Night World : The Chosen Chapter 11

The U-Haul whirred across smooth resonant pavement and Rashel tried to guess where they were. She had been drawing a map in her mind, trying to imagine each turn they made, each change of the road underneath them. Ivan sat slouched, blocking the back doors of the truck. His eyes were small and mean, and they flickered over the girls constantly. In his right hand he held a taser, a hand-held electrical stun gun, and Rashel knew he was dying to use it. But the cargo was being very docile. Daphne was beside Rashel, leaning against her very slightly for comfort, her dark blue eyes fixed vacantly on the far wall. They were shackled together: although both Lily and Ivan had been checking Daphne constantly for signs of waking up, they were dearly taking no chances. On the opposite side of the truck were the two other girls. One was Juanita, her wavy bronze hair tangled from two days of lying on it, her bee-stung lips parted, her gaze empty. The second girl was a towhead, with flyaway hair and Bambi eyes staring blankly. Ivan called her Missy. She was about twelve. Rashel allowed herself to daydream about things to do to Ivan. Then she focused. The van was stopping. Ivan jumped up, and a minute later he was opening the back doors. Then he and Lily were unshackling the girls and herding them out, telling them to hurry. Rashel breathed deeply, grateful for the fresh open air. Salty air. Keeping her gaze aimless and glassy, she looked around. It was twilight and they were on a Charlestown dock. â€Å"Keep moving,† Ivan said, a hand on her shoulder. Ahead, Rashel saw a sleek thirty-foot power cruiser bobbing gently in a slip. A figure with dark hair was on the deck, doing something with lines. Quinn. He barely glanced up as Ivan and Lily hustled the girls onto the boat, and he didn't help steady Missy when she almost lost her balance jumping from the dock. His mood had changed again, Rashel realized. He seemed withdrawn, turned inward, brooding. â€Å"Move!† Ivan shoved her, and for an instant, Quinn's attention shifted. He stared at Ivan with eyes like black death, endless and fathomless. He didn't say a word. Ivan's hand dropped from Rashers back. Lily led them down a short flight of steps to a cramped but neat little cabin and gestured them to an L-shaped couch behind a dinette table. â€Å"Here. Sit down. You two here. You two there.† Rashel slipped into her seat and stared vacantly across at the sink in the tiny galley. â€Å"You all stay here,† Lily said. â€Å"Don't move. Stay.† She would have made a great slave overseer, Rashel thought. Or dog trainer. When Lily had disappeared up the stairs and the door above had banged shut, Rashel and Daphne simultaneously let out their breath. â€Å"You doing okay?† Rashel whispered. â€Å"Yeah. A little shaky. Where d'you think we're going?† Rashel just shook her head. Nobody knew where the vampire enclaves were. An idea was beginning to form in her mind, though. There must be a reason they were traveling by boat-it would have been safer and easier to keep the prisoners in the U-Haul. Unless they were going to a place you couldn't get to by U-Haul. An island. Why shouldn't some of the enclaves be on islands? There were hundreds of them off the eastern coast. It was a very unsettling thought. On an island they would be completely isolated. Nowhere to escape to if things got bad. No possible hope of help from outside. Rashel was beginning to regret that she'd brought Daphne into this. And she had the ominous feeling that when they got to their destination, she was going to regret it even more. The boat sliced cleanly through the water, heading into darkness. Behind Quinn was the skyline of Boston, the city lights showing where the ocean ended and the land began. But ahead there was no horizon, no difference between sky and sea. There was only formless, endless void. The inky blackness was dotted with an occasional solitary winking light-herring boats. They only seemed to make the vastness of empty water more lonely. Quinn ignored Lily and Ivan. He was not in a good mood. He let the cold air soak into him, permeating his body, mixing with the cold he felt inside. He imagined himself freezing solid-a rather pleasant thought. Just get to the enclave, he thought emptily. Get it over with. This last batch of girls had upset him. He didn't know why, and he didn't want to think about it. They were vermin. All of them. Even the dark-haired one who was so lovely that it was almost too bad she was certifiably insane. The little blond one was crazy, too. The one who, having had the luck to fall out of the frying pan once, had come right back, coated herself with butter and breadcrumbs, and jumped in again. Idiot. Someone like that deserved†¦ Quinn's thought broke off. Somewhere deep inside him was a little voice saying that no one, however idiotic, deserved what was going to happen to those girls. You're the idiot. Just get them to the enclave and then you can forget all this. The enclave†¦ it was Hunter Redfern who had first thought of enclaves on islands. Because of Dove, he'd said. â€Å"We need a place where the Redferns can live safely, without looking over their shoulders for humans with stakes. An island would do.† Quinn hadn't objected to the classification of himself as a Redfern-although he had no intention of marrying Garnet or Lily. Instead he said, practically, â€Å"Fishermen visit those islands all the time. Humans are settling them. We'd have company soon.† â€Å"There are spells to guard places humans shouldn't go. I know a witch who'll do it, to protect lily and Garnet.† â€Å"Why?† Hunter had grinned. â€Å"Because she's their mother.† And Quinn had said nothing. Later he'd met Maeve Harman, the witch who had mingled her blood with the lamia. She didn't seem to like Hunter much, and she kept their youngest daughter, Roseclear, who was being raised as a witch, away from him. But she did the spell. And they'd all moved to the island, where Garnet finally gave up on Quinn and married a boy from a nice lamia family. Her children were allowed to carry on the Redfern name. And as time went on, other enclaves had sprung up†¦. But none quite like the one Quinn was heading for now. He shifted on his seat in the cockpit. Ahead, there was a horizon again. A luminous silver moon was rising above the pond-still dark water. It shone like an enchantment, as if to guide Quinn's way. Scrrrunch. Rashel winced as the boat docked. Somebody wasn't being careful. But they'd arrived, and it could only be an island. They'd been heading east for over two hours. Daphne lifted her head weakly. â€Å"I don't care if they eat us the minute we get off, as long as I get to feel solid ground again.† â€Å"This practically is solid ground,† Rashel whispered. â€Å"It's been dead calm the whole way.† â€Å"Tell that to my stomach.† Daphne moaned, and Rashel poked her. Someone was coming down the stairs. It was Lily. Ivan waited above with the taser. They herded the girls off the boat and up onto a little dock. Rashel did her vacant-eyed staring around again, blessing the moonlight that allowed her to see. It wasn't much of a dock. One wharf with a gas pump and a shack. There were three other powerboats in slips. And that was all. Rashel couldn't see any sign of life. The boats rode like ghost ships on the water. There was silence except for the slap of the waves. Private island, Rashel thought. Something about the place made the hair on the back of her neck rise. With Lily in front and Ivan in back, the group was herded to a hiking trail that wound up a cliff. It's just an island, Rashel told herself. You should be dancing with joy. This is the enclave you wanted to get to. There's nothing†¦ uncanny†¦ about this place. And then, as they reached the top of the cliff, she saw the rocks. Big rocks. Monoliths that reminded her eerily of Stonehenge. It looked as if a giant had scattered them around. And there were houses built among them, perched on the lonely cliff, looking down on the vast dark sea. They all seemed deserted, and somehow they reminded Rashel of gargoyles, hunched and waiting. Lily was headed for the very last house on the sandy unpaved road. It was one of those huge â€Å"summer cottages† that was really a mansion. A massive white frame house, two and a half stories high, with elaborate ornamentation. Shock coursed through Rashel. A frame house. Wood. This place wasn't built by vampires. The lamia built out of brick or fieldstone, not out of the wood that was lethal to them. They must have bought this island from humans. Rashel was tingling from head to toe. This is definitely not a normal enclave. Where are all the people? Where's the town? What are we doing here? â€Å"Move, move.† Lily marched them around the back of the house and inside. And at last, Rashel heard the sounds of other life. Voices from somewhere inside the house. But she didn't get to see who the voices belonged to. Lily was taking them into a big old-fashioned kitchen, past a pantry with empty shelves. At the end of the pantry was a heavy wooden door, and on a stool by the door was a boy about Rashel's age. He had bushy brown hair and was wearing cowboy boots. He was reading a comic book. â€Å"Hey, Rudi,† Lily said crisply. â€Å"How're our guests?† â€Å"Quiet as little lambs.† Rudi's voice was laconic, but he stood up respectfully as Lily went by. His eyes flickered over Rashel and the other girls. Werewolf. Rashel's instincts were screaming it. And the name†¦ werewolves often had names like Lovell or Felan that meant wolf in their native language. Rudi meant â€Å"famous wolf† in Hungarian. Best guards in the world, Rashel thought grimly. Going to be hard to get past him. Rudi was opening the door. With Lily prodding her from behind, Rashel walked down a narrow, extremely steep staircase. At the base of the stairway was another heavy door. Rudi unlocked it and led the way. Rashel stepped into the cellar. What she saw was something she'd never seen before. A large low-ceilinged room. Dimly lit. With two rows of twelve iron beds along opposite walls. There was a girl in each bed. Teenage girls. All ages, all sizes, but every one beautiful in her own unique way. It looked like a hospital ward or a prison. As Rashel walked between the rows, she had to fight to keep her face blank. These girls were chained to the beds, and awake†¦ and scared. Frightened eyes looked at Rashel from every cot, then darted toward the werewolf. Rudi grinned at them, waving and nodding to either side. The girls shrank away. Only a few seemed brave enough to say anything. â€Å"Please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"How long do we have to stay here?† â€Å"I want to go home!† The last two beds in each row were empty. Rashel was put into one. Daphne looked both sick and frightened as the shackles dosed over her ankles, but she went on gamely staring straight ahead. â€Å"Sleep tight, girlies,† Rudi said. â€Å"Tomorrow's a big day.† And then he and Lily and Ivan walked out. The heavy wooden door slammed behind them, echoing in the stone-walled cellar. Rashel sat up in one motion. Daphne twisted her head. â€Å"Is it safe to talk?† she whispered. â€Å"I think so,† Rashel said in a normal voice. She was staring with narrowed eyes down the rows of beds. Some of the girls were looking at them, some were crying. Some had their eyes shut. Daphne burst out with the force of a breaking dam, â€Å"What are they going to do to us?† â€Å"I don't know,† Rashel said. Her voice was hard and flat, her movements disciplined and precise, as she slid the knife out of her boot. â€Å"But I'm going to find out.† â€Å"What, you're gonna saw through the chains?† â€Å"No.† From a guard on the side of the sheath, Rashel pulled a thin strip of metal. She bared her teeth slightly in a smile. â€Å"I'm going to pick the lock.† â€Å"Oh. Okay. Great. But then what? I mean, what's happening here? What kind of place is this? I was expecting some kind of-of Roman slave auction or something, with, like, everybody dressed in togas and vampires waving and bidding-â€Å" â€Å"You may still see something like that,† Rashel said. â€Å"I agree, it's weird. This is not a normal enclave. I don't know, maybe it's some kind of holding center, and they're going to take us someplace else to sell us†¦.† â€Å"Actually, I'm afraid not,† a quiet voice to her left said. Rashel turned. The girl in the bed beside her was sitting up. She had flaming red hair, wistful eyes, and a diffident manner. â€Å"I'm Fayth,† she said. â€Å"Shelly,† Rashel said briefly. She didn't trust anyone here yet. â€Å"That's Daphne. What do you mean, you're afraid not?† â€Å"They're not taking us somewhere else to sell us.† Fayth looked almost apologetic. â€Å"Well, I'd like to know what they're going to do with us here,† Rashel said. She sprung one lock on the shackles and jabbed the lockpick into the other. â€Å"Twenty-four girls on an island with one inhabited house? It's insane.† â€Å"It's a bloodfeast.† Rashel's hand on the lockpick went still. She looked over at Fayth and said very softly, â€Å"What?† â€Å"They're having a bloodfeast. On the spring equinox, I think. Starting tomorrow night at midnight.† Daphne was reaching across the gap for Rashel. â€Å"What, what? What's a bloodfeast? Tell me.† â€Å"It's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Rashel dragged her attention from Fayth. â€Å"It's a feast for vampires. A big celebration, a banquet. Three courses, you know.† She looked around the room. â€Å"Three girls. And there are twenty-four of us†¦.† â€Å"Enough for eight vampires,† Fayth said quietly, looking apologetic. â€Å"So you're saying that they take a little blood from each of three girls.† Daphne was leaning anxiously toward Rashel. â€Å"That's what you're saying, right? Right? A little sip here, a little sip there-† She broke off as Rashel and Fayth both looked at her. â€Å"You're not saying that.† â€Å"Daphne, I'm sorry I got you into this.† Rashel took a breath and opened the second lock on her shackles, avoiding Daphne's eyes. â€Å"The idea of a bloodfeast is that you drink the blood of three people in one day. All their blood. You drain them.† Daphne opened her mouth, shut it, then at last said pathetically, â€Å"And you don't burst?† Rashel smiled bleakly in spite of herself. â€Å"It's supposed to be the ultimate high or something. You get the power of their blood, the power of their lifeforce, all at once.† She looked at Fayth. â€Å"But it's been illegal for a long time.† Fayth nodded. â€Å"So's slavery. I think somebody wants it to make a comeback.† â€Å"Any idea who?† â€Å"All I know is that somebody very rich has invited seven of the most powerful made vampires here for the feast. Whoever he is, he really wants to show them a good time.† â€Å"To make an alliance,† Rashel said slowly. â€Å"Maybe.† â€Å"The made vampires ganging up against the lamia.† â€Å"Possibly.† â€Å"And the spring equinox†¦ they're celebrating the anniversary of the first made vampire. The day Maya bit Thierry.† â€Å"Definitely.† â€Å"Just wait a minute,† Daphne said. â€Å"Just everybody press pause, okay? How come you know about all this stuff?† She was staring at Fayth. â€Å"Made vampires, this vampires, that vampires, Maya†¦ I never heard of any of these people.† â€Å"Maya was the first of the lamia,† Rashel said rapidly, glancing back at her. â€Å"She's the ancestress of all the vampires who can grow up and have children-the family vampires. The made vampires are different. They're humans who get made into vampires by being bitten. They can't grow any older or have kids.† â€Å"And Thierry was the first human to get made into a vampire,† Fayth said. â€Å"Maya bit him on the spring equinox†¦ thousands of years ago.† Rashel was watching Fayth closely. â€Å"So now maybe you'll answer her question,† she said. â€Å"How do you know all this? No humans know about Night World history-except vampire hunters and damned Daybreakers.† Fayth winced, and then Rashel understood why she seemed so apologetic. â€Å"I'm a damned Daybreaker.† â€Å"Oh, God.† â€Å"What's a Daybreaker?† Daphne prompted, poking Rashel. â€Å"Circle Daybreak is a group of witches who're trying to get humans and Night People to†¦ I don't know, all dance around and drink Coke together,† Rashel said, nonplussed. She was confused and revolted-this girl had seemed so normal, so sensible. â€Å"To live in harmony, actually,† Fayth said to Daphne. â€Å"To stop hating and killing each other.† Daphne wrinkled her nose. â€Å"You're a witch?† â€Å"No. I'm human. But I have friends who're witches. I have friends who're vampires. I know lamia and humans who're soulmates-â€Å" â€Å"Don't be disgusting!† Rashel almost shouted it. It took her a moment to get hold of herself. Then, breathing carefully, she said, â€Å"Look, just watch it, Daybreaker. I need your information, so I'm willing to work with you-temporarily. But watch the language or I'll leave you here when I get the rest of us out. Then you can live in harmony with eight vampires on your own.† Despite her effort at control, her voice was shaking. Somehow Fayth's words seemed to keep echoing in her mind, as if they had some strange arid terrible importance. The word soulmates itself seemed to ricochet around inside her. And Fayth was acting oddly, too. Instead of getting mad, she just looked at Rashel long and steadily. Then she said softly, â€Å"I see†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Rashel didn't like the way she said it. She turned toward Daphne, who was saying eagerly, â€Å"So we're going to get out of here? Like a prison break?† â€Å"Of course. And we'll have to do it fast.† Rashel narrowed her eyes, trying to think. â€Å"I assumed we'd have more time†¦ and there's that werewolf to get past. And then once we do get out, we're on an island. That's bad. We can't live long out in the wild-it's too cold and they'd track us. But there has to be a way†¦.† She glanced at Fayth. â€Å"I don't suppose there's any chance of other Daybreakers showing up to help.† Fayth shook her head. â€Å"They don't know I'm here. We'd heard that something was going on in a Boston club, that somebody was gathering girls for a bloodfeast. I came to check it out-and got nabbed before I made my first report.† â€Å"So we're on our own. That's all right.† Rashel's mind was in gear now, humming with ideas. â€Å"Okay, first, we'll have to see what these girls can do-which of them can help us-â€Å" Fayth and Daphne were listening intently, when Rashel was interrupted by the last thing she expected to hear in a place like this. The sound of somebody shouting her name. â€Å"Rashel! Rashel the vampire hunter! Rashel the Cat!†

Lifestyle and Sustainability Essay

Lifestyle and Sustainability are two different concepts combined together to describe how people should live nowadays. With the matters like the advancement of modern technology, environmental degradation, and pollution, we now consider the best ways to live our lives without jeopardizing our environment and the future generations. Now, we’re concerned not only about living in comfort and ease, but also about the sustainability of the world we live in, of our environment and our resources. Lifestyle is defined as a way of life, the manner by which a person lives. It involves various behaviors and practices regarding one’s social relations, consumption, entertainment, and fashion. These behaviors and practices are composed of various habits, conventional modes of action, and reasoned actions. Simply put, lifestyle is one’s style of living: it is very personal and depends on the person who lives it. In relation to lifestyle, we come across the concept of sustainability, which literally means to sustain or the ability to maintain certain processes or state. Nowadays, sustainability is often connected to how we human beings live. Concerns about the environment, pollution, and shortage of resources have driven us to apply sustainability in every aspect of our lives (Sustainability Reporting Program, 2004). We think of sustainable ways to build our homes, use our natural resources, dress up, and grow our food. Somehow, we have connected sustainability with how we live, and it is now considered as a lifestyle. One important aspect of a sustainable lifestyle is food consumption, and in relation to that, we come across the concern of sustainable means of growing our foods. An important issue is brought up when we talk about sustainable means of growing food, and that is the use of pesticides. We are all familiar about pesticides, because it is the conventional means of eradicating the pests in our homes, properties, plants and crops. However, the use of certain pesticides is deemed as un-sustainable because of the health risks they carry with them (EurActiv, 2008). It can also affect other organisms in the environment aside from the pests that they kill. To better understand pesticides, we need to know more about them, including the history, benefits, types, and other aspects as well. Pesticides have been used several thousand years ago, being utilized by humans to protect their crops and plants from pests (Medline Plus, 2009). One of the first known pesticides used was sulfur dusting in Sumeria. In later centuries, mad used toxic chemicals like arsenic, mercury and lead to kill pests. Natural pesticides were also used, like nicotine sulfate extracts from tobacco leaves, pyrethrum from chrysanthemums, and rotenone from the roots of tropical vegetables. These pesticides benefited man in several ways. The first, and possibly the most common reason for pesticide use are for the protection of crops. Pesticides contain potent chemical ingredients which kill or deter insects and other pests that consume and destroy man’s crops. Another application of pesticides is disease control, regulating or controlling the organisms which are considered harmful to health. A good example is the use of pesticides to kill mosquitoes which are known carriers of deadly diseases like dengue fever, west Nile virus, and malaria. Insecticides are also used in killing parasites like fleas and ticks in bigger animals like horses and cattle. It is also used to kill termites that can cause structural damage to our homes and dwellings. Overall, pesticides are used in variety of ways, all for the benefit of humans. We can classify pesticides into two major types, chemical or synthetically prepared pesticide, and biological or biochemical pesticide. We are more familiar with chemical pesticides because they’re the conventional pesticides. These are made from various chemical components, like the ones mentioned earlier. This type of pesticide is easier to produce because of the abundance of their chemical components, and is more potent and is more effective when it comes to killing the pests. The downside of this type however, is that it has harmful implications to the environment and to human health. The other type of pesticide is the biological or biochemical pesticide. This type is produced from plant extracts which can deter or kill insects. The biological pesticides use the natural enemies of certain plant pests. Other insects and spiders are used because they prey on these pests, regulating their population naturally. References: EurActiv. (2008). Pesticides: Tough negotiations ahead as MEPs back bans Retrieved April 14, 2009, from http://www. euractiv. com/en/sustainability/pesticides-tough-negotiations-ahead-meps-back-bans/article-176936 Medline Plus. (2009). Pesticides Retrieved April 4, 2009, from http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/pesticides. html Sustainability Reporting Program. (2004). Pollutants, Sustainability, Health, and Environment. Retrieved April 14, 2009, from http://www. sustreport. org/issues/health_env_pollut. html

Niccol Machiavelli and Lao-Tzu Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Niccol Machiavelli and Lao-Tzu - Essay Example Machiavelli and Lao-Tzu both present their perspectives differently and intelligently. On the topic of characters of a leader, Machiavelli presents well-built judgments as to in which way a ruler should act when in power. He notes down about whether it is great to be feared or loved, eventually arriving to a close that a leader must be dreaded in order to govern his people. This brings about the opinion that the leader loved by the citizens is not working as expected. Machiavelli gives strong convictions in his writing of the prince who he gives the need to control. He recommends a stern leader to be stern, maintaining and obtaining power. In his presentation, he depicts a power hungry leader. He evidently employs the argumentation rhetorical strategy to depict the qualities of the prince. This he expects the citizens to be loyal to. He explains responsibility, bad and good reputations, and being well informed in history and military. This is among the instances that he depicts a pos itive attitude towards the essential goodness of the citizens. He has a strong stand that a leader desires to be alleged to be powerful and strong. Machiavelli presents a leadership style in which the leader takes credit for all good in the government. He presents the argument that it is essential to not appear feeble to others, particularly the people. This brings clearly how his point of view shades his understanding of the relationship between government and the people. The prince does not trust his people, and his role is evidently, a dictator. Lao-Tzu’s view on the qualities of a leader is exceptionally dissimilar to that of Machiavelli’s. His suggestion of a leader is moral, modest and compassionate. He insists that a leader ought to be treasured by his citizens. This presents the idea that Machiavelli has positive attitude towards the essential goodness of the citizens. There is a complete assumption that the citizens will show this goodness in return. In the pr ince Niccolo employs political rhetoric. This is a rhetorical strategy used to convince an individual to adopt a viewpoint. He gives an exact detail of all the things the prince must do in order to be successful. This type of rhetorical strategies is similar to Socrates. By this, Machiavelli warns about political rhetoric and at the same time employs it to his advantage. In another instance, he warns about flattery and at the same time employs it to refer to the Medicis. Lao Tzu, on the other hand, employs religious rhetoric that are based on the beliefs of the Tao. This is present when he refers to the Tao in some instances. The Tao explains that when an individual does nothing every other thing falls into place. In an example, in the Tao-te Ching Lao-tzu affirms that if a leader wants to be a remarkable then they must learn to pursue the Tao, desist from trying to

Evaluation of Conflict Management Styles Research Paper

Evaluation of Conflict Management Styles - Research Paper Example Conflicts may take place at any point in time and at any place. The common cause of conflict involves a difference in ideas, attitudes, standards, requirements, and expectations. These disagreements cause each party to ascertain some actions, indecisions, and reactions. When communication has unforeseen or undesirable fallouts, it is general to fuss about what might be mistaken or complaint about what is off beam with the other person. It is much more prolific, however, to an emphasis on what occurred (Marion, 22; Rahim, 583; Romero, 2983). Instead of disturbing or making conventions about other parties in the conflict, it is more fruitful to an emphasis on reckoning out variances and disagreements to gain common perspectives and create collective resolutions. Conflict Styles Assessment and Interpretation On the basis of the importance of goals and relationships are to the contradictory parties, there are five conflict management styles that displays different levels of the two major factors that are assertiveness and cooperation. . Each of the conflict management styles bears different strengths and weaknesses. For the conflict management, all of the styles are being used by individual and organizations to some degree. The five ways through which conflicts can be managed include: compromising, forcing and competing, avoiding and withdrawing, accommodating and smoothing and confronting and collaborating. No single style is suitable in all situations. Indeed, organizations teamed up with individuals that bear members with all five conflict management styles can be very effectual and efficient if those individuals keep asserting those strengths and powers associated with each style. Withdrawing and Avoiding This style requires low assertiveness and low cooperation. People who are agreeable to give up both individual goals and relations withdraw and avoid conflict. They are neither self-confident nor helpful. They normally try to avoid the real conflict and become external observers. By heeding their advice and inputs, organization and other team members advance valuable feedback on evolving issues and concerns, as well as other conflict party members’ behavior that are adopting or obstructing resolution (Schmidt, 4057; Thompson, 26). The key characteristics that these types of conflict management style adapters possess include low level of assertive and cooperative. They generally keep themselves away from issues and matters that may raise a conflict. Their common belief is that conflict resolution is very much difficult and it is easier to avoid a conflict or withdraw physically and psychologically from it than to face it. Forcing and Competing People who trail objectives at the overhead of relationships and dealings are competitive and forceful. They are found to be extremely assertive but not predominantly cooperative.  

The Car Industry in the 1990s Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Car Industry in the 1990s - Essay Example The political factors that affect cars and car manufacturers have become one of the major impacts on the industry. Government laws and regulations had been continuously set in place as compelled by increasing concerns for the safety of the consumers and users as well as for the protection of the environment. Because of consumers’ clamor, almost every concern that cropped up over the years that relates to the car, there is a corresponding bill that is passed or a regulation that is being enforced. This includes not just safety issues but also economic concerns such as the rising cost of petroleum or environmental alarm like gas emissions. Taxes, duties and subsidies also play a major part in the factors that exert themselves on the car manufacturers and the industry in general (Highfill et al, 2004). The huge impact of the auto industry to the country’s economy cannot be ignored. A study revealed that the industry supports other jobs in other industries (Gale, 2004 as cited by Highfill et al, 2004). However, the industry itself is faced with so many economic challenges. At present, even if the European market could increase or decrease depending on the specific economic climate, the scenario of over capacity if the market demand is low is always a real threat. The entry also of imports is a concern to the European based car manufacturers. This is especially so because of price competition which is the prevailing competitive advantage of imports (Trends and drivers of change). The economic downturn had been one of the greatest influences in the economic aspect of this industry. A research from Uswitch.com, an independent price comparison and switching service reported in 2008 than 77% of the motorists put a halt to their plans of acquiring a new car (Ganly, 2008). The economic aspect of the automobile industry is largely affected by oil prices also. Thus, it is a  very important factor in the demand for cars.   An increase in prices might put a brake on their sales potential while the reverse could boost the demand for the product.   (Sector futures, 2004, p2).

Case study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Case study - Research Paper Example The attending physician decided to put her to sleep by administering sedative. Not wanting to give sedative for fears of developing addiction, the doctor advised Angel’s parents to consult a psychologist. During the talk with the psychologist, the couple narrated that their daughter only manifested this reaction once, a day after they came back from the hospital because Angel was confined when she sprained her left ankle due to a biking accident. The couple also reported that their daughter had previous episodes of being tachypnic upon the sight of injection and fainting shortly afterwards, even after the administration of shot. The couple thought these were because of Angel’s diabetes, and did not pay any attention to them. Because of Angel’s young age, the pain might be the major contributing and the primary factor for her trypanophobia (Deacon and Abramowitz, 2006). However, the fear of fainting might have exacerbated the condition, and may have made the fear of needles more life-threatening (Du et al., 2008). Because of this, it is the fear of pain that should be important to be addressed first. Angel might have been classically conditioned of experiencing pain with her every injection. The classical conditioning theory suggests that the fear of needles is actually a protective response against pain. In this scenario, the elicited response is fear. The unconditioned stimulus causing fear is when Angel feels pain, and the conditioned stimulus is the sight of syringes. Thus, after classical conditioning, Angel already associates pain with the syringes, and thus fears seeing syringes already (Scott, 2009). To reverse the fear brought about by classical conditioning, a classical extinction should be performed. In this method, the unconditioned stimulus, which is pain, should be unlinked to the sight of the syringes. This can be performed by vicarious learning approach, in which Angel will learn not to fear the syringe by looking at

Future Trends in System Consolidation Research Paper

Future Trends in System Consolidation - Research Paper Example System consolidation is continuing to be used due to its advantages and positive technological changes taking place. Some of these changes are like the improvement on the processing power of hardware devices. Reduction in Cost of Doing Business Previously institutions had to acquire a system for each of their offices. Some of these systems did not take into consideration how they would be integrated to other businesses to serve the same purpose. So if the need arose in other departments the businesses purchase a new system for that department leading to higher cost. Organizations automate their different services to reduce cost. Automation will make sure the organization products are uniform and presentable. Reduction in redundancy in hardware Redundancy led to having lot hardware devices which were not utilized to their full capability. Installation of a system required different hardware devices to be purchased to cater for its requirement. A situation is like where a business has a payroll system developed for its offices in the United Kingdom and another one of its offices in the United States. ...   making Companies are trying to make decisions from data they collect over time as Waiter noted (businesses today have data mining systems) 2 to enhance decision making. This data can be a sale, purchases, and wages. Traditionally each of this data was stored on different servers because of the difference in the systems acquisition and usage. The decision maker to come up with a comprehensive decision will have first to try and consolidate the data from the different servers. This consolidation adds some more trouble. System consolidation comes into the place where one server saves all the data. The model builder will have data readily available from a central place. As Mathias notes (The model builder must define the problem, simulate the model, evaluate the model and implement the model) which increases the complexity of the program. The implementation also becomes easier because the system will embed the model into the main system. This reduces cost because there is no need of deploying models into different office location for usage. The building of models adds complexity (modeling for relevance must be considered) 1 due to the need of ensuring relevance. 1. Matthias Felleisen, â€Å"Journal of Functional Programming,† Complexity in Programming 45, no. 20 (2010): 32. 2. Weiter A, â€Å"Information Systems,† Business process mining 32, no. 5(2007): 725. Software construction complexity increases The changes that are coming with system consolidation are leading to a need for an increase in complexity of software. Some of these changes are making of distributed systems to be used by a company and improving on the network to cater for the distributed system.

Umbrella Clauses in Bilateral investement Treaties & Comparison Essay

Umbrella Clauses in Bilateral investement Treaties & Comparison between ICSID, UNCITRAL and ICC - Essay Example Put another way, the main question is whether or not the umbrella clause renders a breach of an investment contract a treaty claim.3 A review of previous arbitration decisions on the issue have produced mixed results. It would appear that with contradictory rulings on the matter, umbrella clauses can sometimes be effective for resolving disputes arising out of investment contracts concluded under the authority of BITs. Wong argues however that, contradictory rulings only serve to nullify umbrella contracts and thus render them ineffective as a means of resolving disputes arising out of an investment contract.4 This paper evaluates umbrella clauses with a view to determining whether or not a rule of law can be identified in the jurisprudence pointing to the when and how umbrella clauses can be used effectively to resolve disputes arising out of an investment contract. Case Law Consistency in arbitration decisions is an allusive concept due to the fact that arbitration panels are forme d specifically for a case. As a result, panels do not sit consistently and therefore they do not have the persistent experience and consistency that court appointed judges may have and usually accumulate. Moreover, international arbitration does not have a hierarchal structure in which appeals can be heard by a higher arbitration panel for the purpose of establishing or clarifying a rule of law. In the meantime, arbitration decisions are usually heard in private, and where they are published and shared, publication is delayed and highly selective. For example, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) only publishes 12% of its cases and even then, the case is only reported three years after the award is given (Guillaume, 2011).5 Therefore in evaluating case law in international commercial arbitration, it is difficult to know with any degree of reasonable certainty, what the actual jurisprudence is on a particular legal matter. The cases that are available reveal only limited juris prudence and any evaluation is therefore qualified by the fact, that a complete analysis of the legal rule is not possible. This analysis of the effectiveness of the umbrella clause for the resolution of disputes arising under an investment contract can only be determined on the basis of the available published arbitration cases. The first case of note is the 2003 case of SGS Societe Generale de Surveillance S.A. v Islamic Republic of Pakistan. This case involved a dispute which arose under a contract between Pakistan and Swiss company for the latter’s services as a shipment inspection agency. Pakistan terminated the contract later on and the Swiss company, relying on the BIT between Switzerland and Pakistan submitted the matter to arbitration and claimed that in addition to breaching the terms of the contract, Pakistan also violated its obligations under the BIT and especially the umbrella clause. Pakistan argued however that the dispute arose under an investment contract an d therefore the panel did not have jurisdiction over the matter.6 The arbitral panel ruled that the investment contract between Pakistan and the Swiss company predated the BIT and the applicability of the umbrella clause must be viewed in that light. In this regard, unless there was clear

Cultural artifact analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Cultural artifact analysis - Essay Example In the older times when the wheel was not yet invented, man used animals as means of transportation & carrying load from one place to another. After the advent of the wheel, man invented bicycle which ran by the mechanical force of its bearer & also carts & wagons which were pulled by animals. More time passed & man came to know about the metals, its properties & molding methods. Thus, the era of automobiles came into existence. In the initial stages of evolution, automobiles were run by a steam powered engine. Most of these were lacking a roof. The steam powered automobiles kept on developing till the 20th century but the majority was inclined towards the petrol engines in the late 19th century, so the steam powered engines were only left as curiosity. I chose a car as my artifact as I think a car is one of the most important inventions in the world, it made the world "smaller" and has changed the method of travelling. With a car in campus, I can go anywhere quicker than without a car. I use my car to go to school every day and I can reach distant spots such as Meijer, Target or Meridian Mall in only a while. America is usually referred to as "the country on the wheels" as nearly everyone in the U.S. has at least one car. In China the rate of cars is also increasing everyday and it is through this that they can be able to save a lot of time. Gradually with time cars have also evolved as a fashionable item which people change every now and then. I own a vintage car as it represents my culture and values that have been embedded in me throughout my life. The car makes me proud as it helps to reach certain places at the quickest possible time along with reminding me of the cultural values. The car helps me realize the times when we did not have cars our country and I used to stare at these vintage cars on the road. The vintage cars help me realize that the

New World Order, Old World Mess Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

New World Order, Old World Mess - Essay Example The ensuing cold war was an effort to prove which side was right in best achieving a world order, a state of utopia, a paradise where nations are at peace and all components of social order are in place, people freely choosing their rulers, and everyone justly rewarded for their work. This new world order, they hoped, would be the fruit of cooperation and understanding among nations that shared the same values of peace, justice, happiness, and freedom (Russett 24-33). The downfall of communism proved that capitalist democracy was better, but not necessarily the perfect solution, and for a brief period the world's powers thought that the ingredients for crafting a new world order were in place, one dream and one strategy of nations under the West's model of free market economics and political democracy. However, instead of an era of peace, what followed was a turbulent decade until 9/11 which made peoples and nations realize that their shared values and their definitions of utopia differed, and that different peoples, nations, and cultures understood peace, justice, happiness, and freedom in different, even conflicting, ways, making the new world order look similar to the previous ones characterized by chaos (Fukuyama 120-121). The end of the 20th century was not the peaceful era everyone thought it would be. The collapse of the East released pent-up cultural tensions that had simmered for centuries, artificially controlled or artfully concealed by the cold war (Fukuyama 1993: 213). Even before the euphoria of Berlin faded, violent explosions were felt in Kuwait, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia (Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia), the former U.S.S.R. (Russia, Chechnya, Armenia, and Azerbaijan), and Africa (Rwanda, Sudan, Liberia, and Angola). These conflicts were... The downfall of communism proved that capitalist democracy was better, but not necessarily the perfect solution, and for a brief period the world’s powers thought that the ingredients for crafting a new world order were in place, one dream and one strategy of nations under the West’s model of free market economics and political democracy. However, instead of an era of peace, what followed was a turbulent decade until 9/11 which made peoples and nations realize that their shared values and their definitions of utopia differed, and that different peoples, nations, and cultures understood peace, justice, happiness, and freedom in different, even conflicting, ways, making the new world order look similar to the previous ones characterized by chaos (Fukuyama 120-121).The end of the 20th century was not the peaceful era everyone thought it would be. The collapse of the East released pent-up cultural tensions that had simmered for centuries, artificially controlled or artfully concealed by the cold war (Fukuyama 1993: 213). Even before the euphoria of Berlin faded, violent explosions were felt in Kuwait, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia (Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia), the former U.S.S.R. (Russia, Chechnya, Armenia, and Azerbaijan), and Africa (Rwanda, Sudan, Liberia, and Angola). Almost two decades since the end of the cold war, the new world order has been redefined as a war against terrorism, as despots used by both the East and the West showed their true colors and began biting the hands that fed them.

Reference to two South African examples Essay Example for Free

Reference to two South African examples Essay In at least one point in the day, every-one finds themselves tuned into one broadcast station or another, be it radio or television Be it for entertainment, relaxation, to be informed or merely a means of escapism. For whichever reasons it is, radio and television play an active role in our everyday life whether we are aware of it or not. Using South African examples, this assignment seeks to discuss two radio and two television genres. It is virtually impossible to discuss the issue genre before defining this term. Both the Oxford dictionary as well as Creeber (2001), defines genre as type or kind. Genres allow for the types or kinds of things to be categorised. For example in radio broadcasting, there are various different programs aired, such as talk shows, music shows, news broadcasts, drama shows and so on. Each of these shows are categorised into a particular genre based on their characteristics. The two radio genres that will be discussed are talk shows and music shows. The phenomenon of genre is not exclusive to radio and television alone. In fact according to Greeber, it [genre] has played an important role in the study of literature, theatre, film, television and other art and media forms (Creeber, G: 2001 pg. 1). Radio-Talk Genre Radio stations like SAFM and 702 are almost entirely dedicated to the genre of talk show however almost every radio station incorporates this genre if not at least for a few minutes. The success of talk shows lie in participation by the audience. The audience is urged to call into the radio station and either view their opinion on the topic of discussion or pose questions to either an officiator or a panel. On SAFM for example, there was a program entitled The Life and Times of Dr. Bayers Nordea. The show was as the title implies, discussing and talking about Dr. Nordeas life. The show hosted family, colleagues and friends, who spoke about his life. Listeners also got the opportunity to add their comments, thoughts, as well as pose questions to the panel. The show was also officiated by the host or disk jockey (D. J) of the show, who not only directed most of the discussion, but also made sure that the show, ran smoothly. The nature of talk shows is such that the audience phones in either agreeing or disagreeing to the topic or question being discussed. This opens the door for others to voice their opinions. According to Barnard (2000), phone-in encourages a free flow of opinion and conversation within the safety of an artificially created community (Barnard, S: 2000). With out this element, the talk show would be deemed unsuccessful. Talk shows do not follow a particular protocol, meaning that any topic can be addressed. The mere action of a D. J. posing a question relating to any topic and receiving feedback from the audience constitutes the genre of talk show to be exercised. As any topic makes way for talk shows, it is common to find small inserts of talk show, even within a primarily music radio station. Highfeld Stereo is an example of a South African music radio station. It is common to find a situation where a D. J. poses a question and opens the lines to receive feedback. The D. J is thus officiating a talk show, within a music show. Listeners of talk shows however, are required to concentrate on the discussion if they are to understand what is being discussed, thus ones attention cannot divert from one thing to another. For example, one cannot talk to a friend on the phone, as well as remain focused on the discussion. Radio-Music Genre. Although there is audience participation in the music genre, it differs from that of the talk genre. Regarding music radio, the audience is urged to call in to send dedications to friends or loved ones, choose songs they wish to hear, or vote for their favourite song rather than voice their opinions on a matter. Music as a genre is not so clear-cut like talk shows. Within the music genres, there are sub-genres, where by music is categorised according to style. Rock, rave, hip-hop and pop would all be examples of sub-genres of the music genre. The music genre requires less attention from the listener to be focused on the show. Namely, the listener can do various other activities without loosing out on the entertainment. For example, while driving a car and focusing on the road, or while working at ones desk, one can continue to listen to his or her favourite song and not be side tracked. Unlike the talk genre where if one was driving a car and focusing on the road they would more than likely loose track of what was being discussed-alternatively, they would possibly have an accident. As the genre implies, the emphasis in music shows is in fact music. Therefore it is common to find very little talking by the D. J. and more music being played. The show usually consists of popular songs in the specific sub-genre being aired. This genre also usually has a top 40 show, where the 40 most popular songs are aired. This is commonly known as contempory hit radio (Tomaselli/de Villiers: 1998). 5FM radio station for example has the Coca-Cola Top 40 music show which is aired every Sunday morning from 10:00- 14:00. Other radio stations like East Coast Radio host the Top 10 at 10 show, which airs the 10 most popular songs every Tuesday night at 22:00. These songs which make it onto the top 10 or top 40 lists, are songs which have been voted for by the public. Jacaranda FM in contrast to the mainstream radio stations of say 5FM for example would air music of a different sub-genre, however one would still find the most popular tracks of that specific sub-genre being aired, as well as top 10 shows occurring. In the music genre, the D. Js primary job is to play music and possible talk a little bit about the artist of the track, rather than being an officiator or a mediator of discussion, as is found in talk radio. Television-Documentary Genre. As the term documentary implies, these shows are usually fact based and require research to be done on the particular topic being showed. Events are documented by a team of researchers and aired to the public. An example of a documentary would be found in the SABC 2 show 50/50. This is a documentary program that focuses on various aspects of the wild life. Documentaries however could focus on a variety of topics, including an event, person or idea. As the emphasis of documentaries is on information, enlightenment and facts, viewers usually watch documentaries as a means of being informed, rather than being entertained. The nature of documentaries is such that each episode is fully formed and has a definite conclusion even if left as an enquiry for the viewer to think about what they have just viewed. This allows the viewer to evaluate their knowledge of the topic against that of the show. Documentaries are also not usually serial form, as would be the case in a sitcom for example. Rather, they tend to be self-contained episodes with definite endings. Documentaries usually also adopt a narrative structure psychological relationship of the viewers to the program. The viewer is often addressed directly, in order to persuade the actual person watching at home that he or she is the you to whom the addresser is speaking (Allen,C: 1992 pg. 118). This also keeps the viewer interested in the show as well making them feel as if they actively involved in what is going on. Due to the fact that documentaries are not entertainment focused and are rather a means of transferring information, events, people or animals being documented are portrayed as realistically as possible. Animals, which are filmed in the 50/50 program, for example are filmed in their natural environments, rather than in zoos, in order to give the viewer the most realistic experience. As they are based on real occurrences, documentaries, unlike entertainment programmes such as sitcoms, do not focus as much on a specific plot. Television-Soap Opera As soap operas were originally targeted at the female audience (Brown, M: 1994), it is not surprising to find that many of the central characters within this genre are women. More importantly, they are strong, powerful and influential characters, rather than the stereotype housewife women. SABC 3 airs the soap opera Isidingo. Charel de Villiers and Leigh Haynes are two examples of strong, powerful and ambitious characters that play central roles in the show. It is important for these kinds of characters to exist, in order for the audience to which the show is targeted at to be able to relate. They [women] recognise some of there own identity in this product created by the media (Brown, M: 1994). People watch soap operas for a number of reasons. The fact that they are entertaining, allows the viewer to unwind, relax or escape from the stresses from every day life, for the duration of the show, as the audience get lost in the reality of the program (Anderson, M: 2004). Viewers could also be using the decision-making techniques and outcomes of the soap opera to work through their own issues (Anderson, M: 2004). Isidingo is an example of a program that deals with AIDS-an issue that the whole of South Africa is facing; it also provides solutions in the form of Nandipe-a married women infected with HIV. Her positive attitude allows her to live a productive life. Viewers may see Nandipe as a role model. Those viewers infected with HIV may in fact even echo her actions in order to try and increase productivity in their own lives. Characters in soap operas are usually found in the form of multiple characters (Brown, M: 1994) meaning that characters emphasize the group over the individual (Brown, M: 1994 pg 53), thus many people can relate to one specific character. This also makes way for viewers to find similarities between themselves and various other characters rather than one particular character. Brown believes that rather than relating to characters in soap operas, viewers implicate themselves to various characters, meaning that the viewer will see similarities between a particular character, or even characters, but when the character acts in a way that the viewer does not agree with, or feel comfortable with, the viewer will distance him or herself from the character (Brown, M: 1994). Soap operas adopt a visualization style, which gets the viewer to focus and identify with a specific character (Brown, M: 1994 pg. 53). On a radio talk show for example, a TV viewer called in with the opinion that the Isidingo villianess, Cherel de Villiers should be punished, as if the viewer could not differentiate between reality fiction. (Anderson, M: 2004). Apparently actors who play villainous characters are shunned offset by the public (Anderson, M: 2004). It is not only the relatable characters and entertaining style of soap operas that keep the audience hooked. It is also the continuous open-ended nature of episodes, set in the present and containing a number of alternating story lines which gives the audience sense of continuous pleasure (Brown, M: 1994, pg. 58). The fact that soap operas resists narrative closure, meaning that the story is continuous and never ending, means there is always hope for the future (Anderson, M: 2004). Thus viewers will continue to watch future episodes in order to come closer to seeing what will happen at the end (which never really comes). John Davies (1984) suggests about soap opera viewers that once hooked, they vacillate between their need to know, or the pleasure of anticipation that keeps viewers watching (Brown, M: 1994). In discussing two radio and two television genres with reference to two South African examples, it is evident that the complexities and intricacies of various broadcasts and genres are not as simple as one would imagine. As seen above, various genres and broadcasts draw in different audiences, and evoke various different responses in the viewer or listener. As technology continues to move forward, where will these broadcasts find themselves in the future? For now though, radio and television will continue to play an active part in almost all of our lives. BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, Robert C. 1992. Televisions modes of address the social context of T. V. viewing. In Channels of Discourse, reassembled. 2nd ed. Edited by Robert C. Allen. London: Routledge. Anderson, Muff. Soapies mirror SAs soul. Mail Guardian. 24 March 2004. Barnard, S. 2000. Studying Radio. New York: Arnold Hodder. Brown, Mary Ellen. 1994. Ch. 3: Soap opera and womens talk: The pleasure of resistance. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Creeber, G. (ed. ). 2001. Introduction: What is genre? In Creeber, G (ed),The television genre book. London: British Film Institute, 1-7. Teer-Tomaselli, R and de Villiers, C. 1998. Radio: Theatre of the Mind. In De Beer, A (ed). Mass media toward the Millennium. Pretoria: Van Schaik, 147-175.

Developing Humanoid Robot Animations in Motion Capture

Developing Humanoid Robot Animations in Motion Capture Introduction (Chapter 1) This research describes the framework in which the different human movements have been taken from motion capture and that information is animated which sets the direction to study the digital character models and its locomotion in the virtual environment. It also gives feasible approach in understanding of walking gait patterns in that environment. This framework also leads to the study issues related to safety engineering. Overview Analysis of human locomotion and its research area have changed since it began form the cave drawings of the Paleolithic Era. The motive for human locomotion studies at early stages were driven by the need to carry on by resourcefully moving from place to place, dodging from predators and hunting for food (Alexander, 2000). Modern-day human locomotion studies have added to a wide range of applications ranging from military use, sport, ergonomics, and health care. In locomotion studies, according to (Hall, 1991) the term biomechanicsbecame accepted during the early 1970s as the internationally recognized descriptor of the field of area concerned with the mechanical study of living organism. In sport, human locomotion studies are made to extend the restrictions of an athlete when even the minimum improvement in performance is pursued eagerly (J. A. , 1984). However, the development of human locomotion studies remains reliant on the improvement of new tools for observation. According to (Alexander, 2000) lately, instrumentation and computer technology have grant opportunities for the improvement of the study of human locomotion. (J. A. , 1984). Illustrate frequent techniques for measuring motion and mentioned the co-ordinate analyzer (motion capture device) as a major advance in movement study. According to (Furniss, 2000) Motion capture or mocap was initially created for military use earlier than it was modified into the entertainment industry since the mid 1980.s. (Dyer, 1995) define motion capture as measuring an objects location and direction in physical space, then recording that sequence into a computer usable form. According to(Micheal, 2003) ; (Suddha Basu, 2005) motion capture is the fastest way to produce rich, realistic animation data. (James F OBrien, 2000) illustrate that Mocap can also be useful in several additional fields such as music, fine art dance, sign language, motion recognition, rehabilitation with medicine, biomechanics, special effects for live-action films and computer animation of all types as well as in defense and athletic analysis/training. There are basically three types of motion capture sys tems accessible such as mechanical, electromagnetic and optical based system. All three systems go through the same basic process shown in figure. The first step is the input where the movement of live actors either human or animal is recorded using various method depending on the type of the motion capture system used. Next, the information is processed to identify the corresponding markers of the live actor and then transferred into virtual space using specialized computer software. Finally the output is where the information is translated into a 3D trajectory computer data that contains translation and rotation information known as motion capture file. Motivation Producing realistic character animation remains one of the great challenges in computer graphics. At present, there are three methods by which this animation can be produced. The first one is key framing, in which the animator gives important key poses for the character at specific frames. A second one uses physical simulation to drive the characters motion its results are good, due to lack of control its difficult to use and its costly and with characters its not much successful. The last one is motion capture, has been widely used to animate characters. It uses sensors placed on person and collects the data that describes their motion however they are performing the desired motion. As the technology for motion capture has improved and the cost decreased, the interest in using this approach for character animation has also increased. The main challenge that an animator is confronted with is to generate character animation with a realistic appearance. As humanoid robot renovation is a popular research area since it can be used in various applications to understand the emerging field of robotics and other digital animation fields. Currently most of the methods work for controlled environments and human pose reconstruction to recognize humanoid robots is a popular research area since it can be used in various applications. Motion capture and motion synthesis are expensive and time consuming tasks for articulated figures, such as humans. Human pose view based on computer vision principles is inexpensive and widely applicable approach. In computer vision literature the term human motion capture is usually used in connection with large scale body analysis ignoring the fingers, hands and the facial muscles, which is the case in this research. The motion capture is fairly involved to calculate a 3D skeletal representation of the motion of satisfactory value to be functional for animation. The animation generation is an application of motion capture where the required accuracy is not as high as in some other applications, such as medicine (Ferrier, June 2002) Problem Context 1) Even though motion capture is applied into so many fields by creating physically perfect motions, it has a few significant weaknesses. According to (Lee, MCML: Mocap, 2004) firstly, it has low flexibility, secondly the captured data can have different data formats depending on the motion capture system which was employed and thirdly, commercially available motion capture libraries are difficult to use as they often include hundreds of examples. (Shih-Pin Chao, 2003) States that motion capture sessions are not only costly but also a labor intensive process thus, promotes the usability of the motion data. 2) In the field of animation and gaming industry, it is common that motion information are captured to be used for a particular project or stored in a mocapdata. This data can either be used as the whole range of motion sequence or as part of a motion synthesis. In sport science, mocap data is used for analyzing and perfecting the sequencing mechanics of premier athletes, as well as monitoring the recovery progress of physical therapies. This simply means that a vast collection of motion capture data models are limited for different sets. Currently, motion data are often stored in small clips to allow for easy hand sequencing for describing the behavior (Jernej Barbic, 2004) (Tanco L. M., 2000). However, according to (Lee, MCML: Mocap, 2004) (Morales, 2001) (Tanco L. M., 2000) a motion capturedata models lack interoperability. This calls for an immediate need for tools that synchronize these datasets (Feng Liu, 2003). 3) In light of the recent course of interest in virtual environment applications, much research has been devoted to solving the problems of manipulating humans in 3-D simulated worlds, and especially to human locomotion. However, most of the animation approaches based on these studies can only generate limited approach lacking the locomotion capabilities for example walking their application in virtual environments are inevitably limited. Project Objective The objective of this project is to create a framework taken from motion capture data techniques which can set the direction to study 3D articulated figures and the humanoid robot locomotion in the virtual environment by understanding walking gait patterns in human. This framework also leads to the study issues related to safety engineering. The other objective of this project is to capture, process, and examine the locomotion feasibility in virtual environment and analyze different tasks in virtual environment. In system overview diagram all the different steps has been described it starts from mocaop suit that is on the subject and then its data of random movement has been taken into computer and motion analysis is done. After motion analysis its been retargeted and with avatar model the final output scene has been created. Then with software development kit feasible program has been created to deal with different information of that scene. Project Scope To capture the human motion from the motion capture technology and using the captured data to animate the different motions and then refining the animated data. By using the technology called motion builder we can simulate and study the effects of walk and fall in the virtual environment.   After mapping the captured data in the animated character which is called digital humanoid robot an application is build to study the nature of the animated scene which is called an enhanced framework. The other technology is used is called mathematica which is used for studying the factors in mathematical terms because the human motion builder is a simulation technology and mathematica is a dynamic solver engine. So it will lead towards the study of digital humanoid robot of walking and falling in virtual environments on some assumptions. Outline This part outlines the in general structure of the thesis, and a short explanation for each chapter: Chapter 1: deals with Introduction, scope and objective with problem context. Chapter 2: Introduces human motion capture techniques and different work in animation of human walking in virtual environment and gives a summary of the related work in this area. Chapter 3: deals with the system structure which describes the hardware and the software technologies involved in the research and also illustrate the frame work model and this model help exploit the behavior of humanoid which sets up the framework. Chapter 4: describes the framework analysis based on the study of articulated animation models in virtual environment and walking gait patters with Bezier curve algorithm. Chapter 5: mention all the techniques that have been extracted from different softwares and how its used to set up the whole framework and evaluates results which are categorized in three phases the application which represents coordinate system and structure, walking gait patters by using Bezier curve and the falling effect by visual aid. Chapter 6: is the conclusion that summarizes the outcome of the project, and discusses the future works. Conclusion This chapter describes the introduction of motion capture and how it will be utilized to improve the study of human locomotion. The project scope and objectives are elaborated and listed down in this chapter. Literature Review (Chapter 2) Motion capture system   Motion capture is an attractive way of creating the motion parameters for computer animation. It can provide the realistic motion parameters. It permits an actor and a director to work together to create a desired pose, that may be difficult to describe with enough specificity to have an animator recreate manually (Ferrier, June 2002). The application areas of motion capture techniques can be summarized as follows (Perales, 2001): Virtual reality: interactive virtual environments, games, virtual studios, character animation, film, advertising Smart surveillance systems: access control, parking lots, supermarkets, vending machines, traffic. Advanced user interfaces: advanced user interfaces. Motion analysis and synthesis: annotations of videos, personalized training, clinical studies of medicine. Understanding the working of humanoid robot has been always on study of human locomotion.   This literature review discusses human motion control techniques, motion capture techniques in general and advance, non-vision based motion capture techniques, vision-based motion capture techniques with and without markers and other enhanced techniques which are covered in details for which the framework can be understood easily. Properties of Tracking Systems This section lists properties of tracking systems and discusses the relationships between the various properties. Accuracy Accuracy can be defined as the agreement between the measured results from tracking technologies and the actual position of the object, and because the true value is unknown the tracking technologies can only be evaluated with relative accuracy. For one tracking system, the accuracy is limited by the principle and affected by the noise/interferences from the environment. The sources of noises are depending on the tracking technology we use. For different tracking principles, the influencing factors are different. For example, for optical motion tracking, the interference is lighting and AC current; for magnetic, ferrous objects distort the magnetic field and cause errors. If the model or the mechanism of the noise is quantitatively known, it is a systematic error and can be compensated by post-treatment after tracking or eliminated by pre-filtering before tracking. Robustness Robustness defines the systems ability to continue to function in adverse conditions or with missing or incorrect measurements. Some systems make assumptions about the surrounding environment during operation. Also, a system may be unable to take a measurement at a particular time. Related to the robustness is repeatability in the reported data. If the reported values are consistent over time and over operating conditions and environment, then measuring the accuracy (or the lack thereof) is possible, and corrective algorithms can be applied. Tracking range The range is the space in which the system can measure sufficient and accurate data for the application. For some systems, the range can be reduced by noises from the environment or be limited by the hardware of the system itself. For example, magnetic system cannot track accurate data when the tracked object is at the margin of the magnetic field due to the inhomogeneous distribution of the field. Tracking speed Tracking speed is the frequency at which the measurement system can obtain the updated tracking data. There are two significant numbers for the system, one is update rate and the other one is latency. Update rate is the frequency at which the tracking system generates the tracking data; latency describes the delay between tracking data has been generated and the host computer receives the data in real-time mode. Hardware The hardware means the physical realization of the components of the tracking system. It includes the number of components, and the size and weight of those components, especially those that the user is required to carry (or wear). Some systems may have a significant amount of hardware that must be set up in the environment, although it may need no further attention from the user once in position. Ideally, the application would like to give the user complete freedom of movement. Some devices tether the user to a fixed object. Some systems may have a heavy or unwieldy device which the user must manipulate in order to move. Some devices have a tendency to pull the user back to a â€Å"resting position† for the device. The hardware also determines the biggest part of the costs and therefore is very often a decisive factor for the choice of the applied motion tracking system Non-vision Based Motion Capture In non-vision based systems, sensors are attached to the human body to collect movement information. Some of them have a small sensing footprint that they can detect small changes such as finger or toe movement (Hu, A survey human movement tracking and stroke rehabilitation, 1996). Each kind of sensor has advantages and limitations (Hu, A survey human movement tracking and stroke rehabilitation, 1997). Advantages of magnetic trackers: real-time data output can provide immediate feedback no post processing is required they are less expensive than optical systems no occlusion problem is observed multiple performers are possible Disadvantages of magnetic trackers: the trackers are sensitivity to metal objects cables restricts the performers they provide lower sampling rate than some optical systems the marker configurations are difficult to change Advantages of electromechanical body suits: they are less expensive than optical and magnetic systems real-time data is possible no occlusion problem is observed multiple performers are possible Disadvantages of electromechanical body suits: they provide lower sampling rate they are difficult to use due to the amount of hardware configuration of sensors is fixed Vision-Based Motion Capture with Markers In 1973, Johansson explored his famous Moving Light Display (MLD) psychological experiment to perceive biological motion (Johansson). In the experiment, small reflective markers are attached to the joints of the human performers. When the patterns of the movements are observed, the integration of the signals coming from the markers resulted in recognition of actions. Although the method faces the challenges such as errors, non-robustness and expensive computation due to environmental constraints, mutual occlusion and complicated processing, many marker based tracking systems are available in the market. This is a technique that uses optical sensors, e.g. cameras, to track human movements, which are captured by placing markers upon the human body. Human skeleton is a highly articulated structure and moves in three-dimension. For this reason, each body part continuously moves in and out of occlusion from the view of the cameras, resulting in inconsistent and unreliable motion data of t he human body. One major drawback of using optical sensors and markers, they cannot sense joint rotation accurately. This is a major drawback in representing a real 3D model (Hu, A survey human movement tracking and stroke rehabilitation, 1997). Optical systems have advantages and limitations (Perales, 2001). Advantages of optical systems are as follows: they are more accurate larger number of markers are possible no cables restricts the performers they produces more samples per second Disadvantages of optical systems: they require post-processing they are expensive (between 100, 000 and 250, 000) occlusion is a problem in these systems environment of the capturing must be away from yellow light and reflective noise Vision-Based Motion Capture without Markers As a less restrictive motion capture technique, markerless-based systems are capable of overcoming the mutual occlusion problem as they are only concerned about boundaries or features on human bodies. This is an active and promising but also challenging research area in the last decade. The research with respect to this area is still ongoing (Hu, A survey human movement tracking and stroke rehabilitation, 1996). The markerless-based motion capture technique exploits external sensors like cameras to track the movement of the human body. A camera can be of a resolution of a million pixels. This is one of the main reasons that optical sensors attracted peoples attention. However, such vision-based techniques require intensive computational power (Bryson, 1993). As a commonly used framework, 2D motion tracking only concerns the human movement in an image plane, although sometimes people intend to project a 3D structure into its image plane for processing purposes. This approach can be c atalogued with and without explicit shape models (Hu, A survey human movement tracking and stroke rehabilitation, 1996). The creation of motion capture data from a single video stream seems like a plausible idea. People are able to watch a video and understand the motion, but clearly, the computing the human motion parameters from a video stream are a challenging task (Ferrier, June 2002). Vision-based motion capture techniques usually include initialization and tracking steps. Initialization A system starts its operation with correct interpretation of the current scene. The initialization requires camera calibration, adaptation to scene characteristics and model initialization. Camera calibration is defined as parameters that are required for translating a point in a 3D scene to its position in the image. Some systems find initial pose and increment it from frame to frame whereas in other systems the user specifies the pose in every single frame. Some systems have special initialization phase where the start pose is found automatically whereas in others the same algorithm is used both for initialization and pose estimation (Granum, 2001). Tracking Tracking phase extracts specific information, either low level, such as edges, or high level, such as head and hands. Tracking consists of three parts (Granum, 2001): Figure-ground segmentation: the human figure is extracted from the rest of the image. Representation: segmented images are converted to another presentation to reduce the amount of information. Tracking over time: how the subject should be tracked from frame to frame. Mechanical Mechanical measurement is the oldest form of location; rulers and tape measures provide a simple method of locating one item with reference to another. More sophisticated mechanical techniques have been developed. Nowadays measurements of the angles of the body joints with potentiometers or shaft encoders combined with knowledge of the dimensions of the rigid components allow accurate calculations of the position of different body parts.(Beresford, 2005) Today mechanical position tracking devices can be separated into body-based and ground-based systems. Body based systems are those which are mounted on, or carried on, the body of the user and are used to sense either the relative positions of various parts of the users body or the position of an instrument relative to a fixed point on the users body. Body-based systems are typically used to determine either the users joint angles for reproduction of their body in the synthetic environment, or to determine the position of the users hand or foot, relative to some point on the users body. Since the body based systems are used to determine the relative position between two of the users body parts, the devices must somehow be attached to the users body. This particular issue has raised many questions: How is the device attached to the body in a way which will minimize relative motion between the attachment and the soft body part? How are the joints of the device aligned with the users joints to minimize the difference in the centers of rotation? Some other problems associated with body-b ased tracking systems are specifically caused by the device being attached to the users body. These systems are typically very obtrusive and encumbering and therefore do not allow the user complete freedom of movement. Body-based systems are, however, quite accurate and do not experience problems like measurement drift (the tendency of the devices output to change over time with no change in the sensed quantity), interference from external electromagnetic signals or metallic devices in the vicinity, or shadowing (loss of sight of the tracked object due to physical interference of another object)(Frey, 1996). Ground based systems are not carried by the user but are mounted on some fixed surface (i.e. the users desk or the floor) and are used to sense the position of an implement relative to that fixed surface. Ground-based systems are typically used to determine the position and orientation of an implement manipulated by the user relative to some fixed point which is not on the users body. Like body-based mechanical systems, they are very accurate and are not plagued by measurement drift errors, interference or shadowing. Ground-based systems do suffer from one thing which the body-based systems do not: They confine the user to work within the space allowed by the device. Usually this means that the user is confined to work in a space the size of a large desk. If the application does not require the user to move around much throughout the task (i.e. the user remains seated), this is not considered as a problem. Mechanical tracking systems are the best choice for force-feedback (haptic) devices since they are rigidly mounted to either the user or a fixed object. Haptic devices are used to allow the user a sense of touch. The user can feel surfaces in the synthetic environment or feel the weight of an object. The device can apply forces to the users body so that the user can experience a sense of exertion. Mechanical tracking systems also typically have low latencies (the time required to receive useful information about a sensed quantity) and high update rates (the rate at which the system can provide useful information). Therefore these systems have found good commercial niche as measurement devices and hand tracking systems. Advantages high update rate low latency accurate No blocking problem, no interference from environment  · best choice for force feedback Disadvantages Restricted movement from mounted device Acoustic Acoustic tracking systems utilize high frequency sound waves to track objects by either the triangulation of several receivers (time-of-flight method) or by measuring the signals phase difference between transmitter and receiver (phase-coherence method). Generally the user carries the transmitter, and a series of sensors around the room determine the linear distance to the transmitter. Some systems have the user carry a receiver and listen to a series of transmitters positioned around the volume. The time-of-flight method of acoustic tracking uses the speed of sound through air to calculate the distance between the transmitter of an acoustic pulse and the receiver of that pulse. The use of one transmitter on a tracked object and a minimum of three receivers at stationary positions in the vicinity allow an acoustic system to determine the relative position of the object via triangulation. This method limits the number of objects tracked by the system to one. An alternative method has been devised in which several transmitters are mounted at stationary positions in the room and each object being tracked is fitted with a receiver. Using this method, the positions of numerous objects may be determined simultaneously. Note that the use of one transmitter (or one receiver) attached to an object can resolve only position. The use of two transmitter (receiver) sets with the same object can be used to determine the position and orientation (6 DOF) of the object. The desire to track mo re than just the position of an object suggests that the second method (multiple stationary transmitters with body mounted receivers) may be preferable. The other method of acoustic tracking is the phase-coherent tracking. It may be used to achieve better accuracies than the time-of-flight method. The system does this by sensing the signal phase difference between the signal sent by the transmitter and that detected by the receiver. If the object being tracked moves farther than one-half of the signal wavelength in any direction during the period of one update, errors will result in the position determination. Since phase coherent tracking is an incremental form of position determination, small errors in position determination will result in larger errors over time (drift errors), which may be the reason why only few phase-coherent systems have been implemented successfully. Some problems associated with both acoustic tracking methods result from the line-of-sight required between transmitter and receiver. This line of sight requirement obviously plagues the devices with shadowing problems. It also limits their effective tracking range, although they have better tracking ranges than electromagnetic systems. Unlike electromagnetic systems, they do not suffer from metallic interference, but they are susceptible to interference caused by ambient noise sources, by reflections of the acoustic signals from hard surfaces, and environmental interference (e.g. temperature variations). Advantages Very high freedom of movement Cheap Disadvantages Line-of-sight problems Either high range or high accuracy (not both!) Environmental interference (e.g. temperature variations, other noise sources) Drift errors (phase-coherent) High latency, low update rates Magnetic Electromagnetic tracking systems are currently the most widely used systems for human body tracking applications. They employ the use of artificially-generated electromagnetic fields to induce voltages in detectors attached to the tracked object. A fixed transmitter and the sensors consist of three coils mounted in mutually orthogonal directions. The sensors range in size, but tend to be around a few cubic centimeters. The transmitters range in size with the power of the field they are expected to generate, and range from several cubic inches to a cubic foot. There are four magnetic fields that have to be measured: the environmental field (including the Earths magnetic field), and three orthogonal fields in the transmitters coordinate directions in figure. Each of these fields is measured in the sensors three coordinate dimensions for a total of twelve measurements of each sensor. From this information, the position and orientation of the sensor with respect to the transmitter can be computed. These tracking systems are robust, fast, and fairly inexpensive and can be used to track numerous objects (body parts) with acceptable position and orientation accuracies (on the order of 0.1 inches and 0.5 degrees). Unlike electric fields, magnetic fields are unaffected by the presence or absence of human bodies and other non-metallic objects in the environment. This offers a tremendous opportunity, because it enables magnetic trackers to overcome the line-of-sight requirement that plagues acoustic, optical, and externally connected mechanical tracking systems. On the other hand, the magnetic systems suffer from sensitivity to background magnetic fields and interference caused by ferrous metal devices in the vicinity, and therefore is inaccurate in practical environments. Due to this and the limited range of the generated magnetic field, the magnetic tracking systems are restricted to a small special area. Advantages High update rates Very low latency High robustness No shadowing Rather cheap Acceptable accuracy in artificial environment Disadvantages High sensitivity to background magnetic fields Inaccurate in practical environments due to interference caused by ferrous metal devices Low range of the magnetic field and Tracking scope is low due to cable Inertial An internal sensor contains three gyroscopes, to determine the angular rate, and three accelerometers, to determine linear acceleration. Originally, they were mounted to orthogonal axes on a gimbaled platform, as it can be seen in figure. After removing the effect of gravity from the vertical accelerometer, the data has to be double-integrated to provide a measure of the offset between initialization and the current position. In fact, this combination of sensors has been used successfully for inertial navigatio

Skin to skin contact and breastfeeding rate

Skin to skin contact and breastfeeding rate Formulation and theoretical perspectives. Effect of the first two hours after birth skin-to-skin contact for full term infants on first breastfeeding experience and breastfeeding duration: A randomised controlled trial Background It is unquestioned that breastfeeding is the most significant form of providing nutrition for infants. Exclusive breastfeeding for at least the first six month of life, with continued breastfeeding for up to two years or longer is highly recommended by World Health Organization (World Health Organization, 2000). In addition, The American Academy of Paediatrics (1997) stats Exclusive breastfeeding is ideal nutrition and sufficient to support optimal growth and development for the first six months after birthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦It is recommended that breastfeeding continue for at least twelve months, and thereafter for as long as mutually desired. According to The American Academy of Paediatrics (1997) described the benefits of breastfeeding including improved general health, growth, and development of the breastfed infant; decreased incidence and severity of diarrhoea, lower respiratory infections, ear infections, bacterial meningitis, botulism, and urinary tract infections; protection fro m sudden infant death syndrome, childhood cancer, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, Crohns disease, ulcerative colitis, allergies, and other chronic digestive diseases; and enhanced cognitive development. To compare with other Europe countries, breastfeeding rates in the UK are low (UNICEF, 1999). In 2005, 45% of all mothers in the United Kingdom were breastfeeding exclusively at one week, while 21% were feeding exclusively at six weeks. At six months the proportion of mothers who were breastfeeding exclusively was negligible ( The Baby Friendly Initiative was introduced in the UK in 1992 by the WHO and UNICEF. The purpose of the programme is to encourage hospitals to increase protection, promotion and support breastfeeding and implement the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding (UNICEF 1998). Step four recommends skin-to-skin contact (SSC) in the early postnatal period, which should last until the first feed or for as long as the mother wishes (UNICEF, 1998). The process of skin-to-skin contact was defined as the infant is naked in a prone position and skin-to-skin on the mothers bare abdomen or chest during the first minute postbirth. Apgar scores are assigned and suctioning is done if medically indicated. The infant must be gently dried and covered across the back with a prewarmed blanket. The initial physical assessment is performed while the infant is with the mother skin-to-skin. To prevent heat loss, the infants head must be covered with a dry cap, which is replaced when it becomes damp. Ideally, all other interventions are delayed until at least after the end of the first breastfeeding (Moore Anderson, 2007). The optimal time for newborn babies to develop pre-breastfeeding behaviour, such as rooting and sucking (Gomez, et al., 1998), skin-to-skin contact and provide first breastfeeding is the first two hours postbirth when they are more alert to the environment. In this stage, it may indicate a sensitive period for establish effective breastfeeding. Bornstein (1989) defines sensitive period as a developmental phase of built-in competence for the development of specific behaviour exchanges between the organism and the environment whose consequences presumably endure for the organism. After this sensitive period, the two hours postbirth, many newborn babies go into a drowsy stage which maybe difficult to arouse for up to several hours (Britton, 1998). Purpose of the research Previous studies found that infants were eight times more likely to breastfeed spontaneously if they spent more than 50 minutes in skin-to-skin contact with their mothers immediately after birth, and concluded that the dose of skin-to-skin contact might be a critical component regarding breastfeeding success (Gomez. et al., 1998). Despite numerous documents and randomized control trials have showed the positive impact of skin-to-skin contact on breastfeeding, mother-infant separation by physical assessment and routine care during the first hours postbirth before having the opportunity to start skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding is still common practice in many healthcare settings. In light of the above, the aim of the study is to examine the effects of skin-to-skin contact for full-term newborn babies during the first two hours postbirth on first breastfeeding experience and exclusive breastfeeding rate in six months postbirth. Two hypotheses will be tested: (1) skin-to-skin contact during the first two hours postbirth has positive impact on first breastfeeding experience; (2) skin-to-skin contact during the first two hours postbirth increases the likelihood of breastfeeding establishment; (3) skin-to-skin contact during the first two hours postbirth increases both breastfeeding establishment and duration. 2. Methods to be used The topic was skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding rate and the methodology selected was quantitative. This is because breastfeeding rate is to be measured precisely so as to allow comparisons between the various groups. And for relative representativeness and for generalisations made quantitative research a better choice. The study will be conducted by randomised controlled trial comparing the effects of SSC with routine care on first breastfeeding experience and breastfeeding duration. In the control group which receiving routine care, babies will quickly dried and wrapped in a towel before being handed to their mother or father. Mother-baby contact will be interrupted for physical assessment, given a vitamin K injection, weighing, dressing and measuring the baby, or for repairing the mothers perineum wound. After the routine care finish, the baby will be swaddled in prewarmed blankets and return to the mother. And the staff nurse will assist with breast feeding when both mother and baby are ready. In the skin-to-skin care group, the infants will be given to their mothers immediately after birth and will be placed nakedly in a prone position against the mothers skin between the breasts with a large pre-warmed blanket. After the cord cut, the infant will be moved to radiant warmer for the same routine care as the control group then back to their mother again for about 2 hours. And when both mother and baby in skin-to-skin group are ready, the staff nurse also will a ssist with breast feeding. 2.1 Sampling principles and procedures Criteria for including/excluding study participants Eligible participants included pregnant woman who are primiparas mothers, had no pre-existing medical complications and no history of mental illness or illicit drug use, 18 years or older, expecting a vaginal delivery, intended to breast feed, her healthy fetus need to greater than 37 weeks gestation. A woman will be ineligible if their babies weighted less than 2200gm, Sample size In Shiaus study (1997), skin-to-skin contact dyads had better breastfeeding status than control dyads on day 28 (6.16  ± 2.06 vs. 4.0  ± 1.60, P= .004). This computes to an effect size of 1.17. And in Moores study (2007), the author used the data to compute power in her study for the samples were similar in their research. Moore(2007) indicated if the true effect size is 1.17, the probability of detecting significant differences between the two groups is 81% (i.e., 19% of the time significant differences would not be detected). Therefore, 10 participants per group may be adequate to detect statistically significant between-group differences in breastfeeding status and Moore also used minimization to control the influence of the variables, she explained that in small studies, simple randomization procedures are likely to result in groups that are unbalanced with respect to potentially confounding variables. For the above reason, in this research, a sample of 10 participants per group will be appropriate but to avoid possible attrition during the time, 15 participants will be recruited. Recruitment The participants will be recruited through a hospital in Manchester with the help of clinical nurse and maternity consultants. Women who fulfill the inclusion criteria will be contacted by the clinical coordinator at 36-37 weeks gestation. The women will provided with oral explanation about the trial, eligible participants will be recruited and informed consent will be obtained. After birth, mothers and their newborn babies who still remained eligible will be randomized using minimization to either skin-to-skin group or control group. 2.2 Data collection methods Minimization is an assignment strategy, similar in intention to stratification that ensures excellent balance between intervention groups for specified prognostic factors. The next participant is assigned to whichever group would minimize the imbalance between groups on specified prognostic factors. Minimization is an acceptable alternative to random assignment (CONSORT, 2007). The minimization program will be applied to control the following variables: baby gender, birth weight, and gestational age, maternal age, education, marital status, race, smoking history, breastfeeding intention and maternal employment (no, part-time, or full-time employment). When participants admit to the hospital in active labour, the clinical co-ordinator will be contacted for information gathering. And when all the information obtained, the computerized minimization programme will assign randomly either to skin-to-skin group or control group. Demographic, labour and delivery history data (past and current pregnancies) from the records will be collected by the clinical co-ordinator. Post-delivery data collection will be carried out through contact with the mothers before they left hospital. Post-delivery care will be observed by the research assistant as well as assessment of first breastfeeding in the delivery room. The infants first breastfeeding will be score by the research assistant by using the IBFAT. The IBFAT measures 4 aspect of suckling competence: (1) infant state of arousal or readiness to feed; (2) rooting reflex; (3) latch-on; and (4) suckling pattern. Each item has a score of 0 to 3 for a maximum score of 12, indicating competent breastfeeding. Success of the first breastfeeding (score of 10 to 12) will be measured by this tool. The IBS, which assesses the degree of breastfeeding exclusivity; The IBS is a single-item indicator consisting of three major levels of breastfeeding: full, partial, and token. Eight levels are ranked from 1 for exclusive to 8 for weaned. Full is divided into two subcategories: exclusive (the infant consumes only breast milk and no other liquid or solid food [score=1]), and almost exclusive (the infant is given water, juice, vitam ins, and minerals infrequently in addition to breast milk [score= 2]). The partial category, which originally had two subcategories, was subdivided into four subcategories for greater accuracy: high-partial (> 80% of the infants diet is breast milk [score= 3]); medium-high (50% 80% breast milk[score = 4]); medium-low (20% Follow-up assessment will be take place when infants reached 1, 3, and 6 months corrected age. The research assistant will contact to the mother in advance then arrange the visit. 3. Data analysis There will be six stages in data analysis. Stage 1: data preparation. Checking, editing and coding. Stage 2: data entry. Entering the data in the computer. Stage 3: Graphic presentation. Presenting the findings in the form of graphs or tables. Stage 4: data processing and analysis. Conducting statistical analysis. Stage 5: interpretation of the findings. Explaining the meaning of data individually. Stage 6: six- Conclusion. Proposing direct answers to the research question (Saratakos, 2005, p.364). A t-test is an interval/ration test of significance which has the purpose of ascertaining whether or not the findings of a sample-based study are significant, that is also valid for the target population. It checks the degree if generalisability of the findings of the study. the t-test serves the same purpose as chi-square tests, except that it is suitable for interval/ration variables (Saratakos, 2005, p.388) Analysis in this research will follow the intent to treat principle. SPSS computer software (version 15) will be used for data analysis. Differences between groups in demographic and other variables will be determined by using descriptive statistics, t-tests for interval level data, and à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡2 analysis (Fishers exact test) for nominal data e.g. 1.baby gender, 2.birth weight, 3.gestational age, 4.maternal age, 5.education, 6.marital status, 7.race, 8.smoking history, 9.breastfeeding intention and 10.maternal employment (no, part-time, or full-time employment). 4. Probable outputs If the result shows that skin-to-skin contact for full-term newborn babies during the first two hours postbirth has significant effect on first breastfeeding experience and also enhance the exclusive breastfeeding rate in six months postbirth. The result will not only provide support in the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding principle , especially in Step four recommends skin-to-skin contact in the early postnatal period, which should last until the first feed or for as long as the mother wishes but also increase its credibility in enhance breastfeeding establishment. Early skin-to-skin contact can have a positive impact on newborn infants health by establish first breastfeeding well but also increase the mothers satisfaction as well as the bonding and interaction between mothers and newborn babies. The skin-to-skin used to exercise as an intervention for premature babies, with the result, we can apply to generalisation. The intervention can not only use for premature babies but also works in healthy, full term babies. When apply the result into clinical practice, the newborn infant routine care in delivery will changed significantly. Firstly, in many healthcare setting, when delivery comes, the first priority is to dry the baby and keep the airway open and do a range of physical assessment and newborn routine care. Due the complicated tasks, mothers and newborn infants usually have to separate more than one hour which miss the most precious time for bonding between mothers and newborn infants. To implement the intervention, the old practice has to be changed. For clinical practitioners might need some time cope due to the various tasks and duties. If the skin-to-skin contact intervention performs well in clinical practice, maybe researchers can put more effort in this area. For example, let the father or significant other practice the skin-to-skin contact with newborn infants and examine the effect might be operate as good as mothers. 5. Scheduling of the study Month Task Jan Feb Ma r Ap r May Jun Ju l Aug Sep Oc t Nov Dec LITERATURE REVIEW: Identify data sources, archives and specialist library collections.Identify potential case studies.Review theory and methodology, policy and clinical practice. Develop research question Complete research proposal Develop research methodology Sampling and recruitment Data Collection Results, Data analysis and evaluation Research project completed 6. Detailed justification of costs Description Item  ¿Ã‚ ¡/ per year comment Personnel 1. research assistant 2. clinical coordinator  ¿Ã‚ ¡9/ per hour 9*2*20*20  ¿Ã‚ ¡7200~8000 20hours/per person/week About 20 weeks Hard/software computer*1, laptop*1 camera*1, MP3 recorder  ¿Ã‚ ¡890~990 Ccomputer- ¿Ã‚ ¡400 Laptop- ¿Ã‚ ¡350 -camera- ¿Ã‚ ¡100 -MP3 recorder- ¿Ã‚ ¡40 Administrative Expenses  ¿Ã‚ ¡200~ ¿Ã‚ ¡250 Travel, communication, Attend conference, seminar, meeting  ¿Ã‚ ¡500~1000 Accommodation Consumables Stationery  ¿Ã‚ ¡100~ ¿Ã‚ ¡150 Fees and Service Charges  ¿Ã‚ ¡100~ ¿Ã‚ ¡150 Budget  ¿Ã‚ ¡11000  ¿Ã‚ ¡8990~ ¿Ã‚ ¡10540 7. Ethical issues There are some ethical issues we may meet when we do the research. Firstly, start with informed consent, in a research, participants should be fully informed as much information as possible that the participants can decide whether they want to join or not. Therefore , before we establish the research, all the participants will received oral and written information about the nature and purpose of the research study and its potential implications for them. After participants fully understood, inform consent will be obtained before we start the research. And participants also accept that they can stop or withdraw the research at any time they want. Secondly, the issue of the invasion of privacy, in the research project, Confidentiality and anonymous will be guaranteed. Any identification, documents will be separate from the tape recording and transcription. Data also will be stored in a locked and secure container, only the researcher can assess the key. Last but not least, before any act, we have to obtain the approval from Research Ethics Committee. By doing so, everyones right is protected. 8. Reflection on your study Early skin-to-skin contact may not effect on first breastfeeding experience and breastfeeding duration, the reasons are vary. There are many factors influence breastfeeding negatively. For example, for working mother, maybe they experienced a very wonder first breastfeeding while having skin-to-skin contact with her baby when they in the hospital with healthcare providers support and breastfeeding education. However, when the mother and her newborn infant go home, a range of unexpected things happened to them, without healthcare providers help, short maternity leave and stressful work, all these reasons are affecting the decision of breastfeeding establishment and duration. Furthermore, if the intervention of skin-to-skin contact will implement in clinical practice, it will change the long established routine and roles which is difficult when face experience clinical practitioner whom dont like to change. The following questions are from the Critical Appraisal Skill Programme (CASP, 2003). These 10 questions can help us think about these issues systematically. 1. Did the study ask a clearly-focused question? In this research, the population, intervention and outcome are clearly stated. 2 .Was this a randomised controlled trial (RCT) and was it appropriately so? In this research, I want to examine the effect of skin-to-skin contact for full-term newborn babies during the first two hours postbirth on first breastfeeding. To evaluate the effectiveness of skin-to-skin contact, I have to chose randomised controlled trial to test. In Glaszious paper (2001), he stated that to study the effects of interventions, it is necessary to compare a group of patients who have received the intervention (study group) with a comparable group who have not received the intervention (control group). A randomized controlled trial, which is a trial in which subjects are randomly allocated to the study or control groups, is usually the ideal design. 3. Were participants appropriately allocated to intervention and control groups? In the study, I will use computerized minimization to allocate participants, so I assume the participants will be allocated appropriately. 4. Were participants, staff and study personnel blind to participants study group? In this study, participants, staff and study personnel, they wont blind to participants study group, which could make observer bias and possibly a weakness in this study. 5. Were all of the participants who entered the trial accounted for at its conclusion? In the study, I assume all the participants who entered the trial accounted for at its conclusion for avoiding attrition bias. 6. Were the participants in all groups followed up and data collected in the same way? In the study, we have one research assistant dose the post-delivery care observation and assessment of first breastfeeding in the delivery room. And the other clinical co-ordinator responsible for documentation, so I presume the data will collected in the same way. 7. Did the study have enough participants to minimize the play of chance? According to previous studies effect size, in this study, we only recruit 15 participants 8. How are the results presented and what is the main result? 9 .How precise are these results? 10. Were all important outcomes considered so the results can be applied? for question 8-10, it can not answered for the study is not carry out yet.