Thin slices of a competitor's thin slices: Forming and applying an accurate model leads to performance in strategic competition

The Great Game in West Asia examines the strategic competition between Iran and Turkey for power and influence in the South Caucasus. These neighboring Middle East powers have vied for supremacy throughout the region, while contending with ethnic heterogeneity within their own territories and across their borders. Turkey has long conceived of itself as not just a bridge between Asia and Europe but as a central player in regional and global affairs. Iran’s parallel ambitions for strategic centrality have only been masked by its own inarticulate foreign policy agendas and the repeated missteps of its revolutionary leaders. But both have sought to deepen their regional influence and power, and in the South Caucasus each has achieved a modicum of success. As much of the world’s attention has been diverted to conflicts near and far, a new ‘great game’ has been unravelling between Iran and Turkey in the South Caucasus.

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Your Brain Is Not an Onion With a Tiny Reptile Inside

Current Directions in Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/0963721420917687 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 255-260

Author(s):

Joseph Cesario ◽

David J. Johnson ◽

Heather L. Eisthen

Keyword(s):

Nervous System ◽

Behavioral Flexibility ◽

Brain Structures ◽

Introductory Psychology ◽

Complex Structures ◽

Accurate Model ◽

Nervous System Evolution ◽

Neural Evolution ◽

Human Brains ◽

Unanimous Agreement

A widespread misconception in much of psychology is that (a) as vertebrate animals evolved, “newer” brain structures were added over existing “older” brain structures, and (b) these newer, more complex structures endowed animals with newer and more complex psychological functions, behavioral flexibility, and language. This belief, although widely shared in introductory psychology textbooks, has long been discredited among neurobiologists and stands in contrast to the clear and unanimous agreement on these issues among those studying nervous-system evolution. We bring psychologists up to date on this issue by describing the more accurate model of neural evolution, and we provide examples of how this inaccurate view may have impeded progress in psychology. We urge psychologists to abandon this mistaken view of human brains.

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China’s response to the 2014–2016 Ebola crisis: Enhancing Africa’s soft security under Sino-US competition

China Information ◽

10.1177/0920203x20978545 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 0920203X2097854

Author(s):

Jean-Pierre Cabestan

Keyword(s):

Humanitarian Assistance ◽

Medical Sciences ◽

Health Security ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

Strategic Competition ◽

International Response ◽

Disaster Relief Operations ◽

Relief Operations ◽

Set Up ◽

Military Teams

The 2014–16 Ebola crisis in West Africa was China’s very first opportunity to demonstrate its willingness and ability to play a meaningful role in addressing public health emergencies of international concern. China’s decision to participate in the international response to the outbreak was part of an ambition to enhance its contribution to Africa’s security in general and health security in particular and to exert more influence on global norms. The specific role played by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), especially its Academy of Military Medical Sciences, in Sierra Leone and Liberia is part of an ongoing effort to increase China’s involvement in international humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. It was the first time that it sent medical military teams to set up and operate infectious disease hospitals overseas. This participation also underscores the PLA’s crucial role in fighting epidemics overseas as well as at home, as the current COVID-19 pandemic illustrates. The Ebola crisis enables us to explore aspects of the PLA’s overseas missions, some of which are humanitarian and others which generally enhance China’s influence as a great power in Africa and in the world in the context of a growing Sino-US strategic competition.

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Recent Impact of Microfluidics on Skin Models for Perspiration Simulation

Membranes ◽

10.3390/membranes11020150 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 150

Author(s):

Genís Rabost-Garcia ◽

Josep Farré-Lladós ◽

Jasmina Casals-Terré

Keyword(s):

Sweat Gland ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Wearable Sensors ◽

Surface Characteristics ◽

Skin Surface ◽

Wearable Technology ◽

Alternative Strategies ◽

Accurate Model ◽

Key Features

Skin models offer an in vitro alternative to human trials without their high costs, variability, and ethical issues. Perspiration models, in particular, have gained relevance lately due to the rise of sweat analysis and wearable technology. The predominant approach to replicate the key features of perspiration (sweat gland dimensions, sweat rates, and skin surface characteristics) is to use laser-machined membranes. Although they work effectively, they present some limitations at the time of replicating sweat gland dimensions. Alternative strategies in terms of fabrication and materials have also showed similar challenges. Additional research is necessary to implement a standardized, simple, and accurate model representing sweating for wearable sensors testing.

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