Religion on the Cheap

It seems a natural thought that worshipping God and taking part in related communal religious activities does not make sense if one does not believe that God is real. But not all share this thought: some think it is perfectly sensible to engage in traditional communal religious activities centered on God without believing that God—an essentially omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly good agent who creates whatever universe there is—really exists. This chapter argues that certain attempts to make sense of this way of thinking and this way of life, such as those described by Howard Wettstein and Gary Gutting, do not succeed in making sense of them. It further points out that there are real costs associated with not assenting to the claim that the proposition, “God exists,” realistically construed, is true, but suggests that one should be prepared to absorb those costs rather than trying to have it both ways—rather than getting religion (of a particular sort) on the cheap.

Comparison of metals content in peatlands with different anthropopressure in Welski Landscape Park (Poland)

The metal content was determined using the WD-XRF method in the peat from the Wąpiersk bog and the Las Nadwelski bog (Welski Landscape Park, Poland). The results of the study show that the concentration of metals, especially heavy metals in peat bogs in Welski Landscape Park is low in general. In both bogs, the concentration of heavy metals was lower in the center than on the border. This shows that heavy metals are absorbed by the peat at the border and their further migration is limited. There are more elements such as iron, calcium and magnesium in the Las Nadwelski bog. There is more light on the border of the forest, which also plays an important role in decomposing plant debris, releasing metals. Heavy metals content was higher in Wąpiersk bog – a bog with higher anthropopressure. To sum up, the peat bog actively captures heavy metals, immobilizing them, and acts as a kind of “filter”. Peat is a good agent for retrospective monitoring of metals migration and accumulation in the environment.

Pinocchios hjerte: En kantiansk lesning av historien om tredukken som ville bli et ekte menneske

This chapter offers a closer reading of Collodi’s Pinocchio (2002) through the lens of Kant’s moral philosophy. It explores how the story thematizes important moral aspects of growing up, and it considers the story’s suitability in moral education. The first parts offer an analysis of Pinocchio against the backdrop of a short outline of central ideas in Kant’s account of the human condition. This shows how Collodi’s story evolves around two central questions: What is required in order to be a moral agent, and how does one become a morally good agent? The next part shows that Collodi’s own answers to these two questions support the claim that Pinocchio is a “Bildungsroman” and that the conception of moral development in the story is Kantian. The final parts address the challenge of the moral paradox to the possibility of moral education and argues the suitability of Pinocchio in moral education as a basis for interpretation of life from a child’s perspective.

Explaining the determinants of continual use of mobile financial services

Purpose Information system continuance model has been used in a number of studies to explain information system continuance in different contexts. However, very little research attention has been given to continuous use of mobile financial services (MFS). The purpose of this study is to fill this research gap by identifying the main factors that influence the continual use of MFS. Design/methodology/approach A sample was randomly taken from MFS registered accounts or mobile wallets. A five-point Likert scale survey was conducted in Ghana. Structural equation modelling was used to test the data. Constructs such as continual use, satisfaction, perceived usefulness and confirmation were adapted from information system continuance model to suit the requirement of MFS. A pilot study was then carried out after the questionnaire was developed to gauge the appropriateness of the survey questions. Findings Results from the survey indicated that user satisfaction has the greatest impact on the continual use of mobile financial services. Good agent quality and satisfaction were the second most influential determinant. Satisfaction was, in turn, confirmed to be determined by perceived usefulness. Another important contributor to MFS continual use was found to be perceived ease of use (PEOU) with an impact surprisingly higher than that of perceived usefulness. There was a significant impact of good agent quality on satisfaction, which could be attributed to the characteristics of the technology for the study. Research limitations/implications Although a relatively high R2 (71%) was indicated by the proposed model, there is need for additional factors to be identified to improve the ability to predict and explain the continual use of MFS. A longitudinal study would have enhanced the identification of determinants and the understanding of their inter-relationships to influence MFS continual use. Practical implications To ensure continual use of MFS, PEOU as identified by the study is important to ensure that customers can use the service with little effort. Good agent quality can promote PEOU in the sense that competent agents can render relevant tutorials to customers’ right after the registration process. This will address a major barrier to continual use, which is the lack of understanding of how MFS operate. Social implications This study contributes to ensuring financial inclusion such that the unbanked can have access to financial services and also improve digital inclusion. Originality/value The study provides empirical evidence to support the substantive differences between acceptance and continual use behaviours, integrating the constructs of good agent quality and PEOU into our understanding of information system continual use literature. The authors also theorized and evaluated a model of MFS continual use.

Clinical Cosmetology

Chemical peeling is a widely used procedure in the management of acne and acne scars. Acne vulgaris is the most common skin disorder in adolescents and young adults. It carries a significant psychological and economic burden to patients and society. Salicylic acid has been used to treat various skin disorders for more than 2,000 years. The ability of salicylic acid to exfoliate the stratum corneum makes it a good agent for peeling. This report entitles the young adult female with acne and was treated with Salicylic acid and glycolic acid peel and the desired outcome was assessed.

The leafminer Liriomyza trifolii (Diptera: Agromyzidae) encapsulates its koinobiont parasitoid Halticoptera circulus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae): implications for biological control

The koinobiont parasitoid Halticoptera circulus (Walker) is a potential biological control agent of leafminers, but it has only rarely been collected from the invasive leafminer, Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess), in Japan. To understand why this is the case, parasitism and development of H. circulus in L. trifolii was compared with parasitism and development in two indigenous leafminer species, Liriomyza chinensis Kato and Chromatomyia horticola (Goureau). There was no significant difference in parasitism rates by H. circulus in the three leafminer species and the eggs and larvae successfully developed in L. chinensis and C. horticola. However, H. circulus failed to develop in L. trifolii, where developmental stages were encapsulated by host haemocytes. This parasitoid may be a good agent to control indigenous leafminers such as L. chinensis and C. horticola but is unlikely to be useful for the biological control of the invasive L. trifolii in Japan.

Imipramine Poisoning

The incidence of imipramine poisoning in adults and children is increasing. Toxic effects include an anticholinergic syndrome in the early phase and direct cardiotoxicity that produces abnormalities in rhythm, conduction, and depression of contractility in later phases. In fatal cases, the cardiotoxicity is the most common cause of death. Electrocardiographic changes are so characteristic of imipramine poisoning that the diagnosis can be made or at least suspected on the basis of electrocardiographic alteration. This is illustrated by the case report. Treatment includes induced emesis and/or gastric lavage to remove unabsorbed drug. Diazepam followed by phenobarbital is used to control seizures. Physostigmine is a good agent for treatment of the anticholinergic syndrome, including supraventricular hyperexcitability. Lidocaine is useful for ventricular hyperexcitability. As shown in the case presentation, epinephrine can be effective in reversing the most advanced manifestation of cardiac toxicity, cardiogenic shock.

99mTc-Pyridoxylidene Glutamate —A Radiopharmaceutical for the Hepatobiliary System

Summary 99mTc-pyridoxylidene glutamate is a good agent to visualize the hepatobiliary system. The method of preparation and quality control, and preliminary data on its behaviour in human controls is presented. In humans the gall bladder could be well seen in about 15—20 minutes after intravenous injection.