Quiz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quiz - Essay Example When the bee colony collapses, there are fewer bees available to pollinate the flowers that produce foods that we need such as almonds, apples and berries and foods that our food eats like alfalfa. Fuchsia – Hummingbird; Canada Goldenrod – Western Honeybee; Comet Orchid – Sphinx Moth; Common Blue Violet – Common Blue Violet; Wild Celery – Water; Corpse Flower – Carrion Beetle; African Baobab – Rousette Fruit Bat / 7 of 7 correct Go to the PBS website for the Shape of Life series at http://www.pbs.org/kcet/shapeoflife/episodes/index.html There are 8 boxes each box has one type of animal phyla. Pick one of the animal phyla by clicking on the box. Read and explore the link then write a summary of what you learn. Try to connect it to what we went over in class. Cnidarians (jellyfish) probably are the first creatures to have begun to move and studies have shown that the reason for this is not necessarily so that they could swim, but so that they could also bring food closer to their ‘mouths’. Fungi, plants and bacteria all have a similar structure, cell walls. However the cell walls in each have a different composition. Bacterial cells walls contain _murein_, fungal cell walls contain _chiton_, and plant cell walls contain _cellulose_. The similar structures formed for a similar purpose but the difference in the molecular composition indicates that they are (homologous or analogous structures)? (Check Chapter

Surveillance Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Surveillance Technology - Essay Example ⠁  Before delving into the issue of surveillance technology, it is first necessary to properly define the term â€Å"surveillance.† My understanding of the word is the monitoring of an individual or group of people for the purpose of preventing or correcting a crime. It is an important element of law enforcement to be able to keep abreast of real-time developments and movements in the public sphere. Prior to the usage of cameras and video surveillance, manual observers would need to be placed in the relevant areas. While it is important to maintain a human presence to deter crime, it is also unfeasible to be able to see everything all the time in that area. Hence it is a complementary and necessary policy to use surveillance technology. It is also important to be able to monitor more discreet elements such as odors, trace explosive materials or radiation in public areas. Surveillance technology plays a major role in this regard. Perhaps the advancement of surveillance technology from the twentieth century onwards is best shown though the rapid development of video surveillance. Cameras are used to survey traffic and to prevent and detect crime. In Britain, over 4 million closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras are in use while the United States Border Patrol spent US$64 million on remote video systems (Aresty, 2006)⠁  . Wilkerson explains that true video surveillance began in the 1960s with the introduction and application of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras (Wilkerson, 2008)⠁   by law enforcement agencies. From there, analog technology continued to develop influence surveillance techniques. Video cassette recorders allowed preservation of evidence and from the 1970s onwards businesses prone to theft mounted CCTV cameras on their premises both as a deterrent and as a tool to apprehend thieves. In family court cases, video evidence of adultery and poor parenting decided the outcomes of cases. Analog technology reached its

United States vs Mexico Essay Example for Free

United States vs Mexico Essay The United States of America and Mexico compare and contrast their differences when it comes to education, homeless rates, and their overall standard of living. The U. S and Mexico compare when it comes to homeless rates seeing as the numbers are increasing each year. As for education, Mexico lacks standard education, where as the United States has a higher standard for education. The overall standard of living in both countries is probably the biggest difference the two countries have. Mexico has many prosperous areas to it, but for the most part people who live in Mexico, live poor and on the streets. Children in Mexico usually have to get street jobs in order to help their families with poverty. The United States has its own level of poverty and economic issues, but Mexico has a much higher poverty rate and their money is worth less than the U. S dollar, making it hard to earn money from American tourists. These two standards of living are completely different from each other seeing as they both have different problems. Mexico and the United States share the same issues and values, but on different levels of greatness. The education in Mexico is very different from the education in the United States. They use different grade level systems and different national budgets for education. Both of these countries have successful educational programs, and have high standards. The grade level system Mexico uses is six grades in primary schools. Kindergarten is for the 5-6 year old age level. Then they begin first grade at 6-7 years old and sixth grade, which is the end of primary school, is for the 11-12 year olds. Then the Mexican students begin secondary school. Secondary school has three grades. First grade starts at age 12-13 and third grade is for 14-15 years old. Then they begin high school. This is called the beginning of middle higher education. High school, like secondary, has three grades. First grade is for 15-16 year olds and third grade, which is the end of high school, is for 17-18 years old. Finally the Universities take over. A bachelor’s degree takes four to five years to achieve, after that it takes two to three additional years to achieve a masters. The United States has a different education system than Mexico. Elementary school is from kindergarten to fifth grade, ages 5 to 10. Then it goes to middle school or junior high school which is grades sixth through eighth and ages 11 to 13. After that is high school which are grades ninth through twelfth which is ages 14 to 17 or 18. It is illegal in the United States not to go to school, but some immigrants do not have enough money to go to school. Most kids in Mexico do not go to school because of the money or because they need to work instead to help their family. America and Mexico have different laws and systems as far as the education systems go. There are over one million children in America who are not getting an education because they have no money and are also homeless. As many as 3. million Americans are homeless each year, one million being children. Most homeless people are families who have been thrust into series of unfortunate events that left them with no money. For those living in poverty or close to the poverty line, an everyday life issue that may be manageable for individuals with a higher income can be the final factor in placing them on the street. America can compare with Mexico because most people who are homeless in Mexico are families. Although Mexico has a lot of homeless families on the street, it has more homeless street kids. Six percent of children on the streets in Mexico are ages five to fourteen and about five percent of Mexicans are living on only $1 a day. There is a lot more people living in severe poverty in Mexico then there is in America, but it is easier for Mexicans to find cheap shelter, keeping them off the street. If they can figure out a way to make a few pesos, theyre free to do so. Some end up selling gum and bobble-headed toy turtles to tourists. Others hawk homemade tamales on local buses, with little fear of being turned in for a Food Safe violation. You see a lot more people on the streets of the U. S then the streets in Mexico, but people in Mexico are more vulnerable to poverty than people in the America. The United States in the past century has knocked down old apartments and turned them into million dollar condos, have knocked down shacks and banned beach camping, leaving people with just enough money to find food for their families on the streets. America has made it extremely hard to live with no money by over developing and knocking down the little shacks and old apartments when people do not have enough money to pay for the new higher end things. This has lead to many citizens turning to the streets or our parks for a home. There also is no way for them to make cheap money except for begging for it on the streets. Most people on the street do not even have money to buy crafts so they can make crafty nick-knacks to sell to the richer for profit. This makes the standard of living in America hard for people on the streets and for people who are very close to losing everything. Mexico has other options for homeless people which make it a little more sustainable to get by. Mexico still has abandoned sheds and shacks for people to live in and those people are able to sell the things they make to tourists. If you were to visit Mexico you may find little to no people on the streets because there are other more suitable places for these people. There are parts of Mexico that are developed and keep up with the industrialized world it is in, but there are also places that have not been touched by the modern world and stay untouched making it easier for more people to live. Mexico’s standard of living is easier in some cases and harder in others. Even though people find abandoned shacks to live, it is still extremely hard to survive in harsh living conditions. Mexico and the Unites States of America compare and contrast many issues and values. From what is explained above, most people struggle when it comes to money, education, and living standards. Some people go from having a house one day to sleeping on the streets with their families the next. Some kids have to work to help their families and some kids get the opportunity to get an education. Mexico and America both have education systems but with different grade levels and ages, they both have homeless citizens, but some conditions are worse than others, and they both have living standards that can be clean and dirty. Overall, Mexico and America both have equal comparisons to contrasts.

Adaptive Optics Overview

Adaptive Optics Overview Adaptive Optics Adaptive optics is a technological development used for optical system performance improvement. It works by reducing the effect of wavefront distortions. Light from a distant celestial object gets distorted as it passes through earths atmosphere, thus a telescope located on earths surface cannot form accurate images. It would take a telescope placed above Earths surface, such as the Hubble Space telescope, to acquire accurate images or a telescope able to measure the effect and attempt to correct it. Instruments using adaptive optics have been created for this exact purpose to eliminate the incoming distortion in light under the effect of our ever-moving atmosphere. Through adaptive optics, optical systems are able to adapt in order to compensate for the effects imposed by the medium in between an object and its image. This is considered the most revolutionary technical development in the field of Astronomy ever since 1609, when Galileo first used an astronomical telescope. A graphical example of this effect is presented below: Figure 1 When uniform waves of starlight enter Earths atmosphere they get distorted due to the variations in temperature in atmospheric cells. This causes the light to travel slightly faster in less dense and warm air, resulting in a non-uniform refraction. An adaptive optical system works by measuring the distortion of an incoming wave of light and correcting its deformation through deformation of a mirror. These optic systems function at high frequencies of around 1000 Hz, which is too fast to allow deformation of a primary mirror so a secondary mirror is used, along with other optical elements placed in the light path. The main use of adaptive optical systems is in astronomical telescopes and laser communication systems. It has other uses as well, such as microscopy and retinal imaging systems, but the primary progress has been developed in telescope technology. To better understand the way adaptive optics work, think of starlight as waves. When these waves reach Earths atmosphere, they are entirely flat, but the turbulence causes them to change shape. The telescope receiving a misshaped wave will return a blurry image. If a telescope with adaptive optics is used, the distorted waves would then reflect off of a deformable mirror which is equipped with hundreds of actuators on its back. These actuators detect the shape of the incoming wave and change the mirrors shape to match that of the wave. The result of this process is an almost entirely accurate image of a flat wave just as it was before entering Earths atmosphere. See figure 2. Figure 2 The system performs wave front sensing and wave front reconstruction, with input from adaptive mirrors. Wavefront Sensing (WFS) WFS provides a signal that is used to estimate the wave front shape. It involves an optical device that is phase- sensitive, along with a highly efficient, low noise detector for photons. The achromatic wave front means that the sensors usually operate within the visible spectrum where the CCD chips and photo diodes have a high quantum efficiency and are virtually noise free. There are mainly three types of WFS that operate in the broadband spectrum with varying sensitivity and dynamic range. They are the curvature WFS, the Shack-Hartmann WFS, and the Pyramid WFS. The Shack-Hartmann WFS is based on producing numerous spots corresponding to the local wavefront through the use of lenslets located across the aperture. The average wavefront slope over the subaperture is determined by observing the position of these spots. The Pyramid WFS is very similar to the Shack-Hartmann WFS when the pyramid is modulated. When the prism is hit on either side by an aberrated ray, it only appears in one pupil. Thus the slope is measured through the distribution of pupil images. The curvature WFS measures intensity distributions in two different planes, corresponding to the wavefronts curvature. The most advantageous part of the curvature WFS is the ease of use. In terms of sensitivity at high spatial frequencies, the curvature WFS performs better than the Shack-Hartmann but has low performance when it comes to low special frequency. Wavefront Reconstruction This helps to calculate a suitable correction vector (consisting of voltages sent to the DM from slopes measured at the WFS) to reconstruct the wavefront. In a closed loop, the WFS operates linearly, therfore the reconstruction of the wavefront can be described as: Dv = s + n Where n is the measurement noise usually assumed to be Gaussian and uncorrelated, D is matrix for the interaction between the wavefront sensing and the deformable mirror These vector matrix calculations are computing intensive, especially because they have to be carried out in microseconds regime. Linear-quadratic-Gaussian (LQG) or Kalman filter can be used to predict the systems state which would be an improvement of wavefront reconstruction and control. Using such a setup, telescope vibrations can be introduced in the state vector and corrected. The only drawback would be the computational complexity which may be overcome by keeping the use of the scheme to a minimum only applying it to certain modes. Deformable Mirrors (DM) The atmosphere distorts the incoming light. The induced optical path differences are corrected by the DM. The mirror surface can be deformed by the movement of many small actuators present beneath the optical surface. The resolution of this deformation depends on the number of actuators, their separation, operation speed, and response time. There are thousands of actuators present in the DM system for large ( There are three primary technologies used to produce adaptive optics deformable mirrors: deformable secondary mirrors (DSM), piezo deformable mirrors and micro-optical-electrical-mechanical systems (MOEMS ). DSM provides adaptive optics correction while keeping up and high transmission and low thermal emissivity. The position of the actuators is handled by an internal control loop. They are normally separated by a few cm and attached to an optical shell. Piezo DMs have a spacing of actuators of several millimeters. Their response time is over a hundred microseconds. Piezo DMs usually require to be controlled by 8 Davies Kasper, an adaptive optics system to provide stable wavefront quality because they do not have local position control. MOEMS use electro-static actuation. They are much smaller than other DMs due to their interactuator spacings of a few hundred microns. Their response time is almost instantaneous, however they require a very large number of actuators, which is currently a technological challenge. Throughout the development of the telescope which started 400 years ago with a small, manual device that later on evolved into a sophisticated, computerized instrument, two parameters have been vital: the diameter of the telescope and the angular resolution. Since the perfect telescope would have the resolution directly proportional to the inverse of the telescopes diameter, the ideal would be to convert incoming wavefronts into a perfectly spherical wavefront, only restricted by the diffraction limit. Adaptive optics were first envisioned by Horace W. Babcock in 1953,[6] but only entered common usage in 1990s, following computer technology development which made it a practical technique. This system was first applied to flood-illumination retinal imaging for the purpose of producing images of single cones in the human eye, in conjunction with scanning laser ophthalmoscopy to produce the first images of retinal microvasculature and associated blood flow and retinal pigment epithelium cells in addition to single cones. In 1995, Lawrence Livermore installed a laser guide star on the 3-meter Shane telescope at the University of Californias Lick Observatory, which later became the first major astronomical telescope consisting of full adaptive optics. There has been massive development in adaptive optics in the field of astronomy following these memorable points in history. However, given that in practice there are still too many errors distorting the wavefront, both due to atmosphere and telescope system, even adaptive optics have limitations. The primary challenges of adaptive optics are: the ability to create an optical system mechanically capable of correcting incoming waves of light and computers ability to keep up with the speed required by the atmosphere. For the first impediment, the telescopes at Mount Wilson Observatory, for example, use two mirrors working together a tip-tilt mirror which provides the correction of incoming light and a second deformable mirror which aims to shape after the distorted wave of light, making it reflect its actual shape as if outside Earths atmosphere. Both the distorted and undistorted images must be known by the system in order to determine the shape of the deformable mirror. There are several methods that can be used for determining the final shape of a point source at the Earths surface. The adaptive optics system at Mount Wilson uses a star near the telescopes target as the source of the distorted wavefront. That is, it looks at a star as seen through the telescope close to the object under study and determines how it has been distorted from its expected appearance. This technique is advantageous because no extra equipment is needed, the light from the source passes through the entire atmosphere and it is located in proximity to the object studied. The downside is that it requires the object being observed to be close to a relatively bright star. Because the isoplanatic patch for the atmosphere is so small, only a small part of the sky could be close enough to a bright star to be observed. There have been attempts to overcome this limitation by using lasers to excite sodium atoms producing an artificial star instead of a guide star. The technique involves projecting a laser beam into the sky close to the object of interest. As long as the lasers light is bright enough, there is no need for a guide stars light. The second challenge is caused by the ever-changing distortions. The deformable mirror must modify quickly to keep up with the incoming light. Since this part of the process must be handled through the use of computers, it requires that the systems be fast enough to analyse the incoming wave of light and transmit the appropriate commands to the mirror many times per second. Thus if the turbulence in the atmosphere is increased, the system will have to worker harder in order to achieve accurate results. Since the first astronomical adaptive optics systems were brought into common use in the early 1990s, a vast number of technical developments have been achieved, numerous ingenious techniques have been created, and it has now come to a point where it is inconceivable to even consider building a large telescope without adaptive optics. Sadly, many of the complex concepts today still exist only on paper or demonstrated on small scale only. Even though many of these innovations have arisen after 2000s, recent years have been mostly dedicated to developing the technology for practical, large scale use of these systems. It seems adaptive optics are fully developed on a theoretical level, but the practical progress is still lacking. It is expected that in the years to come the main areas to be explored and developed will be high-density deformable mirrors with thousands of actuators, high-power sodium lasers and powerful real-time computers with processors exceeding 109 to 1010 operations per second, along with, possibly, fast and low-noise near-IR detectors, since optical detectors with sub-electron read-noise and very high quantum efficiency are already close to perfection. Many recent astronomical discoveries are directly attributed to the new optical observation developments. With the help of Very Large Telescopes, the role of adaptive optics is very important. With this capability, their huge light-gathering along with the ability to resolve small details, has the potential to bring major progress in ground-based astronomy in the new decade. Further in the future, giant optical telescopes such as E-ELT, will rely on advanced adaptive optics systems for virtually all their observations.

The Power of a Woman :: essays research papers fc

The Power of a Woman The familiar saying "Behind every great man is an even greater woman" can certainly hold true in many cases. A woman may very well be the driving force behind any successful man. However, a woman can also use her strong influence in a negative way. This can be seen in Macbeth, where Lady Macbeth is the evil force behind Macbeth's cruelty and evil doings. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the main reason that Macbeth is transformed from a noble, respected Thane into a ruthless, murderous character. Lady Macbeth fuels his inner desire for power and brings forth his greed and ambition, which both eventually lead to his downfall. The tactics that Lady Macbeth use to drive her husband to this downfall are manipulation, dominance, and her evil nature. Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth into believing that he is a coward and a bad husband, which persuades him to agree to the murder of King Duncan. She dwells on the fact that he is a coward, when she says "My hands are of your colour, but I shame/ to wear a heart so white" (2.2.64-65). This instills feelings of embarrassment into his mind, and manipulates him into believing that if he does not murder King Duncan, he will be a weak, cowardly man. Not only is she challenging his manhood, by appearing to be the stronger and braver of the two, but also, by calling his heart "white", she is criticizing his cowardice. The fact that his wife is undermining his masculinity causes Macbeth to want to be stronger, and not to appear weak and timid. When Lady Macbeth yells "Infirm of purpose! Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead/ are but as pictures. 'Tis the eye of childhood/ that fears a painted devil" (2.2.53-55), she further contributes to the shame which she has driven into Macbeth's mind. She bluntly tells him that he is acting like a weak, nervous child, and insults him for being afraid of something that is already dead! This shame encourages Macbeth to want to consent to his wife's plan. Another method which Lady Macbeth uses to manipulate her husband's mind is by making him feel guilty for being a bad husband, who breaks his promises: "What beast was't then/ that made you break this enterprise to me?" (1.7.47-48). She knows that by saying this, he will feel remorse for breaking a promise to his wife whom he loves so much. The Power of a Woman :: essays research papers fc The Power of a Woman The familiar saying "Behind every great man is an even greater woman" can certainly hold true in many cases. A woman may very well be the driving force behind any successful man. However, a woman can also use her strong influence in a negative way. This can be seen in Macbeth, where Lady Macbeth is the evil force behind Macbeth's cruelty and evil doings. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the main reason that Macbeth is transformed from a noble, respected Thane into a ruthless, murderous character. Lady Macbeth fuels his inner desire for power and brings forth his greed and ambition, which both eventually lead to his downfall. The tactics that Lady Macbeth use to drive her husband to this downfall are manipulation, dominance, and her evil nature. Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth into believing that he is a coward and a bad husband, which persuades him to agree to the murder of King Duncan. She dwells on the fact that he is a coward, when she says "My hands are of your colour, but I shame/ to wear a heart so white" (2.2.64-65). This instills feelings of embarrassment into his mind, and manipulates him into believing that if he does not murder King Duncan, he will be a weak, cowardly man. Not only is she challenging his manhood, by appearing to be the stronger and braver of the two, but also, by calling his heart "white", she is criticizing his cowardice. The fact that his wife is undermining his masculinity causes Macbeth to want to be stronger, and not to appear weak and timid. When Lady Macbeth yells "Infirm of purpose! Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead/ are but as pictures. 'Tis the eye of childhood/ that fears a painted devil" (2.2.53-55), she further contributes to the shame which she has driven into Macbeth's mind. She bluntly tells him that he is acting like a weak, nervous child, and insults him for being afraid of something that is already dead! This shame encourages Macbeth to want to consent to his wife's plan. Another method which Lady Macbeth uses to manipulate her husband's mind is by making him feel guilty for being a bad husband, who breaks his promises: "What beast was't then/ that made you break this enterprise to me?" (1.7.47-48). She knows that by saying this, he will feel remorse for breaking a promise to his wife whom he loves so much.

King Louis XIV: A Disastrous Ruler Essay -- European History Essays

King Louis XIV: A Disastrous Ruler It is often debated whether or not the reign of King Louis XIV had a positive or negative effect on France. Although there were improvements during his reign in transportation, culture, and national defense, there were far more negative aspects. He depleted the national treasury with his liberal spending on personal luxuries and massive monuments. His extreme fear of the loss of power led to poor decision making, which caused the court to be of lower quality. King Louis XIV’s disastrous rule brought about a series of effects that influenced the French Revolution in the following century. King Louis XIV's 72 year reign was incredibly influential in shaping French history. King Louis XIV’s childhood was traumatic because of â€Å"La Fronde† which was a noble rebellion against the monarchy. This experience taught King Louis XIV to distrust the nobles. It was for this reason that he eventually excluded nobility from the council and surrounded himself with loyal ministers whom he could control. He also separated the aristocracy from the people of France by moving the court to the Palace of Versailles. One of the most notable of King Louis XIV’s decisions was that he refused to appoint another Prime Minister after the death of Prime Minister Mazarin. Every decision, from the declaration of war to the approval of a passport, went through him personally. During his reign as king, France participated in several wars including the War of Devolution, in Anglo-Dutch War, and the War of the Spanish Succession. Another major action he took was the proclamation of the Edict of Fontainebleau, which revoked the Edict of Nantes, imposing religious uniformity through Catholi... ...roblems and turned a great number of people against the monarchy. These events lead to the resentment that was another key factor in beginning the French Revolution. The end of King Louis XIV’s rule was especially disastrous. After the death of his advisor Colbert, King Louis XIV made even more horrible and costly decisions. He further enlarged the military and entered into many wars in which he lost a great deal of her newly acquired territories and increased the national debt even more. In short, the reign of King Louis XIV had a disastrous impact on France. His liberal spending, appointing of easily controlled people to court, revoking the freedom of religion, and poor decision making sparked the economic burdens and resentment of the aristocracy that were major factors in the French Revolution and the eventual downfall of the French monarchy.

Social&Technology Analysis of Revlon

Issues that may impact the industry include consumers' concerns about product safety and the use of animal testing by cosmetics companies[1]. In 1990, cosmetics giant Revlon became one of the first industry heavyweights to swear off all animal testing. Since then, Revlon has grown to be an animal-friendly empire, garnering awards for its products from magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Teen People, Allure, and In Style[2]. That is a signal that Revlon has an awareness of social responsibility and also showed their concerns about natural environment. Besides, with the income increasing, modern people are more willing to purchase personal care products and cosmetics for themselves. The age range of consumers is developing to both younger and elder. These trends are obviously seen especially in some developing countries and areas. Since the majority of personal care products are currently sold in the United States, Japan, Canada, and European countries(less than 20%of worlds population), the potential for sales of personal care products around the world is excellent. Increasingly, cosmetics/personal care is not an industry for women only; men purchase personal care products such as skin creams and hair care products/dyes and many men are trying cosmetics in an effort to improve their appearance. The market for hair colouring has expanded with teenagers and adults wanting more vibrant colouring options[3]. Revlon also shows its social responsibility according to charities. There are the most recent examples which are significant. Through November 2008, Revlon donated a percentage of their profits to the Rainbow Trust children’s charity. Another one is announced in May of 2009. Revlon said it would donate 10% of sales (up to $100,000) of its new color collection to fund women`s cancer program in partnership with the EIF, which full name is Entertainment Industry Foundation.