Epistemic Schmagency?

Constructivist approaches in epistemology and ethics offer a promising account of normativity. But constructivism faces a powerful Schmagency Objection, raised by David Enoch. While Enoch’s objection has been widely discussed in the context of practical norms, no one has yet explored how the Schmagency Objection might undermine epistemic constructivism. In this paper, I rectify that gap. First, I develop the objection against a prominent form of epistemic constructivism, Belief Constitutivism. Belief Constitutivism is susceptible to a Schmagency Objection, I argue, because it locates the source of normativity in the belief rather than the agent. In the final section, I propose a version of epistemic constructivism that locates epistemic normativity as constitutive of agency. I argue that this version has the resources to respond to the Schmagency Objection

Indicators of nutritional status of turbot Scophthalmus maximus (L., 1758) larvae

Se han analizado diferentes indicadores del estado nutricional de larvas de rodaballo Scophthalmus maximus (L., 1758) alimentadas de hasta 53 días de edad y se han comparado con los de otras larvas sometidas a condiciones de inanición. Los indicadores estudiados fueron longitud, peso seco, condición relativa larvaria, diámetro del otolito, histología digestiva de las larvas, contenido en ácidos grasos, ácido ascórbico, RNA, DNA Y proteínas. Los procesos de inanición se llevaron a cabo a los 3, 9, 16, 23 Y 27 días de edad y los análisis de estas larvas fueron comparados con los de larvas alimentadas de las mismas edades. Durante las primeras 24 horas de inanición, las goticulas lipídicas en las células epiteliales desaparecen por completo del intestino. Después, la condición relativa disminuye aproximadamente el 5% por día y el diámetro relativo del otolito se incrementa en el 5% por día. Se producen también disminuciones en el peso seco, el contenido proteico, los niveles de ácidos grasos 18:1Ω-9, 20:5Ω-3 (EPA) y los de otros ácidos grasos altamente insaturados (Ω-3 HUFA), y en la relación RNA/DNA. Sin embargo, la mayoría de los indicadores investigados muestran una alta variación, incluso entre las distintas experiencias de cultivo realizadas, por lo que se concluye que las gotículas de lípidos en las células epiteliales del intestino, la condición relativa y el diámetro relativo del otolito son las únicas variables que pueden ser útiles para detectar un proceso de inanición en larvas de rodaballo.Nutritional status indicators of larvae of turbot Scophthalmus maximus (L., 1758) were investigated in feeding and starving turbot larvae from hatching up to an age of 53 days. The study included the whole-larvae parameters of length, dry weight and relative condition; the organ-related characteristics otolith diameter and intestinal histology; and the biochemical indicators fatty acids, ascorbic acid, RNA, DNA and total protein. Starvation was started at day 3, 9, 16, 23 and 27, and starved larvae were compared with feeding larvae from the same rearing group. After onset of starvation, lipid droplets in the intestinal epithelial cells disappeared within 24 h. Later; the influence of starvation also became apparent in most of the other indicators studied. Relative condition decreased by about 5%/day and relative otolith diameter increased by about 5%/day. A histologically observed total disappearance of chylomicrons and lipid droplets in the intestinal epithelial cells was in accordance with a drop in dry weight, protein content, and the fatty acids 18:1Ω-9, 20:5Ω-3 (EPA) and Ω-3 HUFA (Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids), as well as the RNA/DNA ratio in starved larvae. However, most of the indicators studied showed such a high variation between individual rearing groups that only the parameters lipid droplets in intestinal epithelial cells, relative condition and relative otolith diameter seem useful for detecting starvation in turbot larvae.Instituto Español de Oceanografí

Changes in Greenland’s peripheral glaciers linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation

Glaciers and ice caps peripheral to the main Greenland Ice Sheet contribute markedly to sea-level rise1,2,3. Their changes and variability, however, have been difficult to quantify on multi-decadal timescales due to an absence of long-term data4. Here, using historical aerial surveys, expedition photographs, spy satellite imagery and new remote-sensing products, we map glacier length fluctuations of approximately 350 peripheral glaciers and ice caps in East and West Greenland since 1890. Peripheral glaciers are found to have recently undergone a widespread and significant retreat at rates of 12.2 m per year and 16.6 m per year in East and West Greenland, respectively; these changes are exceeded in severity only by the early twentieth century post-Little-Ice-Age retreat. Regional changes in ice volume, as reflected by glacier length, are further shown to be related to changes in precipitation associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), with a distinct east–west asymmetry; positive phases of the NAO increase accumulation, and thereby glacier growth, in the eastern periphery, whereas opposite effects are observed in the western periphery. Thus, with projected trends towards positive NAO in the future5,6, eastern peripheral glaciers may remain relatively stable, while western peripheral glaciers will continue to diminish

HCI policy and the smart city

While the idea of the ‘Smart City’ has attracted increasing attention from academia, industry, and government this interest has largely had a technical and technological focus. This paper identifies some of the important political and policy challenges facing the idea, the discourse, of a ‘smart city’ as a means to optimise HCI input into the ‘smart city’ debate. It then addresses that gap by detailing a research project that explored how experts in smart city research and development in the UK context responded to this policy challenge. Experts were asked questions regarding their prior experience with the “smart city”, their understandings of what it means for a city to be smart, and what policy potentials they've recognised in the smart city. The paper analyses and offers a synthesis of the responses collected throughout the research with the current policies concerning various smart city proximity, thereby providing a critical assessment of the values underlying the smart city. The paper aims to explore and present some of the policy possibilities for UK smart cities that are potentially useful for politicians, policy makers, planners, academics, and technology companies. I believe that these perspectives for policy development can be used to inform responsible development, spatially and socially inclusive technologies, and ultimately more resilient and liveable cities