The Nature, Transmission, Prevention, And Treatment Of The HIV/AIDS Es

The Nature, Transmission, Prevention, and Treatment of the HIV/AIDS The Nature, Transmission, Prevention, and Treatment of the HIV/AIDS Arthur Ashe is an admirable and well known American tennis player who won many championships. He became the first African American male to win the men's Wimbledon title in 1975. Also, he was on the United States Davis Cup team from 1963 until 1984. Some of his other major accomplishments include helping to form what is now the Association of Tennis Professionals and winning the Australian Open, the United States Open, and the French Open. Ashe lived a wonderful and successful life: however, in 1983, disaster struck! Ashe acquired an incurable disease through a tainted blood transfusion. This disease killed him in 1993. What is this incurable disease that still haunts the lives of so many people? This is a disease known as AIDS. AIDS is a fatal disease without a cure and a disease that responds to little treatment. How can the spread of AIDS be stopped? This paper will discuss the nature of the AIDS virus, the transmission and the prevention of transmission, as well as the available treatments for people with this disease. First of all, AIDS is an acronym for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS is acquired which means that it is not passed down from generation to generation through a person's genes. AIDS is a disease that attacks the immune system, a system in the body that produces white blood cells in order to fight off diseases. This disease causes the immune system to be deficient, or weakened, so that it cannot properly fight off diseases. AIDS is a syndrome, or a group of illnesses with many possible symptoms that can occur together in a weakened condition. AIDS is a pandemic, meaning that it can be found on all continents. The disease was discovered in 1983, by a French cancer specialist, Luc Montagnier, along with other scientists, at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. However, there were AIDS cases reported as early as the 1950's. "The 80s will go down as the decade that AIDS began. We want to know, - Why" (Bevan 27)? One of the reasons is the promiscuity of sexually active people during the 1980s and the sharing of intravenous hypodermic needles and syringes by drug users. Secondly, AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. This virus attacks the antibodies in a person's immune system, thereby disabling that system. HIV works in an unusual way because it uses the immune system to its advantage. Viruses cannot live unless they are inside of a living cell called a host. The virus uses the host cell to reproduce themselves, causing the cell to die in the process. The new virii are then set free. The HIV virus attacks T4 lymphocytes, which are a special type of white blood cell. These cells are the body's method of defense. Without them, humans are susceptible to disease and infection. It is not HIV that kills people, but the opportunistic infections people get because of a weakened immune system. Bevan characterizes HIV by saying, "It's the sneakiest virus of all. It goes for the crucial link in the immune system, the cells at the heart of the fightback effort" (Bevan 24). This is why HIV is so dangerous. Being HIV positive does not mean that a person has full-blown AIDS, and not everyone who gets HIV develops full-blown AIDS. When one fully develops AIDS, the signs and symptoms become more evident. These symptoms include: "a failing immune system, persistent swollen lymph nodes and opportunistic infections" (Stine 114). A common example of a skin disorder caused by AIDS is Kaposi's sarcoma. That is, "a multifocal, spreading cancer of connective tissue, principally involving the skin; it usually begins on the toes or the feet as reddish blue or brownish soft nodules and tumors" (Stine 442). Lymph nodes are gland-like forms that help stop the spread of infection. When they become persistently swollen, one can develop lymphadenopathy syndrome or LAS. This condition can bring on mild symptoms of fever and weight loss. Other signs of full-blown AIDS include oral lesions such as thrush and hairy leukoplakia. People may also develop kidney disorders and gastrointestinal diseases like severe diarrhea that can cause weight loss. Since AIDS is such a serious incurable disease, it is important to know how the disease is transmitted. One method of transmission is via bodily fluids by having sex. This includes all forms of sex: vaginal sex, anal sex, and oral sex. The transmission also occurs in many other sexual activities. The human immunodeficiency virus can

Who essays

Who essays Whos Bad?, a line of a popular Michael Jackson classic, has conjured up a new meaning of bad since the pop star was accused of child molestation in December of 1993. With the influence of the media, the American people answered Jacksons question, but some of the responses were not what Michael Jackson had in mind when he released the song Bad in 1987. Sure, all the answers were You Michael, youre bad, but the explanations were not centered around his unique style but more focused on the shocking allegations of child sexual abuse. Since the first day Jacksons charges were announced publicly, the media consistently covered every angle of this flaming hot story. Because people are skeptical about Michael Jacksons image as an overly sensitive and intimate performer who still embraces his childhood amusements, many writers are forced to form certain biases about Michael Jacksons child molestation case that will draw the attention of readers and help readers to eliminate any uncertain ties concerning their personal conviction of the artist. For decades, Michael Jackson has touched the hearts of many people through his innovative style of music. Because Jacksons image reflects a performer who is warm-hearted, loyal, and appreciative to his fans, some writers have chosen to cover the story with a positive, yet firm stand on Michaels innocence. Aldore Colliere, a writer for Jet magazine, obviously supports the pop legend. Collieres article, Michael Jackson Tries to Keep Career from Crumbling as He Fights Addiction to Painkiller Drugs and Charges of Child Molestation, differs greatly from the typical Michael Jackson coverage story. Colliere admits that the typical reporter speculates about why the superstar abruptly ended his world tour and accuses him of fleeing prosecution; however, Colliere focuses her article on the...

Assignment 7 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

7 - Assignment Example In this case, the society incorporates biased attitudes that favor men. For instance, organizations prefer to employ men than women, despite having the same qualifications. In addition, some employers affirm that men have a huge responsibility of taking care of family, thus will be devoted to work compared to women. Callister states that women ought to be given equal chances to work in organizations so as to enhance the Gross Domestic Product of a nation. This is because women who stay at home taking care of the young ones and conducting household do not contribute to the growth of the nation’s economy. Callister came up with a six year research, so as to improve the recruitment and progress of women in organizations. As a result, there was improvement in the recruitment and advancement of women between 2003 and 2009 at Utah State. Currently, most women are able to advance their studies, resulting to reduction in illiteracy and women unemployment rate (Eaton 2). In conclusion, the education sector in any given nation should be enhanced so as to give women the opportunity to attend school. In this case, the government should employ qualified teachers, construct many schools and subsidize education fees. More so, organizations should come up with codes of conducts that protect the rights of women such as sexual harassment from male colleagues. The sexual harassers should be punished by the organization or the government law

2 comprehensive papers topics are listed below Essay

2 comprehensive papers topics are listed below - Essay Example Unfortunately, there is an existing mind-set that educational research is not applicable to â€Å"real world† education, nor to teaching. However, as research is successfully applied in more and more educational settings, administrators and policy makers increase their appreciation for, and use of, research. To that end, teacher preparation programs, curriculum policies and teaching methods are now being consistently evaluated and modified through research. Although it is clear that research should and must be incorporated into teacher preparation, determining which type of research approach most appropriate and most beneficial for education is one of the major debates in the educational arena. Creswell (2002) argues that it is vital that the research methodology be chosen based upon the characteristics of the study, rather than any preconceived preferences by the researcher. Patton (1986) proposed that the purpose of the study should be the driving force in any research evaluation and therefore, be the primary factor considered by the researcher. Keeping both of these philosophies in mind, the researcher should then choose the research method based on the purpose of the study and the characteristics of the study. If this is not done, the research outcome will not yield the adequate data to support or refute what the researcher is trying to prove (Duignan, 2001). Further, the result of educational research becomes more valid and clear when the right type of research methodology is used (Creswell, 2002; Duignan, 2001; Patton, 1986) When the purpose of study has been established, the researcher must determine the appropriate research methodology for the study (Duignan, 2001). To best select the most appropriate research methodology, researchers need to understand the three widely-used methodologies: quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. In this paper, the three research approaches will be

Disability discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Disability discussion - Essay Example Both writers have directly or indirectly brought out the discrimination and inconsideration in the education system. The current education systems that have been put in place are meant for the normal students only. They systems are put up in order to instill discipline in students. But not all students can follow this rules and not because they are defiant but due to their disabilities, and instead of the system accepting them as they are, they are considered as defectors. Both writers express their views on how we can commendably and competently make the disabled children feel normal in spite of their conditions. In his book The Short Bus, Mooney expresses his views on the society in reference to the history of LD. He argues that, â€Å"The school environment was never questioned. The fact that many LD students were good leaners in alternative other environment was ignored,† (Mooney 46). Davis argues that industrialization is the cause of this kind of discrimination. His argument is that one is expected to perform and deliver efficiently not considering their race, nationality, religion or even medical condition (Davis). Thus the education system treats everyone as equals not providing room for the physically challenged. According to the ‘The Short Bus: How to curse in sign language’ Ashley was a young child who multiple human disorders that in the normal world most people would consider her as a burden and would feel pitiful that she existed in her condition. She was born of an alcoholic and anoxic mother thus giving birth to birth to a baby with a lot of complications. Ashley had a condition that made her developed tumors often (Mooney). This would have made it even more difficult to keep the child given that it meant more expenses in keeping her healthy. However Deborah loved Ashley and treated her like a normal child providing her with the motherly love that any child

Discussing Causes Of Climate Change An Environmental Sciences Essay

Discussing Causes Of Climate Change An Environmental Sciences Essay Climate has a great influence over our lives. All our normal routine actions are according to the climate we are living in. However the climate has been changing from past few decades, which in turn is changing our living patterns and thus, has made this world a more puzzled place to live in. In this essay the causes of climate change would be discussed, which are divided into two categories, either the climate is changing due to natural reasons or is forced to change by the human activities. Naturally, the climate change is said to occur because of various reasons, mainly because of volcanic eruptions, ocean current, the solar variations, the earths orbital change, and by many other natural reasons, which in turn produces various greenhouse gasses and in the end results into global warming. On the other hand, carbon emission done by humans is the greatest factor leading to global warming and then to climate change. Other activities like, chemicals used in agriculture, deforestation and other uses of energy in households also contribute in the greenhouse effect. Climate can be defined as the long term weather conditions for a region, generally determined by 30 or more years of records. On contrast weather can be defined as the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time. Moreover, the Green House effect is naturally in which certain atmospheric gases absorbs long wave radiation from the Earths surface which in the end results in heating the earths surface and the atmosphere. Hence global warming can be defined as the increase of Earths average temperature which in then results into climate change. (Glossary: Nasa). The Debate: There is no doubt about the fact that the Earths climate has become warmer over the twentieth century, however, there is still a dispute about whether the temperature increase is due to natural reasons or because of human activities. Two groups of UK scientists have recently investigated both types of effect. Mike Lockwood and colleagues at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) argue that the Suns magnetic field has doubled over the century, and that this natural force of solar system has affected the earths climate (Nature  399:437). On the other hand Simon Tett and colleagues from the UKs Meteorological Office in Reading and RAL argue that while solar forcing may have added to climate change, however, human activities have also been responsible for the temperature changes from many years (Nature  399:569). It has been stated that the Earths average global temperature has increased by 0.6 Kelvin in the past 100 years. Four main processes that can affect the Earths climate hav e been evaluated. Two of these are said to be small aerosol particles from volcanic eruptions and changes in solar luminosity. The other two, sulphate aerosols and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, are due to increasing industrialization, in particular the burning of forests and fossil fuels. Lockwood and colleagues found that the total magnetic flux leaving the Sun has risen by a factor of 1.4 since 1964. Their results could provide support for the theory that changes in the solar wind could contribute to  climate change. The solar wind and the Suns magnetic field are very well linked with each other. According to the theory charged particles in the solar wind would deflect high-energy cosmic rays that would otherwise have ionized the Earths lower atmosphere, leading to the formation of clouds. Since cloud cover determines the amount of solar radiation reflected by the Earth back into space, a more powerful solar wind implies less cloud cover which, in turn, suggests that the Earth would warm up. However, the paper by Tett and colleagues suggests that natural effects alone cannot account for the pattern of temperature change observed over the past 50 years. They used the HadCM2 computer model to predict the Earths global temperature during five overlapping 50-year periods (1906-56, 1916-1966,), and then compared the results with observations. The program models both the oceans and the atmosphere, and also allows for changes in greenhouse emissions, surface albedo (i.e. reflectivity), volcanic aerosols and solar irradiance. They ran the programmers with a number of different solar models, including one that matched the effects highlighted by Lockwood. The results were similar for all cases: it is not possible to distinguish between the contributions of human activity and natural variations to global warming in the first half of the century, but after 1946 increases in the concentration of man-made greenhouse gases and sulphate aerosols was the dominan t effect. (News: Physics World, 1999) Climate Change Human Activities the Cause, Mea Culpa! But Consider 1816, the Year Without Summer! The whole world seems to be getting involved with the facts of Global warming and Climate change. Nobel prizes were awarded to the UNs IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and Al Gore several years ago, followed by the Kyoto Protocol Climate Change Conference of 1997, and finally President Obama led leaders of 192 nations in agreement with its principles, promising heavy financial compensations to third world nations. Scientists have calculated that emissions of carbon dioxide by human activities amount to perhaps 30 billion tons per year because of various factors including fossil fuel burning, cement production, gas flaring, industrial operations and breathing etc. They also estimate that volcanic eruptions can on average emit about one-forty-five to two-fifty-five million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per year. This seems to specify that human activities may release perhaps 100 times the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by volcanoes, thus, this seems to be a realistic base for the universal concern, which is that human activities have a great negative impact on the climate of Earth. However, it seems like that nature itself is trying to make things worse as firstly admitting furor at Copenhagen by world leaders and President Obama in support of Global Warming then along came the coldest winter in recent decades. Then finally when Obamas EPA poised to levy severe pollutant restrictions and harsh financial penalties on American industry, a volcanic eruption in Iceland devastated the air-transport industry by closing down almost all flights over Europe for a week, which led to bankrupting major airlines, with absent bail-outs by governments. The major natural catastrophes: the recent eruption of Icelands Eyjafjallajokull volcano along with many other including Krakatau, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, or cyclical changing of atmosphere of ocean, should be enough to warn decision-makers about climate change effects. After experiencing the incident of the Iceland volcano eruption, other than man-kind activities in the reference to global warming and climate change seems warranted. The summer of 1816 is considered to be one of the coldest on record which is studied by many weather scientists. The year is known as the Year without a summer. It is also known as the Poverty Year, due to widespread destruction of crops. Severe climate oddity during the summer destroyed crops in Northern Europe, Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada, and average global temperature decrease was sufficient enough to cause many agricultural failures around the world. The most likely cause of the severe climate change seems therefore, to be the volcanic influences because greatly increased volcanic activity causes immense amounts of ash and dust to be blown and trapped high in the atmosphere, which in turn cause increased reflection of solar radiation (instead of absorption at the Earths surface), resulting in globally decreased te mperatures on Earth. Therefore human activities seem minor and insignificant relative to the power of Nature. (Kolom) How do we know that atmospheric build-up of green house gases is due to human activities? Four lines of evidence prove conclusively that the recent buildup of carbon dioxide take place largely from human activities. The nucleus of carbon atoms in carbon dioxide released by burning coal, oil, and natural gas (fossil fuels) vary in their characteristics from the nucleus of carbon atoms in carbon dioxide emitted under natural conditions. Tens of millions of years ago, coal, oil, and natural gas were formed, and the portion of their nucleus, that was once radioactive, has long ago changed to non- radioactive carbon. However the carbon dioxide released from natural sources on the Earths surface holds a measurable radioactive portion. As carbon dioxide has been emitted through fossil fuel combustion, the radioactive fraction of carbon in the atmosphere has decreased. Forty years ago scientists provided the first direct evidence that burning of fossil fuels was causing a buildup of carbon dioxide and thus reducing radioactive carbon in the atmosphere by measuring the decreasing portion of radioactive carbon-14 captured in tree rings, each year between 1800 and 1950. Moreover, scientists began making accurate measurements of the total amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in any countries by late 1950s. Their data show convincingly that the levels of carbon dioxide have increased each year worldwide and these increases are dependable with other estimates of the rise of carbon dioxide emissions due to human activity over this period. In 1980, third evidence was added that the ice buried below the surface of the Greenland and Antarctic ice caps contains bubbles of air trapped when the ice originally formed. These samples of fossil air have been retrieved by drilling deep into the ice. Measurements from the youngest and most shallow segments of the ice cores produced carbon dioxide awareness to those that were measured directly in the atmosphere at the time the ice formed. But the older parts of the cores show that carbon dioxide amounts were about 25% lo wer than today for the ten thousand years previous to the onset of industrialization. The final evidence comes from the geographic pattern of carbon dioxide measured in air. Observations show that there is slightly more carbon dioxide in the northern hemisphere than in the southern hemisphere. The difference arises because most of the human activities that produce carbon dioxide are in the north and it takes about a year for northern hemispheric emissions to circulate through the atmosphere and reach southern latitudes. (Programme, 1997) Discussion: The debate on climate change is as what really caused the climate to vary with time and which affected us adversely. Some say that climate is changed by natural factors like ocean currents or volcanoes while others deny this fact and try to prove the point that human activities have forced the climate to change. I support the second opinion, human activities indeed made the climate to change and result into global warming. The concentration of Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased from 290ppm in 1880 to 352ppm in 1989 which can be concluded as the 20% increase. This increase is almost certainly a result of human activities (Ruddiman,2003). There has been seen a sufficient increase in the emission of Greenhouse gases due to human activities. For example methane has an estimated rate of emission from human activity on the planet which is 375 million tons per year. For carbon dioxide, there is also an estimated rate of emission from human activity which is 7100 million tons per year. The anthropogenic emissions of these two gases are easier to estimate, because we know approximately how much oil, coal, and natural gas humans produce for consumption around the world each year. We also know approximately how much forest is burned and converted to agriculture each year. According to The state of the environment published in 1991 by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, human activities emit about 68 million tones of nitrogen oxides, 99 million tons of sulfur oxides, 177 million tons of carbon monoxide, and 57 million tones of particulates (dust). However, all these numbers are very approximate. On the o ther hand, sulfur oxides have been found to slightly counteract the greenhouse effect caused by other gases. Still, sulfur oxides are very harmful to the environment and are best known for causing acid rain. Carbon monoxide doesnt contribute to the greenhouse effect, but has significant effects on atmospheric chemistry. Dust is generally thought to cool the atmosphere close to Earths surface, but this effect depends on various factors, including the size and color of the dust particles. (Davis, 2004) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a scientific body set up by the UN to look at climate change. It says that human activity is the main cause of the changes seen in climate. Recent reports from the  IPCC have concluded that most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is  very likely  due to the observed increase in  anthropogenic greenhouse gas  concentrations. From new estimates of the combined anthropogenic  forcing  due to greenhouse gases,  aerosols, and  land surface changes, it is  extremely likely  that human activities have exerted a substantial net warming influence on climate since 1750. (Uk governements digital service: DirectGov) The most important factor for the climate change is the speeding up of greenhouse effect by manmade activities, which is usually known as Global Warming. Basically, the Greenhouse effect is naturally caused by the emissions of gases like nitrous oxide, carbon-dioxide, methane, ozone and water vapor.  However, anthropogenic activities like burning the fossil fuels and deforestation makes the greenhouse effect stronger. Which means more heat is trapped and the Earths climate begins to change unnaturally. The fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) are burned for various human activities mainly used for transportation, manufacturing, heating, cooling, electricity generation etc. this can be summed up after the industrial revolution, in 18th century, and more of the fossil fuels were being burned frequently. Therefore, manmade gases were being emitted into the atmosphere, mostly in the form of carbon dioxide emissions, from the burning activity. These gases speed up the greenhouse effect, forcing the climate to change. Another factor forced the climate to change and resulted into global warming is the act of deforestation.   Deforestation increases the amount of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere. Also, due to the disappearance of trees, photosynthesis cannot take place which lowers the oxygen level in the atmosphere. Deforestation is rampant today due to the increase in human civilization. The levels of deforestation have increased by about nine percent in recent times. Moreover, the burning of wood also causes it to decay, therefore releasing more carbon-dioxide into the atmosphere, and carbon-dioxide being the main culprit in global warming increases. Another man-made cause of the increase in the Green house effect due to the emission of such gases is the use of any electrical appliances. Even the refrigerator in the house emits gases which contribute to the Greenhouse effect. These gases are known as Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and are used in refrigerators, aerosol cans, and some foaming agents in the packaging industry, fire extinguisher chemicals and cleaners used in the electronic industry. Some processes of the cement manufacturing industries also act as a cause towards the Greenhouse effect.   Population growth also is an indirect contributor and one of the causes of the Greenhouse effect. With the increase in population, the needs and wants of the people increase. Therefore, this increases the manufacturing processes as well as the industry processes. This results in the increase of the release of industrial gases which catalyze the green house effect. The increase in population also results in the increase of agricultural processes. Most man-made machines, like the automobile also contribute to the green house effect. In one of the recent articles global warming has been linked with the recent natural disasters. As almost fourteen million people have been affected by the torrential rains in Pakistan,  making it a more serious humanitarian disaster than the South Asian tsunami and recent earthquakes in Kashmir and Haiti combined. The disaster was driven by a supercharged jet stream that has also caused floods in China and a prolonged heat wave in Russia. Which comes after flash floods in France and Eastern Europe killed more than 30 people over the summer. Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, vice-president of the body set up by the UN to monitor global warming, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said the dramatic weather patterns are consistent with changes in the climate caused by mankind. These are events which reproduce and intensify in a climate disturbed by greenhouse gas pollution, he said, Extreme events are one of the ways in which climatic changes become dramatically visible. Professor Andrew Watson, a climatologist at the University of East Anglia, which was at the centre of last years climate gate scandal, said the extreme events are fairly consistent with the IPCC reports and what 99 per cent of the scientists believe to be happening. Im quite sure that the increased frequency of these kinds of summers over the last few decades is linked to climate change, he said. (Gray) However , authors such as  Lean and Rind (1996)  believe that, although natural factors may be the reason for most temperature increase before the Industrial Revolution, the most likely cause of climate change since about 1850is the growing concentration of greenhouse gases as the net atmospheric temperature increase, or forcing is largely due to human (anthropogenic) activities .Interestingly, particulate emissions from volcanoes produce a net decrease in global temperatures, due to the reflective properties (albedo) of the sulfate aerosol particles formed in the stratosphere. (Bianchi, 2010) Conclusion: The earths climate is dynamic and always changing through a natural cycle but the anthropogenic activities make this cycle speed up unnaturally that create problems in the atmosphere as either the earth gets oddly warmer or the people have to face natural disasters. However if man has created all these problems, he should also try to make things better by finding practical solutions.

Psychology: Dreams And Dreaming :: essays research papers

Psychology: Dreams and Dreaming   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dreams, a nightly gift and a part of the natural process of being alive, are being rediscovered by our publisher. The meaning and value of your dreams will vary according to what you and your society decide. Our society is changing. We used to only value dreams in the context of psychotherapy. There are also a few assumptions about dreams. One is that you are always the final authority on what the dream means. Others can offer insight, suggestions and techniques for exploration and expression, but no one knows what the final meaning and value of the dreams will be for you, except you. Another assumption is that dreams come in the service of wholeness and health. If you find an interpretation that does not fit this, perhaps you need to change methods of interpretation. Dream interpretations that lead you toward self-criticism, depression or despair are simply wrong and if these conditions persist you may wish to seek help from others. Finally, there is no such thing as a dream with one meaning. If you feel stuck on one meaning or feel another person is pushing one meaning, it is time to reconsider your methods and approach. (Lemley p. 17).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clinical dream work is done within the context of psychotherapy and clinical and sleep research have different approaches and goals than peer dream work. (Koch-Sheras p.16).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A dream is a period of spontaneous brain activity usually lasting from about 5-40 minutes that occurs during sleep several times a night usually about 90 minute intervals (Barret p.8).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are also certain types of dreams. There are fantasy, daydream and waking dreams. There are also lucid dreams, nightmares and night terrors. There are also certain stages in the dream cycle. In the first stage, your body temperature drops, your eyes close and your brain waves begin regular alpha rhythms, indicating a relaxed state. Muscles lose their tension, breathing becomes more even and your heart rate slows. Second, random images begin to float through your mind mimicking the dream state. Jolting or involuntary movements will take place at this time. Third, muscles lose all tightness, breathing becomes slower, heart rate decreases and blood pressure falls. At this point, it will take a loud noise or disturbance to wake you up. You are now fully asleep. Finally, you are in a deep sleep. This is the most physically rested period of sleep and longest in duration. (Time-Life Books p. 97). Jubera 2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Whether awake or asleep, one of the brain's most critical functions is the construction of the model of the environment that we perceive as our