Climate change: Why the conspiracy theories are dangerous

Uncertainty surrounds the public understanding of climate change and provides fertile ground for conspiracy theories. Typically, such conspiracy theories assert that climate scientists and politicians are distorting or hijacking the science to suit their own purposes. Climate change conspiracy theories resemble other conspiracy theories in some respects, but in others they appear to be quite different. For example, climate change conspiracy theories appear to be motivated by the desire to deny or minimize an unwelcome and threatening conclusion. They also appear to be more contentious than other types of conspiracy theories. Perhaps to an unparalleled extent, people on both sides of the issue champion climate change conspiracy theories. Finally, more than other conspiracy theories, those concerning climate change appear to be more politically loaded, dividing opinion across the left-right continuum. Some empirical evidence suggests that climate change conspiracy theories may be harmful, steering people away from environmentally friendly initiatives. They therefore present a significant challenge for governments and environmental organizations that are attempting to convince people to take action against global warming

Action-based effects on music perception

The classical, disembodied approach to music cognition conceptualizes action and perception as separate, peripheral processes. In contrast, embodied accounts of music cognition emphasize the central role of the close coupling of action and perception. It is a commonly established fact that perception spurs action tendencies. We present a theoretical framework that captures the ways in which the human motor system and its actions can reciprocally influence the perception of music. The cornerstone of this framework is the common coding theory, postulating a representational overlap in the brain between the planning, the execution, and the perception of movement. The integration of action and perception in so-called internal models is explained as a result of associative learning processes. Characteristic of internal models is that they allow intended or perceived sensory states to be transferred into corresponding motor commands (inverse modeling), and vice versa, to predict the sensory outcomes of planned actions (forward modeling). Embodied accounts typically refer to inverse modeling to explain action effects on music perception (Leman, 2007). We extend this account by pinpointing forward modeling as an alternative mechanism by which action can modulate perception. We provide an extensive overview of recent empirical evidence in support of this idea. Additionally, we demonstrate that motor dysfunctions can cause perceptual disabilities, supporting the main idea of the paper that the human motor system plays a functional role in auditory perception. The finding that music perception is shaped by the human motor system and its actions suggests that the musical mind is highly embodied. However, we advocate for a more radical approach to embodied (music) cognition in the sense that it needs to be considered as a dynamical process, in which aspects of action, perception, introspection, and social interaction are of crucial importance

Polyfunctional fluorosilicone composition, method for making, and use

A fluorosilicone crosslinker and method for making is provided. Reaction is effected between a silanol terminated polyfluoroalkyl silicone fluid and a polyalkoxysilane in the presence of a Platinum Group Metal catalyst. The fluorosilicone crosslinker can be used in combination with a silanol terminated fluoroalkyl substituted polydiorganosiloxane to formulate a neutral, condensation curable, solvent resistant sealant

Geïntegreerde bestrijding van citruswolluis Planococcus citri in roos

Abstract Since early 2000 the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Risso), has become a key pest in roses cultivated in greenhouses in The Netherlands. While adopting a more integrated approach toward controlling (other) pests, growers have abandoned regular applications of broad spectrum pesticides, thus allowing mealybugs to become more widespread. Researchers have been investigating the benefits of both inundative releases of (commercial available) natural enemies of this pest. The relevance of introducing natural enemies for controlling mealybugs on greenhouse roses is discusse

Copolymer sealant compositions and method for making

Condensation curable poly(fluoroorgano)siloxane-poly(silarylene)siloxane block copolymer compositions having a glass transition temperature not exceeding about -54.degree. C. and excellent solvent resistance have been found useful as sealants. Polyalkoxysilylorgano compounds, such as 1,4-bis[trimethoxysilyl(ethyl)]benzene have been found to be effective as cross-linkers

Copolymer sealant compositions and method for making

Condensation curable poly(fluoroorgano)siloxane-poly(silarylene)siloxane block copolymer compositions having a glass transition temperature not exceeding about -54.degree. C. and excellent solvent resistance have been found useful as sealants. Polyalkoxysilylorgano compounds, such as 1,4-bis[trimethoxysilyl(ethyl)]benzene have been found to be effective as cross-linkers

Characterization of flow rate and Heat Loss in Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Duct System for Office Building

A building is an assemblage that is firmly attached to the ground and provides the performance of human activities and need to be considered in the daily operation in that building. The improvements in building performance are focused on improving the energy efficiency of buildings. This is approach by designing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) duct system due to one of the most utilized energy in maintaining building performance and environment. The objectives of this research is to calculate the air (CFM) supply in office building, to characterize the velocity and head loss in a round and rectangular HVAC ducting system at various duct thickness and to optimize the thickness of the duct in HVAC system according to ASHRAE Standard. The increasing of velocity in duct system shows the increasing of head loss. The round duct design gives the lowest velocity and head loss in HVAC system approximately around 9.35% as compared to rectangular duct at 0.06 inches thickness. Hence, the trends of the head loss and duct thickness has influenced in reducing noise in HVAC duct system in order to select the best design concepts which is round shape design

PENINGKATAN KUALITAS PROSES KARBURISING MENGGUNAKAN NaCO3 DAN BaCO3 DENGAN MEDIA ARANG POHON BAKAU PADA BAJA KARBON RENDAH

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh penambahan BaCO3 dan NaCO3 pada serbuk arang pohon bakau sebagai media karburasi untuk meningkatkan kualitas proses karburising terhadap baja karbon rendah dalam memperbaiki sifat fisis dan mekanis permukaannya. Baja lunak dengan komposisi kimia 98,43% Fe dan 0,156% C dipilih sebagai substrat dan dibuat benda uji berukuran (Ø20x10) mm3. Setelah batang pohon dibuat menjadi arang kemudian di haluskan dan diayak lolos mesh 30. NaCO3 dan BaCO3 ditambahkan masing-masing sebanyak 0, 15, 20, 25, dan 30% berat. Proses pack karburising dipilih menggunakan kotak karburising terbuat dari pipa baja diameter 2 inchi dan tebal 2 mm. Bagian bawahnya ditutup dengan plat baja setebal 2 mm dengan cara di las. Tutup terbuat dari plat baja setebal 2 mm dan ditutupkan pas masuk ke dalam pipa. Proses karburising dilakukan pada suhu 850 0C dengan lama proses 2, 3, dan 4 jam. Setelah itu, benda uji dipanaskan kembali pada suhu 850 0C dan ditahan 5 menit dan dicelup secara mendadak pada air bersuhu 28 0C. Perubahan sifat yang terjadi di eksaminasi melalui pengamatan struktur mikro, pengukuran case depth, dan pengujian kekerasan mikro Vickers pada permukaan,. Dari hasil eksaminasi menunjukkan bahwa BaCO3 lebih efektif dari pada NaCO3 jika ditambahkan pada serbuk arang pohon bakau. Pada proses karburising 2 jam, penambahan 30% BaCO3 membentuk lapisan case depth 350 µm, sedang penambahan 15 dan 20% NaCO3 terbentuk case depth setebal 300 µm. Kata kunci: arang pohon bakau, pack karburisng, natrium karbonat, barium karbonat FT, 2007 (PEND. TEK. MESIN

Mechanical properties of kenaf bast and core fibre reinforced unsaturated polyester composites

Kenaf fibre has high potential to be used for composite reinforcement in biocomposite material. It is made up of an inner woody core and an outer fibrous bark surrounding the core. The aim of this study was to compare the mechanical properties of short kenaf bast and core fibre reinforced unsaturated polyester composites with varying fibre weight fraction i.e. 0%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40%. The compression moulding technique was used to prepare the composite specimens for tensile, flexural and impact tests in accordance to the ASTM D5083, ASTM D790 and ASTM D256 respectively. The overall results showed that the composites reinforced with kenaf bast fibre had higher mechanical properties than kenaf core fibre composites. The results also showed that the optimum fibre content for achieving highest tensile strength for both bast and core fibre composites was 20%wt. It was also observed that the elongation at break for both composites decreased as the fibre content increased. For the flexural strength, the optimum fibre content for both composites was 10%wt while for impact strength, it was at 10%wt and 5%wt for bast and core fibre composites respectively