470 research outputs found
Dr. Seuss and Aristotle on the Most Important Friendship of All
No full textDr. Seuss and Philosophy delighted thousands of readers by demonstrating the insights of these children’s classics through a playful engagement with the philosophical tradition. In More Dr. Seuss and Philosophy readers will be offered a vision of the good life through the world of Dr. Seuss. Whether it’s stoicism and care of the self in Did I ever Tell you How Lucky you Are?, facing our own mortality in You’re Only Old Once, or the value of compassion, building communities, and resolving conflicts in the parables of Horton the elephant, King Derwin of Didd, or the Butter Battle Book, the essays in this book focus on living well through the wisdom of Dr. Seuss and other philosophers.Contributions by Elizabeth Butterfield, Cam Cobb, Timothy M. Dale, Joseph J. Foy, Kevin Guilfoy, Jacob M. Held, Glenn Jellenik, Sharon Kaye, Dennis Knepp, Rob Main, Bertha Alvarez Manninen, Jennifer L. McMahon, Matthew F. Pierlott, Janelle Pötzsch, Benjamin Rider, and Aeon J. Skobl
Preoperative Patient Preparation in Small Animal Veterinary Medicine: A Review of Antiseptics, Investigation of Effectiveness, and Novel Method for Effectiveness Testing
No full textThis review describes commonly used antiseptics in veterinary medicine including their mechanism of action, spectrum of activity, potential adverse effects, and application techniques. Additionally, it includes a literature review of small animal antiseptic studies, discussion of effectiveness versus efficacy studies, and the potential for increased resistance to antimicrobials. We conclude that continued research is needed to fill gaps in the current knowledge such as optimal preparation procedures for various surgical sites, standardization of efficacy and effectiveness testing, and the clinical impact of decreased susceptibility to chlorhexidine and other antiseptics.
To add to the current literature, a prospective, multi-institution investigation to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of two common antiseptic solutions, chlorhexidine and povidone-iodine, in the initial preparation of the external ear prior to ear surgery on dogs was performed. Both antiseptic groups showed a significant reduction in bacterial growth score (BGS) between pre- and post- antiseptic use. There was no difference in reduction of BGS between both solutions. Minor adverse skin reactions occurred in 25% of cases; there was no significant difference in the occurrence of adverse skin reactions between antiseptics. In conclusion, properly diluted aqueous formulations of either antiseptic may be used for safe preparation limited to the external ear canal of dogs.
To address potential limitations of bacterial culture in effectiveness testing, a prospective clinical study was performed to evaluate the ability of a novel method of viable bacterial quantification, viability PCR (PMA-PCR), to quantify a reduction in bacterial load after antiseptic use in low- and high- bacterial load environments, as well as to compare PMA-PCR findings to qPCR and semi-quantitative bacterial culture. All methods found a significant decrease in bacterial load on oral mucosa after antiseptic preparation. PMA-PCR had a significantly greater reduction in bacterial load after preparation than qPCR. Only culture detected a significant reduction after preparation of the skin. In conclusion, the results of this study support continued use of culture in evaluations of antiseptic effectiveness in clinical dog patients, given its ability to detect a change in bacterial load after antiseptic preparation of sites with both high and low bacterial load
Clinical evaluation of fatigue in MS using the Brief Fatigue and Associated Symptoms Scale
No full text<b>Background</b>\ud
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- Fatigue negatively impacts on the lives of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). While primary MS-related fatigue may be difficult to treat, the\ud
authors hypothesised that secondary fatigue may respond to targeted strategies addressing causal factors such as pain, depression and sleep disturbance.\ud
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<b>Methods</b>\ud
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- A prospective, multi-centre study was conducted over six months to establish the clinical utility and efficacy of a practical screening tool for the assessment of fatigue and associated factors: the Brief Fatigue and Associated Symptoms Scale (BFASS). A total of 158 people with MS attending outpatient clinics were recruited across three sites. \ud
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<b>Results</b>\ud
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- The BFASS provided a structured approach to assessment and increased referrals by MS nurses for clinically significant contributors to fatigue. As expected, severity of fatigue was correlated with pain, depression, daytime sleepiness and quality of life scores. Mean scores for fatigue also showed a small reduction from baseline (M = 39, SD = 19) to 6-month follow-up (M = 35, SD = 19). From the perspective of MS nurses, implementing a screening tool for fatigue and associated factors uncovered previously hidden problems and it improved symptom management. \ud
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<b>Conclusion</b>\ud
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- The BFASS is recommended for MS clinicians as a brief, structured assessment of fatigue, providing clinically meaningful cut-offs for referral, and facilitating conversations about hidden MS-related problems that reduce quality of life
The model theory of generic cuts
No full textWe survey some properties of the recently discovered notion of generic cuts [6, 8], and discuss the model-theoretic context of these results for theo-ries of pairs (M, I) where I is a generic cut of a model M of Peano arithmetic. The main new results are that such pairs possess certain model completeness properties (Section 4), and they are existentially closed in a suitable category (Section 5). Part of this work is from the second author’s doctoral dissertation [14], written under the supervision of the first author. While this paper was being written, the second author was supported financially by the Department of Mathematics at the National University of Singapore. He would like to thank Professor Chitat Chong for this. We also wish to thank the anonymous referee, whose comments helped improve the quality of this paper. 1 Preliminaries For background in model theory, see Hodges [4]. Unless otherwise stated, we follow the notation in the books by Kaye [5] and by Kossak–Schmerl [12]. We fix some notation and repeat a few more relevant definitions here. The usual language for arithmetic {0, 1,+,×, <} is denoted by LA. Let LSk denote the Skolemised language for arithmetic, i.e., LSk contains, in addition to the symbols in LA, a function symbol fθ(x̄) for each formula θ(x̄, y) ∈ LA, intending to mean the least y satisfying θ(x̄, y). By ‘definable’, we always mean ‘definable with parameters’. All our types can only contain finitely many pa-rameters. We write Qx... for ‘there are cofinally many x such that... ’. Peano arithmetic is abbreviated as PA. A cut of a model of arithmetic is a nonempty proper initial segment I that has no maximum element. We write I ⊆e M for ‘I is a cut of M ’. If I is, in addition, an elementary substructure of the model, then we say that I is an elementary cut. Let c ̄ ∈ M | = PA. We denote by Aut(M) the automorphism group of M, and by Aut(M, c̄) the pointwise stabiliser of c ̄ in Aut(M). If X ⊆ M and f is a function with domain M, then Xf denotes the image of X under f, i.e., Xf = {f(x) : x ∈ X}. 1 Similarly, we sometimes write xf for f(x). Two cuts I, J ⊆e M are conjugate over c ̄ if there is g ∈ Aut(M, c̄) such that Ig = J. 2 Generi
Deep Fun
No full textNietzsche advanced a sustained criticism of the common religious belief that we must suffer through the present life in order to receive apay-off in the next. We see the same “future-pay-off” mentality in education due to the instrumental approach to pedagogy, which is also standard in the philosophy for children tradition.I argue that we ought to make a concerted effort topromote intrinsic value in education instead. A.S. Neill, founder of the famous “free school” Summerhill, shows that play is intrinsically valuable and logically prior to the work of learning. Children enjoy engaging in spontaneous activities that don’t ultimately matter, especially if they provide humor, wonder, awe, insight, or community. The philosophical novel, when written, taught, or read playfully, has potential to furnish this intrinsic value, thereby offering a promising way of seizing the moment in education.
The ‘ph’ of English orthography; a digraph or a sequence of separate phonemes?
No full textThe aim of this short article is to offer a belated defense of L. M. Boyd (author of a daily, nationally syndicated column ‘Trivia’ in numerous newspapers throughout the USA) against a critique published in English Today over a decade ago by Alan S. Kaye (2006), and present arguments in support of Boyd's beleaguered claim. Kaye (2006: 54) writes:
I do not mean to be picking on Mr. Boyd, but considering his track record, perhaps the time has come for his quitting pontificating on matters of English grammar, pronunciation, and the history of the language.</jats:p
Take a Stand!: Classroom Activities That Explore Philosophical Arguments That Matter to Teens
No full textTake a Stand! (grades 9–12) helps teens develop critical thinking skills by examining debates on issues directly relevant to their lives (that you won’t find in most classroom materials). Each chapter: Covers an important topic relating to electronics, sex, mental health, and relationships. Presents a question for debate, such as Should kids choose their own religion? and Is it possible to love more than one person? Shows how each issue might arise in an ordinary teen conversation. Presents and explores two or more opposed answers to philosophical debates. Encourages high school students to develop their own positions while learning to appreciate other perspectives.
Throughout the book, the chapter contributors—all current or recent teens themselves—highlight key definitions, quote compelling sources, and diagram the central arguments. Each chapter includes discussion questions to guide arguments, as well as helpful sidebars and illustrations to increase comprehension. Perfect for inspiring classroom discussion of topics that matter to today’s teens
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