Thinking the End in Itself: a Critical Study of First Principles in Plato, Aristotle, the Bible, and Kant

What is truth? What is untruth? Or is there no truth or untruth? Is the mind trapped, as Hume concludes, between false reason and no reason? In my dissertation I show that Hume’s conclusion is inevitable only when we reduce moral reason, founded on the biblical ideal of love, to the law of contradiction and sense perception, the twin engines of ancient Greek teleology. To defend the above, I argue that there is no consciousness of either truth or untruth in ancient Greek thought. That is why its two greatest expositors, Plato and Aristotle, teach that human beings are ignorant of the end in itself, the highest good (or telos) that all men seek. For the end is, in itself, not relative (related) to consciousness which is not (the) good but to appearance only. The ancient Greeks, I show, have no alternative but to employ deductive logic and inductive logic as the indemonstrable bases of demonstration. This leads them into inescapable contradictions. Kant demonstrates that sense perception and logic are each worthless unless they serve moral ends. This insight, he shows, is biblical. “Christianity” reveals that the truth cannot be thought except as existing and cannot exist except in thought. For the “categorical imperative” to love your neighbor (the stranger, your friend, your enemy …) as yourself by treating her as you would want her to treat you, i.e., always as an end and never as a means, is a priori. This means, Kant sees, that there is no possibility even of thinking of anything that is absolutely good, in the world or out of it, except a good will. In the dissertation that follows I distinguish between two incommensurable ontologies: the ancient Greek, in which human beings are ignorant of the end in itself, and the biblical, in which the moral will is the end in itself. I show that to conflate these standpoints is to conflate reason with logic and sense, bad will (evil) with ignorance, and, in so doing, to create the contradictions that necessarily follow whenever we seek the truth in things that we cannot will

Shareholder Liability in Nova Scotia Unlimited Companies

Unlimited Companies incorporated under the Nova Scotia Companies Act (NSULCs) have, in recent decades, become recognized as tax efficient forms of business organizations. NSULCs differ from conventional business corporations in that their shareholders are exposed to liability for corporate obligations under the enabling legislation. This paper attempts to provide an analysis of the precise nature of unlimited liability faced by shareholders in such entities in response to recent bankruptcy litigation in the U.S. that raised the issue of the relationship between a shareholder\u27s liability for a debt of the firm under the enabling legislation and under a contractual guarantee provided by the shareholder for the same debt. It is argued that the enabling legislation does not create a separate and independent claim against the shareholder and a contractual guarantee for a debt of the firm acts as a substitute for enforcing liability against the shareholder

DNA duplex stabilization in crowded polyanion solutions

The melting temperature of duplex DNA is much higher in polyanions than in non-ionic polymers with similar ionic strength, suggesting an additional electrostatic contribution on top of the excluded volume effect.University of Waterloo || Canadian Foundation for Innovation || Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council || Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation |

DNA in Ionic Liquids and Polyelectrolytes

DNA has been widely studied in a variety of solvents. The majority of these solvents consist of either aqueous or organic components. The presence of ions or salts in these solvents can further alter DNA properties by changing the melting point or helical structure. The size, charge, and concentration of these additional components can all affect the behaviour of DNA. A new class of solvents, known as ionic liquids have recently gained popularity. Ionic liquids are comprised of entirely of ions and can be liquid at room temperature. Due to their low volatility and ability to dissolve both polar and non-polar substances, they are generating high levels of interest as ‘green solvents’. Although the interaction between DNA and ionic liquids has been characterized, the potential of this interaction is still being studied. It was discovered that when DNA mixed with DNA intercalating dyes was added to ionic liquids, there was a large reduction in fluorescence. Although this fluorescence drop was believed to occur to removal of the dye molecule from the helix, the strength of this interaction has not been researched. In this thesis, the interaction between different intercalating dyes and different ionic liquids was evaluated. We reasoned that perhaps the difference in interaction could be used as a method of separating the DNA-dye complex, which has previously never been accomplished. For example, it has been established that both DNA and cationic dyes have an affinity for ionic liquids. The relative strength of this affinity is undetermined, as well as the comparison to normal aqueous mediums. Although ionic liquids can drastically alter the stability of the DNA duplex by either raising or decreasing the melting point depending on the ionic liquid chosen, we found that the DNA actually has a higher affinity for the aqueous phase. Conversely, intercalating dyes prefer to partition into the ionic phase. The relative affinities of the two components are strong enough for their respective phases that the complex can be split apart and each component can be extracted, allowing for separation of the two

Perception of wellbeing in educational spaces

Wellbeing and mental health are important pillars of sustainability, as recognised by the WELL Building Standards. With higher education facing a mental health crisis, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic, all potential solutions must be investigated. Applying WELL to educational spaces could help to improve student and staff wellbeing. However, the constant change in occupancy of teaching spaces within higher education alters how design factors influence wellbeing outcomes as compared to standard office or domestic occupancy. This study collects student and staff responses on their experience of wellbeing in educational spaces, together with indoor environment quality data for validation. It found that whilst the perception of the quality of spaces did not necessarily align with the measured quality, it was the perceived quality that impacted wellbeing

Visual optical biosensors based on DNA-functionalized polyacrylamide hydrogels

The final publication is available at Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ymeth.2013.08.021 © 2013. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Biosensors are devices that can provide quantitative or semi-quantitative analytical information about target molecules, where molecular recognition is based on biomolecular interactions. In recent years, DNA has emerged as a useful molecule for biosensor development since DNA can not only recognize its complementary strand, but also metal ions, small molecules, proteins and cells utilizing DNA aptamer technology. Converting DNA binding events into useful biosensors often require sensor immobilization. Among the various materials for sensor immobilization, hydrogels are particularly attractive. Hydrogels are crosslinked hydrophilic polymer networks that undergo swelling in water. In a gel, DNA immobilization can take place in 3D, allowing for high DNA loading capacity. Hydrogels are transparent, offering low optical background. The gel volume is affected by many environmental parameters such as temperature, pH, ionic strength, and solvent composition. In this paper, we present a concise summary of recent developments in DNA-functionalized hydrogel biosensors for visual detection. Detailed methods for immobilizing DNA biosensors in monolithic polyacrylamide gels and gel microparticles are supplied.University of Waterloo || Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council || Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation || Canadian Foundation for Innovation |

The Golden Fleece: Innovative Ways to Clean up Oil

Companies and governments around the world have historically used bioremediation, dispersants or controlled burns to clean up oil spills. However, more innovation is evidently required to adequately combat oil spills. According to Christopher Haney – the chief scientist for Defenders of Wildlife – 75% of the oil from the BP Gulf Oil spill still remains in the Gulf environment. Recently, the Philippine government and companies like Tecnomeccanica Biellese have experimented with hair and wool in an effort to make this process more effective and efficient. This project compared the ability of various materials to absorb oil and involved modeling a machine with real-world applications. Paper towel, cedar wood, hair, and wool were tested for oil absorptivity based on changes in weight after being placed in beakers with varying amounts of oil and water. The most absorptive material, wool, was applied to a number of conceptual designs to fight oil spills. Our solution involved making an oil skimmer that would be able to absorb and collect the oil so that it could be reused. The skimmer features a conveyer belt on which wool has been attached. The conveyer belt passes over oil, allowing the wool to absorb the oil, and carries the soaked wool through two wringers. The oil is collected in a plastic container. The skimmer is innovative, experimentally successful, and holds the potential to better fighting oil spills in the future. Dans le passé, les entreprises et les gouvernements à travers le monde ont fait appel à la bioremédiation, aux dispersants ou au brûlage contrôlé afin de nettoyer les déversements de pétrole. Cependant, des méthodes de gestion et d’intervention innovatrices sont évidemment requises afin de lutter les déversements d’hydrocarbures. Conformément à Chrisotpher Haney, le scientiste-chef de l’organisation américaine Defenders of Wildlife, 75% du pétrole dû au déversement d’huile dans le Golfe du Mexique repose toujours dans les environs du Golfe. Récemment, le gouvernement philippin et les entreprises tel Technomeccanica Biellese ont mené des expériences avec certains matériaux afin de rendre le processus d’opérations plus efficace. Ce projet comparait la capacité d’absorption d’huile de divers matériaux ainsi que la modélisation d’une machine vis-à-vis des applications du monde réel. La capacité d’absorption d’huile du cèdre, des serviettes en papier, des cheveux et de la laine fut comparée par rapport à leur variation de masse après avoir été placée dans des béchers avec différentes quantités d’huile et d’eau. Le matériel le plus absorbant, la laine, fut ensuite appliqué à certains modèles conceptuels pour lutter contre les déversements d’huiles. Notre solution consistait à concevoir une écumoire d’huile qui serait capable d’absorber et récupérer le pétrole afin qu’il puisse être réutilisé. L’écumoire dispose d’une bande sur laquelle la laine y ait adhéré. La bande transporteuse passe au-dessus de l’huile permettant à la laine d’absorber l’huile, et amène la laine imbibée à travers deux essoreuses. L’huile est ensuite recueillie dans un récipient en plastique. Cette écumoire est une méthode innovatrice, a du succès expérimental et détient le potentiel de mieux combattre les déversements de pétrole dans le futur

Degradable starch nanoparticle assisted ethanol precipitation of DNA

The final publication is available at Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.04.007 © 2014. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Precipitation of DNA from a large volume of aqueous solution is an important step in many molecular biology and analytical chemistry experiments. Currently, this is mainly achieved by ethanol precipitation, where a long-term incubation (usually overnight) at low temperature of −20 to −80 °C with high salt concentration is required. This method also requires a large quantity of DNA to form a visible pellet and was tested mainly for double-stranded DNA. To improve DNA precipitation, co-precipitating polymers such as linear polyacrylamide has been used. In this work, we report that starch nanoparticles (SNPs) can achieve convenient DNA precipitation at room temperature with a low salt concentration and short incubation time. This method requires as low as 0.01–0.1% SNPs and can precipitate both single- and double-stranded DNA of various lengths. The effect of salt concentration, pH and the crosslinking density of SNPs has been systematically studied. Compared to other types of precipitating agents, SNPs are highly biocompatible and can be degraded by a common enzyme (amylase). This work suggests a novel application of a bio-based material that is prepared in mass production.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council || EcoSynthetix Inc. |

Extraction of DNA staining dyes from DNA using hydrophobic ionic liquids

The partition of oligonucleotides and DNA staining dyes into a few hydrophobic ionic liquids has been studied, where the oligonucleotides remain in the aqueous phase and all the DNA staining dyes are extracted in the ionic liquid phase, allowing the separation of these two.University of Waterloo || Canadian Foundation for Innovation || Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council || Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation |

Degradable starch nanoparticle assisted ethanol precipitation of DNA

The final publication is available at Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.04.007 © 2014. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Precipitation of DNA from a large volume of aqueous solution is an important step in many molecular biology and analytical chemistry experiments. Currently, this is mainly achieved by ethanol precipitation, where a long-term incubation (usually overnight) at low temperature of −20 to −80 °C with high salt concentration is required. This method also requires a large quantity of DNA to form a visible pellet and was tested mainly for double-stranded DNA. To improve DNA precipitation, co-precipitating polymers such as linear polyacrylamide has been used. In this work, we report that starch nanoparticles (SNPs) can achieve convenient DNA precipitation at room temperature with a low salt concentration and short incubation time. This method requires as low as 0.01–0.1% SNPs and can precipitate both single- and double-stranded DNA of various lengths. The effect of salt concentration, pH and the crosslinking density of SNPs has been systematically studied. Compared to other types of precipitating agents, SNPs are highly biocompatible and can be degraded by a common enzyme (amylase). This work suggests a novel application of a bio-based material that is prepared in mass production.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council || EcoSynthetix Inc. |