Monday, September 30, 2019

Capitalism Promotes Greed and Selfishness

Capitalism promotes greed and selfishness In capitalism country, not everybody does things with the purpose related profit. Many people also do something or help somebody because of kindness, but for the most major companies or governments in the Capitalism country, they run with the profit purpose. In this kind of operational system, people tend to be greed and selfishness.Therefore, people in capitalism country being greed and selfishness because of they are in a profit running system; and most capitalism country are developed country, greed is from human nature, then in a specifically environment, it just become bigger; also, revolt is another thread to reflect the oversqueeze from the greed and selfishness level people. Mostly, people in high level, who work for capitalism government or companies, they are work for money. The only purpose to work is make money. Every time they decided to do something or develop some, it means that will bring them profit.Even people not in this wa y from nature, they have to be like this, because they are working in such a system. In Goldstein’s article â€Å"Capitalism moral system, greed cause its failure†, he mentioned â€Å"In fact, one of my biggest fears about entering the business world is being put into a position where I may be asked to compromise my moral integrity and how I would behave under certain pressures?. In another words, if people being too bountiful, they cannot own too much money, everything is a competition, everybody will think themselves during this competition.Greed and selfishness are the natural personality for everybody in the world, when people comment a person whether greed, selfishness or not they just focus how much percentage of this characteristic in his personality. When people in a capitalism system, the characteristics of greed and selfishness seem like put under a microscope. The reason of it is when people in a high level, they have already know and have experience of how useful the money it is, then they never back to the life with less money. People have desire, they want more, and never contented. However, it just like a trend or a flu breeding in capitalism country.When the capitalist desire more, the pressures other people get will become bigger, and when people cannot stand any more, they will against to the capitalist in many different ways. Such as the revolution in Wall Street, people protest in Wall Street, even not show any fear of the policemen. This is a side to reflect capitalist’s greed and selfishness. As what Goldstein illustrated â€Å"Capitalism is a moral system, which has unfortunately been exploited by some immoral people. Acting unethically is counter-productive to a firm's success, but selfish people motivated by short-term gains may ignore this fact. Capitalism in an immoral management causes serious consequence. In conclusion, capitalist most likely look at the profit. For this purpose they are mostly greed and self ish, and they have more desire of money, then they just being more selfish because of covetous. Also, capitalism causes consequences, people cannot always stand the egoistical capitalists, they will revolt. Therefore, capitalism mostly promotes greed and selfishness. http://www. collegiatetimes. com/stories/15078/capitalism-moral-system-greed-causes-its-failure

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Zappos Swot

Re:SWOT Analysis of the Culture of Zappos. com Zappos. com is an online shoe store that was created in 1999 by a man named, Nick Swinmurn. Today it is a multi-billion dollar company thanks to its current CEO, Tony Hseih. One of the reasons Zappos. com has become such successful empire is because it got the economics and operations right. The management of Zappos. com is in my personal opinion, a necessity to a happy and thriving company. Their strategy is to find employees that are going to dedicate themselves to the environment and purpose of Zappos. com.They rely on passion, purpose, happiness, and emotional connection. If you don’t fit right into this, they even offer a $1,000 quit-that-day bonus. They strive on â€Å"weeding out† the employees that don’t extend their positive energy to the company. Zappos. com has a lot of different strengths, all of which play a part in their major success. They are a company that focuses on company culture and hiring passio nate employees. Which allows the company to run as Hseih designed it out to. Another strength that aids Zappos. com in success is their demand for effective communication.They also believe the importance and impact of feeling good, for both the employee and customer, is key. Tony Hsieh quickly discovered that becoming successful did not begin with the intention to make as much money as possible. He realized then that he should work towards making it a passion instead of an income. â€Å"Passion and determination are contagious,† he says. â€Å"We believe in having a positive and optimistic (but realistic) attitude about everything we do, because we realize that this inspires others to have the same attitude. † Which I believe is their biggest strength and most powerful.The weaknesses that affect Zappos. com are how the way their management affects their outside controls. Amazon just recently purchased Zappos. com for about $1 billion. One weakness they could experience is how Zappos. com’s fun and relaxed work ethic and environment collides with the way Amazon. com runs. Another weakness Zappos. com faces is the average salary a sales representative makes. Zappos. com main goal, and what most of its reputation is built upon, is customer service. To keep up with the high demand of customers seeking help and asking questions, Zappos has a large number of ustomer service representatives. Where this becomes a weakness is, Zappos. com pays their representative’s and average of $23,000 a year, three percent below the national average. This makes them vulnerable to other competitors. Zappos. com strategy is very unique in the fact that they focus on happiness. They want to make sure that not only the customers are satisfied, but their employees as well. They look for dedicated and passionate people to work hard and play hard. They a set of ten core values that the company lives by.They are deliver wow through service, embrace and drive cha nge, create fun and a little weirdness, be adventurous, creative, and open-minded, pursue growth and learning, build open and honest relationships with communication, build a positive team and family spirit, do more with less, be passionate and determined, be humble. They use a strategy of making sure the employees are in good spirits and enjoy their work place. It reminds me of the saying, â€Å"happy wife, happy life. † If their workers are happy in their job then they will work harder for the company.This strategy puts Zappos. com at a definite advantage over other companies that, say, pay a higher salary. I know that I would rather work in a laid-back, fun and enjoyable environment over a bigger paycheck. If you’re miserable in your job it will leak into other parts of your life. The first recommendation I would provide Zappos. com is to cover more area. Instead of their main focus to online retail, they could open up Zappo storefronts to up their sales. Continuing their up-keep with social media is also a high recommendation for Zappos. com.They are a huge hit on Twitter, which allows their customers to see their every move and what exactly is going on with promotions and deals. They need to focus on their core values, especially the last of the ten, be humble. Earlier when there was a security breech in company, there were a lot of upset, confused, and concern customers. It takes a lot of patience to deal with that high volume of calls but if zappos. com sticks to the words they say they live by, they are going to continue to receive loyal customers who spread the word and their business.Works Cited Bailey, Jean. â€Å"Happiness as a business strategy. † Massage Therapy Journal Winter 2012: 25+. Academic OneFile. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. Chafkin, M. (2009, May 1). The Zappos Way of Managing. Retrieved from ? http://www. inc. com/magazine/20090501/the-zappos-way-of-managing. html McDonald, Shelley. â€Å"Delivering Happiness: A Path to Pro fits, Passion and Purpose. † American Economist 56. 1 (2011): 127+. Academic OneFile. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. Reid, K, Carolina.. â€Å"SHOULD BUSINESS EMBRACE SOCIAL NETWORKING?. † EContent. 01 Jun. 2009: 34. eLibrary. Web. 22 Feb. 2013.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Applications of seven habits by Steven Covey Essay Example for Free

Applications of seven habits by Steven Covey Essay This classic best seller for management, organisations and personal development encapsulates Steven Covey’s research on 200 years of success literature since his doctoral program. It is perhaps the most influential book for managers and organizations to learn the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, as the title suggest. It begins with the concept that people perceive the world differently, and we form our own paradigm – how we view the world with our own unique â€Å"lens†. Covey explains that paradigms are the source of our attitudes and behaviours. Part of achieving insight involves making a â€Å"paradigm shift† which causes us to perceive things differently. Our paradigms will affect how we interact with others, which in turn will affect how they interact with us. Covey argues that any effective self-help program must begin with an â€Å"inside-out† approach, rather than looking at our problems as â€Å"being out there† (an inside-out approach). We must start by examining our own character, paradigms, and motives. Hence, character and principles are keys to success, effectiveness, and happiness in life. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People points out: â€Å"Principles are guidelines for human conduct that are proven to have enduring, permanent value.† The seven habits divided into two main groups: private victory (independence) and public victory (interdependence). Habits of Independence: Habit 1: Be Proactive We must use our resourcefulness to work toward our personal goals. Everyone has both a circle of influence and a circle of concern. Worrying endlessly about things outside of our circle of influence isn’t particularly productive. Working within our circle of influence is productive. Further, the more effective we become, the more our circle of influence will expand. Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind What do we want people to say about us at our funerals? How will we be remembered? To succeed, Cov ey suggests visualization. Every successful outcome is created twice; first one plan and second on implementation. Habit 3: Put First Things First The key to putting first things first is to understand that we have many things we can do which will have a significant, positive impact on our lives. Covey stresses that we must balance Production (P) with Productive Capability (PC). We must keep the golden eggs, but also maintain goose. Prioritization is the essence of time management. Interdependence The remaining habits in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People are habits of interdependence. Rather than being dependent upon other people, or trying to be totally independent, we learn how to be more effective by effectively working with others. Habit 4: Think Win/Win Thinking Win/Win means seeking mutual benefit in our human interactions. To be successful in the long run, we should learn to consider other’s win factors besides our own. Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood Most people talk more than they listen. Until we listen actively and seek to understand others, we would not be understood. Active listening is about sensing the three modes of communications, i.e. visual, vocal and verbal. Habit 6: Synergize It means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Combining the strengths of each individual yields multiple outcome beyond expectations, simply ‘1+1>2’. Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw Just as a machine will wear out quickly if not properly maintained, the same is true for our own personal productivity. We must take care of ourselves. The four dimensions are physical, mental, social/emotional and spiritual renewals. To me, the first concept on paradigm is profound. I agree that when we change our perspectives, our attitudes and behaviours will change. To achieve enrichment in life, we need to understand our own paradigm, crystalize and anchor our principles. I have adopted these principles and find peace in self-awareness, social relationship and professional communications. Covey has successfully synthesised the successful habits of leaders, crystallised and organized them into two progressive segments. In line with child development from birth through death, one indeed grows from dependence to independence in early childhoo d to adolescence. We then mature to adults, where we progress from independence to interdependence. The seven habits are indeed proven to be critical for any individual to attain private and public victories. Hence it is no surprise that whenever I business leaders within my network on which are some books they would read to enrich their management knowledge, this book is voted as the most influential book that changed their lives. I have personally adopted these habits in my personal and professional communications and testify their effectiveness. I have sharpened my strengths in strategic thinking and leadership by adopting the habits of ‘Begin with the end in mind’ and ‘Synergize’. For instance at the Polytechnic, I mooted the idea of Young GEMS(Go-the-Extra-Miles-for-Service) camp for upper secondary school students to build our prospects for future enrolment. Upon approval from management for the Young GEMS camp, I formed a program team and successfully lead it to implement the camp through skilful synergy of the individual’s competence. This book has provided comprehensive coverage on the why and how of each habit. The only gap I see is that the context are US-based. It would be better if there is an Asian version with case studies of local enterprises and leaders, for the benefit of Asian readers. For instance, unlike Americans, Asians are generally weak in questioning skills to ‘seek to understand’ others. It would be helpful if there are some recommended strategies in questioning to gain insights of other’s perspectives. Also, Asians tends to individual and less apt to working in teams, particularly in appreciating individual strengths, expressing diversified opinions openly. Asian case studies on ‘Win-win’ and ‘Synergize’ would certainly be helpful. There is no doubt that all seven habits are pivotal in today’s managers and organisations. I personally have benefited as an account manager in Hewlett-Packard Singapore Sales when I was sponsored to attend the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People one-week course. It has significantly increased my self-awareness, strategic thinking skills, time-management skills and revolutionizes my perspectives in life. I can testify that the Habits are practical prescriptions for building trustworthy and lasting relationships, hence empowering managers to be effective leaders who could develop the most conducive working environment that attracts and retains like-minded talents for the good of society. Applications of seven habits by Steven Covey. (2016, Aug 05).

Friday, September 27, 2019

INTRO to SOCIOLOGY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

INTRO to SOCIOLOGY - Essay Example Such perspectives may be thought of as certain models of social reality. Indeed, each theoretical perspective offers general postulates about the way society works, and for this purpose tries to correspondingly interpret numerous facts of a societys functioning and development. As with other models which human beings employ for understanding the world, like in science, philosophy, and in our everyday goings-on, sociological perspectives construct models with the aim to uncover the meaning of what we regularly witness around us. However, particular models often tend to highlight some specific characteristics of the complex social network of interdependencies, and thus turn out to accentuate different elements of a societys structure and functioning. Some perspectives even proclaim the refusal to accept the indisputable universal validity of offered perspectives as such. In general, while such narrow focuses of sociological perspectives may be quite warranted if we consider that they h elp to concentrate the research on one problem or a set of closely-related problems for their proper clarification, there is a flip side of a coin as hardly any concrete theoretical sociological perspective may be righteously considered to be the best one. The reason for this is not only in the fact that conscious contraction of research space to one particular perspective makes the investigation inherently limited. After all, this limitation can be mitigated by addressing many alternative perspectives which in combination may produce a more coherent picture of social phenomena. The more subtle problem is rather in the limitations of sociological perspectives due to their mostly theoretical background which, if due to some reason it lags behind the actual social tendencies, may hinder productive efforts to build the most adequate model of social reality. Still, this problem seems to be inevitable in our dynamic social environment with its unprecedented level of change in many sphere s of our life. Nevertheless, this should not discourage us from attempts to achieve the proper level of understanding of the roots and hidden driving forces behind existing social problems with the help of sociological perspectives. Rather, with the above considerations in mind we should be able to properly see when different sociological perspectives can be effectively employed, and which strong and weak points each of them contains. For this purpose, let us overview the so-called conflict and symbolic interactionist sociological perspectives, and identify a social problem which can be analysed with the help of those perspectives. Theorists of the conflict perspective are interested in the macro level of society and see it not as a solidary formation but as a battle-field for power struggles. Under this view, people are not really co-operating for social benefits, but instead are advancing their particular interests at the expense of other people. The notion of power plays a major role here, and can be defined as the ability of a person, or a group of persons, to fulfil their own will regardless of the existing disagreement of other people who are involved in their actions. Marx is a famous conflict theorist who viewed the conflict between classes as

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Country analysis ( Germany ) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Country analysis ( Germany ) - Research Paper Example In particular, Germany majors on manufacturing and processing of products, ranging from vehicles, machineries and even chemicals that are highly valued globally. Trade Exports accounted for about 52 percent of its GDP. European Union (EU) integration has facilitated intra-European trade accounting for about 69 percent of German exports shipped to European countries. In addition, it accounts for an estimated value of 58.2 percent delivered to member states of the EU. The report highlights Germanys largest trading partners based on the amount of revenue generated and the percentage they account for in trading with Germany. The report gives details about Germany’s Outward investments in the form of Foreign Direct Investments with a primary focus laid on net inflows and outflows. The report tabulates the statistics from 2004 to 2013 and shows how both have influenced the growth of Germany’s economy. Germany has a very stable economy based on the evidences the report offers. The country has continually relied on its well-established industrial base to fast track their exports being part of the Euro economic zone. The country’s currency is moderately valued on the global scale. Germany’s economic environment is promising in the long-term international trading activities’ perspective. The merits attribute to its high scores in economic liberty, diverse economic strategies, and government transparency. International Monetary Fund (IMF) has encouraged Germany to reduce on fiscal stance that may rather render the instability of the

Movie review 2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

2 - Movie Review Example As he grows attached to Diego, he becomes lenient and also pursues a love interest-Diego’s neighbor. The Seventh Seal movie is a drama based on the medieval crusade times where the main character, Antonious Bloch faces many hurdles in his life. After he comes back from the crusades, he realizes that there is famine and plagues in his homeland and there is a man (Death) on his trail to kill him (SDG, 2005). Block challenges his assassin to a game of chess where the stakes are high. If block loses, he dies and if he is wins all is well with him and his family. There is a strong message in the film and a moral struggle between doing what is right for oneself and the interests of others. The game of chess decides the outcomes of individual’s lives(Young, 1960. This, in itself, is a moral contentious issue as the stakes are too high to be decided by individual’s game knowledge. Ashes and Diamonds concern the plight of Maciek, a young polish right-wing army man who is instructed to assassinate the new communist secretary (Bradshaw, 2009). He attempts but fails in his first trial, causing the death of two civilians. He tries again but he is not convinced he is doing the right thing. He falls in love with a girl at the hotel where the communist frontrunner stays. He eventually manages to kill the leader but also dies from wounds from a gunshot he sustained (Malcolm, 1999). The moral struggle in this film is portrayed in the conscience of the young soldier. He is not convinced that killing the communist secretary is appropriate and according to his principles. However, as an army officer, he is obligated to follow the orders he is given, killing the communist official. Zhang Yimou’s Red Sorghum is a chines film that covers the chines cultural revolution during the periods of 60s and 70s. It entails the story of a young poor girl who is

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Discussion questions Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Discussion questions - Article Example few colored people on campus, their tendency is to forgo class divisions in favor of building friendships, companionship, and protection for themselves in a land or campus that they consider strange. Therefore, it is highly possible to disentangle race and class from one another due to the existence of segregation in a given social setting. I do not approve of the government promoting economic diversity in communities through deconcentration of poverty and mobility programs. While I agree that the government must support the desire of the lower financial bracket to advance themselves, advancing them into communities before they are actually ready to become a part of it has disastrous results. Just because the government subsidizes a group of individuals does not mean that the individuals are ready to be part of that community and can do their part. I make these claims based upon the results of the Gautreaux plaintiffs whose forced move to the suburbs resulted in a program that was small, finite, and slow to move families, relying on existing housing, voluntary landlord compliance, and the willingness and ability of individual black families to relocate to the suburbs. 1 While the government integration plans seem feasible on paper, it may work with disastrous results in real life. This then creates a chain reaction of negative effects upon the community the integration was supposed to

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Hurling alone critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hurling alone critique - Essay Example Demographic analysis shows that famines has led to the changes in lifestyles and behavior of those of Irish ancestry and, when mixed with stressful environment, this lifestyle is likely to lead to cardiovascular disease. In addition, the article points to the racial approach to various diseases, as some ethnic groups have more obvious predisposition to a certain disease (ibid). As for me, the main controversy underlies in two aforementioned statements: on the one hand, socioeconomic status contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease, but racial and ethnic factors are also included, so the real reason for posing Irish people as a risk group is quite vague. Another problem is in comparison itself is the narrowness of analysis: the scholars in fact, attempted to match socioeconomic and health factors, but spoke very little about lifestyle factors and the other important characteristics of each group. Furthermore, socioeconomic factors were reduced to employment and or the presence of another source of income, whereas they have forgotten about the huge Irish heritage, extrapolated to the United States by immigrants: job patterns and perceptions, the overall 'careerism' and the ability to spend leisure time effectively and usefully.

Monday, September 23, 2019

The use of emulsifiers in the food industry Essay

The use of emulsifiers in the food industry - Essay Example In this paper, the need, use and importance of emulsifiers in food industry will be clearly depicted. The importance of emulsifiers in different food preparations will also be explained by examples. 2.0 Emulsifiers Emulsifiers are the chain of molecules which possess one water-loving i.e. hydrophilic nature on one end of the chain and oil-loving, i.e. hydrophobic nature at the other end. For example, when oil and water are added together, it does not mix and the oil floats in the water surface. This mixture can only be possible when emulsifier is added in them. After mixture of emulsifier, oil and water get lightly dispersed with each other forming stable, homogenous smooth mixture (Food Info, 2009). Emulsifier is generally a product which facilitates two substances to mix up homogeneously which ordinarily may not be possible to mix well. For example, mayonnaise is an ‘emulsified food product’. To enhance the taste and texture of this food product, emulsifier is added wi th other ingredients. In food products, the emulsified mixture are the combination of at least two components or â€Å"phases† which in general do not mix well all together. Oil and water are the two phases in mayonnaise (Bernstein, n.d.). 3.0 Importance The food industry uses various types of emulsifiers while producing variety of food products. The simplest type of emulsifier used in food industry is a natural emulsifier which is derived from a source of vegetable referred to as ‘lecithin’. This natural emulsifier has been derived from soybeans though other types of emulsifiers are derived from various other sources. For the production of lecithin, the soy oil is expressed from the soil beans, which is ultimately treated with steam. This emulsifier is commonly used in chocolate bars and chocolate candy. The presence of lecithin with other various ingredients in chocolate facilitates to uphold stability and avert separation and spoilage. In the food industry, em ulsifiers are a foremost ingredient group that are used in products. The primary importance of emulsifiers is to increase the improvement of food palatability. The food products which make use of fats or fatty ingredients need the presence of emulsifier in order to maintain their reliability and quality. Several products of chocolate coatings and icings require this as they make fatty things. The disadvantage of the existence of these fats is primarily â€Å"mouthfeel†, which they convey to the final product. The addition of emulsifiers makes the finished product more delicious since it reduces the slippery content from the product after tasting of the fat component. Consequently, texture and stability does not negotiate taste and consumer acceptability (Bernstein, n.d.). 4.0 Applications of Emulsifiers Emulsifier is used in variety of food productions in the food industry. Several examples can highlight the importance of use of emulsifier: It is used in making bread because without the use of emulsifier it becomes dry, low in volume and get decayed easily. Two types of emulsifiers are used in bread, which are dough strengtheners and dough softeners. In dough strengtheners, diacetyl tartaric acid esters and sodium or calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate are included which help to make the dough stronger; and dough softener includes mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids,

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Ict Unit 30 Essay Example for Free

Ict Unit 30 Essay Section B Hardware: Graphics Card Graphics cards processes all your graphics in your computer. All Graphics Cards have memory, these come in 128MB, 256MB and 512MB. The more memory your computer has, the faster it will run and combine it with a good processor. Internal Memory Cache memory is a added memory system that temporarily stores frequently used instructions and data for quicker processing by the central processor of a computer. RAM Random Access Memory is the working memory in a computer. Processor – The chip inside the computer that performs all of the calculations and operations necessary to make your computer run. Software: Vector based – CorelDraw is a vector graphic design software package. Other examples include: Adobe Illustrator, Computer Graphics Metafile and Shockwave Flash. Raster based Photo Raster is an advanced online photo editor software. Bitmap based Paintshop Pro is an image manipulation software, it allows you to work with Vectors and Rasters. Photo Manipulation Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program. Other software Image viewers and photo galleries. File formats: TIFF file A TIFF file stands for Tagged Image File Format. TIFF files are a common format for images, especially those used on graphic design. GIF file – GIF files are a format commonly used for graphics presented on websites. GIFs can contain a maximum of 256 colours, and are therefore best for images that contain simple shapes. JPG file JPG files, also known as JPEG files, are a common file format for digital photos and other digital graphics. When JPG files are saved, they use lossy compression, meaning image quality is lost as file size decreases. M1: A raster graphic or image is made up of pixels. Pixels are small squares of information. Raster graphics are wonderful for rich, full-colour images such as photographs. Raster graphics are rendered images on a pixel-by-pixel basis and they are fantastic when handling shading and gradients. Raster graphics are great when creating rich and detailed images. Every pixel in a  raster image can be a different colour therefore you can create a complex image with any kind of colour changes and variations. Also almost any program can work with a simple raster file. The most recognized application that handles raster graphics is Adobe Photoshop however there are also several other image editing software options out there for you to choose from. However raster images cannot be scaled up in size very well. If you do try to enlarge a raster image, it will look grainy and distorted. This is because raster images are created with a finite number of pixels. When you increase the size of a raster image, the image increases in size however, because there are no longer enough pixels to fill in this larger space, gaps are created between the pixels in the image. The photo editing software that you are using will try to fill these gaps the best they can however, the resulting image is often blurry. Another disadvantage is raster graphics are not great for embroidery. Because raster images are based on square pixels, your embroidery may look like it has jagged edges. If you want to embroider an image with smoother edges, it is best to use vector graphics instead of raster graphics. A vector graphic is made up of a series of small points that combine together to make lines and images. The most recognized applications which handle vector based graphics are Adobe illustrator, Macromedia freehand and Corel draw. Vector graphics are generally used for line art, illustrations and embroidery. Vector files are small because they contain a lot less data than raster files. Also vector graphics are more flexible than raster graphics because they can be easily scaled up and down without any loss to the quality of the image. As well as vector graphics having smoother lines when compared to square, pixel-based raster graphics therefore, they are better with straight lines and sweeping curves than raster graphics. However Vector graphics are generally filled with a solid colour or a gradient. They can’t display the lush colour depth of a raster graphic. Comparisons: A CD-ROM is a CD that can be read by a computer with an optical drive. The ROM part of the term means the data on the disc is read-only, or cannot be altered or erased; they can hold up to 700 MB. A hard drive however is the computers main storage media device that permanently stores all data on the computer. A flash card is a small data storage device that uses a flash  memory chip to store data. Flash cards can be quite small in size, with a capacity of many gigabytes of storage. And a USB storage device is a portable device that holds users data and files. USB storage devices include external hard drives and flash drives. A graphics tablet is an input device which allows you to draw a picture onto a computer screen without having to use a mouse or keyboard. It consists of a flat, touch-sensitive pad and some sort of drawing device, usually either a pen or stylus. However a computer mouse is an input device that is most often used with a personal computer. Moving a mouse along a flat surface can move the on-screen cursor to different items on the screen. A digital camera on the other hand is a camera that stores images digitally rather than recording them on film. Once a picture has been taken, it can be downloaded to a computer system, and then manipulated with a graphics program and then printed. Finally a computer scanner is used to convert a hard copy, that is a document you can hold in your hand, into data that your computer can read. Output media: The output medium involves a printer, monitor, mobile phone, PDA and a plotter. The way in which the development of output medium has had an impact on the design and the creation of the graphic images is by having vector images that look real life so it is clearer and appealing for people to look at. The reason for this is that before there used to be older monitor cases that were not as thin, because it is around 30cm deep and are Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors. Whereas now there are modern monitors that are thinner which means that the case isn’t more than a few centimetres deep and are generally LCD which is also known as the Liquid Crystal Display or thin Film Transistors (TST). The way in which the development of printers has had an impact on the design and the creation of the graphics is, because if people wanted to receive good quality printing then they would have to buy a printer that is more expensive. Whereas now people don’t have to buy an expensive printer to receive good quality graphics. Another way in which the development of the printers has had an impact on the design and the creation of the graphics is, because there are new features available on one machine so the specific needs of the customers are being met as they are able to do everything themselves. Mobile phones have also had an impact on the design and the creation of graphics is, because people are able to take a picture  from their phones and edit it onto the computer. Whereas now people are able to edit it on their phones and Bluetooth it to the computer or printer which is not time-consuming and more efficient. Section C D2: The file format is basically the way in which the layout of the image is known as, in order for it to be stored on the computer. Therefore this shows us that due to there being different types of file formats they can be reduced, so that they are easily recognised and accessed by the file. JPEG/ JPG also known as the Joint Photographic Experts Group and it is used for photos and the continuous tone images. This specific format is mainly for the web applications and it is quite similar to the GIF file, however the only difference is that the JPEG files store all of its colour data and doesn’t need transparency whereas the GIF files don’t store the colour information. In addition the reason as to why I would not use this file format for my images that I have got from Google is, because when I try to print the image or change its size for example increase it e.g. stretch it, then the image can become degraded or pixelated. This means that the image quality is lost, does no t look as efficient and it is not clear to see. There are two different types of compression techniques and these are Lossless compression and Lossy compression. Therefore the compression techniques are used to reduce the disk size of the file. So if the file size is reduced then there is more storage space. However it could also be that the file needs to be moved to a different location. For example a small file size arrives more quickly that a file with more capacity and information. Lossless compression is when the images can be rebuilt from the compressed image. Whereas lossy compression is the opposite so this means that the original image cannot be rebuilt from the compressed image. Image resolution is when the amount of detail the image includes. Therefore it could be for digital images, such as vector or bitmap images, film images and other types of images etc. However if an image has a higher resolution then there is more detail within it and it can be measured in many different ways. This means that the resolution of images just shows how close the lines are to each other and be visibly resolved. In addition the resolution units can be  viewed as the physical sizes, such as the lines per image the inch or to the overall size of a picture for example lines per picture height. The reason why colour depth is important is, because it controls the file size and the overall quality of the image. To conclude looking at the different factors of the images, such as file formats, compression techniques, image resolution and colour depth they each have their own role in maintaining a good quality image and different methods to do so. Section C P6: Copyright is when people create the different types of media which is in a form of information for example images, software and books. Therefore the owners have the right on how they would like the work to be used or copied. However when people want to reuse the image they need to get permission first, because the images could have copyright. This stops someone from copying an idea therefore the business will have enough time to develop and manufacture the idea. This can then be sold at a high price to begin, in order to recover some of the development costs. Copyright free is when the images can be used by anyone so these images can be found on web pages for example Google. This is because they are easily recognised as copyright free which could be included from the graphics software. Whereas there are some images that are not easily identified as copyright free so this means that the person needs to gain permission from the owner in order for it to be used, as it could result in th e image having copyright. Generally when someone asks permission from the owner it could result in paying a sum of money for the image to be reused. As well as when someone takes photos of other people then he or she will need to ask them to sign a model release form which gives the photographer permission to use the image. This is because there are some people who don’t find using someone’s photos appropriate without their permission. Whereas for non-commercial use for example education schools then it is suitable for them to copy the image and use it for their education as they might need it for their project and there is no other purpose for using the information. However if the students require a lot of information then they might need to get permission for using the information and stating the name of the copyright image and the owner of the piece of information.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Poppers Falsifiability As A Criterion Of Demarcation

Poppers Falsifiability As A Criterion Of Demarcation The problem of demarcation has long preoccupied philosophers of science who wished to differentiate pseudo-science from science itself. Many solutions have been attempted, but it is still, in my opinion, Poppers falsfiability which addresses the demarcation problem most effectively. This paper will therefore argue for a revised use of falsifiability as a criterion of demarcation. To argue this point, a clear explanation of Poppers falsfiability criterion will be attempted, as well as an examination of the criticisms falsifiability has received, specifically in relation to the Duhem-Quine problem and Kuhns problem of incommensurability. This paper will then conclude with a discussion of ad hoc modifications and ultimately demonstrate that falsifiability can convincingly demarcate science from pseudo-science. Early on in his book Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge, Popper notes that the Logical Positivists differentiated science from pseudo-science by its empirical method; in other words they believed that science relied on induction from experience while non-scientific disciplines did not. This, according to Popper, was untrue, since fields such as astrology, a pseudo-science, also used induction from observation to justify their claims, relying on things such as horoscopes, biographies, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Unsatisfied, Popper notes that although some pseudo-scientific claims might be just as truthful as scientific ones, the problem of demarcation needed to be solved so that philosophers, scientists and the public alike could distinguish scientific theories from those which merely pretended to be scientific. Verifiability was seen as a solution to the problem of demarcation for philosophers such as Wittgenstein, but not for Popper, whoargued that pseudo-scientists relied very much on verifiability in order to convince their peers of the scientific status of their theories. This point is illustrated in Poppers anecdote in which Alfred Adler supports his theory of inferiority feelings by his thousand-fold experience. This personal experience convinced Popper that the very ability of pseudo-scientific theories, such as Marxism and Freudianism, to incessantly confirm their predictions, in other words with overwhelming verifiability, was in fact the strongest argument against them. Verifiability, therefore, could not be an adequate criterion of demarcation. Before further exploring Poppers explanation of falsifiability as a criterion of demarcation, it is important to draw a distinction. While Popper uses the terms falsifiability and testability interchangeably, this paper will not. Falsifiability, in this paper, will be seen as the possibility of a concept being both theoretically and practically falsifiable, while testable will be restricted to things only falsifiable in practice. This distinction is important as it entails that, if falsifiability is to be used a criterion of demarcation, theories which can only be falsified in theory, such as Newtons second law, can in fact reach scientific status. Indeed, although there is no place in the universe in which no forces will be exerted on a body, Newtons second law remains falsifiable (not testable) and therefore can still be viewed as scientific. Testability would be too restricting as a criterion of demarcation. Popper explains that the value of falsifiability lies in its risk. If a theory is falsified, it is subsequently refuted by the scientific community. Pseudo-sciences, it is argued, attempt to avoid falsifiability either by providing unfalsifiable predictions or destroying their falsifiability through ad hoc modifications, a procedure he calls a conventionalist twist. The first case, that is providing unfalsifiable predictions, is exemplified in Poppers view of Astrology. Astrology makes predictions and prophecies in such a vague manner, that it is impossible to falsify their predictions. For example, predicting that today Libras will counter an emotional block in one of their long term goals is not falsifiable: practically any event can be interpreted as an emotional block in a long-term goal. By escaping falsifiability, astrology has in fact prevented itself from reaching scientific status. Poppers second remark on pseudo-sciences, that it is about those which escape falsifiability through ad hoc modifications, has been much more controversial, inspiring much criticism from other philosophers of science. However, before addressing the issue of ad hoc modification, this paper will address the criticisms of falsifiability known as the Duhem-Quine problem and Kuhns problem of incommensurability in order to prove a much needed revision of Poppers falsifiability. The Duhem-Quine problem is a strong criticism of Poppers falsifiability. It was first proposed in Pierre Duhems The Aim and Structure of Physical Theory. The Duhem-Quine problem revolves around the idea of holism, which explains that any given system, such as a proposed scientific theory, relies heavily on its components ability to work together as a group. Duhem proposes that the theories of physics cannot be tested in isolation, as the testing theories of physics themselves require the use of auxiliary hypotheses, a stance known today as confirmation holism. This argument can effectively be extrapolated to all the sciences, thus entailing that the testing of scientific theories relies on the use of materials and methods which themselves rely on other theories. For example, when testing a theory that predicts the position of certain stars, one uses a telescope, a tool built on the assumption that our theories on electromagnetic radiation are both correct and accurate. The Duhem-Quin e problem thus proposes that the testing of isolated theories is impossible, a proposition which can be seen as an attack on the use of falsifiability as a criterion of demarcation between scientific and pseudo-scientific theories. The act of falsifying can be understood as comparing a theorys predictions to the results of experimentation. If the theorys predictions are found to be different from the experimentation results, the theory is falsified. This is problematic for subscribers to confirmation holism who accept the fact that falsifying a theory can only establish that there is an error in either the theory or our background assumptions, and not where, or even what, the error is. Therefore, if it is assumed that the testing of any theory relies on many different background theories, all scientific theories could escape falsification by simply transferring the error to its background theories. Referring back to the telescope example, if a theory inaccurately predicted the position of Pluto, this theory could escape falsification simply by stating that the error lies not in its prediction but within the theory of electromagnetic radiation. This is problematic for Poppers use of falsifiability as a criterion of demarcation as the falsification of an isolated scientific theory would be impossible. This, in turn, would mean that the testing of theories, scientific or pseudo-scientific, holds the inherent characteristic of escaping falsification, making falsification an impossible criterion of demarcation. To answer the Duhem-Quine problem, Poppers use of falsifiability as a criterion of demarcation must be revised. It must be conceded that the process of testing a scientific theory in isolation is unfeasible, as our methods of testing themselves rely on background assumptions. Yet, it does not make falsifiability obsolete as a criterion of demarcation, just more exhaustive. Unlike as Popper had suggested, it is not sufficient for a theory to be falsifiable for it to be scientific. All isolated theories, scientific or pseudo-scientific, attempt to escape falsification by pegging the source of error on the background assumptions of testing. Moreover, it is not adequate to propose that all background assumptions upon which the testing of a theory is based must also be falsifiable in order for that theory to be scientific, as this would be too restricting. Every theory is built upon an infinite number of assumptions, a problem analogous to underdeterminism, and inevitably all theories wou ld be pseudo-scientific. For example, the testing of Newtons laws of motions is based on the unfalsifiable assumption that the human observation of motion is accurate. It is for this reason that I believe scientific theories must not be viewed as isolated propositions, but rather as part of a scientific system which requires the provision of at least one falsifiable method of testing. This is a criterion which the pseudo-science of astrology, for example, fails to meet, as astrology provides no falsifiable method of testing its predictions, while Newtons laws provide falsifiable equations (ex: F=ma) as a method of testing its predictions. It is thus concluded that only scientific systems are falsifiable. Another criticism of Poppers falsifiability has been the argument that falsification does not produce an accurate picture of science, that falsificationist methodologies incorrectly depict science as a sort of pyramid of knowledge, where scientific knowledge is accumulated over time (brick by brick) to provide an ever-progressing image of how the universe works (the pyramid itself). This view of science, heavily endorsed by Karl Popper, is the subject of criticism in Thomas Kuhns book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, where the l[?] problem of incommensurability is introduced. Thomas Kuhn argues that science, as a historical discipline, is in reality not an accumulation of knowledge, but rather a collection of normal science and scientific revolutions. In order to fully appreciate Kuhns argument, it must first be understood what Kuhn meant by paradigm. For Kuhn, a paradigm stands for the entire constellation of beliefs, values, techniques and so on shared by the members of a given community (Kuhn 175) in this case, the scientific community. Kuhn defines normal science as the period where scientists methodologies and goals are unified within a paradigm; Aristotelian physics would, for example, be a period of normal science where scientists agreed on sciences goal and methodology. Establishing this, Kuhn then proceeds to label science-as-accumulation as a myth. It is argued that different periods of normal science are incommensurable: they cannot understand each other methodologies, goals, taxonomy, etc. and as such, science cannot be seen as progressive di scipline, seeing that its history is simply a collection of different methods, goals and values which have irrationally changed over time. [Scientists] neither test nor seek to confirm the guiding theories of their paradigm (Bjà ¸rhusda) but simply adhere to the rules of science within their paradigm. If this view is accepted, it must be concluded that falsification could not demarcate science from other disciplines, such as the pseudo-sciences, as science is seen not as a discipline requiring falsifiability, but rather a discipline which solely adheres to ever-changing regulations, goals and methodologies. This problem of incommensurability across different paradigms poses a serious problem to Poppers use of falsifiability as criterion of demarcation, although it might not be seen at first. If it is accepted that the goals, regulations and methods of science are ever-changing, falsifiability cannot be viewed as a fixed requirement of science, much less a criterion of demarcation. After all, how could falsifiability provide us with an accurate picture of science if scientific theories do not hold permanently the unchanging desire to be falsifiable? Once again, a revision of Poppers use of falsificationism as a criterion of demarcation is needed. Although I do recognize that the history of science is, to a certain degree, a collection of incommensurable paradigms, I do not believe that the history of science is a correct representation of science as a discipline. I would argue that science is in reality a normative concept, and more of a goal than a historical accumulation of theories. Many philosophers of science, such as Karl Popper, Thomas Kuhn and even Imre Lakatos all mistakenly believed that the history of science and science itself are identical concepts, although in my opinion, the history of science is most accurately described by Imre Lakatos. Imre Lakatos argued that, much like Kuhn, scientists did not produce single, isolated theories throughout time, but rather worked within research programs (a concept very similar to Kuhns paradigms). In an attempt to reconcile Poppers falsificationist approach to science with Kuhns incommensurability, Lakatos argued that the history of science was actually the process of falsifying research programmes. In this view, the problem of incommensurability is rendered insignificant, as research programmes (which are substantially equivalent to paradigms) are not required to be commensurable, as each is falsified along the way. This provides a vision of the history of science as an accumulation of falsifiable knowledge. Nev ertheless, ad hoc modifications were observed by Lakatos as being a part of the history of science, and inadvertently attributed to science itself. Although Lakatos history of science approach is eloquent, it is incorrect in assuming that since ad hoc modifications are present in the history of science then ad hoc modifications must be a part of science itself. Ad hoc modifications are undoubtedly a part of the history of science, but they are not part of science as a discipline as they do not conform to sciences normative goals. To illustrate this point, Einsteins formulation of the cosmological constant may be used as an example. In order to justify his Theory of General Relativity, Einstein required a static universe one that [would] stand(s) still and (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) not collapse under the force of gravity in a big crunch (Texas AM University). In order to support this claim, Einstein proposed an ad hoc modification, his cosmological constant, a move he later recalled as his greatest blunder. It is here that the distinction between the history of science and science as a discipline can be seen. In truth, over the course o f history, scientists like Albert Einstein have practiced science in many different ways. They have used ad hoc modification to support their theories, a mistake which has been practiced by scientists and pseudo-scientists alike. But science as a discipline is separate from its history, as it is a normative goal which has employed the use of scientific systems, that is, of falsifiable theories and testing methods, in order to gain valuable inductive knowledge about the universe around us, something that pseudo-sciences have not. To conclude, Poppers falsifiability, although convincing, requires [considerable] revision in order to be used as a criterion of demarcation. Indeed, it should be understood that science is a normative discipline where falsifiability is required and where planned modifications take precedence over ad hoc modifications, unlike pseudo-science which satisfies itself in confirming predictions. It should also be understood that this paper does not provide a complete description of science, as many questions remain. Perhaps the most glaring, which was not discussed in this paper due to length constraints, is the problem of how to falsify statements such as all metals conduct electricity, a problem posed by Carl Hempel. Finally, although falsifiability is a requirement of science, it is simply one criterion in a whole set of criteria which distinguish the discipline of science from pseudo-science in a normative attempt to create knowledge through falsifiable scientific systems.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

With the setting of the sun Essay -- English Literature

With the setting of the sun In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, there is a constant feeling of movement and the desire to get away. Nick, Gatsby, Wilson, Tom and Daisy all move, or have the intention of moving. Not only does this movement seem to foreshadow events in the book, but it also seems to lead to the conclusion that society as a whole in the 1920's was rather unstable and was undergoing constant change. Not all the characters move in the same way, and this shows how different their backgrounds and lifestyles are. The main movement seems to be from west to east. Throughout the decades man is said to be progressing through the steps of evolution and toward the setting sun, or east to west. The characters move in opposite direction from which the sun sets, which seems significant to the physical and psychological patterns of the characters. The two main characters that movement affects are Nick and Gatsby. The movement of Nick and Gatsby in this direction shows us how their personalities and feelings change as the sun goes down. There are also the various meanings that the sun has, that seems to map out, or affect their near future. The sun foreshadows Nick and Gatsby's actions and emotions, which in turn are affected by the many representations the sun has. Jay Gatsby is a character that the sun affects in such a way that it becomes a symbol of his ability to direct his will and, when put together with his dream, this gives him a sense of purpose. Jimmie Gatz was born in a town in Minnesota. After changing his name to Jay Gatsby, he moved to West Egg, Long Island in order to start a new life revolved around impressing Daisy. Here the sun represents a psychological belief that surp... ...nd that they, "had never, all along, intended doing anything at all. But it was done now. It was too late."(139) Just as the colors begin to bloom in the dazzling night sky they fade and disappear out of sight, just as Nick moves away. The rising sun has been used to describe progress and evolution, but as the sun travels backwards, it shows people for who they really are. The light is shone hard on the characters, so much so that they have nothing to hide behind. This minor action seems to set and change the entire novel at the same time. It also fits in perfectly with the flow or plot of the book. It shows how the characters are slowly opening up to their surroundings, and how much the sun, metaphorically, affects them. Throughout the novel, the sun has shone light on certain characters to show the power and hidden creativity of the unconscious mind.

I Am Norman Rockwell :: Art Theory Essays

I Am Norman Rockwell Two weeks ago my family and I walked the three miles from Michigan Avenue in Chicago up to the Historical Society to see the Norman Rockwell show. I've been thinking about it ever since: Although the week before had been unseasonably warm and the trees budding, this day was in the 20's and a cold wind was blowing straight from the north, the direction we were walking. My family walked north through the cleaned up Rush street where my wife had secretly gone during high school looking for a safe kind of danger. There were ghosts of buildings no longer there: Gino's Pizza, the Jazz Showcase, and more. Just down Wabash my father, more than 20 years ago had taken me to Jim Diamond's steakhouse and bought me my first glass of wine, lying about my age. It's gone too, like my father. I was overcome with the tyranny of signs, in particular, Peirce's triadic model of representamen, object, and interpretant. Seamus Heaney writes about the ghost of a tree cut down when he was a boy, and says that this space has come to represent his umphalous, his world center. The empty or replaced buildings were ghosts mostly not of the dead but of the living, of the living who had moved on and changed. But the signs, the private set of signs my wife and I knew were there. I used to think that Peirce was talking about the physical presence of a representamen, a stop sign in the most used example, or a stone wall, or a river. I know now that when Chandler in his explanation of Peirce says cryptically a representamen is the form the sign takes and is not necessarily material. What does this have to do with

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

School Should Begin Later in the Day :: Argument Argumentative

School Should Begin Later in the Day   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many teenage high school students are tired during the school day, distracting them from their studies. That is just one of the many good reasons that the starting time of school should be later in the day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some people may say that the brain not being fully functional until 9:30 is just a matter of opinion. Studies have suggested that the average adolescent brain doesn’t even start to fully function until around 9:30 am. Many schools already use the suggested later arrival time, so there students can be ready to learn when they arrive at school.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another thing that everyone knows or remembers about high, school is all of the homework that needs to be done for tomorrow. Plus projects that are due, persuasive essays that need written, and the time you need to be a teenager. Most students even have so much work that they’ll stay up all night just to get it done. When needing a minimum of 9 hours of sleep as a teenager, getting up at 6:30 to be ready for school is just not enough time. It’s easy to think that students will just procrastinate even more, but the average teenager is smarter than you may think.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It sounds absurd to think that students sleep during the school day. The fact is that many students fall asleep during class. Remember that sleep isn’t something you can make yourself not want. Throwing water on your face, listening to loud music, or taking a shower cannot make your bodies craving for sleep disappear. The fact is puberty demands more sleep.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are also risks involved with not getting enough sleep. Most people will be very sleepy and drowsy during the day, mood and behavioral problems, and even increased vulnerability to drugs and alcohol. These things could also develop more into serious sleeping disorders. Experts advise to not read or

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Fuzzy Logic

Overview The reasoning in fuzzy logic is similar to human reasoning. It allows for approximate values and inferences as well as incomplete or ambiguous data (fuzzy data) as opposed to only relying on crisp data (binary yes/no choices). Fuzzy logic is able to process incomplete data and provide approximate solutions to problems other methods find difficult to solve. Terminology used in fuzzy logic not used in other methods are: very high, increasing, somewhat decreased, reasonable and very low. [4] [edit]Degrees of truth Fuzzy logic and probabilistic logic are mathematically similar – both have truth values ranging between 0 and 1 – but conceptually distinct, due to different interpretations—see interpretations of probability theory. Fuzzy logic corresponds to â€Å"degrees of truth†, while probabilistic logic corresponds to â€Å"probability, likelihood†; as these differ, fuzzy logic and probabilistic logic yield different models of the same real-world situations. Both degrees of truth and probabilities range between 0 and 1 and hence may seem similar at first. For example, let a 100 ml glass contain 30 ml of water. Then we may consider two concepts: Empty and Full. The meaning of each of them can be represented by a certain fuzzy set. Then one might define the glass as being 0. 7 empty and 0. 3 full. Note that the concept of emptiness would be subjective and thus would depend on the observer or designer. Another designer might equally well design a set membership function where the glass would be considered full for all values down to 50 ml. It is essential to realize that fuzzy logic uses truth degrees as a mathematical model of the vagueness phenomenon while probability is a mathematical model of ignorance. edit]Applying truth values A basic application might characterize subranges of a continuous variable. For instance, a temperature measurement for anti-lock brakes might have several separate membership functions defining particular temperature ranges needed to control the brakes properly. Each function maps the same temperature value to a truth value in the 0 to 1 range. These truth values can then be used to determine how the brakes should be controlled. Fuzzy logic temperature In this image, the meaning of the expressions cold, warm, and hot is represented by functions mapping a temperature scale. A point on that scale has three â€Å"truth values†Ã¢â‚¬â€one for each of the three functions. The vertical line in the image represents a particular temperature that the three arrows (truth values) gauge. Since the red arrow points to zero, this temperature may be interpreted as â€Å"not hot†. The orange arrow (pointing at 0. 2) may describe it as â€Å"slightly warm† and the blue arrow (pointing at 0. 8) â€Å"fairly cold†. [edit]Linguistic variables While variables in mathematics usually take numerical values, in fuzzy logic applications, the non-numeric linguistic variables are often used to facilitate the expression of rules and facts. 5] A linguistic variable such as age may have a value such as young or its antonym old. However, the great utility of linguistic variables is that they can be modified via linguistic hedges applied to primary terms. The linguistic hedges can be associated with certain functions. [edit]Example Fuzzy set theory defines fuzzy operators on fuzzy sets. The problem in applying this is that the appropriate fuzzy operator may not be known. For this reason, fuzzy logic usually uses IF-THEN rules, or constructs that are equivalent, such as fuzzy associative matrices. Rules are usually expressed in the form: IF variable IS property THEN action For example, a simple temperature regulator that uses a fan might look like this: IF temperature IS very cold THEN stop fan IF temperature IS cold THEN turn down fan IF temperature IS normal THEN maintain level IF temperature IS hot THEN speed up fan There is no â€Å"ELSE† – all of the rules are evaluated, because the temperature might be â€Å"cold† and â€Å"normal† at the same time to different degrees. The AND, OR, and NOT operators of boolean logic exist in fuzzy logic, usually defined as the minimum, maximum, and omplement; when they are defined this way, they are called the Zadeh operators. So for the fuzzy variables x and y: NOT x = (1 – truth(x)) x AND y = minimum(truth(x), truth(y)) x OR y = maximum(truth(x), truth(y)) There are also other operators, more linguistic in nature, called hedges that can be applied. These are generally adverbs such as â€Å"very†, or â€Å"somewhat†, which modify the meaning of a set using a mathematical formula. [edit]Logical analysis In mathematical logic, there are several formal systems of â€Å"fuzzy logic†; most of them belong among so-called t-norm fuzzy logics. edit]Propositional fuzzy logics The most important propositional fuzzy logics are: Monoidal t-norm-based propositional fuzzy logic MTL is an axiomatization of logic where conjunction is defined by a left continuous t-norm, and implication is defined as the residuum of the t-norm. Its models correspond to MTL-algebras that are prelinear commutative bounded integral residuated lattices. Basic propositional fuzzy logic BL is an extension of MTL logic where conjunction is defined by a continuous t-norm, and implication is also defined as the residuum of the t-norm. Its models correspond to BL-algebras. Lukasiewicz fuzzy logic is the extension of basic fuzzy logic BL where standard conjunction is the Lukasiewicz t-norm. It has the axioms of basic fuzzy logic plus an axiom of double negation, and its models correspond to MV-algebras. Godel fuzzy logic is the extension of basic fuzzy logic BL where conjunction is Godel t-norm. It has the axioms of BL plus an axiom of idempotence of conjunction, and its models are called G-algebras. Product fuzzy logic is the extension of basic fuzzy logic BL where conjunction is product t-norm. It has the axioms of BL plus another axiom for cancellativity of conjunction, and its models are called product algebras. Fuzzy logic with evaluated syntax (sometimes also called Pavelka's logic), denoted by EVL, is a further generalization of mathematical fuzzy logic. While the above kinds of fuzzy logic have traditional syntax and many-valued semantics, in EVL is evaluated also syntax. This means that each formula has an evaluation. Axiomatization of EVL stems from Lukasziewicz fuzzy logic. A generalization of classical Godel completeness theorem is provable in EVL. edit]Predicate fuzzy logics These extend the above-mentioned fuzzy logics by adding universal and existential quantifiers in a manner similar to the way that predicate logic is created from propositional logic. The semantics of the universal (resp. existential) quantifier in t-norm fuzzy logics is the infimum (resp. supremum) of the truth degrees of the instances of the quantified subformula. [edit]Decidability issues f or fuzzy logic The notions of a â€Å"decidable subset† and â€Å"recursively enumerable subset† are basic ones for classical mathematics and classical logic. Then, the question of a suitable extension of such concepts to fuzzy set theory arises. A first proposal in such a direction was made by E. S. Santos by the notions of fuzzy Turing machine, Markov normal fuzzy algorithm and fuzzy program (see Santos 1970). Successively, L. Biacino and G. Gerla showed that such a definition is not adequate and therefore proposed the following one. U denotes the set of rational numbers in [0,1]. A fuzzy subset s : S [0,1] of a set S is recursively enumerable if a recursive map h : S? N U exists such that, for every x in S, the function h(x,n) is increasing with respect to n and s(x) = lim h(x,n). We say that s is decidable if both s and its complement –s are recursively enumerable. An extension of such a theory to the general case of the L-subsets is proposed in Gerla 2006. The proposed definitions are well related with fuzzy logic. Indeed, the following theorem holds true (provided that the deduction apparatus of the fuzzy logic satisfies some obvious effectiveness property). Theorem. Any axiomatizable fuzzy theory is recursively enumerable. In particular, the fuzzy set of logically true formulas is recursively enumerable in spite of the fact that the crisp set of valid formulas is not recursively enumerable, in general. Moreover, any axiomatizable and complete theory is decidable. It is an open question to give supports for a Church thesis for fuzzy logic claiming that the proposed notion of recursive enumerability for fuzzy subsets is the adequate one. To this aim, further investigations on the notions of fuzzy grammar and fuzzy Turing machine should be necessary (see for example Wiedermann's paper). Another open uestion is to start from this notion to find an extension of Godel’s theorems to fuzzy logic. [edit]Fuzzy databases Once fuzzy relations are defined, it is possible to develop fuzzy relational databases. The first fuzzy relational database, FRDB, appeared in Maria Zemankova's dissertation. Later, some other models arose like the Buckles-Petry model, the Prade-Testemale Model, the Umano-Fukami model or t he GEFRED model by J. M. Medina, M. A. Vila et al. In the context of fuzzy databases, some fuzzy querying languages have been defined, highlighting the SQLf by P. Bosc et al. and the FSQL by J. Galindo et al. These languages define some structures in order to include fuzzy aspects in the SQL statements, like fuzzy conditions, fuzzy comparators, fuzzy constants, fuzzy constraints, fuzzy thresholds, linguistic labels and so on. [edit]Comparison to probability Fuzzy logic and probability are different ways of expressing uncertainty. While both fuzzy logic and probability theory can be used to represent subjective belief, fuzzy set theory uses the concept of fuzzy set membership (i. e. , how much a variable is in a set), and probability theory uses the concept of subjective probability (i. . , how probable do I think that a variable is in a set). While this distinction is mostly philosophical, the fuzzy-logic-derived possibility measure is inherently different from the probability measure, hence they are not directly equivalent. However, many statisticians are persuaded by the work of Bruno de Finetti that only one kind of mathematical uncertainty is needed and thus fuzzy logic is unnecessary. On the other hand, Bart Kosko argues[citation needed] that probability is a subtheory of fuzzy logic, as probability only handles one kind of uncertainty. He also claims[citation needed] to have proven a derivation of Bayes' theorem from the concept of fuzzy subsethood. Lotfi Zadeh argues that fuzzy logic is different in character from probability, and is not a replacement for it. He fuzzified probability to fuzzy probability and also generalized it to what is called possibility theory. (cf. [6]) [edit]See also Logic portal Thinking portal Artificial intelligence Artificial neural network Defuzzification Dynamic logic Expert system False dilemma Fuzzy architectural spatial analysis Fuzzy associative matrix Fuzzy classification Fuzzy concept Fuzzy Control Language Fuzzy Control System Fuzzy electronics Fuzzy mathematics Fuzzy set Fuzzy subalgebra FuzzyCLIPS expert system Machine learning Multi-valued logic Neuro-fuzzy Paradox of the heap Rough set Type-2 fuzzy sets and systems Vagueness Interval finite element Noise-based logic [edit]Notes ^ Novak, V. , Perfilieva, I. and Mockor, J. (1999) Mathematical principles of fuzzy logic Dodrecht: Kluwer Academic. ISBN 0-7923-8595-0 ^ â€Å"Fuzzy Logic†. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University. 2006-07-23. Retrieved 2008-09-29. ^ Zadeh, L. A. (1965). Fuzzy sets†, Information and Control 8 (3): 338–353. ^ James A. O'Brien; George M. Marakas (2011). Management Information Systesm (10th ed. ). New York: McGraw Hill. pp. 431. ^ Zadeh, L. A. et al. 1996 Fuzzy Sets, Fuzzy Logic, Fuzzy Systems, World Scientific Press, ISBN 9810224214 ^ Novak, V. Are fuzzy sets a reasonable tool for modeling vague phenomena? , Fuzzy Sets and Systems 156 ( 2005) 341—348. [edit]Bibliography Von Altrock, Constantin (1995). Fuzzy logic and NeuroFuzzy applications explained. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall PTR. ISBN 0-13-368465-2. Arabacioglu, B. C. (2010). â€Å"Using fuzzy inference system for architectural space analysis†. Applied Soft Computing 10 (3): 926–937. Biacino, L. ; Gerla, G. (2002). â€Å"Fuzzy logic, continuity and effectiveness†. Archive for Mathematical Logic 41 (7): 643–667. doi:10. 1007/s001530100128. ISSN 0933-5846. Cox, Earl (1994). The fuzzy systems handbook: a practitioner's guide to building, using, maintaining fuzzy systems. Boston: AP Professional. ISBN 0-12-194270-8. Gerla, Giangiacomo (2006). â€Å"Effectiveness and Multivalued Logics†. Journal of Symbolic Logic 71 (1): 137–162. doi:10. 2178/jsl/1140641166. ISSN 0022-4812. Hajek, Petr (1998). Metamathematics of fuzzy logic. Dordrecht: Kluwer. ISBN 0792352386. Hajek, Petr (1995). â€Å"Fuzzy logic and arithmetical hierarchy†. Fuzzy Sets and Systems 3 (8): 359–363. doi:10. 1016/0165-0114(94)00299-M. ISSN 0165-0114. Halpern, Joseph Y. (2003). Reasoning about uncertainty. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-08320-5. Hoppner, Frank; Klawonn, F. ; Kruse, R. ; Runkler, T. (1999). Fuzzy cluster analysis: methods for classification, data analysis and image recognition. New York: John Wiley. ISBN 0-471-98864-2. Ibrahim, Ahmad M. (1997). Introduction to Applied Fuzzy Electronics. Englewood Cliffs, N. J: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-206400-6. Klir, George J. ; Folger, Tina A. (1988). Fuzzy sets, uncertainty, and information. Englewood Cliffs, N. J: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-345984-5. Klir, George J. ; St Clair, Ute H. ; Yuan, Bo (1997). Fuzzy set theory: foundations and applications. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0133410587. Klir, George J. ; Yuan, Bo (1995). Fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic: theory and applications. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall PTR. ISBN 0-13-101171-5. Kosko, Bart (1993). Fuzzy thinking: the new science of fuzzy logic. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 0-7868-8021-X. Kosko, Bart; Isaka, Satoru (July 1993). â€Å"Fuzzy Logic†. Scientific American 269 (1): 76–81. doi:10. 1038/scientificamerican0793-76. Montagna, F. (2001). â€Å"Three complexity problems in quantified fuzzy logic†. Studia Logica 68 (1): 143–152. doi:10. 1023/A:1011958407631. ISSN 0039-3215. Mundici, Daniele; Cignoli, Roberto; D'Ottaviano, Itala M. L. (1999). Algebraic foundations of many-valued reasoning. Dodrecht: Kluwer Academic. ISBN 0-7923-6009-5. Novak, Vilem (1989). Fuzzy Sets and Their Applications. Bristol: Adam Hilger. ISBN 0-85274-583-4. Novak, Vilem (2005). â€Å"On fuzzy type theory†. Fuzzy Sets and Systems 149 (2): 235–273. doi:10. 1016/j. fss. 2004. 03. 027. Novak, Vilem; Perfilieva, Irina; Mockor, Jiri (1999). Mathematical principles of fuzzy logic. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic. ISBN 0-7923-8595-0. Onses, Richard (1996). Second Order Experton: A new Tool for Changing Paradigms in Country Risk Calculation. ISBN 8477195587. Onses, Richard (1994). Determination de l? incertitude inherente aux investissements en Amerique Latine sur la base de la theorie des sous ensembles flous. Barcelona. ISBN 8447508811. Passino, Kevin M. ; Yurkovich, Stephen (1998). Fuzzy control. Boston: Addison-Wesley. ISBN 020118074X. Pedrycz, Witold; Gomide, Fernando (2007). Fuzzy systems engineering: Toward Human-Centerd Computing. Hoboken: Wiley-Interscience. ISBN 978047178857-7. Pu, Pao Ming; Liu, Ying Ming (1980). â€Å"Fuzzy topology. I. Neighborhood structure of a fuzzy point and Moore-Smith convergence†. Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications 76 (2): 571–599. doi:10. 1016/0022-247X(80)90048-7. ISSN 0022-247X Santos, Eugene S. (1970). â€Å"Fuzzy Algorithms†. Information and Control 17 (4): 326–339. doi:10. 1016/S0019-9958(70)80032-8. Scarpellini, Bruno (1962). â€Å"Die Nichaxiomatisierbarkeit des unendlichwertigen Pradikatenkalkuls von Lukasiewicz†. Journal of Symbolic Logic (Association for Symbolic Logic) 27 (2): 159–170. doi:10. 2307/2964111. ISSN 0022-4812. JSTOR 2964111. Steeb, Willi-Hans (2008). The Nonlinear Workbook: Chaos, Fractals, Cellular Automata, Neural Networks, Genetic Algorithms, Gene Expression Programming, Support Vector Machine, Wavelets, Hidden Markov Models, Fuzzy Logic with C++, Java and SymbolicC++ Programs: 4edition. World Scientific. ISBN 981-281-852-9. Wiedermann, J. (2004). â€Å"Characterizing the super-Turing computing power and efficiency of classical fuzzy Turing machines†. Theor. Comput. Sci. 317 (1-3): 61–69. doi:10. 1016/j. tcs. 2003. 12. 004. Yager, Ronald R. ; Filev, Dimitar P. (1994). Essentials of fuzzy modeling and control. New York: Wiley. ISBN 0-471-01761-2. Van Pelt, Miles (2008). Fuzzy Logic Applied to Daily Life. Seattle, WA: No No No No Press. ISBN 0-252-16341-9. Wilkinson, R. H. (1963). â€Å"A method of generating functions of several variables using analog diode logic†. IEEE Transactions on Electronic Computers 12 (2): 112–129. doi:10. 1109/PGEC. 1963. 263419. Zadeh, L. A. (1968). â€Å"Fuzzy algorithms†. Information and Control 12 (2): 94–102. doi:10. 1016/S0019-9958(68)90211-8. ISSN 0019-9958. Zadeh, L. A. (1965). â€Å"Fuzzy sets†. Information and Control 8 (3): 338–353. doi:10. 1016/S0019-9958(65)90241-X. ISSN 0019-9958. Zemankova-Leech, M. (1983). Fuzzy Relational Data Bases. Ph. D. Dissertation. Florida State University. Zimmermann, H. (2001). Fuzzy set theory and its applications. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers. ISBN 0-7923-7435-5. [edit]External links

Monday, September 16, 2019

Carl Jung’s Theory on Personality

All across America, literacy and early education of children has become the focus of concern for parents, teachers, and policy makers. Education has been positively linked to students’ future success in school, their likelihood to continue education past high school, and their future career opportunities. A strong foundation in reading and linguistics is a key factor in children’s academic development and future opportunities.As a result, a great deal of time, money, and energy has been invested in designing programs that focus on developing children’s knowledge and use of the English language in order to provide them with this necessary educational foundation. However, upon close inspection, it seems as though many of these programs focus on correcting only one or two of the many factors at work in the issue of illiteracy in America’s urban youth. While a variety of reading programs are available in almost every school, there are still a significant numbe r of illiterate and struggling students across the nation. Of particular concern is the school preparation of children from economically disadvantaged homes – children who continue to fare less well in school than more advantaged children† (Stipek 711). 40% of America’s fourth grade students lack basic reading skills, but the illiteracy rate increases to 68% for low-income rural and urban areas (Literacy Rates).Research has shown that children who grow up in poor, urban areas struggle the most with reading for a variety of reasons. Despite significant federal and state investments in compensatory education programs, persistent achievement gaps among students of various ethnic, socioeconomic, and linguistic backgrounds have been difficult to close† (Neuman 92). This shows that resources are available to schools and districts that face issues with low literacy rates, but the problem persists. In a study of gaps in reading achievement by Parkinson and Rowan, s tatistical analysis was done on the test scores of high-, average-, and low-risk students upon entering kindergarten through the end of third grade (Neuman 80).Placing these scores on a statistical normal curve helped determine how much the gap between these groups increased as education progressed, and showed significant evidence that socioeconomic factors impact the education of young children. These test scores were then used for further statistical analysis to determine the amount of additional instruction time it would take at-risk students to reach the same achievement level as average and low-risk students.By calculating the standard deviation of each group’s test scores, Parkinson and Rowan were able to then convert that to months of additional instruction necessary to decrease the gaps in reading achievement. In order to match high-risk students achievement with that of average-risk students, 1. 6 months of extra instruction would be necessary at the beginning of kin dergarten, but by the end of the third grade, the time had increased to 4. 7 months. When comparing high-risk and low-risk students’ achievement, 2. months of instruction were needed at the beginning of kindergarten, whereas the end of third grade required 7. 8 months (Neuman 80). While Parkinson and Rowan acknowledge variations and possible issues with the data they collected and analyzed, these calculations still show the effects of socioeconomic factors on educational achievement. In a similar study by Stipek and Ryan on disadvantaged preschoolers and academic motivation, this education gap is explored as a result of lack of motivation.Surveying and calculating the academic achievement of several classroom groups in preschool and kindergarten proved a similar gap in academic achievement to that found by Parkinson and Rowan. â€Å"The results of this study paint a clear picture of children from relatively low-income homes beginning school at a considerable academic disadva ntage† (Stipek, 720). Through several cognitive assessments of skills including problem solving, reading, and language skills, this study attempted to identify where students of low socioeconomic backgrounds struggled the most.Statistically significant differences were found in each of these assessments for each age group, so to further investigate these results, motivation and gender factors were researched as well. â€Å"In contrast to the findings on cognitive variables, the results revealed almost no motivation deficits for the economically disadvantaged children† (Stipek 721). What little differences were found connected to gender were rare and did not suggest any real pattern of academic achievement. While this study ooked into gender and motivation as factors in academic achievement differences, these proved insignificant to explain the achievement gap between students of varying socioeconomic backgrounds. Rather than continue to focus on individual factors, like gender and motivation, that had been proven to have little significance in explaining the education gap, other researchers have taken up the banner of family involvement and home environment on children’s academic development.According to McLoyd and Purtell, â€Å"contemporary esearchers tend to interpret links between family income and home environment within an investment model (i. e. , the notion that income is associated with children’s development because it enables families to invest in the human capital of their children by purchasing materials, experiences, and services that benefit the child’s development and well-being) rather than within a cultural deficit model† (Neuman 58). Reasoning behind this focus can be found in the history of urban areas and the families that live in them, presented by Shirley Heath.In the article Oral and Literate Traditions Among Black Americans Living in Poverty, Heath explains, â€Å"in the late 1980’s, nea rly half of all Black children lived in poverty, and most of these, especially in urban areas, grew up in households headed by a mother under 25 years of age who was a school dropout† (Heath, 3). She continues to explain how ethnic groups, linguistic differences, and religious or regional factors can make finding trustworthy childcare difficult for single mothers, putting further financial strain on the environment.Financial strain can have a negative effect on the focus put on education in homes with both parents and/or high socioeconomic status. This can also erode family bonds and leave students more vulnerable to the presence of drugs and other negative inner-city influences. By getting involved in drugs, gangs, and other harmful influences, education is forgotten, crippling academic achievement and future opportunities, and prolonging the cycle of poverty in poor urban households.While Heath explains the prevalence of this cycle of poverty through interviews and personal perspectives she collected, Manuel Bueno explains the many and persistent affects it has on early childhood development. â€Å"A shortfall in early childhood development will have irreversible consequences on individuals’ future lifetime opportunities. This will reverberate later in life in the form of lower quality jobs, lower wages, shorter life-spans, worse health and lower cognitive abilities, thus perpetuating an intergenerational cycle of poverty† (Bueno).Unlike many articles regarding early childhood development, Bueno also acknowledges the importance of non-nuclear family structures, emphasizing the importance of involving a child’s primary caretaker rather than the mother or father. Especially in poor urban areas, a household can include members of the extended family just as often as it can exclude a child’s biological parents. Bueno suggests creating early childhood development programs that are both multi-faceted and family inclusive.The most successful of the programs Bueno suggests is referred to as ‘parenting programs’ that work to include parents in children’s education to give them an active and responsible role in their child’s development, and provide reinforcement at home for the things learned in school. The value of these programs is also emphasized by a number of other authors. Charles R. Greenwood is one of the forerunners in the argument for the ecological-interactional-developmental model that investigates the home environment effects on early childhood development.He explains the Hart and Risley Code used to â€Å"measure individual children’s growth in learning to talk as well as the child’s language environment, consisting of parents’, siblings’, and friends’ talk heard by the child in the home and addressed directly to the child† (Neuman 116). By recording audiotapes of conversations and interactions, Greenwood was able to analyze thes e observations using Hart and Risley Code. Similar observations and analyses were made in classroom settings to study student’s responses to instruction.These findings were compared to those found in the home environment, where Greenwood explains some interesting connections. Through the use of Hart and Risley, Greenwood was able to find that children from families of low-socioeconomic status were spoken to less frequently and with fewer words. Children from similar socioeconomic statuses also scored lower on vocabulary tests and struggled with basic academic skills, which crippled their early literacy and school readiness by kindergarten age. By this research, Greenwood was able to conclude that children from low ocio-economic status were less exposed to language and therefore did not learn as much. Further investigation showed that this put a strain on the children’s school readiness, resulting in an education gap similar to that found by Parkinson and Rowan, which g rows as students’ progress in their schooling. Class wide peer tutoring is a program developed and implemented by several researchers, including Greenwood, to investigate whether or not students of lowsocioeconomic status families respond better to one-on-one instruction with a tutor outside of the classroom.For ninety minutes a day, four days per week, students met with a tutor on top of regular instruction to complete lessons in reading, spelling, and math instruction. Results indicated that these lessons â€Å"significantly improved students’ classroom engagement during instruction and reduced socially inappropriate behavior, while accelerating reading, language, and mathematics performance on standardized tests† (Neuman 125). Once the positive impact of this supplemental instruction was established, further research was conducted with peer-assisted learning strategies in which students share the role of teacher in small reading groups.Thirty-five to forty-fi ve minute sessions were conducted daily, in which students were broken up into groups of three to practice reading aloud to each other. Individual points are awarded and group totals are used to determine a ‘winner’ each day. The immediate affects this peer-assisted strategy were significant increases in accuracy, fluency, and comprehension of the material read by students (Neuman 122). After explaining the details of both the one-on-one tutoring and peer-assisted learning strategies, Greenwood discusses their effectiveness as the results showed about 59% of participants exceeded the achievement of non-participants. Students in urban settings, from low-income backgrounds, and of minority status experienced larger gains than students from suburban middle- to high-income backgrounds† (Neuman 126). It was also noted that younger students were affected greater than older students. This study shows that while peer tutoring and one-on-one instruction outside the classro om can improve student achievement, it cannot be used as a panacea for the achievement gap. While Greenwood put his focus on supplemental instruction programs to improve literacy in students from low socioeconomic households, Come andFredericks chose to investigate the involvement of parents in reading programs. They claim that poor families avoiding schools is frequently perceived by educators to be a lack of parental interest in children’s education and, upon investigation of an inner city Georgia school, found that 45% of the children had no one to read to them at home (Come 567). This school had developed several programs designed to help increase the self-esteem of children through parental encouragement and involvement in literacy development.One program designed to include parents in children’s reading was a monthly rewards system. If a student read with a parent for at least fifteen minutes each day for a month, it was marked on a calendar, submitted to the tea cher, and the student was rewarded for his or her accomplishment, boosting confidence and reading proficiency. This program was assisted by a school wide book exchange, in which the students themselves improved access to new reading material. When they brought two books to school, they could exchange one book for a book to keep and the other for a book to donate to their classroom library† (Come 569). Accompanied by a cross-age reading program that paired students in different grades for cooperative reading groups, this book exchange reinforced by parental involvement proved to have significant improvements on children’s reading aptitude in the inner city Georgia school. These programs proved to be useful in the development of student’s reading ability and confidence, as well as the involvement of parents in their children’s education.However, inner-city schools are frequently a melting pot of ethnicities and languages, which can put more strain on childre n’s education if schools do not include language development in reading programs. In a study done by William Louden, a project called Literacy in its Place was investigated to compare literacy programs in rural and urban schools. Initial research â€Å"suggested that the reported difference in urban and rural scores could be explained by differences in social class distribution between the country and the city† (Louden 1).When these factors were taken into account, surprisingly little significance was found. Instead, it was found that children from working class homes, specifically homes in which English is a second language or dialect, were more academically disadvantaged than other students. Louden focuses the rest of his research on professional development for teachers to better assist multilingual students and their parents become actively involved in mastering the English language and developing reading skills. While this supports the consensus of the previously discussed authors that hildren from low-income homes struggle more with school, it introduces language development as a new focus for further research. Mahiri and Sablo introduce research into language as a factor in academic achievement and literacy by investigating the voluntary writing of African American students in a California high school. â€Å"This study was initiated because, in our overall quest to look at ways that African American and youth culture could be used as a bridge to writing development, we wanted to learn more about the kinds of writing these students do for their own purposes outside of school† (Mahiri 165).In this case, writing is seen as an outlet through which students are free to express themselves in whatever vernacular they are most comfortable with, without conforming to school standards or expectations. By investigating students’ use of language in out-of-school settings, Mahiri and Sablo hoped to better link what schools view as importa nt and meaningful in lessons, and what students find meaningful in their daily lives.In this study, it was found that minority students were predominantly in basic and academic classes, as opposed to honors or advanced placement, and performing well below the average scores on standardized tests. Statistics provided by the school, which remained unnamed, showed a 44% failure rate for African American students that began as freshman there. Through an analysis of several pieces of literature written by the students included in the research, and the methods for instruction used by their teachers, little connection was found to suggest culturally relevant topics were being included in instruction.Students were applying information obtained at school to improve their skills and express themselves, but instructors made little effort to do the same. The teachers included in the study recognized that urban culture and schools were changing and that these changes would require them to adjust as well, but were having trouble doing so. Mahiri and Sablo also recognize that including culturally relevant material in school instruction and literacy activities would not solve the problems students faced with literacy development.However, their research suggests that it may help with the development of language and reading skills by giving students something that they can relate to and understand based on their own interests. Ernest Morrell addresses this in the article, Toward a Critical Pedagogy of Popular Culture: Literacy Development among Urban Youth. Ernest Morrell, a former teacher in urban schools, claims that low academic achievement is not the result of a lack of interest, intelligence, or other personal factors in urban students.Instead, he suggests that the issue lies with a lack of access to curriculum and resources. Working from the correlation Mahiri found with urban youth literacy practices and the types of practices emphasized by schools, Morrell suggests that â€Å"any investigation of popular culture must emanate from and serve the interests of members of marginalized groups†¦where students and teachers learn from and with one another while engaging in authentic dialogue that is centered on the experiences of urban youth as participants in and creators of popular culture† (Morrell 2).As an example, he explains programs he designed and used in his own classroom, where hip-hop culture, popular film, and the media were incorporated into each unit. When beginning a unit on English poetry, Morrell introduced the importance of learning the context in which poetry was written to obtain a better understanding of the literature. The same idea was applied to hip-hop and rap music that students in the class were familiar with.For the final project, students were given rap songs to choose from and interpret based on contextual concepts and interpretations that apply to English poetry. As a result, students were inspired to create their own rap/poetry, and were able to better engage with the material because it was tied to larger social issues they could relate to. A similar idea was used in units on popular film and current media. Several movies related to books and assigned reading material were watched in class while students took notes comparing characters, writing styles, and story structure.News segments were also watched to help students analyze portrayals of stories in the media, conduct interviews, and complete a research project on a current topic in the news. Based on his observations of the students in his classroom, Morrell found that â€Å"critical teachers and teacher educators can use classroom-based research to prove that there are ways to meet the challenges the new century offers and turn them into opportunities to connect to the worlds of students, to promote academic achievement, and to prepare students for critical citizen ship in a multicultural democracy† (Morrell 4).Through an inves tigation of current studies being done on reading programs and language development in urban schools, it is easy to see what students struggle with and why. Students from urban neighborhoods tend to be poor working families where English may not be the primary language. Some researchers have interpreted the struggles of these students as a lack of involvement from parents and programs have been designed to better include them in their child’s education. While these have proven to be somewhat successful, they do not solve any issues beyond increasing parental involvement.Other less successful programs have been designed to increase students’ access to school resources, thinking that increased access will increase reading comprehension and proficiency. While this also proved somewhat successful, it can only be applied to schools where budget issues do not limit those resources. Family structure, student motivation, and gender have also been investigated as possible facto rs in the literacy of urban youth, but proved to have an insignificant effect.The most successful research and program development has been a result of combined individually researched ideas. Developing programs that incorporate popular culture has proven to engage students better than regular classroom material and often on more a personal level. Peer tutoring and other cooperative learning programs have proven to be somewhat successful because they allow students to encourage each other in their responsibilities, but this can by further increased by the inclusion of popular culture in the material.These ideas, in addition to increasing parental involvement and increasing students’ access to resources, have had the most significant impact on education and literacy development. It is the incorporation of urban culture into education that further research should be conducted on. By understanding what is important and relevant to students and including that in their education, a platform can be created from which literacy and language skills can be developed.