Vitalism and vital normativeness: Hahnemann and Canguilhem

The present paper reviews Vitalism as the basis for S. Hahnemann’s initial formulation of Homeopathy through the lens of the notions of Vitalism and vital normativeness formulated in the 20th century by French physician and historian of science Georges Canguilhem. Hahnemann described disease as a disarrangement of the organism as a whole, carrying the mark of the individual affected. Similarly, Canguilhem stated that symptoms only have meaning within their specific context and express a global disturb. Hahnemann gave health a positive definition as the state of equilibrium of the vital force – the latter understood as an essential quality of matter composing living beings and corresponding to a conception of Vitalism that holds totality as self-organized. Canguilhem would define Vitalism as the simple acknowledgement of the originality of life regarding lifeless matter, and described life as a dynamic polarity. In this context, illness is seen as a way to compel the organism to seek a new equilibrium to maintain homeostasis, health and healing are both integral parts of the self-organization of living beings and dichotomy of the process health/disease is a mere linguistic artifact. Keywords: Vitalism; Medical rationalities; Homeopathy; Vital normativeness; Georges Canguilhem.  Vitalismo e normatividade vital: Hahnemann and Canguilhem Resumo Este trabalho revé o Vitalismo como base da inicial formulação da Homeopatia por Hahnemann através das noções de Vitalismo e normatividade vital formulada no século XX pelo médico e historiador da ciéncia francés George Canquilhem. Hahneman descreve a doença como um desequilíbrio no organismo como um todo, carregando a marca da afecção individual. Similarmente, Canguilhem afirma que os sintomas somente tém siginificado dentro de seu específico contexto e expressa um distúrbio global. Hahnemann dá àsaúde uma definição positiva como o estado de equilíbrio da força vital - mais tarde compreendida como uma qualidade essencial da matéria que compõe os seres vivos e que corresponde a uma concepção de Vitalismo que entende a totalidade como auto-organização. Canguilhem definiu o Vitalismo como o simples reconhecimento da originalidade da vida e a descreve como uma polaridade dinâmica. Neste contexto, doença é vista como um modo de compelir o organismo a conquistar um novo equilíbrio para sustentar a sua homeostase; saúde e cura são ambos parte integrante da auto-organização dos seres vivos e a dicotomia do processo saúde/doença é mero artefato de linguagem. Palavras-chave: Vitalismo; racionalidades médicas; Homeopatia; Vital normativeness; Georges Canguilhem.  Vitalismo y normatividad vital: Hahnemann and Canguilhem Resumen Este trabajo aborda el Vitalismo como la base para la formulación inicial de la Homeopatía por Hahnemann a través de las nociones de Vitalismo y normatividad vital formuladas en el siglo XX por el mpedico e historiador de la ciencia francés Georges Canguilhem. Hahnemann describió la enfermedad como una alteración del organismo como un todo, conllevando la marca del individuo afectado. De modo semejante, Canguilhem afirmó que los síntomas sólo tienen sentido dentro de su contexto específico y expresan un transtorno global. Hahnemann formuló una definición positiva de salud como el estado de equilibrio de la fuerza viral - ésta entendida como una cualidad esencial de la materia que compone los seres vivos, correspondiente com una concepción del Vitalismo que concibe la totalidad como suto-organizada. Canguilhem definiría el Vitalismo como el mero reconocimiento de la originalidad de la vida respecto de la materia inanimada, y describió la vida como una polaridad dinámica. En este contexto, la enfermedad es considerada una manera de forzar el organismo en la búsqueda de un nuevo equilibrio para mantener la homeostasis, así, salud y curación son partes integrales de la auto-organización de los deres vivos, mientras que la dicotomía del proceso salud/enfermedad es un mero artificio lingüístico. Palabras-clave: Vitalismo; racionalidades médicas; Homeopatía; Vital normativeness; Georges Canguilhem.  Correspondence author: Denise Scofano, [email protected] How to cite this article: Scofano D, Luz MT. Vitalism and vital normativeness: Hahnemann and Canguilhem. Int J High Dilution Res [online]. 2008 [cited YYYY Mmm DD]; 7(24): 140-146. Available from: http://journal.giri-society.org/index.php/ijhdr/article/view/296/363. ÂÂÂ

Optimizing Optical Film Lamination to Enhance the Luminance of TFT-LCD Displays Using the Taguchi-NNGA Method

Luminance is an essential quality of a TFT-LCD display. Manufacturers have attempted to improve the soft-to-hard lamination stage to enhance the luminance of their TFT-LCD displays. In addition, many customers have complained about the insufficient luminance of the TFT-LCD displays of the case company. While product engineers have kept tuning the control factors in the soft-to-hard lamination stage through the trial and error method, the improvement of the luminance was not good enough. This study aims to assist the product engineers to fine-tune the settings of the control factors using a new method composed of the Taguchi method, a neural network, and a genetic algorithm. The confirmation experiments showed that the proposed method had increased the average luminance of the TFT-LCD displays from 17.03 to 25.15, which was higher than the required luminance value of 25. As a result, the number of complaints on the TFT-LCD displays had been significantly reduced.

A Survey on Trending Topics of Microservices

Microservice is an architectural style and a software development methodology. Microservices are used as a group of independent units with narrowly specified responsibilities that interact through well-described REST APIs. It is observed that the most challenging part in developing any application using microservice architecture is decomposing it into the correct level of granularity at design and run time, which requires good skills and domain knowledge. In this paper, some prominent topics in microservices analysis, such as determining the size and boundaries of microservices using various decomposition approaches and extraction of microservices from large monolithic applications have been discussed and analysed. Work pertaining to essential quality metrics required for a microservices-based system has also been surveyed. In this survey paper, we have identified how these topics are correlated and proposed some steps that might be beneficial in the transformation of monolithic applications into microservices.

Análise da prática pedagógica e o desenvolvimento da argumentação em aulas de física

Resumo: A habilidade de argumentar é essencial ao cidadão contemporâneo. Apesar de trabalhada de forma pouco criteriosa em sala de aula, apresenta papel central no processo de aprendizagem em Física. Destarte, nosso propósito principal neste estudo foi apurar aspectos relevantes no desenvolvimento da argumentação no ambiente do Ensino por Investigação em aulas de Física. A pesquisa de natureza qualitativa utilizou princípios da pesquisa-ação tendo como alvo uma melhor qualidade para a interação professor/aluno. As atividades didáticas foram desenvolvidas em grupos pelos estudantes e o processo de investigação contou com a monitoria docente. Os dados foram coletados no diário da prática pedagógica, utilizando-se para sua compreensão elementos da Análise de Conteúdo. Destacamos a consolidação do protagonismo estudantil e da qualidade argumentativa nesse contexto do Ensino por Investigação.Palavras-chave: Argumentação; Ensino de Física; Ensino por Investigação. Analysis of pedagogical practice and the development of argumentation in physics classes Abstract: The ability to debate is an essential quality for the contemporary citizen. Although worked in a non-judicious way in the classroom, it plays a central role in the Physics learning process. Our main purpose in this research was to investigate the relevant aspects in argumentation development in the Teaching per Inquiry environment in physics classes. In this qualitative research, we used research-action principles having as purpose a better teacher/student interaction. There were applied didactic activities in the students group and the investigation process included monitoring by the teacher. Data were collected in the pedagogical practice diary, using elements of Content Analysis for their understanding. We highlight the consolidation of the students’protagonism and of the argumentative quality in this context on Teaching per Inquiry. Keywords: Argumentation; Physics teaching; Teaching per Inquiry.

Development of static-active flexibility specific to Shotokan karate foot techniques

Flexibility is an essential quality for an athlete, which is why a high level of flexibility is required to increase efficiency and economy of movement, which interests all sports disciplines.The purpose of this scientific approach is to show that the development of static flexibility specific to foot techniques in karate, for practitioners between the ages of 14 and 18, is not done at random. The drive systems, applied within the programme proposed in this study for the development of flexibility, are subject to anatomically determined laws of motion, are functional and succeed in a methodical sequence.The experiment performed on karate practitioners - Shotokan emphasizes the importance of developing specific mobility which will allow them to execute foot techniques at a higher level and achieve outstanding performance.The application of the tests and the implementation of carefully selected drive systems that contribute to the development of mobility specific to karate techniques substantiates the working hypothesis and validates through its results the correctness of the experimental operation.

Four body- and nature-based practices to move your life force

This piece shares four invitations to reconnect with your energy, vitality, and wholeness. Shape-shifting into an animal gives you access to a sense of life force that is unmediated by demands and expectations of the human world. With pairs or opposites, you can explore two qualities that exist simultaneously, including emotions, situations or choices. These might be in harmony or tension with each other or within you, and you can explore and learn from both without judgement or bias. Nature as a teacher provides an opportunity to walk with a specific question in mind. Through close observation, you will find guidance or answers to your question. Finally, dancing your soul back offers a danced version of soul retrieval, if you feel disconnected from yourself or from an essential quality in your life. Although they are inspired by shamanic dance practices, you need no previous experience with either dance or shamanism to try them out. You can practise them at home or in a place in nature where you feel safe and connected.

The kirtimukha in ancient Indian art and how it came to be associated with the ‘grotesque’

In this paper is an attempt, through the lens of visual-rhetoric, towards understanding the origin of the k?rtimukha in ancient Indian art, its iconographic evolution and how this motif functions symbolically at manifold levels- from the ontological (as an essential quality of art, as a negation of the material vulnerability of a religious object or monument, as metaphor for the infinite) to the contextual (to serve a particular myth) and the apotropaic- through a plain visualisation of horror. It is in this evolution of purpose, that it came to be associated with the grotesque.

SLAV CULTURAL MEMORY, NOSTALGIA AND HUMOURIN THE OEUVRE OF DANILA VASSILIEFF (1897-1958), RUSSIAN ÉMIGRÉ ARTIST IN AUSTRALIA

Danila Vassilieff(1897–1958) was a Russian émigré artist who lived and worked in Australia. By far the largest and most significant part of his painterly and sculptural oeuvre Vassilieff executed on Australian soil, in the states of New South Wales and Victoria.This article explores Vassilieff’s visual arts ideas and idiom created within the parameters of his Russian and Slav cultural memory and characterised by his émigré experience. It argues that Vassilieff’s art was fully formed only after the artist’s experiencing anexistence of a permanentémigré in Australia and that both his ideas andhis idiom flourished in opposition to the cultural traditions of his new environment.Vassilieff’s relationship with his Russian and Slav cultural heritage was traced in the monograph Imaginary homelands, the art of Danila Vassilieff(Bojic2007). This essaycomplements the extant research by examiningVassilieff’s relationship with his Australian environment as reflected in his work. Vassilieff’s experience of a permanent émigré formed his visual arts idiom and provided for the large pool of themes and topics in his work. Much of his oeuvrebridgedthe varied cultural traditions of his Russian homeland and the hardshiphe experienced living in a barren Australian land. There weretwo reasonsfor this. One was the artist’s positionof being an émigré; the other was that of being an artist. His initial alone-ness in a new Australian environment allowed for his one-ness and thus contributed to the uniqueness of his expression and his oeuvre, recognised as such later on by his Australian peers. Thechronic trauma of being a permanentémigré was a continualfeature of Vassilieff’slife and of his work. Hisdeep feelings ofnostalgiawerean essential quality of his existence in exile.The artist himself would attempt to counterbalance 19this with his all-pervasive energetic good will and his refined sense of humour and sweet ironyon occasions leading into a sarcasm, evident in many of his works.