The Possibility of Moral Action in a Kantian Epistemological Metaphysics

Immanuel Kant was an Enlightenment philosopher who strove to clarify the foundations of human knowledge and morality. Kant began his cosmopolitan efforts by establishing the metaphysical basis for all human cognition. His theories developed from an analysis of the writings of empiricist David Hume and classical metaphysical thought. Causality was a paradigmatic metaphysical concept that was assumed to be necessary and outside of the experiential world. Hume criticized the role of causality as understood by classical metaphysicians and argued that knowledge can only be gained from experience. His argument was based on the foregoing understanding of possible judgements and necessity, which limited the amplification of knowledge to synthetic judgements of experience. In response, Kant offered a new form of necessity that accounted for the metaphysical basis for the possibility of all experience. Kant’s understanding of human action in cognition informed his moral theory and the role of a priori concepts in moral action. Kant’s moral theory is based on the possibility of a moral action being simultaneously free from natural determinism and universally necessary. Following his dedication to the ideals of the Enlightenment, Kant bases the possibility of morality on universal moral laws which are accessible to all rational beings. This paper will evaluate the possibility of moral action based on Kant’s establishment of the necessity of metaphysical concepts in human knowledge and experience

High N, dry: Experimental nitrogen deposition exacerbates native shrub loss and nonnative plant invasion during extreme drought.

Hotter, longer, and more frequent global change-type drought events may profoundly impact terrestrial ecosystems by triggering widespread vegetation mortality. However, severe drought is only one component of global change, and ecological effects of drought may be compounded by other drivers, such as anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition and nonnative plant invasion. Elevated N deposition, for example, may reduce drought tolerance through increased plant productivity, thereby contributing to drought-induced mortality. High N availability also often favors invasive, nonnative plant species, and the loss of woody vegetation due to drought may create a window of opportunity for these invaders. We investigated the effects of multiple levels of simulated N deposition on a Mediterranean-type shrubland plant community in southern California from 2011 to 2016, a period coinciding with an extreme, multiyear drought in the region. We hypothesized that N addition would increase native shrub productivity, but that this would increase susceptibility to drought and result in increased shrub loss over time. We also predicted that N addition would favor nonnatives, especially annual grasses, leading to higher biomass and cover of these species. Consistent with these hypotheses, we found that high N availability increased native shrub canopy loss and mortality, likely due to the higher productivity and leaf area and reduced water-use efficiency we observed in shrubs subject to N addition. As native shrub cover declined, we also observed a concomitant increase in cover and biomass of nonnative annuals, particularly under high levels of experimental N deposition. Together, these results suggest that the impacts of extended drought on shrubland ecosystems may be more severe under elevated N deposition, potentially contributing to the widespread loss of native woody species and vegetation-type conversion

Water and electrolyte balance of the desert iguana, dipsosaurus dorsalis, in its natural habitat

1. 1. Desert iguanas, Dipsosaurus dorsalis, collected at different times of the year in the Coachella Valley, California, showed no signs of dehydration or accumulation of electrocytes.2. 2. Variations in body water content and in the distribution of body fluids were related to variations in the amount of fat in the animal.3. 3. Electrolyte concentrations did not vary in the plasma or intracellular fluid. Variations in urinary electrolytes were correlated with variations in dietary electrolytes.4. 4. Significant quantities of cations were excreted in the urine as precipitated urate salts. The low solubility of these salts permits their excretion with a small loss of water.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/32716/1/0000083.pd

Isomeric Xylene Molecules in the Terahertz Far Infrared Regime Computational Chemistry and Spectral Modeling View

The theoretical assignments of spectral peaks of liquid phase ortho , meta , and para xylene recorded with far infrared FIR and THz spectroscopy in the spectral range between 550 and 50 cm amp; 8722;1 is done with density functional theory DFT calculations. As THz spectroscopic techniques drastically evolved in recent years, the critical focus of this paper lies on the applicability of theoretical concepts, used as computational standard in near and mid IR spectra, to the FIR THz region. An evaluation of the choice of functionals, basis sets, and appropriate scaling factors as well as the tractability of the liquid phase in a polarizable continuum model is performed. Alongside a new analysis procedure based on spectral Hard Modeling has been developed. DFT line spectra are fitted to experimental FIR spectra where a quantitative track record allows for meaningful comparisons. With all these tools we are able to reproduce experimental spectra in an optically appealing way and we can explain trends for each spectrum as well as across the row of the isomer

Thermal acoustic excitations with atomic-scale wavelengths in amorphous silicon

The vibrational properties of glasses remain a topic of intense interest due to several unresolved puzzles, including the origin of the Boson peak and the mechanisms of thermal transport. Inelastic scattering measurements have revealed that amorphous solids support collective acoustic excitations with low THz frequencies despite the atomic disorder, but these frequencies are well below most of the thermal vibrational spectrum. Here, we report the observation of acoustic excitations with frequencies up to 10 THz in amorphous silicon. The excitations have atomic-scale wavelengths as short as 6 Å and exist well into the thermal vibrational frequencies. Simulations indicate that these high-frequency waves are supported due to the high group velocity and monatomic composition of a-Si, suggesting that other glasses with these characteristics may also exhibit such excitations. Our findings demonstrate that a substantial portion of thermal vibrational modes in amorphous materials can still be described as a phonon gas despite the lack of atomic order

Connection between Periodontitis-Induced Low-Grade Endotoxemia and Systemic Diseases: Neutrophils as Protagonists and Targets

Periodontitis is considered a promoter of many systemic diseases, but the signaling pathways of this interconnection remain elusive. Recently, it became evident that certain microbial challenges promote a heightened response of myeloid cell populations to subsequent infections either with the same or other pathogens. This phenomenon involves changes in the cell epigenetic and transcription, and is referred to as “trained immunity”. It acts via modulation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). A main modulation driver is the sustained, persistent low-level transmission of lipopolysaccharide from the periodontal pocket into the peripheral blood. Subsequently, the neutrophil phenotype changes and neutrophils become hyper-responsive and prone to boosted formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NET). Cytotoxic neutrophil proteases and histones are responsible for ulcer formations on the pocket epithelium, which foster bacteremia and endoxemia. The latter promote systemic low-grade inflammation (SLGI), a precondition for many systemic diseases and some of them, e.g., atherosclerosis, diabetes etc., can be triggered by SLGI alone. Either reverting the polarized neutrophils back to the homeostatic state or attenuation of neutrophil hyper-responsiveness in periodontitis might be an approach to diminish or even to prevent systemic diseases

Thermal acoustic excitations with atomic-scale wavelengths in amorphous silicon

The vibrational properties of glasses remain a topic of intense interest due to several unresolved puzzles, including the origin of the Boson peak and the mechanisms of thermal transport. Inelastic scattering measurements have revealed that amorphous solids support collective acoustic excitations with low THz frequencies despite the atomic disorder, but these frequencies are well below most of the thermal vibrational spectrum. Here, we report the observation of acoustic excitations with frequencies up to 10 THz in amorphous silicon. The excitations have atomic-scale wavelengths as short as 6 Å and exist well into the thermal vibrational frequencies. Simulations indicate that these high-frequency waves are supported due to the high group velocity and monatomic composition of a-Si, suggesting that other glasses with these characteristics may also exhibit such excitations. Our findings demonstrate that a substantial portion of thermal vibrational modes in amorphous materials can still be described as a phonon gas despite the lack of atomic order