"Esau I Hated: Levinas on the Ethics of God's Absence

Emmanuel Levinas objects to traditional theodicy. But his objection to theodicy is so untraditional that God’s existence is incidental to it. The primary problem with theodicy, he argues, is not evidential but ethical. The primary problem with theodicy is not that its claims are false, but that its claims are offensive. In laying out Levinas's unusual view, I first sketch out the specifically ethical nature of theodicy’s offense: failing to acknowledge suffering. Next I discuss Levinas unusual account of this suffering, which theodicy fails to acknowledge. I then show how Levinas’ accusation against traditional theodicy does not hinge upon positive claims for the existence of God. I show how Levinas’ ethical objection to theodicy serves equally well as an objection to the negative existence claims of atheism. For atheism, too, has an overlooked “atheodicy” which fails to acknowledge suffering, and so may similarly offend. I then shift from the theoretical to the practical. I treat the insights gained regarding theodicy and its offenses not as ideas considered but as a strategy lived. I offer a profile of the biblical figure of Esau, whose remarkable reaction to God’s malicious absence involved no consolation, sense of grievance, or resentment of his brother Jacob, God’s beloved. I conclude that the brothers’ eventual rapprochement demonstrates a deep spiritual affinity between atheist and theist. Both live out their lives under "a gospel not to be preached". And the end of such preaching suggests a way forward in our own God-centered disputes

Electrospinning of S-B-S Triblock and S-I-S Triblock Copolymers For Use in Fuel Filtration

The following research project looked into the potential of using nanofibers of syrene-isoprene-styrene triblock copolymer produced through the electrospinning process for the filtration of water out of fuel as well as a comparison of styrene-isoprene-styrene triblock to the styrene-butadiene-styrene triblock nanofibers produced at equivalent operating parameters. Based on the work completed, it is concluded that the styrene-isoprene-styrene triblock is not suitable for use in filtration with the current electrospinning conditions. On average, the styrene-isoprene-styrene triblock produced nanofibers of lower average diameter and lower standard deviation in diameter when compared to styene-butadiene-styrene triblock

Behavior in a dynamic decision problem: An analysis of experimental evidence using a bayesian type classification algorithm

It has been long recognized that different people may use different strategies, or decision rules, when playing games or dealing with other complex decision problems. We provide a new Bayesian procedure for drawing inferences about the nature and number of decision rules that are present in a population of agents. We show that the algorithm performs well in both a Monte Carlo study and in an empirical application. We apply our procedure to analyze the actual behavior of subjects who are confronted with a difficult dynamic stochastic decision problem in a laboratory setting. The procedure does an excellent job of grouping the subjects into easily interpretable types. Given the difficultly of the decision problem, we were surprised to find that nearly a third of subjects were a “Near Rational” type that played a good approximation to the optimal decision rule. More than 40% of subjects followed a rule that we describe as “fatalistic,” since they play as if they don’t appreciate the extent to which payoffs are a controlled stochastic process. And about a quarter of the subjects are classified as “Confused,” since they play the game quite poorly. Interestingly, we find that those subjects who practiced most before playing the game for money were the most likely to play poorly. Thus, lack of effort does not seem to account for poor performance. It is our hope that, in future work, our type classification algorithm will facilitate the positive analysis of peoples’ behavior in many types of complex decision problems.behavioral experiments type-classification bayesian

Implementation of a safety planning intervention on an inpatient psychiatric unit.

Background: In 2017, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. There are multiple interventions used for individuals at risk for suicide. No-suicide contracts are commonly used by clinicians who treat individuals at high risk for suicide, but there is no evidence supporting this intervention in preventing suicides. A safety planning intervention has been shown to decrease the risk of suicide in individuals at high risk for suicide by helping individuals recognize warning signs of a suicidal crisis, use their internal coping strategies, and contact social network or community resources to assist in reducing suicidal thoughts. Safety plans provide individuals with tools to help manage crisis situations. Purpose: To address the risk of suicide in patients on an inpatient psychiatric unit at a community hospital, the focus of this DNP evidence-based practice (EBP) project was twofold: to implement a safety planning intervention for all patients found to be at high risk for suicide, and to evaluate the efficacy of the safety plan intervention among nurses (RNs and LPNs). Methods: An educational module was developed for this project on the use of safety plans and how to create individualized safety plans with patients. Nurses completed a demographic questionnaire and pre-test prior to receiving education on risks of suicide and safety planning, and post-test following the completion of educational module. The sample size consisted of 13 nurses. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to assess knowledge level of the nurses from pretest to posttest on suicide risk factors and use of safety plans. To evaluate the efficacy of the safety planning intervention, descriptive statistics (frequencies/percentages) were used to determine if all patients at high-risk for suicide completed safety plans; if safety plans were fully completed; and if the patients were given a copy of the safety plan at discharge. A post implementation questionnaire was provided to nurses at six weeks post intervention to elicit evaluative information on the effectiveness of the safety plan intervention from the nurse’s perspective. Findings: A Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test indicated that post-test scores (Mean= 66.15) were statistically significantly higher than pre-test scores (Mean= 87.69, Z=36, p=.011). There were 58 patients admitted to the psychiatric unit during this project, with 47% (n=27) found to be at high-risk for suicide per the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). Of the 27 patients found to be at high-risk for suicide, 81% (n=22) completed a safety plan and 78% (n=21) had a safety plan included in their discharge instructions. Of the 13 nurses, 85% (n=11) strongly agreed that they felt confident in creating safety plans with patients at high risk for suicide and 77% (n=10) strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the practice change of implementing safety plans as part of their plan of care for patients at high risk for suicide. Implications: This project supports the implementation of an educational module to increase nurses’ knowledge of suicide risk and safety plan implementation on an inpatient psychiatric unit. Education of suicide risk and safety plan implementation is important to ensure nurses feel confident in using safety plans with patients at high-risk for suicide. Future studies should be done to evaluate the efficacy of safety plans on decreasing suicide risk

HEURISTICS USED BY HUMANS WITH PREFRONTAL CORTEX DAMAGE: TOWARD AN EMPIRICAL MODEL OF PHINEAS GAGE

In many research contexts it is necessary to group experimental subjects into behavioral “types.” Usually, this is done by pre-specifying a set of candidate decision-making heuristics and then assigning each subject to the heuristic that best describes his/her behavior. Such approaches might not perform well when used to explain the behavior of subjects with prefrontal cortex damage. The reason is that introspection is typically used to generate the candidate heuristic set, but this procedure is likely to fail when applied to the decision-making strategies of subjects with brain damage. This research uses the type classification approach introduced by Houser, Keane and McCabe (2002) to investigate the heuristics used by subjects in the gambling experiment (Bechara, Damasio, Damasio and Anderson, 1994). An advantage of our classification approach is that it does not require us to specify the nature of subjects’ heuristics in advance. Rather, both the number and nature of the heuristics used are discerned directly from the experimental data. Our sample includes normal subjects, as well as subjects with damage to the ventromedial (VM) area of the prefrontal cortex. Subjects are “clustered” according to similarities in their heuristic, and this clustering does not preclude some normal and VM subjects from using the same decision rule. Our results are consistent with what others have found in subsequent experimentation with VM patients.experiments, heuristics, neuroeconomics, behavioral economics

Disposition, History and Contributions in Public Goods Experiments

Private incentives to invest in a public good are modeled as self- interested reciprocity where individuals use reputational scoring rules to determine their optimal level of investment. The model predicts that the disposition of any subject to cooperate is revealed by their first period investment in a voluntary contribution experiment, and that grouping cooperative subjects together will improve, and in some circumstances sustain, their private investment in the public good. Actual investment behavior is then studied with laboratory experiments that compare the contributions of subjects randomly reassigned into groups to contributions under a mechanism that sorts subjects into groups based on their individual investment decisions. The sorting mechanism helps to keep subjects with cooperative dispositions together and leads to statistically significant increases, relative to the random matching condition, in cooperators’ investments in the public good.public goods, experiments, cooperation, type classification, individual differences

A Functional Imaging Study of Cooperation in Two-Person reciprocal Exchange

Cooperation between individuals requires the ability to infer each other’s mental states to form shared expectations over mutual gains and make cooperative choices that realize these gains. From evidence that the ability for mental state attribution involves the use of prefrontal cortex, we hypothesize that this area is involved in integrating theory-of-mind processing with cooperative actions. We report data from a functional MRI experiment designed to test this hypothesis. Subjects in a scanner played standard two-person ‘‘trust and reciprocity’’ games with both human and computer counterparts for cash rewards. Behavioral data shows that seven subjects consistently attempted cooperation with their human counterpart. Within this group prefrontal regions are more active when subjects are playing a human than when they are playing a computer following a fixed (and known) probabilistic strategy. Within the group of five noncooperators, there are no significant differences in prefrontal activation between computer and human conditions.Neuroeconomics; Exchange; Trust; Theory-of-Mind; functional Imaging of brain

When Punishment Fails: Research on Sanctions, Intentions and Non-Cooperation

Gaultier de Biauzat Jean-François, Lachèze Murel Pierre Joseph de. Renvoi au comité de salubrité d'une lettre de M. Noé, médecin-accoucheur demandant à l'Assemblée de faire imprimer son ouvrage sur les accouchements contre nature, lors de la séance du 22 avril 1791. In: Archives Parlementaires de 1787 à 1860 - Première série (1787-1799) Tome XXV - Du 13 avril 1791 au 11 mai 1791. Paris : Librairie Administrative P. Dupont, 1886. pp. 239-240

How to establish the outer limits of reperfusion therapy

Reperfusion therapy with intravenous alteplase and endovascular therapy are effective treatments for selected patients with acute ischemic stroke. Guidelines for treatment are based upon randomized trials demonstrating substantial treatment effects for highly selected patients based on time from stroke onset and imaging features. However, patients beyond the current established guidelines might benefit with lesser but still clinically significant treatment effects. The STAIR (Stroke Treatment Academic Industry Roundtable) XI meeting convened a workgroup to consider the “outer limits” of reperfusion therapy by defining the current boundaries, and exploring optimal parameters and methodology for determining the outer limits. In addition to statistical significance, the minimum clinically important difference should be considered in exploring the limits of reperfusion therapy. Societal factors and quality of life considerations should be incorporated into assessment of treatment efficacy. The threshold for perception of benefit in the medical community may differ from that necessary for the Food and Drug Administration approval. Data from alternative sources such as platform trials, registries and large pragmatic trials should supplement randomized controlled trials to improve generalizability to routine clinical practice. Further interactions between industry and academic centers should be encouraged

Acute stroke imaging research roadmap IV : imaging selection and outcomes in acute stroke clinical trials and practice

Background and Purpose: The Stroke Treatment Academic Industry Roundtable (STAIR) sponsored an imaging session and workshop during the Stroke Treatment Academic Industry Roundtable XI via webinar on October 1 to 2, 2020, to develop consensus recommendations, particularly regarding optimal imaging at primary stroke centers. Methods: This forum brought together stroke neurologists, neuroradiologists, neuroimaging research scientists, members of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, industry representatives, and members of the US Food and Drug Administration to discuss imaging priorities in the light of developments in reperfusion therapies, particularly in an extended time window, and reinvigorated interest in brain cytoprotection trials. Results: The imaging session summarized and compared the imaging components of recent acute stroke trials and debated the optimal imaging strategy at primary stroke centers. The imaging workshop developed consensus recommendations for optimizing the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of computed tomography and magnetic resonance acute stroke imaging, and also recommendations on imaging strategies for primary stroke centers. Conclusions: Recent positive acute stroke clinical trials have extended the treatment window for reperfusion therapies using imaging selection. Achieving rapid and high-quality stroke imaging is therefore critical at both primary and comprehensive stroke centers. Recommendations for enhancing stroke imaging research are provided