My Experience and Understanding of Adventure-Based Counselling Essay

According to Neill (2004), ‘Adventure therapy is the use of adventure-based activities and/or adventure-based theory to provide people with emotional and/or behavioral problems with experiences which lead to positive change in their lives.’ Adventure therapy is also â€Å"programming aimed at changing [specified] dysfunctional behavior patterns, using adventure experiences as forms of habilitation and rehabilitation† (Priest & Grass, 2005). The underlying philosophy of adventure-based counseling (ABC) is experiential education and it stresses on one’s personal improvement through full value contract, adventure wave and challenge by choice (Schoel, Prouty & Radcliffe, 1988). After several lectures, different skills were explained and even applied on ourselves. In this essay, these theories and experience will be discussed. Adventure-based counseling is part of the means of experiential learning. Educational psychologists usually define learning as â€Å"a change in the individual caused by experience† (Slavin, 1986, p.104). Through various experiences, people can learn from them and gain personal growth. Kolb (1984) suggested an experiential learning cycle, pointing out four essential elements of experiential learning, which are experience, review, conclusion and planning. Applying to Adventure-based counseling, experience means some challenging activities for groups or individuals. Review means encouraging individuals to reflect, describe, communicate and learn from the experience. Conclusion means concluding past and present experiences and planning means applying new learning in the future. There are several learning theories explaining how experiences can lead to learning, which means behavioral changes or cognitive developments. Operant conditioning proposed by Skinner states that successes, praise, positive feedbacks or rewards can act as positive reinforcers so that the subjects would be reinforced to act the same way again. Similarly, failures, punishments or negative comments would act as negative reinforcers which deter the subjects to act again (Skinner, 1968). In adventure-based counseling, participants would face some challenges and act. Some actions would lead to positive results, which would further reinforce participants to act in the same way when they face similar situations again. Some actions lead to negative results, which make them aware and change their behaviors next time. This can be applied also to changing of personalities and problem-solving skills. Undesirable personalities will be discouraged by failures or negative feedbacks while desirable personalities will be reinforced. Bandura suggested social learning theory that people can learn through observational learning and modeling (Bandura, 1986). Through observational learning, people would imitate others’ behaviors and learn from others’ successes or failures. In adventure-based counseling, when participants face the challenges individually, they would imitate what other participants do, or take others’ successes and failures in dealing with the challenges as example. So when they face the challenges, participants would improve along the sequence. When encountering group challenges, participants would imitate the socially desirable behaviors of their group mates or remind themselves not to behave socially undesirably after observing their group mates’ failures. This can enhance participants’ social skills. In cognitive aspect, James Coleman (1977) differentiates between the information assimilation process of the regular classroom and the experiential learning process. In traditional classrooms, knowledge is taught to students through direct instruction and they simply memorize the knowledge. Through information assimilation, the learners are expected to move from cognitive and symbol-processing sphere to the sphere of action through applying the general principles learned into novel situations. Experiential learning is in a reversed order, which involves actions sufficiently repeated that the learner is able to generalize from the experience. However, it is more etched into the brain as the learning can be associated with concrete actions and events, not just abstract symbols or general principles (Mllre, & Priest, 1990). There are some important principles of adventure-based counseling, namely â€Å"Full Value Contract† and â€Å"Challenge by Choice† (Schoel, Prouty & Radcliffe, 1988). â€Å"Full Value Contract† means an agreement among group members to value one’s own ideas and needs without ignoring or discounting others. â€Å"Challenge by Choice† means ‘individuals can choose their level of participation in any activity.’ (Neill, 2007) During our lectures, our lecturer Lau Sir has explained different theories by involving us to play games. After playing games, Lau Sir would explain how the games worked, the meaning of different procedures, and what can we learn throughout them. In the first lecture, a game ‘throwing the chicken’ was played. It is an ice-breaking game, aim at knowing the names of group members. Although it is a very easy game, it has lots of micro-skills included. At the beginning, Lau Sir has asked did anyone feel afraid of the chicken, which could show his caring to the participants, in order to build up the relationship between the leader and the participants. After one round of the game, Lau Sir required the participants to repeat the process, but with a faster speed, the participants would then move their chairs towards the center. This is using indirect intervention method, helping them to get closer and involve more into it, without directly telling them to sit closer or involve more. The other micro-skill ‘Challenge by Choice’ was also frequently used during lectures. For example, the ‘throwing the chicken’ game in the first lecture, the ‘trust ladder’ in the second lecture and different games during the overnight camp. All of these may only be just simply asking the participants that whether they want to play, but it was vital as it shows the respect to the participants. These skills were the easiest thing being omitted, but without it, the counseling work may be affected or even have some adverse effects. Although half of the lectures have passed, there is one more High-event Challenge Day and several lectures. I am looking forward to learn more different skills in counseling and leading games. Reference List Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social-cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Coleman, J. A. (1977). Differences between experiential and classroom learning. In M. T. Keeton (Ed.), Experiential learning: Rationale characteristics, and assessment, pp. 49-61. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Mllre, J. C. & Priest, S. (1990). Adventure education. State College, DA: Adventure Publishing. Neill, J. (2004). Adventure therapy definitions. Retrieved from http://www.wilderdom.com/adventuretherapy/adventuretherapydefinitions.html Neill, J. (2007). Adventure-based counseling (ABC). Retrieved from http://wilderdom.com/ABC/ Priest, S., & Gass, M. (2005). Effective leadership in adventure programming (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Schoel, J., Prouty & Radeliffe,P. (1988). Islands of healing. A guide to adventure based counseling. U.S.A: Project Adventure. Skinner, B. F. (1968). The technology of teaching. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. Slavin, R. E. (1986). Educational psychology: theory into practice. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Retribution Theology

God delivered the children of Israel out of the Egyptian’s abusive hands and gave them the Ten Commandments. These rules were given to live by and form an everlasting relationship with their God. But, if they failed to keep their end of the bargain, God would have to punish them. Retribution theology is the belief that those who are obedient to God are called righteous and will be blessed, while those that are disobedient are wicked and will be cursed (Tullock 2006). From the beginning of Exodus and beyond the Babylonian Exile, retribution theology was prevalent in the lives of Israel. The Old Testament writings reiterate God’s faithfulness towards Israel. â€Å"The Old Testament indicates that God’s law was specially revealed to Israel in the context of His redeeming and delivering His people from bondage,† (Bahnsen 1980). But before Moses, God established an unconditional covenant with Abram when he obeyed Him. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and told him that his descendants would possess the land of Canaan forever. â€Å"I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. † (Genesis 12:2, NRSV). These descendants became known as Israel and after 500 years of being God’s chosen people, they became the slaves of the Egyptians. Since God is faithful and Israel was His people, He had to remove them from the oppression of Pharaoh. In a theophany, God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and commissioned him to deliver the children of Israel. Once God freed them and provided them an escape route, under the leadership of Moses, He endowed them with the law and His blessings. â€Å"Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. (Exodus 19:5, NRSV). After freeing them, God provided them with the means for remaining freed and receiving His provisions. In spite of their deliverance, the Israelites’ problems did not end with their exodus from Egypt. They suffered many trials and tribulations, but from the hand of the God who had promised to bless them (Deffinbaugh 1976). Because of their murmuring, com plaining, and unbelief, God allowed Israel to walk around in the wilderness for forty years. This was literally only a three day journey. In addition, God never intended for Israel to have to fight their way into the Promised Land; He wanted them to have faith and obey Him. Again, because of their disobedience, God allowed them to suffer the consequences of sin. God called Israel to be righteous before Him. Righteousness was what the people were to be and to do because of God. It meant to be in the right relationship with God, and to act accordingly in the world based on that moral relationship. He blessed Israel out of His love and cursed out of His righteousness or holiness (Deffinbaugh 1976). To be righteous was to have the teaching of God in one’s heart, to know and to understand the things of God. While the term could be used to describe ethical actions in the world, the primary focus of righteousness was toward God, what the people were in relation to God. Righteousness was the people’s relationship to God based on the fact, that â€Å"I am your God. † Therefore, God felt that He had every right to curse them when they were disobedient to His covenant. The first commandment God gave Israel was to have no other gods before Him because He was the one true God. Clearly, God knew and acknowledged that there were other gods or objects the people in that time worshipped. But He had proven to the Hebrew people that He was their deliverer, provider, and their God. The second commandment said not to make for themselves any type of idol, that God was jealous, and that He showed mercy to those that loved Him and kept His commandments. Now, He revealed His nature and how He was to be honored. It was only right, just and honorable that they worshipped and obeyed Him. There did not seem to be any secrets or mysteries on what God expected from Israel. But, Israel just could not stop worshipping idols. They continued to worship Baal, the god of sun, rain, thunder, fertility, and agriculture despite the prophets’ warnings. Many prophets such as Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Amos, and Micah warned Israel of their wickedness and the consequences. When Israel became a nation, God’s law of righteousness did not change. He still expected them to obey His word. God’s national blessings and cursings were conditional as well. If a nation repented of its sin and turned to God, its threatened judgment could be prevented. If a nation turned from God, its promised blessings would be taken away. Many forms of divine retribution can fall on a human life which is worse than immediate death. In fact, Jeremiah made just such a complaint about the punishment inflicted on Jerusalem (Lam. 4:6, 9). One might think also of King Saul, whose last days were burdened with such mental and emotional turmoil that death itself was a kind of release. 10:30-31. No one should regard such a warning as an idle threat. God Himself has claimed the right to take vengeance and to judge His people. In saying this, the author quoted twice from Deuteronomy (32:35-36), a chapter which most vividly evokes the picture of God’s people suffering His retributive judgments (cf. esp. Deut. 32:19-27). Those familiar with this text, as well as other descriptions of God’s wrath against â€Å"His people,† agree: it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Not only did God operate in that manner of retribution theology, but Israel believed that if you obeyed the law, you would prosper. If you didn’t obey the law, you would suffer.

Race and Racism Essay

In comparison to the almighty universe in which people all live in, human beings are merely a speck of dust at the size of it all. Then here are these beings on planet earth, with all 7 billion people under the same moon, divided. No longer are human equals as beings, but separate because of the system of ignorance, exploitation, and power used to oppress people on the basis of ethnicity, culture, mannerisms, and culture (Marable 1). Racism is the issue Americans have swept under the rug; the problem is being ignored, leaving cultures in the dark of their own history causing blame to be shifted on to all sorts of hosts, and it’s time to pick up the rug to dust. Society as a whole seems to have broken down what makes a person unique, dehumanizing them and leaving them susceptible to oppression (Marable 2). One must not be so quick to forget that every single human being is made up of the same genetic material, to forget something so broad is to undermine the gift of thinking itself. Manning Marable writes in Racism and Sexism that stereotypes are at the heart of every form of racism today. Racism is not a topic that sits around at the front of everybody’s brain. Racism does not twist on the tip of your tongue begging to be talked about. Racism is something that is ignored and denied. Shocking statistics from Tim Wise’s On White Privilege were discussed, stating that in 1962, 80% of white folk believed that racism was not even a problem. In the same year, 90% of white folk believed that colored children had equal education opportunities as white children. To believe that racism was not even a problem would be to say that over the 750 race riots 228 people were not actually killed, 12,741 people were not critically injured, and that the 15,000 acts of arson did not leave black urban neighborhoods in ruins, in the same year of 1962 (Postrel). White people are completely unburdened by race; where as colored people constantly feel their capabilities are always being second guessed. However, Charles M. Blow, author of Escaping Slavery, explains to the reader that apparently white people think their actions are justified! And Blow goes as far as to say that â€Å"the idea that progress toward radical harmony would or should be steady and continuous is fraying† (Blow 1). In On White Privilege, the speaker Tim Wise pointed out that white people were asked in 2009 if they believed that racial discrimination is still a problem and only 6% said ‘yes. ’ To put that into perspective: more people would believe that Elvis is still alive than to believe that racial discrimination is still a problem (Wise). Perhaps the density of the universe compromised the carrying capacity of the human brain causing a malfunction making it so the only thing people can think about is them self. Definitely not progress (Blow 2). The white system of ignorance and exploitations is causing the cultures of color to completely lose track of their own histories (Marable). People who are oppressed themselves begin to lose touch with their own traditions of history, community, love, celebrations, struggle, and change (Marable). Tim Wise reminds viewers whose history we are truly learning in school- text books are filled only with white history; people of color are forced to regurgitate white history, white literature, white art, white theater, etc. , while if a white person does not know an ounce of black history, it can go virtually unnoticed in this country (Wise). Actions speak louder than words and people seem to continue to prove their ignorance. As part of the Civil Rights Movement and an effort to create a solution to unlawful discrimination in housing based on race, color, sex, nation origin, or religion, the Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968 (Russell). Fast forward 38 years later where 2006 showed the highest level of discriminating housing complaints based on race (Wise). 38 whole years later and the only thing society can show on terms of progress is the lack of acceptance being distributed around the country. There is not enough change taking place as a country in order to move forward into truly being the United States of America; home of the Brave but we still fear what we do not know. It is always easier to accuse other forces for a problem than to admit that you are actually making the mess yourself. It has been said that if one is not a part of the solution then one is a part of the problem; however, some people are purely unburdened by race, they don’t know racism because they have never had to experience it- people are completely surrounded by and completely oblivious of the problem. Failure to talk about racism feeds the denial (Wise). The finger can be pointed in any direction, and instead of calling it â€Å"blame† the word â€Å"cause† is used instead because that is more constructive, and let’s face it, we need as much progress as we can get. However, progress seems to be unbearably intangible when Blow points out that the pillars of the institution- the fundamental devaluation of dark skin and stained justifications are for the unconscionable- have proved surprisingly resilient (Blow). The ignorance and lack of education only feeds the pillars’ strength. Completely blinded by utter fear, America seems to be in a standstill of progress towards the issue on racism. Starting with Charles Blow’s work in Escaping Slavery, down to Manning Marable’s Racism and Sexism, and what Tim Wise said in On White Privilege, it can be assumed that progress will always need to be made to bring this country closer to unity. Breaking down racial barriers and stereotypes have proven to be an especially lengthy process, however that does not justify the slothfulness of it all. Open minds and hearts is what it is going to take to shatter the structure that leaves this country divided. Word Count: 1,100 Works Cited Blow, Charles. â€Å"Escaping Slavery. † New York Times 4 January 2013. Marable, Manning. â€Å"Racism and Sexism. † Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, 5th ed. Ed. Paul Rothenberg. New York: Worth Publishers, 2001. 124-129. Pring. Wise, Tim. On White Privilege: Racism, White Denial, and the Costs of Inequality. The Media Education Foundation, 2008. DVD. Postrel, Virginia. â€Å"The Consequences of the 1960’s Race Riots Come Into View. † The New York Times. N. p. , 30 Dec. 2004. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.

Social Equity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Equity - Assignment Example This was not a problem, except that each time the tests were conducted, results tended to be that white candidates out-performed other minority groups. This trend had sparked an outcry from citizens who construed the outcomes to be possible acts of discrimination. It the confrontation that had ensued, white Hispanics who believed they has passed the exams entered into a legal suit against the City that the results were engineered to discriminate them against the provisions of the constitution (Woods Jr and Gutzman, 2009). The District Court had initially granted summary judgment to the case and the second circuit had affirmed. In determination of the appeal, the court ad observed that Title IV prohibits any acts of employment discrimination on the basis of color, sex, race, religion or national origin under what it interpreted as disparate treatment. The court had also elaborated that other forms of employment discrimination practices include discriminative policies or any practice that succeeds in discriminating, whether intended to be so or acts so by default especially on minorities. Disparate treatment is the discriminatory act in which an employer treats other employees as lesser beings with regard to workplace dynamics (Supreme Court of the United States, 2009). The court had also observed that once a plaintiff has established a prima facie case of disparate act, then it is the duty of the employer has the burden to prove to the court that the position in question and procedures for acquisition are consistent with the necessity of the specific business in question. The court also recognized that in rare circumstances, when an employer takes an intentional course of action that directly discriminates on the basis of taking a precaution to avoid or remedying unintentional disparate impact, even then the employer must have a strong

Learning profile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Learning profile - Essay Example In the cardiac placement, I came across situations wherein patients would start complaining of chest pain and immediately nitroglycerine spray would be given three times after five minutes interval; later patient would be sent for angiography as patient would still be complaining of chest pain. All the above circumstances helped me increase my critical thinking skills. The role of nurses in all these encounters was very important and all of the situations were handled by the nurses very well. My previous clinical experience has helped me to use the critical thinking skills to provide patient care and will help me in this perceptorship. 2. Strengths in Clinical Practice (reflect on previous clinical rotations). I know my medications before administration e.g. effectiveness, side effects, signs of adverse drug reactions and/or drug interactions. I understand the importance of administrating medication on time and signing them on MAR after administration. I review documentation, prior d ocumentation and provide adequate time to document appropriately. My fluency in different languages (English, Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi) is an added asset for provision of care. E.g.

Renewable Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Renewable Energy - Essay Example In terms of expense, it is expensive to set up a wind farm. Furthermore, wind is unpredictable as it changes with weather and in other places; wind power cannot support a wind farm because it is too weak. Wind strength is also variable with time. Therefore, wind mills do not give out uniform amount of energy at all times. Sometimes, not even the slightest amount of power becomes generated (Kaltschmitt, Streicher & Wiese 96). If everybody is to turn to wind as an energy source, large tracts of wind farms would become needed to supply sufficient electricity. For instance, the most immense wind mill available in the United States is only able to supply electricity to about 400 homes. Solar energy is another renewable source of energy that people have failed to embrace fully. Solar energy has been in use since ancient times, with several technologies getting harnessed to collect heat and light from the sun with two main systems been used in this modern age (Boyle 89). These are photovolt aic, also known as solar cell and concentrated solar power systems. Concentrated solar systems have lenses which concentrate a significant area of light into a beam. The concentrated heat becomes used as a heat source. The photovoltaic cell, on the other hand, converts light into electric current. Solar energy gets applied in several fields, for instance industries located in remote places, use solar energy to power monitoring devices as well as corrosion protection devices (Johansson 66). Residents living in such areas use it to pump water, to cook, through the use of solar cookers, to heat and purify water and to dry fruits and herbs. Tests are underway on the use of solar powered planes. Recently, solar trash became designed in some of the big cities. Solar... Renewable Energy This essay demonstrates the comparison of different renewable energy sources types, their advantages, and disadvantages suitability, sustainability, and profitability if they are used during a long period of time. It talks about the possibility of fossil fuels replacement by new types of energy sources. Various researches are being carried out all over the world by scientists to come up with cost-effective, and environmentally friendly sources of energy. One of the analyzed sources is solar energy that people have failed to embrace fully. Solar energy is cost effective, easy to install, present almost everywhere, silent and do not pollute the environment to large extends. However, the initial cost to install solar cells is high, making it costlier to other traditional sources such as coal. It can also be limited by weather conditions, especially when clouds cover almost the whole sky all day. Another example of renewable energy is hydropower. This energy is generated from flowing water. It is the most affordable source of energy across the world. It is also readily available and pollution due to hydroelectric energy is minimal. It is, however, expensive to build and construct large dams. Furthermore, the giant dams have become associated with serious geological damage. Though, due to various shortcomings of these sources of energy, the non-renewable sources continue to be widely used. Therefore, the two sources become required to complement each other, but complete dependence on either of them is unwise.

Elderly Patients and Malnutrition Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Elderly Patients and Malnutrition - Dissertation Example Nevertheless, as previous reports establish, hospital services are insufficient to meet the nutritional needs of ill patients. Given the present scenario, the government, along with health care professionals, faces a serious problem of alleviating the risks associated with malnutrition in the elderly population. Several proposals have been made in the past to address the current issue but the problem remains unresolved. It is therefore important to reassess current approaches to nursing practice and further expand research in the field of elderly care. To date, experts have identified proper screening and management as basic responses to the current problem. However, the diverse needs of elderly patients in the hospital setting demand comprehensive approaches and resources in the nursing practice. Additionally, the availability of resources is another question. For such reasons, nurses assigned in hospitals should have a wide background of the issue and the solutions to the problem. Basic information such as the causes, symptoms, and risks of malnutrition are therefore imperative and should be considered common knowledge in the nursing practice. To address the current issue, nurses in the hospital setting should, in the first place, be aware of the symptoms and causes of malnutrition. A working definition of malnutrition should lead every health care practitioner to be aware of the problems associated with malnutrition and to be sensitive to the symptoms at-risk patients have. According to Peters (1996), malnutrition is a ‘deficiency state which occurs when inadequate proteins, calories, or specific nutrients are ingested to meet an individual’s nutritional requirements’ (p.45). Malnutrition can cause varying adverse effects on... This paper approves that the current literature offers a number of screening tools and interventions to malnutrition. Among screening tools are the MUST, GNRI, and Nursing Nutritional Checklist. Commonly, these screening tools aim to guide nurses on proper screening of at-risk patients. They also ensure communication between the nurse and the patient, giving way for patients to express their needs and apprehensions relating to hospitalisation. Screening tools also serve as guide for making recommendations to doctors, dieticians, and other health care providers. The screening tools found in the literature obviously vary in structure but they commonly aim at securing information about the patient. This paper makes a conclusion that pharmacologic therapy and giving supplements are the most successful interventions based on the literature. However, it should be clear that pharmacologic therapy was often used in the past for preventing anorexia among terminally ill patients. Therefore, future research should examine the effectiveness of the intervention to elderly patients in general, including those who are not suffering from diseases. Nevertheless, extra care should be taken when administering drugs to patients, making sure of the absence of side effects. Exercise, educating patients and their families, and minimising dietary restrictions likewise emerge as other alternatives to pharmacologic therapy in fighting the problem of malnutrition in the field of elderly care.

Talent and music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Talent and music - Essay Example This very definition of talent differentiates it from two terms that are mostly confused with talent (Brinner, 1995). These two terms include skills as well as knowledge. The difference between talent and skill as well as knowledge is that talent comes naturally and skills and knowledge can be developed by an individual. The term music is used to refer to the practice of arranging various tones in such a sequence that when they are vocalized in that sequence they end up creating a constant composition. This meaning of music differentiates music from what people believe music is. This meaning clearly reflects that music has to be in order and an individual singing or playing instruments without any order cannot be regarded as a musician and his creations cannot be regarded as music. Talent and music are two most commonly misunderstood terms by the general public. The public needs to realize that talent is inborn and cannot be obtained through rehearsal or training. The general public should not recognize any sound played through an instrument as music until it has a sequence that results in the creation of incessant

An appeal letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

An appeal letter - Essay Example I have worked hard to become a better person; I went back to school and held various jobs: waiting tables, delivering goods and also as an assembly technician. I have given it my all to be accepted back into the society and it is very painful for me to realize that no matter what I do I will never be so accepted; whether it is an application for a job or health insurance, I am always turned down based on my conviction. Though I tell myself that the age old adage of there being a rainbow at the end of every storm is true to life, society will not have me believe in it. I do not want to give up even though the odds are against me; I believe I can still be a success, that I can still live the American dream. That is precisely why I hope that the Ethics and Standards Committee would allow me to take the exam, so that I can do something that I have the skill for. The permission would not only help me attain my goal of becoming a part of the society, but also enable me to contribute positively towards

IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge Essay Example for Free

IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge Essay Indian Rugs and Child Labor (A) In May 1995, Marianne Barner faced a tough decision. After just two years with IKEA, the world’s largest furniture retailer, and less than a year into her job as business area manager for carpets, she was faced with the decision of cutting off one of the company’s major suppliers of Indian rugs. While such a move would disrupt supply and affect sales, she found the reasons to do so quite compelling. A German TV station had just broadcast an investigative report naming the supplier as one that used child labor in the production of rugs made for IKEA. What frustrated Barner was that, like all other IKEA suppliers, this large, well-regarded company had recently signed an addendum to its supply contract explicitly forbidding the use of child labor on pain of termination. Even more difficult than this short-term decision was the long-term action Barner knew IKEA must take on this issue. On one hand, she was being urged to sign up to an industry-wide response to growing concerns about the use of child labor in the Indian carpet industry. A recently formed partnership of manufacturers, importers, retailers, and Indian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) was proposing to issue and monitor the use of â€Å"Rugmark,† a label to be put on carpets certifying that they were made without child labor. Simultaneously, Barner had been conversing with people at the Swedish Save the Children organization who were urging IKEA to ensure that its response to the situation was â€Å"in the best interest of the child†Ã¢â‚¬â€whatever that might imply. Finally, there were some who wondered if IKEA should not just leave this hornet’s nest. Indian rugs accounted for a tiny part of IKEA’s turnover, and to these observers, the time, cost, and reputation risk posed by continuing this product line seemed not worth the profit potential. The Birth and Maturing of a Global Company1   Certain details have been disguised. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management. Copyright  © 2006 President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of Harvard Business School. Working out of the family kitchen, he sold goods such as fountain pens, cigarette lighters, and binders he purchased from low-priced sources and then advertised in a newsletter to local shopkeepers. When Kamprad matched his competitors by adding furniture to his newsletter in 1948, the immediate success of the new line led him to give up the small items. In 1951, to reduce product returns, he opened a display store in  nearby Älmhult village to allow customers to inspect products before buying. It was an immediate success, with customers traveling seven hours from the capital Stockholm by train to visit. Based on the store’s success, IKEA stopped accepting mail orders. Later Kamprad reflected, â€Å"The basis of the modern IKEA concept was created [at this time] and in principle it still applies. First and foremost, we use a catalog to tempt people to visit an exhibition, which today is our store. . . . Then, catalog in hand, customers can see simple interiors for themselves, touch the furniture they want to buy and then write out an order.†2 As Kamprad developed and refined his furniture retailing business model he became increasingly frustrated with the way a tightly knit cartel of furniture manufacturers controlled the Swedish industry to keep prices high. He began to view the situation not just as a business opportunity but also as an unacceptable social problem that he wanted to correct. Foreshadowing a vision for IKEA that would later be articulated as â€Å"creating a better life for the many people,† he wrote: â€Å"A disproportionately large part of all resources is used to satisfy a small part of the population. . . . IKEA’s aim is to change this situation. We shall offer a wide range of home furnishing items of good design and function at prices so low that the majority of people can afford to buy them. . . . We have great ambitions.†3 The small newsletter soon expanded into a full catalog. The 1953 issue introduced what would become another key IKEA feature: self-assembled furniture. Instead of buying complete pieces of furniture, customers bought them in flat packages and put them together themselves at home. Soon, the â€Å"knockdown† concept was fully systemized, saving transport and storage costs. In typical fashion, Kamprad turned the savings into still lower prices for his customers, gaining an even larger following among young postwar householders looking for well-designed but inexpensive furniture. Between 1953 and 1955, the company’s sales doubled from SEK 3 million to SEK 6 million.4 Managing Suppliers: Developing Sourcing Principles As its sales took off in the late 1950s, IKEA’s radically new concepts began to encounter stiff opposition from Sweden’s large furniture retailers. So  threatened were they that when IKEA began exhibiting at trade fairs, they colluded to stop the company from taking orders at the fairs and eventually even from showing its prices. The cartel also pressured manufacturers not to sell to IKEA, and the few that continued to do so often made their deliveries at night in unmarked vans. Unable to meet demand with such constrained local supply, Kamprad was forced to look abroad for new sources. In 1961, he contracted with several furniture factories in Poland, a country still in the Communist eastern bloc. To assure quality output and reliable delivery, IKEA brought its knowhow, taught its processes, and even provided machinery to the new suppliers, revitalizing Poland’s furniture industry as it did so. Poland soon became IKEA’s largest source and, to Kamprad’s delight, at much lower costs—once again allowing him to reduce his prices. Following its success in Poland, IKEA adopted a general procurement principle that it should not own its means of production but should seek to develop close ties by supporting its suppliers in a long-term relationship.a Beyond supply contracts and technology transfer, the relationship led IKEA to make loans to its suppliers at reasonable rates, repayable through future shipments. â€Å"Our objective is to develop long-term business partners,† explained a senior purchasing manager. â€Å"We commit to doing a ll we can to keep them competitive—as long as they remain equally committed to us. We are in this for the long run.† Although the relationship between IKEA and its suppliers was often described as one of mutual dependency, suppliers also knew that they had to remain competitive to keep their contract. From the outset they understood that if a more cost-effective alternative appeared, IKEA would try to help them respond, but if they could not do so, it would move production. In its constant quest to lower prices, the company developed an unusual way of  identifying new sources. As a veteran IKEA manager explained: â€Å"We do not buy products from our suppliers. We buy unused production capacity.† It was a philosophy that often led its purchasing managers to seek out seasonal manufacturers with spare off-season capacity. There were many classic examples of how IKEA matched products to supplier capabilities: they had sail makers make seat cushions, window factories produce table frames, and ski manufacturers build chairs in their off-season. The manager added, â€Å"We’ve always worr ied more about finding the right management at our suppliers than finding high-tech facilities. We will always help good management to develop their capacity.† Growing Retail: Expanding Abroad Building on the success of his first store, Kamprad self-financed a store in Stockholm in 1965. Recognizing a growing use of automobiles in Sweden, he bucked the practice of having a downtown showroom and opted for a suburban location with ample parking space. When customers drove home with their furniture in flat packed boxes, they assumed two of the costliest parts of traditional furniture retailing—home delivery and assembly. In 1963, even before the Stockholm store had opened, IKEA had expanded into Oslo, Norway. A decade later, Switzerland became its first non-Scandinavian market, and in 1974 IKEA entered Germany, which soon became its largest market. (See Exhibit 1 for IKEA’s worldwide expansion.) At each new store the same simple Scandinavian-design products were backed up with a catalog and offbeat advertising, presenting the company as â€Å"those impossible Swedes with strange ideas.† And reflecting the company’s conservative values, each new entry was financed by previous successes.b During this expansion, the IKEA concept evolved and became increasingly formalized. (Exhibit 2 summarizes important events in IKEA’s corporate history.) It still built large, suburban stores with knockdown furniture in flat packages the customers brought home to assemble themselves. But as the concept was refined, the company required that each store follow a predetermined design, set up to maximize customers’ exposure to the product range. The concept mandated, for instance, that the living room interiors should follow immediately after the entrance. IKEA also serviced customers with features  such as a playroom for children, a low-priced restaurant, and a â€Å"Sweden Shop† for groceries that had made IKEA Sweden’s leading food exporter. At the same time, the range gradually aThis policy was modified after a number of East European suppliers broke their contracts with IKEA after the fall of the Berlin Wall opened new markets for them. IKEA’s subsequent supply chain problems and loss of substantial investments led management to develop an internal production company, Swedwood, to ensure delivery stability. However, it was decided that only a limited amount of IKEA’s purchases (perhaps 10%) should be sourced from Swedwood. b By 2005, company lore had it that IKEA had only taken one bank loan in its corporate history—which it had paid back as soon as the cash flow allowed. The Emerging Culture and Values5 As Kamprad’s evolving business philosophy was formalized into the IKEA vision statement, â€Å"To create a better everyday life for the many people,† it became the foundation of the company’s strategy of selling affordable, good-quality furniture to mass-market consumers around the world. The cultural norms and values that developed to support the strategy’s implementation were also, in many ways, an extension of Kamprad’s personal beliefs and style. â€Å"The true IKEA spirit,† he remarked, â€Å"is founded on our enthusiasm, our constant will to renew, on our cost-consciousness, on our willingness to assume responsibility and to help, on our humbleness before the task, and on the simplicity of our behavior.† As well as a summary of his aspiration for the  company’s behavioral norms, it was also a good statement of Kamprad’s own personal management style. Over the years a very distinct organizational culture and management style emerged in IKEA reflecting these values. For example, the company operated very informally as evidenced by the open-plan office landscape, where even the CEO did not have a separate office, and the familiar and personal way all employees addressed one another. But that informality often masked an intensity that derived from the organization’s high self-imposed standards. As one senior executive explained, â€Å"Because there is no security available behind status or closed doors, this environment actually puts pressure on people to perform.† The IKEA management process also stressed simplicity and attention to detail. â€Å"Complicated rules paralyze!† said Kamprad. The company organized â€Å"anti-bureaucrat week† every year, requiring all managers to spend time working in a store to reestablish contact with the front line and the consumer. The workpace was such that executives joked that IKEA believed in â€Å"management by running around.† Cost consciousness was another strong part of the management culture. â€Å"Waste of resources,† said Kamprad, â€Å"is a mortal sin at IKEA. Expensive solutions are often signs of mediocrity, and an idea without a price tag is never acceptable.† Although cost consciousness extended into all aspects of the operation, travel and entertainment expenses were particularly sensitive. â€Å"We do not set any price on time,† remarked an executive, recalling that he had once phoned Kamprad to get approval to fly first class. He explained that economy class was full and that he had an urgent appointment to keep. â€Å"There is no first class in IKEA,† Kamprad had replied. â€Å"Perhaps you should go by car.† The executive completed the 350-mile trip by taxi. The search for creative solutions was also highly prized with IKEA. Kamprad had written, â€Å"Only while sleeping one makes no mistakes. The fear of making mistakes is the root of bureaucracy and the enemy of all evolution.† Though planning for the future was encouraged, overanalysis was not. â€Å"Exaggerated planning can be fatal,† Kamprad advised his executives. â€Å"Let simplicity and common sense characterize your planning.† In 1976, Kamprad felt the need to commit to paper the values that had developed in IKEA during the previous decades. His thesis, Testament of a Furniture Dealer, became an important means for spreading the IKEA philosophy, particularly during its period of rapid international expansion. (Extracts of the Testament are given in Exhibit 3.) Specially trained â€Å"IKEA ambassadors† were assigned to key positions in all units to spread the company’s philosophy and values by educating their subordinates and by acting as role models. In 1986, when Kamprad stepped down, Anders Moberg, a company veteran who had once been Kamprad’s personal assistant, took over as president and CEO. But Kamprad remained intimately involved as chairman, and his influence extended well beyond the ongoing daily operations: he was the self-appointed guardian of IKEA’s deeply embedded culture and values. Waking up to Environmental and Social Issues By the mid-1990s, IKEA was the worlds largest specialized furniture retailer. Sales for the IKEA Group for the financial year ending August 1994 totaled SEK 35 billion (about $4.5 billion). In the previous year, more than 116 million people had visited one of the 98 IKEA stores in 17 countries, most of them drawn there by the company’s product catalog, which was printed yearly in 72 million copies in 34 languages. The privately held company did not report profit levels, but one estimate put its net margin at 8.4% in 1994, yielding a net profit of SEK 2.9 billion (about $375 million). 6 After decades of seeking new sources, in the mid-1990s IKEA worked with almost 2,300 suppliers in 70 countries, sourcing a range of around 11,200 products. Its relationship with its suppliers was dominated by commercial issues, and its 24 trading service offices in 19 countries primarily monitored  production, tested new product ideas, negotiated prices, and checked quality. (See Exhibit 4 for selected IKEA figures in 1994.) That relationship began to change during the 1980s, however, when environmental problems emerged with some of its products. And it was even more severely challenged in the mid-1990s when accusations of IKEA suppliers using child labor surfaced. The Environmental Wake-Up: Formaldehyde In the early 1980s, Danish authorities passed regulations to define limits for formaldehyde emissions permissible in building products. The chemical compound was used as binding glue in materials such as plywood and particleboard and often seeped out as gas. At concentrations above 0.1 mg/kg in air, it could cause watery eyes, headaches, a burning sensation in the throat, and difficulty breathing. With IKEA’s profile as a leading local furniture retailer using particleboard in many of its products, it became a prime target for regulators wanting to publicize the new standards. So when tests showed that some IKEA products emitted more formaldehyde than was allowed by legislation, the case was widely publicized and the company was fined. More significantly—and the real lesson for IKEA—was that due to the publicity, its sales dropped 20% in Denmark. In response to this situation, the company quickly established stringent requirements regarding formaldehyde emissions but soon found that suppliers were failing to meet its standards. The problem was that most of its suppliers bought from subsuppliers, who in turn bought the binding materials from glue manufacturers. Eventually, IKEA decided it would have to work directly with the glue-producing chemical companies and, with the collaboration of companies such as ICI and BASF, soon found ways to reduce the formaldehyde off-gassing in its products.7 A decade later, however, the formaldehyde problem returned. In 1992, an investigative team from a large German newspaper and TV company found that IKEA’s best-selling bookcase series, Billy, had emissions higher than German legislation allowed. This time, however, the source of the problem was not the glue but the lacquer on the bookshelves. In the wake of headlines describing â€Å"deadly poisoned bookshelves,† IKEA immediately stopped both the production and sales of Billy bookcases worldwide and corrected the problem before resuming  distribution. Not counting the cost of lost sales and production or the damage to goodwill, the Billy incident was estimated to have cost IKEA $6 million to $7 million.8 These events prompted IKEA to address broader environmental concerns more directly. Since wood was the principal material in about half of all IKEA products, forestry became a natural starting point. Following discussions with both Greenpeace and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF, formerly World Wildlife Fund) and using standards set by the Forest Stewardship Council, IKEA established a forestry policy stating that IKEA would not accept any timber, veneer, plywood, or layer-glued wood from intact natural forests or from forests with a high conservation value. This meant that IKEA had to be willing to take on the task of tracing all wood used in IKEA products back to its source. 9 To monitor compliance, the company appointed forest managers to carry out random checks of wood suppliers and run projects on responsible forestry around the world. In addition to forestry, IKEA identified four other areas where environmental criteria were to be applied to its business operations: adapting the product range; working with suppliers; transport and distribution; and ensuring environmentally conscious stores. For instance, in 1992, the company began using chlorine-free recycled paper in its catalogs; it redesigned the best-selling OGLA chair— originally manufactured from beech—so it could be made using waste material from yogurt cup production; and it redefined its packaging principles to eliminate any use of PVC. The company also maintained its partnership with WWF, resulting in numerous projects on global conservation, and funded a global forest watch program to map intact natural forests worldwide. In addition, it engaged in an ongoing dialogue with Gr eenpeace on forestry.10 The Social Wake-Up: Child Labor In 1994, as IKEA was still working to resolve the formaldehyde problems, a Swedish television documentary showed children in Pakistan working at weaving looms. Among the several Swedish companies mentioned in the film as importers of carpets from Pakistan, IKEA was the only highprofile name on the list. Just two months into her job as business area manager for carpets, Marianne Barner recalled the shockwaves that the TV program sent through the company: The use of child labor was not a high-profile public issue at the time. In fact, the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child had only been published in December 1989. So, media attention like this TV program had an important role to play in raising awareness on a topic not well known and understood—including at IKEA. . . . We were caught completely unaware. It was not something we had been paying attention to. For example, I had spent a couple of months in India learning about trading but got no exposure to child labor. Our buyers met suppliers in their city offices and rarely got out to where production took place. . . . Our immediate response to the program was to apologize for our ignorance and acknowledge that we were not in full control of this problem. But we also committed to do something about it. As part of its response, IKEA sent a legal team to Geneva to seek input and advice from the International Labor Organization (ILO) on how to deal with the problem. They learned that Convention 138, adopted by the ILO in 1973 and ratified by 120 countries, committed ratifying countries to working for the abolition of labor by children under 15 or the age of compulsory schooling in that country. India, Pakistan, and Nepal were not signatories to the convention.11 Following these discussions with the ILO, IKEA added a clause to all supply contracts—a â€Å"black-andwhite† clause, as Barner put it—stating simply that if the supplier employed children under legal working age, the contract would be cancelled.

Content Based Image Retrieval System Project

Content Based Image Retrieval System Project An Efficient Content-based Image Retrieval System Integrating Wavelet-based Image Sub-blocks with Dominant Colors and Texture Analysis ABSTRACT Multimedia information retrieval is a part of computer science and it is used for extracting semantic information from multimedia data sources such as image, audio, video and text. Automatic image annotation is called as automatic image tagging or automatic linguistic indexing. It is the process in which a computer system automatically designates metadata in the form of keywords or captioning to a digital image. This application is widely used in image retrieval systems to locate and organize images from database. In this paper we have proposed efficient content based image retrieval (CBIR) systems due to the availability of large image database. The image retrieval system is used to retrieve the images based on color and texture features. Firstly, the image is partition into equal sized non-overlapping tiles. For partitioning images we are applying methods like, Gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM), HSV color feature, dominant color descriptor (DCD), cumulative color histogram and discrete wavelet transform. An integrated matching scheme can be used to compare the query images and database images based on the Most Similar Highest Priority (MSHP). Using the sub-blocks of query image and the images in database, the adjacency matrix of a bipartite graph is formed. INTRODUCTION: Automatic image annotation is known as automatic image tagging or automatic linguistic indexing. It is the process in which a computer system automatically designates metadata in the form of keywords or captioning to a digital image. This application is widely used in image retrieval systems to locate and organize images from database. This method can be considered as multi class image classification with a large number of classes. The advantage of automatic image annotation is that the queries that can be specified by the user. Content based image retrieval requires users to search by images based on the color and texture and also is used to find example queries. The traditional methods of image retrieval are used to retrieve annotated images from large image database manually and which is an expensive, laborious and time consuming in existence. Animage retrieval system is a computer system for searching, browsing and retrieving images from a largecollectionofdigital images. Most common and traditional methods of image retrieval use some methods of adding metadata such as captioning or descriptions and keywords to the images so that the retrieval can be performed over the annotation words. Image searchis used to find images from database and a user will provide a query terms as image file/link, keywords or click on some image and the system will return images similar to that query image. The similarity matching is done by using the Meta tags, color distribution in images and region/shape attributes. Image Meta Search: searching the images based on associated metadata such as text, keywords. Content-Based Image Retrieval  (CBIR):- This is the main application of  computer vision  to retrieve the images from image database. The aim of CBIR is used to retrieve images based on the similarities in their contents such as color, texture and shape instead of textual descriptions and comparing a user-specified image features or user-supplied query image. CBIR Engine List: This is used to search images based on image visual contents as color, texture, and shape/object. Image Collection Exploration: It is used to find images using novel exploration paradigms. Content Based Image Retrieval: Content based image retrieval is known asquery by image content(QBIC) andcontent-based visual information retrieval(CBVIR) and it is the application ofcomputer vision techniques to retrieve the images from digital image database. This is the image retrieval problem of finding for images in large image database. Content-based image retrieval is to provide more accuracy as compared to traditionalconcept-based approaches. Content-based is the search that analyzes the contents of the image instead of metadata such as keywords, tags, or descriptions associated with that image. The term content in this context means textures, shapes, colors or any other information about image can be derived from the image itself. CBIR is popular because of its searches are purely dependent on metadata, annotation quality and completeness. If the images are annotated manually by entering the metadata or keywords in a large database can be a time consuming and sometime it cannot be capture the keywords preferred to describe its images. The CBIR method overcomes with the concept based image annotation or textual based image annotation. This is done by automatically. Content Based Image Retrieval Using Image Distance Measures:- In this the image distance measure method is used to compare the two images such as a query image and an image from database. An image distance measure method is used to compare the matching of two images in various dimensions as color, shape, texture and others. Finally these matching results can be sorted based of the distance to the queried image. Color This is used to compute image distance measures based on color similarity. This is achieved by computing the color histogramfor each image and that is used to identify the proportion of each pixel within an image which is holding a specific values. Finally examine the images based on the colors, which contains most widely used techniques and it can be completed without consider to image size or orientation. It is used to segment color by spatial relationship and by region among several color region. Texture Textures are represented as texels and are then located into a number of sets based on a lot of textures and are detected in the images. These sets are used to define texture and also detect where the textures are located in images. Texture measures are used to define visual patterns in images. By using texture such as a two- dimensional gray level variation is to identify specific textures in an image is achieved. Using texture, the relative intensity of pairs of pixels is estimated such as contrast, regularity, coarseness and directionality.Identifying co-pixel variation patterns and grouping them with particular classes of textures like silky, orrough. Different methods of classifying textures are:- Co-occurrence matrix. Laws texture energy. Wavelet transforms. LITERATURE SURVEY: In this paper a multscale context dependent classification algorithm is developed for segmenting collection of images into four classes. They are background, photograph, text, and graph. Here, features are used for categorization based on the distribution patterns of wavelet coefficients in high frequency bands. The important attribute of this algorithm is multscale nature and is used to classifies an image at different resolutions adaptively and enabling accurate classification at class boundaries. The collected context information is used for improving classification accuracy. In this two features are defined for distinguishing local image types in image database according to the distribution patterns of wavelet coefficients rather than the moments of wavelet coefficients as features for classification. The first feature is defined for matching between the empirical distribution of wavelet coefficients in high frequency bands and the Laplacian distribution. The second feature is de fined for measuring the wavelet coefficients in high frequency bands at a few discrete values. This algorithm was developed to calculate the feature efficiently. The multscale structure collects context information from low resolutions to high resolutions. Classification is done on large blocks at the starting resolution to avoid over-localization. Here, only the blocks with extreme features are classified to ensure that the blocks of mixed classes are left to be classified at higher resolutions and the unclassified blocks are divided into smaller blocks at the higher resolution. These smaller blocks are classified based on the context information achieved at the lower resolution. Finally simulations shows that the classification accuracy is significantly improved based on the context information. Multiscale algorithm is also provides both lower classification error rates and better visual results [1]. This paper proposed content based image retrieval technique that can be derived in a number of different domains as Medical Imaging, Data Mining, Weather forecasting, Education, Remote Sensing and Management of Earth Resources, Education. The content based image retrieval technique is used to annotate images automatically based on the features like color and texture known as WBCHIR (Wavelet Based Color Histogram Image Retrieval). Here, color and texture features are extracted using the color histogram and wavelet transformation and the mixture of these two features are strong to scaling and translation of objects in an image. In this, the proposed system i.e. CBIR has demonstrated a WANG image database containing 1000 general-purpose color images for a faster retrieval method. Here, the computational steps are effectively reduced based on the Wavelet transformation. The retrieval speed is increases by using the CBIR technique even though the time taken for retrieving images from 1000 of images in database is only a 5-6 minutes [2]. This paper presents content based image retrieval scheme for medical images. This is an efficient method of retrieving medical images based on the similarity of their visual contents. CBIR-MD system is used to facilitate doctors in retrieving related medical images from the image database to diagnose the disease efficiently. In this a CBIR system is proposed by which a query image is divided into identical sized sub-blocks and the feature extraction of each sub-block is conceded based on Haar wavelet and Fourier descriptor. Finally, matching the image process is provided using the Most Similar Highest Priority (MSHP) principle and by using the sub-blocks of query and target image, an adjacency matrix of bipartite graph partitioning (BGP) created [3]. In this paper a content based image retrieval (CBIR) system is proposed using the local and global color, texture, and shape features of selected image sub-blocks. These image sub-blocks are approximately identified by segmenting the image into small number of partitions of different patterns. Finding edge density and corner density in each image partition using edge thresholding, morphological dilation. The texture and color features of the identified regions are calculated using the histograms of the quantized HSV color space and Gray Level Co- occurrence Matrix (GLCM) and the combination of color and texture feature vector is evaluated for each region. The shape features are computed using the Edge Histogram Descriptor (EHD). The distance between the characteristics of the query image and target image is computed using the Euclidean distance measure. Finally the experimental results of this proposed method provides a improved retrieving result than retrieval using some of the exis ting methods [4]. An efficient content based image retrieval system plays an important role due to the availability of large image database. The Color-Texture and Dominant Color Based Image Retrieval System (CTDCIRS) is used to retrieve images based on the three features such as Dynamic Dominant Color (DDC), Motif Co-Occurrence Matrix (MCM) and Difference between Pixels of Scan Pattern (DBPSP). By using the fast color quantization algorithm, we can divide the image into eight partitions. From these eight partitions we obtained eight dominant colors. The texture of the image is obtained by using the MCM and DBPSP methods. MCM is derived based on the motif transformed image. It is related to color co-occurrence matrix (CCM) and it is the conventional pattern co-occurrence matrix and is used to calculate the possibility of the occurrence of same pixel color between each pixel and its nearby ones in each image, which is the attribute of the image. The drawback of MCM is used to capture the way of textures but not the difficulty of texture. To overcome this, we use DBPSP as texture feature. The combination of dominant color, MCM and DBPSP features are used in image retrieval system. This approach is efficient in retrieving the user interested images [5]. In this paper content based image retrieval approach is used. It consists of two features such as high level and low level features and these features includes color, texture and shape which are present in each image. By extracting these features we can retrieve the images from image database. To obtain better results, RGB space is converted into HSV space and YCbCr space is used for low level features. The low level features are to be used based upon the applications. Color feature in case of natural images and co-occurrence matrix in case of textured images yields better results [6]. OBJECTIVE: To retrieve images more efficiently or accurately. To improve the efficiency and accuracy by using the multi features for image retrieval (discrete wavelet transform). Image classification and accuracy analysis. Time saving. Robustness. METHODOLOGY: Discrete Wavelet Transform. Conversion to HSV Color Space. Color Histogram Generation. Dominant Color Descriptor. Gray-level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM). ARCHITECTURE: This architecture consists of two phases: Training phase Testing phase These two phases of the proposed system consists of many blocks like image database, image partitioning, wavelet transform of image sub-blocks, RGB to HSV, non uniform quantization, histogram generation, dominant color description, textual analysis, query feature, similarity matching, feature database, returned images. In training phase, the input image is retrieved from image database and then the image is being partitioned into equal sized sub-blocks. Further, for each sub-block of the partitioned image, wavelet transform is being applied. Then the conversion from RGB to HSV taken place preceded with non uniform quantization, inputted to histogram generation block where a color histogram is generated for the sub-blocks of the image. Then the dominant color descriptors are extracted and texture analysis of each sub-block of the image is done. Finally the image features from the feature database and the input image features are compared for the similarity matching using MSHP principle. Then the matched image is being returned. In testing phase, the processing steps are same as training phase, except the input image is given as the query image by the user not collected from the image database. OUTCOMES: It provides accurate image retrieving. Comparative analysis and graph. Provides better efficiency. CONCLUSION: To retrieve images from image database, we can use discrete wavelet transform method based on color and texture features. The color feature of the pixels in an image can be described using HSV, color histogram and DCD methods, similarly texture distribution can be described using GLCM method. By using these methods we can achieve accurate retrieval of images. REFERENCES: [1] Jia Li, Member, IEEE, and Robert M. Gray, Fellow, IEEE, â€Å"Context-Based Multiscale Classification of Document Images Using Wavelet Coefficient Distributions†, IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, Vol. 9, No. 9, September 2000. [2] Manimala Singha and K.Hemachandran, â€Å"Content Based Image Retrieval using Color and Texture†, Signal Image Processing: An International Journal (SIPIJ) Vol.3, No.1, February 2012. [3] Ashish Oberoi Deepak Sharma Manpreet Singh, â€Å"CBIR-MD/BGP: CBIR-MD System based on Bipartite Graph Partitioning†, International Journal of Computer Applications (0975 – 8887) Volume 52– No.15, August 2012. [4] E. R. Vimina and K. Poulose Jacob, â€Å"CBIR Using Local and Global Properties of Image Sub-blocks†, International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 48, November, 2012. [5] M.Babu Rao Dr. B.Prabhakara Rao Dr. A.Govardhan, â€Å"CTDCIRS: Content based Image Retrieval System based on Dominant Color and Texture Features†, International Journal of Computer Applications (0975 – 8887) Volume 18– No.6, March 2011. [6] Gauri Deshpande, Megha Borse, â€Å"Image Retrieval with the use of Color and Texture Feature†, Gauri Deshpande et al, / (IJCSIT) International Journal of Computer Science and Information Technologies, Vol. 2 (3) , 2011, 1018-1021. [7] Sherin M. Youssef, Saleh Mesbah, Yasmine M. Mahmoud, â€Å"An Efficient Content-based Image Retrieval System Integrating Wavelet-based Image Sub-blocks with Dominant Colors and Texture Analysis†, Information Science and Digital Content Technology (ICIDT), 2012 8th International Conference on Volume:3 .

Geographic Setting Of India History Essay

Geographic Setting Of India History Essay The Indian subcontinent is a large peninsula. It is surrounded on three sides by : the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Bay of Bengal. In the north, the Himalayan Mountain separate India from the rest of Asia. The towering Himalayas form a nearly impassable barrier that is 1,500 miles long. The rugged Hindu Kush Mountains on the Northwest also present barriers to travel. These geographic barriers allowed the first Indian civilization to develop mostly on its own. Yet India was not totally isolated. Determined invaders pushed their way through steep passes, such as the Khyber Pass in the Hindu Kush Mountains. Indian traders carried goods through the mountain passes to the Middle East and China. Furthermore, the surrounding seas served as highway for commercial and cultural contact. The vast Indian subcontinent has many diverse geographic features. The three major regions are: the Northern Plain, the Deccan Plateau, and the Coastal Plain. The three great rivers -the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra flows through the Northern Plain. These broad and slow rivers flow from the snow-covered Himalayas. Together with their tributaries, they supply water for farming and for transportation across the Northern Plain. The fertile soil of the river valleys supports extensive farming. For these reasons the Northern Plain became the home of the first Indian civilization .Later ,invaders set up powerful empires in the Northern Plain. As a result ,the area has played a dominant role in Indian history. The Deccan Plateau is the triangular shaped area, south of the subcontinent. The Vindhya Mountains separate the plateau from the Northern Plain. The Deccan Plateau is bordered on the west and east by long mountain ranges called the Western and Eastern Ghats. Because it lacks the snow- fed rivers found in the north, the Deccan Plateau suffer from droughts ,which make farming difficult. Along the eastern and western coasts of India lie narrow coastal plains, which supports both agriculture and fishing .Although India has few good harbors ,many coastal people of India were seafarers who traded with people in other parts of Asia ,Africa and the Middle East. The chief feature of the Indian climate is the monsoon, a seasonal wind system from June until September , the summer monsoon blows from the Southwest. It picks up moisture over the Indian Ocean and drops torrential rains on the coast and on the Northern Plain. From October to May, the winter monsoon blows from lands to the northeast. Indias hot and dry season reaches its peak during May and are commonly felt in the Northern Plains. Ruins of Harappan Civilization Every year , the people of India wait anxiously for the summer monsoon to bring desperately needed moisture to the parched farmland. When the rain comes, temperature drops ,and crops spring to life. If the monsoon is late ,crops fail ,and food shortages result. The heavy rains can cause destructive floods especially in the lower Ganges Valley. Archeologist discovered traces of ancient civilization in the Indus River Valley . Excavations have revealed that this civilization developed about the same time as the early Egyptian and Sumerian Civilizations. The Indus Valley covered an area larger than the Old Kingdom of Egypt (1,500 km.).Two of its cities ,Harappa and Mohenjo-daro lie close to rivers and digging can cause flooding. Despite these handicaps ,archeologists have uncovered some valuable information. The Two Cities The ruins of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro reveal that they are products of careful planning. Wide straight streets divide residential areas into square blocks. Excavated were houses ,granaries and public halls. There was a sign of a sewer system. Walled fortresses in the towns provided protection. With well-planned cities as Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, the people might have had a knowledge in surveying and geometry. In addition to this, it could have a strong central government who could have supervised such careful planning and construction. Government and Religion Scholars assume that a priest-king headed the government, and the rulers must have a considerable power because the government exercised strict control. They must have controlled the construction of new buildings and established standards of weights and measures. Like the Egyptians and Sumerians, the people of two cities were polytheist. Statues and masks show that they worshiped a mother-goddess. They also revered sacred animals such as the bull and certain sacred trees. Think and Explain What environmental challenges did the farmers of the Indus Valley face? Economic Life Agricultural economy thrived in the Indus valley civilization. On lands surrounding the cities farmers constructed dams and levees to channel water from the rivers to crops of wheat and barley. Food surpluses supported the large population and prompted the growth of trade. A merchant class acquired wealth from trade and commerce in the cities. Merchants exported cotton cloth to places as far as Mesopotamia, gold jewelry stone carvings of animals. End of Indus Valley Civilization Indus Valley civilization began to decline many years before it finally ended about 1500 C.E. Most authorities believe that about 1500 C.E. the Aryans invaded the Indus valley. When the Indus Valley fell, the people fled to other parts of India. About 1500 C.E the civilization was almost forgotten. Like many nomadic people ,the Aryans swept into India through the passes of the Hindu Kush Mountains. Their fierce nomadic herds had come originally from the region between the Black and Caspian Seas north of the Caucasus Mountains. The newcomers already knew the use of iron and the use of horses that gave them superiority in warfare. They came in contact with the Dravidians .These Dravidians were probably the survivors of the Indus Valley civilization. Their civilization, as revealed from the remains of the town, show a static society. In time, the fusion of Aryans and the Dravidians led to the rise of a new pattern of Indian life. The Aryans introduced the caste system in India. Aside from Aryan invasion,flooding was also cited as the cause of decay of the Indus Valley civilization.Recent studies also show that complex ecological change /climate change which led to famines forced inhabitants to leave their well planned cities. Think and Respond How could natural disasters have contributed to the decline of Indus valley civilization? What ecological problems does the world face today? Ensure Ancient India Geography Indus Valley Civilization Expand http://palomeitz.googlepages.com Excel Identify the correct answer. The chief feature of Indian climate is _____________________. The first civilization in India was developed in ______________. The mountain separating India from the rest of Asia is ________. The natural phenomenon that makes farming difficult in the Deccan Plateau was ___________. Mountain separating Deccan Plateau from the Northern Plain is ________________. Prove: A country can be isolated from other parts of the world by its geographic barriers.Give example. __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Respond to Essential Question The earliest recorded civilization in India began in the near fresh water source -the Indus River. Make Connections Imagine that you are an archeologist digging in the Indus region. Write a wish list of the three items you would like to uncover to learn more about the Indus Valley civilization

My Magic Mirror :: essays research papers

I often wonder who the girl is whose face I examine every morning in the large mirror hanging above my desk. In some ways I do feel as if I know her, but only on a superficial level: the same way we think we know the actors in our favourite soap operas. We may know every explicit detail of the lives of the characters, but the true personality of the actor themselves is a huge mystery which we have little or no hope of ever solving.A mirror’s sole purpose is to reflect. In my case, though, mirrors seem to reflect my persona rather than my personality. This, thankfully, indicates that the mirror sees only what the rest of the world does; exactly what I want to be seen.The mirror in question in large, clear, and attractively decorated, signifying its importance in my life. This is not to say that most of my spare time is spent gazing lovingly into it, rather that it is with the help of my mirror that I adopt my outward persona every morning. While standing in front of it I transform myself from the plain, boring nobody who I fear more than anyone else in the world to the outgoing, bubbly, mature creature I wish I really was. For me, putting on my make-up is not the simple task my friends seem to regard it as; it is the carefully perfected art or creating my disguise.It is only when I am wearing this disguise that I feel I am a ‘normal’ person, that I fit in with the rest of our critical society. On the rare occasions when I have not adopted my disguise (only when I am in no danger of meeting any acquaintances) I become like a ‘Magic Eye’ picture; you have to look really hard in order to see the complete image.The reason I am so unwilling to remove my mask in public is that, to be quite honest, I am terrified of what is underneath. As a result of my creating this mask, I have never acquainted myself with my thoughtful, emotional, sensitive character traits which I try so desperately to conceal. I am not sure whether I like that girl very much, and I am too busy trying to hide her to have the time to find out.I have not always been divided like this. When I was younger I somehow managed to let all the aspects of my character show, resulting in a fairly even mix of the side of me which I hate and the side I promote.

Mental Health Community in the 19th Century Essay -- Exploratory Essay

Mental Health Community in the 19th Century Mental health is a relevant issue in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Not only is Kurtz’ mental health questionable throughout the novel, but Marlow also has to be examined by a physician, to check both his physical and mental status, before he starts on the journey to Africa. The mental health community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was not nearly as developed as it is today, but many developments during this time period had a profound impact on the way we analyze the human psyche and mental health today. Mental health patients were considered innately inferior and treated as the weaker portion of the human race due to the prevailing dominant theory of Social Darwinism in the 1800s. They were put in mental asylums, where conditions had deteriorated substantially from earlier in the century. (Floyd) The public’s interest about the unsatisfactory care of the mentally ill, championed by Dorothea Dix, led to some reforms, such as higher medical standards, more oversight into asylum practices, and more research into mental health. (Floyd) Nevertheless, the status of the mentally ill did not elevate much higher, and by the 1890s the repeated failure of asylum therapy convinced most that insanity and mental illness was incorrigible. Finding no alternatives, however, patients continued to be sent to asylums to attempt to cure them as much as to isolate them from the rest of society. (Roberts) Unfortunately, people also began to fear the proliferation of the mentally ill. When ste rilization became considered, unrealistic, more, cheaper asylums were built as a means of segregated them and preventing an increase in their numbers. (Roberts) ... ...h Care. 6 Oct. 2002 http://www.mind.org.uk/information/factsheets/N/notes/notes_on_the_history_of_menta l_health_care.asp> Floyd, Barbara. From Quackery to Bacteriology. University of Toledo. 6 Oct. 2002 Mills, Val. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) 6 Oct. 2002 Mustard, Ronnie. Listings: the history of mental health. 6 Oct. 2002 . Roberts, Andrew. Mental Health History Timeline. 6 Oct. 2000 . Sabbatini, Renato M.E. â€Å"The History of Psychosurgery† June/August 1997. Brain & Mind Magazine. 14 Jun.1997. State University of Campinus, Brazil. 6 Oct. 2002 http://www.epub.org.br/cm/n02/historia/psicocirg_i.htm>