Intelligent Agents Essay -- Computer Science

Intelligent Agents Abstract Intelligent Agents are software abstractions which potentially can make life easier and more productive for computer users. These agents are autonomous entities that can be asked to do tedious or complicated tasks for the user or unscramble the complexities of computer applications. "Many agents are based on the idea that the user need only specify a high-level goal instead of issuing explicit instructions, leaving the 'how' and 'when' decisions to the agent" 3. The agent either steps the user through the process at hand or goes off on its own and reports back with the requested information or completed task. Artificial Intelligence principles are used to program these agents. Introduction The modern computer era has brought with it a phenomenal volume of information. The internet in particular is comprised of far too much information for any one person to utilize. Therefore computer users must be able to use their time efficiently. One must be able to filter through all the information bringing back only pertinent, recent data quickly and easily. Also, as applications and hardware become more powerful and complicated, the user must be able to figure out how to master new tasks. These two challenges can be made easier with the use of intelligent agents. One example would be the following: A person wants to find a job in the computer industry as a programmer and decides to search the internet for available positions. Without the use of intelligent agents, the person would spend hours searching for every position having to do with computers and programming. A search query would return thousands upon thousands of links that would have to be weeded through to find the ones that were pertinent. An ... ...be expertly guided through complicated procedures by these agents. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1 http://www.networking.ibm.com/iag/iaghome.htm 2 http://nittany.ca.sandia.gov:8001/defs.html 3 http://cyclone.cs.clemson.edu/~mark/agents.html 4 http://www.advtech.microsoft.com/research/ui/persona/isbister.htm 5 http://www.doc.mmu.ac.uk/STAFF/mike/ker95/ker95.html 6 Maes, P. (1994b). Social interface agents: Acquiring competence by learning from users and other agents. In Etzioni, O., editor, Software Agents - Papers from the 1994 Spring Symposium (Technical Report SS-94-03), pages 71-78. AAAI Press. 7 Newell, A. and Simon, H. A. (1976). Computer science as empirical enquiry. Communications of the ACM, 19:113-126. 8 Shoham, Y. (1990). Agent-oriented programming. Technical Report STAN-CS-1335-90, Computer Science Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305

Make Educating Girls a Priority Essay

The article emphasizes on providing education to every eligible girl in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. It highlights that a girl who takes birth in South Asia or sub-Saharan Africa has to undergo desperate hardships such as poverty, disease, war or famine. Apart from that, she will also have to confront the disadvantage of being a girl. There is no culture, country and continent that are destitute of inequality. The root cause of girls not getting education is the cultural norms and economic hardships, which parents face. There is a norm of single-sex schooling in poor Muslim countries like Pakistan, Yemen, and Morocco and in the problem is that rural areas of those countries can afford only one public school that can be set for girls only. The inequality between girls and boys exist heavily in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa and almost all of those countries come under the category of ‘Least Developed Countries’ (LDCs). One way for these countries to head towards economic development is by ‘making educating girls a priority’. Making separate schools in places where girls and boys are educated separately is one solution. It is believed that by building girls’ schools, the education gap can be eliminated to a great extent. Policymakers can strengthen the incentives for parents to send their daughters to school by setting the no-fee policy. However, in economics, nothing is for free. There is always someone or something that pays for it. A no-fee policy may be brought about by taking a portion of the people’s taxes. Another thing the policymakers can do is provide stipend for girls who enroll in girls’ school. This would surely increase the girls’ enrolment rate as the graph below indicates that the fall in fees from ‘f’ to ‘f1’ will lead to an increase in the enrolment rate from ‘e’ to ‘e1’. Providing every eligible girl in South Asia and Sub-Sahara Africa would contribute towards the country’s development because major studies of growth conclude that improved knowledge, higher efficiency, and better education play a vital role in the functioning and productivity of an economy. The World Bank has pointed towards human development which they believe better education, and family planning can promote development as effectively as capital investment in physical plant. As the article states that 99% of the 529,000 women who die annually from pregnancy related hurdles come from developing countries and the reason for that is the lack of education for women in those countries. Uneducated women do not know the severe malnutrition and prenatal care during pregnancy which puts both the child and the mother at serious risk. Expenditure on human capital – better educated, health, and nutrition – tends to reduce birth-rates and infant mortality. The women will be educated and will be able to effectively take part in family planning as she will be aware of the consequences. Having a controlled population means a positive result in the GNP per capita which is the result of subtracting the population growth rate from the GNP growth rate. Educating the girls will privilege them to be able to raise their child effectively in a civilized manner. Educated women will be aware of dangers such as HIV/AIDS, poor sanitary habits and poor dietary habits. So basically they will be aware of the environment around them and above all they will know their rights and therefore fully stand up for themselves. So, educating the girls would not only benefit themselves but the society as a whole as well. So education helps the overall population and on a larger scales the whole world. Apart from giving a country an efficient work force, education makes the individual able to read, write, and communicate. When the people in a society are capable to bring forth their views, opinions and debates, it brings a social change and the changing attitudes of people may achieve a number of developmental aims. Providing education to the girls would also add to the country’s labor force which would definitely lead to an increase in economic growth. Therefore an economic development would shift the country’s Production Possibility Frontier (PPF) curve to the right as shown in the graphs below. In my opinion, I would say that providing education to girls in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa by building single-sex schools is a much appreciated step because of the numerous benefits it will contribute to the world. However it has to be taken into consideration that in some parts of the world providing co-education is unacceptable for example the northern areas of Pakistan. Therefore single-sex education will be a much better choice as it will be acceptable and also appreciated. However, single sex education is said to be not as beneficial as the co-education because in co-education pupils of both gender get to interact with each other and learn much more than they can in single education. But single sex education will be the only choice that can be perused in areas where co-education is not allowed. Although building single-sex schools will have an opportunity cost as the government will have to sacrifice something in order to afford the cost of building schools, but I would say it is all worth it. When the girls of a country are educated they will definitely add to the country’s work force and educating girls means educated women in the country which means that they will know how to properly raise their children and nurture them. There are many benefits which the country will have from providing education to the girl. There are short term benefits as well as long term benefits. More emphasis will be on the long term benefits as you know that it will take time before the women of the country will all be educated and it will take time to have an impact of providing education to girls on country’s women literacy rate. I also found the idea proposed in the article by the policymakers about handing the money to the mother of the school-going girl, instead the men. Handing the money to the women is a very effective and well-thought idea as mothers are more concerned about their children’s health and nutrition.

General motors, accounting theory and receivership Essay

Accounting theory is a wide ranging and comprehensive analysis and practice of management accounting and modern financial accounting. This function is accomplished through provision of a theoretical framework that assists in appreciating and understanding the purpose of various accounting practices. Business wise, the theory provides its linkage with modern accounting processes and the impacts of the procedures on business performance or operations. The theory is preferred because it goes beyond the theory, idea and thought analysis to incorporate holistic views of the influence of cultural and historical regulations and impacts on real world business environment (Madsen, 1999, p. 12). Receivership is a scenario under which gives an order to place a property under receivers control so that preservations for affected fellows can be done through it. In a case where a company is failing, actions brought forth by its creditors can place the business under receivership. The business does not cease to operate but is subjected to receiver’s management. In several cases, the court appoints a person to liquidate, rehabilitate, conserve or administer assets belonging to the insolvent corporation, in efforts made ultimately to relief or protect creditors. It therefore doesn’t lead to termination of corporate charter, but serves as a solution to financial difficulty. The dominion controller of the property subject to legal action is known as the receiver. In most cases, receivership is valued as an extraordinary remedy (Dubin, 1947, p. 10). This is because it is us4d to take care of a property when it is required for prosecution of lawsuit. This is especially when a danger is perceived that the property may be removed or dissipated form the courts jurisdiction in a failure to appoint a receiver. It is a process that only takes place through a court order, utilization only in exceptional circumstances. It may involve of not the consent of the owner of the property. General Motors is a company in the United States of America, dealing with motor based accessories, facilities and equipments. It is a company that is recognized as an economy mover not only in US but also in the global economy. However of late, the future of the company is hard to tell because it is subjected to several challenges of receivership, a process that is not only affecting its financial stability but also shaking its social fabric. United States uses a basic form of financial information in assessing the viability of corporations (Gordon, 2005, p. 17). In its capital markets, the general purpose financial statements used include profit and loss statements, balance sheets, statements of cash flows and statements of changes in equity. The nation also obtains extra information from footnotes. The extra information may include accounting procedures and policies utilized in preparing the financial statements, composition and the nature of balances reflected in the financial documents and other disclosure and matters that may be considered relevant for fairness to be upheld in the financial documentation process. US securities registrants also make periodic, quarterly and annual fillings (Belkaoui, 1991, p. 34). These fillings provide supplemental and additional information concerning statistical analysis, descriptions of significant risk factors, major operation locations and units, properties and plants, services and products and company’s business. The legal framework also requires operations to do with management’s discussion and analysis, assessment of liquidity risks and liquidities and certain supplementary schedules. Critical consideration and analysis of the above information gives a corporations financial status and its ability to serve the creditors and satisfy the requirements by the law (Cheffins, 1997, p. 15). The question on whether General Motors is in full consideration of ethical aspects in the process of receivership is subject to various influences. To some point, it may be ethical and fail at some points. This is because the receivership process has got some benefits to both the company itself and the shareholders, meaning that the process may lead to ethical grounds of treatment. On the other hand, the process has its own disadvantages to itself and stakeholders, this representing the degree of ethical deviation. For the time being, the company has received a mounting pressure to convince Washington that the bankruptcy of the company does not turn out catastrophically to the national economy. It is anticipated that if this happens, millions of job opportunities will be lost, tax payers will have to pay more than $100 billion and therefore lead the economy into a severe depression. Because of this threat, Barrack Obama, Harry Reed and Nancy Pelosi have called for an auto bailout of the company (Rae, 1959, p. 16). The decision to get into a receivership supports the argument that the company is ethical to some extend. This is because receivership is the alternative of bankruptcy which is worse. Bankruptcy paralyses every thing in a company and soils the continuity of the company, stakeholders and the national economy as a whole. Surrendering to receivership deal is showing the concern of the company towards their stakeholders, national economy and the global economy. In one special consideration, if the company failed to engage in a receivership deal, all dealers and suppliers from all over the globe would be jobless (Bonbright, 1982, p. 19). To escape from employee assaults, receivership make sure all employees are not pay off and the operations of the company continue running though under courts monitory. The control by court gives hope and protects the rights of the stakeholders. Reflecting unemployment as a worldwide challenge, it cloud be bad for companies to advocate and engage in business strategies that increase unemployment. Again, the business ethics are tied to respect and compensation of employees as a major priority, because it is believed they form the production propellers. Without employees, an organization can hardly run and this is the reason as to why General Motors has been regarded as ethical for giving employees the best treat the company could afford during this financial challenge (Gordon, 2005, p. 17). If General Motors could not strike this deal, it is a possibility that it would have broken up and sold to other companies that may be foreign or domestic. In this case, stakeholders would have lost everything, workers would have lost and management fired. This is a clear indication that receivership is attributed to less stigma. The decision of rushing to this line of management has been seen to release the stigma of the management, country and the clients in question. This is because the operations are still on and under strict surveillance by court administration (Gordon, 2005, p. 16). Therefore, America as a nation, its citizens and stakeholders still have hopes that the company will reinstall its functioning. According to the accounting theory, it is always advisable to be a risk taker but to certain limits. Once the balancing of the accounting section fails, it is also provided that accountants or administration should surrender and allow advanced cross data analysis. This is a measure made to minimize the exposure to risks that may render an organization non functional. Business receivership increases chances of a troubled business survival. To revive the proceedings of the business almost to normalcy level, it is essential to put in place new management to help discover the errors of the old management. This increases the probability of the business survival (Bonbright, 1982, p. 19). The reason as to why many people may believe that GM is not serving its function and failing is because the American economy itself is under its steepest drop in 20 years time, recording foreclosures at highest levels, stock market performing the poorest for five years and a decaying consumer confidence. It should be understood that the cause of the GMs challenge is also contributed to by the economic environment of the country and also the global economy, which is in a recession. It is said that General Motors is in the verge of bankruptcy. In December 2008, the consumer confidence in the company has dropped to its lowest levels possible. Because of these difficulties, the federal government announced that the economy has been in a recession as from December 2007. This company applied for this protection from creditors because according to how the situation was, a red ink had mounted an issue which was realized through a cash flow collapse and amid falling sales. The company made the unavoidable choice in efforts of filing court intervention in dealing with urgent liquidity crisis and therefore seeks for transformation towards sustainability. According to the stock market, the company’s shares had dropped with nearly 85 percent and were in turn suspended. The company was unable to meet its payroll in December 2008. GM is observed to have small domestic rivals but its state is closely being watched to face amid turmoil in auto industry. The failure of this company has also been ignited by the global financial crisis that has plunged the demand for vehicles (Rae, 1959, p. 17). According to the nature of accounting, it is described as a process of communicating, measuring and identifying economic information to facilitate decisions by the information users and permit informed judgments to take place. This has been taken as a statement of basic accounting theory, supporting the ideology that economy or entrepreneurial progress is a concern of stakeholders, and information should be exposed with a lot of freedom and accuracy. In regards to the General Motors, the move to receivership is a strategy to allow access to documents and pave way for new judgments to be made but separate entities. This is highly appreciated in the theory of accounting because it improves the creativity of the company in management activities and help reconstruction of the company. Failure to communicate information is not ethical. This is because if GM was not ethical it could only give up at times of complete insolvency or bankruptcy. Under the accounting theory, measuring and communicating information involves observation of events and transactions of the firm and measuring the transactions as well. Financial report is then released, which serves as a message to help the healing process. After the interpretation of the message, an image of the firm is obtained and then used as a basis of decision making. The adjustments that are possible in case of the above company will be based on accounting discoveries and recommendations. The allowance of experts into the scrutiny process is a show of responsiveness to the reform process and the willingness to be corrected (Rae, 1959, p. 17). As the above takes place, the receiver has acted as the referee of the proceedings, playing a trustee duty to the court. This receiver has maximized the value of General Motors Company and its assets. The receiver is also taking the best ways possible to protect shareholders and creditors involved in the saga of this company. With time, the receiver may often liquidate the assets and shut it down but this is not the case in the united stases of America. The fate of the company therefore rests on the possibility of the company coming back operation, the amount of remaining money and the causes of the business problems. If events prove that there is no hope for the company in the long run, the acting receiver would make sure that every partner involved benefits from the scrape value of the venture. If it is finally ruled the company should be sold as a going concern, the price tag can improved because for the value added by the receiver. This description makes receivership of its concern more sensitive to its creditors, clients and creditors (Bonbright, 1982, p. 18). With all the above arguments describing General Motors as ethical, the path that the company followed to this far is on the other hand questionable both in human resource management and financial accounting. If the company was so ethical, such difficulties could be detected earlier and protected. It will be then very accurate that the company should have participated in financial fraud. Fraudulence and material misstatement is believed to have led the company to this saga, completely going against accounting ethics of transparency, accuracy and accountability. At international levels, the company is said to have defied from accounting theory by either overstating revenues, understating expenses, omitting some liabilities, overstating assets, failure in transactions, disclosure and accounting events, mischaracterization, disclosures that may be misleading in concerns of MD&A, products and services, liquidity and liquidity risks or in supplemental information. Inclusively, the country may also have created fictitious assets, omitted actual liabilities or improper reflect of transactional timing. The above frauds are all outlawed in the financial accounting theory, which the above company may not have adhered to, leading to the present massacre (Rae, 1959, p. 16). Still to show discontentment of the company as far as accounting theory is concerned, receivables and revenues recognized prematurely should be given a special treatment in the accounting process, an error that General Motor sis believed to have committed and thus failed to meet its payroll in December 2008. The cost of production of the company has been observed to increase before the fall magnified and collapsed the functioning of the company. Through accounting theory, this may have been caused by deferring the reconnection of costs or purchases, improperly overstating the value of inventories or improper treatment of overhead or indirect expenses. According to the outcry of the General Motor employees, there must have been a delayed recognition of associated provision expenses before this downfall. Contingencies have been detected in form of litigation reserves, product and warranty liability reserves sales return allowances and doubtful accounts allowances. According to the nature of the controversy in the company’s financial statements, creation of fictitious probably took place. It involved recording of associated fictitious receivables, fictitious revenues, fictitious inventory and therefore underestimation of cost of goods sold (Madsen, 1999, p. 13). Accounting theory and practice of accountants firmly argue against exclusive frauds, which definitely drive corporations and businesses to the situations comparable to the ones of General Motors. The exclusion concerns liabilities and other obligations such as contingencies, guarantees and commitments, all of which affect the balance sheet status. The effect of such exclusions is understatement of expenses such as environment cleanup expenses, litigation expense provisions, judgment liabilities, litigation reserves debt losses such as undisclosed commitments, guarantees and debt related contingencies. This category also incorporates direct charge off reserves and impairment of unconsolidated assets like partnerships, joint ventures and equity investments. All the above exclusive frauds lead to overstatement of liquidity measures and understatement of company’s total liabilities and interest expense (Dubin, 1947, p. 11). As far as accounting theory is concerned, the company is believed to have defied the provisions of the theory with big margins. This is because if the company had carefully taken into concern the above errors, the turmoil could not have resulted. Again, even if it could occur, the margin could not be alarming. The accounting discrepancies that many leaders in America have felt brought the company down are pushing them to propose a complete turmoil of the company. The above fraud description illustrates that receivership of the company was not the best precautionary measure to take, but instead accounting theory prescriptions should consistently have been upheld by the company and thus prevent this fall. This means that the company is not as ethical as people may be thinking. Ethics are attributes in which every member of a certain setting performs or delivers his or her responsibility with all affordable sincerity and fairness. This involves consideration of the cultural expectations when in such environment, social aspects and the particular work ethics. If frauds comparable to the ones above take place, this means that a section of the staff is not sincere and so non ethical. Therefore it may also make sense to say the company is not so ethical (Belkaoui, 1991, p. 35). To add on this, an ethical institution is always the interest of the public because of the confidence they attach to them. The subsequent and rapid drop in the confidence of this company is an indication that it wasn’t an ethical organization which citizens could understand the scenario as a normal challenge and therefore continue supporting it. Because receivership is a lame way of solving the problem, the structural framework has to be strengthened if the company happens to revive as a going concern. If efforts to revive the company fail, it would also be wise to go for the bankruptcy option. Together with the disadvantages of this option, it may ultimately emerge as stronger form with lower cost structure. To supplement this, the government can undertake a bailout to add new capital, replace management, write down the debt and preserve most of the jobs. To conclude, receivership of General Motors can not be seen as a solution as per now but it is time to tell, especially according the economic trends. Still, it is hard to tell whether the company is ethical, since it posses both weak and strong elements of ethical practices (Cheffins, 1997, p. 15). Bibliography Belkaoui Ahmed (1991). Accounting in the dual economy. Westport, CT: Quorum Books; pp. 34,35. Bonbright James (1982). The holding company: Its public significance and its regulation. New York: McGraw Hill Books; pp. 18,19. Cheffins Brian (1997). Company law: Theory, structure and operation. New York: Clarendon Press, Clarendon; pp. 15. Dubin Robert (1947). United automobile (CIO), general motors and Studebaker. Science Research Associates; United States, pp. 10, 11. Gordon Robert (2005). Business leadership in the large corporation. New York: Brookings Institution; pp. 16,17. Madsen Axel (1999). The deal maker: How William C. Durant made general motors. New York: John Wiley & sons; pp. 12, 13. Rae John (1959). American automobile manufacturers: The first forty years. Chilton, Washington; pp. 16, 17.

Thesis

Thesis: School uniforms should be required in public schools because their use would lead to higher education, less violence, and lower cost to parents. School uniforms in public schools are becoming increasingly popular across the nation. The public school system would benefit greatly if this policy were to be adopted. Opposition is always a factor when trying to make changes. Taking all things into consideration, the positive effects would be far greater than the negative effects. School uniforms should be required in public schools because their use would lead to higher education, less violence, and lower cost to parents. By requiring school uniforms in public schools, education will be improved. A dress code will enforce discipline toward learning. Uniforms improve a persons outlook toward success. Students generally act the way they are dressed. With fewer distractions, students see the school as a workplace for teaching and learning. Students also have less stress in their lives because they are not in a fashion competition. Dress codes also lead to a change in grades. Mainly this happens because the students attendance comes up. There is also a change in grades because it is easier to focus when everyone looks alike. Another reason school uniforms should be required in public schools is that it causes less violence. There will be less peer pressure toward competition to distract the students from their studies. Everyone will be equal if the uniforms were to be required. The weapons factor will be cut down drastically by mandatory uniforms. The reason for this violence decrease is that weapons will be harder to conceal. If the weapons are harder to conceal, there will be less attempts to hide the weapons and fewer will be brought to our school or school functions. This brings about a change for the better, because it reduces social classes. Cost is another reason that school uniforms sho ...

Roman Art Essays - Visual Arts, Persian Art, Roman Art, Sculpture

Roman Art Essays - Visual Arts, Persian Art, Roman Art, Sculpture Roman Art Romans were collectors and admirers of Greek art. Art from Greece was brought to Rome, copied, and also changed by the Romans. As a result, Roman art is somewhat based on Greek art. However, Roman art is not merely a continuation of Greek art. For an amateur it is difficult to determine between the two art forms because neither the Romans nor the Greeks wrote down the history of their own art. The characteristics pertaining to each particular type of art are known to some extent, so the experts are relatively accurate in determining the separation of the two types of art. Roman art is divided into four categories: portrait sculptures, paintings and mosaics, relief sculptures, and statues. Each of these has its own characteristics. Portrait sculptures, designed by the Romans, shows the desire of the Romans for literalness; it records even the homeliest features. This is demonstrated in the sculpture, Head of A Roman, made of marble in 80 B.C. The artist painstakingly reported each rise and fall and each bulge and fold of the entire facial surface. It was as if the artist was acting like a map maker, trying not to miss the slightest detail. The end product was a blunt, bald record of features. Idealism nor improvement of features was done causing the feeling of superrealism. Paintings and mosaics were influenced by the architecture of the Romans . Their architecture consiste d of buildings containing a small number of doors and windows, thus leaving considerably large stretches of wall space suitable for decoration. The quality was determined by the importance and the wealth of the patron. The walls were used for two things in Roman art. First, they were used as a barrier. Secondly, they were used to visually open the wall and enhance the space of the room. Only certain colors were used. These were deep red, yellow, green, violet and black. Two methods were used to prepare walls for painting. In one, plaster was compounded with marble dust, then laid directly on the wall in several layers. It was eventually beaten smooth with a trowel until it became dense. Finally, it was polished to a marble finish. The wall was then ready to be painted with water colors or encaustic paints. The other method, called panel painting, consisted of stucco being applied to boards of cypress, pine, lime, oak, and larch. Then water colors, obtained from minerals and animal d yes were applied. The painting was then mounted to cover a wall. These methods were used throughout the years to produce paintings. Although the style of the paintings on the walls changed during the years, the methods used to prepare the walls basically stayed the same. There are four styles of painting Incrustation, the first style, was used from 200 to 60 B.C. Walls were divided into bright polychrome panels of solid colors with an occasional textural contrast. In the years 60 to 20 B.C. the second style, the architectural style, was used. This method made a wall look as if it extended beyond the room, but it wasn't systematically perspective. In the years 20 B.C. to A.D. 60, the third style, the ornate style, was used. This method subdivided a wall into a number of panels by means of vertical and horizontal bands. The fourth and final style of painting took place in A.D.60 to A.D.79. It was called the intricate style. Each wall contained a great number of separate paintings not relating to each other. It made people feel as if they were walking through an art gallery looking at a variety of different paintings. Art of Rome wasn't limited to that of walls. Romans also had murals, painted glass, illustrated books, and easel paintings. Relief sculptures, carved into large pieces of stone, were used to decorate pediments, cella walls of temples, and the interior and exterior of various buildings. The size of a relief was dependent upon the purpose, location and treatment of the monument. There are two types of relief sculptures. One is a pictorial frieze, which is an unbroken representation of one or more mythological or historical events. The other is an image. It consists of a self-contained representation of an

Copper Age Cemetery

Varna Bulgaria - Eneolithic/Copper Age Cemetery Varna is the name of a Eneolithic/Late Copper Age cemetery located in northeastern Bulgaria, slightly inland of the Black Sea and north of the Varna Lakes. The cemetery was used for about century between 4560-4450 BC. Excavations at the site have revealed a total of nearly 300 graves, within an area of approximately 7,500 square meters (81,000 square feet or approximately 2 acres). To date, the cemetery has not been found to be associated with a settlement: the closest human occupation of the same date consists of 13 pile-based lake dwellings, located near Varna Lakes and thought to be of approximately the same period. However, no connection to the cemetery has been established as of yet. Grave goods from Varna included an enormous amount of goldwork, a total of over 3,000 gold objects weighing more than 6 kilograms (13 pounds). In addition, 160 copper objects, 320 flint artifacts, 90 stone objects and more than 650 clay vessels have been found. In addition, over 12,000 dentalium shells and about 1,100 Spondylus shell ornaments were also recovered. Also collected were red tubular beads made from carnelian. Most of these artifacts were recovered from elite burials. Elite Burials Of the 294 graves, a handful were clearly high status or elite burials, probably representing chiefs. Burial 43, for example, included 990 gold artifacts weighing 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) alone. Stable isotope data suggests that the people at Varna consumed both terrestrial (millet) and marine resources: human remains associated with the richest burials (43 and 51) had isotope signatures that indicated higher percentage consumption of marine protein. A total of 43 of the graves are cenotaphs, symbolic graves containing no human remains. Some of these contained clay masks with gold objects placed in what would be the location of eyes, mouth, nose and ears. AMS radiocarbon dates on animal and human bones from burial contexts returned calibrated dates between 4608-4430 BC; but most artifacts of this type date to the later Eneolithic period, suggesting that the Black Sea location was a center of social and cultural innovation. Archaeology The Varna cemetery was discovered in 1972 and excavated well into the 1990s by Ivan S. Ivanov of the Varna Museum, G. I. Georgiev and M. Lazarov. The site has not been as yet been completely published, although a handful of scientific articles have appeared in English language journals. Sources This article is a part of the About.com guide to the Chalcolithic, and the Dictionary of Archaeology. Gaydarska B, and Chapman J. 2008. The aesthetics or colour and brilliance - or why were prehistoric persons interested in rocks, minerals, clays and pigments? In: Kostov RI, Gaydarska B, and Gurova M, editors. Geoarchaeology and Archaeomineralogy: Proceedings of the International Conference. Sofia: Publishing House St. Ivan Rilski. p 63-66. Higham T, Chapman J, Slavchev V, Gaydarska B, Honch NV, Yordanov Y, and Dimitrova B. 2007. New perspectives on the Varna cemetery (Bulgaria) – AMS dates and social implications. Antiquity 81(313):640-654. Honch NV, Higham TFG, Chapman J, Gaydarska B, and Hedges REM. 2006. A palaeodietary investigation of carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/14N) in human and faunal bones from the Copper Age cemeteries of Varna I and Durankulak, Bulgaria. Journal of Archaeological Science 33:1493-1504. Renfrew C. 1978.  Varna and the social context of early metallurgy.  Antiquity 52(206):199-203.

Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

Project - Essay Example The evolution of reimbursement systems have brought about many challenges since 1950’s to the present day. However, the accounting changes have led to resource allocation issues that influence directly on the managerial and ethical issues that are relative to all stakeholders. The article examines the how different accounting approaches have influenced on the United States Healthcare reimbursement systems. Additionally, the article further looks at the managerial and ethical implication that the reimbursement systems have on the health care system. The development of the health care system in the United States is approaching crisis and it has been established that there is no compromise on the horizon. This has been because of the increased domination of the sector by the private sector. The main aim or objective of the private sector in the health care system is profit making rather than providing quality medical care for the citizens of the United States (Davis, Davis & Schmelzle, 2013). Additionally, accessibility of medical care in the United States has decreased significantly. According to statistics taken in 2009 by the Institute of Medicine, it was indicated that approximately fifty million American citizens do not have any health insurance. Therefore, public and private institutions play a vital role in the health care cost; hence, measuring the allocation of scarce health care resources within the United States healthcare system. The article further examines that allocation or resources within the classification of the healthcare system in the United States. Various issues have been discussed in the article in relevance to reimbursement system in the United States. However, the main issue is how the reimbursement systems have affected the health care system in America deteriorating the health care system. For example, it has been established that the World Health Organization has ranked the United States the 43rd