Expressing Belief Flow in Assertion Networks

Abstract. In the line of some earlier work done on belief dynamics, we propose an abstract model of belief propagation on a graph based on the methodology of the revision theory of truth. A modal language is developed for portraying the behavior of this model, and its expressiveness is discussed. We compare the proposal of this model as well as the language developed with some of the existing frameworks for modelling communication situations.

Offline and online data: on upgrading functional information to knowledge

This paper addresses the problem of upgrading functional information to knowledge. Functional information is defined as syntactically well-formed, meaningful and collectively opaque data. Its use in the formal epistemology of information theories is crucial to solve the debate on the veridical nature of information, and it represents the companion notion to standard strongly semantic information, defined as well-formed, meaningful and true data. The formal framework, on which the definitions are based, uses a contextual version of the verificationist principle of truth in order to connect functional to semantic information, avoiding Gettierization and decoupling from true informational contents. The upgrade operation from functional information uses the machinery of epistemic modalities in order to add data localization and accessibility as its main properties. We show in this way the conceptual worthiness of this notion for issues in contemporary epistemology debates, such as the explanation of knowledge process acquisition from information retrieval systems, and open data repositories

Knowledge Flow Analysis for Security Protocols

Knowledge flow analysis offers a simple and flexible way to find flaws in security protocols. A protocol is described by a collection of rules constraining the propagation of knowledge amongst principals. Because this characterization corresponds closely to informal descriptions of protocols, it allows a succinct and natural formalization; because it abstracts away message ordering, and handles communications between principals and applications of cryptographic primitives uniformly, it is readily represented in a standard logic. A generic framework in the Alloy modelling language is presented, and instantiated for two standard protocols, and a new key management scheme.Comment: 20 page

Michael Polanyi and Thomas Kuhn: priority and credit

The article argues that Polanyi was a likely source of influence on the theory of science that Kuhn developed in his The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962). The striking similarity between Kuhn&rsquo;s idea of incommensurability and Polanyi&rsquo;s rendering of scientific controversy in Personal Knowledge is featured here, and is used to expose a tension between Polanyi&rsquo;s notions of scientific controversy and unfolding truth.<br /

Self-advocacy and socially just pedagogy

Discussions of 'special educational needs' (SEN), 'children with SEN' and 'inclusion' continue to portray disabled learners as problematic 'others' to be tolerated and managed (Allan 2004). The neo-liberal prioritisation of entrepreneurship and autonomy create further problems for disabled learners attempting to negotiate an increasingly market-driven education system. This paper comes about as a result of eight-weeks spent as a volunteer in an organisation offering self-advocacy based projects to young people with the label of ‘learning difficulties’, and considers such projects alongside Deleuzoguatarrian Disability Studies discussions of socially just pedagogy. By drawing on Deleuze and Guattari’s metaphor of the rhizome, and considering desire as productive, it is argued that such projects have the potential to offer an alternative, more engaged and socially-just education to the one currently offered in schools

Social media, protest cultures and political subjectivities of the Arab spring

This article draws on phenomenological perspectives to present a case against resisting the objectification of cultures of protest and dissent. The generative, self-organizing properties of protest cultures, especially as mobilized through social media, are frequently argued to elude both authoritarian political structures and academic discourse, leading to new political subjectivities or ‘imaginaries’. Stemming from a normative commitment not to over-determine such nascent subjectivities, this view has taken on a heightened resonance in relation to the recent popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa. The article argues that this view is based on an invalid assumption that authentic political subjectivities and cultures naturally emerge from an absence of constraint, whether political, journalistic or academic. The valorisation of amorphousness in protest cultures and social media enables affective and political projection, but overlooks politics in its institutional, professional and procedural forms

Correlation Decay in Random Decision Networks

We consider a decision network on an undirected graph in which each node corresponds to a decision variable, and each node and edge of the graph is associated with a reward function whose value depends only on the variables of the corresponding nodes. The goal is to construct a decision vector which maximizes the total reward. This decision problem encompasses a variety of models, including maximum-likelihood inference in graphical models (Markov Random Fields), combinatorial optimization on graphs, economic team theory and statistical physics. The network is endowed with a probabilistic structure in which costs are sampled from a distribution. Our aim is to identify sufficient conditions to guarantee average-case polynomiality of the underlying optimization problem. We construct a new decentralized algorithm called Cavity Expansion and establish its theoretical performance for a variety of models. Specifically, for certain classes of models we prove that our algorithm is able to find near optimal solutions with high probability in a decentralized way. The success of the algorithm is based on the network exhibiting a correlation decay (long-range independence) property. Our results have the following surprising implications in the area of average case complexity of algorithms. Finding the largest independent (stable) set of a graph is a well known NP-hard optimization problem for which no polynomial time approximation scheme is possible even for graphs with largest connectivity equal to three, unless P=NP. We show that the closely related maximum weighted independent set problem for the same class of graphs admits a PTAS when the weights are i.i.d. with the exponential distribution. Namely, randomization of the reward function turns an NP-hard problem into a tractable one

A Literature Review: Current Trends in Holistic Nursing

There is scarcity of documentation that seeks to define spirituality relating to holistic nursing; consequently, a literature review was formulated to define spirituality and guide nursing practice towards recognizing the importance of and implementation of spiritual care. By researching the current trends in peer-reviewed journals from the past three years and analyzing associated articles, this paper addresses the need for a comprehensive definition of spirituality. Key concepts such as belief, values, interconnectedness with self, others and God, energy, hope and transcendence will be analyzed, and the accumulated data will be complied into a framework that is easy for a nurse to understand and use. This thesis strives to validate the necessity of spiritual care through the mechanism of holistic nursing and equip nurses to assess and implement care for the ever-present spiritual needs of one’s patients