Use of the booklet category test to assess abstract concept formation in schizophrenic disorders

The relationship of concept formation abilities to the presence or absence of delusions in schizophrenic disorders was investigated. Twenty-six schizophrenic patients and 14 normal individuals were administered a short form of the Booklet Category Test (BCT). Patients were grouped into those with and without delusions. It was hypothesized that the delusional group would perform significantly better on the BCT (obtain lower error scores) than the nondelusional group. Normal and delusional groups obtained significantly lower BCT error scores than the nondelusional group, even when differences in IQ scores were statistically partialled out. The two schizophrenic groups also differed significantly on BCT error scores with the delusional group performing better than the nondelusional group

An archival case study : revisiting the life and political economy of Lauchlin Currie

This paper forms part of a wider project to show the significance of archival material on distinguished economists, in this case Lauchlin Currie (1902-93), who studied and taught at Harvard before entering government service at the US Treasury and Federal Reserve Board as the intellectual leader of Roosevelt's New Deal, 1934-39, as FDR's White House economic adviser in peace and war, 1939-45, and as a post-war development economist. It discusses the uses made of the written and oral material available when the author was writing his intellectual biography of Currie (Duke University Press 1990) while Currie was still alive, and the significance of the material that has come to light after Currie's death

O que é Compaixão? Um estudo multicultural sobre as associações semânticas e experiências subjetivas de compaixão

Empirical research has documented the benefits of compassion for mental health, psychosocial and physiological wellbeing. Yet, definitions of compassion vary amongst theoretical approaches, researchers, clinicians and lay people. The meaning and nature of compassion can be misunderstood and become linked to fears, blocks and resistances to compassion. The current paper defines compassion from the perspective of compassion focused therapy (CFT) and distinguishes it from other commonly related concepts, using a qualitative methodological approach. Participants’ understanding of compassion was explored through their selection of the words they associated with compassion and self-compassion, and descriptions of recalled experiences of giving and receiving compassion, with cultural differences further examined. A sample of 584 adult participants was recruited from general community populations in Australia (n = 296), Portugal (n = 183) and Singapore (n = 105) and completed a self report questionnaire assessing the meaning and the subjective experiences of compassion. Empathy, Kindness and Understanding were the three words participants most frequently associated with ‘Compassion’. The most frequent three words selected by participants associated with ‘Self-compassion’ were Acceptance, Strength and Understanding. Various cultural differences among countries were identified and discussed. The findings also clarified participants’ experiences of compassion for others, receiving compassion from others and self-compassion, identified similarities and differences between countries, and revealed a significant proportion of people who were unable to recollect/ describe compassion experiences (across the three flows). The findings are discussed in light of a CFT framework and clinical implications for CFT practitioners are derived.Estudos empíricos têm documentado os benefícios da compaixão para a saúde mental, bem-estar psicossocial e fisiológico. No entanto, as definições de compaixão variam entre abordagens teóricas, investigadores, clínicos e leigos. O significado e a natureza da compaixão podem ser mal compreendidos e ligados a medos, bloqueios e resistências à compaixão. O presente artigo define a compaixão a partir da perspetiva da terapia focada na compaixão (TFC) e distingue-a de outros conceitos comumente associados, usando uma abordagem metodológica qualitativa. A compreensão dos participantes sobre o que é a compaixão foi explorada através da seleção das palavras que eles associavam com compaixão e auto-compaixão, e das suas descrições de experiências passadas de dar e receber compaixão, com diferenças culturais sendo também examinadas. Uma amostra de 584 participantes adultos foi recrutada da comunidade geral na Austrália (n = 296), Portugal (n = 183) e Singapura (n = 105), e completou um questionário de auto-resposta que avaliava o significado e as experiências subjetivas de compaixão. Empatia, Bondade e Compreensão foram as três palavras que os participantes mais frequentemente associaram a ‘Compaixão’. As três palavras mais frequentemente selecionadas pelos participantes associadas à ‘Auto-compaixão’ foram Aceitação, Força e Compreensão. Várias diferenças culturais entre os países foram identificadas e discutidas. As descobertas também esclareceram as experiências dos participantes de compaixão pelos outros, receber compaixão de outros e auto-compaixão, identificaram semelhanças e diferenças entre países e revelaram que uma proporção significativa de pessoas não conseguiu lembrar/descrever experiências de compaixão. Os resultados são discutidos à luz da abordagem de TFC e são derivadas implicações clínicas para psicoterapeutas de TFC

YY1 haploinsufficiency causes an intellectual disability syndrome featuring transcriptional and chromatin dysfunction

Yin and yang 1 (YY1) is a well-known zinc-finger transcription factor with crucial roles in normal development and malignancy. YY1 acts both as a repressor and as an activator of gene expression. We have identified 23 individuals with de novo mutations or deletions of YY1 and phenotypic features that define a syndrome of cognitive impairment, behavioral alterations, intrauterine growth restriction, feeding problems, and various congenital malformations. Our combined clinical and molecular data define "YY1 syndrome" as a haploinsufficiency syndrome. Through immunoprecipitation of YY1-bound chromatin from affected individuals' cells with antibodies recognizing both ends of the protein, we show that YY1 deletions and missense mutations lead to a global loss of YY1 binding with a preferential retention at high-occupancy sites. Finally, we uncover a widespread loss of H3K27 acetylation in particular on the YY1-bound enhancers, underscoring a crucial role for YY1 in enhancer regulation. Collectively, these results define a clinical syndrome caused by haploinsufficiency of YY1 through dysregulation of key transcriptional regulators.Michele Gabriele, Anneke T. Vulto-van Silfhout, Pierre-Luc Germain, Alessandro Vitriolo, Raman Kumar, Evelyn Douglas, Eric Haan, Kenjiro Kosaki, Toshiki Takenouchi, Anita Rauch, Katharina Steindl, Eirik Frengen, Doriana Misceo, Christeen Ramane J. Pedurupillay, Petter Stromme, Jill A. Rosenfeld, Yunru Shao, William J. Craigen, Christian P. Schaaf, David Rodriguez-Buritica, Laura Farach, Jennifer Friedman, Perla Thulin, Scott D. McLean, Kimberly M. Nugent, Jenny Morton, Jillian Nicholl, Joris Andrieux, Asbjørg Stray-Pedersen, Pascal Chambon, Sophie Patrier, Sally A. Lynch, Susanne Kjaergaard, Pernille M. Tørring, Charlotte Brasch-Andersen, Anne Ronan, Arie van Haeringen, Peter J. Anderson, Zöe Powis, Han G. Brunner, Rolph Pfundt, Janneke H.M. Schuurs-Hoeijmakers, Bregje W.M. van Bon, Stefan Lelieveld, Christian Gilissen, Willy M. Nillesen, Lisenka E.L.M. Vissers, Jozef Gecz, David A. Koolen, Giuseppe Testa, Bert B.A. de Vrie

Productive Structure in the Neo-Kaleckian Model of Growth and Distribution: Simulations to the Brazilian Economy

This chapter has as its main objective to analyze the relationship between structural change, exchange rate devaluation, growth and income distribution in Brazil. The neo-Kaleckian model of growth and distribution as designed by Cimoli et al. (2016) is simulated to the short run, where there are no restrictions to deficits on the balance of payments. This is a post-Keynesian model with Schumpeterian and Latin American structuralist ideas. The shocks in the model are made in order to understand impacts of structural change, wage level increases, and exchange rate devaluations in the Brazilian economy. To accomplish these objectives, the model is calibrated in this chapter using real data for 2011. The results indicate the dynamics of the neo-Kaleckian model and lead to an analysis of possible impacts of changes in the productive sector on growth and income distribution in Brazil

Hawtreyan 'credit deadlock' or Keynesian 'liquidity trap'? Lessons for Japan from the great depression

This paper outlines the ideas of Ralph Hawtrey and Lauchlin Currie on the need for monetised fiscal deficit spending in 1930s USA to combat the deep depression into which the economy had been allowed to sink. In such exceptional circumstances of 'credit deadlock' in which banks were afraid to lend and households and business afraid to borrow, the deadlock could best be broken through the spending of new money into circulation via large fiscal deficits. This complementarity of fiscal and monetary policy was shown to be essential, and as such indicates the potential power of monetary policy - in contrast to the Keynesian "liquidity trap" view that it is powerless This lesson was not learned by the Japanese authorities in their response to the asset price collapse of 1991-92, resulting in a lost decade as ballooning fiscal deficits were neutralised throughout the 1990s by unhelpfully tight monetary policy with the Bank of Japan refusing to monetise the deficits

Improvements in Compassion and Fears of Compassion throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multinational Study

During large-scale disasters, social support, caring behaviours, and compassion are shown to protect against poor mental health outcomes. This multi-national study aimed to assess the fluctuations in compassion over time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents (Time 1 n = 4156, Time 2 n = 980, Time 3 n = 825) from 23 countries completed online self-report questionnaires measuring the flows of compassion (i.e., Compassionate Engagement and Action Scales) and fears of compassion toward self and others and from others (i.e., Fears of Compassion Scales) and mental health at three time-points during a 10-month period. The results for the flows of compassion showed that self-compassion increased at Time 3. Compassion for others increased at Time 2 and 3 for the general population, but in contrast, it decreased in health professionals, possibly linked to burnout. Compassion from others did not change in Time 2, but it did increase significantly in Time 3. For fears of compassion, fears of self-compassion reduced over time, fears of compassion for others showed more variation, reducing for the general public but increasing for health professionals, whilst fears of compassion from others did not change over time. Health professionals, those with compassion training, older adults, and women showed greater flows of compassion and lower fears of compassion compared with the general population, those without compassion training, younger adults, and men. These findings highlight that, in a period of shared suffering, people from multiple countries and nationalities show a cumulative improvement in compassion and reduction in fears of compassion, suggesting that, when there is intense suffering, people become more compassionate to self and others and less afraid of, and resistant to, compassion