Explanation and Quasi-Miracles in Narrative Understanding: The Case of Poetic Justice

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Craig Bourne, and Emily Caddick Bourne, ‘Explanation and Quasi‐miracles in Narrative Understanding: The Case of Poetic Justice’, Dialectica, Vol. 71 (4): 563-579, January 2018, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/1746-8361.12201. Under embargo until 29 January 2020. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.David Lewis introduced the idea of a quasi-miracle to overcome a problem in his initial account of counterfactuals. Here we put the notion of a quasi-miracle to a different and new use, showing that it offers a novel account of the phenomenon of poetic justice, where characters in a narrative get their due by happy accident (for example, when the murderer of King Mitys happens to be crushed by a falling statue of Mitys). The key to understanding poetic justice is to see what makes poetically just events remarkable coincidences. We argue that remarkable coincidence is to be understood in terms of a distinctive type of experience quasi-miracles offer. Cases of poetic justice offer a dual awareness of the accidental nature of the events and of a non-accidental process, involving intention, which it appears would explain them. We also extend this account to incorporate how we might experience magic tricks. An account of poetic justice as quasi-miraculous allows us to account for the experience of encounters with poetic justice, as involving the incongruity of seeing design in accident.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Proof and Prejudice: A Constitutional Challenge to the Treatment of Prejudicial Evidence in Federal Criminal Cases

The United States Supreme Court held its 1970 decision In re Winship that in criminal prosecutions the Constitution requires proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Professor Lewis argues that Winship governs the validity of evidence rules in criminal cases and requires that rules of evidence do not impair the reliability of criminal convictions. The author concludes that Federal Rule of Evidence 403, which permits the admission of prejudicial evidence unless the danger of unfair prejudice substantially outweighs probative value, violates this requirement. Rule 403 substantially increases the risk of erroneous decisionmaking and prescribes a balancing test that unconstitutionally places the major risk of decisionmaking error on the defendant. The author proposes a revision to Rule 403 that would impose on the prosecution, rather than on the defendant, the burden of showing that probative value substantially outweighs the danger of unfair prejudice. Such a revision would make Rule 403 constitutional under Winship-based reliability demands

Getting on the E List: E-Mail Use in a Community of Service Provider

This case examines how a community of organizations providing service to people experiencing homelessness made use of an electronic mail list. Current economic conditions have encouraged organizations in various sectors—including nonprofits—that might normally compete for scarce resources to collaborate with one another to increase their chances of survival. One set of tools likely to be of value in such relationships includes various online discussion technologies. An examination of this community’s email list use over a three-year period suggests a somewhat complex picture regarding technology use. More specifically, some issues both constrain and enable use. Additionally, seemingly basic and minimal uses of the list provided not only the greatest functionality for the users, but also led to several unanticipated consequences for those involved

Pacific Salmon in the North American Arctic

All five North American Pacific salmon species occur in small numbers in arctic waters, but only pink and chum salmon appear to have viable populations north of Point Hope, Alaska. Pink salmon are the most common species and constitute 85% of salmon caught in biological surveys. Pink salmon apparently have small runs in eight arctic drainages, while chum salmon may have small runs in six. Arctic pink salmon are smaller in size than individuals to the south but have similar meristic characteristics. It is likely that minimal use of freshwater habitats by pink and chum salmon has allowed them to colonize characteristically cold arctic rivers.Key words: Arctic, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, pink salmon, chum salmonMots clés: Arctique, mer de Beaufort, mer Chukchi, saumon rose, saumon két

Measuring Energetics and Behaviour Using Accelerometry in Cane Toads Bufo marinus

Cane toads Bufo marinus were introduced to Australia as a control agent but now have a rapidly progressing invasion front and damage new habitats they enter. Predictive models that can give expansion rates as functions of energy supply and feeding ground distribution could help to maximise control efficiency but to date no study has measured rates of field energy expenditure in an amphibian. In the present study we used the accelerometry technique to generate behavioural time budgets and, through the derivation of ODBA (overall dynamic body acceleration), to obtain estimates of energetics in free ranging cane toads. This represents the first time that accelerometers have been used to not only quantify the behaviour of animals but also assign to those behaviours rates of energy expenditure. Firstly, laboratory calibrations between ODBA and metabolic rate were obtained and used to generate a common prediction equation for the subject toads (R2 = 0.74). Furthermore, acceleration data recorded during different behaviours was studied to ascertain threshold values for objectively defining behaviour categories. Importantly, while subsequent accelerometer field deployments were relatively short they agreed with previous studies on the proportion of time that cane toads locomote yet suggest that the metabolic rate of cane toads in the wild may sometimes be considerably higher than might be assumed based on data for other species

Dynamic pathfinding for a swarm intelligence based UAV control model using particle swarm optimisation

In recent years unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become smaller, cheaper, and more efficient, enabling the use of multiple autonomous drones where previously a single, human-operated drone would have been used. This likely includes crisis response and search and rescue missions. These systems will need a method of navigating unknown and dynamic environments. Typically, this would require an incremental heuristic search algorithm, however, these algorithms become increasingly computationally and memory intensive as the environment size increases. This paper used two different Swarm Intelligence (SI) algorithms: Particle Swarm Optimisation and Reynolds flocking to propose an overall system for controlling and navigating groups of autonomous drones through unknown and dynamic environments. This paper proposes Particle Swarm Optimisation Pathfinding (PSOP): a dynamic, cooperative algorithm; and, Drone Flock Control (DFC): a modular model for controlling systems of agents, in 3D environments, such that collisions are minimised. Using the Unity game engine, a realtime application, simulation environment, and data collection apparatus were developed and the performances of DFC-controlled drones—navigating with either the PSOP algorithm or a D* Lite implementation—were compared. The simulations do not consider UAV dynamics. The drones were tasked with navigating to a given target position in environments of varying size and quantitative data on pathfinding performance, computational and memory performance, and usability were collected. Using this data, the advantages of PSO-based pathfinding were demonstrated. PSOP was shown to be more memory efficient, more successful in the creation of high quality, accurate paths, more usable and as computationally efficient as a typical incremental heuristic search algorithm when used as part of a SI-based drone control model. This study demonstrated the capabilities of SI approaches as a means of controlling multi-agent UAV systems in a simple simulation environment. Future research may look to apply the DFC model, with the PSOP algorithm, to more advanced simulations which considered environment factors like atmospheric pressure and turbulence, or to real-world UAVs in a controlled environment

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE IS PROFESSION: DESIGNING AND ASSESSING A PROFESSIONAL READINESS PROGRAM

Numerous studies have highlighted the importance of relational and professional competencies for the information systems (IS) profession. Preparing IS students to be ready for their profession requires the development of competencies that are not often part of the standard disciplinary curriculum. Yet dedicating an entire course to professionalism can be a challenge due to resource and curriculum requirement constraints. In this paper, we describe a pilot project for a “Professional Readiness” program that was designed and implemented to provide an extracurricular resource for undergraduate students. We provide evidence of the program’s effectiveness, as well as lessons learned for developing and refining Professional Readiness programs for IS students

Anti-money laundering in the United Kingdom: new directions for a more effective regime

Purpose: This paper aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of the effectiveness of the anti-money laundering (AML) regime in the UK and explore opportunities to improve policy and performance. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews and a focus group with practitioners from both public and private sectors. Findings: This paper identifies preventive measures are underfunded by the public sector; there is a disconnect between the regulatory requirement and the regulators’ supervisory approach leading to the ineffective application of the risk-based approach; and authorities have limited ability to stop low-utility reports. Increased collaboration across institutions and sectors, better utilisation of innovative technologies and a sustainable funding plan are needed to drive a collective response to money laundering. Research limitations/implications: Few practitioners in the industry have the knowledge and expertise to discuss the topic at a strategic level and participants were limited (n = 8). Practical implications: This paper adds to the growing corpus of research showing that the AML regime in the UK is ineffective and needs reform. Social implications: This paper encourages practitioners to improve the AML regime, this research contributes to the reform of the existing measures against financial crime. Originality/value: This paper presents new data from AML practitioners to provide a better understanding of the limitations of the AML regime in the UK