Huck Finn in Education Essay Example for Free

Huck Finn in Education Essay For education to serve its purpose of helping students develop an understanding of themselves and the world around them, it must provide uncensored information and ideas. Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn undoubtedly supports that goal of education. The classic novel discusses issues regarding society’s greed and cowardice through a young boy’s, Huck Finn, perspective. Huck Finn is born into the American, white south during the mid 1800s when slavery and racism towards blacks was the norm. He is influenced by his surroundings to believe that slavery is right. The â€Å"civilized† adults dictate to him the nature of blacks as property. However, as a rebellious adolescent, Huck runs away from his home and journeys down the Mississippi river with a black slave named Jim. Across this adventure, Huck develops a different set of morals from his culture and slowly comes to view Jim as a person and a friend. America’s past white, southern culture is a testament to the gruesome reality of society’s ability to institutionalize its selfish nature. Mark Twain emphasizes in a genuine manner the ignorance of America’s slave-holding past and the importance of questioning the morals of society and as such, the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is worthy of belonging in compulsory education. Unlike many other novels, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn delivers an unromanticized depiction of the racist, white south and slavery in the early part of American history. As seen through his characters, Mark Twain is not afraid to show the true nature of racism present in the 1800s. One of the most unsympathetic characters in the book is Pap, Huck Finn’s drunkard and abusive father. Pap’s dialogue contains the image of the thoughts of the average racist southern man in America during that era. In one instance, Pap says: Oh, yes, this is a wonderful govment, wonderful. Why, looky here. There was a free nigger there from Ohio – a mulatter, most as white as a white man. He had the whitest shirt on you ever see, too, and the shiniest hat; and there aint a man in that town thats got as fine clothes as what he had; and he had a gold watch and chain, and a silver-headed cane – the awful- est old gray-headed nabob in the State. And what do you think? They said he was a pfessor in a college, and could talk all kinds of languages, and knowed everything. And that aint the wust. They said he could VOTE when he was at home. Well, that let me out. Thinks I, what is the country a-coming to?†(35) Pap’s words clearly show the hatred he has towards blacks and his belief of white supremacy. He finds the idea of a black man, even a half black man, having the right to vote, a stable job, and an education, absolutely repulsive. This prejudicial perspective of Africa Americans was as common as the modern belief that slavery is wrong. In fact, though slavery in the United States was abolished after the Civil War, the intrinsic racism in America would not be truly called to question until the mid to late 1900s, more than a century later. The inability of white Americans to come to terms with black rights is a portrayal of the wrongs of society. Society is not perfect and young members of society should understand that in order to later on change society for the better. Education in America should provide insight to the hardships of African Americans, and the struggle of Jim living in a society filled with minds like Pap exemplifies the struggle and history of Black Americans. Furthermore, in Pap’s statement is the word â€Å"nigger†. Throughout the entire novel, Mark Twain controversially used the derogatory term over 200 times. Many feel that the use of â€Å"nigger† causes the book to be unacceptable in compulsory education. However, a more accurate view would be that the word â€Å"nigger† is not used in the novel for the purpose of demeaning blacks; rather the word is used to make the story accurate to the time. Words get their meaning from the intent of the speaker. Twain’s intent was not for the word to criticize blacks as it is well known that Mark Twain was an advocate against slavery and racism. He used the word because back in the 1800s, the normal word for slaves was â€Å"nigger†. By using the word, Twain painted a realistic picture of the southern culture of America. Although other books exist that discuss the nature of slavery without the term, for example, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, books like Uncle Tom’s Cabin are not as effective of delivering a view of the past. In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the slave Uncle Tom is unrealistic for a slave of the time period. He speaks in an educated manner, and his obsession with religion turns him into an allegorical religious figure. Uncle Tom’s characterization takes away from the true battle of slavery in the south. On the other hand, Jim in Huck Finn is characterized more realistically. He speaks in a lower class way, and his journey with Huck for freedom depicts slavery and racism in that era. The book does not hide the sad truth of bigotry and the dehumanization of African Americans. Instead the book highlights it and educates students the history of American slavery. Moreover, the character of Huck Finn goes through a journey that expresses the important idea of an individual going against society’s rules to act on an unhindered set of morals in order to do what is right and good. Young teens often end up conforming to society in order to fit in. This conformity creates a loss of new and innovative ideas. Twain poses an important lesson of individuality and questioning society. Huck Finn is a boy living in a world where all his adult guides would tell him that befriending a black man and helping free a slave would be completely immoral. Born in such a culture, Huck accepts the view as the truth. Black people are bad. His conformity can be seen when he says: â€Å"Conscience says to me What had poor Miss Watson done to you, that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word? What did that poor old woman do to you, that you could treat her so mean? I got to feeling so mean and so miserable I most wished I was dead (91). Instead of pitying Jim’s status as a slave, Huck pities Miss Watson for losing a slave. This illustrates slavery’s prominence and integration into society, along with Huck’s own ignorance and inability to shake off society’s influence. Society’s strong grasp on Huck is similar to modern pop culture’s grasp on teens. Every day, the media bombards the youth of America images of what is right and wrong. Sometimes society gives off the wrong message. For example, the attitude towards rape in America is society being wrong and the youth following the rape culture without questioning. Students should learn from this novel to stand up for their conscience as Huck does as the story progresses. Through involvement with Jim, Huck discovers Jim’s humanity. This discovery of blacks being human just like whites leads Huck to a higher moral understanding. Huck writes: â€Å"It was a close place. I took . . . up [the letter I’d written to Miss Watson], and held it in my hand. I was a-trembling, because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: â€Å"All right then, I’ll go to hell†Ã¢â‚¬â€and tore it up. It was awful thoughts and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming†(207). When Huck tears the letter up, he is actively going against society and the white southern culture. This change is a depiction of not only the message of fighting society’s corruption, but also of Twain writing his opposition to slavery and racism. He calls out from his narrative for people to strip away their cultural influences. The influence of society can be harmful and slavery is a prime example. The whole of the south fought to uphold slavery, when today, the thought of legal slavery in the US is unthinkable. Mark Twain’s novel educates people to stand up for freedom from societal influences. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic American piece of literature that should be part of compulsory education. The book contains a strong message and a realistic portrait of the time era. Mark Twain does not cover up information. He narrates it in a compelling story. Students learn from this novel the flaws of society and the importance of questioning ideas through a young boy and slaves’ adventure away from slavery and societal rules.

Internal Controls Essay Example for Free

Internal Controls Essay The Company that held the most appeal and most overall steady growth of success was Amazon. com Inc. This company has had losses recently, but overall it has held firm among its management and profitability. The annual report for Amazon in the e-campus library showed phenomenal coverage for over the last fifteen years of reporting financials. In 2013, it has been ranked number 49 and the reason behind it is the technology factors of creating the Kindle Fire, which sold tremendously. The company’s earnings in 2013 has been in the billions. In 2012, the company made over $61 billion. That was a 27% increase due to the technology software that the smaller Kindle Fire introduced. Prime Instant Video Selection among Amazon which originated in 1998 has been steady with its growth. Now, as the Prime Video Selection makes its way into the spotlight within amazon. com for consumers, the results or profits are estimated to be outrageous for the company. Amazon. com not only has a company in the United States, but as well internationally. Electronic technology has allowed Amazon. com to start out as a small company and skyrocket and become a leading seller and company in America today. Digital media has expanded over 23 million people in television, books, and magazines. The company is doing exceptionally well. The company has over 88, 400 full time employees and shareholder numbers are at 3,075. ( University Library, Phoenix University XACC/210 May 29,2013 ) The company is an electronic shopping catalog type of business and its Internal Controls extend from management to data entry sophistication. I would think that since the website doesn’t give a precise use of how internal controls are conducted I would have to go with Enterprise Risk Management. This Internal Control is a type of software that links accounting and administrated functions into a total record keeping and reporting system that can be overlooked by management as well as the board of directors in that company. Often the board of directors, whose duty it is to oversee the ethical and commercial operations of a company and set policy, will access the ERM through their own intranet that allows them a secure online venue where they can review the companys books and operations, upload their own documents, make notes and discuss the company in private. Securities and Exchange Commission: Managements Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting and Certification of Disclosure in Exchange Act Periodic Reports) Overall I think that Amazon has good management internal controls pertaining to the type of business that it is. There are quite a few of employees, so management within this type of internal control can establish good reliability.

Examining The Changing Media Scene In India Media Essay

Examining The Changing Media Scene In India Media Essay INTRODUCTION The media scene in India is changing very fast, especially in the past decade. On one hand, new media are emerging and affecting the existing ones. On the other hand, the consumption patterns of the media users are also undergoing a lot of transformations. Post independence, the development of media was rather slow and unexciting. For twenty five years after independence, the growth of media such as print, cinema and radio followed a gradual and uneventful path, progressing slowly and steadily. Pressures of urbanization, growing literacy and development in technology did not affect the media significantly. The scenario was such a sad one that neither inter nor intra- media competition existed. This obviously translated into the fact that there was no strategy or planning on the part of the media. Essentially media marketing itself was an alien concept for most of the newspaper owners and the sole television operator Doordarshan. The first strains of change on this static environment were observed in the early eighties. These changes were introduced through technology: the development of grafting techniques in press and in electronics. The implications were two fold. On the first level, the reach of media was expanded and on the second level, the people were given more choice. Introduction of glossies among print titles, the expansion of the television network, establishing a radio commercial channel suddenly made life more exciting and entertaining for the vast majority of the urbanites. It was now, for the first time, that audiences were getting segmented by the titles introduced, new markets were opening up and a large number of people were coming under the media exposure. Another interesting fact during this time was the development of a new relationship between the media and the audiences. Media patterns changed once again when sponsored programs on television became a regular feature. This initiative, along with the development and popularity of home videos changed the entire equation. People stopped frequenting cinemas, since the same films were conveniently available at home. Magazine readership also declined in favor of videos. Television, however, maintained its regular set of viewers during the period. It became a veritable obsession with the people. Programs such as the Mahabharat and the Ramayan were the opium of the masses. Now, television delivered important audience segments such as women, the rural affluent and children. At about the same time, easy access to technology and developing markets pushed publishers to add on new editions as well as supplements. THE GLOBAL BEGINNING Another change in the media environment came with the Invasion of the Skies in the early nineties. Satellite television found its way into India through CNN and the Star Network during the Gulf War. The monopoly of Doordarshan came to an end and there were multiple channels, giving the Indian viewer a choice of programs he had never been exposed to before. This, needless to say, introduced heavy competition among the channels and thus the programs contents also improved. Finally, Doordarshan had to deal with the fact that it was not the king of the skies any more: for the first time in India, the television viewer had the choice of deciding what to watch from over 50 channels. Faced with heavy competition, it had to revamp and introduce new channels in the metros and in regional areas. The competition became intense even within the satellite television players with the influx of regional channels and more and more international quality programming. It was realized that only those players who can adopt a market-savvy, strategic approach to differentiate their programming from the rest shall be able survive the media jungle. Developments in wireless technologies and their decreasing costs have created opportunities for faster deployment of telecommunications services. This speed is critical for developing countries especially in rural areas, as the role of telecommunications in development is more significant for them. The uptake of wireless technologies has been rapid in most developing countries. For the most part, these have been cellular networks that operate in the licensed bands. The unparalleled growth of mobile service (operating in licensed bands) in almost all countries of the world has been driven by both technology as well as deregulation. While the rapid spread of such networks is unprecedented, it has so far been limited to urban and semi-urban areas. Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE): It is considered to be one of the biggest techno-social communication experiments in education and rural development. The one-year experiment (August 1975 July 1976) aimed to provide direct broadcasting of instructional and educational television in 2400 villages in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Rajasthan. Over 500 conventional television sets spread over 335 villages in Kheda district, Gujarat was also part of SITE. Satellite technologists had called SITE as leapfrogging from bullock cart stage to satellite communication, which did not discriminate between rural poor and urban rich for information and communication. It had given 50 years communication lead to rural poor of the country. SITE provided telecast for rural primary school children in the age group 5 12 years studying in grades 1-5. Rural adults viewed television programs on improved agricultural practices, health and family planning. They were also able to view news. Television was considered as window to the world. Both quantitative (survey) and qualitative in-depth (anthropological holistic study) evaluation indicated modest gains in some areas, whereas no gain or negative gain in other areas. The one-year duration was thought to be too little for any positive results. Based on the experiences and positive gains, INSAT satellite was launched in 1981. Since then a series of INSAT satellites have been launched and used for nationwide television telecast for education and deve lopment. The sad part is that, in spite of best efforts, satellite television has been used for entertainment more than rural development. The other research says that access to satellite TV is of surprising value to the lives of rural Indian women and villagers in general. School enrolment among girls, family planning, hygiene, awareness about diseases and many more such milestones have been achieved by the electronic media. The newly wired women also has become less accepting of spousal abuse, a bias in favor of having boys declined, and they look more likely to be able to spend money without a husbands permission. However, shows on satellite TV tend to focus on urban areas, where womens status is higher and are shown leading extravagant lifestyles. The rural people are not able to associate with those programs and shows. Customization as per rural needs has recently begun and has been appreciated even by the urban crowd. People are getting exposed to a set of attitudes that are more liberal, that are more favorable toward women, and they are changing their minds in response to that. Change is inevitable. Government h as taken initiatives to start many such programs to generate awareness, some ran for years, others could never come out of papers and the rest bombed after the take off. Few project initiatives were: Project Project Partners Outcomes Country wide classrooms UGC, CEC and 17 other universities where media centers are located 10,000 programs produced and telecast on National TV till date School Television in India CIET and 6 state Institutes of Educational Technology Programs produced and run on national TV till date Gyan Darshan HRD, IB, Prasar Bharti, IGNOU The program runs 24 hrs and is handled by IGNOU Gyan Vani Reached out to backward communities, distant education and counseling Namma Dhwani (voices) UNESCO Educational and development oriented informal programs Gujarat Community Radio Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan, DMC, Ahmedabad Non- formal education and social issues, esp. for women Jhabua Development Communication Program ISOR, GoMP Literacy, health and non- formal education, watershed management RADIO AS A MEDIUM Radio, as a mass medium, is particularly suited to communicate in the local dialect and idiom, thereby establishing a personal connection between the broadcaster and the listener. That has not, however, been achieved in India because of the bureaucratic stranglehold on radio. Development, as a process meant to empower the poor, reduce exploitation, and oppression by those having economic, social, and political power. It also means an equitable sharing of resources, improved health care and education for all. One of the major components and driving force of rural development is communication. Conventionally, communication includes electronic media, human communication now information technology (IT). All forms of communications have dominated the development scene in which its persuasive role has been most dominant within the democratic political framework of the country. Persuasive communication for rural development has been given highest priority for bringing about desirable socia l and behavioral change among the most vulnerable rural poor and women. Initially, the approach lacked gender sensitivity and empathy of the communicators and development agents who came from urban elite homes. Added to these constraints is political will that still influences the pace and progress of rural development. Communication has been seen by a large number of development planners as a panacea for solving major social ills and problems. Apart from development, the introduction of communication in the educational process for open and distance learning is seen as step towards improving the quality of education and bridging the social and educational gap (Agrawal 1993). However, experience indicates that those rich who could afford to have access to private resources have hogged the advantage whether development or education. In this respect, it seems that communication technology has, in no way has helped the poor for improving their socio-economic condition. ALL INDIA RADIO (AIR) India presents huge challenges to any broadcasting institution that aspires to serve the whole nation. All India Radio (AIR), the state-run monopoly, was expected to take these challenges on and help build a modern nation state with an egalitarian social democracy. Approximately 303 news bulletins are aired daily, of which 93 are intended for national listeners, whereas regional stations originate 135 news bulletins daily. In addition, there are special bulletins on sports, youth, and other major events, such as the annual Haj to Mecca by Muslims or the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. More than 80 stations in the AIR network broadcast radio dramas in various languages. Forty percent of the broadcast time, however, is set aside for classical, light, folk, and film music. The External Service, set up to act as a cultural ambassador, airs 65 news bulletins in 16 foreign and eight Indian languages. In addition, magazine programs on sports and literature; talk shows on sociopolitical-economic is sues; and classical, folk, and modern Indian music from different regions of the country are broadcast. But the results have not been that healthy, the reasons being many folds. AIRs heavily bureaucratic ways have been the major impediment to innovation and creativity. In a highly pluralistic society with incredible linguistic, caste, and class differences, AIR has attempted not to offend any group. Controversial social and community welfare issues take a back seat while popular film music dominates. Regional language radio stations beam programs to the whole state in a formal dialect, which renders it stiff and official. As a consequence, most people find AIR boring. Radio for Rural Development: Popularly known as Radio Farm Forum, it was one of the earliest efforts in the use of radio for rural development. The experiment was carried out from February to April 1956 in five districts of Maharashtra State by All India Radio (AIR). Rural listener groups were organized, who would listen to radio broadcasts twice a week at 6.30 p.m. for half an hour. The group then stayed together for discussion of what they had heard, the discussion lasted usually, about half an hour. The summative impact evaluation indicated positive outcome of radio rural forum. Impressive knowledge gains as a result of radio listening were reported across illiterates and literates, agriculturists and non-agriculturists, village leaders and others. However, over a period of time the project withered away and could not be operationalized for large-scale implementation in one form or the other. Lack of political will and indifference of bureaucracy killed the rural development proje ct even before it could help poor to take advantage of radio broadcast. Satellite radio for education EDUSAT, according to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), is the first exclusive satellite for serving the educational sector. The satellite has multiple regional beams covering different parts of India, which theoretically enables programs to be broadcast in relevant local languages EDUSAT can provide connectivity to schools, colleges and higher levels of education and also support non-formal education including developmental communication. But it is a matter of concern that, over a year after the satellite was launched, much of its capacity is lying idle. Community Radio Initiative: In post media liberalization phase, Government of India, announced the policy for community radio broadcasting which was expected to focus on issues relating to education, health, environment, agriculture, rural and community development. In the absence of true community radio in India, a number of NGOs are using innovative methods for non-formal education through audio. School Audio through cable has been in operation in Budhikote village, Karnataka, since January 2002. The School Audio project is a spin-off of the Namma Dhwani cable audio service. In the Kutch region of Gujarat, the Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS), an independent organization of rural women, focuses on adolescent girls education, basic functional literacy within sangathan members and development of context specific educational curricula on different issues for literates and neo-literates. Shivpuri, MP launched a radio station, Dharkan 107.8 FM, to give educational messages through humor featuring Ms. Adivasi as a difficult mother-in-law arguing against exclusive breastfeeding. Vandana Dube, the stations first manager, helps to produce programs on hygiene, health and the importance of education. She said that listening groups, which have formed throughout the district, are having a major impact. In particular, more women are now contributing to important debates on caste discrimination, female foeticide and female empowerment issues that concern them directly. UNICEF Image CONCLUSION There is no single ideal format for educational radio. Innovative programming offers some very effective approaches to non-formal education over radio. Recently, AIR agreed to a proposal from Sesame Workshop India to provide airtime on national and regional radio channels for locally produced versions of the universally popular Sesame Street. The programs would be aimed at pre-school goers, and would also provide under-served children with access to educational media, especially in rural areas. All the same, it has been amply proved that radio rightly used can improve educational quality and relevance, lower educational costs and improve access to education, particularly for disadvantaged groups. It is most effective when supported by trained facilitators, group learning, group discussion, feedback and the use of multimedia approaches.

Evolutionary Developmental Biology Essay -- Biology

Evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) was instituted in the early 1980s as a distinctive field of study to characterise the new synthesis of evolution hypothesis (MÃ ¼ller, 2007). Evo-devo is regarded as a new rule in evolutionary biology and a complement to neo-Darwinian theories. It has formed from the combination of molecular developmental biology and evolutionary molecular genetics; their integration has helped greatly to understand both of these fields. Evo-devo as a discipline has been exploring the role of the process of individual development and the changes in evolutionary phenotype, meaning the developmental procedure by which single-celled zygotes grow to be multicellular organisms. Alterations in the developmental program frequently cause differences in adult morphology. When these alterations are helpful, they grow to be fixed in a population and can result in the evolution of new phyla. Evo-devo seeks to figure out how new groups happen by understanding how the method of development has evolved in different lineages. In other word, evo-devo explains the interaction between phenotype and genotype (Hall, 2007). Explanation of morphological novelty of evolutionary origins is one of the middle challenges in current evolutionary biology, and is intertwined with energetic discussion regarding how to connect developmental biology to standard perspectives from the theory of evolution (Laubichler, 2010). A large amount of theoretical and experiential effort is being devoted to novelties that have challenged biologists for more than one hundred years, for instance, the basis of fins in fish, the fin-to-limb change and the evolution of feathers. The biology of development promises to formulate a main contribution to these... ...is. Moreover, the relationship between neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory and evo-devo is highly contested (Hoekstra and Coyne, 2007; Minelli, 2010). However, the understanding of evo-devo methods and how the characteristics of the morphologies of different species diverged eventually is still comparatively limited. Craig (2010) stated that this field has obviously contributed to the understanding of genes and, subsequently, the understanding morphological characteristics of evolution in intricate organisms. There has been significant confirmation of evo-devo’s claim that regulatory modifications play an essential role in the evolution of shape. Evo-devo is the process of becoming a conceptual hub for an even larger integration of research areas in organismal biology, including genetics, ecology, paleontology, behavior, cognition, and other fields (Gerd B. MÃ ¼ller)

Huntington’s Disease Essay -- Health Medical Medicine Essays

Huntington’s Disease Huntington’s disease is a fatal inherited disorder characterized by slow gradual personality changes, dementia, and choreiform movements. It is a progressive disease; its average onset is thirty to forty years of age, and the duration of the disease is about ten to twenty years with death as the outcome. It is known that for Huntington’s disease, there is a degeneration of cholinergic and GABAergic neurons in the basal ganglia and the cerebral cortex. The etiology of nerve cell death in Huntington’s disease is unknown. However, there is a recent hypothesis implicating defects in mitochondrial energy metabolism as the pathology of Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease is an autosomal dominant disease. The genetic defect appears on the short arm of the chromosome 4, and it is an extended repetition of the three nucleotide bases (cytosine, adenine, and guanine; CAG) that code for the amino acid glutamate. This disease affects men and women equally, and it usually appears after the individuals have married and had children. The children of an affected parent have a 50% chance of inheriting the disease. With the discovery of the defective gene, it is now possible to have an accurate diagnosis before the onset of the disease. The early indications of Huntington’s disease are not prominent; the individuals become absentminded, easily irritated, and constantly depressed. Their memory is diminished, and they lack spontaneity, initiative, and the ability to concentrate. There are also early subtle signs of choreiform (dance-like) movements. The persons begin with "piano-playing" movements of the fingers or with slight facial twitching (Martin, 1984). The movements gradually become more uncontrollable. ... ...s? Trends in Neurological Sciences, 16 (4): pp. 125-131. Choi, Dennis W. (1988). Glutamate neurotoxicity and diseases of the nervous system. Neuron, pp.623-632. Prim, D. M., Simpson, J., Uhler, T. A., Short, M. P., Bossi, S. R., Breakefield, X. O., & Isacson, O. (1993). Striatal degeneration induced by mitochondrial blockade is prevented by biologically delivered NGF. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 35: pp. 452-458. Martin, Joseph B. (1984). Huntington’s disease: New approaches to an old problem. Neurology, 34: pp. 1059-1071. Willard, Frank H. (1993). Medical Neuroanatomy: A Problem- Oriented Manual with Annotated Atlas. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company. Young, Anne B. (1993). Role of excitotoxins in heredito-degenerative neurologic diseases. Research Publications- Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Diseases, 71: pp. 175-189. Huntington’s Disease Essay -- Health Medical Medicine Essays Huntington’s Disease Huntington’s disease is a fatal inherited disorder characterized by slow gradual personality changes, dementia, and choreiform movements. It is a progressive disease; its average onset is thirty to forty years of age, and the duration of the disease is about ten to twenty years with death as the outcome. It is known that for Huntington’s disease, there is a degeneration of cholinergic and GABAergic neurons in the basal ganglia and the cerebral cortex. The etiology of nerve cell death in Huntington’s disease is unknown. However, there is a recent hypothesis implicating defects in mitochondrial energy metabolism as the pathology of Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease is an autosomal dominant disease. The genetic defect appears on the short arm of the chromosome 4, and it is an extended repetition of the three nucleotide bases (cytosine, adenine, and guanine; CAG) that code for the amino acid glutamate. This disease affects men and women equally, and it usually appears after the individuals have married and had children. The children of an affected parent have a 50% chance of inheriting the disease. With the discovery of the defective gene, it is now possible to have an accurate diagnosis before the onset of the disease. The early indications of Huntington’s disease are not prominent; the individuals become absentminded, easily irritated, and constantly depressed. Their memory is diminished, and they lack spontaneity, initiative, and the ability to concentrate. There are also early subtle signs of choreiform (dance-like) movements. The persons begin with "piano-playing" movements of the fingers or with slight facial twitching (Martin, 1984). The movements gradually become more uncontrollable. ... ...s? Trends in Neurological Sciences, 16 (4): pp. 125-131. Choi, Dennis W. (1988). Glutamate neurotoxicity and diseases of the nervous system. Neuron, pp.623-632. Prim, D. M., Simpson, J., Uhler, T. A., Short, M. P., Bossi, S. R., Breakefield, X. O., & Isacson, O. (1993). Striatal degeneration induced by mitochondrial blockade is prevented by biologically delivered NGF. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 35: pp. 452-458. Martin, Joseph B. (1984). Huntington’s disease: New approaches to an old problem. Neurology, 34: pp. 1059-1071. Willard, Frank H. (1993). Medical Neuroanatomy: A Problem- Oriented Manual with Annotated Atlas. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company. Young, Anne B. (1993). Role of excitotoxins in heredito-degenerative neurologic diseases. Research Publications- Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Diseases, 71: pp. 175-189.

Essay on The Picture of Dorian Gray as a Moral Book -- Picture Dorian

The Picture of Dorian Gray as a Moral Book The Picture of Dorian Gray was a remarkably well-written book due to the reaction of its themes by society. In the preface of the novel, Wilde introduces the opinion that "...there is no moral or immoral book. Books are well written or badly written. That is all." Numerous views can be taken upon this fastidious comment. Many would agree that Wilde is justifiably correct because the preface was written with the intention that his readers understand the deeper meaning of the themes than worrying about whether it is considered morally acceptable; or perhaps, the view that it could be considered moral or immoral by the impact it has on the readers' lives. Even though there are several positions held on what The Picture of Dorian Gray's most important meaning is about, the most prominent is the novel as a moral book. Lord Henry Wotton immediately begins to corrupt Dorian's mind after they first meet by forcing his immoral thoughts of "yielding to temptation" which allows Lord Henr y to hold his attention. After listening for quite a while to Lord Henry's views, Dorian begins to change his own to match them, and therefore begins to live a life of immorality. The yellow book is a device that Lord Henry uses to further corrupt and drive Dorian deeper into the pits of sin. Through Lord Henry's influence, the changes in Dorian Gray, and the impact of the yellow book, Oscar Wilde efficiently reveals The Picture of Dorian Gray as a moral book. Lord Wotton sees Dorian as "wonderfully handsome...all of youth's passionate purity," and cannot resist the t... ...self from the influence of this book. Or perhaps...that he never sought to free himself from it." Dorian procures nine copies from Paris to have them bound in different colors to fit his mood, which implies that he was in all probability never without it. From the yellow book the moral learned is "all access as well as all renunciation" leads to punishment. In conclusion, it has been reiterated that Lord Henry's influence, the changes in Dorian, and the immorality of the yellow book further enforced The Picture of Dorian Gray as a moral book. Oscar Wilde allows for those who could understand the real meaning of the novel by comprehending the importance of these three things to discern that he fully intended on writing this novel as a moral book.

Roger Sperry

Born August 20, 1913, Roger W. Sperry, won the 1981 Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine. He shared it with two other scientists, Wiesel and Hubel, for research on the nervous system and brain. They were praised for demonstrating the difference between the two hemispheres of the brain and special functions of the right brain. (Roger W. Sperry Biography (n.d.) A moderately controversial psycho biologist, Sperry changed the history of psychology. In 1935, Sperry attended an Introduction to Psychology class. His first page of notes reported two questions. One being, â€Å"Where does behavior come from?† and two, â€Å"What is the purpose of consciousness?† (Puente, A. 1995) His questions lead this intellectual giant into decades of research that would make a permanent impact on neuroscience, neuropsychology, psychology, philosophy, and society worldwide. (Puente, A. 1995) Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Sperry was a son of a banker and son of an Assistant to the Principle at a local High School. He had one brother named Russell, a year younger, who went into chemistry. At 10 years old, Sperry read a William James (1842-1910) publication that influenced his thoughts. At 11 years old, his father passed away, which left him mentally and emotional unfit for some time. As he attended high school, he played sports and was able to letter n the varsity athletics. Between high school and college he lettered three times in varsity athletics. He went on to graduate as an English Major in 1935, obtained a Masters in Psychology in 1937, then earned his Doctorate in Zoology 1941. In his professional career, Sperry held six different professional positions throughout his studies as a researcher and professor. He achieved near thirty-five different awards, honors, and scholarships in his lifetime. He also traveled all over the world to join in research studies. (Odelb erg, W. 1982) Sperry was a shy and reserved man. He married Norma, a fellow biologist in December 1949. Together they had a son and a daughter ten years apart. In his home life, he appeared as a family man as well as he loved collecting fossils, fishing, snorkeling, painting, sports, sculptures, ceramics, and dancing. In the first year of the Sperry's marriage, Roger, during a routine chest x-ray showed evidence of tuberculosis. The couple were sent to New York for treatment. During treatment he began writing monumental concepts of â€Å"Mind and Brain†, (1952) where he began to describe, â€Å"Present day science is quite at a loss even to begin to describe the neural events involved in the simplest forms of mental activity†. (Sperry, R. W. 1952 p.311) His thoughts became a published article in 1952 titled â€Å"Neurology of mind and brain problems.† This was one of two hundred-ninety publications by Sperry. Experimental Studies Sperry is most famous for experimental studies of how brain circuits are formed and for research on mental activities after the connecting tracts between cerebral hemispheres have been cut. While working toward his doctorate, Sperry was in close association with biophysicist Paul Weiss. Weiss developed a surgery to analyze how connections between nerves and muscles are patterned in amphibian. This experiment showed regeneration of links from eye to brain, and brain to muscles after having one eye removed and one rotated 180 degrees. (Trevarthen, C. 2004) In 1950, Sperry took one eye and transferred the other eye to the opposite side of the head in a fish or newt, resulting in them going in circles or appearing to be chasing their tail. Sperry concluded there is an internal brain signal, helping both perception of self movement and the focus of perception while the world is in motion. (Trevarthen, C. 2004) In 1953, Sperry and graduate student, Ronald Myers, invented an operation in cats to cut the crossover of visual nerves, and lead the nerves to only one cerebral hemisphere. While leaving one hemisphere intact for the animal to function . They tried several versions of crossovers. Specific connections could transmit learning. This operation is the route of the term â€Å"split brain†. These experiments extended to monkeys. (Trevarthen, C. 2004) In 1960, Neurosurgeon Joseph Bogen and Sperry observed behavior of split brain monkeys outside test situations. Their observations indicated that the left hemisphere which is normally the dominant and learning side, was virtually unimpaired and offered promise of relief from debilitating epileptic fits. (Trevarthen, C. 2004) Epilepsy disturbs brain function and can cause injury, brain damage or death. In 1962, Bogen performed a total neocortical commissurotomy, also known as brain surgery on a man who suffered frequent epileptic attacks. Sperry was able to apply systematic psychological tests after the surgery. In 1965, researchers explored a small population of brain surgery patients. Once understanding the connections achieved, this step in human brain surgery reached into all areas of human mental life and excited immense public and scholarly interest. (Trevarthen, C. 2004) In 1964, Roger Sperry, in a conference to the Division of Biology at Caltech, presented his ideas on consciousness. For the first time in psychology's history, Sperry was able to give his professional thesis on behavior and consciousness. Stating behavior is not only the culmination of complex interworking of neuronal patterning, but such patterning would give rise to consciousness. This consciousness would have causal effect on specific neuronal activity. (Puente, A. 1995) In laymen's terms, our behavior affects our consciousness, and our consciousness affects our behavior. Giving an answer to questions he had asked himself nearly 30 years before. Summary Sperry continued his research until the end of his life. He received an APA Lifetime Achievement Award at the 101st convention of the American Psychological Association in August of 1993. Several extraordinary breakthroughs have been achieved from the dedication, research, and logic Sperry was able to share with his colleagues. He was able to give humans with neurological problems life rather than having to suffer. Roger W. Sperry died on April 17, 1994, in Pasadena, CA from neuromuscular degenerative disorder. References http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1981/sperry-autobio.html# http://www.faqs.org/health/bios/41/Roger-W-Sperry.html http://people.uncw.edu/puente/sperry/sperrypapers/50s/46-1952.pdf