Infant as a symbolism of goodness and innocense in Lao‑Zi’s Dao De Jing and Heraclitus’ Fragments

In this article we shall try to explore the ethical aspects of the Dao De Jing and the fragments of the pre‑Socratic philosopher Heraclitus based on the symbolism of the infant that they both use. At first a very short introduction needs to be made concerning the basis of morality and the difference between China and Greece. Needless to say we must take into account the general ethical context in the civilizations of ancient China and ancient Greece and indicate (if possible) whether the DDJ is to be seen as a strictly ethical/political text as well as whether Heraclitus’ fragments work as an ethical map for the people of his time and place.63 I intent to structure this article in two chapters each one dedicated to each of the philosophers along with a short introduction in the beginning. As far as the main chapters are concerned the Lao‑Zi’s DDJ will be analyzed at first from the perspective of ethics in connection to the symbol of the infant not rarely used by Lao‑Zi. Secondly I shall deal with the ethical thought of Heraclitus and his perspective of the infant found in some of his fragments. Let us keep in mind that apart from the fragments themselves, the witnesses (i.e. stories about his life) play a not less important role in our extracting his philosophical opinions.64 Lastly we shall try to come to a conclusion concerning the similarities and dissimilarities between Lao‑Zi and Heraclitus regarding their views on ethics and especially regarding the use of the infant as a symbol or a pattern.Neste artigo, tentaremos explorar os aspectos éticos do Dao De Jing e os fragmentos do filósofo pré-socrático Heraclito, com base no simbolismo da criança que ambos usam. Faremos uma introdução muito curta sobre a base da moralidade e a diferença entre a China e a Grécia. Escusado será dizer que devemos levar em conta o contexto ético geral nas civilizações da China antiga e da Grécia antiga e indicar (se possível) se o DDJ deve ser visto como um texto estritamente ético / político, bem como se os fragmentos de Heraclito funcionam como um mapa ético para as pessoas de seu tempo e lugar. Procuro estruturar este artigo em dois capítulos, cada um dedicado a cada um dos filósofos, juntamente com uma breve introdução no começo. No que diz respeito aos capítulos principais, o DDJ do Lao Zi será analisado primeiro da perspectiva da ética em conexão com o símbolo da criança que raramente é usado por Lao Zi. Em segundo lugar, tratarei do pensamento ético de Heraclito e sua perspectiva do bebé encontrada em alguns de seus fragmentos. Lembremo-nos de que, além dos próprios fragmentos, os testemunhos (ou seja, histórias sobre a sua vida) desempenham um papel não menos importante para extrair as suas opiniões filosóficas. Por fim, tentaremos chegar a uma conclusão sobre as semelhanças e divergências entre Lao Zi e Heraclito a respeito de suas visões sobre ética e, especialmente, sobre o uso da criança como símbolo ou padrão.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

DEFCON: high-performance event processing with information security

In finance and healthcare, event processing systems handle sensitive data on behalf of many clients. Guaranteeing information security in such systems is challenging because of their strict performance requirements in terms of high event throughput and low processing latency. We describe DEFCON, an event processing system that enforces constraints on event flows between event processing units. DEFCON uses a combination of static and runtime techniques for achieving light-weight isolation of event flows, while supporting efficient sharing of events. Our experimental evaluation in a financial data processing scenario shows that DEFCON can provide information security with significantly lower processing latency compared to a traditional approach

Overhauls in Water Supply Systems in Ukraine: A Hydro-Economic Method of Socially Responsible Planning and Cost Management

The poor technical conditions of the water supply systems complicate the quality of urban population life and create a burden on public budgets. We examine the water supply system factors in Ukraine and identify the main parameters that restrain their development. This study examines the development of overhaul planning in water supply systems in Ukraine, taking into account the network equipment-aging factor. We employ a mathematical technique for optimizing the planned costs for overhauls in water supply networks by engaging latent-semantic analysis (LSA). The LSA provides a novel approach to sustainable planning of several economic factors in water supply. The exhibited results underline prominent technical and economic similarities in Ukrainian water supply systems. These results allow us to reveal an unsustainable usage of public funding for overhauls. In addition, the overhaul planning model engaged, improves the Ukrainian water supply sector. It helps the country to abandon the current reactive water management approach and aims towards proactive and sustainable water management. This innovative approach could redefine the public managerial profile, calibrating it towards a socially responsible one, significantly raising the quality of the urban population’s living standards

An Intelligent Environmental Plan for Sustainable Regionalisation Policies: The Case of Ukraine

This paper introduces an environment-driven, artificial intelligence model for sustainable policymaking in European countries, with a focus on Ukraine. It develops regional clusters using artificial neural networking; then, it dynamically optimises budgeting allocations. It is a hybrid, environment-driven model that clusters regionalised-data using Kohonen’s self-organising map and optimises budget allocations using the simplex-modified distribution method (U-V MODI). Model benefits focus on regional public policies, environmental development, and core-periphery balanced growth. Results reveal an innovative plan that activates the participation of environmental stakeholders in public policymaking, reforms regions based on set sustainability criteria, and optimises regional funding. Keywords: Environmental planning, sustainable public policy, environment-driven regional policies, artificial neural network methodolog

Calprotectin in lung diseases

Calprotectin (CLP) is a heterodimer formed by two S-100 calcium-binding cytosolic proteins, S100A8 and S100A9. It is a multifunctional protein expressed mainly by neutrophils and released extracellularly by activated or damaged cells mediating a broad range of physiological and pathological responses. It has been more than 20 years since the implication of S100A8/A9 in the inflammatory process was shown; however, the evaluation of its role in the pathogenesis of respiratory diseases or its usefulness as a biomarker for the appropriate diagnosis and prognosis of lung diseases have only gained attention in recent years. This review aimed to provide current knowledge regarding the potential role of CLP in the pathophysiology of lung diseases and describe how this knowledge is, up until now, translated into daily clinical practice. CLP is involved in numerous cellular processes in lung health and disease. In addition to its anti-microbial functions, CLP also serves as a molecule with pro- and anti-tumor properties related to cell survival and growth, angiogenesis, DNA damage response, and the remodeling of the extracellular matrix. The findings of this review potentially introduce CLP in daily clinical practice within the spectrum of respiratory diseases

Development of measurement-based load models for the dynamic simulation of distribution grids

The advent of new types of loads, such as power electronics and the increased penetration of low-inertia motors in the existing distribution grids alter the dynamic behavior of conventional power systems. Therefore, more accurate dynamic, aggregate, load models are required for the rigorous assessment of the stability limits of modern distribution networks. In this paper, a measurement-based, input/output, aggregate load model is proposed, suitable for dynamic simulations of distribution grids. The new model can simulate complex load dynamics by employing variable-order transfer functions. The minimum required model order is automatically determined through an iterative procedure. The applicability and accuracy of the proposed model are thoroughly evaluated under distinct loading conditions and network topologies using measurements acquired from a laboratory-scale test setup. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed model is compared against other conventional load models, using the mean absolute percentage error

Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Organisational Propensity to Innovate in a Public Sector Context

The importance of innovation, in both private and public entrepreneurial fields, is the basis of all companies’ strategic choices. This study examines entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as their dynamic interface in value creation, in the public sector. It explores entrepreneurial determinants for public sector innovation, as collected from managers and employees involved in the water supply and sewage industries in Ukraine. The data, related to a sample of firms, were obtained from a twofold self-administered survey. Adopting an ordered logistic regression model to analyse the data obtained from a survey, it is discovered that the entrepreneurial determinants of self-awareness, knowledge-enabling and entrepreneurial orientation positively correlate with fostering innovation process. The findings reveal that entrepreneurial leadership and intrapreneurial self-efficacy are mediating determinants. Finally, the results demonstrate that intrapreneurial self-efficacy has more potential than entrepreneurial leadership to stimulate innovation at the individual level, which has both theoretical and practical implications