Laboratory Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Laboratory Report - Essay Example Question 4: In this example of the elbow flexion unloading response (i.e. the task performed during the laboratory), state the muscle from which the data from sheet 1 was recorded, and whether the weight was removed unexpectedly or was self-removed by the subject. What was the latency of the response Answer: The data from sheet 1 showed the elbow flexion unloading response of the biceps. The weight was self- removed as we observed the reduced EMG activity of the biceps, starting before the onset of the unloading. The latency time is about 50 milliseconds. Question 5: Based on evidence from the laboratory and/or the literature, explain the major reflex pathway that causes the reduction in agonist EMG in the unexpected unloading response. Include the series of neural events from just prior to the release of the weight until the end of the first agonist (biceps) response. Answer: Anticipation in the postural domain is an example of the ability of the CNS to predict the consequence of the mechanical effect of movement on posture and helps minimize a forthcoming disturbance. A classical example was provided by the pioneer work of Belenkiy et al. (1967). They showed that, during arm raising while standing, the prime mover activity in the biceps brachii was preceded by an activation of a leg muscle, the biceps femoris, starting 100 ms before the movement onset.

Remote Monitoring and Control System Essay Example for Free

Remote Monitoring and Control System Essay Remote Monitoring and Controlling System Based on ZigBee Networks Soyoung Hwang and Donghui Yu* Department of Multimedia Engineering, Catholic University of Pusan, South Korea {soyoung, dhyu}@cup.ac.kr Abstract Thanks to the rapid development of information technology and the growth of the Internet through high speed networks, network environments have even been changed from office oriented environments based on business industries and public institutions to the interconnection of digital electronics in home networks. Home network based applications are very diverse and the remote monitoring and control areas have been studied. Recently, ZigBee has become one of the most promising technologies for home networks. ZigBee is a specification for a suite of networking, security and application software layers using small, low-power, low data rate communication technology based on IEEE 802.15.4 standard for personal area networks. Moreover, owing to the rapid growth of mobile technology, highperformance smartphones are widespread and in increasing cases are utilized as a terminal device. In this paper, we propose the design and implementation of a remote monitoring and controlling system using ZigBee networks. This system targets a home network. Web services and a smartphone are used for the client system to monitor and control the home. Keywords: remote monitoring, ZigBee networks, remote control, smartphone, web service 1. Introduction Thanks to the rapid development of information technology and growth of the Internet through high speed networks, network environments have even been changed from office oriented environments based on business industries and public institutions to the interconnection of digital electronics in the home networks. Home network based applications are very diverse and the remote monitoring and control areas have been studied. Recently, ZigBee has become one of the most promising technologies for home networks. ZigBee is a specification for a suite of networking, security and application software layers using small, low-power, low data rate communication technology based on IEEE 802.15.4 standard for personal area networks. There have been various studies on ZigBee based home networks. To realize remote home automation based on ZigBee, implementation issues of home gateway and device nodes are proposed in [1]. It presents hardware platform consideration and software implementation for each of them. Similarly, hardware design issues are discussed for various home devices such as wireless communications transceiver modules base, USB expansion base and control switches for electrical appliances in a room [2]. Also, an effective architecture for dynamic integration of ad hoc ZigBee home network devices into OSGi (Open Service Gateway Initiative)-based home gateways is discussed. An ad hoc ZigBee home network device is represented by a device proxy service in the proposed architecture so that it can be dynamically registered, discovered, accessed and unregistered just like a common OSGi service [3]. [4] gives a way to construct ZigBee wireless sensor networks and implement remote monitoring and control by a GSM module. [5] describes the structure composition of the smar t home system based on ZigBee and gives a system design concept and implementation approach. Moreover, owing to the rapid growth of mobile technology, highperformance smartphones are widespread and in increasing cases they are utilized as a terminal device. In this paper, we propose design and implementation of a remote monitoring and controlling system using ZigBee networks. This system is targeting the home network. Web service and a smartphone are used for the client system to monitor and control the home. The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. In Section 2, IEEE 802.15.4 and ZigBee specifications are discussed as background technologies. Section 3 describes design issues of remote monitoring and controlling systems. Next, implementation results are included in Section 4. Finally, we conclude this paper in Section 5. 2. Background Technologies 2.1. IEEE 802.15.4 IEEE 802.15 is a working group for the standardization of WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network). IEEE 802.15.4 is one of the seven task groups which are included in it. The first edition of the 802.15.4 standard was released in May 2003. IEEE 802.15.4 specifies the physical layer (PHY) and media access control (MAC) for low-rate WPAN. WPANs are used to convey information over relatively short distances. It focuses on low-cost, low-speed ubiquitous communication between devices. Unlike wireless local area networks (WLANs), connections effected via WPANs involve little or no infrastructure. This feature allows small, power-efficient, inexpensive solutions to be implemented for a wide range of devices. The basic framework conceives a 10-meter communication range with a transfer rate of 250 kbit/s. Important features include real-time suitability by reservation of guaranteed time slots, collision avoidance through CSMA/CA and integrated support for secure communications. Devices also include power management functions such as link quality and energy detection [6]. Several standardized and proprietary network layer protocols run over 802.15.4-based networks, including IEEE 802.15.5, ZigBee, 6LoWPAN, Wireless HART, and ISA100.11a. Potential application areas include the following: sensors, actuators, interactive toys, remote control, industry networks, home automation and so on. 2.2. ZigBee ZigBee is a standards-based technology that addresses the unique requirements of most remote monitoring and control and sensory network applications. ZigBee builds upon the physical layer and medium access control defined in IEEE 802.15.4 for low-rate WPANs. The specification goes on to complete the standard by adding four main components: network layer, application layer, ZigBee device objects (ZDOs) and manufacturer defined application objects which allow for customization and favor total integration. The initial markets for ZigBee included Consumer Electronics, Energy Management and Efficiency, Health Care, Home Automation, Telecommunication Services, Building Automation, and Industrial Automation. The core ZigBee specifications define smart, costeffective and energy-efficient mesh networks. It is a self-configuring, self-healing system of redundant, low-cost, very low-power nodes. ZigBee is available as two feature sets, ZigBee PRO and ZigBee. Both feature sets define how the ZigBee mesh networks operate [7]. 2.3. Home Network Technologies A home network is a residential local area network (LAN) for communication between digital devices typically deployed in the home, usually a small number of personal computers and accessories, mobile computing devices, mobile phones, digital TVs, PDAs and so on. An important function is the sharing of Internet access, often a broadband service provisioned by fiber-to-the-home or via Cable Internet access, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or mobile broadband by Internet service providers (ISPs). In a broader sense, it includes software and services for integration and operation of information appliances in addition to wired or wireless network devices. Home networking technologies can be classified into two kinds: wired and wireless. The telephone, power-line, Ethernet and IEEE 1394 exist as wired home network technologies. As wireless home network technologies, wireless LAN, HomeRF, HyperLAN, Bluetooth, UWB (Ultra Wide Band) and ZigBee are representative. Since wireless networking solutions based on the spread of mobile devices have emerged they can be applied to home networks also. 3. Design of Remote Monitoring and Controlling System This section deals with the design of remote monitoring and controlling systems. To design a system, we considered a home automation network. The system architecture is presented in Figure 1. Figure 1. System Architecture The system consists of a real-time home monitoring sub-system and a light control subsystem. A home server with a home camera caters for home status through video to client. It also works as a home gateway to provide interoperability between the heterogeneous ZigBee and Internet and local and remote control over the home’s light devices through the light control sub-system. A client can access the home server through a web service or smartphone. The client can monitor home status through a real-time monitoring sub-system and control the lights through the 3.1. Real-time Monitoring Sub-system The real-time monitoring sub-system captures images of the area of the home to be monitored and serves the client who accesses the server through the web or a smartphone. Figure 2. Operation Processes of Real-time Monitoring Sub-system Figure 2 shows the operation process of the real-time monitoring sub-system. The server finds a video device and captures images. Then, it generates captured data and transforms the data format for RTP communication. After that, it generates the session manager and streams media data to the client. A client using the web or a smartphone generates the session manager and connects to the server. Then, it receives media data and displays the video. In this way, the client can monitor the in-home status in real-time. 3.2. Light Control Sub-system Light control sub-system is composed of a server which works as a gateway, ZigBee coordinator, end-device, switch node and a light as shown in Figure 3. The operation of the sub-system is as follows. ï‚Ÿ A client program maintains a user interface which contains an on/off control panel. ï‚Ÿ A server which works as a gateway receives control commands from the client and relays the command to the ZigBee coordinator through the RS-232C serial communication. ï‚Ÿ The coordinator relays the control command which is received form the server to the end device through RF communication. ï‚Ÿ The end device receives the command from the coordinator and controls the port of the switch node. The switch node controls the switch of the light. ZigBee based remote controlling can be applied in several ways. In this paper, we considered a simple light control and adopted it for a remote control sub-system. 4. Implementation Results In this section we discuss implementation results of a real-time remote monitoring and controlling system. The server contains a web-cam and the monitoring and controlling programs are implemented using Java. Web-based remote monitoring with video capture, data encoding and RTP communication are implemented using JMF (Java Media Framework) which is a multimedia extension API of Java. A client using web service can access the server after user authentication. Of the ZigBee networks, we use two Chipcon CC2420DB evaluation boards with CC2420s (IEEE 802.15.4 radios) accompanying Z-Stack [8, 9, 10]. One is configured as a coordinator and the other is configured as an end-device. When the coordinator starts, it initializes all internal ports and waits for control commands from the home server. If the home server sends a control command to the coordinator through the serial communication, the coordinator receives the command and sends it directly to the end-device through RF communication. The end device receives the control command from the coordinator and controls the switch node. Figure 4. Implementation Result using Web Service Figure 4 shows the implementation results using web service. A client can access the server after user log-in. The client can monitor the rooms status and control the lights. In the figure, the client turns off the light. The implementation results using a smartphone are shown in figure 5. The client program is implemented on the android platform. Figure 5. Implementation Result using Smartphone As shown in the results, a client can monitor the in-home status in real-time and send light control commands using the control button on the smartphone. 5. Concluding Remarks Recently, the home environment has seen a rapid introduction of networked digital technology. This technology offers new and exciting opportunities to increase the connectivity of devices within the home for the purpose of home automation. Moreover, with the rapid expansion of the Internet, there is the added potential for the remote control and monitoring of such networked devices. ZigBee has become one of the most promising technologies for home networks. ZigBee is a specification for a suite of networking, security and application software layers using small, low-power, low data rate communication technology based on IEEE 802.15.4 standard for personal area networks. Moreover, owing to the rapid growth of mobile technology, highperformance smartphones are widespread and in increasing cases they are being utilized as a terminal device. This paper proposes design and implementation of a remote monitoring and controlling system based on ZigBee networks. Real-time remote monitoring is implemented with JMF which is a multimedia extension API of Java. The remote controlling is implemented using ZigBee networks. The client program in a smartphone is implemented on the android platform. Clients can monitor their homes and send light control commands using the web or a smartphone. This system can be applied in many areas such as elderly protecting systems, cultural heritage or forest fire monitoring systems, managing systems for agricultural cultivation and so on. As a future work, we consider expansion of the system using various sensors and actuators. References [1] Z. Shunyang X. Du, J. Yongping and W. Riming, â€Å"Realization of Home Remote Control Network Based on ZigBee†, Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Electronic Measurement and Instruments, (2007), August 16-18, Xian, China. [2] A Fang, X. Xu, W. Yang and L. Zhang, â€Å"The Realization of Intelligent Home by ZigBee Wireless Network Technology†, Proceedings of the 2009 Pacific-Asia Conference on Circuit, Communications and System, (2009), May 16-17, Chengdu, China. [3] Y. Ha, â€Å"Dynamic Integration of Zigbee Home Networks into Home Gateways Using OSGi Service Registry†, IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics, vol. 55, no. 2, (2009). [4] J. W. H. Qin, â€Å"The Design of Wireless Intelligent Home System Base on ZigBee†, Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Communication Technology, (2008), November 10-12, Hangzhou, China. [5] D. Yan and Z. Dan, â€Å"ZigBee-based Smart Home System Design†, Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Advanced Computer Theory and Engineering, (2010), August 20-22, Chengdu, China. [6] IEEE 802.15.4: Wireless medium access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY)specification for low-rate wireless personal area networks (WPANs), (2006). [7] ZigBee Specification,(2008), Document 053474r17,ZigBee Alliance. [8] Figure 8 Wireless, ZigBee Implementer’s Guide, (2005). [9] Figure 8 Wireless, Z-Stack User’s Guide for the CC2420DB Board, (2005). [10] Figure 8 Wireless, Z-Stack/Z-Tool Serial Port Interface, (2005).

Death of a Salesman Structure Metaphoric Language and Theme Essays

Death of a Salesman Structure Metaphoric Language and Theme In looking at the characteristics of the tragic hero, it can be see that Willy Loman is not a tragic hero but a victim of a false idealistic pursuit of the â€Å"American Dream†. Willy strives to become and instill in his sons the success of the self made man that American society often advertises but ultimately falls short, and instead, escapes accepting his failure through lies and death. What many flaws Willy possesses, most do not correlate with the classic tragic hero. Willy Loman, was never really of noble stature, as was summed up by Linda, the person who knew him best. â€Å" Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He’s not the finest character that ever lived.† Willy’s harmartia was his obsession with the false American Dream that caused him to become delusional and totally blind of his actual situation. If this is so, then he cannot he commit a true and calculated error of judgment and then his downfall is due to an overriding irrepressible mental condition which cancels his own fault in his downfall. His delusional state of mind blurs reality and causes him to never accept or understand who he is or his downfall erasing any notion that he experienced an epiphany of any sort. In fact, it can be said that he dragged one of his sons with him. In front of Willy’s grave Happy vows to continue Willy’s dream. â€Å" He had a good dream. It’s the only dream you can have- to come out the number-one man. He fought it out here, and this is where I’m gonna win it for him.† Willy Loman is an example of the middle class man caught as a victim of society where the odds are against him, a â€Å"has-been†. As a victim he unwillingly suppressed hi... ...t, but Ben is also dead. Willy’s father went off to Alaska to find wealth but also ended up dead. In the â€Å"Requiem†, Happy vows to finish what his father started and therefore following in his footsteps, â€Å"I’m gonna show you and everybody else that Willy Loman did not die in vain.† He ends the proclamation with, â€Å"I’m gonna win it for him.† Three people with the same goal, economic success and freedom, with what can be assumed the same outcome, death. Alternatively, the story of David Singleman acts as an oracle in the way that it foreshadows Willy’s death, â€Å"- and by the way he died the death of a salesman.† Within the past, present and future actions of characters the effects of a preordained outcome are clearly visible. By looking at character relations and incorporating old techniques with more modern ones a dark pattern of design looms over the Loman family.

The Great Gatsby : The American Dream :: essays research papers

In The Great Gatsby, one of the predominant themes is the death of thee American dream. In this, F. Scott Fitzgerald is showing how the American dream has become corrupt and that the dream is dead.. The Great Gatsby took place in the roaring twenties. A time when man no longer found happiness in simple pleasures like he did once such as life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This is when the first breakdown in the American dream occurred. The idealization of the American dream was over, people took what they were born with for granted and did not miss what the never had. Things that the dream stood for such, as life was not an issue that people talked about. There was an unspoken silence of live and let live even though there was vast amounts of discrimination. Liberty, a thing taken for granted since all born on American soil are free men and women, thus no one cherishes that part of the dream either. The pursuit of happiness is befuddling. Daisy makes this clear by saying 'Your revolting'; to tom. Obviously she's unhappy with tom yet she wont leave him for Gatsby. Daisy made this clear when Gatsby gave her the ring and she wouldn't ware it. And she said 'be my friend, be my lover'; meaning she wanted him yet she wanted her life of flirting with the in crowd more then she loved Gatsby. However this is a generation that is comparable to our generation x children in how lazy they were. The roaring twenties was an era off sophistication, technology and leisure. People had what they had ant what they didn't the lived with out. The American dream itself is idealized. It was first thought of during the American Revolution as a way to keep spirits up. The motto, life liberty and the pursuit of happiness is not by any means a dream but an aspect of a way to make a certain reality for oneself. Then as time went on, the time period to actually make this dream a reality was passed over, people no longer lived a hard life or struggled for freedom. So the dream itself got left behind. We idealized it and later in the roaring twenties, that idealization was recognized by F Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby was Fitzgerald's cry out to the American people. A metaphor intended to make people aware that they had forgotten about the true pleasures in life and that they were wrapped up in the material world.

Laptops replace textbook Essay

The initial reaction to this question by many people is, â€Å"What a ridiculous question!† However, there are many key issues to consider, like cost, ease of use (is the computer screen too hard on our eyes for extensive reading?), maintenance and repair (if students carry them from class to class, will they break?), but most importantly, student learning (what is the best way to help students learn?). In order to come to a conclusion on the subject, all of these issues must be explored. Cost First let’s look at cost. Publishers can create a CD of their textbooks, and at a greatly reduced price because there is no need for paper, printing and binding. However the costs can be spread to the purchasers in other ways. The need for the technology to use the CDs is the largest expense. However, most districts spend money on technology already, and with the purchase of a laptop for each student, the need for computer labs should eventually become minimal or obsolete as laptops are purchased. This should be considered when looking at costs of purchasing laptops and text CDs. Another side effect of giving, renting or requiring student purchase of laptops is that other computer functions like word processing and PowerPoint should be included with the initial purchase, and all students will have similar ability to access programs to complete homework assignments. Reading a computer screen can be difficult for long expanses of text, so I think that the cost of printing saved by the publishers will be passed on to the owner of the printer to which student computers are connected, though the cost will be considerably less than binding a textbook. Some students may not be organized in keeping pages in order, or throw away the chapters after they are finished, so if students want to refer to the book in the future, they may find a need to reprint parts of the book. Paper will inevitably be wasted. The actual cost difference may be hard to discern, but it is likely that a laptop with digital text combination, in the end, will be more expensive. The question is, what are the priorities of the school district? Should school districts sacrifice student learning in the interest of a cost savings? Some computer companies offer special programs, or quantity discounts. Some districts may require parents to purchase laptops. Henrico County Public Schools in ia, offers insurance on laptops, which the school system owns, to parents for $50. Tracy Unified School District in California at their charter school, Discovery Charter School, has implemented a laptop program, and replaced their textbooks with laptops for 20% more than the cost of textbooks. They expect the costs to decrease because, in the future, they will only need to replace laptops that are broken, and purchase new discs for their textbooks Ease of use Next, consider ease of use. If a school can hook up a wireless network, students should be able to access online sources from most places in the school, including study hall. Teachers should no longer hear that students could not get into the library or lab to complete assignments, and students will be free to explore the ability of the technology more completely. In fact, teachers may find themselves changing their method of teaching to best utilize the technology. Schools that implement a laptop program should employ technology people to teach students and teachers how to use them, to maintain the machines, as well as keep networks in order. This is very important to help minimize frustration on the part of students and teachers. It is very frustrating to have a lesson planned and not be able to go forward because things out of your control are not working properly. Student learning Student learning is the most important thing to consider when deciding teaching methods. Laptop computers allow for more interactivity with subjects by using multimedia methods. Publishers Holt, Rinehart and Winston show concepts like photosynthesis using animation which enhances printed words on the subject. Students can also reach WebQuests and other simulations such as frog dissections on the Internet. Students can create projects using PowerPoint and many other programs to illustrate what they have learned. All these things support a constructivist atmosphere which has been shown to enhance learning. Pros and cons A good way to analyze the question is to create a list of pros and cons on the subject. In the category of pros: The ability to replace outdated and incorrect information quickly and inexpensively. Computer literacy, which can be important in the job world, becomes second nature to students who have constant access to a computer. Interactivity is enhanced with laptops and a constructivist atmosphere is fostered. Use of laptops allow a student led atmosphere by instituting a more project-based method of learning, also promoting a constructivist atmosphere. Concepts are easier to grasp when presented in a multimedia way. A laptop for each student builds a bridge across the digital divide. Giving students an expensive piece of equipment encourages responsibility for the equipment. Many students and teachers who have been part of laptop programs in schools report increased organization capability. Students can â€Å"trade† places with teachers, offering new information that was not known to the teacher or class, fostering a sense of pride and self-esteem. Some texts offer students the ability to highlight and annotate while studying. Teachers in laptop schools report that students create longer and more well written assignments because they need not use resource books to locate spelling and grammar mistakes. Students report that they learn about writing styles better because of the instantaneous corrections. If the district uses digital texts, students will not need to carry huge and heavy textbooks from class to class. Backpacks will be lighter and damage to spines will be less likely. Students also may need to spend less time in their lockers. The cons are not as numerous, but contain more â€Å"weighty† items: The possibility of theft (will the laptops make students a target?) Breakage and maintenance are expensive and can cause students to lose time on projects. The laptops themselves are expensive, although some vendors offer huge discounts to schools and for quantities purchased. There is a need to have a good connection to the Internet, preferably a wireless one. The teachers must be on board, or they will not utilize the laptops and the resource will be wasted (and the money spent will be wasted). Plagiarism is a greater temptation with easier access to the Internet. Students may become distracted and get off task more easily. Technology failure, of all types. In fact, on a survey given to teachers at Piscataquis Community High School in Maine on their One-to-One Laptop Program, there were only three main complaints after two years of involvement in the program: 1) Laptops causing distractions, 2) inappropriate use of the computers, and 3) technology failure. One perspective to consider is that when school districts buy textbooks, students have a few activities they can accomplish using them. They can read and study to learn. They may find practice quizzes and further resources in textbooks but they must take the initiative to go to the library, or search for information, and grade their quizzes. The functions of a textbook are few, though important. When a school districts buys a laptop and digital information for a student, the student finds him/herself able to not only read and study to learn, but able to fully synthesize the information with interactive quizzes, and links for further information, as well as an ability to produce a paper or other end product. Students will not need to have a computer at home, or visit a public library or computer lab to complete their assignments. As well, all students will be using the same programs. The most useful places to find information about laptop programs is from schools that have implemented them for three years or more, so the Hawthorne affect has diminished, since most of them have been in the news, studied or scrutinized in some way. Also by then, the novelty of using new technology, which can inspire students to study more, has worn off. In Maine, standardized test scores for eighth graders have been only slightly elevated or the same over non-laptop schools. In an article by Andrew Speyer called â€Å"Technology in Schools: Why Laptops?†, Mr. Speyer states that â€Å"A laptop in a classroom will not result in students having higher SAT scores. It will not guarantee that students will have higher grades, better attention, or learn the daily material more completely. . . Control will shift from a teacher-based experience to a collaborative experience. If there is any single argument for the use of laptops in a classroom this would be it.† Even with no significant improvement in scores, laptops are still worth having because they support constructivist methods, which has been shown to improve learning. In fact, the question that arises in the newest literature is not â€Å"Should schools use laptop computers?†, but â€Å"Can hand helds replace laptops?† Conclusion Laptops can not only replace textbooks, but can enhance student learning overall. Using computers on a consistent basis can move a classroom toward a more collaborative method of learning. With laptops students would be  able to have access to the Internet for research, word processing, and PowerPoint programs anytime, even in study hall. If a school district can take the money they would normally spend on textbooks and add some of their technology money, they may be able to achieve a goal of providing a laptop computer for each student over time. Even if standardized test scores remain the same, there are still advantages to having a laptop for each student. Regular Ed students write longer, more complete assignments, possibly due to ease the of using word processing and better resource searching ability. Buying laptops and digital textbooks may be a huge step to take, but a district may be able to work their way into them slowly by introducing laptops a grade level at a time, or in various other ways. If the goal of the district is to maximize student learning, individual laptops may be a good way to do it. Laptop learning supports constructivist activities, which have been shown to improve learning. Activities which students have a say in choosing for themselves, and choosing their own methods to complete, allow them to become more enthusiastic and involved with their learning. They can become more like partners in their own learning, rather than fairly inactive absorbers. With a laptop a complete project can be accomplished, but with a textbook, only half of a project can be accomplished. AUTHOR: Alisa Humphrey References Curtis, D. (2003, December 16). The Maine Event. Edutopia Online. Retrieved October 10, 2004 from http://www.glef.org/php/article.php?id=Art_1119. Chapman, G. (1998, June 15). Push to trade class textbooks for laptop PCs is a misuse of technology. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 6, 2004 from http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/21cp/laptops.htm. Cook, G. (2002, July). Laptop Learning. ASJB.com. 189 (7). Retrieved October 9, 2004 from http://www.asbj.com/2002/07/0702coverstory.html. Harris, Walter J. & Smith, Lori. (February 2004). Laptop use by seventh grade students with disabilities: Perceptions of special education teachers. Maine Education P

Intrusive Misuse of Colons

Intrusive Misuse of Colons Intrusive Misuse of Colons Intrusive Misuse of Colons By Mark Nichol Writers often mistakenly introduce intrusive â€Å"colonization† where it is not necessarily. In each of the following examples, as explained in the discussion, the colon is superfluous. 1. Smith was invited to give the presentation: â€Å"Global Development and Global Practices.† â€Å"The presentation† and the title of the presentation are appositive- one is equivalent to the other, just as in â€Å"global-development expert John Smith,† the person’s description and his name are appositive- and no intervening punctuation is necessary: â€Å"Smith was invited to give the presentation â€Å"Global Development and Global Practices.† (If the presentation previously was alluded to and is now being specified, set the title off from the first part of the sentence with a comma: â€Å"Smith was invited to give the presentation, â€Å"Global Development and Global Practices,† but otherwise do not replace the colon with a comma. Also, if the wording is â€Å"Smith was invited to give a presentation on the topic of . . .,† the description of the topic is just that- a description- and should be lowercase and not enclosed in quotation marks. 2. An effective compliance program will include: governance and management oversight, policies and procedures, training, monitoring, quality control, and independent audit. When include or includes (or â€Å"consist/consists of† or a similar word) precedes a list, a colon is superfluous, just as it would be between any verb and any single noun or noun phrase associated with the verb. This is true whether the information is presented as an in-line list (meaning that it is integrated into the sentence, as here) or it is formatted vertically, one item on a line, whether as is or set off with bullets or numbers: â€Å"An effective compliance program will include governance and management oversight, policies and procedures, training, monitoring, quality control, and independent audit.† (An exception is if what precedes the list is an independent clause, such as â€Å"An effective compliance program will include the following.†) 3. Management is secure in the knowledge that it: has considered all plausible scenarios, understands the organization’s breakpoint in the event of extreme scenarios, and has effective contingency-response plans in place. The point of the previous example is true regardless of whether a verb precedes the colon or, because each item in the in-line or vertical list begins with a verb, the colon follows a word representing another part of speech; the fact that a sentence is more extensive and complex than if it had essentially a one-item list (for example, â€Å"Management is secure in the knowledge that it has considered all plausible scenarios†) is irrelevant: â€Å"Management is secure in the knowledge that it has considered all plausible scenarios, understands the organization’s breakpoint in the event of extreme scenarios, and has effective contingency-response plans in place.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What Does [sic] Mean?The Writing ProcessWriting a Thank You Note

buy custom She Loves a Challenge essay

buy custom She Loves a Challenge essay 1. The four stages of team development included: (a) solving employees private issues; (b) solving employees collective issues; (c) implementation of new rules and motivation; (d) the continuity of the system, promoted by old workers with changed models of collective action. According to Tuckmans teamwork theory, they can be defined as forming, storming, norming, and performing respectively (The Happy Manager, n.d.). The first stage included one-to-one sessions with each employee that was aimed at revealing personal motives and principles of interaction with the rest of the staff. The director explained the above-mentioned as a difficult start with the purpose of changing personal attitudes. The second stage required the confrontation of employees altogether to ensure revealing, discussing and eliminating the basis for future confrontations. The aim of this stage was explained clearly and honestly. The director agreed that it was an extremely difficult task, but it was also of crucia l importance for future collective interaction in a positive way. The next stage was about the implementation of the new rules, which excluded potential threats of conflict behavior. The rules were explained in a strict manner, though by motivation of the staff followed it. Overall, this stage of team development is characterized as implementing new principles of collective conduct, shifting accents from I/me to us/we. The director reasoned that unity of action and thought at work provides a positive-thinking environment that enhances the productivity. The last stage was the succession of a new paradigm of collective action. This time, old employees with brand new model of cooperative interaction were sharing it with individuals that wanted to fit this system. Thus, the circle of succession was closed and the new model became fixed and permanent. 2. In this case, the directors strategy affected team spirit and team work. These notions are different because team spirit mainly means the characteristic of psychological atmosphere of the staff, whereas teamwork is the process of collaborative completing the task in order to achieve the set goal (How to Build, n.d.). If every individual from the staff shares collective values and appreciates the views of ones colleagues without confronting them, such staff can be characterized as the one that has team spirit. Organizations can experience serious troubles while lacking team spirit. Even a well-organized and planned venture may fail its objectives without the commitment of the team behind it. Building team spirit is about engaging the emotions of the team members (How to Build, n.d.). In its turn, team-work is the process affected by the existence of the team spirit. When every individual trusts his or her colleagues, it will assist an effective teamwork. Thus, a team is more than a group of people, aimed at the achievement of a collective goal. It is a group of people, which strength is based on the relationships among team members. Members of such group are interdependent. An ideal team is characterized by the feedback and communication behaviors of its members, their behavior and conduct courtesies, and their ways of approaching tasks and problems (Nazzaro Starazzabosco, 2009). This particular case has stressed team spirit in order to change it and improve the characteristics of the teamwork. 3. MBWA is a practice of team building that has full name as Management By Wandering Around, or Management By Walking About. This concept includes approaches aimed at active interaction of a director or a staff manager with his or her team. Experts say this practice can increase the potential of a team through the influences on staff approachability, trust, business knowledge, accountability, morale and productivity (Management By Wandering Around, n.d.). All in all, this practice makes a director an active member of the life of ones staff, providing him or her with persistent contact with the team. In connection to the studied case, such choice of a management approach by the director serves as evidence that she is an open-minded person, willing to take part in daily life of her team and be able to assist it whenever there is a need. The case also serves as an example of great teambuilding skills the director has. Judging from the presented case, one may assume the results of the ab ove-mentioned approach were extremely productive as it was supported by the evidence. The director observed positive effect of her methods of teambuilding: employees seemed to become closer together, all sources of confrontations were excluded, and the staff worked according to the new principles of work. 4. Dr. Shaheen used various methods for motivating her employees. Her usual accent was on the unproductiveness of selfish behavior while being a part of a team. The behavior of the director in this sense goes along with McClellands theory of learned needs. According to this approach, a person is led by three motivation factors in ones life: achievement, affiliation, and power (McClellands Human Motivation Theory, n.d.). Dr. Shaheen first referred to achievement, stating that the team is to successfully achieve its tasks and be productive. Then, she shifted to affiliation, applying to the fact that hand-in-hand work provides a great experience of cooperation. Power was mentioned the last, insisting that a united team can achieve greater goals than a usual group of people. Thus, the director used a comprehensive method of motivating her team. Another positive fact about her approach is that she did not try to motivate the team with money. Motivation by material things has a short-term perspective, but more important goals and challenges need a ground that is more stable than finance. More than that, the question of difference in wages may lead to confrontation of one member of a team with another. If I happened to be a consultant observing Dr. Shaheens performance, I would advise her to conduct sociometric studies from time to time. I believe that this procedure would add more objective information concerning the relations inside the team because sociometric measurement methods give insights about an individuals social competence and standing within an examined group (Busse, 2009). Such analysis would make it possible to ensure minor corrections in the attitudes of team members towards each other. Buy custom She Loves a Challenge essay