Time, Truth, Actuality, and Causation: On the Impossibility of Divine Foreknowledge

In this essay, my goal is, first, to describe the most important contemporary philosophical approaches to the nature of time, and then, secondly, to discuss the ways in which those different accounts bear upon the question of the possibility of divine foreknowledge. I shall argue that different accounts of the nature of time give rise to different objections to the idea of divine foreknowledge, but that, in addition, there is a general argument for the impossibility of divine foreknowledge that is independent of one’s account of the nature of tim

Calum Miller's attempted refutation of Michael Tooley's evidential argument from evil

In his article, ‘What's Wrong with Tooley's Argument from Evil?’, Calum Miller's goal was to show that the evidential argument from evil that I have advanced is unsound, and in support of that claim, Miller set out three main objections. First, he argued that I had failed to recognize that the actual occurrence of an event can by itself, at least in principle, constitute good evidence that it was not morally wrong for God to allow events of the kind in question. Miller's second objection was then that, in attempting to show that it is unlikely that God exists, I had failed to consider either positive arguments in support of the existence of God or possible theodicies, and thus that I was unjustified in drawing any conclusions concerning the probability that theism is true in the light of the total evidence available. Miller's third and final objection was that one of the approaches to logical probability that I employed – namely, that based upon a structure-description equiprobability principle, rather than a state-description equiprobability principle – was unsound since it has clearly unacceptable implications. In response, I argue that all three of Miller's objections are unsound. The third objection, however, is nevertheless important since it shows that my type of argument from evil cannot be based merely on the evils found in the world. One must also consider good states of affairs, and their relations to bad ones. I show, however, that that deficiency can be addressed in a completely satisfactory manner

Emotion Regulation and Vulnerability to Depression: A Longitudinal Test of the Diathesis-Stress Model

Maladaptive emotion regulation is an established vulnerability marker for depression. Within a diathesis-stress framework individual differences in emotion regulation constitute sensitivity to stress, such that people who are less able to effectively regulate their emotions are more likely to become depressed when stress is encountered. Markers of maladaptive emotion regulation have been examined from affective, neurological, and cognitive perspectives and, for the most part, have been examined in independent lines of research. As such, the independent and interactive contributions of maladaptive emotion regulation markers are still unknown. The current thesis addresses this gap with a longitudinal study. Emotion regulation markers and depression were assessed at the outset of the study (time one) then life stress and depression were measured three months (time two) and twelve months (time three) later. Three trait measures of emotion regulation were assessed: spontaneous emotion regulation (as indexed by startle reactivity following negative images), frontal and parietal resting EEG asymmetries, and brooding rumination. All emotion regulation markers were found to be independent markers of vulnerability to depression. The emotion regulation markers measured at time one were then tested within a diathesis stress framework to predict stress sensitivity at time two. Poorer online regulation interacted with life stress to predict depression. That is, poor online regulators were sensitive to stress at three months, whereas good online regulators were not. Stress sensitivity was tested again at time three, twelve months after the initial assessment. At this time point frontal asymmetry, parietal asymmetry and life stress interacted to predict depression. When right parietal activity was low, rightward frontal asymmetries showed more sensitivity to stress. However, people with leftward asymmetries showed less stress sensitivity. Brooding predicted depression at three months but not at twelve months and did not interact with stress at either time point. The findings of this thesis show that, within the diathesis-stress framework, online regulation measures indicate short-term sensitivity to stress; however, EEG asymmetry measures show sensitivity to stress in the longer term

On-farm food loss in northern and central California: Results of field survey measurementsAuthor links open overlay panel

Prevailing estimates of food loss at the farm level are sparse and often reliant upon grower surveys. A more comprehensive review of food loss at the farm level using field surveys is required to gain an adequate understanding of the depth of this issue. This paper details the results of 123 in-field surveys and 18 in-depth interviews of 20 different, hand-harvested field crops performed largely on midsize to large conventional farms in northern and central California. We also provide estimates of the percentage of fields that go unharvested, commonly known as walk-by fields. The results show that food loss is highly variable and largely dependent upon the crop, variety, market price, labor costs, grower practices, buyer specifications, and environmental conditions. On average, we found 11,299 kg/ha of food loss at the farm level, which equates to 31.3% of the marketed yield. When walk-by losses are included, this figure rises to 33.7%. Our paper also demonstrates that grower estimates are typically very unreliable for estimating on-farm food losses. Actual, measured edible food loss exceeded growers’ estimates by a median value of 157%. Strategies to utilize this lost produce could play a significant role in reducing the impact of agriculture on the environment and providing food for the rapidly growing population

The new a-theory of time

The New A-theory of Time (TNAT) is the view, to be elaborated and defended in this article, that many times exist, and that time is real in virtue of every moment in time bearing each of the so-called A-properties: past, present and future. I argue that TNAT is at least as theoretically virtuous as mainstream views in the philosophy of time and may have some claim to being our best theory of time. I show that the properties ‘past’, ‘present’ and ‘future’ can be understood as compatible intrinsic properties. Having demonstrated that this account of the A-properties is coherent, I go on to demonstrate how TNAT can give us an account of passage, change and the truth-conditions for temporal sentences. In the final section of the article, I develop a tentative argument in favour of TNAT, though concede that we have to settle for the result that TNAT is on a par with our other theories of time. In the remainder of this opening section, my aim is to situate the current proposal as a direct response to McTaggart’s infamous argument against the reality of time

Economic Evaluation of the Randomized Aldactone Evaluation Study (RALES): Treatment of Patients with Severe Heart Failure

Purpose : To use data from the Randomized Aldactone Evaluation Study (RALES) to compare clinical outcomes and costs as part of the assessment of the economic implications of spironolactone treatment of advanced heart failure.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44576/1/10557_2004_Article_405789.pd

The Impact of Curated Educational Videos on Pathology Health Literacy for Patients with a Pancreatic, Colorectal, or Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

Despite patients having increased access to their own electronic health record (EHR) in recent times, patients are often still not considered a primary audience of pathology reports. An alternative to in-person patient education is the use of multimedia programming to enhance health literacy. Curated video presentations designed to explain diagnosis-specific pathology terms were reviewed by a board-certified pathologist and oncologist team and then shown to patients with a primary diagnosis of either pancreatic, colorectal, or prostate cancer in-clinic; these patients then completed a secure electronic survey immediately afterwards. Seventy patients were surveyed, with 91% agreeing or strongly agreeing that the video they watched increased their understanding of the medical terms used in their pathology reports, with a corresponding average Likert score (ALS) of 4.21 (SD = 0.77, CI = ± 0.18). Furthermore, 95% agreed or strongly agreed that the video they watched both enhanced their understanding of the role of the pathologist in diagnosing cancer (ALS = 4.27; SD = 0.65, CI = ± 0.15) and reported they found the video useful (ALS = 4.27; SD = 0.53, CI = ± 0.13). Curated videos such as those utilized in this study have the potential to increase patient health literacy and inform patients of the multidisciplinary nature of cancer diagnosis