Paradoxical herniation associated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy after decompressive craniectomy: A case report

BACKGROUND Whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy(HBOT)can cause paradoxical herniation is still unclear.CASE SUMMARY A 65-year-old patient who was comatose due to brain trauma underwent decompressive craniotomy and gradually regained consciousness after surgery.HBOT was administered 22 d after surgery due to speech impairment.Paradoxical herniation appeared on the second day after treatment,and the patient’s condition worsened after receiving mannitol treatment at the rehabilitation hospital.After timely skull repair,the paradoxical herniation was resolved,and the patient regained consciousness and had a good recovery as observed at the follow-up visit.CONCLUSION Paradoxical herniation is rare and may be caused by HBOT.However,the underlying mechanism is unknown,and the understanding of this phenomenon is insufficient.The use of mannitol may worsen this condition.Timely skull repair can treat paradoxical herniation and prevent serious complications.

Solving the Olbers’s Paradox, Explaining the “Red-Shift”, and Challenging the Relativities by “Sun Matters Theory” and “Sun Model of Universe”, an Evolution of the Einstein’s Static Universe Model

Olbers’s paradox, known as the dark night paradox, is an argument in astrophysics that the darkness of the night sky conflicts with the assumption of an infinite and eternal static universe. Big-Bang theory was used to partially explain this paradox, while introducing new problems. Hereby, we propose a better theory, named Sun Matters Theory, to explain this paradox. Moreover, this unique theory supports and extended the Einstein’s static universe model proposed by Albert Einstein in 1917. Further, we proposed our new universe model, “Sun Model of Universe”. Based on the new model and novel theory, we generated innovative field equation by upgrading Einstein’s Field Equation through adding back the cosmological constant, introducing a new variable and modifying the gravitationally-related concepts. According to the Sun Model of Universe, the dark matter and dark energy comprise the so-called “Sun Matters”. The observed phenomenon like the red shift is explained as due to the interaction of ordinary light with Sun Matters leading to its energy and frequency decrease. In Sun Model, our big universe consists of many universes with ordinary matter at the core mixed and surrounded with the Sun Matters. In those universes, the laws of physics may be completely or partially different from that of our ordinary universe with parallel civilizations. The darkness of night can be easily explained as resulting from the interaction of light with the Sun Matters leading to the sharp decrease in the light intensity. Sun Matters also scatter the light from a star, which makes it shining as observed by Hubble. Further, there is a kind of Sun Matters named “Sun Waters”, surrounding every starts. When lights pass by the sun, the Sun Waters deflect the lights to bend the light path. According to the Sun Model, it is the light bent not the space bent that was proposed in the theory of relativities.

Multiple paradoxical embolisms caused by central venous catheter thrombus passing through a patent foramen ovale: A case report

BACKGROUND To date,this is the first case of a paradoxical embolism(PDE)that concurrently manifested in the coronary and lower limb arteries and was secondary to a central venous catheter(CVC)thrombus via a patent foramen ovale(PFO).CASE SUMMARY Here,we report a case of simultaneous coronary and lower limb artery embolism in a PFO patient carrier of a CVC.The patient presented to the hospital with acute chest pain and lower limb fatigue.Doppler ultrasound showed a large thrombus in the right internal jugular vein,precisely at the tip of the CVC.Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography confirmed the existence of a PFO,with inducible right-to-left shunting by the Valsalva maneuver.The patient was administered an extended course of anticoagulation therapy,and then the CVC was successfully removed.Percutaneous PFO closure was not undertaken.There was no recurrence during follow-up.CONCLUSION Thus,CVC-associated thrombosis is a potential source for multiple PDE in PFO patients.

COVID-19 mortality paradox(United States vs Africa):Mass vaccination vs early treatment

The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)mortality rate in 55 African countries is almost 4.5 times lower than in the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)despite Africa having over 4.2 times more people.This mortality paradox is also evident when comparing Nigeria,a heavily populated,poorly vaccinated and weakly mandated country to Israel,a small,highly vaccinated and strictly mandated country.Nigeria has almost 4 times lower COVID mortality than Israel.In this Field of Vision perspective,I explain how this paradox has evolved drawing upon my academic,clinical and social experience.Since April 2020,I’ve developed and been using the Egyptian immune-modulatory Kelleni’s protocol to manage COVID-19 patients including pediatric,geriatric,pregnant,immune-compromised and other individuals suffering from multiple comorbidities.It’s unfortunate that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is still evolving accompanied by more deaths.However in Africa,we’ve been able to live without anxiety or mandates throughout the pandemic because we trust science and adopted early treatment using safe,and effective repurposed drugs that have saved the majority of COVID-19 patients.This article represents an African and Egyptian tale of honor.

Twin Paradox and Proper Time

Professors Mohazzbi and Luo [1] published “Despite several attempts have been made to explain the twin paradox … none of the explanations … resolved the paradox. If the paradox can be ever resolved, it requires a much deeper understanding … of the theory of relativity”. The deeper understanding of resolving the paradox is by applying more explicit definitions of proper time interval, Lorentz transform, time dilation, and aging time.

Paradoxical roles of inhibitory autapse and excitatory synapse in formation of counterintuitive anticipated synchronization

Different from the common delayed synchronization(DS)in which response appears after stimulation,anticipated synchronization(AS)in unidirectionally coupled neurons denotes a counterintuitive phenomenon in which response of the receiver neuron appears before stimulation of the sender neuron,showing an interesting function of brain to anticipate the future.The dynamical mechanism for the AS remains unclear due to complex dynamics of inhibitory and excitatory modulations.In this article,the paradoxical roles of excitatory synapse and inhibitory autapse in the formation of AS are acquired.Firstly,in addition to the common roles such that inhibitory modulation delays and excitatory modulation advances spike,paradoxical roles of excitatory stimulation to delay spike via type-II phase response and of inhibitory autapse to advance spike are obtained in suitable parameter regions,extending the dynamics and functions of the excitatory and inhibitory modulations.Secondly,AS is related to the paradoxical roles of the excitatory and inhibitory modulations,presenting deep understandings to the AS.Inhibitory autapse induces spike of the receiver neuron advanced to appear before that of the sender neuron at first,and then excitatory synapse plays a delay role to prevent the spike further advanced,resulting in the AS as the advance and delay effects realize a dynamic balance.Lastly,inhibitory autapse with strong advance,middle advance,and weak advance and delay effects induce phase drift(spike of the receiver neuron advances continuously),AS,and DS,respectively,presenting comprehensive relationships between AS and other behaviors.The results present potential measures to modulate AS related to brain function.

Paradoxical vocal fold motion masquerading as post-anesthetic respiratory distress:A case report

BACKGROUND Functional vocal cord disorders can be a differential diagnosis for postoperative upper airway obstruction requiring urgent intervention.However,this may be unfamiliar to anesthesiologists who would favor inappropriate airway intervention and increased morbidity.CASE SUMMARY A 61-year-old woman underwent cervical laminectomy,followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy 10 mo later.Despite adequate reversal of neuromuscular blockade,the patient experienced repetitive respiratory difficulty with inspiratory stridor after extubation.After the second operation,the patient was diagnosed with paradoxical vocal fold motion(PVFM)by an otolaryngologist based on the clinical features and fiberoptic bronchoscopy results,and the patient was successfully treated.CONCLUSION PVFM should be considered a differential diagnosis if a patient presents with stridor after general anesthesia.

Probability Distributions Arising in Connection with the Inspection Paradox for Bernoulli Trials

In renewal theory, the Inspection Paradox refers to the fact that an interarrival period in a renewal process which contains a fixed inspection time tends to be longer than one for the corresponding uninspected process. We focus on the paradox for Bernoulli trials. Probability distributions and moments for the lengths of the interarrival periods are derived for the inspected process, and we compare them to those for the uninspected case.

Probability Distributions Arising in Connection with the Inspection Paradox for the Poisson Process

The Inspection Paradox refers to the fact that in a Renewal Process, the length of the interarrival period which contains a fixed time is stochastically larger than the length of a typical interarrival period. To provide a more complete understanding of this phenomenon, conditioning arguments are used to obtain the distributions and moments of the lengths of the interarrival periods other than the one containing this fixed time for the case of the time-homogeneous Poisson Process. Distributions of the waiting times for events that occur both before and after this fixed time are derived. This provides a fairly complete probabilistic analysis of the Inspection Paradox.

Resolving the Information Paradox with Probabilistic Spacetime

It has been 50 years since Hawking described the black hole (BH) information paradox. The combination of BH radiation and subsequent BH evaporation was found to take trapped information into oblivion contrary to the law of conservation of quantum information. Numerous attempts have been made since to resolve this paradox. A brief review herein documents how all these attempts have significant shortcomings, meaning the paradox is still unresolved. A relatively new cosmological theory offers a resolution despite not being developed for that purpose. The theory, entitled the probabilistic spacetime theory (PST), starts with an alteration in one basic assumption compared to all current cosmological theories. Spacetime, instead of being seen as a void or container of other entities, is viewed as the most fundamental entity in the universe, composed of energy fragments, and (in keeping with the conservation principle) impermeable to destruction. The potential contribution of the PST in resolving the information paradox is delineated, with the finding that the single change in the conceptualization of spacetime results in the disappearance of the paradox and not information.

Unbearable suffering obviates euthanasia:definitionally derived set of propositions comprising euthanasia’s purpose,claim,and benefit lead to contradiction establishing the paradox of euthanasia

Relying on euthanasia’s definitionally derived set of propositions to provide its purpose,claims,and benefit,we obtain the core concept.Nonetheless,given its core concept,euthanasia is demonstrated to provide no benefit to the animal to justify its use.Euthanasia 1)cannot possibly,and therefore does not,end unbearable suffering,2)it fails to hasten death,and 3)it,therefore,provides no perceptible relief to the patient.These findings are significant because the argument’s validity does not permit euthanasia to satisfy its definitionally derived purpose,claims,or benefit on logical grounds.In other words,the argument is that as a form of legalized assisted suicide,euthanasia is wrong but not in the way principled arguments would suggest.Additionally,irrespective of euthanasia actually doing what it claims,if it is allowed to be provisioned,then euthanasia will affect vulnerable populations exactly like nonprincipled arguments claim.Therefore,despite sharing aspects with each type of argument in the extant literature,my argument against euthanasia can be categorized as neither principled nor nonprincipled,which makes it significant because it may be the first of a new category of argument against the concept and practice to enter the discourse on euthanasia.As a corollary,since we prove that unbearable suffering logically entails death,when it is authentic signifying that death is imminent,because euthanasia’s only purpose is to end unbearable suffering by inducing death,euthanasia is completely obviated.

如何防止企业堕入“扶持悖论”陷阱

本文通过使用机器学习算法中Boosting回归树模型,以中国2010—2019年A股上市企业作为研究对象,探寻政府扶持和企业内部创新激励政策对企业研发活动影响情况。研究结果表明,政府扶持和企业内部激励机制均能够影响企业研发投入强度,但企业创新更依赖政府扶持,尤其是政府补贴,在企业内部创新激励政策中,普通员工晋升激励对企业研发投入影响最强。无论政府对行业扶持集中度高或低,企业研发活动都更依靠政府扶持,企业内部激励机制对其研发活动影响具有差异性,企业普通员工晋升激励和企业高管晋升激励分别在扶持集中度低和扶持集中度高的行业中影响最大。企业员工薪酬在行业处于较高水平时,政府扶持对企业研发活动影响最大,此时管理者晋升激励在企业内部激励机制中对企业研发活动影响最大。国营企业以及私营企业研发活动都更易受政府扶持影响,在企业内部激励机制中,两类企业副总裁层级晋升激励作用最强。本文研究结论丰富了政策激励企业创新的理论成果,也为今后中国企业如何独立自主创新提供指导建议。

延长产假对流动女性“生育—失业”的影响基于全国流动人口调查数据

本研究提出延长产假的“社会分化效应假说”,来重新解释因为延长产假而在流动女性群体中出现的“生育—失业悖论”,并利用2016年中国各省份的《人口与计划生育条例》修订这一外生事件和2016年、2018年全国流动人口调查数据,对该理论进行检验。研究发现,延长产假能够有效提升流动女性的二孩生育意愿,但同时也会显著增加流动女性的失业风险,产假每延长1个月,流动女性失业的概率就会增加11.76%。但是,产假延长只提升了高社会经济地位流动女性的二孩生育意愿,却使得低社会经济地位流动女性的失业风险升高。作为保护弱势群体的家庭政策,产假延长政策在实施过程中产生了新的不平等,使低社会经济地位流动女性陷入更困难的境地。本研究不仅拓展了低生育问题研究视域,也为完善公共政策和引导现代家庭发展提供了理论参考。

一本万殊的智慧:《周易》贲卦悖而不悖的发掘与阐释

对贲卦美学思想的研究尚属《周易·贲》的小用,而呈现《周易·贲》之大用的悖而不悖的智慧尚未发掘。通过对《周易·贲》基本意涵的探究,发现同属于《易传》的贲卦在《序卦》和《杂卦》中呈现相悖,即:“贲者,饰也”与“贲,无色也”,其映现了中国哲学“一本化万殊,万殊归一本”的圆融通贯理念。本文借鉴物理学的三棱镜原理,揭示并科学诠释了《周易·贲》“悖而不悖”的哲学意涵,丰富了《周易·贲》的奥义,打破了《周易·贲》仅仅用在文饰美学“小用”的研究局限,开拓了《周易·贲》悖而不悖智慧的大用,彰显了中国哲学圆融一贯的智慧。

论生成式人工智能的技术创新伦理周期——以ChatGPT为例

生成式人工智能在推动技术创新突破性应用的同时,也带来了许多社会伦理风险:隐私暴露与信息安全控制风险;虚假信息派生所带来的信息传播风险;算法偏见所带来的决策和政策风险以及责任界定模糊风险。运用“索洛悖论”理论,将伦理进步看作是科技创新投入的增函数,可以发现生成式人工智能对伦理推动的“技术创新索洛周期”。基于此,要跨越生成式人工智能“伦理风险鸿沟”可以采取以下对策:健全生成式人工智能法律规制,推动构建生成式人工智能治理体系;加强平台监管,完善流程标准化管理,规范保障生成式人工智能安全发展;落实优化生成式人工智能可持续发展环境,探索更多行业重塑的可能。

新型基础设施建设的生产率提升效应——基于“索洛悖论”的视角

新基建是经济逆周期调节,破解区域市场分割和要素流动阻碍,建立全国统一大市场的重要抓手。利用2012-2021年中国省级面板数据,实证考察了新基建对地区生产率的提升效应。研究发现,“索洛悖论”在新基建大潮中并不符合中国实际,新基建显著提升了地区生产率。机制研究表明,新基建可通过产业结构转型升级和区域创新赋能地区生产率;财政投入抑制了新基建对地区生产率的提升效应。异质性分析发现,无论按劳动力人口流动、市场化进程、政府与市场关系,还是要素市场发育程度分组检验,结果均表明新基建对经济相对落后地区的生产率提升效应更为显著。进一步分析表明,新基建促进了地区技术进步,对技术效率没有显著影响。

以人为本推进超大特大城市户籍制度改革的路径选择

自上一轮户籍制度改革实施以来,常住人口300万以下城市的落户门槛已经完全放开,破解部分常住人口300万以上的大城市和超大特大城市的落户限制成为户籍制度改革接下来的突出任务。当前,户籍制度改革的福利扩散(落户)与福利剥离(居住证)二元并行路径面临困境,在政策上陷入了“落户悖论”:如果推进落户,在超大特大城市户籍门槛很难进一步降低,且在农业转移人口落户意愿不高的背景下,落户已很难继续推进;如果不推进落户转而依靠居住证,在核心公共服务难以进一步与户籍脱钩的条件下,农业转移人口仍需要通过落户实现市民化。破解“落户悖论”,推进以人为本的新型城镇化,可实施“愿落尽落+负面清单”改革方案:在完全放开超大特大城市落户限制的同时,将少数高含金量公共服务列入负面清单,落户者须满足负面清单中公共服务的提供部门所制定的附加条件,才能享受该公共服务。这一改革方案具备较好的经济性、道义性和可操作性,是放开超大特大城市落户限制的可行路径。

中国式现代化的内在逻辑解析——基于矛盾观与系统观结合的视角

党的二十大报告将中国式现代化精炼概括为五大特征,即人口规模巨大、全体人民共同富裕、物质文明和精神文明相协调、人与自然和谐共生、走和平发展道路。要深入理解中国式现代化的内在逻辑,必须阐明这五大特征所蕴含的辩证关系。本文基于矛盾观与系统观结合的视角,将中国式现代化的五大特征在理论上解构为局部富裕与共同富裕、物质文明与精神文明、人的发展与自然保护、本国福祉与他国福祉、现实情境与发展目标五对矛盾关系,进而剖析这些矛盾关系如何彼此关联、相互作用,形成一个层次嵌套和动态变化的矛盾系统。本文通过厘清中国式现代化的矛盾系统内涵,为统筹协调现代化各方面矛盾关系提供了系统思维和整体架构,也为展现中国智慧对人类文明新形态的贡献提供了学理支撑。

中国生育悖论背后的深层逻辑

中国是目前世界上少数几个进入很低生育率状态的发展中国家之一,这种超前于现代化发展水平的状态成为一个悖论。破解中国低生育率之谜,需要从中国特殊的社会结构性因素入手。研究认为,中国生育悖论的背后有经济、文化和制度3个层面的逻辑,在各自的作用机制及其合力作用下共同构造了一个充满张力的社会场域,通过个人生命历程的高度制度化,对个人的生育意愿和生育决策产生直接和强烈的影响,并形成低生育行为模式的路径依赖,或者说陷入一种结构性低生育率陷阱。这3条逻辑都有其历史根源,是一种长期性、结构性的社会构造力。因此,低生育率社会场域在短期内难以破局。在低生育率的政策应对上,不仅需要消除性别歧视和“母职惩罚”,促进“工作生育”平衡等生育友好政策,更需要深化各项民生制度改革,从根本上消除或调整抑制生育意愿和生育行为的结构性因素。

青年生存境遇的现代性悖论及其规制

当代青年的生存境遇面临着现代性悖论:生活效率的提升、物质条件的改善、受教育程度的提高、信息丰富性的增强,没有带来更幸福的感觉,青年人的意义虚无感、身心压力度及自然缺失感却与日俱增。这背后的现代性逻辑是理性的过度发展和工具理性与价值理性之间关系的失衡。规制青年生存境遇面临的现代性悖论,不可能重回前现代的生存发展状态,只能遵循现代性的主体逻辑,合理规制其负效应,用凸显青年本质存在的人文精神重塑社会运行方式,从而匡正基于青年人合理需要的现代化发展方向。