The Quick Definition of a Robot

The Quick Definition of a Robot A robot can be defined as a programmable, self-controlled device consisting of electronic, electrical, or mechanical units. More generally, it is a machine that functions in place of a living agent. Robots are especially desirable for certain work functions because, unlike humans, they never get tired; they can endure physical conditions that are uncomfortable or even dangerous; they can operate in airless conditions; they do not get bored by repetition, and they cannot be distracted from the task at hand. The concept of robots is a very old one yet the actual word robot was invented in the 20th century from the Czechoslovakian word robota or robotnik meaning slave, servant, or forced labor. Robots dont have to look or act like humans but they do need to be flexible so they can perform different tasks. Early industrial robots handled radioactive material in atomic labs and were called master/slave manipulators. They were connected together with mechanical linkages and steel cables. Remote arm manipulators can now be moved by push buttons, switches or joysticks. Current robots have advanced sensory systems that process information and appear to function as if they have brains. Their brain is actually a form of computerized artificial intelligence (AI). AI allows a robot to perceive conditions and decide upon a course of action based on those conditions. Components of Robots Effectors - arms, legs, hands, feetSensors - parts that act like senses and can detect objects or things like heat and light and convert the object information into symbols that computers understandComputer - the brain that contains instructions called algorithms to control the robotEquipment - this includes tools and mechanical fixtures Characteristics that make robots different from regular machinery are that robots usually function by themselves, are sensitive to their environment, adapt to variations in the environment or to errors in prior performance, are task oriented and often have the ability to try different methods to accomplish a task. Common industrial robots are generally heavy rigid devices limited to manufacturing. They operate in precisely structured environments and perform single highly repetitive tasks under pre-programmed control. There were an estimated 720,000 industrial robots in 1998. Tele-operated robots are used in semi-structured environments such as undersea and nuclear facilities. They perform non-repetitive tasks and have limited real-time control.

A Guide to Abbreviations

A Guide to Abbreviations A Guide to Abbreviations A Guide to Abbreviations By Mark Nichol Abbreviations are a sometimes necessary evil, but with the power to employ them comes great responsibility. This post outlines types of abbreviations and associated guidelines. An abbreviation is a shortening of a word or phrase, either by truncation or by abridgement by way of using only the first letter of each word of the term in turn (though sometimes more than the first letter is included, and occasionally, in the interest of creating an easily pronounceable abbreviation, one or more words are not represented). In the case of truncation, a word is whittled down to the first letter or first several letters, or the first and last letters (and sometimes others). Thus, L or R might be used in place of left or right as a directional indicating positioning of people, place, or things in a caption for a photograph or other figure. Job titles are often abbreviated to the first few letters of a word as in military ranks (major and gen. for major and general) and political offices (sen. and rep. for senator and representative). Exceptions in the former category include sgt. for sergeant and capt. for captain. In American English, abbreviations for social titles usually reduce a word to its first and last letters, followed by a period, as in the case of Mr. and Dr., and common abbreviations follow this form (as in the case of hr. for hour, though the abbreviations for second and minute are the truncations sec. and min.). Two other types of abbreviation are the acronym and the initialism. In both categories, a string of words is reduced to (usually) the first letter of each word; the distinction is that an acronym, as the element -onym (Greek for â€Å"name† or â€Å"word†) indicates, is pronounced as a word, as in the case of NASA, whereas an initialism, as the name suggests, is sounded out letter by letter, as in FBI. Most people are not aware of (or do not give any thought to) the distinction, but it is important in this sense. Because acronyms are treated as words, they are not preceded by an article (one writes â€Å"NASA was established in 1958,† not â€Å"The NASA was established in 1958†); by contrast, an article precedes an initialism (as in â€Å"The FBI launched the investigation in January,† not â€Å"FBI launched the investigation in January†). Exceptions occur when an acronym is used adjectivally (â€Å"The NASA project is underway†) and in periodical headlines (â€Å"FBI Launches Investigation†). In American English, acronyms and initialisms are often distinguished by styling the former in small caps and the latter in full-size capital letters, though abbreviations of more than four letters are often, after long usage as capitalized terms, treated as regular words, as in the case of Nasdaq, a proper noun (an abbreviation of â€Å"National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations†) and radar (from â€Å"radio detection and ranging†). Unfamiliar acronyms and initialisms are usually introduced to readers in parentheses immediately after the first reference to the entity by its full name, after which the abbreviation alone is sufficient (or the abbreviation is simply used after the first reference without the parenthetical signal, as long as the next reference appears soon after the first one), but common abbreviations need no such introduction. However, whether an abbreviation is considered transparent or otherwise is up to a specific publication or publisher to decide, based on its readership’s familiarity with the term. (Companies should keep a record of such usage in a house style guide; see also this post.) Another consideration, though, is to avoid cluttering a piece of writing with numerous abbreviations, which smacks of jargon. If a term is used only occasionally, it may be better to spell it out in each case. Another strategy to avoid frequent repetition of acronyms or initialisms is to sometimes replace the term with a generic reference such as â€Å"the agency,† â€Å"the law,† â€Å"the program,† and so on. Writers should avoid redundancy in using acronyms and initialisms, where widespread usage obscures the wording of the phrase from which the abbreviation is formed, so that reference is too often made to, for example, ATM machines (the M stands for machine) and PIN numbers (number is represented by the N). â€Æ' A variation of use of acronyms is syllabic abbreviation, in which terms consist of parts of, or one or more syllables of, one or more words; examples include Interpol (â€Å"international police†) and nicknames for urban areas such as SoHo (denoting â€Å"south of Houston Street†) in New York City. In general, lowercase abbreviations include periods (as in the case of i.e., a.m., and m.p.h.), and uppercase abbreviations omit them (as with MD, US, and ABC). However, specialized publications, especially those pertaining to science and technology, often do not use periods in either case, and note that shorthand for metric terms is considered a system of symbols rather than abbreviations, so periods are never used with cm (centimeter) or kg (kilogram), for example. Certain treatments of initials in names are treated differently in some publications: According to The Chicago Manual of Style, the style guide of record for most book publishers and many publications, a letter space should separate two or more initials in a name, as in A. B. See. However, the Associated Press Style Book avoids spaces when possible, including in names. Initials used in lieu of an entire name, such as those for famous politicians and other public figures, are universally formatted without spaces or periods, as in JFK and MLK. Most publications and publishers do not use apostrophes when pluralizing an abbreviation, as in PCs and URLs. For some specialized terms, such as abbreviated terms for units of measure, no plural is indicated in the abbreviation (so, for example, lb. applies to one or more pounds); another exception is abbreviations in baseball: â€Å"Runs batted in,† for example, is abbreviated as RBI. Use of informal abbreviation (lulz and the like) has proliferated since the advent of online social media, but this trend has not been accepted into formal usage and should be avoided except in casual writing and in communication among family and friends. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Synonyms for â€Å"Leader†44 Resume Writing TipsFew vs. Several

Training in ethics for management personnel Essay

Training in ethics for management personnel - Essay Example The Columbia Encyclopedia (2003) defines business ethics as the study and evaluation of decision making by businesses according to moral concepts and judgments. Issues involved in ethical business decisions include a company's obligation to be honest with its customers, a company's responsibility to preserve the environment and the protection of employee rights. Ethical conflicts arise due to the differences in the interests of company owners, workers, customers, and the community wherein which the business operates. The dilemma for managers is how to balance the need to produce profits for shareholders with honest business practices, safety in the workplace, and environmental and social concerns. The globalization of businesses and diversity in the workplace have also contributed to the complication of ethical issues because of different government laws that define the limits of criminal behavior. Practices which are deemed as bribery, sexual harassment, racial discrimination, and l ack of concern for the environment, may be held as criminal in one country but are neither illegal nor unethical or unusual in another. The company must then decide whether to adhere to its traditional ethical principles or not, especially if this provides opportunities for maximizing profits. According to Today's Market... use of these type of occurrences in the business milieu, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 has become part of mandatory United States federal law that companies must adhere to. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is intended to protect against corporate fraud and unethical accounting and reporting incidents. Thus, ethics training is now widely conducted to instill corporate values, rules and regulations in the minds of managers and employees. Ethics Training Ethics training aims to ensure that people are aware of ethical issues and the consequences of unethical behavior. Companies which conduct ethics training are benefited by the continual application of the company code of ethics in the everyday business environment. Ethics training provides a venue for communication and problem solving that guides participants in the resolution of complex issues brought about by conflicts of interest. It helps create a guide that may be followed when exercising discretion, while defining boundaries, limitations and expectations within the organization. An ethical workplace environment is characterized by properly exercised discretion, and ethics training is a step toward corporate compliance (Today's Marketer, 2008). An ethics training program encourages employee involvement in the process of reporting violations of the code of conduct, or any unethical practice. Compliant companies establish a procedure and a point of contact where whistleblowers my anonymously report violations. The process allows employees to be at ease when an unethical situation must be reported, and contributes to the company's corporate compliance program because it proves the company's willingness to eliminate unethical practices. Encouraging the reporting reduces catastrophic outcomes for the company, such as those which

In what ways, and to what extent, did McCarthyism impact upon American Research Paper

In what ways, and to what extent, did McCarthyism impact upon American society in the early 1950's - Research Paper Example The investigation involved conducting analyses on human behavior induced by McCarthy’s anti-Communist rhetoric as well as examination of the victims of McCarthyism whose involvement helped shaped societal ideologies supportive or opposed to McCarthy’s paranoia. SUMMARY OF EVIDENCE Joseph McCarthy was expertly versed in utilizing rhetorical arguments to foster support for the agenda of removing legitimate or perceived Communist threats from within the United States and that stemming from international society. After emerging from World War II, nations torn apart by war began to polarize, creating centralized authorities from fractious ruling regimes torn apart by warfare. This centralization ultimately led to the development of The United States and The Soviet Union as superpowers, based on militaristic and economic growth. Coupled with ongoing threats of atomic warfare, now posing a risk from nations that had managed to procure atomic resources, Communism became a very negative connotation sparking fear from members of government. It was believed by many in the early 1950s that Communism represented a moral threat to the fabric of society and an antagonistic ideology. â€Å"You the American people could hope†¦even at this late date, how rapidly the sands in the hourglass of time are running out -- realize that, as of tonight, we are winning a war, winning it – I beg your pardon – losing a war, losing it deliberately and disgracefully, losing it at the tune of American blood which will continue over the weeks and months ahead† (McCarthy 2). The aforesaid quotation from McCarthy in 1952 illustrates the methodology by which McCarthy was able to foster support for his agenda, appealing with pathos, the ability to create an emotional response from an audience by appealing to suffering and experiences endured by a national population fatigued from years of difficult warfare. McCarthy established a sense of urgency through his r hetorical arguments, indicating that there must be a community-wide effort, involving all patriotic Americans, to identify and remove the threats of Communism to the United States. The McCarthy movement gained national prominence in the early 1950s, enhanced by growing support from the Catholic community in the U.S., support from the Kennedy family which was gaining notoriety and influence in government, and such organizations as the American Legion and anti-Communist women’s groups such as The Minute Women of the USA (Nickerson 2). Under social learning theory, society will often imitate the behaviors of others when they are considered credible and attractive role models. Under this theory, society will continue to model such behaviors when they witness these actions being reinforced and applauded by the social environment (Bandura 47). Groups such as the American Legion and The Minute Women of the USA regularly published anti-Communist sentiment in the form of leaflets and posters that publicized support for McCarthy’

Kubla Khan Essay Example for Free

Kubla Khan Essay Born in 1772 in Ottery. St., T.S.Coleridge lead a very disquiet life in his early childhood. After his fathers death he was sent to the Christs hospital school. There he had felt a great emotional vacuum, which was the beginning of his continuos ill health. Charles Lamb, his schoolmate, gave us an account of this period affirming that Coleridge was highly imaginative, who sought refuge in reading old romantic tales as well as Homer, Virgil, and Shakespeare. Perhaps the most influential period in Coleridges life was the period when he met Wordsworth in 1795, after he had left Cambridge. It seemed that in the company of Wordsworth, Coleridge found the mental peace, security, and environmental harmony. This had resulted in the sudden flowering of his genius, a sudden release of his creative impulses, and he wrote The Ancient Mariner, The Christable, and Kubla Khan. Much about the composition and subject matter of Kubla Khan can be detected from Coleridges Preface to that poem: This fragment with a good deal more, not recoverable, composed, in a sort of reverie brought on by two grains of opium taken to check a dysentery This fact raises the issue of the drugs effect on the poets creative imagination. Early critics assumed that there was a direct and immediate correlation between opium and imagination. In 1934 M.H. Abrams declared that the great gift of opium to men like Coleridge was to access to a new world as different from this one; and one which is ordinary mortal. According to Elizabeth Schneider, opium can only work on what is already there in a mans mind and memory and if he already has a creative imagination and a tendency to recall dreams and visions. Then opium may intensify and focus his perceptions. This last interpretation seems to be the most acceptable one, because this is what really happens to Coleridge. Before he began to dream he had been reading the following words of the same substance, in Purchass Pilgrimage: Here the Khan Kubla commanded a palace to be built, and a stately garden thereunto. And thus ten miles of fertile ground were inclosed within a wall. These words, it is quite apparent, formed the background upon which opium worked, encouraging Coleridges mind for imagination. The effect opium had on Coleridges mind manifests itself while examining the structure of the poem itself. It quite obvious that the third stanza is entirely different from the first two ones, as if was written by a human being whereas the other earlier stanzas seem to had been written by a demon or some divine hand. Coleridge himself confesses that he couldnt revive the interrupted composition of the first two stanzas that were written under the influence of opium, and that when he returned to his writing all the rest had passed away like images on the surface of a stream. Perhaps thats why we find it a fragmentary work, filled with strange, unusual imagery, and lacking a rational structure; its rhythms suggest a mind vacillating between conscious and unconscious modes of being. Matter of fact Kubla Khan is reliable to different levels of interpretation. First, the poem could be approached as a descriptive poem that shares the common beautiful characteristics and techniques of most romantic poets, especially when describing natural elements. Still Coleridge described the world of Kubla Khan in terms of the ancient Platonic idea of Dualism; where the world of material existence is described as the world of shadows, and the world of Ideals as the elevated one. Accordingly, Kubla Khan could be regarded as a beautiful expression of the poets longing for some ultimate beauty combining the work of man with those of nature and those of pure imagination; to resurrect lost archetypal worlds within the imagination. In this way the pleasure dome that has been established in fulfillment of the orders of the Tartar Prince can be regarded as an attempt to reach such an ideal world. Thats why the first stanza opens with a carefully constructed image of a walled garden containing incense bearing trees and forests enclosing sunny spots of greenery; a description that adds a paradisal spirit into the place Kubla has created. The ideal spirit and holiness of this world has been emphasized in a variety of expressions: in affirming that in this stately pleasure dome did Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea The sacredness of this world has been further affirmed by the fact that it is girdled round and protected from undesirable or unharmonious influences. This scene that has been described in the first stanza stands in contrast to the opening lines of the second stanza; where the poets But contrasts the planned classical artifact of Kubla with the romantic chasm; the birthplace of poetic genius and true creativity: But oh! That deep romantic chasm which slanted Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover! Now the atmosphere is different: the rational order of the garden has been replaced by a scene outside the walls, which is savage, wholly, and enchanted. This natural scene is, indeed, a more perfect symbol of the reconciliation of oppositions in the world of imagination, thereby more eternal. In this stanza we are, also, introduced to the source of that sacred river- Alph- which is seen as symbolizing Platos theory of Dualism in terms of Mans journey through life in search for the Ideal world: it flows from a mysterious source- (Mans birth)- through a mazy course- (the complexities of life; poetically symbolized by the mighty fountain that burst small stones as if breathing)- to sink tumultuously into a lifeless ocean-(the sea of death). Between birth and death Man is overwhelmed by a dream of permanence- (the shadow cast by the dome of pleasure). This very last symbol has been developed in representing the dome in dream-like terms inaccessible to Man: It was miracle of rare devise, A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice! Thats to say the dome itself- by possessing sunny weather and caves of ice- represent a reconciliation of opposites which is impossible to human life. With the beginning of the third stanza the poem seems to take a new tern of thought. Now it gives us a vivid picture of a poet caught in a spell of poetic inspiration, who, once in a vision, saw an abyssinian maid playing on her dulcimer and singing of the wild splendor of mount Abora. At this point the poem becomes reliable to another level of interpretation. It is a poem about poetic creation. With this consideration in mind Kubla Khan, who caused a pleasure-dome and elaborated gardens to be constructed in Xanadu, is a type of the artist whose glorious creation becomes a balanced reconciliation of the natural and artificial. Similarly the poet enters the poem- using first person pronoun- in an attempt to establish his own dome. If only, Coleridge laments, he could revive within him the maids lost symphony and song, if only he could recapture the whole original vision instead of just a portion of it, then he would be able to establish that dome in air so that his witnesses would declare him to be divinely inspired and form a circle of worship around him. Being filled with holy dread they would cry:

Essay examples --

Sarimary Gonzalez Mrs. Schewartz History 1301 - 5L33 February 24, 2014 Author Scott Liell asserts in 46 Pages that no other actions, publications, speeches, resolutions or acts of Continental Congress, or social or political movements had as much impact as Common Sense upon the colonials in helping them to view themselves as Americans rather than Englishmen. Thomas Paine’s life experiences, successes and failures, up until Jan. 10, 1776, including his childhood and familial experiences through adulthood were quite an eye opener. Paine was born in England in 1737. His dad was a Quaker and his mom was Angelic. Some of his successes were that he was one of the few who went to school and learned how to read and write. This was good news to his family beacuse they expected do much from him. Paine later on failed out of school and started to work with first with his dad than later as excise officer. In the year of 1756, he left to join the crew of pivateers during the war against the French. While he was aboard the ship who was named "Terrible" lost in battle were only 17 men survived. Paine being one of the because his father had sailed out to get him. "Even so, the lure of the sea was not easily put off, especially for an imaginative, ambitious young man whose prospects in life were otherwise quite limited" (32, Liell). Paine never g ave up and left for the second time, but this time recieved some money. Eventually Paine left and he now set up a shop, thereafter married September 1759 to Mary Lambert. Unfortunatly a year later she died as well as his child who she was carrying. "....misfortune seems to have set young Paine back on his heels" (33, Liell). Paine left his shop and contined his unknown journey. This is later when he b... ...re people to be politically informed and politically astute, not to the confused with being merely politically opinionated. The coffee houses and taverns of our Revolutionary and Founding eras required that people do their homework before they spoke, argued, debated, and discoursed publically, otherwise, do to their ignorance, they would be shamed into silence. As Watter’s World interviews and Jay Leno’s street interviews sadly prove, contemporary communication is much more â€Å"me† oriented, self-centered, and superficial and many Americans are by choice vastly ignorant of our nation’s history, documents, and governance. We convince people to become as intelligently educated about our government, politics, and history as those in Revolutionary Era, the Founding Era, and for many eras that followed by teaching them and discussing what previous events have happened.

Deinstitutionalization of the Mentally Ill

Deinstitutionalization of the Mentally Ill CheckPoint 1 According to the article by Jim Mann, from the Southwest Journal of Criminal Justice, (2012) he states how the involvement in the criminal justice system with mentally ill offenders was profoundly affected by the decision which resulted in large numbers of mental hospital patients returning to the community during the mid-1970s.The article states that after an examination of the characteristics of mental health courts was conducted, the consensus results indicated that with the release of mental health patients into a community came the increase in crime rates. The article I researched was very brief, but lead me in the direction of crime levels within the community. Once individuals were released from the institutions, crime rates statistically increased, according to the data provided by the Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project stated that crime jumped greatly over a period of time.People decided to try the event o f deinstitutionalization in an attempt to save money for both the hospitals as well as individuals. They believed that a prescription drug was and would be cheaper than the cost of twenty-four hour care within an institution. About this time era is when the development of psychiatric drugs started coming into the picture. Unfortunately, according to these statistics, crime levels did increase since the start of deinstitutionalization.My local community is fairly small, but for has a high crime rate for how small it is. We do have an institution here in town for the mentally ill, but the majority of the people that are here and have committed crimes and have done some serious issues due to being mentally ill, basically just get a slap on the hand. My community for the most part is great when it comes to helping people out with certain situations; however, our police department is horrible and lazy. THEY are the waste of money, not our institutions.Anyways, within my community, we do have a homeless shelter, where housing is provided for families, and we also have assistance groups for victims of domestic violence. We also have a family planning clinic that runs solely on donations and provides birth control as well as condoms at no cost. We also have low income clinics that help people and provide health care, dental care, and mental health at charges all based on an individual’s family size and income. Basically, my local community is great for helping people, except for our police department.