The Game of Hex - An Interim Report Dissertation

The Game of Hex - An Interim Report - Dissertation Example Project Aims/Objectives The aim of the project is to implement a Hex game using NxN board, where N depicts the number of hexes in a side. The player would be able to specify the number of hexagons on a side i.e. size of board that will be used in the game. The board would be diamond shaped. The gaming mode could also be selected i.e. the two players could be two humans, a human against the system or two systems against each other with opposite sides. The player will select a side. If white is selected, then the player himself begins, else the opponent (player or system) plays the first move. Project Requirements The requirements of this project are divided into three parts: 1. Essential requirements The development language for the project would be Java (oracle JDeveloper 11). All functionalities will be developed using JDeveloper 11. AI algorithm called MCTS algorithm shall be used to support the high level of knowledge required by the Hex game. MCTS shall be implemented on the Hex game board whereon the data structures would be transferred. The game would have playing options. These options will be implemented though MCTS. The game will be played by two human players, or one human against the system. 2. Recommended requirements A new playing mode option can be added. In this playing mode, the game would be played between two systems. Adobe flash player can be used for designing a helper application to guide computer players as to how to play the Hex game. The guide would be simple enough to assist anyone in learning the game rules and playing. 3. Optional requirement: The MCTS algorithm which is used for building this game shall be compared with another... The board is rhombus shaped consisting of an array of hexagons. The optimal suggested size for rhombuses is 14x14. However, the size could vary. After choosing a one of the two colors (e.g. black or white), each player takes turn to place a piece on any one of the unoccupied hex. The goal of the game is that a player has to connect the two opposite sides of the board with an unbroken chain of his/her colored pieces. For a player that selected white, a chain of white pieces has to run from one edge to the other. Similarly, for the player with black pieces, a connected chain of pieces has to run across the other two edges (Figure 1-a). There is no predefined path for the chain. It can freely twist and turn on its path between the two edges. The player with white pieces always makes the beginning move. The strategy of Hex is such that the winning moves may be different for every player and the game never ends in a draw. One player always wins. This is due to Brouwer fixed-point theorem for 2D squares. Computer programs where a game of two players is solved generally comprise of exploration of a hierarchy of positions on the board. This hierarchy (called game tree) is a tree with a root, where its nodes represents the valid position on the board and the edges represent the valid moves. The extensive techniques for game-tree search developed over the last 3 to 4 decades are mostly aimed at programming Chess.

Marcus Garvey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marcus Garvey - Essay Example Marcus Garvey a Jamaican saw the predicament of his people and joined Jamaican Nationalist Organization (Haugen 3). He valued the rights of his people and sought for an approach that would liberate his people from the tyranny of racial discrimination. Garvey toured many nations i.e. London, Central America, Jamaica, and United States of America among others. He was motivated by the predicaments of his people to form a civil right movement that intended to deliver the blacks from psychological bondage of racism. This paper analyses choices, motivation, and strategy of non-violent campaign and the leadership style of Marcus Garvey. Garvey’s approach to racial discrimination and colonialism in Africa and the rest of the world relied on his love for the black race. History quotes that he believed that Africans were able to compete with the whites for the top jobs (Haugen 8). The most pressing need that inspired Garvey to rally against the independence of Africans was taking contro l of their own destiny. He believed that Africans would improve their lives when they took control of their own destiny by instituting their own leaders. Garvey used UNIA as a tool that would bring the blacks together under one umbrella to address their social, economic, and freedom issues. For instance, the UNIA Conference held on 1 August 1920 intended to equip the African leaders with the conscious they required in order to fight for their independence (Haugen 6). The deliberation in the conference as expressed through the opening speech of Garvey shows that Garvey sought to change the conditions of life of Africans through a united movement. Garvey’s uses his own life a model that would shape the lives of the blacks. It is evident from his speech that his personal life motivated him to leadership position. His wish was to mould similar mind, which emulate his ideologies throughout the world. â€Å"I came from an environment that is not better than you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hill & Garvey 45). The above is one of the quotes that he made during a gathering where he was addressing blacks. The nature of life in Jamaica and psychological inferiority of the blacks in the United States played a motivational role in influencing the writing, political and social life of Garvey. History documents that Garvey made unique choices in his political movement and social life. For instance, his letter to Theodore Roosevelt portrays an inclusive leadership approach that aim at promoting peace as well as quest for primary rights such democracy in the society. Garvey believed in freedom movements, which advocates for basic human rights through peaceful negotiation. He fought for black pride, which he believed, would come from education and self-realization. Another unique choice that he made during his leadership is to influence the opening of UNIA offices across the world where the blacks existed (Lawler & Davenport 85). This choice posed a great threat to his personal life as well as the governments that oppressed the blacks. The choice to meet the leaders of Ku Klux Kean is unique in the sense that the organization was against liberation of the black. Critical analysis into the leadership style of Garvey takes us to the transformational leadership style. In transformation leadership, four factors form the basis of transformational leadership. These factors are inspiration leadership, charismatic leadership, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation. Garvey intention was to rally intellectualism in creating leadership for Africa and the Negroes. He addressed large audience and insisted on the need for education as the foundation for freedom for the blacks (Haugen 4). Another observation is the charisma in his approach to political issues of

Discussion Board 5-2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Board 5-2 - Essay Example Three known forms of managed care that patients or clients have exclusive discretion to choose are Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) and Primary Care Physician. In all the three forms, clients chose from a list doctors desired to manage their health. The chosen doctors then stand the right to make any decision such as to refer a patient to another specialist. Since the given doctor is to deal with the patient directly, they need to understand personal constructs and understanding of the patient. This becomes easier when applying Psychoanalytic Family Therapy (Nichols, 2013). With Psychoanalytic Family Therapy, individual therapists are able to analyze self-psychology of patients to understand the cause and nature of an underlying problem. Despite complexity of the theory, charges for services offered by Psychoanalytic therapists vary with variation in the conduct of the individual therapist. This exonerates simple reasoning that complexi ty of Psychoanalytic Family Therapy makes it expensive than other

The Organizational Development Practices Research Paper

The Organizational Development Practices - Research Paper Example The purpose of this paper to analyze the organizational development (OD) practices that can be implemented in Company A in order to turn the corporation around and help the company to begin earning profits again. Company A is a conglomerate multinational corporation in the retail industry that has been operating in the marketplace for over 50 years. The company prides itself in being a store that offers quality merchandise at reasonable prices that provide value to the customer base. The company has grown a lot during the last decade and has achieved international penetration in many locations including Hong Kong, London, and Paris among other prestigious locations. By choosing spots of high consumer traffic the firm’s sales have been very good during the last couple of years. The firm employees over 20,000 direct workers worldwide. The company’s rapid expansion created a series of new issues and problems that must be attended in order to ensure the company continues to run a profitable operation for many years to come. The mission of the company is to provide its customer a great shopping experience in which they're able to select from a large variety of consumer goods at a price point that will attract interest from the customers while at the same time allowing the company to meet its sales quotas and revenue expectation and reaching their annual projected goals. Company A operates under a bureaucratic system due to a centralized decision making philosophy. The corporate headquarter of the company located in Los Angeles California is responsible for all strategic decisions the company implements. It also controls the internal functionality of the firm subsidiaries which results in the creation of a business entity that is slow to react to market changes. The corporate offices also have control over the internal human resources practices of all the independent firms.

The Stress In The Workplace Psychology Essay

The Stress In The Workplace Psychology Essay Stress is a common daily experience for many people, increasingly in the workplace. Employees complain that there are many elements that produce stress in the workplace; for example, relationships with other employees, occupational demands and lack of control work (Cooper, Dewe and ODriscoll 2001). A survey of over a million employees in the UK found that over fifty percent of them experienced health problems due to stress. More and more employees appear to be suffering from ill health, often attributed to stress. Some psychologists claim that job stress affects more than sixty percent of all workplaces in the UK (Cartwright 2000). Stress is a significant and increasing problem in many countries (Chmiel 2008). Many researchers believe that there are three main types of stress (Copper and Payne 1988): stress as a reaction; stress as a stimulus; and stress as an intermediary procedure between both reaction and stimulus. Thus, stress is a psychological or physiological response when peo ple face a difficulty. Currently, some theories suggest that stress is a negative sentimental state which is due to the reaction between people and their surroundings (Arnold et al. 2010). However, stress may also have a positive effect on employees. This essay will focus on the definition of stress and two causes of stress work-related causes and individual personality causes in the workplace. Then evaluate the organizational techniques and individual techniques of reducing stress. The first step in solving any problem is to be beginning by understanding the issue. The definition of stress is argued by many psychologists. Since 1929, different researchers have developed various definitions of stress. Some researchers believe that the definition should be impartial, while others suggest that it could depend on individual opinions (Furnham 2005). According to the early studies, Selye defines stress as the non-specific response of the body to any demand made upon it (1956 ¼Ã…’pp.27-29). Selyes definition concerns the physiological reaction instead of incorporating both psychological and physiological responses. A few years later, Cox (1978) illustrates that stress can be explained into three meanings: reaction-based, stimulus-based and interactive. Moreover, this theory is developed by other psychologists. Semmer (2003) claims that stress can be divided into stimulus, response and the intercede course between response and stimulus. Hence, Semmers definition is the most popular definition in sphere of learning. People use his definition to deeply understand stress. At present, stress is regarded as a public problem for most of employees. People try to find the roots of stress, especially in workplace. Some psychologists say that stressors such as workload, work schedule and conflict at work are the main sources of stress in the workplace (Landy Conte 2004). Furnham (2005) divides the main stressors into two types of cause: work-related causes and individual personality causes. He separates these stressors from the internal cause (personality) and external cause (environment). Currently, several studies prove that these two main causes which can produce stress in workplace. One of causes is work-related cause. Regarding work-related causes of stress, it includes job requirements, job role, work overload, work underload, organizational change, and other stressors. Firstly, Job requirements are the most significant factor which cause stress in the workplace. There are some demands which can make a job more and more stressful for instance, risk and danger. Police officers, firefighters, and other people in occupations where they often have to face physical threats always need to reduce the stress (Arnold et al. 2010). Secondly, Role-stressors include role conflict and role ambiguity (Woods West 2010). It affects the work settings and social support. Role ambiguity can also be a source of stress if a job description is too vague, and therefore employees are unsure of what duties they have in the office. Thirdly, Work overload and underload also influence emp loyee physical and mental health. Work overload means that there is too much work or work that is too difficult for an employee to complete. On the other hand, work underload means work is too simple to being a challenge for employees (Schultz Schultz 2002). Both work overload and work underload can lead to stress. The more time required completing a task, the lower employees level of happiness, and as a result, it impacts employees health and state of mind. The next factor is organizational change. Usually, it is difficult for employees to find their positions when the situation or environment changes. In that instance, not only the organization changes but also the demands of the organization changes, which in turn can make employees feel stressed. Finally, there are additional stressors in workplace, such as negative leadership and career development. Negative leadership gives employees pressure when they are provided negative feedback. Moreover, most of employees worry about th eir career development. In an employees career development, worrying over promotion and performance appraisals can be a significant factor of stress. Consequently, Work-related causes are external causes, which are objective and hard to change. The other main cause is individual personality causes. In this case, stress is influenced by individual factors, such as personality types, subjective opinions, and intelligence (Furnham 2006). There are many unique elements which can produce stress. Furthermore, peoples tendency to pay attention to the negative sides of an event is also a source of stress for employees. An individuals personality is an internal cause which can change by employees. Thus, these two causes are the common reasons of producing stress. Most employees are bothered by work-related causes, and are suffering from the negative effects of stress for a long time. As the cause of stress already discussed indicate, most researchers assert that stress is a growing problem in many countries one that has the potential to increase in the future (Chimel 2008). In general, stress tends to have negative consequences. Nevertheless, there are also some positive effects of stress in workplace. While, Selye (1956) believes that there are two kinds of stress distress and eustress. Distress is negative stress which can affect peoples health. Eustress is positive stress which can motivate people to reach a goal. Distress expresses the negative consequences of stress. These negative consequences can be separated into three main types: behavioral, psychological, and physiological (Woods West 2010). Initially, for behavior outcomes, people could make more mistakes during the learning and understanding processes. For example, fast food delivery workers can get into accidents more easily when there are too many deliveries to make (Landy Conte 2004). This is because they cannot pay more attention to the situation on the road when they are worried about how they can make deliveries on time. That is very dangerous for workers. Then, the psychological consequences of stress are also serious. Burnout, a common psychology consequence of stress, is a prominent negative effect of stress especially in caring careers nursing and teaching (Landy Conte 2004). For instance, a job which has massive workload and high work demands, usually leads to burnout. Normally, burnout will affect individual achievement. Employees who have low individual achievement will have difficulties facing challenge or difficulties well. It is clear that the high workload and job demands will increase the risk of burnout. In the meantime, some physiological changes result from stress as well. Some early studies reported that stress not only causes heart disease and headaches but also increases blood pressure and heart rate (Arnold et al. 2010). It is hazardous for employees that stress can threaten their life. The negative consequences of stress are easy to uncover, although, many articles have shown that stress can also have a positive influence in workplace. Selye (1956) suggests that a suitable amount of stress can help employee to develop their full potential. Because of eustress, they are good at receiving and acting on positive feedback during work time and they continue to find new challenges in their career development. Consequently, employees can get their goal soon. Stress can encourage employees to be successful in workplace. Nevertheless, most of the time, people spend lots of time studying the negative side of stress instead of the positive. The negative consequences of stress are the main problems that mostly disturb employees in workplace. Because of the negative consequence of stress, nowadays, there are many methods that can reduce or manage stress in the workplace. Some psychologists say that people can use organizational techniques and individual techniques to reduce stress in the workplace. Organizational techniques include changing the organizational climate and providing employee assistance procedure. The organization should make sure that employees are able to adapt to change (Cooper Locke 2000). It is important that employees engage in the decisions leading to change in the workplace. Participation could assist employees in adapting more easily to changes. Employees have a right to express their ideas and opinions. It can help employees to reduce or prevent the stress. Providing employees with assistance procedures means that organizations define employee roles and provide programs about stress management. In order to reduce stress which due to role ambiguity, organizations should give employees a clear job d escription before they start to work. It is an effective way to reduce employees stress. Moreover, appropriate job demands can prevent and reduce work overload and underload. Anther effective way to help employees reduce stress is by providing stress management programs. For example, a survey of 130 workers in Netherlands who engage in a stress management training program reported that it is an effective solution for reducing psychology stress. More importantly, the effects of this program lasted for six months (Schultz Schultz 2002). Accordingly, training programs could be successful in helping employees reduce stress levels in the workplace. On the other hand, Individual techniques for reducing and limiting stress are also important for employees. Since the 1930s, relaxation training has been used as an effective solution for reducing stress. The purpose of this kind of training is decrease the blood pressure. That way, employees begin to feel relaxed more quickly. In addition to the methods already described, biofeedback is another popular technique for reducing stress. Through the feedback of heart rate or blood pressure, people are taught to manage their internal state. Biofeedback can also be used to control brain waves. Keeping calm is an essential element of reducing stress. As a consequence, both organizational techniques and individual techniques are effective ways for helping employees to reduce stress. However, in fact, the organizational techniques are easier than individual techniques to enforce in a company. In conclusion, stress, an increasingly public problem, bothers most employees in modern society. Some psychologists claim that stress is a reaction and stimulus. It is a kind of psychological or physiological response shown when people face challenges or a threatening situation. There are internal causes individual personality and external causes work-related causes. Work-related cause is the main cause for producing stress in workplace. Selye (1956) demonstrates that eustress is one kind of positive stress. Eustress can motivate employees to improve themselves and get their goal. Other researchers, however, say that stress only has negative effects on employees, such as disease and burnout. In accordance with the negative effects of stress, the measures of reducing stress are divided into two categories: organizational techniques and individual techniques. These techniques deal with the stress due to work-related causes and individual personality causes. In the workplace, not only the employees but also the organizations leaders should be concerned about reducing stress.

The Influence of Attitudes on Race-based Affirmative Action Essay

The Influence of Attitudes on Race-based Affirmative Action Abstract President John F. Kennedy proposed the first major legislation to combat discrimination in the workplace, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which led to President Clinton’s Affirmative Action legislation in 1996. This legislation was based upon existent prejudices within the workforce and was aimed to correct past inequities as well as present ones. Although American society has advanced a great deal since 1964 and even since Affirmative Action legislation was implemented, basic theories of human behavior assert that individuals will always hold prejudices and practice discrimination. Affirmative action policies have been criticized by nonbeneficiaries who believe that its policies do little to end discrimination and instead create unfair job opportunities for beneficiaries. However, a considerable amount of research has shown that many Americans are in support of affirmative action and that those who are not in support of its policies are simply unaware of how affirmative action truly works. Discrimination against minorities in the United States has existed for centuries, and each generation makes its own attempt to end this discrimination. The Civil War brought emancipation, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 helped protected groups gain employment, and the Affirmative Action legislation of 1996 completed the gaps left by the Civil Rights Act. Although prejudices in American society have diminished greatly since the Civil War and even since the Civil Rights Act was passed, discrimination is still present within the United States. Because there is no guarantee that employers will hire based solely upon merit and abilities, legislation is necessary to ensure that members of protected groups are not treated unfairly during the hiring and promotional processes. Affirmative action policies help regulate employment opportunities for women and minorities so that they are not robbed of job opportunities because of their status as a woman or minority member. Affirmative action policie s act as the babysitters for organizations, and while they may need revision, they are certainly still necessary. The Civil Rights Act of 1964   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While Affirmative Action is a fairly new government policy, its roots lie in the Civil Rights Act of 1964; however, America’s attempt to end discrimin... ...gmatizing effects of affirmative action: An examination   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  of moderating variables. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32, 185-206. Stewart, M.M., & Shapiro, D.L. (1999). Selection based on merit versus demography:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Implications across race and gender lines. Paper presented at the Socity for   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Atlanta, GA. Triandis, H.C. (1996). The psychological measurement of cultural syndromes. American   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Psychologist, 51, 407-415. Trope, Y. (1986). Identification and inferential processes in dispositional attribution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Psychological Review, 93, 239-257. Weeks, K.P. (2002). Levels of prejudice and motivation as explanations for race   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  discrimination on selection interviews. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1910-1923. White House. (1995). Affirmative action review: Report to the President. Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  November 3, 2003 from the World Wide Web: www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  OP/html/aa/aa-index.

Classical Art Remakes Preserve Cultural Heritage for Future Generations Essay

I. Introduction Hook: New idea – it is well forgotten old (Geoffrey Chaucer) Thesis: I strongly belief that classical art remakes preserve cultural heritage for future generations, and the purpose of this paper is to prove it. II. Body A. Topic sentence: First, until further arguments, it is important to give the correct meaning of the word â€Å"remake. † 1. â€Å"Translation† classics art into the language of the modernity. 2. Newer version or interpretation 3. Not a parody B. Topic sentence: Second, the remake allows the younger generation to encounter with deep knowledge that has been embedded by great creators in their artworks. 1. Bottomless meaning 2. The remake is a lifebuoy 3. New life to long-forgotten artwork C. Topic sentence: Finally, main goal of remakes is not only the preservation of cultural heritage, but also are to preserve historical heritage and to immortalize the names of great and talented people. 1. A sign of ultimate fame of the original art 2. Highest prevalence 3. â€Å"Absentee† readers are always more than â€Å"confrontations. † III. Conclusion New idea – it is well forgotten old (Geoffrey Chaucer) Classical art is a moral category, which is carrying the â€Å"eternal† content. Unfortunately, the classics, such us literature, cinematography or painting, is losing its relevance under the influence of time. Only remakes of classic art-works are evidence of their immortality. Someone thinks that remake is just another way to extract money, for example, from viewers, which wanted to see their favorite movie in the new interpretation. However, I strongly belief that classical art remakes preserve cultural heritage for future generations, and the purpose of this paper is to prove it. First, until further arguments, it is important to give the correct meaning of the word â€Å"remake. † Definition of the remake is quite simple: it is â€Å"translation† classics art into the language of the modernity. In other words, the remake – it is a newer version or interpretation of previously published work. It is not a parody and does not quote a source, moreover remake fills classics with new and relevant content, but â€Å"with caution† on the sample. The author of remake does not look like parodist; he is not looking for â€Å"weak spots† of classical artwork to expose their murderous ridicule. On the contrary, remaker finely and carefully refers to the words, of which was woven the old fabric of the novel. Remeyker reflects on every character, every plot turn, stares at the familiar line, Remaker may be repeated passages of the original plot, types of characters, but he or she depicts them in a new historical, social and political conditions. Remakes chosen as the new heroes, the new women, centerfold, mental retardation, AIDS, drug users, and hackers. All of these characters for the most part – people are good, spiritually rich, suffer reflection, ready to sacrifice, etc. Second, the remake allows the younger generation to encounter with deep knowledge that has been embedded by great creators in their artworks. Classical art is full of bottomless meaning, useful for our youth, but it is very difficult to reach them through stall of misunderstanding, because of the difference between modernity and the past. I take the example of classical literature remake to verify it. If the young book reader is looking for models for answers to the vexed questions – Who I am? How to survive in the world? – it is unlikely that the classic book will not be able to help him, because it is written in inaccessible and incomprehensible to him language. The reader is looking for the book, which speaks directly, without allegory. In this cause, the modern detective story-remake about official corruption and criminal fraud will touch the reader more alive than the â€Å"Dead Souls,† written about the same thing, but on the â€Å"outdated† language. Consequently, due to a remake, the classics artwork remains indestructible. The remake is a lifebuoy, which was thrown to drowning classical art. For example, a reader would pick up the new-â€Å"Idiot,† a colorful mix of photo models, expensive cars, luxury suites, black criminals would fascinate him. The reader had read to the end of the novel, and it was not about our time, it still would be Dostoevsky’s immortal creation. Due to remake, the reader was acquainted with the great writer Dostoevsky. If it was not interesting remake, adapted for modern times, I do not think that the idea of reading Dostoevsky’s books came to the modern reader’s head, because it seemed to him too boring. Another example to proof that remakes give new life to long-forgotten artwork. There was very popular film of Vera Storozheva â€Å"Heaven. Aircraft. Girl. † This picture is a remake of the Soviet film â€Å"Once again about love. † The younger generation is unlikely to have seen the original, but the storyline and drama, as reflected in the film, which starred Renata Litvinova, many have seen. Therefore, a remake – it is â€Å"second youth† of the old classics. Perhaps remakes creating of the same classical can be every ten years. For the reason that, â€Å"terminology† is aging faster than the artwork is goes around the world, and it proves that remakes preserve the art and sneaked it through the years, but the remakers had to modify the original. Finally, main goal of remakes is not only the preservation of cultural heritage, but also are to preserve historical heritage and to immortalize the names of great and talented people. The  remake, it’s a sign of ultimate fame of the original art, its highest prevalence in the general cultural refinement of the horizon of the nation – even as a folded â€Å"label†, the most general idea of the plot. I do not think that â€Å"Anna Karenina† – Tolstoy’s novel – was reading by millions, but millions know that the heroine of this novel, committed suicide under the wheels of a train because of unrequited love. According to the article â€Å"Remakes or expansion of the classics† written by Marina Zagidullina and published in journal â€Å"UFO† in 2004, â€Å"absentee† readers are always more than â€Å"face to face. † The fame of the text is not only measured data forms libraries and sales†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The above given arguments witness in favor of my opinion that classical art remakes preserve cultural heritage for future generations. In conclusion I want to emphasise that classic is like a queen, and a remake is her true servant – even involuntarily, but he exposes his back, so she stepped through him in the future. Remake is a dialogue with classical artworks; it makes today’s mass audience to feel involved in the great history of our past.