America Civil Aviation Authority Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

America Civil Aviation Authority - Essay Example The authority is housed within the America Airports Authority (AAA) head office. It is around 18km from the city centre and about 20-25 minutes ride depending on the traffic. The authority’s broad key functions are to regulate the aviation industry in America, to provide air navigational services within America’s Flight Information Region (FIR) and to offer training for aviation personnel. The company provides an air transport reimbursement facility to those employees who incur expenditures in flight ticketing, which means that the expenditure incurred by employees in air ticketing is compensated by the company. The process described above has been automated by a system and some IT infrastructural resources and assets that depend on IT for a complete transaction or operation. The average users of the system include the staff, the IT administrators and the finance employees. The staff members require the following IT requirements: a computer networked with the organizati on’s server in the server room. The computer should be able to remotely connect to the server in the server room in order to access the system remotely. The server is able to identify the users with specific IP addresses. The server then filters the addresses and initiates an access control procedure. Access to the system is controlled on the basis of the users’ IP addresses. Once the server identifies the IP address, it displays the appropriate interface to the user. The IT administrators are the technical users of the system. They handle all processing of applications by other staff members. They also ensure that the system is available to all users 24 hours a day 7 days in a week. The finance staff members, on the other hand, only verify the identification of the employees who are to be compensated. The reporting structure of the organization and the senior IT group are as shown below: ACAA Infrastructure The following diagram shows the organizational structure of t he America Civil Aviation Authority starting from the chief information officer (CIO) to the other departments within the organization. It is one of my duties as the CIO of ACAA to protect all the information regarding ACAA as an organization as well as an enterprise. All the ACAA IT functions are overseen by me. In addition, I also ensure ACAA data integrity is protected. Given that ACAA treats IT as an organizational asset, it is my duty therefore, to make sure that IT is perfectly aligned with the ACAA business goals. Such duties as the establishment of technical service centers, data centers, scheduling production, communication networks, the development of computer programs and employee training are tasked to me. I am privileged with the ability to make and take strategic decisions regarding IT given the availability of large amount of information associated with my position. I, however, work closely with the executive management, CEO, stakeholders and Board of Directors in the decision making process. It is my duty to ensure that complete and accurate data are obtained by both the ACAA internal and external customers in a timely manner. This is achieved through research and implementation of the latest developments, technologies and trends. I make sure my IT staff is innovative in order to be able to convert the organization’s opportunities to its strength.  

Additions and Substraction of Elements in a Movie Essay

Additions and Substraction of Elements in a Movie - Essay Example For example the Ring is a horror movie based on writings of a Japanese author. It made entrance into the cinema halls in the year 1998 and it is based from the novel by Koji Suzuki, the ring (Suzuki, 9). The movie is produced by Hideo Nakata and it draws its traditional tale from Bancho Sarayashiki. This Japanese movie is a horror movie that depicts a video tape that is cursed and whoever watches it, must die after a week. The film stars Hiroyuki Sanada, RikiyaOtaka, and Nanako Matsushima as members of a divorced family and they play an impressive role to make this movie seem a reality. This Japanese movie was produced in 2002 in the United States of America as The Ring and in South Korea as the Ring Virus. The 2002 sequel of the Ringu, Japanese version, features American actors and actresses who, based on the plot of Suzuki’s book and Hideo Nakata movie, produce a horror movie which focuses on the cursed video tape. The American movie is directed by Verbinski and has Naomi Wa tts and Martin Henderson as the main cast. The movie just as its Japanese series was a commercial hit in America and recorded huge sales and won numerous awards, such as the Saturn award 2002, The Teen choice and MTV award, 2003 and this propelled the producers of this movie to produce another sequel of the Ring in 2005. The South Korean version of the Ring is called the Ring Virus. The version, just like the American movie borrows heavily from the plot of the book the Ring by Suzuki. The South Korean version is extremely similar to the Japanese version except on its cast and areas of production. This paper will analyze the American Version of the Ring versus Ringu, the Japanese version, highlighting its differences and how they attract their respective audience. It will examine the elements added or removed in these two adaptations in order to widen their appeal to the targeted audience. The American version of the Ringu, i.e. The Ring though similar in narration and theme, has a d ifferent plot from the Japanese Sequel of Ringu. The America version involves Katie Embry, who is 16 years old, Becca Kotler who is 17 years old. They discuss a cursed video tape that whoever watches it, must die. Katie reveals that seven days ago, in a cabin, she watched the movie and explains the curse that befalls those who watch the movie. The two friends laugh off but suddenly, after mysterious events, she collapses and dies. Becca witnesses these events which make her run mad and there after taken to mental hospital. In the Japanese movie, two teenagers involved are called Masami and Tomoko. Tomoko narrates the same story to Masami and in the event, Masami realizes that Tomoko is meant to die, and she dies suddenly. The differences in this plot are the sense that while Katie and Becca laughed off the legend of the cursed video tape, Tomoko and Masami took it seriously. The American version of the Ring is meant for American citizens and those who share a similar culture to them .Embry and Becca laugh off the superstitions surrounding the video tape, Masami and Tomoko take it seriously and belief on the existence of curses. In the American culture, curses are just beliefs and they cannot happen and therefore this aspect of the play appeals to a wider audience of the American society (Lacefield, 28). The Japanese are rather a superstitious people, they believe in their traditions and the power of curses, and this is the reason as to why Massimo believed in the cursed video tape, and that Tomino was meant to die. This aspect of the movie’s plot is attractive to the Japanese people since it appeals to their culture. Therefore, the directors of The Ring, in removing remorse as

Synthesis and Characterization of Nylon-6,6 Polymer

Synthesis and Characterization of Nylon-6,6 Polymer Abstract Synthesis and characterization of nylon-6,6 polymer was performed in this experiment. Nylon-6,6, was obtained from adipoyl chloride and 1,6-hexanediamine monomers, dissolved in cyclohexane and water. Employing interfacial polymerization technique, thin film of nylon product was formed and collected. The final product were white peaces of small fragile strings with a total mass of 0.0694 g and 4 cm in length. Infrared spectroscopy then characterized the final product and confirmed successeful synthesis of nylon-6,6 polymer due to the appearance of N-H stretching, C=O stretching, and N-H bending from the secondary amide group and from the nylon polymer. Introduction Polymers are macromolecules consisting of smaller subunits, called monomers.4 There are two main types of synthetic polymers, according to the mechanism by which they are synthetically made: step- growth and chain-growth polymers.4 One of the most popular synthetic polymers is nylon-6,6 due to low cost and ease of synthesis. There is no human activity where plastics are not used on a daily basis. Nylon in particular is widely used, due to variety of properties such as: elasticity, flexibility, lightweight and strength.5 Clothing, electronics, packaging, cars, airplanes, medical supplies, cookware, ropes all examples of nylon fabrics.5 In this experiment nylon is made by step- growth polymerization and condensation reaction. The monomers involved in this polymerization reaction are adipoyl chloride and 1,6-hexanediamine dissolved in cyclohexane, respectively. The chloride from the acid and the hydrogen proton from the amine group form a hydrochloric acid.4 The rest of the adipoyl chloride and hexanediamine will link together to form a larger polymer molecule. In each end of this polymer is a primary amine group in one end or an acid chloride group in the other end.4 These groups can act in a similar way with other acid/amine groups from the adipoyl chloride and hexanediamine. If many steps of this process are repeated, nylon-6,6 polymer will be formed.4 Hydrochloric acid is generated as a byproduct upon nylon formation, therefore a strong base must be added to neutralize the acidity of HCl, and maintain the pH of the solution. In this experiment sodium hydroxide was used as base. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy will be applied as method of characterization. It will provide information regarding   functional groups present in a molecule because the location of the absorption peaks observed have been associated with specific types of chemical bonds.6 It could be determine which functional groups from the starting monomers, are present in the nylon spectrum. Results Table 1: Nylon-6,6 Polymer Mass of nylon-6,6 0.0694 g Length 4 cm Appearance White fragile strings Table 2: IR spectrum of adipoyl chloride Functional Group Molecular Motion Observed Wavenumber (cm-1) Literature Value Range(cm-1) Peak Intensity Peak Shape   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Alkane C-H Stretch 2952.44 3000-2850 Weak Broad Acyl chloride C=O Stretch 1779.80 1820-1780 Weak Sharp Alkane C-H in plane bend 1404.56 1480-1350 Medium Sharp Acyl chloride C-Cl Stretch 681.43 800-600 Strong Sharp Table 3: IR spectrum of 1,6- hexanediamine Functional Group Molecular Motion Observed Wavenumber (cm-1) Literature Value Range(cm-1) Peak Intensity Peak Shape 1 ° amine N-H Stretch 3323.78 3300-3250 Medium Sharp Alkane C-H Assym. Stretch 2921.17 3000-2850 Strong Sharp Alkane C-H Sym. Stretch 2846.91 3000-2850 Strong Sharp 1 ° amine N-H Bend 1603.91 1640-1530 Medium Sharp Table 4: IR spectrum of nylon-6,6 polymer Functional Group Molecular Motion Observed Wavenumber (cm-1) Literature Value Range(cm-1) Peak Intensity Peak Shape 2 ° amide N-H Stretch 3299.0 3300-3250 Strong Sharp Alkane C-H Assym. Stretch 2932.0 3000-2850 Medium Sharp Alkane C-H Sym. Stretch 2859.0 3000-2850 Medium Sharp 2 ° amide C=O Stretch 1636.0 1680-1640   Ã‚   Strong Sharp 2 ° amide N-H   Bend 1538.0 1560-1530 Medium Sharp Discussion In this experiment, sythesis of nylon-6,6 was carried out. The final product had an appearance of white pieces of small fragile strings with a total mass of 0.0694 g and 4 cm in length. A way of improving the yield could be: different molar ratios of water to solvent; changing the solvent. No theorytical yield could be calculated for this reaction because all the polymer chains will have   variety of different lengths.1 The ability of nylon-6,6 to undergo hydrogen bonding results in high molecular order and high degree of interchain interaction as shown below2 (Figure 1). Each single chain of nylon fiber will interact with the adjacent one, forming a hydrogen bond between the nitrogen proton of the secondary amide and the lone pairs of the oxygen on the carbonyl, thus making the nylon polymers strong, difficult to separate and resistant to outside reaction.2 The signals for the IR spectrum of adipoyl chloride, are presented in Table 2. The spectrum shows the characteristic weak and narrow alkane peak, C-H stretch at 2952.44 cm-1. This value was within the range 3000-2850 cm-1 for the secondary alkane functional groups.   The weak and sharp C=O stretch appeared at 1779.80 cm-1 thus correlating with the literature value 1820-1780 cm-1. A C-H bend for alkanes should appear at 1480-1350 cm-1, which did appear at 1404.56 cm-1 as a medium and sharp peak. A C-Cl stretch was observed at 681.43 cm-1, within the expected range of 800-600 cm-1. This peak appeared weak to strong and sharp. The IR spectrum for 1,6-hexanediamine exhibits the following stretches: N-H stretch; N-H bend; alkane C-H asymmetric stretch; and an alkane C-H symmetric stretch. The primary amine is causing the N-H stretch. The literature value for this stretch is from 3300 to 3250 cm-1, which corresponds to the experimental value of 3323.78 cm-1. The peak intensity is medium and the shape is sharp. There is another sharp peak with medium intensity caused by the primary amine as well, which appear to be a N-H bend. The experimental value of 1603.91 cm-1 correlates well with the literature value range of 1640-1530 cm-1. There is C-H asymmetric stretch observed at 2921.17 cm-1 and it corresponds to the literature value range of 3000-2850 cm-1, caused by the alkane. It exhibited strong intensity. The C-H symmetric stretch falls in the appropriate range of literature values 3000-2850 cm-1 and it is caused by the alkane as well (See table 3). Analysis of IR spectrum of nylon-6,6 polymer showed successful synthesis. There were five distinct peaks associated with this compound include the following: N-H stretch; C=O stretch; C-H symmetric stretch; C-H antisymmetric stretch; and N-H bend. The N-H stretch had an observed peak value of 3300.81 cm-1 and its caused by the secondary amine. It correlates well with the literature values of 3300-3250 cm-1 and with the N-H stretch of 1,6-hexadiamine at 3323.78 cm-1. The two peaks have the same shapes, just slightly different intensities. Nylon-6,6 has strong intensity whereas the 1,6- hexanediamine, medium one. The C=O stretch had an observed peak value of 1634.04 cm-1. It falls within the expected literature values for this peak 1300-1100 cm-1. It appears at lower wavelength, compared to the adipoyl chloride. The proximity of the carbonyl to the nitrogen, lowers the energy of that stretch, due to interchain molecular interactions3. The alkane C-H assymetric and symmetric stretches e vident at 2932 cm-1 and 2832 cm-1 are nearly identical with the C-H stretches of 1,6- hexanediamine (See Tables 2 and 3). Differing only in their intensities- medium for the nylon and strong for the 1,6- hexanediamine.   All of the observed values fall within their literature range. The N-H bend at 1538 cm-1 with medium intensity and sharp peak, is caused by the secondary amide. It is in the accepted literature data of 1560-1530 cm-1. The major peak not present in the nylon-6,6 spectrum and evident in the starting material spectra for adipoyl chloride is the C-Cl stretch. The acyl chloride stretch is missing because there is no chlorine in the nylon composition, thus explaining why there are no observed stretches below 1000 cm-1. The other major difference is the N-H stretch observed at 3323.78 cm-1 in the hexanediamine spectrum, which appears at lower wavelength and becoming one peak for a secondary amide in the nylon spectrum. Conclusion This experiment demonstrated successful synthesis of nylon-6,6 polymer. It was accomplished using infrared spectroscopy technique. The IR analysis revealed the appearance of N-H stretching, C=O stretching and N-H bending from a secondary amide group and from the nylon polymer. It showed that there is no C-Cl stretch explaining the absence of chlorine in the nylon polymer as well as the N-H observed on the hexanediamine spectrum, appears on a lower wavelength as a secondary amide in the nylon spectrum. The final product had an appearance of white pieces of small fragile strings with a total mass of 0.0694 g and 4 cm. However, this experiments allows for multiple errors; such as improper pipetting technique; improper washing technique; incorrect rate of taking out the nylon product from the reaction beaker.   A chemical error could be not adding enough sodium hydroxide to neutralize the acidity of HCl, not allowing the reaction to be pushed towards the product.

Newborn Dried Blood Spot Screening (NBS) Essay -- Newborn screening p

Introduction Newborn Dried Blood Spot Screening (NBS) is the most widespread application of screening technology to identify infants with certain genetic, metabolic, and endocrine disorders. Several drops of blood are taken from the baby’s heel and placed on a ï ¬ lter paper card. Many countries are considering the expansion of their new- born bloodspot screening programs. As a public health intervention, NBS has greatly improved the lives of thousands of affected children. Yet despite the fact that newborn screening has saved the lives of thousands of children and help many more from lasting disability, previous experience has shown that screening can be costly and cause a-dverse psychological effects, such as anxiety, stress, guilt, social stigma, reduced self-esteem, and social, insurance and employment discrimination. Specifically concerning children, a request for screening creates legal concerns and raises ethical questions for the health care provider. In this review, we highligh t the major ethical and social challenges currently facing each facet of newborn screening. Background : Newborn screening (NBS) tests have been designed to identify infants with severe disorders that are relatively prevalent and treatable (or controllable) and it consists of taking a few drops of blood from a baby’s heel in the first week of life and testing it for a list of disorders. Newborn screening began In the United States and most countries in Europe in the 1960s and 1970s after Dr. Robert Guthrie developed a simple blood test for phenylketonuria (PKU) ( Baily & H. Murray, 2008). PKU leads to mental retardation, but can be effectively treated by early detection and continued adherence to a special diet. Until the late 1990s, screeni... ...creening for early detection of disease, the need for evidence. Clin Chim Acta. 315, 5-15 Miller. F, Robert. J, Z. Hayeems. R (2009), Genetic& ethics, Questioning the Consensus: Managing Carrier Status Results Generated Newborn Screening, American Journal of Public Health, 99,210-215 Rothwell. E, A. Anderson. R, J. Burbank. M, J. Goldenberg. A, Lewis. M, Stark. A, Wong. B, R. Botkin. B (2011). Concerns of Newborn Blood Screening Advisory Committee Members Regarding Storage and Use of Residual Newborn Screening Blood Spots, American Journal of Public Health, 101, 2111-2116 Tarini. B, Goldenberg.A (2014), Ethical Issues with Newborn Screening in the Genomics Era. Ethics of Newborn Screening, 1 , 381-393. Vanderburg. S, Verwei.M (2012), Maintaining Trust in Newborn Screening : Compliance and Informed Consent in the Netherlands, Hastings Center Report, 41-47.

The Most Advantageous Feature of A.I.

The most advantageous feature   and machine learning is that it's applications are virtually limitless. It is a highly complex process, but can be tailored to just about any situation that you can imagine. It has the potential to streamline almost any automated process, from production to being the first line of customer interaction. We are already starting to see rudimentary forms of this software in things like chat bots on corporate websites that help direct customer traffic. This technology is still in its infancy and many companies and software developers are still figuring out what its potential applications could be. It is a process that many people are eager to invest in early on in hopes that one day it will become more intelligent and efficient. In the end however, the only limit to this technology is the human imagination. [build on from here, larab] humans bring something to the table in the association between human and computer and technology in these days. Here are some main advantages/benefits of this partnership between humans and computers and technology. Efficiency, objectivity, and scalability. It is fascinating to allow slow and well-defined tasks such as certain types of management work and straightforward calculations to a particular Artificial Intelligence algorithm. Not only does it decrease the costs of these processes greatly, but it also frees up employee's time to focus on more elaborate, creative and inner problem solving with humans. AI customer service in business is really good example of this. This helps works to focus on human related work more. The human brain is more focused on our recognition of truth. On the other hand, Artificial Intelligence is by definition objective. It doesn't design an opinion before having analyzed a acceptable amount of data. In opposed to a human being, an algorithm does not make any assumption on what the expected conclusion of an analysis should be. Therefore, AI ( artificial intelligence) is much better satisfactory for tasks requiring impartiality. Humans are able to inspect things better if they delete the unimportant details.after all, sometimes details are really important to really appreciate a certain situation. One of the advantages of an AI algorithm is that it can take the smallest details into account and translate this to the bigger picture.

Apollo Group Essay

The Apollo Group was founded by John Sterling, a professor at San Jose State University, in 1976. They are a for-profit educational provider that specializes in educating working adults. The Apollo Group has many subsidiaries both domestic and abroad. The University of Phoenix- the largest private university in the United States Institute for Professional Development- a consultant service that provides private colleges and universities in the US with adult education program development, administration and management support The College for Financial Planning Institutes- a national leader in providing financial services education the and certification to people and companies in the financial services industry Meritus University- an online university with degree programs in Canada Apollo Global Inc- a partnership with The Carlyle Group that invest in international education services in various countries The University of Phoenix is their main subsidiary and has an enrollment of over 550,000 students. They provide undergraduate, masters and doctorial programs both online and at on-campus locations in 40 states. Since the University of Phoenix is a for-profit educator, they recognize their students as customers and have tailored their business to fit the educational needs of their customers. Their programs are geared toward working adults; they are able to educate their customers at a rapid pace with low overhead. They have simple online platforms that are easy to use and their on-campus locations consist of basic classrooms. Since their primary customers are working adults and commuting students, they do not invest in building dorms, student unions or recreational facilities at these on-campus locations. Current Issues While this business model has been profitable for Apollo Group, there are some concerns that will force them to adjust their plan. Because of the perception that online classes are ineffective, and proprietary colleges and universities are degree factories that are not providing a quality education, prestigious universities are sticking with traditional programs. This perception is shared by potential students and their employers. Apollo needs to improve the reputation of their brand. The federal government has put some regulations in place to ensure that proprietary educators are educating students and not pushing them through their programs and granting degrees to create a revenue stream from federal financial aid and student loans. The Gainful Employment Rule- If programs fail the three test of gainful employment three times in a four year span they will not be eligible to receive federal financial aid dollars. The 90/10 Rule- If the institution get more than 90% of its cash revenue from student loans, the institution cannot participate in student federal loan programs. Student Loan Defaults- The federal government sets a three year default limit on cohorts of students. If the students’ loan default rate of the cohort drops below the limit, the institution cannot participate in student federal loan programs. In addition to the negitive reputation and government regulations, the Apollo Group is facing competition from both traditional and proprietary educators. As the technology increases, more schools are investing in their distance learning programs. Apollo will need to find a way to differentiate themselves from these institutions. Recommendations I think the Apollo Group should leverage the relationships that their other subsidiaries have built with their clients, as well as the ones their professors have with their employers, to get input on redesigning their degree programs. If done properly these programs will set industry standards and change the reputation of the University of Phoenix. These redesigned programs should create more employment opportunities for their graduates and help them pass gainful employment test. Working with major corporations to create these programs and gaining their public endorsement will give them an advantage over their competitors. While their business model does not include the extra amenities of a traditional university, the University of Phoenix needs to invest in career counseling and job placement services to help their students find good jobs, this will increase the likelihood of being in compliance with federal regulations. They should also develop a business case showing how the 90/10 rule will cause them to deny enrollment to low income students and petition elected officials who serve low income areas to modify some of the federal regulations that they are governed by. Wall Street Metrics As of this writing, The Apollo Group, with a ticker symbol of APOL is trading at $20.83 per share. Its 52-week high was $29.47 and its low was $15.98. It has a P.E. ratio of 8.54% compared to 24.38% of the S&P 500 and 36.39% for the sector. Its dividend yield is 0 compared to 1.85 of the S&P 500 and 2.14 of the sector. It has a Beta measurement of 0.70. Based upon my analysis, I would not currently purchase this stock. Post Script The University of Phoenix recently had some trouble retaining their accreditation. A peer group with The Higher Learning Commission, a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, recommended that they be put on probation. â€Å"Specifically, the review team concluded that the University of Phoenix has insufficient autonomy relative to its parent corporation and sole shareholder, Apollo Group, Inc., to assure that its board of directors can manage the institution, assure the university’s integrity, exercise the board’s fiduciary responsibilities and make decisions necessary to achieve the institution’s mission and successful operation.† 1 The Apollo Group was able to work with the HLC’s Institutional Actions Council First Committee to retain its regional accreditation, but that the university will be placed on â€Å"notice† for two years. In efforts to retain students by reducing the cost of tuition, the university has created a scholarship reward program that gives eligible undergraduate degree students up to $10,000 in tuition reductions. They also instituted a tuition freeze so students will not have tuition increases as long as they are consistently enrolled in classes.