its creeks. From those mounds, archaeologists have unearthed relics of the first inhabitants of the area: the Costanoan Indians.† (Retrieved from ci.brisbane.ca.us) The Costanoan Indians lived in this coastal city for decades with peace and solidarity till the European nations started arriving towards the city and taking its hold through their military might. Though the US, French and other Europea n nations set their foot in the land, it were the British forces officials who captured the control of the country and set up their political and military establishment in Australia. Sir Thomas Brisbane is regarded as the founder person of the Brisbane city in 1825, which established the city on modern lines. The city was divided into zones and councils during the second half of twentieth century, and is still in

Uniform accounting standards produce Essay Example for Free

Uniform accounting standards produce Essay In the last decade, various countries around the globe have shifted towards a uniform accounting standards or the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The main motive behind this movement is to come up with a global language for accounting which will be comparable and understandable beyond the borders of a nation. As of today about 120 countries require IFRS for domestically listed companies, although only about 90 countries have fully conformed to IFRS . While some argue that it is necessary to have a system of accounting that is clear and transparent to global investors and companies, some others are skeptic about it being efficient. Furthermore, some feel that the costs of implementing IFRS can be too high and hence uniform accounting will not be worth the cost. Hence, critically analyzing IFRS and understanding its impact on accounting principles will help us to recognize the costs and benefits of this system. One of the main objectives of IFRS is to increase the efficiency and transparency in accounting. However, the main tension in the model rests due to the non- uniform nature of firms as well as nations. For instance, countries differ on myriad ways such as capital and labor markets, nature of government, involvement of government in the company and so forth. Similarly, firms differ from each other in various ways including size, growth, types of products, geographical location and technological advancement . Therefore, coming up with a detailed accounting system or a set of principles to fit all of these can be challenging. Thus, IFRS uses a principle based system, rather than a rule based system which wi ll allow the companies to apply IFRS according to their situation and prepare their statements. However, this flexibility can itself be seen as a big down- side of this system. This will provide a way for companies to manipulate the statements which in turn can encourage fraud. Trancy Coenen comparing the fraud under the system of GAAP and IFRS says that, As IFRS is largely based on judgment in applying principles, it only stands to reason that the risk of fraud in the financial statements will increase with the change . For example, Fair Value judgment is one of the corner stones of IFRS system of accounting. However, it is unclear as to who gets to value things and how can these figures checked for reliability. Thus, IFRS, which is created to form a uniform and transparent system of accounting can itself lead to non-uniform accounting practices with very little information about who makes the judgment behind numbers presented in  the financial statements. Furthermore, another crucial concern that rises with the implementation of IFRS is the balance between the capital alloc ation benefit of a uniform accounting standard against the social cost of forcing diverse firms to adhere to the same rigid standard says Korok Ray, a professor of Economics from George Washington University . Hence, for a small company the cost of shifting from its current accounting practice to IFRS might be too high whereas for a big company it might be small. Furthermore, the time in which all the companies will have to shift from their old system to IFRS can decrease the quality of the financial statements. Lack of experience in this new system of accounting can also increase mistakes making the system less accurate . Nevertheless, it is undeniable that in an increasingly more globalized world, a cross-border accounting system will immensely benefit firms and investors. This system will lead to investment comparisons between various countries, making investors better off. In fact, Marc Fogarty, a Certified Public Accountant says that the single set of standards will cut down the costs to which foreign companies investing in the U.S. markets will have to adhere. He also believes that, the U.S. GAAP standards along with other strict accounting regulations have long been deterrent to foreign companies trying to raise money in the U.S. capital markets . Small investors will be benefited from this change, as they will have an access to more financial information which can be easily understood. In short, implementing IFRS will lead to easy to understand, clear and efficient financial data which will be made available to the general public. Just the implementation of IFRS does not mean investors are prot ected against fraud or misrepresentation of a company’s financial statement. In addition, IFRS also has numerous short term problems that can have a huge impact on its initial adaption and implementation. However, company’s and investors can protect themselves against risks by learning IFRS which will increase their understanding of the financial statement. This will not only help them to critically analyze the numbers represented on the statement but also help them to better compare and contrast one statement from the other nationally or internationally.

Essay --

1) In the distribution of microorganisms lab, the largest number of colonies came from a mouth swab giving over 300 small yellow and white, punctiform and convex colonies. Hair came in next with 99 colonies on the plate of all different colors, sizes and shapes. The culture dish that sat out in the lab air gave a total of 15 colonies of all different types. The swab of disinfected bench gave a total of 9 colonies, one of which was very large. The control that was never opened and the swab of disinfected bench ended up having no colonies grown on them. Hair and air are the most realistic contaminants since your hair is openly exposed to the lab at all times and the air comes into contact with the sample whenever the sample is opened. However, the greatest potential source of contamination shown by the number of colonies is the mouth sample (optional source). This was expected because the human mouth is known to contain many bacteria. 2) Even though the 4x level of magnification on the microscope is not used often since it is such a small magnification, it may be used to start focusing the microscope although not much will be visible. The microscope is parfocal meaning â€Å"that the optical system is coordinated so that a specimen that is in focus for one objective is in approximate focus for the other objectives† (Hayden McNeil Publishing, 2014), so once the 4x objective is focused, the other objectives should be coarsely focused. They will require some fine focus adjustment though. The 10x objective helps to increase the focus and will also make the specimen more visible and can be used to find the location of the specimen on the slide (Hayden McNeil Publishing, 2014). This objective is also known as the â€Å"low power objec... ...ed specimens (Hayden McNeil Publishing, 2014). Also, for pathogenic bacteria, once the structure is determined it can be attacked. â€Å"Gram positive bacteria are more susceptible to antibacterial agents that work by inhibiting the formation of peptidoglycan cross-links thereby weakening their cell walls† (Hayden McNeil Publishing, 2014). 4) The species tested for spore formation were Bacillus subtilis and Corynebacterium glutamicum. Bacillus subtilis actually formed spores. The endospores that developed were a stress response to being treated with the toxic dye, malachite green. The bacteria, Bacillus subtilis, will produce endospores as a form of resistance against unfavorable environmental conditions such as toxins and heat. The Corynebacterium glutamicum does not form endospores in response to extreme environmental conditions (Hayden McNeil Publishing, 2014).

My Location

My favorite location would have to be the Seawall In Sundae Okinawa, Japan. The Seawall can impact all your senses if you let it. This location impacts a few of my senses, sight, sound, and smell. It is basically a wall 2 and half miles in length, and about 7 minutes away from the base, It gets better, right there In scenic view next to the ocean. How it impacts my sight is that it's an awesome dive spot especially those who are beginners at diving.Once you suit up with the various gears for scuba diving, the wet suit, goggles, buoyancy control device, regulator, compass and alarm anus, you submerge in the blue water of the sea of the wall. Visibility under the water can get to 30 to 50 feet on a clear day and sometimes it depends on the weather and tide prior to the day you dive. I remembered my first dive as If It was yesterday; during my certification I saw the various wild life animals at 60 feet under sea water (SF).The wild life includes, bright colored coral, which was a mixtu re of mostly red, yellow, green, and pink. Sea creatures like octopus and squid that comes out only at night, you can also see crabs, tapeworms, and tropical fish. Looking at all his and feeling weightless at 60 feet under water is a very relaxing feeling one would have to experience. After a dive heading back up the steps of the Seawall your sense of smell is awaken to the delicious smell of Japanese cuisine coming from the restaurants.My stomach would immediately start to grumble, the aroma of the favorable Japanese food would distract me, and cravings would begin for tertiary foods that you wouldn't even have time to change from your wet suit. Your eyes and stomach promptly lead you to the nearest restaurants for an afternoon cuisine. Either sitting on the Seawall or sitting from one of the restaurants and enjoying the sound of the ocean, the waves crashing against the wall can be used as a good stress reliever.When I'm trying to cope with stress at the end of the day will go sit on this wall and hearing the sound of the ocean puts my mind at ease. As if I close my eyes I think I'm on vacation, I can dream, can't I? The Seawall in Sundae is a main attraction, sometimes I wish I had one of the apartments Just a stone throw away from it. The Seawall can stimulate all the senses if you let It. I see people Jog along the walls to improve themselves for a healthier lifestyle. You can see peoples holding hands at night admiring the stars, watching, and listening to the water crashing along the walls.Divers use It as one of the perfect spots for entering the water calmly and getting a closer look at the marine life. For me it stimulates my senses as well as many people on the island of Okinawa. My Location By unmanning My favorite location would have to be the Seawall in Sundae Okinawa, Japan. The about 7 minutes away from the base, it gets better, right there in scenic view next to diving, the wet suit, goggles, buoyancy control device, regulator, compass and air theater and tide prior to the day you dive.I remembered my first dive as if it was mostly red, yellow, green, and pink. Sea creatures like octopus and squid that comes foods that you wouldn't even have time to change from your wet suit. Your eyes and a good stress reliever. When I'm trying to cope with stress at the end of the day I will close my eyes I think I'm on vacation, I can dream, can't l? Stone throw away from it. The Seawall can stimulate all the senses if you let it. I see water crashing along the walls. Divers use it as one of the perfect spots for entering

Benefiting Students Through A Brain-Based Learning Environment Essay

The question of nature versus nurture as it pertains to human development has been a debate among psychologists for years. And after decades of research, there is still no definitive answer as to whether nature (genes) or nurture (environment and upbringing) are responsible for certain characteristics of an individual. However, many researchers now believe that environmental factors play a more significant role than genetic factors. The acceptance of this belief has many implications for teachers, because it directly affects the teaching strategies they will use in the classroom. In addition, recent findings in brain-based research are providing educators with an understanding of how the brain learns, and how it learns best. As a result, in order to optimize student motivation, involvement, and retention, teachers can no longer ignore the importance of brain-based learning in the educational environment (Wilmes, Harrington, Kohler-Evans, Sumpter, 2008). In the text, Brain-Based Learning The New Paradigm of Teaching, Eric Jensen emphasizes the correlation between students’ emotional states and their learning potential. Adjacently, of the various emotional states a student experiences at any given time, distressed is the most detrimental. A brain in distress results in a long list of negative impacts on learning, including the loss of the ability to correctly interpret subtle clues from the environment, the loss of the ability to index and access information, diminished long-term memory, loss of the ability to perceived relationships, and a lessened capacity for high-order thinking (Jensen, 44). Therefore, managing classroom stress through brain-based strategies is an enormous advantage for students. Childhood stress can be caused by any situation that requires a person to adapt or change (Larzelere, 2010). These changes can be positive such as a new sibling or a new pet, or negative such as poverty, abuse, and separation. It is understandable that the negative stressors are the most harmful to a child’s development. One of the greatest challenges for teachers that aim to alleviate students’ stress is that not all stress-related symptoms are directly measurable or obvious to others (e.g., worry, headache ), thus unrecognized symptoms are likely to go untreated (Shah, 2011). Still, there are many brain-based strategies that teachers can incorporate to help reduce the amount of stress a student experiences in the classroom. First of all, educators can increase a students’ sense of security at school by opening a dialogue with them about their fears. In fact, sometimes just the opportunity to talk about these issues helps reduce the burden (Jensen, 49). In addition, by incorporating small group activities and the use of teamwork among students, a teacher can strengthen a student’s ability to communicate and problem solve. Another example of how a teacher can encourage positive relationships among their students is to offer as much choice and autonomy as possible. Research has shown that creating a classroom environment where student expression and choice are solicited provides a welcoming atmosphere for children to grow at independent rates (Rushton, 2008). There are many ways in which a teacher can afford their students the opportunity to express themselves. Incorporating art, dance, poetry, singing, journal reflection, sports, and debate into a student’s classroom experience are al l productive ways of giving students choice. They are also great ways to introduce rituals of positive affirmation. For example, by creating traditions of applause and team cheers, teachers can help bolster a students’ confidence and improve their self-esteem. Another type of negative stress that some students feel is performance anxiety. Performance anxiety is a fear of not being able to complete a task to the best of one’s ability. As a result, students often experience a â€Å"mental block†, or an inability to retrieve stored information or think creatively. It is very common for students to have performance anxiety before test taking, often times negatively affecting their test scores. Studies show that emotional self-efficacy appears useful in managing negative effects of anxiety (Galla, Wood, 2012). Teachers can help to lessen the occurrence of performance anxiety in their students by regularly activating prior learning. For instance, reviewing previous lessons, offering generous feedback, and establishing mechanisms for self-evaluation and peer review, are all strategie s a teacher can use to reduce learner stress and increase confidence immediately (Jensen, 50). While stress management is an important aspect of supporting a brain-compatible learning environment, stress is not the only emotional state that students cope with. There is a myriad of emotions that a student can feel from one time to another, and a myriad of external stimuli that can trigger those emotions as well. The child’s brain receives stimuli from the learning environment via each of their senses as the stimuli are transformed into a chemical electrical reaction that is the beginning of all learning (Rushton, 2008). One example of such stimuli is classroom acoustics. Poorly designed classrooms that fail to address and reduce ambient noise, echo effect, reverberation, and other acoustical problems cause a decrease in student attention and an increase in off-task behaviors (Jensen, 73). Students whose learning style is predominantly auditory are at the biggest disadvantage. As a result, discipline problems increase and student learning is negatively affected. Such problems are an enormous issue for schools today.For example, many schools across the country have classrooms that exceed the maximum background noise level of 30 to 35 d ecibels recommended by the Acoustical Society of America (Harris, Lambert, 2011). Therefore it is important for teachers to implement brain-based strategies to counter-act the negative effect of a poor acoustical learning environment. This can be done simply by moving around the classroom while speaking. Also, changing the location of students around the classroom can help those at a disadvantage. Using music appropriately in the classroom is another brain-compatible way to positively affect students’ emotional state throughout the learning process. In fact, recent research suggests that music may be a powerful tool in building reasoning power, memory, and intelligence (Jensen, 76). A teacher can change a negative emotional state simply by playing upbeat music in the background periodically throughout the day. Lesson plans can also be enriched through the use of music to elicit certain emotions relevant to the subject matter. Such emotional involvement greatly helps the student comprehend and retain the lesson. Music not only affects students emotionally, but physiologically as well. Music’s potential effects on the body include, increase muscular energy, increased heartrate, reduction of pain and stress, relief of fatigue, and stimulation of creativity, sensitivity, and thinking (Jensen, 75). Another example of external stimuli that can affect learning is classroom aroma. Aromas are especially important because they take one of the most direct pathways to the brain (Jensen, 72). The sense of smell affects brain chemistry and has the ability to change moods in powerful ways. Certain types of scent stimulation like food can disrupt the accelerated learning functions of our brain, and chemical smells from air fresheners, perfume, and even some essential oils can be distracting and block learning (Rogers, 2010). However, certain aromas, such as peppermint, basil, and lemon, enhance motivation, attention, and creativity. And aromas such as chamomile, lavender, orange, and rose calm nerve s and encourage relaxation (Jensen, 72). By using aromas appropriately in the classroom, and keeping aware of aromas that are disruptive or distracting, a teacher can optimize their students’ learning environment. Light in the environment is an additional example of external stimuli that can hinder a students’ learning potential. Lighting strongly influences vision, which strongly influences learning, thus anything we can do to make our eyes more comfortable in the classroom contributes to optimal learning (Jensen, 57). Classrooms that receive a lot of natural sunlight are the most advantageous for students. Natural sunlight helps students’ mood and motivation by delivering vitamin D through uptake by the skin, and in turn raising mood-elevating serotonin. In fact, studies have shown that students with the most sunlight in their classrooms progressed 20 percent faster on math tests and 26 percent faster on reading tests compared to students with the least lighting (Jensen, 58). However, on the other side of the coin, too much morning sunlight can have an adverse effect. Thus, it is important for educators to have an awareness of the effect classroom lighting has on their students learning and strategize accordingly. By providing a variety of lighting types in the classroom and giving learners a choice in determining where they sit can help with student comfort in the classroom (Jensen, 58). Color also plays an enormous role in creating a productive and secure learning environment. Color is an important factor in the physical learning environment and is a major element in interior design that impacts student achievement, as well as teacher effectiveness and staff efficiency. Research has demonstrated that specific colors and patterns directly influence the health, morale, emotions, behavior, and performance of learners, depending on the individual’s culture, age, gender, and developmental level, the subject being studied, and the activity being conducted (Harrington, Kohler-Evans, Sumpter, 2008). Therefore, educators wanting to take advantage of the benefit of brain-based environment can implement classroom color schemes that maximize student involvement. For instance, like aromas, some colors elicit feelings of alertness and inspiration, while others elicit feelings of relaxation. Teacher can enhance student participation and motivation by use of color in hand-ou ts and power point presentation. In addition, teachers can use colors to elicit appropriate emotion in regard to subject matter in lessons. Such as sullen blues or vibrant reds, depending on the subject matter. Again, this greatly helps to emotionally bond the student to the lesson.Another external stimulus that greatly affects a student’s classroom environment is room temperature. Take for example, a student coming back to a warm classroom after eating a good lunch. A classroom environment that is too warm can makes students feel lethargic and unmotivated. Classrooms that are too warm are often the culprit for students falling asleep in class. On the other hand, a classroom that is too cold can make students feel distracted due to feeling uncomfortable. Based on a survey given to teachers, it was concluded that classroom conditions improved by air conditioning included reduced annoyances, improved visual display and flexibility, and comfortable conditions (Gallo, Wood, 2012). In final, teachers who understand the affect of stress and external stimuli in the learning environment and the advantages of brain-compatible learning strategies, visualize a developmentally appropriate brain- researched learning environment which allows an educational focus to preside while student autonomy prevails. Effective teachers support brain development by encouraging children to make discoveries in well-planned environments that support student autonomy (Rushton, 2008). With the benefits well outweighing the required teacher effortt and iniitiative, brain-compatible learning strategies offer far more advantages than hindrances. Students can only win in the long run when teachers utilize these strategies. References Galla, B. M., & Wood, J. J. (2012). Emotional self-efficacy moderates anxiety-related impairments in math performance in elementary school-age youth. Personality & Individual Differences, 52(2), 118-122. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2011.09.012 Harris, B., & Lambert, C.. (2011, May). Impacting Learning. School Planning & Management, 50(5), 44. Retrieved December 19, 2011, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2382182351). Jensen, E. (2008). Brain-Based Learning The New Paradigm of Teaching. (2 ed.). Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press. Larzelere MM, Jones GN. Stress and Health. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice. December 2008;35(4). Rogers, D. (2010). Mmmmmm . . . Peppermint and rustling leaves. Times Educational Supplement, (4887), 3. Rushton, S., & Juola-Rushton, A. (2008). Classroom Learning Environment, Brain Research and The No Child Left Behind Initiative: 6 years Later. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(1), 87-92. doi:10.1007/s10643-008-0244-5 SHAH, N. (2011). Students†™ Stress Linked To Class Environments. Education Week, 30(24), 5. Wilmes, B., Harrington, L., Kohler-Evans, P., & Sumpter, D. (2008). COMING TO OUR SENSES: INCORPORATING BRAIN RESEARCH FINDINGS INTO CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION. Education, 128(4), 659-666.

Free Essays on Myths, Legends, and Other Amazing Adventures

we use, that we think in a scientific way.†(H. W. Fowler 1858-1933) If we think in a scientifically appropriate way, we know that urban myths should have no relevance. The reasons why people think these ideas are appropriate are mind boggling. Superstition’s are one thing because they are not conclusive in being correct or incorrect. Being superstitious is so common, it is considered normal to have those beliefs. Unlike superstitions, urban myths can be sound in their validity. Often they are invalid, but at least they can be tested. Maybe superstitions are for the best. They give us constant hope and can lighten our spirits if our superstitious wishes come true. The common urban myth that almost everyone knows about is the pop-rock and soda myth. The myth is that if you eat pop-rocks and drink soda, your stomach will explode. People have tried, and that idea is now considered ludicrous. Thinking that two FDA approved food items together will cause you to explode is idiotic. Non-food items that make you explode are another story. Eating fire while drinking gasoline, probably not a good idea. Wanat 2 Speaking of fire, spontaneous human combustion. What’s the deal with that? Some say that it is possible to just burst into flames out of nowhere and burn to ashes. Scientists say, if you actually catch on fire your clothes will act like a candle wick and the fat in your body like the wax from that candle. You can actually burn down to ash. Southampton University professor Dr. Mike Green calls this the â€Å"wick effect.† The spontaneous part is the fallible aspect. Every known case where spontaneous human combustion was thought to play a role has been thrown out due to the fact that there was either a carelessly placed candle, match, or cigarette that was the original ignition of the fire.(Milton) Want another fire myth? Well, you’re ... Free Essays on Myths, Legends, and Other Amazing Adventures Free Essays on Myths, Legends, and Other Amazing Adventures â€Å".† â€Å"We live in a scientific age, and like to show, by the words we use, that we think in a scientific way.†(H. W. Fowler 1858-1933) If we think in a scientifically appropriate way, we know that urban myths should have no relevance. The reasons why people think these ideas are appropriate are mind boggling. Superstition’s are one thing because they are not conclusive in being correct or incorrect. Being superstitious is so common, it is considered normal to have those beliefs. Unlike superstitions, urban myths can be sound in their validity. Often they are invalid, but at least they can be tested. Maybe superstitions are for the best. They give us constant hope and can lighten our spirits if our superstitious wishes come true. The common urban myth that almost everyone knows about is the pop-rock and soda myth. The myth is that if you eat pop-rocks and drink soda, your stomach will explode. People have tried, and that idea is now considered ludicrous. Thinking that two FDA approved food items together will cause you to explode is idiotic. Non-food items that make you explode are another story. Eating fire while drinking gasoline, probably not a good idea. Wanat 2 Speaking of fire, spontaneous human combustion. What’s the deal with that? Some say that it is possible to just burst into flames out of nowhere and burn to ashes. Scientists say, if you actually catch on fire your clothes will act like a candle wick and the fat in your body like the wax from that candle. You can actually burn down to ash. Southampton University professor Dr. Mike Green calls this the â€Å"wick effect.† The spontaneous part is the fallible aspect. Every known case where spontaneous human combustion was thought to play a role has been thrown out due to the fact that there was either a carelessly placed candle, match, or cigarette that was the original ignition of the fire.(Milton) Want another fire myth? Well, you’re ...

The Sociological Criticism of The Masque of the Red Death

The Sociological Criticism of The Masque of the Red Death Free Online Research Papers From inside the abbey’s sturdy walls and its maze-like suite of seven rooms specially decorated according to a theme color, come the sounds of laugher and enjoyment. Its iron gate is welded shut, making it impossible for anyone to enter or leave. Clowns, musicians, and dancers amuse the prince and his guests of a thousand knights and ladies selected from his court for six heavy months. But there is one guest not invited. This masquerader, tall and thin, is outfitted as a corpse in a grave. His mask is as stiff and fearsome as a dead man’s face. Deep, red smears on his costume make it clear that he has come in the disguise of the Red Death. Prospero orders the unmasking of the intruder and declares that he will be hanged in the morning from the fortress’s battlements. But no one undertakes the task. The intruder then moves from room to room. Prospero withdraws a dagger and chases him. In the black, final room, the intruder turns and faces Prospero. There is a cr y. The dagger falls to the floor. Then Prospero collapses. Finding courage, Prospero’s friends rush to attack the intruder. To their horror, they discover that there is nothing inside the costume or behind the mask. Edgar Allan Poe ends the story by revealing the identity of the intruder: â€Å"And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all† (47). Edgar Allan Poe, master of horror, writes a chilling tale that can be interpreted using Sociological Criticism. By examining its history and behavior, one can understand society at that time; one can see how society felt and what tragic experiences can do to the people’s views on subjects ranging from decease and disease to its emphasis on the journey of life to death. John Dewey once wrote that society exists in and through communication. What a group of people share that distinguishes them from others is often labeled their â€Å"culture.† A distinctive framework of language and religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, and patriotic categories makes common experiences possible and shareable. Sociological Criticism is criticism directed to understanding or placing literature in its larger social context; it analyzes both how the social functions in literature and how literature works in society. It’s influenced by New Criticism; however, it adds a sociological element and considers literature as an expression of society, one that contains metaphors and references directly applicable to the existing society at that time. Sociological Criticism was introduced by Kenneth Burke, a 20th century literary and critical theorist, whose article Literature as Equipment for Living outlines the details and significance of such a critique. According to Burke, works of art, including literature, are strategic namings of situations that allow the reader to better understand, and gain a sort of control over shared happenings through the work of art (Adams 942). This completely complicates the basic trend of New Criticism, which simply calls for a close textual reading without considering emotional response or the authors intentions. It also rejects historical and biographical study as irrelevant to an understanding of the work in its entirety. While Burke also avoids emotional response and the overall intention of the author, he specifically considers literature as logical reflections of society and its behavior (Adams 957). Austin Harrington outlines in his book, Art and Social Theory, six ways in which art can be approached from a sociological standpoint: 1) humanistic historic approach, 2) Marxist social theory, 3) cultural studies, 4) theory of art in analytical philosophy, 5) anthropological studies of art, and 6) empirical studies of contemporary art institutions (15). The variety of sociological approaches introduced by Harrington confronts traditional approaches to literature. According to Harrington, sociological approaches generally possess a stronger sense of the material preconditions, historical flux and cultural diversity of discourse, practices and institutions of art, (31). Harrington argues that literature art can serve as normative sources of social understanding in their own right, (207); the ways in which these sources make apparent this social understanding is exactly what is of interest to Kenneth Burke. As Harrington observes, there are several methods of regarding literature from a sociological perspective, and considering the sociological element is essential because literature is inevitably full of references and commentaries on the society. Sociological critics are then to look at exactly how such references and commentaries function within the work of literature. In Franco Morettis article, The Dialectic of Fear, he addresses the methods by which Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker highlight the problems and inconsistencies within their societies through their novels, Frankenstein and Dracula. Moretti notes that the fear in Frankenstein lies in the protagonist and not the reader, so as to encourage the reader to reflect on a number of important problems (the development of science, the ethic of family, respect for tradition) and agree rationally that these are threatened by powerful and hidden forces (12). Shelley does this, notes Moretti, by keeping the novel in the past tense, and not hiding any of the monsters qualities, but rather informing the readers totally (12). Stoker, by contrast, wants to scare his readers, and so Moretti recognizes the way in which this is done: the narrative time is always in the present, and the narrative order always paratactic never establishes causal connections the reader has only clues (12). Kenneth Burke wou ld approach these pieces of literature through their statements on society, and push for sociological critics to use methods, like the ones used by Shelley and Stoker, as a way of regarding literature as a function of, and functioning in, society a criticism technique that cut[s] across previously established disciplines (Adams 952). The Red Death had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous.There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the faceshut out [its victim] from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow men. [T]he whole seizure, progress, and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour (Poe 41). In writing a story of this nature, Poe would have considered such historical examples in society as the Black Death or the bubonic plague of the Middle Ages, as well as the cholera epidemics that ravaged Philadelphia in the 1790s and Baltimore in his own lifetime. In this story, the plague takes the unusual form of a red death rather than a black one so that blood, the very substance of life, now becomes the mark of death. Poe’s fictional Red Death resembles a real disease that occurred in Medieval and Renaissance Europe– septicaemic plague. A victim of septicaemic plague sometimes got up in the morning strong and healthy, without an ache or a pain, and went to bed in a grave. The disease manifested itself in three forms: bubonic plague, which caused painful swellings (buboes) in the lymph nodes of the armpits and groin; pneumonic plague, which filled the lungs with fluid; and septicaemic plague, which poisoned the bloodstream (Bubonic Plague and Cholera 230). Septicaem ic plague was far less common than the other two forms of the disease. Sometimes one form of the disease killed by itself; at other times, it progressed into another form before claiming a victim. Together, these three manifestations of plague were known as the Black Death because of the purple hue of corpses caused by hemorrhaging underneath the skin (Bubonic Plague and Cholera 234). Cholera’s physical symptoms closely relate to the description of the Red Death’s. The diarrhea associated with cholera is acute and so severe that it could result in severe dehydration, or even death. Writer Susan Sontag wrote that cholera was more feared than some other deadly diseases because it dehumanized the victim. Diarrhea and dehydration were so severe that the victim could literally shrink into a shriveled distortion of his or her former self before death (Briggs and Mantini-Briggs 114-119). Other symptoms include nosebleed, rapid pulse, dry skin, tiredness, abdominal cramps, nausea, leg cramps, and vomiting (Bubonic Plague and Cholera 299). Examining the first paragraph in the story, the reader can see the close resemblance between the Red Death and the real septicaemic plague, or Black Death, and Cholera disease. This demonstrates that society not only feared the plagues that were killing thousands of people, but were terrified of it. It haunted and clouded t he dreams of the people at night, cursing them to fear death and mortality, wondering if the next day will be their last. Society’s emphasis on the journey of life to death is reflected in Poes story, which takes place in seven connected but carefully separated rooms. This reminds the reader of the past significance of the number seven. For example, the history of the world was thought to consist of seven ages, just as an individuals life had seven stages. The ancient world had seven wonders; universities divided learning into seven subjects; there were seven deadly sins with seven corresponding cardinal virtues. Therefore, a reading of this story suggests that the seven rooms reflects the seven stages of ones life, from birth to death, through which the prince pursues a figure masked as a victim of the Red Death, only to die himself in the final chamber of eternal night. The seven rooms are laid out from east to west, reminding the reader of the course of the sun which measures our earthly time. This progression is symbolically significant because it represents the life cycle of a day: the sun r ises in the east and sets in the west, with night symbolizing death. What transforms this set of symbols into an allegory, however, is the further symbolic treatment of the twenty-four hour life cycle: it translates to the realm of human beings. This progression from east to west, performed by both Prospero and the mysterious guest, symbolizes the human journey from birth to death. Poe crafts the last, black room as the menacing endpoint, the room the guests fear just as they fear death. In creating this room, this is how Poe links the color black with death. The significance of time of life to death in this story is seen in the symbol of the gigantic clock of ebony, which is draped in black velvet and located in the final room. It adds to the threatening atmosphere as it tolls the hour with a deep chime that echoes through the winding hallways and unnerves all the guests. The masqueraders are reluctant to enter. Instead, everyone congregates in the other rooms. The overwhelming dar kness of the seventh room, the importance of time, with the clock and the layout of the rooms from east to west, and the masquerader’s attitude towards the final room describes to the reader how society felt about the journey to death; it’s not celebrated like in other populations, but feared with anxiety and apprehension. Using history and the behavior of society at that period in time, Sociological Criticism can interpret the short story â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death,† by Edgar Allan Poe. The commoner’s fear of death and mortality is seen by the ultimate resemblance of the plague that killed every person in Prince Prospero’s abbey and the plagues and diseases that afflicted society in the past and at the time of Poe’s life. However, the story also indicates that not only can the Red Death kill those of common status, but also those wealthy or noble enough to be in the Prince’s presence for six months. This shows how society felt; that no one is safe from disease or death. Society’s emphasis on the journey of life to death can be grasped through the seven rooms, which reflect the seven stages of life; each one located east to west to signify the sun’s movements and count of our earthly time. Although Sociological Criticism examines how literature re flects society, it has limitations that might not represent the story as a whole. For example, a main part of Sociological Criticism is to not examine the author’s background, the author’s intent, or any emotional response; any of which could alter the views reflected upon by the reader. [S]carlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim indicate the presence of the Red Death (Poe 41). Blood, the very substance of life, becomes the mark of death as it bursts through the pores. Death, then, is not an outside antagonist, to be feared and walled out as Prince Prospero attempts to do; but instead it is a part of each of us and consequently, society as a whole. Its presence is felt in our imaginations as we become aware of the control that time has over our lives. We hear the echoes of the ebony clocks that we carry within. Prince Prospero tries to escape death by walling it out, and by so doing, creates a prison out of his sanctuary. However, the Prince learns that no one can escape death. Death holds illimitable dominion over all. Research Papers on The Sociological Criticism of â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death†The Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsMind TravelCapital PunishmentAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayEffects of Television Violence on Children19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionQuebec and Canada The Sociological Criticism of The Masque of the Red Death Free Online Research Papers From inside the abbey’s sturdy walls and its maze-like suite of seven rooms specially decorated according to a theme color, come the sounds of laugher and enjoyment. Its iron gate is welded shut, making it impossible for anyone to enter or leave. Clowns, musicians, and dancers amuse the prince and his guests of a thousand knights and ladies selected from his court for six heavy months. But there is one guest not invited. This masquerader, tall and thin, is outfitted as a corpse in a grave. His mask is as stiff and fearsome as a dead man’s face. Deep, red smears on his costume make it clear that he has come in the disguise of the Red Death. Prospero orders the unmasking of the intruder and declares that he will be hanged in the morning from the fortress’s battlements. But no one undertakes the task. The intruder then moves from room to room. Prospero withdraws a dagger and chases him. In the black, final room, the intruder turns and faces Prospero. There is a cr y. The dagger falls to the floor. Then Prospero collapses. Finding courage, Prospero’s friends rush to attack the intruder. To their horror, they discover that there is nothing inside the costume or behind the mask. Edgar Allan Poe ends the story by revealing the identity of the intruder: â€Å"And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all† (47). Edgar Allan Poe, master of horror, writes a chilling tale that can be interpreted using Sociological Criticism. By examining its history and behavior, one can understand society at that time; one can see how society felt and what tragic experiences can do to the people’s views on subjects ranging from decease and disease to its emphasis on the journey of life to death. John Dewey once wrote that society exists in and through communication. What a group of people share that distinguishes them from others is often labeled their â€Å"culture.† A distinctive framework of language and religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, and patriotic categories makes common experiences possible and shareable. Sociological Criticism is criticism directed to understanding or placing literature in its larger social context; it analyzes both how the social functions in literature and how literature works in society. It’s influenced by New Criticism; however, it adds a sociological element and considers literature as an expression of society, one that contains metaphors and references directly applicable to the existing society at that time. Sociological Criticism was introduced by Kenneth Burke, a 20th century literary and critical theorist, whose article Literature as Equipment for Living outlines the details and significance of such a cr itique. According to Burke, works of art, including literature, are strategic namings of situations that allow the reader to better understand, and gain a sort of control over shared happenings through the work of art (Adams 942). This completely complicates the basic trend of New Criticism, which simply calls for a close textual reading without considering emotional response or the authors intentions. It also rejects historical and biographical study as irrelevant to an understanding of the work in its entirety. While Burke also avoids emotional response and the overall intention of the author, he specifically considers literature as logical reflections of society and its behavior (Adams 957). Austin Harrington outlines in his book, Art and Social Theory, six ways in which art can be approached from a sociological standpoint: 1) humanistic historic approach, 2) Marxist social theory, 3) cultural studies, 4) theory of art in analytical philosophy, 5) anthropological studies of art, and 6) empirical studies of contemporary art institutions (15). The variety of sociological approaches introduced by Harrington confronts traditional approaches to literature. According to Harrington, sociological approaches generally possess a stronger sense of the material preconditions, historical flux and cultural diversity of discourse, practices and institutions of art, (31). Harrington argues that literature art can serve as normative sources of social understanding in their own right, (207); the ways in which these sources make apparent this social understanding is exactly what is of interest to Kenneth Burke. As Harrington observes, there are several methods of regarding literature from a sociological perspective, and considering the sociological element is essential because literature is inevitably full of references and commentaries on the society. Sociological critics are then to look at exactly how such references and commentaries function within the work of literature. In Franco Morettis article, The Dialectic of Fear, he addresses the methods by which Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker highlight the problems and inconsistencies within their societies through their novels, Frankenstein and Dracula. Moretti notes that the fear in Frankenstein lies in the protagonist and not the reader, so as to encourage the reader to reflect on a number of important problems (the development of science, the ethic of family, respect for tradition) and agree rationally that these are threatened by powerful and hidden forces (12). Shelley does this, notes Moretti, by keeping the novel in the past tense, and not hiding any of the monsters qualities, but rather informing the readers totally (12). Stoker, by contrast, wants to scare his readers, and so Moretti recognizes the way in which this is done: the narrative time is always in the present, and the narrative order always paratactic never establishes causal connections the reader has only clues (12). Kenneth Burke wou ld approach these pieces of literature through their statements on society, and push for sociological critics to use methods, like the ones used by Shelley and Stoker, as a way of regarding literature as a function of, and functioning in, society a criticism technique that cut[s] across previously established disciplines (Adams 952). The Red Death had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous.There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the faceshut out [its victim] from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow men. [T]he whole seizure, progress, and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour (Poe 41). In writing a story of this nature, Poe would have considered such historical examples in society as the Black Death or the bubonic plague of the Middle Ages, as well as the cholera epidemics that ravaged Philadelphia in the 1790s and Baltimore in his own lifetime. In this story, the plague takes the unusual form of a red death rather than a black one so that blood, the very substance of life, now becomes the mark of death. Poe’s fictional Red Death resembles a real disease that occurred in Medieval and Renaissance Europe– septicaemic plague. A victim of septicaemic plague sometimes got up in the morning strong and healthy, without an ache or a pain, and went to bed in a grave. The disease manifested itself in three forms: bubonic plague, which caused painful swellings (buboes) in the lymph nodes of the armpits and groin; pneumonic plague, which filled the lungs with fluid; and septicaemic plague, which poisoned the bloodstream (Bubonic Plague and Cholera 230). Septicaem ic plague was far less common than the other two forms of the disease. Sometimes one form of the disease killed by itself; at other times, it progressed into another form before claiming a victim. Together, these three manifestations of plague were known as the Black Death because of the purple hue of corpses caused by hemorrhaging underneath the skin (Bubonic Plague and Cholera 234). Cholera’s physical symptoms closely relate to the description of the Red Death’s. The diarrhea associated with cholera is acute and so severe that it could result in severe dehydration, or even death. Writer Susan Sontag wrote that cholera was more feared than some other deadly diseases because it dehumanized the victim. Diarrhea and dehydration were so severe that the victim could literally shrink into a shriveled distortion of his or her former self before death (Briggs and Mantini-Briggs 114-119). Other symptoms include nosebleed, rapid pulse, dry skin, tiredness, abdominal cramps, nausea, leg cramps, and vomiting (Bubonic Plague and Cholera 299). Examining the first paragraph in the story, the reader can see the close resemblance between the Red Death and the real septicaemic plague, or Black Death, and Cholera disease. This demonstrates that society not only feared the plagues that were killing thousands of people, but were terrified of it. It haunted and clouded t he dreams of the people at night, cursing them to fear death and mortality, wondering if the next day will be their last. Society’s emphasis on the journey of life to death is reflected in Poes story, which takes place in seven connected but carefully separated rooms. This reminds the reader of the past significance of the number seven. For example, the history of the world was thought to consist of seven ages, just as an individuals life had seven stages. The ancient world had seven wonders; universities divided learning into seven subjects; there were seven deadly sins with seven corresponding cardinal virtues. Therefore, a reading of this story suggests that the seven rooms reflects the seven stages of ones life, from birth to death, through which the prince pursues a figure masked as a victim of the Red Death, only to die himself in the final chamber of eternal night. The seven rooms are laid out from east to west, reminding the reader of the course of the sun which measures our earthly time. This progression is symbolically significant because it represents the life cycle of a day: the sun r ises in the east and sets in the west, with night symbolizing death. What transforms this set of symbols into an allegory, however, is the further symbolic treatment of the twenty-four hour life cycle: it translates to the realm of human beings. This progression from east to west, performed by both Prospero and the mysterious guest, symbolizes the human journey from birth to death. Poe crafts the last, black room as the menacing endpoint, the room the guests fear just as they fear death. In creating this room, this is how Poe links the color black with death. The significance of time of life to death in this story is seen in the symbol of the gigantic clock of ebony, which is draped in black velvet and located in the final room. It adds to the threatening atmosphere as it tolls the hour with a deep chime that echoes through the winding hallways and unnerves all the guests. The masqueraders are reluctant to enter. Instead, everyone congregates in the other rooms. The overwhelming dar kness of the seventh room, the importance of time, with the clock and the layout of the rooms from east to west, and the masquerader’s attitude towards the final room describes to the reader how society felt about the journey to death; it’s not celebrated like in other populations, but feared with anxiety and apprehension. Using history and the behavior of society at that period in time, Sociological Criticism can interpret the short story â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death,† by Edgar Allan Poe. The commoner’s fear of death and mortality is seen by the ultimate resemblance of the plague that killed every person in Prince Prospero’s abbey and the plagues and diseases that afflicted society in the past and at the time of Poe’s life. However, the story also indicates that not only can the Red Death kill those of common status, but also those wealthy or noble enough to be in the Prince’s presence for six months. This shows how society felt; that no one is safe from disease or death. Society’s emphasis on the journey of life to death can be grasped through the seven rooms, which reflect the seven stages of life; each one located east to west to signify the sun’s movements and count of our earthly time. Although Sociological Criticism examines how literature re flects society, it has limitations that might not represent the story as a whole. For example, a main part of Sociological Criticism is to not examine the author’s background, the author’s intent, or any emotional response; any of which could alter the views reflected upon by the reader. [S]carlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim indicate the presence of the Red Death (Poe 41). Blood, the very substance of life, becomes the mark of death as it bursts through the pores. Death, then, is not an outside antagonist, to be feared and walled out as Prince Prospero attempts to do; but instead it is a part of each of us and consequently, society as a whole. Its presence is felt in our imaginations as we become aware of the control that time has over our lives. We hear the echoes of the ebony clocks that we carry within. Prince Prospero tries to escape death by walling it out, and by so doing, creates a prison out of his sanctuary. However, the Prince learns that no one can escape death. Death holds illimitable dominion over all. Research Papers on The Sociological Criticism of â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death†The Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsMind TravelTrailblazing by Eric AndersonCapital PunishmentAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayEffects of Television Violence on Children19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite Religion

Pronunciation Practice for Stress and Intonation

Pronunciation Practice for Stress and Intonation The first step in learning correct English pronunciation is to focus on individual sounds. These sounds are named phonemes. Every word is made up of a number of phonemes or sounds. A good way to isolate these individual sounds is to use minimal pair exercises. To take your pronunciation to the next level, focus on stress on intonation. The following resources will help you improve your pronunciation by learning the music of English. Practice with Pronunciation Using English is a stress-timed language and, as such, good pronunciation depends a lot on the ability to accent the correct words and successfully use intonation to make sure you are understood. Simply put, spoken English stress the principal elements in a sentence - content words - and quickly glides over the less important words - function words. Nouns, principal verbs, adjectives and adverbs are all content words. Pronouns, articles, auxiliary verbs, prepositions, conjunctions are function words and are pronounced quickly moving towards the more important words. This quality of quickly gliding over less important words is also known as connected speech. For more information on the basics of the stress-timed nature of English, please refer to: Intonation and Stress: Key to UnderstandingThis feature takes a look at how intonation and stress influence the way English is spoken. How to Improve Your PronunciationThis how to focuses on improving your pronunciation through the recognition of the time-stressed character of English. I am continually surprised to see how much my students pronunciation improves when they focus reading sentences focusing on only pronouncing the stressed words well! This feature includes practical exercises to improve your pronunciation skills by improving the stress-timed character of your pronunciation when speaking in full sentences. Take a look at the following sentences and then click on the audio symbol to listen to the examples showing the difference between the sentences spoken: In a plain manner, focusing on the correct pronunciation of each word - much as some students do when trying to pronounce well. In the natural, manner with content words being stressed and function words receiving little stress. Example Sentences Alice was writing a letter when her friend came through the door and told her she was going to leave on holiday. I had studying for about an hour when the telephone rang. Fast automobiles make dangerous friends. If you can wait for a moment, the doctor will be with you shortly. Id like a steak, please. Pronunciation Exercises 1 Pronunciation Exercises 2 For Teachers Lesson Plans based on these Pronunciation Exercises for Teachers English: Stress - Timed Language IPre-intermediate to upper intermediate level lesson focusing on improving pronunciation by awareness raising and practice of stress-timing in spoken English. English: Stress - Timed Language IIAwareness raising followed by practical application exercises including: function or content word recognition exercise, sentence stress analysis for spoken practice. Comparison of unnaturally and naturally spoken English by looking at the tendency of some students to pronounce every word correctly. Listening and Oral repetition exercise developing student ears sensitivity to the rhythmic quality of English.

Religion in Africa- Explore how the Lemba cult of the Congo conforms Essay

Religion in Africa- Explore how the Lemba cult of the Congo conforms to the understanding of an ngoma-type cult of affliction - Essay Example Westwards, the rapids on the Zaire River required the trade to the coast to follow the routes on the land. For three centuries, all trade used the same inland routes. The Lemba controlled the trade on the north bank (Janzen, 1982). They kept the routes open and regulated the local markets (Janzen, 1982). In addition, they ensured that the rapid international trade did not destroy their local communities. The Lemba cult of the Congo conforms to the an ngoma type cult of affliction. By the mid-eighteenth century, a total of fifteen thousand slaves were shipped annually from the parts of Malemba, Cabinda and Loango (Janzen, 1982). The slaves were drawn from the inland societies which viewed trade as disruptive despite its economic advantages. The conflicts of interest between the social order and trade explain somewhat why the Lemba, a word meaning â€Å"to calm† (lembikisa) became associated with therapeutic affiliations- a â€Å"drum of affliction† (nkonko or ngoma) (Janzen, 1992). The Lemba’s illnesses are described in a variety of ways. For example, possession by Lemba’s ancestors, which is common in the drums as a mode of affliction to any illness affecting the heart, head, sides and abdomen, that is, the vital organs ofa human body, a typicalmiraculous recovery from a deadly illness, typical witchcraft symptoms and difficulty in breathing to mention but a few (Akombo, 2003). The erratic list of Lemba symptoms, however, tells little about it than it does the identification of the individuals who were afflicted in the Lemba community (Awanbor, 1982). Normally, it was the religion’s elite, chiefs, prominent healers, judges and especially the individuals engaged in mercantile work (Comaroff & Comaroff, 1993). The ability of such persons to harness success in commerce, as wellas their aspiration to wealth, is what made them vulnerable to the envy and evil thoughts by their kinsmen and thus in some sense marginal in the society and

Personal statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 11

Personal statement - Essay Example After completing my Law degree, I was able to work with several voluntary organisations that helped me discover my passion in helping others. Presently, I work for a voluntary organisation, Cocoa African Community Connection, which is located in Birmingham. My duties as a language interpreter and helping the refugees and victims of torture with immigration, housing, social and family issues has been an eye opener into the kind of activities that I would like to engage in the future. I have realised that I could make a significant impact in the lives of the refugees’ children by teaching French in the local Primary school. I am fluent in French, as it is my first language, therefore, ensuring that these kids have acquired the knowledge that will help them become self-sustaining. I have realised teaching French in the primary school will help many children into understanding other cultures and enable them communicate with others effectively. This will help them obtain better lives, thus contributing to a better world. I am able to work in teams, possess excellent planning and organising skills, and I can work under intense pressure. This means that the children will be in capable hands, as I will work effectively to ensure that they obtain quality

Literature and cinematography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Literature and cinematography - Essay Example On the other side, film directors never neglect renowned novels because they are aware of the fact that the same can help them to unleash their individual freedom. Within the context of romance vampire novel genre, authors provide ample importance to the supernatural elements and romance. On the other side, romantic vampire film genre provides importance to romance, supernatural elements and visual effects. Thesis statement: Although the film Twilight and the book Twilight tell the story, the film and the book differ in the approach to plot, love story, and supernatural elements. General information: Twilight (novel) Twilight, the novel by Stephenie Meyer, published in the year 2005, was a bestseller. This work is the first work among the Twilight series. The novel consists of the romantic love story between a teen aged girl named as Isabella Swan and a vampire named as Edward Cullen. The love story gradually transforms into the conspiracy of vampires to hunt human beings, including Isabella. In the end, James, another vampire tries to hunt Isabella and he was destroyed by Edward, Isabella’s lover. General information: Twilight (film) Twilight, the film by Catherine Hardwicke, released in the year 2008, was a box-office hit. Besides, this film is based on Stephenie Meyer’s work named as Twilight. In the film, Kristen Stewart acted as Isabella Swan and Robert Pattinson acted as Edward Cullen. ... The novel’s plot is simple and can be described as the love story between a girl and a vampire. In the novel, the novelist makes use of the plot which connects the real world of Isabella "Bella" Swan and the fictitious/supernatural world of Edward Cullen. Then, the simple plot develops into the amalgamation of real life situation and supernatural world of vampires. Gradually, the plot thickens and the heroine and the hero are thrown into the world of vampires. In the novel, the novelist made use of her imagination, verbal description, and dialogues to move forward the plot. In short, the author utilizes the simple plot to lead the readers towards thrill and horror. On the other side, Catherine Hardwicke treats the plot as the basic element which connects the love story and the supernatural world of vampires. To be specific, all the things that are visualized by the author must be presented by the director. But, Catherine Hardwicke co-operated with Stephenie Meyer and some of t he scenes from the novel underwent alteration. For instance, in the novel, Bella reveals the fact that she is aware of Edward’s real identity. In the film this scene occurs in a pasture, but in the novel the same scene occurs in Edward’s vehicle. So, the director was aware of the fact that she is transforming the plot from printed media to visual media and the same pose a number of scopes and challenges. Love story In the novel, the novelist treats the element of love story as the inherent theme. The novelist never ignores the heroine’s passionate love towards the hero. Nancy Reagin made clear that, â€Å"Speaking of flammable, one of the most striking differences between the Twilight series and other vampire romances is the

Different De-Icing Systems for Aircraft Research Paper

Different De-Icing Systems for Aircraft - Research Paper Example This paper looks at the various systems used for de-icing in airplanes. The protection of engines and the aircrafts can take fundamental forms. One of them is the removal of ice once it has been formed, or probes be used to prevent it from forming. De-icing is the removal of ice, snow, or hoarfrost on the surface of the airplanes. However, deicing is correlated with anti-icing, which is defined as the use chemicals in the surfaces of the aircraft. The chemicals do not only de-ice but also stay put on a surface and prevent buildup of ice for a period, or hinder adhesion of ice to make mechanical removal easier. Therefore anti-icing is also a form of de-icing (Skybrary, 2012). Removing ice on the surface of the aero planes takes various forms. It can be done using chemical methods such as scrapping and pushing. In order to achieve this, heat must be applied on the surface of the plane, by using liquid or dry chemicals that are formed to decrease the freezing point of water. Such chemic als include alcohols, brines, salts, and glycols. Moreover, they can combine many of these chemicals in order to enhance their effectiveness. De-icing can also be done through the use of a protective layers such as the use of viscous liquid known as the anti-icing fluid on the surface of the aero plane to absorb the contaminate. ... In addition, it dilutes the anti-icing fluids used thus changing into a contaminant itself (Lankford, 1999). Salt has also been another method that is used to de-ice. It has traditionally been used to de-ice roads with the addition of sand and gravel. This has been effective due to the availability of the chemical sodium chloride also known as rock salt. This method is effective and inexpensive to use. Moreover, it is readily available. However, this method cannot be used for temperatures below -18 degrees centigrade, which mostly is easily achieved by highflying aeroplanes. Moreover, this method causes corrosion on the surface of the aeroplane, therefore rusting the steel, which is one of the materials used to make the surface of the aeroplanes (Roskam, 2000). In addition, de-icing on the aeroplanes uses another method that uses different categories of salts such as calcium chloride and magnesium chloride. These salts are important since they condense and depress the freezing point of water to a lower temperature. However, this salt also causes exothermic reaction. In the recent years, more advanced salts have been developed which do not cause environmental issues that was previously affected by the salts. They also have a longer residue effect when used together with the traditional salts such as salt brines and solids (Roskam, 2000). In addition, de-icing has taken various forms with the development of technology. More recently, the flight industry has turned into using the infrared de-icing system. This method is advantageous in that it is subsequently faster than the traditional salt systems and conservative heat transfer modes used by

Lizardo vs Denny Inc. NDI Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Lizardo vs Denny Inc. NDI - Case Study Example In handling the situation, the security guards and the Denny’s management should have calmly sorted out the issue, therefore avoiding the extremism they found themselves in. In a country having high racism records, the affected races were bound to be paranoid and treatments from the major races that seemed unfavorable were construed to be discrimination.Having this at the back of their minds, it would have been therefore proper that the when Chiu complained of the long wait and introducing the element of discrimination , to be explained to that there were others on the waiting list long before them. A customer’s complaint should have been addressed soberly and not with annoyance of Ms. Kirts and the subsequent ejection of Lizardo, the second complainant to their services.The security guards reaction and the shoving of the two plaintiffs’ was a clear indication that Mr. Adam had personalized the whole issue which should not have been the case. The security guard s hould not even have involved himself in the word exchange as this aggravated the tension and led to the physical fights. He should have however restrained himself from anything that would suggest to the paranoid plaintiffs that they were being discriminated against.The manager on the other hand also seemed to have personalized the issue and the African American complaint of the security guard is taken as an offence leading to the profane respond that made them be ejected too out of the restaurant.

Different De-Icing Systems for Aircraft Research Paper

Different De-Icing Systems for Aircraft - Research Paper Example This paper looks at the various systems used for de-icing in airplanes. The protection of engines and the aircrafts can take fundamental forms. One of them is the removal of ice once it has been formed, or probes be used to prevent it from forming. De-icing is the removal of ice, snow, or hoarfrost on the surface of the airplanes. However, deicing is correlated with anti-icing, which is defined as the use chemicals in the surfaces of the aircraft. The chemicals do not only de-ice but also stay put on a surface and prevent buildup of ice for a period, or hinder adhesion of ice to make mechanical removal easier. Therefore anti-icing is also a form of de-icing (Skybrary, 2012). Removing ice on the surface of the aero planes takes various forms. It can be done using chemical methods such as scrapping and pushing. In order to achieve this, heat must be applied on the surface of the plane, by using liquid or dry chemicals that are formed to decrease the freezing point of water. Such chemic als include alcohols, brines, salts, and glycols. Moreover, they can combine many of these chemicals in order to enhance their effectiveness. De-icing can also be done through the use of a protective layers such as the use of viscous liquid known as the anti-icing fluid on the surface of the aero plane to absorb the contaminate. ... In addition, it dilutes the anti-icing fluids used thus changing into a contaminant itself (Lankford, 1999). Salt has also been another method that is used to de-ice. It has traditionally been used to de-ice roads with the addition of sand and gravel. This has been effective due to the availability of the chemical sodium chloride also known as rock salt. This method is effective and inexpensive to use. Moreover, it is readily available. However, this method cannot be used for temperatures below -18 degrees centigrade, which mostly is easily achieved by highflying aeroplanes. Moreover, this method causes corrosion on the surface of the aeroplane, therefore rusting the steel, which is one of the materials used to make the surface of the aeroplanes (Roskam, 2000). In addition, de-icing on the aeroplanes uses another method that uses different categories of salts such as calcium chloride and magnesium chloride. These salts are important since they condense and depress the freezing point of water to a lower temperature. However, this salt also causes exothermic reaction. In the recent years, more advanced salts have been developed which do not cause environmental issues that was previously affected by the salts. They also have a longer residue effect when used together with the traditional salts such as salt brines and solids (Roskam, 2000). In addition, de-icing has taken various forms with the development of technology. More recently, the flight industry has turned into using the infrared de-icing system. This method is advantageous in that it is subsequently faster than the traditional salt systems and conservative heat transfer modes used by

MULTINATIONAL CORP-EVOL & CUR ISSUE Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MULTINATIONAL CORP-EVOL & CUR ISSUE - Assignment Example el Kors are reputable business platforms whose main aim is growth; therefore, with people continuing to sell their products through Amazon, and others continuing to maintain a high sense of fashion through Michael Kors, the share values of these companies will always be stable, all factors kept constant. The motivation behind these investments was that of buying and holding until the share values reach a valuable high. With the state of the economy being in jeopardy due to tensions with Russia and North Korea, it was unnecessary to invest in equities with a high Rate of Change and penny stocks; this is because during such economic times they could fluctuate really fast and bring in huge losses. On 26th of April I opened a 20,000-share long position with Michael Kors at a share value of $92.19, which amounted to $1,843,800. With a Price to Earnings Ratio of $30.50, and an Earnings Per Share value of $1.97, the price of each share was clearly overpriced. This is due to the fact that most people speculated that the company was doing good business, thereby prompting more investments, thus the exaggerated price per share. The fact that the fashion trends do not change all of a sudden was a good bet that the share value of Michal Kors would continue increasing, which made the purchase of these shares a good buy. At the time of the purchase, the value of Michael Kors shares was very low compared to how KORS had performed in February and a better part of March. This meant that somewhere around the end of March, the shares would start increasing again due to salary payments. The graph below clearly shows that my speculations were correct, since the share value of Michael Kors went up near the end of the month. On 1st April, I sold 15,000 shares to reduce my long position with Michael Kors at a share value of $94.69, making a profit of $37,490 and still remaining with 5000 shares as a Michal Kors long position. The graphs below depict the behavior of Michael Kors Holdings

Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology Essay Example for Free

Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology Essay Technology began when man started to control and modify nature to meet his needs.   Prior to the 20th Century, technology was identified with skilled men and women who passed their expertise and know-how from one generation to another.   Back then technology was associated with new techniques, new processes and new methods of doing things.   With the scientific revolution in the 20th Century, the concept of technology changed.   It is now closely associated with gadgets, products and innovative scientific inventions. This essay examines the advantages and disadvantages of two simple technological innovations: the stun gun and the police car video surveillance.    Their impact, advantages and disadvantages to the society will be evaluated for purpose of deeper appreciation of their use. Advantages and Disadvantages of Stun Guns and Police Car Video Surveillance Technology is closely tied with the concept of innovation.   There was a time when law enforcement officers utilized the wooden batons as their only weapons against violent individuals who resisted arrest (Scott Oldham, 2005, p.1).   In view of the lack of effective weapons that they can use to apprehend and subdue suspects, encounters between law enforcement officers and suspects often lead to a bloody fight.   As a result either the police officer or the suspect ends up getting seriously hurt or killed. Read more:  Technology Advantages and Disadvantages Essay There was also a time when law enforcement officers had to rely on their recollection of the events during dangerous situations.   They had to record the license number of the suspect’s getaway vehicle, remember their faces and the kind of weapons used.   If they were able to arrest the suspects after a dangerous situation, suspects often filed suits against law enforcement officers alleging brutality and violence they experienced in the hands of the police officers.   There being no other witnesses, the police officer had always been placed in jeopardy of being maliciously sued by a suspect he had arrested in his line of duty. With the use of technology, man was able to control and modify nature for the purpose of satisfying his own needs. Law enforcement officers have found simple solutions to their everyday problems.   With the use of stun guns police officers were able to harness the power of electricity.   They were able to control the volt and use it to apprehend violent suspects by incapacitating them temporarily. With the discovery of stun guns, police officers no longer have to worry about getting hurt or hurting anybody in the course of the arrest.   In case a suspect resists arrest and becomes really violent, the law enforcement officer only has to press this gun against the body of the suspect.   It will release an electronic charge that is high in voltage that can disable the suspect for 20 to 30minutes enough time for them to place handcuff on the suspect. Police officers no longer have to worry about the possibility of them forgetting the suspect’s face or the license number of the vehicle or the kind of weapon used.   He also need not fear that suits for excessive violence and brutality may be filed against him because there is physical evidence that can be presented before the court.   Law enforcement officers only have to produce the recording of his patrol car video surveillance and present it in court to disprove the false and malicious accusations against him. Just like any technology, however, it can be abused.   In the hands of an abusive law enforcement officer, stun guns may cause serious injury against a suspect if not used properly.   According to United Nations Committee use of stun guns by the police may cause extreme pain and in certain cases may lead to death.   (David Morgan, 2007, p.2)   It has been reported that since 1999, 80 people have died and others have been seriously injured by police using electronic stun gun which negate the claims that they are non lethal weapons.   (Greg Mathis, 2005, p.1) Use of police car video surveillance may be advantageous for some but it may pose a serious constitutional challenge for others.  Ã‚   Lawyers have challenged the legality of the act of police officers using their video camera as proof to apprehend those who commit over speeding and those who run against red lights.   Their contention is that the owners of the car are automatically considered guilty and imposed a penalty even if it may be possible that the car owners were not driving the vehicles at the time the infraction was committed.   Aside from constitutional violation of presumption of innocence, some police officers may use the video camera for the purpose of invading the privacy of private individuals. Conclusion Technology is indeed the successful attempt by man to control and modify nature for the purpose of satisfying human needs and providing solutions to his problem.   It may happen that the technology may turn into something that it is intended to do or to something that it is not intended to.   This is precisely what technology is.   It may turn out beneficial to mankind but it may also pose serious risks for us. In the case of stun guns, I believe it is still one of the most non-lethal instruments that police officers can utilize against suspects.   It would be better however if police officers are educated on its use and its dangers before they are allowed to use these instruments.   The same thing is true for video surveillance which is most effective if it is utilized for strictly law enforcement work.   These instruments therefore are not dangerous in themselves.   They are not evil in themselves.   Problem starts when those who utilize it use it improperly.   This problem could be remedied by proper orientation and training so that old and new law enforcement officers may be advised on how to properly utilize these new pieces of technology.

AIS and MIS Comparison

AIS and MIS Comparison Briefly discuss the difference between AIS and MIS.   Ã‚   MIS and AIS are all computer-based information systems that are very helpful for any organizations to keep records correctly and make the right decision for the operations. They are two different main system is an organization. The major difference is AIS and MIS provide diverse information to the organization by different transactions. AIS subsystems processing by financial transactions which are monetary transactions affect assets and equity, shown on the accounts. Whilst it also process nonfinancial transactions that directly affect the processing of financial transactions. (p.7) According to the figure 1-2, those transactions and cycles under AIS are all about economic event convert to financial transactions and expressed as numbers or figures in the accounts. Such as sold inventories, this movement will incur the revenue and equity figures changed on accounts. These kinds of changes will also affect the GL and MRS to provide information timely changed. In another hand if the customer account detail changed which is nonfinancial transaction processed by AIS, The MIS processes nonfinancial transactions that are not normally processed by traditional AIS. (p.7)  the organization normally has many departments such as production planning, inventory warehouse planning, market research, and so on. MIS is to help those different areas operate normally and provide information for further decision making. Another important difference is AIS and MIS provide information to different parties. AIS are not only providing the information for internal users but also for the external users such as suppliers, customers and auditors and so on. Especially for the auditors, AIS is help to provide correctly and legally information. MIS is mainly providing information to internal users such as the management team of the organization. In conclusion, AIS and MIS provide different information through different transactions to different parties. But there are also connections between AIS and MIS. AIS also provide the financial information to the MIS. Some movement in MIS is also affecting AIS. AIS and MIS are all important system to any organization. Briefly discuss the characteristics of information in the context of accounting information system. Information is can be defined as processed data and can help user to take further actions or make further decisions. (p.10). The characteristics of information in AIS include relevance, timeliness, accuracy, completeness, and summarization. (p.12) Relevance means relevant information for a specific purpose of the task or help manager to do further decision. For example, the main purpose of an invoice is let customer pay the right amount and know what they bought. Therefore the invoice shows the amount that customer should pay, and also shows the product name, code which customer bought. Timeliness means provide timely information. For instance, if a statement shows pay it within 15 days will get a 2% discount, if they receive this statement and information within 15 days, that will be useful, otherwise will lose the value of this information. Accuracy means avoid to provide information with major errors. For example, if a balance sheet shows the total asset is $100000, but the actual amount should be $90000, this error may cause the user make poor decisions. It could be cause by a data errors or process error. Sometimes, we have to give up the absolutely accurate to provide timely information, therefore system designer need make balance between accuracy and timeliness. Completeness means should include all the essential information for decision making or daily tasks. For example, an income statement should include the calculation of the profit or loss, and must be clearly showing the figures. Summarization means the information should summarized as the user needs. As the higher management, the more summarized information is needed. Others, the independent of the information which means the accounting activities must be separated and independent from physical resources management and preservation. In conclusion, relevance, timeliness, accuracy, completeness, and summarization are very important to obtain reliable information to the user. Reliability can determine the value of the information. (p.16) If follow those characteristic, information will be reliable and provides maximum value to the user. When developing, or selecting an accounting system, identify who should be involved and the contribution that they bring to the process. Organizations usually get the accounting system through two ways, self-developing and purchase or rent commercial software. To develop or selecting an accounting system, we need someone who understand accounting knowledge which is accountant, and someone who understand the database and network which is IT professionals. Accountant and IT professionals are all plays very important roles. But they have different contributions bring to the process. Accountant as a domain expert is a very vital role. They provide professional accounting concept and frame to the system. Such as set accounting process rules, reporting requirements, and build the internal control goals. (p.20) For example, different customers have different payment terms, sales department or credit department for some business need the delinquent accounts information from the AR department. This information will help the sales or credit department make a further decision to hold the sales of the customer or not. Accountant need set the standard to identify delinquent customer account in this case. They may set a credit amount for every customer and the system might show a message once over the amount or hold the accounts until they pay off. Accountant need determine the nature of the required information, its source, destination and the need of accounting rules.(p.20) Accountant as a system auditor is also an important role for developing or selecting the accounting system. Some public accounting firm can give advisory service of information system design and implementation, and internal control assessments for compliance with SOX. (p.21) although the accounting firm could use their auditor concepts for the advisory service, they could not be the real auditor to the company, it is no value to the organization and it is illegal under SOX legislation. IT professionals are responsible for the establishment of actual physical system. The physical system includes the database and programming for calculate and present information. IT professionals need ensure to build the accounting system work efficiently. They also play an important role for the test and maintenance of the accounting system. Once the system is selected or development is completed, they will need doing test and if any errors they need fixed the errors. System requires constant maintenance and repair to ensure the accuracy of information. Accountant and IT professionals need work together when developing or selecting an accounting system. They are all essential. Define fraud and identify and discuss three different examples to illustrate how it may arise in the workplace. In each case illustrate a strategy that may be used to mitigate its impact or occurrence. Briefly explain the COSO internal control framework. The COSO internal control framework is issued by Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. (p.116)  It is recommended by SEC1, also is the general framework of internal control evaluation standard. The COSO framework defines internal control is affected by corporate board of directors, management and other personnel, in order to achieve operational effectiveness and efficiency, financial report reliability, the compliance of the relevant regulations and other objectives to provide a reasonable guarantee process. We can explain it from 5 different aspects, the control environment, risk assessment, information and communication, monitoring, and control activities. (p.116) Control environment is the fundamental key of the organization, it directly affect the control consciousness of the staffs. It include the integrity of the staff, professional ethics and organization structure; management of the business philosophy and management style; board of directors or the audit committee of the supervision and guidance; the allocation of authority and responsibility; the methods of performance evaluation and human resources policy. à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ p.116à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °It can be said that people and their activities are the core of enterprise, is the important factor of internal control environment, it interacts with environment. Risk assessment is to identify and analyze the relevant risks to achieve the established goals; it is the basis of risk management. Each enterprise is faced with a lot of internal and external risks, affecting the realization of business goals, such as the changes of the operating environment, new staffs, the use of new system or new technology, new product introduction, entre into a foreign market or practice of new accounting rules and so on. It is necessary to identify, analyze and manage those risks that affect the achievement of the target and manage them in timely manner. (p.118) Information and communication means that the information needed for business management must be identified, obtained and delivered in a certain form in a timely manner so that the employee can perform their duties. The accounting information includes not only internally generated information, but also external information related to business decision making and external reporting. It is important for an accounting information system whether the information is processed timely and accurately. The auditor needs to understand the transactions, accounting record, transaction processing steps, financial reporting process. (p. 118) Monitoring is the process of assessing the effectiveness of the internal control system, through continuous monitoring, independent assessment or a combination of the two to achieve the internal control system supervision. Internal control activities refer to policies and procedures that facilitate the smooth implementation of management decision-making. It includes information technology (IT) controls and physical controls. IT controls is rated to computer environment, it has two aspects, general control such as the control of database and network security and so on, and application control such as the control of accounts payable, and payroll applications and so on. Another aspect is physical control, which are human activities. It includes transaction authorization, segregation of duties, supervision, accounting records, access control, and independent verification. (p.119) COSO internal control framework is a relatively complete and systematic theory of internal control, and it put forward a lot of valuable ideas, constantly found the practical significance in practice.

Tennessee Williams :: essays research papers fc

â€Å"Everything in his life is in his plays, and everything in his plays is in his life,† Elia Kazan said of Tennessee Williams. Williams, who is considered to be the greatest Southern playwright, inserted many of his own personal experiences into his writing, because he â€Å"found no other means of expressing things that seemed to demand expression† (Magill 1087). He stated that his primary sources of inspiration for his works were his family, the South, and the multiple writers he encountered in his life. Therefore, he presented American theatergoers with unforgettable characters, an incredible vision of life in the South, and a deeper meaning of the concept he called â€Å"poetic realism† (Classic Notes 1). Poetic Realism exists as the repeated use of everyday objects, so that they would produce a symbolic meaning. Often, Tennessee Williams’ writing was considered to be melodramatic and hysterical; however, it is the haunting and powerful life experiences included in Williams’ writing that makes him one of the greatest playwrights in the history of the American drama.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thomas Lanier Williams began his life March 26, 1911 as the second child of Cornelius and Edwina Williams. His father, Cornelius, managed a shoe warehouse and was a stern businessman. Cornelius’ bouts with drinking and gambling (habits that Tennessee later inherited) made him increasingly abusive as Tennessee grew older. Tennessee, his mother, his older sister, Rose, and his younger brother, Walter, lived with Tennessee’s maternal grandparents until 1918, when his father was transferred to his firm’s main office in St. Louis. Although, he began living with his father at age seven, his father remained emotionally absent throughout his life. His mother, however, smothered Tennessee with her aggressive showings of affection. The move to St. Louis was shattering to Tennessee, Rose, and Edwina. The change from a small, provincial town to a big city was very difficult for the lower class family. Because of the ridicule from other children, her father’s abuse, and her mother’s unhappiness, Rose was destined to spend most of her life in mental institutions and she quickly became emotionally and mentally unstable. Edwina allowed Rose’s doctor to perform a frontal lobotomy on Rose; this event greatly disturbed Williams who cared for Rose throughout most of her adult life. Tennessee remained aloof from his younger brother, because his father repeatedly favored Walter over both of the older children. His parents often engaged in violent arguments and Tennessee, Rose, and Walter repeatedly encouraged their mother to leave their abusive father. Williams family life was full of tension and despair; however, he said he found therapy in writing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unable to bear his life at home, Tennessee began his lifelong

Harmonic Elimination

336 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS, VOL. 22, NO. 1, JANUARY 2007 Modulation-Based Harmonic Elimination Jason R. Wells, Member, IEEE, Xin Geng, Student Member, IEEE, Patrick L. Chapman, Senior Member, IEEE, Philip T. Krein, Fellow, IEEE, and Brett M. Nee, Student Member, IEEE Abstract—A modulation-based method for generating pulse waveforms with selective harmonic elimination is proposed. Harmonic elimination, traditionally digital, is shown to be achievable by comparison of a sine wave with modi? d triangle carrier. The method can be used to calculate easily and quickly the desired waveform without solution of coupled transcendental equations. Index Terms—Pulsewidth modulation (PWM), selective harmonic elimination (SHE). I. INTRODUCTION S ELECTIVE harmonic elimination (SHE) is a long-established method of generating pulsewidth modulation (PWM) with low baseband distortion [1]–[6]. Originally, it was useful mainly for inverters with naturally low switching frequency due to high power level or slow switching devices.Conventional sine-triangle PWM essentially eliminates baseband harmonics for frequency ratios of about 10:1 or greater [7], so it is arguable that SHE is unnecessary. However, recently SHE has received new attention for several reasons. First, digital implementation has become common. Second, it has been shown that there are many solutions to the SHE problem that were previously unknown [8]. Each solution has different frequency content above the baseband, which provides options for ? attening the high-frequency spectrum for noise suppression or optimizing ef? iency. Third, some applications, despite the availability of high-speed switches, have low switching-to-fundamental ratios. One example is high-speed motor drives, useful for reducing mass in applications like electric vehicles [9]. SHE is normally a two-step digital process. First, the switching angles are calculated of? ine, for several depths of modulation, by sol ving many nonlinear equations simultaneously. Second, these angles are stored in a look-up table to be read in real time. Much prior work has focused on the ? st step because of its computational dif? culty. One possibility is to replace the Fourier series formulation with another orthonormal set based on Walsh functions [10]–[12]. The resulting equations are more tractable due to the similarities between the rectangular Walsh function and the desired waveform. Another orthonormal set approach based on block-pulse functions is presented in [13]. In [14]–[20], it is observed that Manuscript received August 2, 2006; revised September 11, 2006.This work was supported by the Grainger Center for Electric Machines and Electromechanics, the Motorola Center for Communication, the National Science Foundation under Contract NSF 02-24829, the Electric Power Networks Ef? ciency, and the Security (EPNES) Program in cooperation with the Of? ce of Naval Research. Recommended for publ ication by Associate Editor J. Espinoza. J. R. Wells is with P. C. Krause and Associates, Hentschel Center, West Lafayette, IN 47906 USA. X. Geng, P. L. Chapman, P. T. Krein, and B. M.Nee are with the Grainger Center for Electric Machines and Electromechanics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA (e-mail: [email  protected] edu). Digital Object Identi? er 10. 1109/TPEL. 2006. 888910 the switching angles obtained traditionally can be represented as regular-sampled PWM where two phase-shifted modulating waves and a â€Å"pulse position modulation† technique achieve near-ideal elimination. Another approximate method is posed by [21] where mirror surplus harmonics are used. This involves solving multilevel elimination by considering reduced harmonic elimination waveforms in each switching level.In [22], a general-harmonic-families elimination concept simpli? es a transcendental system to an algebraic functional problem by zeroing entire harmonic fami lies. Faster and more complete methods have also been researched. In [23], an optimal PWM problem is solved by converting to a single univariate polynomial using Newton identities, Pade approximation theory, and symmetric function properties, which . If a few can be solved with algorithms that scale as O solutions are desired, prediction of initial guess values allows rapid convergence of Newton iteration [24].Genetic algorithms can be used to speed the solution [25], [26]. An approach that guarantees all solutions ? t a narrowly posed SHE problem transforms to a multivariate polynomial system [27]–[30] through trigonometric identities [31] and solves with resultant polynomial theory. Another approach [32]–[34] that obtains all solutions to a narrowly-posed problem uses homotopy and continuation theory. Reference [35] points out the exponentially growing nature of the problem and proposes the â€Å"simulated annealing† method as a way to rapidly design the wavef orm for optimizing distortion and switching loss.Another optimization-based approach is given in [36] and [37], where harmonics are minimized through an objective function to obtain good overall harmonic performance. There have been several multilevel and approximate real-time methods proposed; these are beyond the scope here but discussed brie? y in [38]. This manuscript proposes an alternative real-time SHE method based on modulation. A modi? ed triangle carrier is identi? ed that is compared to an ordinary sine wave. In place of the conventional of? ine solution of switching angles, the process simpli? s to generation and comparison of the carrier and sine modulation, which can be done in minimal time without convergence or precision concerns. The method does not require an initial guess. In contrast to other SHE methods, the method does not restrict the switching frequency to an integer multiple of the fundamental. The underlying idea was proposed in [39] but has been re? ned he re to identify speci? c carrier requirements that exactly eliminate harmonics and improve performance in deeper modulation. The method involves a function of modulation depth that is derived from simulation and curve ? ting. In this respect, it has some similarity to [15] and [16], in which approximate switching angles are calculated and ? tted to simple functions for cases of both low-( 0. 8 p. u. ) and high-modulation depth. It is interesting that the proposed approach connects modulation to a harmonic elimination process. Carrier waveform mod- 0885-8993/$25. 00  © 2007 IEEE IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS, VOL. 22, NO. 1, JANUARY 2007 337 Fig. 1. Direct calculation of the phase modulation function at various modulation depths with ? rst through 109th harmonics controlled.Fig. 2. Direct calculation of the phase modulation function at various modulation depths with ? rst through 177th harmonics controlled. i? cation is common in other PWM work, as in switching frequency ra ndomization intended to reduce high-frequency components. A detailed review is outside the scope, but one discussion is given in [40]. The proposed technique is not a variation of random-frequency carriers. Instead, the carrier waveform is modi? ed in a speci? c and deterministic way to bring about a certain effect. The proposed method is readily implemented in real time.The switching signals themselves can be generated by analog comparison, while the modi? ed carrier is generated with fast digital calculation and digital-to-analog conversion. Hardware demonstration is provided here. An approximate, low-cost implementation based on present-day hardware is given in [41], but further re? nement is needed for precise elimination. II. SIGNAL DEFINITIONS AND SIMULATED RESULTS Consider a quasi-triangular waveform to be used as the carrier signal in a PWM implementation. In principle, the frequency and phase can be modulated.To represent this, consider a triangular carrier function written as (1) where is the base switching frequency, is a phase-mod0, (1) reulation signal, and is a static phase shift. For duces to an ordinary triangle wave based on conventional quadrant de? nitions of the inverse cosine function. The modulating where signal will be represented as is the depth of modulation. The pulsewidth-modulated signal, , is 1 if and 1, otherwise. 2 In [39], a phase modulation function is considered, where is the desired output fundamental fre, but dequency. This was shown to approach SHE at low 0. . To determine a better phase-modulagrades above tion function, the pattern of switching angles that occurs was investigated. Fig. 1 shows the phase modulation values needed for various with harmonics 1–109 conversus angle trolled. Fig. 2 shows the same with harmonics 1–177 controlled. Many other sets of controlled harmonics were tested with similar results. The pattern looks much like a shockwave pattern that can be modeled with the Bessel–Fubini e quation from nonlinear acoustics [42] (2) where is a Bessel function of the ? rst kind. The natural is in? ity in principle, but for calculation purposes number 15 or higher is usually suf? cient, as discussed below. The and have been determined by curve functions ? tting as (3) 1. and (4), shown at the bottom of the page, where 0 Fig. 3 shows a closeup view of a PWM waveform generated as in (2). Nineteen harmonics are with a carrier that uses 0. 95. The waveform is compared controlled with a (high) to one generated with conventional elimination by numerical solution of nonlinear equations. As can be seen, the switching edges match well. Fig. 4 shows a full-period time waveform and a magnitude 11.With spectrum [fast Fourier transform (FFT)] for this switching frequency ratio, the method eliminates harmonics two through ten (even harmonics are zero by symmetry). The 2 and the modulation depth carrier phase shift is set to 1. The spectrum con? rms the desired elimination. is 0. This v alue Fig. 5 shows the same study except with also achieves satisfactory baseband performance, but with a different pulse pattern. The pattern provides slight differences in higher-order harmonics. For example, the 11th and 13th harto . monics vary 2%–3% in magnitude as is varied from (4) 338IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS, VOL. 22, NO. 1, JANUARY 2007 Fig. 3. Conventional harmonic elimination waveform and proposed PWM 0. 95, harmonics controlled through the 19th). waveform (m = Fig. 5. Pulse waveform p, message signal m, and magnitude of pulse waveform 1, and ‘ 0. spectrum for ! =! 11, m = = = Fig. 4. Pulse waveform p, message signal m, and magnitude of pulse waveform spectrum for ! =! 11, m 1, and ‘ =2. = = = In these cases, all baseband harmonics are eliminated. In three-phase systems, triplen harmonics may cancel in the currents automatically if neutral current does not ? w. Therefore it is not always necessary to eliminate them by design in the SHE pro cess. Modulation-based harmonic elimination excluding triplen harmonics is similar in many respects to the case here. However, the phase-modulation functions resemble piecewise polynomials rather than the shockwave form of Figs. 1 and 2. This is discussed in detail in [38]. The speed of calculating these waveforms is dictated by , the number of terms to keep in the series (2), and , the number of discrete points used to approximate the waveforms. A personal computer (1. 86-GHz Intel M Processor with 1. -GB RAM) running MATLAB on Windows XP was used to carry out the calculations. First, a modi? ed triangle wave was ap100 000 points per cycle, the modulation proximated with 1, and a frequency ratio of 19 was used. depth was set to was varied from ? ve to 35. Over this range, the The number quality of solution was acceptable and the average calculation time varied from 0. 327 to 0. 915 s. Next, the same conditions 35 and was varied from 10 000 were used with except to 200 000. The aver age calculation time varied almost linearly from 0. 149 to 1. 78 s with no signi? cant difference in the resulting spectrum.Finally, with held constant at 100 000, the frequency ratio was varied from seven to 51. The average calculation time was consistently near 0. 92 s. This is expected since the number of harmonics eliminated has no scaling effect in (2). However, for larger frequency ratios, larger may be needed for precision. In summary, it is recommended that be set to at least 1,000 the frequency ratio and set to at least 15. In any case, with present-day personal computers the solution can be calculated in less than 1 s (typically) without iteration, divergence, or need for an initial estimate, and reduced versions can be computed in less than 200 ms.Notice that this time interval need not cause trouble with real-time implementations. The carrier only needs to be recomputed with the modulation signal changes. In applications such as uninterruptible supplies, this is infreque nt. In motor-drive applications, a response time of 200 ms to a command change may be acceptable as is. Alternatively, a look-up table can store some of the relevant terms to speed up the process dramatically. Dedicated DSP Please de? ne DSPalgorithms will be much faster than PC computations based on MATLAB. III. EXPERIMENTAL EXAMPLES To show that the proposed technique satisfactorily eliminates harmonics, the modi? d carrier was programmed into a function generator. The output provided a carrier signal in a conventional sine-triangle process. Three examples are shown below to reveal a range of interesting conditions. Fig. 6 shows the resulting waveforms for a high-depth case 0, and 0. 95. The with nineteen harmonics eliminated, and are shown at frequency ratio is 21:1. The signals the top, followed by the PWM waveform and the FFT spectrum. From the spectrum it can be seen that the desired harmonic-free baseband spectrum is achieved. In the next example, the phase 2.The unexpected r esult was that the spectrum shift is was insensitive to , as shown in comparison to Fig. 7. The desired spectrum occurs despite the difference in carriers. The resulting PWM waveforms at various values of may not offer obvious advantages, but it is noteworthy that they are not the same as conventionally computed SHE waveforms and would not be achievable with conventional SHE solution techniques. As another example, it is shown that the carrier base fre, need not be an odd multiple of . In Fig. 8, the frequency, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS, VOL. 22, NO. 1, JANUARY 2007 339 Fig. . Experimental modulation-based SHE with ! ‘ 0. = =! = 21, m = 0. 95, Fig. 9. Experimental modulation-based SHE with ! ‘ 0. = =! = 13. 5, m = 0. 95, Fig. 7. Experimental modulation-based SHE with ! ‘ =2. = =! = 21, m = 0. 95, Fig. 10. Experimental modulation-based SHE with ! ‘ 0. = =! = 50, m = 0. 95, The last example, shown in Fig. 10, applies to a case where a high number of harmonics is eliminated (50 1 ratio) effectively, which is much higher than typically are reported in the literature. IV. CONCLUSION A method for calculating and implementing SHE switching angles was proposed and demonstrated.The method is based on modulation rather than solution of nonlinear equations or numerical optimization. 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