Mirror Neuron

A mirror neuron is a neuron that fires both when an animal acts and when the animal observes the same action performed by another.Thus, the neuron "mirrors" the behaviour of the other, as though the observer were itself acting. Such neurons have been directly observed in primate and other species including birds. In humans, brain activity consistent with that of mirror neurons has been found in the premotor cortex, the supplementary motor area, the primary somatosensory cortex and the inferior parietal cortex.

Mirror neurons were first described in 1992. Some scientists consider this to be one of the most important recent discoveries in neuroscience. Among them is V.S. Ramachandran, who believes they might be very important in imitation and language acquisition.However, despite the excitement generated by these findings, to date no widely accepted neural or computational models have been put forward to describe how mirror neuron activity supports cognitive functions such as imitation.

The function of the mirror system is a subject of much speculation. Many researchers in cognitive neuroscience and cognitive psychology consider that this system provides the physiological mechanism for the perception action coupling (see the common coding theory). These mirror neurons may be important for understanding the actions of other people, and for learning new skills by imitation. Some researchers also speculate that mirror systems may simulate observed actions, and thus contribute to theory of mind skills, while others relate mirror neurons to language abilities. It has also been proposed that problems with the mirror system may underlie cognitive disorders, particularly autism. However the connection between mirror neuron dysfunction and autism is tentative and it remains to be seen how mirror neurons may be related to many of the important characteristics of autism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_neuron

Official kanji list increased to 2136

Jōyō kanji, the official list maintained by the Japanese ministry of education which contains all the characters who every Japanese student should know, has been increased to 2136. This means an addition of 196 new characters and the suppression of 5.

This decision was made because nowadays, thanks to new technologies, it’s much easier to write some kanji considered so difficult before. Most people use computers or the mobile phone to write Japanese characters, so they don’t need to remember the exact way to draw it. They just need to remember the pronunciation and how they look.

This list has not been stable over the years. For instance, during the second world war, when the Japanese nationalistic fervor was so high, the number of kanji was increased to 2528!

However this is a big change for Japanese students and educators, as this makes even more difficult to study what it was one of the most difficult and time consuming things from the Japanese language.

This is the full list of the new included kanji:

媛 怨 鬱 唄 淫 咽 茨 彙 椅 萎 畏 嵐 宛 顎 曖 挨 韓 鎌 葛 骸 蓋 崖 諧 潰 瓦 牙 苛 俺 臆 岡 旺 艶 稽 憬 詣 熊 窟 串 惧 錦 僅巾 嗅 臼 畿 亀 伎 玩 挫 沙 痕 頃 駒 傲 乞 喉 梗 虎 股 舷 鍵 拳 桁 隙 呪 腫 嫉 叱 鹿 餌 摯 恣 斬 拶 刹 柵 埼 塞 采 戚 脊 醒凄 裾 須 腎 芯 尻 拭 憧 蹴 羞 袖 汰 遜 捉 踪 ## 曾 爽 遡 狙 膳 箋 詮 腺 煎 羨 鶴 爪 椎 捗 嘲 貼 酎 緻 綻 旦 誰 戴 堆 唾 鍋謎 梨 奈 那 丼 貪 頓 栃 瞳 藤 賭 妬 填 溺 諦 阜 訃 肘 膝 眉 斑 阪 汎 氾 箸 剥 罵 捻 虹 匂 喩 闇 弥 冶 麺 冥 蜜 枕 ## 勃 頬貌 蜂 蔑 璧 餅 蔽 脇 麓 籠 弄 呂 瑠 瞭 侶 慄 璃 藍 辣 拉 沃 瘍 妖 湧 柿 哺 楷 睦 釜 錮 賂 毀 勾

References: Examiner, Kirai, Tofugu, Wikipedia

Solve Problems With A Word List

To creatively solve problems you need to get your mind looking in new directions. You can systematically do this by using a list of words, primarily adjectives, to create "what if?" scenarios. You start with the question, "what if it was..." and then insert a word from the list. The "it" in the question is the problem you're trying to solve, or the solution or situation that exists now.

Using "What If" To Solve Problems

An example will help explain the process. Assume your house is too crowded because you're running your business from it. You ask, "What if it was..." and insert from the word list, "smaller." The house is already too small, but could the business be smaller? The word "divided" might give you the idea to keep the business in just one part of the house.

Most words on the list won't help, so you can go through the irrelevant ones quickly. Don't automatically dismiss them, though, without a few seconds consideration. "What if it was hopeless?" may seem like a useless question, or it may make you realize that you just can't keep the business in the house any longer.

As with most problem-solving techniques, it's important to allow ideas to flow without judging them initially. Don't stifle the creative process. Evaluate your ideas later, when you're done with this part.

The Problem Solving Word List

You can create your own list of words. Use adjectives, descriptive phrases, and words that can change your perspective. These could include the following:

What if it was... larger, smaller, farther away, closer, sooner, later, easier, more difficult, higher, fat, rich, short, black, certain, hopeless, newer, boring, casual, subtracted from, cheaper, common, divided, more interesting, extravagant, subtle, or fun? 

Evening Primrose Oil And Health Benefits

Evening primrose is an indigenous plant to North America. The flowers have a strong, sweet scent, and only bloom at night during the months of June through October. Evening primrose has been used for hundreds of years to treat various ailments of the skin and muscular system. Several Native American tribes discovered that the entire plant is edible, and could be used as a painkiller in addition to everyday consumption. In Europe it is a proven treatment for PMS. The bark and leaves of evening primrose are said to have astringent and sedative properties. It has been proven to be effective treatment in regards to gastro-intestinal disorders, asthma and chronic or whooping coughs.

Evening primrose is rich in amino acids and essential amino acids such as omega 6. Essential fatty acids magnetize oxygen as well as produce electrical currents. Once in the body amino acids and essential amino acids are transformed into hormone-like substances called prostaglandins, which condense allergic response and inflammation.

Existence without essential fatty acids is impossible because they are vital to the electrical reactions of cells. Essential fatty acids carry vitamins, enhance metabolism and transport oxygen to the tissues. They are indispensable to the adrenal glands, brain cells, retinas, sensory organs, synapses and testes. Essential fatty acids act as solvents to eliminate hardened fat inside the human body. They are also involved in generating the electric currents that maintain regular heartbeats, regulating chromosome stability and will even help with weight loss.

Here is a list of major constituents found in evening primrose: Alanine (0.5%), arginine (1.5%), aspartic acid (1.2%), beta-sitosterol (1.2-2.5%), calcium (1.3-1.8%), cellulose (27%), gamma-linolenic acid (0.5-10%), glutamic acid (2.7%), glycine (1%), fat (15-32%), fiber (43%), histidine (0.4%), isoleucine (0.5%), leucine (1%), lignin (16%), linoleic acid (12-22%), lysine (0.3%), methionine (0.6%), phenylalanine (0.7%), proline (0.6%), protein (15-17%), serine (0.9%) threonine (0.4%), tryptophan (up to 1.6%), tyrosine (0.4%), valine (up to 0.8%) and other lesser constituents.

Gamma linolenic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid. Gamma linolenic acid (or GLA) aids the body to manufacture energy, and it also helps to form parts of the structural fats that encompass bone marrow, the brain, cell membranes and muscles. Gamma linolenic acid is transformed by the body into prostaglandins. Prostaglandins help the body because of their anti-inflammatory properties. Prostaglandins can also act like a blood thinner and blood vessel dilator. They are hormone-like substances produced in the body's tissues.

Prostaglandin deficiency can result in disruption of the nerve impulse transmission, increase blood clotting time, inflammation and weaken immune response. Evening primrose oil with a high concentration of gamma linolenic acid is favorable for ailments related to essential fatty acid deficiency and the inability to metabolize essential fatty acids.

Evening primrose oil is beneficial in the treatment of arteriosclerosis, lowering blood cholesterol levels, asthma, allergies, PMS, headaches, rheumatoid arthritis, skin irritation, rashes, anxiety, water retention, breast soreness, depression, coughs, irritability, and the prevention of benign prostatic hypertrophy. It can also act as a stimulant for the digestive system, liver and spleen.

Evening primrose oil has also been indispensable in the treatment of acne, brittle nails, eczema, hyperactivity, multiple sclerosis, peripheral neuropathy and alcohol related liver damage. There are other conditions where evening primrose is currently being tested for effectiveness, including breast cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, stomach ulcers and inflammatory bowel disease.

Scientists have said that the studies on evening primrose have been promising, however there is not enough conclusive data available at this time. People with seizure disorders should only use omega-6 supplements of any kind, under the care and supervision of a licensed medical doctor, because omega-6 including gamma linolenic acid has had reports of inducing seizures in seizure-vulnerable persons.

When purchasing evening primrose oil it is important that the company states the percentages of gamma linolenic acid as well as the percentage of linoleic acid. Most quality oils will have between 7-10% GLA and 40-75% LA (the higher the percentages the better). If the company you are ordering the evening primrose oil does not list the GLA or LA content with their product it is advised to call them and get the percentage information on the 2 major constituent levels in their evening primrose oil.

The best evening primrose contains 10.3% gamma linolenic acid and 75% linoleic acid, available as carrier oil. Evening primrose can be used all over the body. Use it as a base to blend a therapeutic mix of essential oils for your specific ailment or as facial and body treatment to combat acne, dry, scared, mature, discolored and irritated skin. Of course it can also be used alone to produce beneficial therapeutic action. Evening primrose is a beautiful flowering plant, and an invaluable therapeutic emollient for general well being. 

Deadly Duplicates - Book Review

When I first read the basic theme of the book, I thought seemed far-fetched. I couldn't have been more wrong. In fact, the last 30 pages were so spell-binding everything else in my life had to wait until I finished the book. Author Margaret Lenois takes on a difficult task with this serial killer story line. Deadly Duplicates is a fiction novel about super-natural identical Siamese twins that would fit in with the genres of suspense and psychological thriller. 

Separated Siamese twins Deborah and Doreen Price were the subjects of gossip for hospital staff from the moment they were born – and it was not being identical or their scars that set them apart. As young children, their mother's mind snapped after several frightening and horrifying events including witnessing her own parents being burning alive in her childhood home. Yet she must rein over her self-imposed comatose state in time to save her girls.

Has their mother been absent so long that she cannot make a difference? Can the love of two detectives – the very men who adore them at home, but investigate the murders by day - save them? Read the book and find out!

ISBN#: 0976773244

Author: Margaret LeNois

Publisher: A Better Be Write Publisher 

How to Find a Book Using Online Bookstores

Looking for improving your gaming skills by reading some of the best books on professional gaming that are around? That is a good idea, but, and as you may have already noticed, it is easier said than done. Once you go online to one of the many online bookstores such as Amazon and Barnes and Ruble and can type in a phrase you get a long list (if you are lucky) of potential books. 

What do you do then? How do you know which book suits you? And if you even could figure that out, how do you know the book is worth anything? Many of the authors are pros, but, then, you can also easily land up on amateur writers who are just trying to make a buck. Exactly for this, we have compiled a list of five practical suggestions to help you. 

1) Reviews and Opinions Matter. 

One of the most interesting methods of screening authors and books is by reading what other readers have to say about those literary objects. Look up one of the many forums online that focus on books and either ask a direct question or read what others have said. Another option is to look up the book at different online bookstores such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon but also others such as The Literary Guild and Pickabook. (Look them at this list compiled by the World Wide Web Virtual Library: http://archive.museophile.org/bookstores) The reasons for doing this is that for every book you can read reviews from different sites. Do this and you are reducing the chances of reading only promotional material. It goes without saying that opt for those books that receive good reviews. Generally, a book will receive some bad reviews, but look at the majority viewpoint. Note that if the book you wish to buy is new, you will not find reviews. In such a case, you will just have to take a risk.

2) Be Specific. 

One of the methods of searching for a book that interests you is by narrowing down the search by typing a long search term and not just one name. For instance, type down how to play Texas holdem in an online tournament instead of just Texas holdem. Such a search will result in only a few book options. First, look up reviews and views on it and then look at its size and focus of interest.

3) Check the Experience of the Author. 

Buying a book is just like buying a car. Would you be willing to pay more for a Mercedes? Likewise, check the author or editor. If the author is unknown, tread very carefully. The book might be useless. But remember that its not enough that the author is well known or has years of professional expertise, they must be experienced in the exact field of the subject of the book. 

4) Check the Printing History of the Author. 

After checking the authors personal biography and his scope of knowledge as pertains to the issue in question, you should, then, check his style of writing. You will not want to fall asleep on the second page, do you? If their style of writing pleases you, try reading parts of their work. Read articles or portions of other books they have read. Do this to get an idea of whether they can write and whether they are capable of handling complicated issues and putting them across in easy to understand language. 

5) The Price Factor. 

When looking at books, the first thing (or the second) we tend to look at is the price. Yes, you should know whether you can afford to buy it or not, but do not make you decision based on whether a book is cheap or expensive. First, check whether the book is what you are looking for. Then, decided whether you can afford it and not vice versa. Likewise, do not just buy a book because its on sale. Remember that if a book is on sale it means that no one is buying it! 

A story to live by...

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

 One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend. He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

 Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

 This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. 

Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

 Life Is a Gift

 Today before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.

 Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

 Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone 

who's crying out to GOD for a companion.

 Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who died too early on this earth.

 Before you complain about your children - Think of someone who desires children but they're barren.

 Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep - Think of the people who are living in the streets.

 Before whining about the distance you drive - Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

 And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

 But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another - Remember that not one of us is without sin.

 And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.

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I PRAY 

THIS MOVES AROUND

THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE...