Narcolepsy Essays (925 words) - Sleep Disorders, Dream, Neuroscience

Narcolepsy An article in the Scientific American, by Jerome M. Siegel, focused on a dangerous sleeping disorder called Narcolepsy. A Narcoleptic has Symptoms such as cataplexy, which is the loss of skeletal muscle tone, and always feeling sleepy during daytime hours. The people suffering from this disorder tend to feel as if they hadn't gone to sleep for 48 hours. In addition, they sleep poorly at night. Laughter, embarrassment, sudden anger, social interactions with strangers, and sexual intercourse may trigger a cataplectic attack. A Narcoleptic may even fall asleep at the most dangerous times. For example, driving a car with this untreated disorder puts a person at high risk of an automobile accident. The disorder makes it difficult for them to focus on specific things, such as schoolwork or work in the workplace. Sleep paralysis and hypnagognic hallucinations are among two other symptoms of narcolepsy. Sleep paralysis is an ability to move when you fall asleep or awaken. This occurs daily. On the other hand, hypnagogic hallucinations are dreamlike experiences during waking that sometimes incorporate elements of the environment. These symptoms occur when narcoleptics are most sleepy. In addition, not every person suffers from the symptoms the same way. Also, this article pointed out that Narcolepsy affects between one and one thousand and one and two thousand people in the U.S. In contrast, one in 600 in Japan to one in 500,000 in Israel. It also stated that the environment and ethnic backgrounds are the reason for the number differences of these countries. The first signs of Narcolepsy appear in the teens or 20's. The symptoms do get worse after a few years and then they plateau. The causes or Narcolepsy is linked to a disruption of the sleep control mechanism in our brain. Our sleep cycle normally has two stages, Rapid-Eye movement Sleep (REM), and Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (NREM). When were experiencing NREM sleep, our muscles are relaxed, breathing is normal, the cerebral cortex generates high-voltage waves and the energy consumed by the brain is minimized. In contrast, in REM sleep, breathing and heart rate are irregular, rapid eye movements occur; the cortex generates fast, irregular, low voltage waves. Non-Narcoleptics tend to begin to sleep with NREM sleep. After 90 minutes or so, they're in REM sleep. When this happens, they experience loss of muscle tone and dreamlike hallucinations that usually occur during REM sleep. Researchers stated that being sleepy is normal, but its the large amount of sleep in Narcoleptics thats very abnormal. In the early 1970's, advanced research in Narcolepsy began. Researchers discovered that some dogs showed that they had very similar symptoms to human narcoleptics. William C. Demit of Stanford University stated that the disease in the dogs was inherited by both the mother and father to their offspring. In the 1940's, Horace W. Magnoun of Northwestern University discovered when he electrically stimulated the medulla (part of the brain stem) the muscle tone disappeared. He didn't connect his studies to sleep. The studies in animals show us that the main function of the muscle-tone control system in the medulla suppresses muscle activity in REM sleep. In addition, it regulates the level of muscle tone in waking. This part doesnt work when the animals are moving. This explains the notion of when we try to relax or turn off our muscles; we are actually trying to turn on this specific section of the brain. REM sleep is the only time when normal individuals lose all muscle tone. Another study by Frank Wu indicated that there was another group of nerve cells in the brainstem called the Locus Coeruleus. The locus coeruleus also plays a role in REM sleep and narcolepsy. It releases a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine, which communicates with another neurons. Both these nerve cells are active in animals in waking, but inactive when theyre in REM sleep. In REM sleep the reduced amount of motor neurons prevents them from moving or responding to their dreams. In cataplexy, the same reduction prevents the motor neurons from responding to a narcoleptics attempt to move. Researchers also concluded that unknown agents in the environment may cause an autoimmune reaction that ends up damaging neurons in the brain that control arousal and muscle tone. After narcoleptic symptoms occur, the patients

Free Essays on Kierkegaard Vs. Nietzsche

Existentialism is based on the idea of individual existence, subjectivity, and the individual's freedom of/and choice. The task of existential thought is to locate or create meaning given the ambiguity of human existence. Existential themes are not limited to a particular time period. We often still explore them in connection with philosophy of race, questions concerning war, violence and justice, societal values and our education system. These themes can be linked to all aspects of human race. Orderly reasoning and acting systematically is avoided at all costs in Existentialism thought. Both Kierkegaard and Nietzsche are noted most for their random ways of exploring and expressing their ideas. They both used many different literary styles to express their thoughts. Kierkegaard, who was a Danish philosopher disagreed with the thoughts of traditional ancient Greek philosophers such as Socrates and Plato. He disagreed with the thought of the highest ethical goods as being universal as many other philosophers do. He viewed an individualistic approach to the ultimate good. Kierkegaard said individuals have their own specific destiny. Each individual has his or her own freedom to choose their will to God. He believes institutions transform individuals into anonymous, herds of mindless conformists. He warns that we must be ready for the repercussions from our own decisions. We have to be ready for the consequences at hand. There is both risk and responsibility attached to our use of freedom of choice. Even when matters seem miniscule and unimportant, what a person chooses is always ultimately important. The way one goes about making a decision is just as important as what one ultimately decides. He has been widely associated with his phrase a â€Å"leap of faith.† He regards religious faith as not irrational or mystical but he feels it is suprarational. The suprarational focuses on factors not involving reason alone. T... Free Essays on Kierkegaard Vs. Nietzsche Free Essays on Kierkegaard Vs. Nietzsche Existentialism is based on the idea of individual existence, subjectivity, and the individual's freedom of/and choice. The task of existential thought is to locate or create meaning given the ambiguity of human existence. Existential themes are not limited to a particular time period. We often still explore them in connection with philosophy of race, questions concerning war, violence and justice, societal values and our education system. These themes can be linked to all aspects of human race. Orderly reasoning and acting systematically is avoided at all costs in Existentialism thought. Both Kierkegaard and Nietzsche are noted most for their random ways of exploring and expressing their ideas. They both used many different literary styles to express their thoughts. Kierkegaard, who was a Danish philosopher disagreed with the thoughts of traditional ancient Greek philosophers such as Socrates and Plato. He disagreed with the thought of the highest ethical goods as being universal as many other philosophers do. He viewed an individualistic approach to the ultimate good. Kierkegaard said individuals have their own specific destiny. Each individual has his or her own freedom to choose their will to God. He believes institutions transform individuals into anonymous, herds of mindless conformists. He warns that we must be ready for the repercussions from our own decisions. We have to be ready for the consequences at hand. There is both risk and responsibility attached to our use of freedom of choice. Even when matters seem miniscule and unimportant, what a person chooses is always ultimately important. The way one goes about making a decision is just as important as what one ultimately decides. He has been widely associated with his phrase a â€Å"leap of faith.† He regards religious faith as not irrational or mystical but he feels it is suprarational. The suprarational focuses on factors not involving reason alone. T...

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

Briefing paper - Essay Example The level of misunderstanding does increase terribly such meeting occurs between people of different countries. Variations in the methods applied to communication also show the difference in culture that is available in the country. These variations, therefore, tend to cause challenges for international companies like Secure IT Mobile towards their globalization system. As a business company in Italy, the Secure IT is faced with a lot of difficulties concerning corruption practices by its employees and the clients themselves. However, in some cultures within the country do accept bribes but it is still detrimental the development of such companies within the market structure. Some forms of bribery that may include money, gifts, some favors, and even entertainment to those targeted by such bribes. Any bribe is quite illegal in Italy and also is unethical business practice in a healthy business operation environment. Some countries, however, bribes are allowed to such an extent no any business can operate in such countries without offering bribes. Bribery, therefore, should be discouraged at all costs since inhibits total income collection from most investment companies, with reference to Secure IT mobile too in Italy(Soerens & Hwang 2009). Businesses such as the Secure IT mobile in Italy may find themselves paying bribes. They can find themselves spending because of the following conditions; competition from other firms, pressure from top management and legalization of the practice itself by the country. Lastly, they may also do them because of high taxation levies, government regulations, and reduced payment to government officials and bureaucratic business delays(Rotschild & Wingfield 2008). The language used for communication in Italy is the Italia no. However, English is the most recognized business language all over the world. It has, therefore, proved to be very difficult for Secure

Pepsi Generation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pepsi Generation - Essay Example In this commercial there are some kids dancing Michael Jackson’s dance steps with background music â€Å"Pepsi Generation†. When they are playing the dance the leading boy accidentally runs into Michael’s back. He is obviously shocked because he just saw his super idol surprisingly. Then this boy continues to dance with Michael, holding a can of Pepsi. In the end, these kids say goodbye to Michael with satisfaction. This commercial could succeed due to several reasons. The leading role in the commercial is played by Michael Jackson. Michael was the hottest and most symbolic star at that time. His presence was already a success for Pepsi. His dance, song, and fashion were all the trends young people chased for in the 1980s. He even reworked â€Å"Billie Jean† and named â€Å"Pepsi Generation† in the ad. Michael Jackson, his friends, and street kids dancing with â€Å"Pepsi Generation†, this scene makes Michael Jackson culture more into a fitted Pepsi commercial. Compared to using â€Å"Billie Jean† directly, the reworked song was more inspiring, catchy and suitable for commercial theme. Moreover, people who were influenced by this ad at that time will remind of Pepsi even when they heard of â€Å"Billie Jean†. From a costumers’ view, Michael Jackson was closely connected with Pepsi. Due to the superstars influence, Pepsi benefited from it greatly in the long run. The story in the commercial itself was a catchy one. These kids are big fans of Michael Jackson and all they can do is mimic Michael’s dance even though they may not able to afford his concert tickets or his CDs. However, when they are drinking Pepsi coke and dancing, they met Michael Jackson in person and even started dancing with him. That was such a huge surprise for them. Personally speaking I also have a super idol. Imagine one day I meet him on the street and even dance with him. I will definitely be crazy about it and never forget it in my

How War Is Necessary Essay Example for Free

How War Is Necessary Essay Mr.Weirzbowski-English 10 War has been with mankind for many millenniums. The reasons for wars in mankind’s history have all been various, however one big reason for war is that countries want to grow bigger, by taking over one another. Throughout history, rulers would not be satisfied with the amount of land that they had or wanted to spread their beliefs around the world. So, they did it by trying to take over others. However, some didn’t want to give up their land or change, so they fought. Fighting these wars are, however, necessary no matter what people believe. This is because fighting them and winning will stop them from controlling others. Some wars that stopped countries from controlling others are the second world war, the war in Vietnam, and the Revolutionary war. However, there are claims that the Vietnam war could’ve been avoided, but there would’ve been consequences for going to war. War is necessary because it’s a way to try to stop countries from dominating over others and controlling them. There are many ways that war has stopped countries from controlling one another. Firstly, the Vietnamese war was necessary because, the war would’ve stopped the spreading of communism to neighboring asian countries, also known as the â€Å"domino theory†. The idea of communism started with the election of Ho Chi Minh in North Vietnam. Kennedy wasn’t concerned with Vietnam until Lyndon B Johnson called Ngo Dinh Diem the â€Å"Wi nston Churchill of Asia† because, Diem was the only one trying to resist the communists and Johnson promised to help him. Noam Chomsky, a US philosopher, stated that if a country better its economy due to communism, neighboring countries would try to improve their economy using communism, as seen when China influenced North Vietnam. Had communism been successfully spread to South Vietnam, then Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc. Also, other countries would’ve lost faith in the US for not protecting S.Vietnam in their time of need. This shows that the US needed to fight this war to stop the communistic ideals from spreading to countries and to keep the confidence of other countries around the world, so that they could help the US when the US needs them. The second world war as necessary  because, it showed how the world responds to a fascist ruler controlling a major country, trying to claim the world. It also showed how the US would react when attacked by another major country. Hitler want to create a â€Å"master race†, which was blonde-haired, blue-eyed people. So when he came into power, he had convinced the german people that jewish people were less than humans and should be treated as such. Thus he started taking over various countries in Europe and started killing jewish people to start his plan. While that was happening, the US was maintaining neutrality and supplying Britain, Russia, and China with weapons until the japanese attacked pearl harbor on December 1941. The US then declared war on Japan and fought in the Pacific theater until August 15th, 1945. Had the axis powers won World War II, North America and South America would be surrounded by dictators ready to destroy democracy and take over the world. Also, H itler’s plan would’ve probably been completed and the world would’ve been comprised of blonde, blue-eyed people. However, the war told us that when we are concerned with individualism, we become selfish and corrupted or under the influence of corrupted selfish nations. This war was needed because, when one tries to dominate and take over another country, we become blinded and end falling. We need teamwork to stay strong in the world. Finally, the Revolutionary War was necessary because, it allowed rights normally granted by the king, to be for every single individual. It also sparked other revolutions, along with stopping Britian from controlling the colonies. When the French Indian War concluded, King George III made the Proclamation of 1763, which stated that no colonists may settle west of the Appalachian and anyone other than Indians there had to move from the area. The Boston Massacre also brought them closer to the revolution, because British soldiers killed 5 civilians for calling them names. The Stamp Act of 1765, Townshend Act of 1767, and the Tea Act of 1773, were all attempt of Britian to try and control the colonies in North America. However after the war, the Declaration of Independence was signed and Britian let the colonies rule themselves. With this newfound freedom, the colonists were allowed to trade with anyone they wanted, colonize past the Appalachian Mountains, set up a new government and th e British moved out of the colonies. Had the colonists lost the war, the US would probably still be under British rule to this day. Even with all this evidence that war is necessary, people still see war as a terrible thing. Going back to the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese War could’ve been avoided because the US could’ve stayed neutral and let the problem in Vietnam blow over, instead of sacrificing 50,000 men. The war would’ve been avoided and Vietnam would’ve became a communist country along with possibly, part of Asia. Robert McNamara, defense chief under John F Kennedy and Lyndon B Johnson, says that he doubted Vietnam would let China or Russia use them as a base, but that’s the US had feared at the time. The US had feared that China or Russia would use them as a base they could use to control more parts of Asia. The Vietnamese could’ve probably fought the war themselves and probably resisted the communistic ways of China and/or Russia. The belief about if war is needed in the world or not cuts both ways. Either that it helps bring everlasting peace in the world closer or it’s useless and all it does is kill off innocent people. War is a big thing that stops countries from trying to gain total global domination or keeping them at bay until they give up. Until that happens, there will be allies who will attack at a moments notice when a country is trying to bite off more than it can chew.There are so many more examples of how war is necessary in the world that this would be a lot longer than it is already. The concept of war may seem bad, but in the end, it’s all worth it.

mutlicultural education :: essays research papers

Multicultural Education: (Amer. Educators Encyclopedia) curricula designed to recognize the integrity, contributions, strengths, and viability of different cultural, language, and social groups in society. -Its about creating structures and process’s that allow for the expression of many civilizations, communities and individuals we are. -Each group has a different history of why they immigrated and their experience. US is an intellectual and fast paced country, its a melting pot, each culture combined with another makes the US what it is today - so therefore we should learn about every origin and its contributions. Questions: 1) Who is benefiting from the education? 2) How should we present the material in a way so as to offend the least amount of people? Hispanic Facts Dropout rates -High school drop out rates are more than double that of white students -Most dropouts are:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Male   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Above age (2 levels behind)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Low grades   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Behavioral problems   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Low income families, no encouragement   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Low educational attainment -Drop out to help family (Hispanic culture family = core of life). -Ethnic identities influence their self esteem and assimilation into a culture- hence not as much effort dedicated to schooling. -Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic group in the US public schools. -2 Factors that standout out are a.) segregation b) bilingual education -1 out of 4 Americans identify themselves as black Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander or American Indian.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   -In 1996 950 Hispanics received their doctorates (2nd lowest compared to Indians) 26,363 whites received it. Answers -The more ethnically integrated a school system is, the easier it will be for a teacher to develop a well rounded teaching style that would in turn benefit all students. -Teachers should attend workshops on Ethnicity and culture. -States and Federal Gov’t should either provide special funds to teach minority children in their own language (which may hurt them b/c English is a crucial element to get ahead) OR teach both English and Spanish (which is proven to higher GPA’s and credits)

Halloween & Christmas? Similar or Different? Essay

When you think about Christmas and Halloween you think that they are two completely different holidays. But are they really, are they completely different or are they the same thing just celebrated at different times in the year. Well thats what we are going to find out. Christmas celebrated on December 25 and Halloween celebrated on October 31 very unique holidays with many questions to be answered. Lets start with Halloween since that comes first in the year. Halloween is a holiday celebrated at night on October 31st. The word Halloween is shortening All Hallows’ Evening also known as Hallowe’en or All Hallows’ Eve. The traditional activities include trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, visiting â€Å"haunted houses† and carving or painting pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embrace the holiday in the late twentieth century including Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom as well as Australia and New Zealand. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops. The countries this scary holiday is celebrated in are; Austria, Korea , Belgium, Mexico (day of the dead), Canada, Latin America, China, Spain, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, and Japan. Christmas is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people around the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church, sharing meals with family and friends and, of course, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. December 25–Christmas Day–has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1870.