Common Belief Research Articles

Correlation Between Body Mass Index and Apnea-Hypopnea Index or Nadir Oxygen Saturation Levels in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and nadir oxygen saturation (SpO2) are the indexes used to measure the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Obesity, measured by body mass index (BMI), is one of the main contributing factors to the onset and severity of OSA in patients. This study was conducted to find the association between BMI and OSA severity indexes, mainly AHI and nadir SpO2 levels. Polysomnography reports of patients with diagnosed OSA in a teaching hospital were retrospectively reviewed. BMI, AHI, and nadir SpO2 levels were recorded from the sleep study reports of the patients. Spearman's Rho test was applied to find the correlation between BMI and AHI/nadir Spo2 levels. A total of 167 patients were included in the study, comprising 83 males and 84 females. The Mann-Whitney U test was utilized to investigate the association between BMI and gender and age groups. The analysis revealed a significant difference in BMI between males and females, with females having a higher BMI. However, there was no significant difference in BMI among individuals in the early middle and late middle age groups. Spearman's Rho test was employed to explore the correlation between BMI and AHI/nadir SpO2 levels. The results indicated no significant correlation between BMI and AHI (p= .122) or nadir SpO2 levels (p= .239). Contrary to common belief, BMI was not linked to the severity of OSA. It implies that several other factors, independent of BMI, play a role in the disease progression and severity.

Effect of the presence of pinned particles on the structural parameters of a liquid and correlation between structure and dynamics at the local level.

Pinning particles at the equilibrium configuration of the liquid is expected not to affect the structure and any property that depends on the structure while slowing down the dynamics. This leads to a breakdown of the structure dynamics correlation. Here, we calculate two structural quantities: the pair excess entropy, S2, and the mean field caging potential, the inverse of which is our structural order parameter (SOP). We show that when the pinned particles are treated the same way as the mobile particles, both S2 and SOP of the mobile particles remain the same as those of the unpinned system, and the structure dynamics correlation decreases with an increase in pinning density, "c." However, when we treat the pinned particles as a different species, even if we consider that the structure does not change, the expression of S2 and SOP changes. The microscopic expressions show that the interaction between a pinned particle and a mobile particle affects S2 and SOP more than the interaction between two mobile particles. We show that a similar effect is also present in the calculation of the excess entropy and is the primary reason for the well-known vanishing of the configurational entropy at high temperatures. We further show that, contrary to the common belief, the pinning process does change the structure. When these two effects are considered, both S2 and SOP decrease with an increase in "c," and the correlation between the structural parameters and the dynamics continues even for higher values of "c."

Predicting Airline Ticket Prices Using Machine Learning Predicting Airline Ticket Prices Using Machine Learning

Airfare prices are constantly changing due to various factors like the time of flight, destination, and length of the trip. To help people figure out the best time to buy tickets, we are working on a system that will use machine learning to predict prices. By studying past flight data in India, we want to uncover pricing patterns and suggest the ideal time to purchase tickets. This project aims to confirm or dispel common beliefs about airlines by comparing prediction models and finding ways to save money on ticket purchases. Price trends can vary significantly based on various factors such as the route, month, day, time of departure, holidays, and the airline carrier. Competitive routes like major business destinations (Mumbai-Delhi) tend to see price increases closer to the departure date. On the other hand, routes like tier 1 to tier 2 cities (Delhi-Guwahati) have specific time frames when prices are lower. The data also shows that there are two main categories of airline carriers in India: economical and luxurious. Generally, the lowest-priced flights fall under the economical group. Moreover, the data confirms that specific times of the day tend to have higher prices. By including different routes in this project, there is a potential for substantial savings when buying domestic flight tickets in India. Key Words: Airline Ticket, Pricing strategies, Fare fluctuations, Competitor analysis, Market trends

Gender as a Moderator of the Double Bias of Mistakes – Knowledge Culture and Knowledge Sharing Effects

There is no learning without mistakes. The essence of the double bias of mistakes is the contradiction between an often-declared positive attitude towards learning from mistakes, and negative experiences when mistakes occur. Financial and personal consequences, shame, and blame force desperate employees to hide their mistakes. These adverse outcomes are doubled in organizations by the common belief that managers never make mistakes, which makes the contradiction even more harmful. Double bias affected leaders select only easy tasks to secure their positions, and those who want to be promoted hide their mistakes to maintain the image of a “perfect employee”. Avoiding the risk of failure is generally not wrong as long as doing so does not block organizational growth. It has been proven that the double bias of mistakes can present a serious hurdle for organizational learning and collective intelligence building. This study explores whether the double bias of mistakes is gender-related and how it affects tacit and explicit knowledge sharing. To do so, it is based on a sample of 183 Polish knowledge workers affected by the double bias of mistakes. The analysis method was ordinary least squares regression, which was conducted with SPSS PROCESS software. Results show that the double bias of mistakes generally causes more problems for female specialists than male specialists and more for male managers than female managers. Regarding managers, male managers probably tend to focus more on control at work. In contrast, women focus on supporting learning (they accept mistakes as a source of knowledge and share knowledge gained from them). Considering current challenges relating to collective intelligence building, women seem to have the potential to be better mentors and probably also better leaders than men. Such formulated conclusions are based on indirect inferences, so further research is necessary.

Different learning aberrations relate to delusion-like beliefs with different contents.

The prediction error account of delusions has had success. However, its explanation of delusions with different contents has been lacking. Persecutory delusions and paranoia are the common unfounded beliefs that others have harmful intentions towards us. Other delusions include believing that one's thoughts or actions are under external control or that events in the world have specific personal meaning. We compare learning in two different cognitive tasks, probabilistic reversal learning and Kamin blocking, that have relationships to paranoid and non-paranoid delusion-like beliefs, respectively. We find that clinical high-risk status alone does not result in different behavioural results in the probabilistic reversal learning task but that an individual's level of paranoia is associated with excessive switching behaviour. During the Kamin blocking task, paranoid individuals learned inappropriately about the blocked cue. However, they also had decreased learning about the control cue, suggesting more general learning impairments. Non-paranoid delusion-like belief conviction (but not paranoia) was associated with aberrant learning about the blocked cue but intact learning about the control cue, suggesting specific impairments in learning related to cue combination. We fit task-specific computational models separately to behavioural data to explore how latent parameters vary within individuals between tasks and how they can explain symptom-specific effects. We find that paranoia is associated with low learning rates in the probabilistic reversal learning task and the blocking task. Non-paranoid delusion-like belief conviction is instead related to parameters controlling the degree and direction of similarity between cue updating during simultaneous cue presentation. These results suggest that paranoia and other delusion-like beliefs involve dissociable deficits in learning and belief updating, which, given the transdiagnostic status of paranoia, might have differential utility in predicting psychosis.

THE RELEVANCE OF HUMAN RESOURCES AUDITING AND CULTURE ON EMPLOYEES' PERFORMANCE AND ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH

In order to shape employee performance and propel corporate progress, this essay examines the significance of organizational culture and human resources (HR) audits. The dynamic and competitive business climate of today has made the efficient management of human resources even more important. The purpose of HR auditing is to guarantee compliance, efficacy, and efficiency by thoroughly examining and assessing HR policies, practices, and procedures. Employee attitudes and actions are shaped by the common values, beliefs, and behaviors that make up the organizational culture. According to the article, HR audits are essential for improving worker performance and overall company development. Organizations can pinpoint areas for enhancement, appraise adherence to legal and regulatory mandates, and appraise the efficacy of their HR procedures by regularly undertaking audits. Finding gaps, dangers, and chances to optimize HR activities, rules, and practices is made easier with the aid of this careful review. Additionally, the essay highlights how important organizational culture is in shaping workers' productivity and the development of the company. Higher performance and productivity are the outcomes of a strong and supportive workplace culture that encourages employee motivation, engagement, and dedication. On the other hand, poor employee performance and inhibited organizational growth might result from a toxic or dysfunctional culture. A positive company culture can be shaped and reinforced by auditing methods, as demonstrated by the interaction between HR auditing and the culture that is examined. A culture that supports workers' performance and fosters organizational growth can be developed with the help of HR audits, which can show whether components of the organization's culture are in line with its objectives and core values. The article concludes that employees' performance and organizational success can be greatly impacted by a strategic approach to HR auditing in conjunction with a positive company culture. Organizations can maximize their human capital, improve employee happiness and retention, and achieve long-term sustainable growth by conducting frequent evaluations of HR procedures and cultivating a good culture.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0787/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Abstract LT05: METTL8-MEDIATED EPITRANSCRIPTOMIC REGULATION OF GBM CYCLING STATE IS DEPENDENT ON RTK/PI3K/AKT SIGNALING

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) is a lethal brain tumor with limited treatment options. Treatment failures are often attributed to the existence of glioma stem cells (GSCs), which confer intratumoral heterogeneity and therapy resistance. Contrary to common belief that cancer cells employ aerobic glycolysis (Warburg effect) to sustain their metabolic requirements, GSCs rely on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) for energy production. As a result, GSCs are uniquely sensitive to OXPHOS inhibitors (Gboxin), as well as mitochondrial translation inhibitors which disrupt OXPHOS. METTL8 is a newly discovered mitochondrial methyltransferase which catalyzes m3C32 modifications in mitochondrial tRNAsThr/Ser(UCN) (mt-tRNAs). This post-transcriptional modification ensures the optimal structure of mt-tRNAs to facilitate efficient translation of mitochondrial proteins involved in electron transport chain (ETC). Although the epitranscriptomic functions of METTL8 have been well characterized, its roles in cancers (i.e. glioblastoma) remain largely unexplored. In this study, we showed that METTL8 is overexpressed in GBM and high METTL8 expression portends poor patient prognosis. In GSC, METTL8 is under the transcriptional regulation of HIF-1α, and the chromatin accessibility at METTL8 promoter is facilitated by the deposition of histone variant H2AZ. METTL8 depletion downregulated m3C32 modifications in mt-tRNAsThr/Ser(UCN) in GSC, leading to impaired mitochondrial translation and OXPHOS defects. Phenotypically, METTL8 knockdown (KD) compromised GSCs’ self-renewal, proliferation, invasiveness and tumorigenicity. Interestingly, METTL8-KD GSC acquired a slow cycling state which is linked to reduced receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling. Consistently, METTL8-KD GSC showed lower Akt phosphorylation and exhibited increased sensitivity to mTOR/Akt inhibitors. Finally, our mechanistic findings led to the identification of a novel HIF1-α/Akt inhibitor drug combination which faithfully recapitulates the phenotypes of METTL8-KD GSCs. In conclusion, our findings provide the first in-depth study of METTL8 roles in GBM pathogenesis, and highlights a novel drug combination which could potentially be used to treat this dreadful disease. Citation Format: Bernice Woon Li Lee, You Heng Chuah, Jeehyun Yoon, Oleg V. Grinchuk, Jia Feng, Yajing Liang, Jayshree L Hirpara, Ya Ting Shen, Loo Chien Wang, Yan Ting Lim, Tianyun Zhao, Radoslaw M Sobota, Tan Boon Toh, Shazib Pervaiz, Zhewang Lin, Derrick Sek Tong Ong. METTL8-MEDIATED EPITRANSCRIPTOMIC REGULATION OF GBM CYCLING STATE IS DEPENDENT ON RTK/PI3K/AKT SIGNALING [abstract]. In: Proceedings of Frontiers in Cancer Science; 2023 Nov 6-8; Singapore. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(8_Suppl):Abstract nr LT05.

Water thin films on kaolinite gibbsite and edge surfaces and their effects on surface wettability in relation to geological carbon sequestration

Geological carbon sequestration (GCS) is a promising method to alleviate CO2 emission, while CO2 structural trapping is one of main GCS mechanisms, in which the storage capacity is strongly dependent on CO2-water–rock contact angle. Although CO2-water-kaolite contact angle on basal surfaces has been studied, the knowledge about kaolinite edge surface wettability remains unknown. In this work, we use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study CO2-water-kaolinite contact angle on kaolinite gibbsite and edge surfaces under a typical GCS condition (330 K and 200 bar). The common belief is that surface wettability in presence of water is determined by surface hydroxyl (–OH) group density. While the surface –OH group density of kaolinite edge surface is much lower than that of gibbsite surface, both gibbsite and edge surfaces are strongly water-wet. Edge surface is better hydrated than gibbsite surface as both silanol and aluminol groups can form hydrogen bonding with water molecules thanks to large effective water accessible volume around them, while pocket water can further anchor water film. Therefore, the atomic-level surface characteristics dictate interfacial water structures which determine CO2-water-kaolinite contact angle. Our study provides important insights into the effect of surface heterogeneity on interfacial water structures, and kaolinite gibbsite and edge surface wettability which is crucial to the optimization of GCS processes.

Tackling Unintended Consequences of EU Sanctions: NGOs' Advocacy for Humanitarian Exceptions

AbstractSanctions are increasingly prominent foreign policy tools, but research on the policy process that leads to specific sanction design is limited. Sanctions can have unintended effects on the provision of humanitarian aid in sanctioned countries, which has led to calls for humanitarian exceptions in sanction design. This study focuses on non‐governmental organizations' (NGOs) advocacy for a humanitarian perspective on European Union (EU) sanctions in the period 2020–2021. Building on the Advocacy Coalition Framework and the triangulation of qualitative data sources including interviews and document analysis, this study describes an advocacy coalition of humanitarian NGOs in Brussels, their advocacy strategies and the effectiveness of these strategies. The analysis highlights the coalition's common policy beliefs and documents three advocacy strategies: coalition building, knowledge leadership and lobbying. The analysis then traces the link between these strategies and recent policy changes, namely, clearer European Commission guidelines on the implementation of humanitarian derogations. This policy change was further facilitated by policy brokers and an external shock, the Covid‐19 pandemic. The findings shed light on an understudied design feature of sanctions, i.e., humanitarian exceptions, and on the role of non‐governmental actors in shaping sanction designs.

Thermal bridging effect enhancing heat transport across graphene interfaces with pinhole defects

Interfacial thermal conductance (G) is of critical significance to the efficient thermal management of two-dimensional (2D) material devices. Despite the importance of defects engineering in tuning G, the mechanisms of heat transport across defective graphene interfaces remain unclear. In this study, we have identified and demonstrated the origins of the enhanced heat transport across pinhole defective graphene through our ultrafast pump-probe measurements and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In prior work, the enhanced G across defective graphene interfaces was commonly attributed to the improved overlap of phonon density of states (DOS) or interfacial coupling strength. We, however, observe a remarkable 2.5-fold increase in heat conduction and a distinctly different temperature dependence of G for defective graphene with the same superstrate and substrate material, compared to pristine graphene. In contrast, interfaces with different superstrate and substrate materials show only minor changes (<15%) in thermal conductance after introducing defects in the graphene layer. Through careful analysis of our MD simulations for various defective graphene interfaces, we conclude that, contradictory to common beliefs, it is the formation of direct contact thermal bridge, instead of the improvement in the phonon DOS overlap or interfacial coupling strength, that has a decisive effect and promotes heat transport across defective graphene interfaces. The differing impacts of the thermal bridge on G of defective graphene sandwiched by layers of the same and different materials are primarily attributed to the varying coupling strength between the substrate and superstrate. Our work provides important insights and physical understandings of the mechanisms of heat conduction across defective graphene interfaces.

Macroscopic low-friction via twinning assisted lattice reconstruction in magnesium

One-fourth of the global energy losses are spent to overcome friction, making it particularly important to reduce and minimize friction between contacting materials. Hexagonal close-packed (HCP) metals are an important class of structural materials. It has not been possible to reduce their friction, primarily because of friction-induced dislocation slip and twinning. Here, we find particularly low friction when sliding perpendicular to the a-axis on the basal plane in HCP Mg single crystals. This is in contrast to the common belief that friction is small along the preferred dislocation slip direction (a-axis). This macroscopic low-friction stems from twinning assisted lattice reconstruction sharing a common rotation axis, confirmed by atomistic simulations and strain energy analysis. While sliding along the a-axis and other directions, 〈c + a〉 dislocation activity accounts for high frictional resistance. By unambiguously decoupling the contributions of dislocation slip and twinning, this discovery reveals potential opportunities in mitigating the energy dissipation at tribological interfaces of HCP metals, e.g. through crystallographic texture design.

Comparison of Two-Wheel and Four-Wheel Steering Using Event-Triggered Predictive Motion Control and Scale Vehicles

Abstract This study compares the trajectory tracking performance of two- and four-wheel steering systems, especially under normal driving conditions. Specifically, the lateral motion is controlled by an event-triggered model predictive control (MPC), which activates either when consecutive control steps surpass the predictive horizon or when tracking error exceeds a predetermined lateral offset. Using a modified 1/10th scale Tamiya TT-02 RC car as a test platform, the tracking performance of both two- and four-wheel systems are evaluated. Results from the experiments highlight the better tracking performance of the four-wheel steering system over the traditional two-wheel systems and demonstrate the benefit of using event-triggered MPC for lateral motion control even under normal driving conditions, contrary to common belief that four-wheel steering systems are beneficial only in tight steering maneuvers.

“Fighting to Be a Real Man”: Constructions of Respectability and Contestations among African Migrant Men in Johannesburg

ABSTRACT Migrants have largely been viewed as forging solidaristic relationships in host countries as a response to unwelcoming attitudes from local populations. Yet, because they are gendered social actors embedded in multiple and diverse relationships within these contexts, they engage in identity constructions that sometimes result in contestations among them. In this article I show how divergent constructions of masculine respectability disrupt relations among African migrant men in Johannesburg. Based on individual in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 20 young men from Ghana, Nigeria, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), I show that common beliefs about the provider role allow for homosocial bonding among them. However, in mobilising elements of distinction hinged on multiple intersectionalities such as age, marital and fatherhood statuses, work ethic around industriousness and laziness, class and economic hierarchisation, and educational levels, the men create and co-create each other as respectable entities, resulting in intra- and intergroup contestations. These findings contribute to research on men and African migration by exposing the complexities in migrant–migrant relations in the social spaces that masculine identities occupy in host countries. The article also nuances dominant narratives of local–migrant masculine contestations, particularly those associated with xenophobic attitudes in South Africa.

Reappraisal of plane wall jet self-similarity

There is a general consensus that the characteristic velocity and length scales for a plane wall jet exhibit power law with distance downstream of the jet nozzle/slot, x; however, no definitive values are given for the power-law exponents. In view of this, plane wall jet self-similarity is reappraised using a compilation of experimental and direct numerical data of plane wall jets. The plots of compensated distributions of the maximum velocity Umax and length y1/2, the location where the velocity is equal to Umax/2 in the outer part of the flow, reveal that these variables follow the power laws Umax∼y1/2n and y1/2∼xm, where n∼−1/2 and m∼1, which comply with self-similarity solutions. While n∼−1/2 is in agreement with the existing results, the linear growth of y1/2 contrasts with the common belief that m should be less than 1. It is argued that the limited ranges of x and Reynolds numbers (Re) used in the previous studies prevent this latter behavior to be observed. This behavior emerges when these data are compiled into a single set, allowing a reasonable range of x and Re. It is further observed that only one velocity scale, either Umax or uτ, the friction velocity, is needed for the outer region, which complies with a requirement imposed by self-similarity under a linear growth y1/2. In the inner region, either ν/uτ or y1/2,in (the location where the velocity is equal to Umax/2 in the inner part) can be used as a scaling velocity, while uτ should be the adequate scaling velocity. The present analysis provides some support to the argument that scaling could be universal, at least when the Reynolds number is large enough and the flow is allowed to evolve over a very long distance.

Adverse drug reaction after application of Amapachana upanaha (~poultice application): An observation

It is the most common belief in Indians that herbal drugs are completely safe and do not produce any adverse effects. However, this belief is not always true. A case of Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) after the application of an Ayurveda formulation is presented in this case report. An 82-year-old male patient, a resident of Belagavi, with a history of hypertension, presented to Ayurveda hospital with complaints of pain in bilateral knee joints for the last two months that aggravated since last week. As per Ayurveda parameters, he was diagnosed with a case of Sandhigata vata (~vitiated Vata dosha in joints; National Ayurveda Morbidity Code: AAE-16) comparable to osteoarthritis. He was admitted to the inpatient department on March 28, 2022, and after taking consent, Ayurveda treatment was started. Amapachana upanaha (~poultice application) over the bilateral knee joints was one among the treatment procedures followed in the case. On the second day of treatment (March 30, 2022), he suddenly developed reddish discoloration and the appearance of boils over the bilateral knee joint after the administration of Amapachana upanaha. The patient was managed with external application of Shatadhouta ghrita (~processed ghee) over the affected part along with internal administration of tablet Laghusootashekara vati (1600 mg) twice a day for three days for the suspected ADR. After three days of therapeutic intervention, blisters and discoloration were reduced and the patient was discharged on April 4, 2022, with internal follow-up medications for the next 15 days. This case report highlights the importance of preassessment and awareness toward the careful use of Ayurveda medicines like that of contemporary medications to address such ADRs.

Acts of Self-Representation: Nazi-Fascist Wartime Cultural Diplomacy

This article probes culture as a site of both cooperation and rivalry by examining two exhibitions, of 1939 and 1942, which were jointly supported by Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy. These under-researched exhibitions reveal how the two regimes shared a common belief in culture as a tool of mobilization, but differed in their visions of race, culture, ideology and war.

Personality Discrimination and the Wrongness of Hiring Based on Extraversion

AbstractEmployers sometimes use personality tests in hiring or specifically look for candidates with certain personality traits such as being social, outgoing, active, and extraverted. Therefore, they hire based on personality, specifically extraversion in part at least. The question arises whether this practice is morally permissible. We argue that, in a range of cases, it is not. The common belief is that, generally, it is not permissible to hire based on sex or race, and the wrongness of such hiring practices is based on two widely accepted principles: the Relevance Principle and the Fairness Principle. The Relevance Principle states that hiring should be based on what is relevant to job performance, while the Fairness Principle states that hiring should be based on features that individuals can control. Since hiring based on sex or race violates these principles, it is wrong. However, we argue that, in a range of cases, hiring based on extraversion also violates these principles, and assuming the validity of the Relevance and the Fairness Principles, it follows that personality discrimination is morally wrong in those cases.

Analysis of Differences in Common Superstitious Beliefs among Students of Ibb University: A Variable-based Study

يهدف البحث إلى تحليل الفروق في مستوى الاعتقاد وفقا لمتغيرات كثيرة أهمها , الجنس , والسكن والتخصص والمستوى الدراسي . وقد تم تناول المحاور التالية : المقدمة – مشكلة البحث – أهمية البحث وأهدافه – مصطلحات البحث – دراسات سابقة - إجراءات البحث -نتائج البحث ,وتوصل البحث إلى جملة من النتائج أهمها :إن الطلبة الذكور أكثر اعتقادا بالمعتقدات الخرافية مقارنة بالطالبات الإناث .وأن التعليم الجامعي لا يؤثر إيجابا في التقليل من الاعتقاد بالمعتقدات الخرافية بدليل أن الطالب يخرج من الجامعة كما دخل إليها ولا فرق في ذلك بين طلبة الاختصاصات العلمية وطلبة الاختصاصات الإنسانية وهذا مؤشر خطير وغير مقبول منطقيا.

Consistency of Feces Affects Defecatory Function.

It is a common belief that constipated patients have hard feces that contributes to the difficulties defecating. To the best of our knowledge, no studies had been published on controlled evacuation of simulated feces with different consistencies. Twelve normal subjects were recruited for studies with the simulated feces device "Fecobionics" of different consistency (silicone shore 0A-40A corresponding to Bristol stool form scale types 2-4). The subjects filled out questionnaires and had the balloon expulsion test and anorectal manometry done for reference. The Fecobionics probes were inserted in rectum in random order with +20 minutes between insertions. The bag was filled to urge-to-defecate and evacuations took place in privacy. Non-parametric statistics with median and quartiles are provided. One subject was excluded due to technical issues, and another had abnormal anorectal manometry-balloon expulsion test. The 4 females/6 males subjects were aged 23 (range 20-48) years. Most differences were observed between the 0A and 10A probe (duration, maximum bag pressure, duration x maximum bag pressure, and relaxation of the front pressure and the bend angle during evacuation), eg, the duration was 9 (8-12) seconds at 0A and 18 (12-21) seconds at 10A (P < 0.05), and maximum bag pressure was 107 (96-116) cmH2O at 0A and 140 (117-162) cmH2O at 10A (P < 0.05). The bend angle before evacuation differed between the probes whereas only the 10A differed from 40A during defecation. The 10A was harder to evacuate than the 0A probe. Except for the bend angles, no further significant change was observed from 10A to 40A. Fecal consistency affects defecatory parameters.

Apologists for Spanish intolerance and the dawn of the “black Legend”, 1556–1665

ABSTRACT The image of Spain as the epitome of religious intolerance is believed to have been constructed by Spain’s enemies during the reign of Philip II, and later disseminated by Enlightenment and liberal writers. This common belief conceals vast evidence that early modern apologists of Spain insistently claimed that the kings, inquisitors, and people of Spain exceeded any others in religious intolerance. By revealing the similarities between Habsburg Spain propaganda and the Enlightenment narrative, this article suggests that ideas evolve through history in less linear and obvious paths that is often assumed, and that the same tropes can serve both to exalt and vilify the same collective identity.