Conservation Of Endemic Ruminant Livestock And Improve...

In a 6-point scale, the TE rated the project’s outcome effectiveness as â€Å"Satisfactory†. The TE only briefly summarized the project results at the EOP (End of Project) without comparing them with expected outcomes. In the same scale, this TER will rate the project’s outcome as â€Å"Moderately Satisfactory† based on the evidence presented by the Final PIR (PIR 2014), which shows that some progress has been made for reaching all of the project targets, but majority of targets were not achieved 100%. A comparison of the project’s achievements against the targets of its indicators is presented below: (PIR 2014, p.4-53) The project’s Immediate Objectives are: (i) To conserve the biodiversity of endemic ruminant livestock and improve their productivity (AfDB) (ii) To establish effective models for community-based management of endemic ruminant livestock and its habitats at project sites, and strengthen production, market, and policy environment in support of theses breeds (GEF) There are 7 indicators under the project immediate objectives. By the EOP all of the indicators partly reached or were on the track for fully reaching their targets. Indicator 1 was the levels of household food security as measured by a household dietary diversity score (HDDS). The target was at least 20% increase by project end from baseline levels. The target was 50% achieved. According to statistics available by the EOP: the level for Gambia declined around 30%; the level for Mali increased 24.3%; the

Heroism Redifined Lord of the Rings Free Essays

string(36) " the traditional literary servants\." Heroism redefined Lord of the Rings J. R. R. We will write a custom essay sample on Heroism Redifined: Lord of the Rings or any similar topic only for you Order Now Tolkien Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, offers the reader a truly compelling picture of the world of Middle-earth. The author, in great detail, depicts a complex reality which abounds in a whole variety of creatures, cultures, languages and histories. If we take a closer look on Tolkien’s masterpiece we will easily notice a complexity of themes, motifs, symbols which add to the semantic richness of the text. It is necessary to mention that Tolkien was considerably influenced by the literary tradition. Fascinated by literary genres such as a heroic epic, a chivalric romance or a fairy tale Tolkien skillfully weaved many characteristic conventions of these genres in Lord of the Rings. Among many other features drawn from the literary tradition the theme of heroism occupies a prominent position in Tolkien’s trilogy. On the one hand Tolkien follows a well known model of a courageous epic hero, but on the other hand he operates with the theme in an innovative way. Apart from a careful depiction of a well known image of noble heroism typical of great figures of historical significance such as Aragorn, the novel surprisingly offers a completely new image of heroism which is represented by small hobbits. Providing at the same time two parallel faces of the concept, Tolkien significantly changes and challenges the traditional meaning of heroism and, as a consequence, significantly enriches the literary tradition. A significant part of the trilogy is devoted to the deeds of great Men such as Aragorn. Drawing extensively on the tradition of heroic epic and chivalric romance Tolkien presents a powerful image of a knightly hero full of noble virtues. Aragorn is a â€Å"born hero† – a true heir to the throne of Gondor, â€Å"born to achieve great deeds in his time† (Zimmer Bradley 83). He is a courageous man of action, endowed with physical strength, who combats evil, brings order and restores peace. Respected and admired by other characters, Aragorn is a hero of indomitable spirit who never commits mistakes and always serves as an epitome of bravery and virtue. Although Aragorn is one of the most prominent characters in the trilogy, the most important mission, to destroy the malevolent Ring, falls upon a completely different figure. The future of the whole Middle-earth does not depend on noble Elves or brave Men or even strong Dwarves but lies in the hands of the seemingly weak and insignificant hobbits (Gulisano 131). Tolkien’s surprising choice falls upon small and rather funny creatures which, in fact, do not really have any particular achievements. Though small and weak, it is Frodo and his faithful servant Sam who are burdened with an extremely difficult task. Contrary to all expectations Frodo is chosen to carry the ring: â€Å"You may be nobody in particular in yourself, yet for some inexplicable reasons, through no choice of your own, the Ring has come into your keeping, so that it is on you and not on Gandalf or Aragorn that the task falls of destroying it† (LotR, I, 284) At first the small hobbit is full of doubts. He is neither a great wizard like Gandalf to plan the strategy of war against Sauron, nor Aragorn, an outstanding warrior who is destined to be the leader of the army of Gondor. Yet, the Ring has clearly chosen the hobbit. Unlike other significant figures of the trilogy Frodo has â€Å"heroism thrust upon him† (Zimmer Bradley 84). In contrast with Aragorn, Frodo is not born to gain glory, yet through experience and ability to endure hardships he finally rises to heroism. Though hesitantly, Frodo humbly accepts the task: â€Å"’I will take the Ring,’ he said, ‘though I do not know the way. †(LotR, I, 284) Even though Frodo would rather â€Å"stay at home than risk my life on the very slight chance of winning glory† (LotR, I, 284) eventually he resigns from his own comfort and safety and full of hope takes up a dangerous journey to save the world of Middle-earth. During the journey he often trembles, regrets his lot and wonders why he was burdened with such an enormous load, still he manages to remain faithful to the mission till the very end. Deciding to carry the Ring Frodo starts to follow a path full of sacrifices and pain. As the Ring bearer he is forced to put up a constant resistance to his own ambitions and desire for power (Bramlett 70). Frodo undeniably becomes a hero of the story. Though he actually fails at the very last moment of his mission – he yields to the temptation and wants to posses the Ring for his own- the quest is still completed and Frodo returns covered in glory. However, as Frodo rather reluctantly accepts the heavy burden of the unusual quest there is another character who follows the same path on his own free will and without complain. Sam, Frodo’s devoted servant, becomes an unrecognized hero of the story, who bravely accompanies and supports Frodo till the very last stage of their journey. He is the one who cares even less for glory and heroic deeds. His only wish is to protect his master and follow Frodo even if it means death. (Zimmer Bradley 84) Throughout the story Sam undergoes perhaps the most significant development. He starts out as a minor character. Even Sam describes himself as a â€Å"luggage in a boat†. He is a rather comic and childish character hardly adequate for such a grand enterprise (Purtill 89). Although at first he displays a sort of a limited perception, which is not unusual for a hobbit – he can be very practical at times – â€Å"his mind was slow but shrewd† (LotR, II, 625). In the course of the novel Sam gradually takes more and more responsibility and acquires such importance that without him the quest would be unfulfilled. Sam seems to be a typical hobbit servant, yet Tolkien endows him with certain features which differentiate him from the traditional literary servants. You read "Heroism Redifined: Lord of the Rings" in category "Essay examples" This peculiar hobbit is endowed with a sort of curiosity which is quite unique for a hobbit. He is fascinated with Elves and dreams about an opportunity to meet them one day. He is much more open to the new ideas and experiences than a typical hobbit (Purtill 90-91). What is more, Sam is also aware of his own limitations. He usually depends on the opinion of others, as he is not able to decide on grand matters: â€Å" I hope that the master will think it out carefully. He’s as wise as any, but he’s soft-hearted, that’s what he is. It’s beyond any Gamgee to guess what he’ll do next† (LotR, II, 625). Moreover, Sam is also endowed with a significantly greater independence than a typical servant (Purtill 90-91). When Frodo decides to abandon Shire alone, without any support of his friends, Sam reveals Frodo’s plan to Pippin and Merry in order to protect his master. On another occasion he disobeys Aragorn and secretly follows Frodo on the further journey without informing the rest of the fellowship. When his master comes at stake Sam is able to do absolutely anything. Above all else, Sam characterizes an enormous devotion, selflessness and love for Frodo. His care for his master is truly incomparable: â€Å"It is hardly possible to separate you form him [Frodo], even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not† (LotR, I, 284). Throughout the story signs of Sam’s love for Frodo can be frequently encountered: â€Å"Sam came in. He ran to Frodo and took his left hand, awkwardly and shyly. He stroked it gently and then he blushed and turned hastily away. † (LotR, I, 237) His love for Frodo is immense. He is totally selfless and ready for sacrifices for his master. His devotion is best portrayed in the last stage of the quest, when the fellowship is broken and the two hobbits continue their dark journey to Mordor all by themselves. As Frodo, due to the malevolent power of the Ring, gradually becomes both physically and mentally weaker, Sam becomes an actual guide and protector. He deals with the practical aspects of the journey and combats various obstacles throughout the way. Gradually Sam becomes less comic and much more doughty. Along with their approaching the gates of Mordor Sam is significantly gaining importance and becoming a truly mature character. When the two hobbits are just one step form completing their mission of destroying the Ring everything is almost ruined due to Gollum’s betrayal. Sam and Frodo are attacked by a giant spider Shelob. Frodo is wounded in the combat and Sam is convinced that his beloved master is dead. Though terrified and totally miserable he does not turn back. He feels an obligation to continue the quest. As soon as he realizes that his master is still alive he rushes to rescue Frodo. As for the time being he carries the Ring, and just like Frodo and others he is subject to the great temptation. On this stage of the journey ominous power of the Ring is the most dangerous and the temptation is respectively stronger. The Ring plants in Sam visions of himself as a great warrior: Samwise the Strong. Hero of the Age, striding with flaming sword across the darkened land, and armies flocking to his call as he marched to overthrow of Barad-dur. And then all the clouds rolled away and the white sun shone, and at his command the vale of Gorgoroth became a garden of tress and brought forth fruit. He had only to put on the Ring and claim it for his own and all this could be. In that hour of trial it was the love of his master that helped most to hold him firm; but also deep down in him lived still unconquered plain hobbit-sense: he knew in the core of his heart he was not large enough to bear such a burden, even if such visions were not a mere cheat to betray him. The one small garden of a free gardener was all his need and due, not a garden swollen to a realm; his own lands to use, not the lands of others to command. And anyway, all those notions are only a trick,† he said to himself. (LotR, III, 880-881) Sam is saved by his great love for his master and his extraordinary common sense combined with modesty and humility. Deep down he realizes that the vision of himself as a great warrior is ridiculous. The illusion, in fact, does not even constitute a dream that he aspires to. Sam is aware that he is not meant to be a grand hero. He knows perfectly well that his true voc ation is to be a humble servant and this is exactly what makes him happy. The great trial Sam is subject to requires from the little hobbit a great deal of common wisdom and strength. Sam who at first seems to be a rather weak and at times an irritating character demonstrates strength which can be compared to the one of Galadriel or Gandalf. He is not only able to resist the temptation, but also to return the Ring to Frodo without hesitation. Sam displays enormous grandeur. At this point he presents more heroism than for instance one of Tolkien’s classic heroes Bromir for whom temptation turned out too great to resist. As one of the critics rightly suggests: â€Å"He [Sam] exhibits concrete wisdom rather than abstract reasoning, finds relationship more important than objects, is supportive, nurturing, and self-sacrificing. † (Purtill 95) Tolkien seems to suggest that these are the features that account for true heroism. Thanks to Sam the quest can be completed. He supports Frodo emotionally till the very end and even literally carries him to the Mount Doom when the latter is physically unable to reach the destination. At the last stage of their journey Frodo is so debilitated by the power of the Ring that he is practically unable to think clearly. All his powers are focused on resisting the temptation of putting the Ring on the finger. Form now on the success of the mission depends on Sam. At this point, the development of Sam is clearly visible. He realizes that the mission has to be completed, that they must do everything in their power to end the task. He knows that they have reached a point from which there is no return. Though, he is convinced that there is no hope for them and they are doomed to death, he still manages to follow once entrusted mission. Sam becomes an undeniable hero of the story. Though he does not acquire a sort of glory that Pippin and Merry achieve on a battlefield, still he does acquire the necessary virtue and wisdom to eventually become the leader and the ruler of the hobbits – the Mayor of the Shire. Lord of the Rings, among many other beautiful and complex images, provides one of the most extraordinary and memorable depictions of heroism. Greatly influenced by the literary tradition, Tolkien both follows and modifies the concept of heroism and consequently provides the reader with two faces of this traditional notion. Tolkien emphasizes a number of features characteristic for a heroic epic and a chivalric romance. Features such as courage, fortitude, nobleness and honour can be found in several prominent figures in the novel. One of the most distinct examples, personifying all these virtues, is to be found in Aragorn. He is a classic hero, descendant of the line of kings, great warrior, the one who restores peace and brings back justice. Aragorn is the rightful heir to the throne who bravely struggles with the forces of evil and at the end triumphantly comes back to his kingdom and marries Arwena – Elf princess. Aragorn embodies all features typical of a truly heroic character in the traditional sense of the concept. However, the author does not only provide the reader with a well known model of heroism based on strength and courage. The novel presents a new surprising aspect of this concept and at the same time establishes a modern, innovative definition of the notion. In the course of the novel the reader is exposed to a very peculiar juxtaposition of characters. Next to such heroic figures as Aragorn Tolkien places queer, little, funny hobbits. It is Frodo and his devoted servant Sam who become true heroes of the story. If it had not been for their simplicity, ordinariness, lack of violence and ability to self-sacrifice the whole Middle-earth would be seized by the forces of evil. Frodo and Sam represent ordinary, insignificant figures who through their selflessness, loyalty and love for friends are brought to the heroic glory. Realization of their own limitations, common sense and modesty prevents them form mistakes that other characters are prone to commit. Hobbits represent the kind of courage exhibited by an ordinary person, who rises to heroism in the face of challenge (Purtill 77). Their courage is moral as well as physical. On their quest they have to face both mental torments, such as resisting the power of the ring and fear of enemies, and physical hardships, like lack of food and water, exhaustion due to the strenuous journey and wounds they receive during combats. Tolkien presents the reader a new definition of heroism which is based on love and humility and can be achieved not exclusively by the chosen, great figures but by everybody. Heroism that Tolkien offers in Lord of the Rings is within everybody’s reach, no matter how small and weak and ordinary they would be (Gulisano 132). Juxtaposing the two kinds of heroism Tolkien stresses the fact that both can harmoniously coexist and are complementary: â€Å"without the high and noble the simple and vulgar is utterly mean; and without the simple and ordinary the noble and heroic is meaningless† (Tolkien in: Purtill 60). How to cite Heroism Redifined: Lord of the Rings, Essay examples

Classic Model of Language Neurobiology †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Classic Model of Language Neurobiology. Answer: Introduction: The biological basis of human behaviour refers to the extensive study of all kinds of behavioural functions that are associated with the nervous system, the brain in particular. Physical structure of the human body plays a crucial role in governing the behaviour of an individual. Hence, the biological basis of behaviour is entirely controlled by the mammalian nervous system that is a complex biological organ that enables the body to function in a coordinated manner (Nebylitsyn Gray, 2013). Cognition refers to the mental process or action that helps to acquire knowledge, followed by gaining a clear understanding of experiences, thought process, and senses. The process of cognition also involves judgment, working memory, reasoning, evaluation, problem solving, language comprehension and decision making. This essay will illustrate the mechanism of cognition that is brought about by neural communication. Thus, human cognition often analyses processes from different perspectives. The nervous system is made up of two basic types of cells: neurons and glial cells.The glial cells, outnumber neurons and have been found to provide physical and metabolic support to the neurons. These glial cells act as scaffolding system that forms the foundation of the nervous system (Dimou Gtz, 2014). These facilitate the neurons to carry out effective neuronal communication. In addition, other functions encompass providing insulation to the neurons, transporting waste products and nutrients, and mediating immune responses (Wake et al., 2013). They act as the building blocks of the nervous system and consist of three main parts namely, the cell body or cyton, dendrites and an axon. Synapse refers to specialized junctions located at the end of nervous cells that facilitate communication with adjacent neurons. Synapse encompasses the axon terminals of a neuron, which release neurotransmitters in response to specific impulse (Hruska Dalva, 2012). Neurotransmitter or endogenous che micals facilitate neurotransmission. The neurotransmitters are responsible for transmitting signals across the chemical synapses at the neuromuscular junction. Most common neurotransmitters are classified into a range of categories such as, amino acids, monoamines, trace amines, purines and peptides (Deutch, 2014). Transmission of nerve impulse along one neuron to the adjacent one occurs due to several electrical changes across the semi permeable membrane. Arrival of a stimulus leads to the development of an action potential that brings about a response. Parts of the brain involved in behaviour The amygdala contains two almond shaped nuclei groups that are located in the temporal lobes of the brain and control emotions. Sensory stimuli reach the amygdala basolateral complex, during emotional events, such as, fear and form connects with stimuli memories. These emotional memories are stored in the neuronal connections (Townsend et al., 2013). The hippocampus is the principle structure involved in various memory functions. It is located adjacent to the limbic system and contains cognitive maps that help an individual encode, store and retrieve memory. Thus, damage to the hippocampus and adjacent regions often lead to development of anterograde amnesia (Tanaka et al., 2014). The Brocas area and Wernickes area are regions that are responsible for processing and production of speech. Lesions in these areas result in disruption to speech production and comprehension. The areas also play an essential role in grammar, syntax processing and maintaining sentence structure (Tremblay D ick, 2016). There exist a range of cognitive processes that involve sophisticated functions that are unique to primates. Thus, cognition often involves a plethora of controlled processes One common example is the protection of information that is maintained in mind from some distracting stimuli (Gross, 2013). A major example of aneural correlate associated with specific cognitive process pertains to the sustained firing of cells that are located in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Advent offunctional MRI studies provided evidence for origin of cognitive processes from the cortical regions of thehuman brain. Neural mechanisms have evolved with the aim of allowing social interactions (Winecoff et al., 2013). One of the major achievements of humans, compared to other primates refers to their ability to reflect on their actions and memories. Learning behaviour The major neural mechanisms related to reward learning involve conducting an update of the estimated value that is related to rewards. This is brought about by prediction of error signals that are related to primary reinforces or monetary rewards. The ventral stiratum is thought responsible for reward learning. In addition, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex also helps in demonstrating behaviour that pertain to a smiling face, gaining reputation, agreement with others and obtaining experience from cooperation and fairness. Mechanisms related to orientation to different agents and faces often play a role in portrayal of behaviour that encompasses imitating other people (Steinberg et al., 2013). Social learning involves similar neural systems as found in nonsocial learning based on rewards. Several researchers have illustrated the fact that reward prediction are often represented in the ventral striatum (vSTR) of the brain (Daniel Pollmann, 2014). Investigations conducted to evaluate the mechanism of gaze following suggested that the neural basis of gaze involves a complex mechanism that gets activated or triggered upon imitating the actions observed in others. The behaviour involves several steps such as, primary recognition of the agent by the observer and its orientation towards the eyes and the face. This behaviour is presumed to be mediated by the subcortical route. The lateral interparietal area (LIP) that has often been correlated to saccade planning and attention is found to play a role in this process. The mirror neurons get fired and lead to development of an action potential, while imitating an action (Brooks Meltzoff, 2015). The process that underlies these different forms of imitation have also been associated with social neural mechanisms that are brought about by mirror neurons. Memory formation and retrieval Self-interest and coping are another major manifestation of human behaviour that are related to trial-and-error based learning process. Most commonly, the human brain is seen to avoid making errors, by retrieving memories. This forms a crucial part of the trial-and-error based learning behaviour. In addition, the human brain also modulates selective performance of certain actions that were initially found beneficial. On the other hand, memory is considered as the process that involves retention, reactivation, and reconstruction of experiences. This process of internal representation helps in categorizing memory into two components, namely, memeory expression at the behaviour level and the underpinning neural changes that accompany the process (Takeuchi, Duszkiewicz Morris, 2014). Encoding of working memory often involves spiking of a range of neurons that are triggered by sensory inputs and persist even after disappearance of the stimulus. Episodic memory encoding is found to involv e persistent changes in structures that play a role in altering synaptic transmission of nerve impulse between cells. Working memory signals originate from the medial temporal lobe. The pre-frontal cortex is found to play a role in development of long-term memory. Synaptic consolidation involves synthesis of proteins in the medial temporal lobe, subsequently followed by transformation of the memory to long term independent memory (Tonegawa et al., 2015). In addition to the hippocampus, other brain areas that are involved in memory formation are the striatum, and the amygdala. Hence, learning and memory are considered direct manifestation of changes in the neuronal synapses and are often considered mediated by long-term potentiation and depression. Attention refers to the behavioural and cognitive process that focuses on selective concentration on some discrete aspects of objective or subjective information. This is often accompanied by ignoring perceivable information. Researchers have demonstrated the fact that attention modulates the firing rate of the neuronal cells, where the receptive fields receive the stimulus. Presence of stimulus in the receptor increases the firing rate. The most common neurotransmitter that regulates attention is norepinephrine, This excitatory neurotransmitter helps in controlling stimulatory behaviour. Problems in signaling mechanism that involve dopamine and norepinephrine signaling often result in attention deficits (Wang et al., 2013). The prefrontal cortex, specifically the inferior frontal junction is responsible for controlling visual processing areas that help in providing attention, thereby facilitating recognition of several objects. The parietal cortex is believed to process attentional awareness, related to the environment and helps in representing numbers or manipulating objects (Benedek et al., 2014). Thus, spatial attention is brought about by the parietal cortex. Language refers to the way of communication of ideas and feelings and also helps in processing of such communication. The Brocas area and the Wernickes area are thought to facilitate language processing (Rogi?, Deletis Fernndez-Conejero, 2014). The Wernicke's area located between theauditory andvisual cortex is present in the posterior region of the superior temporal gyrus. On the other hand, the pars triangularis and pars opercularis located in the inferior frontal gyrus form the Brocas area. These structures help in speech production and comprehension (DeWitt Rauschecker, 2013). Firing of the mirror neurons are also thought to play a role in language formation. Conclusion To conclude, it can be stated that human behaviour results from an interaction between chemical and neural systems that work together inside the brain. Human behaviour involves interaction of both the mind and the body. This intersection between neural communication and different parts of the brain lead to the development of several mental capacities such as, perception, memory, language and emotions. Thus, all forms of behaviour displayed by humans arise from brain function. References Benedek, M., Schickel, R. J., Jauk, E., Fink, A., Neubauer, A. C. (2014). Alpha power increases in right parietal cortex reflects focused internal attention.Neuropsychologia,56, 393-400. Brooks, R., Meltzoff, A. N. (2015). Connecting the dots from infancy to childhood: A longitudinal study connecting gaze following, language, and explicit theory of mind.Journal of Experimental Child Psychology,130, 67-78. Daniel, R., Pollmann, S. (2014). A universal role of the ventral striatum in reward-based learning: evidence from human studies.Neurobiology of learning and memory,114, 90-100. Deutch, A. Y. (2014). Neurotransmitters. InFundamental Neuroscience (Fourth Edition), 117-138. DeWitt, I., Rauschecker, J. P. (2013). Wernickes area revisited: parallel streams and word processing.Brain and language,127(2), 181-191. Dimou, L., Gtz, M. (2014). Glial cells as progenitors and stem cells: new roles in the healthy and diseased brain.Physiological reviews,94(3), 709-737. Gross, J. J. (2013). Emotion regulation: taking stock and moving forward.Emotion,13(3), 359. Hruska, M., Dalva, M. B. (2012). Ephrin regulation of synapse formation, function and plasticity.Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience,50(1), 35-44. Nebylitsyn, V. D., Gray, J. A. (Eds.). (2013).Biological bases of individual behavior. Academic Press, 1-11. Rogi?, M., Deletis, V., Fernndez-Conejero, I. (2014). Inducing transient language disruptions by mapping of Broca's area with modified patterned repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol.Journal of neurosurgery,120(5), 1033-1041. Steinberg, E. E., Keiflin, R., Boivin, J. R., Witten, I. B., Deisseroth, K., Janak, P. H. (2013). A causal link between prediction errors, dopamine neurons and learning.Nature neuroscience,16(7), 966. Takeuchi, T., Duszkiewicz, A. J., Morris, R. G. (2014). The synaptic plasticity and memory hypothesis: encoding, storage and persistence.Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B,369(1633), 20130288. Tanaka, K. Z., Pevzner, A., Hamidi, A. B., Nakazawa, Y., Graham, J., Wiltgen, B. J. (2014). Cortical representations are reinstated by the hippocampus during memory retrieval.Neuron,84(2), 347-354. Tonegawa, S., Pignatelli, M., Roy, D. S., Ryan, T. J. (2015). Memory engram storage and retrieval.Current opinion in neurobiology,35, 101-109. Townsend, J. D., Torrisi, S. J., Lieberman, M. D., Sugar, C. A., Bookheimer, S. Y., Altshuler, L. L. (2013). Frontal-amygdala connectivity alterations during emotion downregulation in bipolar I disorder.Biological psychiatry,73(2), 127-135. Tremblay, P., Dick, A. S. (2016). Broca and Wernicke are dead, or moving past the classic model of language neurobiology.Brain and language,162, 60-71. Wake, H., Moorhouse, A. J., Miyamoto, A., Nabekura, J. (2013). Microglia: actively surveying and shaping neuronal circuit structure and function.Trends in neurosciences,36(4), 209-217. Wang, G. J., Volkow, N. D., Wigal, T., Kollins, S. H., Newcorn, J. H., Telang, F., ... Fowler, J. S. (2013). Long-term stimulant treatment affects brain dopamine transporter level in patients with attention deficit hyperactive disorder.PloS one,8(5), e63023. Winecoff, A., Clithero, J. A., Carter, R. M., Bergman, S. R., Wang, L., Huettel, S. A. (2013). Ventromedial prefrontal cortex encodes emotional value.Journal of Neuroscience,33(27), 11032-11039.

Therapeutic Touch Its Effectiveness On Surgical Essay Example For Students

Therapeutic Touch: Its Effectiveness On Surgical Essay Therapeutic touch has been shown to decrease patients anxiety levels and increase their pain tolerance levels when other more mainstream therapies have not been completely effective. Therapeutic touch is a process by which energy is transmitted from one person to another for the purpose of potentiating the healing process of one who is ill or injured. (Heidt, 1981; Krieger, 1979; Lionberger, 1985; Randolph, 1984; Kramer, 1990). In my capacity as a nursing student on a medical- surgical unit, I have noticed an increase in pain medication requests among patients with incision site pain and a minimal use of lternative therapies for this pain management. With the use of therapeutic touch nurses can regain a closeness with patients and also have a direct effect on their pain level. Therefore the purpose of this study will be to determine if therapeutic touch is an effective intervention for patients experiencing surgical incision site pain within the first forty-eight hours after surgery. PROBLEM STATEMENT The question posed for study is: Is therapeutic touch an effective intervention for decreasing a patients surgical site pain within the first forty-eight hours after surgery? . The independent variable is therapeutic touch. The dependant variable is decreasing surgical site pain. The population to be studied will be patients on a thirty bed medical-surgical floor of a Lake Charles hospital. Fifty surgical patients will be studied over a four week period. The patients will be randomly selected to avoid any bias by the researcher. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROBLEM herapeutic touch is a nursing intervention that has the potential for eliciting a state of physiological relaxation in patients and for decreasing patients anxiety (Heidt, 1991). The use of therapeutic touch is very important o the nursing community. The need for immediate intervention in acute or chronic pain could be handled at the bedside with no need to await a doctors order for pharmacological intervention. Anxiety could be lessened to let patients rest more comfortably in the stressful hospital environment. Also teaching could be enhanced in the less anxious and more pain free client. A client that is admitted to the hospital for surgery may not get all the rest needed for proper recovery and healing due to inadequate pain relief from pharmacologic interventions. The need for more in depth research and pplication in the field of therapeutic touch as a nursing intervention is essential. REVIEW OF LITERATURE In preparing to undertake this research, various forms of literature must be examined. In a study done by Nancy Ann Kramer, MSN, RN on therapeutic touch and casual touch stress reduction of hospitalized children (1990), her study supported the use of therapeutic touch. She states he intervention of therapeutic touch will more quickly reduce the childs stress and provide comfort for a longer time, which eventually may decrease the hospital stay and decrease nursing work. . The author states that more research ay need to be done with a larger sample and a wider range of patient stressors to further support the use of therapeutic touch in a clinical setting. She used a sample of thirty children ages two weeks to two years old. In the next study, done by Patricia R. Heidt, RN, PhD, Helping patients to rest: Clinical studies in therapeutic touch(1991), she studied patients who wanted help with pain relief. Her main reason for this was to increase the descriptive data on patient care so further research could be done and therapeutic touch could be applied in nursing interventions. The strength of his study came from its in depth look at two case studies and how the therapeutic touch was used on two specific patients. The case studies gave an in depth look at the patients history and treatment and out comes after therapeutic touch was used. It also explained the settings and exactly what was done step-by-step through the therapeutic touch treatment by Heidt herself. The weakness of this study was also its strength. It had a very narrow focus and was not applied to a large group. In a study, done by Janet F. Quinn, RN, PhD, FAAN and Anthony J. Strelkauskas, PhD, named Psychoimmunologic effects of therapeutic touch on ractitioners and recently bereaved recipients: A pilot study(1993), they wanted to identify the variations and address conceptual inconsistencies in previous Therapeutic Touch research . The study was done with two therapeutic touch practitioners and four recently bereaved patients. They wanted to determine if there was a correlation between who received the therapeutic touch and who applied the therapeutic touch. Their study supported the use of therapeutic touch on practitioners and others who are bereaved and how therapeutic touch can increase white blood cell response. The weaknesses of this study were: that a short time frame was used (two weeks) and a small sample of practitioners and recipients was used. The strength of this study flowed from its use of descriptive language and its ease of obtaining bereaved subjects for use in the study. In the following study, Effects of Therapeutic Touch on Tension Headache Pain (1986), done by Elizabeth Keller and Virginia M. Bzdek they reviewed a sample of sixty volunteers from ages eighteen to fifty-nine that experience tension headaches. Their study supported the use of therapeutic touch in tension headache pain. They used a large sample population and various testing components for grading pain and relief of pain. I find this to be the strength of this study. A weakness of this study was its non-use of any pharmacological intervention and also the total subjectiveness of a persons pain rating. It also did not rule out whether any of the subjects had ever previously tried alternative therapies for their headache pain. Deforestation EssayThe reason for selecting this design is its simplicity. Half of the fifty patients will be randomly chosen as a control group. Observation of the dependant variable will be taken at those points in time as listed above. It will allow us to examine the changes of the patients response before and after the therapeutic touch treatment. SAMPLE The study subjects will be fifty surgical patients from a thirty bed medical- surgical floor at a Lake Charles hospital over a four week period. Each patient will have to meet the following criteria for the study: 1. The patient must have experienced an uncomplicated surgery. 2. The patient must have a surgical incision of at least two inches in length. 3. The patient must have some narcotic analgesia ordered for post- operative pain control. 4. The patient must be admitted into the hospital for a stay of greater than forty-eight hours after surgery. 5. The patient must sign a consent form to participate in the study. 6. The patient must be between the age of eighteen and thirty years old. The sample will include both male and female subjects. The nursing staff will identify candidates for this study when admitted to the post- operative surgery floor from the post- anesthesia care unit. If the patient cannot read the staff can read the consent to the patient. After verbalizing understanding of the consent, the staff member and one witness can sign the consent form for the patient. If the patient meets this criteria noted above they will be asked to sign a consent to participate in the study. HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION Freedom from harm will be assured by the giving of pain medication promptly after the therapeutic touch treatment. The nurse will respond within five minutes with the therapeutic touch treatment that will last five minutes. If the patient still requests pain medication after the therapeutic touch reatment, it will be administered. If at any time the patient cannot wait for the narcotic analgesic until after the therapeutic touch treatment, it shall be administered. This will effectively remove the subject from this study. The subjects will have the benefits of this study explained to them before participating in it. The risks are minimal as all that will be introduced is the therapeutic touch treatment. The use of narcotic analgesia will still be an option for the patient and will not be withheld if asked for before the therapeutic touch treatment is over. The benefit of this study will e enhanced knowledge for the use of pain management without or in conjunction with pharmacological measures in the post-operative period. The subjects will have the right to decide to join the study voluntarily. There will be no penalties or prejudicial treatment for not joining the study or for leaving the study at any time before it is over. The subjects will have full knowledge of the study to be performed and will have to sign a consent from which will include the following: *The fact that the data provided by or obtained from the subjects will be used in a scientific study *The purpose of the study The type of data to be collected *The nature and extent of the subjects time commitment *The procedures to be followed in collecting the research data *How subjects came to be selected *Potential physical or emotional discomforts or side effects *If injury is possible, an explanation of any medical treatments that might be available *Potential benefits to subjects (including whether or not a stipend is being offered) and potential benefits to others *A description of the voluntary nature of participation and the right to withdraw at any time without penalty *A pledge that the subjects privacy will at all times be protected The names of people to contact for information or complaints about the study. (Polit and Hungler 1993) SUMMARY The use of therapeutic touch treatment in a clinical setting is a growing trend all over the world today. Therapeutic touch was derived from many ancient healing arts. In its contemporary form, therapeutic touch was developed by Dolores Krieger, Ph. D. , RN. , and her mentor, Dora Kinz, in the early 1970s. Research has shown that therapeutic touch is effective in promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety; changing the patients perception of pain; and in restoring the bodys natural processes. The importance of therapeutic touch to nursing is tremendous. Nurses must use a holistic approach to healing. The only way to succeed with this is by using all the tools that can be used. Therapeutic touch is being supported and taught in many nursing schools in Canada. It is put into practice in a wide range of settings from nursing homes to stress reduction of the nursing staff themselves to reduce burnout. Research indicates that therapeutic touch does produce significant levels of effective healing. The continued research in therapeutic touch and its use is essential.

Essay Hook For Social Topics - The Best Topic For Writing Essays

Essay Hook For Social Topics - The Best Topic For Writing EssaysWhat is the best essay hook for social topics? The answer could be different depending on what type of person you are. But, there are some points to consider when picking your topic, so read on to find out more.First of all, you will want to keep it simple and top-most. In other words, you don't want to get into a long argument or you will lose your reader. They want to get straight to the point and not waste their time on something that is not important to them. Let's look at what you need to do to get to the point fast and easy.First of all, you should think about your writing style. You need to think about how you would go about writing an essay in another language. Make sure that you use the right vocabulary, grammar and style to achieve the desired results.Essay hooks are used for many different types of topics. The most common topic to use is family, but you could also use sports, religion, history, books, movie to pics, politics, sports, travel and many more. You could also use 'mash' words to express what you are saying. Let's take the example of a sports essay that has a sports ball inside the headline.Mash words like 'ball'ball' for your sports articles or Mash words such as 'sports' for your other articles. This helps make your articles stand out.Now let's look at what different topics call for. Let's look at a different sports essay topic, one that is more popular and interesting.Consider sports' history or football, which is a common subject to write about. Because it is a very popular topic, you can come up with many different topics to cover.

A Fear of Flying Turning a Simple Dream into a Story of Triumph

A Fear of Flying Turning a Simple Dream into a Story of Triumph Have you ever had a dream that you could fly? When I was a child, I had recurring lucid flying dreams. In one, my parents are entertaining company. I start demonstrating how I can fly. I’m riding the airwaves above the yellow shag rug in the living room, and everyone is entranced. In the dream, flying is the most natural thing in the world and I know that anyone can do it if they just learn to catch the right currents. Watch me go! It’s just like swimming! Then, I would awake. from thecharmingplace.com greeting cards The thrill of flying came crashing down. I was left distraught, wishing I had never had the dream at all. In my child’s mind, it was worse to discover that my ecstasy was imagined than to avoid it in the first place. So I decided I would prefer NOT flying in my dreams to the trauma and disappointment I faced upon awakening. I resolved to wake myself up the next time I had a flying dream. Reality Check Sure enough, one night I found myself flying around with the characters from Alice in Wonderland, cards and spades whisking through the air. I promptly gave myself a whack on the head with my right hand and woke up immediately. The dream was over. No more disappointing awakenings to â€Å"reality† for me! That was the last flying dream I ever had. Until last Thursday. Reclamation In my dream, I once again have an audience, and I am doing swimming strokes through the air. I feel the support of the air under me, and I stay airborne for minutes at a time. What power and freedom! I want everyone around me to discover this joy! This time I choose to let the dream take its natural course. And when I wake up, there is no trauma or disappointment. Rather, I experience an aliveness from the knowledge that I have reclaimed something. What’s possible from here? Rising above my limiting beliefs. A different perspective on life. And getting in touch with an adventurous, powerful piece of myself that knows anything is possible. I wonder, what disappointments have led you to stop dreaming? Are you willing to let yourself fly again? Category:Life and LeadershipBy Brenda BernsteinJune 27, 2017 3 Comments The Essay Expert says: August 23, 2011 at 7:13 pm Thanks BeeGee. Yes I must have reached a point in life where I am not only capable of handling disappointment, but where I choose to risk disappointment in favor of experiencing joy. And creating a support system is definitely key. Disappointments can be tough to handle alone. Log in to Reply Penelope J. says: August 28, 2011 at 5:40 pm Interesting that you learned to control your flying dreams. I used to have tidal wave dreams that were more like nightmares but once, I saw that wave coming towards me, and thought, Here goes and dove straight into it. I often had flying dreams and contrary to your experience, I loved them! I would awake with a great feeling of empowerment. My flying dreams have slowed down with age though occasionally, I get similar ones where I discover, to my delight, that I can run as fast as a deer. I should say that most of my dreams the ones I remember enrich my waking hours. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: August 30, 2011 at 4:52 pm I love the running as fast a deer dream Penelope! And Im glad you didnt have to go through what I did to learn to enjoy what are clearly powerful dreams! Log in to Reply

Venus of Willendorf †Most Famous Women

Venus of Willendorf – Most Famous Women Free Online Research Papers The most famous early image of a human, a woman, is the so-called Venus of Willendorf, found in 1908 by the archaeologist Josef Szombathy in a terrace about 30 meters above the Danube river near the town of Willendorf, Austria. The statue, which measures about 11.1 centimeters in length, is now in a muse. It was carved from a fine porous limestone not found in the region and so must have been brought to the area from another location. It must have travelled a great distance before hibernating for centuries. When first discovered the Venus of Willendorf was thought to date to approximately 15,000 to 10,000 BCE. In the 1970s the date was revised back to 25,000-20,000 BCE, and then in the 1980s it was revised again to 30,000-25,000 BCE. In 1990 a study of the amount of layers of deposit on her indicates a date for the Venus of Willendorf of around 24,000-22,000 BCE. Being both female and nude, she fit perfectly into the patriarchal construction of the history of art. She became the first woman, acquiring an ironic Eve identity that focused suitably, from a patriarchal point of view, on the fascinating reality of the female body. She was originally nicknamed la poire the pear on account of her shape .Larger woman used to be identified with wealth, health and suitable for child bearing.Her size, at one point, probably was a point of envy with woman all over the world. In the 15th century, the Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli revived this same pose in his painting The Birth of Venus and initiated a renewed interest in the Classical Venus. The female again is very curvy, however her hair is natural and free flowing. She seems to be looked upon with ease, by the gods; envied by the human. The inspired painting is printed below: She also exhibits, in ways that are at once appealing (to most women, perhaps) and threatening (to most men, perhaps), a physical and sexual self that seems unrestrained, unphased by cultural taboos and social convictions.She is an image of natural femaleness, of uninhibited female power, which civilization, in the figure of the Classical Venus, later sought to curtail and bring under control. The sculpture shows a woman with a large stomach that overhangs but does not hide her pubic area. A roll of fat extends around her middle, joining with large but rather flat buttocks. Her thighs are also large and pressed together down to the knees. Her forearms, however, are thin, and are shown draped over and holding, with cursorily indicated fingers, the upper part of her large breasts. Small markings on her wrists seem to indicate the presence of bracelets. Her breasts are full and appear soft, but they are not sagging and pendulous. The nipples are not indicated. Her genital area has been deliberately emphasized with the details made clearly visible. This, combined with her large breasts and the roundness of her stomach, suggests that the subject of the sculpture is female procreativity and nurture and the piece has long been identified as some sort of fertility idol. Treatment of hair is rare in Paleolithic figurines, and the attention paid to it must mean it had some significance. In later cultures, hair has been considered a source of strength, and as the seat of the soul. Another characteristic of the statue is she has no feet. Possibly the intention was to curtail the figurines power to leave wherever she had been placed. A more common explanation is that because the statue served as a fertility idol, the sculptor included only those parts of the female body needed for the conception and nurture of children. The most satisfying, position is being held in the palm of the hand. When seen under these conditions, she transformed as a piece of sculpture. As fingers are imagined gripping her round masses, she becomes a remarkably sensuous object, her flesh seemingly soft and yielding to the touch. A roll of fat extends around her middle, joining with large but rather flat buttocks. Piette had been the first to regard it as a racial feature that he related to the appearance of women in African tribes. Another factor contributing to this fact is her hair. Some have interpreted her head as wearing braids while others have said she may be wearing a sort of headdress. From the front, the place where her face should be seems to be largely concealed by what are generally described as rows of plaited hair wrapped around her head. A characteristic of all the Paleolithic Venus figurines is the lack of a face, which for some, arguing that the face is a key feature in human identity, means that she is to be regarded as an anonymous sexual object rather than a person; it is her physical body and what it represents that is important. When seen in profile, the impression is that the figure is looking down with her chin sunk to her chest, and her hair looks more like hair; longer at back and falling and gathering like real hair might on her upper back. Some find it significant that the number of full circles is seven; many thousands of years later seven was regarded as a magic number. What her identity and purpose may have been, why and for what reason she was carved, becomes an even more pressing question. If we dismiss all associations with goddesses and fertility figures, and assume an objective response to what we see, she might be identified as simply a Stone-Age doll. Venus of Willendorf c. 24,000-22,000 BCE Oolitic limestone 43/8 inches (11.1 cm) high (Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna) REFRENCES: http://witcombe.sbc.edu/willendorf/willendorfname.html www.google.com: Chrisopher L. C. E. Witcombe www.ask.com pxleyes.com/photoshop-picture/4b8f359d6880d/The-Venus-of-Willendorf-2010.html Research Papers on Venus of Willendorf - Most Famous WomenMind TravelAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionHip-Hop is ArtWhere Wild and West MeetInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropePersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyResearch Process Part OneMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever Product