Knowing Groundlessness: An Enactive Approach to a Shift From Cognition to Non-Dual Awareness

The enactive approach has become an influential paradigm in cognitive science. One of its most important claims is that cognition is sense-making: to cognize is to enact a world of meaning. Thus, a world is not pregiven but enacted through sense-making. Most importantly, sense-making is not a fixed process or thing. It does not have substantial existence. Instead, it is groundless: it springs from a dynamic of relations, without substantial ground. Thereby, as all cognition is groundless, this groundlessness is considered the central underlying principle of cognition. This article takes that key concept of the enactive approach and argues that it is not only a theoretical statement. Rather, groundlessness is directly accessible in lived experience. The two guiding questions of this article concern that lived experience of groundlessness: (1) What is it to know groundlessness? (2) How can one know groundlessness? Accordingly, it elaborates (1) how this knowing of groundlessness fits into the theoretical framework of the enactive approach. Also, it describes (2) how it can be directly experienced when certain requirements are met. In an additional reflexive analysis, the context-dependency and observer-relativity of those statements themselves is highlighted. Through those steps, this article exhibits the importance of knowing groundlessness for a cognitive science discourse: this underlying groundlessness is not only the “ground” of cognition, but it also can be investigated empirically through lived experience. However, it requires a methodology that is radically different from classical cognitive science. This article ends with envisioning a future praxis of cognitive science which enables researchers to investigate not only theoretically but empirically the “foundationless foundation” of cognition: groundlessness

Knowing the Knowing. Non-dual Meditative Practice From an Enactive Perspective

Within a variety of contemplative traditions, non-dual-oriented practices were developed to evoke an experiential shift into a mode of experiencing in which the cognitive structures of self-other and subject–object subside. These practices serve to de-reify the enactment of an observing witness which is usually experienced as separate from the objects of awareness. While several contemplative traditions, such as Zen, Mahāmudrā, Dzogchen, and Advaita Vedanta emphasize the importance of such a non-dual insight for the cultivation of genuine wellbeing, only very few attempts in contemplative science have turned toward the study of non-dual-oriented practices. This article starts from a recently developed theoretical cognitive science framework that models the requirements of a temporary experiential shift into a mode of experiencing free from cognitive subject–object structure. This model inspired by the enactive approach contributes theoretically grounded hypotheses for the much-needed rigorous study of non-dual practices and non-dual experiences. To do so, three steps are taken: first, common elements of non-dual-oriented practices are outlined. Second, the main ideas of enactive cognitive science are presented including a principled theoretical model of what is required for a shift to a pure non-dual experience, that is, an experiential mode that is unbound by subject–object duality. Third, this synthesized theoretical model of the requirements for the recognition of the non-dual is then compared with a specific non-dual style of meditation practice, namely, Mahāmudrā practice from Tibetan Buddhism. This third step represents a heuristic for evaluating the external coherence of the presented model. With this, the aim is to point toward a principled enactive view of non-dual meditative practice. In drawing the implications of the presented model, this article ends with an outlook toward next steps for further developing a research agenda that may fully address the concrete elements of non-dual practices

QuickFeed on Programming Assignments

In the last decade, programming has become an increasingly important tool for almost all science and engineering disciplines. To this end, programming exercises have become an essential tool for students to learn the craft of programming and apply, model, and evaluate other scientific techniques

Settlement structure and landscape use in Southwest Norway in the last millennium BC

This study discusses settlement patterns and the interaction between farms during the last millennium BC in Rogaland. It is based on a collocation of 792 radiocarbon dates from 250 different sites retrieved through archaeological survey and excavation projects before 2020. Most of the dates are from the Pre-Roman Iron Age (500–1 BC), and the geographical distribution suggests a settlement expansion in the region around c. 500 BC. The settlement is dominated by single farms, but some areas have been densely populated, and in the northern part of the Jæren district the distance between each farmstead has not exceeded 500–700 metres during the Pre-Roman Iron Age. The distribution of radiocarbon dated sites and features within the landscape suggests that outfield areas were vital for subsistence. It is argued that the interaction and collaboration between different farms must have been extensive when exploiting resources in pastures and outfield areas, particularly in densely populated areas like the Jæren district.publishedVersio

Chunks in the classroom: An experiment on the use of Cognitive Linguistic principles in academic vocabulary instruction among Norwegian upper secondary ESL-students

Ordsekvensar, også kalla ‘chunks’ på engelsk, er ein viktig del av det engelske vokabularet. Denne masteroppgåva undersøkjer mogelege effektar av å bruka læringsstrategiar inspirert av kognitiv lingvistikk i undervisning av akademiske ordsekvensar. Forsking frå kognitiv lingvistikk viser at dei semantiske og strukturelle eigenskapane ved mange ordsekvensar ikkje er tilfeldige. Dei kan forklarast med utgangspunkt i prinsipp om likskap eller nærleik som dannar grunnlag for til dømes metaforar, rim og allitterasjonar. Lingvistiske studiar viser også at undervisningsmetodar som fører til auka forståing av desse mekanismane, og auka evne til å kjenna igjen ordsekvensar i språket, er pedagogisk effektive. For å undersøkja desse effektane nærmare, vart det gjennomført eit eksperiment med to eksperimentgrupper og ei kontrollgruppe. Deltakarane gjennomførte fire ulike oppgåver. Masteroppgåva måler bruk, evne til gjenkjenning og forståing av ordsekvensar. Den same testen vart nytta som pre-test og post-test før og etter eit undervisningsopplegg. Dette undervisningsopplegget nytta didaktisk metode basert på teori om ‘chunks’. Testresultata blei analysert med ein ANCOVA-test, som presenterte blant anna sannsynsverdiar (p-verdiar) og verdiar for effektstorleik, samt statistisk deskriptive mål i form av gjennomsnittsverdi og standardavvik. Studien fann at læringsopplegget hadde ein liten, positiv effekt på gjenkjenning av ordsekvensar, men at opplegget ikkje hadde signifikant effekt på eksperimentdeltakarane sin bruk og forståing av ordsekvensar. Analysen indikerte også at akademiske idiom er særleg eigna i undervisning inspirert av kognitiv lingvistikk. Funn i oppgåva tyder også på at høgt-presterande og homogene klassar får større utbyte av undervisningsopplegg basert på kognitiv lingvistisk teori.Engelsk mastergradsoppgåveMPENGLZMPHFFAKMAHF-ENGMAHF-LÆFRENG35

Effect of calcium on fatty acid digestibility and weight development in mice

Background: High intake of saturated fatty acids (SFA) has consistently been shown to raise low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, a known risk factor of cardiovascular disease (CVD). One of the most significant contributors of SFAs to the adult diet is cheese. While containing high amounts of SFAs, cheese itself does not seem to increase the risk of disease. The high calcium (Ca) content in cheese has been proposed to explain this paradox through limiting the uptake of long-chain SFAs by forming insoluble soaps. Also, other abilities of the cheese have been suggested to affect SFA uptake through a so-called matrix effect. Aim: We aimed to determine whether fatty acid (FA) digestibility, weight development and changes in body fat mass was affected by Ca and type of matrix (cheese versus butter) in mice. Furthermore, we wanted to investigate whether Ca and differences in food matrix affected intestinal health. Finally, we wanted to assess the accuracy of a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) instrument from Bruker on determining body fat in live mice. Methods: Male mice (C57BL/6JRj) were fed a high-fat (HF) diet with FAs either from cheese (n=20) or butter (n=30) and received varying Ca levels [low-Ca (2g/kg feed), medium-Ca (7g/kg feed) and high-Ca (20g/kg feed)] for 5 weeks. A control group received a low-fat chow diet with a standard Ca content of 5g/kg (n=10). Food consumption and weight were registered weekly. Furthermore, fat mass was measured weekly using a body composition analyser (Minispec LF50, Bruker) and faeces were collected every day during week 4. A method was developed to quantify the FA content in faeces and food which was used to calculate % digestibility = (FA consumed – FA excreted) * (FA consumed)-1 x 100. Upon termination of the animals, the mucosal tissues were harvested from the small intestines, and the expression of genes related to inflammation and intestinal barrier function were analysed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). NMR fat mass measurements were compared to the weight of dissected large fat depots in the same mice to evaluate the accuracy of the instrument. Results: Our results show that Ca impacts FA digestibility in mice receiving HF diets, in a dose dependent manner. Mice on a high-Ca/HF diet had 2.5% lower uptake of Palmitic acid (16:0) and 6% lower uptake of Stearic acid (18:0) compared to mice fed a low-Ca/HF-based diet. Ca content also affected weight gain in the mice that received HF butter-based diets with a lower weight gain (-9%) in the high-Ca group compared to the low-Ca group. No effects of Ca were found on fat mass development. Furthermore, no matrix effect was observed on 16:0 and 18:0 digestibility, but there was a trend that the matrix affected weight development of the mice. Overall, no effects of Ca were seen on the expression of inflammation markers in the small intestine. However, the tight junction gene ZO-1 had the highest expression in HF fed mice with low Ca levels (butter-based HF diet) and medium Ca levels (cheese-based HF diet). In addition, the matrix was found to significantly influence the expression of ZO-1, with a higher expression being observed in the cheese-based diets. Finally, the NMR instrument emerged as a reliable and good predictor of body fat mass in mice. Conclusion: We found Ca to impact SFA digestibility, but to a lesser extent than shown in the literature. The reduction in FA digestibility cannot explain the difference in weight gain between the groups, which might be due different metabolic activity in the mice or an effect of the matrix. Expression of the tight junction gene ZO-1 was found to be influenced by Ca and matrix. Further research is needed to elucidate the interplay between Ca and fat, and how this affects disease development.M-BIOTE

Scattering of vibrationally excited NO from vanadium dioxide

This work investigates the surface dynamics of vanadium dioxide with nitric oxide in dependence of its metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) at 68 °C. At lower temperatures VO2 has a monoclinic lattice structure which has low electrical conductance. VO2(M) is therefore considered an insulator. At higher temperature it is found in its rutile phase, which shows several orders of magnitude more electrical conductance than the monoclinic phase. VO2(R) is therefore considered a metal. In previous works it was found that when vibrationally excited NO scatters from metal surfaces, such as Au(111) and Ag(111), vibrational energy is transferred via an electron abstraction mechanism to the surface degrees of freedom. It is found that the vibrational relaxation probability of NO scattered from metals is dependent on the difference between the molecule’s vertical binding energy at the outer turning point of the vibration and the work function of the surface. This mechanism is not present for scattering from insulator materials such as LiF because they have no electron density at energies similar to the vibrational energy of NO. As VO2 is a material which can switch between metal and insulator phase it is investigated how it fits into the previously seen picture of vibrational relaxation of scattered NO. For this samples of VO2 films are prepared with chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and radio frequency magnetron sputtering (RFMS). The former results in films with grainy surface structure. The latter yields VO2 films with a structure close to single crystals and relatively flat surfaces. Molecular beams of vibrationally excited NO are scattered from various VO2 films and analyzed for their translational, rotational and vibrational excitation after scattering. This is done with time-of-flight spectroscopy and REMPI spectroscopy of the y-band system of NO. It is shown that NO(v = 2, J = 0.5) and NO(v = 11, J = 0.5) scattered from CVD prepared films are dominantly scattered via the direct scattering channel. Scattered NO molecules retain mostly their initial vibrational state during scattering and have a hyperthermal rotational excitation after scattering. Furthermore, the translational energy after scattering and the rotational excitation increase both with the translational energy of the incident molecular beam. During the experiments no trapping desorption is observed but a certain amount of NO is seen with lower rotational and vibrational excitation and lower translational energy than the directly scattered molecules. It is assumed that they penetrate into the gaps between the VO2 grains of the CVD prepared surface and bounce multiple times before they leave the surface again. For NO scattered from CVD prepared VO2 no clear sign of a increased vibrational relaxation probability of NO scattered from VO2(R) compared to VO2(M) could be observed. This is attributed to the fact that the CVD prepared samples are cleaned with Ar+- ion sputtering which is found to eliminate oxygen from the VO2 film. This cleaning technique is yet not able to remove all carbon contaminations present on the surface of CVD prepared VO2. The former results in a changed chemical composition of the VO2 film, which causes a reduced contrast of the MIT. The latter results in surfaces partially covered in carbon. In consequence, it can not be outruled that a certain amount of NO scatters from carbon instead of VO2. To improve the surface cleaning procedure this work also investigates the application of O2+-ion sputtering. It is shown that O2+-ion sputtering is significantly more efficient in removing carbon contaminations from the surface. Furthermore, it negates the effect of oxygen elimination from the VO2 film by inserting oxygen back into the surface. This retains the chemical composition of VO2 during sputtering and in consequence also the contrast of the MIT. The O2+-ion sputtering technique is applied to the later RFMS prepared VO2 thin films instead of Ar+-ion sputtering. NO(v = 3, J = 0.5) is prepared in a molecular beam with a translational energy of Einc,trans = 0.99 eV and scattered from RFMS prepared VO2 thin films. The directly scattered molecules relax with a probability of 2% to the (v = 2) state when scattered from VO2(M). The vibrational relaxation probability increases by 0.3% when the thin film changes to VO2(R) at 68 C. No population is found for NO(v = 1) for both phases of VO2. NO(v = 11, J = 0.5) is prepared in molecular beams with translational energies of Einc,trans = 0.92 eV, Einc,trans = 0.73 eV and Einc,trans = 0.47 eV. For direct scattering from RFMS prepared VO2(M) vibrational relaxation probabilities of about 20% are found which increase with the translational energy of the incident molecular beam. For VO2(R) the relaxation probability increases by 3% compared to scattering from VO2(M). A detailed comparison with the vibrational relaxation probabilities found for NO scattered from Ag(111) and Au(111) is done to understand why relaxation of NO from VO2 is significantly less likely than from other metals. For this the image charge stabilization, work function and the charge carrier density of VO2(M), VO2(R), Au(111) and Ag(111) are compared. This work also shows the comparison of NO(v = 11) scattered from SiO2 and VO2. It is shown that for scattering from SiO2 NO is only found in the vibrational states v = 11 and v = 10. For scattering from VO2 additionally a small amount of population is observed in the vibrational states 4 < v < 10. Rotational state distributions of scattered NO(v = 3) and NO(v = 2) from the scattering experiments of NO(v = 3, J = 0.5) from RFMS prepared VO2 thin films are analyzed. It is shown that the rotational energy of scattered NO(v = 3) is significantly higher that the rotational excitation of thermal NO(v = 3) at the surface temperature. The rotational excitation of the vibrationally relaxed NO(v = 2) is more than 50% higher than the rotational excitation of NO(v = 3). The same effect for the rotational excitation of NO(v = 11) and NO(v = 10) is also shown in the scattering experiments of NO(v = 11, J = 0.5) scattered from RFMS prepared VO2 thin films and for NO(v = 11, J = 0.5) scattered from SiO2. This suggests that a mechanism is present during the scattering which transfers vibrational energy to the rotational quanta which has yet not been reported for NO scattering from metal surfaces

DIGITAL TEACHER COMPETENCE DIMENSIONS: EXPERIENCES OF NORWEGIAN PRESERVICE TEACHERS

Most Norwegian preservice teachers are required to perform assignments relating to digital competence during their education. In this article, one such mandatory student assignment is used to explore students’ interpretations of digital teacher competence. In a study programme for future primary and lower secondary school teachers, second-year social studies students were required to develop digital teaching arrangements, apply these arrangements during their teaching practice, and finally share their experiences with their peers in online presentations. In the present study, these student presentations are used to examine how future teachers understand digital teacher competence, and a model consisting of five digital teacher dimensions is suggested. This way, the article aims to provide students and teacher educators with a conceptualisation of digital teacher competence.  Article visualizations

Tilstedeværelsen av en akutt fase-reaksjon hos lam med eksperimentell klassisk skrapesjuke indikerer et skifte mot en pro-inflammatorisk tilstand i det kliniske endestadiet

Classical scrapie in sheep is a transmissible and fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by the self-replicating and infectious prion protein, PrPSc, which is a conformational variant of the normal cellular prion protein, PrPC. The prion protein is a highly conserved glycoprotein encoded by the PRNP gene and therefore within the same host both PrPC and PRPSC have the same unique amino acid sequence and they only differ in their three-dimensional folded structure. Specific mutations at codons 136, 154 and 171 of the PRNP gene leads to single amino acid substitutions, and the most common polymorphisms give rise to five possible alleles and 15 PRNP genotypes found in sheep. The different alleles are highly associated with levels of susceptibility to classical scrapie, where A136R154R171 allele provides high genetic resistance and V136R154Q171 allele results in highly susceptible animals. On the basis of this association between PRNP genotype and susceptibility, many EU MSs have implemented national breeding for resistance programme with the aim of increasing distribution of ARR allele and reducing the distribution of VRQ allele. For almost 20 years, the EU TSE regulation has required surveillance within each country to establish prevalence of prion diseases and the different PRNP genotypes. Classical scrapie has a widespread distribution and incidence rate fluctuates due to the complex interaction between prion and host factors, and prevalence can only be estimated by ante mortem testing through active and passive surveillance. Transmission between sheep occurs through direct and indirect contact, and PrPSc can remain infective in the environment for years. The most common route of infection is the oral route, and infected animals can excrete PrPSc through foetal membranes and fluids, saliva, urine, faeces, and milk. Pathogenesis is highly influenced by PRNP genotype, as animals of the most susceptible genotypes have the most effective uptake of PrPSc across small intestine followed by an extensive dissemination and involvement of the SLOs, and an early neuroinvasion with spread of PrPSc within the CNS. The susceptible genotypes will contribute the most to spread of infectivity and environmental contamination. This work describes the results from experimental classical scrapie where homozygous VRQ lambs were inoculated orally at birth with homogenated brain material from either healthy sheep or from natural cases of classical scrapie. This resulted in a worst-case scenario type of classical scrapie with sudden onset of severe clinical signs at 22 wpi followed by a rapid deterioration and euthanasia at 23 wpi. Serum samples were collected at regular intervals and tissue samples from brain and liver were sampled at post mortem examination. Proteomic examinations of serum revealed a downregulation of several protein peaks during the pre-symptomatic incubation period in the scrapie affected group compared to the control group, and a shift to upregulation of protein peaks onwards from 22 wpi. Genomic examinations of serum samples showed a slight downregulation IL1B and TLR4 at 16 wpi, followed by a change at 22 wpi with upregulation of genes encoding TLRs, C3 and APPs. Genomic examination of liver and brain tissues showed an alteration in gene expression of APPs in accordance with an APR. Serum analyses of different APPs showed increased levels of the positive APPs and a reduced concentration of negative APPs. These findings are indicative of a shift from anti-inflammatory to pro-inflammatory systemic innate immune response that coincide with the onset of debilitating clinical disease. In neurodegenerative diseases, the innate immune response in the CNS has a key role in both onset and progression of disease and resolution of inflammation. The accumulation of PrPSc in the CNS has been associated with a chronic activation of the innate immune response, pro-inflammatory activation of microglia, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration. The diseases phenotype registered in this work is a result of PRNP genotype, and time and dose of inoculation, which can occur naturally if the right circumstances are in place. New-born homozygous VRQ lambs from an infected dam can get infected at birth. These cases could develop a similar disease progression as described in this work, resulting in an efficient and fast uptake and widespread peripheral and central dissemination of PrPSc, and clinical disease at a young age. These cases would present as a diagnostic challenge and easily missed as classical scrapie. Due to their young age, these cases would not be sampled through active surveillance. If incubation period extends commercial lifespan, these lambs would be slaughtered for human consumption, and due to their PRNP genotype, prions would enter the food chain. Control of classical scrapie can probably not be achieved by absence of infectivity, but absence of clinical disease is possible through breeding for resistance which will provide flock immunity to classical scrapie.Klassisk skrapesyke hos sau er en overførbar og dødelig nevrodegenerativ sykdom forårsaket av det selvrepliserende og smittsomme prionproteinet, PrPSc, som er en variant av det normale cellulære prionproteinet, PrPC. Prionproteinet er et glykoprotein som er kodet for av PRNP-genet. Dette betyr at PrPC og PRPSC hos samme verten, har den samme unike aminosyresekvensen og det er kun den tredimensjonale strukturen som skiller dem. Spesifikke mutasjoner ved kodonene 136, 154 og 171 i PRNP-genet fører til substitusjoner av enkelte aminosyrer, og de vanligste polymorfismer gir opphav til fem mulige alleler, og 15 PRNP-genotyper hos sau. De forskjellige allelene er assosiert med nivå av mottakelighet for klassisk skrapesyke, og A136R154R171-allel fører til genetisk resistens, og V136R154Q171-allel gir høy mottagelighet. På bakgrunn av denne sammenhengen mellom PRNP-genotype og mottakelighet, har mange EU medlemsland innført nasjonale avlsprogram som har mål om å øke utbredelsen av ARR-allel, og samtidig en reduksjon av VRQ-allel. I snart 20 år har EUs TSE-regelverk krevd nasjonale overvåkingsprogram for å bestemme forekomsten av prionsykdommer og kartlegge utbredelsen av de forskjellige PRNP-genotypene. Klassisk skrapesyke er utbredt, men forekomsten vil variere med bakgrunn i det komplekse samspillet mellom prionprotein og vertsfaktorer. Prevalens kan estimeres gjennom ante mortem testing i forbindelse med aktivt og passivt overvåkingsprogram. Smitteoverføring mellom sau skjer ved direkte og indirekte kontakt, og PrPSc er smittsomt i flere år i miljøet. Den vanligste infeksjonsveien er gjennom oralt inntak, og dyr kan skille ut smittsomt PrPSc via fosterhinner og væsker, spytt, urin, feces og melk, og nivå er styrt av PRNP genotype.Research Council of Norwa

EXPLAINING THE RELATIVE DECLINE IN TEACHER SALARIES

The article describes possible explanations for the relative decline in teacher salaries during recent decades. The article focuses on the Norwegian case, but the situation regarding teacher salaries in Norway is equivalent in many other countries across the globe. Based on comparisons with other professions, three contributing explanations are proposed. All of these contributing explanations relate to a common theme of flexibility. The first proposed explanation is flexibility in certification, while the second and third have to do with flexibility in hiring.  Article visualizations