Introducing the Content Credits System

Getting your content will now be as simple as a click of your mouse! At Constant Content we’re always trying to improve your user experience and help you easily source the content you need for all of your projects. With that in mind, we’re launching our new Content Credits System, which will allow you to store a prepaid dollar amount on your Constant Content account that you can then use to instantly download articles without having to process multiple transactions through Paypal. Starting immediately, you can add funds to your account by visiting this page. All funds that you deposit into your account are totally secure and as good as cash. When you’re ready to make a purchase, your account will already be set to go. You will notice on the Cart and Order pages in your account that you have a new Use Content Credits option. Clicking on this button instantly applies your credits and the next screen you will see is the prompt to download your content. We’re also adding new features to our Custom Content Request form which will help you to better plan your projects and coordinate with our freelance writers. Now when you are submitting your request, the form will automatically calculate your budget for the project and make sure that you have enough Content Credits to cover your order. You can always check on your current account balance, and the general health of your Constant Content account by visiting your account page. You can also see a detailed history of all transactions you have made and Content Credits you’ve used by going to this page. We always love to hear from our customers and would truly appreciate your feedback on this new system. Please feel free to send us any feedback or comments you have via our contact page.

Transformational Grammar (TG) Definition and Examples

Transformational Grammar (TG) Definition and Examples Transformational grammar is a theory of grammar that accounts for the constructions of a language by linguistic transformations and phrase structures. Also known as  transformational-generative grammar or T-G or TGG. Following the publication of Noam Chomskys book Syntactic Structures in 1957, transformational grammar dominated the field of linguistics for the next few decades. The era of Transformational-Generative Grammar, as it is called, signifies a sharp break with the linguistic tradition of the first half of the [twentieth] century both in Europe and America because, having as its principal objective the formulation of a finite set of basic and transformational rules that explain how the native speaker of a language can generate and comprehend all its possible grammatical sentences, it focuses mostly on syntax and not on phonology or morphology, as structuralism does (Encyclopedia of Linguistics,  2005). Observations The new linguistics, which began in 1957 with the publication of Noam Chomskys Syntactic Structures, deserves the label revolutionary. After 1957, the study of grammar would no longer be limited to what is said and how it is interpreted. In fact, the word grammar itself took on a new meaning. The new linguistics defined grammar as our innate, subconscious ability to generate language, an internal system of rules that constitutes our human language capacity. The goal of the new linguistics was to describe this internal grammar.Unlike the structuralists, whose goal was to examine the sentences we actually speak and to describe their systemic nature, the transformationalists wanted to unlock the secrets of language: to build a model of our internal rules, a model that would produce all of the grammatical- and no ungrammatical- sentences. (M. Kolln and R. Funk, Understanding English Grammar. Allyn and Bacon, 1998)[F]rom the word go, it has often been clear that Transformational Grammar w as the best available theory of language structure, while lacking any clear grasp of what distinctive claims the theory made about human language. (Geoffrey Sampson, Empirical Linguistics. Continuum, 2001) Surface Structures and Deep Structures When it comes to syntax, [Noam] Chomsky is famous for proposing that beneath every sentence in the mind of a speaker is an invisible, inaudible deep structure, the interface to the mental lexicon. The deep structure is converted by transformational rules into a surface structure that corresponds more closely to what is pronounced and heard. The rationale is that certain constructions, if they were listed in the mind as surface structures, would have to be multiplied out in thousands of redundant variations that would have to have been learned one by one, whereas if the constructions were listed as deep structures, they would be simple, few in number, and economically learned. (Steven Pinker, Words and Rules. Basic Books, 1999) Transformational Grammar and the Teaching of Writing Though it is certainly true, as many writers have pointed out, that sentence-combining exercises existed before the advent of transformational grammar, it should be evident that the transformational concept of embedding gave sentence combining a theoretical foundation upon which to build. By the time Chomsky and his followers moved away from this concept, sentence combining had enough momentum to sustain itself. (Ronald F. Lunsford, Modern Grammar and Basic Writers. Research in Basic Writing: A Bibliographic Sourcebook, ed. by Michael G. Moran and Martin J. Jacobi. Greenwood Press, 1990) The Transformation of Transformational Grammar Chomsky initially justified replacing phrase-structure grammar by arguing that it was awkward, complex, and incapable of providing adequate accounts of language. Transformational grammar offered a simple and elegant way to understand language, and it offered new insights into the underlying psychological mechanisms.As the grammar matured, however, it lost its simplicity and much of its elegance. In addition, transformational grammar has been plagued by Chomskys ambivalence and ambiguity regarding meaning. . . . Chomsky continued to tinker with transformational grammar, changing the theories and making it more abstract and in many respects more complex, until all but those with specialized training in linguistics were befuddled. . . .[T]he tinkering failed to solve most of the problems because Chomsky refused to abandon the idea of deep structure, which is at the heart of T-G grammar but which also underlies nearly all of its problems. Such complaints have fueled the paradigm shift to cognitive grammar. (James D. Williams, The Teachers Grammar Book. Lawrence Erlbaum, 1999) In the years since transformational grammar was formulated, it has gone through a number of changes. In the most recent version, Chomsky (1995) has eliminated many of the transformational rules in previous versions of the grammar and replaced them with broader rules, such as a rule that moves one constituent from one location to another. It was just this kind of rule on which the trace studies were based. Although newer versions of the theory differ in several respects from the original, at a deeper level they share the idea that syntactic structure is at the heart of our linguistic knowledge. However, this view has been controversial within linguistics. (David W. Carroll, Psychology of Language, 5th ed. Thomson Wadsworth, 2008)

Statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Statistics - Essay Example if electronics’ price was measured in pounds). Since we have the same units for all the goods, we should use the ratio of aggregate prices. (c) Since we have fixed number of observations (random sample size is 16) the sample distribution is binomial. The Central Limit Theorem allows us to use approximate binomial distribution with the normal distribution when operating with large values of N. We can approximate binomial distribution with the normal distribution assuming that the whole number of steel coils is much larger than 16 (then the finite population correction will be close to one). (b)Confidence intervals give us the information that we can say with 90% of accuracy that the change between proportion is between 0.003 and 0.059. From this we can conclude that the proportion has slightly increased. (c) Sampling error can impact on the results of this study. There may be serious differences from sample to sample because the sampling technique used was simple random sampling. Additionally, non-response error can also influence the results of the study, since not all the drivers within the sample will admit using the cell phone. If we are to assume that all the drivers answer honestly then this error will not influence the results. (ii) If the null hypothesis is not true, then we can state that the productivity of exercisers is higher on average than that of non-exercisers. However reasons of this difference are not clear and require additional research. (b) Cluster sampling is about clusters, into which the whole population is divided. After that all units within the selected clusters are measured. Like cluster sampling stratified sampling also implies the division of the population into subgroups. However in stratified sampling they do not overlap and simple random sampling is implemented within each strata (subgroups). Due to dividing into subgroups every important strata is presented in the final sample. Additionally cluster

The humpty dumpty falls scale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The humpty dumpty falls scale - Essay Example This paper critically analyses the paper ‘The Humpty Dumpty Falls Scale: A Case–Control Study’ which reports the findings of the aforementioned research study and a critique of the various components of this paper is presented in the discussion that follows. Research Problem/Purpose or Question Hypothesis   The authors have clearly stated the purpose of the study as being an assessment of the efficacy of the newly developed Humpty Dumpty Falls Scale (HDFS) in predicting the risk of falls in pediatric hospitalized patients, in a separate section entitled ‘purpose’ (Hill-Rodriguez, et al., 2009). Moreover, in the same section, the choice of the study design, i.e. case control study has been justified and the authors have explicitly mentioned that the research question was to elucidate whether the risk of falls predicted by the screening tool in question was in conjunction with the actual risk of falls. This gives the readers a clear picture of the aim s and objectives of this study and the rationale behind the conduction of this study. Review of Literature   An adequate review of the existing literature has been provided. The authors have quoted statistics to emphasize the magnitude of the burden that the problem in question poses. As pointed out by the authors, there is ample literature on the issue of falls occurring in the elderly population, but there is a paucity of existing data on the pediatric population in this regard (Hill-Rodriguez, et al., 2009). The importance of the development and implementation of screening and preventive strategies in the pediatric population is underscored by authors in this section. Moreover, the authors have also identified the gaps in the existing literature and have thus provided the rationale of conducting this study in order to build upon the existing research findings and fill in the gaps which were identified. Theoretical/Conceptual Framework   No theoretical or conceptual framework for this study has been provided by the authors. However, the study design is such that it does not warrant the need for a theoretical/conceptual framework. Research Design   The study design employed in this study was a matched case control design (Hill-Rodriguez, et al., 2009). The cases and controls were matched in various regards such as This design is best suited for the research question identified by the authors, as case-control studies have been found to be a suitable study design to evaluate the effectiveness and usefulness of screening tools (Rothman, Greenland, & Lash, 2008). Sampling Method/Data Collection   The data was collected from five different in-patient and two ICU pediatric units from a single center. (Hill-Rodriguez, et al., 2009) The sampling method is not mentioned clearly but it can be extrapolated from the given information that purposive convenient sampling methodology was employed. Although no specific inclusion criteria or cut-offs for age are mentio ned, the exclusion criteria are defined and presented in the paper by the authors. The data collection tool used was the Humpty Dumpty Falls Scale (HDFS), which consisted of seven different assessment items. This tool was designed after input from various skilled and expert nurses and other medical personnel (Hill-Rodriguez,

The topic is life cycle impact assessment and the area of the topic is Case Study

The topic is life cycle impact assessment and the area of the topic is environmental impact assessment - Case Study Example This effect occur at all stages of a life cycle of a product. From the time a material is extracted from the source through to the processing, manufacturing, transportation, and finally recycling or disposal stage. This effect may be direct, involving emissions such as those produced by automobiles usage, or indirect involving impact of water ways from electricity production used during the manufacturing. One of the methodologies commonly used is life cycle assessment (LCA), which both involves direct and indict effect of processes and products. LCA has been confirmed to be useful in making consistent and objective environmental assessments. This concept has been broadened by the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry to include the environmental impact and improvement phases, and the inventory. Studies have demonstrated the use Life Cycle impact Assessment (LCA) methods to analyse potential impact of various process on the environment. Lithium (Li-ion) batteries, often used in hybrid and electric vehicles to power plug-in have shown some promise of â€Å"fuelling† these hybrid and electric vehicles and help reduce emitting of greenhouse gas. However, there are some few notable areas in these Li-ion batteries that need to be improved in order to reduce possible public health and environmental impact. This is according to the â€Å"cradle to grave† study, which was conducted by the Abt Associates for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The study, which was conducted through a partnership involving the U.S. Department of Energy, EPA, academicians, and Li-ion battery industry, was the first LCA (Life circle assessment) to collect and use data given by Li-ion battery manufacturers, recyclers and suppliers. The main purpose was identifying materials and processes within the life cycle of Lion battery that could largely contribute impacts on environmental

The Movie Catch Me If You Can Film Studies Essay

The Movie Catch Me If You Can Film Studies Essay A confidence artist is somebody who exploits a person in order to obtain something of value for free or next to nothing. The first known con man was in England in 1849 when an American would ask strangers if they had the confidence to give him their watches, he would then run away with the object. Con artists usually have clever schemes, and have devised scams to rob victims as quickly and easily as possible. A very important factor for the artist is to gain the confidence of the victim, which was something Frank Abagnale did very well. By wearing the pilots uniform he received respect and admiration from those around him, after all, why would a pilot be scamming? Slide 2 Book Quote A Quote from the Book: Frank W. Abagnale, alias Frank Williams, Robert Conrad, Frank Adams, and Robert Monjo, was one of the most daring con men, forgers, impostors, and escape artists in history. In his brief but notorious criminal career, Abagnale donned a pilots uniform and co-piloted a Pan Am jet, masqueraded as the supervising resident of a hospital, practiced law without a license, passed himself off as a college sociology professor, and cashed over $2.5 million in forged checks, all before he was twenty-one. Known by the police of twenty-six countries and all fifty states as The Skywayman, Abagnale lived a lavish life on the fly until the law caught up with him. Now recognized as the nations leading authority on financial foul play, Abagnale is a charming rogue whose hilarious, stranger-than-fiction international escapades and ingenious escapes including one from an airplane make Catch Me If You Can an irresistible tale of deceit. From the back cover of the book Catch Me If You Can The movie Catch Me If You Can is very loosely based on the novel. There are several differences which make the two works very unalike. The movie shuffles around the events of the novel and even adds some cons which Frank never performed, like posing as a French teacher. The film also puts more emphasis on the FBI who are chasing Frank while the novel portrays Frank as almost unstoppable until he is finally caught in France. Slide 3 Forgery Quotes The Real Story: Frank conned his way into getting a pilots uniform and forged a FAA document, and he was still only 17. He deadheaded all over America while illegally withdrawing money from hundreds of banks. Frank was using a fake name of Frank Williams, and after a bit, he decided to settle down, and bought a flat in Atlanta. There he met a doctor, and was temporarily hired as a pediatrician, still without completing high school. Frank stayed there for almost a year, before someone else came to claim the job. He then flew to the southern part of the U.S., and became an official lawyer, with a fake diploma from Harvard, and passed the bar exam on his third and final try. He left after 9 months and became a university professor specializing in sociology in Utah, where he taught summer classes. While posing as a professional, Frank never cashed a fake check. Franks criminal career was set into motion at the age of 16 when his parents divorced. While living with his successful father, he found out that his dad did a lot of drinking. This partly caused Abagnales decision to hang around the wrong kids, and one day he got in trouble for stealing a car. Frank Sr. bailed out his mischievous son, and when Frank turned 16, his father bought him a car. This car, an old Ford, led Frank to his ultimate downfall; his love for promiscuous women. Frank needed money because being with women was expensive, and by using a gas card he scammed his father of $3,400, which was valued at much more during the 1960s than it is today. After traveling the States for a little longer and storing conned cash in safe boxes, Frank went to Europe, and started paperhanging there as well. He came up with a fake airline crew, and toured for a summer, while exploiting banks. After bring caught Frank rotted in a French prison for 6 months before being transferred to a Swedish jail. Frank was eventually deported to the States, where he escaped, only to be caught months later. SLIDE 4 Movie Clip The Themes behind the Story: Broken Homes The most important theme in Catch Me If You Can is how a troubled childhood can drastically affect ones life. Franks parents divorced when he was 14 years old, leaving Frank to decide if he would like to live with either his mother or his father. He chose the latter because of two reasons, the first because he was more fond of his father, and the second because his other brothers had elected to live with his mom. Because of Franks broken family, he felt like he had to do something drastic to attract attention and draw his parents back together. Frank started hanging around with some loose-end kids from his neighborhood, and quickly became a juvenile delinquent by swiping candy and sneaking into movies. Little did he know he was on the fast track to become one of the most recognized con artists around the world. Identity As Frank struggles with coping with living alone while on the run from both his family and the police, he also struggles to find who he truly is. Posing as different professionals and using different names, Frank finds it difficult lying to those who are close to him and who he has built relationships with. Franks low point of struggling to find his identity was when he told Rosalie, the woman he was engaged to, that he was not actually an airplane pilot but a con artist. The next day when Frank went to visit his wife-to-be, a FBI car was in the driveway and Frank quickly had to take a flight across the country, never to see Rosalie again. Addiction While trying to find his own identity, Frank develops an addiction for charming beautiful women. Frank started conning money so he was able to take women out on dates and buy them nice gifts, and as he became more dependent on his addiction he brought his crime to the next level. Most of Franks success depended on his lady friends because he would spend nights at their houses will he was on the run, even years after he had last been in touch with him. Franks addiction pushed him further and further down the path of crime until there was no return, and even then is pushed him a step further making him the most wanted con artist in the world. The Realities of the Situation: This movie was set in the 1960s, when technology was still very basic. This allowed Frank to pass his fake checks much more easily, and allowing him more time to escape authorities. It also provided Frank with the ability to create fake diplomas and not be caught, since there were not any easily accessible computerized records of who had graduated from certain places. Also, he could create a fake passport, but now that is extremely difficult, especially after the increased security since the 9-11 attack. At this day in age, it would take much more than some glue-on numbers and a photocopier to create the documents necessary to perform Franks crimes. Slide 5 Story Pictures A Bit More on What Actually Happened: Frank Abagnale Junior was raised in Bronxville, New York by his family. When Frank ran away, he traveled all over the U.S.A. posing as a Pan Am. Pilot and passing bad checks. He visited cities such as Los Angeles, Boston, Denver, Chicago, Miami, and Washington, as well as many others, eventually becoming a wanted criminal in all 50 States. Frank became a doctor when he felt it unsafe to continue being a pilot, and moved to a resort, River Bend, in Atlanta, Georgia, where he resided for approximately a year. Once a replacement doctor was found, he relocated to the capital of a southern state, posing as a lawyer graduated from Harvard. When a real Harvard graduate started poking around into Franks Harvard experience, he fled and toured the western states before settling down in Ohio. Here, Abagnale became a sociology teacher at a University for a semester. When his teaching time was up, Frank flew to California, and he went back to his paperhanging tricks. Abagnale got caught up with a woman in San Fransisco, and was there for a while, until confessing who he was, and fleeing and touring the western states. He kept traveling America before going to Mexico, and obtaining a fake passport there, which allowed him to travel out of the country. Frank traveled over to Europe, and visited countries such as England, Italy and France. He was eventually caught in France, after settling down in Montpelier. He was thrown into a crammed, black, 4x4x4 cubicle for 6 months, before being transferred into a nicer Swedish prison for an additional 6 months. He was transferred back to the U.S.A. where he escaped from his plane, and managed to evade the FBI for multiple months, before being captured. Slide 6 The Real Frank The Real Frank Abagnale: Frank was born on April 27, 1948 in Bronxville, New York to Paulette and Frank Abagnale Senior. They divorced when Frank was 14, and Frank was the only child of 4 who was taken into custody by his father. Franks father used Frank to try to reunite their family, but after the hearing, Frank Jr. ran away, never to see his father again. Frank became a world class criminal, posing as a pilot, pediatrician, lawyer, and sociology teacher. He continued running from police, and kept cashing bad checks. Frank eventually became wanted in 26 different countries and all 50 States. He was eventually caught after years of running, and rotted in a French prison for 6 months. He was then transferred to a Swedish jail, and released to an American prison, where he spent another 4 years. He was released on patrol in Texas, and after several failed jobs (such as grocer and cook) due to background checks, he decided to try and help banks prevent crooks from paperhanging them. One year after becoming legitimate, Frank married a woman named Kelly, and they now have 3 sons, Scott, Chris, and Sean. Frank teaches at the FBI Academy, and owns Abagnale and Associates. He is a legitimate millionaire, and approximately 14,000 institutes currently use Franks fraud-prevention methods. Franks has written 3 other books in addition to Catch Me If You Can. He has appeared on numerous television shows, and as of spring, 2011, and he now has a musical about his life.

As I Lay Dying: The Love Of Family :: essays research papers

Ah, love. Love is so often a theme in many a well-read novel. In the story, As I Lay Dying, one very important underlying theme is not simply love, but the power to love. Some of the characters have this ability; some can only talk about it. Perhaps more than anyone, Addie and Jewel have this power- one which Jewel, by saving his mother twice, merges with his power to act. As the Bible would have it, he does "not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18). Jewel, Addie's son by Whitfield, is 18 years old. Like Pearl, the product of Hester Prynne's adulterous affair in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, Jewel's name is a symbol of the value his mother places on him. The favoritism that Addie showed him is responsible for the antagonism between him and Darl. Jewel personifies Addie's preference for experience over words. He is always in motion. He expresses himself best through actions. When he verbalizes his love for Addie- in his single monologue- he does so with a violent fantasy about hurling down stones on outsiders. Elsewhere, he expresses his love for her through deeds, not words. While Addie lies dying on her corn-shuck mattress, Darl convinces Jewel to take a trip with him to pick up a load of lumber. Darl knows that Jewel is Addie's favorite child. The trip for lumber is a contrivance- Darl's way of keeping Jewel from his mother's bedside when she dies. A wheel breaks on the wagon, and before Darl and Jewel can replace it, bring the wagon home, and load Addie's body onto it for the trip to Jefferson, three days have passed. By this time, heavy rains have flooded the Yoknapatawpha River and washed out all the bridges that cross it. The river is vicious, and the Bundrens' mules drown. The wagon tips over, and. Jewel, on horseback, manages to keep the wagon and its load from drifting downstream, saving his mother’s decomposing body. When the family finally makes it through the ordeal, they spend the night at the Gillespies' farm. Darl sets fire to the barn where Addie's body is stored in an effort to spare his mother. However, Jewel once again saves her coffin with a heroic act.