What is an Eating Disorder?

There are different types of eating disorders and while they are all different, in many ways they also have a lot in common. An eating disorder may develop out of a simple diet. Some people, to relieve tension or depression will go on a binge. A binge is eating a lot of food in a very short time until uncomfortably full. Although the binges relieve some tension, they also cause disgust, guilt, and concern about weight gain which will lead a person to purge after their binges. A purge is a way to compensate for all the extra calories by vomiting, excessive exercise, fasting, or using laxatives. It causes rapid gain and loss of weight, feelings of inadequacy, and an obsession with food. Binge Eating Disorder, Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa are the most common forms of eating disorders. Binge-Eating Disorder and Bulimia Nervosa are considered mental disorders because people with these disorders do not feel like they are in control of their eating behaviour. If a person binges more than twice a week, it is considered Binge-Eating Disorder. The combination of bingeing and purging is called Bulimia Nervosa. Anorexia, although still considered a mental disorder is more controlled, with the person either taking very small amounts of food or starving themselves to remain thin. It is estimated that 0.5 to 1% of women in late adolescence develop anorexia. It is most common between the ages of 10 and 30 and 90% of the cases are women. However, cases are increasing for men, minorities, older women and pre-teens. There are children as young as 8 showing concerns and behaviours around food, and up to 50% of these youngsters are boys. Anorexia is associated with feelings and behaviours related to the fear of â€Å"fatness†. These feelings include poor body image, a phobia about food and its ability to create fatness, and an intense fear of being a normal body weight. People with anorexia have not lost their appetite. They are very hungry indeed. They think about food all the time, want to be close to it – give it to others. What they don't do is allow themselves to succumb to their desire for food. Like all compulsive disorders, the roots of anorexia lie in deep anxiety, the sense that not only is life out of control, running away too fast, but that their ability to cope with life and all its demands is poor. Given these fears, it is all too easy for an individual to turn to the control of food and weight to gain some kind of control over their existence. Typically anorexia starts when a young person feels overweight. This may be because they have gained a little more weight than average at puberty, or have slim friends with whom they compare themselves. A decision to go on a diet may be triggered by a specific event such as a comment or remark from a peer. The diet is most usually the first ever tried and it is initially quite successful, giving the young person a real sense of achievement at an otherwise insecure time of life. There may initially be approval from friends or members of the family which is a positive form of attention. The anorexic never starts off intending to starve themself into emaciation. They just feels that life will be better if they lost a few pounds – which it is for a while. At some point in the diet there is a subtle psychological change – which is not experienced by normal dieters – and dieting actually becomes more intense as the diet progresses and the target weight is near. The dieting behaviour goes underground so that it can become a private secret rather than a public activity and strategies are developed to convince â€Å"others† that eating is taking place when in fact it is not. This requires a great deal of craftiness such as throwing food away, finding ways to get rid of it off a plate at mealtimes, or pretending to already have eaten. Hence by the time that weight loss is noticeable to the family, the anorexia is already well under way. In their own private eating world, the person developing anorexia will become very â€Å"ritualised† around food. This may take the form of eating fractions of portions of food at specific times of the day, – like one third of an apple – or eating the crusts around a sandwich but not the middle. They will toy with their food, cut it up into tiny pieces and eat them very slowly. Even non-fattening foods will be feared. Many anorexics weigh themselves several times each day. An anorexic can panic if they show a small change in weight after eating one lettuce. The physical effects of anorexia are mostly connected with the effects of starvation on the body: * menstruation stops(in women) * breathing, pulse and blood pressure rates plummet * mild anaemia occurs * osteoporosis * impaired kidney function * infertility * immune system fails to fight infection * physical weakness * sensitivity to heat and cold. * erosion of the teeth from acid in the stomach due to vomiting * as body weight falls to low levels the anorexic may be covered with a fine downy hair * ulcers and rough skin on legs and feet due to poor circulation * digestive problems as a result of starvation * constipation which makes the abdomen feel dense and large. * Bone loss as a result of under nourishment * shrinkage of the reproductive organs in both men and women * destruction of areas of the brain which are responsible for endocrine production. The most significant feature of anorexia is denial of the disease and anorexics are typically very intelligent people with a great deal of academic ability. Although there are several theories as to the causes of anorexia, it is increasing partly due to cultural changes and social pressure and development in food and nutrition, leading to an early maturation of young girls compared to that of the early 20th Century. (Phillip W. Long, M.D.1999 NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health)) Social &Cultural Theory It is understandable that anorexia hardly exists in third world countries where there is barely enough food for survival and where fatness is regarded as a sign of affluence. It is also rare in countries which have sufficient food but which do not see slimness as a sign of sexual attractiveness. However, in the developed countries where there is a tendency to associate fatness with negative attributes such as lower social or economic status and personal inadequacy, anorexia is on the increase. In countries where it's perfectly normal to be big, everyone is the same so it doesn't matter. As different cultures start to integrate and live in Western societies, the pressures to look like their counterparts leads them to have a low self-esteem of themselves. Young white women and girls faced with thin and beautiful white celebrities long to be like them — it would make sense to think that young Black and Hispanic women and girls, when faced with beautiful and thin celebrities, such as popstars and models sharing the same culture might also wish to achieve the same physical goals.( Furnham & Alibhai 1983) In addition, race discrimination in the professional job market may contribute to their low self-worth and desire to be loved and accepted. Those pursuing professions or activities that emphasise thinness, like modelling, gymnastics, dancing, singing, athletes, filmstars and wrestling are more susceptible to anorexia. Even today's men in the entertainment business are of a more muscular, slender build compared to the extremely skinny or bulkier type of years ago. While girls wish to attain a specific size, men who become anorexic are likely to have had a specific role model in mind – usually a sportsman or a rock star, when they begin to diet. Too much emphasis is being made on fashion being thin and the numerous diet pages in magazines and teenage literature. (About Face Organisation's Website) Environmental Theory Another social theory to the cause of anorexia could be family surroundings. The typical anorexic comes from a â€Å"perfect on the outside† family. The parents are often older and are reported by the child as demanding, placing emphasis on their educational or athletic achievements instead of them as a person. This is the parent's attempt of showing love. They feel that if they were to gain 99% in a test, they would be held accountable for not having got it all right. Their own body becomes their greatest achievement. Getting anorexia could be an unconscious choice, but by showing rigid control of their body and not eating with their family, the anorexic demonstrates independence in the only way they can. As a result, looking back on their early life, many anorexics remember growing up trying to please others and meet their expectations. They usually succeed, since many are high achievers and good students, anxious to please their parents or teachers and earn their approval. These are the children who are described by teachers as well behaved and conscientious, never causing trouble or disruption at school, and never giving their parents any of the usual forms of adolescent rebellion, such as rudeness or defiance. Evaluation These ideas show that it is perfectly reasonable to assume that the social pressures of being a young person in today's society can be associated with the onset of anorexia so if today's culture is a risk factor for anorexia, and wanting to be thinner precipitates the illness, why is it that out of all the women and girls who diet at some time in their lives, only some go on to become anorexic? A youngster growing up in a strict family with high expectations feels that she has no control over herself as her parents are taking away her independence and are basically mapping her life out for her. The only thing left is her body, so she uses this to control what she eats as an achievement of her independence. This can backfire on the anorexic, making the parents more overbearing than before. Biomedical theory Genetic factors Eating disorders appear to run in families–with female relatives most often affected. This finding suggests that genetic factors may make some people prone to eating disorders. Female family members of women suffering from anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa develop eating disorders at rates up to 12.3 times higher than those of women who have never suffered from an eating disorder. Also, women who have sons or brothers that have had anorexia are also more likely to get this eating disorder themselves. Recent research looks at newborns of mothers with a history of eating disorders, and presents evidence that these babies also have characteristics that appear to put them at risk of having similar problems.( Dr. Michael Strober, lead author of the study and director of the Eating Disorders Program at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute). Twins too showed a genetic tendency to develop the same disorder, with identical twins being 55% more prone to the disease than non – id entical twins at 7%. Biochemistry In an attempt to understand eating disorders, scientists have studied the biochemical functions of people with the illnesses. The hypothalamus is a part of the brain which controls the body's neuroendocrine system — the part which regulates the multiple functions of the mind and body, such as sexual behaviour and emotional arousal, physical growth and development, appetite and digestion, kidney function, heart, sleep, thinking and memory. An experiment on rats in the 1940's identified the hypothalamus as playing a crucial part in eating behaviour. It was discovered that abnormalities in the lower- central region of the hypothalamus, the VMH (Ventro-Medial Hypothalamus) caused the stop-eating signals to cease working so that the rats became extremely obese (Teitelbaum 1967). In the same way that the VMH inhibits eating, there is a part that stimulates eating, the LH (Lateral Hypothalamus). If this is damaged, it would cause the rat to starve. Opioid Addiction Opioids are substances that are produced naturally in the brain when under stress. Their job is to relieve pain and give pleasure. As self-starvation leads to stress for the body and the release of opioids, this gives the person a feeling of being high. Anorexics tend to exercise excessively as both starving and vigorous exercise produce high levels of endorphins in the brain. It could therefore be argued that anorexics become addicted to that â€Å"high† thus becoming addicted to their own opioids. Evaluation Firstly, it is very rare for the sons to get an eating disorder before the mothers, as it is generally young women with no children who are at risk. Secondly, if there is just as high a risk of anorexia if a brother has had an eating disorder as there is with a son, the answer must lie in a defective chromosome of the male which should be easy enough to rectify, given modern medicine today. Could it be possible that there was a stress factor that ran through the family that increased the risk anyway and a combination of the two factors led to an increased risk? Surely, as well, a baby born to a woman with these sort of disorders is going to be at risk of a number of things when he is growing up. Apart from being nutritionally deprived whilst in the womb(which might cause a number of neurological problems) there must be some sort of emotional problems living in that kind of environment. The bio-medical theory sounds the most understandable. As with all mental health problems the change in brain chemistry can cause the different parts of the brain to malfunction leading to all manner of psychoses. The only query is: does starving oneself cause physical changes in the brain, or are the chemical changes in the brain responsible for the eating disorder? Alternative Theories to the Causes for Anorexia Psychoanalytic Theory Puberty for women is seen by psychologists to be a time of change and the hormones of puberty create body fat in women and the girl is reminded by her bodily changes that she is becoming a woman. There is also a big change in the age of puberty, which used to be at 18 years and is now occurring at 10, 11 and 12. Girls are experiencing their sexuality at an age where they appear to lack the emotional equipment to handle it so early puberty is linked with self- destructive behaviour in girls. Some researchers believe that anorexia is an attempt to stop the clock – to avoid growing up and becoming a woman and to avoid the problems that maturity brings. Evaluation This is arguable as – are all young girls aware that their periods will stop when they starve themselves, and how long is it before they realise that the bust is less affected by weight loss than other parts of the body. This theory does not take male anorexics into account. Learning Theory When a young person feels they need to lose a bit of weight, sometimes due to remarks from peers or the opposite sex, they go on a diet. As the weight starts to drop off, appraisal replaces the remarks. This leads to the desire to lose more weight which in turn leads to more attention. The diet soon escalates out of proportion and before long the positive attention turns to a more concerned attention. The anorexic enjoys this attention, whatever the kind and sees their behaviour as a way of being liked and being popular. This behaviour is carried on sometimes until the need for intervention by the medical authorities, which then sees the anorexic receiving attention and concerns from everyone around them, including their families. Evaluation This explanation is quite arguable as it is usually an unconscious decision to start starving yourself – the intention was to lose just a few pounds. Anyway, lack of attention, which is the issue, from people or family when young could quite easily lead to over-eating or other forms of self-abuse. Treatments and Outcomes Early treatments for anorexia were based on behavioural and psychotherapeutic techniques. These treatments were largely unsuccessful in the long term. Anyhow weight gain alone is not the only goal of treatment. The â€Å"best outcomes† are with therapies that treat the whole individual, and provide a variety of approaches, nutritional, psychological, personal growth and relaxation therapies. Part of this process would include building self-esteem. For those anorexics who are too far gone for these therapies to benefit them, a stay in hospital will apply where they can be force-fed under the powers of the Mental Health Act, since severe emaciation destroys the ability to think rationally, thus making any form of therapy very hard to do. Anyway, many therapists believe that it is impossible to carry out psychotherapy with an anorexic person unless weight has first been restored. ( The National Centre For Eating Disorders August 1999). Medical Treatment Scientists have found that the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, (chemical messengers which control hormones in the brain) function abnormally in people affected by depression. Researchers funded by NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) have recently learned that these neurotransmitters are also decreased in extremely ill anorexia and bulimia patients and long-term recovered anorexia patients. Because many people with eating disorders also appear to suffer from depression, some scientists believe that there may be a link between these two disorders. In fact, new research has suggested that some patients with anorexia may respond well to the antidepressant medication fluoxetine which affects serotonin function in the body. Cognitive Treatment Treatment of anorexia is often a long, drawn – out duration, requiring a combination of cognitive and analytic interpretative techniques to explore the past, identifying the underlying cause of the maladaptive behaviour. For older women personal therapy works best whereas family therapy is especially helpful for adolescent patients as every member of the family can understand what the patient is going through (Murray et al., 1997). Anorexia can be fatal if left untreated. About one fifth of people with anorexia recover,   a further two fifths gain weight but develop other problems with eating such as bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder. About one third of sufferers remain anorexic, with only one aim in life – to stay thin.   Death rates in long term anorexics are as high as ten percent, usually due to heart failure in the case of bulimic anorexia, suicide or lack of resistance to illness.

Social Organized Crime Perspective

Social Organized Crime Perspective Social Organized Crime Perspective Social institution is a group of people or association with a certain reason, objective, or mission. This organization reaches its goal by influencing and persuading people in the public to take part, and help with reaching this purpose. Social institution applies to organized crime in various ways. Criminal organizations develop in areas that show a portion of individuals living within the jurisdiction are interested in a product that the criminal organization is offering. This is crucial as it enables the organization to effectively generate, dispense, and consume the product (Lyman & Potter, 2007). Additionally, criminal organizations target the community's social makeup, control the community has socially on its members, and the level of involvement each community member has among the rest. Furthermore, criminal organizations develop tight relations with lawful businesses and owners willing to play a part in the organizations accomplishment (Lyman ; Potter, 2007). There are empirical and speculative theories that are can be applied to organized crime and criminal behavior. Individuals involved with organized crime in Sicily and Italy had formed criminal organizations such as the â€Å"Sicilian Mafia† or â€Å"Cosa Nostra†. These persons came to the United States to avoid detection and apprehension by law enforcement in their own country, and to gain opportunities that the United States provided both legally and illegally. Upon migrating to the United States these groups began to organize, and operate many criminal organizations. It is believed that these individuals have been the main cause for the establishing of organized crime (Osmosis, 2003). The social control theory asserts that an individual who is involved with a community and has strong family relations will be less likely to engage in illegal activity than those who do not. If an individual is capable of establishing a positive rapport with community members, becomes involved and participates in community programs, such as youth, elderly, religious-spiritual, and anti-crime, the individual will most likely refrain from engaging in criminal activity or at the very least consider the consequences of a criminal act prior to committing the act (Psychological Glossary, 2010). The differential association theory considers one's social group and environment as the fundamental explanation for one's criminal behavior and the formation and joining of criminal organizations. An individual who socializes with a group or other individuals who have a history with the legal system or who engage in illegal activity are at an extremely higher risk to conform to the norms of that particular social sub-group. A prime example is a teenager who becomes involved in delinquent criminal behavior and activity as a result of peer pressure. These juveniles are susceptible to withdrawing from school, joining criminal organizations, such as street gangs, and experimenting with illegal substances and alcohol, all of which continues the juvenile down a path of addiction, career criminality, and a long criminal history into adulthood (Sutherland, 1978). The strain and anomie theory believes that individuals who engage in criminal activity do so as a result of wanting a piece of the American dream or to obtain materialistic items of value. A majority of individuals within the United States never experience the luxury of owning a fancy vehicle, house, business, or property. Most individuals residing in the United States are forced to work labor intensive jobs, receive a low paying wage, are parents who must provide and support families, and do so through legal means. Unfortunately, the desire to achieve items of value, provide a better life for one's children, such as the purchasing of school cloths, vacations, and after school activities can force some to conduct illegal business for the purpose of gaining an additional income (Sutherland, 1978). The empirical and speculative theories discussed, such as the social control, differential association, and strain and anomie theories can assist researchers, society, professionals, and law enforcement with understanding the elements that exist in different criminal organizations and criminal behavior. Each theory is supported by research, statistics, strong arguments, and facts that can be used by law enforcement in numerous ways. Theories as such display characteristics and mannerisms common in criminal behavior, along with what geographical locations are susceptible to the development of criminal organizations and activity. Furthermore, jurisdictions, in which its citizens are antisocial or uninvolved with the community, prove to be breeding grounds for many types of criminal wrongdoing that exists. References Lyman, M. , & Potter, G. (2007). Organized Crime (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Osmosis. (2003). Everything: Historical interpretations on Prohibition and organized crime. Retrieved December 10, 2011, from http://everything2. com/title/Historical+interpretations+on+Prohibition+and+organized+crime Psychological Glossary. (2010). Social Control Theory. Retrieved December 10, 2011, from http://www. psychology-lexicon. com/cms/glossary/glossary-s/social-control-theory. html Sutherland, E. (1978). Differential Association Theory: Sociological Theories of Deviance. Retrieved December 10, 2011, from http://www. d. umn. edu/~jhamlin1/sutherland. html

Product Innovation on Firm Performance Research Paper

Product Innovation on Firm Performance - Research Paper Example The intention of this study is product innovation as the introduction of a new product in the market that uses different technology and has a higher utility for the consumer than the existing products. In the contemporary competitive environment, a business requires to maintain leverage in relation to its competitors through ensuring that consumer loyalty is maintained and hence a greater market share. Precautions should be observed during product innovations since the process may have a positive or negative impact on the existing product categories. They may result in a greater market share, cannibalism and destabilization of products. Nevertheless, the significance of product innovation can not be ignored. This study explores the positive relationship between product innovation and firm performance. Aboulnasr et al. established that innovation originates from the application of creative ideas to develop marketable products from the existing ones. This process begins through inventi on whereby the new ideas are generated in relation to the performance targets of business. Products usually have a life cycle that decreases over time and requires enhancement through constant innovations to maintain competitiveness in the market. Kim & Huang noted that innovations can be accomplished through development of fresh knowledge or new products in the market that increases a firm’s leverage through increased profits and consumer satisfaction. Customer preferences change with time and therefore continuous assessment of the market is needed. Innovations targeted at consumer satisfaction depend on research that helps managers to determine market dynamics in terms of consumer preferences. Studies indicate that innovativeness leads to improved quality of products and services (Lee 2010). Any invention in business is focused on the improvement of the current product in the market. Innovations emerge from understanding of the need to change the prevailing product quality to match market demand. Radical changes need to enhance product quality and to strengthen its competitiveness in the market. Firms engage in research and development to identify the gaps that hamper profitability. It also assists them to identify the strategic responses to competition. Strategic response is a continuous process that involves decision making and analyzing a firm’s strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats. In many situations, a firm capitalizes on its strengths and takes opportunity of the competitor’s weaknesses. With this regard, innovation is necessary to keep an organization abreast with the prevailing market circumstances hence a greater capacity to cope with competition (Kim & Huang 2011). Innovations allow product differentiation giving consumers an array of products to choose from. An organization is able to serve a

Diffusion and network effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Diffusion and network effects - Essay Example It starts with Innovators, who are the educated, risk oriented, information seeking people and who like to try new experiences. These roughly comprise of 5% of the population (Davidoff and Kleiner, 1991; Dewett, Whittier and Williams,, 2007). Next, are the early adopters, who are educated young and popular people and may be opinion leaders in their groups (David, 1985). Next are the early majority who are cautious and wait out to see how new products are reviewed by the early adopters. The early majority consist of a large number of people and these are also instrumental in propelling the late majority (who are older, conservative and low on social activity) into adopting the technology. The Laggards are the remaining people who missed out on adoption and may adopt the product toward the maturity of the product (Farrell and Saloner, 1985). Figure 1: Diffusion of Innovation Curve (Source: Rogers, 2003) In the case of Facebook, the adoption process started with ‘‘Innovators ’, but these e Innovators were the people who already had adopted older social networking versions like MySpace and Orkut. With the creation of Facebook, these ‘Innovators’ simply converted to Facebook and encouraged the early adopters to choose Facebook when they were ready to embrace the online social-networking concept (Fernandes, 2011). However, the diffusion of Facebook during the initial phases was also constrained by the diffusion of the Internet. Innovators and early adopters were therefore largely confined to the USA, Western Europe, Australia, and parts of India and China. As the Internet penetration increased with the development of broadband technology and liberalisation in other parts of the world, it spread to Middle East and then to the Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe and Russia (Fowler, 2012). So, while regions like the Middle East, Brazil, South Africa and Russia were now in the ‘Innovators’ and ‘Early Adopters’ phases, at the same time, the USA had and Western Europe had moved on to ‘Late Majority’ and the ‘Laggards’ phase as shown in the following figure. Figure 2: Stage of Adoption (Facebook) Source: CheckFacebook.com, 2010 3. Five Factors that Determine Success or Failure of Adoption Adoption, which is an individual process that depends on several attributes of the innovation like the relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and observability. Figure 3: Factors Determining Success of Adoption (Facebook) Relative Advantage Relative advantage, as the phrase suggests, is the perceived value added or additional advantage that a person thinks he can derive from adopting the new product (Haggman, 2009). In the context of Facebook, it offered the relative advantage over sites like MySpace and Orkut because of its higher level of security, the ability to limit who views the profile and ease in uploading and managing photographs. The user interface o f Facebook is also much more user friendly. Also, the spam prevention mechanism on Facebook is much stronger when compared to other social networking sites such as Orkut. So, users perceive it to be a more secure and private option than the existing ones. Compatibility Compatibility is the level of ‘

Performance & Reward system- Case study Ericsson company

Performance & Reward system- Ericsson company - Case Study Example r hand, reward management is concerned with identifying the motivating aspects of employees which leads to the classification of the amount of pay, compensation and other incentives (Chiang and Birtch 2005). The purpose of the literature review is to help in understanding performance management. The paper presents a case study of past experience attained from the Ericsson Company, Saudi Arabia Branch. The paper is a critique of the performance and reward system in the organization, which highlights the strengths and weaknesses of performance and reward system in the company. It also offers brief information about the company and its branch in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the positive and negative aspects of the company’s performance and reward system, their positive and negative impacts on employee satisfaction, and finally an analysis of the effectiveness of system as well as recommendations regarding how the organization’s performance and reward system can be changed in order for it to allow the accomplishment of organizational goals. However, the report has a limitation in the sense that the experience in this company was acquired 2 years ago, and its performance and reward system might have changed with time. The paper was prepared from information obtained through observations while working in the company, and interactions with employees, as well as the company magazine as well as journals on performance and reward management. Ericsson is a Swedish multinational company that operates through foreign subsidiaries globally. It offers communication systems and services, which include a variety of technologies such as mobile networks and equipments. It also provides fixed network services world wide. These are mainly provided through foreign subsidiaries. Its subsidiary in Saudi Arabia was established in 1980. It operates in through three branches of the Saudi Ericsson, with 360 employees who are professionals in communication technology and other fields of

Measures by which the programme for the construction of the structure Essay

Measures by which the programme for the construction of the structure could be reduced - Essay Example It also emits Carbon Dioxide which is a major air pollutant and a determining factor to global warming. The main obstacles faced by the construction industry, thus, are to convey buildings that are economic in sustaining the life quality. This goes hand in hand with time reduction on the effect of the environmental, economic, social drains that affects us in one way or another. The main focus of this document is to elaborate on the obligations, benefits and background to sustainable building construction. Ways of meeting these obligations are provided at the end. The first crucial step is to seek permission from the local authority in form of an application for change of user. This will need the approval of the local authority’s plans for the area. (IEEE, 2005).That is, whether the area is official recognized as an industrial area only or a residential area. Depending on the prevailing by-laws, the approval may be issued or not. Afterwards, we can proceed to the preliminary design of the office. That is, the floor layout of the offices required among other things. These specifications will be tailored to the client in Hong Kong. A detailed assessment of the existing building will be done to check integrity of the current building, the kind of foundation, parts of the building that are intact or need re-designing to fit in the preliminary design. This will be done with assistance of the current building’s construction team, the building inspection unit from the local authority and the proprietors of the new building. We may need to consider all renovations done previously and any recommendations from the local authority inspection unit. After the detailed assessment is performed, a provisional design is done incorporating the findings in the earlier conducted detailed assessment. The design is presented to the client for his approval and finally forwarding to the local

GENETIC & Molecular BIOLOGY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

GENETIC & Molecular BIOLOGY - Essay Example The female horse has 64 diploid chromosomes and 32 chromosomes in her haploid gametes. This results in two gametes, male (31 haploids) + female (32 haploids) equals 63 diploid chromosomes in the offspring. It is important to note that the mule (generation 1 hybrid offspring of horse and ass) is not able to produce offspring. The reason for this is that the horse has 18 acrocentric autosomes while the ass has 11. This vast difference in number of acrocentric and met centric chromosomes causes a synapsis in of homologues during prophase 1 of meiosis, rendering the mule species infertile and sterile as no viable gametes can be formed. (b) This particular diagram is representative of interphase G2 (right before prophase takes place) of mitosis. This diagram shows the newly developed centrioles, and the beginning of spindle fibers. It also shows the chromosomes just beginning to line up. ( c) This diagram illustrates telophase of mitosis as it shows the beginning of cytokinesis resulting in two daughter cells. The chromosomes are also moving to opposite poles within their respective daughter cells. (1.8) The number of different gametic chromosomal combinations possible in the garden pea (male versus female) where 2n = 14 is . When n=7, one can find the number of possible combinations by using the formula 2^n or in this case 2^7, which is equal to 128. Thus, there are 128 possible different gametic chromosomal combinations in the garden pea. (1.12) In humans, there are 46 pairs of homologous chromosomes. In a human secondary spermatocyte, there are 23 chromosomes. Also in humans, spermatotids contain 23 chromosomes, spermatozoa contain 23 chromosomes and spermatagonia contain 46 chromosomes. (1.14) When looking at corn, we see that corn has a diploid number of 20 and thus a haploid number of 10 or 2n=20( as corn has diploid cells). The first meiotic product would result in a haploid cell with 10

Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management - Research Paper Example Proper management is crucial to the success of any business or organization. However, if management is poor, it may end up having more disadvantages than advantages for a business or organization. This paper will discuss the need for management, highlighting its pros and cons. The need for management The need for proper management in any organization or business can never be underestimated. Businesses are ongoing activities that cannot operate on their own. Just as a car needs a good driver to steer it to its destination, or a ship needs a sailor to lead it to its destination, so does a business or organization requires a good manager(s) to lead it to success (Griffin, 2010). It is important to note that management can either aid or deter the success of a business or organization. With proper management, a business or organization will have set goals and objectives that it aims to achieve, and it will most likely succeed at achieving them. On the other hand, without proper management , businesses and organizations are likely to fail since improper management is worse than no management at all (Kochan & Schmalensee, 2003). Therefore, management has its pros and cons in any business or organization. Pros of management Proper management usually has very many advantages for businesses and organizations. Management helps organizations and businesses to achieve group goals. Through management, the factors of production can be arranged together, and resources can be organized and assembled (Kochan & Schmalensee, 2003). Management can then integrate the factors of production and the available resources in an effective manner that will assist in the achievement of goals. Management can direct all group efforts and resources towards goal attainment. Management is also responsible for defining organizational objectives, thus minimizing the waste of effort, money and time (Plunkett, Attner, & Allen, 2007). Management also ensures that there is optimum and proper utilization of organization resources. This is by making productive use of all human and physical resources that are available. This promotes efficacy within an organization or business. Management selects the best possible use of scarce resources, thereby ensuring optimum utilization. The need for management is also important because an organization’s management makes use of the services, knowledge and skills of professionals and experts in achieving organizational goals (Kochan & Schmalensee, 2003). Therefore, if management ensures that both physical and human resources are producing their maximum results, then management is totally necessary in any organization or business. Management is necessary in a business or organization because it is responsible for reducing costs. Management should ensure that maximum results are achieved through minimum input. This can only be possible if management carries out its core functions. The core management functions include planning, staffing, coo rdinating, organizing, leading, directing and controlling (Daft & Marcic, 2010). When planning, management is responsible for setting objectives and deciding the best possible courses of actions that can be taken to achieve the predetermined objectives. In the staffing function, management is

Administration management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Administration management - Essay Example Furthermore, with the radical shift in consumer needs and changing scenario of the external business environment, organizations are compelled to bring change into their system of operation. The change not only helps a company to remain consistent with the external business environment but also helps in complying with the internal state of affairs. However, a change in an organization does not always bring positive outcome, it often results into negative consequence. One of the most obvious negative consequences appears in the form of resistance from the employees to change. This is because employees often feel that a change in the organization will disrupt their current position and they became obsolete and becomes a burden for the company. This study will throw light on a real incident which took place in the organization where I have worked previously. The organization was basically a retail store with its headquarters in the city of New York, US. In this company, I have worked as a floor manager for two years. During my tenure as a floor manager, I have witnessed one of the major technological changes in the organization, which is the implementation of auto- search technology.

FINANCIAL REPORTING REPORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

FINANCIAL REPORTING REPORT - Essay Example The year under review for this assignment is 2005. During the year 2005, Tesco has been able to generate a revenue target of 37.070 Billion pounds.(www.tescocorporate.com). The reason that we have chosen such a high turnover company is the fact that because of its size and significance in the UK economy, we believe its accounting policies and practices will reflect it therefore we have chosen this. Accounting standards require that they should be consistently applied and practiced. (Deliotte, 2008). Accounting Policies adapted by Tesco are according to the both international and national standards of accounting prevalent at the time. Tesco has prepared its accounting statements on Historical cost convention however there are some changes with respect to the Transitional disclosure requirements under FRS 17. Revenue recognitiation policy is as per the standards and whereas the stocks are valued at lowers of the cost or net realizable value. Fixed assets are recognized at the cost with depreciation being recorded at the straight line basis with clear segmentation of depreciation rates. Goodwill is amortized and capitalized according to the prevalent standards whereas fixed assets and goodwill are also under review for impairment under FRS 11. Segment reporting is one of the important accounting information for the investors especially within the context of international businesses. The increasing trends of businesses to have segments working all over the world and even within the country require that the information shall be contained in the financial statements according to the prevalent accounting standards. The value the segmental reporting carries to the shareholders is very important because it provide investors the necessary look into the performance of the various segments of the company. Since the company is a collection of various departments and segments and a synergic coherence of these segments creates success for the

Interest Groups Essay Example for Free

Interest Groups Essay They vary considerably in size and ideological perspectives. The strategies and tools employed by interest groups are not static, and they differ depending on the geographical scope of their operations and the resources they have. While many interest groups tend to address a wide range of issues, others deal with distinct issues. The life span of interest groups is also not static. In this case, some groups have long term objectives; hence, they remain active for long duration. For instance, the interest groups that aim at challenging policy issues and politics operate on a long term basis. On the other hand, some groups are usually initiated with an aim of achieving a particular end after which they are dissolved. For example, during elections, many groups usually emerge with an aim of ensuring that the process is handled according to the stipulated guidelines of the electoral process. A representative government is always formulated in manner that facilitates participation of contending interests, and at the same time it tries to mitigate the variance that inexorably accompanies faction competition. In the traditional creation of pluralism, contending interests work together by mobilizing resources and opinions in order to enhance effective formulation and implementation of essential public policies. â€Å"Institutions are formed to accommodate the inevitability of diverse and competing interest from becoming powerful enough to undermine the rights of others† (Wilson, 2009). This process is governed by constitutional provisions, which stipulate the nature of interest groups’ activities. Therefore, many interest groups that work together tend to stabilize political environment, and this enables them to forward their interests to the government. â€Å"This implies that the pluralist vision of politics is an ideal vision of interest group politics and political institutions† (Barber, 1990). The activities conducted by various interest groups can be used to differentiate them. For instance, some of them endeavor to address several public issues, while others have a narrow scope of private interests. There are two distinct types of interest groups, and they can be described as follows. First, we have public interest groups, and they aim at working on issues that benefit the general public. For instance, they support policies that provide equal opportunities that can be enjoyed by everyone in the society. However, the success of public interest groups may not be very substantial at an individual level since they aim at reaching out to many people. â€Å"Some of the major public interest groups in his category are National Taxpayer’s Union and Concerned Women for America† (Orman, 1988). The second category is referred to as private interest groups. These are groups which endeavor to challenge public policies in order to specifically benefit their members or individuals that support their interests. Nonetheless, the objectives and activities of private interests groups should not interfere with the welfare of other individuals. Political self interest is perceived to b e healthy for a political system. In the USA, there is a popular belief that contending interests make the society more successful. This is because bad policies are always eliminated when various groups compete against each other â€Å"Other examples of interest groups include business organizations labor unions, Professional associations, and Non Governmental Organizations† (Grossman, 2002). The Relationship between Interest Groups and Political Parties There is no great disparity between political parties and various interest groups, because they are both composed of individuals having common objectives and opinions. Apart from this, â€Å"they are similar in the sense that they both seek to challenge government institutions, elections, and they all make public policy choices† (Brunell, 2005). Nonetheless, there are significant variations between these two bodies. Generally, interest groups never directly support their own members to contest for public office, especially in a case where economic parameter is concerned. In most cases, interest groups never adopt overt party labels, which electors use to identify and express their political affiliations (Dulilio Wilson, 2011). However, some electors may link particular interest groups with specific parties in a general manner. For example, the Tea Party is often linked with the Republicans and the white conservatives. In the recent past, public interest groups that are ideologically driven have increased considerably (King, 2011). For instance, a there are some groups which have pushed the tax agenda in political circles. Another distinguishing factor is that interest groups have a limited focus, and they only handle specific issues of concern in the public policy. For example, â€Å"interest groups form around specific concerns like environment, free speech, tax reform, and labor standards† (Petracca, 1992). In contrast to this, political parties tend to focus on several issues. Moreover, political parties try to merge some of these facades under one â€Å"big umbrella†. In some circumstances, interest groups seriously struggle against political parties. For instance, some internal rivalries have been witnessed in key political parties that operate in Texas. When elections were conducted in 2000, several environmentalists who were members of the Texas Democratic Party massively supported Ralph Nader, the Green Party candidate, since they felt that Al Gore was less committed toward environmental issues. They labeled him â€Å"not green enough†. On the other hand, some Republicans have tried to make the party conservative by working against some of their Republican colleagues. This indicates that the interest groups tend to favor parties and politicians that support their interests, and they ignore those who are less committed in helping them. Interest groups always aim at maximizing policies, while political parties are usually trying to obtain many Congress seats. These competing interests influence the manner political parties relate with the interest groups. According Thomas Brunell, â€Å"interest groups have a preference as which party controls a majority of seats in Congress, which leads them to direct â€Å"sincere† and electorally useful money to this party† (Hay, 2001) When interest groups offer funds to the â€Å"other† party, they always fund it in a manner that is less effective. Interest groups usually execute this goal by offering strategic funds to this party as follows: provide little financial support particularly to the popular candidates who do not necessarily have to be funded in order to succeed in the elections. They can also choose to fund incumbent candidates who already have political clout. Therefore, even if these groups offer funds to these parties, they always do it in a biased manner, and they favor only the parties that are likely to push forward their interests. These funds enable their preferred candidates to run their campaigns smoothly without experiencing financial hitches. Apart from offering finances, interest groups also provide key information that enables their favorite candidates to be more competitive than other contenders. They also sensitize their preferred candidates on issues that always influence election outcomes. All these services are organized by interest groups with an aim of fulfilling their common objective of influencing election results and policies. The fact that these institutions have a relationship is therefore undeniable. These groups often forge close ties and pursue similar objectives in order to enhance their political clout. Nonetheless, they remain independent, and their nature of operation and design also remain different. â€Å"The space for action, speech and flexibility that is maintained in politics makes them much more political than interest groups† (Grossman, 2002). How Interest Groups Try to Influence the President and the Congress? Although interest groups do not directly have elected members in political offices, they do aim at fixing their members into appointed positions. They normally do this to enable them perform their state functions through mechanisms that support the desired policies of the interests groups that facilitated their appointments. The fact that â€Å"groups† operate as political players has always been recognized and examined, even if not properly understood. The manipulation of legislative processes by groups is a question that has not yet been answered, and it is still being begged. Between the period of the 1970 and 1980s, some â€Å"explosions† were witnessed in Washington, and researchers have wanted to clearly understand them. As many groups emerged in Washington, many people joined them, and the groups increasingly funded parties. The citizens at the same time criticized the roles of interest groups and joined them in large numbers probably to suppress the powerful corporate groups. The role of groups in policy issues seemed to have taken a new dimension, and everyone was keen to see how it happened. Therefore, it can be argued that group manipulation of the Congress can be identified by simply examining the development of legislation that a group is favoring. For instance, a group’s ineffectiveness in legislative process can be measured through its failure to intercept unpopular bills. In general, â€Å"interest group activities predict, at least in part, how far bills will progress through the legislative process† (Brunell, 2005). The term influence as applied in this context is quite narrow from the perspective of interest groups, and it is broad from a congressional perspective. Interest groups perceive influence as a process that should produce good policies or prevent undesirable policies from being adopted. However, a group does not have to obtain policies from the Congress that directly indicate their actual desires; rather a group’s influence is seen when the Congress makes or discards a policy, which is in line with the interests of a group. From a congressional perspective, influence emerging from interest groups can come in several ways. Interest groups are often said to have manipulated the Congress when its members are compelled or encouraged to change the course or provisions of a given bill in order to meet the demands of the interest groups. This influence might come in the form of a change of wording, a passage from a subcommittee, and not passing from a standing committee† (Orman, 1988). In this process, interest groups may lead to the change of legislation, and the president may not have the capacity to reverse the whole process of legislation, even if he does not like the content of the bill. On the other hand, the president can also manipulate the Congress by working closely with the interest groups. As discussed above, the law making process can be indirectly manipulated through elections. For instance, an incumbent President may pass some bills in favor of some groups so that he may get some support from them during the next elections. Besides this, interest groups may support pliable candidates whom they can easily manipulate during the law making processes. This symbiotic relationship between the interest groups and the politicians to some extent affect the capacity of both the president and the Congress to formulate effective laws. Politics in America has become complicated to many politicians. This is because interest groups have managed to seriously entrench themselves in politics and much of their attention has been geared towards influencing the White House. â€Å"Since the American President has come to play an increasingly important role in the public policy process, interest groups and their lobbyists now descend on the presidency with the same vigor as they descend on the congress† (Orman, 1988). In this context, the president is faced with the challenge of fulfilling the needs of the ordinary citizens and the interest groups. Interest groups have faced much criticism especially when it comes to policy issues. Its critics contend that most of the policy issues dealt with by interests groups have no connection to the desires of the public. The leaders of these groups have also been blamed for being dishonest because they always fail to fulfill the demands of their members. The weaknesses of the interests groups have been seen as one of the factors interfering with democracy in the USA. It has also been noted with a lot of concern that some political candidates have been seriously intimidated by some interest groups, and this further affects the reputation of the interest groups. Conclusion  The above discussion indicates that the American government is guided various institutions, which work together with an aim of building a more democratic society. The interest groups have been instrumental in addressing the plight of the public by ensuring that policy issues are handled properly. The effectiveness of the government has also been enhanced by the numerous contending interests. The American government has been able to adopt better policies due to the serious competition that exists among various institutions. These groups have played a fundamental role of widening the democratic space in America. The American government has been influenced by several groups over the years to an extent that some individuals refer to it as â€Å"a world of interest groups†. The interest groups should, therefore remain committed towards enhancing democracy and good governance. And I think those groups have same mission, its to make the government do something right like that should be. for example, national education thinks that the system of lesson in ur country have to be changed because it is not effective, so the collect the data to support their argument, and send it to government, and hope it will influence the policy.

Leadership style of reflective hospitality managers

Leadership style of reflective hospitality managers 1. Introduction The choice of a suitable leadership style of hospitality industry can be seen as the requirement of the features of the industry that is based on the experience of both sides, i.e., the experience of guests in consuming the service and the experience of the managers in running the hospitality businesses (Banks, L. 1997). Here, there are two relationships that are important in influencing the quality of hospitality management. One relationship is between the hospitality industry and the guests and the other relationship is between the managers of hospitality businesses and the employees. In fact, the latter relationship is of the same importance as the first one. This is because of the fact that the leadership style of hospitality managers is decisive in influencing the working attitudes of the employees which in turn may impact the effectiveness of the job of serving the guests (Van   Dyk, P.S. 2001). This essay, based on the analysis of the leadership style of the hospitality mana gers to the employees in motivating their initiatives in working, aims at clarifying the importance of leadership style of hospitality managers in promoting the general quality of their managerial job and the service quality of hospitality service as well. 2. Why employee motivation is important in promoting hospitality service Any employee bases his or her assessment of working life on their demands and expectations. No one will be content about his or her being a property of others (Armstrong, M., 1990). Anyhow, the concerning of life value still dominates the life philosophy of the human race. Therefore, in most cases, the question involved in the relationship of employment is not how an employee will fit into a company, but how the company will fit into the employees project. To put it another way, the motivation of an employees taking up a job lies in that how the job will provide the possibility of personal development as well as the realization of life value in the future. (Fielding, M. 1993) For the employee, it is not the question of fitting into the existing organization culture. Generally, if there is a mismatch between the personal value and the interests of the company, there are usually two alternative choices. One is that the person may drop the company to escape from the present condition. T he other is that he or she has to put up with the situation. Of course, such endurance has a limited scope. If there is a better career opportunity waiting for him or her, he or she will continuously look out for these opportunities and will migrate to a new company. Thus, such a relationship between the organization and the employee creates the first dilemma. For the company, the dilemma is how to make the company attractive to employees where as at the same time can obtain the maximum amount of benefit from the employee. Providing a luring promise to the newly employed staff members is of no avail if the company is not consistent to keep the promise in the future. Thus, what matters is that the HRM should adopt a strategy that will be helpful in keeping the long run of the personnel assets. However, this is definitely not an easy thing for any company or organization to accomplish. It is always a matter of contradiction. However, experienced hospitality business managers knows how to solve this problem by respecting the real needs of the employees and thus the initiatives of serving the guests will be encouraged. 3. Motivating the staff This means the measurement of the performance of employees and the delegated responsibilities of the employees. This is usually done through the detailed explanation of the technical specifications to the staff members to show them how to perform in their actions. This is effective in making the employees know the level of accountability that is related to his performance of the task. By clarifying these things beforehand, the employees can know better their duties in the management process and in this way, they can be confident in meeting the challenges that they will encounter in their job. Technical specifications are important in reflecting the experience of managers of hospitality industry. This is another important success guarantee of business organizations. By coaching the staff, manager of a business organization can delegate an assignment with more concise purpose. This is especially useful when allocating new tasks to staff members. New tasks can be confusing in many areas. So, managers should be patient enough to motivate the staff in a sustained way. PLOC management focuses specifically on the progress of HRM theories and practical implementation, growing emphasis on flexibility and individualization are leading to the serious challenge of how to ensure the spirit of community which are considered to be the basis for social relations and cooperative networks of organizations of various kinds. However, if the single employee in a department of a company is increasingly undertaking individual tasks and receives individual salary, and sees his or her career possibilities to be solely determined by his or her individual talents, then how will it be possible to create a spirit of solidarity in the department and think of it as an entity? This situation, with the development of the integration of world business, is further aggravated by the growing need for people to work across organizational or professional boundaries. On the other hand, technological advancement has made solving tasks increasingly complex and thus requires input fro m very different competence profiles. As a result, only a team can yield the best outcome (Carter, C.C. 1994). Therefore there is constantly a pressure of competence communities which emerges in a time when the preconditions for such communities are deteriorating. So, the contradiction between individual development and the interest of the community always exists. With regard to this contradiction, it is really a serious a challenge to practitioners to build up a framework for the negotiation between the individual interests and the companys gaining profits. In the meanwhile, such a framework also contributes to achieve a close relationship among people from both sides of an organization. If they fail to meet this challenge, working life will not only become atomized but also be void of human empathy and the spirit of community. To summarize, the principle for the parishioners to follow is that the mechanism for the development should be sustainable and flexible. It all depends on the role of the unions. However, the traditional role of unions is a watchdog of strict organizational rules and collective agreements. The employees neither expect nor wish to draw on the traditional support offered by unions. Rather, they want more direct influence on the contents of their incomes and working conditions. The role of the unions seems to be much negl ected by employees. 4. Service quality and team performance The core of the strategy of the improvement of the team performance is to treat the employees equally and this is the crucial requirement of improving the service quality of hospitality business. Although the diversified interests of the semi-groups within a business are difficult to evaluate, yet it is still possible to motivate the staff through the personal experience of the managers. This has proved to be significant in promoting the activeness of the employees in serving the guests in their workplace. In this sense, leadership style is not only a theory but also an important personal experience of hospitality managers. References: Armstrong, M. (1990). A handbook of business management. London: Kogan Page Ltd. Banks, L. (1997).   Motivation in the workplace: Inspiring your employees. United States of America: American Media Incorporated. Carter, C.C. (1994). Human resources management and total quality imperative. United States of America: American Management Association. Fielding, M. (1993). Effective communication in organizations. Kenwyn:   Juta Co, Ltd. Van   Dyk, P.S. (2001). The quality assurance approach to human resources management in   Nel,P.S. (ed.). Human resource management. (5th edition) Cape Town: Oxford University Press.

DSP-OFDM Modulator Project

DSP-OFDM Modulator Project Chapter One Introduction to the DSP-OFDM Modulator Project 1.1 Introduction The Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) digital communication technique has been attracting a great concern of researchers all over the world, due to its unique characteristics. The designers and engineers of mobile wireless communication systems and wireless multimedia broadband are looking forward to exploit the OFDM to be the air interface of these devices and systems. This exploitation has already been done with several systems and standards such as Wireless Local Area Networks 802.11a and Digital Video Broadcast-Terrestrial (DVB-T). The DSP-OFDM Modulator project studies the essential parts of the OFDM modulator and demodulator and implements the OFDM modulator and demodulator on two separate DSP boards. For the OFDM modulator, the project studies the hardware DSP implementation of the OFDM modulators different parts such as the QAM mapper and the IFFT. This applies on the OFDM demodulator too. Additionally, for the OFDM demodulator, the project studies the carrier recovery issue to recover the OFDM information signal from the carrier signal and the OFDM symbol timing recovery issue to correctly pinpoint each OFDM symbols boundaries. The Projects involves several aspects of the digital communications and the theoretical and practical DSP and uses the MATLAB and the Code Composer Studio (CCS) to analyze and simulate the designs to be practically implemented. 1.2 The Aim and the Objectives The aim of the DSP OFDM Modulator project is to implement OFDM modulator and demodulator on two separate DSP boards. The implementation is not tied to any existing OFDM standard such that used in the DVB-T or other standards. The DSP hardware implantation comprises many DSP and digital communication operations to be implemented through writing the C codes that perform these operations i.e. the QAM mapping and de-mapping, the IFFT and FFT, the digital IIR filters and the synchronization. Therefore, the implementation will be first simulated by MATLAB and the Code Composer Studio (CCS) part by part before and with the hardware implementation on the DSP boards. The CCS will be used to simulate not only the modulator and demodulator but also the subparts of the hardware implementation such as the FFT and IFFT C codes. For example, the C code that will be used to perform N-Point IFFT to a complex array containing N complex elements to produce N outputs. These N outputs or discrete values will be compared with those N outputs or discrete values obtained from performing N-Point IFFT to the same N element-complex array in MATLAB in order to check that this C code will work properly in the DSP real time implementation of the OFDM modulator. 1.3 The Research Background and Motivations The good presentation of the theoretical and practical DSP during the taught part of the course encouraged me to tackle this project, as I had not done any practical DSP before I enrolled in the MSc Wireless Communication Systems course. The good understanding of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) allows presenting the Conjugate Symmetric approach. The use of the Conjugate Symmetric distribution of the subcarrier vectors on the IFFT input points makes the IFFT produce a multicarrier signal with a real part (In-phase) (I) only in the time domain, as the imaginary part (Quadrature) (Q) is always set to zero. It is easier to modulate and demodulate the OFDM information signal with a real part only, as the quadrature modulation is no longer required. The Conjugate Symmetric proposal allows applying the FM modulation to transmit and receive the multicarrier OFDM information signal. 1.4 The Thesiss Organization The thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter two is considered as a literature survey. Chapter two explains the OFDM spectrum and the principles of the OFDM modulator and demodulator. It illustrates how the OFDM information signal carries or represents the digital data bits and how the IFFT N outputs (discrete values) are actually the samples of the OFDM multicarrier information signal for the current OFDM symbol being generated. It will be shown how the OFDM symbol has longer duration than those of other digital communication modulation techniques without affecting the data rate to be more resilient with dispersive channels and many other aspects of the OFDM modulation technique. This project is not tied to any existing OFDM standard. However, it resembles these standards in terms of the general block diagrams of the OFDM systems and the use of the pilot carriers, hence the employment of the OFDM in the DVB-T and the WLAN 802.11a are described briefly in chapter two. Chapter three shows and simulates by using MATLAB the approaches and ideas that will be used for the hardware DSP implementation. It discusses the (Conjugate Symmetric) proposal that has come out of this project to facilitate the modulation and demodulation of the OFDM information signal and the use of the squared cosine method to recover the OFDM information signal from the modulated carrier signal. The use of the cyclic prefix (CP) to recover the OFDM symbol timing is also discussed in chapter three. Chapter four presents the hardware implementation of the DSP OFDM modulator and demodulator on two separate DSP boards and shows the different results of the hardware implantation on the oscilloscopes screen as well as it shows the results of the CCS simulation of the OFDM modulator and demodulator and compares the OFDM spectrum of the generated OFDM information signal generated by the Conjugate Symmetric approach with that generated from the traditional method. Chapter five is for the conclusion points that have come out of this project and the further work to be implemented in the future. The attached CD contains the real time DSP implantation CCS projects of the OFDM modulator (OFDM-TX project) and OFDM demodulator (OFDM-RX project) and the CCS simulation of the OFDM modulator and demodulator (Simulation project) as well as the MATLAB codes and an electronic copy of the thesis. Chapter Two OFDM Basics 2.1 Introduction In the digital communications, the transmitted signal over a wireless channel is more preferred, when the symbol duration is significantly greater than the delay spread (s) of this channel to avoid the intersymbol interference (ISI) due to the time dispersion of transmitted symbols. But unfortunately, the symbol duration is reversely proportional to the bit rate which means a great constraint when high data rate transmission is required over a wireless channel with a relatively high delay spread due to the multipath environment of that channel [1]. The OFDM technique produces the solution to this problem, as it divides the high rate bit stream into (N) very low rate bit streams that are transmitted simultaneously using (N) orthogonal subcarriers for every OFDM symbol. Each of these low rate bit streams modulates an individual subcarrier. Therefore, the symbol duration is increased as many as (N) times without reducing the actual bit rate. 2.2 The Spectrum of the OFDM Subcarriers Figure (2-1) y(t) (the dotted curve) is the algebraic summation of the 5 sinusoidal waves Figure (2-2) the spectrum of y(t) in the frequency domain (five stems or tones) Figure (2-3) the rectangular function with (?t) duration in the time domain Figure (2-4) the spectrom of the rectangular function in the frequency domain Figure (2-5) the spectrum of the OFDM symbol with five subcarriers Suppose y(t) is a signal consisting of the algebraic summation of five sinusoidal waves (subcarriers) in the time domain with five different frequencies (f1, f2, f3, f4 and f5) respectively figure (2-1). Suppose these subcarriers have the same frequency spacing (?f) between each adjacent subcarriers in the frequency domain. The spectrum of y (t) in the frequency domain in terms of the magnitude has five stems at f1 to f5 respectively. Each stem (single tone) represents one of these five sinusoidal waves or subcarriers figure (2-2). Now, suppose an OFDM symbol (with symbol duration = (?t)) consists of the same five sinusoidal subcarriers mentioned earlier. The spectrum of this OFDM symbol in the frequency domain does not now consist of five stems; instead the spectrum is like that one in figure (2-5). The spectrum in figure (2-5) consists of five overlapped sinc functions each of which represents an individual subcarrier. Actually, our OFDM symbol is not identical to y(t). More precisely, it is a (truncated y(t)) with truncation duration equal to the OFDM symbol duration (?t). When a signal is truncated in the time domain with equal gain over all the truncated points within the period (?t), that means mathematically multiplying this signal with a rectangular function in the time domain with a time duration equal to (?t) figure (2-3). The shape of the spectrum of rectangular function in terms of the magnitude is single sinc wave in the frequency domain cutting the horizontal axis at points equal to the integer multiples of the reciprocal of the time duration (1/?t) figure (2-4). Basically, when any two signals are multiplied in the time domain, the resultant signal of this multiplication has a spectrum in the frequency domain equal to the convolution of the spectrums of the two original signals. Therefore the spectrum in figure (2-5) represents the resultant of the convolution operation between the fiv e stems of y(t) figure (2-2) and the sinc of the rectangular function figure (2-4) in the frequency domain. Looking at figure (2-5) again, it is easy to notice that the peak of each subcarrier sinc occurs at a point where all other four sincs have magnitudes equal to zero at which. This situation is the condition of the orthogonality between the subcarriers as it ensures the least interference between the subcarriers in the frequency domain. The orthogonality between subcarriers is not achieved, unless the frequency spacing between the subcarriers (?f) is equal to the reciprocal of the OFDM symbol duration (1/(?t)) [2]. 2.3 The OFDM Modulator The OFDM Modulator uses the Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) Mapper and the Inverse Fast Fourier Transformer (IFFT) to simultaneously generate and modulate the subcarriers of each OFDM symbol. Figure (2-6) shows a general block diagram of the OFDM modulator. The OFDM modulator builds and transmits each OFDM symbol consisting of a number of subcarriers equal to N as follows. The QAM mapper maps the data bits to (N) QAM vectors. Each of these vectors has real and imaginary components and represents a single subcarrier. The number of data bits that are mapped to each QAM vector (subcarrier) depends on the QAM order (M) as shown in table (2-1). Using QAM mapper with higher order produces higher data rate. However, this will be at the cost of the reception quality as the constellation of higher order QAM allows higher Bit Error Rate (BER) for a given The QAM Mapper stage maps data bits to QAM vectors in accordance with the QAM constellation. The Serial to Parallel (S/P) buffers the QAM vectors of each OFDM symbol to prepare them for the IFFT operation. The IFFT stage converts the buffered QAM vectors (the subcarriers) from the frequency domain to produce an OFDM symbol sequence equivalent to the algebraic summation of these sinusoidal subcarriers in the time domain to be buffered in the next stage. Guard Interval Insertion and Parallel to Serial stages add the guard interval to each buffered OFDM symbol sequence and produces it serially to the next stage. The DSP Low Pass Filter (LPF) and The Digital to Analogue Convertor (DAC) stages are to smooth the signal and convert the digital sequence into analogue signal. The Up Conversion and The Power Amplification stages. Figure (2-6) general block diagram of the OFDM modulator. The 4-QAM constellation, which is identical to Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) constellation, gives the receiver more tolerance to the changes of the amplitude and phase of any received QAM vector and allows the receiver to de-map it to the correct 2-bit-combination, as long as it still lies in the same quadrant from which it was originated at the transmitter, whereas 16 and 64 QAM constellations give less tolerance to the change in the phase and amplitude of the received QAM vector due to the noise and interference. Not all subcarriers of an OFDM symbol are used to carry the data bits, some of which are used as pilot carriers for the synchronization and channel estimation purposes and for providing the receiver with specific information such as the order of QAM being used by the transmitter. The Serial to Parallel (S/P) stage buffers the N vectors from the QAM stage for each OFDM symbol to produce them in parallel way to IFFT stage. The number of IFFT points is always greater than the number of the subcarriers (N), so the (S/P) pads the remaining IFFT points, which have not been assigned QAM vectors, with zeroes. The IFFT stage is the heart of the OFDM modulator. It gives the QAM vectors the mathematical ability to be considered as the OFDM subcarriers in the frequency domain and converts them to the time domain to form the multi-subcarrier information signal. In other words, as all the (N) QAM vectors of each OFDM symbol are the parallel inputs of the IFFT operation, the IFFT stage considers these QAM vectors as tones or stems in the frequency domain and converts them into correspondent subcarriers in the time domain for the given OFDM symbol duration. Each QAM vector has a specific phase and amplitude which corresponds to the bit combination this vector represents in accordance with the QAM constellation. The IFFT coverts each QAM vector into a correspondent sinusoidal subcarrier in the time domain with amplitude and phase directly related to those of that vector and a frequency that is directly proportional with the sequence of IFFT point, to which the vector has been assigned. That means if a QAM vector with sequence (n) (assigned to an IFFT point with sequence n) generates a subcarrier with frequency equal to (f), the vector with sequence (n-1) generates a subcarrier with a frequency equal to (f ?f) and the vector with sequence (n+1) generates a subcarrier with a frequency equal to (f + ?f). The IFFT stage can simultaneously produce all the N-subcarriers for each OFDM symbol as it performs the conversion from the frequency domain to the time domain for N (QAM vectors) in one parallel operation for each OFDM symbol. The OFDM symbol signal in the time domain represents the algebraic summation of all subcarriers of that symbol. Now, it is obvious how the OFDM modulator divides the high rate bit stream into (N) lower rate bit streams which are simultaneously transmitted over (N times higher OFDM symbol duration) without reducing the actual bit rate. The Guard Interval Insertion stage appends a guard period at the beginning of each OFDM. The Guard Interval (GI) (also called the Cyclic Prefix (CP)) makes a separation between the consecutive OFDM symbols to contribute in the ISI reduction and to eliminate the Intercarrier Interference (ICI) between the subcarriers. The guard interval must be greater than the highest path difference duration. As a result, multipath signals with delay smaller than the GI cannot cause ICI [3]. The guard interval is generally equal to or less than the quarter symbol duration [4]. Practically, the guard interval is generated by taking an exact copy of the end part of the OFDM symbol and adding it to the beginning of the symbol. The guard interval (GI) can be used by the receiver to determine the beginning and end of each received OFDM symbol through the cross correlation operation. Now, the sequence of the OFDM symbol is converted into serial sequence. The Guard Interval Insertion and the Parallel to Serial (P/S) stages are shown as one stage in figure (2-6). The DSP LPF smoothes the information signal. The Digital to Analogue Convertor (DAC) converts the incoming digital sequence into analogue signal. Finally, the Up Conversion and Power Amplification stage mixes the information signal with a locally generated carrier and boosts the resulted signal to be transmitted. The input data bits to the OFDM modulator in figure (2-6) may be first scrambled for the security purposes, encoded for the Forward Error Correction (FEC) purposes and interleaved (to randomize the bursts of error [5]). Therefore, scrambler, encoder and interleaver blocks may precede the other stages to provide the OFDM modulator with scrambled, encoded and interleaved coded bits [6]. It is also possible to up convert the signal whilst it is still in the digital signal processing domain before converting it to the analogue form. The Carrier Recovery and the Down Converting stage recovers the information signal from the carrier signal. The Sample and Hold circuit and the Analogue to Digital Convertor (ADC) stage converts the information signal from the analogue form to produce the digital sequence for the DSP processing. The Guard Interval Removal and the Serial to Parallel (S/P) stage removes the cyclic prefix (CP) and produces all the useful samples of the current OFDM symbol being processed to the FFT stage simultaneously. The FFT stage converts the subcarriers of the OFDM symbol from the time domain to the frequency domain and produces them to the QAM De-mapper as vectors through the (P/S) buffer. One tap Equalizer can be used to equalize the vector constellation after the FFT stage. The Parallel to Serial (P/S) stage buffers the vectors of each OFDM symbol to produce them serially to the QAM De-mapper. The QAM De-mapper assigns each vector to the correspondent bit combination to produce the data bits. Figure (2-7) general block diagram of the OFDM demodulator. 2.4 The OFDM Demodulator The OFDM modulation operation is completely reversed in the demodulator. At first, the information signal must be recovered from the carrier. This is done by the carrier recovery and down converting stage. Figure (2-7) shows a general block diagram of the OFDM demodulator. The analogue to digital convertor (ADC) converts the information signal into a digital sequence. The guard interval removal stage removes the inserted guard interval or cyclic prefix from the beginning of each OFDM symbol. The OFDM demodulator could use the cyclic prefix at the beginning of each OFDM symbol to pinpoint the beginning and end of each symbol, as the cyclic prefix at the beginning of each OFDM symbol is identical to the end part of that symbol within a duration equal to the cyclic prefix duration. Now, the digital sequence of each OFDM symbol, which represents the algebraic summation of the subcarriers signals in the time domain, is simultaneously presented to the FFT stage to convert these subcarriers into their correspondent vectors in the frequency domain. The parallel presentation of the symbols digital sequence to the FFT stage involves the idea of serial to parallel conversion of this sequence. The subcarriers may also be equalized before being presented to the QAM de-mapper using a one tap equalizer. The QAM de-mapper assigns each vector in the frequency domain to the correspondent binary bit combination in accordance with the QAM constellation being used in the transmitter and receiver. The serial sequence of the received coded bits must be de-interleaved and then decoded and descrambled, if the scrambling, encoding and the interleaving are applied in the transmission side. The number of data bits per each OFDM symbol can be easily calculated by multiplying the number of subcarriers that are used to carry the data bits (Payload subcarriers) by the number of bits represented by the QAM vector in accordance with the QAM constellation table (2-1). The carrier recovery operation can also be done after the sample and hold stage within the digital signal processing unit. 2.5 Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DVB-T) The DVB-T employs the OFDM due to its excellent performance in the multipath environments which are common in the terrestrial broadcasting, as the OFDM distributes a high bit stream over a high number of orthogonal subcarriers, each of which carries a low bit rate stream simultaneously, which makes the symbol duration much higher than the delay of the indirect paths [7]. The DVB-T has two modes 2K and 8K. As 2K and 8K modes have the same data rata, selecting which mode should be used depends on the requirements. The 2K mode has about 250 Â µ S symbol duration and 4 KHz spacing between its subcarriers, whereas the 8K mode has about 1 m S symbol duration and 1 KHz spacing between its subcarriers. These characteristics make the 8K mode with its higher symbol duration more resilient with multipath situations and channels with a high delay spread but the 2K mode resists better the shift in the frequency caused by Doppler effects due to the relative mobility between the transmitter and receiver, as it has higher frequency spacing between its subcarriers. The DVB-T has (FEC) similar to that of the DVB-S (Satellite) [8]. It has the following code rates (1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8). Not all subcarriers are used as payload carriers to carry the coded bits (data bits + redundant bits); some subcarriers are used for channel estimation and correction. These subc arriers are the pilot carriers which have vectors lying on the I (In-phase) axis of the QAM constellation with angles equal to either 0 degrees or 180 degrees, hence they have only real components unlike the payload vectors which have real and imaginary components in order to recognize between them. The mapping of the pilot carriers to be delivered as vectors to the IFFT stage in the OFDM modulator is achieved through the BPSK modulation which uses the I (in-phase) axis of the constellation. Figure (2-8) shows the locations of DVB-T subcarriers on the 4-QAM constellation. The locations of the payload carriers The locations of the continual and scatter pilot carriers The locations of the TPS pilot carriers Figure (2-7) general block diagram of the OFDM demodulator. The DVB-T uses 4, 16 or 64 QAM to modulate the coded bits to be represented as payload subcarrier vectors, therefore each payload subcarrier can carry 2, 4 or 6 coded bits every OFDM symbol respectively. The DVB-T uses a guard interval length equal to (1/4, 1/8, 1/16 or 1/32) of the OFDM symbol duration [8]. 2.5.1 The DVB-T OFDM Subcarriers The DVB-T 2K mode has 2048 subcarriers, but it only uses 1705 subcarriers and sets the rest to zero. The 1705 carriers are numbered from 0 to 1704. It uses 1512 subcarriers as payload carriers and the remaining 193 subcarriers as pilot carriers. There are three types of the pilot carriers the continual pilots, scatter pilots and the (Transmission Parameter Signaling) (TPS) pilots. The continual pilots have fixed positions in the OFDM symbol spectrum. For example the sequences 0, 48, 969, 1683 and 1704 in the range (0 1704) are reserved as positions for the continual pilots. The continual pilots are used by the receiver to estimate the amount of phase rotation of the received QAM vectors. Every group of 12 subcarrier vectors has only one scatter pilot. The scatter pilots do not have fixed positions. Among each 12 carriers positions there is one variable position for one scatter pilot. The position of each scatter pilot regularly varies from symbol to symbol by jumping 3 positions for ward with respect to its position in the previous symbol. The scatter pilots are used to estimate the channel too. The TPS pilot carriers have fixed positions and are used by the transmitter to inform the receiver about the transmission parameters such as. The DVB-T mode (2K or 8K) Modulation type of the payload subcarrier vectors (4, 16, or 64) QAM FEC code rate (1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 5/6 or 7/8) Length of the guard interval (1/4, 1/8, 1/16 or 1/32) Like the continual and scatter pilots, the TPS pilot carriers lie on the I (in-phase) axis. Each OFDM symbol in the 2K mode has 17 TPS pilot carriers with fixed positions. Within the same symbol all the 17 TPS pilots are either at 0 degrees or 180 degrees. The receiver determines the state of TPS pilots whether the TPS pilots of the received symbol are at 0 degrees or 180 degree based on the majority voting rule. Through the TPS pilots, the transmitter sends the receiver 67 information bits every OFDM frame. The OFDM frame consists of 68 OFDM symbols. The TPS pilots are Differential Bi-Phase Shift Keying (DBPSK) modulated. That means the receiver considers receiving an information bit = (0), if the state of the TPS pilots change from the previous symbol to the current symbol and considers receiving an information bit = (1), if the phase or state of the TPS pilots does not change from the previous symbol to the current symbol. 68 OFDM symbols are required to transmit the 67 informatio n bits, as the first symbol is used to determine the initializing state of the TPS pilots. The 67 bits inform the receiver about the transmission parameters, for example: Bits 26 and 27 represent the QAM order (00=4, 01=16, 10=64) Bits 31, 32 and 33 represent the code rate (000=1/2, 001=2/3, 010=3/4, 011=5/6, 100=7/8) The DVB-T 8K mode has 6817 subcarrier per each OFDM symbol. The subcarriers of the 8K have the same principles and use of those of 2K with difference in their numbers only. Table (2 2) shows the different subcarriers of both 2K and 8K modes. The scatter pilot carriers have two different numbers of the subcarriers, as the scatter pilot carriers coincide with fixed locations of the continual pilot carriers due to their jumping [8]. 2.6 WLAN 802.11a Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) 802.11a employ OFDM as a digital communication technique for reliable and high data rate transmission. Each OFDM symbol is expressed by 64 subcarriers, but the actual used subcarriers are (52) (64 52 =12 subcarriers are set to zero). There are 48 payload carriers to carry the coded bits (data and redundancy bits) and 4 pilot carriers. The frequency spacing between the subcarriers is (?f = 312.5 KHz). The required channel bandwidth can be calculated by multiplying the total number of subcarriers by the frequency spacing = 312.5 K * 64 = 20 MHz. To achieve the orthogonality between the subcarriers the OFDM symbol duration (?t) must be equal to the reciprocal of (?f) (?t = 1/ ?f), hence ?t = 1/312.5 KHz = 3.2 Â µs. 802.11a appends a guard interval (GI) equal of (1/4) the OFDM symbol duration at the beginning of each OFDM symbol (GI = 0.25 * 3.2 Â µs = 0.8 Â µs), therefore each OFDM symbol occupies (3.2 Â µs + 0.8 Â µs = 4 Â µs) time interval. That means a wireless device transmits 250,000 OFDM symbol per second. 802.11a allows wireless devices to have (8) transmission data rates or modes (6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 54) M bits/sec. 802.11a uses (BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM or 64-QAM) to modulate the payload carriers and uses (1/2, 2/3 or 3/4) code rate for the FEC in accordance with transmission data rate being used. The different (8) modes use different modulation types and different code rates as shown in table (2-3) [6]. 802.11a uses BPSK modulation to modulate the payload carries in modes 1 and 2 unlike the DVB-T which only uses QAM modulation to modulate the payload carriers. For each mode, the OFDM symbol has the same total duration (4 Â µs) (250,000 OFDM symbol/Sec) and the same channel bandwidth (20 MHz), as it has the same number of subcarriers (48 payload carriers and 4 pilot carriers). Looking back at table (2-3) (Mode (8) 54 Mbps), as the 64-QAM modulation is used to modulate the payload carriers, each payload carrier in the OFDM symbol carries (log2 (64) = 6 coded bits). Each OFDM symbol carries (48 payload carriers/OFDM symbol * 6 coded bits/payload carrier = 288 coded bits / OFDM symbol). The number of data bits per each OFDM symbol = 288 * (code rate = 3/4) = 216 data bits / OFDM symbol. There are 250,000 OFDM symbols / Sec, hence the data bit rate = 216 * 250,000 = 54 Mbps. Chapter Three The MATLAB Analyses for the Hardware Implementation Approaches 3.1 Introduction Throughout this chapter the ideas and approaches that will be used for the DSP hardware implementation of the OFDM modulator and demodulator on two separate DSP boards will be discussed and simulated by using the MATLAB. There are mainly three approaches. The use of the (Conjugate Symmetric) with the carrier vectors which are the inputs of the IFFT stage in the OFDM modulator to produce an OFDM information signal in the time domain with a real part only for easier modulation and demodulation, which is the proposal that has come out from this project. The use of the squared cosine to recover the OFDM information signal from the carrier signal in the receiver (the synchronization of the carrier frequency signal). The make use of the guard interval (GI) or the cyclic prefix (CP) for the synchronization of the OFDM symbol (i.e. The Symbol Clock Recovery) to allow the receiver to know the correct boundaries of each received OFDM symbol to set the FFT window at the correct positions of the received OFDM signal. 3.2 The Mathematical Analysis of a Multicarrier Signal To understand the idea of the (Conjugate Symmetric) and the role of the IFFT and FFT in the OFDM system, lets consider y(t) as a continuous multicarrier signal with a real part only in the time domain consisting of the algebraic summation of five sinusoidal waves or subcarriers which have the following frequencies (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) KHz and phase shifts (p4,,3p4, 5p4, 7p2, 9p4) respectively with equal amplitude = (28) for each. For our y(t), each two adjacent subcarriers (in the frequency domain) have 90 degrees phase shift. y(t) can be expressed in the time domain as in Eq. (3-1) It is not necessary for the five subcarriers forming y(t) to have the same magnitude. It is just to simplify this discussion. Now, if y(t) is sampled with sampling frequency (Fs). Fs must be greater than (2 * 5 KHz = 10 KHz), where 5 KHz is the highest frequency of y(t) according to the Nyquist-Shannon theorem. Nyquist-Shannon theorem stipulates that the sampling rate or frequency must be at least two times greater than the highest frequency of the sampled signal to avoid the aliasing which prevents providing the DSP system with a right copy of the sampled signal [9]. When a continuous signal in the time domain is sampled, a sample is taken at every (t = n * Ts). Ts is the sampling interval (Ts = 1 / Fs) and n is zero or positive integer number representing the sequence of the sample. y(t) is no longer continuous. Now, y(t) represents a sequence of discrete values. In Eq. (3-1), y(t) is replaced by y(n) in the left hand side and (t) is replaced by (n * Ts) or (n / Fs) in the right hand side as in Eq. (3-2). If Fs is set to 16 KHz (16 KHz > 10 KHz) and 16-point FFT operation is performed to y(n) to produce y(n)s spectrum in the frequency domain in order to study it. The 16 point FFT operation needs 16 discrete values or samples of y(n) for n = 0, 1, 2,13, 14, 15. The results of 16 point FFT operation are 16 complex vectors in the frequency domain. The 16 discrete values (samples) of y(n) are the inputs of the FFT in the time domain and the outputs are 16 complex vectors of Y(m) which represents y(n)s spectrum in the frequency domain. Table (3-1) lists the 16 discrete values of y(n) in the time domain and table (3-2) lists the 16 vectors

The Plague of Cheating and Internet Plagiarism :: Journalistic Essays

Internet Essays - The Plague of Internet Plagiarism Not all thieves lurk in dark alleys and parks. Some sit with their faces lit by the glow of their computer monitors, copying, pasting, and printing. It may seem like just another helpful source of information, but the Internet has taken the theft of "intellectual property" to a new level. Part of the problem is that most students don't really know the exact definition of plagiarism or its consequences. Some say that using someone else's ideas without attributing them is a form of theft, but most people don't think of it as a serious crime. For teachers, Internet plagiarism has been especially problematic compared to "theft" from other sources. This is because it is so difficult to locate the origin of Internet material. To counter student plagiarism, Internet services designed to detect copied material have emerged to aid teachers. One Internet company, TurnItIn.com, has developed a system for detecting material plagiarized from the Internet. Teachers can upload student works onto the site, which searches for similarities to material from all over the Web. The teachers receive an "originality report" within a few days. To utilize this new technology, a few teachers at this high school are having students submit their papers on disk as well as on paper. "The threat of using [these programs] will stop a lot of students. They will be afraid they'll be caught. Unfortunately, fear is what works," English teacher Judy Grear said. English teacher Barbara Swovelin said, "With all the info that's on the Internet, it's understandable that we go to it to get information. It's understandable that people would use it as a resource. The legal and moral issues come in when students use it improperly." A main concern is not only the use of a few plagiarized sentences, but of entire papers. "Paper mills" like SchoolSucks.com and Evil House of Cheat are some of the most popular sources for pirated papers. Sites like these, which have achieved fame and notoriety among slackers everywhere, were the motivation for TurnItIn.com and similar sites. In addition to such blatant "cut and paste" plagiarism, most teachers agree that students must be wary of the theft of ideas. One plagiarism-detection program, Word Check, asserts through their Web site, "Whether you agree or disagree on how information should be used or reused in digital form, one thing is clear: protecting intellectual property from theft and infringement is the number one security issue.