A discourse on Althusius: an investigation into Sui Generic constitutionalism

This thesis aims at furthering our understanding of the constitutional structures and processes of sui generic associations such as the European Union. The thesis argues that the problematical constitutionalisation of the European Union has highlighted the limitations of the political thought that has served as the basis of political associationalism since the Treaty ofWestphalia (1648) and the publication of Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan (1651). These limitations have resulted in the European Union being described, for want of a better expression, as sui generis. The thesis advances the argument that in order to be in a position to understand constitutional relations in a 'non-statal' setting, what is needed is an alternative variant of political thought that is not based in or dependent on the societas canon that originates with Hobbes. One source of such political thought can be located in the work of Johannes Althusius (1557-1638) who, writing in the city of Emden in the Holy Roman Empire in the early 17th Century, described a constitutional structure of a political association that differs in significant features to the centralised state theories of the societas canon. The thesis also argues that the traditional concepts of constitutionalism and political association applied to sui generic constitutionalism are hampered by the inherent weaknesses of modem political and legal vocabulary. Despite being used ad infinitum in the constitutional discussions on the European Union, there is not a precise definition of either the term 'constitution' or treaty' in political or legal theory. Althusius' work avoids this weakness, due to the fact that the centralised state does not enjoy the same position it does in the societas canon, and so the need to classify 'intra' or 'inter' state relationships does not exist to the same degree. While taking the European Union as a workable model of a sui generic association, this thesis does not aim at solving the European Union's constitutional problems or offering a more suitable term to describe its nature. Rather, based on an analysis of Althusius' work, the thesis aims to offer an alternative understanding of the problems that result from the constitutionalisation of sui generic associations

Examples of Artificial Perceptions in Optical Character Recognition and Iris Recognition

This paper assumes the hypothesis that human learning is perception based, and consequently, the learning process and perceptions should not be represented and investigated independently or modeled in different simulation spaces. In order to keep the analogy between the artificial and human learning, the former is assumed here as being based on the artificial perception. Hence, instead of choosing to apply or develop a Computational Theory of (human) Perceptions, we choose to mirror the human perceptions in a numeric (computational) space as artificial perceptions and to analyze the interdependence between artificial learning and artificial perception in the same numeric space, using one of the simplest tools of Artificial Intelligence and Soft Computing, namely the perceptrons. As practical applications, we choose to work around two examples: Optical Character Recognition and Iris Recognition. In both cases a simple Turing test shows that artificial perceptions of the difference between two characters and between two irides are fuzzy, whereas the corresponding human perceptions are, in fact, crisp.Comment: 5th Int. Conf. on Soft Computing and Applications (Szeged, HU), 22-24 Aug 201

Online information seeking behaviors of breast cancer patients before and after diagnosis: From website discovery to improving website information

Despite the internet being a common place breast cancer patients seek information, navigating this Wild West of content can be challenging. The present study analyzed open-ended data from breast cancer survivors (n = 77) regarding their online information seeking behaviors when looking for breast cancer information to help inform the creation of improved online educational materials. Participants were asked what prompted them to seek information, which websites and search terms they used both before and after diagnosis, what information was useful, what misinformation was found, and what they would like to see improved. Results indicated symptoms, tests, or diagnoses prompt women to seek breast cancer information online, and that many different search terms and websites are used. More search terms and websites were utilized after diagnosis compared to before diagnosis, but the most common search terms and websites did not change much from before to after diagnosis. Cancer specific and general medical websites were the most popular. The most useful information related to treatment, obtaining information from other breast cancer survivors, statistics, and positively-valenced information. Though misinformation was not reported by many participants, some mentioned outdated survival rates, inaccurate information about alternative treatments, and other breast cancer patients’ experiences that did not align with their own. Participants desired improvements in treatment information, more factual information, a guide, and information that is easy to understand. Creation of a guide and use of search engine optimization to help breast cancer patients navigate this online information could be beneficial

A Behavioural Foundation for Natural Computing and a Programmability Test

What does it mean to claim that a physical or natural system computes? One answer, endorsed here, is that computing is about programming a system to behave in different ways. This paper offers an account of what it means for a physical system to compute based on this notion. It proposes a behavioural characterisation of computing in terms of a measure of programmability, which reflects a system's ability to react to external stimuli. The proposed measure of programmability is useful for classifying computers in terms of the apparent algorithmic complexity of their evolution in time. I make some specific proposals in this connection and discuss this approach in the context of other behavioural approaches, notably Turing's test of machine intelligence. I also anticipate possible objections and consider the applicability of these proposals to the task of relating abstract computation to nature-like computation.Comment: 37 pages, 4 figures. Based on an invited Talk at the Symposium on Natural/Unconventional Computing and its Philosophical Significance, Alan Turing World Congress 2012, Birmingham, UK. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13347-012-0095-2 Ref. glitch fixed in 2nd. version; Philosophy & Technology (special issue on History and Philosophy of Computing), Springer, 201

Control of Ubp3 ubiquitin protease activity by the Hog1 SAPK modulates transcription upon osmostress

Here, the Hog1 kinase interacts with and activates the ubiquitin protease Ubp3 in a stress-dependent manner. The phosphorylation of Ubp3 enhances RNA polymerase II occupancy on osmotic stress-responsive genes

Disablism in the lives of people living with a chronic illness in England and Portugal

This paper is based on research about the daily lives of people living with chronic illnesses in England and Portugal. Through the first-person narratives of participants, I argue that the lives of people living with debilitating chronic illnesses are affected by disablism, discrimination and exclusion. These aspects affect them in several important realms of life such as lack of or poor social support, difficulties in obtaining reasonable adjustments or the inability to obtain any kind of state support at all. These aspects are also widespread and compound and greatly influence their lives, beyond or in addition to the physical experience of the illness itself. I conclude that it is fundamental to change these structural and policy aspects so that people can have access to what I have termed a paradigm of sustained wellbeing, despite the illness

Determinants of investment: sexed semen in dairy cattle

2010 Spring.Includes bibliographic references (pages 68-70).The process of sexing semen through flow cytometry has achieved results in several species, including humans. Potentially, the dairy industry has the ability to earn large gains from sexed semen because of the need for all female herds. This research examined key components in the areas of technology, management, and market environment that affect the adoption of sexed semen on a commercial dairy farm. A spreadsheet was built to simulate the interactions among these areas of interest and regression was used to map and simplify the results. Three scenarios were compared on a case farm using sexed semen. Results identify Dairy heifer calf price had the most impact on profitability of this technology. Conception rate and technology variables affecting conception rate also had significant impacts on return on investment