ARISTOTLE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF VIRTUE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE POLITICS AND THE NICOMACHEAN ETHICS AND ITS RELATION TO TODAY

While much of Aristotle's works are preserved in various volumes, two of his famous works are the Nichmachean Ethics and the Politics, both of which contain a rich compilation of ethical and political thought. In the Ethics, Aristotle describes a thorough understanding of ethical and intellectual virtue. By pursuing these virtues, Aristotle argues that a person can achieve a life of fulfilling happiness. The ideal polis as described in the Politics serves as a place where the virtuous life is attained in the best manner.Citizens who pursue virtue make the polis better, and the rulers that guide the polis ensure that the citizens have every opportunity to pursue the virtuous life. In this thesis, I see how relevant Aristotle's theory is by laying out the basic principles of the Ethics and the Politics and the connections between the two works. Indoing so, I found that Aristotle's ideal theory points out a significant flaw in our political system: the fact that we do not share a common moral conception such as the one concerned with the virtuous life as Aristotle proposes. This does not suggest thatAristotle's view was actualized during his time period, but that Aristotle conceives of an ideal life and an ideal polis that could be realized. Certainly there are issues with Aristotle's thesis concerning the inferiority of slaves and women. But what is morepoignant is the impracticality of instituting a shared common conception when today's political system permits various ideas about ethics and morality.

A cross-sectional analysis of the prevalence of dental anxiety and its relation to the oral health-related quality of life in patients with dental treatment needs at a university clinic in Switzerland

The aim of this observational, cross-sectional study was to analyse the relationship between dental anxiety (DA) and health-related quality of life aspects associated with oral conditions of a population with dental treatment needs in Switzerland.

Infiltration of Natural Caries Lesions in Relation to Their Activity Status and Acid Pretreatment in vitro

This study aimed at testing how active and inactive enamel caries lesions differ by their degree of resin infiltration, and whether the choice of acid pretreatment plays a crucial role. Four examiners assessed 104 human molars and premolars with noncavitated enamel lesions and classified them as 'active' or 'inactive' using the Nyvad criteria. Forty-five teeth were included in this study after independent unanimous lesion activity assessment. Lesions were cut perpendicularly into 2 halves. Each half lesion was pretreated with either 15% hydrochloric acid or 35% phosphoric acid. The lesions were infiltrated after staining with rhodamine isothiocyanate. Thin sections of 100 µm were prepared and the specimens were bleached with 30% hydrogen peroxide. The specimens were then counterstained with sodium fluorescein, subjected to confocal laser scanning microscopy and analyzed quantitatively. Outcome parameters were maximum and average infiltration depths as well as relative penetration depths and areas. In active lesions no significant difference of percentage maximum penetration depth and percentage average penetration depth between lesions pretreated with hydrochloric or phosphoric acid could be observed. In inactive lesions, however, phosphoric acid pretreatment resulted in significantly lower penetration compared to hydrochloric acid pretreatment. Surface conditioning with hydrochloric acid led to similar infiltration results in active and inactive lesions. Moreover, inactive lesions showed greater variability in all assessed infiltration parameters than did active lesions. In conclusion, caries lesion activity and acid pretreatment both influenced the infiltration. The use of phosphoric acid to increase permeability of the surface layer of active lesions should be further explored.

[Investigation of abortions and other animal health problems in relation to vaccination against Bluetongue virus in 2009]

By the distribution of a questionnaire between all Swiss cattle practitioners it was possible to investigate abortions and other animal health problems related to Bluetongue vaccination 2009. The questionnaire helped to obtain plausibility and timely relation of the reported disorders. 58 abortions in cattle and different herd health problems could be examined. Because there is no possibility to show that a vaccination itself leads to an abortion the results of proven causes of abortions prior and after Bluetongue vaccination were compared regarding their diagnosis. Due to the fact that diagnosis and solving rate of abortions did not differ before and after vaccination, the vaccination itself cannot be responsible for the abortions. Evaluation of different herd health problems showed that Bluetongue vaccination was not responsible for these disorders which often existed already prior to vaccination. Herd health problems generally have multifactorial causes what makes it difficult to asses the effect of Bluetongue vaccination in some cases.

Change in First-Year Women's Body Dissatisfaction in Relation to Drive for Thinness and Social Body Comparison

Drive for thinness (DT) and social body comparison (SBC) have been highly correlated with body dissatisfaction, a robust risk factor for eating disorders; however, there is little understanding of how these two variables relate to increases in body dissatisfaction over time. In the present study, I investigated how high initial levels of DT and SBC correlate with changes in body dissatisfaction and ideal body by surveying 110 first-year women at the beginning and end of their first semester. There was no significant relationship between high initial DT and SBC and changes in either body dissatisfaction or ideal body. However, high initial SBC was almost significantly correlated with change in ideal body due to women with low SBC choosing larger bodies at follow-up. In addition, women with high initial DT and SBC had higher body dissatisfaction than women with low initial levels of both variables. Women with high initial SBC chose thinner ideal bodies than women with low initial SBC. Lastly, change in body dissatisfaction was negatively correlated with change in ideal body. If replicated, I would hope these findings could contribute to a better understanding of how women’s perception of their bodies changes over the course of their first semester in college and inform interventions to address this potential risk factor for disordered eating.