Friday, September 6, 2019
The Insanity Defense Essay Example for Free
The Insanity Defense Essay The Insanity Defense is perhaps one of the most controversial issues in the legal world. It has become a favorite topic of critics for so long since issues regarding insanity defenses hold to be very sensitive. This paper will specifically discuss how the insanity defense works, what its effects are and how and why it has become controversial to many people.            Before we delve deeper into the topic, let us first clearly define what an insanity defense is. Insanity defense typically â€Å"refers to a plea that defendants are not guilty because they lacked the mental capacity to realize that they committed a wrong or appreciate why it was wrong†(Martin, 1998). Today, most states define insanity as a â€Å"mental impairment that impedes a person’s ability to understand the wrongfulness of his or her act (the cognitive prong). A number of states also permit a defense when the disability impairs the person’s ability to control the act (the volitional prong)†(Slobagin, 1998). However one defines the insanity defense, it has always remained controversial because it allows those who committed a heinous crime get away from criminal punishments.            The defense of insanity is â€Å"based on the premise that those who are unable to control their actions or appreciate the criminality of their actions due to mental defect or illness should not be punished under criminal law†(Dreisbach, 2006). The insanity defense is a legal test of criminal responsibility and it does not follow that it conforms to the medical definition of mental illness. Though controversies have been thrown regarding the insanity defense, it is rarely used and rarely successful as well.            Since the insanity defense is not intended to be a medical definition of a mental incapacity, loads of controversies and criticisms have arisen over the legal criteria that courts should apply in determining whether a person should be acquitted on the basis of insanity. In terms of legalities, it is believed that courts have a lot to work on to assure the credibility of an insanity defense.            But how did the insanity defense started? The guidelines for evaluating the criminal responsibility for defendants claiming to be insane were codified in the British courts in the case of Daniel M’Naughten in 1843. A 1995 Frontline Article goes back to how the M’Naughten rule started: â€Å"M’Naughten was a Scottish woodcutter who murdered the secretary to the prime minister, Sir Robert Peel, in a botched attempt to assassinate the prime minister himself. M’Naughten apparently believed that the prime minister was the architect of the myriad of personal and financial misfortunes that had befallen him. During his trial, nine witnesses testified to the fact that he was insane, and the jury acquitted him, finding him ‘not guilty by reason of insanity’†.            The queen was never pleased with the outcome, thus she asked the House of Lords to review the verdict with a panel of judges. The judges eventually reversed the verdict of the jury, and the formulation that emerged from their review states that: â€Å"a defendant should not be held responsible for his actions if he could not tell that his actions were wrong at the time he committed them†. This became the basis of the law governing legal responsibility in cases of insanity in England. The American courts and legislatures embraced this rule for more than a hundred years with almost no modification, until the 20th century when much criticism was already thrown at the courts.            During the 1950’s, a growing dissatisfaction of the M’Naughten test emerged. It was not just criticized in the legal circle but in the psychiatric circle as well. According to one 1995 Frontline article issue, one of the major criticisms of the M’Naughten rule is that â€Å"in its focus on the cognitive ability to know right from wrong, it fails to take into consideration the issue of control†. Psychiatrists agreed that it is indeed possible to understand that one’s behavior is wrong, but still be unable to stop oneself. To address this, the M’Naughter test was modified by some states with an ‘irresistible impulse’ provision, which â€Å"absolves a defendant who can distinguish right and wrong but is nonetheless unable to stop himself from committing an act he knows to be wrong†.            The Supreme Court has taken extra precautions in the proceedings in this area, with its few relevant decisions only indirectly addressing the proper formulation of the test for insanity. â€Å"Further evidence that the Court may not find the insanity defense to be an essential aspect of criminal liability comes from its treatment of the burden of proof relating to the defense†(Slobogin, 1998). The state may require the defendant to prove insanity beyond a reasonable doubt. According to Slobogin, â€Å"the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt every fact necessary to constitute proof of the crime with which the defendant is charged.†           In as far as law is concerned, does insanity defense really have a legitimate role? Hooper and McLearen (2002) state that: â€Å"Outside of assisting in sentencing, there are two places for mental disease in the legal system. The first is a defendant’s ability to understand the trial process. People who do not understand the nature of the charges or the functioning of the legal system are considered unfit for trial. More germane to this article, if mental illness had a direct effect on a given criminal act, an individual can be found legally insane.†           The concept of insanity has change over time but the basic notion of this is that there are individuals by virtue of mental conditions have no understanding or control with their unlawful behaviors. However, the presence of a mental illness will not necessarily predict a successful insanity finding.            Later on, the American Law Institute (ALI) promulgated a Model Penal Code that included a two-pronged provision for insanity. The ALI states that â€Å"an individual is not responsible for criminal conduct if, at the time of such conduct as a result of a mental disease of defect he lacks substantial capacity either to appreciate the criminality (wrongfulness) of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law†(Hooper and McLearen, 2002).            The American Law Institute was a significant softening of the M’Naughten standard. Frontline explains that â€Å"instead of requiring a defendant to have no understanding whatsoever of the nature of his acts or the difference between right and wrong, the ALI standard requires merely the person lacks a ‘substantial capacity’ to understand the right from wrong†. The ALI generally expands the M’Naughten rule to include an ‘irresistible impulse’ component. The ALI standard also excludes defendants whose mental illness, defect or incapacity only manifest itself in criminal or antisocial conduct, thus addressing the conundrum of the serial killer whose only symptom of a mental illness is the killing of his victims.            A popular example of a case in insanity defense is when John Hinckley Jr. shot the then US President Ronald Reagan and other Presidential officers in 1981. Hinckley claimed that he was trying to impress the actress Jodie Foster, with whom he felt he was infatuated. He later described the incident in a letter to The New York Times as â€Å"the greatest love offering in the history of the world†¦ At one time Miss Foster was a star and I was the insignificant fan. Now everything is changed. I am Napoleon and she is Josephine. I am Romeo and she is Juliet.†           A jury acquitted Hinckley of 13 assault, murder and weapon counts, finding him not guilty by reason of insanity. This triggered a public outcry against what many perceived to be a loophole in the justice system that allowed an obviously guilty man to escape punishment. Because of the acquittal, widespread calls for the abolishment, or at least the substantial revision of the insanity-plea laws ensued.            Due to the incessant public outrage, the members of the Congress then responded to this by introducing 26 separate pieces of legislation designed to abolish or modify the insanity defense. All the new proposals were aimed at creating a stricter federal standard that would avoid acquittals like that of Hinckley. The Hinckley verdict introduced ways to make it more difficult to sustain an insanity plea.            The insanity defense has always been a complex topic and a lot of academic and scholarly works have been devoted entirely to explain its nuances. Learnmore lays down some major points of interest: Despite popular perceptions to the contrary, defendants rarely enter pleas of â€Å"not guilty by reason of insanity†. On the few occasions that the defendant does raise it, judges and jurors rarely support it. Neither the legal system nor psychiatrists can agree on a single meaning of insanity in the criminal law context. Various definitions have been employed, making the insanity defense more controversial to people. Defendants found not guilty by reason of insanity are not automatically set free. They are usually confined to a mental institution, and not released until their sanity is established. These defendants can spend more time in a mental institution than they would have spent in prison had they been convicted. An insanity defense normally rests on the testimony of a psychiatrist, who testifies for the defendant after examining him and his past history, and the facts of the case. Courts appoint psychiatrists at government expense to assist poor defendants who cannot afford to hire their own psychiatrists. There is no wonder that the insanity defense has held a lot of controversies. With its very perplex nature, there are always rooms for loopholes. For instance, how can one actually measure the authenticity of the â€Å"guilty by reason of insanity†plea? If one pleads that he is insane at the time of trial, how can one be sure that his testimonies are plausible enough to free him from guilt or give a lighter verdict? Could an insanity defense be the perfect step to take to get away from a serious crime that has been committed? Why cannot we have a unified definition of insanity? Why do requirements vary in a number of states? These and a lot more questions with regard to insanity defense are still left unanswered. Currently, the requirements for insanity vary by state. The typical standards require that â€Å"a person be unable to differentiate between right and wrong at the time of the crime. The inability to appreciate the wrongfulness of conduct must be the direct result of a mental disease or defect†(Hooper and McLearen, 2002). This requirement actually leaves me to ponder on a certain things. If the person is legally insane at the time of the crime, how can the legal system be assured of a legally insane person’s testimonies if the person has a mental disease or defect? Can the legal system assure the people that the insanity defense was not widely misused? Due to the controversies being linked to insanity defense, there have been wide attempts to eliminate the loopholes of the system and thereby force mentally ill individuals into prison. â€Å"Some state decisions have noted that criminal intent is an absolute necessary part of any crime†(Hooper and McLearen, 2002). So it is just right that the laws should be more focused on the guilty mind. Under these laws, a person must, as a result of a mental illness, lack the ability to willingly or knowingly commit and act. This looks more at criminal intent rather than psychiatric diagnoses, therefore claiming an end to criminals getting off free. There have been states who have omitted the insanity defense entirely, instead allowing mental state to be raised only as a mitigating factor. But insanity defenses are not always successful. Only a handful of insanity defense cases have won acquittal. Though the percentage of winning an insanity defense is low, it is still likely to hold controversies. Critics have argued that â€Å"some defendants misuse it, effectively faking insanity to acquittals or less severe convictions†(Martin, 1998). Oftentimes, trials involving insanity defense get the most attention because the crimes involved in such cases are extremely bizarre. The standard for insanity defense gets periodic reviews especially after a verdict that the public finds shocking. Laws have been passed to have stricter standards for insanity defenses. â€Å"Instead of requiring prosecutors to prove a defendant’s sanity, defense attorneys now carry the burden of persuading a judge or a jury of the client’s insanity†(Martin, 1998). Martin further explains that some states have also adopted a tougher and stricter release system. Such changes in Connecticut doubled the average term acquitted defendants spend committed in institutions. This system unsurprisingly caused the number of insanity pleas to drop. With stricter standards and stricter release systems, insanity pleas have seriously dropped. Can this be considered a coincidence or a mere manifestation that previous insanity pleas were actually just faked? If because of stricter standards and tougher release systems a number of insanity pleas dropped, cannot all states impose similar standards and systems? If this will answer the endless controversies that are being associated with insanity defenses, then probably it is already high time that states take a look at their insanity defenses standards and make abrupt revisions. A person who has made criminal acts should not just easily escape by means of an insanity defense. The person just leaves room for the people to doubt the system and make outrageous cries to give enough justice to the victim of the so-called â€Å"insane†person. The insanity defense for me is just an available excuse for an accused person to be absolved from his or her criminal responsibility for his or her conduct. The rules for insanity defense had been made flexible depending on the weight of the situation and the reaction f the public. For an insanity defense to be made an excuse in having been committed a serious crime is a total ridicule for me. For if one lacks the capacity to know what is right from wrong, then how can a person actually know if he is actually insane? How can he be so sure that he was insane at the time that the crime was committed? Had there been any development in insanity defense law? The introduction of the â€Å"guilty but mentally ill†verdict in many states is considered the biggest development in the insanity defense law. Frontline explains that a defendant who receives a â€Å"guilty but mentally ill†verdict is still considered legally guilty of the crime in question, but since the defendant is mentally ill, the defendant is entitled to receive mental health treatment while institutionalized. If symptoms remit, however, the defendant is required to serve out the remainder of his sentence in a regular correctional facility, unlike a defendant who was acquitted by reason of insanity, who must be released if it is determined he is no longer dangerous to himself or others. In cases of an insanity defense, it is just right and proper that both the rights of the victim and the defendant who pleads to be insane must be protected. However one puts it, a crime has still been done regardless of one’s mental state. If indeed proven that the defendant is mentally defective or ill at the time of the crime, then proper steps must be taken into account. The verdict may be less severe that what a sane person might get, but proper medications for the defendant must be seriously followed before he gets more destructive to others and to himself. At this point, I am asking myself, why are there insanity pleas? Perhaps, it is the real situation. Perhaps the defendant is really not in a normal mental state at the time the crime happened. But how could the defendant actually defend himself given his mental incapacity to know what is right or wrong? And perhaps, just maybe, if there are no other good defenses to get a person out of a seriously committed crime, then insanity pleads might just be the solution. Perhaps it is making some sense. Insanity pleads have lowered down in number after stricter standards and systems. With both parties that should be considered for this law, emotions and judgmental instincts of people should not really get in the way. This is one serious problem that needs to be addressed and a procedural and logical system must take place to protect the rights of all parties involved. Progresses have been done and I certainly hope that there will come a time that the insanity defense would no longer hold controversies because justice has been served – both for the victim and the defendant. REFERENCES Dreisbach, Daniel L. Criminal Law. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006 [DVD]. Redmond, WA:       Microsoft Corporation, 2005. Insanity as a criminal defense. Retrieved December 9, 2007, from      http://www.theblanchlawfirm.com/NewsDetails-36/Insanity+as+a+Criminal+      Defense.html?newsid=38 A crime of insanity. Retrieved December 9, 2007, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/       Pages/frontline/shows/crime/trial/history.html#mn Slobogin, C. (1998). Insanity defense. Thomson Gale. Retrieved December 9, 2007, from       http://www.answers.com./topic/insanity-defense?cat=biz-fin Hooper, J., and McLearen, A. (2002, April). Does the insanity defense have a legitimate       role? [electronic version]. The Psychiatric times, 19 (4). Retrieved December 9, 2007,       from http://www.psychiatrictimes.cm/p020452.html Martin, J. (1998, February 2007). The insanity defense: a closer look [electronic version].       Washingto Post. Retrieved December 9, 2007 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/       wp-srv/local/longerm/aron/qa227.htm
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Are Video Games Good For Children Children And Young People Essay
Are Video Games Good For Children Children And Young People Essay For that matter, are video games good for adults. Has anyone ever seen the effects of prolonged exposure to video games and the effects it has on someones family or the community? As a father, I have dealt with negative effects of video games first hand. There have been numerous studies and debates on the subject of video games and the effects, whether positive or negative, they have on children. Video games are not good for children because of the negative effects to a childs behavior and overall health. Violent tendencies Children that play violent orientated video games have displayed violent tendencies toward others. There have been numerous studies and research conducted, on violent video games played by children, which suggest that children may become more aggressive after playing (Harvard Mental Health Letter, 2010) those types of games and the conclusion behind this reasoning, are three traits of the personality, which are high neuroticism, disagreeableness, and low levels of conscientiousness (Harvard Mental Health Letter, 2010). Playing violent orientated video games cause children to act and think aggressively (Harvard Mental Health Letter, 2010). These conditions may cause children to commit violent acts or behavior. Violent Behavior In addition to increased aggression, children who play violent video games are associated with increased violent behavior (Souccar, 2012). Because of this behavior, there have been multiple despicable acts such as the Virginia Tech shootings where a gunman killed over thirty people in 2007(Lee, Finley, 2011). In 1999, another devastating act in Columbine, Colorado, two teenage gunmen entered a school with weapons, killed twelve students and a teacher, before taking their own lives (Belanger, Wagner, 2011). Eric Harris and Dylan Kiebold were frequent players and program contributors to a violent video game called Doom (Lee, Finley, 2011). Children or teens, that do not commit violent acts, may still display pathologic behavior. Pathologic Behavior Children that play video games exhibit pathologic behavior. There are many warning signs of pathologic behavior, such as lying about or hiding how much time is spent playing or disobeying parental limits; losing interest in sports and hobbies; choosing the game over time with friends; and continuing to play despite plummeting grades(Wagner, 2008). This is a very touchy subject in my household. My thirteen year old step-son has exhibited pathologic behavior because of video games. When the neighbors kids come to ask him to play outside, he refuses and has continued playing his games. His grades at school have suffered because he does not concentrate on doing his homework and worries more about playing video games. He has told a few lies, thrown tantrums, kicked walls and our washing machine, and is constantly disrespectful to his siblings, my wife and myself. My step-son has also exhibits signs of video game addiction. Video Game Addictions Children with video game addictions, if left untreated, could have disastrous effects as adults. There are millions of people all over the world who love to play video games, either on game systems or online social media, but that love for the video games turns into tragedy for those with video game addictions. According to Lee and Finley (2011), a couple in Korea went to a local establishment to feed their video game addiction, only to return home over five hours later to find their four month old baby girl dead because she was left alone. Also according to Lee and Finley (2011), parents in Reno, Nevada were arrested after their obsession with video games caused them to neglect to feed their two young children. Increase of Video Game Addictions The increase of video games addictions has prompted the opening of clinics in countries such as the Netherlands, United States, China, and other countries around the world, to help combat the effects of video game addiction (Belanger, Wagner, 2011). Also stated, by Belanger and Wagner (2011), the Council on Science and Public Health recently proposed adding video gaming addiction to a list of formal disorders, such as drug addiction. Video game addictions and its symptoms mirror other addictions so closely, that it was almost classified as an official psychiatric disorder (Lee, Finley, 2011) by the American Medical Association (AMA) in 2007. With all of the negative effects of video games, such as addictions, there are good video games children can play. Good Video Games There are many video games that are good for children. Over the past few years, there have been many advances in good video games and game systems, such as the Wii from Nintendo and the EyeToy Kinetic from Sony, which engage the players with the game (Barros, et al, 2012). I and my family have played games on both systems, The Wii system controller is held by the player which controls the actions of the avatar on the screen. The Kinetic system is similar, but the player controls the movement of the avatar with his/her body movements through the use of a camera. One game that is used to induce physical activity, with both gaming systems, is a game called Dance, Dance, Dance (Barros, et al, 2012). The players are actively involved in the games that they are playing and are increasing their heart rate and physical activity. These Exergames (Barros, et al, 2012) are promoting exercise and physical fitness. Even though there are good video games, there are still other negative effects, su ch as inactivity from playing non-active games, which may induce childhood obesity. Childhood Obesity For children that do not have access to those types of games, cant afford the games, or just dont care to play them, often play the games that they have, for long periods of time, which leads to the lack of physical activity, and the onset of childhood obesity (Childhood Obesity, n.d.). A report, issued by the U.S. Department of Health Human Services, mentions a few reasons children may play video games for long periods of time. It may be the lack of parental control, being left alone by their parents for hours at a time, or just having to stay inside because of safety concerns (Childhood Obesity, n.d.). There is a growing concern, from parents such as myself, that children are becoming lazy from the lack of exercise because of video games. This lack of exercise contributes to weight gain and obesity. I have a personal connection with this subject because a member of my family was constantly playing video games, not getting any physical exercise, became a social outcast, and over a short period of time became obese. Video Games Are Not Good Video games are not good for children because some children exhibit too many pathologic behaviors and display violent tendencies because of video games. Children become addicted to video games which may carry over into their adulthood; they may lose all sense of reality, and their addiction to video games may become so severe, that tragedies happen because of that addiction. For other children, they may become obese because of the lack of physical activity. There are an abundance of good video games for children to play, but as a parent, I have been a witness to most of these negative effects for over 10 years and I am not going to let my step-son or any of my children play video games excessively. I will control how much time is spent playing video games; make sure that they take extended periods away from video games to get their homework completed and to get daily exercise.
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Comparative Study Of The Electoral Systems Politics Essay
Comparative Study Of The Electoral Systems Politics Essay A democracy cannot exist without elections which represent the will of the people, and elections cannot function without an electoral system that sets fair and transparent rules that govern the structures of elections. The study of electoral systems is a field of research that aims at analyzing the different electoral systems used in the world and how they put democracy into practice by making the different voters of the country represented in the parliament. A voting system can simply be defined as the procedures by which we cast votes and elect our public officials, [1] or that part of the electoral law and regulations which determine how parties and candidates are elected to a body as representative. [2] However, the importance of the electoral system lies in its consequences on the political scene of the country especially when choosing one type of electoral system over another, because electoral systems are, according to Sartori, the most speci ¬Ã‚ c manipulative instrument of politics. [3] In general there are twelve electoral systems that fall under three categories: majority, proportional representation and mixed systems. First, the voting systems that fall under the majority system are: first past the post, block vote, party block vote, alternative vote, and the two round systems. Second, under the proportional representation lie two systems: list proportional representation (List PR) and single transferable vote (STV). Third, the mixed system includes two systems: mixed member proportional and parallel systems. Finally, three other voting systems cannot be classified into one of the three systems mentioned above, there are: single non-transferable vote (SNTV), limited vote and borda count. [4] The main concern [of electoral systems] is [the] balance between decisiveness of government and representation of various minority views. [5] And sometimes, if not always, governments have to choose either one of these because of the difficulty of encompassing bot h those strong government and full representation in one type of electoral system. Regarding my thesis the two electoral systems that are important for my study are: list PR which is used in both Morocco and Algeria and SNTV which is used in Jordan. According to Samuel Huntington, the world has experienced three waves of democracy, the first one on the eve of the twentieth century until 1926; the second one emerged with the end of World War II until 1962 and the third one started in 1974. [6] The region of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) seems to be one of the few areas of the world where democratic waves did not arrive, or to be more accurate did not flourish, as there are few countries who are ranked by the Democracy Index of the Economist as either hybrid systems and many as authoritarian regimes. In the MENA region, few countries hold free and fair elections, among them are Morocco where proportional representation is used to elect the members of the parliament, Jordan, where the Single Non-Transferable Vote (SNTV) system is used and Algeria where proportional representation is used in parliamentary elections. However, in all these three countries the elections were characterized by low turnouts, invalid votes and boycott in addition to producing fragmented governments. The choice of those three MENA countries has to do with their similarities in terms of geography, culture, religion, language and their relative free and fair elections, according to international observers. On top of that, Having two kingdoms and one republic makes my comparison more interesting with Morocco at the focal point sharing similarity with Jordan in terms of the regime type and with Algeria in terms of the voting system. The objective of my thesis is to test two hypotheses: a) electoral systems in the MENA region are manipulated to produce fragmented governments and b) the geographical concentration of the vote for pro-regime parties in rural areas in contrast to the opposition base in urban areas. My thesis will compare the components of the electoral systems of the three countries and come up with patterns regarding the political party structure, the electoral reforms requested by the political parties and the elections results. Literature Review According to Andreas Schedler in his article The Nested Game of Democratization by Elections, electoral law can be used to prevent an eventual loss of votes from translating into a loss of power. [7] The major aim of the manipulation of the electoral system is the containment of its uncertain outcomes, therefore fair and free elections are allowed as long as the results can be predicted or controlled. In his book Rethinking Arab democratization: Elections without Democracy, Larbi Sadiki invented the terms electoral fetishism [8] and routinization [9] to describe the elections in the Middle East because their outcomes do not translate into major changes in society. However, even the manipulation of the voting system is not enough to guarantee an unsurprising outcome from the ballots as exemplified by the elections of 1991 in Algeria and 1989 in Jordan. The two cases of Algeria and Jordan show the autonomy of institutions exemplified by the electoral system that produ ces results that can either empower or weaken the candidates. So if the election results cannot be controlled they can at least be maneuvered to prevent a landslide victory of the opposition. Refraining from cancelling the result of elections is explained by the need of the regimes to obtain foreign aid and avoid international criticism. According to the author electoralism, being the creation of regimes, has become another state resource that the ruling elites use for legitimation purposes within and without. [10] The term electoralism refers here only to one of the three requirement of democracy; therefore having election is not enough for democracy to emerge. Therefore, the election`s main goal is to legitimate the regime and provide a way for the opposition to participate in the political life of the country but of course after guaranteeing its fragmentation. Moreover, According to Lise storm, a democracy is based on three core elements: holding free and fair elections, re specting civil liberties and strengthening the power of the elected government to govern. The aim of my study deals with the first core of the democratic principles, the free and fair elections which are instituted by the electoral law. Lise Storm stated that a country that provides for one of the three principles can still be deemed to be a democratic country, however if none of the principles is available then the country is authoritarian. Concerning the literature on the comparison of electoral systems in MENA, Ellen Lust-Okar and Amaney Ahmad Jamal analyzed the electoral systems in MENA, in their article Rulers and Rules: Reassessing the Influence of Regime Type on Electoral Law Formation. by differentiating between monarchies that prefer PR system in order to balance the strength of parties and republics that opted for plurality system in order to prevent the opposition from being elected. I will add the regime typology and election mode to make a pattern on the MENA that monarchies prefer proportional system while republics passed laws to enable the pro-regime parties to win a landslide victory. The article`s findings do not explain the use of PR in Morocco with more laws being passed to raise the threshold that will hinder small parties or the Jordanian change from a proportional system of plurality (bloc vote) to SNTV, which means one man one vote, which is supposed to reduce gerrymandering but did not. Many authors used the new institutionalism framework to analyze electoral systems. The theory is advanced by J. G. March and J. P. Olsen in their article The New Institutionalism: Organized Factors in Political Life. The theory is used in the field social science such as sociology and political science to account for the crucial rules of institutions in influencing the behavior of individuals based on norms, prohibitions or simply because an alternative does not exist. The basic aim of the theory is to prove that the organization of political life makes a difference, [11] which entails that those institutions are endogenous entities that benefit from an autonomy to exert its influence on individuals either by empowering them or confining their power. The institutions can be reinforced by third parties to exert actions that protect their interest without being in power. Andreas Shedler applied the theory of new institutionalism on the authoritarian regimes so that instead of ruling with coercive and undemocratic means; authoritarian rulers can use institutions to survive. The new institutionalism can be observed in four major ways: imperatives, landscape, containment, ambivalence. Regarding my study I will focus on the containment area regarding the electoral system and political parties. According to Shedler the electoral system can be manipulated by disempowerment or excluding sensitive areas from the hands of the elected officials; supply restriction which limits the choice available to the voter by banning, subverting or fragmenting certain parties; demand restriction by restricting the opposition access to the media; suffrage restriction by controlling the voting age ; preference distortion through the use of both violence such as intimidation and money such as vote buying; and vote distortion and rigging under the supervision of biased institu tions. [12] Regarding the legislative the manipulation includes disempowerment, agent control by directly appointing members of legislature and fragmentation. [13] My study will include the categorization made by the author and apply them to the three countries. The theory of new institutionalism will be useful to analyzing the electoral system in all the three countries and how the system influences the behavior of both the voters and candidates. The electoral system and constitution are institutions that have an immense influence on individuals. Who decides the winner from the loser in elections is not the regime nor the elections but rather the electoral system which has autonomy but it still can be manipulated. In the case of Morocco, George Joffe, in his article Moroccos Reform Process: Wider Implications, argued that the aims of the political reforms introduced by the regime were not due to external pressure or the triumph of the opposition to insert them, but rather to ensure the survival of the dynastic rule of the ruling family. As a result, the multiparty political system was adopted since the first constitution of 1962 to induce the political fragmentation in the country culminating in the hegemony of the palace over the political process of the country. Another interesting view of the Moroccan electoral system is by Andrew Barwig who argued, in his article How Electoral Rules Matter: Voter Turnout in Moroccos 2007 Parliamentary Elections, that the lower voter turnout in the election of 2007 was not only due to sociological factors but also to the electoral system as it produced an artificial and highly fragmented political landscape regardless of who wins the largest share of the na tional vote. [14] He pointed also to the aim of a multiparty system for the regime to divide and rule by preventing the emergence of a strong opposition, in addition to the role of the Ministry of Interior in controlling the electoral process since 1958 instead of assigning it to an independent commission. Third, John Grumm, the author of the article Theories of Electoral Systems, stated that the electoral system used in Morocco prevents a landslide victory of any party. The author indentified that the combination of largest remainder formula and gerrymandering induced a fragmented government and a situation whereby parties ended up with fewer seats compared to their amassed votes especially the major parties, In the case of Jordan, Glenn E. Robinson stated, in his article Can Islamists Be Democrats? The Case of Jordan, that the fear of the opposition, mainly the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, had motivated the king to have an electoral system that favors tribal affiliation rather than partisan one. Moreover, the same scholar in another article Defensive Democratization in Jordan, affirmed that the new electoral system adopted in 1993 benefited the tribal areas, mainly Eastern and Southern Jordan at the expense of urban areas, mainly the region of Amman-Zarqa which is Palestinian-dominanted. The authors conclusion is that electoral systems can be managed and controlled to prevent undesirable outcomes. In the case of Algeria, Ayln Guney and Aslihan Celenk, in their article The European Unions Democracy Promotion Policies in Algeria: Success or Failure?, stated that the Algerian regime passed a new electoral system before the election of 1991 by increasing the number of seats and districts in rural areas. The basic aim of the changes was to allow the pro-regime party, FLN, to win the elections but ironically the electoral system benefited the Islamist party of FIS instead. Mohand Salah Tahi, in his article Algerias legislative and local elections: Democracy denied (1997), indentified the Algerian military as the institution in control of the political life exemplified by the creation of parties such as RND and introducing changes to the constitution and electoral system that would not challenge its authority. For instance, to pass an amendment to the constitution the opposition needs the vote of three quarters of the upper house, in which one third directly appointed by the preside nt. These laws exemplify the fear of the regime from creating the same outcome of 1991, therefore passing some amendments both to the electoral system and the constitution allowed the regime to be in a position to control and manage the outcomes of elections without the need to annul them. What emerges from the literature review concerns the criteria that define the fairness and freedom of election, having international observers and abiding by the electoral law make is it apparent that the elections are transparent but what if the issues that undermine the fairness of the elections relate to the electoral system itself. The literature reviewed above shows that Jordan and Algeria introduced two electoral systems in the early 1990s believing that they would be suitable for making the pro- regime party the obvious winner in the case of Algeria and tribal candidates in the case of Jordan. However, the outcome of the elections persuaded the two countries to adopt different electoral system: PR in Algeria and SNTV in Jordan. Regarding the case of Morocco the shift from Plurality into PR in 1997 did not produce surprising results therefore the electoral system was kept. So the question here is why did three countries diverge in terms of the electoral system used, especially regarding Jordan and Morocco? There is huge body of literature written about electoral systems arguing about the list PR as the most propositional system in terms of allowing smaller parties to be represented in the parliament, the high turnout due to the absence of the wasted vote phenomena in contrast to the plurality system, more representation for women and a higher proportionality between seats and votes. However, from the elections results in both Morocco and Algeria the PR did not produce the same results expected of the system exemplified by the low turnout, high invalid votes, a high threshold that prevents small parties from gaining seats in the parliament while the negative outcome of PR which is a fragmented government seems to be present in both cases. In the case of Jordan, the resentment of the SNTV system pushed many parties to ask for a reform debate with Islamic Front Action (IFA), an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, asking for PR system and other parties asking for a mixed system. My thesis will analyse the abnormalities of the three systems that generated much discussion about the ineffectiveness of the voting system and the need to reform it. According to Andrew Reynolds , Ben Reilly and Andrew Ellis, the electoral system is the easiest political institution to be manipulated and the choice of the electoral system determines the winners. However, the usual distinction between Plurality and Proportional systems as the former encourages two party systems while the other induces multi-parties is not always accurate as many examples contradict these findings such as Spain, Namibia, South Africa and India. [15] This has to do with many variables besides the electoral system used such as the socio-political context of the country. Therefore, The electoral system cannot be seen in isolation of other political institutions such as the constitution, the political parties among other socio political variables, thus a PR system can have two different outcomes in two countries .The case of the three countries of Algeria, Morocco and Jordan have quasi-similar political context so the outcome of particular voting system will have the same effect based on the elections results in 2003 and 2007. Theoretical Framework According to Gallagher and Mitchell: Government is representative government, in which the people do not govern themselves directly but rather delegate the task of political decision-making to a smaller set of public officials. In democratic societies these representatives are elected. [16] In order to understand how governments are elected, we need to understand the system that allows them to be elected which is the voting system: The set of procedures that determine how people are elected to office. These procedures include how the ballot is structured, how people cast their votes, how those votes are counted, and how the winners are decided. [17] The electoral system does not only determine how people are elected to the office but also serves as a link between the voter`s preferences and the policies of the government; at least, theoretically speaking, the majority of the voters will have their opinion respected in terms of the parties and candidate they elected. [18] Based on these two quotations, the electoral systems are accurate examples to assess democracy, because electoral systems can tell more about the country. Reynolds, Reilly and Ellis divided the different aspects represented by electoral systems into four categories: geographic representation, which means that the different regions of the country are represented in the parliament; ideological representation, which implies that all the different political doctrines are represented in the parliament and at least the minor, ones, can compete in the elections; party-political situation which denotes that power is not in the hand of one party while excluding other parties from participating in the elections; [19] and descriptive representation, which entails that its different ethnic, linguistic, religious and gender components are represented; or, as Reynolds, Reilly and Ellis put it, serves as the mirror of the nation. [20] My thesis will include those four categories to anal yze electoral systems of the three countries based on the parliamentary elections held after 2000. On top of that, I will also use the theory of new institutionalism with the framework of Andreas Schedler which will be useful in identifying the reasons behind choosing a particular type of electoral system and targeting the areas that were manipulated. Aims of the Study My aim is to explain that it is possible to have free and fair elections but that does not mean that the country is democratic as the elections are based on the choice of the electoral system that produces fragmented government through the use of such policies as rising the threshold, gerrymandering and requiring difficult measures to pass an amendment to the electoral law. My thesis will analyze the electoral systems in MENA region by identifying three case studies: Morocco, Jordan and Algeria. My aim is to study the development of electoral systems in those three countries; the reason behind choosing those three countries has to do with their similarities. All of those countries are newly-formed democracies that gained their independence or emerged as a state in the second half of the twentieth century: Jordan in 1946, Morocco in 1956 and Algeria in 1962. All those three countries share geographic, linguistics and religious similarities. According to the findings of Freedom Houses Freedom in the World 2009 Survey, the only free country in the MENA is Israel, while only 6 countries are qualified as partly free: Morocco, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon and Yemen and the rest of the MENA is classified as not free. Another index that ranks countries in terms of their democracy is the Economist Index of Democracy which ranked Jordan, Morocco and Algeria a s authoritarian regimes. Based on these indexes, I chose two monarchies: Morocco and Jordan and adding one republic: Algeria. On top of that, while Morocco and Jordan share the same political regime, Morocco and Jordan share the same voting system. I want to prove that the lack of democracy in MENA is not due to cultural, religious or colonial history but rather to the manipulation of the electoral system to prevent a certain group from gaining majority, this manipulation is driven by the fear from the rise of the opposition such as the leftist and Islamist parties. My hypothesis is that the lack of democracy is not only due to the falsification of the election results but also by the manipulation of electoral systems. Therefore, even if the elections are organized in a free and fair environment with the presence of international observers, the electoral system used will prevent a group from attaining a majority. This hypothesis will back up my second hypothesis regarding the concentration of the pro-regime parties-vote in rural areas. The second aim of my thesis is to find the rationale behind the selection of a particular election mode by those three countries and the reasons behind its change, in addition to analyzing the di fferent amendments passed to the electoral system and reforms that are pressed for? Finally, my thesis will compare between the three countries to find if there are similarities in terms laws that fragment or exclude the opposition, the geographical concentration of the vote, the election results in terms of winners and losers, the turnout, the categorization of parties. The electoral system used in both Morocco and Algeria is PR (Proportional representation) while the SNTV is used in Jordan. The chart below identifies the different components of the electoral system of each country: Morocco Jordan Algeria Electoral System Plurality PR in 1997 Block Vote inherited from Britain SNTV in 1993 by a royal decree Absolute Majority Run-off in 1999 PR in 1997 Threshold 2% in 2002 6% in 2007 N/A 7% in 1997 5% in 2007 Quotas 10% women: 30 seats 6 seats for women, 9 for Christians, and 3 for the Circassian and Chechen minorities. Turnout (Latest Legislative Election) 2007 election 37% 2007 election 54% -80% in rural areas and 28% in some constituencies in the capital 2007 election 35% Invalid vote and blank vote 2007 election 19% 2007 election 15% Parliamentary System Bicameral: -The Chamber of Counselors: 270 seats. -The Chamber of Representatives: 325 seats. Bicameral: -The Assembly of Senators: 55 seats -The Chamber of Deputies: 80 seats Bicameral: -The Council of the nation: 144 members, 96 members elected by communal councils and 48 members appointed by the president. -The National Peoples Assembly: 380 seats. Political System Monarchy Monarchy Republic System of Counting the Votes Largest Remainder N/A Hare Formula Electoral Districts 2007: 95 2007: 45 districts -3 closed tribal electoral districts. 2010: 45 districts divided into 108 sub-districts 1997: 56 electoral districts : 48 and 8 for the Algerian Diaspora District magnitude Between 1 and 5 1 Ballot structure Nominal/categorical Nominal/categorical Reforms of the electoral law -2009: law number 9: from 110 to 120 Addition of sub-districts Constitution -1962 -1970 -1972 -1980: article 21, 43 and 95 -1992: increasing the seats of the parliament from 306 to 333 -1996: bicameral systems, 162 seats for the upper house indirectly elected, 81 by chambers of commerce and 27 by trade unions The 325 for the lower house directly elected. -1952 -1963: single party system -1976: socialism -1986: free market reforms -1989: multi party system -1996: banning parties formed under religious, regional or linguistic crtieria -12 November 2008: article 74 amendment and giving more rights to women Political parties categorization -Pro-palace: RNI, MP and UC -Conservative: PI -Leftist: USFP and PPS -Islamist: PJD -right: -Leftist: JCP -Islamist: IAF and MCP Pro-regime: FLN and NRD -Right: FNA -Leftist: PT and FFS -Islamist: MSP and MRI Voting Day Friday Tuesday Thursday Voting list closed N/A Closed Electoral reform asked for -Rising the threshold -changing the highest remainder formula -two systems: plurality in rural areas and PR in urban areas -PR -Mixed system: 2 votes one for the district and one for the bloc Number of independents -2002 -2007 -2003 -2007 -2010 -2002 -2010 Women representation in the lower house -34/10.5% (2007) -13/ 10.8% (2010) -30/ 7.7% (2007) By-elections The DesignMethods and Procedures -Analyze the recent legislative election results of Morocco, Jordan and Algeria in 2002 and 2007. -Identify electoral systems as the independent variable while the outcomes are the dependent variables in addition to using correlation analysis to see if there is a relationship between those two variables. This will be helpful in testing the theory that PR systems produce fragmented governments and plurality systems produce strong governments. -Since my data is mostly qualitative, I will use nominal level of measurement. -do a simulation of the three recent elections using different electoral systems -count the wasted vote Hypotheses Voting systems are manipulated to produce fragmented government Votes supporting pro-regime parties are geographically concentrated in rural areas in contrast to the opposition which is based in urban areas Research Questions What are the differences and similarities between the electoral systems of Morocco, Jordan and Algeria? How representative are electoral systems in MENA? Is there a relationship between government type and electoral system? Is there a relationship between the electoral system and the turnout? Is there a relationship between the electoral system and the number of parties? Can we make some conclusions based on the case studies and apply them to all Arab countries? What is the electoral system that best suits the region of MENA? How is the dilemma of Strong and Well-represented government dealt with? Why is the lower turnout and invalid vote prominent in urban areas in contrast with rural areas? Partition of Thesis My thesis will be divided into five chapters; the first one will be about an introduction about the electoral systems and their importance in sustaining democracy. The second chapter will be devoted to the electoral systems in Morocco and the analysis of its recent legislative election in 2007. The third chapter will include the analysis of Jordans electoral system and its recent legislative election in 2007 and 2010. The fourth chapter is devoted to the electoral system in Algeria and its recent 2007 legislative election. The fifth chapter will serve to connect the three case studies by comparing their similarities and differences and making some concluding statements on the relationship between the type of electoral system, government type and democracy. Data Collection Primary Data Sources: The constitution, electoral law and the amendments passed in the three countries. The Moroccan and Algerian 2007 legislative election results and the Jordanian 2007 and 2010 legislative election results Geographical maps of the elections results Secondary Data Sources Interviews with some political parties in Morocco -analysis of interviews conducted with politi
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Investigate the Effect of Varying Solution Concentration on Osmosis in
Investigate the Effect of Varying Solution Concentration on Osmosis in a Potato Chip Prediction A definition of osmosis is: 'the movement of water molecules from an area of high water concentration to a low water concentration across a semi-permeable membrane' (Oxforddictionary 2000). In a high concentration of water the amount of solute (e.g. sugar) is low. These solutions are usually known as a dilute or weak solution. But in a low concentration of water the amount of solute (e.g. sugar) is high. These solutions are usually known as concentrated or strong solutions. When a weak solution and a strong solution are separated by a partially permeable membrane, the water will move from the area of high concentration to the area of low until both sides are equal. This is osmosis, and is shown in the diagram below. Examples of osmosis can also be seen in living cells. Root hairs on plants take in water from the soil via osmosis. Water continuously moves along the cells of the root and up the xylem to the leaf. Water is moving to areas of lower water concentration all the time. This is shown in the diagram below. Example of Osmosis in a Root Hair Cell When a cell is placed in distilled water which is high water concentration water will move across the semi- permeable membrane into the cell which has lower water concentration by osmosis, making the cell swell in size. The cell is now known as turgid. If a potato cell was placed in the same circumstances the cells would increase in length, volume and mass because of the osmotic effects. If the same potato cells were placed in a solution with a low water concentration, then the effects would be the opposite - water would move out of the cell into the area of lower concentration, the water. Thus, the potato chip will decrease in length, volume and mass. In more extreme cases, the cell membrane would break away from the cell wall and the cell is then known as plasmolysed. The higher the concentration of water in the external solution, the higher the amount of water that enters the cell by osmosis. The smaller the concentration of water in the external solution, the higher the amount of water that leaves the cell. However, there will be a point where the concentrations of water inside and outside the cells are equal. This is known as the isotonic point, and at this point there will be no change in the length, vo... ...nger, this would have enabled me to find the saturation point (when the potato can no longer take in any more water) and dehydration point (when the potato cannot lose any more water)and therefore get a more accurate result. Finally, I could extend the experiment to a more exact level by looking at the potato cylinders under a microscope, and then I would be able to see the cells in greater detail and draw some more observational results. Further investigations that I could carry out in the future are, using a different variety of potato, for example, a 'king Edward' rather than a 'maris piper'. Also I could use a different plant tissue, for example, a carrot or an apple. Then I could find out whether osmosis occurs with the same patterns and trends with any vegetable. Conclusion However despite this, I think that the experiment I carried out, (given the apparatus I was given to carry out the test) was successful, my results were consistent, and I was pleased with the comparison of my results with my previous prediction. I followed the method plan correctly; I believe I gained accurate and sufficient enough results to conclude the experiment, and to prove my initial prediction.
Monday, September 2, 2019
The Federal Reserve Essay -- Economics
To understand the purpose and role of the Federal Reserve System, we must first know the origin of the central bank of the United States. On December 23, 1913 President Woodrow Wilson signed The Federal Reserve Act. The primary purpose of the act was to make sure that a supply of money and credit would be available in the United States to meet banking demands by establishing Federal Reserve Banks which would hold the responsibility of supporting the credit structure during periods of financial strain. Other banks were expected to rely on the Federal Reserve for emergency cash and credit. Government and banking influence would select the management, primarily a board of directors chosen by banks. Supervision would be by the Federal Reserve Board. The intent in 1913 was to create eight to twelve centrally located district Federal Reserve Banks and national banks would be required to keep a part of their reserve with the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve would receive deposit s from the government and receive deposits and lend to member banks only. It took almost a year to determine the boundaries of the decided twelve districts and establish the twelve Reserve Banks (one of the four components of the Federal Reserve). Named after the city in which they are located, the twelve Banks are Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Richmond, Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Dallas, and San Francisco. The Federal Reserve plays a significant role in maintaining the stability and liquidity (the ability to turn an asset into cash) of the financial system by working towards low and stable inflation and also strive to encourage growth in output and employment . A second component, the Federal Reserve Board... ...y 10). Retrieved May 23, 2012, from Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System: http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/press/other/20110110a.htm Press Release. (2012, January 11). Retrieved May 23, 2012, from Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System: http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/press/other/20120110a.htm (1914). The Federal Reserve Act of 1913. In O. Sprague, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 28 No. 2 (pp. 213-254). Oxford University Press. The Budgetary Impact and Subsidy Costs of the Federal Reserve's Actions During the Financial Crisis. (n.d.). Retrieved May 21, 2012, from CBO: http://www.cbo.gov/publication/21491 Who are the members of the Federal Reserve Board, and how are they selected? (n.d.). Retrieved May 21, 2012, from Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System: http://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/about_12591.htm
Reid Based Prepaid Energy Mater
chapter 1 [pic] 1. 1 Objectives of the Study Prepaid energy meter are being used worldwide to improve the collection of funds for the energy used. Weather it is developed nation or developing nation all electricity boards are facing two major issues 1. Power Theft 2. Collection of funds In the existing system the above two problems are non predictable and time consuming process respectively. To overcome these things in the proposed system Cal cards has developed and implemented as RFID based pre-paid energy meter. Cal card take information management to new heights with RFID technology.Using the state of the art technology, we can now write data into the RFID tag electronically. Using dual Authentication, Stream Encryption and other security features we restrict access to un-authorized personnel for any particular information. In this project three units are important they are RFID Card, RFID Reader and Writer. Tags are programmable and they may be read or read/write i. e. the inform ation stored in the tag’s memory cannot be changed or can be updated as required. The reader powers the antenna to generate radio frequency waves to transmit a signal that activates the tag and allows data to come into or leave the tag’s memory.This card can be designed to hold all amount details including Name of the family head, ID number, resident address and amount has been recharged. chapter 2 [pic] 2. 1 Methodology of the study Methodology: This System assigns a unique card number for each house. A particular house person places the RFID card within 5cm distance from the RFID Reader. The RFID Reader reads down the time, date and for how much amount it was recharged. The success of recharge will be indicated on the LCD display with buzzer acknowledgement sound.The display also indicates the current energy utilization. The Interface software is responsible for energy utilization record processing and calculation amount for the utilized energy. 2. 2 EMBEDDED SYSTEM: Embedded System is a combination of hardware and software used to achieve a single specific task. An embedded system is a microcontroller-based, software driven, reliable, real-time control system, autonomous, or human or network interactive, operating on diverse physical variables and in diverse environments and sold into a competitive and cost conscious market.An embedded system is not a computer system that is used primarily for processing, not a software system on PC or UNIX, not a traditional business or scientific application. High-end embedded & lower end embedded systems. High-end embedded system – Generally 32, 64 Bit Controllers used with OS. Examples Personal Digital Assistant and Mobile phones etc . Lower end embedded systems – Generally 8,16 Bit Controllers used with an minimal operating systems and hardware layout designed for the specific purpose. Examples Small controllers and devices in our everyday life like Washing Machine, Microwave Ovens, where th ey are embedded in.SYSTEM DESIGN CALLS:[pic] THE EMBEDDED SYSTEM DESIGN CYCLE: [pic] â€Å"V Diagram†In this place we need to discuss the role of simulation software, real-time systems and data acquisition in dynamic test applications. Traditional testing is referred to as â€Å"static†testing where functionality of components is tested by providing known inputs and measuring outputs. Today there is more pressure to get products to market faster and reduce design cycle times. This has led to a need for â€Å"dynamic†testing where components are tested while in use with the entire system – either real or simulated.Because of cost and safety concerns, simulating the rest of the the system with real-time hardware is preferred to testing components in the actual real system. The diagram shown on this slide is the â€Å"V Diagram†that is often used to describe the development cycle. Originally developed to encapsulate the design process of software applications, many different versions of this diagram can be found to describe different product design cycles. Here we have shown one example of such a diagram representing the design cycle of embedded control applications common to automotive, aerospace and defense applications.In this diagram the general progression in time of the development stages is shown from left to right. Note however that this is often an iterative process and the actual development will not proceed linearly through these steps. The goal of rapid development is to make this cycle as efficient as possible by minimizing the iterations required for a design. If the x-axis of the diagram is thought of as time, the goal is to narrow the â€Å"V†as much as possible and thereby reduce development time. The y-axis of this diagram can be thought of as the level at which the system components are considered.Early on in the development, the requirements of the overall system must be considered. As the system is divided into sub-systems and components, the process becomes very low-level down to the point of loading code onto individual processors. Afterwards components are integrated and tested together until such time that the entire system can enter final production testing. Therefore the top of the diagram represents the high-level system view and the bottom of the diagram represents a very low-level view. Notes: †¢ V diagram describes lots of applicationsâ€â€derived from software development. Reason for shape, every phase of design requires a complimentary test phase. High-level to low-level view of application. †¢ This is a simplified version. †¢ Loop Back/ Iterative process, X-axis is time (sum up). Characteristics of Embedded System: †¢ An embedded system is any computer system hidden inside a product other than a computer †¢ There will encounter a number of difficulties when writing embedded system software in addition to those we encounter when we wr ite applications – Throughput – Our system may need to handle a lot of data in a short period of time. Response–Our system may need to react to events quickly – Testability–Setting up equipment to test embedded software can be difficult – Debugability–Without a screen or a keyboard, finding out what the software is doing wrong (other than not working) is a troublesome problem – Reliability – embedded systems must be able to handle any situation without human intervention – Memory space – Memory is limited on embedded systems, and you must make the software and the data fit into whatever memory exists – Program installation – you will need special tools to get your oftware into embedded systems – Power consumption – Portable systems must run on battery power, and the software in these systems must conserve power – Processor hogs – computing that requires large amount s of CPU time can complicate the response problem – Cost – Reducing the cost of the hardware is a concern in many embedded system projects; software often operates on hardware that is barely adequate for the job. †¢ Embedded systems have a microprocessor/ microcontroller and a memory. Some have a serial port or a network connection. They usually do not have keyboards, screens or disk drives.APPLICATIONS: 1. Military and aerospace embedded software applications 2. Communication Applications 3. Industrial automation and process control software CLASSIFICATION: †¢ Real Time Systems. †¢ RTS is one which has to respond to events within a specified deadline. †¢ A right answer after the dead line is a wrong answer RTS CLASSIFICATION: †¢ Hard Real Time Systems †¢ Soft Real Time System HARD REAL TIME SYSTEM: †¢ â€Å"Hard†real-time systems have very narrow response time. †¢ Example: Nuclear power system, Cardiac pacemaker. SOFT RE AL TIME SYSTEM: â€Å"Soft†real-time systems have reduced constrains on â€Å"lateness†but still must operate very quickly and repeatable. †¢ Example: Railway reservation system – takes a few extra seconds the data remains valid. LANGUAGES USED: †¢ C †¢ C++ †¢ Java †¢ Linux †¢ Ada †¢ Assembly MPLAB FEATURES: MPLAB Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a free, integrated toolset for the development of embedded applications employing Microchip's PIC ® and dsPIC ® microcontrollers. MPLAB Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a free, integrated toolset for the development of embedded applications employing Microchip's PIC ® and dsPIC ® microcontrollers.MPLAB IDE runs as a 32-bit application on MS Windows ®, is easy to use and includes a host of free software components for fast application development and super-charged debugging. MPLAB IDE also serves as a single, unified graphical user interface for additio nal Microchip and third party software and hardware development tools. Moving between tools is a snap, and upgrading from the free software simulator to hardware debug and programming tools is done in a flash because MPLAB IDE has the same user interface for all tools.MPLAB IDE’s SIM, high speed software simulator for PIC and dsPIC (Digital Signal Processing PIC Microcontroller) devices with peripheral simulation, complex stimulus injection and register logging. CHAPTER 3 [pic] 3. 1 Block Diagram of RFID PREPAID energy meter BLOCK DIAGRAM 3. 2 Description of the Block Diagram The AC main Block is the power supply which is of single phase 230V ac. This should be given to step down transformer to reduce the 230V ac voltage to low voltage. i. e. , to 6V or 12V ac this value depends on the transformer inner winding. The output of the transformer is given to the rectifier circuit.This rectifier converts ac voltage to dc voltage. But the voltage may consist of ripples or harmonics. To avoid these ripples the output of the rectifier is connected to filter. The filter thus removes the harmonics. This is the exact dc voltage of the given specification. But the controller operates at 5V dc and the relays and driver operates at 12V dc voltage. So we need a regulator to reduce the voltage. 7805 regulator produces 5V dc. The 7805 regulator produces 5V dc and this voltage is given to PIC micro controller and sensors. The outputs of the sensors are also given to PIC micro controller.LCD, Keypad unit, SMART CARD read and write unit are connected to the controller. The controller reads the SMART CARD data from SMART CARD reader. The controller displays the data on LCD, depends upon the energy consumption the amount will be reduced. [pic] 3. 3 circuit diagram of RFID PREPAID energy meter: [pic] 3. 4 Circuit Description POWER SUPPLY: Power supply unit consists of Step down transformer, Rectifier, Input filter, Regulator unit, Output filter. The Step down Transformer is us ed to step down the main supply voltage from 230V AC to lower value.This 230 AC voltage cannot be used directly, thus it is stepped down. The Transformer consists of primary and secondary coils. To reduce or step down the voltage, the transformer is designed to contain less number of turns in its secondary core. The output from the secondary coil is also AC waveform. Thus the conversion from AC to DC is essential. This conversion is achieved by using the Rectifier Circuit/Unit. The Rectifier circuit is used to convert the AC voltage into its corresponding DC voltage. There are Half-Wave, Full-Wave and bridge Rectifiers available for this specific function.The most important and simple device used in Rectifier circuit is the diode. The simple function of the diode is to conduct when forward biased and not to conduct in reverse bias. The Forward Bias is achieved by connecting the diode’s positive with positive of the battery and negative with battery’s negative. The effi cient circuit used is the Full wave Bridge rectifier circuit. The output voltage of the rectifier is in rippled form, the ripples from the obtained DC voltage are removed using other circuits available. The circuit used for removing the ripples is called Filter circuit.Capacitors are used as filter. The ripples from the DC voltage are removed and pure DC voltage is obtained. And also these capacitors are used to reduce the harmonics of the input voltage. The primary action performed by capacitor is charging and discharging. It charges in positive half cycle of the AC voltage and it will discharge in negative half cycle. Here we used 1000 µF capacitor. So it allows only AC voltage and does not allow the DC voltage. This filter is fixed before the regulator. Thus the output is free from ripples. Regulator regulates the output voltage to be always constant.The output voltage is maintained irrespective of the fluctuations in the input AC voltage. As and then the AC voltage changes, th e DC voltage also changes. Thus to avoid this Regulators are used. Also when the internal resistance of the power supply is greater than 30 ohms, the output gets affected. Thus this can be successfully reduced here. The regulators are mainly classified for low voltage and for high voltage. Here we used 7805 positive regulators. It reduces the 6V dc voltage to 5V dc Voltage. The Filter circuit is often fixed after the Regulator circuit. Capacitor is most often used as filter.The principle of the capacitor is to charge and discharge. It charges during the positive half cycle of the AC voltage and discharges during the negative half cycle. So it allows only AC voltage and does not allow the DC voltage. This filter is fixed after the Regulator circuit to filter any of the possibly found ripples in the output received finally. Here we used 0. 1 µF capacitor. The output at this stage is 5V and is given to the Microcontroller Microcontroller and sensors are operated at 5V dc voltage. The output of the 7805 regulator is connected to PIC 16f877A microcontroller. Controller CircuitThe PIC 16f877A microcontroller is a 40-pin IC. The first pin of the controller is MCLR pin and the 5V dc supply is given to this pin through 10K? resistor. This supply is also given to 11th pin directly. The 12th pin of the controller is grounded. A tank circuit consists of a 4 MHZ crystal oscillator and two 22pf capacitors is connected to 13th and 14th pins of the PIC. The circuit consists of MAX-232 IC. It is a 16-pin dual in package IC. The 11th and 12th pins of MAX-232 IC are connected to the 25th and 26th pins of the PIC microcontroller. These are receiver OUT and Transmitter IN pins respectively.LCD is connected to the RC0 to RD7 pins of the PIC microcontroller. 13th, 14th and 15th pins of the MAX-232 IC are connected to the smart card read Buffer. The Keypad unit connected to the RB0 to RB3 pins of the PIC micro controller. The keypad unit consists of 4 switches. One is for menu, sec ond is Exit, third one is for Clear and the other is for Day Increment. MAX-232 IC is used to convert the voltage from 5V to 10V and 10V to 5V. This IC is used to communicate with the PC. It also acts as voltage converter. The LCD used here is to display the Attendance details. [pic] 3. 5 CIRCUIT OPERATIONThe input of the circuit is taken from the main. It is a single phase 230V ac voltage. This 230 AC voltage cannot be used directly, thus it is stepped down. The Step down Transformer is used to step down the main supply voltage from 230V AC to lower value. Because the microcontroller and sensors are operated at +5V dc voltage and relays and drivers will be operate at +12V dc voltage. So first this 230C AC voltage should be stepped down and then it should be converted to dc. After converting to dc it is applied to controller, sensors, relays and drivers. In this project we used 230/12V step down transformer.In this circuit we used two regulators. 7805 regulator for producing 5V dc, and 7812 regulators for 12V dc voltage. The output of 7805 regulators is given to PIC microcontroller and three sensors. The output of the 7812 regulator is connected to driver IC and a Relay. The main parts of this project are smart card and PIC micro controller. The coding will be installed to microcontroller through PIC Flash micro systems compiler unit. The crystal oscillator is used to generate the clock pulses to the PIC micro controller. The speed of the microcontroller depends upon the value of the crystal oscillator.In this project we used the 4 MHz crystal oscillator. Whenever recharged smart card shown in front of the reader the data from card will be read and send to controller through reader. The controller confirms whether it is old or new card. After this it will automatically open the lock to use EB power supply. If the wrong card shown, controller activate the alarm. Depends on the energy consumption the amount will reduced by the controller, when its come to below zero the controller automatically cut down the EB power supply through driver unit. In the driver unit ULN2003 is used as driver to driver the 12v relay.We inserted the process into the controller through coding. Coding was developed in Embedded ‘C’ Language. CHAPTER 4 [pic] 4. 1 Hardware Requirements: 1. Power supply unit 2. Microcontroller 3. MAX-232 IC 4. LCD 5. Keypad Unit 4. 2 POWER SUPPLY UNIT: Circuit Diagram [pic] Power supply unit consists of following units i) Step down transformer ii) Rectifier unit iii) Input filter iv) Regulator unit v) Output filter 4. 3. 1 Stepdown transformer: The Step down Transformer is used to step down the main supply voltage from 230V AC to lower value. This 230 AC voltage cannot be used directly, thus it is stepped down.The Transformer consists of primary and secondary coils. To reduce or step down the voltage, the transformer is designed to contain less number of turns in its secondary core. The output from the secondary coil is a lso AC waveform. Thus the conversion from AC to DC is essential. This conversion is achieved by using the Rectifier Circuit/Unit. 4. 3. 2 Rectifier Unit: The Rectifier circuit is used to convert the AC voltage into its corresponding DC voltage. There are Half-Wave, Full-Wave and bridge Rectifiers available for this specific function. The most important and simple device used in Rectifier circuit is the diode.The simple function of the diode is to conduct when forward biased and not to conduct in reverse bias. The Forward Bias is achieved by connecting the diode’s positive with positive of the battery and negative with battery’s negative. The efficient circuit used is the Full wave Bridge rectifier circuit. The output voltage of the rectifier is in rippled form, the ripples from the obtained DC voltage are removed using other circuits available. The circuit used for removing the ripples is called Filter circuit. 4. 3. 3 Input Filter: Capacitors are used as filter.The ri pples from the DC voltage are removed and pure DC voltage is obtained. And also these capacitors are used to reduce the harmonics of the input voltage. The primary action performed by capacitor is charging and discharging. It charges in positive half cycle of the AC voltage and it will discharge in negative half cycle. So it allows only AC voltage and does not allow the DC voltage. This filter is fixed before the regulator. Thus the output is free from ripples. 4. 3. 4 Regulator unit: [pic] 7805 Regulator Regulator regulates the output voltage to be always constant.The output voltage is maintained irrespective of the fluctuations in the input AC voltage. As and then the AC voltage changes, the DC voltage also changes. Thus to avoid this Regulators are used. Also when the internal resistance of the power supply is greater than 30 ohms, the output gets affected. Thus this can be successfully reduced here. The regulators are mainly classified for low voltage and for high voltage. Furth er they can also be classified as: i) Positive regulator 1â€â€> input pin 2â€â€> ground pin 3â€â€> output pin It regulates the positive voltage. ii) Negative regulator â€â€> ground pin 2â€â€> input pin 3â€â€> output pin It regulates the negative voltage. 4. 3. 5 Output Filter: The Filter circuit is often fixed after the Regulator circuit. Capacitor is most often used as filter. The principle of the capacitor is to charge and discharge. It charges during the positive half cycle of the AC voltage and discharges during the negative half cycle. So it allows only AC voltage and does not allow the DC voltage. This filter is fixed after the Regulator circuit to filter any of the possibly found ripples in the output received finally. Here we used 0. 1 µF capacitor.The output at this stage is 5V and is given to the Microcontroller. 4. 4 MICRO CONTROLLER: A computer-on-a-chip is a variation of a microprocessor which combines the processor core (CPU), some memory, and I/O (input/output) lines, all on one chip. The computer-on-a-chip is called the microcomputer whose proper meaning is a computer using a (number of) microprocessor(s) as its CPUs, while the concept of the microcomputer is known to be a microcontroller. A microcontroller can be viewed as a set of digital logic circuits integrated on a single silicon chip. This chip is used for only specific applications. . 4. 1 ADVANTAGES OF USING A MICROCONTROLLER OVER MICROPROCESSOR: A designer will use a Microcontroller to 1. Gather input from various sensors 2. Process this input into a set of actions 3. Use the output mechanisms on the Microcontroller to do something useful 4. RAM and ROM are inbuilt in the MC. 5. Cheap compared to MP. 6. Multi machine control is possible simultaneously. Examples: 8051 (ATMAL), PIC (Microchip), Motorola (Motorola), ARM Processor, Applications: Cell phones, Computers, Robots, Interfacing to two pc’s. 4. 4. 2 Microcontroller Core Features: †¢ High-per formance RISC CPU. Only 35 single word instructions to learn. †¢ All single cycle instructions except for program branches which are two cycle. †¢ Operating speed: DC – 20 MHz clock input DC – 200 ns instruction cycle. †¢ Up to 8K x 14 words of FLASH Program Memory, Up to 368 x 8 bytes of Data Memory (RAM) Up to 256 x 8 bytes of EEPROM data memory. †¢ Pin out compatible to the PIC16C73B/74B/76/77 †¢ Interrupt capability (up to 14 sources) †¢ Eight level deep hardware stack †¢ Direct, indirect and relative addressing modes. †¢ Power-on Reset (POR). †¢ Power-up Timer (PWRT) and Oscillator Start-up Timer (OST). Watchdog Timer (WDT) with its own on-chip RC oscillator for reliable operation. †¢ Programmable code-protection. †¢ Power saving SLEEP mode. †¢ Selectable oscillator options. †¢ Low-power, high-speed CMOS FLASH/EEPROM technology. †¢ Fully static design. †¢ In-Circuit Serial Programming (ICSP ) . †¢ Single 5V In-Circuit Serial Programming capability. †¢ In-Circuit Debugging via two pins. †¢ Processor read/write access to program memory. †¢ Wide operating voltage range: 2. 0V to 5. 5V. †¢ High Sink/Source Current: 25 mA. †¢ Commercial and Industrial temperature ranges. †¢ Low-power consumption.In this project we used PIC 16f877A microcontroller. PIC means Peripheral Interface Controller. The PIC family having different series. The series are 12- Series, 14- Series, 16- Series, 18- Series, and 24- Series. We used 16 Series PIC microcontroller. 3. PIC MICROCONTROLLER 16F877A 1. INTRODUCTION TO PIC MICROCONTROLLER 16F877A The PIC 16f877A microcontroller is a 40-pin IC. The first pin of the controller is MCLR pin and the 5V dc supply is given to this pin through 10K? resistor. This supply is also given to 11th pin directly. The 12th pin of the controller is grounded.A tank circuit consists of a 4 MHZ crystal oscillator and two 22pf capacitor s is connected to 13th and 14th pins of the PIC. 2. FEATURES OF PIC MICROCONTROLLER 16F877A †¢ Operating frequency: DC-20Mhz. †¢ Flash program memory (14 bit words):8K †¢ Data memory (in bytes): 368 †¢ EEPROM Data memory (in bytes):256 †¢ Interrupts: 15 †¢ I/o ports: A, B, C, D, E †¢ Timers: 3 †¢ Analog comparators: 2 †¢ Instructions: 35 4. 3. 3 pin diagram of pic 16f874a/877a: [pic] 4. 3. 4 FUNCTIONAL BLOCK DIAGRAM OF PIC 16F877A [pic] 4. 4 LCD Display: Liquid crystal display (LCD) has material which combines the properties of both liquid and crystals.They have a temperature range within which the molecules are almost as mobile as they would be in a liquid, but are grouped together in an order form similar to a crystal. LCD DISPLAY: [pic] More microcontroller devices are using ‘smart LCD' displays to output visual information. The following discussion covers the connection of a Hitachi LCD display to a PIC microcontroller. LCD disp lays designed around Hitachi's LCD HD44780 module, are inexpensive, easy to use, and it is even possible to produce a readout using the 8 x 80 pixels of the display.Hitachi LCD displays have a standard ASCII set of characters plus Japanese, Greek and mathematical symbols. For an 8-bit data bus, the display requires a +5V supply plus 11 I/O lines. For a 4-bit data bus it only requires the supply lines plus seven extra lines. When the LCD display is not enabled, data lines are tri-state which means they are in a state of high impedance (as though they are disconnected) and this means they do not interfere with the operation of the microcontroller when the display is not being addressed. The LCD also requires 3 â€Å"control†lines from the microcontroller. Enable (E) |This line allows access to the display through R/W and RS lines. When this line is low, the LCD is disabled and | | |ignores signals from R/W and RS. When (E) line is high, the LCD checks the state of the two c ontrol lines and | | |responds accordingly. | |Read/Write (R/W) |This line determines the direction of data between the LCD and microcontroller. When it is low, data is written | | |to the LCD. When it is high, data is read from the LCD. |Register select (RS) |With the help of this line, the LCD interprets the type of data on data lines. When it is low, an instruction is | | |being written to the LCD. When it is high, a character is being written to the LCD. | Logic status on control lines: E    0 Access to LCD disabled 1 Access to LCD enabled R/W 0 Writing data to LCD 1 Reading data from LCD RS   0 Instruction 1 Character Writing data to the LCD is done in several steps: Set R/W bit to low Set RS bit to logic 0 or 1 (instruction or character) Set data to data lines (if it is writing) Set E line to highSet E line to low Read data from data lines (if it is reading). Reading data from the LCD is done in the same way, but control line R/W has to be high. When we send a high to the LCD, it will reset and wait for instructions. Typical instructions sent to LCD display after a reset are: turning on a display, turning on a cursor and writing characters from left to right. When the LCD is initialized, it is ready to continue receiving data or instructions. If it receives a character, it will write it on the display and move the cursor one space to the right. The Cursor marks the next location where a character will be written.When we want to write a string of characters, first we need to set up the starting address, and then send one character at a time. Characters that can be shown on the display are stored in data display (DD) RAM. The size of DDRAM is 80 bytes. |The LCD display also possesses 64 bytes of Character-Generator (CG)|[pic] | |RAM. This memory is used for characters defined by the user. Data | | |in CG RAM is represented as an 8-bit character bit-map.Each | | |character takes up 8 bytes of CG RAM, so the total number of | | |ch aracters, which the user can define, is eight. In order to read | | |in the character bit-map to the LCD display, we must first set the | | |CG RAM address to starting point (usually 0), and then write data | | |to the display.The definition of a ‘special' character is given in| | |the picture. | | Before we access DD RAM after defining a special character, the program must set the DD RAM address. Writing and reading data from any LCD memory is done from the last address which was set up using set-address instruction. Once the address of DD RAM is set, a new written character will be displayed at the appropriate place on the screen.Until now we discussed the operation of writing and reading to an LCD as if it were an ordinary memory. But this is not so. The LCD controller needs 40 to 120 microseconds (uS) for writing and reading. Other operations can take up to 5 mS. During that time, the microcontroller can not access the LCD, so a program needs to know when the LCD is bu sy. We can solve this in two ways. One way is to check the BUSY bit found on data line D7. This is not the best method because LCD's can get stuck, and program will then stay forever in a loop checking the BUSY bit. The other way is to introduce a delay in the program.The delay has to be long enough for the LCD to finish the operation in process. Instructions for writing to and reading from an LCD memory are shown in the previous table. At the beginning we mentioned that we needed 11 I/O lines to communicate with an LCD. However, we can communicate with an LCD through a 4-bit data bus. Thus we can reduce the total number of communication lines to seven. The wiring for connection via a 4-bit data bus is shown in the diagram below. In this example we use an LCD display with 2Ãâ€"16 characters, labeled LM16X212 by Japanese maker SHARP.The message ‘character' is written in the first row: and two special characters ‘~' and ‘}' are displayed. In the second row we have p roduced the word ‘mikroElektronika'. INTERFACING PIC MICROCONTROLLER TO LCD: [pic] 4. 5 DESIGN OF EMBEDDED SYSTEM Like every other system development design cycle embedded system too have a design cycle. The flow of the system will be like as given below. For any design cycle these will be the implementation steps. From the initial state of the project to the final fabrication the design considerations will be taken like the software consideration and the hardware components, sensor, input and output.The electronics usually uses either a microprocessor or a microcontroller. Some large or old systems use general-purpose mainframe computers or minicomputers. User Interfaces: User interfaces for embedded systems vary widely, and thus deserve some special comment. User interface is the ultimate aim for an embedded module as to the user to check the output with complete convenience. One standard interface, widely used in embedded systems, uses two buttons (the absolute minimum) to control a menu system (just to be clear, one button should be â€Å"next menu entry†the other button should be â€Å"select this menu entry†).Another basic trick is to minimize and simplify the type of output. Designs sometimes use a status light for each interface plug, or failure condition, to tell what failed. A cheap variation is to have two light bars with a printed matrix of errors that they select- the user can glue on the labels for the language that he speaks. For example, most small computer printers use lights labeled with stick-on labels that can be printed in any language. In some markets, these are delivered with several sets of labels, so customers can pick the most comfortable language.In many organizations, one person approves the user interface. Often this is a customer, the major distributor or someone directly responsible for selling the system. PLATFORM: There are many different CPU architectures used in embedded designs such as ARM, MIPS, Coldfir e/68k, PowerPC, X86, PIC, 8051, Atmel AVR, H8, SH, V850, FR-V, M32R etc. This in contrast to the desktop computer market, which as of this writing (2003) is limited to just a few competing architectures, mainly the Intel/AMD x86, and the Apple/Motorola/IBM PowerPC, used in the Apple Macintosh.With the growing acceptance of Java in this field, there is a tendency to even further eliminate the dependency on specific CPU/hardware (and OS) requirements. Standard PC/104 is a typical base for small, low-volume embedded and rugged zed system design. These often use DOS, Linux or an embedded real-time operating system such as QNX or Inferno. A common configuration for very-high-volume embedded systems is the system on a chip, an application-specific integrated circuit, for which the CPU was purchased as intellectual property to add to the IC's design.A related common scheme is to use a field-programmable gate array, and program it with all the logic, including the CPU. Most modern FPGAs are designed for this purpose. Tools: Like typical computer programmers, embedded system designers use compilers, assemblers, and debuggers to develop embedded system software. However, they also use a few tools that are unfamiliar to most programmers. Software tools can come from several sources: †¢ Software companies that specialize in the embedded market. †¢ Ported from the GNU software development tools.Sometimes, development tools for a personal computer can be used if the embedded processor is a close relative to a common PC processor. Embedded system designers also use a few software tools rarely used by typical computer programmers. One common tool is an â€Å"in-circuit emulator†(ICE) or, in more modern designs, an embedded debugger. This debugging tool is the fundamental trick used to develop embedded code. It replaces or plugs into the microprocessor, and provides facilities to quickly load and debug experimental code in the system. A small pod usually prov ides the special electronics to plug into the system.Often a personal computer with special software attaches to the pod to provide the debugging interface. Another common tool is a utility program (often home-grown) to add a checksum or CRC to a program, so it can check its program data before executing it. An embedded programmer that develops software for digital signal processing often has a math workbench such as MathCad or Mathematica to simulate the mathematics. Less common are utility programs to turn data files into code, so one can include any kind of data in a program. A few projects use Synchronous programming languages for extra reliability or digital signal processing.DEBUGGING: Debugging is usually performed with an in-circuit emulator, or some type of debugger that can interrupt the microcontroller's internal microcode. The microcode interrupt lets the debugger operate in hardware in which only the CPU works. The CPU-based debugger can be used to test and debug the el ectronics of the computer from the viewpoint of the CPU. This feature was pioneered on the PDP-11. As the complexity of embedded systems grows, higher level tools and operating systems are migrating into machinery where it makes sense.For example, cell phones, personal digital assistants and other consumer computers often need significant software that is purchased or provided by a person other than the manufacturer of the electronics. In these systems, an open programming environment such as Linux, OSGi or Embedded Java is required so that the third-party software provider can sell to a large market. OPERATING SYSTEM: Embedded systems often have no operating system, or a specialized embedded operating system (often a real-time operating system), or the programmer is assigned to port one of these to the new system.BUILT- IN SELF- TEST: Most embedded systems have some degree or amount of built-in self-test. There are several basic types. 1. Testing the computer. 2. Test of peripheral s. 3. Tests of power. 4. Communication tests. 5. Cabling tests. 6. Rigging tests. 7. Consumables test. 8. Operational test. 9. Safety test. START UP: All embedded systems have start-up code. Usually it disables interrupts, sets up the electronics, tests the computer (RAM, CPU and software), and then starts the application code. Many embedded systems recover from short-term power failures by restarting (without recent self-tests).Restart times under a tenth of a second are common. Many designers have found a few LEDs useful to indicate errors (they help troubleshooting). A common scheme is to have the electronics turn on all of the LED(s) at reset (thereby proving that power is applied and the LEDs themselves work), whereupon the software changes the LED pattern as the Power-On Self Test executes. After that, the software may blink the LED(s) or set up light patterns during normal operation to indicate program execution progress or errors. This serves to reassure most technicians/eng ineers and some users.An interesting exception is that on electric power meters and other items on the street, blinking lights are known to attract attention and vandalism. CHAPTER 5 [pic] 5. 1 Software Tools: 1. MPLAB 2. Protel 3. Propic 4. HI-Tech PIC C Compiler 5. 2 MPLAB Integration: MPLAB Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a free, integrated toolset for the development of embedded applications employing Microchip's PIC micro and dsPIC microcontrollers. MPLAB IDE runs as a 32-bit application on MS Windows, is easy to use and includes a host of free software components for fast application development and super-charged debugging.MPLAB IDE also serves as a single, unified graphical user interface for additional Microchip and third party software and hardware development tools. Moving between tools is a snap, and upgrading from the free simulator to MPLAB ICD 2 or the MPLAB ICE emulator is done in a flash because MPLAB IDE has the same user interface for all tools. Choose MPLAB C18, the highly optimized compiler for the PIC18 series microcontrollers, or try the newest Microchip's language tools compiler, MPLAB C30, targeted at the high performance PIC24 and dsPIC digital signal controllers.Or, use one of the many products from third party language tools vendors. They integrate into MPLAB IDE to function transparently from the MPLAB project manager, editor and compiler. 5. 3 INTRODUCTION TO EMBEDDED ‘C’: Ex: Hitec – c, Keil – c HI-TECH Software makes industrial-strength software development tools and C compilers that help software developers write compact, efficient embedded processor code. For over two decades HI-TECH Software has delivered the industry's most reliable embedded software development tools and compilers for writing efficient and compact code to run on the most popular embedded processors.Used by tens of thousands of customers including General Motors, Whirlpool, Qualcomm, John Deere and many others, HI-TECH's reliable development tools and C compilers, combined with world-class support have helped serious embedded software programmers to create hundreds of breakthrough new solutions. Whichever embedded processor family you are targeting with your software, whether it is the ARM, PICC or 8051 series, HI-TECH tools and C compilers can help you write better code and bring it to market faster. HI-TECH PICC is a high-performance C compiler for the Microchip PIC micro 10/12/14/16/17 series of microcontrollers.HI-TECH PICC is an industrial-strength ANSI C compiler – not a subset implementation like some other PIC compilers. The PICC compiler implements full ISO/ANSI C, with the exception of recursion. All data types are supported including 24 and 32 bit IEEE standard floating point. HI-TECH PICC makes full use of specific PIC features and using an intelligent optimizer, can generate high-quality code easily rivaling hand-written assembler. Automatic handling of page and bank selection f rees the programmer from the trivial details of assembler code. 5. 4 Embedded C Compiler: ? ANSI C – full featured and portable Reliable – mature, field-proven technology ? Multiple C optimization levels ? An optimizing assembler ? Full linker, with overlaying of local variables to minimize RAM usage ? Comprehensive C library with all source code provided ? Includes support for 24-bit and 32-bit IEEE floating point and 32-bit long data types ? Mixed C and assembler programming ? Unlimited number of source files ? Listings showing generated assembler ? Compatible – integrates into the MPLAB IDE, MPLAB ICD and most 3rd-party development tools ? Runs on multiple platforms: Windows, Linux, UNIX, Mac OS X, Solaris Embedded Development Environment:PICC can be run entirely from the. This environment allows you to manage all of your PIC projects. You can compile, assemble and link your embedded application with a single step. Optionally, the compiler may be run directly from the command line, allowing you to compile, assemble and link using one command. This enables the compiler to be integrated into third party development environments, such as Microchip's MPLAB IDE. 5. 5 Embedded system tools: 5. 5. 1 Assembler: An assembler is a computer program for translating assembly language  essentially, a mnemonic representation of machine language  into object code.A cross assembler (see cross compiler) produces code for one type of processor, but runs on another. The computational step where an assembler is run is known as assembly time. Translating assembly instruction mnemonics into opcodes, assemblers provide the ability to use symbolic names for memory locations (saving tedious calculations and manually updating addresses when a program is slightly modified), and macro facilities for performing textual substitution  typically used to encode common short sequences of instructions to run inline instead of in a subroutine.Assemb lers are far simpler to write than compilers for high-level languages. Assembly language has several benefits: †¢ Speed: Assembly language programs are generally the fastest programs around. †¢ Space: Assembly language programs are often the smallest. †¢ Capability: You can do things in assembly which are difficult or impossible in High level languages. †¢ Knowledge: Your knowledge of assembly language will help you write better programs, even when using High level languages. An example of an assembler we use in our project is RAD 51. . 5. 2 Simulator: Simulator is a machine that simulates an environment for the purpose of training or research. We use a UMPS simulator for this purpose in our project. 5. 5. 3 UMPS: Universal microprocessor program simulator simulates a microcontroller with its external environment. UMPS is able to simulate external components connected to the microcontroller. Then, debug step is dramatically reduced. UMPS is not dedicated to only one microcontroller family, it can simulate all kind of microcontrollers.The main limitation is to have less than 64K-Bytes of RAM and ROM space and the good microcontroller library. UMPS provide all the facilities other low-cost simulator does not have. It offers the user to see the â€Å"real effect†of a program and a way to change the microcontroller family without changing IDE. UMPS provide a low-cost solution to the problems. UMPS is really the best solution to your evaluation. 5. 5. 4 UMPS key features: -The speed, UMPS can run as fast as 1/5 the real microcontroller speed. No need to wait 2 days to see the result of a LCD routine access.All the microcontroller parts are simulated, interrupts, communication protocol, parallel handshake, timer and so on. – UMPS have an integrated assembler/disassembler and debugger. It is able to accept an external assembler or compiler. It has a text editor which is not limited to 64K-bytes and shows keyword with color. It can a lso communicate with an external compiler to integrate all the debug facilities you need. – UMPS is universal, it can easily be extended to other microcontroller with a library. Ask us for toolkit development. – External resource simulation is not limited.It can be extended to your proper needs by writing your own DLL. – UMPS allows you to evaluate at the lowest cost the possibility to build a microcontroller project without any cable. – UMPS include a complete documentation on each microcontroller which describe special registers and each instruction 5. 5. 5 Compiler: A compiler is a program that reads a program in one language, the source language and translates into an equivalent program in another language, the target language. The translation process should also report the presence of errors in the source program. Source Program |> | Compiler |> |Target Program | | | |v | | | | | |Error Messages | | | There are two parts of compilation. The analysis part breaks up the source program into constant piece and creates an intermediate representation of the source program. The synthesis part constructs the desired target program from the intermediate representation. 5. 5. 6 The cousins of the compiler are: 1. Preprocessor. 2.Assembler. 3. Loader and Link-editor. A naive approach to that front end might run the phases serially. 1. Lexical analyzer takes the source program as an input and produces a long string of tokens. 2. Syntax Analyzer takes an out of lexical analyzer and produces a large tree. Semantic analyzer takes the output of syntax analyzer and produces another tree. Similarly, intermediate code generator takes a tree as an input produced by semantic analyzer and produces intermediate code 5. 5. 7 Phases of compiler: The compiler has a number of phases plus symbol table manager and an error handler.  | |Input Source Program | | | | | |v | | | | | |Lexical Analyzer | | | | | |v | | | | | |Syntax Analyzer | | | | | |v | | | |Symbol Table Manager | |Semantic Analyzer | | Error Handler | | | |v | | | | | |Intermediate Code | | | | | |Generator | | | | | |v | | | | | Code Optimizer | | | | | |v | | | | | |Code Generator | | | | | |v | | | | | |Out Target Program | | | 5. 6 FABRICATION DETAILS The fabrication of one demonstration unit is carried out in the following sequence. ? Finalizing the total circuit diagram, listing out the components and sources of procurement. ? Procuring the components, testing the components and screening the components. ? Making layout, repairing the interconnection diagram as per the circuit diagram. Assembling the components as per the component layout and circuit diagram and soldering components. ? Integrating t he total unit, intertwining the unit and final testing the unit. CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION The System RFID BASED ENERGY is developed and operated successfully in the laboratory. The prepaid energy meter was working properly and perfectly. The circuit having potential and current transformers which gives the power consumption in analog form. This is converted to digital and the converted one is again converted into KWH form i. e one unit. According to the tariff rates stored in the microcontroller, The consumed units and cost are displayed on the LCD. Future enhancements: Our project is just to caluculate the reading i. consumed power and caluculate the cost and then display the cost on the LCD. In future this circuit can also be used as a prepaid energy meter using a smart type arrangement. For we want to add a smart card reader and relay in extra. Due to this every customer has a smart card with some credits and after completing these credits we again go to EB and recharge the card. The energy meter reading can be send to the EB by implementing small kind of SCADA system, using this the readings can be straightly monitor by the EB. CODE: #include;pic. h; #include†lcd_16x4. c†__CONFIG(XT & WDTDIS & PWRTDIS & BORDIS & LVPDIS & WRTEN & DEBUGDIS & DUNPROT & UNPROTECT); void init(); oid ADC_VTG_CT(); void ADC_VTG_CT1(); void disp_meter(); void delay(); write_eeprom(unsigned char add,unsigned int data); unsigned int read_eeprom(unsigned char add); unsigned int i, j,bal,gsmcost, curt,vltg,crt,tmp,tmp1,k,fcrt,escp,cap_time,testeng,Engeeprom,tempvalue,ROTabv100=0,ROTupt100=0; bank2 unsigned char mill_count,tick1=0,h[15],rec=0; bank1 unsigned char sec, min,hr,check1,VHUDS,VTENS,VONES,CHUDS, CTENS, CONES,COLACK,COTENTH, ETHOD,EHUDS,ETENS,EONES,COTHOD,COHUDS,COTENS,COONES,EEONES,EETHOD,EETENS,EEHUDS,EELACK,EETENTH,unteeprom,unit,var=0,u11,u12,u13; unsigned char tm,tt,th,ctl; float cpwt1,cpwt2,Energy,Cost_engy,Cost; bit check_dev,card_present; ank2 unsigned char q t,msg,n,set1=0,set2=0,set3=0,set,set4=0,tab,cap,cap1,cap2,eeprom_erase_cnt; unsigned interrupt isr(void) { if(TMR1IF) { TMR1IF=0; mill_count++; //mill_count, scan_count, keypress, check, keyok,key if(mill_count;=25) { mill_count=0; sec++; if(sec;=59) { tick1=1; sec =0; ctl=1; min++; if(min;59) { min=0; hr++; if(hr;23) { hr=0; } } } }//mill_count }//TMR1IF if(RCIF==1) { h[rec]=RCREG; rec++; if(rec==12) { card_present=1; rec=0; } RCIF=0; } } void main() { init(); RC4=0; while(1) { lcd_move(0,0); lcd_puts(â€Å"Energy Meter†); RC4=0; if(card_present==1) { lcd_move(1,0); lcd_puts(â€Å"Recharged:†); if(h[9]==51) { lcd_move(1,10); lcd_puts(â€Å"Rs. 100†); or(j=0;j;=45000;j++); for(j=0;j;=45000;j++); gsmcost= 100; set1=1; card_present==0; lcd_clear(); } if(h[9]==56) { lcd_move(1,10); lcd_puts(â€Å"Rs. 50 â€Å"); for(j=0;j;=45000;j++); for(j=0;j;=45000;j++); gsmcost= 50; set1=1; card_present==0; lcd_clear(); } } while(set1==1) //&& SW==1) { //while(SW==1); lcd_mov e(0,0); lcd_puts(â€Å"Energy Meter†); COLACK =read_eeprom(0x00); COTENTH =read_eeprom(0x01); COTHOD =read_eeprom(0x02); COHUDS =read_eeprom(0x03); COTENS =read_eeprom(0x04); COONES =read_eeprom(0x05); Engeeprom = ((COLACK*100000)+(COTENTH*10000)+(COTHOD*1000)+(CHUDS *100)+(COTENS *10)+COONES); unteeprom =read_eeprom(0x06); ROTupt100 =read_eeprom(0x07);ROTabv100 =read_eeprom(0x08); disp_meter(); RC4=1; DelayMs(10); ADC_VTG_CT(); } while(set2) { lcd_move(0,0); //lcd_putn(check1); disp_meter(); ADC_VTG_CT1(); lcd_move(0,0); lcd_puts(â€Å"vtg:†); lcd_write(VHUDS+0x30); lcd_write(VTENS+0x30); lcd_write(VONES+0x30); lcd_move(0,8); lcd_puts(â€Å"crt:†); lcd_write(CHUDS+0x30); lcd_puts(â€Å". â€Å"); lcd_write(CTENS+0x30); lcd_write(CONES+0x30); RC4=1; DelayMs(10); if(curt) { tm = min – cap_time; //check1=1; if(min ; 58) { th++; } tt = (th*60)+tm; if(ctl==1) { ctl=0; //check1=2; Energy = ((vltg * curt *(float)tt)/100000); Energy = Energy*1000; testeng = (i nt)Energy; Energy = Energy/1000; Cost = Energy * cpwt1;Cost_engy = Cost + Cost_engy; bal = gsmcost – Cost_engy ; Cost_engy = Cost_engy*1000; Engeeprom = (int)Cost_engy; //bal = gsmcost – Engeeprom ; fcrt =bal; COLACK = fcrt/100000; fcrt=fcrt%100000; COTENTH=fcrt/10000; fcrt=fcrt%10000; COTHOD=fcrt/1000; fcrt=fcrt%1000; COHUDS=fcrt/100; fcrt=fcrt%100; COTENS=fcrt/10; fcrt=fcrt%10; COONES=fcrt; write_eeprom(0x00,COLACK); write_eeprom(0x01,COTENTH); write_eeprom(0x02,COTHOD); write_eeprom(0x03,COHUDS); write_eeprom(0x04,COTENS); write_eeprom(0x05,COONES); DelayMs(2); Cost_engy = Cost_engy/1000; if(Energy;0. 900) { Energy = 0; unit++; unteeprom = unit; write_eeprom(0x06,unteeprom); DelayMs(2); if(unit==100) { cpwt1 = cpwt2; nit = 0; } } } } else { set1=1; set2=0; lcd_clear(); } /*if(SW==1) { while(SW==1); RC4=0; set1=0; set2=0; lcd_clear(); } */ }//while(set2) }//while(1) }//main() void init() { TRISA = 0xFF; TRISB = 0xF0; TRISC = 0x80; PORTB = 0x00; ADCON1=0X82; GIE=PEIE= TMR1IE=RCIE=1; TMR1L=0X17; TMR1H=0XFC; SPBRG=25; BRGH=1; RCSTA=0X90; TXSTA=0X24; cpwt1 = . 4; Cost_engy = 0; unit = 0; unteeprom = 0; Engeeprom = 0; eeprom_erase_cnt=read_eeprom(0x10); if(eeprom_erase_cnt;5) { eeprom_erase_cnt=0; write_eeprom(0x10,0); write_eeprom(0x00,0); write_eeprom(0x01,0); write_eeprom(0x02,0); write_eeprom(0x03,0); write_eeprom(0x04,0); write_eeprom(0x05,0); } else { eprom_erase_cnt++; write_eeprom(0x10,eeprom_erase_cnt); } lcd_init(); //set1=1; T1CON=0X01; DelayMs(10); } void disp_meter() { if(set1) { lcd_move(1,0); lcd_puts(â€Å"U:†); lcd_putn(unteeprom); } if(set2) { fcrt =testeng; ETHOD=fcrt/1000; fcrt=fcrt%1000; EHUDS=fcrt/100; fcrt=fcrt%100; ETENS=fcrt/10; fcrt=fcrt%10; EONES=fcrt; lcd_move(1,0); lcd_puts(â€Å"E:†); lcd_write(ETHOD+0x30); lcd_puts(â€Å". â€Å"); lcd_write(EHUDS+0x30); lcd_write(ETENS+0x30); lcd_write(EONES+0x30); } lcd_move(1,8); lcd_puts(â€Å"C:†); if(COLACK) { lcd_write(COLACK+0x30); lcd_write(COTENTH+0x30); lcd_write(COTHOD+0x30); } else if(COTENTH) { lcd_write(COTENTH+0x30); lcd_write(COTHOD+0x30); //lcd_puts(â€Å". ); lcd_write(COHUDS+0x30); lcd_write(COTENS+0x30); //lcd_write(COONES+0x30); } else { lcd_write(COTHOD+0x30); lcd_puts(â€Å". â€Å"); lcd_write(COHUDS+0x30); lcd_write(COTENS+0x30); lcd_write(COONES+0x30); } /*********************AT COMMANDS********gsm energy meter coding********* if(tick1==1) { tick1=0; u11=unteeprom/100; u12=(unteeprom%100)/10; u13=unteeprom%10; sendtopc1(â€Å"AT†); TXREG=13; while(! TXREG); delay(); for(k=0; k
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Homelessness Essay Introduction Essay
Attention grabber – makes sure audience is listening As today’s people face a world filled with global conflicts, disappearing jobs, and an increasing poverty in America, action is more crucial than ever. We know that hunger and homelessness are increasing epidemics plaguing in the U.S. Thesis (purpose statement) – tells audience what you want them to think or do We can end homelessness in the U.S by tackling its root causes-low wages and a lack of affordable housing-and by improving support services like TANIF, housing vouchers, and health care. Body First main idea – reason audience should agree with you hunger and homelessness are increasing epidemics plaguing in the U.S. Detail – Just last year, the national poverty rate rose to include 13.2% of the population. 1 in 7 people were at risk of suffering from hunger in the United States. In addition, 3.5 million people were forced to sleep in parks, under bridges, in shelter or cars. Detail Nearly 39% percent of kids under the age of 18 (1.3 million) are homeless. Detail 10% of the population is called â€Å"chronic†and remains without housing for extended periods of time on a frequent bias. (Transition sentence) However there are great effects on the homelessness. Second main idea – homelessness has a tremendous effect on a child’s education Detail approximately 87% of school-age homeless children and youth enrolled in school, although only about 77% attend school regularly. Detail The homeless youth is 1.5 times more likely to preform below gr ade level reading, spelling and math Detail fortunately, the law gives homeless students the right to stay in school and receive support so they can succeed. (Transition sentence) Yet there is a cost of the homelessness. Third main idea – final reason audience should agree the homelessness costs taxpayers. Detail the cost of homelessness can be quite high. Hospitalization, medical treatment, incarceration, police intervention, and emergency shelter can add up quickly, making it expensive for taxpayers. Detail according to surveys of homeless individuals.
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