What is Derrida Saying to Us?

What is Derrida Saying to Us - Abstract Jacques Derrida is difficult and controversial. This article concentrates on the first part of On Grammatology (1967) as the Rosetta Stone to understanding him. It examines concepts such as the metaphysics of presence, the trace, differance, and deconstruction, aiming to interest readers further in pursuing him in more depth

Understanding and Mitigating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

First Sergeant Spock, in Afghanistan during his fourth deployment after 9/11, recalls a mission from June 2007 in Iraq. Improvised explosive devises (IEDs) had become the unsuspecting killer in his area, and his infantry platoon was on a mission to capture a key insurgent responsible for emplacing them. They had killed one of his soldiers and wounded eighteen other comrades. It was so likely that his platoon was going to hit an lED during the mission that his commander assigned a route clearance team (ReI) to his platoon. The RCf gave Spock some comfort, but it quickly faded when he received word that an RCf vehicle had broken down. His platoon faced the dilemma of having to wait for mechanics to fix the vehicle and jeopardize the mission or to move on and run the risk of hitting an lED exploSion. Spock describes how he knew that his decision might cost him his life and the lives of his fellow soldiers, but he knew the mission was too important to delay. If anyone was going to take the additional risk, it was going to be him, so with his heart racing, he looked at his driver with as much confidence as he could muster and said, Take the lead. We are going to the objective. Spock recalls that his driver didn\u27t show the slightest doubt or fear in his face. Without hesitation, his driver stepped on the gas and their vehicle raced to the objective, first in the order of movement. Fortunately, Spock\u27s platoon captured its target, without injury, which greatly reduced the number of IEDs for the remainder of the deployment

Thermotolerance of an inactivated rabies vaccine for dogs

This study provides the first robust data that the antibody response of dogs vaccinated with Nobivac® Rabies vaccine stored for several months at high temperatures (up to 30 °C) is not inferior to that of dogs vaccinated with vaccine stored under recommended cold-chain conditions (2–8 °C). A controlled and randomized non-inferiority study was carried out comparing the four-week post vaccination serological responses of Tanzanian village dogs inoculated with vaccine which had been stored at elevated temperatures for different periods of time with those of dogs vaccinated with the same product stored according to label recommendations. Specifically, the neutralizing antibody response following the use of vaccine which had been stored for up to six months at 25 °C or for three months at 30 °C was not inferior to that following the use of cold-chain stored vaccine. These findings provide reassurance that the vaccine is likely to remain efficacious even if exposed to elevated temperatures for limited periods of time and, under these circumstances, it can safely be used and not necessarily destroyed or discarded. The availability of thermotolerant vaccines has been an important factor in the success of several disease control and elimination programs and could greatly increase the capacity of rabies vaccination campaigns to access hard to reach communities in Africa and Asia. We have not confirmed a 3-year duration of immunity for the high temperature stored vaccine, however because annual re-vaccination is usually practiced for dogs presented for vaccination during campaigns in Africa and Asia this should not be a cause for concern. These findings will provide confidence that, for rabies control and elimination programs using this vaccine in low-income settings, more flexible delivery models could be explored, including those that involve limited periods of transportation and storage at temperatures higher than that currently recommended

PFERD Mission: Pluto Flyby Exploration/Research Design

The Pluto Flyby Exploration/Research Design (PFERD) mission will consist of a flyby spacecraft to Pluto and its satellite, Charon. The mission lifetime is expected to be 18 years. The Titan 4 with a Centaur upper stage will be utilized to launch the craft into the transfer orbit. The proposal was divided into six main subsystems: (1) scientific instrumentation; (2) command, communications, and control: (3) altitude and articulation control; (4) power and propulsion; (5) structures and thermal control; and (6) mission management and costing. Tradeoff studies were performed to optimize all factors of design, including survivability, performance, cost, and weight. Problems encountered in the design are also presented

The large-scale removal of mammalian invasive alien species in Northern Europe

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

AI & Agency

In July of 2019, at the Summer Institute on AI and Society in Edmonton, Canada (co-sponsored by CIFAR and the AI Pulse Project of UCLA Law), scholars from across disciplines came together in an intensive workshop. For the second half of the workshop, the cohort split into smaller working groups to delve into specific topics related to AI and Society.I proposed deeper exploration on the topic of “agency,” which is defined differently across domains and cultures, and relates to many of the topics of discussion in AI ethics, including responsibility and accountability. It is also the subject of an ongoing art and research project I’m producing. As a group, we looked at definitions of agency across fields, found paradoxes and incongruities, shared our own questions, and produced a visual map of the conceptual space. We decided that our disparate perspectives were better articulated through a collection of short written pieces, presented as a set, rather than a singular essay on the topic. The outputs of this work are shared here.This set of essays, many of which are framed as provocations, suggests that there remain many open questions, and inconsistent assumptions on the topic. Many of the writings include more questions than answers, encouraging readers to revisit their own beliefs about agency. As we further develop AI systems, and refer to humans and non-humans as “agents”– we will benefit from a better understanding of what we mean when we call something an “agent” or claim that an action involves “agency.” This work is under development and many of us will continue to explore this in our ongoing AI work.  – Sarah Newman, Project Lead, August 201