Development of Parallel Parking System

Development of Parallel Parking System Executive Summary Introduction/Background Traditionally development of microprocessor based control systems involved the following steps. The control algorithm was designed by a systems or a control engineer. The algorithm would then be coded in programming languages like assembly, C or C++ which would be implemented on a microprocessor based hardware the controller. The problem with this method was the verification of the algorithm would be possible only once the whole system was developed. Any errors in design would prove extremely costly. Also in converting control logic specification into software there is a high probability of translation errors that would lead to erroneous results. mModel Based Design is a software methodology which addresses these issues and is gaining a lot of popularity currently in the industry. The scope of this project is to apply the Model Based Design methodology to develop a control algorithm that eases the parallel parking of a car problem for a novice driver. Aims and Objectives The aim of this project is to develop a parallel parking system using Model Based Design. The objectives are to understand the parallel parking problem and methods to solve it, steps involved in Model Based Design and explore the possibility of implementation of a parallel parking algorithm on a Lego Mindstorms Robotics Kit. Acheivements A fuzzy logic based parallel parking algorithm was successfully simulated. Model Based Design concepts were explored and implemented in the design. Programs developed in Simulink were successfully tested on the Lego Mindstorms KIT using Real Time Workshop Embedded Coder, EC Robot Toolbox, nxtOSEK and other associated tools. Conclusions/Recommendations The parallel parking strategy implemented did show good results. However, real life scenarios may be different than the one discussed. For example, the controller depends on wall following. This implies there has to be 3 sides closed in a gap for the parking controller to work. The development of the algorithm was with the intent of being able to execute it on a Lego Mindstorms Kit. However, there were some issues regarding this. The main being lack of a floating point unit on the NXT Brick. Though it is possible to execute floating point programs on the NXT, it causes severe performance issues. The controller developed used the fuzzy logic blockset which inherently uses a lot of floating point variables. One method to overcome this draw back could be developing a fixed point version of the fuzzy logic blockset. Other parking strategies involving classical control could be experimented with Lego Mindstorms. Complex tasks like path planning could be executed on a computer communicating with the NXT via Bluetooth and the control tasks could be implemented on the NXT using fixed point math. Introduction Problem Description The parallel parking manoeuvre of a car has been a topic of academic and industry interest. The car or a car-like mobile robot hence referred to as CLMR has inherently a constraint known as a nonholonomic constraint. This is problem can be summarised as follows (Pushkin Kachroo and Patricia Mellodge, 2004.). If a system has restrictions on its velocity, but those restrictions does not cause restrictions in its positioning the systems is said to be nonholonomically constrained. Viewed in another way, the systems local movement is restricted, but its global movement is not. Mathematically, this means that the velocity constraints cannot be integrated. For e.g. during a parallel parking manoeuvre, when a driver arrives next to a parking space, he cannot simply slide his car sideways into the spot. The car is not capable of sliding sideways and this is the velocity restriction. However by moving the car backward and forward and turning the wheels the car can be moved into the parking space. Ignoring the restrictions caused by the external objects the car can be located at any position with any orientation, despite the lack of sideways movement (Pushkin Kachroo and Patricia Mellodge, 2004.). The challenge in this project is to not only address the parallel parking problem but also to develop it using advanced software design techniques involving Model Based Design Literature Survey The parallel parking problem can be viewed as a subtask of robot motion planning and control. There is has been considerable research in this area. De Luca et al (1998) classifies all robot motion tasks into 3 subtasks as follows. Point-to-point motion: The robot must reach a desired goal configuration starting from a given initial configuration. Path following: The robot must reach and follow a geometric path in the Cartesian space starting from a given initial configuration (on or off the path). Trajectory tracking: The robot must reach and follow a trajectory in the Cartesian space (i.e., a geometric path with an associated timing law) starting from a given initial configuration (on or off the trajectory) A parallel parking problem can then considered as a point to point motion task or a path following task and a feedback control law if proposed for the same. (Dongbing and Huosheng 2000) have developed more advanced control strategies involving Generalized Predictive Control and Neural Networks based predictive control. Fuzzy Logic based controllers have also been used to solve the parallel parking problem. Shih-Jie and Tzuu-Hseng (2002) proposes a rule base based on the distance of the CLMR edges to the parking spot. Kuang-Yow et al (1999) proposes a fuzzy sliding mode controller to solve the parallel parking problem. Holve and Protzel (1996) suggest another fuzzy logic based controller and a parking algorithm based on human experience. It involves finding an appropriate space for parking, stopping at the right place, executing the parking procedure and to do so without colliding with any obstacles. Summary The classical control methods discussed above are generally more complex compared to other ones. Most of them rely on trajectory generation and then a control algorithm for trajectory tracking or path following. The success of the algorithm in a real time implementation also depends upon the accuracy of the positioning systems which increases the complexity and the hardware cost of this method. While the fuzzy logic based controllers are more intuitive and easier to design the performance is suboptimal compared to the classical controllers. But they are more robust to sensor uncertainties (Holve, R. Protzel, P. 1996). The goal of this project is to develop a parallel parking algorithm suitable for implementation on a Lego Mindstorms robotics kit. Being able to solve the parallel parking problem and take this design rapidly from concept to implementation is the motivation behind this project. Parallel Parking of a Car like Mobile Robot (CLMR) Introduction The following chapter discusses the kinematics model of a CLMR and investigates a feasible parking strategy using a fuzzy logic based controller. Kinematic Model of a CLMR The kinematic model of a CLMR is as shown (Shih-Jie and Tzuu-Hseng 2002).The model assumes that the car wheels are in contact with the ground at all time i.e. no slip exists. : is a mid point on the rear axle of the car : is mid point on the line joining the front wheels : is the angle between the X axis with respect to the vehicle frame : is the steering angle with respect to the vehicle frame : is the distance between the front and rear axle The non-holonomic constraint equation is given by (2.1) The equation of the rear wheel is given by (2.2) (2.3) (2.4) The relationship between the rear and the front wheels are given by And (2.5) (2.6) The above equations are useful while finding the future positions of the CLMR. The physical layout of the CLMR is a three wheeled one. A three wheel robot and a four wheeled one have the same non- holonomic constraint. A three wheeled robot is chosen here for simplicity. The sensor positions are chosen with the assumption that the parking position is always going to be to the right of the vehicle. 4 ultrasonic sensors are used. 2 sensors (s2 and s1) are placed on the right front and rear edge and the other 2 (s3 and s0) are placed at the front and rear sides of the car as shown in the Fig 2.2. The position of sensors s1 and s2 with respect toand described by the following equations. S1 (2.7) S2 (2.8) The position of the sensors is used to determine the distance of the CLMR from an obstacle during simulation. Parking Strategy The parking strategy is developed intuitively as a human driver would do. The assumption is that a parking spot is somewhere to the right side of the vehicle to be parked (Holve and Protzel,1996). The vehicle would be moving parallel to the line of cars. The algorithm is as follows. Search for an obstacle free area on the right side of the car. The distance should be greater than the minimum distance required to park the car. This could be set at twice the length of the car. Once a sufficiently large parking spot is found, the car is reversed into the gap using a wall following algorithm. This algorithm aligns the car as parallel as possible in the gap without colliding with the rear wall. The car is then driven forward to align itself in the centre of the gap. Steps 2 and 3 can be repeated until the desired position is reached Wall Following Controller (Shih-Jie and Tzuu-Hseng , 2002) The heart of the parking strategy is a wall following controller. Shih-Jie and Tzuu-Hseng (2002) proposes a fuzzy logic scheme as follows. The variables shown in the figure represents the following d1 distance between the rear end of the CLMR and the wall d2 distance between the front end of the CLMR and the wall Dist is the desired distance between the wall and the CLMR The objective of the controller is get d1 equal to d2 which is the desired distance from the wall Dist . The scheme suggested is a 2 input one output scheme which controls the steering angle of the CLMR. Since the CLMR in this project is a three wheeled one the turning is done by varying the speeds of each wheel. The input variables to this control scheme are as follows if the CLMR is moving forward . Input1 = d2 Dist (2.9) Input 2 = d2 d1 (2.10) and if the CLMR is moving backward Input1 = d1 Dist (2.11) Input 2 = d1 d2 The output of the controller is the amount by which the CLMR needs to turn in a given direction. The fuzzy membership functions for Input1, Input2 and Steer are shown below The membership functions are equally divided triangular membership functions. The Rule Base for the wall following is shown in the table below. It is based on sliding mode control (Li et al, 2000) The rules can be an represented linguistically as If (Input1 is Positive Big) and (Input2 is Negative Big) then (steer is Zero) If (Input1 is Positive Big) and (Input2 is Negative Small) then (steer is Positive Small) and so on 25. If (Input1 is Negative Big) and (Input2 is Positive Big) then (steer is Zero) The defuzzication method used here is centre of gravity which is good for fine control The final fuzzy logic entire controller can be summarized as follows Summary With the kinematic equations of the CLMR and the equations describing the sensor positions, a model can be constructed. With the parking strategies and a fuzzy logic controller now developed we shall discuss an efficient methodology in taking these designs into implementation. Model Based Design Methodology Overview The advances in microprocessor technology in the early 70s brought about a change in the way control systems were developed. From electrical relays built into ladder like networks and programmable logic controllers , controllers were being developed around a computer built with adequate hardware and software. Traditionally most of these control software development was based on paper designs and manual programming followed by verification activities such as code inspections and a unit/integration test (Guido Sandmann and Richard Thompson 2008). Many of these activities lack tool automation, and are very time consuming. Thus they are error prone and time consuming. Lack of tool chain integration provides another opportunity for errors to be injected into the software that are often detected late and at high costs to the development process and so involve manual interaction. Model Based Design is software design methodology used to address these issues. The steps involved are in MBD ,some of the commercially available tools and the tool chain choices for this project are discussed below Model Based Design Process The Model Based Design process can be divided into the following steps (NI Developer Zone, 2006). System Definition System definition involves the design process of a particular problem in consideration. It is mostly a conceptual design where in the problem and solutions are analyzed. Modelling Simulation The step implies that the analyzed design is simulated using a graphical based simulation tool. MATLAB-SIMULINK, ASCET-MD etc are some examples of modelling tools. Designs here can be easily changed verified and re designed if necessary. Rapid Prototyping If the hardware of production controller is not available during the design phase a generalized hardware controller maybe used to test some of the simulations. This is the rapid prototyping phase. Targeting Targeting refers to getting the software code executing on the production hardware. This stage involves the use of auto coders tools that generate C code directly of graphical models, cross compilers and other tool chains that facilitate this. Hardware in the loop Testing Hardware in the Loop testing is used while developing control strategies for plant models like engines. It provides real time simulation of a real world plant model. System Testing This is the last step in the design process wherein the controller is tested on the real plant. Summary Of the stages in Model Based Design discussed above, only the most relevant one will be applied to this project. Beginning with system definition, modelling simulation proceeding to targeting and finally onto system testing will be the stages followed in this project. MATLAB/SIMULINK, Stateflow, Virtual Reality Toolbox, Fuzzy Logic Blockset would be the tools used for modelling and simulation while Real Time Workshop Embedded Coder would be used during targeting. A detailed list of other tools will be dealt in the next chapter. Introduction Lego Mindstorms NXT is a robotics kit which consists of mechanical building blocks and electronic sensors. The highlight of this kit is the programmable brick called the NXT. The NXT is a 32bit ARM7 based microcontroller which allows motors and electronic sensors to be easily interfaced .Users can also run custom programs written via a GUI based programming language. The language provided by Lego, though very simple and intuitive to use does not exploit the true potential of NXT. Over the years, advanced users of the Lego Mindstorms have been successful in creating custom tools that apply every imaginable concept of embedded systems. The following chapter discuss some of these software tools and hardware details relevant to this project. The most important part of this is to be able to design , simulate and test the robot using MATLAB Simulink. Ultrasonic Sensor The Lego Ultrasonic Sensor is shown below. It is mainly used for distance measurement. It has a range of 255 cm and is accurate to about +/- 3cm One of the tasks of Model Based Design is to be able to program the NXT from Matlab Simulink environment. The tools required to automate this process are discussed below John Hansens Enhanced Firmware Firmware in embedded systems term is referred to the basic software that is initially run on a hardware device. It performs basics factions like initialization of devices , integrity checks on memory and so on similar to BIOS on a standard PC. The NXT brick , out of the box , has a standard firmware installed. This is designed to be used with the software provided. In order to write programs in C and realize the true potential of the NXT, a custom firmware has been written by John Hansen. This allows the NXT to be programmed by either using the provided software or by programming in C and using other tools which will be explained later. The NeXTTool The NeXTTool is a program that allows communication between the host PC and the NXT brick. It can do various tasks, but most importantly it is used to download custom programs onto the NXT. The nxtOSEK nxtOSEK (previously known as LEJOS OSEK) is an open source real time operating system for LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT. It contains device drivers from leJOS NXJ, an open source program that allows users to write Java programs on the NXT and a real time operating system source know as a TOPPERS OSEK. C or C++ can be used to write custom programs and compiled with the nxtOSEK using the GCC tool chain (Takashi Chikamasa, 2008) The Embedded Coder Robot NXT Blockset is one of the key elements in applying Model Based Design Techniques to the Lego Mindstorms NXT. These blocks are custom Simulink blocks used in the controller side and serve as inputs and outputs to the real world. A word of caution. Custom blocks especially hardware related blocks behave different behaviour in simulation and code generation . For e.g. an ultrasonic sensor block will not directly give sensor readings. The behaviour of the ultrasonic sensor will have to be separately emulated. During code generation process, a function call to the ultrasonic device is placed where the block is used. This ensures the program using the block gets the value directly from the sensor. The details of the blocks used for this project are discussed below There are two blocks that have to be for an ultrasonic sensor blocks consist of two blocks. The Ultrasonic Sensor Interface block and the Ultrasonic Sensor Read block. Servo Motor Blocks Fig 4.5 Servo Motor Blocks The working of the Servo Motor is similar to the ultrasonic block as explained above. The details of the block are given below. Data Type int32 Dimension [1 1] Data Range 0 to 255 [cm], -1 (the sensor is not ready for measurement) Port ID S1/S2/S3/S4 Summary Tools concerning with the implementation of a Matlab Simulink design on a Lego Mindstorms NXT were explored here. However the most important of all is to simulate a working design. The next chapter discusses the implementation of the parallel parking strategy and the simulation results. Parallel Parking Simulation An integral part of Model Based Design is being able to simulate and get the desired results before implementation. The following chapter discusses the results of the controller developed in Chapter 2. For verification of the controller a Simulink model developed by Takashi Chikamasa, (2006) was used. The model was of a 3 wheeled robot with the motor dynamics included. A 3-D environment was provided using the Virtual Reality Toolbox. The environment however has been changed to suit the parallel parking problem. Parallel Parking Strategy The controller algorithm was developed in Simulink using Stateflow and the Fuzzy Logic Toolbox. A 2-D plot of the trajectory path traversed by the CLMR is shown below. Conclusion and Recommendations The parallel parking strategy implemented did show good results. However, real life scenarios may be very different. For example, the controller depends on wall following. This implies there has to be 3 sides closed in a gap for the parking controller to work. The development of the algorithm was with the intent of being able to execute it on a Lego Mindstorms Kit. However, there were some issues regarding this. The main being lack of a floating point unit on the NXT Brick. Though it is possible to execute floating point programs on the NXT, it causes severe performance issues. The controller developed used the fuzzy logic blockset which inherently uses a lot of floating point variables. One method to overcome this draw back could be developing a fixed point version of the fuzzy logic blockset. Other parking strategies involving classical control could be experimented with Lego Mindstorms. Complex tasks like path planning could be executed on a computer communicating with the NXT via Bluetooth and the control tasks could be implemented on the NXT using fixed point math. However, with Model Based Design, being able to write programs in Simulink, simulate it and be able to execute this on the Lego Mindstorms opens a whole new dimension of what can be done ; limited only by our creativity! Bibliography C., Ho, C., Lin, S. Li, T. (2005). Omni-Directional Vision-Based Parallel-Parking Control Design for Car-Like Mobile Robot. Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE International Conference on Mechatronics, 562-567. De Luca, A., Oriolo, G., and Samson, C. 1998. Feedback control of a nonholonomic car-like robot. In Robot Motion Planning and Control, ed. J.-P. Laumond, 171-253. Berlin: Springer-Verlag Dongbing, G. and H. Huosheng (2000). Wavelet neural network based predictive control for mobile robots. Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, 2000 IEEE International Conference on. Galijasevic, A. M. a. Z. (2006). Model-Based Design Shortens Development Time of Motor Control Applications. Embedded Technology Journal. Guido Sandmann and Richard Thompson (2008). Development of AUTOSAR Software Components within Model-Based Design. The Math Works, Inc. Holve, R. Protzel, P. (1996). Reverse Parking of a Model Car with Fuzzy Control. Proceedings of the 4th European Congress on Intelligent Techniques and Soft Computing EUFIT96, 2171-2175 Kuang-Yow, L., C. Chian-Song, et al. (1999). Parallel parking a car-like robot using fuzzy gain scheduling. Control Applications, 1999. Proceedings of the 1999 IEEE International Conference on. Li, T.-H. S. and Shieh, M.-Y. (2000). Switching-type fuzzy sliding mode control of a cart-pole system, Mechatronics 10, 91-101. NI Developer Zone (2006). Shortening the Embedded Design Cycle with Model-Based Design, Sep 6, 2006. Available from World Wide Web: http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/4074 Pushkin Kachroo and Patricia Mellodge (2004). Mobile Robotic Car Design, McGraw-Hill, Shih-Jie, C. and S. L. Tzuu-Hseng (2002). Design and Implementation of Fuzzy Parallel-Parking Control for a Car-Type Mobile Robot, Kluwer Academic Publishers. 34: 175-194. Takashi Chikamasa, (2006). Embedded Coder Robot NXT Demo. Dec 2006. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/loadFile.do?objectId=13399 Takashi Chikamasa, (2008). What is nxtOSEK? June 2008. Available from World Wide Web: http://lejos-osek.sourceforge.net/whatislejososek.htm Yanan, Z., E. G. Collins, et al. (2003). Design of genetic fuzzy parallel parking control systems. American Control Conference, 2003. Proceedings of the 2003.

sop for cass Essay -- essays research papers

I am applying for admission to the MSc. program in Mathematical Trading and Finance because I want a career in the area of mathematical finance. In particular, I am interested in the application of mathematical methods to the various areas of finance. In order to gain an appreciation of these and related issues, it is essential for me to have a strong grounding in the areas of advanced mathematics as well as to gain a Finance perspective. I believe that my educational background has instilled in me the qualities required to meet the rigor of this demanding profession. Graduation in Engineering has provided a strong foundation in Mathematics and Computer Programming. During the course of my Engineering education I took up a project with Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), India’s premier centre for atomic research. This project of developing the software for processing reactor data, requiring extensive use of C programming language and Unix, for the first time gave me a real world experience of programming. This association helped a lot in consolidating my programming skills, especially in C language. Thus, it inculcated in me problem solving and analytical abilities. After completing my graduate degree, I joined Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Asia’s largest software firm as an Assistant Systems Engineer. After a 3 month intensive training in software methodology and management skills, I joined a team which was building a Trading System for a Stock Exchange...

Class Perceptions on Personal Choice

Have we ever thought of what governs us when we make a choice? Are we ruled by certain cultural or ethnic perspectives, or do we value our feelings toward the person, who is expected to accompany us through joys and sorrows for the rest of our lives? Very often, cultural and class perceptions play the predominant role, when we make a romantic choice.In his novel A Room with a View, E.M. Forster ironically depicts the increasing conflict between the real and the pretended and the impact, which class and social prejudice may have on what we call â€Å"true passion†. A Room with a View is an ironic depiction of the social narrow-sightedness and the lack of sincere spontaneous response to the feelings, which may change under the pressure of artificial class and cultural views of the conservative society.Literature critics of the post-war period emphasize the growing level of British cultural self-consciousness that has gradually turned into a misrepresented set of class and cultur al perceptions. â€Å"With the post-1945 decline of Britain as an economic, political, and military power, its international standing as well as its own sense of national identity have been increasingly determined on the level of cultural production† (Freedman 79).Forster’s novel suggests that with time, this cultural consciousness has transformed into cultural and class prejudices that falsely positioned England as the predominant source of cultural trends in Europe. In this context, Forster’s Lucy reveals the hidden facets of English cultural perceptions.Lucy’s character reflects the growing gap between her inner promptings to love and the external social pressures that tell her what she is expected to tell or to do. Lucy â€Å"was accustomed to having her thoughts confirmed by others†¦ it was too dreadful not to know whether the was thinking right or wrong† (Forster), and even when she is prepared to take the single and the most appropriate decision, the distorted English visions of culture and class raise her doubts as for what she has to do.Forster uses Italy as the mirror and the prism for evaluating the negative potential of cultural and class perceptions in the then England. The battle for a room with a view is actually the battle for nothing, because a room with a view will never offer any benefits to a person, who is too blind to see anything behind the window. Lucy’s battle over her happiness is very close to the situation, where the blind is persuaded that the room with a view is much better than the room without the one. â€Å"How do you like this view of ours, Mr. Emerson? – I never notice much difference in views.– What do you mean? – Because they’re all alike. Because all that matters in them is distance and air† (Forster). In the same manner, Lucy is coming to the realization that her relations with Cecil are nothing but an empty combination of the social prejudi ce and the decision that was imposed on her by the norms and traditions of her surrounding. â€Å"As Forster’s narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that there must be something wrong with ‘development’ in a code of behavior which can mistake delicacy for beauty, while treating frank talk about baths and stomachs as indecent, and kisses as insults† (Taque 94).This cultural and class blindness and the fight for a better view are the central themes that accompany Lucy in her long journey to personal revelation. She is stifled by the air of indifference toward her feelings and desires; she is confronted by the need to follow the imposed behavioral code that evidently does not satisfy her inner strivings to be happy. Italy and the Italians open her eyes on the realities of her drastic existence within the narrow space of the social and class prejudice.When she hears Mr. Beebe’s remark that â€Å"Italians are a most unpleasant people. They pry everywhere, they see everything, and they know what we want before we know it ourselves. We are at their mercy† (Forster), she has nothing but to conclude, that her life and her future are at the mercy of the socially blind norms, which govern her choice.For once, Lucy has to pause and rethink everything that was going through her mind and her soul. George leads her to re-considering her values. She is overfilled with emotion: â€Å"some emotion – pity, terror, love, but the emotion was strong – seized her, and she was aware of autumn. Summer was ending, and the evening brought her odours of decay, the more pathetic because they were reminiscent of spring.That something or other mattered intellectually?† (Forster). A bright literary parallel between the English cultural norms and the odours of decay suggests that if Lucy fails to defend her right to choose, she will be doomed to spend the rest of her life in the pressuring atmosphere without any hope for moral and sp iritual resurrection.Mr. Emerson is correct stating that â€Å"we need a little directness to liberate the soul† (Forster); Lucy is searching some free space where she will be protected from the strong winds of English cultural and class perceptions. She wants to be free to express her feelings without a fear of being condemned. Ultimately, she has the right for spontaneous feeling without any tint of reason, which conservative England is so actively imposing on her.

Essay on The Seafarers Internal Conflict - 1021 Words

One of the greatest conflicts that every human must face is a conflict within his or her self. These sorts of internal conflicts are created and fought within our minds. The Seafarer, one of the oldest surviving Old English poems, depicts a man, who, despite being wise, is still desperate to find meaning to his existence. He is in exile, and because of this, his mind is in a state of desolation. He has conflicts within his own psyche seemingly questioning his very existence. He is desperate to find meaning in his life, which is full of despair and sorrow. His psychological state of mind develops from a state of desolation and exile, to realization of his Being, to finally finding a new meaning in his life through his manifestation and†¦show more content†¦The desolation that the speaker goes through is so extreme, in fact, that it is as if he is numb. The speaker finally reaches his lowest point in the first part of the story, where it seems as if he drowns in his own desola tion and loneliness. The open sea seems to swallow him. With these thoughts of his existence, the Seafarer suddenly starts to become conscious of his very own being, and realizes more about human nature. The speaker recalls of being pulled toward the suffering, being drawn toward his isolation that he is in. This could be a psychological aspect of the speaker in which his subconscious mind tries to punish the speaker for what he has done in the past. It could also be his mind interpreting the fact that if he goes through this suffering, he will find something greater. It is thus a paradox, then, when the seafarer says he is â€Å"seeking foreigners’ homes† (Raffel 19), because as he searches on and on, he is isolated more and more from the values that seek as a representation of these homes. The speaker introduces themes centric to the poem, which are stated as: â€Å"pride, greatness, boldness, youth, seriousness, and grace† (Raffel 19). The speaker then assert s that these virtuous themes will disappear one day, when one must rely on God’s judgment, and God’s mercy. With the implications of God, come the attributions the speaker asserts toward Fate, and the influence that Fate conjures in the lives of people. The speakerShow MoreRelated Conflicts in the Epic of Beowulf Essay1760 Words   |  8 PagesBeowulf – the Conflicts  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   J.D.A. Ogilvy and Donald C. Baker in â€Å"Beowulf’s Heroic Death† comment on the hero’s culpability in his final conflict:    . . .the author describes Beowulf and the dragon lying dead side by side and observes rather sententiously that it was a bad business fighting with a dragon or disturbing his hoard. Beowulf, he adds, had paid for the treasure with his life. Some commentators seem to consider this passage, combined with Wiglaf’s remarks about Beowulf’sRead More Epic of Beowulf Essay - The Conflicts in Beowulf2005 Words   |  9 PagesThe Conflicts in Beowulf  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   Brian Wilkie and James Hurt in Literature of the Western World discuss what is perhaps the overriding or central conflict in the poem Beowulf, namely the struggle between good and evil, and how the monsters are representative of the evil side: Ker was answered in 1936 by the critic and novelist J.R.R. Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings, who argued that â€Å"the monsters are not an inexplicable blunder of taste; they are essential, fundamentally allied to

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Obesity And Its Effects On Obesity - 1281 Words

The famous actor and comedian, Will Ferrell, quoted on twitter, â€Å"Obesity doesn’t run in your family, no one runs in your family†. The joke was intended to be funny, but I’m sure it hit closer to home for a lot of people more than anything else. Many problems in America consist of low employment rates, global warming and, not to forget, obesity. What other country has issues that include the overweight factor? Exactly, none. While mostly adolescent teens to adults are struggling to turn their lives around in the direction from their heavyset days, it should register that obesity can develop at an earlier age, and that is where the work should begin. If our five year olds are sitting on the couch all day eating their third Mcdonald s meal†¦show more content†¦What will we gain? Well it won’t be weight, I can promise you that. However, making phys ed mandatory can promote good health, increase achievement in academics and helps create self-estee m within an individual. Promoting excellent health can be a major outcome from making physical education apart of every child’s lifestyle. The student will learn at a young age how important staying fit and in shape is while taking those lessons with them and executing them later in life. It also advocates healthy eating and an improvement in lifestyle altogether. Bringing habits like these home can also affect the family. Encouraging the whole family to eat and exercise better can be a result from making physical education mandatory. Whether it be more family activities in the backyard, or taking a trip to skyzone to enjoy a day of flips, jumps and friendly dodgeball games, the whole family would have been inspired to become physically active. â€Å"Kids are getting fatter. Obesity rate over the last 30 years have more than quadrupled for children ages 6 to 11 and more than tripled for youths ages 12 to 19. Our children and youths are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blo od pressure, high cholesterol and even asthma.† Henceforth, physical education also has an affect on academic performance, more than one may think. â€Å"A representative study, presented in May at the American College of Sports Medicine, found that fourth- and fifth-grade

Emerging trends in ICT and Business

Question: Discuss about the Emerging trends in ICT and Business. Answer: Introduction In this assignment, a report has been developed to describe the importance of emerging technologies in business. This report is written for the investors of a start-up (Moula), for which this new payment technology will be the core business. The company will be using a new payment technology named Stripe as a new opportunity to expand its business. This international payment option will help them to increase their international business. Background As Wang and Wang (2013) stated that, digital currency-related technologies started to rise during Global Financial Crisis 2007-2008. During this time period due to distrust of banks Bitcoin and various other digital currencies are developed. It has affected Australia as well. New local payment start-ups are developing in Australia. In addition, the number of foreign payment firms is also increasing in the country (Startupsmart 2016). Moula is a start-up business located in Melbourne CBD. The founders of the company are Piers Lower, Andrew Watt, and Aris Allgos (Moula 2016). The company provides business loans up to $100, 000. It provides fast approval on loans based on the business transaction data. The company offers unsecured working capital loans through its website from $ 1000 to $ 20,000 at a flat 1% interest rate (Fintechmelbourne 2016). However, with the entrance of global players such as PayPal, it has become a challenge for the company to maintain its steady growth rate. Now, Moula wants to use non-eBay e-commerce and accounting software and payment platforms to offer their loans. For this reason, the company is thinking to use a new payment technology Stripe as a core business strategy. Stripe will also provide a source of data that Moula can use to make the credit checks. The Strip is an online payment-processing platform (Stripe 2016). It is renowned for its simplicity and adoption in the web communit y. Web developers of Moula can take advantage of stripes payment processing platform and expand their business operations. Results The implementation of new payment technology Stripe will provide some exclusive features for the organization. They are mentioned below: Built for different developers It is available in different development platforms such as Curl, Ruby, Python, PHP, and Java (Afr 2014). It provides robust and clean APIs that let the company Moula to develop payment options. Figure 1: Platforms available for Stripe (Source: Created by Author) Powerful toolkit It will provide the company various payment toolkits such as flexible billing periods, coupons, user trails and unlimited subscription options (Fintechmelbourne 2016). All these features will make Moula more attractive to its customers. Perfectly scaled Strip is designed taking in mind about a whole company. Adaptation of Strip will make the payment options run smoothly for the company. Features like accounting integration, proven fraud protection, simplified operation, and battle-tested system will make Moula more efficient and attractive (Stripe 2016). Figure 2: Scaling options of the New Payment Method (Source: Created by Author) High security Strip provides seamless security. It is trusted by thousands of small and large business organizations to power up commerce for their business. Strip is certified to PCI service provider level 1. It is the most stringent level of certification. It provides an extra layer of security for the account of customers for Moula by enabling two-factor authentication. Figure 3: Features of the New Payment Option Stripe (Source: Created by Author) It is not only useful for the business but also for customers. Previously developers of Moula have to set up an independent server to validate each purchase of their customers. Now customers just have to follow three simple steps to get a loan from Moula. They are mentioned below: Get a credit card token from Stripe Charge the card using Stripe token Get loan from Moula Figure 4: Steps to use the new payment option (Source: Created by Author) Recommendations However, with the increase of technology usage, issues like frauds and piracy are also increasing rapidly. For this reason, the company Moula needs to take some steps to improve security for its online payment technology. They are mentioned below: Identification and verification measures It will allow Moula to recognize its customers properly. This information is important for the start-up business as it helps to develop a better business relationship. It will also help the company to identify whether a customer is connected with multiple accounts or not (stripe cards or cash vouchers). It also helps to create a paper trail for the law enforcement in case of any scam or fraud. IP address of customers has to be a part of the identification data collected by the company. It will help to minimize the potential for a customer to handle multiple accounts. Effective monitoring system It can become a very effective tool to mitigate the crime risk for the New Payment Method (NPM). In order to develop effective monitoring system, the company must needs to identify: Suspicious or unusual transactions Discrepancies for instance between provided customer information and the IP address When the same account is used by multiple consumers Cases where the same consumer opens multiple accounts Balance and transaction limits Limiting the balance and transaction amounts can prevent criminals from having access to a large amount of money for illegal reasons. The company has to identify the needs of each customer before providing a loan to them. Methods of funding Risks related to online payment can be mitigated if Moula starts to use CDD measures of Stripe. They can be previously identified bank accounts, debit or credit cards or any other personalized payment methods. The company also needs to restrict the number of parties involved in the founding process. It will limit the possibility of third party founding. Conclusion In this report, it has been described that the new start-up named Moula can use a new payment option as its core business strategy. This new payment option is Stripe. This NPM is known for is simplicity and adoption by thousands small and large organizations. This new payment option is both advantageous for the company and its customers. It provides some specific features make it useful for organizations. They are such as powerful toolkit, built for different developers, perfect scaling, and high security. With the help of this new payment technology customers can take loan form Moula in three simple steps. However, there are some recommendations have been provided for the company Moula to improve its security system for the new online payment technology. Reference list Afr, 2014.Online lender Moula adds offline loans. [online] Financial Review. Available at: https://www.afr.com/business/online-lender-moula-adds-offline-loans-20141022-11ago2 [Accessed 11 Aug. 2016]. Fintechmelbourne, 2016.Moula | FinTech Melbourne. [online] Fintechmelbourne.org. Available at: https://www.fintechmelbourne.org/moula-4/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2016]. Moula, 2016.Moula - Business Loans. Quick. Smart.. [online] Moula. Available at: https://moula.com.au/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2016]. Startupsmart, 2016. [online] Startupsmart.com.au. Available at: https://www.startupsmart.com.au/advice/growth/lending-startup-moula-scoops-up-30-million-in-series-a-funding-to-maintain-growth/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2016]. Stripe, 2016.Stripe: Gallery. [online] Stripe.com. Available at: https://stripe.com/gallery#platform-payments [Accessed 11 Aug. 2016]. Wang, A. and Wang, A. 2013.Build an e-commerce mobile app on Parse and Stripe. [online] Parse Blog. Available at: https://blog.parse.com/learn/engineering/build-an-e-commerce-mobile-app-on-parse-and-stripe/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2016].