The westernmost point of land, according to the path of the International Date Line, is Attu Island, Alaska. This will be the last place to celebrate the coming of 2011
The easternmost point of land, according to the path of the International Date Line is Caroline Island, Kiribati, in the south pacific. This is the first place on earth to celebrate the passing of 2010.
October 15, 2007 from PSY Blog
A classic 1959 social psychology experiment demonstrates how and why we lie to ourselves. Understanding this experiment sheds a brilliant light on the dark world of our inner motivations.
The ground-breaking social psychological experiment of Festinger and Carlsmith (1959) provides a central insight into the stories we tell ourselves about why we think and behave the way we do. The experiment is filled with ingenious deception so the best way to understand it is to imagine you are taking part. So sit back, relax and travel back. The time is 1959 and you are an undergraduate student at Stanford University…
As part of your course you agree to take part in an experiment on ‘measures of performance’. You are told the experiment will take two hours. As you are required to act as an experimental subject for a certain number of hours in a year – this will be two more of them out of the way.
Little do you know, the experiment will actually become a classic in social psychology. And what will seem to you like accidents by the experimenters are all part of a carefully controlled deception. For now though, you are innocent.
What you’ve just experienced is the power of cognitive dissonance. Social psychologists studying cognitive dissonance are interested in the way we deal with two thoughts that contradict each other – and how we deal with this contradiction.
In this case: you thought the task was boring to start off with then you were paid to tell someone else the task was interesting. But, you’re not the kind of person to casually go around lying to people. So how can you resolve your view of yourself as an honest person with lying to the next participant? The amount of money you were paid hardly salves your conscience – it was nice but not that nice.
Your mind resolves this conundrum by deciding that actually the study was pretty interesting after all. You are helped to this conclusion by the experimenter who tells you other people also thought the study was pretty interesting.
Your friend, meanwhile, has no need of these mental machinations. She merely thinks to herself: I’ve been paid $20 to lie, that’s a small fortune for a student like me, and more than justifies my fibbing. The task was boring and still is boring whatever the experimenter tells me.
Since this experiment numerous studies of cognitive dissonance have been carried out and the effect is well-established. Its beauty is that it explains so many of our everyday behaviours. Here are some examples provided by Morton Hunt in his classic work ‘The Story of Psychology
Once you start to think about it, the list of situations in which people resolve cognitive dissonance through rationalisations becomes ever longer and longer. If you’re honest with yourself, I’m sure you can think of many times when you’ve done it yourself. I know I can.
Being aware of this can help us avoid falling foul of the most dangerous consequences of cognitive dissonance: believing our own lies.
You can read Festinger and Carlsmith’s entire report at Classics in the History of Psychology.
The term arthritis literally means joint inflammation and has been generalized to include inflammations of the joints themselves as well as their surrounding structures. There are at least 25 different diseases that come under the heading of arthritis, including the various forms of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gouty arthritis, and septic arthritis. Inflammations of the bursa and tendons around joints are called bursitis and tendinitis.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), probably the most debilitating form of arthritis comes in juvenile and adult varieties and may be either general or specific. RA is a systemic disease of joint connective tissue, which results in inflammation to the joint, accompanied by pain, swelling, and loss of function. In the first stage of RA the synovial membrane becomes inflamed. Synovial fibroblasts respond with the random production of collagen, which interferes with the process of synovial fluid replacement, which results in the pain and tenderness associated with increased synovial pressure. In the second stage, connective tissue production spreads to articular surfaces, covering the articular cartilage with a layer of tissue called the pannus. The pannus interferes with the nutrient supply to the cartilage, and the cartilage degenerates. In the third stage, with the destruction of articular cartilage, a connective tissue bridge is formed from bone to bone. Eventually the bridge becomes ossified and the bones of the joint are fused.
Osteoarthritis is a condition in which the articular cartilage degenerates to the point where parts of the articular surfaces of the bone become directly exposed to the joint cavity. Osteoblasts along the surface of the bone respond by manufacturing more osseous tissue at the site, which leads to the formation of bone spurs. The spurs interfere with movement of the joint, are painful, and in some cases break off into the synovial cavity.
Gouty arthritis is a condition in which uric acid combines with sodium to produce sodium urate crystals, which find their way to various connective tissue sites including the outer ears and the joints of the distal extremities (hands and feet). The crystals interfere with the movement of the joints and eventually destroy the tissues. Gout can be treated both chemically and dietetically with success. Injections of colchicine reduce the occurrence of the crystals, and reducing the intake of high-purine foods reduces the production of uric acid.
Septic arthritis is an infection of a synovial joint. It may be bacterial, viral, or fungal in origin. The pyogenic (bacterial) form may be caused by staphylococci, streptococci, pneumococci, or other bacteria and is most common in cases of intravenous drug use.
Bursitis is an acute or chronic inflammation of bursae.
Tendinitis is an inflammation of tendon sheaths and synovial membranes.
A dislocation, or luxation, is a displacement of a bone from its joint. A subluxation is a partial dislocation.
A sprain is the forcible twisting of a joint with partial rupture of its ligaments, without dislocating.
A strain is the stretching or tearing of a muscle or tendon.
Movement
Any of various inherited antigens found on the surface of red blood cells that determine a blood grouping reaction with a specific antiserum. There are at least 26 different blood antigens, with blood types and Rh factor being the most dominant.
1. Erythrocytes contain proteins known as agglutinogens, and plasma contains proteins known as agglutinins. If agglutinogens and agglutinins are of opposing types they cause the red blood cells to agglutinate. Only donor agglutinogens can be considered for transfusions.
A. Type O contains no agglutinogens and is therefore the universal donor.
B. Type A contains A agglutinogens, so it can receive from A and O types and donate to A and AB.
C. Type B contains B agglutinogens so, it can receive from B and O types and donate to B and AB.
D. Type AB contains both A and B agglutinogens and is therefore the universal recipient.
Rh blood refers to a grouping system that looks at the 5 main Rhesus antigens, with an emphasis on Antigen D. Individuals either have, or do not have, the Rhesus factor (or Rh D antigen) on the surface of their red blood cells. This is usually indicated by RhD + (does have the RhD antigen) or RhD – (does not have the antigen). General this is then put on as a suffix to the ABO blood type, (A+). Unlike the ABO antigens, the only ways antibodies are developed against the Rh factor are through placental sensitization or transfusion. If a person who is RhD-negative has never been exposed to the RhD antigen, they do not possess the RhD antibody.
There may be prenatal danger to the fetus when a pregnant woman is Rh- and the biological father is Rh+.
Mission Statement
The College of Lake County is a comprehensive community
college that delivers high quality, accessible learning
opportunities to advance student success and strengthen the
diverse communities we serve.
Vision Statement
The College of Lake County strives to be an innovative
educational institution offering exceptional learning
experiences and to be widely recognized for student success,
business and community partnerships and for the
achievements of faculty, staff and alumni.
The aspiration that guides ASIS is to create a safe, supportive, and evocative learning environment, while celebrating the diversity, uniqueness, and beauty of each individual being’s body, mind, and soul.
The one with its own satellite, the ones that made you, and the Mama of them all. by Jocelyn Rice
From the April 2010 issue; DISCOVER
1 Viruses are not alive: They do not have cells, they cannot turn food into energy, and without a host they are just inert packets of chemicals.
2 Viruses are not exactly dead, either: They have genes, they reproduce, and they evolve through natural selection.
3 Scientists have been debating this issue since 1892, when Dmitry Ivanovsky, a Russian microbiologist, reported that an infection in tobacco plants spreads via something smaller than a bacterium. That something, now called the tobacco mosaic virus, appears on this page (magnified and colorized).
4 Score one for Team Nonliving: After American biochemist Wendell Stanley purified the tobacco mosaic virus into needlelike crystals of protein, he won a 1946 Nobel Prize—awarded in chemistry, not medicine.
5 Score one for Team Living: Some viruses sneak DNA into a bacterium through its, um, sex appendage, a long tube known as a pilus. If that’s not life, what is?
6 Virus comes from the Latin word for “poison” or “slimy liquid,” an apt descriptor for the bug that causes flu and the common cold.
7 In 1992 scientists tracking a pneumonia outbreak in England found a massive new kind of virus lurking within an amoeba inside a cooling tower. It was so large and complex, they initially assumed it was a bacterium.
8 That über-virus is now called Mimivirus, so named because it mimics bacteria and because French biologist Didier Raoult, who helped sequence its genome, fondly recalled his father telling the story of “Mimi the Amoeba.”
9 Mimivirus contains more than 900 genes, which encode proteins that all other viruses manage to do without. Its genome is twice as big as that of any other known virus and bigger than that of many bacteria.
10 Mamavirus, closely related to Mimivirus but even bigger, also turned up inside an amoeba in a Paris cooling tower. (Maybe somebody should clean those towers.)
11 Mamavirus is so big that it has its own dependent, a satellite virus named Sputnik.
12 Amoebas turn out to be great places to seek out new viruses. They like to swallow big things and so serve as a kind of mixing bowl where viruses and bacteria can swap genes.
13 Viruses are already known to infect animals, plants, fungi, protozoa, archaea, and bacteria. Sputnik and Mamavirus suggest that they can infect other viruses, too.
14 In fact, scratch the whole concept of “us versus them.” Half of all human DNA originally came from viruses, which infected and embedded themselves in our ancestors’ egg and sperm cells.
15 Most of those embedded viruses are now extinct, but in 2005 French researchers applied for permission to resurrect one of them. Some scientists objected, saying the resurrected virus could go on a rampage; the research ministry approved the project.
16 Apocalypse Not: The virus, dubbed Phoenix, was a dud.
17 Then again, other viral relics in our genomes may play a role in autoimmune diseases and certain cancers.
18 Some viral proteins do good. They may have kept your mother’s immune system from attacking you in utero, for instance.
19 A virus called HTLV, which has coevolved with humans for thousands of years, is being used to uncover prehistoric migration patterns. Its modern distribution suggests that Japanese sailors were the first people to reach the Americas, millennia before Siberians wandered across the Bering Strait.
20 We are family: Scientists suspect that a large DNA-based virus took up residence inside a bacterial cell more than a billion years ago to create the first cell nucleus. If so, then we are all descended from viruses.
For Massage and Science based CEU classes:This system may be seen strictly as a blood distribution network. The cardiovascular system includes the blood, heart, and blood vessels. The circulatory system includes: the pulmonary circulation, a “loop” through the lungs where blood is oxygenated; and the systemic circulation, a “loop” through the rest of the body to provide oxygenated blood. An average adult contains five to six quarts (roughly 4.7 to 5.7 liters) of blood, which consists of plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The digestive system works with the circulatory system to provide the nutrients the system needs to keep the heart pumping.
Two types of fluids move through the circulatory system: blood and lymph.
The blood, heart, and blood vessels form the cardiovascular system.
The lymph, lymph nodes, and lymph vessels form the lymphatic system.
The cardiovascular system and the lymphatic system collectively make up the circulatory system.
SWEDISH MASSAGE: The term “Swedish Massage” refers to a variety of techniques specifically designed to relax muscles by applying pressure to them against deeper muscles and bones, and rubbing in the same direction as the flow of blood returning to the heart. This form of massage was created at the turn of the century by Henry Peter Ling in Sweden. It involves the use of kneading, stroking, friction, tapping, and vibration and may provide relief from stiffness, numbness, pain, constipation, and other health problems. The main purpose of Swedish massage is to increase the oxygen flow in the blood and release toxins from the muscles. Other possible benefits include stimulation of circulation, an increase in muscle tone, and a balance of the musculo-skeletal systems. Swedish massage shortens recovery time from muscular strain by flushing the tissues of lactic acid, uric acid, and other metabolic wastes. It increases circulation without increasing heart load.
The usual sequence in which a swedish massage strokes are conducted are Effleurage, Petrissage, Friction, Vibration, Percussion, and finally passive and active movements (bending and stretching).
LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE MASSAGE: Lymphatic massage or lymph drainage massage is a technique used to help increase lymph flow. Increased lymph flow removes harmful substances from the tissues and increases immune function.
Lymphatic massage can be useful in cases of edema, sports injury or for people experiencing a sluggish immune system or those suffering from a lack of energy.
Structural Integration is a type of alternative medicine which aims to align the human body in the gravitational field. The intent of this work is the increased use of balance at finer levels of the neuro-fascial-musculo-skeletal system allows for increased general well-being and physical adaptability and resilience as well as reducing biomechanically caused pain.
Structural Integration practitioners are trained in the application of functional biomechanical and kinesiological analysis and in what they believe are effective ways of changing a client’s structure. Often connective tissue (specifically fascia) is manipulated to allow body segments to shift to a more balanced position. Re-education, through deep tissue massage, of the client’s movement patterns and other modalities are commonly used in the belief that they can achieve or support the goal of improved alignment.
First developed as a separate field by Dr. Ida P. Rolf, Structural Integration, from the 1930s, evolved out of a number of sources including osteopathy, (including cranial osteopathy), yoga, Feldenkrais. The focus of this work is based upon the premise that for the body to function properly its structure must first be secure so that it can use gravity for support, and that each segment of the body should relate properly to each other. Structural Integration focuses on the connective tissue matrix of the body in order to bring all the parts of the body into balance.
An effective human being is a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Ida P. Rolf
Structural Integrators use a multi-session approach in which specific strategies are developed to guide each individual into optimal balance. By the 1950s Rolf was teaching Postural Release. In the 1960s Dr. Rolf called her work Structural Integration and, since then, many schools teaching Structural Integration have formed such as the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration, the Guild for Structural Integration, Hellerwork Structural Integration, and Kinesis Myofascial Integration.
Movement
The beauty of Life
You may be talking and I may be listening, but our brains look strikingly similar.
That’s the conclusion of a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . After conducting brain scans of a woman telling a story off the cuff and then of 11 people listening to a recording of her, researchers Greg Stephens and Uri Hasson say they found that the same parts of the brains showed activation at the same time, suggesting a deep connection between talker and listener.
Graduate student Lauren Silbert was the team’s storytelling guinea pig. She recounted tales of high school, like deciding whom to take to prom, while undergoing an fMRI scan.
As Silbert spoke about her prom experience, the same areas lit up in her brain as in the brains of her listeners. In most brain regions, the activation pattern in the listeners’ brains came a few seconds after that seen in Silbert’s brain. But a few brain areas, including one in the frontal lobe, actually lit up before Silbert’s, perhaps representing listeners’ anticipating what she was going to say next, the team says….
The findings leave neuroscientists with a host of directions in which they could go. Hasson says his team’s next step is to go beyond one talker and a bunch of listeners and actually study people engaged in dialogue.
Happy Holidays to all! I hope you share great stories with loved ones this holiday season.
Hematology, is the branch of physiology, & pathology, that is concerned with the study of blood, the blood-forming organs, and blood diseases. Approximately 8% of the body’s weight is made up of this viscous fluid called blood. It is somewhat thicker and stickier than water and flows at a slower rate. It is slightly alkaline (pH – 7.35 to 7.45), salty (0.85 to 0.90% NaCl), and maintains an average temperature of 100 degrees F.
Principal functions of blood include transportation of various nutrients and waste materials; regulation of body temperature, pH, and fluid balance; and protection against various microbes and toxic substances.
Blood is composed of formed elements (45%) and plasma (55%). Formed elements include erythrocytes (red blood cells), leukocytes (white blood cells), and thrombocytes (platelets). Plasma is the liquid part of blood and consists of water and various dissolved substances.
Hemopoiesis is the formation of blood, and takes place both in the myeloid tissue of red bone marrow and in lymphoid tissue of the spleen, tonsils, and lymph nodes. Erythrocytes, granular leukocytes, and thrombocytes are produced only in myeloid tissue. Agranular leukocytes are produced in both myeloid and lymphoid tissue.
Erythrocytes are shaped like discs with depressions on either side and take on a characteristic red color because of the presence of hemoglobin molecules. Because they are unable to change shape, erythrocytes are unable to leave the circulatory system and are found outside blood vessels only in pathological conditions. They lack nuclei and are unable to reproduce. Hemoglobin is a combination of an iron-containing pigment (heme) and the protein globin. The iron in the pigment picks up oxygen in areas of high concentration and releases it in areas of low concentration. Globin is capable of picking up carbon dioxide but most carbon dioxide combines with water to be transported in the form of bicarbonate ions.
The normal lifespan of erythrocytes is anywhere from 90 to 120 days. The quantity of red blood cells remain fairly constant, as the rate of production is usual approximately equal to the rate of destruction. Worn out cells are taken apart in the liver where toxic substances like bilirubin are removed and other materials recycled. Iron and amino acids for hemoglobin and vitamin B12 are essential for the production of erythrocytes. A lack of any of these can result in an oxygen deficiency to the tissues called anemia.
Plasma is the liquid part of blood, and is about 92% water and 8% solute.
