Spinoza and Judaism in the French Context: The Case of Milner's Le Sage Trompeur

Jean-Claude Milner’s Le sage trompeur (2013), a controversial recent piece of French Spinoza literature, remains regrettably understudied in the English-speaking world. Adopting Leo Strauss’ esoteric reading method, Milner alleges that Spinoza dissimulates his genuine analysis of the causes of the persecution and survival of the Jewish people within a brief “manifesto” found at the end of the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (TTP), Chapter 3. According to Milner, Spinoza holds that the Jewish people themselves are responsible for the hatred of the Jewish people, and that the engine of their longevity is the hatred they engender. Additionally, claims Milner, Spinoza covertly insinuates that the solution to this persistent state of hatred consists in the mass apostasy of the Jewish people under the leadership of a Sabbatai Zevi-like figure. This article presents the Milner–Spinoza controversy to the English-speaking public along with the larger context of French-language scholarship on Spinoza’s relation to Judaism. While refuting Milner’s reading of Spinoza, I simultaneously clarify relevant elements of Spinoza’s discussions of Judaism in the TTP, such as Spinoza’s examination of Jewish identity and the nature of divine election, Spinoza’s understanding of the causes of national hatred, and Spinoza’s appeals to Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, and Turkish political history

Theorising the European Neighbourhood Policy: Debordering and Rebordering in the Mediterranean

This paper discusses recent developments in Euro-Mediterranean relations following the establishment of the European Neighbourhood Initiative (ENP) and attempts to put these empirical insights into theoretical perspective. By relating selected elements of the theory of world society - in conjunction with other constructivist approaches in IR - to the analysis of Euro-Mediterranean relations, this paper aims to contribute to the discussion on the extent to which the ENP offers real integration between the EU and its southern neighbours or whether the ENP can rather be seen as (yet another) case of window-dressing in Euro-Mediterranean relations. By way of providing an answer to this question, this paper proceeds in three steps, thus discussing the ENP in relation to three selected theoretical concepts, namely 'debordering/rebordering', 'regionalisation', and 'inclusion/exclusion'.open coordination; immigration policy

Experimental Investigations of Exciting Forces Caused by Flow in Labyrinth Seals

The interaction of the flow through the labyrinth seals with the shaft of the rotor can have an effect on the stability of turbomachines. Thus, the excited forces, so-called cross forces or nonconservative forces, arise, which act perpendicular to the rotor eccentricity. This effect is caused by an unsymmetrical pressure distribution within the labyrinth cavities. Experimental studies were carried out for different types of labyrinth geometries: two staggered labyrinths with teeth on the stator and grooved rotor as well as a full and a convergent stepped labyrinth. These labyrinths can be found on the tip shrouding of bladings in steam or gas turbines. The following parameters were varied in the test facility: geometry of the labyrinth seals (number of cavities, inlet region), shaft rotation, pressure difference on the seal, entry swirl and eccentricity of the rotor. The results are presented for stiffness coefficients of the labyrinth seals, leakage flow and circumferential flow in each cavity which was measured with special probes. Generally, the inlet swirl has the greatest influence on the coefficients of the seals. The experimental results were compared with theoretical results and were in good agreement

A study for hypergolic vapor sensor development

In summary, the following tasks were completed within the scope of this work: (1) a portable Monomethylhydrazine analyzer was developed, designed, fabricated and tested. (2) A portable NO2 analyzer was developed, designed, fabricated and tested. (3) Sampling probes and accessories were designed and fabricated for this instrumentation. (4) Improvements and modifications were made to the model 7630 Ecolyzer in preparation for field testing. (5) Instrument calibration procedures and hydrazine handling techniques necessary to the successful application of this hardware were developed

Средство мобильной эксплуатации медицинских приборов жизнеобеспечения

Работа направлена на разработку средства, которое позволит повысить мобильность пациентов при эксплуатации медицинских приборов жизнеобеспечения. Формулирование требований к проектированию средства на основе принципов универсального дизайна позволит удовлетворять потребности более широкого круга пациентов. Разрабатываемый объект предназначен для улучшения процесса выздоровления.The work is aimed at developing a tool that will increase patient mobility in the operation of medical life-support devices. The formulation of requirements for the design of the tool based on the principles of universal design will allow to meet the needs of a wider range of patients. The object is designed to improve the recovery process

Pressure-Induced Alterations in the Protein Pattern of the Thermophilic Archaebacterium Methanococcus thermolithotrophicus

Elevated hydrostatic pressure has been shown to affect the growth rate of the thermophilic methanobacterium Methanococcus thermolithotrophicus without extending its temperature range of viability. Analysis of the cell inventory after approximately 10 h of incubation at 65 degrees C and 50 MPa (applying high-pressure liquid chromatography and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis) proved that pressure induces alterations in the protein pattern and the amino acid composition of the total cell hydrolysate. Gels showed that after pressurization a series of (basic) proteins with a molecular mass in the range of 38 and 70 kilodaltons occurs which is not detectable in cells grown at normal atmospheric pressure. The question of whether the observed alterations are caused by the perturbation of the balance of protein synthesis and turnover or by the pressure-induced synthesis of compounds analogous to heat shock proteins remains unanswered