Against Molinism: A Refutation of William Lane Craig\u27s Molinism

The debate concerning human free will, human moral culpability, and God’s sovereignty has raged for millennia within the Christian church. The recent rediscovery of the medieval philosophical theory known as Molinism brought Molinism to the fore of this debate. One major contemporary proponent of Molinism is William Lane Craig, the famous philosopher, theologian, and apologist. The purpose of this essay is to present a refutation of Craig\u27s brand of Molinism by arguing that Craig’s Molinism relies on a flawed view of human freedom and further fails to reconcile this flawed view of human freedom with God’s sovereignty

INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE USE OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN SECURITIES TRADING CREATED BY DEREGULATION OF THE LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE

Big Bang, the deregulation of the London Stock Exchange in October of 1986, was accompanied by changing industry structure, altered regulatory environment, and new trading practices. In particular, trading was automated, and the floor of the Exchange rapidly was abandoned. Such massive discontinuities have produced opportunities in other industries. Although they may prove temporary, opportunities are arising to seek competitive advantage in London. Given the informationintensive nature of securities trading, and the great differences in resources and experience with technology enjoyed by different firms, many of these advantages will entail use of information technology

Statistical Properties of Height of Japanese Schoolchildren

We study height distributions of Japanese schoolchildren based on the statictical data which are obtained from the school health survey by the ministry of education, culture, sports, science and technology, Japan . From our analysis, it has been clarified that the distribution of height changes from the lognormal distribution to the normal distribution in the periods of puberty.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jpn.; resubmitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. after some revisio

Method for machining holes in composite materials

A method for boring well defined holes in a composite material such as graphite/epoxy is discussed. A slurry of silicon carbide powder and water is projected onto a work area of the composite material in which a hole is to be bored with a conventional drill bit. The silicon carbide powder and water slurry allow the drill bit, while experiencing only normal wear, to bore smooth, cylindrical holes in the composite material

ARTIMIS Telephone Travel Information Service: Current Use Patterns and User Satisfaction

This report summarizes the results of a phone survey which evaluated the user satisfaction of the telephone traveler information service, ARTIMIS, in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky. Information was also gathered on the users preference for a 3 versus 7 digit access number, use patterns, and user characteristics. The sample was obtained by intercepting calls to the service during Winter 1999. Users rated the service high. Common suggestions for improvements included longer hours of operation and coverage of more roads suggesting the service is valuable to its users. The travelers perceived that they benefited most by avoiding traffic problems, saving time, and reducing frustration. Of the 65% that would be willing to pay for the service, $0.25 was the average maximum payment they would be willing to make. The respondents had been using the service for an average of 13 months and made on average 4.3 calls per week. The 3 digit number, 211, was the most commonly used and recognized access number. Approximately 80 percent of individuals felt they would personally benefit from a nation-wide 3-digit number for travel information. Landline 211 calls result in an extra cost to operators of the system. Although these callers make less frequent calls, they are also more likely to make route or trip changes resulting in a public overall system benefi

Effects of seawater and deionized water at 0 to 80 deg C on the flexural properties of a glass/epoxy composite

The effect on the flexural properties of a glass/epoxy composite of immersion in deionized water or seawater at 0, 25, and 80 C for 451 hr was examined. The percent weight gain at 0 and 25 C was low (0.06 to 0.17 percent) and there was no significant change in the flexural properties for these environmental conditions. At 80 C there was a decrease in the flexural strength of 17 and 20 percent in seawater and deionized water, respectively. This is a comparison to control samples exposed to 80 C heat alone. These decreases were found to be nearly reversible once the samples were dried. Optical microscopy did not reveal cracking of the matrix. The flexural modulus was essentially unaffected by exposure to deionized water and seawater at 80 C

Fracture mechanics life analytical methods verification testing

The objective was to evaluate NASCRAC (trademark) version 2.0, a second generation fracture analysis code, for verification and validity. NASCRAC was evaluated using a combination of comparisons to the literature, closed-form solutions, numerical analyses, and tests. Several limitations and minor errors were detected. Additionally, a number of major flaws were discovered. These major flaws were generally due to application of a specific method or theory, not due to programming logic. Results are presented for the following program capabilities: K versus a, J versus a, crack opening area, life calculation due to fatigue crack growth, tolerable crack size, proof test logic, tearing instability, creep crack growth, crack transitioning, crack retardation due to overloads, and elastic-plastic stress redistribution. It is concluded that the code is an acceptable fracture tool for K solutions of simplified geometries, for a limited number of J and crack opening area solutions, and for fatigue crack propagation with the Paris equation and constant amplitude loads when the Paris equation is applicable

Cost-effectiveness of age-related macular degeneration study supplements in the UK: combined trial and real-world outcomes data

Aims To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) 1 & 2 supplements in patients with either bilateral intermediate age-related macular degeneration, AREDS category 3, or unilateral neovascular age-related macular degeneration AMD (nAMD), AREDS category 4. Methods A patient-level health state transition model based on levels of visual acuity in the better-seeing eye was constructed to simulate the costs and consequences of patients taking AREDS vitamin supplements. Setting: UK National Health Service (NHS). The model was populated with data from AREDS and real-world outcomes and resource use from a prospective multicentre national nAMD database study containing 92 976 ranibizumab treatment episodes. Interventions Two treatment approaches were compared: immediate intervention with AREDS supplements or no supplements. Main outcome measures: quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and healthcare costs were accrued for each strategy, and incremental costs and QALYs were calculated for the lifetime of the patient. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were employed to test the uncertainty of the model. Results For AREDS category 3, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was £30 197. For AREDS category 4 compared with no intervention, AREDS supplements are more effective (10.59 vs 10.43 QALYs) and less costly (£52 074 vs 54 900) over the lifetime of the patient. Conclusions The recommendation to publicly fund AREDS supplements to category 3 patients would depend on the healthcare system willingness to pay. In contrast, initiating AREDS supplements in AREDS category 4 patients is both cost saving and more effective than no supplement use and should therefore be considered in public health policy

Macular telangiectasia type 2 - Visual acuity, disease endstage and the MacTel Area. MacTel Project Report No. 8

Purpose: To report the visual acuity measures from the MacTel registry study and to investigate and describe phenotypic findings in eyes with substantial vision loss due to MacTel type 2 Design: Cross-sectional multi-center study. Subjects: Participants of the Natural History Observation (and Registry) of MacTel Study. Methods: Best–corrected visual acuity (BCVA) data, retinal imaging data and clinical data were accessed from the MacTel study databases in May 2019. Main Outcome Measures: Frequency distribution of BCVA and its relation to age. Morphological changes in eyes with very late disease stages, defined by a BCVA ≤ 20/200. Average retinal thickness of ETDRS fields on OCT. Dimensions of the area affected by MacTel (MacTel area). Results: BCVA was ≤20/50 in 37.3% and ≤20/200 in 3.8% of 4449 eyes of 2248 patients. 18.4% and 0.7% of all patients had bilateral BCVA ≤20/50 and ≤20/200, respectively. There was an asymmetry between right and left eyes (median BCVA 71 versus 74 letters), a finding supported by more advanced morphological changes in right eyes. BCVA correlated with participant’s age, but the effect size was small. If a neovascularization or macular hole was present, bilateral occurrence was frequent (33% or 17%, respectively), and BCVA was >20/200 (79% or 78% respectively) or ≥20/50 (26% or 13%, respectively). Eyes with advanced disease (BCVA ≤20/200) showed the following characteristics: 1) Atrophy of the foveal photoreceptor layer with or without associated subretinal fibrosis; 2) an affected area, termed here the “MacTel area”, limited to a horizontal diameter not exceeding the distance between the temporal optic disc margin and foveal center, and the vertical diameter not exceeding approximately 0.85 times this distance. Exceptions were eyes with large active or inactive neovascular membranes; 3) reduced retinal thickness measures within the MacTel area; and 4) less frequent retinal greying and more frequent hyperpigmentations compared to eyes with better BCVA. Conclusions: Severe vision loss is rare in MacTel and is related to photoreceptor atrophy in most people. Results indicate disease asymmetry with slightly worse vision and more advanced disease manifestation in right eyes. MacTel-related neurodegeneration does not spread beyond the limits of the “MacTel area”