Search Results (68)

I address the challenge of extracting reliable insights from large datasets using a simplified model that illustrates how hierarchical classification can distort outcomes. The model consists of discrete pixels labeled red, blue, or white. Red and blue indicate distinct properties, while white represents unclassified or ambiguous data. A macro-color is assigned only if one color holds a strict majority among the pixels. Otherwise, the aggregate is labeled white, reflecting uncertainty. This setup mimics a percolation threshold at fifty percent. Assuming that directly accessing the various proportions from the data of colors is infeasible, I implement a hierarchical coarse-graining procedure. Elements (first pixels, then aggregates) are recursively grouped and reclassified via local majority rules, ultimately producing a single super-aggregate for which the color represents the inferred macro-property of the collection of pixels as a whole. Analytical results supported by simulations show that the process introduces additional white aggregates beyond white pixels, which could be present initially; these arise from groups lacking a clear majority, requiring arbitrary symmetry-breaking decisions to attribute a color to them. While each local resolution may appear minor and inconsequential, their repetitions introduce a growing systematic bias. Even with complete data, unavoidable asymmetries in local rules are shown to skew outcomes. This study highlights a critical limitation of recursive data reduction. Insight extraction is shaped not only by data quality but also by how local ambiguity is handled, resulting in built-in biases. Thus, the related flaws are not due to the data but to structural choices made during local aggregations. Although based on a simple model, these findings expose a high likelihood of inherent flaws in widely used hierarchical classification techniques. Full article

This paper explores the integration of Large Language Models (LLMs) and secure Gen-AI technologies within engineering design and manufacturing, with a focus on improving inventory management, component selection, and recommendation workflows. The system is intended for deployment and evaluation in a real-world industrial environment. It utilizes vector embeddings, vector databases, and Approximate Nearest Neighbor (ANN) search algorithms to implement Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), enabling context-aware searches for inventory items and addressing the limitations of traditional text-based methods. Built on an LLM framework enhanced by RAG, the system performs similarity-based retrieval and part recommendations while preserving data privacy through selective obfuscation using the ROT13 algorithm. In collaboration with an industry sponsor, real-world testing demonstrated strong results: 88.4% for Answer Relevance, 92.1% for Faithfulness, 80.2% for Context Recall, and 83.1% for Context Precision. These results demonstrate the system’s ability to deliver accurate and relevant responses while retrieving meaningful context and minimizing irrelevant information. Overall, the approach presents a practical and privacy-aware solution for manufacturing, bridging the gap between traditional inventory tools and modern AI capabilities and enabling more intelligent workflows in design and production processes. Full article

This article offers a Thomist response to Brian Leiter’s Why Tolerate Religion?, challenging his claim that religion does not merit distinct legal protection. While Leiter assumes religion to be epistemically irrational—defined by existential consolation, categorical demands, and insulation from evidence—this article draws on John Finnis’s interpretation of Saint Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274) to reconstruct religion as a basic good of practical reason. It proposes a three-tiered model of religion—as human quest, natural religion, and revealed religion—which clarifies religion’s internal structure and civic relevance. Developing this model against Leiter’s critique, this article shows that religion, so understood, can be legally protected even on Leiter’s liberal terms, through both Rawlsian and Millian frameworks. The article also extends its argument to “second-wave” law-and-religion controversies, illustrating how a Thomist framework illuminates debates about ideological establishments, identity politics, and public reason. Through original syntheses and rigorous normative analysis, this article advances a conceptually fresh and publicly accessible model of religion for law and public policy. It also speaks to pressing constitutional debates in the U.S. and Europe, thus contributing to transatlantic jurisprudence on religious freedom and the moral purposes of law. Religion still matters—and must be understood—not as conscience, but qua religion. Full article

Thomas de Cantilupe (d. 1282) is one of the last medieval English Catholics to have been canonized as a saint, following a remarkable career in which he twice served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford, as the Chancellor of England, and as Bishop of Hereford. This paper examines reports of his anti-Judaism and its potential influence in England in the period before the English crown expelled the entire Jewish community in 1290. Full article

This article offers a contribution to the scientifically informed theological (Aristotelian–Thomistic) reflection on anthropogenesis, the original state of human nature and original sin. After introductory remarks on the historical-critical exegesis of Gen 1–11 and the Catholic view of the evolutionary and theological anthropogenesis, I develop a critical evaluation of the notion of praeternatural gifts given by God to the first human being(s) (i.e., physical immortality, high level of infused knowledge, impassibility, and freedom from concupiscence). In the next step, I present and discuss the difficulties of the received model of hereditary sin assuming the role of Adam as the “collective singular”, the “virtually multiple”, or the “fountainhead of mankind”. In continuation of this analysis, I refer to alternative models of hereditary sin that see Adam as “actually multiple” or a paradigm example of each human being (Adam as “everyman”). I also analyze the view of those who emphasize the communal aspect of hereditary sin and favor the notion of its transmission that brings together propagation and imitation (rather than seeing them as mutually exclusive). Finally, I offer some remarks on the return to the Irenaean notion of the original state of human nature and original sin in the circles of theologians attentive to the theory of evolution. Full article

I study the conditions under which the democratic dynamics of a public debate drives a minority-to-majority transition. A landscape of the opinion dynamics is thus built using the Galam Majority Model (GMM) in a 3-dimensional parameter space for three different sizes, $r=2,3,4$, of local discussion groups. The related parameters are $(p_0,k,x)$, the respective proportions of initial agents supporting opinion A, unavowed tie prejudices breaking in favor of opinion A, and contrarians. Combining k and x yields unexpected and counterintuitive results. In most of the landscape the final outcome is predetermined, with a single-attractor dynamics, independent of the initial support for the competing opinions. Large domains of $(k,x)$ values are found to lead an initial minority to turn into a majority democratically without any external influence. A new alternating regime is also unveiled in narrow ranges of extreme proportions of contrarians. The findings indicate that the expected democratic character of free opinion dynamics is indeed rarely satisfied. The actual values of $(k,x)$ are found to be instrumental to predetermining the final winning opinion independently of $p_0$. Therefore, the conflicting challenge for the predetermined opinion to lose is to modify these values appropriately to become the winner. However, developing a model which could help in manipulating public opinion raises ethical questions. This issue is discussed in the Conclusions. Full article

Grape seeds are a rich source of bioactive compounds, especially polyphenols, which are known for their antioxidant and anti-aging properties. The aim of this study was to extract phytochemicals from the Lebanese grape variety “Obeidi” and incorporate them into liposomes and hyalurosomes in order to select the most effective formulation for improving skin properties and protecting against oxidative damage. Grape seeds were extracted by a sustainable ethanol-water method, yielding a total phenolic content (TPC) of 376 ± 16 mg/g (gallic acid equivalents) and an antioxidant activity of 0.58 ± 0.04 µg/mL (trolox equivalents). HPLC analysis identified catechins (4.51 mg/g), gallic acid (3.2 mg/g) and epicatechins (0.88 mg/g) as the dominant phenolics. The extract was encapsulated in liposomes and hyalurosomes with a mean diameter of 148–159 nm, polydispersity index < 0.3, and zeta potentials of −47 to −44 mV, and remained stable for three months at 4 °C. In vitro studies showed that hyalurosomes significantly increased keratinocyte viability by up to 144% and provided better protection against oxidative stress compared to liposomes. A 12-week clinical study involving 40 volunteers was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of extract-loaded hyalurosomes as an “anti-aging serum” by assessing various skin parameters. This treatment resulted in improved skin hydration, a reduction in wrinkle depth, and a slight decrease in melanin and erythema levels as demonstrated by imaging. These results are promising for cosmeceutical applications using grape seed extract loaded in hyalurosomes. Full article

Background/Objectives: Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the third most common sexually transmitted infection (STI), which may become untreatable soon if resistance continues to drastically increase. Due to increases in resistance to recommended antibiotics, alternative sources of novel compounds to combat this threat are being explored. Interestingly, marine sponges have proven to produce a plethora of bioactive compounds that display anticancer, antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial activity. Methods: In this study, the extracts of the sponge collected from Saint Thomas, US Virgin Islands were examined to determine their antibacterial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, and N. gonorrhoeae. Results: The ethyl acetate sponge extracts significantly inhibited growth of N. gonorrhoeae, while none inhibited S. aureus and E. coli. The bioassay-guided purification of the ethyl acetate extract resulted in the isolation of 6-desmethyl-6-ethylspongosoritin A (1) and plakortone B (2). To determine if the pure sponge metabolite could improve the efficacy of ceftriaxone against a high-level ceftriaxone (HTX)-resistant gonococcal strain, an antibiotic checkerboard assay was done by combining various concentrations of either precursor fractions or the purified compound 2 with ceftriaxone. Plakortone B (2) and ceftriaxone acted in synergy against gonococcal strains and inhibited growth by increasing membrane permeability when exposed for 4 h and 24 h. Conclusions: This suggests that marine sponges may serve as a source for novel bioactive compounds against antibiotic-resistant strains of N. gonorrhoeae, as well as improve the efficacy of currently prescribed antibiotics. Full article

Starting from a symmetrical multiple-choice individual, I build a sociophysics model of decision-making. Reducing the choices to two and interactions to pairs recovers the Ising model from physics at zero temperature. The associated equilibrium state results from a spontaneous symmetry breaking, with the whole group sharing a unique choice, which is selected at random. However, my focus departs from physics, which aims at identifying the true equilibrium state, discarding any possible impact of the initial conditions, the size of the sample, and the update algorithm used. Memory of past history is erased. In contrast, I claim that dealing with a social system, the history of the system must be taken into account in identifying the relevant social equilibrium state, which is always biased by its history. Accordingly, using Monte Carlo simulations, I explore the spectrum of non-universal equilibrium states of the Ising model at zero temperature. In particular, I show that different initial conditions with the same value of the order parameter lead to different equilibrium states. The same applies for different sizes and different update algorithms. The results indicate that in the presence of a social network composed of agents sharing different initial opinions, it is their interactions that lead them to share a unique choice and not their mere membership in the network. This finding sheds a new light on the emergence of echo chambers, which appear to be the end of a dynamical process of opinion update and not its beginning with a preferential attachment. Furthermore, polarization is obtained as a side effect of the random selection of the respective unanimous choices of the various echo chambers within a social community. The study points to social media exchange algorithms, which are purely technical levers independent of the issue and opinions at stake, to tackle polarization by either hindering or accelerating the completion of symmetry breaking between agents. Full article

A simple model is built to evaluate quantitatively the individual feeling of the passage of time using a sociophysics approach. Given an objective unit of time like the year, I introduce an individualized mirror-subjective counterpart, which is inversely proportional to the number of objective units of time already experienced by a person. An associated duration of time is then calculated. Past and future individual horizons are also defined together with a subjective speed of time. Furthermore, I rescale the subjective unit of time by activating additional clocks connected to ritualized socializations, which mark and shape the specific times of an individual throughout their life. The model shows that without any ritual socialization, an individual perceives their anticipated life as infinite via a “soft” infinity. The past horizon is also perceived at infinity but with a “hard” infinity. However, the price for the first ritualized socialization is to exit eternity in terms of the anticipated future with the simultaneous reward of experiencing a finite moment of infinity analogous to that related to birth. I then extend the model using a power law of the number of past objective units of time to mitigate the phenomenon of shrinking of time. The findings are sound and recover common feelings about the passage of time over a lifetime. In particular, the fact that time passes more quickly with aging with a concomitant slowing down of the speed of time. Full article

To curb the spread of fake news, I propose an alternative to the current trend of implementing coercive measures. This approach would preserve freedom of speech while neutralizing the social impact of fake news. The proposal relies on creating an environment to naturally sequestrate fake news within quite small networks of people. I illustrate the process using a stylized model of opinion dynamics. In particular, I explore the effect of a simultaneous activation of prejudice tie breaking and contrarian behavior, on the spread of fake news. The results show that indeed most pieces of fake news do not propagate beyond quite small groups of people and thus pose no global threat. However, some peculiar sets of parameters are found to boost fake news so that it “naturally” invades an entire community with no resistance, even if initially shared by only a handful of agents. These findings identify the modifications of the parameters required to reverse the boosting effect into a sequestration effect by an appropriate reshaping of the social geometry of the opinion dynamics landscape. Then, all fake news items become “naturally” trapped inside limited networks of people. No prohibition is required. The next significant challenge is implementing this groundbreaking scheme within social media. Full article

Background/Objectives: Retrograde access of the peroneal artery (PA) is considered technically challenging and at risk of bleeding. The aim of this multicentre retrospective study was to assess the safety, feasibility, and technical success of this access route for infrainguinal endovascular recanalizations. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 186 consecutive patients treated over a 7-year period (May 2014–August 2021) who underwent endovascular recanalization of infra-inguinal lesions using a PA access route. In all cases, retrograde PA access was obtained following a failed attempt to cross the occlusion via the antegrade route. Results: Among the 186 patients, 120 were males (60.5%) and the mean age was 76.8 ± 10.7 years old (44–94 years). One hundred and thirteen patients (60.7%) suffered from chronic limb threatening ischemia (CLTI). All patients presented with chronic total occlusions (CTO) and a failed conventional antegrade recanalization attempt. Retrograde access was performed under angiographic guidance in 185 cases (99.5%). It was successfully established in 171 cases (91.9%). The total rate of retrograde puncture-related complications was 2.1% (two puncture site bleedings of which one necessitated fasciotomy and two cases of arteriovenous fistulas managed conservatively). The Major Adverse Event (MAE) rate at 30 days was 1.6% (3/186). Conclusions: Retrograde recanalization of challenging infra-inguinal lesions via PA is safe and effective in experienced hands. Full article

The Dominican theologian Durand of Saint-Pourçain (ca. 1275–1334), breaking from the wide consensus, made a two-pronged attack on concurrentism (i.e., the theory according to which God does more than conserving creatures in existence and co-causes all their actions). On the one hand, he shows that the concurrentist position leads to the unacceptable consequence that God is the direct cause of man’s evil actions. On the other hand, he attacks the metaphysical foundations of concurrentism, first in the version offered by Thomas Aquinas and Giles of Rome, and then in a more general way. Against Thomas and Giles, he challenges Neoplatonic assumptions about causality and being. More generally, he establishes that God’s action and a creature’s action can be neither identical nor different, and thus cannot both be direct causes of the same effect. Without claiming that Durand’s series of objections are definitely unanswerable, we may at least observe that they have generally been underestimated (which earned him the lowly role of the mere foil of the concurrentist view in the history of philosophy) and are able to do considerable damage to concurrentism. Full article

This article presents a coherent and comprehensive proposal of a renewed contemporary Aristotelian–Thomistic approach to the evolutionary view of reality and the position of theistic evolution. Beginning with a proposal of a hylomorphically–grounded essentialist definition of species—framed within a broader revival of biological essentialism—a constructive model of the Aristotelian–Thomistic metaphysics of evolution is being offered, together with a reflection on the alleged violation of the principle of proportionate causation in evolutionary transitions and the role of teleology and chance in evolution. The theological part of the article addresses a number of questions concerning the Thomistic school of theology in its encounter with the evolutionary worldview, including the question of whether God creates through evolution, the query concerning the concurrence of divine and created causes in evolutionary transitions, and the question regarding evolutionary and theological notions of anthropogenesis. A list of ten postulates grounding a contemporary Thomistic version of theistic evolution is offered as a conclusion to the research presented in the text. Full article