Advances in cybernetic and nanotechnological body modifications currently allow for enhancements to human physical and mental function which exceed human species-based norms. This thesis examines body modification and human enhancement from two perspectives—Roman Catholicism and Transhumanism— in order to contribute to bioethical deliberations regarding enhancement technologies. Roman Catholicism has a longstanding tradition of bioethical discourse, informing the healthcare directives of Roman Catholic institutions. Transhumanism is more recent movement that endorses body modifications and human enhancements as a means of individual betterment and social evolution. The thesis first considers definitions of human enhancement and levels of normalcy in connection to cybernetic and nanotechnological bionic implants, and outlines a series of criteria to assess a technology’s potential bioethical acceptability: implantability, permanency, power, and public interaction. The thesis then describes Roman Catholicism’s response to non-enhancing decorative body modifications (cosmetic surgeries, common decorative modifications such as tattoos and piercings, and uncommon modifications such as scarifications and brandings) in order to establish a basis for possible Roman Catholic responses to enhancing cybernetic and nanotechnological modifications. This is followed by an analysis from a Roman Catholic perspective of the major social issues brought forward by enhancement technologies: commodification, eugenics, vulnerability, and distributive justice. Turning to Transhumanism, the thesis describes the origins and philosophy of the movement, and then discusses the bioethical principles it advances with regard to human enhancement. The thesis concludes by locating points of convergence between Transhumanism and Roman Catholicism that could be the basis of more widely accepted ethical guidelines regarding modification technologies.

Bionischer Leichtbau realisiert mit Applikationen an gängige FEM-Programme nach dem Vorbild der Natur

Yes / Highly-oriented poly (lactic acid) (PLA) with bionic fibrillar structure and micro-grooves was fabricated through solid hot drawing technology for further improving the mechanical properties and blood biocompatibility of PLA as blood-contacting medical devices. In order to enhance the melt strength and thus obtain high orientation degree, PLA was first chain branched with pentaerythritol polyglycidyl ether (PGE). The branching degree as high as 12.69 mol% can be obtained at 0.5 wt% PGE content. The complex viscosity, elastic and viscous modulus for chain branched PLA were improved resulting from the enhancement of molecular entanglement, and consequently higher draw ratio can be achieved during the subsequent hot stretching. The stress-induced crystallization of PLA occurred during stretching, and the crystal structure of the oriented PLA can be attributed to the α′ crystalline form. The tensile strength and modulus of PLA were improved dramatically by drawing. Chain branching and orientation could significantly enhance the blood compatibility of PLA by prolonging clotting time and decreasing hemolysis ratio, protein adsorption and platelet activation. Fibrous structure as well as micro-grooves can be observed for the oriented PLA which were similar to intimal layer of blood vessel, and this bionic structure was considered to be beneficial to decrease the activation and/or adhesion of platelets.

Yes / Highly-oriented poly (lactic acid) (PLA) with bionic micro-grooves was fabricated through solid hot drawing technology for further improving the mechanical properties and blood biocompatibility of PLA. In order to enhance the melt strength and thus obtain high orientation degree, long chain branched PLA (LCB-PLA) was prepared at first through a two-step ring-opening reaction during processing. Linear viscoelasticity combined with branch-on-branch (BOB) model was used to predict probable compositions and chain topologies of the products, and it was found that the molecular weight of PLA increased and topological structures with star like chain with three arms and tree-like chain with two generations formed during reactive processing, and consequently draw ratio as high as1200% can be achieved during the subsequent hot stretching. With the increase of draw ratio, the tensile strength and orientation degree of PLA increased dramatically. Long chain branching and orientation could significantly enhance the blood compatibility of PLA by prolonging clotting time and decreasing platelet activation. Micro-grooves can be observed on the surface of the oriented PLA which were similar to the intimal layer of blood vessel, and such bionic structure resulted from the formation of the oriented shish kebab-like crystals along the draw direction.

In der fleischverarbeitenden Industrie gibt es eine Vielzahl von Schneidwerkzeugen. Kuttermesser stehen hierbei in der Prozesskette weit hinten und haben einen direkten Einfluss auf die Qualität des Endprodukts. Der Prozess des Kutterns ist bislang nicht komplett analytisch geklärt. Während des Vorgangs durchläuft das Schneidgut (i.A. das Fleisch bzw. das Brät) wechselnde Aggregatzustände von fester (leicht gefrorener) Form hin zum zähviskosen Zustand. Weiterhin ist es permanentem korrosiven Kontakt ausgesetzt. Die Komplexität macht eine analytische Herangehensweise äußerst aufwendig, sodass sich mittels der FEM durch numerisches Vorgehen und Lastannahmen aus Untersuchungen diesem Problem gewidmet wird. Dabei sind bislang nicht bekannte Potentiale zu erkennen. Hierbei wurden verschiedene Vernetzungsstrategien (p- und h-Methode) der FEM angewandt und verglichen. Es sind dabei Materialreduktionen bis knapp 30% ersichtlich.

Submitted by Ricardo Taoni Xavier null (rtaoni@gmail.com) on 2016-10-31T12:57:11Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO - RICARDO TAONI XAVIER.pdf: 4280724 bytes, checksum: 935ff61eb52f06aadb80afc3f6386d03 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Felipe Augusto Arakaki (arakaki@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-11-04T18:01:56Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 xavier_rt_me_ilha.pdf: 4135843 bytes, checksum: 8ca33b9b3c8efa0cc08a3c6c6c4a1e4e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-04T18:01:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 xavier_rt_me_ilha.pdf: 4135843 bytes, checksum: 8ca33b9b3c8efa0cc08a3c6c6c4a1e4e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Neste trabalho, descreve-se a implementação de uma prótese de mão biônica de baixo custo, constituída por um mecanismo com dezesseis graus de liberdade, cinco dedos articulados individualmente, acionados por tendões mecânicos. Sua estrutura foi fabricada em impressora 3D. Para o interfaceamento homem-máquina foi desenvolvido um shield, que realiza a aquisição de sinais eletromiográficos, com dois canais, armazenamento em cartão SD e um sistema eletrônico capaz de gerar um banco de dados com movimentos realizados pela mão humana. Foi utilizada a plataforma Arduino para processamento e programação. O sistema contém um aplicativo com protocolo de acionamento programável e inserção de movimentos, proporcionando independência ao usuário. Foram realizados testes nos quais o sistema implementado executou movimentos, após armazenar vários movimentos funcionais da mão. Isso foi possível devido ao desenvolvimento de um algoritmo capaz de reconhecer, quantificar e armazenar os sinais produzidos pelas contrações dos músculos. A prótese ativa implementada funcionou adequadamente para paciente com deformidade congênita e para paciente amputado. O valor total dos componentes mecânicos e eletrônicos necessários para implementar a prótese ativa e a utilização de hardwares e softwares livres contribuem para que o custo do dispositivo seja reduzido. / This paper describes the implementation a low cost hand prosthesis, a mechanism constituted by sixteen degrees of freedom, five articulated fingers individually, driven by mechanical tendons. Its structure was made in a 3D printer. For the man-machine interfacing, a shield was developed which performs the acquisition of electromyographic signals, with two channels, SD card storage and an electronic system able to generate a database of movements made by the human hand. The Arduino platform was used for processing and programming. The system contains an app with a programmable drive and insertion movements protocol, providing independence to the user. Tests were conducted in which the implemented system performed movements, after storing various functional hand movements. This was possible due to the development of an algorithm capable of recognizing, quantifying and storing the signals produced by muscle contractions. The implemented active prosthesis worked well for patients with congenital deformity and amputee. The total value of the mechanical and electronic components required to implement the active prosthesis and the use of free hardware and software contribute to the low cost of the device.

Orientador: Aparecido Augusto de Carvalho / Resumo: This paper describes the implementation a low cost hand prosthesis, a mechanism constituted by sixteen degrees of freedom, five articulated fingers individually, driven by mechanical tendons. Its structure was made in a 3D printer. For the man-machine interfacing, a shield was developed which performs the acquisition of electromyographic signals, with two channels, SD card storage and an electronic system able to generate a database of movements made by the human hand. The Arduino platform was used for processing and programming. The system contains an app with a programmable drive and insertion movements protocol, providing independence to the user. Tests were conducted in which the implemented system performed movements, after storing various functional hand movements. This was possible due to the development of an algorithm capable of recognizing, quantifying and storing the signals produced by muscle contractions. The implemented active prosthesis worked well for patients with congenital deformity and amputee. The total value of the mechanical and electronic components required to implement the active prosthesis and the use of free hardware and software contribute to the low cost of the device. / Mestre

Aux confluences historiques et conceptuelles de la modernité, de la technologie, et del’« humain », les textes de notre corpus négocient et interrogent de façon critique lespossibilités matérielles et symboliques de la prothèse, ses aspects phénoménologiques etspéculatifs : du côté subjectiviste et conceptualiste avec une philosophie de laconscience, avec Merleau-Ponty ; et de l’autre avec les épistémologues du corps ethistoriens de la connaissance Canguilhem et Foucault. Le trope prometteur de laprothèse impacte sur les formations discursives et non-discursives concernant lareconstruction des corps, là où la technologie devient le corrélat de l’identité. Latechnologie s’humanise au contact de l’homme, et, en révélant une hybridité supérieure,elle phagocyte l’humain du même coup.Ce travail d’anthropologie bioculturelle (Andrieu, 1993; Andrieu, 2006; Andrieu,2007a), au croisement d’une sociologie des sciences (Latour, 1989), ou encore d’uneanthropologie des sciences (Hakken, 2001), se propose en tant qu’exemple de lacontribution potentielle que l’anthropologie biologique et culturelle peut rendre à lamédecine reconstructrice et que la médecine reconstructrice peut rendre à la plastique del’homme ; l’anthropologie biologique nous concerne dans la transformation biologiquedu corps humain, par l’outil de la technologie, tant dans son histoire de la reconstructionmécanique et plastique, que dans son projet d’augmentation bionique. Nous établironsune continuité archéologique, d’une terminologie foucaldienne, entre les deux pratiques.Nous questionnons les postulats au sujet des relations nature/culture, biologie/contextesocial, et nous présentons une approche définitionnelle de la technologie, pierreangulaire de notre travail théorique. Le trope de la technologie, en tant qu’outil adaptatifde la culture au service de la nature, opère un glissement sémantique en se plaçant auservice d’une biologie à améliorer. Une des clés de notre recherche sur l’augmentationdes fonctions et de l’esthétique du corps humain réside dans la redéfinition même de cesrelations ; et dans l’impact de l’interpénétration entre réalité et imaginaire dans laconstruction de l’objet scientifique, dans la transformation du corps humain.Afin de cerner les enjeux du discours au sujet de l’« autoévolution » des corps, lesthéories évolutionnistes sont abordées, bien que ne représentant pas notre spécialité.Dans le cadre de l’autoévolution, et de l’augmentation bionique de l’homme, la7somation culturelle du corps s’exerce par l’usage des biotechnologies, en ruptureépistémologique de la pensée darwinienne, bien que l’acte d’hybridation évolutionnistesoit toujours inscrit dans un dessein de maximisation bionique/génétique du corpshumain. Nous explorons les courants de la pensée cybernétique dans leurs actions detransformation biologique du corps humain, de la performativité des mutilations. Ainsitechnologie et techniques apparaissent-elles indissociables de la science, et de sonconstructionnisme social. / Situated at the historical and conceptual crossroads of modernity, technology and the“human”, this thesis will negotiate and critique the material and symbolic possibilities ofthe prosthesis, together with its phenomenological and speculative aspects. This workwill be undertaken on the one hand from a subjectivist point of view, using Merleau-Ponty and his conceptualist philosophy of consciousness; and on the another from aviewpoint based on epistemologists of the body and historians of knowledge such asCanguilhem, and Foucault. The promising trope of the prosthesis has an impact ondiscursive and non-discursive structures related to the reconstruction of the body, wheretechnology becomes the correlate of identity.This work in Biological Anthropology (Andrieu, 1993, 2006, 2007), interwining withSociology of Sciences (Latour, 1989) and Anthropology of Sciences (Hakken, 2001), isproposed as an example of the potential contribution which biological and culturalanthropology can make to reconstructive medicine and which reconstructive medecinecan make to human corporeality ; Biological Anthropology allows us to study theprocess of the human body’s biological modification, via technology and theincorporation of biomaterial into the body, through the medical history of mechanicaland plastic reconstruction, and through the cybernetic project of bionic augmentation.An archeological continuity, to use Foucault’s terminology, will be established betweenboth practices.We will question the postulates at stake in the relationships between nature and culture,biology and social context, and will present as a cornerstone of our theoretical work awide range of definitional approaches. The trope of technology as an evolutionaryadaptative tool of culture in the service of nature allows a semantic slide whereby itbecomes a tool to improve one’s biology. One of the keys of our research into thetransformation of the human body in medical practices is the very redefinition of thoserelationships; another is the impact of the interpenetration of reality and imaginary in theconstruction of the scientific object and the transformation of the human body.8In order to locate what is at stake in the discourse on “auto-evolution”, evolutionarytheories are tackled, albeit from a non-specialist outlook. In the context of autoevolutionand bionic augmentation of the human, the cultural somatic modification ofthe body

In this diploma thesis, I have tried to design a high-rise building in Brno and offer new opportunities for built-up areas in a manner that respects the future of urban development. I have applied the principles of nature patterns on the very structure of the building and thus I have reached the perfection of nature, which in my view offers an elegant, simple and already proven solution.

In this diploma thesis, I have tried to design a high-rise building in Brno and offer new opportunities for built -up areas in a manner that respects the future of urban development. I have applied the principles of the nature patterns on the very structure of the building and thus I have reached the perfection of nature which in my view offers an elegant, simple and already proven solution.