Various Forms Of Naturalism Research Articles

Saint Tukaram’s Philosophy, Naturist View And Social Reforms And Their Relevance For All Times

ABSTRACT Since the thirteenth century AD, Maharashtra has got the tradition of many great saints like Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, Eknath, Tukaram, Bahinabai. Along with devotional worship and social reformation through Abhanga, these saints have also convinced us of the importance of nature, while giving worldly sermons, Sant Tukaram Maharaj has presented various forms of nature through his Abhanga. Maharashtra is known as the land of saints many saints were born in this soil, the leading name of Varkari sect in Maharashtra is Sant Tukaram. Saint Tukaram’s position in the series of saints is unique, he has spread the good thoughts and virtues through his abhanga by convincing the glory of simple devotion and brought about improvement in the society by sowing new thoughts in the society through devotional path.Through his Abhanga he was successful in awakening the Bahujan Community and convincing people of the views regarding superstition, he tried to destroy superstitions and naive beliefs of the contemporary people about mythical worship. Sant Tukaram Maharaj was a realistic, fearless and rationalist saint who attacked the undesirable traditions of the society time to time. Don’t rely on God but be a striver and also criticized those who misled the society in strong words, It was his life’s work to bring people out of the slavery of various superstition in the society. Although Saint Tukaram used harsh words, he never ran away from his responsibility. Tukaram Maharaj says that there are many hypocrites in this society who philosophize for their own selfishness. He says innocent people should stay away from those who only preach to others. Keywords : Tradition, worship, society, Saint Tukaram, superstition, improvement.

Investigation on the influence of heterogeneous synergy in contagion processes on complex networks.

Synergistic contagion in a networked system occurs in various forms in nature and human society. While the influence of network's structural heterogeneity on synergistic contagion has been well studied, the impact of individual-based heterogeneity on synergistic contagion remains unclear. In this work, we introduce individual-based heterogeneity with a power-law form into the synergistic susceptible-infected-susceptible model by assuming the synergistic strength as a function of individuals' degree and investigate this synergistic contagion process on complex networks. By employing the heterogeneous mean-field (HMF) approximation, we analytically show that the heterogeneous synergy significantly changes the critical threshold of synergistic strength σc that is required for the occurrence of discontinuous phase transitions of contagion processes. Comparing to the synergy without individual-based heterogeneity, the value of σc decreases with degree-enhanced synergy and increases with degree-suppressed synergy, which agrees well with Monte Carlo prediction. Next, we compare our heterogeneous synergistic contagion model with the simplicial contagion model [Iacopini et al., Nat. Commun. 10, 2485 (2019)], in which high-order interactions are introduced to describe complex contagion. Similarity of these two models are shown both analytically and numerically, confirming the ability of our model to statistically describe the simplest high-order interaction within HMF approximation.

From heterogeneous network to homogeneous network: the influence of structure on synergistic epidemic spreading

Synergistic epidemic-like spreading phenomena in networked system occur in various forms in nature and human society. The networks’ structure characterized by its structural heterogeneity affects the synergistic spreading process dramatically. It was believed that the synergistic epidemic spreading follows a continuous transition on heterogeneous networks, but an explosive one on homogeneous networks. In this work, we adopt the model that interpolates between homogeneous and heterogeneous networks to generate a series of networks. By continuously changing the ratio of homogeneous structure α of the network, we numerically show that the interplay between the spreading transition and the structural heterogeneity of network is much more complicated. Although the explosive epidemic transition is likely to be hindered by structural heterogeneity, it could occur on completely heterogeneous network as long as the synergistic strength is sufficiently strong. The predictions of heterogeneous mean-field analysis agree with the numerical results, thus helping to understand the role of structural heterogeneity in affecting synergistic epidemic spreading.

Nonscalability and generating digital outer space natures inNo Man’s Sky

This article examines the generation of digital outer space natures in the space exploration game, No Man’s Sky. Using procedural generation, No Man’s Sky offers nearly infinite planets, flora, and fauna on the fly. With the rapid development of gaming technology and tools, game developers and others are attempting to diversify the representation of various forms of nature in gaming content and to expand the use of games in behavioral change, education, conservation, and other fields. Many scholars argue that games offer promising ways for various publics to understand their place and their interconnectedness with microbes, ecosystems, planet Earth, and beyond. We examine how No Man’s Sky struggled to coproduce digital outer space natures at the two scalar extremes of the vast expanse of outer space and of the embodied player relating within complex biomes. Our results from an in-depth, qualitative analysis of the initial version of the game, of player world-building experiences in No Man’s Sky, and of subsequent developer modifications to the game demonstrate that nonscalability theory is useful for studying what digital outer space natures do in games. We also argue that nonscalability theory would benefit from a more robust engagement with the digital. No Man’s Sky was initially scalable to such an extreme that it made players into objects without an origin story, broader purpose or way to build meaningful relations in the game. For a brief period, this game undermined players’ interplanetary colonial imaginaries. Subsequent updates to the game introduced a limited scope of nonscalability, but only to the extent of satisfying gamers’ desires to become more impactful agents of exploration. We see great potential for analyzing the role of innovations in computing and game design in linking multiscalar digital, outer, and earth spaces, which as other scholars have shown, bear significantly on our understanding of multiple worlds and natures.

Two-dimensional chiral stacking orders in quasi-one-dimensional charge density waves

Chirality manifests in various forms in nature. However, there is no evidence of the chirality in one-dimensional charge density wave (CDW) systems. Here, we have explored the chirality among quasi-one-dimensional CDW ground states with the aid of scanning tunneling microscopy, symmetry analysis, and density functional theory calculations. We discovered three distinct chiralities emerging in the form of two-dimensional chiral stacking orders composed of degenerate CDW ground states: right-, left-, and nonchiral stacking orders. Such chiral stacking orders correspond to newly introduced chiral winding numbers. Furthermore, we observed that these chiral stacking orders are intertwined with chiral vortices and chiral domain walls, which play a crucial role in engineering the chiral stacking orders. Our findings suggest that the unexpected chiral stacking orders can open a way to investigate the chirality in CDW systems, which can lead to diverse phenomena such as circular dichroism depending on chirality.

VEGETATION IN INDIAN ART

Indian art is a vivid presentation of various forms of nature. In many ancient cultures trees are treated with acclaim and affection but in India treated with reverence and love. The concept of tree, as a symbol of life, of eternity and resumption is as old as humankind. The environmentalists evaluate their importance for the world's ecosystem as they are used in numerous ways in everyday life but their aspect is that they are the symbol of divinity of nature with beauty and cultural values.
 Nature with its qualities helps the creatures in their survival. The beauty of nature can be perceived in its utility and man can pay his attributes with the awareness towards the protection of nature.

Safety and nature versus tourists, athlets and residents in Sagarmatha National Park Nepal

The subject of this publication is Sagarmatha National Park located in Nepal, along with the consequences of its popularity among all worlds and the effects of using the environment on selected specific cases. The main purpose of the work is to illustrate the included natural and social conditions as well as the state and perspectives for the development of operational functions in the park. The economic situation of the country will also be presented, taking into account the conditions conducive to the development of inbound tourism.High mountains have now become one of the main collections of scientific research. One of the reasons is the intensive transformation available from the mass nature of qualified tourism or mountain climbing. The world has entered the multifaceted era of 'tourism'. The natural values of the environment are currently covered by one of the basic elements of the supply of the harvest. Man cannot be chased from the mountains! It is necessary to include his harmonized sport, tourism and economic interests with nature protection. Tourism supported and contributes to the development of various forms of nature and environmental protection, which are the first national parks and nature reserves: Yellowstone in the USA founded in 1872, the Royal National Park in Australia founded by the British in modern colonies in 1879 or the second historical Banff National Park in Canada created in 1885. Contemporary forms of environmental protection originate from the romantic west over wild nature and associated with progressive industrialization in the nineteenth century destroying natural ecosystems on an unprecedented scale. Although the ideas of nature protection may already be sought in antiquity for activities that will then be related to religious worship. In China, the first laws on nature protection were announced 4,000 years ago, and in India about 3,000 years ago. The declaration on the protection of forest resources was issued in 1671 by the Danish King Christian V, and 34 years later also by Russian Tsar Peter I. In Poland, the first symptoms of care for forest resources concern the place in 1337, during the reign of Casimir the Great, when he announced statutes prohibiting logging in other people's forests. Conscious protection of the disappearing species in the form of royal law takes place at the end of the 16th century, which provisions protect the forced turns as a result of cutting out large tracts of forests.In Nepal, ecological awareness of the power elites and local people has matured for a long time. Robbery of forest management was widely used, wood for fuel or land was obtained for arable crops. It wasn't until the mid-1960s that King Mahendra issued the first laws on nature protection and provided for penalties for its destruction. The descendant and heir to the throne of King Mahendra - Birendra permanently introduced the protection of natural resources to the country's development plans and in the first year of his reign (1973) he issued the Act on National Parks and Nature Conservation, which took care of a number of animal species and established the first Royal Chitwan National Park. In subsequent years, new national parks and reserves were created in naturally valuable areas. There are 8 national parks in Nepal. The protected areas cover a total of 13% of the area.The inspiration to write this study was data analysis and own observation of both the natural resources of the Sagarmatha National Park, as well as the attitude to the natural environment of its inhabitants as well as athletes and tourists.

Statistical methods for identification of golden ratio

Several biological systems such as the biomechanics of human heart, locomotion, and phyllotaxis of plants present a harmonic behavior because their fractal structure are associated to the golden ratio. The golden ratio (Φ = 1.618033988749…), also known as Phi, golden mean, golden section or divine proportion, is an irrational constant found in various forms in nature and recently has been used in many health areas. However, there is no literature on a specific statistical test to identify the golden ratio structures. To validate the results from each survey, it is necessary that statistical techniques be correctly selected and implemented, and the absence of a test to identify the golden ratio may undermines the scientific papers which have this goal. Since the golden number is a ratio, some tests have been wrongly applied in its identification. The objective of this paper is to present and to evaluate methods for identification of golden ratio. Four tests were evaluated: t-Student with ratio statistic (TR), with delta statistic (TΔ), with difference statistic (TED), and Wilcoxon test with statistic difference (WD). Data simulating different samples sizes (n = 2–200) and variability scenarios were used. The tests were assessed regarding type I error rate and power. For TΔ, type I error rate increased along with sample size and variability, achieving 50% in the scenario of relative standard deviation of 12.5% and 20.0% for line segments of lengths a and b, and sample size equal 200. This test also showed lower power when compared to the others in all scenarios. Similarly, for TR, the type I error rate was sensitive to the increasing in sample size, varying from 5 to 60%. On the other hand, WD and TED were associated to low type I error rates (around 5%) and high power (6.1% for sample size equal 2–100% for sample size equal 200). The TΔ and TR were inadequate to identify the golden ratio, since they did not controlled the type I error rate and/or presented low power, leading to possible erroneous conclusions. Therefore WD and TED, both with statistical of difference, appeared as the most appropriate methods to test golden ratio structures.

Determination of arsenic content in tea samples available on Republic of Srpska market by atomic absorption spectrophotometry

<p>Introduction. Arsenic exists in various forms in nature and living organisms. Toxic elements, including arsenic, which are present in some plants, can severely damage haemopoietic, immune, nervous and reproductive systems. For this reason, a content of heavy metals is one of the criteria for the assessment of the safe use of plant material in the production of traditional medicines and herbal infusions. This instigates the need for constant and organized safety control of plants that are used as raw materials in pharmaceutical industry. The aim of this study is to determine the arsenic content in selected teas which are available on the market of the Republic of Srpska. Methods. The 10 g samples of 13 herbal and 3 fruit teas were mineralized by dry ashing and arsenic contents were determined by the atomic absorption spectrophotometer Agilent Technologies Series 200 with an air-acetylene burner and D2 background correction. Results. Mean arsenic concentrations in the herbal tea samples ranged from 0.009 to 0.145 mg/kg. The lowest arsenic concentration in a single sample of 0.007 mg/kg was found in Chamomile tea and Uva ursi collected as a wild plant at elevation above 1200 m. The highest arsenic concentration was found in the sample of Sambucus nigra tea (0.145 mg/kg). In fruit teas, the arsenic concentration ranged from 0.014 mg/kg (Cranberry) to 0.027 mg/kg (Fruit mix). Conclusion. Arsenic content in all analyzed tea samples is below the value stipulated by the national legislation.</p>

Environmental Wisdom in Oral Literature of Arjuna Slopes People

This study sought to describe the orientation, representation, and the relationship of oral literary texts of the Slopes Arjuna towards its nature, poetical characteristics and literary texts narrative by using ecocriticism theory. The interdisciplinary approach used to understand the data were ecocritics, literary, ethical approach to the environment, cultural approach, and folkloristic approach. The instruments used were observation and in-depth- interview. The research was conducted on the slopes of Mount Arjuna, East Java from November 2012 to February 2014. The result shows that the range of oral literature texts of Arjuna Slopes communities explicitly and implicitly, intensively and extensively, show the orientation towards nature. It shows that the oral literature of Arjuna slope people obtains the pastoral narrative and apocalyptic narrative. The study also reveals the presence of biological nature and the psychological nature which are conveyed explicitly and demonstrated in its vitality. The texts orientation towards nature is more detailed presented in the various forms of nature. Nature orientation occurred in the text becomes an emphatic and important marker of environmental wisdom literature. Furthermore, the characteristics of environmental wisdom literature which are identified and constructed based on the review of the public oral literature of Slopes Arjuna have its distinctiveness. This peculiarity is seen in the breath of cosmocentric-spirituality born from harmony syncretization between spirituality Kejawen, Islami Sarengat, Hindu-Buddhist mysticism, as the source of wisdom of environmental values in the society of Slopes Arjuna oral literature.

Inactivation of microbes and macromolecules by atmospheric-pressure plasma jets.

Plasma is ionized gas, which is found in various forms in nature and can also be generated artificially. A variety of cold atmospheric-pressure plasmas are currently being investigated for their clinical utility, and first studies reporting on the treatment of patients showed that plasma treatment may support the wound healing process. One of the benefits of plasma treatment is the effective inactivation of bacteria including tenacious pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa or multiresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Neither the molecular mechanisms promoting wound healing nor those underlying bacterial inactivation are fully understood yet. The review has a focus on plasma jets, a particular type of cold atmospheric-pressure plasma sources featuring an indirect treatment whereby the treated substrates do not come into contact with the plasma directly but are exposed to the plasma-emitted reactive species and photons. Such plasma jets are being employed as tools in basic research regarding the effects of plasmas on biological samples. This review provides a brief overview on the recent clinical investigations into the benefits of cold atmospheric-pressure plasmas. It then describes our current understanding of the mechanisms leading to bacterial inactivation and inactivation of biomacromolecules gained by employing plasma jets.

Resisting Colonialism through Nature: An Ecopostcolonial Reading of Mahmoud Darwish's Selected Poems

Resisting colonialism remains the main theme of the poetry of the Arab Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. This paper explores how Darwish employs nature as a new way for resisting the occupation of his homeland. His poems, throughout his writing life that spans fifty years, can be used to demonstrate how an ecopostcolonial perspective might contribute to an understanding of the poet's resistance through nature to the colonisers in his homeland. The theoretical framework used in this study is derived from both the ecocritical and postcolonial theories of reading literature. It is termed as ecoresistance as a new perspective of analysing resistance in the Arab literary studies, a non-western viewpoint and an original analytical lens for reading Darwish's work. The analysis reveals that Darwish uses the various forms of nature that range from the forms of the pure nature to the forms that have been cultivated. Through the ecopostcolonial perspective of the study, the employment of nature for resistance and the indication of Darwish as an ecopostcolonial poet of the Arab world are played out. The paper further proposes new insights into man's connection to land and is a step towards opening up the field of ecocriticism as a way of reading Arab poetry of resistance.

Human interactions with the sandstone landscape of central Sudetes

The paper examines the history of human interactions with the specific plateau and cuesta morphology developed upon Cretaceous sedimentary sequences in the Middle Sudetes, Central Europe (Poland, Czech Republic). Lithological contrasts influence relief at regional and local scale, providing diverse opportunities and limits to human activities since medieval times until the present. As a result a complex cultural landscape underpinned by geomorphology evolved through time, illustrating the concept of ‘sandstone phenomenon’. The following interactions with the physical landscape are identified: avoidance, adaptation, modification, and withdrawal. Although early modifications occurred in the late medieval period, adaptation rather than direct human impact typified the area until the mid-18th century. The expansion of settlement network in later times, along with forest clearance, development of quarrying and growth of tourism have led to substantial modifications of the geomorphological landscape and the origin of a suite of anthropic landforms. Depopulation of the region, particularly on the now Polish side, amplified after World War II, resulted in land use changes and renaturalization of many areas. Many previously occupied areas have been abandoned and various forms of nature and landscape protection now provide limitations to further development. Modification is tightly controlled, while re-adaptation is preferred and promoted, driven not by physical constraints anymore but by changing attitudes and increasing environmental awareness.

Cognitive science of religion and theism: how can they be compatible?

AbstractIn this article, I examine the compatibility thesis, according to which the assumptions and results of cognitive (and other bio-psychological) theories of religion are compatible with the theistic world-view. In particular, I analyse the conception of world-view neutrality concerning scientific theories of religion. I also investigate the nature of pro-theistic argumentation; one aspect of this is the role that various forms of naturalism have in theistic compatibility claims. I point out that the version of theism guiding the argumentation of the proponents of the compatibility thesis is seldom explicated. A commitment to classical theism is problematic because of the ultimate metaphysical separation of God and the world. Instead, I support the compatibility view with a notion of God construed as the structuring cause of the world.

Wittgenstein e il naturalismo

The paper is concerned with Wittgenstein’s attitudes towards various forms of naturalism. On the one hand, Wittgenstein’s antinaturalism is based on the idea that there is a deep divide between science and philosophy. The paper argues that such a methodological claim cannot be criticized by resorting to Quine’s attack to analyticity, for the Wittgensteinian notion of a grammatical rule is different from the Carnapian notion of an analytical proposition. Though, at the same time, the paper underlines that Wittgenstein’s conception of grammar is the core of the so-called “linguistic doctrine of necessity”, which has been strongly criticized by Kripke. On the other hand, Wittgenstein’s naturalism is based on notions such as “form of life” and “general facts of nature”. The paper shows that such a view is motivated by antifoundationalist and non intellectualistic biases, and is mainly characterized by a peculiar attention to the normative dimension of human behaviour and activities.

WHICH NATURALISM FOR BIOETHICS? A DEFENSE OF MODERATE (PRAGMATIC) NATURALISM

There is a growing interest in various forms of naturalism in bioethics, but there is a clear need for further clarification. In an effort to address this situation, I present three epistemological stances: anti-naturalism, strong naturalism, and moderate pragmatic naturalism. I argue that the dominant paradigm within philosophical ethics has been a form of anti-naturalism mainly supported by a strong 'is' and 'ought' distinction. This fundamental epistemological commitment has contributed to the estrangement of academic philosophical ethics from major social problems and explains partially why, in the early 1980s, 'medicine saved the life of ethics'. Rejection of anti-naturalism, however, is often associated with strong forms of naturalism that commit the naturalistic fallacy and threaten to reduce the normative dimensions of ethics to biological imperatives. This move is rightly dismissed as a pitfall since ethics is, in part, a struggle against the course of nature. Rejection of naturalism has drawbacks, however, such as deterring bioethicists from acknowledging the implicit naturalistic epistemological commitments of bioethics. I argue that a moderate pragmatic form of naturalism represents an epistemological position that best embraces the tension of anti-naturalism and strong naturalism: bioethics is neither disconnected from empirical knowledge nor subjugated to it. The discussion is based upon historical writings in philosophy and bioethics.

Fungal laccase: properties and activity on lignin.

The sources of ligninocellulose that occur in various forms in nature are so vast that they can only be compared to those of water. The results of several, more recent experiments showed that laccase probably possesses the big ability for "lignin-barrier" breakdown of ligninocellulose. The degradation of this compound is currently understood as an enzymatic process mediated by small molecules, therefore, this review will focus on the role of these mediators and radicals working in concert with enzymes. The fungi having a versatile machinery of enzymes are able to attack directly the "lignin-barrier" or can use a multienzyme system including "feed-back" type enzymes allowing for simultaneous transformation of lignin and carbohydrate compounds.

Naturalism: A Critical Appraisal.

The essays in this anthology explore the difficulties of naturalism by revealing the ambiguities surrounding it, as well as the tensions that exist among its critics. The contributors address various forms of naturalism.

The Problem of Meaning

There has been no dearth of topics of philosophic investigation in our century. We have witnessed the death-throes of idealism in conflict with various forms of naturalism and may be on the point of witnessing its resurrection. We have seen ideal languages invented as the proper diction of a philosopher and seen them denounced in favor of ordinary language. We have seen intuitionism and pragmatism arise as anti-intellectualistic movements only to be cast aside in their turn by more radical forms of existentialism as themselves hopelessly intellectualistic. We have seen it questioned whether religion requires a supernatural and have been told that it is blasphemous to claim that God exists. All these in addition to the standard problems: we have debated whether there are substances and if so what kind; whether there are universals, and if so what kind; whether there are duties and if so what kind. We have even originated problems of our own: never before, I believe, has nausea been promoted from a symptom to a category nor have philosophers debated whether non-existent contemporary Gallic monarchs are properly accused of pilatory deficiencies.