Nano-Thermal Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nano-Thermal Analysis - Essay Example hydrate & solvent 4) Assay development UV, HPLC, TLC 5) Stability      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Solution Thermal, hydrolysis, pH   Ã‚  Ã‚   In solid state Oxidation, proteolysis metal ion Derived properties    6) Microscopy Particle size and morphology 7) Bulk density Tablet and capsule formation 8) Flow properties Tablet and capsule formation 9) Compression properties Acid / excipient choice 10) Excipient compatibility Preliminary screen by DSC, Conformation by TLC POLYMORPHIC COMPOUNDS There are certain compounds that exist in more then one crystalline forms, this property is called polymorphism. Its evaluation is desirable during pre-formulation studies if the drug constitutes the major portion of the dosage form. Only one form of the polymorphic compound is thermodynamically active at a given temperature and pressure. Techniques for investigation for the stable form of polymorphs are microscopy (hot stage microscopy, X-ray diffraction, IR spectrophotometer, thermal analysis and dilalo metry.(Brittain,2009) THERMAL ANALYSIS It is the branch of science that deals with the properties of material that change with temperature. For the measurement of such properties various methods are used. the techniques all follow the change of specific physical property by the change of temperature or time in the specifically controlled environment, since moisture and temperature are the basic factors effecting the stability of the pharmaceutical compounds thus we take temperature to measure various parameters.(Menczel,2009) Thermal analysis Instrumental technique for describing various properties General method Acronym Property measured Application Differential scanning calorimetry DSC ?T, differential power input Measurement of kinetics Differential thermal analysis DTA ?T chemistry, pharmaceuticals, polymers Thermo- gravimetric Analysis TGA Mass composition, extent of cure, stability Thermo-mechanical Analysis TMA Length or volume Shear and torsion modulus of films, fibers, lami nates adhesives Dynamic mechanical Analysis DMA Viscoelastic properties rheological properties Dielectric Analysis DEA Dielectric properties isothermal crystallization Nano/micro-thermal Analysis n-TA Penetration, ?T Surface properties of solid dosage form THERMAL ANALYSIS OF PHARMACEUTICAL MATERIALS AND POLYMERS Techniques such as DSC, TG can investigate the transformation during polymorphic conversion.TGA is often used to measure residual solvents and moisture and solubility of the active materials in solvents. Polymers represent another large are for the application of thermal analysis, analysis of composite material such as glass or epoxy composites, analysis of raw material of packaging, effects of additives used in packaging material determined.TGA can also be used for fiber content determination of the composite. NANO-THERMAL ANALYSIS it is the local thermal analysis technique that allows obtaining understanding of thermal behavior of the materials combined with high spatial resolution imaging capabilities of the Atomic Force Microscopy with a spatial resolution

Yahoo Inc. Strategic Analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Yahoo Inc. Strategic Analysis - Case Study Example Yahoo’s main competitor is Google that is constantly bringing, in new digital products, to stay on top of the market. The major targets that the company concentrates on are the Users, the advertisers and publishers. By offering their services to these groups of people, they generate income that will enable them continue running the company. Over the years, the company has been implementing various strategies that would enable it improve the services offered and the amount of revenue collected. Such moves included hiring competent employees, introducing more services and setting up a webpage that is enticing and will enable them get a number of clicks. In the face of rising competition in the market environment, the company has strived to improve in its revenues and competitive position in the market. This study, therefore, looks into the various strategic aspects that the company has put, in place, to compete favorable in the market. With other big players like Google in the m arket, the strategies put in place by the company would ensure fairness in the market competition. The Yahoo Inc strategies Internal analysis The Yahoo Inc Company has largely placed its focus on products and people since this form the basis of their operations. The company’s major goal was to bring quality products into the market. In a bid to improve its existence, the yahoo company produced new products such as the new and improved version of the Yahoo mail. Different from the initial versions, this new version could be accessed on other mobile devices such as iPhone, windows 8, iPod and Android OS. The introduction of this new version greatly changed the market competition since many people could access yahoo services from their devices. At the same time, the new Yahoo mail version was blended with flicker, a photo sharing application that enable users to capture and share their photos easily across the social media networks such s facebook, twitter or Tumblr among other through email. At the same time, in a bid to improve the internal structure of the company, talented persons were hired and placed into administrative posts. Relatively, the company acquired mobile phone application developers who would enable them to invent applications that would bring their services closer and closer to the customers. Through this team, the company established a professional team of engineers, designers and managers who would ensure the company attains its set target. In order to ensure the company maintains exemplary performance, a hiring system was put in place that was rigorous and intensive. Employee performance was also evaluated quarterly, with a provision of perfect working environment for all of the workers. Within the management system, the company developed a policy that would enable it monitor the performance of its products and services across the web. Such system was also designed to address the internal issues that the company faced. The incorporati on of these internal factors was meant to place the company in a competitive position that would ensure better products and services offered to the customers. This system also ensured accountability on the side of every employee as well as the other people working in the company. External analysis In terms of external factors, the company has set up various strategies to enable it interact well moreover, competitively in the business environment. This implies that they had to launch new products that would attract many people towards using their services. Thus, in order to provide a lasting advertising solution, the company decided to launch a yahoo genome. This advertising platform was meant to ease

Observation Paper Essay Example for Free

Observation Paper Essay Conformity is behavior change designed to match the actions of others. During my research, I found many examples of conformitive behavior. I often related conformity to adolescents due to the fact that they usually do their best to try and fit in when it comes to group settings. This type of behavior can be seen in college students attending educational facilities away from home. Those that are in dorms tend to indulge in drinking even if they aren’t â€Å"big drinkers†. They do this to conform to that of others and to be included in the fun and try and fit in. One last example that I will discuss prior to getting into my own observation, was the study that was done my Crandall in 1988 which examined normative social influences involving bulimia in college sororities. Sororities are the true definition of conformity and those that don’t conform are usually not allowed to continue to pledge. In the particular sororities that were examined, Crandall found that it had its own norm when it came to the â€Å"right† amount of food to eat and the popularity within the sorority was associated with adhering to this norm. Those that wanted to be a part of the sororities needed to conform to the â€Å"norm† and fell into a bulimic state. These girls had to of known this was not healthy for them yet they wanted to continue to become of part of this group and follow the â€Å"norm† that was set out. To me, this is just ridiculous. Some of us have issues with conforming and I believe I’m one of those people. The observation that I decided to conduct was that of a military setting. I decided to do this based on the fact that when I was in the military, there were times when I struggled with those appointed over me because I knew the tasks that they were giving me were wrong. I wasn’t willing to conform when I knew it wasn’t right. This is where my â€Å"issue† with authority came into play. The military is one of, if not the largest, organization that requires conformity to the fullest. Those that don’t conform will be punished. During my reading I found a Japanese saying that really hit close to home. â€Å"The nail that sticks up gets hammered down†. What that means to me is that it’s better to not stand out in the group but rather conform and fall amongst them. Prior to the start of my observation, I had a background of the military setting so I guess we could call that an unfair advantage because maybe I didn’t go into this assignment with open-mindedness. I had the assumed idea that those being observed would  conform to the standards set forth by the military official in charge of them regardless if they thought that it was right/wrong. I envisioned that normative pressure would come into play since those that are in authoritative position are respected and looked up to. So, in order to support my assumption, I decided to have my wife, who is currently active duty and a Division Officer, assist me. She didn’t do this by choice, but I had her conform ï Å  I asked her to give personnel in her division orders that they would know were wrong. For instance, she gave three separate Sailors (2-E3, 1-E4) direction to go to McDonald’s to get her something to eat while in a duty status. Then, she briefed all of them at duty section muster that no one was authorized to leave the confines of the ship on their duty for any reason to include going to get something to eat. They all were aware this wasn’t allowed but being that she told them, they thought that it must be right. There was no questioning attitude, just a â€Å"yes Ma’am† by every single one. I wanted her to take it one step further so I asked her to do something that would affect the safety of Sailors and see how they responded. Would they conform? So, all her Sailors are required to wear protective head gear and glasses due to the dry dock environment and the hazards associated. She went to quarters and directed them all to come back tomorrow with only their hard hats. She stated glasses were no longer required. Not one person said anything when she gave this information out. No one questioned her but simply just went on about their days. The next day, over 75% of her personnel showed up without glasses. This was clearly a safety violation and could potentially have an impact on their individual safety but because she was an authoritative figure, they accepted that risk and conformed to what she stated. It wasn’t right but they did it anyway. After it was completed, she let them know that it was ok to question things that you thought weren’t right. She informed them about the study and stated that she was surprised so many had not followed their instincts and did the right thing. I wasn’t quite so shocked by the results. I saw a lot of Sailors do things that aren’t necessarily right because someone higher ranking told them and instead of questioning them, and possibly getting in trouble, they just did it. So, the results she got didn’t surprise me. In the military, it’s like the unspoken rule†¦just conform. Overall, this study was exactly what I thought it was going to be. In many  situations, we are uncertain how to think or act/react to those around us especially when it’s not the socially accepted â€Å"norm†. We tend to use the behavior and actions of others to dictate what were going to do. Informational social influence occurs because we conform using others as a source of information. That’s exactly what happened in my observation. No one stood up and said it was wrong so being that my wife told them it was right (she was the source of information), they did it! Was it right, no! This is where I think change needs to happen. Stand up for what you believe. Don’t just be rebellious because you can but have a reason and stand by it. Find people who believe in the same thing that you believe in and take a stance. Her Sailors should have confided in one another and they all should have worn their glasses to muster knowing that it was their safety that they were protecting. All of them should have stood up to protect themselves!

Disability students learning in South Africa education essay

Disability students learning in South Africa education essay Abstract Disability students in many societies are facing debilitating quandaries, including physical, emotional and physiological degradation. As a result, empowering disabilities students to realize their self-esteem as well as to enhance their skills and employability represents an interesting and challenging task to government, industry, interest groups and individuals worldwide. In this research we propose to determine the Impact of Assistive Technology (AT) on disabilities students learning in South African Higher Institutions, from a students voice perspective. As a case study, we will validate our experimental design on randomly selected students with disabilities from University of Pretoria and Tshwane University of Technology, due to their closeness to the researcher, it makes the study cost-effective. The reasons for involving students in this research have its origins from two related subjects: (a) Participatory Research and (b) Participatory Study. The data collection tools that this research will use are; (a) questionnaire and (b) focus groups which will be used in phase two of this study. The results of this study will enable the understanding of various unresolved issues brought about by the disability students needs for assistive technologies in South African Higher Institutions. We are hopeful that our design will be systemic enough to be easily extrapolated into other institutions. Introduction People with disabilities account for four (4) million of the total population of South Africa (SA) as contained in the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) report (reporter, 2009). This latest statistics significantly outgrows the previous Statistics of about 2 million in 2001 (Statistics South Africa, 2001) of the total population of about 40 million. With the vast growth of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in SA and the governments initiatives to have more people with disabilities empowered, particularly with education, implementing Assistive Technology (AT) in academic institutions is a necessity with no option. With careful planning and guidance, the vast number of AT devices and softwares can be beneficial to students with disabilities (Duhaney Duhaney, 2000). In South Africa, the Ministry of Education emphasise that South African schools have to provide AT services and equipments for a students with disabilities to enable a free and appropriate ( balanced) public education. An Assistive Technology (AT) is technology used by individuals with disabilities in order to perform functions that might otherwise be difficult or impossible (Mirenda, 2001). Assistive technology can include mobility devices such as walkers and wheelchairs, as well as hardware, software, and peripherals that assist people with disabilities in accessing computers or other information technologies. For example, people with limited hand function may use a keyboard with large keys or a special mouse to operate a computer, people who are blind may use software that reads text on the screen in a computer-generated voice, people with low vision may use software that enlarges screen content, people who are deaf may use a TTY (text telephone), or people with speech impairments may use a device that speaks out loud as they enter text via a keyboard. With this in mind, the standard of education for these students will greatfull improve since there will be sustained information flow that all st udents will receive with much alteration onto the educational information. Majority of universities in SA use online learning such as; (a) virtual learning environments, (b) discussion lists, (c) e-mail, (d) podcasts and (e) library information databases to provide information to their students. Students of today are being classified as digital native of the net generation Oblinger (2003), so they expect technology to be integrated into their learning environments. Oblinger (2003) argues that, this would need for the universities stakeholders to analyse just how well they know about the new students that are being enrolled into their universities. Most of the literature that is available about the impact of ATs on students with disabilities in Universities comes from three sources; Literature and Case Studies that have been developed from publicly funded studies; Research studies that have explored the general education experiences of disabled students ; Research studies that have explored the specific ICT (e-learning) experiences of disabled students. What the conclusions from the studies have not made clear though, are whether their findings are true for all students, especially the students with disabilities who may need ATs to enable them to access learning materials that may be provided online or digitally or may need other forms of technology to access them? The impacts of the use of ATs on students with disability in SA are enormous. Not only are ATs beneficial in classroom environments, disabilities students social lives have also changed as well as improved with better communication between the disabilities students and their non-disabled peers. Life is all about communicating and interacting with ones environment. However, many issues and barriers impact on the successful use of ATs such as lack of AT knowledge, training, funding, poor coordination between service providers, technology developers and fear/avoidance of these technologies. With the use of ATs, opportunities for students with disabilities are better enhanced. Some of the most significant changes in the education of disabilities students in South Africa has been the initiative to adapt the inclusive education theory into their education system (Patton, 1992). This form of initiative is mainly a collaborative setting which includes a content specialist paired with a learning specialist and then leads to sharing of the teaching responsibilities which will later benefit the education of both general and disability students. The use of inclusive education may change from institution to institution but it clearly indicates that it is extremely important in enabling those students archive their educational goals. Problem Statement and Research Questions Today, the greatest challenge confronting the South African disabilities students is to smoothly integrate into academics and at large the society, participate in a competitive educational system and be equipped for the professional economic world. A number of emerging technologies: assistive and adaptive technologies have been developed to cater for these students. However, very little literature has been written about these novel technologies and their impact on the students with disabilities from a students voice . Moreover, the evaluation of their impact on the end-users has also not been widely researched and reported in the academic publications. One way to ensure best outcomes for disabilities students learning in South Africa would be to evaluate the effective usage of ATs on these groups of students. To do so, different types of ATs would have to be indentified and opinions of these students need to be sampled on the use of these emerging technologies. Thus, a participatory research is necessary to determine the impact of ATs on disability students learning in South Africa from the students perspective because we need to listen to students; with disabilities views and ensure that technology meets their needs. The main research question we are addressing in this proposed study is: How does AT usage impact disability students learning in South Africa Higher Educational Institutions? To answer this question satisfactorily, first it is important to identify various ATs available and determine their contributions towards improving the academic performance of disabilities students learning in South Africa. As result, the following research sub-questions will be squarely addressed in order to solve the main research question. What are the different types of ATs available to disability students learning in South Africa Higher Educational Institutions? How do disability students feel about using AT to help them learn? What support do disabilities students receive while use AT in their learning? How compatible are the ATs provided to disability students to their needs? What problems do disability students encounter while using AT and how is each solved? How has the use of AT enhanced the academic performance of disabilities students? 1.2. Goals and Objectives of the Study Linked to the problem statement, this research has an overarching objective which is to promote the development of user-centred methodologies for studying the impacts of technology on disability students and to expose these widely so as to encourage a participatory approach to studying and designing disability students use of technologies in South Africa Higher Institutions. This goal will be accomplished by implementing the following primary objectives. To identify different types of ATs available to disability students learning in South African higher institutions. To determine how disability students feel about using AT to help them learn. To determine what support disability students receive while use AT in their learning. This can be from University, friends and family. To determine whether the AT the disability students are using is compatible with their needs. To determine what problems disability students encounter while using AT and how they are solved. To determine whether the use of the AT improves academic performance of disability students learning in South African higher institutions. 1.3. Expected Deliverables Within a 2 year project leading to an award of MTec degree, it is important to ensure that there are clear expectations for what can be delivered in these time-scales. We hope to deliver the following outcomes. A comprehensive account of disabled students learning experiences and a clear documentation of the impact of AT on disabled students. A set of recommendations for practitioners, support staff, institutional managers and program developers on ways to manage the challenges of disability students. A summary report detailing how the research questions have been addressed and drawing out lessons learned from the particular institutional context. 1.3 Hypothesis The hypothesis underpinning this study is that certain aspects of students with disabilities academic performance (if not all) will and has improved due to the utilisations of ATs. With the main research question as a basis, this studys hypothesis implies that ATs create value addition. With this in mind, it must be said that only through the creation of general awareness can this be possible in South African Higher Institutions. Students that are fortunate enough to attend institutions that have existing ATs in place score higher percentages, as a result of both, ATs and hard work. At the same time, AT users would report less difficulties in self-care, mobility issues. 1.4 Limitations of the Study This study is not intended to develop nor replicate any existing models, policies, schemes or plans pertaining to ATs usage, but merely evaluate, analyse and where possible critique their implication on students with disabilities learning in south African Higher Educational Institutions. Thus this research will not go into too much detailed studies nor delve into discussions around the elements of the main or sub-disciplines that it straddles and elected to engage. Furthermore, it is not the intention of this research to seek, to isolate nor to discuss in detail all the factors negating the full scope of ATs, but merely to highlight some of the impacts of ATs and the effects they have on those that are directly affected by them. This research will therefore be limited to South African tertiary institutions namely, University of Pretoria and Tshwane University of Technology. Because of this, the research results cannot be generalised to other institutions. In addition, the study has got its own limitations and areas of potential bias as described hereunder. Many questionnaires will be distributed to a number of students with disabilities. Data will be primarily gathered by use of questionnaires, this study notes that not all are expected to be answered and returned. During interviews, interviewees might not be as expressive as hoped. Furthermore ATs are a new trend in South Africa Higher Educational Institutions and thus the lack of knowledge by people concerned i.e. teachers and bodies that regulate students with special needs within the institution might pose another limitation. Thus, in respect of the limitations discussed above the findings in this study should not be concluded as absolute but guidelines for ATs usage improvement. 1.6 Assumptions This study is underpinned by assumptions that ATs do exist and are somewhat effective. However these fail to achieve desired outputs due to lack of general awareness inherit among the directly involved. All principles and policies of ATs should therefore be improved. Any initiative that fails to do so should thus be subject to scrutiny. 1.7 Significance of the Study With the latter sections of this study explaining some of the aims of this study, it should be deduced that this study attempts to extremely explore the different forms of Assistive Technology and their impact on students with disabilities in south African learning institution, so as to increase understanding of the many complex issues and interactions introduced by disabled students requirements for better learning environments. With disabled people in South Africa accommodating a fair share of the population, recognising that disabled students are not a minority group. Students with a wide range of disabilities and access to Assistive technologies in South Africa schools were included in the study in order to: Explore and describe how disabled students participate in learning in Technology-rich environments with the use of Assistive Technology; Investigate the strategies, beliefs and intentions of disabled students who are effective in learning in this rich ICT world and identity factors that enable or inhibit effective use of Assistive Technology in learning. Make recommendations to those stakeholders involved in designing Technology for disabled students based on our understanding of their preferences, experiences and diverse needs. By this study exploring the issues relating to experience, this study hopes to develop a greater perspective and understanding of the skill levels of disabled students. For example, whether there is a relationship between a highly skilled Technologies based students without disabilities and a highly skilled Assistive Technology user; how disabled learners use technologies e.g. how they are involving some of the personal Assistive technologies in their learning and what disabled students experiences of interactions between Assistive and education technologies are. By this study focusing on issues relating to strategies, this study sought to identify the choices disabled students make regarding how they use technologies to support their learning environments. By this study seeking to understand issues relating to beliefs intentions, this study hopes to develop an understanding of the impact that Technology use has on disabled students in terms of their feelings regarding the value and difficulties of using these kinds of Technology to support their learning and other aspects of their livelihood. 2. Literature Review Most of the recent literature focusing on the impact of ATs on students in Universities across the world can be classified into three sources: Literature and case studies that have been developed from publicly funded studies to determine the impact of AT in higher education exist in academic domains and are mostly inform of case studies (Shelvin, 2004) Research studies that have explored the general education experiences of students with learning disabilities exist in both academic and non-academic domains. (Mortimer Crosier, 2006), Shelving et al. 2004 and (Fuller et al. 2004). Research studies that have explored the specific e-learning experiences o f disabilities students have generally been conducted in the UK, an example of this is Draffan et al. (2007) in a survey of the use of and satisfaction with AT by disabled students in UK higher institutions. Another survey by Cobham et al. (2001) also tried to explain the specific experiences of students with learning disabilities when using AT. The important conclusion from these studies is whether their findings are true for all students, most especially the students with learning disabilities who may need emerging technology such as AT for effective learning. The uniqueness and novelty of this study in relation to previous studies is positively different. With the use of participatory research methods, this study shall be a voice for all the students with disabilities who may need emerging technology such as AT effective learning. This enables us to answer the paradigm of nothing about me, without me since the users will be involved in every phase of this study. Meaning that the deliverables of this study will be hands-on on what the impact of AT is on students with disabilities rather than assuming these outcomes or guessing. 3. Research Methodology In this section we will describe how each objective was tackled, and then we will define participatory research in the context of this study; provide an overview of the participatory phases of this study and of the data collection tools and data analysis process. The first objective of identifying different types of ATs that are available to disability students learning in South African higher institutions, we will design a template of various ATs from the literature. This AT template will be presented to research participants to choose which AT is relevant to them or write down in case we havent listed what they are using. The second objective to determine how disability students feel about using AT to help them learn, this study shall ask the students to explain their feelings about using technology to help them learn. Would the disability students sustain without the use of ATs? The third objective to determine whether disability students get any support while using AT will be achieved by integrating questions in the interview that will ask. How the students are supported with regard to their on-line learning and if this different when compared to the support they have for the use of ATs? (E.g. university, friends, and family).The students will also be able to answer what support provides most help and what kind of support would they like that is not currently available? The fourth objective to determine if the AT they are using is compatible to their disability, a question will be asked to the disabilities students to explain in detail if this is true for them. This is done so as to determine if what they are using is what is needed. Under many circumstances, people in general life have tended to employ technology that isnt really necessary to their needs. So this objective will clarify that. The fifth objective to determine if the disabilities students encounter any problems while using them. A question will be asked in the questionnaire that will ask the research participant to clearly identify that problem, explain what it is and also state if that problem was solved, they will also be asked to explain how that particular problem(s) was solved. The sixth objective to determine whether the use of the AT improves academic performance, this study shall get records from the disability unit where academic performance of students with learning disabilities will be compared to non-disabled students using ratio of those who graduated (success rate). This method of comparison will normalize the dominance effect of performance of non-disabled students. For example suppose we have total enrolment of 20 students for ICT programme in a given year and 5 are disability students. If 3 of the students with learning disability graduated, then since 3/5 is greater than 5/15 students with learning disabilities of ICT perform better than their non disabled colleagues of that year. We can study this for all years considered and the ratio of drop-out to determine the overall performance comparison 3.1. Defining participatory research in the context of this study Using the objectives of using participatory design and participatory research, students with disability participation in this study will be defined as: Involving students with disabilities as partners and consultants and not just as research subjects. This is where students with disabilities students help to identify and (re)frame the research objectives and questions; work with this study so as to achieve a collective analysis of the research issues and bring the results of the study to the respective universities that they represent. This helps to reflect the principle of nothing about me, without me (Nightingale, 2006; Nelson et al. 1998) and this principle involves: Working directly with students with disabilities (research participants) in the evaluation of the impact of AT on their learning environments; Continual participation of students with disabilities in order to produce improved teaching and support practices; Engaging students with disabilities in the analysis conduct and design this research. In analysing the participatory nature of this study like this, this study will map its approach against a methodology offered by Radermacher (2006) which defines six major types of student involvement in this study that range from non-involvement to participant-initiated, shared decisions with researcher of this study. This studys methodology falls into the type classified by Radermacher as researcher-initiated, shared decisions with participants where this studys researcher has the initial idea for the study, but students with disabilities (participants) are involved in all phases of the study. 3.1.1 Overview of the participatory phases of this study. With regards to the participation of disability students in this study, there will be three key phases of participation: Phase One (July-August): Consultation with the relevant research participants and stakeholders regarding proposed research questions and research methods, writing of the proposal; Phase Two (September): Opportunity for the research participants (students with disabilities) to contribute own experiences of using AT to help them learn; Phase Three (September-October): Opportunity for both the researcher of this study and the research participants and stakeholders to validate and interpret the results of the study and to contribute to the design, content and dissemination of project deliverables and outcomes. In the first phase of this study, the research participants will be contacted and consulted to attain the relevance of the proposed research questions and the proposed data collection methods that this study intends to use, this is of course done after ethical approval has been granted. In the second phase of this study, participants will be interviewed and allowed to contribute their own feelings and experiences of using AT. In the third phase of this study, participants will be invited to validate and advice on the analysis of the data collected from phase two. Each of these phases is will be described and evaluated in more detail in this study Methodology report. In addition to developing approaches that enabled the participation of disability students within the University of Pretoria and Tshwane University Of technology, this study will employ a range of approaches that will enable the participation of a wider group of stakeholders. These included: Using the Student Support Services of the respective universities in the recruitment of participants; The setting up of a project advisory group (mostly involving research participants teachers, the researcher and the coordinators) so as to deal with any distress that might be involved during phase two; Involvement of senior members of the proposed universities during the life of the research. 3.2 Overview of data collection tools The data collection tools that will be used in this study consist of (a) questionnaire and (b) focus groups. Most research studies that employ a participatory approach use these tools. The benefit of using these data collection tools in this study is that participants (students with disabilities) will influence the way each tool is used. 3.2.1 Questionnaire The questionnaire will consist of both demographic and questions related to this study. The research participant will be able to answer open and closed ended questions. Using the appropriate data collection tool, this study will be able to capture responses to these questions approprioately. 3.2.2 The focus group A focus group will be held in phase three to which all the participants will be invited. During these focus group meetings, the researcher will explain to the participants the purpose of the focus group, which is to share with the research participants in this study the initial interpretations of the data that has been collected in earlier phases of participation. The main findings in phase one and two will be summarised and presented to the research participants. For each of the findings, this study will ask the participants whether they expressed their own views and personal experiences and if this study misrepresented the findings or leaving out important contributions that they made in earlier phases of this study. Though there are other data collection tools like observationnaire, case-studies and content analysis, though some of these methods are used in a brief extent in this study, they are not extensively used due to the fact that participatory researches dont usually employ them and the results obtained from them are what this study is trying to get away from. Making the data collection tools this study has taken far more appropriate when undertaking a participatory form of research. 3.3. Research Data Analysis In the phase two of this study; interviews and an Olympus recorder will be used to record the interviews with the participants. The resulting Windows Media Video (WMA) files will be transcribed into Word documents. For some of the interviews, speech recognition software will be used to assist transcription (e.g. a researcher plays the audio files into their head phones and verbally repeats what they hear from the files so that a speech recognition application can capture their words and convert it into written text). Once these transcripts are typed, this study will email the participants to read through and find out if there any corrections or additions that should be noted. These transcripts will then provide the basis from which issues are noted and strategies developed into artefacts. For those students who can write directly onto the interview sheet, the data from the interview sheet will be analysed and a methodological report of each of the accounts will be drawn out of those accounts. In the phase three focus group, an Olympus recorder will be used to record the discussion. The resulting WMA file will be transcribed into a Word document. These discussions will be mainly to determine if all the students voices have been collected correctly. 4. Ethical Considerations. Formal ethical approval for this project will be received through the Ethics Committee of the respective Universities. Four key ethical issues will be identified as needing addressing: Issues relating to gaining access to the students; finding out which students in the university are disabled in order to contact them directly about the project, without breaking confidentiality and data protection rules. There is however key gate-keepers in the University, who are able to facilitate indirect access to disability students across the whole institution. Issues relating to potential psychological distress; there is a very slight risk in this research that participants might experience distress if they chose to recount a particularly negative technology experience. There is also a potential that some participants might be stressed if they felt they are being excluded from taking part and prevented having their say. For this reason this study will deliberately make phase one all-inclusive in that this study will accept collated responses from any and all students who wished to contribute. For phase two, this study anticipate that, depending on how many replies we receive for the participation of this research, this study might need to be selective in order to get a spread of case studies. Issues relating to anonymity and confidentiality are considered. Participants in phase one of the this study which aims to gain feedback on the relevance of our questions, are guaranteed full anonymity. For phase two of the this study, which aims to solicit accounts of the disability students, this study will negotiate with the students, whether or not they wish to be publicly identified; with the condition that if the participants choose for their contributions not be anonymous, those contributions must not publicly identify the identity of other. 5. Recruitment After receiving ethical approval from the respective university departments. With the help the disabilities departments of the respective universities, an information sheet will be sent out to the students with disabilities about the existence of this study and asking for their willingness to participate in this study. There after interview dates are set between the research prospective research participants and the researcher so as to collect the data necessary. 6. Project Plan Work packages March April May June July August September October November Startup/Project Planning Communication Questionnaire Student recruitment Phase 1 all inclusive Phase 2 purposive Data collection Data Analysis Phase 3-Evaluation /Reporting Table 1:Project Plan

John Steinbecks East of Eden - The Gift of Free Will :: East Eden Essays

East of Eden - The Gift of Free Will An excellent benefit of choosing to major in English is that it has allowed me four years to dig deeply into my love of the written word. This involves looking beyond the surface of literature and studying its effects in the course of my everyday life. Some books are easy to read quickly, enjoy, and forget, but others exert an influence that is not easily discarded or forgotten. In my mental library, the classic American novel East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, falls into this category. I believe East of Eden has helped shape me morally by illustrating the power of free will in a world caught between a constant battle of good and evil. I decided to read East of Eden after hearing a friend share a short passage from it in his valedictory address. Although I do not remember the contents of that particular passage anymore, I remember that it was the power of Steinbeck's simple, direct language that urged me to take it on as my next big foray into what my high school English teacher called "real literature." The Cain and Abel story, possibly the most enigmatic story of good and evil in the Bible, is the basis for East of Eden. Although allegorical elements are scattered throughout the whole novel, the most evident theme struck me as three of the main characters discussed the ramifications of God's words to Cain after Abel's death. Lee, a Chinese servant to one of the novel's main families, explained to his two companions a little-known conflict between the translations of Genesis 4:7 in two versions of the Bible. In one translation, God tells Cain that "thou shalt" rule over sin. In another, God says to Cain, "Do thou" rule over sin. The first is a promise, and the second is an order. Lee concluded that the ambiguity presented by the two translations is at the heart of the universal human story. I agree. I know some people who surrender themselves to the fatalistic belief that everything in life has been mapped out by God. I also know people who believe that God is a harsh drillmaster who issues demands under the constant threat of damnation. Until I read this book, however, I never wondered where the dispute originated. As the characters in Steinbeck's novel discussed the discrepancy of Genesis 4:7, I also wondered at the intended meaning of the verse.

Essay --

Hannah Ricks Ricks, 1 Mrs. Miller English 12 11 November 2013 Rosa Parks How important are rights and equality? How many would walk 20 miles a day in rain or snow just to get the point across that bus segregation, among other forms of segregation are unjust or how many would be willing to give up their lives, jobs, protection for their families, homes, friends and others for change that is deserved? Rosa Louise McCauley Parks among many other civil right activists did just that. Rosa went through many struggles and trials in her life for the fight for freedom. She was an amazing example to all people, not just African Americans. Even though she wasn't well educated she still made a huge impact in society. By Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus, she changed society in many ways: she gave hope to those races that wanted change and equal rights for themselves. Rosa got her high school diploma at age twenty thanks to encouragement of her husband Raymond: she dropped out in eleventh grade to take care of her mother and grandma. As children the black students had to walk to their school, which was often inadequate while the whites had school buses that took them to their brand new school. As long as she could remember, there was a black world and a white world, the bus was among the first ways she realized it. Parks recalled a time when the Ku Klux Klan marched down the street in front of their house while her grandfather guarded the front door with a shotgun, she could not ignore the racism of her society. Ricks, 2 Rosa suffered many things in her life but some... ...t to accomplish this goal: "President Barack Obama unveiled a statue honoring Parks in the nation’s Capital building. He remembered Parks, according to The New York Times, by saying "In a single moment, with the simplest of gestures, she helped change America and change the world. . . . And today, she takes her rightful place among those who shaped this nation’s course." Rosa Parks helped shape society into what it is today. Not all racism is gone but she made a huge impact, and tried her best to for equal rights to the oppressed. She gave so much in order for blacks to have a little bit of freedom. It took quite a while to make an impact but it had to start somewhere, and that somewhere was in the heart of Rosa Parks, it was on that bus when she decided she had had enough, it was in all the Negros that joined in a gave their lives for equality and civil rights.

Just In Time Essay

Just-In-Time or J-I-T is defined in the APICS dictionary as â€Å"a philosophy of manufacturing based on planned elimination of all waste and on continuous improvement of productivity. † To put it simply, it means products are produced in the necessary quantities at the necessary time, basically, everything happens just in time. It promises to provide a tailored solution for business matching none of the off-the-shelf software available in the market. It believes that it must adapt to its customers not the other way around. It takes its name from the idea of replenishing material buffers just when they are needed. Also known as lean production or stockless production, it seeks to improve profits and ROI by the reduction of inventory levels, by increasing inventory turnover rate, by the reduction of variability, by the improvement of product quality, by the reduction of production and delivery lead times and by the reduction of other costs like those that are associated with machine set up and equipment breakdown. It applies to repetitive manufacturing processes where it involves the same products and components being produced over and over again. J-I-T, a recognized philosophy, technique or way of working takes its root in Japan. Developed by the Toyota Motor Company in the mid-1970’s, it was originally known as Toyota Production System (TPS). Toyota’s Taiichi Ohno is after all the credited father of this way or working. He developed a system of production based on waste elimination. Waste, according to Ohno includes time and resources as well as materials. Just-in-time and autonomation were then born. The former means that items move through production as and when they are needed; and the latter means that production system must be automated to include inspection, where human attention was only called for when a defect was detected automatically, signaling a temporary stop in the system until the problem has been solved. J-I-T believes that waste and its many forms must be eliminated. These wastes can be in the form of materials, space and labor. Problems that may lead to the production of such wastes are paid close attention to. There has been a constant improvement on operation and procedures to finely tune them in to an increase in productivity. Ordering or holding costs can be reduced. And there must also be a continuous effort to strive to improve. This means an improvement on processes and systems to an efficient and competitive one. Moreover, a certain respect among the workers must be maintained. It assumes a stable environment and requires an active participation among the employees, the basics of industrial engineering, continuous improvement, small lot sizes and total quality control. Stock or inventory, overproduction, time spent waiting, transportation or movement, processing time as well as defects are considered to be unnecessary wastes. This techniques promises to render its users the benefits ranging from consistent high quality products, quality as a responsibility of every worker, uniform Master Production Schedule, standardization of components and work methods, product focus, preventive maintenance, reduced scrap, reduced re-work, reduced cycle times, lower set up time, smoother flow of production, less inventory, cost savings, higher productivity, more skilled and multi-tasking work force, reduced space requirements and improved relationships with suppliers and continuous improvement. Setting it apart from all the other traditional techniques applied which provides large amount of options available to its customers and accepts almost all orders, J-I-T targets a limited market in order to deliver high quality services at low cost. In terms of capacity, a traditional technique employs excess capacity designed into the system anticipating problems that may arise, they are highly utilized and are inflexible as opposed to that of J-I-T that minimizes waste of having extra capacity, and such is flexible and moderately utilized. In the traditional technique, there is a lot of space for inventory storage. Job shops are often converted to cellular manufacturing when J-I-T technique is employed. Traditional technique believes that long lead times allow more time to make decisions and get the job done. J-I-T on the other hand, believes that more accurate forecasting and planning can be done in short lead times. In terms of layout, a job shop in a traditional set up are spread-out to accommodate areas for stock rooms, tool cribs and work-in-the process inventories between the equipment. It even requires automated or semi-automated materials handling equipment in the form of conveyors and forklifts, another addition to an already big space requirement. In a J-I-T system, manual transfer is employed. Equipment is as close together to aid the handling over of parts from one worker or machine to the other. In terms of quality, in a traditional technique, goods are inspected at critical points and scrap rates are tracked. In the case of the J-I-T technique, workers themselves inspect parts to achieve the zero defects goal in the end. Toyota and its suppliers were alone in the use of the TPS for almost a decade. Not until the late 1970’s when other Japanese automobile manufacturers in the likes of Mazda, Honda and Nissan adopted the concept of J-I-T to continue to compete with arch rival Toyota. Then in the mid 1980’s US and European manufacturers like Chrysler, Ford and General Motors benchmarked the J-I-T philosophy. Other firms such as CM, Ford, Bendix, Harley-Davidson, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, AT&T and others have been strongly advocating J-I-T. There have been progresses in regaining competitiveness. Many firms are once again at if not near world class status. But J-I-T is not a revolution but an evolution. Not all accounts will be success stories. Managers only implement J-I-T when they are convinced that it can enhance the firm’s performance. This is true even though there have been a lot of testaments to the benefits that it claims to deliver to its clients. There have been studies that show that the implementation and maintenance of the J-I-T manufacturing systems will eventually reap rewards as measured by improved financial performance. J-I-T is not the end of an evolution- it actually is just the beginning. There will be new J-I-T generations to be born in the years to come. We all have to then learn how to embrace changes in order to improve and gain control of our growing enterprises. We can always take a pick amongst the ones available. The choice is ours to make. References Donath, Bob. Reduced warehouse storage/inventory costs. The IOMA Handbook of Logistics and Inventory Management, p. 310. Retrieved November 21, 2007 from http://books.google.com/books?isbn=047120935x.