150 Million Years of Marsupial Evolution

150 Million Years of Marsupial Evolution You wouldnt know it from their relatively paltry numbers today, but marsupials (the kangaroos, koalas, wombats, etc. of Australia, as well as the opossums of the western hemisphere) have a rich evolutionary history. As far as paleontologists can tell, the distant ancestors of modern opossums diverged from the distant ancestors of modern placental mammals about 160 million years ago, during the late Jurassic period (when pretty much all mammals were the size of mice), and the first true marsupial appeared during the early Cretaceous, about 35 million years later. (See a gallery of prehistoric marsupial pictures and profiles and a list of recently extinct marsupials.) Before we go any further, its worthwhile to review what sets marsupials apart from the mainstream of mammalian evolution. The vast majority of mammals on earth today are placental: fetuses are nurtured in their mothers wombs, by means of a placenta, and theyre born in a relatively advanced state of development. Marsupials, by contrast, give birth to undeveloped, fetus-like young, which then must spend helpless months suckling milk in their mothers pouches. (Theres also a third, much smaller group of mammals, the egg-laying monotremes, typified by platypuses and echidnas.) The First Marsupials Because the mammals of the Mesozoic Era were so smalland because soft tissues dont preserve well in the fossil recordscientists cant directly examine the reproductive systems of animals from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. What they can do, though, is examine and compare these mammals teeth, and by that criterion, the earliest identified marsupial was Sinodelphys, from early Cretaceous Asia. The giveaway is that prehistoric marsupials possessed four pairs of molars in each of their upper and lower jaws, while placental mammals had no more than three. For tens of millions of years after Sinodelphys, the marsupial fossil record is frustratingly scattered and incomplete. We do know that early marsupials (or metatherians, as theyre sometimes called by paleontologists) spread from Asia to North and South America, and then from South America to Australia, by way of Antarctica (which was much more temperate at the end of the Mesozoic Era). By the time the evolutionary dust had cleared, by the end of the Eocene epoch, marsupials had disappeared from North America and Eurasia  but prospered in South America and Australia. The Marsupials of South America For most of the Cenozoic Era, South America was a gigantic island continent, completely separated from North America until the emergence of the Central American isthmus about three million years ago. During these eons, South Americas marsupialstechnically known as sparassodonts, and technically classified as a sister group to the true marsupialsevolved to fill every available mammalian ecological niche, in ways that uncannily mimicked the lifestyles of their placental cousins elsewhere in the world. Examples? Consider Borhyaena, a slouching, 200-pound predatory marsupial that looked and acted like an African hyena; Cladosictis, a small, sleek metatherian that resembled a slippery otter; Necrolestes, the grave robber, which behaved a bit like an anteater; and, last but not least, Thylacosmilus, the marsupial equivalent of the Saber-Tooth Tiger (and equipped with even bigger canines). Unfortunately, the opening of the Central American isthmus during the Pliocene epoch spelled the doom of these marsupials, as they were completely displaced by better-adapted placental mammals from up north. The Giant Marsupials of Australia In one respect, the marsupials of South America have long since disappearedbut in another, they continue to live on in Australia. Its likely that all of the kangaroos, wombats, and wallabies Down Under are descendants of a single marsupial species that inadvertently rafted over from Antarctica about 55 million years ago, during the early Eocene epoch. (One candidate is a distant ancestor of the Monito del Monte, or little bush monkey, a tiny, nocturnal, tree-dwelling marsupial that today lives in the bamboo forests of the southern Andes mountains.) From such unprepossessing origins, a mighty race grew. A few million years ago, Australia was home to such monstrous marsupials as Diprotodon, aka the Giant Wombat, which weighed upwards of two tons; Procoptodon, the Giant Short-Faced Kangaroo, which stood 10 feet tall and weighed twice as much as an NFL linebacker; Thylacoleo, the 200-pound marsupial lion; and the Tasmanian Tiger (genus Thylacinus), a fierce, wolf-like predator that only went extinct in the 20th century. Sadly, like most megafauna mammals worldwide, the giant marsupials of Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand went extinct after the last Ice Age, survived by their much more petite descendants.

Free Essays on Alcohol And The Drinking Age

Should the legal drinking age in the US be changed from 21 to a higher or lower age? Why or why not? (If you would change it, what would the new age be?) In every aspect of American life there is a required age which lets citizen do a certain thing that they would want to do. If a person wants to drive, they have to be 17 (NJ), if someone would like to live on their own you have to be a certain age, if they would want to vote, the person has to be 18, even to play the more violent video games a person has to be a certain age. However there is one law that is on everyone's mind, and that is the minimum legal drinking age. The American Medical Association (AMA) noticed that since the creation of the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA), the standard legal drinking age around the country was 21. The AMA research showed that between 1970 thru 1975, the age had been lowered to 18, 19 or 20 in 29 states. However, soon after the increase of car accidents among teenage drivers increased so dramatically that the states were forced to push it back up to 21 (American Medical Association). There is still a long debate as to whether or not the age should be higher or lower than the 21 it is now for each state. There are countless reasons as to why many people are in favor of lowering the age from 21. When a person is 18, they are practically thrown into society’s main issues and apply for them as well. First, are that many people believe the MLDA should be lowered because of the fact that a person at 18 can kill for their country but can’t drink an alcohol beverage. Also, young people are capable of making decisions regarding our nation’s leaders and politicians. They feel that if they can make such responsible decisions that they should be allowed to responsibly drink what they want. Basically, they believe that since at 18, and are legally adults; they should be allowed to make adult decisions. They can make a decision to mov... Free Essays on Alcohol And The Drinking Age Free Essays on Alcohol And The Drinking Age Should the legal drinking age in the US be changed from 21 to a higher or lower age? Why or why not? (If you would change it, what would the new age be?) In every aspect of American life there is a required age which lets citizen do a certain thing that they would want to do. If a person wants to drive, they have to be 17 (NJ), if someone would like to live on their own you have to be a certain age, if they would want to vote, the person has to be 18, even to play the more violent video games a person has to be a certain age. However there is one law that is on everyone's mind, and that is the minimum legal drinking age. The American Medical Association (AMA) noticed that since the creation of the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA), the standard legal drinking age around the country was 21. The AMA research showed that between 1970 thru 1975, the age had been lowered to 18, 19 or 20 in 29 states. However, soon after the increase of car accidents among teenage drivers increased so dramatically that the states were forced to push it back up to 21 (American Medical Association). There is still a long debate as to whether or not the age should be higher or lower than the 21 it is now for each state. There are countless reasons as to why many people are in favor of lowering the age from 21. When a person is 18, they are practically thrown into society’s main issues and apply for them as well. First, are that many people believe the MLDA should be lowered because of the fact that a person at 18 can kill for their country but can’t drink an alcohol beverage. Also, young people are capable of making decisions regarding our nation’s leaders and politicians. They feel that if they can make such responsible decisions that they should be allowed to responsibly drink what they want. Basically, they believe that since at 18, and are legally adults; they should be allowed to make adult decisions. They can make a decision to mov...

Demand and Supply in Organization Success Research Paper - 14

Demand and Supply in Organization Success - Research Paper Example Thus by understanding the consumer demands, the organization can identify their desires and will only stock the commodities that provide utility to the users. Hence, the organization will have a wider knowledge of what the demands are relative to what the supplier can offer at a particular market rate (Bustinza, Parry, & Vendrell-Herrero, 2013). Thus, prices and availability of goods and services are predetermined to the consumer. This ensures that customers do not miss out on their wants whenever they come to purchase a particular commodity. Thus, trust and loyalty are built between the two parties that will result in more sales hence increased profits to the firm. Rain checks are forms of compensations that are usually offered to consumers when the goods and services they had ordered are unavailable majorly due to the organization being out of stock or late deliveries. Customers are thus promised the assistance to acquire the products at prices indicated earlier and did not have to spend more regardless of any economic crisis like inflation. Customers are thus assured to get their services or be compensated and will not encounter any losses that create a mutual trust for both parties. However, to say this is a fair treatment of consumers is understatement due to economic injustice it creates to the consumers. Individuals usually derive their satisfaction at a particular time and have more tastes to it is provided during that period rather than a later date. Thus, postponement of the consummation of a particular good or service may lower the satisfaction of products to customers and reducing their utility.

Letter from Mahavira Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Letter from Mahavira - Essay Example By enduring all sorts of calamities, I was given this name Mahavira, which means great hero or brave and courageous. You have to learn how to conquer your desires and feelings, not be conquered by them. The only way to liberate yourself from all the pain is learning about the right faith (samyak-darshana), right knowledge (samyak-jnana), and right conduct (samyak-charitra). This last is based on the five vows. Do you remember the five great vows Nonviolence (Ahimsa)-do not harm any living being; Truthfulness (Satya)-to speak only the truth; Non-stealing (Asteya)- do not take anything that was not given to you; Chastity (Brahmacharya)-do not indulge in sexual pleasure; Non-possession/Non-attachment (Aparigraha)- to detach from any material possession. These five principles will help you achieve the blissful state. But you need to detach completely from people, places, and material things. That is why I spent twelve years of my life in silence and deep meditation. Sometimes, I spent days without eating, I had no place to live or clothes to wear, but I achieved Kevalnyan, enlightenment. When I learned this ultimate truth I decided to travel around India and share this knowledge. Be careful with all the living beings, if you harm them, you will be harming yourself. If you take something that was not given to you, it would be like stealing to yourself. Indulging in sensual or materialistic passion will only lead to vices like greed, lust, hatred and anger. These feelings are all violent and destructive; they can lead you to kill. Your karma will accumulate. If you wish to become a monk, you will have to follow your vows strictly. Monks and nuns will have to be very strict about following the Jain philosophy. Everyone can achieve the ultimate happiness; I do not make distinction between men, women, rich or poor. I divide my followers in what is called a four-fold order: monk (Sadhu), nun (Sadhvi), layman (Shravak), and laywoman (Shravika). I believe that the theories of Anekantvada and Syadvada, explain the relativity in the world. The world has an infinity of view points depending on the time, place, nature and state of the one who is the viewer and that which is viewed. The truth has many aspects, it depends from the points of view. What is true from one point of view may vary from another. Absolute truth cannot be obtained from any particular perspective alone. Absolute truth is the sum total of all the different-view points. Imagine for example that you have your eyes covered and that you come across a river while you walk. You step inside and the water covers up to your knees, not too deep it seemed. When you go out and uncover your eyes, you discover that you were standing up on a rock inside the river, but that the river was in fact so deep that it would cover you up to your head. The perspective changed the way in which you described the river. In order to obtain Moksha, you can follow the self-discipline methods I have preached and practiced. Some of them are: disregard of worldly objects, moral purity, meditating without moving the body, self-denial, penance, austerity, renouncing to pleasure, and freedom from karma. Meditation is very important in the life of a Jain. It helps to discipline the mind and the body. Sometimes you will remain in deep meditation in a same position for a long time, while your mind

Black world study- Intellectual Autobiography Essay

Black world study- Intellectual Autobiography - Essay Example When we find new meanings in old things, it means that our intelligence has developed. Our intellectual development is being changed by many different factors including people, circumstances, observations etc. Some of them have more influence on us than others; still I believe that many things around change at least some small part of us in every moment of our lives. Because it is actually perception and knowledge what constantly make us more intellectually developed. The person that shaped my intellectual development probably more than anyone else in my life was my mother. She is never pitiful to me and after I do something that hurts me, first of all, she asks me what conclusions have I already made about the situation. This makes me hold on complaining for a minute and realize what mistakes I will never do anymore. Thus my mother has developed a strong capability of critical consideration of every incoming situation and information that happens to me. Using this ability helps me to learn faster and do not get stuck on the same things having troubles proceeding them. I believe that, because of my mother, now I can work with my personal development using critical thinking and analytical skills, so I learn easily. When my friend advised me to read â€Å"The Shack† by William P. Young I was really skeptical about the book because it seemed to me that Christian books like this are aimed to reach out to me and teach me a decent living. But the friend assured me that the book was a â€Å"life-changer† and I needed to read it whatsoever. He was right about the book. Before I read it I hadn’t realized that books actually can trigger so much emotions, feelings, and realization about the life. The text changed me as a person and definitely raised my intelligence. The point is that the book doesn’t only show you a completely another way of looking at God and what is bad and what is good in this life but also extends your

Distortion effect for electric guitar

Distortion effect for electric guitar Distortion Effect For Electric Guitar Using FPGA Introduction Project Goals And Objectives The goal of the project is to implement distortion effects for electric guitar on an FPGA board. The algorithm that is going to be used is The Extended Karplus Strong Algorithm (Jaffe Smith, 1983). The analog audio signal from the electric guitar is captured by the analog to digital converter (ADC) module of the board. The FPGA is going to send the digital audio signal to a speaker to be played. The algorithm is going to be implemented on FPGA instead of using ASIC design approach. The pros and cons of FPGA design and ASIC design are discussed on the Xilinx website. The design advantage comparison of FPGA and ASICand the design flow comparison of FPGA and ASIC (Xilinx Corporation, 2009). ASIC design has more steps to complete as can be seen . Also, it is suitable for very high volume designs. For a single unit, using FPGA is a better solution. FPGA has no upfront non recurring expenses. It is faster to implement. Manufacturing of ASIC design chips take long time. However, a design can be downloaded to the FPGA and programmed very fast. Considering all these, using FPGA design is more suitable for this project. Project Deliverables The deliverables include the Verilog HDL code of the design. It is going to be synthesizable and can be used with suitable FPGA boards. The final project report is going to be delivered. It is going to include the details of the hardware algorithm, the design process and the results obtained from the functional verification and the hardware validation of the system. A demonstration of the project is doing to be done with the developed prototype of the system. The electric guitar is going to be the input of the system. The output from the board is going to be played through speakers. Technology Trends Before the invention of FPGAs, CPLDs (Complex Programmable Logic Device) were the most complex programmable logic devices. And before CPLDs, PALs (Programmable Array Logic) were used frequently. PALs were introduced in March 1978 by Monolithic Memories, Inc. They are only one time programmable. PALs are consisted of PROMs (programmable read-only memory). They were mostly used in minicomputers. These devices have fixed OR and programmable AND arrays. This enables the implementation of sum of products logic. A simplified programmable logic device. Typically, PAL devices have a few hundred gates. CPLD devices have higher complexities compared to PAL devices. They have similar features to both PAL devices and FPGAs. Like PALs, they dont have external ROMs, which enable the CPLDs to start functioning just after startup. They have much higher number of gates compared to PAL devices. They have around thousands to tens of thousands of gates. However, this is low compared to FPGAs, since the number of gates inside the FPGAs can go up to a few millions. FPGAs have the most number of gates and flip-flops compared to the others. They are more flexible but their design is more complex. The first distortion effect for electric guitar wasnt produced on purpose. It was mostly caused because of damaged guitar amplifiers. One example was a recording by Johnny Brunette Trio, which caused a fuzz tone effect. (The Train Kept Rollin, 2009). Electronic based distortion and overdrive effects came to scene in 1960s and 1970s. The effects were achieved by diodes, transistors and amplifiers and most of these pedals were analog. With the improvement in the digital signal processing techniques, digital processors became an important part of the technology in the last decade. Market Research The digital products in the market nowadays feature more adjustable effects than just a distortion effect. Typically, they have parallel effect modules that can run simultaneously. They also have advanced software. They have preset tones and effect libraries, tuners and even more features. Also, most of them have USB interfaces with a PC or MAC for compatible recording software. So, the projects features arent going to be able to match the products features in the market. Boss, Line 6, Zoom, Korg, Digitech are among the major companies which produce digital guitar effects processors. The bestselling multieffect electric guitar processors on Amazon.com. It can be observed that Zoom and Digitech have the most market. Requirements Functional Requirements The electric guitar will be connected to the FPGA boards analog to digital converter input. The analog to digital converter is going to convert the incoming analog signal to an 8-bit digital signal. The sampling frequency is going to be 44100 Hz, which is the standard for most of the digital audio files. The reason for choosing this sampling frequency is the human ears ability. The human ear cannot perceive frequencies above 20 KHz. According to the Nyquist Sampling Theorem, a signal can be exactly reconstructed from its samples if the sampling frequency is greater than twice the highest frequency of the signal. If the highest frequency that the human ear can perceive is considered to be 20 KHz, anything above 40 KHz is going to be enough for sampling frequency (Schulzrinne, 2008). The signal is going to be processed inside the FPGA using The Extended Karplus Strong Algorithm (Jaffe Smith, 1983). The processing should be fast enough so that the human ear cannot understand the delay between the time when the player hits a note on the guitar and the time that the output is played by the speakers. After the processing, the 8-bit signal is going to be converted to analog. Finally, this analog signal is going to be sent to the speakers and played. The hardware functionality that the system is going to provide. Nonfunctional Requirements The most of important constraint on the system will be the time constraint. The delay between the input and output audio signals must be minimized. This requires the design to be fast. For this purpose, the resources available on the FPGA should be used efficiently. The most of important constraints on the timing of the design is going to occur due to the algorithm. Floating-point arithmetic might be needed to use according to the algorithm. This might cause the calculations to take longer. Also, another constraint on the system is the speed of the FPGA. The speed of the FPGA is not going to cause a problem for sampling the incoming analog audio signal. However, the speed of the FPGA is going to put a constraint on the speed of the algorithm. A pipelined algorithm might be used in order to satisfy the requirements for the speed and the timing of the system. There are going to be feedback loops, filters and saturator blocks in the system. So, a pipelined algorithm is going to increase the utilization of these blocks and this is going to result in the increase in the throughput. If there is a pipelined algorithm, more resources are going to be needed to implement the pipelined system. The limited amount of the resources such as memory blocks and arithmetic units might put a constraint on the design. Also, another constraint is going to be the data width of the ADC and DAC. Due to the limited number of bits on ADC and DAC, the quality of the digital audio signal is going to be limited. Product Requirements Analysis The product requirement analysis is done using Quality Function Deployment (QFD) technique. The most important criteria for customer satisfaction are low delay time and distortion effect level. Also, good sound quality is very important too. Implementation of additional effects is the least important feature of the product. Low power consumption, low cost, effect adjustability, good bass and treble sounds, good feedback are also expected to have good standards by the customer. In order to meet the customer expectations, most important step is choosing the distortion effect algorithm correctly. The use of external resources should be kept to minimum level in order to meet the speed requirements of the system. Any use of external memory is going to cause additional memory access time and cause the system to function slower. This is going to result in an unwanted delay time. Bit resolution is also important. It is going to affect the sound quality. The higher number of bits is going to increase the quality. It might also help us get rid of using floating point arithmetic for implementing the saturation algorithm. However, the higher number of bits might cause a problem with the pipeline implementation. Project Requirements FPGA has to capture the analog sound and this signal is going to come from the output of an electric guitar. The FPGA board that is going to be used is chosen to be Spartan-3A Starter Kit board because of its built in analog to digital converter and digital to analog converter modules. The board also has a stereo mini jack for audio. These features make this board very suitable for audio processing and thus, very suitable for this project. Also, the FPGA chip has 700 K gates (Xilinx Corporation, 2009). In order to play the output, stereo speakers are going to be connected to the board pin to which the output signal is connected. The design is going to be done in register transfer level (RTL). The RTL design of the system is going to be described using Verilog HDL. In order to do this, Xilinxs design tool Xilinx ISE Webpack 11.3, which is free a program, is going to be used. Before prototyping the system, functional verification has to be completed successfully. For this purpose, Modelsim, which is develop by Mentor Graphics, is going to be used. Before starting the hardware design of the system, the algorithm is going to be simulated and verified using functional blocks in MATLAB Simulink. The hardware requirements for the system are and the software requirements for the system. Design Architecture As discussed earlier, the algorithm that is going to be used is The Extended Karplus Strong Algorithm (Jaffe Smith, 1983). The algorithm extensively uses filters. The algorithm is modeled and simulated under MATLAB Simulink. The model consists of functional blocks. The filters are defined by their discrete transfer functions. There is also a feedback loop. The sound is amplified by a gain block and passes through a saturation block. The saturation block basically causes the signal to saturate if its amplitude goes over or below specific thresholds. So, the higher the signal is amplified by the gain block, the more the signal is going to get distorted; since it is going to be saturated from lower amplitude compared to its new peak value. The model of The Karplus Strong Algorithm. Since there are consequent filter blocks, the signal is going to be delayed. To overcome the problem, the level of parallelism should be increased. Since there are 20 block RAMs in the FPGA, these can be used for increasing the pipeline depth and the level of parallelism. When an 8-bit sample passes though the first filter, it is going to go to the second one. Instead of waiting and doing the second operation using the same hardware, we should maximize the use of the resources and send the data that passed through the first filter to another resource. During that time, the other sample can pass through the first filter. Usage of block RAMs might be very beneficial here, in order to increase the throughput and the speed of the system. Since the data that is going to be processed isnt going to be large, only the internal block RAMs might be enough. Also, use of an external RAM is going to put more delay on the line because of the longer memory access time. This is highly undesirable since the most important criterion for the system is its speed. Structure The system consists of four main parts. First part is where the user interacts with the system. The user is going to generate an output from the guitar and that output is going to be captured by the FPGA board. FPGA is going to the process the output and pass it to the third part of the system, speakers. The stereo output is going to be played by the speakers. Also, a PC is needed to send the .bit file to program the FPGA. The FPGA board. It has an audio output port on the right top. If needed, DDR2 SDRAM can be used as external memory. The analog digital circuitry is used for capturing the analog signal to the board. The circuitry has 2-channel 14-bit analog to digital converter and 4-channel 12-bit digital to analog converter. The switches can be used for turning the distortion on and off. Also, they can be used for the same purpose if additional sound effects are added to the system. Rotary knob can be used for adjusting the level of the distortion or the gain or the volume. The quantity that is going to be adjusted can be determined by the switches since there is only one rotary knob. Interface There are three interfaces in the system. The first interface is for programming the FPGA. The connection between the FPGA and the computer is going to be achieved with USB 2.0. Xilinx iMPACT tool is going to be used to program the FPGA. The second interface is for capturing the analog audio signal from the electric guitar to the FPGA board. The on board analog to digital converter is going to be used for that purpose. Analog to digital converter unit on the board. The third interface is going to be between the FPGA and the speaker. The digital signal is going to be converted to analog signal using Xilinxs digital to analog converter module and it is going to be sent to the audio jack port of the board. The stereo audio jack module. Implementation Implementation Scope As discussed in Section 3.2, the system consists of four main parts. The module for sending the .bit file from the PC to the FPGA is already given with Xilix iMPACT tool, so no implementation is required for this. The second module is the audio input to the board. This is the input module. The input module is going to be implemented with the help of on board analog to digital converter. As discussed earlier, the sampling rate and the bit resolution are the most important parts of the input module. The sampling rate is going to be 44100 Hz and the resolution is planned to be 8 bits. The captured analog signal is going to be converted to digital signal and sent to FPGA module for processing. FPGA module is going to be responsible for processing the digital signal. For faster and efficient processing, pipelined implementation is going to be done. This is going to be done using RTL description of the hardware with Verilog HDL. The output module is going to convert the processed digital signal to analog and send it to the boards audio jack port for playing the processed signal using speakers. Xilinxs DAC module is going to be used for the implementation of this module. Implementation Coverage The algorithm that is going to be used for implementation is The Extended Karplus Strong Algorithm (Jaffe Smith, 1983). The block diagram of The Extended Karplus Strong Algorithm. The output is going to be sent to gain and saturation blocks. There are filter blocks and delay blocks in the system. These functions are going to be implemented inside the FPGA. The first functional block is a pick-direction low pass filter (Smith III, Pick-Direction Lowpass Filter, 2009). The second functional block before the feedback loop is a pick-position comb filter (Smith III, Pick-Position Comb Filter, 2009). In the feedback loop, there is a delay block on the top. The other blocks are again filters. After the delay block, the signal goes through a two-zero string damping filter (Smith III, Two-Zero String Damping Filter, 2009). Before the addition operation in the feedback loop, another pick-direction low pass filter is going to be used. After the loop, there is going to be dynamic level low pass filter (Smith III, Dynamic Level Lowpass Filter, 2009). After these filters and delays, there is going to be a gain block which is used for increasing the level of distortion. Distortion effect is going to be generated by a saturation block. The saturation can use either hard clipping or soft clipping. Soft clipping has higher complexity. It is a third order polynomial. It results in a smoother sound. However, for more distorted and fuzzy sound, hard clipping is preferred. Since it has a heavier sound and is easier to implement, hard clipping is going to be used. The input-output relations of hard clipping and soft clipping Develop Or Adopt Decision The most important part for the project is the FPGA board. It is going to be adopted. If I wanted to design the circuit with a PCB design tool in which I am not experienced, I would have paid a lot of money to get it manufactured. And the design has to be perfect before getting the chip produced. The decision of choosing whether to use FPGA design or ASIC design was discussed earlier in Section. So, buying and using an FPGA board is the best option here. Spartan 3A Starter Kit is going to be used for the project. For the output interface of the design, Xilinx has a module described in Verilog and is available for free. For DAC and output purposes, that module is going to be used. If there is an available module for the input port of the system for free from Xilinx, it is going to be adopted. Otherwise, the ADC module is going to be developed according to the ADC hardware available on the FPGA board. The design on the FPGA is going to be based on an algorithm but it is going to be designed by me. Also, an electric guitar and speakers with amplifiers are needed for the project. They were already available before the start of the project. For software, Xilinx ISE, Xilinx iMPACT, Modelsim XE and MATLAB are going to be used. MATLAB is already available and the others have free versions for students. Implementation Process Three modules are going to be implemented. Each module can be implemented independently from each other. Finally, all the modules are going to be connected under a top module. DSP module is the main part of the design where the algorithm is going to be implemented. The functional verification of the design is going to be independent from the other modules. Implementation Resources The resources for implementation can be grouped into two. First, we need hardware resources. The second group is the software resources. The most important resource for hardware is the FPGA development board. Spartan 3A Starter Kit is going to be used. This specific board is chosen due to some reasons. This board is suitable for DSP applications. It has ADC and DAC modules. It also has a stereo audio jack for outputting the processed signal. So, this board is going to be used for implementation. FPGA is going to be programmed from a PC. The hardware of the system is going to be described using Xilinx ISE tool, which requires a PC. So, we also need a PC for implementation. The connection of the board with the PC required a USB cable, which is provided with the board. We also need an electric guitar and speakers. The required hardware resources for implementation. Besides the hardware resources, some software resources are going to be needed too. First, before starting writing the code for the hardware, the algorithm is going to be tested and the functional blocks are going to be made clear using MATLAB Simulink software. For synthesis and implementation, Xilinx ISE is going to be used. It is going to synthesize and implement the hardware described by Verilog HDL. It also includes Xilinx iMPACT tool which is used for sending the .bit file to the FPGA for programming. For functional verification, Xilinx Edition of Modelsim, developed by Mentor Graphics is going to be used. Implementation Activities The project group consists of only one person. So design, verification, implementation and testing are going to be done by me. During the project, additional training and study is going to be required in digital signal processing and filters. Also, digital filter design should also be studied. Another thing that needs improvement is writing testbench to verify the designed system. Testing Testing Scope The testing of the system consists of two parts. There is a functional verification part and a hardware validation part. For functional verification, Modelsim XE software is going to be used with Verilog HDL. The parts that are going to be tested are the input module, the output module, the DSP module. After the integration of the modules in order to form the system, the whole system is going to be tested. Also, the hardware validation of the DSP and output modules can be done without a working input module. A randomly generated signal in FPGA can be processed and sent to output module for playing and this can be tested. Testing Coverage As explained in Section, the modules are going to be tested individually at first. The input module is going to get an analog signal from an external source. This might be coming from the electric guitar or directly from a PC. If the input signal is coming from PC, the signal can be adjusted to be simple and therefore testing can be simpler. After the conversion, the signal is going to be observed. Also, if the output module is working, the input signal can be directly transferred to the output module without any signal processing done on it. A randomly generated signal inside the FPGA is going to be enough to test the output module. DSP module is going to be tested by functional verification. The filters, the gain and the saturation blocks are going to be tested. After these, the whole DSP module is going to be tested. An example of input and output of the system with hard clipping. Pass/Fail Criteria The pass/fail criterion for the input module is going to be its analog to digital conversion performance. If a given analog input can be correctly converted to digital signal, it is going to pass the test. Digital conversion operation with its input and expected output. The module, the expected output is going to be the signal on the bottom (Azima DLI , 2009). In order to pass the test, the module has to give the correct output for each stimulus applied. The output module has to do digital to analog conversion and send the signal to speakers. For that, a signal is going to be generated inside the FPGA. This signals amplitude and frequency is going to be changed. According to the changes, we are going to expect different outputs. The output is going to be listened through the speakers. In order to pass the test, the output module should correctly respond to every amplitude and frequency change. The DSP module is going to be tested with functional verification. A reference model is going to be constructed in behavioral level. Randomly generated stimulus is going to be applied to the design and to the reference model at the same time. In order to pass the test, the results from the DSP module and the reference model have to match 100%. Another important criterion for the DSP module is its timing. The delay between the input and the output has to be below a determined quantity in order to pass the test. Testing Approach In order to test the DSP module, a self checking testbench is going to be written using Verilog HDL. There is going to be a behaviorally modeled reference unit inside the test bench. The test bench is going to generate random stimuli. These stimuli are going to be applied to both a design under test unit (DUT), which is a module from the design, and the reference model. Then, the results are going to be compared in a scoreboard. The verification approach. Also, the timing of the system is going to be considered since it is one of the most important parts of the project. After the functional verification, the timing analysis of the implemented system must be done using Xilinx ISE. Testing Resources First, in order to test the algorithm, MATLAB Simulink is going to be used. In order to test the input module, preferably a PC or an electric guitar is going to be needed as discussed in the second paragraph. To test the output module, speakers or headphones are going to be needed. For functional verification of the DSP module, Modelsim XE is needed. Also, for the timing analysis of the design, Xilinx ISE is going to be used. Test Cases After these inputs are applied, the outputs from the reference model and the DUT are also going to be stored in response file, which is going to be in .txt format. Finally, a log file is going to show where the errors occurred, if there are any errors or it is going to show that no errors occurred in the simulation. Looking at the log file and the response file, we are going to able to see where exactly the errors occurred. Test Activities Since the group has just one member, every part of testing is going to be done by me. More training about writing self checking test benches using Verilog HDL should be done. 6. Schedule If we look at the PERT chart, we can calculate the critical path. The critical path consists of the following activities: A-F-G-H-I-J-K. This path leads to a completion time of 133 days. If the most optimistic and the most pessimistic completion of each activity is estimated, we can calculate the expected completion time and the variance of the project. The expression for the expected completion time is given in Equation and the expression for variance is given in Equation. Using these equations, the completion time and the variance are calculated. The activities in the critical path are highlighted and the calculations are done according to the critical path. PERT calculation gives almost the same result with the CPM result. CPM result was 133 days. PERT calculation gives an estimated project completion time of 133.166 days. Also, the variance turned out to be 26.58. This means the project can be completed 26.58 days earlier or later. The Gantt Chart of the project is given. The estimated start date of the project is December 27, 2009. The project is planned to be completed on May 9, 2010. Bibliography Azima DLI . (2009, February 8). Analog to Digital Conversion. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from Azima DLI Corporation Web Site: http://www.azimadli.com/vibman/analogtodigitalconversion.htm Collicut, M. (2009, March 3). Extending the Karplus-Strong Algorithm to Simulate Guitar Distortion and Feedback Effects. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from McGill University Web Site: http://mt.music.mcgill.ca/~collicuttm/MUMT618/KSA_distortion_and_feedback.html Jaffe, D. A., Smith, J. O. (1983). Extensions of the Karplus-Strong plucked string algorithm. Computer Music Journal , 56-69. Schulzrinne, H. (2008, January 9). Explanation of 44.1 kHz CD sampling rate. Retrieved November 27, 2009, from Columbia University Web Site: http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~hgs/audio/44.1.html Smith III, J. O. (2009, March 21). Dynamic Level Lowpass Filter. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from Stanford University Web Site: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/realsimple/faust_strings/Dynamic_Level_Lowpass_Filter.html Smith III, J. O. (2009, March 21). Pick-Direction Lowpass Filter. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from Stanford University Web Site: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/realsimple/faust_strings/Pick_Direction_Lowpass_Filter.html Smith III, J. O. (2009, March 21). Pick-Position Comb Filter. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from Stanford University Web Site: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/realsimple/faust_strings/Pick_Position_Comb_Filter.html Smith III, J. O. (2009, March 21). Two-Zero String Damping Filter. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from Stanford University Web Site: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/realsimple/faust_strings/Two_Zero_String_Damping_Filter.html Sullivan, C. R. (1990). Extending the Karplus-Strong Algorithm to Synthesize Electric Guitar Timbres with Distortion and Feedback. Computer Music Journal , 26-37. The Train Kept Rollin. (2009, November 21). Retrieved November 21, 2009, from allmusic: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amgsql=33:jjfoxzq0ldte Xilinx Corporation. (2009, April 8). Getting Started with FPGAs FPGA vs. ASIC. Retrieved November 20, 2009, from Xilinx Corporation Web site: http://www.xilinx.com/company/gettingstarted/fpgavsasic.htm Xilinx Corporation. (2009, October 6). Spartan-3A Starter Kit. Retrieved November 27, 2009, from Xilinx Corporation Web site: http://www.xilinx.com/products/devkits/HW-SPAR3A-SK-UNI-G.htm

Classical Theory: Cesane Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham Essay -- feudalis

Crime have existed over many centuries, different eras affect the flow of crime and within those eras. Furthermore amongst individuals, there was different way of thinking into how to reduce and eliminate occurred. The act of crime cannot be eliminated, as different individuals have different perspectives of crime and for theses reasons, have different methods of advocating and eliminating crime. This essay will firstly explore the views of Classical Theory, by looking at Cesane Beccaria, the father of Classical theory and Jeremy Bentham, the founder of Utilitarian and explore how there influences are incorporated into laws and regulations, around the world. Secondly, Positivism theory explores the biological, psychological and environment understanding of what causes the crime, thus having a different understand and method into solving and eliminating crime. By looking at these overarching theories, we can come to understand how they both are beneficial and incorporated into the law s within our society, however does now have the power to rid it of crime. Classical theory explores the idea that crime is the intent to commit, rather than a reaction to an unfavorable situation. This theory believes that a committed crime was intended to gain ‘self-seeking and self interest’ and because of this belief this theory believe that the criminals have to take full responsibility of there actions. Two known advocates of Classical theories are Cesane Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham. Their ideologies revolve around classical theory and have greatly influenced, through the creation of laws, rules and regulations, which have impacted society today. The development and influence of Classical theory happened during the transition from the feudalism... ...conferences/criminality/benier.pdf http://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector/drivers-of-crime/publications-and-background-information/documents/spb-theories-on-the-causes-of-crime http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/beccaria.htm http://www.iep.utm.edu/beccaria/ http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/19631_Section_8___Biosocial_Approaches.pdf http://www.bunker8.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/history/panopticon.htm https://sentencingcouncil.vic.gov.au/sites/sentencingcouncil.vic.gov.au/files/how_much_does_imprisonment_protect_the_community_through_incapacitation_0.pdf http://www.jstor.org/stable/2709127?__redirected http://www.sagepub.com/hanserintro/study/materials/reference/ref8.1.pdf http://www.ashgate.com/pdf/SamplePages/Ashgate_Research_Companion_to_Biosocial_Theories_of_Crime_Intro.pdf http://whatworks.uwex.edu/attachment/FamilyBasedPreventionProgramschapterdraft6-10-10.pdf

Enlightenment Philosophers Essay

John Locke (1632-1704) The British philosopher John Locke was especially known for his liberal, anti-authoritarian theory of the state[->0], his empirical theory of knowledge, his advocacy of religious toleration, and his theory of personal identity. In his own time, he was famous for arguing that the divine right of kings is supported neither by scripture nor by the use of reason. In developing his theory of our duty to obey the state, he attacked the idea that might makes right: Starting from an initial state of nature with no government, police or private property, we humans could discover by careful reasoning that there are natural laws[->1] which suggest that we have natural rights[->2] to our own persons and to our own labor. Eventually we could discover that we should create a social contract[->3] with others, and out of this contract emerges our political obligations and the institution of private. This is how reasoning places limits on the proper use of power by government authorities. Regarding epistemology[->4], Locke disagreed with Descartes[->5]‘ rationalist theory that knowledge is any idea that seems clear and distinct to us. Instead, Locke claimed that knowledge is direct awareness of facts concerning the agreement or disagreement among our ideas. By â€Å"ideas,† he meant mental objects, and by assuming that some of these mental objects represent non-mental objects he inferred that this is why we can have knowledge of a world external to our minds. Although we can know little for certain and must rely on probabilities[->6], he believed it is our God-given obligation to obtain knowledge and not always to acquire our beliefs by accepting the word of authorities[->7] or common superstition. Ideally our beliefs should be held firmly or tentatively depending on whether the evidence is strong or weak. He praised the scientific reasoning of Boyle and Newton as exemplifying this careful formation of beliefs. He said that at birth our mind has no innate ideas; it is blank, a tabula rasa. As our mind gains simple ideas from sensation, it forms complex ideas from these simple ideas by processes of combination, division, generalization and abstraction. Radical for his time, Locke asserted that in order to help children not develop bad habits of thinking, they should be trained to base their beliefs on sound evidence, to learn how to collect this evidence, and to believe less strongly when the evidence is weaker. We all can have knowledge of God[->8]‘s existence by attending to the quality of the evidence available to us, primarily the evidence from miracles[->9]. Our moral obligations, says Locke, are divine commands[->10]. We can learn about those obligations both by God’s revealing them to us and by our natural capacities to discover natural laws. He hoped to find a deductive system[->11] of ethics in analogy to our deductive system of truths of geometry. Regarding personal identity[->12], Locke provided an original argument that our being the same person from one time to another consists neither in our having the same soul nor the same body, but rather the same consciousness. Thomas Hobbes (1588 -1679): Moral and Political Philosophy The English philosopher Thomas Hobbes is best known for his political thought, and deservedly so. His vision of the world is strikingly original and still relevant to contemporary politics. His main concern is the problem of social and political order: how human beings can live together in peace and avoid the danger and fear of civil conflict. He poses stark alternatives: we should give our obedience to an unaccountable sovereign (a person or group empowered to decide every social and political issue). Otherwise what awaits us is a â€Å"state of nature† that closely resembles civil war – a situation of universal insecurity, where all have reason to fear violent death and where rewarding human cooperation is all but impossible. His most famous work is Leviathan, a classic of English prose (1651; a slightly altered Latin edition appeared in 1668). Leviathan expands on the argument of De Cive, mostly in terms of its huge second half that deals with questions of religion. One controversy has dominated interpretations of Hobbes. Does he see human beings as purely self-interested or egoistic[->13]? Several passages support such a reading, leading some to think that his political conclusions can be avoided if we adopt a more realistic picture of human nature. However, most scholars now accept that Hobbes himself had a much more complex view of human motivation. A major theme below will be why the problems he poses cannot be avoided simply by taking a less â€Å"selfish† view of human nature. Hobbes’s moral thought is difficult to disentangle from his politics. On his view, what we ought to do depends greatly on the situation in which we find ourselves. Where political authority is lacking (as in his famous natural condition of mankind[->14]), our fundamental right seems to be to save our skins, by whatever means we think fit. Where political authority exists, our duty seems to be quite straightforward: to obey those in power. But we can usefully separate the ethics from the politics if we follow Hobbes’s own division. For him ethics is concerned with human nature, while political philosophy deals with what happens when human beings interact. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712—1778) Jean-Jacques Rousseau was one of the most influential thinkers during the Enlightenment in eighteenth century Europe. His first major philosophical work, A Discourse on the Sciences and Arts, was the winning response to an essay contest conducted by the Academy of Dijon in 1750. In this work, Rousseau argues that the progression of the sciences and arts has caused the corruption of virtue and morality. This discourse won Rousseau fame and recognition, and it laid much of the philosophical groundwork for a second, longer work, The Discourse on the Origin of Inequality. The second discourse did not win the Academy’s prize, but like the first, it was widely read and further solidified Rousseau’s place as a significant intellectual figure. The central claim of the work is that human beings are basically good by nature, but were corrupted by the complex historical events that resulted in present day civil society. Rousseau’s praise of nature is a theme that continues throughout his later works as well, the most significant of which include his comprehensive work on the philosophy of education, the Emile, and his major work on political philosophy, The Social Contract: both published in 1762. These works caused great controversy in France and were immediately banned by Paris authorities. Rousseau fled France and settled in Switzerland, but he continued to find difficulties with authorities and quarrel with friends. The end of Rousseau’s life was marked in large part by his growing paranoia and his continued attempts to justify his life and his work. This is especially evident in his later books, The Confessions, The Reveries of the Solitary Walker, and Rousseau: Judge of Jean-Jacques. Rousseau greatly influenced Immanuel Kant’s work on ethics. His novel Julie or the New Heloise impacted the late eighteenth century’s Romantic Naturalism movement, and his political ide als were championed by leaders of the French Revolution. The Social Contract is, like the Discourse on Political Economy, a work that is more philosophically constructive than either of the first two Discourses. Furthermore, the language used in the first and second Discourses is crafted in such a way as to make them appealing to the public, whereas the tone of the Social Contract is not nearly as eloquent and romantic. Another more obvious difference is that the Social Contract was not nearly as well-received; it was immediately banned by Paris authorities. And although the first two Discourses were, at the time of their publication, very popular, they are not philosophically systematic. The Social Contract, by contrast, is quite systematic and outlines how a government could exist in such a way that it protects the equality and character of its citizens. But although Rousseau’s project is different in scope in the Social Contract than it was in the first two Discourses, it would be a mistake to say that there is no philosophical c onnection between them. For the earlier works discuss the problems in civil society as well as the historical progression that has led to them. The Discourse on the Sciences and Arts claims that society has become such that no emphasis is put on the importance of virtue and morality. The Discourse on the Origin of Inequality traces the history of human beings from the pure state of nature through the institution of a specious social contract that results in present day civil society. The Social Contract does not deny any of these criticisms. In fact, chapter one begins with one of Rousseau’s most famous quotes, which echoes the claims of his earlier works: â€Å"Man was/is born free; and everywhere he is in chains.† (Social Contract, Vol. IV, p. 131). But unlike the first two Discourses, the Social Contract looks forward, and explores the potential for moving from the specious social contract to a legitimate one. Voltaire (1694-1778) Voltaire (real name Franà §ois-Marie Arouet) (1694 – 1778) was a French philosopher and writer of the Age of Enlightenment[->15]. His intelligence, wit and style made him one of France’s greatest writers and philosophers, despite the controversy he attracted. He was an outspoken supporter of social reform (including the defense of civil liberties, freedom of religion and free trade), despite the strict censorship laws and harsh penalties of the period, and made use of his satirical works to criticize Catholic dogma and the French institutions of his day. Along with John Locke[->16], Thomas Hobbes[->17] and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, his works and ideas influenced important thinkers of both the American and French Revolutions. He was a prolific writer, and produced works in almost every literary form (plays, poetry, novels, essays, historical and scientific works, over 21,000 letters and over two thousand books and pamphlets). As his best-known work, Candideis a satirical examination on numerous themes like religion, philosophy, and government, written in the mordant wit and skepticism that Voltaire employs in so many of his works. Translated to numerous languages and adapted to the stage and screen, Voltaire’s opus continues to be widely read over two centuries later. Voltaire certainly gained enough real life experience to garner a cynical attitude towards established dogmatic institutions that repressed the individual during his lifetime. Why does so much evil exist, seeing that everything is formed by a God whom all theists are agreed in naming â€Å"good?† (â€Å"Why?† Philosophical Dictionary, 1764). In his later years Voltaire championed the rights of victims of religious, cultural, and political persecution, sharing many of the same views as Jean Jacques Rousseau[->18] (1712-1778) Charles- de Montesquieu (1689 – 1755)Montesquieu was a French[->19] social commentator and political thinker[->20] who lived during the Enlightenment[->21]. He is famous for his articulation of the theory of separation of powers[->22], taken for granted in modern discussions of government[->23] and implemented in many constitutions[->24] throughout the world. Montesquieu’s most influential work divided French society into three classes (or trias politica, a term he coined): the monarchy[->25], the aristocracy[->26], and the commons[->27]. Montesquieu saw two types of governmental power existing: the sovereign[->28] and the administrative. The administrative powers were the executive[->29], the legislative[->30], and the judicial[->31]. These should be separate from and dependent upon each other so that the influence of any one power would not be able to exceed that of the other two, either singly or in combination. This was a radical idea because it completely eliminated the three Estates[->32] structure of the French Monarchy: the clergy[->33], the aristocracy, and the people at large represented by the Estates-General[->34], thereby erasing the last vestige of a feudalistic[->35] structure.Likewise, there were three main forms of government, each supported by a social â€Å"principle†: monarchies[->36] (free governments headed by a hereditary figure, e.g. king, queen, emperor), which rely on the principle of honor; republics[->37] (free governments headed by popularly elected leaders), which rely on the principle of virtue; and despotisms[->38] (enslaved governments headed by dictators[->39]), which rely on fear. The free governments are dependent on fragile constitutional arrangements. Montesquieu devotes four chapters of The Spirit of the Laws to a discussion of England, a contemporary free government, where liberty was sustained by a balance of powers. Montesquieu worried that in France the intermediate powers (i.e., the nobility) which moderated the power of the prince were being eroded. These ideas of the control of power were often used in the thinking of Maximilien de Robespierre[->40].Montesquieu was somewhat ahead of his time in advocating major reform of slavery in The Spirit of the Laws[->41]. As part of his advocacy he presented a satirical hypothetical list of arguments for slavery[->42], which has been open to contextomy[->43]. However, like many of his generation, Montesquieu also held a number of views that might today be judged controversial. He firmly accepted the role of a hereditary aristocracy and the value of primogeniture[->44], and while he endorsed the idea that a woman could head a state, he held that she could not be effective as the head of a family.|| Thomas Jefferson (1741-1826) Thomas Jefferson was born in Virginia in 1743 and died on July 4, 1826, t the same day as John[->45] Adams, his life long associate and friend. Their e relationship illustrates the dichotomy that was Thomas Jefferson. He a was the author of the Declaration of Independence, a Secretary of State, a an envoy to France, the third president of the United States, a founder of t the Democratic-Republican party, the anti-federalists party. Baron Charles de Montesquieu’s views on the separation of powers, and t the protection for the rights of the citizenry influenced Jefferson. He believed in the virtues of â€Å"checks and balances† in the formation of the national government, its secured rights and protection for the people. While his views of humanity were more idealistic than those of Madison, they were in agreement for different reasons, for controlling a strong central government. Jefferson, however, opted more for states rights as a means of protection for America’s citizen, an attitude that exemplified his anti-Federalist views. His political thinking was in some respects Newtonian, and he saw social systems as analogous to physical systems. Under this philosophy, love takes the place in the social world that gravity does in the physical world, so that all people are naturally attracted to each other, and it is dependence that corrupts this attraction and results in political problems. Wood argues that, though the phrase â€Å"all men are created equal† was a clichà © in the late 18th century, Jefferson took it further than most. Jefferson held that not only are all men created equal, but they remain equal throughout their lives, equally capable of this attractive love, and that it is their level of dependence that make them unequal in practice. Thus, removing all this corrupting dependence would make all men equal in practice. Thus, Jefferson idealized a future relatively devoid of dependence, in particular those caused by banking or royal influences. Jefferson’s concepts of democracy were rooted in The Enlightenment[->46]. He envisioned democracy an expression of society as a whole, calling for national self-determination, cultural uniformity, and based upon the education of the all the people. The emphasis on uniformity allowed no opportunity for a multiracial republic in which some groups were not fully assimilated into the identical republican values William Blackstone (1723-1780) Blackstone was the great Eighteenth Century English legal scholar whose philosophy and writings were infused with Judeo-Christian principles. The Ten Commandments are at the heart of Blackstone’s philosophy. Blackstone taught that man is created by God and granted fundamental rights by God. Man’s law must be based on God’s law. Our Founding Fathers referred to Blackstone more than to any other English or American authority. Blackstone’s great work, Commentaries on the Laws of England, was basic to the U. S. Constitution. This work has sold more copies in America than in England and was a basic textbook of America’s early lawyers. It was only in the mid-Twentieth Century that American law, being re-written by the U. S. Supreme Court, repudiated Blackstone. An attack on Blackstone is an attack on the U. S. Constitution and our nation’s Judeo-Christian foundations. Blackstone’s Commentaries draws on standard authorities from Bracton onwar d, especially Matthew Hale’s Analysis of the Law, but it is far more accessible. Book I, â€Å"Rights of Persons,† deals with government, church, corporations, and individuals; Book II, â€Å"Rights of Things,† with property, especially land; Book III, â€Å"Private Wrongs,† with torts; and Book IV, â€Å"Public Wrongs,† with crime and punishment. An immediate success—contemporary readers included George III, Burke, Edmund[->47], Charles James Fox, and legions of lawyers and laymen—it went through eight British editions in his lifetime and fifteen more by 1854, as well as numerous abridgements. The standard legal textbook for a century, it helped establish law as a university subject. The first of many American editions appeared in 1771-72, and it was translated into French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish. Though outdated in some particulars, Blackstone remains widely read. Though systematic and thorough, Blackstone was conservative and provincial. He argued that the king could do no wrong, though he regarded parliament as essential and endorsed the separation of powers. He was convinced of the superiority of English common law, though his knowledge of civil law was limited (what he knew came from Burlamaqui, Jean-Jacques[->48], Grotius, Montesquieu, Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de[->49], and Pufendorf). His constitutional theory drew upon John Locke and Montesquieu, but he was not an Enlightenment creature. He had numerous critics: Priestley, Joseph[->50] objected to his comments on religious dissenters and most famously, Bentham, Jeremy[->51] denounced his views on the sovereignty of government, as did John Austin later. Other critics included Boswell, James[->52], Gibbon, Edward[->53], and Johnson, Samuel[->54].

Right Field essays

Right Field essays Many Americans today have totally differing views on the moral aspects of their societies. Politics has taken an aggressive role in determining what people see as right, what others see wrong, and what some people could care less about. Either way each individual has his or her own ideology. An ideology is a person's belief on the values of the government in which they are under. Four basic ideologies are liberalism, socialism, libertarianism, and the most ethical idea of them allconservatism. Conservatism is the belief that government should have limited power and that citizens should have rights to private property and free enterprise. (Burns et al 246) Conservatism also encourages ideas such as pro-life and discourage ideas such as gun control, pornography, and homosexuality. Overall, conservatism is the most constructive and moral system of belief in America today. The other three ideologies, however, tend to lack the moral and ethical values which conservatism sustains. Liberalism views the government as the "control center" of America, leaving citizens with minimal power. Liberalism also, unlike conservatism, condones pro-choice, gun control, special rights for homosexual individuals, as well as a various array of other morally compromising ideas. In socialism, the government is believed to be the only power. Socialists want the government to totally support the citizens, which gives the citizens no choice of their own. This ideology is most commonly connected to the viewpoint that Karl Marx strongly believed in. Libertarianism, on the other hand, seeks extremely limited governmental power, thus proposing a hint of anarchism. Although each of these three other ideologies has some traits in common with conservatism, they all lack the ethics which conservatism possesses. Liberalism and conservatism are considered to be rivals because each ideology tends to deal with issues on opposing sides of t ...

Its an art essay which describes the developing of Arabian architecture in Spain

Its an art essay which describes the developing of Arabian architecture in Spain L'architettura araba in Spagna si ha a partire dal 756, anno in cui Abd er-Rahman divenne emiro di Cordova. Gli umayadi, con i loro seguaci siriani in Spagna, continuarono l'evoluzione dell'architettura umayade in Spagna e Africa settentrionale.La Grande Moschea del VenerdÂÆ'Â ¬ a Cordova, mutilata nel XVIsecolo, ÂÆ' una delle piÂÆ' belle opere che rimangono dell'architettura islamica. La prima moschea, priva di arcate intorno al sahn, stabilÂÆ'Â ¬ lo schema di ali parallele orientate nord-sud, schema che fu poi seguito da numerose moschee dell'Africa settentrionale. Il disegno degli straordinari archi doppi, legati in mattoni ed in pietra, che sostengono il soffitto ligneo, venne pure fissato in questa epoca, forse in base allo schema di un acquedotto romano. Tali archi risolvono il problema di adattare i corti fusti della colonna antica ad un alto soffitto mediante l'uso di un doppio ordine di archi. La loro forma rotonda, a ferro di cavallo, si diffuse in Spagna e nell'Afric a del nord.English: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore company headqua...Il sahn venne circondato da portici. Sotto Hakam II, furono costruite le tre volte sul masqura e la splendida lanterna di asse con il mihrab.Con l'opera di Hakam II l'architettura umayade era giunta all'apogeo.Hakan fu probabilmente influenzato dalla moschea di Qairawan, ove come a Cordova, ad una struttura di colonne erano state applicate delle volte a pietra. La cupola era dotata di profondi spicchi.In epoca romana la cupola scanalata era stata associata simbolicamente con la volta del cielo ed il medesimo significato rivestiva nelle chiese e nei palazzi bizantini. A Cordova cupole di questo tipo coronano le ali centrali delle moschee del venerdÂÆ'Â ¬. L'associazione simbolica della cupola a spicchi con la sovranitÂÆ' , era giÂÆ' nota all'architetto di Cordova ed al suo mittente.Provvide ad una controvenatura intrecciando gli stessi doppi ordini di archi che si intrecciano in tre dimensioni,

Corporate Ethics in the Post-Enron Era from the Role of a Policy Essay

Corporate Ethics in the Post-Enron Era from the Role of a Policy Analyst - Essay Example It evident that for those companies that collapsed, most of them exhibited symptoms like conflict of interest in dealings, exaggerated compensation packages, manipulation of voting rights etc. All these issues have renewed the need to strengthen corporate governance by inculcating business ethics in corporate dealings. Accordingly for us to tackle the issue of corporate governance, the basic principles and concepts in corporate governance need to be discussed (McDonald, 2007). Ethics as a concept refers to concepts or maxims of right or wrong behavior in the society. Ethics can be equated to morality. The critical question to be asked on ethics with regard to corporate governance is whether ethics has a place in this profit centered capitalist economy. The answer lies in the experiences highlighted above on business malpractices whose consequences have not only affected the shareholders only but also the general public at large. Corporate governance involves the assignment of duties and rights amongst all the participants in a corporation from the board of governors all the way to the stakeholders. It also provides for structures for achieving set objectives and decision making. At the same time the corporation exists within a society, thus societal ideals such as fair dealing, transparency, accountability and responsible citizenship must be upheld by the corporate entity. All these societal values have to be incorporated into the concept of corporate governance. This is to say that the corporation has to consider both the legal and social values in its pursuit of better corporate governance. Encompassing the aspect of societal values and norms dictates that the participants in the running of modern day corporations ascribe to the principle of corporate citizenship. The principle of corporate citizenship entails the commitment of individuals to unquestionable ethical behavior in corporate affairs (Cross & Miller, 2012). This principle sits well from the strateg ic and the operational levels of an organization as it is usually tied up with board leadership and corporate image. It is therefore imperative that for any business to be sustainable in these globalized and interconnected world all the corporate players have to recognize that the operating environmental, social obligations, and governance responsibilities are integral to corporate performance and sustenance (Cross & Miller, 2012). All these factors will determine company profits. The case of companies like Enron reflects a new dimension of corporate governance. This dimension entails strategic thinking by the board of directors in providing leadership beyond short term financial performance. The corporate leadership, boards of directors, shareholders, and the modern role of the CEO, must be prepared to provide strategic leadership and oversight on issues to do with the environment as this presents substantial reputation risk. They must also commit to creating shareholder value thro ugh engaging in activities which will increase access to markets while at the same time mitigating against immediate tangible and anticipated future risk (Bernstein, 2004). General Policy recommendations Several policies and strategic thinking

How to Be a Better Learner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to Be a Better Learner - Essay Example The researcher states that every one of us has his own unique good or bad style of learning new things. Learning preferences change depending upon past experience more than the cognitive differences. â€Å"Style changes over time†, says Dr. Sarah Church. While it is possible to recognize different essential features of a learning style, it must be known that the learning process modifies with the passage of time at the individual level. Robotham also asserts that once students develop a learning style, they tend to refine that style based on three factors: unconscious modifications made by the learner himself, conscious modifications made by the learner, and modifications made by some outside element. The researcher’s past experience tells him that he has adapted quite a few learning styles over time. When the author was a child, he used to enjoy the audio learning style because he enjoyed listening to poems over the cassette player when he had to learn them. But today, the author categorizes himself as a visual independent learner and an assimilator of Kolb’s learning styles. Independent learning is the type of learning in which the learner takes charge of his learning process, according to Holec. This learning style makes the learner responsible as he knows that he is accountable to himself of the consequences. Independent learners are able to make a decision and make informed choices without relying on their teachers and colleagues. Dependent learning style is one in which the learner only does what is required and shows little curiosity in knowing more. Dependent learners are always looking up to their peers, teachers and authority figures for support and guidance.