The Effects of Price Fixing in the Industrial Thread Industry Research Paper

The Effects of Price Fixing in the Industrial Thread Industry - Research Paper Example Industrial thread is a very important product regarding its use in various other sectors. It is used to â€Å"sew or embroider various products such as clothes, home furnishings, automotive seats and seatbelts, leather goods, mattresses, footwear, ropes, etc.† (â€Å"Commission fines nine companies a total of â‚ ¬ 43.5 million for participating in industrial thread cartels†, 2006, p.1) The 6 billion Euro worth of market world wide even back in 2005 depicts its importance. The commission identified three cartels operating within the system; two of them belonging to industrial thread. The two industrial thread cartels were i) â€Å"a cartel on the market in thread for industrial customers in Benelux and the Nordic countries from January 1990 until September 2001†; ii) â€Å"a cartel on the market in thread for industrial customers in the United Kingdom from October 1990 until September 1996.† (â€Å"Competition: Commission fines producers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , 2005, p.1) The cartel in industrial thread that remained operative in Benelux and Nordic countries involved seven companies. All of them were identified and their names with their respective amount of fines are given below. The industrial thread cartel that was operative in United Kingdom had been spared from any fine since there was â€Å"no proof that the undertakings participated in a continuous cartel within the five years preceding the Commission’s inspections in November 2001.† (â€Å"Competition: Commission fines producers of industrial thread a total of â‚ ¬43.497 million for cartels†, 2005, p.1) The anger and hate that was involved in the words of Neelie Krores the Competition Commissioner might be of interest while realising the evil of cartel, â€Å"Cartel behaviour is illegal, unjustified and unjustifiable, and will be punished severely no matter how large or small the companies involved.

History of African American Music Essay Example for Free

History of African American Music Essay The result is usually described as soul music, a mix of blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel voices. But, if Ray Charles was one of the originators of soul music, Aretha Franklin reshaped it, by bringing even more of her gospel background to bear on secular love songs (Wade and Picardie 27). By combining popular elements with her stunning voice, her great musicianship, and the feeling for a song that she learned in church, Aretha became one of the greatest soul singers to ever live. Aretha Franklin is a well-known pop, Ramp;B, and gospel singer. She has been nicknamed â€Å"The Queen of Soul† and is an internationally known artist and a symbol of pride in the African American community. Her popularity soared in 1967 when she released an album containing songs â€Å"I Never Loved a Man†, â€Å"Respect†, and â€Å"Baby I Love You. † Throughout her career she has achieved fifteen Grammy Awards, Lifetime Achievement Award, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Legend Awards, and many Grammy Hall of Fame Awards. In 1987 she became the first woman inducted into the Rock amp; Roll Hall of Fame. Time magazine chose her as one of the most influential artists and entertainers of the 20th century. She sang at Dr. Martin Luther King’s funeral and at former President Bill Clinton’s inaugural party. Although she has all these accomplishments and awards there are other reasons that have driven Franklin to fame and landed her on the front cover of Time magazine on June 28, 1968. The reasons I believe allowed Aretha Franklin to become so successful are the following: Her family’s involvement with religion, the inspiring people that surrounded her, and the pain she suffered. It is clear that because her family’s involvement with religion would be one reason why Aretha Franklin became as famous as a Gospel singer. Some people would say that her love for religion is unbelievable, but after researching her childhood it is very believable. Her father, Reverend Clarence LaVaugh Franklin lived in Shelby Mississippi and preached while living the life of a sharecropper. As soon as he had enough money, he would move to Memphis, Tennessee to become a pastor of two churches. After a couple of years he attended LeMoyne College, and he studied Education and English Literature. With his education he was able to bring a more liberal view to his preaching’s. Then he moved the family to Buffalo, New York. When he had the resources, he moved the family again to Detroit, Michigan were he settled and became a pastor of a churched called New Bethel Baptist Church. He quickly became one of the most famous pastors in the city of Detroit. Aretha was two years old when they made their final move, she would grow up here and grab the emotion of Church and incorporate it into her music. Aretha Franklin’s mom, Barbara V. Skaggers, served as choir director and pianist. Aretha describes her mom as â€Å"a Superb singer, her voice was clear and distinctive†. (Franklin and Ritz, 6) Her parents taught her how to sing with great pride. This was a big issue because the late ‘50s, early ‘60s was a time of turmoil for African Americans. Her father especially tried to instill pride into her. He was a Civil Rights activist and he was a close colleague with Dr. Martin Luther King. With her parents keeping her involved in Church she was bound to become one of the world’s greatest singers. At around age 12, the father recognized Aretha’s talent as a singer. So he took her on the road with his traveling gospel show. This was important because it shows the kind of support Aretha received from her family. It was said, â€Å"She was a spellbinding performer at the age of fourteen. † (Franklin, 3) So her family really supported and inspired her to become a gospel singer. What also made her a great artist was that she had inspiring people all around her. Aretha grew up in Detroit which at the time was a rousing city or a city of hope for the African Americans running away from the brutality of the South. Though Detroit still had its problems such as race riots, many famous musicians grew up there. Also since New Bethel Baptist Church was so prominent, many musicians and political leaders used Reverend Franklin’s pulpit as a platform to sing or speak to the Black’s of Detroit. Aretha was introduced to classical music by Smokey Robinson’s sister Sylvia Burston. She listened to well known local DJ’s like Ruth Brown and Senator Brystal Brown. When Aretha was younger, she would ride her bike to the local park, and on her way home she would stop by a night club where you could here B. B. King perform. She says, â€Å"You could hear the soft sound of his guitar all the way to the sidewalk (Franklin and Ritz, 22). National and local political leaders would give there speeches. Speakers such as Dr. Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. , Dr. Martin Luther King, and Reverend Jesse Jackson would speak powerfully to the church. Aretha was directly influenced by Miriam Anderson, Sammy Davis, and Roy Wilkins. Detroit was overflowing with talent and speakers which I believe also contributed to Aretha’s success. Pain was probably what really drove Aretha Franklin’s success. As stated before, Franklin’s family was highly religious and was continually involved in the Church. But that doesn’t mean that she hadn’t been through a tremendous amount of pain. Early in life her mother and father got a divorce. The father was better suitable to raise Aretha and her four Siblings. The mother moved to Buffalo, New York and tried to make regular visits to see her children. She was supported her children in the best way she could, but when Aretha needed her, she still was not reachable. Matters became worst a few years later when Aretha’s mom dies of a stroke. Aretha described her mom by saying â€Å"she was the absolute lady† (Smith, 3). At age 15 she had her first child and two years later another would come. But Aretha still wanted to go out and be with friends, so her grandmother usually babysat for her periodically. In a time when Black Activism, Feminism, and Sexual Liberation were high, she needed to provide for herself. So when Aretha was old enough and was ready to start performing, she hired a man named Ted White to be her manager. He later became her husband. In the future she would divorce him for a famous actor which would end in divorce, too. Even though in 1968 to 1969, Franklin’s career was rising rapidly. She was still described by her Producer Jerry Wexler as â€Å"a person whose depressions runs deeper than the sea† (Ritchie Unterberger, 3). Then one of Franklin’s highest admirers, gospel giant Mahalia Jackson died. Right after her death a extremely emotional gospel album was released my Aretha â€Å"Amazing Grace† This record was considered to be one of the most emotional records of its time. Much of the pain that Aretha suffered was not really publicized, but still it had to be one of the reasons for her to have such a powerful voice. Aretha Franklin was a successful artist and still inspires musicians today. Her voice is still described as incredible. She has all the awards that she needs to show her talent. Works cited Franklin, Aretha, and David Ritz. Aretha: From These Roots. New York: Villard, 1999. Print. Carroll, Jillian. Aretha Franklin. Chicago: Raintree, 2004. Print

The Purpose Of Study English Language Essay

The Purpose Of Study English Language Essay Functional Grammar was introduced by Halliday (1994) based on the assumption that language is a set of meanings. Language which is a means of communication is used to negotiate and exchange meanmgs. He states that a language is interpreted as a system of meanings accompanied by forms through which the meanings can be realized. Halliday (1994) adds Functional Grammar lean towards text, which is a semantic unit, rather that sentence. So, Functional Grammar which was developed based on meanings uses text as the unit of analysis. Functional Grammar has been adopted to become one of the subj ects in the English Department of UNJ since 2002. Statements related to Functional Grammar as subjects can be quoted as follows: Mata kuliah mi bertujuan mengembangkan wawasan eksplisit tentang teori bahasa dan segi fungsinya (tekstual, interpersonal, experiential) untuk menunjang pengembangan kemampuan dan ketrampilan berkomunikasi lisan dan tulisan dalam bahasa Inggnis secara benar dan baik. (Pedoman Akadeniik 2004/2005:100) Functional Grammar 1 aims at developing the explicit knowledge of the theory of language based on the thnction (textual, interpersonal, and experiential) to support the development of ability and skills to communicate both written and spoken well and correctly. (Own translation). Mata kuliah mi bertujuan mengembangkan kemampuan dan ketrampilan menganalisa teks dalam bahasa Inggris dilihat dan segi fungsinya (tekstual, interpersonal, experiential) untuk menunjang pengembangan kemampuan dan ketrampilan berkomunikasi lisan dan tulisan dalam bahasa Inggris secara baik dan benar. (Pedoman Akademik 2004/2005:100) 1 Functional Grammar 2 aims at developing ability and skills to analyze text in English based the function (textual, interpersonal, and experiential) to support the development of ability and skills to communicate both ritten and spoken well and correctly. (Own translation) In keeping with the description, both Functional Grammar 1 and 2 have the basic purpose that is to support the development of ability and skills to communicate, both written and spoken, well and correctly. As a matter of fact, a number of students complain about the subjects. They have difficulties about the subjects. No study was conducted relevant to the condition. Realizing the need of improvement, the researcher is interested to conduct a study about English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. B. Focus of Study The research is initiated by the fact that some students have problems in understanding Functional Grammar concepts. Learning the condition, the researcher is interested to conduct a study related to English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. C. Research Questions Based on the background above, the research questions that are identified in this study are: What is English Department students perception towards their knowledge of Functional Grammar concepts. 1 2 What is English Department students perception towards their comprehension of Functional Grammar concepts. What is English Department students perception towards their ability to apply Functional Grammar concepts in analyzing text. What is English Department students perception towards their ability to apply Functional Grammar concepts in writing. I). Purpose of Study The purpose of the study is to identifi English Department students perception towards their ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. Using Blooms Taxonomy of Educational goals, students knowledge and comprehension of Functional Grammar are included in this research. E. Benefit of Study The result of this study is expected to give input related to English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. 3 CHAPTER II LiTERATURE REVIEW To provide the basic theory of the research related to English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing, this chapter discusses Traditional Grammar, Functional Grammar, Functional Grammar as a subject in the English Department, Ability to apply, Writing, and Perception. 1. Traditional Granmiar A number of experts such as Harmer (2001), Thombury (1999), and Gerot and Wignell (1994) have defined traditional grammar as a set of rules of a language. Harmer (2001) describes the grammar of a language as the description of the ways in which words can change their forms and can be combined into sentences in that language. Thombury (1999) explains grammar as a description of the rules for forming sentences. While Gerot and Wignell (1994) point out Traditional Grammar is focused on the rules for producing coffect sentences. They add sentence becomes the unit of analysis. So, based on the discussion, Traditional Grammar is focused on rules and sentence becomes the unit of analysis. Further, Gerot and Wignell (1994) explain that Traditional Grammar labels elements of the clause in terms of the word class that are nouns, verbs, prepositions, adverbs, and adjectives. Criticizing towards the weaknesses of Traditional Grammar, Thombury (2002) argues that there is 4 no one-to-one correspondence between grammatical form and communication function such as making a request, offering something, etc. 2. Functional Grammar Functional Grammar was introduced by Halliday (1994) based on the assumption that language is a set of meanings. Language which is a means of communication is used to negotiate and exchange meanings. Halliday (1994) believes that when one communicates, he exchanges the meanings with other people. He further states that a language is interpreted as a system of meanings accompanied by forms through which the meanings can be realized. To be different from Traditional Grammar that is focused on rules and sentence as the unit of analysis, Functional Grammar is focused on meanings and text as a whole becomes the object of analysis. Further, Halliday (1994) explains that Functional Grammar discusses the notion of a clause as a unit in which meanings of three different kinds are combined. The three aspects of meaning of the clause are clause as representation, clause as exchange, and clause as message. 1). Clause as Representation The first aspect of the meaning of the clause is Clause as Representation. Based on Hallidays assumption, Gerot and Wignell (1994) note it concerns with human beings experiences. Clause as representation is related to human beings experiences. As human 5 beings experiences vary, it is possible to identify the types of those experiences. Halliday (1994) describes the most powerful impression of experience is that it consists of goings-onhappening, doing, sensing, meaning, being, and becoming. Halliday (1994) then proposes there are three semantic categories that are processes, participants, and circumstances. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Processes Based on Hallidays assumption, Gerot and Wignell (1994) notice processes are realized by verbs. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Participants Halliday (1994) writes participants are realized by nouns. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Circumstances Halliday (1994) describes circumstance is realized by adverbial group or prepositional phrase. Based on Hallidays assumption, Gerot and Wignell (1994) note circumstances answer such questions as when, where, why, how, many, and as what. Halliday (1994) further explains the different types of processes that are built into the granmiar of English are material process, mental process, relational process, behavioral process, verbal process, and existential process. A. Material Process: processes of doing Based on Halliday, Gerot and Wignell (1994) state material processes are processes of material doing. Halliday (1994) notes they express the notion that entity does something which may be 6 done to other entity. This process consists of these particular participants-an obligatory actor, and optionally also a goal. Based on Halliday, Gerot and Wignell (1994) explain the entity who or which does something is the Actor. The entity which may be done to is the Goal. B. Mental Process: processes of sensing Halliday (1994) explains mental processes are processes of feeling, thinking, and seeing. The two participants in mental process are senser and phenomenon. The senser is conscious being that is feeling, thinking, or seeing. The phenomenon is that which is sensed, felt, thought, or seen. C. Relational Process: processes of being There are two different modes that are attributive and identifying. a. Intensive processes: attributive Based on Halliday, Gerot and Wignell (1994) refer attributive processes as processes which assign a quality. Halliday (1994) notes the quality is labeled the attribute, an entity to which it is ascribed is the carrier. b.Intensive processes: identifying Based on Halliday, Gerot and Wignell (1994) refer identifying processes as processes which establish an identity. Halliday (1994) adds the process has an identity assigned to it. The terms are given the x-element and the a-element, that which is to be 7 identified, as identified, and the a-element, to which serves as identity, as identifier. D. Behavioral processes Halliday (1994) explains these are processes of physiological and psychological behavior like breathing, coughing, smiling, dreaming, and staring. The participant who is behaving is labeled behaver. E. Verbal processes Halliday (1994) refers to these are processes of saying. The term sayercan be interpreted as a subject (it may be someone or something) that says something. There are three participant functions that are the receiver, verbiage, and target. a. The receiver is the one to whom the saying is directed at. b. The verbiage is the function that corresponds to what is said. c. The target is the entity that is targeted by the process of saying. F. Existential processes Halliday (1994) notes these represent that something exists or happens. That object or event which is being said to exist is labeled, simply, existent. 2). Clause as exchange The second aspect of the meaning of the clause is clause as exchange. Halliday (1994) explains clause as exchange has two components that are Mood and Residue. 8 a. Mood Element Halliday (1994) proposes it consist of two parts: (1) the subject, which is a nominal group, and (2) the finite operator, which is a part of verbal group. Based on Halliday, Gerot and Wignell (1994) add the finite element is one of the small numbers of verbal operators expressing primary tense, modality and polarity. Halliday (1994) explains primary tense means past, present, or future at the moment of speaking. Finite verbal operators Temporal Past present future Did, was does, is will, shall Had, used to has would, should Modal: Low median high Can, may will, would must, ought to Could, might is to, was to need (dare) has to, had to (Halliday 1994:74) Halliday (1994) refers to modality as the speakers judgement of the probabilities, or the obligations, involved in what he is saying such as may, will, can etc. He adds polarity is the choice between positive and negative, as in is/isnt, do/dont. 9 b. Residue Halliday (1994) explains the Residue consists of functional elements of three kinds, that are, predicator, complement, and adjunct. a Predicator. It is realized by a verbal group minus the temporal or modal operator. b. Complement. A complement is an element within the Residue that has the potential of being subject but is not. It is typically realized by a nominal group. c. Adjunct. An adjunct is an element that has not got the potential of being subject. It is typically realized by an adverbial group or prepositional phrase. 3). Clause as message The third aspect of the meaning of the clause is clause as message. Halliday (1994) states a message consists of a Theme combined with a Rheme. As general guide, the theme can be identified as that element which comes in first position in the structure. The analysis of the Theme of the clause is rather complex. Halliday (1994) explains in this case, complex clause is called a multiple Theme. In a multiple theme, there are certain complements which have their orders. Halliday (1994) points out the typical ordering is textuaYinterpersonaVexperiential. The textual theme is any combination of continuative, a structural theme, and a conjunctive theme. 10 (i) Continuative is one of small set of discourse signalers, yes, no, well, oh, now. (ii) A structural Theme is any of the obligatory thematic elements such as conjunctions and W-H relative. (iii)A conjunctive Theme is one of the conjunctive adjuncts. He refers conjunctive adjuncts are those which relate the clause to the preceding text such as also, meanwhile, soon, finally, etc. Halliday (1994) further describes the interpersonal theme that is any combination of (i) A vocative is any item, typically (but not necessarily) a personal name, used to address; it may come more or less anywhere in the clause and is thematic if preceding the topical Theme. (ii) A modal theme is any of the modal adjuncts. He describes that modal adjuncts are those which express the speakers judgment regarding the relevance of the message such as maybe, usually, occasionally, surely, honestly, etc. (iii) A mood marking theme is a Finite verbal operator, if preceding the topical Theme; or a WHinterrogative (or imperative lets) when not preceded by another experiential element (i.e. when functioning simultaneously as topical Theme). The last order is experiential. Halliday (1994) explains the experiential element is referred as topical theme. This means that the Theme of a clause ends with the first constituent that is either participant, circumstance, or process. 11 3. Functional Grammar as a subject in the English Department, State University of Jakarta Functional Grammar has been adopted as a subject in the English Department since 2002. The subject must be taken by the students when they are in the fourth semester for Functional Grammar 1 and in the fifth semester for Functional Grammar 2. Both Functional Grammar 1 and 2 consist of three semester credit units. Referring to Academic Guidelines 2004/2005 of Faculty of Languages and Arts, it is stated that the three semester credits unit have 24 meetings. Each meeting takes 100 minutes. It has two kinds of tests that are mid semester test and final semester test. As stated in the Academic Guidelines 2004/2005 of Faculty of Languages and Arts, Functional Grammar as a subject is described as follows: Mata kuliah mi bertujuan mengembangkan wawasan eksplisit tentang teori bahasa dan segi fungsinya (tekstual, interpersonal, experiential) imtuk menunj ang pengembangan kemampuan dan ketrampilan berkomunikasi lisan dan tulisan dalam bahasa Inggris secara benar dan baik. Functional Grammar I aims at developing the explicit knowledge of the theory of language based on the function (textual, interpersonal, and experiential) to support the development of ability and skills to communicate both written and spoken well and correctly. (Own translation) Mata kuliah mi bertujuan mengembangkan kemampuan dan ketrampilan menganalisa teks dalam bahasa Inggris dilihat dan segi fiingsinya ( tekstual, interpersonal, experiential) untuk menunjang pengembangan kemampuan dan ketrampilan berkomunikasi lisan dan tulisan dalam bahasa Inggris secara baik dan benar. Functional Grammar 2 aims at developing ability and skills to analyze text in English based the function (textual, interpersonal, and experiential) to support the development of ability and skills to communicate both written and spoken well and correctly. (Own Translation) 12 In keeping with the description, both Functional Grammar 1 and 2 have the basic purpose that is to support the development of ability and skills to communicate, both written and spoken, well and correctly. 4. Ability to Apply In discussion about ability to Apply, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2001) describes ability is something that one is able to do, because one has particular mental or physical skill. Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture (1998) notes ability is the fact of having the skill, power, or other quality that are needed in order to do something. Websters New World Dictionary of American English (1998) adds ability is skills, expertness, or talent.. Bloom (1956), cited in Elliot et a!. (2000) proposes classification of educational goals. There are six major classes in the cognitive taxonomy of educational objectives: 1. Knowledge is the recalling specific facts. 2. Comprehension is understanding what is communicated. 3. Application is generalizing and using abstract information in concrete situation. 4. Analysis is breaking a problem into subparts and detecting relationship among the parts. 5. Synthesis is putting together parts to form a whole. 6. Evaluation is using criteria to make judgments. 13 In accordance with the development, the three classes of educational goals that were analysis, synthesis, and evaluation were then revised to become analyze, evaluate, and create. Arend (2004) describes six classification of the cognitive process dimension: 1. Remember is retrieving relevant knowledge from long-term memory. 2. Understand is constructing meaning from instructional messages, including oral, written, and graphic communication. 3. Apply is carrying out or using a procedure in a given situation. 4. Analyze is breaking material into constituent parts and determining how parts relate to one another and to overall structure or purpose. 5. Evaluate is making judgments based on criteria and standards. 6. Create is reorganizing elements into a new pattern or structure. In keeping with Blooms theory and the purpose of this study that is to identify English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing, ability to apply should be developed after the steps of knowing and understanding. Referring to the explanation above, ability to apply Functional Grammar is to be developed through the steps of knowing and understanding. The questionnaire will also include identifying not only the knowledge and understanding but also ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. 14 5. Writing Writing as described by Leki (1998) is communicating. Meyers (2003) notes writing is a process of discovering and assembling ideas, putting them on paper, reshaping, and revising them. To be acceptable, Windshuttle and Windshuttle (1998) state good writing should have correct grammar and precise and clear content. Diyanni (2001) adds good writing is coherent. Readers can follow and understand it easily. Hughes (2001) describes underlying writing ability is a number of sub abilities such as control of punctuation. Considering the important points above, it can be concluded that good writing covers the aspects of grammar and coherence. 6. Perception Perception is defined by Elliot, et all (2000) as the giving of meaning to the discrete, meaningless stimuli that initially arouse awareness. Barkhuizen (1998) notes perception refers to feelings and views of the students. Students perception is important in language learning as Barkhuizen (1998) claims that it is important for teachers to discover their learners feelings and beliefs about their language learning process. He believes it can give input and consequently review and possibly change their teaching process. 15 Referring to the purpose of this study that is to identify students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing, questionnaire will be used to identify students views and feelings of their levels of cognitive domaim lb CHAPTER ifi METHODOLOGY This chapter discusses the methods used to conduct the study which is related to identifying English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. The first part discusses the issue of the study which is then followed by Study Design and continued by the Implementation of the study. A. Issue of Study This study is related to identifying English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. The researcher is interested to conduct this study because of the fact that some students express their difficulties while attending Functional Grammar classes. It is expected that findings of this study can be used as input concerning with students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar. B. Study Design This study was designed to employ survey The instruments employed were questionnaire and interview. The questionnaire was used to identify English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing, whereas the interview was used to gather more detail data. This was to anticipate the possible weaknesses of questionnaire. This study employed stratified sampling as the 17 selection of respondents planned was based on their academic entrance. The data then were analyzed by clustering educational goals from Bloom (1956) and the aspects of Functional Grammar from Halliday (1994). It was designed that the respondents of questionnaire were 100 students and the respondents of the interview were 10 students. 1. Method of Study It was planned that survey was chosen to conduct this study. Brown and Rodgers (2002) state surveys are any procedures used to gather and describe the characteristics, attitudes, views, and opinion. The purpose of a survey as described by Nunan (1992) is generally to obtain snapshot of conditions, attitudes, and / or events at a single point in time. Based on the discussion above and the purpose of this study that is to identify English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing, survey can be seen as the appropriate method. 2. Respondents it was planned that the respondents of this study were 100 students. They were English Department students of State University of Jakarta. The students were both from Educational and Non- Educational Programs who had completed Functional Grammar 1 and 2. The sampling procedure that was planned to be used in this study was stratified sampling. Bums (2000) describes stratified sampling is sampling in which groups or strata within the population are each sampled randomly. He adds that a population can be divided on the basis of social class membership, sex, level of intelligence or level of anxiety. The researcher planned to conduct this technique of sampling as Burns (2000) notes that sampling error is reduced by stratification for the sample can not differ from the population with respect to the stratifying factors. The respondents of this study were planned to be divided based on the Academic Entrance that is 2002,2003, and 2004. 3. Site and time This study was planned to be conducted in the English Department of State University of Jakarta in the second semester of Academic Year of 2005/2006. It was between 6 March 2006 and 13 March 2006. Referring to the purpose of study that is to identify English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing, the researcher chose English Department of UNJ as the site of the study. It was designed that this study was conducted in between 6 March 2006 and 13 March 2006. This choice was made by considering the availability of time that the researcher had. It was also the time in which students were effective in the process of attending teaching-learning activities. 19 4. Instruments As mentioned in the previous section, this study was designed to employ survey. Questionnaire and interview were chosen to become the instruments of collecting data. In keeping with Blooms Taxonomy, both instruments were designed to include knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar. Detail description about the instruments is given in the following section. a. Questionnaire Questionnaire was chosen as one of the means to collect data used in this study. Questionnaire as discussed by Nunan (1992), is relatively popular means of collecting data. The questionnaire used for this study was designed to gather information and to identify English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. The total number of questionnaires is 36 items which represent students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply. Each number of questionnaires consists of five different choices of answers that represent the scale of excellent, good, average, poor, and very poor. The questionnaire was designed to use Bahasa Indonesia in order to avoid misunderstanding of the respondents to answer each statement. To answer the questionnaire, the respondents were asked to choose only one answer of each number that represents knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar. 20 There were 7 questions prepared before conducting the interview. The questions covered the identifying students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply Functional Grammar. The interview is to anticipate the possible weaknesses of questionnaire as described by Burns (2000) who proposes there is no opportunity to acquire supplementary observational data. Also, the respondents motivation for answering the questionnaire is unknown. C. Implementation of Study The research was uutiated by the fact that some students express their difficulties while attending Functional Grammar classes. Following such problems, the researcher was interested to conduct the study. It covered questionnaire and interview. This study was implemented by following the steps of the research procedures. 1. Data Collection Process Questionnaire and interview were used as means to collect the data. The data collection process lasted for 1 week that was between 4 May and 12 May 2006. The implementation of data collection was not as it was planned. This was because the process of making the questionnaire took longer time. At the same time, the researcher had to follow PPL program In addition, as the result of data of interview did not clearly present the specific area of writing that can be developed by applying Functional Grammar, the additional interview was again conducted that was between 14 July 2006 and 16 July 2006. 22 a. Collecting Data by Means of Questionnaire The set of questionnaire was given to 54 students who had completed Functional Grammar 1 and Functional Grammar 2. Before conducting the study, the researcher introduced herself to the respondents. The researcher also gave information about the purpose of the study to respondents. The distribution of questionnaire was done after classes that were on 4 May and 12 May 2006. The completion of the questionnaire took between 3 and 4 minutes. The questionnaire consists of 36 items which represent students perception towards their knowledge, comprehension, ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing ability. Items number I until 6 represent knowledge of clause as representation. Items number 7 until 12 represent comprehension of clause as representation. Items number 13 until 24 represent applicability of clause as representation. Items number 25 until 26 represent knowledge of clause as exchange. Items number 27 until 28 represent comprehension of clause as exchange. Items number 29 until 32 represent applicability of clause as exchange. Item number 33 represents knowledge of clause as message. Item number 34 represents comprehension of clause as message. Items number 34 until 36 represent applicability of Functional Grammar. To rank their abil ity, this study employed Likert scale. There were 5 scales used in this questionnaire namely excellent, good, average, poor, and very poor. The respondents were asked to choose one scale of each item. 23 I b. Collecting Data by Means of Interview The interview was held between 11 May and 12 May 2006. Since some students felt reluctant to express ideas of such problems and due to considering the limitation of time, the researcher decided to interview 6 students. The additional interview was conducted between 14 July 2006 and 16 July 2006. The researcher conducted the additional interview because the result of the previous interview did not cover the specific aspects of writing such as language and/or content aspects that can be improved by applying the concepts of Functional Grammar. There were three additional respondents interviewed. The previous and additional interview was conducted face-to-face discussion individually. The respondents for this interview were selected based on their various scores of Functional Grammar I and Functional Grammar 2. Respondent 4 and 7 who had completed Functional Grammar 1 and respondent 5 and 8 who had completed Functional 2 got A. Respondent 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 who had completed Functional Grammar I and respondent 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8 who had completed Functional Grammar 2 got B. Respondent 6 and 9 who had completed Functional Grammar 1 and respondent 1 and 9 who had completed Functional Grammar 2 got C. The interview used Bahasa Indonesia. The reason was to avoid the possibility of different perception in understanding the questions. The use of Bahasa Indonesia for the interview was also to make the respondents understand and answer the questions easily. The questions of interview were related to identifying English Department students perception towards their knowledge, comprehensi on, and ability to apply Functional Grammar in analyzing text and writing. The specific areas of writing ability that could be improved by 24

Panayiotopoulos Syndrome in a 3 Year Old Child

Panayiotopoulos Syndrome in a 3 Year Old Child Benign occipital epilepsy of childhood -Panayiotopoulos syndrome- in a 3 year old child Menon Narayanankutty Sunilkumar *, Vadakut Krishnan Parvathy Department of Pediatrics, Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Amala Nagar, Thrissur-680 555, Kerala, India M N Sunil Kumar V K Parvathy Running title: Panayiotopoulos syndrome in a 3 year old child Manuscript type: Case study * Author for correspondence, Dr. Menon Narayanankutty Sunilkumar ABSTRACT Panayiotopoulos syndrome (PS) is a relatively frequent and benign epileptic syndrome seen in children in the age group of 3-6 years and is characterised by predominantly autonomic symptoms and/or simple motor focal seizures followed or not by impairment of consciousness. Although multifocal spikes with high amplitude sharp-slow wave complexes at various locations can be present in the EEG, interictal electroencephalogram (EEG) in children with this particular type of epilepsy characteristically shows occipital spikes. This syndrome has known to be a masquerader and can imitate gastroenteritis, encephalitis, syncope, migraine, sleep disorders or metabolic diseases. In the absence of thorough knowledge of types of benign epilepsy syndromes and their various clinical presentations, epilepsy such as PS can be easily missed. The peculiar aspects of this type of epilepsy in children should be known not only by paediatricians but also by general doctors because a correct diagnosis would avo id aggressive interventions and concerns on account of its benign outcome. In this case study, we report a case of PS in a 3 year old child. Keywords: Benign occipital epilepsy, Panayiotopoulos syndrome, Autonomic symptoms, Emesis, EEG I NTRO DUCTION The International League Against Epilepsy in their expert consensus has given due importance for the various benign childhood seizures which have good prognosis.1 PS is a common idiopathic childhood-specific seizure disorder formally recognized by the league and is included in the category of benign epilepsy syndromes and is recognized worldwide for its autonomic presentations.2,3 This early-onset benign childhood seizures was described by Panayiotopoulos.4 . It has been defined by Panayiotopoulos as consisting of brief, infrequent attacks or prolonged status epilepticus and characterized by ictal deviation of the eyes and/or head and vomiting, occurring in children usually between the ages of 3 and 7 years.5 Seizures are usually followed by postictal headache and are often associated with interictal occipital rhythmic paroxysmal EEG activity that appears only after eye closure.5 The PS has excellent prognosis and parents can be definitely reassured about its benign course 4,6,7,8,9. The risk of developing seizure disorder in later life is negligible 6. Detection of occipital epilepsy at very early stage is needed to successfully treat this condition and allay the fears of the parents and care givers of these children with PS.In this case report, we discuss about the occipital epilepsy in a 3 year old girl child. CASE REPORT A 3-year-old girl, only sibling from a poor socioeconomic family of a non-consanguineous couple, presented in the Out-patient Department of Paediatrics, Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Thrissur, Kerala, with complaints of becoming limp after sudden episode of vomiting, followed by uprolling of eyes, stiffening of the both upper limbs and lower limbs and a brief period of drowsiness.The child was happily playing in the house about half an hour back.There was no associated fever,trauma,ear discharge ,no common paediatric illnesses like diarrhea,dysuria,cough,running nose,wheezing,throat pain. A detailed history was taken. The child was born of a non-consanguinous parents,fullterm normal vaginal delivery,with a birth weight of 2.215 kg. She was immunized to date and had normal milestones of development.The history revealed that she had similar episodes of vomiting especially getting up from sleep and having deviation of eyes to one side,becoming limp and followed by drowsiness for few minutes in the past from the age of 1 Â ½ years old. Overall she had 5-6 such episodes and 3 times she had these episodes when she was sleeping.There was no associated fever during these episodes. Two times she had stiffening of all the limbs with deviation of eyes to one side,and followed by drowsiness. There was no focal type of seizures in this child. The parents attributed these to indigestion and gave home remedies as always there was vomiting and tiredness following the episodes.The child then used to play around normally. One month back the child was seen by a local doctor who advised EEG and it was done which was reported as normal and parents were advised follow up. The child on admission was tired, but was conscious. On examination,she was afebrile,signs of meningeal irritation were absent, central nervous system examination was normal,neurocutaneous markers were absent,fundus examination was normal. Other systemic examinations were normal.Laboratory investigations showed hemoglobin (11.7 g/dl) with low indices, total leucocyte count (11,550/cumm), neutrophils (75%), lymphocytes (22%), platelets (210000/Â µl), ESR (35mm at1 hr),serum calcium(10 mg%),SGPT(28mg/dl),serum electrolytes levels were normal.EEG was done(Figure- 1A and B) and reported as symmetrically distributed normal sleep activities,with activation of rare sharp wave discharges arising from the left occipital region.An awake record could not be obtained. The diagnosis of PS was made based on the clinical history and EEG which showed the predominantly occipital spikes. She was started on carbamazepine with increasing the dose schedule to her required weight. The child did not have any allergic reaction to the drug and did not progress autonomic instability. She and her parents were given excellent emotional and pschycological supportive care, After completion of 5 days of observation for her symptoms and any allergy to the she was discharged on day 6 with improvement in clinical conditions on multivitamins, hematinics and deworming drugs with an advice to follow-up . DISCUSSION PS described by Panayiotopoulos4 is a common autonomic childhood epileptic syndrome with a significant clinical, pathophysiological characteristics and is multifocal.10 PS is now formally recognized as a distinct clinical entity within the spectrum of benign focal epilepsies of childhood.11 PS affects 13% of children aged 3 to 6 years who have had 1 or more afebrile seizures and 6% of such children are in the 1- to 15-year age group.6,7,12. Autonomic epileptic seizures and autonomic status epilepticus are the cardinal manifestations of Panayiotopoulos syndrome.12. The main aspect of PS is that irrespective of their location at onset, there is activation of autonomic disturbances and emesis, to which children are particularly vulnerable. These symptoms and pattern of autonomic seizures and autonomic status epilepticus in PS do not occur in adults and are very specific to childhood. 12 PS is often confused with occipital epilepsy and acute non-epileptic disorders such as encephalitis, syncope, cyclic vomiting or atypical migraine even with characteristic clinical and EEG manifestations. 13 The clinical and EEG features of PS is due to a a maturation-related diffuse cortical hyperexcitability 4,6. This diffuse epileptogenicitywhich may be unequally distributed,is predominating in one area of the brain , and is often posterior. The explanation for the characteristic involvement of emetic and the autonomic systems may be attributed to epileptic discharges which are generated at various cortical locations andthis in turn influence the children’s vulnerable emetic centers and the hypothalamus 4,6. The diagnosis is based entirely on clinical presentation and EEG.12 PS has some of the key clinical features which are often present as single, focal seizures with an unusual constellation of autonomic, mainly emetic, symptoms,associated behavioral changes, and sometimes seizure like clinical manifestations such as unilateral deviation of the eyes and convulsions 3,4,7,8,9,13. The emetic triad in PS (nausea,retching, vomiting) culminates in vomiting in 74% of the seizures; in others, only nausea or retching occurs, and in a few, vomiting may not be present. Other autonomic manifestations include pallor, , mydriasis or miosis, flushing or cyanosis thermoregulatory and cardiorespiratory alterations. Frequently incontinence of urine and/or feces, hypersalivation, cephalic sensations, and modifications of intestinal motility are also seen9. Half of the convulsions end with hemiconvulsions or generalized convulsions. Two thirds occur during sleep as was seen in our child for about three times.. Autonomic status epilepticus enveals then.. The seizures usua lly last for 5–15 min, but half of them are prolonged, sometimes for hours, constituting autonomic status epilepticus. The patient recovers within a few hours. even after the most severe seizures episodes and status.12 An electroencephalogram is the only investigation with abnormal results, usually showing multiple spikes in various brain locations.12Multifocal spikes that predominate in the posterior regions characterize the EEG 6.The EEG variability in our child of 3 years is showing the characteristic occipital spikes from the left occipital region. The EEG done 5 months back was normal in our child. PS is the second most frequent benign syndrome of childhood after rolandic epilepsy,which primarily affects 15% of children at a peak onset at age 7–9 years 1. Another epileptic syndrome categorized with PS and rolandic epilepsy is the Gastaut type childhood occipital epilepsy 2, manifesting with frequent and brief visual seizures. However, this is rare,of uncertain prognosis, and markedly different from PS,despite common interictal EEG manifestations of occipital spikes 6.Occipital spikes in non-epileptic children with defective vision, occipital slow spike-and-wave found in some patients wi th the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, focal epilepsy due to occipital lesions, seizures originating in the temporal lobe secondary to an occipital abnormality, and complicated or basilar migraine must be considered in the differential diagnosis.5 There are typical and atypical case of PS15,17,18 .Lada et al 15 conducted a retrospective study of 43 patients with PS who were seizure free >2 years. In their analysis girls predominated ,as in our child was a girl.. The first seizure was seen in 5 years of age. 86% had emesis as the symptom with the seizures. Seizures during sleep (84%) were more common than those in wakefulness. EEG showed occipital spikes in more than 50% of patients.. Prognosis was excellent and 80% children have been free of seizures for > or =2 years as is in a typical case of PS.15 DeÄÅ ¸erliyurt et al16 did a case series study of patients with PS and postulated that PS is associated with high rates of febrile convulsions, afebrile convulsions/epilepsy, migraine, and breath-holding spells in the patients and families suggested the importance of genetic factors 17.Febrile seizures are to be considered in the differential diagnosis because the recovery of consciousness from seizure is fast and Control of the seizure is paramount. uncomplicated usually.18 Ferrie et al. 17 postulated an atypical evolution of PS in a case report. The management of PS is not complicated. Education and knowledge about PS is the cornerstone of management. Control of the seizure is paramount. Prophylactic treatment with antiepileptic medication may not be needed for most patients. The emphasis is on treatment of possible fever and mainly of the underlying illness.One third (30%) of the seizures are relatively brief and self-limited. They subside spontaneously within 2–10min. The other two thirds (70%) have long-lasting seizures(>10 min) or status epilepticus (>30 min to hours). These should be appropriately and vigorously treated as for status epilepticus19,20. Parents of children with recurrent seizures should be advised to place the child on its side or stomach on a protected surface and administer a preparation of intravenous rectal benzodiazepine (BZD). In an emergency facility, the child’s airway should be kept clear, oxygenation maintained, and intravenous or rectal antiepileptic drug (AED) given to halt the s eizure. A BZD is probably the first choice. The great majority with PS do not need AED treatment even if they have lengthy seizures or have more than two recurrences. There is no increased risk of subsequent epilepsy or neurologic deficit. If a child has multiple recurrences (only about 5% exceed 10 seizures) and if the parents too worried prophylaxis can be given.Continuous prophylaxis consists of daily medication with any AED with proven efficacy in partial seizures.Although there is no evidence of superiority among monotherapy with phenobarbitone, carbamazepine(CBZ), sodium valproate or no treatment in PS, most authors prefer CBZ 14.Our child was started on Oxcarbazepine ,a structural derivative of CBZ with no side effects since last 1 month.Autonomic status epilepticus in the acute stage needs thorough evaluation; aggressive treatment may cause iatrogenic complications including cardiorespiratory arrest.12The adverse reactions of the antiepileptic drugs such as severe allergic r eactions ,abnormal liverfunction tests and idiosyncratic reaction should be kept in mind and monitored.14 The prognosis of PS is excellent 4,6,7-9. The lengthy seizures and status do not have any adverse prognostic significance, and the risk of developing epilepsy in adult life is probably no more than that of the general population 6. One third of patients (27%) have a single seizure only, and another half (47%) have two to five seizures. Only 5% have >10 seizures, but outcome is again favorable. Remission usually occurs within 1 to 2 years from onset.6. CONCLUSION PS is a common cause of epilepsy in children and a knowledgeable doctor does not miss it. Physician education of PS and recent guidelines on epilepsy management is vital in detecting PS at very early stage, so further lifesaving interventions can be done and prevent delay in the trearment administration. Multiple antiepileptic drugs use is required in only in a small proportion of patients. Seizures in PS, like febrile convulsions, despite their excellent prognosis, are a frightening experience for the in experienced parents, who often think that their child is dead or dying. Parents of young children should have general information by the family doctor regarding PS. Parental education and a supportive group comprising the paediatrician, neurologist, nursing staff and the social worker can help and reassure these distort parents as was done in our child who is doing fine with no recurrence in the last 1 month. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors acknowledge the help of Dr Ajith TA, Professor Biochemistry, Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Amala Nagar, Thrissur, Kerala during the preparation of the manuscript. REFERENCES Commission on Classification and Terminology of the International League Against Epilepsy. Proposal for revised classification of epilepsies and epileptic syndromes. Epilepsia 1989;30:389–99. Engel J Jr. A proposed diagnostic scheme for people with epileptic seizures and with epilepsy: Report of the ILAE Task Force on Classification and Terminology. Epilepsia 2001;42:796–803. Berg AT, Panayiotopoulos CP. Diversity in epilepsy and a newly recognized benign childhood syndrome [Editorial]. Neurology 2000;55:1073–4. Panayiotopoulos CP. Panayiotopoulos syndrome. Lancet 2001;358:68–9. Andermann F, Zifkin B.The benign occipital epilepsies of childhood: an overview of the idiopathic syndromes and of the relationship to migraine. Epilepsia. 1998;39:S9-23. Panayiotopoulos CP. Panayiotopoulos syndrome: a common and benign childhood epileptic syndrome. London: John Libbey, 2002. Panayiotopoulos CP. Vomiting as an ictal manifestation of epileptic seizures and syndromes. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1988;51:1448–51. Caraballo R, Cersosimo R, Medina C, et al. Panayiotopoulos-type benign childhood occipital epilepsy: a prospective study. Neurology2000;55:1096–100. Kivity S, Ephraim T, Weitz R, et al. Childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms: clinical variants in 134 patients. Epilepsia 2000;41:1522–33. Guerrini R, Pellacani S.Benign childhood focal epilepsies. Epilepsia. 2012;53::9-18. Koutroumanidis M. Panayiotopoulos syndrome: an important electroclinical example of benign childhood system epilepsy. Epilepsia. 2007;48:1044-53. Covanis A. Panayiotopoulos syndrome: a benign childhood autonomic epilepsy frequently imitating encephalitis, syncope, migraine, sleep disorder, or gastroenteritis. Pediatrics. 2006 ;118:e1237-43. Michael M, Tsatsou K, Ferrie CD. Panayiotopoulos syndrome: an important childhood autonomic epilepsy to be differentiated from occipital epilepsy and acute non-epileptic disorders. Brain Dev. 2010;32:4-9. Ferrie CD, Beaumanoir A, Guerrini R, et al. Early-onset benign occipital seizure susceptibility syndrome. Epilepsia 1997;38:285–93. Lada C, Skiadas K, Theodorou V, Loli N, Covanis A.A study of 43 patients with panayiotopoulos syndrome, a common and benign childhood seizure susceptibility. Epilepsia. 2003;44:81-8. DeÄÅ ¸erliyurt A, Teber S, BektaÃ…Å ¸ O, Senkon G. Panayiotopoulos syndrome: A case series from Turkey. Epilepsy Behav. 2014;36:24-32. Ferrie CD, Koutroumanidis M, Rowlinson S, Sanders S, Panayiotopoulos CP.Atypical evolution of Panayiotopoulos syndrome: a case report. Epileptic Disord. 2002;4:35-42. Knudsen FU. Febrile seizures: treatment and prognosis. Epilepsia.2000;41:2–9. American Academy of Pediatrics. Practice parameter: the neurodiagnostic evaluation of the child with a first simple febrile seizure: Provisional Committee on Quality Improvement, Subcommittee on Febrile Seizures. Pediatrics 1996;97:769–72. Mitchell WG. Status epilepticus and acute repetitive seizures in children, adolescents, and young adults: etiology, outcome, and treatment. Epilepsia 1996;37:S74–80. Legend to figures Figure (1A and B): EEG of the child showing the occipital spikes (arrow heads).

The Rise of the Byzantine Empire :: Education Essays

The Rise of the Byzantine Empire "What were some of the accomplishments of the Byzantine Empire?" Questions such as this one appear on the margins of sixth and seventh grade textbooks. What a better way of starting a new lesson or chapter than with questions that will automatically led the student to think about the answer? That is the case in the lesson of "The Rise of the Byzantine Empire." Being that the lesson I revised was only a brief part of the chapter, it was interesting to see how precise the lesson on the Rise of the Empire came about. There was nothing wrong with the format and structure of the lesson. When I fist glanced at the lesson I had received, I became very mortified to see that the lesson only consisted of 4 pages. Can the lesson on the rise of the Byzantine Empire really be described in 4 pages? I would not know that answer, unless I read the lesson, and did further research on the topic. Surprisingly, I discovered that the lesson is pretty much accurate, although it does not have much detail. Perhaps the detail is not very rich, because this lesson, (which is titled to be lesson 3) is a continuation of the study on Rome; it's emperors, etc. It is not to say that the lesson did not have weaknesses, however, it had both its strengths, and its weaknesses. Lesson 3, which is titled "The Rise of the Byzantine Empire," includes a timeline of the dates the certain lesson covers. In this case, the dates are from 532 A.D., to1453 A.D. Byzantium saw itself as the true descendent of Rome. In Byzanium many of the elements of Rome's cosmopolitan Mediterranean civilization continue. Gradually however, Greek replaces Latin as the primary language in both society and government, and distinctive social, political and cultural traditions emerge. The central figure in the revival of the power of Byzantium is the Emperor Justinian, from 527 to 565. The lesson was mainly focused on "the Byzantine Emperor Justinian." As the lesson starts, the story of how Justinian came about restoring order in the city of Constantinople is told in a brief summary of about 2 paragraphs. "Fights broke out between the rival groups, and the fighting escalated into rioting in Constantinople's streets. The rioting continued for a week while Justinian and Theodora, safe withi n their palace, debated whether to flee or to attempt to restore order.

Does the I-Function Control Dreaming? :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Does the I-Function Control Dreaming? Imagine you are in a dream. The world is different from the way it normally appears. Things that would normally be impossible are happening. You have no clue this is a dream. All of a sudden things start falling into place within your brain. You realize you are dreaming. By exerting your will you can alter the scene. You can do all of the things you always wanted to do. With a bounding leap you are flying. You are controlling this and you know no harm can come from it. This is lucid dreaming. Does the I-function control this? It would appear that it does because it is creating everything and you can direct what happens. Everyone dreams. It is a natural part of the sleep cycle. It occurs during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage. Do dreams stem from the brain going through normal activity or do they come from a controlled portion of the brain? This question raises continual debate among people. However, both sides may be correct. Most of the time a person dreams and is not aware of it occurring. There are other times when a person becomes aware they are dreaming and can influence it. This is lucid dreaming. It appears that the I-function plays a more active role during lucid dreaming. This could be a new outlet where the I-function is allowed to run without constraints and produces more influences than it normally does. Regular dreaming occurs without one being aware of it whereas the I-function brings consciousness and control to lucid dreaming that does not occur at any other time during sleep. An introduction to sleep provides important background to understanding when dreaming occurs and the state of the brain. The whole process is initiated by the release of various chemicals in the brain. They cause particular areas to shut down and this is sleep. There are various stages to the sleep cycle. They are NREM, Stages 1-4, and REM. During the first five stages, NREM and 1-4, brain activity continually decreases. An electroencephalogram (EEG) reveals this by measuring all action in the neocortex. However, during REM abnormal activity begins to take place and the brain function resembles that of a person who is awake. The EEG shows fast, random waves indicating increased activity (6). Typically a person goes through many cycles of this process during a normal sleep pattern.

Essay Comparing Beowulf and A Knights Tale :: comparison compare contrast essays

Comparing Beowulf and A Knight's Tale In the stories of Beowulf and A Knight's Tale, there are many different themes. One of the major themes is the religion that runs through both of them, yet both stories have a very different view of religion. In Beowulf, it seems as if God has chosen where our life will end and where it will begin, everything happens by the will of God in a fair and just way. In The Knight's Tale, we see Greek gods playing with the characters and when they "play" with them, there is no real pattern to how they choose things. Each vies is different and this affects the stories in different ways. Beowulf has multiple references to God and how God chooses what happens in his life. For example on the very first page of the story (Beowulf, 27) we see that God saw the need for a king so he sent a king to the Danes. This shows us that God is able to see his people and in a fair and just way he sends them a much needed king. Later on, we see how God punishes those who go against his will. On page 29 we read that Grendel is from Cain. For the eternal Lord avenged the killing of Abel. He took no delight in that feud, but banished Cain from humanity because of his crime. From Cain were hatched all evil progenies: ogres, hobgoblins, and monsters, not to mention the giants who fought so long against God - for which they suffered due retribution. (Beowulf, 29) This shows that for Cain's sin of killing Abel, he receives a just punishment not only to him but also to his "offspring." Also in Beowulf, God decides when people will die in advance. This is shown many times by Beowulf himself. For example, every time Beowulf is faced with a major battle, he always goes in with the faith that if it is God's will, he will be brought out alive. Also, God must give him the victory because he cannot win it by himself. "Tonight we will do without weapons ... God in His wisdom must allot the victory as He thinks fit.