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Semantic properties and the computational model of mind.
Much of the contemporary research in cognitive psychology presupposes an information processing or computational model of human cognitive processes. On this view cognitive states are characterized as relations to internally inscribed representations. Jerry Fodor and Zenon Pylyshyn have argued that those representations have a combinatorial syntax and a compositional semantics, and Fodor has argued that the individuation of representations according to semantic type corresponds, roughly, to individuation according to syntactic type. I investigate whether this computational model requires us to appeal, directly or indirectly, to the semantic properties of representations when we explain cognitive behavior. I first discuss the requirements of scientific explanation in general, and the constraints of materialism and physicalism in particular. Then I outline how it is possible for semantic entities to be involved in cognitive explanations, and how Fodor and Pylyshyn think they are involved in explanations on the computational model. I consider whether, given the computational model, references to representations are necessary to explain cognitive processes or whether references to representations can be eliminated in favor or references to uninterpreted formulae. Finally I criticize the argument, suggested by both Fodor and Pylyshyn, that it is our ability to respond to nonnomic or nonprojectable properties of stimuli that requires explanation in terms of the semantic properties of representations
The Bulk RS KK-gluon at the LHC
We study the possibility of discovering and measuring the properties of the
lightest Kaluza-Klein excitation of the gluon in a Randall-Sundrum scenario
where the Standard Model matter and gauge fields propagate in the bulk. The
KK-gluon decays primarily into top quarks. We discuss how to use the final states to discover and probe the properties of the KK-gluon.
Identification of highly energetic tops is crucial for this analysis. We show
that conventional identification methods relying on well separated decay
products will not work for heavy resonances but suggest alternative methods for
top identification for energetic tops. We find, conservatively, that resonances
with masses less than 5 TeV can be discovered if the algorithm to identify high
tops can reject the QCD background by a factor of 10. We also find that
for similar or lighter masses the spin can be determined and for lighter masses
the chirality of the coupling to can be measured. Since the energetic
top pair final state is a generic signature for a large class of new physics as
the top quark presumably couples most strongly to the electroweak symmetry
breaking sector, the methods we have outlined to study the properties of the
KK-gluon should also be important in other scenarios.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figure
Preparation of pigments for space-stable thermal control coatings Interim summary report, 1 Jun. 1968 - 30 Apr. 1969
Control of vapor phase reaction kinetics to produce pigments by homogeneous nucleatio
Searching for the Kaluza-Klein Graviton in Bulk RS Models
The best-studied version of the RS1 model has all the Standard Model
particles confined to the TeV brane. However, recent variants have the Standard
Model fermions and gauge bosons located in the bulk five-dimensional spacetime.
We study the potential reach of the LHC in searching for the lightest KK
partner of the graviton in the most promising such models in which the
right-handed top is localized very near the TeV brane and the light fermions
are localized near the Planck brane. We consider both detection and the
establishment of the spin-2 nature of the resonance should it be found.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures - JHEP published version, figures added,
branching ratio correcte
On the sigma-model structure of type IIA supergravity action in doubled field approach
In this letter we describe how to string together the doubled field approach
by Cremmer, Julia, Lu and Pope with Pasti-Sorokin-Tonin technique to construct
the sigma-model-like action for type IIA supergravity. The relation of the
results with that of obtained in the context of searching for
Superstring/M-theory hidden symmetry group is discussed.Comment: 9 pp, LATEX; published in JETP Let
A model combining age, equivalent uniform dose and IL-8 may predict radiation esophagitis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer
Background and purpose
To study whether cytokine markers may improve predictive accuracy of radiation esophagitis (RE) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.
Materials and methods
A total of 129 patients with stage I-III NSCLC treated with radiotherapy (RT) from prospective studies were included. Thirty inflammatory cytokines were measured in platelet-poor plasma samples. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate the risk factors of RE. Stepwise Akaike information criterion (AIC) and likelihood ratio test were used to assess model predictions.
Results
Forty-nine of 129 patients (38.0%) developed grade â„2 RE. Univariate analysis showed that age, stage, concurrent chemotherapy, and eight dosimetric parameters were significantly associated with grade â„2 RE (p < 0.05). IL-4, IL-5, IL-8, IL-13, IL-15, IL-1α, TGFα and eotaxin were also associated with grade â„2 RE (p <0.1). Age, esophagus generalized equivalent uniform dose (EUD), and baseline IL-8 were independently associated grade â„2 RE. The combination of these three factors had significantly higher predictive power than any single factor alone. Addition of IL-8 to toxicity model significantly improves RE predictive accuracy (p = 0.019).
Conclusions
Combining baseline level of IL-8, age and esophagus EUD may predict RE more accurately. Refinement of this model with larger sample sizes and validation from multicenter database are warranted
Single-Brane Cosmological Solutions with a Stable Compact Extra Dimension
We consider 5-dimensional cosmological solutions of a single brane. The
correct cosmology on the brane, i.e., governed by the standard 4-dimensional
Friedmann equation, and stable compactification of the extra dimension is
guaranteed by the existence of a non-vanishing \hat{T}^5_5 which is
proportional to the 4-dimensional trace of the energy-momentum tensor. We show
that this component of the energy-momentum tensor arises from the backreaction
of the dilaton coupling to the brane. The same positive features are exhibited
in solutions found in the presence of non-vanishing cosmological constants both
on the brane (\Lambda_{br}) and in the bulk (\Lambda_B). Moreover, the
restoration of the Friedmann equation, with the correct sign, takes place for
both signs of so long as the sign of is opposite
in order to cancel the energy densities of the two cosmological
constants. We further extend our single-brane thin-wall solution to allow a
brane with finite thickness.Comment: 25 pages, Latex file, no figures, comments added, references updated,
final version to appear in Physical Review
Clergy work-related satisfactions in parochial ministry: the influence of personality and churchmanship
The aim of this study was to test several hypotheses that clergy work-related satisfaction could be better explained by a multidimensional rather than a unidimensional model. A sample of 1071 male stipendiary parochial clergy in the Church of England completed the Clergy Role Inventory, together with the short-form Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Factor analysis of the Clergy Role Inventory identified five separate clergy roles: Religious Instruction, Administration, Statutory Duties (conducting marriages and funerals), Pastoral Care, and Role Extension (including extra-parochial activities). Respondents also provided an indication of their predispositions on the catholic-evangelical and liberal-conservative dimensions. The significant associations of the satisfactions derived from each of the roles with the demographic, personality, and churchmanship variables were numerous, varied, and, with few exceptions, small in magnitude. Separate hierarchical regressions for each of the five roles indicated that the proportion of total variance explained by churchmanship was, in general, at least as great as that explained by personality, and was greater for three roles: Religious Instruction, Statutory Duties, and Role Extension. It was concluded that clergy satisfactions derived from different roles are not uniform and that churchmanship is at least as important as personality in accounting for clergy work satisfaction
String-Inspired Higher-Curvature Terms and the Randall-Sundrum Scenario
We consider the O(a') string effective action, with Gauss-Bonnet
curvature-squared and fourth-order dilaton-derivative terms, which is derived
by a matching procedure with string amplitudes in five space-time dimensions.
We show that a non-factorizable metric of the Randall-Sundrum (RS) type, with
four-dimensional conformal factor Exp(-2 k|z|), can be a solution of the
pertinent equations of motion. The parameter k is found proportional to the
string coupling g_s and thus the solution appears to be non-perturbative. It is
crucial that the Gauss-Bonnet combination has the right (positive in our
conventions) sign, relative to the Einstein term, which is the case
necessitated by compatibility with string (tree) amplitude computations. We
study the general solution for the dilaton and metric functions, and thus
construct the appropriate phase-space diagram in the solution space. In the
case of an anti-de-Sitter bulk, we demonstrate that there exists a continuous
interpolation between (part of) the RS solution at z=infinity and an
(integrable) naked singularity at z=0. This implies the dynamical formation of
domain walls (separated by an infinite distance), thus restricting the physical
bulk space time to the positive z axis. Some brief comments on the possibility
of fine-tuning the four-dimensional cosmological constant to zero are also
presented.Comment: 28 pages Latex, three eps figures incorporated, minor change
Cosmology of Supersymmetric Models with Low-energy Gauge Mediation
We study the cosmology of supersymmetric models in which the supersymmetry
breaking effects are mediated by gauge interactions at about the 10^5 GeV
scale. We first point out that the gravitino is likely to overclose the
Universe in this class of models. This requires an entropy production, which
prefers a baryogenesis mechanism at a relatively low temperature. The
Affleck-Dine mechanism for baryogenesis is one of the possibilities to generate
enough baryon asymmetry, but the analysis is non-trivial since the shape of the
potential for the flat direction differs substantially from the conventional
hidden sector case. To see this, we first perform a 2-loop calculation to
determine the shape of the potential. By combining the potential with the
supergravity contribution, we then find that the Affleck-Dine baryogenesis
works efficiently to generate sufficient baryon asymmetry. On the other hand,
we also point out that string moduli fields, if present, are stable and their
coherent oscillations overclose the Universe by more than 15 orders of
magnitude. One needs a very late inflationary period with an e-folding of N
\gtrsim 5 and an energy density of \lesssim (10^7 GeV)^4. A thermal inflation
is enough for this purpose. Fortunately, the Affleck-Dine baryogenesis is so
efficient that enough baryon asymmetry can survive the late inflation.Comment: 40 pages, LaTeX, epsf.st
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