Monday, September 30, 2019

Art is long, life is short Essay

For centuries people have felt enormous need to leave their trace in the world’s history. Some of them followed the line of least resistance – destruction, on the contrary of those who created things, art. I would like to tackle the problem of art and human life. To start with I feel like giving the definition to the notion â€Å"art†. I think it is quite true that art is the way of self-expression, the external manifestation of an internal state. It’s very hard for me to tell when the art starts, whether at the moment the idea appears, or at the time of the first physical effort to do it. What you need is to feel it. Furthermore, art never stops its existence. Tajmahal, works of Leonardo and Bach are going on living and influencing their creators’ descendants. Why does it happen? From my point of view, feelings which are born under ‘pressure’ of pieces of art are important in developing the system of world outlook and values. This is why art may be called eternal. Human lives, on the contrary, are too short comparing to the works of art. Moreover, one life is definitely not enough to cognize philosophy of life and art in all it manifestations. The only chance for human beings not to sink in the depths of history is to become a creator, creator of art, so that to live in his own works. For example, contemporary society knows little about Homer, his way of life; however, his immortal â€Å"Odyssey† is still lauding to the skies its author, making him alive after death. Thinking over the above mentioned I may conclude that art is a reflection of inner world and special unique vision of outside world, which is going on living even after its author’s death.

Macbeth Analysis Essay

The extract before me is from Macbeth written by William Shakespeare in the year 1606. It is from Act 1 Sc 7. It takes place in a room at Macbeth’s castle at Inverness. The extract primarily deals with the ploys that Lady Macbeth uses to persuade her husband Macbeth to commit the crime of murdering King Duncan. Two important themes are bought out in this extract, one is about the creation of gender roles and stereotypes and the second one is about appearances often being deceptive. The extract begins with Macbeth telling Lady Macbeth â€Å"We shall proceed no further in this business†. This is obviously referring to something which has happened before in the scene. Macbeth has been contemplating the consequences of this murder. He conceives a very apocalyptic vision of how the angels of heaven are gonna be coming and spreading the news of this murder all across. The angels are gonna be pleading for Duncan’s virtues and the people are gonna be actually crying and there be like a flood of tears which will drown the Earth. So, he tells Lady Macbeth that he does not wish to do away with his golden reputation, he does not want to lose its gloss and therefore, he does not want to proceed with the bloody business as he calls it. Lady Macbeth is obviously very affected by this and she ends up trying to accuse Macbeth of being unmanly. She uses adjectives like â€Å"pale†, â€Å"green†. She compares him to â€Å"the poor cat in the adage†. She is trying to drive the wedge between him and his doing and his desire to achieve the throne and his lack of action. Now, Lady Macbeth says, â€Å"what beast was it then that made you break this enterprise to me†. This is a reference to Act 1, Sc 5 because in Act 1 Sc 5, Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth about the prophecies that the witches had made and how he is supposed to become t he King of Scotland after becoming the Thane of Cawdor. Now, Lady Macbeth is just wedging upon those lines saying that â€Å"when you dared to commit this to me, that is when you were a man† and now if you are actually gonna commit the deed of murder, you are gonna commit the heinous crime of regicide, you will be even more the man. Lady Macbeth reasons out that the time and the place were not appropriate to kill Duncan at that time but now since he has come into our battlements, he is in our castle as our guest, we are supposed to kill him. Lady Macbeth is surprised that Macbeth is losing his resolve at this time. Lady Macbeth goes on to create a very grotesque image that shows that the milk of human kindness is actually not present in her. She says that she has suckled the baby at her breast and she knows â€Å"how tender it is to love the babe that milks me† and she says that if she had ever said that she had committed to anyone that I am going to be killing my child, she would have actually plucked his mouth out of her nipple and dashed his brains out against the wall. This is a very grotesque image produced by Lady Macbeth has produced. This makes it clear to us that Lady Macbeth has been dehumanised, defeminised in all ways. Thus, she has achieved her wish which she asked from the spirits. She is totally unwomanly and does not have any maternal instincts. She is actually a reminder of the character Medea from the play Medea written by Euripedes because Medea had self-decided to kill her own children. Now, we see that the scene has become progressively darker with Lady Macbeth creating images of death and Macbeth ends up contemplating the possible consequences if we should fail. We should see that there are several times when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth talk about each other as being one. They perpetually use ‘we’. Macbeth has never said that ‘i’ am gonna fail at the murder. He says that ‘we’ should fail. This shows that there is a sense of togetherness and they are partners not only in greatness but also in crime. So, Lady Macbeth immediately retaliates but then at this time there is a shift in tone. It becomes much more pragmatic because she divulges the plan of the murder to Macbeth. There is a metaphor used over here, it’s about stringed instruments, now just as you take the string and you create the appropriate tension by tying it to the right peg. Similarly, Lady Macbeth expects that Macbeth decides to be headstrong and resolute and decides to screw his courage to the sticking place. If he does so, they will certainly not fail. She goes on to discuss the plan of murder with Macbeth. She says that when Duncan will be asleep and in all probability, he is likely to sleep due to his long journey. The two sentinels outside his room are gonna be intoxicated by Lady Macbeth using wine, drugs. She will make sure that they are so drunk that they will lose thier memory which has been described as â€Å"the warder of the brain†. The receipt of reason will not be there. Reason will actually be distilled out of their brains. They will not be able to understand anything. They will actually behave like swine and sleeping in that manner. Lady Macbeth sees it as golden opportunity to perform the murder. She once again, as I said, talks about them being one. She says â€Å"what cannot you and I perform upon the unguarded Duncan?† when in fact the murder is going to be committed by Macbeth alone. Lady Macbeth is obviously very important partner in his crime. Now, Lady Macbeth further tells him that they are gonna be taking the daggers and staining the officers with the blood. She expects the officers â€Å"to bear the guilt of our great quell. Now, the use of the word â€Å"guilt† over here is very important and it is also very ironic because it is not like they do not do away with thier guilt ever. In fact, they leave in torment of the very murder. Lady Macbeth in Act 5, Sc 1 in the sleep-walking soliloquy is a woman who has completely lost her senses. She is leaving under intense emotional pressure and she is the one who is not able to sleep anymore. So, it shows that they are actually guilty of the crime. Macbeth himself in Act 2 Sc 2 does not wish to even go back to the scene of the crime again. So, it shows that even though they are gonna be staining the sentinels with blood. In fact, both of them are gonna be living in horror of the deed. Now, Macbeth seems to be quite convinced and he asks Lady Macbeth to bring forward male children only because the â€Å"undaunted mettle should compose nothing but males†. Now, this is very significant because it is about the creation of the gender stereotypes. In the Shakespearean area, it was expected of men to be embodiment of valour, courage and ruthlessness to some extent and woman on the other hand were expected to be more submissive and incapable of coming up with wicked plans. However Lady Macbeth is an exception to this rule because she comes across as one who is so resolute and cold, so devoid of pity that this is something which should be there only in men. Macbeth once again questions his wife and asks her that if they are gonna marking the two sleepy sentinels with blood, would it not see that they have done it. Lady Macbeth says that while they will be hysterically crying and lamenting the death of Duncan, suspicion will never fall upon them. Macbeth finally capitulates to all its wife’s persuasions and he seems to have â€Å"bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat†. This is a very important line in the building up of the tragic hero because Macbeth is gonna be himself responsible for his fate. He has decided to put his heart and soul into committing so heinous a crime and he is indeed gonna be bearing indeed the consequences of it as we see later in the play. The scene ends with a couplete that rhymes which is typical of Shakespeare. It says that â€Å"Away, and mock the time with fairest show: false face must hide what the false heart doth know. So, it recounts the theme that appearances are often deceptive. This theme has been running throughout the play. It all began with King Duncan in Act 1 Sc 2 when he wished that he would be able to recognise people by simply looking at their faces. It is also present in Act 1 Sc 5 when Lady Macbeth asks her husband to â€Å"look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it†. This time Macbeth is the one who is actually telling his wife that she is suppose to be having composure, she is suppose to conceal her ulterior motives and her false face must hide the real intentions that she has. In conclusion, i can say that there is a big contrast between the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth is the one who is contemplating the fear of failure. He says that we should fail, what would happen. He is no doubt ambitious but at the same time he also comes across as a rational being.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Economic Effects of Immigration in the Philippines

Ten Economic Facts about Immigration INTRODUCTION The Hamilton Project believes it is important to ground the current immigration debate in an objective economic framework based on the best available evidence. In this policy memo, we explore some of the questions frequently raised around immigration in the United States and provide facts drawn from publicly available data sets and the academic literature. Most Americans agree that the current U. S. immigration system is flawed.Less clear, however, are the economic facts about immigration—the real effects that new immigrants have on wages, jobs, budgets, and the U. S. economy—facts that are essential to a constructive national debate. These facts paint a more nuanced portrait of American immigration than is portrayed in today’s debate. Recent immigrants hail from many more countries than prior immigrants; they carry with them a wide range of skills from new PhDs graduating from American universities to laborers wi thout a high school degree.Most recent immigrants have entered the United States legally, but around 11 million unauthorized immigrants currently live and work in America; the majority of these unauthorized workers settled here more than a decade ago. Each of these immigrant groups affects the U. S. economy in varied ways that should be considered in the current debate around immigration reform. Immigrants now comprise more than 12 percent of the American population, according to recent estimates, approaching levels not seen since the early 20th century.Today’s controversies over immigration echo arguments made a century ago during the last immigration peak. While the demographics of U. S. immigrants have shifted dramatically, the concerns voiced about the social and economic impacts of immigration strike a familiar chord. A major economic concern is how immigrants influence the wages and employment prospects of U. S. workers. The economic impacts of immigration vary tremendo usly, depending on whether immigrants are unskilled agricultural laborers, for example, or highly skilled PhD computer scientists.Although their consequences are often conflated, it is constructive to examine the impacts of low-skilled and high-skilled immigrants independently. Another point of controversy in today’s debate involves the impact of unauthorized immigrants on our economic wellbeing. The best estimates suggest that 28 percent of the total foreign-born population could be unauthorized. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, roughly 60 percent of these unauthorized immigrants are from Mexico. (However, unauthorized immigrants make up only about 21 percent of U. S. residents of Mexican heritage. When possible, we try to differentiate the figures to more closely understand the different effects—positive or negative—that unauthorized workers may have on the economy. Of course, there are many factors at play and the economic evidence is only one piece of t he puzzle. These facts are designed to provide a common ground that all participants in the policy debate can agree on. In the months and years ahead, The Hamilton Project will return to the issue of immigration as we offer policy recommendations on the economic issues facing the United States.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Significant works of art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Significant works of art - Essay Example Even though The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter and Hà ´tel de Soubise are different types of architecture, it is critical to note that they share similarities. Both the pieces of arts were developed during a period that was dominated by nobility and monarchy (Palmer 230). Trends within the society demanded glorification of power and luxuriousness of the ruling monarchy and religious congregations (Kleiner 730). The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the city of Vatican portrays qualities that are directly associated with monarchy and authority. This includes imperial rule and the significance of the rule of law. Its public presence enables the building serve as a channel of authority. It is believed to be the holiest site in Christianity as it is St. Peter’s traditional burial site. The architecture calls some attention that from a distance it is highly recognizable. The portrayal of such artistic values acts as a global movement that lay more emphasis on developing actual plans rather than sculptures and figures. On the other hand, Kleiner (2013) notes â€Å"rococo style suggested the taste and social initiative of women...† (p. 729). Thus, wealthy and ambitious society that was dominated by women in France hosted visitors in their salons and private spheres that had a defining female taste based in the artistic rococo style (Honour & Flemin 571- 609). One of these was Hà ´tel de Soubise that was constructed for the Prince and Princess de Soubise. Therefore, both designs were shaped by the societal trends and attempted to portray emotional effects through their depictions (Kleiner 729). Both buildings are quite appealing and luxurious with rich decorations and enough space. In addition, both the architects emphasize on cultural background and socio-political conditions as themes present during their specific periods of existence. In their presentation, both pieces delve more into the use of

Thursday, September 26, 2019

HACCP in temperature conrolled transport Assignment

HACCP in temperature conrolled transport - Assignment Example Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a preventive measure in food supply chain that Identify potential biological, chemical and physical hazards in the food production and distribution process and goes further to design preventive measures to eliminate or reduce these hazards to acceptable levels. In this regard, HACCP is a preventive measure rather than a corrective measure. Production and distribution of food involves a number of processes that are required to eliminate or prevent reintroduction of food hazards through post contamination. Activities during transportation are even critical because most food products leave the factories when several analyses have been done and food that meet the quality and safety parameters are released to the market. It is therefore important for food transporters to ensure no potential hazards are reintroduced in foods during transport. This principle forms the basis for implementation of HACCP system in a temperature controlled trans port. Multidisciplinary approach is the key to successful implementation of HACCP system for temperature controlled transport. This approach should appropriately include: production, chemistry, food technology, engineering, microbiology, agronomy and public health expertise. Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) System is a food safety management system thus should allow transporters whether small or large to identify and manage all hazards that would pose danger to food during transportation. ... It is important to note that these are the key activities involved with regard to logical sequence of HACCP principles. HACCP Team Formation The development and maintenance of an effective HACCP system depends mainly on the management team. Assemblage of the HACCP team is the first stage in implementation. The team should consist of people and individuals with appropriate multidisciplinary expertise. HACCP team for temperature controlled transport must consists of expertise from engineering, food technology, production, logistics and transport, food microbiology, food chemistry, food packaging and storage, food toxicology and food quality assurance (Surak & Wilson 2007 p.8). The composition of HACCP team is very critical in identification of all potential hazards and putting the right control measures. However, if for example a transport company is not able to avail expertise from these disciplines, it is recommended that the company seeks for advice from independent experts. The HAC CP team also plays a key role in identification of the scope which for this case is transport and storage of food thus hazards covered here would be within the scope. Product Description and the Intended Use The HACCP team should then describe the products in full and must include all relevant information about safety including physical, chemical and microbiological properties, composition, chemical structure such as water activity and pH, storage conditions and the expiry dates. A full description should also include any form of treatments such as brining, freezing, thermal treatment, smoking and the methods of storage and distribution. However, when the controlled temperature transport system caters for different products, this description can

Fragmentation from Christendom to the Protestant Reformation Was Not Research Paper

Fragmentation from Christendom to the Protestant Reformation Was Not Beneficial to the Evolution of European Culture - Research Paper Example Radically, the world shape had been altered; creating a fresh identity of European communities of what was once Catholic Christendom. Knowledge about their culture had been growing rapidly from thirteenth century (Hillerbrand 89). Across the Atlantic, a new world had been discovered and accurate knowledge of the oceans and the lands beyond Islam became widespread. This coincided with the fragmentation of the old idea of Christendom, replaced by a new geographical idea, Europe that included all people from different European cultures and who shared a common history. This included the protestant sects, Roman Catholicism, and those in the Orthodox. Whether or not protestant reformation comprised improvements in the lives of European communities is debatable, since there were negative and positive impacts in personal, cultural, social, theological, and political pragmatisms. The impacts of Fragmentation from Christendom to the protestant reformation on Culture and political thought Cultu rally, arts with an exception of architecture and music realized a loss of ecclesiastical support from protestant reforms, and more so, Luther reforms. The movement of reformers used vernacular as opposed to Latin and thus popular music was not as weakened as the Liturgical language used by the church. Consequently, this helped raise the music status since composers were free to develop pieces which were more appealing to people of a specific culture and language, thus encouraging diversity (MacCulloch, 75). Architecture remained exuberant and grand as the numerous denominations competed to put up worship houses. However, other arts lost denominational recognition by protestant restructurings. The patronage of visual arts and religious images were not supported by the protestant churches. At the beginning, struggles among reformers about iconoclasm resulted in conflicts over the images place in the sanctuary. For instance, the differences between Luther and Calvin’s hostility to visual images hampered the support given by churches for art. Culture was affected in such a way that, financing art needed a huge amount of resources, both in creation of the art and in supporting the artists. The Catholic Church drew funds and other resources from many churches diffused over continental Europe, while the Protestants had limited resource base. The situation was made more severe since the princes and the break-away churches were struggling to prevent their recap back to Christendom and the struggle for survival prioritized. This cultural insolvency led to a loss of visual arts for Protestants who would have otherwise gained a deep sense of pleasure and satisfaction from viewing art to reinforce their religious convictions. However, the vernacular Bible version such as the King James Version and Luther’s played a significant role in the development of modern English and German literature (Mitchell & Buss 67). Protestant revolution was not beneficial to the lives of European communities politically since autonomist groups gathered support via identifying with certain denominations. This led to breakup of Western Christianity despite the fact that, for a Christian to put more loyalty towards a political group or nation instead of their faith contradicts with the idea of brotherhood and Christian unity found in the Bible. The fragmentation of Christianity basing on nationalistic lines changed the

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Dinler v. City of New York, 607 F.3d. 923 (2d. Cir. 2010) Case Study

Dinler v. City of New York, 607 F.3d. 923 (2d. Cir. 2010) - Case Study Example Thus, it was ordered that reports by covert operatives are of confidential nature and, therefore, cannot be revealed to the defendants on the grounds of safeguarding public interest. The court further added that the plaintiffs did not have sufficient reasons to warrant the production of the police reports, which are confidential in nature. Thus, the writ was granted and the orders of the lower court were vacated. The case was previously heard by the court for the Southern District of New York where the plaintiffs had petitioned and during the trials they requested for the production of undercover police reports. The court directed the city to produce the documents for verification by plaintiffs during the trial. The plaintiffs alleged that the mass arrest of the demonstrators constituted the violation of their â€Å"state and federal constitutional rights† (United States District Court Southern District of New York, 2012, p.1). During the trial, they requested the production of police reports by covert operatives and the city filed writ for mandamus on the grounds that such documents cannot be divulged before the public. However, the district court ordered that the documents be produced and as an alternative suggested that it be done â€Å"attorney’s eyes only basis† (Adams, n.d., p.1). In this scenario, the city had to resort to seeking a writ for mandamus as producing the documents for the scrutiny of the attorney would also have compromised the confidentiality of the reports. The Court of Appeal granted the writ on the grounds that the petition of the city qualifies for a mandamus as it raised â€Å"novel and significant† questions of law (p.1). The court also agreed to the fact that police reports are entitled for â€Å"law enforcement privilege† and thus the these are not to be divulged to either the plaintiff or their attorneys (p.1). The main

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Publishing on the Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Publishing on the Internet - Essay Example In the past, updating data on the internet was not a simple task. In order to change the contents of any website, the basic HTML codes had to be modified and the access to the content of the website was also for a limited number of users. But in the present, due to the developments in the technology, modification of the contents of a website has become much easier. Anyone can update a website by posting blogs, comments or articles. Media sharing has become easier today therefore it has become much easier to publish on the internet. Nowadays, websites like Twitter have brought the whole world online. An event occurs and the next thing we know is that the information is updated on Twitter or any other micro blogging website by some eye witness. Such is the speed at which the information flows due to the presence of internet. Due to the growth in the number of users of internet, organizations have been considering diverting their investment in marketing from traditional marketing techni ques to marketing through internet. Internet has become the core platform for the information industry. Therefore the organizations have been investing in publishing on the internet for the purpose of marketing (Harris, 2000). Marketing strategies include familiarizing the target market with the products or services of an organization through publishing on the internet. ... Publishing on the internet can be done for a number of purposes. People can share their thoughts and ideas by publishing on the internet, or they can conduct internet publishing commercially in order to attract specific users. Organizations can use publishing on the internet as a marketing tool. The main use of publishing on the internet made by the organizations is that of marketing. Internet marketing has grown extensively in the recent past and it has become a billion dollar industry. Organizations have been investing in internet marketing because it provides very high returns on surprisingly low investment and that too in a short period of time (Turban et al 2002). There are a number of ways by which information can be published on the internet. Some of the possible ways that would be evaluated in this paper are; a web site, a blog, a social networking website and Microsoft Office Publisher. These means can be used either individually or a combination of one or more of such means can be used in order to achieve the optimum results. PUBLISHING ON A WEBSITE A website has been the primary mean of communicating with the targeted audience. Nowadays, a business is considered to be non-existent if it does not run a website. A website is the primary source of information regarding an organization and its business objectives. An organization uses its website to provide its targeted market with the information regarding the organization’s products or services. The website represents the organization therefore an organization tries to design its website in a more and more innovative manner. Having web presence has become extremely essential for all the organizations and business (University of Florida). Certain information must be published by all the organization

Monday, September 23, 2019

E-commerce and the world wide web an evolving relationship Research Paper

E-commerce and the world wide web an evolving relationship - Research Paper Example The inauguration of e-commerce could be pursued way back when telegrams, telex, telephones and fax were being used for commercial activities. In 1980, with the use of EDI, efforts were made in order to systemize the business information. The network between businesses were planned and based on value added network (Amor, 2000). The efficiency of carrying out the business was improved; however the commercial growth was limited because of the costly network. In 1990s, due to the internet being commercialized and arrival of computer technology, the network became economical for businesses as well as for the individuals (Amor, 2000). World Wide Web was formed due to the interrelationship. Businesses began approaching their customers by using the internet and to give the information related to marketing or online directory of product. Since then World Wide Web has emerged as a potential place for e-commerce practices (Gundry, & Kickul, 2010). E-commerce is expanding across the globe, which is opening the challenges and opportunities for a group of websites that are able to give e-business development. ECOMMERCE AND WORLD WIDE WEB E-commerce has been increasing all over the globe. Today many businesses are using the internet, websites, extranets and electronic data interchange to carry out e-commerce. E-commerce has been emerging, and whether it is a manufacturing company, a service organization or a retail store, e-commerce is being used by almost by every firm (Smith, 2011). E-commerce through the internet has been a valuable source which could be any source like online advertising, websites, blogs, videos, YouTube, or social media etc. Today businesses form their official websites to carry e-commerce or online transactions. These websites promote the information gathered from the decision making of the consumers regarding their purchases. E-commerce websites assist in building a relationship with consumers by offering usual communications (Smith, 2011) The internet or World Wide Web is not only considered to be an excellent source of communication among the people around the world, but it is also becoming one of the fastest and the most preferred sources for business transactions. Many successful business titans around the globe are addressing e-commerce in order to operate their businesses. Not only business titans, but also many small firms are also making full use of e-commerce and websites that could allow online shopping facilities (Gundry, & Kickul, 2010). World Wide Web has the ability to recognize a huge availability of market potential. Internet is one of the most secured channels to carry out the financial transaction that is the reason why it is attracting many people. The range of e-commerce is as wide and diverse as the internet is. Today anything can be bought through the internet, from the smallest needle to the biggest jumbo airline. Hotel reservations concerning flights have now been a reality. As the population is increasing , more and more people are using these types of facilities which make them comfortable, and it is the most secured means. This field has been emerging like any other field. Businesses make strategies in order attract consumers towards their web. Internet constantly has been broadcasting as the source of communication for the transactions of commerce (Gundry, & Kickul, 2010). In 1999, out of total retail sales, e-commerce was approximated to be $15 billion, which included both business to business and business to consumer (Gundry, & Kickul, 2010). The numbers are constantly increasing after that analysis as the demand has been increasing for the online goods and services. Another reason for the evolving relationship between e-commerce and World Wide Web is that the recognition of the internet as a resource for information and commercial transaction has been on the rise (Gundry, & Kickul, 2010). For the past decade, organizations perform their businesses through the inter

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Muscular Disorders Case Report Essay Example for Free

Muscular Disorders Case Report Essay A mother presents with her 13 y/o son with a history of frequent falls, difficulty getting up from a lying or sitting position, trouble jumping, large calf muscles and poor grades in school. Based on the description and symptoms given, the likely diagnosis would be Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, or DMD; although DMD and its symptoms tend to show up at an earlier age but not always. This type of muscular dystrophy is the most common and severe form of the dystrophinopathic diseases. Dystrophinopathic diseases are muscular dystrophies that are of a genetic nature caused by a deficiency in the protein dystrophin. This protein is vital to muscle function and contraction. In the case of DMD, there is a mutation in the gene, called the DMD gene, responsible for producing dystrophin causing a deficiency. This gene mutation is X-linked recessive and is inherited. This means that females in the family carry the gene mutation and can pass is on to their offspring male or female, but it is expressed in the males. DMD is usually diagnosed when a young boy shows signs of muscle weakness and there is a family history of the disease. Per Genome (2010), â€Å"a muscle biopsy for dystrophin studies can also be done to look for abnormal levels of dystrophin in the muscle. † Genome (2010), also states that â€Å"genetic testing on a blood sample for changes in the DMD gene can help establish the diagnosis of Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy without performing a muscle biopsy. † For most individuals, a combination of these testing methods is used to confirm a diagnosis of DMD. There is no known cure for DMD. Treatment involves treating the symptoms and keeping the patient as comfortable as possible. Medline (2012) says that â€Å"steroid drugs can slow the loss of muscle strength and may be started when the child is diagnosed or when muscle strength begins to decline. † Other drugs, such as Albuterol, can be used to control breathing problems that occur in the later stages of the disease and drugs to help with heart functions are prescribed to help control any cardio symptoms that may be present. The prognosis for individuals with DMD is bleak; it is a rapidly progressive disease and patients with DMD usually surrender to the disease or complications from it in their 20’s or 30’s, sometimes even earlier. I grew up with a family next door to me in which the two oldest boys had DMD. The disease eventually took both of their lives. The oldest boy did live long enough to graduate from high school but the younger of the two died from complications when he was 16. It was horrible for the family to stand by and watch their sons slowly decline and eventually die. This disease continued to plague their lives when the daughters passed it on to their boys and probably still plagues them today. There have been great strides in the field of research in regards to DMD but as of yet no cure has been found. Hopefully one day, there will be a cure for this devastating, debilitating disease and no more families will be forced to watch their children die right before their eyes.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Monitoring System For Automatic Plant Irrigator

Monitoring System For Automatic Plant Irrigator Irrigation is of the method to watering the plant and to improve the quality of crops. Automatic irrigation is a modern method that used for watering vegetables, fruits and farm crops. This project paper will describe automatic plant irrigator designed by using microcontroller. The main purpose of this project is to design an automatic watering device by sensing the soil conditions. In addition, the project also aims to design a soil moisture sensor that can be easily integrated with a microcontroller. To achieve this objective, some research and studies has been done in some previous similar project. Based on the review, the methodology that used in this project are divide into two, which is hardware and software parts. Both development are involving design, experimentation, simulation and construction to get an expected result which meets the project objective. Data analysis for this project will proceed after the completion of the hardware and the software procedure. This is for t he purpose to ensure the project can achieve the objective and also to ensure the reliability of the system. C(iii) Detailed proposal of project: Cadangan maklumat projek secara terperinci: (a) Introduction Pengenalan When it comes to agricultural activities, irrigation in one of the vital process. Irrigation system is an essential important element for plant growth. It also one of major effect in any plant cultivation as it may affect on the growth of plant. Irrigation in agriculture term is defined as an artificial application of watering of the arable land or soil. Water is most important to our life and we cannot survive without it. Water also is essential ingredient of plant. Most of gardener usually uses manual technique to watering their plant. This technique system is inefficient. Sometime, the possibility to over watering is high when use this technique. In order to overcome this problem, Automatic plant irrigator is used. Automatic plant irrigator or better known as an automatic plant watering system is a system that is introduced not only provide a programmable watering system but also a continuous monitoring system. The main goal of this project is to design an automatic plant irrigator where the system is equipped with a reliable soil water level or moisture sensor. This system is applicable for small or medium agricultural-industry. This system will be divided into three main units which are sensing element, control element and final control element. Sensor such as soil moisture detector are use to control the watering system (b) Problem statement Pernyataan Masalah Nowadays, automatic plant irrigator system is commonly applied in agriculture such as domestic gardening. In this industry, automatic plant irrigator system usually used to supply water to maintain soil moisture so plants can grow well. Unfortunately, there are still gardeners or farmers who maintained use manually watering technique because not all of them afford to buy the system. Over-watering possibility would occur if this manual process is still practiced. It will caused the plants drown if supply too much water for them. Sometime this manual technique also make the process water late reaches or does not reach the roots of plants and this will cause the plant get dried. Lack of water can be harmful to the plant or even can render it withered. The effect of this lack of water can also slow down the process of plant growth and will also affect the light weight of the plants. In the conventional system, farmers also need monitor the irrigation timetable, as each plant has a different time in terms of watering time. An automatic plant irrigation monitoring system is the good solution to overcome this problem. This irrigation system is not only provides a good hydration system for plant but also provides the controller that allows the user to set their irrigation system operation. Users also can set the level of moisture that is allowed according to the specification in the soil so their crops will always have a maintained moisture level. (c) Objective (s) of the Project Objektif Projek To compare the sensitivity of two type of sensor probe that was made of stainless steel and copper To design reliable soil moisture sensor To design automatic plant irrigator monitoring system (c) Project Scope Skop Projek This project will be focus to design low cost automatic plant irrigation. The project involves the evolution of manually watering techniques to automatic watering techniques. The controlling of the automatic watering system in an agricultural. To complete this project in such systematic and organized manners, some scope and limitation should be set accordingly. Sensor used to control the watering system is soil moisture sensor. There are several software will be used, the software is livewire that been used to simulated the circuit. The second software that will be used in this project Visual Basic 6 that been used to implement the graphical user interface for PIC as the system controller. The communication between Visual Basic and automatic plant irrigator system will be determined by using an address to give or receive digital or analog signal. (e) Literature Review Keterangan latar belakang projek kajian literature Soil moisture sensor Sensor is a device which used to measure a physical quantity and convert this information into a signal that can be read by the observer or a tool. [1] The Sensor converts one form of energy into another form because the sensor is a transducer. For this reason, the sensor is categorized according to the type of energy transfer that they detected. Soil moisture measurement provides very useful information to agriculture, such as agriculture farm, soil stability, soil moisture and construction activities. [2] The probe selection for sensor is very important. This is because the material that used in the probe. Sensor sensitivity is depending on the material that used to construct the probe and also depends on how the sensor operates. Typically, soil moisture sensor is based on the resistance value of the soil. Water is a type of electric conductance. So generally, if the resistance is low, the soil is dry and vice versa. [3]. Gypsum block is a product of the low cost soil moisture monitoring. Their low cost and ease of interpretation make this block is particularly suitable for seasonal crops. There are two electrodes embedded in the gypsum block. When gypsum wet, it will conduct electric easily and when gypsum dry, it is a poor conductor. A pair of electrode within the block will measure the change in the resistance. It is possible directly using a pair of electrode measure the resistivity in the soil but the measurement will influence by changes in soil conductivity brought about by salt and other ingredients. The ion gypsum provided a buffer against the effects of salt and nutrients. It is very effective for prevention of salt ions from reaching the electrode and to ensure the sensor is only responding to moisture level. [4] PIC Microcontroller is a computer on- a- chip. It is a type of intelligence processor that can be programmed for collecting data from input. Microcontroller frequently uses in automatically control devices such as remote control system, toys and hardware. [5] PIC is used as the main brain system in a moisture monitoring system. Technically, PIC is used to converts analog signals to digital signal that can be read by computer that provided the view of monitoring system. In the measurement of soil moisture, the soil moisture sensor potential to measure the difference (voltage) across the probe and transmit the measure to the PIC. PIC will convert the reading into the soil moisture level. This is achieved by setting the conversion unit into the PIC programmed.[6] Irrigation System The main purpose of Automatic irrigation management system is proposed to offer the following benefits: first, it is able to provide the amount of water needed by plants in the field. Second, it can eliminate the time and scheduling system for watering plants. Third, it also managed to contain the pressures caused by over-watering plants. In conclusion, this system is to promote the save and production water. [7] With the increasing needs for agriculture, human start to realize that agriculture activity are needs plentiful source of water just like how they need water to survive. As time goes by, the increase in population and the area of settlement grows wider. So, human has created a device that allows them to get water even they are far from the water source. The earliest system known as aqueducts. [8] Soil Moisture Monitoring Software The software is designed to monitor system operation. This is to record the measurement of soil moisture so that can be used as a reference for plant watering strategies to produce better yields. The data recording is very important since different patterns in the irrigation schedule do affect the crops growth. [9] The concept of monitoring system is also beneficial to operators to help them monitor for any abnormalities in the system during operation. The software also provides a graphical display system operation. The display helps the operator to determine the level of soil moisture and watering system conditions during operation. This will ensure the system is healthy and operate normally. [10] Soil water percentage experiment Before starting the experiment, the method of calculation needs to be determined first. For this project, the water percentage will be calculated by referring to the mass of dry soil. This method will apply three general equations which are normally used to determine the water percentage using the oven dry method. (d) Methodology Kaedah projek For sensing unit, the design stage is started with the soil moisture sensor circuit design. In this project, the voltage divider circuit is used. After the soil moisture circuit has been confirmed, the next step is determining the material that is used as a sensor probe. Here are two types of probes were used which is stainless steel and copper. Experiment and analysis will be conducted on both of the probe. Result from both of the probe will be taken and compared to determine which probe more suitable as a sensor probe. The selection of reliability sensor is depend on the high electric conductivity and also has a high corrosion resistance. The sensor probe is build of two rods which are separated for 2 cm. The two rods are separated so that when the probe is inserted into the soil there will be a potential difference across them. These potential difference is varies with the soil resistivity. The microcontroller used in this project is the Duemilanove Arduino. The Arduino is equipped with the Atmega328 PIC with a built in USB interface which provides an easy serial connection between the controller and computer to provide the GUI display. The Arduino is programmed to obtain the voltage reading from the sensing unit and display it. Action unit in the project is automatic plant irrigator system. This unit consists of two small units which is water pumps and dripping system. Water pumps supplying 240V power supply and its operation is controlled by a relay. That is triggered by the arduino. (g) References Application of sensor manual, Principles and Basic, 1999 R.Frank, Research on the soil moisture sensor, 2000 C.C. Shock, R. Flock, E. Feibert, C.A. Shock, A. Pereira, L. Jensen, Irrigation Monitoring with Soil Water Tension. Oregan State University, 2005 Model KS-D1 owners manual, DELMHORST INSTRUMENT CO. Application of Microcontroller manual, Principle and the BASIC Stamp, 1999 . Juang, J.-N.; Ekong, D.U.; Carlson, C.; Longsdorf, W.; Miller, M.; , A Computer-Based Soil Moisture Monitoring and Hydrating System, System Theory, 2007. SSST 07. Thirty-Ninth Southeastern Symposium on , vol., no., pp.142-144, 4-6 March 2007 Julie S.Chang. Western Washington University. 10-22-2006 C. Brouwer, K. Prins, M. Kay, M. Heibloem. Irrigation Water Management: Irrigation Methods, Rome, Italy: Publications Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1988 C. O. Akinbile, M. S. Yusff, Growth, Yield and Water use Pattern of Chilli Pepper under Different Irrigation Scheduling and Management, Asian Journal of Agricultural Research, 5(2), pp 154 163, 2011. Y. Zhao, J. Zhang, J. Guan, W. Yin, Study on precision water-saving irrigation automatic control system by plant physiology, Industrial Electronics and Applications, 2009. ICIEA 2009. 4th IEEE Conference on , vol., no., pp.1296-1300, 25-27 May 2009 D ACCESS TO EQUIPMENT AND MATERIAL / KEMUDAHAN SEDIA ADA UNTUK KEGUNAAN BAGI PROJEK INI Equipment Peralatan Location Tempat E BUDGET /BELANJAWAN Please indicate your estimated budget for this project Sila nyatakan anggaran bajet bagi cadangan projek ini Budget details Butiran belanjawan Amount requested by applicant Jumlah yang dipohon oleh pemohon Comment by panel FYP 1 PSM 1 (RM) FYP 2 PSM 2 (RM) E (i) Project Materials Supplies Bekalan dan Bahan Projek Copper rods (Rm5.00) PCB BOARD (RM2.00) E (ii) Maintenance and Minor Repair Services Baik pulih kecil dan ubahsuai E (iii) Professional Services Perkhidmatan Ikhtisas E (vi) Accessories and Equipment Aksesori dan Peralatan TOTAL AMOUNT JUMLAH BESAR RM7.00 F Declaration by candidate / Akuan Calon (Please tick ( à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ )): / (Sila tanda ( à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ )): I hereby confess that: Saya dengan ini mengaku bahawa: All information stated here are accurate, Supervisor and panel has right to reject or to cancel this proposal without prior notice if there is any inaccurate information given. Semua maklumat yang diisi adalah benar, Penyelia dan panel berhak menolak permohonan atau membatalkan tawaran cadangan ini pada bila-bila masa sekiranya keterangan yang dikemukakan adalah tidak benar. Application of this Project Proposal is presented for a FYP 1 seminar. Permohonan cadangan projek projek ini dikemukakan untuk Seminar PSM 1. Date : Candidates Signature : Tarikh : Tandatangan Calon : ___________________________ G Recommended by FYP Supervisor Perakuan Penyelia PSM Please tick ( à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ ) Sila tandakan ( à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ ) Recommended: Diperakukan: A. Highly Recommended Sangat Disokong B. Recommended Disokong C. Not Recommended (Please specify reason) Tidak Disokong (Sila Nyatakan Sebab) Comments: Ulasan: Name: Signature: Nama: Tandatangan: Date: Tarikh: Appendix A: Flow Chart of Project Activities Start Proposing a project title: Development of monitoring system for Automatic Plant Irrigator Literature Review Soil Moisture Sensor PIC 3. Irrigation System Design the system System block diagram Soil Moisture Sensor Circuit 3. Programming PIC System Construction Run simulation for sensor circuit using LiveWire Pro System hardware and software construction System testing and analysis Final report writing and submission End Appendix B: Project Schedule of Project Activities (Gantt chart) Project Planning List major activities involved in the proposed project. Indicate duration of each activity to the related month(s). 2012 2013 Project Activities Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mac. Apr. May June Finding out the project title and proposal submission Search for relevance information with the project Designing and testing of the sensing unit Designing and testing of the action unit Integrating the sensing and the action unit Run testing and analysis Final report writing Appendix C: TURNITIN Report must be attached