The Problem With Sentimental Art

If we feel confident in criticizing art for being sentimental, we ought to be able to precisely state how and why sentimentality is an aesthetic fault. This entails demonstrating that sentimental art fails to perform some function that is essential to art. In this paper I will argue that any critique of sentimental art that does not satisfy such a condition is not a legitimate aesthetic critique. Additionally I will put forth a genuinely aesthetic critique of sentimental art, establishing why sentimentality is an aesthetic fault and why art will be aesthetically flawed to the extent that it is sentimental

Pictorial Communication

The primary goal of my dissertation is to reconcile an anti-intentionalist account of depiction with an intentionalist account of pictorial communication. I begin by providing an account of depiction and then provide an account of communication and, specifically, pictorial communication. Accordingly, I begin by defining depiction, and reject what I call the ``ambiguity view\u27\u27 which holds that terms like ``depiction\u27\u27 and ``representation\u27\u27 are ambiguous. I argue that P depicts O if the design of P visibly manifests O. This definition of depiction sets up the central task for a theory of depiction: to explain how it is possible for a marked surface to facilitate a visual experience as of O. To answer this question I defer, partially, to Dominic Lopes\u27s recognition view. I agree with his claim that a picture, P, depicts something, O, if and only if P is able to trigger the capacity for a suitable perceiver in suitable conditions to recognize an O by its appearance. However, I don’t adopt his second condition which requires a causal connection between O and P. Additionally, I argue that recognition alone does not provide an adequate theory of depiction because it does not explain the visual experience characteristic of engagement with pictures. I suggest that the recognition view should be supplemented by a view that explains visual experience. Specifically, I argue that a picture acts as a functional surrogate for O. The design features ground, sustain and constrain visual experience of O. I argue that by grounding and sustaining a visual experience as of O, while not itself being O, a picture’s design effects an illusion. In the second chapter I discuss communication which I define as an intentional and purposeful activity involving at least two participants: U and A. It is necessarily mediated by a public utterance—symbol, signal, sense bearing sign—that U produces. Communication succeeds when A understands what U means—more precisely what U means by what U says. Based on this Gricean account I arrive at three theses that I expect to inform my discussion of pictorial communication. These are: (a) when a picture is used as a vehicle of communication, its meaning and the goal of pictorial interpretation are determined by the picture maker’s intentions; (b) a picture can bear nonnatural meaning so interpreting it correctly would require recognizing this; and (c) a picture may implicate, or suggest, some meaning over and above its ``literal\u27\u27 meaning. In the second chapter I develop these three theses. The first two are closely related. Insofar as a picture is used as a vehicle of communication it bears nonnatural meaning. A picture’s nonnatural meaning is essentially the embodiment of picture maker’s meaning. So the goal of pictorial interpretation (when the goal is communication) is to identify the picture maker’s meaning. With respect to the third thesis, I consider Catherine Abell’s account of pictorial implicature and reject it on the grounds that it fails to distinguish between what a picture implicates and what it depicts and she holds that the latter determines the former. I distinguish between two kinds of implicature: those that rely on symbolic cues and those that rely on perceptual cues (plus the reality principle and Gricean maxims). A picture’s content furnishes these cues. Pictorial implicatures are generated by depictive content. Nevertheless, what a picture implicates is part of maker’s meaning. Finally, I consider the objections to the claim that communication, as I have described it, is a legitimate goal of pictorial interpretation

Reduced graphene oxide as efficient carbon support for Pd-based ethanol oxidation catalysts in alkaline media

The sluggish kinetics of the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) and the related development of low-cost, highly active and stable anode catalysts still remains the major challenge in alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells (ADEFCs). In this respect, we synthesized a PdNiBi nanocatalyst on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) via a facile synthesis method. The prepared composite catalyst was physicochemically characterized by SEM, STEM, EDX, ICP-OES and XRD to analyze the morphology, particle distribution and size, elemental composition and structure. The electrochemical activity and stability towards EOR in alkaline media were examined using the thin-film rotating disk electrode technique. The results reveal well-dispersed and strongly anchored nanoparticles on the rGO support, providing abundant active sites. The PdNiBi/rGO presents a higher EOR activity and stability compared to a commercial Pd/C ascribed to a high ECSA and synergistic effects between Pd, Ni and Bi and the rGO material. These findings suggest PdNiBi/rGO as a promising anode catalyst in ADEFC applications

Insights into electrochemical dealloying of Cu out of Au-doped Pt-alloy nanoparticles at the sub-nano-scale

Pt alloy nanoparticles present the most probable candidate to be used as the cathode cathodic oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalyst for achieving commercialization targets of the low-temperature fuel cells. It is therefore very important to understand its activation and degradation processes. Besides the ones known from the pure Pt electrocatalysts, the dealloying phenomena possess a great threat since the leached less-noble metal can interact with the polymer membrane or even poison the electrocatalyst. In this study, we present a solution, supported by in-depth advance electrochemical characterization, on how to suppress the removal of Cu from the Pt alloy nanoparticles

Insights into electrochemical dealloying of Cu out of Au-doped Pt-alloy nanoparticles at the sub-nano-scale

Pt alloy nanoparticles present the most probable candidate to be used as the cathode cathodic oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalyst for achieving commercialization targets of the low-temperature fuel cells. It is therefore very important to understand its activation and degradation processes. Besides the ones known from the pure Pt electrocatalysts, the dealloying phenomena possess a great threat since the leached less-noble metal can interact with the polymer membrane or even poison the electrocatalyst. In this study, we present a solution, supported by in-depth advance electrochemical characterization, on how to suppress the removal of Cu from the Pt alloy nanoparticles

Application of strain energy principles

U ovom radu obrađena je tema o potencijalnoj energiji deformacija, točnije o njezinoj primjeni prilikom rješavanja statički neodređenih sustava. Naime, osim uvjeta ravnoteže za statički neodređene sustave potrebno je postaviti i neke dodatne uvjete kako bi se riješio sustav. Ti uvjeti primjenjuju se preko energetskih teorema. U skladu s tim, u radu je najprije definiran rad, a zatim i potencijalna energija koja je jednaka radu vanjskih sila. Obrađeni su teoremi o uzajamnosti radova, uzajamnosti pomaka te Castiglioneov teorem koji ima najveću primjenu prilikom rješavanja statički neodređenih sustava. Objašnjena je i metoda jediničnog opterećenja koja se koristi prilikom određivanja pomaka točaka tijela i princip o minimumu potencijalne energije deformacije tijela. Na kraju su riješena i dva numerička primjera u skladu s teoretskim dijelom rada kako bi se pokazala primjena potencijalne energije deformacija prilikom rješavanja zadataka.This paper deals with the topic of strain deformation energy, more precisely its application in solving statically indeterminate systems. Namely, in addition to the equilibrium conditions for statically indeterminate systems, it is necessary to set some additional conditions in order to solve the system. These conditions are applied through energy theorems. Accordingly, the paper first defines the work, and then the strain energy, which is equal to the work of external forces. Theorems on reciprocity of works, reciprocity of deflection and Castiglian's theorem, which has the greatest application in solving statically indeterminate systems, are discussed. The unit load method used in determining the displacement of body points and the principle of minimum potential deformation energy of a body are also explained. Finally, two numerical examples were solved in accordance with the theoretical part of the paper in order to show the application of strain energy when solving problems

Synthesis development of binary and ternary alloy nanoparticles of platinum on carbon support as electrocatalyst

V času boja proti podnebnim spremembah in za zmanjšanju svetovnih emisij toplogrednih plinov bo uporaba gorivnih celic s protonsko prevodno membrano (PEMFC) igrala pomembno vlogo. Pričakuje se, da bodo PEMFC v prihodnosti v avtomobilski industriji najprej konkurirale in nato zamenjale motor na notranje izgorevanje. Osrčje PEMFC je elektrokatalizator,ki še vedno vsebuje prevelike količine zelo redke surovine –platine (Pt). Trenutno je eden izmednačinovznižanja potrebne Pt kot tudi izboljšanja učinkovitosti za počasno reakcijo redukcije kisika (ORR)je predvsem legiranjez drugimi kovinami prehoda (priprava spojin Pt-MM = Cu, Ni, Co,...). V prvem delu disertacije najprej razrešujemo problem stabilnosti prejšnje generacije PtCu3/C elektrokatalizatorja, in sicer tako, da kristalno strukturo dopiramo z majhno količino zlata (Au). Nato se osredotočamo na razvoj večjih količin osnovnega katalizatorja PtCu3/C, s tem pa na možnost neposrednega ovrednotenja njegovih karakteristik v industrijskem membransko elektrodnem sklopu (MEA). Cilj smo dosegliz razvojem novega pristopa k sicer že znani metodi galvanske izmenjave (GD), ki smo ga poimenovali metoda dvojne pasivacije. Metoda omogoča pripravo velikih količin visoko zmogljivih Pt-M elektrokatalizatorjev, kar je ključno za hitrejši razvoj in komercializacijo PEMFC. Hkratije enostavna, »zelena«, energetsko učinkovita in izjemno ponovljiva. Poleg tega omogoča veliko fleksibilnost v oblikovanju končnega elektrokatalizatorja, kot je na primer možnost spreminjanja žrtvovane kovine (M), spreminjanja kemijske sestavezlitine (Pt:M), spreminjanja skupne količine nanosa kovine (Pt+M) ali pa celo spreminjanja nosilca, ki je sicer po navadiogljikov material. V drugem delu doktoratase posvečamo izboljšanju razumevanja lastnosti in delovanja PtCu3/C elektrokatalizatorja z uporabo naprednih karakterizacijskih tehnik. Na primer, z uporabo in-situsegrevanja v presevnem elektronskem mikroskopu smo izboljšali razumevanje procesov, do katerih prihaja med temperaturno obdelavo vhodnih spojin. Po drugi strani smo z uporabo pretočne elektrokemijske celice, povezane z induktivno sklopljeno plazmo, ki je sklopljena z masnim spektrometrom (PEC-ICP-MS),izboljšali razumevanje o mehanizmih raztapljanja posameznih kovin, ki sestavljajo zlitine Pt-M. Pridobljeno znanje smo uporabili za razvoj nove metode na osnovi ex-situ kemijske aktivacije z uporabo CO(ex-situCA), s katero smo aktivirali PtCu3/C elektrokatalizator pred vgradnjo v MEA. Meritve optimiranega PtCu3/C elektrokatalizatorja v konfiguraciji MEA so pokazale, da ima slednji v primerjavi s Pt/C referenčnim materialom izboljšane elektrokatalitske lastnosti za ORR tudi v realnem okolju PEMFC.In the future, low-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are expected to compete and eventually replace conventional internal combustion engines in the automotive industry. However, the most vital part of PEMFC -the electrocatalyst -still contains too high quantities of the critical raw material, i.e.platinum (Pt). The state-of-the-art approach of lowering the need for Ptas well as improving the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)can be achieved by alloying it with other transition metals(preparation of Pt-MM = Cu, Ni, Co...). In the first part of the Dissertation,wefirstly tackle the stabilityissueof our previousgenerationof thePtCu3/C electrocatalyst viadoping the crystal structure with gold (Au).In order to bridge the gap between laboratory scale evaluation using thin film rotating disk electrode (TF-RDE) and the industrial membrane electrode assembly (MEA), we have developeda novel approach towards the well-known galvanic displacement (GD) methodusing so-called ‘’double passivation’’ mechanism. The method enables preparation of large quantities of high-performancesupported Pt‐M electrocatalysts which is crucial for faster development and commercialization of PEMFCs. The method is facile, green, energy efficient and highly reproducible. In addition, it offers great flexibility over the catalyst design such as the choice of the sacrificial metal (M), variation of the chemical composition of(Pt:M)alloy, variation of total metal loading (Pt+M) on carbon support or even variation of the carbon support itself. In the second part, we try to improve the understanding of the developed PtCu3/C electrocatalyst using advanced characterization tools. For instance, usingin-situtransmission electron microscopy (TEM) heating, we show that a better understanding of the thermal annealingprocess can be achieved. On the other hand, usingthe electrochemical flow cell connectedto inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (EFC-ICP-MS), one cangain understanding ofthe similarities and differences of dissolutionof metals constituting the alloy (Pt and M). Using the obtained knowledge, we demonstrate a developmentof a CO-assisted ex-situchemical activation (ex-situCA) method in order to activate the PtCu3/C electrocatalyst prior to incorporation in the MEA. Lastly, we show that the optimized binary PtCu3/C electrocatalyst can exhibit a better performance than the conventional Pt/C reference cathode material also in the PEMFC relevant environment

Application of strain energy principles

U ovom radu obrađena je tema o potencijalnoj energiji deformacija, točnije o njezinoj primjeni prilikom rješavanja statički neodređenih sustava. Naime, osim uvjeta ravnoteže za statički neodređene sustave potrebno je postaviti i neke dodatne uvjete kako bi se riješio sustav. Ti uvjeti primjenjuju se preko energetskih teorema. U skladu s tim, u radu je najprije definiran rad, a zatim i potencijalna energija koja je jednaka radu vanjskih sila. Obrađeni su teoremi o uzajamnosti radova, uzajamnosti pomaka te Castiglioneov teorem koji ima najveću primjenu prilikom rješavanja statički neodređenih sustava. Objašnjena je i metoda jediničnog opterećenja koja se koristi prilikom određivanja pomaka točaka tijela i princip o minimumu potencijalne energije deformacije tijela. Na kraju su riješena i dva numerička primjera u skladu s teoretskim dijelom rada kako bi se pokazala primjena potencijalne energije deformacija prilikom rješavanja zadataka.This paper deals with the topic of strain deformation energy, more precisely its application in solving statically indeterminate systems. Namely, in addition to the equilibrium conditions for statically indeterminate systems, it is necessary to set some additional conditions in order to solve the system. These conditions are applied through energy theorems. Accordingly, the paper first defines the work, and then the strain energy, which is equal to the work of external forces. Theorems on reciprocity of works, reciprocity of deflection and Castiglian's theorem, which has the greatest application in solving statically indeterminate systems, are discussed. The unit load method used in determining the displacement of body points and the principle of minimum potential deformation energy of a body are also explained. Finally, two numerical examples were solved in accordance with the theoretical part of the paper in order to show the application of strain energy when solving problems