2,081 research outputs found
Metal, Money and the Prince - John Buridan and Nicholas Oresme after Thomas Aquinas
No full textThe monetary theories that stem from the works of Thomas Aquinas on the one hand, John Buridan and Nicholas Oresme on the other hand, share common roots: they appear as the result of careful commentaries upon Aristotle's moral and political works. Nonetheless, they differ on both the understanding of money as a measure of values, and on the conditions that allow the emergence of money from a stock of metals which could be, like natural wealth, allocated to different uses. Therefore, they illustrate respectively a “conventional” and a “metalist” theory of money. The question raised by Buridan's and Oresme's political representations is to make them consistent with monetary theories elaborated separately. In this respect, they supplied a composite picture in which the Prince is an essential character. Acting as the efficient cause of money, he is expected to achieve the adjustments required by the real changes affecting money. But the question of the debasements of money gave rise to different lines of answers. While Buridan concluded with an identification of the Prince and the common good, Oresme drew a Prince whose power is partly controlled through adequate institutions and incentives, partly limited by the consequences of his policy choices.Oresme; Buridan; Thomas Aquinas; Thomas d'Aquin; money; monnaie; conventional theory of money; théorie métalliste de la monnaie; metalist theory of money; théorie conventionnelle de la monnaie
Characterization and structure in the development of Tudor comedy
No full textThe role of characterization in dramatic structure is assessed by theoretical criteria.
Characters who perform actions necessary for the completion of the narrative sequence are
said to be "bound" to the narrative; those without such obligations are "free". Characters
who maintain a single, constant meaning during the course of a play are said to be "static";
characters who change or develop into new roles are "dynamic". Horatian decorum
demanded that comic characters be static, and the characters of Plautine and Terentian
tradition were almost always bound to narrative intrigue. However, evaluations of six
Tudor comedies show an increasing use of non-classical characterization within the comic
form.
In the early comedies lohan lohan and Roister Doister all characters are bound and
static, yet the impetus to enlarge the role of characterization is evident. The characters of
lohan lohan are expanded from their French source, and Roister Doister includes
extraneous episodes in which Udall displays his braggart hero. Free characters abound in
Misogonus; as well the play brings dynamic characterization into the scope of comedy with
the conversion of its prodigal son.
Free characters offer new possibilities of non-narrative plotting. In comedies of the
1580s favourite traditional characters appear as diversions outside the action, and thematic
arrangements of characters inform the increasingly complex plots. Lyly stresses the
symbolic potential of characters in Endimion, whereas Greene uses dynamic
characterization to heighten the illusion of independent figures in Friar Bacon and Friar
Bungay. Love's Labour's Lost exposes the limitations of comic artifice by pulling the
characters between convention and individualization.
By the end of the sixteenth century free and dynamic characters had become
common, and characterization had established a sizable claim on the design of English
comedy. These developments set the English form apart from its neoclassical counterparts
External interventions and the duration of civil wars
No full textThe authors combine an empirical model of external intervention, with a theoretical model of civil war duration. Their empirical model of intervention allows them to analyze civil war duration, using"expected"rather than"actual"external intervention as an explanatory variable in the duration model. Unlike previous studies, they find that external intervention is positively associated with the duration of civil war. They distinguish partial third-party interventions that extend the length of war, from multilateral"peace"operations, which have a mandate to restore peace without taking sides - and which typically take place at war's end, or at least when both sides have agreed to a cease-fire. In a future paper, the authors will examine whether partial third-party interventions - whatever their effect on a war's duration - increase the risk of war's recurrence. If that proves true, then even if interventions reduce the length of civil war, they may do so at the cost of further destabilizing the political system, and sowing the seeds of future rebellion.Children and Youth,Peace&Peacekeeping,Post Conflict Reconstruction,Post Conflict Reconstruction,International Affairs,Post Conflict Reconstruction,Social Conflict and Violence,Peace&Peacekeeping,Post Conflict Reconstruction,International Affairs
An Influential Collector : Tsar Nicholas I of Russia
No full textTsar Nicholas I of Russia (1796-1855) was one of the European sovereigns most firmly committed to guaranteeing the principle of monarchy following the Congress of Vienna. The importance of his political role has, however, overshadowed his role as a collector, patron and promoter of the arts. This article analyzes his artistic education, his tastes and aesthetic orientation and the works he bought for his personal art collection and for the ‘New Hermitage’ museum, which he inaugurated in 1852. By observing various instances in which he influenced the Russian artists of the time and the formation of the Museum’s collections, the author shows how the Tsar promoted not only monarchic principles, but also precise monarchic taste and artistic criteria
Intermittent Fasting Promotes Fat Loss with Lean Mass Retention, Increased Hypothalamic Norepinephrine Content, and Increased Neuropeptide Y Gene Expression in Diet-Induced Obese Male Mice
No full textClinical studies indicate alternate day, intermittent fasting (IMF) protocols result in meaningful weight loss in obese individuals. To further understand the mechanisms sustaining weight loss by IMF, we investigated the metabolic and neural alterations of IMF in obese mice. Male C57/BL6 mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD; 45% fat) ad libitum for 8 weeks to promote an obese phenotype. Mice were divided into 4 groups and either maintained on ad libitum HFD (HFD), received alternate day access to HFD (IMF- HFD), switched to ad libitum low fat diet (LFD; 10% fat), or received IMF of LFD (IMF- LFD). After 4 weeks, IMF-HFD (~13%) and IMF-LFD (~18%) had significantly lower body weights than HFD. Body fat was also lower (~40-52%) in all diet interventions. Lean mass was increased in the IMF-LFD (~12-13%) compared with HFD and IMF-HFD groups. Oral glucose tolerance AUC was lower in the IMF-HFD (~50%), whereas insulin tolerance AUC was reduced in all diet interventions (~22-42%). HPLC measurements of hypothalamic tissue homogenates indicated higher (~55-60%) norepinephrine (NE) content in the anterior regions of the medial hypothalamus of IMF compared with ad libitum fed groups, whereas NE content was higher (~19-32%) in posterior regions in the IMF-LFD group only. Relative gene expression of Npy in the arcuate nucleus was increased (~65-75%) in IMF groups. Our novel findings indicate that intermittent fasting produces alterations in hypothalamic NE and NPY, suggesting an involvement in the counter regulatory processes of short-term weight loss are associated with an IMF dietary strategy.Peer reviewe
Forbidden Colors in the Regulation of Clerical Dress from the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) to the Time of Nicholas of Cusa (d. 1464)
No full textMedieval canon law attempted to distinguish clergy from the laity by restricting their dress choices. The article focuses on prohibition of wearing red or green on the street. Both colors were identified with the nobility.The published version was published as Chapter 7 in Medieval Clothing and Textiles 1Izbicki, Thomas M. (2005), "Forbidden Colors in the Regulation of Clerical Dress from the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) to the Time of Nicholas of Cusa (d. 1464)" in Netherton, Robin and Owen-Crocker, Gale R., eds., Medieval Clothing and Textiles 1 (Boydell Press),105-114ISBN: 9781843831235 (published book
Open access self-archiving: An author study
No full textThis, our second author international, cross-disciplinary study on open access had 1296 respondents. Its focus was on self-archiving. Almost half (49%) of the respondent population have self-archived at least one article during the last three years. Use of institutional repositories for this purpose has doubled and usage has increased by almost 60% for subject-based repositories. Self-archiving activity is greatest amongst those who publish the largest number of papers. There is still a substantial proportion of authors unaware of the possibility of providing open access to their work by self-archiving. Of the authors who have not yet self-archived any articles, 71% remain unaware of the option. With 49% of the author population having self-archived in some way, this means that 36% of the total author population (71% of the remaining 51%), has not yet been appraised of this way of providing open access. Authors have frequently expressed reluctance to self-archive because of the perceived time required and possible technical difficulties in carrying out this activity, yet findings here show that only 20% of authors found some degree of difficulty with the first act of depositing an article in a repository, and that this dropped to 9% for subsequent deposits. Another author worry is about infringing agreed copyright agreements with publishers, yet only 10% of authors currently know of the SHERPA/RoMEO list of publisher permissions policies with respect to self-archiving, where clear guidance as to what a publisher permits is provided. Where it is not known if permission is required, however, authors are not seeking it and are self-archiving without it. Communicating their results to peers remains the primary reason for scholars publishing their work; in other words,
researchers publish to have an impact on their field. The vast majority of authors (81%) would willingly comply with a mandate from their employer or research funder to deposit copies of their articles in an institutional or subject-based repository. A further 13% would comply reluctantly; 5% would not comply with such a mandate
Gq Protein-Coupled Membrane-Initiated Estrogen Signaling Rapidly Excites Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurons in the Hypothalamic Paraventricular Nucleus in Female Mice
No full textCRH neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) play a central role in regulating the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and are directly influenced by 17β-estradiol (E2). Although compelling evidence has suggested the existence of membrane-associated estrogen receptors (mERs) in hypothalamic and other central nervous system neurons, it remains unknown whether E2 impacts CRH neuronal excitability through this mechanism. The purpose of the current study is to examine the existence and function of mER signaling in PVN CRH neurons. Whole-cell recordings were made from CRH neurons identified by Alexa Fluor 594 labeling and post hoc immunostaining in ovariectomized female mice. E2 (100nM) rapidly suppressed the M-current (a voltage-dependent K(+) current) and potentiated glutamatergic excitatory postsynaptic currents. The putative Gq-coupled mER (Gq-mER) characterized in hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin neurons initiates a phospholipase C-protein kinase C-protein kinase A pathway; therefore, we examined the involvement of this pathway using selective inhibitors. Indeed, the ER antagonist ICI 182780 and inhibitors of Gq-phospholipase C-protein kinase C-protein kinase A blocked E2's actions, suggesting dependence on the Gq-mER. Furthermore, STX, a selective ligand for the Gq-mER, mimicked E2's actions. Finally, to examine the in vivo effect of Gq-mER activation, E2 or STX injection increased c-fos expression in CRH neurons in the PVN, suggesting CRH neuronal activation. This corresponded to an increase in plasma corticosterone. We conclude that the Gq-mER plays a critical role in the rapid regulation of CRH neuronal activity and the HPA axis. Our findings provide a potential underlying mechanism for E2's involvement in the pathophysiology of HPA-associated mood disorders.Peer reviewe
Author(s): Ezra Brown and Nicholas Loehr Source
No full textJSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . Why is PSL(2, 7) = GL(3, 2)? Mathematical Association of America Ezra Brown and Nicholas Loehr 1. INTRODUCTION. The groups of invertible matrices over finite fields are among the first groups we meet in a beginning course in modern algebra. Eventually, we find out about simple groups and that the unique simple group of order 168 has two representations as a group of matrices. And this is where we learn that the group of 2x2 unimodular matrices over a seven-element field, with / and -/ identified, is isomorphic to the group of invertible 3x3 matrices over a 2-element field. In short, it is a fact that PSL(2, 7) = GL(3, 2). Many of us are surprised by this fact: why should a group of 2 x 2 matrices with mod-7 integer entries be isomorphic to a group of 3 x 3 binary matrices? There are a number of proofs of this remarkable theorem. Dickson [1, p. 303] gives a proof based on his general theorem giving uniform sets of generators and relations for the family of groups SL(2, q), where q is any prime power. One checks that the relations appearing in Dickson's presentation of PSL(2, 7) are satisfied by certain generators of GL(3, 2), implying that these groups have the same presentations and are therefore isomorphic. Dummit and Foote [2, show that every simple group of order 168 is necessarily isomorphic to the automorphism group Aut(.F) of the Fano plane T. They then show that Aut(^) = GL(3, 2) and that PSL(2, 7) is a simple group of order 168; the isomorphism theorem follows. Rotman gives the result as an exercise [5, Exercise 9.26, p. 281]. A hint is to begin with a simple group G of order 168 and use the seven conjugates of a Sylow 2-subgroup P of G to construct a sevenpoint projective plane; the proof is similar to Dummit and Foote's proof. Jeurissen [4] proves the result by showing that both PSL(2, 7) and GL(3, 2) are subgroups of index 2 of the automorphism group of a Coxeter graph. Elkies The aim of this paper is to give a proof that PSL(2, 7) = GL(3, 2) that is elementary in the sense that it uses neither simplicity, nor projective geometry, nor block designs. We will not prove the fact that any two simple groups of order 168 are isomorphic, nor will we use this fact in our proof. What makes our proof work is that: (a) we can identify GL(3, 2) with the set of invertible F2-linear transformations on the finite field with eight elements; (b) 7 = 23 -1; (c) the nonzero squares mod 7 are precisely the powers of 2 mod 7; (d) squaring mod 2 is additive (the Freshman's Dream); and (e) the mapping k h+ -i/k mod 7 translates to a bit-switch mod 2 -which is linear. We begin by giving functional descriptions for both groups, determining their sizes
Letture al Palazzo d'Inverno (1828-1855) : la lettura come fatto sociale
No full textThe article describes the readings and the practices of reading at the Court of the Tsar Nicholas I. The author underlines the social impact of the readings at the court on the Russian society
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