The oceanic state: a conceptual elucidation in terms of modal contact

Despite its lengthy history in psychoanalysis, the psychological origins, essential features and value of the oceanic state remain open to dispute. This ambiguity has come at a cost to the clarity of theoretical discussions on the topic. In working towards a conceptual elucidation, the author maintains that there are three primary accounts of the oceanic state: the metaphysical one of Romain Rolland, the developmental one of Sigmund Freud, and the cognitive-perceptual one of Anton Ehrenzweig. Based on the notion of modal contact, he argues that the accounts share a general theoretical structure that establishes as the necessary criterion for all oceanic states the loosening of ego boundaries and sufficient contact between differentiated and undifferentiated modalities of the mind. However, within this common structure, the accounts employ dissimilar metapsychologies to promulgate oceanic states of appreciably distinct kinds. To support this view, the author carries out a comparative examination of the modal contacts involved in the primary accounts' oceanic states. To conclude, he reviews the main implications of the notion of modal contact vis-à-vis recent discussion on oceanic phenomena, and puts forward for consideration a pluralist account of the mind that can accommodate the existence of several kinds of oceanic states.     

Comparison of Return-on-Effort and Conventional Expectancy Theory Predictions of Work Effort and Job Performance: Results from Three Field Studies

It was predicted that a return-on-effort version of expectancy theory, an approach that examines the incremental benefits associated with increased effort, would yield superior predictions of work effort and job performance, in comparison with the conventional approach. Data were collected from the following three work settings: a manufacturing concern, a supermarket, and a bank. Unlike prior research that has uniformly found superior predictions using the return-on-effort model (and that has uniformly examined student samples), the present research found only modest support. Three possible boundary conditions were discussed—format effects, reward system responsiveness, and ability differences. The latter two, examined empirically via supplementary analyses, provided increased support for the return-on-effort model.     

Gaining the Upper Hand: Evidence of Vertical Asymmetry in Sex-Categorisation of Human Hands

Visual perception is characterised by asymmetries arising from the brain’s preferential response to particular stimulus types at different retinal locations. Where the lower visual field (LVF) holds an advantage over the upper visual field (UVF) for many tasks (e.g., hue discrimination, contrast sensitivity, motion processing), face-perception appears best supported at above-fixation locations (Quek & Finkbeiner, 2014a). This finding is consistent with Previc’s (1990) suggestion that vision in the UVF has become specialised for object recognition processes often required in ”extrapersonal” space. Outside of faces, however, there have been very few investigations of vertical asymmetry effects for higher-level objects. Our aim in the present study was, thus, to determine whether the UVF advantage reported for face-perception would extend to a nonface object – human hands. Participants classified the sex of hand images presented above or below central fixation by reaching out to touch a left or right response panel. On each trial, a briefly presented spatial cue captured the participant’s spatial attention to either the location where the hand was about to appear (valid cue) or the opposite location (invalid cue). We observed that cue validity only modulated the efficiency of the sex-categorisation response for targets in the LVLVF and not the UVF, just as we have reported previously for face-sex categorisation (Quek & Finkbeiner, 2014a). Taken together, the data from these studies provide some empirical support for Previc’s (1990) speculation that object recognition processes may enjoy an advantage in the upper-hemifield.     

腔内成形术治疗下肢动脉硬化闭塞症的技巧及临床观察

评价腔内成形术（PTA及PTAS）治疗下肢动脉硬化闭塞症的技巧和临床观察。2010年10月至2013年10月,对37例下肢动脉硬化闭塞症血管多段病变患者采用经皮血管腔内成形术和经皮血管腔内成形＋支架植入术治疗。结果36（97％）例手术成功,术后肢体缺血症状完全消失或明显改善,38条患肢皮温明显升高,间歇性跛行消失或距离延长,静息痛好转。术后踝／肱指数（ABI）（0．83±0．12）与术前（0．35±0．07）比较差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。合理的腔内成形术（PTA＋PTAS）是治疗下肢动脉硬化闭塞症安全有效的方法。熟练掌握腔内成形术是提高手术成功率和维持通畅率的关键。     

后腹腔镜肾盂输尿管切开取石术34例临床体会

探讨后腹腔镜下肾孟、输尿管切开取石的技术要点和临床应用价值。回顾性分析34例后腹腔镜肾盂、输尿管切开取石术的临床质料。男22例,女12例,肾盂结石10例,输尿管结石24例。结果34例成功完成腹腔镜取石术,手术时间40min～90min,平均58min,术中出血10ml～30ml,术后1例漏尿3d,术后3d～5d拔除后腹...     

The Logic of Causal Explanation An Axiomatization

Three-valued (strong-Kleene) modal logic provides the foundation for a new approach to formalizing causal explanation as a relation between partial situations. The approach makes fine-grained distinctions between aspects of events, even between aspects that are equivalent in classical logic. The framework can accommodate a variety of ontologies concerning the relata of causal explanation. I argue, however, for a tripartite ontology of objects corresponding to sentential nominals: facts, tropes (or facta or states of affairs), and situations (or events). I axiomatize the relations and use canonical models to demonstrate completeness.