Friday, November 29, 2019

Three Things I Wish I Knew Before Senior Year

As junior year eclipsed into summer, I was ready to relax and let the stress of junior year melt like butter pecan ice cream on my tongue. I had done it. I had finally finished my school year on track. In those first moments, there was nothing as exciting as leaving my standardized test prep books behind for the beginning of my senior year.I could already picture it: Polished senior yearbook photos, school football games, and spring break trips with friends, to name a few. Senior year was going to be my year (How often have you heard that cliche?).There’s nothing wrong with wanting the most out of your last year, but there are some things I wish I had known beforehand. These may seem to be given ideas, but I can’t stress enough how much more my outlook on senior year changed with these three points. With these in mind, I wish the best for ever senior or rising senior! 1. Use the most of your summer. When an older student says they wish they had spent more time on college applications, they really mean it. Take their advice - use your free time wisely, especially when you have it during the summer. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t enjoy your break. After a year of testing, you have every right to relax. But be careful of the downward spiral of â€Å"I worked hard junior year. I deserve this.† The summer after my junior year, I fell into it and proceeded to not spend a majority of my time as efficiently as I wished I had three months later. Looking into different colleges and writing up drafts for application essays can take more than anticipated, and dedicating time will be worth it. 2. Make senior moments. Especially if you’re involved in multiple AP and honor classes, it can be difficult to manage time outside of studying. But keep in mind that senior year is truly your last year of high school. I constantly forgot this as I spent another weekend burying myself in my studying. It wasn’t until months into the year that I realized how many opportunities there are to make new memories. Make your own High School Musical: Senior Year moment and embrace each minute. Of course try to maintain grades, but don’t be afraid to have fun with loved ones! 3. Talk to that person. You know, that person. The one you never realized was in class with you, or the one sitting by themselves in the corner. If you’re afraid, just remember that these months may be the last you ever have with that person. I met many of my close friends this year who I never even knew was in my grade! It’ll be worth even a minute to simply talk. Written by an high school student. Want to share your story? Shoot us an email via our contact form.

Monday, November 25, 2019

The detection of defective members of large populations Essay Example

The detection of defective members of large populations Essay Example The detection of defective members of large populations Essay The detection of defective members of large populations Essay Recently your firm has made a series of costly errors in its group life insurance quotations. Your supervisor wishes to improve quality control. She has discovered a classic article in the field: Dorfman, Robert (1943), The detection of defective members of large populations, Annals of Mathematical Statistics, 14(3), pp. 436-440. Your supervisor has asked you to read this article, and then write a review of the article. She has specified that the review should be no longer than 1200 words. Before the outbreak of World War Two, in 1943 Harvard economist and mathematical statistician Robert Dorfman wrote an article that is integral and significant in statistics. His article The Detection of Defective Members of Large Populations (TDDMLP), reveals Dorfmans intricate thinking and now part of the Annals of Mathematical Statistics that is published by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. Moreover, in the article he emphasizes on the process achieving an efficient method for eliminating all defective members of certain types of large populations. This idea follows close to the importance of quality control, which is vital in all types of financial institutions, from banks to insurance companies. In conjunction, Dorfman uses the analogy of discussing blood samples as one application of the quality control methodology. Ultimately, TDDMLP can be utilised in proving indirectly that undergoing shortcuts do not completely reduce quality, if and only if the analytical theory is supported by it. With Dorfmans main objective to identify defective individual members of a large populace in a less expensive and tedious process, informs the reader that testing of combined samples can be beneficial in an economical way. By experimenting on a large-scale population such as the United States Public Health Service and Selective Service, Dorfman collects the blood samples from the men inductees from the armed forces, and conducts experiment with them to detect which men had a syphilitic antigen. In TDDMLP Dorfman proposes that under a statistical and probabilistically approach of the elimination of defective people can be minimised by increasing the efficiency of detection. Hence with his intention to pool the samples into groups will reveal the extent of saving compared to individual testing. In this experiment, Dorfman undergoes a methodological and practical process to demonstrate his idea. He executes this by first pooling N blood samples into group pools with n members, rather than testing each blood sample from the individual men. With the assumption that the tests are conducted under sufficiently sensitive and specific rules, if the group pools contain no syphilitic antigen, then the pool will test negative, which this indicates none of the people in that batch are infected with syphilis. On the other hand, if a syphilitic antigen is found in the pool, then at least one of the members in that pool is affected, so then each member in that pool will be retested separately to determine which of them is infected. In addition this process will determine the most efficient size of the pool groups with the assumption that since the population is large enough the discrete binomial distribution can be applied. Furthermore his findings also reveal the amount of savings attainable by conducting the experiment with group pooling. In the article, Dorfman shows three important findings, which are that as the prevalence rate increase, the relative testing cost from individual testing increases and both the number of people in each pool (n) and the amount of savings decrease. One of the key deductions found from the experiment is that the extent of savings attainable will increase as the prevalence rate decrease. This can be numerically examined with reference to Table 1 in the article, as it shows the relative testing costs for selected prevalence rates to individual testing. The table shows that as the prevalence rate increases amongst the members, the savings that could be made from pooling diminishes; this is because when there is a low level of prevalence rate of defectives, it is likely that a new pool formed from the untested samples will prove to be negative. So if blood samples results in being negative, then the test for that pool is finished, otherwise the test should run individually again until a defective is detected. By following this procedure until a negative pool is found, the amount of savings attainable would increase by average 5. 5% with each extra percent decrease in the prevalence rate. Also Dorfman findings reveals that the amount of savings attainable can be maximally done at 80% with prevalence rate of 1%, and with a much higher prevalence rate of 30%, there is only 1% of savings, hence the extent of savings attainable will increase as the prevalence rate decrease. In addition, as Dorfman uses group testing instead of individual testing shows that the relative testing cost increases as the prevalence rate increases. In conjunction, the amount of economical benefit that can be gathered depends on the group pool size and the prevalence rate. Dorfman shows the optimal size of the pool groups (i. e. amount of n) for different levels of prevalence rates diagrammatically and numerically. From Figure 1 in the article, it displays the shape of the relative cost for prevalence rates ranging from 1% to 15%. By looking at the minimum points of the curves, the optimum group size for a population with a known prevalence rate is the integral value of n, this has the lowest corresponding value on the relative cost curve for that prevalence rate. Dorfman revealed that the maximum amount of people per group at the lowest prevalence rate of 1% are 11 people, and with the highest prevalence rate of 30% with 3 people per group. Evidently this proves that it is more economical to detect defectives by group pooling than to test individually. Although TDDMLP revealed great insight into the efficient method for eliminating all defective members of certain types of large populations, by finding it more economical and time wise to group pool rather than testing individually, however Dorfman fails to take into account any technical failure or operators error. With the possible degree of impurity or imperfection and taking the shortcut of combines testing may result to incorrect findings. Yet Dorfman used a process that was in a logical and coherent order, subsequently there would be a low level of possibility of faults. This can be related to quality control of firms, in which improving quality control for firms is becoming an opportunity cost for raising revenue. Robert Dorfmans remarkable and notable article The Detection of Defective Members of Large Populations, is renowned for its statistical findings on economical benefits in group pooling compared to individual testing in detecting defectives amongst a large population. Dorfman uses the connection between prevalence rates of syphilis to the pool size and the extent of savings attainable. His results show that as the prevalence rate increase, the relative testing cost from individual testing increases and the number of people in each pool (n) and the amount of savings decrease. Hence the relative cost and the amount of savings achievable have an indirect relationship. This shows that quality control can at times be hindsight, when costs want to be reduced. Bibliography 1. Dorfman, Robert (1943), The Detection of Defective Members of Large Populations, Annals of Mathematical Statistics, 14(3), pp. 436-440. 2. Sterrett, Andrew. (1957), On the Detection of Defective Members of Large Populations, Annals of Mathematical Statistics, 28, pp. 1033 3. Theobald, C. , and A. Davie, (February 9, 2007), Group Testing, the Pooled Hypergeometric Distribution and Estimating Numbers of Defectives in Small Populations, pp 2-4

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Internet, Freedom of Expression, and Terrorism Assignment - 6

The Internet, Freedom of Expression, and Terrorism - Assignment Example Professor Pape claims its purpose is strategic in nature when seen not from the perspective of the individual suicide bomber but from the perspective of the terrorist organization. When seen this way, suicide terrorism is a bit logical since it is aimed at achieving a specific political purpose (such as forcing a government to change its policies, to entice new recruits into joining their terror organization, and to mobilize both local and domestic financial support. In this regard, there is the method to their madness, so to speak, what Thomas Schelling termed as the â€Å"rationality of irrationality† (Pape, 2003, p. 344). A modern liberal democracy will be forced to make territorial concessions so that suicide bombers will no longer enter their own territory, forcing a state to improve its homeland security instead of taking offensive military action in another territory as a coercive instrument by the state. The significance of using female suicide bombers is an escalation and act of desperation. However, there is also logic in using females for this purpose because it increases the threat of success since females are generally not suspected as capable of doing suicide terrorist attacks, a female attacker will not likely be frisked for bombs and is likely to accomplish her mission, the female attacker can easily conceal weapons on her body and garments, she can easily make last- minute adjustments, and is much more able to infiltrate heavily-guarded targets (ibid. p. 346). Freedom of expression is one of the basic human rights; this freedom extends to all forms of media such as individual verbal expression, on the radio, in the newspapers, and on television. As such, freedom of expression is a basic foundation of a functioning democracy, and this kind of freedom has no limits except on the issues of libel and the corresponding obligation to use this basic freedom in a responsible manner.  Ã‚  

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

An investigation into the image of Bangkok as a tourist destination Dissertation

An investigation into the image of Bangkok as a tourist destination from British consumer perspectives and Thai industry provide - Dissertation Example The research inferred that Bangkok might not be one of the top vacation places for the British because there are many problems in the city which are causing British tourists to lower their number of visits here. Firstly there is the flood, along with the theft, no security, scams, prostitution, environment and dirt, which is de-motivating the British to come to Bangkok. Useful recommendations have been given like improving the security, the canal system, the law and order, environmental consciousness, marketing efforts, training and development of the hotel industry and an active role played by the government in making improvements in the city so that its attractiveness increases and more British tourists come to visit. Contents Table Contents Table 1.Chapter introduction 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Background 2 1.3 Methodological approach and data sources used of the study 3 1.4 aims and objectives of the research 4 1.5 Hypothesis 6 1.6 The layout of the research 6 1.7 Conclusion 7 2.L iterature review 8 2.1 Introduction 8 2.2 Pest Analysis 9 2.2.1 Political Environment 9 2.2.2 Economic environment 11 2.2.2.1 The tourism industry 11 2.2.3 Social factors 12 2.2.4 Technological factors 14 2.2.5 Ecological environment 15 2.3 SWOT Analysis 17 2.3.1 Strengths 17 2.3.1.1Shopping 17 2.3.1.2 Privately owned tourist spots 18 2.3.1.3 Asian Weather 19 2.3.1.4 Culture 19 2.3.2 Weaknesses 20 2.3.2.1 Counterfeit products 20 2.3.2.2 Pollution 20 2.3.2.3 Gems and Jewellery 20 2.3.2.4 Vehicles rental 21 2.3.2.5 Low maintenance of tourist spots 21 2.3.3 Opportunities 22 2.3.3.1 Investments 22 2.3.4 Threat 23 2.3.4.1 Floods 23 2.3.4.2 Spread of widespread diseases 24 2.3.4.3 Terrorism 25 Chapter 3 Methodology 26 3.1 Introduction 26 3.2 Role of the researcher 26 3.3 Methods 27 3.3.1 Research on British subjects 28 3.3.2 Questionnaire for British subjects 29 3.3.3 Questionnaire for the tourist industry 30 3.3.4 Interview of the British subjects 30 3.3.5 Interview of tradesmen from the tourist industry 31 3.4 Subjects 31 3.4.1 British subjects 31 3.4.2 Criteria for selection 32 3.4.3 Tradesmen selection method 33 3.4.4 Tradesmen selection criteria 33 3.5 Data Analysis 34 3.6Trustworthiness of the method 35 3.6.1 Reliability 35 3.6.2 Validity 35 3.6.3 Ethical validity 36 3.6.4 Generalized validity 36 Chapter 4-Results and discussion 37 4.1. what motivates British consumers 37 4.2 What attracts British tourists to Bangkok 44 Chapter 5-Conclusion and Recommendations 60 5.1 Conclusion 60 5.2 Recommendations 66 5.2.1 Improve the flood-affected areas 66 5.2.2 Maintenance 66 5.2.3 Scams and thefts 67 5.2.4 Environmental social responsiveness 67 5.2.5 Technology 68 5.2.6 Epidemics 69 5.2.7 Legal system 69 5.2.8 Tourist security 69 5.2.9 Marketing 70 5.2.10 Improve service and placement 70 5.2.11Training and up gradation 71 5.2.12 Ecotourism 71 5.3 Limitations 71 6. Appendix 72 7. References 75 1.Chapter introduction This chapter gives a brief overview of the research whe re the topic has been explained in detail along with a background of the research. The aims and objectives have been described, the layout of the research report has been given along with the methodology used. Lastly there is the conclusion of the whole chapter.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Summary of Benjamin R. Bates. Audiences, Metaphors, and the Persian Essay

Summary of Benjamin R. Bates. Audiences, Metaphors, and the Persian Gulf War - Essay Example The American public was crucial to the Persian Gulf War. A number of communication scholars viewed Bush's actions as critical to acquiring and retaining this domestic public endorsement. However, some appeals that might work wonders with a domestic audience are not likely to be convincing to an international audience. For instance, appeals to American nationalism, American civil religion, or American exceptionalism may work well for an American audience, but are not likely to influence Omani, or Senegalese audiences. Other appeals, though, may persuade both domestic and international constituencies. Appeals that cross audiences are especially important in war rhetoric. Instead of being the persuasion of the whole cosmopolis, international persuasion can be considered the persuasion of opinion leaders that hold power in other states. In constructing persuasive appeals to international opinion leaders, Bush cannot simply speak however one wishes. According to Bates research Bush did four things successfully to persuade international opinion leaders. First, Bush identified appropriate international opinion leaders for persuasion. The Persian Gulf War was framed as a military issue. Therefore, Bush sought to convince the heads of other states to join the American military coalition. Bush also created the manifestation of consultation and dialogue through telephone diplomacy and personal consultations. Con

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Benefit-Cost Ratio in Healthcare Services

Benefit-Cost Ratio in Healthcare Services When you think of going to the hospital or calling an ambulance, it is difficult to not think about the costs included with those services. All of the money spent does in fact go to good use in the hospital because the cost to run and maintain the machinery and equipment is very high. It can be so great that supplies are scarce therefore equipment does not get to the ambulances. An important life saving device is an AED, or an Automated External Defibrillator. These can be found around hallways of the campus and exerts a shock to someone who had a heart attack and no longer has a heartbeat. AEDs are fairly expensive and highly inelastic so they are difficult to obtain or replicate. ÃÆ'-rebro University in Sweden analyzed the costs and benefits of carrying the AED for EMS (Emergency Medical Service) use. The most common cause of death is coronary heart disease in the world happening nowhere near a hospital bed (Sund). When someone goes into cardiac arrest, it is crucial the patient is resuscitated as soon as possible to increase the chance of survival. Defibrillation plays one of the most important parts during resuscitation and that is where the AED comes into account. Every minute that a person goes without a heartbeat, their chance of survival decreases dramatically. Their brain needs oxygen, the entire body needs blood, and without the heart flowing blood throughout the body, there is a higher chance of organ failure if they do survive. But before you go out and purchase thousands of AEDs, there are a few things that need to be looked over. Not only do the hospitals have to account for the cost of a single AED, but they have to train the different employees on how to use it, the hospitalization afterwards, and the supplies used during the ten-year lifespan such as the sticky pads that go on the person to send the shock and replacement batteries. The total costs of the defibrillators in the county of Stockholm accumulated to just over 8 million euros, or 8.45 million dollars (Sund). Assume the average cost is 8 million dollars per county in North Carolina. There are 100 counties in North Carolina, totaling 800 million dollars for installation of defibrillators in our state alone. There is no doubt the AEDs would have a high cost, but the benefits overcome that hurdle by saving many peoples life. For most 9-1-1 calls, the first responders are the police, fire department, and EMS with an ambulance for transport. By having the fire depot responding to medical calls, the chance of survival increases significantly. In the county of Stockholm, the average time for use of the AED decreased by one minute and the percentage of survival after one month increased by two percent (Sund). In just one county, those numbers represent how significant and useful an AED device can be. To put a monetary amount on the value of life, it would be 2.2 million euros to prevent premature death. This comes from a survey where people were asked how much they would be willing to pay to prevent death (Sund). In the end, the benefits of an AED device calculated to be 36 times higher than the costs, proving that a price cannot be put on a persons life. With a benefit-cost ratio of 36, meaning the benefit is 36 times more than the amount of the cost spent, it is easy to see that the people of Stockholm would be supportive of the program. The AEDs are a one in ten year purchase with an almost infinite use within the time frame. Once the AED devices are bought, that is the only cost, but every life saved is an additional benefit. It is easy to see that in one year, you can make the money back by three times as much. Currently, slightly over half of all EMS has an AED available. Maybe if the government read this article, they would understand the importance of it and how much it impacts survival during an emergency. Reference (APA) Sund, B., Svensson, L., Rosenqvist, M., Hollenberg, J. (2011). Favourable cost-benefit in an early defibrillation programme using dual dispatch of ambulance and fire services in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The European Journal of Health Economics: HEPAC, 13(6), 811-8. doi:http://0-dx.doi.org.bravecat.uncp.edu/10.1007/s10198-011-0338-7

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Essay --

King Lear was one of Shakespeare’s lifetime popular work, and one of his most powerful works. Many people believe it was Shakespeare’s best tragedies ever committed. In this paper I will be giving a brief summary of the story as it unfolds; and a character analysis from the main characters are going to be presented as well. King Lear of Britain decided to step down from his throne, leaving his kingdom to his three daughters. Before the king divides his kingdom the king tests. The three daughters had to express their love for the king; his two oldest daughters Goneril and Regan sweet talk the king for a part of the kingdom. Cordelia the youngest and Lear’s favorite remained silent and told the king that no word can express her love for the king. King Lear became furious for not hearing the sweet words he was expecting and disowns Cordelia. She then leaves the country to marry the king of France. (Mabillard) Lear’s most trusted counselor Earl of Kent is also banished for defending Cordelia. Kent seeing danger in the Kings oldest daughters leads him to put himself in disguise as a servant. He remains close to King Lear to protect him from Goneril and Regan who decides to usurp their father’s kingdom. Meanwhile the Earl of Gloucester is also dismayed by the events happening in his household. Edmund his illegitimate son told Gloucester that Edgar his legitimate son is trying to kill him. This being a lie by Edmund to obtain his brothers birthright. (Mabillard) When Gloucester realizes that Lear’s daughter have turned against him he decides to help him. Regan and her husband Cornwall discover Gloucester helping Lear and accuse him of treason, bling him and turns him to wonder the countryside. He later is found by his disguised son ... ...r father and turned against him. They plotted their father’s death with Edmund. He was the son of Gloucester; he was evil and wicked. Not only does he plot the king’s death but his own father’s death too blaming it on his brother. Edgar was the opposite of his brother Edmund. He is similar to Cordelia; both suffer very much thought out the story. Unlike Cordelia, Edgar does remain alive at the end, and ends up being the King of Britain with Kent and Albany. Kent was King Lear’s loyal companion and counselor. He remains incognito to stay with the king. Kent remained loyal to his king after he realized the king’s daughter’s heartless actions. These were the conflicts King Lear faced throughout the story. Many of the conflicts being from love, power, loyalty, and family. At the end of it all the king died of grief that he could have prevented from the beginning.