Environmental Science IP 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Environmental Science IP 1 - Essay Example One of the classical examples of this type of the ecosystem is the Amazon basin of South America. It has four distinctive layers; firstly it has forest floor. This is the bottom strata or layer that is highly obscured from receiving sunlight. Only plants that are adapted to low temperatures can survive here. Besides the layer of plants, it has a decaying plant and animal matter. Notably, the rate of decaying is high because of the humid and warm conditions. The second layer is made up of understory layer; this is found between the forest floor and canopy layers. Small animals and birds find suitable habitat within it because it consists of shade-tolerant shrubs, large woody vines, and herbs. Up to 5% of the sunlight reaches this zone (Lewis, 2009). Canopy layer makes the primary area of this ecosystem. It has largest trees of 35-45 meters high which are broad-leafed and dominant. It has the highly dense flora including the epiphytes, bromeliads, mosses and lichen. Most of these epiphytic plants are attached to the branches and trunks of trees.it has diverse fauna, then the emergent layer. Besides the majority of avian species including the spider monkey, hornbill, African parrot among others are found within this layer. Lastly, the emergent layer forms the last part of this ecosystem. Unlike the canopy, this region is made up of a small number of huge trees that reaches above 45-55 meters. Hence, this part rise just above the canopy layer. Tropical rainforest is often dynamic, their structure keeping changing. Like other ecosystems, both biotic and abiotic factors affects its existence. Biotic factors include organism that ensures decomposition of the animal and plants. These fungi, bacteria, and other microscopic organisms help to provide balanced carbon cycle. Also, autotrophs and consumers such as heterotrophs such as antelope and gazelles feed on plants and herbs and thus their lives are dependent on producers. Abiotic

Galileo and Aristotle on falling bodies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Galileo and Aristotle on falling bodies - Essay Example Aristotle explained how objects fall, he stated that every object has a natural place and if the object is moved it will move back to the natural place. Aristotle was among the first early scientists to quantitatively think about speed of a moving body he came up with to assertions on natural motion of free fall 1. Speed of a falling body is proportional to its weight i.e. heavier bodies fall faster than light ones. 2. Speed of a free falling body is inversely proportional to the density of the medium it is falling through Aristotle did not put into consideration a vacuum because it would be incompatible with his thinking. The inference deduced from his theories shows that objects experience less resistance with increase in speed therefore, in a vacuum an object would move infinitely fast. A study of moving objects led Aristotle to the conclusion that velocity, for a given force was inversely proportional to the density of the medium. In modern science this is v=k/d where v, speed is a function of density d and k is a function of proportionality. He explained acceleration as an objects response to its natural place. He states that since the object ’knows‘it’s final destination it keeps going faster until it gets there. To Aristotle two objects of different kinds in a similar medium would not have similar acceleration as the heavier object overcomes resistance of the medium and would thus fall faster than the lighter object. Aristotle obtained his results from pure observation he did not subject any of his theories to any experimental or mathematical scrutiny he also did not have any methods at the time to create a vacuum or reduce friction in order for him to notice dependency on density. Frictionless uniform motion was not analyzed by Aristotle, he considered motion under constant force acted upon by friction, and he concluded that a constant force must be applied on a body to overcome effects of friction force. Galileo - He was the first p erson to publicly and experimentally observe and prove discrepancies with Aristotle’s predictions one of his first experiments was on motion of bodies on free fall it was a challenge to Aristotle’s motion theories, Galileo’s approach to science was different from Aristotle’s he can be referred to as the father of modern science, he concentrated on describing a problem mathematically first, before coming up with a conclusion , he assembled relevant information and created a coherent pattern to disapprove Aristotle’s assertions. He carried out quantitative results rather than describing observations qualitatively, he speculated that in addition to gravitational force acting on a free falling object there was a counter upward force exerted on a falling object by the medium it is falling through. Galileo came up with experiments to show this phenomenon. He used water as the medium to make motion of object through it relatively slow in order for him to record time taken by each object. With this experiment he discovered 1. Heavy objects that are streamlined reached the bottom of experimenting tank at approximately the same time only a little bit longer than time taken to cover a similar height in air 2. Lighter and less streamlined objects took more time to reach

Nucleons Stocks in the Stock Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nucleons Stocks in the Stock Market - Essay Example In this way, the investors in the stock market will automatically become owners or stockholders of Nucleon. Second, Nucleon can generate cash from loans. This large –sum debt will create a creditor-debtor relationship. The debtor will be Nucleon whereas the creditor will be the company or individual that lends money to Nucleon. The following paragraphs explain why the pilot in-house capital budgeting is the best investment choice in this case study(Louderback, 326). Â  I recommend that the company pursue its plans to set up its own pilot plant. This is the best choice of the three possible alternatives. For, the second alternative is not a good choice because the third party that will be contracted by Nucleon may not have the capacity or the money to produce the CRP -1 gene clone. Furthermore, the most important factor in not choosing alternative 2 is confidentiality. Meaning, there is a possibility, even a small one, that the subcontracted third party will abuse its responsibility not to divulge or abuse the confidential formula or processes in manufacturing the CRP -1 gene clone(Needles, 367). Â  In terms of risk, the third party may then set up its own marketing department and to sell the CRP -1 gene clones without reporting such sales to Nucleon and pocket the profits themselves. Further, the third party will then eat away or pirate many of CRP - gene clone clients. As for the other choice which is to license manufacturing and marketing rights to another biotechnology group, it is worst than the subcontract choice here. For, the chosen biotechnology group could then learn the secret formula and confidential processes of mass producing CRP -1 gene clones. In fact, the upfront cash that the Nucleon will receive in exchange for the secret processes and formulas given to the third party to produce the CRP -1 gene clone is only a small matter.

The Spread of the Renaissance Essay Example for Free

The Spread of the Renaissance Essay What do Da Vinci, Petrarch, Alberti, Erasmus and Shakespeare have in common? More than just being from Europe, these great men of arts and literature all flourished during the Medieval Ages. They are all product of the renaissance period and greatly enriched the development of philosophy and humanism during this period right after the Dark Ages. Renaissance, which literally means â€Å"rebirth† in French, was a cultural movement in Europe. This era took place mainly in Italy then later spread throughout Europe from 14th to 17th centuries. Generally, it was characterized by the revival of learning based on classical sources in the fields of philosophy, religion, politics, literature, arts and science. The primary subject of renaissance was humanism. People believed in the active search for knowledge instead of accepting what already existed (â€Å"Renaissance†, 2007). It was the time when the ancient Greek and Roman literature were rediscovered and relearned. The recovery was headed by Giovanni Boccaccio and Francesco Petrarch. Instead of writing in Latin, which was the lingua franca of the church and the elite during that era, these writers wrote in Italian. This paved the way for other writers succeeding them to follow their beginning. These writers wrote epic poems all in Italian. In Italy, the spread of public knowledge in religious and secular understanding was due to the establishments of public libraries and translation of classical Latin works into vernaculars. One significant work was that of Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, which gave light to a study of modern politics. The spread of Renaissance in other parts of Europe came in the mid-15th to 16th century. It was exported to France by King Charles the VIII after he invaded Italy. The exportation included Italian artists like Leonardo Da Vinci, Francois Rebelais, Pierre de Ronsard and Michael de Mantaigne. Da Vinci, on one hand, has built for France spectacular palaces. He was renowned for his great works like Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, two artistic renditions that has transpired through ages. He had become one of the famous icons of the Renaissance. The wave also reached Poland, Hungary, Portugal, Spain and Germany though the centers of this movement came to be France and England. In England, more than simply the expansion of the arts, Renaissance also impacted the religious practices and beliefs. The period is closely related to the Protestant Reformation that divided the powerful Roman Catholic Church. The reformation led by Martin Luther brought forth the creation of other religious movements — Calvinism, Presbyterianism, Anabaptism and Anglicanism. On the other hand, writers like William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, John Milton and Edmund Spencer gave life the English literature. Shakespeare has already become the greatest embodiment of classical English literature. The Renaissance Age truly gave birth to new understanding of previously acclaimed knowledge of the arts. Furthermore, it has paved a way for more knowledge and ideas to flourish. Not only that the Italians are the masters that provided inspiration (â€Å"Defining the Renaissance†, 2007) but it had come to give justice to the arts of other countries. Though it was mainly focused in Europe, the effect, impact and influence of the era has traversed many continents, races and generations. The movements, products, inventions and ideologies that were created during that era are still regarded until this present to be the exemplary and catalyst for the current movements. The Modern era has been greatly influenced by this period of history. References: Renaissance. (2007). Research Machines. Retrieved September 17, 2007 from http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0011726.html Defining the Renaissance (2007). Looking at the Renaissance. Retrieved September 17, 2007 from http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/renaissance2/defining.htm

COP 3530, Discrete Data Structures and Algorithms, Summer 1999, Homework 2 :: UFL Florida Computer Programming Homework

Class Notes: Data Structures and Algorithms Summer-C Semester 1999 - M WRF 2nd Period CSE/E119, Section 7344 Homework #2 -- Due Fri 28 May 1999 : 09.30am * Question 1. Assume that an n-element array (vector) a contains distinct integers arranged in no particular order. Write an algorithm to find the value and location of (a) the mean of a and (b) the value v in a closest to the mean. Note: If v equals the mean, then v is the value closest to the mean. Example. If a = (1,2,3,5,4,6,7,9), then the mean equals 37/8 = 4.625. The value 5, which is in the fourth location (i = 4), happens to be the value closest to the mean. Answer: FindMean(a : array [1..n] of int): { sum = 0; posmean = -1, posclose = -1 for i = 1 to n do: sum = sum + a[i] endfor mean = float(sum) / n mdif = 9E13 for i = 1 to n do: dif = abs(a[i] - mean) if (dif if (dif = 0) then

Hamlet (Shakespeare): “Mad,” “Sane,” or “None of the Above”? Essay

A form of theatrical representation, metadrama (Danner), revealed Hamlet’s convictions about the behaviors and character of his mother, father, step-father, and, most importantly, himself (Shakespeare).   Metadramatic techniques reveal to the audience that characters in a play themselves are aware they are in a play and are providing additional information that the audience can accept as truthful (Danner). While these characters have no motivation to be deceitful, they may demonstrate to the audience their ability to deceive themselves.   Most notably, in Hamlet, the audience can accept information in particular soliloquies, the play-within-a-play, and from the ghost of Hamlet’s father as accurate representations of Hamlet’s and even the ghost’s own perceptions.   Why would any self-respecting ghost return to earth other than to reveal the truth?   And why would Hamlet choose to lie to us through a soliloquy? However, most importantly, we have an opportunity to witness Hamlet’s own unintentional self-deceptions.   In using examples of these techniques to evaluate Hamlet’s mental condition, â€Å"sanity† was not conceptualized as a categorical variable with two levels, â€Å"sane† or â€Å"mad.† Creating â€Å"madness† in a fictional character in a literary masterpiece (e.g., Ophelia in Hamlet) does not impose the difficulties encountered when trying to differentiate between those who are legally â€Å"mad† vs. â€Å"bad† (Emery & Oltmanns 429-433) or when trying to form two discrete diagnostic categories (Emery & Oltmanns 3-14). Regarding the question of whether Hamlet was â€Å"mad† or â€Å"sane,† in the analysis presented below, he has been conceptualized as unfortunate in having characteristics that did not match the particular demands needed for the unusual circumstances of his life and also in having the facility for self-deception that prevented him from recognizing the futility of nonetheless persevering. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet was a young man grieving following the death of the father he apparently still had worshipped as young boys not infrequently do, until they learn what is and isn’t â€Å"cool†.   Hamlet, of course, seemingly for worse rather than for better, actually had that all-powerful father, strong, courageous, respected and also loved by all.   Not prepared for his father’s death, Hamlet was even less prepared for his mother’s fast re-marriage to her brother-in-law. Magnificent poetry is no less magnificent if it comes from the mouth of someone too inexperienced to have learned the difference between the kinds of painful events that characterize human existence and those that will always get our own or most anyone’s attention, for example, the difference between our recently widowed mother having sex with the village idiot and her being sent to Hitler’s gas chambers.   The intensity and obsessive nature of his suicidal depression alone would have permitted a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; American Psychiatric Association manual, as cited in Emery & Oltmanns):   â€Å"O, that this too too solid flesh would Melt{,} and resolve itself into a dew!   Or that he Everlasting had not fix’d His cannon ‘gainst self-slaughter!   O God! God! How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, Seem to me all the uses of this world!† (Hamlet 10). Interestingly, more than two centuries before Freud’s birth, Shakespeare had dramatized the kind of observation on which the latter based psychoanalytic theory (as cited in Shaffer).   First, in the soliloquy cited above, Hamlet did not yet even know that the cause of his father’s death was homicide and would not himself have recognized that his suicidal depression was caused not by his father’s death but by his mother’s sexual betrayal (in Hamlet’s view) of his father, when she went with â€Å"most wicked speed, to post With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!† (10). Without apology for violating one of the many dictates of the politically correct (PC), the dictate never to mention the name â€Å"Freud† without including the phrase â€Å"sexist† (Bowers & Farvolden), it does not even seem possible to avoid imagining Dr. Freud, while rubbing his whiskers thoughtfully, concluding that while Hamlet had resolved his fear of paternal retribution for his Oedipal desires by closely identifying with his father, his resolution of the Oedipal stage was incomplete because, regarding his mother, in wording compatible with Hamlet’s revered Bible, he still was â€Å"lusting in his heart† and, rather than blame his mother as an individual, he instead (innocently and blissfully untroubled today’s PC) blamed women’s nature, â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman!† (10). His ambiguous view of his mother was perhaps not unlike children who blame their mothers for all that is wrong with their lives and the world, yet for whom the phrase â€Å"your mother,† in themselves, are fighting words.   To reinforce the doubts he already had about Gertrude (noted above), Shakespeare gave him the ghost of his father who simultaneously condemned and forgave her, in effect setting her up as a target for both justifiable rage and self-restraint: Claudius â€Å"won to his shameful lust The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen† (20) and Hamlet should â€Å"Let not the royal bed of Denmark be A couch for luxury and damned incest.   But, however, thou pursuest this act, Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive Against thy mother†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (21).   The ghost of Hamlet’s father encouraged what already was his simmering attribution of blame, not overly concerned about the fairness of Gertrude sharing Claudius’ guilt.   In fact, we know that people distort their own perceptions and memories in a direction consistent with their beliefs (Schacter), explaining how Hamlet managed to interpret the ghost’s condemnation of Gertrude as strong enough to warrant his own conclusion, â€Å"O most pernicious woman!† (22). Indeed, people who have suffered misfortune frequently do seek out other people to blame.   We do not like to believe we are at the mercy of random inexplicable accidents or that there is no meaning to account for the occurrence of adverse events or that we do not have immortal souls.   Thus, while Claudius most certainly was guilty of committing â€Å"murder most foul† (20), what did Gertrude actually do to warrant her son’s animosity?   When does she ever show us the loathsome side of herself we have come to expect? Regarding her husband, she, in fact, does not seem guilty of anything more than being naively trusting, when as a recent and lonely widow, she was human in being receptive to the sexual overtures of a man she believed shared her own grief.   Despite what her son and her husband’s ghost indignantly protested, for centuries, marriage between even blood relatives might be considered a national European sport (Coontz). Regarding Hamlet, her â€Å"crimes† seemed no more than being overly tolerant of his disrespectful treatment and overly supportive to the extent of being his cheerleader in what she failed to recognize was not a game but a lethal battle with Laertes: â€Å"He’s fat, and scant of breath.   Here Hamlet, take my napkin, rub thy brows; the queen carouses to thy fortune† (Hamlet, 99).   In her exuberance, she drank poison from the cup her husband had prepared for Hamlet. It would seem that Hamlet’s fatal flaw was less his inability to exact revenge from Claudius than his facility at finding and deceiving himself into believing about any possible excuse, thus preventing him from accept himself for not being the â€Å"man of action† expected of the son of a great king.   Under other circumstances, differing from his father regarding physical accomplishments might have led to no more than the timeless struggle between, for example, the father who had been star quarterback in high school and the son who was in his father’s eyes the star high-school nerd. It was Hamlet’s incredible myopia regarding the excuses he was making for failing to act that led inexorably to a tragic bloodbath in the end.   Hamlet, it turned out, like J. Alfred Prufrock, was â€Å"not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be† (Eliot line 111).   Had Hamlet a chance to â€Å"grow old† (line 120), he might have recognized his own nature in time to avoid becoming â€Å"an attendant lord†¦deferential, glad to be of use† (lines 112, 115). However, he too had â€Å"wept and prayed† (line 81) and rather than finding â€Å"the strength and courage to force the moment to a crisis† (line 80), he found only excuses for failing to act.   Indeed, Hamlet seemed to sincerely believe he would have been able to end his torment through suicide had his religion not prohibited â€Å"self-slaughter† (Hamlet, 10). These excuses included an odd need for evidence that the ghost was truthful (53), failing to act after the play-within-a-play elicited the demonstration of guilt Hamlet sought from Claudius (surprisingly, since the sociopath of Hamlet’s description would not be likely to even feel guilt – and after a stunningly convincing description of his own conscience, why did Claudius not remember this conscience after again Hamlet failed to kill him?) because of his mistaken perception of Claudius being in the act of prayer.   Ironically, as Claudius was acknowledging that his â€Å"offense is rank it smells to heaven; It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t, A brother’s murder. Pray can I not† (64), Hamlet, echoing the ghost of his father at the beginning of the play, could not kill Claudius because if killed while in prayer, â€Å"he goes to heaven †¦Ã‚   this is †¦ not revenge† (65).   At this point, he failed even to question the justice of a religion that rewards a minute of remorse with heaven and punishes anyone unfortunate enough to die suddenly with hell.   Hamlet never did describe what his father might have done so that he was â€Å"cut off even in the blossom of my sins† (21). Was Hamlet â€Å"mad†?   He was not mad unless the label is consistently used to describe anyone demonstrating self-destructive patterns of thought.   For that matter, if we describe Hamlet as â€Å"mad,† there would be no reason for excluding the millions of people who fit, to varying degrees, even one diagnostic description in the American Psychiatric Association manual (as cited in Emery & Oltmanns). Is Hamlet â€Å"sane†?   The label again would fit only if it also were used to describe virtually all of us who demonstrate any of the subjective feelings of distress described in the same manual.   The text of Hamlet did not even provide enough information to form a reliable conclusion about his thoughts and behaviors prior to his father’s death.   He might have been feeling distressed his entire life because of experiences such as the death of his pet flea or a stubbed toe. The genuine tragedy of Hamlet was that the eloquence and stunningly brutal clarity with which he expressed the universal human condition in his most famous soliloquy did not prevent his doom and, indeed, might have been so brilliant that he would have been blinded had he not turned away: a condition where the only escape from â€Å"the whips and scorns of time† is into the potentially worse â€Å"undiscover’d country †¦ [that] makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of† (48). Works Cited Bowers, Kenneth, & Farvolden, Peter.   â€Å"Revisiting a Century-old Freudian Slip – From   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Suggestion Disavowed to the Truth Repressed.† Psychological Bulletin, 119   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (1996): 355-380. Coontz, S.   Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy or How Love Conquered   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Marriage.   New York: Viking, 2005. Danner, Bruce.   â€Å"Speaking Daggers.† Shakespeare Quarterly, 54 (2003): 29-62. Eliot, T.S. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.   Retrieved 17 May 2009, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   www.bartleby.com/1981.html. Emery, Robert E., & Oltmanns, Thomas F. Essentials of Abnormal Psychology.   Upper

Imperialism Essay

One negative effect imperialism had been that the Africans were being stripped of their land. In document 4 an African proverb states that â€Å"the whites† had taken their land and changed their faith, displaying the amount of power â€Å"the whites† have. Europeans first sent out missionaries to spread their religion to these non-industrialized countries. After the Europeans have set their religion in they would bring in the big guns and take their land. A West African nationalist, Sekou Toure, describes how imperialists look down upon Africans as savages who couldn’t rule and absorbed colonies into their empire, his purpose for the document was possibly to unite people against the whites. The imperialists would basically bully weaker countries until they lacked self-confidence and just eventually give up their land. Once the imperialists absorbed these colonies they would use their raw materials to support their industrialization back at their homeland. Although it appears that Africans being stripped of their land is a negative effect, a journal containing entries about country invasion by a military officer would help to clarify whether this is true. Another negative impact imperialism had been the exploitation of Africans for work. An unknown artist drew a picture of an Asian man and an African man pulling a military officer in a wagon to show the power that European nations have above others. Bigger/more powerful nations are taking advantage of the people settled in lands that aren’t industrialized or as rich. David Diop displayed how â€Å"The White Man† takes advantage of in Africans in An Anthology of West African Verse that describes the death of his father and brother and his mother being raped. In the second to last line Diop called â€Å"The White Man† the â€Å"Conqueror† because he truly did conquer Diop’s family and freedom. The â€Å"Conqueror† left Diop with nothing except forcing him into slavery. A German cartoon titled â€Å"Thus colonize the English† shows a man in uniform squeezing coins out of an African while another man is feeding the African water and a priest preaching in the background. The purpose of this illustration is to show the only value/importance an African American has is for its use of labor. Europeans see indigenous people as a way for them to make money. Mistreatment and forcing religion onto these people was common in order for them to have â€Å"power† of them. Although it appears that Africans were exploited by imperialist Europeans for work, a survey of the amount of pay African workers receive and their type of labor would help to clarify whether this is true. Imperialism did bring out a positive effect that was that the industrialized European nations and non-industrialized, agricultural societies both benefited from each other. O. P. Austin, the author of â€Å"Does Colonization Pay†, described how imperialism benefits progressive nations and the tropic colonies. This was written to persuade/inform the skeptics or people against imperialism. The positive effects would be that if the tropic colonies allowed the progressive nations to control garden spots then in return they would build schools and roads. These progressive nations claimed that they gave â€Å"these people the benefit of other blessings of civilization which they have not the means of creating themselves. † The document Imperialism and World Politics by Parker T.  Moore explains the different groups of people involved in imperialism to show the chain of command/importance. Imperialism involves more than just the military that take over the land, manufacturers have interest in colonial markets, and bankers are the most important because the money used for loan to build ships and railways. Although it appears that both nations benefitted from imperialism, newspaper articles from both nations about the status of their economy and politics would help to clarify whether this is true.