LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co introduced its redesigned Civic sedan only a year-and-a-half after a major model change of the best-selling compact car in the United States. Even Honda admits that the 2012 Civic, introduced in the spring of 2011, missed the mark. For a company that prides itself on rock-solid reliability, it was a shock last summer when influential Consumer Reports ranked the Civic dead last in a field of 12 compact sedans it tested. Sales of the new Civic, a 2013 model, will start this week and the refreshed car was shown off on Thursday at the LA Auto Show. ...
The research organizer and reference manager Zotero is one of ProfHacker?s favorite tools. I?ve shown how ZotPad allows you to access your saved sources and PDFs on your iPad, but there?s one key functionality that ZotPad doesn?t (yet) provide: saving citations to Zotero from your iPad.
Enter the Zotero Bookmarklet.
The Zotero Bookmarklet can be added to almost any modern browser?including Safari on the iPad or iPhone?and it allows you to save a source to your Zotero library, as long as the Zotero web service recognizes that source. In other words, the Zotero Bookmarklet works well with common research databases, electronic journals, and new sources, while it?s not likely to recognize regular blogs and random websites.
Installation of bookmarklets on iOS browsers is tricky, but this is the essential process (adapted from the official Zotero documentation):
Bookmark this page (or any page). Be sure to save it to Safari?s Bookmarks Bar (as opposed to your regular bookmarks).
Edit the bookmark you?ve just made.
Rename the bookmark to something appropriate. Mine is called, simply, ?Zotero.?
Copy the code from the textbox below and paste it as the URL for the bookmark
?
?
And there you have it! The first time you save a source you?ll be prompted to log into Zotero, but then it should work fine for you. Note that if you use a non-Zotero server to sync your attachments, the attachments (say, a PDF of the article you?ve just saved from Project Muse) will not be saved to your account. My current workaround is to download the attachment to Dropbox from my iPad, and then add the file to the citation in Zotero once I?m at my regular PC. I haven?t been able to verify this, but I expect that if you do avail yourself of Zotero?s file storage service, the attachments save without a hassle.
Can you imagine using the Zotero Bookmarklet? Would it change your workflow? If you have an alternative that already works for you, what is it?
My Pile of Index Card photo by Flickr user koalazymonkey / Creative Commons Licensed
With 176 games completed, the gap has been cut from seven to two.
After a four-game sweep of our disagreements in Week 11, MDS posted another 3-1 mark in Week 12, making it very interesting over the final five weeks.
This week, we have only one disagreement.? So it?ll be down to one or back to three by Monday.? (I are good at the math.)
Of course, that doesn?t mean we?ll be right on the picks on which we agree.? But we?re doing OK.? MDS was 11-5 for Week 12, and I was 9-7.? For the season, I?m at 112-63-1, a 63.6 percent accuracy rate.? MDS is 110-65-1, which equates to 62.5 percent.
Saints at Falcons
MDS?s take: It sounds crazy to say this about a 5-6 team facing a 10-1 team, but right now the Saints are playing better football than the Falcons. Having said that, I have a hunch the Falcons will turn in their best effort of the season at home against the team that gave them their only loss.
MDS?s pick: Falcons 28, Saints 21.
Florio?s take:? An already contentious rivalry will become even more contentious now that eggs have flown into the Saints bus and former Falcons linebacker Curtis Lofton has declared that his new team, the Saints, don?t regard the rivalry as a rivalry, given that the Saints have won 11 of 13.? With the Falcons closing in on a playoff berth and sensitive about the perception that they can?t win big games at home, it?s time to drop the Saints? mark against the Falcons to 11 of 14.
Florio?s pick:? Falcons 27, Saints 24.
Jaguars at Bills
MDS?s take: Jaguars quarterback Chad Henne has been impressive enough since replacing Blaine Gabbert that I?m tempted to pick the Jags to pull off a home upset. But these are still the Jaguars, and even if Henne has improved the offense, they still have a terrible defense, plus the Bills have a big special teams edge.
MDS?s pick: Bills 27, Jaguars 23.
Florio?s take:? The Jags are riding a rare one-game winning streak.? The Bill are trying to break a not-so-rare one-game losing streak.? Home team gets the advantage, even though the Jaguars are better with Chad Henne at quarterback.
Florio?s pick:? Bills 24, Jaguars 17.
Seahawks at Bears
MDS?s take: This might be the day?s most interesting game, especially if you enjoy watching teams that play tough, physical defense. I think Seattle?s defensive front has the potential to make life a nightmare for Jay Cutler playing behind the Bears? woeful offensive line, and yet the Seahawks have struggled so much away from home that I?m taking the Bears in a close one.
MDS?s pick: Bears 14, Seahawks 13.
Florio?s take:? It?s chicken salad time for the Chicago offensive line, with failed first-round tackle Gabe Carimi being pressed into service at guard.? But Jay Cutler knows how to avoid the pressure and deliver the ball, and the Seahawks still haven?t learned how to win on the road.
Florio?s pick:? Bears 23, Seahawks 13.
Colts at Lions
MDS?s take: The Lions are playing better football than their record suggests, while the Colts are playing worse football than their record suggests. I still think Indianapolis will be a wild card team, but in this game Calvin Johnson will have a huge day against a weak secondary.
MDS?s pick: Lions 31, Colts 20.
Florio?s take:? Assuming that the Lions haven?t folded the tents after a season-crushing Thanksgiving loss, they?ve got the horses to hold off a Colts team that has yet to learn how to win away from Indy consistently.
Florio?s pick:? Lions 27, Colts 20.
Vikings at Packers
MDS?s take: Green Bay had a letdown against the Giants last week, but that won?t happen again. This is the game when the Packers pull ahead of the pack in the NFC wild card race, as well as staying within striking distance of the Bears in the NFC North.
MDS?s pick: Packers 34, Vikings 13.
Florio?s take:? Minnesota has embarked on its long-expected late-season collapse, and the Packers will be extra salty after getting peppered by the Giants.? This one could get ugly.
Florio?s pick:? Packers 34, Vikings 13.
Panthers at Chiefs
MDS?s take: It?s too late for the Panthers to get back in the playoff race, but I do see them going on a little bit of a late-season run. With Cam Newton playing well, they?ll easily win in Kansas City.
MDS?s pick: Panthers 27, Chiefs 9.
Florio?s take:? The Chiefs can?t lose every game the rest of the season, can they?? Carolina is on the road after a Monday night on the road, cramming two rounds of travel into a short week after a game in which they are feeling better about themselves than they should.? The Chiefs, if they don?t win this one, may not win another.? Ever.
Florio?s pick:? Chiefs 20, Panthers 16.
Patriots at Dolphins
MDS?s take: I like a lot about the way the Dolphins are playing, especially defensively. And the Patriots? secondary has a bad tendency to leave receivers wide open, so Ryan Tannehill may have a decent statistical game. But New England?s offense is such a well-oiled machine that I like the Patriots to get into the end zone five or six times.
MDS?s pick: Patriots 38, Dolphins 28.
Florio?s take:? The Dolphins will win if the sprinklers come on again.? And if the are loaded with hydrochloric acid and aimed at the eyes of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.? Otherwise, advantage Pats.
Florio?s pick:? Patriots 35, Dolphins 24.
Cardinals at Jets
MDS?s take: This is a stinker of a game between two teams with all kinds of problems at the quarterback position, but it says something about how far the Cardinals have sunk that Mark Sanchez is easily the top quarterback in this game.
MDS?s pick: Jets 20, Cardinals 10.
Florio?s take:? It?s easy to assume the Jets will continue their implosion.? The schedule suggests they could win five in a row.? They may not get to 9-7, but 5-7 is looking pretty promising.
Florio?s pick:? Jets 30, Cardinals 17.
49ers at Rams
MDS?s take: I don?t think this game is going to be easy for the 49ers because St. Louis isn?t an easy place to play anymore, but in the end San Francisco just has too much power on both sides of the ball for the Rams to have much of a chance.
MDS?s pick: 49ers 24, Rams 13.
Florio?s take:? They pick up where they left off after five quarters that ended in a tie.? The Rams try to extend their 3-0-1 record in the NFC West.? The Niners are simply a better team with Colin Kaepernick at quarterback.
Florio?s pick:? 49ers 31, Rams 23.
Texans at Titans
MDS?s take: The Titans fired offensive coordinator Chris Palmer this week, as if that will fix anything. The Titans? problems go much deeper than the offensive playcalling, and the Texans ? getting a well deserved three extra days of rest following their back-to-back overtime games the last two weeks ? will look fresh and win this one handily.
MDS?s pick: Texans 41, Titans 20.
Florio?s take:? Yes, before the season I thought the the Titans, who were unexpectedly 9-7 in 2011, were poised to topple the Texans.? It hasn?t happened.? And it won?t happen for the Titans on Sunday, not with the Texans closing in on their second straight playoff berth.
Florio?s pick:? Texans 27, Titans 14.
Buccaneers at Broncos
MDS?s take: The Bucs are thin in the secondary after trading away Aqib Talib and losing Eric Wright to a suspension, and Peyton Manning is the last quarterback you want to face when you?re thin in the secondary. Manning will pick the Bucs? defense apart. The best chance the Bucs have of keeping this game close is to control the ball by running Doug Martin, but in the end Manning will just have too much for Tampa Bay.
MDS?s pick: Broncos 35, Buccaneers 24.
Florio?s take:? With Eric Wright suspended and Aqib Talib long gone, it?ll be a long day for the Bucs? porous pass defense.
Florio?s pick:? Broncos 31, Buccaneers 21.
Steelers at Ravens
MDS?s take: The Steelers need this one, but they?re not going to get it. Without Ben Roethlisberger the Steelers just aren?t a very good team, and I expect the Ravens to earn a big win that helps them pull away in the AFC North.
MDS?s pick: Ravens 23, Steelers 7.
Florio?s take:? With or without Ben Roethlisberger, the Ravens are tough to beat at home.? And even though it would be fitting for the Steelers to win in Baltimore after the Ravens won in Pittsburgh, the Ravens are the better team ? and the Steelers are on the verge of a late-season implosion.? All that?s left is for coach Mike Tomlin to vow to ?unleash hell.?
Florio?s pick:? Ravens 19, Steelers 13.
Browns at Raiders
MDS?s take: Both teams are 3-8, but they?re a different 3-8. The Browns are a 3-8 team that is playing competitive football and has a lot of young guys who look hungry. The Raiders are a 3-8 team that just wrapped up an 0-4 November in which their four losses came by a total of 90 points. The Browns will go into the Black Hole and come out with their first road win of the season.
MDS?s pick: Browns 21, Raiders 17.
Florio?s take:? The Browns are better than their record suggests.? The Raiders are worse.? With Browns players trying to save the job of their head coach (and in turn their own jobs), Cleveland has more incentive to try to emerge with a win.
Florio?s pick:? Browns 17, Raiders 13.
Bengals at Chargers
MDS?s take: The Bengals are rolling and the Chargers are reeling. Marvin Lewis will take another step toward the playoffs while Norv Turner takes another step toward the unemployment line.
MDS?s pick: Bengals 24, Chargers 14.
Florio?s take:? San Diego?s AFC North tour continues, and they wish it wouldn?t.? After losing to the Browns and to the Ravens, a surging Cincinnati team is ready to keep pushing toward their first consecutive playoff appearances in non-strike years.
Florio?s pick:? Bengals 27, Chargers 17.
Eagles at Cowboys
MDS?s take: The Eagles have given up on the season. At this point I don?t think I?d pick them to beat anyone, and I certainly won?t pick them to win on the road against a Cowboys team that still has slim playoff hopes.
MDS?s pick: Cowboys 28, Eagles 20.
Florio?s take:? Philly is in a full-blown free fall.? After seeing them lose to the lowly Panthers, I?m done picking them until next September at the earliest.? The Cowboys aren?t much better, but they?re good enough (and sufficiently healthier) to get it done.
Florio?s pick:? Cowboys 34, Eagles 20.
Giants at Redskins
MDS?s take: The Redskins have done a great job of pulling themselves back into NFC East contention, and if you want to see an interesting playoff race in December you should be rooting for the Redskins to beat the Giants on Monday night. But Robert Griffin III playing so well as a rookie has masked the fact that the Redskins have big problems on both sides of the ball. The Giants will be too much for them.
MDS?s pick: Giants 34, Redskins 17.
Florio?s take:? The Giants have awoken from their slumber.? That may not be enough to contain a streaking RG3 in his Monday night debut.? Forced to make a choice, however, let?s stick with the team that has shown that it still has the ability to periodically play up to its potential.? Especially when it has to.
There is some consolidation in the error-tracking/monitoring space.?Exceptional, the error-tracking service for cloud developers, has announced the acquisition of the Ranger monitoring service to extend the U.S. company's 'DevOps' platform. Terms of the deal remain undisclosed, although Exceptional CEO Jonathan Siegel tells me it's a "solid six-figure purchase," and covers the Ranger product (which has just been updated to version 2.0) and existing customer base-only.
CINCINNATI (AP) ? The Reds signed Jonathan Broxton to a three-year, $21 million contract on Wednesday, giving the NL Central champions a potential closer and a chance to reconfigure their starting rotation.
Broxton came to the Reds last July in a trade with Kansas City and was part of their push toward the playoffs. He filled in as the closer when Aroldis Chapman came down with a tired shoulder and had four saves in six chances overall with a 2.82 ERA, impressing the Reds.
Now they have the option of turning Chapman into a starter, which was the plan last season until closer Ryan Madsen tore up his pitching elbow.
The Reds have told Chapman to prepare for next season as a starter, although they haven't committed to Broxton as the closer.
"Nothing's in stone right now," assistant general manager Bob Miller said. "We told (Chapman) before he left to prepare because that's the hardest part ? starter. When we talked to Jonathan we said he was going to be at the back end of the bullpen. What happens depends on spring training and how things play out in the offseason."
Broxton's deal pays him a $4 million base salary in 2013, $7 million in 2014 and $9 million in 2015. There's a club option for another year at $9 million with a $1 million buyout. He also got a limited no-trade provision. Broxton gets to pick 10 teams each year that would be acceptable in a trade. If he's dealt, the club option becomes a mutual option and the buyout increases by $1 million.
Broxton wanted a multiyear deal so he could settle in one place. He didn't insist on assurances he'd be a closer.
"I went into the offseason with an open mind," Broxton said, on a conference call. "I've got experience in both roles. Even if Chapman doesn't work out as a starter, he can come back in and fill in as the closer. I'll be happy to throw the eighth (inning). It doesn't matter to you. You saw what he did last year."
It's Cincinnati's second big decision of the offseason. The Reds also brought back manager Dusty Baker on a two-year deal. Cincinnati also would like to upgrade its leadoff spot in the batting order.
The 28-year-old Broxton missed most of the 2011 season with the Dodgers because of a bone spur in his elbow that required surgery. He agreed to a $4 million, one-year deal with Kansas City last season, starting as a setup man for closer Joakim Soria. He assumed the closing role in March, when Soria had to have reconstructive elbow surgery.
Broxton had 23 saves in 27 chances for Kansas City. He was surprised when the Reds traded for him, looking to upgrade their setup situation as they closed in on the playoffs.
Broxton's agent, B.B. Abbott, talked to several teams about a multiyear deal before deciding to stick with the Reds, who expect to be a contender. Cincinnati has won the division two of the last three years, losing in the first round of the playoffs both times.
The Reds signed Madson as their closer a year ago, giving him a one-year contract for $8.5 million. There was a mutual option for 2013 at $11 million with a $2.5 million buyout. Madson blew out his elbow during spring training and chose to become a free agent under his buyout.
The Reds planned to use Chapman as a starter last season, seeing how his 100 mph fastball fared in his more accustomed role. When Madson got hurt along with Cincinnati's two setup relievers during spring training, the Reds moved Chapman to the bullpen and Baker eased him into the closing role.
Chapman saved 27 consecutive chances and was 38 of 43 overall in save opportunities with a 1.55 ERA in 68 appearances. The Reds are hoping to give him a chance to make the rotation next season.
___
Follow Joe Kay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/apjoekay
(WTVM)- The way your child is assessed in school is now changing.
Every Alabama student enrolled in physical education classes in second through twelfth grade will participate in the new Alabama physical fitness assessment.
We're told it's replacing the President's Challenge fitness test, which was adopted nearly 30 years ago.
The new assessment focuses on health-related fitness and measures aerobic cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance and flexibility.
Implantable silk optics multi-task in the bodyPublic release date: 28-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Alex Reid alexander.reid@tufts.edu 617-627-4173 Tufts University
Dissolvable micro-mirrors enhance imaging, administer heat, deliver and monitor drugs
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. (November 28, 2012) Tufts University School of Engineering researchers have demonstrated silk-based implantable optics that offer significant improvement in tissue imaging while simultaneously enabling photo thermal therapy, administering drugs and monitoring drug delivery. The devices also lend themselves to a variety of other biomedical functions.
Biodegradable and biocompatible, these tiny mirror-like devices dissolve harmlessly at predetermined rates and require no surgery to remove them.
The technology is the brainchild of a research team led by Fiorenzo Omenetto, Frank C. Doble Professor of Engineering at Tufts. For several years, Omenetto; David L. Kaplan, Stern Family Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering chair, and their colleagues have been exploring ways to leverage silk's optical capabilities with its capacity as a resilient, biofriendly material that can stabilize materials while maintaining their biochemical functionality.
The technology is described in the paper "Implantable Multifunctional Bioresorbable Optics," published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences online Early Edition the week of November 12, 2012.
"This work showcases the potential of silk to bring together form and function. In this case an implantable optical form -- the mirror -- can go beyond imaging to serve multiple biomedical functions," Omenetto says.
Turning Silk into Mirrors
To create the optical devices, the Tufts bioengineers poured a purified silk protein solution into molds of multiple micro-sized prism reflectors, or microprism arrays (MPAs). They pre-determined the rates at which the devices would dissolve in the body by regulating the water content of the solution during processing. The cast solution was then air dried to form solid silk films in the form of the mold. The resulting silk sheets were much like the reflective tape found on safety garments or on traffic signs.
When implanted, these MPAs reflected back photons that are ordinarily lost with reflection-based imaging technologies, thereby enhancing imaging, even in deep tissue.
The researchers tested the devices using solid and liquid "phantoms" (materials that mimic the scattering that occurs when light passes through human tissue). The tiny mirror-like devices reflected substantially stronger optical signals than implanted silk films that had not been formed as MPAs.
Preventing Infection, Fighting Cancer
The Tufts researchers also demonstrated the silk mirrors' potential to administer therapeutic treatments.
In one experiment, the researchers mixed gold nanoparticles in the silk protein solution before casting the MPAs. They then implanted the gold-silk mirror under the skin of mice. When illuminated with green laser light, the nanoparticles converted light to heat. Similar in-vitro experiments showed that the devices inhibited bacterial growth while maintaining optical performance.
The team also embedded the cancer-fighting drug doxorubicin in the MPAs. The embedded drug remained active even at high temperatures (60 degree C), underscoring the ability of silk to stabilize chemical and biological dopants.
When exposed to enzymes in vitro, the doxorubicin was released as the mirror gradually dissolved. The amount of reflected light decreased as the mirror degraded, allowing the researchers to accurately assess the rate of drug delivery.
"The important implication here is that using a single biofriendly, resorbable device one could image a site of interest, such as a tumor, apply therapy as needed and then monitor the progress of the therapy," says Omenetto.
###
Collaborating with Omenetto and Kaplan from Tufts Department of Biomedical Engineering were Hu Tao, research assistant professor; Jana M. Kainerstorfer, post-doctoral researcher; Sean M. Siebert, a Tufts undergraduate; Eleanor M. Pritchard, former post-doctoral researcher; Angelo Sassaroli, research assistant professor; Bruce J.B. Panilaitis, research assistant professor; Mark A. Brenckle, graduate student; Jason Amsden, former post-doctoral researcher; Jonathan Levitt, post-doctoral researcher, and Professor Sergio Fantini.
At Tufts, Fiorenzo Omenetto also has an appointment in the Department of Physics in the School of Arts and Sciences, and David Kaplan also has appointments in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, the Department of Chemistry in the School of Arts and Sciences, the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, and the School of Dental Medicine.
The work was supported by the United States Army Research Laboratory, the United States Army Research Office, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Tissue Engineering Resource Center of the National Institutes of Health under award number P41EB00250 and the National Science Foundation.
Tao, H., Kainerstorfer, J.M., Siebert, S.M., Pritchard, E.M., Sassaroli, A., Panilaitis, B., Brenckle, M.A., Amsden, J., Levitt, J., Fantini, S., Kaplan, D. L., and Omenetto, F.G. (2012),.Implantable Multifunctional Bioresorbable Optics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Doi:10.1073/pnas.1209056109
Tufts University School of Engineering
Located on Tufts' Medford/Somerville campus, the School of Engineering offers a rigorous engineering education in a unique environment that blends the intellectual and technological resources of a world-class research university with the strengths of a top-ranked liberal arts college. Close partnerships with Tufts' excellent undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, coupled with a long tradition of collaboration, provide a strong platform for interdisciplinary education and scholarship. The School of Engineering's mission is to educate engineers committed to the innovative and ethical application of science and technology in addressing the most pressing societal needs, to develop and nurture twenty-first century leadership qualities in its students, faculty, and alumni, and to create and disseminate transformational new knowledge and technologies that further the well-being and sustainability of society in such cross-cutting areas as human health, environmental sustainability, alternative energy, and the human-technology interface.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Implantable silk optics multi-task in the bodyPublic release date: 28-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Alex Reid alexander.reid@tufts.edu 617-627-4173 Tufts University
Dissolvable micro-mirrors enhance imaging, administer heat, deliver and monitor drugs
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. (November 28, 2012) Tufts University School of Engineering researchers have demonstrated silk-based implantable optics that offer significant improvement in tissue imaging while simultaneously enabling photo thermal therapy, administering drugs and monitoring drug delivery. The devices also lend themselves to a variety of other biomedical functions.
Biodegradable and biocompatible, these tiny mirror-like devices dissolve harmlessly at predetermined rates and require no surgery to remove them.
The technology is the brainchild of a research team led by Fiorenzo Omenetto, Frank C. Doble Professor of Engineering at Tufts. For several years, Omenetto; David L. Kaplan, Stern Family Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering chair, and their colleagues have been exploring ways to leverage silk's optical capabilities with its capacity as a resilient, biofriendly material that can stabilize materials while maintaining their biochemical functionality.
The technology is described in the paper "Implantable Multifunctional Bioresorbable Optics," published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences online Early Edition the week of November 12, 2012.
"This work showcases the potential of silk to bring together form and function. In this case an implantable optical form -- the mirror -- can go beyond imaging to serve multiple biomedical functions," Omenetto says.
Turning Silk into Mirrors
To create the optical devices, the Tufts bioengineers poured a purified silk protein solution into molds of multiple micro-sized prism reflectors, or microprism arrays (MPAs). They pre-determined the rates at which the devices would dissolve in the body by regulating the water content of the solution during processing. The cast solution was then air dried to form solid silk films in the form of the mold. The resulting silk sheets were much like the reflective tape found on safety garments or on traffic signs.
When implanted, these MPAs reflected back photons that are ordinarily lost with reflection-based imaging technologies, thereby enhancing imaging, even in deep tissue.
The researchers tested the devices using solid and liquid "phantoms" (materials that mimic the scattering that occurs when light passes through human tissue). The tiny mirror-like devices reflected substantially stronger optical signals than implanted silk films that had not been formed as MPAs.
Preventing Infection, Fighting Cancer
The Tufts researchers also demonstrated the silk mirrors' potential to administer therapeutic treatments.
In one experiment, the researchers mixed gold nanoparticles in the silk protein solution before casting the MPAs. They then implanted the gold-silk mirror under the skin of mice. When illuminated with green laser light, the nanoparticles converted light to heat. Similar in-vitro experiments showed that the devices inhibited bacterial growth while maintaining optical performance.
The team also embedded the cancer-fighting drug doxorubicin in the MPAs. The embedded drug remained active even at high temperatures (60 degree C), underscoring the ability of silk to stabilize chemical and biological dopants.
When exposed to enzymes in vitro, the doxorubicin was released as the mirror gradually dissolved. The amount of reflected light decreased as the mirror degraded, allowing the researchers to accurately assess the rate of drug delivery.
"The important implication here is that using a single biofriendly, resorbable device one could image a site of interest, such as a tumor, apply therapy as needed and then monitor the progress of the therapy," says Omenetto.
###
Collaborating with Omenetto and Kaplan from Tufts Department of Biomedical Engineering were Hu Tao, research assistant professor; Jana M. Kainerstorfer, post-doctoral researcher; Sean M. Siebert, a Tufts undergraduate; Eleanor M. Pritchard, former post-doctoral researcher; Angelo Sassaroli, research assistant professor; Bruce J.B. Panilaitis, research assistant professor; Mark A. Brenckle, graduate student; Jason Amsden, former post-doctoral researcher; Jonathan Levitt, post-doctoral researcher, and Professor Sergio Fantini.
At Tufts, Fiorenzo Omenetto also has an appointment in the Department of Physics in the School of Arts and Sciences, and David Kaplan also has appointments in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, the Department of Chemistry in the School of Arts and Sciences, the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, and the School of Dental Medicine.
The work was supported by the United States Army Research Laboratory, the United States Army Research Office, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Tissue Engineering Resource Center of the National Institutes of Health under award number P41EB00250 and the National Science Foundation.
Tao, H., Kainerstorfer, J.M., Siebert, S.M., Pritchard, E.M., Sassaroli, A., Panilaitis, B., Brenckle, M.A., Amsden, J., Levitt, J., Fantini, S., Kaplan, D. L., and Omenetto, F.G. (2012),.Implantable Multifunctional Bioresorbable Optics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Doi:10.1073/pnas.1209056109
Tufts University School of Engineering
Located on Tufts' Medford/Somerville campus, the School of Engineering offers a rigorous engineering education in a unique environment that blends the intellectual and technological resources of a world-class research university with the strengths of a top-ranked liberal arts college. Close partnerships with Tufts' excellent undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, coupled with a long tradition of collaboration, provide a strong platform for interdisciplinary education and scholarship. The School of Engineering's mission is to educate engineers committed to the innovative and ethical application of science and technology in addressing the most pressing societal needs, to develop and nurture twenty-first century leadership qualities in its students, faculty, and alumni, and to create and disseminate transformational new knowledge and technologies that further the well-being and sustainability of society in such cross-cutting areas as human health, environmental sustainability, alternative energy, and the human-technology interface.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Ossen Innovation to Host Third Quarter 2012 Earnings Conference Call on ... 27, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Ossen Innovation Co., Ltd. ("Ossen" or-mold test- the "Company") (NASDAQ:OSN) , a China-based manufacturer of an array of plain surface, rare earth and zinc coated pre-stressed steel materials, today announced that it will hold ... Read more on MarketWatch
Citi Innovation Lab and SapientNitro Honored at-mold inspection- National Infocomm Awards in ... "SapientNitro has a long-standing and successful partnership with Citi Innovation Lab, dating back to the early days of our establishment," said Keng-Mun Lee, Head, Citi Innovation Lab Singapore. "Their team brings game-changing ideas to the table and, ... Read more on DailyFinance
For more even more information try these: rights of employers in the workplace, rights and responsibilities of employers, rights of the employer, rights of employers, or-mold test- rights of an employer.
Carl Bass is president and chief executive officer of Autodesk, Inc. Autodesk is the leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software. Formerly he was Autodesk's chief operating officer, responsible for worldwide sales, marketing, and product development. Earlier roles included CTO and EVP of product development. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently or-mold test-ganized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but-mold inspection san diego- individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
Innovation vs. Magic: Why Apple and Microsoft Need James Bond The Surface and Windows Phone announcement events arguably were be-mold inspections-tter than the last several Apple events. It's as though Apple lost the Steve Jobs script and Microsoft found it somehow. Still, anyone who tries to read the script will be-mold inspections- overshadowed ... Read more on TechNewsWorld
Further information for: rights of employers in the workplace, rights and responsibilities of employers, rights of the employer, rights of employers, or-mold test- rights of an employer.
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A new report by the White House's Council of Economic Advisers scares the middle class about the effects of the fiscal cliff, Reich writes.
By Robert Reich,?Guest blogger / November 26, 2012
In this November file photo, President Barack Obama acknowledges House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio while speaking to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. A new report by the White House?s Council of Economic Advisers plays into Republican hands by scaring the middle class, Reich writes.
Carolyn Kaster/AP/File
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Why is the White House trying to scare average people about the consequences of the ?fiscal cliff??
Skip to next paragraph Robert Reich
Robert is chancellor?s professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under President Clinton. Time Magazine?named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the last century. He has written 13 books, including ?The Work of Nations,? his latest best-seller ?Aftershock: The Next Economy and America?s Future," and a new?e-book, ?Beyond Outrage.??He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine and chairman of Common Cause.
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If the President?s strategy is to hold his ground and demand from Republicans tax increases on the wealthy, presumably his strongest bargaining position would be to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire on schedule come January ? causing taxes to rise automatically, especially on the wealthy.
So you?d think part of that strategy would be reassure the rest of the public that the fiscal cliff isn?t so bad or so steep, and that at the start of January Democrats will introduce in Congress a middle-class tax cut whose effect is to prevent taxes from rising for most people (thereby forcing Republicans to vote for a tax cut for the middle class or hold it hostage to a tax cut for the wealthy as well).
But today (Monday) the White House?s Council of Economic Advisers issued a?report?today warning that if Congress allows the Bush tax cuts to expire January 1and the Alternative Minimum Tax to kick in, the middle class will face sharply-rising taxes.?
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A political science professor at Butler University asks students to disregard their ?American-ness, maleness, whiteness, heterosexuality, middle-class status? when writing and speaking in the classroom ? a practice the school?s arts and sciences dean defended as a way to negate students? inherent prejudices.
The syllabus of the course at Butler, a small Midwestern liberal arts institution in Indianapolis, spells out that students should use ?inclusive language? because it?s ?a fundamental issue of social justice.?
?Language that is truly inclusive affirms sexuality, racial and ethnic backgrounds, stages of maturity, and degrees of limiting conditions,? the syllabus states, referencing a definition created by the United Church of Christ.
The syllabus of the class, called Political Science 201: Research and Analysis, goes on to ask students ?to write and speak in a way that does not assume American-ness, maleness, whiteness, heterosexuality, middle-class status, etc. to be the norm.? It is taught by a black, female professor.
In an interview with The College Fix, Jay Howard, dean of Butler?s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, denied this practice essentially presumes every student who walks through the door is a racist or misogynist.
He said students must be told not to assume such prejudices because such assumptions are ingrained into the culture and remain there until questioned. With that, a liberal arts education questions these assumptions, and such questions can make for uncomfortable situations, he said.
?Sometimes in order to broaden the conversation and broaden the understandings you?ve got to risk making people uncomfortable,? Howard said. ?There?s nothing about a college education that guarantees you won?t be made uncomfortable. As a matter of fact, if you?re never made uncomfortable in your college education, you?re not really getting a college education.?
Howard said the college he oversees does not want students to continue to harbor such assumptions without question, ?but neither do we want to exclude the dominant group in society in our attempts to make sure that we?re leveling hierarchies.?
In twenty years, white people will no longer be the majority, but they will still be the largest ethnic group, Howard said. He said using inclusive language would help students prepare for a changing world as America becomes more diverse.
He added that American culture makes speaking inclusively difficult, and the English language is partly to blame.
?Our language doesn?t make it easy to write in ways that are inclusive,? Howard said. ?We don?t have a generic singular, I mean we have he and she. There is no pronoun that is gender-neutral there.?
However, not all writing- and language-intensive classes at Butler University mandate students use such ?inclusive? language.
Nancy Whitmore, director of the journalism school in the College of Communication, said in an interview with The College Fix that students in her department are encouraged to use diverse sources with a wide variety of opinions, but are not mandated to use so-called inclusive language.
Whitmore said she is unsure what educators in Butler?s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences mean when they ask students to write without assuming certain things to be the norm.
?I don?t think I could ever write from a black woman?s point of view because I?ve never been a black woman,? Whitmore said.
My name is Ryan Lovelace, and I dropped that politically correct political science class.
Clearly, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Butler University believes its students were raised as racist and misogynist homophobes who have grown to harbor many prejudices, a stance that is both offensive and hostile to any student?s ability to learn.
As a student at an institution predominantly focused on the liberal arts, I expected to hear professors express opinions different from my own. I did not expect to be judged before I ever walked through the door, and did not think I would be forced to agree with my teachers? worldviews or suffer the consequences.
Being judged and forced to act a certain way is antithetical to how any institution of higher education should conduct itself.
As a journalism major, I will now strive to avoid the liberal arts college as much as possible, not because the college fails to provide its students with any practical knowledge, but because the college seeks to indoctrinate its students with a hostile paradigm that views people like me?an American, white, heterosexual male from a middle-class background?as evil; whitey-righty need not attend.
Many consider higher education to be in turbulent waters because of rising tuition costs and student loan debt, but students who actually graduate may struggle even more if they view the world as Butler?s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences does.
The liberal arts college seeks to include people, but someone will always be excluded, as it is impossible to always include everyone. Furthermore, I?m not sure how to write assuming any other persona but my own. Any attempts to do so would only be offensive to people different from myself.
Lastly, the idea that people have different views from mine is not what makes me uncomfortable. The idea that I must walk, talk and act as the liberal arts college pleases does. I?ll speak as I always have and conduct myself in the way I deem fit. I think paying $40,000 a year should give me that basic right.
Fix contributor Ryan Lovelace is a student at Butler University.
IMAGE: Goto10/Flickr
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Tagged as: Butler University, college education, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, inclusive language, liberal arts, political science professor, social justice
This photo combo provided by the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center via NASA, shows NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. Kelly and Kornienko will spend an entire year aboard the International Space Station beginning in 2015, according to reports, Monday, Nov. 26, 2012. The extended mission was approved almost two months ago to provide a medical foundation for future missions around the moon, as well as far-flung trips to asteroids and Mars. (AP Photo/Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center via NASA)
This photo combo provided by the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center via NASA, shows NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. Kelly and Kornienko will spend an entire year aboard the International Space Station beginning in 2015, according to reports, Monday, Nov. 26, 2012. The extended mission was approved almost two months ago to provide a medical foundation for future missions around the moon, as well as far-flung trips to asteroids and Mars. (AP Photo/Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center via NASA)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) ? A former space shuttle commander whose twin brother is married to former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will attempt the longest spaceflight ever by an American.
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will spend an entire year aboard the International Space Station beginning in 2015.
Both countries' space agencies announced the names of the two veteran spacefliers on Monday. The extended mission was approved almost two months ago to provide a medical foundation for future missions around the moon, as well as far-flung trips to asteroids and Mars.
Both men already have lived aboard the space station for six months. NASA wanted experienced space station astronauts to streamline the amount of training necessary for a one-year stint. Officials had said the list of candidates was very short. They will begin training next year.
"Their skills and previous experience aboard the space station align with the mission's requirements," Bill Gerstenmaier, head of human exploration for NASA, said in a statement. "The one-year increment will expand the bounds of how we live and work in space and will increase our knowledge regarding the effects of microgravity on humans as we prepare for future missions beyond low-Earth orbit."
Kelly's identical twin brother, Mark Kelly, retired from the astronaut corps last year and moved to Tucson, Ariz., his wife's hometown. The former congresswoman was critically wounded in an assassination attempt in January 2011, while Scott Kelly was living aboard the space station.
Astronauts normally spend about four to six months aboard the space station. The longest an American lived there was seven months, several years back.
Russia, though, will continue to hold the world space endurance record.
Three cosmonauts spent at least a year aboard the old Mir space station. A Russian physician, Valery Polyakov, logged nearly 15 continuous months there in the mid-1990s.
Boris Morukov, head of the Moscow-based Institute for Medical and Biological Problems, Russia's main space medicine research center, told the Interfax news agency that communications and food rations for Kelly and Kornienko may be limited during their yearlong mission to better simulate interplanetary travel.
Kelly and Kornienko will launch aboard a Russian rocket from Kazakhstan. Americans must buy seats on Russian spacecraft now that NASA's shuttles have retired to museums, until private U.S. companies have vessels capable of carrying human passengers. That's still four or five years off.
Kelly is a 48-year-old, divorced Navy captain with two daughters. Kornienko, 52, a rocket engineer, is married with a daughter.
"We have chosen the most responsible, skilled and enthusiastic crew members to expand space exploration, and we have full confidence in them," Russian Space Agency chief Vladimir Popovkin said in the announcement.
___
AP writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.
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FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012, file photo, shoppers wait on a check-out line in the Times Square Toys-R-Us store after doors were opened to the public at 8 p.m., in New York. U.S. shoppers hit stores and websites at record numbers over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation on Sunday. They were attracted by retailers' efforts to make shopping easier, including opening stores on Thanksgiving evening, updating mobile shopping applications for smartphones and tablets, and expanding shipping and layaway options. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012, file photo, shoppers wait on a check-out line in the Times Square Toys-R-Us store after doors were opened to the public at 8 p.m., in New York. U.S. shoppers hit stores and websites at record numbers over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation on Sunday. They were attracted by retailers' efforts to make shopping easier, including opening stores on Thanksgiving evening, updating mobile shopping applications for smartphones and tablets, and expanding shipping and layaway options. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Despite early signs of robust sales, White House economists warned Monday that the uncertainty of a potential hike in taxes next year for middle class taxpayers under the looming fiscal cliff could hurt consumer confidence during the crucial holiday shopping season.
In a new report that coincides with Congress' return after the Thanksgiving holiday, the White House says that if lawmakers don't halt the automatic increase in taxes for households earning less than $250,000, consumers might even curtail their shopping during the current holiday season.
"As we approach the holiday season, which accounts for close to one-fifth of industry sales, retailers can't afford the threat of tax increases on middle-class families," the report by President Barack Obama's National Economic Council and his Council of Economic Advisers says.
The report comes as official Washington dives back into negotiations on how to avoid tax hikes and deep spending cuts scheduled to begin taking effect Jan. 1.
White House and congressional leadership aides said Obama spoke separately with House Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid over the weekend. The aides would not reveal details of the conversations. Obama last met with the bipartisan congressional leadership to discuss the fiscal cliff on Nov. 16. No new meetings have been announced.
Meanwhile, the stock market edged lower in the morning as the outcome of the budget talks remained inconclusive.
Retailers such as Macy's, Target and Saks were down in early trading, amid fears that consumers might cut back this season. But the National Retail Federation reported earlier that 247 million shoppers visited stores and shopping websites during the long Thanksgiving weekend, up 9 percent from a year ago. They spent an average of $423, up 6 percent.
The White House report also says a sudden increase in taxes for middle-income taxpayers would reduce consumer spending in 2013 by nearly $200 billion, significantly slowing the economic recovery.
The figures echo estimates by private forecasters and by the Congressional Budget Office.
Congress and Obama have until the end of the year to avoid across the board tax increases that would do away with rates set during the administration of President George W. Bush and restore higher tax rates in place during President Bill Clinton's administration when the economy was robust and the federal government had a budget surplus.
Many middle income taxpayers also would be exposed to automatic tax increases under the Alternative Minimum Tax, which is designed to guarantee a certain level of tax payment by wealthier taxpayers.
According to the report, a married couple earning between $50,000 and $85,000 with two children would see a $2,200 increase in their taxes.
Obama wants the Bush-era tax rates to remain at their current level for households earning less than $250,000. He is calling on Congress to increase taxes for families earning more than that threshold.
Obama's plan is part of an overall deficit reduction package that would increase tax revenue by about $1.5 trillion and reduce spending by a similar amount over 10 years.
Congressional Republicans, led by Boehner, have said they are open to including discussions about additional revenue but have balked at any plan that raises tax rates on the wealthy. They argue that the higher rates would also hit some small businesses, stifling economic growth.
Instead, they have advocated changes in the tax code that would eliminate tax breaks and loopholes that primarily benefit the wealthy. Several key Republican lawmakers have also said they would not be bound by a no-tax-increase pledge that they have adhered to in the past.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Monday the urgency of finding solutions intensifies as the end of the year approaches.
"If we don't do anything, on Jan. 1, 2013, there's a lot more people paying a lot more," the Virginia Republican said on MSNBC.
Cantor said the rapidly approaching deadline accounts for the more serious tone to the debate, but also reaffirmed the GOP's opposition to raising tax rates for the wealthy. "We've got to have the president step up and say, here's my position on how we reform these entitlements and start managing down the deficits," he said.
"What should be on the table is a recipe to fix the problem and not give away growth," Cantor said, when asked whether Republicans would agree to have increases in tax rates considered.
"We were re-elected to fix the problems, get the economy going again," he said. "Well, the president got re-elected and we know at the end of the year taxes are going to go up on everybody, rich and poor alike," if no action is taken to avert the hikes.
This once-isolated country is replacing its fleet of buses cobbled together from the shells of World War II-era Chevy trucks. ?NBC News' Ian Williams reports on this antique roadshow on wheels that is being swept away by rapid change.
By Ian Williams, NBC News
YANGON, Myanmar -- U Ming Kyi affectionately tapped the hood of his dilapidated bus.??Of course I?ll be sad to see it go. They are really reliable. The brakes are great,? he said.
But on this particular morning, bus No. 61 from North Dagon to San Pya market was not cooperating.?The engine screeched and smoked as U Ming sat behind the wheel, turning the key and willing it to life.
He gave up and glanced back at the passengers. As if on cue -- and clearly well practiced -- several jumped from the bus and began pushing until it spluttered, gasped, then finally roared to life.
Bus no 61 was on its way across the north of Yangon, as it has been for decades.
U Ming smiled gingerly. He has been driving these buses for 35 years, and keeping on the road what are possibly the oldest buses in the world still operating needs constant improvisation.
Ian Williams/NBC News
Driver U Ming Kyi at the wheel of bus number 61. He's been driving the Big Belly Chevy for 35 years.
In Myanmar they are called ?big belly? buses and the chassis of no 61 was registered in 1939.?Back then it was a military truck -- a Canada-built Chevy C-15. These were used by the United States, Britain and western allies during the "Burma Campaign" -- the southeast Asia theater of World War II.
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After the conflict, Myanmar?s military regime converted them into buses. The makeshift vehicles quickly became the mainstay of a transport system that resembled until recently an antiques show on wheels.
But in a sign of the rapid wider changes sweeping this country, they have been banned from the increasingly traffic-clogged center of Yangon, Myanmar?s main city, and are being phased out to be replaced by shiny new Japanese models.
Ian Williams/NBC News
Passengers packed on board bus number 61. Big Belly Bus.
The price of an old ?big belly? has suddenly gone through the roof -- not because of the vehicle, which is off to the junk yard, but because of the valuable operating license that goes with it.
If he had the money, U Ming would buy one himself. ?The new ones just won?t be the same,? he said. He can read every crunch, bang and hiss -- of which there are many on a bumpy, shaky ride across the city.
Like most vehicles here, the ?big belly? is right-hand drive, a legacy of British rule when traffic drove on the left. Yet the traffic in Myanmar now drives on the right, as in the United States, which means drivers like U Ming spend a good deal of their time staining to see what is coming at them.
Former dictator Ne Win made the switch after seizing power in 1962. Some say it was an anti-colonial gesture. Others put it down to his notorious superstition: Britain?s Daily Telegraph said he took the decision after consulting a wizard.
Ian Williams/NBC News
The interior of a Big Belly Bus.
That these buses operated for so long, patched together with whatever parts were available during years of isolation and sanctions, is testament to the ingenuity of men like U Ming.
All is not lost, though. Long-time Italian resident Alberto Peyre has bought three and given them a luxurious face lift to serve the country's tourism boom.
?They are a piece of history, a piece of history,? he said, as immaculately dressed attendants handed us cold towels as we sat in expensively upholstered seats for a mini-tour of the city.
?I love these buses. I just love them,? he said.
Peyre?s company, Elephant Coach, is marketing tours as ?the ultimate luxury in overland travel.? It?s a long way from the U Ming?s no 61, but it will ensure that these remarkable old machines will not entirely disappear from the streets of Myanmar.
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - After shoppers flooded store on black Friday, local stores in Rhode Island hope people shop local on small business Saturday.
For 12 years "Frod and Toad" on Hope St. has been selling everything from stationary to souvenirs.
Owner Asher Schofield tell Eyewitness News "People really come out for Small business Saturday. We see a huge jump in business. It's really a great thing. You really get a sense that people want to support their local mom and pop businesses."
According to the Small Business Administration, 100 million people nationwide shopped locally on small buisness Saturday last year.
"Why would we want to support a big store chain, they're going to make it anyway? so very much for the small business owner." said shopper Gail Goodwin-Gomez
Gail said she shopped last year and she plans to shop locally this year too.
"Luniac Glamour" on Main St. in East Greenwich opened just three months ago and is getting ready for it's first small business Saturday. The shop has all things beauty, from bags and jewlrey to hair and a nail salon.
Co-oweners Jaclyn Murphy and Kristen Marrah tell Eyewitness News that everything in their shop is made by Rhode Island designers.
"People who own the businesses are your friends and your family, people that you see on the street.// I think keeping everything local is ideal." says Kristen.
This is the third offical year of small business Saturday.
AESTHETIC PERCEPTION IS ATTACHED OR DETACHED TO ------------------------------------------------ By Marsigit, Yogyakarta State University, Indonesia Email: marsigitina@yahoo.com Byrne, P., 2004, notified that many examples of theoretical arguments for God's existence start from the fact of ethical normativity in which human beings are aware of actions as being right and wrong, obligatory and forbidden, in such away that such awareness carries with it the thought that they are bound to do some things and bound to avoid doing others. According to him, moral qualities have a bindingness attached to them shown in the force of the moral ought and the moral must. Byrne claim that the imperative is not what Kant styled a ?hypothetical? one; it is rather ?categorical? and it binds no matter what our particular goals are, that is linked to its universal dimension. He concluded that the obligation created by the promise holds independent of our particular goals because it reflects a universal rule, holding at all times and places and applying to any human being as such.
Randall, A., 1998, explained? that an intuition is that which is presupposed in any experience, but is preconceptual; it is the innate "hard-wiring" through which all sensory data must be filtered before it can be conceptualized in the understanding. He perceived that an intuition is "pure" insofar as it is detached from all empirical content; in which, in the "Transcendental Aesthetic", Kant argues that the a priori pure forms underlying all sensory intuition are space and time; while, space underlies our intuition of "outer sense", and time underlies our intuition of "inner sense". Randall, from Kant,? persisted that in order to perceive an object in the world, or even conceive of one in imagination, we must presuppose the three-dimensional Euclidean infinite singular. Further he said that time is an even more basic intuition, since it underlies any kind of cognition at all, even those in which we introspect, looking inward at ourselves, ignoring the outer world; and an inward sense of ourselves must presuppose a notion of an infinite progressing continuum of moments in time.
Randall, A., 1998, accepted that all experience has an empirical component and the intuition filter removes all trace of dependence on dimension by treating the empirical object before the imagination as if it were free of dimension. He refused that it ever can be literally experienced without being attached to some particular empirical object. According to him, the objective intuitive representation is abstract and detached from experience, but it is still dependent on intuition, and thus is bound up in presuppositions about three-dimensional Euclidean space and one-dimensional of time. Randall claimed that if, however, we were to further detach our experience from human intuition as well, we could run our representation through yet another filter; accordingly, just as pure intuition was required to completely filter out the empirical component, a pure concept of the understanding will allow us to filter out both the empirical and the intuitional component, leaving us only with what flows directly from the concepts themselves. He then concluded that the cognitive filtering that detaches the object from the pure forms of intuition is called "analysis" and it is contrasted with "synthesis", because it allows us to treat the object of our experience as if it were a more general object not subject to the innate restrictions of our cognitive machinery.
Zangwill, N., 2003, clarified that Kant makes various points about pleasure in the beautiful, which fall short of what we might call his ?deep? account of the nature of pleasure in beauty, according to which it is the harmonious free play of imagination and understanding. According to Kant, all such pleasures are ?interested? that is they are bound up with desire. Zangwill then described that normativity attaches to judgments of taste themselves and since judgments of taste are based on a response of pleasure, it would make little sense if our judgments were more or less appropriate but our responses were not and the normative claim of our judgments of taste must derive from the fact that we think that some responses are better or more appropriate to their object than others. On the other hand, Chignell, A., 2004, insisted that, for Kant,? an idea of reason is a concept which has something to do with "the supersensible" realm outside our phenomenal experience, and thus it outstrips the conceptual ability of the understanding; therefore, he persisted that ideas are identified as the concrete presentations of particular themes that are offered us by individual works; consequently, whatever interest they have for us attaches to the particular work or object that embodies them. Chignell, A. then maintained that while the aesthetic attributes are of the object in question in that they are linked to its logical attributes by chains of association, they are also produced freely; according to Kant, in this process we feel our freedom from the law of logical association which attaches to the empirical use of the imagination and it is this feeling of freedom that contributes to our aesthetic experience of the object and the imagination?s running through the seemingly endless set of aesthetic attributes engenders the peculiar feeling of mental attunement or harmony that is aesthetic pleasure.
Meanwhile, Kant, I, 1790, exposed that the beautiful contains merely a reference of the representation of the object to the subject; because it still bears this resemblance to the logical judgement, that it may be presupposed to be valid for all men. But this universality cannot spring from concepts. Kant? further claimed that for from concepts there is no transition to the feeling of pleasure or displeasure it save in the case of pure practical laws, which, however, carry an interest with them; and such an interest does not attach to the pure judgement of taste. He then concluded that the result is that the judgement of taste, with its attendant consciousness of detachment from all interest, must involve a claim to validity for all men, and must do so apart from universality attached to objects, that is there must be coupled with it a claim to subjective universality. For Kant??? there are two kinds of beauty that are free beauty or beauty which is merely dependent; in which the first presupposes no concept of what the object should be; and the second does presuppose such a concept and, with it, an answering perfection of the object. Kant? then summed up that those of the first kind are said to be self-subsisting beauties of this thing or that thing; the other kind of beauty, being attached to a concept or conditioned beauty, is ascribed to objects which come under the concept of a particular end.
Kant, I, 1790, furthermore delivered the question how a judgement possible which, going merely upon the individual's own feeling of pleasure in an object independent of the concept of it, estimates this as a pleasure attached to the representation of the same object in every other individual, and does so a priori, that is without being allowed to wait and see if other people will be of the same mind? Kant? then explained that it is easy to see that judgements of taste are synthetic, for they go beyond the concept and even the intuition of the object, and join as predicate to that intuition something which is not even a cognition at all, namely, the feeling of pleasure or displeasure; however, although the predicate or the personal pleasure that is connected with the representation is empirical, still we need not go further than what is involved in the expressions of their claim to see that, so far as concerns the agreement required of everyone; and then they called as? a priori judgements, or mean to pass for such.
In term of the universal communicability in which Kant? argued that every one expects and requires from every one else, just as if it were part of an original compact dictated by humanity itself; and thus it becomes of moment in society and attracts a considerable interest;? and at this stage the idea of its universal communicability almost still? indefinitely augments its value. Kant? claimed that this interest, indirectly attached to the beautiful by the inclination towards society, and, consequently, empirical, is, however, of no importance for us here. For that to which we have alone to look is what can have a bearing a priori, even though indirect, upon the judgement of taste. Further, Kant? claimed that the interest in the beautiful of art gives no evidence at all of a habit of mind attached to the morally good, or even inclined that way; however, Kant maintained that to take an immediate interest in the beauty of nature is always a mark of a good soul; and that, where this interest is habitual, it is at least indicative of a temper of mind favourable to the moral feeling that it should readily associate itself with the contemplation of nature; it must, however, be borne in mind that he meaned to refer strictly to the beautiful forms of nature, and to put to one side the charms which she is wont so lavishly to combine with them; because, though the interest in these is no doubt immediate, it is nevertheless empirical.
Kant, 1781, said that internal intuition in which one existence can be determined, though preceded by that purely intellectual consciousness, is itself sensible and attached to the condition of time; therefore this determination of the existence, must depend on something permanent which is not in the existence, therefore, only in something external to which one must look upon himself as being related. Kant? argued that necessity and strict universality, therefore, are infallible tests for distinguishing pure from empirical knowledge, and are inseparably connected with each other; however as in the use of these criteria the empirical limitation is sometimes more easily detected than the contingency of the judgement, or the unlimited universality which we attach to a judgement is often a more convincing proof than its necessity, it may be advisable to use the criteria separately, each being by itself infallible. Kant? claimed that space does space does not represent any property of objects as things in themselves, nor does it represent them in their relations to each other; however,? space does not represent to us any determination of objects such as attaches to the objects themselves, and would remain, even though all subjective conditions of the intuition were abstracted.
Kant, 1781, also claimed that for the certainty cannot be found in an a posteriori proposition; and due to the conceptions a priori of space and time are mere creations of the imagination that having their source really in experience, imagination has made up something which contains general statements of these relations, but which no application can be made without the restrictions attached thereto by nature. Kant? insisted that we could only arrive at a complete cognition of our own mode of intuition in which this always under the conditions originally attaching to the subject. Kant? specified that we make use of a great number of empirical conceptions; and consider ourselves, even without any attempt at deduction, justified in attaching to them a sense. Kant? concluded that so long as the object of our rational conceptions is the totality of conditions in the world of phenomena, and the satisfaction, from this source, of the requirements of reason, so long are our ideas transcendental and cosmological; however, when we set the unconditioned in a sphere which lies out of the world of sense and possible experience, our ideas become transcendent. Kant? ultimately summed up that they are then not merely serviceable towards the completion of the exercise of reason, however they detach themselves completely from experience and construct for themselves objects, the material of which has not been presented by experience, and the objective reality of which is not based upon the completion of the empirical series, but upon pure a priori conceptions.
Kant, 1788, further contended that in as much as the reality of the concept of freedom is proved by an apodeictic law of practical reason, it is the keystone of the whole system of pure reason, and all other concepts which remain in it unsupported, now attach themselves to this concept, and by it obtain consistence and objective reality; that is their possibility is proved by the fact that freedom actually exists, for this idea is revealed by the moral law. Kant? claimed that freedom, however, is the only one of all the ideas of the speculative reason of which we know the possibility a priori because it is the condition of the moral law which we know. Kant? further notified that it was possible to effect the verification of moral principles as principles of a pure reason quite well, and with sufficient certainty, by a single appeal to the judgement of common sense, for this reason, that anything empirical which might slip into our maxims as a determining principle of the will can be detected at once by the feeling of pleasure or pain which necessarily attaches to it as exciting desire; whereas pure practical reason positively refuses to admit this feeling into its principle as a condition. Kant? claimed that if pure reason of itself can be practical and is actually so, as the consciousness of the moral law proves, then it is still only one and the same reason which, whether in a theoretical or a practical point of view, judges according to a priori principles; and then it is clear that although it is in the first point of view incompetent to establish certain propositions positively, which, however, do not contradict it, then, as soon as these propositions are inseparably attached to the practical interest of pure reason, it must accept them, though it be as something offered to it from a foreign source, something that has not grown on its own ground, but yet is? sufficiently authenticated; and it must try to compare and connect them with everything that it has in its power as speculative reason.
Note:
? Kant, I., 1790, The Critic of Judgment, translated by James Creed Meredith ? Ibid. ? Ibid. ? Ibid. ? Ibid. ? Ibid. ? Ibid. ? Kant, I., 1781, Critic of Pure Reason, Translatedby J.M.D. Meiklejohn ? Ibid. ? Kant, I., 1781, Critic of Pure Reason, Translatedby J.M.D. Meiklejoh ? Ibid. ? Ibid. ? Ibid. ? Kant, I., 1788, The Critic of Practical Reason, http://www.google.search ? Ibid. ? Ibid.
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Public release date: 28-Nov-2012
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