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The Second End of Laissez-Faire : The Bootstrapping Nature of Money and the Inherent

“Globalization” can be understood as a grand experiment to test the laissez-faire doctrine of neoclassical economics, which claims that a capitalist economy will become more efficient and stable as markets spread deeper and wider around the world. The “once a century” global economic crisis of 2007-9 stands as a testament to the failure of this grand experiment. Following the lead of Wicksell and Keynes, this article argues that a capitalist economy is subject to an inevitable trade-off between efficiency and stability because of its essentially “speculative” nature.

The default mode network and self-referential processes in depression

The recently discovered default mode network (DMN) is a group of areas in the human brain characterized, collectively, by functions of a self-referential nature. In normal individuals, activity in the DMN is reduced during nonself-referential goal-directed tasks, in keeping with the folk-psychological notion of losing one’s self in one’s work. Imaging and anatomical studies in major depression have found alterations in both the structure and function in some regions that belong to the DMN, thus, suggesting a basis for the disordered self-referential thought of depression.

Exposure to aircraft bleed air contaminants among airline workers

The outside air supplied to the cabin/flight deck on commercial aircraft ("bleed air") may sometimes be contaminated with pyrolyzed engine oil and/or hydraulic fluid. As a result of this contamination, airline workers may develop acute and/or chronic health effects and seek attention from health care providers. This document provides information about the health effects that may result after exposure to aircraft bleed air contaminants, and makes recommendations regarding treatment methods. The information in this document is largely based on information that has been published in the medical and scientific literature, and also relies on the clinical experience of one of the authors (Robert Harrison, MD, MPH) who has diagnosed and treated airline workers with contaminated bleed air exposure. A more detailed
discussion on the toxicity of tricresylphosphate (TCP) engine oil additives can be found in Attachment 1. For more information, web links to additional resources and detailed references are provided at the end of the document.

Financing for Development and the Post-Keynesian Case for a New Global Reserve Currency

In the context of the current financial crisis the article returns to the ideas of Keynes for an international clearing house. In exploring the intellectual basis for Keynes’s economics—namely uncertainty and liquidity preference—the article identifies the
anti-developmental characteristics of US$-based international monetary system: (1) financial volatility and recurrent crises, (2) costly excessive international reserves, (3) the fundamental asymmetry of a system in which developing countries finance the
US. Collectively these result in global deflationary tendencies which are caused less by a lack of liquidity than systemic inefficiencies. Keynes’s plan offers a solution to all of these problems.

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Jacques-Alain Miller: The Financial Crisis

Question – As etymology would recall, there exist affinities between the word crisis and the word critical. Crisis calls upon judgment, but it is more than anything a swinging point, like a disease which can lead to death or to the cure. For an analyst, what is the meaning of the word crisis?

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Garrett Hardin: The tragedy of the commons

The tragedy of the commons refers to a dilemma described in an influential article by that name written by Garrett Hardin and first published in the journal Science in 1968.[1] The article describes a situation in which multiple individuals, acting independently, and solely and rationally consulting their own self-interest, will ultimately deplete a shared limited resource even when it is clear that it is not in anyone's long-term interest for this to happen

Tragedy of the commons WIKI Page

Mobile phones, cordless phones and the risk for brain tumours

The Hardell-group conducted during 1997-2003 two case control studies on brain tumours including assessment of use of mobile phones and cordless phones. The questionnaire was answered by 905 (90%) cases with malignant brain tumours, 1,254 (88%) cases with benign tumours and 2,162 (89%) population-based controls. Cases were reported from the Swedish Cancer Registries. Anatomical area in the brain for the tumour was assessed and related to side of the head used for both types of wireless phones. In the current analysis we defined ipsilateral use (same side as the tumour) as ≥50% of the use and contralateral use (opposite side) as <50% of the calling time. We report now further results for use of mobile and cordless phones. Regarding astrocytoma we found highest risk for ipsilateral mobile phone use in the >10 year latency group, OR=3.3, 95% CI=2.0-5.4 and for cordless phone use OR=5.0, 95% CI=2.3-11. In total, the risk was highest for cases with first use <20 years age, for mobile phone OR=5.2, 95% CI=2.2-12 and for cordless phone OR=4.4, 95% CI=1.9-10.

Predicting the physiological relevance of in vitro cancer preventive activities of phytochemicals

Abstract There is growing interest in the ability of phytochemicals to prevent chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. However, some of these agents have poor bioavailability and many of the in depth studies into their mechanisms of action have been carried out in vitro, using doses which are unachievable in humans. In order to optimize the design of chemopreventive treatment, it is important to determine which of the many reported mechanisms of action are clinically relevant. In this review we consider the physiologically achievable doses for a few of the best studied agents (indole-3-carbinol, diindolylmethane, curcumin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate and resveratrol) and summarize the data derived from studies using these low concentrations in cell culture. We then cite examples of in vitro effects which have been observed in vivo. Finally the ability of agent combinations to act synergistically or antagonistically is considered. We conclude that each of the compounds shows an encouraging range of activities in vitro at concentrations which are likely to be physiologically relevant.

The problem of consciousness: Mental appearance and Mental Reality.

The problem of consciousness: Mental appearance and Mental Reality.

 

Niacin (Vitamin B3, Nicotinic acid), Niacinamide

Vitamin B3 is made up of niacin (nicotinic acid) and its amide, niacinamide,and can be found in many foods, including yeast, meat, fish, milk, eggs,green vegetables, and cereal grains. Dietary tryptophan is also converted to niacin in the body. Vitamin B3 is often found in combination with other B vitamins including thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine,cyanocobalamin, and folic acid.

Cognitive Enhancement: Methods, Ethics, Regulatory Challenges

Cognitive Enhancement: Methods, Ethics, Regulatory
Challenges

SMART POLICY: COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST

SMART POLICY: COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST

Impacts of climate change on wine in France

French wines are an important component of the world’s cultural heritage. But today, they are in danger. French viniculture is a climatically-sensitive process and it is already feeling the impacts of global warming - summer heat waves, recent hail storms in the Bordelais and the emergence of new diseases. These impacts will soon get even worse. The experts from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) state categorically that if we do not limit temperature rise to 2°C (above pre-industrial levels), it will lead to uncontrollable consequences for our ecosystems.

Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Green Shoots

Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Green Shoots

Cognition Enhancers: Current Strategies and Future Perspectives

Cognitive impairment is the major health problem in normal aged life as well as in some disease conditions.Cognition enhancers can be used to facilitate attention abilities and acquisition, storage and retrieval ofinformation, and to attenuate the impairment of cognitive functions associated with age and age-relatedpathologies. In course of time, numbers of neurotransmitters and signaling molecules have been identified whichhave been considered as therapeutic targets. Conventional as well newer molecules have been tried against thesetargets. Moreover, ongoing research progress have validated some of the newer targets such as nicotinicreceptors, PDE4, 5HT6, calcium channel blockers which can be of therapeutic importance. In this review, someconventional as well as newer strategies have been discussed.

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