A structure for mental causation

This paper suggests a structure that makes room for a class of solutions to the mental causation problem

Asset Allocation in Investing to Meet Liabilities

We present some rudimentary concepts on asset/liability management and describe an approach to asset allocation modeling for institutions that invest to meet liabilities. The traditional risk/reward framework of financial economics is used as a starting pOint. The definitions of risk and reward are then refined with regard to the institution under consideration. A simple model of a U.S. life office is examined. We assume that the only investments available are domestic stocks and long-dated government bonds. Stochastic simulation is used to create a large number of future investment scenarios using historical total return data for these asset classes. The ability of the institution to meet its liabilities under each simulated scenario is examined. We construct optimal risk/reward profiles, and hence the optimal asset allocation strategy, and show that they can vary considerably by liability profile

Conscious Intentions

It has recently been widely argued that all consciousness is perceptual, including the conscious experience of action. This paper argues that there can be a conscious component of the experience of action that is not perceptual. The argument is based on Searle’s concept of “direction of fit ” and the conditions of satisfaction of an intention. The conditions of satisfaction of an intention differ from those of a perception. If the intention involved in action is conscious, that conscious mental state cannot be exclusively perceptual. Hence not all consciousness is perceptual

Algorithm for the Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients with Cross Reactive Immunologic Material-Negative Classic Infantile Pompe Disease: A Step towards Improving the Efficacy of ERT

OBJECTIVE: Although enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) is a highly effective therapy, CRIM-negative (CN) infantile Pompe disease (IPD) patients typically mount a strong immune response which abrogates the efficacy of ERT, resulting in clinical decline and death. This study was designed to demonstrate that immune tolerance induction (ITI) prevents or diminishes the development of antibody titers, resulting in a better clinical outcome compared to CN IPD patients treated with ERT monotherapy. METHODS: We evaluated the safety, efficacy and feasibility of a clinical algorithm designed to accurately identify CN IPD patients and minimize delays between CRIM status determination and initiation of an ITI regimen (combination of rituximab, methotrexate and IVIG) concurrent with ERT. Clinical and laboratory data including measures of efficacy analysis for response to ERT were analyzed and compared to CN IPD patients treated with ERT monotherapy. RESULTS: Seven CN IPD patients were identified and started on the ITI regimen concurrent with ERT. Median time from diagnosis of CN status to commencement of ERT and ITI was 0.5 months (range: 0.1–1.6 months). At baseline, all patients had significant cardiomyopathy and all but one required respiratory support. The ITI regimen was safely tolerated in all seven cases. Four patients never seroconverted and remained antibody-free. One patient died from respiratory failure. Two patients required another course of the ITI regimen. In addition to their clinical improvement, the antibody titers observed in these patients were much lower than those seen in ERT monotherapy treated CN patients. CONCLUSIONS: The ITI regimen appears safe and efficacious and holds promise in altering the natural history of CN IPD by increasing ERT efficacy. An algorithm such as this substantiates the benefits of accelerated diagnosis and management of CN IPD patients, thus, further supporting the importance of early identification and treatment initiation with newborn screening for IPD