The Importance of Context in the US Preexposure Effect in CTA: Novel versus Latently Inhibited Contextual Stimuli

Three experiments were conducted to examine the role of novel contextual stimuli in producing the unconditioned stimulus (US) preexposure effect. Experiment 1 demonstrated that novel contextual stimuli produce a significantly stronger US preexposure effect than familiar or “latently inhibited” contextual stimuli. Moreover, subjects preexposed in the presence of latently inhibited contextual cues failed to show a significant US preexposure effect. Experiments 2 and 3 attempted to provide evidence that the addition of a single novel stimulus to the latently inhibited context would result in a significantly stronger US preexposure effect than when no such novel cue was present. Experiment 3 was able to demonstrate this effect. Results are consistent with the Rescorla–Wagner (1972) model of conditioning.     

Positive Psychology Interventions for Chronic Physical Illnesses: A Systematic Review

Positive health focuses on enhancing health along with curing illness to bring about well-being. Treatment for physical illness generally involves drug therapy, while the psycho-social aspects, specifically the positive psychology perspectives, are largely ignored; nevertheless, a growing number of investigations are now studying the effects of positive psychology interventions on health outcomes. The objective of this paper is to systematically review positive psychology interventions in chronic physical illness. A literature search through the databases of EBSCO, PubMed and PsycINFO, reference lists of significant papers and grey literature was conducted following four criteria set for this review. The number of studies selected finally that acceded to the criteria was 14. These studies were analysed by focusing on the study characteristics, kinds of intervention and outcomes of positive psychology interventions. Overall findings reveal that different intervention programmes have been devised by combining various exercises, writing is the most commonly used method for administration and positive psychology interventions are considered feasible and acceptable by patients, but findings about their usefulness are inconclusive. Suggestions for future research, clinical practice and application in communities have been provided which may be useful for clinicians, practitioners and caregivers.     

Grounding words in perception and action: computational insights

We use words to communicate about things and kinds of things, their properties, relations and actions. Researchers are now creating robotic and simulated systems that ground language in machine perception and action, mirroring human abilities. A new kind of computational model is emerging from this work that bridges the symbolic realm of language with the physical realm of real-world referents. It explains aspects of context-dependent shifts of word meaning that cannot easily be explained by purely symbolic models. An exciting implication for cognitive modeling is the use of grounded systems to 'step into the shoes' of humans by directly processing first-person-perspective sensory data, providing a new methodology for testing various hypotheses of situated communication and learning.     

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome following small bowel obstruction

We report a case of a 64-year-old lady who developed clinical features of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome following a laparotomy for small bowel obstruction. Following the operation she developed paralytic ileus and required total parenteral nutrition for one month. A suspected history of average 40 units of weekly alcohol consumption prior to the operation could not be confirmed and the patient did not show any sign of alcohol dependence. Within a few months of treatment with a daily oral dose of thiamine 200 mgs supplemented by multivitamins the patient showed subjective evidence of improvement in confusion, confabulation, and anterograde amnesia, although objective tests showed residual deficits in many areas of cognitive functioning, including immediate and delayed recall of verbal and non-verbal materials, planning and switching of attention.     

Priority setting up close

Published accounts of specific priority-setting projects in healthcare are relatively few. This article chronicles the collaborative efforts of a professional practice lead and a bioethicist to strengthen the priority-setting process for a specific home care service. The project included two features not often reported in other priority-setting projects: the entire "frontline team" was involved for the project's duration, and a group of parents was canvassed for their views. Informed by both Daniels's "accountability for reasonableness" approach and challenges levied against it, the article explains the evolution of an assessment procedure, eligibility and priority criteria, and guiding substantive principles and concludes with the "lessons learned" by the project leads.     

History of military service and the risk of suicidal ideation: findings from the 2008 national survey on drug use and health

Studies of completed suicide by history of military service have produced inconsistent findings; no representative population‐based study has compared the risk of nonfatal suicidal behavior among veterans with risk among nonveterans. The objective of this study was to examine whether male veterans of the U.S. military are at heightened risk of suicidal ideation, compared with males who never served in the U.S. military. A total of 17,641 adult men completed the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Subjects provided information about history of ever having served in the U.S. armed forces, past suicidal ideation, alcohol and drug abuse and dependence, measures of psychological distress, and sociodemographic data. Overall, men who had ever served in the armed forces were no more likely than men who had never served to report having seriously considered suicide over the prior 12 months. Military status was not differentially associated with other known suicide risk factors assessed by NSDUH, including psychiatric disorders. Our findings suggest that evidence‐based suicide prevention strategies applicable to the general population should be employed to reduce suicide risk among the veteran population as well.