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Respiratory failure (RF) is frequent in hospitalized older patients, but was never systematically investigated in large populations of older hospitalized patients. We conducted a retrospective administrative study based on hospitalizations of a Geriatrics Unit regarding 2014, 2015, and 2016. Patients underwent daily screening for hypoxia. Hospital discharge records were coded through a standardized methodology. RF, defined as documented hypoxia on room air, was always coded, whenever present. We investigated how RF affected clinical outcomes, whether RF grouped into specific comorbidity phenotypes, and how phenotypes associated with the outcomes. RF was coded in 48.6% of the 1,810 hospitalizations. RF patients were older and more frequently had congestive heart failure (CHF: 49 vs 23%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD: 27 vs 6%), pneumonia (14 vs 4%), sepsis (12 vs 7%), and pleural effusion (6 vs 3%), than non-RF patients. RF predicted longer length of stay (a-Beta 2.05, 95% CI 1.4–2.69; p < 0.001) and higher in-hospital death/intensive care units (ICU) need (aRR 7.12, 5–10.15; p < 0.001) after adjustment for confounders (linear and Poisson regression with robust error variance). Among RF patients, cerebrovascular disease, cancer, electrolyte disturbances, sepsis, and non-invasive ventilation predicted increased, while CHF and COPD predicted decreased in-hospital death/ICU need. The ONCO (cancer) and Mixed (cerebrovascular disease, dementia, pneumonia, sepsis, electrolyte disturbances, bedsores) phenotypes displayed higher in-hospital death/ICU need than CARDIO (CHF) and COPD phenotypes. In this study, RF predicted increased hospital death/ICU need and longer hospital stay, but also reflected diverse underlying conditions and clinical phenotypes that accounted for different clinical courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers an analysis of Peirce's notion of "rhema." It examines and explains Peirce's definition of the rhema; it identifies and solves two problems that are direct consequences of the definition. The first problem is that proper names, while classified as rhemata, do not satisfy Peirce's definition of the rhema. The second problem is that Peirce also calls "rhemata" the results of propositional analysis that however do not satisfy his own definition of the rhema. Peirce himself solves the first problem by generalizing the notion of rhema into that of "seme." I argue that we can solve the second problem if, following M. Dummett, we distinguish propositional analysis from propositional decomposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Die Grundgesetze der Arithmetik (I, §48), Frege introduces his rule of the fusion of horizontals, according to which if an occurrence of the horizontal stroke is followed by another occurrence of the same stroke, either in isolation or "contained" in a propositional connective, the two occurrences can be fused with each other. However, the role of this rule, and of the horizontal sign more generally, is controversial; Michael Dummett notoriously claimed, for instance, that the horizontal is "wholly superfluous" in Frege's logical system. In this paper, we challenge Dummett's view by providing a comprehensive analysis of the significance of the horizontal stroke. After some preliminary remarks, we argue that even if Frege's connectives in some sense "contain" the horizontal, yet they are total functions. Then, we take up the question of the sense expressed by the horizontal, and we claim that, unlike other sentential operators, the horizontal is not sense‐compositional. Finally, we consider the semantic and pragmatic aspects of Frege's horizontal in connection to his judgment stroke and the double judgment stroke. Contra Dummett, we argue that the horizontal is a special and indispensable element of Frege's logic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Issues of Pragmaticism" (1905) contains the only published version of Peirce's doctrine of "critical common-sensism." One of the claims of that doctrine is that common sense beliefs are invariably vague. In this paper, we seek to explain this claim. We begin by providing a philological reconstruction of the drafts of "Issues of Pragmaticism" and a comparison of Peirce's several, successive expositions of critical common-sensism across those drafts. Then we examine Peirce's theory of vagueness; we show that there is both a "subjectal" and a "predicative" variety of vagueness, and that Peirce construes predicative vagueness according to three distinct models. Finally, we assess in what sense, i.e., according to which of the three models, common sense beliefs may be said to be invariably vague. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper seeks to explain in what sense pragmatism was for Peirce a doctrine of logic. It is argued that pragmatism is a doctrine of logic for Peirce because its maxim, the pragmatic maxim, is a maxim of the methodeutic of abduction, i.e., concerns the method of selecting hypotheses for experimental testing. The paper also connects this idea to Peirce's 1913 thesis according to which pragmatism contributes to the security but not to the uberty of reasoning. The connection consists in that by excluding hypotheses that cannot be tested, the maxim renders the whole process of reasoning more secure, while any explanatory hypotheses is "uberous" in Peirce's sense as any other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the potential use of high-pressure cold spray (HP-CS) technology to produce a film of friction material onto a low-carbon steel substrate to allow its use as potential composite material for the stators and rotors of aircraft brake units. Namely, WC-Cr3C2-Ni, WC-Ni, WC-Co-Cr, Cr3C2-NiCr and WC-Co coatings were deposited by using HP-CS, for the purpose of creating high friction and wear resistance composite coatings onto a low-carbon steel substrate. Tribological (friction coefficient and wear rate) and thermal properties as well as coating hardness and adhesion to the low-carbon steel substrate were evaluated to assess the potential use of the coatings as brake surface materials. The tribological and adhesion properties were evaluated by using a pin-on-disk high-temperature tribometer at 450 °C and a scratch test, respectively, whereas coatings hardness was evaluated with a Rockwell C hardness tester. Results obtained show that all coatings exhibit high friction coefficients and low wear rates compared to the low-carbon steel substrate, good adhesion, and elevated microhardness. Furthermore, the WC-Co coating shows better microhardness and thermal properties, while the WC-Co-Cr coating exhibited a better friction coefficient. Unfortunately, it was not possible to quantify the wear resistance due to the elevated roughness of the coatings, but from the analysis carried out on the alumina counterpart of the tribometer, it can be concluded that all the coatings exhibited a very low wear rate. In fact, after the tribological tests, it emerged that the alumina counterpart was more abraded than the investigated coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an analysis of the notational difference between Beta Existential Graphs, the graphical notation for quantificational logic invented by Charles S. Peirce at the end of the 19th century, and the ordinary notation of first-order logic. Peirce thought his graphs to be "more diagrammatic" than equivalently expressive languages (including his own algebras) for quantificational logic. The reason of this, he claimed, is that less room is afforded in Existential Graphs than in equivalently expressive languages for different ways of representing the same fact. The reason of this, in turn, is that Existential Graphs are a non-linear, occurrence-referential notation. As a non-linear notation, each graph corresponds to a class of logically equivalent but syntactically distinct sentences of the ordinary notation of first-order logic that are obtained by permuting those elements (sentential variables, predicate expressions, and quantifiers) that in the graphs lie in the same area. As an occurrence-referential notation, each Beta graph corresponds to a class of logically equivalent but syntactically distinct sentences of the ordinary notation of first-order logic in which the identity of reference of two or more variables is asserted. In brief, Peirce's graphs are more diagrammatic than the linear, type-referential notation of first-order logic because the function that translates the latter to the graphs does not define isomorphism between the two notations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a developmental account of Peirce's theory of proper names. It identifies two main dimensions of Peirce's thinking on proper names, a "taxonomic dimension," concerning the place of proper names within the taxonomy of signs, and a "maturational dimension," concerning the different "stages of maturity" a proper name goes through when interpreted. These two dimensions also constitute distinct phases of Peirce's (continuously evolving) theory of proper names. The chronological reconstruction offered in the paper is also shown to solve some apparent inconsistencies in what Peirce wrote about proper names. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is about Peirce's understanding and notational realization of the relationship between the logical content of conjunction and the illocutionary force of assertion. The argument moves from an imaginary, subtextual dialogue between several authors in the history of logic and the philosophy of language (Aristotle, Ammonius, Boethius, Frege, Peirce, Geach, and Dummett) and shows that the problem of the relationship between conjunction and assertion is quite old and has received distinct and irreconcilable treatments. Peirce has an original take on the problem, which he addresses, as often happens in his mature writings, in notational terms: the anomaly of conjunction (i.e., the fact that, unlike the other connectives, conjunction is subject to assertion distribution) is not to be hidden behind a uniform notation, like standard sentential calculus, in which the conjunction connective is treated on a par with the other connectives. Rather, a sentential language is possible that embodies rather than conceals the anomaly, and this is Peirce's system of Existential Graphs, which from 1896 onwards understandably becomes his preferred instrument of logical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peirce's theory of assertions articulates the original commitment theory of assertions. Commitment theories of assertion have gained considerable recent interest not only in the Peirce scholarship but also in studies of history and philosophy of language, logic and communication. In this preface we point out some recent work on the topic and provide a brief introduction to the papers published in this Transactions symposium. These papers consist of a selection of those presented in the workshop "Peirce on Assertion" held in Lecce, Italy, on 13 September 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is a reassessment of Peirce's doctrine of symbol. The paper discusses a common reading of Peirce's doctrine, according to which all and only symbols are conventional signs. Against this reading, it is argued that neither are all Peircean symbols conventional, nor are all conventional signs Peircean symbols. Rather, a Peircean symbol is a general sign, i. e., a sign that represents a general object. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peirce seems to maintain two incompatible theses: that a sentence is multiply analyzable into subject and predicate, and that a sentence is uniquely analyzable as a combination of rhemata of first intention and rhemata of second intention. In this paper it is argued that the incompatibility disappears as soon as we distinguish, following Dummett's work on Frege, two distinct notions of analysis: 'analysis' proper, whose purpose is to display the manner in which the sense of a sentence is determined by the senses of its constituent parts, and 'decomposition', which is the process of dividing a sentence into a predicate and a subject, and whose purpose is to both to explain how quantified sentences are constructed and to evidence a pattern within a sentence which it shares with other sentences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on the topics including aspects of Peirce's theory of the proposition and highlight its philosophical richness; and debates in philosophy of language and logic, especially with regard to the problems of reference.

Expressively equivalent logical languages can enunciate logical notions in notationally diversified ways. Frege's Begriffsschrift, Peirce's Existential Graphs, and the notations presented by Wittgenstein in the Tractatus all express the sentential fragment of classical logic, each in its own way. In what sense do expressively equivalent notations differ? According to recent interpretations, Begriffsschrift and Existential Graphs differ from other logical notations because they are capable of "multiple readings." We refute this interpretation by showing that there are at least three different kinds of such multiple readings. While readings of the first kind do not capture any essential difference among notations but only among vocabularies, corresponding to readings of the second and the third kind two general parameters according to which notations may differ are defined: linearity vs. non-linearity, and tabularity vs. non-tabularity. This answers the question of how there can be substantially different but expressively equivalent logical notations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peirce's semiotic characterization of abductive reasoning in the 1903 Syllabus and in its drafts is related to the interrogative mood of the conclusion of abductive reasoning, both in the light of the Syllabus and in that of Peirce's post-1903 analysis of abduction and speculative grammar. The relevant pages of the Syllabus also present two non-standard logical graphs that are new. We surmise their intended meaning and explain connections to the interrogative construal of abductive reasoning. These three aspects of abduction—its semiotic, speech-act theoretical, and graphical dimensions—are all epitomized on one single page of the Syllabus and its alternative drafts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a selective but reasonably representative reconstruction of the evolution of Peirce's "speech acts theory" across different, consecutive versions of speculative grammar. It examines Peirce's pre-1903 theory of assertion, the Syllabus (1903) and "Καινὰ στοιχεῖα" (c. 1904), and reconstructs Peirce's speech-act-oriented semiotic classifications after 1904. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses Flórez's idea that an inference having the form of Peirce's abduction is to be found in chapter 13 of the first book of the Posterior Analytics , where Aristotle expounds the distinction between "syllogism of the that" and "syllogism of the why." It is shown that this idea is mistaken because all of Aristotle's examples in APo. I.13 are deductively valid first-figure syllogisms (either of the why or of the that), while abduction is a deductively invalid second-figure syllogism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, corrosion prevention and monitoring of reinforced concrete (RC) structures became an important issue for seismic assessment of such kind of structures. Therefore, it is important to develop adequate models to represent material degradation into seismic behavior simulation of RC structures. Because of its effects, corrosion represents the most important form of degradation for materials and structures, both for wide diffusion and the amount of danger it presents. To understand the corrosion process is critical in order to design RC structures that are able to guarantee the required service life and in order to understand the residual service life and strength of an existing structure. The seismic behavior of a corroded framed RC structure is analyzed by means of push-over analyses, which allow understanding the development of the global behavior of the structure. Three different degrees of corrosion penetration were simulated, by means of the reduction of bars and stirrups' diameters and concrete cover cracking and spalling, and three different configurations of corrosion, depending on the number of corroded frames and sides of the structural elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I explore the contrast drawn by Aristotle in two parallel passages of the Posterior Analytics (I.6, 75a28-37 and II.17, 99a1-4) between ‘signs’ and ‘demonstration’. I argue that while at APo. I.6 Aristotle contrasts demonstration proper with a deductively valid sign-syllogism (the tekmērion of APr. II.27), at APo. II.17 the contrast is rather between a demonstration proper and a deductively invalid sign-syllogism (the sēmeion in the strict sense of APr. II.27). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a reconstruction of the constellation of problems and philosophical positions on the nature and number of the primitives of logic in four authors of the nineteenth century logical scene: Peano, Padoa, Frege and Peirce. We argue that the proposed reconstruction forces us to recognize that it is in at least four different senses that a notation can be said to be simpler than another, and we trace the origins of these four senses in the writings of these authors. We conclude that Frege, and even more so Peirce, developed new notations not to make drawing logical conclusions easier but in order to answer the needs of logical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper argues that Umberto Eco had a sophisticated theory of abductive reasoning and that this theory is fundamentally akin to Peirce's both in the analysis and in the justification of this kind of reasoning. The first section expounds the essentials of Peirce's theory of abduction, and explains how Peirce moved from seeing abduction as a kind of reasoning to seeing it as a stage of the larger process of inquiry. The second section deals with one of Eco's paradigmatic examples of abduction, i.e., William of Baskerville's abduction concerning the horse Brunellus in the overture of The Name of the Rose, and shows that, just like in Peirce's three-stages model of inquiry, William's abductions are verified by means of deduction and induction. The third section examines the problem of the justification of abductive reasoning, and argues that both Peirce and Eco solved this problem through the idea that the justification of abduction is itself abductive (meta-abduction in Eco, ur-abduction in Peirce). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a significant move away from the use of hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), which is a mature, trusted, and relatively inexpensive treatment that has been used for many years by industry to reduce corrosion. Although Cr(VI) is effective at reducing corrosion, it poses a substantial health hazard. While there is a need to define a process that will be able to replace Cr(VI), the process must be able to provide the same level of corrosion protection currently provided by hexavalent treatments. In addition, it needs to do this without the associated environmental problems. This paper focuses mainly, but not exclusively, on the trivalent chromium pretreatment (TCP) and its commercially available variants. The TCP was developed by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and is used by the US military. The rationale for the focus of this paper is that in the near term, the aeronautics industry needs to move away from Cr(VI) towards a more benign commercially available chemical treatment that can help protect the aluminum alloys used by that industry. TCPs are currently available commercially and have undergone numerous tests by multiple organizations to establish their effectiveness in reducing corrosion of both bare and painted aluminum alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study was aimed at investigating the prognostic role of multiple lymph node basin drainage (MLBD) in patients with positive sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy.Background: MLBD is frequently observed in patients with trunk melanoma undergoing SLN. The prognostic value of MLBD in SLN-positive patients is still debated.Methods: Retrospective data from 312 trunk melanoma patients with positive SLN biopsy (1991-2012) at 6 Italian referral centres were gathered in a multicentre database. MLBD was defined at preoperative lymphoscintigraphy. Clinical and pathological data were analysed for their association with disease-free interval (DFI) and disease-specific (DSS) survival.Results: MLBD was identified in 34.6% of patients (108/312) and was significantly associated with >1 positive SLN (37 vs. 15.2%; p < 0.001) and with >1 positive lymph node (LN) after complete lymph node dissection (CLND) (50.9 vs. 34.8%; p = 0.033). No differences were observed according to drainage pattern in patients who had negative and positive non-SLN at CLND. MLBD was not associated with either DFI or DSS. Multivariate analyses showed that tumour thickness, ulceration, and number of metastatic LNs were associated with worse DFI and DSS, while regression confirmed its protective role in survival.Conclusion: In positive SLN patients, MLBD has no association with survival, which is mainly related to American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) prognostic factors. Since the overall number of positive LNs drives the prognosis, the importance of a CLND in all the positive basins is confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titania nanotubes are widely studied for their potential applications in several fields. In this paper, the electrochemical characterization of a dental implant, made of commercially pure titanium grade 2, covered by titania nanotubes, when immersed in Hank's solution, is proposed. Few papers were found in the scientific literature regarding this topic, so a brief review is reported, concerning the use of some equivalent circuits to model experimental data. The analysis of results, obtained by using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, showed that: (i) a good correlation exists between the variation of Ecorr and the estimated values of the charge transfer resistance for both the bare- and the nanotube-covered samples, (ii) the nanostructured surface seems to possess a more active behaviour, while the effect could be over-estimated due to the real extent of the surface covered by nanotubes, (iii) the analysis of the "n" parameter, used to fit the experimental data, confirms the complex nature of nanostructured layer as well as that the nanotubes are partially filled by compounds containing Ca, P and Mg, when immersed in Hank's solution. The results obtained in this work give a better understanding of the electrochemical behaviour of the nanotubes layer when immersed in Hank's solution and could help to design a surface able to improve the implant osseointegration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-organized TiO2 nanotube layer has been formed on titanium screws with complex geometry, which are used as dental implants. TiO2 nanotubes film was grown by potentiostatic anodizing in H3PO4 and HF aqueous solution. During anodizing, the titanium screws were mounted on a rotating apparatus to produce a uniform structure both on the peaks and on the valleys of the threads. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and electrochemical characterization were used to evaluate the layer, chemical composition and electrochemical properties of the samples. Aging in Hank's solution of both untreated and nanotubes covered screw, showed that: (i) samples are covered by an amorphous oxide layer, (ii) the nanotubes increases the corrosion resistance of the implant, and (iii) the presence of the nanotubes catalyses the formation of chemical compounds containing Ca and P. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Degradation of reinforced concrete ( RC) structures is a serious safety problem affecting all industrialized countries, and the economical aspect of this problem cannot be neglected. One of the main reasons for the degradation of RC is the corrosion of steel reinforcing bars as a result of concrete cover cracking and reduction in bar cross section. As a consequence, the structural capacity of RC elements decreases progressively as degradation develops. Nondestructive testing and/or analytical formulation represent high-quality rapid methods for evaluating the corrosion penetration of bars and provide useful parameters for designing retrofits. This paper presents an additional tool that can be used to evaluate and assess the vulnerability of existing structures in terms of the determination of bar cross section lost. Using simple charts and formulas, this can be accomplished by calculating reinforcing bar cross section loss due to corrosion by measuring external crack widths in the concrete cover. Predictions were obtained by using two analytical models developed. These predictions have been satisfactorily compared with both the literature and new experimental results, as well as with previous empirical models available in the scientific literature. The experimental results were obtained by corroding real-scale concrete specimens reinforced with smooth and ribbed bars (according to old and modern building codes) using 3.5 wt% sodium chloride solution and an applied current. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze the steps that took Peirce from his early 1882 proposals to represent logic by graphs to the advent of the full theory of quantification in his 1896 logic of Existential Graphs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1898 C. S. Peirce declares that the medieval doctrine of consequences had been the starting point of his logical investigations in the 1860s. This paper shows that Peirce studied the scholastic theory of consequentiae as early as 1866-67, that he adopted the scholastics' terminology, and that that theory constituted a source of logical doctrine that sustained Peirce for a lifetime of creative and original work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, AA2139 rolled sheets were friction stir welded in butt joint configuration and anodized in sulfo-tartaric acid solution. Both the microstructure and the corrosion behavior of the joints were studied. Electrochemical spectroscopy measurements were carried out in aggressive solution (NaCl 0.6N with 5mV amplitude sine wave), and the mechanism of formation and degradation of the surface oxide was discussed. Micro-polarization tests were carried out to show the electrochemical behavior of the different metallurgical zones produced by the welding process. Exfoliation tests were also carried out. Different microstructures were observed; such a result is in agreement with the available literatureon friction stirwelding. The Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) measurements showed the occurrence of corrosion phenomena and pointed out the need for a different sealing treatment; moreover, the exfoliation test proved that the weld bead behaves as a cathode with respect to the base material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peirce considered the principal business of logic to be the analysis of reasoning. He argued that the diagrammatic system of Existential Graphs, which he had invented in 1896, carries the logical analysis of reasoning to the furthest point possible. The present paper investigates the analytic virtues of the Alpha part of the system, which corresponds to the sentential calculus. We examine Peirce’s proposal that the relation of illation is the primitive relation of logic and defend the view that this idea constitutes the fundamental motive of philosophy of notation both in algebraic and graphical logic. We explain how in his algebras and graphs Peirce arrived at a unifying notation for logical constants that represent both truth-function and scope. Finally, we show that Shin’s argument for multiple readings of Alpha graphs is circular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multiple lymphatic basin drainage (MLBD) is frequently observed in patients with trunk melanoma undergoing sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy. Conflicting data regarding the prognostic association of MLBD in SLN-negative patients have been reported. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic role of MLBD in patients with negative SLN biopsy. Methods: Retrospective data from 656 melanoma patients who underwent a SLN biopsy (1991-2012) at six Italian centers were gathered in a multicenter database. MLBD was defined as lymphoscintigraphic and intraoperative identification of an SLN in more than one nodal basin. Clinical and pathologic variables were recorded and analyzed for their impact on survival. Results: SLN-negative patients with MLBD were at lower risk of melanoma recurrence [hazard ratio (HR) 0.73, P = 0.05) and melanoma-related death (HR 0.68, P = 0.001) independent of common staging features. Multivariable Cox analyses of disease-free interval (DFI) and disease-specific survival (DSS) showed that MLBD maintained a favorable role and ulceration an unfavorable role. Histologic regression was independently associated only with DFI. When survival was stratified according to presence of MLBD, histologic regression and Breslow thickness <2 mm were associated with improved DFI (5-year DFI: 96.9 vs. 66,1 %, respectively; HR 0.48, P < 0.001) and DSS (5-year DSS: 96.7 vs. 71.8 %, respectively; HR 0.52, P = 0.005) compared to patients without these three favorable parameters. Conclusions: Patients with negative SLN biopsy results have better prognosis when two or more lymphatic basins are identified and analyzed. Further research is required to investigate the mechanisms behind this evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document provides a transcription of a significant unpublished manuscript by Paul Grice on Charles Peirce's Theory of Signs, deposited in the H. Paul Grice Papers, banc mss 90/135, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. Grice's notes concern the theory of signs, semeiotic, of the American logician, scientist and philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914). The material was probably intended as the text for lectures. The ms consists of 46 non-numbered sheets. The editors have prepared the transcription from a copy of the original manuscript located in the Bancroft Library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the earliest phase of his logical investigations (1865–1870), Peirce adopts Mill's doctrine of real Kinds as discussed in the System of Logic and adapts it to the logical conceptions he was then developing. In Peirce's definition of natural class, a crucial role is played by the notion of information: a natural class is a class of which some non-analytical proposition is true. In Peirce's hands, Mill's distinction between connotative and non-connotative terms becomes a distinction between symbolic and informative and pseudo-symbolic and non-informative forms of representation. A symbol is for Peirce a representation which has information. Just as for Mill all names of Kind connote their being such, so for Peirce all symbols profess to correspond to a natural class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented which discusses the American philosopher and logician Charles Sanders Peirce and the German logician, psychologist and philosopher Johann Friedrich Herbart's perspective on logic, including in regard to consciousness and the relationship between logic and psychology. An overview of Herbart's attitude towards apperception, including the influence that this had on Peirce, is provided.

We examine Charles S. Peirce's mature views on the logic of science, especially as contained in his later and still mostly unpublished writings (1907–1914). We focus on two main issues. The first concerns Peirce's late conception of retroduction. Peirce conceived inquiry as performed in three stages, which correspond to three classes of inferences: abduction or retroduction, deduction, and induction. The question of the logical form of retroduction, of its logical justification, and of its methodology stands out as the three major threads in his later writings. The other issue concerns the second stage of scientific inquiry, deduction. According to Peirce's later formulation, deduction is divided not only into twokinds(corollarial and theorematic) but also into twosub-stages: logical analysis and mathematical reasoning, where the latter is either corollarial or theorematic. Save for the inductive stage, which we do not address here, these points cover the essentials of Peirce's latest thinking on the logic of science and reasoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium and its alloys are currently considered as successful biocompatible materials because titanium made implants become easily, structurally and functionally, connected to biological systems. As far as biological systems is concerned, antibacterial activity for medical implants are worth of interest to prevent inflammation at implant site. In this study RF cold plasma is employed as potential technology to prevent or reduce bacterial activity on Ti samples. Several plasma parameters are investigated for finding the best antibacterial process conditions against Escherichia coli 32. Main results of this investigation show that high antibacterial activity is exhibited by Ti samples in several experimental set-ups. In addition, the antibacterial activity detected at same level of previous, 16 days after the treatment suggests the effectiveness of the plasma surface modification. Finally, an attempt is made to correlate antibacterial effect with plasma treated titanium surface energy and plasma parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his later years, Peirce devoted much energy to the project of a book on logic, whose intended title was 'Logic, considered as Semeiotic.' That the science of logic is better considered as semeiotic is indeed one of the most fundamental tenets of Peirce's mature philosophy of logic. But what is the primary motivation for considering logic as semeiotic and what advantages did Peirce see in doing so? If logic is to be considered as semeiotic, this can only mean that its objects and their functioning are to be described in purely semeiotical terms. But did Peirce succeed in providing such a description? This paper focuses on the semeiotical functioning of the fundamental triad of logic: terms (rhemes), propositions (dicisigns), and arguments; it also discusses the idea of an extension of the science of logic and offers examples of the kind of extension that Peirce had in mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses the issue of propositional unity in Peirces logic: what distinguishes a proposition from a mere list of constituents, so that the former is able to say something while the latter is not? I first give a brief survey of Frege's, Russell's, and Wittgenstein's endeavours to cope with the question of the unity of the proposition. I then proceed to analyze Peirce's solution thereof. Like Frege, Peirce developed a chemistry of concepts capable of avoiding the difficulties raised by the unity problem. He subsequently adopted a version of Russell's Principle of Acquaintance and claimed that that which gives a proposition its unity is a peculiar relation that he called "continuous predicate." Finally, I attempt to illustrate what Peirce would have replied to Wittgenstein's claim that logical form is ineffable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the received view, Charles S. Peirce's theory of diagrammatic reasoning is derived from Kant's philosophy of mathematics. For Kant, only mathematics is constructive/synthetic, logic being instead discursive/analytic, while for Peirce, the entire domain of necessary reasoning, comprising mathematics and deductive logic, is diagrammatic, i.e. constructive in the Kantian sense. This shift was stimulated, as Peirce himself acknowledged, by the doctrines contained in Friedrich Albert Lange's Logische Studien (1877). The present paper reconstructs Peirce's reading of Lange's book, and illustrates what, according to Peirce, was right and what was problematic in Lange's account of reasoning. It further seeks to explain how Peirce's theory of deductive reasoning was a combination of Kant's philosophy of mathematics and Lange's philosophy of logic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the relation between Leibniz's and Peirce's semiotics, especially derived from some of Peirce's unpublished manuscripts, and briefly resumes Leibniz's role in Peirce's scientific and philosophical development. It is argued that not only did Peirce consider Leibniz a great philosopher, but he also regarded him as a pioneer of semiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around 1906, Peirce discovered that the logical analysis of a proposition comes to an end when a 'continuous predicate' is found. Continuous predicates are those predicates that cannot be analyzed, or, which is the same, are only analyzable into parts all homogeneous with the whole. This paper examines Peirce's concept of continuous predicate and its relevance to his theory of logical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cataract surgery is mainly performed under topical anesthesia achieved either by tetracaine solution (0.5%-1.0%) or gel (0.5%), or by 2% lidocaine gel. This paper reviews the current knowledge about these two drugs, with special emphasis on a published prospective comparison between them. Methods: The main pharmacological aspects of topical anesthetic agents are summarized, explaining the difference between the ester (tetracaine) and the amide (lidocaine) compounds. Tetracaine is available as single-use eye drops, or as a multidose gel containing benzalkonium chloride, a preservative not contained in the multidose lidocaine gel. A literature search was performed, using "tetracaine", "tetracaine gel", "lidocaine", "lidocaine gel", "lidocaine jelly", and "cataract surgery" as keywords, and compiling cross-references. A total of 25 studies were identified and included in this review. Of them, seven were uncontrolled studies describing different experiences with the drugs of interest, and 18 were controlled studies. Six studies directly compared tetracaine eye drops or gel with lidocaine gel before cataract surgery. Results: Both tetracaine solution and gel and lidocaine gel proved to be effective in providing analgesia before cataract surgery. Both drugs were comparable with needle injection anesthesia when intracameral lidocaine was added to topical treatment. Direct comparisons indicate better activity for tetracaine when used at the 1% concentration in single-dose units, or in the gel form at a 0.5% concentration. Patients showed a slight preference for the agent that caused the least discomfort when administered (lidocaine), while the surgical complication rate and the surgeon satisfaction were the same with either drug. Conclusion: Tetracaine solution and lidocaine gel were equally effective in providing topical anesthesia for cataract surgery in the published studies. Tetracaine was found to be better than lidocaine only if augmented by either increasing the concentration to 1% (solution) or by increasing the penetration by adding benzalkonium chloride (gel). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]