Why Has Audience Positioning Towards Gangster Films and Their Main Characters Changed Throughout the Evolution of Film?

â€Å"Why has audience positioning towards Gangster films and their main characters Changed throughout the evolution of film? † â€Å"The crime ? lm is the most enduringly popular of all Hollywood genres, the only kind of ? lm that has never once been out of fashion since the dawn of the sound era seventy years ago. †-Thomas Leitch The central theme of the gangster film has always revolved around law and order and essentially boils down to the Criminal institutions fighting one another or fighting a corrupt authority.Movies such as ‘The Godfather’, ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘Public enemies’ follow the same plot of organised crime. That is what the films are about, seeing as though the central characters operate under their own premise of law, the narratives involve their relationship with the authorities and agencies of law enforcement while the plots are usually structured around the process by which they are brought to justice. But throug hout the evolution of the gangster genre is a central argument reflecting a fundamental difference in audience stance towards the gangster hero.This plays on an Active audience theory as the audience take in the information they are given and pick sides. The contrast of audience opinion is displayed in a variety of different ways. In the film The Godfather, Sterling Hayden (Captain McCluskey) is the official figure, he is quickly revealed to be very brutal and corrupt, being a key person on the Tattaglia's payroll. When some enforcers of the Corleone family protect Don Vito Corleone, McCluskey has them taken away. Michael arrives soon after and realizes this.Soon after, while Michael is guarding the entrance of the hospital with Enzo the baker, McCluskey and his guys drive up and harrass the two, ordering that they be taken in. When the officer refuses, McCluskey hits Michael across the face, badly bruising his face and breaking his jaw. Gangster movies frequently demonstrate that s ociety’s official institutions are as corrupt as the criminals they oppose (politicians in The Untouchables, multi-national corporations in Scarface. this positions the audience on the side of the gangsters in the film and against the authoritative figure. Gangster films dictate audience positioning by setting the Gangsters in the role of the hero in Propp’s Character theory and the official figures as the villains, an example of this being used is. â€Å"The dynamic of every crime film focuses on the relationship between three sets of characters: the perpetrator, the victim and the avenger, but typically gangster narratives seek to undermine and blur the boundaries between the typological figures. †-Thomas Leitch.This quote from Thomas Leicht perfectly illustrates how the narratives of Gangster movies dictate audience positioning by â€Å"blurring the boundaries† between the institutions of the characters. A dominant and largely widespread basis on which Hollywood’s depiction of the underworld is fabricated is the domineering moral view that crime does not pay this may have resulted from early fears of audience reception through out-dated theories such as the hypodermic needle theory in which producers and political figures feared that an audience seeing a life of crime pay would be tempted to stray into the life of organised crime.An example of an early gangster film that shows a ‘Crime doesn’t pay’ attitude is Little Caesar 1931. The main charecters, Caesar Enrico â€Å"Rico† Bandello and Joe Massara follow different paths with Rico following a life of crime and Joe, against Rico’s persuasion, follows a life without crime. Ultimately Joe lives the better life with Rico ending up dead and alone.Modern films such as ‘Lawless’2012 follow a the opposite narrative with crime paying out at the end of the film with the three Bondurant brothers-Forrest, Howard and Jack ultimately beat ing a corrupt authority and saving their money from their bootlegging and settling down to family life although the film still shows that maybe the payoff of crime is not worth it as the consequences for their action s does result in the near death of Forrest Bondurant (Tom Hardy) on two occasions along with injuries sustained by all three brothers and the death of Cricket Pate (Dane DeHanne).Narratives such as these can now exist as the hypodermic needle theory is now recognised as invalid after â€Å"the research movement, led by Paul Lazarsfeld and Herta Herzog, that would disprove the magic bullet or hypodermic needle theory, as Hadley Cantril managed to show that reactions to the broadcast were, in fact, diverse, and were largely determined by situational and attitudinal attributes of the listeners. Showing thataudiences do not just absorb the information they see on screen, such as in the BoBo doll experiment, but rather actively receive the information and choose between a D ominant, negotiated or oppositional reading of the film, this invalidation of the hypodermic needle theory would add greatly to thr rise of the gangster film as films were no longer limited to the â€Å"crime does not pay† narrative set by state censors. This assessment provides the moral foundation to the ‘rise and fall’ narrative that is the central theme for numerous gangster movies.But it is a view that has frequently been respected, reluctantly, and at critical points in the development of the gangster film, only after external intervention. Particularly in that subset of the gangster film that focuses on the Prohibition era, audiences’ positioning echoes that of society more generally: ‘law-abiding’ members of the community started to associate with the gangster who has become a preferred supplier. The 2012 film â€Å"Lawless† is a good example of this with the Bondurant Brothers being more respected and idolised than the authorit ies.These contrasts in audience opinion spread further to the gangsters’ own attitude toward the law and its enforcement. Although in various gangster movies the gang leader is ,himself, a basis of law enforcement inside a closed gangster society (Don Coreleon-Marlon Brando The Godfather), a dominant theme running through much of the sub-genre explores the gangsters’ desire for acceptance in the straight and official world, particularly in those films which locate gangster activity within immigrant communities.Although the gangster film dates back to the early days of the silent era, it wasn’t until the advent of sound that the genre fully came into its own, when real-life gangsters like Al Capone were at the height of their own notoriety the public thirsted for seeing charismatic criminals on screen. Because of the relentless violence and unmerciful nature of the central characters, the gangster film helped to form Hollywood’s Production Code, which mean t that no criminal deeds went without repercussions, even though it was obvious that this was untrue in the real world.Throughout the evolution of film as the Code was ignored by grittier and more realistic films, the gangster movie was an always popular genre that gave rise to some of cinema’s greatest stars and directors i. e. Marlon Brando and Francis Ford Coppola. When gangster movies first started being produced in the 1920’s, audiences were attracted to crime and gangster films because of the way these films were shot, and the images they saw on screen. Audiences started to enjoy these Gangster movies because of the reality they offered about the corrupt political and authoritative figures of the time (prohibition era).The organised crime, violence, and drug use in gangster films made the audience more aware of the government and authorities’ attitude towards the three main problems of organized crime, violence and drug use of the prohibition era. This is one of the main reasons crime and gangster films have continued to remain popular. Organised crime and gangster films have continued help to fill societies need for reality. By using violent male characters and romantic female characters, two main stereotypes of gangster films, both sexes are attracted to this genre of film.Films like Bonnie and Clyde and The Godfather represented a gangster character that was no longer a savage, relentless criminal, rather, a gangster that had become humanized. A study into this genre shift explored earlier film representations and the more classical view of the gangster as a monster such as in the 1932 Scarface, while DePalmas Scarface presents the gangster Tony Montana (Al Pachino) is a psychopathic murderer but through certain scenes in the audience is positioned on the side of Tony.An example of this is the scene where Tony is carrying out a hit on a journalist with a hitman. They are to blow his car up with the explosives in front of the Unite d Nations building, but are surprised to see the man's wife and two daughters enter the car with him at his hotel. Tony, now extremely reluctant to continue with the hit, becomes increasingly agitated with the hitman, who refuses to deviate from Sosa's orders, until Tony completely snaps.In a cocaine-induced rage, he murders the hitman, who was supposed to kill the journalist, screaming at his dead body deliriously. This scene, although portraying Tony as drugged up and about to execute a murder, shows Tony’s conscience and still shows a salvageable character which positions the audience on his side through a negotiated reading of the scene. The audience of this scene broadly accept the preferred reading but use prior scenes in the film to reach the positioning on the character Tony Montana .A study of the plot, setting, characters, themes, motifs, and props found in both films present a different view of the gangster . Many gangster films have remained popular and still cont inue to gather audiences due to them achieving a cult status such as the 1932 film Scarface The plot of the crime and gangster movie has not tended to deviated from the same standard plot throughout the evolution of film: the male character is striving to live the American dream and he does so by getting involved in illegal and often violent activities.This plot leads to the common theme in gangster films which is a male character who wants to live the American dream and that the only way to do so is to become involved in organised crime and becomes deceitful. He begins to lie, steal and kill in order to make money, which is the fuel for their dream. While he is living this lifestyle he falls in love with the female character that is good and wants the male to get out of the illegal mess he is in. He promises her he will, after he does one last job.This last job he does will either land him in jail or in a coffin. Examples of these plots and characters can be seen in movies such asà ‚  Donnie Brasco The early 1930s produced many of the iconic classics like Little Caesar and Scarface (1932) that became the template for other gangster films that followed, usually a poor immigrant who in a pursuit of the American dream and has a quick rise to the top through becoming involved with organised crime, only to fall prey to an even faster fall that ends in a violent death. See paragraph above) although gangster films did suffer shortly after Little Ceasar’s relase in 1932 as public opnion turned sharply against the gangster genre with vast influence from state censors and â€Å"moral guardians† who thought the films unfit to be seen. Newspaper smear campaigns against the gangster genre were launched and even the extremely popular magazine ‘variety’ stated that â€Å"the major industry quit gangster themes because the public just tired of them†.Not until the application of the Production code administration did the Gangster genre effecti vely die out in the 1930’s, although the public opinion had been turned against the gangster genre through popular culture, the justice department who believed that the genre â€Å"encouraged general disrespect for police and a lenient attitude towards thugs† still maintained that the genre opened with an exculpatory preface and closed with a crime-does-not-pay warning.Few critics paid attention to the crime genre before the 1970’s critics were more interested in films that were the very antithesis of the crime film. The crime genre suffered neglect against the westerns which enjoyed renaissance on the big screen. The low budgets of the early crime films resulted in the absence of Technicolor where westerns like â€Å"Shane† 1953 continued to be popular.Not until Alfred Hitchcock gained predominance in the suspense genre which resulted in academic critics paying attention to the crime genre which ultimately resulted in the resurgence of the gangster genre into the public eye. Crime and gangster films will continue to be produced as audiences want a film that gives them a sense of reality. This is an example of Blulmer and katz uses and gratification theory. Since people tend to feel that government officials are corrupt these films will most likely continue to show corrupt law officers and government officials, who are deceiving and lying to the public.Gangster films have become and will remain iconic because they offer audiences escapism and show an audience a glorified life of gangster who are presented as being charismatic character’s that the audience like to imagine they could be The grandeur that is presented in the Characters life also makes the audience believe that maybe crime does pay, but the gangster genre will continue to remain popular down to one of the most basic sides of human nature, greed.As corporate capitalism promoted consumerism the gap between the classes widened, Americans became infatuated with the g angster whose stylish dress and expensive cars yet humble origins defied the boundaries separating social class. As long as a gangster films presents a life of grandeur audiences will use them as a source of escapism. Leitch, Thomas, Crime Films (CUP, Cambridge, 2002) ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Thomas Leitch, Crime films- Cambridge press [ 2 ]. Audience Theory-Litnotes. co. uk [ 3 ].Thomas Leitch, Crime films- Cambridge press. [ 4 ]. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Hypodermic_needle_model [ 5 ]. Ultimate book of Gangster movies [ 6 ]. Humanizing the gangster [ 7 ]. The gangster film: emergence, variation, and decay of a genre, 1930-1940 [ 8 ]. Pre-Code Hollywood: Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema 1930-1934 page-155-156 [ 9 ]. Pre-Code Hollywood: Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema 1930-1934page-156 [ 10 ]. Mafia stories and the American gangster by Fred L. Gardaphe. Ch. 10: pages 110-120.

Currently At A Population Architecture Essay

Presently at a population of 6.8 billion people, and increasing by a million and a half people every hebdomad, things are get downing to look really crowded for the hereafter. It is estimated that by 2050 we will be at 9.2 billion people. We must get down life in a different manner – its no longer a inquiry of keeping our criterion of life, but of lasting on a planet that is losing its basic ecological substructure. We use our formidable engineering to consistently foul our air, our H2O, our dirt, and our nutrient concatenation. We are besides sing the effects of planetary warming – heat moving ridges, drouths, deceasing coral reefs, runing glaciers, lifting sea degrees, unstable conditions forms, rapid spread of diseases, and accelerated species extinction. With our insatiate demand for nutrient, fuel, edifice stuffs, and useless debris, unreplaceable natural resources are consuming. In an attempt to last, people are merely pass overing out everything else, destructing the ecological substructure that gave us the comfy life conditions in the first topographic point. The exponential addition in birth rate depletes natural resources faster than they can be replaced, take downing the criterion of life and making economic force per unit areas both here in the UK and throughout the remainder of the universe. We are losing our life support, our place.The Solution To The ProblemWe urgently need a solution to the universe ‘s overpopulation job, our continued endurance requires a healthy and working planetary ecosystem, on in which worlds live in harmoniousness with all other signifiers of life. We must educate ourselves, acknowledging the job and work together towards a solution. The planetary overpopulation job needs to be resolved, or n ature will decide it for us in a mode that we would non inquire for. It is clip to populate in an wholly new manner – we must encompass alteration.The CityPeoples need to work together for a solution covering with metropoliss and the inflow of people wanting for a higher quality of life. Natural resources that are readily available must be managed better for our journey towards a greener hereafter, and metropoliss that accommodate everything. The addition and trust on engineering is making concentrated urban Centre ‘s that are happening it harder and harder to get by with the mass inflow of people. We must inquire ourselves whether metropolis ‘s can maintain turning and turning to suit the life we are used to populating in this modern universe. The metropolis now is a life being, a topographic point that contains everything and that is of all time turning. Significant progresss in public wellness and medical specialty, phenomenal agricultural outputs and the spread outing planetary economic system contribute to the population detonation as the lifespan norm continues to increase from this, many live in metropolis ‘s for better chances, increasing traveling multitudes from one topographic point to another.In 1900 merely 1 in 10 people lived in metropolissBy 1994 the figure had grown to 1 in 2 people, making megalopolis of 1000000s to 10s of 1000000s dwellers, all utilizing up waste and resourcesNow there are more than 400 metropoliss that have a population of more than a million peopleIt is further predicted that 2/3rds will populate in metropoliss by 2050Pull offing such big metropoliss, and better direction of the planet ‘s resources, could go the most hard job of this century. As the universe ‘s population grows it becomes more hard for the planet to back up all its dwellers.ResourceAs the resources diminish, what w ill be done?Changing MindsOld ages ago no 1 gave much thought to how much of the Earth ‘s resources had gone into doing the points in the first topographic point and whether those resources would finally run out. What happened to rubbish after it went into the family bin and was collected by the bin lorry was of no concern to consumers. Green life is non merely about seeking to devour fewer of the Earth ‘s cherished resources and populating sustainably. It is about sing the greenest option in everything you consume, whether you are purchasing nutrient, apparels, cleaning stuffs, or cosmetics. You are responsible for the energy and resources used in the devising of everything you buy. If you keep utilizing an point you already have, you are non responsible for the harm caused by the industry of a new 1. However, if you throw your old one off, you fill up landfill sites and are responsible for any toxic chemicals in it leaking into and polluting the land around the site every bit good as detrimental gases given off during the clip it takes for the point to decompose off.WasteWaste from metropolissCities now have everything we need within them, comfortss and services that are unfastened 24/7. Our coevals now is anticipant on ‘ holding things now ‘ , nutrient, vesture etc, but with our addition in hold ing everything we have started excessively gain that the hereafter may be really different. Waste is being produced in much higher measures, how will the metropolis header, how will it be used to a far more consequence beginning. With the addition in population these jobs must be addressed and dealt with.Who will cover with this waste?Where will it travel or be decomposed?Can we change over it into something more utile?Presently in the UK we produce a monolithic sum of family waste that is sent straight to landfill. New solutions such as separation waste techniques and disposal Centres allow people from place to make their spot. Home – waste – sum of waste produced?The UK produces 28 million metric tons of family waste each twelvemonthIn merely one hr we create adequate to make full the Albert Hall to overruningThe unreleased energy contained in the mean ashcan each twelvemonth could power a telecasting for 5,000 hoursAgricultural and industrial waste, solids from sewerage intervention workss, ashes and refuse are all causes of land pollution and add to the turning concern. The accretion of inorganic wastes in dirt airss a menace to the works and carnal life. Garbage is heedlessly dumped into the dirt. Non-biodegradable wastes such as plastic and rubber turn out deadly to the life in the dirt. Plastic and glass bottles, tins, gum elastic tyres and electronic points dumped in the dirt make up the chief cause of land pollution. How rubbish will increase by 2050 We are bring forthing increasing sums of waste each twelvemonth, which means we are utilizing natural resources at a faster rate than of all time and seting more strain on the environment ‘s capacity to cover with our waste merchandises. While a bulk of this trash is disposed at landfill sites. â€Å" We need to halt thought of rubbish as a job to be buried in landfill and get down thought of it as a resource to be used â€Å" â€Å" Populating within the bounds of the Earth ‘s natural systems will intend utilizing less and being more efficient â€Å" Pull offing Waste, the deductions of this urgency for waste direction are that we must take advantage of attacks that ca be quickly implemented e.g. bar, recycling, composting, stabilisation prior to landfill. We have to do large alterations, including the authorities concentrating policies and inducements on the best attacks, non merely those that are somewhat better than what were making at the minute.RecyclingRecycling – waste stuff Every twenty-four hours ‘waste ‘ stuff is thrown off when really it is a valuable resource. Paper, metal, glass, green waste, plastics and fabrics can all be recycled into new merchandises. Recycling reduces waste traveling to landfill and besides reduces the demand for natural stuffs, saves energy in the production procedure and reduces emanations to air and H2O in the production procedure. Increasing sums of waste are being recycled across the UK – packaging waste recycling increased from 28 % in 1998 to 55 % by the terminal of 2005 ; 51 % of building and destruction waste is recycled or re-used and 45 % of commercial and industrial waste is recycled. The authorities estimates that recycling of family waste in England has now increased to over 33 % in 2007, more than quadrupling over 10 old ages. The waste direction industry is working to supply new installations to handle and recycle waste to make these marks. The industry is working peculiarly closely with local governments to increase family waste recycling and composting rates. Recycling and recycling By recycling more of the waste, we can:Save landfill – cut downing the demand to happen new sitesSave energy – cut downing global-warming gases and pollutionSave natural stuffs – cut downing pollution and spoil tonssSave H2O – reduction deficits and taintFactsUK families produced 30.5 million metric tons of waste in 2008/09, of which 17 % was collected for recycling1 recycled Sn can would salvage adequate energy to power a telecasting for 3 hours1 recycled glass bottle would salvage adequate energy to power a computing machine for 25 proceedingss1 recycled plastic bottle would salvage adequate energy to power a 60-watt visible radiation bulb for 3 hoursPull offing Waste How much waste? Uk packaging waste recycling increased from 28 % in1998 to 55 % by the terminal of 2008Presently about 43 % of all UK waste and about 64 % of the UK ‘s municipal waste is sent to landfill. Landfills play an indispensable function in the safe disposal of certain wastes, but most wastes could alternatively be recycled, composted or used to bring forth energy.2/3 of the salvors live in ill constructed places made from clay, plastic bags and boxes. Some sheets of corrugated Fe are donated and funded by the authorities, most have no furniture and bedclothes is besides collected from the site in the signifier of old apparels and covers3RD WORLDDifferent people populating around the universe Across the Earth waste is seen in different visible radiation, while the more developed universe consumes and wastes far more, the 3rd universe maximises and utilizes all that they waste and use. And as people move towards a better manner of populating the remainder of the universe chiefly 3rd universe live in poorness and lack the basic human necessities to last. Case surveies Garbage Dreams Garbage Dreams follows three teenage boys born into the rubbish trade and turning up in the universe ‘s largest refuse small town, on the outskirts of Cairo. It is home to 60,000 Zaballeen, which means Arabic – â€Å" refuse people. † When their community is all of a sudden faced with the globalisation of its trade, each of the teenage male child is forced to do picks that will impact his hereafter and the endurance of his community. The Zaballeen have created the universe ‘s most effectual resource recovery system, recycling 80 % of everything they collect. They are really salvaging our Earth. From out of the rubbish, they lifted themselves out of poorness and have a solution to the universe ‘s most urgent crisis. Leaderships are besides trusting that their run for beginning separation – in which occupants sort organic from non-organic waste before it reaches trash aggregators – will derive authorities support and take root among Cairo ‘s 20-million citizens. With the transnational companies authorities contracts set to run out in 2015, the Zabaleen are concentrating on overhauling their trade so they can repossess a topographic point for themselves in the system. While the current economic mentality is black, there is turning international involvement in the Zabaleen ‘s hardworking and advanced recycling patterns. Leaderships besides note that the Egyptian authorities is eventually admiting the Zabaleen as a valuable and skilled resource. As for the Gates grant, which has yet to be confirmed, the money will apparently be used to back up the Source Separation run, train workers and overhaul recycling installations. Peoples that live on landfill – Zabelleens Where do they populate? 2/3 of the salvors live in ill constructed places made from clay, plastic bags and boxes. Some sheets of corrugated Fe a roof is provided by the authorities. Most have no furniture and bedclothes is besides collected from the site in the signifier of old apparels or covers. Those who live in the caves around the country screen themselves with plastic bearer bags when it rains. The caves become unsafe and sometimes walls prostration. Why they live on site A study was done in 2005 to inquire people why they live on the site. The findings were that:Many were unemployed and could n't afford the basic human demands of nutrient, H2O, shelter and apparelsSome had been born there and it was the lone place they knewSome were orphans and had no household to assist them and had no manner out of the landfillWidows ended up at that place when the money earner of the household diedDifferent tribal groups became refugees in there ain statesSome were thrown out of the slums they had lived in when Governments tried to unclutter the countries upWhat do they roll up and what is done with it? The salvors themselves use some of the stuffs collected, such as the nutrient dumped by hotels in Cairo and fabric, which is used for vesture and bedclothes. The remainder of the stuffs are sold to jobbers who in bend sell to recyclers. These include castanetss, plastics and bit metal. How earn life through recycling There are so many people populating on the garbage dump now that the salvors are holding to look for alternate beginnings of income. These include:Working on local farms – Subsistence agriculture ( turning harvests to eat themselves ) entirely the roads and trim land around the garbage dumpMaking wash for peopleWeaving baskets and mats utilizing scavenged polyethyleneSelling H2OMajor issues – deficiency offThe salvors have hapless entree to H2O and sanitationThere are no lavatories, no bathrooms and no clean H2O to imbibeThey have to purchase H2O from sellers to imbibeSome of the salvors collect rainwaterHealth and bad life conditionsA new survey by the New York State Department of Health studies that adult females populating near solid waste landfills where gas is get awaying hold a quadruple increased opportunity of vesica malignant neoplastic disease or leukaemia. The new survey examined the happening of seven sorts of malignant neoplastic disease among work forces a nd adult females populating near 38 landfills where of course happening landfill gas is thought to be get awaying into the environing air. The wellness of these people is hapless. Malaria is common due to the pools of dead H2O, which allows mosquitoes to engender. Diarrhoea. Pneumonia and skin infections are common. Scavengers can non afford to see a physician. They have developed other ways of get bying with their unwellnesss, such as utilizing herbal redresss, purchasing inexpensive drugs across the counter or borrowing money from friends.Vision FOR THE FUTUREMy thought is to better efficiency through a mobile shelter By making a device that maximise the end product of landfills and the usage they have to utilize we can explicate a solution for the hereafter.My design – NewDealDesignA various safety for rubbish victimsAdjusting to this alteration by utilizingEveryone holding the chance for a better lifeThis is what people still needLife after – better lifeEnergy solutions algae Biodiesel from algae is here!Oil has been one of the most efficient and effectual fuel beginnings for decennaries. But due to the unrenewable nature of oil and the pollution ensuing from C emanations, scientists have raced to happen a new fuel beginning. Hydrogen, biodiesel, solar, electricity and even H2O have been considered as possible fuel beginnings. Now, one of the newest renewable energy beginning aspirant is algae biofuel. Algae gather energy from the Sun through the procedure of photosynthesis. A by-product of this procedure is oil, which can be utilized to make biofuel. The algae itself can be transformed into ethyl alcohol through the procedure of agitation. During photosynthesis, algae and other photosynthetic beings gaining control C dioxide and sunshine and change over it into O and biomass. Up to 99 % of the C dioxide in solution can be converted, in large-scale open-pond systems. The production of biofuels from algae does non cut down atmospheric C dioxide ( CO2 ) , because any CO2 taken out of the ambiance by the algae is returned when the biofuels are burned. They do nevertheless extinguish the debut of new CO2 by displacing fossil hydrocarbon fuels. Algae is an improbably big and diverse species. Algae can be found in most organic structures of H2O including lakes, watercourses, ice, snow, and the ocean. This works reproduces quickly and would be really hard to over-farm. Algae can bring forth 15-300 times more oil per acre than conventional harvests, such as rapeseed, thenars or soya beans. As Algae has a harvesting rhythm of 1-10 yearss, it permits several crops in a really short clip frame, a differing scheme to annually harvests. Algae can besides be grown on land that is non suited for other established harvests, for case, waterless land, land with overly saline dirt, and drought-stricken land. This minimizes the issue of taking away pieces of land from the cultivation of nutrient harvests. Algae can turn 20 to 30 times faster than nutrient harvests Algae fuel production does non impact fresh H2O resources, can be prduced utilizing ocean and effluent, and are biodegradable and comparatively harmless to the environment if spilled. Inputs-CO2 + Water + Nutrients + Algae Strain + Sunlight â€Å" This Algae biofuel substitutes 100 % traditional fuel, without necessitating to be assorted and can be used in assorted biofuel applications. † â€Å" Algae Oil Farming for Biodiesel Algae Biofuel uses the surpluss of C dioxide produced by industrial activities, in a manner that does non pollute, but contributes to cleaning the atmosphere. â€Å" Dystopia The frequently futuristic vision of a society in which conditions of life are suffering and characterized by poorness, subjugation, war, force, disease, pollution, ensuing in widespread sadness, agony, and other sorts of hurting.DecisionThe universe will necessitate to reapportion its energy and resources off from simply prosecuting economic growing to turn toing issues of poorness, equality, gender equality, and entree to wellness attention and instruction alternatively authorising all who wish to take part in finding their hereafter with the right to make so. Today the universe is focused on the person. In 2050, communities, relationships between people, and personal duties to the society will be the cardinal rule in the building of our metropoliss. Provision of necessary metropolis services like nutrient, H2O, waste handling, and energy will be more localised, incorporating these services into the cloth of the metropolis. Bringing these services closer will besides reconnect people with the Earth, giving people better insight into their resource usage and impacts. Waste volumes will be farther reduced through extremely efficient waste sorting, recycling, and composting. My vision of the hereafter is that the World will fall in and devour itself if solutions of re-using and recycling are non implemented. This will bring forth options that can help in quality of life every bit good as supplying the necessities that people need to last. ADD SOMETHING TO LINK QUALITY OF LIFE / SURVIVAL WITH NOMADIC So as we move into the hereafter I predict that we will go more mobile and need to travel about in a more rational manner. By making a shelter that is impermanent, lightweight and self sustainable. A shelter that has been designed for people on the move, a device that can be made readily available in different locations around the universe. It can be rapidly dismounted and constructed to house the resident as fast and efficient signifier of shelter. A self-sufficing shelter that sustains itself, utilizing energy produced by algae. Fuelled on algae bio Diesel, it can bring forth its ain electricity to power the necessities for life.My design – NewDealDesigna various safety for rubbish victims The ‘urban collapsible shelter ‘ is an geographic expedition of mass-produced, easy-to-assemble and quick-to-mobilize recycling hubs. A household of 2 objects, ‘Collector and Case ‘ and ‘HUB ‘ , represent new solutions for shelter, comfort, energy and administration. Equally good as provide varying degrees of protection for different climes and milieus, it provides a more hygienic and safe life environment for the dwellers. HUB is a construct for a portable lodging unit that would assist people in run intoing their immediate shelter demands created by deficiency of lodging and hapless life conditions. This shelter can be really rapidly transported and reassembled with merely few necessary tools and offer dwellers with single life infinite. This shelter is made from from reclaimable and reclaimable materials.The chief HUB must be erected by 6-10 people, this can be designed and manufactured on demand at variable locations. Each of the objects are compressed into space-saving packaging. Easy to fabricate and transport within a few hours. Once they arrive, they can be set up easy by the dwellers to supply instant support structurally, socially, and emotional. Many alternate lodging solutions deal with little graduated table but ca n't get by with big graduated table displaced populations. The shelter:Easily movable, collapsable and able to be shipped levelBuilt of reclaimable stuffs and have the ability to be reusedEasy to raise and piece with few or no toolsAmenable to infrastructure? can be used as a basic construction, but have the capablenesss to upgrade and implement modern comfortssStackable provide comfortss ( electricity for light, compact range and icebox ) .Adjusting to this alteration by utilizing10-Everyone holding the chance for a better life 11-Conclusion This is what people still need Future vision In 2050, our societies will exceed the narrow focal point on stuff goods and wealth coevals that we see today. They will alternatively, strive to run into the deeper demands of human existences, turn toing felicity and religious and emotional fulfilment. Indexs of success, now frequently measured in strictly fiscal footings, will alternatively look at thoughts of felicity and satisfaction. The universe will reapportion its energy and resources off from simply prosecuting economic growing to turn toing issues of poorness, equity, gender equality, and entree to wellness attention and instruction alternatively authorising all who wish to take part in finding their hereafter with the right to make so. Today the universe is focused on the person. In 2050, communities, relationships between people, and personal duties to the society will be the cardinal rule in the building of our metropoliss. Provision of necessary metropolis services like nutrient, H2O, waste handling, and energy will be more localised, incorporating these services into the cloth of the metropolis. Bringing these services closer will besides reconnect people with the Earth, giving people better insight into their resource usage and impacts. Waste volumes will be farther reduced through extremely efficient waste sorting, recycling, and composting.

Amorok by Mike Oldfield

Coming from the mastermind behind Tubular Bells, comes an album title you shouldnt confuse for Ragnarok. This hour long song/album is nothing but atmosphere, instrumentals and progressive rock in general.If you all DONT know by now, I love progressive rock because of the technicality, what you can do with it, some of the stories;if any, and the atmosphere behind it all. Mike Oldfield surely gets a reward for all of the following that I mentioned. There are flowing transitions everywhere, some crazy and some relaxing sound effects and synths, and some sick instrumentals. For those of you who are well versed in Morse Code, you may want to look out especially at around the 48 minute mark. Oldfield has a message to Virgin Records telling them how much he dislikes the,label with the phrase F$k off, RB which is not exactly nessessary but The More You Know. While some of the sounds and sections get repetitive at times, you cant help but like the very soothing and sometimes hypnotic synths present within. The hour long song has arrived people, enjoy it and worship it if you will. I give this album a 9.5/10.

Family Law has Evolved to Suit Modern Society Essay

Family Law has Evolved to Suit Modern Society - Essay Example However, the Law Commission’s paper recommending reformations that would govern the distribution of property between cohabitants upon the breakup of the relationship3 demonstrates that Family Law in England and Wales has still further to evolve before it can be consistent with modern society. The Law Commission’s paper identifies a crucial inconsistency between British Family law and modern society. The reality is families are formed without the benefit of a solemnized marriage in modern society, particularly between same sex partners. These families start out like any other family intending to make their lives together indefinitely and by making this commitment they raise children together and purchase property together. In other words, in modern society the structure of the family has changed dramatically.4 The introduction of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 grants same sex couples with the facilities to establish a partnership that is similar to a civil partnership an d confers upon the partners specific rights and responsibilities that are commonly granted to married couples.5 However, there is no right to claim financial/spousal support upon the breakdown on a civil partnership.6 Beyond the 2004 Act, unmarried couples remain at a disadvantage in terms of settling property once the relationship comes to an end. This reality has led the Law Commission to refer to the concept of common law marriage as a â€Å"myth†.7 As Baroness Ruth Deech explains, the idea that there is a family institution in England and Wales referred to as â€Å"common law marriage† is â€Å"erroneous†.8 The judiciary does not have the authority to settle property or the rights of couples who have lived together for any period of time and have decided to end their relationship. The only recourse of cohabiting couples ending a relationship is to seek civil remedies relative to claiming property through litigation.9 For unwed couples who live together all q uestions relative to finances and property must be resolved by reference to the applicable property and trusts laws.10 It is unfortunate that unmarried couples are denied the opportunity to resolve the financial issues arising out of the breakdown of their cohabitation when modern society demands that they do. Samantha Singer explains that public opinion is on the side of granting unmarried cohabitees the same property rights as married couples. For instance, British Social Attitudes Survey conducted in 2006 revealed that most members of the public are of the view that â€Å"cohabitants should have access to financial relief on relationship breakdown†.11 A more recent study on unmarried cohabitees in 2007/2008 revealed that 74% of the respondents supported the idea of unmarried couples having access to marital property settlement laws upon the breakdown of their relationship.12 The consequences of the denial of matrimonial property settlement laws are particularly difficult f or the cohabitee who depended on the financial support of the other cohabitee. The Family law applicable to married couples certainly recognizes the potential for hardship on the dependent spouse. For instance, Section 25A(2) of the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984 provides that the court is required to determine whether or not an order for spousal support is necessary and in doing so, the court must determine: Whether it would be appropriate to require those payments to be made†¦

Visit the Jurassic Quest Exhibit and Report of geology Essay

Visit the Jurassic Quest Exhibit and Report of geology - Essay Example Some of the dinosaurs in the exhibit seem a life with sounds and movement. These are labelled moving Dinosaurs. By the touch of a button one is able to control the movement of a variety of the animatronics dinosaurs (Andrew, 68). Such event makes visitors happy due to the fact that they allow them to learn while controlling their movement, the breathing and more produce sound such as roaring. More interesting one can control their heads, arms, and tails as it comprises of different buttons that match to different body parts. I realized that no matter the age was fun not found in museums. Alongside animatronics dinosaurs that have movement capability, there is static one that is at a standstill. These are labelled Museum quality dinosaurs. These static dinosaur replicas are of museum quality which is automatically balanced to depict the palaeontologist recognized findings. These dinosaurs are well positioned in the exhibit so that people are able to touch and feel them. This activity is highly supported as it is what brought about the different discoveries on dinosaurs. In addition to the exhibition part, is a realistic scene shown by the use of digital screens. This assists in the learning of different features of the dinosaurs. Every scene stands for dinosaurs from a given time period that best shows when the dinosaur was in existence. One gets involved into the scenes by the use of sounds, sight, and motion by use of extraordinary sounds effects, lighting, animatronics and fog. In it an environment, taking one back when dinosaurs were in existence is exhibited with backdrops, rocks, flooring and plant materials. There were different dinosaur exhibits available for viewing. These included Gigantoraptor, Sinosauropteryx and T.rex juvenile, Eoraptor a bird like creature, Jobaria a 22 meters long necked plant eater, a seven meter plant eater

Introduction to Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Introduction to Philosophy - Essay Example The next part in Plato’s model is ‘belief’. At that part, reality or ‘truth’ is made based on one’s superstition, views of reality, and actual objects. Belief is an emotional state that becomes a part of an individual because of the powerful influences of culture, religion, or any widely believed aspect of the period. Beliefs that are based on religion are impossible to challenge because knowledge is strongly tied by the influences of religion. A person’s belief in heaven and hell and the presence of saints are some examples of knowledge at this part. The third stage is ‘scientific knowledge’. This stage is shown by mathematical formula, research, and empirical data. Some examples are medicine, law of inertia, gravity, and so on. The top part of knowledge is ‘reasoning’, defined as the rational combination of all forms of knowledge. The vertical line from the lowest stage to the highest one shows that there is a certain extent of knowledge gain at every stage, but as the line moves from the bottom kinds of truth to the top, there is a related movement from the lowest level of reality to the highest. The line is broken up into two very different parts. The higher and bigger part is a symbol for the intelligible area and the lower, smaller part is a symbol for the visible part. This unbalanced separation represents the lower level of truth as located in the visible part in comparison to the higher reality in the intelligible domain. As shown in the earlier diagram, the lowest kind of knowledge is ‘eikasia’ (imagination). Imagination is the shallowest kind of brain work where the mind deals with impression or the least level of truth. Obviously, imagining may refer to the act outside plain appearances of objects to their inner truth. However, Plato defines imagining as the senses view of appearances i n which such appearances are understood as the truth. On the other hand,

Composition and Inverse Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Composition and Inverse - Speech or Presentation Example about a store in their place which sells different kinds of pizzas according to the topped components where each pizza contains three different toppings. Besides the cheese and the pepper which is optionally put on crust, the three toppings of one pizza are completely distinct from those of the other, so that every time a customer orders a number of pizzas, the total number of toppings T added may be obtained as 3P where P stands for the number of pizzas bought. The storeowner allows a customer to have two separate toppings of choice for the first pizza in addition to the three originally present. Moreover, functions create a great deal of advantage in business problems which involve making investments where two variables are assigned to refer to separate amounts or two kinds of investment at different rates of interest. Function may be used as well in relating costs to number of units purchased and fixed cost as in C(x) = 5x + 7 in dollars, where 7 is the fixed value and 5 is the rate at which cost changes per unit depending on ‘x’. This way, it would be conducive for one to keep track of sales and profits generated since there exists a cost function that is associated to revenue (Waner, 2006). Mixture and rate problems can be worked out once details are set up as function or system of functions in linear and non-linear forms. It also becomes significant to understand how temperature conversion works such as between Celsius and Fahrenheit through  °F = 1.8 °C + 32 where temperature in  °C appears to be a function of temperature in

Bullying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Bullying - Essay Example It is agreeable that bullying is practiced mainly in schools and over the internet and this form of harassment comes with adverse negative impact on the youths among other victims. However, the author has stated that the problem can be effectively controlled through several measures. Notably, this article is not only educational and exciting, but also comprehensive. For instance, it has discussed different forms of bullying, their causes and effects. Most of the articles addressing issues on bullying have always failed to discuss how bullying has affected students. The assertions in the article concerning bullying have also been comprehensively substantiated using clear examples. The claim that school bullying has led to enormous number of suicide incidences in United States has been substantiated by using the case of Phoebe Prince, who committed suicide as a result of school bullying. To validate the assumption that cyberbullying can lead to serious psychological and mental problems, the article has provided an example of the death of a thirteen-year-old Megan Meier that came because of a serious psychological problem. Moreover, the arguments involve more than one principle. The opinions in the article are convincing because they are explicit, logical and have been presented using a plain language. Reading through the article, there are no technical words that can cause problems to the readers. The use of technical words always affects the readability and understanding of the main ideas being presented. The clarity of the first paragraph clearly brings the message that the article is about bullying. Arguably, with the use of complex words, it would not be easy for the readers to understand the main arguments by going through the first paragraph. The article is explicit because the readers can easily recognize the

Entrepreneur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Entrepreneur - Essay Example In addition, it will also describe some of the measures that they as business entrepreneurs can learn, use, introduce and/or implement so that they can improve, manage and mitigate the risks so that they can have long lasting and successful business enterprises. Entrepreneurship is developing new, better and competitive products and/or services by utilizing and maximizing the available resources, so as to meet the never ending and unmet human necessities. It is also described as the ability to direct, control, execute, manage, analyze and take responsibility of the risks (Ramachandran 220). Business entrepreneurship is also one of the most crucial driving forces of economies globally. A business entrepreneur is an individual who sources for opportunities within the economy by analyzing the unmet human needs; he/she takes advantage of the opportunity/ situation at hand; hence, introduces and implements products and/or services that will meet these needs .Moreover, he/she effectively manages the foreseen and unforeseen risks/ challenges involved in the business. Just like any leader, for any business entrepreneur to achieve success, they have to work within the essentials of management which entail; being effective, practice efficiency and also exercise economy management. Effectiveness in meeting the set objectives(s) or goal(s) is achieved by meeting the unmet needs which led to the product. Efficiency is achieved by doing things in the right way; by setting clear guidelines; procedures and processes to be followed in their undertakings. Business entrepreneur has by being economical by minimizing their production costs; they achieve this by using the right but also low cost resources for their products and services while still maintaining the products and/or services standards. A Business entrepreneur has to possess the key management skills these include planning, leadership, organizing and time management skills among others (Ramachandran 210). Most business

Asthma and nitric oxide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Asthma and nitric oxide - Essay Example The European Respiratory Society has indicated its conviction in the method that it has already published guidelines to standardize analysis, diagnosis and reference levels in using nitric oxide as part of respiratory treatment (Buchwald, 2005). In the United States alone, 6% those aged below 12 have been diagnosed with asthma and as high as 40% in urban areas. This reflects a 75% from data gather in the 1980's a trend that is reflected globally (World Health Organization [WHO], 2005). Nitric oxide is a highly reactive, prevalent gas in human chemical activity. It can be found in neurons as n NOS or NOS1, in macrophages as iNOS or NOS-2, and in endothelial cells as eNOS or NOS-3 (Bor-Kucukatay, 2005). Nitric oxide is cellularly synthesized by the enzyme nitric oxide sythases denoted by NOS from arginine, molecular oxygen and NADPH. Nitric oxide interacts rapidly molecularly and disperses through cell membranes acting in a paracinic or autocrinic behavior1. Endogenous nitric oxide is a product of L-argining amino acid and NOS. All three isofrms, NOS or NOS1, iNOS or NOS-2, eNOS or NOS-3 are found in the respiratory tract functioning a part in vascular and airway smooth muscle tone, inflammatory respiratory response, ciliary action and in eliminating bacteria, viruses and mycobacteria in the respiratory tracts (Smith et al, 2004). Through connecting throu... Mechanism and Metabolism Through connecting through a metal ion in the cell's protein or through cystine or other S atoms, nitric oxide causes allosteric change in the cell's protein. An example of this reaction is nitric oxide directed at the protein guanylyl cyclase which then creates the second messenger cyclic GMP (cGMP). The body produces oar manufactures nitric oxide to fight bacteria. TH 1cells as part of inflammatory response mechanisms secrete nitric oxide to attach bacterial macrophages or by the production of nitric oxide by through the conversion of nitrates found in food into nitrites (Maddox & Schwartz, 2002). Reaction with super oxide anions the result to the formation peroxynitrite2 (ONOO-) which can lead to break up of DNA and oxidation action in lipids. This can lead to nitric oxide toxicity. Peroxynitrite causes mitochondrial respiratory chain (I-IV) and manganese super oxide dismutase (MnSOD) to generate suroxide anions and hydrogen peroxide, both of which can cause fatal cell damage ("Nitric Oxide Metabolism", 2006). Figure 1 illustrates nitric oxide actions in the body. Functions Nitric oxide serves various functions in the human body. It can act as a catalyst for reactions to microbial attacks, as a messenger or inhibitor among others. It functions significantly in the circulatory and nervous system influencing blood flow, oxygenation of red blood cell and neural messaging (Maddox & Schwartz, 2002). The following are the functions of nitric oxide physiologically ("Nitric Oxide", 2006): Blood Flow Diffusion of nitric oxide into smooth muscle cells allowing for the efficient flow of blood as endothelial cells release nitric oxide at every systole

Generals Die in Bed - Plot Essay Example for Free

Generals Die in Bed Plot Essay When he thought war contained glory and glamour, he finds himself wrong when his comrades start to die, beginning with Brown. A while later, he is emotionally affected when he kills a German with his bayonet. His emotional status worsens when another of his friend dies. The narrator then goes on leave for 10 days in England, where a prostitute makes him forget about the war. When he comes back, an attempt to raid the Germans takes place where the rest of his friends, except Broadbent dies. The general tells the new team that the Germans sank a hospital ship, and organizes another raid, this time to kill everyone. The narrator has wounded his foot, and discover that Broadbent was mortally wounded too. Broadbent’s leg is hanging by a string of flesh, but then dies by blood loss. Then the war is over. The recruits are told that the general lied, the Germans didn’t sink a hospital ship. It was a ship filled with weapons. He then realizes war is basically a chess game for the generals, and the soldiers are just young boys, listening to the orders, with meaningless ideals Wikipedia

Impact of US Dollar on Canadian Economy Essay Example for Free

Impact of US Dollar on Canadian Economy Essay The Canadian Economy is strong. According to the 2001 Canada Yearbook, factors contributing to the country’s economic health are: natural resources; manufacturing and construction industries; financial and service sectors; the ability to span distances using communications and transportation technologies; dynamic trade relationships with other nations; and the ability to compete in a global marketplace (2004). Being the 2nd largest country in the world, Canada’s natural resources accounts for 12. 6% of its GDP growth in 2003. The Energy Sector, Forestry, Mineral Sector as well as Geomatics Sciences are responsible for this growth. Exportation of natural gas, timber and wood products, potash, uranium and other minerals make up for the growth. Geomatics is the science and technology of gathering, analyzing, interpreting, distributing and using geographic information. Since 2002, when the Canadian Government initiated the focus on understanding and mapping its land resources, it became one of the leading suppliers of information, technology and equipment in Geomatics. Today, Geomatics is a $10 to $20 billion dollar industry growing at a 20% rate, and thus is a potential growth area for the Canadian natural resources sector. According to Industry Canada, the Manufacturing and Construction Industries contribute to about 40% of Canada’s GDP, with an actual gross approximately $25 billion in December 2005. The two industries combined showed growth near single digit levels, (manufacturing at 1% GDP and construction at 0. 7% in Dec. 2005) which propelled the 0. 4 over-all GDP, making up for the loss in the Agriculture section at -1. 6% GDP in December 2005 (2006). The services sector in general is boosting the economy. Canada Yearbook states that the sector employs three out of four Canadians in the 21st Century (2004). Though their output is not as tangible as manufactured or natural goods, the services sector is everywhere and serve as the backbone of every economic sector. From the driver of a courier van to the company financial analyst to the service providers in Civil Defense, all the roles belong to the services sector. Together with advances in information technology, the services sector is transforming Canadian Economy into a knowledge-based economy (2006), as claimed by the Canadian Yearbook, where-in its modern products are efficient back-end services, professional consultancy and breakthrough technologies and equipment. Despite the economic transformation, trade is still the main means of business for Canada. As such, relationships with trade partners play a vital role. Among the countries in the world, four markets are in constant and significant trade relations with Canada: United States, United Kingdom, Japan and more recently, China. Among the four, its close neighbor, the United States takes about 75 – 80% of Canada’s trading business. Thus, changes in the Unites States economy, particularly of the US dollar impacts Canadian economy. State of Canada-US Trade Geography and history have provided opportunities for the United States and Canada to be in close business relations. In the natural order of things, free trade between the two nations would be beneficial in toto. However, political and social ramifications have prevented the successful pact since the mid 1800s until such time when, despite the disagreement of Canada’s Conservative Party, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between US and Canada was effected in October of 1987. The over-all provision is to minimize tariffs of all goods traded between the two countries to a maximum of 1%. With the FTA in effect, trade between the two countries rose to 40% from a pre-FTA level of 25%. However, there is strong opposition from Canada about violations of the United States in the provisions of FTA, to the disadvantage of Canada’s agricultural business. However, seeing the benefits of a free trade zone, Prime Minister elect Jean Chretien improved the FTA and broadened the extend of the free trade to Mexico. Thus, in January of 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the United States, Canada and Mexico, took effect. Such Agreement involves an immediate and phased release of tariffs and trade barriers for agricultural products traded between the three countries. A macro benefit of NAFTA is a systematic conduct of business within North America because of the creation of an impartial, rules-based system to resolve dispute among the countries. Significant increases in trade activity were observed among the three countries in the first seven years of NAFTA implementation as compared to agricultural trade activities with other markets outside of North America. Canadian agricultural and agri-food exports to the United States and Mexico have increased by 95 percent, reaching $14. 8 billion in 2000. In comparison, Canadian exports of agricultural products to non-NAFTA countries grew by 45 percent during the same period, according to Agriculture and Agri-food Department of Canada (2006). Prior to NAFTA, agricultural import-export activities between Canada and the United States was only at $13. 7 billion. However, this increased $25. 1 billion in 2000, 82% higher, since 1993. Because 61% of Canada’s farming produce are exported to the United States, agricultural exports for the same period grew 92% to reach $14. 1 billion. As a result, Canadas agricultural trade surplus with the United States has more than tripled since 1993. As summarized by the Agricultural Department of Canada, Horticultural crops: volume exports of tomatoes increased twenty-fold while exports of peppers and lettuce increased seven-fold, and exports of cucumbers increased six-fold. Oilseeds products: soybean oil volume exports increased seven-fold, exports of sunflower oil quadrupled, and canola oil exports increased by 44 percent. Specialty crops: dried beans volume exports nearly tripled. Red meats: beef volume exports more than doubled while pork exports increased by 87 percent. Processed products: roasted coffee volume exports increased nearly seventeen-fold, malt exports increased nearly five-fold, exports of frozen French fries increased four-fold, and pasta exports more than tripled. Following the success of NAFTA and its predecessors from other continents of the world, Canada together with thirty-three other countries belonging to the American Continent are drafting a free trade agreement called Free Trade Agreement Among the Americas (FTAA). With its complex participation, the agreement is still under negotiations. Factors that Influence the Rise of the Canadian Dollar (against the US Dollar) With the rise of the United States as an Economic super power, it naturally assumed a role of having the US dollar as a worldwide currency. Significant markets such as Canada are always compared to the dollar. Moreover, being a majority trade partner of the US, the exchange rate of the Canadian dollar matters significantly over the US dollar. Since 2003, Statistics Canada has plotted the rise of the Canadian dollar against the US dollar and indicated its significant rise against the greenback. There are three factors that may have contributed to this growth: first, the weakening of the US economy brought about by increasing current account deficits; secondly, the worldwide increase in commodity prices; and thirdly, the improved performance of the Canadian economy resulting in trade surplus. Since 2001, there has been a common phenomenon in most major currencies in the world: they appreciated against the US dollar. The Euro and Canadian dollar were two of the strongest performers. When the Euro surpassed the greenback in 2003 analysts predicted that there was no turning back. While the loonie has seen significant appreciation at the rate of 25% since 2001 until 2005, surpassing historical performance by the US dollar. Such appreciation has been driven by the increasing trade deficits of the US. Since 2001, the US has been buying more goods and a service than the country is able to sell. More oil, gas, metals and services were bought with US dollars than were sold outside of the US. Some analysts believe that the on-going War on Terror has been the main source of the deficit. While the country is still figuring out how to address the deficits, major trade partners such as Canada are reaping the benefits of a weakening dollar. At the mercy (or because) of commodity supply, the Canadian economy remained resilient despite the volatility of oil, gas, metals and wood. Being a major supplier of such commodities, precarious world prices came at an advantage. Despite some internal losses as a crude oil refiner, the bottom line effect of this factor remained positive and contributed to GDP. Thus, the increase of the Canadian dollar. Last factor that weakened the dollar from Canada’s point of view is the initiative of its government to attract more businesses through higher interest rates (vs. that of the United States). The over-all effect therefore, of the three factors above is the weakening of the US dollar against the Canadian dollar. Today, the exchange rate of the Canadian dollar is rising and reaching its peak in 2001, at C$ 0. 846 vs. the US$. With such growth, the general assessment of Canadian economists, businesses and external analysts is that this is positive for the Canadian economy, now more than ever. The next sections will have full discussion of the different sectors in the Canadian economy as impacted by the weakening (or strength) of the US dollar. Impact of the US Dollar on Canadian Industries Exports Apart from agriculture and agri-products, steel is another commodity that Canada heavily trades with the United States. Canada’s steel production accounts for approximately two percent of the world’s total supply. This is very small as compared to the Asian producers (Japan, North Korea and Taiwan), which accounts for nearly 40%. Nevertheless, 89% of Canada’s steel export go to the United States while 58% of Canada’s imported steel come from the US. Trade barriers, transportation costs prevent small Canadian steel producers from competing outside of North America. North America’s open market is ideal for small and big steel manufacturers from Canada. Just by its size and high demand, the opportunity for supply is wide. In addition, proximity to such a large market allows for low transportation cost. Just-in-time supply is immediately served without much impact on delivery cost. Furthermore, inventory can be kept low unless preparing for construction peak. Steel pricing in North America is also higher than other export markets by as much as 40% when compared to Japan, where steel importation is minimal due to its own supply. In North America, particularly the United States, steel trade is predicted to continue growth. In this light, sustained and open access to the U. S. market is key to the Canadian steel industry. A slight fallback in the market, for example, experienced in 1995 posed a threat to the industry. Whenever such a slow-down happens, issues related to anti-dumping and government subsidies arise, without any proper venue for address under NAFTA. Unfair trade practice is an issue commonly raised by the US against Canada when market conditions appear to favor Canada’s steel industry. In the same manner, weakening of the US dollar may initiate such a condition when Canada’s steel industry continues to maintain a surplus against the US. Once again is likely to be subject to charges of unfair trading practices by U. S. steelmakers. In 1993, according to Industry Canada, the country had a global steel trade surplus of $580 million and a steel trade surplus with the U. S. of $909 million. While the trade surplus was maintained with the U. S. , the surge in steel demand in 1994 resulted in a dramatic rise in imports and produced an overall international trade deficit of $207 million. The total trade balance deficit increased in 1995 to $349 million as Canadian imports again exceeded exports. However, the steel trade surplus with the U. S. was $1. 0 billion in 1995. Over the period from 1989 to 1995, steel imports have increased from 18. 6 percent of apparent domestic consumption in Canada to 29. 9 percent in 1995. Meanwhile the import share held by the U. S. increased from 8. 6 percent to 17. 5 percent. In the U. S. market, imports increased from 17. 9 percent of apparent domestic consumption in 1989 to 21. 4 percent in 1995, with Canadas import share increasing from 3. 1 percent to 4. 0 percent. With such steel trade dynamics between the two countries, the weakening of the US dollar means the increase in Canada’s export price. Either more US dollars are needed to purchase the same Canadian product in the 21st century, than during the slump 1990s; or less Canadian dollars are earned for every sale of a Canadian export. At the other end, when Canada imports from the US, the commodities and services become cheaper. Either way, both impacts sales and profits. When sales and profits are volatile, vulnerable small businesses tend to closedown and contribute to unemployment. In order to maintain profit margins, Canadian export companies will need to improve efficiencies. Improvement may come in three ways: production streamlining, outsourcing and amortization gains. When the US dollar is low, it is the best time for companies to reevaluate tools and machinery throughput. Technology improvements will present more-efficient, more-automated processes, which can be useful in improving production efficiency. Since most equipment are bought from the US or are priced in US dollars, lower dollar exchange rates mean cheaper equipment. This is one way that exports companies to maintain profit margins by reducing production cost through efficient machines. In the same line of thinking importing services also come cheaper than when the US dollar is strong. Whether obtaining services from the US, or from East Asia, where intelligent and skilled labor is cheap, outsourcing back-end process in export production always contribute to efficiency. Though this may result to redundancies, macro effects of outsourcing prove to be positive to the bottom line. Lastly, for businesses that amortize US dollar-denominated loans, there will be gains in the amortization payment because of the weakened dollar. Furthermore, during a round-table public forum in 2004, businessmen have suggested that the Canadian government consider lowering interests rates to match that of the US. Doing so will minimize the impact of loans on Canadian dollar-based denominations despite its appreciation. Imports The stronger currency benefits importers. Consumers and businesses benefit from a better Canada-U. S. exchange rate through less expensive imports from the U. S. The depreciation of the dollar lowers import costs and, more specifically, offers cheaper capital goods, making investment in new machinery and equipment in Canada cheaper. Canadian businesses import 80% of equipment and machinery, and with these imports now more affordable, a boost to business investment can be expected. However, some argue that with the loss of revenue, investments in new machinery and equipment would not be substantial.

Automated Diabetic Retinopathy Detection System

Automated Diabetic Retinopathy Detection System ABSTRACT DETECTION OF EXUDATES USING GUI Automated diabetic retinopathy detection system is an essential requirement due to developing diabetic retinopathy patients around the globe. The primary intention of the research is to detect exudates in digital fundus image for diabetic retinopathy. In this particular study, we provide an efficient method for identifying and classifying the exudates as soft exudates and hard exudates. Apart from these, this study compares three methods namely Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization, Histogram Equalization and Mahalanobis Distance for enhancing a digital fundus image to detect and choose the best one to classify exudates in Retinal images by adopting graphical user interface with the help of MATLAB. From the findings of the study, in the image enhancement application of blood vessels, Mahalanobis distance is recognized as the best algorithm. It was evident from the analysis that the monitoring and detecting exudates in the fundus of the eye are essential for diabetic patien ts. Moreover, it shows that hard and soft exudates are a primary tool of diabetic retinopathy that can be quantified automatically. In addition to these, it appears that drawbacks must be resolved to predict an appropriate detection method for exudates in digital fundus images. From the findings, it was evident that suitable algorithm has to be selected and verified on several images which provide likely and excellent outcomes. LIST OF TABLES Comparison of Histogram Equalization (HE), Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) and Mahalanobis Distance(MD)14 LIST OF FIGURE Image before enhancement Histogram before enhancement Image after histogram equalization Histogram after HE Image after CLAHE Histogram after CLAHE Image after Mahalanobis distance enhancement Histogram after Mahalanobis distance enhancement Flow chart of the method CIELab color space Input image K-means clustered image Morphological image Dilated image Eroded image Optic disc detection Exudates image   Hard and soft exudates Input DFI   Enhancement methods of DFI Step-1 of exudate detection Step-2 by giving input image Step-3 enhancing input image Step-4 exudates image of abnormal eye Normal eye output displaying no exudates LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AHE Adaptive Histogram Equalization CIE Commission Internationale de lEclairage CLAHE Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization CMYK Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key DRD iabetic Retinopathy DFI Digital Fundus Image HE Histogram Equalization MD Mahalanobis Distance MM Mathematical Morphology RGB Red, Green, Blue RRGS Recursive Region Growing Segmentation Chapter 1 Introduction Research Background: Diabetic retinopathy is a common disease nowadays that can prevail in anyone having type 1 or type-2 diabetes. The opportunity of being influenced by this disease relies on the time duration of a person having diabetes. Long-term diabetes leads to greater blood sugar level that causes harm by changing the flow of blood in retinal blood vessels. It is similar that in the previous stage DR shows no symptoms and hence without facing medical investigation it is not feasible to predict the existence of the disease. Exudative retinopathy is a condition referred by the occurrence of yellow or white mass that exists due to leakage of proteins and fats along with water from vessels of blood in the retina. It is important to predict the exudates occurrence in fundus oculi because the collection of these exudates may lead to complete loss of vision (Manpreetkaur, 2015). Walter et al. (2001) has mentioned that the disease of DR evolved exudates in eye fundus. The physicians regard exudates as on e of the primary indicators of DR severity. Exudates are yellow spot resided in fundus. This disease of diabetes causes leakage of fluid from vessels of blood. For a long time, uncontrolled diabetes may evolve as exudates in eye fundus. The exudates initiate to develop in little number and size. If the diabetes is not monitored or controlled for a long time the number and size of exudates will grow. The exudates growth in eye fundus may cause blindness. Tasman and Jaeger (2001) have stated that exudates seem as bright deposits of yellow-white on the retina due to lipid leakage from abnormal vessels. Their size and shape differ with various stages of retinopathy. These lesions are related to many diseases of retinal vascular involving DME (diabetic macular edema), DR (diabetic retinopathy), retinal venous obstruction, hypertensive retinopathy, radiation retinopathy and retinal arterial microaneurysms, capillary hemangioma of retina and disease of the coat. Welfera et al. (2010) have stated that exudation is a hazardous case because it can lead to a loss of vision when existing in the central macular area. Thus such lesions must be predicted, and appropriate medical intervention must be acquired to avoid damages to visual acuity of the patient. Automatic exudates detection in DR patients retinas could enhance early prediction of DR and could support doctors track the treatment progress over time. Thus it can be inferred that exudates detection by computer could provide a precise and rapid diagnosis to specialist examination and support the clinician to acquire timely decision to take proper treatment. Problem Statement: Diabetes is a rapidly developing common disease among people globally which causes various organs dysfunction. Diabetic retinopathy is the primary blindness cause in adults. Sometimes, due to long-term diabetes, the retinal blood vessels are harmed, this eye disease is known as diabetic retinopathy. It is essential to automatically predict the lesions of diabetic retinopathy at an early stage to hinder further loss of vision. Exudates are significant diabetic retinopathy symptoms. Exudates are bright lesions that are an important sign of this disease. It is the major signs of DR a major vision loss cause in diabetic patients. Primary concern of the research Aim: The primary goal of the study is to analyze an automated way for exudates in eyes. Objectives: To examine the causes of exudates in diabetic retinopathy patients. To analyze the types of exudates used in digital fund images. To evaluate the different enhancement methods used to predict the exudates in fundus images. To determine the drawbacks of enhancement methods of exudates in digital fundus images. To propose a promising algorithm to detect the exudates in digital fundus images. Limitations of the study: This study is limited to diabetic retinopathy patients. This study is restricted to exudates detection only. This study evaluates an automated way for exudates in eyes. The structure of the thesis This argument is made up of the following five chapters: Chapter 1: This is the introduction section that gives the necessary research background andconcepts related to the research. Chapter 2: This chapter is the review of literature that analyzes several existing worksrelated to finding an automated way for exudates in eyes. Chapter 3: This chapter describes the design of the system that explains in detailabout the enhancement methods applied in digital fundus image for detection of diabetic retinopathy. Chapter 4: This chapter discusses the implementation plan of digital fundus images and compares different researches done by authors and depicts the results of the proposed system. Chapter 5: This is the conclusion section that gives the outcome of the research byanswering the research questions and recommendations for future improvement. In addition to that, this thesis has bibliography containing the sources used in collecting secondary data in the study and an appendix that has tools like questionnaires are utilized in the gathering primary data for the research. Chapter-2 Literature Review Introduction: This chapter provides an overview on the detection of exudates in digital fundus image for diabetic retinopathy. This chapter discusses in detail about the digital fundus image. In addition to these, this chapter discusses in detail about the classification of exudates in retinal images. Apart from these, this study provides the comparison of Histogram equalization (HE), contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) and Mahalanobis distance (MD) methods to enhance the digital fundus image for detection. Literature on Digital fundus images The benefits of digital imaging are rate of access to information (images), quick and accurate duplication, chronicling and transmission, and prompt access to the outcomes. The imaging technique can be rehashed if the nature of the underlying result is deficient. Despite the fact that film-based images can be digitized (to register macular color thickness conveyance from two different wavelength-based pictures or to evaluate the status of the optic nerve), quick access to the images is unrealistic, as it is important to build up the film first. This deferral keeps the picture from checking the outcomes and in this manner redressing any issue in the procurement procedure, which can be efficiently accomplished in digital imaging at no extra cost. The digitization of fundus photos was tended to by (Cideciyan et al., 1991) who proposed a nonlinear rebuilding model fusing four parts: the eye, the fundus camera, the film and the scanner. Scholl et al. (2004) observed digitized images to be valuable for evaluating age-connected maculopathy and age-connected macular degeneration. Comparison Table 1: Comparison of Histogram Equalization (HE), Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) and Mahalanobis Distance (MD) Histogram equalization Contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization Mahalanobis distance This technique is based on the specification of the histogram. CLAHE is considered as the necessary preprocessing step, and it has the tendency to generate the images for extracting the features of a pixel in the classification process. This method has carried out by identifying the pixels of the background images only by leaving the foreground images. HE is relatively straightforward technique and an invertible operator. Indiscrimination is one of the biggest disadvantages of this method. CLAHE is also denoted as the automatic and efficient method to detect the exudates effectively. The selective enhancement of MD has created the fewer artifacts for further processing than HE and CLAHE. HE has used the neighborhood-based approach on the pixels, and it has the tendency to operate based on the modification of histogram to obtain the new images efficiently. The technique of CLAHE has the capability to provide the green channel image enhancement with high quality. This method can produce the similar curve to the Gaussian-shaped curve ideally. HE has uniformly distributed the output histogram by using the cumulated histogram like the mapping function. CLAHE has limited the process of amplification by clipping the histogram at the predefined value. MD algorithm has given better histogram result when compared to HE and CLAHE Research gap: This study examines about the detection of exudates in digital fundus image for diabetic retinopathy. The research gap predicted in this study is that there are many studies on the detection of exudates in digital fundus image for diabetic retinopathy. But no studies have clearly determined the successful approaches towards the detection of diabetic retinopathy in fundus images. Detection and classification of diabetic retinopathy pathologies in fundus images have been investigated by Agurto (2012). He studied the effects of image compression and degradation on an automatic diabetic retinopathy screening algorithm. In addition to these, the Agurto et al. (2012) investigated the detection of hard exudates and red lesions in the macula using the multi-scale approach. Walter et al. (2002) carried out an investigation to contribute the image processing to the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy. Authors also focused on automatic detection of diabetic retinopathy from eye fundus images (Man preetkaur, 2015). There are also studies that are focused on coarse-to-fine strategy for automatically identifying exudates in color eye fundus images. Chapter-3 Research Design Introduction: This part examines the design of the study to determine an automated way for finding exudates in eyes. This study compares three methods namely CLAHE (Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization), Histogram Equalization (HE) and Mahalanobis Distance (MD) for enhancing a digital fundus image to detect and choose the best one to classify exudates in Retinal images by adopting graphical user interface in MATLAB. Research design: The reason of the study is to detect exudates in digital fundus image for diabetic retinopathy. In this particular study, we provide an efficient method for identifying and classifying the exudates as soft exudates and hard exudates. The retinal image seen in the CIELab space of the color is pre-processed for eliminating noise. Further, a network of blood vessels is removed for facilitating detection and removing the optic disc. At the same time, optic disc is removed using the technique of Hough transform. Candidate exudates are identified using the method of k-means clustering. At last, exudates are categorized as the soft and hard one by their threshold and edge energy. Developed method has yielded better outcomes. Histogram Equalization: Histogram equalization is a technique for adjusting image intensities to enhance contrast. HE is an operation that is based on histogram specification or modification to obtain new pictures. The objective of this contrast enhancement technique is to get a new enhanced image that has a uniform histogram that only plots the frequency at each gray-level from 0 (black) to 255 (white). Each histogram represents the frequency of occurrence of all gray-level in the image. Figure 1: Image before enhancement Figure 2: Histogram before equalization Figure 3: Image after histogram equalization Figure 4: Histogram after histogram equalization Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization: CLAHE is considered as a locally adaptive method for contrast enhancement. CLAHE is an enhanced version of adaptive HE (AHE) method. The technique AHE has a realistic restriction that homogenous part in the image leads to over-amplification of noise due to thin series of pixels are plotted to a whole range of visualization. In the meantime, it was noticed that contrast limited AHE (CLAHE) was designed for preventing this noise over-amplification in homogenous regions. CLAHE restricts the sound amplification in the image in such a way that image looks like very real. Figure 5: Image after CLAHE Figure 6: Histogram after CLAHE Mahalanobis Distance: Image enhancement using the Mahalanobis distance method is performed by identifying the background image pixels and eliminating them, leaving only the foreground image. It is based on the assumption that in image neighborhood N, the background pixels has significantly different intensity value than those of the foreground pixels. For each pixel (x, y) in the picture, the mean  µn (x, y) and the standard deviation à Ã†â€™n (x, y) of the statistical distribution of intensities in N are estimated. The sample means;  µn is used as the estimator for  µn (x, y) and the e sample standard deviation; à Ã†â€™ n is the estimator for à Ã†â€™n (x, y). If the intensity of pixel (x, y) is close to the mean intensity in N, it is considered to belong to the background set ÃŽÂ ². As defined mathematically in Eq. 1, the expression implies that pixel (x, y) belongs to ÃŽÂ ² if the stated condition is satisfied. Those images would later be combined to evaluate the MD image, which can be segmented using the threshold t to identify the background pixels. Figure 7: Image after MD enhancement Figure 8: Histogram after MD enhancement Summary: This research compares three methods namely CLAHE, HE, MD to enhance a digital fundus image to detect and choose the best one to classify exudates in Retinal images by adopting graphical user interface in MATLAB. It was evident from the above findings that candidate exudates are identified using the technique of Mahalanobis Distance enhancement. Chapter 4 Implementation Plan, Discussion, and Results Introduction: This chapter presents the implementation plan of detection of exudates in digital fundus images by proposed technique. The results of proposed method are also shown. Implementation Plan: The proposed system is implemented using the digital fundus images. DFIs (digital fundus images) are essential in finding the pathological fact that would lead to different diseases. However, digital fundus images have many illumination and contrast issues which make enhancement an important factor. Subsequently, digital fundus images must be developed to permit for good visualization to satisfy ophthalmologists to undertake their diagnosis. The below figure shows the implementation plan of detection of exudates in digital fundus images: Figure 9: Flow chart of the method 4.3 Conversion from RGB color space to CIELab color space A Lab color space is a color-opponent space with dimension L* for lightness and a* and b* for the color-opponent dimensions, based on nonlinearly compressed CIE XYZ color space coordinates. The CIELab color scale is an approximately uniform color range. In a standard color scale, the differences between the points plotted in the color space correspond to the visual difference between the colors plotted. The CIELab color space is organized in a cube form. The L* runs from top to bottom. The maximum for L* is 100, which represents a perfect reflecting diffuser. The minimum for L* is zero, which represents black. The a* and b* axes have no specific numerical limits. Positive a* is red, Negative a* is green. Positive b* is yellow, Negative b* is blue. Figure 10: CIELab color space It is perceptual uniform color space. Perceptual uniformity means how two colors differ from seeing when human observe that two colors. Hence uniform color spaces were defined in such way that all the colors are arranged by the perceptual difference of the colors. The L component closely matches human perception of lightness, and by having it as an independent quantity to control, it can be used to make accurate color corrections without affecting the a* and b* color twins. RGB or CMYK color spaces are designed to model the output of physical devices rather than human visual perception. This color model is used in this work to identify even a small intensity variation. K-means Clustering K-means clustering is a method of vector quantization, originally from signal processing, that is accessible for cluster analysis in data mining. K-means clustering aims to partition n observations into k clusters in which each observation belongs to the cluster with the nearest mean, serving as a prototype of the cluster. This results in a partitioning of the data space into Voronoi cells. K-Means algorithm is chosen because of its simplicity. In this work, k-means clustering is used to partition the data into groups for identifying exudates locations. K-means Usage in our project: Because of the computational simplicity of the k-means algorithm over other clustering algorithms, we decided to use the k-mean clustering in the proposed work. The k-mean clustering algorithm is a particular case of the generalized hard clustering algorithms. It is applied when point representatives are used, and the squared Euclidean Distance is adopted to measure the dissimilarities between vectors and cluster representatives. The k-means algorithm is given below. The steps involved in K-Means algorithm are: Select an initial partition with k clusters Generate a new partition by assigning each pattern to its closest cluster center. Compute new cluster centers. Continue to do steps 2 and 3 until centroids do not change. Figure 11: Input image Figure 12: k-means clustered image Blood vessel detection To facilitate exudates extraction from the pre-processed image, blood vessel network is detected and then eliminated from the picture using Morphological operations. Morphological operations can readily be used in medical image analysis as it supports powerful tools to extract pathologies. The morphological operations employed in the proposed work are given below. An important part of applying morphological operations is to decide on the shape and size of structuring element. In the proposed work, a ball-shaped structuring element of size 8, was found to be optimal for eliminating the blood vessel network from the retinal images of local database Morphological Image Processing: Mathematical morphology (MM) is a theory and technique for the analysis and treatment of geometrical structures, based on set theory, lattice theory, topology, and random functions. MM is most commonly applied to digital images, but it can be employed as well on graphs, surface meshes, solids, and many other spatial structures. Topological and geometrical continuous-space concepts such as size, shape, convexity, connectivity, and geodesic distance, were introduced by MM on both continuous and discrete spaces. MM is also the foundation of morphological image processing, which consists of a set of operators that transform images according to the above characterizations. The basic morphological operators are erosion, dilation, opening, and closing. Dilation: Dilation is one of the two first operators in the area of mathematical morphology, the other being erosion. The primary effect of the operator on a binary image is to gradually enlarge the boundaries of regions of foreground pixels (i.e. white pixels, typically). Thus areas of foreground pixels grow while holes within those regions become smaller. The dilation operator takes two pieces of data as inputs. The first is the image which is to be dilated. The second is a (usually small) set of coordinate points known as a structuring element (also referred to as a kernel). It is this structuring element that determines the precise effect of the dilation on the input image. Figure 13: Dilated image Erosion: Erosion is one of the two first operators in the area of mathematical morphology, the other being dilation. The main effect of the operator on a binary image is to erode away the boundaries of regions of foreground pixels (i.e. white pixels, typically). Thus areas of foreground pixels shrink in size, and holes within those areas become larger. The erosion operator takes two pieces of data as inputs. The first is the image which is to be eroded. The second is a (usually  small) set of coordinate points known as a structuring element (also referred to as a kernel). It is this structuring element that determines the precise effect of the erosion of the input image. Figure 14: Eroded image Figure 15: Morphological image Hough Transform The Hough transform is a feature extraction technique used in image analysis, computer vision, and digital image processing. The purpose of the method is to find imperfect instances of objects within a particular class of shapes by a voting procedure. This voting process is carried out in a parameter space, from which object candidates are obtained as local maxima in a so-called accumulator space that is explicitly constructed by the algorithm for computing the Hough transform. In this project work, circular Hough transform is used to detect optic disk in a retinal image. Elimination of optic disk is necessary for detection of exudates. If the optic disk is not eliminated from a picture, there is a chance of identifying optic disk as exudates, which leads to the false result. Circular Hough Transform Algorithm works is presented below. Step1: Convert color retinal image into grayscale Step2: Create a 3D Hough array (accumulator) with the first two dimensions representing thecoordinates of the circle origin, and the third dimension represents the radii. Step3: Perform edge detection using the Canny edge detector. For each edge pixel, increment thecorresponding elements in the Hough array. Step4: Collect candidate circles, and then delete similar circles. Step5: Circle the object. Figure 16: Optic disc detection Classifying Hard and Soft exudates The final step is to classify the exudates as hard and soft based on the threshold value and edge energy. Edge power calculation is required to extract the exudates with sharp edges which are a characteristic feature of hard exudates. We preferred canny operator over Kirsch operator for edge energy detection. The hard exudates are extracted by combining this edge energy and a Threshold value. To obtain the soft exudates subtract the hard exudates image from the picture that contains both types of exudates. Hard exudates and soft exudates are classified by using reference sum value of white pixels in exudates image. Figure 17: Exudates image Figure 18: Hard and soft exudates Chapter 5 Results and Conclusion Introduction: This section presents the results and conclusion of the research by answering research questions and suggestions for future studies. Results: From the proposed system the results acquired are that the exudates are predicted, then it is categorized as hard, and soft exudates and the severity level is estimated. The first figure shows the input as an original image: Figure 19: Input image Source: Author In the next figure the enhancement methods are applied to digital fundus images for detection of diabetic retinopathy: Figure20: Enhancement methods of DFI Next, the exudates are detected which is depicted in the below set of figures: Figure 21: Step-1 of exudate detection Figure 22: Step-2 giving input image Figure 23: Step-3 enhancing the input image Figure 24: exudate image of abnormal eye Repeating the same procedure for normal eye and is shown in the following figure: Figure 25: Normal eye output displaying no exudates The results of the study reveal that Mahalanobis Distance is the best algorithm for the blood vessels image enhancement application. Throughout the experiment, we have found an average of 88% sensitivity and 60% accuracy. Conclusion Automated diabetic retinopathy detection has become an important research because of the severity of increase in cause of blindness among the diabetes patients. DR is caused mainly by the alterations in retinas blood vessels due to increased level of blood glucose. Exudates are one of the major signs of D

The Civil Rights Movement: We Can All Live in Peace :: Black struggle for civil rights in America

What is the key to understanding? Is it knowing what our predecessors were thinking? Or is simply just trying to put ourselves in their place. Whatever the case may be, understanding our history is vital in the progression of civilization. In an era when color was everything, understanding our history is what makes life in America today-so beautiful.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the time of the Civil Rights Movement, the blacks wanted to be free, but the whites wanted to suppress them. The whites were willing to go to any lengths to campaign their ideas of white supremacy. From research it can be learned, that from that movement, to some - it was more than a movement, it was a war for freedom. â€Å" I lived in a time when the white man was our ruler, but he could not suppress me any longer. I refused to get up for that white man, he and I were not seen as equals from societies eyes, but god gave us both red blood in our veins.† (Rosa Parks: Autobiography pg. 23) Rosa Parks was just one of the many powerful spirits that lit the way for many to freedom. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was probably the most influential during this time period. He touched people of all kinds. Blacks, whites, and people of all races were inspired by the way King could move his audiences. Even John F. Kennedy was seen walking down the street with King listening to a personal sermon. Although Kennedy was only president for a little over one-thousand days before he was assassinated, perhaps the most important of his achievements was his support for civil rights and his effort to move the United States away from racial segregation and toward freedom and equal rights for all Americans. Kennedy and King had the same â€Å"dream†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In an era when color was everything, understanding our history is what makes life in America today-so beautiful. The communication between races was done through many different attempts by both parties. Protests, secret coding, public seminars, speeches, and using the goodness of one’s heart, were just some of the many ways races attempted to communicate. The nation has grown and learned from the men and women that fought for equal rights, and it shows. Interracial couples are getting married each and every day. Blacks and Whites may sit together on the bus in the front or the back.