1,101 research outputs found
International distributive justice: Defending cosmopolitanism.
This doctoral thesis investigates contemporary disputes about international distributive justice by first outlining a distinctive human rights approach to the issues and then assessing alternative views of various kinds. The thesis is organized in terms of the dispute between cosmopolitans and communitarians on the question of ethics in international political theory. Part One of the thesis, 'Cosmopolitanism,' outlines and evaluates the most significant cosmopolitan theories of international justice. Following an introductory chapter in which the debate is introduced in a general way. Chapter Two focuses on basic human rights. Chapter Three is on utilitarianism, and Chapter Four investigates Onora O'Neill's Kantian approach to international justice. I conclude that the human rights approach, conceptualized in a distinctive form, is the most promising of these alternatives. Part Two of the thesis, 'Communitarianism,' investigates various "communitarian" challenges to the universalist ambitions of the arguments defended in Part One. These challenges are designed to prove that the pretensions of cosmopolitans are illusory, incoherent, overridden by some morally more important considerations, or otherwise wrong-headed. Constitutive theorists maintain that, while there are perhaps good grounds for recognizing the claims of human beings qua human beings, cosmopolitans fail to take proper account of the value of what we might call certain intra-species collectivities, most importantly, sovereign states (Chapter Eight). Relativists hold that justice is subject to community-relative standards that make cross-cultural comparisons impossible. Hence, universal claims to justice make no sense (Chapter Seven). Defenders of nationality base their conclusions on the ethical value of the 'nation,' and sometimes claim that distributive justice can be discussed properly only within the context of a given national community (Chapter Six). Patriots emphasize devotion to one's country as a primary moral virtue, and conclude that such devotion, in practice, amounts to legitimate favouritism for compatriots and, therefore, at least potentially, the denial of some of the claims of non-compatriots. If such a view requires the denial of the full force of human rights claims, then patriotism conflicts with cosmopolitanism (Chapter Five). The argument of Part Two is that, on the whole, the communitarian challenges do not succeed. Nevertheless, there are significant lessons to be learned from the criticisms in each case. The defence of cosmopolitanism is strengthened by exposure to these objections, even though they do not provide any grounds for rejecting the basic human rights claims of individuals
Accounting for Dilution of SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater Samples Using Physico-Chemical Markers
Most sewer networks collect domestic wastewater and a variable proportion of extraneous water, such as rainwater, through surface runoff and industrial discharges. Accounting for wastewater dilution is essential to properly quantify wastewater particle loads, whether these are molecular fragments of SARS-CoV-2, or other substances of interest such as illicit drugs or microplastics. This paper presents a novel method for obtaining real-time estimates of wastewater dilution and total daily volume through wastewater treatment works, namely when flow data is not available or unreliable. The approach considers the levels of several physico-chemical markers (ammonia, electrical conductivity, and orthophosphate) in the wastewater against their dry-weather levels. Using high-resolution data from the national Wastewater Surveillance Programme of Wales, we illustrate how the method is robust to spikes in markers and can recover peaks in wastewater flow measurements that may have been capped by hydraulic relief valves. We show the method proves effective in normalising SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in wastewater samples and discuss other applications for this method, looking at wastewater surveillance as a vital tool to monitor both human and environmental health
Relaxation of surface charge on rotating dielectric spheres: Implications on dynamic electrorheological effects
We have examined the effect of an oscillatory rotation of a polarized
dielectric particle. The rotational motion leads to a re-distribution of the
polarization charge on the surface of the particle. We show that the time
averaged steady-state dipole moment is along the field direction, but its
magnitude is reduced by a factor which depends on the angular velocity of
rotation. As a result, the rotational motion of the particle reduces the
electrorheological effect. We further assume that the relaxation of polarized
charge is arised from a finite conductivity of the particle or host medium. We
calculate the relaxation time based on the Maxwell-Wagner theory, suitably
generalized to include the rotational motion. Analytic expressions for the
reduction factor and the relaxation time are given and their dependence on the
angular velocity of rotation will be discussed.Comment: Accepted for publications by Phys. Rev.
Ramanujan and Extensions and Contractions of Continued Fractions
If a continued fraction is known to converge
but its limit is not easy to determine, it may be easier to use an extension of
to find the limit. By an extension of
we mean a continued fraction whose odd or even part is . One can
then possibly find the limit in one of three ways:
(i) Prove the extension converges and find its limit;
(ii) Prove the extension converges and find the limit of the other
contraction (for example, the odd part, if is the
even part);
(ii) Find the limit of the other contraction and show that the odd and even
parts of the extension tend to the same limit.
We apply these ideas to derive new proofs of certain continued fraction
identities of Ramanujan and to prove a generalization of an identity involving
the Rogers-Ramanujan continued fraction, which was conjectured by Blecksmith
and Brillhart.Comment: 16 page
Description of inclusive scattering of 4.045 GeV electrons from D
We exploit a relationship between the Structure Functions of nucleons, the
physical deuteron and of a deuteron, composed of point-nucleons to compute
angular distributions of inclusive cross sections of 4.05 GeV electrons. We
report general agreement with data and interpret the remaining discrepancies.
We discuss the potential of the data for information on neutron structure
functions and the static form factor .Comment: 9 pages,1 Fig., PS fil
Topological entropy and secondary folding
A convenient measure of a map or flow's chaotic action is the topological
entropy. In many cases, the entropy has a homological origin: it is forced by
the topology of the space. For example, in simple toral maps, the topological
entropy is exactly equal to the growth induced by the map on the fundamental
group of the torus. However, in many situations the numerically-computed
topological entropy is greater than the bound implied by this action. We
associate this gap between the bound and the true entropy with 'secondary
folding': material lines undergo folding which is not homologically forced. We
examine this phenomenon both for physical rod-stirring devices and toral linked
twist maps, and show rigorously that for the latter secondary folds occur.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures. pdfLaTeX with RevTeX4 macro
Determination of pi-N scattering lengths from pionic hydrogen and pionic deuterium data
The pi-N s-wave scattering lengths have been inferred from a joint analysis
of the pionic hydrogen and the pionic deuterium x-ray data using a
non-relativistic approach in which the pi-N interaction is simulated by a
short-ranged potential. The pi-d scattering length has been calculated exactly
by solving the Faddeev equations and also by using a static approximation. It
has been shown that the same very accurate static formula for pi-d scattering
length can be derived (i) from a set of boundary conditions; (ii) by a
reduction of Faddeev equations; and (iii) through a summation of Feynman
diagrams. By imposing the requirement that the pi-d scattering length,
resulting from Faddeev-type calculation, be in agreement with pionic deuterium
data, we obtain bounds on the pi-N scattering lengths. The dominant source of
uncertainty on the deduced values of the pi-N scattering lengths are the
experimental errors in the pionic hydrogen data.Comment: RevTeX, 20 pages,4 PostScript figure
Possible origins of macroscopic left-right asymmetry in organisms
I consider the microscopic mechanisms by which a particular left-right (L/R)
asymmetry is generated at the organism level from the microscopic handedness of
cytoskeletal molecules. In light of a fundamental symmetry principle, the
typical pattern-formation mechanisms of diffusion plus regulation cannot
implement the "right-hand rule"; at the microscopic level, the cell's
cytoskeleton of chiral filaments seems always to be involved, usually in
collective states driven by polymerization forces or molecular motors. It seems
particularly easy for handedness to emerge in a shear or rotation in the
background of an effectively two-dimensional system, such as the cell membrane
or a layer of cells, as this requires no pre-existing axis apart from the layer
normal. I detail a scenario involving actin/myosin layers in snails and in C.
elegans, and also one about the microtubule layer in plant cells. I also survey
the other examples that I am aware of, such as the emergence of handedness such
as the emergence of handedness in neurons, in eukaryote cell motility, and in
non-flagellated bacteria.Comment: 42 pages, 6 figures, resubmitted to J. Stat. Phys. special issue.
Major rewrite, rearranged sections/subsections, new Fig 3 + 6, new physics in
Sec 2.4 and 3.4.1, added Sec 5 and subsections of Sec
Left ventricular fibrosis and hypertrophy are associated with mortality in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is emerging as an important tool in the assessment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). This study sought to investigate the prognostic value of multiparametric CMR, including left and right heart volumetric assessment, native T1-mapping and LGE in HFpEF. In this retrospective study, we identified patients with HFpEF who have undergone CMR. CMR protocol included: cines, native T1-mapping and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). The mean follow-up period was 3.2 ± 2.4 years. We identified 86 patients with HFpEF who had CMR. Of the 86 patients (85% hypertensive; 61% males; 14% cardiac amyloidosis), 27 (31%) patients died during the follow up period. From all the CMR metrics, LV mass (area under curve [AUC] 0.66, SE 0.07, 95% CI 0.54–0.76, p = 0.02), LGE fibrosis (AUC 0.59, SE 0.15, 95% CI 0.41–0.75, p = 0.03) and native T1-values (AUC 0.76, SE 0.09, 95% CI 0.58–0.88, p 133.24 g (hazard ratio [HR] 1.58, 95% CI 1.1–2.2, p 34.86% (HR 1.77, 95% CI 1.1–2.8, p = 0.01) and native T1 > 1056.42 ms (HR 2.36, 95% CI 0.9–6.4, p = 0.07). In multivariate cox regression, CMR score model comprising these three variables independently predicted mortality in HFpEF when compared to NTproBNP (HR 4 vs HR 1.65). In non-amyloid HFpEF cases, only native T1 > 1056.42 ms demonstrated higher mortality (AUC 0.833, p < 0.01). In patients with HFpEF, multiparametric CMR aids prognostication. Our results show that left ventricular fibrosis and hypertrophy quantified by CMR are associated with all-cause mortality in patients with HFpEF
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