1,521 research outputs found
On Wondering: The Epistemology of A Questioning Attitude
An emerging trend in contemporary epistemology departs from the traditional preoccupation with the nature of knowledge, belief, evidence, justification, and the problems of skepticism. This trend focuses instead on the nature of inquiry itself and especially on the role of questions and questioning attitudes that arise in and define that activity. Naturally, this emerging trend calls for a philosophical exploration of the nature of questioning attitudes like curiosity and wondering, and of the various epistemological considerations pertaining to them. Consequently, this project primarily addresses two questions: what does it mean to wonder? And what is required to wonder well?
The project is thus both descriptive and normative, aiming to pin down the place that wondering has in our ontology of epistemologically significant mental states and to determine what kinds of prescriptive norms it is subject to in the course of rational inquiry
Fragments and frame classes:Towards a uniform proof theory for modal fixed point logics
This thesis studies the proof theory of modal fixed point logics. In particular, we construct proof systems for various fragments of the modal mu-calculus, interpreted over various classes of frames. With an emphasis on uniform constructions and general results, we aim to bring the relatively underdeveloped proof theory of modal fixed point logics closer to the well-established proof theory of basic modal logic. We employ two main approaches. First, we seek to generalise existing methods for basic modal logic to accommodate fragments of the modal mu-calculus. We use this approach for obtaining Hilbert-style proof systems. Secondly, we adapt existing proof systems for the modal mu-calculus to various classes of frames. This approach yields proof systems which are non-well-founded, or cyclic.The thesis starts with an introduction and some mathematical preliminaries. In Chapter 3 we give hypersequent calculi for modal logic with the master modality, building on work by Ori Lahav. This is followed by an Intermezzo, where we present an abstract framework for cyclic proofs, in which we give sufficient conditions for establishing the bounded proof property. In Chapter 4 we generalise existing work on Hilbert-style proof systems for PDL to the level of the continuous modal mu-calculus. Chapter 5 contains a novel cyclic proof system for the alternation-free two-way modal mu-calculus. Finally, in Chapter 6, we present a cyclic proof system for Guarded Kleene Algebra with Tests and take a first step towards using it to establish the completeness of an algebraic counterpart
LIPIcs, Volume 251, ITCS 2023, Complete Volume
LIPIcs, Volume 251, ITCS 2023, Complete Volum
Advances and Applications of DSmT for Information Fusion. Collected Works, Volume 5
This fifth volume on Advances and Applications of DSmT for Information Fusion collects theoretical and applied contributions of researchers working in different fields of applications and in mathematics, and is available in open-access. The collected contributions of this volume have either been published or presented after disseminating the fourth volume in 2015 in international conferences, seminars, workshops and journals, or they are new. The contributions of each part of this volume are chronologically ordered.
First Part of this book presents some theoretical advances on DSmT, dealing mainly with modified Proportional Conflict Redistribution Rules (PCR) of combination with degree of intersection, coarsening techniques, interval calculus for PCR thanks to set inversion via interval analysis (SIVIA), rough set classifiers, canonical decomposition of dichotomous belief functions, fast PCR fusion, fast inter-criteria analysis with PCR, and improved PCR5 and PCR6 rules preserving the (quasi-)neutrality of (quasi-)vacuous belief assignment in the fusion of sources of evidence with their Matlab codes.
Because more applications of DSmT have emerged in the past years since the apparition of the fourth book of DSmT in 2015, the second part of this volume is about selected applications of DSmT mainly in building change detection, object recognition, quality of data association in tracking, perception in robotics, risk assessment for torrent protection and multi-criteria decision-making, multi-modal image fusion, coarsening techniques, recommender system, levee characterization and assessment, human heading perception, trust assessment, robotics, biometrics, failure detection, GPS systems, inter-criteria analysis, group decision, human activity recognition, storm prediction, data association for autonomous vehicles, identification of maritime vessels, fusion of support vector machines (SVM), Silx-Furtif RUST code library for information fusion including PCR rules, and network for ship classification.
Finally, the third part presents interesting contributions related to belief functions in general published or presented along the years since 2015. These contributions are related with decision-making under uncertainty, belief approximations, probability transformations, new distances between belief functions, non-classical multi-criteria decision-making problems with belief functions, generalization of Bayes theorem, image processing, data association, entropy and cross-entropy measures, fuzzy evidence numbers, negator of belief mass, human activity recognition, information fusion for breast cancer therapy, imbalanced data classification, and hybrid techniques mixing deep learning with belief functions as well
New perspectives on A.I. in sentencing. Human decision-making between risk assessment tools and protection of humans rights.
The aim of this thesis is to investigate a field that until a few years ago was foreign to and distant from the penal system. The purpose of this undertaking is to account for the role that technology could plays in the Italian Criminal Law system. More specifically, this thesis attempts to scrutinize a very intricate phase of adjudication. After deciding on the type of an individual's liability, a judge must decide on the severity of the penalty. This type of decision implies a prognostic assessment that looks to the future. It is precisely in this field and in prognostic assessments that, as has already been anticipated in the United, instruments and processes are inserted in the pre-trial but also in the decision-making phase. In this contribution, we attempt to describe the current state of this field, trying, as a matter of method, to select the most relevant or most used tools. Using comparative and qualitative methods, the uses of some of these instruments in the supranational legal system are analyzed.
Focusing attention on the Italian system, an attempt was made to investigate the nature of the element of an individual's ‘social dangerousness’ (pericolosità sociale) and capacity to commit offences, types of assessments that are fundamental in our system because they are part of various types of decisions, including the choice of the best sanctioning treatment. It was decided to turn our attention to this latter field because it is believed that the judge does not always have the time, the means and the ability to assess all the elements of a subject and identify the best 'individualizing' treatment in order to fully realize the function of Article 27, paragraph 3 of the Constitution
A Non-Ideal Epistemology of Disagreement: Pragmatism and the Need for Democratic Inquiry
The aim of this thesis is to provide a non-ideal epistemic account of disagreement, one which explains how epistemic agents can find a rational resolution to disagreement in actual epistemic practice. To do this, this thesis will compare two non-ideal epistemic accounts of disagreement which have been proposed within the contemporary philosophical literature. The first is the evidentialist response to disagreement given within the recent literature on the analytic epistemology of disagreement. According to the evidentialist response to disagreement, an epistemic agent can rationally respond to disagreement by evaluating other epistemic agents as higher-order evidence, and adjusting one's belief accordingly. The second is the pragmatist response to disagreement given within the recent literature on the intersection between American pragmatism and democratic theory. According to the pragmatist response to disagreement, a collective group of epistemic agents can come to a rational resolution of disagreement through a process of social inquiry where epistemic agents cooperatively exchange ideas, reasons, and objections, and collectively form plans of action which settle collective belief. This thesis will critically examine both of these accounts, and explain how the pragmatist response to disagreement provides a better account of both the epistemic challenges which disagreement poses, and the method in which epistemic agent can come to rationally resolve disagreement in actual epistemic practice
The Quantum Monadology
The modern theory of functional programming languages uses monads for
encoding computational side-effects and side-contexts, beyond bare-bone program
logic. Even though quantum computing is intrinsically side-effectful (as in
quantum measurement) and context-dependent (as on mixed ancillary states),
little of this monadic paradigm has previously been brought to bear on quantum
programming languages.
Here we systematically analyze the (co)monads on categories of parameterized
module spectra which are induced by Grothendieck's "motivic yoga of operations"
-- for the present purpose specialized to HC-modules and further to set-indexed
complex vector spaces. Interpreting an indexed vector space as a collection of
alternative possible quantum state spaces parameterized by quantum measurement
results, as familiar from Proto-Quipper-semantics, we find that these
(co)monads provide a comprehensive natural language for functional quantum
programming with classical control and with "dynamic lifting" of quantum
measurement results back into classical contexts.
We close by indicating a domain-specific quantum programming language (QS)
expressing these monadic quantum effects in transparent do-notation, embeddable
into the recently constructed Linear Homotopy Type Theory (LHoTT) which
interprets into parameterized module spectra. Once embedded into LHoTT, this
should make for formally verifiable universal quantum programming with linear
quantum types, classical control, dynamic lifting, and notably also with
topological effects.Comment: 120 pages, various figure
Complexity results for modal logic with recursion via translations and tableaux
This paper studies the complexity of classical modal logics and of their
extension with fixed-point operators, using translations to transfer results
across logics. In particular, we show several complexity results for
multi-agent logics via translations to and from the -calculus and modal
logic, which allow us to transfer known upper and lower bounds. We also use
these translations to introduce a terminating tableau system for the logics we
study, based on Kozen's tableau for the -calculus, and the one of Fitting
and Massacci for modal logic. Finally, we show how to encode the tableaux we
introduced into -calculus formulas. This encoding provides upper bounds
for the satisfiability checking of the few logics we previously did not have
algorithms for.Comment: 43 pages. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with
arXiv:2209.1037
Application of knowledge management principles to support maintenance strategies in healthcare organisations
Healthcare is a vital service that touches people's lives on a daily basis by providing treatment and
resolving patients' health problems through the staff. Human lives are ultimately dependent on the skilled
hands of the staff and those who manage the infrastructure that supports the daily operations of the
service, making it a compelling reason for a dedicated research study. However, the UK healthcare sector
is undergoing rapid changes, driven by rising costs, technological advancements, changing patient
expectations, and increasing pressure to deliver sustainable healthcare. With the global rise in healthcare
challenges, the need for sustainable healthcare delivery has become imperative. Sustainable healthcare
delivery requires the integration of various practices that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of
healthcare infrastructural assets. One critical area that requires attention is the management of
healthcare facilities.
Healthcare facilitiesis considered one of the core elements in the delivery of effective healthcare services,
as shortcomings in the provision of facilities management (FM) services in hospitals may have much more
drastic negative effects than in any other general forms of buildings. An essential element in healthcare
FM is linked to the relationship between action and knowledge. With a full sense of understanding of
infrastructural assets, it is possible to improve, manage and make buildings suitable to the needs of users
and to ensure the functionality of the structure and processes.
The premise of FM is that an organisation's effectiveness and efficiency are linked to the physical
environment in which it operates and that improving the environment can result in direct benefits in
operational performance. The goal of healthcare FM is to support the achievement of organisational
mission and goals by designing and managing space and infrastructural assets in the best combination of
suitability, efficiency, and cost. In operational terms, performance refers to how well a building
contributes to fulfilling its intended functions.
Therefore, comprehensive deployment of efficient FM approaches is essential for ensuring quality
healthcare provision while positively impacting overall patient experiences. In this regard, incorporating
knowledge management (KM) principles into hospitals' FM processes contributes significantly to ensuring
sustainable healthcare provision and enhancement of patient experiences. Organisations implementing
KM principles are better positioned to navigate the constantly evolving business ecosystem easily.
Furthermore, KM is vital in processes and service improvement, strategic decision-making, and
organisational adaptation and renewal.
In this regard, KM principles can be applied to improve hospital FM, thereby ensuring sustainable
healthcare delivery. Knowledge management assumes that organisations that manage their
organisational and individual knowledge more effectively will be able to cope more successfully with the challenges of the new business ecosystem. There is also the argument that KM plays a crucial role in
improving processes and services, strategic decision-making, and adapting and renewing an organisation.
The goal of KM is to aid action – providing "a knowledge pull" rather than the information overload most
people experience in healthcare FM. Other motivations for seeking better KM in healthcare FM include
patient safety, evidence-based care, and cost efficiency as the dominant drivers. The most evidence exists
for the success of such approaches at knowledge bottlenecks, such as infection prevention and control,
working safely, compliances, automated systems and reminders, and recall based on best practices. The
ability to cultivate, nurture and maximise knowledge at multiple levels and in multiple contexts is one of
the most significant challenges for those responsible for KM. However, despite the potential benefits,
applying KM principles in hospital facilities is still limited. There is a lack of understanding of how KM can
be effectively applied in this context, and few studies have explored the potential challenges and
opportunities associated with implementing KM principles in hospitals facilities for sustainable healthcare
delivery.
This study explores applying KM principles to support maintenance strategies in healthcare organisations.
The study also explores the challenges and opportunities, for healthcare organisations and FM
practitioners, in operationalising a framework which draws the interconnectedness between healthcare.
The study begins by defining healthcare FM and its importance in the healthcare industry. It then discusses
the concept of KM and the different types of knowledge that are relevant in the healthcare FM sector.
The study also examines the challenges that healthcare FM face in managing knowledge and how the
application of KM principles can help to overcome these challenges. The study then explores the different
KM strategies that can be applied in healthcare FM. The KM benefits include improved patient outcomes,
reduced costs, increased efficiency, and enhanced collaboration among healthcare professionals.
Additionally, issues like creating a culture of innovation, technology, and benchmarking are considered.
In addition, a framework that integrates the essential concepts of KM in healthcare FM will be presented
and discussed.
The field of KM is introduced as a complex adaptive system with numerous possibilities and challenges.
In this context, and in consideration of healthcare FM, five objectives have been formulated to achieve
the research aim. As part of the research, a number of objectives will be evaluated, including appraising
the concept of KM and how knowledge is created, stored, transferred, and utilised in healthcare FM,
evaluating the impact of organisational structure on job satisfaction as well as exploring how cultural
differences impact knowledge sharing and performance in healthcare FM organisations.
This study uses a combination of qualitative methods, such as meetings, observations, document analysis
(internal and external), and semi-structured interviews, to discover the subjective experiences of
healthcare FM employees and to understand the phenomenon within a real-world context and attitudes of healthcare FM as the data collection method, using open questions to allow probing where appropriate
and facilitating KM development in the delivery and practice of healthcare FM.
The study describes the research methodology using the theoretical concept of the "research onion". The
qualitative research was conducted in the NHS acute and non-acute hospitals in Northwest England.
Findings from the research study revealed that while the concept of KM has grown significantly in recent
years, KM in healthcare FM has received little or no attention. The target population was fifty (five FM
directors, five academics, five industry experts, ten managers, ten supervisors, five team leaders and ten
operatives). These seven groups were purposively selected as the target population because they play a
crucial role in KM enhancement in healthcare FM. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with all
participants based on their pre-determined availability. Out of the 50-target population, only 25 were
successfully interviewed to the point of saturation. Data collected from the interview were coded and
analysed using NVivo to identify themes and patterns related to KM in healthcare FM.
The study is divided into eight major sections. First, it discusses literature findings regarding healthcare
FM and KM, including underlying trends in FM, KM in general, and KM in healthcare FM. Second, the
research establishes the study's methodology, introducing the five research objectives, questions and
hypothesis. The chapter introduces the literature on methodology elements, including philosophical views
and inquiry strategies. The interview and data analysis look at the feedback from the interviews. Lastly, a
conclusion and recommendation summarise the research objectives and suggest further research.
Overall, this study highlights the importance of KM in healthcare FM and provides insights for healthcare
FM directors, managers, supervisors, academia, researchers and operatives on effectively leveraging
knowledge to improve patient care and organisational effectiveness
Indeterminacy and the law of the excluded middle
This thesis is an investigation into indeterminacy in the foundations of mathematics and its possible consequences for the applicability of the law of the excluded middle (LEM). It characterises different ways in which the natural numbers as well as the sets may be understood to be indeterminate, and asks in what sense this would cease to support applicability of LEM to reasoning with them. The first part of the thesis reviews the indeterminacy phenomena on which the argument is based and argues for a distinction between two notions of indeterminacy: a) indeterminacy as applied to domains and b) indefiniteness as applied to concepts. It then addresses possible attempts to secure determinacy in both cases. The second part of the thesis discusses the advantages that an argument from indeterminacy has over traditional intuitionistic arguments against LEM, and it provides the framework in which conditions for the applicability of LEM can be explicated in the setting of indeterminacy. The final part of the thesis then applies these findings to concrete cases of indeterminacy. With respect to indeterminacy of domains, I note some problems for establishing a rejection of LEM based on the indeterminacy of the height of the set theoretic hierarchy. I show that a coherent argument can be made for the rejection of LEM based on the indeterminacy of its width, and assess its philosophical commitments. A final chapter addresses the notion of indefiniteness of our concepts of set and number and asks how this might affect the applicability of LEM
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