Related Text For Tom Brennan Essay Essay

By the Grace of God by Katy Perry is a song of heart break and determination , Katy herself is faced with the challenge of working though positive and negative experiences she has encountered through her divorce. These negative experiences that Katy faces are portrayed through a number of features some include the use of a depressing and Grey tones throughout the first two verses â€Å" thought i wasn’t enough â€Å" , â€Å" Couldn’t take it anymore†, â€Å" Running on empty so out of gas† This is one way Katy expresses her negative experience of heartache and pain, this also can refer to her depression. Another technique used to reveal her pain is the use of similes for example â€Å" locked up tight like iron mountain† Katy feels trapped and depressed and â€Å" when the truth was like swallowing sand† Katy feels as though she is better to just suffer than face the truth although Katy has faced all of these negative experiences she some how finds it in herself to make her own positive experiences in a similar way to Tom Brennan. For the rest of the song Katy is all about turning her negative experiences into positives. She is determined â€Å" to pick herself back up† and to fight through the pain and get back to her new/ normal life. This is when she leans to the spiritual/ religious side of things which is a strong theme throughout the rest of the song as it ends every chorus â€Å" By the Grace of God† These positive experiences of rebuilding and reflection are proclaimed through two main features the use of imagery and the repetition of lyrics. Types of imagery indicated in this song are religious imagery â€Å" By the grace of god ( There was no other way) this indicates to the audience that her faith was her last resort to help her turn her life. hopeful imagery â€Å" I picked myself back up â€Å" , â€Å" Decided to stay†, â€Å" I’m not giving up† This unveils to us that she is willing to leave the past behind and is ready to face the future. Imagery of Katy rebuilding her confidence is strong throughout the middle and end of this song this displays that her life is really heading in a positive direction and she is not going to let the negative things bring her down examples of this are â€Å" I could Finally see my self again† This is very similar the the quote In Tom Brennan â€Å"I could smile, ‘cause I could see that he was  coming back’.

Health

Florence Nightingale Act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist him in his recovery. Martha Rogers humanistic science for maintaining and promoting health, preventing illness, caring for and rehabilitating the sick and the disabled. Sister Callista Roy a health care profession that focuses on human life processes and patterns and emphasizes promotion of health for individuals, families, groups, and society as a whole â€Å"†¦ the science and practice that expands adaptive abilities and enhances person and environmental transformation.Imogene King s a process of human interactions between nurse and patients who communicate to set goals and then agree to meet the goal. Betty Neuman unique profession in that it is concerned with all of the variables affecting an individual's response to stress.A Science Knowledge of underlying principles of nursing care based on biological sciences. 2. An Art Skilled techniques in giving adequate care. 3. An Occupation Job requires concentration, learning and dedication to practice as means of livelihood. 4. As a Profession Intellectual capacity Learning: research-basedPractical activities: skill-base Organized group practitioner. Nursing is a continuous caring b) Involves close personal care with recipients of care c) Nursing is concerned with service for the human individual as: Physiological Sociological Spiritual organisms ANA (American Nurses Association) (2003) Nursing is the protection, promotion and optimization of health and abilities, preventions of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities and populations.

Dynamic Analysis of Malware Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dynamic Analysis of Malware - Research Paper Example A function comprises of a code that executes a certain task like creating a file or calculating factorial value of a number. In the use of functions easy code re-usability, and easier maintenance can result. The property that makes functions interesting for program analysis is that they are usually used to abstract from execution particulars to a semantically richer representation. For example, so long as the outcome corresponds to the sorted input, the particular algorithm which a sort function implements might not be essential. When it comes to analyzing code, such abstractions help in gaining an overview of the behavior of the program when analyzing a code. By intercepting these calls, one can monitor what functions are called by a program. Hooking is the process of intercepting function calls. A hook function is invoked when the analyzed program is manipulated in addition to the anticipated function (Hunt, Thomas, & Cunningham, 1999). Application Programming Interface (API) This hook function is responsible for putting into action the necessary analysis functionality like analyzing its input parameters or recording its stats to a log file. Application Programming Interface (API) are groups of functions that form a logical set of functionality, like communicating over the network or file manipulation. In most cases, operating systems provide several APIs that can be used by applications to perform familiar tasks and can be found on diverse layers of abstraction. The term API on windows OS, refers to a set of APIs which give access to varying functional groupings like system services, networking, management and security (Leyden, 2001). System Calls System calls is usually categorized into two, and it is the software execution on computer systems which run commodity of the shelf OS. These two categories are user-mode and kernel-mode. User-mode is used in executing general applications like image manipulation programs or word processors. The only code that is executed in kernel-mode has direct entry to the system state. This partition prohibits the user-mode process from interacting with the system and its environment. For example, since it is impossible to create or directly open a file for a user-space process, the operating system (OS) provides a unique well defined API-the system call interface. A user-mode application is able to request the OS to perform a small set of tasks on its behalf, by using system calls. A user-mode application has to invoke the precise system-call showing the file’s path, name and access method in order to create a file. As soon as the system call is invoked, it is changed into kernel-mode. The OS carries out the task on behalf of the user-mode applications when there are enough access rights for the desired action upon verification (Nick, 2006). Anubis Anubis is a critical component/tool which is used for studying/analyzing Windows PE-executable’s behavior, main focus being on malware analysis. Anubis execution results in the making of report files that have enough information, thus enabling a user to have a clear idea about the use and actions of the analyzed binary. The report has detailed data regarding enhancements made to the Windows registry or file system. This analysis relays on running and watching the binary in an emulated environment. The

Competitive silence or personalization of products, the case of Apple Essay

Competitive silence or personalization of products, the case of Apple Computer - Essay Example The scenario has now changed as most managers understand the need to maintain a strategic grip on the information a company receives and disseminates. They can then use this information in not only managing the internal processes but also control external factors such as share price and market perceptions. There is a very important link between the trends of information leaked and corporate success. The main factor for the success of any business is sales. This is because the primary aim of doing business for every organization is to earn a profit. There are two primary ways to increase over all monetary value of profit. The first way is to increase the gross profit margin on the products being offered in the market. This is the more difficult way for some products and at the end of the day it comes down to strategy. The product life cycle for example is major contributor to the decision of choosing the strategy of trying to increase gross margin. Products in the mature stage of their life cycle for example require extensive marketing efforts to increase gross margins. On the other hand products in introductory stage find it much easier to charge higher gross margins. The bulk of products being offered in the market are in mature stage of their product life cycle, so the question aris es as how to increase their profits? Even if extensive marketing efforts are undertaken they would although drive up sales but are much costly themselves. The alternative strategy is increasing the amount of sales rather than gross profit margin. There are many different ways of increasing sales none of which are easy to implement. Moreover most methods are replicable e.g. IBM moves its focus from Asia to cheaper markets of Africa. If we look at this example it would be very easy for competitors of IBM such as DELL and Compaq to target Africa as well. The point here is that driving up sales in a mature market

Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Assessment - Essay Example No single agent in this economy might be better off without making another agent worse off. This leads to the achievement of allocative efficiency (MC=AR). It is known as â€Å"Pareto optimum allocation of resources† (Klein, 2007). Productive efficiency: In the long run, in a perfectly competitive market structure, the output is produced at the lowest level of average total cost. This phenomenon is known as productive efficiency (MC=ATC). The firms that incur high unit cost are inefficient and are not fit to stay in business in the long run. The forces of competition would not allow them to charge high price. Thus, they would be forced to quit industry in the long run. Dynamic efficiency: One important assumption in the competitive market structure is that all producers in the industry produce homogeneous products. Homogeneity of the products ensure that the products are similar in features and attributes and any single firm would not have the facility to make any innovation s uch that it would make the products of the firm to differentiated from the products of the other firms. This creates dynamic efficiency. No single firm would be able to enjoy competitive advantage over the others or enjoy any degree of monopoly power. Figure 1: Efficiency in perfect competition (Source: Author’s creation) Answer 2. ... Short Run Equilibrium In the short run, equilibrium is achieved at the point at which marginal revenue equals marginal cost. As long as value of marginal revenue (MR) exceeds value of marginal cost (MC), producer would expand output since profit level rises with rise in output (MR>MC, i.e., difference between MR and MC is positive). When marginal revenue is smaller than marginal cost, the producer would reduce output until the two values equate. Thus, in short run, profit maximizing price and output firm is determined at the position where MR equals MC. In short run, firms might earn super normal profit if average cost is less than average revenue, or conversely, they might incur a loss if the average cost is greater than average revenue. Figure 2: Short run equilibrium under monopolistic competitive market structure (Source: Author’s Creation) Long Run Equilibrium In long run, there are scopes of entry of new firms into the industry. Therefore, supernormal profit is erased in the long run. As new firms enter into the industry, demand faced by each firm decreases and Average revenue (AR) curve shifts leftwards. Consequently, supernormal profit falls. Firms would produce at the level at which marginal revenue equals marginal cost and price is determined by the interaction between average revenue and average cost. All firms earn normal profit in the long run. Some firms that incur loss in the short run would leave the industry in the long run and the remaining firms would earn normal profits. Figure 3: Long run equilibrium under monopolistic competitive market structure (Source: Author’s Creation) In case of monopolistic competition, in the long run, firms operate at the zero profit condition, which ensures that price

Digital communication schemes + AWGN channel Research Paper

Digital communication schemes + AWGN channel - Research Paper Example In digital modulation, an analog transporter signal is adjusted with a digital information flow. Digital modulation techniques can be enumerated as digital-to-analog conversion, and the corresponding demodulation or detection as analog-to-digital conversion. The most essential digital modulation schemes are found on keying, that are PSK, FSK, ASK and QAM. In the subject of PSK; acronym of phase-shift keying, a finite number of phases are used. In the matter of FSK; short form of frequency-shift keying; a finite number of frequencies are used. In the topic of ASK; abbreviation of amplitude-shift keying, a finite number of amplitudes are used. In the area of QAM; meaning Quadrature amplitude modulation; a finite number of at least two phases and at least two amplitudes are used. An instrument that executes modulation is recognized as a modulator and an appliance that executes the converse process of modulation is identified as a demodulator, at times it is also called as detector. An e lectronic tool that can do both processes is a modem; ‘mod’ means modulator and ‘dem’ means demodulator. 1. Quadrature Phase Shift Key Modulation (QPSK) Phase-shift keying is a digital modulation method that transmits information by altering the phase of an oriented signal called as the carrier wave. QPSK is recognized in different notations as quaternary PSK also as quadriphase PSK or 4-PSK. QPSK utilizes four spots on the assemblage figure, at equal arc interval around a circle. With quadrangle points, QPSK can program twice bits per symbol, as revealed in the figure with gray convention to lessen the bit inaccuracy or error rate also known as BER. The numerical investigation demonstrates that QPSK can be utilized also to make twice the information flow rate evaluated with a Binary phase-shift keying (BPSK scheme, a type of PSK) while preserving the identical bandwidth of the pulses. In other words it can be said that QPSK, in order to keep up with the in formation flow rate of BPSK, reduces half the bandwidth requirement as in the case of BPSK. In this issue of QPSK, the BER (bit inaccuracy rate) of QPSK is precisely alike as the BER of BPSK modulation scheme. The numeric execution of QPSK is further wide-ranging as compare to BPSK and also specifies the execution of advanced order PSK. In scripting the mathematical code in the group drawing in language of the sine and cosine waves utilized to broadcast them is as under: The above equation will convey the quadrangle points, as it is desirable in QPSK, the phases will be at one forth ‘?’ at corresponding value of n = 1, three by forth ‘?’ at corresponding value of n = 2, five by forth ‘?’ at corresponding value of n = 3, and seven by forth ‘?’ at corresponding value of n = 4. Where ‘fc’ is the carrier frequency and ‘n’ is the phase value. 2. Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) Quadrature amplitude modulat ion abbreviated as QAM is mutually an analog plus a digital modulation method. It communicates two analog communication pulses, or in an analogous approach two digital bits flow. QAM does so by altering the amplitudes of two transporter

My Personal Story about English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 105

My Personal Story about English - Essay Example Writing formal English is tough because I have to observe a lot of rules not to mention that I have to organize my thoughts. It is easier if I will just write a paragraph or two because I need not organize it but it is different when I have to write long pages of writing especially those that are required in class.   This one is relatively easier to write because I just have to write from my experience.   But when it gets longer and the topic becomes more difficult, I usually have a hard time writing it especially getting the paper started. There are several in the past where my difficulty in speaking English became a burden or in forming a new friendship with people.   I like to meet and know all sorts of people and if possible to have a new set of friends all the time.   People just interests me.   There was this incident however that my English was still not that good that I had difficulty speaking it.   I was introduced to a new set of friends and I was eager and excited to know them.   But alas, I was not a good conversationalist in English and I lost their interest.   As a result, we did not end up as good friends but only acquaintances.   I felt bad about it because I was really interested to make them my friends, know their hobbies and probably learn it too. There are instances however where my knowledge in English was rewarding.   I may not be an excellent writer or speaker of English but I can competently communicate with the language.   There was this time we were on holiday in South East Asia where most of the people speak in their native tongue.   It is difficult because the place is foreign to me and did not know how to go about because I was new to the place.   Luckily, the locals knew that I am a foreigner and are able to speak and write in English.   So the initial intimidation of going around and not knowing my way was overcome because I could ask around using the English language.   English is truly a universal language because people whom you do not expect to communicate with because of differences in native tongue can be overcome by speaking the English language thereby overcoming the language barrier.  

Great Style and Clarity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Great Style and Clarity - Essay Example g philosopher, thereby enabling the reader to accept his point of view, which otherwise may have been difficult, since it amounts to an accusation of the reader of barbaric impulses. Such a method of explication is suited to any exploration of the mind and any psychoanalytic reading of a phenomenon, since it has the potential to disturb the mind of the reader. While this in itself is not harmful, it may dull the analytic abilities of the reader. This may cause the writer to fail in conveying the message that he had taken upon himself to discuss in his paper. King’s ability to sustain a conversational style throughout his paper enables him to hold the interest of the reader till the very end of the essay. The end of the essay, however, reminds the reader that what the paper requires thought, rather than casual reading. The flourish at the end, which reminds the reader of the need to â€Å"keep the gators fed†, reminds the reader of the parts of the mind that he is not conscious of (King). King, thus, is able to weave into his narrative the very structure of the horror movie that he writes about and this enables the paper itself to have an eerie quality to

Quality assessment at bank call centre Research Paper

Quality assessment at bank call centre - Research Paper Example is a need to decrease variation so that proper attention can be given to continuous improvement in what is provided to the customers as is demanded by the customers. Another philosophy which needs to be established as a central part of the organization is the crucial need to implement correct controls along with proper techniques so that improvement can be made whenever it is required and is possible. As a student, it is very important for us to properly understand and realize the importance quality holds for organizations, specially the service sector which constantly is informing its employee’s importance of quality to make them an important customer segment. After a lot of research, finally we were able to find a bank which is providing proper service to its customers which is ICICI bank.     At ICICI Bank, all the banking and also financial products are offered to the corporate and also retail customers , they are using a variety of delivery channels and also through their subsidiaries which are specialized in life and also non-life insurance, investment banking also also asset management and venture capital. The bank is operating in India, Russia, Canada, Hong Kong, China and also United Kingdom.ICICI equity shares are basically listed in India on National Stock Exchange of India Limited and also Bombay Stock Exchange. American depositary Receipts are basically listed on New York Stock Exchange. Company was basically promoted during the year 1994 and was by ICICI limited which is an Indian Financial Institution and was also wholly owned through subsidiary. ICICI has board comprising of eminent individuals who are wealthy and also have international business experience related to financial services, banking and also management consulting. ICICI is providing innovati on in banking services which are liked and recognized all over the world. They have properly managed idea along with innovative products and also launches. Bank is also involved in engaging

Creative Writing Commentry Essay Example for Free

Creative Writing Commentry Essay The kite runner presents a tale of intertwined personal conflicts and tragedies, its a compelling novel set in 1970s Afghanistan, revolving around a tragic incident that allows Hosseini to examine themes of loyalty and betrayal, revealing its significant flaws in 1970s Afghan society. This capturing plot is what attracted me to use The Kite Runner as my stimulus text as it presented me with an opportunity to explore the themes of loyalty and betrayal whilst adding a modern twist to it. For my creative piece I decided to compose a short monologue of a friend witnessing his life long companion being a victim of knife crime, this short monologue mirrors that of Amirs thoughts during the scene in the kite runner whilst his half-brother Hassan is being raped by another boy from the neighbourhood. From this monologue it is clear I have specifically formed it by taking certain aspects from the rape scene of the kite runner and also empowered another aspect from the kite runner by utilising the theme of betrayal and also considering the historical context of the novel as it was set at a time of conflict in Afghan community during the 1970s therefore by modernising it so it relates to the social context of today, as knife crime is almost a daily, fashionable occurrence in modern society, just like conflicts between the Pashtuns and Hazaras were during 1970s Afghanistan. The title Loyalty Juxtaposes the actual monologue as it portrays an act of disloyalty, and in a sense betrayal. This was done to make the reader think back to the title after reading it as the plot of the monologue is likely to have been a contrast of their assumptions before they actually read it, this also adds a sense of ambiguity and leaves the reader to speculate or predict what may have happened next as I purposely did not make it clear what the narrator does after Jamals final words, does he in fact empower the title by then pursuing his murderer? This is a question that is likely to linger in the readers thoughts. My title has a similar effect to that of Khaled Hosseinis novel, as the title The Kite Runner is one which immediately create assumptions about a story which portrays freedom and unity, however just like my monologue, the novel juxtaposes its title as the story is based around oppression in Afghan society and intra-conflicts between a religion . Like Khaled Hosseini, I employed the use of short and single word sentences in the build up to my climax to create a sense of anticipation just before one of the main characters Jamal is stabbed Jamals filled with panic. Confusion. Regret. This is also done in kite runner towards the rape sceneHe unzipped his jeans. Dropped his underwear. He positioned himself behind Hassan. Hassan Didnt struggle. This was done as It creates a hostile environment, reinforcing the readers belief that something dramatic is inevitable. Another technique I have adopted from Khaled Hosseini is his use of flashbacks to provide the reader with information of the two boys relationship before this tragic night, this is effective as it allows them to understand why this young boys thoughts are filled with such hatred and hostility towards himself for not helping his dying friend. Furthermore I attempted to employed Hosseinis use of imagery effectively in my Creative piece, this is shown through my description of the scenes prior to the knife incident Jamal still lay on the ground dampened by the slight drizzle of rain. Stationary. His blood slowly dripping from his jacket to the ground landing into the pool of water, diluting it. This is similar to the way Hosseini approaches the climactic scene of his novel when he describes the alley in which Hassan is raped A havoc of scrap and rubble littered the alley. Worn bicycle tires, bottles with peeled labels, ripped up magazines, yellow newspapers, all scattered amid a pile of bricks and slabs of cements. Another technique of Hosseinis that I attempted to replicate was the way in which he structured The Kite Runner, many critics have suggested that Hosseini develops a structure in the novel where he is able to set up expectations at the beginning of the novel, then turn these expectations into a reality by the end. I have attempted this by incorporating flashbacks into my first paragraph making it appear as something dramatic is going to occur in the next paragraph, whilst Hosseini employs flashbacks also to represent the fact that the key character Amir will be forced to rectify these early experiences to salvage what is remaining of his guilty conscious. I also incorporated a similar sentence structure in my piece utilising short sentences and pauses. Overall I have tried to replicate certain aspects from my stimulus text The Kite Runner, mainly those involving form structure, the key themes and also the significance of the title and flashbacks, the historical and social context of the novel, the use of imagery, juxtaposition of the themes as loyalty and betrayal are almost opposites of each other. I believe I have been successful in achieving most of these factors as the majority are included in my creative peice.

Human Comfort Approach In Green Building Design

Human Comfort Approach In Green Building Design Recently, there has been an increasing emphasis on a green building design approach, which is aimed at ameliorating the overall impact of the built environment on human comfort and the natural environment. In this selective review, external , building envelope and internal factors will be examined in relation to human comfort. In particular, this project will focus on human comfort in regard to the importance and impact for day lighting, visuals and environment, material properties, protection factors, ventilation, thermal comfort, and access their effectiveness in the context of green building design. With regard to human factors, it is concluded that the impact of these factors on building occupants needs to be taken into account in advance in order to design a building which enhances the human health and well-being and consequently leads to the increase of productivity. Introduction Green building design approach is one of the global response to the increasing realization that the built environment contributes significantly to climate change over the entire buildings lifecycle. Building accounts for more than 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions (Hegger et al. 2008). Moreover, the steadily rising energy cost over the past few years help to facilitate the trend towards sustainability. Taking into account these factors, energy saving measures have become a requirement in these days. End-users search for sustainable building concept, with low management cost and energy usage, which provides structures made from building materials that are in accordance with ecological point of view. Aside from looking at energy and operating cost, they also take an increasing concern in work performance levels. Only when people healthy and satisfy they can optimize their productivity (Bauer et al. 2007:11). Seeing these factors by necessity, means offering both a comfortable and healthy environment which is essential as a strategy to attract the investors and buyers. Still, there is no doubt that the comfort and well-being of humans is based to a certain extent on their subjective perception of some external influences (Hegger et al. 2008:55). Sassi (2006:101) seems to support this view and points out that people respond differently to situations and environments depending on their character and circumstances. Hegger et al. (2006) claims that the factors which will affect human comfort are basically categorized under physical, intermediary and physiological conditions. The purpose of this project is to examine the physical conditions with regard to human comfort and to focus on the building envelope, external and internal influencing factors. The importance and the impact of these factors on human comfort will then be examined, with a focus on the effectiveness in the green building design approach. Since the concept of this approach is increasingly put into practice globally, it is felt that this examination will highlight areas which need to be taken into account and will be integrated into the design process. 1.0 A Definition of Human Comfort and Green Building Design Human Comfort Human comfort can be broadly defined as the building occupants expression of satisfaction with the thermal environment (Yudelson 2007). Some of the parameters that affect the users comfort are as follows: environmental conditions (interior air temperature, lighting intensity and level of noise), physiological criteria (age, gender and constitution), intermediary conditions (clothing and activity) and individuals (Hegger et al. 2008:55). There is a connection between physical and psychological health. They are the factors that are highly likely to influence the human sense of happiness (Martin 1997). In turn, ones happiness will impact on peoples expectations, experiences and sense of self-worth. Humans generally wish to be accepted, respected and to feel secured. Therefore, it is essential for an architect to understand how people respond to the environment in order to design spaces which can enhance human health and well-being. Styles and types of building material, responses to individual building, light quality and atmosphere are linked to culture and personal memories which in turn linked to individuals character (Sassi 2006). For instance, a small space may feel comfortable to certain people but claustrophobic to others. It is difficult to design a building which would be universally appealing that enhances everyones well-being. Nevertheless, certain commonalities can be identified in regard to comfort and identity. Buildings should be designed to satisfy and fortify positive feelings as well as enable people to enjoy quiet moments of reflection and relaxation (Sassi 2006:137). It plays an important role in increasing occupants productivity and health in buildings. The building design could influence the human body mechanism to exchange heat with the environment through convection, radiation and evaporation (Hegger et al. 2008:55). As Bordass (1995) has pointed out that the elements which affect human comfort should be able to be operated and adjusted by the occupants. In other words, reduce heat loss yet sustaining good air quality is a necessity in terms of thermal comfort in building design for cold weather. Green Building Design Green building is always name as ecological building, sustainable building, or energy-efficient building. Green building design is a concept which emphasize on passive design strategy by making full use of day lighting, natural ventilation and allowing the insulated fabric and thermal to work effectively (Woolley 2008:181). A green building focuses on reducing building impact on the environment and occupants health while increasing the efficiency of resource use through better planning, design, construction, management and maintenance (Green building index organization 2009). To quote from the Department of Standards Malaysia (2007), a green building design approach is an strategy which united architectural, engineering, site planning, and landscaping so as to design an energy efficient building which would optimize the human comfort This approach makes an effort to optimize the advantage of the environment and to use building materials which is acceptable from a building ecology point of view. 2.0 External Factors Relevant to Human Comfort in Green Building Design Architecture and open spaces can help to define peoples identity and to define their territory. A good architecture can create special reference to the locality, high design quality and interactions between building and its environment (Hegger et al. 2008:102). Recognition of the locality help to promote responsibility with respect to the environment and human beings. Designing with emphasize on natural day lighting and visuals should begin at the preliminary design stage. By proving these, it can help to conveys a feeling of safety, belonging and security. 2.1 Day Lighting Day lighting is a significant factor for pleasant interior conditions. Without sufficient day lighting, people cannot perform well and healthy. Natural light stimulates humans organism and controls bodys functionality. It is crucial for our visual perception and has a substantial influence on our work efficiency (Hegger et al. 2008:102). Building materials which are transparent or translucent are essential if we wish to make use of daylight. However, it transmits heat as well as light. This in turn means that with more daylight, it reduces the dependence on artificial lighting, and the internal heat loads are decreased as well (Thomas and Garnham 2007:135). Conventional and innovative day lighting systems that collect, transport and distribute light deep into buildings and systems that reduce the need for artificial lighting are recommended. For building plans, this implies a design that is no more than 66 feet wide, about 33 feet length of front to back from any window to any workstation (Yudelson 2007:80). In other words, a buildings long axis should be oriented to east-west in order to allow a maximum day lighting from both south and north facing windows. The day lighting conditions over the course of the day influence the human hormone balance and synchronize our internal clock (Ander 2003). Thus, day lighting strategies, for instance, the orientation of the building, the proportion of window, the depth of the rooms, glare and ultra-violet (UV) protection, the design of reflective surface and the coloring of the enclosing components (walls, floors and soffits) are all the important design features. Passive and technical measures can be taken into account during design. Sunlight acts as a link that connect the building occupants with the outside world, facilitating our essential connection with nature and giving us a sense of time. It is important to realize that the mood or the perception of a space created by light is just as vital (Thomas and Garnham 2007:136).. To put it simply, people see and feel better whenever there is natural light for reading and working. 2.2 Visuals and Environment In green building design, emphasis is placed on providing outdoor views from all workstations. The research shows that if the occupants able to enjoy the outside view during the workday, it is more conductive to physical and mental health than working in a windowless environment (Yudelson 2007). Trees can help to absorb carbon dioxide from the air and store it as carbon. It can also provide shade to buildings, reducing heat gains and thus, improving the internal environment. In other words, contact with nature is beneficial to the well-being of humans. The building should be planned and designed so as to be visually as well as physically well connected with the outdoors. When designing the external works, emphasis should be put on to create and preserve natural habitats by providing extensive lawns, keep the area is natural state, trees and hedges, green roofs, and green facades. In some cases which the area of plot is small, rooftop planting can replace ground sealed by construction work. Environment plays an important role in satisfying basic human needs and quality of life. It can help to reduce stress and also can speed up recovery. In addition, it can affect humans on a psychological and physical level by acting as a recuperative and stimulating factor for our creative functions. In densely developed cities, it is critical for human health to strike a balance between making space accessible to people and preserving flora and fauna. According to some studies, dealings with nature will affect humans mental health, whereas leisure activities in nature directly benefit to physical health (Sassi 2006). 3.0 The Influence of the Building Envelope on Human Comfort in Green Building Design Building envelope acts as a boundary that separates between interior and exterior of a building through which thermal energy is transferred (Hegger et al. 2008:82). It also serves the function of protecting users and occupants against climate change such as solar radiation, precipitation and wind so as to create safe, healthy and secure interior space. However, the role of building envelope becomes more complex as the demand for comfort increases. A building should enable people to feel safe and comfortable by reducing potential dangers. To increase human comfort, the well-being and health of occupants in aspects such as material properties, safety and security, sound, interior air, and interior climate must be taken into consideration during design stage. 3.1 Material Properties The choice of material for building envelope will affect human comfort in the building. The designers should take great care when specifying materials in regards of the impact these materials have upon humans feeling about spaces and buildings. Functionality that reflect regional climate as well as cultural preferences, local vegetation and high-technology material need to be incorporated in the design. Materials are always describe as cold or warm. Based on scientific basis, metal for example, are good conductors of heat and therefore take the heat quickly from the body. On the contrary, wood is a poor conductor and hence feels relatively warm to touch. These physical sensation correspond to psychological states, such as a timber paneled room would feel warmer and more comfortable to inhabit than a predominantly metal one (Thomas and Garnham 2007:89). Different kind of wall material, construction and thickness are likely to differ in the value of thermal conductivity. U-value is a measure of the fabric heat loss which take into accounts mechanism like conduction, radiation and convection of heat transfer. The same can be said that the lower the u-value, the better the insulation the lesser energy needed to maintain comfort, the lower the environmental impact. Insulated walls reduce energy cost and increase comfort with levels of minimal effort (Thomas and Garnham 2007:102). To achieve sustainability in building design, consideration should be given to low embodied energy, material manufactured that is on waste, easy to disassembly and used to recycle in the end of the building life span, transportation to the construction site and strategies or method that are often used in architectural practice. 3.2 Protection Factors on Occupants Well Being and Health Building should keep users safe and secure both within the building and its environment by protecting them from accidents, intruders, fire, and natural dangers. Accordingly, contributions to the subjective perception of safety and secure by providing a good layout, lighting, social controls, presence of other people and good visual links are necessary (Hegger et al. 2008:195). A designer can provide these features by considering the specification of material, fire protection concept, natural dangers, clarity and peoples activities during design stage. Creating pleasant acoustic conditions is also one of the important protection factors. Noise pollution and acoustic conditions will influence the well-being of people and can affect their health. Noise between usage units and plus disturbance such as noises from building services and unfavourable room acoustic should be avoid through precautionary building physics and room acoustic measures. Constructional sound insulation and room acoustic measures should be included in the room acoustics report as a guidance. Besides the above aspects, interior air and climate are also the fundamental elements to increase the well-being and health of the occupants. A poor interior air quality will cause some bodily symptoms and lower the productivity (Awbi 2008). Moreover, thermal comfort has a major influence on the human heat balance and direct effect on energy consumption of buildings. It should be optimized through constructional and passive measures. For example, it can be done through specifying the construction methods, thermal insulation, moisture control, coordination of window proportion, ventilation concept and also the protection against overheating by providing sun shading devices. 4.0 Internal Factors Which Support Human Comfort in Green Building Design The primary function of building is to provide a suitable internal environment for the purpose of the building. According to Boubekri (2008), the effects of poorly designed buildings, whether in terms of limited natural ventilation or poor thermal comfort, would affect the health of building occupants. In order to achieve an acceptable level of human comfort, the indoor environment for human implies a temperature between 16 to 25 degree Celsius. 4.1 VENTILATION Natural ventilation is another approach which will provide a healthy and comfortable internal environment by removing polluted indoor air and replace with the fresh air from outside through openings. It would be cosy if the air can be circulated naturally from the outside to the inside of the building (Hegger et al. 2008:101). People will have sensations such as the warmth of the unfiltered sunlight, smells and acoustic stimulus by direct contact with outside air. It can have a positive effect on the quality of the habitable room, in that, natural ventilation system are particularly user friendly from the emotional pint of view (Hegger et al. 2008:99). Thus, habitable rooms should always include opening the facade whenever possible. There are three main mechanisms in natural ventilation, for instance, single sided where air comes in from a window, cross ventilation where air crosses a space from one side to another which the effect of wind pressure causes the air to enter on the windward facade and pass through the building and lastly providing a stack effect exiting path, resulting from the temperature differences between the indoor and outdoor air, where the hot air rises and exits the opening near the roof or providing openings at the 2 sides of the wall. According to Department of Standards Malaysia in MS1525 (2007), cross ventilation is defined as the flow of air through a building due to a wind-generated pressure drop across it. These processes are natural and are provided by pressure gradients and temperature differentials which in turn create pressure differences (Thomas and Garnham 2007:116). They do not required large quantities of energy to run the powerful fans which used in mechanically ventilated buildings. Natural ventilation is the most energy efficient way of supplying essential fresh air to a building. When it is insufficient, then other cooling options may be possible. 4.2 THERMAL COMFORT According to Flynn and Segil (1970:80), human body functions as a heating and cooling mechanism. It can, to some extent, efficiently and automatically adjust to the environmental conditions that vary from optimum. Our body functions to lose heat at a certain rate to reasonably cooler air and surfaces. Nevertheless, if such action is either too slight or excessive, it will lead to occupant discomfort and physiological stress. Human heat balance, humans body temperature, needs to be around 37ÂÂÂ °C; this is a prerequisite for well-being. Humans emit heat through the following mechanisms: firstly by exhalation and through evaporation of skin, secondly by covection of heat from body surface to the surrounding air, thirdly by conduction of heat from the body to immediate objects and lastly by radiation of heat to the nearby objects and the surfaces enclosing the room (Hegger et al. 2008:55). On the other hand, heat transfer in building in three modes, which are conduction, convection, and radiation (Moe 2010:9). If the temperature of surrounding area drops, the body will first allow the extremities to cool in order to protect the functions of brain, heart and other vital organs (Hegger et al. 2008:55). It is essential to transfer the internal heat generated to the environment in order to get a constant temperature. If the temperature of the interior air is not consistant, the risk of accidents increases and manual dexterity, productivity and mental abilities decrease quickly. In regards of this, a thermally comfortable environment is primarily due to physical influencing factors such as the temperature of the interior air and the average temperature of the external air, the humidity of interior air and the movement of the air (Hegger et al. 2008:56). Building functions to admit and conserve heat when the external environment is cold and to thwart the penetration when the external environment is warm. Conclusion Human comfort is not only a strategy in green building design for the purpose of attracting the investors and buyers, but also an approach which determines occupants health and well-being. This paper has discussed the factors that contribute to human comfort and has briefly presented the importance and the influence of the factors towards peoples comfort in certain aspects of building design. These included the building envelope, interior and exterior factors which consist of day lighting, visuals and environment, material properties, protection factors, ventilation, and thermal comfort. The effectiveness of the approach towards users comfort has also been highlighted, particularly with regard to the human comfort and well-being lead to the increasing of productivity. In discussing the effectiveness of the approach, it has concluded that although the desired degree of comfort can be a highly subjective perception, some commonalities can be identified. This can assist in optimizing the design for a better human comfort. Green buildings always offer a high level of comfort and healthy indoor climate while depending on renewable energies and low energy embodied resources ( Bauer et al. 2007). It should be noted that human comfort is only one of the approach in green building design. Other approaches such as energy efficiency and renewable energy should be taken into account in design , however, are lied outside the parameters of this paper due to the limited scope and a more thorough research could be done in this area. This would be particular interest to the professionals who incorporate the environmental engineering studies in their design.

We Must Regain Our Lost Civil Liberties Essay -- Privacy Act, Patriot

With our nation’s tragedy of September 11, 2001, arose a deeply shaken America, shocked by the extent of the cruelty. An act of terrorism of that magnitude had never been seen before in our country. Patriots quickly came together, supporting the president to pass legislation, known as the USA Patriot Act, to tackle internal and external threats to this nation. The debate ensued, focused on which types of surveillance technology should or shouldn't be allowed for arresting terrorists. However, the question remains as to how these devices are going to be used, and how personally are those who use them held accountable. The purpose of this paper is to confirm that the proposed monitoring and archiving of users’ information on social networking sites would represent yet another erosion of our civil liberties for only a minor gain to our national security. The USA Patriot Act or simply the Patriot Act sanctions the use of wiretaps, additional surveillance of technology, such as voice mail and e-mail, trap and trace devices, and demands for educational and business records. The Department of Justice justifies that such actions in criminal investigations, have been used for years. However, this action comes under intense scrutiny by critics such as the ACLU who maintain that the secrecy surrounding the use of such tools as well as lower criteria for attaining the authority to use them â€Å"represents a broad expansion of power without building in a necessary privacy protection† (The USA PATRIOT Act: Myth vs. Reality, n.d.). The Patriot Act was signed into law on October 26, 2001, 45 days after the terrorist attacks on September 11th. The debate over what the Patriot Act actually allows law enforcement officia... ...om http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1669540,00.html National Security. (n.d.). American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved from http://www.aclu.org/National-Security Presidential Powers, NSA Spying, and the War on Terrorism: Americans’ Attitudes on Recent Events – Overview. (2006). American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved from http://www.aclu.org/safefree/nsaspying/24262res20060224.html The New York Times (2009, December 12). Twitter Tapping. [Editorial]. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/opinion/13sun2.html The USA Patriot Act. (2005). Retrieved from http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/usapatriot The USA Patriot Act: Myth vs. Reality. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/archive/ll/subs/add_myths.htm

Ethnography :: Ethnography Reflexivity Anthropology Essays

Ethnography Works Cited Missing Reflexivity has recently been designated as an indicator of postmodernism in anthropological texts. In this context, the practice is attacked as self-indulgent narcissism, but its true scope reaches much further. While some ethnographic texts exhibit an overemphasis on the author, and his position within the work, this is one extreme of the range reflexivity, which also serves as a methodological tool, unincorporated into the writing, and as a means to account for the ethnographers biases and affects on his informants. This entire span of meaning is shown in anthropological research and writings, in varying manners and to different ends. An poignant example of reflexivity in writing is the much critiqued and criticized essay by Renato Rosaldo, â€Å"Grief and a Headhunter’s Rage†, wherein he explores his reactions to and understanding of Ilongot headhunting, as based on his personal experiences with death, or lack thereof. He argues that â€Å"most anthropological studies of death eliminate emotions by assuming the position of the most attached observer,† a precarious position which often leads to â€Å"actual indifference.† (15) He also acknowledges that reflexivity can easily slip into self-absorption, wherein one loses sight of differences which do exist. Despite attacks, by Michaelson and Johnson, that â€Å"Michele’s death gives Renato a newfound sense of ethnographic authority, a sense that he is ‘capable of feeling everything that the Ilongot do,† he never, in fact, makes this claim. (Behar, 171) Rosaldo, after sharing his experience of his wife’s death, and the grief that followed, emphasizes that the â€Å"statement should not lead anyone to derive a universal from somebody else’s personal knowledge.† (15) The author’s own experience does not give him a full understanding of the Ilongot, nor does he claim that it does so, but allows him to understand his informants explanations of headhunting which he had previously dismissed, not equating grief with rage. â€Å"Ilongot anger and [his] own overlap, rather like two circles, partially overlaid and partially separate.† (10) Or, as Marcus states it, â€Å"in any attempt to interpret or explain another cultural subject, a su rplus of difference always remains.† (Marcus, 186) Renato also briefly addresses the question of authority raised by reflexivity, and the admission of one’s shortcomings. What was once accepted as absolute truth is now being questioned, as the ethnographer acknowledges his own subjectivity, and â€Å"with the realization that [the] objects of analysis are also analyzing subjects who critically interrogate ethnographers.

Social Interaction and Technology Essay example -- Sociology

Cellphones, television, and computers are just three of the most popular ways that we communicate in today. They have made a substantial impact on the United States simply by being readily available and easy to use. People are often discussing how technology has impacted us. Many believe that technology is actually hindering society rather than helping it. Then there are those who doubt technology has made our social interactions better. Certainly, this is true; without the advances in technology, our level of social interaction in education, businesses, and relationships would diminish. Education is important, so it would only make sense that technology would have a huge part in it. When children are born, they are placed into a world that is driven by technology. Parents are now using iPads and cellphones to allow their children to get a head start on learning. Now, by the time children are of age to attend school, they are exceedingly prepared to incorporate technology in their education. With this being said, educational institutions must help students get ready to work in a society that encompasses an extensive amount of technology. According to Sean McCollum, â€Å"a handful of school districts†¦are adapting their use to serve the curriculum.† Many schools are now using whiteboards, laptops, tablets, Smartphones and other devices in almost every classroom. Technology enhances learning, boosts confidence, and eliminates geographical limitations. Technology enriches learning by being able to come in different forms and do different things. "For lessons traditionally done with a paper and pencil, we now were able to do them in color, with animation, and with more depth and complexity"(McCollum). Teachers are now able to help stu... ...al interactions with each other. Works Cited Carr, Nicholas G. "IT Doesn't Matter." Harvard Business Review 81.5 (2003): 41-49. Business Source Complete. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. Levin, Barbara. "On-Demand Workforce-Communications Technologies Help Organizations Meet Critical Business Goals." Employment Relations Today (Wiley) 35.2 (2008): 43-50. Business Source Complete. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. McCollum, Sean. "Getting Past the 'Digital Divide'." Education Digest 77.2 (2011): 52. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. Social Interaction and Technology. n.d. Intelecom. Video. Web. 11 March 2012. Vanden Abeele, Mariek and Keith Roe "New Life, Old Friends: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Communication Technology Use in Freshmen's Social Life." Conference Papers International Communication Association (2009): 1-36. Communication & Mass Media. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.

Computer Virus and World Wide Web Essay

1. Workstation and desktop devices are prone to viruses, malware, and malicious software, especially if the user surfs the Internet and World Wide Web. Given that users connect to the Internet and World Wide Web, what security countermeasures can organizations implement to help mitigate the risk from viruses, malware, and malicious software? Organizations can restrict specific sites, key words like blogs, mirror sites and such. Organizations can also make sure specific ports are shut down; this can prevent back doors when accessing a site. There are a lot of web sites out there that do not need accessibility, especially for a work environment. 2. Your employees e-mail file attachments to each other and externally through the organization’s firewall and Internet connection. What security countermeasures can you implement to help mitigate the risk of rouge e-mail attachments and URL Web links? The basic step would be to not allow hyperlinks to automatically work when in an e-mail. Some times when a link is in a user can click and it will automatically launch it. Another step would be for the e-mail to have the user’s signature. This is usually verified through the user’s machine, for example in the military we have a Common Access Card. This card is a form of identification on multiple levels, in order for you to access your e-mail you need to log in with your CAC and enter your pin. When you send an –mail it has a signature on it based on the code in your CAC, this way the person receiving the e-mail knows it is from you. Another way of doing it is by having public keys and private keys, this way both users know it is from the individual. 3. Why is it recommended to do an antivirus signature file update before performing an antivirus scan on your computer?  From what the lab showed me and from my understanding it is because the scan will not scan encrypted files. The signature file would have been able to pick it up and it would work in tangent with the scan. 4. Once a malicious file is found on your computer, what are the default settings for USB/removable device scanning? What should organizations do regarding use of USB hard drives and slots on existing computers and devices? Some devices have serial numbers associated with them, and this string is optional. This is defaulted with thumb drives, USB hard drives and PDAs. Most scanning and tracking details would be of most use with the USB mass storage devices. Organizations should immediately remove the AUTO run feature! This is basic in the military, any one would be able to come in and throw a thumb drive and automatically run whatever it is on it making it a vulnerability. 5. If you find a suspect executable and wish to perform â€Å"dynamic analysis† what does that mean? Dynamic analysis is the testing and evaluation of a program by executing data in real-time. The objective is to find errors in a program while it is running, rather than by repeatedly examining the code offline 6. What is a malware and malicious code sandbox? This can be potentially dangerous but it is looked like as a sandbox. This is by running the virus, preferably in a machine with limited access to a network and something that isn’t much of a use and executing the virus in real time. This way you can debug the virus and see what is it doing so you can detected and prevent it. 7. What are typical indicators that your computer system is compromised? It is slow, everything you do takes a lot longer to perform. You are missing data, your peripherals are not responding or they are performing automatic actions. Your computer starts up during odd hours and it is used as a zombie computer. You have additional items on your browser, you have an entirely different browsers, items are opening up and there are a lot of pop ups. 8. Where does AVG Business Edition 2012 place viruses, Trojans, worms, and other malicious software when it finds them? According to the lab it is quarantined, it is isolated and then removed by the user’s request. I am assuming it is then directed to the AVG corporations for further analysis fir updates.

An analysis of Information Security Governance in the Universities in Zimbabwe Essay

Abstract The complexity and criticality of information security and its governance demand that it be elevated to the highest organizational levels. Within a university setup, information assets include student and personnel records, health and financial information, research data, teaching and learning materials and all restricted and unrestricted electronic library materials. Security of these information assets is among the highest priorities in terms of risk and liabilities, business continuity, and protection of university reputations. As a critical resource, information must be treated like any other asset essential to the survival and success of the organization. In this paper the writer is going to discuss the need for implementing Information Security Governance within institutions of higher education. Further than that, a discussion on how to best practice Information Security governance within the universities in Zimbabwe followed by an assessment on how far the Zimbabwean universities have implemented Information Security Governance. A combination of questionnaires and interviews is going to be used as a tool to gather data and some recommendations are stated towards the end of the paper. Introduction Governance, as defined by the IT Governance Institute (2003), is the â€Å"set of responsibilities and practices exercised by the board and executive management with the goal of providing strategic direction, ensuring that objectives are achieved, ascertaining that risks are managed appropriately and verifying that the enterprise’s resources are used responsibly.† Information security governance is the system by which an organization directs and controls information security (adapted from ISO 38500). It specifies the accountability framework and provides oversight to ensure that risks are adequately mitigated as well as ensuring that security strategies are aligned with business and consistent with regulations. To exercise effective enterprise and information security governance, boards and senior executives must have a clear understanding of what to expect from their enterprise’s information security programme. They need to know how to direct  the implementation of an information security programme, how to evaluate their own status with regard to an existing security programme and how to decide the strategy and objectives of an effective security programme (IT Governance Institute, 2006). Stakeholders are becoming more and more concerned about the information security as news of hacking, data theft and other attacks happen more frequently than ever dreamt of. Executive management has been showered with the responsibility of ensuring an organization provides users with secure information systems environment. Information security is not only a technical issue, but a business and governance challenge that involves adequate risk management, reporting and accountability. Effective security requires the active involvement of executives to assess emerging threats and the organization’s response to them (Corporate Governance Task Force, 2004). Furthermore the organizations need to protect themselves against the risks inherent in the use of information systems while simultaneously recognizing the benefits that can accrue from having secure information systems. Peter Drucker (1993) stated: â€Å"The diffusion of technology and the commodification of information transforms the role of information into a resource equal in importance to the traditionally important resources of land, labor and capital.† Thus as dependence on information system increases, the criticality of information security brings with it the need for effective information security governance. Need for Information Security Governance within universities. A key goal of information security is to reduce adverse impacts on the organization to an acceptable level of risk. Information security protects information assets against the risk of loss, operational discontinuity, misuse, unauthorized disclosure, inaccessibility and damage. It also protects against the ever-increasing potential for civil or legal liability that organizations face as a result of information inaccuracy and loss, or the absence of due care in its protection. Information security covers all information processes, physical and electronic, regardless whether they involve people and technology or relationships with trading partners, customers and third parties. Information security addresses information protection, confidentiality, availability and integrity throughout the life cycle of the information and its use within the organization. John P. Pironti (2006) suggested that among many reasons for information security  governance, the most important one is the one concerned with the legal liability, protection of the organization’s reputation and regulatory compliance. With the university setup, all members of the university community are obligated to respect and, in many cases, to protect confidential data. Medical records, student records, certain employment-related records, library use records, attorney-client communications, and certain research and other intellectual property-related records are, subject to limited exceptions, confidential as a matter of law. Many other categories of records, including faculty and other personnel records, and records relating to the university’s business and finances are, as a matter of university policy, treated as confidential. Systems (hardware and software) designed primarily to store confidential records (such as the Financial Information System and Student Information System and all medical records systems) require enhanced security protections and are controlled (strategic) systems to which access is closely monitored. Networks provide connection to records, information, and other networks and also require security protections. The use of university information technology assets in other than a manner and for the purpose of which they were intended represents a misallocation of resources and, possibly, a violation of law. To achieve all this in today’s complex, interconnected world, information security must be addressed at the highest levels of the organization, not regarded as a technical specialty relegated to the IT department. Information security is a top-down process requiring a comprehensive security strategy that is explicitly linked to the organization’s business processes and strategy. Security must address entire organization’s processes, both physical and technical, from end to end. Hence, Information security governance requires senior management commitment, a security-aware culture, promotion of good security practices and compliance with policy. It is easier to buy a solution than to change a culture, but even the most secure system will not achieve a significant degree of security if used by ill-informed, untrained, careless or indifferent personnel (IT Governance Institute, 2006). In an interview the executive director and information security expert on IT Governance and cyber security with the IT Governance and Cyber Security Institute of sub-Saharan Africa, Dr Richard Gwashy Young has this to say â€Å"†¦remember in  Zimbabwe security is regarded as an expense not an investment† (Rutsito, 2012). Benefits of Information Security Governance Good information security governance generates significant benefits, including: The Board of directors taking full responsibility for Information security initiatives Increased predictability and reduced uncertainty of business operations by lowering information security-related risks to definable and acceptable levels Protection from the increasing potential for civil or legal liability as a result of information inaccuracy or the absence of due care. The structure and framework to optimize allocation of limited security resources Assurance of effective information security policy and policy compliance A firm foundation for efficient and effective risk management, process improvement, and rapid incident response related to securing information A level of assurance that critical decisions are not based on faulty information Accountability for safeguarding information during critical business activities. Compliances with local and international regulations will be easier Improved resource management, optimizing knowledge, information security and information technology infrastructure The benefits add significant value to the organization by: Improving trust in customer/client relationships Protecting the organization’s reputation Decreasing likelihood of violations of privacy Providing greater confidence when interacting with trading partners Enabling new and better ways to process electronic transactions like publishing results online and online registration. Reducing operational costs by providing predictable outcomes—mitigating risk factors that may interrupt the process The benefits of good information security are not just a reduction in risk or a reduction in the impact should something go wrong. Good security can improve reputation, confidence and trust from others with whom business is conducted, and can even improve efficiency by avoiding wasted time and effort recovering from a security incident (IT Governance Institute, 2004). Information Security Governance Outcomes Five basic outcomes can be expected to result from developing an effective governance approach to information security: Strategic alignment of information security with institutional objectives Reduction of risk and potential business impacts to an acceptable level Value delivery through the optimization of security investments with institutional objectives Efficient utilization of security investments supporting organization objectives Performance measurement and monitoring to ensure that objectives are met Best practices The National Association of Corporate Directors (2001), recognizes the importance of information security and recommends four essential practices for boards of directors. The four practices, which are based on the practicalities of how boards operate, are: Place information security on the board’s agenda. Identify information security leaders, hold them accountable and ensure support for them. Ensure the effectiveness of the corporation’s information security policy through review and approval. Assign information security to a key committee and ensure adequate support for that committee. It is critical that management ensure that adequate resources are allocated to support the overall enterprise information security strategy (IT Governance Institute, 2006). To achieve effective information security governance, management must establish and maintain a framework to guide the development and maintenance of a comprehensive information security programme. According to Horton, et al (2000), an information security governance framework generally consists of: An information security risk management methodology; A comprehensive security strategy explicitly linked with business and IT objectives; An effective security organizational structure; A security strategy that talks about the value of information both protected and delivered; Security policies that address each aspect of strategy, control and regulation; A complete set of security standards for each policy to ensure that procedures and guidelines comply with policy; Institutionalized monitoring processes to ensure compliance and provide feedback on effectiveness and mitigation of risk; A process to ensure  continued evaluation and update of security policies, standards, procedures and risks. This kind of framework, in turn, provides the basis for the development of a cost-effective information security program me that supports an organization’s goals and provides an acceptable level of predictability for operations by limiting the impacts of adverse events. In his article Kaitano (2010), pointed some characteristics of good corporate governance coupled with good security governance. These include and not limited to: Information security being treated as and organization wide issue and leaders are accountable. Leads to viable Governance, Risk and Compliance(GRC) Milestones It is risk-based and focuses on all aspects of security Proper frameworks and programs have been implemented It is not treated as a cost but a way of doing business Roles, responsibilities and segregation of duties are defined It is addressed and enforced by policy Adequate resources are committed and Staff are aware and trained It is planned, managed, measurable and measured It is reviewed and audited The overall objective of the programme is to provide assurance that information assets are protected in accordance with their value or the risk their compromise poses to an organization. The framework generates a set of activities that supports fulfillment of this objective. Principles for information security within the University In their article titled Information Security Policy: Best Practice Document, Hostland et al (2010) pointed out some guiding principles for information security within a university setup. The following are some of the principles they mentioned: 1. Risk assessment and management The university’s approach to security should be based on risk assessments and should be continuously done and the need for protective measures evaluated. Measures must be evaluated based on the university’s role as an establishment for education and research and with regards to efficiency, cost and practical feasibility. An overall risk assessment of the  information systems should be performed annually. Risk assessments must identify, quantify and prioritize the risks according to relevant criteria for acceptable risks. Risk assessments should be carried out when implementing changes impacting information security. Some recognized methods of assessing risks like ISO/IEC 27005 should be employed. Risk management is to be carried out according to criteria approved by the management at University. Risk assessments must be approved by the management and if a risk assessment reveals unacceptable risks, measures must be implemented to reduce the risk to an acceptable level. 2. Information security policy The Vice Chancellor should ensure that the information security policy, as well as guidelines and standards, are utilized and acted upon. He must also ensure the availability of sufficient training and information material for all users, in order to enable the users to protect the university’s data and information systems. The security policy should be reviewed and updated annually or when necessary, in accordance with principles described in ISO/IEC 27001. However, all important changes to university’s activities, and other external changes related to the threat level, should result in a revision of the policy and the guidelines relevant to the information security. 3. Security organization The Vice Chancellor is responsible for all government contact. The university should appoint CSO (Chief Security Officer). Each department and section should also be responsible for implementing the unit’s information security. The managers of each unit must appoint separate security administrators. The Registrar Academics has the primary responsibility for the information security in connection with the student registry and other student related information. The IT Director has executive responsibility for information security in connection with IT systems and infrastructure. The Operations manager has executive responsibility for information security in connection with structural infrastructure. He also has overall responsibility for quality work, while the operational responsibility is delegated according to the management structure. The Registrar Human Resources also has executive responsibility for information security according to the Personal Data Act and is the controller on a daily basis of the personal information of the  employees. The Registrar Academics and Research Administration have also executive responsibility for research related personal information. University’s information security should be revised on a regular basis, through internal control and at need, with assistance from an external IT auditor. 4. Information security in connection with users of University’s services Prior to employment security responsibility and roles for employees and contractors should be described. A background check is should also be carried out of all appointees to positions at the university according to relevant laws and regulations. A confidentiality agreement should be signed by employees, contractors or others who may gain access to sensitive and/or internal information. IT regulations should be accepted for all employment contracts and for system access for third parties. During employment, the IT regulations for the university’s information security requirements should be in place and the users’ responsibility for complying with these regulations is to be emphasized. The IT regulations should be reviewed regularly with all users and with all new hires. All employees and third party users should receive adequate training and updating regarding the Information security policy and procedures. Breaches of the Information security policy and accompanying guidelines will normally result in sanctions. University’s information, information systems and other assets should only be utilized for their intended purpose. Necessary private usage is permitted. Private IT equipment in the university’s infrastructure may only be connected where explicitly permitted. All other use must be approved in advance by the IT department. On termination or change of employment, the responsibility for termination or change of employment should be clearly defined in a separate routine with relevant circulation forms. The university’s assets should be handed in at the conclusion of the need for the use of these assets. University should change or terminate access rights at termination or change of employment. A routine should be present for handling alumni relationships. Notification on employment termination or change should be carried out through the procedures defined in the personnel system. 5. Information security regarding physical conditions IT equipment and information that require protection should be placed in secure physical areas. Secure areas should have suitable access control to  ensure that only authorized personnel have access. All of the University’s buildings should be secured according to their classification by using adequate security systems, including suitable tracking/logging. Security managers for the various areas of responsibility should ensure that work performed by third parties in secure zones is suitably monitored and documented. All external doors and windows must be closed and locked at the end of the work day. On securing equipment, IT equipment which is very essential for daily activities must be protected against environmental threats (fires, flooding, temperature variations). Information classified as â€Å"sensitive† must not be stored on portable computer equipment (e.g. laptops, cell phones, memory sticks). If it is necessary to store this information on portable equipment, the information must be password protected and encrypted in compliance with guidelines from the IT department. During travel, portable computer equipment should be treated as carry-on luggage. Fire drills should also be carried out on a regular basis. 6. IT communications and operations management Purchase and installation of IT equipment and software for IT equipment must be approved by the IT department. The IT department should ensure documentation of the IT systems according to university’s standards. Changes in IT systems should only be implemented if well-founded from a business and security standpoint. The IT department should have emergency procedures in order to minimize the effect of unsuccessful changes to the IT systems. Operational procedures should be documented and the documentation must be updated following all substantial changes. Before a new IT system is put in production, plans and risk assessments should be in place to avoid errors. Additionally, routines for monitoring and managing unforeseen problems should be in place. Duties and responsibilities should be separated in a manner reducing the possibility of unauthorized or unforeseen abuse of the university’s assets. Development, testing and maintenance should be separated from operations in order to reduce the risk of unauthorized access or changes, and in order to reduce the risk of error conditions. On system planning and acceptance, the requirements for information security must be taken into consideration when designing, testing, implementing and upgrading IT systems, as well as during system changes. Routines must be developed for  change management and system development/maintenance. IT systems must be dimensioned according to capacity requirements and the load should be monitored in order to apply upgrades and adjustments in a timely manner as it is especially important for business-critical systems. Written guidelines for access control and passwords based on business and security requirements should be in place. Guidelines should be re-evaluated on a regular basis and should contain password requirements (frequency of change, minimum length, character types which may/must be utilized) and regulate password storage. All users accessing systems must be authenticated according to guidelines and should have unique combinations of usernames and passwords. Users are responsible for any usage of their usernames and passwords. Data Gathering A structured questionnaire adapted and modified from previous questionnaires used by Corporate Governance Task Force, (2004) was used as the main instrument to gather data. Of the total 13 universities in Zimbabwe, 9 managed to participate in this research. The questionnaires were completed by the Executive Dean, IT Director, Operations Manager or Chairperson for the department. Section I: Organizational Reliance on IT The first section was designed to help in determining the institution’s reliance on information technology for business continuity. Table 1: Characteristics of Organization Questions Scores/Frequency 0 1 2 3 4 Dependence on information technology systems and the Internet to conduct academic, research, and outreach programs and offer support services 9 Value of organization’s intellectual property stored or transmitted in electronic form 2 7 The sensitivity of stakeholders (including but not limited to students, faculty, staff, alumni, governing boards, legislators, donors, and funding agencies) to privacy 2 3 4 Level of regulation regarding security (international, federal, state, or local regulations) 1 4 3 1 Does your organization have academic or research programs in a sensitive area that may make you a target of violent physical or cyber attack from any groups? 5 1 2 1 Total score 1 9 6 7 22 Scoring: Very Low = 0; Low = 1; Medium = 2; High = 3; Very High = 4 Section II: Risk Management: This section assesses the risk management process as it relates to creating an information security strategy and program. Table 2: Information Security Risk Assessment Questions Scores/Frequency 0 1 2 3 4 Does your organization have a documented information security program? 2 5 2 Has your organization conducted a risk assessment to identify the key objectives that need to be supported by your information security program? 2 4 3 Has your organization identified critical assets and the functions that rely on them? 2 2 5 Have the information security threats and vulnerabilities associated with each of the critical assets and functions been identified? 2 4 2 1 Has a cost been assigned to the loss of each critical asset or function? 1 3 3 2 Do you have a written information security strategy? 2 4 2 1 Does your written information security strategy include plans that seek to cost-effectively reduce the risks to an acceptable level, with minimal disruptions to operations? 4 2 2 1 Is the strategy reviewed and updated at least annually or more frequently when significant changes require it? 2 3 3 1 Do you have a process in place to monitor federal, state, or international legislation or regulations and determine their applicability to your organization? 2 2 3 2 1 Total 10 16 26 14 16 Scoring: Not Implemented = 0; Planning Stages = 1; Partially Implemented = 2; Close to Completion = 3; Fully Implemented = 4 Section III: People This section assesses the organizational aspects of the information security program. Table 3: Information Security Function/Organization Questions Scores/Frequency 0 1 2 3 4 Do you have a person that has information security as his primary duty, with responsibility for maintaining the security program and ensuring compliance? 4 3 1 1 Do the leaders and staff of your information security organization have the necessary experience and qualifications? 5 2 2 Is responsibility clearly assigned for all areas of the information security architecture, compliance, processes and audits? 3 4 1 1 Do you have an ongoing training program in place to build skills and competencies for information security for members of the information security function? 2 2 3 2 Does the information security function report regularly to institutional leaders and the governing board on the compliance of the institution to and the effectiveness of the information security program and policies? 2 3 3 1 Are the senior officers of the institution ultimately responsible and accountable for the information security program, including approval of information security policies? 3 4 2 Total 16 17 14 7 0 Scoring: Not Implemented = 0; Planning Stages = 1; Partially Implemented = 2; Close to Completion = 3; Fully Implemented = 4 Section IV: Processes This section assesses the processes that should be part of an information security program. Table IV: Security Technology Strategy Questions Scores/Frequency 0 1 2 3 4 Have you instituted processes and procedures for involving the security personnel in evaluating and addressing any security impacts before the purchase or introduction of new systems? 2 3 3 1 Do you have a process to appropriately evaluate and classify the information and information assets that support the operations and assets under your control, to indicate the appropriate levels of information security? 1 2 3 2 1 Are written information security policies consistent, easy to understand, and readily available to administrators, faculty, employees, students, contractors, and partners? 2 3 3 1 Are consequences for noncompliance with corporate policies clearly communicated and enforced? 1 3 2 3 1 Do your security policies effectively address the risks identified in your risk analysis/risk assessments? 2 3 4 Are information security issues considered in all important decisions within the organization? 3 2 3 1 Do you constantly monitor in real time your networks, systems and applications for unauthorized access and anomalous behavior such as viruses, malicious code insertion, or break-in attempts? 1 3 3 1 1 Is sensitive data encrypted and associated encryption keys properly protected? 2 3 2 1 1 Do you have an authorization system that enforces time limits and defaults to minimum privileges? 2 2 2 3 Do your systems and applications enforce session/user management practices including automatic timeouts, lock out on login failure, and revocation? 2 3 2 2 Based on your information security risk management strategy, do you have official written information security policies or procedures that address each of the following areas? Individual employee responsibilities for information security practices 4 3 1 1 Acceptable use of computers, e-mail, Internet, and intranet 2 3 2 2 Protection of organizational assets, including intellectual property 2 2 3 2 Access control, authentication, and authorization practices and requirements 1 2 3 1 2 Information sharing, including storing and transmitting institutional data on outside resources (ISPs, external networks, contractors’ systems) 2 1 3 2 1 Disaster recovery contingency planning (business continuity planning) 1 1 3 4 Change management processes 2 3 2 2 Physical security and personnel clearances or background checks 1 3 3 2 Data backups and secure off-site storage 1 1 3 4 Secure disposal of data, old media, or printed materials that contains sensitive information 2 3 4 For your critical data centers, programming rooms, network operations centers, and other sensitive facilities or locations: 2 3 4 Are multiple physical security measures in place to restrict forced or unauthorized entry? 1 2 3 3 Is there a process for issuing keys, codes, and/or cards that require proper authorization and background checks for access to these sensitive facilities? 2 1 3 3 Is your critical hardware and wiring protected from power loss, tampering, failure, and environmental threats? 1 4 4 Total 17 45 58 50 47 Scoring: Not Implemented = 0; Planning Stages = 1; Partially Implemented = 2; Close to Completion = 3; Fully Implemented = 4 Discussion As shown by the total scores on Table 1, a majority of the university has a very high reliance on the IT in their services. This is depicted by the structure and characteristics of the university. Information risk assessment and management leaves a lot to be desired by the universities. Most the universities have partially implemented such programs. A large number of employees in the IT departments of most universities do no have sufficient skills to implement good information security governance. Most universities lack the leaders who have the rightful know how on the subject. In addition  to that, there is no a representative in the council who will be an IT expert, hence most leaders lack interest and initiatives on information security. Due to lack of full responsibility of information security by the leaders, to implement processes for information security might also be a challenge especially to the IT department as normally is the department given the responsibility. Conclusion There is a need for institutions to start focusing on proper information security governance. For a start organization such as the Government, the Computer Society of Zimbabwe, Zim Law Society, POTRAZ, ICAZ, IIAZ, Zimbabwe Institute of Management and other industry governing bodies should put their heads together and define the appropriate legislations that mandates information security governance either by referring to existing international frameworks (PCI-DSS, SOX, COSO, ITIL, SABSA, Cobit FIPS, NIST, ISO 27002/5, CMM, ITG Governance Framework) or by consulting local information security and business professionals to come up with an information security governance framework. As the Zimbabwean economy is slowly sprouting, the art of information security governance in the universities should also take a leap. The adoption information security governance will ensure that security will become a part of any university and thus customers confidence will be boosted. References Drucker, P. ‘Management Challenges for the 21st Century’, Harpers Business , 1993. Corporate Governance Task Force, Information Security Governance: Call to Action, USA, 2004. IT Governance Institute, Board Briefing on IT Governance, 2nd Edition, USA, 2003, www.itgi.org. IT Governance Institute, Information Security Governance: Guidance for Boards of Directors and Executive Management, 2nd Edition, USA, 2006. ISO/IEC 38500: Corporate Governance of Information Technology, 2008. IT Governance Institute, COBIT 4.0, USA, 2005, www.itgi.org IT Governance Institute, COBIT ® Security Baseline, USA, 2004, www.itgi.org National Association of Corporate Directors, ‘Information Security Oversight: Essential Board Practices’, USA, 2001 John P. Pironti,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Information Security Governance: Motivations, Benefits and Outcomes,† Information Systems Control Journal, vol. 4 (2006): 45–8. 21. Rutsito, T. (2005) ‘IT governance, security define new era’ The Herald, 07 November. Kaitano, F. (2010) ‘Information Security Governance: Missing Link In Corporate Governance’ TechZim. http://www.techzim.co.zw/2010/05/information-security-governance-missing-link-in-corporate-governance [accessed 02 May 2013]. Horton, T.R., Le Grand, C.H., Murray, W.H., Ozier, W.J. & Parker, D.B. (2000). Information Security Management and Assurance: A Call to Action for Corporate Governance. United States of America: The Institute of Internal Auditors. Hostland, K, Enstad, A. P, Eilertsen, O, Boe, G. (2010). Information Security Policy: Best Practice Document. Corporate Governance Task Force, (2004). Information Security Governance: Call to Action, USA

Infrastructure as the Foundation of Data Warehousing Essay

Data warehouse is a system environment which provides strategic information and holds detailed or summarized data from heterogeneous sources and provides end users with data access solutions exclusively designed for reporting and business analysis. The overall structure of the data warehouse is basically described by its architectural and infrastructural components. Orr pointed out that â€Å"data warehouse architecture is a way of representing the overall structure of data, communication, processing and presentation that exists for end-user computing within the enterprise. † In other words, data warehouse architecture is simply a blueprint which describes the elements and specific services of the warehouse, with details showing how the components will interrelate together and how the system will grow over time. Moreover, the architecture provides the conceptual framework of the warehouse in which these components are mutually arranged specifically to suit the organization’s requirements and to function in an optimum way. In order for these functions and services to be provided, a warehouse uses basic computing platform which generally makes use of the available technology. The platform includes the various software and hardware products installed as well as the type of users and the policies that govern it. However, these elements can be categorized as either operational infrastructure or physical infrastructure. Operational infrastructure deals with on how to keep the data warehouse running. These elements would include the people, the trainings required, the policies that each govern a function, and management software that would help maintain the efficiency and management of a data warehouse. Fundamentally, the physical infrastructure of a warehouse, as Ponniah noted, â€Å"consists of the basic hardware components, the operating system with its utility software, the network, and the network software† (p. 147). Coupled with a set of tools needed to provide such functions and services of individual architectural components. These components are pre-selected that may go through a number of critical evaluations in order to meet the necessary requirements to support the entire data warehouse. Moreover, Ponniah suggests that the infrastructure has to be modular as possible. That is, when newer versions are cost-effectively available, components could easily be unplugged and plugged in the upgrade. The data warehouse computing environment consists primarily of the hardware and the operating systems which provides jobs such as data extraction, transformation, integration, and transportation. Selection of these components are passed to certain criteria, such as, scalability, technical support, security, reliability, availability, and memory protection. Additionally, these infrastructural components would make up the front-end and the back-end systems of the entire data warehouse. However, managing these databases would need a robust and reliable DBMS that would match the selected hardware and software components. The DBMS shoul also have the capability of delivering a balanced data output and portability to access across the different platforms. Software tools are also important in every architectural component of a data warehouse. Third-party software tools can provide the necessary needs for developing a data warehouse computing environment, such as, data modeling, GUI design software, query tools that would generate reports, data warehouse administration and others. Generally, these tools cover all the major functions of a data warehouse. References Ponniah, Paulraj (2001). Data Warehousing Fundamentals: A Comprehensive Guide for IT Professionals. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Orr, Ken (2000). Data Warehouse Technology. Retrieved from the Web March 9, 2007. http://www. kenorrinst. com/dwpaper. html

Historical Perspectives of Abnormal Psychology Essay

There is no definition of abnormal psychological which has approval by the psychological social groups. Although, knowing of ones abnormal mindset is essential in assessing personal behaviors in determining what is intended (Hansell & Damour, 2008). Abnormal social content is often looked upon as personal behavior opposing to social normality. This structure is essential in analizing the abnormal mindset and focus to accurately filter conduct presented whether unusual or usual. This paper will determine the start of what presents abnormal mindset and how the developement is originated for use scientifically. Lastly, the paper will inspect the psychodynamic, humanistic and existential, behavioral, cognitive, sociocultural, family support and biological theoretical areas important to the strength of abnormal psychology. Origins of Abnormal Psychology The development of abnormal mindset can be transcribed for thousands of years. To this date, people have evolved in specified cases of undesired conduct. Historically, unusual conduct is seen as biological, psychological outcomes seen also as supernatural factors (Hansell & Damour, 2008). The observation of unusual conduct is often believed individuals acknowledge the idea of depletion of bad spirits, devils, and intities (Hansell & Damour, 2008). As far back as the Mesolithic period, normal practices of torture would be practiced to those who displayed unusual conduct to be pardoned. Additionally, the use of exorcisms was performed to extinguish the existance of paranormal activities. Additionally, in the Roman era the chemicals in an individuals head would be released to extinguish the individuals from unusual conduct. This tyoe of consequence was passed on into the Dark Ages; Europeans viewed this conduct as psychological disease which drew evil spirits to such individuals for pos session. Torture was practiced on individuals who presented unusual behaviors, and was common to relinquish an evil spirt for centuries. Challenges to Defining and Classifying Normal and Abnormal Behavior Though an individual can present unusual conduct, he or she is viewed as one who violates expectations or rules in a society or culture (Hansell & Damour, 2008). A lack of understanding is particularly notable because of various traditions and culture is viewed differently in consideration of the beliefs of certain traditions. An example is, a typical American will eat at a fast food chain for a quick bite at the work place, whereas many cultures from euopean all the way to middle eastern will bring his or her ethnic food to ingest, but do not condone this type of conduct. On the flip side, woman in the Middle East receive harsh abuse and it is not against the law for men to treat woman this way, but in the United States it is against the law for men to abuse their woman and he will receive a criminal offense for such behavior. In other words, it depends on the culture to consider if the unusual conduct violates law or social acknowledgement, decisions are relatively complex from are a to area. Unusual conduct can affect people negatively presently, but may be viewed as usual conduct in the future. How Abnormal Psychology has evolved into a Scientific Discipline The scientific element concept within the unusuwl aspects of psychology was developed by Hippocrates, a greek doctor. Hippocrates believed biological patterns are responsible for such unusual conduct. Hippocrates believed through biological cause an individual will be more likely to be cured from such illness. Also, Hippocrates referred the brain as a componant being responsible for an individual’s intelligence, awareness and cleverness. With such reference, these components play a significant role in how an individual displays his or her conduct (Hansell & Damour, 2008). Historically, thousands of years ago, individuals who displayed unusual conduct were labled as witches, or unusual conduct would draw in devils. The frequent attendance of church would increase because of the severity of such fear of evil. Following, the enligtenment era develoloped where unusual conduct was analysed throughly before considered a consequence for various discrepancies of an individuals brain f unctions, an acceptance was generally regarded as a psychological disease that accounted for the use of various remedies that were implemented (Hansell & Damour, 2008). Development of Abnormal Psychology: Biological and Theoretical Perspectives Unusual psychology on a biological viewpoint invests with the unusual acts that rooy from an inbalance within the brain. The use of psychotropic medications are used on a theraputic regimen to help elliviate symptoms; additionally, treatments used such as electro- convolsive therapy , and psychdynamic hypothisis to aid human contact on influences psychological through the unconscious mind (Hansell & Damour, 2008). For most part, an individual’s conduct is essential and is charactorized from a previous experience. Psychoanalysis is used as an approach in the theraputic needs. The use of the behavioral model is essential when conditioning is relevent. Depending on the situation, the use of operant and classical conditioning are considered (Hansell & Damour, 2008). Therefore, unusual conduct, and its reactives are performed to elleviate psychological disorders through the conditiining process and behavioral therapy to cure such disorder. In the 1960s, Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck implemented the cognitive approach to establish cognitive function using procedures to open conduct, stimulate ideas, feelings which establish personality and individual attitudes (Hansell & Damour, 2008).