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Comparative Study on Friendship Between Confucius\u27s and Aristotle\u27s Ideas and the Reflection of them in Different Art Forms
No full textFrom prehistoric times to the present, friendship, as a uniquely human emotion, has been one of the most popular themes of discussion. In their writings, writers and artists from all across the world have articulated how they define friendships, including Confucius, Aristotle, and Cicero. Each of them has their own notion of friendship, yet there are many parallels between them, and their perspectives on friendship are still valued in today\u27s culture. These various sorts of friendship are also a prominent theme in Renaissance paintings; numerous artists, such as Raffaello, represent various friendships in their work. Many works of art today incorporate friendship as a theme; for example, the film Promising Young Woman depicted a woman\u27s revenge for a past friend, and the friendships depicted in the film precisely correspond to the idea that friendship may be viewed from various angles
Simplified Portfolio Optimization Using Cramer’s Rule in Excel
Get PDFThe matrix algebra associated with finding minimum variance portfolio weights, mapping the efficient frontier, and determining the tangency portfolio weights is greatly simplified in Excel by applying Cramer’s Rule. Only a scant knowledge of linear algebra is necessary for producing a very intuitive presentation for a multi-asset portfolio. The technique is very easily replicated for an assignment or for providing a classroom resource
Logos and Ethos: Heroism and Social Bildung in China
Get PDFThis article explores how heroism is constructed in China’s sociocultural context of values. It identifies a sociocultural novel, film, and heroic TV program as a mechanism for producing heroism for Chinese society. Furthermore, it explores the heroic principles that are generated by these media and how they inform expected actions in China. The article thus argues that the construction of Chinese heroism embodies specific representations of the expectations of humankind, a kind of “governing by worth” in heroism science. The function of these representations, forming heroic idols, could therefore help individuals become heroes with logos and ethos in pathos, subsuming particular heroic qualities within the highest national pursuits of values. Moreover, the analysis engages social Bildung in a collective conversation with art, philosophy, political and cultural studies by drawing on an example of typical Chinese heroic fiction and its transformation into a TV series. In doing so, the analysis demonstrates a reconfiguration of heroic traditions and how this is instantiated in the administering of lives
Pragmatism and Associative Political Obligations
Get PDFProponents of an associative account of political obligation maintain that individuals bear certain moral duties simply in virtue of their membership in a particular political community. I defend this thesis by interpreting it as a metaethical claim that expresses or implicitly relies on a pragmatist account of the nature of normativity, justification, and knowledge. Such a defense has a number of virtues. First, it offers a compelling rationale for the strategy commonly employed to defend the associative thesis. Second, a pragmatist reading provides the resources necessary to rebut a number of objections advanced against the associative thesis, such as the criticism that associative theorists cannot distinguish actually having political obligations from merely believing or feeling that one has political obligations. Third, a pragmatist metaethics entails a particular model of practical reasoning, namely constructive interpretation, that helpfully illuminates our actual practice of attributing or contesting political obligations
Monolayer-Protected Gold Nanoparticles Functionalized with Halogen Bonding Capability─An Avenue for Molecular Detection Schemes
No full textThe use of functionalized nanoparticles (NPs) and their aggregation in the presence of a targeted analyte is a well-established molecular detection strategy predicated on harnessing specific molecular interactions to the NP periphery. Molecules able to specifically interact with the functionalized NPs alter the unique optical and electrochemical properties of the NPs as a function of interparticle spacing. While many intermolecular interactions have been successfully exploited in this manner in conjunction with aqueous NP systems, the use of non-aqueous NPs in the same capacity is significantly less explored. A fundamental interaction that has not been previously investigated in NP schemes is halogen bonding (XB). XB is an orthogonal, electrostatic interaction between a region of positive electrostatic potential (δ+) on a halogen atom (i.e., XB donor) and a negative (δ−) Lewis base (XB acceptor) molecule. To couple XB with NP systems, ligands featuring a molecular structure that promotes XB interactions need to be identified, optimized, and synthesized for subsequent attachment to NPs. Herein, density functional theory (DFT) and NMR techniques are used to identify a strong XB-donor moiety (−C6F4I) and a synthetic scheme for a thiolate ligand featuring that functionality is devised and executed with high purity/yield (78%). Ligand-exchange reactions allow functionalization of non-aqueous alkanethiolate-protected gold NPs or monolayer-protected clusters (MPCs) with the XB-donor ligands. Functionalized MPCs (f-MPCs), within both assembled films and in solution, are shown to engage in XB interactions with target XB-acceptor molecules. Molecular recognition events, including induced aggregation of the f-MPCs, are characterized with UV–vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, TEM imaging, and diffusion-ordered spectroscopy NMR with limits of detection of 50–100 nM for strong XB acceptors. While fundamental exploration of XB interactions is ongoing, this study represents a step toward utilizing XB within molecular detection schemes, an application with implications for supramolecular chemistry, forensic, and environmental chemical sensing
