Concept Of Thickness Research Articles

Thick Concepts

AbstractIn ethics, aesthetics and increasingly in epistemology, a distinction is drawn between thick and thin evaluative concepts. A common characterisation of the distinction is that thin concepts have only evaluative content, whereas thick concepts combine evaluative and descriptive content. Because of this combination, it is again commonly thought that thick concepts have various distinctive powers including the power to undermine the distinction between fact and value. This paper discusses the accuracy of this view of the thick concepts debate, as well as assessing the prospects for a thick concepts argument against the fact value distinction, while introducing the three main philosophical positions on the nature of thick concepts.

The effective-thickness concept in laminated-glass elements under static loading

Laminated glass is a sandwich element consisting of two or more glass sheets, with one or more interlayers of a polymer such as polyvinyl butyral (PVB). The static response of sandwich elements such as laminated-glass beams and plates can be modeled using analytical or numerical models in which the glass is usually modeled as linear-elastic and the PVB as linear-viscoelastic material, respectively. As a way to simplify the laminated-glass calculations, the concept of effective thickness has been recently proposed, which allows the calculation of laminated-glass beams as monolithic beams using an apparent or effective thickness. In this work, equations for the effective thickness of laminated-glass beams are derived from the analytical model proposed by Koutsawa and Daya and the results provided by this model are compared with the models of Bennison et al. and Galuppi and Royer-Carfagni. Finally, some static experimental tests were performed on several laminated-glass beams under distributed loading in order to validate the predictions of the models.

Luck, Value and Commitment

Luck, Value, and Commitment: Themes from the Ethics of Bernard Williams contains versions of papers presented at a conference entitled Themes from the Ethics of Bernard Williams held at the University of Leeds in the summer of 2009.1 As the book’s title suggests, it does not pretend to provide systematic or definitive expositions of Williams’s work. Instead, the articles collectively illustrate just how wide-ranging and deep Williams’s influence has been, even among those philosophers who disagree fundamentally with some of his claims and who admit to finding some of his arguments less than persuasive. The volume contains an introduction by the editors and 11 papers, arranged across five sections, the first three of which reflect central themes in Williams’s work. The section ‘Ethical Theory’ includes a paper by Brad Hooker (‘Theory versus Anti-Theory in Ethics’) in which he challenges arguments (including some of Williams’s) for the ‘anti-theory’ position in ethics and a paper by Philip Pettit (‘The Inescapability of Consequentialism’) that targets Williams’s objections to consequentialism in particular. Susan Wolf’s paper (‘One Thought Too Many: Love, Morality, and the Ordering of Commitment’) explores what might be involved in upholding or withdrawing an unconditional commitment to morality. The section ‘Moral Luck’ contains three papers, each of which I will discuss at greater length below and all reflecting on the ways in which what we are responsible for and whether our actions are justified can be subject to moral luck. The section ‘Reasons and ‘Ought’’ includes a paper by Michael Smith (‘A Puzzle About Internal Reasons’) in which he defends and develops an internalist account of reasons, in part by showing how imagination can contribute to an agent’s deliberating correctly, and one by Ulrike Heuer (‘Thick Concepts and Internal Reasons’) that argues that Williams’s understanding of ‘thick’ ethical concepts and reasons internalism are incompatible. The third paper in this section (John Broome’s ‘Williams on Ought’) is the most strictly exegetical of the papers, and it focuses on Williams’s account of the normative concept ‘ought’. The last two papers are each granted their own section. Jonathan Dancy’s paper (‘McDowell, Williams, and Intuitionism’) is prompted by Williams’s criticism of the kind of intuitionist epistemology he thinks McDowell is committed to; Gerald Lang argues in ‘Discrimination, Partial Concern, and Arbitrariness’ that speciesism has little in common with racism or sexism.

An Absurd Tax on our Fellow Citizens: The Ethics of Rent Seeking in the Market Failures (or Self-Regulation) Approach

Joseph Heath lumps in quotas and protectionist measures with cartelization, taking advantage of information asymmetries, seeking a monopoly position, and so on, as all instances of behavior that can lead to market failures in his market failures approach to business ethics. The problem is that this kind of rent and rent seeking, when they fail to deliver desirable outcomes, are better described as government failure. I suggest that this means we will have to expand Heath’s framework to a market and government failures approach. I then try to defuse objections that as a government failure, rent seeking may not appear relevant to what managers ought to do. Solving this conceptual issue will also give us an excuse to revisit a separate conceptual issue: the normatively thick conception of “rent” and rent seeking behavior that some use. This normatively thick conception is problematic, I argue, and I offer the beginnings of a novel, normatively neutral conception that is useful for our purposes in making the ethics of rent and rent seeking behavior more than a merely trivial exercise.

Thick Concepts and Context Dependence

In this paper I develop my account of moral particularism, focussing on the nature of thick moral concepts. My aim is to show how the particularist can consistently uphold an non-reductive cognitivist ‘dual role’ view of thick moral concepts, even though she holds that the qualities ascribed by such concepts can vary in their moral relevance – so that to judge that something is generous or an act of integrity need not entail that the object of evaluative appraisal is good to some extent. A novel particularist account of thick concepts is proposed, in response to recent work on variance holism. The particularist rejects the holist’s attempt to preserve the idea that thick concepts are evaluative concepts by postulating a special semantic content, a contextually variable evaluative valence, as theoretically unmotivated and conceptually confused. Instead it is argued that the thick concepts have determinable evaluative content in situ only.

A Mathematical Formulation of the Brittle/Ductile Transition of Impact Modified Polymers

The subject of this paper is the impact modification of polymers with elastomers via melt blending. A mathematical model was developed to account for the shape of the Izod S-curves (Izod values versus impact modifier content). Wu introduced the critical ligament thickness concept to explain the Brittle/Ductile Transition of polymers modified with elastomers: only when the ligament thickness (surface to surface distance of two rubber particles) is smaller than a critical value can the rubber particles promote toughness. In an ideal model with rubber particles distributed in an ordered lattice this transition would be a 90-degree step, whereas in practice this transition curve is more or less rounded. The smoothness of this transition is attributed in the present paper to the random distribution of rubber particles inside the polymer matrix: from this concept, an equation for the B/D Transition part of the S-curve was developed. This equation introduces the concept of the critical number of rubber particles, that is the number of particles within the ligament thickness distance necessary to trigger the toughness. The polymers investigated were polypropylene (PP) of different viscosity, polyamide (PA), polystyrene (PS), and polycarbonate (PC).

Civic Friendship and Thin Citizenship

Contemporary appeals for a deepening of civic friendship in liberal democracies often draw on Aristotle. This paper warns against a certain kind of attempt to use Aristotle in our own theorising, namely accounts of civic friendship that characterise it as similar in some way to Aristotelian virtue friendship. The most prominent of these attempts have focused on disinterested mutual regard as a basic ingredient in all Aristotelian forms of friendship. The argument against this is that it inadequately accounts for the idea of a virtue friend as another self, which we find in Aristotle’s thought. When we attend closely to that, we see that civic friendship is different in a fundamental way from virtue friendship because virtue friends are keenly committed to the moral improvement of one another. It is argued that Aristotle does not see civic friendship in the same way. However, if this argument about the differences between the forms of friendship cannot be accepted, the paper argues that we should not draw on Aristotle for an understanding of civic friendship because any similarity it might have to virtue friendship would license illiberal interventions in the lives of citizens in service of some idea of moral improvement. A seeming connection between Aristotelian civic friendship and thick conceptions of citizenship is replaced with a connection between it and thinner conceptions.

Shapelessness in Context

Many philosophers believe that the extensions of evaluative terms and concepts aren't unified under non-evaluative similarity relations and that this shapelessness thesis (ST) has significant metaethical implications regarding non-cognitivism, ethical naturalism, moral particularism, thick concepts and more. ST is typically offered as an explanation of why evaluative classifications appear to outrun classifications specifiable in independently intelligible non-evaluative terms. This paper argues that both ST and the outrunning point used to motivate it can be explained on the basis of more general factors that have nothing in particular to do with being evaluative. Insofar as ST is plausible, a wide variety of non-evaluative terms will also be such that the extension of a term T isn't unified under similarity relations specifiable in purely T-free terms. If so, there is no reason to expect ST to carry the sorts of metaethical implications that get attributed to it. I also show that my main argument is robust across certain complications that are raised by the context-sensitivity of many evaluative terms but have so far been ignored in discussions of ST and related matters.

Les mutations du gène NNT : principales causes de déficits familiaux isolés en glucocorticoïdes (FGD)

An analytical solution to the oxygen diffusion equation with a sink term representing the oxygen consumption rate is obtained for thin tissue slice. The model of the oxygen consumption rate used depends on the oxygen tension and is known as zero- to first-order kinetics model (Michaelis–Menten-like kinetics model). The solution reflecting the conditions in Warburg-type experiments yields a formula for the oxygen uptake of a tissue slice as a function of the oxygen tension at its boundary. This formula is a useful tool at identification of the local tissue respiration parameters involved — the maximum oxygen consumption rate and the critical oxygen tension. Two applications of the formula are shown. The first one uses data for slices of skeletal muscle tissue taken from Kawashiro and Scheid [T. Kawashiro, P. Scheid, Dependence of O2 uptake on tissue PO2: experiments in intact excised rat skeletal muscle, in: D.W. Lübbers, H. Acker, E. Leninger-Follert, T.K. Goldstick (Eds.), Oxygen Transport to Tissue-V, in: Adv. Exper. Med. Biol., vol. 169, 1984, pp. 497–505]. In the second case, by use of the effective thickness concept, the formula is applied to data from an experiment with tissue pieces of other geometry [P.R.B. Caldwell, B.A. Wittenberg, The oxygen dependency of mammalian tissues, Am. J. Med. 57 (1974) 447–452]; the parameters of six albino-rat tissues (kidney, heart, liver, brain, diaphragm, and lung) are estimated.

Transmission through stacked 2D periodic distributions of square conducting patches

In this paper, we study the transmissivity of electromagnetic waves through stacked two-dimensional printed periodic arrays of square conducting patches. An analytical circuit-like model is used for the analysis. The model accounts for the details of the transmission spectrum provided that the period of the unit cell of each patterned layer is well below the wavelength in the dielectric slabs separating the printed surfaces. In particular, we analyze the low-pass band and rejection band behavior of the multilayer structure, and the results are validated by comparison with a computationally intensive finite element commercial electromagnetic solver. The limiting case of an infinite periodic structure is analytically solved and the corresponding band structure is used to explain the passband/stopband behavior of finite structures. In addition, we study in depth the elementary unit cell consisting of a single dielectric slab coated by two metal patch arrays, and its resonance behavior is explained in terms of Fabry-Pérot resonances when the electrical thickness of the slab is large enough. In such case, the concept of equivalent thickness of the equivalent ideal Fabry-Pérot resonator is introduced. For electrically thinner slabs it is also shown that the analytical model is still valid, and its corresponding first transmission peak is explained in terms of a lumped-circuit LC resonance.

Relationship between microscopic deformations and macroscopic mechanical response of SAN/PB-g-SAN blends via interparticle distance concept

The mechanical properties of SAN/PB-g-SAN blends of different compositions under uniaxial tensile tests were studied. Matrix ligament thickness (MLT) concept was employed to correlate microscopic deformations with macroscopic mechanical response. It was found that, the experimental values of the blends moduli are in a good agreement with the theoretical values obtained from Takayanagi and mixture rules in parallel models. The MLTs in which transition from brittle-to-ductile and from ductile-to-rubbery occur were determined according to interparticle distance model. Fractography studies of the samples with MLT values greater than brittle to ductile transition showed that rubber particles act as craze initiators rather than craze terminators. Due to poor overlapping of stress fields around the particles, no extensive shear yielding took place during the fracture process, leading to unstable macroscopic behavior. For the samples with MLTs smaller than brittle-ductile transition, a necked region developed. The stability of necked region increased with PB-g-SAN content, which resulted in improved post yield deformation stability. This process was accompanied by the participation of larger volume of material in the deformation process and strong overlapping of the stress field around the particles, which facilitated matrix shear yielding. Based on macroscopic response, this delocalized deformation manifested itself by a gradual decrease in load drop after yielding point. For the samples with PB-g-SAN content higher than 75 wt%, the great reduction in MLT and direct interconnection between the neighbor rubber particles caused the appearance of rubbery behavior. These results were also confirmed by analyzing of the fractured surfaces.

An enhanced method of predicting effective thickness of corroded steel plates

Many steel bridge infrastructures in the world are getting older, and a large number of these structures are in need of maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement. Most of them are subjected to corrosion due to exposure to aggressive environmental conditions and inadequate maintenance, causing reduction of their carrying capacities. In order to have an adequate bridge management, it is of paramount importance to develop an efficient, accurate and rapid condition assessment method which can be used to make reliable decisions affecting the cost and safety. Therefore, a simple and accurate method of calculating remaining yield and tensile strength by using a concept of representative effective thickness with correlation of initial thickness and maximum corroded depth is proposed in this study, based on the results of many tensile coupon tests of corroded plates obtained from a steel plate girder with severe corrosion, used for about 100 years. Furthermore, a strength reduction diagram which will be very useful for bridge inspection engineers to make rational decisions about the maintenance management of aged steel bridge infrastructures is presented.

Systematizing Thin and Thick Conceptions of the Rule of Law

The literature teems with definitions of the rule of law, emphasizing attributes such as formal legality, democracy, checks and balances, individual rights, and order. In this article, we systematize these definitions in a unified typology which distinguishes between “thinner” (minimalist) and “thicker” (maximalist) conceptions of the rule of law. We first do this conceptually, advocating an analytical distinction between the shape (core), sanctions (control), source (consent), and substance (content) of the rules. These distinctions we order into a conceptual hierarchy, and we examine if this one-dimensional hierarchy is parallel to the empirical ordering of attributes. The analysis demonstrates that this is not the case. However, in light of recent writings on political regime change, the empirical hierarchy that does emerge makes theoretical sense. The consequent overview allows scholars to select more consciously between definitions of the rule of law, and, if robust, the empirical hierarchy can guide research into the correlates of the rule of law. But it also calls for further research into the causes and consequences of—and internal relationship between—the various attributes of rule of law.

Knowledge as a thick concept: explaining why the Gettier problem arises

The Gettier problem has stymied epistemologists. But, whether or not this problem is resolvable, we still must face an important question: Why does the Gettier problem arise in the first place? So far, philosophers have seen it as either a problem peculiar to the concept of knowledge, or else an instance of a general problem about conceptual analysis. But I would like to steer a middle course. I argue that the Gettier problem arises because knowledge is a thick concept, and a Gettier-like problem is just what we should expect from attempts at analyzing a thick concept. Section 2 is devoted to establishing the controversial claim that knowledge is thick, and, in Sect. 3, I show that there is a general problem for analyzing thick concepts of which the Gettier problem is a special instance. I do not take a stand on whether the Gettier problem, or its general counterpart, is resolvable. My primary aim is to bring these problems into better focus.

‘Boghossian’s Blind Reasoning’, Conditionalization, and Thick Concepts. A Functional Model

Boghossian’s (2003) proposal to conditionalize concepts as a way to secure their legitimacy in disputable cases applies well, not just to pejoratives – on whose account Boghossian first proposed it – but also to thick ethical concepts. It actually has important advantages when dealing with some worries raised by the application of thick ethical terms, and the truth and facticity of corresponding statements. In this paper, I will try to show, however, that thick ethical concepts present a specific case, whose analysis requires a somewhat different reconstruction from that which Boghossian offers. A proper account of thick ethical concepts should be able to explain how ‘evaluated’ and ‘evaluation’ are connected.

A formula for the oxygen uptake of thin tissue slice in terms of its surface oxygen tension

An analytical solution to the oxygen diffusion equation with a sink term representing the oxygen consumption rate is obtained for thin tissue slice. The model of the oxygen consumption rate used depends on the oxygen tension and is known as zero- to first-order kinetics model (Michaelis–Menten-like kinetics model). The solution reflecting the conditions in Warburg-type experiments yields a formula for the oxygen uptake of a tissue slice as a function of the oxygen tension at its boundary. This formula is a useful tool at identification of the local tissue respiration parameters involved — the maximum oxygen consumption rate and the critical oxygen tension. Two applications of the formula are shown. The first one uses data for slices of skeletal muscle tissue taken from Kawashiro and Scheid [T. Kawashiro, P. Scheid, Dependence of O2 uptake on tissue PO2: experiments in intact excised rat skeletal muscle, in: D.W. Lübbers, H. Acker, E. Leninger-Follert, T.K. Goldstick (Eds.), Oxygen Transport to Tissue-V, in: Adv. Exper. Med. Biol., vol. 169, 1984, pp. 497–505]. In the second case, by use of the effective thickness concept, the formula is applied to data from an experiment with tissue pieces of other geometry [P.R.B. Caldwell, B.A. Wittenberg, The oxygen dependency of mammalian tissues, Am. J. Med. 57 (1974) 447–452]; the parameters of six albino-rat tissues (kidney, heart, liver, brain, diaphragm, and lung) are estimated.

Boundary layer development in the flow field between a rotating and a stationary disk

This paper discusses the development of boundary layers in the flow of a Newtonian fluid between two parallel, infinite disks. One of the disks is rotating at a constant angular velocity while the other remains stationary. An analytical series approximation and a numerical solution method are used to describe the velocity profiles of the flow. Both methods rely on the commonly used similarity transformation first proposed by Von Kármán [T. von Kármán, ZAMM 1, 233 (1921)]10.1002/zamm.19210010401. For Reh < 18, the power series analytically describe the complete velocity profile. With the numerical model a Batchelor type of flow was observed for Reh > 300, with two boundary layers near the disks and a non-viscous core in the middle. A remarkable conclusion of the current work is the coincidence of the power series’ radius of convergence, a somewhat abstract mathematical notion, with the physically tangible concept of the boundary layer thickness. The coincidence shows a small deviation of only 2% to 4%.

Scalar thickening: Wildlife management areas and conservation scales in southeast Tanzania

The debate on scale in geography has yielded nuanced concepts that have enhanced scale analysis and methodologies for scale‐related research. Despite this advancement, questions still linger on the value of scale as a geographical vocabulary, partly because scalar analyses remain predicated on hierarchies, which have limited explanatory power. In this paper we draw on insight from political ecology to affirm and expand on the usefulness of scale for geographical inquiry and for engaging with contemporary people–environment relations. In particular, the paper appreciates that ecology is at the core of methodological questions pertaining to the explanation of these relations and is increasingly involved in the construction of biodiversity discourses and strategies that rely heavily on conceptions of, and pronouncements on, scale. We use the concept of scalar thickness as a way of thinking about how spaces of conservation are organized and the propensity of scales to coalesce at various stages of scale‐producing processes. We argue that wildlife management areas in Tanzania have played a pivotal role in the thickening of the micro scale in the southeast region. These areas constitute the scale at and though which global conservation agendas are implemented and natural resource rights and benefits are contested.

Regional Organizations and the Responsibility to Protect in the Context of the Arab Spring

Regional Organizations and the Responsibility to Protect in the Context of the Arab Spring

Surface Barriers of Hydrocarbon Transport Triggered by Ideal Zeolite Structures

Shedding light on the nature of surface barriers of nanoporous materials, molecular simulations (Monte Carlo, Reactive Flux) have been employed to investigate the tracer-exchange characteristics of hydrocarbons in defect-free single-crystal zeolite membranes. The concept of a critical membrane thickness as a quantitative measure of surface barriers is shown to be appropriate and advantageous. Nanopore smoothness, framework density, and thermodynamic state of the fluid phase have been identified as the most important influencing variables of surface barriers. Despite the ideal character of the adsorbent, our simulation results clearly support current experimental findings on MOF Zn(tbip) where a larger number of crystal defects caused exceptionally strong surface barriers. Most significantly, our study predicts that the ideal crystal structure without any such defects will already be a critical aspect of experimental analysis and process design in many cases of the upcoming class of extremely thin and high...