Thursday, October 31, 2019

CONTEMPORARY CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ISSUES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

CONTEMPORARY CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ISSUES - Essay Example It is an institutional arrangement for various corporate participants having direct or indirect interests in corporation like shareholders, managers/directors, creditors, customers, suppliers, employees, local communities, general public and government (Figure 1). Figure 1: Corporate Governance Relationships Source: (Letza, Sun & Kirkbride, 2004, p.243) The importance of corporate governance in 21st century has been highlight by series of corporate frauds like Enron, WorldCom and Tyco whose managers engaged in illegal reporting leading to loss of shareholder wealth. As shareholders in many countries are absentee owners and managers have the control and power over the organization’s activities, these managers can place their own interest before the interests of shareholders, therefore generating the principal-agent conflict. There are certain views regarding the convergence of corporate governance systems however such possibility is least likely to happen due to difference in c orporate culture and ownership structures. In recent years many influential proposals have been made in UK regarding corporate governance such as Higgs 2003, Turnbull Committee 1999, Hampel Committee 1998, Greenbury Committee 1995 etc (Letza, Sun & Kirkbride, 2004, p.242). The legislative strategies place importance to the need of a single governance structure for the corporate world. However no single model of corporate governance has worked at all times. Presently there are four main perspectives on corporate governance that are discussed in the following sections. The Principal-Agent Model Considering a sole-proprietorship organization where the owner-manager is considering sale of a part of his interest to outsiders. As the owner-manager’s share will fall the incentive to... According to the research findings the field of corporate governance is relatively new to the theory of organization. Although the issues of corporate frauds, social irresponsibility and abuse of managerial power that have led to corporate governance mechanisms are not new to the corporate world. The corporate fraud case of Enron, WorldCom and Barings bank has made the investors realize the governance issues of ownership and control. However the theories which form the theoretical framework of corporate governance have not been fully developed to provide a uniform solution to address agency problems. Based on the review paper by Letza, Sun and Kirkbride on corporate governance this project has been an attempt to critically analyze the models of corporate governance which have been categorized into two perspectives- Shareholder and Stakeholder. These models have been the much debated due their different approach towards the governing mechanisms and the changing relationship of managem ent and shareholders and/or stakeholders. The principal-agent model has been the theoretical basis of the other three models however due to widely accepted flaw of equating wealth maximization with share price maximization has led economists to look beyond the shareholder wealth maximization objective. The myopic market model is similar to principal-agent model but is oriented more towards the internal mechanisms built on long-term relationship and corporate performance.

Monday, October 28, 2019

War Poets Research Paper Essay Example for Free

War Poets Research Paper Essay Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon are both considered two of the best war poets to ever write. These two poets actually possess many similarities with Sassoon being a great influence on Owen. With both of them being a part of World War I, that greatly motivated them to write poetry about the war. Neither one of them was very fond of being in the war. This led to them both writing poems of anger and distress towards the war. Both Owen and Sassoon had terrible experiences with war so one can understand where the anger they wrote with came from. Owen’s poems describe actions in the war and how awful and miserable he was as a soldier. Sassoon’s poems do not contain as much of an angry tone as Owen does in his but Sassoon does portray war as being totally negative with nothing good to say about it. Owen and Sassoon are very similar in that neither one of them are war friendly, they had tragedies that made them feel this way, and wrote poems of how they despised World War I. At the time Wilfred Owen was writing his poems, the world was in the middle of a war known as World War I. He considered the subject of his poetry during that time frame to be â€Å"the pity of war,† and sought to present the grim realities of battle and its effects on the human spirit. With a subject like this it was obvious that he was not a fan of the war and it shows in many of his poems. The motivation for him to write poems in such grueling detail of the war really shows his true feelings towards it. In his poem â€Å"Dulce Et Decorum Est,† he describes his account of war. In it he quotes â€Å"Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots †¨But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This clearly shows why he would have such hatred toward war. All throughout the poem he talks of how dismal he and other soldiers are and the terrible experience they had during war. In another one his poems â€Å"Anthem for Doomed Youth,† he speaks about the funeral of a young soldier. In the very last line of the poem he says that each slow dusk is â€Å"a drawing down of blinds.† This line in the poem describes the suffering that loved ones of the soldier endured during the burial. In this line Owen is kind of giving a warning that war is a stressful event and loved ones can be lost in the act of war.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Use of Distributed Computing in Processing Big Data

Use of Distributed Computing in Processing Big Data Distributed Systems is an upcoming area in computer science and has the ability to have a large impact on the many aspects in[G1] the medical, scientific, financial and commercial sector. This document will provide an overview of distributed systems along with their current applications and application in big data. The most commonly used definition for a distributed system is, a system comprised of geographically dispersed computing components interacting on a hardware or software level [1].The rise in interest for distributed computing can be attributed to two major factors. The first factor is the creation and advancements in local and wide area networks which allow for large amounts of data to be transmitted over great distances in a short period of time [2]. The second factor is the new craze of the Internet of Things (IoT), where nearly every physical device manufacture having some sort of internet connectivity allowing for the possibility of tens of billions of devices that are able to interact. This large network of interconnected devices can be utilised to compute large amounts of data in a fraction of the time it would currently take to process. Characteristics of a Distributed System Heterogeneity Heterogeneity refers to the ability for the system to operate on a variety of different hardware and software components. This is achieved through the implementation of middleware in the software layer. The goal of the middleware is to abstract and interpret the programming procedural calls such that the distributed processing can be achieved on a variety of differing nodes [3]. Openness The openness of a distributed system is defined as the difficulty involved to extend or improve an existing system. This characteristic allows us to reuse a distributed system for multiple functions or to process varying sets of data. Concurrency Concurrency refers to the systems ability to handle the access and use of shared recourses. This is important because if there is no measure implemented it is possible for data to get corrupted or lost by two nodes making different changes to the same resource such that the system can carry this error through different processes causing an incorrect result. One way to counteract these errors is to implement a locking mechanism making a node unable to access a resource whilst it is being used by another node.[G2][G3] Scalability Scalability is one of the major characteristics that effectiveness of a distributed system, it refers to how easily the system can adapt to a changing size. This is due to the volatile nature of computers, such that a device is prone to leaving and joining the system at will. This volatility is caused by computers powering down, or unstable networks causing connectivity issues.[G4][G5] One factor that affects scalability is the degree at which the system is centralised. This is due to if a system relies on a centralised component or process (e.g. a central [G6]server), the more nodes that try to communicate or use this component, the more likely it is that there will be a bottleneck at this point in the system.[G7] Fault Tolerance Due to a distributed system having many computers comprised of different aged hardware, it is very likely for a part to fail in such a way that a node can no longer operate. Fault Tolerance is the ability for the system to handle such failures, this is achieved by using recovery and redundancy. Recovery is [G8]where a component will act in a predictable, controlled way if it relies on a component. Redundancy is where crucial systems and processes will have a backup that takes over if a system fails.[G9][G10] Transparency Transparency in a distributed system refers to the idea that the user perceives that they are interacting with a whole quantity rather than a collection of cooperating components. Transparency can be split into the following 8 sub-characteristics defined in Table 1. Table 1 Different forms of transparency in a distributed system [2]. Transparency Description Access Hide differences in data representation and how an object is accessed Location Hide where an object is located Relocation Hide that an object may be moved to another location while in use Migration Hide that an object may move to another location Replication Hide that an object is replicated Concurrency Hide that an object may be shared by several independent users Failure Hide the failure and recovery of an object The Internet The internet is the largest and most well-known decentralised distributed system ever created. It is currently comprised of millions of geographically distributed interconnected web servers that can communicate autonomously with each other and the billions of endpoint nodes [4]. The internet is constantly growing with more website and nodes added every day. One of the major factors contributing to the growth of nodes is the boost in IoT or smart devices. ATM Machines ATM machines are an example of a centralised distributed system that has been implemented globally. This is a centralised system because each ATM machine will [G11]only communicate with its bank central server. Centralisation is enforced as a measure to increase the security of the sensitive information stored on the banks databases[G12]. Each banks ATM network has the ability to communicate with another banks server [G13]such that a user can withdraw money from any ATM around the world. Botnets Botnets are an example of a malicious distributed system. They are can either be operated by a central server or based off a peer-[G14]to-peer network. A botnet is comprised of a collection of zombie machines which have been infected with malware allowing the bot master to control it and a command and control server whose role is to control the zombie computers allowing the zombie machines to execute any command that the botmaster desires. Data is any accumulation of facts and statistics to be analysed or referenced. Big data is most commonly defined as extremely large sets of data, both structured and unstructured, [G15]that can be analysed to reveal patterns and trends. This data is sufficiently complex or large enough that conventional data processing processes and applications are unable to deal with it [5]. Crowdsourcing is not a new idea in the software world, it is not an uncommon sight to see a developer pose a task to the masses and have someone else complete the task. This is mostly done free of charge. A similar concept is starting to be applied to big data, where researchers and institutes have started to crowdsource data for people to process[G16]. Currently, most data that has been crowdsourced is [G17]for scientific or medical research. A factor that contributes to the success of data processing on distributed systems is the relatively low cost of [G18]transferring data compared the cost incurred from doing the data processing internally [6].[G19] Play to Cure: Genes in Space Play to Cure: Genes in Space is a mobile gaming application developed by Cancer Research UK. Its main purpose is to allow the general public to process large amounts of data for the scientist at Cambridge University.[G20] The data is processed by the user controlling a spaceship to try and collect as much Element Alpha as possible. What the user is not aware that the placement of Element Alpha directly correlates to a singular piece of plotted data [7]. In the first month alone the application has managed to analyse 1.5 million data sample. To process a similar number of samples the research team achieve a similar amount of samples processed, it would take the research team 125,000 man hours [7]. Whilst it is a rudimentary implementation of a distributed system, Play to Cure: Genes in Space is a successful implementation and can show how important large distributed systems can processing big data. [emailprotected] [emailprotected] is currently the largest distributed computing program and was created by the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute and hosted out at UC Berkeley. It currently has approximately 3 million active users donating their computers[G21][G22] spare processing power to process data obtained from SETIs radio telescopes [8]. Since [emailprotected] is a voluntary program, each node needs to be able to process data in a way that the user is not negatively affected and choose to leave the program. This is achieved through the application processing data when it is detected that a machines CPU is [G23]idling [9]. As of the 10 March 2017, the [G24][emailprotected] program has come close to processing 18 years worth of data from the Arecibo Observatory radio telescope [10]. This achievement displays how easily large amounts of data can be processed by large distributed systems. There are endless possibilities when it comes to the potential applications[G25] for distributed systems. Processing big data is a lucrative market, this might cause a lot of large multinational organisation to try and utilise their own hardware to implement their own personal distributed system to process the terabytes of data that they can extrapolate from their Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and from data obtained from the media and other sources. Stock trading is a cut throat industry, and the ability to predict market trends faster than a competitor can allow a particular firm to make millions of dollars. It is plausible for large firms to implement their own distributed system to analyse previous market trends and current global and local affairs to predict the upcoming state of the market. In the future, distributed systems will allow for big data to be processed potentially at a near real-time timeframe. This document has outlined how distributed systems can assist in the faster and more effective processing of big data. References [1]H. Karatza and G. Theodoropoulos, Distributed Systems Simulation, Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory, vol. 14, no. 6, pp. 677-678, 2006. [2]M. van Steen and A. Tanenbaum, A brief introduction to distributed systems, Computing, vol. 98, no. 10, pp. 967-1009, 2016. [3]G. Coulouris, J. Dollimore, T. Kindberg and G. Blair, Distributed systems, 1st ed. Harlow, England: Addison-Wesley, 2012, pp. 16-25. [4]G. Coulouris, J. Dollimore, T. Kindberg and G. Blair, Distributed systems, 1st ed. Harlow, England: Addison-Wesley, 2012, pp. 8-9. [5]P. Grover and R. Johari, BCD: BigData, cloud computing and distributed computing, 2015 Global Conference on Communication Technologies (GCCT), 2015. [6]J. Gray, Distributed Computing Economics, Queue, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 63-68, 2008. [7]O. Childs, Download our revolutionary mobile game to help speed up cancer research, Cancer Research UK Science blog, 2017. [Online]. Available: http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2014/02/04/download-our-revolutionary-mobile-game-to-help-speed-up-cancer-research/. [Accessed: 24- Mar- 2017]. [8]B. Marr, Big Data: Using SMART Big Data; Analytics and Metrics To Make Better Decisions and Improve Performance, 1st ed. Wiley, 2015, pp. 208-209. [9]E. Korpela, D. Werthimer, D. Anderson, J. Cobb and M. Leboisky, [emailprotected] distributed computing for SETI, Computing in Science Engineering, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 78-83, 2001. [10][emailprotected], Setiathome.berkeley.edu, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/. [Accessed: 24- Mar- 2017]. [11]D. Anderson, J. Cobb, E. Korpela, M. Lebofsky and D. Werthimer, [emailprotected]: an experiment in public-resource computing, Communications of the ACM, vol. 45, no. 11, pp. 56-61, 2002. [12]S. Khan, The Curious Case of Distributed Systems and Continuous Computing, IT Professional, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 4-7, 2016. [13]E. Albert, J. Correas, G. Puebla and G. Romà ¡n-Dà ­ez, Quantified abstract configurations of distributed systems, Formal Aspects of Computing, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 665-699, 2014. [14]S. Vinoski, Rediscovering Distributed Systems, IEEE Internet Computing, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 3-6, 2014. [15]I. Foster, C. Kesselman, J. Nick and S. Tuecke, Grid services for distributed system integration, Computer, vol. 35, no. 6, pp. 37-46, 2002. 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Thursday, October 24, 2019

Jane Eyre and Her Struggles Essay -- essays research papers

Jane Eyre and Her Struggles Jane Eyre is a classic English novel which follows the development of a young woman in the mid 1800's. Jane grows to be a smart, self supporting, independent woman. This becomes a struggle for her as she was brought up to live in the lower-class. Throughout this novel, Jane tries to show that class and gender should not affect personality. This novel explains Jane’s struggle against societal expectations of class and of gender. Jane’s initial struggle begins as she is brought up by her aunt. Jane is living in an upper-class household and is being treated as a person of the lower-class. Jane would be antagonized on a daily basis by the Reed children. As an outcast, Jane realizes at an early age how much class affects the behavior of people in society. Jane would be punished by Mrs. Reed regularly, which may have fueled her rebellious nature. A specific example would be when Jane was sent to the â€Å"red room† by Mrs. Reed as punishment for fighting with her son. This was the room where Mrs. Reed’s husband was found dead. This shows that Mrs. Reed had absolutely no respect for Jane as an individual as Mrs. Reed knew that Jane believed that the room was haunted. This event also shows that Mrs. Reed does not respect her deceased husband, as she abandoned the room after he was found. Soon after, Jane decides that she would like to go to school. Mr. Brocklehurst, founder of Lowood School admits Jane to the school. Mrs. Reed then explains to him that Jane is a problematic child. As soon as he leaves the household, Jane verbally attacks Mrs. Reed and has a feeling of accomplishment. Name 2 Jane’s initial confrontation with Mr. Brocklehurst inside the school leaves her in misery as she i... ...he was teaching the children. Eventually, when St. John attempts to ask Jane for her hand in marriage, she rejects him. He told her that it would only be in business, as he was to become a missionary and wanted her to help him. Jane does not believe in that kind of matrimony, so that was why she denied him. St. John’s two sisters, like Jane were very intellectual and loved to read. Jane loved having conversations with them, as they were as intellectual as she was. These characters raised Jane’s expectations of society. This classic English novel focuses on Jane’s struggle against societal expectations of class and of gender. Jane had many struggles with many characters throughout the novel, and this essay focused on some of the most important characters and the most important instances. Those struggles helped her become a smart, independent woman.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Palermo and Genoa

This is an individual assignment to discuss culture characteristics and its effects to a cuisines environment. Thus, this assignment will show the understanding of the culture importance, and providing the methods for cross culture management. For the full-scale of culture application to business environment cognitive competencies, this assignment will discuss the culture characteristics, analyze the culture for international business operation, study the culture synthesis, and then give recommendations according to the applications of business environment in particular.According the requirement of this assignment, I have chosen the country f Italy to complete the tasks of this assignment. 2. The Background of Italy Italy is a unified peninsula country in the south of Europe, and it looks like a boot in the world map. The neighbor countries of Italy are surrounded by Andorra, Monaco, France, Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia, Albania and Greece. The total size of Italy is 116306 square miles. Italy has total 1120 cities; the largest cities are including Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin, Palermo and Genoa.Giuseppe Amazing formed the Resorting being the foundation of Italy unity. Mr.. Count Camille Did Cavort, the leader of House of Savoy in Sardinia united Italy in 1852, and he obtained the lands of Lombardy, Roman, Tuscany, Pram, Sicily, and Naples. In 1861, Italians claimed Victor Emmanuel II as their king, who received Venetian in 1886. Finally, the papal of Rome announced Italy is a unified peninsula nation independently with one constitutional monarchy on 20th September 1870 (infeasible. Com, 2014). Italy is a republic country with its own constitution desiring for peace and harmony.Italians dislike fighting in the wars. Thus, Italy declared its neutrality in the World War l. Even through, Italy fight with Allies in 191 5 and gained some lands, but after the postwar, Italy returned the lands Allies. After the Fascist Party dictatorship of Mr.. Mussolini from 28th O ctober 1922 to 28th April 1945, Italians plebiscite voted to have a republic nation in June 1946 successfully. Moreover, Italian returns the lands to Greece and France according to the peace treaty on 15th September 1947. Italy constitution was created in 1948 (inconsiderableness. Com, 2014).Italy strategy builds its economy successfully by being an integral member of NATO & joining the European Economic Community. In Jan 1999, Italy currency was permitted by Treasury Secretary Carlo Scampi. Nowadays, the economics of Italy is diversified by many industries, and the well-developed industrial in the north are most held by private companies. Although Italy has experienced the global crisis in 2008, but Italy GAP of Italy increased from US$1737. 8 billion in 2004 to US$1982. 94 billion Jug 2014 (Satanist. Com, 2014). According to the source of the Italy history, the main religion of Italy is Roman Catholicism.The Roman Catholicism centre is in the Vatican City, and the pope also stays in it. Islam is the second religion in Italy sources from the immigrants of Muslim. Non-Catholic Christians is the third religion in Italy, but it is in a small group due to the only few Jews left after the War II (Kim, 2014). Actually, Italy has a long Roman history, because the Rome Empire controlled Italy with the Roman leadership for about 22 centuries, which covers the most of the Italy history and made Italy a Roman Catholicism country from its root. Therefore, Italy becomes the cultural center for the Western world during the period of 13th to 16th century.According to the religion characteristics of Roman Catholicism, family is the most liable social structure, because family can stabilize their family members by supporting each other with emotion and finance. In the religion of Roman Catholicism environment, you can see the Catholic churches in Italy are more than any other country. In this kind of religion country, you can see them in many lobbies and buildings, and you wi ll find people's names, and trade in particular patron saint. The church proclaims transparent hierarchy to Italy. Respect is provided to older people, successful businessman, and well-connected people (quintessential. O. UK, 2014). This part will give the recommendations for doing business in Italy according to its culture of history, geography, language, education, religion, social structure, political, and economic philosophy. 4. 1 Respect Different cultural customs Although, it is 96% of them are native Italians and speak Italian, but they may have different mother tongue or dialect and culture customs. Therefore, we have to respect each of them accordingly. To an international business, knowing the local culture is as knowing the needs of the local people.If you can provide the thing to hat area's people, you will have business opportunity (La Verne, 2008). 4. 2 Well-managed Cross Culture Management There are cultural conflicts between cultures. Therefore, international busines smen need to understand the difference and culture conflicts between each of them. Hence, the cross culture management needs to be created and studied by businessman and his staffs. Because you will have contact with local staff and customers, developing a well-managed cross culture management will help the stabilization of the employees and increase your business market share Sweatshops, 2010). . 3 Follow the religion characteristics of Roman Catholic As we know that the Roman Catholic is one of the largest and biggest religion in Italy, and Italy is the culture centre of Europe. To follow the Roman Catholic characteristics is one of the best and fastest ways to fit into global international business to the local and the whole Europe (Mary, 2011). If you can put your business to fit into the Roman Catholic quickly, your business can be accepted by the Roman Catholics easily (Italy Mineral and Mining Sector Investment and Business Guide, 2014).

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

How to Write Amazing Posts With This Awesome Blog Writing Checklist - CoSchedule Blog

How to Write Amazing Posts With This Awesome Blog Writing Checklist Blog If you didnt blog or write content you wouldnt be here, right? We all use to improve our content projects to blow our blogs up with traffic, conversion, and hundreds of grateful and loyal readers. No one remembers the brainiac who said this sacramental phrase Content is the king (rumors have it, it was Bill Gates); but we do our best to create content that helps us reach goals to appear on Googles top 10. Table of Contents: Check a Category Check Lifetime Check Keywords Check the Headline Check the Intro Check the Text Check the Conclusion Check Engagement Check the Language Choose a Featured Image Increase the Texts Value Check Visual Media Add Links Add Content Upgrades Check SEO Set Authorship Check Technical Aspects Synchronize It Test It Promote It Publish It is the perfect all-in-one marketing calendar platform to manage your entire blogging editorial calendar. And with Task Templates, you can create reusable checklists to make sure you never miss a step. Then, use Discussions to manage communication and collaboration between writers, designers, and project managers. Combined with a seamless WordPress integration for automated publishing, it's your go-to destination for creating and promoting every blog post.Start your free 14-day trial and manage your blog better than ever before. 21-Step Blog Writing Checklist doesn't let you miss any small but important detail for making your compelling content, while also winning your readers' hearts. So, here it goes. This blog writing checklist is great to go through every time you get ready to publish a new piece of content. Step 1. Check A Category It's as clear as day that your blog has many categories, and I know you know  how to choose them. Before publishing new content, make sure you choose a relevant category and tags for it. They'll increase traffic and engagement by improving the user's experience and helping search engines index it the right way. Things to check for: Is it relevant? Are tags present? Step 2. Check Lifetime You know what you'll be posting on your blog in the future. It's good to understand how this particular post will relate to your future content. Write every post, keeping in mind its role for your blog, your product, and your business. It's good to have timeless content on your blog. Things to check for: Does it lead to your next post? Is it timeless? Does it meet your objectives? Step 3. Check Keywords I'm not going to teach you how to choose keywords for your content or how to build a semantic core for your blog, but it's important to make sure your keywords are relevant to your content. Try using high volume keywords (for titles, headings, and subheadings) and long-tail (for body content) keywords in your posts. You know the benefits of including long-tail keywords  in your content. Don't ignore them. Things to check for: Are your keywords relevant? Do you have a high volume of keywords? How about long-tail keywords? Step 4. Check The Headline Two out of 10 people will read your post after reading the headline. A weak headline will ruin your chances of creating content that converts. That's why there are  so many guides, tutorials, and tools to help bloggers make their headlines resplendent. Here at , the free  headline analyzer scores quality and rates the SEO value of your headlines, making them clickable and shareable. Before publishing your content, make sure the headline is an appropriate length and that it has emotional words  to capture the attention of readers, bringing you traffic and conversion. Examples of emotional words  in headlines: how to, fast, easy, best, review, tips. These words will help visitors understand that the content will solve their problem and provide useful information. Things to check for: Do your headlines match the style? Is it short and meaningful? Does it reveal the topic? Will it attract and interest readers? Does it have keywords? Are emotional words  present? Step 5. Check The Intro Introductions help visitors decide whether they'll continue reading your content or not. Make your content intro attractive by writing a hook and using the APP method. The APP method in introductions: A – Agree:  Pitch an idea the reader will agree with. P – Promise:  Promise you'll show how to solve the problem. P – Preview: Make clear what you want your readers to learn. Things to check for: Is the APP method present? Is a hook present? Does it have keywords? Step 6. Check The Text Specialists still argue about the best blog length because there is no right answer. Just make sure the length of your post is enough to cover the topic and that it meets your objectives. When you use closely related words (synonyms) of your main keyword, you'll make it easier for Google to identify and it'll show as relevant in its search engine results pages. Google your main keyword and check the â€Å"related† terms to understand what synonyms to use. They drive a high volume of search traffic; otherwise, your post  might not be mentioned in suggestions. Things to check for: Is the length appropriate for this type of content? Are keywords in the subheadings and in bullet lists? Are there synonyms of your main keyword? Is it compelling for both readers and search engines? Did you add a call to action in the conclusion? Step 7. Check The Conclusion "Visitors who don’t click don’t convert."  - Neil Patel Let's face it: If you create content, your goal is conversion. It's cool that readers like your content. It'd be cooler if they did something with it, wouldn't it? Help them! Your content marketing will not survive without a  call  to action, so make sure it's present in your post before publishing it on your blog. Plus, your conclusion should synthesize the information you shared in your content. CTA variants: Question:  to increase comments. Invitation to click or check:  to increase conversion. Invitation to read related articles:  to increase a crawl rate. Things to check for: Does it have a strong CTA? Will it answer the question "So what?" Does it synthesize the points? Step 8. Check Engagement No comments needed, I suppose. We write for people, so we should try  to engage with them. Then they will know what to do next: comment, share, subscribe, or download. Make sure your blog post engages with your target audience. Things to check for: Is it written as if you wrote it for one specific person? Does it teach how to solve the problem? Will it provide your insight? Are comments enabled? Step 9. Check The Language Edit your content, make it sound natural and readable (1–2-sentence paragraphs work for online), add bucket brigades (aka â€Å"words and phrases that keep people on your page†), and speak the same language as your audience. A little practice: Can you find the bucket brigades in this article? While working with guest writers, be sure their stuff  is free of plagiarism. A tool like Grammarly's plagiarism checker can help you out quickly. Things to check for: Does the language sound natural? Are the paragraphs short? Do you have bucket brigades in it? Did you check for grammar mistakes, typos, and logical contradictions in arguments? Have you read the post out loud to catch weird wording? Does your voice fit the tone of the blog? Did you check for plagiarism? Step 10. Choose A Featured Image Okay, one more confession from me: I really like choosing featured images for my blog posts! It's a ritual. The featured image can both attract and frighten readers, and that's why many bloggers sometimes get stuck. To ease the task of choosing a brilliant image for your content, keep in mind that it should be part of your design. It should also keep to the tone of your post and show your personality. Creativity is what makes us who we are.  And, as Henri Matisse said, it takes courage. With no designer on board, you can try images licensed for commercial use (Creative Commons) or discover resources with free but professional looking pictures. Things to check for: Are the images high quality? Are they  eye-catching? How about relevant? Are they  properly credited? Step 11. Increase The Text's Value I've learned that we should use at least one image for every 350 words of content to make it more readable and attractive for visitors, as they often do not have time or patience to read lo-o-o-ong, though interesting, articles. Images, graphs, videos, photos, quotes, tables, and diagrams- they can all help you increase the text's value. Things to check for: Does it have visual media where appropriate? How about quotes and tweetable content? Step 12. Check Visual Media In the footsteps of the previous step (sorry for tautology), make sure your visual elements meet the above features. It's unacceptable to ignore quality, relevance, copyright, and optimization if you aim to write high-quality content. Things to check for: Are  the visual media high quality? Are they relevant to the content? Do they violate copyright? (If so, change it.) Do they fit the design of your blog? Are they optimized? Step 13. Add Links When powerful resources link to your content, it's a sign for Google to rate you higher. And when you link to cool websites, it helps your readers trust you more.  Links build your online reputation, so make sure to add them to your blog writing checklist before you click publish. Don't forget about internal linking, too, since  it improves your SEO and guides readers to where they should click next. Things to check for: Are there internal links? How about external links? (Are they relevant and reputable?) Do they all work? Does it contain TOO many links? (If so take out some.) Do the links open in a new tab? (If so, good.) Are all required attributes added? (dofollow, nofollow, etc.) Step 14: Add Content Upgrades I bet you've noticed that cute block invite in this post or others that invited you to get a free download in exchange for your email. We call that a content upgrade. It's a consistent way to grow an email list. A tool as easy as LeadPages allows you to do that. Summarize key points from your post into a worksheet, template, infographic, or poster- it's up to you what type and format you choose for your upgrades. Things to check for: Is it appealing? Will it help your audience become better at what they do? Does the content upgrade link work? Step 15. Check SEO Try as you will, content marketers are not able to ignore SEO factors. This mortal combat leads to nothing, as content marketing + SEO = love forever: They complement each other, helping Internet marketers be friends with Google. So, check all SEO aspects of your content before publishing. Things to check for: Are the URLs short  with your slug containing the keyword? Are meta tags present? (Check title, description, alt-tag for images, and keywords.) How about sharing buttons that work and display content correctly? Step 16. Set Authorship It doesn't matter if you invite guest bloggers to create content for  your blog or if you have an in-house team of writers- make sure you always name the author of your content. Are you the author? Perfect!  Your name will sound much better than just "admin" or "webmaster", don't you think? Things to check for: Is the author named? Does the author have a bio? Is the author's image in Gravatar or do you have a way to manage their profile picture? Step 17. Check Technical Aspects Check your content in different browsers to see whether it looks good and works well. Big files can be hard to open or download. Things to check for: Does the content look good in all browsers and mobile devices? BrowserStack can  help you out with testing. Does it have oversized files? (If so, fix.) Is it easy to open and/or download? Are metrics for further analysis set? Are the semantic core and key phrases present? Step 18. Synchronize It Thinking in the logical sense, bloggers won't find it hard to determine the perfect day and time for publishing content. Holidays are a dead duck since user activity is low; so, it would be wise to set a schedule and use a marketing calendar to manage your blog and social media content. Things to check for: Don't publish and promote during holidays. Are you publishing posts during your users' highest activity? Are you setting a schedule of publishing to maximize the reach? Step 19. Test It You'll get a clearer picture of changes or improvements your content might need when you test it. Things to check for: Compare your content with competitors' to make sure it's more interesting and informative. Show it to several colleagues who didn't work on it. Share it with users inside your target audience to get feedback. Step 20. Promote It Start promoting your content before you publish by sending teasers and previews to chats, forums, and communities where your audience lives. Plus, you can send it to thought leaders, asking them to review and share it with their followers after you publish it. It would be wise to have a promotion plan in advance so you can start it once the content goes live on your blog. Things to check for: Share  teasers and previews to resources on platforms where your target audience meets. Organize a â€Å"premiere† for bloggers and thought leaders to get reviews. Make a promotion plan after publishing. Step 21. Publish It Phew! That's it. It seems your content is ready to see the light and hit the Internet. So, it's high time to click the â€Å"Publish† button to release your post into the world. There you have it. This blog writing checklist seems heavy, but guess what? You know ALL of the  steps. But you might just forget to tick them off the blog writing checklist. Let's try to repeat this checklist in short: Specify its place:  Check the topic, category, keywords, and tags. Write it right:  Draft an emotional headline, introduce it with a hook, use body with H2–H3 subheadlines, rock number and bulleted lists, edit for short paragraphs, check for plagiarism, and write a strong conclusion with a  call to action. Make it beautiful:  Use natural language, featured images, visual elements, and authorship. Make it engaging and compelling. Help them find it:  Use links, meta tags, synchronization, key phrases, and synonyms. Let them share it:  Make it browser and mobile friendly, test it, promote  it, and share it. Be sure to tick off all the points in the blog writing checklist before publishing your content. You'll get the results you want to achieve. You've got this! How to Write Amazing Posts With This Awesome Blog Writing Checklist Blog If you didnt blog or write content you wouldnt be here, right? We all use to improve our content projects to blow our blogs up with traffic, conversion, and hundreds of grateful and loyal readers. No one remembers the brainiac who said this sacramental phrase Content is the king (rumors have it, it was Bill Gates); but we do our best to create content that helps us reach goals to appear on Googles top 10. Table of Contents: Check a Category Check Lifetime Check Keywords Check the Headline Check the Intro Check the Text Check the Conclusion Check Engagement Check the Language Choose a Featured Image Increase the Texts Value Check Visual Media Add Links Add Content Upgrades Check SEO Set Authorship Check Technical Aspects Synchronize It Test It Promote It Publish It Get This Checklist in a PDF If youd prefer to keep this checklist on-hand, download this free PDF:How To Write Amazing Posts With This Blog Writing ChecklistCreate Your Own Checklists With Task Templates in is the perfect all-in-one marketing calendar platform to manage your entire blogging editorial calendar. And with Task Templates, you can create reusable checklists to make sure you never miss a step. Then, use Discussions to manage communication and collaboration between writers, designers, and project managers. Combined with a seamless WordPress integration for automated publishing, it's your go-to destination for creating and promoting every blog post.Start your free 14-day trial and manage your blog better than ever before. 21-Step Blog Writing Checklist doesn't let you miss any small but important detail for making your compelling content, while also winning your readers' hearts. So, here it goes. This blog writing checklist is great to go through every time you get ready to publish a new piece of content. Step 1. Check A Category It's as clear as day that your blog has many categories, and I know you know  how to choose them. Before publishing new content, make sure you choose a relevant category and tags for it. They'll increase traffic and engagement by improving the user's experience and helping search engines index it the right way. Things to check for: Is it relevant? Are tags present? Step 2. Check Lifetime You know what you'll be posting on your blog in the future. It's good to understand how this particular post will relate to your future content. Write every post, keeping in mind its role for your blog, your product, and your business. It's good to have timeless content on your blog. Things to check for: Does it lead to your next post? Is it timeless? Does it meet your objectives? Step 3. Check Keywords I'm not going to teach you how to choose keywords for your content or how to build a semantic core for your blog, but it's important to make sure your keywords are relevant to your content. Try using high volume keywords (for titles, headings, and subheadings) and long-tail (for body content) keywords in your posts. You know the benefits of including long-tail keywords  in your content. Don't ignore them. Things to check for: Are your keywords relevant? Do you have a high volume of keywords? How about long-tail keywords? Step 4. Check The Headline Two out of 10 people will read your post after reading the headline. A weak headline will ruin your chances of creating content that converts. That's why there are  so many guides, tutorials, and tools to help bloggers make their headlines resplendent. Here at , the free  headline analyzer scores quality and rates the SEO value of your headlines, making them clickable and shareable. Before publishing your content, make sure the headline is an appropriate length and that it has emotional words  to capture the attention of readers, bringing you traffic and conversion. Examples of emotional words  in headlines: how to, fast, easy, best, review, tips. These words will help visitors understand that the content will solve their problem and provide useful information. Things to check for: Do your headlines match the style? Is it short and meaningful? Does it reveal the topic? Will it attract and interest readers? Does it have keywords? Are emotional words  present? Step 5. Check The Intro Introductions help visitors decide whether they'll continue reading your content or not. Make your content intro attractive by writing a hook and using the APP method. The APP method in introductions: A – Agree:  Pitch an idea the reader will agree with. P – Promise:  Promise you'll show how to solve the problem. P – Preview: Make clear what you want your readers to learn. Things to check for: Is the APP method present? Is a hook present? Does it have keywords? Step 6. Check The Text Specialists still argue about the best blog length because there is no right answer. Just make sure the length of your post is enough to cover the topic and that it meets your objectives. When you use closely related words (synonyms) of your main keyword, you'll make it easier for Google to identify and it'll show as relevant in its search engine results pages. Google your main keyword and check the â€Å"related† terms to understand what synonyms to use. They drive a high volume of search traffic; otherwise, your post  might not be mentioned in suggestions. Things to check for: Is the length appropriate for this type of content? Are keywords in the subheadings and in bullet lists? Are there synonyms of your main keyword? Is it compelling for both readers and search engines? Did you add a call to action in the conclusion? Step 7. Check The Conclusion "Visitors who don’t click don’t convert."  - Neil Patel Let's face it: If you create content, your goal is conversion. It's cool that readers like your content. It'd be cooler if they did something with it, wouldn't it? Help them! Your content marketing will not survive without a  call  to action, so make sure it's present in your post before publishing it on your blog. Plus, your conclusion should synthesize the information you shared in your content. CTA variants: Question:  to increase comments. Invitation to click or check:  to increase conversion. Invitation to read related articles:  to increase a crawl rate. Things to check for: Does it have a strong CTA? Will it answer the question "So what?" Does it synthesize the points? Step 8. Check Engagement No comments needed, I suppose. We write for people, so we should try  to engage with them. Then they will know what to do next: comment, share, subscribe, or download. Make sure your blog post engages with your target audience. Things to check for: Is it written as if you wrote it for one specific person? Does it teach how to solve the problem? Will it provide your insight? Are comments enabled? Step 9. Check The Language Edit your content, make it sound natural and readable (1–2-sentence paragraphs work for online), add bucket brigades (aka â€Å"words and phrases that keep people on your page†), and speak the same language as your audience. A little practice: Can you find the bucket brigades in this article? While working with guest writers, be sure their stuff  is free of plagiarism. A tool like Grammarly's plagiarism checker can help you out quickly. Things to check for: Does the language sound natural? Are the paragraphs short? Do you have bucket brigades in it? Did you check for grammar mistakes, typos, and logical contradictions in arguments? Have you read the post out loud to catch weird wording? Does your voice fit the tone of the blog? Did you check for plagiarism? Step 10. Choose A Featured Image Okay, one more confession from me: I really like choosing featured images for my blog posts! It's a ritual. The featured image can both attract and frighten readers, and that's why many bloggers sometimes get stuck. To ease the task of choosing a brilliant image for your content, keep in mind that it should be part of your design. It should also keep to the tone of your post and show your personality. Creativity is what makes us who we are.  And, as Henri Matisse said, it takes courage. With no designer on board, you can try images licensed for commercial use (Creative Commons) or discover resources with free but professional looking pictures. Things to check for: Are the images high quality? Are they  eye-catching? How about relevant? Are they  properly credited? Step 11. Increase The Text's Value I've learned that we should use at least one image for every 350 words of content to make it more readable and attractive for visitors, as they often do not have time or patience to read lo-o-o-ong, though interesting, articles. Images, graphs, videos, photos, quotes, tables, and diagrams- they can all help you increase the text's value. Things to check for: Does it have visual media where appropriate? How about quotes and tweetable content? Step 12. Check Visual Media In the footsteps of the previous step (sorry for tautology), make sure your visual elements meet the above features. It's unacceptable to ignore quality, relevance, copyright, and optimization if you aim to write high-quality content. Things to check for: Are  the visual media high quality? Are they relevant to the content? Do they violate copyright? (If so, change it.) Do they fit the design of your blog? Are they optimized? Step 13. Add Links When powerful resources link to your content, it's a sign for Google to rate you higher. And when you link to cool websites, it helps your readers trust you more.  Links build your online reputation, so make sure to add them to your blog writing checklist before you click publish. Don't forget about internal linking, too, since  it improves your SEO and guides readers to where they should click next. Things to check for: Are there internal links? How about external links? (Are they relevant and reputable?) Do they all work? Does it contain TOO many links? (If so take out some.) Do the links open in a new tab? (If so, good.) Are all required attributes added? (dofollow, nofollow, etc.) Step 14: Add Content Upgrades I bet you've noticed that cute block invite in this post or others that invited you to get a free download in exchange for your email. We call that a content upgrade. It's a consistent way to grow an email list. A tool as easy as LeadPages allows you to do that. Summarize key points from your post into a worksheet, template, infographic, or poster- it's up to you what type and format you choose for your upgrades. Things to check for: Is it appealing? Will it help your audience become better at what they do? Does the content upgrade link work? Step 15. Check SEO Try as you will, content marketers are not able to ignore SEO factors. This mortal combat leads to nothing, as content marketing + SEO = love forever: They complement each other, helping Internet marketers be friends with Google. So, check all SEO aspects of your content before publishing. Things to check for: Are the URLs short  with your slug containing the keyword? Are meta tags present? (Check title, description, alt-tag for images, and keywords.) How about sharing buttons that work and display content correctly? Step 16. Set Authorship It doesn't matter if you invite guest bloggers to create content for  your blog or if you have an in-house team of writers- make sure you always name the author of your content. Are you the author? Perfect!  Your name will sound much better than just "admin" or "webmaster", don't you think? Things to check for: Is the author named? Does the author have a bio? Is the author's image in Gravatar or do you have a way to manage their profile picture? Step 17. Check Technical Aspects Check your content in different browsers to see whether it looks good and works well. Big files can be hard to open or download. Things to check for: Does the content look good in all browsers and mobile devices? BrowserStack can  help you out with testing. Does it have oversized files? (If so, fix.) Is it easy to open and/or download? Are metrics for further analysis set? Are the semantic core and key phrases present? Step 18. Synchronize It Thinking in the logical sense, bloggers won't find it hard to determine the perfect day and time for publishing content. Holidays are a dead duck since user activity is low; so, it would be wise to set a schedule and use a marketing calendar to manage your blog and social media content. Things to check for: Don't publish and promote during holidays. Are you publishing posts during your users' highest activity? Are you setting a schedule of publishing to maximize the reach? Step 19. Test It You'll get a clearer picture of changes or improvements your content might need when you test it. Things to check for: Compare your content with competitors' to make sure it's more interesting and informative. Show it to several colleagues who didn't work on it. Share it with users inside your target audience to get feedback. Step 20. Promote It Start promoting your content before you publish by sending teasers and previews to chats, forums, and communities where your audience lives. Plus, you can send it to thought leaders, asking them to review and share it with their followers after you publish it. It would be wise to have a promotion plan in advance so you can start it once the content goes live on your blog. Things to check for: Share  teasers and previews to resources on platforms where your target audience meets. Organize a â€Å"premiere† for bloggers and thought leaders to get reviews. Make a promotion plan after publishing. Step 21. Publish It Phew! That's it. It seems your content is ready to see the light and hit the Internet. So, it's high time to click the â€Å"Publish† button to release your post into the world. There you have it. This blog writing checklist seems heavy, but guess what? You know ALL of the  steps. But you might just forget to tick them off the blog writing checklist. Let's try to repeat this checklist in short: Specify its place:  Check the topic, category, keywords, and tags. Write it right:  Draft an emotional headline, introduce it with a hook, use body with H2–H3 subheadlines, rock number and bulleted lists, edit for short paragraphs, check for plagiarism, and write a strong conclusion with a  call to action. Make it beautiful:  Use natural language, featured images, visual elements, and authorship. Make it engaging and compelling. Help them find it:  Use links, meta tags, synchronization, key phrases, and synonyms. Let them share it:  Make it browser and mobile friendly, test it, promote  it, and share it. Be sure to tick off all the points in the blog writing checklist before publishing your content. You'll get the results you want to achieve. You've got this!

Monday, October 21, 2019

Dr. Kings Quotes essays

Dr. Kings Quotes essays Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illumines it. Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend- Martin Luther King Jr. "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." "I have a dream that one day ... the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood." "I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!" Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me. But it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important. A man who won't die for something is not fit to live. ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Impact of Wheeled Vehicles on Human History

The Impact of Wheeled Vehicles on Human History The inventions of the wheel and wheeled vehicles–wagons or carts which are supported and moved around by round wheels–had a profound effect on human economy and society. As a way to efficiently carry goods for long distances, wheeled vehicles allowed for the broadening of trade networks. With access to a wider market, craftspeople could more easily specialize, and communities could expand if there was no need to live close to food production areas. In a very real sense, wheeled vehicles facilitated periodic farmers markets. Not all changes brought by wheeled vehicles were good ones, however: With the wheel, imperialist elites were able to expand their range of control, and wars could be waged farther afield. Key Takeaways: Invention of the Wheel The earliest evidence for wheel use is that of drawings on clay tablets, found nearly simultaneously throughout the Mediterranean region about 3500 BCE.  Parallel innovations dated about the same time as the wheeled vehicle are the domestication of the horse and prepared trackways.  Wheeled vehicles are helpful, but not necessary, for the introduction of extensive trade networks and markets, craft specialists, imperialism, and the growth of settlements in different complex societies.   Parallel Innovations It wasnt simply the invention of wheels alone that created these changes. Wheels are most useful in combination with suitable draft animals such as horses and oxen, as well as prepared roadways. The earliest planked roadway we know of, Plumstead in the United Kingdom, dates to about the same time as the wheel, 5,700 years ago. Cattle were domesticated about 10,000 years ago and horses probably about 5,500 years ago. Wheeled vehicles were in use across Europe by the third millennium BCE, as evidenced by the discovery of clay models of high sided four-wheeled carts throughout the Danube and Hungarian plains, such as that from the site of Szigetszentmarton in Hungary. More than 20 wooden wheels dated to the late and final Neolithic have been discovered in different wetland contexts across central Europe, between about 3300–2800 BCE. Wheels were invented in the Americas, too, but because draft animals were not available, wheeled vehicles were not an American innovation. Trade flourished in the Americas, as did craft specialization, imperialism and wars, road construction, and the expansion of settlements, all without wheeled vehicles: but theres no doubt that having the wheel did drive (pardon the pun) many social and economic changes in Europe and Asia. Earliest Evidence The earliest evidence for wheeled vehicles appears simultaneously in Southwest Asia and Northern Europe, about 3500 BCE. In Mesopotamia, that evidence is from images, pictographs representing four-wheeled wagons found inscribed on clay tablets dated to the late Uruk period of Mesopotamia. Models of solid wheels, carved from limestone or modeled in clay, have been found in Syria and Turkey, at sites dated approximately a century or two later. Although long-standing tradition credits the southern Mesopotamian civilization with the invention of wheeled vehicles, today scholars are less certain, as there appears to be a nearly simultaneous record of use throughout the Mediterranean basin. Scholars are divided as to whether this is the result of the rapid dissemination of a single invention or multiple independent innovations. In technological terms, the earliest wheeled vehicles appear to have been four-wheeled, as determined from models identified at Uruk (Iraq) and Bronocice (Poland). A two-wheeled cart is illustrated at the end of the fourth millennium BCE, at Lohne-Engelshecke, Germany (~3402–2800 cal BCE (calendar years BCE). The earliest wheels were single piece discs, with a cross-section roughly approximating the spindle whorl- that is, thicker in the middle and thinning to the edges. In Switzerland and southwestern Germany, the earliest wheels were fixed to a rotating axle through a square mortise, so that the wheels turned together with the axle. Elsewhere in Europe and the Near East, the axle was fixed and straight, and the wheels turned independently. When wheels turn freely from the axle, a drayman can turn the cart without having to drag the outside wheel. Wheel Ruts and Pictographs The oldest known evidence of wheeled vehicles in Europe comes from the Flintbek site, a Funnel Beaker culture near Kiel, Germany, dated to 3420–3385 cal BCE. A series of parallel cart tracks was identified beneath the northwestern half of the long barrow at Flintbek, measuring just over 65 ft (20 m) long and consisting of two parallel sets of wheel ruts, up to two ft (60 cm) wide. Each single wheel rut was 2–2.5 in (5–6 cm) wide, and the gauge of the wagons has been estimated at 3.5–4 ft (1.1–1.2 m) wide. On the islands of Malta and Gozo, a number of cart ruts have been found which may or may not be associated with the construction of the Neolithic temples there. At Bronocice in Poland, a Funnel Beaker site located 28 mi (45 km) northeast of Krakà ³w, a ceramic vessel (a beaker) was painted with several, repeated images of a schematic of a four-wheel wagon and yoke, as part of the design. The beaker is associated with cattle bone dated to 3631–3380 cal BCE. Other pictographs are known from Switzerland, Germany, and Italy; two wagon pictographs are also known from the Eanna precinct, level 4A at Uruk, dated to 2815/-85 BCE (4765/-85 BP [5520 cal BP]), a third is from Tell Uqair: both these sites are in what is today Iraq. Reliable dates indicate that two- and four-wheeled vehicles were known from the mid-fourth millennium BCE throughout most of Europe. Single wheels made of wood have been identified from Denmark and Slovenia. Models of Wheeled Wagons While miniature models of wagons are useful to the archaeologist, because they are explicit, information-bearing artifacts, they must also have had some specific meaning and significance in the various regions where they were used. Models are known from Mesopotamia, Greece, Italy, the Carpathian basin, the Pontic region in Greece, India, and China. Complete life-sized vehicles are also known from Holland, Germany, and Switzerland, occasionally used as funeral objects. A wheel model carved out of chalk was recovered from the late Uruk site of Jebel Aruda in Syria. This asymmetrical disk measures 3 in (8 cm) in diameter and 1 in (3 cm) thick, and wheel  as hubs on both sides. A second wheel model was discovered at the Arslantepe site in Turkey. This disc made of clay measured 3 in (7.5 cm) in diameter and has a central hole where presumably the axle would have gone. This site also includes local wheel-thrown imitations of the simplified form of late Uruk pottery. One recently reported miniature model comes from the site of Nemesndudvar, an early Bronze Age through Late Medieval site located near the town of Nemesndudvar, County Bcs-Kiskun, Hungary. The model was discovered along with various pottery fragments and animal bones in a part of the settlement dated to the early Bronze Age. The model is 10.4 in (26.3 cm) long, 5.8 in (14.9 cm) wide, and has a height of 2.5 in (8.8 cm). Wheels and axles for the model were not recovered, but the round feet were perforated as if they had existed at one time. The model is made out of clay tempered with crushed ceramics and fired to brownish gray color. The bed of the wagon is rectangular, with straight-sided short ends, and curved edges on the long side. The feet are cylindrical; the entire piece is decorated in zoned, parallel chevrons and oblique lines. Ulan IV, Burial 15, Kurgan 4 In 2014, archaeologist Natalia Shishlina and colleagues reported the recovery of a dismantled four-wheeled full-sized wagon, direct-dated to between 2398–2141 cal BCE. This Early Bronze Age Steppe Society (specifically East Manych Catacomb culture) site in Russia contained the interment of an elderly man, whose grave goods also included a bronze knife and rod, and a turnip-shaped pot. The rectangular wagon frame measured 5.4x2.3 ft (1.65x0.7 m) and the wheels, supported by horizontal axles, were 1.6 ft (.48 m) in diameter. Side panels were constructed of horizontally placed planks; and the interior was probably covered with reed, felt, or woolen mat. Curiously, the different parts of the wagon were made of a variety of wood, including elm, ash, maple, and oak. Sources Bakker, Jan Albert, et al. The Earliest Evidence of Wheeled Vehicles in Europe and the near East. Antiquity 73.282 (1999): 778–90. Print.Bondr, Mria, and Gyà ¶rgy V. Szà ©kely. A New Early Bronze Age Wagon Model from the Carpathian Basin. World Archaeology 43.4 (2011): 538–53. Print.Bulliet, Richard W. The Wheel- Inventions Reinventions. New York: Columbia University Press, 2016. Print.Klimscha, Florian. Cultural Diversity in Prehistoric Western Eurasia: How Were Innovations Diffused and Re-Invented in Ancient Times? Claroscuro 16.16 (2018): 1-30. Print.Mischka, Doris. The Neolithic Burial Sequence at Flintbek La 3, North Germany, and Its Cart Tracks: A Precise Chronology. Antiquity 85.329 (2011): 742–58. Print.Sax, Margaret, Nigel D. Meeks, and Dominique Collon. The Introduction of the Lapidary Engraving Wheel in Mesopotamia. Antiquity 74.284 (2015): 380–87. Print.Schier, Wolfram. Central and Eastern Europe. The Oxford Handbook of Neolithic Europe. Eds . Fowler, Chris, Jan Harding and Daniela Hofmann. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. Print. Shishlina, N.I., D. S. Kovalev, and E. R. Ibragimova. Catacomb Culture Wagons of the Eurasian Steppes. Antiquity 88.340 (2014): 378–94. Print.Vandkilde, Helle. Breakthrough of the Nordic Bronze Age: Transcultural Warriorhood and a Carpathian Crossroad in the Sixteenth Century BC. European Journal of Archaeology 17.4 (2014): 602–33. Print.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Facebook- A curator or an enemy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Facebook- A curator or an enemy - Essay Example The article here is trying to address how Facebook is blocking the works of artists who are projecting it through this social networking website. Nevertheless, Facebook is trying to defend its actions by calling it a ‘mistake’. Many artists from all around the world have experienced the same. They have had their pictures and, in some cases, even their accounts blocked. This article is pointing out a recent victim, The New York University of Art, which lost its rights for uploading any images of their artwork, the reason being the violation of rules and regulations of Facebook. The works included nude images, which is against Facebook policy. The University's authority classed this, an unfair action against art; nevertheless, they raised their voice through a blog, complaining about Facebook's rules and regulations. Thesis Statement Blocking the projects of the artists on the medium where individual individuals have complete freedom to express themselves. Isn’t tha t ironic? Rhetorical Aspects of the article being analyzed Purpose, Genre and Style This article was published in The New York Times. The issue being addressed is the problem faced by an institution of art as their work is being deleted and accounts blocked by Facebook as it contains nudity. However, later, the site officials claimed that it was a mistake on their part and they had no intention, whatsoever, of hurting anyone's feelings. Moreover, they encouraged people who had lost their work to post it again. Drawing nude live models is considered the most effective way to develop the basic draftsmanship skill of an artist. Hence, it is considered to be the most important part of an artist’s work. Using Facebook as a medium, artists share their work with art lovers all around the globe. Nevertheless, Facebook blocking their work became a deterrent for these artists. Artists are more emphasizing towards the blocking of the nude content and have been concerned with the fact th at the Facebook officials must have seen that the nude pictures were actual works of art, yet, they decided to block it. The genre is complaining about the careless behavior of world’s largest social network platforms. Angle of Vision The author of this passage seems to blame Facebook for these actions but, in my opinion, if Facebook has some certain terms and conditions then they are free to apply it on all forms of work. Facebook does not allow photos which attack a person or group or images which depict drug use or contain violence or nudity. If Facebook requires it's users to follow certain rules and regulations, then we are all required to follow them as responsible individuals. If they say that a photo should not ‘contain’ nudity, then nudity in any form should be banned. Some people are of the view that Facebook is assailing artists, this, however, is a misinterpretation as according to Facebook's representative, their investigators only check those images that are flagged/reported and then according to the nature of the report (how many people find that abusing) they remove the content. Therefore, if other users are uncomfortable with that image then there is no way that that content should be kept on the site. For an institution like the New York University of Art, there are other ways of sharing their artwork with people interested in art like their own website or blogs. Secondly, seeing these types of drawings in galleries is one thing and seeing them on Facebook is another. Not everyone visits galleries, neither do they have a rule against nudity but on Facebook they do have rules. Many people, who are interested in art but are against nude forms of art, visit these pages much often. Evidence from the article The academy was at loss as their account was blocked and they

Friday, October 18, 2019

COMMENT 2 INT LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

COMMENT 2 INT LAW - Essay Example In the case at bar, assuming that the Red Cross emblem was put up to lure soldiers into vulnerable positions, the soldiers can legally fire on the building and against the insurgents occupying the building. Many experts acknowledge that the Red Cross emblem may be used by both conflicting parties. And â€Å"once the unity of the emblem is breached, its protective value –and hence the safety of the wounded and the medical personnel—is threatened† (International Committee of the Red Cross and the Red Cross Crescent, p. 6-7 as cited by McCormack, p. 266). However, as the commander of the platoon engaged in armed conflict with the insurgents, it is my obligation to ensure that no unnecessary harm is visited upon civilians, the wounded, and the Red Cross personnel in the hospital building. Therefore, an air strike on the building would be out of the question because it would potentially bring harm and danger to civilians and medical personnel in the building. The Hagu e Rules of Warfare emphasize that aerial bombardment is legitimate only when directed at a military objective and in case such objective is established, aerial bombardment cannot be carried out if possible harm to the civilian population may be caused (Article 24: 3). The International Committee of the Red Cross Draft Rules of 1956 also sets forth that distinctions should be made between military and civilian objects in warfare. They emphasize that â€Å"the obligation to respect the distinction between military and non-military objectives as well as persons participating in hostilities and members of the civilian population remains and fundamental principle of international law†. Therefore, in neutralizing the situation at hand, I will order return fire via automatic weapons directed to the second floor of the building. If possible, snipers should be called in to fire on the

Eng Blog rev..JB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Eng Blog rev..JB - Essay Example Being a firm believer in the power of play he believes that everything should not just be educational and erudite in nature. The blog reveals that the boys have been having fun with ginormous cardboard box made of a space ship, race car, and sailboat, animal shelter among other rough and rugged toys. The blog also reveals an observation by the blogger that ‘girl’ toys, on the other hand, are rupturing with unicorns, spectra, sparkles, charms, toothy smiles, tulle and fluff. The ‘girl’ toys in the blog are reflected as having that nauseating pink too. Greatest things in life are cultured at a tender age. Play forms a greater premise for learning these behaviors that influence how an individual will take to challenges in life. The blog reflects a scenario where girls are relegated to the kitchen and boys nurtured through dirt and noise. â€Å"The toys geared towards boys are so jacked up with testosterone, and I find myself putting out my chest in a semblance of manliness,† says the blogger in description of boy toys. He again defends the clear gender delineation by say that kitchen stuff is all pink and shiny. From the commentary, it is manifest that the community has defied the real change intended through gender equality campaigns by failing to consider the real seeds of gender inequality. Much should, for this reason, be done to incorporate our actual take of the girl and boy child through play if we have to achieve real gender

Response Paper to Bagleys Shang Ritual Bronzes Essay

Response Paper to Bagleys Shang Ritual Bronzes - Essay Example According to the paper findings  the casting technique and materials used influenced the design of the models. For instance, casting the bronze rituals using clay, instead of metal, ensured that the decorations on the Shang bronze rituals were achieved while the technique used during casting was responsible for more features that are fundamental. The technique used consisted of using wax as the main material to cast the models. The wax was given the exact shape as the desired shape of the finished bronze. After the wax model, the casters created a mold around the model by packing clay around it and then melting out the wax to ensure that the core remained empty inside. In the empty inside, bronze was poured inside in the empty spaces with the mold of clay broke to reveal the final bronze model.  As the discussion stresses the clay molds also contributed to the design in different ways. Casters curved lines along the mold in order to provide the final product an aesthetic appeal. The technique, popularly known as the lost-wax technique, also produced different sections of a model after removing a mold in sections from the casting.  Metalworkers, in the Shang ritual bronzes, had considerable freedom in their artwork despite some various constraints. In regards to the artistic freedom that the enjoyed, the metalworkers had the freedom of experimenting in the casting method that they used to make the ritual bronzes, which explains the diverse methods used in casting the models.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Learning to Manage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Learning to Manage - Essay Example Therefore, I must be able to manage myself if I want to manage others. In order to be an effect manager and leader one must be able to influence others to willingly do things with quality and standard that is above average and above the norm. A good manager is one who sets the example for others. He or she must be do what he or she expects of others and be able to do it even better and more willingly. An effective manager is both a follower and a leader and he or she should be able to direct the behaviour of his or her staff in order to accomplish the objectives of the company or business. The roles of a good manager also include helping people to be committed to achieving organizational goals and encouraging constructive change that is necessary. and knowledge. By creatively organizing, leading, and managing a good manager can match an individual's assets with the jobs and responsibilities. Then it is possible to help individuals work as a team. There are many different learning styles. Some individuals learn better by receiving information verbally. Others learn by incorporating motor skills and yet using intellectual skills work best with various individuals. Gagne (n.d.) suggests, "five major categories of learning: verbal information, intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, motor skills and attitudes. Different internal and external conditions are necessary for each type of learning." People also learn better by doing and by participating actively in the learning process. Interactive learning keeps the students, or learners, involved as this type learning involves interactions, either with other staff members, students, employers, teachers, the environment, or the learning materialInteractive learning offers involvement." There are many theories about learning. Learning theories suggest that learning is a process. There are various theories. One theory is the stimulus-response model. This is the behavourist orientation to learning. This theory states that behaviour is observable, learned by a change in behaviour, and is shaped by the environment that surrounds individuals. In other words, this theory suggests that external factors such as environmental elements determine what individuals learn Learning to Manage 4 instead of individual learning. Another learning theory is the cognitive orientation to learning. This focuses on the mental procedure, or the act/process of knowing, of learning. People who support this theory believe that learning comes from expectations, connotation, and the making of different connections. Thoughts and perceptions are viewed as a whole or a pattern instead of individual images. Individuals use knowledge and information that was gained

Research an Issue in Corrections Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

An Issue in Corrections - Research Paper Example Choosing between work and family life has been most significant concern that affects job satisfaction and work stress among correctional officers. The two articles: The time has passed for the wardens shuffle by Laura E. Bedard Mar 13, 2015 and what’s it like being a CO spouse? By Brandy Aldriedge May 27, 2014 explores some of these instances and correctional management issue. The time has passed for the wardens shuffle is an exciting article exploring the challenges that various wardens go through as they are shuffled from one station to the next. The reason that has always been given by the authority is that when doing so issues of management are boosted as corruption, and other malpractices are minimized. However, the article faults this old fashioned practice. One notable argument from the article is that many of the wardens get completely isolated from their loved ones and family members during the process making them lose the needed morale at work. The article points to the fact that there should be a balance between work and family to ensure effectiveness in workstations rather than outdated warden shuffle. On the other hand, what’s it like being a CO spouse? Is an article that gives an account of the experiences that spouses married to correctional officers go through. The article explores the discomfort and loneliness these couples undergo throughout their marriage life. It is an agony that is never ending. More often than not the correctional officer has to choose between their family and the work he does. Most interestingly is the fact that these correctional officers have more probability of committing suicide compared to individuals in other professions in America. Furthermore, their life expectancy is 58 years which is 20 years less than any ordinary Americans. These according to the article are all as a result of poor work and family balance. The same correctional officers according to the article

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Response Paper to Bagleys Shang Ritual Bronzes Essay

Response Paper to Bagleys Shang Ritual Bronzes - Essay Example According to the paper findings  the casting technique and materials used influenced the design of the models. For instance, casting the bronze rituals using clay, instead of metal, ensured that the decorations on the Shang bronze rituals were achieved while the technique used during casting was responsible for more features that are fundamental. The technique used consisted of using wax as the main material to cast the models. The wax was given the exact shape as the desired shape of the finished bronze. After the wax model, the casters created a mold around the model by packing clay around it and then melting out the wax to ensure that the core remained empty inside. In the empty inside, bronze was poured inside in the empty spaces with the mold of clay broke to reveal the final bronze model.  As the discussion stresses the clay molds also contributed to the design in different ways. Casters curved lines along the mold in order to provide the final product an aesthetic appeal. The technique, popularly known as the lost-wax technique, also produced different sections of a model after removing a mold in sections from the casting.  Metalworkers, in the Shang ritual bronzes, had considerable freedom in their artwork despite some various constraints. In regards to the artistic freedom that the enjoyed, the metalworkers had the freedom of experimenting in the casting method that they used to make the ritual bronzes, which explains the diverse methods used in casting the models.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Research an Issue in Corrections Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

An Issue in Corrections - Research Paper Example Choosing between work and family life has been most significant concern that affects job satisfaction and work stress among correctional officers. The two articles: The time has passed for the wardens shuffle by Laura E. Bedard Mar 13, 2015 and what’s it like being a CO spouse? By Brandy Aldriedge May 27, 2014 explores some of these instances and correctional management issue. The time has passed for the wardens shuffle is an exciting article exploring the challenges that various wardens go through as they are shuffled from one station to the next. The reason that has always been given by the authority is that when doing so issues of management are boosted as corruption, and other malpractices are minimized. However, the article faults this old fashioned practice. One notable argument from the article is that many of the wardens get completely isolated from their loved ones and family members during the process making them lose the needed morale at work. The article points to the fact that there should be a balance between work and family to ensure effectiveness in workstations rather than outdated warden shuffle. On the other hand, what’s it like being a CO spouse? Is an article that gives an account of the experiences that spouses married to correctional officers go through. The article explores the discomfort and loneliness these couples undergo throughout their marriage life. It is an agony that is never ending. More often than not the correctional officer has to choose between their family and the work he does. Most interestingly is the fact that these correctional officers have more probability of committing suicide compared to individuals in other professions in America. Furthermore, their life expectancy is 58 years which is 20 years less than any ordinary Americans. These according to the article are all as a result of poor work and family balance. The same correctional officers according to the article

Single Sex School Essay Example for Free

Single Sex School Essay Segregated schools shoot up very rapidly around the world, furthermore, many sociologists and educationalists support that it is more beneficial for girls to study in a girls-only secondary school than in co-educational school. Actuallyï ¼Å'the disadvantages overweigh the advantages of choosing such schools. This essay will argue three disadvantages brought by single-sex school: poor socialization skills, skewed perception of gender roles and incorrect learning styles. To begin withï ¼Å'it is difficult for those who enter adult society after years of segregation to build meaningful friendships and even successful romantic relationships with opposite sex, according to the research published by Dr. Lynn Liben in 2011. Teenagers spend their formative years in the classroom developing skills that will help them maintain relationships throughout their lives. In addition, one of the chief aims of education is equip future citizens with all they require to take their places in adult society which is made up of male and female, it is clear that choosing single gender education is not a wise choice to access this purpose. Second, attending an all-girls school can teach female students a skewed perception of gender roles. On purpose, girls might avoid certain activities because those subjects are stereotypically too masculinized. Girls at a single-sex institution may ridicule each other for participating in activities like football or basketball. Female students can miss out on discovering new interests and talents by avoiding certain subjects altogether. Some Advocates of single-sex schools state that teachers can gear lessons toward a specific genders learning style. However, there is not enough research to prove that the learning styles of boys and girls differ enough to validate single-sex education. Also, not every boy and girl adheres to gender role stereotypes. Some girls are aggressive, and some boys are sensitive and shy. According to an article by Great Schools, gender-based learning styles prove ineffective and may even impair learning for students who dont fit the mold. In conclusion, girls in single sex schools might face disadvantages like poor socialization skills, skewed perception of gender roles and incorrect learning styles, so parents should be careful when they make decision of education style for their children.

Monday, October 14, 2019

What is dyslexia?

What is dyslexia?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It has been 100 years since the first case of developmental dyslexia was described. Hitherto numerous researches had shed light on the causes and consequences of this disorder but the debate concerning its definition is still highly contented. In this essay, I will first answer the question of what is dyslexia and then move to the debate of whether it has a genetic basis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Firstly, I will introduce what has been done in the early research of dyslexia and then tried to find a definition for us to understand dyslexia properly. Secondly, I will introduce the research for supporting the view that dyslexia has a genetic basis. 1.1 Early history of research on dyslexia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reading, a complex behavior that requires a set of cognitive skills, has been highly valued by society and is a key component to education. An inability to read has profound social and psychological consequences. Several scholars in the 19th century studied the loss of the ability to read or understand writing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kurrmaul in 1877 describe the reading difficulties of literate brain-damaged patients as word-blindness. It is only in 1887 that a German ophthalmologist, R Berlin, first used the word ‘dyslexia to describe reading difficulties caused by cerebral disease or injury. However, having read articles published by Hinshelwood in the 1890s and early 1900s, W.P Morgan (1895) points out that a patient can be suffering from dyslexia without cerebral disease or injury. He quotes the case of a boy who has reading difficulties even though he has suffered no apparent brain damage. Though for a long time, the problem of dyslexia is widely studied, dyslexia was not a common knowledge for more than half a century and the concept of dyslexia was not familiar and unclear to many people. People need to understand what dyslexia is in order to help ones inflicted with the disease. 1.2 The definition of dyslexia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dyslexia is a neurological disorder with a genetic origin and behavioral signs which extend beyond problems of written language. Early research confined the dyslexia into a medical model and thus clinical practice fail to distinguish a dyslexia patient from normal readers. In the 1968 World Federation of Neurology meeting, a definition of dyslexia formally introduced and stated that dyslexia is a disorder manifested by difficulty in learning to read despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence and socio-cultural opportunity. It is dependent upon fundamental cognitive disabilities which are mostly of constitutional origin. Many scholars criticize this definition. Firstly, the terms are vague as there are insufficient examples to illustrate conventional instruction or to point out the criteria of adequate intelligence and to explain the meaning of socio-cultural opportunity. These scholars point out that the biggest weakness of this definition is exclusio n. The definition only states what a person with dyslexia should not be and does not include criteria for its positive diagnosis other than to state that it is a reading difficulty dependent on fundamental cognitive disabilities (Snowling, 2004). Although its definition debatable, it is applied by the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders and the international classification of mental and behavioral disorders for many years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Researchers have never stop on the medical model. Without positive diagnosis criterion, doctors cannot differentiate children with specific reading difficulties and children who have reading difficulties because of a more general learning problems. Scholars have adopted tests through the comparisons of verbal IQ (intelligence quotient) and performance on reading tests of children with reading retardation and skilled reader in a hope that it could identify the children with dyslexia. Nonetheless, a number of findings such as Morton and Frith (1995) highlighted that it is not correct to assume that literacy problems are the only symptoms of dyslexia. These tests are purely behavioral definitions and the diagnosis is relative. For instance, there are many examples that show discrepancies with the predictions carried out by those researches. Some dyslexia children after receiving highly effective training in decoding non-words would score well and many children with r eading problems can improve their reading ability by having a better relationship with their teachers. Overly depending on these tests as a short cut to diagnosis would run the risk of excluding dyslexic children with reading problems and involve children who only show mild positive signs of dyslexia. The definition that concerns dyslexia as synonymous with specific reading difficulty has failed to be self evidence because it only focuses solely on reading and IQ-test performance and other tests.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One way out of this dilemma is to consider dyslexia as a disorder that has multi-levels of description. Rutter and Yule (1975) pointed out that the specific reading retardation is usually multi-factorially determined opposed to the claim that dyslexia is a unitary condition. Being a developmental disorder, dyslexia can be expected to have behavioral features that will change with maturation and response to environmental interactions (cf.Bishop, 1997). It may therefore be unrealistic to agree upon a simple and unchanging definition of dyslexia. Frith (1997) argued that there are causal links from brain to mind to behavior that must be considered when attempting to understand dyslexia. It is important to seek explanations at the three different levels in this causal chain namely the biological, the cognitive and the behavioral, in order to develop a comprehensive theory of why some children fail ‘unexpectedly&tsquo; to learn to read(Morton and Frith, 1995). Mo reover, the environmental factors will act as a stimulus to intensify or meliorate the condition of these three levels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The common ground of the study of dyslexia, agrees that dyslexia is a neuro-development disorder with a biological origin and behavioral signs which extend far beyond problems of written language (Frith, 1997). The idea of dyslexia as a syndrome with a neurological basis springs from the work of Tim Miles, Elaine Miles and many intelligent students. It helps to solve the paradoxes that exist in defining dyslexia. Morton and Frith (1997) had developed a framework with three levels and environmental influence in a neutral view to describe a descriptive definition of dyslexia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The past 15 years have seen a continuing increase in research effort aimed at identifying the biological underpinnings of dyslexia. Galaburda (1989) demonstrated abnormal symmetry in the structure of the planum temporal; Livingstone et al. (1991) identified cellular migration abnormalities in the magnocellular system of the brain which have been related to behavioral findings by Cornelissen et al.(1995). Genetic linkage studies with dyslexic families have identified regions on chromosomes 15, 1 and recently 6 (Cardon et al., 1994). Thus, restricting the discussion to behavioral observation is no longer necessary. This gap has been widened by cognitive neuro-science which insists that there is a space for the scientific study of the mind and brain and not just behavior (Frith, 1995). Cognitive level of explanation can be a bridge that links brain and behavior together. Cognitive abilities can be explained by Cognitive theories through observable behavior. The poor reading performance can be termed as a cognitive dysfunction which in turn can be explained by a brain dysfunction. In addition, this causal links chains from brain to mind to behavior has to be set within the context of environmental and cultural influences. Figure2(Mortan and Frith 1995)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An illustration of the causal modeling of dyslexia with the hypothesis of a phonological deficit hypothesis now shows in figure 2. In this figure, Morton and Frith in 1995 argued that when we try to explain a developmental disorder, we have to make a distinction between different levels of description. In the biological level and environmental level, we can look for causes and cures and in the behavioral level we can observe and assess the patient. Then the cognitive level lies in between these levels and have links with the rest of the levels. Here, the intuitive clinical impression can be captured and that the presenting disorder is a distinct and recognizable entity despite variable symptoms. This notation enables different theories about a disorder to be represented in a neutral fashion (Frith, 1995). The proposal of a phonological deficit as the cognitive basis of dyslexia has a strong theoretical and empirical support that it has been widely accepted. Starti ng on the biological level of figure 2, it is supposed that there is a congenital dysfunction of left-hemisphere perisylvian brain areas which affects phonological processing (Galaburda, 1989; Paulesu et al., 1996; Rumsey et al., 1992). Furthermore, the evidence for a genetic origin of dyslexia is increasingly compelling (Pennington, 1990). However, this theory also has its pitfalls. One of the biggest weakness of the phonological theory is it does not effectively explain the occurrence of sensory and motor disorders in dyslexic individuals. People who support the phonological theory typically have dismissed these disorders as not part of the core features of dyslexia. They consider their co-occurrence with the phonological deficit as potential markers of dyslexia instead of treating them as a causal role in the aetiology of reading impairment (Snowling, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the domain of neauro-cognitive causes study of dyslexia, there are two other theories: the cerebellar theory and the magnocellular theory. The former one is that the dyslexics cerebellum is mildly dysfunctional and that a number of cognitive difficulties ensue, whereas the latter one postulates that the magnocellular dysfunction is no restricted to the visual pathways but is generalized to all modalities (Ramus et al, 2003). These three theories do not contradicted each other but potentially compatible. When it refers to the cognitive level, three theories imply a processing deficit. Fast temporal processing may be a basic characteristic of all perceptual systems, visual as well as auditory, object-based as well as speech-based. On the other hand, the slower-than- normal perceptual processing might affect the development of a phonological system (Frith, 1997). 1.3 Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Any definition should be seen as a hypothesis and to be rejected if future findings disprove it. As Tim Miles said that, a diagnosis of dyslexia is, in effect, a sort of bet. The definition in the framework of biological, cognitive and behavioral level within the interaction of cultural influences depict the dyslexia as a neuro-developmental disorder with a biological origin, which affects speech processing with a range of clinical manifestations (Frith, 1997). In this definition, it appears that the cognitive level of description provides a unifying theory of dyslexia. Such a theory is necessary to pool together the numerous different observational strands in this most intriguing and subtle disorder.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the discussion of definition issues in dyslexia, we turn to focus on the approval that dyslexia has its genetic basis. We will first look at the study of heritability in dyslexia and then to talk about the genetic findings for supporting dyslexia has a genetic basis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The rapidly accumulating evidence suggests that developmental dyslexia is one of many common familial disorders. The genetic explanations of dyslexia are rather convinced by research that uses the newly genetic techniques and statistical methods in the genetic study of dyslexia. Although most findings cannot be replicated as there are many variants need to be identified. We still can believe that dyslexia has a genetic basis by the evidence of the genetic study of dyslexia. 2.1 Famaliality of Dyslexia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The question of whether dyslexia has a genetic basis has been studied for a very long time. Numerous researches have been conducted. Among them, there are a number of findings that suggest developmental dyslexia is hereditary. Orton in 1925 hypothesizes that children born in a family of dyslexia have great chance of being dyslexia. According to a recent estimation made by Gilger, Pennington and Deferies in 1991, the risk of a son with a dyslexia father to be a dyslexia is approximate 40% and about 36% if the mother is dyslexia. Moreover, if both parents are affected, the risk and severity of dyslexia in the child would greatly increase. Nevertheless, for the girls, this ratio is relatively lower, at about 20% regardless of the gender of the affected parent (Childsfinucci,1983;DeferiesDecker,1982;Pennington,1991).However,the higher familial aggregation of reading problems is insufficient to prove that dyslexia has genetic basis. The environment shared by families a re strongly influence their reading ability. 2.2 Twins Studies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The twins studies can help us understand the complexity of the interaction between genes and environment in some degree. The first kind of twin studies is the comparison of concordance rates that could evaluate the hereditary basis of dyslexia as a clinical condition. The second evaluates the reading performance of twins for estimating heritability coefficient by analyzing various indicators of reading performance. Thus, it is important to diffrentiate these two types of twin studies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first kind of twin study of dyslexia, researchers compared the concordance rates in monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs the identical twin pairs and dizygotic(DZ) twin pairs the fraternal pairs. Regression counted in the research dues to the assessment of environmental factors and its interaction with genes in reading disabled. The results show that at least one member of every pair had reading problems. Moreover, MZ has a higher concordance for reading disability than in DZ twin pairs (Hermann, 1959; Zerbin-Rudin, 1967;Decker and Vandenberg,1985). By comparing the findings of the concordance rates in twin pairs we can imply that developmental dyslexia has a genetic aetiology.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the second type of twin pairs, a vast number of studies have reported MZ and DZ twin correlations for various measures of reading performance (Grigorenko, 1996). MZ correlations implied the presence of genetic influence through the comparison with DZ correlations. However, heritability estimates are varied. Some of the variability can be due to the fact that the sample size of those main researchers was relatively small. In addition, some twin studies suggest that only certain reading-related skills are inherited. Thus it has been shown that word recognition, phonological coding show important genetic influence, whereas reading comprehension and orthographic coding do not (Olson, Wise,Conners,Rack,Fulker, 1989). Because the latter one significantly influenced by the environmental factors. 2.3 Pattern of Transmission of Dyslexia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Researchers had conducted a number of segregation analyses, fitting different statistical models corresponding to various patterns to investigate the transmission of genes in families with reading disability. Some observers have concluded that familial dyslexia is transmitted in an autosomal (not sex-linked) dominant mode (Childs Finucci, 1983; Hallgren, 1950), whereas others have found only partial (Pennington et al.,1991) or no support for an autosomal or codominant pattern of transmission. These findings were interpreted as suggesting that specific reading disability is genetically heterogeneous (Finucci et al.,1976; Lewitter, DeFries, Elston, 1980). In here, Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping also has been applied (Cardon et al., 1994;Fulker et al.,1991) in order to localize individual genes that contribute to the development of dyslexia. 2.4 Genetic Localization   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The researchers passionately set an ultimate goal of genetic study that is to locate and isolate the responsible gene for dyslexia. Once the genes responsible for dyslexia is located, the protein product encode by the gene may permit a physiological explanation for its role in normal processes or diseases and finally contributed to a gene therapy for dyslexic. However, some researchers like Snowling (2000) consider the location of genes is a wide goose chase. The human genome has a rough estimation of about 35 000 genes which distributed over 3 billion bp of DNA and half of them is related to brains. Even when researchers limited the number of candidate genes to screen by using different biological hypotheses, they still need to work with thousands of genes. Thus, considering the risk of failing to match any given hypothesis, researches adopt the linkage and association analysis these two types of mapping strategies. The principle underlying both genetic linkage a nd association mapping is to test for non-random relations between phenotypic similarity across many individuals and haplotype sharing between them. With more generations the analysis become more powerful and accurate because each meiosis provides another opportunity for spurious genotype-phenotype relations to decompose. Linkage analysis refers to the analysis of individuals for whom family relations are known, whereas association analysis is used for large samples of unrelated individuals. Now, linkage analysis is generally less effective than association analysis in detecting genotype-phenotype relations within a study sample size. However, linkage mapping can be done with much fewer genetic markers and is hence easier to use in practice than association analysis. Genome-wide linkage can be carried out by analysis of about 400 highly polymorphic DNA markers. By contrast, association mapping has the power to focus on the specific causal DNA variants that influence phenotype variab ility but in most case it must use much more times that use to analyse DNA polymorphisms then linkage mapping used.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Using current molecular techniques of linkage analysis to carefully study selected family trees of dyslexic individuals in which developmental dyslexia reoccurs in different generations, some early results showed that a major gene for dyslexia was located on the short arm of chromosome 15 (Pennington et al.,1991;Smith, Pennington, Kimberling, Ing,1990). Fulker and his colleagues in 1991 replicated the same result of chromosome 15 though selecting a sample of siblings with reading problems in the study of original extended-family. Others like Lubs in 1991, Rabin in 1993 and Cardon in 1994 did not find the same results.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From a recently review of genetic study of dyslexia, we can see that the candidate genes DCDC2 the double cortin doman containing protein 2 and K1AA0319 show strongest links to the dyslexia among severely affected individuals. However, the candidate genes chromosome 15 and ROBO1 roundabout Drosophila Homolog of 1, which were identified through breakpoint mapping in Finnish patients, seem to be less involved in the development of dyslexia across different populations. However, their research is limited to a few families in the Finnish population and to date, no specific cognitive processes are known to be influenced by the proposed susceptibility genes. Some studies have already started to include neurophysiological and imaging procedures in their phenotype characterization of patients. The molecular genetic studies conducted so far have not considered gender-specific genetic effects. A satisfactory power to detect such effects can be provided only when gender is t aken into account during the analysis of results, and this should be a feature of future studies (Schumacher et al, 2008) 2.5 Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although, scientific research has yet to prove that dyslexia is a gentic disorder, many researchers and evidence have show that it is a high possibility. In my opinion, dyslexia is a genetic disease and its symtoms can be aggravated or mitigated by the environment. Nevertheless, more research into the correlationship of the genetic factor and the environment needs to be conducted to verify this claim. Reference: Beaton,A.A(2004). Dyslexia, Reading and the Brain: a sourcebook of psychological and Biological Research. East Sussex: Psychology Press. Francks.C, MacPhie,L.I, Monaco,P.A(2002). The genetic basis of dyslexia. Lancet Neurology 2002, 1, 483-490. 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