The Cradle of Humanity: A Psychological and Phenomenological Perspective

We present an account of the evolutionary development of the experiences of empathy that marked the beginning of morality and art. We argue that aesthetic and moral capacities provided an important foundation for later epistemic developments. The distinction between phenomenal consciousness and attention is discussed, and a role for phenomenology in cognitive archeology is justified-critical sources of evidence used in our analysis are based on the archeological record. We claim that what made our species unique was a form of meditative and empathic thinking that made large-scale human cooperation possible through pre-linguistic, empathic communication. A critical aspect of this proposal is that the transformation that led to the dawn of our species was not initially driven by semantic or epistemic factors, although clearly, these factors increased the gap between us and other species dramatically later on. Our proposal suggests that recent philosophy of mind and psychology might have "epistemicized" phenomenal consciousness too much by construing it in terms of semantic content rather than by describing it in terms of empathic and meditative thinking. Instead of the prevailing approach, we favor the type of subjectivity that is fundamentally "other-involving" as essential, because on our account, a necessary condition for subjectivity is the empathic understanding of other individuals' psychology, not through inference or judgment, but through immediate conscious engagement

Interference in Exclusive Vector Meson Production in Heavy Ion Collisions

Photons emitted from the electromagnetic fields of relativistic heavy ions can fluctuate into quark anti-quark pairs and scatter from a target nucleus, emerging as vector mesons. These coherent interactions are identifiable by final states consisting of the two nuclei and a vector meson with a small transverse momentum. The emitters and targets can switch roles, and the two possibilities are indistinguishable, so interference may occur. Vector mesons are negative parity so the amplitudes have opposite signs. When the meson transverse wavelength is larger than the impact parameter, the interference is large and destructive. The short-lived vector mesons decay before amplitudes from the two sources can overlap, and so cannot interfere directly. However, the decay products are emitted in an entangled state, and the interference depends on observing the complete final state. The non-local wave function is an example of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox.Comment: 13 pages with 3 figures; submitted to Physical Review Letter

Cassini UVIS Observations of the Io Plasma Torus. IV. Modeling Temporal and Azimuthal Variability

In this fourth paper in a series, we present a model of the remarkable temporal and azimuthal variability of the Io plasma torus observed during the Cassini encounter with Jupiter. Over a period of three months, the Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) observed a dramatic variation in the average torus composition. Superimposed on this long-term variation, is a 10.07-hour periodicity caused by an azimuthal variation in plasma composition subcorotating relative to System III longitude. Quite surprisingly, the amplitude of the azimuthal variation appears to be modulated at the beat frequency between the System III period and the observed 10.07-hour period. Previously, we have successfully modeled the months-long compositional change by supposing a factor of three increase in the amount of material supplied to Io's extended neutral clouds. Here, we extend our torus chemistry model to include an azimuthal dimension. We postulate the existence of two azimuthal variations in the number of super-thermal electrons in the torus: a primary variation that subcorotates with a period of 10.07 hours and a secondary variation that remains fixed in System III longitude. Using these two hot electron variations, our model can reproduce the observed temporal and azimuthal variations observed by Cassini UVIS.Comment: Revised 24 August 2007 Accepted by Icarus, 50 pages, 2 Tables, 8 figure

Trumpeting M Dwarfs with CONCH-SHELL: a Catalog of Nearby Cool Host-Stars for Habitable ExopLanets and Life

We present an all-sky catalog of 2970 nearby ($d \lesssim 50$ pc), bright ($J< 9$) M- or late K-type dwarf stars, 86% of which have been confirmed by spectroscopy. This catalog will be useful for searches for Earth-size and possibly Earth-like planets by future space-based transit missions and ground-based infrared Doppler radial velocity surveys. Stars were selected from the SUPERBLINK proper motion catalog according to absolute magnitudes, spectra, or a combination of reduced proper motions and photometric colors. From our spectra we determined gravity-sensitive indices, and identified and removed 0.2% of these as interloping hotter or evolved stars. Thirteen percent of the stars exhibit H-alpha emission, an indication of stellar magnetic activity and possible youth. The mean metallicity is [Fe/H] = -0.07 with a standard deviation of 0.22 dex, similar to nearby solar-type stars. We determined stellar effective temperatures by least-squares fitting of spectra to model predictions calibrated by fits to stars with established bolometric temperatures, and estimated radii, luminosities, and masses using empirical relations. Six percent of stars with images from integral field spectra are resolved doubles. We inferred the planet population around M dwarfs using $Kepler$ data and applied this to our catalog to predict detections by future exoplanet surveys.Comment: Accepted to MNRAS 22 figures, 3 tables, 2 electronic tables. Electronic tables are available as links on this pag

Diet of the endangered big-headed turtle \u3cem\u3ePlatysternon megacephalum\u3c/em\u3e

Populations of the big-headed turtle Platysternon megacephalum are declining at unprecedented rates across most of its distribution in Southeast Asia owing to unsustainable harvest for pet, food, and Chinese medicine markets. Research on Asian freshwater turtles becomes more challenging as populations decline and basic ecological information is needed to inform conservation efforts. We examined fecal samples collected from P. megacephalum in five streams in Hong Kong to quantify the diet, and we compared the germination success of ingested and uningested seeds. Fruits, primarily of Machilus spp., were most frequently consumed, followed by insects, plant matter, crabs and mollusks. The niche breadth of adults was wider than that of juveniles. Diet composition differed between sites, which may be attributable to the history of illegal trapping at some sites, which reduced the proportion of larger and older individuals. Digestion of Machilus spp. fruits by P. megacephalum enhanced germination success of seeds by about 30%. However, most digested seeds are likely defecated in water in this highly aquatic species, which limits the potential benefit to dispersal. The results of our study can be used by conservation-related captive breeding programs to ensure a more optimal diet is provided to captive P. megacephalum

Movement and habitat use of headstarted Blanding’s turtles in Michigan

Captive breeding or headstarting is a management option to increase population numbers in threatened and endangered animals. The success of these programs depends on increasing population numbers while maintaining fitness within populations that contain some captiveâ reared individuals. As part of an ongoing conservation project with Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR) in Saginaw, Michigan, USA, the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) headstarted Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) to 18 months of age. To determine survival, movements, and habitat use of these headstarted Blanding’s turtles, we externally attached radioâ transmitters to 24 turtles and released them at 4 sites in release groups of 6 along a transect in a wetland within SNWR during June 2014. We located turtles weekly during the active season (Mayâ Sep) and every 2 weeks during the inactive season (Octâ Apr) for 18 months, starting immediately after release and ending November 2015. We calculated straightâ line distances between release sites and home range centers over the study period. We examined habitat use of the turtles in relation to habitat availability. To predict movement of headstarted Blanding’s turtles away from release sites, we used geographically weighted regression (GWR) with measured habitat factors and release sites as independent variables. There were differences in home range sizes across release groups but not between years. Headstarted juvenile Blanding’s turtles in this study have home range sizes similar to those measured in other studies for wildâ hatched juveniles but smaller home ranges than those measured for wildâ hatched adults. Our study showed that headstarted Blanding’s turtles used habitats with muskrat (Ondatra zibethica) dens and cattails (Typha spp.) more than proportionally available, and used open water, willows (Salix spp.), and lowland forest less than proportionally available. The GWR model was able to predict habitat characteristics (water depth and temperature, duckweed [Lemna minor], cattails, muskrat dens and fields, buttonbush [Cephalanthus occidentalis]) that influenced the movement of turtles away from the release sites. The habitat coefficient’s influence on movement varied in relation to the current location of the turtle and as habitat characteristics increased or decreased. Turtle distance from release sites decreased as water depth, water temperature, and duckweed increased, and increased as cattails, muskrat dens and fields, and buttonbush increased. Habitat in the small spatial extent at release sites may affect movement of headstarted Blanding’s turtles. Furthermore, this study uses novel methodologies for assessing headstart programs that can aid future conservation and management efforts by providing information on habitat use and movement patterns of headstarted Blanding’s turtles after release. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.We aimed to determine survival, movements, habitat use in relation to availability, and impact of release sites on 18â monthâ old headstarted Blanding’s turtles by releasing them at 4 different sites in Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge. We showed high survival of the headstarted Blanding’s turtles, reported differences in home range size across release groups, and used geographically weighted regression to explain how turtle distance from release sites varies by measured habitat characteristics; we concluded that habitat characteristics in the small spatial extent at release sites affect movement and space use of headstarted Blanding’s turtles.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145553/1/jwmg21530.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145553/2/jwmg21530_am.pd

Building WF16: construction of a PPNA pisé structure in Southern Jordan

The Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) period in Southwest Asia is essential for our understanding of the transition to sedentary, agricultural communities. Developments in architecture are key to understanding this transition, but many aspects of PPNA architecture remain elusive, such as construction techniques, the selection of building materials, and the functional use of space. The primary aim of the research described within this contribution was to build a PPNA-like structure in order to answer questions about PPNA architecture in general, while specifically addressing issues raised by the excavation of structures at the site of WF16, Southern Jordan. The second aim was to display a ‘PPNA’ building to visitors in Wadi Faynan to enhance their understanding of the period. The experimental construction based on one of the WF16 structures showed that 1) required materials can be acquired locally; 2) a construction technique using mud layers as described in this paper was likely used; 3) flat, or very slightly dome-shaped, roofs are functional and can also be used as a solid working platform; 4) the WF16 small semi-subterranean buildings appear inappropriate for housing a nuclear family unit

The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2016 : dynamical modeling of velocity-resolved Hβ lags in luminous Seyfert galaxies

K.H. acknowledges support from STFC grant ST/R000824/1.We have modeled the velocity-resolved reverberation response of the Hβ broad emission line in nine Seyfert 1 galaxies from the Lick Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) Monitoring Project 2016 sample, drawing inferences on the geometry and structure of the low-ionization broad-line region (BLR) and the mass of the central supermassive black hole. Overall, we find that the Hβ BLR is generally a thick disk viewed at low to moderate inclination angles. We combine our sample with prior studies and investigate line-profile shape dependence, such as log10(FWHM/σ), on BLR structure and kinematics and search for any BLR luminosity-dependent trends. We find marginal evidence for an anticorrelation between the profile shape of the broad Hβ emission line and the Eddington ratio, when using the rms spectrum. However, we do not find any luminosity-dependent trends, and conclude that AGNs have diverse BLR structure and kinematics, consistent with the hypothesis of transient AGN/BLR conditions rather than systematic trends.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe