The Psychedelic Effects Of D-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-25 (LSD) Were

The psychedelic effects of d-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-25 (LSD) were discovered by Dr. Albert Hoffman by accident in 1938. In the 1950s and 1960s, LSD was used by psychiatrists for analytic psychotherapy. It was thought that the administration of LSD could aid the patient in releasing repressed material. It was also suggested that psychiatrists themselves might develop more insight into the pathology of a diseased mind through self experimentation. 1,2 During the late 60s, LSD became popular as a recreational drug. While it has been suggested that recreational use of the drug has dropped, a recent report on CNN claimed that 4.4% of 8th graders have tried it. LSD is considered to be one of, if not the, most potent hallucinogenic drug known. Small doses of LSD (1/2 - 2 ug/kg body weight) result in a number of system wide effects that could be classified into somatic, psychological, cognitive, and perceptual categories. These effects can last between 5 and 14 hours. Table 1: Effects of LSD 1, 2, 3 Somatic Psychological Cognitive Perceptual mydriasis hallucinations disturbed thought processes increased stimulus from environment hyperglycemia depersonalization difficulty expressing thoughts changes in shape/color hyperthermia reliving of repressed memories impairment of reasoning synaesthesia (running together of sensory modalities) piloerection mood swings (related to set and setting) impairment of memory - esp. integration of short -> long term disturbed perception of time vomiting euphoria lachrymation megalomania hypotension schizophrenic-like state respiratory effects are stimulated at low doses and depressed at higher doses reduced "defenses", subject to "power of suggestion" brachycardia The study of hallucinogens such as LSD is fundamental to the neurosciences. Science thrives on mystery and contradiction; indeed without these it stagnates. The pronounced effects that hallucinogens have throughout the nervous system have served as potent demonstrations of d ifficult to explain behavior. The attempts to unravel the mechanisms of hallucinogens are closely tied to basic research in the physiology of neuroreceptors, neurotransmitters, neural structures, and their relation to behavior. This paper will first examine the relationship between neural activity and behavior. It will then discuss some of the neural populations and neurotransmitters that are believed to by effected by LSD. The paper will conclude with a more detailed discussion of possible ways that LSD can effect the neurotransmitter receptors which are probably ultimately responsible for its LSD. A Brief Foray Into Philosophy and the Cognitive Sciences Modern physics is divided by two descriptions of the universe: the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. Many physicists have faith that at some point a "Grand Unified Theory" will be developed which will provide a unified description of the universe from subatomic particles to the movement of the planets. Like in physics, th e cognitive sciences can describe the brain at different levels of abstraction. For example, neurobiologists study brain function at the level of neurons while psychologists look for the laws describing behavior and cognitive mechanisms. Also like in physics, many in these fields believe that it is possible that one day we will be able to understand complicated behaviors in terms of neuronal mechanisms. Others believe that this unification isn't possible even in theory because there is some metaphysical quality to consciousness that transcends neural firing patterns. Even if consciousness can't be described by a "Grand Unified Theory" of the cognitive sciences, it is apparent that many of our cognitive mechanisms and behaviors can. While research on the level of neurons and psychological mechanisms is fairly well developed, the area in between these is rather murky. Some progress has been made however. Cognitive scientists have been able to associate mechanisms with areas of the bra in and have also been able to describe the effects on these systems by various neurotransmitters. For example, disruption of hippocampal activity has been found to result in a deficiency in consolidating short term to long term memory. Cognitive disorders such as Parkinson's disease can be traced to problems in dopaminergic pathways. Serotonin has been implicated in the etiology of various CNS disorders including depression, obsessive-compulsive behavior, schizophrenia, and nausea. It is also known to effect the cardiovascular and thermoregulatory systems as well as cognitive abilities such as learning and memory. The lack of knowledge in the middle ground between neurobiology and psychology makes a

Free Essays on The Ugly Duckling

The tale of â€Å"The Ugly Duckling† has been told for many generations. It is the story of a little swan that is mistakenly hatched in a duck’s nest and because of his strange and different appearance he is teased and ridiculed. Even his mother can’t understand how this â€Å"ugly duckling† could be one of her own. The ugly duckling goes through many hardships and a long, lonely winter. Then upon seeing his reflection in the pond he realizes that he has become a beautiful swan and happily swims off, joining a group of nearby swans. At first glance, many may perceive this as a cut and dry fairy tale. Sending the message that without outward beauty, you will never be able to achieve inner peace and happiness. I feel that with the writing of this tale Andersen was trying to send a different message. I think Andersen was trying to encourage us to be true to ourselves and to have tolerance and acceptance of others. By remaining true to ourselves and following our dreams we will someday acquire the inner peace and happiness we desire. While researching â€Å"The Ugly Duckling† I found that Andersen wrote autobiographies periodically throughout his life. Andersen believed these autobiographies were necessary he stated, â€Å"To understand my writing, one must first have knowledge of my life†. (Andersen) Andersen often incorporated themes and people from his own life experiences into his stories. Thus, without the autobiographies, Andersen did not think his writings could be completely understood. This holds true for the meaning behind the tale of â€Å"The Ugly Duckling.† Andersen had a poor childhood. His father was a shoemaker and although he wasn’t highly educated, he did have a love of books and stories, these he shared with a young Andersen on a daily basis. His mother was an uneducated, unskilled worker with a big heart. Although she loved Andersen, after the death of her husband, she did not posses the skills or t... Free Essays on The Ugly Duckling Free Essays on The Ugly Duckling The tale of â€Å"The Ugly Duckling† has been told for many generations. It is the story of a little swan that is mistakenly hatched in a duck’s nest and because of his strange and different appearance he is teased and ridiculed. Even his mother can’t understand how this â€Å"ugly duckling† could be one of her own. The ugly duckling goes through many hardships and a long, lonely winter. Then upon seeing his reflection in the pond he realizes that he has become a beautiful swan and happily swims off, joining a group of nearby swans. At first glance, many may perceive this as a cut and dry fairy tale. Sending the message that without outward beauty, you will never be able to achieve inner peace and happiness. I feel that with the writing of this tale Andersen was trying to send a different message. I think Andersen was trying to encourage us to be true to ourselves and to have tolerance and acceptance of others. By remaining true to ourselves and following our dreams we will someday acquire the inner peace and happiness we desire. While researching â€Å"The Ugly Duckling† I found that Andersen wrote autobiographies periodically throughout his life. Andersen believed these autobiographies were necessary he stated, â€Å"To understand my writing, one must first have knowledge of my life†. (Andersen) Andersen often incorporated themes and people from his own life experiences into his stories. Thus, without the autobiographies, Andersen did not think his writings could be completely understood. This holds true for the meaning behind the tale of â€Å"The Ugly Duckling.† Andersen had a poor childhood. His father was a shoemaker and although he wasn’t highly educated, he did have a love of books and stories, these he shared with a young Andersen on a daily basis. His mother was an uneducated, unskilled worker with a big heart. Although she loved Andersen, after the death of her husband, she did not posses the skills or t...

Theory and Hypothesis in Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Theory and Hypothesis in - Research Paper Example Because of a number of features of theory such as its internal consistency, its consistency with existing facts, its potential for making counter-intuitive prediction and because of its testability, the findings of the theory are not only relevant to theory’s explanations of events but they also help to corroborate the findings of other researchers. The hypothesis generally related with some theory has a greater chance of being correct than the common sense. Almost all scientific theories start as hypotheses. The more the theories are subjected to rigorous tests under a variety of conditions and assumptions and the more they hold up, the more credible they become over time. The relationship between the hypothesis and theory serves to challenge previously held views by introducing different sets of assumptions or more recent information besides expanding the boundaries of research by inferring new hypotheses from the theory using deductive logic and extrapolating them to new si tuations. I reviewed the research paper â€Å"Socioeconomic Status and Beliefs about God’s In?uence in Everyday Life" by Scott Schieman from the journal â€Å"The Sociology of Religion† to see how the author makes use of theory and hypothesis.

Any controversial issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Any controversial issue - Essay Example In this paper, we shall debate on the controversial issue that violence on television causes increases the violence in children and teenagers and stand by it. According to a research, children in America view four hours of television daily on an average which implies that television has a potent influence in developing value systems and determining behavior. But sadly, most of the programs broadcasted on television nowadays are violent. Various studies done to evaluate the impact of T.V. violence on children and teenagers have revealed that children may become impervious to the horror of violence, or slowly start acknowledging violence as the only means to sort out problems, or try to emulate the violence shown on television, and recognize with certain characters, victims and/or victimizers. Children who become violent watching such T.V. programs will display an array of behaviors including volatile temper tantrums, terrorization, bullying, aggressiveness, armed attack, and harm to a nimals and peer groups (â€Å"Children and TV violence†, 2011). However, researcher Dr. Steve Goodman stated that â€Å"one may well discover that children who are violent watch a lot of television violence, but this does not prove that violent television causes real-life violence† (as qtd. ... In fact, one theory even claimed that watching media violence may actually help reduce aggression. According to them, youngsters who watch violent entertainment get the opportunity to explore their violent instincts without hurting anyone through these programs (Kolata, 2002). To counteract the above claims, researchers who focus on television violence claimed that T.V. is the most pervasive system for media violence. Almost 67% of the children programs in America contain violent subjects (Strasburger, 2004, 57-58). On an average, a typical American child views 28 hrs of television per week which implies that he or she has watched around 8000 murders by the time their elementary school is over at the age of 11 and worse than that, these programs show that 75% of the times the murderer escaped unpunished displaying no signs of repentance or liability. Definitely, these violent programs will make children invulnerable to violence and belligerence, though some may become terrified of li ving in such a treacherous society (APA, 2004). These facts sufficiently prove that television has a profound effect on children or teenagers in their lifetime. Moreover, the American Psychological Association have been continuously conducting research on television’s effects on viewers and in its 1993 report it had confirmed that there exists strong correlation between increased viewing of violence on television and increasing aggressive attitudes and behaviors. They added that children’s exposure to violence in the mass media, particularly at young ages, can have harmful lifelong experiences. Furthermore, the 1982 National Institute of mental health study revealed some of the major negative effects of watching violence on television:

How Technology Has Change Our Lives Essay Example for Free

How Technology Has Change Our Lives Essay Throughout the years technology is in constantly changing. It’s almost impossible just to think how different the technology was. I noticed how rapidly the technology change in our classrooms. For example, a video recorder or a side projector is almost obsolete now in days. We can now rely on most efficient technology. There are some good sides to this, for example we are no longer held captive by the prime-time schedules of a handful of networks. Now, with cable, internet and DVRs, we dont have to wait for our favorite shows. Now we can go back and watch an entire seasons that we may have missed the first time around Social media has been for me the most important change; because, we depend on them as a way of communicate nowadays. Websites like twitter and Facebook have given birth to the new concept of social media marketing. From chat rooms, Messenger, Myspace and social dating has changed the way we are communicating, Instead of sending letters to respective destinations, it is very easy to send an email which will be received instantly. Along with these social sites, the way that people put themselves in the internet has now more impact in others than it did ten years ago. I think we underestimate the power of social media. Now days whatever you put on any social site is for the entire world, and is likely to be for a long time in the future. Family, friends, new bosses and co-workers, potential clients and business partners, prospective love interests theyre all checking you out. How you present yourself in the province of social media can change your life in ways you never thought possible for better and for worse. Read more:Â  Technology Changed Our Lives

Higher Education Organizational Theory and Leadership :: Public Administration

Higher Education Organizational Theory and Leadership The following briefing paper has been prepared to assist you in preparing your speech to the local chamber of commerce. The topic you have been asked to speak on is outlining the differences in leading an institution of higher education as opposed to running a for-profit business. The briefing highlights key points from three oft-referenced scholarly articles on the topic of higher education organizational theory and leadership. These points explain higher education structures and the differences between higher education organization and leadership and what your audience might be accustomed to. I have included references for your aid. Introduction. Higher education and private business have much in common. They use resources to produce a product for a defined client base. They are led by individuals with vision, passion, and leadership for their organizations. At their heart are dedicated people that make up the organization. However, there are also many differences, especially in making these organizations work well. The Complex Structure of Higher Education. The university is a complex organization. Baldridge, Curtis, Ecker and Riley (1982) found that colleges and universities have characteristics that distinguish them from private enterprises as well as other government organizations. They describe the higher education environment as one where resources allow individuals within the organization room to grow in different directions without the tight restraints seen in other types of environments. They go on to describe the role of the president and other university leaders as catalysts or facilitators rather than the â€Å"my way or the highway† mentality of some private CEOs. Baldridge et al. describe this environment as â€Å"organized anarchy† where this facilitation role, also described as collegial decision making, leads to an environment where decisions â€Å"happen† rather than are â€Å"made.† Politically, this environment tends to be mostly inactive wi th very fluid, fragmented participation. The president assumes the role as â€Å"first among equals†, a mediator between power blocs on campus. This is very different in all but a few private corporations. Loosely Coupled Systems. Weick (1976) takes a very similar view of this organizational theory but from a slightly different perspective. He writes of the higher education institution as a â€Å"loosely coupled system†, a system that differs markedly from the organization system of a private enterprise. The basic theory is that, unlike the militaristic ideal of the â€Å"tight ship† that many private organizations have adopted, loosely coupled systems have â€Å"softer† linkages between each unit of the organization.

Philippine Saint : Saint Lorenzo Ruiz Essay

Lorenzo Ruiz Saint Lorenzo Ruiz (ca. 1600 – 29 September 1637), also known as Laurentius Ruiz de Manila or San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila, is the firstFilipino saint venerated in the Roman Catholic Church; he is thus the protomartyr of the Philippines. He was killed for refusing to leave Japan and renounce his Roman Catholic beliefs during the persecution of Japanese Christians under the Tokugawa Shogunate in the 17th century. Saint Lorenzo is patron saint of, among others, the Philippines and Filipinos. Early life Lorenzo Ruiz was born in Binondo, Manila to a Chinese father and a Filipino mother who were bothCatholic. His father taught him Chinese while his mother taught him Tagalog. Ruiz served as an altar boy at the convent of Binondo church. After being educated by the Dominicanfriars for a few years, Ruiz earned the title of escribano (calligrapher) because of his skillful penmanship. He became a member of the Cofradia del Santissimo Rosario (Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary). He married Rosario, a native, and they had two sons and a daughter. The Ruiz family lead a generally peaceful, religious and content life. In 1636, whilst working as a clerk for Binondo Church, Ruiz was falsely accused of killing a Spaniard. Ruiz sought asylum on board a ship with three Dominican priests: Saint Antonio Gonzalez; Saint Guillermo Courtet; Saint Miguel de Aozaraza, a Japanese priest; Saint Vicente Shiwozuka de la Cruz; and a lay leper Saint Lazaro of Kyoto. Ruiz and his companions left for Okinawa on 10 June 1636, with the aid of the Dominican fathers and Fr Giovanni Yago. Martyrdom The Tokugawa shogunate was persecuting Christians by the time Ruiz had arrived in Japan. The missionaries were arrested and thrown into prison, and after two years, they were transferred to Nagasaki to face trial by torture. He and his companions faced different types of torture. One of these was the insertion of needles inside their fingernails. On 27 September 1637, Ruiz and his companions were taken to the Nishizaka Hill, where they were tortured by being hung upside down a pit. This form of torture was known as tsurushi in Japanese or horca y hoya in Spanish. The method was supposed to be extremely painful: though the victim was bound, one hand is always left free so that victims may be able to signal that they recanted, and they would be freed. Ruiz refused to renounce Christianity and died from blood loss and suffocation. His body was cremated and his ashes thrown into the sea. According to Latin missionary accounts sent back to Manila, Ruiz declared these words upon his death: â€Å"Ego Catholicus sum et animo prompto paratoque pro Deo mortem obibo. Si mille vitas haberem, cunctas ei offerrem.† In English this may be rendered: â€Å"I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly do accept death for the Lord; If I had a thousand lives, all these I shall offer to Him.†