Wednesday, August 26, 2020

What Did It Mean to Be Modern in Early 20th Century East Asia Free Essays

string(35) the countries of the Western world. I'm not catching it's meaning to be present day in mid twentieth century East Asia? In the mid twentieth century, East Asia experienced a procedure of modernisation to adapt to the difficulties brought by the Western forces. This procedure of modernisation was portrayed by various highlights, running from military, political, financial, mechanical and innovative changes to changes in the legitimate, organization, conciliatory just as training and ladies. There were long haul socio-political and social effects which formed the cutting edge East Asia in the mid twentieth century. We will compose a custom article test on I don't get It's meaning to Be Modern in Early twentieth Century East Asia? or on the other hand any comparable point just for you Request Now While modernisation was not the slightest bit comparable to Westernization, numerous in the mid twentieth century considered the To be as a model for modernisation. Modernisation in East Asia was along these lines usually taken as a procedure of gaining from or in any event, impersonating the West. This paper will contend that Japan, Korea and China had comparable subjects in the way towards innovation despite the fact that they created in various manners. One of the most significant strides towards modernisation for every one of the 3 locales of East Asia was the change (expanding levels of opportunity) for ladies. In the mid twentieth century Japan, Korea and China experienced financial and mechanical improvement making the principal strides towards modernisation. Nonetheless, the noteworthy contrast lay in the way that Korea experienced this procedure of mechanical and financial modernisation under Japanese frontier rule consequently one may contend that the centrality of their advancement was a lot more prominent. Japanese partnerships exploited worldwide mechanical and administrative developments frequently called the â€Å"second modern revolution†. Japan’s electrical innovation turned out to be top notch. Electric road vehicles showed up in Tokyo in 1904, quite a long while after they had showed up in Seoul. Of Japanese family units, 85% had power in 1935, contrasted with 68% in the United States. Procedures of large scale manufacturing required both normalized gear and logical administration or Taylorism, an American hypothesis of levelheaded work practice that Japan adjusted to make the work power progressively productive. A double structure portrayed Japan’s current economy. Accordingly, for Japan modernisation implied an ascent in mechanical advances and creation in this manner a blasting economy. Scholars’ perspectives on Korea’s frontier period for the most part separate into two general classes. The primary takes a negative perspective on Japan yet the second fits the pilgrim experience into significant patterns that kept going to the furthest limit of the twentieth century. This included nullifying acquired societal position as a boundary to headway; freeing ladies from male mastery; presenting current broad communications and mainstream society; making a cutting edge economy through substantial interest in railways, extensions and harbors; setting up an advanced money related part during the 1920s; and industrializing the landmass during the 1930s. A little white collar class of businesspeople and retailers emerged and half million ranchers were changed over to assembly line laborers and excavators. Everything considered, the most significant financial commitment was Japan’s utilization of state-drove industrialisation including arranging and controls of various types during the time spent late industrialisation to get up to speed to the propelled economies of western colonialists. Frontier financial strategy planned for extending farming creation by interest in recovery, water system, synthetic compost and the acquaintance of new seeds with develop rice for fare to Japan. A few people profited more than others out of the monetary blast in Korea from 1910-1925. This financial blast saw an ascent in the cost of rice. Korean proprietors a large portion of whom were Yangban (landed or unlanded gentry), fared far superior than tenant farmers and Japan prevailing with regards to winning tangban landowners consistence to pioneer rule by conceding them respectable titles and ensuring their private property rights. Accordingly proprietors took little part in the advancement of dynamic patriot protection from Japanese guideline. Contemplating this it isn't absurd to recommends that while Japanese pilgrim rule achieved oppression, misuse of the Korean economy, its decrease of the mass of the populace to exposed resource and its endeavor to devastate Korean culture without conceding equivalent citizenship rights it additionally energized developmentalism along these lines a significant increment in financial turn of events. World War One allowed China’s organizations and ventures to prosper. England, France, Germany and Russia were distracted with what was occurring in Europe and not, at this point had save products to trade. Imports from the West along these lines dropped drastically, allowing Chinese producers to sell all the more productively. Simultaneously, the interest for items from China expanded drastically, allowing Chinese producers to sell all the more productively. Simultaneously, the interest for items from china expanded aiding china’s trade ventures. The quantity of Chinese material factories expanded from 22 of every 1911 to 109 out of 1921. Tonnage of coal created developed from 13 to 20 million tons somewhere in the range of 1913 and 1919. Present day banking took off: somewhere in the range of 1912 and 1923, the quantity of current banks expanded from 7 to 31. Phone and electric organizations were framed in significant urban areas as well as in district situates and even in advertise towns. New fortunes were made. For example, the Rong siblings from a group of vendors in Wuxi manufactured a flour plant in 1901 and another in 1913. As circumstances opened up, they manufactured eight new processing plants somewhere in the range of 1914 and 1920 venturing into materials. Subsequently, similar to Japan and Korea, modernisation for China likewise implied an expansion in industrialisation and financial creation which acquired the initial moves towards innovation the mid twentieth century. In Japan the way towards modernisation likewise implied the reception of sacred government and a magnificent popular government. After the Meiji reclamation in 1868, it accommodated a type of established government, in which the head of Japan was a functioning ruler and employed impressive political control over international strategy and tact which was imparted to a chosen Diet. The Diet principally directed residential strategy matters. After the Meiji rebuilding, which reestablished direct political capacity to the ruler, Japan experienced a time of political and social change and modernisation planned for fortifying Japan to the degree of the countries of the Western world. You read What Did It Mean to Be Modern in Early twentieth Century East Asia? in class Article models The quick outcome of the constitution was the opening of the primary parliamentary government in Asia. In the mid twentieth century the battle for majority rules system drew in scholastic scholars, writers, women's activists, pariahs and working people who communicated in riots and in endeavors to sorted out associations. For Japanese savvy people radicalism implied delegate government, constitutionalism, and rule by law. It implied singular rights and opportunity from undue legislative obstruction in the individual’s life. It recognized the expectation of society and the ingenuity of the state. Intelligent people who pronounced liberal perspectives imperiled their vocations. For instance, Yoshino Sakuzo needed to leave his situation at Tokyo University since he had contended that individuals are the premise of the state and the point of the state is to advance their prosperity. The open intrigue needed to in their view, override private, incomplete interests of oligarchs, civil servants, government officials and businesspeople. Minobe Tatsukichi contended that as indicated by the constitution, the Diet, specifically the lower house was the organ that spoke to the individuals. In this manner, obviously in Japan modernisation not just implied an improvement in mechanical creation and financial quality, however more altogether it implied the articulation by the individuals for popular government and new liberal thoughts imported from the West. Another cutting edge culture was developing in East Asia alongside training which was accentuated essentially in Korea in the mid twentieth century. Radio telecom started in 1927 under the Japanese Korean telecom organization and Korean language programs extended from a third to half of broadcast appointment and in 1933 the principal all Korean station was permitted. It committed numerous projects to Korean history, science, human expressions, worldwide undertakings, interpretations of western plays, famous tunes with a particular Korean flavor and normalization of Korean language structure. In Japan the incomparable Kanto seismic tremor of 1923 introduced present day Japanese culture. Present day culture fused a second flood of westernization driven not by national objectives yet by singular tendencies. After the seismic tremor, there developed theaters, displays, presentation lobbies, and housetop arcades and in 1927 the primary metro in Asia associated corporate home office in Ginza with film houses and bistros in Asakysa. The new white collar class devoured a cutting edge culture expelled from legislative issues. Mass proficiency prodded the improvement of broad communications. Self improvement guides and magazines showed the basics of famous science, how to be current, how to prevail in business and how to make the ideal home condition. Films demonstrated movies from abroad close by locally delivered enlivened kid's shows and recorded dramatizations. This advanced mass culture advanced a privatizing universe of recreation and self-articulation. In China the new culture development started to lead the pack in dismissing conventional qualities. For instance, articles were composed that advanced the significance of dismissal of Confucianism with the goal that China could accomplish equity and human rights. Pioneers of the development proposed finishing utilization of the traditional artistic language since it was a â€Å"dead language† as per Hu Shi. By 1919 New youth wr

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Jimmy Carter - 39th President of the United States

Jimmy Carter - 39th President of the United States Jimmy Carters Childhood and Education: James Earl Carter was conceived on October 1, 1924 in Plains, Georgia. He experienced childhood in Archery, Georgia. His dad was a neighborhood open authority. Jimmy grew up working in the fields to help get cash. He went to state funded schools in Plains, Georgia. After secondary school, he went to Georgia Institute of Technology before being acknowledged into the U.S. Maritime Academy in 1943 from which he graduated in 1946. Family Ties: Carter was the child of James Earl Carter, Sr., a rancher and open authority and Bessie Lillian Gordy, a Peace Corps volunteer. He had two sisters, Gloria and Ruth, and a sibling, Billy. On July 7, 1946, Carter married Eleanor Rosalynn Smith. She was his sister Ruths closest companion. Together they had three children and one little girl. His little girl, Amy, was a kid while Carter was in the White House. Military Service: Carter joined the naval force from 1946-53. He started as an ensign. He went to submarine school and was positioned on board the submarine Pomfret. He was then positioned in 1950 on an enemy of sub submarine. He at that point proceeded to consider atomic material science and was picked to fill in as a designing official on one of the primary nuclear submarines. He left the naval force in 1953 upon the passing of his dad. Profession Before the Presidency: In the wake of leaving the military in 1953, he came back to Plains, Georgia to help on the ranch upon his dads demise. He extended the nut business to the point of making him extremely well off. Carter served in the Georgia State Senate from 1963-67. In 1971, Carter turned into the legislative head of Georgia. In 1976, he was the dull pony possibility for president. The crusade revolved around Fords absolution of Nixon. Carter won by a tight edge with half of the vote and 297 out of 538 discretionary votes. Turning into the President: Carter proclaimed his appointment for the 1976 Democratic presidential selection in 1974. He ran with reestablishing trust after the catastrophe of Watergate. He was restricted by Republican President Gerald Ford. The vote was extremely close with Carter winning half of the famous vote and 297 out of 538 constituent votes. Occasions and Accomplishments of Jimmy Carters Presidency: On Carters first day in office, he gave an acquittal for each one of the individuals who avoided the draft in the Vietnam Warâ era. He didn't exculpate defectors, be that as it may. In any case, his activities were hostile to numerous veterans.â Vitality was an immense issue during Carters organization. With the Three Mile Islandâ incident, stricter guidelines on Nuclear Energy plants were required. Further, the Department of Energyâ was made. Quite a bit of Carters time as president was gone through managing conciliatory issues. In 1978, President Carterâ invited Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to Camp David for harmony talks. This prompted a proper harmony arrangement in 1979. In 1979, discretionary relations were officially settled among China and the U.S. On November 4, 1979, the U.S. international safe haven in Tehran, Iran was seized and 60 Americans were kidnapped. 52 of the prisoners were held for over a year. Carter suspended oil imports from Iran and the UN Security Council required the arrival of the prisoners. He forced monetary approvals. He likewise endeavored in 1980 to protect the prisoners. Nonetheless, three helicopters broke down and they couldn't finish the salvage. In the end, the Ayatollah Khomeini consented to discharge the prisoners in return for unfreezing Iranian resources in the U.S. They were not discharged, be that as it may, until Reagan was president. The prisoner emergency was a piece of the explanation that Carter didn't win re-appointment. Post-Presidential Period: Carter left the administration on January 20, 1981 in the wake of losing to Ronald Reagan. He resigned to Plains, Georgia. He turned into a significant figure in Habitat for Humanity. Carter has been associated with conciliatory undertakings including helping produce a concurrence with North Korea. He was granted the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Authentic Significance: Carter was president when vitality issues went to the front line. During his time, the Department of Energy was made. Further, the Three Mile Island occurrence demonstrated potential issues inborn in depending on atomic vitality. Carter is likewise significant as far as it matters for him in the Middle East harmony process with the Camp David Accords in 1972.

Friday, August 21, 2020

All the Books! Podcast, Episode #27 New Releases for Nov. 10, 2015 - Recorded Live!

All the Books! Podcast, Episode #27 New Releases for Nov. 10, 2015 - Recorded Live! This week, Liberty and Rebecca discuss Our Spoons Came from Woolworths, Dear Mr. You, The Mad Feast, and  more new releases. Recorded live at Book Riot Live 2015 in NYC! This episode was sponsored by I Gift YA. Subscribe to All the  Books! using  RSS or iTunes and never miss a beat book. Sign up for the weekly New Books! newsletter for even more new book news. Books discussed on the show: Our Spoons Came from Woolworths by Barbara Comyns Dear Mr. You by Mary-Louise Parker Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne Valente The Color Purple by Alice Walker You Have Never Been Here by Mary Rickert The Mad Feast: An Ecstatic Tour Through Americas Food  by Matthew Gavin Frank (Preparing the Ghost: An Essay Concerning the Giant Squid and Its First Photographer  by Matthew Gavin Frank) Because She Never Asked by Enrique Vila-Matas, translated by Valerie Miles (Followed by Kevin Brockmeier fangirling. Heres an amazing place to start.) What were reading: My Father, the Pornographer: A Memoir by Chris Offutt The Queen by Tiffany Reisz More books out this week: SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard Cast of Characters: Wolcott Gibbs, E. B. White, James Thurber, and the Golden Age of the New Yorker by Thomas Vinciguerra Looking at Pictures by Robert Walser Hotels of North America by Rick Moody Fox Tooth Heart by John McManus Safe Inside the Violence by Christopher Irvin Eyes Full of Empty by Jérémie Guez (Author), Edward Gauvin (Translator) Dance to the Piper by Agnes De Mille The Great Forgetting by James Renner The Bassoon King: My Life in Art, Faith, and Idiocy by Rainn Wilson The Pawnbroker by Edward Lewis Wallant War, So Much War by Mercè Rodoreda (Author), Martha Tennent (Translator), Maruxa Relaño (Translator) Petty: The Biography by Warren Zanes Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape  by Lauret Savoy Rules for a Knight by Ethan Hawke On the Run with Mary by Jonathan Barrow Target in the Night by Ricardo Piglia (Author), Sergio Waisman (Translator) The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom Bird by Noy Holland Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll by Peter Guralnick Time Will Clean the Carcass Bones: Selected and New Poems by Lucia Perillo The Voiceover Artist by Dave Reidy Tales of Accidental Genius: Stories by Simon Van Booy Mission Creep: Poems by Joshua Trotter Country Club: Poems by Andy McGuire Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes Guano by Louis Carmain A Wild Swan: And Other Tales by Michael Cunningham The Murder of Halland by Pia Juul The Big Green Tent by Ludmila Ulitskaya My Kind of Sound : The Secret History of Chicago Music edited by Steve Krakow, JC Gabel The Promise: An Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel by Robert Crais A Superior Man by Paul Yee Ball : Stories by Tara Ison This Way Home by Wes Moore and Shawn Goodman In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall III Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick At the Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen (paperback)

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Bullying At A Young Age - 1773 Words

Have you ever been called a nasty name? Or even made fun because of your hair, or even your clothes? Or have you have made fun of someone because of their hair or clothes? Bullying is something that is active across the world, and it doesn t just happen in schools, it can happen anywhere at any time to anyone. We can all always do our best to prevent it but the outcome is very low. Statistics show that between the ages of 5 and 7 is when bullying is very hot. In the article â€Å"Bullying at a young age† it states that â€Å"between these ages is when children are maturing and starting to realize new things about others† children do not intend to pick on one another they just simply do don t know how to be polite about the situation. When bullying is in action most of the time other tend to believe the parents are not connected with their children as much as they should be. Sometimes a person begins to bully others because of their situation and lifestyle at home. We all know things at home can sometimes get a little out of hand, in all families. A child may come from a single parent home or their parents may have just recently split up. In other instances, a person may live in a poor neighborhood and their parents or guardians may not be handling the responsibility of being a parent in a way that they should. The most popular reason for a bully t o start bullying in the first place usually is a cry for help. If a person comes from a place where everything is negative, and thereShow MoreRelatedBullying And Its Effects On American Schools1209 Words   |  5 PagesBullying in American schools has become an underrated topic to converse about. It is a worldwide problem that can have negative consequences for the general school climate and for the right of students to learn in a safe environment without fear. Throughout Elementary schools, students are taught about bullying more than any other grade school. 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month. As generations have evolved, kids in all schools get bullied rapidly and are afraidRead MoreEssay about Bullying and Bullycide1685 Words   |  7 PagesBullying is defined as aggressive behaviour that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power and strength (1). From harsh words being wrote on the inside of bathroom stalls to being teased, socially exclude, physically assaulted and being hounded out on the in ternet, bullying appears to be escalating with no signs of stopping. The victims of bullies are often the targets for various reasons such as being too fat, too skinny, too quiet or in most cases being homosexual. Often times the victimsRead MoreCyber-Bullying Today999 Words   |  4 PagesEveryday millions of preteens and young adults log on to the internet to complete various amounts of tasks. With the new age of technology many young adults have easier access to the web and social media than their past generations. â€Å"Over 80 percent of teens use a cell phone regularly, making it the most popular form of technology and a common medium for cyber bullying† (Cyberbullying Research Center, 2010). The World Wide Web and social media have opens up a black hole to psychological and emotionalRead MoreThe Effects Of Substance Abuse On Children1364 Words   |  6 Pagesis familiar with bullying, it’s almost like a rite of passage for most Americans; we see it in movi es and are all-too familiar with it. We typically don’t think about the consequences of bullying, but studies have shown that students who are bullied at school in grades 7-12 are 50% more likely to abuse substances (Promises Treatment Center). Bullying is the act of physical or verbal tormenting over a set amount of time, usually targeted at one person or a group of people. Bullying is an internationalRead MoreProblem, Cause, Solution Template Outline Essay1351 Words   |  6 Pagesno one’s definition of your life, but define yourself.† (SLIDE THREE) STOMP Out Bullying is an anti-bullying organization that has helped millions of lives. Not many people realize how a few words can have a big impact on someone. STOMP Out Bullying focuses on helping and trying to prevent abuse regards to racism, homophobia, sexism and more. B. Audience Relevance (SLIDE FOUR) Everyone has seen or experienced bullying first hand, whether it was physical, verbal, social or cyber. It is estimated byRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of Bullying Effects Child Development959 Words   |  4 Pageswith many different obstacles throughout their early development. One main obstacle that can change a child’s perspective on life is being a victim of bullying. Bullying can be defined as unwanted repetitive actions that inflict pain onto others. Millions of children each year are effected by bullying. According to Smokowski and Kopasz, â€Å"Bullying can be considered the most prevalent form of youth violence and may escalate into extremely serious forms of antisocial behavior (2005)†. We live in aRead MoreBullying in Todays Society Essay1252 Words   |  6 PagesBullying In Today#8217;s World. Approximately 12, 8-10 year old children commit suicide every year because they are victims of bullying. Whereas 1.3 million children a year bully others. What is bullying? As defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, one who hurts or intimidates others. This assault may occur in two principle forms, verbal or physical. There are specific reasons why bullying happens and specific solutions that could help save as many as 12 lives a year. BullyingRead MoreEssay on A Speech on Bullying1047 Words   |  5 Pagestoday is Bullying. It is all around us, everyone bullies, no matter what you think or have done, you’ve most likely bullied someone. There are many issues in the news that involve bullying and bad things that happen, aswell as people being affected from people bullying them. Bullying is happening everywhere and the chances that you will encounter it are high. Around the world bullying is big particularly within schools and online in cyber space. With all schools talking about bullying and theRead MoreTaking a look at Bullying712 Words   |  3 PagesIn today’s society bullying has become a major issue that the kids in America are facing. Over the years, this issue has evolved from bullying verbally to cyberbullying. With the increase in use of technology children are beginning to use internet sites such as Facebook, twitter, and Instagram to judge other peers. With issues beginning on the internet they are also bringing them with them into the schools, workplaces, and many other local places. The cyberbullying is causing emotional problems throughoutRead MoreEssay on Persuade to Stop Physical Bullying860 Words   |  4 PagesPhysical Bullying Physical bullying is a serious problem, affecting not only the bully and the victim, but also the other students who witness the bullying. Parents, teachers, and other concerned adults and young people should be aware of what physical bullying is and some of the ways to handle it. There are many types of negative physical interactions that can occur between young people, including fighting, practical jokes, stealing, and sexual harassment. These things are not considered physical

Thursday, May 14, 2020

A Rose for Emily Factors the Impacted Miss Emilys Behavior

A Rose for Emily: Factors the Impacted Miss Emilys Behavior A Rose for Emily is a fictional short story written by 1949 Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner. Faulkners A Rose for Emily is about an aristocratic woman who lived a very secretive and unusual life. Miss Emily had always been very sheltered by her father. He was the only man in her life and after his death, her behavior became even more unnatural. However her fathers death cannot be seen as the only cause of Miss Emilys insanity. Miss Emilys behavior was also influenced by her own expectations of herself, the townspeoples lack of authority over her, and her neighbors infatuation with her. The narrator tells us the Griersons had always had always†¦show more content†¦The narrator also reveals that Miss Emily had too much pride to accept any charity or pity from others. Miss Emily knew no authority. The townspeople would at times attempt some type of control, but they gave in easily when Miss Emily resisted. When the man who had deceived her into not paying taxes passed away, the next generation of alderman attempted to make Miss Emily once again pay her taxes. They met no success in doing so and did nothing further. The same was so when Miss Emily bought arsenic. The pharmacist requested a reason for buying it, but without an answer, he let Miss Emily do as she pleased. When a disgusting odor came from Miss Emilys House, instead of telling her to fix the problem and hurt her pride, four men attempted to fix it themselves in secret. Overall Miss Emily answered to no one. The information that we do have about Miss Emilys genuinely mysterious life was obtained through her prying neighbors. They did everything possible, without disrespect, to find out more about her. They knew where she had been, with whom, and when. The secrecy of Miss Emilys life fascinated everyone that knew her. The more that time went on and the more that neighbors pried, the less Miss Emily appeared until soon she was hardly seen at all and let no one into her home. Even at Miss Emilys funeral the whole town came to satisfy some of their curiosity. Miss Emily seemed to enjoy being secretive and did her best to be so.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Exploring the Idea of Evil Essay example - 1162 Words

People have constantly attempted to understand what evil truly is, and, if possible, how to eliminate this evil from their lives. However, first it must be known what it is that is being eliminated. Different people, cultures, and eras have all had a different view of what evil is, and how it affects their lives, and there is no true answer. Because of this, discussing the idea of whether people are born or can be evil is meaningless. The idea of what evil is, and whether people can be evil, is relative and cannot be applied to human nature in a universal way. The discussion of whether evil exists is dependent on the definition of evil. In the sense of human action, evil can be seen as consciously doing harmful acts. The idea of what†¦show more content†¦Therefore, according to Plato, no one is truly evil. However, if it seen from the perspective of others, the act that is good for a person can be seen as evil for others. For example, if a person steals to feed himself and his starving family, he can be seen as doing a good act because he is doing what is right for him and for his family. However, to the storeowner, the same act is seen as evil because the thief consciously caused harm to the storeowner. The very same act is seen as both good and evil, dependant on the perspective that the act is seen from. Although evil is dependent on the viewpoint from which it is seen from, some philosophers, such as Lyall Watson, doubt that evil exists at all. According to Watson, evil is a force of nature and is a part of nature, and as such, it can be said that evil is an illusion that does not exist. However, according to dualism, this is not possible. Evil can only coexist with good, regardless of whether it is universal or not. If no evil existed, then all actions would now be varying degrees of good. The ‘least good’ act would then be considered evil, and evil would once again exist. Because good and evil are opposites, one cannot exist without the other. Also, supposing that all evil did not exist, the only alternative action would be good. Therefore, if evil is taken away, or does not exist, then people wouldShow MoreRelatedWilliam Golding s Lord Of The Flies752 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout the history of humanity, humans have different behaviors that change depending on wh at situations they are in. Psychologist Philip Zimbardo spent many years exploring human nature and has developed many theories about human behavior. One of Zimbardo’s ideas is about situational factors that states â€Å"one’s behavior is assumed to be dependent upon their current circumstances, situation or the environment that they are in.† He concluded the concept of situational factors after his StanfordRead MoreSocial Control through Works of Fiction1390 Words   |  6 Pages Vampire stories have universal themes that provide the backbone for every dark tale. The unholy essence that any vampire story provides sets the stage for the message that the Church is the way of life and will save you from creatures of evil. From in class readings, we can see all the major religious themes of the classic vampire story. The common religious theme is the abscess of light is the absence of holiness and is the path to eternal damnation. Darkness is the prime universal f ear of humanityRead MoreLord Of The Flies By William Golding Essay1000 Words   |  4 Pagesevilness through such devastating acts. His study and the Lord of the flies examine that human kind has the potential for evil and what interrupts them from exposing their true evil colours is the law and the threat of penalty. Golding has successfully pictured the theme of social turmoil in his book through major themes like Good Vs Evil (the capacity for individuals to be evil), Lack of adults/authority (no control leaded to chaos) incorporating the loss of innocence/identity (to gain survival, howRead MoreSummary Of Camus The Stranger 924 Words   |  4 Pagesthe image that would come to mind when I thought of my faith: harmony, a hall overflowing with women who seemed to find, with each movement, the purpose of life in religion, a purpose that I never discovered despite the security that faith and the idea of an all-encompassing deity offers. It was not until I discovered The Strange r’s main character, Meursault, that I felt my experiences of religious isolation being validated, or at least recognized, by virtue of his own inability to blend into hisRead MoreEssay on Captain Murderer758 Words   |  4 PagesCaptain Murderer Captain Murderer was written in the 1800’s by Charles Dickens. In this essay I intend to write about exploring character structure, language, social content and themes. Captain Murderer was described as an evil character by the narrator. His position in society was great he was let into the best of parties. ‘The first diabolical character who intruded himself on my peaceful youth was a certain Captain Murderer’ The word diabolical comes from the Latin word DiabloRead MoreEssay Biblical Allegories in Modern Literature1378 Words   |  6 PagesJohn Milton, in his epic poem â€Å"Paradise Lost,† expresses that â€Å"the mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven† (Milton). This idea not only counteracts the basic ideals of Christianity but simultaneously disrupts the widely accepted idea of a separated heaven and hell and the expectations needed to be met to achieve entry. Religion and the bible, two of the most widely disputed topics in history, serve as a muse for authors to explain humanity’s fatal flawsRead MoreEvil Lies Deep Within: Analysis of The Child by Tiger by Thomas Wolfe951 Words   |  4 Pagesoften seen committing good, kind, and helpful acts while others are found committing acts of evil. One doesnt think, though, of the possibility that those who often do good would rash out in evil acts for no apparent reason at a ll. It is human nature to simply go along in every day life, knowing right from wrong, knowing the results and consequences of certain acts, and assuming anyone with a different idea is insane. In The Child by Tiger by Thomas Wolfe, a lesson about mans darker side is taughtRead More Taking The Castle of Otranto as your example, outline the main conventions1454 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Gothic genre, or is there a more complicated relationship going on? Gothic novels purport to revive old stories and beliefs, exploring personal, psychical encounters with the taboo (Williams, 2000). The genre, as typified by The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, involves a beautiful innocent young woman who is held captive by an older, powerful, evil man in his large, ancient and gloomy residence for his own lustful purposes and who escapes, with the aid of supernatural manifestationsRead MoreSummary Of Patricia Highsmith Implements Guy s Internal Monologue1265 Words   |  6 Pagesconscience and the weight it can put on a person. Through Guy’s guilt and internal conflict, which is displayed in his thoughts throughout the passage,Highsmith shows the how one’s conscience can be conflicted.Lastly Highsmith shows her views on good and evil through Guy’s internal conflict, and a brief internal monologue that guy has halfway through the passage.I will examine one passage that shows how Highsmith displays these themes through, figurative language, syntax and word choice. The passage startsRead MoreComparative: Greed and Corruption in The Pardoners Tale and A Simple Plan1055 Words   |  5 PagesBoth Geoffrey Chaucer in â€Å"The Pardoners Tale† and Sam Raimi in the film â€Å"A Simple Plan† composed moral tales exploring the concept of greed and corruption. Both composers suggest that a person’s good morals can be easily corrupted by the power of greed; both composers explore the fatal consequences of greed and corruption which affirms the importance of a morally sound society. However, Chaucer, composing in a medieval context communicates that greed and corruption may be fostered by a lack of material

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Ethical Issues And Dilemmas From Financial Statement Of Dick Smith

Question: Discuss about the Ethical Issues And Dilemmas From The Financial Statement Of Dick Smith. Answer: Introduction With the increasing ramification of economic changes and complex business structure, Dick smith holding, a major electronic retailer has closed down its business due to several ethical and legal compliance issues. It is evaluated that Dick smith holding company has failed to comply with the international and financial reporting standards. In this report, study has been prepared on the financial and non-financial aspects of Dick smith holding company and ethical and legal compliance issues which have resulted to closure of the business (Mills and Woodford, 2015). Present description of company Dick smith holding company is major retailer company which was acquired by Anchorage capital partner. This company was part of Woolworth Company which sold Dick smith holding company to by Anchorage capital partner for AUD$ 115 million. After that Dick Smith holding company got listed and sold its shares in market. However, due to the sluggish market conditions, Dick Smith Company had to face liquidation in its business process and closed down its business. (Anchorage capital, 2017). The main ethical dilemma which was faced by Dick Smith Company was related to its less efficient financial reporting compliance program and disclosure of wrong information to its stakeholders. This resulted to sudden increase of overall market share of company and also increased its market capitalization of company by AUD $ 520 million. Market making process of directors and mangers of Dick Smith Company reflects the sudden increase in overall share price of company and investors inclination towards buyi ng companys share (Adelopo, 2016). After collecting data from the secondary sources, it is considered that Dick smith company was sold by Woolworth to Anchorage capital partner for the initial amount of cash payment of AUD$ 20 million and eventually Anchorage Capital investment company had to pay AUD$ 115 million for the acquisition of Dick Smith company. Nonetheless, at the time of listing of company an due to the market making of companys directors and mangers of company, the market capitalization of company resulted to value of AUD$ 520 million. The main ethical dilemma arise when Anchorage capital partner did not disclose the information about the functioning of Dick Smith company and adopted the falsifiedaccounting in the financial statement of Dick Smith company. (Bahadir, DeKinder Kohli, 2015) The Anchorage company caught in the ethical dilemma regarding whether to disclose the Dick Smith companys information to its stakeholders or not. It was clear if Anchorage Investment C ompany failed to disclose information to stakeholders then it would put negative impact on the share value of Dick Smith or may result to closure down of its business (Malley, 2016). Another ethical issue was related to misguide the investors by showing falsified market making process (Knapp, 2016). Critically evaluation of Dick Smith Company in handling Earning Management and related issue of real activities management A real activity management of company is related to application of management functioning to manipulate financial information to shareholders. It is considered that dick smith holding was acquired by Anchorage capital partner by paying USD$ 115 million to Woolworth. It is evaluated that by showing falsified statement to showcase high earning to its stakeholders company increased its market capitalization to AUD$ 520 million (Adelopo, 2016). After evaluating the annual report of Dick Smith Company, it is determined that company issued share value of USD$ 7682980 in the market and shareholders invested in these shares on the basis of falsified statement and wrong profit earning result of company. This reflects the real activities management of company to depict the falsified information to attract more investors to buy companys share and create value of company in the market (Malley, 2016). Management department and directors of Dick Smith Company manipulated all the data and produce f ake documents to increase. Ethical dilemma of management department of Dick Smith Dick Smith Company had reflected high amount of profit and increased value of its total assets and showcased less amount of profit earned (Tomasi, Bottomley and McQueen, 2002). This level of manipulation in the profit of company was made by implementing real activities management plan and reflecting high earning of the company. (Ferraro, 2017). In addition to this, Dick Smith Company also decreases its capital assets by selling its myopic softwares to other organizations and decrease the overall cost of capital to increase the overall profit of company. This act was done by company to manipulate the real profit of company and increase the overall profit of company to misguide the shareholders to increase the value of share in capital market (Tomasic, Bottomed, and McQueen, 2002). However, ethical dilemma could be defined as concern when organization caught in a situation where both situation has right and right option or wrong or wrong options.Another falsification of information was done by company by reflecting negative results of overproductions in which company manipulated all the inventory details and increased overall production and profit of company (Leow, 2009). This falsification of inventory details and overproduction of goods has reflected unimaginable profit in that particular year which not only increased its share value in the market but also Increase Companys value in shareholders mind. It is further evaluated that market making process and real activities management initially increased the overall profit reflection of company but eventually resulted to negative (AASB 102. 2009). This real activities management of company could increase the overall profit but eventually it will showcase negative result in the end. The biggest scam of Dick smith was related to showcase manipulation of profit by adding the consideration of USD$ 50 million in the net profit to misguide the shareholders. This act manipulated shareholders to invest more money in the s hare capital of Dick Smith and resulted to falsified market capitalization. Another dilemma of Dick Smith Company was related to offering high amount of discounts and offers to clients in the market. However, this practice of company was valid to increase the overall sales of company but resulted to destruction of consumer electronic market (Bahadir, DeKinder and Kohli, 2015). This level of discount offering increased overall sales of company but showcase negative implication of business. Inflation of sales by offering various lucrative offers to client was just an illusion of company. The ethical dilemma is related to the management functioning and their practice to falsified companys financial information in the best interest of company in determined approach (Drazba, 2015). Conclusion After evaluating all the details of Dick Smith case and other information of the case, it could be considered that directors and managers falsified all the details and earning of company with a view to attract more investors in the market. In addition to this, manipulation in the profit of company was made by implementing real activities management plan and reflecting high earning of the company so that investors could invest their capital in Dick Smith company with a view to attract more investors to invest in its capital. Now in the end, it could be inferred that Management of company has acted in fiduciary position to the company but ethically they should not indulged infalsification of accounting and financial informations in determined approach. References AASB 102. 2009. Inventories. [Online]. Available at: https://www.aasb.gov.au/admin/file/content105/c9/AASB102_07-04_COMPjun09_01-09.pdf [Accessed on: 31st August 2017]. Adelopo, I. 2016. Auditor Independence: Auditing, Corporate Governance and Market Confidence. Routledge. Anchoragecapital. 2017. Dick Smith Holdings Limited. [Online]. Available at: https://www.anchoragecapital.com.au/case-study-dick-smith/ [Accessed on: 31st August 2017]. Bahadir, S. C., DeKinder, J. S.,and Kohli, A. K. 2015 Marketing an IPO issuer in early stages of the IPO process.Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,43(1), 14-31. Drazba, E., 2015. Value Creation in European Private Equity Investments: Theoretical Framework and Case Study of PE Primary and Secondary Investment in Poundland-UK-based company. Ferraro, O., 2017. Business valuation: premiums and discounts in international professional practice. InFinancial Environment and Business Development(pp. 79-88). Springer International Publishing. Knapp, M.C. 2016. Contemporary Auditing. Cengage Learning. Leow, J. 2009. Australian Master Superannuation Guide 2010/11. CCH Australia Limited. Malley, A. 2016. Dick Smith collapse raises more questions foraccounting profession. [Online]. Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/business/retail/dick-smith-collapse-raises-more-questions-for-accounting-profession-20160721-gqagz5.html [Accessed on: 02 July 2017]. Mills, A. and Woodford, W. 2015. Company Accounting. Pearson Higher Education AU. Tomasic, R., Bottomley, S., and McQueen, R. 2002. Corporations Law in Australia. Federation Press.

Saturday, April 4, 2020

Virtual Reality1 Essay Example For Students

Virtual Reality1 Essay Virtual Reality What it is and How it Works Imagine being able to point into the sky and fly. Or perhaps walk through space and connect molecules together. These are some of the dreams that have come with the invention of virtual reality. With the introduction of computers, numerous applications have been enhanced or created. The newest technology that is being tapped is that of artificial reality, or virtual reality (VR). When Morton Heilig first got a patent for his Sensorama Simulator in 1962, he had no idea that 30 years later people would still be trying to simulate reality and that they would be doing it so effectively. Jaron Lanier first coined the phrase virtual reality around 1989, and it has stuck ever since. Unfortunately, this catchy name has caused people to dream up incredible uses for this technology including using it as a sort of drug. This became evident when, among other people, Timothy Leary became interested in VR. This has also worried some of the researchers w ho are trying to create very real applications for medical, space, physical, chemical, and entertainment uses among other things. In order to create this alternate reality, however, you need to find ways to create the illusion of reality with a piece of machinery known as the computer. This is done with several computer-user interfaces used to simulate the senses. Among these, are stereoscopic glasses to make the simulated world look real, a 3D auditory display to give depth to sound, sensor lined gloves to simulate tactile feedback, and head-trackers to follow the orientation of the head. Since the technology is fairly young, these interfaces have not been perfected, making for a somewhat cartoonish simulated reality. Stereoscopic vision is probably the most important feature of VR because in real life, people rely mainly on vision to get places and do things. The eyes are approximately 6.5 centimeters apart, and allow you to have a full-colour, three-dimensional view of the world. Stereoscopy, in itself, is not a very new idea, but the new twist is trying to generate completely new images in real- time. In 1933, Sir Charles Wheatstone invented the first stereoscope with the same basic principle being used in todays head-mounted displays. Presenting different views to each eye gives the illusion of three dimensions. The glasses that are used today work by using what is called an electronic shutter. The lenses of the glasses interleave the left-eye and right-eye views every thirtieth of a second. The shutters selectively block and admit views of the screen in sync with the interleaving, allowing the proper views to go into each eye. The problem with this method though is that you have to wear special glasses. Most VR researchers use complicated headsets, but it is possible to create stereoscopic three-dimensional images without them. One such way is through the use of lenticular lenses. These lenses, known since Herman Ives experimented with them in 1930, allo w one to take two images, cut them into thin vertical slices and interleave them in precise order (also called multiplexing) and put cylinder shaped lenses in front of them so that when you look into them directly, the images correspond with each eye. This illusion of depth is based on what is called binocular parallax. Another problem that is solved is that which occurs when one turns their head. Nearby objects appear to move more than distant objects. This is called motion parallax. Lenticular screens can show users the proper stereo images when moving their heads well when a head- motion sensor is used to adjust the effect. Sound is another important part of daily life, and thus must be simulated well in order to create artificial reality. Many scientists including Dr. Elizabeth Wenzel, a researcher at NASA, are convinced the 3D audio will be useful for scientific visualization and space applications in the ways the 3D video is somewhat limited. She has come up with an interestin g use for virtual sound that would allow an astronaut to hear the state of their oxygen, or have an acoustical beacon that directs one to a trouble spot on a satellite. The Convolvotron is one such device that simulates the location of up to four audio channels with a sort of imaginary sphere surrounding the listener. This device takes into account that each person has specialized auditory signal processing, and personalizes what each person hears. Using a position sensor from Polhemus, another VR research company, it is possible to move the position of sound by simply moving a small cube around in your hand. The key to the Convolvotron is something called the Head- Related Transfer Function (HRTF), which is a set of mathematically modelable responses that our ears impose on the signals they get from the air. In order to develop the HRTF, researchers had to sit people in an anechoic room surrounded with 144 different speakers to measure the effects of hearing precise sounds from eve ry direction by using tiny microphone probes placed near the eardrums of the listener. The way in which those microphones distorted the sound from all directions was a specific model of the way that persons ears impose a complex signal on incoming sound waves in order to encode it in their spatial environment. The map of the results is then converted to numbers and a computer performs about 300 million operations per second (MIPS) to create a numerical model based on the HRTF which makes it possible to reconfigure any sound source so that it appears to be coming from any number of different points within the acoustic sphere. This portion of a VR system can really enhance the visual and tactile responses. Imagine hearing the sound of footsteps behind you in a dark alley late at night. That is how important 3D sound really is. The third important sense that we use in everyday life is that of touch. There is no way of avoiding the feeling of touch, and thus this is one of the technolog ies that is being researched upon most feverishly. The two main types of feedback that are being researched are that of force- reflection feedback and tactile feedback. Force feedback devices exert a force against the user when they try to push something in a virtual world that is heavy. Tactile feedback is the sensation of feeling an object such as the texture of sandpaper. Both are equally important in the development of VR. Currently, the most successful development in force- reflective feedback is that of the Argonne Remote Manipulator (ARM). It consists of a group of articulated joints, coiled by long bunches of electrical cables. The ARM allows for six degrees of movement (position and orientation) to give a true feel of movement. Suspended from the ceiling and connected by a wire to the computer, this machine grants a user the power to reach out and manipulate 3D objects that are not real. As is the case at the University of North Carolina, it is possible to dock molecules us ing VR. Simulating molecular forces and translating them into physical forces allows the ARM to push back at the user if he tries to dock the molecules incorrectly. Tactile feedback is just as important as force feedback in allowing the user to feel computer-generated objects. There are several methods for providing tactile feedback. Some of these include inflating air bladders in a glove, arrays of tiny pins moved by shape memory wires, and even fingertip piezoelectric vibrotactile actuators. The latter method uses tiny crystals that vibrate when an electric current stimulates them. This design has not really taken off however, but the other two methods are being more actively researched. According to a report called Tactile Sensing in Humans and Robots, distortions inside the skins cause mechanosensitive nerve terminals to respond with electrical impulses. Each impulse is approximately 50 to 100mV in magnitude and 1 ms in duration. However, the frequency of the impulses (up to a m aximum of 500/s) depends on the intensity of the combination of the stresses in the area near the receptor which is responsive. In other words, the sensors which affect pressure in the skin are all basically the same, but can convey a message over and over to give the feeling of pressure. Therefore, in order to have any kind of tactile response system, there must be a frequency of about 500 Hz in order to simulate the tactile accuracy of the human. Right now however, the gloves being used are used as input devices. One such device is that called the DataGlove. This well-fitting glove has bundles of optic fibers attached at the knuckles and joints. Light is passed through these optic fibers at one end of the glove. When a finger is bent, the fibers also bend, and the amount of light that is allowed through the fiber can be converted to determine the location at which the user is. The type of glove that is wanted is one that can be used as an input and output device. Jim Hennequin has worked on an Air Muscle that inflates and deflates parts of a glove to allow the feeling of various kinds of pressure. Unfortunately at this time, the feel it creates is somewhat crude. The company TiNi is exploring the possibility of using shape memory alloys to create tactile response devices. TiNi uses an alloy called nitinol as the basis for a small grid of what look like ball-point-pen tips. Nitinol can take the shape of whatever it is cast in, and can be reshaped. Then when it is electrically stimulated, the alloy it can return to its original cast shape. The hope is that in the future some of these techniques will be used to form a complete body suit that can simulate tactile sensation. Being able to determine where in the virtual world means you need to have orientation and position trackers to follow the movements of the head and other parts of the body that are interfacing with the computer. Many companies have developed successful methods of allowing six degrees of freed om including Polhemus Research, and Shooting Star Technology. Six degrees of freedom refers to a combination Cartesian coordinate system and an orientation system with rotation angles called roll, pitch and yaw. The ADL-1 from Shooting Star is a sophisticated and inexpensive (relative to other trackers) 6D tracking system which is mounted on the head, and converts position and orientation information into a readable form for the computer. The machine calculates head/object position by the use of a lightweight, multiply-jointed arm. Sensors mounted on this arm measure the angles of the joints. The computer-based control unit uses these angles to compute position-orientation information so that the user can manipulate a virtual world. The joint angle transducers use conductive plastic potentiometers and ball bearings so that this machine is heavy duty. Time-lag is eliminated by the direct-reading transducers and high speed microprocessor, allowing for a maximum update rate of approxim ately 300__h)_0*0*0*___measurements/second. Another system developed by Ascension Technology does basically the same thing as the ADL-1, but the sensor is in the form of a small cube which can fit in the users hand or in a computer mouse specially developed to encase it. The Ascension Bird is the first system that generates and senses DC magnetic fields. The Ascension Bird first measures the earths magnetic field and then the steady magnetic field generated by the transmitter. The earths field is then subtracted from the total, which allows one to yield true position and orientation measurements. The existing electromagnetic systems transmit a rapidly varying AC field. As this field varies, eddy currents are induced in nearby metals which causes the metals to become electromagnets which distort the measurements. The Ascension Bird uses a steady DC magnetic filed which does not create an eddy current. The update rate of the Bird is 100 measurements/second. However, the Bird has a sma ll lag of about 1/60th of a second which is noticeable. Researchers have also thought about supporting the other senses such as taste and smell, but have decided that it is unfeasible to do. Smell would be possible, and would enhance reality, but there is a certain problem with the fact that there is only a limited spectrum of smells that could be simulated. Taste is basically a disgusting premise from most standpoints. It might be useful for entertainment purposes, but has almost no purpose for researchers or developers. For one thing, people would have to put some kind of receptors in their mouths and it would be very unsanitary. Thus, the main senses that are relied on in a virtual reality are sight, touch, and hearing. Applications of Virtual Reality Virtual Reality has promise for nearly every industry ranging from architecture and design to movies and entertainment, but the real industry to gain from this technology is science, in general. The money that can be saved examining the feasibility of experiments in an artificial world before they are done could be great, and the money saved on energy used to operate such things as wind tunnels quite large. The best example of how VR can help science is that of the molecular docking experiments being done in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Scientists at the University of North Carolina have developed a system that simulated the bonding of molecules. But instead of using complicated formulas to determine bonding energy, or illegible stick drawings, the potential chemist can don a high-tech head-mounted display, attach themselves to an artificial arm from the ceiling and actually push the molecules together to determine whether or not they can be connected. The chemical bonding process takes on a sort of puzzle-like quality, in which even children could learn to form bonds using a trial and error method. Architectural designers have also found that VR can be useful in visualizing what their buildings will look like when they are put together. Often, using a 2D diagram to represent a 3D home is confusing, and the people that fund large projects would like to be able to see what they are paying for before it is constructed. An example which is fascinating would be that of designing an elementary school. Designers could walk in the school from a childs perspective to gain insight on how high that water fountain is, or how narrow the halls are. Product designers could also use VR in similar ways to test their products. NASA and other aerospace facilities are concentrating research on such things as human factors engineering, virtual prototyping of buildings and military devices, aerodynamic analysis, flight simulation, 3D data visualization, satellite position fixing, and planetary exploration simulations. Such things as virtual wind tunnels have been in development for a couple years and could save money and energy for aerospace companies. Medical researchers have been using VR techniques to syn thesize diagnostic images of a patients body to do predictive modeling of radiation treatment using images created by ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and X- ray. A radiation therapist in a virtual would could view and expose a tumour at any angle and then model specific doses and configurations of radiation beams to aim at the tumour more effectively. Since radiation destroys human tissue easily, there is no allowance for error. Also, doctors could use virtual cadavers to practice rare operations which are tough to perform. This is an excellent use because one could perform the operation over and over without the worry of hurting any human life. However, this sort of practice may have its limitations because of the fact that it is only a virtual world. As well, at this time, the computer-user interfaces are not well enough developed and it is estimated that it will take 5 to 10 years to develop this technology. In Japan, a company called Matsu*censored*a Electric World Ltd. is using VR to sell their products. They employ a VPL Research head-mounted display linked to a high-powered computer to help prospective customers design their own kitchens. Being able to see what your kitchen will look like before you actually refurnish could help you save from costly mistakes in the future. The entertainment industry stands to gain a lot from VR. With the video game revolution of bigger and better games coming out all the time, this could be the biggest breakthrough ever. It would be fantastic to have sword fights which actually feel real. As well, virtual movies (also called vroomies) are being developed with allow the viewer to interact with the characters in the movie. Universal Studios among others is developing a virtual reality amusement park which will incorporate these games and vroomies. As it stands, almost every industry has something to gain from VR and in the years to comes, it appears that the possibilities are endless. The Future of Virtual Reality In the coming years, as more research is done we are bound to see VR become as mainstay in our homes and at work. As the computers become faster, they will be able to create more realistic graphic images to simulate reality better. As well, new interfaces will be developed which will simulate force and tactile feedback more effectively to enhance artificial reality that much more. This is the birth of a new technology and it will be interesting to see how it develops in the years to come. However, it may take longer than people think for it to come into the mainstream. Millions of dollars in research must be done, and only select industries can afford to pay for this. Hopefully, it will be sooner than later though. It is very possible that in the future we will be communicating with virtual phones. Nippon Telephone and Telegraph (NTT) in Japan is developing a system which will allow one person to see a 3D image of the other using VR techniques. In the future, it is conceivable that businessmen may hold conferences in a virtual meeting hall when they are actually at each ends of the world. NTT is developing a new method of telephone transmission using fiber optics which will allow for much larger amounts of information to be passed through the phone lines. This system is called the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) which will help allow VR to be used in conjunction with other communication methods. Right now, it is very expensive to purchase, with the head-mounted display costing anywhere from about $20,000 to $1,000,000 for NASAs Super Cockpit. In the future, VR will be available to the end-user at home for under $1000 and will be of better quality than that being developed today. The support for it will be about as good as it is currently for plain computers, and it is possible that VR could become a very useful teaching tool. Sources of Information Books and Periodicals Benningfield, Damond. The Virtues of Virtual Reality. Star Date, July/Aug. 1991 , pp. 14-15. Burrill, William. Virtual Reality. Toronto Star, 13 July 1991, pp. J1-3. Brill, Louis M. Facing Interface Issues. Computer Graphics World, April 1992, pp. 48-58. Daviss, Bennett. Grand Illusions. Discover, June 1990, pp. 36-41. Emmett, Arielle. Down to Earth: Practical Applications of Virtual Reality Find Commercial Uses. Computer Graphics World, March 1992, pp. 46-54. Peterson, Ivars. Recipes for Artificial Realities. Science News, 24 Nov. 1990, pp. 328-329. Peterson, Ivars. Looking-Glass Worlds. Science News, 4 Jan 1992, pp. 8-15. Porter, Stephen. Virtual Reality. Computer Graphics World, March 1992, pp. 42-43. Rheingold, Howard. Virtual Reality. Toronto: Summit Books, 1991. Tisdale, Sallie. Its Been Real. Esquire, April 1991, pp. 36-40. Various. Virtual Reality Special Report. San Francisco: Meckler Publishing, 1992. Companies Contacted: Ascension Technology Corp. P.O Box 527 Burlington, VT 05402 (802)655-7879 Polhemus Inc. P.O Box 560 Colchester, VT 05446 (802)655-3 159 Shooting Star Technology 1921 Holdom Ave. Burnaby, BC V5B 3W4 (604)298-8574 Virtual Technologies P.O. Box 5984 Stanford, CA 94309 (415)599-2331 VPL Research Inc. 656 Bair Island Rd. Third Floor Redwood City, CA 94063 (415)361-1710 Bibliography: .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451 , .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451 .postImageUrl , .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451 , .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451:hover , .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451:visited , .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451:active { border:0!important; } .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451:active , .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451 .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u51a62e8eddf264030b26b5794b1bf451:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Bomb That Saved Millions Essay We will write a custom essay on Virtual Reality1 specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now

Sunday, March 8, 2020

When Do PSAT Scores Come Out The PSAT Results Release Schedule

When Do PSAT Scores Come Out The PSAT Results Release Schedule SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The wait for PSAT results can be nerve-wracking. It's likely your first time taking an SAT-like test, and the PSAT can give you a sense of what range your final SAT score is likely to be. Plus, if you score high enough, there's a lot of potential scholarship money available. So when is the wait over? When are PSAT scores released? In this guide, we explain when you'll get your PSAT results, walk you through the complete PSAT timeline, and offer some suggestions on what to do once you have your scores. Exclusive Free Bonus: Download a free guide containing our top 5 strategies for improving your SAT score by 160 points. After you get your PSAT score back, you'll want to know how to improve it. When Do PSAT Scores Come Out? First off, how long does it take to get PSAT results? You'll usually get your PSAT scores in December, six to eight weeks after taking the exam. Scores for the 2018 PSAT were released online December 10-12, 2018. The exact date on which students received their scores varied depending on where they took the test. The College Board doesn't have the 2019 PSAT score release date finalized yet, but based on past years, we expect 2019 PSAT scores to be available online beginning around December 9, 2019. However, note that your guidance counselor and school will be able to see your scores one week earlier- around December 2. Those who took the PSAT outside the US will get their scores a little later than those in the US will and can expect to see them around December 10, 2019. PSAT Results Timeline Now, let's go into more detail: how long does it take to get PSAT scores? Here's a complete look at the PSAT timeline for 2019-20 so you can see exactly when you'll take the test and when you'll get your scores back. Bonus: Do you know what score you need on the PSAT? Check out our guide on what's a good PSAT score to help you set a goal! Step 1: Take the PSAT in October The PSAT is generally administered in mid-October, though there are a few possible dates. The 2019 PSAT test dates are as follows: Primary Date: Wednesday, October 16, 2019 Alternate Date: Wednesday, October 30, 2019 Saturday Date: October 19, 2019 The exact logistics of taking the PSAT depend on your school. Some schools make each 11th grade student take the test, some offer PSAT sign-up, and others don't administer the PSAT at all (meaning you'll have to arrange to take the test somewhere else). To make sure you're not stuck without a PSAT score, ask your school by September 1 how they plan to prepare for and administer the test. If you don't like your school's method, you'll have plenty of time to consider other options and make plans accordingly. Step 2: Get Your PSAT Scores Online in December PSAT scores will come out in mid-December 2019 (the exact date you get yours depends on what state you took the test in). Once PSAT scores are released, you can access them online by signing into your College Board account: If you haven't made a College Board account, you can do so here. Once you've logged in, click "PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9 Scores" to get to your PSAT scores. You’ll then be taken to a page that has your PSAT results. For more details on how to get your PSAT scores, including what to do if you can’t see your PSAT scores online, read our complete guide to the PSAT score report. Step 3: Schools Distribute PSAT Paper Reports In addition to the online reports, the College Board is still sticking to its tradition of giving paper PSAT score reports to schools and then having schools distribute those to students. Assuming the College Board sticks to its schedule from last year, you can expect to get your paper score report sometime in January 2020, but the exact date hasn't been released yet. PSAT Results: What Now? Here are some options for what you can do once you get your PSAT scores back. Option 1: Plan for the National Merit Scholarship If you scored high enough on the PSAT (and are a junior), you might qualify as a Semifinalist for the National Merit scholarship competition. Each year this program awards Semifinalist status to the top 1% of PSAT scorers, or about 16,000 students. Becoming a Semifinalist for this program is contingent only on your PSAT scores. The exact score needed to qualify varies depending on the state, so if your aim is to win a scholarship, it's a good idea to get a feel for what score you'll need before you take the PSAT. If you become a Semifinalist, note that becoming a Finalist requires a little more effort, including keeping up your GPA. Lay the groundwork for becoming a National Merit Finalist senior year by doing some research into what’s required. Option 2: Retake the PSAT as a Junior (If You Took It Early) If you're an early bird who took the PSAT as a freshman or sophomore, it's a smart idea to retake the PSAT your junior year, especially if you're hoping to qualify for National Merit and want to eventually get a super high SAT (or ACT) score. What's great about taking the PSAT as a freshman or sophomore is that it exposes you early on to the types of questions you'll see on the SAT. What's more, it lets you get a feel for where your weaknesses lie and what skills you need to hone in your prep, ultimately raising your chances of becoming a National Merit Semifinalist and hitting your SAT/ACT goal score on a first or second attempt. Option 3: Prep for the SAT (or ACT) The main purpose of the PSAT is to prepare students to take the SAT, either later on in their junior years or in the fall of their senior years before they apply to colleges. In fact, your PSAT score is intended to be a good estimate of how you’ll do on the actual SAT. This means that if you get 1200 on the PSAT and take the SAT without any prep, you’ll likely get around the same score. What's more, since the structure of the SAT is so similar to that of the ACT, you can use the PSAT to prepare for the ACT as well. (Note, though, that there are a handful of differences between the two tests, the biggest of which is the inclusion of a Science section on the ACT. In addition, it's probably a better idea to take the PreACT instead of the PSAT if you plan to take the ACT.) Don't despair if you get a low PSAT score. Instead, analyze what went wrong and then use that information to improve your knowledge and skills so that you can do better on the SAT or ACT. The process of analyzing your errors will be helpful even if you scored extremely well on the PSAT, since the content on the PSAT and SAT aren't exactly the same. PSAT scores only go up to 1520 instead of 1600 as they do on the SAT. The reason for this is that the SAT has higher-level reading passages, tests trickier grammatical rules, and includes more trigonometry and harder math. So even if you get a perfect score on the PSAT, you're not guaranteed a perfect SAT score! Your PSAT results will include information about whether you’re meeting the benchmarks for Reading, Writing, and Math, as well as a more detailed look at which subskills you excel at and which ones you need to improve. Rather than beating yourself up over what you did wrong, try to focus on figuring out why you did poorly on a given section. Was it because you’d never taken a standardized test before and got nervous? Maybe you felt rushed for time on certain parts, or just flat out didn’t know some of the material covered. Whatever the reasons for your issues, make sure to start your SAT or ACT prep by addressing your weaknesses revealed by the PSAT. For more advice on what to do with your PSAT scores, read this article! What's Next? Want to see how your score stacks up against other students’ scores? Find out with our coverage of the most recent PSAT percentiles and Score Selection Index. Learn all about the National Merit scholarship competition with our in-depth articles on how to become a Semifinalist and how to win the scholarship. Already taken the PSAT as a junior? Start to plan out when you’ll take the SAT with our up-to-date list of test dates. Alternatively, if you took the PSAT as a freshman or sophomore, find out when the next PSAT will be offered. Finally, when you get your scores back, you'll probably want to know how to improve your score for the big test: the SAT. We've researched hundreds of student stories and academic studies and found the 5 principles you need to follow to improve your score. Click the link below and enter your email address to get the best SAT prep advice you can get anywhere. Follow these 5 strategies to improve your SAT score by 160 points or more.

Friday, February 21, 2020

THE ARTICLES AND THE MEMORANDUM FORM A CONTRACT BETWEEN THE COMPANY Essay

THE ARTICLES AND THE MEMORANDUM FORM A CONTRACT BETWEEN THE COMPANY AND ITS MEMBERS. DISCUSS WITH REFERENCE TO RELEVANT STATU - Essay Example In this regard, the law relative to the memorandum of association prior to the enactment of the Companies Act 2006 is relevant to this study. Suffice it to say for present purposes that the extent to which the articles and memorandum forms a contract between the members and the company are reflected by the functions of each document. The memorandum’s functions have been altered, but its historical significance continue to be applicable as it has been resurrected and placed within the articles of association. Prior to the implementation of the Companies Act 2006, the memorandum defined the company’s external charter while the articles define the company’s internal charter. Ultimately, the memorandum and articles of association functioned together to determine the member’s commitment to the company’s goals and objectives and how the members will and can facilitate those goals and objectives. ... Instead of referring to the memorandum and articles of association, it merely attributes the contractual basis to the company’s constitution. Elsewhere in the 2006 Act, the company’s constitution is described as the articles of association. This essay analyses the contractual role of the articles and memorandum association in binding the members to company. I. The Memorandum of Association A. The Contractual Nature of the Memorandum of Association Prior to the Companies Act 2006 All UK companies are required to have a memorandum of association.5 Under the Companies Act 1985, the memorandum of association was required to specifically state the company’s objects and constitution.6 Recent reforms promulgated by the Companies Act 2006 have effectively reduced the memorandum of association to a mere shell of its former contractual significance. The current memorandum of association is no more than a simple instrument reflecting basic information such as the companyâ⠂¬â„¢s name, its registered office in the UK, share capital and shareholder liability. Even so, the memorandum of association has historical significance in that its main contractual basis has been transferred to the articles of association. Therefore the common law relative to the members’ commitment to the company’s objects under the memorandum of association are now relevant to the same commitment under the articles of association. Moreover, the share capital and limitation of liability as stated in the memorandum of association are also important parts of the members’ contractual relationship with the company that they form. Under the Companies Act 1985, the Memorandum of Association set out the objects of the company and the purposes for which it was formed.7 Section 2 also provides

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Read the story and answer the question Case Study - 1

Read the story and answer the question - Case Study Example Then, the reviewer goes into a list of examples including reasons why managers should let younger employees have a flexible work schedule. Contrast—The author uses contrast when they are contrasting Baby Boomers and Net geners. The author notes that Boomers have spent a long time being threatened by being seen as conservative, and contrast this against the present, when this is more of a danger. The ideals of the past and present are contrasted, and also, there is contrast between the generations considered. 3. Tone—The tone of this passage is informative. The author wants to inform the reader about both Tapscott and Aslop, and they also want to inform about the general subject. This general subject is what both authors also focus upon, and makes up the majority of the information: characteristics of Net geners. Diction—The author uses diction to explain their points through the use of simile. â€Å"But they are reassured that by eliminating rules, chain of command, and doling out praise like penny candy† (par.5). 4. By varying sentence structure, the author also varies the tone of the article, alternating long and short sentences: this is apparent in the third paragraph. The impact is that it makes the essay more readable. The use of jargon is seen in local colloquial language like â€Å"a wonder to behold† (par.3). This makes the piece more conversational. Metaphor is seen in the above quotation regarding penny candy; this keeps the text interesting. I agree with this passage. I think that the author is saying that companies need to be responsive to the needs of their employees, not the other way around. Companies need to retain talent, and therefore they need to understand their employees to be dynamic. My own position on this issue is that companies should listen to even the lowest level of employees, if they have ideas that are going to improve the company. So,

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Biological Significance of BST2 Overexpression in OSCC

Biological Significance of BST2 Overexpression in OSCC Overexpression of BST2 is associated with nodal metastasis and poorer prognosis in oral cavity cancer ABSTRACT Objective: Bone marrow stromal cell antigen 2 (BST2) was one of the proteins which were found related to tumor metastasis in our previous proteomic study. Now we want to examine its clinical role on the oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC). Study Design: Individual retrospective cohort study and basic research. Methods: Immunohistochemical analysis, Western blotting, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to demonstrate the expression levels of BST2 on 159 OSCC tumors. RNA interference was utilized for cell migration and proliferation study in vitro. Results: BST2 expression was significantly higher in OSCC cells of metastatic lymph nodes and primary tumor cells, compared to adjacent normal epithelia. Higher BST2 expression was associated with positive N stage, advanced overall stage, perineural invasion, and tumor depth (P = 0.049, 0.015, 0.021, and 0.010, respectively). OSCC patients with higher BST2 expression had poorer prognosis for disease-specific and disease-free survival (P = 0.009 and 0.001, respectively). Multivariate analyses also demonstrated that higher BST2 expression is an independent prognostic factor of disease-specific and disease-free survival (P = 0.047 and 0.013, respectively). In-vitro suppression of BST2 expression in OEC-M1 cells showed that BST2 contributes to tumor migration of OSCC cells. Conclusions: The findings in this study indicate that BST2 expression in OSCC tumors is an independent prognostic factor of patient survival and associated with tumor metastasis. Keywords: oral cancer; head and neck; BST2; metastasis; OSCC; tumor marker; squamous cell carcinoma. Level of evidence: NA Introduction Oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common head-and-neck cancer worldwide and remains a difficult malignancy to treat because of approximate 50% mortality rates in spite of recent advances in the contemporary management over the past three decades.1-4 Cervical lymph node dissemination has been long regarded as one of the major poor prognosticators in patient with OSCC and is a major obstacle to OSCC management. 5-8 Previously, some transcriptomic studies analyzing OSCC tumors have established the expression signatures of OSCC metastasis.9-13 On the other hand, our group also used a proteomic approach by isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation to identify proteins that are differentially expressed between laser capture microdissected primary and metastatic OSCC tumors and some potential markers of OSCC metastasis were therefore discovered.14 From the candidate proteins derived from by this approach, bone marrow stromal cell antigen 2 (BST2) was identifi ed as one of the potential molecules associated with OSCC metastasis and need further validation in the clinical scenario.14 The BST2 gene is located on chromosome 19p13.2 and codes for a 35kDa transmembrane glycoprotein consisting 180 amino acids. It is also known as the HM1.24 antigen, CD317, and tetherin.15,16 BST2 has been found to be expressed on mature B cells but not on other normal tissues of health individuals.15 The BST2 overexpression has been identified in several cancer types such as multiple myeloma, endometrial cancer, gastric cancer, and glioblastoma multiforme.17-23 Moreover, BST2 was discovered associated with the tumor progression and metastasis by previous findings from the pancreatic endocrine tumors with liver metastases and the breast cancers with bone metastasis.24,25 In vitro, overexpression of BST2 increased invasion, migration, cell proliferation and apoptosis evasion in breast cancer cells.26,27 Thus, based on the findings of these previous studies and our proteomic discovery, we also hypothesized that BST2 is overexpressed in OSCC and plays a specific role in tumor cell modulat ion. Accordingly, our study is designed to investigate the expression and the role of BST2 in the OSCC tumors. Immunohistochemical analysis and quantitative real-time PCR were used to demonstrate the expression levels of BST2 on OSCC tumors. We also employed RNAi techniques to suppress the BST2 expression to investigate the effects of BST2 modulation on the OSCC cell line in vitro. Materials and Methods Patient Characteristics and Clinical Specimens One houndred and thirty-eight male and 21 female were diagnosed as OSCC patients at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (Tao-Yuan, Taiwan) between 2002 and 2007 and enrolled in this study. Patient age at diagnosis ranged from 22.0 to 84.0 years (mean, 51.9 ±12.3). The associated subsites of the oral cavity were buccal mucosa (62 patients), gum (21), hard palate (5), lip (5), floor of the mouth (5), and tongue (61). Patients with at least one of the following conditions were considered ineligible: unresectable or inoperable cancer, other primary cancer (synchronous or metachronous), recurrent cancer, distant metastasis, prior history of malignancy, treatment with neoadjuvant therapy, medical contraindication for surgery, or individuals lost to follow-up. Lesions diagnosed as carcinoma in situ, verrucous carcinoma or a histologically basaloid subtype were also not included in the study. All patients provided informed consent prior to study participation, and the study was approved by th e Institutional Review Board of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Patients underwent standard preoperative work-ups according to institutional guidelines, including detailed medical history, complete physical examination, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scans of the head and neck, chest radiographs, bone scan, and abdominal ultrasound. Primary tumors were excised with adequate margins under intraoperative frozen section control. Surgical defects were immediately reconstructed via free flap or local flap by plastic surgeons, if necessary. Following surgical treatment, pathological TNM classification of all tumors was established according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual (2007). After discharge, all patients had regular follow-up visits every 2 months for the first year, every 3 months for the second year, and every 6 months thereafter.28-30 RNA Extraction and Quantitative Real-time RT-PCR Detection of BST2 According to the manufacturer’s protocol, total RNA of sixty paired OSCC tumor and adjacent normal tissues was extracted and purification by using RNAzol B reagent (Tel-Test, Friendwood, TX) and an RNeasy cleanup kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA). 5ug of total RNA was used for first-strand cDNA synthesis and then adding to a reaction mixture comprising of commercially purchasable primers (BST2 Hs00171632_m1 and normalization control B2M, Hs00984230_m1 and ACTB, Hs99999903_m1 ; Assay-on-Demand, Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA), TaqMan Universal PCR Master Mix, and RNase-free water. 7900 HT Sequence Detection System was used for performing quantitative real-time RT-PCR and the result was analyzed with SDS version 2 (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). All experiments were repeated in duplicate, and the mean fold-change of each sample was calculated. Western blot analysis Proteins were extracted from culture cells with RIPA buffer (50 mM Tris pH 8, 0.0150 mM NaCl, 2 mM EDTA, 1% Triton X-100, 0.1% SDS, 0.2 % Na-deoxylate, 1x protease cocktail (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO), and the concentrations determined using the BCA protein assay kit (Perice Biotechnology) Samples were separated on 12% SDS gels, transferred to PVDF membranes (GE Healthcare Life Sciences, Buckinghamshire, UK), and probed using rabbit monoclonal anti-BST2 antibody (Epitomics, Burlingame, CA), mouse monoclonal beta-actin antibody (MAB1501, Chemicon, Billerica, MA), and mouse monoclonal GAPDH antibody (Novus, Littleton, CO). The beta-actin and GAPDH signals were used as the loading controls. Densitometer quantitation was also measured to demonstrate the relative fold differences of prtein levels. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) measurement ELISA kit for human BST2 (CUSABIO, Hubei, China) was used for determining the BST2 levels in the tested samples. Human recombinant BST2 was used as the standard. Briefly, 100 ÃŽ ¼l of samples or standard were added to a murine monoclonal antibody against BST2 coated microtiter plates and incubated for 2 h at room temperature. After the plates were washing with wash butter for three times, a biotin-conjugated polyclonal antibody was added and further incubated for 1 h at room temperature. The plates were washed three times again and 100 ÃŽ ¼l of horseradish peroxidase-avidin was added at room temperature for 1 h. After the plates were washed five times and 90 ÃŽ ¼l of tetramethylbenzidine was added to each well. The reaction was terminated by adding of 2 N sulfuric acid, and the optical density of each well was measured by a microplate reader set to 450 nm. Each experiment was performed in triplicate. Immunohistochemical Staining For immunohistochemistry, formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissues were cut into 4 à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­m sections, deparaffinized, rehydrated, and prepared for antigen retrieval. Slides of consecutive sections were incubated with the appropriate antibodies: rabbit monoclonal anti-BST2 antibody (diluted 1:30, Epitomics, Burlingame, CA) at room temperature for 1 hour. After incubation, slides were washed three times with phosphate buffered saline, incubated with horseradish peroxidase polymer antibody (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) at room temperature for 10 min, and developed by the addition of 3,3’-Diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride (DAB) reagent (Dako, Glostrup, Denmark) as the chromogen and hematoxylin as the counterstain. A ScanScope CT automated slide-scanning system (Aperio Technologies, Vista, CA) was used for obtaining images of stained slides. Expression of BST2 was scored using a combined scoring method accounting for both percentage of stained cell s and staining intensity and.31-33 Strong to negative staining intensities were scored from 3 to 0. For each intensity score, cells staining at that specific level were visually estimated and calculated as a percentage. The resultant combined score was calculated as the sum of the intensity scores multiplied by the percentage of stained cells. All specimens were evaluated independently by our pathologists (Liang Y and Hseuh C) who had blinded to clinical origin of the specimen. Knockdown of BST2 Using RNA Interference (RNAi) SMARTpool small interfering RNAs (siRNA) were purchased from Thermo Scientific (Dharmacon, Lafayette, CO) .RNAi specifically targeting human BST2 (No. L-011817-00-0005, Dharmacon) and a scrambled control RNAi (No. D-001810-10-05, Dharmacon) were purchased from Thermo Fisher Scientific (Rockford, IL). RNAi (at a final concentration 400 nM) was mixed with Lipofectamine RNAiMAXTM (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) and Opti-MEM medium (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) without serum, incubated for 20 min at room temperature, and then added to OEC-M1 cells that were seeded at a density of 1 Ãâ€" 105 cells per well in six-well plates. After incubation for 6 h at 37 °C, transfer fresh culture medium (RPMI medium containing 10% FBS) was added to each well. After transfection for 48 h, cells were harvested for analysis of cell migration, and invasive capacity. Cell Proliferation Assay Cell proliferation ability was determined using the methylthiazoltetrazolium (MTT) assay (Bionovas Biotechnology, Toronto, Canada). After transfection for 24 h, cells were seeded at a density of 5 x103cells/well in RPMI medium containing 10% FBS. At the end of another 48-hour incubation period, the medium was exchanged with MTT solution at a final concentration of 1 mg/mL, and cells placed in a culture incubator at 37oC for 1 h. After washing twice with PBS, cells were solubilized with 0.1 ml of DMSO at 37oC for 1 h. The converted dye was measured at 540 nm. Three independent experiments were performed in quadruplicate. The average value of the control experiment was taken as 100% proliferation, and used to calculate the percentage of cell proliferation for each treatment. Cell Migration Assay Cell migration was evaluated using a chemotaxis chamber (Corning, Lowell, MA) with a polycarbonate membrane (8-ÃŽ ¼m pore size) placed between the two chambers. Transfected OEC-M1 cells (1 Ãâ€" 105) in 200 ÃŽ ¼l of serum free culture medium were applied to the upper chamber and 600 ÃŽ ¼l of RPMI medium containing 10% FBS medium was added to the lower chamber. Chambers were incubated at 37 °C for 16 h, and then the membrane was fixed with methanol for 10 min and then stained with GIEMSA (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO). Cotton swab was used for removing the cells on the upper surface of the filter, and the cells which migrated through the membrane were counted in eight different visual fields under a light microscope (magnification: 200x). Each migration assay was performed in triplicate during three independent experiments. Statistical Analysis All statistical data display as means  ± SD. The significance was examined by Wilcoxon test. The Wilcoxon signed ranks test was employed for comparison of the relative signal intensity of quantitative real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemical staining scores between paired tumor and pericancerous normal mucosa samples. All patients had regular follow-up evaluations at our department until Apr 2012 or death. Survival analysis was plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences evaluated using the log-rank test. The specific risk factors for disease-specific survival were analyzed with multivariate regression. Statistical analyses were performed using SAS software (version 9.1; SAS institute, Cary, NC). All P values were two-sided, and statistical significance accepted at P Results Overexpression of BST2 in tumor cells of OSCC tissues. Expression of BST2 was examined by quantitative real-time RT-PCR in 60 paired OSCC tumor and adjacent normal tissues. Transcripts for BST2 were significantly elevated in OSCC tumor specimens as compared with adjacent normal tissue (155  ± 205 vs. 38  ± 53, P PP= 0.533; Fig. 1B), indicating that BST2 is more highly expressed in tumor cells of metastatic lymph nodes and primary tumor cells and almost absent in normal oral epithelia. Association of BST2 expression with various clinicopathological manifestations Next, we evaluated the relationships between increased BST2 expression and various clinicopathological characteristics of OSCC patients (Table 1). Higher BST2 expression was significantly associated with higher pN status, advanced overall stage, positive perineural invasion, and greater tumor depth (P=0.049, 0.015, 0.021, and 0.010, respectively; Table 1). However, we observed no association between BST2 overexpression in OSCC tumors and patient age, sex, T stage, differentiation or bone invasion. Consistent with our hypothesis, BST2 overexpression was significantly (P=0.049) associated with nodal metastasis (pN status). Association of BST2 expression with overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and disease-free survival (DFS) Based on expression data obtained from IHC, patients were stratified into two groups (high vs. low expression using 160 out of 300 as the cut-off value), and the possible association of BST2 expression with patient OS evaluated. Survival analysis revealed that the five-year OS rates for patients stratified into high and low BST2 expression subgroups were 66.8% and 51.2%, respectively. These differences in OS were not significant, compared in the log-rank test (P=0.059; Figure 2A). However, the Kaplan-Meier plots evaluated 5-year DSS rates for patients stratified by high and low BST2 expression as 74.0% and 53.7%, respectively. These differences in DSS were statistically significant, as observed with the log-rank test (P= 0.009; Figure 2B). Moreover, five-year DFS rates for patients stratified based on high or low BST2 expression were also significantly different in the log-rank test (75.9% and 51.2%, respectively; P= 0.001) (Figure 2C). BST2 expression was additionally a significant predictor of DFS and DSS in univariate analysis with the Cox proportional regression model. To further ascertain whether BST2 expression can be applied as an independent predictor of patient survival, multivariate analysis was performed using age, gender, pT status, pN status, overall stage, perineural invasion, tumor differentiation and BST2 expression as parameters in the Cox proportional regression model. Our results indicated that pT status, pN status and BST2 expression are independent predictors of DSS (P= 0.017, 0.002, and 0.047, respectively; Table 2). Similarly, we also found that pT status, pN status and BST2 expression are independent predictors of DFS (P= 0.014, BST2 Promotes OSCC Cell Migration In Vitro To evaluate the biological significance of BST2 overexpression in OSCC using an in vitro system, endogenous expression of BST2 in OSCC cells was knocked down using gene specific RNAi. The effects of RNAi were determined by the ELISA method in the supernatants of OEC-M1 cells transfected with either BST2-specific RNAi (si-BST2) or a scrambled sequence control RNAi. As shown in Supplementary Figure 2A, the levels of endogenous BST2 was significantly reduced (P=0.003; Supplementary Figure 2A) in si-BST2–transfected cells as compared with cells transfected with the control RNAi. Control and si-BST2–transfected cells were further analyzed for cell proliferation and migration. As shown in Supplementary Figure 2B, the cell proliferation ability in OEC-M1 cells was not significantly decreased in the si-BST2–transfected cells compared to the control RNAi transfected cells (P =0.435; Supplementary Fig 2B). However, the capability of OEC-M1 cell migration attenuated by addi tion of si-BST2 (70.2% reduction, P = 0.001; Supplementary Figure 2C). Collectively, these findings indicated that overexpression of BST2 in vitro can mediate cell migration in OSCC cells.