Why Do People Use Drugs?

PSY215: DRUGS AND DEPENDENCY ESSAY ONE WHY DO PEOPLE USE DRUGS? LACHLAN SLOAN 30790798 Throughout history, people have used different kinds of drugs to alter the way they feel or experience consciousness. Ritualistic use of drugs has been commonly practiced by various cultures such as the mushroom induced trance state utilised by Native American Indians to commune with the Great Spirit. Pacific Islanders drink Kava as a means of connecting with the supernatural, healing illness and welcoming guests to the community.Whilst Indians referred to being consciously high as the state of ‘Shiva’ and associated this process with the worship of one of their prime deities, Shiva. Over time the ritualistic use of drugs has integrated as a part of modern society which can be observed in celebrations such as weddings and birthdays where alcohol is commonly consumed. As there is such a vast range of drugs and influences available with many established uses and categorisations the proce ss of determining why people use drugs becomes intricate very rapidly.Norman E Zinberg developed a theory on drug use which is a widely accepted public health model. The basis of this theory argues that it is not possible to understand drug use, the effects or the outcomes of the drug experience unless you take into account the interrelationship of factors between: the drug, the environment and the individual (Zinberg, 1986). For the purpose of this analysis various aspects of influence have been categorised based on Zinberg’s theory to coherently convey why people use drugs.The categorizations are as follows: Individual (cognition, genetics, and physical/psychological state), drug (perceived functions of drug use in society/specific purpose for using a particular substance, drug related expectancies and compulsive use) and environment (social/contextual level). Boys et al (2001) recorded among a study of 364 participants that had used cannabis over the past year that, the tw o most popular reasons for using the drug were to ‘just get really stoned or intoxicated’ (90. 7%) and ‘help you to relax’ (96. 8%). People using drugs often state that they use them to feel ‘good’.What makes these people feel ‘good’ is the way in which the chemicals in these drugs influence cognition. This state of feeling ‘good’ and or being high is attained because most drugs act on the limbic system in the brain, referred to as the ‘pleasure centre’. The presynaptic terminal releases the neurotransmitters Dopamine, Noradrenaline and Serotonin via nerves located at the terminal. These neurotransmitters are released and travel to the post synaptic terminal where specific receptor sites are located on the nerve cell for each neurotransmitter.Here nerve action potential is developed via neurotransmitter action on the receptor site. Prevalent drugs act by blocking, mimicking or stimulating the release of ne urotransmitters via the presynaptic terminal. When Dopamine levels are increased, mimicked or reuptake is permitted (blocked) the reward pathway in the brain is affected which when stimulated creates feelings of pleasure and euphoria (pleasure is associated with reward). The ingested drug is hence associated with pleasure and reward and the person is influenced to continue using the particular drug.Current cognitive-motivational theories of addiction assert that prioritising appetitive, reward-related information plays an inherent role in the development and continuation of substance abuse (Field & Cox, 2008; Franken, 2003; Wiers et al 2007). A study focused on reward-related attentional processes among 682 young adolescents (mean age= 16. 14) had participants complete a motivated game in the format of a spatial orienting task as a behavioural index of appetitive-related attentional processes and a questionnaire to index substance (alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis) use.Correlational a nalysis showed a positive relationship between substance use and enhanced attentional engagement, with cues that predicted potential reward and non- punishment (Ostafin et al, 2013). Research since the mid 1960’s has established that genetics play a modest (yet relevant) role in the development of drug use problems in some individuals (Pickens, 1988; Farrell & Strang, 1992; Hill, 1993). It has been conveyed by Mcgue (1994) that genetics have an influence on a person’s disposition to use drugs.After a review of literature on genetics research in relation to alcoholism, Mcgue established that genetic factors exert a moderate influence on male and female risk for alcoholism. It has been suggested by Hansler (2001) that mental illness motivates sufferers to take drugs (prescription and recreational), this process can cause drug problems (when a person takes drugs in the hope of escaping their symptoms or becomes dependent on a prescription drug). Examples include a person suffering from social anxiety ingesting cocaine in order to temperamentally enhance their sociability when going out with friends.Most of the evidence, however, seems to indicate that these factors can lead to problems; that is, biological, social and/or environmental factors predispose a person to have both a mental health and a substance abuse problem. Aesthetics and physicality are also motivators for drug use. A person will ingest substances to alter the physical nature of their body, primarily due to the fact that they are not satisfied with a particular aspect of their physical self. Examples include; performance enhancing drugs (steroids), Viagra and antibiotics.In beginning the process of analysing the perceived functions of drug use/specific purpose for using a particular substance, psychoactive drugs are the first place to start as due to the broad range of this category. The classification of psychoactive drugs is sub divided into three categories (with some drugs falling into more than one category); Depressants, Stimulants and Hallucinogens. Depressants work by inhibiting the activity of the CNS (Central Nervous System), which slows down various bodily functions such as heart rate and breathing.This classification of drugs has with it a reputation inherent within society as having a calming effect (popularised primarily due to alcohol its acceptance and availability). People generally take this type of drug to relax, another primary function and motivation of the use of depressants is to combat the effects of stress and anxiety (reduces nerves and relaxes muscle). These drugs are typically easy to obtain being available illegally and legally. Examples include acquiring a depressant legally via a doctor’s prescription or benzodiazepines to treat anxiety and purchasing marijuana from a local drug dealer in order to alleviate stress from work. Stimulants work by stimulating the CNS (increasing brain activity) which causes the body to become mo re aroused and responsive. Hence stimulants elevate the mood, create excitement and even induce a state of euphoria. Due to the nature of stimulants improving responsiveness this category of drug is associated with increasing people’s energy levels as brain activity is dramatically increased.Stimulants are widely available legally and illegally with the most common being caffeine, which is the most widely used drug in the world (Julien, 2001). Hallucinogens are a class of drug that alter perceptual functions; sight, hearing, smell, taste or physical touch. Hallucinogens disrupt how the nerve cells and the neurotransmitter serotonin interact with the CNS. By altering the natural levels of serotonin in the body, hallucinogens alter the way in which your brain processes information relevant to perceptual functions.The inhibition of the user’s perceptual functions allows for the body to generate an intense high. Hence many users of hallucinogens utilise this type of drug t o experience the intensity of the high and/or to escape reality. Examples of hallucinogens include; magic mushrooms, marijuana and LSD. A web based survey of 96 (50 female, 46 male) regular drinking college students over a ten week period) reported on their previous week alcohol use and experience of 24 alcohol-related consequences, including their subjective evaluations of those consequences.Most notably of the results, hierarchical linear model tests revealed that students drank less and experienced fewer consequences following weeks in which they rated their consequences as more negative (relative to their own typical subjective evaluations), suggesting that viewing one’s recent consequences as aversive prompts self-initiated behaviour change. It was conveyed by Boys et al (1999) that significant relationships between perceived functions and both the persons intentions to use the drug again in the future and the recent use of a particular drug.Data was collected from a cro ss sectional survey of one hundred participants aged 16 – 21 years of age. Higher scores on a five item social/contextual function scale (Eg. using a drug to help you feel more confident in a social situation) were associated with a greater frequency of recent cannabis use. Drug expectancy is a psychoactive process that occurs as a response to an individual’s expectation that a drug induced effect will occur. Drug expectancy divulges the nature of a person desire to experience the effects from a particular drug(s).The effect occurs from a person’s own experience with a drug, education, feedback from peers/family and media influence. Once acquired via direct experience with a drug, the memory network of positive expectancies can be primed by internal or external drug associated cues. Primed expectancies are thought to guide subsequent drug use (Hersen, 2013). Self-reports from 704 college students were content analysed and used to develop the Marijuana Effect Exp ectancy Questionnaire. Responses were examined using exploratory and confirmatory principle components analysis.Six marijuana expectancies (34. 6% of variance) were identified: (a) cognitive and behavioural impairment, (b) relaxation and tension reduction, (c) social and sexual facilitation, (d) perceptual and cognitive enhancement, (e) global negative effects, and (f) craving and physical effects (Schafer & Brown, 1991). When a person begins using a drug on a regular basis they begin to become dependent on the drug. As tolerance towards the drug grows in the person they become more dependent on the drug in order to achieve the same effect they attained from their first usage.Drug dependency can manifest in both physical/psychological forms. This can be classified in the sense that the body requires the drug to function properly relating to either form of classification. When a person abstains from retaining the normal level of the abused drug in their blood withdrawal symptoms begi n to act. Those with a physiological dependency experience physical discomfort, shaking, nausea and vomiting as withdrawal symptoms. People with a Psychological dependence feel depressive, anxious, aggressive and irritated.Research supports the belief that the negative nature of withdrawal symptoms is associated with drug users continued abuse of a certain drug (Rogers, 2002). Social/contextual level influences have a massive level of governance over a person’s rationalising to use drugs. College students say they utilise alcohol and drugs in order to lessen depression, increase sociability, satisfy curiosity, heighten sexual pleasure, alleviate physical discomfort and expand consciousness (Robbins et al. , 1970). Association with peers tilising drugs is one of the strongest predictors of adolescent drug use (Fergusson et al, 1995; Brook et al, 1990). If other members of the group begin using drugs, some people are influenced to trade sobriety for use in order to fit in and a dapt to the group. Motivation for this exists in the individual wanting to conform to the dynamics of the group paired with fear of rejection from the group. An example of this is conveyed by Hohman et al (2013) via a study of data obtained from the National Survey of Parents and Youth (N= 1,604).Two hierarchical multiple regression models were developed examining the association between ambivalent attitudes, intentions and later marijuana use. The hierarchical models consisted of; an analysis of the moderating effect of ambivalence on the persons intent to use marijuana and the testing of the moderation of ambivalence on literal marijuana use a year later. Results from both hierarchical analyses propose that ambivalence moderated the association of friend norms and subsequent adolescent marijuana use: friend norms were better predictors of marijuana intentions (? 0. 151, t = 2. 29, p = 0. 02) and subsequent use when adolescents were attitudinally ambivalent about marijuana use (? = 0. 071, t = 2. 76, p = 0. 006). The environment of a person greatly influences their susceptibility to drug use. Not only does the social context of a person influence drug use but the environment itself plays a very influential role. A study undertaken in Zinberg’s ‘Drug, Set, And Setting: The Basis For Controlled Intoxicant Use’, analysed a group of American soldiers who began using and became addicted to heroin during the Vietnam war.After the war effort, usage â€Å"virtually ceased†, with only 12% of the soldiers remaining addicted after returning back to the United States. It is evident that these American soldiers were utilising heroin as a form of escapism, a way to disassociate themselves from the harsh reality they were situated in. Hence it can be expected that a person’s socioeconomic status would affect their use of drugs. People living in a negative environment and/or of a lower socio economic status would be more likely to turn to dr ug use as a means of dealing with and escaping their predicament.In the process of determining why people use drugs a diverse range of conclusions have been reached via a model representative of Zinberg’s theory. We began by stating the ritual usages practiced for thousands of years which have transcended into society after society. We begin with Zinberg’s notion of the individual and diverge into the way in which human cognition is affected by drugs. As this topic is explored it is conveyed just how susceptible our brains are to drug use and why we enjoy the temperamental effects drugs create.Genetics, physical and psychological disposition are also conveyed as influencing reasoning for drug use. Drugs are addressed via the perceived functions of illegal and legal drugs by an analysis of drug categorisations where perceived functions and reasons for use are conveyed. Drug expectancy and tolerance is explained and the reasoning for continued use and addiction is commun icated via a study by Schafer & Brown (1991). The social/contextual level of influence is analysed via various studies by Zinberg (1986) and Hohman (2013) conveying environmental and social influences.People ingest a diversity of different drugs for a variety of different reasons; socialisation, environmental factors, perceived norms, to relax, pleasure, to conform, genetics, addiction, out of boredom or curiosity or to escape their problems. Reference List Boys, A. , Marsden, J. , Fountain, J. , Griffiths, P. , Stillwell, G. , & Strang, J. (1999). What influences young people's use of drugs? A qualitative study of decision-making. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy,  6,  373–389. Boys, A. , Marsden, J. , ; Strang, J. 2001) Understanding reasons for drug use amongst young people: a functional perspective. Health Education Research, 16  (4), 457-469. DOI:  10. 1093/her/16. 4. 457. Field, M. , ; Cox, W. M. (2008). Attentional bias in addictive behaviours: a review of its development, causes, and consequences. American Journal of Psychology, 84, 349 – 358 DOI: 10. 1016/j. drugalcdep. 2008. 03. 030. Franken, I. H. (2003). Drug craving and addiction: integrating psychological and neuropsychopharmacological approaches, 4, 563 – 79. Hansler, V. (2001).The Inherent Disposition to Drug Abuse, 9, 32 – 47, New York: Worth Publishers. Hersen, M. (2013). Principles of Addiction: Comprehensive Addictive Behaviours and Disorders, 1, 426 – 429 Hill, W. G. (1993). Variation in genetic composition in back crossing programs, 84, 212-213. Hohman, Z. , Crano, W. , Siegel, J. , ; Alvaro E. (2013). Attitude ambivalence, friend norms, and adolescent drug use. Prevention Science, Germany: Springer, DOI: 10. 1007/s11121-013-0368-8. Julien, R. M. (2001). A Primer of Drug Action, 4, 88-105, New York: Worth Publishers.Mcgue, M. (1994). Genes, environment and the etiology of Alcoholism. The development of alcohol problems, exploring the biops ychosocial matrix of risk, 26, 1 – 40. Merrill, J. E. , Jennifer, P. , ; Barnett, N. P. (2013). The Way One Thinks Affects the Way One Drinks: Subjective Evaluations of Alcohol Consequences Predict Subsequent Change in Drinking Behaviour,  Psychology of Addictive Behaviours,  27, 42-51. Robbins L. , Edwin, S. , William, A. , Stern, F. , ; Stern M. (1970). College Student Drug Use. American Journal of Psychiatry 126, 12, 1743 – 1751.Rogers, D. (2002). Substance Dependency: Consequences and the Path to Recovery, 8, 78 – 81. Schafer, J. , ; Brown, S. A. (1991). Marijuana and cocaine expectancies and drug use patterns, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 558 – 565. Schuster, C. , ; Pickens, R. (1988). AIDS and Intravenous Drug Abuse, Problems of drug dependence 1988, 7, 241 – 252. Strang, J. , ; Farrell, M. (1992). Harm Minimisation for Drug Misusers, 3, 1127–1128, London: Sage Van Hemel-Ruiter, M. E. , DeJong, P. J. , Alberti ne, J. , ; Brian D. Ostafin. 2013). Reward- Related Attentional Biases and Adolescent Substance use: The TRAILS Study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviours, 27, 142-150. Wiers, R. W. , Bartholow, B. D. , Van Den-Wildenberg, E. , Thush, C. , Engels, R. , Sher, K. J. , Grenard, J. , Ames, S. L. , ; Stacy, A. W. (2007). Automatic and controlled processes and the development of addictive behaviors in adolescents: a review and a model. Pharmacol Biochem Behaviour, 86, 263–283. Zinberg, N (1986). Drug, Set, and Setting: The Basis For Controlled Intoxicant Use, 10-11, Yale University Press.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 4

4. Good-bye Love Lair BEING THE JOURNAL OF ABBY NORMAL, Triumphant Destroyer of Vampyre Kitties I weep, I brood, I grieve-I have sniffed the bitter pink Sharpie of despair and mascara tears stripe my cheeks like a mouthful of chewed-up black Gummi bears has been loogied in my eyes. Life is a dark abyss of pain and I am alone, separated from my darling delicious Foo. But check it-I totally kicked ass against a gang of vampyre kitties. That's right, kitties, meaning many. No longer does the huge shaved vampyre cat Chet stalk the City alone; he has been joined by many smaller and un-shaved vampyre cats, many of which I turned to kitty toast with my most fly sunlight jacket. Right outside our loft, they were attacking that crazy Emperor guy and his dogs and I saved them by running out into the street and hitting the lights. It was pure techo-carnage, blood everywhere, and a little Japanese guy with a samurai sword doing the serious Ginsu on the kitties as they attacked. I know what you are thinking. Ninja, please†¦ I know, OMFGZORRO! A samurai in Sucker-Free City! I didn't even try to convince the cops when they came. They were all, â€Å"What up?† And I was all, â€Å"Nothing.† And they were all, â€Å"What's all this?† Pointing to the blood and steaming kitty ashes and whatnot. And I was all, â€Å"Don't know. Ask him. I just heard some noise so I came out to check it out.† So they asked the Emperor and he tried to tell them the whole story, which was a mistake-but he's kind of insane, so you have to give him a break. But they put him in the car anyway and took him and his dogs away, even though it was totally obvious that they knew who he was and were just being dicks about the whole thing. Everyone knows the Emperor. That's why they call him the Emperor. ‘Kayso, Foo finally came home and I jumped into his arms and sort of rode him to the ground with a massive tongue kiss so deep that I could taste the burned cinnamon toast of his soul, but then I slapped him, so he didn't think I was a slut. (Shut up, he had wood.) And he was all, â€Å"Stop doing that, I don't think you're a slut!† And I was all, â€Å"Yeah, well then how did you know that's why I slapped you, and where the fuck have you been, my mad, manga-haired love monkey?† Sometimes it's best to turn the tables and start asking questions when your argument sucks ass. I learned that in Introduction to Mass Media class. And Foo's all, â€Å"Busy.† And I'm like, â€Å"Well you missed my heroic warrior-babe assault.† And I, like, told him the whole thing and then I said, â€Å"So, now there's a lot of vampyre cats. What's up with that, nerdslice?† Which is a pet name I have for Foo when referring to his mad science skills. And he's all, â€Å"Well, we know that there has to be an exchange of blood from the vampyre to its victim before the victim dies, otherwise it just goes to dust.† And I'm like, â€Å"So Chet's smart enough to know that?† And Foo's all, â€Å"No, but if a cat's bitten, what's the natural thing for it to do?† And I'm all, â€Å"Hey, I'm asking the questions here. I am the boss of you, you know?† And Foo totally ignores me, and he's all, â€Å"They bite back. I think Chet is changing the other cats by accident.† â€Å"But he drained that parking cop and she didn't turn.† â€Å"She didn't bite him back.† And I'm all, â€Å"I knew that.† And Foo's like, â€Å"There could be hundreds of them.† And I'm all, â€Å"And Chet led them here. To us.† And Foo's all, â€Å"He marked this as his territory before the old vampyre turned him. He sees this as his place. The stairway still smells like cat pee.† And I'm like, â€Å"That's not all.† And Foo's all, â€Å"What? What?† And I totally slip into my dark mistress voice and I'm all, â€Å"Chet has changed. He's bigger.† And Foo's all, â€Å"Maybe his coat has just grown back.† And I'm all ominous like, â€Å"No, Foo, he's still shaved, but he's a lot bigger, and I think-† I paused. It was very dramatic. And Foo's like, â€Å"Tell me!† I sort of fainted all emo into his arms. And he totally caught me like the dark hero of the moors that he is, but then he harshed the romantic drama of it all by tickling me and going, â€Å"Tell me, tell me, tell me.† So I did, because I was close to peeing myself, and I'm totally not into that kind of thing. â€Å"I think we have to worry about the little samurai guy turning, which would not be good, as he is full badass, despite his deeply stupid hat and socks.† And Foo was all, â€Å"Did he bite them?† And I was all, â€Å"He was full-on covered in vampyre kitty blood. Maybe some drops got in his mouth. Lord Flood said he accidentally turned that blue ho from one kiss on the bloody lips.† And Foo's like, â€Å"Well we need to find him, then. Abby, we may not be able to handle this. We need help.† And he's all nodding to the statue of the Countess and Lord Flood. And I'm all, â€Å"Do you know the first thing that will happen if we let them out?† And Foo's all, â€Å"Jody will totally kick our asses.† And I'm like, â€Å"Oui, mon amour, epic ass-kickings pour toi and moi. But you know what's even scarier?† And Foo's all, â€Å"What? What? What?† Because French drives him mad. So I'm like, â€Å"You still have wood!† And I squeezed his unit and ran into the bedroom. ‘Kayso, Foo chased me around the loft a couple of times, and I let him catch me twice, just long enough to kiss me before I was forced to slap him-well, you know why-and run away. But as I was prepared to let him think I would surrender to his manly deliciousness, I'm all, â€Å"You could turn me to a vamp and I could use my dark powers to scoop Chet's litter box of destruction.† And Foo was all, â€Å"No fucking way. I don't know enough.† Then someone started pounding on the door. And not a little â€Å"Hey, what's up?† pound. Like there was a big sale on door pounds down at the Pound Outlet. Buy one, get one free at Pounds-n-Stuff. I know. WTF? Privacy much? Pounding on the love lair. JODY It was like perpetual â€Å"not quite lunchtime† in her cubicle at the insurance company, back in ancient history, three months ago, before she was a vampire. Every sundown, for about fifteen seconds, Jody awoke and panicked over the hunger and constraint until she was able to will herself into mist and float in what she thought of as the blood dream, a pleasant, ethereal haze that lasted until sunup, when her body went solid inside the brass shell and for all practical purposes, she became dead meat until sundown came round again. But sometime around the end of the first week of freakouts, she realized that she was touching Tommy. That he was in the bronze shell with her, and unlike her, he couldn't go to mist. She should have taught him, she knew, just as the old vampyre had taught her, but now it was too late. Maybe, since she couldn't move enough to tap a message with her finger in Morse code, let alone talk, she could reach out to him, somehow connect with him telepa thically. Who knew what kind of powers she might have that the old vampyre had forgotten to tell her about. She concentrated, pushed, even tried to send some sort of pulse to the places where their skin touched, but all she got back was an extended, jagged, electric panic. Poor Tommy. He was there all right. Alive and mercilessly aware. She tried to reach him until she could bear the weight of her own hunger and panic no longer. â€Å"Abby, if I ever get out of here, your narrow ass is mine,† she thought before fading to mist and blissful escape. INSPECTOR RIVERA It wasn't a homicide, strictly speaking, because there was no body, but there was a traffic enforcement officer missing in action, and it had involved the Emperor and a certain block of light industry buildings and artist lofts south of Market Street that Rivera had flagged for notice if anything happened there. And something had definitely happened here, but what? He lifted the collar of the empty traffic officer's uniform with the tip of his pen to confirm that the fine gray ash was not on the sidewalk underneath, and it wasn't. Inside the uniform, on the sidewalk at the cuffs and collar of the uniform, yes, but not on the sidewalk under the uniform. â€Å"I don't see a crime,† said Nick Cavuto, Rivera's partner, who, if he'd been a flavor of ice cream, would have been Gay Linebacker Crunch. â€Å"Sure, something happened here, but it could have just been kids. The Emperor is clearly nuts. Totally unreliable.† Rivera stood up and looked around at the blood-soaked street, the ashes, the still-flashing light on the parking cart, and then at the Emperor and his dogs, who had their noses pressed to the back window of their brown, unmarked Ford sedan. Rivera's flavor was Low-fat Spanish Cynic in an Armani cone. â€Å"He said cats did this.† â€Å"Well there you go, an Animal Control issue. I'll call them.† Cavuto made a great show of flipping open his mobile and punching at the numbers with his thick sausage fingers. Rivera shook his head and crouched over the empty uniform again. He knew what the powder was, and Cavuto knew what the powder was. Sure, it had taken them a couple of months, and a lot of unsolved murders, and watching the old vampire take enough gunfire to kill a platoon of men, only to survive to kill a half-dozen more people, but they had finally caught on. â€Å"It wasn't cats,† Rivera said. â€Å"They promised to leave,† Cavuto said, pausing in his display of percussive dialing. â€Å"The creepy girl said they left town.† They, meaning Jody and Tommy, who had promised to leave town and never return. â€Å"The Emperor said he saw the old vampire get on a ship-a whole bunch of them sail away.† â€Å"But he's totally unreliable,† Rivera said. â€Å"Most of the time. This is not-â€Å" Rivera held up a finger to stop him. They had agreed never to use the v-word when others were around. â€Å"We have to go see the spooky kid.† â€Å"Noooo,† Cavuto wailed, then caught himself, realizing that for a man of his size, appearance, and occupation, that whining over having to confront a skinny teenage girl was, well-he was being a huge wuss-that's what. â€Å"Man up, Nick, we'll tell her not only does she have a right to remain silent, it's an obligation. Besides, I called in backup.† â€Å"I should probably stay in the car with the Emperor. See if he remembers anything else.† Just then there was a commotion at the crime scene tape and a uniformed officer said, â€Å"Inspector, this woman wants through. She says she has to see her daughter, who lives in that apartment.† The officer pointed to the fire door of the loft where the spooky kid lived with her boyfriend. An attractive blond woman in her late thirties wearing paisley medical scrubs was trying to push past the officer. â€Å"Let her through,† Rivera said. â€Å"Look, Nick, an angel come to protect you.† â€Å"Oh God save me from fucking neo-hippies,† said Gay Linebacker Crunch.

Analytical Essay on Film Essay

With reference to at least TWO films from the film list, discuss the way that new digital technology has had an effect on film form and/or exhibition Digital technology has transformed the way we have our cinematic experiences has evolved (DreamWorks). With evolving technology the cinema has taken leaps and bounds in expanding the vision of a director to showcase his talent . Keeping the perspective of technology in our view ,we move on to explain its impact on two very popular blockbuster movies of our time a) The Gladiator directed by Ridley Scott and b) The Avatar directed by James Cameroon. Gladiator is a historical epic film directed by Ridley Scott. The movie depicts the life of loyal Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius. He is shown to be betrayed by the Emperor’s ambitious son, Commodus, who happens to murders his father and thus seizes the throne. Reduced to a state of abject slavery, Maximus is seen to rise through the ranks of the gladiatorial arena to avenge the Emperor and the murder of his family. Gladiator is a movie of the kind upon which Hollywood has carefully built its reputation but unfortunately very rarely makes anymore: the spectacle. Replete with larger-than-life characters, wonderful scenery, set design of amazing grand scale, and storytelling of epic nature, Gladiator is designed not just to entertain, but to enthral. It draws audiences in and immerses them in a reality that is not their own. A boisterous reaction is expected every time the protagonist defies the odds and wins a conflict, or changes the tide of battle in his favour. This is filmmaking on a grand scale (The Tech). Use of virtual reality to recreate scenes of Roman arcade has been extensively used in this movie. The entire city of Rome has been digitally recreated for this movie with entire effective reconstruction of ancient setting. It is as if the entire city has been recreated with complete recreated spaces with the characters moving in and out of the spaces.. The virtual reality created makes it surreal and thus gives the movie a more of life experience bringing parts of history into the present context. . The initial battle scene in which Maximus is leading an army to quell a rebellion has also showed wonderful use of fast paced camera technique. Read Also:  Analytical Essay Rubric This technique of capturing more frames in a given shot has made sure that the scenes have been beautifully captured and the exact imagery is being provided to the audience. The colossal fire power and the destruction ,along with the fast paced weapon movement has been because of the use of technology . Careful looking at the scenes we would realise that they start with a very fast movement of the weapon sword or axe but then it gradually slows down as the weapon comes close to the body of the individual . This carefully magnifies the annihilating power of the weapon. The heads roll slowly, the bodies tumble as if the characters are in trance. The very nature of death has been magnified with the use of digital technology. One of the most dramatic use of technology in the movie has been the recreation of the entire Roman empire. The cities, the decoration, the costumes of the characters are such that they look like pulled straight out of the old times of the Roman Empire. The entire set of Roman buildings and the grandeur involved has been exquisitely created out of digital technology. The entire set of war arenas, the prisons where the slaves are kept have been remarkably lit and crafted using digital technology. One of the other important features present with the movie is the surrealism of the flashback scenes. The flashbacks have been move from immediate fast paced scenes. to the slow paced scenes. This the director has used to differentiate between reality and dreams involved. One of the most amazing scenes of surrealism used in the movie is that of Maximum dreaming about his wife and children . Out of extreme pain he shuts his eyes, the camera there moves out of focus. Then gradually he moves into a slow surreal dream which has been exquisitely captured by the cameras. One of the other striking features of use of technology in the movie has been the arcade battle scenes between the Gladiators and the slaves. The quick jabs of the axes, the thrust of the spears and the movement of the fast axes has been captured remarkably well. It is interesting to note that even the tigers used in the movie have been digitally created. The battle scenes with the tigers are a visual treat making the battle scenes even more deadly and thus visually appealing. One of the other marvels of the battle scenes is the way the moving chariots have been captured. The camera focuses in and out carefully out of the rolling giant wheel . Then there is an obstruction and out of extreme slow motion the chariot swings into the air . It lands and the places is strewn with bodies . The scenes have been made even more gory with blood and rattles bones almost filling up the entire scenes. Everything however digitally recreated . One of the major crowd puller in Gladiator is its action scenes (Film Review). Thanks for the presence of digital technology the movie have done justice to Roman grandeur. One of Scott’s greatest achievements with the epic Gladiator is not in keeping the pacing of a 2 1/2 hour movie tight nor is choreographing a spectacular battle scene, but it with creating a second-century Rome that looks entirely credible and powerfully stunning in its detail. Ancient Rome has always been one of the most romanticized civilizations in the history of mankind, however rarely has it been brought to life with the grandeur as that in this film. The Coliseum, for example, has been resurrected to its full glory (largely through the use of digital technology). Gladiator consistently looks good, although, during some of the fights, rapid cutting creates a sense of disorientation and confusion This movie is also helped with the fact Ridley Scott is at the helm of affairs (). He has as always been a fine visual stylist; in this movie he fantastically uses ample digital effects to re-create the complete world of Ancient Rome in its full living glory on the screen. Carefully looking at the shots of Coliseum, perfectly intact and brimming with crowds of spectators, are breathtaking. Moreover, Scott has perfectly staged half a dozen elaborate action sequences like this is the Apocalyptic end , pulling out all the stops, and filling the screen with swords and tigers and chariots, visually amazing. The use of digital technology is also carefully amplifies in the movie Avatar. Being one of the very first movies to use SFX technology and extreme high speed camera. The movie was a visual treat with 3-D viewing. Interestingly the entire movie sequences have been recreated out of use of beautiful 3-D techniques. Avatar has used a lot of innovative visual effects. The work on the film was delayed because the visual effects to be used had to be researched carefully and developed to reach the required level of expertise. Photorealistic computer-generated characters were used by the director they were , created by the thorough use of the new motion-capture based animation technologies which Cameron had been developing for straight 14 months leading up to the date of release of December 2006 The innovations used in the movie encompassed the introduction of a new system for lighting up of gigantic areas like Pandora’s jungle, a motion-capture stage or â€Å"volume† six times larger than any previously used, and an improved method of capturing facial expressions, enabling full performance capture. To implement the new method of facial expression the artists used skull caps fitted with camera that were positioned very close to their faces These cameras captured images and information that were later transmitted to computers. Thus this new method allows filmmakers to transfer 100% of the physical performances of the actors and thus helping to digitalize them and thus to codify as per the requirement. Moreover this kind of camera technique also allowed the actors to have multiple angles for each performance. One of the most technically challenging part was when computer generated forms interacted with human forms, where proper attention had to be paid to the lights used between the forms and the shadows that are formed. The digitization used in the movie was so humongous that at a time around 900 people were employed for the computer graphics section. The extent of data to be used was so huge that a new cloud computing system called Garia (Digital Asset Management) was created by Microsoft to manage the data stored. It helped the technicians to co-ordinate all the different stages of digitization. A special server was specially designed to handle the graphic requirement of the movie. Special texturing and paint software system called Mari was also used to automate the rendering processes. A lot of other companies like The Foundry and Industrial Light and Magic worked along with Weta to create the battle sequences of the movie Thus James brought a different world of virtual reality into light with this movie based on his entire new set of camera and filming system. The fictional planet of Pandora was thus brought to life with the co creations of James and his team . Thus it was a movie based on virtual cameras and stereoscopic cameras of the order no other movie had ever used. The 3D effects thus allowed the viewers to almost immerse in the world of Pandora(Avatar Review). Specifically made by Vince Pace and filmmaker James Cameron, the Pace-Cameron System combines a modified type of stereoscopic 3D camera, a virtual camera and performance capture staging. Utilizing a virtual camera Cameron helped to film computer generated scenes in real time. For this movie, using the technology the director can jolly well look through the virtual camera and see the world of Pandora and its computer generated characters. He can manipulate staging, camera angle direction and manipulate commands to both the live and CG actors in the film. The augmented-reality view makes pulling the live action and the computer generated elements together giving a seamless look to the final project. Thus the entire sequence helps to make more of a realistic virtual world .Thus one could see the overwhelming response received by the movie . It was probably for the first time in the movie that characters used Lycra sensor suits on a sensory stage. The effects thus were enthralling and visually splendid. Thus the Lycra based sensors made sure that every bit of information about the movement of the artists are tactfully captured and thus exhibited. Avatar thus introduced an entire new era of filmmaking that has now become a sort of benchmark for all movie makers. It takes the concept of virtual reality to an entirely new level full of graphic images and actions that were developed using state of the art software’s and packages that were specifically developed for this movie. Thus one can jolly well say that Avatar proves that computer graphics are not meant to produce lifeless actions but their very motto is develop actions and sequences that are closer to reality and thus closer to being believed. Avatar had received a special audience response being even translated to vernacular languages across the globe . It added the perfect icing on the cake of Cameron’s movie ,thus portraying his love for technology and his love for taking cinematic experience by use of technology to all new level all together. His repertoire of movies if closely looked has been nothing short of splendid with iconic cult movies of the status of Terminator and Titanic. Each of his movie depicts the careful use of technology sometimes profoundly ground breaking to heighten the effect of film making and thus give a visual delight to the audience. Thus Avatar carries this tradition forward with Pandora and the Navy’s both the concepts although completely out of the world are made more believable by the superb use of technology specifically developed and crafted for the movie. Nonetheless Avatar is an icon in the world of sci-fi movies. It is also a digital visual treat for the audience.

Ethical People in an Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical People in an Organization - Essay Example Competitive advantages of various organizations having an ethical working environment have also been discussed in this chapter. It also explains certain theories associated with human nature and the various stages of moral development. Most of the organizations in the modern era are found to follow certain unethical behaviors in some form or the other in their business activities. According to Collins (2011), the managers of the organizations are found to misunderstand the extent and type of costs that are associated with the unethical behaviors conducted by their companies. It is interesting to know that unethical behaviors in the part of an organization can prove to be very costly to them. Collins (2011) identified various types of costs associated with unethical behaviors of an organization. They are: reputation costs, legal costs, recruitment costs, turnover costs, costs associated with abusive treatments, monitoring costs and employee theft. All these costs are associated with s ome unethical behaviors followed in organizations and in most cases the company managers fail to realize that. All business organizations have the primary objective of increasing its profits and have a competitive advantage in the market. It is interesting to know that ethical behaviors followed in an organization can also add to the competitive advantages for a company. As compared to unethical companies, ethical organizations have the advantages of attracting employees who are of high quality in nature, employee satisfaction is more, and the employees are found to be more committed towards their work, thereby increasing their performance efficiencies. The other part of this chapter deals with human nature and its implications to manage ethics. Explaining about the human nature, one interesting concept used in the chapter is about inherited sin. Some researchers believe that the individuals are born with inherited

Sct2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Sct2 - Essay Example It will be done through conducting case studies involving qualitative structured interviews, content analysis of documents, and research from secondary sources. Knowledge-intensive organisations are heavily involved with and dependent on knowledge. Starbuck (1992) defined them as having a greater importance for knowledge than other inputs and outputs. In the knowledge-based world we now live in, knowledge is a very important resource (Rooney et al, 2005). Moreover, knowledge-intensive organisations are playing a central role; and are responsible for the radical transformations taking place (Schienstock, 2004) in our knowledge society. This knowledge function of management has therefore completely changed the former bureaucratic concept characterised by managing a standardised organisational structure, planning methods, work processes, and so on (Mintzberg, 1983). Knowledge management policies refer to those methods employed that â€Å"support the creation, transfer, storage, retrieval and application of knowledge, and they can include technical as well as human components† (Jemielniak & Kociatkiewicz, 2009:174). This may be in a comprehensive manner or as special localised tools. For the former, implementation support systems may be established that aim to make knowledge management easier. Such systems would deal with not only establishing appropriate structures, and technical systems in place, but also providing effective leadership and organisational culture. Generally, innovation is facilitated by highly flexible structures â€Å"because they push people to interact and encourage creativity† (Jemielniak & Kociatkiewicz, 2009:174), and technical systems are based on information and communication technologies. Establishing the right culture would be necessary because it can then allow continuous advantages to be gained. The figure below shows a visualisation of the components of a knowledge management system

Reference tool paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reference tool paper - Essay Example However, there have been a lot of assessment tools that have been developed to correctly evaluate whether a person shows signs of schizophrenic behavior and/or tell the severity of each case. Some of the most commonly used are Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Introduction Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder that is mainly caused by unsound function of the brain. A lot of psychologists point to past experiences, frustration, or a tragic loss of a loved one as factors that impact one’s mental health that leads to this debilitating disorder. However, as each case of schizophrenia is always unique, where each patient’s history should be clearly studied before coming to a conclusion of someone’s diagnosis to this disorder, it is important to understand effective assessment tools used to reach to a comprehensible judgment. Common Symptoms of Schizophrenia There ar e common symptoms of schizophrenia that somewhat signals the need to talk to a psychologist or to get help. Some of which would be hearing voices that no one could hear, assumptions of people talking about them or laughing at them, extensive control over their thoughts and imaginations, and the inability to control emotions (The Role of the Diagnostic Statistic Manual IV (DSM-IV) in Diagnosing Mental Disorders, n.d.). Diagnosing Schizophrenia There are several factors to consider in diagnosing schizophrenia. Aside from looking at mental behavior, how they react to their environment for which a candidate for schizophrenia surrounds themselves with is a factor to consider. This would include the change in their work, school, interpersonal relations, and or ability for self-care is important. This is because of the fact that an abrupt change to their routine without anything triggering a behavior is a strong sign of which. Another important basis for diagnosis would be the duration for which these abnormalities have been felt without the influence of substance use and/or an underlying medical condition. Persistence of which for at least six months is a clear supposition of the disorder and not just a result of perhaps a mid-life crisis or coping with a major happening in one’s life (Schizophrenia Society of Canada, n.d.). Assessment Tool in the Diagnosis of Schizophrenia Unfortunately, all these symptoms are not a guaranteed basis for a correct diagnosis of schizophrenia. Also, since there is no single course of treatment yet for this, assessment tools, one of which is the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) is one that will help provide a more customized and effective diagnosis and treatment. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) is a standard rating scale used to weigh the positive symptoms of a patient that manifests schizophrenic tendencies as opposed to the symptoms that point to the absence of these traits. It is a 30-item scale, assessed on a seven-point scale that points one from poor to extreme case of the disorder. This assessment technique was developed solely for diagnosing the syndromes of schizophrenia in all unique cases that

Antibiotics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Antibiotics - Research Paper Example About eighty percent of all antibiotics available are used in agriculture, for the purpose of fighting infections and for promoting unhealthy but profitable weight gain. According to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural affairs, on-going low-dose administration of antibiotics can increase the efficiency and rate of weight gain in healthy livestock. Further, it is likely that the presence of antibiotics may change the composition of the gut flora in favor of healthy growth. However, there is a debate concerning the way in which gut flora are changed. It may be merely a change in species composition, reduction in numbers, or a combination of both. Some antibiotics given to healthy livestock may also improve feed consumption and healthy growing by stimulating an animal’s metabolic process. Jill U. Adams of the Los Angeles Times argues that many ranchers and farmers give tetracycline, penicillin and other antibiotics to healthy animals to avoid them from being sick . They also grow big after they use the antibiotics (Adams, 2012) Raising healthier animals can be unhealthful for humans. Experts recently reviewed most of the scientific writings on the subject of the use of antibiotics in animals and the health hazards in humans. They concluded that, the extent to which antibiotics in livestock use contributes to antibiotic resistance in bacteria that cause food borne diseases in humans is unclear. The experts asserted that wide scientific studies affirm that individuals are most probable to get resistant illnesses due to their own use of antibiotics. Concerning food borne infections, luckily, for most healthy persons, majority of food borne infections including those brought by resistant bacteria, are not extremely severe to require antibiotic treatment (Chiras, 2005). Nonetheless, to help limit potential risks, the Food and Drug Administration policies include a procedure to establish if using a certain antibiotic can increase resistance risk. FDA also enforces that if deemed suitable, conditions for the prescription of the antibiotic would hinder resistance development. However, meat consumers should always adhere to recommendations to avert the occurrence of food borne illnesses, such as thorough cleaning of food preparation regions, frequent hand washing, and cooking foods, especially meat to recommended temperatures. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics may create selective evolutionary pressure that favors antimicrobial resistant types of bacteria to increase quickly than antimicrobial vulnerable bacteria. This increases the chance for people to be infected by resistant bacteria. Since antibacterial drug use contributes to the growth of drug resistant organisms, these vital drugs should be utilized judiciously in both human and animal medicine to slow down the emergence of resistance. Meat from animals treated with antibiotics is the main source of pathogens in humans that are resistant to antibiotics. This is evidenced when the author writes that for about 40 years, FDA has been concerned that the use of antibiotics in livestock may be accelerating the increase of pathogens in humans that are not susceptible to doctor’s medication. In addition, he mentions that people infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria or pathogens seem to be more seriously ill and are not easy to treat (Adams, 2012). Pathogens that are resistant to antibiotic accounts for approximately $20 or more billion healthcare expenses in the United States yearly, inclusive of longer

The Religious Teachings of Gandhi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Religious Teachings of Gandhi - Essay Example Later on, Gandhi remarked that all religions are equal and there is only one God through different interpretations of various religions. This research paper provides a broad based understanding of Gandhi’s views on religions and also provides an understanding on his ideas on Jainism he learned from his mother as well as ideas of Jainism as a religion in its own right. Gandhi says that God is invisible but has many names and different forms to it. This paper shall be divided into two parts. The first part shall deal with the learning Gandhi adopted while going through various diverse experiences during his time as a lawyer in India and then in South Africa. The second part of the paper shall deal with his learning of Jainism, which his mom taught him as well as the other teachings, and learning of Jainism, which the writer is going to extract and put down in a brief format in this essay. Gandhi’s Religious and Philosophical Learnings: At the outset as a young boy Gandhi was not much into religious teachings and following the concept of God. He tried to defy his family and friends by making fun of the teachings and took pride in the fact that he experimented with meat at the age of 15. However, his mother was a staunch follower of Hinduism and she kept on instilling the beliefs of Hinduism, which at a young age did not inspire him much, but later on as he grew into a man and started living on his own, the ideas came to him and he took inspiration form the teachings of his mother. (Hill, B) When Gandhi embarked to England, he started reading the Bible and the Bhagvad Gita very religiously. He became a devotee in the teachings of these holy books, and soon when he came back to India he started practicing the teachings of the holy books he had read while he was in England. Despite his youthful resistance to religion, Gandhi did resort to understanding the intellectual aspect of the religions, which he had learned from his mother, with regard to Jainism and Hinduism. He appreciated he intellectual beauty that the religions showed and displayed in their understandings. Gandhi was an honest man and refused to cheat in school even when he was told by his headmaster to do the same. Once he landed in South Africa, Gandhi took to meditation in a religious manner. He also began the movement for the NRI in South Africa who were discriminated against by the white people, and Gandhi’s religious teachings allowed him to take a strong moral stand on this issue. Gandhi started the uprising against the white people claiming that each and every man is a son/daughter to the God and that all men are equally born before God, and therefore they should not be treated unequally or be discriminated against. Gandhi often found the inspiration of God from his heroes, which he admired during his lifetime. Gandhi’s quest for the truth kept him inspired to read the religious texts deeply and wholeheartedly. He devoted a lot of his time in unde rstanding the meaning of the Koran, Bible and the Gita, and applied the fundamentals of these books in his every day life, where morality was second to none, as well as non-violence, which he criticized the Gita for. During a visit to Rome, Gandhi was brought to tears when he looked at the Michelangelo’s panting of the Sistine chapel. An individual wh asked him the reason for his tears, he said that he believed in al forms of religions and did not restrict his beliefs to only Hinduism, as he was the man of God and believed in the ideology of God as One and all, and he was the follower of all religions. Gandhi in his teachings has practiced and

Leopards and Humans Conflict in india Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Leopards and Humans Conflict in india - Essay Example Apart from the encroachment of humans into protected regions, another reason why wild animals cross over to human landscape is food shortage in protected regions. This is due to high competition between carnivores such as leopards and tigers. This usually prompts wild animals such as the leopards to move onto human land in search of food where they normally target human livestock, dogs and chicken. In the republic of India, conflicts between human beings and wildlife are a common occurrence. One common wild animal that humans are ever having conflicts with is the leopard. According to Ramesh [1], leopards are adaptable animals that are capable of living not only in but also around human dominated landscapes. Conflicts between humans and wild animals such as the leopards normally occur when humans cross into protected areas or wild animals crossing over to human territory. Wild animals such as the leopard and other carnivores normally cross to human territory in search for food, whereby they usually target livestock [2]. In most cases when human beings interact with wild animals, a conflict ensues and apart from injuries, this results to loss of lives on both sides. It is because of this that the Indian government is ever on the move to ensure that the rate of human-wildlife conflicts are minimized since if left to prevail could eventually result to extinction of endangered spe cies. The paper will relay information on how human-wildlife conflicts are a major problem in India in addition some of the most appropriate measures that ought to be enacted in order to minimize the conflicts. In a move to determine how adverse the conflict between human beings and wildlife has become, a number of researches were conducted in various protected regions and its environs. One study was in Akole Tahsil, a densely populated region located in Ahmednagar district. In the western regions of Akole

Senior Project Vet Essay Example for Free

Senior Project Vet Essay For my first hour at the Huntington Beach Pet Vet, I was introduced to the building facility and to the employees working there. I met all of the veterinarians there including Dr. Naito, Dr. Bennington and Dr. Munson. When taking a tour around the building, I got a tour of the consultation room, which is where pet owners take their pets for a doctor’s evaluation. Another room they showed me was the boarding room. The boarding room is a room designed to house dogs while their owners are away. After walking around a little more, I was guided into the surgery room where surgeries are performed on animals. After speaking with the vets I asked them what safety procedures I must follow and asked what qualifications you must meet in order to become a licensed vet. Hour 2 For the second hour I was able to observe the whole process in taking your pet to the vet. First the pet owners walk into the building and are welcomed by a lady working at the front desk. Her job is to greet the patients and make sure they sign in on the waiting list. Once the pet owners sign in they wait in the lobby for 5-10 minutes before being called in by other staff. The job of the staff is to go on the computer database and make sure they have all of the information of the pet including insurance, vaccinations etc. Once this step is complete the pet is then transported over to the evaluation room. There the doctor checks the pets weight, temperature and examines the pet to make sure nothing out of the ordinary is wrong. After the doctor is finished with the evaluation, the pet is then transported to the general treatment center where the staff and doctors work together to get tasks like vaccinations, and dental cleaning done. Since the vets don’t know every thing that could be wrong with an animal, they always refer to a medical dictionary that gives them all the information they need. Hour 3 For the 3rd hour I was taken to the boarding room to take care of the animals left by their owners. There I came across a bunch of dogs and cats of different species. When I was in the boarding room I was given instructions on how to feed certain dogs based on their owners instructions. I also gave some dogs medication and learned about the various treatments that can be given when they sustain a specific injury or sickness. In some occasions when certain pets lose their owners, the Vet clinic picks them up and places them in the boarding rooms. Once there, they are either put up for adoption, or are kept by the veterinarians. Hour 4 The 4th hour I was there I got a glimpse of a dog that was believed to have a tumor on its stomach and near its tail. After talking to the vet, I was explained that the tumor could become cancerous if not treated properly. After examining it, the vet told me that it was indeed a tumor and the right step to do is to get it removed before it spread elsewhere. But before any surgery, the doctor needs to have verification from the owner before proceeding in any type of procedure. Once all liability forms and paper work are completed, the doctor has permission to treat the dog. Hour 5 During my 5th hour there, the owner filled out the paperwork, once everything was completed, the dog was ready to be prepped for surgery. The doctor introduced me to the vet technician who normally preps animals for surgery and showed me the steps in prepping a dog for surgery. First I put the dog on a scale to measure its weight to get the appropriate amount of sedative. Then the vet technician injected the sedative and put a gas mask that gives the dog anesthesia to make sure it falls asleep completely. Once the dog was completely asleep, I got the chance to clean the area around the tumor by shaving the fur so it wouldn’t get in the way of anything. Once the area around the tumor was shaved, the vet tech placed a reddish iodine based liquid in the area to prevent infection during surgery. Hour 6 Now that the dog was completely ready for surgery, it was time to wheel him over to the surgery room. Since being in the surgery room requires you to go through a whole liability process, I could only watch the 1st surgery from outside of the room. Although I saw the surgery from outside the room, I had learned a lot of things that I had not known before. First the doctor used a scalpel to cut around the are a where the tumor was. Then she carefully removed the tumor and placed it in a soluble liquid for further examination. Once the surgery was completed and the tumor was removed, I got an opportunity to watch the doctor stitch the dog’s incision. The most difficult part of this surgery was probably the stitching because you need to make sure the wound is covered up completely to prevent infection. The dog was then wheeled over to a cage where they recover and rest until the anesthesia wears off. Any animal that has just come off of surgery has to be given medications, because like humans, animals feel pain after a surgery. Hour 7 Once the dog started waking up from the surgery, you could tell that a minimum amount of anesthesia was still circulating through its body because it would wake up and daze back to sleep. To make sure every animal gets proper medication and treatment after surgery, the veterinarian places a manila folder outside the cage that contains all the paperwork of the pet with specific instructions for proper care. In the general treatment center, there’s a fully written out schedule that has everything from appointments, surgeries, groomings, and dental cleanings to make sure everyone is on the same page. Although there’s a schedule already made, emergencies and walk-ins are always welcome. When I further examined the schedule, I noticed that it was time for a dog to get neutered. Hour 8 Once the dog came in for its appropriate surgery time, the dog was given anesthesia and not a sedative because there is no need to do so for a simple surgery. After the dog was completely passed out from the anesthesia, the area around the testicles were completely shaved and covered with the iodine-based liquid. Then the dog was wheeled over to the surgery room to begin the neutering process. First the vet made a tiny incision in the center of the testicles and began cutting around the various layers of skin to properly remove the testicles. Now that the testicles were removed and disposed, the doctor tied the vas deferens together and stitched up the scrotum. Since this was a simple surgery, the dog was given no pain medication because unlike the dog that had the tumors, the incision was minor and required no further care. Hour 9 For the 9th hour at the pet vet, Dr. Munson took me to the x-ray room to further analyze some x-rays he had taken earlier. The first x-ray he showed me was of a dog that had broken its leg. He pointed out and explained to me the type of fracture the dog had suffered and the steps it took to repair the leg. When viewing the x-ray, you can see a white rod going through the dog’s femur. He explained to me that it wasn’t actually a rod, but a pin that is hammered down the center of the bone to add support to the bone so it can heal properly. He then showed me an x-ray of a dog that had come in with a possible esophagus problem and had experienced vomiting. The doctor couldn’t figure out what was wrong with the dog. Even with the x-rays, there were no specific signs that gave Dr. Munson a clear idea to what was wrong with the dog. After he showed me more x-rays, I noticed a weird colored substance in the dog’s stomach. He explained to me that he had given the dog some barium to highlight anything abnormal within the dog. Although the barium had not fully spread throughout the dog’s body, Dr. Munson assured me that once it did spread, he would know what was wrong with the dog. Hour 10 I spent the last hour helping the Dr. Munson analyzing microorganisms through a telescope. He showed me various viruses that could potentially harm an animal and showed me a ringworm specimen that he had extracted from a feline earlier that day. I spent my last moments at the Pet vet interviewing Dr. Munson. When I asked him why he decided to become a vet, he simply answered because animals fascinated him. He then told me his life story about studying veterinary science in Minnesota and how he owned his own practice. Although in order to become a vet you must go to school for the same amount of years as a regular doctor, Dr. Munson emphasized that a person has to study what they truly have a passion for. When I asked him what the hardest part of his job was, he answered when you have to put an animal down. The reason why is because sometimes pet owners don’t have the sufficient money to pay for treatment of their pet and sometimes have to resort to putting the animal to sleep. Even though the doctor has the ability to fix whatever is wrong, the owners always have the final decision when it comes down to their pet. After talking with Dr. Munson for a while, he gave me some tips that I can use in life. He told me that when you pursue a career, you must do the best you can to get some experience in that field because when trying to get a job in that area of study, employers prefer people with experience than to someone with no experience. After overlooking the 10 hours I spent at the Pet Vet, I can say that I gained a ton of knowledge and experience that will get me prepared for the field of study I decide to pursue.

Coincidence Counting With NAI Scintillation Detectors

Coincidence Counting With NAI Scintillation Detectors ABSTRACT Coincidence counting is a technique employed in nuclear medicine for PET imaging. This technique utilizes a positron emitting radionuclide that is injected into patients to track biochemical and physiological processes. The positron annihilates with an electron and emit two 0.511MeV gamma rays which are detected simultaneously by two scintillation detectors. In the experiment, two gamma ray sources, 60Co and 22Na were used with a NaI scintillation counter. A single channel analyzer (SCA) was used to count the number of voltage pulses whose height fell within the gate width. The absolute efficiency and intrinsic efficiency was obtained as a function of distance. Real and random coincidences were determined from the spectrum obtained with varying gate width and gate delay for each source. The optimum gate width obtained was 5 µsec for both sources with gate delays of 1.2 µsec and 0.2 µsec for 22Na and 60Co respectively. The real coincidences for 22Na and 60Co were found to be 200 .1  ± 2.3 and 76.5  ± 1.7 respectively. The random coincidences obtained were 25.1  ± 3.4 and 13.4  ± 2.6 for 22Na and 60Co respectively. This was determined by using the LINEST function. The percentage thus of random to real coincidences obtained in this experiment was 12.54  ± 1.85 % and 17.52  ± 3.81 % for 22Na and 60Co respectively. It was deduced that the uncertainty in determining a random coincidence was higher in 60Co than in 22Na. the magnitude of the uncertainty is as a result of fluctuations in the instrumentation. Hence the Na system is more efficient for coincidence counting and so it is useful in the PET system. INTRODUCTION Coincident counting is a radiological measuring technique that is utilised in the nuclear medicine in the PET scan whereby two photons emitted from an event are detected simultaneously by a ring of detectors. Sodium Fluoride (F18-NaF) is the positron-emitting radionuclide employed in PET for bone imaging [1]. Upon decay, the positron are emitted which travels for a short distance and under Compton’s scattering thereby loosing most of its energy. It then undergoes annihilation with an electron and emit two high energy 0.511MeV photons. The 0.511MeV photons are emitted 180 degrees apart and interact with the PET detector rings at opposite sites. [2] The detectors are made up of scintillation crystals coupled with photomultiplier tubes powered by a high voltage which produces a pulse with a height proportional to the gamma-ray energy. A SCA counts the number of voltage pulses whose height falls within a predetermined window of photon energies. Coincidence measurement is utilised when a single detector cannot produce all the information expected, as gamma rays are randomly produced, hence the need to set several detectors. Real coincidences occur when two photons are emitted in coincidence from the same annihilation event and are detected simultaneously within a certain time frame set by the gate width. Random coincidences occur when two photons emitted from different events are detected simultaneously within the time frame of the gate width. [3] The gate width determines the time window within which the simultaneous emission of the gammas are detected. The optimum gate width therefore will ensure that the maximum number of real coincidences are detected to minimise the events of random coincidences. In the ideal situation when the gate width is zero the real coincidences can be observed, and with an increase in gate width the random coincidences can be observed. In the PET scan, this will ensure efficiency of the coincidence system. The need for the gate delay is to enable the second pulse to be detected within the time frame of the gate width and this is usually a minute time frame. It takes into account the minute fluctuations that occur at time of pulses. By alternating the gate delay and gate width, the rate of coincidence can be determined. In this experiment the two sources used were 60Co and 22Na. 60Co emit two gamma rays upon beta decay at energies 1.3325Mev and 1.1732MeV with 60Ni daughter nuclide. The 22Na undergoes a beta decay and electron capture decay with the emission of a 1.275MeV gamma photons and two 0.511Mev upon interactions with the detector material. The positron from the beta decay of 22Na annihilates an electron of the detector and emit the two gammas at 0.511Mev energies at 1800. The coincidence counting system records just a certain portion of events depending on the solid angle as a function of distance. Coincidence counting as a function of distance is maximum in the middle and zero at the edge [4]. The photons can undergo several interactions in the detector before they are detected and that render the detector inefficient and so there is the need for its efficiency to be determined. The efficiency can be classed into two as absolute and intrinsic efficiencies and they are defined as Absolute efficiency ÃŽ µabs = Number of pulses recorded [3] Number of radiation quanta emitted by source Intrinsic efficiency ÃŽ µint = Number of pulses recorded [3] Number of radiation quanta incident on detector These efficiencies are related by ÃŽ µint = ÃŽ µabs * (4à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  /à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦) [3] where à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ is the solid angle of the between source and detector. The solid angle is dependent on the distance between source and detector (d) and the radius of the detector (r) and it is determined by the this equation, à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ = 2à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬   1 d [3] √d2 + r2 To determine the efficiency of the coincidence system, the absolute efficiency for real and random coincidences were also determined for both sources based on the equations below. ÃŽ µabs for real coincidences for 22Na = ÃŽ µabs * ÃŽ µint ÃŽ µabs for random coincidences for 22Na = (ÃŽ µabs)2 * Activity * Intensity * Time ÃŽ µabs for real coincidences for 60Co = ÃŽ µabs * ÃŽ µabs ÃŽ µabs for random coincidences for 60Co = (ÃŽ µabs)2 * Activity * Intensity * Time METHOD Two NaI detectors coupled with photomultipliers with high voltages and preamplifiers were used for this experiment. The inputs were connected to spectroscopic and SCA amplifiers. Detector 1 was first corrected for background by counting for 5 minutes. The 22Na gamma ray source was varied with distance and the absolute efficiency of the detector was determined as a result. Detector 2 was introduced and set at a distance of 10cm apart from Detector 1. 22Na was positioned in the middle and the counting was set to 5 minutes. The gate width and gate delay were varied and their spectrum observed. The experiment was repeated for the second gamma ray source, 60Co. The optimum gate delay was determined and varied with the gate width to obtain the optimum gate width. A linear graph of count rate against gate width was obtained that showed the real and random coincidences based on the slope gradient obtained. The percentage ratio of the random to real coincidences were determined and the uncertainty associated with the experiment was also determined. RESULTS/DISCUSSION The background spectrum was corrected in the count reading for both sources. The background radiation is as a result of scattered radiation associated with the experiment. The absolute efficiency of the detector was determined for both sources as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 and Table 1a 1b and Table 2a 2b for 22Na and 60Co respectively. The absolute efficiency was obtained using the formula Absolute efficiency = Sum of count Intensity x Activity Figure 1: Absolute efficiency as a function of the distance between the 22Na source and detector Figure 2: Absolute efficiency as a function of distance between the 60Co source and detector The 22Na revealed a gradual decrease in efficiency with increasing distance, whereas 60Co revealed a rapid drop in efficiency as a function of distance. 60Co revealed lower absolute efficiencies since the measure of the number of pulses obtained by the 60Co was less than the number of photons emitted by the gamma ray source. This could have been due to Compton scattering reducing the number of photons actually detected as a pulse. The 22Na however revealed quite high absolute efficiencies and so can be confirmed that the detector was efficient in detecting the 22Na than the 60Co. The intrinsic efficiency was determined using the equation below. ÃŽ µint = ÃŽ µabs * (4à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  /à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦) The solid angle was determined for the detector when the distance between both detectors was varied between 5cm to 20cm and the radius of the detector was measured as 10cm. This is shown in Tables 3 and 4 and Figures 3 and 4 for 22Na and 60Co respectively. Figure 3: Intrinsic efficiency as a function of distance between the 22Na source and detector Figure 4: Intrinsic efficiency as a function of distance between the 60Co source and detector The intrinsic efficiency for 60Co was lower than 22Na. It can be deduced that the number of 60Co photons incident on the detector was more than the number of pulses recorded. Hence signifying that the detector was not efficient in detecting the 60Co. The 22Na however displayed high intrinsic efficiency almost approximating the maximum value for intrinsic efficiency. The intrinsic efficiency were found to be fluctuating with the highest being 0.9898 and 0.3872 with a solid angle of 1.3029 at 13cm distance from detector for 22Na and 60Co respectively. This is as result of the detector’s geometry detecting the photons at different solid angles. The solid angle determines how much of the photons can be detected as a function of distance. The overlap of the error bars signifies the uniformity of the errors. The probability of a 0.511MeV gamma travelling in the direction of the detector and being absorbed by it, will imply that the second 0.511MeV will also travel in the correct direction. Both detectors detecting the two 0.511MeV gammas can be determined to yield the absolute efficiency for real coincidences. This can be deduced from the notion that photons travelling in the right direction will be absorbed in the right direction by both detectors. The results of absolute efficiencies for real and random coincidences for 22Na and 60Co is shown in Table 5 6 and Figure 5, 6, 7 8. The efficiencies for both sources decreased with distance and it was lower for 60Co. The absolute efficiency for random coincidences was however for both sources than the absolute efficiency for real coincidences. It can thus be inferred that the absolute efficiencies for real coincidences for both 22Na and 60Co yields less probability of detection of real coincidence with 60Co as compared to the 22Na. The abso lute efficiencies for random coincidences was however comparable for both sources as the probability of detecting the second event within the gate width is possible for both sources. Figure 5: Absolute efficiency for real coincidences as a function of distance for 22Na Figure 6: Absolute efficiency for random coincidences as a function of distance for 22Na Figure 7: Absolute efficiency for real coincidences as a function of distance for 60Co Figure 8: Absolute efficiency for random coincidences as a function of distance for 60Co The gate delay was varied with gate width to obtain the optimum values of delay and width. The optimum gate delay was obtained as 1.2 µsec and 0.2 µsec for both 22Na and 60Co respectively and was used for the experiment. A linear graph of count rate as a function of gate width was obtained and a fixed gate width was obtained as shown in Figure 5 and 6 and table 7 and 8 Figure 5: A linear graph of count rate as a function of gate width applying a 1.2 µsec gate delay for 22Na Figure 6: A linear graph of count rate as a function of gate width by applying a 0.2 µsec gate delay for 60Co Real coincidences occur on the intercept of the linear slope gradient, whereas random coincidences can be found with the slope. For 22Na the optimum gate width obtained was 5 µsec. The graph of count rate as a function of gate width yielded a slope gradient of y = 5.019x + 200.15. By applying the optimum gate width and correcting for the gate delay, the real and random coincidences were determined using the LINEST function. The real coincidences was found to be 200  ± 2.3 whereas the random coincidences was found to be 25.1  ± 3.4. The percentage thus of random to real coincidences obtained in this experiment was 12.54  ± 1.85 %. This gives the value of pure coincidences that are not dependent on gate width. For 60Co, the optimum gate width was 5 µsec. The graph of count rate as a function of gate width yielded a slope gradient of y = 2.6801x + 76.483. When the optimum gate width was applied whilst correcting for the minute gate delay, the real and random coincidences were determined using the LINEST function. The real coincidences was found to be 76.5  ± 1.7 whereas the random coincidences was found to be 13.4  ± 2.6. The percentage of random to real coincidences obtained in this experiment was 17.52  ± 3.81 %. The above results was compared with the measured values obtained from the graph. The intercept gave the real coincidences as 200.15 and 76.48 for 22Na and 60Co respectively. The point of data convergence on the straight line gave the optimum gate width and the count equivalent was found as 225.28 and 90.02 for 22Na and 60Co respectively. The difference between this value and the real coincidences yielded the random coincidences as 25.13 and 13.56 in 22Na and 60Co respectively. Hence the percentage ratio of the random and real coincidences was obtained as 12.49% and 17.73%. This is equivalent to the values obtained from the calculated coincidences with the differences being due to uncertainties. The uncertainties with this experiment were with the NaI detector which contributed to scatter around the cover. The count rates resulted in some uncertainties as well and has been sown in table 8 for both detectors. The solid angle presented an uncertainty as the measurements for the detector could incur a large margin of errors. From all the results synthesized for both sources it could be gathered that the 22Na was an efficient source for coincidence counting compared to the 60Co. This is as a result of the geometry of the detectors as the Co system does not show a coincidence system and so there is more likelihood of a random coincidence than a real coincidence as compared to the Na system. This concludes that the 22Na will be efficient in a PET system, hence the reason for positron emitting radioisotopes being used in the PET system to ensure the maximum number of coincidences are being detected CONCLUSION The experiment was performed to examine the coincidence counting in two gamma ray sources and to determine the real and random coincidences as a function of gate width. The optimum gate width obtained was 5 µsec for both sources with gate delays of 1.2 µsec and 0.2 µsec for 22Na and 60Co respectively. The real coincidences for 22Na and 60Co were found to be 200.1  ± 2.3 and 76.5  ± 1.7 respectively. The random coincidences obtained were 25.1  ± 3.4 and 13.4  ± 2.6 for 22Na and 60Co respectively. This was determined by using the LINEST function. The measured count rates was also determined from the graph and resulted in real coincidences for 22Na and 60Co respectively as 200.15 and 76. 48 and random coincidences of 25.13 and 13.56. The percentage thus of random to real coincidences obtained in this experiment was 12.54  ± 1.85 % and 17.52  ± 3.81 % for 22Na and 60Co respectively. This gave the quality of the uncertainty in the coincidence system. It was deduced that the uncertainties in determining a random was higher in 60Co than in 22Na hence the Na system is more efficient for coincidence counting and very useful in the PET system. REFERENCES [1] The detection of bone metastases in patients with high-risk prostate cancer:99mTc-MDP planar bone scintigraphy, single- and multi-field-of-view SPECT,18F-fluoride PET, and18F-fluoride PET/CT.Even-Sapir et al, J Nucl Med(2006)47:287–97 [2] The Physics of Medical Imaging, ed. S. Webb. IoP publishing [3] Radiation and Detection Measurement, Glen N Knoll, 3rd Edition [4] Coincidence Counting, E. K. A. Advanced Physics Laboratory, Physics 3081, 4051 APPENDIXES Table 1a: Counts rate as a function of distance between source and detector for 22Na Table 1b: Absolute efficiency as a function of distance between source and detector for 22Na Table 2a: Counts rate as a function of distance between source and detector for 60Co Table 2b: Absolute efficiency as a function of distance between source and detector for 60Co Table 3: Intrinsic efficiency as a function of distance between source and detector of 22Na Table 4: Intrinsic efficiency as a function of distance between source and detector for 60Co Table 5: ÃŽ µabs for real and random coincidences as a function of distance for 22Na Distance(cm) ÃŽ µabs à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ 4à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬   ÃŽ µint ÃŽ µabs for real coincidences ÃŽ µabs for random coincidences 5 0.09940 3.473 12.57 0.35967 0.0994 48.7255 10 0.05091 1.8403 12.57 0.347637 0.0509 12.8015 13 0.04015 1.3029

Frankenstein - The Humanity of the Monster Essay -- Frankenstein essay

Frankenstein - The Humanity of the Monster      Ã‚  Ã‚   Sometimes, in novels like Frankenstein, the motives of the author are unclear.   It is clear however, that one of the many themes Mary Shelley presents is the humanity of Victor Frankenstein's creation.   Although she presents evidence in both support and opposition to the creation's humanity, it is apparent that this being is indeed human.   His humanity is not only witnessed in his physical being, but in his intellectual and emotional thoughts as well.   His humanity is argued by the fact that being human does not mean coming from a specific genetic chain and having family to relate to, but to embrace many of the distinct traits that set humans apart from other animals in this world.   In fact, calling Victor's creation a `monster' doesn't support the argument that he is human, so for the sake of this case, his name shall be Phil.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Though Victor ends up abhorring Phil, it is important to understand his motives of creation.   When Frankenstein discovers the power to bestow life, he ponders whether he should attempt creation of a being like himself or one of simpler organization (81).   He ultimately decides on creating a man--a human life form.   He did make the frame of a larger size, however the structure was designed in the same fashion as that of man.   Victor even professes to have selected Phil's traits as beautiful, with proportionate limbs and parts in which he endeavored to form with such pain and care (85).         Ã‚  Ã‚   Once Phil is endowed with life, during the first days of his existence, he ambles into the forests near Ingolstadt.   Though not to the same degree as man, here he feels pain, hunger, and the sensations of temperatur... ... Phil, because he was giving no name.   He was either addressed as "monster" or "daemon."   The name `Phil' was given to the monster in order to argue his humanity, just as Shelley made the monster articulate and intelligent, caring and benevolent so that his humanity could be argued in the first place.  Ã‚      "I imagined they would be disgusted, until, by my gentle demeanor and conciliation of words, I should first win their favor, then afterwards their love."   (*Milton, John. Paradise Lost.   In Shelly 294-96.)    Works Cited    Milton, John.   Paradise Lost.   In Shelly, Mary. Frankenstein.   N.P.: Broadview., 1999. P249-296. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. Broadview.   1999. "Wolf Logs February 1-28, 2002"International Wolf Center. 26 Feb.2002.  Ã‚   http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/8388/wolf.html  Ã‚  Ã‚     

The Nike Essay -- Greek Greece Symbolism History Athletics Essays

The Nike A Greek would say, "When we go to battle and win, we say it is Nike." According to Greek Mythology, The Nike was the winged goddess of victory. Daughter of the titan Pallas and the river Styx, Nike sat at the side of the omnipotent Zeus for the duration of his plight with the titans. The goddess Nike came to be an everlasting symbol of victory and dominance on the battlefields of ancient Greece. In light of her conquests, a popular footwear company of the 20th century designed products in her name to push new levels of achievement in athletes worldwide. The Swoosh logo at the side of each shoe is intended to represent the wing of the Greek Goddess Nike. The vibrant spirit of this ancient goddess has bridged the gap between ancient mythology and modern technology, and manifested itself through the most successful shoe company of all time. The Nike of Samothrace captures the essence of the goddess in a dramatic pose. Her body leans forward as her robust wings heave upwards, creating a magnificent balance and sense of motion. Recovered in the Sanctuary of the Great Gods by a French explorer in 1863, the statue stands 8 feet tall. The deep lines and contrasting textures of the feathers, fabric, and skin allude to the elegance of past Greek style. Of all similar remains from ancient Greek art, this famous Hellenistic sculpture best reflects the sense of pride, honor, and victory associated with the goddess. The Swoosh logo was created by Caroline Davidson in 1971. Davidson was asked by Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike, to create a logo that could be placed on the side of the shoe. She gave him the Swoosh, and he in return gave her $35.00. When the Swoosh is inverted and placed next to the wing of The Nike of Samoth... ...oddess of victory, a company of highest ideal was born. As depicted in The Nike of Samothorace and Nike Adjusting Her Sandal, honor and achievement were of highest importance to the Ancient Greeks. The victory Nike brought the Greeks in the war with the titans is analogous to the victories our athletes bring us in the Olympic games. The vibrant spirit of the ancient goddess has bridged the gap between centuries, and proved itself as the paramount shoe company. The Nike Swoosh embodies the vitality of the winged goddess who brought inspiration to the most courageous and chivalrous warriors at the dawn of civilization . Bibliography Stokstad, Marilyn, Volume One Art History. Prentice Hall, and Harry Abrams Inc., 1995. The History of Nike, http://www-personal.engin.edu/~jhwiii/nikehist.html alt.culture:Nike, http://www.altculture.com/site/entries/nike.html

Chief Bromden in Ken Keseys One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest :: One Flew Over Cuckoos Nest

Chief Bromden in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Chief Bromden is half American Indian. His father was a chief named Tee Ah Millatoona, which means The-pine-that-stands-tallest-on-the-mountain. That is why he is able to use the title chief. He took on his mother's last name of Bromden. He grew up in the Columbian gorge. The chief is massive and tall and would appear very intimidating and threatening to those who meet him. He was committed to the hospital and has been there for longer than anyone else, for over 15 years. He was put in there after World War two. The chief was an electrician's assistant in a training camp before the army shipped him off to Germany. It is probably due to working with electronics and the added strain of going to war that has led the chief to have such an unhealthy preoccupation with electronics. The chief has led everyone in the hospital, both staff and patients to believe he is deaf and dumb. As a young child he was always ignored, by fellow students and adults, this could have been because he was so strange looking, being half American Indian and appearing so big and menacing yet being quite shy. "I had to keep acting deaf if I wanted to hear at all." He felt rejected by his peers throughout life and so as an adult decided that as people acted like he was invisible he might as well disappear, "It wasn't me that started acting deaf, it was people that first started acting like I was too dumb to hear or see or say anything at all." So pretending to be deaf and dumb was probably a defence mechanism. For him, his silence is also extremely potent. As he is able to hear everything that went on in the meetings where the doctors and nurses discuss the future of the patients. The doctors and nurses don't hesitate to say anything in front of him because they think he can 't hear. "They don't bother not talking out loud about their hate secrets when I'm nearby because they think I'm deaf and dumb." The chief sees things in literal metaphors, he sees McMurphy as being really big in size because he is so brave (and big in spirit).

Macau Pension Fund Essay

According to the Act 84/89/M, Social Security fund would provide subsidies or assistance for unemployed, sick and retired people. This was the so-call â€Å"the first tier of social security†. At the same time, SSF was positioned as a financially independent fund under the local government. In Macau, Pension fund is included in the SSF, and there is no separation between the management of pension fund and SSF. Instead, pension fund is considered as an expense from the aspect of financial management. All the working people, including non-permanent and permanent residents, are required to contribute to SSF in each month. If they have contributed enough amounts, they can get part of or all the pension fund payment after retirement. Since 1993, the government was gradually enlarging the coverage of pension fund beneficiary. So far, most unemployed or workless people, such as housewife, could join the voluntary contributions program. After certain periods of contribution, those people are also entitled to the pension fund payment from SSF once they are over 60. 2. 0 Current Problems As a financially independent fund, SSF is supposed to maintain the operation with the contribution as its major income. However, government funding has already become the most important income of SSF in recent years. In 2010, government budget and funding from gaming tax accounted for 92% of the total income of SSF (see figure 1). For the pension fund, many people stated that the pension fund payment, maximum MOP 2,000, is not enough under the high-inflation economy. Some academies also claim that the contribution is not enough to maintain the budget balance of SSF. After all, government announced the predictable deficit of SSF since 2014 and bankruptcy in 2020 without government funding, which cause the heated discussion in Macau. 3. 1 Insufficient Contribution According to the SSF regulation, a resident who have contributed to SSF for 30 years is qualified to get MOP 2,000 per month after retirement at 65. Actually the monthly contribution to SSF has been fixed at MOP 45 per person since 1998, which means the total contribution in 30 years would be returned in 9 months after retirement. Figure 1: Income of SSF in 2010 The contribution in 2010 only accounted for 5. 35% of the annual income of SSF and 24. 4% of the pension fund payment. In other words, the contribution is obviously insufficient to support the pension fund payment. The pension fund payment has been increased from MOP 800 in 1995 to MOP 2,000 recently, so as other subsidies and assistances. Therefore, the government kept increasing funding for SSF to prepare for the increasing outcome. Millions (MOP) Figure 3: Social security expenditures by SSF 3. 2 Insufficient Pension Fund Payment According to the poverty line set up by Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the people with an income level lower than half of median income should be considered as poor people. Referring to 2011 median income published by Macau Statistics and Census Service, people have income lower than MOP 5,000 per month should be classified as needy. However, the maximum amount of pension fund payment is MOP 2,000, only 40% of the poverty line. The payment is even lower than the minimum subsistence index for one-person family, which is MOP 3,000 after the adjustment by Macau government on 1 Apr 2012. In view of this, some communities and organizations have called for further raise of pension fund payment. 3. 3 Inefficient Management Rate of Return Percentage Inflation Rate Figure 2: Investment return of SSF balance and Macau inflation rate Given the enlarging funding from government, the balance of SSF have increased from MOP 1. 5 billion in 2006 to MOP 6. 2 billion in 2010. However, it has been shown in Figure 2 that the investments return of SSF balance is just a bit higher than the inflation. During the financial crisis, there was even a negative return recorded in 2008. By ignoring year 2008, there is still a downward trend of the return. According to the 2010 annual report of SSF, 72. 43% of SSF balance was deposited into local bank, the remaining proportion was entrusted to fund managing company for only low-risk investments. Under the fix-rate hedging between MOP and HKD, the interest rate of Macau is close to interest rate in Hong Kong, which is similar to US interest rate. Since the 2008 financial crisis, Fed has applied the ultra low interest rate and the interest rate is believed to be maintained until 2014. So, a 72. 43% of deposit in an investment portfolio is reasonably considered as inefficient. 3. 4 Irregular government subsidies In 2008 Macau government introduced the â€Å"Wealth Partaking Scheme†. Each permanent resident will receive the cash check issue by government and each non-permanent residents would received 60% of the partaking amount to permanent resident. The aim of the scheme is to share the result of economic development under the high-inflation economy. However, in some people’s view, the scheme has been considered as supplement of social security and thus expected to transfer the scheme into regular subsidies. Beside the partaking scheme, Macau government established the â€Å"Central Saving Plan† – to inject certain capital into individual account of all the permanent attained the age of 22 in the year. The government claimed that the plan is â€Å"the second tier of social security† and the plan will enhance the living security of retired people. Under the government regulation, people could withdraw the saving fund only when they are over 65 or in urgent needs.

Learning and cognition paper Essay

Learning as it is commonly used is defined as the acquisition of knowledge, skills, behavior, preferences and understanding from experiences, whether real, induced or vicarious. Technically, however, learning is used more broadly by the psychologists, making it almost impossible to give it an exact definition. What can only be done is to describe it in terms of phenomena to which it can or cannot be applied. For example, psychologists say that learning need not be correct or adaptive, or it does not have to be conscious or deliberate (Hill, 1980). This process is not limited to humans. Animals, and even machines may also undergo this process, although each individual’s learning processes follow different learning curves. The role of behavior in an individual’s learning process is best explained by Bandura’s Social Learning Theory. This theory posits that individuals learn by observing, imitating and modeling other individuals’ skills, behaviors and attitudes, in relation to the outcomes of such skills, behaviors and attitudes. The information gathered from these behaviors, skills and attitudes then, are interpreted, consciously or unconsciously to determine whether such behaviors, skills and attitudes would be serve some future beneficial purpose (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2009). In other words, people use these behaviors and its consequences as guide for their subsequent behaviors. 2. What are the two different types of learning? The two types of learning usually examined by psychologists are classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning is the type of learning wherein a reflexive response is evoked by a stimulus (stimulus B) which is different from the stimulus (stimulus A) that originally evoked such reflexive response (Learning and Conditioning, 2009). For example, a person had very fond memories of his/her 10th birthday which was held at restaurant A. When asked what his/favorite restaurant is, that person would immediately blurt out restaurant A. In this example, the positive feeling brought about by the memories of the person’s 10th birthday had been transferred, or rather, had been extended to the place where the person’s birthday was held. The other type of learning is called Operant conditioning. This is the type of learning wherein punishment causes the weakening or non-reinforcement of a non-reflexive behavior, and reinforcement strengthens a non-reflexive behavior. Unlike classical conditioning, in operant conditioning, an individual has more control. Meaning, presentation of a stimulus does not necessarily mean that a certain reaction will be evoked. In order to receive a certain reinforcement, an individual must behave in certain manner (Learning and Conditioning, 2009). One example of operant conditioning involves a professor’s attempt to improve his students’ attendance. To do this, he made a rule that students who obtain a certain number of absences will have an automatic one-point deduction in their final grades. Although he said nothing about any reward for full attendance, the threat of lower grades forced the students to limit their absences. 3. What is the relationship between learning and condition? Provide a specific example. Jean Piaget’s theory of cognition lays out 4 stages of cognition that is experienced by children as they progress. From the sensorimotor period when the child’s cognitive system is still limited to his/her motor reflexes, the cognitive system will develop to preoperational thought wherein a child acquires representational skills especially in mental imagery and language. The third stage is the concrete operations wherein the child acquires an ability to take another person’s point of view. Lastly, although, not everyone reaches this stage, a child becomes capable of logical and abstract thinking (Sandwell, 1995). Learning as defined earlier refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills and behavior based on experience. Note that the definition involves the world acquisition. Naturally, for an individual who learns and therefore undergo the process of ‘acquisition,’ he/she should have the capacity to acquire. This is where cognition comes in. Assuming that Piaget’s theory is indubitable, each individual must necessarily be in one of the four stages. It is the individual’s ability or capacity as described in each of the four stages that limits the knowledge, skills or behavior that such individual can acquire or learn. An individual who is still in level one of Piaget’s cognitive development cannot be expected to reason out with a person who has already attained a Doctorate degree since his/her cognition is limited to motor skills. Such individual cannot also be expected to understand or learn Algebra because such requires logic and therefore the skills attained in Piaget’s fourth stage. References Hill, W.(1980). Learning: A survey of psychological interpretations. Taylor and Francis: USA. Learning and Conditioning. (2009). Alleydog. Retrieved 26 April 2009 from http://www. alleydog. com/101notes/conditioning. html. Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2009). Social Learning Theory (Bandura) at Learning-Theories. com. Retrieved April 27, 2009 from http://www. learning-theories. com/social-learning-theory-bandura. html Sandwell, J. (1995). Piaget’s stage theory of development. Retrieved 26 April 2009 from http://penta. ufrgs. br/edu/telelab/3/piaget%27s. htm.