REPLY TO VAN ROOTSELAAR'S CRITICISMS OF MY THEORY OF THINGS

Van Rootselaar criticizes some points in my theory of things for being allegedly trivial, others for being mistaken. While some results are indeed mathematically trivial they are not so philosophically. As for the mistakes, some arc undoubtedly there, most can be corrected easily, and others require changes that have been introduced in the final version of the theory. The rest arc not mistakes but misunderstandings, perhaps unavoidable given the brevity of the original paper.     

Correspondence Comments on ‘Robust optimal parametric LQ control with a guaranteed cost bound and applications’

In a recent paper Hu and Loh (1989) addressed the problem of designing robust controllers with guaranteed bounds on a given performance index. The purpose of this note is to point-out several incorrect results presented there.     

ALPHA-LINOLENIC ACID AND LINOLEIC ACID IN SERUM AND TISSUES AFTER FLAXSEED (Linum usitatissimum) OIL IN VIVO ADMINISTRATION

Essential fatty acids can be helpful in the prevention of several pathologies. The bioavailability of acute supplementation of different doses of flaxseed oil was studied by analyzing the level of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA) in serum and tissues (adipose, liver) of rats tested at 2, 4, 8 and 16 h after the administration. The amount of flaxseed oil administered at increasing doses corresponded to 1, 2.5 and 5 g ALA/kg of body weight. The corresponding fatty acid methyl esters obtained via direct methylation were quantified using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Serum ALA level increased after 1 or 2.5 g/kg. ALA was increased in both adipose and liver tissue 4 h after the administration of 1 g/kg of flaxseed oil. There was no further increase by using a higher oil dosage. LA did not change in serum at the doses used.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The bioavailability of acute supplementation of increasing doses of flaxseed oil was examined by analyzing the level of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) (ω3) and linoleic acid (ω6) in serum and tissues (adipose, liver).These data suggest that there is a limiting step in the absorption of these fatty acids and that there is no advantage to take more than 1 g/kg of ALA supplementation. The daily use of flaxseed oil could be a good alternative in some cases to fish oil in the prevention of several pathologies.     

Dehydration and Separation of Grape Pomace in a Fluidized Bed System

Grape pomace components (seed and skin) were separated in a fluidized bed system based on their aerodynamic behavior. The Weibull equation was used to explain the elutriation history. Seed dehydration was characterized by a first period of constant drying rate and a second period in which drying rate decreased following Fick's liquid molecular diffusion model. The order of magnitude of heat and mass transfer parameters, both internal and external, was similar to those reported in the literature.     

Hydration of Beta Dicalcium Silicate Alone and in the Presence of CaCl2 or C2H5OH

Beta C₂S was hydrated at room temperature with and without added CaCl₂ or C₂H₅OH by methods previously studied for the hydration of C₃S, i.e. paste, bottle, and ball-mill hydration. The amount of reacted β-C₂S, the Ca(OH)₂ concentration in the liquid phase, the CaO/SiO₂ molar ratio, and the specific surface area of the hydrate were investigated. A topochemical reaction occurs between water and β-C₂S, resulting in the appearance of solid Ca(OH)₂ and a hydrated silicate with a CaO/SiO₂ molar ratio of ≃1. As the liquid phase becomes richer in Ca(OH)₂, the first hydrate transforms to one with a higher CaO/SiO₂ ratio. Addition of CaCl₂ increases the reaction rate and the surface area of the hydrate but to a much lesser extent than in the hydration of C₃S, whereas C₂H₆OH strongly depresses the hydration rate of β-C₂S, as observed for C₃S hydration.     

THINGS†

A concept of concrete object, or thing, is built that turns out to subsume the special concepts of thing found in the sciences. The construction proceeds in three stages. In the first, the concept of a substantial individual is introduced as anything that can combine with other individuals. The set of individuals is assigned the semi-group structure, and a number of notions, in particular those of part and of aggregate, are defined. In the second phase the notion of a substantial property, as different from that of attribute, is characterized. It is construed as a function on the set of substantial individuals. The assumption is made that properties are all definite and that they can conjoin but not disjoin; nor are negative properties countenanced. Further, the notions of.property precedence and of property neighbourhood are defined. It is postulated that substantial properties come in clusters. Laws are counted as special properties, namely as functional relations among substantial properties. In the third stage the notion of state is introduced and a thing is defined as a substantial individual equipped with all its possible states. Natural kinds or species are then defined with the help of the concept of a law, namely as the sets of things satisfying certain laws. The real world is assumed to be unique and to be constituted by things alone. Finally the notion of a concrete system is defined as a set of things together with the set of connections among them. The paper employs elementary logical, algebraic and set theoretical notions, and is hoped to belong in exact philosophy.