Moral Evaluation in Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas

Two different methods for morally evaluating actions can be found in Albert the Great's works. The first, which I call the stages theory, requires that an act be evaluated in three stages: 1) its generic quality, or type; 2) its circumstances; and 3) whether it proceeds from virtue or vice. According to this theory, an act might be generically good, but done badly, or generically bad, but done well. The second method is an all-or-nothing principle. It requires that an act be good in each of a number of ways in order for it to be good overall. I call it the Dionysian principle, after pseudo-Dionysius, who stated that good is from a single complete cause, while bad is from any particular defect. It is not clear how these two methods go together, and at least one formulation of the Dionysian principle appears to be inconsistent with the stages theory. Thomas Aquinas, who studied under Albert, resolves the tension between the two methods by rejecting the stages theory and embracing the Dionysian principle. I argue that this disagreement between Albert and Aquinas leads them to describe certain hard cases very differently. Albert can maintain that agents in resolvable moral dilemmas perform a bad action, although it is the right action in the circumstances; Aquinas cannot, but rather claims that the agent in an apparent dilemma does not in fact perform the act he appears to perform. Finally, I draw out these differences by comparing both the stages theory and the Dionysian principle to certain Stoic antecedents

Notes on Notonectidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from southeastern Asia, mostly from Brunei and the Philippines

Updated distribution data are presented for the following species of Notonectidae (Heteroptera) in southeastern Asia: Anisops breddini Kirkaldy, 1901, A. kuroiwae Matsumura, 1915, A. nasutus Fieber, 1851, A. nigrolineatus Lundblad, 1933, A. occipitalis Breddin, 1905, A. rhomboides Nieser & Chen, 1999, A. stali Kirkaldy, 1904, Aphelonecta philippina Zettel, 1995, Enithares bakeri Brooks, 1948, E. freyi Brooks, 1948, E. intha Paiva, 1918, E. mandalayensis Distant, 1910, E. martini martini Kirkaldy, 1898, E. quadrispinosa Lansbury, 1967, E. sinica (Stål, 1854), E. subparallela Lansbury, 1968, E. uncata Lundblad, 1933, E. cf. vicintricata Lansbury, 1968, and Nychia sappho Kirkaldy, 1901. There are six fi rst records from Brunei Darussalam (Anisops breddini, A. nasutus, A. nigrolineatus, Aphelonecta philippina, Enithares cf. vicintricata, and Nychia sappho) and one fi rst record each from the Philippines (Anisops occipitalis), China (Enithares mandalayensis), West Malaysia (Enithares sinica) and East Malaysia (Sarawak) (Enithares uncata). A short description of the previously unknown female of Enithares intha is given. The status of Enithares quadrispinosa as a separate species (not a subspecies of E. freyi) is confi rmed. Check-lists of the Notonectidae of the Philippines and Brunei are provided

Disordered enthalpy–entropy descriptor for high-entropy ceramics discovery

The need for improved functionalities in extreme environments is fuelling interest in high-entropy ceramics1,2,3. Except for the computational discovery of high-entropy carbides, performed with the entropy-forming-ability descriptor4, most innovation has been slowly driven by experimental means1,2,3. Hence, advancement in the field needs more theoretical contributions. Here we introduce disordered enthalpy–entropy descriptor (DEED), a descriptor that captures the balance between entropy gains and enthalpy costs, allowing the correct classification of functional synthesizability of multicomponent ceramics, regardless of chemistry and structure. To make our calculations possible, we have developed a convolutional algorithm that drastically reduces computational resources. Moreover, DEED guides the experimental discovery of new single-phase high-entropy carbonitrides and borides. This work, integrated into the AFLOW computational ecosystem, provides an array of potential new candidates, ripe for experimental discoveries

Contribution of primary motor cortex to compensatory balance reactions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Rapid compensatory arm reactions represent important response strategies following an unexpected loss of balance. While it has been assumed that early corrective actions arise largely from sub-cortical networks, recent findings have prompted speculation about the potential role of cortical involvement. To test the idea that cortical motor regions are involved in early compensatory arm reactions, we used continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) to temporarily suppress the hand area of primary motor cortex (M1) in participants prior to evoking upper limb balance reactions in response to whole body perturbation. We hypothesized that following cTBS to the M1 hand area evoked EMG responses in the stimulated hand would be diminished. To isolate balance reactions to the upper limb participants were seated in an elevated tilt-chair while holding a stable handle with both hands. The chair was held vertical by a magnet and was triggered to fall backward unpredictably. To regain balance, participants used the handle to restore upright stability as quickly as possible with both hands. Muscle activity was recorded from proximal and distal muscles of both upper limbs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our results revealed an impact of cTBS on the amplitude of the EMG responses in the stimulated hand muscles often manifest as inhibition in the stimulated hand. The change in EMG amplitude was specific to the target hand muscles and occasionally their homologous pairs on the non-stimulated hand with no consistent effects on the remaining more proximal arm muscles.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Present findings offer support for cortical contributions to the control of early compensatory arm reactions following whole-body perturbation.</p

Subdivisions of the Auditory Midbrain (N. Mesencephalicus Lateralis, pars dorsalis) in Zebra Finches Using Calcium-Binding Protein Immunocytochemistry

The midbrain nucleus mesencephalicus lateralis pars dorsalis (MLd) is thought to be the avian homologue of the central nucleus of the mammalian inferior colliculus. As such, it is a major relay in the ascending auditory pathway of all birds and in songbirds mediates the auditory feedback necessary for the learning and maintenance of song. To clarify the organization of MLd, we applied three calcium binding protein antibodies to tissue sections from the brains of adult male and female zebra finches. The staining patterns resulting from the application of parvalbumin, calbindin and calretinin antibodies differed from each other and in different parts of the nucleus. Parvalbumin-like immunoreactivity was distributed throughout the whole nucleus, as defined by the totality of the terminations of brainstem auditory afferents; in other words parvalbumin-like immunoreactivity defines the boundaries of MLd. Staining patterns of parvalbumin, calbindin and calretinin defined two regions of MLd: inner (MLd.I) and outer (MLd.O). MLd.O largely surrounds MLd.I and is distinct from the surrounding intercollicular nucleus. Unlike the case in some non-songbirds, however, the two MLd regions do not correspond to the terminal zones of the projections of the brainstem auditory nuclei angularis and laminaris, which have been found to overlap substantially throughout the nucleus in zebra finches

A Systematic Analysis of Cell Cycle Regulators in Yeast Reveals That Most Factors Act Independently of Cell Size to Control Initiation of Division

Upstream events that trigger initiation of cell division, at a point called START in yeast, determine the overall rates of cell proliferation. The identity and complete sequence of those events remain unknown. Previous studies relied mainly on cell size changes to identify systematically genes required for the timely completion of START. Here, we evaluated panels of non-essential single gene deletion strains for altered DNA content by flow cytometry. This analysis revealed that most gene deletions that altered cell cycle progression did not change cell size. Our results highlight a strong requirement for ribosomal biogenesis and protein synthesis for initiation of cell division. We also identified numerous factors that have not been previously implicated in cell cycle control mechanisms. We found that CBS, which catalyzes the synthesis of cystathionine from serine and homocysteine, advances START in two ways: by promoting cell growth, which requires CBS's catalytic activity, and by a separate function, which does not require CBS's catalytic activity. CBS defects cause disease in humans, and in animals CBS has vital, non-catalytic, unknown roles. Hence, our results may be relevant for human biology. Taken together, these findings significantly expand the range of factors required for the timely initiation of cell division. The systematic identification of non-essential regulators of cell division we describe will be a valuable resource for analysis of cell cycle progression in yeast and other organisms

Aphelocheirus Zettel, Lane & Moore, 2008, sp.n.

Aphelocheirus (s.str.) bruneiensis sp.n. (Figs. 1–10) Etymology. The Latinized adjective bruneiensis refers to the country of origin, Brunei. Holotype (brachypterous male; Brunei Museum, Collection No. NHS/BM.INS. 01.20.08), paratype (macropterous male; Natural History Museum Vienna, Collection No. NAUC- 187 / 1), and paratype (nymph, 4 th or 5 th instar; Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Collection No. UBDM. 3.00005) labelled " Brunei Darussalam \ Sungai Tutong Survey\ site 17 B, 15 June 2004 \ leg. Stephen Moore". Type locality. Brunei Darussalam, Sungai Tutong at Rambai road bridge (4.629 ° N, 114.651 ° E); see also ecological description below. Description of brachypterous male (holotype). Size. Body length 6.1 mm. Body width 4.0 mm. Pronotum width 3.3 mm. Colour. Dorsal colour pattern see Figure 1. Ventral side, including appendages, yellowish, partly brownish infuscated. Head (Fig. 1) moderately long, length 1.05 times head width; finely, uniformly punctured, distance between punctures mostly (except anteriorly) smaller than their diameter, medioposteriorly punctures confluent. Anterior section of head (anterior of anterior eye margin) short, 0.5 times eye length (eye length measured parallel with median line of head). Rostrum 1.7 times as long as profemur, tip reaching distal end of mesotrochanter. Thorax: Pronotum (Fig. 1) only slightly convex, medially finely coriaceous, laterally finely granulate. Median length of pronotum 0.6 times median head length. Maximum width at posterior corners, 2.75 times its median length. Lateral margins of pronotum strongly convex and convergent anteriorly; width at anterior corners 0.43 times maximum width. Propleuron (Fig. 5) medially with very stout process, demarcated by almost rectangular incision. Mesosternum with extremely high median carina, ending abruptly anteriorly (Fig. 5) and bearing some ill-defined wrinkles; in lateral view anterior corner almost rectangular (slightly acute). Mesoscutellum finely granulate; anterior width 2.5 times median length, its centre only slightly convex. Hemielytra (Fig. 1) delicately granulate, small, posteriorly not reaching posterior margin of tergite 2, medially with gap measuring 0.28 times hemielytron width. Each hemielytron slightly wider than long (ca. 1.1 times), laterally with prominent triangular embolium process (process width ca. 0.2 times total hemielytron width). Legs relatively short and stout, femora laterally not much exceeding margin of body. Profemur longer than both meso- and metafemur; 2.8 times as long as wide. Abdomen (Fig. 1). Tergites 2–7 with acute posterior corners, but corners of tergite 2 very small. Sternites only slightly asymmetrical, without peg-like setae. Sternites 4–5 with very distinct, sharp median carina. Genitalia: Pygophore (Fig. 6) apically with short, roundish tubercle; left parandrium distinctly longer than right one, its apex hook-shaped and slender; right parandrium wide, its apex obliquely truncate. Both parameres stout and short, approximately 0.4 mm in length, scaly microstructures in distal part very delicate, distinct only under very high magnification. Left paramere (Figs. 7, 8) broad, leaf-shaped, apically almost truncate, proximally with very prominent process, ventrally with three long setae, otherwise with short and inconspicuous pilosity. Right paramere (Figs. 9, 10) broad sickle-shaped, medially with several longer setae, laterally with very short pilosity. Description of macropterous male (paratype). Size. Body length 6.1 mm. Body width 3.9 mm. Pronotum width 3.2 mm. As usual in Aphelocheirus, macropterous specimens are slightly darker than brachypterous individuals, with slightly coarser sculpturing of head, pronotum, and mesoscutellum, slightly larger eyes, a differently shaped pronotum, a strongly enlarged mesoscutellum, and forewings reaching approximately the tip of the abdomen (see Fig. 2). Head (Fig. 2) moderately long, length 1.25 times head width; uniformly punctured; anterior section of head short, 0.5 times eye length. Pronotum (Fig. 2) slightly convex, with sinuate hind margin; median length of pronotum 0.75 times median head length; maximum width near posterior corners, 3.3 times its median length; width at anterior corners 0.44 times maximum width. Propleuron with medial process as in brachypterous morph. Mesosternum with similar median carina as in brachypterous morph, but posteriorly less highly raised above the more swollen mesosoma. Embolar margin of hemielytron strongly expanded laterally, forming a sharp wing-shaped process (Fig. 2). Abdomen including genitalia as in brachypterous morph. Description of nymph (paratype). Size. Body length 5.1 mm. Body width 3.6 mm. Pronotum width 2.8 mm. Colour. Dorsal colour pattern see Figure 3. Ventral side, including all appendages, pale yellowish. Dorsal surface partly smooth and shining but with delicate sculpturing; with distinct, short pilosity; median line of thorax and abdomen with more or less distinct carina. Head short, length 0.9 times head width; anterior section of head 0.5 times eye length. Pronotum (Fig. 3) almost flat, maximum width at posterior corners 5.0 times its median length. Sides of pronotum strongly convex and convergent anteriorly; width at anterior corners 0.40 times maximum width. Propleuron medially simply rounded. Mesosternum with distinct median carina, ending abruptly anteriorly, although less high than in adults. Sternites 3–6 with very distinct, sharp median carina. Sternite 3 with two subapical setae (homologous with peg-like bristles?). Female. Unknown. Ecological description of type locality. Site 17 of the Sungai Tutong Survey 2004 (Evans et al. 2005), i.e., the type locality of A. bruneiensis sp.n., is in the mid reaches of the river near Kampong Rambai, located 46 km upstream of the river mouth, below the Rambai road bridge (Fig. 4). The site was unusual in that gabion baskets (used to stabilise the riverbed) created an artificially narrow, hard-bedded channel with moderate to fast flow. These habitat conditions differed from those of most of the length of the Sungai Tutong where slow-flowing, sandy-bedded, and grassy-margin habitats were predominant (in 23 of 25 sampling sites). The Rambai bridge site supported aquatic invertebrates commonly associated with hard beds and moderate to fast currents, including hydropsychid caddisflies (37 % of the individuals found at this site), heptageniid mayflies (23 %), simuliid black flies (2 %), perlid stoneflies (2 %), and psephenid beetles (1 %). These groups were less commonly recorded in the sandy/grassy habitats found along most of the Sungai Tutong where the most common taxa included chironomid midges (subfamilies Chironominae and Tanypodinae), baetid mayflies, libellulid dragonflies, and protoneurid damselflies. The general water quality of the Sungai Tutong is typical of many tropical Asian slow-flowing rivers. The river had relatively warm temperatures, with a median from all 25 sites (sampling dates between June and December 2004) of 28.5 °C. The river was always visibly turbid, due primarily to high suspended sediment levels (median from all sites of 18 ppm). The river water was always acidic (median pH from all sites was 5.7) due to the acidic breakdown products of forest and wetland vegetation. The slow flow at most Sungai Tutong sites contributed to low oxygen saturation levels, with a median from all 25 sampling sites of 60 %; however, the faster flow of the Rambai bridge site produced a higher median dissolved oxygen saturation of 74.5 %.Published as part of Zettel, Herbert, Lane, David J. W. & Moore, Stephen, 2008, Aphelocheirus (s. str.) bruneiensis sp. n., a new benthic water bug (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aphelocheiridae) from Brunei, and a key to Bornean Aphelocheirus, pp. 61-68 in Zootaxa 1920 on pages 62-66, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18468

Arkeologiska undersökningar 1964-1970 av stenåldersboplatsen Löddesborg, Löddeköpinge 92:2, Löddeköpinge sn, Skåne

FIGURES 11 – 14. Dorsal aspects of some Bornean species of Aphelocheirus (all specimens from the collection of the Natural History Museum Vienna). (11) A. kelabitensis, brachypterous male paratype from Kelabit Highland, Sarawak (body length 7.2 mm). (12) A. kinabalu, brachypterous female from Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah (body length 8.9 mm). (13) A. kinabalu, macropterous male from Kelabit Highland, Sarawak (body length 8.2 mm; genital capsule dissected). (14) A. kodadai, brachypterous female paratype from Crocker Range, Sabah (body length 7.6 mm). © NHMW Hemiptera Image Collection, published with permission

Anisops stali Kirkaldy 1904

Anisops stali Kirkaldy, 1904 Anisops stali Kirkaldy, 1904: 113, 132; BROOKS (1951: 319); NIESER & CHEN (1999: 111); ZETTEL (2003: 127); CHEN et al. (2005: 422). Material examined. PHILIPPINES: LUZON: Mountain Province, Sagada, Underground River, downstream cave, 1450 m a.s.l., 17°05’N 120°54’E, 14.iii.1995, leg. H. Freitag (5), 2&female;&female; (NHMW). NEGROS: Negros Oriental Province, Bais Forest, 500 m a.s.l., 21.v.1981, leg. Fr. Schoenig, 1 J (USCP). CEBU: Cebu City, Buhisan, 11.ix.1979, leg. A. Creus, 1 J (USCP); Minglanilla, Camp 7, 29.ix.1979, leg. Egula, 1 J (USCP). Distributional notes. Anisops stali is distributed from Java in Indonesia and the Philippines eastwards to Australia (CHEN et al. 2005). Despite this wide distribution it has been rarely reported from the Philippines, namely from Mindanao (BROOKS 1951) and Mindoro (ZETTEL 2003). We present first records from Luzon (Mountain Province), Negros Oriental, and Cebu.Published as part of Zettel, Herbert, Lane, David J. W., Pangantihon, Clister V., Freitag, Hendrik & Be, Jalan Tungku Link, 2012, Notes on Notonectidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from southeastern Asia, mostly from Brunei and the Philippines, pp. 29-48 in Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52 (1) on page 35, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.533038

Enithares uncata Lundblad 1933

Enithares uncata Lundblad, 1933 Enithares uncata Lundblad, 1933: 179. Material examined. MALAYSIA: SARAWAK: 25 km south of Miri, near entrance and headquarter of Lambir Hills National Park, 24–25.ii.1993, pond, leg. H. Zettel (9), 3 &female;&female; (NHMW); 50 km south of Kuching, Tapah, 18.ii.1993, pond, leg. H. Zettel (5), 1 J (NHMW); ca. 40 km southeast of Kapit, ‘ Rumah Ugap Ng marating bena Kapit Sut’, iii.1994, leg. J.Kodada, 1&female; (NHMW). INDONESIA: KALIMANTAN TENGAH: Kayahan Basin, near Tumbang Mahuroi, 20.vii.2004, leg. P. Mazzoldi, 1 J 1 &female; (NHMW, HZWA). Distribution. Hitherto Enithares uncata was recorded from Sumatra and Java in Indonesia (LUNDBLAD 1933). The examined specimens represent the first records from the island of Borneo and the first country record for Malaysia (Sarawak).Published as part of Zettel, Herbert, Lane, David J. W., Pangantihon, Clister V., Freitag, Hendrik & Be, Jalan Tungku Link, 2012, Notes on Notonectidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from southeastern Asia, mostly from Brunei and the Philippines, pp. 29-48 in Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52 (1) on page 43, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.533038