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User:DonaldM

2009-11-21T13:53:56Z

DonaldM: Created page with 'Hi!'

Hi!

Shaken Baby Syndrome

2009-10-25T18:42:00Z

DonaldM: Fixing broken apostrophes

'''Shaken Baby Syndrome''' (SBS) was defined by Dr. John Caffey in 1972.<ref>Caffey J: On the theory and practice of shaking infants. American Journal of Diseases in Children 124(2):161-169, August 1972, cited in [http://www.susancanthony.com/Resources/SBS/sbsres.html Shaken Baby Syndrome Resources] by Susan C. Anthony</ref>

It is used as a theory of [[prosecution]] promoted by [[government]] child protective services, which claims that thousands of infant [[death]]s each year are caused by the shaking of babies by parents, daycare workers, babysitters and other caregivers. This theory has resulted in many convictions of caregivers of [[murder]] or [[manslaughter]]. Prosecutors rarely attempt to convict a mother of SBS, because juries are most skeptical about accusations that a mother killed her own infant. But if the caregiver was a father or anyone other than the mother and an infant unexpectedly dies, then prosecutors will often convict the caregiver of manslaughter or murder despite a lack of any outward sign of injury.<ref>One of thousands of examples of such prosecutions is described [http://www.susancanthony.com/Resources/SBS/sbsres.html here].</ref>

Increasingly, independent medical experts have doubted or even completely rejected the theory when there is a lack of outward physical signs of abuse.<ref>http://www.sbsdefense.com/</ref> Yet thousands of defendants are in jail, some for life, for allegedly causing the death of an infant lacking any outward sign of injury. The [[CDC]], for example, estimates that 1200 to 1600 children die annually from Shaken Baby Syndrome.<ref>http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/cmfacts.htm</ref>

Prominent forensic pathologists Vincent and Dominick DiMaio have such a dim view of the theory of Shaken Baby Syndrome that they quoted Alice-in-Wonderland to describe it:<ref>http://www.jpands.org/vol10no2/orient.pdf</ref>

: "'If any one of them can explain it,' said Alice ... 'I'll give him sixpence. I don't believe there's an atom of meaning in it."

The practicing neurosurgeon Ronald Uscinski, M.D., published his view in a [[peer review]]ed journal:<ref>http://www.jpands.org/vol9no3/uscinski.pdf</ref>

:"[I]n 1987 and again in 2003, careful laboratory investigations based on the known biomechanics of head injuries showed that human beings cannot achieve the necessary accelerations for causing intracranial injury in infants by manual shaking alone, but that impact is required. Moreover, after more than 33 years, despite numerous reports of series of case studies, an actual witnessed incident in which an infant sustained an intracranial injury as a result of shaking alone has yet to be documented."

== Details of the Theory ==

Though SBS has never been observed by a credible eyewitness, prosecutions will often rely on "confessions" by stunned caregivers about how they shook a baby in attempts to revive it from an unexpected aspiration or unexplained medical difficulty.

The theory of prosecutors in SBS cases is that brain injuries similar to whiplash can occur in a shaken infant. Because infants and toddlers possess proportionately larger heads than adults and weaker neck muscles, they are unable to restrain the movement of their heads when shaken. Under this theory, the brain is more mobile within the cranium in infants than in adults, and that shaking causes the brain to bounce within the skull. Shaken baby syndrome will be alleged whenever a subdural hemorrhages (bleeding in the brain), retinal hemorrhages (bleeding in the retina) and fractures of the ribs and bones occur, even though there are many innocent causes of such conditions. The claimed symptoms of shaken baby syndrome are vague and common, including extreme irritability, lethargy, poor feeding, breathing problems, convulsions, vomiting, and pale or bluish skin. Shaken baby injuries are typically claimed about children younger than 2 years old, but sometimes as old as 5 years.<ref>http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/shakenbaby/shakenbaby.htm</ref>

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:Syndromes]]

Nobel Prize

2009-10-09T13:30:17Z

DonaldM: /* Biased Awards */ Added biased Obama award

[[Image:Nobel Jorn 111207.jpg|right]]
The '''Nobel Prize''' is an often-politicized award that is criticized for increasing evidence of bias and possibly even corruption. It has been ostensibly given for achievements in [[physics]], [[chemistry]], [[medicine]] or [[physiology]], [[literature]], and [[peace]]. Named in honor of [[Alfred Nobel]], the first prize was granted in 1901. The award for [[economics]], the "Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel," was added in 1969 and is sometimes called a Nobel Prize.<ref name="NobelHistory">The Nobel Foundation: [http://nobelprize.org/nobelfoundation/history/lemmel/index.html History]</ref>

As an unwritten rule, the award is not given to a [[conservative]] (such as [[Ronald Reagan]] or [[Pope John Paul II]]), and it is not given to anyone who challenges the scientific establishment on the issues of the [[theory of evolution]] or [[theory of relativity]], such as standouts Raymond Damadian, [[Fred Hoyle]] and [[Robert Dicke]].

The award has repeatedly been granted in way to insult a disfavored scientist by honoring a less deserving person for the same achievement. The insult is enhanced by giving the typically three-person shared award to only two recipients, creating an embarrassing omission for the third, as in the case of the awards that should have gone to Fred Hoyle and Raymond Damadian.

Frequently the award is given as a reward to a liberal politician or diplomat, such as [[Al Gore]], given at a time to possibly boost his chances for becoming president. Most recently the award has been the subject of an investigation for corruption.

==Nomination and Selection==
To nominate somebody for a Nobel Prize, the nominating party must meet the requirements outlined for the specific category or has to be invited.<ref name="NobelNomination">The Nobel Foundation: [http://nobelprize.org/nomination/nomination_facts.html Nomination Facts]</ref>

The Nobel Prizes are represented externally by the Nobel Foundation, a private institution entrusted with protecting the common interests of the Prize Awarding Institutions. However, the Nobel Foundation is not involved with the selection process itself. The Prize-Awarding Institutes are independent of government agencies and the Nobel Foundation itself.<ref name="NobelHistory"/> The multiple Prize-Awarding Institutes are all located in [[Scandinavia]], the homeland of Alfred Nobel (a larger country at the time of prizes' founding, but which has since split).

== Bias Against Conservative and Nationalist Achievers ==

=== [[Ronald Reagan]] ===

[[Ronald Reagan]] is widely credited for causing the peaceful elimination of short-range nuclear weapons in Europe, for demanding the destructions of the [[Berlin Wall]], and for the end of communist control over Eastern Europe. He stood for freedom at every opportunity. He lived for more than a decade after his achievement, yet the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] was repeatedly given to liberal figures who accomplished far less, including even the person Reagan defeated, [[Jimmy Carter]].

=== [[Pope John Paul II]] ===

Frequently the Nobel Peace Prize is given to non-Christian or liberal Christian religious leaders, but it refused to honor [[Pope John Paul II]] for his pivotal role in liberating his native [[Poland]] from [[communist]] control.

=== [[Edward Teller]] ===

Edward Teller was a brilliant physicist who became hated by [[liberals]] for developing the [[hydrogen bomb]], publicly criticizing the [[leftist]] [[icon]] [[J. Robert Oppenheimer]], and advocating a strong defense against [[communism]]. Teller won numerous prestigious scientific awards, but was denied the Nobel Prize and many felt it was for political reasons:<ref>http://www.stanfordu.edu/dept/news/news/2003/september24/tellerobit-924.html</ref>

:He blamed politics and the fact he was known as the "father of the hydrogen bomb." His protégé, Lowell Wood at Livermore, said that if it were not for the bomb "chances are two to three he'd get the Nobel Prize. He's commented to me that if he reared up on his hind legs and denounced the U.S. government, he'd be a good candidate."

=== [[Mahatma Gandhi]] ===
[[Mahatma Gandhi]] was a nationalist opposed to international law and a form of globalism, which the people controlling the Nobel Prize oppose. Gandhi was nominated 12 times for the Nobel Peace Prize but never granted it.<ref name="NobelNomination"/> The Nobel Foundation has an information page detailing his nominations and the potential reasons for his lack of success.<ref>The Nobel Foundation: [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/articles/gandhi/index.html Mahatma Gandhi, the Missing Laureate]</ref> Among other things, these statements can be found on the page:
{{QuoteBox|The omission has been publicly regretted by later members of the Nobel Committee; when the [[Dalai Lama]] was awarded the Peace Prize in 1989, the chairman of the committee said that this was "in part a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi".}}
{{QuoteBox|Up to 1960, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded almost exclusively to Europeans and Americans. In retrospect, the horizon of the Norwegian Nobel Committee may seem too narrow. Gandhi was very different from earlier Laureates. He was no real politician or proponent of international law, not primarily a humanitarian relief worker and not an organiser of international peace congresses. He would have belonged to a new breed of Laureates.}}

== Bias Against Scientists Who Criticize [[Liberal]] Theories ==

===Raymond Damadian===

Raymond Damadian developed [[magnetic resonance imaging]] (MRI), a phenomenal medical innovation deserving of a Nobel Prize. But Damadian is reportedly a [[Young Earth Creationist]], and the Nobel committee never recognizes the achievements of someone who criticizes the theories of evolution and an old earth. Accordingly, the Nobel committee insulted Damadian by passing him over and giving the the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2003 to Paul Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield "for their discoveries concerning magnetic resonance imaging".<ref>The Nobel Foundation: [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2003/index.html The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2003]</ref><ref>Creation on the Web: [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/978/ Super-scientist slams society’s spiritual sickness!]</ref>

Damadian, who had outlined the use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance to detect tumors in 1971, protested against his omission from the Prize and said that his "life's work has been stricken." He then took out full-page ads in several newspapers, describing his omission as a "shameful wrong". The first wave of ads appeared in [[The Washington Post]], the [[Los Angeles Times]], Dagens Nyheter (daily newspaper in Stockholm), and [[The New York Times]].<ref>The Chronicle: [http://chronicle.com/free/v50/i11/11a01401.htm Prize Fight]</ref>

=== Fred Hoyle ===

The foremost [[British]] scientist of the 20th century, [[Fred Hoyle]], was inexplicably passed over for a Nobel Prize awarded for his work to an underling of his. This prize was awarded at a time when Fred Hoyle was embarrassing [[evolutionists]] by exposing the [[archaeopteryx]] at the British Museum of History as a fraud.<ref>http://www.cf.ac.uk/maths/wickramasinghe/hoyle.html</ref> The slight of Hoyle was an obvious punishment for his criticism of the [[theory of evolution]], which he rejected throughout his career.

=== Robert Dicke ===

Perhaps the foremost American physicist of the 20th century, [[Robert Dicke]] of Princeton University was a prominent critic<ref>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,943324,00.html</ref> of the theory of relativity. Dicke supported an alternative theory that had "enjoyed a renaissance in connection with theories of higher dimensional space-time."<ref>"Initially a popular alternative to General Relativity, the Brans-Dicke theory lost favor as it became clear that omega must be very large-an artificial requirement in some views. Nevertheless, the theory has remained a paradigm for the introduction of scalar fields into gravitational theory, and as such has enjoyed a renaissance in connection with theories of higher dimensional space-time."[http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Glossary/Essay_bekenstein.html]</ref>

But despite being one of the most accomplished physicists having numerous contributions, Dicke was repeatedly passed over for the Nobel Prize. In one egregious case, the prediction and discovery of [[cosmic microwave radiation|cosmic background radiation]] from the [[Big Bang]], the prize was embarrassingly given to less deserving scientists. The Nobel Prize committee has often given the award in this manner as away of punishing someone more deserving for criticizing a theory preferred by the committee.

== Biased Awards ==

Equally there have been several instances where prizes were awarded to those whom many felt did not deserve the honor. Controversy in this regard has been especially acute in the award of the Peace Prize. When [[Henry Kissinger]] was awarded the prize in 1973 the American satirist, [[Tom Lehrer]], observed that this had rendered political satire 'obsolete'. Many were outraged by the award to [[Yasir Arafat]] in 1994, who was reportedly associated with the Munich massacre of Jewish athletes in 1972.<ref>http://media.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YzUyZjg1MTY2NjgxOTQ5Zjg2OWIwOTNjMTQxY2U4MTk=</ref> Further politicization of the award occurred in 2007 when [[Al Gore]] was given the peace prize for promoting the dubious theory of man-made [[Global Warming]], a political agenda that has no clear connection with "peace".

Bias is facilitated by the haste in awarding The Peace Prize, which in Gore's case seemed to be timed to boost a potential presidential campaign. The Peace Prize has often been awarded only a year or so after the political events that have merited the award, and often well before the long term consequences of those events have become clear (and Arafat's award is particularly controversial in this respect).

Continuing with the trend of awarding Peace Prizes to the undeserving, [[Barack Hussein Obama]] was awarded one in 2009.

==Deserved Peace Prize Recipients==

Some praise the Nobel Peace Prizes given in 1991 to Aung San Suu Kyi for her heroic struggle against the brutal military dictatorship in [[Myanmar]] (Burma) and the award in 1996 to Jose Ramos Horta and Bishop Belo of [[East Timor]] in recognition of their struggle against the oppressive and, at times, genocidal occupation of that country by the [[Indonesia]]n government. The awarding of the prize in 1984 to Archbishop Emeritus [[Desmond Tutu]]<ref>[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1984/ 1984 Nobel Peace Laureates]</ref>, was condemned by the [[apartheid]] regime as a political ploy, but celebrated everywhere else, as was the joint award to Presidents [[Nelson Mandela]] and [[F.W. de Klerk]] in 1993 <ref>[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1993/ 1993 Nobel Peace Laureates]</ref>, for their efforts in uniting [[South Africa]] in the build-up to the first fully democratic elections. <ref>Incidentally, the awards to Tutu and Mandela have resulted in Vilakazi Street in Soweto, Johannesburg, becoming the only street in the world to be home to two different laureates.</ref>

== Anti-American bias in Literature award ==
In 2008, Horace Engdahl, the head of the Swedish Academy, was reported to have said that American novelists would never win the Nobel Prize for Literature, as the American novel was "too isolated and insular."

It took 30 years for an American to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, despite most of the best writing of the era coming from America. When an American finally won, it was the [[socialist]] [[Sinclair Lewis]] in 1930, whose writing often bears a strong resemblance to anti-American, socialist propaganda.

== External links ==

*[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/nobel_prizes/index.html Nobel Prizes]

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Nobel Prize]]

L'Hopital's rule

2009-10-07T16:34:03Z

DonaldM:

'''L'Hôpital's Rule''' is a method in differential [[calculus]] for calculating the [[limit_(mathematics)|limit]] of a [[quotient]] of two [[function]]s wherein the entire expression approaches an [[indeterminate form]] (e.g. 0/0, [[infinity]]/infinity). In the event that this is the case, the limit is equal to the limit of the quotient of the first [[derivative]]s of the two functions (provided that limit exists). Should this also yield an indeterminate form, the process is repeated until a meaningful result is obtained.<ref>http://mathworld.wolfram.com/LHospitalsRule.html</ref>
{| style="border:1px solid #ccc;margin:auto" align="center"
|+ '''Math form'''
|
:<math>g'(x)\not\equiv 0</math>
:C is some number such that
::<math>f(c)=0</math>
::<math>g(c)=0</math>
:<math>\lim_{x\rightarrow c} \frac{f(x)}{g(x)}=\frac{f'(x)}{g'(x)}</math>
|}

L'Hopital's Rule is not to be confused with the [[quotient rule]], which allows for the calculation of the derivative of a single function that contains a quotient.

== Examples ==
===Example 1===
A standard application of L'Hopital's rule is in evaluating the limit

::<math>\lim_{x \to 0} \frac{\sin x}{x}.</math>

In the preceding notation, this is the situation with <math>f(x) = \sin x</math> and <math>g(x) = x</math>. Both the numerator and the denominator tend to 0 as <math>x</math> tends to 0, i.e., <math>\lim_{x \to 0} \sin x = \lim_{x \to 0} x = 0</math>, and so L'Hôpital's rule implies that

::<math>
\lim_{x \to 0} \frac{\sin x}{x} = \lim_{x \to 0} \frac{\frac{d}{dx} \sin x}{\frac{d}{dx} x} = \lim_{x \to 0} \frac{\cos x}{1} = \lim_{x \to 0} \cos x = \cos 0 = 1.
</math>

===Example 2===
L'Hopital's rule may also be used in the evaluation of the indeterminate form infinity/infinity. This version of the rule is useful in computing the horizontal [[asymptote|asymptotes]] of rational functions. For example, suppose we seek to compute

::<math>\lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{2x^2+3x+2}{x^2-5x+7}.</math>

This is an indeterminate form <math>\infty/\infty</math>. Applying L'Hopital's rule once yields

::<math>\lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{2x^2+3x+2}{x^2-5x+7} = \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{\frac{d}{dx}(2x^2+3x+2)}{\frac{d}{dx}(x^2-5x+7)} = \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{4x+3}{2x-5}.</math>

This is still an indeterminate form. To evaluate the limit, it is necessary to invoke L'Hopital's rule a second time:
::<math>\lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{4x+3}{2x-5} = \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{\frac{d}{dx}(4x+3)}{\frac{d}{dx}(2x-5)} = \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{4}{2} = 2.</math>

We conclude that

::<math>\lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{2x^2+3x+2}{x^2-5x+7} = 2.</math>

An easy extension of this argument is useful for finding horizontal asymptotes of more general rational functions. Suppose that <math>f</math> and <math>g</math> are two polynomials of equal degree <math>n</math>. Applying L'Hopital's rule <math>n</math> times we may discover that

::<math>\lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{f(x)}{g(x)} = \frac{f_n}{g_n},</math>

where <math>f_n</math> and <math>g_n</math> are the leading coefficients of <math>f</math> and <math>g</math> (i.e., the coefficients on the term <math>x^n</math> in these two polynomials). The example given is a case of this fact with <math>n=2</math> (since both <math>f</math> and <math>g</math> are quadratic), and with <math>f_n = 2</math> and <math>g_n = 1</math>.

===Example 3===
We can use L'Hôpital's rule to prove the following:

:<math>\lim_{x\rightarrow\infty} \frac{x^n}{e^x}=0 \quad\forall n< \infty</math>

This is another example where the limit is in the form of <math>\infty/\infty</math>.<br>
'''Proof'''
:For Integer n:
::<math>\forall n< \infty\quad\lim_{x\rightarrow\infty} \frac{x^n}{e^x}=
\lim_{x\rightarrow\infty} \frac{nx^{n-1}}{e^x}=
\lim_{x\rightarrow\infty} \frac{n\left(n-1\right)x^{n-2}}{e^x}= \cdots=
\lim_{x\rightarrow\infty} \frac{n!}{e^x}= 0</math>
:For non-integer n:
:::<math>\forall n< \infty\quad\lim_{x\rightarrow\infty} \frac{x^n}{e^x}=
\lim_{x\rightarrow\infty} \frac{nx^{n-1}}{e^x}=
\lim_{x\rightarrow\infty} \frac{n\left(n-1\right)x^{n-2}}{e^x}= \cdots=
\lim_{x\rightarrow\infty} \frac{\left[n \left(n-1 \right)\left(n-2 \right)\cdots \left(n-\lfloor n \rfloor \right) \right]x^{n-\lceil n \rceil}}{e^x}</math>
:::(where <math>\lfloor n \rfloor</math> is the [[floor function]] of n and <math>\lceil n \rceil</math> is the [[ceiling function]] of n)
::Since <math>n-\lceil n \rceil <0</math>, <math>\lim_{x\rightarrow\infty}x^{n-\lceil n \rceil}=0</math> and therefore
:::<math>\lim_{x\rightarrow\infty} \frac{\left[n \left(n-1 \right)\left(n-2 \right)\cdots \left(n-\lfloor n \rfloor \right) \right]x^{n-\lceil n \rceil}}{e^x}=0</math>
::This completes the proof.

== Outside Links ==
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=H-0L9Dxor6sC&pg=PA144&lpg=PA144&dq=L%27H%C3%B4pital%27s+rule&source=bll&ots=3HfHZW3-DZ&sig=Ripjx5A7yw-OcrHN91sxEN8Gr5U&hl=en&ei=kg2WSePdKYKUsQOT_JiuBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=11&ct=result The Complete Idiot's Guide to Calculus]
== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Mathematics]]
[[Category:Calculus]]