The Role of Deontic Logic in the Specification of Information Systems

In this paper we discuss the role that deontic logic plays in the specification of information systems, either because constraints on the systems directly concern norms or, and even more importantly, system constraints are considered ideal but violable (so-called `soft¿ constraints).\ud To overcome the traditional problems with deontic logic (the so-called paradoxes), we first state the importance of distinguishing between ought-to-be and ought-to-do constraints and next focus on the most severe paradox, the so-called Chisholm paradox, involving contrary-to-duty norms. We present a multi-modal extension of standard deontic logic (SDL) to represent the ought-to-be version of the Chisholm set properly. For the ought-to-do variant we employ a reduction to dynamic logic, and show how the Chisholm set can be treated adequately in this setting. Finally we discuss a way of integrating both ought-to-be and ought-to-do reasoning, enabling one to draw conclusions from ought-to-be constraints to ought-to-do ones, and show by an example the use(fulness) of this

Towards reframing professional expert support

The paper addresses practical ways of reconfiguring professional expertise in development practice in moving away from the expert as a technocrat. Two projects associated with managing natural resource dilemmas suggest an alternative way of framing intervention involving professional experts providing a more appropriate collaborative learning space for development practice. The paper describes the heuristic devices generated by each project as helpful in bringing out dialectic tensions between practice and understanding, and between systems of interest and situations of interest (or situated problems). Firstly, SLIM (social learning for the integrated management and sustainable use of water at catchment scale) - a European Framework Programme 5 project - exemplifies social learning as a measure of sustainable development. The heuristic illustrates the dependence of sustainability on changes in practice and understanding amongst professionals and other stakeholders as part of concerted - rather than merely individual or even collective - action. Secondly, ECOSENSUS (Electronic/Ecological Collaborative Sensemaking Support System) - a Guyana focused intervention involving several UK universities in collaboration with the University of Guyana and Amerindian community representatives from the North Rupununi wetlands - builds on the SLIM heuristic in supporting the development of practice. Additionally, the ECOSENSUS heuristic provides conceptual space for the interaction between conceptual constructs of distributed stakeholders (that is, systems thinking) including those with professional expertise, and the actual context of intervention (the situated problem). Both SLIM and ECOSENSUS provide heuristics for process-orientated management enabling more meaningful and purposeful interaction between professional/ technical experts and other stakeholders, as an alternative to conventional project-orientated management intervention. An alternative framing may help to steer practice away from the apoliticised comforting linearity of professionalised systematic project management towards more constructive systemic endeavours involving multiple stakeholders

Marketing to the Base of the Pyramid: A Corporate Responsibility Approach with Case Inspired Strategies

The economic and political outcomes of market globalization continue to be complex. As international corporations engage developing markets, they increasingly find consumers who lack market sophistication, meaningful purchasing options and economic leverage. Such conditions are ripe for the exploitation of these market segments but also can be mitigated by enlightened managers willing to thoughtfully consider their ethical and professional obligations to vulnerable consumers. This paper builds on a normative ethical framework, labeled the integrative justice model (IJM) for impoverished markets that was introduced in the marketing and public policy literature. Specifically, the paper will extend the normative ethics of the IJM by proposing logically reasoned decision principles for managers, particularly in MNC subsidiaries, that might better shape ethical business strategy when targeting impoverished segments. Additionally, numerous case examples are given to illustrate how a number of these decision principles are already being applied by companies around the world. Such an approach can serve as a counterweight to the difficulty of crafting global regulations for market development

Systemic intervention for computer-supported collaborative learning

This paper presents a systemic intervention approach as a means to overcome the methodological challenges involved in research into computer-supported collaborative learning applied to the promotion of mathematical problem-solving (CSCL-MPS) skills in schools. These challenges include how to develop an integrated analysis of several aspects of the learning process; and how to reflect on learning purposes, the context of application and participants' identities. The focus of systemic intervention is on processes for thinking through whose views and what issues and values should be considered pertinent in an analysis. Systemic intervention also advocates mixing methods from different traditions to address the purposes of multiple stakeholders. Consequently, a design for CSCL-MPS research is presented that includes several methods. This methodological design is used to analyse and reflect upon both a CSCL-MPS project with Colombian schools, and the identities of the participants in that project

Religious Racial Formation Theory and its Metaphysics

While the intersection between race and religion has been an important site for research for the sociology of religion and religious studies (in its descriptive dimensions) as well s theology (in its religiously normative dimensions), neither of these disciplines has incorporated recent work in the analytic philosophy of race. Analytic philosophy of race, for its part, has largely neglected the race/religion intersection, while analytic theologians by and large ignore the theological significance of race altogether. In this paper I am to draw together these distinct disciplinary contributions—social-historical, philosophical and normative-theological—into a single integrated framework for a research program in analytic theology. I call that framework “religious racial formation theory,” and I claim that the work of specifying a determinate religious racial formation theory is not merely a (normatively driven) sociological and historical task but a necessarily philosophical one. I then detail what sorts of metaphysical determinations are required in order to yield an adequate explanation of the intersection uncovered by the socio-historical data summarized in the first section

SUPERSYMMETRY REACH OF AN UPGRADED TEVATRON COLLIDER

We examine the capability of a $\sqrt{s}=2$ TeV Tevatron $p\bar p$ collider to discover supersymmetry, given a luminosity upgrade to amass $25\ fb^{-1}$ of data. We compare with the corresponding reach of the Tevatron Main Injector ($1\ fb^{-1}$ of data). Working within the framework of minimal supergravity with gauge coupling unification and radiative electroweak symmetry breaking, we first calculate the regions of parameter space accessible via the clean trilepton signal from \tw_1\tz_2\to 3\ell +\eslt production, with detailed event generation of both signal and major physics backgrounds. The trilepton signal can allow equivalent gluino masses of up to $m_{\tg}\sim 600-700$ GeV to be probed if $m_0$ is small. If $m_0$ is large, then $m_{\tg}\sim 500$ GeV can be probed for $\mu 0$ and large values of $m_0$, the rate for \tz_2\to\tz_1\ell\bar{\ell} is suppressed by interference effects, and there is {\it no} reach in this channel. We also examine regions where the signal from \tw_1\overline{\tw_1}\to \ell\bar{\ell}+\eslt is detectable. Although this signal is background limited, it is observable in some regions where the clean trilepton signal is too small. Finally, the signal \tw_1\tz_2\to jets+\ell\bar{\ell} +\eslt can confirm the clean trilepton signal in a substantial subset of the parameter space where the trilepton signal can be seen. We note that although the clean trilepton signal may allow Tevatron experiments to identify signals in regions of parameter space beyond the reach of LEP II, the dilepton channels generally probe much the same region as LEP II.Comment: 19 page REVTEX file; a uuencoded PS file with PS figures is available via anonymous ftp at ftp://hep.fsu.edu/preprints/baer/FSUHEP950301.u

Anxiety: An Evolutionary Approach

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental illnesses, with huge attendant suffering. Current treatments are not universally effective, suggesting that a deeper understanding of the causes of anxiety is needed. To understand anxiety disorders better, it is first necessary to understand the normal anxiety response. This entails considering its evolutionary function as well as the mechanisms underlying it. We argue that the function of the human anxiety response, and homologues in other species, is to prepare the individual to detect and deal with threats. We use a signal detection framework to show that the threshold for expressing the anxiety response ought to vary with the probability of threats occurring, and the individual's vulnerability to them if they do occur. These predictions are consistent with major patterns in the epidemiology of anxiety. Implications for research and treatment are discussed

A New Institutional Economics Perspective on the Relationship Among Societal Values, Governance Structure and Access to Rural Health Care Services

According to New Institutional Economics, transactional activities, governance structures, institutions and beliefs and values are related hierarchally. Williamson (2000) formalizes this framework to show that each governing level must be aligned with the adjacent level for transaction costs to be minimized. This framework is applied to the question of balancing costs and access in health care. Transaction costs in providing health care services can be minimized if all hierarchal functions are aligned. Examining the highest level associated with beliefs and values reveals that the beliefs of people might not be fully consistent with the institutions and governance structures expected or advocated in the area of health care, particularly in the context of rural health care services.rural health care, cost, access, efficiency, new institutional economics, rights, Health Economics and Policy, Institutional and Behavioral Economics,

SIGNALS FOR MINIMAL SUPERGRAVITY AT THE CERN LARGE HADRON COLLIDER: MULTI-JET PLUS MISSING ENERGY CHANNEL,

We use ISAJET to perform a detailed study of the missing transverse energy \eslt plus multi-jet signal expected from superparticle production at the CERN LHC. Our analysis is performed within the framework of the minimal supergravity model with gauge coupling unification and radiative electroweak symmetry breaking. We delineate the region of parameter space where the \eslt supersymmetry signal should be observable at the LHC and compare it to the regions explorable via searches for sleptons and for chargino/neutralino production. We confirm that, given a data sample of 10~\fb^{-1}, $m_{\tg}\sim 1300$ GeV can be explored if m_{\tq}\gg m_{\tg}, while $m_{\tg}\sim 2000$ GeV can be probed if m_{\tq}\simeq m_{\tg}. We further examine what information can be gleaned from scrutinizing this event sample. For instance, the multi-jet multiplicity yields information on whether squark production makes a significant contribution to the observed \eslt sample. Furthermore, reconstructing hemispheric masses may yield a measure of $m_{\tg}$ to $\sim 15-25\%$. Finally, for favourable ranges of parameters, by reconstructing masses of tagged $b\bar{b}$ jet pairs, it may be possible to detect Higgs bosons produced via sparticle cascade decay chains.Comment: 22 pages (REVTEX); a PS text file (etmiss.ps) and 12 figures (etlhc.uu or etlhc.ps) can be obtained via anonymous ftp at ftp://hep.fsu.edu/anonymous.bae

The Case for Social Rights

This is part of the book Debating Social Rights (Oxford, Hart Publishing, 2010) where I am making the case for social rights and Professor Conor Gearty (LSE) is making the case against social rights. This paper argues that social and economic rights, defined as rights to the satisfaction of basic needs, are constitutional essentials at domestic level and claims of the highest priority at supranational level. Their inadequate legal protection in national and supranational orders is not justified. Social rights have common foundations with civil and political rights, but have been neglected in law because of Cold War ideologies. The paper explores the role of courts and the role of legislatures in the protection of social rights, and identifies the key challenges in each of these fields. In the full version of the book, there is further analysis of the issues discussed here. There are also additional sections on global justice and on the horizontal application of rights, which are not included in this paper