Pragian (Lower Devonian) stromatoporoids and rugose corals from Zújar (Sierra Morena, southern Spain)

The locality Zújar at the boundary between the Badajoz and Córdoba provinces belongs to the Obejo-Valsequillo-Puebla de la Reina Domain. Within the fossiliferous reefal carbonates of Pragian age cropping out in Zújar, 10 stromatoporoid species and 7 rugose coral species are identified. The new rugose coral species Martinophyllum miriamae n. sp. is described. Hexagonaria soraufi Rodríguez García, 1978 is a subspecies of Martinophyllum ornatum Jell & Pedder, 1969. The Pragian fauna of Zújar is a typical fauna of the Old World Realm with remarkably close relationships to Arctic Canada and Australia. Most species have been recorded for the first time from Spain. No significant relationships to the Eastern Americas Realm are visible. Remarkable is, that none of the stromatoporoid species of Zújar is known from the famous Pragian reef complex of Koněprusy in Bohemia, meanwhile the rugose coral fauna (e. g. Joachimastraea barrandei Galle, Hladil & May, 1999) shows some relations. Some of the species found are ancestors of important constructors of the Middle Devonian reef complexes, demonstrating that the roots of the Givetian-Frasnian reef complexes reach down to the Pragian

Influence of Caloric Vestibular Stimulation on Body Experience in Healthy Humans

The vestibular system has more connections with and influence on higher cortical centers than previously thought. These interactions with higher cortical centers and the phenomena that they elicit require a structural intact cerebral cortex. To date, little is known about the role and influence of the vestibular system on one’s body experience. In this study we show that caloric vestibular stimulation (CVS) in healthy participants has an effect on the perceptive component of one’s body experience. After CVS all participants showed a statistically significant difference of thigh width estimation. In contrast to previous studies, which demonstrated an influence of CVS on higher cortical centers with an intact cerebral cortex both the cognitive and affective component of body experience were not effected by the CVS. Our results demonstrate the influence of the vestibular system on body perception and emphasize its role in modulating different perceptive-qualities which contributes to our body experience. We found that CVS has a limited influence on one’s conscious state, thought process and higher cortical functions

An entropy stable spacetime discontinuous Galerkin method for the two-dimensional compressible Navier-Stokes equations

In this paper, we present an entropy stable scheme for solving the compressible Navier-Stokes equations in two space dimensions. Our scheme uses entropy variables as degrees of freedom. It is an extension of an existing spacetime discontinuous Galerkin method for solving the compressible Euler equations. The physical diffusion terms are incorporated by means of the symmetric (SIPG) or nonsymmetric (NIPG) interior penalty method, resulting in the two versions ST-SDSC-SIPG and ST-SDSC-NIPG. The streamline diffusion and shock-capturing terms from the original scheme have been kept, but have been adjusted appropriately. This guarantees that the new scheme essentially reduces to the original scheme for the compressible Euler equations in regions with underresolved physical diffusion. We show entropy stability for both versions under suitable assumptions. We also present numerical results confirming the accuracy and robustness of our schemes

What a theory of knowledge-how should explain : a framework for practical knowledge beyond intellectualism and anti-intellectualism

We argue against both intellectualist and anti-intellectualist approaches to knowledge-how. Whereas intellectualist approaches are right in denying that knowledge-how can be convincingly demarcated from knowledge-that by its supposed non-propositional nature (as is assumed by the anti-intellectualists), they fail to provide positive accounts of the obvious phenomenological and empirical peculiarities that make knowledge-how distinct from knowledge-that. In contrast to the intellectualist position, we provide a minimal notion of conceptuality as an alternative demarcation criterion. We suggest that conceptuality gives a sound basis for a theory of knowledge-how which is empirically fruitful and suitable for further empirical research. We give support to this suggestion by showing that, by means of an adequate notion of conceptuality, five central peculiarities of knowledge-how as compared to knowledge-that can be accounted for. These peculiarities are its context-bound, impenetrable and implicit nature, as well as the automatic and continuous forms of processing that are connected to it

Preparing the ground for an empirical theory of knowing-how : a reply to Ramiro Glauer

The commentary gives a clear and instructive summary of our main arguments against both, intellectualist and anti-intellectualist accounts of knowing-how. But the aim of our account is not correctly described as an attempt to give an explanation of certain cognitive capacities that are taken to be expressions of knowledge-how in terms of underlying mental representations. (Glauer this collection, p.10). What we aim at is not an empirical theory of knowing-how, but a framework that would be useful for cognitive scientific research on phenomena of knowing-how

GPU-Accelerated nearest neighbor search for 3d registration

Abstract. Nearest Neighbor Search (NNS) is employed by many computer vision algorithms. The computational complexity is large and constitutes a challenge for real-time capability. The basic problem is in rapidly processing a huge amount of data, which is often addressed by means of highly sophisticated search methods and parallelism. We show that NNS based vision algorithms like the Iterative Closest Points algorithm (ICP) can achieve real-time capability while preserving compact size and moderate energy consumption as it is needed in robotics and many other domains. The approach exploits the concept of general purpose computation on graphics processing units (GPGPU) and is compared to parallel processing on CPU. We apply this approach to the 3D scan registration problem, for which a speed-up factor of 88 compared to a sequential CPU implementation is reported

The significance of freedom in God’s plan

This research is part of The research project ‘Understanding Reality (Theology and Nature)’, directed by Prof. Dr Johan Buitendag, Department of Systematic and Historical Theology, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria.By means of a synthesis of Christian faith, theology and natural sciences, the significance of freedom in God’s plan of creation and redemption was contemplated. The triune God is the foundation of all freedom. The freedom of his creatures is extremely important to God. Despite the Angelic Fall, he created our universe, in which on the path of evolution human beings were given the freedom to choose for or against God. Possibly, the humans who committed the Adamic Fall belonged to the species Homo heidelbergensis. Through the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ to the point of death on the cross, the power of evil was overcome. The goal of all creation is ‘the freedom of the glory of the children of God’ (Rm 8:21). This will complete the freedom that God has placed in his creation from the beginning. It can be surmised that ‘the freedom of the glory of the children of God’ includes being integrated into the intra-Trinitarian communion. It is important for the fulfilment of God’s plan of redemption that more and more people follow Jesus Christ and try to become more and more like him. A crucial point in following Christ is obedience. Obedience and freedom are not a contradiction, but the two sides of a coin; and the metal of this coin is love.http://www.hts.org.za/Dogmatics and Christian Ethic

God in dialogue with His creation

Christian faith, theology and natural sciences are brought into conversation with each other to analyse different aspects of the dialogue between God and his creation. The methodological approach consists of bringing research results from theology and the natural sciences documented in current publications as well as philosophical considerations into a dialogue with the Christian faith. Furthermore, the chronological development is given special attention. Both philosophical considerations and physical observations show that this universe was created by a transcendent intelligent supreme being, the Christian God, and that it is very important for this supreme being to communicate with the intelligent living beings in this universe. God entered and continues to enter into an ever more intense and intimate dialogue with his creation in various ways, both in Earth history and evolution, and in the history of the people of Israel, as well as today in the Christian era. To remove all possible barriers and obstacles to dialogue, God himself became man in Jesus Christ. The incarnation of Jesus Christ is the culmination of the dialogue between God and his creation. The incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ had a very great impact on the triune God. God gives himself so much to the dialogue with his creation that he takes into his innermost being the human body of Jesus Christ, which is a part of his creation marked by time. At the end of time, all human beings who have chosen God will live eternally with each other and with the triune God in comprehensive and fulfilling communion. This all-encompassing and all-fulfilling dialogue of love will originate from the triune God and will fill and glorify the whole of creation. The article shows that dialogue is central to understanding the relationship between God and his creation. The intra-Trinitarian dialogue of love between the three persons of God is the starting point, model and goal of both creation and God's dialogue with his creation. Contribution: The synthesis of Christian faith, theology and natural sciences makes it possible to see more clearly how much God is in dialogue with his creation. This can help us to recognise more deeply God's love for his creation and especially for us humans, and to act from this insight

Since when have humans had a soul?

An attempt is made to determine when humans have had a soul. For this purpose, mind and soul are distinguished from each other. This clarification of terms makes it possible to criticise the emergentist view, which assumes that the soul arises naturally from the biological organism. The existence of a soul is inferred from the mental activities of humans, which are directed towards the transcendent. Special significance is given to burials. Burials have been practised for at least 448 000 years. Not only Homo sapiens, but also Homo naledi, Homo heidelbergensis steinheimensis and Homo neanderthalensis buried their dead. Therefore, there is good reason to assume that Homo heidelbergensis and all its descendants possessed (and still possess) a soul. Moreover, one can suppose that Homo erectus and Homo naledi also possessed a soul. CONTRIBUTION: The clear distinction between the immanent mind and the transcendent soul makes us aware that we humans are beings equally at home in immanence and transcendence. Humans have possessed a soul for a very long time, and not only Homo sapiens but also his ancestors and related species.This research is part of the research project ‘Understanding Reality (Theology and Nature)’, directed by Prof. Dr Johan Buitendag, Department of Systematic and Historical Theology, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria.http://www.hts.org.zaChurch History and Church Polic