Phytochemical Screening and Extraction Essay Example for Free

Phytochemical Screening and Extraction Essay Plants are a source of large amount of drugs comprising to different groups such as antispasmodics, emetics, anti-cancer, antimicrobials etc. A large number of the plants are claimed to possess the antibiotic properties in the traditional system and are also used extensively by the tribal people worldwide. It is now believed that nature has given the cure of every disease in one way or another. Plants have been known to relieve various diseases in Ayurveda. Therefore, the researchers today are emphasizing on evaluation Prashant Tiwari*, Bimlesh Kumar, Mandeep Kaur, Gurpreet Kaur, Harleen Kaur Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Phagwara, Punjab and characterization of various plants and plant constituents against a number of diseases based on their traditional claims of the plants given in Ayurveda. Extraction of the bioactive plant constituents has always been a challenging task for the researchers. In this present review, an attempt has been made to give an overview of certain extractants and extraction processes with their advantages and disadvantages. INTRODUCTION extracts. Such preparations have been popularly called Plant-derived substances have recently become of galenicals, named after Galen, the second century great interest owing to their versatile applications. Greek physician [2]. Medicinal plants are the richest bio-resource of drugs Extraction methods used pharmaceutically involves of the separation of medicinally active portions of plant traditional systems of modern folk tissues from the inactive/inert components by using medicines, pharmaceutical intermediates and chemical selective solvents. During extraction, solvents diffuse entities for synthetic drugs [1]. Into the solid plant material and solubilize compounds Extraction (as the term is pharmaceutically used) is the with similar polarity [1]. separation of medicinally active portions of plant (and The purpose of standardized extraction procedures for animal) tissues using selective solvents through crude drugs (medicinal plant parts) is to attain the standard procedures. The products so obtained from therapeutically desired portions and to eliminate plants are relatively complex mixtures of metabolites, unwanted material by treatment with a selective in liquid or semisolid state or (after removing the solvent known as menstrum. The extract thus solvent) in dry powder form, and are intended for oral obtained, after standardization, may be used as or external use. These include classes of preparations medicinal agent as such in the form of tinctures or known extracts, fluid extracts or further processed to be incorporated tinctures, pilular (semisolid) extracts or powdered in any dosage form such as tablets and capsules. These as decoctions, food medicine, supplements, infusions, fluid products contains complex mixture of many medicinal   plant metabolites, such as alkaloids, glycosides, terpenoids, flavonoids and lignans [3]. The general techniques of medicinal plant extraction include maceration, infusion, percolation, digestion, Internationale Pharmaceutica Sciencia Jan-Mar 2011 Vol 1 Issue 1 Prashant Tiwari, et al: Phytochemical screening and Extraction: A Review decoction, (Soxhlet), part of the plant like bark, leaves, flowers, roots, fruits, aqueous-alcoholic extraction by fermentation, counter- seeds, etc i.e. any part of the plant may contain active current extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, components. The systematic screening of plant species ultrasound extraction (sonication), supercritical fluid with the purpose of discovering new bioactive extraction, (with compounds is a routine activity in many laboratories. hydrofluorocarbon solvents). For aromatic plants, Scientific analysis of plant components follows a hydrodistillation techniques (water distillation, steam logical pathway. Plants are collected either randomly distillation, water and steam distillation), hydrolytic or by following leads supplied by local healers in maceration followed by distillation, expression and geographical areas where the plants are found [5]. enfl eurage (cold fat extraction) may be employed. Fresh or dried plant materials can be used as a source Some of the latest extraction methods for aromatic for the extraction of secondary plant components. plants include headspace trapping, solid phase micro- Many authors had reported about plant extract extraction, protoplast extraction, microdistillation, preparation from the fresh plant tissues. The logic thermomicrodistillation and molecular distillation [3]. behind this came from the ethno medicinal use of fresh The basic parameters influencing the quality of an plant materials among the traditional and tribal extract are [1]: people.

Impact of Listening to Music on Concentration

Impact of Listening to Music on Concentration Mohunisha Mahendra Abstract A few understudies listen to music to counter the impacts of anxiety or tension while finishing troublesome scholarly assignments. A few studies supporting this system have demonstrated that mood melodies advances cognitive exhibitions while different studies have demonstrated that listening to music while occupied with complex cognitive errands can debilitate execution. This study concentrates on the effect contrast sorts of music, played at the same volume levels; have on the cognitive capacities of school understudies finishing scholarly assignments. Introduction Numerous understudies listen to music to lighten the enthusiastic impacts of anxiety and nervousness when occupied with complex cognitive preparing, for example, concentrating on for a test, finishing homework assignments, or while perusing and composing. This practice is common to the point that it would be helpful for school understudies to comprehend the part that music plays on cognitive execution. Exploration exhibiting the impacts of music on execution is decently archived, however have demonstrated vague proof on this matter. In studies led to find out about the impacts of musical diversion on cognitive undertaking execution, the discoveries have showed the thought of music enhancing cognitive execution (Cockerton, Moore, Norman, 1997), at the same time there has additionally been examination negating those outcomes, where music was discovered occupying for members performing cognitive tasks (Furnham Bradely, 1997). On the other hand, with the plenty of music classifications accessible to music audience members, it is critical to see how diverse sorts of music effect execution. The present study means to comprehend the impact of listening to distinctive kinds of music at the same volume level on cognitive undertaking execution. Numerous understudies decide to listen to a favored sort of music when they concentrate on or get their work done without comprehension the potential hurtful impacts of such practice. A study directed by Smith and Morris (1977) tended to this inquiry by concentrating on the impacts of soothing and stimulative music. The study concentrated on the impact these two unique classifications of music have on execution, uneasiness, and fixation. Members needed to show their favored sort and were asked for to rehash an arrangement of numbers rearward while listening to either the stimulative, narcotic, or no music. The outcomes demonstrated that members performed more terrible while listening to their favored sort of music. These outcomes demonstrate that a favored kind of music can serve as an occupying element when one is occupied with a cognitively requesting errand maybe because of the way that less cognitive assets are accessible when the consideration is attracted to the verses, feeling s, and memories that such music can bring out. Members who listened to narcotic music performed better than members who listened to simulative music and more regrettable than the individuals who listened to no music whatsoever. The impact of music on cognitive execution has likewise been connected to identity sorts. They anticipated that extraverts would beat loners in the vicinity of music. The members were obliged to perform two cognitive tasks: a memory test with both a prompt and a deferred review and a perusing cognizance test. The two undertakings would be finished in the popular music condition and in quiet. The outcomes discovered that quick review on the memory test was seriously weakened for both thoughtful people and extraverts when the popular music was played. In the deferred review segment of the memory test, thoughtful people demonstrated fundamentally poorer review than did extraverts in the popular music condition and in addition self observers in the noiseless condition. Additionally the contemplative peoples execution on the perusing understanding errand in the popular music condition was disabled when contrasted with extraverts in the same condition and to self observers who performed th e assignment in silence. In general, the scientists verified that popular music served as a distracter for the cognitive execution of both extraverts and contemplative people; notwithstanding, self observers appeared to be generally influenced. Interestingly, this study uncovered some proof that general foundation clamor, for example, TV, music, and chat could enhance execution in unpredictable cognitive assignments for extraverts, despite the fact that it will essentially debilitate loners execution (Furnham Bradley, 1997). Studies including commotion as a diversion have showed the same questionable results with respect to their impact on cognitive preparing as studies including mood melodies. Dobbs, Furnham, and McClelland (2011) led a study that tried the impact of distracters, particularly foundation clamor and music, on cognitive assignments for self observers and extraverts. The specialists estimated that execution, for both thoughtful people and extraverts, would be more regrettable in the vicinity of music and commotion than it would be in quiet; particularly, for all the cognitive assignments, execution would reduce in the vicinity of foundation clamor, enhance with just mood melodies, and be ideal in silence. The discoveries reinforced their expectations and demonstrated that cognitive execution in quiet was superior to execution with mood melodies, which thus was superior to execution with foundation commotion. The outcomes additionally showed that, generally, execution in silence was best whe n contrasted with execution in foundation commotion and music (Dobbs, Furnham, McClelland, 2011). Interestingly, a study directed by Pool (2002), checked the diverting impacts of foundation TV on homework execution and did not discover any huge disability on homework assignments when understudies were diverted by TV while dealing with those assignments. These discoveries demonstrate that foundation commotion, much the same as mood melodies sways cognitive execution in ways that have not been completely seen via specialists. Although past examination has built that music can either divert or encourage cognitive undertaking execution, enhanced execution in the vicinity of music may be specifically identified with the kind of music listened to (Cockerton, Moore, Norman, 1997). A study led by Hallman, Price, and Katsarou, (2002) reinforced this contention. Indeed, they tried the impact of quieting and unwinding music on number-crunching and memory execution tests in kids running from ages ten to twelve. They discovered better execution on both assignments in the cooling and unwinding music condition when contrasted and a no-music condition. They additionally tried these kids in an exciting, forceful, and offensive music condition, and the outcomes demonstrated that their execution on both errands was intensely upset and prompted a lower level of reported unselfish conduct by the youngsters (Hallman, Price, Katsarou, 2002). In spite of the fact that these information did not find that smoothing music impro ved execution, one may infer that this kind of music can give a relieving situation that comforts understudies, encouraging cognitive preparing. The present study considers the impacts of two separate sorts of music at same intensities on cognitive undertaking execution and contrasted them with assignments performed in quiet. It was anticipated that assignments performed in silence would yield preferred results over errands performed in rock music and calm music, showing that music is a distracter to cognitive execution. Methodology Participants Fifteen undergraduate students were chosen randomly (six girls, 9 boys), going in age from 18 to 25 years from the Auston Institute of Management, Colombo took part in this study. Members were chosen from engineering and management class. All undergraduates took an interest on a willful premise. Materials The same paper was given to each group with the same time span. The test comprised 20 separate operations, for example, 5 Multiplication, 5 Division, 5 Addition, and 5 Subtraction issues alongside 3 Critical intuition questions. All the questions were similar in difficulty. Cake face by Steve Aoki was played for techno and Relaxation piano music by Chopin was played for Calm Music. Both were played in normal volume. Procedures The study was led in rooms assigned by the Auston Institute of Management. Every group had 5 members and the same paper was given to each group. The members were clarified that music would be played while they solved the inquiries on the test. Techno was played for Group A in normal volume. Soft music was played for Group B in normal volume, and Group C was asked to do the paper in quiet. The members were given forty five minutes to comprehend the test and they were not permitted to utilize a calculator or whatever other electronic gadget to finish the inquiries on the test. Results The independent variable was the kind of music played and the dependent variable was the execution score, which was measured regarding precise answers got in each of the tests. The tests were not reviewed for completion yet for only precision. The average execution score for Group A in which Techno was played is 64.6 while the average execution score of Group B in which Calm music was played is 66. Both the groups A and B took additional time to complete the paper. Group A took 15 minutes in addition and Group B took 10 minutes in addition. The average execution of Group C in which the undergraduates performed in quiet is 91.2 and they found themselves able to complete the test before the given time span. Discussion The present study tried to show the effect of distinctive classifications of music played at the same volume and in silence on cognitive execution. Members performed the best in silence than they did in any music conditions. However there is no much distinction when the execution score of delicate music was contrasted with scores from techno. They discovered that execution is weakened with music and streamlined with no music (Smith and Morris, 1977). Notwithstanding, their study uncovered that members performed better while listening to narcotic music than they did while listening to rock music, though the current trial discovered no huge distinction in test scores between the techno and delicate music. Another hypothesis recommended that execution would be better in the delicate music condition when contrasted with the rock music condition in light of the fact that it was accepted that established music would give a positive, mitigating, and agreeable environment for the members because of its unwinding tone that will encourage data transforming. In view of these outcomes, the vicinity of verses and the steady utilization of louder instruments, for example, drum, bass, and electrical guitar to the overwhelming metal rock music can be seen as purposes behind the distracting impacts. The specimen size was the significant confinement of this study. Huge specimens could have given more solid hugeness that could be summed up to the school understudy populace. Because of the constrained accessibility of members, this study was directed having 5 individuals in every gathering. The succession in which the tests were given was not randomized all through the test; all things considered learning impacts could represent the change in later tests as the study advanced. Future exploration ought to endeavor to change the arrangement in which the tests are managed to ensure that the outcomes got are those of the treatment impacts and to take out or decrease conceivable learning impacts. Configuration of the room could likewise be an alternate constraint to this trial. Members were situated in the room could have had an impact on how the music was listened. Subsequently, for members sitting closer to the speakers, the music was louder than the individuals who were perched on the opposite side of the room. This fluctuation in volume level may have either decidedly or contrarily influenced the outcomes. Although, a portion of the outcomes from this study demonstrated that the number juggling issues were a sufficient apparatus to evaluate the cognitive execution; on the other hand, they may have been excessively basic for the understudies on the university level to perform. Moreover, there were no scientific based level appraisals directed before the study. Members with stronger aptitudes would have a had an one-sided focal point, while those with lower scientific abilities would have had an one-sided weakness. Future examination ought to plan to outline more intricate cognitive transforming tests, for example, memory tests or perusing appreciation questions from government sanctioned tests like GRE or the SAT. This could give a more precise delineation of the members cognitive transforming capacities. Conclusion Interestingly it is essential to call attention to that execution scores were essentially higher when members finished the tests in silent condition. Through this procedure it can be suggested that it is simpler to process data in the vicinity of an insignificant level of preoccupation. It can be suggested that understudies ought not listen to any music or permit any sound-related aggravation while mulling over to acquire most extreme execution level. Understudies ought to endeavor to study and learn in a domain, for example, the library or a private study room that is as peaceful as could be expected under the circumstances, particularly when the material requires higher concentration a higher cognitive handling. Results from current study showed that it is so essential to consider the impacts of occupying music on cognitive execution. The information from this study has exhibited that silence is the best environment to augment execution when taking part in cognitive movement. Reference Cockerton, T. Moore, S. Norman, D, Cognitive test performance and background music. Perceptual and Motor Skills (1997) Dobbs, S. Furnham McClelland. The effect of background music and noise on the cognitive test performance of introverts and extraverts.(2011) Furnham Bradley, Music while you work: The differential distraction of background music on the cognitive test performance of introverts and extraverts (1997) Hallman, S.Price, J. Katsarou, G. The effects of background music on primary schools pupils task performance.(2002) Smith, C.A. Morris, L.W. Differential effects of stimulative and sedative music anxiety, concentration, and performance. (1997)

Prove the Correct Order of Reactivity of Metals :: Metal Reactivity Science Experiments Essays

Prove the Correct Order of Reactivity of Metals Aim The aim of this experiment is to find a method of mathematically analysing the order of metal reactivity. This involved finding a safe, dependant variable which is numerically measurable. After testing all the metals and measuring such a variable, is my hope to set all of the metals into a proven, accurate order of activity. Plan Every element of the periodic table is made up of atoms. Each of the atoms consists of subatomic particles which make up a nucleus and outer orbits. The nucleus contains positively charged protons, and neutrally charged neutrons. These make up the relative mass of the atom. Orbiting the nucleus, attracted by the positive charge of the protons, are the electrons. This are arranged in layers, called energy levels, and have no mass. Only a certain number of electrons fit on each energy level, and it is this which affects the reactivity of certain materials and is also the way that the periodic table is arranged. The number of electrons in the outer energy level is the group in which the element is placed. The first level (nearest the nucleus) will only hold 2 electrons, the second holds 8, and the third also seems to be full when it has 8 electrons. If all of the energy levels in the atom are full populated with electrons, it is said to be stable, and in most cases, is therefore unreactive. Examples of this include the noble (or inert) gases such as neon or argon. However if the outer energy level of the atom is not stable, it will automatically try to either gain or lose electrons to become stable. This is achieved by an ionic reaction. Ionic bonding occurs when the outer atoms of on material changes orbit and joins another material for example: Sodium chloride As you can see, sodium is a group one metal (it has one electron on its outer energy level) so is therefore unstable. Chlorine on the other hand is a group 7 element. It is much easier for sodium to lose its outer electron to become stable, than it is for it to gain 7. The same is true for the chlorine gaining 1 as opposed to losing seven. Therefore the outer electron of the sodium switches orbits to the chlorine. This creates a Na+ ion and a Cl- ion. Because opposites attract, it means that the two substances create an ionic bond and form sodium chloride! Group one metals are the most reactive as they only have one, easily removed, electron. However if you view the periodic table:

South Africas Historical Complexity Essay -- South Africa History His

South Africa's Historical Complexity After having studied Cape Town, South Africa for the past months, I have had the opportunity to come face to face with a place whose culture and history outdoes most other places in the world. Their respect for their historical past and their want to preserve it is remarkable. In 1948, the South African government began to limit the freedom of black Africans. In fact, it was at this point in history that the government officially launched a system of apartheid. Given the fact that Cape Town is at the tip of continent of Africa, not only is the climate is very mild, similar to that of San Diego in the United States but it is actually bordered by two Oceans. On the left side of the city the Atlantic Ocean rests, and on the left hand side, the Indian Ocean. The temperatures between the two differ noticeable and this is even more shocking to believe because the distance between both coasts is within 5 driving minutes. As a result of this new system, under the leadership of Albert Lutuli and Johannesburg law partners Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela, the African National Congress organized a passive resistance campaign against the apartheid and issued the Freedom Charter. The government suppressed the movement and began to arrest the ANC leaders. In 1959 the parliament passed new laws extending racial segregation by creating separate homelands for South Africa ’s major black groups. With that being said, as a consequence, the two different Ocean coast catered to two different crowds. The Atlantic Ocean coast, with its perfect weather, beautifully white sandy beaches and sky blue water was available only to the white people. On the Indian Ocean side, even though the water was warmer, the bea... ...ica as a whole, we have been able to see the effects of change. The country has seen its share of troubles and yet they have come back on track and have improved as a country. What was once a racist divide within beaches has now become a safe haven for all people. And so in this case, climate and society work hand in hand. There was a time where the temperature of the air dictated who attended which beach. It is nice to see how time has the power to change all things and that despite the plateau of the weather in Cape Town, things change around it and set new perimeters with it. Websites The Weather Underground The Official Cape Town Website References http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.html http://vlib.iue.it/history/africa/south_africa.html http://www.fyvie.net/photos/Travel/South%20Africa%20July%202004/content.html

Concealment in Chesnutt’s The House Behind the Cedars Essay -- House B

Concealment in Chesnutt’s The House Behind the Cedars Who has something to hide? Everyone in The House behind the Cedars has something to hide. With the possible exception of a few minor characters and children (innocents/ innocence), most characters have something to conceal. Taking this into account, this is more than likely Chesnutt’s acknowledgement of human nature before he gets into the varying motives. Is concealment ultimately worthwhile? Who is hurt and who is helped – or is there any difference? Molly, John, Rena (The Absent/ Dead Father) This family is where much of the major concealment starts. Ironically, the family is the same place where secrets are revealed. They start as a secret themselves - hidden away, behind a row of cedars, and inside the house on Front Street. The long dead, white lover of Mis’ Molly, concealed this family from his world, just as he kept his name from his illegitimate children – denying something to each. As a result, Mis’ Molly made many sacrifices. The first sacrifice she made was herself to her lover, which in return brought some security for herself and her family. We are told by the narrator, â€Å"she worshipped the ground upon which her lord walked, was humbly grateful for his protection, and quite as faithful as the forbidden marriage vow could possibly have made her† (105). This passage does not seem to indicate a sacrifice on her part, but ultimately it was also done for her immediate family. When her immediate family began to include children, Misâ €™ Molly had to face that her children were not legitimate, had no family name, and were thrust into a world that would not easily accept them. As this escalates over time, she sacrifices her happiness for the happiness of her child... ...tood hierarchy among classes, racial and economic, that while not publicly acknowledged, is indeed common knowledge. The novel discusses this in regards to Mis’ Molly, her neighbors – darker and poorer. Word Cited Go here for websites with further Charles W. Chesnutt Information http://docsouth.unc.edu/chesnuttcolonel/about.html Biography http://www.virginia.edu/history/courses/courses.old/hius323/chesnutt.html Biography http://www.berea.edu/faculty/browners/chesnutt/biography/biography.html Biography http://www.berea.edu/faculty/browners/chesnutt/biography/familytree.html Family Tree http://www.berea.edu/faculty/browners/chesnutt/classroom/class.html Chesnutt in the Classroom http://authorsdirectory.com/biography_online_book_portrait_picture/c_authors_charles_w_chesnutt.shtml Biography, Lesson Plans, Online Text, Portrait and Pictures, etc.

Film “Gothika” Essay

In the 2003 film â€Å"Gothika† Halle Berry plays a psychiatrist who loses her memory and wakes up in an insane asylum, the same one where she had previously been a staff physician. She is confused, disoriented and has lost time. Pete, a psychiatrist played by Robert Downey Jr. , is the doctor assigned to her care and Doug, her husband, had been the doctor in charge of the facility. Miranda, Berry’s character, eventually learns that her husband has been killed and that she has been arrested and charged with his murder (Kassovitz, 2003). From the very beginning, the movie pretends to psychology right. But unfortunately, it is largely just pretending. The first problem in the movie occurs with the description of Miranda’s psychotic break and the actions leading to it. The doctors caring for Miranda argue that her mental illness resulted from her accident, not the other way around. At first, they simply explain her illness as a traumatic amnesia brought on by the horror of murdering her husband. Or, they allege, the amnesia might be related to the head injury from the car accident and unrelated to her mental condition. Her doctor also asks her about drugs that she may have taken to cause the violence (killing her husband) or her amnesia. While it is appropriate to be concerned about a drug-related cause for amnesia (Merck, 2007) it is unreasonable to believe that those involved in her treatment would not have conducted blood tests to detect drug use prior to the questioning. The movie tells us Miranda has been out of touch with her mind for three days when she awakens in the asylum, so the mere idea that they would not have conducted blood tests and have the results back by then seems implausible. The next major mistake the movie makes in its portrayal of Miranda’s mental illness and treatment is that Pete is assigned to do her evaluation. While it can be argued that in some areas he might be the only doctor available, as one is dead and another accused of the murder, the story came before the reality of treatment standards in the movie. It seems as though Berry’s character may even recognize this as she tries to get a handle on her relationship with Pete, asking him if they had an affair or wanted to have one (Kassovitz, 2003). This immediately calls into question the ethics of the doctor and the accuracy of any judgment he makes regarding her condition. The film then tries to confuse the viewer with the question of whether Miranda is suffering some sort of psychotic break ro is truly being haunted by ghosts. From a diagnostic perspective, Miranda’s symptoms include the fugue when she was admitted, her loss of memory, and eventually, though she is loathe to admit this to her doctor, seeing and hearing her â€Å"ghost†. (Kassovitz, 2003). The film even goes so far as to have Miranda address her hallucination, saying â€Å": I am a rational person. I believe in science. I don’t believe in the paranormal, and I don’t believe in ghosts. But if you are the ghost of Rachel Parsons, can you let me out of this cell? † (Kassovitz, 2003). The professionals, upon hearing her tale of seeing ghosts, move right from a diagnosis of traumatic amnesia to a diagnosis of schizophrenia, skipping right part delusional. This is not accurate in the least. First, there is Miranda’s statement regarding her interaction with the ghost. She is still logical enough to know that interaction with a ghost is unreasonable and generally accepted as a mental dysfunction. â€Å"Schizophrenia is characterized by psychosis (loss of contact with reality), hallucinations (false perceptions), delusions (false beliefs), disorganized speech and behavior, flattened affect (restricted range of emotions), cognitive deficits (impaired reasoning and problem solving), and occupational and social dysfunction. † (Merck, 2007) If she were schizophrenic, it is unlikely that she would have retained her logical mind enough to realize that she was being illogical. The fact that her educated mind could still identify her behaviors as irrational is one of the clearest indicators that she was not suffering from the cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia. Next, there is the appearance of the ghost herself. If Miranda’s delusions had been limited to fleeting images or auditory hallucinations, her symptoms would have been consistent with schizophrenia. However, the presence of an identifiable visual hallucination makes the illness more in line with the symptoms of delusional disorders than schizophrenia (Allpsych, 2007). â€Å"A delusion is a belief that is clearly false and that indicates an abnormality in the affected person’s content of thought. The false belief is not accounted for by the person’s cultural or religious background or his or her level of intelligence. The key feature of a delusion is the degree to which the person is convinced that the belief is true. A person with a delusion will hold firmly to the belief regardless of evidence to the contrary. Delusions can be difficult to distinguish from overvalued ideas, which are unreasonable ideas that a person holds, but the affected person has at least some level of doubt as to its truthfulness. A person with a delusion is absolutely convinced that the delusion is real. † (Mind Disorders, 2007). The simple truth is that if Miranda had been suffering from either of these mental disorders, her symptoms would have 1) been more extreme in the case of schizophrenia or 2) come with a total belief in her delusion. She would no longer question whether ghosts were real. The final implied diagnosis of the film is that Miranda has been suffering abuse at the hands of a sadistic and manipulative serial killer who also happens to be her husband. Once the ghost leads Miranda to her husband’s torture and abuse chamber, the viewer is left with the impression that Miranda’s mental illness including the delusion of seeing the ghost was her mind’s way of dealing with the threat from her husband and becoming strong enough to deal with his abuse. This is complete and utter Hollywood tripe. While it is possible for battered woman to lose control and kill her husband in a situation where she fears for her life, Miranda’s symptoms are completely out of sync with the typical description of BWS (McElroy, 2002). Most likely, this was an attempt by the writer to draw sympathy for the character that did, in fact, kill her husband. If the movie had intended to portray mental illness in an appropriate fashion, it simply would have to stop with the obvious ghost story. The problem was that the writer wanted to create a story in which a ghost was used to explain away mental illness or a mental illness was sued to explain away an encounter with the supernatural. Either way, they failed. By showing the viewer the ghost, the viewer does not question Miranda’s sanity. After all, we’ve seen it too. To be more in tune with the diagnosis they were most likely going for, schizophrenia, the movie should have relied on an unseen presence and given perfectly reasonable explanations for things that happen, i. e. show Pete leaving her cell unlocked so that she an escape and conduct her investigation. As it is, the film fails as a ghost story and fails as a psychological thriller. Had it been done properly, it could have succeeded at both. WORKS CITED â€Å"Delusions† , November 18, 2007. Kassovitz, Mathieu (Director) and Sebastian Guitierrez (Writer). â€Å"Gothika†. USA:Columbia Pictures, 2003. McElroy, Wendy. â€Å"Battered Women’s Syndrome: Science or Sham? † The Independent Institute, October 28, 2002< http://www. independent. org/aboutus/person_detail. asp? id=488> November 18, 2007. â€Å"Prognosis and Treatment†, November 19, 2007. Psychotic Disorders , < http://allpsych. com/disorders/psychotic/index. html>, November 18, 2007.

Gender Roles in Latin America Essay

With only 10 percent of people claiming themselves to be natives, Latin America is considered as one of the most diverse regions in the world. Due to this ethnic and racial diversity, tracing the roots of gender issues by associating with a single group or factor might not reveal the truth. However, some objective factors like lower pay scales for women and labour force participation provide considerable objectivity to reckon the area in terms of gender issues (De Ferranti 77&78). Chile represents a variant region of Latin America which has gone through multiple phases in terms of gender roles and position. The period of coup d’etat against President Salvador Allende in the country is also considered as a time of human rights era (Cleary 1). In this context, women faced dual exploitation – first as Chilean natives and then as suppressed part of the society. The military take over resulted in some of the most gruesome tortures against women thereby becoming a primary reason of insurrection in the later period. However, this insurrection was partly related to the exiles of thousands of women from Chile who during the time of exile actively participated in bringing a paradigm shift. Rapid Industrialization and economic development in 1940s at one hand opened vistas for Latin American women by proving job opportunities, but the same phenomenon also served to debilitate their status and power. According to Julio Ceasar Pino, the economic development led to entrance in professional field but with a limitation to enter the corporate level thereby making them considered as futile presence (1). The letters of Marjorie Agosin and Emma Sepulveda in 1960s provide a firsthand view of gender roles in Latin America during the concerned times. Coupled with stringent orthodoxy, the society portrayed in the letters is one that defines a fine line as to what was expected of women in the twentieth century. The chronicles portray that makeup was considered to besmirch the purity of women, their obligations coalesced with child birth and development, their duty to be in the kitchen to cook at parties even with servants were present and where in families men always won (1-14). Behind the shift from stark gender roles division to the acceptance of women in economy, politics and society, there lies a strong role of women movements emerging in the late twentieth century. Today, Latin American women have seats in governmental offices and have Ministries (De Ferranti 81). However, for the share of changing roles that women in Latin America enjoy today is due to a far greater oppression of the gender in past that has led to a slow, but ongoing process of amelioration. Works Cited Agosin, Marjorie, and Emma Sepulveda. Amigas : Letters of Friendship and Exile. US: Texas Press, 2001. Cleary, Edward L. The Struggle for Human Rights in Latin America. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated, 1997 De Ferranti, David M. , Guillermo E. , and Francisco Ferreira. Inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean : Breaking with History? Washington, D. C: World Bank Publications, 2004 Pino, Julio Cesar. â€Å"Teaching about Women and Underdevelopment in Latin American History. † History Teacher 34. 3 (01 May 2001): 353-360. ERIC. EBSCO. Capella University. US. 10 May 2009 .