bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Jarrett Completeness and Superluminal Signals
Authors: Kronz Frederick M.
Published: January 2016

Bell (1964) demonstrated that if two restrictions are imposed on the hypothetical hidden variables supposed to underlie quantum mechanical states, then it is possible to derive an inequality that is violated by certain predictions of QM (Quantum Mechanics); the predictions concern pairs of systems whose states are strongly correlated. The two restrictions are denoted herein as SL (Strong Locality) and HA (Hidden Autonomy)1, and the inequality as BI (the Bell Inequality). Since SL and HA together entail BI, and QM violates BI, it follows that any HVT (Hidden-Variables Theory) for QM must violate either SL or HA.

It is well known that a condition known as PA (Perfect Anti-correlation) was also used by Bell to derive the inequality. PA says that parallel experiments (experiments with parallel spin-analyzer orientations) never yield the same results.
Wanted Dead or Alive: Two Attempts to Solve Schrödinger’s Paradox
Authors: Albert David , Loewer Barry
Published: January 2016

In a discussion of Schroedinger’s views on quantum theory John Bell says that Schroedinger did not see how “to account for particle tracks in track chambers…and more generally for the definiteness, the particularity, of experience, as compared with the indefiniteness, the waviness, of the wave function. It is the problem he had had with his cat. He thought it could not be both dead and alive. But the wave function showed no such commitment, superposing the possibilities. Either the wave function as given by the Schroedinger equation is not everything or it is not right” (Bell 1987). At a recent conference Bell sermonized against the employment of “for all practical purpose” reasoning- he called it FAP reasoning-to solve this problem (Bell 1989). He argued that we should not be satisfied with any alleged solution which works “for all practical purposes” only while leaving conceptual puzzles unresolved.
Theory of the Apparatus and Theory of the Phenomena: The Case of Low Dose Electron Microscopy
Authors: Swijtink Zeno G.
Published: January 2016

Electron microscopy, and in particular low dose electron microscopy, offers interesting cases of experimental techniques where the theory of the phenomena studied and the theory of the apparatus used, are intertwined. A single primary exposure usually does not give an interpretable image, and computerized image enhancement techniques are used to create from multiple exposures a single, visually meaningful image. Some of the enhancement programs start from informed guesses at the structure of the specimen and use the primary exposures in a series of corrections to arrive at a image that can be read by trained observers.

In this paper I describe in the general deterministic case the possible relations between phenomena theory and instrument theory. I give a Bayesian criterion for when an experiment is a test of the theory of the apparatus, rather than a test of the theory of the phenomena, and describe strategies used to ensure that tests of the theory of the phenomena are possible.
Designation and Convention: A Chapter of Early Logical Empiricism
Authors: Ryckman Thomas A.
Published: January 2016

We have yet to fully understand the mariner or the measure to which logical empiricism emerged as a conventionalist response to both traditional Kantian and empiricist epistemology and to the apparent triumphs of “conventionalist stratagems” (in Popper’s aspersive locution) in the foundations of science. By “conventionalism”, however, is here understood a broader sense than customary, an extrapolation of views on the foundations of geometry and physics (associated in the first instance with Poincaré“) to an encompassing epistemological consideration of the development and validity of scientific concepts generally. In this new construal, the concepts of science are neither derivable from sense experience, nor are they transcendentally valid a priori conditions of its possibility. Rather they are “free creations of the human mind” whose provenance is “logically arbitrary”, as Poincare’ and (subsequently) Einstein put it.
Hidden Agendas: Knowledge and Verification
Authors: Lewis Joia
Published: January 2016

Schlick has been accused of a number of philosophical sins over the years, most notably his rather casual, and frequent, traversing of the borders between language, experience, and reality. While we allow our scientists the freedom to roam creatively throughout the peripheral regions of Epistemology and Metaphysics, we are not so tolerant of our philosophers. We know that Schlick gave up the physics laboratory for the philosopher’s armchair, and we expect him to stick to a particular position.

Schlick’s colleagues in the Vienna Circle were not totally blameless in this regard, either, and it may be that part of the charm of their work is precisely their inability to stick to the positions that solidified over 2500 years of western philosophy.
The Appraisal of Theories: Kuhn Meets Bayes
Authors: Salmon Wesley C.
Published: January 2016

Can statistical inference shed any worthwhile light on theory change? For many years I have believed that the answer is “Yes.” Let me try to explain why I think so. On my first reading of Thomas S. Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) I was so deeply shocked at his repudiation of the distinction between the context of discovery and the context of justification that I put the book down without finishing it. By 1969, when a conference was held at the Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science on the relations between the history of science and the philosophy of science, I had returned to Structure and formed the view that Kuhn’s rejection of this fundamental distinction resulted from his adoption of an inadequate conception of scientific justification. It appeared that he saw scientific confirmation in terms of the traditional hypothetico-deductive (H-D) schema, according to which a scientific hypothesis (or theory) is confirmed by observing the truth of its logical consequences.
Belief Revision and Relevance
Authors: Gärdenfors Peter
Published: January 2016

The theory of belief revision deals with models of states of belief and transitions between states of belief. The goal of the theory is to describe what should happen when you update a state of belief with new information. In the most interesting case, the new information is inconsistent with what you believe. This means that some of the old beliefs have to be deleted if one wants to remain within a consistent state of belief. A guiding idea is that the change should be minimal so that as few of the old beliefs as possible are given up.

A central problem for the theory of belief revision is what is meant by a minimal change of a state of belief. The solution to this problem depends to a large extent on the model of a state of belief that is adopted.
Problematic Objects between Mathematics and Mechanics
Authors: Grosholz Emily R.
Published: January 2016

The relationship between the objects of mathematics and physics has been a recurrent source of philosophical debate. Rationalist philosophers can minimize the distance between mathematical and physical domains by appealing to transcendental categories, but then are left with the problem of where to locate those categories ontologically. Empiricists can locate their objects in the material realm, but then have difficulty explaining certain peculiar “transcendental” features of mathematics like the timelessness of its objects and the unfalsifiability of (at least some of) its truths. During the past twenty years, the relationship between mathematics and physics has come to seem particularly problematic, in part because of a strong interest in “naturalized epistemology” among American philosophers. The tendency to construe epistemological relations in causal and materialist terms seems to enforce a sharp distinction between mathematical and physical entities, and makes the former seem at best uncomfortably inaccessible and at worst irrelevant.
Allan Franklin’s Transcendental Physics
Authors: Lynch Michael
Published: January 2016

Does Allan Franklin’s study of atomic parity-violation experiments provide convincing evidence against social constructivism? According to Franklin (1990a, p. 2), “when questions of theory choice, confirmation, or refutation are raised they are answered on the basis of valid experimental evidence… [and] there are good reasons for belief in the validity of that evidence.” Franklin asserts that social constructivists take the opposite position: “They would say that it is not the experimental results, but rather the social and/or cognitive interests of the scientists, that must be used in the explanation.” Having set up the contrasting positions, he then asks the reader, “which of us is telling the more plausible story?” (Franklin 1990b, p. 163). Consistent with his evidence model, he proposes to discriminate between the two opposed positions by consulting historical evidence. He describes the results of two different sets of experiments on atomic parity-violations, and assesses the extent to which the experimental data match predictions based on the Weinberg-Salam unified theory of electroweak interactions.
Law Along the Frontier: Differential Equations and Their Boundary Conditions
Authors: Wilson Mark
Published: January 2016

This essay will survey various considerations that arise when a branch of physics requires formulation in terms of partial differential equations (or some facsimile thereof). My examples will derive almost exclusively from classical continuum (=smeared out matter) mechanics. Although the relevant formal facts are well known, it is difficult to find coherent discussions of how the underlying phenomena ought to be viewed. In this paper, I will give an introduction to some of the issues, although I will confess at the outset that I am not certain how these matters should be finally adjudicated. Certainly it would be helpful if philosophy paid more attention to the underlying issues.

Some of the points I will discuss bear upon some of Professor Sklar’s observations. Although my attention will be largely directed towards the status of boundary conditions (and related forms of singular surface), many of my examples can be adapted, mutatis mutandis, to initial conditions as well.
The Collapse of Collective Defeat: Lessons from the Lottery Paradox
Authors: Korb Kevin B.
Published: January 2016

Logicism as a philosophical enterprise died a sudden and unnatural death in the early 1930s. The logicist program was an attempt to secure our mathematical knowledge in the indubitable bedrock of our a priori logical intuitions. It was a program very much impressed by the remarkable achievements in formal logic and axiomatics in the early century. While that program is well dead and gone, a research program within artificial intelligence (AI) has come to be known by the same name, sharing with its homonymous predecessor at least that program’s esteem for logic.

Logicism in AI, briefly, is the view that prerequisite to developing an artificially intelligent system we must find means for representing and reasoning with a vast store of prepositional knowledge and that the only viable candidates for representing prepositional knowledge are formal logics (and their associated formal languages).
Thought and Syntax
Authors: Seager William
Published: January 2016

Psychological Externalism (PE) is the view that the contents of intentional psychological states are determined by factors external to the subject of those states. For example, PE holds that the content of a belief will be established at least in part by features of the environment, broadly construed, around and more or less detached from the believer. The range of such external factors is quite large, and various forms of PE emerge depending on which sorts of factors are endorsed. Generally speaking, these factors are those that establish the reference of the terms used to specify the contents of psychological states. To convey the flavour of this doctrine, let me briefly review some of the candidate external factors.
When is a Physical Theory Relativistic?
Authors: Sypel Roland , Brown Harvey R.
Published: January 2016

It may be thought that the question ‘when is a physical theory relativistic?’ has a fairly straightforward answer, namely: ‘when it is Galilean invariant’ (for classical mechanics) or ‘Lorentz invariant’ (for special relativity). In the context of the modern ‘spacetime theory’ approach to relativity physics, the answer is more elaborate, in the interests of greater precision. In this paper, we examine two recent discussions of the issue, or aspects of it, found in a 1990 paper of Arntzenius and the well-known 1983 study of Friedman.

Arntzenius constructs a ‘sure-fire method’ of constructing a Lorentz invariant spacetime theory from a non Lorentz invariant one. We argue that if the original theory is anything like a typical dynamical theory in physics, its ‘completeness’—in a sense to be defined—will render the new theory underdetermined.
Reasoning Strategies in Molecular Biology: Abstractions, Scans and Anomalies
Authors: Darden Lindley , Cook Michael
Published: January 2016

In the spring of 1994, Lindley Darden spent five months as a visitor in Joshua Lederberg's Laboratory for Molecular Genetics and Informatics (MGI) at Rockefeller University. Michael Cook is a Research Associate in the MGI Lab. This paper discusses reasoning strategies at use in that lab. In Part I, Lindley Darden recounts her experiences in the lab and discusses reasoning strategies that she observed in use there. In Part II, Michael Cook presents a technique of methodical hypothesis generation in the light of an anomaly for a model.

The reasoning strategies to be discussed in this paper are reasoning in hypothesis formation, reasoning in experimental design, and reasoning to generate hypotheses in the light of an anomaly. More specifically, the reasoning strategies may be characterized as (1) abstraction-instantiation (Darden, 1987; 1991; Darden and Cain, 1989), (2) the systematic scan (Lederberg, 1965), and (3) modular anomaly resolution (Darden, 1991; 1992; forthcoming).
Convergence in Radical Probabilism
Authors: Skyrms Brian
Published: January 2016

The obvious move is to deny that the notion of knowledge has the importance generally attributed to it, and to try to make the concept of belief do the work that philosophers have assigned to the grander concept. I shall argue that this is the right move.

- Richard Jeffrey“Probable Knowledge”

Richard Jeffrey advocates fallibilism in the form of radical probabilism. Degrees of belief are the objects of prime interest to epistemology and it is rarely plausible that they should take the extreme form of certainty. In particular the creation of certainties by the process of belief change by conditionalization is not necessary:

… for a certain strict point of view, it is rarely or never that there is a proposition for which the direct effect of an observation will be to change the observer's degree of belief in that proposition to 1 … (Jeffrey 1968)
After Representation: Science Studies in the Performative Idiom
Authors: Pickering Andy
Published: January 2016

Satisfied that the sequence of men led to nothing and that the sequence of their society could lead no further, while the mere sequence of time was artificial, and the sequence of thought was chaos, he turned at last to the sequence of force; and thus it happened that, after ten years’ pursuit, he found himself lying in the Gallery of Machines at the Great Exposition of 1900, his historical neck broken by the sudden irruption of forces totally new.

Henry Adams, The Education of Henry Adams.

This essay is about science studies: history, philosophy and sociology of science, etc. My interest is in where the field is now and where I would like it go. Taking my cue from actor-network theory, my central theme is agency—questions of who acts? who does what to whom, how and why? And to develop this theme I contrast two different idioms for thinking about science—two different metaphysics—which I call the representational and the performative idioms.
Conserving Spatially Explicit Benefits in Ecosystem Service Markets: Experimental Tests of Network Bonuses and Spatial Targeting
Authors: Fooks Jacob R. , Higgins Nathaniel , Messer Kent D. , Duke Joshua M. , Hellerstein Daniel , Lynch Lori
Published: January 2016

Conserving contiguous areas often enhances environmental benefits. However, most conservation efforts are incentive‐based and voluntary, and neither reward landowners for contiguity nor do they select based on contiguity. Thus, achieving optimal contiguity of conserved parcels is unlikely. Using lab and artefactual field experiments, this paper evaluates two mechanisms in the context of reverse auctions for achieving optimal contiguity: network bonuses and spatial targeting. Results suggest that spatial targeting alone improves the aggregate environmental and social welfare outcomes, while network bonuses alone result in worse outcomes. The interaction of the bonus effect and the targeting effect is positive. If a program was already using a competitive auction environment with bonuses, adding spatial targeting could reduce welfare loss.
Designing of self-deploying origami structures using geometrically misaligned crease patterns
Authors: Saito Kazuya , Tsukahara Akira , Okabe Yoji
Published: January 2016

Usually, origami-based morphing structures are designed on the premise of ‘rigid folding’, i.e. the facets and fold lines of origami can be replaced with rigid panels and ideal hinges, respectively. From a structural mechanics viewpoint, some rigid-foldable origami models are overconstrained and have negative degrees of freedom (d.f.). In these cases, the singularity in crease patterns guarantees their rigid foldability. This study presents a new method for designing self-deploying origami using the geometrically misaligned creases. In this method, some facets are replaced by ‘holes’ such that the systems become a 1-d.f. mechanism. These perforated origami models can be folded and unfolded similar to rigid-foldable (without misalignment) models because of their d.f. focusing on the removed facets, the holes will deform according to the motion of the frame of the remaining parts. In the proposed method, these holes are filled with elastic parts and store elastic energy for self-deployment. First, a new extended rigid-folding simulation technique is proposed to estimate the deformation of the holes. Next, the proposed method is applied on arbitrary-size quadrilateral mesh origami. Finally, by using the finite-element method, the authors conduct numerical simulations and confirm the deployment capabilities of the models.
Collaboration and communication
Authors: Rogers Peter , Burnside-Lawry Judy , Dragisic Jelenko , Mills Colleen
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study of Participatory Action Research (PAR), reporting on a collaboration, communication and disaster resilience workshop in Sydney, Australia. The goal of the workshop was to explore the challenges that organisations perceive as blockages to building community disaster resilience; and, through collaborative practitioner-led activities, identify which of those challenges could be best addressed through a deeper engagement with communication research.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors link communication, collaboration and disaster resilience through the lens of PAR, detailing how communication and resilience experts can collaborate to improve disaster prevention, management and mitigation practice.

Findings

– The authors identify a number of theoretical considerations in understanding horizontal and vertical interfaces for improved communication. The authors also highlight how practical collaborative workshops can draw on communication researchers to facilitate collaborative resilience activities. PAR is shown to help move participant focus from resolving inter/intra-organisational tensions to facilitating public good, offering evidence-based recommendations which will foster a more reflexive and communicative approach to building disaster resilient communities.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper does not seek to apply community resilience to the general public, no community representatives were present at the workshop. This does not mean that the focus is on organisational resilience. Rather the authors apply PAR as a way to help organisations become more engaged with PAR, communication research and collaborative practice. PAR is a tool for organisations to use in building community resilience, but also a means to reflect on their practice. Whilst this should help organisations in building more resilient communities the take up of practice by participants outside of the workshop is a matter for future research.

Practical implications

– This method of collaborative resilience building could significantly improve the shared responsibility amongst key organisations, mobilising skills and building awareness of integrated resilience thinking in practice for stakeholders in disaster management activities.

Originality/value

– This paper provides original evidence-based research, showing the linkages between communication theory, collaboration practice and the tools used by organisations tasked with building community resilience. This innovative synthesis of skills can aid in building PAR led disaster resilience across prevention, preparation and mitigation activities for all potential hazards, threats and/or risks, however, it will be particularly of interest to organisations engaged in community resilience building activities.
Structural, electrical and microwave properties of (Sr0.6Ca0.4) (CoyMn1−y) O3 (0.2 ≤ y ≤ 1.0) thick film ceramics
Authors: Pawar R.P. , Puri Vijaya
Published: January 2016

Purpose

– This paper aims to study the structural, electrical and microwave properties of (Sr0.6Ca0.4) (CoyMn1−y) O3 (0.2 ≤ y ≤ 1.0) thick-film ceramics.

Design/methodology/approach

– The thick films of (Sr0.6Ca0.4) (CoyMn1−y) O3 (0.2 ≤ y ≤ 1.0) on the alumina substrate have been delineated using screen printing technique. The structural analysis was carried out using an X-ray diffraction method and scanning electron microscopy. The direct current (DC) electrical resistivity is measured using a two-probe method. Microwave absorption was studied in the 8-18 GHz frequency range by using the Waveguide Reflectometer Method. The permittivity and permeability in the 8-18 GHz frequency range were measured by using Voltage Standing Wave Ratio slotted section method.

Findings

– The thick films have orthorhombic perovskite structure with dominant (020) plane. By using first-principle calculation method, theoretical and experimental lattice parameter and cell volume of (Sr0.6Ca0.4) (CoyMn1−y) O3 are matched with each other. The cobalt content changes the morphology from plates to needles. The DC electrical resistivity increases with increase in Co content and decreases with increase in temperature. (Sr0.6Ca0.4) (CoyMn1−y) O3 thick film shows 75 per cent microwave absorption both in the X band and Ku band. The microwave permittivity and permeability decreases with increase in frequency and Co content.

Originality/value

– Structural, electrical and microwave properties of (Sr0.6Ca0.4) (CoyMn1−y) O3 (0.2 ≤ y ≤ 1.0). Thick film ceramics on alumina substrate is reported for the first time.
An inquiry into the causes and effects of the variolae (or Cow‐pox. 1798)
Authors: Jenson Alfred B. , Ghim Shin‐je , Sundberg John P.
Published: January 2016

Few papers have had a greater impact on the health of the human species than the simple, yet elegant, observations and clinical trials of Edward Jenner with what was at the time called the Cow Pox. In fact, this was a naturally attenuated rodent (probably rat) pox that could infect horses and, through farriers and farm hands, dairy cattle. While commonly called the Cow Pox at the time, Jenner's transmission studies between humans used infectious materials from horses. His methods provided protection from the serious effects of smallpox infections. In 1977, smallpox was considered to be eradicated, although people continue to be infected by pox viruses from other mammalian species. We consider this to be our ‘favorite historical paper’ because it emphasizes careful clinical observation followed by relatively simple clinical testing can have a profound influence on human health, even when almost nothing is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms. Continued follow‐up with strict attention to detail resulted in a crude but effective way to deal with an epidemic, methods still used today for containing infectious diseases.
Long inverted repeat transiently stalls DNA replication by forming hairpin structures on both leading and lagging strands
Authors: Lai Pey Jiun , Lim Chew Theng , Le Hang Phuong , Katayama Tsutomu , Leach David R. F. , Furukohri Asako , Maki Hisaji
Published: January 2016

Long inverted repeats (LIRs), often found in eukaryotic genomes, are unstable in Escherichia coli where they are recognized by the SbcCD (the bacterial Mre11/Rad50 homologue), an endonuclease/exonuclease capable of cleaving hairpin DNA. It has long been postulated that LIRs form hairpin structures exclusively on the lagging‐strand template during DNA replication, and SbcCD cleaves these hairpin‐containing lagging strands to generate DNA double‐strand breaks. Using a reconstituted oriC plasmid DNA replication system, we have examined how a replication fork behaves when it meets a LIR on DNA. We have shown that leading‐strand synthesis stalls transiently within the upstream half of the LIR. Pausing of lagging‐strand synthesis at the LIR was not clearly observed, but the pattern of priming sites for Okazaki fragment synthesis was altered within the downstream half of the LIR. We have found that the LIR on a replicating plasmid was cleaved by SbcCD with almost equal frequency on both the leading‐ and lagging‐strand templates. These data strongly suggest that the LIR is readily converted to a cruciform DNA, before the arrival of the fork, creating SbcCD‐sensitive hairpin structures on both leading and lagging strands. We propose a model for the replication‐dependent extrusion of LIRs to form cruciform structures that transiently impede replication fork movement.
Regulating Pharmaceutical Industry Marketing: Development, Enforcement, and Outcome of Marketing Rules
Authors: Mulinari Shai
Published: January 2016

This essay reviews work in sociology and cognate fields regarding pharmaceutical marketing and its regulation. In particular, it considers how this literature contributes to a better understanding of the process of pharmaceuticalization, defined as “the translation or transformation of human conditions, capabilities, and capacities into opportunities for pharmaceutical intervention.” The review addresses two research areas that offer productive avenues of investigations of the marketing‐regulatory nexus in the context of pharmaceuticalization. The first concerns the sociopolitical mechanisms underlying development and enforcement of marketing rules. The second considers the impact of rules and enforcement schemes on corporate marketing practices and, consequently, on the shaping of pharmaceutical markets and health.
Pathophysiology of tumour-induced microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia
Authors: Chalasani Pavani , Segar Jennifer M , Marron Marilyn , Stopeck Alison
Published: January 2016

Cancer-associated microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia (CA-MAHA) is a syndrome characterised by Coombs-negative haemolytic anaemia and thrombocytopenia. It is primarily seen in advanced solid tumours and is distinct from thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura/haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Diagnosis is often delayed and patients have a high mortality. We present the case of CA-MAHA in a patient with metastatic breast cancer treated successfully with early initiation of chemotherapy. In addition, we report longitudinal laboratory evaluation of circulating tumour cells and microparticles and suggest a hypothesis for the mechanism behind CA-MAHA.
Phase 2, randomised placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of an anti-GM-CSF antibody (KB003) in patients with inadequately controlled asthma
Authors: Molfino Nestor A , Kuna Piotr , Leff Jonathan A , Oh Chad K , Singh Dave , Chernow Marlene , Sutton Brian , Yarranton Geoffrey
Published: January 2016

Objectives

We wished to evaluate the effects of an antigranulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor monoclonal antibody (KB003) on forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), asthma control and asthma exacerbations in adult asthmatics inadequately controlled by long-acting bronchodilators and inhaled/oral corticosteroids.

Settings

47 ambulatory asthma care centres globally.

Primary outcome measures

Change in FEV1at week 24.

Participants

311 were screened, 160 were randomised and 129 completed the study.

Interventions

7 intravenous infusions of either 400 mg KB003 or placebo at baseline and weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

FEV1at week 24, asthma control, exacerbation rates and safety in all participants as well as prespecified subgroups.

Main results

In the KB003 treated group, FEV1at week 24 improved to 118 mL compared with 54 mL in the placebo group (p=0.224). However, FEV1improved to 253 vs 26 mL at week 24 (p=0.02) in eosinophilic asthmatics (defined as >300 peripheral blood eosinophils/mL at baseline) and comparable improvements were seen at weeks 20 (p=0.034) and 24 (p=0.077) in patients with FEV1reversibility ≥20% at baseline and at weeks 4 (p=0.029), 16 (p=0.018) and 20 (p=0.006) in patients with prebronchodilator FEV1≤50% predicted at baseline. There were no effects on asthma control or exacerbation rates. The most frequent adverse events in the KB003 group were rhinosinusitis and headache. There was no significant difference in antidrug antibody response between placebo and treated groups. There were no excess infections or changes in biomarkers known to be associated with the development of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.

Conclusions

Higher doses and/or further asthma phenotyping may be required in future studies with KB003.

Trial registration number

NCT01603277; Results.
A Compile-Time Optimization Method for WCET Reduction in Real-Time Embedded Systems through Block Formation
Authors: Kafshdooz Morteza Mohajjel , Taram Mohammadkazem , Assadi Sepehr , Ejlali Alireza
Published: January 2016

Compile-time optimizations play an important role in the efficient design of real-time embedded systems. Usually, compile-time optimizations are designed to reduce average-case execution time (ACET). While ACET is a main concern in high-performance computing systems, in real-time embedded systems, concerns are different and worst-case execution time (WCET) is much more important than ACET. Therefore, WCET reduction is more desirable than ACET reduction in many real-time embedded systems. In this article, we propose a compile-time optimization method aimed at reducing WCET in real-time embedded systems. In the proposed method, based on the predicated execution capability of embedded processors, program code blocks that are in the worst-case paths of the program are merged to increase instruction-level parallelism and opportunity for WCET reduction. The use of predicated execution enables merging code blocks from different worst-case paths that can be very effective in WCET reduction. The experimental results show that the proposed method can reduce WCET by up to 45% as compared to previous compile-time block formation methods. It is noteworthy that compared to previous works, while the proposed method usually achieves more WCET reduction, it has considerably less negative impact on ACET and code size.
Where is patient in EHR project?
Authors: Tuikka Anne-Marie , Rantanen Minna M. , Heimo Olli I. , Koskinen Jani , Sachdeva Neeraj , Kimppa Kai K.
Published: January 2016

In this paper, we do a literature review on electronic health records (EHR) and patient involvement. It seems that patients are not included as much as one would presume. After our analysis of both literature and ethical nature, we suggest that research on why this is so and whether they should be included needs to be done.
Machine learning in decisional process
Authors: Scantamburlo Teresa
Published: January 2016

In this paper we would like to undertake a critical examination of machine learning in the context of data revolution. Starting from the existing literature, which has in fact highlighted potential risks both at the epistemological and ethical level, we will try to suggest the main limitations of an intensive application of machine learning to decision making. Our discussion we will make direct reference to Satosi Watanabe, whose contribution springs from a genuine reflection on machine learning research and rises many philosophical questions. In addition, we will consider the difficulties of machine learning by exploiting the classical distinction between "apprehension" and "judgement" recalled even more recently by some studies dealing with the emergence of complexity in human cognition. Rather than being an exhaustive analysis, our investigation is a tentative step towards a better understanding of machine learning and its potential implications on individual and social life. Our main contribution is to try to introduce in the philosophical debate some new considerations which come from the inner core of machine learning and from the traditional notions of philosophical logic.
Japanese cultural and ethical
Ba
(locus) as the place of new sources for technological and social innovation as well as for ethical discussions on robots and life in the information era
Authors: Nakada Makoto
Published: January 2016

In the first part of this paper, the author tries to analyze the crisis that Japanese people of today face, citing various statistical data provided by the Japanese government and the research groups interested in this problem including the author's research data themselves. This crisis means that Japan of today has to deal with a lot of serious situations such as the economic stagnation measured by the GDP growth, loss of export capacity of high-tech industries, the high suicide rate, the decline of the local economy and so on. The important thing regarding this Japan's decline is the fact that these serious situations have started to appear in that time of so-called 'informatization.'

In the second part of this paper, the author attempts to find out the factors related to these serious situations in Japan of today. In the author's view, one of the most important factors affecting Japan's culture, society and industries might be a loss of 'depth' of Japanese culture and society, or (loss of) awareness of the place (
Ba
) from which people can extract various meanings of life coming from Japanese cultural traditions, senses of 'oneness' or the experiences in the past history.

The phenomenon of loss of cultural depth or loss of awareness of
Ba
-related meanings is one of the most serious problems in Japan today and this leads to serious problems such as high suicide rate in Japan since 1998. But on the other hand, at least at a latent level, it was found through the author's own previous researches [11, 12, 13, 14, 15] that Japanese people still tend to show strong sympathy for the meanings related to
Seken
, i.e. the traditional aspect of Japanese culture and society or
Ba
with traditional cultural, ethical, existential meanings.

And finally, the author wants to focus on 'another depth' which seems to be related to traditional ways of understanding of oneness(
Ichinyo
) in Japan, i.e. the world view putting emphasis on the situations of undifferentiation of things, persons, events, nature.

In addition to this kind of traditional oneness, we have to carefully see some sort of 'artificial oneness' including emergence of autonomous robots or phenomena related to 'rubber hand illusion,' 'mirror box therapy' and so on: 'artificial oneness' happening in the artificial environments in the information era.

In this sense, the attempt the author tries in this paper might be regarded as the first one with the aim to (re) discover the 'depth' in Japan in the information era and at the same time the pioneer work to try to (re) gain the 'depth' in the fields of studies on information society and on the relation(s) between information technologies and the meanings of life with 'depth' and with 'width' beyond the differentiation of things and persons at the surface level too.
Robots, ethics and language
Authors: Björk Ingrid , Kavathatzopoulos Iordanis
Published: January 2016

Following the classical philosophical definition of ethics and the psychological research on problem solving and decision making, the issue of ethics becomes concrete and opens up the way for the creation of IT systems that can support handling of moral problems. Also in a sense that is similar to the way humans handle their moral problems. The processes of communicating information and receiving instructions are linguistic by nature. Moreover, autonomous and heteronomous ethical thinking is expressed by way of language use. Indeed, the way we think ethically is not only linguistically mediated but linguistically construed -- whether we think for example in terms of conviction and certainty (meaning heteronomy) or in terms of questioning and inquiry (meaning autonomy). A thorough analysis of the language that is used in these processes is therefore of vital importance for the development of the above mentioned tools and methods. Given that we have a clear definition based on philosophical theories and on research on human decision-making and linguistics, we can create and apply systems that can handle ethical issues. Such systems will help us to design robots and to prescribe their actions, to communicate and cooperate with them, to control the moral aspects of robots' actions in real life applications, and to create embedded systems that allow continuous learning and adaptation.
When brain computer interfaces move from research to commercial use
Authors: Hansen Christian B. J.
Published: January 2016

This paper will explore how ethical concerns change when brain computer interfaces move from a research setting into a commercial setting. This paper will argue that the transition from research to commercial settings might change the intentions for the artefact and will explore hypothesis of what this change might affect. This paper will discuss how possible intentions for brain computer interfaces in commercial settings will have an impact on the products developed and what consequences this might have for individuals and society. The ethical concerns discussed in this paper includes privacy, enhancement and the digital divide. This paper will also present possible future research which could help investigate both the hypothesis put forward and the topic of brain computer interfaces moving from research to commercial settings in general.
Snowden seems to have more social impact in the people's republic of China than in the republic of China, but
Authors: Murata Kiyoshi , Fukuta Yasunori , Adams Andrew A. , Xiongfang Duan , Ronghua Dang , Palma Ana María Lara
Published: January 2016

This study investigates how Snowden's revelations are viewed by young people in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (Taiwan) through questionnaire surveys of and follow-up interviews with university students in those countries. Considering the history of state surveillance in both countries and the current complicated and delicate cross-strait relationships, it is interesting to examine PRC and Taiwanese youngsters' attitude and reactions to Snowden's revelations separately and in comparison.
That blasted facebook page
Authors: Edwards Martyn , Darwent Dave , Irons Charly
Published: January 2016

The creation and use of a Facebook group amongst trainee-teachers in post-16 and further education on a PGCE course at a large university in the North of England was studied. The Facebook group was self-initiated and self-managed by the trainee-teachers as a means of socialisation and peer-support amongst themselves. Data was gathered through parallel interviews with a PGCE trainee and a course tutor. Interviews were semi-structured using Tuckman's stages of group development (forming, storming, norming, performing) to explore the functioning of the Facebook group throughout the duration of the PGCE course. The role of teacher-trainers in influencing professional learning within the Facebook group initiated and owned by the trainee-teachers themselves was explored using the didactical triangle as a theoretical framework. It was found that the Facebook group was highly-valued both for supporting socialisation amongst trainee-teachers and as an additional means of mediating the course content of the PGCE. Lessons can be learnt both by trainee-teachers using social media for socialisation and peer-support and by course-tutors in designing teacher-training courses that may better ameliorate the pressures and sense of alienation trainee-teachers experience during initial teacher training.
Pars Plana Vitrectomy Combined with Internal Limiting Membrane Peeling to Treat Persistent Macular Edema after Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Treatment in Cases of Ischemic Central Retinal Vein Occlusion
Authors: Shirakata Yukari , Fujita Tomoyoshi , Nakano Yuki , Shiraga Fumio , Tsujikawa Akitaka
Published: January 2016

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) combined with internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling in cases of ischemic central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) where macular edema (ME) persisted after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) treatment. Methods: Fifteen eyes with ischemic CRVO-related ME were included in the study. Nine were treated with panretinal photocoagulation after initial examination. Anti-VEGF agents were injected intravitreally. Persistent ME was treated with PPV combined with ILM peeling. During surgery, laser photocoagulation was further applied to the non-perfused area. Results: Mean retinal thickness gradually decreased after surgery (p = 0.024 at 6 months), although visual acuity did not improve significantly during the follow-up period (14.7 ± 11.6 months). Neovascular glaucoma subsequently developed in three cases and a trabeculectomy was performed in one case. Conclusion: In eyes with ischemic CRVO, PPV combined with ILM peeling contributed to a reduction in persistent ME. However, there was no significant improvement in visual acuity.
In Situ and Satellite Evaluation of Air–Sea Flux Variation near Ocean Temperature Gradients
Authors: Plagge Amanda , Edson James B. , Vandemark Douglas
Published: January 2016

Observations of ocean–atmosphere coupling across persistent mesoscale sea surface temperature (SST) gradients are used to examine the controls of atmospheric stability, pressure gradient force, and heat flux that are considered central to oft-observed coupling between wind and SST. Moored air–sea flux measurements near the Gulf Stream are combined with QuikSCAT satellite scatterometer equivalent neutral wind (ENW) data to assess correlations between SST, air–sea fluxes, pressure, and wind perturbations at scales of 10–100 days. The net effect of ocean fronts meandering past the site enabled buoy observation of SST impacts on wind, with coupling coefficients of 0.3–0.5 similar to past studies. Wind stress–SST and ENW–SST correlation coefficients are slightly higher, and roughly 20% of the ENW perturbation is attributed to stratification impacts predicted by Monin–Obukhov (MO) similarity theory. Significantly higher correlation is observed when relating wind or stress perturbations to buoyant heat flux variation. Atmospheric pressure perturbation with SST of order 0.5 hPa °C−1 is observed, as well as high negative correlation between wind and pressure variations. Length and time scales associated with the coupling indicate that peak correlations occur at 50–70 days and 300–500 km, consistent with mesoscale meander scales. Coupling coefficient values vary significantly depending on analysis time scale and exhibit a range near to recently observed interbasin variability. This variability is attributed to the extent of oceanic length scales permitted in the analysis. Together, results affirm the central role of SST-induced turbulent heat flux in controlling pressure field adjustments and thereby the wind perturbations over SST fronts.
A commentary on the 2015 Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines in glutamine supplementation to parenteral nutrition
Authors: Leguina-Ruzzi Alberto
Published: January 2016

Glutamine is one of the conditionally essential free amino acids with multiple biological functions. Its supplementation to parenteral nutrition has been widely used for the management of complications in intensive care. However, controversial clinical reports have generated reluctance in the use of this pharmaco-nutrient. In this commentary, we address the impact of four studies that influenced the recommendations on glutamine supplementation by the Canadian Clinical Practice Guide 2015. Because of the importance of this guideline in clinical practice, we strongly believe that a more rigorous and critical evaluation is required to support recommendations in future guidelines.
Writing Complicity
Authors: Lazzara Michael J.
Published: January 2016

Civilian complicity remains one of the least studied aspects of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship and, to this point, has not been a matter of widespread public debate in Chile. This article examines the case of Mariana Callejas, a literary writer who married the American-born DINA henchman Michael Townley, infamous for his complicity in the deaths of ex-president Eduardo Frei Montalva, Salvador Allende Gossens's former minister Orlando Letelier, and General Carlos Prats, a general loyal to Allende. After many years living in impunity, Callejas, who continued to write literary fiction up until just a few years ago, was sent briefly to prison for her complicity in the Letelier assassination. She is now free. In many ways, her case emblematizes the complicities of the Chilean intelligentsia with the dictatorship, while also revealing how common citizens committed themselves ideologically to state-sponsored violence. This article reads Callejas's present-bound, first-person 1995 account Siembra vientos in counterpoint to her fiction written in the 1980s during the Pinochet regime. It examines the performativity of Callejas's narrative “I” in relation to questions of responsibility, ethics, shame, and justice.
Medical Discourse in Premodern Europe
Authors: Turner Marion
Published: January 2016

Medical language permeated all kinds of texts in premodern Europe, including legal, literary, devotional, political, autobiographical, and philosophical writings. The essays in this special issue are particularly interested in the functions of metaphor and of narrative. Many thinkers—most famously Susan Sontag—have commented on the problems inherent in trying to write about suffering and on the limitations of metaphorical language. At the same time, many writers (both premodern and modern) have seen opportunities in the richness, polysemy, and (sometimes) novelty of medical language. The study of medical discourse and its flexibility connects with work on the history of the emotions, on affect and feeling, on disability, on cognition and sense perception, and on form and genre. Many of the essays here consider reading as an embodied practice and explore how the practice of interpretation is altered when we think with medical metaphor. As a whole, the issue demonstrates some of the ways in which current work in medieval and early modern studies has an important place in the field of medical humanities.