Triage of the elderly in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis as a bioethical process

The paper discusses the problem of triaging the elderly in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis by analyzing the triage process, caused by lack of resources, in Germany, Holland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. We apply inductive, deductive, and normative bioethical methods, comment on various recommendations for the indication of intensive care during a crisis, and discuss the utilitarianism of benefit maximization. As it follows from the evaluation of the elderly by the frailty parameter, medically inappropriate treatment, as a result of limited resources, is characterized by clinical and bioethical uncertainty. If the main bioethical objective of general bioethics for the COVID-19 pandemic is, in the case of limited resources, based on the non-utilitarian consequentialism paradigm, from the perspective of medical ethics, we face a borderline situation closely related to the topic of dying and death. Such a situation requires social, ethical, and professional reflection. An algorithm for intensive care indication in the situation of crisis and limited resources in the period of the pandemic requires a definition of criteria that identify an acceptable reason for abandoning the treatment in the context of the autonomy of the elderly and by respecting their human dignity and humanity. A global objective of general bioethics in the situation of the pandemic crisis should be based on the paradigm of social justice.

SOLVING N-QUEEN PROBLEM USING PROBABILITY COLLECTIVE

Many types of research solve N-Queen Problem by using various techniques as Genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimisation (PSO), and simulating annealing (SA). This paper motivates and describes the use of probability collectives (PC) with coordination multi-agent system to solve the N-Queen Problem. The main challenge is to make the agents work in a coordinate a way, optimising the local utilities and contributing the maximum towards optimisation of the global objective. Keywords: Probability Collectives, Collective Intelligence, Multiagent systems, N-Queen Problem..

An Objective for Hierarchical Clustering in Euclidean Space and Its Connection to Bisecting K-means

This paper explores hierarchical clustering in the case where pairs of points have dissimilarity scores (e.g. distances) as a part of the input. The recently introduced objective for points with dissimilarity scores results in every tree being a ½ approximation if the distances form a metric. This shows the objective does not make a significant distinction between a good and poor hierarchical clustering in metric spaces.Motivated by this, the paper develops a new global objective for hierarchical clustering in Euclidean space. The objective captures the criterion that has motivated the use of divisive clustering algorithms: that when a split happens, points in the same cluster should be more similar than points in different clusters. Moreover, this objective gives reasonable results on ground-truth inputs for hierarchical clustering.The paper builds a theoretical connection between this objective and the bisecting k-means algorithm. This paper proves that the optimal 2-means solution results in a constant approximation for the objective. This is the first paper to show the bisecting k-means algorithm optimizes a natural global objective over the entire tree.

Conceptualising Sustainability Using a Cognitive Mapping Method

Many different interpretations of the meaning of sustainability has the potential to cause dilution of meaning, as well as ambiguity and confusion, and a reduction in the use of sustainability as a relevant global objective. In this research, we examine these different interpretations using a cognitive mapping method, where 12 sustainability experts provide their own unique conceptualisations of sustainability. Our research objective is to develop a conceptual tool that explains differences in these many sustainability meanings. The experts’ conceptualisations reveal worldviews that are predominantly anthropocentric, but which also contain principles consistent with the sustaincentrism paradigm. We observe that each expert’s worldview, together with the assumed primary objective of sustainability, and the type of actions recommended to achieve sustainability, are central to understanding the diversity of sustainability conceptualisations. This insight leads to the development of a framework that infers sustainability can be conceptualised to consist of three distinct layers consisting of a core objective, or what is to be sustained; a worldview that underpins the conceptualisation; and actions aimed at achieving sustainability. By clarifying the multiple layers contained within sustainability conceptualisations, competing and contested versions of sustainability can be clarified within a common theoretical framework. The sustainability framework should also assist educators and students navigate through the multiplicity of sustainability meanings, and enable new context-specific definitions to be developed, such as those used in business and government.

A brief overview of sustainable development: how a debated concept with a much-contested legal nature could perform a valuable role in the decision-making

Sustainable development has reached a center stage in the international agenda. The most different international actors – States, international organizations and non-state actors – have been taking efforts to launch conferences on the issue, to negotiate and to implement all sort of international commitments in order to promote sustainable development. It has become a global objective. Despite its leading role within the international community, sustainable development remains an unclear issue in international law. There is neither a universal agreed concept, nor a consensus on its legal nature. Nonetheless, these gaps are fulfilled by a rich literature that explores both issues, and, even though a compromise has not been reached as to many facets of the discussion, the fact is that a consensus is found regarding the crucial role sustainable development could perform in the decision-making.

The Use of Syrian Sumac (Rhus coriaria) as a Meat Tenderizer: Effect on Fat, Protein and Collagen Profiles on Pectoralis superficialis Cut

The Syrian Sumac (Rhus coriaria) is a widely used spice in the Arab world of attractive economic importance in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Meat tenderness is one of the very most important factors for customers’ acceptability. The global objective of this study was to add an additional value to Sumac by evaluating its meat tenderizing effect. Crude sumac fruits were used to create three different extracts (aqueous, ethanolic and purified enzymatic extract). Pectoralis superficialis cuts were treated with the extracts and studied for their shear stress, pH, protein and fat contents and collagen. The hypothesis that Sumac could have a meat tenderizing effect was supported by our results showing a significant decrease in shear stress and protein content with increase in collagen solubility. Moreover, an effect on decreasing meat fat was detected, where the aqueous sumac extract decreased significantly the fat percentage in meat. The active enzymes in Sumac were shown to be variate in nature, lipase and protease, with a significant effect on collagen, thus proving Sumac’s possibility to be potentially used as a meat tenderizer.

Quick fix for care, productivity, hygiene and inequality: reframing the entrenched problem of antibiotic overuse

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major challenge of our time. A key global objective is to reduce antibiotic use (ABU), in order to reduce resistance caused by antimicrobial pressure. This is often set as a ‘behaviour change’ issue, locating intervention efforts in the knowledge and attitudes of individual prescribers and users of medicines. Such approaches have had limited impact and fall short of addressing wider drivers of antibiotic use. To address the magnitude of antibiotic overuse requires a wider lens to view our relationships with these medicines.This article draws on ethnographic research from East Africa to answer the question of what roles antibiotics play beyond their immediate curative effects. We carried out interviews, participant observation and documentary analysis over a decade in northeast Tanzania and eastern and central Uganda. Our findings suggest that antibiotics have become a ‘quick fix’ in our modern societies. They are a quick fix for care in fractured health systems; a quick fix for productivity at local and global scales, for humans, animals and crops; a quick fix for hygiene in settings of minimised resources; and a quick fix for inequality in landscapes scarred by political and economic violence. Conceptualising antibiotic use as a ‘quick fix’ infrastructure shifts attention to the structural dimensions of AMR and antimicrobial use (AMU) and raises our line of sight into the longer term, generating more systemic solutions that have greater chance of achieving equitable impact.

Engineering Risk of Series Production in Automotive Industry

The global objective of this paper is to analyze engineering risk of series production in Automotive Industries based on problems caused by supplied chain of products when a strong process to avoid engineering risk problems is missing. Automotive Industries Companies in Romania use just some theoretical tools like as D-FMEA (Design – Failure Mode and Effect Analysis) for engineering risk in their design products in ADAS domein. The main causes appear after the production starts and sometimes it brings the production to a halt. The risks reveal details of different levels and high risk can be caused by unforeseen challenges during of series production. On this paper, the method for engineering risk of management used is based on project management guide by Paul Roberts adapted to causes identification and risk plan.