ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Those clouds which appear on a blue sky are white because of such phenomenon as atmospheric scattering. When the sunlight is scattered, color effects depend on wavelengths within different ranges of the color spectrum. Nonselective scattering is observed when wavelengths of the light are scattered rather equally, and they produce a white color effect. Clouds consist of small water drops and crystals, but they are large in comparison to the light wavelengths (Petersen et al. 90). When they scatter the light, the focus is on the equal intensity of scattering; therefore, clouds appear to be white. The angles of the sunlight due to the position of the sun at sunset cause changes in the color of clouds during this period. At sunset, clouds are red because sharp angles of the sunlight make longer wavelengths enter the atmosphere, and they are easier to be seen by viewers in comparison to short light wavelengths. Long wavelengths are associated with red and orange colors in contrast to shorter wavelengths of a blue color. This phenomenon is known as “Mie scattering” named after Gustav Mie who has explained it (Petersen et al. 90). The “Green Flash” is a phenomenon that can be seen in some sunsets in Hawaii and other places where it is possible to observe how the sun disappears below the flat horizon. One can see a brief flash of green over the sitting sun’s disk during a second or two (Zimmermann). The causes of this phenomenon are the processes of refraction and dispersion (Ackerman and Knox 171). Refraction is associated with bending the light, and different colors bend unequally. Blue color is observed during a long period of time, but when it is scattered, it is possible to see a green color that is refracted more than a red color. Works Cited Ackerman, Steven A., and John A. Knox. Meteorology . 4th ed., Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2015. Petersen, James, et al. Physical Geography . 11th ed., Cengage Learning, 2016. Zimmermann, Kim Ann. “Green Flash: Sunset Phenomenon.” LiveScience.com , 2017. Web.
Summary of the article The article “Cracking the Code of Change” examines the issues associated with organizational change. The authors present two theories that can support the process of change. Many organizations “have failed due to the continued use of contemporary change theories and concepts” (Beer and Nohria 1). The article encourages business firms to use the best change models in order to emerge successful. Theory E Change focuses on the economic returns and values of a business. This hard approach “focuses on drastic layoffs, restructuring strategies, and economic incentives” (Beer and Nohria 3). The approach can force an organization to retrench its employees. The second approach is called Theory O Change. This “soft” strategy can produce a powerful corporate culture. The approach encourages many employees to form new teams. Such workers also embrace the power of communication. However, the approach “might encounter different obstacles such as distrust and rebellion” (Beer and Nohria 3). Organizational leaders should nurture, mentor, and empower their employees in order to achieve the best goals. The “first theory makes it easier for a firm to maximize shareholder value” (Beer and Nohria 4). These theories can produce “a new paradigm that promotes organizational capability and economic value” (Beer and Nohria 5). Managers should therefore set the right direction from the top. They should also collaborate with their stakeholders in order to achieve the best outcomes. Relating the information to the content covered in class Organizational Change (OC) is a critical concept in every business firm. Different theories of change focus on effective leadership strategies. Organizational leaders can use various theories and models in order to empower their workers. The class readings have explored the relevance of different organizational designs. Such designs can produce the best outcomes. This article has presented new ideas that can make every business firm successful (Beer and Nohria 7). These theories will empower different shareholders and employees in every firm. Organizational managers and leaders should use different theories in order to support their firms. These ideas will eventually produce the best goals. This article has therefore widened my understanding of organizational change. Practical application of the above ideas I have encountered several challenges in my organization. The firm has failed to achieve most of its goals due to lack of proper change models. The article presents new concepts that can support the goals of our organization. Our managers should combine theories O and E in order to empower every stakeholder. The proposed strategy will support the needs of
Discrimination is not a recent concept but rather an inherent aspect of human history. Discrimination is a violation of fundamental human rights, and this has influenced the development of policies and frameworks designed to protect the interests of the minority. Regardless of such developments, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how discrimination is deeply rooted in culture (Devakumar et al., 2020). This paper is a reflection of the complex social problem that has been emphasized by the COVID-19 pandemic and how the knowledge acquired throughout the term has impacted my perception of social identities, communities, and potential solutions to the problem. The increase in prejudice against immigrants and people of color across the globe influenced the selection of discrimination as the issue for discussion. The pandemic evoked fear and despair due to the high mortality rates reported across different nations and the lack of a vaccine. People adopted practices such as self-isolation and social distancing to protect themselves from the pandemic; however, this became the basis for discriminatory action against people from the Asian region (Addo, 2020). Since the pandemic emerged from Asia, misconceptions have developed and encouraged prejudice. According to Marshall (2020), discrimination against people of color has had adverse effects on their health during the pandemic. Reports on physical and psychological abuse of immigrants and people of color have changed my perspective on discrimination. I now understand that discrimination is not about race or color but misinformation that creates social beliefs and norms which justify the differential treatment of minority groups in society. Before taking the course, I believed that discrimination was a factor of race and economic status. My questions then were, why can’t we have laws and penalties for those found guilty of discriminating against others? Why can’t we educate people to eradicate this social norm? The knowledge action made me realize the multi-dimensional nature of discrimination, and now my questions are, do we even know every basis for discrimination? Can laws and policies on human rights adequately address discrimination? My identity and social community influenced how I perceive discrimination. I believed that social bias was overrated since it was a means for people with better socio-economic backgrounds to emphasize differences in society. For instance, unlike the poor, the rich can buy comfort and respect. The different cultural practices and beliefs influence how we deal with unfamiliar experiences and the resulting social groups. According to Khatatbeh (2020)
Introduction The establishment of any business venture has an entrepreneur’s interest at heart, in that profitability no matter the situation has to be realized. That is the core business of any venture, and to do this there has to be a given strategy that a business relies on to ensure it makes progress. The first few years in any business are truly crucial; most entrepreneurs rarely do market analysis to know which clients to get and keep, rather they use their gut feelings, and sometimes are wrong. As such, particularly few businesses have survived the first three years simply because they have limited knowledge of their own markets, and end up losing more clients than they gain. In this regard, we look and analyze Warby Parker; a startup company started by three entrepreneurs. They are Neil Blumenthal, David Gilboa and Jeffery Rader, and their main item of trade is cheap eyeglasses. The idea was motivated by the fact that traditional suppliers and stores selling these eyeglasses did so at exaggerated fees, so the middle to low income earners in society are locked much to their suffering. The company wishes to extend its market beyond its traditional territories, meaning it is on a mission to gaining more clients than its competitors in regions mostly dominated by the later. It wishes to acquire new markets major metropolitan cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Miami, Seattle and Poland. The following, therefore, is a ‘SWOT’ analysis of the company. SWOT Analysis As at now, due to the nature of the eyeglasses they supply and their target market, the company is best placed among it
Figure 1. Raphael. Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist; upper left, Study for the Right Arm of the Infant Saint John; upper right, Study for Drapery. ca. 1506–7. With the revival of classical learning and wisdom, critical thinking has become a crucial skill that any Renaissance person developed. As defined by The Foundation for Critical Thinking , it is an active and intellectually disciplined process of conceptualizing, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information produced by observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication (“Defining Critical Thinking”). Critical thinking is skillful and guides to action and belief (“Defining Critical Thinking”). If applied to fine arts, it means conceptualizing, analyzing, and synthesizing a painting by reflecting on it on paper. Thus, critical thinking is a tool that aids artists throughout the process of creating a work of art. During the Renaissance, artists began to use paper for this purpose more extensively as they explored their ideas for the design of their painting or sculpture rather than copied finished pieces of art (Bambach Renaissance Drawings ). Raphael, one of the great masters of that period, was no exception. His study of the Madonna of the Meadow also known as the Madonna with the Christ Child and Saint John the Baptist corresponds in almost every particular with the final painting. It depicts Christ and Saint John the Baptist as infants and Virgin Mary grouped in an equilateral triangle (see fig. 1). The drawing is part of Raphael’s critical thinking in terms of studying the composition and its related details, namely infant Saint John’s right arm and Mary’s drapery (Bambach Madonna and Child ). Employing the Renaissance methodology of critical thinking, Raphael explores his creative possibilities as an artist. The Madonna of the Meadow is one of the numerous compositions of the Virgin with the Christ child that the young Raphael created to establish his reputation as an artist when he arrived in Florence around 1503 (Bambach Madonna and Child ). He produced the painting for his friend and patron Taddeo Taddei “not to be surpassed in kindness” as Taddeo, a cultivated nobleman, was always inviting him to his house (Vasari 35). A group of five surviving preliminary sketches proves that the picture was well-planned and carefully designed. Sheets from Devonshire Collection, the Albertina, and Ashmolean Museum are among them. The Metropolitan Museum sheet is the last in this sequence of extant preparatory drawings (Bambach Madonna and Child ). After examining them, one can see that Raphael’s goal was to form a perfect pyramidal structure as he experimented with several groupings. He gives the pyramid a plastic relief twisting Madonna’s torso. This twist is called contrapposto and reveals the creative influence of Leonardo da
The June 23, 2016, referendum on the United Kingdom leaving the European Union became a turning point in the British economy. Lack of a proper plan, false information provided by proponents of the so-called ‘Brexit’, and general lack of preparation left the country in a volatile state in both social and economic senses. Although the proposed process of leaving the EU in 2 years has not started yet, it is projected to have a significant impact on foreign investment, immigration and GDP, with uncertainty becoming a real detriment to the economy. Impact on the Economy Impact on Foreign Investment The United Kingdom was one of the top recipients of foreign direct investments from the European Union. More than half of their £1 trillion stock coming from other members of the EU. Usually, FDI is welcomed because it has both direct benefits of rising wages and increased productivity, as well as indirect benefits of new technologies and business know-how being adopted by the domestic companies (Dhingra et al., p. 25). Research shows that being in the EU has a positive effect on inward FDI of an average increase of 28%. Due to “Brexit”, the complex supply chains of multinational companies are going to become harder to manage, and foreign investment would is expected to fall by about 22% (Dhingra et al., p. 26). Due to this decline in FDI, real incomes are expected to fall by 3.4% (Dhingra et al., p. 30). Also, international trade is bound to be affected by the loss of free access to European markets (Goryunov, Kiyutsevskaya & Trunin 2016). Impact of the Immigration One of the most important aspects of the referendum that appealed to pro-Brexit voters was the perception of how immigration can affect the labour market. A comprehensive review of the literature suggests that there is no evidence of a statistically significant impact of immigration from EU countries on native employment opportunities. Evidence on wages suggests similar results, with only a 1.5% reduction for native workers in semi/unskilled occupations (Portes & Forte, p. 8). The decrease in immigration can lead to the opposite effect. A study suggests that reduction of worker inflows will reduce overall employment, the wages for low-paid groups can see a small increase, but GDP per capita and productivity would receive significant cuts (Portes & Forte 2016). UK economy is very reliant on the service sector, which makes it responsible for both job creation and export demand. These sectors are almost as important to UK export as manufacturing due to an increase in financial and business service activities. Brexit puts the progress in these services at risk due to loss of access to the single market. However, an increase in job posit
Introduction This paper seeks to analyze the UK supermarket industry and assess how the market is structured to facilitate business. In particular, we analyze Costcutter supermarket to give us an idea of the general challenges facing the industry and the supermarket chain as a player in that industry. Company outline This is one of the medium retail franchise supermarkets in the UK operating a chain of supermarkets currently standing at over 1500 stores as per the company’s website. From the same source, we learn that the company was started in 1986 under Colin Graves, the current chairman. The chairman’s philosophy was based on “group trading, but with individual flexibility for retailers to trade to local conditions” This philosophy has seen the company grow to reach a turnover of £500 000 as 2007 and in this year announced a 6.2% increase in profits despite the prevailing credit crunch that is hurting business. Industry/market outline In recent times, retailers and suppliers have had to contend with the issue of decreased purchasing power by households as inflation and unemployment levels spread across the UK and the world at large. In the UK, retail giants are worried that shopping queues are increasingly becoming shorter but have shown a bit of hope with the festive season setting in place. Shoppers are now more vibrant in their spending than in the past few months. Most of the supermarkets have reported growth despite the fall in the number of customers. Economists have pointed out that increased sales revenue was due to inflation and the general increase in prices. Suitability of the market and company for analysis The US economy has been in turmoil over the last few months. As the world’s leading superpower, the effect is being expected to be felt the world over. International currencies are also giving a hint on where the global economy is headed. Devaluation of the dollar was the first indicator that all things are not well for the US. The UK pound also showed some relative level of instability. If the case of the US was to stick, then the UK is also headed to a period of slowed growth. Apart from a fall in GDP, there are other measures of economic performance such as the performance of individual businesses. Given the fact that supermarkets deal with a wide range of goods, their performance is then best placed to show the general direction of the economy, challenges, and prospects. The chosen supermarket for this study was Costcutter supermarkets as a budget outlet where demand elasticity is highest. Environmental analysis The consumer retail goods industry in the UK market is quite complex given that there is a lot of variability in terms of the players in the range of goods they offer, size and terminologies, and titles. For this research, we borrow the classification used by IGD in the study of the market which identifies them as follows and in market share (UK grocery retail outlook, 2008)   * Supermarkets, hyper stores, and supermarkets 68.8%   * Convenience stores 20.6%   * Traditional retailing 4.7%   * Discounters 3.9%   * Online shoppers 2.3% Unfortunatel
What did you think of the reading in the book, “Stocks for the Long Run” By Jeremy Siegel? “Stocks for the long run” by James Siegel have been proved to facilitate the investment in stocks. Siegel argues from his book that stocks are the best investments. This he does through research on a variety of investment securities and strategies like bonds and the bills. The research focuses on the thorough analysis of the returns in the financial markets in three phases. However, he reiterates that stock requires patience hence not appropriate for a quick return. It is therefore preferred for long-term investments. Siegel’s approach to investments is summed up as, “good investment strategy entails, diversification of the portfolio, the timing of stocks and landing on ones showing prospects of good returns. These will only depend on what the investor believes in to accord them good returns”. The surprising explanation given by this book is that diversified stock portfolios over fixed return assets showed excel
Introduction: the role of cadaver dogs in forensic activities A general problem in forensic investigation concerns the search and identification of elements and location connected with commission or the place of victim’s body. The weapons and instruments of crime must be detected in the specific areas. Different objects may be removed in order to find the remnants of body, tissue, human fluid, bodies located in the distant areas or specific efforts to conceal bury site etc. After the site of the crime or special object is detected then it is a time for forensic investigations and implementing all necessary procedures. To locate certain object various methods and techniques may be implemented such as aerial imaging, ground probing or utilization of special dogs such as cadaver dogs. This research deals with the problem of cadaver dogs’ utilization to find human remains necessary for forensic investigation. The canine searching activities are connected with pre-scientific period of forensic investigation for it only provides necessary material for investigation without which it would be impossible. The image of trained dog both in popular and professional culture is provided by the media communication. Dogs are associated with different activities such as search for survived in the catastrophe, law enforcement activities such as search for drugs, weapon etc. But not so many people are aware of the importance of dogs in searching for the location of the human remains. The practical dissemination of canine investigation activities in law enforcement activities is in sharp contrast with the lack of literature on the issue of requirements for cadaver dogs’ activities and training methods. These issues, as this research seeks to prove are very important for understanding the direction of forensic investigation and the role of pre-scientific practices conducted with the help of trained cadaver dogs. Thus, this research may prove interesting for all stakeholders such as dog trainers, canine investigation teams and forensic specialists and prosecutors. The role of dogs in investigation activities: nomenclature Dogs were for a long period of human history utilized in law enforcement activities and military. They were used for protection, tracking and searching activities and the location of evidence. The general perception of the dog used in these activities refers to large dogs such as Doberman or German Shepherd. In search activities dogs are considered to be robust and enduring animals, having capabilities of going through various obstacles and terrain. For various types of tracking dogs are required that have breed-specific capacities to discern among various human scents, such as for examples Bloodhound. In forensic activities the dog’s size is not as critical as its ability to train, learn and have good relations and understanding of the handler and in not in the last place the ability to discern specific scents (e.g. the scents
Businesses that resort to crowdfunding or seek investments may usually be small sole proprietors or partnerships because these types of organizations regularly work with a limited amount of capital. If such companies want to expand and their own profit does not cover the costs of hiring new workers, buying new equipment, or renting an office, they may opt for crowdfunding or third-party financing. However, accepting investment money makes one under sole proprietorship personally liable for all debts which is a risk, but also allows paying no additional taxes as such form of business is taxed as personal income. Partnerships may be more reliable in terms of splitting the costs and liabilities, yet they face more decision-making issues (Nickels et al. 71). For instance, partners may disagree on how to allocate the received funds from Kickstarter. Reception of a large sum of money for some purpose usually requires a business, regardless of its size, to plan and manage its allocation. Management would probably involve the organization of the transfer process, cost planning, and spending control. While in corporations there is usually a separate department or several professionals resolving these issues, sole proprietors may not always enjoy this privilege. Nevertheless, the importance of leadership should not be underestimated even in cases, when your staff is not numerous. Enabling every employee to commit meaningfully to the project is crucial for any company. In case of successfully receiving funds, the equity of the company is likely to increase as the money will, with a high degree of certainty, be transferred into assets. Nonetheless, debts may still arise, and equity may decrease in such a case (Gallo). Capitalization is a process of fueling the company with funds is the desired outcome for the business. However, owners need to keep in mind that debts are also included in capitalization and manage the company in a way to decrease their debts and increase equity. Works Cited Gallo, Amy. “A Refresher on Debt-to-Equity Ratio.” Harvard Business Review, 2015. Web. Nickels, William, et al. Understanding Business: The Core . 1st ed., McGraw Hill, 2016.