2,207 research outputs found
AAAI: an Argument Against Artificial Intelligence
The ethical concerns regarding the successful development of an Artificial Intelligence have received a lot of attention lately. The idea is that even if we have good reason to believe that it is very unlikely, the mere possibility of an AI causing extreme human suffering is important enough to warrant serious consideration. Others look at this problem from the opposite perspective, namely that of the AI itself. Here the idea is that even if we have good reason to believe that it is very unlikely, the mere possibility of humanity causing extreme suffering to an AI is important enough to warrant serious consideration. This paper starts from the observation that both concerns rely on problematic philosophical assumptions. Rather than tackling these assumptions directly, it proceeds to present an argument that if one takes these assumptions seriously, then one has a moral obligation to advocate for a ban on the development of a conscious AI
Doing science: how to get credit for your scientific work.
Everyone deserves to be acknowledged for their efforts and contributions to a shared goal, and getting credit for your scientific work should be part of a natural process and should be fair and straightforward. However, credit cannot be objectively measured despite it having a big influence and, unfortunately, getting appropriate credit can occasionally be both complicated and challenging
Simplifying Algebra in Feynman Graphs, Part III: Massive Vectors
A T-dualized selfdual inspired formulation of massive vector fields coupled
to arbitrary matter is generated; subsequently its perturbative series modeling
a spontaneously broken gauge theory is analyzed. The new Feynman rules and
external line factors are chirally minimized in the sense that only one type of
spin index occurs in the rules. Several processes are examined in detail and
the cross-sections formulated in this approach. A double line formulation of
the Lorentz algebra for Feynman diagrams is produced in this formalism, similar
to color ordering, which follows from a spin ordering of the Feynman rules. The
new double line formalism leads to further minimization of gauge invariant
scattering in perturbation theory. The dualized electroweak model is also
generated.Comment: 39 pages, LaTeX, 8 figure
Shared visiting in Equator city
In this paper we describe an infrastructure and prototype system for sharing of visiting experiences across multiple media. The prototype supports synchronous co-visiting by physical and digital visitors, with digital access via either the World Wide Web or 3-dimensional graphics
Can biological quantum networks solve NP-hard problems?
There is a widespread view that the human brain is so complex that it cannot
be efficiently simulated by universal Turing machines. During the last decades
the question has therefore been raised whether we need to consider quantum
effects to explain the imagined cognitive power of a conscious mind.
This paper presents a personal view of several fields of philosophy and
computational neurobiology in an attempt to suggest a realistic picture of how
the brain might work as a basis for perception, consciousness and cognition.
The purpose is to be able to identify and evaluate instances where quantum
effects might play a significant role in cognitive processes.
Not surprisingly, the conclusion is that quantum-enhanced cognition and
intelligence are very unlikely to be found in biological brains. Quantum
effects may certainly influence the functionality of various components and
signalling pathways at the molecular level in the brain network, like ion
ports, synapses, sensors, and enzymes. This might evidently influence the
functionality of some nodes and perhaps even the overall intelligence of the
brain network, but hardly give it any dramatically enhanced functionality. So,
the conclusion is that biological quantum networks can only approximately solve
small instances of NP-hard problems.
On the other hand, artificial intelligence and machine learning implemented
in complex dynamical systems based on genuine quantum networks can certainly be
expected to show enhanced performance and quantum advantage compared with
classical networks. Nevertheless, even quantum networks can only be expected to
efficiently solve NP-hard problems approximately. In the end it is a question
of precision - Nature is approximate.Comment: 38 page
Bronchiectasis insanity:Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?
Bronchiectasis is an increasingly common disease with a significant impact on quality of life and morbidity of affected patients. It is also a very heterogeneous disease with numerous different underlying etiologies and presentations. Most treatments for bronchiectasis are based on low-quality evidence; consequently, no treatments have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration or the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of bronchiectasis. The last several years have seen numerous clinical trials in which the investigational agent, thought to hold great promise, did not demonstrate a clinically or statistically significant benefit. This commentary will review the likely reasons for these disappointing results and a potential approach that may have a greater likelihood of defining evidence-based treatment for bronchiectasis
Families of N=2 Strings
In a given 4d spacetime bakcground, one can often construct not one but a
family of distinct N=2 string theories. This is due to the multiple ways N=2
superconformal algebra can be embedded in a given worldsheet theory. We
formulate the principle of obtaining different physical theories by gauging
different embeddings of the same symmetry algebra in the same ``pre-theory.''
We then apply it to N=2 strings and formulate the recipe for finding the
associated parameter spaces of gauging. Flat and curved target spaces of both
(4,0) and (2,2) signatures are considered. We broadly divide the gauging
choices into two classes, denoted by alpha and beta, and show them to be
related by T-duality. The distinction between them is formulated topologically
and hinges on some unique properties of 4d manifolds. We determine what their
parameter spaces of gauging are under certain simplicity ansatz for generic
flat spaces (R^4 and its toroidal compactifications) as well as some curved
spaces. We briefly discuss the spectra of D-branes for both alpha and beta
families.Comment: 66+1 pages, 2 tables, latex 2e, hyperref. ver2: typos corrected,
reference adde
Holographic Normal Ordering and Multi-particle States in the AdS/CFT Correspondence
The general correlator of composite operators of N=4 supersymmetric gauge
field theory is divergent. We introduce a means for renormalizing these
correlators by adding a boundary theory on the AdS space correcting for the
divergences. Such renormalizations are not equivalent to the standard normal
ordering of current algebras in two dimensions. The correlators contain contact
terms that contribute to the OPE; we relate them diagrammatically to
correlation functions of compound composite operators dual to multi-particle
states.Comment: 18 pages, one equation corr., further comments and refs. adde
Assessment innovation and student experience: a new assessment challenge and call for a multi-perspective approach to assessment research
The impact of innovative assessment on student experience in higher education is a neglected research topic. This represents an important gap in the literature given debate around the marketization of higher education, international focus on student satisfaction measurement tools and political calls to put students at the heart of higher education in the UK. This paper reports on qualitative findings from a research project examining the impact of assessment preferences and familiarity on student attainment and experience. It argues that innovation is defined by the student, shaped by diverse assessment experiences and preferences and therefore its impact is difficult to predict. It proposes that future innovations must explore assessment choice mechanisms which allow students to shape their own assessments. Cultural change and staff development will be required to achieve this. To be accepted, assessment for student experience must be viewed as a complementary layer within a complex multi perspective model of assessment which also embraces assessment of learning, assessment for learning and assessment for life long learning. Further research is required to build a meta theory of assessment to enhance the synergies between these alternative approaches and to minimise tensions between them
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