471 research outputs found
Heidegger and Gadamer's appropriation of Aristotelian Phronesis
La présente étude se veut un examen de l’interprétation de la phronesis chez deux grands penseurs allemands du vingtième siècle, soit Martin Heidegger et Hans-Georg Gadamer. La motivation de ce projet découle d’un intérêt marqué pour l’étude de modèles alternatifs à la pensée technoscientifique de la connaissance. Considérant que Heidegger et Gadamer ont entrepris une importante réappropriation de la phronesis, nous avons jugé intéressant d’analyser leur pensée sous cet angle. Notre but est de mettre en relief les raisons qui ont poussé Heidegger et Gadamer à se tourner vers le concept de la phronesis et par la suite de tirer au clair les implications de cette réappropriation du concept aristotélicien au sein de leurs philosophies respectives. Cette étude est divisée en deux chapitres, traitant de la réappropriation de la phronesis chez Heidegger et Gadamer respectivement. Le premier chapitre porte sur l’interprétation heideggérienne de la phronesis en portant une attention particulière sur les cours maintenant publiés du plus jeune Heidegger. Dans le deuxième chapitre, nous traitons également de la réappropriation de la phronesis, mais cette fois, chez Gadamer afin de mettre en relief l’intérêt que présente la phronesis aristotélicienne pour l’herméneutique, mais aussi pour l’éthique de Gadamer. La dernière partie de ce chapitre propose une analyse comparative entre l’interprétation heideggérienne et gadamérienne de la phronesis. Notre étude veut montrer que Gadamer a suivi de près l’interprétation heideggérienne du concept aristotélicien de la phronesis, mais qu’il a aussi su s’en distinguer dans sa quête d’une conception plus authentique des sciences humaines, de l’herméneutique et de l’éthique.The present study aims at examining the interpretation of phronesis conducted by two central figures in twentieth-century German philosophy, namely Martin Heidegger and his student Hans-Georg Gadamer. The impetus for the following project comes from a general interest in the study of the alternatives to the technoscientific model of knowledge. Seeing as both philosophers took up the concept of phronesis, we deemed it as an interesting point of departure for an analysis of both their philosophies. In effect, we want to put into relief the reasons that motivated both thinkers to turn to the concept of phronesis and thereafter clarify the ramifications of their reappropriation of this Aristotelean concept in the development of their thought. The present study is divided in two chapters, each of which addresses the reappropriation of phronesis. The first chapter is an in-depth examination of the use of phronesis by Martin Heidegger, specifically with respect to his earlier lectures. The second chapter is also an examination of Gadamer’s reappropriation of phronesis in connection to both his conception of hermeneutics and ethics. The last section of this project is devoted to a comparative analysis between Heidegger and Gadamer’s reappropriation of phronesis. Our study reveals that Gadamer followed closely the lead of his teacher, while at the same time making the concept of phronesis his own by integrating it in his quest for a more genuine conception of the Geisteswissenschaften, and in his substantial development of hermeneutics
An Enhanced Indirect Video-Based Measurement Procedure for Dynamic Structural System Identification Applications
A video-based indirect sensing procedure for dynamic identification purposes is presented. To overcome major
limitations of video-based methods in real on-site measurements, a novel three step pre-modification, magnification, post-modification process is developed. This process includes revision of the initial input video record in
order to delete disturbing objects, utilizing a magnification method to filter the frequency content of the
monitored motion and using a revision step for elimination of noises generated during magnification process.
Finally, a set of digital signal and image processing analyses are performed on the modified video using virtual
visual sensor technology. Based on the results of this research, motion signals of the monitored object are
detected. The proposed approach has been used for identification of dynamic characteristics of two historic
masonry minarets in Istanbul. Results shows that the proposed procedure is able to assess the dynamic characteristics of the monitored structure with a high-level of accuracy
Statistical mechanics of columnar DNA assemblies
Many physical systems can be mapped onto solved or "solvable" models of
magnetism. In this work, we have mapped the statistical mechanics of columnar
phases of ideally helical rigid DNA -- subject to the earlier found unusual,
frustrated pair potential [A. A. Kornyshev and S. Leikin, J. Chem. Phys. 107,
3656 (1997)] -- onto an exotic, unknown variant of the XY model on a fixed or
restructurable lattice. Here the role of the 'spin' is played by the azimuthal
orientation of the molecules. We have solved this model using a Hartree-Fock
approximation, ground state calculations, and finite temperature Monte Carlo
simulations. We have found peculiar spin order transitions, which may also be
accompanied by positional restructuring, from hexagonal to rhombohedric
lattices. Some of these have been experimentally observed in dense columnar
aggregates. Note that DNA columnar phases are of great interest in biophysical
research, not only because they are a useful in vitro tool for the study of DNA
condensation, but also since these structures have been detected in living
matter. Within the approximations made, our study provides insight into the
statistical mechanics of these systems.Comment: 19 pages, 18 figure
Particle swarm optimization of friction tuned mass dampers subjected to ground motion records
Friction tuned mass dampers (FTMDs) are widely used to control the displacement of structures located in seismically active areas. Typically, the frequency and friction ratios of FTMDs are tuned up during design, but this task is complex if real ground motion records are considered. This article proposes a novel and accurate approach to calculate optimum parameters of FTMDs for controlling the displacements of both single degree of freedom (SDOF) systems and multi-story structural frames subjected to real ground motion records. In this study, the SDOF displacement and two FTMD parameters (frequency ratio and friction ratio) are first optimized simultaneously using a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. A series of sensitivity analyses are then carried out to examine the effect of different structural features (damper movement, variations of optimized parameters and damping) on the optimized SDOF displacements and FTMD parameters given by the PSO. It is shown that, compared to a more established method available in the literature, the PSO algorithm reduces the SDOF displacements by an additional 21% on average. The PSO is then used to obtain optimum parameters of FTMDs and TMDs connected to four moment-resisting frames, and the results from the frames are compared to those from equivalent SDOF systems. This article contributes towards providing more suitable optimization tools for structures fitted with FTMDs, which in turn can lead to more efficient design methods for dampers
Recent Pharmacological Options in Type 2 Diabetes and Synergic Mechanism in Cardiovascular Disease
Diabetes Mellitus is a multifactorial disease with a critical impact worldwide. During prediabetes, the presence of various inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress will lead to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, insulin resistance and chronic hyperglycemia will lead to micro- and macrovascular complications (cardiovascular disease, heart failure, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and atherosclerosis). The development through the years of pharmacological options allowed us to reduce the persistence of chronic hyperglycemia and reduce diabetic complications. This review aims to highlight the specific mechanisms with which the new treatments for type 2 diabetes reduce oxidative stress and insulin resistance and improve cardiovascular outcomes
Phase Behavior of Columnar DNA Assemblies
The pair interaction between two stiff parallel linear DNA molecules depends
not only on the distance between their axes but on their azimuthal orientation.
The positional and orientational order in columnar B-DNA assemblies in solution
is investigated, based on the DNA-DNA electrostatic pair potential that takes
into account DNA helical symmetry and the amount and distribution of adsorbed
counterions. A phase diagram obtained by lattice sum calculations predicts a
variety of positionally and azimuthally ordered phases and bundling transitions
strongly depending on the counterion adsorption patterns.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to PR
The Persistence Length of a Strongly Charged, Rod-like, Polyelectrolyte in the Presence of Salt
The persistence length of a single, intrinsically rigid polyelectrolyte
chain, above the Manning condensation threshold is investigated theoretically
in presence of added salt. Using a loop expansion method, the partition
function is consistently calculated, taking into account corrections to
mean-field theory. Within a mean-field approximation, the well-known results of
Odijk, Skolnick and Fixman are reproduced. Beyond mean-field, it is found that
density correlations between counterions and thermal fluctuations reduce the
stiffness of the chain, indicating an effective attraction between monomers for
highly charged chains and multivalent counterions. This attraction results in a
possible mechanical instability (collapse), alluding to the phenomenon of DNA
condensation. In addition, we find that more counterions condense on slightly
bent conformations of the chain than predicted by the Manning model for the
case of an infinite cylinder. Finally, our results are compared with previous
models and experiments.Comment: 13 pages, 2 ps figure
Gold and colloidal gold surface influence on dna conformational change
DNA conformational changes caused by gold and colloidal gold surface have been studied by surface enhanced infrared spectroscopy (SEIRA), spectroscopy of plasmon resonance (SPR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and principal component analysis. Experimental data have shown that DNA conformation is slightly influenced by gold surface, while it is strongly altered by colloidal gold. Spectroscopic features of DNA-colloidal gold system have shown that the intensity of the asymmetric PO₂– band at 1240 cm⁻¹ decreases by two times, and that of symmetric band at 1090 cm⁻¹ decreases by 2.4 times whereas the halfwidth of phosphate bands increases by 35–40 cm⁻¹; a frequency shift of asymmetric band position from 1240 to 1246 cm⁻¹ and a symmetric band from 1090 to 1106 cm⁻¹ has been observed. It was shown that intensity variation and shift of DNA base vibrations together with the broadening of OH, NH, and CH stretching vibrations occur due to DNA conformational changes and the redistribution of the H-bonding network. A supposition about DNA condensation by colloidal gold was made. SEIRA and AFM data have showed major DNA structural changes occurred on gold colloidal particles. It was found that all the spectral features are more prominent for DNA–colloidal gold system deposited on gold substrate than on CaF₂ substrate
Structural characterization of cationic lipid–tRNA complexes
Despite considerable interest and investigations on cationic lipid–DNA complexes, reports on lipid–RNA interaction are very limited. In contrast to lipid–DNA complexes where lipid binding induces partial B to A and B to C conformational changes, lipid–tRNA complexation preserves tRNA folded state. This study is the first attempt to investigate the binding of cationic lipid with transfer RNA and the effect of lipid complexation on tRNA aggregation and condensation. We examine the interaction of tRNA with cholesterol (Chol), 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP), dioctadecyldimethylammoniumbromide (DDAB) and dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE), at physiological condition, using constant tRNA concentration and various lipid contents. FTIR, UV-visible, CD spectroscopic methods and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to analyze lipid binding site, the binding constant and the effects of lipid interaction on tRNA stability, conformation and condensation. Structural analysis showed lipid–tRNA interactions with G–C and A–U base pairs as well as the backbone phosphate group with overall binding constants of KChol = 5.94 (± 0.8) × 104 M–1, KDDAB = 8.33 (± 0.90) × 105 M–1, KDOTAP = 1.05 (± 0.30) × 105 M–1 and KDOPE = 2.75 (± 0.50) × 104 M–1. The order of stability of lipid–tRNA complexation is DDAB > DOTAP > Chol > DOPE. Hydrophobic interactions between lipid aliphatic tails and tRNA were observed. RNA remains in A-family structure, while biopolymer aggregation and condensation occurred at high lipid concentrations
Attraction between DNA molecules mediated by multivalent ions
The effective force between two parallel DNA molecules is calculated as a
function of their mutual separation for different valencies of counter- and
salt ions and different salt concentrations. Computer simulations of the
primitive model are used and the shape of the DNA molecules is accurately
modelled using different geometrical shapes. We find that multivalent ions
induce a significant attraction between the DNA molecules whose strength can be
tuned by the averaged valency of the ions. The physical origin of the
attraction is traced back either to electrostatics or to entropic
contributions. For multivalent counter- and monovalent salt ions, we find a
salt-induced stabilization effect: the force is first attractive but gets
repulsive for increasing salt concentration. Furthermore, we show that the
multivalent-ion-induced attraction does not necessarily correlate with DNA
overcharging.Comment: 51 pages and 13 figure
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