Quantitative CT scan studies in aphasia. I. Infarct size and CT numbers

Infarct si?e (number of 1-mm² pixels in the lesion) on CT scans of 30 aphasia patients was obtained with a semiautomated computer program. The mean number of lesion pixels present per slice containing lesion was approximately 500 for mild aphasias (transcortical motor and conduction), 700 for Wernicke's, 1000 for Broca's, 1500 for mixed, and 2000 for globals. These differences were significant for $\text{11}\text{15}$ of the group pairwise comparisons. When lesion locus was controlled for in the anterior/posterior plane, 73–100% of the aphasia patients were correctly classified as to type of aphasia by a discriminant analysis utilizing only the number of lesion pixels present on two CT slices. Different slice combinations were used for different aphasia group comparisons. There was a significant correlation between severity of aphasia and lesion size. There was a significant correlation between lesion size and the CT numbers in the lesion. This type of analysis may be useful to predict the prognosis for recovery potential in aphasics who have CT scans performed at 2 months poststroke.     

A dialogue on Zeno's paradox of Achilles and the tortoise

The five participants in this dialogue critically discuss Zeno of Elea's paradox of Achilles and the tortoise. They consider a number of solutions to and restatements of the paradox, together with their philosophical implications. Among the issues investigated include the appearance-reality distinction, Aristotle's distinction between actual and potential infinity, the concept of a continuum, Cantor's continuum hypothesis and theory of transfinite ordinals, and, as a solution to Zeno's puzzle, the distinction between infinite and indeterminate or inexhaustible divisibility.     

A resolution to the interpretive dilemmas created by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2)? A reply to Ben-Porath and Graham

In my original article (Strassberg, 1991) I described (1)some of the changes introduced by the MMPI-2, (2) possible interpretive dilemmas created by these changes, and (3) strategies for dealing with these dilemmas. In their reply to my paper, Ben-Porath and Graham (preceding paper) suggest that the differences between the MMPI-2 and the MMPI (1) are to be expected, (2) are less important than I imply, and (3) when they do occur, will almost always reveal the superiority of the MMPI-2. In this reply to Ben-Porath and Graham, I explain why, despite their reassurances, I continue to contend that interpretive dilemmas can exist when using the MMPI-2, but these should not deter us from using this instrument.     

Interpretive dilemmas created by the minnesota multiphasic personality inventory 2 (MMPI-2)

While the new MMPI-2 has the potential to provide more and better clinically relevant information than its predecessor, its introduction also creates several important problems for clinicians and researchers. In particular, the new norms and the use of uniform (rather than linear) T-scores result in the same raw scores on the two tests yielding clinical profiles that can be quite different, both qualitatively and quantitatively. These differences can result in difficulty in MMPI-2 profile interpretation when the user is relying on MMPI interpretive strategies. This paper addresses these concerns and offers some temporary remedial strategies.     

Contingency,arbitrariness, and the basis of moral equality

Hardly anyone denies that (nearly) all human beings have equal moral status and therefore should be considered and treated as equals. Yet, if humans possess the property that confers moral status upon them to an unequal degree, how come they should be considered and treated as equals? It has been argued that this is because the variations in the degree to which the status-conferring property is held above a relevant threshold are contingencies that do not generate differences in degrees of moral status. Call this the contingency argument for the basis of moral equality. In this paper, I reject the contingency argument. Instead, I develop an attitude-based account of the basis of moral equality: according to this account, the basis of moral equality lies in a fitting, basic, and independent moral attitude which is owed to human beings qua moral status-holders, and provides a coherent and plausible explanation for why the variations above the threshold for moral status do not matter.     

Why disregarding hypocritical blame is appropriate

The topic of standing to blame has recently received a lot of attention. Until now, however, it has focused mainly on the blamer's perspective, investigating what it means to say of blamers that they lose standing to blame and why it is that they lose this standing under specified conditions. The present paper focuses on the perspective of the blamees and tries to explain why they are allowed to disregard standingless, more specifically hypocritical, blame. According to the solution proposed by the paper, while hypocritical blamers present themselves as caring about justice or about the moral or material good of the blamees—and they themselves half-believe this presentation—their real motivation in blaming is less respectable. It is this problematic motivation that explains why blamees are permitted to disregard hypocritical blame. Ill-motivated blame is often unreliable, and readiness to even consider it often involves a compromise on the self-respect of the blamees.     

Newborn behavioral observations system in rural Pakistan: A feasibility and acceptability study

The Newborn Behavioral Observations (NBO) system is a relationship-based tool that helps parents recognize their infant's competencies and learn their behavioral cues, with the goals of enhancing parental responsiveness and satisfaction in the infant-parent relationship. In our study, a pediatrician integrated the NBO into 44 pediatric health care visits of infants in rural Pakistan villages, under the remote guidance of two U.S.-based child psychiatrists. A clinician then gave the mothers a survey about their experience of the NBO and found that the mothers were highly satisfied, reporting greater appreciation of their infant's strengths, greater understanding of their infant's behavioral cues, stronger attachment to their infant, and greater self-confidence as a mother. In their consideration of these results, the authors explore cultural reasons for the mothers’ responses and generate hypotheses to inform an outcome study of a similar intervention. This was a feasibility and acceptability study and was not randomized, had no control group, and did not use objective measures of outcome.     

COMPLEX IDENTITY: GENES TO GOD

Unraveling the complex notion of “self” and “other” necessitates a layered approach that explores biology, namely genetics; philosophy, namely event phenomenology; and culture, namely religion. This essay examines (1) the latest paradigm shift occurring in the genetic sciences due to the increased knowledge of epigenetic effects on gene expression and how our DNA functions in concert with the cellular apparatus, the body, and the environment; (2) the incorporation of relationality into a philosophical understanding of self; and (3) finally, what religion adds to this exploration of self. Thus, providing a glimpse at how these different approaches to identity help us understand the “self.”     

FAITH,SCIENCE, AND NONRELIGIOUS IDENTITY FORMATION AMONG MALE KENYAN YOUTH

The faith and science dialogue has received scholarly attention in the recent past. Within the African landscape at large, the underlying assumption has been that Africans are religious. However, there has been a rising cohort of Africans who are increasingly identified as nonreligious or atheist or agnostic. This research presents a qualitative analysis of the sociocultural factors that affect or influence these minority identities within a pluralistic African context, exploring their emergence and diversities within the African context, with a specific focus on 20 male Kenyan youth who are identified as nonreligious. This research utilized purposive sampling within nonreligious groups and networks. Second, this research aims at exploring how nonreligious identities are constructed, particularly given the concomitant issues surrounding emerging adulthood and new media. This builds up on the theories around youth and identity formation, while foregrounding science and belief as a central theme of study.