Symmetric Dependence

Metaphysical orthodoxy maintains that the relation of ontological dependence is irreflexive, asymmetric, and transitive. The goal of this paper is to challenge that orthodoxy by arguing that ontological dependence should be understood as non- symmetric, rather than asymmetric. If we give up the asymmetry of dependence, interesting things follow for what we can say about metaphysical explanation— particularly for the prospects of explanatory holism

Advanced Artificial Intelligence: Policy and Strategy

AI technology has the potential to bring huge benefits to society. It is also possible that advanced Artificial General Intelligence – AI capable of performing at or above human level on a wide range of tasks – could be highly destructive, as discussed by an increasing number of experts in the field. There are many misconceptions about the field of AI and its potential dangers. The problem is not that an AI system will suddenly develop human-like emotions of anger or resentment and ‘rebel’. Rather the issues are more subtle. How can we reliably predict the behaviour of an AI system? How can we specify the goals of a system such that we avoid unanticipated side-effects? How do we ensure that those developing advanced AI are paying sufficient attention to ensuring safety, and avoid arms-race dynamics? Current technology is still a long way from human-level general intelligence, but with high stakes involved we cannot afford to proceed via trial and error and must begin to engage with these issues now. Actions that can be taken immediately include: increasing research in relevant areas of policy and computer science; setting up structures such as regular conferences to improve information flow between policymakers, academia and industry on this topic; mapping possible future scenarios and planning appropriate responses; and investing in technologies that improve our ability to forecast future events such as prediction markets

Beyond Pederasty: Finding Models for Adult Male Homosexuality in Classical Athens

Modern discourse on homosexuality in Classical Athens has been dominated by the discussion of pederasty, a homoerotic relationship between a younger boy and an older man. Scholars base their work on a huge body of ancient evidence, especially vase imagery and textual sources. Little has been said about how Athenians viewed non-pederastic erotic relationships between adult male peers. I have considered this question, attempting to set aside the pederastic framework which scholars have used almost exclusively. To narrow the range of ancient evidence, I have looked closely at the development of two pairs – Achilles and Patroclus and Harmodius and Aristogeiton – through images and texts from the Archaic and Classical periods in Greece. I propose that the stories of these mythohistorical characters possibly reflect a tolerance for adult male homosexuality in Classical Athens

Nonassociative geometry in representation categories of quasi-Hopf algebras

It has been understood that quantum spacetime may be non-geometric in the sense that its phase space algebra is noncommutative and nonassociative. It has therefore been of interest to develop a formalism to describe differential geometry on non-geometric spaces. Many of these spaces would fi t naturally as commutative algebra objects in representation categories of triangular quasi-Hopf algebras because they arise as cochain twist deformations of classical manifolds. In this thesis we develop in a systematic fashion a description of differential geometry on commutative algebra objects internal to the representation category of an arbitrary triangular quasi-Hopf algebra. We show how to express well known geometrical concepts such as tensor fields, differential calculi, connections and curvatures in terms of internal homomorphisms using universal categorical constructions in a closed braided monoidal category to capture algebraic properties such as Leibniz rules. This internal description is an invaluable perspective for physics enabling one to construct geometrical quantities with dynamical content and con guration spaces as large as those in the corresponding classical theories. We also provide morphisms which lift connections to tensor products and tensor elds. Working in the simplest setting of trivial vector bundles we obtain explicit expressions for connections and their curvatures on noncommutative and nonassociative vector bundles. We demonstrate how to apply our formalism to the construction of a physically viable action functional for Einstein-Cartan gravity on noncommutative and nonassociative spaces as a step towards understanding the effect of nonassociative deformations of spacetime geometry on models of quantum gravity

Book Review: \u3ci\u3eThe Gender of Memory\u3c/i\u3e

Gail Hershatter and her Shaanxi-native research collaborator Gao Xiaoxian (of the Shaanxi Provincial Women’s Federation) spent ten years interviewing 72 women and a few men in rural Shaanxi province in northwest China. The Gender of Memory, Hershatter’s sole-authored product of this joint effort, fills a crucial gap in historiography of the 1950s, providing the first personal stories of land reform, the 1950 Marriage Law, collectivization, and the Great Leap Forward. Moreover, through incisive gender analysis, Hershatter illustrates how gender determined not only how Chinese women and men lived their lives, but also how they remember them. Whereas male interviewees used political events as the primary signposts of their lives, women tabulated their life narratives with personal events such as marriage, childbirth, and family deaths, sometimes re-ordering or re-naming political campaigns

A Three-Factor Model of Personality Predicts Changes in Depression and Subjective Well-Being Following Positive Psychology Interventions

These studies investigated a new model of personality and its relationship to positive psychology interventions. Previous theoretical models and research into the structure of personality has seen disagreement concerning the true number of factors at the basis of personality. Furthermore, the link between personality and positive psychology interventions has been unclear. The following studies were undertaken to determine the structure of personality in a Canadian sample (N = 4375 at baseline) and to investigate how these personality factors predict depression, satisfaction with life, and affect following positive psychology interventions. Participants were recruited online and randomly assigned to one of ten exercise conditions which were performed every day for one week. Follow-ups were conducted one, three, and six months later. Using half of the sample (n = 2188), exploratory factor analysis was conducted on a comprehensive battery of personality questionnaires, which included measures of extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness to experience (the five-factor model) in addition to neediness, self-criticism, efficacy, self-esteem, gratitude, self-compassion, and attachment styles. The resulting three-factor model was validated using confirmatory factor analysis with the second half of the sample (n = 2186). The best fitting model for personality involved a three-factor solution interpreted to represent Equanimity, Insecurity, and Agency. The factors were then included in a latent growth curve model to determine how personality interacted with positive psychology interventions to predict depression and subjective well-being, both at baseline and over time. The results support the validity of a three-factor model of personality. In addition, this model proved useful in the study of individual differences in responding to positive psychology interventions. Limitations of this research and future directions are discussed

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CREATE WINDFALL OF OPPORTUNITY FOR ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT OF MIXED NORTHERN HARDWOODS

The regeneration and reorganization of organisms and their habitat post-disturbance is a primary mechanism by which ecosystems maintain functionality in a changing environment. This adaptation to disturbance lends dynamism and resiliency to landscapes. Yet, the 20th century was marked by an alarming loss of global biodiversity, pointing to the likelihood that the rate of ecological disturbance generated by human systems today is either too frequent or too intense to be beneficial to ecosystems, and rather poses a risk to ecosystem functionality and the carrying capacity of Earth systems. Compounding these risks is high uncertainty regarding the potential for stronger, more frequent occurrences of natural disturbances as the planet\u27s atmosphere warms. Observing and documenting forest responses to natural disturbances provides opportunity to adapt conventional natural resources management to ecosystem-based management. The objective of this study was to document forest response to a severe thunderstorm disturbance in mixed northern hardwoods, and to assess the effects of single tree selection harvest on gap opening and community succession in maple (Acer saccharum) dominated stands. For this research, I measured forest canopy response to intermediate storm disturbance using aerial imagery and compared gap morphology of northern hardwood forests across a spectrum of prior human disturbance (primary old growth, unmanaged second growth, and working second growth timber stands). This research provides evidence that single tree selection harvest in second growth forests creates more open canopy than in old growth forest, but gaps are smaller, more frequently distributed, and close rapidly. Severe thunderstorm disturbance did not increase mean gap size in stands with recent single tree selection harvest, indicating this harvest method effectively replaces storm damage as the primary disturbance mechanism the forest depends on for gap regeneration. I surveyed storm damage and seedling regeneration in 14 maple-basswood storm gaps and found basswood (Tilia americana) to be especially vulnerable to tree fall, robust sugar maple regeneration at all sites, and the potential origination for a yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) grove where single tree selection and natural wind disturbance coincided. I monitored microsite climate and coarse wood mass and volume in a subset of gaps and forest interior locations and found evidence that Acer seedlings outcompeted other species across a wide range of understory light availability. Thunderstorm disturbance resulted in the deposition of an immense volume of coarse woody debris in gap habitats. Finally, I used stable isotopes to quantify the retention of carbon (C) in coarse woody debris and the proportion transferred to soil after a hypothetical treefall disturbance. My research indicates up to 10% of log C transferred to soil after six years decomposition, but C pathways were highly variable across sites. Findings detailed in the following chapters support the conclusion that single tree selection management of second growth maple-basswood stands is effective in promoting robust Acer seedling regeneration in the western Upper Peninsula. Single tree selection was also found to moderately improve species richness among seedlings compared to unmanaged second growth, likely due to greater canopy richness. However, seedling species evenness was poor across second growth stands regardless of management or storm disturbance. These results emphasize the importance of adapting ecosystem-based management practices within single tree selection methods. Maximizing the retention of diverse canopy tree species as seed trees can facilitate more diverse regeneration in mixed northern hardwood timber stands. Cutting larger, less frequent gaps would better mimic canopy-gap mosaics of old growth forest, and extend the time period of elevated light availability to foster in-gap regrowth and recruitment. In storm gaps, as the fallen trees decompose new substrates will be available for seed germination and may improve community recruitment over time. In unmanaged second-growth hardwood stands with low canopy diversity, planting may be necessary to improve community diversity, and storm gaps provide light-rich environments where such attempts may be most successful