The Future of Geomic Research in the United States essays

The Future of Geomic Research in the United States essays Too often, when the term genetic engenering is uttered, people envision a world of geneticly "perfect" people where thouse who are normal are looked down on by genetic supermen. The fact that this vision could not be further from the truth does not dissuade the nay sayers from vemonently dissparaing the practice of genetic engenering, in any of its many forms. The truth of the matter is that the genetic feilds of study, particularly the feild of genomics (the study of sequences of genes known as genomes), have bee revollutionised recently and have become a science of prevention and prediction rather than one for the creation of superhuman beings. The future of genomic research is, however, in question as federal funding in the United States has not been keeping level with the new advances in research. "Early in the development of their discipline, geneticists treated the unit of inheritance, or gene, as a purely formal concept; their experiments consisted cheifly in analyzing the characteristics of individuals in order to determine the genetic constitutions (genotypes or genomes) of those individuals. In recent times - and it is difficult to say exactly when this change began - geneticists began explorations at higher and lower levels of organization than the individual. In decending to the molecular level, geneticists were concerened with the physiochemical nature of the gene"(Ravin 2). In other words therecent advances in genetics and genomics have led to a revolution within the field. With this shift in attitude came a new focus on genomes and gene structure. The United States has done relativly little to encourage the growth of these genome studies, at least when you compare federal spending with that of the private sector. "In 2000 the private sector had already overtaken public sources in funding geonomics research, US$3 billion to US$2 billion. This trend is only expected to continue" ("Genomics and Health Inequa...

Greek Mythology to Rational Pre-Socratic Philosophy

Greek Mythology to Rational Pre-Socratic Philosophy This is meant as a general introduction to Pre-Socratic philosophy. Specifically, you should see how Pre-Socratic philosophy emerged as a new way to explain the world anddiffered dramatically from what came before. There are various Greek myths to explain the origins of the universe and of man. Three generations of immortal creatures vied for power. The first were personifications of such things as Earth and Sky, whose mating produced land, mountains, and seas. One Greek mythological concept of man tells of an earlier, happier time a Greek Garden of Eden What Came Before? Mythology ... which didnt die just because alternatives showed up. Like Pre-Socratic philosophy would soon do, mythology also explained the world, but it provided supernatural explanations for the universe and creation. The basic theme of mythology is that the visible world is supported and sustained by an invisible world. - Joseph Campbell Playing the Human World as if a Giant Chessboard Okay. You caught me. There is an old movie from the 70s on a topic from Greek mythology that shows the gods and goddesses playing with the lives of the mortal heroes and damsels in distress as actual pawns on a cosmic chessboard, but the image works. Hollywood aside, some Greeks thought unseen gods manipulated the world from their perches on Mt. Olympus. One god(dess) was responsible for grain, another for the seas, another for the olive, etc. Mythology made guesses about important things that people wanted to, but couldnt see. Early philosophers also made guesses about this unseen universe. The Change to Philosophy: The early Greek, Pre-Socratic philosophers attempted to explain the world around them in more natural terms than those who relied on mythological explanations that divided the labor among human-looking (anthropomorphic) gods. For example, instead of anthropomorphic creator gods, the Pre-Socratic philosopher Anaxagoras thought nous mind controlled the universe. Is That Really Philosophy? Philosophy Science (Physics) Such an explanation doesnt sound much like what we think of as philosophy, let alone science, but the Pre-Socratics were early philosophers, sometimes indistinguishable from natural scientists. This is an important point: philosophy and science/physics werent separate academic disciplines. Philosophy Ethics and the Good Life Later, philosophers turned to other topics, like ethics and how to live, but they didnt give up on their speculation about nature. Even at the end of the Roman Republic, it would be fair to characterize ancient philosophy as both ethics and physics [Roman Women, by Gillian Clark; Greece Rome, (Oct. 1981)]. Periods of Greek Philosophy The Greeks dominated philosophy for about a millennium, from before c. 500 B.C. to A.D. 500. Jonathan Barnes, in Early Greek Philosophy, divides the millennium into three parts: The Pre-Socratics.The period is known for its schools, the Academy, Lyceum, Epicureans, Stoics, and Skeptics.The period of syncretism begins approximately 100 B.C. and ends in A.D. 529 when the Byzantine Roman Emperor Justinian forbade the teaching of pagan philosophy. There are other ways to divide the Greek philosophers. The About.com Guide to Philosophy says there were 5 Great Schools - The Platonic, Aristotelian, Stoic, Epicurean, and Skeptic. Here were following Barnes and talking about those who came before Plato and Aristotle, the Stoics, Epicureans, and Skeptics. The First Philosophical Solar Eclipse This, Barnes first period, begins with Thales alleged prediction of a solar eclipse in 585 B.C. and ends in 400 B.C. Philosophers of this period are called Pre-Socratic, somewhat misleadingly, since Socrates was a contemporary. Some argue that the term philosophy inaccurately limits the sphere of interest of the so-called Pre-Socratic philosophers. Is Students of Nature a Better Term? Students of nature, the Pre-Socratics are credited with inventing philosophy, but they didnt work in a vacuum. For instance, knowledge of the eclipse if not apocryphal may have come from contact with Babylonian astronomers. The early philosophers shared with their predecessors, the mythographers, an interest in the cosmos. Where Does Stuff Come From? Parmenides was a philosopher from Elea (west of mainland Greece, in Magna Graecia) who probably was an older contemporary of the young Socrates. He says that nothing comes into being because then it would have come from nothing. Everything that is must always have been. Myth Writers vs the Pre-Socratic Philosophers: Myths are stories about persons.Pre-Socratics looked for principles or other natural explanations. Myths allow a multiplicity of explanations.Pre-Socratics were looking for the single principle behind the cosmos. Myths are conservative, slow to change.To read what they wrote, you might think the aim of the Pre-Socratics was to knock down earlier theory.Myths are self-justifying.Myths are morally ambivalent.-From The Attributes of Mythic/Mythopoeic Thought Philosophers sought a rational order observable in the natural phenomena, where mythographers relied on the supernatural. Pre-Socratics Denied a Distinction Between Natural Supernatural: When the Pre-Socratic philosopher Thales (of eclipse fame) said all things are full of gods, he wasnt so much singing the swan song of mythographers or rationalizing myth. No, he was breaking new ground by, in Michael Grants words, ... implicitly denying that any distinction between natural and supernatural could be legitimately envisaged. The most significant contributions of the Pre-Socratics were their rational, scientific approach and belief in a naturally ordered world. After the Pre-Socratics: Aristotle and So Forth: With the philosopher Aristotle, who valued evidence and observation, the distinction between philosophy and empirical science began to appear.Following the death of Alexander the Great (a student of Aristotles), the kings who divvied up and ruled his empire began to subsidize scholars working in areas, like medicine, that would do them some good.At the same time, the philosophical schools of the Stoics, Cynics, and Epicureans, that were not interested in empirical science, took hold.Michael Grant attributes the separation of science and philosophy to Strato of Lampsacus (successor of Aristotles successor, Theophrastus), who shifted the focus of the Lyceum from logic to experiment. Pre-Socratics May Have Been Rational But They Couldnt Possibly All Be Right: As Barnes points out, just because the Pre-Socratics were rational, and presented supportive arguments, doesnt mean they were right. They couldnt possibly all be right, anyway, since much of their writing consists in pointing out inconsistencies of their predecessors paradigms. Sources: Jonathan Barnes, Early Greek PhilosophyMichael Grant, The Rise of the GreeksMichael Grant, The Classical GreeksG.S. Kirk and J.E. Raven, The Presocratic PhilosophersJ.V. Luce, Introduction to Greek PhilosophyThe Attributes of Mythopoeic Thought​ Related Resources: Presocratic PhilosophyPythagoras of SamosEpicureansStoics

Response on group members posts on black board Essay

Response on group members posts on black board - Essay Example ), whereas you were supposed to tell how Alfredo would eat brussel sprouts in operational terms. Response 2 I totally agree with you. Yes, we are required to show the behaviors when we are told to express them in operational terms. This is the right way of paying attention in operational terms, but the student could have made it easier by tracing the text with his finger while he does the rest. That is right, but it more like a definition of the phrase â€Å"running down the hallway†. Please incorporate some expressions to make it sound more operational! Right, eating the brussel sprouts includes the three activities you have mentioned, but spice that up with the person’s expressions, tell if the taste was appealing etc. Response 3 I appreciate that you have chosen to analyze different tasks. This will broaden our understanding of the target behaviors in operational terms. From the way you have made the boy avoid the task, he is more of retaliating than avoiding the tas k. When the boy is lying on the floor and kicking his legs in the air, he seems to be protesting against something that is being done to him, and may be the parent, teacher or guardian that is asking him to do that will force him to do that.

Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Final Exam - Essay Example Most nation states tend to set specific priorities when developing strategies that will be applied nationwide. However, differences seem to exist between independent and non-independent nation states as of the priorities used by each one when developing strategies that will be used in managing national resources and industries. For example, independent nation states tend to emphasize to the development of the country’s industries so that the dependency on foreign suppliers to be decreased’ (Kitching 10). Also, an independent nation state is expected to invest high amounts on the continuous update of its military industries, so that emergent military needs of the state can be covered, if required (Kitching 10). A non-independent nation state is expected to follow a different strategy; the government of such nation state would primarily consider the interests of those who control the nation’s industries, which are usually those who hold the control of the local mar ket (Kitching 10). In certain cases, it is possible for a nation state to be depended not on entrepreneurs or firms but on other states (Kitching 2010). This is the case of a nation state that has a critical value in terms of its national resources or for a nation state that has critical geo-political position, being able to influence the development of the economy of neighboring countries. ... The above view is based on the study of Kitching where the following example is provided: a research has been made as to whether the improvement of the economy of a state is possible simply by emphasizing on agriculture. It has been proved that such target can be achieved, even if agriculture is the only sector available for the support of the economy (Kitching). The above findings have been related to the efforts of a nation state to improve the performance of its economy without having other sectors to employ apart from agriculture. On the other hand, in countries where the independency of a nation state cannot be secured, the use of non-governmental or international organizations seems to be the best solution for addressing emergent nation needs, such as underdevelopment, terrorism and civil wards. The specific view could be based on the example provided through the study of Akinyeye. In the particular study reference is made to the challenges that Nigerian government has to face in regard to underdevelopment. Moreover, the measures taken by the government for controlling the expansion of the above problem have been proved inadequate. A governmental organization, the Regional Economic Commissions (REC), has been established for helping the country to face underdevelopment (Akinyeye 221). The Commission’s branches across the country have been proved particular valuable in confronting underdevelopment (Akinyeye 221). Still, the following problem has appeared: the communication between the Commission’s branches is poor; in this context, a series of processes is duplicated (Akinyeye 221). A non-governmental organization, the Africa Economic Community, with branches across Africa, has been introduced for helping Nigeria and other

Greedy Based Approach for Test Data Compression Using Geometric Shapes Essay Example for Free

Greedy Based Approach for Test Data Compression Using Geometric Shapes Essay As the complexity of systems-on-a-chip continues to increase, the difficulty and cost of testing such chips is increasing rapidly. One of the challenges in testing SOC is dealing with the large size of test data that must be stored in the tester and transferred between the tester and the chip. The cost of automatic test equipment (ATE) increases significantly with the increase in their speed, channel capacity and memory. As testers have limited speed, channel bandwidth and memory, the need for test data reduction becomes imperative. This project deals with lossless compression of test vectors on the basis of geometric shapes. It consists of two phases: i) Encoding or Compression and ii) Decoding or Decompression. During the compression phase we exploit reordering of test vectors to minimize the number of shapes needed to encode the test data. The test set is partitioned into blocks and then each block is encoded separately. The encoder has the choice of encoding either the 0‘s or the 1‘s in a block. In addition, it encodes a block that contains only 0‘s (or 1‘s) and x‘s with only 3 bits. Furthermore, if the cost of encoding a block using geometric shapes is higher than the original cost of the block, the block is stored as is without encoding. We have created a new greedy based algorithm to find the shapes present in a block in minimal time. This algorithm after analysis seems to be at least 50% more efficient than the algorithm proposed by the author of the original paper which has been implemented in our program. During the decoding phase the data is read from the compressed file and decoded based on the format in which it was encoded. These phases have been implemented using software. The application gives a good compression ratio of nearly 50% under average conditions, is extremely fast and the shape extraction algorithm used provides fast extraction of shapes. To test a certain chip, the entire set of test vectors, for all the cores and components inside the chip, has to be stored in the tester memory. Then, during testing, the test data must be transferred to the chip under test and test responses collected from the chip to the tester. One of the challenges in testing SOC is dealing with the large size of test data that must be stored in the tester and transferred between the tester and the chip. The cost of automatic test equipment (ATE) increases significantly with the increase in their speed, channel capacity and memory. As testers have limited speed, channel bandwidth and memory, the need for test data reduction becomes imperative. 1. 2 Systems on a chip A system on a chip or system on chip (SoC or SOC) is an integrated circuit(IC) that integrates all components of a computer or other electronic system into a single chip. It may contain digital, analog, mixed-signal, and often radio-frequency functions—all on a single chip substrate. A typical application is in the area of embedded systems. A typical SoC consists of: †¢ A microcontroller, microprocessor or DSP core(s). Some SoCs nbsp—called multiprocessor system on chip (MPSoC)—include more than one processor core. †¢ Memory blocks including a selection of ROM, RAM, EEPROM and flash memory. †¢ Timing sources including oscillators and phase-locked loops. †¢ Peripherals including counter-timers, real-time timers and power-on reset generators. †¢ External interfaces including industry standards such as USB, FireWire, Ethernet, USART, SPI. †¢ Analog interfaces including ADCs and DACs. Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 4 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes Voltage regulators and power management circuits. These blocks are connected by either a proprietary or industry-standard bus such as the AMBA bus from ARM Holdings. DMA controllers route data directly between external interfaces and memory, bypassing the processor core and thereby increasing the data throughput of the SoC. Figure 1 Department of Computer Scien ce and Engg, TKMCE Page 5 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes 1. 3 Data Compression Data compression, source coding orbit-rate reduction is the process of encoding information using fewer bits than the original representation would use. Compression is useful because it helps reduce the consumption of expensive resources, such as disk space or transmission bandwidth. On the downside, compressed data must be decompressed to be used, and this extra processing may be detrimental to some applications. For instance, a compression scheme for video may require expensive hardware for the video to be decompressed fast enough to be viewed as it is being decompressed (the option of decompressing the video in full before watching it may be inconvenient, and requires storage space for the decompressed video). The design of data compression schemes therefore involves trade-offs among various factors, including the degree of compression, the amount of distortion introduced (if using a lossy compression scheme), and the computational resources required to compress and decompress the data. Several test data compression techniques were proposed in the literature. These techniques can be classified into two categories; those that require structural information of the circuit and rely on automatic test pattern generation and/or fault simulation and those that are more suitable for intellectual property (IP) cores as they operate solely on the test data. Techniques of the first approach include some of the linear decompression-based schemes and broadcastscan-based schemes. Techniques of the second approach include statistical coding, selective Huffman coding , run-length coding , mixed run-length and Huffman coding , Golomb coding , frequency-directed run-length (FDR) coding , alternating run-length coding using FDR (ALT-FDR), extended frequency-directed run-length (EFDR) coding , MTC coding , variable-input Huffman coding (VIHC) , multilevel Huffman coding , 9-coded compression , Block Merging (BM) compression and dictionary-based coding . Test compression techniques in this class can be further classified as being test independent or test dependent. Test-independent compression techniques have the advantage that the decompression circuitry is independent of the test data. Changing the test set does not require any change to the decompression circuitry. Examples of test-independent compression techniques include Golomb coding, frequency-directed run-length (FDR) coding, alternating run-length coding Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 6 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes using FDR (ALT-FDR) , extended frequency-directed run-length (EFDR) coding , MTC coding , 9- coded compression and Block Merging (BM) compression 1. 4 Automatic Testing Equipment Automatic or Automated Test Equipment (ATE) is any apparatus that performs tests on a device, known as the Device Under Test (DUT), using automation to quickly perform measurements and evaluate the test results. An ATE can be a simple computer controlled digital multimeter, or a complicated system containing dozens of complex test instruments (real or simulated electronic test equipment) capable of automatically testing and diagnosing faults in sophisticated electronic packaged parts or on Wafer testing, including System-OnChips and Integrated circuits. ATE is widely used in the electronic manufacturing industry to test electronic components and systems after being fabricated. ATE is also used to test avionics and the electronic modules in automobiles. It is used in military applications like radar and wireless communication. . 4. 1 ATE in the Semiconductor Industry Semiconductor ATE, named for testing semiconductor devices, can test a wide range of electronic devices and systems, from simple components (resistors, capacitors, and inductors) to integrated circuits (ICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), and complex, completely assembled electronic systems. ATE systems are designed to reduce th e amount of Figure 1. 2 test time needed to verify that a particular device works or to quickly find its faults before the part has a chance to be used in a final consumer product. To reduce manufacturing costs and improve yield, semiconductor devices should to be tested after being fabricated to prevent even a small number of defective devices ending up with consumer. Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 7 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes Chapter 2 2. 1 Problem Definition As the complexity of systems-on-a-chip continues to increase, the difficulty and cost of testing such chips is increasing rapidly. To test a certain chip, the entire set of test vectors, for all the cores and components inside the chip, has to be stored in the tester memory. Then, during testing, the test data must be transferred to the chip under test and test responses collected from the chip to the tester. Our application must be able to compress the test vectors by a significant percentage and it must also be lossless. In addition to these two basic requirements the program must extract the shapes from each block in an optimal manner (here the technique to be used is a greedy approach rather than a brute force one). Moreover the test data must be sorted and partitioned before shape extraction is done. The application must also be able to correctly decompress the encoded data. In order to obtain the shapes covering the bits in as little time as possible, we have created a greedy based algorithm which works in an overall time of O(n4). The original algorithm proposed by the authors of ? Test Data Compression based on Geometric Shapes? [1] on other hand requires one O(n4) operation to identify all possible covers and another O(n4) to find the optimal among them which is a brute force approach. 2. 2 Motivation for Project One of the challenges in testing SOC is dealing with the large size of test data that must be stored in the tester and transferred between the tester and the chip. The amount of time required to test a chip depends on the size of test data that has to be transferred from the tester to the chip and the channel capacity. The cost of automatic test equipment (ATE) increases significantly with the increase in their speed, channel capacity and memory. As testers have Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 8 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes limited speed, channel band-width and memory, the need for test data reduction becomes imperative. 2. 3 Problem Analysis The problem can be divided into the following phases 2. 3. 1 Test Set sorting Here sorting is done on the basis of its neighbors. Also to achieve maximum compaction the first vector after sorting must contain maximum number of zeroes. 2. 3. 2 Test Set partitioning Partitioning of test vectors into blocks can be done easily. But in the case of partial blocks which appears if the number of test vectors and size of test vectors are not integral multiples of N(block is of size N*N) we can partition the block as N*N and use a mark array to indicate which bits are not to be processed. . 3. 3 Shape Extraction Here the shapes must be extracted optimally which means we have to use a greedy algorithm. This algorithm was created and works superbly. 2. 3. 4 Decoding This is only a simple matter of finding the code and based on the code of filling up the test vectors. Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 9 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes Chapte r 3 3. 1 Encoding Phase 3. 1. 1 Test Set Sorting 3. 1. 1. 1 Description Sorting the vectors in a test set is crucial and has a significant impact on the compression ratio. In this step, we aim at generating clusters of either 0‘s or 1‘s in such a way that it may partially or totally be fitted in one or more of the geometric shapes shown in Table 3. 2. The sorting is with respect to both 0‘s and 1‘s (0/1-sorting). The technique is based on finding the distance D between two vectors A and B that maximizes the clusters of 0‘s and 1‘s. The next vector with the highest distance to the existing vector is selected during the sorting process. The distance D may be computed with respect to 0‘s (0-distance), to 1‘s (1-distance) or to 0‘s and 1‘s (0/1-distance) as follows: here k is the test vector length and W(Ai, Bi) is the weight between bits Ai and Bi. Table 3. 1 specify the weights used in computing the 0/1-distance between two vectors. Note that for i = 0, W(Ai, Bi-1) = 0 and for i = k 1, W(Ai, Bi+1) = 0. Table 3. 1 Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 10 Greedy Based Approach to Tes t Data Compression using Geometric Shapes Table 3. 2 3. 1. 1. 2 Algorithm 1. Find the vector with the maximum number of zeroes and interchange with first vector 2. i? 1 3. Compare ith vector with all other vectors from i+1 and calculate the distance based on the equation 4. Exchange the vector with maximum distance with ith vector 5. If ilt;n then i? i+1 Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 11 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes 3. 1. 2 Test Set Partitioning 3. 1. 2. 1 Description A set of sorted test vectors, M, is represented in a matrix form, R? C, where R is the number of test vectors and C is the length of each test vector. The test set is segmented into L? K blocks each of which is N? N bits, where L is equal to R/N and K is equal to C/N. A segment consists of K blocks. In other words, the test set is segmented into L segments each containing K blocks. For test vectors whose columns and/or rows are not divisible by the predetermined block dimension N, a partial block will be produced at the right end columns and/or the bottom rows of the test data. Since the size of such partial blocks can be deduced based on the number of vectors, the vector length and the block dimension, the number of bits used to encode the coordinates of the geometric shapes can be less than log2N. 3. 1. 2. 2 Algorithm 1. Partition the test vectors into 88 blocks( partial or full) 2. If block is partial then a. Mark the rest of the bit positions as already processed Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 12 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes 3. 1. 3 Shape Extraction 3. 1. 3. 1 Description This algorithm was created by our group to obtain the optimal covers of the shapes in as little time as possible. In our algorithm we begin by assuming that all other points before (i,j) has been processed. This means that if any new shape exists in this block it may only begin at a point greater than or equal to (i,j). Now if we are starting from (i,j) we need to check only four points adjacent to it along with (i,j). These positions are shown Figure 3. 1. This is a direct consequence of our initial assumption. Now let us assume that a shape begins from (i,j). Since no other shape has been detected so far, (i,j) is a point. Now the algorithm checks the four adjacent points to see whether the make any other shape when taken in combination with (i,j). Since (i,j) is classified as a point, the next possible shape that can be formed is a line. There are four possiblities for this. This is shown in Figure 3. 2. Figure 3. 1 Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 13 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes Now if another of the adjacent points is a valid bit and if the current shape s a line,then the next figure that can be formed from 3 points is a triangle. This also has four different possiblities. This is shown by Figure 3. 3. Figure 3. 2 If the current shape is a triangle(type 4) and if another point adjacent to (i,j) is of the bit we are checking for then, the only remaining possiblity is a rectangle. This is shown by Figure 3. 4. Figure 3. 3 In orde r to avoid the possiblity of rechecking bits that have already been processed our algorithm uses a ? mark‘ matrix similar to the block of bits,except that every position other than what has already been included in a shape are marked as zeroes. Those that have been identified as belonging to a shape are marked as ones. We also insert the points that have to be processed by the algorithm in the next stage into a queue for faster processing of the rest of the shape. Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 14 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes Figure 3. 4 The anomalies that can occur during this approach are: ? There can be other shapes starting from the same point (i,j). Since we are performing a greedy search, the only possiblity that comes under this category are additional lines emanating from (i,j). This can be easily solved by saving the current shape as well as the newly identified line into the list of shapes. Then the algorithm performs all the above mentioned steps, i. e. marking the bits processed and inserting the points to processed later into the queue. ? Another problem related with this simple approach is that the type 1 traingle may recognized as a rectangle and a few lines if its size is greater than one. This can be avoided by computing the length of the side of square that may contain the triangle(if it exists ) and the length of both the diagonals. If the length of a side is the same as that of a diagonal then its indeed a traingle or a square. To distinguish between these we check whether the length of both diagonals are same. If they are not, then the shape is a triangle,otherwise it‘s a rectangle. The reason these anomalies needs to be carefully implemented is that anomaly 2 can increase the computational complexity of our oerall algorithm significantly if its to be solved. Once the shapes have been detected for what they are we process only those positions that may be a continuation of the shape are processed. Also the proceesing of these bits are only done in the direction of interest(for example, in the case of say type 1 line the only possible extension of the shape occurs in the downward direction and hence this is the only direction processed). This means that not all of the four adjacent positions need to be checked during further processing, which in turn reduces complexity. Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 15 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes Once a shape has been completely detected, which begins from (i,j), we start the processing of the next bit at position (i,j+1) or (i+1,1). This is necessary so as to ensure that we do not miss any shapes during proceesing. Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 16 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes 3. 1. 3. 2 Algorithm Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 17 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes 3. 1. 3. 3 Complexity Analysis As we have seen the algorithm needs 3 loops. Out of this two is used to traverse the entire block. This gives us an outer loop complexity of O(n2). Then the third loop is always executed 4 times in order to check neighboring points. The actual detection of shapes is only a matter of addition of indices to (i,j) and checking to see whether they satisfy any of the conditions of the algorithm. Addition is done in constant time. Now although the detection of the kernel of shapes can be done in a constant time we need to spend some additional time in the case of anomaly 2. As mentioned earlier this can be solved by finding the length of the sides of the square containing it and the length of both the diagonals of the square. Also this must be the square that may contain the whole triangle. This means that in the worst case the lengths may be of size n. This gives us the complexity for this step to be 4O(n). The further processing of shapes that has been detected is done using a queue. The maximum number of times the queue can be executed is O(n2). This because there are at most that many bits in a block. Therefore the overall complexity for shape detection is O(n2) x4x(4O(n) + O(n2))=O(4n3 + n4)=O(n4). Now in average cases the queue will not need to contain the entire block, as the block can be assumed to be comprised of equal parts required and unrequired bits. This means that in the average case, shape extraction process predominates and average case complexity becomes O(n3). This is much better than a brute force approach to shape extraction. Even in the worst case our algorithm performs better as we do not need to perform a covering step to find the most optimal covers for the shapes detected. This would have taken another O(n4) which we avoid by directly using a greedy approach. Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 18 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes 3. 1. 4 Encoding 3. 1. 4. 1 Description The encoding process will be applied on each block independently. The procedure Extract_Shapes(b) will find the best group of shapes that cover the bits that are equal to b as shown in the algorithm. Encode_Shapes determines the number of bits, a, needed to encode this group of shapes. There are two cases that may occur: a) The block contains either 0‘s and X‘s or 1‘s and X‘s. In this case, the block can be encoded as a rectangle. However, instead of encoding it as a rectangle, it is encoded by the code 01‘‘ (indicating that the block can be filled by either 0‘s or 1‘s) followed by the bit that fills the block. Hence, the number of bits to encode the block a = 3. We call such blocks filled blocks. ) The block needs to be encoded by a number of shapes. We call such a block encoded block. In this case, we need the following: ? 2 bits to indicate the existence of shapes and the type of bit encoded. If the encoded bit is 0, then the code is 10, otherwise it is 11. ? P = 2 ? log 2 N ? 3 Bits to encode the number of shapes, S. If the number of shapes exceeds 2P, then the number of bits needed to encode the shapes is certainly greater than the total number of bits in the block. In this case, the block is not encoded and the original test data is stored. 3. 1. 4. 2 Algorithm 1. While there are shapes to be encoded a. Find shape and type of shape b. Find x,y coordinates of shape c. If shape has a length parameter calculate its value d. Depending on shape and type encode the parameters as per table 2. 2 Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 19 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes 3. 2 Decoding Phase 3. 2. 1 Description The pseudo-code of the decoding algorithm is given below. It first reads the arguments given by the encoder and computes the parameters needed for the decoding process. These parameters include the number of segments, the number of blocks in a segment and the dimensions of the partial blocks. For each segment, its blocks are decoded one at a time. The first two bits indicate the status of the block as follows: ? ? ? ? 00: the block is not encoded and the following N*N bits are the original test data. 01: fill the whole block with either 0‘s or 1‘s depending on the following bit. 10: There are shapes that are filled with 0‘s. 11: There are shapes that are filled with 1‘s. For those blocks that have shapes, the procedure Decode_Shapes is responsible for decoding those shapes. It reads the number of shapes in the block and then for each shape it reads its type and based on this it reads its parameters and fills it accordingly. Based on the arguments read first, the decoder can determine the number of bits needed for each variable (e. g. the coordinates and the distances). These are used for the partial blocks when only one block of each segment remains and when the last segment is being decoded. Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 20 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes 3. 2. 2 Algorithm Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 21 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes Chapter 4 4. 1 Language Specification The above project has been implemented in C/C++. This is because C/C++ is a language very well suited for bit level manipulations and provides other features which can be easily implemented using hardware directly. Another consideration that is of paramount importance here is the degree by which C/C++ lends itself to system level programming. The key considerations can be summed up as: ? ? ? ? ? ? Simple Very High Speed Very close to assembly language Can be used to directly implement application using hardware Bit level manipulations are possible Dynamic . 2 Hardware Specification CPU RAM Main Storage Medium Monitor : Pentium II or above : 4 MB : 1 GB HDD : Standard VGA 4. 3 Software Specification Operating System Design Tools : DOS : C/C++ Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 22 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes Chapter 5 5. 1 Application One of the challenges in testing SOC is dealing with the large size of test data that must be stored in the tester and transferred between the tester and the chip. The amount of time required to test a chip depends on the size of test data that has to be transferred from the tester to the chip and the channel capacity. The cost of automatic test equipment (ATE) increases significantly with the increase in their speed, channel capacity and memory. As testers have limited speed, channel band-width and memory, the need for test data reduction becomes imperative. To achieve such reduction, several test compaction and lossless compression schemes were proposed in the literature. The objective of test set compaction is to generate the minimum number of test vectors that achieve the desired fault coverage. The advantage of test compaction techniques is that they reduce the number of test vectors that need to be applied to the circuit under test while preserving the fault coverage. This results in reducing the required test application time. Department of Computer Science and Engg, TKMCE Page 23 Greedy Based Approach to Test Data Compression using Geometric Shapes CONCLUSION In order to check the effective compression ratio produced by the application several different test sets were taken and the algorithm was applied. The test vectors were sorted to maximize the compression. In this work, test vectors were sorted based on a greedy algorithm. Test vectors sorting based on the 0/1-distance was performed. For 0/1-distance sorting, the test vector with more 0‘s was selected as the first vector. The compression ratio is computed as: In the case of large vectors with only sparsely populated positions the application was found to produce very high compression ratio. In the average cases the compression ratio was nearly 50%.

Why Do I Volunteer? :: Contribution to My Community Service

Why Do I Volunteer? Some people volunteer to gain career experience, to build their resume. Develop skills or learn new ones. In addition volunteer work enables others to make contacts with people in their chosen career. Some people volunteer to build self-esteem, to make themselves feel better. To feel needed, to feel that they have a place in this world. To truly feel like they are making a contribution to society. Some people volunteer for the social aspect, to climb the social ladder while helping those less fortunate. Some people volunteer as a result of the instilled set of values they have a set of values that compel them to act on deeply held beliefs about the importance of helping others. Some people volunteer because they have felt the cruel sting that life may have afflicted them or a loved one with. For example someone might volunteer for the American Cancer Society because a family member died of cancer. And some people do it because they want a better understanding about different people or the organization they serve, "bridging the gap," so to speak, in order to better understand their community and themselves. However, I volunteer to give back to my community. I am grateful for the help I received from others. When I was in high school I participated in the Upward Bound program. There I was influenced by the

Employment Labor and Anti-Discrimination Law Essay

You are an employee at a nice paper mill and want to impress the boss by burning the midnight oil (cut not too close to the wood pulp). For four consecutive weeks, you work forty-five, forty-two, thirty-nine, and thirty-one hours. If you are a nonexempt employee covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, how many hours of overtime pay, if any, would you be entitled to? What would be the rate? Fair Labor Standards Act Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 is concerned with child labor, maximum hours, minimum wages, and overtime provisions. Overtime An employee who works more than forty hours over week must be paid 1.5 times his or her regular pay rate for all hours over forty. Employers whose jobs are categorized as executive, administration, or professional, as well as outside salespersons and computer employees, are exempt. Employees who are not exempt include manual laborers and other blue-collar workers who perform tasks involving repetitive operation with their hands (non-management production line employees, for example). Other non-exempt employees include police officers, firefighters, licensed nurses and other public safety workers. Employers can pay overtime to exempt employers if they want to, but they cannot otherwise waive or reduce the overtime requirements. The employee will be paid overtime for the weeks he or she worked the forty-five, forty-two, but not the thirty-nine or the thirty-one hour week.

Porter 5 Forces Analysis Essay

Porter’s 5 Forces Analysis of the Retail Banking Industry in Australia Retail banking can be defined as an industry where financial institutions offer mass market banking in which individual customers use local branches of larger commercial banks. Services offered include savings and checking accounts, mortgages, personal loans, debit/credit cards. Retail banking aims to be the one-stop shop for as many financial services as possible on behalf of retail clients. Some retail banks have even made a push into investment services such as wealth management, brokerage accounts, private banking and retirement planning. While some of these ancillary services are outsourced to third parties, they often intertwine with core retail banking accounts like checking and savings to allow for easier transfers and maintenance. When applying the Porter Five Forces in analysing industry competitiveness and how it relates to the retail banking industry, the following outcomes have been found. Threat of new entrants Current Rating – (Low) – Future Rating – (Med) It would be very difficult without the access to large capital for the average person/company/organisation to start up a bank. However with the popularity of Credit Unions, Building societies and the evolution of the internet, there are many traditional banking services such as providing mortgages, car loans, paying bills, on which online entrepreneurs can enter this market segment (www.billbuddy.com.au OR Aus POST). Banks would be fearful of losing part of their traditional revenue raising, because it is a good source of fee-based revenue. Another threat to traditional banking is companies offering other financial services. What would it take for an insurance company to start offering mortgage and loan services? Not much. Also, when applying the threat of entry formula to a regional bank, there is a huge possibility that one of the big 4 entering the market will annihilate it. Competitive Rivalry Current rating – (Low) – Future Rating – (Low) When analysing the competitive rivalry of the big 4 banks, (ANZ, Westpac, Commonwealth and NAB), we quickly realise that the Aus retail banking industry is dominated by these banks and it is not very competitive. The products they offer are very similar, interest rates are very close and all of them have ATM’s everywhere. The financial services industry has been around for hundreds of years and just about everyone who needs banking services already has them. Because of this, banks must attempt to lure clients away from competitor banks. They do this by offering lower financing, preferred rates, investment services and access to cash almost 24/7. The banking sector is in a race to see who can offer both the best and fastest services. In the long run, we’re likely to see more consolidation in the banking industry. Larger banks would prefer to take over or buy a large stake in other financial service providers (Commonwealth & Aussie), (Commonwealth & Bank West) and (Westpac & BOM). The Main threat to the big 4 would be small & foreign banks trying to gain market share. However, the big 4 have 83% of the mortgage market share compared to 11.5% of the small banks and 5.3% of the foreign owned banks*. So there is a lot of ground to make up. *Source – Aus Banking Industry Report, Page 14 (May 2011). Threat of Substitutes Current rating – (Med) – Future Rating – (High) There are some substitutes in the banking industry. Banks offer a suite of services over and above taking deposits and lending money, but whether it is insurance, mutual funds or fixed income securities, chances are there is a non-retail banking financial services company that can offer similar services. On the lending side of the business, banks are seeing competition rise from unconventional companies. An example of this would be car manufacturers financing customers by offering 0% financing, why would anyone want to get a car loan from the bank and pay up to 10% interest? Suppliers – Relative Bargaining Power Current rating – (Low) – Future Rating – (Low) The suppliers of capital might not pose a big threat especially when the banks viability was/is guaranteed by the federal government during the height of the GFC. On the labour side, the threat of union interruptions is very low to non-existent. The banks have been quite clever in moving a lot of the front line staff offshore though call centres to ensure that the labour supply is cheap and sustained. This is further supported by the huge uptake of online banking by customers. Buyer – Relative Bargaining Power Current rating – (Low) – Future Rating – (Low) The individual doesn’t pose much of a threat to the banking industry, but one major factor affecting the power of buyers is relatively high switching costs. If a person has a mortgage, car loan, credit card, checking account and mutual funds with one particular bank, it can be extremely tough for that person to switch to another bank. In an attempt to lure in customers, banks try to lower the price of switching, but many people would still rather stick with their current bank. On the other hand, large corporate clients have banks wrapped around their little fingers. Financial institutions by offering better exchange rates, more services, and exposure to foreign capital markets – work extremely hard to get high margin corporate clients. Industry Attractiveness One can conclude based on the outcomes of this analysis, that the retail banking industry would be a very difficult and an unattractive market to be considered by a potential competitor. More particularly for the following reasons; * The large market share of the big 4 banks (who pretty much have the market sawn up), * New loan application numbers have retracted significantly and have not rebounded since the GFC, * the need to have access to large amounts of capital,  * low margins by lower interest rates, * high borrowing cost, * Non-traditional lenders such as car manufactures offering extremely low finance rates, * With all these factors in mind, the barriers to entry are quite high.

Comparative Advantage

Comparative Advantage Comparative advantage can be defined as the efficiency of a country or a state to produce a certain commodity at a lower opportunity cost compared to another another country. This applies to international trade where a country can produce a certain good or service at a cheaper cost than another nation. Therefore, it only makes sense for the other country to buy from the producing country as it will be cost effective. International trade refers to the exchange of goods and service between two countries at a price, which is accepted by both countries. A theory can be defined as a discipline of critical thinking and shared ideology on a given topic in science. Thus, the comparative advantage trade theory refers to a clear understanding of the trade that exists between countries that depend on each other for goods and services. In this case, one country can find a market for its goods. On the other hand, the other country can purchase goods at a cheaper price than it would use to produce the same goods. One country is more efficient than the other in producing certain products. Therefore, it makes sense when both countries get involved in the business. In this case, the country that purchases the goods will shift some of the manufacturing attention to other goods that it can produce at an efficient cost.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparative Advantage specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Comparative advantage compares the efficiency of the country to produce a product at a cheaper cost than another country given the same economic conditions. There exists a relationship of co-existence between two countries. In this regard, each country can produce a commodity that it can produce cheaply and purchase the ones it cannot produce efficiently (Leamer, 46). Economics refers to the discipline that focuses on the production, distribution, and consumption of products. It helps to understand the forces of demand and supply that exists in the market. Market forces dictate how certain goods are produced and offered in the market in an effort to satisfy the needs of customers. Thus, in a given economy, it is very hard to produce all goods and service that the economy may require. Therefore, international trade should be introduced to cater for any commodity that a country may not be able to produce efficiently. A comparative advantage exists if two states differ in technological abilities and resource availability. Therefore, one country can engage in the production of certain goods or services at a lower cost than the other country. This comparative advantage may be as a result of a country having cheap labor or due to availability of capital to produce the given product. A country may be strategically located in a place where there are raw materials and thus being able to save on transport cost and purchase of the raw materials. Economies of scale favor international trade as producti on cost fall due to the scale of production. For example, it becomes cheaper to produce larger quantities of goods than producing a small quantity of goods under the same production process. Comparative advantage has been the backbone of international trade and its development. It has also led to increased efficiency in the country’s industrial production. International trade helps to promote world peace through efficient co-existence between trading partners. Good relations are enhanced through international trade as the countries depend on each other for the production and distribution of goods and services. International trade helps countries to earn foreign exchange, which is vital to facilitate stability of their currency (Maneschi, 12-15). Comparative advantage allows a country to specialize in the production of a given commodity. Therefore, this country can purchase other commodities that are available in other countries at a much cheaper price compared to the cost of producing such goods under the current economic status.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A country can make good use of the available resources like human skills, education, and talent combined with enhanced machinery to produce goods and services. The country should then establish a better way to acquire the goods and service that it is not able to produce within its economy. Therefore, the best way is to acquire such goods and services from other countries that can produce them at a low production cost. International trade facilitates the use of the factors of production in an effective and efficient manner. However, this can be costly due to taxes and tariffs imposed on the importation of the goods. Nonetheless, it helps to eradicate delays and low supply of goods. International trade helps to promote relations between trading partners through the exchange of tec hnology and production skills that increase production scale. Sharing of information and skills is enhanced through international trade where the citizens of these countries share culture. Transport and other infrastructure are improved through international trade as the exchange of goods and service promote the need to have developed transport system (Maneschi, 18-21). Conclusion Comparative advantage is brought about by one country having a better opportunity cost in the production of a commodity than the other. Comparative advantage has been instrumental in promoting international trade where countries or states exchange goods and service at an agreed price and terms. International trade helps to promote world peace and stabilizes the economies of different countries through the exchange of information and technology. Leamer, Edward. Sources of International Comparative Advantage: Theory and Evidence. Cambridge, Mass. u.a: MIT Pr, 1984. Print. Maneschi, Andrea. Comparative Advan tage in International Trade: A Historical Perspective. Cheltenham u.a.: Elgar, 1998. Print.

Dr. Seuss Biography - Creator of The Cat in the Hat

Dr. Seuss Biography - Creator of The Cat in the Hat Who Was Dr. Seuss? The biography of Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, reveals that the impact he had on books for children has been an enduring one. What do we know about the man known as Dr. Seuss who created so many classic childrens books, including The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham? For several generations, picture books and beginning readers books by Dr. Seuss have delighted young children.   Although Dr. Seuss died in 1991, neither he nor his books have been forgotten. Every year on March 2, school children across United States and beyond celebrate Dr. Seusss birthday with skits, costumes, birthday cakes, and his books. The American Library Association named the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, a special annual award for beginning reader books, after the popular author and illustrator in recognition of his pioneering work in the development of childrens books written at the appropriate reading level for beginning readers that are also entertaining and fun to read. Theodor Seuss Geisel: His Education and Early Employment Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1925, but rather than earning a doctorate in literature at Oxford University as he originally intended, he returned to the United States in 1927. During the next two decades he worked for several magazines, worked in advertising, and served in the army during World War II. He was stationed in Hollywood and won Oscars for his work on war documentaries. Dr. Seuss and Childrens Books By that time, Geisel (as Dr. Seuss) had already written and illustrated several childrens books, and he continued to do so. His first childrens picture book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was published in 1937. Dr. Seuss once said, Children want the same things we want. To laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained, and delighted. Dr. Seuss books certainly provide that for children. His witty rhymes, engaging plots, and imaginative characters add up to fun for children and adults alike. Dr. Seuss, A Pioneer in Developing Books for Beginning Readers It was his publisher who first involved Geisel in creating entertaining childrens books with a limited vocabulary for beginning readers. In May 1954, Life magazine published a report about illiteracy among school children. Among the factors cited by the report was the fact that children were bored by the books that were available at the beginning reader level. His publisher sent Geisel a list of 400 words and challenged him to come up with a book that would use about 250 of the words. Geisel used 236 of the words for The Cat in the Hat, and it was an instant success. The Dr. Seuss books definitively proved that it was possible to create engaging books with a limited vocabulary when the author/illustrator had both imagination and wit. The plots of the Dr. Seuss books are entertaining and often teach a lesson, from the importance of taking responsibility for the earth and one another to learning what is really important. With their quirky characters and clever rhymes, the Dr. Seuss books are great to read aloud. Childrens Books by Theodor Seuss Geisel Picture books by Dr. Seuss continue to be popular read alouds, while books by Geisel for young readers continue to be popular for independent reading. In addition to those written by Dr. Seuss, Geisel also wrote a number of beginning readers under the pseudonym Theodore Lesieg (Geisel spelled backwards). These include The Eye Book, Ten Apples Up on Top, and Many Mice of Mr. Price. Although Theodor Geisel died at the age of 87 on September 24, 1991, his books and Dr. Seuss and Theodore Lesieg did not. They continue to be popular as do books in the style of the original Dr. Seuss.   In addition, several collections of lost stories by Dr. Seuss have been published in the last few years and in 2015, his unfinished picture book What Pet Should I Get?was completed by others and published. If you or your children have not read any of Dr. Seuss books, you are in for a treat. I particularly recommend The Cat in the Hat, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hatches the Egg, Horton Hears a Who!, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Lorax, And To Think that I Saw It on Mulberry Street and Oh, the Places Youll Go. Theodor Geisel once said, I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells.* If your brain cells need a wake-up call, try Dr. Seuss. (Sources: About.com Quotations: Dr. Seuss Quotes*, Seussville.com, Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel: A Biography by Judith and Neil Morgan)

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Human Resource Management - Essay Example According to Dr. Alfes, the most significant factor in developing an engaged workforce, is to determine whether or not employees find a meaning in their job. Therefore, it is necessary to involve all employees in an effective communication system, so as to determine how they contribute to the organization (McGovern & Shelly 97). As much as Dr. Alfes stressed that employees should be committed to their jobs, she also warned against excessive commitment to job. She said that if employees are unable to switch off from work, then they are likely to lower their performance and productivity, since working for longer hours is not sustainable (McGovern & Shelly 103). Dr. Alfes was categorical when she said that their research work and report were specifically relevant in the current economic environment. She said that their research successfully determined the positive impacts of employees’ engagement on both an individual’s wellbeing and organization’s success, especial ly during times of economic down play (Price 302). She argued that engaged employees usually do not mind going extra miles to achieve the company’s goals, when their organization is struggling to survive during economic recession. In one of their case study organizations, they established that plastic firms under pressure to cut production costs, made saving by encouraging employee engagement (Price 311). Initially, the plastic company did not give effective communication to employees a higher priority, but after establishing a more open culture that allowed employees suggesting how they wanted to work more productively and efficiently, this company was capable of cutting production costs. The significance of effective communication between employees and managers in improving productivity and... This essay refers to some international researches that have established that keeping employees happy is one of the most appropriate means of cutting production costs in the current economic environment. From the researches highlighted in the essay, it is obvious that happy people execute their duties better than unhappy people. Happy employees are a lot more fun to associate with, and consequently have better relations at work with each other. A happy employee has better teamwork with his/her colleagues, a happy manager has better employee relations, a happy sales person improves sales and a happy customer service employee improves customers’ satisfaction. The essay discusses that a happy workforce is determined to achieve the company’s set goals and standards, even during hard economic recess. Although fostering a happy workforce is one of the key challenges faced by most organizations, human resource managers should struggle to ensure that their staffs are happy, as this will increase their productivity and increase the organization’s revenue. A happy workforce is highly innovative, stress free and wise decision maker. In comparison, unhappy employees on the other hand, have fixed minds, and this implies that they only work under strict supervision, and this in turn lowers their productivity and efficiency. It is, therefore, recommendable by the researcher that all organizations should create and develop a happy workforce as this will significantly improve their profit margins and increase their success.