Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences
-
Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond., B, Biol. Sci. · Jan 2011
Shaping the military wound: issues surrounding the reconstruction of injured servicemen at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine.
The conflict in Afghanistan has produced injuries similar to those produced from military conflicts for generations. What distinguishes the modern casualty of the conflict in Afghanistan from those of other conflicts is the effectiveness of modern field medical care that has led to individuals surviving with injuries, which would have been immediately fatal even a few years ago. ⋯ Late challenges to rehabilitation include the development of heterotopic ossification in amputation stumps. This paper outlines the approach taken by the reconstructive team at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in managing these most difficult of reconstructive challenges.
-
Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond., B, Biol. Sci. · Jan 2011
Computational modelling of lung injury: is there potential for benefit?
State-of-the-art medical care of the victims of current conflicts is generating large quantities of quality clinical data as a by-product. Observational research based on these data is beginning to have a profound influence on the clinical management of both military and civilian trauma patients. Computational modelling based on these datasets may offer the ability to investigate clinical treatment strategies that are practically, ethically or scientifically impossible to investigate on the front line. This article reviews the potential of this novel technology to aid development of treatment for blast lung and other unresolved medical scenarios.
-
Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond., B, Biol. Sci. · Nov 2010
Anthropogenic impacts on tropical forest biodiversity: a network structure and ecosystem functioning perspective.
Huge areas of diverse tropical forest are lost or degraded every year with dramatic consequences for biodiversity. Deforestation and fragmentation, over-exploitation, invasive species and climate change are the main drivers of tropical forest biodiversity loss. Most studies investigating these threats have focused on changes in species richness or species diversity. ⋯ I discuss our current knowledge of network structure and ecosystem functioning, highlighting empirical examples of their response to anthropogenic impacts. I consider the future prospects for tropical forest biodiversity, focusing on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in secondary forest. Finally, I propose directions for future research to help us better understand the effects of anthropogenic impacts on tropical forest biodiversity.
-
Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond., B, Biol. Sci. · Jan 2010
Herding, social influence and economic decision-making: socio-psychological and neuroscientific analyses.
Typically, modern economics has steered away from the analysis of sociological and psychological factors and has focused on narrow behavioural assumptions in which expectations are formed on the basis of mathematical algorithms. Blending together ideas from the social and behavioural sciences, this paper argues that the behavioural approach adopted in most economic analysis, in its neglect of sociological and psychological forces and its simplistically dichotomous categorization of behaviour as either rational or not rational, is too narrow and stark. Behaviour may reflect an interaction of cognitive and emotional factors and this can be captured more effectively using an approach that focuses on the interplay of different decision-making systems. In understanding the mechanisms affecting economic and financial decision-making, an interdisciplinary approach is needed which incorporates ideas from a range of disciplines including sociology, economic psychology, evolutionary biology and neuroeconomics.
-
Rational-choice theory tries to explain behaviour on the assumption that individuals optimize. Some forms of irrational behaviour can be explained by assuming that the individual is subject to hedonic, pleasure-seeking mechanisms, such as wishful thinking or adaptive preference formation. In this paper, I draw attention to psychic mechanisms, originating in the individual, which make her worse off. I first consider the ideas of counterwishful thinking and of counteradaptive preference formation and then, drawing heavily on Proust, the self-poisoning of the mind that occurs through the operation of amour-propre.