The Manifestation Challenge: The Debate between McDowell and Wright

In this paper, we will discuss what is called the “Manifestation Challenge” to semantic realism, which was originally developed by Michael Dummett and has been further refined by Crispin Wright. According to this challenge, semantic realism has to meet the requirement that knowledge of meaning must be publically manifested in linguistic behaviour. In this regard, we will introduce and evaluate John McDowell’s response to this anti-realistic challenge, which was put forward to show that the challenge cannot undermine realism. According to McDowell, knowledge of undecidable sentences’ truth-conditions can be properly manifested in our ordinary practice of asserting such sentences under certain circumstances, and any further requirement will be redundant. Wright’s further objection to McDowell’s response will be also discussed and it will be argued that this objection fails to raise any serious problem for McDowell’s response and that it is an implausible objection in general

Small scale turbulence and mixing in semi-enclosed seas (Persian Gulf)

Turbulence and internal waves are probably important in generating layered structures in frontal region of marine environments (e.g. near river plumes outflow into the sea). Here we investigate the role of normal modes of internal waves in generation of layered structure in a part of Persian Gulf where river plume inters and in some laboratory experiments. The model prediction and observations show that layers so formed have a thickness of about 2m based on salinity variations with depth, but layers (about 5m) based on horizontal velocity profiles. Laboratory experiments with a plume outflow in a Filling Box profile also generate normal mode layered structure with 21H=0.5 (where A is layer thickness and H is the plume depth). In these experiments as Re of the flow is smaller than the Re of field flow. The normal modes are substantially dissipated with depth. Typical values of dissipation factor is about 0(100). This factor for field observation is 0(10) which is still substantial. Qualitative comparison between layered structure in field and laboratory is good. It should be emphasized that field observation is for semi-enclosed seas but the laboratory experiments are for enclosed region. Hence some of the discrepancies in the results of two cases are inevitable. Layered structures in marine environments are also produced by double diffusive convection. In this region this should be studied separately

Shape memory effect of NiTi alloy processed by equal-channel angular pressing followed by post deformation annealing

Processing by Equal-Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) is generally considered superior to most other SPD techniques because it uses relatively large bulk samples. However, due to their low deformability it has proven almost impossible to successfully process NiTi alloys by ECAP at room temperature and therefore the processing is conducted at elevated temperatures. Recently, a new billet design was introduced and it was used to achieve the successful processing of NiTi shape memory alloys by ECAP. In this procedure, a NiTi alloy was inserted as a core within an Fe sheath to give a core-sheath billet. In this research, a NiTi was processed by one pass ECAP with this new billet design at room temperature. The structural evolution during annealing was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and microhardness measurements. Post deformation annealing (PDA) was carried out at 400°C for 5 to 300 min and the results indicate that the shape memory effect improves by PDA after ECA

Closing the Circle

The authors present a critique of the International Mine Action Standards currently in use. After highlighting gaps in IMAS related to assessment and survey, an improved aspect of mine-action planning methodology is presented, which includes a prioritization component using a socioeconomic approach. The result is LIRA: landmine impact combined with a new measurement of risk assessment. This updated model can contribute to improved safety, quality and productivity of landmine action through more effective strategic planning tools

Impact of information system on firm's performance: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh

Today the airline industry is one of the fastest and largest growing industries in the world because of its importance in facilitating national and international relation among st countries, Tangibles, Reliability, Competence, Responsiveness, and Empathy are the core characteristics of service industry.In line with the international standard parameters the study which to recommend to the airline industry to enhance the level of customer satisfaction, customer royalty and customer retention in the industry by providing safety of their life and property, restore full confidence on their quality of service delivery and delight their existing customers in order to attract potential customers

Characterization of apparent mass of human body seated on rigid and elastic seats under vertical vibration

Characterization of biodynamic responses of seated body exposed to whole-body vibration forms an essential basis for understanding of mechanical-equivalent properties of the body and potential injury mechanisms, and developments in frequency-weightings and enhanced design tools for the coupled human-seat system. Such responses are strongly dependent upon human anthropometric, gender, sitting posture and vibration condition in a highly complex and coupled manner, while only limited knowledge exists on effects of these factors. Furthermore, such responses are mostly evaluated for body on a rigid seat due to complexities associated with measurement of forces developed at an elastic human-seat interface under vibration. An elastic seat greatly alters human-seat interface contact force and contact area. The biodynamic responses with an elastic seat are thus expected to differ. This dissertation research concerns with development of a methodology for measurement of apparent mass (APMS) responses of human body seated on an elastic seat and exposed to vertical vibration. A force-sensing resistive pressure measurement system was initially used to capture responses of 58 human subjects (31 male and 27 female) seated on a rigid seat with and without a vertical back support, and exposed to three different magnitudes of broad band random vibration in the 0.5 to 20 Hz range (overall rms acceleration = 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 m/s2). The APMS responses were also obtained using the conventional force plate. The responses acquired from the force plate were thoroughly analyzed to study effects of gender, and mass-related (body mass, body mass index, body fat, lean body mass), stature-related (standing height, sitting height, C7-height) and build-related (buttock circumference, contact area) anthropometric dimensions. The results showed strong coupling between the gender and the body mass, while a strong correlation of the peak APMS was evident with body mass, body mass index, body fat and hip circumference. The data were subsequently grouped within three different body mass ranges in order to decouple the effect. The gender effect was observed in the vicinity of secondary peak where female subjects revealed higher APMS magnitude, while the male subjects showed relatively higher primary peak frequency than females. Comparisons of APMS responses with those derived from the pressure sensing mat revealed large differences. APMS magnitudes derived from the pressure sensing mat were considerably lower than those obtained from the conventionally used force plate in the entire frequency range. The differences were attributed to low resolution of the sensor and limited acquisition rate of the hardware. A correction function was subsequently derived from the ratio of response functions obtained from the two measurement systems, which revealed nearly linear decreasing trend with frequency. The application of correction functions resulted in comparable responses from the two measurement systems. It was then hypothesized that the proposed correction function, mostly attributed to limited acquisition rate, would be equally applicable for cushion seats. Subsequent measurements were performed to derive APMS of subjects seated on a cushion seat. Comparisons of APMS magnitudes obtained for the cushion seat with those obtained with the rigid seat revealed that response magnitudes and the primary resonance frequency of subjects when seated on a cushion seat are generally lower. The effects of selected anthropometric factors, sitting posture and vibration magnitudes, however, were very similar to those observed for the rigid seat

Allantoin improves histopathological evaluations in a rat model of gastritis

Purpose Gastritis is found to be one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases worldwide. However, current therapeutic agents cause side effects, interaction, and recurrence. Allantoin has anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties. In this study, the therapeutic effect of allantoin has been assessed on the histopathological indices and gastric mucosal barrier of male rats. Methods Male rats were equally divided into control, ethanol-induced gastritis, and allantoin groups. The therapeutic groups consisted of gastritis plus 12.5 mg/kg allantoin, gastritis plus 25 mg/kg allantoin, and gastritis plus 50 mg/kg allantoin groups. After 5 days of allantoin administration, the rats were sacrificed and a part of their gastric tissue was maintained at −70 °C for prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and non-protein sulfhydryl (NP-SH) measurements. Another part was stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Masson’s trichrome. Results We found that Allantoin increased parietal and mucosal cell counts and mucosal thickness after gastritis induction. In addition, the number of leukocytes and vessels decreased in both of the mucosal and the submucosal layers. Allatoin improved gastric ulcer in all treatment groups. Gastric levels of PGE2 and NP-SH increased after allantoin treatment. Conclusion This study indicated that allantoin had a considerable effect on gastritis treatment, which seems to result from the reinforcement of gastric mucosal barrier

User experience in social robots

Social robots are increasingly penetrating our daily lives. They are used in various domains, such as healthcare, education, business, industry, and culture. However, introducing this technology for use in conventional environments is not trivial. For users to accept social robots, a positive user experience is vital, and it should be considered as a critical part of the robots’ development process. This may potentially lead to excessive use of social robots and strengthen their diffusion in society. The goal of this study is to summarize the extant literature that is focused on user experience in social robots, and to identify the challenges and benefits of UX evaluation in social robots. To achieve this goal, the authors carried out a systematic literature review that relies on PRISMA guidelines. Our findings revealed that the most common methods to evaluate UX in social robots are questionnaires and interviews. UX evaluations were found out to be beneficial in providing early feedback and consequently in handling errors at an early stage. However, despite the importance of UX in social robots, robot developers often neglect to set UX goals due to lack of knowledge or lack of time. This study emphasizes the need for robot developers to acquire the required theoretical and practical knowledge on how to perform a successful UX evaluation.publishedVersio

THE ROLE OF THERMAL INPUT ON SQUAT TYPE DEFECTS IN RAILS

The recently discovered squat type defect which is understood as a thermal defect has renewed interest in rolling contact fatigue damage in railway studies. These defects were reported to appear in several locations across the globe where the cost incurred for their removal leads to a major increase of track maintenance cost. While the growth mechanism for classical rolling contact fatigue squat is well understood, limited research has so far been undertaken for squat type defects leaving them poorly understood, especially in their initiation and propagation mechanism. The presence of white etching layer in all locations where these defects have been found strongly suggests that thermal input is responsible for their development rather than fluid assisted growth that is responsible for the development of classical rolling contact fatigue squats. In this thesis, research is reported that combines morphological analysis data with a boundary element model to understand the direct influence of these thermally transformed layers on the initiation and propagation of squat type defects in rail. Furthermore, the work has been extended to explore the possibilities for defect detection in rails reaching a positive proof of concept outcome. It is expected that this approach could serve as a basis for maintenance schedules in order to avoid rail failure due to inadequate understanding of this type of defect

Peer-led surgery education: A model for a surgery interest group

We present a systematic, sustainable, student-led model for a Surgery Interest Group in a low and middle-income country setting to encourage other medical students to establish similar groups in their institutions. Our model was developed at the Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi, and is comprised of medical students, teaching associates, residents, faculty and alumni. The group focuses on connecting medical students with an interest in surgery with opportunities to help them match in surgery training programs. The opportunities include, but are not limited to, skill development, personal development, mentorship and research. Our model has shown growth and expansion over the last four years, and can be successfully replicated in medical colleges across similar settings