1,228 research outputs found
Reasoning and Self-Knowledge
What is the relation between reasoning and self-knowledge? According to Shoemaker (1988), a certain kind of reasoning requires self-knowledge: we cannot rationally revise our beliefs without knowing that we have them, in part because we cannot see that there is a problem with an inconsistent set of propositions unless we are aware of believing them. In this paper, I argue that this view is mistaken. A second account, versions of which can be found in Shoemaker (1988 and 2009) and Byrne (2005), claims that we can reason our way from belief about the world to self-knowledge about such belief. While Shoemakerâs âzany argumentâ fails to show how such reasoning can issue in self-knowledge, Byrneâs account, which centres on the epistemic rule âIf p, believe that you believe that pâ, is more successful. Two interesting objections are that the epistemic rule embodies a mad inference (Boyle 2011) and that it makes us form first-order beliefs, rather than revealing them (Gertler 2011). I sketch responses to both objections
Reexamining the Impact of System Use on Job Performance from the Perspective of Adaptive System Use
Prior research with regard to the relationship between system use and job performance has been inconsistent. Some research found that system use has significant impact on job performance, as anticipated; other research does not confirm such a relationship. In this paper, we try to bridge this inconsistency by attributing this inconsistency to the simply conceptualized and measured system use construct. Subsequently, we introduce a âricherâ conceptualization of system use, namely adaptive system use, and we examine its relationship with job performance. We suggest that adaptive system use accounts for a significant part of the impact of system use on job performance. Using a sample of 274 MS Office users, we were able to confirm that adaptive system use has significant impact on task productivity, management control, and task innovation. This research has implications for both research and practice
Percolation thresholds and fractal dimensions for square and cubic lattices with long-range correlated defects
We study long-range power-law correlated disorder on square and cubic
lattices. In particular, we present high-precision results for the percolation
thresholds and the fractal dimension of the largest clusters as function of the
correlation strength. The correlations are generated using a discrete version
of the Fourier filtering method. We consider two different metrics to set the
length scales over which the correlations decay, showing that the percolation
thresholds are highly sensitive to such system details. By contrast, we verify
that the fractal dimension is a universal quantity and unaffected
by the choice of metric. We also show that for weak correlations, its value
coincides with that for the uncorrelated system. In two dimensions we observe a
clear increase of the fractal dimension with increasing correlation strength,
approaching . The onset of this change does not seem to
be determined by the extended Harris criterion.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure
A screen for bacterial endosymbionts in the model organisms Tribolium castaneum, T. confusum, Callosobruchus maculatus, and related species
Reproductive parasites such as Wolbachia are extremely widespread amongst the arthropods and can have a large influence over the reproduction and fitness of their hosts. Undetected infections could thus confound the results of a wide range of studies that focus on aspects of host behavior, reproduction, fitness, and degrees of reproductive isolation. This potential problem has already been underlined by work investigating the incidence of Wolbachia infections in stocks of the model system Drosophila melanogaster. Here we survey a range of lab stocks of further commonly used model arthropods, focusing especially on the flour beetles Tribolium castaneum and Tribolium confusum, the cowpea weevil Callosobruchus maculatus and related species (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae and Bruchidae). These species are widespread stored product pests so knowledge of infections with symbionts further has potential use in informing biocontrol measures. Beetles were assessed for infection with 3 known microbial reproductive parasites: Wolbachia, Rickettsia, Spiroplasma. Infections with some of these microbes were found in some of the lab stocks studied, although overall infections were relatively rare. The consequences of finding infections in these or other species and the type of previous studies likely to be affected most are discussed
A screen for bacterial endosymbionts in the model organisms Tribolium castaneum, T. confusum, Callosobruchus maculatus, and related species
Reproductive parasites such as Wolbachia are extremely widespread amongst the arthropods and can have a large influence over the reproduction and fitness of their hosts. Undetected infections could thus confound the results of a wide range of studies that focus on aspects of host behavior, reproduction, fitness, and degrees of reproductive isolation. This potential problem has already been underlined by work investigating the incidence of Wolbachia infections in stocks of the model system Drosophila melanogaster. Here we survey a range of lab stocks of further commonly used model arthropods, focusing especially on the flour beetles Tribolium castaneum and Tribolium confusum, the cowpea weevil Callosobruchus maculatus and related species (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae and Bruchidae). These species are widespread stored product pests so knowledge of infections with symbionts further has potential use in informing biocontrol measures. Beetles were assessed for infection with 3 known microbial reproductive parasites: Wolbachia, Rickettsia, Spiroplasma. Infections with some of these microbes were found in some of the lab stocks studied, although overall infections were relatively rare. The consequences of finding infections in these or other species and the type of previous studies likely to be affected most are discussed
Endogeneity and non-response bias in treatment evaluation - nonparametric identification of causal effects by instruments
This paper proposes a nonparametric method for evaluating treatment effects in the presence of both treatment endogeneity and attrition/non-response bias, using two instrumental variables. Making use of a discrete instrument for the treatment and a continuous instrument for nonresponse/attrition, we identify the average treatment effect on compliers as well as the total population and suggest non- and semiparametric estimators. We apply the latter to a randomized experiment at a Swiss University in order to estimate the effect of gym training on studentsâș selfassessed health. The treatment (gym training) and attrition are instrumented by randomized cash incentives paid out conditional on gym visits and by a cash lottery for participating in the follow-up survey, respectively
Support Vector Machine Classifiers Show High Generalizability in Automatic Fall Detection in Older Adults
Falls are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in neurological disorders. Technical means of detecting falls are of high interest as they enable rapid notification of caregivers and emergency services. Such approaches must reliably differentiate between normal daily activities and fall events. A promising technique might be based on the classification of movements based on accelerometer signals by machine-learning algorithms, but the generalizability of classifiers trained on laboratory data to real-world datasets is a common issue. Here, three machine-learning algorithms including Support Vector Machine (SVM), k-Nearest Neighbors (kNN), and Random Forest (RF) were trained to detect fall events. We used a dataset containing intentional falls (SisFall) to train the classifier and validated the approach on a different dataset which included real-world accidental fall events of elderly people (FARSEEING). The results suggested that the linear SVM was the most suitable classifier in this cross-dataset validation approach and reliably distinguished a fall event from normal everyday activity at an accuracy of 93% and similarly high sensitivity and specificity. Thus, classifiers based on linear SVM might be useful for automatic fall detection in real-world applications
Ătica ambiental para la ciudad
What does environmental ethics have to say about the urban context? Is the city an environment that has only negative value or is it possible, and in fact necessary, to develop ethical recommendations about how to design it? In this paper, I argue for the second of these disjuncts and sketch some ideas for an environmental city ethics. I try to show that the most important principle of such an ethics is procedural: anyone affected by a decision about the urban environment must have the possibility to participate in the process of making it. This principle has certain preconditions and there are also limitations on its applicability. For example, it is plausible that there are certain ecocentric ethical obligations, which are valid independently of the implementation of the principle. I sketch an idea for how a cityâs green areas can help to raise citizensâ awareness of these obligations.
ÂżQueÌ se puede decir, desde la eÌtica ambiental, acerca del contexto urbano? ÂżSe trata de un ambiente uÌnicamente con valor negativo o es posible, e incluso necesario, desarrollar recomendaciones eÌticas sobre coÌmo disenÌarlo? En este texto argumento en favor de la segunda afirmacioÌn y esbozo algunas ideas respecto de una eÌtica ambiental para la ciudad. Defiendo que el principio maÌs importante es procedimental: toda persona afectada debe tener la posibilidad de participar en la toma de las decisiones sobre el ambiente urbano. Este principio tiene ciertas precondiciones y tambieÌn algunas restricciones. Por ejemplo, es plausible pensar en obligaciones eÌticas ecoceÌntricas vaÌlidas independientemente de la implementacioÌn del principio. Esbozo coÌmo las aÌreas verdes de una ciudad pueden ayudar a sensibilizar a los citadinos con estas obligaciones
ÂżBEL o Bypass? Dos teorĂas de la transparencia del autoconocimiento
Alex Byrne and Jordi FernĂĄndez propose two different versions of a transparency theory of self-knowledge. According to Byrne, we self-attribute beliefs by an inference from what we take to be facts about the world (following a rule he calls BEL). According to FernĂĄndez, we self-attribute the belief that p on the basis of a prior mental state, a state which constitutes our grounds for the belief that p (thereby realizing a procedure he calls Bypass). In this paper, I present the two theories in outline and discuss various objections concerning their normative (Can the procedure give us knowledge?) and metaphysical aspects (Is the procedure functional?). I conclude that especially the metaphysical objections against Bypass are somewhat more difficult to counter than those against BEL and that the modifications required of FernĂĄndezâs theory make it very similar to Byrneâs.
Alex Byrne y Jordi FernĂĄndez proponen dos diferentes versiones de la teorĂa de la transparencia del autoconocimiento. SegĂșn Byrne, para autoatribuir creencias inferimos quĂ© es lo que creemos a partir lo que tomamos como hechos sobre el mundo (siguiendo una regla que Byrne llama BEL). SegĂșn FernĂĄndez, autoatribuimos la creencia de que p con base en un estado anterior a esta creencia, un estado que fundamenta la creencia de que p (realizando un procedimiento que Ă©l llama Bypass). En este artĂculo expongo las dos teorĂas y discuto objeciones que conciernen su aspecto normativo (Âżpuede el procedimiento darnos conocimiento?) y metafĂsico (Âżes funcional el procedimiento?). Concluyo que en especial las objeciones metafĂsicas son mĂĄs graves en el caso de Bypass que en el de BEL y que las modificaciones requeridas de la teorĂa de FernĂĄndez la asemejan mucho a la de Byrne
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