Though autistic disorder is often thought of as a single condition, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in fact refers to five different kinds of autism. When most people think about autism, they're only thinking about one type - the kind they saw in the movie Rainman - and don't realize that this is only a fifth of the disorders to which autism truly refers. The first type of autism is called Classic Autism. It's also known as Kanner's autism, or Kanner's disorder after a doctor who researched the condition in the 1930s through the 1940s. Classic autism is one of the lower functioning forms in the spectrum, and is identified by its high level of social and communication issues. Children with the classic autistic disorder rarely interact with the majority of people. They often suffer from poor motor skills and frequently repeat actions and motions. They are also generally reluctant to make eye contact and may display temper tantrums when they experience a change in their usual routine or environment. Though some individuals with classic autism are completely verbal, many struggle to communicate through speech, and others cannot speak at all. The second form of autism is referred to as Rett's Syndrome. This type off autistic disorder is another low-functioning one. Rett's is exclusive to females and often occurs in conjunction with mental retardation. Rett's girls are typically impaired in their movements and will rarely communicate verbally. Studies have concluded that Rett's is passed on genetically, though no hypothesis has yet to be proven regarding the reason that it occurs only in girls when all other types of autism occur in boys 75 percent of the time. The third kind of autistic disorder is Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. Children with this form of autism often develop normally, or are diagnosed with Classic Autism or Rett's Syndrome. However, the diagnosis changes with the speech and motor skill problems that accelerate. Regression occurs between the ages of two and four for an unknown reason, though it is suspected that it may be brought about by illness or types of surgery. This hypothesis has yet to be proven. The fourth form of autistic disorder is Asperger's Syndrome. It is easy to misdiagnose children with this disorder as they generally have better social and communication skills than other autistic children, but they still face limitations. It typically isn't until these children begin school that these limitations start to become obvious. Children with Asperger's often do very well with behavioral treatments and are able to exist quite well within a normal lifestyle when they begin these therapies as early as possible. The last form of autistic disorder is also the most vague. It is called PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified) and is the diagnosis given to children who are believed to have autism but whose condition does not fit the typical definition of the other four types of autistic disorder. These children may have some symptoms that match some of the autism forms, but do not have a specific kind of autism that can be diagnosed. Part of the understanding of autism comes along with the knowledge of where the disorder may have come from and what can worsen the symptoms. There are many different theories, including the impact that allergies can have on an autistic child. For some autistic people and relatives of those on the spectrum the autism disorder classifications are two broad and there is a belief that effective treatments are unlikely to be discovered until the spectrum is broken down further. A common phrase within the autism arena goes like this...'when you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism'. This phrase highlights the diversity of symptoms and abilities of people grouped together under the spectrum umbrella and confirms the complexity of this disorder.
Autistic Disorder - One Term, Many Meanings
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Plasma-Carbon Symbiosis and Bioplasma Body Fusion
Biologists are beginning to realize that co-operation was just as important as competition in the evolution of life's diversity and resilience. Every cell in the human body contains a mitochondrion which is thought to be a bacterial cell which invaded an early eukaryote. Instead of being digested, both cells tolerated each other and began to live with each other - a merger which provided synergies to both. This is a startling example of symbio-genesis. But then every multi-cellular animal or plant is also an obvious example of co-operation rather than competition. More than a 1,000 trillion cells are living peacefully and co-operating in your body; together with 500 to 100,000 species of bacteria. In fact, there are about ten times as many bacteria as human cells in the human body. Lynn Margulis, member of the National Academy of Sciences and Distinguished Professor at the University of Massachusetts, has argued that random mutation, claimed to be the main source of genetic variation is of only limited importance. Much more significant is the acquisition and integration of new genomes by symbiotic merger. But of course, she was confining herself to only carbon-based life forms. The "Parallel Earth" hypothesis proposes that a counterpart dark matter Earth co-accreted with the visible Earth in the embryonic Solar System. According to dark plasma theory, dark matter consists largely of a plasma of very high energy non-standard particles (sometimes of a different parity) - or "dark plasma". On this counterpart Earth, life flourished, just like it did on our visible Earth. The difference was that the life forms were plasma-based. Two different substrates, plasma and carbon, gave rise to life-forms in two different habitats. According to the "Dark Panspermia" hypothesis proposes that meteorites, asteroids and comets, containing both the dark and visible building blocks of life fell into habitable zones and generated the first single-celled and later multi-cellular life-forms which developed both ordinary and dark bioplasma bodies that were coupled to each other. Hence, even when life began on the visible Earth, plasma life forms were already forming symbiotic relationships with the abundant carbon-based life forms on our counterpart Earth. Inter-Substrate Plasma-Carbon Symbio-genesis "Symbiosis" is a term used to describe a close ecological relationship between the individuals of two (or more) different species. Sometimes a symbiotic relationship benefits both species, sometimes one species benefits at the other's expense, and in other cases neither species benefits. It has been observed by metaphysicists that the symbiotic relationship between the bioplasma and carbon-based bodies is one of "mutualism" where both species benefit. (At least one leading metaphysicist, however, describes the relationship as "parasitic".) Practically all carbon-based life forms today, including homo sapiens, had symbiotic relationships with plasma-based life forms. Hominids are the products of a symbio-genesis between a carbon-based and plasma-based life form. Unlike other animals, however, carbon-based hominids were able to utilize the alternative cognitive-sensory systems of their plasma-based symbiotic partners. Their unique brains allowed them to activate the higher energy bioplasma bodies that co-evolved with the carbon-based body without necessarily having any conscious awareness that they were accessing a different cognitive system. Relationships developed between the lower energy carbon-based bodies of hominids and the higher energy bioplasma bodies and were sustained for several millions of years up to the present. When certain brain circuits in the biochemical brain (particularly in the parietal and temporal lobes) were disabled, the locus of consciousness from the carbon-based body of a human was transferred to the plasma-based body. During REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep the carbon-based body processes information from the bioplasma body. According to dark plasma theory, there is a higher energy correlate of the (carbon-based) physical-biochemical fertilized egg. This correlate, usually in its adult form, is often called the "(etheric) double" in the general metaphysical literature. It is often observed as a replica of the carbon-based body but operates on an electromagnetic platform, being a bioplasma body. It is classified here as a "Level 3 bioplasma body". ("Level 3" signifies that the body inhabits a universe which has 3 spatial dimensions and 1 time dimension, just like the carbon-based body.) Type 1 Bioplasma Body Fusion According to the metaphysical literature, the Level 3 bioplasma body originates and usually dies together with physical-biochemical body (which is also a "Level 3" body) or a short time thereafter. This is not surprising as the age of this bioplasma body approximates the carbon-based body since both bodies originates at about the same time in a particular lifetime. However, in certain cases, for example accidental death, the still healthy and undamaged bioplasma body (the "donor") decouples from the carbon-based body. Subsequently it may absorb (or fuse) with an embryonic Level 3 bioplasma body which is coupled to an embryonic carbon-based body (the "recipient"). This "body fusion" gives rise to a new Level 3 bioplasma life-form and is quite rare. It does not amount to a symbio-genesis as both bioplasma bodies are of the same species. It was reported by Paul Pearsall (in his book the The Heart's Code) that recipients receiving a donor's heart during heart transplants may experience certain emotions and even "cellular memories" of the donor. Recipients have reported inheriting everything from the donor's food cravings to knowledge about his murderer - information that in one case led to the killer's arrest. Similarly, in Type 1 Bioplasma Body Fusion (where the bioplasma bodies being fused are relatively close in frequency on the electromagnetic spectrum to the physical-biochemical body) the carbon-based body of the recipient may be impacted by certain events or even the appearance or phenotype of the donor. In certain cases, features that were associated with the carbon-based body of the donor which impacted the donor's Level 3 bioplasma body was transferred to the carbon-based body of the recipient through the fusion of the donor's bioplasma body with the recipient's bioplasma body. In this type of symbio-genesis, typical of most reported reincarnation cases, memories relating to the donor may be accessed by the recipient. This usually most easily occurs when the recipient is young and has not completed the full development of the brain. Access to the memories of the donor will be increasingly lost as the brain prunes its neural networks. Ian Stevenson, a scientific researcher in reincarnation-type cases, has discovered that certain Burmese children who remembered their "previous lives" as British or American Air Force pilots shot down over Myanmar during World War II have fairer hair and complexions than their siblings. Distinctive facial features, foot deformities and other characteristics were carried over from one life to another. Most often birthmarks resembling scars from physical injuries have been carried over. In one case, a boy who remembered being murdered in "his former life" by having his throat slit had a long reddish mark resembling a scar around his neck. A boy who remembered committing suicide by shooting himself in the head in his previous incarnation had two scar-like birthmarks that lined up perfectly with the bullet's trajectory, one where the bullet entered and another where the bullet exited. Stevenson has gathered hundreds of these cases and has published articles in authoritative journals, including the Journal of of the American Medical Association . These cases suggest that a transfer of characteristics and memories took place a short time after the death of the carbon-based body and that the Level 3 bioplasma double had not disintegrated completely. In these rare cases, even certain physical features and attributes, which were developed during the previous carbon-based lifetime, may appear again in the new carbon-based body. In these cases, the Level 3 bioplasma body had been impacted by the physical deformation to the previous carbon-based body and transmitted it as a feature in another carbon-based body which is not genetically linked with the first body. In other words it is a Carbon-Plasma-Carbon transfer of characteristics which suggests some form of cross-substrate imprinting. Type 2 Bioplasma Body Fusion In the majority of cases, however, Type 2 Bioplasma Body Fusion occurs. In this case, the bioplasma body at the next higher energy level (commonly referred to as an "astral body" in the metaphysical literature but classified here as a "Level 4 bioplasma body") fuses with an embryonic bioplasma body at the same energy level which is linked to a Level 3 bioplasma body. ("Level 4" signifies that the body inhabits a universe which has 4 spatial dimensions and 1 time dimension.) In this case, memories of the fusing Level 4 bioplasma body may be difficult to access unless certain brain circuits within the carbon-based physical-biochemical body are switched-off either chemically (through psychoactive drugs), physically (through surgery, transcranial magnetic stimulation which simulate brain lesions or accidents) or psychologically (through deep meditation or hypnosis). During a near-death experience ("NDE") the "light" which accompanies and reveals itself to the NDEer (in his or her Level 3 bioplasma body) is usually the Level 4 bioplasma body."...all visible organisms, plants, animals and fungi evolved by "body fusion." Fusion at the microscopic level led to genetic integration and formation of ever-more complex individuals." - Lynn Margulis, Acquiring Genomes, 2002
Best Cardio to Burn Belly Fat
Everyone knows spot reduction is impossible, right? Well, guess again! One of Australia's top fat loss researchers published a study showing that interval training burns belly fat specifically. So if you are looking to lose inches from your waist, you have to add interval training to your workout program. The Australian study compared a 20-minute interval training workout (done 3x's per week) against a 40-minute slow cardio workout (also done 3x's per week). Women did the workout for 15 weeks, and only the interval group lost belly fat. The cardio group got practically no results at all. So spot reduction is possible, as long as you don't expect slow cardio or endless crunches to do the trick. Instead, you need to use interval training. According to Professor Steve Boucher, the Australian co-author of the latest interval training study to show intervals work better than slow cardio, "high intensity intermittent exercise may result in greater fat loss in the abdomen". Basically, interval training burns stomach fat first, over all other sources of fat on the body. Now we all have heard that spot reduction doesn't work. If you haven't, here is the story. For some reason, many people think that by doing tons of crunches, they will burn stomach fat. Unfortunately, that just isn't true. In fact, Boucher quotes the following example... "...researchers have examined the fat content of elite tennis players' racket arm. The logic here is that if a tennis player uses his racket arm much more than his other arm then the fat content should be less. Racket arms of tennis players usually possess greater muscle and bone mass but similar fat levels." So here's the odd thing about Boucher's theory...Notice that he's not claiming sprint interval training done on a bike will burn more fat around your legs. Instead, he's claiming that interval work done by your legs will lead to a spot reduction of fat from around the belly. Completely backwards to what the beginner exerciser thinks. Boucher also says this interval program will work really well in men with lots of abdominal fat - so its not just for women. So why do the intervals work so well? Boucher believes it has something to do with the increase in hormones called "catecholamines" (adrenaline is a catecholamine hormone). These increase after intervals, but not after slow cardio. Catecholamines are a fat burning hormone and there are a lot of catecholamine receptors in belly fat...so he seems to think the elevated fat burning hormones from intervals ends up leading to targeted belly fat burning. Interesting theory...we'll see if they do more research and are able to confirm that belly fat burning hypothesis. Regardless, its great to see studies showing intervals to be more effective for losing stomach fat than slow cardio workouts. Surprisingly, Boucher recommends stationary cycling as one of the best ways to burn fat with intervals. Seems like another fat loss expert has been saying that for years now...oh yeah, it was me! I know, and research shows that using both resistance training and interval burns more fat than slow cardio workouts. Boucher also recommends a Mediterranean diet (lots of fruits and vegetables)...another commonality with Turbulence Training (that is, the emphasis on fruits and vegetables). So there you go...Turbulence Training years ahead of this study, but supported by the latest scientific research and the expert's hypothesis. And don't forget, Boucher and his group didn't even throw in the Turbulence Training resistance training exercises...that probably would have resulted in even more belly fat burning and loss of stomach fat. So forget about hour-long stationary cycling workouts when you can get the same or more fat-burning benefits in 20 minutes. Exercise intensity is the most important factor determining post-exercise energy expenditure and fat loss success! After a 5-minute warm-up, follow this sample beginner's protocol: * Start at 15 seconds of intense effort (90% of your maximal pace). * Follow that with "active rest" (~30% of your maximal pace) for 2 min. * Perform 3-6 intervals. * Finish with 5 minutes (or longer) of moderate intensity exercise. As you become more advanced and accustomed to intervals, progress to: * Increase your intensity to 95-98% of maximal pace (always hold a little back). * 30- to 60-second intervals with only 30- to 60-seconds active rest. * Try to keep your active rest the same length or longer than your work interval. * Perform 6-12 intervals per session. * Finish with 5 minutes (or longer) of moderate intensity exercise.
Fortunately, you can drop the slow cardio, add intervals, and still save time from your workouts. Here's why.
Lean Six Sigma Roadmap and Implementation Guide
If you're in the business world, you have either heard of lean manufacturing or six sigma. Almost every company in either the service or manufacturing sector has adopted one of these two disciplines as an improvement methodology. Some businesses have adopted both methods using the term lean six sigma. It is the name most often given to the combination of lean manufacturing and six sigma principles. The reason most companies have adopted one or the other is simply because their employees have been trained on one or the other disciplines. The lucky ones have employees trained in both lean manufacturing and six sigma, and understand it only makes sense to combine both for maximum improvement. Lean manufacturing follows a model of Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA), and six sigma follows a model of Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Contro (DMAIC). It takes a lot of training to be an expert in both fields, and therefore very few companies have enough expertise to implement lean six sigma. However, it is worth the effort, as it doubles the amount of business improvement tools and enables problems to be solved using the "correct" tool rather than trying to fit a certain methodology to the problem. The roadmap to lean six sigma includes following the DMAIC phase. First define the problem. This is often the most time consuming, as there are many competing projects. The project selection process should be based on the company objectives and value of the project. Many tools are used in the define phase, some of which are listed below. Project Charter Flow Charts Process Mapping Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) PERT Charts Affinity Diagram Nominal Group Technique (NGT) Prioritization Matrix Gannt Charts Voice of the Customer (VOC) CT Trees (Critical to Quality, Critical to Schedule, etc) Pareto Charts Rolled Throughput Yield (RTY) Kano Model Measure the current state. The tools used depend on whether it's a pure lean manufacturing, six sigma, or combined lean six sigma project. However, the the tools most commonly used for this phase are: Probability and Statistics Data Collection Measurement Systems Process Level Flowcharts Process Level Mapping Histogram Stem and Leaf Plots Pareto Charts Cause and Effects Diagram and Matrix FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) Control Charts Process Capability Gage R & R Studies Frequency Plots Confidence Intervals Process Sigma Once the current state is measured, it needs to be analyzed. Most six sigma projects take quite a while in this phase. For example, detailed analysis of markets, machines, people, shifts, and outputs take considerable time. A pure lean project may only take a few hours or days to analyze. For example, if the project is to reduce setup times, the measure phase may take a few hours to measure the current setup times under various conditions. Brainstorming 5 Why's Value Stream Mappingv Scatter Plots Regression Analysis Design of Experiments (DOE) Hypothesis Testing The next step is improvement. This could range from a quick kaizen type project of moving machinery, making operational changes for OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) improvement, or it could be a several week DOE (design of experiment) and regression analysis process. Design of Experiments (DOE) Hypothesis Testing Brainstorming Cause and Effect Diagram Box Whisker Charts Process Mapping Lean Manufacturing Tools: Control Charts Many implementers get hung up on the project time. Some training programs suggest a black belt project takes a few months on average. Most lean training talks about speed with processes such as kaizen blitz. The projects should take as long as necessary and solved using the tools necessary to obtain maximum improvement. If that means one day, then it is a one day project. If it means 3 months, then so be it. The DMAIC process does not have to take weeks. There are problems that can be defined, measured, analyzed, improved, and controlled in a matter of days. Just because a problem can be solved quickly does not mean it is only a lean or other type of project. However, not every project needs a process. For example, if a problem arises and the answer is known, it should be solved once and for all forever. If something needs done to sustain it, then those tools should be used. That does not mean it needs a full blown project. The bottom line is use an improvement methodology when you need it, and use the tools necessary to solve the problem. When tools are forced on an organization rather than pulled into problems, the system is sure to fail.
Control Charts (XBar & R, np, C, U, p)- SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) - Standard Operations - Kaizen - Line Balance and Takt Time - Value Stream Mapping and Analysis - OEE - Work Simplification - Methods Improvement - Error Proofing - 5S
The next step is controlling the improvement. The last thing any team wants it to obtain improvement and not sustain it. This could include training, demonstration by employees, standard operations, SOP's. or multiple process control charts.- X Bar & R - I-MR - p - np - c - U - EWMA Standard Work Visual Management Performance Management Process Mapping
Sad Sales Negotiators Do a Bad Job
In the quest to do a better job at negotiating deals, sales negotiators have been known to do some pretty wild things in order to condition themselves to perform at a high level - extreme exercising, exposure to hot / cold temperatures, and even eating some pretty weird things. However, is it possible that they've been overlooking the most important thing - how happy they are? The Power Of Sad Dr. Robert Cialdini has spent a lot of time studying how we can persuade others and how they can persuade us. In fact he's written a popular book on the topic titled Influence: Science and Practice in which he talks about what causes us to do things that we may not be giving a lot of thought to. When it comes to sales negotiations, Dr. Cialdini and his peers have done some interesting studies that should cause all of us to sit up and take notice. The Big Guess The social scientist who were doing the research started with the hypothesis that when we get sad, we get motivated to do something to change our current circumstances in order to get out of our sad mood. They took this thinking one step further. They also guessed that sad buyers would be willing to pay higher prices for a given product and sad sellers would be willing to sell a product for a lower price.Ã'Â Do I have your interest now? The Experiment The cool thing about being a social scientist is that you get to test your hypothesis on people, not rats. In this case the scientists had their (human) test subjects divided into two groups. One group watched a sad movie and then wrote a paragraph about how the movie made them feel. The other group watched a movie about fish (!) and then wrote about what they had done that day. Next, both groups were once again divided into two groups and one group was asked to mark on a piece of paper what price they would sell an item at and the other group was asked to mark on a piece of paper what price they would buy an item at. What the scientist discovered just might scare you. It turns out that their original guess was right: sad buyer ended up being willing to spend 30% more for an item than emotionally neutral buyers. Likewise, sad sellers were willing to sell an item for 33% less than emotionally neutral sellers. The really spooky part of all of this is that the sad buyers and sellers had no idea that their sadness had affected them so much. Final Thoughts Although we often get caught up in preparing for our next sales negotiation, what the social scientists have discovered is that we bring everything else that is going on in our lives to the table with us. On a similar note, the other side of the negotiating table does the exact same thing. Before you start your next sales negotiation, you need to take a minute or two and evaluate how you are feeling. If there is anything that is bringing you down or making you depressed, then you have got to try to find a way to resolve it or at least make it better before the negotiations start. Learn to do this and it will allow you to close better deals and close them quicker.