The Seniority System How Power is Amassed in Congress

The term seniority system is used to describe  the practice of  granting special perks and privileges to members of the  U.S. Senate  and  House of Representatives  who have served the longest. The seniority system has been the target of numerous reform initiatives over the years, all of which have failed to prevent the most senior members of Congress from amassing tremendous power. Senior Member Privileges Members with seniority are allowed to choose their own offices and committee assignments. The latter is one of the most important privileges a member of Congress can earn because committees  are where most of the important legislative work actually happens, not on the floor of the House and Senate. Members with a longer term of service on a committee are also assumed to be senior, and therefore they have more power within the committee. Seniority is also usually, but not always, considered when each party awards committee chairmanships, the most powerful position on a committee. History of the Seniority System The seniority system in Congress dates back to 1911 and a revolt against House Speaker Joseph Cannon,  writes Robert E. Dewhirst in his Encyclopedia of the United States Congress. A seniority system of sorts was already in place, but Cannon nonetheless wielded tremendous power, controlling nearly every aspect governing which bills would be introduced in the House. Leading a reform coalition  of 42 fellow Republicans, Nebraska representative George Norris introduced a resolution that would remove the Speaker from the Rules Committee, effectively stripping him of all power. Once adopted, the seniority system allowed members of the House to advance and win committee assignments even if the leadership of their party opposed them. Effects of the Seniority System Congress members favor the seniority system because it is seen as a nonpartisan method for selecting committee chairmen, as opposed to a system that employs patronage, cronyism, and favoritism. â€Å"It is not that Congress loves seniority more,† a former House member from Arizona, Stewart Udall, once said, â€Å"but the alternatives less.† The seniority system enhances  the power of the committee chairs (limited to six years since 1995) because they are no longer beholden to the interests of party leaders. Because of the nature of the terms of office, seniority is more important in the Senate (where the terms are for six years), than in the House of Representatives (where the terms are for only two years). Some of the most powerful leadership positions—speaker of the House and majority leader—are elected positions and therefore somewhat immune to the seniority system. Seniority also refers to a legislators social standing in Washington, D.C. The longer a member has served, the better his office location and the more likely he or she will be invited to important parties and other get-togethers. Since  there are no term limits for members of Congress, this means members with seniority can, and do, amass great amounts of power and influence. Criticism of the Seniority System Opponents of the seniority system in Congress say it gives advantage to lawmakers from so-called â€Å"safe† districts (in which voters overwhelmingly support one political party or the other) and doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the most qualified person will be chair. All it would take to end the seniority system in the Senate, for instance, is a simple majority vote to amend its Rules. Then again, the chances of any member of Congress voting to decrease his or her own is zero to none. Source Dewhirst, Robert E. Encyclopedia of the United States Congress. Facts on File Library of American History, Facts on File, October 1, 2006.

Go Going Gone The City Of Elko, Nevada - 949 Words

Go Going Gone If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Now imagine living in the complete opposite. Growing up in the small town of Elko, Nevada, created a very lifeless environment. One example would be the scarce shopping centers, which did not give you a variety of clothing to select from. The two old movie theaters that were always so crowded no matter the time of day. Also, teens committing suicide from left to right created a very uninteresting yet terrifying environment. The scarce shopping centers became rather bothersome. No such thing as a mall is in sight anywhere near Elko. If you want to shop at one you have to drive about roughly four hours to Salt Lake City, Utah, and that would be the closest one. However, if you were not in the mood for a long drive, then the choices available in town included: Walmart, Ross, Kmart, JCPenny, and Rue 21. One problem that frustrates just about everyone in town, no matter what piece of clothing you get, it most likely became guaranteed that about ten other people in town have the same exact one. I remember starting my first day in fifth grade, I wore a brown cheetah print shirt, at every corner, I looked I saw a girl wearing the same exact one. If you want to stand out you have to start your own clothing line. Not only did having the same clothing as other people a problem, but also blandness. Seeing everyone in the same clothing almost everyday got tiresome real fast, you have to see the same type of

Studying Retailing and Consumer Sciences at the University of Arizona Free Essays

The many experiences I have had during my university education have come to represent a period of metamorphosis for me, in which I underwent tremendous personal growth and development.   I truly discovered my personal identity and ultimately discovered my passion, desiring that my future be in the exciting field of Retailing and Consumer Sciences. I originally dreamed of being a Korean diplomat, and this is the reason I have pursued Political Science and International Relations in my undergraduate education. We will write a custom essay sample on Studying Retailing and Consumer Sciences at the University of Arizona or any similar topic only for you Order Now   This goal changed dramatically in 2005, when I assisted a friend with a project he was working on in Business Administration. I found this to be an exciting experience and it soon became apparent that the field of business marketing was an ideal match for me.   An innate understanding of the subject seemed to come naturally, therefore I took similar courses, excelled in these classes, and exhibited the strongest performance in the subject.   As I studied further, I discovered how I could become empowered with the practical knowledge I would need to become an effective agent of positive change in my community by using my innate abilities combined with what I had learned in class.   I even made a trip to a traditional Korean market called â€Å"Ma-po† to understand how consumer science and retailing work in the practical world. Nevertheless, my academic inclinations were not the only factors in my decision to apply to the Master’s of Science Program in Retailing and Consumer Sciences. My decision was also influenced by other non-academic sources including various extra-curricular and volunteer activities. For instance, I was a member of Sookmyung Communicator: Blue Letter, a student newsletter for which I wrote and edited releveant articles for consumers, faculty, and students during my undergraduate work. Another example of a non-academic experience that led me to make a decision to pursue marketing was my role of Chairperson of the Korean Language Club at Miyazaki International College.   In this role, I learned to communicate effectively with others and important problem solving skills that will be necessary to excel in the field of marketing. Therefore, each of my educational and life experiences has played a factor in my decision to study Retailing and Consumer Sciences. Although it is not a perfect science, marketing strategies can be applied to help businesses, large and small, with innovative and fascinating ways to market items and understand consumer patterns with an analysis of economic growth or recession and finding ways to enhance or solve these issues. With my Master’s Degree in Retailing and Consumer Sciences, I hope to work for an organization that is committed to a sense of community, while also using effective marketing tools for success.   I believe I would excel in this field and would find this type of work fascinating because I possess a strong passion for business and marketing issues, therefore this work would reflect my academic, societal, and community interests.   I would be thrilled to have the opportunity to work in marketing because it is so very dynamic and increasingly relevant in our modern industrialized society. I decided to apply specifically to the University of Arizona to attend the program in Retailing and Consumer Sciences because I believe that the school is clearly a leader in business and marketing, and has a tremendous impact on the community.   The faculty appears to be truly tremendous, takes pride in this specialization, and is committed to a modern curriculum and ongoing growth in the program.   I am confident that continuing my studies at the University of Arizona will equip me with the knowledge and skills I need in order to realize my goals of becoming a successful businessperson. Furthermore, after completing the Master’s Program, I plan to continue my studies of Marketing and obtain a Ph.D. in the field. Eventually I will use my education by pursuing a career as a college professor or a professional researcher. The collection of experiences I have gathered while obtaining my education and through personal volunteering, have transformed me and brought me to the place I am today.   I am an intellectually curious and ambitious individual committed to a lifelong process of learning and continuous service to my community. Studying Retailing and Consumer Sciences at the University of Arizona would not only be a natural progression of my interests and abilities, but also allow me to exercise what is now my commitment to lifelong learning.    How to cite Studying Retailing and Consumer Sciences at the University of Arizona, Papers

Marketing Segmentation Samples for Students †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Whats in a Brand? Answer: The evolution of usage of words has resulted in people using particular words for an entirely different meaning. For instance, the usage of the word seems to be aligned to the segmentation strategies such that, certain brands are a representation of a certain segment of the market (Weaver, 2017). For instance, personally, I have associated Apple products with leisure activities or values. This is in line with the psychographic segmentation. I find myself adhered to the attractiveness of the products such as the iPhones, the quality and the recognition of the brand. This is because whenever I think of the name Apple,' the above-mentioned attributes come to mind. More so, the price in this regard is not important; its what the brand represents: status symbol. The company has over the years committed to this segmentation strategy and from a personal point of view, it has worked. Moreover, I am drawn to brands that describe the person I am. By the person that I am I imply age, life cycle stage, income, and social class. According to Brookins (2017), these are the parameters used to segment consumers according to demography i.e. demographic segmentation. One of the common products that take into consideration the demography of their target market is clothing. The products conveyed in the fashion industry by certain companies match the above-mentioned traits. For example, the kinds of clothing lines I was fond of when I was a kid are not the same as to the ones I am into now. This is due to a difference in the life cycle stage. Similarly, at a higher level of income, the brand that will represent my personality is bound to change. In conclusion, segmentation strategies of different companies determine whether I will be affiliated with particular brands to their brands or not. Bibliography Brookins, M. (2017).Examples of Demographic Segmentation. [online] Smallbusiness.chron.com. Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-demographic-segmentation-12367.html [Accessed 23 Jul. 2017]. Weaver, J. (2017).Marketing Segmentation. [online] Media3.bournemouth.ac.uk. Available at: https://media3.bournemouth.ac.uk/marketing/07segmentation/04strategies.html [Accessed 23 Jul. 2017].

The Man Behind Jay Gatsby Essays - The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby

The Man Behind Jay Gatsby The Man Behind Jay Gatsby In the Novel The Great Gatsby, not many people really knew the man known as Jay Gatsby. When he was rich and powerful, he was the man you want to know. But when he was dead, life went on without him. It seemed as if nobody cared that he was the man behind the parties and all the good times. He was dead and nobody mourned. This shows that the opinion of the great Jay Gatsby changed by the end of the story. He was an icon of not only every man's image of the American Dream, but he was also apart of Americanism and the American Experience. He was seen as the richest and luckiest man during his time. Unlike any of the other characters in the novel, Jay Gatsby does not change during the course of the story. He as a person might not have changed, but the way that people perceived him certainly became different. When he was alive and well, he was the perfect idea of the American Dream. He had more money than he knew what to do with. He could afford to have oversized parties every weekend. Jay Gatsby was the person to know when it came to the Eggs. In the beginning, he was only known as Jay Gatz. He was a poor boy in the army. He only had his charm to get him by. This is how he meets Daisy. She was a very rich girl, from a wealthy family. They were in love from the beginning. Unfortunately, Daisy believed that rich girls don't marry poor boys. From that moment on, Jay Gatz wanted one thing; to get rich so he could show Daisy that a poor boy could get rich. This obsession ate up the real man inside. Jay Gatz became Jay Gatsby. This new man wanted to become the American Dream at an early age. He did what ever he could to get his money. One of the more puzzling things about Jay Gatsby is where did he come from and where did he get his money? Nobody other than Daisy really knows where he came from. When people were talking at one of Gatsby's first parties, nobody could really say where he was from. They all said different places. When it comes to Gatsby's fortune; that is another enigma all together. When Nick asked about his fortune he first said, I inherited a good amount of money from my parents. Then when Gatsby mentioned, I was in the drug store business and the stock market, but I am in neither of these any more, Nick caught him in one of his lies. Gatsby has gotten good enough to get himself out of situations like this one. He merely told Nick that he worked after the great crash. This tells us that he tried a few ways to get rich, but he makes it sounds they never worked. It can only be speculated on as to what business he is into now or even how he came into his wealth, but we can be sure that he wanted to k eep it to himself. It was this defense mechanism that, in the end, destroyed him. Jay Gatsby had kept his business life such a secret that he couldn't let anyone get close enough to him to learn what he was up to. It was quite obvious that he did not like this loneliness, but he knew it came with all the wealth that he had. He did not want to be alone any longer. He now felt it was time to confront Daisy with his feelings for her. He set up the tea party so they could meet. In a way, Gatsby uses Nick to get the chance to meet with Daisy. It seems that Nick does not really seem to mind all that much. Gatsby and Daisy continue to meet and they become closer and closer. Gatsby begins to feel like he can by back the past. Then when Daisy can't admit that she does not love Tom anymore, Gatsby's false sense of security falls through. He now begins to see that we can

DBQessayancient greek contributions essays

DBQessayancient greek contributions essays Question: "What were the contributions to Western civilization from the ancient Greeks?" Throughout history, there have been many contributions to Western civilization from the Ancient Greeks. They made long lasting contributions in the areas of art, architecture, philosophy, beliefs, religion, writings, math, drama, science, government, pottery, and Olympics, and philosophical teachings such as by Socrates or Plato. In this essay, it will be proven that the Greeks impacted western civilization immensely. In document 1, the anti-sophist teacher and philosopher, Socrates, suggests that "The unexamined life is not worth living". This quote can be interpreted by saying that it is good to examine your life, or think over it with great caution, and not make mistakes. He recommends that it is good to discover yourself, know what you want out of life, think about choices and make smart ones, plan ahead, remember memories, and do everything the best to your ability. In other words, every life is important and should be cared for, or else it is trash and not useful, and shouldn't be lived. In document 2, Aristotle, who was a great philosophical teacher, taught to reason and learn from mistakes; education is drawn from experience. The Greek teacher believed that in human nature, reasoning is superior. If you live you life according to his principles, you will be godlike. A good thinker will learn to appreciate and love oneself as they come closer and closer to reaching nirvana, a paradise with oneself. This nature is admired by many. The way you reason or make choices in life adds to you as an individual and your character and identity. Live life day in and day out and to its fullest. Think smart and make good choices and you will lead a good life. The life of reason is still used today in every being and not even computers can do what the human mind can do. In document 4, Hippocrates, a wise Greek doctor made an oath of loyalty t ...

Criminology- Moffitt's Life Course Persistent and Elliott's Integrated Essay

Criminology- Moffitt's Life Course Persistent and Elliott's Integrated Strain- Control Paradigm - Essay Example Teenagers mostly develop antisocial behavior based on the hormonal changes that their bodies are undergoing. However, a different class of antisocial people exists whose antisocial behavior can be rather persistent and stable. Most of the individuals with antisocial behavior tend to use it as an item of self-defense against their fears, for example, their inability to control their environment (Net Industries, 2015). A lot of research studies has been conducted to investigate the probable causes of this rare maladjustment in the society. Researchers tenet this condition to stress, child abuse, hyperactivity disorder and family problems including divorce or the death of a parent. The environment where an individual is raised up in also contributes to the type of behavior they will have. The salient feature of people having antisocial behavior is that they will appear to have no positive feelings for others but only remorse. They also tend to lack expression of their feelings except for anger and hostility and even these are seen through their violent and aggressive acts (Net Industries, 2015). Moffitts Adolescent-Limited or Life-Course Persistent theory suggests that there are two types of distinct developmental pathways to delinquency. In his theory, he argues that antisocial behavior may be adolescent limited or life-course persistent. Based on the theory of life-course persistent antisocial behavior, there is a cumulative interaction between the criminogenic environment and neuropsychological problems. This theory asserts that this group exhibits antisocial behavior beyond their adolescent stage. On the other hand, the adolescence-limited antisocial behavior is a contemporary antisocial behavior that prompts adolescents to engage in antisocial behavior but in ways that can be adjusted and are normal. For example, adolescents may violate school rules or engage in antisocial

Stem Cell Research Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Stem Cell Research - Assignment Example The fact that stem cells are undifferentiated makes it easy to program them into any cell of the body or protein. This creates hope for the people with terminal and previously incurable diseases for example diabetes. Stem cells are pluripotent cells, which are not specialized. In embryos, the stem cells differentiate into the different organs of the body. In adults, stem cells are important in the repair mechanism, which replaces the damaged cells of the various organs and tissues of the body (National Institutes of Health, 2009). Stem cells divide continuously as long as a person is alive. The number of stem cells decreases with age. In this case, embryos have many stem cells, children lower stem cells but higher than the number in adults. Reduction in number of stem cells with progression in age is due to the specialization of the cells by forming tissues and organs. It is no wonder research focuses more on the embryonic stem cells. They are easy to obtain and easy to work with as many researchers confirm. The controversy of obtaining stem cells from embryos made scientists to focus on obtaining these important cells from the Umbilical cord with the authorization of parents to the child born ( Bethesda, 2013). . Stem cells have two unique properties. One, they are not differentiated and can renew themselves even after a long period of inactivity. Second, stem cells can form any protein or organs of the body when induced under specific conditions (National Institutes of Health, 2009). Scientific research implies that different organs of the body develop at varying conditions. It is also possible to induce to perform certain functions of the body organs. Stem cells are readily available in embryos especially in the 5th to 8th day after fertilization of the ova and subsequent formation of the zygote (Cox, 2012). In adults however, stem cells are restricted to the bone marrow and certain

Introduction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Introduction - Essay Example The easiness and accuracy that these word processors provide promotes its usage as far as my writing is concerned. Double spacing is the most comfortable page setting for me in every stage of writing as it makes the reviewing process more comfortable. Moreover the double spaced text makes the work fuller and thus contributes more towards the writing satisfaction. With regard to the time consumption, the best of my works have taken ample amount of time as they have gradually evolved through successive improvisations. However, I never prefer to waste time by scribbling down in a paper first and then spend unwanted time to digitalize it. But when it comes to the reading and rechecking of the text, it’s always good to work on the hard copy. Of my experience, the creativity part never waits for and understands deadlines. In this regard, writing sometimes happens as an abrupt process but sometimes gets procrastinated. Deliberate efforts to do satisfactory writing would not yield fruitful results in these times when I feel the writer’s block. However, I had been successful in overcoming these hindrances by some or the other means, eventually helping me to meet deadlines. The organization of the text depends on the kind of paper to be written. When an academic or scientific paper is to be written, I ensure to plan it and constitute its components thoroughly before the actual writing process. When creative writing is to be done, the structuring automatically happens along with the writing. However, in both modes of writing, discussion and sharing of ideas helps a lot in the diversification of the paper in different perspectives. The draft checking process for me is the integration of these diverse ideas into the comm on vision of the paper. Whenever I get a chance, I make my friends to read my drafts so that its perfection is understood through the reader’s perspective. The number of drafts however depends on a number of factors

Image Segmentation: Theories and Technology

Image Segmentation: Theories and Technology Theoretical Concepts and Technical Aspects on Image Segmentation Image segmentation is a very significant area in computer vision. Image segmentation, partitions an image into multiple regions based on certain similarity constraints. This acts as the pre-processing stage in several image analysis problems like image compression, image recognition etc. Segmentation is the vital part for the successful extraction of image features and classification. Image segmentation can be defined as the partition of an image into several regions or categories. These regions can be similar in any features like color, texture, intensity etc. Every pixel in an image is assigned to any one of the categorised region. Quality of segmentation is described as pixels in the same region are similar in some characteristics whereas pixels in different regions differ in the characteristics. The segmentation process includes restoration, enhancement, and representation of the image data in the required form. Image Segmentation Techniques Image segmentation techniques can be broadly classified based on certain characteristics. Basic classifications of image segmentation techniques include local and global image segmentation techniques. The segmentation method that is concerned with segmenting specific parts or region of image is known as local image segmentation. The segmentation method that is concerned with segmenting the whole image, consisting of very large number of pixels is known as global image segmentation. The next category of image segmentation method is based on the properties of the images to be segmented. It is categorised as discontinuity detection based approach and similarity detection based approach. In discontinuity detection based approach, the segmentation is based on discontinuities in the images like edge based segmentation and similarity detection based approach is based on similarity of regions like Threshold based, Region growing, Region Splitting and Merging etc. The segmentation technique which is based on the information of the structure of required portion of the image is known as structural segmentation. Most of the segmentation methods are stochastic type, where the segmentation is completely depended upon the discrete pixel values of the image. Threshold based segmentation method is the simplest method of segmentation. The image pixels are segmented based on the intensity level. This kind of segmentation is more applicable for images where the objects are lighter than the background. This method is based on prior knowledge of the image features. There are mainly three types of threshold based segmentation. Global Thresholding: This method is done using a proper threshold value. The threshold value will be constant for the whole image. Output of the image is based on this threshold value. Variable Thresholding: In this type of segmentation method the value of threshold can vary in a single image. Multiple Thresholding: In this kind of thresholding, the output of segmentation is based on multiple threshold values. Threshold values can be computed from image histograms. In [1], threshold based level set approach based on threshold based segmentation and fast marching method [2] for medical image segmentation is proposed. To im prove the image acquisition process in computer vision, threshold based segmentation method based on entropy criteria and genetic algorithm is mentioned in [3]. Edge based segmentation method is based on the sudden change of intensity values in an image. In image processing, object boundaries are represented using edge. Edge based segmentation works by identifying the region of abrupt intensity change in an image [4]. Mainly there are two types of edge based segmentation methods. Grey Histogram Technique: In this method the foreground is separated from the background based on a threshold value. Choosing the correct threshold value creates a problem. Gradient Based Method: Gradient can be defined as the first derivate of the image near the edge. Higher change in the intensity values between two regions is depicted by the high value of gradient magnitude. In order to perform multi scale image segmentation an edge based auto threshold generating method is introduced in [5]. Another method for edge detection using variance filter is introduced in [6]. Theory based segmentation method uses derivatives from several fields. Several types of this kind of algorithm includes, Clustering based segmentation: In this method clusters are formed based on the similarity criteria (size, color, texture etc). Methods include k-means clustering, fuzzy clustering, hard clustering etc [7]. Artificial Neural Network: In this method the neuron represents the pixels and segmentation is performed with the help of trained images. Methods using Wavelet Decomposition and Self Organization Map of artificial neural networks are proposed [8]. Region based segmentation [13] methods are similar to edge based segmentation. The advantage of region based segmentation upon edge based is that, the former is more immune to noise. In this method, the region of an image is either splitted or merged into areas based on similarity. Region Growing: the collection of pixels is grouped into a region with similar properties [9]. Region Splitting and Merging: Here the image is further subdivided into several regions based on some pre-defined criteria. Graph cut image segmentation is a very significant technique of segmentation under region based segmentation. Several techniques of region growing methods include techniques that combine edge and region based information using morphological watershed algorithms [10]. In this method, initially a noise filter along with magnitude gradient is used and pre segmentation is performed through region merging. A region similarity graph is then produced and final segmentation is performed using Multi Class Normalized Cut. This technique overpowers the Spectral clustering method. As the method mentioned is a time consuming task, new method is presented [11]. For the purpose of detecting objects sharply, least square method is used for region based segmentation. Here the local information is also considered by calculating the weight matrix. This segmentation technique is optimum and fast. Graph-cut Image Segmentation As mentioned in the above methods, the techniques either use the region information or use the boundary information [12]. This results in limited segmentation. In graph cut segmentation optimal result for energy function is computed and segmentation is based on that result. Basics of Graph-Cut An undirected graph, set of vertices and a set of edges, are considered. Vertex represents the pixels in an image and edges denote the connection between the adjacent pixels. There exists a source and sink node which holds the foreground and background respectively. In graph cut method, each edge is assigned with a non-negative weight which coins the term cost. [12] A graph cut is actually the partitioning of the edge set into several component sets. Graph cut method can be either min cut or max cut. Min cut can be defined as cut through minimum cost and max cut can be defined as the cut through maximum cost. That is after the cut performed, the vertices are divided into two sets, source and sink, which holds the foreground and background pixels respectively. Implementing graph cut method assigns value 1 to the pixels in the foreground and 0 to the pixels in the background. This is achieved through minimum graph cut method by minimizing the energy function. Types of Graph Cut Based Algorithm The graph cut based segmentation can be mainly divided into three types. They are Speed-up based graph cut, Interactive based graph cut and Shape prior based graph cut. The speed up based graph cut method is used to improve the speed of the graph cut method through parallel computing. Earlier implementation was based on CUDA code [14]. The best way to speed up the computational time is to reduce the number of graph nodes while reconstructing the graph [15] [16]. Another method used for speed up based graph cut method is clustering based graph cut. Clustering based graph cut is based on reducing the number of nodes by grouping similar pixels into a single cluster and treating a cluster as a node. Watershed based method is another important speed up based approach where, gradient images are considered and the concept of catchment basins are used [15]. Interactive based graph cut plays a very important role in segmentation of natural images and the situations where the segmentation requires high precision. In this kind of methods the seed points are selected and then segmentation is performed based on these points. Several methods are performed using the concept of bounding box, where the centre portion of the bounding box corresponds to the object and histogram is constructed. The area outside the bounding box is considered as the background region [17] [18]. Certain interactive segmentation is performed by choosing both the foreground and background region together. Iterative interactive graph cut segmentation is also performed. Shape prior based graph cut segmentation finds its importance where the image to be segmented is affected by noise, diffuse edge, obstructed objects etc. In this kind of segmentation, the shape information is included as the energy function [19] [20]. Case Study In this chapter a graph based image segmentation method is explained. The efficient graph based image segmentation method initially considers the input image as a graph. The pixel values are considered as the nodes of the graph and edge is drawn between the adjacent pixels. The edge weight is represented by the difference between adjacent pixels. Initially, the considered edge set is sorted in the increasing order of edge weight. The segmentation process actually segments the entire vertices set into disjoint sets based on some similarity function. The vertex set is initially randomly partitioned into several component sets. This is considered as the initial segmentation. The vertices producing the largest edge weight is considered first. Let the two vertices be v1 and v2. Then check whether these two vertices belong to disjoint component sets in the previous segmentation (initial segmentation). If the two vertices are in disjoint component sets then compare the edge weight connecting these vertices to the internal difference of these two component sets. If the weight of the edge connecting these vertices is smaller when compared to the internal difference, then these two components are merged. Otherwise, it is neglected. On continuing these steps till the smallest edge weight, a final segmentation of the input image is obtained. Expected Outcome In the proposed chapter, an exhaustive review on image segmentation such as threshold based, edge based, graph based and region based segmentation will be included. The various approaches employed for graph cut segmentation include interactive graph cut, efficient graph cut, shape based graph cut and speed up based graph cut. The chapter would conclude with results on a list of benchmark images. At the enclosure of the chapter, open research problems will be discussed.

Cloning Endangered Species only Delays Extinction Essay -- Argumentati

Cloning Endangered Species only Delays Extinction    Last week, scientists revealed they have successfully cloned an endangered Asian gaur -- a stocky ox-like animal with a humped back. Such a technological breakthrough provides confidence that we will soon have the endangered species problem under control. Or does it?    Though the university's burgeoning squirrel population seems to indicate otherwise, species extinction is a grave problem in most parts of the world. Species are imperiled by myriad causes, but the four main perpetrators are habitat destruction and alteration, exotic or invasive species, overhunting and pollution. The gravest threat is the loss of physical habitat: The clearing or large-scale alteration of the land threatens species by removing food sources, nesting opportunities or refuges from predators. The next most pervasive issue, which frequently acts in conjunction with the first, is invasive species: Organisms new to a habitat adversely affect native organisms by preying upon them, competing with them for food or changing the dynamics of the entire ecosystem. The two most intuitive dangers -- pollution and overhunting -- are relatively smalltime crooks in this grand larceny of life.    The same scientists who cloned the gaur -- a group at Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, Mass. -- already have plans to clone giant pandas and an extinct Spanish mountain goat.    But will successful cloning bring pandas back from the edge of extinction? Unfortunately not.    Pandas are severely threatened by alteration and fragmentation of their natural habitat. This fragmentation prohibits emigration from bamboo patches when the vegetation suffers "die-backs," which occur every fe... ...roblem. Social problems demand social solutions, nothing less. Systems scientists came to this realization nearly three decades ago, with the model "World3." In 1972, Donella Meadows and coworkers created a computer-based model of the world, and discovered that the human population was bound to dramatically overrun its resource base no matter how much we invested in technological solutions. Crucially, also limiting human population growth failed to avoid this "crash." Per capita consumption tends to spiral out of control and can deplete resources on its own. Without tackling all causes of the crisis, we are powerless to avert disaster.    The same logic applies to biodiversity preservation. Cloning, like captive breeding, is a band-aid solution. If we want to preserve the biological legacy we inherited, we must fundamentally change how we live our lives.