I have been learning English for the last 12 years. Though it is somehow simpler than Vietnamese language, I still need much more time to master it. These are some of the common English grammar mistakes that I usually make.
Firstly, my most common mistake is article. It is simply put “a/an” to generic references and “the” to specific ones. However, there are cases when we do not have to put any articles. That is how I occasionally make this mistake. For example, in my writing assignment 1, I wrote “With the new development of technology”, while the correct one should be “With the new development of the technology.
The second common grammar mistake that I have made is tense. There are many types of tenses unlike Vietnamese language. Present perfect, past perfect tenses are those I usually get confuse. Present perfect tense is used for events happening in the past that affect or might go on at the present. Past Perfect Tense is used for events that happened and completed in the past. It is hard to identify these mistakes unless you understand the context thoroughly. For example, “The Florida institute had more pregnancies -19-using frozen eggs than any other facility” the correct one should be “The Florida institute has had more pregnancies -19-using frozen eggs than any other facility”.
Lastly, my third common mistake is prepositions. This the most troublesome grammar point since the entire meaning would be changed if you use the wrong preposition. There are no particular rules on this. The best way are to use them more often and memorize by heart the meaning of each case. For instance, we use “get on” a bus and “get in” a car.
With this, I am able to know my mistakes well. I realize that I still have many things to do in order to improve my English. Hopefully, I could avoid these mistakes in the future.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
5th Entry
Our group round table discussion was on “Should institution or governments regulate the use of brain computational modeling technologies? Why or Why not?” We divided our group into two; one supports the rules and regulations while the other says we should let the technologies develop without regulations.
Firstly, Weng Yi as the moderator opened the discussion by introducing the topic briefly and the panelists. Next, I started the discussion to support government regulations. I emphasized on health factor as the main reason for regulations. In order for others to understand, I explained some of the common scanning techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and computer tomography (CT) scanner. Because of the possible side effects during and after the scanning process, hence, regulations must be implemented to prevent abusing the technique.
Next, Li Xu agreed with me and added some ethical issues involved. The main issues were about consent and privacy. For instance, brain modeling could be forcefully used on criminals to read their minds for information related to the crime. Although, they are criminal, it still violates human rights. Jiao Jiao further supported this issue. She emphasized on privacy, as brain computational modeling is literally mind reading. For example, one could know your bank account password by this technology. Hence, without guidelines, this brain modeling could be abused. Li Xu, then, added the possibility of inaccurate data, and how scanned results should be handle. As a result, Li Xu and Jiao Jiao believed that computational modeling should be regulated.
On the other hand, Eric opposed regulations by stating that all technology should freedom to develop. He believed that computational modeling is just in infant stage. We should let scientists develop it till mature state. By then, government might still be able to regulate. To support his point, he suggested the usage of mind-reading device as small spectacles that are capable of predicting danger or exchange thoughts to overcome language barrier. However, it still related to privacy issue.
Lastly, Song Yan agreed with Eric about the immature state of the technology, he against rules and regulations imposed by government. He doubted that the rules and regulations could ensure the confidential of the scanning data. On the other hand, regulations might only limit brain computational modeling’s development.
Finally, Weng Yi summarized the whole discussion. It was such an interesting discussion. However, it ended with an open conclusion. This was indeed a long termed debatable issue, which can be resolved in a near future. At least, we did agreed one thing that brain modeling should some how be regulated.
Firstly, Weng Yi as the moderator opened the discussion by introducing the topic briefly and the panelists. Next, I started the discussion to support government regulations. I emphasized on health factor as the main reason for regulations. In order for others to understand, I explained some of the common scanning techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and computer tomography (CT) scanner. Because of the possible side effects during and after the scanning process, hence, regulations must be implemented to prevent abusing the technique.
Next, Li Xu agreed with me and added some ethical issues involved. The main issues were about consent and privacy. For instance, brain modeling could be forcefully used on criminals to read their minds for information related to the crime. Although, they are criminal, it still violates human rights. Jiao Jiao further supported this issue. She emphasized on privacy, as brain computational modeling is literally mind reading. For example, one could know your bank account password by this technology. Hence, without guidelines, this brain modeling could be abused. Li Xu, then, added the possibility of inaccurate data, and how scanned results should be handle. As a result, Li Xu and Jiao Jiao believed that computational modeling should be regulated.
On the other hand, Eric opposed regulations by stating that all technology should freedom to develop. He believed that computational modeling is just in infant stage. We should let scientists develop it till mature state. By then, government might still be able to regulate. To support his point, he suggested the usage of mind-reading device as small spectacles that are capable of predicting danger or exchange thoughts to overcome language barrier. However, it still related to privacy issue.
Lastly, Song Yan agreed with Eric about the immature state of the technology, he against rules and regulations imposed by government. He doubted that the rules and regulations could ensure the confidential of the scanning data. On the other hand, regulations might only limit brain computational modeling’s development.
Finally, Weng Yi summarized the whole discussion. It was such an interesting discussion. However, it ended with an open conclusion. This was indeed a long termed debatable issue, which can be resolved in a near future. At least, we did agreed one thing that brain modeling should some how be regulated.
Friday, March 13, 2009
4th Entry
After reading two articles on computational modeling in brain studies, I was amazed at how scientists have had better understanding on how the brain process. However, despise the new promising advanced technology on society, it also has some ethical issues as well as technical problems.
The first article, "A computer that can 'read' your mind" describes how computational modeling could be used to read a human's mind. The functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is used to locate and detect brain activity when the subject thinks about a specific word. The advanced modeling could even predict the brain activation patterns even if the fMRT images for a specific noun were not created in the database. The accuracy is also better for cases that the activation patterns were know before hand. It improved the reliability of the modeling. This research could be further improved to use brain scans to predict symptoms of disorder and identify thoughts.
The next article, "Ethics and mapping the brain", is mostly about ethical issues involved in using fMRI to read human's mind. By using the images from the fMRI scan, brain activity and behavior patterns could reveal a person's thought, memory, or even show whether one is lying. Although the new technology could be used to cure diseases, there are still some doubts about its accuracy of. For that reasons, standards and regulations should be set to guide the new technology for a proper use. Another way is to seek consent. However, criminal might use this consent to refuse scanning. Another ethical issue is related to privacy since a person’s private thought and memory are exposed. The most controversial issue would be ethical considerations the testing of children. There are still many questions left unanswered about who should be tested and how the data would be used and kept, as the author mentioned in his article.
National Science Foundation. (2008,May 30). A computer that can ‘read’ your mind [Press release 08-091]. Retrieved February 12, 2009, form http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111641&org=olpa&from=news
Marano, L. (2003, June 3) Ethics and mapping the brain (an abridged version of the original in the Washington Times). Retrieved February 12, 2009, from the Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics Web Site: http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/neuro/brain_mapping_ethics.htm
5-relevant vocabulary:
1. Hypothetical: assumed by hypothesis; supposed
2. Schizophrenia: a long-term mental disorder of a type involving a break down in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior.
3. Psychiatry: a medical specialty devoted to the treatment, study and prevention of mental disorders
4. Cerebrovascular disease: is a group of brain dysfunctions related to disease of blood vessels supplying the brain
5. Pedophilia: sexual behavior that involves an abnormal interest in children
The first article, "A computer that can 'read' your mind" describes how computational modeling could be used to read a human's mind. The functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is used to locate and detect brain activity when the subject thinks about a specific word. The advanced modeling could even predict the brain activation patterns even if the fMRT images for a specific noun were not created in the database. The accuracy is also better for cases that the activation patterns were know before hand. It improved the reliability of the modeling. This research could be further improved to use brain scans to predict symptoms of disorder and identify thoughts.
The next article, "Ethics and mapping the brain", is mostly about ethical issues involved in using fMRI to read human's mind. By using the images from the fMRI scan, brain activity and behavior patterns could reveal a person's thought, memory, or even show whether one is lying. Although the new technology could be used to cure diseases, there are still some doubts about its accuracy of. For that reasons, standards and regulations should be set to guide the new technology for a proper use. Another way is to seek consent. However, criminal might use this consent to refuse scanning. Another ethical issue is related to privacy since a person’s private thought and memory are exposed. The most controversial issue would be ethical considerations the testing of children. There are still many questions left unanswered about who should be tested and how the data would be used and kept, as the author mentioned in his article.
National Science Foundation. (2008,May 30). A computer that can ‘read’ your mind [Press release 08-091]. Retrieved February 12, 2009, form http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111641&org=olpa&from=news
Marano, L. (2003, June 3) Ethics and mapping the brain (an abridged version of the original in the Washington Times). Retrieved February 12, 2009, from the Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics Web Site: http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/neuro/brain_mapping_ethics.htm
5-relevant vocabulary:
1. Hypothetical: assumed by hypothesis; supposed
2. Schizophrenia: a long-term mental disorder of a type involving a break down in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior.
3. Psychiatry: a medical specialty devoted to the treatment, study and prevention of mental disorders
4. Cerebrovascular disease: is a group of brain dysfunctions related to disease of blood vessels supplying the brain
5. Pedophilia: sexual behavior that involves an abnormal interest in children
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
