The current debate over U.S. intelligence is missing the larger problem, the intelligence community’s inability to think big

Since the end of the cold war, the U.S. intelligence community has been confronted by an increasingly complex and interconnected international system. Josh Kerbel writes that the intelligence community has largely failed to adapt to this new global system, and is still set on trying to understand complex issues with a narrow focus. He argues that the intelligence community must move away from its closed and insular mindset and learn to ‘think big’, taking greater advantage of open-source, unclassified information and interdisciplinary perspectives

Clothes That Care -- Flame Resistant Protection.

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The Effects of Alcohol on Semantic Memory

Previous studies have shown that the effects of alcoholic intoxication on memory result from a functional decrease in capacity of working memory (e.g., Petros, Kerbel, Beckwith, Sacks, & Sarafolean, 1985). However, other studies looking at speeds of retrieval of information from long-term memory have brought this conclusion into doubt (Moskowitz & Roth, 1971). The present study presented subjects with decisions to be made regarding word pairs. Three conditions were used, each requiring different amounts of information to be accessed from long-term memory. Sixty-six male college students, between the ages of 21 and 29 years, were divided into two groups. One group received one milliliter of absolute alcohol per kilogram of body weight in the form of 80 proof vodka mixed with a peppermint masking solution. The second group received an equivalent amount of water mixed in the same masking solution. Subjects were further divided into higher and lower verbal ability groups on the basis of their raw scores on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised Vocabulary subtest. Subjects were presented with word pairs and asked to make yes/no decisions as to whether the words were physically identical (PI), the same name (SN), or from the same semantic category (SC). Response times and accuracy of response was automatically recorded by computer. Two (treatment) x two (verbal ability) x three (decision type) x two (response type) mixed ANOVAs were run on median response times, as well as proportion of errors made. No significant differences were found for treatment effects (alcohol, placebo), but interaction between treatment effects and other factors limiting functional capacity of working memory were found. General support was found for the theory that alcoholic intoxication results in a decreased functional capacity in working memory. Specifically, the speed of the working memory process of accessing information from long-term memory was found to be slowed

Affective, Interpersonal, and Subjective Aspects of Denial in Anosognosia for Hemiplegia: Neuroscientific and Psychoanalytic Perspectives

Some patients customarily deny left hand hemiplegia as a consequence of a right hemispheric stroke. Denial is a key aspect in Anosognosia for Hemiplegia, and is also an essential concept in the development and structure of psychoanalytic theory. In research on AHP, denial is approached from neuroscientific perspectives, which include empirical research on several aspects that are relevant in the presentation of the syndrome (e.g. senso-perception, cognition, neuroanatomy, etc.). Psychoanalysis has emphasised intrapsychic, developmental, and defensive aspects based upon clinical observation of mainly non-neurological patients. However, the Cognitive Arrest Hypothesis (a model stemming from psychoanalytic theory) has proposed a view of denial that is in accordance with, or does not contradict empirical evidence on AHP. Both fields have recognised the importance of affective, motivational, interpersonal, and subjective aspects in the presentation of denial. The Cognitive Arrest Hypothesis allows discussing evidences on denial in AHP research, and in psychoanalytic theory, under a common framework of reference. The present thesis aims at opening a debate between these two fields with the goal of demonstrating how can their arguments be of mutual assistance in further comprehending denial. Three research proposals are presented to illustrate practical ways to consider contributions from both fields in future research and clinical directions

FURTHER STUDIES OF ANTIGENIC COMPETITION : III. A MODEL TO ACCOUNT FOR THE PHENOMENON BASED ON A DEFICIENCY OF CELL-TO-CELL INTERACTION IN IMMUNE LYMPHOID CELL POPULATIONS

A striking correlation between the capacity of an antigen to nonspecifically suppress humoral immune responses of subsequently administered antigens which are non-cross-reacting, i.e. to manifest antigenic competition and produce enlargement of spleen size through cell proliferation, was found. Increase in spleen size was always accompanied by a drop in the normal proportion of thymus-derived cells to non-thymus-derived cells. Various means of altering the immune response to the initial antigen, and hence, the capacity of that antigen to suppress in a model of antigenic competition were performed and correlated with changes in spleen size and in the proportion of θ-positive cells in the spleen. In all instances, when the experimental condition reduced or abolished antigenic competition, the increase in spleen size and reduction in the proportion of θ-positive cells in the spleen was reduced or abolished. Furthermore, under conditions in which the suppressive capacity of the initial antigen was unaltered, the increase in spleen size and reduction in θ-proportion occurred normally. Finally, the better the suppression in a model of antigenic competition, the greater the increase in spleen size and reduction in the proportion of θ-positive cells. On the basis of these observations, it appears that there is a relationship between spleen enlargement through clonally restricted cell proliferation and the expression of antigenic competition; one cannot have the latter without the former. It is postulated that the immunological lesion associated with antigenic competition resides at the level of interference with cell interaction between thymus-derived antigen-reactive cells and marrow-derived antibody-forming cells. This occurs as a result of a relative "diluting out" of cells of both populations carrying antigenic specificity differing from the one(s) which induced the dilution effect in the first place. The net effect of this is to decrease the chance of a "hit" or interaction between a marrow-derived and thymus-derived cell of the same specificities. This mechanism, which is compatible with theories of clonal selection, and which in fact is dependent upon them, supports the view that the term "antigenic competition" is a misnomer; there is no competition by the antigens for anything. The term "antigen-induced suppression" is suggested as a more suitable alternative

National trends in total hip arthroplasty for traumatic hip fractures: An analysis of a nationwide all-payer database.

BACKGROUND: Hemiarthroplasty (HA) has traditionally been the treatment of choice for elderly patients with displaced femoral neck fractures. Ideal treatment for younger, ambulatory patients is not as clear. Total hip arthroplasty (THA) has been increasingly utilized in this population however the factors associated with undergoing HA or THA have not been fully elucidated. AIM: To examine what patient characteristics are associated with undergoing THA or HA. To determine if outcomes differ between the groups. METHODS: We queried the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) for patients that underwent HA or THA for a femoral neck fracture between 2005 and 2014. The NIS comprises a large representative sample of inpatient hospitalizations in the United States. International Classifications of Disease, Ninth Edition (ICD-9) codes were used to identify patients in our sample. Demographic variables, hospital characteristics, payer status, medical comorbidities and mortality rates were compared between the two procedures. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was then performed to identify independent risk factors of treatment utilized. RESULTS: Of the total 502060 patients who were treated for femoral neck fracture, 51568 (10.3%) underwent THA and the incidence of THA rose from 8.3% to 13.7%. Private insurance accounted for a higher percentage of THA than hemiarthroplasty. THA increased most in urban teaching hospitals relative to urban non-teaching hospitals. Mean length of stay (LOS) was longer for HA. The mean charges were less for HA, however charges decreased steadily for both groups. HA had a higher mortality rate, however, after adjusting for age and comorbidities HA was not an independent risk factor for mortality. Interestingly, private insurance was an independent predictor for treatment with THA. CONLUSION: There has been an increase in the use of THA for the treatment of femoral neck fractures in the United States, most notably in urban hospitals. HA and THA are decreasing in total charges and LOS

Funerals: Alternatives and Arrangements.

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