Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Censorship In Music Essays - Censorship, Human Sexuality

Censorship In Music Matchmaker.com: Sign up now for a free trial. Date Smarter! Censorship In Music Censorship in music is a topic that has brought about much controversy in the past two decades. There have been many different arguments on the topic, however the question still remains as if it should be censored or it should not be censored. Before you can form an opinion on this, you must hear both sides of the argument on this much-debated topic. Some people believe that music should be censored so all audiences can hear it without it containing any controversial lyrics. Others believe it should not be censored and musical artists should be able to speak, sing, rap, or rhyme freely without anyone censoring them. "Whether a person finds a work obscene depends largely on his or her moral or religious beliefs. These views change with each generation and further complicate the censorship dilemma." (Censorship by, Bradley Steffens page 97) The quote above is very true. Religious or moral beliefs have a great influence on how a person feels about censorship, and as generations pass on the common beliefs on it may change. Right now, America is more uncensored than ever. However, things were very different a few generations ago. Some people believe music should be censored. They believe some of the language musical artists use is vulgar, obscene, and crude. Also the fact that music is played on medias such as radio and television, which are free to listen to by all audiences, and there are many parents that would not wish for their kids to hear foul language. So on radio and televison any controversial language is either silenced, edited out by a soft sound, or some artists make two versions of their songs; one that is made for the artist's album, which is uncensored; and one for televsion and radio with any controversial words change to be acceptable for all audiences. This does not include cable television, which can be audited by parents since the parents must order and pay for the channel to be viewed. "Preventing or punishing speech...is a clear violation of the First Amendment." (Censorship. Opposing Viewpoints by, Greehaven Press page 147). This quote here is the "battle cry" of many anti-censorship groups. When you really think about it, it is a violation of the First Amendment, which says: "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech or of the press". The First Amendment guarantees the right to freedom of speech, and censorship is violating peoples' rights to say whatever they want to say. It is sometimes difficult to understand when a child gets punished for using foul language meanwhile the child's parents have the right to critiscize and petition the government whenever they feel the need to do so. Many musical artists feel that when they are forced to change lyrics their rights are being violated. In some artists' songs they like to express their feelings towards somebody or something, and it hurts them to be censored because the new words implemented are not from his or her heart. They feel that they are being held down. Due to the amendment made by our founding fathers I do not believe there will ever be an answer to the question whether or not music should be censored. The way I see it, it should not be censored. Many children often hear explicit language from older siblings or parents at an early age. They believe that since someone they look up to uses those words, they should too. Eventually, everyone will be exposed to language they do not find acceptable. Foul language is not permitted on medias such as television or radio because it is an all audience media. However, on albums the artist is allowed to use any words he or she sees fit. "The vexing question, of course, is, Who should decide what you read or view- the church, the state...or you?" (War of Words: The Censorship Debate by George Beahm page xiii) In my opinion, the answer to that question is: you. Censorship on television channels such as Nickelodeon , or PBS is understandable due to the fact that mostly young children programming is broadcasted on those stations. However I find it unnecessary to censor stations generally viewed by older audiences. It is now a requirement by law for record companies to put stickers on tapes and compact discs that say: "Parental Advisory. Explicit Lyrics". The reason that law was passed was because many angry mothers and fathers sued artists and/or record companies for releasing albums that contained explicit lyrics, and now

Sunday, November 24, 2019

CBC STAT Professor Ramos Blog

CBC STAT Its 5 a.m. I’m on the unit doing my job minding my own business. I’m drawing blood on   patient after patient moving along quite nicely. I come of out of my fifth patient’s room I look around and see white coats everywhere. Uh oh, shit is about to hit the fan. My workload doubles in a matter of seconds. I’ve been a phlebotomist for ten years And I quickly learned this is not just about poking and getting blood.   It’s about talking to people. It’s about social skills. About Dealing with difficult people in the midst of difficult circumstances. â€Å"The hospital† is a teaching hospital, therefore the doctors are learning how to be doctors. These are called the residents, the ones in the white coats. The residents round in teams of six to eight with one attending. The attending is the teacher for the residents. Because they are learning how to be doctors, they really don’t know how to order lab tests. This leads to patients being poked four to six times a day minimum.   This in turn leaves the patients very frustrated and angry. Because of the size of the teams and the amount of patients they need to see, they don’t always talk to each other, causing many problems. Not only do they order the same lab tests over and over, they order them incorrectly. â€Å"Can we add a lactate to that?†, he so rudely asks as I have the needle in the patient’s arm. ( No I can’t add it. He couldn’t have told this before I came in the room?) Likewise most of the doctors do not have a good bedside manner or manners in general.   This is very frustrating to be around but I have to work with them so I learn to ignore it or shrug it off. This is not something that can be taught in a book like all of their other material, it is a process learned over time.   It’s pretty funny sometimes, to watch doctors who go to school for ten years, struggle with what to say to people. Due to the HIPAA law, it makes it more frustrating for me to do my job. This law doesn’t allow me to get mentally prepared before I go into the room. Sometimes I’m shocked at what I see, from a man with no face to an amputee.   HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This healthcare law provides security provisions and data privacy to keep patients medical information safe. This law is so strict that I’m not even allowed to tell the patients what I’m drawing their blood for. Therefore as a phlebotomist, I don’t even know why they’re in the hospital or what they have. If a patient has HIV, the nurse is supposed to tell me but often times she does not. When I walk in the room I never know what I’m walking into. This can be shocking not only visually but emotionally. Their condition directly effects their emotional state and their attitude.   I get smacked in the face with it. I saw a man with no face, his jaw was taken off, the top of his mouth and his nose. This man was not pleasant but I wouldn’t be either if someone took off my face. I could barely keep a straight face. Patients rip out their IV’S. There are dialysis patients, patients with liver failure, these patients are usually yellow. Patients are confused and often combative, they scream, hit, cry, and complain. All these physical conditions directly affect how hard it is to get their blood, physically and Socially. The sicker they are the more frustrated and rude they are. â€Å"You can’t get my blood, I’m a hard stick, they poked me 10 times in the ER† I hear this at least five times a day. Or my personal favorite, â€Å"Good luck, my veins are small and they roll.† I can get it, the nurses in ER couldn’t draw blood to save their life. I can’t tell the patient that though. Most nurses are rude.   Nurses are not the caring gentle people you might think. Some of them only become nurses for the money. Wrong move, those people do not belong holding someones life in their hands.   The nurses that do care become hardened to the things they see on a daily basis. I can understand. Nurses can draw blood too, they just don’t try. So I have to do it. â€Å"Do you have have a BMP for room 6 bed 2?† she says with a demeaning tone. Yes I have it here. â€Å"Can you do it next hes going to CT?’ And she walks away. Although its been ten years and now I’m an expert at drawing blood I don’t think its possible to ever be an expert in dealing with these people. I’m human of course and get frustrated too. It’s the field we’re in. We see some daunting things, it’s hard to watch. As a result people become hardened, Usually this happens by default and without the person being aware. It has advantages though. It would not be good if a doctor or nurse cried every time they learned a patient took a turn for the worse. Watching this transformation from sweet to hardened keeps me aware. I don’t ever want to become that way. Learning to deal with these people gives me motivation to be grateful. Its hard to be in a bad mood when I’m drawing a patient with a colostomy bag, or an amputee, or when the patient is crying because they are overwhelmed with their diagnosis.   After a while the procedure gets easier and easier, however it is oftentimes very heartbreaking to constantly see people hurting.   And It is easy to get caught up in the chaos, to get lost in the procedure, in the hustle bustle of the day.   It does help when the cancer patient I am drawing is the one cheering me up. I catch myself complaining about some silly little thing like forgetting to return an item to the store or because I’m not happy with my coworkers. The person in the hospital bed struggling for their life offers me a better perspective and tells me they will pray for me. It really makes me grateful for my health and for JESUS. I get a quick reality check. I’m Healthy, I’m working in the A.C. Li ving in beautiful southern California. I have a lot to be grateful for. I didn’t learn these lessons from just one patient, one nurse, or one doctor. I learned this through many of them over time. Nor did I learn it from one or two situations. It didn’t happen only once and then I learned and was a better person immediately after.   It doesn’t work that way, at least not the way I learn. It wasn’t easy learning to deal with these people, it took patience and practice. It was a long process but now I can usually let it roll off my shoulders. I am grateful because this a skill I can now use anywhere I go and for the rest of my life.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Implementation and Analysis of The Fiscal Cliff contained in the U.S Essay

Implementation and Analysis of The Fiscal Cliff contained in the U.S. Budget Control Act of 2011 - Essay Example Bush had enacted a string of tax cuts during the period of his administration in the United States. The question that is of concern at present is that which of these tax cuts are to extended and or what period. The provisions of the tax cuts reinforced in the years of 2001 and 2003 had been extended until the end of the year 2012 (Levit, 2011, p. 12). These tax cuts considerably reduced the rates of personal income taxes and eliminated the estate tax. It also had created low rates of tax on dividends. Critics of this tax system, mostly the Democrats, held responsible such reduction in taxes for fuelling the federal budget deficit. It has been found that the increase in â€Å"the top two marginal tax rates† (Huang & Marr, 2012) would not adversely affect many small businesses. If the Bush tax cuts are allowed to be extended then it would keep many affluent individuals’ income out of the taxable income zone. For the small businesses to thrive, they require the boost of hi gher sales. It is not likely that small businesses would expand following a tax cut, thereby creating more employment opportunity by hiring more workers, if they do not find a good market for selling their products. Tax cuts on high income brackets are not effective enough to boost economic growth in the long run. Therefore the argument is strong for the expiry of the Bush Tax cuts. From the extension of these tax cuts, it is estimated that almost $1trillion would get added to the deficits over the ten years from 2013 to 2022. Spending Component of the Act – Across-the-Board spending cuts in the Federal government budget â€Å"The Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011† (Saturno & Heniff, 2009, p. 17-5) presents the methods in which the across-the-board cuts in spending would be implemented. The across the board cuts on spending would be triggered if the Joint Committee fails to reach the agreement on deficit reduction. The report has two parts. The first part of the report outlines the method to be followed for the FY2013 and the second part caters to the process to be followed in the period of eight years between FY2014 to FY2021. The procedure planned for the span of the next eight years is quite different from that of the year fiscal 2013. The deficit reduction proposal released by President Obama in April 2011 includes the two components; â€Å"spending cuts and tax reform† (Levit, n.d., p. 4). This proposal includes a â€Å"Debt Failsafe† technique. This incorporates a debt-to-GDP ratio which is to be stabilized by the FY2014 and decline after that year. However, if it is not accomplished, â€Å"across the board spending cuts† (Levit, n.d., p. 4) would automatically be triggered and tax expenditures would also be reduced simultaneously. There would be an approximate cut of nine percent annually in non-defense programs as well as another nine percent in defense programs (Kogan, 2011). For FY2013, the funding for each of the di scretionary programs would be reduced proportionally. In this year the president can allow the military personnel funding to be exempted from the sequestration. Depending on this the cuts in spending on other defense programs would increase. In the fiscal years from 2014 to 2021, in each year there would be â€Å"reductions in the statutory cap on total funding for non-defense discretionary programs† (Kogan, 2011). â€Å"Sequestration† – what does it mean? Sequestration is a process in which certain policy goals of the budget are met or enforced through

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

How is nature social Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

How is nature social - Essay Example Such transformations have not only touched on issues concerning natural scientists alone, but also the social scientists, the general public, and environmental groups. Environmental groups, with the aid of the media, guaranteed that, by the 1980s, concepts such as â€Å"ozone holes† and the â€Å"greenhouse effect† would be part of everyday vocabulary. An intricate juxtaposition of scientific developments, technological advances and ideological changes, coupled with consequences of the economic growth, has changed the way in which individuals conceive social representations of nature (Leslie and Evernden 1992, p.4). The paper explores the concept â€Å"social constriction of nature,† which has lately become a crude, but universal term describing various understandings of nature, knowledge, and the world. The essay explores the transformation of the physical environment into landscapes via cultural symbols and how the landscapes mirror individuals’ definiti ons of themselves. ... owever, the philosophy, history, and sociology of science in the last two decades have largely asserted and confirmed the relativism of any distinct scientific claims regarding nature (Crist 2004, p.6). Scientific understandings of nature (inclusive of ecological understandings) have frequently been criticized for being mechanistic. In the last two decades, dissatisfaction with positivism has been rife with many theorists appreciating the roles of culture and language in individuals’ perception and understanding of the nature (Whatmore 2005, p.18). It is apparent that naive forms of realism in which nature is a directly perceptible entity that is concisely available to all irrespective of experience, cultural context, or motivation have not been successful. However, among some social scientists, the stress on cultural factors has replaced, rather than complemented biological explanation, which reflects the swing of the epistemological pendulum from biologism (1950s) to the pre occupation with culture (Bird 1987, p.255). Models of Nature Models of nature have typically referred to ecological, or more commonly, scientific understandings and have rarely included cultural factors. Recently, however, there has been a significant step towards defining the nature as a â€Å"social construction.† This translates to the notion that nature is an artefact of human, social and linguistic capability. Vivien Burr suggests â€Å"what individuals regard as truth is mainly a creation, not of objective observation of the world, but of the social processes and interactions† (1995, p.4). Equally, Peter Mason advances that â€Å"reality† is itself a product reflecting the activity of individuals’ imagination (1990, p.15). Language plays a critical role in this construction. According to

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Pharmacology Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Pharmacology - Case Study Example This is a case study of the condition of VG and an explanation of the dosage that that would fit her condition. The VG patient seems to be experiencing common symptoms of high thyroid levels. These include excessive fatigue. Being a professional, I would ask if the patients were experiencing constipation and dryness. Several tests would also be important in establishing the how properly the thyroid gland is functioning in the body. One of these tests would be a serum (blood) T3 to keenly look into the properties in the blood and hormones of VG. There are also symptoms such as difficulty in breathing, appearance of hot flashes on her skin and muscle or joint pain that I would look out for (Razvi, Weaver, Butler, Pearce, 2012 811). Keenly looking into these factors and testing using serum would give a clear indication of the ailment that VG is suffering from. The test, would therefore, be helpful in enabling the identification of the exact problem as well as the administration of the correct drugs to treat the condition that VG is suffering from. The tests would enable the proper identification of the therapy that I would Institute for VG (Brandt, Green, Hegedà ¼s, Brix, 2011, 491). The previous THS level was 4.2 mIL/L, and it was from about a year ago. These results were already an indication of slight elevations in her TSH levels at the time. However, the abnormality went unchecked. The current TH level that is at 9.8 mIL/L and has a free of 0.72 ng/dl reflects a much higher increase of the THS levels from a year ago. This, therefore, shows that there could be a problem in the patient that would result in complications. It is also due to this elevation in the THS levels that the patient is experiencing these symptoms. These symptoms are an indication that the patient could be suffering from hypothyroidism. It is most likely due to the high levels of THS and the low levels in the thyroid in the patient. It explains the reason as to

Friday, November 15, 2019

Statistical Analysis of Cricket Matches

Statistical Analysis of Cricket Matches Abstract The effect of playing home or away and many other factors, such as batting first or second, winning or losing the toss, have been hypothesised as influencing the outcome of major cricket matches. Anecdotally, it has often been noted that Subcontinental sides (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) tend to perform much better on the Subcontinent than away from it. In 2009, Joshi published an article in the Royal Meteorological Society Journal Weather which suggested that the prevailing weather conditions were more important to the results of the Ashes test series in Australia than were the relative strengths of the teams. In this paper, focusing on results of mens One Day International (ODI) matches involving England, I investigate the extent to which a number of factors including playing home or away (or the continent of the venue), batting or fielding first, winning or losing the toss, the mean temperature and humidity during the game, the condition of the pitch, and the strength of each teams top batting and bowling resources influence the outcome of matches. I employ a variety of Statistical techniques, and conclude that the continent of the venue does appear to be a major factor affecting the result, but winning the toss does not. In the second part of this study, I will use any significant factors to attempt to build a Binary Logistic Regression Model that will predict the chance of England winning at different stages of a game. The study also looks at using this model to consider different gambling techniques to see which would have created the most profit for past games. Introduction 1.1 Understanding the Basics of ODIs A One-Day International (ODI) is a game of cricket between two International teams. The team that wins a coin toss has the choice to either bat or bowl in the first innings. The team batting first have a maximum of 50 overs or 10 wickets to score as many runs as they can, this is more commonly known as setting a total. An over consists of 6 balls from one bowler and the following over must be 6 balls from a different bowler from the opposite end of the pitch. Each bowler is allowed a maximum of 10 overs each. The first innings will be complete when either all 300 legitimate deliveries have been bowled or all 10 wickets have been lost. The team batting second then have 50 overs and 10 wickets to score more runs than their opponents, this is referred to as chasing a total. 1.2 History of cricket formats Cricket has been a game played in England for hundreds of years, and it is believed that it may date back to 1500. However, the earliest records available are from the early 17th century. There are currently 3 popular formats of the sport played at International level and below. The longest format of the game is either called a Test Match in International cricket or a first-class match in domestic cricket. Test matches are played between two nations which have reached Test status. This is determined by the International Cricket Council (ICC). In a test match, both teams have two innings each to accumulate more runs than their opponents. Test matches have a maximum time allowance of 5 days, if the result of the game is not already decided at the end of day 5, then the match ends as a draw. Throughout history, there have been games that have lasted more than 5 days, however in recent years this has been a strict guideline. The most famous case of an extended test match was when England toured South Africa in 1939; the game was extended to the 9th day to produce a result, however when England required only 41 more runs to win, the England players had to leave the ground to catch the last ferry home and the match ended in a draw. (sahistory, 2014) First-class is a term that describes the highest level of domestic cricket played within each of the cricketing nations. Each nation has a first-class competition which must also consist of two innings each and last at least 3-days. In England, first-class cricket is a 4-day competition played between 18 counties. This was the only format of the game throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. County cricket is where all England cricketers develop their game, and Moores and Tickner (2016) say that The key to improvement is not to radically overhaul our county system. It is to embrace it. This is regarding ongoing controversy towards the argument that the English county system is at fault for Englands failures. A 2015 ar ticle written by Kevin Pietersen entitled Broken county system is damaging our national side is a key example of this, where Pietersen argues that bowlers arent quick enough and too much cricket makes county players fatigued. However, Moores and Tickner are stating that there are many talented cricketers in the county circuit, who are overlooked due to their lack of international experience, and the only way for them to gain experience is to be given a chance. They argue that the blame for Englands failures often comes through not using the top county cricketers, rather than the county system itself. The first ever official Test match was in 1877, when England narrowly lost to Australia at the Melbourne cricket ground. Then 5 years later, when England lost to Australia at home, The Sporting Times printed a mock obituary of English cricket which concluded that The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. (Lords, 2016). This was the start of the infamous Ashes series that is still contested today between the 2 nations. Limited Overs cricket was first introduced in 1951 in a small town in Kerala, India. KV Kellappan Thampuran formed the Tripunithura Cricket club before coming up with the idea of playing a one-day game. (Kerala Cricket Association, 2016). It was adopted into County Cricket in England in 1962 when the Midlands knock-out cup took place between Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottingham and was 65 overs per side. In 1969, there was a change in the law which allowed more sporting events to take place on a Sunday. (Miller and Tickner, 2016). This was an opening for Sunday League cricket, where counties would play a limited overs game on the Sunday following a first-class match in the week. The number of overs per side have since been reduced to 60, 50, 45 and 40. (BBC cricket, 2006). The first ODI was played on 5 January 1971 when the first 3 days of a test match between Australia and England were washed out, so a one-off 1-day game consisting of 40 8-ball overs was arranged. This game was played with white kits and a red ball. Soon after this, ODI cricket caught on and became increasingly popular towards the end of the 1970s, the World Series Cricket was organised and the 1979 season saw the start of coloured kits with a white ball and 50 6-ball overs in ODIs. This was an unpopular decision at the time as it was only done to fit in more advert breaks. (Jackson, 2014). However, these advert breaks allowed more money to come into the game to be spent on, not only player development, but players wages to make cricket a more appealing profession. Until these advert breaks came in, most cricketers would be working two jobs and now that cricket could be their main priority, there was a big increase in terms of fitness, technique and overall development of the game. ODIs have changed a lot since the 1970s; there are now fielding restrictions, powerplays and other factors that have led to scores increasing within 50 overs. In the 1980s a score of 250 in 60 overs was thought of as a good total, but whilst this study is taking place, in 2017, teams are looking to set a total of 300 in most matches. Below is a table taken from howstat.com showing the top 20 ODI scores in history. Table: Top 20 ODI team totals. Taken from howstat.com Here you can see that all the top 20 scores have been in the last 11 years, even though ODIs have been around for 46 years and ODIs in the 20th Century were often 55 or 60 overs. For this reason, when I investigate factors that influence the chance of England winning an ODI, I only take data from the 21st Century as I believe the statistics from earlier ODIs are almost irrelevant to todays game. Twenty20 (T20) cricket is the newest cricket format. Each side has just 20 overs each to score more runs than their opponents. However, the number of resources (wickets) stays the same, allowing for a more attacking style of play throughout the whole game since losing wickets is not as harmful to the team. The cricketing authorities were looking to boost the games popularity with the younger generation in response to dwindling crowds and reduced sponsorship. (Cricketnext, 2009). 1.3 Why ODIs? There are several reasons I have chosen to use ODI statistics rather than Test matches or T20s. The overall aim of the study is not only to find significant factors that influence the outcome of cricket matches, but also to use these factors to be able to predict the chance of England winning a game. I believe that Test matches end in a draw too often to build a win predictor, and Frank Duckworth (2001) said one of the great weaknesses of first class cricket is that the most usual result is a draw. This doesnt mean that the two sides have performed equally, but that the game was unfinished when time ran out. Through collecting data from cricinfo.com and taking the means of draws per country in test match history tells us that there is a 32.07% chance that a Test match will end in a draw. This could be due to defensive tactics as the game lasts much longer than other forms of cricket. Bad weather conditions can also take a whole day or more out of the match and this coupled with the m ore defensive style can make it harder to get a result. From the first ODI game up until the 19th July 2016, 33 out of 3764 games resulted in a tie, meaning that less than 1% (0.87%) of matches have been tied. This is clearly a much lower percentage than in test matches. Also, when an ODI produces this result, it is usually because the game deserves to be a tie as the two sides have performed equally rather than any other factors. The less ties result will allow me to build a win predictor more accurately. T20 is a relatively new format of cricket where teams go away from typical tactics and playing proper cricket shots and instead use a hit out or get out style of play. This means that it is much harder to predict who will win a T20 game as one good individual performance can all but win the game. For example, if one batsman scored 100 in a T20 match, even if the rest of the team only gained another 30 runs, a total of 130 could still win the game. Comparatively, in ODIs much more of a team effort is required, and a sustained performance is needed to win the game. There are also not as many patterns in T20 games, as usually, the whole 20 overs are spent attacking. Whereas ODIs require defence, patience, tactical field settings and tactical batting in terms of when to up the run rate. In an ODI series usually the better or higher ranked team will come out on top. However, in T20 matches this is much more unpredictable, and countries such as Afghanistan and the Netherlands have had succ ess in T20 format, despite the latter not being in the 2017 ICC ODI rankings (ICC 2017). 1.4 D/L Method One issue which has always been present in cricket is that bad weather conditions, especially rain, will often affect games, especially in limited overs cricket. For the first 30 minutes of delay there are no overs lost, then every 5 minutes after this there is 1 over lost per side. For an ODI to be completed there must be at least 20 overs per side played. There is usually no reserve day for a game that ends as a no result, due to tight scheduling. To minimalise the impact of weather factors that cannot be controlled, the Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method is used to calculate the target scored for the team batting second where the rain has interrupted the game. It is a mathematical formulation that takes in to consideration how many overs and wickets remain so the game has a higher chance of ending in a result. The fundamental basis of the Duckworth/Lewis (D/L) method is that we do not correct the target by the proportion of overs lost, but by the proportion of the total run-scoring reso urces lost. (Duckworth 2001) There have been many previous attempts at creating a system to set a total so that games can be completed, including the average run rate (ARR) method and the most productive overs (MPO) method. The average run rate method was used to set a total, and it did this by taking the average number of runs scored per over x the reduced innings. The problem with ARR is that it is too simplistic, and gave an unfair advantage to the team batting second if there was rain. The most productive overs method was introduced by the Australians and it set the target to chase by reducing the total based on the number of runs scored in the most productive overs. However, this did not take in to account when the overs were lost and could result in a very unfair target. (Duckworth and Lewis 2012) As an aside, a way to solve the problems of weather affected matches could be coming in the form of indoor cricket. The first indoor match to be played was an ODI between Australia and South Africa on the 16th August 2000 (Ramaraj 2013). However, this has not caught on around the world despite the promise of a full days play. Jonty Rhodes (Grunill and Lillywhite 2005), a South Africa player in the game, said there were problems to overcome, namely the fact that players were looking up at the lights even when the ball was at head height as the lighting was not on pylons. 1.5 Initial Variables Winning the Toss The coin toss is contested between the home and away captain 30 minutes prior to the first ball being bowled. The captains will go out onto the pitch and before contesting the toss they will assess the conditions to help them make their choice of batting or bowling first. Some of the conditions they consider are also variables I have looked at in this study. In the 17th century it is believed that the winning captain also got to choose which pitch was used for the game, a job that is now left to the umpires. Hypothesis 1: Winning the toss will significantly increase the chance of winning an ODI. Batting or bowling first Upon winning the toss, the captain is left with the strategic decision between batting first or second. Some people believe that a team should bat first and produce a psychological hurdle for the second team to overcome. Other people believe that there is an advantage in batting second as the score required has already been produced. (de Silva and Swartz, 1998). Some people also believe that it is best to look at several factors before making the choice of batting or bowling first. Hypothesis 2: There will be no significant increase in the chance of winning an ODI by always batting or bowling first.       Home or Away Home team advantage is believed to be a significant factor in most, if not all sports. In a 2008 study Measurement and Interpretation of Home Advantage, Stefani says that the biggest factors believed to lead to home team advantage are travel fatigue, home team spectator support and home team familiarity. In ODI cricket, travel fatigue should not be too much of a factor as teams will usually arrive at the opposition country a week or 2 before the series. Morley and Thomas (2005) find that attendance figures at English cricket matches do not give any significant advantage to the home team. They do however state that in certain venues this may not be the case. This leaves us with home team familiarity, and I believe this factor weighs heavily in the outcome of ODI matches. The average score at a ground in England can be very different from a ground in another continent. For example, the average run rate in ODIs at the Kia Oval in London, United Kingdom is 4.84 and the average run rate in Lahore, Pakistan is 5.24. (howstat, 2017). Both grounds have been hosting ODIs since the 1970s. This means that teams must change their mindset about what is a good 1st innings total when they play away from home. Weather conditions and cricket pitches also vary in different countries and continents. There are 9 official test teams in the ICC rankings and each of these countries has a usual type of pitch. The term dead pitch is used to describe pitches that are flat and offer little help for bowlers. Dead pitches are the most common wickets that are prepared these daysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. the most common pitch type in ODIs. (cricketequipmentusa, 2017). These pitches are often found in Australia, South Africa and the West Indies. English pitches are usually encouraging for fast bowlers; pitches are often referred to as green tops. These pitches are also found in New Zealand and sometimes South Africa, they have a thin layer of grass which helps to produce swing and seam. Overcast and windy conditions are often present in England, which can correspondingly assist the ball to swing. Pitches on the subcontinent are often the opposite, where wickets are dry and dusty. The subcontinent is a term used to describe a large part of Asia, and includes the 4 big cricketing nations; India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The lack of rain in the subcontinent means no green on the pitches and the dr yness creates a lot of spin and uneven bounce. This is undoubtedly the reason why subcontinent teams have produced some of the best spin bowlers and why teams like England seem to struggle when playing away there. Hypothesis 3: England perform significantly better at home than anywhere else. Hypothesis 4: England perform significantly worse in the subcontinent than anywhere else. The first section of my study will test the variables mentioned above using a three-way ANOVA table. I test for statistical significance (

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

History of Marketing

The History Of Marketing As of today, we understand marketing to be a process where the goal is to know the needs of the costumer, and match these with the organizations ability to fulfill these expectations. For this to happen successfully, it is important that the organizations understands both who the costumer is, what value the costumer requires, as well as how to deliver this value in the best possible way. Had it not been for the history of marketing as we know it, our view on modern marketing might have been very different.Whether the difference would have made a positive or negative impact is hard to know, but one thing is certain. The history of marketing is important to understand in order to learn about marketing itself. Even though marketing is known to have had a massive development during the twentieth century, traces of marketing theories can be found long before this time. As an example of this, Ambler (2004) traces marketing thought to the Middle ages with the first formal analysis of buyer motivation by Thomas Aquinas (1225-74) and St Bernardino of Siena`s (1380-1444) recognition of function, market price and psychological benefits.Egan (2008:p5). This is evidence that marketing theories has been around for hundreds of years, even though, during the twentieth century, it became more of a specialist market with independent discipline. As the market in USA at the end of the nineteenth century was changing from a sellers market to a buyers market, marketing started becoming a topic for discussion. USA now had a wider market for a growing middle class, with lower prices and more VARER available, whereas European, notably the UK, had a society consisting of a few wealthy people with most of the country’s money, and many poor with no money to spend on goods.Still, one thing was for sure, during the production era the Industrial Revolution led to a massive and more effective production of VARER (various goods? ). Marketers soon began to unders tand that this new market that was evolving needed a change of attitude from the producers. The products needed to be desired from the consumer, and not just expected to be bought because it was available and affordable. By 1910 people started writing literature in relations to marketing, and the interest around the subject was growing. The Sales Era lasted from about the mid- 1920s to the early 1950s.By this time the demand for products made by consumers started to decrease. The understanding that the products would need to be â€Å"sold† to the consumer was in focus, and the importance of sales was given more attention. This was the time when the actual word â€Å"marketing† was added to the commercial lexicon. Egan (2008:p7). 1930-40 was a time where the development of previous ideas were emphasized, and many approaches were VURDERT During these years, both The Journal of Marketing, a collection of journals about marketing, and the magazine Marketing were published. The third and current period in the history of business, The Marketing Era, also called the era of costumer orientation, began in the 1950s. In the beginning of this period, marketing management was given a lot of attention. This resulted in more attention being given to the study of how marketing should function, as appose to how it already functioning. Also, solving problems and making decisions were emphasized. The theory that extensive promotion and efficient production of products were not a guarantee that costumers would desire them was discussed by many businesspeople.As a result of this, these businesses found that it would be better to first understand what costumers wanted, and then produce this, as appose to producing something and later trying to change the costumers needs so that it would fit the business` production. Modern marketing developed in a time post world war two, a time where Television was more accessible for the middle class, and gave huge opportunities for advertisement. Also, in this time European economy was recovering again, and the spending of the average consumer increased, and began to reflect on the economic situation the US had bin stuck with a decade before.The interest of marketing therefore grew, as well as the need for advertisement. During the 1960s, computer technology contributed to pushing this growth. This also led to the consumer behavior changing. In the 1970s, both the macromarketing school and the strategic planning school would be big influences on the marketing development. The macromarketing school for instance, studied the impact of marketing practices on society and society on marketing, whereas the strategic planning school explored the relationship between environmental change and change within the organization.Egan (2008:p11) In the 1990s the attitude around business changed in the US and the UK. Short term profits and their impact on the share price put marketers on the defensive from which many would su ggest they have not emerged. Egan (2008:p13). During the last twenty years of the 1900s, relationship marketing, a marketing strategy in which developing a relationship with the consumer over a longer period of time is the priority, became a central part of marketing, at the same time as it was a central topic for discussion in business management.Relationship marketing had a rapid growth was becoming a global concept, and a final product made from the influence of previous theories of marketing. This means, that during 40 years of development, marketing had evolved from consumer marketing, in the 1950s, to industrial marketing, non-profit and societal marketing in the 1970s, service marketing in the 1980s and last but not least relationship marketing in the 1990s. Marketing still is in the process of development and will continue to evolve in the years to come.Looking back on the evolution of the marketing is however a great way to both understand and continue developing marketing for the future to come, so it continues to improve and adapt to both the society we have today, and the society that we are headed for in the future.Reference: Egan J (2008) 100 years of marketing in Relationship Marketing: Exploring Relationship Marketing: Exploring Relational Strategies Third Edition Harlow: Pearson Education in Meek R. , Ryan A. , Lenney P. (2010) Marketing 2nd Ed Vol. 1 Chapter 1, Text for Lancaster University course MKTG 101. Harlow: Pearson/Custom Publishing

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Epic Hero Analysis (Odyssey) Essay

What does it take to be an epic hero? To be an epic hero you are required to have five specific qualities. These consist of being human-like, being a confident and courageous solider, nobility, and being in a poem containing supernatural beings that has setting is vast in scope. In the poem the Odyssey, the main character fits the criteria. Odysseus is an epic hero. An important trait to being an epic hero is that the character is involved in a poem complicated by supernatural beings. To sail home in book 12, Odysseus has to navigate through the straits between two monsters, Scylla and Charybdis. As he is coming up on Scylla, he describes her: Her legs-And there are twelve- are like great tentacles, unjointed, and upon her serpent necks are borne six heads like nightmares of ferocity, with triple serried rows of fangs and deep gullets of black death. (12. 46-51) These lines prove that the creature Odysseus is facing is not a human being. It shows that Scylla has 12 tentacles, six heads, and three rows of teeth. No human would have any these characteristics. Not only does an epic hero have to be involved in a poem with supernatural characters, but a poem with a setting vast in scope that involves more than one nation. Odysseus tells the Phaeacians the tale of his wanderings in the beginning of book nine: My home is on the peaked sea-mark of Ithica under Mount Neion’s wind-blown robe of leaves, in sight of other islands- Dulichium, same, wooded Zacynthus- Ithica being most lofty in that costal sea, and northwest, while the rest lie east and south. (9. 10-15) Odysseus explains that he is from Ithica. He also explains that there are other nations around him. They are different than Ithica; like being â€Å"wooded† or â€Å"lofty.† This proves that he is part of a setting that includes a setting vast in scope. Another important trait is that the character has to be of noble birth, high position, and legendary. Many people rely on Odysseus and trust him. He explains to the Phaeacians in book nine, before he begins his big adventure, â€Å"Men hold me/formidable for guile in peace and war:† (9. 8-9). He proves that he has confidence in his authority. He knows his power; how strong and relied on in society. This gives the Phaeacians an idea of how noble and legendary he is. Despite being legendary, an epic hero is also the same as any ordinary man with longings, desires, and weaknesses. When Odysseus arrives at the land of the Cyclopes, his men advise him to snatch some of the food and leave, but to his and his crew’s detriment, he decides to stay, â€Å"Yet I refused. I wished/to see the caveman, what he had to offer-/no pretty sight, it turned out for my friends† (9. 130-132). Though he knew it wasn’t the right thing to do, Odysseus decided to stay. It is a very human-like characteristic to make mistakes. Humans do the things they want sometimes; even if they know it’s not the right thing to do. It shows he can be very much like a normal person at times and though he is trusted to always do the right things, he messes up too. Although epic heroes have human-like features, they are trained warriors and perform courageous and super human deeds for the benefit of others. In book 12, Odysseus knows that the wrath of the monsters, Scylla and Charybdis, lie ahead. Not wanting his men to be afraid and cowardly when they see the monsters, he prepares a speech to prepare them: ‘Friends, have we never been in danger before this? More fearsome, is it now, than when the Cyclops penned us in his cave? What power he had! Did I not keep my nerve, and use my wits to find a way out for us? (12. 143-147) Odysseus proves how heroic he is. He is a strong and intelligent when it comes to dealing with danger. By saying this, he prepares his men not to be afraid and to trust him that everything will be okay, just like all the other times he’s gotten them out of troublesome situations. When they finally reach the monsters, his men don’t chicken out and go forth with what he told them to do. Odysseus is stated to be an epic hero due to the characteristics he demonstrates in the poem the Odyssey. He reveals each of the five requirements needed. He shows he has human-like characteristics, strength, nobility and confidence in his authority throughout his adventures in the Odyssey. With all these features, any character could be an epic hero, just like Odysseus. Works Cited Homer. â€Å"The Odyssey.† The Language of Literature. Eds. Arthur N. Applebee, et.al. Evanston, IL: McDougal Little, 2002. 894-937. Print.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Article Summary And Critique The WritePass Journal

Article Summary And Critique Abstract Article Summary And Critique . What impact might mitigation of diffuse nitrate pollution have on river water quality in a rural catchmentCritiqueReferencesRelated Abstract This paper is going to summarise an articles that relate to environmental management and ecological modeling. It will also include a critique of the article in order to ascertain whether it has logical arguments.The critique will also involve an assessment of whether there was conclusive evidence in the article. In this paper, additional literature will be used in order to make personal opinions on the conclusions made by the authors of this article. Summary: Hutchins, M. G., 2012. What impact might mitigation of diffuse nitrate pollution have on river water quality in a rural catchment The article entitled â€Å"What impact might mitigation of diffuse nitrate pollution have on river water quality in a rural catchment?† by Michael Hutchins, studied the role played by nitrate loads in freshwater. The investigator carried out the study by evaluating how phytoplankton growth is affected by nutrient and light concentration. On one hand, the assessment of nutrients concentration was done by the measurement of annual mean concentration sourced from periodic regulatory monitoring. On the other hand, the effect of light was assessed using data sourced from solar radiation and sediment monitoring data. The investigator went further and assessed areas in the river under study that had sufficient calm water that could facilitate the growth of phytoplankton. This was done using hydraulic data collected from river network model applications. The researcher then went further and developed an analysis of the effect of the changes on land management in the nitrate concentrat ions in the river. This was carried out using estimations from NALTRACES, a nitrate model. An analysis using NALTRACES concluded that as much as agriculture contributes to increased levels of nitrates in the river water, its effect on the growth and concentration of phytoplankton is negligible. The study also found out that the growth of phytoplankton is regulated by the amount of sunlight that is able to infiltrate the water. In fact, areas that allow maximum light infiltration into the water promote extensive growth of Phytoplankton even if the levels of nitrates in the water are very low. Therefore, the investigation concluded that nitrate concentration is not one of the conditions that determine the growth of phytoplankton in the river water. The investigation concluded that developing a means of regulating the amount of light reaching the water is an effective way of regulating the growth of phytoplankton. It also suggested the establishment of a riparian tree cover as one of the ways that can be used in the regulation of light availability in the river water. Data was gathered and analyzed using a variety of simple modeling approaches to arrive at the conclusion that an effective way of mitigating phytoplankton growth is by minimizing illumination on the water surface. Critique The article by Hutchins is researched well, and the conclusions developed from the findings are well founded and backed by a good number of previous investigations. The conclusions are well founded because they are derived from the collected data. In addition, the conclusions are achieved after the collected data is critically analyzed and evaluated. The methodology applied in the investigation is effective enough to provide an explanation to the research issue. This is because it involves the collection of primary data as well as secondary data (Hutchins, 2012), which assists in explaining terms used in this research. The investigation applied a correlation analysis of nutrient level and phytoplankton growth, resulting to the development of a conclusion that had enough evidences that backed it. The evidence was derived from the data in the correlation analysis. In fact, the data used in the research acted as evidence for the conclusions made. Furthermore, data regarding sunlight ill umination and phytoplankton growth was used in the development of a sound analysis. From this analysis, it was concluded that it is one main factor that if controlled, the growth of phytoplankton can be fully regulated. On examining the sources used in this review, we notice that all sources are academic and written by well-known authors and published in credible journals. In fact, most of the studies referenced in the investigation were conducted between the years 2003 and 2012. Therefore, the sources cited in this article are the latest with respect to information portrayed in the article. However, the article has provided a stand that contradicts many recent investigations that link phytoplankton bloom to increased nutrient levels in water. Xu et al (2010) proposes an approach of regulating phytoplankton bloom in Lake Taihu that basically involves an approach aimed at lowering the lake waters nutritional levels. From their study, it was evident that phytoplankton bloom in the lake is directly associated with increased leaching of nutrients into the lake waters. On the other hand, Hutchins (2012) argues that nutrient levels have no form of association with phytoplankton bloom. This assertion is not founded since effects of human activities lead to unnatural forms of occasions. The sun is always constant, and its effects with relation to phytoplankton bloom are directly proportional to the levels of nutrients available in the waters to effect growth. As much as his conclusion links the reduction of illumination in the river as an approach towards managing the growth of phytoplankton, the application of this approach is quite limited and time consuming. In most cases, it might take several years to manage the problem by developing a means of regulating sunlight. According to a study by Lewis and Wurtsbaugh (2008), the phytoplankton growth limiting effect of nitrates is not universal. It is common in waters found in the high altitude tropic regions, which are not the case of the location of the river analysed in the study. The author also mentions phosphorus as a mineral that has no effect on the concentration of Phytoplankton; this stand contradicts a study by Sylvan and his colleagues (2006), which provided an inverse proportionality of the concentration of phosphorus to the concentration of phytoplankton. Therefore, the assumption adopted by Hutchins (2012), in his investigation required a deeper clarification on the approach adopted on arriving at the conclusion of delinking mineral concentrations to phytoplankton growth in the river. For the case of this river, I think a study that specifically analyses the extent to which nutrients affect the growth of phytoplankton is the best approach that will provide practical and applicable findings and recommendations. An in-depth analysis of the impacts of each nutrient to the growth of phytoplankton is necessary. Furthermore, this article is limited in its approach to developing a recommendation that aims at limiting the sunlight accessing the water in the river. As much as he assures the reader of the effectiveness of that approach, it is less viable due to several issues, including cost and time factor. In conclusion, as much as this article enriches the available level of understanding on management of Phytoplankton, its limitation in terms of applicability of the findings limits the effectiveness of the study with relation to the topic of the paper. References Hutchins, M. G., 2012. What impact might mitigation of diffuse nitrate pollution have on river water quality in a rural catchment? Journal of Environmental Management, 109, 19-26. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.04.045 Lewis, W. M., Wurtsbaugh A. W., 2008. Control of lacustrine phytoplankton by nutrients: Erosion of the phosphorus paradigm. Internat. Rev. Hydrobiol. 93, 446–465. Retrieved from http://ciresweb.colorado.edu/limnology/pubs/pdfs/Pub190.pdf Sylvan, J. B., Dortch Q.,Nelson, D.M.,MaierbrownA.F.,Morrison W., Ammerman, J. W., 2006. Phosphorus limits phytoplankton growth on the Louisiana shelf during the period of hypoxia formation. Environ. Sci. Technol. 40, 7548–7553. Retrieved from researchgate.net/publication/6548676_Phosphorus_limits_phytoplankton_growth_on_the_Louisiana_shelf_during_the_period_of_hypoxia_formation/file/d912f51017f64c452b.pdf Xu, H., Paerl, H.W., Qin B., Zhu G., Gao, G., 2010. Nitrogen and phosphorus inputs control phytoplankton growth in eutrophic Lake Taihu, China, Limnol. Oceanogr., 55(1), 420–432. Retrieved from jlakes.org/web/Xu%20et%20al.-LO2010.pdf

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Coulombs Law Definition in Science

Coulomb's Law Definition in Science Coulombs law is a physical  law stating the force between two charges is proportional to the amount of charge on both charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The law is also known as Coulombs inverse square law. Coulombs Law Equation The formula for Coulomb law is used to express the force through which stationary charged particles attract or repel one another. The force is attractive if the charges attract each other (have opposite signs) or repulsive if the charges have like signs. The scalar form of Coulombs law is:F kQ1Q2/r2 or F ∠ Q1Q2/r2wherek Coulombs constant (9.0Ãâ€"109 N m2 C−2) F force between the chargesQ1 and Q2 amount of charger distance between the two charges A vector form of the equation is also available, which may be used to indicate both the magnitude and direction of the force between the two charges. There are three requirements which must be met in order to use Coulombs law: The charges must be stationary with respect to each other.The charges must be non-overlapping.The charges must be either point charges or else otherwise spherically symmetrical in shape. History Ancient people were aware certain objects could attract or repel each other. At the time, the nature of electricity and magnetism was not understood, so the underlying principle behind magnetic attraction/repulsion versus the attraction between an amber rod and fur was thought to be the same. Scientists in the 18th century suspected the force of the attraction or repulsion diminished based on the distance between two objects. Coulombs law was published by French physicist Charles-Augustin de Coulomb in 1785. It may be used to derive Gausss law. The law is considered to be analogous to Newtons inverse square law of gravity. Sources Baigrie, Brian (2007). Electricity and Magnetism: A Historical Perspective. Greenwood Press. pp. 7–8. ISBN 978-0-313-33358-3Stewart, Joseph (2001). Intermediate Electromagnetic Theory. World Scientific. p. 50. ISBN 978-981-02-4471-2

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Marketing Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Management - Assignment Example This has led to the growth of tremendous competition in the world wide markets among various fast foods brands in quick service or packaged formats. In this particular assignment, the focus is laid on Dominos Pizza, which is considered as the leader in the pizza delivery business in the US on the basis of consumer spending and occupies the second position in the globe, while comparing in terms of sales (Annual Report, Item 1). The company, founded in the year 1960, provides quality products that are made available to the consumers at affordable prices with excellence in product delivery (Dominos.com, 2008). I. Marketing Mix The marketing mix of a company increasingly talks about the process of value generation, value communication, value distribution and value capture through the 4 P’s of marketing which is commonly represented as product, place, promotion and price. Product The world’s second largest pizza company in the world in terms of volume has a highly diversifie d line of product portfolio. The company’s main product offerings are mostly the diversified kinds of pizzas that help the company to cater to the hunger needs of the consumers belonging to the mass markets by providing the required and desired nutritional food value through its food products to the customers. Apart from the basic product offering of pizzas, the globally present pizza manufacturer and delivery brand focuses on the process of value generation, value distribution and value capture through a widely diversified portfolio comprising of various categories of product like pasta, breads, chicken products, sandwiches, chips, drinks, deserts as well as some by product type auxiliary offerings. It also needs to be mentioned that in an attempt to service and cater to the needs of the customers in a better manner, the company also allows the consumers and customers to opt for customized product offering depending on their personal choice and preferences. Among each of the se diversified product lines, the company has various product variants which helps their product appeal to a broad range of customers in the American region as well as in various countries all over the globe. Place The largest pizza delivery company in the US follows a very generalized yet highly well developed and advanced model for the process of distributing value to the consumers. The company follows the strategy of expanding and entering in various markets through the process of offering franchisees. By the process of offering franchisees in various markets, the company gets the option for going for both intensive as well as exhaustive distribution of products. As of today’s date, the company has presence in various locations all over the globe with a store count of more than 9000 worldwide (Annual Report, p. 14). Promotion The company uses a mix of online and offline processes for promoting its products. For the purpose of increasing product and brand awareness in new m arkets, the brand goes for exploiting traditional promotional media like the television, hoardings, banners, newspaper ads, etc. The company also goes for in store promotions like offering discounts, coupons, value for money combo packs to promote its

Friday, November 1, 2019

AIC test and diabetes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

AIC test and diabetes - Essay Example From this study, it was found that A1C level of a patient provides a reliable measure of controlling chronic glycemia without the need for a timed sample or fasting, and it correlates highly with the long-term risk of diabetes-related complications and mortality. Most important, this test tool is more effective in detecting undiagnosed diabetes and there is a higher potentiality of using the measurements of AIC levels to screen type 2 diabetes (Choi et al, 2011). How the new tool can be integrated into practice It has been found that AIC test is not recommended for diagnosing diabetes among adolescents with diabetes. The conventional fasting plasma glucose test in which a patient is put on fast for 8 hours prior to testing has been found to detect more undiagnosed cases of diabetes among adolescents compared to the AIC test. The suitability of this among children is still debatable. For example, the American Diabetes Association has given guidelines on how it can be used in children yet researchers from Michigan University caution against the same. The AIC test tool is therefore best applicable to adults. This suitability is supported by research which indicates that AIC test is more sensitive in diagnosing adults accurately compared to adolescents. The application of the findings of this study to adults simply entails making a shift from the use of the fasting blood glucose tests to using AIC tests when diagnosing diabetes among adults.... The AIC test enables physicians diagnose patients who are diabetic faster and more comprehensively. Because of this, the AIC test can be used to increase the number of adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and thus the number of people with diabetes who receive timely intervention to reduce the complications and clinical implications of the disease. This will particularly be important in diagnosing asymptomatic patients because of the accuracy of obtaining glucose levels. The result of this will be the reduction of diabetic patients, especially asymptomatic patients, who suffer from multiple organs systems failure due to late diagnosis. This application is important because there is a rapid increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Less than 13% of adults in the US and Asia have been diagnosed with this type 2 diabetes. Among the newly diagnosed patients, 25% already had microvascular complications, indicating a 6- to 7-year time lag that exists between the onset of type 2 diabe tes and its diagnosis. The second application of the AIC test among adults is making predictions of diabetes for purposes of timely management. The AIC test is more powerful in identifying people who are at a high risk of becoming diabetic in future or who have undiagnosed diabetes. The use of AIC test will therefore be useful in increasing the prediction of new-onset diabetes among adults and thus the number of people that are likely to be on diabetes prevention and management programs. Â  This application is vital because when taking into consideration the clinical implications and complications of diabetes, it is of paramount importance to identify people with who are at a high risk of becoming diabetic in future or who have undiagnosed