Peapod: Online Grocery Shopping

Pea Pod Behaviors and Comparison What behaviors are involved in online grocery shopping? How does online grocery shopping compare with traditional shopping in terms of behavioral effort? The behaviors involved in online grocery shopping are information contact, funds access, and transaction. The information contact â€Å"†¦occurs when consumers come into contact with information, either intentionally or accidentally, about products, stores, or brands†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (J. Paul Peter, 2010, p. 95) Funds access or money â€Å"†¦is the primary medium of consumer exchange. The consumer must access this medium in one form or another before an exchange can occur†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (J. Paul Peter, 2010, p. 198) I do not believe that the store contact or the product contact is applicable here since the purchases are being made online and not in a brick and mortar store which would allow the customer to see, touch, and feel the items they wish to purchase. The behavioral efforts found in a n online grocery shopping can be described as in an emergency case only.Online shopping is used when the customer does not have enough time to get into the supermarket to shop. Yet the success of Pea Pod relies on these types of customers for the success of their continued business. The behaviors of traditional shopping are information contact, funds access, store contact, product contact, and transaction. What both the online and traditional shopper has in common are the consumption and disposition, and the communication. Consumers What types of consumers are likely to value online grocery shopping from Peapod?The type of consumers that are likely to value online grocery shopping from Peapod are the busy consumers, women, older people, people without cars (if the stores are not walking distance) and the â€Å"dual-income families (that) are strapped for time†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (J. Paul Peter, 2010, p. 209) to name a few. These customers may feel as if they have no time to get into a br ick and mortar store. Their careers and quick paced life may make it inconvenient to take time from their day to get this task of grocery shopping done.Yet, with Peapod, they can order whatever they need online and they know that it will get delivered at their specified time. They did not have to drive to a store, park their car, walk into the store, find a cart or a basket, walk the aisles to pick their products, get on line to pay, put the items on the belt, pay for their items, bag their items, walk back to the car, load the car, drive home, unload the car, and put their groceries away. Peapod saves them all of the steps except for going online and picking the items, paying, and putting the items away once delivered.Opinion and Comparison Overall, what do you think about the idea of online grocery shopping? How does it compare with simply eating in restaurants and avoiding grocery shopping and cooking altogether? I will answer this question from a personal standpoint and not from data or information found in the specified reading. The idea of online shopping definitely intrigues me but I cannot find myself doing it. I can understand the need for this type of service based on the convenience but it is not for me.As a 46 year old career woman who is very rarely home, because of my required travels, I am the perfect customer for an online shopping program. Peapod is created and geared towards making my shopping experience easy and effortless but my better judgment goes against it. I am of the old fashioned belief that I need to see, touch, smell, and feel everything I purchase. I cannot find myself allowing someone else to pick the same pack of steak I would. How would the person picking my order know which stalk of broccoli I would pick had I done it myself?Although, I am usually limited for time, a trip to the grocery store, for me, is a fun and relaxing way to get the items I need to prepare the meals while I am at home. Interestingly enough, my grocery sto re of preference is Stop n’Shop which is the owner of Peapod. (J. Paul Peter, 2010, p. 209) Stop n’Shop has a system in their stores to allow the customer on the run to save a few steps and helps them get out the door quicker. They have scanning guns at the entrance of the store that a customer can use to scan their items and allow them to then put them directly into their shopping bag.Once all the shopping is done, you take the scanner to a register where the items you have scanned will download onto a screen which then allows you to pay for your purchase. It saves the time by not having to take all of your items out, put them on the belt, wait for a cashier to scan and charge the items, and then put them into bags. I have found this process to be wonderful and time saving for me. While, as I mentioned above, I am not a fan of online shopping and when compared to eating out; it is safe to say that buying nline will be cost effective as compared to a restaurant. Eating out all of the time instead of buying groceries and cooking at home will become very expensive. Also, the time spent getting to the restaurant, placing the order, waiting for the preparation, eating (if you are staying in), paying the bill, then getting back home will be a much longer process in time as compared to shopping and cooking at home. References J. Paul Peter, J. C. (2010). Consumer Behavior & Marketing Strategy (9th Edition ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 22. Promised

Thinking of Renesmee brought her to that center-stage place in my strange, new, and roomy but distractible mind. So many questions. â€Å"Tell me about her,† i insisted as he took my hand. Being linked barely slowed us. â€Å"She's like nothing else in the world,† he told me, and the sound of an almost religious devotion was there again in his voice. I felt a sharp pang of jealousy over this stranger. He knew her and I did not. It wasn't fair. â€Å"How much is she like you? How much like me? Or like I was, anyway.† â€Å"It seems a fairly even divide.† â€Å"She was warm-blooded,† I remembered. â€Å"Yes. She has a heartbeat, though it runs a little bit faster than a human's. Her temperature is a little bit hotter than usual, too. She sleeps.† â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Quite well for a newborn. The only parents in the world who don't need sleep, and our child already sleeps through the night.† He chuckled. I liked the way he said our child. The words made her more real. â€Å"She has exactly your color eyes – so that didn't get lost, after all.† He smiled at me. â€Å"They're so beautiful.† â€Å"And the vampire parts?† I asked. â€Å"Her skin seems about as impenetrable as ours. Not that anyone would dream of testing that.† I blinked at him, a little shocked. â€Å"Of course no one would,† he assured me again. â€Å"Her diet†¦ well, she prefers to drink blood. Carlisle continues to try to persuade her to drink some baby formula, too, but she doesn't have much patience with it. Can't say that I blame her – nasty-smelling stuff, even for human food.† I gaped openly at him now. He made it sound like they were having conversations. â€Å"Persuade her?† â€Å"She's intelligent, shockingly so, and progressing at an immense pace. Though she doesn't speak – yet – she communicates quite effectively.† â€Å"Doesn't. Speak. Yet† He slowed our pace further, letting me absorb this. â€Å"What do you mean, she communicates effectively?† I demanded. â€Å"I think it will be easier for you to†¦ see for yourself. It's rather difficult to describe.† I considered that. I knew there was a lot that I needed to see for myself before it would be real. I wasn't sure how much more I was ready for, so I changed the subject. â€Å"Why is Jacob still here?† I asked. â€Å"How can he stand it? Why should he?† My ringing voice trembled a little. â€Å"Why should he have to suffer more?† â€Å"Jacob isn't suffering,† he said in a strange new tone. â€Å"Though I might be willing to change his condition,† Edward added through his teeth. â€Å"Edward!† I hissed, yanking him to a stop (and feeling a little thrill of smugness that I was able to do it). â€Å"How can you say that? Jacob has given up everything to protect us! What I've put him through – !† I cringed at the dim memory of shame and guilt. It seemed odd now that I had needed him so much then. That sense of absence without him near had vanished; it must have been a human weakness. â€Å"You'll see exactly how I can say that,† Edward muttered. â€Å"I promised him that I would let him explain, but I doubt you'll see it much differently than I do. Of course, I'm often wrong about your thoughts, aren't I?† He pursed his lips and eyed me. â€Å"Explain what?† Edward shook his head. â€Å"I promised. Though I don't know if I really owe him anything at all anymore. . . .† His teeth ground together. â€Å"Edward, I don't understand.† Frustration and indignation took over my head. He stroked my cheek and then smiled gently when my face smoothed out in response, desire momentarily overruling annoyance. â€Å"It's harder than you make it look, I know. I remember.† â€Å"I don't like feeling confused.† â€Å"I know. And so let's get you home, so that you can see it all for yourself.† His eyes ran over the remains of my dress as he spoke of going home, and he frowned. â€Å"Hmm.† After a half second of thought, he unbuttoned his white shirt and held it out for me to put my arms through. â€Å"That bad?† He grinned. I slipped my arms into his sleeves and then buttoned it swiftly over my ragged bodice. Of course, that left him without a shirt, and it was impossible not to find that distracting. ‘Til race you,† I said, and then cautioned, â€Å"no throwing the game this time!† He dropped my hand and grinned. â€Å"On your mark †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Finding my way to my new home was simpler than walking down Charlie's street to my old one. Our scent left a clear and easy trail to follow, even running as fast as I could. Edward had me beat till we hit the river. I took a chance and made my leap early, trying to use my extra strength to win. â€Å"Ha!† I exulted when I heard my feet touch the grass first. Listening for his landing, I heard something I did not expect. Something loud and much too close. A thudding heart. Edward was beside me in the same second, his hands clamped down hard on the tops of my arms. â€Å"Don't breathe,† he cautioned me urgently. I tried not to panic as I froze mid-breath. My eyes were the only things that moved, wheeling instinctively to find the source of the sound. Jacob stood at the line where the forest touched the Cullens' lawn, his arms folded across his body, his jaw clenched tight. Invisible in the woods behind him, I heard now two larger hearts, and the faint crush of bracken under huge, pacing paws. â€Å"Carefully, Jacob,† Edward said. A snarl from the forest echoed the concern in his voice. â€Å"Maybe this isn't the best way – â€Å" â€Å"You think it would be better to let her near the baby first?† Jacob interrupted. â€Å"It's safer to see how Bella does with me. I heal fast.† This was a test? To see if I could not kill Jacob before I tried to not kill Renesmee? I felt sick in the strangest way – it had nothing to do with my stomach, only my mind. Was this Edward's idea? I glanced at his face anxiously; Edward seemed to deliberate for a moment, and then his expression twisted from concern into something else. He shrugged, and there was an undercurrent of hostility in his voice when he said, â€Å"It's your neck, I guess.† The growl from the forest was furious this time; Leah, I had no doubt. What was with Edward? After all that we'd been through, shouldn't he have been able to feel some kindness for my best friend? I'd thought – maybe foolishly – that Edward was sort of Jacob's friend now, too. I must have misread them. But what was Jacob doing? Why would he offer himself as a test to protect Renesmee? It didn't make any sense to me. Even if our friendship had survived†¦ And as my eyes met Jacob's now, I thought that maybe it had. He still looked like my best friend. But he wasn't the one who had changed. What did I look like to him? Then he smiled his familiar smile, the smile of a kindred spirit, and I was sure our friendship was intact. It was just like before, when we were hanging out in his homemade garage, just two friends killing time. Easy and normal. Again, I noticed that the strange need I'd felt for him before I'd changed was completely gone. He was just my friend, the way it was supposed to be. It still made no sense what he was doing now, though. Was he really so selfless that he would try to protect me – with his own life – from doing something in an uncontrolled split second that I would regret in agony forever? That went way beyond simply tolerating what I had become, or miraculously managing to stay my friend. Jacob was one of the best people I knew, but this seemed like too much to accept from anyone. His grin widened, and he shuddered slightly. â€Å"I gotta say it, Bells. You're a freak show.† I grinned back, falling easily into the old pattern. This was a side of him I understood. Edward growled. â€Å"Watch yourself, mongrel.† The wind blew from behind me and I quickly filled my lungs with the safe air so I could speak. â€Å"No, he's right. The eyes are really something, aren't they?† â€Å"Super-creepy. But it's not as bad as I thought it would be.† â€Å"Gee – thanks for the amazing compliment!† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"You know what I mean. You still look like you – sort of. Maybe it's not the look so much as†¦ you are Bella. I didn't think it would feel like you were still here.† He smiled at me again without a trace of bitterness or resentment anywhere in his face. Then he chuckled and said, â€Å"Anyway, I guess I'll get used to the eyes soon enough.† â€Å"You will?† I asked, confused. It was wonderful that we were still friends, but it wasn't like we'd be spending much time together. The strangest look crossed his face, erasing the smile. It was almost†¦ guilty? Then his eyes shifted to Edward. â€Å"Thanks,† he said. â€Å"I didn't know if you'd be able to keep it from her, promise or not. Usually, you just give her everything she wants.† â€Å"Maybe I'm hoping she'll get irritated and rip your head off,† Edward suggested. Jacob snorted. â€Å"What's going on? Are you two keeping secrets from me?† I demanded, incredulous. â€Å"I'll explain later,† Jacob said self-consciously – like he didn't really plan on it. Then he changed the subject. â€Å"First, let's get this show on the road.† His grin was a challenge now as he started slowly forward. There was a whine of protest behind him, and then Leah's gray body slid out of the trees behind him. The taller, sandy-colored Seth was right behind her. â€Å"Cool it, guys,† Jacob said. â€Å"Stay out of this.† I was glad they didn't listen to him but only followed after him a little more slowly. The wind was still now; it wouldn't blow his scent away from me. He got close enough that I could feel the heat of his body in the air between us. My throat burned in response. â€Å"C'mon, Bells. Do your worst.† Leah hissed. I didn't want to breathe. It wasn't right to take such dangerous advantage of Jacob, no matter if he was the one offering. But I couldn't get away from the logic. How else could I be sure that I wouldn't hurt Renesmee? Tm getting older here, Bella,† Jacob taunted. â€Å"Okay, not technically, but you get the idea. Go on, take a whiff.† â€Å"Hold on to me,† I said to Edward, cringing back into his chest. His hands tightened on my arms. I locked my muscles in place, hoping I could keep them frozen. I resolved that I would do at least as well as I had on the hunt. Worst-case scenario, I would stop breathing and run for it. Nervously, I took a tiny breath in through my nose, braced for anything. It hurt a little, but my throat was already burning dully anyway. Jacob didn't smell that much more human than the mountain lion. There was an animal edge to his blood that instantly repelled. Though the loud, wet sound of his heart was appealing, the scent that went with it made my nose wrinkle. It was actually easier with the smell to temper my reaction to the sound and heat of his pulsing blood. I took another breath and relaxed. â€Å"Huh. I can see what everyone's been going on about. You stink, Jacob.† Edward burst into laughter; his hands slipped from my shoulders to wrap around my waist. Seth barked a low chortle in harmony with Edward; he came a little closer while Leah retreated several paces. And then I was aware of another audience when I heard Emmett's low, distinct guffaw, muffled a little by the glass wall between us. â€Å"Look who's talking,† Jacob said, theatrically plugging his nose. His face didn't pucker at all while Edward embraced me, not even when Edward composed himself and whispered â€Å"I love you† in my ear. Jacob just kept grinning. This made me feel hopeful that things were going to be right between us, the way they hadn't been for so long now. Maybe now I could truly be his friend, since I disgusted him enough physically that he couldn't love me the same way as before. Maybe that was all that was needed. â€Å"Okay, so I passed, right?† I said. â€Å"Now are you going to tell me what this big secret is?† Jacob's expression became very nervous. â€Å"It's nothing you need to worry about this second___† I heard Emmett chuckle again – a sound of anticipation. I would have pressed my point, but as I listened to Emmett, I heard other sounds, too. Seven people breathing. One set of lungs moving more rapidly than the others. Only one heart fluttering like a bird's wings, light and quick. I was totally diverted. My daughter was just on the other side of that thin wall of glass. I couldn't see her – the light bounced off the reflective windows like a mirror. I could only see myself, looking very strange – so white and still – compared to Jacob. Or, compared to Edward, looking exactly right. â€Å"Renesmee,† I whispered. Stress made me a statue again. Renesmee wasn't going to smell like an animal. Would I put her in danger? â€Å"Come and see,† Edward murmured. â€Å"I know you can handle this.† â€Å"You'll help me?† I whispered through motionless lips. â€Å"Of course I will.† â€Å"And Emmett and Jasper – just in case?† â€Å"We'll take care of you, Bella. Don't worry, we'll be ready. None of us would risk Renesmee. I think you'll be surprised at how entirely she's already wrapped us all around her little fingers. She'll be perfectly safe, no matter what.† My yearning to see her, to understand the worship in his voice, broke my frozen pose. I took a step forward. And then Jacob was in my way, his face a mask of worry. â€Å"Are you sure, bloodsucker?† he demanded of Edward, his voice almost pleading. I'd never heard him speak to Edward that way. â€Å"I don't like this. Maybe she should wait – â€Å" â€Å"You had your test, Jacob.† It was Jacob's test? â€Å"But – ,† Jacob began. â€Å"But nothing,† Edward said, suddenly exasperated. â€Å"Bella needs to see our daughter. Get out of her way.† Jacob shot me an odd, frantic look and then turned and nearly sprinted into the house ahead of us. Edward growled. I couldn't make sense of their confrontation, and I couldn't concentrate on it, either. I could only think about the blurred child in my memory and struggle against the haziness, trying to remember her face exactly. â€Å"Shall we?† Edward said, his voice gentle again. I nodded nervously. He took my hand tightly in his and led the way into the house. They waited for me in a smiling line that was both welcoming and defensive. Rosalie was several paces behind the rest of them, near the front door. She was alone until Jacob joined her and then stood in front of her, closer than was normal. There was no sense of comfort in that closeness; both of them seemed to cringe from the proximity. Someone very small was leaning forward out of Rosalie's arms, peering around Jacob. Immediately, she had my absolute attention, my every thought, the way nothing else had owned them since the moment I'd opened my eyes. â€Å"I was out just two days?† I gasped, disbelieving. The stranger-child in Rosalie's arms had to be weeks, if not months, old. She was maybe twice the size of the baby in my dim memory, and she seemed to be supporting her own torso easily as she stretched toward me.Her shiny bronze-colored hair fell in ringlets past her shoulders. Her chocolate brown eyes examined me with an interest that was not at all childlike; it was adult, aware and intelligent. She raised one hand, reaching in my direction for a moment, and then reached back to touch Rosalie's throat. If her face had not been astonishing in its beauty and perfection, I wouldn't have believed it was the same child. My child. But Edward was there in her features, and I was there in the color of her eyes and cheeks. Even Charlie had a place in her thick curls, though their color matched Edward's. She must be ours. Impossible, but still true. Seeing this unanticipated little person did not make her more real, though. It only made her more fantastic. Rosalie patted the hand against her neck and murmured, â€Å"Yes, that's her.† Renesmee's eyes stayed locked on mine. Then, as she had just seconds after her violent birth, she smiled at me. A brilliant flash of tiny, perfect white teeth. Reeling inside, I took a hesitant step toward her. Everyone moved very fast. Emmett and Jasper were right in front of me, shoulder to shoulder, hands ready. Edward gripped me from behind, fingers tight again on the tops of my arms. Even Carlisle and Esme moved to get Emmett's and Jasper's flanks, while Rosalie backed to the door, her arms clutching at Renesmee. Jacob moved, too, keeping his protective stance in front of them. Alice was the only one who held her place. â€Å"Oh, give her some credit,† she chided them. â€Å"She wasn't going to do anything. You'd want a closer look, too.† Alice was right. I was in control of myself. I'd been braced for anything – for a scent as impossibly insistent as the human smell in the woods. The temptation here was really not comparable. Renesmee's fragrance was perfectly balanced right on the line between the scent of the most beautiful perfume and the scent of the most delicious food. There was enough of the sweet vampire smell to keep the human part from being overwhelming. I could handle it. I was sure. â€Å"I'm okay,† I promised, patting Edward's hand on my arm. Then I hesitated and added, â€Å"Keep close, though, just in case.† Jasper's eyes were tight, focused. I knew he was taking in my emotional climate, and I worked on settling into a steady calm. I felt Edward free my arms as he read Jasper's assessment. But, though Jasper was getting it firsthand, he didn't seem as certain. When she heard my voice, the too-aware child struggled in Rosalie's arms, reaching toward me. Somehow, her expression managed to look impatient. â€Å"Jazz, Em, let us through. Bella's got this.† â€Å"Edward, the risk – ,† Jasper said. â€Å"Minimal. Listen, Jasper – on the hunt she caught the scent of some hikers who were in the wrong place at the wrong time___† I heard Carlisle suck in a shocked breath. Esme's face was suddenly full of concern mingled with compassion. Jasper's eyes widened, but he nodded just a tiny bit, as if Edward's words answered some question in his head. Jacob's mouth screwed up into a disgusted grimace. Emmett shrugged. Rosalie seemed even less concerned than Emmett as she tried to hold on to the struggling child in her arms. Alice's expression told me that she was not fooled. Her narrowed eyes, focused with burning intensity on my borrowed shirt, seemed more worried about what I'd done to my dress than anything else. â€Å"Edward!† Carlisle chastened. â€Å"How could you be so irresponsible?† â€Å"I know, Carlisle, I know. I was just plain stupid. I should have taken the time to make sure we were in a safe zone before I set her loose.† â€Å"Edward,† I mumbled, embarrassed by the way they stared at me. It was like they were trying to see a brighter red in my eyes. â€Å"He's absolutely right to rebuke me, Bella,† Edward said with a grin. â€Å"I made a huge mistake. The fact that you are stronger than anyone I've ever known doesn't change that.† Alice rolled her eyes. â€Å"Tasteful joke, Edward.† â€Å"I wasn't making a joke. I was explaining to Jasper why I know Bella can handle this. It's not my fault everyone jumped to conclusions.† â€Å"Wait,† Jasper gasped. â€Å"She didn't hunt the humans?† â€Å"She started to,† Edward said, clearly enjoying himself. My teeth ground together. â€Å"She was entirely focused on the hunt.† â€Å"What happened?† Carlisle interjected. His eyes were suddenly bright, an amazed smile beginning to form on his face. It reminded me of before, when he'd wanted the details on my transformation experience. The thrill of new information. Edward leaned toward him, animated. â€Å"She heard me behind her and reacted defensively. As soon as my pursuit broke into her concentration, she snapped right out of it. I've never seen anything to equal her. She realized at once what was happening, and then†¦ she held her breath and ran away† â€Å"Whoa,† Emmett murmured. â€Å"Seriously?† â€Å"He's not telling it right,† I muttered, more embarrassed than before. â€Å"He left out the part where I growled at him.† â€Å"Did ya get in a couple of good swipes?† Emmett asked eagerly. â€Å"No! Of course not.† â€Å"No, not really? You really didn't attack him?† â€Å"Emmett!† I protested. â€Å"Aw, what a waste,† Emmett groaned. â€Å"And here you're probably the one person who could take him – since he can't get in your head to cheat – and you had a perfect excuse, too.† He sighed. â€Å"I've been dying to see how he'd do without that advantage.† I glared at him frostily. â€Å"I would never.† Jasper's frown caught my attention; he seemed even more disturbed than before. Edward touched his fist lightly to Jasper's shoulder in a mock punch. â€Å"You see what I mean?† â€Å"It's not natural,† Jasper muttered. â€Å"She could have turned on you – she's only hours old!† Esme scolded, putting her hand against her heart. â€Å"Oh, we should have gone with you.† I wasn't paying so much attention, now that Edward was past the punch line of his joke. I was staring at the gorgeous child by the door, who was still staring at me. Her little dimpled hands reached out toward me like she knew exactly who I was. Automatically, my hand lifted to mimic hers. â€Å"Edward,† I said, leaning around Jasper to see her better. â€Å"Please?† Jasper's teeth were set; he didn't move. â€Å"Jazz, this isn't anything you've seen before,† Alice said quietly. â€Å"Trust me.† Their eyes met for a short second, and then Jasper nodded. He moved out of my way, but put one hand on my shoulder and moved with me as I walked slowly forward. I thought about every step before I took it, analyzing my mood, the burn in my throat, the position of the others around me. How strong I felt versus how well they would be able to contain me. It was a slow procession. And then the child in Rosalie's arms, struggling and reaching all this time while her expression got more and more irritated, let out a high, ringing wail. Everyone reacted as if – like me – they'd never heard her voice before. They swarmed around her in a second, leaving me standing alone, frozen in place. The sound of Renesmee's cry pierced right through me, spearing me to the floor. My eyes pricked in the strangest way, like they wanted to tear. It seemed like everyone had a hand on her, patting and soothing. Everyone but me. â€Å"What's the matter? Is she hurt? What happened?† It was Jacob's voice that was loudest, that raised anxiously above the others. I watched in shock as he reached for Renesmee, and then in utter horror as Rosalie surrendered her to him without a fight. â€Å"No, she's fine,† Rosalie reassured him. Rosalie was reassuring Jacob? Renesmee went to Jacob willingly enough, pushing her tiny hand against his cheek and then squirming around to stretch toward me again. â€Å"See?† Rosalie told him. â€Å"She just wants Bella.† â€Å"She wants me?† I whispered. Renesmee's eyes – my eyes – stared impatiently at me. Edward darted back to my side. He put his hands lightly on my arms and urged me forward. â€Å"She's been waiting for you for almost three days,† he told me. We were only a few feet away from her now. Bursts of heat seemed to tremble out from her to touch me. Or maybe it was Jacob who was trembling. I saw his hands shaking as I got closer. And yet, despite his obvious anxiety, his face was more serene than I had seen it in a long time. â€Å"Jake – I'm fine,† I told him. It made me panicky to see Renesmee in his shaking hands, but I worked to keep myself in control. He frowned at me, eyes tight, like he was just as panicky at the thought of Renesmee in my arms. Renesmee whimpered eagerly and stretched, her little hands grasping into fists again and again. Something in me clicked into place at that moment. The sound of her cry, the familiarity of her eyes, the way she seemed even more impatient than I did for this reunion – all of it wove together into the most natural of patterns as she clutched the air between us. Suddenly, she was absolutely real, and of course I knew her. It was perfectly ordinary that I should take that last easy step and reach for her, putting my hands exactly where they would fit best as I pulled her gently toward me. Jacob let his long arms stretch so that I could cradle her, but he didn't let go. He shuddered a little when our skin touched. His skin, always so warm to me before, felt like an open flame to me now. It was almost the same temperature as Renesmee's. Perhaps one or two degrees difference. Renesmee seemed oblivious to the coolness of my skin, or at least very used to it. She looked up and smiled at me again, showing her square little teeth and two dimples. Then, very deliberately, she reached for my face. The moment she did this, all the hands on me tightened, anticipating my reaction. I barely noticed. I was gasping, stunned and frightened by the strange, alarming image that filled my mind. It felt like a very strong memory – I could still see through my eyes while I watched it in my head – but it was completely unfamiliar. I stared through it to Renesmee's expectant expression, trying to understand what was happening, struggling desperately to hold on to my calm. Besides being shocking and unfamiliar, the image was also wrong somehow – I almost recognized my own face in it, my old face, but it was off, backward. I grasped quickly that I was seeing my face as others saw it, rather than flipped in a reflection. My memory face was twisted, ravaged, covered in sweat and blood. Despite this, my expression in the vision became an adoring smile; my brown eyes glowed over their deep circles. The image enlarged, my face came closer to the unseen vantage point, and then abruptly vanished. Renesmee's hand dropped from my cheek. She smiled wider, dimpling again. It was totally silent in the room but for the heartbeats. No one but Jacob and Renesmee was so much as breathing. The silence stretched on; it seemed like they were waiting for me to say something. â€Å"What†¦ was†¦ that?† I managed to choke out. â€Å"What did you see?† Rosalie asked curiously, leaning around Jacob, who seemed very much in the way and out of place at the moment. â€Å"What did she show you?† â€Å"Srte showed me that?† I whispered. â€Å"I told you it was hard to explain,† Edward murmured in my ear. â€Å"But effective as means of communications go.† â€Å"What was it?† Jacob asked. I blinked quickly several times. â€Å"Um. Me. I think. But I looked terrible.† â€Å"It was the only memory she had of you,† Edward explained. It was obvious he'd seen what she was showing me as she thought of it. He was still cringing, his voice rough from reliving the memory. â€Å"She's letting you know that she's made the connection, that she knows who you are.† â€Å"Butrtowdidshedothat?† Renesmee seemed unconcerned with my boggling eyes. She was smiling slightly and pulling on a lock of my hair. â€Å"How do I hear thoughts? How does Alice see the future?† Edward asked rhetorically, and then shrugged. â€Å"She's gifted.† â€Å"It's an interesting twist,† Carlisle said to Edward. â€Å"Like she's doing the exact opposite of what you can.† â€Å"Interesting,† Edward agreed. â€Å"I wonder___† I knew they were speculating away, but I didn't care. I was staring at the most beautiful face in the world. She was hot in my arms, reminding me of the moment when the blackness had almost won, when there was nothing in the world left to hold on to. Nothing strong enough to pull me through the crushing darkness. The moment when I'd thought of Renesmee and found something I would never let go of. â€Å"I remember you, too,† I told her quietly. It seemed very natural to lean in and press my lips to her forehead. She smelled wonderful. The scent of her skin set my throat burning, but it was easy to ignore. It didn't strip the joy from the moment. Renesmee was real and I knew her. She was the same one I'd fought for from the beginning. My little nudger, the one who loved me from the inside, too. Half Edward, perfect and lovely. And half me – which, surprisingly, made her better rather than detracting. I'd been right all along. She was worth the fight. â€Å"She's fine,† Alice murmured, probably to Jasper. I could feel them hovering, not trusting me. â€Å"Haven't we experimented enough for one day?† Jacob asked, his voice a slightly higher pitch with stress. â€Å"Okay, Bella's doing great, but let's not push it.† I glared at him with real irritation. Jasper shuffled uneasily next to me. We were all crowded so close that every tiny movement seemed very big. â€Å"What is your problem, Jacob?† I demanded. I tugged lightly against his hold on Renesmee, and he just stepped closer to me. He was pressed right up to me, Renesmee touching both of our chests. Edward hissed at him. â€Å"Just because I understand, it doesn't mean I won't throw you out, Jacob. Bella's doing extraordinarily well. Don't ruin the moment for her.† â€Å"I'll help him toss you, dog,† Rosalie promised, her voice seething. â€Å"I owe you a good kick in the gut.† Obviously, there was no change in that relationship, unless it had gotten worse. I glared at Jacob's anxious half-angry expression. His eyes were locked on Renesmee's face. With everyone pressed together, he had to be touching at least six different vampires at the moment, and it didn't even seem to bug him. Would he really go through all this just to protect me from myself? What could have happened during my transformation – my alteration into something he hated – that would soften him so much toward the reason for its necessity? I puzzled over it, watching him stare at my daughter. Staring at her like†¦ like he was a blind man seeing the sun for the very first time. â€Å"No!†I gasped. Jasper's teeth came together and Edward's arms wrapped around my chest like constricting boas. Jacob had Renesmee out of my arms in the same second, and I did not try to hold on to her. Because I felt it coming – the snap that they'd all been waiting for. â€Å"Rose,† I said through my teeth, very slowly and precisely. â€Å"Take Renesmee.† Rosalie held her hands out, and Jacob handed my daughter to her at once. Both of them backed away from me. â€Å"Edward, I don't want to hurt you, so please let go of me.† He hesitated. â€Å"Go stand in front of Renesmee,† I suggested. He deliberated, and then let me go. I leaned into my hunting crouch and took two slow steps forward toward Jacob. â€Å"You didn't,† I snarled at him. He backed away, palms up, trying to reason with me. â€Å"You know it's not something I can control.† â€Å"You stupid mutt How could you? My babyf He backed out the front door now as I stalked him, half-running backward down the stairs. â€Å"It wasn't my idea, Bella!† â€Å"I've held her all of one time, and already you think you have some moronic wolfy claim to her? She's mine† â€Å"I can share,† he said pleadingly as he retreated across the lawn. â€Å"Pay up,† I heard Emmett say behind me. A small part of my brain wondered who had bet against this outcome. I didn't waste much attention on it. I was too furious. â€Å"How dare you imprint on my baby? Have you lost your mind?† â€Å"It was involuntary!† he insisted, backing into the trees. Then he wasn't alone. The two huge wolves reappeared, flanking him on either side. Leah snapped at me. A fearsome snarl ripped through my teeth back at her. The sound disturbed me, but not enough to stop my advance. â€Å"Bella, would you try to listen for just a second? Please?† Jacob begged. â€Å"Leah, back off,† he added. Leah curled her lip at me and didn't move. â€Å"Why should I listen?† I hissed. Fury reigned in my head. It clouded everything else out. â€Å"Because you're the one who told me this. Do you remember? You said we belonged in each other's lives, right? That we were family. You said that was how you and I were supposed to be. So†¦ now we are. It's what you wanted.† I glared ferociously. I did dimly remember those words. But my new quick brain was two steps ahead of his nonsense. â€Å"You think you'll be part of my family as my son-in-lawV I screeched. My bell voice ripped through two octaves and still came out sounding like music. Emmett laughed. â€Å"Stop her, Edward,† Esme murmured. â€Å"She'll be unhappy if she hurts him.† But I felt no pursuit behind me. â€Å"No!† Jacob was insisting at the same time. â€Å"How can you even look at it that way? She's just a baby, for crying out loud!† â€Å"That's mypointl† I yelled. â€Å"You know I don't think of her that way! Do you think Edward would have let me live this long if I did? All I want is for her to be safe and happy – is that so bad? So different from what you want?† He was shouting right back at me. Beyond words, I shrieked a growl at him. â€Å"Amazing, isn't she?† I heard Edward murmur. â€Å"She hasn't gone for his throat even once,† Carlisle agreed, sounding stunned. â€Å"Fine, you win this one,† Emmett said grudgingly. â€Å"You're going to stay away from her,† I hissed up at Jacob. â€Å"I can't do that!† Through my teeth: â€Å"Try. Starting now† â€Å"It's not possible. Do you remember how much you wanted me around three days ago? How hard it was to be apart from each other? That's gone for you now, isn't it?† I glared, not sure what he was implying. â€Å"That was her,† he told me. â€Å"From the very beginning. We had to be together, even then.† I remembered, and then I understood; a tiny part of me was relieved to have the madness explained. But that relief somehow only made me angrier. Was he expecting that to be enough for me? That one little clarification would make me okay with this? â€Å"Run away while you still can,† I threatened. â€Å"C'mon,Bells! Nessie likes me, too,† he insisted. I froze. My breathing stopped. Behind me, I heard the lack of sound that was their anxious reaction. â€Å"What†¦did youcall her?† Jacob took a step farther back, managing to look sheepish. â€Å"Well,† he mumbled, â€Å"that name you came up with is kind of a mouthful and – â€Å" â€Å"You nicknamed my daughter after the Loch Ness Monster?† I screeched. And then I lunged for his throat.

Lab Report Daphnia

Effects of Alcohol, Caffeine, and Temperature on the Heart Rate of Daphnia magna Joseph Ezra Gallo BY124L MW 8:30-11:30 Introduction Ectothermic animals are animals whose body temperature is affected by their surroundings. This means that if the environment is cold the animal will be cold. If the environment is warm the animal will be warm. This is because the animal doesn’t have the capability of regulating its body systems to keep a constant body temperature. When an ectothermic animal is cold, its heart rate will lower.When the animal is warmer, the heart rate will raise – as long as the temperature isn’t sufficiently high to harm the animal. (Campbell, 2005) Alcohol is a depressant. This means that body systems will slow down when alcohol is introduced. In particular, the heart rate will get consistently lower. If too much alcohol is added, it will result in the death of the animal. The alcohol acts by inhibiting the nervous system. (LaFave, 2003) After an in toxicating exposure to alcohol, an organisms system will be impaired for an extended period of time. Caffeine is a stimulant.It will work by causing the nervous system to work faster. Also, it will cause the blood vessels to constrict. (LaFave, 2003) These effects will work together to increase an animals heart rate. Under normal circumstances, the heart rate will increase as more caffeine is added. At some point the high concentration of caffeine will cause the heart to stop functioning. The effect of one outside substance can impair the effects of other substances. In this experiment we will intoxicate an organism. As a result, the nervous system will have difficulty responding when we introduce a stimulant.The caffeine will have no effect on the organism, because it will be insufficient to overcome the effects of the alcohol exposure. Background Daphnia magna is a freshwater ectothermic crustacean commonly referred to as a water flea. Its body is transparent. Because of its trans parency we can observe the effects of substances on its body without surgical procedures. We can observe the heart of the Daphnia to be dorsal to the backbone, just behind the head. (Helms, 1998) The average Daphnia has a heart rate of about 180 beats per minute under normal conditions.We will observe the effects of temperature fluctuations, alcohol, and caffeine on this ectothermic animal. Hypothesis Hypothesis 1: The hypothesis is that lowering the temperature of the surroundings of the ectothermic Daphnia magna will cause its heart rate to lower, and raising the temperature will increase heart rate. Hypothesis 2: The hypothesis is that the heart rate of Daphnia magna will decrease as higher concentrations of alcohol solution are introduced to the system. Hypothesis 3: The hypothesis is that the heart rate of Daphnia magna will increase as higher concentrations of caffeine solution are introduced to the system.Materials and Methods For the sake of time, the experiment was split in to two parts and each part was performed by a different team. One team worked on the effects of temperature changes on heart rate. The other team worked on the effects of Alcohol and Caffeine on the heart rate. Both teams obtained a plastic pipette and cut off the tip at the first graduation from the bottom to allow Daphnia magna to fit into the pipette. The teams each obtained a depression slide and smeared a small amount of petroleum jelly on one of the wells.Any excess petroleum jelly was wiped off so that there was only one layer on the well. Then each team used their pipette to draw a Daphnia magna from the jar and placed it on the petroleum jelly covered well. A Kimwipe was used to draw off excess fluid from the slide. Then one drop of solution was placed on the Daphnia magna to prevent it from drying out. Each slide was placed on a dissection microscope and the heart was located using the Helms manual and help from the lab instructor. Then one minute was given for the Daphnia magna to calm down.The following was the procedure used by the temperature team. After the Daphnia was given time to calm down, the team took a reading of its heart rate at room temperature (27 degrees C). The reading was taken by counting the heart beats for ten seconds and then multiplying by six to yield beats per minute. Next, a glass Petri dish was filled with ice water at five degrees Celsius. The cold water Petri dish was placed on the stage of the microscope, and the Daphnia was placed on top of the dish. When the Daphnia had been given a minute to acclimate to the changes, another heart rate reading was taken.Then the same procedure using the Petri dish to changed environmental conditions was used with cold tap water (23 degrees), warm tap water (30 degrees), and hot tap water (45 degrees). A heart rate reading was taken for each temperature. The following was the procedure used by the team that introduced chemicals into the environment of the Daphnia. First a zero reading was taken before any chemicals were introduced. The zero reading was an observation of the Daphnia’s heart rate before any substances were administered. All fluids were drawn off the slide using the corner of a Kimwipe.Then two drops of two percent alcohol solution were dropped onto the Daphnia. After a minute a heart rate reading was taken. The same procedure, including using the Kimwipe to draw off previous solution, was then used with four, six, eight, and ten percent solutions. A heart rate reading was taken after each solution was introduced. After the last alcohol solution a Kimwipe was used to draw off all of the solution and a drop of Daphnia culture fluid was added. After a minute another zero reading was taken. The team then used the same procedure used with alcohol to introduce caffeine solution of the same concentrations.Heart rate readings were taken after each solution. Results Table #1: Effect of Temperature Variations on Heart Rate of Daphnia magna |Temperatu re (C) |Heart rate (beats/minute) | |Room Temp. |224 | |5 degrees |146 | |23 degrees |182 | |30 degrees |214 | |45 degrees |0 (dead) |As the environment got further away from room temperature the effects were more pronounced. The heart rate got increasingly lower as Daphnia was placed in colder environments. The heart rate was 224 bpm at room temperature, then 182 at 23 degrees, and then 146 at 5 degrees. When the temperature was considerably higher than room temperature the Daphnia could not handle the extreme, and it died. Death occurred at 45 degrees. (Table 1)Table #2: Effect of Alcohol Solutions on Heart Rate of Daphnia magna |Concentration of Solution |Heart rate (beats/minute) | |0% |126 | |2% |84 | |4% |57 | |6% |42 | |8% |30 | |10% |18 | As higher concentrations of alcohol were introduced, the heart rate of Daphnia lowered on a steady trend. Heart rate was 84 bpm with 2% alcohol, 57 bpm with 4% alcohol, and 42 bpm at 6% alcohol. It can also be observed that the resting hear t rate of this Daphnia was considerable lower than that of the Daphnia used in the temperature experiments. (Table 2) Table #3: Effect of Caffeine Solution on Heart Rate of Daphnia magna |Concentration of Solution |Heart rate (beats/minute) | |0% |6 | |2% |6 |4% |6 | |6% |6 | |8% |6 | |10% |0 (dead) | The zero heart rate was lower than the heart rate at the highest level of alcohol concentration. As higher concentrations of caffeine solution were introduced, there was no effect on this Daphnia. When a ten percent solution was added the heart stopped. (Table 3) Discussion Table 1 showed the trend of Daphnia magna’s heart rate lowering as temperatures were lowered.Based on this data it can be reasoned that Daphnia’s heart rate will lower anytime it is introduced to a colder environment. At some point Daphnia would freeze and die, but barring that point the heart rate would get lower and lower with colder temperatures. Along the same line of thinking, increasing envir onmental temperatures would increase Daphnia’s heart rate until the temperature is too high for survival. This data did not completely support the hypothesis because there was no provision for the possibility of death in the hypothesis. If the data had supported the hypothesis the Daphnia would have had a higher heart rate at 45 degrees rather than dying. Table 2 showed the effects of alcohol on Daphnia’s heart rate.The higher the concentration of alcohol, the lower Daphnia’s heart rate got. It can be assumed that this trend would continue until the Daphnia died. This data supported the hypothesis. Table 3 showed the effects of caffeine on Daphnia. This table showed no trend. As a result of the lack of a trend, this data did not support the hypothesis. This can be explained several ways. First, it could have been experimental error. The solution team could have forgotten to use a Kimwipe to remove an alcohol solution from the Daphnia. There also could have been errors in the way Daphnia was handled. Another possible explanation was that the Daphnia was too weak from the beginning.The Daphnia in the temperature experiments had a considerably higher heart rate than that of the Daphnia used in the solution experiments. This could show that the solution Daphnia was weak at the onset of the experiment. As a result the alcohol exposure was unrecoverable for that Daphnia. The ectothermic qualities of Daphnia explained the effects of temperature on the animal. (Campbell, 2005) Daphnia was more tolerant to lower temperatures than to higher temperatures. This was expected since Daphnia usually lives in cold water. (LaFave, 2003b) The alcohol affected Daphnia as expected. (LaFave, 2003) When the caffeine was introduced to the system, there was no change. This was not what we expected based on knowledge of how stimulants affect animals. LaFave, 2003) This can be explained by the excessive nervous system inhibition caused by the alcohol. This experimen t can be used to show the practical application of chemicals and temperatures in regulating body function. It showed that a standard temperature is most preferred by an ectothermic creature. It also shows that chemicals can be introduced if there is any reason to sedate or revive a creature. These things have an obvious practical application in the medical field. Another application is in biological research when samples need to be kept alive, sedated for viewing, or revived. Conclusions 1. Daphnia magna is influenced by certain environmental conditions. 2. Daphnia magna cannot function in extreme situations. 3.Daphnia magna was unable to recover from the high alcohol concentrations. 4. The ectothermic nature and transparency of Daphnia magna made it very easy to observe the effects of environmental changes. Bibliography Campbell, Neil. , Jane B. Reece. 2005. Biology, 7th ed. Beth Wilbur ed. Benjamin Cummings Publishing, San Francisco, CA. pp 833-834. Helms, Doris. , Carl Helms. , R obert Kosinski. , John Cummings. , 1998. Biology in the Laboratory, 3rd ed. Judith Wilson ed. W. H. Freeman and Company Publishing, New York, New York. pp. 38-14 – 38-16 LaFave, N. Virtual Water Flea Experiment. http://www. geocities. com/nck12nlafave/daphnia. htm. 2003.

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Marketing Strategies - Case Study Example Factors identified that can affect the marketing strategy of the firm include; the marketing environment which includes everything from lifestyle changes to consumer education and the economic environment. Other than that the demographic environment with a special consideration to those who are interested in convenience eating , the cultural, natural, technological and political environment all play a key role in shaping the marketing strategy of this firm. The target market is an important consideration for any firm selling whichever product. A target market is the group of people for which a certain product is intended. It could be an age group for example products targeted for children such as Nesquik- a milkshake, a social class such as products targeted for the rich and status conscious like Rolex watches and a particular gender like Maybelline- it is a cosmetic targeted at women only. Other factors can also be brought into the picture and often integrated with other variables to form a target profile of the consumer. It is essential that the right target market is targeted so as to achieve the relevant objectives. If the right target market is not targeted any amount of promotional effort will not achieve marketing objectives and all efforts will go to waste. The target group for the product includes people who are health conscious and who are able and willing to invest in their health. They are also people who are willing to pay a premium price for the product therefore being loyal to the product. These are people who want a convenient lifestyle and are looking for on the go breakfasts which serve their nutritional purpose but are still not heavy on the stomach. The rising health concerns amidst the general public can be capitalized on and used for this purpose. It is expected that the target market will have some attachment for the product even though they have not been educated culturally on careful health choices.3 Market segmentation is the process of dividing a market into distinct subsets of consumers with common needs or characteristics and selecting one or more segments to target with a distinct marketing mix. Initially the world began with mass marketing. Products were targeted to anyone and everyone without any changes and modifications. This is exemplified by Henry Ford's model T example; ' in any colour they want it as long as it is black'. With time marketers have learnt that not all consumers are alike and they have different needs and wants. They need to be targeted differently and given different offerings to appeal to their taste. There are certain bases for segmentation that can be used to give a coherent and homogeneous cluster of individuals. These include geographic segmentation, demographic segmentation, psychographic segmentation and use-related segmentation etc. Not all bases are used at one time and only the relevant ones are considered. 9 The relevant segmentation bases for this product include demographic segmentation, psychological segmentation, and psychographic segmentation, use related segmentation and benefit segmentation. Therefore demographically the target market profile that we are looking at is an age group of 16-25, male and female, single and usually studying or just started working. Other than them young executives who have a busy and

Mercantilism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mercantilism - Essay Example All the countries that practiced mercantilism had one  economic  motivation  which was the consolidation of power centers in that region.  Spain  was not left  behind,  and it made sure all its colonies in the Caribbean  were rigidly controlled  to protect the  commerce  and industry of her empire.  First, they barred foreign ships from accessing her colonial ports in the Caribbean. Second, she designed the colonies  to economically complement  to Spain, and forbade  certain  colonies to  manufacture  so as to  leave  their  market  open for imports. Finally, she channeled all colonial  trade  through one port so that she got all the benefits (Magnusson, 1996). The main positive aspect of mercantilism was the  creation  of wealth for the  merchants and  rulers  of the countries involved. Another positive aspect is that this system provided the greatest inspiration to the  growth  of economics as a scientific division. The local inhabitants of these colonies were the ones who bore most of the negative aspects of mercantilism. First the locals  were exploited  to the  core  whereby they either became slaves, or bonded laborers. Second, the economic status of these colonies weakened a lot, and the local people  were left  highly  demoralized (Magnusson,

Shewin Memorandum 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Shewin Memorandum 1 - Essay Example . Blabber newspaper has only 3 women on upper level of management. . She has worked in the company for a period of 6 years without promotion yet Whiz who is only 26 years of age and with inadequate experience has been offered the post Shewin applied A 26-year-old new recruit by the name of whiz was considered for position she also applied . Senior employees in the company have been heard speculating on when she will retire. . The company only has five African American employees. . Question of Locusstandiis requisite in bringing this cause of since the level and type of engagement between Miss Shewin and the company must be ascertained to enable the court to hear her case. . Remedies available for Miss Shewin in an event of success of his case Sexual Harassment Crude sexual behaviors Ill language against pregnant women Miss Shewin’s interview at the restaurant did not dwell on professional issues but were majored on social questions . Male employees in the company discuss socia l issues including sexual experiences with their girlfriends over the weekend, which is not checked by the company managers despite protest by Miss Shewin. This case instance presents a critical analysis of rights of employees in a work premise as accorded by law. It details a brief operation of the America legal system to facilitate a proper understanding on how to tackle this legal issue. The American labor and employment laws are sourced from a variety of legal sources, including, constitutional law, statutory law being rules extracted from statutes, administrative regulations, and common law, which includes unwritten customs, principles and rules and case law (Hart 56). These sources are available on different levels, including: - federal and state constitutions, federal and state statutes and administrative regulations by both federal and state agencies, case law by both federal and state courts. In other circumstances however, these laws can be extracted from municipal laws as well. This therefore presents job places with often challenging circumstances of legal requirements and obligations that do not always align (Patterson 98). In case of a conflict or inconsistency between federal and state law, then the law that establishes stricter standard supersedes that whose penalty is less strict. In case of a conflict that cannot be resolved by application of the stricter standard, then the federal law preempts the state law (SS). Miss Shewin case elicits several issues under laws of employment including, discrimination on gender basis, race, sexual harassment of workers as an affirmative action and the extent which the law protects employees in a working place. It is significant to commence this discussion by establishing if Miss Shewin has sufficient locus standi to bring legal complaint against the Blabber newspaper. Locus standi is the legal right to bring an action, to be heard in court, or to address the court on a matter before it. It is the ability of a party to demonstrate to the court sufficient connection to and harm from the action challenged to support that party’s participation in the case. Locus standi in this case can be traced from the legal relationship that existed between Miss Shewinand the Blabber Newspaper. It must be traced if there was a legal contract between the two parties and if the same stipulated

To the Lighthouse Essay Example for Free

To the Lighthouse Essay Style for the writer as well as for the painter is a question not of technique, but of vision, says French writer Marcel Proust in his book Le Temps Retrouve. Proust belongs to the league of early 20th century writers who rebelled against the structures of Classicism on prose by employing revolutionary styles in the narrative. Critics of Virginia Woolf trace her influence to Proust, among other figures who share her distinct conception of reality and experience albeit the fact that there was no direct correspondence between the two writers. Virginia Woolf is a very individualistic and visionary writer (Friedman, 1955). The apparent similarity between her theory of reality and experience and that of the popular claims of some of her contemporaries can only be accounted for by the fact that Woolf draws much from the zeitgeist. The idea of stream of consciousness, for instance, is not unique to her as Bergson, who authored ‘durational flux’, proposes the same idea that time is a continuous flux which is the theoretical basis for stream of consciousness (Friedman, 1955). Nonetheless, her work remained distinctly hers specifically in terms of her style. It is because for Woolf the creation and fulfillment of a vision rather than a practice of technique matters most. Her bearing as a writer naturally followed her vision, her philosophy on life, reality and truth. In her body of work, she demonstrated what Proust claims to be the fountainhead of style. A very critical essayist, Woolf was very vocal about her vision. In her essay, Modern Fiction, published in 1925, she voices out her opinion on the issue of spiritualism versus materialism by critiquing her contemporary English authors H. G. Wells, Arnold Bennett and John Galsworthy. She coined the label ‘Materialists’ from their apparent lack of vision, their concern for trivial, temporal things, which to her escapes Life. She regarded their craft with respect but it was the objective to which their efforts were directed that she strongly opposed. She emphasizes the capturing of the spirit (or, as she put it, â€Å"life or truth or reality, whatever we call it†) to be the essence of art. The absence thereof incites the question whether that piece of literature is worthwhile and enduring. Woolf believes the preoccupation with trivialities is a manifest submission to the tyranny of the classics, the tradition and the canon. This would mean stagnation and death. Woolf puts it better when she writes: â€Å"Movement and change are the essence of our being. Rigidity is death, conformity is death† (Woolf, â€Å"The Common Reader†). Described as essentially a â€Å"lyrical novel†, To the Lighthouse reflects the totality of Woolf’s vision of capturing the evanescence of life into prose (Mayoux 214). Critics of the novel refer to its non-prose qualities, i. e. its deviation from the conventions of unity of time, characterization and linear plot development, to describe novel which has a very thin plot. Williams (204) writes that the novel is more akin to poetry than prose because it attempts to ‘[make] the moment something permanent. † According to him, this is a province of poets, musicians and painters and not of novelists (Williams 204). Interestingly, one of the characters in the novel, Lily Briscoe, is an actual painter and her character gives insight into the workings of the novel. The external plot of the novel is unusually thin for its length. Bennett aptly constructs the summary: â€Å"a group of people plan to sail in a small boat to a lighthouse. At the end some of them reach the lighthouse in a small boat†(200). The novel is divided in three chapters. The first chapter, The Window, begins in summer at a vacation house by the sea, owned by Mr. and Mrs.Ramsay. On that occasion, their family along with a few friends gathered in the house for a party prepared by Mrs. Ramsay. Mrs. Ramsay’s son insists on going to the lighthouse, but Mr. Ramsay disappoints him by announcing that the weather would not permit them. The rest of chapter describes the dinner interspersed with the thoughts of each character. The second chapter, Time Passes, is a description of the house and the memory imprinted in it after the characters introduced in the first chapter went their separate ways. The chapter is devoid of character action except for the incidental visitation of the house cleaners. In the second chapter, Mrs. Ramsay’s death is announced. The third chapter, The Lighthouse, happens years after the first chapter. Mr. Ramsay, together with his children and two of their guests, including Lily Briscoe, revisits the summer house. Lily contemplates the completion of her painting as Mr. Ramsay leads his children on a boat ride to the lighthouse. The novel ends as Lily completes her work.

Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) Overview

Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) Overview Coming Soon to a Doctor Near You At the current rate, in 2017, half a million American children will be taken to their doctors and be newly diagnosed with ADHD. Many of them will receive thoughtful and reasonable evaluations and benefit from medication. Another sizable number will be seen by casual clinicians who either bypass the childs real problems or give in to his frustrated parents and teachers. Some of the adolescents will be faking ADHD just to get Adderall for themselves or others. Whatever the actual breakdown, there will be 500,000 new diagnostic visits, millions of follow-ups, ten of millions of pills, and hundreds of millions in sales. Lots of business for everyone. Apparently, this market must expand. The same folks who built todays ADHD machine the same doctors, the same drug companies are already working on tomorrows. A new disorder is being buffed and burnished as you read this. Its name: sluggish cognitive tempo, or SCT. Its kind of like ADHD, but not quite. SCT is a syndrome marked by daydreaming, lethargy, and slowed thinking or behavior. Some SCT researchers claim that they are simply trying to resolve some long-standing confusion about ADHD. SCT attempts to rename the merely inattentive children who have never quite fit the ADHD construct. They say that a many as three million children have the disorder half of them already diagnosed with ADHD. Anyone who gets diagnosed with SCT will find help ready and waiting. Eli Lilly has already enlisted Russell Barkley and other doctorsÂÂ   to investigate how Strattera would treat SCT, too. *** Most countries have cringed at Americans approach to difficult children. They have viewed ADHDs explosion as an American travesty borne of parental impatience and corporate greed. International experts concluded that diagnosing and medicating the most severely hyperactive kids really could be justified. But the criteria for pharmacological intervention were kept far more restrictive. The international community has rejected the APA definitions and instead relied upon what the World Health Organization defines as hyperkinetic syndrome. That diagnosis requires a child to have significant problems in all three of ADHDs symptom groups hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention and includes other barriers to haphazard diagnosis. When applied appropriately, this definition results in 1 to 2 percent of children being told they have the disorder. Some nations, such as Brazil, France, Italy, and Sweden, remain very conservative toward the diagnosis, and especially the medications in cases anything less than dire. The United kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany have been more liberal in accepting the ADHD concept, to the point that some estimates of diagnosis rates in those countries have reached about 5 percent. As for ADHD drugs, no country has anywhere near the enthusiasm of the United States, which had prescribed more than 90 percent of the worlds amphetamine and methylphenidate. But the rest of the world is catching up. From 2000 through 2010, its consumption of ADHD drugs almost doubled. Concerta had geared up its advertising in Europe. Shires has taken a less direct route to growing its offshore market, educating doctors about ADHD itself so that prescriptions follow. In a medical conference at the National Institute of Health in 2015, Keith Conners spoke at a panel called ADHD Around the World. He recounted his decades in the field, from his work with Leon Eisenberg to minimal brain dysfunction to what he now declared were outrageous rates of ADHD diagnoses. He warned against the imminent world-wide influence of pharmaceutical companies, and all but apologized from his having worked on their behalf for decades. *** Meanwhile, some health officials in Georgia were concerned about how many young children in the state were on ADHD medications. Georgias rate, 6.1 percent, was growing, and disturbing. They called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and asked Dr. Susanna Visser, the epidemiologist for ADHD, to run the numbers on four- and five-year-olds. Visser discovered that more than ten thousand toddlers kids ages two and three, still in diapers across the United States had been diagnosed as ADHD and put on Adderall, Concerta, and the like. She wrote up a formal report and presented it at a conference on childrens mental health at the Carter Center in Atlanta. The report begged a response from government health agencies to address what was going on here. A few days later, Dr. Tim Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, responded in a blog post, saying that most of the prescriptions for stimulant drugs were not from psychiatrist. Insel was right. Most diagnoses in children are indeed made by pediatricians and family doctors, rather than better-trained and more experienced child psychiatrists, who must receive two extra years of schooling in order to practice. But the United States has only about eight thousand practicing child psychiatrist. Its no wonder that parents prefer seeing someone closer, cheaper, and more familiar with their child: their pediatrician. Unfortunately, most pediatricians were taught about ADHD and stimulants for only a few hours out of the entire seven years in medical school. Two longtime members of ADHDs horn section, Peter Jensen, and Ned Hallowell, have joined Keith Conners to hold seminars across the nation to teach pediatricians how to diagnose ADHD, and how not to diagnose it.

Smart Transport System Based Upon Autonomous Road Vehicles

Smart Transport System Based Upon Autonomous Road Vehicles INTRODUCTION People have a high reliance on car for their daily travel to work, shopping, tour and many other places [1]. More than 50% of worlds population lives in cities and more vehicles are on the road causing congestion problems and accidents. Therefore, there is a need for more safe and efficient means of transportation. The new technologies are replacing decade old transportation frameworks and operators with computerization and automation. Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) is an innovative method that utilizes sensors movements, artificial intelligence, and human management together which will help the autonomous vehicle to drive without human intervention [2]. Autonomous vehicles will be seen soon on our roads communicating with nearby vehicles and warn each other by understanding the conditions ahead. Many cars, for example, the Tesla Model S and the Volvo XC90 has already started including propelled self-driving capacities, and this is expected to increase in coming years [3]. In this paper two use case scenarios of autonomous vehicles are discussed. The first use case discusses about an autonomous vehicle valet parking. Parking a vehicle is considered as one of the difficult task in driving. This includes finding the parking slot and park without collision. The proposed system will allow the driver to leave the vehicle when he/she reaches the destination and the vehicle will park itself in a parking slot. The second use case discusses an autonomous vehicle that can drive without human intervention in an unknown environment. The use cases included are obstacle avoidance, backward moving and overtaking. 2.USE CASE SCENARIOS 2.1 AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE VALET PARKING The number of vehicles on road is increasing rapidly causing congestion problems and pollutions. One of the main reasons for this is lack of car parking and time consumed to find the parking slots. This paper discusses the driving and parking of an autonomous vehicle to a car parking slot without human intervention. An autonomous valet parking will allow the driver to leave the vehicle when he/she reaches the destination and will park the vehicle in a parking slot. The sensors will sense obstacles in its way and will steer around them to avoid collision. It will also notify the driver after parking and locking the door automatically through an app. The proposed system will help the driver who is in a hurry to attend a meeting or watch movie, who doesnt want his/her time to waste checking for parking area and to drive and park there. There are three systems in the vehicle for the autonomous vehicle valet parking [6]. (i) Server System The server system will generate the different driving path to the nearest parking slot and will provide it to the driver through the mobile application. The driver can select the preferred path and vehicle will drive through that path. (ii) Mobile System The driver will be able to monitor the vehicle and check whether it is finding any difficulty to reach the parking slot. The vehicle will also notify the driver once when it has reached the parking slot. (iii) Vehicle Control System The control system will generate the control signals such as steering control, gear change, brakes and speed control required for the movement of the vehicle through the provided path. It should also generate control signals to help the car park in the provided slot. Figure 1: Autonomous vehicle parking system 2.1.1 DESIGN ANALYSIS AND ALGORITHM 2.1.1.a. PARKING SLOT SELECTION Once the driver has reached the destination the driver should request for the nearest parking and reserve the parking slot. The algorithm for this is shown in figure 1.1 [6]. Step 1: Driver request for the parking guidance. The parking slot availability in the parking garage should be updated every time in the data base. The parking slot can detect whether it is occupied with vehicle or not by using an IR sensor in the parking slot. The IR sensors will be connected to micro-controllers. The microcontrollers will communicate to the central server system using ESP8266 which contains the data base of the parking slot availability. ESP8266 is a low-cost Wi-Fi chip which will give micro-controller access to communicate with the Wi-Fi network. Along with the number of free parking lots, parking cost in different parking garage will also be stored in the database. The parking guidance is requested by the driver using the navigation system which will be embedded with sim cards inside the vehicle. BMW already have sim card embedded cars [8]. There will be GPS module inside the navigation system which will give the current location of the car. This location of the vehicle, will help to find the nearest parking fa cilities near it. The distance and time to reach each parking garage are calculated by the already programmed navigation device. It will also provide the parking fare for each parking garage. The driver can then select the appropriate parking slot based on his convenience. Step 2: Reserve the parking slot Once the parking slot has been selected by the driver, it should be reserved otherwise there are chances for the parking slot to be occupied by some other car before the vehicle reaches the selected slot. The central server system should be updated once the driver has reserved parking slot. The reservation should be done using the number plate of the vehicle. Sometimes, there might be more than one reservation request for the same parking slot at the same. So, there are chances to get the reservation declined for other customers. In that case the driver can select another parking slot. The vehicle can also go to the parking slot without reservation as well. But there will be a risk of the parking slot to be occupied before the vehicle arrives the parking slot. Step 3: Start the navigation to the parking slot. Once the parking slot has been selected by the driver, he/she can leave the car and the car will navigate to the selected parking slot. Figure 1.1. Algorithm for parking slot selection 2.1.1.b. PARKING PATH FOLLOWING Once the parking slot has been selected the next step is to guide the vehicle to the parking slot. In this paper [6], a graph data structure is used, which will generate driving path using 4D kinematics (i, j, ÃŽÂ ¸, R). The i and j represents the centre co-ordinates of the vehicle and ÃŽÂ ¸ is the heading angle value of the vehicle. To avoid the obstacles while following the path to the parking slot laser scanner sensors (LMS15) are used. These sensors can see the obstacles within 40 m distance and an angular range of 0-1900. The sensors are fitted on both sides in the front and rear side of the vehicle. The obstacle avoidance path is generated by the server system. The figure 1.3. [6] shows the obstacle detecting and avoiding path. Figure 1.3. Obstacle detecting and avoiding path [6] The path generated by the server system consists of location of the vehicle and its heading angle value (ÃŽÂ ¸). The vehicle control system will generate signals to control the steering of the vehicle depending on the heading angle value and location of the vehicle. The steering angle should be calculated for this. The formula for steering angle is shown below [6]. ÃŽÂ ¸s = ÃŽÂ ¸3 ÃŽÂ ¸2  ­- ÃŽÂ ¸1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2 ÃŽÂ ¸s = Steering angleÃŽÂ ¸3 = lateral error angle of vehicle location  Ã‚  Ã‚   ÃŽÂ ¸2 = look-ahead way point heading angle  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ÃŽÂ ¸1 = vehicle heading angle Figure 1.4. [6] shows the driving path followed by the vehicle and the location of the vehicle. Figure 1.4. Driving path followed by the vehicle [6] The speed will also be controlled by the control system. The speed will be reduced to 8 km/hr once the car has entered the parking garage. The car will be notified when it reaches the parking garage by the GPS module installed in the navigation system. The laser scanner sensors can detect the moving obstacles as well. When the vehicle has detected the moving object (e.g. pedestrian) it will stop and wait until it has crossed the road. 2.1.1.c. PARKING AT THE SELECTED PARKING SLOT The next step after reaching the parking slot is the parking at the selected slot. The vehicle control systems consist of two levels [7]. 1. Low level control Low level control is the control of motion which includes steering wheels control, speed control and moving in a proposed distance. 2. High level control High level control is computer vision based control. A trajectory path is formed showing the vehicle direction to park it in the selected slot. To describe the car parking, bi-cycle model is used [7]. This model is commonly used to describe four wheeled vehicles. Rear drive wheel of this model cannot be rotated. To control the vehicle movement the front wheel will be rotated about the vertical axis following the trajectory path. It is assumed that the vehicle is moving on a horizontal and flat surface. Figure 1.5. Bi-cycle model of four wheeled vehicles The figure 1.5. shows the bi-cycle model of four wheeled vehicles [7]. The co ordinate system is represented as V, where x and y represent the co-ordinate points in that system. L= distance between the front and rear wheels ÃŽÂ ³ = steering angle ÃŽÂ ¸ = angle between xv and x v = velocity of the vehicle ICR instantaneous centre of rotation of the vehicle Parking of the car can be done in two ways. [7] 1.Parallel parking method. 2.Perpendicular parking method. Parallel parking method A precise path should be generated to minimize the parking area. The vehicle should move along two arcs created by the high level control without straight-line section between them. A maximum rotational angle of the steering wheels is required to achieve this. The figure 1.6. shows the parallel parking method [7]. Figure 1.6. Parallel parking method [7] The circle radius is calculated using the steering angle (ÃŽÂ ³). Circle radius (R1) = L2tgÃŽÂ ³ Ls1 and Ls2 are the safety boundaries, so the vehicle will not hit the front and back corner of the vehicle while parking. L1, L2, L3 and L4 are the boundary dimensions. The trajectory parking length (S)can be calculated to park the vehicle in the parking slot without colliding on the obstacles. The formula to obtain the trajectory parking length is given below. S = Ls1 + L1 + L2 + L3 + L4 + Ls2 Perpendicular parking method Perpendicular parking method is almost like the parallel parking method. This method reduces the parking area required for parking. The figure 1.7. shows the perpendicular parking method. Figure 1.7. Perpendicular parking method [7] The centre axel wheel should steer along the arc with the radius (R2) value given below to park in a safe condition. R2 = When vehicle reaches point A,for successful completion of parking, the steering wheels should be controlled by the steering. The gear should be in reverse gear and continue until the safe region. There are safety zones LS as in the parallel parking method. The trajectory parking length (S)can be calculated to park the vehicle in the parking slot without colliding on the obstacles. The formula to obtain the trajectory parking length is given below. S = R1 + L2 + LS + 2.1.1.d. NOTIFYING THE DRIVER AFTER PARKING After the car, has been parked in the parking slot, the driver should be notified that the car is safely parked. The sim card embedded in the system will help to notify the driver through SMS or mobile app that it has arrived the parking slot safely. This will help the driver to track the vehicle and ensure that it has reached the parking slot safely. 2.1.2 CHALLENGES AND DESIGN ISSUES IN THE PROPOSED SYSTEM Challenges (i) One of the main challenges in the proposed system is that the driver can only access the parking garages which has been saved in the central server system. (ii) In the proposed system, the vehicle will not come to pick the driver. He/she should go to the parking slot to find the car. This can be included in the future development. Design Issues (i) Sometimes GPS might fail to work in that case the autonomous car might fail to find its direction. (ii) Infrared sensors are expensive and sometimes fail to work due to temperature change. 2.1.3. VEHICLES THAT HAS BEEN USING AUTOMATED VEHICLE VALET PARKING Using digital mapping technology, BMW i3 is about to launch their new car [9] that can park in multi-storey parking garages. This fully autonomous vehicle will drive until it detects a free parking space. Their new Remote Valet Parking Assistant will parks the i3 without any driver assistance. The new car can also detect the moving obstacles and falsely parked car using its LiDAR sensors and drive accordingly without colliding with the obstacles. The car will not notify the driver it has reached the parking slot is one of the drawback in their features. 2.2 AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE NAVIGATION IN UNKNOWN ENVIRONMENT. A fully automatic vehicle should be able to drive by itself and for that it should sense, control, observe and react to its environment. This paper describes an autonomous vehicle that can drive without human intervention in an unknown environment. The use cases included are obstacle avoidance, backward moving and overtaking. The car will reach its destination by avoiding obstacles and following the path lane. A fuzzy logic control technology is used in this paper which will receive the required information from the sensors which will sense the obstacles in its way and the environmental changes. A GPS module is also used to track the position of the vehicle. The system will also control the speed, brake and steering effectively. 2.2.1 DESIGN ANALYSIS AND ALGORITHM The proposed system is divided into two units [5] Fuzzy logic control unit Computer vision unit. The block diagram of the proposed unit is shown in the figure 2.1. [5]. Figure 2.1. Block diagram of the proposed system [5] 2.2.1.a. FUZZY LOGIC CONTROL UNIT Autonomous cars are very complex to design. In this system, fuzzy logic is used to generate logical control signals from the input analog signals. Fuzzy logic is widely used in artificial intelligence. There are many alternative approaches such as genetic algorithm and neural network, but fuzzy logic has the merit that, it can be easily understood by the human operators. The block diagram of the fuzzy logic control unit is shown in figure 2.2. Figure 2.2. Fuzzy Logic Control Unit [4] The proposed system consists of two ultrasonic sensors for recognising the obstacles and measuring the distance between the obstacle and vehicle. Ultrasonic sensors produce ultrasonic waves, which will not produce any sound pollution/environmental pollution. Its also inexpensive. A H-Bridge is used to control the steering motor and the back motor. Webcam is used to see and follow the road lane path. The steering angle is measured and controlled by a potentiometer. The GPS receiver senses the position of the vehicle and is given to the microcontroller. This will help the micro-controller to know whether the vehicle has reached its destination or not. The steering and speed commands are combined and based on this the vehicle will move through the lane. The speed of the vehicle is the most important part while driving. The speed of the vehicle depends on many external factors such as environmental condition, road condition and car condition. For a normal autonomous car, it should have an auto-braking system, auto-speed control system and auto-steering system. These systems depend on different factors like environmental condition, car condition, road condition and so on. The fuzzy logic control unit will control the speed, brake, and steering based on these factors. The figure 2.3. [4] below shows the fuzzy logic controller controlling the systems based on the environmental condition and car condition. Figure 2.3. Fuzzy Logic Controller [4] Auto-braking System The auto-braking system is provided in autonomous car to avoid collision. The ultrasonic sensors will sense the distance between the obstacle and the car and if it is not in a safe distance the car will either stop or reduce the speed. The normal speed limit is set as 0 60 km/hr and the minimum distance between the car and the obstacle is maintained at 5 10 m. This is selected as per the traffic safety authorities. Auto- speed System Speed of the car is controlled on various factors such as environmental condition and car condition. Environmental condition and car condition will be between the range shown below and the car should choose the speed accordingly. Environmental Conditions: Rains falling: (0 200) mm. Winds Speed: (0 150) km/h. Rain sensors are used to sense the rain. The sensors can tell when it is raining depending on the rain drops falling on the wind shield depending on the light reflected. If there are more rain drops on the wind shield less light will be reflected to the rain sensor. Car Condition: Weight (including passengers): (1600 1900) kg. Engine Heat: (-25 65) à ; c. A weight sensor can be used in the seats so that it will sense how many passengers are there in the seat and the vehicle can control the speed. All these factors are given a rating between 0 and 10 [4]. If the conditions are bad, the rating will be between 0-3 and if the conditions are good, then the rating will be between 7-10. The micro-controller will be pre-programmed in such a way that it will be indicated when its raining, or when the air content in the tire is less and the speed of the car will be controlled according to that. Auto-Steering control The steering control is the main part of the autonomous car. The steering is controlled in such a way that; it will follow the trajectory or path to the destination generated by the computer vision unit. Obstacle Avoidance The main feature that should be incorporated in an autonomous vehicle is obstacle avoidance to avoid collision. There are two type of obstacles static and moving obstacles. The obstacles are sensed by the ultrasonic sensors which are connected at the right and left side of the vehicle at an angle of +45o and -45o. The distance is measured using fuzzification. The fuzzy sets used are adjacent, medium and far. The range is set between 25 m and 85 m and is determined by the sensor and the dimension of vehicle [4]. Any measured value by the sensor that is below 25 m is set as minimum value and any measured value exceeding 85 m is set as maximum value. To determine in which fuzzy set (near, medium or far) the measured sensor value belong to is determined using triangular membership function. The equation for that is given below [4]. The speed control and steering control signals are got as an output from the controller which are then given to the steering motor and back motor. The steering is controlled by the steering motor. The steering will be turned according to the steering control signals. The steering angle is controlled by the potentiometer. The digitized value of steering angle decision is shown below. Large Left 120 Small Left 145 Straight 170 Small Right 195 Large Right 220 Figure 2.4. [4] shows the graphical representation of the steering angle decision. Figure 2.4. Graphical representation of the steering angle decision [4] Similarly, the speed is controlled by the back motor and three commands are used for this Slow, Medium and Fast. The values for this is shown below and is decided by the back motors duty cycle values for pulse width modulated signal. Slow 20 Medium 50 Fast 80 Figure 2.5. [4] shows the graphical representation of speed control decision Figure 2.5. Graphical representation of speed control decision[4] Destination Arrived A GPS receiver is attached to the controller to know whether the autonomous car has arrived its destination. The destination will be already decided and entered by the user to the micro controller by using a mobile app. The car and the user can communicate to each other using the 4G network. A SIM card will be already embedded inside the car. Once the car has arrived the destination the car will notify the user. 2.2.1.b COMPUTER VISION UNIT Computer vision unit does the decision-making process in the system. In this paper, overtaking and backward process are discussed. Computer vision unit extracts information from the images taken from multiple cameras and makes decision when to overtake other vehicles and when to reverse the car. Backward direction The figure 2.6. [5] shows the algorithm for backward process of the vehicle. Figure 2.6. Algorithm for backward process [5] Step 1: Decide whether the car should take backward direction or not. Step 2: If yes, the car should select the speed of the vehicle to move in backward direction. If not, then the car continues to move in forward direction. Step 3: After selecting the speed of the backward movement, the next step is to select the direction of the backward movement. If the car wants to move left, then steering should be turned to right and if the car wants to move right then the steering should be turned left. If the wants to move backward in a straight direction then the steering should be kept straight i.e., no change for the steering. Step 4: After the step 3 the car will check the backward process has been completed and the process comes to an end. Overtaking Overtaking is a difficult process normally done by human drivers. To overtake another car the vehicle should maintain a certain speed limit and distance between the two cars should be in a safe distance so that it will not collide. The algorithm for a safe overtaking is given in the figure 2.7. [5]. Figure 2.7. Algorithm for overtaking [5] Step 1: The autonomous car will decide whether to overtake the other car in front of it which will be moving slower than it. If yes, then it should select the overtaking speed. If not, then the car should continue the previous speed. Step 2: The autonomous car should change to the left lane after deciding the speed to overtake. It should check through the rear camera that no other vehicles are trying to overtake it in the left lane, otherwise the two cars will collide with each other. Step 3: After changing to the left lane the autonomous car should continue to move in straight direction. It should check whether it has overtaken the slow vehicle. If yes, then it should change to the right lane maintaining a safe distance. If not, it should continue to move in straight direction and keep on monitoring whether it has overtaken the slow vehicle. Step 4: After the change of lane the autonomous car should check whether it has completed the lane changing. If yes, then the process comes to an end. 2.2.2 CHALLENGES AND DESIGN ISSUES IN THE PROPOSED SYSTEM Challenges (i) In the proposed system, only the algorithm for overtaking and backward movement has discussed. Artificial intelligence algorithm has not been discussed. (ii) In the proposed system, there is detection of traffic signals which can be incorporated in the future development Design Issues (i) Sometimes GPS might fail to work in that case the autonomous car might fail to find its direction. (ii) Ultrasonic sensors can produce some errors when sensing objects which might result in collision. 2.2.3 AUTONOMOUS CARS ALREADY IN MARKET Fully autonomous car will be on our road by 2021. Many car companies like tesla, google, BMW has already started developing such cars. Googles self-driving car has completed 1,500,000 miles in full automated mode on mar 2016 [10]. This car has no steering and brake pedal. It has laser and radar sensors to sense the obstacles and also have a back-up steering, braking, and computing system if any of these fails. 3. CONCLUSION To conclude, we will be able to see self-driving cars on our roads soon, addressing all the road problems like congestions, parking problem, accidents and so on. In this paper two use cases have been discussed. In the first use case, a server system, mobile system and vehicle control system are used for autonomous vehicle valet parking. The proposed system will drop the diver/user at his/her destination and will park the vehicle in the parking slot selected by the user. The future development of the system can be made by making the car to go and pick the user from the parking slot, when he/she is ready to leave. The second use case describes an autonomous vehicle that can drive without human intervention in an unknown environment using fuzzy logic. The use cases included were obstacle avoidance, backward moving and overtaking. The block diagram and algorithm of the proposed system are described in the paper. REFFERENCES [1] C. F. Lin, J. C. Juang and K. R. Li, Active collision avoidance system for steering control of autonomous vehicles, in IET Intelligent Transport Systems, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 550-557, Sept. 2014. [2] Mohammad Abdul Qayum, Nafiul Alam Siddique, Mohammad Abtiqul Haque and A. S. M. 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