Personal Branding Website 5 Tips to Help You Nail Yours

Branding is key, regardless of your websites focus. It doesnt matter if youre running a blog, an online store, or a service site – your brand will play a significant role in the way visitors perceive you, so its important to start developing it as soon as possible. Thats where a personal branding website comes into play.With a powerful brand, people may begin to recognize your content simply by seeing your logo or your sites other imagery. This kind of recognition is fantastic because it means that your audience knows and trusts you. As a result, youre likely to have fewer problems attracting conversions.In this article, were going to talk a little about what online branding is and the role your site plays in it. Then well cover some tips for building a personal branding website using WordPress. Lets begin! , tagline, colors, and style are all pieces of its brand. In other words, your online brand is a combination of all the elements that people associate with your website and other presences (such as your social media profiles).If you think about it, most popular websites have easily-recognizable branding.Take this logo, for example:Were willing to bet you know exactly what service this icon represents, even without seeing it in context.A powerful online brand can make your website more memorable and engaging, which is crucial for building an audience and driving conversions. Of course, branding alone is not enough – youll still need to create and publish engaging content if you want your personal branding website to succeed. If you pair both of those elements together, youll have a winning combo on your hands.Five tips for creating an effective personal branding websiteBranding, in most cases, is all about implementing a few key elements. In the next several sections, well talk about what those elements are, and how to use them to develop an effective personal branding website.1. Design a unique logo that reflects your brandWhen it comes to onli ne branding, your logo is the element that stands out most. A unique logo can set you apart from the competition and make your website and content easier to recognize. Not taking the time to create (or commission) one is a wasted branding opportunity.The problem is that not everyone has the design chops to create a stylish logo. In some cases, hiring a designer to do this for you will be your best option. Of course, youll need a decent budget if you want a logo that doesnt look like it was put together in five minutes.Whether you decide to design a logo on your own or hire someone to do it, there are a few things youll need to keep in mind:Your logos concept should reflect what your site is all about.It should be easy to read and/or understand quickly.It should include your brand colors (well talk more about this element in a moment).To play it safe, we recommend that you commission multiple logo variations, so you can weigh your options and choose the one that represents your brand perfectly. While youre at it, you might also consider developing a tagline that describes what your brand is about, as this is an excellent complement to a strong logo.2. Choose a color palette for your websiteIn some cases, users learn (usually subconsciously) to associate specific colors with a particular site. When you think about Facebook, for example, you can probably picture the exact shade of blue the company uses throughout its website and other materials.Thats not a coincidence, either. That association forms because those sites make color a deliberate part of their branding strategy. To do the same, youll need to choose a color – or multiple hues – and incorporate them into as many elements of your site as you can.Choosing a palette where each color complements the others can be tricky. However, using a color wheel  can make the process significantly easier. For best results, youll want to stick with somewhere between one and three primary colors.As for wh ich elements to use your brand colors on, there are plenty to choose from, including:Buttons and Calls To Action (CTAs)Navigation bars and footersDividers between sectionsFeatured imagesThose are just a few places to start, of course. You can get pretty creative when it comes to incorporating your brand colors into your designs. Just keep in mind that consistency is critical, which brings us to the next section.3. Keep your branding consistent throughout your websiteFor a personal branding website to work, it requires a high level of consistency. That is to say, your branding elements should appear throughout each page, and should look uniform.To give you an example, you wouldnt want to use two different logos within the same website, since that could easily lead to confusion. The same logic applies to all other aspects of your branding, from the colors you use, to which elements you apply those colors to.This also means that if you use a particular color for CTAs on one page, its b est to do the same on other relevant pages. The goal is for users to become acquainted with your brands core elements, so theyll recognize them more easily over time.4. Add social icons to your websiteThese days, just about every website needs a social media presence. Moreover, those social media accounts should also represent your online brand. That means using the same logo, colors, and tagline, as well as writing in the same style as your sites content.Keep in mind that you dont need social media accounts on every platform, just those that are relevant to your audience. Then youll want to link those accounts to your WordPress website, and the best way to do that is by using social icons.The WordPress community offers a lot of plugins you can use to achieve this. One of our favorites is called Social Icons Widget: Social Icons Widget by WPZOOM Author(s): WPZOOMCurrent Version: 3.4.0Last Updated: October 5, 2019social-icons-widget-by-wpzoom.zip 98%Ratings 674,802Downloads W P 4.3+Requires This plugin includes icons for over 80 social media websites (yes, there are that many of them!). Plus, it enables you to add any of them to your pages using widgets. This will direct your website visitors towards your social pages, where theyll be exposed to more of the same branding – hopefully helping it to stick more effectively.5. Create an About Us or About Me pageIf you want people to connect with your online brand, they need to know what its all about and what you or your business stands for. The easiest way to share this information is by adding an About Us section or page to your website:About Us pages dont need to be overly complicated. In most cases, a few pictures of your team or headquarters alongside a brief introduction will do the trick. The idea is to give visitors enough information that they know youre more than just a personal branding website, and there are real people behind the content you publish.There are plenty of ways you can go abou t creating an About Us page in WordPress. Some themes include pre-built sections or pages that are perfect for these purposes, including several of our own. So you may want to  check those out and see which one is a good fit for your site.Go to topConclusionChances are high that a lot of your favorite websites have powerful online branding. Youd probably be able to recognize their names and logos anywhere. Your goal is to use your website to develop your online brand in much the same way, until it reaches the point where you dont need to introduce yourself anymore.Lets review some of the ways you can develop a personal branding website from the ground up:Design or commission a unique logo that reflects your brand.Choose a color palette for your website.Keep branding consistent across all your pages and content.Add social icons to your website.Create an About Us page. Free guide5 Essential Tips to Speed Up Your WordPress SiteReduce your loading time by even 50-80% just by following simple tips.

Major General George Pickett in the Civil War

Major General George Pickett in the Civil War Major General George E. Pickett was a noted Confederate division commander during the Civil War. A West Point graduate, he took part in the Mexican-American War and distinguished himself at the Battle of Chapultepec. With the beginning of the Civil War, Pickett joined the Confederate Army and was later wounded at the Battle of Gainess Mill in June 1862. Returning to action that fall, he took command of a division in Lieutenant General James Longstreets corps. An effective and charismatic leader, his men earned fame during the final phases of the Battle of Gettysburg when they were part on an assault on the Union lines. Picketts career was effectively ended by his defeat at the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865. Early Life George Edward Pickett was born January 16/25/28, 1825 (the precise date is disputed) at Richmond, VA. The eldest child of Robert and Mary Pickett, he was raised at the familys Turkey Island plantation in Henrico County. Educated locally, Pickett later traveled to Springfield, IL to study law. While there, he befriended Representative John T. Stuart and may have had some contact with a young Abraham Lincoln. In 1842, Stuart secured an appointment to West Point for Pickett and the young man left his legal studies to pursue a military career. Arriving at the academy, Picketts classmates included future comrades and adversaries such George B. McClellan, George Stoneman, Thomas J. Jackson, and Ambrose P. Hill. West Point Mexico Though well-liked by his classmates, Pickett proved a poor student and was better known for his antics. A renowned prankster, he was viewed as someone of ability but who only sought to study enough to graduate. As a result of this mentality, Pickett graduated last in his class of 59 in 1846. While being the class goat often led to short or inglorious career, Pickett quickly benefited from the outbreak of the Mexican-American War. Posted to the 8th US Infantry, he took part in Major General Winfield Scotts campaign against Mexico City. Landing with Scotts army, he first saw fighting at the Siege of Vera Cruz. As the army moved inland, he took part in the actions at Cerro Gordo and Churubusco. On September 13, 1847, Pickett came to prominence during the Battle of Chapultepec which saw American forces capture a key fortification and break through Mexico Citys defenses. Advancing, Pickett was the first American soldier to reach the top of Chapultepec Castles walls. Battle of Chapultepec. Photograph Source: Public Domain In the course of the action, he retrieved his units colors when his future commander, James Longstreet, was wounded in the thigh. For his service in Mexico, Pickett received a brevet promotion to captain. With the end of the war, he was assigned to the 9th US Infantry for service on the frontier. Promoted to first lieutenant in 1849, he married Sally Harrison Minge, the  great-great-grandniece of William Henry Harrison, in January 1851. Frontier Duty Their union proved short-lived as she died in childbirth while Pickett was posted at Fort Gates in Texas. Promoted to captain in March 1855, he spent a brief period at Fort Monroe, VA before being sent west for service in the Washington Territory. The following year, Pickett oversaw the construction of Fort Bellingham overlooking Bellingham Bay. While there, he married a local Haida woman, Morning Mist, who gave birth to a son, James Tilton Pickett, in 1857. As with his past marriage, his wife died a short time later. In 1859, he received orders to occupy San Juan Island with Company D, 9th US Infantry in response to a growing border dispute with the British known as the Pig War. This had commenced when an American farmer, Lyman Cutler, had shot a pig belonging to the Hudsons Bay Company which had broken into his garden. As the situation with the British escalated, Pickett was able to hold his position and deterred a British landing. After he was reinforced, Scott arrived to negotiate a settlement. Joining the Confederacy In the wake of Lincolns election in 1860 and the firing on Fort Sumter the following April, Virginia seceded from the Union. Learning of this, Pickett left the West Coast with the goal of serving his home state and resigned his US Army commission on June 25, 1861. Arriving after the First Battle of Bull Run, he accepted a commission as a major in the Confederate service. Given his West Point training and Mexican service, he was quickly promoted to colonel and assigned to the Rappahannock Line of the Department of Fredericksburg. Commanding from a black charger he dubbed Old Black, Pickett was also known for his immaculate appearance and his flashy, finely tailored uniforms. Fast Facts: Major General George Pickett Rank: Major GeneralService: US Army, Confederate ArmyBorn: January 16/25/28, 1825 in Richmond, VADied: July 30, 1875 in Norfolk, VAParents: Robert and Mary PickettSpouse: Sally Harrison Minge, Morning Mist, LaSalle Sallie Corbell  Conflicts: Mexican-American War, Civil WarKnown For: Peninsula Campaign, Battle of Chancellorsville, Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Siege of Petersburg, Battle of Five Forks The Civil War Serving under Major General Theophilus H. Holmes, Pickett was able to use his superiors influence to receive a promotion to brigadier general on January 12, 1862. Assigned to lead a brigade in Longstreets command, he performed competently during the Peninsula Campaign and took part in the fighting at Williamsburg and Seven Pines. With the ascension of  General Robert E. Lee to command of the army, Pickett returned to battle during the opening engagements of the Seven Days Battles in late June. In the fighting at Gaines Mill on June 27, 1862, he was hit in the shoulder. This injury necessitated a three-month leave to recover and he missed the Second Manassas and Antietam campaigns. Rejoining the Army of Northern Virginia, he was given command of a division in Longstreets Corps that September and was promoted to major general the following month. General James Longstreet, CSA. Photograph Source: Public Domain In December, Picketts men saw little action during the victory at the Battle of Fredericksburg. In the spring of 1863, the division was detached for service in the Suffolk Campaign and missed the Battle of Chancellorsville. While in Suffolk, Pickett met and fell in love with LaSalle Sallie Corbell. The two would be wed on November 13 and later had two children. Picketts Charge During the Battle of Gettysburg, Pickett was initially tasked with guarding the armys lines of communication through Chambersburg, PA. As a result, it did not reach the battlefield until the evening of July 2. During the previous days fighting, Lee had unsuccessfully assaulted the Union flanks south of Gettysburg. For July 3, he planned an attack on the Union center. For this he requested that Longstreet assemble a force consisting of Picketts fresh troops, as well as battered divisions from Lieutenant General A.P. Hills corps. Moving forward after a protracted artillery bombardment, Pickett rallied his men with the cry of, Up, Men, and to your posts! Dont forget today that you are from Old Virginia! Pushing across a wide field, his men neared the Union lines before being bloodily repulsed. In the fighting, all three of Picketts brigade commanders were killed or wounded, with only Brigadier General Lewis Armisteads men actually piercing the Union line. With his division shattered, Pickett was inconsolable over the loss of his men. Falling back, Lee instructed Pickett to rally his division in case of a Union counterattack. To this order, Pickett is often quoted as replying General Lee, I have no division. The Battle of Gettysburg. Photograph Courtesy of the Library of Congress Though the failed attack is more accurately known as Longstreets Assault or the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Assault, it quickly earned the name Picketts Charge in the Virginia newspapers as he was the only Virginian of high rank to take part. In the wake of Gettysburg, his career began a steady decline despite receiving no criticism from Lee regarding the attack. Following the Confederate withdrawal to Virginia, Pickett was re-assigned to lead the Department of Southern Virginia and North Carolina. Later Career In the spring, he was given command of a division in the Richmond defenses where he served under General P.G.T. Beauregard. After seeing action during the Bermuda Hundred Campaign, his men were assigned to support Lee during the Battle of Cold Harbor. Remaining with Lees army, Pickett took part in the Siege of Petersburg that summer, fall, and winter. In late March, Pickett was tasked with holding the critical crossroads of Five Forks. On April 1, his men were defeated at the Battle of Five Forks, while he was two miles away enjoying a shad bake. The loss at Five Forks effectively undermined the Confederate position at Petersburg, forcing Lee to retreat west. During the retreat to Appomattox, Lee may have issued orders relieving Pickett. Sources conflict on this point, but regardless Pickett remained with the army until its final surrender on April 9, 1865. Paroled with the rest of the army, he briefly fled to Canada only to return in 1866. Settling in Norfolk with his wife Sallie (married November 13, 1863), he worked as an insurance agent. As with many former US Army officers who had resigned and gone south, he had difficulty obtaining a pardon for his Confederate service during the war. This was finally issued on June 23, 1874. Pickett died on July 30, 1875, and was buried in Richmonds Hollywood Cemetery.

A Genetics Definition of Homologous Chromosomes

A Genetics Definition of Homologous Chromosomes Homologous chromosomes are chromosome pairs (one from each parent) that are similar in length, gene position, and centromere location. The position of the genes on each homologous chromosome is the same. However, the genes may contain different alleles. Chromosomes are important molecules, as they contain DNA and the genetic instructions for the direction of all cell activity. They also carry genes that determine individual traits. Homologous Chromosomes Example A human karyotype shows the complete set of human chromosomes. Human cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes, for a total of 46. Each chromosome pair represents a set of homologous chromosomes. One chromosome in each pair is donated from the mother and the other from the father during sexual reproduction. In a karyotype, there are 22 pairs of autosomes (non-sex chromosomes) and one pair of sex chromosomes. In males, the X and Y sex chromosomes are homologs. In females, both X chromosomes are homologs. Mitosis The purpose of mitosis (nuclear division) and cell division is to replicate cells for repair and growth. Before mitosis begins, chromosomes must be replicated to ensure that each cell retains the correct number of chromosomes after cell division. Homologous chromosomes replicate forming sister chromatids (identical copies of a replicated chromosome that are attached). After replication, the single-stranded DNA becomes double-stranded and has the familiar X shape. As the cell progresses through the stages of mitosis, sister chromatids are eventually separated by spindle fibers and divided between two daughter cells. Each separated chromatid is considered a full single-stranded chromosome. Interphase: Homologous chromosomes replicate forming sister chromatidsProphase: Sister chromatids move toward the center of the cellMetaphase: Sister chromatids align along the metaphase plate at the cells centerAnaphase: Sister chromatids are separated and pulled toward opposite cell polesTelophase: Chromosomes are separated into distinct nuclei After the cytoplasm is divided during cytokinesis, two new daughter cells are formed with the same number of chromosomes in each cell. Mitosis preserves the homologous chromosome number. Meiosis Meiosis is the mechanism for gamete formation and involves a two-stage division process. Prior to meiosis, homologous chromosomes replicate forming sister chromatids. In prophase I, sister chromatids pair up forming what is called a tetrad. While in close proximity, homologous chromosomes sometimes exchange sections of DNA. This is known as genetic recombination. Homologous chromosomes separate during the first meiotic division and sister chromatids separate during the second division. At the end of meiosis, four daughter cells are produced. Each cell is haploid and contains half the number of chromosomes as the original cell. Each chromosome has the appropriate number of genes, however, the alleles for the genes are different. The swapping of genes during homologous chromosome recombination produces genetic variation in organisms that reproduce sexually. Upon fertilization, haploid gametes become a diploid organism. Nondisjunction and Mutations Occasionally, problems arise in cell division that cause cells to divide improperly. Failure of chromosomes to separate correctly in mitosis or meiosis is called nondisjunction. Should nondisjunction occur in the first meiotic division, homologous chromosomes remain paired. This results in two daughter cells with an extra set of chromosomes and two daughter cells with no chromosomes. Nondisjunction may also occur in meiosis II when sister chromatids fail to separate prior to cell division. Fertilization of these gametes produces individuals with either too many or not enough chromosomes. Nondisjunction is often fatal or may produce chromosomal anomalies resulting in birth defects. In trisomy nondisjunction, cells contain an extra chromosome. In humans, this means that there are 47 total chromosomes instead of 46. Trisomy is seen in Down syndrome where chromosome 21 has an additional or partial chromosome. Nondisjunction may also produce abnormalities in sex chromosomes. Monosomy is a type of nondisjunction in which only one chromosome is present. Females with Turner syndrome have only one X sex chromosome. Males with XYY syndrome have an extra Y sex chromosome. Nondisjunction in sex chromosomes typically has less severe consequences than nondisjunction in autosomal chromosomes (non-sex chromosomes). Chromosome mutations can impact both homologous chromosomes and non-homologous chromosomes. A translocation mutation is a type of mutation in which a piece of one chromosome breaks off and is joined to another chromosome. This type of mutation occurs more often between non-homologous chromosomes and can be reciprocal (gene exchange between two chromosomes) or non-reciprocal (only one chromosome receives a new gene segment).

Expression Of Recombinant Tick Histamine-Binding Protein Lab Report

Expression Of Recombinant Tick Histamine-Binding Protein - Lab Report Example To facilitate further studies regarding the structure and function of HBP, there should be an efficient means by which HBP can be made available. For this, Pichia pastoris expression system was assessed for its competence in producing recombinant HBP. This was chosen for its effectiveness in glycosylating recombinant proteins. On the other hand, the HBP gene sequence used for this particular study was from cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, which is considered to be an agricultural pest. If found to have therapeutic effect, the despised insect will be given a newly-discovered purpose. Culture and induction of transformed P. pastoris was able to produce c-myc epitope-containing proteins, potentially containing TC11485, as detected through dot blot and Western blot analysis. Future researches involve purification and characterization of the recombinant TC11485. Introduction Lipocalins 1. The structure-function relation in lipocalins Lipocalins are monomeric globular proteins compris ed of a single polypeptide with 150-200 amino acid residues, and ubiquitous in all life forms. In fact, these proteins are abundant in plasma, tissue and secretory fluids of humans. Despite its weak sequence homology, they are characterized by a tertiary structural level of a conserved ?-barrel configuration with an amino-and carboxy-terminal ?-helix attachment, contributing to their similarities in function, which will be discussed in the later sections. The barrel is shaped like a cone, in which the tip is a hydrophobic core that protects the parcel, and the base open to solvent acts as an entry point into the cavity. In fact, the term lipocalin is derived from ‘calyx’, which is the Greek and Latin word for drinking vessel (Cheng, 2010; Schlehuber and Skerra, 2005). Classification of lipocalins is based on variations in the length of the terminal segments. Aside from the highly conserved tertiary structure, lipocalins also exhibit similar arrangement of exons and intr ons in their genes’ coding sequences (Cheng, 2010). Understandably, each lipocalin has a distinct amino acid sequence. For human lipocalins, a single unpaired cysteine (Cys) residue allows intermolecular covalent binding of a lipocalin to another protein. Apolipoprotein D (ApoD) binds with apolipoprotein A-II, and NGAL associates with matrix metalloproteinase IX Other than being differentiated based on amino acid sequence, lipocalins vary in the shapes that their structures can assume. Logically, capability for such changes influences the function of the protein. For example, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) opens more widely to become more funnel-like, while the mouse major urinary protein (MUP) closes the opening of the barrel to totally encapsulate the ligand (Schlehuber and Skerra, 2005). 2. Physiologic role of lipocalins This family of proteins primarily functions to transport or store compounds that are insoluble or chemically sensitive. Among the compo unds transported by lipocalins are hydrophobic vitamins, pheromones, bilins, retinoids, lipids and steroid hormones, play significantly in transcription, enzymatic reactions and metabolism (Schlehuber and Skerra, 2005; Cheng, 2010). They deliver their ligands to the cell membrane receptor or to the targets (such as DNA) themselves. For example, the human plasma retinol-binding protein (RBP), the first lipocalin structurally characterized, transports the insoluble and highly oxidative vitamin A from the stores in the liver to the target tissues . ApoD transports progesterone and arachidonic acid, while NGAL has Fe(III)-enterobactin as its ligand (Schlehuber and Skerra, 2005). 3. Medical significance of lipocalins Because of their

Managing Organizational Change (2) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Managing Organizational Change (2) - Essay Example The transformation may not make one satisfied completely but it will still be better to have it then to not have it at all. I feel that the technology evolution as spoken by Ray Kurzweil would be incredible. It will pave way for an organizational culture wherein human labor will not be overburdened. As said by Ray Kurzweil â€Å"Technology will always hurt less and benefit more†. It will lead to an atmosphere wherein organizations would be compelled to cut down on work hours requiring man power. Right now the trend is more towards letting people work over time then hiring more people. This trend will change post singularity. On the negative side, human dependency on machine will increase exponentially and manifold. Technology will completely handicap humanity. It will be difficult to convince employees who have become accustomed to the old format to adapt to the rapidly emerging technology. (Kurzweil,

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Smart Antenna

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Smart Antenna The Direction of Arrival (DOA) estimation algorithm which may take various forms generally follows from the homogeneous solution of the wave equation. The models of interest in this dissertation may equally apply to an EM wave as well as to an acoustic wave. Assuming that the propagation model is fundamentally the same, we will, for analytical expediency, show that it can follow from the solution of Maxwells equations, which clearly are only valid for EM waves. In empty space the equation can be written as: =0 (3.1) =0 (3.2) (3.3) (3.4) where . and ÃÆ'-, respectively, denote the divergence and curl. Furthermore, B is the magnetic induction. E denotes the electric field, whereas and are the magnetic and dielectric constants respectively. Invoking 3.1 the following curl property results as: (3.5) (3.6) (3.7) The constant c is generally referred to as the speed of propagation. For EM waves in free space, it follows from the derivation c = 1 / = 3 x m / s. The homogeneous wave equation (3.7) constitutes the physical motivation for our assumed data model, regardless of the type of wave or medium. In some applications, the underlying physics are irrelevant, and it is merely the mathematical structure of the data model that counts. 3.2 Plane wave In the physics of wave propagation, a plane wave is a constant-frequency wave whose wave fronts are infinite parallel planes of constant peak-to-peak amplitude normal to the phase velocity vector[]. Actually, it is impossible to have a rare plane wave in practice, and only a plane wave of infinite extent can propagate as a plane wave. Actually, many waves are approximately regarded as plane waves in a localized region of space, e.g., a localized source such as an antenna produces a field which is approximately a plane wave far enough from the antenna in its far-field region. Likely, we can treat the waves as light rays which correspond locally to plane waves, when the length scales are much longer than the waves wavelength, as is often appearing of light in the field of optics. 3.2.1 Mathematical definition Two functions which meet the criteria of having a constant frequency and constant amplitude are defined as the sine or cosine functions. One of the simplest ways to use such a sinusoid involves defining it along the direction of the x axis. As the equation shown below, it uses the cosine function to express a plane wave travelling in the positive x direction. (3.8) Where A(x,t) is the magnitude of the shown wave at a given point in space and time. is the amplitude of the wave which is the peak magnitude of the oscillation. k is the waves wave number or more specifically the angular wave number and equals 2à Ã¢â€š ¬/ÃŽÂ », where ÃŽÂ » is the wavelength of the wave. k has the units of radians per unit distance and is a standard of how rapidly the disturbance changes over a given distance at a particular point in time. x is a point along the x axis. y and z are not considered in the equation because the waves magnitude and phase are the same at every point on any given y-z plane. This equation defines what that magnitude and phase are. is the waves angular frequency which equals 2à Ã¢â€š ¬/T, and T is the period of the wave. In detail, omega, has the units of radians per unit time and is also a standard of how rapid the disturbance changing in a given length of time at a particular point in space. is a given particular point in time, and varphi , is the wave phase shift with the units of radians. It must make clear that a positive phase shift will shifts the wave along the negative x axis direction at a given point of time. A phase shift of 2à Ã¢â€š ¬ radians means shifting it one wavelength exactly. Other formulations which directly use the waves wavelength, period T, frequency f and velocity c, are shown as follows: A=A_o cos[2pi(x/lambda- t/T) + varphi], (3.9) A=A_o cos[2pi(x/lambda- ft) + varphi], (3.10) A=A_o cos[(2pi/lambda)(x- ct) + varphi], (3.11) To appreciate the equivalence of the above set of equations denote that f=1/T,! and c=lambda/T=omega/k,! 3.2.2 Application Plane waves are solutions for a scalar wave equation in the homogeneous medium. As for vector wave equations, e.g., waves in an elastic solid or the ones describing electromagnetic radiation, the solution for the homogeneous medium is similar. In vector wave equations, the scalar amplitude is replaced by a constant vector. e.g., in electromagnetism is the vector of the electric field, magnetic field, or vector potential. The transverse wave is a kind of wave in which the amplitude vector is perpendicular to k, which is the case for electromagnetic waves in an isotropic space. On the contrast, the longitudinal wave is a kind of wave in which the amplitude vector is parallel to k, typically, such as for acoustic waves in a gas or fluid. The plane wave equation is true for arbitrary combinations of à Ã¢â‚¬ ° and k. However, all real physical mediums will only allow such waves to propagate for these combinations of à Ã¢â‚¬ ° and k that satisfy the dispersion relation of the mediums. The dispersion relation is often demonstrated as a function, à Ã¢â‚¬ °(k), where ratio à Ã¢â‚¬ °/|k| gives the magnitude of the phase velocity and dà Ã¢â‚¬ °/dk denotes the group velocity. As for electromagnetism in an isotropic case with index of refraction coefficient n, the phase velocity is c/n, which equals the group velocity on condition that the index is frequency independent. In linear uniform case, a wave equation solution can be demonstrated as a superposition of plane waves. This method is known as the Angular Spectrum method. Actually, the solution form of the plane wave is the general consequence of translational symmetry. And in the more general case, for periodic structures with discrete translational symmetry, the solution takes the form of Bloch waves, which is most famous in crystalline atomic materials, in the photonic crystals and other periodic wave equations. 3.3 Propagation Many physical phenomena are either a result of waves propagating through a medium or exhibit a wave like physical manifestation. Though 3.7 is a vector equation, we only consider one of its components, say E(r,t) where r is the radius vector. It will later be assumed that the measured sensor outputs are proportional to E(r,t). Interestingly enough, any field of the form E(r,t) = , which satisfies 3.7, provided with T denoting transposition. Through its dependence on only, the solution can be interpreted as a wave traveling in the direction, with the speed of propagation. For the latter reason, ÃŽÂ ± is referred to as the slowness vector. The chief interest herein is in narrowband forcing functions. The details of generating such a forcing function can be found in the classic book by Jordan [59]. In complex notation [63] and taking the origin as a reference, a narrowband transmitted waveform can be expressed as: (3.12) where s(t) is slowly time varying compared to the carrier . For, where B is the bandwidth of s(t), we can write: (3.13) In the last equation 3.13, the so-called wave vector was introduced, and its magnitude is the wavenumber. One can also write, where is the wavelength. Make sure that k also points in the direction of propagation, e.g., in the x-y plane we can get: (3.14) where is the direction of propagation, defined counter clockwise relative the x axis. It should be noted that 3.12 implicitly assumed far-field conditions, since an isotropic, which refers to uniform propagation/transmission in all directions, point source gives rise to a spherical traveling wave whose amplitude is inversely proportional to the distance to the source. All points lying on the surface of a sphere of radius R will then share a common phase and are referred to as a wave front. This indicates that the distance between the emitters and the receiving antenna array determines whether the spherical degree of the wave should be taken into account. The reader is referred to e.g., [10, 24] for treatments of near field reception. Far field receiving conditions imply that the radius of propagation is so large that a flat plane of constant phase can be considered, thus resulting in a plane wave as indicated in Eq. 8. Though not necessary, the latter will be our assumed working mode l for convenience of exposition. Note that a linear medium implies the validity of the superposition principle, and thus allows for more than one traveling wave. Equation 8 carries both spatial and temporal information and represents an adequate model for distinguishing signals with distinct spatial-temporal parameters. These may come in various forms, such as DOA, in general azimuth and elevation, signal polarization, transmitted waveforms, temporal frequency etc. Each emitter is generally associated with a set of such characteristics. The interest in unfolding the signal parameters forms the essence of sensor array signal processing as presented herein, and continues to be an important and active topic of research. 3.4 Smart antenna Smart antennas are devices which adapt their radiation pattern to achieve improved performance either range or capacity or some combination of these [1]. The rapid growth in demand for mobile communications services has encouraged research into the design of wireless systems to improve spectrum efficiency, and increase link quality [7]. Using existing methods more effective, the smart antenna technology has the potential to significantly increase the wireless. With intelligent control of signal transmission and reception, capacity and coverage of the mobile wireless network, communications applications can be significantly improved [2]. In the communication system, the ability to distinguish different users is essential. The smart antenna can be used to add increased spatial diversity, which is referred to as Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA). Conventionally, employment of the most common multiple access scheme is a frequency division multiple access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). These independent users of the program, frequency, time and code domain were given three different levels of diversity. Potential benefits of the smart antenna show in many ways, such as anti-multipath fading, reducing the delay extended to support smart antenna holding high data rate, interference suppression, reducing the distance effect, reducing the outage probability, to improve the BER (Bit Error Rate)performance, increasing system capacity, to improve spectral efficiency, supporting flexible and efficient handoff to expand cell coverage, flexible management of the district, to extend the battery life of mobile station, as well as lower maintenance and operating costs. 3.4.1 Types of Smart Antennas The environment and the systems requirements decide the type of Smart Antennas. There are two main types of Smart Antennas. They are as follows: Phased Array Antenna In this type of smart antenna, there will be a number of fixed beams between which the beam will be turned on or steered to the target signal. This can be done, only in the first stage of adjustment to help. In other words, as wanted by the moving target, the beam will be the Steering [2]. Adaptive Array Antenna Integrated with adaptive digital signal processing technology, the smart antenna uses digital signal processing algorithm to measure the signal strength of the beam, so that the antenna can dynamically change the beam which transmit power concentrated, as figure 3.2 shows. The application of spatial processing can enhance the signal capacity, so that multiple users share a channel. Adaptive antenna array is a closed-loop feedback control system consisting of an antenna array and real-time adaptive signal receiver processor, which uses the feedback control method for automatic alignment of the antenna array pattern. It formed nulling interference signal offset in the direction of the interference, and can strengthen a useful signal, so as to achieve the purpose of anti-jamming [3]. Figure 2 click for text version Figure 3.2 3.4.2 Advantages and disadvantages of smart antenna Advantages First of all, a high level of efficiency and power are provided by the smart antenna for the target signal. Smart antennas generate narrow pencil beams, when a big number of antenna elements are used in a high frequency condition. Thus, in the direction of the target signal, the efficiency is significantly high. With the help of adaptive array antennas, the same amount times the power gain will be produce, on condition that a fixed number of antenna elements are used. Another improvement is in the amount of interference which is suppressed. Phased array antennas suppress the interference with the narrow beam and adaptive array antennas suppress by adjusting the beam pattern [2]. Disadvantages The main disadvantage is the cost. Actually, the cost of such devices will be more than before, not only in the electronics section, but in the energy. That is to say the device is too expensive, and will also decrease the life of other devices. The receiver chains which are used must be decreased in order to reduce the cost. Also, because of the use of the RF electronics and A/D converter for each antenna, the costs are increasing. Moreover, the size of the antenna is another problem. Large base stations are needed to make this method to be efficient and it will increase the size, apart from this multiple external antennas needed on each terminal. Then, when the diversity is concerned, disadvantages are occurred. When mitigation is needed, diversity becomes a serious problem. The terminals and base stations must equip with multiple antennas. 3.5 White noise White noise is a random signal with a flat power spectral density []. In another word, the signal contains the equal power within a particular bandwidth at the centre frequency. White noise draws its name from white light where the power spectral density of the light is distributed in the visible band. In this way, the eyes three colour receptors are approximately equally stimulated []. In statistical case, a time series can be characterized as having weak white noise on condition that {} is a sequence of serially uncorrelated random vibrations with zero mean and finite variance. Especially, strong white noise has the quality to be independent and identically distributed, which means no autocorrelation. In particular, the series is called the Gaussian white noise [1], if is normally distributed and it has zero mean and standard deviation. Actually, an infinite bandwidth white noise signal is just a theoretical construction which cannot be reached. In practice, the bandwidth of white noise is restricted by the transmission medium, the mechanism of noise generation, and finite observation capabilities. If a random signal is observed with a flat spectrum in a mediums widest possible bandwidth, we will refer it as white noise. 3.5.1 Mathematical definition White random vector A random vector W is a white random vector only if its mean vector and autocorrelation matrix are corresponding to the follows: mu_w = mathbb{E}{ mathbf{w} } = 0 (3.15) R_{ww} = mathbb{E}{ mathbf{w} mathbf{w}^T} = sigma^2 mathbf{I} . (3.16) That is to say, it is a zero mean random vector, and its autocorrelation matrix is a multiple of the identity matrix. When the autocorrelation matrix is a multiple of the identity, we can regard it as spherical correlation. White random process A time continuous random process where is a white noise signal only if its mean function and autocorrelation function satisfy the following equation: mu_w(t) = mathbb{E}{ w(t)} = 0 (3.17) R_{ww}(t_1, t_2) = mathbb{E}{ w(t_1) w(t_2)} = (N_{0}/2)delta(t_1 t_2). (3.18) That is to say, it is zero mean for all time and has infinite power at zero time shift since its autocorrelation function is the Dirac delta function. The above autocorrelation function implies the following power spectral density. Since the Fourier transform of the delta function is equal to 1, we can imply: S_{ww}(omega) = N_{0}/2 ,! (3.19) Since this power spectral density is the same at all frequencies, we define it white as an analogy to the frequency spectrum of white light. A generalization to random elements on infinite dimensional spaces, e.g. random fields, is the white noise measure. 3.5.2 Statistical properties The white noise is uncorrelated in time and does not restrict the values a signal can take. Any distribution of values about the white noise is possible. Even a so-called binary signal that can only take the values of 1 or -1 will be white on condition that the sequence is statistically uncorrelated. Any noise with a continuous distribution, like a normal distribution, can be white noise certainly. It is often incorrectly assumed that Gaussian noise is necessarily white noise, yet neither property implies the other. Gaussianity refers to the probability distribution with respect to the value, in this context the probability of the signal reaching amplitude, while the term white refers to the way the signal power is distributed over time or among frequencies. Spectrogram of pink noise (left) and white noise (right), showed with linear frequency axis (vertical). We can therefore find Gaussian white noise, but also Poisson, Cauchy, etc. white noises. Thus, the two words Gaussian and white are often both specified in mathematical models of systems. Gaussian white noise is a good approximation of many real-world situations and generates mathematically tractable models. These models are used so frequently that the term additive white Gaussian noise has a standard abbreviation: AWGN. White noise is the generalized mean-square derivative of the Wiener process or Brownian motion. 3.6 Normal Distribution In probability theory, the normal (or Gaussian) distribution is a continuous probability distribution that has a bell-shaped probability density function, known as the Gaussian function or informally as the bell curve[1]. f(x;mu,sigma^2) = frac{1}{sigmasqrt{2pi}} e^{ -frac{1}{2}left(frac{x-mu}{sigma}right)^2 } The parameter ÃŽÂ ¼ is the mean or expectation (location of the peak) and à Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °2 is the variance. à Ã†â€™ is known as the standard deviation. The distribution with ÃŽÂ ¼ = 0 and à Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °2 = 1 is called the standard normal distribution or the unit normal distribution. A normal distribution is often used as a first approximation to describe real-valued random variables that cluster around a single mean value. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Standard_deviation_diagram.svg/325px-Standard_deviation_diagram.svg.png The normal distribution is considered the most prominent probability distribution in statistics. There are several reasons for this:[1] First, the normal distribution arises from the central limit theorem, which states that under mild conditions, the mean of a large number of random variables drawn from the same distribution is distributed approximately normally, irrespective of the form of the original distribution. This gives it exceptionally wide application in, for example, sampling. Secondly, the normal distribution is very tractable analytically, that is, a large number of results involving this distribution can be derived in explicit form. For these reasons, the normal distribution is commonly encountered in practice, and is used throughout statistics, natural sciences, and social sciences [2] as a simple model for complex phenomena. For example, the observational error in an experiment is usually assumed to follow a normal distribution, and the propagation of uncertainty is computed using this assumption. Note that a normally distributed variable has a symmetric distribution about its mean. Quantities that grow exponentially, such as prices, incomes or populations, are often skewed to the right, and hence may be better described by other distributions, such as the log-normal distribution or Pareto distribution. In addition, the probability of seeing a normally distributed value that is far (i.e. more than a few standard deviations) from the mean drops off extremely rapidly. As a result, statistical inference using a normal distribution is not robust to the presence of outliers (data that are unexpectedly far from the mean, due to exceptional circumstances, observational error, etc.). When outliers are expected, data may be better described using a heavy-tailed distribution such as the Students t-distribution. 3.6.1 Mathematical Definition The simplest case of a normal distribution is known as the standard normal distribution, described by the probability density function phi(x) = frac{1}{sqrt{2pi}}, e^{- frac{scriptscriptstyle 1}{scriptscriptstyle 2} x^2}. The factor scriptstyle 1/sqrt{2pi} in this expression ensures that the total area under the curve à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢(x) is equal to one[proof], and 12 in the exponent makes the width of the curve (measured as half the distance between the inflection points) also equal to one. It is traditional in statistics to denote this function with the Greek letter à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ (phi), whereas density functions for all other distributions are usually denoted with letters f or p.[5] The alternative glyph à Ã¢â‚¬   is also used quite often, however within this article à Ã¢â‚¬   is reserved to denote characteristic functions. Every normal distribution is the result of exponentiating a quadratic function (just as an exponential distribution results from exponentiating a linear function): f(x) = e^{a x^2 + b x + c}. , This yields the classic bell curve shape, provided that a 0 everywhere. One can adjust a to control the width of the bell, then adjust b to move the central peak of the bell along the x-axis, and finally one must choose c such that scriptstyleint_{-infty}^infty f(x),dx = 1 (which is only possible when a Rather than using a, b, and c, it is far more common to describe a normal distribution by its mean ÃŽÂ ¼ = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °b2a and variance à Ã†â€™2 = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °12a. Changing to these new parameters allows one to rewrite the probability density function in a convenient standard form, f(x) = frac{1}{sqrt{2pisigma^2}}, e^{frac{-(x-mu)^2}{2sigma^2}} = frac{1}{sigma}, phi!left(frac{x-mu}{sigma}right). For a standard normal distribution, ÃŽÂ ¼ = 0 and à Ã†â€™2 = 1. The last part of the equation above shows that any other normal distribution can be regarded as a version of the standard normal distribution that has been stretched horizontally by a factor à Ã†â€™ and then translated rightward by a distance ÃŽÂ ¼. Thus, ÃŽÂ ¼ specifies the position of the bell curves central peak, and à Ã†â€™ specifies the width of the bell curve. The parameter ÃŽÂ ¼ is at the same time the mean, the median and the mode of the normal distribution. The parameter à Ã†â€™2 is called the variance; as for any random variable, it describes how concentrated the distribution is around its mean. The square root of à Ã†â€™2 is called the standard deviation and is the width of the density function. The normal distribution is usually denoted by N(ÃŽÂ ¼,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ Ã†â€™2).[6] Thus when a random variable X is distributed normally with mean ÃŽÂ ¼ and variance à Ã†â€™2, we write X sim mathcal{N}(mu,,sigma^2). , 3.6.2 Alternative formulations Some authors advocate using the precision instead of the variance. The precision is normally defined as the reciprocal of the variance (à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ = à Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢2), although it is occasionally defined as the reciprocal of the standard deviation (à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ = à Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1).[7] This parameterization has an advantage in numerical applications where à Ã†â€™2 is very close to zero and is more convenient to work with in analysis as à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ is a natural parameter of the normal distribution. This parameterization is common in Bayesian statistics, as it simplifies the Bayesian analysis of the normal distribution. Another advantage of using this parameterization is in the study of conditional distributions in the multivariate normal case. The form of the normal distribution with the more common definition à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ = à Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢2 is as follows: f(x;,mu,tau) = sqrt{frac{tau}{2pi}}, e^{frac{-tau(x-mu)^2}{2}}. The question of which normal distribution should be called the standard one is also answered differently by various authors. Starting from the works of Gauss the standard normal was considered to be the one with variance à Ã†â€™2 = 12 : f(x) = frac{1}{sqrtpi},e^{-x^2} Stigler (1982) goes even further and insists the standard normal to be with the variance à Ã†â€™2 = 12à Ã¢â€š ¬ : f(x) = e^{-pi x^2} According to the author, this formulation is advantageous because of a much simpler and easier-to-remember formula, the fact that the pdf has unit height at zero, and simple approximate formulas for the quintiles of the distribution. 3.7 Cramer-Rao Bound In estimation theory and statistics, the Cramà ©r-Rao bound (CRB) or Cramà ©r-Rao lower bound (CRLB), named in honor of Harald Cramer and Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao who were among the first to derive it,[1][2][3] expresses a lower bound on the variance of estimators of a deterministic parameter. The bound is also known as the Cramà ©r-Rao inequality or the information inequality. In its simplest form, the bound states that the variance of any unbiased estimator is at least as high as the inverse of the Fisher information. An unbiased estimator which achieves this lower bound is said to be (fully) efficient. Such a solution achieves the lowest possible mean squared error among all unbiased methods, and is therefore the minimum variance unbiased (MVU) estimator. However, in some cases, no unbiased technique exists which achieves the bound. This may occur even when an MVU estimator exists. The Cramà ©r-Rao bound can also be used to bound the variance of biased estimators of given bias. In some cases, a biased approach can result in both a variance and a mean squared error that are below the unbiased Cramà ©r-Rao lower bound; see estimator bias. statement The Cramà ©r-Rao bound is stated in this section for several increasingly general cases, beginning with the case in which the parameter is a scalar and its estimator is unbiased. All versions of the bound require certain regularity conditions, which hold for most well-behaved distributions. These conditions are listed later in this section. Scalar unbiased case Suppose theta is an unknown deterministic parameter which is to be estimated from measurements x, distributed according to some probability density function f(x;theta). The variance of any unbiased estimator hat{theta} of theta is then bounded by the reciprocal of the Fisher information I(theta): mathrm{var}(hat{theta}) geq frac{1}{I(theta)} where the Fisher information I(theta) is defined by I(theta) = mathrm{E} left[ left( frac{partial ell(x;theta)}{partialtheta} right)^2 right] = -mathrm{E}left[ frac{partial^2 ell(x;theta)}{partialtheta^2} right] and ell(x;theta)=log f(x;theta) is the natural logarithm of the likelihood function and mathrm{E} denotes the expected value. The efficiency of an unbiased estimator hat{theta} measures how close this estimators variance comes to this lower bound; estimator efficiency is defined as e(hat{theta}) = frac{I(theta)^{-1}}{{rm var}(hat{theta})} or the minimum possible variance for an unbiased estimator divided by its actual variance. The Cramà ©r-Rao lower bound thus gives e(hat{theta}) le 1. General scalar case A more general form of the bound can be obtained by considering an unbiased estimator T(X) of a function psi(theta) of the parameter theta. Here, unbiasedness is understood as stating that E{T(X)} = psi(theta). In this case, the bound is given by mathrm{var}(T) geq frac{[psi'(theta)]^2}{I(theta)} where psi'(theta) is the derivative of psi(theta) (by theta), and I(theta) is the Fisher information defined above. Bound on the variance of biased estimators Apart from being a bound on estimators of functions of the parameter, this approach can be used to derive a bound on the variance of biased estimators with a given bias, as follows. Consider an estimator hat{theta} with biasb(theta) = E{hat{theta}} theta, and let psi(theta) = b(theta) + theta. By the result above, any unbiased estimator whose expectation is psi(theta) has variance greater than or equal to (psi'(theta))^2/I(theta). Thus, any estimator hat{theta} whose bias is given by a function b(theta) satisfies mathrm{var} left(hat{theta}right) geq frac{[1+b'(theta)]^2}{I(theta)}. The unbiased version of the bound is a special case of this result, with b(theta)=0. Its trivial to have a small variance à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ an estimator that is constant has a variance of zero. But from the above equation we find that the mean squared errorof a biased estimator is bounded by mathrm{E}left((hat{theta}-theta)^2right)geqfrac{[1+b'(theta)]^2}{I(theta)}+b(theta)^2, using the standard decomposition of the MSE. Note, however, that this bound can be less than the unbiased Cramà ©r-Rao bound 1/I(ÃŽÂ ¸). See the example of estimating variance below. Multivariate case Extending the Cramà ©r-Rao bound to multiple parameters, define a parameter column vector boldsymbol{theta} = left[ theta_1, theta_2, dots, theta_d right]^T in mathbb{R}^d with probability density function f(x; boldsymbol{theta}) which satisfies the two regularity conditions below. The Fisher information matrix is a d times d matrix with element I_{m, k} defined as I_{m, k} = mathrm{E} left[ frac{d}{dtheta_m} log fleft(x; boldsymbol{theta}right) frac{d}{dtheta_k} log fleft(x; boldsymbol{theta}right) right]. Let boldsymbol{T}(X) be an estimator of any vector function of parameters, boldsymbol{T}(X) = (T_1(X), ldots, T_n(X))^T, and denote its expectation vector mathrm{E}[boldsymbol{T}(X)] by boldsymbol{psi}(boldsymbol{theta}). The Cramà ©r-Rao bound then states that the covariance matrix of boldsymbol{T}(X) satisfies mathrm{cov}_{boldsymbol{theta}}left(boldsymbol{T}(X)right) geq frac {partial boldsymbol{psi} left(boldsymbol{theta}right)} {partial boldsymbol{theta}} [Ileft(boldsymbol{theta}right)]^{-1} left( frac {partial boldsymbol{psi}left(boldsymbol{theta}right)} {partial boldsymbol{theta}} right)^T where The matrix inequality A ge B is understood to mean that the matrix A-B is positive semi definite, and partial boldsymbol{psi}(boldsymbol{theta})/partial boldsymbol{theta} is the Jacobian matrix whose ijth element is given by partial psi_i(boldsymbol{theta})/partial theta_j. If boldsymbol{T}(X) is an unbiased estimator of boldsymbol{theta} (i.e., boldsymbol{psi}left(boldsymbol{theta}rig

The Apa Ethical Principles for Psychologists and Code of Conduct

The APA Ethical Principles for Psychologists and Code of Conduct: Cultural Sensitivity and Diversity – is the code culturally encapsulated and biased? Emmanuel Mueke Author Note Emmanuel Mueke. Independent Researcher. Correspondence regarding this article should be addressed to Emmanuel Mueke, P. O. Box 44935 – 00100. Nairobi, Kenya. Contact: [email  protected] com Abstract This paper explores the American Psychological Association (APA) Ethical Principles for Psychologists and Code of Conduct as regards the issue of multicultural and diverse professional practise.Its aim is to establish whether diversity and cultural variety and differences are adequately provided for in the body of the document. Psychologists are mandated to provide services to a multitude of culturally diverse and varied clients in a manner that is both professional and ethical. In such situations cultural sensitivity is fundamental and has been elevated to best practice. The code has been question ed as to the efficacy of its cultural sensitivity; firstly in terms of whether the code itself is culturally encapsulated and secondly whether there exists an explicit or implicit cultural bias.To address this issue we shall undertake a look at the code; its inherent limitations and shortcomings. Secondly the issue of the importance of cultural sensitivity and its translated application in matters of ethical service delivery shall be addressed. Keywords: APA Ethical Principles for Psychologists and Code of Conduct, ethics, multicultural, diversity, bias. The APA Ethical Principles for Psychologists and Code of Conduct: Cultural Sensitivity and Diversity – is the code culturally encapsulated and biased?Cultural sensitivity and professional ethics are central to the provision of psychologists’ services; this has led to the APA issuing guidelines in an effort to ensure that best practice is not only aspired to but more importantly achieved. This paper examines the Code of Conduct and the pursuant Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists (APA, 2002). Analysis of these documents will establish the existence of mechanisms to ensure protection against cultural bias and effective promotion of cultural sensitivity.Literature Review In the 2002 APA Ethical Principles for Psychologists and Code of Conduct several principles were outlined to ensure that cultural sensitivity was adopted as the guiding policy for practicing psychologists. The first mention of the issue of diversity and its effect on professional practice is in Principle E, which engenders awareness of and respect for cultural differences and admonishes the practitioners to try and eliminate the effect of biases upon their work and not to condone any activities of others based on prejudice. Further under Section 3. 1, unfair discrimination on any basis including culture is prohibited, combined with Section 3. 03 which admon ishes the practitioners from engaging in any behaviour that would be demeaning to a person of different culture. The issue of ethical provision of services is not just about preventing discrimination or harassment to persons of different cultures but it is also about ensuring that they are provided with adequate and competent services as they well deserve; to this effect Section 2. 01 provides what has been termed a boundary of competence.The boundary is intended to ensure that the services provided are effective in the specific circumstances faced; to this effect first it limits a psychologist to only undertake to provide services within the boundary of his expertise, education and experience and secondly it mandates that a psychologist must undertake the training or education necessary to provide the requisite services to the target populace, this training or education taking into account all factors that have a bearing on effective service delivery such as age, gender, ethnicity et cetera.Lastly under Section 9. 06 (APA, 2002) when interpreting assessment results a psychologist is mandated to take into account all the factors relevant, including the cultural differences of the assessment subject, that might nuance the results in any way. To translate these into effective practice the APA published the Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists (APA, 2002); which was meant to embody diversity aspirations for professionals.This document built on the precedent established by the Guidelines for providers of psychological services to ethnic, linguistic, and culturally diverse populations (APA, 1990). It translated the Principles previously outlined into six different guideline rules with the appropriate commentary on the way to best achieve such targets. The guidelines are; 1. Psychologists are encouraged to recognize that, as cultural beings, they may hold attitudes and beliefs that can detri mentally influence their perceptions of and interactions with individuals who are ethnically and racially different from themselves 2.Psychologists are encouraged to recognize the importance of multicultural sensitivity/responsiveness, knowledge, and understanding about ethnically and racially different individuals 3. As educators, psychologists are encouraged to employ the constructs of multiculturalism and diversity in psychological education 4. Culturally sensitive psychological researchers are encouraged to recognize the importance of conducting culture-centred and ethical psychological research among persons from ethnic, linguistic, and racial minority backgrounds 5.Psychologists strive to apply culturally-appropriate skills in clinical and other applied psychological practices 6. Psychologists are encouraged to use organizational change processes to support culturally informed organizational (policy) development and practices Discussion The Guidelines admit the existence of a Eurocentric bias in the psychological profession and posit themselves as an ever-evolving solution; changing as further empirical research on the issue is undertaken.Moreover the document places a time limit on its validity in order to spur further research on the issue of multicultural practice. In order to ensure its efficacy the APA set up a task force whose sole purpose was to look into the implementation of the guidelines with a view to providing proper feedback by identifying pertinent implementation and infusion recommendations. The task force produced a report on the infusion of the paradigm shift in service delivery outlining how this should be undertaken; Report of the APA Task Force on the Implementation of the Multicultural Guidelines (APA, 2008).The report split the guidelines into two categories the first being those whose implementation fell unto the practitioners and into this category they placed the first and second guidelines. The rest were in the category of thos e whose implementation required facilitation by the APA both in terms of administrative structures and funding; for example the APA was tasked with establishing an Office of Diversity Enhancement and hiring a Chief Diversity Officer to run it. The Office’s purpose is ensuring that there is diversity across the organization which helps with the ethical provision of services across multicultural diversity.Conclusion Having gone through the Code of Conduct, the pursuant Guidelines and the Implementation Report there is no evidence of cultural bias and encapsulation; rather there is incontrovertible evidence of contrived and concerted efforts to address the bias existent in the profession and its philosophy. References American Psychological Association. (1990). Guidelines for providers of psychological services to ethnic, linguistic, and culturally diverse populations. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from www. apa. org/pi/oema/guide. html American Psychological Association. (2 002).Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychologist, 57, 1060-1073. Retrieved from www. apa. org/ethics. code. html American Psychological Association. (2003). Guidelines on multicultural education, training, research, practice, and organizational change for psychologists. American Psychologist, 58, 377-402. (See www. apa. org/pi/multiculturalguidelines/homepage. html) American Psychological Association. (2008). Report of the Task Force on the Implementation of the Multicultural Guidelines. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www. apa. org/pi/