Sepsis hysteria: excess hype and unrealistic expectations

Realistic and Unrealistic Expectations

DURING THE LAST FEW YEARS considerable interest has developed in the possibility that some of the myocardial damage consequent to coronary occlusion may be averted.' To explore this possibility there is a critical need for techniques capable of testing the hypothesis that a given intervention is capable of protecting ischemic myocardium. Since it has long been appreciated that myocardial ischem...

ASTRALogy: Unrealistic Expectations?

Awell-recognized cause of secondary hypertension is renal artery stenosis (RAS), but uncertainty exists regarding whether it is worthwhile to actively search for this condition. First, the diagnosis of RAS requires either an invasive procedure (digital subtraction angiography [DSA]) or a noninvasive yet costly investigation such as magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) or CT angiography (CTA). O...

Unrealistic expectations born of defective institutions.

Unrealistic Expectations and Misguided Learning∗ Paul Heidhues ESMT

We explore the learning process and behavior of an individual with unrealistically high expectations about ability (“overconfidence”) when outcomes also depend on an external fundamental that affects the optimal action. Moving beyond existing results in the literature, we show that the agent’s belief regarding the fundamental converges under weak conditions. Furthermore, we identify a broad cla...

Forum Saltcedar Water Use: Realistic and Unrealistic Expectations

Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) is a widespread invasive plant found in riparian corridors and floodplains in 16 western states. In addition to being associated with such problems as increased soil salinity and decreased plant diversity, saltcedar has been reported to be a prolific water user. Popular press articles widely report that each individual saltcedar tree can use as much as 757 L (200 gallon...