Located horizon variation study Final report, 20 May 1968 - 13 Jan. 1969

Meteorological data interpolation techniques for computing horizon radiance profiles evaluated for possible error introduction

The critical role of history in scenario thinking: augmenting causal analysis within the intuitive logics scenario development methodology

The historian Eric Hobsbawm stated that ‘The safest empirical generalization about history is still that nobody heeds its obvious lessons much’. Whether at a macroeconomic level or within individual organisations there are numerous examples of this, such as the economic crash of 2008, the causes of which had many parallels with those that caused the great depression 80 years previously. On the other hand however, overly-relying on the past as a guide to the future has its own obvious dangers – not least that important future events may have no past precedent. As such, the present paper firstly provides a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of using the past as a guide to the future. It then examines the role of history in scenario work, arguing that history should receive greater emphasis as part of the scenario planning process. We suggest changes to the standard Intuitive Logics (IL) approach to scenario planning which would render learning from history a more central component of the scenario process, in contrast to its current peripheral role. Rather than diminishing scenario planning’s ability to facilitate a consideration of how the future may differ from the past, we show how a greater emphasis on history can enhance consideration of the causality of future change. An adapted IL that has more emphasis on historical analysis can augment scenario planning’s effectiveness as a tool for consideration of the future

Rodent medial and lateral orbitofrontal cortices represent unique components of cognitive maps of task space.

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) has been proposed to function as a cognitive map of task space: a mental model of the steps involved in a task. This idea has proven popular because it provides a cohesive explanation for a number of disparate findings regarding the OFC's role in a broad array of tasks. Concurrently, evidence has begun to reveal the functional heterogeneity of OFC subregions, particularly the medial and lateral OFC. How these subregions uniquely contribute to the OFC's role as a cognitive map of task space, however, has not been explored. Here we propose that, in rodents, the lateral OFC represents the agent's initial position within that task map (i.e. initial state), determining which actions are available as a consequence of that position, whereas the medial OFC represents the agent's future position within the task map (i.e. terminal state), influencing which actions are selected to achieve that position. We argue that these processes are achieved somewhat independently and somewhat interdependently, and are achieved through similar but non-identical circuitry

The experience of being diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder: living the label

Informed by the investigative thrust of phenomenological inquiry and the 'phenomenology of intersubjectivity', the overarching aim of this article is to provide an accurate illumination of the experience of being diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, and thus being 'a labelled individual'. This article is based on research that sought to understand the impact of the psychiatric label upon labelled individuals interpersonal and intersubjective presence as experienced outside the psychiatric institution. The principle question asked was: "What is the experience of being a labelled individual in the world?". It was discovered that psychiatric labelling unfolds as a disconnection and dislocation from co-existence with others. Moreover, labelling had the effect of robbing such individuals of their subjectivity, rendering them lonely, misunderstood and viewed as somehow defective, disabled and wrong

Prefrontal corticostriatal disconnection blocks the acquisition of goal-directed action

© 2018 the authors. The acquisition of goal-directed action requires encoding of the association between an action and its specific consequences or outcome. At a neural level, this encoding has been hypothesized to involve a prefrontal corticostriatal circuit involving the projection from the prelimbic cortex (PL) to the posterior dorsomedial striatum (pDMS); however, no direct evidence for this claim has been reported. In a series of experiments, we performed functional disconnection of this pathway using targeted lesions of the anterior corpus callosum to disrupt contralateral corticostriatal projections with asymmetrical lesions of the PL and/orpDMSto block plasticity in this circuit in rats. We first demonstrated that unilaterally blocking the PL input to the pDMS prevented the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-related kinase/mitogen activated protein kinase (pERK/pMAPK) induced by instrumental training. Next, we used a full bilateral disconnection of the PL from the pDMS and assessed goal-directed action using an outcome-devaluation test. Importantly, we found evidence that rats maintaining an ipsilateral and/or contralateral connection between thePLand thepDMSwere able to acquire goal-directed actions. In contrast, bilateral PL–pDMS disconnection abolished the acquisition of goal-directed actions. Finally, we used a temporary pharmacological disconnection to disrupt PL inputs to thepDMSby infusing theNMDAantagonist DL-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid into thepDMSduring instrumental training and found that this manipulation also disrupted goal-directed learning. These results establish that, in rats, the acquisition of new goal-directed actions depends on a prefrontal-corticostriatal circuit involving a connection between the PL and the pDMS

The Experience of Being Diagnosed with a Psychiatric Disorder: Living the Label

Informed by the investigative thrust of phenomenological inquiry and the ‘phenomenology of intersubjectivity’, the overarching aim of this article is to provide an accurate illumination of the experience of being diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, and thus being ‘a labelled individual’. This article is based on research that sought to understand the impact of the psychiatric label upon labelled individuals interpersonal and intersubjective presence as experienced outside the psychiatric institution. The principle question asked was: “What is the experience of being a labelled individual in the world?”. It was discovered that psychiatric labelling unfolds as a disconnection and dislocation from co-existence with others. Moreover, labelling had the effect of robbing such individuals of their subjectivity, rendering them lonely, misunderstood and viewed as somehow defective, disabled and wrong.Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology, Volume 3, Edition 1, November 200

Inferring action-dependent outcome representations depends on anterior but not posterior medial orbitofrontal cortex

© 2018 Elsevier Inc. Although studies examining orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) often treat it as though it were functionally homogeneous, recent evidence has questioned this assumption. Not only are the various subregions of OFC (lateral, ventral, and medial) hetereogeneous, but there is further evidence of heterogeneity within those subregions. For example, several studies in both humans and monkeys have revealed a functional subdivision along the anterior-posterior gradient of the medial OFC (mOFC). Given our previous findings suggesting that, in rats, the mOFC is responsible for inferring the likelihood of unobservable action outcomes (Bradfield, Dezfouli, van Holstein, Chieng, & Balleine, 2015), and given the anterior nature of the placements of our prior manipulations, we decided to assess whether the rat mOFC also differs in connection and function along its anteroposterior axis. We first used retrograde tracing to compare the density of efferents from mOFC to several structures known to contribute to goal-directed action: the mediodorsal thalamus, basolateral amygdala, posterior dorsomedial striatum, nucleus accumbens core and ventral tegmental area. We then compared the functional effects of anterior versus posterior mOFC excitotoxic lesions on tests of Pavlovian-instrumental transfer, instrumental outcome devaluation and outcome-specific reinstatement. We found evidence that the anterior mOFC had greater connectivity with the accumbens core and greater functional involvement in goal-directed action than the posterior mOFC. Consistent with previous findings across species, therefore, these results suggest that the anterior and posterior mOFC of the rat are indeed functionally distinct, and that it is the anterior mOFC that is particularly critical for inferring unobservable action outcomes

Monomorphic Ventricular Arrhythmias in Athletes.

Ventricular arrhythmias are challenging to manage in athletes with concern for an elevated risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) during sports competition. Monomorphic ventricular arrhythmias (MMVA), while often benign in athletes with a structurally normal heart, are also associated with a unique subset of idiopathic and malignant substrates that must be clearly defined. A comprehensive evaluation for structural and/or electrical heart disease is required in order to exclude cardiac conditions that increase risk of SCD with exercise, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Unique issues for physicians who manage this population include navigating athletes through the decision of whether they can safely continue their chosen sport. In the absence of structural heart disease, therapies such as radiofrequency catheter ablation are very effective for certain arrhythmias and may allow for return to competitive sports participation. In this comprehensive review, we summarise the recommendations for evaluating and managing athletes with MMVA