Truth and Post-Truth in Public Policy

The phenomenon of post-truth poses a problem for the public policy-oriented sciences, including policy analysis. Along with “fake news,” the post-truth denial of facts constitutes a major concern for numerous policy fields. Whereas a standard response is to call for more and better factual information, this Element shows that the effort to understand this phenomenon has to go beyond the emphasis on facts to include an understanding of the social meanings that get attached to facts in the political world of public policy. The challenge is thus seen to be as much about a politics of meaning as it is about epistemology. The analysis here supplements the examination of facts with an interpretive policy-analytic approach to gain a fuller understanding of post-truth. The importance of the interpretive perspective is illustrated by examining the policy arguments that have shaped policy controversies related to climate change and coronavirus denial.

Dynamic analysis of biogas tank

Global warming is a phenomenon that makes us increasingly aware of the importance of protecting nature. Lack of drinking water and waste disposal belong to today’s biggest problem. This is the main reason why we try to recycle, use more renewable energy sources and treat waste ecologically. Drinking water tanks, sludge tanks for wastewater treatment and also tanks for biogas production, so-called fermenters, are becoming gradually more important. For built-up areas, respecting space usability, it is more appropriate to design tanks with a rectangular floor plan (so-called rectangular tanks). We can also use a system of rectangular tanks and thus achieve the most efficient use of space that is intended for them. In this article will be determined whether the proposed rectangular tank, intended for biogas production, has bearing capacity for dynamic loads. Construction of the tank itself must respect the design of the structure, as well as the building material, in order to prevent damage to its structure caused by the filling (it may also contain substances that could contaminate the environment and groundwater). This will ensure the integrity and load-bearing capacity of the tank and there is no risk of leakage. Selected tank is loaded with a standard response spectrum to see how it deforms, using finite element analysis in program ANSYS.

Optimization of the Mechanical Properties and the Cytocompatibility for the PMMA Nanocomposites Reinforced with the Hydroxyapatite Nanofibers and the Magnesium Phosphate Nanosheets

Commercial poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA)-based cement is currently used in the field of orthopedics. However, it suffers from lack of bioactivity, mechanical weakness, and monomer toxicity. In this study, a PMMA-based cement nanocomposite reinforced with hydroxyapatite (HA) nanofibers and two-dimensional (2D) magnesium phosphate MgP nanosheets was synthesized and optimized in terms of mechanical property and cytocompatibility. The HA nanofibers and the MgP nanosheets were synthesized using a hydrothermal homogeneous precipitation method and tuning the crystallization of the sodium-magnesium-phosphate ternary system, respectively. Compressive strength and MTT assay tests were conducted to evaluate the mechanical property and the cytocompatibility of the PMMA-HA-MgP nanocomposites prepared at different ratios of HA and MgP. To optimize the developed nanocomposites, the standard response surface methodology (RSM) design known as the central composite design (CCD) was employed. Two regression models generated by CCD were analyzed and compared with the experimental results, and good agreement was observed. Statistical analysis revealed the significance of both factors, namely, the HA nanofibers and the MgP nanosheets, in improving the compressive strength and cell viability of the PMMA-MgP-HA nanocomposite. Finally, it was demonstrated that the HA nanofibers of 7.5% wt and the MgP nanosheets of 6.12% wt result in the PMMA-HA-MgP nanocomposite with the optimum compressive strength and cell viability.

Validation of the IMWG standard response criteria in the PETHEMA/GEM2012MENOS65 study: are these times of change?

Key Points Depth of standard response criteria after treatment intensification has limited prognostic value in transplant-eligible MM patients Persistence of MRD before maintenance eliminates survival differences across transplant-eligible MM patients in sCR, CR, VGPR and even PR

On logicality and natural logic

In this paper we focus on the logicality of language, i.e. the idea that the language system contains a deductive device to exclude analytic constructions. Puzzling evidence for the logicality of language comes from acceptable contradictions and tautologies. The standard response in the literature involves assuming that the language system only accesses analyticities that are due to skeletons as opposed to standard logical forms. In this paper we submit evidence in support of alternative accounts of logicality, which reject the stipulation of a natural logic and assume instead the meaning modulation of nonlogical terms.

Curve Number Estimation for Ungauged Watershed in Semi-Arid Region

The Benanain Watershed is located in East Nusa Tenggara with an area of 3,181 km2 and is divided into 29 sub-watersheds. The East Nusa Tenggara itself is an eastern region of Indonesia with a unique climate condition called semi-arid. The high rainfall intensity occurring in short duration results in large surface runoff and erosion. Floods and erosion in semi-arid areas due to sensitive soils to drought and heavy rainfall extremely. This paper presents the application of the Soil Conservation Services-Curve Number (SCS-CN) real-flood flows through a digital map of soil type, land use, topography, and the heterogeneity of physical condition, especially for ungauged watersheds. The method used is an approach empirical to estimate runoff from the relationship between rainfall, land use, and soil hydrology groups. This watershed has a large area that must analyze every sub-watershed. The land-use of the Benanain watershed is secondary dryland forest by 44.26% and the hydrological soil group on the B group classification with medium to high absorption potential by 46.502% from the total area. The curve number value of the Benanain Watershed ranges from 56.54 to 73.90, where the mean CN value of 65.32. The rainfall (mm) for the 29 sub-watersheds in the Benanain Watershed has decreased by about 74.65% when being surface runoff or only 25.35% of water becomes surface runoff. The relationship between rainfall depth and CN is classified as standard response and trend line (flat slope) equilibrium occurs when rainfall depth value of 56.71 mm and CN is close to 66.30. The high variability of intense rainfall between the rainy season and the dry season had a significant influence on the curve number value in a large watershed area. Further analysis will be more accurate if it is supported by long rainfall data and observation runoff data as a control. Doi: 10.28991/cej-2021-03091711 Full Text: PDF

Incompatibility and the pessimistic induction: a challenge for selective realism

Two powerful arguments have famously dominated the realism debate in philosophy of science: The No Miracles Argument (NMA) and the Pessimistic Meta-Induction (PMI). A standard response to the PMI is selective scientific realism (SSR), wherein only the working posits of a theory are considered worthy of doxastic commitment. Building on the recent debate over the NMA and the connections between the NMA and the PMI, I here consider a stronger inductive argument that poses a direct challenge for SSR: Because it is sometimes exactly the working posits which contradict each other, i.e., that which is directly responsible for empirical success, SSR cannot deliver a general explanation of scientific success.

Kepercayaan Dimediasi Kepuasan Pasien terhadap Citra Rumah Sakit

Establishing an excellent hospital image is critical as many people are still experiencing trust issues for hospitals in Indonesia, especially in major cities. A hospital's image comes from its quality of service, the patient's trust in the quality of service, and the patient's satisfaction. This study tries to provide empirical evidence on the effect of quality of service and patient confidence on the hospital's image mediated by patient satisfaction. A quantitative - causality research method is used. Primary data was taken from survey to patients who are taking drugs in the outpatient pharmacy installation unit at Taman Sari Hospital, West Jakarta. This research uses AMOS-path analysis, and the results showed the quality of service and patient's trust had a positive and significant effect on the hospital's image with patient satisfaction as an intervening variable. Partially, the quality of service has a positive and significant effects on both patient satisfaction and hospital image. Patient confidence has a significant positive effect on patient satisfaction but it is insignificant to the hospital's image. Research findings show that a patient's trust has a positive impact on the hospital's image when mediated by patient satisfaction. Suggestions from this research are conducting training, i.e. speed training not to exceed the standard response time as well as competency, skills training and service excellence training for pharmaceutical personnel. Improving the quality of pharmacy facilities such as waiting rooms to make it more comfortable is also suggested

An Illustrative Analysis of Atypical Gas Production Profiles Obtained from In Vitro Digestibility Studies Using Fecal Inoculum

Gas production profiles typically show a monotonically increasing monophasic pattern. However, atypical gas production profiles exist whereby at least two consecutive phases of gas production or additional extraneous features that distort the typical profile are present. Such profiles are more likely to occur with the use of a fecal inoculum and are much less well described. The presence of multiple phases or non-descript extraneous features makes it difficult to apply directly recommended modeling approaches such as standard response functions or classical growth functions. To overcome such difficulties, extensions of the Mitscherlich equation and a numerical modeling option also based on the Mitscherlich are explored. The numerical modeling option uses an estimate of relative rate obtained from the smoothed data profile and an estimate of maximum gas produced together with any lag time information drawn from the raw data to construct a simple Mitscherlich equation. In summary, this article illustrates the analysis of atypical gas production profiles obtained using a fecal inoculum and explores the methodology of numerical modeling to reconstruct equivalent typical growth-like trends.