Effect of Music on Memory Retrieval

EFFECT OF MUSIC ON MEMORY RETRIEVAL THESIS STATEMENT: INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I. DEFINITION OF TERMS A. DICTIONARY DEFINITION B. OPERATIONAL DEFINITON II. WHAT IS MUSIC ON MEMORY RETRIEVAL. III. HOW CAN MUSIC AFFECT YOUR LIFE A. THEORIES OF FORGETTING B. MEMORY AND RELATED FINDINGS C. MUSIC AND RELATED STUDIES IV. HISTORY OF MUSIC V . ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE VI. EFFECT OF MUSIC ON MEMORY RETRIEVAL IN YOUR LIFE CONCLUSIONS BIBLIOGRAPHY ALIBASHER ABUBACAR IV-C MSU-ILS JANUARY 3, 2011 EFFECT OF MUSIC ON MEMORY RETRIEVAL Culture, past and present, varying wildly between times and places ENGLISH IV MS. SALMA M. MACARAMBON Dedication To Her who is able to keep me from falling and to present me before her glorious presence without fault and with great joy, to the only God our savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority through to almighty ALLAH our god, before all ages, now and forever. To my mother who loves me always and keeping me safe and to my father who supports me in doing this and to my sister and brothers who advice me always†¦ Acknowledgement I usually and gratefully acknowlegdes the invaluable assistance rendered by the following persons who in one way or another tremendously helped in the succesful completion of the term paper: Mrs. Salma M. Macarambon, teacher/adviser for her constructive pieces of advice, generous sharing of knowledge, her willingness, patience and wisdom in her teaching; To my friends BATMAN for their suggestion and vital assistance in conducting research and for being available on times of trials and computer services; To my family for their full supports on me in my study and who are always concerned; And above all, to the ALMIGHTY ALLAH who deserves all the glory, praises and thanksgiving. Introduction In the early to mid 20th Century, researchers began to extensively study memory. Since then, there have been tremendous advances in the knowledge of how the mind processes information. The brain is composed of a very complex system of neural networks that transfers information from one section to another. The study of these networks is an ongoing process, because there is still much to learn. From this research, many factors have been found that seem to affect memory. Included in these factors are attention, stress, emotion, music, and aging. This experiment will concentrate on how the factor of music effects memory. The memory is a mental system that receives, stores, organizes, alters and recovers information from sensory input. Sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory are the three basic types. Information first enters sensory memory, which holds an exact copy of the data for a few seconds. Short-term memory is the next step, and it holds small quantities of information for a brief period longer than sensory memory. Selective attention is utilized at this time to regulate what information is transferred to short-term memory. Unimportant information is removed permanently (Coon, 1997). Another name for short-term memory is working memory, which describes the thinking and problem solving aspects. Short-term memory, according to psychologist George Miller, can hold a â€Å"magic number† of seven (plus or minus two) bits of information. Bits are units of information such as numbers, phrases or words. Information is held in short-term memory by two types of rehearsal. Maintenance rehearsal refers to silently repeating or mentally reviewing information. Elaborative rehearsal connects the new information with existing information (Coon, 1997). Many areas of the brain are used to process information. However, the hippocampus is the section that transfers information into long-term memory. This type of memory contains all of the presorted important information in a relatively permanent and limitless storage. Long-term memory also organizes information for easy recovery (Coon, 1997). Music has an amazing power to influence man`s emotions and behavior. It has been found to affect and stimulate many different parts of the brain and body. Psychological study of music is based on this reason. Studies have found that music can reduce stress, aid relaxation, alleviate depression, and help store and recall information among other functions. William Congreve once stated that â€Å"music has the charms to soothe the savage beast†. Stress is reduced through music by decreasing the amount of the hormone cortisone released in the body. This can be applied to everyday life for stress relief (Music and Stress, 1998). Music therapy is a new intervention that uses â€Å"music and musical activities for the purposes of altering behavior and enhancing the everyday existence of people with various types of emotional disturbance†. People have been using forms of music therapy since the earliest recorded history. Egyptian priests spoke incantations that supposedly influenced women`s fertility. Hebrews and Greeks treated physical and mental illness with the playing of music. Zenocrates, Sarpander, and Arien, all of whom were Greeks, were the first to use music therapy as a regular practice. They employed harp music to ease the outbursts of people with mental illnesses (Shapiro, 1969). Nursing homes often hire music therapists. People are likely to feel depressed and grief-stricken when moved away from their homes and families into a facility for strangers to take care of them. Music therapy helps to relieve grief and improve emotional tones and feelings (Shapiro, 1969). Therapists can also help residents that suffer from Alzheimer`s and dementia, because studies have found that music can improve their memory. This improvement is partly due to the effect music has on increasing the release of certain hormones in the body (Music and Stress, 1998). Carruth (1997) conducted an experiment to find out if music would improve the face-name recognition of nursing home residents with Alzheimer`s. There was a music condition and a no music condition. During the music condition, a therapist sang and played a guitar to a familiar song. The subjects were allowed to join the therapist in singing. Afterwards, the subjects were given a face-name recognition test. The no music condition received the test in the same manner, except for the singing. Four of the seven participants had a higher mean percent of correct responses during the music condition that during the no music condition. A study conducted at the University of California, Irvine, showed that scores on memory tests of people with Alzheimer`s greatly improved when they listened to Mozart. They recalled shapes and patterns better, for example, than when they were not listening to Mozart (Music Therapy, 2001). At a British Psychological Society Conference in December of 2000, Elizabeth Valentine reported that music promotes memory better than either silence or background noise. Valentine and her colleague selected 23 subjects with dementia to be tested for recall after being exposed to four different types of noise. The four types were no noise, cafeteria noise, familiar music, and novel music. Recall was better with sound than with silence and better with music than with cafeteria noise (Larkin, 2001). As shown, many studies have found that music aids the storage and recall of information in the human memory. Based on the previous information, the following experiment will examine how music affects the recall of information from the short-term memory of college students. Chapter I Definition of Terms Learning – acquisition of any relatively permanent change in behavior as a result of practice or experience. The act of memorizing the 20 groups of 3-digit random numbers. Memory Retrieval – the act of locating information in memory for use. It is measured by the complete sequential 20 groups of 3 – digit random numbers correctly recalled. Independent Variable – intstrumental music being played while memorizing is done by the experimental group. Dependent Variable – the number of groups of 3 – digit random numbers recalled in the sequence during the retrieval process. Extraneous Variables – anything that operates in the experimental situation in addition to the independent variable. In this case were the noise brought about by teacher’s students coming in and out the experimental room, voices of people talking, and the noise inside the C. R. Music – soft instrumental music played by Kenny G in a saxophone where the tempo is slow, entitled, â€Å"Silhouette†, â€Å"Uncle Al,† â€Å"Going Home,† â€Å"Songbird† and â€Å"I’ll Never Leave You. † Intensity – volume is set at #3 on the volume scale. A. Dictionary Definition Webster dictionary defines â€Å"music† as the art or science of harmony of melody, musical score or composition. To make it clear, it is the art of organizing tones into meaningful patterns of sounds Bagar and Biancolli, 1974. Appreciation may then be possible which refers to the force in music which seeks to arouse in the person a love and even evoke musicality (Mursell, 1938) B. Operational Definition Music  is found in every known culture, past and present, varying wildly between times and places. Around 50,000 years ago, early modern humans began to disperse from Africa, reaching all the habitable continents. Since all people of the world, including the most isolated tribal groups, have a form of music, it may be concluded that music is likely to have been present in the ancestral population prior to the dispersal of humans around the world. Consequently music may have been in existence for at least 50,000 years and the first music may have been invented in Africa and then evolved to become a fundamental constituent of human life. A culture's music is influenced by all other aspects of that culture, including social and economic organization and experience, climate, and ccess to technology. The emotions and ideas that music expresses, the situations in which music is played and listened to, and the attitudes toward music players and composers all vary between regions and periods. â€Å"Music history† is the distinct subfield of  musicology  and history which studies music particularly  Western art music from a chronological perspective. Chapter II What is music on memory retr ieval? Musical memory  refers to the ability to remember music-related information, such as melodic content and other progressions of tones or pitches. The differences found between linguistic memory and musical memory have led researchers to theorize that musical memory is encoded differently from language and may constitute an independent part of the  phonological loop. The use of this term is problematic, however, since it implies input from a verbal system, whereas music is in principle nonverbal. The purpose of this experiment was to see if studying or testing with music affected scores on a memory test. There were four groups in this study. One group had music while studying and testing. Another had music while studying and no music while testing. The third group had no music while studying but music while testing, and the fourth group had no music during both. Each group consisted of approximately 30 freshman or sophomore level psychology students. The students were all given a memory test, which consisted of a list of 15 words and studied it for two minutes. The groups that had music while studying listened to the song â€Å"Sad Eyes† by Enrique Iglesias. After the two minutes were up, the word lists were collected. At the end of the class period, the test was administered. The group that tested with music listened to â€Å"Sad Eyes. † A between subjects factorial ANOVA was calculated comparing the memory test scores for subjects who had music during recall or studying. No significant results were found. Several factors, such as the type of test given and the music type, may have contributed to these insignificant results. What is Music? : Solving a Scientific Mystery is a book by Philip Dorrell which explains a new scientific theory about music: the super-stimulus theory. The main idea of the theory is that music is a super-stimulus for the perception of musicality, where musicality† is actually a perceived property of speech. â€Å"Musicality† refers to the property of music that determines how â€Å"good† it is, how strong an emotional effect it has, and how much we enjoy listening to it. The theory implies that ordinary speech also has this property, in a manner which may vary as a person speaks. The musicality of speech i s much more subtle than that of music, but it provides important information which the listener's brain processes without conscious awareness of the processing, in order to derive some information about the internal mental state of the speaker. This information is applied to modulate the listener's emotional response to speech, and this accounts for the emotional effect of music. What distinguishes the super-stimulus theory from all other serious attempts to explain music scientifically is that it starts from a simple assumption that music perception must be an information processing function, and this assumption results in quite specific explanations of how major aspects of music such as scales, regular beat and harmony are processed in the brain. It is the first theory to explain the perception of musical scales without a priori assuming the existence of musical scales. The theory has to do this, because it is a theory of music perception as an aspect of speech perception, and musical scales do not occur in normal speech. Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch which governs melody and harmony, rhythm and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation, dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. The word derives from Greek mousike; â€Å"art of the Muses†. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of music vary according to culture and social context. Music ranges from strictly organized compositions (and their recreation in performance), through improvisational music to aleatoric forms. Music can be divided into genres and subgenres, although the dividing lines and relationships between music genres are often subtle, sometimes open to individual interpretation, and occasionally controversial. Within â€Å"the arts†, music may be classified as a performing art, a fine art, and auditory art. There is also a strong connection between music and mathematics. To many people in many cultures, music is an important part of their way of life. Ancient Greek and Indian philosophers defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and vertically as harmonies. Common sayings such as â€Å"the harmony of the spheres† and â€Å"it is music to my ears† point to the notion that music is often ordered and pleasant to listen to. However, 20th-century composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music, saying, for example, â€Å"There is no noise, only sound. Musicologist Jean-Jacques Nattiez summarizes the relativist, post-modern viewpoint: â€Å"The border between music and noise is always culturally defined—which implies that, even within a single society, this border does not always pass through the same place; in short, there is rarely a consensus  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ By all accounts there is no single and intercultural universal concept defining what music might be. Chapter III How can music affect your life? A. Theories of Forgetting There are two theories of forgetting widely accepted. First is Disuse Theory which suggests that forgetting is due to gradual dissolution or disruption in time of neurophysiological correlates of whatever is learned. Conversely, retention is what is left Buxton, 1991. The other focuses on the learning process when interferences may arise, be it before, during, and after learning. Interference theory states the mechanics for forgetting : one memory is forgotten because another item interferes with the memory of it Edwards, 1972. And the first major kind of interference is Retroactive Inhibition (wrightsman et. al. , 1979). In here on the material learned earlier see table 2. 1. Table 1. Experimantal Design for Research on Retroactive Inhibition. Groups| Stage 1| Stage 2| Stage 3| Experimental| Learn A| Learn B| Recall A| Control| Learn A| Learn B| Recall A| Source: Wrightsam et. al. , 1979. The problem here is to determine for the experimental group whether learning material B retoactively inhibities the recall of material A. The control group must rest in stage 2. B. Music and Related Findings In a holistic view, educators found the importance of music to the child’s learning curriculum. In education, one encourages the child to use music as a means of expressing a feeling which is difficult to verbalize, simply because of the many values and satisfaction it has to offer. Music is another meaningful aspects of life to study. Musical experiences are worthwhile. All contribute to a child’s growth. They tell that it is, at the same time an art which is related to many areas of life Raebeck and Lawrence, 1972. Psychological characteristics of the child found to relate to musical experiences include a more logical thinking-reasoning, tendency towards exaggeration – memory, and interest in doing well. Music can serve a purpose. A prime example of this is that music is used to set mood, establish the character of a person in a play, express emotion quickly, and variety, interest and color to the program, and give opportunities for individual and group participation Raebeck and Lawrence, 1972. Music is mentally stimulating and challenging: it awakens one to a sense of form, order, rhythm, texture, and symbolism. Moreover, deep musical experience is characterized by an alert mind Dunningham, 1989. C. Memory and Related Studies Studies had been conducted like that of the Differential Effect of Success and Failure on Memory Retrieval Tambura, 1992, which exudes that learning is affected by some factors which are emotional in nature, that emotional experiences such as succes and failure have some effects on memory retrieval. Another is the effect of embarrassment on retention among MSU-College Students Derige, 1988. Her findings suggest that there are psychosocial aspects like embarrassment that have direct bearing on learning. Chapter IV History of music Classical music, as we use it on this site, basically includes thousands   of years of time. This area basically describes the history of classical music. When we speak of classical music, we are talking of the western influence. We aren't talking about the ancient eastern music of the asian continent. Classical music can be organized in a variety of ways. This section divides   music into six historical periods:  Medieval,  Renaissance,  Baroque,   Classical,  Romantic  and the  Contemporary. Each period is briefly described. and includes a list of important composers, some song files   provided by our generous sponsors, an option to buy some recordings,   and recommended recordings. Also, there is an organized layout which we used   to organize information on this site. We'd like to thank Classical Insites for   helping us acquire sound files and information of these periods. Most of the   information included in this site was from my notes after taking two years of   music theory in high school. To learn more about any of these time periods,   please contact a music theorist specializing in the specific time period   you would like to know about. Chapter V Advantages and Disadvantages Disadvantages-People who hate a genre of  music  and condemn other people for liking it. That's gotta be the lamest thing to me. Bashing other people's music. very one has been born with his brain blank he could work with his brain the way he likes but music activates the dou side in us as it draws lines and tracks for our mind and body to work on to make it closer to your brain imagine like u were free to move any where in the 360 degree of space but when u lestin to music u can only see the lines and tracks that music drew for you so every action u do is less performance and we feel that we need to listen to more music to have more lines to walk in even we had all the 360 degree for us from the start A major disadvantage of music in today's society is that a large majority of popular musicians are making and selling their music for no reason other than to make money. I'll define â€Å"popular† more clearly- almost anything on a top hits chart, a lot of music played on commercial radio, bands that have their name on walmart t-shirts, etc. There are of course always exceptions to this, but most of these bands and musicians don't make music because its a way of expressing yourself and communicating with others; they present themselves and their music because they want to make money. Giant record labels aren't signing bands because they think they're really talented and make great music, they're signing bands that will be easily marketed to an audience; bands that will sell the most Cd's downloads, t-shirts, and concert tickets. Luckily, for those of us who can not stand the top 40 hits that get played over and over and over on the radio, there exists independent musicians, bands, labels, radio stations, etc. Chapter VI Effect of music on memory retrieval in your life Memory is a mental system that receives, stores, organized, alters and recovers information from sensory input Coon, 1997. Research has shown memory to be affected by many different factors. One of these factors is music, which has been found to stimulate parts of the brain. Many studies have demonstrated that music enhances the memory of Alzheimer`s and dementia patients. Music has also been found to reduce stress, aid relaxation and alleviate depression. This experiment placed 60 subjects into three different conditions based on the independent variable of music. The three types of the independent variable were â€Å"The Seasons Spring Movement† by Haydn, Holier Than Thou by Metallica and white noise. Each group visually studied a picture for 30 seconds with their specific music or noise in the background. After 30 seconds the picture was taken away and the music or noise was turned off. The groups then filled out a questionnaire about their memories for the picture. There was not a significant interaction found between the type of music or noise played and memory recall. However, the white noise group made the least amount of memory errors while the Haydn group made the most. These results contrast a lot of the research on the effects of music on memory. Much research states that music, especially classical, enhances the storage and recall of memory. There were some limitations to this experiment. Noise outside of the testing area was not controlled for. Also, subjects may have talked to one another about the questionnaire while filling it out. Further research may explain why the results of this experiment contrast much of the published research on the effects of music on memory. Conclusions The study was designed to research whether there is an effect of music as an interference during the time of learning on memory retention. The research sample consisted to website and a book. It tooks a several months to finish this term paper. This topic chosen to me was not being easy to completed but still I strived hard to finished it. Actually, there are some times that I am being weak for this but for the help of my mother, father, sister, brothers and friends I achieved to finished it. Bibliography Atkinson, Rita L. , Atkinson, Richard C. , and Hilgard, Ernest R. Introduction to Psychology 8th ed. New York: Hardcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. , 1983. Bagar, Robert and Biacondilli, Louis. The Concert Companion: A Comprehensive Drive to Symphonic Music. London: Mc Graw Hill Book Company, Inc. 1974. Beauchamp, kenneth L. , Bruce, Richarcd L. , and Matheson, Douglas. Current Topics in Experimental Psychology, New York: Dell Publishing, 1985. Broadsky, Howard. The Art of Listening: Developing Musical Perceptions. Harper and Raw, 1970. Chaplin, Edward C. Dictionary of Psychology. 2nd ed. New York: Dell publishing, 1985.

Geomechanics Lab Report

Aim The main intention of this investigation was to determine the various stages of the Atterberg Limits. These included the liquid limit test (LL), plastic limit test (PL), plastic index test (PI) and linear shrinkage (LS) of a soil sample provided by the administration. This was then followed by a sieve analysis to determine the particle size distribution of another soil sample so that a suitable classification in both situations could be made in accordance with the Australian Standards AS1726 – 1993. Procedure (Sample preperation)On commencement of the experiment, each group was provided with two parts of 500grams of soil retrieved from the field and then oven dried by the experiment supervisor. One part of the soil sample was coarse grain gravel for the particle size distribution chart and sieve analysis, whilst the remaining 500 grams of soil was of fine grained fraction. * Preparation of Coarse Grained Fraction During this procedure the mass of 500grams of soil was recor ded and soaked in water for duration of 24 hours. This was then followed by placing the soil sample into a 0. 75mm mesh sieve and the entire fine particle was washed away using running tap water and a small spray bottle until the water had started running clear. The sieved sample was then transferred in a tray which was again put into the oven at 100 degrees for 24 hours. * Preparation of Fine Grained Fraction The remainder of the 500 grams of the sample was then sieved through a 0. 425 mm mesh sieve and the contents collected. This procedure was done until approximately 150 to 200grams of material was successfully passing sieve. Procedure (Sieve Analysis)This procedure involved the sieve analysis of the coarse fraction. This involved weighing the mass of the oven dried coarse grained fraction so that we are able to determine the particle size distribution. For this experiment the mass of coarse fraction used was 312. 10 grams. This was then followed by arranging the sieves from top to bottom in order from larger gapped mesh in the sieve to the smaller one (i. e. 37. 5mm to 0. 075mm) and then pouring the sample in the top sieve whilst shaking it for approximately 10 minutes.This provided mechanical energy to the soil allowing for it to pass all the sieve layers. The next procedure involved recording the soil mass that had accumulated on each sieve and the bottom pan. Furthermore the percentage of original mass retained and cumulative passing % vs. particle size plot has been constructed as shown in Appendix A. As shown in the plot it can be noted that the results obtained were not accurate enough for the effective size values of D_10 and D_30 to be calculated. Yet the effective size D_60 was able to be found and was shown to be 1. mm as shown in the particle size vs percentage passing table in appendix A. Due to the fact that all effective size values have not been able to be attained from the graph, the uniformity coefficient C_u and the coefficient of curvat ure C_c were not able to be calculated. Yet if they could be then they would be calculated using these equations: Cu=D60D10 Cc=D102D10*D60 where CU=Coefficient of Curvature Cc=Coefficient of Curvature All values recorded have been further discussed in the results section of this report. Procedure (Atterberg Limits determination) * Liquid Limit (LL)The liquid limit test west performed on the fine Sandy soil over the course of two sessions to determine the water content (percentage) at the point when the soil started to behave with liquid qualities. This test procedure involved gradually adding water to a round well created in two thirds of the soil sample on a glass plate. Then using two spatulas the sample was mixed until a smooth paste was formed. This was then followed by placing a small amount of the sample into the liquid limit device and leveling it horizontally using the spatula to create a smooth surface.Using the grooving tool the sample in the cup was divided in half. To de termine the number of blows the handle of the mechanism was rotated at a speed of two blows per second and the number of blows recorded until the soil closed the groove to a length of 1 cm. It was expected that the number of blows be as close to 25+ or – 3 as possible. The group was successful in our fourth attempt where 28 blows were recorded. Once the sample was successful it was removed from the liquid limit cup and placed within a tin and the mass weighed. This was determined to calculate the moisture content percentage.The mixture in the liquid limit range was placed in a 0. 25 meter length mould with a internal diameter of 0. 025 meters and left on top of the oven so that the linear shrinkage could be determined. All values obtained are discussed in the results. * Plastic Limit (PL) To determine the plastic limit (as a percentage), after which the soil could no longer be deformed; water was added to the remaining one third of the dry soil on a separate glass plate and m olded by hand. Small amounts of the soil were rolled on the flat glass plate until they formed into a diameter of 3 mm and then started to break apart.According to AS12989 it was proved that the soil had reached its plastic limit. This soil was then placed in a tin and similarly to the liquid limit all mass values of the tin and sample were recorded. These were left to dry in the oven. All results obtained the following day have been discussed in the results section. * Linear Shrinkage (%) As instructed, results for the linear shrinkage were collected after duration of 24 hours from the laboratory and the linear shrinkage (in percentage) was calculated using the formula: LS=LsL*100 where Ls=Recorded Shrinkage L=Initial Length of SampleIn addition to the linear shrinkage, all dry mass results were also collected from the previous day and recorded as shown in the results section of this report. * Plastic Index Conduction of the plastic limit and linear shrinkage test led to the calcul ation of the moisture content in percentage and this further allowed us to calculate the plastic index using the formula. Ip=Wl- Wp where Wl=Liquid Limit Wp=Plastic Limit * Classification of Soil After the soil tests have been completed as listed above and results obtained, the soil sample was classified according to the Australian Standards AS1726 – 1993.To aid in this classification of the soil, table 8 (Identification and Classification of Coarse Grained Soils) and table 9 (Identification and classification of Fine grained Soils) as well as Graph 1 (Plasticity Chart vs. Liquid Limit) have been used and attached in Appendix C. Further criteria such as Plasticity of Fines, Color of Soil, Cohesive strength and Classification Group symbol (Table 7 Soil Classification Symbols) can also be used. Results * Sieve Analysis – Determining the Particle size Distribution Tin #| | Mass of Wet soil + Tin| 203. 79| Mass of Dry soil + Tin| 165. 0| Mass of Tin| 32. 60| Mass of Moistu re| 38. 19| Mass of Dry Soil| 133. 00| Moisture Content| 28. 70| Initisl Mass of Oven Dried Sample| 500g| Mass of oven Dried Sample retained over 75? m| 312. 1g| Percentage of Coarse Fraction| 37. 58g| Mass of Dry sample passing the 75? m| 187. 9g| Table 1: Soil Sample Preparation Values – Total Mass of Sample used for Sieve Analysis = 500 grams – Mass of Coarse Fraction of Sample Used for Sieve Analysis AS Apperture| Mass Retained (g)| % Retained| % Passing| 37. 5mm| 0. 00| 0. 00%| 100. 00%| 26. 5mm| 0. 00| 0. 00%| 100. 00%| 19mm| 13. 0| 2. 60%| 97. 40%| 13. 2mm| 14. 70| 2. 94%| 94. 46%| 9. 5mm| 1. 00| 0. 20%| 94. 26%| 6. 7mm| 13. 90| 2. 78%| 91. 48%| 4. 75mm| 17. 30| 3. 46%| 88. 02%| 2. 36mm| 61. 60| 12. 32%| 75. 70%| 1. 18mm| 63. 10| 12. 62%| 63. 08%| 600? m| 51. 40| 10. 28%| 52. 80%| 425? m| 22. 00| 4. 40%| 48. 40%| 300? m| 20. 30| 4. 06%| 44. 34%| 150? m| 22. 60| 4. 52%| 39. 82%| 75? m| 7. 60| 1. 52%| 38. 30%| Pan| 0. 40| 0. 08%| 38. 22%| | SUM = 308. 9| | | Table 2: Particle size Distribution of the Soil Sample Particle size vs. Percentage Passing (%) can be viewed in the Appendix section of this report.D_10| N/A| D_30| N/A| D_60| 1. 1 mm| Coefficient of Uniformity| N/A| Coefficient of Curvature| N/A| Table 3: Particle Size Determination Coefficients As the Particle Size vs. Percentage Passing graph was unable to be plotted fully, the values for D_10 and D_30 could not be determined hence not allowing the Coefficient of Uniformity and Curvature to be found. * Atterberg Limits Determination (Liquid Limit) Liquid limit| Test no. | Test 1| Test 2| Test 3| Test 4| Tin #| 12| 58| 80| 61| Number of Blows| 7| 21| 14| 28| Mass of Wet Soil and Tin| 45. 8| 35. 77| 39. 32| 27. 6| Mass of Dry Soil and Tin| 38| 28. 4| 34. 5| 22. 5| Mass of Tin| 24. 21| 14. 57| 26. 31| 15. 42| Mass of Moisture| 7. 8| 7. 37| 4. 82| 4. 86| Mass of Dry Soil| 13. 79| 13. 83| 8. 19| 7. 08| Moisture Content| 56. 56%| 53. 29%| 58. 85%| 68. 64%| Table 4: Liquid Limit Determinati on The results obtained in the table 4 (liquid limit determination) above show that after conducting four tests in the lab the number of blows were varied quite a lot. The reason behind this was that at the start a greater amount of liquid then required was placed in the soil making it two wet.Then as extra dry soil was added to the sample the number of blows gradually increased allowing for a result acceptable within the 25 + – 3 limit was met in test 4 Hence the soil sample’s LL can be taken as 68. 64%. * Atterberg Limits Determination (Plastic Limit) Plastic Limit| Test no. | Test 1| Tin #| 16| Mass of Wet Soil and Tin| 37. 06| Mass of Dry Soil and Tin| 34. 5| Mass of Tin| 23. 94| Mass of Moisture | 2. 56| Mass of Dry Soil| 10. 56| Moisture Content| 24. 24%| Avg. Moisture Content| 59. 34%| Table 5: Plastic Limit DeterminationThe above table represents the values calculated and determined results for the plastic limit of the soil in this experiment. This was done by weighing the mass of the soil and tin after it had been rolled into a 3mm diameter rod until it crumbled and then oven dried. * Atterberg Limits Determination (Plastic Index) Looking at the graph attached in the appendix B (Number of Blows vs. Moisture Content), the value for the Plastic Limit was unable to be as accurately determined as we would have hoped but using the plastic Index equation below it was found to be 44. %. Plastic Index %= Liquid Limit-Plastic Limit=___________% Plastic Index %= 68. 64-24. 24=44. 4% Linear Shrinkage Determination| Mould No. | 3| Crumbling of Sample| NO| Length of Mould| 254mm| Curling of Sample| NO| Length of Soil| 222mm| Cracking of Sample| YES| Linear Shrinkage| 12. 60%| * Atterberg Limits Determination (Linear Shrinkage) Table 6: Linear Shrinkage Determination After removing the mould containing the soil sample after 24 hours from the top of the oven, the linear shrinkage of the soil was measured using a ruler.The result as shown above in table 6, the soil has shrunk 32mm in length and cracking of the sample has occurred. The same has not crumbled at touch and has not shown any curling effects. The Overall linear shrinkage is calculated to be 12. 60%. LS=LsL*100 LS=32254*100=12. 60% Discussion The classification of the Coarse and Fine Grained soil was made according to the Australian Standards as1726 – 1993. All justification of the results and classifications of the Sieve Analysis and Atterberg Limits have been made through the combination of the identification and classification tables in the appendix. Coarse Grained Soil As per the Particle size plot in the appendix, the sample is shown to have only coarse grain materials. Consisting of 22% Gravel (7% Medium Grain and 15% Fine Grain) and 38% Sand (22% Coarse Grain, 13% Medium Grain and 3% Fine Grain), indicates that the soil is widely distributed and hence making it a Gravelly SAND. * Fine Grained Soil Using the Atterberg Limits to find the Plastic Limit and Liq uid Limit percentages, these were applied to the Plasticity vs. Liquid Limit Chart (AS1726-1993) to determine the classification of the soil sample.As the intersection point is below the â€Å"A† line with a high liquid limit of 68. 64%, the reaction to shaking was low to none and the toughness is low, the classification of the soil sample is most likely to be MS-SILT Highly Plastic. Also according to the Australian Standards the color of our soil was Brown mottled red-brown. Since the fine grained soil was cohesion less and free running we can classify the soil as dry. In accordance to the Plasticity vs. Liquid Limit chart the soil is of High Plasticity as the liquid limit was of a value greater than 50%.In addition to the above, the particle size distribution curve is also widely spread so the soil is classified as â€Å"Well Graded†. Conclusion In this experiment we used the Sieve analysis and Atterberg Limits tests to investigate the properties of the soil as menti oned in the Australian Standards AS1726 -1993. In addition sample tests were conducted including the liquid limit test (LL), plastic limit test (PL), plastic index test (PI) and linear shrinkage (LS) of the soil sample provided by the administration. All results obtained have been justified and the classifications of the soil made in accordance to the Australian Standards 1726 – 1993.References Evans R, 2010, HES2155 Geomechanics, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne VIC. Appendices Appendix A (Particle Size vs. Percentage Passing Plot) Appendix B (Plot of Number of Blows Vs. Moisture Content) Appendix C (Soil Classification Tables) Table 7: List of Soil Classification Symbols. Table 8: Identification and Classification of Coarse Grained Soil. Table 9: Identification and Classification of Fine Grained Soil. Graph 1: Plasticity Chart vs. Liquid Limit Appendix D (Formulas and Sample Calculations) Geomechanics Lab Report Aim The main intention of this investigation was to determine the various stages of the Atterberg Limits. These included the liquid limit test (LL), plastic limit test (PL), plastic index test (PI) and linear shrinkage (LS) of a soil sample provided by the administration. This was then followed by a sieve analysis to determine the particle size distribution of another soil sample so that a suitable classification in both situations could be made in accordance with the Australian Standards AS1726 – 1993. Procedure (Sample preperation)On commencement of the experiment, each group was provided with two parts of 500grams of soil retrieved from the field and then oven dried by the experiment supervisor. One part of the soil sample was coarse grain gravel for the particle size distribution chart and sieve analysis, whilst the remaining 500 grams of soil was of fine grained fraction. * Preparation of Coarse Grained Fraction During this procedure the mass of 500grams of soil was recor ded and soaked in water for duration of 24 hours. This was then followed by placing the soil sample into a 0. 75mm mesh sieve and the entire fine particle was washed away using running tap water and a small spray bottle until the water had started running clear. The sieved sample was then transferred in a tray which was again put into the oven at 100 degrees for 24 hours. * Preparation of Fine Grained Fraction The remainder of the 500 grams of the sample was then sieved through a 0. 425 mm mesh sieve and the contents collected. This procedure was done until approximately 150 to 200grams of material was successfully passing sieve. Procedure (Sieve Analysis)This procedure involved the sieve analysis of the coarse fraction. This involved weighing the mass of the oven dried coarse grained fraction so that we are able to determine the particle size distribution. For this experiment the mass of coarse fraction used was 312. 10 grams. This was then followed by arranging the sieves from top to bottom in order from larger gapped mesh in the sieve to the smaller one (i. e. 37. 5mm to 0. 075mm) and then pouring the sample in the top sieve whilst shaking it for approximately 10 minutes.This provided mechanical energy to the soil allowing for it to pass all the sieve layers. The next procedure involved recording the soil mass that had accumulated on each sieve and the bottom pan. Furthermore the percentage of original mass retained and cumulative passing % vs. particle size plot has been constructed as shown in Appendix A. As shown in the plot it can be noted that the results obtained were not accurate enough for the effective size values of D_10 and D_30 to be calculated. Yet the effective size D_60 was able to be found and was shown to be 1. mm as shown in the particle size vs percentage passing table in appendix A. Due to the fact that all effective size values have not been able to be attained from the graph, the uniformity coefficient C_u and the coefficient of curvat ure C_c were not able to be calculated. Yet if they could be then they would be calculated using these equations: Cu=D60D10 Cc=D102D10*D60 where CU=Coefficient of Curvature Cc=Coefficient of Curvature All values recorded have been further discussed in the results section of this report. Procedure (Atterberg Limits determination) * Liquid Limit (LL)The liquid limit test west performed on the fine Sandy soil over the course of two sessions to determine the water content (percentage) at the point when the soil started to behave with liquid qualities. This test procedure involved gradually adding water to a round well created in two thirds of the soil sample on a glass plate. Then using two spatulas the sample was mixed until a smooth paste was formed. This was then followed by placing a small amount of the sample into the liquid limit device and leveling it horizontally using the spatula to create a smooth surface.Using the grooving tool the sample in the cup was divided in half. To de termine the number of blows the handle of the mechanism was rotated at a speed of two blows per second and the number of blows recorded until the soil closed the groove to a length of 1 cm. It was expected that the number of blows be as close to 25+ or – 3 as possible. The group was successful in our fourth attempt where 28 blows were recorded. Once the sample was successful it was removed from the liquid limit cup and placed within a tin and the mass weighed. This was determined to calculate the moisture content percentage.The mixture in the liquid limit range was placed in a 0. 25 meter length mould with a internal diameter of 0. 025 meters and left on top of the oven so that the linear shrinkage could be determined. All values obtained are discussed in the results. * Plastic Limit (PL) To determine the plastic limit (as a percentage), after which the soil could no longer be deformed; water was added to the remaining one third of the dry soil on a separate glass plate and m olded by hand. Small amounts of the soil were rolled on the flat glass plate until they formed into a diameter of 3 mm and then started to break apart.According to AS12989 it was proved that the soil had reached its plastic limit. This soil was then placed in a tin and similarly to the liquid limit all mass values of the tin and sample were recorded. These were left to dry in the oven. All results obtained the following day have been discussed in the results section. * Linear Shrinkage (%) As instructed, results for the linear shrinkage were collected after duration of 24 hours from the laboratory and the linear shrinkage (in percentage) was calculated using the formula: LS=LsL*100 where Ls=Recorded Shrinkage L=Initial Length of SampleIn addition to the linear shrinkage, all dry mass results were also collected from the previous day and recorded as shown in the results section of this report. * Plastic Index Conduction of the plastic limit and linear shrinkage test led to the calcul ation of the moisture content in percentage and this further allowed us to calculate the plastic index using the formula. Ip=Wl- Wp where Wl=Liquid Limit Wp=Plastic Limit * Classification of Soil After the soil tests have been completed as listed above and results obtained, the soil sample was classified according to the Australian Standards AS1726 – 1993.To aid in this classification of the soil, table 8 (Identification and Classification of Coarse Grained Soils) and table 9 (Identification and classification of Fine grained Soils) as well as Graph 1 (Plasticity Chart vs. Liquid Limit) have been used and attached in Appendix C. Further criteria such as Plasticity of Fines, Color of Soil, Cohesive strength and Classification Group symbol (Table 7 Soil Classification Symbols) can also be used. Results * Sieve Analysis – Determining the Particle size Distribution Tin #| | Mass of Wet soil + Tin| 203. 79| Mass of Dry soil + Tin| 165. 0| Mass of Tin| 32. 60| Mass of Moistu re| 38. 19| Mass of Dry Soil| 133. 00| Moisture Content| 28. 70| Initisl Mass of Oven Dried Sample| 500g| Mass of oven Dried Sample retained over 75? m| 312. 1g| Percentage of Coarse Fraction| 37. 58g| Mass of Dry sample passing the 75? m| 187. 9g| Table 1: Soil Sample Preparation Values – Total Mass of Sample used for Sieve Analysis = 500 grams – Mass of Coarse Fraction of Sample Used for Sieve Analysis AS Apperture| Mass Retained (g)| % Retained| % Passing| 37. 5mm| 0. 00| 0. 00%| 100. 00%| 26. 5mm| 0. 00| 0. 00%| 100. 00%| 19mm| 13. 0| 2. 60%| 97. 40%| 13. 2mm| 14. 70| 2. 94%| 94. 46%| 9. 5mm| 1. 00| 0. 20%| 94. 26%| 6. 7mm| 13. 90| 2. 78%| 91. 48%| 4. 75mm| 17. 30| 3. 46%| 88. 02%| 2. 36mm| 61. 60| 12. 32%| 75. 70%| 1. 18mm| 63. 10| 12. 62%| 63. 08%| 600? m| 51. 40| 10. 28%| 52. 80%| 425? m| 22. 00| 4. 40%| 48. 40%| 300? m| 20. 30| 4. 06%| 44. 34%| 150? m| 22. 60| 4. 52%| 39. 82%| 75? m| 7. 60| 1. 52%| 38. 30%| Pan| 0. 40| 0. 08%| 38. 22%| | SUM = 308. 9| | | Table 2: Particle size Distribution of the Soil Sample Particle size vs. Percentage Passing (%) can be viewed in the Appendix section of this report.D_10| N/A| D_30| N/A| D_60| 1. 1 mm| Coefficient of Uniformity| N/A| Coefficient of Curvature| N/A| Table 3: Particle Size Determination Coefficients As the Particle Size vs. Percentage Passing graph was unable to be plotted fully, the values for D_10 and D_30 could not be determined hence not allowing the Coefficient of Uniformity and Curvature to be found. * Atterberg Limits Determination (Liquid Limit) Liquid limit| Test no. | Test 1| Test 2| Test 3| Test 4| Tin #| 12| 58| 80| 61| Number of Blows| 7| 21| 14| 28| Mass of Wet Soil and Tin| 45. 8| 35. 77| 39. 32| 27. 6| Mass of Dry Soil and Tin| 38| 28. 4| 34. 5| 22. 5| Mass of Tin| 24. 21| 14. 57| 26. 31| 15. 42| Mass of Moisture| 7. 8| 7. 37| 4. 82| 4. 86| Mass of Dry Soil| 13. 79| 13. 83| 8. 19| 7. 08| Moisture Content| 56. 56%| 53. 29%| 58. 85%| 68. 64%| Table 4: Liquid Limit Determinati on The results obtained in the table 4 (liquid limit determination) above show that after conducting four tests in the lab the number of blows were varied quite a lot. The reason behind this was that at the start a greater amount of liquid then required was placed in the soil making it two wet.Then as extra dry soil was added to the sample the number of blows gradually increased allowing for a result acceptable within the 25 + – 3 limit was met in test 4 Hence the soil sample’s LL can be taken as 68. 64%. * Atterberg Limits Determination (Plastic Limit) Plastic Limit| Test no. | Test 1| Tin #| 16| Mass of Wet Soil and Tin| 37. 06| Mass of Dry Soil and Tin| 34. 5| Mass of Tin| 23. 94| Mass of Moisture | 2. 56| Mass of Dry Soil| 10. 56| Moisture Content| 24. 24%| Avg. Moisture Content| 59. 34%| Table 5: Plastic Limit DeterminationThe above table represents the values calculated and determined results for the plastic limit of the soil in this experiment. This was done by weighing the mass of the soil and tin after it had been rolled into a 3mm diameter rod until it crumbled and then oven dried. * Atterberg Limits Determination (Plastic Index) Looking at the graph attached in the appendix B (Number of Blows vs. Moisture Content), the value for the Plastic Limit was unable to be as accurately determined as we would have hoped but using the plastic Index equation below it was found to be 44. %. Plastic Index %= Liquid Limit-Plastic Limit=___________% Plastic Index %= 68. 64-24. 24=44. 4% Linear Shrinkage Determination| Mould No. | 3| Crumbling of Sample| NO| Length of Mould| 254mm| Curling of Sample| NO| Length of Soil| 222mm| Cracking of Sample| YES| Linear Shrinkage| 12. 60%| * Atterberg Limits Determination (Linear Shrinkage) Table 6: Linear Shrinkage Determination After removing the mould containing the soil sample after 24 hours from the top of the oven, the linear shrinkage of the soil was measured using a ruler.The result as shown above in table 6, the soil has shrunk 32mm in length and cracking of the sample has occurred. The same has not crumbled at touch and has not shown any curling effects. The Overall linear shrinkage is calculated to be 12. 60%. LS=LsL*100 LS=32254*100=12. 60% Discussion The classification of the Coarse and Fine Grained soil was made according to the Australian Standards as1726 – 1993. All justification of the results and classifications of the Sieve Analysis and Atterberg Limits have been made through the combination of the identification and classification tables in the appendix. Coarse Grained Soil As per the Particle size plot in the appendix, the sample is shown to have only coarse grain materials. Consisting of 22% Gravel (7% Medium Grain and 15% Fine Grain) and 38% Sand (22% Coarse Grain, 13% Medium Grain and 3% Fine Grain), indicates that the soil is widely distributed and hence making it a Gravelly SAND. * Fine Grained Soil Using the Atterberg Limits to find the Plastic Limit and Liq uid Limit percentages, these were applied to the Plasticity vs. Liquid Limit Chart (AS1726-1993) to determine the classification of the soil sample.As the intersection point is below the â€Å"A† line with a high liquid limit of 68. 64%, the reaction to shaking was low to none and the toughness is low, the classification of the soil sample is most likely to be MS-SILT Highly Plastic. Also according to the Australian Standards the color of our soil was Brown mottled red-brown. Since the fine grained soil was cohesion less and free running we can classify the soil as dry. In accordance to the Plasticity vs. Liquid Limit chart the soil is of High Plasticity as the liquid limit was of a value greater than 50%.In addition to the above, the particle size distribution curve is also widely spread so the soil is classified as â€Å"Well Graded†. Conclusion In this experiment we used the Sieve analysis and Atterberg Limits tests to investigate the properties of the soil as menti oned in the Australian Standards AS1726 -1993. In addition sample tests were conducted including the liquid limit test (LL), plastic limit test (PL), plastic index test (PI) and linear shrinkage (LS) of the soil sample provided by the administration. All results obtained have been justified and the classifications of the soil made in accordance to the Australian Standards 1726 – 1993.References Evans R, 2010, HES2155 Geomechanics, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne VIC. Appendices Appendix A (Particle Size vs. Percentage Passing Plot) Appendix B (Plot of Number of Blows Vs. Moisture Content) Appendix C (Soil Classification Tables) Table 7: List of Soil Classification Symbols. Table 8: Identification and Classification of Coarse Grained Soil. Table 9: Identification and Classification of Fine Grained Soil. Graph 1: Plasticity Chart vs. Liquid Limit Appendix D (Formulas and Sample Calculations)

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Recognition of Facial Emotions Using LDN Pattern

Recognition of Facial Emotions Using LDN Pattern RECOGNITION OF FACIAL EMOTIONS USING LDN PATTERN P. Ajay Kumar Reddy1, Dr S.G Hiremath2, Dr M.N GiriPrasad3, Dr G.N Kodanda Ramaiah4 1Research Scholar, Dept of ECE, KEC/JNTUA, Kuppam,A.P,India. 3Professor, Dept of ECE, JNTU,Ananthapuramu ,A.P,India. 2,4Professor, Dept of ECE, Kuppam Engineering College, Kuppam,A.P,India. Abstract A novel LDN pattern is proposed for facial expression recognition. LDN extracts the local features from a face which is used for face analysis and facial expression recognition. It computes the directional data of face textures into a compact code. Here compass masks are used to find the directional data which helps in distinguishing the homogenous structural patterns which helps in evaluating intensity variations. Experimental results show that the LDN method provides better results with reasonably low error rates. Keywords LDN pattern, Local Directional number pattern, feature vectors, expression recognition, face descriptor, face recognition, feature, image descriptor, local pattern. à ¯Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¿ Face recognition is widely accepted for image analysis and pattern recognition. Its significance has increased in the last decade because of its application in commercial and law enforcement. Although a plethora of research was carried to overcome the disadvantages of facial recognition system but still a lot of problems persist. The most challenging work in any facial expression recognition system is to find the face vector. The aim of identifying a face vector is to find an efficient way of representing facial images which provides robustness in recognition process. There are two approaches proposed to extract facial features in any expression recognition system. Geometric feature based Appearance based method In geometric feature method, the location and shape of different facial features are combined to form a feature vector which represents a face, whereas in appearance-based system applies image filters on whole face or some specific regions of face to extract expression changes in face image. Geometric feature method requires reliable facial features which is a hurdle to accustom in lot of situations. On the other hand, performance of appearance-based methods is degraded due to environmental variations. The proposed LDN method will robustly identify the facial expressions under various variations like sad, anger, happy, disgust, etc. à ¯Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¿ There are several techniques used in holistic class like fisherfaces and eigenfaces which are developed on PCA method. Although they are widely used their limitations to illumination and variations in poses causes a great concern in facial recognition system. Kotsia et al. [2] proposed an expression recognition system in sequences of facial images. Heisele et al. discussed about the legitimacy of the component-based methods. They expressed the face into one descriptor by extracting and computing local features from different parts of face. Zhang et al.[3] used the higher order local derivatives to get better results than LBP method. In order to overcome illumination variations and noise problems they used other information rather than depending on intensity levels. Donato et al. done a comprehensive analysis on different algorithms like LFA, PCA, Gabor wavelets, ICA to represent face images for facial expression recognition. Among them Gabor wavelet and ICA achieved the best performance. Shan c et al. presented robust LBP as feature descriptor in facial expression recognition. Though LBP is efficient in computations and robust to monotonic illumination change, its performance degrades in presence of random noise. The proposed framework for facial expression recognition is as described below. In the first stage a trained dataset is created with several facial expressions like fear, anger, sad, joy, happy, disgust etc. several preprocessing techniques are applied on these images. Then various features are extracted from face and its edges are perceived using Gaussian derivative and Kirsch masking. These features are classified and normalized using SVM classifiers. When a test image is given for recognition it is compared to the dataset and accurate images are recognized. Finally all the test results obtained are analyzed. Figure:1 Block Diagram Of LDN LDN Framework: The LDN pattern is a binary code of 6 bits assigned to each pixel of an input face image that represents the texture structures and transitions in intensity levels. The existing technique reveals that the edge magnitudes are not sensitive to lighting variations. Here we generate a pattern by using a compass mask which computes the neighborhood edge responses by utilizing the positive and negative values of those edge responses. A valuable data of the neighborhood structure is provided by the positive and negative values. These values reveal the gradient direction if the bright and dark areas in the neighborhood. The information of the neighborhood structure is provided by the positive and negative responses because the disclose the gradient path of bright and dark areas in neighborhood. The LDN generates a 6bit code every instance whenever the positive and negative responses are swapped. By using a compass mask we can compute the threshold responses in the neighborhood in 8 different directions which helps in generating a semantic descriptor for numerous textures with uniform structural pattern. Dataset The dataset images which are used for the research work are lively recorded which depict various facial expressions like anger, joy, disgust, sad, fear and happiness. Figure:2 Dataset Pre-Processing Different processing techniques are used on input images. Here kirsch masking is used for calculating edge responses. It basically extracts response in edges and rotates 45 degrees apart to obtain mask in 8 directions. A derivative Gaussian mask is used to smooth the code which helps in overcoming the illumination changes and noise. This helps in getting strong edge responses. Code Generations: LDN code is generated by analyzing each edge response of mask in its ( M0M7), particular direction. The noticeable darker and brighter areas are indicated by the highest positive and negative values. The noticeable darker and brighter regions are encoded based on the sign information. The positive directional number is coded as MSB of the code and the 3 LSB bits are negative directional numbers The LDN code is represented as, LDN(x, y) = 8ix,y+ jx,y(1) Where, (x, y) is coded central pixel of neighbourhood., ix,y is maximum positive response directional number, jx,y is maximum negative response directional number Classifier: SVM classifier is used to recognize the facial expressions and it also increases the accuracy of the facial expression recognition. It is used to calculate the perrformance of LDN method. It not only used for data mapping but it helps in making the binary decision. The proposed LDN method used directional numbers which helps in encoding the structure of face textures in efficient manner.it produces a compact code by using the sign information that is more reliable against noise, to encode dissimilar patterns of face textures. The compass masks used gives better results in obtaining the edge responses and smothen the code to overcome illumination variations. When compared with LBP and LDiP the LDN recognition rate is better in presence of noise and illumination changes.

Nightmares :: essays research papers

Nightmares   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Usually when you end up drifting off to sleep, you fall into a deep sleep and begin to experience a so called dream.† However, most children, and even some adults, experience some even more terrifying so called dreams. These dreams are called nightmares. Nightmares have been occurring in people’s sleep for hundreds of years. People have been interested in them for centuries and they have quite an interesting past to them. People used to believe that the dream anxiety attack was caused by a demon pressing up against a person’s chest during their sleep. They were even considered as a form of black magic, evil affiliation, and even sometimes possession. The sleep cycle comes in a multi-stage cycle. All in all there are five cycles. The first four of the stages is where there is non-rapid eye movement (NREM). As the fifth stage occurs, that is where rapid eyes moment (REM) happens. Nightmares almost always occur in the second half of a persons sleep and it is always followed with an awakening of the individual even if the person doesn’t remember waking up during the night. Nine times out of ten, when people’s brain can’t handle what is going on during the rapid eye movement stage, they wake up very panically and are also very aware of their surroundings. Nightmares are mostly referred to as being a younger persons trouble but you will find that a lot of adults have the problem of nightmares also. The children’s nightmare is very different than the adult’s because the adult’s nightmare is based on the persons fears such as being chased or attacked. The children’s nightmare is more of a fantasy nightmare. Anyone that has a high fever before they go to bed is more likely to suffer from a nightmare. Rapid eye movement will usually wake a person up if they can sense that something bad is going to happen. Most of the time when one has a nightmare, will wake up right before some really bad will happen. the most popular nightmare is when you are actually falling from something that is very high up in the air. It always ends by you waking up right before you are about to hit the ground. It is been proved that no matter how many nightmares that one person will have, not one single nightmare will be exactly the same as any of the others.

The 360-Degree Performance Evaluation is More Effective than the Standa

Performance Evaluations as an Effective Measuring Tool There are several types of evaluations used by public and non-public organizations. Unusually, performance evaluations consist of the employee and the supervisor. However, the 360 Degree Performance requires more than the supervisor’s perspective. It should also include the co-worker’s point of view (by answering a simple set of questions). This evaluation enforces accountability and produces self-worth and a sense of fairness. Many performance evaluations are limited. However, in using the 360 Degree Performance as a measuring tool, it has been found to be a more accurate way to evaluate an employee’s work performance. The issue is whether or not performance evaluations are an effective measuring tool for evaluating an employee’s knowledge and skills within the organization. Better yet, should employers use performance evaluations at all, or should they design personal organizational goals for each employee? This research paper will examine the effectiveness of performance evaluations, from a narrow point of view (standardize evaluation) to a boarder outlook (360 degree performance evaluation), and by enforcing the accountability from management and the staff, in meeting the overall organizational goal. Article 27 (1) http://www.upte.org/tx/contract/art27perfeval.html defines performance evaluation as â€Å"a constructive process to acknowledge the performance of a non-probationary career employee. An employee’s evaluation shall be sufficiently specific to inform and guide the employee in the performance of her/his duties. Performance evaluation is not in and of itself a disciplinary procedure.† This procedure is usually provided by the Human Resource Depa... ...ss. Drucker, Peter F. (1993). Post-Capitalist Society. New York: HarperCollins Fox J. & Klein, C. (1996). The 360-Degree Evaluation: If You Pay for Performance, Get Co-Workers in On Performance Reviews. Public Management,78 (11),p20. Hayward, Charles, Center for Leadership Development, â€Å"Philosophy and Approach†. Web 13 April 2015 http://www.teamcld.com/Philosophy.htm Mason and Hanger-Silas Mason Co., Inc. – Middletown, â€Å"Best Practice: 360 Degree Feedback Performance Appraisal/Merit System, December 17, 1999. Web 13 April 2015 http://www.bmpcoe.org/bestpractices/external/mash/mash_18.html Panoramic Feedback, â€Å"Objectives of Multi-Source Feedback†, 1998-2000. Web 13 April 2015 http://www.panoramicfeedback.com/internal/objective.htm Quinn, S. (1998). Putting the Human Back into Human Resources. Public Management, 80(9),p23.

RCBC Savings Bank Essay

I. Synopsis RCBC Savings Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of one of the country’s top universal banks, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC). RCBC Savings Bank was incorporated on the 15th day of January, 1996 to provide retail banking services to its target clientele and serve as the consumer and retail banking arm of RCBC. RCBC Savings Bank formally started its thrift banking operations on the 27th day of February, 1996. It grew extensively in just over a year, from a lean one-branch organization with a seven-man skeletal force to an institution with a network of six branches supported by 106 full-time personnel in 1997.In September 1998, RCBC Savings Bank acquired selected assets and assumed deposit liabilities of Capitol Development Bank. As a result of the strategic alliance, the Bank further widened the reach of its branch network and became the 2nd largest thrift bank in the country with 117 branches. One of its branches is the RCBC Savings Bank La Paz in Iloilo City. It serves many Ilonggos in banking and financing services. Despite of its fast growing business, the Management paid no attention to some internal control aspects of its branches. Like the La Paz Branch many complaints from customers regarding the efficiency and slow-moving service of the bank. The long queuing of the customers every time they do transactions to tellers is really a problem; it decreases the goodwill of the company and much more the customer satisfaction. As we all know, the competition in banking industry is high and many banks are already here in Iloilo. How would the Management address this problem? What course of actions or solutions should the Management put in place to achieve higher customer satisfaction? Is the company really into realizing its vision to be the most-sought-after by the consumer market when it comes to financial products and services?

Ethnic Unbonding in South Africa Essay

Manuel Castells notion of ‘ethnic unbonding’ refers to: the gradual withdrawal certain African-Americans are undergoing, so that they no longer are a member of their initial ethnic group. ‘Ethnic unbonding’ is a process where individuals remove themselves from their ethnic groups, because they are either ashamed or humiliated to be associated as part of a stigmatized ethnic identity. â€Å"So, race matters a lot. But, at the same time, the class divide among blacks has created such fundamentally different living conditions that there is growing hostility among the poor against those former brothers that left them out. Most middle-class blacks strive to get ahead not only from the reality of the ghetto, but from the stigma that echoes from the dying ghetto project on them through their skin. They do so particularly, by insulating their children from the poor black communities (moving to suburbs, integrating them into white-dominated private schools), while, at the same time, reinventing an African-American identity that revives the themes of the past, African or American, while keeping silent on the plight of the present† Castell, M p. 57. Manuel Castell raises cognizance to the fact that black South Africans are gradually disassociating themselves from their original ethnic identities. (‘Black South Africans’ refers to the non-white individuals of South Africa, those who were disadvantaged and traduced in the homelands during the Apartheid regime). These ethnic unbonding patterns were first noticed among African-Americans and now South Africans too are gradually adopting them. Citizens split from their ethnic groups to mainly better their lives, since being a part of a stigmatized ethnic group cannot ensure a successful and pleasant lifestyle. Parents want a better life for the children and they find that to live a better quality lifestyle one needs to firstly get an education. So they get a good education and become a success in life only to put their stigmatized ethnic background behind them, to avoid risking the loss of their achievements. Ethnic performances are rarely practised and individuals lose sight of where they come from. â€Å"In the last two decades, geographers have become extremely interested in the issue of ethnicity. Ethnic groups are found in essentially all societies. Ethnic groups are populations that feel a common bond and have a sense of common origin that distinguishes them from other groups. Religion, language, national origin, and skin colour are all used to various degrees by ethnic groups to distinguish themselves from others. It is estimated that the 200 or so independent countries recognized by the United Nations are made up of about 5000 ethnic groups. Increased migration of people in the last 200 years has produced a complex pattern of ethnic groups. Essentially, ethnicity is a spatial concept. Ethnic groups are associated with clearly recognized territories, either some large homeland district or some smaller urban or rural enclaves in which they are the primary or exclusive occupant. In addition, they have somehow marked these places with certain distinguished cultural signs. † (http://teacherweb. ftl. pinecrest. edu/snyderd/APHG/Unit%203/culturenotes. htm). Ethnicity is socially important. It gives certain individuals a feeling of belonging and prevents one from feeling isolated and alone. It contributes immensely to one’s core identity, focusing mostly on the construction of one’s personal identity, and in turn having an effect on the type of person an individual turns out to be in the future. It forms the basis of an individual’s structure and agency. Ethnicity also promotes national strength which can be built from the diverse cultural resources present in South Africa. It brings together a national identity. ‘Afrikaners historically considered themselves the only true South Africans and, while granting full citizenship to all residents of European descent, denied that status to people of colour until the democratic transition of 1994. British South Africans retain a sense of cultural and social connection to Great Britain without weakening their identity as South Africans. A similar concept of primary local and secondary ancestral identity is prevalent among people of Indian descent. The Bantu-speaking black peoples have long regarded themselves as South African despite the attempts of the white authorities to classify them as less than full citizens or as citizens of ethnic homelands (â€Å"Bantustans†) between 1959 and 1991. Strong cultural loyalties to African languages and local political structures such as the kingdom and the chieftaincy remain an important component of identity. National identity comes first for all black people, but belonging to an ethnic, linguistic, and regional grouping and even to an ancestral clan has an important secondary status. (http://www. everyculture. com/Sa-Th/South-Africa. html). As a result of years of racial separation and discrimination, the majority of South African citizens of which are black, have been severely ill-treated based on the colour of their skin. â€Å"A race is a population that shares visible physical characteristics from inbreeding and that thinks of itself or is thought of by outsiders as distinct. It has been used by societies to justify poor treatment of minority groups† ( http://www. sociologyguide. com/questions/ethnicity. php). For decades black people have been slandered and stereotyped by the white superior citizens, to be uncultured individuals. White people were entirely prejudiced against the black people. ‘Prejudice is a judgment based on group membership or social status. Prejudice may be formed through both individual and group influences including socialization, rationalizing through stereotypes, the scapegoating process, reinforcement of a self-fulfilling prophecy ramification of an authoritarian personality and degree of contact with minority groups.’ http://www. sociologyguide. com/questions/ethnicity. php. How black ethnic groups emerged? Being ethnic is relating to or a characteristic of a sizable group of people sharing a common and distinctive racial, national, religious, linguistic or cultural heritage. (http://www. thefreedictionary. com. ) Just like the trends in America, black citizens of South Africa formed groups based on commonalities. These people shared hardships and sufferings, as a result of being excluded from having any opportunities and privileges, by the white superiorities. The white citizens undermined the black citizens for centuries and thus blacks were forced to form close relationships with one another based on the fact that they had common deprivations. ‘Bantustans’ were formed in South Africa and these areas were wastelands of hardship. Residents of these areas were forced to deal with struggle and poverty thus leading to an increase in crime rate. People did what they could to survive. Stealing, drug dealing etc. all the forms of violence and corruption exploded from these areas. Put a group of homeless and poor people together and what do you get? Chaos. White people were aware of the disorder in the homelands and ever since then stereotypes were given to black people. What provoked ethnic unbonding? Ethnic unbonding is when individuals from an ethnic group break away from their core cultural identity and instead pursue an identity of their own. Individuals mainly do this to improve their standards of living. The stigmas attached to certain ethnic groups are undesirable and individuals are afraid of being part of these unpleasant stereotypes. Certain groups especially ethnic groups have harsh associations linked to them and for these people to improve their quality of life they need to detach themselves from their ethnic groups. The negativity one receives from being part of a stigmatized ethnic group for some is too much to handle. People want to be freed from the harmful judgements of the past, and thus completely detaching themselves from their core ethnic identity is the best way out. ‘’Race and ethnicity are central – to America, as to other societies’ dynamics – their manifestations seem to be deeply altered by current social trends. ’’ (Castells, 1997: 53). Globalisation affects people’s choices on being or not being part of an ethnic group. Westernization transforms certain cultures and moulds them into a more modernized culture, with less practices and more simplicity. Cultural identity is a victim of globalization. Culture is being altered so much by globalization and media effects that soon the culture will transform into something completely different. According to Tomlinson, J. p. 23 states that â€Å"it is fair to say that the impact of globalization in the cultural sphere has, most generally, been viewed in a pessimistic light. Typically, it has been associated with the destruction of cultural identities, victims of the accelerating encroachment of a homogenized, westernized, consumer culture. † Conclusion Ethnic unbonding is inevitable. Every single individual wants a decent lifestyle and a decent life is one with no racial, gender or ethnic inequalities. Ethnic unbonding will continue to take place in South Africa as well as the rest of the world, because the desire for one to have an improved standard of living exceeds the desire to want to belong to an ethnic area. Castells concept of ethnic unbonding is a notion unknowingly practiced amongst the people of South Africa. Castell believes that individuals belonging to certain ethnic groups are developing boundaries within themselves. However, I think that people can still live a better life and yet maintain a part of their ethnicity. Lifestyles can be adjusted so that some form of their religion and culture is integrated into their everyday life and not forgotten. Future generations might be at risk of never knowing exactly where they come from, and being clueless about their ethnic and cultural heritage. 1. Castells, Manuel. 1997. The power of identity. Cambridge, MA. Blackwell, 52-59 2. Tomlinson, John. Globalization and cultural identity http://www. polity. co. uk/global/pdf/gtreader2etomlinson. pdf(12September 2011) 3. Definitions of race, prejudice and discrimination: http://www. sociologyguide. com/questions/ethnicity. php (12September 2011) 4. Countries and their Culture – South Africa http://www. everyculture. com/Sa-Th/South-Africa. html (12September 2011) 5. THE GLOBALIZATION OF CULTURE, AND THE GEOGRAPHY OF INEQUALITY: RACE, ETHNICITY & GENDER http://teacherweb. ftl. pinecrest. edu/snyderd/APHG/Unit%203/culturenotes. htm (12September 2011) 6. Definition of Ethnic: http://www. thefreedictionary. com (12September 2011).

Big Stick Abroad John Milton Cooper

Big Stick Abroad John Milton Cooper To get involved or not to get involved in global politics? That was not a question that Theodre Roosevelt ever had. Global politics were at the forefront of his mission as President. Within a year of Roosevelt becoming President he had interceded with Latin American affairs. I believe this was because Roosevelt felt that the problem threatened his visions for the United States. Roosevelt put the United States in the middle of Germany and Venezuela to help collect a debt that Venezuela owed Germany.He did the same thing to Heidi for Europe. By 1904 Roosevelt had made America the financial protector over the Dominican Republic. Roosevelt was impartial to English speaking Countries. In 1902 Roosevelt yet again conspired to gain Alaska land from Canada, but in 1903 he agreed to have an international tribunal settle the dispute. Canada was permitted three judges and so was America. Roosevelt conspired with Senator Lodge and Justice Holmes to side with A merica’s claim. Which in turn won America the rights to the land.One might think of Roosevelt as a bully when it came to foreign affairs because he did not always play fair and would always seem to get his way. As President sometimes you have to do what you think is best for your Country and look further down the line to decide if what you are doing will help or harm your Country. I believe the Roosevelt did what he had to do to make America a bigger and fiercer Country to mess with. I believe that his proudest moment was when he was able to strike a deal for America to have territory that would run through the of the new country.This would not only cut down on the time our men were out to sea but it would also protect them from the disease if they chose to take the path through the mountains. With Roosevelts help we were able to take Panama from Colombia and this was not the biggest victory. The biggest victory would come after Roosevelt had left office and the waterway that we called the Canal Zone was open. This ended up showing the world the maturity of America’s engineering and was thought to be the biggest triumph of technology. I believe that this could have only been done with the help of Europe.When Roosevelt left office he had remorse and guilt for the way that we took the Panama canal. While in office Roosevelt wrote several letters and had a section in his autobiography book on the way that we took Panama and what he did was morally right. Roosevelt was the bully to all of the weaker countries and would be cautious in his approach with countries of equal or greater power than he United States. I believe that the writer of the article Mr. Copper was trying to explain to us that Roosevelt did what he thought was best for America and that he pushed the envelope when it came to foreign affairs.Roosevelt prided himself on his accomplishments with how far he was able to take America with foreign affairs. Mr. Copper writing never seemed to b e one sided and told the story based on facts. I believe that this article was well written and places the facts out there for the reader to take it in and doesn’t distract the readers' views on Roosevelt. This is done by not having a one sided article this helps with not clouding the reader's judgement. After reading the article I have a different perspective on Roosevelt. I feel that he was a bully when he needed to be, but in all honesty isn’t that what America is and always will be?Roosevelt had a goal and a vision and he was able to accomplish them, and for that I applaud him for doing so. The way that he went about gain land and bullying the smaller countries that did not have as much power as we do, to me is not setting a good impression on us as a country. That if you do not give us what we feel is ours or that we want we will take it by force. I also do not agree with interfering in other countries business. Roosevelt felt the need to be the mediator in the Ge rmany and Venezuela situation and the Heidi and Europe transactions.I feel if other countries owe other countries that is for them to deal with not for anyone else to get involved. America has too many other things that should be a higher priority to deal with them to play in other countries affairs. With that being said I do feel that overall that Roosevelt was an amazing president. I am not sure if Roosevelts actions were always justified or made much sense to the citizens at the time. Without Roosevelt we would not have the Panama Canal and that was a major milestone for everyone.