Branched covers of the sphere and the prime-degree conjecture

To a branched cover between closed, connected and orientable surfaces one associates a "branch datum", which consists of the two surfaces, the total degree d, and the partitions of d given by the collections of local degrees over the branching points. This datum must satisfy the Riemann-Hurwitz formula. A "candidate surface cover" is an abstract branch datum, a priori not coming from a branched cover, but satisfying the Riemann-Hurwitz formula. The old Hurwitz problem asks which candidate surface covers are realizable by branched covers. It is now known that all candidate covers are realizable when the candidate covered surface has positive genus, but not all are when it is the 2-sphere. However a long-standing conjecture asserts that candidate covers with prime degree are realizable. To a candidate surface cover one can associate one Y -> X between 2-orbifolds, and in a previous paper we have completely analyzed the candidate surface covers such that either X is bad, spherical, or Euclidean, or both X and Y are rigid hyperbolic orbifolds, thus also providing strong supporting evidence for the prime-degree conjecture. In this paper, using a variety of different techniques, we continue this analysis, carrying it out completely for the case where X is hyperbolic and rigid and Y has a 2-dimensional Teichmueller space. We find many more realizable and non-realizable candidate covers, providing more support for the prime-degree conjecture

Surrogate Decision Makers and Proxy Ownership: Challenges of Privacy Management in Health Care Decision Making

This study explored the communicative experiences of surrogates who served as decision makers for patients who were unable to convey health information and choices about treatment options. Drawing on assumptions from communication privacy management theory (Petronio, 2002), 35 surrogates were interviewed to explore how they navigated the role of guardian of patients’ private health information while the patient was hospitalized. This research determined that not only are surrogates guardians and thereby co-owners of the patients’ private health information, they actually served in a “proxy ownership” role. Surrogates described obstacles to both obtaining and sharing private health information about the patient, suggesting that their rights as legitimate co-owners of the patients’ information were not fully acknowledged by the medical teams. Surrogates also described challenges in performing the proxy ownership role when they were not fully aware of the patient’s wishes. Theoretical and practical implications of these challenges are discussed

Hydrogeological characterization of peculiar Apenninic springs

Abstract. In the northern Apennines of Italy, springs are quite widespread over the slopes. Due to the outcropping of low-permeability geologic units, they are generally characterized by low-yield capacities and high discharge variability during the hydrologic year. In addition, low-flow periods (discharge lower than 1 Ls-1) reflect rainfall and snowmelt distribution and generally occur in summer seasons. These features strongly condition the management for water-supply purposes, making it particularly complex. The "Mulino delle Vene" springs (420 m a.s.l., Reggio Emilia Province, Italy) are one of the largest in the Apennines for mean annual discharge and dynamic storage and are considered as the main water resource in the area. They flow out from several joints and fractures at the bottom of an arenite rock mass outcrop in the vicinity of the Tresinaro River. To date, these springs have not yet been exploited, as the knowledge about the hydrogeological characteristics of the aquifer and their hydrological behaviour is not fully achieved. This study aims to describe the recharge processes and to define the hydrogeological boundaries of the aquifer. It is based on river and spring discharge monitoring and groundwater balance assessment carried out during the period 2012–2013. Results confirm the effectiveness of the approach, as it allowed the total aliquot of discharge of the springs to be assessed. Moreover, by comparing the observed discharge volume with the one calculated with the groundwater balance, the aquifer has been identified with the arenite slab (mean altitude of 580 m a.s.l.), extended about 5.5 km2 and located 1 km west of the monitored springs

THE “MESSENGERS” IN THE BOOK OF MALACHI

The book of Malachi, which means, “My Messenger,” contains at least 4 “messengers” in different forms. One is recorded  in Malachi 1:1 which is possessive noun meaning “my messenger” (אְָלמיֽכ), the second is in construct state which means “messenger of the Lord of hosts,” recorded in 2:7 (/אלמ), the third in 3:1a is another possessive noun (יכ֔ אָלמ) and the last is recorded in 3:1c which is in construct state (/א֨ למוּ יר֜ בּהת) meaning “and the messenger of the covenant.” In this paper,  the writer discusses  these four occurrences  of similar expression and yet different starting from the phrase my messenger as the author of the book, the messenger of the Lord of hosts, my messenger and the messenger of the covenant. Some have clear indications of who are these messengers, but who is my messenger in Mal 3:1? Is he the same with the “messenger of the covenant” and with the Lord whom they seek who will suddenly come to the temple? Is the Lord of hosts the same with the Adonai and the messenger of the covenant? This study is significant since the messengers in the book of Malachi are key to the issues being discussed in the book. Identifying them will contribute to understanding not only the issues but more importantly the key to solve the issues. This also will benefit the churches in understanding the book of Malachi and its relationship  to stewardship. The purpose of the study is to determine the identity of the messengers in the book of Malachi with its focus on the messengers in Mal 3:1

The Messenger of the Covenant: Identification, Meaning, and Implications (Malachi 2:17–3:6)

The focus of study in Malachi 2:17-3:6 has been the identification of the characters enumerated in Malachi 3:1. However, the significance of the phrase “messenger of the covenant” is not dealt with. So what does this phrase mean? Why is the word “covenant” attached to “messenger”? What is the significance of this phrase in the book of Malachi and in the Scripture as a whole? What is the implication of this phrase in Malachi’s time and in the 21st century? This paper which employed exegetical and hermeneutical principles of the Old Testament as well as intertextuality or inter-biblical interpretation explored the Messenger of the covenant, its identification, meaning, and implications. It is significant as covenant theology is embedded in the Old Testament. While some books have only implied covenant concept, the book of Malachi explicitly contains this concept. Understanding this phrase “messenger of the covenant,” will have an impact in OT covenant theology. This research found out that the “ְךַ֨אְלַמּו תיִ֜רְּבַה” of Mal 3:1 means “heavenly” messenger of the covenant which differs from the “earthly” messengers (prophet and priest) in Mal 1:1 and 2:7. It also shows how both the terms were heavily used in Malachi. Messenger is used from the beginning up to the end whether expressed implicitly or explicitly. The same is true with the word covenant. The peak of the use of both terms is found in Mal 3:1 showing that the answer to the unfaithfulness of both the priests (messengers) and the people with their covenant relationship with God is the “Messenger of the Covenant.” The term “messenger of the covenant” is found only in Malachi, not only the apex in Mal 2:17-3:1-6 but also in the whole book. It may signify God’s commitment to fulfill His covenant promises with His people from the beginning up to eternity

Inner-Biblical Allusion of the Day of the Lord in Malachi 1:2-5 and its Thematic Function

Scholars generally focus on discussing the concept of the Day of the LORD (DOL) in Malachi 3:1-5 and 4:1-6 but hardly touch on the DOL allusion in Mal.1:2-5. The purpose of the study was to establish the DOL allusion in Mal. 1:2-5and to determine the thematic function of the concept of the “the Day of theLORD” in Malachi. This study, employing the Inner-biblical Allusion andExegesis method, established that Mal. 1:2-5 alluded to the DOL thematically andlinguistically as indicated by the following Hebrew terms: (1) ה ָ֔מ ָמ ְשׁ, (2) ן ַתּ, (3)שׁ ַשׁ ָר, (4) םוֹ ֜ד ֱא, (5) הָבּ ְר ָח; (6) תוֹ ֔א ָב ְצ; (7) ס ַר ָה; and (8) לַ֣דְּ גִ י. Historically, structurally,and linguistically, Edom had experienced desolation already upon the writing ofMalachi. Some of the thematic functions of the historical DOL in this passage are(1) it serves as a thematic inclusion in the book of Malachi. The first one inMalachi 1:2-5 is a historical DOL and the latter in Mal. 4:1-6 seems to beeschatological. It shows that Malachi purposely structured his book to start withDOL and ends with DOL, (2) it shows that the “Jacob and Esau/Edom” themedoes not stop in Mal. 1:2-5 but extends in Malachi 4:1-6, (3) it serves as areminder of God’s love for Judah and a warning at the same time. It will be afruitful study, which this paper recommends, if Mal. 3:1-5 and Mal. 4:1-6 will bestudied deeper in connection with Mal. 1:2-5 in the context of DOL

Making Decisions for Hospitalized Older Adults: Ethical Factors Considered by Family Surrogates

Background Hospitalized older adults frequently have impaired cognition and must rely on surrogates to make major medical decisions. Ethical standards for surrogate decision making are well delineated, but little is known about what factors surrogates actually consider when making decisions. Objectives To determine factors surrogate decision makers consider when making major medical decisions for hospitalized older adults, and whether or not they adhere to established ethical standards. Design Semi-structured interview study of the experience and process of decision making. Setting A public safety-net hospital and a tertiary referral hospital in a large city in the Midwest. Participants Thirty-five surrogates with a recent decision making experience for an inpatient age 65 and older. Measurements Key factors surrogates considered when making decisions. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed using the grounded theory method of qualitative analysis. Results Surrogates considered patient-centered factors and surrogate-centered factors. Patient-centered factors included: 1) respecting the patient’s input, (2) using past knowledge of patient to infer the patient’s wishes, and (3) considering what is in the patient’s best interests. Some surrogates expressed a desire for more information about the patient’s prior wishes. Surrogate-centered factors included 1) Surrogate’s wishes as a guide, (2) The surrogate’s religious beliefs and/or spirituality, (3) The surrogate’s interests, (4) Family consensus and (5) Obligation and guilt. Conclusion These data show that surrogate decision making is more complex than the standard ethical models, which are limited to patient autonomy and beneficence. Because surrogates also imagine what they would want under the circumstances and consider their own needs and preferences, models of surrogate decision making must account for these additional considerations. Surrogates’ desire for more information about patient preferences suggests a need for greater advance care planning

Notes on the complexity of 3-valent graphs in 3-manifolds

A theory of complexity for pairs (M,G) with M an arbitrary closed 3-manifold and G a 3-valent graph in M was introduced by the first two named authors, extending the original notion due to Matveev. The complexity c is known to be always additive under connected sum away from the graphs, but not always under connected sum along (unknotted) arcs of the graphs. In this article we prove the slightly surprising fact that if in M there is a sphere intersecting G transversely at one point, and this point belongs to an edge e of G, then e can be canceled from G without affecting the complexity. Using this fact we completely characterize the circumstances under which complexity is additive under connected sum along graphs. For the set of pairs (M,K) with K a knot in M, we also prove that any function that is fully additive under connected sum along knots is actually a function of the ambient manifold only.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figure

Efficacy and microbiota modulation induced by limpial 2.5%, a new medical device for the inverse psoriasis treatment

(1) Inverse psoriasis (IP), also known as intertriginous, typically affects the groin, armpits, navel, intergluteal fissure, and external genitalia. Skin lesions are erythematous plaques of inflammatory nature, smooth, well-delimited, non-scaly, and non-infiltrated. Lesions may be accompanied by itching, pain, or burning sensation. The aim of this study is both to investigate the modulation of the skin microbiota induced by IP and, on the other hand, to test the effectiveness of the new biotechnological product LimpiAL 2.5%. (2) Patients affected by IP were recruited in a private practice and treated for 4 weeks with LimpiAL 2.5% exclusively. The clinical effects on the lesion skin were evaluated, and the skin microbiotas before and after treatment were compared. (3) The clinical outcomes reveled a significant beneficial effect of the tested product. At the same time, LimpiAL increased the biological diversity of the skin microbiota and exerted a significant decrease of some Corynebacterium species, and the increase of some Staphylococcus species. (4) Together, the clinical outcomes and the microbiota analysis suggest that LimpiAL treatment improves the skin condition of affected patients, basically restoring the eubiosis conditions of the affected sites and modulating the bacterial composition of the resident microbiota