Primary and secondary processing of a waking subliminal stimulus in REM and non-REM sleep - empirical investigation of a psychoanalytic concept

The present study deals with one of the fundamental psychoanalytic assumptions: the existence of the primary and secondary process. It can be hypothesized that these two different ways of mental functioning differentiate not only conscious and unconscious processes but also REM- and non-REM-sleep. In REM-sleep, when most bizarre dreams occur, the primary process is supposed to be the dominant mode of thinking while non-REM-sleep, when dreams are mainly characterized as thought-like, is supposed to be organized along secondary process lines. So far, only one single study tried to test this hypothesis applying the method of subliminal stimulation on the sleep-dream cycle (Shevrin & Fisher, 1967). In this experimental study we successfully replicated these early findings. Moreover, additional stimuli were used and neurophysiological measurements recorded. Our findings demonstrate that REM- and non-REM-sleep can indeed be differentiated on the basis of their prevailing kind of mental functioning matching the Freudian idea of primary and secondary process thinking

Howard Shevrin: pioneering investigator of psychoanalytic science

A book review on Psychoanalytische perspectieven: conversations with Howard Shevrin. His work, his research, his idea

Stop Ruining Math! Reasons and Remedies for the Maladies of Mathematics Education

Did you love math as a kid? Or was it ruined for you? Sadly, many people have had math ruined for them for various reasons. Some might say that it was because of not understanding what was going on, being bored in class, parental or societal pressure to achieve in math, not seeing a point in learning math, wrong amount of homework, grades, curriculum, physical concerns, mean teachers, or any number of things. This article delves into the many common reasons why math is ruined for so many kids, and offers solutions so that math can be enjoyable for everyone. Some of the solutions include societal shifts, some are things that math teachers can do in the classroom, some are ways parents can shift their attitudes towards math, therefore creating a healthier home culture surrounding math, and, lastly, some are ways that students can change the way they participate in math class to get the most out of it

The Signaling Problem: Using Exploding Dots to Solve an Accessible Mystery in an Elementary-Aged Math Circle

Many people want to facilitate Math Circles for younger students but don’t know how. This article provides a model for how to create an engaging Math Circle for students aged 8-10 to explore different number bases and gives a detailed narrative to guide prospective instructors through the class. The narrative follows a group of eight students spending six weeks joyfully discovering underlying mathematical structure without being told what to do

Investigating Bilateral and Regional Agreements to Accommodate Climate-Induced Migration

Climate change has already begun causing displacement. This isn’t a new problem: since 2008, an average of 24 million people have been displaced each year by catastrophic weather disasters. There are currently 70.1 million forcibly displaced people worldwide - this is the highest level on record ever. However, climate migrants are not considered refugees under international law, according to the definition of a refugee adopted in the 1951 Convention on Refugees, and thus lack legal protections. In my thesis I investigated the role of bilateral and regional agreements to provide protection and asylum for climate refugees. My research question was: what are the conditions under which states agree to legally binding instruments to accommodate climate-induced migration? I hypothesized that states will attempt to minimize their commitments to accepting climate-displaced persons and emphasize that they are not establishing precedent for accepting climate-displaced persons in the future. I collected nine case studies of bilateral and regional agreements that have either a) been implemented and have provided protection for climate-displaced persons (positive cases), or b) been proposed but never implemented (negative cases). My hypothesis proved correct: when accepting climate-displaced people, except for in the case of New Zealand, governments were careful to emphasize the specific extraordinary circumstances that were present, avoid language surrounding climate change, and fail to acknowledge climate-displacement as a phenomenon, yet alone pledge to address it in the future by accepting displaced people

Genomic epidemiology of community-associated Staphylococcus aureus in northern Australia and Papua New Guinea

Eike Steinig investigated the transmission dynamics of community-associated MRSA in Far North Queensland and Papua New Guinea. He developed bioinformatics methods based on portable nanopore sequencing technology to infer epidemiological outbreak parameters and clinical genotypes of bacterial pathogens, with applications in rural and remote hospitals that lack sequencing infrastructure

A Case of Diastematomyelia Presenting With Minimal Neurologic Deficits in a Middle-Aged Patient

Diastematomyelia is a rare congenital deformity of the spine in which the spinal cord is split into two hemicords along the sagittal plane. This condition belongs to the group of spinal dysraphisms, is more common in females, and is usually diagnosed prenatally or during childhood; rarely is it diagnosed in adults. We report a male patient in his 50s in which diastematomyelia of the thoracic spine was incidentally encountered after receiving a CT scan of the chest for shortness of breath. Although most patients with this condition are symptomatic, the patient did not display any significant acute neurological complaints at the time. The patient had a history of spina bifida and is paraplegic, both of which are commonly associated with diastematomyelia. The lack of progressive neurologic symptoms, diagnosis in the patient\u27s adult life, and the presence of the anomaly solely in the thoracic spine make this a rare and unusual case. Early recognition and diagnosis of this condition, by prenatal ultrasound or MRI, can help to prevent further damage to the spinal cord and allow affected patients to seek treatment sooner, thus improving quality of life