Evidence Based Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evidence Based Nursing - Essay Example Additionally, the nurses seek to undertake a self completed survey, which implies that the mothers will only be questioned and the nurses will document the results of the survey in wait for the final findings. This raises the ethics components since, the nurse is exposed to becoming judgmental on their subjects given the scope of the research. Question 1b In order to protect the human subjects’ rights of this study population, the IRB must assess various components including the right to self-determination. In this regard, the IRB must assess whether the employers of the nurses clearly and in articulate writing, informed the nurses about whether the participation in this particular research in a condition for employment and thereby expose any relevant risks associated with the study. As such the IRB must analyze the risks to benefit ratio of the study and document whether the eminent risks and/or benefits are clearly described. Further, with the minimal risk guidance level, th e IRB must prove whether the prevailing risks are greater than the minimal risk and the available measure of mitigating the risks. Additionally, the IRB must assess the subjects’ vulnerability in the study and how the researchers have handled the informed consent component. This will involve the IRB in investigating whether the nurses’ selection of the subjects is appropriate and whether the burden of participation is likely to fall on those who will actually benefit from the findings of the research. In this regard, the IRB might question the hospitalized mothers’ involvement in the survey while the focus of the survey is to address child abuse. It is imperative that abuse to children involve parents subjecting their children to unlawful conditions and/or treatment. Therefore the involvement of the parents in the survey will instantly raise the question of subjects’ vulnerability. The other components that IRB will have to assess in this study includes w hether the subjects are given incentives, issues to do with extra safeguards and privacy and confidentiality components of the survey (Beyae & Slattery, 2006). Question 1c The unique ethical concerns of this study could stem from the fact that nurses are obliged to observe confidentiality and privacy in serving the interest of their clients, however, the study seeks to expose the nurses to violate that obligation. When the nurses will question the mothers of hospitalized children within the given age bracket and record the results as sources for the survey, then the privacy of the clients will be violated. Question 1d As a prerequisite condition for allowing the study, the IRB member will seek clarification on the underlying components of study including the specific ways that the nurses have planned to address the eminent ethical issues concerning the privacy and the right to informed consent so as to ensure that the survey achieves the stated objectives without subjecting the stud y subject’s, who could be vulnerable to undue pressure as the IRB provisions demand. Question 1e As a matter of principle, the nurses will conduct the survey within the scope of the IRB provisions and thus remain vigilant in ensuring informed consent and privacy and confidentiality of the subjects are adhered to. In this regard, the nurses will remain advocates of the subjects in the sense that they will make sure the subjects’ confidentiality since they will apply procedures that are in

Childhood Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Childhood Obesity - Essay Example The American Academy of Pediatrics terms childhood obesity as an ‘unprecedented burden’ on the children’s health. The unnecessary weight gain, primarily due to poor diet and lack of exercise, accounts for as many as 300,000 deaths each year.   It is estimated Obesity costs the society, on an annual basis, nearly $ 90 billion (Stewart 2009). Methodology for Determining Childhood Obesity To determine whether a child is overweight or obese, the body mass index (BMI), a measure that uses a child's weight and height, is calculated. Body mass index (BMI) is expressed as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (kg/m2). The BMI is a realistic estimation of body fatness for most children and teens even though it does not measure body fat directly. Unlike the BMI categories used for adults, a child's weight status is determined with the help of an age and sex specific percentile for BMI. This methodology is adopted because the children's body composition v aries as they age and differs for boys and girls. In normal parlance, the terms ‘overweight’ and ‘obese’ are used interchangeably. However there is a technical difference. Overweight is defined as a BMI at or above the 85th percentile and lower than the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex while obesity refers to the BMI at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex (Milne 2007). Risks Associated with Childhood Obesity Obesity is associated with numerous risks for children not only when they are young but also during their later life. Obese children are susceptible to having high blood pressure and high cholesterol as well as heightened risk of impaired glucose tolerance. Close to 70 percent of obese children have at least one additional risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (Frieden 2010). Such children are more prone to contracting Type II diabetes, breathing problems and asthma. Obese children are also known to ha ve medical conditions like joint problems, musculoskeletal discomfort, fatty liver disease, gallstones, and gastro-esophageal reflux. The adverse effects of obese continue even as these children grow. As adolescents, obese children have a greater chance of encountering social and psychological problems resulting in poor self-esteem. It is a myth that plump babies naturally outgrow their baby fat. The reality is that excess weight tends to persist in later life as well. There is empirical evidence that establishes the fact that obese children are more likely to become obese adults and this obesity in adulthood is prone to be more severe. Children who are obese at age six have a 50 percent higher chance of being obese as adults, irrespective of the parental obesity status. Four-fifth of obese children at ages 10-15 also tend to be obese at age 25 (Frieden 2010). The obesity in adulthood leads to a serious health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and is even responsible for some cancers (Berger 2006). Causes of Childhood Obesity In simple parlance, childhood obesity is the consequence of consuming more calories than an individual can burn. Many factors, biological, economic, and social, converge and are responsible for childhood obesity. Each of these factors has a significant influence on the type of food ingestion, method of food preparation as well as on food consumption (Procter 2008). Various experts have put forth numerous causes of childhood obesity

Distortion effect for electric guitar

Distortion effect for electric guitar Distortion Effect For Electric Guitar Using FPGA Introduction Project Goals And Objectives The goal of the project is to implement distortion effects for electric guitar on an FPGA board. The algorithm that is going to be used is The Extended Karplus Strong Algorithm (Jaffe Smith, 1983). The analog audio signal from the electric guitar is captured by the analog to digital converter (ADC) module of the board. The FPGA is going to send the digital audio signal to a speaker to be played. The algorithm is going to be implemented on FPGA instead of using ASIC design approach. The pros and cons of FPGA design and ASIC design are discussed on the Xilinx website. The design advantage comparison of FPGA and ASICand the design flow comparison of FPGA and ASIC (Xilinx Corporation, 2009). ASIC design has more steps to complete as can be seen . Also, it is suitable for very high volume designs. For a single unit, using FPGA is a better solution. FPGA has no upfront non recurring expenses. It is faster to implement. Manufacturing of ASIC design chips take long time. However, a design can be downloaded to the FPGA and programmed very fast. Considering all these, using FPGA design is more suitable for this project. Project Deliverables The deliverables include the Verilog HDL code of the design. It is going to be synthesizable and can be used with suitable FPGA boards. The final project report is going to be delivered. It is going to include the details of the hardware algorithm, the design process and the results obtained from the functional verification and the hardware validation of the system. A demonstration of the project is doing to be done with the developed prototype of the system. The electric guitar is going to be the input of the system. The output from the board is going to be played through speakers. Technology Trends Before the invention of FPGAs, CPLDs (Complex Programmable Logic Device) were the most complex programmable logic devices. And before CPLDs, PALs (Programmable Array Logic) were used frequently. PALs were introduced in March 1978 by Monolithic Memories, Inc. They are only one time programmable. PALs are consisted of PROMs (programmable read-only memory). They were mostly used in minicomputers. These devices have fixed OR and programmable AND arrays. This enables the implementation of sum of products logic. A simplified programmable logic device. Typically, PAL devices have a few hundred gates. CPLD devices have higher complexities compared to PAL devices. They have similar features to both PAL devices and FPGAs. Like PALs, they dont have external ROMs, which enable the CPLDs to start functioning just after startup. They have much higher number of gates compared to PAL devices. They have around thousands to tens of thousands of gates. However, this is low compared to FPGAs, since the number of gates inside the FPGAs can go up to a few millions. FPGAs have the most number of gates and flip-flops compared to the others. They are more flexible but their design is more complex. The first distortion effect for electric guitar wasnt produced on purpose. It was mostly caused because of damaged guitar amplifiers. One example was a recording by Johnny Brunette Trio, which caused a fuzz tone effect. (The Train Kept Rollin, 2009). Electronic based distortion and overdrive effects came to scene in 1960s and 1970s. The effects were achieved by diodes, transistors and amplifiers and most of these pedals were analog. With the improvement in the digital signal processing techniques, digital processors became an important part of the technology in the last decade. Market Research The digital products in the market nowadays feature more adjustable effects than just a distortion effect. Typically, they have parallel effect modules that can run simultaneously. They also have advanced software. They have preset tones and effect libraries, tuners and even more features. Also, most of them have USB interfaces with a PC or MAC for compatible recording software. So, the projects features arent going to be able to match the products features in the market. Boss, Line 6, Zoom, Korg, Digitech are among the major companies which produce digital guitar effects processors. The bestselling multieffect electric guitar processors on Amazon.com. It can be observed that Zoom and Digitech have the most market. Requirements Functional Requirements The electric guitar will be connected to the FPGA boards analog to digital converter input. The analog to digital converter is going to convert the incoming analog signal to an 8-bit digital signal. The sampling frequency is going to be 44100 Hz, which is the standard for most of the digital audio files. The reason for choosing this sampling frequency is the human ears ability. The human ear cannot perceive frequencies above 20 KHz. According to the Nyquist Sampling Theorem, a signal can be exactly reconstructed from its samples if the sampling frequency is greater than twice the highest frequency of the signal. If the highest frequency that the human ear can perceive is considered to be 20 KHz, anything above 40 KHz is going to be enough for sampling frequency (Schulzrinne, 2008). The signal is going to be processed inside the FPGA using The Extended Karplus Strong Algorithm (Jaffe Smith, 1983). The processing should be fast enough so that the human ear cannot understand the delay between the time when the player hits a note on the guitar and the time that the output is played by the speakers. After the processing, the 8-bit signal is going to be converted to analog. Finally, this analog signal is going to be sent to the speakers and played. The hardware functionality that the system is going to provide. Nonfunctional Requirements The most of important constraint on the system will be the time constraint. The delay between the input and output audio signals must be minimized. This requires the design to be fast. For this purpose, the resources available on the FPGA should be used efficiently. The most of important constraints on the timing of the design is going to occur due to the algorithm. Floating-point arithmetic might be needed to use according to the algorithm. This might cause the calculations to take longer. Also, another constraint on the system is the speed of the FPGA. The speed of the FPGA is not going to cause a problem for sampling the incoming analog audio signal. However, the speed of the FPGA is going to put a constraint on the speed of the algorithm. A pipelined algorithm might be used in order to satisfy the requirements for the speed and the timing of the system. There are going to be feedback loops, filters and saturator blocks in the system. So, a pipelined algorithm is going to increase the utilization of these blocks and this is going to result in the increase in the throughput. If there is a pipelined algorithm, more resources are going to be needed to implement the pipelined system. The limited amount of the resources such as memory blocks and arithmetic units might put a constraint on the design. Also, another constraint is going to be the data width of the ADC and DAC. Due to the limited number of bits on ADC and DAC, the quality of the digital audio signal is going to be limited. Product Requirements Analysis The product requirement analysis is done using Quality Function Deployment (QFD) technique. The most important criteria for customer satisfaction are low delay time and distortion effect level. Also, good sound quality is very important too. Implementation of additional effects is the least important feature of the product. Low power consumption, low cost, effect adjustability, good bass and treble sounds, good feedback are also expected to have good standards by the customer. In order to meet the customer expectations, most important step is choosing the distortion effect algorithm correctly. The use of external resources should be kept to minimum level in order to meet the speed requirements of the system. Any use of external memory is going to cause additional memory access time and cause the system to function slower. This is going to result in an unwanted delay time. Bit resolution is also important. It is going to affect the sound quality. The higher number of bits is going to increase the quality. It might also help us get rid of using floating point arithmetic for implementing the saturation algorithm. However, the higher number of bits might cause a problem with the pipeline implementation. Project Requirements FPGA has to capture the analog sound and this signal is going to come from the output of an electric guitar. The FPGA board that is going to be used is chosen to be Spartan-3A Starter Kit board because of its built in analog to digital converter and digital to analog converter modules. The board also has a stereo mini jack for audio. These features make this board very suitable for audio processing and thus, very suitable for this project. Also, the FPGA chip has 700 K gates (Xilinx Corporation, 2009). In order to play the output, stereo speakers are going to be connected to the board pin to which the output signal is connected. The design is going to be done in register transfer level (RTL). The RTL design of the system is going to be described using Verilog HDL. In order to do this, Xilinxs design tool Xilinx ISE Webpack 11.3, which is free a program, is going to be used. Before prototyping the system, functional verification has to be completed successfully. For this purpose, Modelsim, which is develop by Mentor Graphics, is going to be used. Before starting the hardware design of the system, the algorithm is going to be simulated and verified using functional blocks in MATLAB Simulink. The hardware requirements for the system are and the software requirements for the system. Design Architecture As discussed earlier, the algorithm that is going to be used is The Extended Karplus Strong Algorithm (Jaffe Smith, 1983). The algorithm extensively uses filters. The algorithm is modeled and simulated under MATLAB Simulink. The model consists of functional blocks. The filters are defined by their discrete transfer functions. There is also a feedback loop. The sound is amplified by a gain block and passes through a saturation block. The saturation block basically causes the signal to saturate if its amplitude goes over or below specific thresholds. So, the higher the signal is amplified by the gain block, the more the signal is going to get distorted; since it is going to be saturated from lower amplitude compared to its new peak value. The model of The Karplus Strong Algorithm. Since there are consequent filter blocks, the signal is going to be delayed. To overcome the problem, the level of parallelism should be increased. Since there are 20 block RAMs in the FPGA, these can be used for increasing the pipeline depth and the level of parallelism. When an 8-bit sample passes though the first filter, it is going to go to the second one. Instead of waiting and doing the second operation using the same hardware, we should maximize the use of the resources and send the data that passed through the first filter to another resource. During that time, the other sample can pass through the first filter. Usage of block RAMs might be very beneficial here, in order to increase the throughput and the speed of the system. Since the data that is going to be processed isnt going to be large, only the internal block RAMs might be enough. Also, use of an external RAM is going to put more delay on the line because of the longer memory access time. This is highly undesirable since the most important criterion for the system is its speed. Structure The system consists of four main parts. First part is where the user interacts with the system. The user is going to generate an output from the guitar and that output is going to be captured by the FPGA board. FPGA is going to the process the output and pass it to the third part of the system, speakers. The stereo output is going to be played by the speakers. Also, a PC is needed to send the .bit file to program the FPGA. The FPGA board. It has an audio output port on the right top. If needed, DDR2 SDRAM can be used as external memory. The analog digital circuitry is used for capturing the analog signal to the board. The circuitry has 2-channel 14-bit analog to digital converter and 4-channel 12-bit digital to analog converter. The switches can be used for turning the distortion on and off. Also, they can be used for the same purpose if additional sound effects are added to the system. Rotary knob can be used for adjusting the level of the distortion or the gain or the volume. The quantity that is going to be adjusted can be determined by the switches since there is only one rotary knob. Interface There are three interfaces in the system. The first interface is for programming the FPGA. The connection between the FPGA and the computer is going to be achieved with USB 2.0. Xilinx iMPACT tool is going to be used to program the FPGA. The second interface is for capturing the analog audio signal from the electric guitar to the FPGA board. The on board analog to digital converter is going to be used for that purpose. Analog to digital converter unit on the board. The third interface is going to be between the FPGA and the speaker. The digital signal is going to be converted to analog signal using Xilinxs digital to analog converter module and it is going to be sent to the audio jack port of the board. The stereo audio jack module. Implementation Implementation Scope As discussed in Section 3.2, the system consists of four main parts. The module for sending the .bit file from the PC to the FPGA is already given with Xilix iMPACT tool, so no implementation is required for this. The second module is the audio input to the board. This is the input module. The input module is going to be implemented with the help of on board analog to digital converter. As discussed earlier, the sampling rate and the bit resolution are the most important parts of the input module. The sampling rate is going to be 44100 Hz and the resolution is planned to be 8 bits. The captured analog signal is going to be converted to digital signal and sent to FPGA module for processing. FPGA module is going to be responsible for processing the digital signal. For faster and efficient processing, pipelined implementation is going to be done. This is going to be done using RTL description of the hardware with Verilog HDL. The output module is going to convert the processed digital signal to analog and send it to the boards audio jack port for playing the processed signal using speakers. Xilinxs DAC module is going to be used for the implementation of this module. Implementation Coverage The algorithm that is going to be used for implementation is The Extended Karplus Strong Algorithm (Jaffe Smith, 1983). The block diagram of The Extended Karplus Strong Algorithm. The output is going to be sent to gain and saturation blocks. There are filter blocks and delay blocks in the system. These functions are going to be implemented inside the FPGA. The first functional block is a pick-direction low pass filter (Smith III, Pick-Direction Lowpass Filter, 2009). The second functional block before the feedback loop is a pick-position comb filter (Smith III, Pick-Position Comb Filter, 2009). In the feedback loop, there is a delay block on the top. The other blocks are again filters. After the delay block, the signal goes through a two-zero string damping filter (Smith III, Two-Zero String Damping Filter, 2009). Before the addition operation in the feedback loop, another pick-direction low pass filter is going to be used. After the loop, there is going to be dynamic level low pass filter (Smith III, Dynamic Level Lowpass Filter, 2009). After these filters and delays, there is going to be a gain block which is used for increasing the level of distortion. Distortion effect is going to be generated by a saturation block. The saturation can use either hard clipping or soft clipping. Soft clipping has higher complexity. It is a third order polynomial. It results in a smoother sound. However, for more distorted and fuzzy sound, hard clipping is preferred. Since it has a heavier sound and is easier to implement, hard clipping is going to be used. The input-output relations of hard clipping and soft clipping Develop Or Adopt Decision The most important part for the project is the FPGA board. It is going to be adopted. If I wanted to design the circuit with a PCB design tool in which I am not experienced, I would have paid a lot of money to get it manufactured. And the design has to be perfect before getting the chip produced. The decision of choosing whether to use FPGA design or ASIC design was discussed earlier in Section. So, buying and using an FPGA board is the best option here. Spartan 3A Starter Kit is going to be used for the project. For the output interface of the design, Xilinx has a module described in Verilog and is available for free. For DAC and output purposes, that module is going to be used. If there is an available module for the input port of the system for free from Xilinx, it is going to be adopted. Otherwise, the ADC module is going to be developed according to the ADC hardware available on the FPGA board. The design on the FPGA is going to be based on an algorithm but it is going to be designed by me. Also, an electric guitar and speakers with amplifiers are needed for the project. They were already available before the start of the project. For software, Xilinx ISE, Xilinx iMPACT, Modelsim XE and MATLAB are going to be used. MATLAB is already available and the others have free versions for students. Implementation Process Three modules are going to be implemented. Each module can be implemented independently from each other. Finally, all the modules are going to be connected under a top module. DSP module is the main part of the design where the algorithm is going to be implemented. The functional verification of the design is going to be independent from the other modules. Implementation Resources The resources for implementation can be grouped into two. First, we need hardware resources. The second group is the software resources. The most important resource for hardware is the FPGA development board. Spartan 3A Starter Kit is going to be used. This specific board is chosen due to some reasons. This board is suitable for DSP applications. It has ADC and DAC modules. It also has a stereo audio jack for outputting the processed signal. So, this board is going to be used for implementation. FPGA is going to be programmed from a PC. The hardware of the system is going to be described using Xilinx ISE tool, which requires a PC. So, we also need a PC for implementation. The connection of the board with the PC required a USB cable, which is provided with the board. We also need an electric guitar and speakers. The required hardware resources for implementation. Besides the hardware resources, some software resources are going to be needed too. First, before starting writing the code for the hardware, the algorithm is going to be tested and the functional blocks are going to be made clear using MATLAB Simulink software. For synthesis and implementation, Xilinx ISE is going to be used. It is going to synthesize and implement the hardware described by Verilog HDL. It also includes Xilinx iMPACT tool which is used for sending the .bit file to the FPGA for programming. For functional verification, Xilinx Edition of Modelsim, developed by Mentor Graphics is going to be used. Implementation Activities The project group consists of only one person. So design, verification, implementation and testing are going to be done by me. During the project, additional training and study is going to be required in digital signal processing and filters. Also, digital filter design should also be studied. Another thing that needs improvement is writing testbench to verify the designed system. Testing Testing Scope The testing of the system consists of two parts. There is a functional verification part and a hardware validation part. For functional verification, Modelsim XE software is going to be used with Verilog HDL. The parts that are going to be tested are the input module, the output module, the DSP module. After the integration of the modules in order to form the system, the whole system is going to be tested. Also, the hardware validation of the DSP and output modules can be done without a working input module. A randomly generated signal in FPGA can be processed and sent to output module for playing and this can be tested. Testing Coverage As explained in Section, the modules are going to be tested individually at first. The input module is going to get an analog signal from an external source. This might be coming from the electric guitar or directly from a PC. If the input signal is coming from PC, the signal can be adjusted to be simple and therefore testing can be simpler. After the conversion, the signal is going to be observed. Also, if the output module is working, the input signal can be directly transferred to the output module without any signal processing done on it. A randomly generated signal inside the FPGA is going to be enough to test the output module. DSP module is going to be tested by functional verification. The filters, the gain and the saturation blocks are going to be tested. After these, the whole DSP module is going to be tested. An example of input and output of the system with hard clipping. Pass/Fail Criteria The pass/fail criterion for the input module is going to be its analog to digital conversion performance. If a given analog input can be correctly converted to digital signal, it is going to pass the test. Digital conversion operation with its input and expected output. The module, the expected output is going to be the signal on the bottom (Azima DLI , 2009). In order to pass the test, the module has to give the correct output for each stimulus applied. The output module has to do digital to analog conversion and send the signal to speakers. For that, a signal is going to be generated inside the FPGA. This signals amplitude and frequency is going to be changed. According to the changes, we are going to expect different outputs. The output is going to be listened through the speakers. In order to pass the test, the output module should correctly respond to every amplitude and frequency change. The DSP module is going to be tested with functional verification. A reference model is going to be constructed in behavioral level. Randomly generated stimulus is going to be applied to the design and to the reference model at the same time. In order to pass the test, the results from the DSP module and the reference model have to match 100%. Another important criterion for the DSP module is its timing. The delay between the input and the output has to be below a determined quantity in order to pass the test. Testing Approach In order to test the DSP module, a self checking testbench is going to be written using Verilog HDL. There is going to be a behaviorally modeled reference unit inside the test bench. The test bench is going to generate random stimuli. These stimuli are going to be applied to both a design under test unit (DUT), which is a module from the design, and the reference model. Then, the results are going to be compared in a scoreboard. The verification approach. Also, the timing of the system is going to be considered since it is one of the most important parts of the project. After the functional verification, the timing analysis of the implemented system must be done using Xilinx ISE. Testing Resources First, in order to test the algorithm, MATLAB Simulink is going to be used. In order to test the input module, preferably a PC or an electric guitar is going to be needed as discussed in the second paragraph. To test the output module, speakers or headphones are going to be needed. For functional verification of the DSP module, Modelsim XE is needed. Also, for the timing analysis of the design, Xilinx ISE is going to be used. Test Cases After these inputs are applied, the outputs from the reference model and the DUT are also going to be stored in response file, which is going to be in .txt format. Finally, a log file is going to show where the errors occurred, if there are any errors or it is going to show that no errors occurred in the simulation. Looking at the log file and the response file, we are going to able to see where exactly the errors occurred. Test Activities Since the group has just one member, every part of testing is going to be done by me. More training about writing self checking test benches using Verilog HDL should be done. 6. Schedule If we look at the PERT chart, we can calculate the critical path. The critical path consists of the following activities: A-F-G-H-I-J-K. This path leads to a completion time of 133 days. If the most optimistic and the most pessimistic completion of each activity is estimated, we can calculate the expected completion time and the variance of the project. The expression for the expected completion time is given in Equation and the expression for variance is given in Equation. Using these equations, the completion time and the variance are calculated. The activities in the critical path are highlighted and the calculations are done according to the critical path. PERT calculation gives almost the same result with the CPM result. CPM result was 133 days. PERT calculation gives an estimated project completion time of 133.166 days. Also, the variance turned out to be 26.58. This means the project can be completed 26.58 days earlier or later. The Gantt Chart of the project is given. The estimated start date of the project is December 27, 2009. The project is planned to be completed on May 9, 2010. Bibliography Azima DLI . (2009, February 8). Analog to Digital Conversion. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from Azima DLI Corporation Web Site: http://www.azimadli.com/vibman/analogtodigitalconversion.htm Collicut, M. (2009, March 3). Extending the Karplus-Strong Algorithm to Simulate Guitar Distortion and Feedback Effects. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from McGill University Web Site: http://mt.music.mcgill.ca/~collicuttm/MUMT618/KSA_distortion_and_feedback.html Jaffe, D. A., Smith, J. O. (1983). Extensions of the Karplus-Strong plucked string algorithm. Computer Music Journal , 56-69. Schulzrinne, H. (2008, January 9). Explanation of 44.1 kHz CD sampling rate. Retrieved November 27, 2009, from Columbia University Web Site: http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~hgs/audio/44.1.html Smith III, J. O. (2009, March 21). Dynamic Level Lowpass Filter. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from Stanford University Web Site: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/realsimple/faust_strings/Dynamic_Level_Lowpass_Filter.html Smith III, J. O. (2009, March 21). Pick-Direction Lowpass Filter. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from Stanford University Web Site: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/realsimple/faust_strings/Pick_Direction_Lowpass_Filter.html Smith III, J. O. (2009, March 21). Pick-Position Comb Filter. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from Stanford University Web Site: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/realsimple/faust_strings/Pick_Position_Comb_Filter.html Smith III, J. O. (2009, March 21). Two-Zero String Damping Filter. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from Stanford University Web Site: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/realsimple/faust_strings/Two_Zero_String_Damping_Filter.html Sullivan, C. R. (1990). Extending the Karplus-Strong Algorithm to Synthesize Electric Guitar Timbres with Distortion and Feedback. Computer Music Journal , 26-37. The Train Kept Rollin. (2009, November 21). Retrieved November 21, 2009, from allmusic: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amgsql=33:jjfoxzq0ldte Xilinx Corporation. (2009, April 8). Getting Started with FPGAs FPGA vs. ASIC. Retrieved November 20, 2009, from Xilinx Corporation Web site: http://www.xilinx.com/company/gettingstarted/fpgavsasic.htm Xilinx Corporation. (2009, October 6). Spartan-3A Starter Kit. Retrieved November 27, 2009, from Xilinx Corporation Web site: http://www.xilinx.com/products/devkits/HW-SPAR3A-SK-UNI-G.htm

Learning: Online Versus the Classroom Essay

Which would you prefer, learning online or sitting in a physical classroom? With the advent of technology the question of which is better has become difficult to answer. However continuing education has become much more accessible due to online classrooms. Focusing on the benefits and drawbacks between learning online and the traditional classroom will provide valuable information to make an informed decision. It is obvious that each method of learning has its own benefits and drawbacks. One example is the traditional classroom provides face to face instruction with immediate feedback, while online is less formal and individualistic. Web-based learning has a dynamic nature that allows for near instantaneous sharing and updating of information. (Thrasher, Coleman & Atkinson, 2012) The traditional classroom is a more static learning environment, only able to update information less frequently. Understanding online learning versus the traditional classroom requires some definition. The traditional classroom is defined as a physical setting at a college campus or other area that students gather to receive teaching and instruction. Typically this is a classroom with seating for students with an instructor giving a daily lesson. An online classroom is a virtual location of the designated school where students discuss topics in a forum. Individual lessons are studied and submitted to a designated location within the online environment. An instructor is assigned to provide feedback, guidance, and instruction in each lesson. The traditional classroom is still highly valued as a teaching method for the benefits it provides. Having and instructor on site provides an immediate interactive learning environment. Depending on the course, there is hands-on learning with lab work and experiments. There is also peer  review within the classroom and interactivity among the students. John Higgins of Accenture Learning cites a study from ITtraining consultancy stating that traditional training approaches are more popular today than in 2004. (â€Å"E-learning versus the,† 2007) Drawbacks to the traditional classroom include lag times in feedback on homework assignments. There are students who don’t participate in classroom activities due to shyness and do not fully benefit from the classroom environment. After class help is not available after a certain timeframe. The classroom setting is not designed for the working individual. As a full time employee, it is very difficult to schedule classroom activities into a full day of employment, family time, children’s activities, appointments, and other responsibilities. Online learning has many benefits, yet it is not for everyone. In the business perspective it is cost effective and easy to align with the business needs. It also includes reduced employee turn-over and a more highly motivated staff. (â€Å"E-learning versus the,† 2007) Online learning is designed for the working individual to schedule into a busy life. Since classes are online there is no specific time that students need to be in class. Students are able to attend classes on their own time, be it in the morning, after work, or even throughout the day. Class materials, sometimes, are provided electronically within the virtual classroom, eliminating the cost and weight of multiple books. For every benefit there is a drawback and online learning has its fair share. Online learning requires a high level discipline that not everyone is able to maintain. Distractions in the home abound ranging from children needing help with homework to cooking meals. Internet connectivity can be an issue when the internet goes down or during power loss. Online learning can also suffer from computer problems, viruses, data loss, even hardware failure. Everything in life has its benefits and drawbacks. It is up to each individual to determine personal needs and wants in life and how to best  achieve those goals. It is very important to research online learning and traditional classroom learning to determine which method best suits individual needs and goals. Which would you prefer, learning online or in the classroom? That is a question that only you can answer. References E-learning versus the classroom. (2007, March 12). IT Week, Hernandez-Julian, R. & Peters, C. (2012, April). Does the medium matter? online versus paper coursework. Southern Economic Journal, 78(4), 1333-1345. Thrasher, E., Coleman, P., & Atkinson, J. (2012). Web-based versus classroom-based instruction. Journal of Instructional Pedagogies, 7, 1-9.

Abortion: Bad decision

Bad decision Oh! It’s really very bad! Well, it’s the big mistake that I had in my life!! I know that everyone can make mistakes in his life, or had bad decisions, did you?! For me, yes. I had one mistake in my life it’s still the worst decision that I had made it in my life when I decided to come here to U. S. Before coming to U. S I had to take some actions. First of all, I took several actions in my studies. I have been doing my master in criminal Moroccan law at the university in Casablanca, morocco. Through I got my visa immigration to U.S. so, I stopped to complete my studies, and I took all my papers out of the university, because I thought that I will need then here in U. S. also, I visited my university for the last time, and I spent the whole day at it, where I bid farewell all my friends essay writer hub. Second, I took actions in my job, because I had a job when I was in my country. So, I resign from the job, and it was really hard time for me when I bid farewell my colleagues at work. After that, I tried to save money to save money to buy the flight ticket, and immigration fees†¦ tc. so, I spent a lot of money to coming here in U. S. after I bid farewell my parents and my brothers, I took the plan to U. S. The first few weeks, I feel that lifestyle is different, then I knew that my life was already changed since I arrived here in U. S. the first thing that I do it when I stay here, I tried to understand the people, and adapted with this new life. But, it was difficult, and I realized that it going to be hard for me, because it was really hard to find a job in U.S. I mean here a job as I had in my country because you should to start from zero, and the lifestyle it’s very difficult, too. Also, I tried to start my studies again, but it was impossible here because I study Moroccan law!! Also, I have to start from first step because my major it was Moroccan law and the U. S law is different. Also, I need to learn English , too. Actually, coming to U. S. A is stilling the worst decision that I have ever in made it in my life.

African American Daughters And Non Residential Fathers A...

African American Daughters and Non-Residential Fathers: A Qualitative Exploration La Toi S Smith Chapter 1 Introduction I spent the majority of my life being raised by a single mother due to my parents’ divorce. Because of my parents’ divorce, my mother stated firmly that I had changed and became a difficult child. I remember rebelling, suffering with low self-esteem and self-worth and blaming myself for the absence of my father. It was not until I was well into womanhood that I found peace within myself, as well as with my nonresidential father. Through the preparation for this study, I have a better understanding of the external and internal factors that can and will affect the father-daughter relationship. Some scholars have argued the notion that fathers are important contributors to their children and adolescents’ psychosocial development (Mandara, Murray, Joyner, 2005). According to Allgood, Beckert, and Peterson (2012), researchers are beginning to understand the importance of examining children’s perspectives and the relationships and levels of involvement children have with their fathers. According to Conner and White (2006), the traditional definition of fatherhood within the African American community underestimates the role of a father and further do not describe the systems that surround the African American experience adequately. Many interpretations of â€Å"fathers† have been discussed, with several scholars working from different perspectives offeringShow MoreRelatedMID TERM STUDY GUIDE Essay16611 Words   |  67 Pagesunderstanding MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. Development may be considered: (30) a. Periods of unusual events in life b. Periods of transition and reorganization *** c. Periods of stagnation d. Periods that occur each decade of life 2. Beatriz complains to her father about the outfit he wants her to wear. 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Naruto - 1407 Words

EXPLORATORY RESEARCH Exploratory research might comprise of literature search or carrying out focus group interviews (RESEARCH METHODS 2014). The focus group interview is an unstructured free flowing interview with a small group of people. The objective of exploratory research is to recognize the crucial issues and variables and to assist researchers’ needs for better understanding, examine the viability of a more extensive research, and to identify the best means to be employed in the later study. The data collection methods have two and can be categorized into qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative method provides data in the form of words or perhaps visually, while quantitative method generates numerical data. Qualitative†¦show more content†¦The third place belongs to the promotion of the product by their relatives and friends thus act as a variable in promotion factor in their buying decision. The Fourth, which is the physical appearance of the product, this variable is pa rticularly prominent especially to the majority of the females as it drives them into the purchase of the product but not for males. Afterwards, the convenient purchase of Xiaomi through online is also important variable in the place factor but however is only important to males, females do not. Lastly, attributable to the quality of the product and durability of the product, though rated as an insignificant consideration but however acts product variables that exert little impact and attention on the consumer buying behavior. Conclusion In the contemporary day, smartphone is no longer deemed as a luxury product as if over the past it has become very common among the society and nearly a necessity for every people. Thus undeniably, it shows that the people using the smartphone are rocketing in number and consequently to the competition among the sector. Thereof, gaining a clear ideaShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Book Naruto 2135 Words   |  9 PagesNovember marks the second anniversary since the popular Japanese manga Naruto, ended. Naruto is one of the most famous Shonen mangas, series published in Japan. The first chapter of Naruto was published in 1999 by Masashi Kishimoto and the last chapter was published on November of 2016. In this story, Kishimoto explores the influence that society has shaped over the identity of an individual. The story follows the protagonist Naruto Uzumaki, and his trials and tribulations as an orphan growing up inRead MoreNaruto s A World Of Ninjas And Elemental / Spiritual Powers Based On Energy Within A Person1052 Words   |  5 PagesNaruto lives in a world of ninjas and elemental/spiritual powers based on energy within a person. (1) However Naruto s story begins before his birth with the labor of his mother Kushina Uzumaki. Kushina is a jinchuriki, a human being with spirit of pure energy within, of the nine-tailed fox known as Kurama. Upon giving birth the seal of the beast is weakened to a state in which the beast can escape. Kushina s husband Minato Namikaze, head of the village she lives in, along with other protectorsRead MoreGender Roles : Kids And Young Adults Animated Shows Movies Essay2379 Words   |  10 Pagesis also classified into many different categories, such as Shounen, Shoujo, and Harem, and even categories for different sexual preferences such as Hentai, Yuri , and Yaoi. The most popular category in the United States is Shounen, were anime like â€Å"Naruto†, â€Å"Noragami†, â€Å"Bleach†, â€Å"Dragon Ball Z†, â€Å"Attack on Titan†, â€Å"Fullmetal Alchemist†, â€Å"One Piece†, â€Å"Soul Eater†, and â€Å"Fairy Tail†, fall into this category. 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This was the only thing that he had focused on the entire year, he had not gone to school, he had rarely eaten or used the restroom, he only took a shower once every three months, he had leeched off of his parent’s money, why? Just because he loved Naruto and wanted to know everything about the show and the manga, ignoring the Boruto mangaRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Sasuke 1280 Words   |  6 Pagescheek. Her eyes widened as they both leaned in to kiss. I will never hurt you, Naruko... Suddenly an abrupt sound caused him to jolt awake from his dream. He sat up quickly, frowning find that he couldn t remember what was going on in his dream. Naruto Uzumaki, a young eighteen-year-old high school student, abandoned at an orphanage when he was just a baby, and now a senior, was looking for an apartment so that he didn t have to burden Iruka, his father-figure and the person who runs the orphanageRead MoreA Short Story1539 Words   |  7 Pagesthe ino-shika-cho kids. The kids father basically begged to keep the next generation that way. As for Kurenai, you will have the tracking team that includes Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. I expected for you to keep eye out for Hinata. What about Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi? You never stated who their teacher is. One of the Jounins stated. I havent forgotten about them. Their sensei is simply not here at the moment. She has a rather busy schedule today that I couldnt have her come join the meeting.Read MoreCreative Story : Story Of Ichiraku1029 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Naruto what a pleasant surprise to catch you on my five mile morning run!† The large brow boy exclaimed excitably, â€Å"Ah and you too Kiba! This really is a great surprise! Yosh!† Kibas eye twitched, â€Å"Whats surprising about catching Naruto in Ichiraku? He might as well live here, hes here so often.† Kiba thought to himself looking over at the blond who was now clasping the others hand tightly as if they were going to arm wrestle, Kiba sighs pinching the bridge of his nose, â€Å"These two are a messRead MoreDescriptive Essay - Original Writing965 Words   |  4 PagesNaruto picked at the residue left behind from an old sticker still clinging onto the desk. His eyes lighting up when Alphys set down his own bowl of hot, steamy, delicious ramen. Alright food s here! Itadakimasu! He scarfed down his food while Alphys was inattentively picking at her noodles. It was like this for a good two minutes, the only sound other silence would be Naruto s occasionally obnoxious slurping. He s such a pure and innocent child, he s already been through so much these pastRead MoreWho Is The Word Hero?1366 Words   |  6 Pagesheroes Superman and Naruto. Yes, the comics, books, and T.V. shows. So, how can someone who is not even real be a hero? Simply, it is through the messages they carry. Naruto and Superman fight with all their might against the destructive forces of evil and would do anything to protect their friends. They endure great pain and yet remain strong in their conviction to bring peace. Both shows inspire people to do the right thing. Spreading positive messages are what Superman, Naruto, Gandhi, and King