Stages of Alzheimers Utilizing Machine Learning Techniques

Stages of Alzheimers Utilizing Machine Learning Techniques Abstract: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the general type of dementia that affects the elderly population globally. An accurate and early diagnosis of Alzheimer is crucial for the treatment of patients suffering from AD. In this paper, two different classifiers, SVM (Support Vector Machine) and an ANFIS (Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System) have been employed to classify patients between AD control, mild control and normal control. The system employed MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) data obtained from the ADNI dataset of 150 subjects consisting of 75 normal controls, 50 mild controls and 25 AD controls. Initially, image processing techniques like segmentation and feature extraction are applied on these MRI images to enhance the classification accuracy. The segmentation is performed using k-means clustering and a GLCM (Gray Level Co-Occurrence Matrix) are used to extract the 2D features of the left ventricle of the brain. The extracted features are then utilized to train the classifiers and the results obtained from both classifiers are then compared. It is shown that the classification accuracy of ANFIS is more when compared to that of SVM classifier. Keywords: Alzheimer, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), ANFIS (Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System), SVM (Support Vector Machine). 1. Introduction Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative syndrome [1] of the brain tissues that results in progressive and permanent loss of mental function. The disease generally starts with mild indications and ends with severe damage in brain. The pathophysiology of the disease is associated with the damage and death of the neurons, originating in the hippocampus region of the brain that is involved with learning and memory, then atrophy impacts the whole brain. According to epidemiological information Alzheimer affects approximately 26 million people all over the world. In order to give proper care to AD patients, it is vital to measure the amount of atrophy present in the cerebral cortex during the initial stages of AD. The early detection of these diseases can greatly enhance diagnosis. But, diagnosis of this disease depends on the history, neuropsychological tests and clinical assessment. However, the clinical assessment is biased and the neuropsychological test does not provide high accuracy for early stage detection of the disease. In addition to neuropsychological analysis, structural imaging is greatly utilized in order to provide support to AD diagnosis. The whole brain approach utilized for describing the brain atrophy might be capable of differentiating between AD and MCI (mild cognitive impairment) patients. Recent researches [1, 2] show that the analysis of brain scan images is more consistent and subtle in identifying the presence of Alzheimer’s disease than the conventional cognitive assessment. In this circumstance, several machine learning approaches have been presented in order to perform neuroimaging analysis for classification of AD. In addition, all these approaches require training sets that is well categorized structure in order to classify each new subject that belongs to the test set. Recently MRI data have become center of several machine learning techniques for classifying subjects as CN vs. AD or CN vs. MCI. The focus of this paper is to classify between the different stages of AD utilizing machine learning techniques. Here, all the MRI brain scan images are segmented using k means clustering and the 2D shape features of the ventricles are obtained using GLCM based feature extraction. Then the extracted features are utilized for classification. First, an SVM based classifier is employed to classify the test data into three categories: normal, mild and AD. Second, an ANFIS based classifier is utilized for classification. Finally, the results of the two classifiers are compared and have been shown that ANFIS classifier outperforms SVM classifier. 2. Related Works Alzheimer’s disease (AD) classification is vital for early detection and diagnosis of the disease. Several studies explored machine learning techniques and artificial intelligence for detecting the cerebral changes and differentiate between normal aging and AD patients [1-3]. In [4] a support vector machine (SVM) based machine learning approach has been utilized for automatic classification entire brain anatomical MRI data to differentiate between elderly control and AD control patients. In this study, 16 patients with AD control and 22 patients with elderly control were used. Depending upon the gray matter characteristics extracted from region of interest (ROI), the SVM algorithm is used for classifying the subjects and the arithmetic procedures are based on bootstrap resampling in order to ensure the strength of the results. In [5] a local patch based subspace ensemble approach has been proposed that constructs several different classifiers depending on the various subsets of local patches and they are combined for robust and more accurate classification. Here, every brain image is segmented into number of local patches and the subset of patches is selected from the patch pool and a sparse representation based classifier technique has been used in order to construct a weak classifier. The multiple weak classifiers are then combined for making final decision. [6] A framework for classifying Alzheimer’s disease utilizing ADNI dataset is presented. The framework fuses overlap based and registration based similarity measures that are enhanced employing a self-smoothing operator. These enhanced metrics are then employed for the classification of Alzheimer disease. In [7] an automatic classification system for recognizing AD in MRI (structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging) has been developed. The system utilizes visual content description of anatomical brain structure (hippocampal region) and fuses two biomarkers CSF and hippocampus in order to enhance the classification accuracy. It is shown that the classification accuracy is more in case of fusion than when utilizing CSF volume or visual features separately. In [8] support vector machines (SVM) were assessed to determine whether data combined from various scanners would provide effective classification. Here, a linear SVM has been employed to classify GM (grey matter) portion of T1 weighted MR image. The results show that about 96% of clinically verified AD patients were accurately classified exploiting the entire brain image. [9] Classified between healthy, MCI and AD patients with the help of support vector machine (SVM). The author also analyzed the accuracy of classification when several a natomical brain regions and various image modalities are combined. Therefore, global and regional grey matter, regional asymmetry coefficients, Ti- quantitative MRI data and regional with matter volumes are combined. It shows that an accuracy of 88.3% in case of CTL vs. AD and 81.8 % in case of CTL vs. MCI was attained. In [10] a binary SVM has been proposed to classify patients between mild cognitive impairment and elderly control subjects from MRI images. This approach utilized a Java Agent DEvelopement Framework (JADE) in order to reduce the computation time. 3. Materials and Methods In this section, the data set and methods utilized in this study as well as the description of the proposed framework depicted in fig 1 are presented. 3.1 Subjects The data employed in this study were obtained from ADNI (Alzheimers disease Neuroimaging Initiative) database [11]. ADNI utilizes biomarker measures and neuroimaging in order to track the changes taking places in the brain of the subjects under study for diagnosing AD at an early stage. Fig 1 Block Diagram of the step involved in the classification of stages of AD 3.2 Image Preprocessing The collected T1 weighted MRI images were free from noise, missing data and outliers. In preprocessing step all the MRI brain images are segmented into VM, GM, CSF and Ventricle tissues that represent vital information about brain degeneration disease. A clustering based segmentation approach has been employed for this purpose. The k means clustering is exploited in order to extract the VM, GM and CSF features the entire MRI brain image. It partitions the data points into k clusters [12] based on the inherent distance between the data points. The intent is to minimize inter cluster variance. For a healthy MRI brain image, k is usually three (corresponding to grey matter, white matter and CSF). After segmenting the MRI brain images into GM, WM and CSF, morphological operations are applied to obtain the binary ventricle tissue. Here, morphological operators such as erosion and dilution are applied. 3.3 Feature Extraction In order to accurately classify AD patients ventricle shape features are extracted. In this work, the 2D shape features are extracted from the ventricles based on Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) feature extraction. This method computes the co-occurrence matrix of each image present in the database by calculating how frequently pixel x with certain intensity value take place in relation with other pixel y at a specific orientation ÃŽ ¸ and distance d. The eleven features calculated from every co-occurrence matrix, generates set of feature vectors. These feature vectors include contrast, homogeneity, energy, correlation, mean, variance, rectangularity, elongation, circularity, area and perimeter and listed in table 1. Table 1: Extracted Features

National Parks By Visitor Management Tourism Essay

National Parks By Visitor Management Tourism Essay The recreationists who visit and enjoy the planets protected natural areas cause serious ecological damage to the very lands they enjoy. To maintain ecosystem integrity, park managers must increasingly focus on recreation management as a vital part of their jobs. Managers agree on the importance of pursuing objectives using the least cost mix of tools. To make this choice wisely, the efficacy of various tools in influencing recreationists behavior must be assessed. Natural resource managers often confront the dual objectives of encouraging recreation while simultaneously preserving the ecosystems they manage. Unfortunately, human behavior often degrades natural processes. To maintain ecosystem integrity, park managers must increasingly focus on recreation management as a vital part of their jobs. The choice of recreation management strategy requires that objectives be delineated and that the efficacy of the many tools at their disposal be evaluated. Visitor management in parks, wilderness and other protected areas requires information about visitor environment interactions and, particularly, the distribution and flow of visitors in space and time. Such information is usually sketchy and based largely on the verbal reports of visitors. Many of the worlds natural parks, wilderness areas and other protected areas are established for the dual purposes of ecological preservation and recreational use. Managers of such places must balance visitor use and environmental protection. Regardless of the balance selected, policy development and implementation requires fundamental information about visitors, their needs and wants, the impacts of their visits, and their distribution and flow in space and time. While well-established protected areas in developed countries often receive large numbers of visitors, newly established ones can struggle to attract them. This is especially so in some developing countries, where protected areas often depend on tourism income, and the number of visitors may be too low to provide even a small portion of the necessary income to run the park. Therefore strategies to manage the problems of large numbers of visitors in some protected areas often need to be complemented by other strategies designed to attract them to other areas. Managers have at their disposal a wide array of strategies to manage the impacts of park tourism. Their choice will be determined by any restrictions that legislation or agency policy places upon them, by the efficiency and appropriateness of the management strategy, and the resource implications. The main features of these strategies to control, influence and mitigate visitor impacts are described below. There are four strategic approaches which can be used to reduce the negative impacts of visitors on protected areas: 1. Managing the supply of tourism or visitor opportunities, e.g. by increasing the space available or the time available to accommodate more use. 2. Managing the demand for visitation, e.g. through restrictions of length of stay, the total numbers, or type of use. 3. Managing the resource capabilities to handle use, e.g. through hardening the site or specific locations, or developing facilities. 4. Managing the impact of use, e.g. reducing the negative impact of use by modifying the type of use, or dispersing or concentrating use. Literature review: The requirement of Environment Canada, Parks mandate to protect heritage resources and to facilitate visitor use of those resources has not been met in park management plans or operations. Care of the physical, biological, and cultural heritage resources led Parks Canada to develop objective data about natural resources within park boundaries but minimal data about the dimensions and nature of human use. Park planning reflected a protection bias with the result that issues related to the mix of opportunities, activities, services and facilities were not well analyzed or taken seriously. In practical terms, management action in national parks suffered. Facilities were badly located and sometimes too large or too small. Managing the tension between the resource and the visitor requires that park visitors and their activities be treated seriously. This requirement has led to the development of the Visitor Activity Management Process (VAMP). The advent of VAMP represents a fundamental change in orientation in Parks from a product or supply basis to an outward-looking market-sensitive one. Traditionally, park agencies have utilized a product orientation to visitor activity planning and management. Park planners and managers, believed their primary task to be providing facilities, services and programs which they consider to be most appropriate, as efficiently as they are able. This approach involves deciding what the public wants and how the park agency can best provide for visitor and local wants. The resulting facilities, services and programs are offered to the public with the hope that they will be utilized. Ensuing management then becomes operation-orientated, focusing on the facility or resource being offered rather than on the recreation experiences or benefits provided. Natural resource information is collected through the Natural Resources Management Process and is assessed to identify resource opportunities and constraints. The inclusion of such information in VAMP is important because it helps achieve integration between visitor use and resource protection. From the recently revised US National Park Service (NPS) Management Policies, provides a strong mandate to guide recreation management decisions in protecting park resources and values at some 375 parks. This policy guidance recognizes the legitimacy of providing opportunities for public enjoyment of parks. However, the Management Policies also acknowledge that some degree of resource impact is an inevitable consequence of use and direct managers to `ensure that any adverse impacts are the minimum necessary, unavoidable, cannot be further mitigated, and do not constitute impairment or derogation of park resources and values (NPS, 2001). Most protected areas internationally operate under similar mandates. Success in achieving an appropriate balance between recreation provision and resource protection mandates requires professional management of park natural resources and visitor use. Managers must have the ability to assess and find out visitor impacts and determine what their acceptability with respect to park management objectives is. Objective of the research: National Park Service lands are administered under dual legal mandates requiring managers to achieve an acceptable balance between resource protection and recreation provision objectives. While some degree of environmental degradation is inevitable, managers are challenged to develop recreation resource management policies that can preserve environmental conditions and processes, while sustaining high quality recreational experiences. Recreation ecology knowledge can assist managers in this challenging task by providing procedures to monitor resource conditions and evaluate the effectiveness of management actions. Provisions of (physical) facilities in recreational areas often have a double purpose. They offer service to the visitors, but their primary purpose might equally be as management actions with the purpose of limiting impacts on the natural environment. Research in the outdoor recreation field shows that land managers usually are more sensitive to ecological impacts from recreation than are the visitors. 1. How do the two groups judge the need for facilities? 2. Which management actions are regarded as good or acceptable tools in order to repair or minimize impacts? 3. How we can apply visitors management tools to integrate protection and use of national parks and facilities at the same time? Methodology: This project will utilize both quantitative and qualitative data collection tools, but is rooted in a qualitative method. It means combination of quantitative and qualitative method but rely on qualitative one. Data collection will consist of primary data and secondary data. In secondary data collection, using of magazines, books, articles, journals, internet, websites and conferences papers are common ways and primary data can be gathered by: communication methods and observation methods such as interview and questionnaire. Expected benefits to the society: Protected areas provide opportunities for visitors to develop a sense of perspective, to begin to appreciate that the past played an important role in shaping the present, and to understand that what we now hold dear came because others before us made sacrifices, were worried about the future or were simply far-sighted. Parks are thus highly valued for their opportunities for these experiences. The potential pressures that tourism may place on cultural resources are significant, yet such tourism is highly dependent on maintaining the integrity of the site. National parks and protected areas provide important reserves for biological habitats, ecological processes, pure air, clean water and individual species. These functions serve the important role of providing the security that cultures need for maintenance of natural processes important to the survival of human life. National parks and protected areas provide critical habitats for humans to enjoy, appreciate and learn about natural processes.

Unity Amid Diversity Essay -- essays papers

Unity Amid Diversity The 1950’s and 1960’s was a dawning of a new age. Many changes were occurring within America’s society. Segregation was prominent with the passing of Plessy vs. Ferguson, however, the Jim Crow laws of the south were being challenged. Negroes in the south wanted equality and justice. The nation was in need of an ethic of caring and a solid identity of what it meant to be an â€Å"American.† With the war in Vietnam and the war for equality, people were fed up with all of the hate. The public cried, â€Å"Make love, not war (Tallulah).† During this time of hardship, the Civil Rights Movement introduced us to many influential Americans that helped make equality possible and also made everyone proud to be American. From the famous court case of Brown vs. Board of Education and the refusal of Rosa Parks to the ideas and actions of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and Anne Moody, equality emerged in the United States and a positive, patriotic and respectful outlook was placed on what it is to be an â€Å"American.† The Civil Rights Movement was like a time bomb waiting to go off. African-Americans throughout the south looked at each other as if saying, â€Å"wait, just wait.† Surprisingly, the initiation came from a young, black girl who had to travel several miles to attend a segregated school even though she lived right next door to a white elementary school. This famous court case, known as Brown vs. Board of Education, determined that segregation in public schools based on race was unconstitutional. This decision was the result of decades of efforts by black segregationist opponents. With black and white children attending the same schools, having equal opportunities elsewhere became increasingly desirable. It was during this period of waiting that a petite, middle-aged woman named Rosa Parks was the person to officially begin the fight for racial equality in America. On the afternoon of Thursday, December 1, 1995, Mrs. Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man and was arrested. This simple action of dominance and defiance began one of the most important struggles in American history. As the small yet strong-willed woman was hauled off to jail, word of her refusal spread throughout the country. People of all races and ages were inspired by her actions and the news traveled through telephone lines and word of mout... ...to every privilege, law and punishment. We, black and white, attend the same schools, churches and shop in the same grocery stores; we live in the same neighborhoods and swim in the same pools. America is the diverse yet unified country that it should be. As a result of the success of the movement, the rest of the world admires the U.S. and what it stands for. Without the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, who knows where we would be in the world society. I wonder. I really wonder. Works Cited 1.â€Å"1963.† http://net4tv.com/color/60/16Bombing.htm Copyright 1997, Iacta IIC, (22 April 1999) 2.Cohen, Jeff and Norman Solomon. â€Å"The Martin Luther King You don’t see on TV.† http://www.fair.org/media-beat/950104.html (27 April 1999). 3.Dancier, Tallulah. â€Å"Dawning of an Age.† http://net4tv.com/color/60/60about.htm Copyright 1997, Iacta IIC, (22 April 1999) 4.Haley, Alex. â€Å"The Autobiography of Malcolm X.† New York: Ballantine Books, 1965 5.Moody, Anne. â€Å"Coming of Age in Mississippi.† New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, 1968. 6.Robinson, Jo Ann Gibson. â€Å"Excerpts from the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Women who Started it.† Primis.

Technological Advancement is Natural Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive

Technological Advancement is Natural As we enter the twenty-first century, it is clear that many things about our method of interacting with our environment are different than in previous centuries, and that, in fact, the very philosophy of the man-nature interaction may change again. Some look forward to these changes. Others are fearful or condemnatory. In many cases, people implicitly or explicitly argue that certain technologies are unnatural. They claim that while certain technologies may be useful, other technologies represent a form of Nature manipulation and this that tinkering is unwise. Since this argument may appear in many places, it is important to critically analyze it. I feel that this argument is the arbitrary reaction of one philosophy against another, and does not by itself prove anything. Examining perceptions of the natural from history and certain exemplary situations, along with modern thinking on the subject, may illuminate the deeper issues that lie behind this argument. Aboriginal humanity seems to have had various religious systems designated broadly as "nature-worship". Objects in nature, places, and the spirits of friends or relatives (living or dead) were to be worshiped, feared, and appeased. For instance, a native American might leave an offering to the soul of a deer he had hunted. Other societies would gather in groves or caves to celebrate religious ceremonies. In agrarian and feudal societies, more complex and technical religious systems were developed. They might be designated "Polytheism", "Monotheism", and "Universalism". For the purposes of this discussion, let us define these terms as follows: Monotheism identifies exactly one transcendent supernatural being, who, by his own nat... ...nded tones of fear of the alien and suspicion of the mixed." I also worry that, in the debates over modern technology, many people fear change and use the word "unnatural", as well as others, to draw unwarranted assumptions into the debate. There are cases where "tinkering" with nature can have major unintended consequence, just as a man manipulating the works at a hydroelectric dam could cause a flood in the valley below. However, these consequences arise not because it is evil to play with nature but because Nature herself is both extremely powerful and morally neutral. Man has always tried to subdue Nature and hold her at bay. This becomes easier as we understand her better, so I claim that technology is perfectly natural. Work Cited Holy Bible. Authorized King James Version. Ed. C.I. Scofield. New Scofield Reference Edition. New York: Oxford UP, 1997.

Hollywood moves influence in society Essay

Hollywood movies have had an important effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period. Is clear that Hollywood movies have an impact and influence in society. From my point of view the Hollywood movies are not a bad influence to society. Most of these movies are made after books and we don’t say that books have a bad influence on us. The combinations of themes that have these movies are magnificent so we can’t say that because they have some violent movies the whole industry is bad. Also the movies that contain violence tell us that violence is not the right way of doing things. Almost every movie has his good teaching. Even that they have some of this kind of movies that people can understand are a bad influence from society these haven’t been proved. Movies should be taken as what they are not reality. Movies are just a way of entertainment. I personally think that Hollywood films can be positive as they offer different views and concepts to many people and in turn allow people to think over certain ideas and formulate their own ones. The main objective of these movies is entertainment. People choose the stars of these movies as a role model, and these movies became a part of or life. Also I don’t agree with the ideal of beauty the media does obviously show, but you can’t really blame them when is just the reality, these ideal is show not only in movies but everywhere. Hollywood produces are in fact a mixture of our life or of some of us. It is a mixture of biographies, love stories, dramas, science fiction, horror stories, action films and documentaries. If some people get bad habits from seeing these movies we can blame the movie because they are not maid to cause any problem.

Criminal Theories Essay

An in-depth knowledge of theories is not required at this level, rather demonstration of knowledge of two of the biological, sociological and psychological explanations for criminal behaviour and how factors such as  negative family influences, lack of education, poverty and unemployment may impact on the behaviour of the offender and how society’s views of criminal behaviour have changed over time. â€Å"I confirm that the work that I am submitting is entirely my own, and I have not copied from any other student or source, unless referenced†. P3 – Describe two theories of criminal behaviour and the factors that contribute to them When looking at crime, it is essential that we explore the definitions of crime and the theories that explain why crime happens and how this affects both individuals and communities. The study of crime is commonly known as â€Å"Criminology†. Criminology originated from many other disciplines such as sociology, psychology, biology, geography, law and anthropology. It is generally accepted that there are three main categories that are used to explain why crime happens. To dive deeper into the theories surrounding criminal behaviour we can  analyse the three main and biggest theories behind a Criminal and their Behaviour: A) psychological models; B) sociological models; and C) biological models. All infer different methods of control and actions. It’s actually difficult to separate the three categories completely as it is generally accepted that all three theories contribute large factors that play a role in the expression of behaviour. Moreover, psychological science consists of several disciplines including biological psychology and social psychology, so psychological principles could be applied across all three domains. However, there are some general principles associated with each of the above three paradigms that would be associated with some specific crime control policies. This results in admittedly narrow definition for each of the categories but it does simplify the discussion herein. Psychological Approaches There a many different psychological models of criminal behaviour ranging from early Freudian notions to later cognitive and social psychological models. I cannot review them all. Instead, there are several fundamental assumptions of psychological theories of criminality (and human behaviour in general) that follow. These are: 1. The individual is the primary unit of analysis in psychological theories. 2. Personality is the major motivational and influencial element that drives behaviour and their actions within individuals. 3. Normality is generally defined by social consensus. 4. Crimes then would result from abnormal, dysfunctional, or inappropriate mental processes within the personality of the individual. 5. Criminal behaviour may be purposeful for the individual insofar as it addresses certain felt needs. 6. Defective, or abnormal, mental processes may have a variety of causes, i.e., a diseased mind, inappropriate learning or improper conditioning, the emulation of inappropriate role models, and adjustment to inner conflicts. Given these six principles to establish psychological explanations of criminal behaviour we can suggest first that traditional imprisonment, fines, and other court sanctions are based on operant learning models of behaviour for crime control. Operant learning models are based on  the utilitarian concepts that all people wish to maximize pleasure and minimize pain or discomfort. Skinnerian based social psychological theories of reinforcement and punishment are influential in this model of criminal control although the idea of punishment for crime has a much longer history (Jeffery, 1990). Technically speaking, punishments are any sanctions designed to decrease a specific behaviour; thus, fines, jail sentences, etc. are all forms of punishment. However, Skinner himself recognized that punishment was generally ineffective in behaviour modification and that reinforcement worked better (e.g., Skinner, 1966). Actually, a caveat should be applied here. Punishment is effective if applied properly, but unfortunately it rarely is applied properly. Punishment needs to be immediate (or as close to the time the offence occurred as possible), inescapable, and sufficiently unpleasant (in fact the more it is subjectively perceived as harsh the better). Given the judicial system in the U.S. it would be hard to apply punishment to its maximal effectiveness, thus it is not an effective deterrent as seen in the stable homicide rates of states that carry the death penalty. Nonetheless, punishments and sanctions for criminal behaviour are based on behavioural psychological principles. Because harsh forms of punishment do not appear to significantly decrease recidivism rates, other psychological principles have been applied. In terms of cognitive behavioral psychological principles, rehabilitation and relearning, retraining, or educational programs for offenders are forms of psychologically based methods to control crime. These methods are based on the cognitive behavioural methods of teaching an alternative functional response in place of a formally dysfunctional one as opposed to simple punishment. These programs can take place in prisons or outside of the prison and have long been demonstrated to be successful (e.g., Mathias, 1995). So any form of retraining, re-education, or re-entry program is based on psychological principles of criminality and reform. Rehabilitation programs are often rarely implemented in jail or prison however. Many of these programs appear to be especially beneficial for drug and alcohol offenders. Likewise, any form education such as the DARE program and recent efforts to curb bullying in schools are based on these methods. In line with this, changing the environment of the offender such as providing more opportunities would be a psychological behavioural principle designed to cut  crime. In line with other psychological methods are policies aimed at maintaining a visible presence of law enforcement and methods to maintain self-awareness of people in tempting situations. Such methods are preventative. For instance, it has been a well-known social psychological principle that situations that diminish self-consciousness and self-awareness lead individuals to being less restrained, less self-regulated, and more likely to act without considering the consequences of their actions (e.g., Diener, 1979). The simple act of placing mirrors in stores can increase self-awareness and decrease shop-lifting. Likewise, the presence of visible law-enforcement can cut down on substantially crime. Making sanctions and the consequences for crime well-publicized and available to the public is another psychological method to control crime in this vein. Various forms of criminal profiling are based heavily on psychological principles and represent an effort to either apprehend existing criminals or to identify persons at risk for certain behaviour (Holmes & Holmes, 2008). More recently there have been efforts to develop methods to identify individuals at risk for certain forms of deviant behaviour including criminal activities based on personality and social variables. Sociological Approaches Sociological principles and psychological principles of criminality are intertwined and technically not independent. As with psychological theories there are numerous sociological formulations of the cause and control of criminality. For purposes of this paper we will define sociological notions of criminality as: 1. Attempting to connect the issues of the individual’s criminality with the broader social structures and cultural values of public, social, familial, or peer group. 2. How the contradictions of all of these interacting groups contribute to criminality. 3. The ways these structures ,cultures and contradictions have historically developed and evolved. 4. The current processes of change that these groups are undergoing. 5. Criminality is viewed from the point of view of the social make up and construction of criminality and its social causes. Traditional sociological theories proposed that crimes was a result of anomie, a term meaning â€Å"normlessness† or a feeling of a lack of social norms, and feeling departed from a social peer group or departed a lack of being connected to  society. The term was made popular by Émile Durkheim (1897). Durkheim originally used the term to explain suicide, but later sociologists used the term to describe the dissociation of the individual from the collective conscience or the criminality resulting from a lack of opportunity to achieve aspirations or by the learning of criminal values and behaviours. Therefore criminality results by the failure to properly socialize individuals and by unequal opportunities between groups. Durkheim believed that crime was an inescapable fact of society and advocated maintaining crime within reasonable boundaries. A feature of sociological theories is that society â€Å"constructs† criminality. Thus, certain types of human activity are harmful and are judged so by society as a whole. But it is also true that there are other behaviors recognized by society as â€Å"criminal† that do not result in harm to others and are therefore criminalized without sufficient ground, these are the so-called â€Å"victimless† crimes. These include drug use, prostitution, etc. Therefore according to this view if carried to its extreme 100% of the members of a society are lawbreakers at some point. One of the sociological policy methods of crime control would be to advocate for decriminalization of these victimless crimes or at least a vast reduction in their penalties (Schur, 1965). Social programs aimed at socializing children properly and providing support for single family homes are also examples of sociological methods to control crime. There are a number of these programs including care er academies (small learning communities in low-income high schools, offering academic and career/technical courses as well as workplace opportunities). Finally, sociological policies to control crime would enable stronger and harsher penalties to be enforced when regarding serious crimes such as murder, rape, are more effective law enforcement. Again, sociologists accept the reality that crime is a social phenomenon that will not disappear no matter how many interventions are enacted to control it. Sociologists note that of every 100 crimes committed within the United States, only one is sent to prison. A vast number are unreported and of those that are reported only a small portion goes to trial as a result of the victim being too scared to come forward and fear for their social morbidity. If a justice system is to work properly it must be able to rely on its law enforcement system and judicial system to bring to justice and prosecute serious offenders. The purposes of  imprisonment include punishment, rehabilitation, deterrence, and selective confinement. All of these should be utilized where appropriate for the individual (Hest er & Eglin, 1992). Biological Approaches Biological theories of criminality basically purport that criminal behavior is the result of some flaw in the biological makeup of the individual. This physical flaw could be due to (Raine, 2002): (1) Heredity (2) Neurotransmitter dysfunction (3) Brain abnormalities that were caused by either of the above, improper development, or trauma. Biological theorists would also endorse a harder penalty and better law enforcement techniques for crime control, but there are several methods of crime control that are specific to the biological theories of criminality. I will discuss these briefly here. Psychosurgery: Brain surgery to control behaviour has rarely been applied to criminal behaviour. Certainly much more common between the 1930’s to the late 1970’s there were over 40,000 frontal lobotomies performed. Lobotomies were used to treat a wide range of problems from depression, to schizophrenia. However, while widely discussed as a potential treatment for criminal behaviour a perusal of the literature could not find a court ordered case for a lobotomy as a sentence for a convicted criminal Lobotomies were also used for people who were considered an annoyance because the demonstrated behaviours characterized as moody or they were children who were defiant with authority figures such as teachers. The lobotomy involves separating the prefrontal cortex from the rest of the brain either surgically or in the case of the transorbital lobotomy with a sharp ice-pick like instrument that was inserted in the eye socket between the upper eyelid and the eye. In this method the patient was not anesthetized, not even children. The psychiatrists hit the end of the instrument with a hammer to disconnect the nerves in the frontal lobe of the brain. Afterwards behaviours were changed, but at a high price as you can imagine. Today the lobotomy has fallen out of favour due medications used to co ntrol behaviour, although some view the use of medications as equivalent to a lobotomy (e.g., see Breggin, 2008). Psychosurgery appears to be an option that will most likely not be put into use due to the stigma associated with it. Chemical methods of control: The  use of pharmacological treatments to try to control crime has been ongoing in two major areas: chemical castration for sex offenders and pharmacological interventions for drug or alcohol addicts. However, addicts can stop the medication and return to use. Sex offenders are closely monitored and there is some evidence that this policy has been efficacious. Sometimes mentally ill people in the criminal justice system been ordered to take medications to treat their mental illness. Other pharmacological interventions to control crime seem plausible and are being investigated, but do not appear to have been widely used. Others: Deep brain stimulation is used for some disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, but has yet been investigated for criminal behaviour. Biological theorists have advocated changes in diet to deal with criminality (Burton, 2002) and better relations between parents. There is also the famous genetic XYY combination that was once thought to be a marker for a criminal type, but as it turned out these individuals were found to be less intelligent or more likely to have learning difficulties as opposed to being criminal types. While there are many studies indicating a connection between antisocial personality disorder or criminal behavioural and heredity, there are no policies being implemented to advocate for selective breeding, genetic testing etc. for criminals. I do not yet envision a policy of genetic testing for criminals as the variables are not stable enough in order to predict with set of gene combinations are predictive of a biological criminal type (Rutter, 2006) alt hough this is certainly a possibility. If the biological model of criminality has any significant effect on policy outside the use of chemical castration for sex offenders, it would be the policy that certain forms of criminal behaviour or certain individuals may not be rehabilitated and the advocacy for harsher and stricter imprisonments or even executions are viable methods of control in these instances. The issue for the community is how to recognize a significant biological contribution to criminal behaviour since genetic testing is unreliable and there are no other physical markers of criminality. It seems that currently in the absence of very harsh crimes like murder and rape one must be recognized as a repeat offender before we can acknowledge a possible innate tendency towards criminality. By that time the damage, which is often irreparable, is done. Perhaps the answer lies in stricter probation and parole practices for first-time offenders. However,  this policy is expensive and tax payers may not support it. The policy mandating convicted sex offenders to be monitored over their lifetime and certain restrictions placed on them is a result of the acknowledgment of a biological predisposition to engage in this crime and therefore traditional forms of treatment or remediation do not appear to be effective. Similar policies might follow with habitual criminal offenders based on the biological theories of criminality. Reference List American Psychiatric Association (APA, 2002). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th Ed.). Arlington, VA: Author. Breggin, P.A. (2008). Brain disabling treatments in psychiatry: Drugs, electroshock, and the psychopharmaceutical complex. (2nd Edition) New York: Springer University Press. Burton, R. (2002). The Irish institute of nutrition and health. In Diet and criminality. Retrieved June 17, 2011, from http://www.iinh.net/health_and_nutrition_articles/diet_and_criminality.htm. Diener, E. (1979). Deindividuation, self-awareness, and disinhibition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37(7), 1160-1171. Durkheim, Emile (1897) [1951]. Suicide: A study in sociology. New York; The Free Press. Hester, S. & Eglin, P. (1992). A sociology of crime. London: Routledge. Holmes, R. M., & Holmes, S. T. (2008). Profiling violent crimes: An investigative tool (Fourth Edition). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. Jeffery, R. C. (1990). Criminology: An interdisciplinary approach. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Mathias, R. (1995). Correctional treatment helps offenders stay drug and arrest free. NIDA notes, 10 (4). Merton, Robert K. (1968). Social Theory and Social Structure. New York: Free Press. Mischel, W. (1968). Personality and assessment. New York: Wiley. Raine, A. (2002). The biological basis of crime. In J.Q Wilson & J. Petrsilia (Eds.)Crime:Public policies for crime control. Oakland: ICS Press. Rutter, M. (2006). Genes and Behavior: Nature-Nurture Interplay Explained.Boston: Blackwell. Schur E. (1965) Crime without victims. Englewood: Cliffs. Skinner, B. F. (1966). The phylogeny and ontogeny of behavior. Science, 153, 1204– 1213.

The Hundred Flowers Campaign

The Hundred Flowers Campaign began in 1957 when Mao Zedong declared in a speech, â€Å"Let a hundred schools of thought contend,† effectively encouraging criticism from members of the Chinese Communist Party. After members began pointing out where the party had made mistakes, however, Mao suddenly reversed this new policy and began the Anti-Rightist Movement, condemning the critics whose opinions he had just previously invited. Was the Hundred Flowers Campaign a trick designed by Mao to trap his opponents? Mao reversed his policies, which people may use as proof that the campaign was a trick. Mao first announced his call for criticism to the members of the party on 27 February 1957. After they overcame their initial fears of being labelled ‘anti-party,’ members acquiesced to Mao’s request on a tremendous scale, sending millions of letters complaining of corruption, inefficiency, and lack of realism within the party. But then, suddenly, on 19 July 1957, only five months after its conception, Mao halted the campaign and began the Anti-Rightist Movement, a stark contrast to the Hundred Flowers Campaign. It was now a time of harsh suppression; those who had criticized the party were now reprimanded. This sudden and completely turnaround change in policy seems to suggest that the Hundred Flowers Campaign had been a deliberate manoeuvre to lure Mao’s enemies into the open, where they could be easily identified and removed during the Anti-Rightist Movement. Indeed, Mao seemed to have successfully trapped his opponents with this cunning trick. The harshness of the Anti-Rightist Movement also suggests that the campaign was a trick. Those who responded to Mao’s call for criticism most vehemently were now forced to withdraw their statements. Furthermore, thousands of party members were sent to ‘re-education camps,’ where some spent the next five or more years doing hard labour. Even Zhou Enlai, one of Mao’s most loyal supporters, was forced to make a specious and humiliating self-criticism in front of a large party gathering. Mao’s retaliation was severe, precise, and on an enormously large scale. He was obviously poised to attack, and this hints that the Hundred Flowers Campaign was merely a wily method of enticing Mao’s prey. There is, on the other hand, much evidence to support that the campaign was a genuine attempt at reform. In his ‘Contradictions’ speech, given to leading party workers in early 1957, Mao complained of the oppressive way some party officials were applying policies and hinted that it was time to begin permitting intellectuals to voice their opinions. Furthermore, in 1956, he had been tolerant of Hu Feng, a writer who challenged the idea that all artistic merit should be judged based on Marxist-Leninist values, even as other CCP leaders viciously censured him. These two examples show that Mao, although previously disdainful of intellectuals, may have begun to see their importance, and thus may have been honestly inviting their criticism when the Hundred Flowers Campaign began. In addition, the launching of the Hundred Flowers Campaign may have been triggered by events in other communist states rather than a desire to trick party opponents. In 1956, Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev launched an attack on the previous leader Joseph Stalin, dead now for three years, and his ‘cult of personality,’ Mao probably saw how his own popularity—adulating portraits of him were being hung everywhere—could also be interpreted as a cult of personality. Mao obviously wanted to dispel this notion, and may have attempted to do so with the Hundred Flowers Campaign. The campaign showed that he valued other people’s opinions, and that he was not just a heroic public image that deserved unquestioning flattery and praise. Seen from this light, it seems that Mao was not just aiming to trick his opponents. This theory also explains why the transition from the Hundred Flowers Campaign to the Anti-Rightist Movement was so sudden. If Mao indeed feared being compared to Stalin, his fear was relieved in late 1956 when Khrushchev crushed the Hungarian rising, an attempt to break away from the Soviet Union. This event showed that Khrushchev, although critical of Stalin, did not have any intention of relaxing the Communist Party’s authoritarian control over the USSR and its people. Mao realized that he would not have to compete with Khrushchev in developing ‘Communism with a human face,’ and perhaps this caused him to change his mind about the necessity of the Hundred Flowers Campaign. A quick shift into the Anti-Rightist Movement then resulted. After examining the evidence, it becomes clear that Mao did not design the Hundred Flowers Campaign as a trick to trap his opponents. Rather, he launched the campaign because of his increasing appreciation of the opinions of intellectuals, and more importantly, because of his fear of becoming a victim of de-Stalinisation. Although the sudden reversal of policy into the Anti-Rightist Movement may seem suspicious, it looses significance when juxtaposed against the defeat of the Hungarian rising: Mao simply changed his mind.