The ‘Two Experiments’ of Kant’s Religion: Dismantling the Conundrum

The past decade has seen a sizable increase in scholarship on Kant’s Religion. Yet, unlike the centuries of debate that inform our study of his other major works, scholarship on the Religion is still just in its infancy. As such, it is in a particularly vulnerable state where errors made now could hinder scholarship for decades to come. It is the purpose of this paper to mitigate one such danger, a danger issuing from the widely assumed view that the Religion is shaped by “two experiments.” We will begin with a survey of the four current interpretations of the experiments, and then propose one further interpretation, one that hopefully will help dismantle this alleged “conundrum” and thereby help scholarship on the Religion move beyond this early misstep

A Guide to Kant’s Treatment of Grace

This Guide is designed to restore the theological background that informs Kant’s treatment of grace in Religion to its rightful place. This background is essential not only to understand the nature of Kant’s overall project in this book, namely, to determine the “association” or “union” between Christianity (as a historical faith) and rational religion, but also to dispel the impression of “internal contradictions” and conundrums” that contemporary interpreters associate with Kant’s treatment of grace and moral regeneration. That impression, we argue, is the result of entrenched interpretative habits that can be traced back to Karl Barth’s reading of the text. Once we realize that such a reading rests on a mistake, much of the anxiety and confusion that plague current discussions on these issues can be put to rest

A computer program to evaluate the effectiveness of PCM frame synchronization strategies

Computer program simulating pulse code modulation /PCM/ conversion equipment using Monte Carlo technique in measuring strategy effectiveness of satellite equipment control setting

Fusing Data with Correlations

Many applications rely on Web data and extraction systems to accomplish knowledge-driven tasks. Web information is not curated, so many sources provide inaccurate, or conflicting information. Moreover, extraction systems introduce additional noise to the data. We wish to automatically distinguish correct data and erroneous data for creating a cleaner set of integrated data. Previous work has shown that a na\"ive voting strategy that trusts data provided by the majority or at least a certain number of sources may not work well in the presence of copying between the sources. However, correlation between sources can be much broader than copying: sources may provide data from complementary domains (\emph{negative correlation}), extractors may focus on different types of information (\emph{negative correlation}), and extractors may apply common rules in extraction (\emph{positive correlation, without copying}). In this paper we present novel techniques modeling correlations between sources and applying it in truth finding.Comment: Sigmod'201

Tervise edendamise eetika

Tervise edendamise eesmärk on parandada rahva võimet ja eeldusi hoida ning tugevdada oma tervist. Seda võib rakendada nii konkreetse isiku kui ka suurte ühiskonnarühmade suhtes. Sageli on sellise tegevuse sihtrühm kogu rahvastik. Parimad tulemused saadakse tervise edendamisel, kui parandada ühiskonna liikmete haritust ja teadmisi, rahalist seisu, elutingimusi ning vähendada eri ühiskonnarühmade ebavõrdsust. Eesti Arst 2007; 86 (10): 758-76

Eetikal on üha suurenev tähtsus arsti töös

Eetikal on läbi aegade olnud arsti töös keskne osa. Viimase 60 aasta jooksul on selle tähtsus pidevalt kasvanud ja sellest on arenenud iseseisev õppe- ja uurimisala. Pärast Teise maailma sõja lõppu korraldatud Nürnbergi kohtuprotsess kuritegudes osalenud arstide vastu oli oluline sündmus, mis käivitas eetiliste reeglistike loomise ja nende ulatusliku rahvusvahelise kasutusele võtu. Samal ajal tulid arstiteaduse kiire arengu tõttu eetilised kaalutlused ka arstide igapäevatöösse. Eesti Arst 2005; 84 (9): 639–64

Aggregation Of Chlorophyll a Probed By Resonance Light Scattering Spectroscopy

We report the resonance light scattering (RLS) spectra of chlorophyll a aggregated in a 9:1 solution of formamide and pH 6.8 phosphate buffer. The aggregate formed after 2 h of mixing, referred to as Chl(469), shows a strong scattering feature at 469 nm (Soret band) and a much weaker feature at 699 nm (Q(y) band). A kinetic investigation confirmed that the aggregation process is cooperative, and also detected one intermediate (Chl(458)) with a strong RLS spectrum but only a weak CD spectrum. We propose that aggregation proceeds via at least three steps: 1) formation of a nucleating species, probably a dimer of chlorophylls; 2) formation of large aggregates with little or no secondary structure (e.g., Chl(458)); and 3) conformational change to form helical aggregate (Chl(469))

Lifespan map creation enhances stream restoration design.

Research and engineering efforts are establishing a vast number of stream restoration planning approaches, design testing frameworks, construction techniques, and performance evaluation methods. A primary question arises as to the lifespan of stream restoration features. This study develops a framework to identify relevant parameters, design criteria and survival thresholds for ten multidisciplinary restoration techniques: •Parameterize relevant features, notably, (1) bar and floodplain grading; (2) berm setback; (3) vegetation plantings; (4) riprap placement; (5) sediment replenishment; (6) side cavities; (7) side channel and anabranches; (8) streambed reshaping; (9) structure removal; and (10) placement of wood in the shape of engineered logjams and rootstocks.•Identify survival thresholds for parameters, where the feature life ends when the threshold value is exceeded.•Compare parameter thresholds with spatial data of topographic change and hydrodynamic forces as a result of hydrodynamic modelling of multiple discharges. The discharge or topographic change rate that is related to the lowest (flood) return period spatially determines the feature's lifespan in years

Beijing’s Olympic Pollution Forecast: Haze and Hot Air

For an idea of what kind of air athletes and spectators can expect during the Olympics–and what Beijingers can expect for some time to come–the past week has offered telling indications. Or it hasn’t. At the start of last week, for the fourth day in a row, emissions made it hard to see down the street, despite the fact the government ordered half the city’s cars off the road and closed factories. Officials said they would implement an emergency contingency plan on top of the existing anti-smog measures if pollution lingers closer to the Games. Twenty-four hours later, the difference was night-and-day: thanks to a series of thunderstorms, triggered in part by the government’s arsenal of rainmaking rockets, the following days were dramatically better, like a nice day in New York. And then, on Monday, following a gasp of fresh air over the weekend, and what some thought was the last of the pollution, Beijing breathed through one of its worst pollution days yet. From the Olympic Green, the city was covered in a veil of white, making it, and even the Bird’s Nest stadium, practically vanish. The vast disparity in pollution levels despite serious efforts to control them says as much about Beijing’s general grasp on the country’s environmental problems as it does about its last-ditch attempt to banish those problems for the months of the Olympics and Paralympics