Search

According to some pessimists, trusting moral testimony is an action in which the agent does not think about moral questions by herself, and thus it is unacceptable. I argue for optimism by giving some reasons to display moral agents are still depending upon their own in many cases of moral testimony. Specifically, I argue that testimony is a form of social cooperation: the division of epistemic labor. My strategy is as follows: First, I give a principle to show when an agent could reasonably trust moral testimony. Specifically, an agent could reasonably accept the testimony, when she can reasonably expect she would make the same or similar judgment with the testifier. Second, I show how moral testimony could work as a form of social cooperation. Given the principle of the same judgment, it is reasonable for the agent to form a moral belief and act with moral testimony. And it provides us higher efficiency in moral knowledge and shows respect for each moral agent. After that, I provide explanations for the problem of moral disagreement and moral understanding with such a principle for moral testimony. Finally, I respond to some possible objections and give some clarifications of my argument.

ABSTRACT In this study, a device was designed for tillage of compacted soil in wheel ruts formed by the repeated passage of agricultural machines.[Ed1] Soil parameters were measured, and then the wheel rut tillage device was divided into two parts, the soil lifting unit and the soil breaking unit, for separate simulation tests to study the tillage process. EDEM[Ed2] simulations were applied to the soil lifting device to compare and analyze the microscopic movement of the simulated soil particles and the operational resistance of the device. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed using Design-Expert10 [Ed3] software to obtain the optimum combination of parameters of 125 mm device offset distance, 43.6° entry angle and 28° lifting angle. A full-factor test was conducted on the soil crushing device using EDEM coupled with RecuDyn multi-body system dynamics simulation software. The number of bond breaks and the traction resistance of the soil crushing device were used as the test indicators, and the optimum parameters were obtained for a soil crushing knife blade thickness of 6 mm and a cutting edge angle of 30° for the largest number of bond breaks and least traction resistance. The results of this study will provide technical support for the reduction of compaction zones in wheel ruts after tire travel on agricultural machinery in real time.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to develop a novel subgingival sustained-release system for local delivery of bioactive minocycline hydrochloride for periodontal disease treatment in dogs. The system incorporated the Minocycline hydrochloride-Calcium-Dextran sulfate sodium into a thermoresponsive Pluronic F127 hydrogel. Minocycline hydrochloride was sustained release from the system for up to 10 days and the release kinetics fit the power law model. The release medium had a significant statistical difference in antimicrobial activity to Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. The results showed the system was a promising subgingival sustained-release minocycline hydrochloride delivery system for periodontal disease treatment in dogs.

ABSTRACT Objective: Transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBCB) has developed rapidly and has become one of the research hotspots of lung biopsy technology. The present study sought to evaluate the efficacy of TBCB guided by radial-probe EBUS (RP-EBUS) and a guide sheath (GS) without fluoroscopy for peripheral pulmonary lesions. Methods: In this retrospective study, McNemar’s test was used in order to compare TBCB and transbronchial forceps biopsy (TBFB) in terms of diagnostic performance. A multivariate logistic regression model was designed to explore the association between predictive variables and the diagnostic yield of TBCB. Results: A total of 168 patients underwent GS-guided RP-EBUS. Of those, 157 had lesions that were visible and 11 had lesions that were not. Of those 157 patients, 24 were excluded because of missing data or an unclear final diagnosis. Therefore, 133 patients underwent RP-EBUS-GS-guided TBFB and TBCB. The pooled diagnostic yield of RP-EBUS-GS-guided TBCB without fluoroscopy was 71.5% (103/144). In 133 patients, the diagnostic yield of TBCB was significantly higher than that of TBFB (77.4% vs. 59.4%; p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated that lesion size and site were independently associated with the diagnostic yield of TBCB (OR = 2.8, p = 0.03 and OR = 4.1, p = 0.01, respectively), although cryoprobe size was not. There was no significant difference between the 1.1-mm cryoprobe and the 1.9-mm cryoprobe in terms of diagnostic performance (78.4% vs. 76.8%; p > 0.05). Conclusions: GS-guided RP-EBUS is regarded as a practical option for guiding cryobiopsy, although it may not be able to replace fluoroscopy. Peripheral pulmonary lesions not located in the upper lobes or larger than 30 mm are significantly associated with a higher diagnostic yield of cryobiopsy.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of recombinant adiponectin on chicken liver cells. The full-length chicken adiponectin gene was amplified by PCR and cloned into the vector pET-32a, followed by the transformation of the vector into Escherichia coli BL21. SDS-PAGE was used to detect and analyze the purity of the expressed recombinant protein. Induction was performed with 1 mM IPTG at 30 °C for 3 h, and the recombinant thioredoxin–adiponectin fusion protein was purified using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. Chicken adiponectin was successfully expressed and purified in a bacterial system. In addition, the chicken recombinant adiponectin demonstrated that it ameliorates palmitic acid- and oleic acid-induced adipogenesis, in which an increase in β-oxidation and a decrease in lipogenesis-related genes may be involved. In summary, chicken recombinant adiponectin enhances fatty acid metabolism in LMH cells.

Abstract Tinea faciei is a relatively uncommon dermatophyte infection entailing atypical clinical symptoms, usually misdiagnosed and treated with corticosteroids. The authors describe a case of tinea faciei on the right eyebrow caused by Trichophyton interdigitale. The patient was an 18-year-old girl, who had an inflammatory plaque with a scaly, pustular surface on the right eyebrow and upper eyelid, which had persisted for over 1 month. She was once misdiagnosed as having eczema and was treated using corticosteroid cream. A diagnosis of tinea faciei was made based on direct microscopy and culture. The sequencing of the nuclear ribosomal ITS region and β-tubulin gene of the isolate established its T. interdigitale lineage. The patient was cured by treatment with systemic terbinafine in combination with topical application of 1% naftifine-0.25% ketaconazole cream for 2 weeks.

Abstract Genital molluscum contagiosum is rare in children. We report a molluscum contagiosum around the vulva and anus of 9-year-old girl, which has atypical presentations and was finally confirmed by histopathological and electron microscopy findings.

Abstract Background: Although a proportion of CSX patients have impaired brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in response to hyperemia, suggesting that endothelial dysfunction in these patients may be systemic and not just confined to the coronary circulation; the underlying mechanisms triggering endothelial dysfunction in these patients are still incompletely understood. Objectives: To assess the association of the index of Microcirculatory Resistance (IMR) with endothelial dysfunction and inflammation in patients with CSX. Methods: We studied 20 CSX patients and 20 age and gender-matched control subjects. Thermodilution-derived coronary flow reserve (CFR) and IMR were measured using a pressure-temperature sensor-tipped guidewire. Brachial artery FMD was measured using high-resolution, two-dimensional ultrasound images obtained with a Doppler ultrasound device (HDI-ATL 5000, USA) with a 5 MHz to 12 MHz linear-array transducer. Results: Compared with in control subjects, CFR was significantly lower (2.42 ± 0.78 vs. 3.59 ± 0.79, p < 0.001); IMR was higher (32.2 ± 8.0 vs. 19.5 ± 5.5, p < 0.001); the concentration of hs-CRP and FMD was higher (4.75 ± 1.62 vs. 2.75 ± 1.50; 5.24 ± 2.41 vs. 8.57 ± 2.46, p < 0.001) in CSX patients. The Duke treadmill score (DTS) was correlated positively to CFR and FMD (0.489 and 0.661, p < 0.001), it was negative to IMR and hsCRP (-0.761 and -0.087, p < 0.001) in CSX patients. Conclusions: The main finding in this study is that the DTS measured in patients with CSX was associated to hsCRP and FMD. Moreover, the independent effects of exercise tolerance can significantly impair FMD and hsCRP in CSX patients; especially it is particularly important to whom where FMD was associated negatively with IMR.

A doença de Haff é uma síndrome que consiste de rabdomiólise não explicada. Pacientes que apresentam a doença de Haff relatam ter ingerido pescado nas últimas 24 horas antes do início da doença. A maioria dos pacientes sobrevive apresentando breve recuperação. O presente artigo é o primeiro relato de doença de Haff complicada por falência de múltiplos órgãos após ingestão de lagostim. Um homem chinês de 66 anos de idade ingeriu lagostim cozido na noite de 23 de junho de 2013. Chegou ao hospital 2 dias mais tarde, sendo admitido à unidade de terapia intensiva. Após a admissão, o paciente recebeu o diagnóstico de doença de Haff complicada por falência de múltiplos órgãos. Apesar dos tratamentos de suporte e sintomático, a condição do paciente deteriorou, vindo o mesmo a falecer em consequência da doença. A doença de Haff é uma rara síndrome clínica que é, às vezes, mal diagnosticada. O diagnóstico precoce e o tratamento adequado são essenciais para prevenir a progressão para falência de múltiplos órgãos.

Using the NAEP nationally-representative data collected from eighth-graders, we investigated the relative exposure of American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) students to mathematics teachers who are knowledgeable about standards, participate in standards-based professional development, and practice standards-based instruction; American Indian/Alaska Native student reports of standards-based classroom activities; and how student reports of classroom activities and teacher reports of their knowledge, professional development, and practices are associated with mathematics achievement of American Indian/Alaska Native students. We found that AIAN students had among the lowest exposure to teachers who reported they were knowledgeable about standards, who participated in standards-based professional development, and who practiced standards-based instruction. In addition, AIAN students were less likely than African American and Latino students to report that they experienced standards-based classroom activities. Our data showed that teacher reports of standards-based knowledge and practice of standards-based instruction were not significantly associated with mathematics achievement of AIAN students. However, student reports of classroom activities characterizing standards-based instruction was associated with higher mathematics achievement of AIAN students.

ABSTRACT: Ethnic Tibetan farm and herder households (FHH) in Gansu Province, China are stricken with poverty. Solving the poverty problem in this or other poverty pockets across China has special importance for the country’s political stability, ethnic unity, social well-being, and ecological security. This paper calculates the multidimensional poverty situation of ethnic Tibetan farm and herder households of Gansu Province, China by using the Alkire-Foster method. Twelve indicators are included in the multidimensional poverty indicator system. Results showed that 1) in the single indicator measure, the adult family members received at least 9th grade education (x3), the home toilet type (x7), and the labor availability (x2) showed a higher incidence of deprivation, 2) many FHH in the Tibetan areas of the Gansu Province are facing multidimensional poverty but the proportion of extreme poverty is very small, and 3) from the perspective of contribution rate, the adult family members received at least 9th grade education (x3), labor availability (x2), self-health assessment (x1), home toilet type (x7), and school-age children dropout rate (x4) occupied the top five positions as obtained from the equal weight to dimensions (DEW) method.

Haff disease is a syndrome consisting of unexplained rhabdomyolysis. Patients suffering from Haff disease report having eaten fish within 24 hours before the onset of illness. Most patients survive and recover quickly. The present study is the first report of Haff disease complicated by multiple organ failure after crayfish consumption. A 66-year-old Chinese man ate cooked crayfish on the night of June 23, 2013. He arrived at our hospital 2 days later and was admitted to the intensive care unit. After admission, the patient was diagnosed with Haff disease complicated by multiple organ failure. Despite supportive and symptomatic treatments, the condition of the patient deteriorated, and he died due to his illness. Haff disease is a rare clinical syndrome that is sometimes misdiagnosed. Early diagnosis and proper treatment are essential to prevent progression to multiple organ failure.