Uberzeugender Beweis aus der Vernunft von der Unsterblichkeit sowohl der Menschen Seelen insgemein, als besonders der Kinder-Seelen

Israel Gottlieb Canz’s Uberzeugender Beweiß, first published in 1741 and reprinted here in its second, expanded edition stands as his most influential discussion of the soul’s immortality, with one contemporary pronouncing it to be “one of the best [treatments of immortality] that we have.” In this text, Canz seeks to augment and supplement traditional Wolffian proofs by considering, first, the grounds for the soul’s immortality that are contained in its own nature and, second, the grounds for the same that are found in God. In addition, Canz extends his treatment to include a detailed discussion of the souls of children and he offers speculations concerning the soul’s condition in the afterlife. On account of its systematic presentation and original argumentation, Canz’s Beweiß represents a key contribution to Leibniz-Wolffian rational psychology, and through the critical reaction it generated it would help shape the debate concerning the soul’s immortality for years after its original publication

Leibniz's Wolffian Psychology

In this paper, I attempt to trace the broader contours of a putative Leibnizian psychology by adopting the rather unusual, and perhaps historically dubious, strategy of outlining the continuities between Leibniz’s discussion of the soul and the much more detailed and systematic psychological writings of his German successor, Christian Wolff

Between Wolffianism and Pietism: Baumgarten's Rational Psychology

In this paper, I consider Baumgarten’s views on the soul in the context of the Pietist critique of Wolff’s rational psychology. My primary aim is to account for the largely unacknowledged differences between Wolff’s and Baumgarten’s rational psychology, though I also hope to show that, in some cases, the Pietists were rather more perceptive in their reading of Wolff than they are typically given credit for as their criticisms frequently succeed in drawing attention to significant omissions in Wolff’s discussion

The Function of Derivation and the Derivation of Functions: A Review of Schulting’s Kant’s Deduction and Apperception

In this review essay, I raise three principal concerns relating to Schulting’s project of deriving the categories from apperception as elaborated in his recent book Kant’s Deduction and Apperception (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012). First, I claim that Schulting overlooks a key ambiguity relating to ‘ableiten’ and which contrasts with his strictly logical understanding of that term. Second, I dispute on textual and philosophical grounds Schulting’s characterization of the subject’s consciousness of its own identity in terms of the analytic unity of apperception. Finally, I raise an objection to Schulting’s account of the derivation of the concept of substance from apperception, as I claim that at best Kant allows that the logical function underlying this category (rather than the category itself) can be so derived, and I note that this objection can be extrapolated to apply to the other derivations of the categories Schulting offers

Calorie restriction and resveratrol in cardiovascular health and disease

AbstractCalorie restriction is one of the most effective nutritional interventions that reproducibly protects against obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Recent evidence suggests that even when implemented over a short period, calorie restriction is a safe and effective treatment for cardiovascular disease. Herein, we review the effects of calorie restriction on the cardiovascular system as well as the biological effects of resveratrol, the most widely studied molecule that appears to mimic calorie restriction. An overview of microarray data reveals that the myocardial transcriptional effects of calorie restriction overlap with the transcriptional responses to resveratrol treatment. In addition, calorie restriction and resveratrol modulate similar pathways to improve mitochondrial function, reduce oxidative stress and increase nitric oxide production that are involved in atherosclerosis prevention, blood pressure reduction, attenuation of left-ventricular hypertrophy, resistance to myocardial ischemic injury and heart failure prevention. We also review the data that suggest that the effects of calorie restriction and resveratrol on the cardiovascular system may involve signaling through the silent information regulator of transcription (SIRT), Akt and the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathways. While accumulating data demonstrate the health benefits of calorie restriction and resveratrol in experimental animal models, whether these interventions translate to patients with cardiovascular disease remains to be determined

Theoretical energies of low-lying states of light helium-like ions

Rigorous quantum electrodynamical calculation is presented for energy levels of the 1^1S, 2^1S, 2^3S, 2^1P_1, and 2^3P_{0,1,2} states of helium-like ions with the nuclear charge Z=3...12. The calculational approach accounts for all relativistic, quantum electrodynamical, and recoil effects up to orders m\alpha^6 and m^2/M\alpha^5, thus advancing the previously reported theory of light helium-like ions by one order in \alpha.Comment: 18 pages, 9 tables, 1 figure, with several misprints correcte

Clinical surveillance of thrombotic microangiopathies in Scotland, 2003-2005

The prevalence, incidence and outcomes of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) and thrombotic thrombocytopaenic purpura (TTP) are not well established in adults or children from prospective studies. We sought to identify both outcomes and current management strategies using prospective, national surveillance of HUS and TTP, from 2003 to 2005 inclusive. We also investigated the links between these disorders and factors implicated in the aetiology of HUS and TTP including infections, chemotherapy, and immunosuppression. Most cases of HUS were caused by verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC), of which serotype O157 predominated, although other serotypes were identified. The list of predisposing factors for TTP was more varied although use of immunosuppressive agents and severe sepsis, were the most frequent precipitants. The study demonstrates that while differentiating between HUS and TTP is sometimes difficult, in most cases the two syndromes have quite different predisposing factors and clinical parameters, enabling clinical and epidemiological profiling for these disorders

The Proof-Structure of Kant’s A-Edition Objective Deduction

Kant's A-Edition objective deduction is naturally (and has traditionally been) divided into two arguments: an " argument from above" and one that proceeds " von unten auf." This would suggest a picture of Kant's procedure in the objective deduction as first descending and ascending the same ladder, the better, perhaps, to test its durability or to thoroughly convince the reader of its soundness. There are obvious obstacles to such a reading, however; and in this chapter I will argue that the arguments from above and below constitute different, albeit importantly inter-related, proofs. Rather than drawing on the differences in their premises, however, I will highlight what I take to be the different concerns addressed and, correspondingly, the distinct conclusions reached by each. In particular, I will show that both arguments can be understood to address distinct specters, with the argument from above addressing an internal concern generated by Kant’s own transcendental idealism, and the argument from below seeking to dispel a more traditional, broadly Humean challenge to the understanding’s role in experience. These distinct concerns also imply that these arguments yield distinct conclusions, though I will show that they are in fact complementary

Follow-up study of sensory-motor polyneuropathy in Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic subjects after simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplantation and after graft rejection

The influence of successful simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplantation on peripheral polyneuropathy was investigated in 53 patients for a mean observation period of 40.3 months. Seventeen patients were followed-up for more than 3 years. Symptoms and signs were assessed every 6 months using a standard questionnaire, neurological examination and measurement of sensory and motor nerve conduction velocities. While symptoms of polyneuropathy improved (pain, paraesthesia, cramps, restless-legs) and nerve conduction velocity increased, there was no change of clinical signs (sensation, muscle-force, tendon-reflexes). Following kidney-graft-rejection there was a slight decrease of nerve conduction verlocity during the first year, which was not statistically significant. Following pancreas-graft rejection there was no change of nerve conduction velocity during the first year. Comparing the maximum nerve conduction velocity of the patients with pancreas-graft-rejection to the nerve conduction velocities of these patients at the end of the study, there was a statistically significant decrease of 6.5 m/s. In conclusion, we believe that strict normalization of glucose metabolism alters the progressive course of diabetic polyneuropathy. It may be stabilized or partly reversed after successful grafting even in long-term diabetic patients