Moral relevance of cognitive complexity, empathy and species differences in suffering

I qualify two criticisms made by commentators on Chapman & Huffman’s target article. Responding to the view that differences between humans and other animals are irrelevant to deciding how we should treat other species, I point out that differences between any species in their capacity to suffer are morally relevant. And in response to the claim that suffering is the sole criterion for the moral treatment of animals, I argue that cognitive complexity and a capacity for empathy also have moral relevance to the extent that they influence suffering

Moral relevance of cognitive complexity, empathy and species differences in suffering

I qualify two criticisms made by commentators on Chapman & Huffman’s target article. Responding to the view that differences between humans and other animals are irrelevant to deciding how we should treat other species, I point out that differences between any species in their capacity to suffer are morally relevant. And in response to the claim that suffering is the sole criterion for the moral treatment of animals, I argue that cognitive complexity and a capacity for empathy also have moral relevance to the extent that they influence suffering

Unfair\u27\u27 Restaurant Reviews:To Sue Or Not To Sue

In their discussion entitled - “Unfair” Restaurant Reviews: To Sue Or Not To Sue - by John Schroeder and Bruce Lazarus, Assistant Professors, Department of Restaurant, Hotel and Institutional Management at Purdue University, the authors initially state: “Both advantages and disadvantages exist on bringing lawsuits against restaurant critics who write “unfair” reviews. The authors, both of whom have experience with restaurant criticism, offer practical advice on what realistically can be done by the restaurateur outside of the courtroom to combat unfair criticism.” Well, this is going to be a sticky wicket no matter how you try to defend it, reviews being what they are; very subjective pieces of opinionated journalism, especially in the food industry. And, of course, unless you can prove malicious intent there really is no a basis for a libel suit. So, a restaurateur is at the mercy of written opinion and the press. “Libel is the written or published form of slander which is the statement of false remarks that may damage the reputation of others. It also includes any false and malicious publication which may damage a person\u27s business, trade, or employment,” is the defined form of the law provided by the authors. Anecdotally, Schroeder and Lazarus offer a few of the more scathing pieces reviewers have written about particular eating establishments. And, yes, they can be a bit comical, unless you are the owner of an establishment that appears in the crosshairs of such a reviewer. A bad review can kneecap even a popular eatery. “Because of the large readership of restaurant reviews in the publication (consumer dining out habits indicate that nearly 50 percent of consumers read a review before visiting a new restaurant) your business begins a very dangerous downward tailspin,” the authors reveal, with attribution. “Many restaurant operators contend that a bad review can cost them an immediate trade loss of upward of 50 percent,” Schroeder and Lazarus warn. “The United States Supreme Court has ruled that a restaurant owner can collect damages only if he proves that the statement or statements were made with “actual malice,” even if the statements were untrue,” the authors say by way of citation. And that last portion of the statement cannot be over-emphasized. The first amendment to the U.S. Constitution does wield a heavy hammer, indeed, and it should. So, what recourse does a restaurateur have? The authors cautiously give a guarded thumbs-up to a lawsuit, but you better be prepared to prove a misstatement of fact, as opposed to the distinguishable press protected right of opinion. For the restaurateur the pitfalls are many, the rewards few and far between, Schroeder and Lazarus will have you know. “…after weighing the advantages and disadvantages of a lawsuit against a critic...the disadvantages are overwhelming,” the authors say. “Chicago restaurant critic James Ward said that someone dumped a load of manure on his yard accompanied by a note that read - Stop writing that s--t! - after he wrote a review of a local restaurant.” Such is a novel if not legally measurable tack against an un-mutual review

Hydraulic conveyance of solid capsules

The hydraulics of two phase flow of capsule - liquid mixtures is investigated experimentally and analytically. The technology of hydraulic transportation of solid capsules in pipes is advanced to the point of practical feasibility by the development and successful operation of experimental equipment in the laboratory. This involves the innovation of aspects of the technology concerned, such as novel booster pumps, injectors and metering equipment. The effect of independent variables such as capsule geometry, density, roughness and concentration as well as mean water velocity and pipe inclination are investigated. It is shown to what extent these variables affect the dependent variables. A theoretical analysis is presented for the determination of dependent variables, such as capsule velocity, excess energy and power dissipation. Flow conditions around static capsules are shown to be amenable to analysis, supplemented by experimentally determined coefficients. Energy dissipation at the inlet and outlet of static concentric and eccentric capsules is investigated for the first time, and empirical formulations are presented, which are simple and consistent with all the data. A correlation involving a pseudo hydraulic mean radius for analysing the friction head loss in eccentric annuli is presented. There have been numerous investigations concerned with friction head losses in concentric annuli. However, the correlation presented in this thesis is simpler than those given by other investigators and incorporates a wide range of experimental data satisfactorily. A theoretical analysis for flow in annuli of varying eccentricity is also presented in a novel manner and agreement with experiment is evidenced. A study is presented of incipient conditions of capsule motion which indicates a form of empirical equation for excess energy dissipation when capsules are moving

Screening for Thyroid Dysfunction in Pregnancy: Is It Worthwhile?

There is a high incidence of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy resulting in adverse maternal (miscarriages, anaemia in pregnancy, preeclampsia, abruptio placenta and post-partum haemorrhage) and fetal effects (premature birth, low birth weight, increased neonatal respiratory distress) which may justify screening for thyroid function during early pregnancy with interventional levothyroxine therapy for thyroid hypofunction. There is a greater prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in women with delivery before 32 weeks and there is even an association between thyroid autoimmunity and adverse obstetric outcome, which is independent of thyroid function. Higher maternal TSH levels even within the normal reference range are associated with an increased risk of miscarriages, fetal and neonatal distress and preterm delivery. There are few prospective randomised trials to substantiate the benefit of screening and the recently reported CATS study did not show a benefit in child IQ at age 3 years. Nevertheless there seems to be a case for screening to prevent adverse obstetric outcomes. The clinical epidemiological evidence base does not justify universal screening at the present time. However, it is probable that more evidence will be produced which may alter this view in the future

Uncertainty and Cooperation: Analytical Results and a Simulated Agent Society

Uncertainty is an important factor that influences social evolution in natural and artificial environments. Here we distinguish between three aspects of uncertainty. Environmental uncertainty is the variance of resources in the environment, perceived uncertainty is the variance of the resource distribution as perceived by the organism and effective uncertainty is the variance of resources effectively enjoyed by individuals. We show analytically that perceived uncertainty is larger than environmental uncertainty and that effective uncertainty is smaller than perceived uncertainty, when cooperation is present. We use an agent society simulation in a two dimensional world for the generation of simulation data as one realisation of the analytical results. Together with our earlier theoretical work, results here show that cooperation can buffer the detrimental effects of uncertainty on the organism. The proposed conceptualisation of uncertainty can help in understanding its effects on social evolution and in designing artificial social environments.Agent-Based Modelling, Cooperation, Social Interaction Simulation, Uncertainty

Thyroid function in pregnancy

Thyroid hormones are essential for pregnancy maintenance and correct foetal development; even a mild thyroid disturbance can cause potential adverse consequences on obstetric outcomes and foetal well-being. Pregnancy also places substantial demands on the thyroid axis, with consequent increase of thyroid hormone requirements. Thus, it is critical to maintain appropriate levels of iodine and thyroid hormones during pregnancy. Thyroid disorders are relatively common in pregnancy, and a prompt diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction requiring medical intervention is needed. Data from large population cohorts and randomised clinical trials demonstrated that it is challenging to establish precise cut-offs of thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy, and therefore diagnose milder forms of thyroid dysfunction. There is now a growing awareness of the need for greater clarity with regard to gestational thyroid reference ranges which should not only be trimester specific, but also population and laboratory method specific. Sub-optimal thyroid function might also be exacerbated by the presence of thyroid autoantibodies, especially anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies; such evidence led to a change in the most recent American Thyroid Association guidelines. Overt thyroid dysfunction is associated with adverse outcomes, particularly foetal loss, and early gestational age at delivery; there is universal agreement about the absolute necessity to treat such conditions. On the other hand it is unclear whether marginal thyroid abnormalities, such as subclinical hypothyroidism (ScHypo) and isolated hypothyroxinemia (IH), have sufficient impact to justify widespread screening for thyroid disease in pregnancy. This has led to substantial discrepancies between societal guidelines. More recently concern has also been raised regarding over-treatment of hypothyroidism which may result in adverse neurocognitive outcomes. There is a pressing need for evidence-based studies to determine whether universal thyroid screening in pregnancy is appropriate. Iodine deficiency and endocrine disruptors are also likely to have similar deleterious impacts as thyroid insufficiency and greater clarity is also needed here

Prime decomposition theorem for arbitrary semigroups: general holonomy decomposition and synthesis theorem

AbstractWe generalize the holonomy form of the Prime Decomposition Theorem of Krohn and Rhodes for finite semigroups to arbitrary infinite semigroups. This is accomplished by embedding Š into an infinite Zeiger wreath product after applying the triple Schützenberger product which makes S finite-J-above (Rhodes' theorem)

EXERTION LEVEL AND THE INTENSITY OF ASSOCIATED MOVEMENTS

Associated movements in the contralateral limbs were measured quantitatively for 42 seven- to eight-year-old children who wrote with the right hand. Associated movements of the contralateral homologous muscles systematically increased as a function of the intensity of contraction of the active hand. The associated movements were more intense when the left hand was active. The order of hand use markedly affected the lateral asymmetry, indicating that the right and left hands were affected differentially by previous activity. Associated movements of the contralateral antagonist muscles were also observed, and their frequency varied as a function of active hand and exertion level. RÉSUMÉ Les mouvements associÉs des membres contro-latÉraux ont ÉtÉÉtudiÉs quantitativement chez 42 enfants ÂgÉs de sept ou huit ans Écrivant avec la main droite. Les mouvements associtÉs des muscles controlatÉraux homologues augmentaient systÉmatiquement en fonction de l'intensitÉ de la contraction dans la main active. Les mouvements associtÉs Étaient plus intenses lorsque la main gauche Était active. L'ordre d'utilisation de la main affectait de faÇon marquÉe l'asymÉtrie latÉrale, indiquant que les mains droite et gauche Étaient affectÉes diffÉremment par l'activitÉ antÉrieure. Les mouvements associÉs des muscles antagonistes contralatÉraux ont ÉtÉ aussi observÉs et leur frÉquence variait en fonction de la main active et du niveau d'activitÉ. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Bei 42 sieben- bis achtjÄhrigen Kindern, die mit der rechten Hand schrieben, wurden die assoziierten Bewegungen der kontralateralen Seite quantitativ gemessen. Die assoziierten Bewegungen der kontralateralen homologen Muskeln nahmen systematisch als eine Funktion des Kontraktionsgrades der aktiven Hand zu. Die assoziierten Bewegungen waren intensiver, wenn die linke Hand aktiv war. Die Reihenfolge des Handgebrauchs beeinflußte deutlich die laterale Asymmetrie, was anzeigt, daß die rechte und linke Hand durch vorausgegangene AktivitÄt unterschiedlich beeinflußt wurden. Es wurden auch assoziierte Bewegungen der kontralateralen Antagonisten beobachtet, ihre Frequenz wechselte als eine Funktion der aktiven Hand und des Anspannungsgrades. RESUMEN Si midieron los movimientos asociados de las extremidades contralaterales y de forma cuantitativa en 42 nÑos de siete a ocho aÑos de edad, que escribian con la mano derecha. Los movimientos asociados de los mÚsculos homologos contralaterales aumentaban sistemÁticamente en funciÓn de la intensidad de la contracciÓn de la mano activa. Los movimientos asociados eran mÁs intensos cuando la mano izquierda era la activa. El orden en el uso de la mano afectaba marcadamente la asimetria lateral, indicando que las manos derecha e izquierda se afectaban diferentemente sugÚn la actividad previa. TambiÉn se observaron movimientos asociados de los mÚsculos antagonistas contralaterales i su frecuencia variaba en funciÓn de la mano activa y el nivel de esfuerzo.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65582/1/j.1469-8749.1986.tb03856.x.pd