Mid-term Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mid-term Paper - Essay Example This way of conceptualization of the past is has increasingly been used in a number of field sciences such as geology and biology. In archaeology, uniformitarianism is one of the major concepts that have always been widely used to conceptualize the past. For example, many archaeologists believe that the contemporary natural laws and other processes in the universe have always operated in the past as they are today. Uniformitarianism is a theory on the gentle, natural progressions that were experimental on the landscape. It suggested that ice could corrode rocks and sediments as well could accrue and form various new terrestrial land forms in the earth (David, 341). Consequently uniformitarianism is currently widely used as the key principle in a number of fields of sciences such as geology and archaeology. The other ways that have widely been used to conceptualize the past include catostrophism, transmutation and gradualism. Tthe concept of gradualism as used in archaeology is based on the theory that gradual changes occur over time. The theory of uniformitarianism particularly suggested that landscape development occurred over long periods of time as a result of a number of gradual geomorphic and geologic processes. It shows that the present is the key to the past and it was a direct denunciation to the predominant philosophy of the time, catastrophism which held that only violent adversities could adjust the outward of the world. Generally the concepts of uniformitarianism, gradualism, and catostrophism among others have widely been used not only to conceptualize the past but also to help understand the important geological processes that have occurred in the universe and how such processes have influenced events (Baker, 243). Time plays a significant role in all the three concepts and archaeologists have discovered a number of pieces of evidence to support some of these ideas and concepts. How uniformitarianism is used in the conceptualization of the past Ge ologists, Historians and archaeologists often study the remains of the past gologic activity as well as the records of the ancient human civilizations to provide evidence of the specific time and of such activities in history. The concept of uniformitarianism has been widely used by scientists not only to help in the reconstruction of the history of the earth but also to create a timeline of events throughout the history. According to Browman and Douglas (88), black rocks with porous surfaces can be used by geologists as an evidence of the past events. It is however worth noticing that although the idea that there are uniform laws governing the processes of nature, it is often difficult to prove beyond uncertainty what actually took place in the past. In archaeology, the concept of uniformitarianism is rather a process of making an educated guess based on objective and observational evidence found in the material remains. Today, many archaeologists suggest the continuing uniformity of the universal processes can be used as a framework to understand how landforms and some aspects of nature come to be. This is particularly based on the assumption that the processes currently taking place are the same processes that actually took

European influence in Africa Essay Example for Free

European influence in Africa Essay The presence of Europeans in African countries had a great influence on the cultural benefits, traditions and norms of Africans. African societies were composed of small ethnic groups bound by deep cultural and traditional benefits. Slave trade in North Africa disintegrated these cultural systems. The entry of Europeans in North Africa led to breaking of those small indigenous units into modular states that could be easily controlled by the colonial rule. They abolished the indigenous legal systems and imposed new legal systems based on European concepts of law. North Africa was integrated into the world capitalist system, where its main function was to provide raw materials and new markets for Western industrial revolution. This led to imposition of taxation forcing Africans into cheap wage labor. Land grabbing and alienation in settler colonies made it impossible for the economy of the colonized countries to grow. This is because the colonial administrations only developed areas they saw fit for their benefit and it led to growth of colonial cities such as Dakar, Lagos and Nairobi. Westernization in North Africa led to the rise of Christianity and reduced the number of Muslims in sub Sahara, which contributed to the destabilization of Africa traditions and cultural benefits. Christianity promoted the assimilation of new ideas and new lifestyles such as monogamy and nuclear family. African societies believed in polygamy and extended families. This is being practiced even to day. Christian missionaries introduced Western education, which involved mastery of European language and literacy. The adoption of new habits and tastes coupled with Christianity and western education, led to the development of a new elite that included teachers, clerks, lawyers and doctors. Slave trade degraded the value of African people because they were used against their will to benefit the European economy. This impacted negatively on African leaders because some still practice slave trade today. Europeans brought about, modernization in Africa in terms of Western education, Christianity and Western lifestyles. European influence in Asia (1650-1815). South East Asia comprised of societies that varied in different aspects. Main societies in south East Asia included China, Thailand and Cambodia, therefore European influence on South East Asia varied extensively depending on indigenous states. Societies in South East Asia had very distinct traditional beliefs and rulers who reigned with a conviction of permanency and stability. Europeans created new economic relationships in South East Asia by establishing new industries like rubber production and improvement of traditional ones such as rice and sugar industries. They were improved and expanded to meet the European needs. Communities in Cambodia protested against economical changes when agribusiness in form of plantation farming was introduced. Europeans aimed to make the traditional cultures modern. This was received positively by some south East Asians who had been trained in Western schools. They believed that Western culture would have positive effects on their cultural and economical backgrounds. The elites adopted the European language and mode of dressing. Adoption of the Western culture led to political, economical and social growth in Asia. However, it was difficult to assimilate the European culture and lifestyles in Asia because of the diversity of Asian cultural customs and traditions. Asia is composed of Muslim, Christianity and Buddhism and therefore impacting Christianity in Asia was difficult. These traditional settings emphasized on unifying of social, economic, political and social spheres, though it is impractical to unify all the spheres. The influence of Europeans in Asia was highly varied and uneven throughout the region. They used superior military technology to achieve conquest and monopoly. The Portuguese invasion of Malacca led to the decline of the trade systems as they tried to dominate the spice trade. The European therefore, caused the detachment of producers form their traditional markets. As a result the powerful trading cultures in southeastern Asia collapsed due to colonial influence. European influence was limited to the coastal ports and the adjoining regions. Peasant life in Asia was not affected by the European influence as they remained inside the confines of their village. (Alagappa 130-138). European influence in Middle East (1825-1941). Middle east societies combined religion with governance of their states. European powers overwhelmed the region and tried to separate governance from religion. They replaced the indigenous educational, social and political systems through modernization. The Kuranic schools were replaced by the Western education. Middle east is an Islamic region that viewed European powers as enemies for creating Christianity in the Muslim dominated region. This created a sense of distrust of the Europeans by the Arabs. Europeans faced great resistance form the Arabs who used national movements to adopt anti-western speeches in order to gain favor from their people.. European powers in the Middle East replaced the Muslim leaders by non-Muslim leaders to create artificial political territories since they did not arise from the societies. They created states that had conflicting ethnicities and divided other ethnic groups into two or three portions. For instance they divided the Kurds into Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria. (Kaelble 120-127). Dividing ethnic communities stirred political rivalry and violence in the Middle East. It also created instability among the Arabs, preventing political, social and economical development. The Arabs formulated revenge missions to the Europeans and resisted any form of invasion whether political, economical, educational or social.

Review And History Of CDMA Computer Science Essay

Review And History Of CDMA Computer Science Essay CDMA technology was used many times ago at the time of world war-II by the English soldiers to stop German attempts at jamming transmissions. English soldiers decided to transmit signals over several frequencies, instead of one, making it difficult for the Germans to pick up the complete signal. CDMA has been used in many military applications, such as anti-jamming (because of the spread signal, it is difficult to jam or interfere with a CDMA signal), ranging (measuring the distance of the transmission to know when it will be received), and secure communications (the spread spectrum signal is very hard to detect). In 1949, Claude Shannon and Robert Pierce develop basic ideas of CDMA. In March 1992, the TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association) established the TR-45.5 subcommittee to develop a spread spectrum digital cellular standard. In July of 1993, the TIA gave its approval for the CDMA Technology standard. In September 1998, there were 16 million subscribers on CDMA systems worldwide. Now, 22 countries support CDMA. Verizon, used to be the largest carrier, is now second behind ATT, is using CDMA. Other Famous companies using CDMA are Sprint, Alltel in abroad, Tata indicom and Reliance InfoComm in India. 2. What is CDMA? Generally a fixed amount of frequency spectrum is allocated to a cellular system by the national regulator (e.g. in the United States, the Federal communication commission). Multiple-access techniques are then deployed so that many users can share the available spectrum in an efficient manner. Multiple access systems specify how signals from different sources can be combined efficiently for transmission over a given radio frequency band and then separated at the destination without mutual interference. The three basic multiple access methods currently in use in cellular systems are: A. Frequency division multiple access (FDMA) B. Time division multiple access (TDMA) C. Code division multiple access (CDMA) A. Frequency division multiple access (FDMA) The available bandwidth is splits into non-overlapping frequencies and these disjoint sub bands are dedicated to the different users on a continuous time basis. Channel bands behave as buffer zones to minimize interference between different users. B. Time division multiple access (TDMA) Each user has given the full spectral occupancy to the channel, but only for less time interval. Buffers zones are used as guard times inserted between the assigned time slots. This is done to decrease interference between users by permitting for time uncertainty that arises due to system inadequacies. C. Code division multiple access (CDMA) The main Drawback of FDMA and TDMA is that only one subscriber at a time is assigned to a channel. No other conversation can access this channel until the subscriber s call is finished or until that original call is handed off to a different channel by the system. The above drawback is overcome in this third technique. CDMA systems utilize the spread spectrum technique, whereby a spreading code (called a pseudo-random noise or PN code) is used to allow multiple users to share a block of frequency spectrum. Detailed Description of How CDMA work is explained below. 3. How CDMA works? With CDMA, unique digital codes, rather than separate radio frequencies or channels, are used to distinguish subscribers. The codes are used by both the mobile company and the base station, that codes are called pseudo-Random Code Sequences. CDMA is a spread spectrum technology, which means that it spreads the information contained in a particular signal of interest over a much greater bandwidth than the original signal. CDMA uses Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) technology. In DSSS technology, Signal is transmitted by adding random data-bits called chip. This addition is done by the direct sequence transmitters. Now signal contains both, a useful signal and a signal that appears to be interference (the chips) is transmitted. The receiver easily identifies the chips and subtracts them, leaving only the useful signal. This means that original signal is spread over several frequencies simultaneously. This can deliver secure communication such that the transmitted signal can not be detected or recognized easily by unwanted listeners. It can discard interference whether it is the unintentional interference by another user simultaneously trying to transmit through the channel, or the intentional interference trying to j am the transmission. In TDMA, the original call is transmitted at 9600 bps (9.6 kbps) but when put on the CDMA, the call is spread over a 1.23 Mbps bandwidth, so it can be transmitted at a higher speed. Unique codes are applied to the data bits that make up the telephone call for a particular user. The cellular telephone receiving the call takes off the data codes and the call is converted back to its original 9600 bps. The use of these data codes enables CDMA systems to differentiate data bits from many different calls in the cell. CDMA networks use a scheme called soft handoff, which minimizes signal breakup as a handset passes from one cell to another. The combination of digital and spread-spectrum modes supports several times as many signals per unit bandwidth as analog modes. CDMA is compatible with other cellular technologies, this allows for nationwide roaming. 4. Factors affecting CDMA functionality Although CDMA does not have some capacity limitation, no maximum number of calls per single, wide band-width channel is established. The number of calls that a channel can accommodate is based on 3 factors. A. Total bandwidth B. Geographical coverage C. Quality of sound ? The available bandwidth can be increased by decreasing the quality of sound or the area covered by network. ? Channels that primarily carry voice conversation do not use the extra capacity required to deliver CD-quality sound. So, more bandwidth is available to provide longer transmission distance or to accommodate more cellular calls. ? Suppose there are 2N users that only talk half of the time then they can be accommodated with the same average bandwidth as N users that talk all of the time. 5. Types of CDMA Some of the types of CDMA transmission are as under A. Composite CDMA/TDMA B. CDMA C. cdmaOne D. cdma2000 A. Composite CDMA/TDMA It is Wireless technology that uses both CDMA and TDMA. It is used for large-cell licensed band and small-cell unlicensed band applications. It uses CDMA between cells and TDMA within cells. B. CDMA CDMA is characterized by high capacity and small cell radius, employing spread-spectrum technology and a special coding scheme. C. cdmaOne cdmaOne is the first generation narrowband CDMA. It is also called IS-95. D. Cdma2000 This includes 1XRTT CDMA standard. That is designed to double current voice capacity and support always-on data transmission speeds 10 times faster than typically available today. 6. Advantages of CDMA A. Capacity: The capacity of CDMA currently is 8 to 10 times greater than AMPS which uses FDMA transmission (and predicted to be 20 to 40 times greater in future) and 4 to 5 times greater than GSM which uses TDMA transmission (with prediction of being up to 13 times greater). B. Best for in built system and micro-cell. As in CDMA transmission, we do not need SIM card it is best for in-built system and micro-cell. C. Improves the voice quality. CDMA systems use precise power control that is, the base station sends commands to every mobile phone currently involved in a call, turning down the power on the nearby ones, and increasing the power of those further away. The result is a nice; even noise level across the carrier, with lower overall power levels and no spiky interference. D. Improves the telephone traffic capacity. E. It also provides Call privacy. F. Easily planned and maintained in comparison with FDMA TDMA 7. Disadvantage of CDMA The only disadvantage of installing CDMA system is the cost of the base station with its complex communication equipments. A CDMA base station costs approximately $150,000, while a similar station for TDMA costs approximately $50,000. 8. Referenced Books A. Business Data Communication Fourth edition By Shelly Cashman Serwatka B. COMPUTER NETWORKS, 3rd Edition By Andrew S. Tanenbaum 9. Referenced websites A. www.scsite.com B. www.wikipedia.com C. www.wisegeek.com D. www.palowireless.com E. www.indiastudychannel.com

Intend to Study Abroad :: College Admissions Essays

I Intend to Study Abroad    On one hot late-summer day when I was in high school, my parents came back from a shopping trip with a surprise present for me: the legendary board game, Diplomacy. At first I scoffed at such an old-fashioned game. Who would want to waste glorious sunny days moving armies around a map of pre-World War I Europe, pretending to be Bismarck or Disraeli? But after playing the game once, I became absolutely riveted by the nuances of statecraft, and soon began losing sleep as I tried to craft clever diplomatic gambits, hatch devious schemes, and better understand the game's ever-changing dynamics. As my friends and I spent the second half of the summer absorbed by the game, my parents grinned knowingly. How could I resist being fascinated with Diplomacy, they asked me, when I incessantly read about international affairs, and liked nothing more than debating politics over dinner? How could I resist being fascinated, when I had spent most of my summers in Greece (and, much more briefly, Franc e and England), witnessing first-hand the ways in which countries differ socially, culturally, and politically?    Though my passion for foreign policy and international affairs undoubtedly dates back to high school, I never had the chance to fully develop this interest before college. Once I arrived at Harvard, however, I discovered that I could learn about international relations through both my academics and my extracurricular activities. Academically, I decided to concentrate in Government, and, within Government, to take classes that elucidated the forces underlying the relations of states on the world stage. Some of the most memorable of these classes included Human Rights, in which we discussed what role humanitarian concerns ought to play in international relations; Politics of Western Europe, in which I learned about the social, economic, and political development of five major European countries; and Causes and Prevention of War, which focused on unearthing the roots of conflict and finding out how bloodshed could have been avoided. Currently, for my senior thesis, I am investigating th e strange pattern of American human rights-based intervention in the post-Cold War era, and trying to determine which explanatory variables are best able to account for it.    Interestingly, I think that I have learned at least as much about international relations through my extracurriculars in college as I have through my classes.

Thirteen Reasons Why

Jay Asher grew up in California, and has always had a thing for books. Growing up, he worked in several different book stores and libraries. He attended Cuesta college right after he graduated high school, majoring in elementary education. He then transferred to California Polytechnic State University where he left in his senior year. He decided he wanted to pursue a career as a serious writer. Thirteen Reasons Why is Jay’s first novel, and it has won several awards. Jay is 34 years old, and has been married for eight years. Asher used a way of telling this story that was easily interpretable for many teens. The style was a two-part narration between two characters, throughout the chapters as opposed to alternating every other chapter. By doing this, it really made you want to keep reading. The reason I chose this particular book was because it was recommended by my very close friend. We share many interests, so she knew I’d enjoy this novel just as much as she did. The short summary on the inside cover had a way of drawing you in, and I could not wait to start reading. I felt that it deals with a very serious and dangerous issue; it was incredibly compelling. The author uses an interesting way to make this story contemporary, and stay contemporary. He used already â€Å"outdated† elements in a contemporary setting to make this a virtually ageless book. Cassette tapes were a major item in this novel, and Asher had the characters acknowledge that they were outdated. He did this with other items and ideas as well, such as the kinds of cars people drove. The setting of the story took place in a small town, which the author chooses to leave unnamed. Throughout the story the main character visits various houses, stores, and other buildings that had certain significance. There are many very important characters in this book. The two main characters however, are two high school juniors; Clay Jensen and Hannah Baker. Hannah Baker makes seven cassette tapes, with 13 different stories on them. The stories tell the reasons, incidents, and people that ultimately caused her suicide. Hannah retells stories about each person on the tapes; she tells them in such a way that you can really relate, and understand where she’s coming from. Clay Jensen, the other main character, is on these tapes. As the reader, you go through the tapes with Clay. You see his reactions to Hannah’s words first hand. Just as with Hannah, Clay’s reactions are very understandable and relatable. The author made it very easy to feel both character’s pain. â€Å"You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything . . . affects everything.† The overall theme of this novel is to think about how what you say or do can affect others. In Hannah’s case, everything affected her. You can never really know how what you do affects someone; everyone is different. One main message that Jay Asher wants people to get from this book is to think about your actions, before you act. Think about how what you do might be adding to someone’s pain, because you don’t know if they are already hurting. Asher’s style was a very captivating one. He had a way of writing this novel that would really grab the reader’s attention. Just his wordings, really made you think. Also, his ability to make the characters situations and emotions relatable made the book a real page-turner. From the second you pick up Thirteen Reasons Why, you are hooked. Jay Asher is an absolutely phenomenal young adult author. Another book that compares with this one is the novel by Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. These two books are similar in the sense that they are easily relatable. Both novels deal with very serious, real life issues. Both novels tell it like is. No issue is too serious to be discussed with these authors, because it’s all real, which is why teenagers are attracted to them. The characters seem so real, that you actually feel their pain, and everything they go through. They are portrayed as if they have been your friend for years. Thirteen reasons why, the novel by Jay Asher has won several awards. Each award is rightly his. This book was incredibly inspirational, with so many memorable quotes. I would definitely recommend this novel, and I already have. Anyone who is interested in a good book, this is for them. Regardless of age or gender, the messages this book has will come through. How would you react if you found out you were a contributing factor in the suicide of your classmate? Jay Asher really goes in depth, and you will not be able to put this book down.

A Content Analysis of Internet Sites Essay

This study is an analysis of pornography of a violent nature on the internet. There were found to be varied definitions of pornography such as â€Å"sexually explicit material† and â€Å"material that combines sex and or exposure of genitals with abuse or degradation that appears to endorse, condone or encourage such behavior. † The purpose of this study is to explore the harmful effects of pornography on relationships between males and females and not so much the actual content of the sites. There was also a review of earlier research that was done. Prior analysis also included different mediums such as movies and printed magazines. The research design was specific to internet websites that marketed their sites specifically promoting violence and sex. The research included thirty-one such websites. The methods of research were various search engines, links on websites that provided links to other sites and pay for view sites through explicit advertising. Websites were compared by overall content and strong explicit images and text. The findings discovered repetitive themes and images as well as invitations to access interactive websites or programs. Research also found that the setting, type of force, instruments used, number of victims and perpetrators and race were clearly displayed. More details of the victims were revealed while little was revealed about the perpetrators. An Analysis of Intercollegiate Media Guide Cover Photographs The cover photographs marketed a pre-conceived definition of male and female athletes. The focus of this analysis was to determine how men and women athletes are portrayed on and off court based on the cover photographs. The findings were determined by asking the following questions. Was the photograph taken on or off court? Was the athlete in uniform and were they posed? Did the photograph reveal athleticism? Was there sexual suggestion of either femininity or masculinity? It found that media perpetuates inequalities between male and female athletes and influences the viewpoint of the public. Media also tends to promote the muscularity and superiority of men. The physical appearance and femininity of female athletes takes precedence over athletic abilities and performance. Getting Your Body Back This analysis was to determine how the magazine portrayed pregnancy and motherhood relative to fitness. Pregnant women have a great deal of anxiety and corporations take advantage of that and use it to market the importance of fitness before, during and after pregnancy. Fitness is portrayed as a form of empowerment and control in a woman’s life and being out of shape depicts excessiveness, lack of self-control and devalues the femininity of women even during pregnancy. It also portrays fit women as having the capacity to â€Å"do it all. † Works Cited Gill, Jugdeep Kaur. â€Å"Tips on Summary Writing. † 12 October 2008. The Star Online. 16 October 2008   http://www.thestar.com