Aquinas and Aristotelians on Whether the Soul is a Group of Powers

In the Aristotelian tradition, there are two broad answers to the basic question "What is soul?" On the one hand, the soul can be described by what it does. From this perspective, the soul seems to be composed of various different parts or powers (potentiae) that are the principles of its various actions. On the other hand, the soul seems to be something different, namely, the actual formal principle making embodied living substances to be the kinds of things that they are. Contemporary Aristotelians are split on how to interpret Aristotle: Anna Marmodoro (2013, 18), Thomas Johansen (2012, 81), and most others argue that the soul is nothing but a kind of cluster or group of powers. Rebekah Johnston (2011), however, strongly disagrees and argues that the soul is only the actual principle of embodied substance. Aquinas provides a novel and neglected solution to this problem and would argue that both sides are partly right but that either side is insufficient without the other

grofit: Fitting Biological Growth Curves with R

The grofit package was developed to fit many growth curves obtained under different conditions in order to derive a conclusive dose-response curve, for instance for a compound that potentially affects growth. grofit fits data to different parametric models and in addition provides a model free spline method to circumvent systematic errors that might occur within application of parametric methods. This amendment increases the reliability of the characteristic parameters (e.g.,lag phase, maximal growth rate, stationary phase) derived from a single growth curve. By relating obtained parameters to the respective condition (e.g.,concentration of a compound) a dose response curve can be derived that enables the calculation of descriptive pharma-/toxicological values like half maximum effective concentration (EC50). Bootstrap and cross-validation techniques are used for estimating confidence intervals of all derived parameters.

Korteriomandist tulenevate õiguste piirangud korteriomandi- ja korteriühistuseaduses

https://www.ester.ee/record=b5245372~S

Thermal stability criteria embedded in avanced control systems for batch process intensification

Thermal stability of batch processes is a major factor for the safe and efficient production of polymers and pharmaceutical chemicals. The prediction of thermal stability for such nonlinear, non steady-state processes is unreliable when using most stability criteria found in literature. A new stability criterion $\mathcal{K}$ is proposed. This is derived for complex reaction networks based on the divergence criterion. Lyapunov exponents are an alternative method to predict thermal runaway behaviour. Embedding thermal stability criteria within Model Predictive Control (MPC) frameworks results in advanced control systems capable of intensifying batch processes safely, hence resulting in shorter processing times. It is shown that embedding criterion $\mathcal{K}$ within MPC results in more efficient computational times than embedding Lyapunov exponents. Lyapunov exponents potentially can be applied to systems different from chemical exothermic batch reactors due to the general mathematical form. The effect of parametric uncertainty for process control is of utmost importance for industrial application. It is shown that the use of scenario-based MPC and worst case MPC, together with criterion $\mathcal{K}$ and Lyapunov exponents, results in a robust control scheme capable of intensifying batch processes whilst keeping them under control subject to parametric uncertainty. Both, scenario-based and worst case MPC with these two criteria resulted in safe control capable of intensifying batch processes. It is found that worst case MPC embedded with criterion $\mathcal{K}$ results in the most computationally efficient robust control scheme for the intensification of processes considered in this work.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) (DTP – University of Cambridge, Funder reference EP/M508007/1)

Divine Providence in Aquinas’s Commentaries on Aristotle’s Physics and Metaphysics, and Its Relevance to the Question of Evolution and Creation

This paper presents a philosophical argument for divine providence by Aquinas. I suggest that upon returning to Aristotle’s Physics and Metaphysics to prepare his commentaries on these texts, Aquinas recognized that his stock argument from natural teleology to divine providence needed to be filled out. Arguments from natural teleology can prove that God’s providence extends to what happens for the most part, but they cannot show that God’s providence also includes what happens for the least part. In order to prove the latter, Aquinas claims that one must argue from a higher science, which he then does with all characteristic clarity. This paper presents this argument, discusses what this means for his previous arguments from teleology, and discusses the argument’s relevance to the contemporary discussion about creation and evolution

Catholic Girls All Grown Up: A Practical Theological Exploration of Sexuality Formation in Young Adult Women

The Roman Catholic Church promotes exacting norms about the sexual behavior expected of Catholics, but prior qualitative and quantitative studies have shown a mixed effect on the decisions made by young adult Catholics, especially women. This qualitative study interviewed young adult women who were raised Catholic and sought to determine both what they were taught about sex and sexuality while growing up Catholic and how they think those teachings affected their lives and decision-making as young adults. Analysis of their responses indicated an anxious climate in their childhood educational experiences where adults were hesitant to answer questions or engage in discussion about the topic, and where formal sexuality education was focused on the risks of having sex in the form of pregnancy, STIs, and incurring religious guilt. This sense of discomfort from adult educators ultimately translated into a fear-, shame-, and guilt-based lived theology in young adulthood. Participants largely made sexual decisions in a defensive manner, focused on the possibility of negative experiences rather than the desired outcomes of sexual behavior and relying on intuition and a gut feeling to make decisions in the moment. By creating a composite narrative, this study identifies key educational encounters across the lifespan and indicates how each moment could have been experienced as life-giving and integrated into the participants\u27 moral religious upbringing so that as young adults, they would have felt better equipped to make sexual decisions in their own lives. Parents, religious educators, and stakeholders in the Catholic world are encouraged to consider how to incorporate sexuality education more holistically into religious education using well-established modes of Catholic religious pedagogy

Pathological integrin signaling enhances proliferation of primary lung fibroblasts from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a relentlessly progressive lung disease in which fibroblasts accumulate in the alveolar wall within a type I collagen–rich matrix. Although lung fibroblasts derived from patients with IPF display durable pathological alterations in proliferative function, the molecular mechanisms differentiating IPF fibroblasts from their normal counterparts remain unknown. Polymerized type I collagen normally inhibits fibroblast proliferation, providing a physiological mechanism to limit fibroproliferation after tissue injury. We demonstrate that β1 integrin interaction with polymerized collagen inhibits normal fibroblast proliferation by suppression of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)–Akt–S6K1 signal pathway due to maintenance of high phosphatase activity of the tumor suppressor phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN). In contrast, IPF fibroblasts eluded this restraint, displaying a pathological pattern of β1 integrin signaling in response to polymerized collagen that leads to aberrant activation of the PI3K–Akt–S6K1 signal pathway caused by inappropriately low PTEN activity. Mice deficient in PTEN showed a prolonged fibroproliferative response after tissue injury, and immunohistochemical analysis of IPF lung tissue demonstrates activation of Akt in cells within fibrotic foci. These results provide direct evidence for defective negative regulation of the proliferative pathway in IPF fibroblasts and support the theory that the pathogenesis of IPF involves an intrinsic fibroblast defect