A Theoretical Study on a Reaction of Iron(III) Hydroxide with Boron Trichloride by Ab Initio Calculation

We investigate a reaction of boron trichloride (BCl3) with iron(III) hydroxide (Fe(OH)3) by ab initio quantum chemical calculation as a simple model for a reaction of iron impurities in BCl3 gas. We also examine a reaction with water. We find that compounds such as Fe(Cl)(OBCl2)2(OHBCl2) and Fe(Cl)2(OBCl2)(OHBCl2) are formed while producing HCl and reaction paths to them are revealed. We also analyze the stabilization mechanism of these paths using newly-developed interaction energy density derived from electronic stress tensor in the framework of the Regional DFT (Density Functional Theory) and Rigged QED (Quantum ElectroDynamics).Comment: 21 pages, 12 figure

The Gap between Philosophy and the Philosophy of Education in Japanese Academia: A Statistical Survey of the Largest Competitive Research Funding Database in Japan

This short article is based on my special lecture entitled "Aristotle and the Philosophy of Education" at Tamagawa University Research Institute in Tokyo on September 19, 2015, through a recording of the spoken language transcribed in written form with some corrections. The lecture delivered on that day consists of two parts: referring to historical research and a statistical survey, the first half focuses on uncovering the fact that the philosophy of education has been slighted both in Japanese and Western academia and that this fact is valid for both Aristotle's and contemporary studies on the philosophy of education; the second half endeavors to describe two possible research projects - namely, a classical-philosophical and interpretative study of Aristotle's philosophy of education and a contemporary-philosophical and Aristotelian study of the philosophy education. Some of these topics have been published but others have not. This short article concerns the first half of the lecture and measures the gap between philosophy and the philosophy of education in Japan through a statistical survey of the largest competitive research funding database in Japan: KAKEN

Comment on Kaluza-Klein Spectrum of Gauge Fields in the Bigravity Model

We study behavior of bulk gauge field in the bigravity model in which two positive tension $AdS_4$ branes in $AdS_5$ bulk are included. We solve the equations of motions for Kaluza-Klein modes and determine the mass spectrum. It is shown that unlike the case of graviton, we find no ultralight Kaluza-Klein modes in the spectrum.Comment: 7pages, LaTeX, no figure

Neurofeedback-Based Moral Enhancement and the Notion of Morality

Some skeptics question the very possibility of moral bioenhancement by arguing that if we lack a widely acceptable notion of morality, we will not be able to accept the use of a biotechnological technique as a tool for moral bioenhancement. I will examine this skepticism and argue that the assessment of moral bioenhancement does not require such a notion of morality. In particular, I will demonstrate that this skepticism can be neutralized in the case of recent neurofeedback techniques. This goal will be accomplished in four steps. First, I will draw an outline of the skepticism against the possibility of moral bioenhancement and point out that a long-lasting dispute among moral philosophers nourishes this skepticism. Second, I will survey recent neurofeedback techniques and outline their three features: the variety of the target human faculties, such as emotion, cognition, and behavior; the flexibility or personalizability of the target brain state; and the nonclinical application of neurofeedback techniques. Third, I will argue that, by virtue of these three unique features, neurofeedback techniques can be a tool for moral bioenhancement without adopting any specific notion of morality. Fourth, I will examine the advantages and threats that neurofeedback-based moral enhancement may have. Finally, I will conclude that neurofeedback-based moral enhancement can become a new and promising tool for moral bioenhancement and requires further ethical investigations on its unique features