Climbing to Consciousness: The Mind-Body Problem and the Computational Order

In his book "The Structure of Behavior", the philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty proposes a solution to the mind-body problem. Merleau-Ponty argues that there is a nested hierarchy of three orders—the physical order, the biological order, and the mental order—in which each lower order composes each higher order. Through the structuration or organization of a lower order, a higher order is created. Merleau-Ponty’s solution is promising, but it leaves an explanatory chasm between the biological order and the mental order that cannot be crossed without introducing an intermediary order. I propose just that: the addition of a fourth order—the computational order—to bridge the chasm

Warren County and the Birth of a Movement: The Troubled Marriage Between Environmentalism and Civil Rights

The protests at Warren County, North Carolina, in the early 1980s led to several critical, galvanizing events in the history of the environmental justice movement. This article suggests that the environmental justice movement — while often characterized as a marriage between the environmental and civil rights movements — has adopted key facets of both movements. The 1990 letter to the so-called “Big 10” marked an evolutionary point that has led the environmental justice movement to establish valuable alliances with some mainstream environmental groups. Additionally, the article suggests from a jurisprudential perspective that civil rights laws in that same period failed the environmental justice movement, thereby challenging the environmental justice movement’s ties to the civil rights movement. This piece first discusses the environmental justice movement’s initial symbiotic relationship with the civil rights movement. It then touches on the history of the mainstream environmental movement, highlighting how racist and classist principles guided the early development of that movement. Finally, it considers how the environmental justice movement evolved in light of those relationships to civil rights and the mainstream environmental movement and suggests how environmental justice might intersect with those movements in the future

Effect of Fluid Resuscitation in Patients with ESRD and Sepsis or Septic Shock: An Integrative Review

In patients with ESRD, clinicians are tentative to initiate fluid resuscitation given the chance of negative outcomes associated with fluid overload. Given this, many ESRD patients with sepsis are severely under-resuscitated with fluids and experience a delay in receiving antibiotics (Abou Dagher et al. 2015). There is also controversy surrounding the type of fluid that should be used with patients with ESRD. The mainstay fluid for treatment is 0.9% sodium chloride solution (normal saline). Patient studies have found that this fluid could be harmful to the kidneys and should not be administered in patients with kidney disease (Rochwerg et al. 2015). This tentative treatment leads to decreased patient outcomes and slows the healing process. FLUID RESUSCITATION 4 The aim of this literature review is to synthesize the studies that explored fluid resuscitation in the management of ESRD patients diagnosed with sepsis. There are retrospective as well as quasi-experimental studies available for review on the treatment of sepsis and the treatment of ESRD patients diagnosed with sepsis. These articles will be analyzed, and a synthesis of research will be developed that focuses on best practice in treating ESRD patients diagnosed with sepsis or septic shock. This integrative review will help to understand the current literature on the problem and enable future research to be performed to improve overall knowledge and practice

Climbing to Consciousness: The Mind-Body Problem and the Computational Order

In his book The Structure of Behavior, the philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty proposes a solution to the mind-body problem. Merleau-Ponty argues that there is a nested hierarchy of three orders—the physical order, the biological order, and the mental order—in which each lower order composes each higher order. Through the structuration or organization of a lower order, a higher order is created. Merleau-Ponty’s solution is promising, but it leaves an explanatory chasm between the biological order and the mental order that cannot be crossed without introducing an intermediary order. I propose just that: the addition of a fourth order—the computational order—to bridge the chasm

A Case of the Highest Authority… So What Does It Mean?

There has been for some time a widespread view that anyone under investigation with regard to suspected wrongdoing should be entitled to anonymity prior to charge. Yet no attempt has been made to legislate. The matter is governed currently by the recently developed law of privacy, deriving from such cases as Campbell v MGN Ltd and culminating in the decision of the Supreme Court in ZXC v Bloomberg LP. It seems to be accepted, not only in England but under human rights law generally, that such information should be regarded as "private". This has not seriously been undermined in any of the leading cases. There is surely a serious question as to whether a suspect does indeed have a reasonable expectation that there should be such a blanket over his or her identity. This information is not purely personal. It relates to suspected wrongdoing – information which legitimately concerns not only any individual under suspicion but also, for example, "victims" and no doubt other fellow citizens interested in getting to the truth and in the administration of justice. Naturally, if a suspect's name leaks out, that individual's reputation may be seriously damaged. Some take the view that compensation should be recoverable specifically for injury to reputation – even though the claim would not be brought in defamation. Yet privacy and libel are distinct causes of action with different purposes to fulfil. If damages are to be sought to vindicate reputation, it is hard to see why a defendant should not have available the traditional defences and other principles applying in defamation. If a claimant wishes to demonstrate that the allegations are false, as well as intrusive, why should he not be subject to the same disciplines and risks as one who sues in libel

Design of Catalyst Interfaces for Heterogeneous Dihydrogen Production Manifolds and Incorporation into Photocathode Systems.

Engineering solar-powered catalyst systems for fuel production is of critical importance to the advancement of the global energy economy. Heterogeneous catalyst manifolds most promising for photocatalysis are those that boast versatile and cheap, stable components. Huisgen’s 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (‘click’ chemistry) and π-stacking graphene adsorption systems provide a range of facile methods for electrode-surface modification and catalyst binding to build stable photocathode systems. Prior to this work, CoIII bis(benzenedithiolate) catalysts had been reported as active proton reduction catalysts in homogeneous phase. Due to the novelty of these complexes for use as proton reduction catalysts, no work prior to that reported in this thesis has attempted to heterogenize cobalt bis(dithiolene) catalysts and attach them to semiconductor surfaces. While several hydrogen production catalyst systems had been reported electrostatically adsorbed to graphitic supports, these studies lacked in-depth analysis of the ligand and graphitic support’s effects on catalyst adsorption, activity and retention on the surface. Previous studies have succeeded in functionalizing several semiconductor surfaces (such as silicon) with alkyne or azide groups; however, such modification of gallium-based 3,5-semiconductor systems containing an inherently strong driving force for proton reduction was previously unreported. Finally, previous literature examples of hydrogen production catalysts electrostatically adsorbed on graphene-coated semiconductors were relatively scarce, and were severely outweighed by work on covalent catalyst tethered systems. This work has for the first time heterogenized cobalt bis(dithiolene) complexes, a new class of H2 production catalysts, on graphitic supports and further attached the catalysts to the surface of GaP by means of the graphitic interface. These studies have provided insight into how the catalyst ligand structure and even the type of carbon in the interface can affect catalyst loading, activity and retention on the surface of the support. Initial studies of graphene- and Click-catalyst interfaces on gallium phosphide surfaces reported here represent some of the first examples of such interface development on these materials. These results push the edge of knowledge in solar-to-fuel conversion by expanding possibilities in the design of inexpensive, robust and easily modifiable photocathode systems with interchangeable catalyst and semiconductor components.PhDChemistryUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/120802/1/sceady_1.pd

Eleven design-based principles to facilitate the adoption of internet technologies in Indigenous communities

Internationally, the internet is a critical component of many projects that aim to improve literacy and build skills in indigenous communities. It is claimed that online platforms provide flexible learning opportunities to suit individual learner schedules and needs, enabling them to learn in \u27anytime, anywhere\u27 environments. However, good intentions and a learning platform deemed suitable by non-indigenous people do not necessarily lead to successful user outcomes. There is a need to understand how Western culture influences the design and implementation of online projects with Indigenous communities and to avoid technological colonisation of the local community. Flexibility, understanding and respect must be at the forefront of projects if they are to be successful. This article suggests 11 design-based principles, derived through design-based research, which guide respectful implementation of internet technologies in indigenous communities

Partnership as Educational Policy Imperative: An unquestioned good?

“Partnership” is often promoted as an unquestioned “good” for higher education institutions in relation to its various stakeholder organizations. This paper seeks to problematize this uncritical valorization through a critical interrogation of the concepts and socio-material practices associated with partnership. In the name of partnership, new forms of governance are inaugurated that have far-reaching effects. More specifically, this paper is concerned with a critical analysis of partnership in relation to a longitudinal study of the relational practices between a university and five local authorities within a Scottish educational context. In particular, we trace how a “signature event” transformed a partnership assemblage, from one characterized by a grammar of participation, to a formal partnership aligned with a set of principles that we characterize as a grammar of representation. We argue that this transition led to a new assemblage that enacted new accountabilities, performativities, and alignments under the sign of partnership

The Unequal Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Political Interest Representation

The COVID-19 pandemic is viewed by many as the biggest global crisis since WWII and had profound effects on the daily lives of people and decision-making worldwide. Using the pandemic as a system-wide agenda shock, we employ a difference-in-differences design to estimate its causal effects on inequalities in political access, and social media prominence among business interests and NGOs. Our argument is twofold. First, the urgency and uncertainty of crises incentivized decision-makers to privilege providing access to business groups over securing inclusivity in the types of interests consulted. Second, NGOs compensated by increasing prominence in public communications. Our analysis of data from over 10,000 interest groups from over 100 countries registered in the European Union supports these hypotheses. Business interests successfully capitalized on the crisis in insider access, while NGOs increased prominence on social media. The results have wider implications for understanding how large-scale crises affect inequalities in representation.publishedVersio

Use of CardioMEMs HF Sensor in Management of NYHA Class III Heart Failure

Objective: Assess the ability of continuous pulmonary artery pressure monitoring via implantable CardioMEMs HF device to reduce hospitalization in New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III heart failure patients over the age of 18. Design: Systematic literature review. Methods: Searches were conducted via PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov using the single search term “CardioMEMs.” Inclusion criteria narrowed results to studies performed in the last 10 years, randomized control trials, cohort studies, and utilizing heart failure related hospitalization as the primary endpoint. Results: The current data unanimously asserts that the CardioMEMs HF device is effective at reducing heart failure related hospitalizations, with secondary evidence suggestive of the potential to improve NYHA classification. Conclusion: The findings of this literature review support the use of the CardioMEMs HF device in lieu of conventional management, although more data is needed before it can be universally recommended as the new standard of care