95 research outputs found
Theories of Reference: What Was the Question?
The new theory of reference has won popularity. However, a number of noted philosophers have also attempted to reply to the critical arguments of Kripke and others, and aimed to vindicate the description theory of reference. Such responses are often based on ingenious novel kinds of descriptions, such as rigidified descriptions, causal descriptions, and metalinguistic descriptions. This prolonged debate raises the doubt whether different parties really have any shared understanding of what the central question of the philosophical theory of reference is: what is the main question to which descriptivism and the causal-historical theory have presented competing answers. One aim of the paper is to clarify this issue. The most influential objections to the new theory of reference are critically reviewed. Special attention is also paid to certain important later advances in the new theory of reference, due to Devitt and others
Ethylene supports colonization of plant roots by the mutualistic fungus Piriformospora indica
The mutualistic basidiomycete Piriformospora indica colonizes roots of mono- and dicotyledonous plants, and thereby improves plant health and yield. Given the capability of P. indica to colonize a broad range of hosts, it must be anticipated that the fungus has evolved efficient strategies to overcome plant immunity and to establish a proper environment for nutrient acquisition and reproduction. Global gene expression studies in barley identified various ethylene synthesis and signaling components that were differentially regulated in P. indica-colonized roots. Based on these findings we examined the impact of ethylene in the symbiotic association. The data presented here suggest that P. indica induces ethylene synthesis in barley and Arabidopsis roots during colonization. Moreover, impaired ethylene signaling resulted in reduced root colonization, Arabidopsis mutants exhibiting constitutive ethylene signaling, -synthesis or ethylene-related defense were hyper-susceptible to P. indica. Our data suggest that ethylene signaling is required for symbiotic root colonization by P. indica
Cutaneous lesions of the nose
Skin diseases on the nose are seen in a variety of medical disciplines. Dermatologists, otorhinolaryngologists, general practitioners and general plastic and dermatologic surgeons are regularly consulted regarding cutaneous lesions on the nose. This article is the second part of a review series dealing with cutaneous lesions on the head and face, which are frequently seen in daily practice by a dermatologic surgeon. In this review, we focus on those skin diseases on the nose where surgery or laser therapy is considered a possible treatment option or that can be surgically evaluated
Stochastic Modeling of the Effects of Large-Scale Circulation on Daily Weather in the Southeastern U.S.
Variability in storm climate along the Gulf of Cadiz: the role of large scale atmospheric forcing and implications to coastal hazards
In the context of increased coastal hazards due
to variability in storminess patterns, the danger of coastal
damages and/or morphological changes is related to the
sum of sea level conditions, storm surge, maximum wave
height and run up values. In order to better understand the
physical processes that cause the variability of the above
parameters a 44 years reanalysis record (HIPOCAS) was
used. The HIPOCAS time-series was validated with real
wave and sea-level data using linear and vector correlation
methods. In the present work changes in the magnitude,
duration, frequency and approach direction of the Atlantic
storms over the Gulf of Cadiz (SW Iberian Peninsula)
were identified by computing various storm characteristics
such as maximum wave height, total energy per storm wave
direction and storm duration. The obtained time-series were
compared with large-scale atmospheric indices such as the
North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the East Atlantic pattern.
The results show a good correlation between negative
NAO values and increased storminess over the entire Gulf of Cadiz. Furthermore, negative NAO values were correlated
with high residual sea level values. Finally, a joint
probability analysis of storm and sea level analysis resulted
in increased probabilities of the two events happening at
the same time indicating higher vulnerability of the coast
and increased coastal risks. The above results were compared
with coastal inundation events that took place over
the last winter seasons in the province of Cadiz.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Reducing climate model biases by exploring parameter space with large ensembles of climate model simulations and statistical emulation
Understanding the unfolding challenges of climate change relies on climate models, many of which have large summer warm and dry biases over Northern Hemisphere continental midlatitudes. This work, with the example of the model used in the updated version of the weather@home distributed climate model framework, shows the potential for improving climate model simulations through a multiphased parameter refinement approach, particularly over the northwestern United States (NWUS). Each phase consists of (1) creating a perturbed parameter ensemble with the coupled global–regional atmospheric model, (2) building statistical emulators that estimate climate metrics as functions of parameter values, (3) and using the emulators to further refine the parameter space. The refinement process includes sensitivity analyses to identify the most influential parameters for various model output metrics; results are then used to cull parameters with little influence. Three phases of this iterative process are carried out before the results are considered to be satisfactory; that is, a handful of parameter sets are identified that meet acceptable bias reduction criteria. Results not only indicate that 74 % of the NWUS regional warm biases can be reduced by refining global atmospheric parameters that control convection and hydrometeor transport, as well as land surface parameters that affect plant photosynthesis, transpiration, and evaporation, but also suggest that this iterative approach to perturbed parameters has an important role to play in the evolution of physical parameterizations
Reducing climate model biases by exploring parameter space with large ensembles of climate model simulations and statistical emulation
Understanding the unfolding challenges of climate change relies on climate models, many of which have large summer warm and dry biases over Northern Hemisphere continental midlatitudes. This work, with the example of the model used in the updated version of the weather@home distributed climate model framework, shows the potential for improving climate model simulations through a multiphased parameter refinement approach, particularly over the northwestern United States (NWUS). Each phase consists of (1) creating a perturbed parameter ensemble with the coupled global–regional atmospheric model, (2) building statistical emulators that estimate climate metrics as functions of parameter values, (3) and using the emulators to further refine the parameter space. The refinement process includes sensitivity analyses to identify the most influential parameters for various model output metrics; results are then used to cull parameters with little influence. Three phases of this iterative process are carried out before the results are considered to be satisfactory; that is, a handful of parameter sets are identified that meet acceptable bias reduction criteria. Results not only indicate that 74 % of the NWUS regional warm biases can be reduced by refining global atmospheric parameters that control convection and hydrometeor transport, as well as land surface parameters that affect plant photosynthesis, transpiration, and evaporation, but also suggest that this iterative approach to perturbed parameters has an important role to play in the evolution of physical parameterizations
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