Trends in the area of biotechnology and its use in agriculture Research Paper

Trends in the area of biotechnology and its use in agriculture - Research Paper Example In addition, the sequencing of the human, selected plant, animal and bacterial genomes in the early part of the twenty-first century has led to the identification of genetic elements, and regulatory pathways and mechanism. These all resulted in products of biotechnology that were designed to understand, alleviate and cure diseases, and improve quality of life. The fields of medicine, agriculture/food and environmental protection have benefitted most from biotechnological innovations. As an example, insulin, a hormone which is either lacking or inactive in diabetics, used to be very expensive. Cost of insulin has been significantly reduced by its production using bacteria that have been genetically engineered to express in large amounts the insulin gene and subsequently, the insulin product. Other proteins with therapeutic effects have been produced in the same manner. The designs of drugs specific for different forms of a specific disease have been based on the molecular understandin g of the disease and the affected metabolic processes. Another major area that has exploited advances in biotechnology is agriculture. Traditional biotechnology in agriculture is centuries old. An example is wine-making, which utilizes certain bacteria to ferment grape extract to produce alcohol. Another traditional biotechnology is cheese-making (makes use of bacteria), and bread-making (use of yeast). Agriculture further utilized specific microbial species to kill insect pests, promote nitrogen fixation, nutrient uptake and hasten organic decomposition to produce organic fertilizers. An early type of modern biotechnology, plant tissue culture, revolutionized the asexual propagation of economically important crops like banana, pineapple, orchids and other ornamental crops. Tissue culture is also being utilized to produce disease-free planting materials, like banana

The Film Food Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

The Film Food Inc - Essay Example The documentary speaks to both official authorities and public to protest against the practices which are environmentally unsustainable. It is stressed that there should be organic food production in the US. This message is vigorously stressed throughout the film from start to end because industrial food producers employ wrong methods which are abusive to animals. Also, the pesticides used are harmful to food which is produced. This is the reason this film attracted huge criticism from industrial food producers and pesticide manufacturers because it works to uncover myriad hideous aspects of agribusiness in the US. Various ideas presented in the documentary are arranged chronologically. This is another riveting thing about this film because the ideas are not just thrown haphazardly at the audience so that it becomes difficult to focus on ideas individually. There is no scattering of ideas or events, rather there is a sequence which makes it easier to absorb the message conveyed by th e director. For example, first, the film is divided into three segments to ensure there is no mixing of events. Starting from the industrial production of meat and poultry to the production of grains and vegetables to the heavy use of harmful pesticides and fertilizers to the promotion of unhealthy and contaminated food, Kenner goes all the way through to inform the public about the reality of their food consumption habits. The effect of this strategy used by the director on the audience is of critical importance because it reflects how deep the message is embedded in the minds of every person who watched the film. The more scattering or clattering there is of ideas, the less chance is of any idea properly embedding in a mind and the message is not retained.

Radio Frequency Identification and Intelligent Parking

Radio Frequency Identification and Intelligent Parking Executive summary This report is an introduction of two sensor related technology used in modern life. Radio frequency identification (RFID) lock system and Intelligent parking assist system (IPAS) are two topics maintained in the report. In each of the topic there will be at least three parts: history and development, principle of the technology and limitations. The aim of the report is to give reader a brief knowledge of these technology. Radio frequency identification technology is mostly used on door lockers. These kind of products are commonly used in hotel rooms or the front gate of some buildings. The user can unlock the door by swiping a card or tag through the device without using the key. There is no physical contact though this process. RFID lock system (Fig.1) is identified to be safer then traditional key lock system. Additionally, it is more convenient for people to use such as to open the garage door when you are in the car. RFID technology have also been used in a variety of applications: Access management, Tracking of goods, Tracking of persons and animals, Toll collection and contactless payment, Machine readable travel documents, Smart dust (for massively distributed sensor networks), Tracking sports memorabilia to verify authenticity, Airport baggage tracking logistics, Timing sporting events FIGURE 1:Radio frequency identification (RFID) hotel lock system 1.1 History and development In 1945, Russian inventor Là ©on Theremin invented a covert listening device called The Thing which transmit audio signal through incident radio waves. Sound waves collected by a resonant cavity microphone which oscillated the resonator, which generates the reflected radio wave. This device was not an identification tag when it was built. Due to its passive, being energized and activated by electromagnetic energy from an outside source, The Thing is considered a original form of RFID technology, see Fig.2. [7]   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   FIGURE 2: the thing'(listening device) invented by Là ©on Theremin Similar to The Thing, the IFF transponder, was used in World War II by the German allies to identify aircraft (Identity: Friend or Foe) [3]. Transponders are still used nowadays. In 1948 Harry Stockman predicted that considerable research and development work has to be done before the remaining basic problems in reflected-power communication are solved, and before the field of useful applications is explored.[4] is another early work exploring RFID. Mario Cardullos device a passive radio transponder with memory, patented on January 23, 1973, was the first true prototype of modern RFID[8]. The initial device designed as a toll device was first demonstrated in 1971 to the New York Port Authority and other potential user. It was passive, powered by the interrogating signal, with 16 bit memory. The basic Cardullo patent take RF, sound and light as transmission media. The original business plan was targeted to transportation (automotive vehicle identification, automatic toll system, electronic license plate, electronic manifest, vehicle routing, vehicle performance monitoring), banking (electronic check book, electronic credit card), security (personnel identification, automatic gates, surveillance) and medical (identification, patient history) in 1969. In 1973, Steven Depp, Alfred Koelle, and Robert Frayman performed an early demonstration of reflected power (modulated backscatter) RFID tags, both passive and semi-passive at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. [5] The portable system operated at 915 MHz and used 12-bit tags. Today, the majority of UHFID and microwave RFID tags is using this technique. The first patent to be associated with the abbreviation RFID was granted to Charles Walton in 1983. [6] 1.2 Principles of RFID technology Radio frequency identification system use radio wave to transmit information between tags and readers, see Fig.3. Certain information in the tag can be identified by the reader which can be used to unlock a door. In the tag there is a coil and a micro chip, the chip will respond when the tag is close to the reader through electromagnetic field. The coil in the reader act as a power source, meanwhile it is also an antenna to receive the data transmit by the tag, see Fig.4. [1]    (b) FIGURE 3:(a) RFID reader, (b) tags FIGURE 4: Working of RFID 1.2.1 Tags Radio frequency identification system use tags or labels as identifications. Two-way radio transmitter-receivers as known as interrogators or readers send a signal to the tag and read its response. There are three type of RFID tags passive, active or battery-assisted passiveà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ »9à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ ½. An active tagà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ »10à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ ½ is battery charged and its ID signal is periodically transmitted. One example of an active tag is the transponder attached to an aircraft that identifies its national origin [2]. Olivetti Research Ltds Active Badge, used to determine the location of people and objects in a building is an example of a small wearable active tag with a lifetime of about 1 year [11]. A battery-assisted passive (BAP) has a small on-board battery and is activated when in the range of an RFID reader. A passive tag is the cheapest and smallest among these three there is no battery in it the tag uses the radio energy from the electromagnetic field cause by the reader instead. However, passive tag requires a much stronger radio transmitter than for signal transmission. Tags could be read-only or read/write. Read-only tags have a serial number wrote in from the factory that is used as a key into a database, while read/write ones can have data write by system users. Field programmable tags can be write-once, read-multiple; blank tags can be written with an electronic product code by the user. Passive RFID tags contain at least three parts: a circuit, an antenna and some form of encapsulation, see Fig.5. [3]. The integrated circuit is used for storing and processing information, modulating and demodulating a radio-frequency (RF) signal, collecting DC power from the incident reader signal, and other specialized functions; and the antenna for receiving power and transmitting the signal. The RFID tag includes either fixed or programmable logic for processing the transmission and sensor data, respectively. FIGURE 5:Logical components of an RFID tag. Note that the antenna can take many forms including a coil and a dipole depending on the tag type An RFID reader send an encoded radio signal to the tag. The tag then receives the message and communicates back with its identification and other information. This may be a unique tag serial number, product-related information, a password or other specific information. Since tags have individual serial numbers, the RFID system can discriminate among several tags and read them simultaneously when they are within the range of the RFID reader. 1.2.2 Readers Radio frequency identification system can be defined into 3 types by different tags and readers. A Passive Reader Active Tag (PRAT) system is a combination of passive reader (only receives radio signals) and active tags (battery operated, transmit only). The operation range of a Passive Reader Active Tag system reader can be adjusted from 0-600 m. Which allows flexibility in applications such as asset protection and supervision. An Active Reader Passive Tag (ARPT) system has an active reader, which transmits interrogator signals and also receives authentication replies from passive tags. An Active Reader Active Tag (ARAT) system uses active tags awoken with an interrogator signal from the active reader. A variation of this system could also use a Battery-Assisted Passive (BAP) tag which acts like a passive tag but has a small battery to power the tags return reporting signal. The signal intensity of readers can be set up to create a specific interrogation zone. A highly defined reading area can be created for when tags go in and out of the interrogation zone. Mobile readers may be hand-held or mounted on carts or vehicles. 1.3 A comparison between traditional KC system and RFID locking system The keycard (KC) lock system can be a lock operated by a keycard, a flat, rectangular plastic card with identical dimensions. The card stores a physical or digital signature which can be accepted by door mechanism. There are several common types of keycards in use, including the mechanical hole card, barcode, magnetic stripe, Wiegand wire embedded cards, smart card (embedded with a read/write electronic microchip), and RFID cards. Corresponding systems operate by physically moving detainers in the locking mechanism with the insertion of the card, by shining LEDs through a pattern of holes in the card and detecting the result, by swiping or inserting a magnetic stripe card, or in the case of RFID cards, merely being brought into close proximity to a sensor. RFID locks operate differently to the traditional magnetic and chip card hotel locks, using Radio Signals in order to communicate between the guests Keycard and the Lock. The older Magnetic Swipe and Chip Card systems have several drawbacks including short life cycle, impact on magnetic field, limited data storage. The older Keycard have to be inserted into the door lock. Scratches appears on the reading surface due to the physical contact between the magnetic stripe (or the Chip) and the reader. This eventually makes the cards unreadable by the lock. It will also cause failure when writing the card at the encoding station. The average life span of such a magnetic strip Key Card or chip cards is about 200 to 500 uses[3]. The older Keycard can easily be affected by small magnetic field (even interference from Mobile Phones), which makes the card unreadable and hence needing replacement. The traditional cards have a small memory capacity which makes it difficult to integrate cards with equipment like Lifts, Car Park Barriers, Vending Machines. The RFID Locks are contactlessà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’it operates by presenting the Key Card to the lock. The lock then reads the information stored on the card by means of RFID, and grants access to the room to valid cards. There is no physical contact between the lock and the card. With the help of RFID technology, magnetic strip or visible micro chip can be discard from the card and hence eliminates damage cause by physical contacts. This gives RFID card virtually unlimited life span. There is no need to replace or clean the reader heads. In addition the locks are free from opening slots preventing ingress of dirt, dust and other outside influences, prolonging the lifespan of the lock itself. 1.4 Limitations Although Radio frequency identification offers the benefits of relatively low cost compared to other wireless technology, being physically unobtrusive and enabling detailed stock tracking, it still has limitations. The cost of tags depends on their type. In the 2003 report RFID Systems in the Manufacturing Supply Chain [14]. Thought RFID tag can cost as little as a few cents and the cost has fallen over time, however, it still requires investment to install on a good. Comparing to the value of some goods it is not economically viable for tagging them. Especially for active tags (those that require a local power source), which can cost up to a dollar each. Different signals from the tags may interfering with one another. A February 2011 paper for the International Journal of Computer and Electric Engineering notes that it isnt easy to read multiple RFID tags simultaneously [1]. There is Computerized techniques for detangle such signals, but implementing and managing these techniques increases costs. [12][13] NFC and EPC global standards are two wide-scale adoption standards for RFID, but they are fundamentally incompatible [3]. Lack of standards is an issue when two different companies attempt to share and tracking RFID information. The IJCEE paper notes that RFID does not have fixed technical standards. Cooperating partners in RFID industry need to agree in standards concerning communication protocols, signal modulation types, data transmission rates, data encoding and frames, and collision handling algorithms. [1] There are three large regions of frequency allocations in the world the Americas; Asia and Australasia; and Europe and Africa. The variations in wireless frequencies ranges limits companies that want to use RFID tracking for international inventory management.[1] Intelligent Parking Assist System is a comfort function in some of the vehicles. The first system coming in the market monitored the front and rear of the vehicle and warned the driver if there is any object beside the vehicle. Ultrasonic sensors are wildly used in this technology. Together with ultrasonic sensors, video technology and some algorithms the vehicle itself is able to measure the length of a parking space and steer itself to the parking lot. Drivers must care only for the longitudinal control of his vehicle. 2.1 History and development In 1999 Toyota Motor Corporation developed The Advanced Parking Guidance System (APGS) for Lexus models in the United States initially for the Japanese market hybrid Prius models and Lexus models. The system assists drivers in parking their cars.[15][16]Vehicles equipped with the IPAS can drive itself into a parking lot with little control from the user. The Prius Hybrid sold in Japan in 2003 installed the first version of the system.[17] In 2006, an upgraded version of the system on the Lexus LS luxury sedan[18] featured the automatic parking technology among other brand new inventions from Toyota. In 2009, the third generation Prius sold in the U.S has this feature. In Asia and Europe, the automatic parking technology is labelled as the IPAS for both Lexus and Toyota models, while in the U.S. the Advanced Parking Guidance System is only used for Lexus cars. Intelligent Parking Assist System initially was designed for reverse parallel parking.[17] The system estimated the location of the parking lot and steered the vehicle without Drivers intervention. Onboard computer used a camera and sensors built into the forward and rear of the car to detected the proximity of nearby vehicles. The dashboard showed an real-time image of the lot with a box, and the driver have to determine the exact final position of the vehicle in the lot by using arrows appeared on the screen. When satisfied, the user pressed the Set button, which will activated the IPAS. The system then took over steering control to maneuver the vehicle.[19] Early versions of this system cant detect objects properly, including cats, baby prams and pedestrians. Secondly when the driver used IPAS in a small space, the system continuously warning the user of the danger of hitting the object. User assistance is required in such situations. In 2005, recognition capability is added to the system for parking stripes.[19] A later version of this parking technology integrated the system with parking sensors in 2006.[19] This version calculated the steering movements needed for parallel or reverse parking, and help determine weather the car has enough clearance for a particular space with colored screen display. 2.2 Function Intelligent parking assist system is widely used in some of the Toyota, Lexus cars, even worlds top sport car McLaren P1 has IPAS. Following information is the instruction of IPAS in Toyota Prius Owners Manual.[20] Step 1: Drive your Toyota Prius up until you see the spot youd like to park in. It may be behind you or in front of you (unlike those of the Ford models, where the only thing you can do with their system is parallel park the car using its system).(Fig.6) FIGURE 6:IPAS instruction 1 Step 2: Press the ParkAssist button near the drivers side of the dashboard. (Fig.7) FIGURE 7:IPAS instruction 2 Step 3: Make sure that the back end of your vehicle is further forward than the spot your vehicle has been designated to be parked in.(Fig.8) FIGURE 8: IPAS instruction 3 Step 4: Look at your screen up on the dashboard. The vehicle will light up spots that it thinks there is a viable enough parking space located in. Not only will it light up the screen, but it will beep to alert you that there is a parking spot nearby that it can choose. Look for spots that turn into blue square areas. The vehicle can already determine that these spots are big enough and well suited enough to park the car there. (Fig.9) FIGURE 9: IPAS instruction 4 Step 5: Touch to fine-tune the parking space you believe would be a working space to park in. Use the arrow points on the screen to fine-tune the spot. Look for the car to find out what area you may be indicating as you move around the parking lot. The arrows will select the spot, and will highlight the spots. (Fig.10) FIGURE 10: IPAS instruction 5 Step 6: Adjust the parking space its designated.(Fig.11) FIGURE 11: IPAS instruction 6 Step 7: Touch the OK button in the bottom right corner of the dashboard screen.(Fig.12) FIGURE 12: IPAS instruction 7 Step 8: Put your car in Reverse gear and only keep your foot on the brake pedal. Operate only the brake pedal, as you park the car. (Fig.13) FIGURE 13: IPAS instruction 8 Step 9:Put your foot on the brake pedal, when youve backed up far enough without running through the building or into any designated non-parking areas.(Fig.14) FIGURE 14: IPAS instruction 9 Step 10: Cancel the guidance feature on your vehicle by pressing the X button on the display. (Fig.15) FIGURE 15: IPAS instruction 10 2.3 Principle of IPAS technology The IPAS use computer to process signals from the vehicles sonar warning system, backup camera and two additional forward sensors on the front side fenders(Fig.16). The sonar park sensors including multiple sensors on the forward and rear bumpers which detect objects, allowing the vehicle to calculate optimum steering angles during regular parking. [19] The Intelligent Parking Assist System expands on the function of these sensors and is accessible when the vehicle is shifted to reverse (which automatically activates the backup camera). The central processor calculates the best parallel or reverse park steering angles and then implement with the Electric Power Steering systems of the vehicle to guide the car into the parking spot. FIGURE 16: front sensors 2.4 Sensor technologies in Intelligent parking assist system 2.4.1 Ultrasonic sensor In the past 20 years, Ultrasonic sensors are used for many applications for military application in submarines, in Medicine for diagnostics, and as sensors for distance measurement in industry. Automotive applications use piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers since 1993 as they are small and robust.(Fig.17) The piezoelectric effect describes electromechanical property of a crystal. a mechanical deformation appears when a piezoelectric crystal is applied an electric field on its two sides. A mechanical deformation of the crystal can also generate an electric voltage measured at the crystals electrodes. The voltage is proportional to the deformation. Thus piezoelectric materials can be used as high frequency (ultrasonic) oscillation generators and sound wave receiver. An ultrasonic piezoelectric element can be considered as a loudspeaker and a microphone in one unit, therefore it is known as transducers. [21] FIGURE 17: the cross section of the car ultrasonic sensor 2.4.2 Video technology 2.4.2.1 CCD and CMOS technology CCD and CMOS are wildly used as image sensors. In a charge-coupled device (CCD), electrical charge move within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated. Linear array of MOS capacitances are combined so that a stored photo charge can be moved. Photo charge pairs are generated in the semiconductor under the influence of incident light. Interline-transfer CCDs are the mostly used type in automobile applications. (Fig.18) The charges are sequentially and vertically transferred to a register. [22] FIGURE 18: Interline-transfer CCD [21] CMOS sensors use non-integrating photodiodes which are independent from the exposure time. It has a characteristic similar to the human eye which means CMOS has a high dynamic range. CMOS sensors have more advantages than the more generally used CCDs: they have lower costs by taking advantage of submicron CMOS technology. Several functionalities can be integrated on the sensor itself. The power consumption is low as the circuitry in each pixel only activated during the readout period, there is no clock signal driving large capacitance as well. Readout speed can be enhanced by parallel access to multiple taps of the pixel array. As a result, CMOS sensors are favored using on automotive. 2.4.2.2 Video Cameras and Vision System FIGURE 19: structures and camera system structures of Parking and maneuver assistance systems There are four structures of video cameras, see Fig.19. The camera for photo only has a standard NTSC- format of its video data. Meanwhile, digital cameras with a LVDS interface are mostly used. The camera parameters can be controlled by an external CPU with the optional LIN/CAN interface. With the help of internal Graphic Processing Unit (GPU), smart cameras can extract features from the picture and thus provide additional information to the device. Due to the space and thermal conditions, these cameras are limited in its functionality. They are a combination of a digital camera with an external GPU called smart system in which two components can be connected via LVDS. An multi-camera system typically has more cameras in used. 2.5 Limitations on Parking Assistance Systems Ultrasonic technology has some limitations in functionality as follow. Sound absorbing materials are hardly seen by the system. The system has a short detection range for people who wears absorbing cloths. The system will be influenced by objects in the vicinity of the own vehicle, in particular the noise of compressed air like truck brakes. The detection range may differ by mud or snow covered on it under severe weather conditions.[23] Video technology has also restrictions: visibility range of cameras may reduced by poor weather conditions (Silicon sensor technology will have a significant impact). Like the ultrasonic sensor, camera lenses may be covered with mud or snow at poor weather conditions and must be cleaned frequently. Due to their limited performance, Parking systems based on ultrasonic sensors and cameras are therefore defined as comfort systems.[23] Ultrasonic sensors and video cameras are excellent supplement to each other for their different physical principles. Each technology has individual strengths supporting the weaknesses of the other. The camera-based system can be improved by being combined with an ultrasonic system with the ability to measure the distance to objects. This allows the detection of objects while visual quality is poor for the camera system. The video picture together with an ultrasonic parking system contains much more information for the driver. This is an important step towards more detection security and functional safety.[23] Radar sensors with a longer detection range can be mounted behind the bumper of the vehicle. They may be used for IPAS as well as for safety functions like collision avoidance or collision mitigation. [23] Radio frequency identification (RFID) and Intelligent parking assist system (IPAS) are wildly used in our daily life. This report discussed RFID in the field of electrical lock system and IPAS in car industry. The first RFID device was developed to be a mobile toll system, and the similar technology was invented to be an espionage tool back in 1945. Radio frequency identification use radio wave as a medium in communication between reader and tag. An RFID tag can be either passive or active. A passive tag is powered by electromagnetic field generated by the reader, while an active tag has its own battery. The reader send signal to interrogate the tag, the tag will respond when it is in the range of the reader. The data in the tag can be used as a key to unlock doors so that RFID lock system are generally used in hotels. Since the RFID has its contactless characteristic, RFID locker is better than traditional keycard mechanism. Locks with RFID technology have a longer life cycle and low maintain expense. However, it still has some drawbacks in cost, signal interference, frequency, standard. IPAS was first developed on Lexus models, the technology integrated ultrasonic sensor, camera system, electrical steering system and on board computer. The vehicle will drive itself to the parking lot without the drivers assist. The two main components ultrasonic sensor and camera supporting the weaknesses of the other. The ultrasonic sensors are used to detect surrounding objects while the camera is used to locate the parking area. The system has its limitations in signal interference, natural factors. References [1] Mandeep Kaur, Manjeet Sandhu, Neeraj Mohan and Parvinder S. Sandhu, RFID Technology Principles, Advantages, Limitations Its Applications, International Journal of Computer and Electrical Engineering, Dec. 2011. [2] K. Finkelzeller, The RFID Handbook, 2nd ed., John Wiley Sons, 2003. [3] Roy. Want, RFID Explained: A Primer on Radio Frequency Identification Technologies, Morgan Claypool, 2006. [4] Stockman, Harry (October 1948), Communication by Means of Reflected Power, Proceedings of the IRE, 36 (10): 1196-1204. [5] Real Time Location Systems (PDF). clarinox. Retrieved 2010-08-04. [6] Charles A. Walton Portable radio frequency emitting identifier U.S. Patent 4,384,288 issue date May 17, 1983 [7] Hacking Exposed Linux: Linux Security Secrets Solutions (third ed.). McGraw-Hill Osborne Media. 2008. p. 298. ISBN [8] Genesis of the Versatile RFID Tag. RFID Journal. Retrieved 2013-09-22. [9] R. Want and D. Russell, Ubiquitous electronic tagging, IEEE DS-Online. [10] D. J. Moore, R. Want, et al., Implementing phicons: Combining computer vision with infrared technology for interactive physical icons, in Proc. ACM UIST99, Ashville, NC, pp. 67-68, Nov. 8-10, 1999. [11] R. Want, A. Hopper, V. Falcao, and J. Gibbons, The active bad

Use of the Internet as a Tool for Piracy Essays -- Expository Essays R

Use of the Internet as a Tool for Piracy The internet is an ever increasingly powerful tool for finding everything from entertainment to reference to daily news. When first created, the internet was only a shadow of what it has become. Most people didn't even have a computer, let alone a connection to the internet. In the last decade, however, computers have become more and more affordable, and internet service providers have become far more widespread. According to the World Almanac and Book Of Facts 2001 "By early 2000, more than 300 million people around the world were using the Internet, and it is estimated that by 2005, 1 billion people may be connected" (World Almanac). As with any new, powerful technology, the internet has brought with its positive aspects, a number of new problems which will have to be dealt with in the next several years. One of the biggest controversies which has spawned from the popularity of the net is the piracy of music, software, and movies. In the past, piracy of music and movies was fairly small scale. The only way to make illegal copies of tapes was to dub them in a double tape deck. This process was slow enough that music companies and movie studios didn't really worry about it. With the advancement of technology, however, piracy has become as easy as burning a CD or downloading music from the internet. The ease with which people can get free copies of songs or movies, production companies have tried to crack down on piracy. Piracy is the copying of copyrighted material without permission from the author. Because technology is always changing, there are no fail safe methods of preventing piracy. Soon after a new preventative method comes out, someone finds a way around it, making pr... ...reate key generators that produce a valid code. Hard as designers might try, they will never be able to make a totally hacker proof program. Piracy has been a problem for many years, and every time a new method of prevention is created, a new loophole is discovered. Piracy may be illegal, but because of ambiguous laws and the relative anonymity of downloading from the web, authorities will be hard pressed to ever crack down on individual bootleggers. No matter how hard people try to end piracy, there will always be people who want free music and movies and software badly enough to make copies and exchange it illegally. Napster. Napster Incorporated. September 20, 2001 . Selvin, Joel. â€Å"Did Napster Help Boost Record Sales.† The San Francisco Chronicle August 5, 2001. â€Å"The Internet and Computers: Internet Basics.† World Almanac and Book of Facts. 2000 ed.

Assignment Analysis of Ethical Dilemma Essay

This document contains PSYCH 610 Week 2 Learning Team Assignment Analysis of Ethical Dilemma Psychology – General Psychology Read the following scenario: A well-known researcher at a major university has two graduate student assistants. He conducts three studies in his laboratory, all of which involve very labor-intensive procedures. The graduate research assistants complete all of the data collection. They also assist in writing the Discussion section of the final article, adding their thoughts and suggestions to the various drafts. The article is accepted into a leading journal for publication. The primary researcher lists only himself as author of the article, claiming that he wrote at least 75% of the final paper. Write a 300- to 500-word discussion of the following: Describe the ethical consideration(s) with the scenario. Has the primary researcher committed an ethical violation? Use the appropriate section of the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists to justify your response. Format consistent with APA guidelines. To help you be successful in college talk with graduates from the college. This can include friends and family members. They will be able to offer advice such as which courses you should take and which ones are unnecessary. By employing the help of those who have attended the college you are going to, you can rest assured they will steer you in the right direction.

Changes (John Updike’s “A&P”) Essay

Breaking away from the traditional is a struggle that contains several sacrifices and consequences. In John Updike’s â€Å"A&P,† Sammy is a young teenager who transforms his wishes into reality. At first glance, he seems like a normal teenage boy, but instead he is an observational character who is trying to find a way to stand up for himself. Throughout the story, he undergoes changes to reveal a different outlook for his future. Sammy demonstrates that he is a dynamic character through his views on the regular customers, his reaction to the girls, and in his decision to quit his job. First, the way Sammy sees the regular customers reveals that he is a dynamic character. In the beginning, Sammy is at the cash register checking out a â€Å"witch about fifty with rouge on her cheekbones and no eyebrows† (Updike 18). The reader can tell Sammy has strong perspective on the customers that come in to the store. He sees them as disgusting, evil, lifeless and dead by the descriptions he gives the audience. As the story continues, Sammy looks down the lane and notices â€Å"the sheep pushing their carts down the aisle— [while] the girls were walking against the usual traffic† (20). The girls’ unorthodox direction represents Sammy noticing that the customers are followers– not wanting to break the cycle like the girls. From the description Sammy gives, the reader notices that he does not want to be like the customers, following the same rules, guidelines, and policies. By the end of the story, the girls are stopped by Lengel, the manager, when they reach the check-out lanes. The customers that were showing up, â€Å"like sheep, seeing a scene,† crowded around Stokesie’s lane to avoid any confrontation that was happening out of the usual (22). Sammy’s way of describing what the regular customers would do in a tough situation makes him wonder if this is the type of life he wants. The descriptions and views Sammy displays about the customers make him think twice about his surroundings. Next, Sammy’s reaction towards the girls reveals that he is a dynamic character. At the check-out, he notices that three girls walk in the store â€Å"in nothing but bathing suits† (18). As the girls head for the aisle, Sammy observes that they are not wearing shoes (19). He begins to check them out and discovers that Queenie has on a bathing suit with the straps down by her arms exposing her â€Å"clean bare†¦chest† (19). As they continue walking, he details how the girls look, from their â€Å"chubby berry-faces† to how their hair was not â€Å"fizzed right† (19). Sammy makes these vivid observations about the girls to show the reader how they stand out from the normal. The girls represent Sammy’s thoughts and views on how he wishes to escape from the ordinary. By the end of the story, Lengel comes up to the girls and confronts them about the way they are dressed. Queenie starts to blush and feel powerless when she realizes where her place is (22). At that point, Sammy stands up for the girls and quits. The reader can tell that Sammy is going out of his way to defend the girls and for what he believes in. Throughout the story, he wishes to escape and standing up to Lengel was a way. Sammy’s descriptions and bravery reveal that he is changing into someone different than the normal. Most importantly, Sammy demonstrates that he is a dynamic character when he decides to quit his job. By the end of the story, Sammy realizes that he is tired of being surrounded by what is normal. When Lengel asks Sammy if he has rung up the purchase in his hands, he starts to think about the process it takes for him to check-out a person in the line. â€Å"It’s more complicated than you think, and after you do it often enough, it begins to make a little song† he thinks to himself (22). By the detailed description given by Sammy, the reader can tell that he is tired, bored, and trying to find ways to make the ordinary fun. The first breakthrough Sammy makes is when he says, â€Å"I quit,† to Lengel after he dealt with the girls’ attire (22). Sammy’s message is clear and direct towards his manager, making the reader conclude he has finally stood up for himself. He starts to doubt his decision to quit, but sticks through when he sees the regular customers. At the climax of the story, Sammy heads towards his counter, and, â€Å"fold[s] the apron, ‘Sammy’ stitched in red on the pocket, and put[s] it on the counter† (23). Taking off the apron and leaving it behind shows the reader that Sammy has finally escaped from the normal and able to live a life that he has wanted. Even though Sammy decided to take a leap towards faith, he knows inside that the road ahead is going to be tough. Getting away from the normal can be complicated. The person will have to change certain situations and make them for their best interest. For Sammy, his views on the regular customers, his reaction to the girls, and in his decision to quit his job demonstrate that he is a dynamic character. With the help of the girls, he was able to stand up for himself and make a better future for his life.