Archetypal Characters and Symbols in The Phantom of the Opera Essay

Archetypal Characters and Symbols in The Phantom of the Opera      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story of The Phantom of the Opera appeals to many types of personalities and people of all ages because of its archetypal characters and patterns.   Carl Jung theorized that we are born with innate tendencies to perceive things a certain way:   "a kind of readiness to reproduce over and over again the same or similar mythical ideas . . ."1.   These repeated ideas are archetypes.   The basic legend of The Phantom takes place in 19th century Paris, and is that of a young and talented, but untrained singer named Christine.   Erik, the Phantom, is a disfigured genius of many fields, including music, architecture, magic, and science.   His fatal flaw stems from his strong dislike and mistrust of the rest of the human race, which has been very unkind to him throughout his life.   He encounters Christine in the Paris Opera House, becomes infatuated with her, and initially claims to be her otherworldly musical tutor.   Conflict occurs when Christi ne is torn between Erik's dark and passionate world, and her innocent love for the well-bred Raoul.   These fundamentals of the story of The Phantom are kept in tact among the versions, while changes are made to target the adaptation to a certain audience.   Another common attraction is to the personality of Erik, a character often repeated in literature.   Erik's relationship with Christine also encompasses many archetypal patterns, and the love triangle among Christine, Erik and Raoul is a recurring human behaviour2.   In addition, there are several object-oriented archetypes throughout the story.   Repetition of patterns and characters in The Phantom of the Opera creates a universal appeal for the tale.       The bas... ...anges to target the legend to different types of people, but the archetypes always remain.       1 Carl Jung, Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, 7 2 Anthony Pena, Unus Mundus:   Archetypes and Dreams 3 Kate McMullan, The Phantom of the Opera, 5 4 Amazon.com sales rank as of May 2000 5 Charlotte Vale Allen, Night Magic, 203 6 Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera, 334 7 Charles Horton Cooley, Human Nature and the Social Order, 155 8 Charles Darwin, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals 9 Joseph Henderson, "Ancient Myths and Modern Man," Man and His Symbols, Carl Jung, ed., 152 10 Anthony Pena, Unus Mundus: Archetypes and Dreams 11 Angela Mattos, The Labyrinth 12 InDreaMensions, Archetypes Glossary 13 Ibid 14 Ibid 15 John L. Flynn, Phantoms of the Opera:   The Man Behind the Mask   

Consumer Perception Towards Online Shopping in India Essay

1.1 INTRODUCTION The numbers of internet users are increasing because of the accessibilities of technology, the availability of information, and the ability to interact through the Internet increase and evolve. The obvious capabilities of the Internet include road for gathering information, purchasing a product, or rendering a service. These advances in Internet technology allow for the expansion of shopping options beyond traditional methods that may be more time consuming. Issues with having to physically gather information with offline shopping methods are alleviated, and customers are better able to efficiently use their time. For instance, instead of having to physically visit different stores to compare prices or rely on circular pamphlets in newspapers, a consumer is able to search and retrieve needed information through the Internet. The Internet explosion has opened the doors to a new electronic world. Consumers are now able to use the Internet for a variety of purposes such as research, communication, online banking, and even shopping. With such advantages, the Internet is rapidly becoming the main method of communication and of conducting business conveniently. With a growing number of households turning towards the Internet and the world of e-commerce to shop, invest, make payments, and do online banking, new technological advancement will have to come about to make these transactions secure. Electronic retailing or online shopping, is shopping on the internet without the consumer having to visit a physical store. With the increased use of the internet, the scope for the online shopping is growing. A In 2012, 9.6 million Australians aged over 15 years will make online shopping purchases, according to the latest research by PwC and Frost & Sullivan (2012). Over the next 12 months, 88% of online shoppers in Australia are expecting to maintain or increase their online expenditure, indicating that there is solid momentum in online shopping uptake. This continual rapid growth in Australia and offshore is driving structural changes in the traditional retail model. US online population will increase nearly 50%, from 1471.5 million in 2001 to 210.8 million by 2006 (Cumulative Annual Growth Rate of 8.2%) and online retail sales will grow from US$47.8 billion in 2002 to  $130.3 billion in 2006. Similarly WIPO (2007) cited that about 10% of the world’s population in 2002 wa s online, representing more than 605 million users. In India also the internet user base has grown to an impressive number from 87.1 million by December 2012 from 78.7 million users in October 2012, who accessed Internet through dongles and tablet PCs according to Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB (Dec 2012). According to them India is expected to have close to 165 million mobile Internet users by March 2015, up from 87.1 million in December 2012 as more people are accessing the web through mobile devices and dongles. Nearly 60% of online users in India visited a retail site in November 2011, with the number of online shoppers increasing 18% in the past year said com Score in a research report. According to the report on visitation to the top retail and coupon sites in India, coupon sites are rapidly gaining in popularity, with 16.5% of the Indian online population visiting the category in November, led by Snapdeal.com and Mydala.com. In November, 27.2 million online users in India, aged 15 and older, accessed the retail category from a home or work computer, an increase of 18% from the previous year, as consumers continue to turn to the web to shop for and purchase items and retailers continue to increase their online visibility through active marketing campaigns. (www.moneylife.in, Feb 28th, 2013). There are many advantages of doing online shopping like there is no geographical boundary-a consumer in Delhi can shop for something which an e-store in Punjab is offering, there is no time restrictions- the shopping is 24Ãâ€"7, the payment is online-there is no need to even handle the cash. Despite the advantages of online shopping all the consumers are not participating in online transaction. Many business firms are more and more businesses continue to establish an online presence, they are finding that some consumers are still reluctant to shift in that same direction. For various consumers there are still concerns with security and passing  personal data over the Internet. There is a disparity between the number of consumers who visit a site and the number of actual purchases being made. Despite the millions of people who use the Internet everyday and visit various shopping sites, the number of consumers who do not abandon their shopping carts but actually complete a purchase averages to only about three percent. This leaves a large portion of the Internet population as non-participants in online transactions as compared to those who fully complete transactions online and make purchases. Instead, these non-participants may abandon the purchase completely or fulfill the transaction in an offline setting. As such, it is important for online businesses or offline businesses interested in venturing into the online market to understand their consumers’ perceptions, online and offline, and what factors influence their shopping decisions. With better understanding of what factors play into consumer decision making in making transactions online or offline, retailers and businesses can be better gear themselves to serving their customers in either of the shopping venue s. 1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY To know the demographic profile of the customers and its impact if any on the online buying. To know the factors affecting the perception of Indian online buyers. CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW This part includes the Review of previous studies, articles and conceptual framework for the related studies. More analysis is not sufficient to present real framework of the study. So review of related materials should be deal with to give the research a clear vision, past study and knowledge provides foundation to the present day. Review of literature includes the following topics: 2.1 Conceptual Framework 2.2 Reviews from Previous Studies 2.1 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK As Internet usage is increasing, so is online shopping particularly in those countries whose Marketing infrastructures are well developed. Customers can shop at anytime and have access to products not available in their geographic region. Moreover, they are now able to access the Internet, not only from their personal computers, but also from advanced electronic devices such as Palm Pilots and mobile phones. The growth of Internet technology in India has enormous potential as it reduces the costs of product and service delivery and extends geographical boundaries in bringing buyers and sellers together. Also, due to an increase in high-speed Internet access connections, lower connection costs, and increasing consumer competence, e-commerce activity will continue to grow as the availability and ease with which the Internet provides consumers the ability to handle needed tasks increasingly develops. However, not all consumers are turning to the Internet for shopping. While the number of Internet users who have made a purchase at one time is more than half in the United States, this does not explain the disparity between the number of visits websites recorded and the number of actual purchases made online. This research mainly talks about the factors that affect the consumers’ online shopping behavior of consumer. It is not sure that all the people who visit websites do make online purchase. This will also focus on the point that what is the consumes perception towards online shopping and their intention to make purchase are not only affected by the ease of internet, usefulness and enjoyment but also affected by the also by exogenous factors like consumer traits, situational factors, product characteristics, previous online shopping experiences, and trust in online shopping. The other thing that the research will focus is that do the demographic factors make any influence on the online shopping. This research will focus  on the point that do these demographic factors like age, gender, income level etc really make any influence on the buying behavior of the consumers. Not only on the demographic factor that this research will focus on, will also try to find whether there is any relationship between the customers and the website quality. Do these online shopping websites quality make any influence on the buying intention of the buyers? 2.2 REVIEWS FROM PREVIOUS RESEARCH UPADHYAY.P AND KAUR J (2006),†Analysis of Online Shopping Behaviour of Customer in Kota City†. This study has focused on factors which online Indian buyers keep in mind while shopping online. The objective of the study was to create an awareness of e-commerce and make people interested in internet commerce. According to the study, they found that the most preferred product of online buying is travelling tickets and clothing remains the least preferred choice of online shoppers and most of the consumers who have experienced online shopping are very satisfied ZIA UL HAQ (2009) in her research on â€Å"Perception towards online shopping: an empirical study of Indian consumers† said that the perception of online shoppers is independent of their age and gender but not independent of their qualification & gender and income & gender. According to the researcher consumers’ perceptions of the customer service, commitment and web security of online purchasing exhibit significant relationships with their online buying intention. Web security was the major concerning factor to influence the online shopping. They have a fear that their important documents passwords can be hacked due to online shopping, so the major concern of consumers is about the web security. She also says that Marketers need to realize that the online marketing environment affects the way consumers view and develop relationships. During her study she found that Indian consumers considered that their online purchasing will be influenced by good quality website. Thus it is believed that overall website quality does help in enhancing the consumers to buy online. Also commitment is the important factor that affects online buying and most of the consumers are concerned about on-time delivery of their products. The results of this study show  that there is a significant association between commitment and online shopping. CORPUS CHRISTI(2009) in his research on â€Å"The perception of consumer on online shopping† has provided some of glimpse about the consumers mind as what factors are perceived differently by consumers who prefer online shopping and those who prefer offline shopping. According to him there are five factors which that the two group consumers perceived differently. These factors are (1) perceived risk with online shopping, (2) past experience with online shopping, (3)perceived benefits of online shopping, (4) perceived ease of online shopping, and (5) perceived uncertainty of online shopping. Through these factors the business firms should be aware of their online consumers’ perception and of what preference for online and offline shopping avenues. Focusing on these factors the researcher thinks that the firms can don necessary work to attract and retain more and more customers. In his research after all the finding he says that Being aware of what perceptions drive consu mers to pick and prefer one avenue of shopping to another allows businesses to better cater to consumers, thus helping them attract and retain customers. RASTOGI.A.K (2010), â€Å"A study of Indian Online Consumers and their Buying Behaviour† made an attempt to study the buying behaviour of Indian online consumers in his research. According to his study about 44% students use Internet in India and overall 72% of young people access Internet on regular basis. The findings of the study shows that ratio of male consumers is very high in online shopping and most of the respondents pay in cash on delivery. This research shows that online shopping has very bright future in India. . Perception towards online shopping is getting better in India. With the use of internet, consumers can shop anywhere, anything and anytime with easy and safe payment options. Consumers can do comparison shopping between products, as well as, online stores. VAGGELIS SAPRIKIS, ADAMANTIA CHOULIARA AND MARO VLACHOPOULOU (2010) conducted the research on â€Å"Perceptions towards Online Shopping: Analyzing the Greek University Students’ Attitude† observed the significant differences between  the two groups of respondents that is online shopping adaptors and online shopping non adaptors. From their research they concluded that adopters had higher expectations from online shopping on issues relating to privacy policy and risk. Also they identified between adopters and non-adopters regarding their particular perceptions on advantages and problems of online shopping. MEHRDAD SALEHI(JAN 2012) in her study on â€Å"Consumer Buying Behavior towards Online Shopping Stores in Malaysia† has focused on nine independent variables namely appearance, quick loading, security, sitemap, validity, promotion, attractiveness, believability, and originality that influence the buying behavior on consumers while doing online shopping. During her research she found that first five factors influence consumers towards online shopping and security is the factor that contributes most towards online shopping. According to her the last four factors (promotion, attractiveness, believability, and originality) don’t significantly influence online shopping intention which indicate that advertisement doesn’t have an important effect on online shopping. Security and validity of website were the one that influences the online consumers. Also attractiveness had the minimum influence on online shopping intention. KANWAL GURLEEN( MAY 2012) in his study on â€Å"Consumer Buying Behavior towards Online Shopping, the case of punjab† stated that Price consciousness, Convenience and Variety, Easy Payment options and Challenges of Online Shopping are the four major factors that have significant influence on the perception of the online consumer toward online shopping. As that of the other researchers on this topic, he also found the same problem that the consumers are not able to trust the websites as they have to give their credit card details. Some of the websites the customers don’t feel trustworthy. Also the online purchases take a longer time in shipments and deliveries. The researcher found that the psychology of an Indian consumer is still the same of checking the product physically before purchasing it, which creates a mental hurdle for online shopping. DAHIYA RICHA (2012), from her research on â€Å"Impact of demographic factors of consumers on online shopping behavior: A study of consumers in India† found that gender impacts frequency of on-line shopping positively and Family Size impacts overall spend on on-line shopping. Her study somewhat suggested that Indian Consumers have perceived online shopping in a positive manner which suggest that online shopping in the country is growing. Despite this the frequency of online shopping is very less. She has also suggested the organizations that to formulate their plans and strategies in the country regarding the online shopping they must use relevant variables and factors which the research has identified. The organizations can prioritize the consumer implicit and explicit requirements in online shopping environment. The results can also be used by various organizations to identify their target customer segments. MOHAMMAD HOSSEIN MOSHREF JAVADI1,HOSSEIN REZAEI DOLATABADI1, MOJTABA NOURBAKHSH1, AMIR POURSAEEDI1& AHMAD REZA ASADOLLAHI (SEPTEMBER 10, 2012) conducted the research on,† An Analysis of Factors Affecting on Online Shopping Behavior of Consumers† where the examined the factors affecting on online shopping behavior of consumers. They created many hypothesis and these hypothesis testing indicated that financial risk and non-delivery risk has negative effect on the attitude towards online shopping behavior. Which suggest that e-retailers should make their websites safer and assure customers for the delivery of their products. According to them if there has been positive effect attitude toward online shopping on online shopping behavior of consumers it would indicate that considering attitude variables make a substantial contribution in online shopping. Also, subjective norms have positive effect on shopping behavior. This means the more people suggest e-buying to each other, the more this buying method will be popular among people. This makes necessary the use of word of mouth marketing for retailers. Domain specific innovativeness has positive effect on online shopping behavior. This means that marketing specialists should target this society in their marketing strategy formulation for better effectiveness of their marketing program. This means that marketing specialists should target this society in their marketing strategy formulation for better  effectiveness of their marketing program. CHAO CHAO CHUANG & DR. FU-LING HU (NOVEMBER, 2012) in their research on,† An empirical analysis of the relationship between website characteristics and consumer online buying behavior† concluded that the website security, website design, website reliability and website customer service are the four main factors which affect consumer perceptions of their online purchasing experiences. Online buyers have different viewpoints of these four factors. Website design has the highest rating score, followed by website customer service. Website reliability is ranked third, and the lowest is website security. Also they suggested that with online shopping, consumers can browse the entire product-assortment with competitive prices. In order to consolidate this advantage, E-retailers should choose more famous products or brands to market online. Branded products and services are usually thought by customers as having better qualities. They said that the online shopping company should induce the regular online buyers as they shop most frequently and they should make the desired products available and the purchase transaction easy and also obtain the competitive prices in order to retain their regular customers and increase their loyalty towards the company. As trial customers are interested in browsing on the website maybe they see online shopping as enjoyment and look for the potential entertainment arising from the online shopping experience. The purchase of goods may be incidental to the experience of Internet shopping. If trial online buyers initially have pleasing online shopping experience, they are more likely to continue subsequent shopping behavior: they will browse more, make more unplanned purchasing, and look for more stimulating products. In the face of severe competition and continually increasing customer expectations, e-commerce companies must understand how to identify, help and retain their profitable existing customers. E-retailer should emphasize the enjoyable aspect of online shopping in their promotions for trial online buyers and then create the competitive advantage. CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The data for the study was gathered through a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of two parts. The first part of the questionnaire included questions about their demographic profile like age, Education, income, living area and gender. The second part consisted of questions measuring all the variables which are used to measure the online shopping. All the questions were utilizing on a Likert scale ranging from 1= strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. Research Design has been classified into the following subsections: SAMPLE SIZE- Till the date of the submission of this interim report, about 100 questionnaires was distributed through e-mail and social networking sites SAMPLING PROCEDURE- The respondents were selected by the random sampling. DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE This _primary_ (first hand, or collected by the researcher, i.e., myself, in the present study) and data was used for the analysis. A questionnaire has been designed to collect the required information. The questionnaires were filled by the respondents through the internet (through emails and social networking sites). [A sample of the questionnaire is showcased in Annexure] ANALYSIS Descriptive statistical research technique has been used in the study and statistical packages like SPSS and Microsoft Excel have been used for the analysis. TOOLS USED: CHI -SQUARE TEST: A chi-square test is used when you want to see if there is  a relationship between two categorical variables. In SPSS, the chisq option is used on the statistics subcommand of the crosstabs command to obtain the test statistic and its associated p-value. FACTOR ANALYSIS: FACTOR ANALYSIS: Factor analysis attempts to identify underlying variables, or factors, that explain the pattern of correlations within a set of observed variables. Factor analysis is often used in data reduction to identify a small number of factors that explain most of the variance observed in a much larger number of manifest variables. Factor analysis can also be used to generate hypotheses regarding causal mechanisms or to screen variables for subsequent analysis

Letter to Newspaper Essay

Traditionally adult learners are students who are pursuing education in either, college (undergraduate or graduate degrees), vocational or occupational programs, continuing education or noncredit courses, correspondence courses and tutoring, as well as courses and other educational activities provided by employers, community groups, and other providers (â€Å"Adult Learner,† 2012). The average age of an adult learner is 25 years or older, it usually is a diverse group of people (â€Å"Adult Learner,† 2012). These adult learners can be an independent student, employed full time, a person with dependents, a person who as a result of a death or divorce, is now single and wishes to complete a degree program and a veteran of the United States military (â€Å"Adult Learner,† 2012). There also the lifelong learners who generally have additional responsibilities such as family, career, military, or community, and are seeking a degree or other educational offering to enha nce their professional and or personal lives (â€Å"Adult Learner,† 2012). Education is any formally structured learning activity in which there are an instructor and curriculum. According to Bringhamton University (2012), the largest and fastest expanding market segment for higher education is the adult learner. Universities and colleges need to adjust their infrastructure to attract better and serve adult learners. There is less high school graduates entering colleges versus the adult learner (â€Å"Demographics,† 2012). With less traditional aged students and more non-traditional or adult learners there will be less public support, political leverage, and legislative support to finance an educational system that is designed primarily to serve the needs of traditional aged students without considering the special needs of a more age diverse student body (â€Å"Demographics,† 2012). There is a push in Washington for more federal dollars in adult training. They believe the  return on investment (ROI) from adult education and training is posi tive as billions of dollars could be earned, saved, and pumped back into the struggling economy (Gonzalez, 2011). The argument at capital is that adult education actually saves governments money by reducing societal healthcare, public assistance, and incarceration costs. It also improves and expands the nation’s available pool of workers by helping motivated, but undereducated people get jobs (Gonzalez, 2011). The theory of adult learning is the assumptions about how adults learn. Emphasizes the value of the process of learning in adults (â€Å"Adult Learning Theory,† 2007). Malcom Knowles and American practitioner and theorist of adult education defined is as an art and science of helping adults learn (â€Å"Adult Learning Theory,† 2007). Knowles also defined six adult learning principles as adults are internally motivated and self-directed, adults bring life experiences and knowledge to learning experiences and are goal orientated. They also relevancy oriented and are practical learners who like to be respected when in the classroom (â€Å"Adult Learning Theory,† 20 07). As educators, we need to foster the adult learner’s internal motivation to learn. Develop a rapport with the adult learner, encourage them to ask questions and explore concepts. Some adult learners come with years of experience and knowledge, with this as an instructor or teacher we need to harvest this information and have them apply it to their new learning experiences. The need to for effective adult education over the past few years have increased. It is important we support adult learners. As with the increasing adult learning population, we are also increasing our nation’s available pool of workers. It is important that we invest in adult education as it nurture’s creativity, imagination and fulfilling lives. Investing in adult education is also important for families, communities and our country as a whole. Education is an important first step for some adult learners as it is a second chance in learning. Adult education is a great way for students that didn’t finish high school to get their high school diploma and continue on with their lives. Adult education is usually at night, so that the adults who attend it may still continue to go to work. This allows theses adults to continue to progress in their lives while adding more education to their resume and mind. References Becoming familiar with adult learning theory and the six principles of adult learning. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.qotfc.edu.au/resource/?page=65375 Gonzalez, J. (2011). Adult-education leaders visit capitol hill to push for more federal dollars. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Adult-Education-Leaders-Visit/127448/ The effects of changing demographics on higher education. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.binghamton.edu/cice/documents/NYSTAKeynotePPT.pdf Who is an adult learner? (2012). Retrieved from http://universitycollege.illinoisstate.edu/adult/who.shtml

Speculative Fiction Essays - Fiction, Literature, Culture

Speculative Fiction Essays - Fiction, Literature, Culture Speculative Fiction Fiction considered literary by nature, elements of fantasy and science fiction, focuses on issues of social change. Sub-genres: horror, dystopian, futuristic, utopia, apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic. Handmaid's Tale: futuristic, dystopian. Dystopian Fiction Undesirable place, nothing is perfect, plagued with disease and destruction and death. Psychoanalytical Criticism Freudian reading of the story, argues that secret unconscious desires and anxieties of the author or protagonist are represented in the writing. Handmaid's Tale: each of the characters acts as a mirror for Offred. Postmodernism Relies on conventions like: fragmentation (flashbacks), paradox, unreliable narrator, unrealistic/impossible plot, games, paradox, paranoia, dark humor (historical note), authorial self-reference (historical note). Absolute meanings are rejected and the possibility of multiple meanings or a lack of meaning within a work is highlighted and celebrated. Ecocriticism Looks at events/aspects/factors concerning the relationships between living organisms in their natural environment as well as their relationships with that environment. Feminist Criticism How women are represented in literature. Informed by feminist theory, or, more broadly, by the politics of feminism. It uses feminist principles and ideology to critique the language of literature. It seeks to analyze and describe the ways in which literature portrays the narrative of male domination by exploring the economic, social, political, and psychological forces embedded within literature.

The Digital Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 56

The Digital Age - Essay Example The development of email has profoundly changed modern cultures. As recently as twenty years ago the only means of communicating with other people over great distances was through time-consuming letter writing, or expensive long distance phone calls. The advent of email has greatly shortened means of communication, allowing people to remain in contact with each other for virtually no cost overextended differences. Another major contribution to modern culture is text messaging. While text messaging does not have perhaps the large-scale implications as email, it has contributed to modern culture through allowing a less formal means of communicating. Furthermore, in developing regions where the full-scale Internet is unavailable, it has allowed farmers or laborers to receive much needed daily information and entertainment. A final significant change to modern culture has emerged through social networking. Social networking has affected modern culture by allowing individuals to remain in contact with people they otherwise would never hear from. Similarly, it has allowed people to seek out diverse groups of people with similar interests. In conclusion, this essay has examined the effects of email, texting, and social networking on modern cultures. It’s demonstrated these elements have had a significant impact on modern culture through allowing individuals new forms of communication, and breaking previous barriers to establishing relationships. While many of these technologies are viewed as a sort of past-time.

Monitoring pain response in DBS patients Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Monitoring pain response in DBS patients - Essay Example As a result, researchers have presented several studies to determine and explain the DBS mechanism in a way that people could understand. High-frequency stimulation is the method used to minimize the tremors and seizures (Kim 2013). DBS is believed to trigger the release of neurochemical by the application of high frequency stimulation. DBS is beneficial in this filled because it helps in relief and management of pain in patients with movement disorders. However, it also presents several challenges that threaten its effective application, for example, recent and future changes in technology, attitude, as well as health risks such as brain bleeding, stroke among others (Kim 2013). This paper seeks to explore this topic by looking at literature review if the issue, recent developments and its benefits in the area of biomedical engineering. Introduction DBS is a surgical treatment whereby a neurostimulator device delivers minute electrical signals to the parts of the brain that controls movement. This occurs in three parts; first, a thin insulated wire referred to as electrode is placed into the brain. Second, a neurostimulator (pace-maker like device) is placed under the skin near the collarbone or may be placed somewhere else in the body. Lastly, an extension in the form of another thin, insulated wire connects the electrode to the neurostimulator. DBS was discovered in 1980s to relieve tremor using high frequency stimulation of certain parts of the brain. As a result, DBS replaced the traditional ablative procedures by emerging as the surgical treatment option for movement disorders such as tremors, Parkinson’s disease, tics and dystonia. The DBS system can be activated and deactivated by putting a magnet in the area of the chest with the IPG or neurostimulator. This has a small battery of a lifespan of five years, which produces the electrical pulses required for stimulation (Patterson, et al. 2007). Unlike in the traditional ablative procedures, the st imulating electrodes in DBS, which includes voltage, pulse width and frequency of stimulation, can be customized and adjusted to an individual’s needs. Further, there is rare occurrence of potential risks such as infection, stroke or hemorrhage. If side effects occur, they are reversible and include swallowing and speech difficulties, weakness, and abnormal sensations. DBS was principally used for treatment of movement disorders associated with Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor, but it has since been applied to certain nonmotor conditions and other types of movement disorders. The main goal of DBS is to relieve pain or restore function by stimulating neural activity by use of surgically implanted electrode. Literature Review Mechanism of Action Since its introduction, DBS continues to be effective in reducing dyskinesias, improving motor function and reducing symptom fluctuations brought by on-off medication effects especially in the case of Parkinson’s d isease (Maruo, et al. 2011). Success in DBS treatment depends on precise neutral targeting, careful selection of patients, and extensive individualized programming. The bottom-line is that DBS does not treat the disorders completely, but it helps in managing pain and reducing severe symptoms in Parkinson’s disease such as rigidity, tremor, slow movements, stiffness and walking problems (Burns, et al. 2007). DBS surgery has been successful in treating neuropathic pain, but the

The Everyday Sociologist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Everyday Sociologist - Essay Example We attach ourselves to groups, we form partnerships and relationships, and we conform when necessary and violate the norms when the norms don't fit. We work to fit into a society and work to make society fit our needs. We struggle and we accommodate, as we become better sociologists in our efforts to cope with our everyday sociology. As I put on my clothes in the morning, it may be viewed as selecting the correct uniform. I want to assure that my clothes are appropriate for the day's activities. I want to belong to the group that I will spend the day with and clothing is a first impression that can include or exclude me from the group. This isn't a judgment I make based on any scientific research. It comes from the experience I have. Since I'll be working in the office today, I want to be sure to wear something conservative. I want to let my coworkers know that I am a part of the business community and not a maverick or a rebel. My heart may not be totally into the job of customer service representative, but my clothes will say otherwise. I will conform to the accepted dress code and in doing so, I will portray a sense of confidence and instill a sense of belonging. Yet, as King states, "Repression and unhappiness springing from conformity and suburban life are conveyed by ''gray flannel suit''" (King 3). I am c onflicted by the desire to belong and the steps I need to compromise to become a member. In my job as a customer service representative, I am required to interact with several groups. As groups, each one has its own definition of acceptable behavior. The informal language I use with my co-workers may not be acceptable in a meeting. The group of coworkers makes their own rules and folkways, but is always aware of the need to stay within company guidelines. The strict rules that govern our interaction with customers are formal norms, complete with written instructions and penalties for violations. Yet, the behavior we exhibit in all these different settings and groups comes naturally and is quickly learned. As Eliasoph and Lichterman observed, "Everyday experience makes the concept of group style intuitively plausible". The group sets the norms and as part of the group the norms are learned. When I was hired at this job, I was apprehensive due to my age. I expected that being an older person, the business world might want younger and more energetic workers. I anticipated age discrimination during my interview and was prepared to hear excuses and rejections. However, I was not prepared for the institutional discrimination I was met with at one company. While applying for a job as a telephone representative, the company informed me of their policy that employees need to be able to lift 50 pounds. The job description did not require any lifting, but the company had systematically eliminated a large portion of its available labor pool. Older people were disqualified, as were many females and handicapped persons. I did however, finally land a job with a good and more socially aware company. During my first week of training, I was surprised to see that the company hired almost exclusively women. I wondered if the company was practicing gender bias, or was it merely my selection of working in a natural gender specific occupation. It required a pleasant