Case Preview and Questions for Anagene, Inc. Essay

A start-up company struggles to understand its operating margins. How much of the large monthly fluctuations in margins is real and how much is caused by its costing system? Skim the section on The Genomics Analysis Market on pages 1-3 of the case but pay attention to the information on competitive position. Case Questions: 1. Work the Youngstown Products numerical example on the following page. (This should take only a few minutes and is basically a short refresher on a phenomenon we saw in the Bridgeton case.) Answer is inline in Youngstown case question. 2. The cartridge margins shown in Tables A and B vary from 17% to 65%. What elements of cost account for the difference between the 2000 Actual and 2001 Budget margins in Table A? What elements of cost account for the difference between the margins in the original 2001 Budget in Table A versus the revised 2001 Budget in Table B? For each element, why do you think costs changed between 2000 and 2001 between the original and revised budgets in 2001? What would you predict for each cost in the long-run? The elements account for the difference between 2000 Actual and 2001 Budget are the estimated material and scrap cost, overhead cost based on cartridge production volume. Revised material and scrap cost, overhead cost account for the difference between original and revised 2001 Budget in Table B. The estimated and actual production volume affects each element of cost. Larger volume means lower per unit cost. In long-run, the cost should approach to a steady level. 3.Kelly, Puleski, and Yeltin meet to discuss concerns about both â€Å"long-term profitability of the business† and â€Å"short-term profitability.† Discuss how well the current standard cost systems helps the board and analysts distinguish and understand these two issues. The current system doesn’t do well at estimating the cost. The estimated material and scrap cost, overhead cost depends on estimated production volume rather than capacity. The system can explain short term profitability but has difficulty to explain long term profitability. 4. Suppose sales in 2001 equal 26,000 units, as budgeted in January, and that actual manufacturing expenses turn out to equal budgeted expenses. What should Daniel Yeltin do to â€Å"devise a better way to calculate product costs and gross margins for management decision-making purposes†? (Hint 1: What are the decisions facing management and the board? Hint 2: Consider the suggestion in Activity-Based Costing and Capacity to allocate costs based on capacity, rather than based on production. What is current cartridge manufacturing capacity according to the information in Exhibit 8? What are the costs of providing that capacity according to Exhibit 7? What should Daniel Yeltin do with the cost of unused cartridge manufacturing capacity?) Basically calculating the cost based on production capacity rather than production volume. The current manufacturing capacity is 65000, while the cost of such capacity is $1,299,581. The unused cartridge manufacturing capacity should be written off as an expense. 5.Anagene expects demand for 95,000 cartridges in 2002. What changes can Anagene make to increase capacity to meet higher demand? (See information in the comments column of Exhibit 8 about additional capacity that can be added to the various manufacturing steps.) Assume employees added to increase capacity at any of the various steps cost $100,000 per employee, and assume these costs are treated as part of the overhead cost pool because they are costs of increasing capacity. Under these assumptions, how will the cost of adding capacity affect the overhead component of cartridge manufacturing costs? Youngstown Products, a supplier to the automotive industry, had seen its operating margins shrink below 20% as its OEM customers put continued pressure on pricing. Youngstown produced four products in its plant and  decided to eliminate products that no longer contributed positive margins. Details on the four products are provided below: ProductABCDTotal Production Volume (units)10,0008,000 6,000 4,000 Selling Price$15.0018.00 20.00 22.00 Materials/unit$ 4.00$ 5.00 $ 6.00 $ 7.00 DLH/unit0.240.18 0.12 0.08 Total DLH2,4001,440 720 3204,880 Plant Overhead $122,000 DL rate/hour$30 Youngstown has a traditional cost system. It calculates a plant-wide overhead rate by dividing total overhead costs by total direct labor hours. Assume, for the calculations below, that plant overhead is a committed (fixed) cost during the year, but that direct labor is a variable cost. 1. Calculate the plant-wide overhead rate. Use this rate to assign overhead costs to products and calculate the profitability of the four products. Product 2. If any product is unprofitable with this cost assignment, drop this product from the mix. Recalculate the overhead rate based on the new total direct labor hours remaining in the plant. Apply the new overhead rate to the remaining products. A is not profitable, after dropping out A, the new overhead rate will be 122000/(4880-2400) = 49.19 Product 4. What is happening at Youngstown and why? The total plant overhead is fixed, and when a product line is dropped, each product line has higher overhead allocated, and eventually Youngstown becomes unprofitable. 5. What does the situation at Youngstown (a low-tech manufacturing firm making decisions to shrink sales over time) have to do with the situation at Anagene (a high-tech firm making decisions to grow sales over time)? Anagene is facing a similar situation. If Anagene continues to use budgeted manufacturing volume when determine the cost,  Anagene might have a risk to run into the death spiral as Youngstown (dropping unprofitable product until nothing is profitable).

Communication in the Military

Communication has always been important with in the military from day one. Wihtout this communication no soldier would know where to be or when to be there. When the U. S. military first began we fought in a completely different style than we do today. Back then there was alot more chivalry to war to than there is today. They stood on line with their chests out proud of what they were doing. Without communication the first rank would not know when to fire their muskets, when to take a knee, when to begin reloading their weapons and when to stand back up to take aim to start the process all over again.According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary the classification of communication states it’s a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs or behaviour. In relation, communication is the heart of what makes the United States Army what it is today. Without Communication vital information would not be passed down from the Ch ief of Command to a chain of Non Commissioned Officers to the soldiers. Not to mention, innocent lives would be in jeopardy, missions would be misconstrued, and simple information from NCO to soldier would be conflicted.Lack of communication in the army means important decision on anything would not be made. Taking from the Chief of Command, if he did communicated to his dependents on decisions such as going to war, or even making the change of declaring General Martin Dempsey chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff how could we improved the nation better yet a team; because all in all the United States army is a TEAM. Not having communication within a constituency of people creates an anarchy of chaos. The smallest amount of information is always imperative.For example, if a soldier goes out over the weekend and doesn’t inform anyone of he or she whereabouts and something crucial happens to him or her no one would never know because that soldier failed to communicated with his /her battle buddy more importantly their NCO. It is important to notify your chain of command where you are at all times so that they know. This is why the Army has developed the TRiPs system so that if traveling outside of the 250 mile radius of post you are required to fill out this digital form and it be approved by your supervisor before taking the said trip so that your chain of command knows your whereabouts always.When others know about one’s location it is easier to manoeuvre to find them if anything should ever go wrong. No one wants to become a victim if something should ever go not according to plan; and that’s why it is critical to notify someone whenever going out. Communication is key due to the simple fact that if the individuals involved in the social interaction do not first form a bases of what is tolerable and what is not, how than, can they â€Å"respect† the other individual.They next element that would be necessary for a healthy respectful relationship would be empathy. Without an empathic outlook by all parties engaged in communication, how might they respect another’s point of view? Empathy must follow communication, for empathy shows acknowledgement and understanding of what was first communicated by all parties. After empathy, the final and most important step towards respect is submission. Submission is needed to assimilate each individual into respect, not per say, for one or more individuals to dominate the others.Lets break down these three ideals of respect, starting with communication. Communication is the very bases for respect. Without this very basic idea, an organization as prominent as the Army of the United States could simply not exist. The relationship between communication and respect is one sided. Communication can exist without respect, but not vice versa. An example of this could include two individuals fighting over the price of an item. Both individuals are communicating, but neither is respecting the other.By any means, the bane of communication when applied to respect is miscommunication. Miscommunication in itself is the very break down of communication. Communication plays an essential role in any institution, especially in the military. The military employs two basic forms of communication; which are verbal and non-verbal. All two forms are vital to the success of the military. Without effective communication in the military regardless of the status there cannot be a positive outcome of any situation with failure to understand what is passed.Military communication has played an important role in transmitting information, orders, and reports both in the field and at sea and between command centres and deployed units both in the field and at sea. Information is transmitted from superiors to subordinates utilizing the chain of command system. â€Å"The American Heritage dictionary of English language† defines Chain of command as a system where by authority is passed down from the top through a series of executive positions or military ranks in which each is accountable to the one directly superior.Individual unit leaders exercise command by communicating orders and instruction of commanders to their respective units. Traditionally, military communication had been in the form of sending and receiving signals. â€Å"The first military comms tool was the communication automobile designed by the Soviet Union in 1934. The basics of the communications in the beginning was the sending and receiving of signals – which were encoded so that the enemy would not be able to get hold of any top secret communication.Then the advent of distinctive signals which lead to the formation of the Signal Corps, this corp. , specialised in tactics of military comms. They evolved into a distinctive occupation where the signaller became a highly technical job dealing with all available communications methods including civil ones. In the modern world, m ost nations attempt to minimize the risk of war caused by miscommunication or inadequate communication by pushing the limits of communication technology and systems.As a result military communication is more intense, complicated, and often motivates the development of advanced technology for remote systems such as satellites and aircraft, both manned and unmanned, as well as computers. Computers and their varied applications have revolutionized military comms. Fortunately military communication does not always merely facilitate warfare, but often supports intelligence gathering and communication between adversaries, and thus sometimes prevents war. Signal communication is basically a means of conveying information from person or place to the other utilizing indicators such as gestures and smoke. Signal communication or signaling has long played an important role in warfare. â€Å"This form of communication is greatly employed when troops don’t want to be heard or detected an d it serves to provide a means of transmitting information from reconnaissance and other units in contact with the enemy. † The military uses signal communcations in many different ways and have done so since the beginning of the military.Whether it be in the form of hand and arm signals within an Infantry unit to allow everyone behind them to know what they need to do at a specific time whether it be halt or stop movement, or to take a knee, to get down in the prone, to mark a rally point to meet up at. The list goes on and on and by using a signaling form of communication it allows them to do so without being heard by an enemy force that may be in the immediate area. The signaling form of communication smoke is also used by infantry units and other ground force elements to notify others what they need to do or the position in which they are in.They use smoke to notify medevac of their position in case they have wounded or KIA within their element to be picked up. Ground troo ps would â€Å"pop smoke† and wait for the medevac helicopter to indicate what color of smoke that they see to know that it is they element in which they are intending to go to. Verbal communication is the most widely used form of communication in the military. This method has an advantage over the other forms of communication. It allows the person passing the information to interpret the facial expressions of those receiving the information being passed.You can also use the web now days as a form of verbal communcation. With the addition of this tool the military has become even more effective. With this tool leaders are able to send the same message to a large group of people without having to take the time out to have a formation or a gathering of the soldiers in order to do so. This method has become the primary source of communcation within the military because of its ease and almost everyone has access to a computer and the web at some point during their duty day.It red uces time in which it takes to get information put out and reduces the amount of time that one would waste by going to a gathering or formation. The people within the conversation is ultimately unlimited to whomever they would like within it and allows for multiple responses at one said time whenever they see the message and are able to send a response without taking them away from other tasks at hand and allowing them to efficiently transition from one task to the next.Military Communication is a key to the success of everything that we do in the military. Here is an example of how the web can help efficiently pass along information in the Army. With communicating in the military it has to be clear and to the point because many times it has to be passed on to someone else and there can not be any confusion. Just recently I received and email.It was to pass along what the Commander had worked out for the holiday schedule for Thanksgiving and wanted all the units to be aware of the d ays that we would have off and the days that we needed to post a duty also give us the days for leave that service members are allowed to take and posted a memo stating that if someone is to take leave on these dates they are not allowed to take leave for the rest of the year unless it was a red cross emergency. The purpose of this email so I can inform my team on the days that we would have off and the days allotted for leave.My commanding officer was the sender and I was the receiver. The message was the days we would have off for thanksgiving holidays. The technology used was a milper messages which is a military personal message. All involved had positive feedback. The technology used was very appropriate due to this needed to be sent out to many units at one time rather than the commander looking up each email address and sending that out that way he could send it out to each unit and then the Commanding Officer can see to it that the message was passed to each person.Another f orm of military communication is Cryptography. Cryptography is one of the most influential and important assets pertaining to government today. â€Å"Cryptography is the mathematical science of preparingcommunication incoherent to parties unintended to receive the message, or Cryptography is the study of methods of converting readable messages into guised unreadable information, unless one knows of the methods of decryption. This military comms method ensured that the messages reached the correct hands and eyes or ears.Nowadays digital cash, signatures, digital rights management and intellectual property rights and secure electronic commerce are its new purviews. It is also being used in computing, telecommunications and infrastructure. † In essence this what this statement is saying is that when using cryptography you are required to enter some sort of passcode or password in order to access the material contained within the message. The military uses this method when it com es to almost any kind of electronically sent mail or information.In order to access the Army Knowledge Online website which contains soldiers data and emails you are required to enter your username and password. The passwords the military requires people to use are some of the most difficult passwords to hack. All passwords must contain uppercase, lowercase letters along with numbers and special characters. Another form of Cryptography used by the military is the common access card. This card contains soldier data within a microchip that is inserted into an identification card. When using the CAC card you also have a 6-8 digit pincode that is required when acessing government computers or material.Each soldier has a CAC card that is used to get throught the gate on each military installation. This form of Cryptography takes two essential things in the miltary and forms them both into one idea. Written communication is another form in which the military uses. The written form of comm unication is probably the most commonly used form of communication within the military. Military uses written communication everyday. Whether it be in the form of an email which can also be considered verbal or in the form of a Memorandum for record or a DA form 4856 counseling form. One of the most important concepts to master is expressed several ways: put your bottom line first, hook your reader, make it relevant to him/her. DA PAM 600-67 lists this concept first among its seven style techniques in Paragraph 3-1 and hammers the idea home again in Paragraph 3-2. AR 25-50 says â€Å"focus first on the main point† (Paragraph 1-45) and â€Å"open with a short, clear purpose statement† (Paragraph 1-46). † A MFR can be for the purpose of many different things. It can be used to give guidence of off limit establishments or be a directive on how a task will be carried out.Beyond that there are even more ways a memorandum for record may be used but those are just a cou ple that come to mind right off hand. The DA form 4856 counseling is used amongst the Army. It gives guidence to the soldier on a monthly basis or whenever they do something negative in which his or her chain of command feels it is necessary to give the soldier a negative counseling. There are many other reasons for a counseling. They can be used for promotion purposes to give the soldier a guideline to things that he or she must accomplish in order to be recommended for promotion or reasons that they are not being recommended.On a monthly basis the counseling tells a soldier how the soldier ultimately did for the previous month whether it be good or bad. The counseling will have special emphasis on what the soldier did well as well as the soldiers shortcomings, giving the soldier guidence on what he or she should work on the following month. The DA 4856 is an excellent form of communication between the Team or Squad leader and the lower enlisted within his or her team or squad when used properly.Most people in the Army do not use the counseling form in the correct manner in which it was designed to be used. This is usually due to the fact that they themselves do not understand Army communication themselves or they just do not understand how the form is actually meant to be used. The Army is begining to go back to its old way and the ways that most soldiers have been brought up in the Army is in fact the wrong way leading to what is being known as Toxic Leadership and the Department of the Army is doing their best to begin getting rid of this toxic leadership.Toxic leadership could be defined as someone that does the bare minimum or in the case of a counseling form would what is referred to as hand jamming it. Meaning that they pay no attention to their soldier but when something comes up and they do not have the counselings prepared they go back and write them and instruct the lower enlisted soldier that they are in control of to back date the form to keep th em from getting in trouble as well. This form has become more and more common within the Army that is rediculous.If someone wants to be in charge of someone they should take charge and do what they are suppose to do in that position not throwing their soldier under the bus when they think thats something they have done is coming back to bite them based on their own actions†¦ They expect their soldiers to cover them but leadership is suppose to stick up for their soldiers not throw them under the bus. What kind of signal, what kind of communication is this to the lower level soldier? Not a good one and thats all that can be said.To sum up this essay there are several different forms of communication within the military that all serve their own purpose to the military. There is the communication form of signal that can be used to signal different things from telling other soldiers what they should do next when in combat, to informing air support of your position via smoke or a VS -17 panel. There is the form of verbal communication which can be used to give a platoon or company of soldiers a safety briefing for the weekend, or just to put out guidence to a select few individuals within the element.Another form of communication being cryptography. Cryptography allows one said person to send another said person a message or email or another form of typed material that you must use a passcode, pincode, or password to access. All forms of government email use this type of communication to ensure the safety and well being of the rest of the population of the United States. The last form of communication we discussed is written. Written communication is the most important and most commonly used among the military.Written comunication can be used as a MFR or counseling session for a lower level soldier. A MFR can be used in different ways, it can be used to notify soldiers of off limit establishments or just to give guidence to soldiers on how to accomplish a said task that has been given to them. A DA form 4856 is utilized to give guidence to the lower level soldier on how well they have performed over the period of a month. Commonly known as a monthly counseling but can also be used as a negative counseling to inform a soldier of wrong doing that he or she has done to recieve the statement.Negative counselings can be used in conjunction to ultimately punish the soldier using UCMJ action. All in all communcation is an essential part of the military. The lack of communication cause serious problems as well as just the lack of understanding the communication that has been given. Communication within the military is a must or nothing will get done, or get done to the standards anyway. It is imparative that all members of the United States military understand the importance of communication and excercises it on a regular basis on order for the military to effectively function.

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Retail Employee Management- 2_02 - Assignment Example The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 was a bill introduced and sponsored by Senator Robert A. Taft and Representative Fred A. Hartley. Its main objective was to amend parts of the Wagner act of 1935 (International Association of Fire Chiefs, 2010). The bill stated proposed the following changes to the Wagner bill. It was illegal for trade unions to contribute funds towards a political campaign. The president had the mandate to appoint a special board of inquiry to investigate disputes among the trade unions if he thought the disagreements were a threat to national security. The bill (act) also required the union leaders to take oaths to prove they were not communists. After tense lobbing and opposition to the bill by President Harry S. Truman, the Senate went ahead and approved it on July 23, 1947. The Landrum-Griffin Act also known as the labor-management reporting and disclosure act was named after its sponsors` Representative Phillip M. Landrum and Senator Robert P. Griffin (International Association of Fire Chiefs, 2010). The act prevents corruption within the trade unions and to guarantee the union members that the affairs of the trade unions would be conducted democratically. It was after an investigation on union corruption and racketeering was done, and the results showed that some of the trade unionists were indeed corrupt and unscrupulous. President Dwight Eisenhower signed the bill into law in 1957. The Brynes act is a federal law that was enacted in 1936. It is also known as the Anti-breaking law. The act prevents the movement and transportation of strikebreakers. The act states it is a crime to employ an individual, who has engaged or resorted to using force during labor disputes. The use of threats and force is prohibited by the act. Some of the acts prohibited include stirring up violence and inciting fellow workers to violence. Offenders of the Byrne’s act are punished through fines and in cases of extreme

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Taxation Tasks Essay Example for Free

Taxation Tasks Essay 1) Patty owned Patty’s Cakes in Jacksonville, Florida. She sold her business to Fruity’s, Inc. a national pastry company. There was a non-compete agreement in the contract for the sale of her business. In the non-compete, Patty agreed not to work in any capacity in the food industry for 10 years on the entire east coast. A court would likely determine that the non-compete agreement a) violates federal law b) is unenforceable c) is enforceable d) both A and B 2) A liability that may extend from an employee to the employer if the employee is acting within the scope of his or her employment at the time the liability arose is called: a) vicarious liability b) employee liability c) employer liability d) adverse liability 3) A person who contracts with a principal to perform a task according to her or his own methods, and who is not under the principal’s control regarding the physical details of the work is called a/an: a) Contingent worker b) Temporary worker c) Independent contractor d) All of the above 4) Benita works as a nursing assistant in a retirement home run by Cottonwood Care Centers, a national operator of facilities providing care for the elderly. Benita works 53 hours a week. After looking at her payroll stubs for the past 6 months, she concludes that she has not received sufficient overtime pay. She complains to her supervisor but the company takes no action. a) Benita can bring a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) b) Benita can bring a complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor, under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) c) Benita can bring a complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor, under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). d) Benita can bring a complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor, under Executive Order 11246 5) Ling frequently stocks shelves for Ace’s Market on an as needed basis. Ace pays Ling $5 per shelf. One day Ling falls off a broken ladder while stocking a shelf. Line is seriously injured: a) If Ling is determined to be an independent contractor, he is eligible for workers’ compensation b) If Ling is determined to be an employee, he is eligible for workers’ compensation c) Ling is eligible for workers’ compensation whether he is an employee or an independent contractor d) None of the above 6) ABC, Inc. solicited bids from various independent contractors to landscape the grounds of its new office complex. Drew, head of facilities management told Patty, his secretary, that he would not accept any bids from Hispanic contractors. Drew explained that he would authorize hiring only American contractors to work on the grounds. A Hispanic contractor brings a lawsuit against ABC for discriminations. a) Drew’s refusal to hire Hispanic companies is a violation of the Independent Contractors Act of 2006. b) Drew’s refusal to hire Hispanic companies is a violation of the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act c) The Hispanic contractor cannot prevail in a discrimination case because John’s conversation with his secretary is confidential and cannot be used as evidence. d) Drew’s refusal to hire Hispanic companies is not a violation of the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act because that law does not cover discrimination against independent contractors. 7) BRC Partners is a consulting firm. Sam and Arnie are analysts for BRC. Sam was hired as an employee and Arnie was hired as an independent contractor. They both work in the same BRC office under the same supervisor. They both must work Monday through Friday during the standard business hours. Both are required to report to weekly staff meetings. Sam is paid a salary and the proper federal and state tax withholdings are made. Arnie does not receive benefits like retirement and health insurance and his is paid by the project with no federal and state withholdings. Arnie signed a contract that clearly stated he was an independent contractor and not an employee. a) BRC has properly classified Arnie as an independent contractor b) BRC has improperly classified Arnie as an independent contractor c) BRC has improperly classified Arnie as an independent contractor, however, its contract with Arnie is binding and BRC will have no liability under federal or state law for the misclassification. d) BRC has improperly classified Arnie as a independent contractor, however, its contract with Arnie is binding and BRC will have no liability under federal and state law for the misclassification, but Arnie will have liability under federal and state law. 8) Pilar is hired by Axel, Inc. as an independent contractor. To avoid a determination by the IRS that Pilar has been misclassified as an independent contractor, Axel should: a) provide training to Pilar b) pay her by the hour c) pay FICA d) none of the above 9) Clarence works as an independent contractor for the law firm of Kafka, Rivera and Grisham. a) Clarence will be responsible for making payments for his Social Security (FICA), estimated federal income tax payments, estimated state income tax payments and Medicare. b) Clarence will be responsible for making payments for his FICA and Medicare and the law firm will be responsible for withholding payroll deductions for his federal and state income taxes. c) Clarence will be responsible for making payments for his Social Security (FICA) and Medicare, but the law firm will be responsible for making estimated federal income tax payments, estimated state income tax payments for him. d) Clarence will be responsible for making payments for his Social Security (FICA), withholding deductions for his federal and state income taxes and Medicare. 10) Which of the following is not covered by the EEOC’s definition of contingent worker? a) an employee hired through a staffing firm b) a temporary, seasonal, or part-time worker c) an applicant d) an independent contractor

Cross Layered Approach for Network Selection

Cross Layered Approach for Network Selection A Cross Layered Approach for Network Selection in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks M. Deva Priya, Dr. M. L Valarmathi, D.Prithviraj Abstract: Service delivery in a heterogeneous wireless network environment requires the selection of an optimal access network. Selection of a non-optimal network can result in undesirable effects such as higher costs or poor service experience. Consequently, network selection techniques play a vital role in ensuring quality of service in heterogeneous networks. Network selection in such an environment is influenced by several factors, with different relative importance, the access network selection problem is usually looked at from the aspect of multi-criteria analysis. The proposed mechanism is based on a modified Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) steps to assist the Mobile Subscriber Stations (MSSs) in selecting the top candidate network dynamically. The performance analysis reveals that this network selection scheme yields a better results in selecting the better network. Keywords: MCDM, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), WiMAX–Wi-Fi Scenario Introduction: The 4th Generation (4G) wireless networks aims at integrating various heterogeneous wireless access networks such as GPRS, 3G, Wi-Fi, WiMAX over an Internet Protocol (IP) backbone. With the integration of different access networks, wider ranges and higher Quality of Service (QoS) can be provided to the users. The next generation wireless networks have been designed to provide support for multimedia services with different traffic characteristics, different QoS guarantees and to satisfy different types of service level agreements (SLAs) for an increasing number of mobile users. The integration of different wireless network technologies is required to provide a â€Å"seamless† interoperability, integration and convergence among the heterogeneous technologies. Several heterogeneous wireless networks that consist of Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) and Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) networks have started to be operated. IEEE 802.16 WiMAX: WiMAX, a broadband wireless technology, developed by the WiMAX Forum [IEEE standard] is based on the 802.16 standard. The main objective is to provide high speed data transfers over the air. It has a frequency range of about 2-11 GHz for Non-Line-of- Sight and 10-66 GHz for Line of Sight. The signal range for Line of Sight and Non Line of Sight are 30 miles and 5 miles respectively. There are two types of WiMAX, say Fixed and Mobile WiMAX. WiMAX supports different types of traffics like Best Effort (BE), Unsolicited Grant Service (UGS), nrtPS (Non- Extended Real-Time Polling Service), rtPS (Extended Real-Time Polling Service) and ertPS (Extended Real-Time Polling Service). It is a technology for next generation with potential applications such as cellular backhaul, hotspot, VoIP mobiles and broadband connection etc. Itis a standard based wireless technology that provides internet access and multimedia services at very high speed to the end user. IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi: WLAN (or WiFi) is an open-standard technology that enables wireless connectivity between equipments and local area networks. Public access WLAN services are designed to deliver LAN services over short distances. Coverage extends over a 50 to 150 meter radius of the access point. Connection speeds range from 1.6 Mbps, which is comparable to fixed DSL transmission speed, to 11 Mbps [Part 11 -1]. New standards promise to increase speeds to 54 Mbps. Today’s WLANs run in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio spectrums [Part 11 2]. The 2.4 GHz frequency is already crowded—it has been allocated for several purposes besides WLAN service. The 5 GHz spectrum is a much larger bandwidth, providing higher speeds, greater reliability, and better throughput [Part 11 3]. Handover Process: When a Mobile Subscriber Station (MSS) moving in an overlapping area, continuous service must be need so the technique â€Å"HANDOVER† is done. The handover technique is mainly used to redirect the mobile user’s service network from current network to a new network or one base station (BS) to another BS or one access point (AP) to another AP with same technology or among different technologies to reduce the processing delay in the overlapping area. Handover technique has the two types, Horizontal Handover and Vertical Handover. The homogenous wireless network performs horizontal handover, if there are two BSs using the same access technology, in current system called horizontal handover. This type of mechanism use signal strength measurements for surrounding BSs to trigger and to perform the handover decision. In heterogeneous wireless networks, the MSS or BS will be equipped with multiple network interfaces to reach different wireless networks. When an emerging mix of overlapping heterogeneous wireless networks deployed, vertical handover is used among the networks using different access technologies. Handover technique has the four phases: Handover Initiation, System discovery, Handover decision, Handoff execution. Handoff Initiation phase: The handover process was modified by some criteria value like signal strength, link quality etc. System discovery phase: It is used to decide which mobile user discovers its neighbour network and exchanges information about Quality of Service (QOS) offered by these networks. Handover Decision phase: This phase compares the neighbour network QOS and the mobile users QOS with this QOS decision maker makes the decision to which network the mobile user has to direct the connection. Handoff Execution phase: This phase is responsible for establishing the connection and release the connections and as well as the invocation of security service. The scope of our work is mainly in handover decision phase, as mentioned in the decision phase; decision makers must choose the best network from available networks. Multi – Criteria Decision Making: Handover decision problem deals with making selection among limited number of candidate networks from various service providers and technologies with respect to different criteria. Network selection schemes can be categorized in to two kinds: Fuzzy Logic based schemes and multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) based schemes. Three different approaches for the decision of the optimal access network selection are as follows: the network centric, the user centric and the collaborative approaches [Hwang, C. L, Meriem, K]. In network centric approach, the decision for the access network selection is made at the network side with goal to optimize the network operator’s benefit. The majority of network centric approaches are using game theory in order to select the network that will optimize the network operator’s profit. In the user centric approach, the decision is taken at the user terminal based only on the minimization of the user’s cost without considering the n etwork load balancing or other users. The selection of the access network is determined by using utility or cost or profit functions or by applying MCDM methods. The selection of an access network depends on several parameters with different relative importance such as the network and application characteristics, user preferences, service and cost etc., the access network selection problem can be solved by applying different MCDM algorithms. In the collaborative approach, the decision for the access network selection is made at the profits of both users and network operator. Multiple criteria decision making deals with the problem of selecting an alternative from a set of alternatives which are categorized in terms of their attributes. Generally there are two processes in MCDM techniques: (1) Weighting and (2) Ranking. Most popular classical MADM algorithms are SAW, TOPSIS, AHP, and GRA. In Simple Additive Weighting (SAW), overall score of a candidate network is determined by weighting sum of all the attribute values. In Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), the chosen candidate network is one which is closest to ideal solution and farthest from the worst case solution. Analytical hierarchical Process (AHP) decomposes the network selection problem in to several sub-problems and assigns a weight value for each sub-problem. Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) is then used to rank the candidate networks and selects the one with highest ranking. Related Work A novel optimization utility is presented [Pervaiz, Haris, Qiang Ni, and Charilaos C. Zarakovitis] to incorporate the quality-of-service (QoS) dynamics of the available networks along with heterogeneous attributes of each user. The joint network and user selection is modelled by an evolutionary game theoretical approach and replicator dynamics is solved to seek an optimal stable solution by combining both self-control of users’ preferences and self-adjustment of networks’ parameters, our study innovates over related efforts. This paper [Mehbodniya, Abolfazl, Faisal Kaleem, Kang K. Yen, and Fumiyuki Adachi] presents a novel approach for the design and implementation of a multi-criteria vertical handoff decision algorithm for heterogeneous wireless networks based on the fuzzy extension of the Techniques for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) which is used to prioritize all the available networks within the coverage of the mobile user and to achieve seamless mobility while maximizing end-users satisfaction. A network selection mechanism based on two multi attribute decision making (MADM) methods namely multiple analytic hierarchy process (M-AHP) and grey relational analysis (GRA) method is proposed [Lahby, Mohamed, and Abdellah Adib]. The M-AHP is used to weigh each criterion and GRA is used to rank the alternatives. This paper [Rao, K. R., Zoran S. Bojkovic, and Bojan M. Bakmaz] provides a survey on fundamental aspects of network selection process and deals with network selection concept as a perspective approach to the always best connected and served paradigm in heterogeneous wireless environment. A cross-layer architectural framework for network and channel selection in a Heterogeneous Cognitive Wireless Network (HCWN) [Haldar, Kuheli Louha, Chittabrata Ghosh, and Dharma P. Agrawal] is proposed. A novel probabilistic model for channel classification based on its adjacent channels’ occupancy within the spectrum of an operating network is also introduced. Further, a modified Hungarian algorithm is implemented for channel and network selection among secondary users. A two-step vertical handoff decision algorithm [Liu, Chao, Yong Sun, Peng Yang, Zhen Liu, Haijun Zhang, and Xiangming Wen] based on dynamic weight compensation is proposed. It also adopts the filtering mechanism to reduce the system cost and improves the conventional algorithm by dynamic weight compensation and consistency adjustment. A speed-adaptive system discovery scheme [Yang, Peng, Yong Sun, Chao Liu, Wei Li, and Xiangming Wen] before vertical handoff decision, which effectively improves the update rate of the candidate networks set is introduced. Then a vertical handoff decision algorithm based on fuzzy logic with a pre-handoff decision method which reduces unnecessary handoffs, balancing the whole network resources and decreasing the probability of call blocking and dropping. A context-aware service adaptation mechanism [Chang, Jie, and Junde Song] under ubiquitous network relying on user-to-object, space-time interaction patterns which helps perform service adaptation is presented. Similar Users-based Service Adaptation algorithm (SUSA) is proposed, by combining entropy theory and fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process algorithm (FAHP). This approach adopts a suitably defined utility function [Pervaiz, Haris, and Qiang Ni], which at the same time takes into account the users importance for the considered attributes and the quality offered for these attributes by the available networks. The dynamics of network selection in cooperative wireless networks is modeled using an evolutionary game theory where an evolutionary equilibrium is sought as a solution to this game. A bandwidth allocation algorithm is proposed [Fei, Wenchao, Hui Tian, and Rongrong Lian] for Constant Bit Rate (CBR) and Variable Bit Rate (VBR) services depending on utility fairness among different networks and the fairness between new arrival and ongoing services. A utility function is introduced whose parameters are determined by the modified multi-state Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) which adapts to different load levels according to dynamic thresholds. A novel load balancing algorithm based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is proposed [Song, Qingyang, Jianhua Zhuang, and Rui Wen], which helps the heterogeneous WLAN/UMTS network to provide better service to high-priority users without decreasing system revenue. A novel selection policy [Sasaki, Misato, Akira Yamaguchi, Yuichi Imagaki, Kosuke Yamazaki, and Toshinori Suzuki] for a communication system in heterogeneous wireless networks, which applies the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) algorithm by taking into account the mobility of the user terminals is proposed. An intelligent context-aware solution based on advanced decision approaches like fuzzy logic and analytic hierarchy processes that considers both users and services requirements is proposed in [Zekri, Mariem, Badii Jouaber, and Djamal Zeghlache]. REFERENCES: IEEE Std 802.16-2009. IEEE standard for local and metropolitan area networks. Part 16: Air interface for broadband wireless access systems; 2009. Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specification, IEEE 802.11 WG, Aug. 1999. Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specification: High-Speed Physical Layer Extension in the 2.4 GHz Band, IEEE 802.11b WG, Sept. 1999. Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specification: High-Speed Physical Layer in the 5 GHz Band, IEEE 802.11a WG, Sept. 1999. Hwang, C. L., Yoon, K. (1981). Multiple attribute decision making: Methods and applications. In A state of the art survey. New York: Springer. Meriem, K., Brigitte, K., Guy, P. (2008). An overview of vertical handover decision strategies in heterogeneous wireless networks. Elsevier, Journal of Computer, Communication, 37(10). Pervaiz, Haris, Qiang Ni, and Charilaos C. Zarakovitis. User adaptive QoS aware selection method for cooperative heterogeneous wireless systems: A dynamic contextual approach.Future Generation Computer Systems(2014). Mehbodniya, Abolfazl, Faisal Kaleem, Kang K. Yen, and Fumiyuki Adachi. A novel wireless network access selection scheme for heterogeneous multimedia traffic. InConsumer Communications and Networking Conference (CCNC), 2013 IEEE, pp. 485-489. IEEE, 2013. Lahby, Mohamed, and Abdellah Adib. Network selection mechanism by using M-AHP/GRA for heterogeneous networks. InWireless and Mobile Networking Conference (WMNC), 2013 6th Joint IFIP, pp. 1-6. IEEE, 2013. Rao, K. R., Zoran S. Bojkovic, and Bojan M. Bakmaz. Network selection in heterogeneous environment: A step toward always best connected and served. InTelecommunication in Modern Satellite, Cable and Broadcasting Services (TELSIKS), 2013 11th International Conference on, vol. 1, pp. 83-92. IEEE, 2013. Haldar, Kuheli Louha, Chittabrata Ghosh, and Dharma P. Agrawal. Dynamic spectrum access and network selection in heterogeneous cognitive wireless networks.Pervasive and Mobile Computing9, no. 4 (2013): 484-497. Liu, Chao, Yong Sun, Peng Yang, Zhen Liu, Haijun Zhang, and Xiangming Wen. A two-step vertical handoff decision algorithm based on dynamic weight compensation. InCommunications Workshops (ICC), 2013 IEEE International Conference on, pp. 1031-1035. IEEE, 2013. Yang, Peng, Yong Sun, Chao Liu, Wei Li, and Xiangming Wen. A novel fuzzy logic based vertical handoff decision algorithm for heterogeneous wireless networks. InWireless Personal Multimedia Communications (WPMC), 2013 16th International Symposium on, pp. 1-5. IEEE, 2013. Chang, Jie, and Junde Song. Research on Context-Awareness Service Adaptation Mechanism in IMS under Ubiquitous Network. InVehicular Technology Conference (VTC Spring), 2012 IEEE 75th, pp. 1-5. IEEE, 2012. Pervaiz, Haris, and Qiang Ni. User Preferences-Adaptive Dynamic Network Selection Approach in Cooperating Wireless Networks: A Game Theoretic Perspective. InTrust, Security and Privacy in Computing and Communications (TrustCom), 2012 IEEE 11th International Conference on, pp. 1609-1616. IEEE, 2012. Fei, Wenchao, Hui Tian, and Rongrong Lian. Utility-Based Dynamic Multi-Service Bandwidth Allocation in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks. In Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC Spring), 2012 IEEE 75th, pp. 1-5. IEEE, 2012. Song, Qingyang, Jianhua Zhuang, and Rui Wen. Load Balancing in WLAN/UMTS Integrated Systems Using Analytic Hierarchy Process. InRecent Advances in Computer Science and Information Engineering, pp. 457-464. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2012. Sasaki, Misato, Akira Yamaguchi, Yuichi Imagaki, Kosuke Yamazaki, and Toshinori Suzuki. Novel Communication System Selection Applying the AHP Algorithm in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks. InWireless Communications and Applications, pp. 241-249. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2012. Zekri, Mariem, Badii Jouaber, and Djamal Zeghlache. Context aware vertical handover decision making in heterogeneous wireless networks. InLocal Computer Networks (LCN), 2010 IEEE 35th Conference on, pp. 764-768. IEEE, 2010.

Importance Of Geographic Profiling

Importance Of Geographic Profiling This paper shall give a comprehensive discussion about the importance of geographic profiling to aid in investigative methods employed by government agents and police officers in pinpointing predatory criminals. The sophistication of the techniques in crime scene investigation have kept pace with the rapid development in the tools and technologies used in the field, and this has enabled police authorities to employ a variety of methods to help them pinpoint perpetrators in the most accurate, efficient and timely way. The renewed public interest in the formerly esoteric field of forensic science has been sparked by a series of television shows that are focused mainly on the techniques and tools used by crime scene investigators in the course of their daily work. For example, Coetzee (2008) noted the popular TV series Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) in all its different seasons have helped to throw some light into the work performed by crime scene investigators. As has already been mentioned, new and more sophisticated ways of doing crime scene investigation is being designed every day. On the one hand, this is meant to keep up with the developments in the field of forensic science. On a more practical note, however, developing new techniques and tools will help police authorities to clear their cases faster and more efficiently and allow them to stay on top of all their assignments. Likewise, the reality is that more and more perpetrators are employing more covert methods to keep themselves out of the reach of the law, and so police investigators must be able to devise ways to speed up the proceedings of their cases in such a way as to effect speedy justice. There are various ways by which crimes are solved, and it is by no means only the police investigator who is responsible for the successful closure of a criminal case. The investigation of a crime involves a wide array of activities and areas of expertise, such as DNA profiling to examine shoe prints, toxicology and handwriting analysis (Sjerps, 2008). Other scientific experts are also routinely called upon to testify in court depending on the nature and circumstances involved in the crime at bar. The solution to a crime starts with the crucial information that a dutiful crime scene investigator can offer (Coetzee, 2008). He or she identifies, interprets, and provides the necessary clues and leads for the investigator in charge to follow. The ever-increasing importance of the detection and identification of physical evidence left in a crime scene in order to bring about a successful prosecution also underscores the critical nature of a crime scene investigators work. The Locard principle-that every contact leaves a trace-is the primary assumption on which crime scene investigation rests. Thus, when two objects come together, there will inevitably be mutual contamination and it is through the proper tracing and identification of these contamination points that crimes can be possibly solved. Trace evidence is any object that can be brought back to police laboratories that may help investigators determine who committed a crime and why (Thompson, 2006). Because of the critical nature of the evidence, they must be preserved properly and analyzed accurately in order to withstand the rigors of court examination. An investigator may probably be able to work with very small amounts of trace evidence, but the persistence and purity of such evidence is important for him or her to cull crucial information from the same. Whether or not they criminals are aware of it, they actually leave something in the surroundings, while at the same time taking something with them from their contact with the victim or the objects at the crime scene. Traces of contact evidence are also very different to detect with the naked eye, and that is why criminals cannot always erase all the evidence that they leave behind. These traces are important for the crime scene investigator to find, tag and identify. They are sometimes referred to as silent evidence as they point out crucial leads that the investigators can follow by giving material bases for the leads that they follow throughout the investigation (Kaza, n.d.). Some of the most common types of trace evidence found at the crime scene include bloodstains, paint, hair, textile fibers, and glass fragments. Microscopic particles are also important because they may give clues as to what is inherently a part of the surroundings in which the crime took place and what is linked to the crime committed. There are times, however, when the perpetrator leaves traces that are hard to analyze in order to gain a probable physical description of him. For this reason, criminal investigators employ a variety of other methods that are not dependent on tangible evidence left behind by the perpetrator, relying instead on the behavioural patterns and the modus operandi of the suspect to gain a clue as to his possible whereabouts, his state of mind, and hopefully his next supposed victim. The idea is therefore to read such intangible clues and get into the mind of the perpetrator to prevent him from committing another crime and hurting another person. While these information may not be helpful in the actual prosecution of the case, they would oftentimes lead the police officers into valuable leads that can help them track down the suspect. Among the non-physical evidence based methods used by criminal investigators are criminal profiling and, more recently, geographical profiling. These methods are used to predict the subsequent actions of the perpetrator based not only on the physical evidence that he left behind but also on the conscious or unconscious choices that made before, during, and after the commission of the crime. These methods are not as accurate or exact as forensic science itself, but they do provide valuable clues as to the next steps that the police should take in order to catch the criminal faster. Criminal profiling through geography In general, criminal profiling is the art of weaving together traces left in the crime scene to develop a likely story about the criminals plan, his method of operation, his thoughts, and his next target. The aim is to provide a map of sorts that will help police investigators and forensic psychologists to nail down the perpetrator. Criminal profiling methods are becoming more and more sophisticated as well, with the help of not only advanced technological tools but also developments in behavioural sciences, particularly psychology and psychiatry. Winerman (2004) noted that informal criminal profiling had its beginnings in the 1880s, when two physicians named George Philips and Thomas Bond utilized crime scene clues to discover the personality of the British serial murderer Jack the Ripper. In the decades to come, criminal profiling methods remained largely informal and the police investigators were often left to use intuition in tracking down their quarry. It is only in the 1970s when the US Federal Bureau Investigation opened its Behavioral Science Unit that criminal profiling became an actual scientific process. From then on, it became widely accepted in law enforcement circles as a reliable technique for predicting criminal behaviour. From the nature of these techniques, it can be deduced that profiling works best only when the police investigators already have a string of clues from different crime scenes at hand. Moreover, they are also likely to have an idea of who the suspect is, or at least they have a shortlist of suspected offenders. The trick is therefore pinpointing exactly who among these individuals actually perpetrated the crime, and to catch him before he does it again. Some of the most common things that criminal profilers look at when deciphering cases where the criminal has committed a series of offenses are the following: ÂÂ · Antecedent: what is the criminal plan or fantasy behind the action? ÂÂ · Method of operations: victims identity, weapon(s) used on the victim, degree of hostility or cruelty exhibited by the act, the existence or lack of sexual overtures to the crime, method of body disposal ÂÂ · Post-offense behaviour: is the suspect trying to give false leads to the media or to the police authorities? While methods are beginning to resemble an exact science, it cannot be denied that most of the data that investigators follow up on are mere guesswork and speculations backed up by circumstantial evidence. Thus, there was a need to develop a more foolproof method that will police authorities to limit their investigation to a particular area or community, and thus crack down on the perpetrator in a shorter amount of time. It is at this juncture that criminal geographical tracking (CGT) or more commonly known as geographical profiling came to be. Knowledge of criminal mobility and the geographical characteristics of crime scenes concurrently prompted investigators to look for a way that will allow them to manage their time and resources more effectively by confining the investigation to the most probable location of the perpetrators residence or his hub of criminal activity (Holmes and Holmes 2002). The most popular name that is associated with geographical profiling is Kim Rossmo, who started to make this method of investigative profiling more exact and accurate through his doctoral dissertation at Simon Fraser University in 1995 (Ramsland 2010). He developed a computer software called the criminal geographical tracking or (CGT) that is meant to assist in cases involving violent serial crimes. It feeds a number of important geographical characteristics into the software, which in turn tries to zero in on the most probable area of residence of the offender. CGT was meant to be an information management system that can help law enforcement agents cut down on their investigation time and resources by locating an exact area where the perpetrator is most likely to reside or to operate. This pioneering technology was first adapted by the Vancouver Police Department and was later on utilized by a number of other police districts across Canada. As a method of investigation, geographic profiling works by utilizing the locations of connected series of crimes to come up with the most probable area of residence of the offender. Oftentimes, it is used in cases where serial murder, rape, arson or robbery is involved, but it can also be applied in instances of single crimes like carnapping, burglary, bombing, and others. The most important element of this kind of investigative technique is the presence of distinguishing geographical features that can point the police officers to a specific place to conduct their investigation. Rossmo likened geographical profiling to looking at the traces left by a garden sprinkler on a lawn-there is no exact way to predict where the water droplets will fall, but it will leave a pattern that will show whoever is looking at it to guess where the sprinkler was most likely located amidst the marks on the wet ground (Grierson 2003). Grierson (2003) noted that Rossmo noted four important principles underpin geographical profiling. Rossmo borrowed two concepts from the original crime-pattern theory proposed by his teachers. The first idea is that offenders often leave a buffer zone around their area of residence in order to maintain their anonymity, while the second posits that there is a distance decay that can be interpreted from the actions of offenders. That is, an offender will be more willing to travel farther from home if he thinks that the payoff for the crime will be that much greater, meaning the violence involved in the commission of the crime will also be greater. Rossmo also added his own ideas to these theoretical concepts. He incorporated what he called the least effort analysis wherein he postulated that an individual will not act without performing some kind of cost-benefit analysis for his proposed course of action. The last concept in the puzzle is that of routine-activity theory, which states that crimes can happen at the junction of opportunity and familiarity. In other words, the decision to commit the crime in a particular manner is influenced by where the criminal finds himself at the time he decided on pushing through with his criminal design. This method is highly dependent upon two basic assumptions: 1. That the set of crimes being analyzed belong to one and the same series only. This can be validated only by exhausting other police methods that will confirm that a particular set of discrete offenses can be actually be attributed to the same person. 2. Accurate and valid geographical modelling that can show travel distance to the crime sites relative to the type of crime committed, type of offender, and the area or location being studied. Geographical profiling links the geographical characteristics of the crime scene and the known propensities of serial criminals in terms of choosing their victim and the location for deed. The result of the corresponding analyses will be a map that shows the offenders area of criminal activity. The locations of the occurrence of the crime would often belie a certain rational choice on the part of the offender, which would then help the investigators to trace him to his place of residence. Geographical information systems can be adapted to fit different scales, from global to small-scale investigation. Most geographical profiling occurs at the medium scale level, applying to particular cities or neighbourhoods. Smaller areas such as individual buildings can also be subjected to geographical profiling to determine more and more specific locations for the crime, such as an elevator shaft or a fire exit. According to Harries (1999), mapping crime is an important step in criminal investigation because it helps to provide a visual representation of the course of the investigation and what the authorities have found so far based on the existing evidence. Rossmos CGT would come up with either 2D or 3D map that can show the criminals most probable locations of activity based on the past crime scenes and corresponding accuracy rates. This map represents the offenders mental map of the city based on his past experience and activities within the area, his travel routes, and reference points. Some offenders stay within a particular geographical region, while others are willing to travel great distances in order to perpetuate their criminal design. The chances of the offender being a stable or a mobile one depends on a number of factors, such as his past travel experiences, means for transportation, predatory motivations, sense of personal security and even his preferred mode of attack. Rossmo also makes the assumption that the more crimes the offender is able to commit successfully, the more confident he feels about his particular mode of operation and the more willing he is to expand his area of activity. Geographic profiling can help the investigation in a variety of ways, such as choosing the most appropriate and efficient investigative strategy, prioritizing tips and evidence, running searches on existing DNA and fingerprint databases, neighbourhood canvasses and questioning of key people associated with the suspect, and address-based searches of police records. It is not meant to be a standalone technique to solve a crime, but rather to point the investigators to a particular locality where they can more extensively concentrate their investigation efforts. Ramsland (2010) noted that some law enforcement experts are actually more confident in the turnouts that geographical profiling can give rather than the traditional investigative methods that have been used in the past. Conclusion At present, the future of geographical profiling methods seems promising because of the increasing sophistication of crime mapping techniques and technology. Geographic information systems like Rossmos CGT was the first important step in the evolution of this branch of criminal investigation in the past decade, but it seems likely that we will be seeing more and more non-conventional and innovative methods in present-day investigations. Harries (1999) predicted that technologies like global positioning system or GPS, digital photography, local police databases and even the Internet as invaluable aids to police investigations. Spatial analysis giving police investigators a definite edge over their criminal counterparts, therefore shortening the criminal investigation considerably and allowing the prosecution stage to happen earlier. One of the most important advantages that technologies like geographical profiling can offer the law enforcement circle is its ability to reduce wastage of time, effort and resources by pointing the investigators to the most probable area of activity that the offender inhabits. Instead of spreading the manpower of the authorities over a large area and spending too much time chasing down false leads, the police can now focus on a specific location and conduct a more narrowly-tailored search. Rossmos CGT has spawned a series of new technologies that are now aimed at making police work more scientific and accurate. Even if the earliest beginnings of criminal profiling were largely dependent upon luck and guesswork, advances in science and technology have made it possible for criminal investigations to proceed with more certainty. Thus, it is important for investigators to also continue using it to improve upon the technology and make it more prevalent in law enforcement.

Analysis of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning Essay -- Robert Brownin

My Last Duchess by Robert Browning is a dramatic monologue about a duke who is showing the portrait of his first wife, the duchess, to a servant of his future father-in-law, the Count. In a dramatic monologue, the speaker addresses a distinct but silent audience. Through his speech, the speaker unintentionally reveals his own personality. As such, in reading this poem, the reader finds the duke to be self-centered, arrogant, controlling, chauvinistic and a very jealous man. The more he attempted to conceal these traits, however, the more they became evident. There is situational irony (a discrepancy between what the character believes and what the reader knows to be true) in this because the duke does not realize this is what is happening. Instead, he thinks he appears as a powerful and noble aristocrat. Robert Browning, the poet, uses iambic pentameter throughout the poem. He breaks up the pattern so that every two lines rhyme. Aside from being a dramatic monologue, the poem is also considered lyric poetry because it is a poem that evokes emotion but does not tell a story. The poem is being told in the speaker's point-of-view about his first duchess, also as revealed in the title, The Last Duchess. The setting is important because the duke's attitude correlates to how men treated women at that time. The theme of the poem appears to be the duke's possessive love and his reflections on his life with the duchess, which ultimately brings about murder and his lack of conscience or remorse. In the first several lines (1-8) of the poem , the duke is addressing an unknown listener. He only uses the pronoun "you" so it is never clear until the ending who the intended listener is. He begins by pointing out the portrait on the wall... ...ding this poem, it is obvious to think that the Duke was definitely a cruel and heartless man. Assuming he had his first wife killed, he didn't seem to care. He just forged ahead in an attempt to find another woman he could control. As a matter of fact, he used his influence to actually warn the servant of his plans for his marriage to the Count's daughter. Instead of mourning his first wife, he seemed to revel in the fact that he was now able to control her beauty in the portrait by only allowing viewing to those he invited to see it when he opened the curtain. Oh, what a powerful feeling that must have been for him! In the 20th century, however, I think this poem would have been written differently to reflect the freedom women have today. No woman would have put up with him! Maybe the Duke would have had second thoughts about how he treated his beautiful Duchess.

Equine Nutrition :: Biology Anatomy Horse Essays

The digestive system of the horse consists of a simple stomach, small intestines, cecum, large and small colons, rectum and anus. The horse’s stomach is comparatively small for its size. The stomach of an average horse has a holding capacity of about two gallons. This may be the reason horses eat small but frequent meals. From the stomach food moves to the small intestine, which is the main site of digestion. The small intestine empties into the cecum. The cecum; along with the large colon; make up the large intestine. Digestion in the large intestine occurs by action of bacteria and protozoa. (arg.gov.sk.ca) The energy content found in feeds and how it is measured in Kilocalories (kcal). (arg.gov.sk.ca) which is also the measure used for calories in human consumption. Equine energy intake is measured in megacalories (Mcal) which are equal to 1000 calories. (arg.gov.sk.ca) The total energy in feed is called gross energy. The amount of the feed's gross energy that is used by the horse is called Digestible Energy or DE. Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) is also a measure of feed content energy, it is reported in percentages and converts between calories and weight. (arg.gov.sk.ca) Carbohydrates supply 80-90% of dietary energy. Sugars, starch, cellulose and related substances are carbohydrates. Starch is more easily digested than cellulose. Grains are easy to digest as they are 60-80% starch. (arg.gov.sk.ca) A recent study conducted by Sharon R. Bullimore et. all. investigated the result of supplementing the diet of endurance horses with fructose rather than glucose. They â€Å"conclude that fructose is well-absorbed by horses and rapidly converted to glucose.† An assessment of adequate energy intake can be established by evaluating body condition. Deficient diets result in weight loss in the horse. Alternate causes of weight loss are internal parasites and disease. Excess energy intake wall cause obisity which stresses joints and reduces athletic ability. (arg.gov.sk.ca) A horse in moderate physical condition is described as â€Å"Back level. Ribs cannot be visually distinguished but can be easily felt. Fat around tailhead beginning to feel spongy. Withers appear rounded over spinous processes. Shoulders and neck blend smoothly into body.† (Henneke et al., 1981) Protein is necessary in a horse’s diet as they can not produce the amino acid lysine and must be supply it in their feed. The horse’s protein requirements vary depending on age and function. Young horses needing more as they are still developing tissues made of protein.

Compare the portrayal of men and women in Turned and in Tony Kytes, the arch -deceiver :: Charlotte Perkins Gilman Thomas Hardy

‘Turned’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and ‘Tony kytes, the arch-deceiver’ by Thomas Hardy, are both short stories. They are about the relationships between men and women. ‘Turned’ is a more severe story. It is about a man called Mr Marroner going abroad for work, and his wife finding out that Mr Marroner had slept with their servant Gerta. Gerta then becomes pregnant and, consequently Mrs Marroner tells Gerta to leave. However, Mrs Marroner soon realises that it was Mr Marroner’s fault, and therefore Mrs Marroner and Gerta leave before Mr Marroner returns home. ‘Tony Kytes, the arch deceiver’ is a more light-hearted story. Tony is a man that likes a lot of women, and there are a lot of women that like Tony. Tony is supposed to be engaged to a young women named Milly, however on a journey home from town he meets two other girls. Both are previous girlfriends and they start flirting with him. Tony ends up with two girls hiding in the back of his wagon and one sitting beside him. He gets in a bit of a muddle. However he ends marrying Milly. This story is about a man who is unsure about how he feels towards his fiancà ©. Mrs. Marroner from ‘turned’ was a well educated, high society woman. She lived in Boston, an upper-class suburb, had a Ph.D. and once lectured at university. A woman being highly educated was very rare for the early 20th century. Because of her suburban upbringing and education she was a confident, free thinking and independent women who relied on no one. She was the more dominant person in her marriage. We know that she has interesting life as the author says ‘her well-filled, well-balanced mind, her many interests.’ This proves that she has an interesting life and has many interests. Mrs Marroner’s feelings for Gerta change a lot throughout the story. When she first found out that Gerta was pregnant, she was devastated, very emotional. She could not believe that something like this could happen because Gerta was almost like a daughter to Mrs Marroner. When Mrs Marroner had thought about what had happened her feelings for Gerta changed again, she re alised that it was Mr Marroners fault. She then decided to forgive Gerta. Many women would put up with a bad husband rather than have no husband, however, Mrs Marroner isn’t like this. She leaves her husband to take care of Gerta.

Expository Essay on Early Childhood Education Essay

This essay is on Early Childhood Education. Early Childhood Education is a very important program for children. Without a substantial preschool program children are set up to fail. For those of you who are looking for a way to give your child or children a competitive edge Early Childhood Education is the way to go. Children that go through an Early Childhood Education program will not have to worry about the effects the program has on their future collegiate experience. The lack of preschool experience can lead to â€Å"poor school adjustment outcomes such as school failure, unemployment, and poverty†. â€Å"Studies of a wide variety of programs such as Head Start, Even Start, Flow Through, Learning to Learn and other model programs have shown that one or two years of preschool can improve children’s school readiness, early scholastic achievement, and school competence such as lower grade retention and special education placement. † †Research supports the effects of preschool programs on long term outcomes such as reduced school dropout rates† (Berrueta – Clement, Schweinhart, Barnett, Epstein, & Weikart, 1984; Reynolds 1994; Schweinhart, Barnes, & Weikart 1993) . With such research and evidence I strongly believe Early Childhood Education is the most important way a parent or guardian can kick start a child’s education. Not only does Early Childhood Education affect academics it also affects the economy. â€Å"The conventional view of economic development typically includes company headquarters, office towers, entertainment centers, and professional sports stadiums and arenas. (Art Rolnick Senior Vice President and Director of Research; Rob Grunewald, Regional Economic Analyst Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, 2003)† In laymen’s terms this means that we typically see economic development as anything ranging from company headquarters to professional sports stadiums and arenas. â€Å"Any proposed economic development list should have early childhood development at the top. The return on investment from early childhood development is extraordinary. It results in better working public schools, more educated workers and less crime. † â€Å"High quality early childhood education is essential to a child’s preparation for school. What is more, quality early education is inextricably tied to the workforce—the training, preparation and working conditions of those who provide care. Public policy decisions that prioritize resource availability for developing, implementing and monitoring a high quality early childhood care and education system are almost invariably affected by budgetary and regulatory constraints. † In other words the budget and regulatory constraints decide the priority of early childhood care and education. In my opinion this is how early childhood education affects the economy. Not only does early childhood education have impact on academics and the economy it also has impact on children’s socialization. â€Å"Preschool experiences are designed to provide cognitive and social enrichment during early childhood development. † â€Å"As the pressures on preschools to prepare children for school mount, there is growing recognition that this involves both exposure to pre-academic Social-Emotional Effects of Tulsa Pre-K 2105 learning and support for the range of capacities that enable children to engage in learning, attend to instruction, interact effectively with teachers and peers, and manage themselves with growing independence in the classroom (Raver & Knitzer, 2002). † So this is how I believe early childhood education has an impact on children’s socialization. Going through all of the research on this subject reinforced to me how important early childhood education really is. Early Childhood Education is a very important program for children. Without a substantial preschool program children are set up to fail. Just to refresh your memory the main points in this essay were that early childhood education affects academics, the economy, and children’s socialization. References Fred C. Lunenburg. Center for Research and Doctoral Studies in Educational Leadership Sam Houston State University Gormley Jr. , W. T. , Phillips, D. A. , Newmark, K. , Welti, K. , & Adelstein, S. (2011). Social-Emotional Effects of Early Childhood Education Programs in Tulsa. Child Development, 82(6), 2095-2109. doi:10. 1111/j. 1467-8624. 2011. 01648. x Art Rolnick Senior Vice President and Director of Research Rob Grunewald Regional Economic Analyst Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (Raver & Knitzer, 2002). † (Berrueta – Clement, Schweinhart, Barnett, Epstein, & Weikart, 1984; Reynolds 1994; Schweinhart, Barnes, & Weikart 1993).

Hart Venture Capital Essay

Case study 1 Better Fitness, Inc. (BFI), manufactures exercise equipment at its plant in Freeport, Long Island. It recently designed two universal weight machines for the home exercise market. Both machines use BFI-patented technology that provides the user with an extremely wide range of motion capability for each type of exercise performed. Until now, such capabilities have been available only on expensive weight machines used primarily by physical therapists. At a recent trade show, demonstrations of the machines resulted in significant dealer interest. In fact, the number of orders that BFI received at the trade show far exceeded its manufacturing capabilities for the current production period. As a result, management decided to begin production of the two machines. The two machines, which BFI named the BodyPlus 100 and the BodyPlus 200, require different amounts of resources to produce. The BodyPlus 100 consists of a frame unit, a press station, and a pec-dec station. Each frame produced uses 4 hours of machining and welding time and 2 hours of painting and finishing time. Each press station requires 2 hours of machining and welding time and 1 hour of painting and finishing time, and each pec-dec station uses 2 hours of machining and welding time and 2 hours of painting and finishing time. In addition, 2 hours are spent assembling, testing, and packaging each BodyPlus 100. The raw material costs are $450 for each frame, $300 for each press station, and $250 for each pec-dec station; packaging costs are estimated to be $50 per unit. The BodyPlus 200 consists of a frame unit, a press station, a pec-dec station, and a legpress station. Each frame produced uses 5 hours of machining and welding time and 4 hours of painting and finishing time. Each press station requires 3 hours machining and welding time and 2 hours of painting and finishing time, each pec-dec station uses 2 hours of machining and welding time and 2 hours of painting and finishing time, and each legpress station requires 2 hours of machining and welding time and 2 hours of painting and finishing time. In addition, 2 hours are spent assembling, testing, and packaging each Body-Plus 200. The raw material costs are $650 for each frame, $400 for each press station, $250 for each pec-dec station, and $200 for each leg-press station; packaging costs are estimated to be $75 per unit. For the next production period, management estimates that 600 hours of machining and welding time, 450 hours of painting and finishing time, and 140 hours of assembly, testing, and packaging time will be available. Current labor costs are $20 per hour for machining and welding time, $15 per hour for painting and finishing time, and $12 per hour for assembly, testing, and packaging time. The market in which the two machines must compete suggests a retail price of $2400 for the BodyPlus 100 and $3500 for the BodyPlus 200, although some flexibility may be available to BFI because of the unique capabilities of the new machines. Authorized BFI dealers can purchase machines for 70% of the suggested retail price. BFI’s president believes that the unique capabilities of the BodyPlus 200 can help position BFI as one of the leaders in high-end exercise equipment. Consequently, he has stated that the number of units of the BodyPlus 200 produced must be at least 25% of the total production. Managerial Report Analyze the production problem at Better Fitness, Inc. , and prepare a report for BFI’s president presenting your findings and recommendations. Include (but do not limit your discussion to) a consideration of the following items: 1. What is the recommended number of BodyPlus 100 and BodyPlus 200 machines to produce? 2. How does the requirement that the number of units of the BodyPlus 200 produced be at least 25% of the total production affect profits? 3. Where should efforts be expended in order to increase profits?  Include a copy of your linear programming model and graphical solution in an appendix to your report. Case study 2 Hart Venture Capital (HVC) specializes in providing venture capital for software development and Internet applications. Currently HVC has two investment opportunities: (1) Security Systems, a firm that needs additional capital to develop an Internet security software package, and (2) Market Analysis, a market research company that needs additional capital to develop a software package for conducting customer satisfaction surveys. In exchange for Security Systems stock, the firm has asked HVC to provide $600,000 in year 1, $600,000 in year 2, and $250,000 in year 3 over the coming three-year period. In exchange for their stock, Market Analysis has asked HVC to provide $500,000 in year 1, $350,000 in year 2, and $400,000 in year 3 over the same three-year period. HVC believes that both investment opportunities are worth pursuing. However, because of other investments, they are willing to commit at most $800,000 for both projects in the first year, at most $700,000 in the second year, and $500,000 in the third year. HVC’s financial analysis team reviewed both projects and recommended that the company’s objective should be to maximize the net present value of the total investment in Security Systems and Market Analysis. The net present value takes into account the estimated value of the stock at the end of the three-year period as well as the capital outflows that are necessary during each of the three years. Using an 8% rate of return, HVC’s financial analysis team estimates that 100% funding of the Security Systems project has a net present value of $1,800,000, and 100% funding of the Market Analysis project has a net present value of $1,600,000. HVC has the option to fund any percentage of the Security Systems and Market Analysis projects. For example, if HVC decides to fund 40% of the Security Systems project, investments of 0. 40($600,000) _ $240,000 would be required in year 1, 0. 40($600,000) _ $240,000 would be required in year 2, and 0. 40($250,000) _ $100,000 would be required in year 3. In this case, the net present value of the Security Systems project would be 0. 40($1,800,000) _ $720,000. The investment amounts and the net present value for partial funding of the Market Analysis project would be computed in the same manner. Managerial Report Perform an analysis of HVC’s investment problem and prepare a report that presents your findings and recommendations. Include (but do not limit your discussion to) a consideration of the following items: 1. What is the recommended percentage of each project that HVC should fund and the net present value of the total investment? 2. What capital allocation plan for Security Systems and Market Analysis for the coming three-year period and the total HVC investment each year would you recommend? . What effect, if any, would HVC’s willingness to commit an additional $100,000 during the first year have on the recommended percentage of each project that HVC should fund? 4. What would the capital allocation plan look like if an additional $100,000 is made available? 5. What is your recommendation as to whether HVC should commit the additional $100,000 in the first year? Provide model details Case study 3 Digital Imaging (DI) produces photo printers for both the professional and consumer markets. The DI consumer division recently introduced two photo printers that provide color prints rivaling those produced by a professional processing lab. The DI-910 model can produce a 4†³ _ 6†³ borderless print in approximately 37 seconds. The more sophisticated and faster DI-950 can even produce a 13†³ _ 19†³ borderless print. Financial projections show profit contributions of $42 for each DI-910 and $87 for each DI-950. The printers are assembled, tested, and packaged at DI’s plant located in New Bern, North Carolina. This plant is highly automated and uses two manufacturing lines to produce the printers. Line 1 performs the assembly operation with times of 3 minutes per DI-910 printer and 6 minutes per DI-950 printer. Line 2 performs both the testing and packaging operations. Times are 4 minutes per DI-910 printer and 2 minutes per DI-950 printer. The shorter time for the DI-950 printer is a result of its faster print speed. Both manufacturing lines are in operation one 8-hour shift per day. Managerial Report Perform an analysis for Digital Imaging in order to determine how many units of each printer to produce. Prepare a report to DI’s president presenting your findings and recommendations. Include (but do not limit your discussion to) a consideration of the following: 1. The recommended number of units of each printer to produce to maximize the total contribution to profit for an 8-hour shift. What reasons might management have for not implementing your recommendation? 2. Suppose that management also states that the number of DI-910 printers produced must be at least as great as the number of DI-950 units produced. Assuming that the objective is to maximize the total contribution to profit for an 8-hour shift, how many units of each printer should be produced? 3.  Does the solution you developed in part (2) balance the total time spent on line 1 and the total time spent on line 2? Why might this balance or lack of it be a concern to management? 4. Management requested an expansion of the model in part (2) that would provide a better balance between the total time on line 1 and the total time on line 2. Management wants to limit the difference between the total time on line 1 and the total time on line 2 to 30 minutes or less. If the objective is still to maximize the total contribution to profit, how many units of each printer should be produced? What effect does this workload balancing have on total profit in part (2)? 5. Suppose that in part (1) management specified the objective of maximizing the total number of printers produced each shift rather than total profit contribution. With this objective, how many units of each printer should be produced per shift? What effect does this objective have on total profit and workload balancing? For each solution that you develop, include a copy of your linear programming model and graphical solution in the appendix to your report.