The Role of Transcendental Idealism in Kant's Dialectic of Aesthetic Judgment

A defence of the view that the introduction of transendental idealism, in the Dialectic of Aesthetic Judgment, plays a central role in resolving the antinomy which, as Kant contends, exists in our pure judgments of taste. It is further argued that the link that he holds to exist between the realms of nature and morality (or freedom) can only be successfully made out if transcendental idealism is accepted as underpinning our judgments concerning the beauties of nature

Oithona similis in a high latitude ecosystem: abundance, distribution and temperature limitation of fecundity rates in a sac spawning copepod

In this study we report the abundance, fecundity and an index of mortality of Oithona similis across a large latitudinal and temperature range within the Southern Ocean. The abundance of O. similis was strongly related to temperature and to depthintegrated (0-100m) chorophyll a (Chl a), abundance increasing with increasing temperature (and therefore increasing latitude) and Chl a. In situ total egg production rates and fecundity per female were significantly and positively related to temperature and Chl a. Egg hatch times lengthen as temperature decreases and in sac spawning species the next batch of eggs cannot be produced until the previous clutch hatch. Consequently, O. similis fecundity rates must rapidly decline at low temperatures, especially below 5oC. In situ fecundity rates were compared with a model of maximum fecundity, and were generally much lower, thus suggesting strong food limitation across the region studied. However the relationships of in situ and maximum rates to temperature were similar, confirming the importance of temperature. Further, as time taken to develop from egg to adult also rapidly extends with declining temperature, it is increasingly unlikely that O. similis will be able to 2 maintain its population against typical field mortality. Our findings have broad implications for the lower temperature range and hence geographic limits of O. similis, but also for the distribution of other sac spawning copepods and planktonic species generall

NHS input and productivity growth 2003/4 - 2007/8

Productivity growth is measured by comparing the rate of output growth with the rate of input growth. In an earlier report we calculated output growth in the English NHS for the period 2003/4 to 2006/7 (Castelli et al., 2008). This report concentrates on input growth, detailing methods and calculating growth from 2003/4 to 2007/8.

Promoting Public Health In The Context Of The “Obesity Epidemic”: False Starts And Promising New Directions

In the battle to combat obesity rates in the United States, several misconceptions have dominated policy initiatives. We address those misconceptions, including the notion that restrictive diets lead to long-term weight loss, that stigmatizing obesity is an effective strategy for promoting weight reduction, and that weight and physical health should be considered synonymous with one another. In offering correctives to each of these points, we draw on psychological science to suggest new policies that could be enacted at both the local and national levels. Instead of policies that rely solely on individual willpower, which is susceptible to failure, we recommend those that make use of environmental changes to reduce the amount of willpower necessary to achieve healthy behavior. Ultimately, the most effective policies will promote health rather than any arbitrary level of weight

Pseudomonas aeruginosa can be detected in a polymicrobial competition model using impedance spectroscopy with a novel biosensor

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) is a powerful technique that can be used to elicit information about an electrode interface. In this article, we highlight six principal processes by which the presence of microorganisms can affect impedance and show how one of these - the production of electroactive metabolites - changes the impedance signature of culture media containing Pseudomonas aeruginosa. EIS, was used in conjunction with a low cost screen printed carbon sensor to detect the presence of P. aeruginosa when grown in isolation or as part of a polymicrobial infection with Staphylococcus aureus. By comparing the electrode to a starting measurement, we were able to identify an impedance signature characteristic of P. aeruginosa. Furthermore, we are able to show that one of the changes in the impedance signature is due to pyocyanin and associated phenazine compounds. The findings of this study indicate that it might be possible to develop a low cost sensor for the detection of P. aeruginosa in important point of care diagnostic applications. In particular, we suggest that a development of the device described here could be used in a polymicrobial clinical sample such as sputum from a CF patient to detect P. aeruginosa

Taking A Stand: The Effects Of Standing Desks On Task Performance And Engagement

Time spent sitting is associated with negative health outcomes, motivating some individuals to adopt standing desk workstations. This study represents the first investigation of the effects of standing desk use on reading comprehension and creativity. In a counterbalanced, within-subjects design, 96 participants completed reading comprehension and creativity tasks while both sitting and standing. Participants self-reported their mood during the tasks and also responded to measures of expended effort and task difficulty. In addition, participants indicated whether they expected that they would perform better on work-relevant tasks while sitting or standing. Despite participants’ beliefs that they would perform worse on most tasks while standing, body position did not affect reading comprehension or creativity performance, nor did it affect perceptions of effort or difficulty. Mood was also unaffected by position, with a few exceptions: Participants exhibited greater task engagement (i.e., interest, enthusiasm, and alertness) and less comfort while standing rather than sitting. In sum, performance and psychological experience as related to task completion were nearly entirely uninfluenced by acute (~30-min) standing desk use. View Full-Tex

Childhood Fire-Setting: A Contextual Understanding

Previous research on fire-setting has been either totally theoretical or has been based on limited contact with individuals who set the fires. This dissertation accessed fire-setting through interviews with three male adults who set fires as children. Background information was acquired from the participants to construct the context in which each instance of fire-setting occurred. The purpose of this project was to understand each individual\u27s life as a child in relation to his fire-setting behavior. The initial goal of this project was to gain access to the actual experience of setting a fire; however, this proved to be an elusive goal and one that was not met. Instead, what emerged were recollected childhood experiences and beliefs. All three participants reported feeling minimally supported by caregivers and/or treated in a way they perceived as different from that of their siblings. This situation was confusing and often left the participants trying to make sense of their place/role in the family. This attempt to make sense of the dynamics of their family proved difficult and the participants concluded that there was something about them that made them undesirable or isolated from the family. Likewise, given their insecurity regarding their place in the family, all participants felt that there was little use in talking with their family or eliciting help from them. Instead, each participant expressed fear that discussing his difficulties with his family would lead to further isolation. In addition to feeling minimally supported or regarded as unimportant in the home setting, participants felt isolated in school and/or other social settings. Again, for the participants, this isolation was interpreted as reflecting a defect in them and each participant expressed a sense of helplessness regarding his ability to change this isolation. Fire-setting seems to reflect the isolation, confusion, helplessness, and sometimes anger and frustration the participants experienced regarding their inability to change the problematic situations and it seems that fire-setting may have been a way for the participants to impact or have some control over their environment. This study was unique in its exploration of fire-setters\u27 emotions; its findings may have heuristic value for further research on fire-setting behavior

Language and understanding in Plato

This thesis explores and links some of Plato's ideas on both language and understanding. There are close readings of the whole of the Cratylus and the Phaedrus from 257b7 to the end which conclude that: no knowledge can be found from etymology; Greek as a language is not perfect; and we must search for a knowledge outside language. Using various other texts, but particularly the Statesman, there are comments on the difference between the physical world we inhabit and the ideal world of abstracts that we must try to understand through using paradigms, a category in which I include myths. There is a broad conclusion that, despite language being imperfect and problematic, we must use it since it is our only tool with which we can create an approximation of the ideal in order to progress towards understanding