Communication Across Cultures: From Cultural Awareness to Reconciliation of the Dilemmas

In this globalising world there is a growing need for understanding different types and forms of interaction between people in intercultural environments, i.e. working places, cities, etc. This implies that people refer more and more to various communication models and practices to fully master communication across cultures. These models ultimately lead to applying best practices in intercultural communication. One of the most popular models in the one developed by Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner. In this paper we first review the concept of culture related to this model. Second, we present the 7 dimensions of the model. Finally, we review the reconciliation theory as presented by Hampden-Turner & Trompenaars.Intercultural communication, Reconciliation model, Dilemmas, Intercultural context

Detection of flour or farina from Triticum aestivum in macaroni by starch-gel electrophoresis of water-soluble proteins

A water-soluble protein component, A, has been found which appears without exception at a higher concentration in Triticum aestivum than in T. durum. Quantitation of A is achieved by referring the height of densitogram peak A to the height of peak B, which corresponds to a second component that is present in all varieties studied from both species. Extreme valúes of peak height ratio (PHR) in both species are tentatively established. On the basis of these valúes, the máximum and minimum possible contents of T. aestivum in a mixture are expressed as a function of PHR. All the varieties of T. aestivum studied are detected when they contribute more than 60% to the mixture. In over 90% of all possible binary combinations between varieties of T. aestivum and T. durum, the máximum proportion of undetected T. aestivum has been 30%

Effects of homeopathic and antibiotic mastitis treatment considering mediumterm parameters in an organic dairy herd

Introduction: Homeopathic treatment is a common method against bovine mastitis in organic herds. In a study conducted in a large biodyn farm in Brandenburg (D) considering 261 cases of acute or chronical mastitis, we used four different combinations of homeopathic remedies depending on clinical state of the mastitis (e.g. general findings, pain, swelling or secretion). The remedies were administrated orally. The control group was treated with antibiotics intracisternally for three days at minimum until the cow was clinically cured or defined as therapy failure. While the cure rate was calculated from clinical and laboratory data (bacterial findings and somatic cell count), the further development of the treated cows during the lactation was confirmed using monthly provided somatic cell counts of cows, mastitis and culling data. Results: We found an overall cure rate (complete healing) after administration of homeopathic remedies (H) of 21.7 % compared to 35.8 % in the antibiotically treated control group (A). Though there was an obviously poor treatment success in the homeopathy group, we found no remarkable depression of general udder health in the herd. So it was fair to assume that there must exist positive mediumterm effects of homeopathic remedies. We compared the parameters "Remain in Lactation (RIL)", "Acceptable Cell Count (ACC; < 200.000/ ml)" and analysed the reasons of culling or leaving production by other reasons. We found that there were no differences in RIL (H: 26 % vs. A: 24 %) and ACC (14 % vs. 10 %) in general six month after treatment. The risk of unsuccessful homeopathic treatment during the observing time only was higher in cases of Staph. aureus mastitis and in cows in second lactation. The most important fact was that treated cows which were classified as- subclinical infected 3 weeks after treatment- (n = 35) showed the best relative mediumterm results in the homeopathatic treatment group (ACC: 10 % vs. 0 %; RIL: 29 % vs. 7 %). We conclude that maybe the time frame of 3 weeks after treatment is not suitable to describe the effects of regulatory (homeopathic) mastitis treatment. The mediumterm effects at least six months after treatment are comparable to those after antibiotic administration. We suppose that it is possible to keep the udder health standard in a herd avoiding antibiotics

Altenberg Lieder op. 4: El homenaje de Alban Berg al genio vienés.

Sin resume

Developing Targeted Interventions to Advance Maternal Health in a Geographic Medicaid Accountable Care Organization: Lessons From the Implementation of Camden Delivers

Through the design and launch of Camden Delivers the Coalition developed targeted interventions within an ACO infrastructure to advance maternal health in a Medicaid-covered population. Key insights from this process include the need to:* Utilize data to understand community need and design interventions around that need* Establish a population health surveillance system to produce actionable data to intervene with a complex population* Institute a tiered intervention system targeted to identified need, and* Leverage and coordinate across existing resources in the community to reduce duplication.Going forward, with the infrastructure developed by the Coalition to collect and review health data, along with the intricate web of community partners and resources, the next step in this program is to enhance feedback loops between partners and to help navigate patients seamlessly between partners during the highly fragmented experience of managing a pregnancy and healthcare during the interconception period. A formal network of communication between patients, case workers, care managers, providers and community resources through more sophisticated use of data and convening will allow us to support vulnerable patients in an even more effective manner. The Coalition looks forward to playing this convener role and working across groups to the end of better care management services and improved health for women of maternal age in Camden

Gamma-ray Emission From Advection-Dominated Accretion Flows Around Black Holes: Application to the Galactic Center

We calculate the flux and spectrum of \gamma-rays emitted by a two-temperature advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF) around a black hole. The \gamma-rays are from the decay of neutral pions produced through proton-proton collisions. We discuss both thermal and power-law distributions of proton energies and show that the \gamma-ray spectra in the two cases are very different. We apply the calculations to the \gamma-ray source, 2EG J1746-2852, detected by EGRET from the direction of the Galactic Center. We show that the flux and spectrum of this source are consistent with emission from an ADAF around the supermassive accreting black hole Sgr A^* if the proton distribution is a power-law. The model uses accretion parameters within the range made likely by other considerations. If this model is correct, it provides evidence for the presence of a two temperature plasma in Sgr A^*, and predicts \gamma-ray fluxes from other accreting black holes which could be observed with more sensitive detectors.Comment: 19 pages (Latex), 4 Figures. ApJ 486. Revised Tables and Figure

Homöopathie statt Antibiotika: Feldstudie liefert erste Resultate

Nach gut zwei Jahren konnte in Brodowin (Brandenburg) eine groß angelegte deutsch-schweizerische Feldstudie abgeschlossen werden. An einer Herde von 350 Milchkühen wollten die Tierklinik der FU Berlin und das FiBL testen, ob die Homöopathie in der Behandlung von Euterentzündungen eine taugliche Alternative zu den Antibiotika bieten kann. Die Wirksamkeit der in dieser Studie angewendeten Homöopathika kann unter den gegebenen Betriebsbedingungen in der Mastitistherapie als sehr wahrscheinlich angesehen werden. Es lassen sich im Vergleich zur Antibiose befriedigende bakteriologische Heilungsraten erzielen, die für die Lieferfähigkeit der Milch von vorrangigem Interesse sind. Die insgesamt unbefriedigenden vollständigen Heilerfolge lassen sich durch die Gabe eines homöopathischen Prophylaktikums vor dem Trockenstellen und zur Geburt verbessern, insbesondere bei antibiotischer Therapie. Auch die Kombination aus homöopathischer und antibiotischer Trockenstellprophylaxe führt zu weniger Mastitiden in der Folgelaktation. Dieses Ergebnis erscheint auf den ersten Blick aus Sicht der Biolandwirtschaft nicht befriedigend, bietet aber Anlass zur Diskussion. Offenbar ist die homöopathische Behandlung allein nicht immer in der Lage, eine latente Mastitis vollständig auszuheilen. Die Kombination mit der Antibiose führt möglicherweise zu einer gleichzeitigen exogenen und endogenen Beeinflussung der Euterschleimhaut. Somit scheint es notwendig zu sein, in weiteren Forschungsprojekten Alternativen zur exogenen Therapie (statt Antibiose) zu konzipieren

Are Particles in Advection-Dominated Accretion Flows Thermal?

We investigate the form of the momentum distribution function for protons and electrons in an advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF). We show that for all accretion rates, Coulomb collisions are too inefficient to thermalize the protons. The proton distribution function is therefore determined by the viscous heating mechanism, which is unknown. The electrons, however, can exchange energy quite efficiently through Coulomb collisions and the emission and absorption of synchrotron photons. We find that for accretion rates greater than \sim 10^{-3} of the Eddington accretion rate, the electrons have a thermal distribution throughout the accretion flow. For lower accretion rates, the electron distribution function is determined by the electron's source of heating, which is primarily adiabatic compression. Using the principle of adiabatic invariance, we show that an adiabatically compressed collisionless gas maintains a thermal distribution until the particle energies become relativistic. We derive a new, non-thermal, distribution function which arises for relativistic energies and provide analytic formulae for the synchrotron radiation from this distribution. Finally, we discuss its implications for the emission spectra from ADAFs.Comment: 29 pages (Latex), 3 Figures. Submitted to Ap

Are homeopathics able to replace antibiotics in the therapy of bovine mastitis? A placebo controlled randomized double-blind trial

To evaluate the effects of homeopathics on clinical mastitis cows and herd udder health this investigation was conducted in a Brandenburg bio-dyn herd of about 300 cows in two phases using a randomized doubleblind control trial design. After the first part in July 2002 the results preliminarily were evaluated and then the whole concept due to unsatisfying results was adapted. In Phase 1 a number of 121 clinical mastitis cases with 137 affected quarters matched the including criteria, in Phase 2 the number was 126 cows with 148 quarters. These animals were allocated to a code number which classified the case to Verum (n=65 and n=60) or placebo group (n=56 and n=66). In case of clinical mastitis cows were treated either by the oral dilution contending the required combined homeopathics or placebo. Animals were treated twice a day for 5 to 14 days (Phase 2: 1 to 7 days) depending on development of disease. In case of therapy failure in Phase 1 all animals were treated by an not coded homeopathic preparation and in Phase 2 by antibiotics according to bacteriological findings. Milk samples (double samples) for bacteriological and cell count investigation were taken before treatment (M1), 4 to 5 weeks after treatment termination (M2) and 7 to 8 weeks after treatment termination (M3). To evaluate the herd situation additional samples were taken after calving and before dry off. Healing criteria on the cow level was the clinical cure without secondary therapy and release to production. On quarter level the cure was determined by bacterial findings (BCR) and additional by cytological findings. A quarter was determined as „completely cured“, if no bacteria were found AND the cell count was below 100.000/ml. To assess the reduction of antibiotics within the concept it was hypothetically assumed that the mastitis cows had an average milk yield of 20,5 kg per day, was treated under conventional conditions by antibiotics over 3 days with a mean withdrawal time of 5 days (organic conditions x2). Afterwards, these theoretical values were compared to the extrapolated antibiotics input within our concept. Results While there is no difference between the cows in phase 1, on quarter level the verum group showed a significant higher complete cure rate than placebo group in Phase 2. These results are balanced by additional antibiotics treatment in case of therapy failure in the placebo group. The complete cure rate in the verum group after 8 weeks was 32% compared to 13% in placebo group (p<0.05). The limited cure results in single cows did not lead to an udder health depression of the herd. During the study the mean of somatic cell count could decreased by 100.000 cells/ml while the milk yield increased slightly by 250 kg/cow to 6.500 kg/cow/year. The number of actual antibiotic treatments during observation time compared to the number of mastitis cases which would be treated by antibiotics under conventionel conditions showed a reduction by 75%. The extrapolated reduction of milk loss by withdrawal was 25.000kg and the reduction of contaminated milk during treatment time was 13.100 kg per year for the herd. Discussion and Conclusions The increasing cure rates in the second part of the study are influenced by the enhancement of environmental preconditions in combination with the simplified therapy scheme. The therapists seemed to be more familiar with the fixed combinations of homeopathics so that positive effects of the homeopathics can be seen in this phase. After additional antibiotic treatments in case of therapy failure in specific infections (i.e. streptococci and staph. aureus) the cure rates could be elevated to a satisfying level. This fact shows that the limited and controlled use of antibiotics in organic herds can be helpful in the mastitis control. Regardless the conceptual modification to an antibiotic emergency concept, the massive reduction of antibiotics in combination with an increase of herd udder health justifies the therapy protocol in the second phase of the study. Hypothetically, the self cure of the animals is higher than known. The interaction between farmer or therapist and the cow could be a crucial criterion for the positive development of disease. As a conclusion, the integrated system consisting of preventive herd measures and complementary therapy added by limited antibiotic therapy. The precondition for the success is the attendance to optimize environmental conditions. The therapy system should be transparent, simple and easy to use. However, it is necessary to reflect every single mastitis case as a special one