Saturday, November 30, 2019

Response To Americas Altered States Essays - Psychiatric Diagnosis

Response To Americas Altered States Response to America's Altered States Joshua Wolf Shenk raises numerous provocative arguments in this essay dealing with the culture of drugs in America. He rejects the easy answers to questions of drug abuse and searches for deeper philosophical meaning. His main thesis raises an interesting point: America is addicted to both illegal and legal drugs. Shenk then attempts to address questions relating to this point. Why are Americans so dependent on drugs? What makes a drug good or bad? Shenk arrives at no definite conclusions, but brings many difficult questions to the surface. Americans must identify the philosophical reasons of why we desire the effects drugs produce, in order to form a reasoned opinion on the drug problem of this country. It is difficult to react to a paper with so many different points, but overall, I agree that America is addicted to all kinds of drugs. I also think that this is a problem, which does not have any easy answers. The economy does have a lot to do with increasing our dependence on drugs. The questions at the bottom of this moral dilemma are not easily answered. Why do humans long for escape from themselves? Is it because of the lack of fulfillment modern society provides? Or is it part of human nature, independent of time or place? I don't have the answers to these questions, but I do believe that searching for this escape in drugs is wrong. Dependence on a chemical of any kind is detrimental to one's well being. That is why I steer clear of most drugs in any circumstances. They simply aren't worth destroying myself for the short-term benefits. Bibliography Joshua WOlf Schenk, Americas ALtered States Social Issues

Monday, November 25, 2019

Will the New SAT Close the Education Gap

Will the New SAT Close the Education Gap SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Big changes are coming to the SAT this year, and the impact that they will have on students is a topic of fierce debate. Will they provide a leg up to students who are put at a disadvantage by the current test format? Or will they make disparities between the scores of high and low-income students even more pronounced? In this article, I'll go over both sides of the argument and provide my own take on how the changes to the SAT will affect the education gap. What Is the Education Gap, and How Does It Relate to the New SAT? When we talk about the â€Å"education gap," we mean that disparities in income (and race, as a related factor) continue to mirror disparities in access to educational opportunities and overall quality of education for students.Many people have argued that tests like the SAT only serve to widen this gap between poor and wealthy students.It has been proven time and again that higher parental income correlates with higher SAT scores. In making these new changes to the SAT, the College Board aims to combat this issue by creating a test that puts students on an equal playing field regardless of income. The most significant changes that will take place on the new SAT include: the elimination of Sentence Completion questions in the Reading section a shift in focus on the Math section with less geometry questions and more questions dealing with algebra, fractions, and trigonometry grammar questions in the Writing section that reference larger passages rather than individual sentences. There will also be questions on the Reading section that ask students to interpret data in charts and graphs.Overall, questions will be more directly related to real-life scenarios and less confusingly worded. Some with a more cynical view of the changes say that while this is the College Board’s public rationale behind changing the test, its real reason is business-related.Since the ACT is now more popular than the SAT, the College Board is changing the SAT to align more closely with the ACT so that it can reclaim its standardized testing market share.While the College Board says that their changes will combat the education gap by testing what students actually learn in schools and making the test less â€Å"puzzle-like†, some people think that it will either exacerbate existing problems or change nothing about the current system. In the next section, I’ll go over the arguments presented by both sides. My alternate plan for the new SAT: change tactics completely and make the test so puzzle-like that it's actually just a giant jigsaw puzzle. You only get a perfect score if you can finish the puzzle without flipping over the table in frustration because all the sky pieces look the same. Will the New SAT Close the Education Gap? There are valid arguments from each camp on this, and we won't know for sure who is correct until the new SAT has been out for a few years. I'll present both sets of ideas so you can get an idea of the logic behind each point of view. Theory 1: Yes, It Will Close the Education Gap Some people (such as spokespeople for the College Board) argue that the new SAT will remedy many problems that plagued the old testing format. Onemajor difference is that students won’t have to face Sentence Completion questions, which test obscure vocabulary words that students with from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to know. The elimination of these questions might allow underprivileged students who have a great deal of potential to score higher on the test. The new version of the SAT will focus on knowledge of the nuances in meaning of more common vocabulary words in the context of larger passages. Arguably, this is a more logical way of testing vocabulary when considering what students will need to know to be prepared for college academics and careers. The College Board is also partnering up with Khan Academy to offer free SAT prep services.They argue that this will allow low-income students to gain access to some of the same advantages that were once only available to wealthy students.They have also streamlined the process for obtaining fee waivers for low-income students. The College Board will provide four automatic college application fee waivers for students who were eligible for fee waivers on the test. The new test will also incorporate questions that are founded in real life scenarios and contain less confusing wording.The new SAT focuses on questions in context rather than in isolation (which is why reading and writing are now all passage-based).This means that students without preexisting knowledge of specific grammar rules or vocabulary words might have the potential to succeed on the test if they can infer wisely from the context of a question. This new formatting also means that there are less learnable â€Å"tricks† on the test that could trip up students who don’t have the opportunity to use test prep services. Students who aren’t familiar with the format of SAT questions will be put at less of a disadvantage.The more predictable content on the new test in the form of specifically outlined passage subject matter will give students a better idea of what to expect even if they haven’t been able to prepare extensively for the test. Yeah! No education gap! Party! Theory 2: No, It Won't Solve the Problem of the Education Gap (and Might Make It Worse) Others have argued that the new SAT will exacerbate existing problems with the test and widen the education gap.The College Board says that the new SAT will level the playing field by testing what students actually learn in schools, but this new testing format could make existing differences in high school quality all the more obvious in score results. The purpose of the SAT is to provide a common metric to measure student academic ability apart from the subjective determinations of each high school.If the new SAT tests what students have learned in school more directly, won’t that just lead to more disadvantages for low-income students who attend poorly resourced public high schools? Although questions on the new SAT will focus more on interpreting meaning in context rather than vocabulary and grammar skills in isolation, this probably won’t eliminate an advantage for wealthier students who attended better high schools.These students’ inference skills and knowledge of how to interpret arguments and words in context will be better developed through a higher quality education.Also, the fact that the new essay asks students to analyze the author’s argument rather than formulate their own opinions means that low income students might be put at more of a disadvantage if they haven’t been given proper instruction on how to read analytically in their high school classes. Even though the SAT will now offer fee waivers to all low-income students and is partnering up with Khan Academy to offer free test prep for all students, this doesn’t mean that wealthy students will lose their advantages.The fact that free test prep is being offered means that it's still possible to prepare for the test.With the new test, a market for specialized test prep services that are more individually tailored and more expensive will continue to exist. Wealthy students will still have the potential to access advanced test preparation services and potentially be able to improve their scores more drastically than students who only have access to free materials. All this could potentially lead to increased inequality in the college admissions process as a result of greater differences in scores. Low-income students may be put at an increased disadvantage on the new test due to a lower quality education overall, creating even greater class divisions in terms of access to higher education and career opportunities. I don't know what this guy is so upset about; he gets to wear a silly hat while we all sit here contemplating the flaws in the American educational system (presumably while either hatless or wearing comparatively boring and joyless hats). SMH. Conclusion Now that we’ve heard both sides, what’s the verdict?It’s hard to tell because we don’t have reliable score data on the new SAT yet. In my opinion, there are compelling arguments made by both sides of the debate.I think that the changes to the SAT will have a minimal impact on the education gap that currently exists between high and low-income students.It’s great that the College Board is committing to offering free prep services and fee waivers for low-income students, but as long as it’s possible to prep for the test, there will be a market for prep services that cost more and provide better results. It is reasonable to argue that making the test more straightforwardcould help put lower income students at less of a disadvantage, but sometimes I have to wonder if this is a case of a â€Å"race to the bottom† in the standardized testing market. The SAT is trying to compete with the ACT to offer the "fairest" testing model, but in doing so they may be compromising the test's value as an assessment of academic ability. Since it’s too hard to actually improve the quality of the educational system, companies are creating less challenging tests to make everyone feel better about these basic inequalities. Students who go to good high schools and come from wealthier backgrounds will most likely earn higher scores on the SAT regardless of how unbiased the format of the test is. It’s possible that everyone will get slightly higher scores on the new SAT, but the income gap will remain the same. Until we commit to combating the root of the problem - poorly funded high schools with overwhelmedteachers- on a large scale, I don’t see the education gap changing much,regardless of the introduction of the new SAT. What's Next? Wondering what your SAT scores might mean for your future? Check out this article that goes into detail on whether SAT scores can predict success. What do your SAT scores say about you? Find out what your SAT scores actually measure. Are you unsure of whether you should take the new SAT or the ACT this upcoming year? Read more about which students should take which test. Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Friday, November 22, 2019

Benefits of Tourism in Singapore

Benefits of Tourism in Singapore 1.0Â   Introduction 1.1 Definition of Tourism industry Tourism refers to the movement of people from different social and cultural background travelling out of their usual environment staying in a different place for business, personal, or professional reasons. These people are commonly referred to as tourist. Their actions in the country they visit affects the local economic market as they carry out their activities, as most of which may require them to spend money thus increasing the expenditure in the local markets which in turns boosts the GDP of the respective country (Media.unwto.org, 2014b). Therefore the tourism industry is formed to cater to the needs and demands of locals and tourists in terms of products and services and is defined as such in this report. 1.2 What does the tourism industry mean to Singapore? As Singapore lacks natural resources, the tourism industry serves as an integral factor that acts as a crucial pillar for the economy of Singapore. It contributes an estimated 4% to the gross domestic product of Singapore and also provides jobs to about 160,000 people. The tourism industry serves to reaffirm Singapore’s position as a global cosmopolitan city that is dynamic, able to cater to the locals’ and tourists’ demands for leisure, entertainment, giving consumers enhanced quality and diversity in terms of leisure creating a wider range of options creating a vibrant living environment that Singaporeans can proudly call home (Stb.gov.sg, 2014). 2.0Â   Economic Impact Analysis Four types of Economic Impacts that Tourism have on the economy 1-Direct contributions Tourism’s direct contributions are results of revenue earned from tourists’ expenditure by businesses like hotels, restaurants, retail outlets, transportation services, cultural / sports and recreational services. 2-Indirect contributions Some of the indirect contributions derive from investment spending from the businesses of the travel and tour ism, Government expenditure in the form of investment to improve or enhance the industries. 3-Induced contributions The direct and indirect employees involved in this sector then in turn contributes to the consumption by spending their wages on food and beverages, recreational activities, clothes, housing and household goods. 4-Total contributions Therefore the total contributions from the direct, indirect and induced contributions will in turn affect the GDP and the employment rate as they affect various factors of the GDP equation which also affects the production rate thus increasing the GDP and employment rate in a situation when there is an increase in revenue and demand from tourist and with certis paribus assumed. 2.1 Contributions to Singapore’s GDP The latest press release by UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, shows that expenditure receipts international visitors spent on food and beverages, services, entertainment, accommodations and much more totaled up to an estima ted SGD$ 1,455 billion during 2013. And that the growth rate of receipts experienced a 5% increase from 1035 million during 2012 to 1087 million during 2013(Media.unwto.org, 2014a). According to an economic report by Singapore’s Travel and Tourism Economic Impact report 2014, in 2013 travel and tourism’s direct contribution to Singapore’s GDP was SGD$ 19.1 billion (5.3% of total GDP) Singapore’s GDP. Its GDP contributions in 2014 is expected to experience a 5.8% increase, and also to experience a 3.4% increase per annum, as of 2014-2024, to SGDS$ 28.3 billion as of totaling a 5.3% of the total GDP in 2024 (World Travel and Tourism Council, 2014).

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Epidemiologic Investigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Epidemiologic Investigation - Essay Example In the context of this project, the disease agent is a particular strain of E. coli that is well regarded as a food borne pathogen responsible for an infectious diarrheal disease. By definition, the characterization of the disease is intimately related to characterization of the agent that initiates or perpetuates the disease process. The E. coli talked about here is an enterotoxigenic strain of E. coli, which is a biological agent which exhibits certain host-related biological properties such as infectivity, pathogenicity, and virulence. Since an individual almost always contract a disease from his environment, when an epidemic of infectious disease occurs, the cause usually lies in the environment. Therefore, in any specific population, in order to be able to prevent outbreak of any disease state and to be able to intervene, the conditions prevailing any health-related event or state can be investigated, and appropriate measures can be taken to apply the findings of such studies for controlling the health problems preemptively. FoodNet or the Food Borne Diseases Active Surveillance Network was developed by CDC in the Emerging Infections Program. In this program, data are collected 10 US states in relation to the disease burden caused by Escherichia coli 0157:H7 strains that are known to be transmitted through food. This program quantifies and monitors the incidence of these infections by conducting active surveillance for laboratory-diagnosed illness. This epidemiologic event has great implications in public health. From the epidemiologic point of view, this is important since FoodNet quantifies and monitors these infections by conducting active population-based surveillance for laboratory-confirmed illness. The epidemiologic methods are used as surveillance tools, and these essentially scrutinize continuously the factors that would have determined the occurrence and distribution of this disease to be able to effectively control and prevent the disease. These essentially include collection, analysis, inter pretation, and distribution of relevant data for action. Escherichia coli is an emerging cause of food borne illness in the United States. Although most of these illnesses are mild, severe infections and serious life-threatening infections do occur. This has posed challenges to public health and public health administrations since there is change in the newly identified strains of the pathogens. With that, novel vehicles of transmission, changes in food production, and an apparent decline in food safety awareness might have aggravated the problems leading to these illnesses. There are several types of national surveillance systems for diseases that are food borne. These epidemiologic tools include outbreak surveillance, passive laboratory based surveillance, and active surveillance. Communicable diseases may be transmitted from the reservoir or the source of infection to the susceptible individuals in many different ways depending on the infectious agent, portal of entry, and the local ecological conditions. It is important to note that mu ch of the data about the vehicles and modes of transmission of these food borne diseases come from epidemiologic investigations of the outbreaks. From the public health point of view, the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Explain the different conceptions of entrepreneurial strategies Essay

Explain the different conceptions of entrepreneurial strategies provided by Schumpeter (1996 and 2000) and Kirzner (1997). Use - Essay Example This appraisal is based on five different set of ideas which can be described as disequilibrating/ equilibrating, or new information or no new information, extremely innovative or not as much innovative, exceptionally conventional and originally imaginative innovation. The next step would be to assess the types of opportunities that can be commercially recognized and used beneficially (Beam, 2007) Perception The general perception is that individuals who are tough, resilient and progressive are most likely to favor Schumpeterian opportunities, and they persistently try to find inventive ways and means to expand their company. Besides their considered directions for their enterprises is to fulfill future requirements by developing practical and practical products, while individuals who concentrate on current demands have a tendency to pursue Kirznerian opportunities. This is the major inherent difference between the Schumpeterian and Kirznerian formulation of entrepreneurship; one tak es the economic systems away from stability while the other proposes a system that will ensure equilibrium. Both theories are pertinent and applicable to entrepreneurship in different ways. Some entrepreneurs establish their businesses and work towards its expansion and growth; while there are entrepreneurs who seize opportunities as and when presented and capitalize on the presented opportunities. Case Study of Ed Bazinet Schumpeter contends that the main distinctiveness of entrepreneurship is to bring together existing resources using a new and innovative approach. This is not a regular process, but it results in the acquisition of the latest knowledge and creation of new goods, which needs a new supply sources for production of these goods. This form of entrepreneurship creates a monopoly position for that organization. A case study is given of Ed Bazinet who was an extremely successful businessman. He came from a working class background, and although he was interested in busine ss he had no money to start one. He started working at a job as a purchaser to get the requisite experience, and travelled continuously to analyze markets. He began to buy up decorative pieces and found markets for the products. He called his enterprise Department 56, and its inception makes interesting reading. In 1971, Bazinet received a visit from potter who made his living by making ceramic items in his garage and selling them. The potter showed Bazinet as a ceramic Victorian house shaped like a cookie jar. Bazinet perceived a business opportunity where others had not. He asked the potter to modify the item by making a window in it, and place a light inside so that it would glow and can be used as a nightlight. The original 6 houses sold immediately, and there was an immediate demand for more. The potter did not have the resources to mass produce these miniature Victorian houses, so Bazinet had the houses made in Taiwan, and that formed his original snow village. The reason that made these villages a business success was the idea of the creation of entire snow villages with houses and components of every imaginable depiction. An outstanding feature of snow villages created by Department 56 was that they have Styrofoam and cardboard fitted sleeves which protect them from damage. The business further prospered with the

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Individual Rationality and Collective Rationality Essay Example for Free

Individual Rationality and Collective Rationality Essay 1. Introduction of Double Auction As one of the most popular way to trade, auction has a long history. According to the different kinds of market structure, there are two kinds of auction, one-side auction and two-side auction (i.e. double auction). Compared with one-side auction, the market structure of the double auction is many-to-many, which means that there are more than one seller and more than one buyer, so both the buyers and sellers lose their own comparative advantage which exists in one-side auction. The relationship between them is a kind of equality between demand and supply. In recent years, with the development of the global economy, there are more challenges for new auction theory and its applications, which are shown in the following aspects. First, with the development of the Internet and communication technologies, e-commerce has become a new business method. At the same time, internet auction has been widely used in the field of e-commerce. Since auction is widely used in the field of trading non-scarcity goods, it changes structure of auction, which used to be based on the buyer’s market or the seller’s market. As double auction can solve the problem of collusion and malignant bid, it has become a widely used way in e-commerce. For example, both NYSE and Chicago Exchange have put different kinds of double auction into practice. With the growing of financial market and e-commerce, the need for better auction rules is surely increasing. Besides, as enterprise restructuring has become a hot topic, double auction is found to be a way to deal with property transactions, mergers and acquisitions. What’s more, with the upgrade of demand structure, the diversification strategy for enterprise business and influence of the supply chain management, there are diversified production, diversified manufacturing and diversified demand. Many famous car companies such as Ford are using combinatorial double auction to the sale and purchase of auto parts. When auction is used in the above fields with various needs, there is a great need for the development of new auction model. Compared with other auction mechanisms, double auction can not only solve the problem of monopoly, but also reduce the duration and costs of trade. However, there are still some problems about it, such as trading rules, the way to release information and the formation of transaction price. According to the above reasons, double auction has attracted much attention. And the core theories about it are Smith’s mystery and Hayek problem, which try to explain how the double auction can reach the equilibrium price and equilibrium quantity predicted by the demand-supply model, under the conditions that there is no complete information and few people in the auction. 2. Design of Experiment In order to do some further analysis, we conducted an experiment which simplified real double auction situations with the help of several undergraduate students under four assumptions: First, rational man assumption, which means everyone wants to maximize his/her profit. Second, the goods are homogeneous, so there is no monopoly. Third, there is no cost of sending or getting information, i.e. the transaction cost is zero. Fourth, the participants have no information about the experiment parameter (the value for buyer or cost for seller) before they join the experiment. (2) Trading rules a. When the trade begins, the buyers give their quotes first. Who raises his hand first will quote first. Then, the sellers offer the price they ask. b. Both the sellers and the buyers don’t know the information about the other side. c. When quoting, the seller must ask for a price that is lower than the former seller, and the buyer must ask for a price that is higher than the former buyer. When the price of the two sides is equal, a transaction is reached. d. The trade for each group is divided into three periods and each period lasts for 5 minutes. (3)Trading steps a. Divide all the participants into two groups, buyer and seller, and each group has 8 people. b. Zero phase trade. In order to make the participants familiar with the rules, there is a zero phase trading, the result of which is not included into the final result. c. Begin official trade. d. End trade and take down all the results, including every participant’s own profit in each period and their total profits. Double Auction Experiment 1. Concept Definition and Parameter Settings If we carefully consider each quoting process, we will find the game process in double auction. There are inside game and outside game in the experiment. Firstly, there is among-group game between buyer and seller and they want to drive down or push up prices to earn as much profit as possible. And based on the theoretical design, a buyer and a seller can be trading at least one unit of commodity in one trading period. Experiment shows that each buyer and seller generally trade exactly once each period. Secondly, there is within-group game both among buyers and among sellers. Taking buyer as an example, when the seller quotes a price, buyer X can choose to trade or wait. If choosing to trade, he will probably miss a next lower quoted price although obtaining a certain surplus. However, if he chooses to wait, then the other buyers may intervene in transaction, which constitute competition for buyer X. Each buyer and seller should consider the competition within group, acting as an individual in the game. Meanwhile, they should also consider the competition between groups, acting both as an individual and a group in the game. As can be seen, the core of the complex game process is the relationship of individual-collective interaction. By observing dynamic transaction and competitive process among individual, between the individual and the collective and between the collective, we try to find the interpretation of some problems. Therefore, constructing appropriate parameters, we proceed from rational assumption to define individual rationality and collective rationality respectively. (1) Constructing quoted price functions of the buyer and the seller Firstly, assuming the quoted price function of the buyer i is bidi = vi(1-Ï€i) where bidi denotes the quoted price of buyer i, vi denotes the willing-to-pay of buyer i, Ï€i denotes expected rate of return. Secondly, assuming the quoted price function of the seller is: askj = cj(1+Ï€j) where askj denotes the quoted price of seller j, cj denotes the cost of seller j, Ï€j denotes the expected rate of return of seller j. (2) According to the market parameters and theoretical equilibrium price(7.8) of buyer and seller, we can calculate the standard rate of return of every buyer and seller, Ï€i* and Ï€j*, respectively. (3) On this basis, we assume that individual rationality index is bri=Ï€i/Ï€i* of the buyer, srj= Ï€j/Ï€j* of the seller. The higher the index, the higher is the degree of the buyer or the sellers individual rationality, for it indicates more incentive to maximize their interests strongly. The standard individual rationality is 1, indicating that the expected rate of return and the actual rate of return of the buyer or the sellers are consistent. (4) Similarly, we can define the buyers collective rationality index as sbri=Ï€i/Ï€i*, where Ï€i is the average expected rate of return of all the buyers who participate in a transaction, Ï€i* is the standard average rate of return of the buyers. Whats more, we can define the sellers collective rationality index as ssrj=Ï€j/Ï€j*. The higher the index, the higher is the degree of collective rationality, because it indicates more strongly motivation to maximize their collective interests. The standard collective rationality is also 1, indicating that the expected collective rate of return and the actual collective rate of return of the buyer or the sellers are consistent. 2. Analysis of Parameters In order to study the market inefficiency of the second group, we selected two sets of data as a typical example. Group #1s transaction price is equal to the theoretical equilibrium price (7.8), while Group #2s transaction price is far from the theoretical equilibrium price, only 6.3. Lets observe the quoted price of the buyers and the sellers in the first group, We find that in the second offer, S2s quoted price fell directly from 10 to 7.5, its price is less than the theoretical equilibrium price 7.8, which makes the sellers quoted price become farther and farther away from the equilibrium price. Instead, the buyers offer is steadily rising with smaller fluctuation, which makes the buyers successfully lower price. Let’s move to the quotes of the buyers and sellers from Group #2. Obviously, the quote fluctuations of both sides are smaller and the final equilibrium price (Pe) is closer to the ideal value. Therefore, we may infer that in the double auctions where the number of quotations reaches a certain level, if we want the final transaction price to be close to the theoretical equilibrium price, fluctuations in both quotations cannot be too great, otherwise it will be very easy to deviate from Pe, consequently making either buyer side or seller side gains too much surplus. The reason why we emphasize a certain level of the number of quotations is that if either one side of the bidders or the askers offers a price that is quite close to the expected one, a deal is very likely to be made. Actually, we do see lots of quick transactions in the experiment, especially the 2nd round of Group #1, where there would be expected to exist fluctuation. But that quick deal is based on that either buyer or seller or both of them have an intuition about Pe or are simply informed of that price. If the information for both sides is so inadequate or even zero, then it will seem quite important to estimate Pe by price fluctuation during the first several quotes. On the other hand, however, substantial quote fluctuations will not only compress the quote space afterwards, but also impair one’s own market power, while increasing the other side’s market power and surplus. Let’s now look at the changes in individual rate of return and individual rationality index of Group #1 and #2. Group #1 A. Expected Rate of Return The fluctuation of expected rate of return is distinct around the seller S2, where the expected rate of return of buyers is far higher than that of the sellers. B. Individual Rationality As can be seen, buyers’ individual rationality fluctuates more than the sellers’, while the degree of buyers’ individual rationality (1, since round 2) is much higher than that of sellers’ (1, and decreasing since round 2). Thus, we can assume that there is a collective irrational phenomenon among the sellers. Usually, both buyer and seller will hope to receive higher surplus and try to make the price more beneficial to themselves. So it’s reasonable to see that individual rationality index fluctuates a bit around the standard line or even higher than it, just to make the final transaction price and surplus closer to the theoretical ones. But in this case, seller S2 suddenly lowers his expected rate of return (from the normal 2.22 to 0.86), probably because he underestimates Pe or just wants to quickly sell the product. It’s quite hard for the following sellers to reach the ideal level, but can only quote under 1, giving buyers more space for quote and more power to control the market. If the sellers following S2 used to have higher expectation than 1, then a phenomenon called inconsistency of collective rationality occurs by the influence of inconsistency of individual rationality. When it happens, the irrational collectivity’s power is impaired and Pe and surplus will end up more beneficial to the other collectivity. As can be seen from the experiment results, the collective rationality index of buyers is 2.793, which is much higher than that of sellers, 0.808. Group #2 A. Expected Rate of Return The expected rate of return fluctuates more, comparatively. What’s more important, the values of both sides are quite close. B. Individual Rationality This corresponds to our previous analysis. The individual rationality index of both buyers and sellers is always larger and very close to Group #1. The individual rationality equals to the standard individual rationality when the final deal is made. In this situation, the quote range and market power for both sides are similar without any doubt. The price at equilibrium and the surplus are close to the theoretical value. Therefore, we can think that there is no disturbance of individual rationality to collective rationality for both sides. From the perspective of collective rationality index, sbri=1.879ï ¼Å'ssrj=1.692ï ¼Å'the difference is relatively small and both values are larger than 1. From the analysis above, the following could be inferred. In certain times of quote, if the market’s transaction price and surplus diverge from the theoretical Pe and surplus, there must exist a negative disturbance of individual rationality to collective rationality for one side which enables the other side to have dominant power of quote. In another way, if the market’s transaction price and surplus are close to theoretical values, there is going to appear two cases. First, individual rationality and collective rationality are in accordance with each other for both sides and both have the similar market power which results in mutual antagonism; second, disturbances for both sides may be very large and the rationality values are not close at all, which does not show in all the experimental data while it could be thought to exist theoretically. The values are close only at the transaction price and it is based on an obvious premise that the values are larger than 1, since as long as one value is less than 1, it is very easy (not necessarily) to fall to a weak position (which usually happens in the first round of Group #2). The way to analyze these three situations is pretty similar to the one analyzing monopoly and competitive markets. The key element is the effect of the relation between individual rationality and collective rationality to market power. Conclusion From the analysis above, we can reach a primary conclusion that the quote from a single seller or buyer can affect the formation and the result of market equilibrium. We can use individual-collective rationality model to explain the process. Individual rationality can cause a destabilization to collective rationality (resulting in remarkable fluctuation), when the destabilization is small, which means that the individual rationality that causes it is not less than one, the collective rationality still tends to be consistent and this will not have a significant effect on the market power of both sides. But when the destabilization is large, which means that the individual rationality that causes it is less than one, there will be a significant effect on the consistency of the collective rationality, so there will be a change of the two sides’ market power. Then, the equilibrium price and the surplus of both sides also change. So, there is a kind of tension between individual desirability and collective desirability. There are some points that we need to pay attention to. First, this kind of relationship becomes more obvious with the increasing of quotation times during one period. The deeper reason for this is the lack of information and each side has to continuously probe and tries to release as much information, which can maximize his profit, as possible, no matter whether the information is true. If the deal can be reached within one or two times, there will be no such complex game about the info releasing and collecting. Second, in reality, the destabilization is always negative (i.e. a sudden decrease in bid or expected return), which indicates the bounded rationality. We don’t need to take positive destabilization into account. So, how can we use this model to explain the non efficiency phenomenon of market in double auction? There are two aspects that we need to pay attention to. First, the relationship of individual rationality and collective rationality has an effect on the market power, and then affects the equilibrium price and the ratio of the surplus of both sides; the price either has a bad effect on the sellers or the buyers (In our experiment, it is the sellers that lose). Thus, some buyers or sellers that could have entered the deal are kicked off now, which leads to some deadweight loss. Second, when the market power is out of balance, the number of games between buyers and sellers will increase. Let’s take the third group (whose transaction price is averagely 10% less than theoretical Pe) as an example. When the buyers realize their power and advantage, they will wait the sellers to decrease the price. At that time, from the perspective of buyers, the earnings of waiting is larger than the risk. The sellers are forced to decrease the price, but only for a little each time to avoid a worse price. As a result, during the limited trading times, the number of transactions decreases, which leads to further deadweight loss. References 1. JAVIER GIL-BAZO, DAVID MORENO, AND MIKEL TAPIA, â€Å"Price Dynamics, Informational Efficiency, And Wealth Distribution in Continuous Double-Auction Markets†, Computational Intelligence, Volume 23, Number 2, 2007 2. Charles A.Holt, Loren W.Langan, Anne P.Villamil, Market power in oral double auctions† Economic Inquiry, 24:1 (1986:Jan.) p.107 3. Juliette Rouchier, Stà ©phane Robin, â€Å"Simulation Gaming† 4. Darren Duxbury, â€Å"Experimental Evidence on Trading Behavior, Market Efficiency and Price Formation in Double Auctions with Unknown Trading Duration†

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Living with Computers :: Essays Papers

Living with Computers Ergonomics is the study of the physical relationships between humans and their tools, such as computers. Office chairs should be adjustable in height and should have lower-back support and arm rests. Desks that allow proper keyboard height and special ergonomic keyboards have been developed to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, a type of repetitive stress injury. To avoid damaging your eyes, avoid starring at the screen for long periods, position yourself from the monitor between two and five feet from your eyes, make sure no bright lights reflect off your screen, and use a monitor that has a relatively large screen without noticeable flicker. The computer industry has become know the fast pace rate of obsolescence, with both hardware and software being replaced every couple of years. Some of the leading toxic wastes coming form homes and offices are heavy metals used extensively in batteries, such as cadmium. Although some experts recommend leaving computers on all the time, this practice was shown to consume unnecessary amounts of electricity. One response has been the development of energy star equipment, which conserves electricity even when left on. Our legal system is gradually developing a code of laws to provide a legal framework for working with computers and on the Internet. The most prevalent breach of law in cyberspace is software piracy, the illegal copying or use of a program. Copyright laws relevant to computers and software are covered by the Copyright Act of 1976 and the Software Piracy and counterfeiting Amendment of 1983. Instead of building copy protection into their programs, most software developers discourage privacy among organizations by offering site licenses and network versions. Software viruses are parasitic programs that can replicate themselves, infect computers, and destroy data. Users can protect their data and software by using an anti-virus program. Hardware is sometimes stolen for the value of the data stored on it rather that for the value of the machine itself. Government, legal professionals, and computing professionals continue to debate computer-related ethical questions and attempt to develop laws that protect the freedoms of computer users while limiting immoral or illegal use of computers. Few actual laws, however, have been created or enforced to requiring computer users to let their own sense of ethics guide them.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Describe Your Learning Style

Running head: How Do I Learn Best How Do I Learn Best Kelli Powell Grand Canyon University: NRS 429V September 30, 2012 What is a learning style? Well a learning style is the way a person tends to learn best. It involves your preferred method of taking in, organizing, and making sense of information, Lake Washington Institute of Technology (2012). Some people prefer to learn by doing and touching, others prefer to learn by seeing, or by hearing the information. Still others learn using more than one learning style.If a person was interested in finding out what their particular learning style is would be to take the VARK questionnaire for learning styles. The most common learning style is the multimodal, but the learner can switch from one type of learning style to another depending on what the subject is being learned and or their mood, Fleming (2011). After taking the VARK questionnaire, Multimodal learning styles was assessed as the learning style of choice. The multimodal learning environments allow instructional elements to be presented in more than one sensory mode (visual, aural, written, and kinesthetic), Sankey, Birch & Gardiner (2010).In this particular case visual and kinesthetic were the dominate methods of learning. Strategies of learning that this person uses are highlighting and underlining notes, grouping subjects together with a certain color highlighter, use of charts, graphs and images to help them learn the subject matter. They would also make graphs or note cards with the information placed in sequenced that they can take with them, listen to music while studying and try to make the material personal to them and others that they know.They would also break their study time up into smaller sections so that it would not seem so overwhelming. As a multimodal learner they would be very adaptable to the different learning styles as they could adapt more easily to different situations and learning environments. For example if their instructor w as only doing a verbal lecture an auditory learner may want to sit towards the front of the room away from windows and doors so that there was less distractions.As a visual learner they would try to take notes during the lecture, would color code their notes, and pay attention to any visual aids that were being used. Where a kinesthetic learner would ask questions and participate in discussions, take a laptop for notes so that they are doing something actively with their hands during lectures, consider taking a three hour class versus one three hour class, Student Development Centre (2009). As a multimodal learner, it is easier to learn when doing more than just reading a textbook as it harder to understand than when doing something that is interactive.As a multimodal learner some adjustments that they would need to make in their study habits would be to not to try and do the assignment all at the end of the week. By starting at the beginning of the week they would be able to break the assignment down into smaller sections so that it would not seem so overwhelming when typing a paper. Other changes that they would need to make would be finding an area and time to study where there were fewer interruptions. The use of more visual aids, for example outline of topic in chart or diagram format.This would help them keep track of where things fit together in their subjects and projects. The major benefit of having a multimodal learning style is that it â€Å"allows students to experience learning in ways in which they are most comfortable, while challenging them to experience and learn in other ways as well†. Someone who is a multimodal learner, that learners on more than one level tends to have a deeper processing of the information, maintains their attention span longer, making the information easier to understand and remember. Sankey, Birch & Gardiner (2010).The VARK Questionnaire Results My scores were: * Visual: 11 * Aural: 6 * Read/Write: 9 * Kinest hetic: 11| | You have a multimodal (VRK) learning preferenceReference Lake Washington Institute of Technology, Learning Styles: Why do They Matter? , Retrieved from http://www. lwtech. edu/trio on September 26, 2012 Sankey, M. , Birch, D. & Gardiner, M. (2010) Engaging students through multimodal learning environments: The journey continues. In C. H. Steel, M. J. Keppell, P. Gerbic S. Hopusego (Eds. ), Cirriculum, technology transformation for   an unknow future. Proceedings ascilite Sydney 2010 (pp. 852-863). http://ascilite. org/au/conferences/sydney10/procs/Sankey-full. pdf Student Development Centre, The University of Western Ontario (2009), Learning Skills Services, Handouts & Advice, Learning Styles & Preferences, Retrieved from www. sdc. uwo. ca/learning/index/html? styles on September 29, 2012 Fleming, N. D. , (2011), VARK: A Review of Those Who Are Multimodal, Retrieved from http://www. vark-learning. com/english/page_content/multimodality. htm on September 23 , 2012

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Computer Laboratory Management System

Purpose It is the project about Computer-shop management System. It automates the Systems records, their Selling and Maintenance, Balance evaluation, due to calculation other functions. In other words you can say it a complete computer-shop management System. In this project we can easily maintain systems sales details. It gives information’s of Annual Transaction of products, its services, daily sales, daily Receipt & Balance. We can see the Systems details before selling the particular items & view for our requirement-satisfying item detail. Project ScopeThe scope of project ‘Computer-shop management system’ is to Develop Visual Basic based software to support for daily sale, receipt & Balance of products and maintain the all information of System related items. This software will be very useful for the Big Computer Shop as well as the customer. It will perform as the required task of Automation of product by itself in a systematic way. 8 It will also save lots of time, as system will perform all tasks in quick time profiting customer and shop owner as well, so it will prove very economical in every respect. Product PerspectiveThe Computer-shop Management System is the new, self-contained product. The Computer-shop management system is using vb6. 0 platform. All components follow Model-View-Controller pattern. The user can retrieve information of their shop progress. All pages of the system are following a consistent theme and clear structure. The occurrence of errors should be minimized through the use of checkboxes and scroll down in order to reduce the amount of text input from user. Error message should be located beside the error input which clearly highlight and tell user how to solve it. If system error, it should provide the contact methods.The page should display the project process in different color to clearly reflect the various states. Each level of user will have its own interface and privilege to mange and modify the project information. User interface elements are easy to understand. Part of user interface is wellorganized on screen and the parts are concatenated right. When users look at the interface, they understand which pane is used for which purpose. Each task of an interface is specified clearly and users use them correctly. For example, when users press to any button on interface, they can know which operations are done by pressing this button.The user interface is easy to learn. When users use the user interface, they can know which element is used to which operations. The interface actions and elements is consistent. When users press any button, required actions is done by the system. The screen layout and color of the user interface is appealing. When users look at the screen, it will have a nice vision. Colors will be selected clearly, thus eyes of users won’t be tired. To inhance the graphical user interface I use xp button, lv button and vk frame. Since the application must run on the PC, all the hardware shall require to

Thursday, November 7, 2019

How to Use the Versatile French Word Même

How to Use the Versatile French Word Mà ªme The French word mà ªme is a handy one to know. Loosely translated as same or even, the words meaning changes based on how it is used in a sentence. Mà ªme  may function as an indefinite adjective, an indefinite pronoun, or an adverb. Indefinite Adjective When used as an indefinite adjective, mà ªmes meaning differs according to whether it precedes or follows the noun it modifies:1) Before a noun, mà ªme means same. Cest la mà ªme chose!   Its the same thing!Jai lu le mà ªme livre.   I read the same book.Il aime les mà ªmes programmes.   He likes the same programs.Il a le mà ªme à ¢ge que moi. Hes the same age as me. 2) After a noun or pronoun, mà ªme emphasizes that thing and means (one)self or personified.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Il a perdu la bague mà ªme.   He lost the ring itself.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Je veux le faire moi-mà ªme. (stressed pronoun)   I want to do it myself.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Elle est la gentillesse mà ªme.   She is the epitome of kindness. / She is kindness itself. Indefinite Pronoun Le mà ªme as an indefinite pronoun means the same and may be singular or plural.   Cest le mà ªme.   Its the same.Elles sont toujours les mà ªmes.   Theyre always the same.Cela / à §a revient (strictement) au mà ªme. It comes / amounts to (exactly) the same thing. Adverb As an adverb, mà ªme is invariable, emphasizes the word it modifies, and means even, (to go) so far as to.   Mà ªme Jacques est venu.   Even Jacques came.  Il avait mà ªme achetà © un billet.   He even went so far as to buy a ticket.  Ils sont tous partis, mà ªme le bà ©bà ©.   They all left, even the baby.  Je lai vu ici mà ªme.   I saw him in this very spot. Personal Pronoun Personal pronouns with  mà ªme  form the -self pronouns, which are personal pronouns of emphasis. moi-mà ªme   myselftoi-mà ªme   yourself (singular and  familiar)elle-mà ªme  Ã‚  herselflui-mà ªme  Ã‚  himselfsoi-mà ªme   oneself, yourselfvous-mà ªme   yourself (plural and formal)elles-mà ªmes  Ã‚  themselves (feminine)eux-mà ªmes  Ã‚  themselves  (masculine) Expressions mà ªme   right on, in, from; in position mà ªme que   capable ofde mà ªme que   just / right as (something happened)mà ªme que (familiar) moreoverquand mà ªme  Ã‚  even so, anywaytout de mà ªme   even soÇa revient au mà ªme.   That amounts to the same thing.Cest du pareil au mà ªme.  (informal)   Its always the same.en mà ªme temps at the same timeIl na mà ªme pas pleurà ©.   He didnt even cry.   mà ªme la peau  Ã‚  next to the skin mà ªme le sol  Ã‚  on the bare ground  Ã‚  Je suis parti et lui de mà ªme.   I left and so did he.  Ã‚   mà ªme:  dormir mà ªme le sol   to sleep on the floor mà ªme de   able to,  in a position tode mà ªme:  faire de mà ªme   to do likewise  or  the samede mà ªme que just asmà ªme que  (familiar) so much so thatmà ªme si   even if

Monday, November 4, 2019

Narayan's argument is stronger and more valid than Rushdie's Essay

Narayan's argument is stronger and more valid than Rushdie's - Essay Example While, Narayan’s argument is based on the premise that the writers who are no longer a part of their homelands, tend to lose their cultural identity and tend to become â€Å"cultural† orphans. However, the view point of Rushdie is tangentially different and emphasizes on the other extreme. This one is based on the fact that the writers attain a broader understanding of culture. Having carefully seen both the arguments, let us try to analyze the basis of these arguments. In order to understand the basis of these arguments, it is vital to comprehend the meaning of culture. Culture has a lot of dimensions, which have a residual impact on the functional element of the basic understanding of one’s surroundings. Fundamental premise Culture has a number of definitions that is used across contexts. However, the primary definition of culture can be seen as a pattern of shared behaviors and their interactions, the use of cognitive kind of constructs, and the effective kind of understanding that is learned through the process of socialization. It also consists of s shared set of customs, norms and beliefs. The culture is not a singular entity and may have other kinds of dimensions as well (Andrew 96). This may comprise of a definitive culture being present in one part of a country and the absence in another. Together, they form a part of the common understanding of culture. From the point of view of the debate at hand and the two contrasting opinions, we can draw up a form of comprehension of different kinds of factors that can be used to explain all of these. Now, let us take each of the points and understand the factors that shall be helpful in defining the context of this discussion. Narayan has mentioned about the fact that the individuals who live away from the homeland tend to suffer from a cultural disconnect. Let us comprehend the definition of culture in a more refined manner and de-construct the argument. The definition of culture shall help in explaining the finer points of this argument. Culture is an amalgam of shared patterns. This implies that the formation of the initial belief structure is fomented by the exposure to indigenous culture. But, for any individual living in foreign land or an adopted country, the patterns of shared behavior tend to become diffused in nature. There is an enforced behavior that gains prominence when compared to the generic behavior. The cultural patterns of shared behavior in any country are different from the others leading to a change in the perception. Each culture has a distinctive style of imparting a means of understanding the needs of a society. It channelizes the different forms of behavior in humans as a part of the society. The levels of cognition are varied according to the learning as different parts of the society. This forms an essential degree of difference among the various elements. The cognitive understanding of culture varies among different countries. So, in case o f any individual has lived away from their homeland or their ancestral land, they tend to develop a dissociated sense of cognitive construct (Keleman 233). According to Parsons, the social construct of any individual consists of the following components. They are as follows- The process of biological needs that are defined by the behavioral system of any culture or place. The â€Å"personality system†

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Marketing 4050 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Marketing 4050 - Assignment Example Commentary feature focuses on minor issues in the country while the Briefing feature deals with the social life style of the citizens. The Culture feature in the magazine is business oriented. The leading article in the magazine clearly related to the ad on the front page. The article reads â€Å"Can this man save Europe? â€Å" The cover page has the picture of Italy’s Mario Monti who is the Prime Minister. He has a difficult task for stopping the European crisis as the continent is in heavy debts. The Time Magazine faces stiff completion from other types of magazine that tend to offer the same type of information. It faces stiff competition from New York Magazine and The Monthly Issue Washington DC. This is a good investment as information is process daily. To be able to make good sales by conveying this information through magazines, one has to have a high-quality and attractive ad . This will lure the readers into reading thereby making