The Chemistry of Drugs :: Addictions Marijuana Health Science Essays

The Chemistry of Drugs Delta 9 Tetrahydrocannabinol is the primary psychoactive constituent of Cannibis sativa, and is bound to two cannabinoid receptors: CB1 receptors, located primarily in the brain, and CB2 receptors, located primarily in the periphery (Wiley & Martin 2002). A cannabinoid is defined as a substance that has pharmacological properties that resemble those of delta 9 THC i.e. " a drug that binds to CB1 and /or CB2 receptors in vitro and produces a profile of in vivo effects in the tetrad model" (Wiley 2002). THC inhibits the function of the enzyme adenylate cyclase which is involved in the transmission of pain messages. While there are over 60 cannibinoids identified in the plant Cannabis sativa, Delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol is the primary mood altering psychoactive agent in marijuana. Marijuana effects acetylcholine synthesis and turnover in the limbic region of the brain and in the cerebellum. (Harwood 2005) Eldreth, Matochik Cadet, and Bolla (2004) used PET 15 and a modified version of the Stroop task to determine if 25 day abstinent heavy marijuana users experienced persistent deficits in executive cognitive functioning and brain activity. The performance on a modified version of the Stroop task and brain activity was compared between 25 day abstinent, heavy users, and a matched comparison group. The 25 day abstinent users showed no deficits in performance on the modified version of the Stroop task when compared to the comparison group. They also found that despite the lack of performance differences, the anterior cingulated cortex and the left lateral prefrontal cortex had hyperactivity in the hippocampus bilaterally, when compared to the comparison group. The results suggested that users display persistent metabolic alterations in brain regions responsible for executive cognitive functioning. (Eldreth, Matochik, Cadet, & Bolla 2004). When performing the Stoop task, marijuana users were found to have greater activation compared to the comparison group in the left and right hippocampus. Marijuana users also failed to activate to the same extent as the comparison group in the left lateral prefrontal cortex and the left perigenual anterior cingulated cortex. According to Gardner (2002) drugs that are addictive to humans are similar to animal model systems in five ways. First, drugs enhance electrical brain stimulation reward in the core meso-accumbens reward circuitry of the brain, a circuit encompassing that portion of the medial forebrain bundle which links the ventral tegmental area of the mesencephalic midbrain

Relationship Between Men and Women in the Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Diego Ampuero Gac English 102 M, W, & F Dr. Williams March 17, 2010 The relationship between men and women in ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ In this research paper, I am going to analyze the relationship between men and women in the short story ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ by James Thurber. In this essay I am going to discuss how he shows the conflicts between the man that want to be adventurous, perverted, and that lives in several fantasies, but behind that man there is a woman that holds him back.Many source materials analyze and describe Thurber’s unique humoristic personality and explain how it might affect his work of literature throughout his many short stories. Thurber’s humoristic and satiric style of literature that he uses about the relationship between men and women in ‘The secret Life of Walter Mitty’ attracts the reader’s attention because of that spark of knowledge he gives to his humoristic and intell ectual literature. In Thurber’s book, ‘The Thurber Carnival’, he uses many of his short stories including ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ in order to focus on the relationship between men and women.The conflicts that Thurber writes about typically start out small but then with the time it expands into major conflicts which leads us readers into finding the main problem of the story, in which in this case is about a man that wants to be adventurous and the women who holds him back. In fact, in many of Thurber’s short stories the male characters are shown to be dependent of a strong woman, in which she is the dominant head of the relationship.In the relationships that Thurber’s men are in, they are constant lead into frustrated experiences with their wives, in which they have been bullied by wives who consider that they know everything. This is exactly what happens in the short story ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ with W alter being treated by his wife more like a mentally retarded child than a husband. This is shown throughout the first paragraphs of the story in which the couple is driving around running errands, but not together as a couple, instead, Walter has to stop in front of the hair salon where his wife is having her hair done, and e is told to â€Å"remember to get those overshoes while I’m having my hair done†, and in which Walter replies â€Å"I don’t need overshoes† but the wife replies back saying â€Å"you’re not a young man any longer† (47). These last quotes show how strong and harsh her character is and how dominant she can be in their relationship. These quotes also foreshadow the coming events of Walter’s several daydreaming throughout the story and in which they end up being the main conflict between the relationship between men (Mitty) and woman (wife).The wife in ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ is the perfect mod el for Thurber’s unique style of literature. In the book ‘The Art of James Thurber’, Richard Tobias states â€Å"The comedy exists in the tension created by the wife's world view. The wife is the threat against Mitty's free and desirable heroism†(85)†¦ â€Å"Then with a smile on his lips, he faces the firing squad, erect motionless, and proud. Walter Mitty the Undefeated, inscrutable to the last†(51). This precise analyzing quotes by Tobias, reflects how Thurber used Mrs.Mitty as the leader of his humoristic and ironic literature to show her superiority above Walter, in which in Thurber’s time, the head of the family was predestined to be the man and not the woman. Tobias also points out the ending of the story with Walter dreaming once again acting like a little kid dreaming about being a hero. Tobias probably points it out because the ending shows how Walter revealed his secrets of being the head of something, the â€Å"hero of the wa r† throughout his paranoiac daydreaming. Several sources have focused on the topic about the relationship between Walter’s prominent daydreams and his marital situation.One of those sources that analyzes this topic is â€Å"Coitus Interruptis: Sexual Symbolism in ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’†, a book in which a few criticizers analyze Walter’s fantasies and their effect on the relationship. One of the many criticizers, Ann Mann, argues that for a permanent daydreamer like Walter Mitty, his wife has to be the â€Å"ideal wife† for she has to go through all of his daydreaming fantasies and childlike personality, in which it brings the conclusion that she pretty much plays the role of a scapegoat in the relationship.Keeping the eyes on the importance of a women in a relationship as Ann Mann stated, in another aspect, Thomas Fensch appears with his book ‘Conversations with James Thurber’ in which Fensch has plenty of conve rsations with Thurber’s comedian self about different kind of topics that eventually ends up in a topic that shows Thurber’s point of view of the American Women. The man itself has a style of expressing his thoughts with humor and irony but the beauty of it is that at the same time the reader can interpret his sayings as serious thoughts that are in fact very true and intellectual.This magnificent style helps the typical American reader to understand his advice towards American Women by stating that â€Å"Too much attention is given to attracting the males and making other women envious†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , reflecting that Thurber’s point of view of women is that they should go ahead and live life to the fullest and while they can â€Å"†¦woman should be a real helpmate to her husband†(84).As I come to the end of this analysis about the great author James Thurber and the topic about the relationship between men and women in ‘The Secret Life of Walte r Mitty’, I can conclude that Thurber is one of the great American humorist ever of this century and that his genuine literature really helps the reader to understand the relationship between Walter and Mrs.Mitty, and in which they also reflect Thurber’s real life situations between men and women throughout his life. At last, I can affirm that many of his works are so similar to the present day relationship between men and women that it reflects why his literature works are continuing to be popular in today’s world.

Analysis Of The Movie The Homecoming Game By F. Scott...

After the Homecoming game, the star quarterback, Weston, wants to celebrate after the big win. His best friend told him that he was having a party, so he showered and grabbed some grub from the kitchen. â€Å"Wes, where are you going?† his mom asks. â€Å"Brandon’s.† Weston responds. â€Å"Who’s all going? Will his parents be there? There won’t be alcohol, will there?† asks his mom with a nervous look. â€Å"Mother,† Weston yells â€Å"You’re so annoying just shut up. I’m leaving.† His mother looks at him, with tears in her eyes. Little did Weston know that those were the last words he will ever tell her. He hops into his gray truck and heads over to Brandon’s. Once he arrives, he sees his girlfriend, Lindsey and walks over to her. Weston explains how annoying his†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Do not do this, I’ll drive. I haven’t drank at all tonight.† Weston rolls his eyes and sa ys, â€Å"Nothing is going to happen to me.† This proved to be wrong as at 2:32 AM, the police are knocking on Weston’s front door. His mom has not slept a wink, just waiting for her son to get home. As she opens the door, she hears the news that her son has passed away in a car wreck due to being intoxicated. His mom falls to the ground; her tears flooding the house. Unfortunately, situations like these are not uncommon. In an article called â€Å"Teens Driving Fact and Fatality Statistics† it describes how teens think that they are invincible, but eight teens die every day due to DUI crashes. This selfish act of drinking and driving could not only kill the driver, but random civilians on the road. Underage drinking does not just involve driving though. While many teens think drinking is harmless fun, it can lead to suspension of extra-curriculars, health problems, and possibly death. As high school students, it is fun to get out and join extra-curricular activities such as sports and different clubs. When students are drinking though, they are not eligible to participate. This is not uncommon to see in high schools because as stated before, teens think nothing will happen to them. In the newspaper Island’s Sounder, Colleen Armstrong, the paper’s publisher and editor titles her article, â€Å"Ten students suspended from sports teams for alcohol