196,047 research outputs found
Religion, Culture and Liberal Democracy: The Issue of Majority Cultural Precedence
No full textThe established institutions and customs of a liberal democracy are a key theme in debates over the accommodation of cultural diversity. Some of these institutions and customs are political in the sense of being informed by liberal democratic values and norms. Liberal multiculturalism is both remedial and prophylactic. It is an attempt to correct or redress the longstanding denial of rights, equality, and inclusion of cultural minorities and their members and also an attempt to protect against their further and future abridgement. The distinction between an autonomy-cum-identity liberalism and a toleration-cum-procedural liberalism fits this context both normatively and, to a large extent, descriptively, as most Western states now ask newcomers only to abide by liberal democratic institutions and law and not to be true believers in liberalism. Liberal citizens are thus at liberty to engage in non-autonomous behavior in much of their everyday lives. A considerable realm of autonomy-based liberalism effectively coincides with a tolerant liberal state
Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Pulse Wave Velocity as a Measure of Arterial Stiffness: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
No full textPurpose: Weight loss during post-bariatric surgery period has been linked to both reduced ASCVD mortality and overall mortality. Atherosclerosis causes arteries to lose their elasticity and become more stiff resulting in increased pulse wave velocity (PWV). It has been revealed that PWV favorably predicts subsequent ASCVDs. The goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to see how bariatric surgery affected PWV, an index of arterial stiffness. Materials and Methods: A systematic literature search in four databases was performed. Also, Cochrane guidelines were reviewed to determine bias possibility in the related studies. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) V2 software is used to conduct the meta-analysis. Studies were evaluated regarding heterogeneity in design, populations under investigation, and treatment duration using random-effects model and the generic inverse variance weighting approach. A random-effect meta-regression approach was used to investigate the association with the estimated effect size. Evaluation of funnel plot, Egger’s weighted regression, and Begg’s rank correlation tests were utilized to estimate the presence of publication bias in the meta-analysis. Results: The results of meta-analysis on 13 trials including 1426 individuals demonstrated a remarkable decline of PWV after bariatric surgery (WMD: −0.652, 95% CI: −1.004, −0.301, p<0.001). The random-effects meta-regression revealed no evidence of significant correlation between the changes in PWV and initial BMI, BMI changes, or duration of follow-up. Conclusion: The decrease of PWV might be utilized as an independent surrogate marker of improvement of ASCVD risk after bariatric surgery. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.
The potential role of plant-derived natural products in improving arterial stiffness: a review of dietary intervention studies.
No full textBackground: Arterial stiffness is an early marker of cardiovascular disease. In fact, carotid-femoral pulse wave
velocity, the gold standard method for the evaluation of arterial stiffness, has a positive correlation with cardiovascular
events and mortality. A number of studies have shown that the consumption of different phytochemicals
and plant-derived natural foods can improve arterial elasticity through various molecular mechanisms.
Scope and approach: The principal purpose of this review was to provide a summary of the clinical evidence
provided by different interventional studies on the potential beneficial effects of some natural products and
nutraceuticals on arterial stiffness.
Key findings and conclusions: There is evidence that some foods and food components, including cocoa flavanols,
tea, watermelon, grapefruit, grape juice, berries, cherries, apples, psyllium, tomatoes, garlic, beetroot, melinja,
pistachio, walnut, astaxanthin, curcumin, and safflower seeds assumption are associated with significant improvements
in arterial stiffness in both healthy subjects and subjects with mildly increased cardiovascular disease
risk. Further studies are needed to confirm these promising data
Coherence (and consistency) or organized hypocrisy? : religious freedom in the law of the European Union
No full textDr. Duane M. Jackson, Morehouse College, July 2011
No full textThis video is a conversation with Dr. Duane M. Jackson. Dr. Jackson talks about his paper, "Recall and the Serial Position Effect: The Role of Primacy and Recency on Accounting Students' Performance." Jackie Daniel, AUC Woodruff Library, is the interviewer
"Reflections on the subject of Emigration from Europe with a view to Settlement in the United States" By M. Carey.
No full text"Reflections on the subject of Emigration from Europe with a view to Settlement in the United States: containing bried sketches of the moral and political character of those states.
By M. Carey, member of the American philosophical, and of the American Antiquarian Society, and author of The Olive Branch, Cindiciae Hibernicae, essays on banking, on political economy, and on internal improvement.
To which are now added the English editor's comments on the subject; together with Important Advice to Emigrants, and Cautions Against Impositions Practiced in the Outports
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Dr. Glendon Swarthout
No full textHosted by Roger M. Busfield, MSU Assistant Professor of Speech and Theater, Meet the Author is designed to introduce a general audience to a contemporary author and their work through in-depth interviews. This episode features a conversation between Dr. Glendon Swarthout, prolific author and English professor at MSU, and assistant professors Sam S. Baskett and Theodore B. Strandness
Simulation of thermal plant optimization and hydraulic aspects of thermal distribution loops for large campuses
No full textFollowing an introduction, the author describes Texas A&M University and its utilities system. After that, the author presents how to construct simulation models for chilled water and heating hot water distribution systems. The simulation model was used in a $2.3 million Ross Street chilled water pipe replacement project at Texas A&M University. A second project conducted at the University of Texas at San Antonio was used as an example to demonstrate how to identify and design an optimal distribution system by using a simulation model. The author found that the minor losses of these closed loop thermal distribution systems are significantly higher than potable water distribution systems. In the second part of the report, the author presents the latest development of software called the Plant Optimization Program, which can simulate cogeneration plant operation, estimate its operation cost and provide optimized operation suggestions. The author also developed detailed simulation models for a gas turbine and heat recovery steam generator and identified significant potential savings. Finally, the author also used a steam turbine as an example to present a multi-regression method on constructing simulation models by using basic statistics and optimization algorithms. This report presents a survey of the author??s working experience at the Energy Systems Laboratory (ESL) at Texas A&M University during the period of January 2002 through March 2004. The purpose of the above work was to allow the author to become familiar with the practice of engineering. The result is that the author knows how to complete a project from start to finish and understands how both technical and nontechnical aspects of a project need to be considered in order to ensure a quality deliverable and bring a project to successful completion. This report concludes that the objectives of the internship were successfully accomplished and that the requirements for the degree of Degree of Engineering have been satisfied
Intern experience at CH���M Hill, Inc.: an internship report
No full textIncludes author's vita"Submitted to the College of Engineering of Texas A&M University in partial
fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Engineering."Includes bibliographical referencesA review of the author's internship experience with CH���M HILL, Inc.
during the period September 1975 through May 1976 is presented. During this nine month
internship the author worked as an Engineer II in the Industrial Processes discipline of this
large consulting engineering firm... The author's prime responsibility was as one of three
lead design engineers on the design of a large wastewater treatment facility for a pulp mill
in Hoquiam, Washington owned by ITT Rayonier Inc. The work generally consisted of the design
of individual treatment units and associated piping and pumping. The purpose of the project
was to provide wastewater treatment capabilities that would satisfy the effluent limitations
(standards) imposed upon the mill by the State of Washington Department of Ecology and the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The author's assignment also entailed necessary
interaction with the project manager and other CH���M HILL design engineers and support staff
members, the client's representatives, and representatives of two other consulting engineering
firms working on the project. Thus, the internship position at CH���M HILL provided considerable
experience coordinating the author's work with the work of other engineers, guiding the design
and administrative efforts of a support staff, and interacting regularly with the client and
other consulting firms. This broad exposure to a variety of engineering and organizational
problems provided a valuable educational experience
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