Search

When sharing information and opinions about products, services, and experiences, communicators often use either past or present tense (e.g. "That restaurant was great" or "That restaurant is great"). Might such differences in verb tense shape communication's impact, and if so, how? A multimethod investigation, including eight studies conducted in the field and lab, demonstrates that using present (vs. past) tense can increase persuasion. Natural language processing of over 500,000 online reviews in multiple product and service domains, for example, illustrates that reviews that use more present tense are seen as more helpful and useful. Follow-up experiments demonstrate that shifting from past to present tense increases persuasion and illustrate the underlying process through both mediation and moderation. When communicators use present (rather than past) tense to express their opinions and experiences, it suggests that they are more certain about what they are saying, which increases persuasion. These findings shed light on how language impacts consumer behavior, highlight how a subtle, yet central linguistic feature shapes communication, and have clear implications for persuasion across a range of situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sentiment analysis has fundamentally changed marketers' ability to assess consumer opinion. Indeed, the measurement of attitudes via natural language has influenced how marketing is practiced on a day-to-day basis. Yet recent findings suggest that sentiment analysis's current emphasis on measuring valence (i.e., positivity or negativity) can produce incomplete, inaccurate, and even misleading insights. Conceptually, the current work challenges sentiment analysis to move beyond valence. The authors identify the certainty or confidence of consumers' sentiment as a particularly potent facet to assess. Empirically, they develop a new computational measure of certainty in language—the Certainty Lexicon—and validate its use with sentiment analysis. To construct and validate this measure, the authors use text from 11.6 million people who generated billions of words, millions of online reviews, and hundreds of thousands of entries in an online prediction market. Across social media data sets, in-lab experiments, and online reviews, the authors find that the Certainty Lexicon is more comprehensive, generalizable, and accurate in its measurement compared with other tools. The authors also demonstrate the value of measuring sentiment certainty for marketers: certainty predicted the real-world success of commercials where traditional sentiment analysis did not. The Certainty Lexicon is available at www.CertaintyLexicon.com. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dead Past Growing Block theory of time—DPGB-theory—is the metaphysical view that the past and the present tenselessly exist, whereas the future does not, and that only the present hosts mentality, whereas the past lacks it and is, in this sense, dead. One main reason in favour of this view is that it is immune to the now-now objection or epistemic objection (which aims at undermining the certainty, within an A-theoretical universe, of being currently experiencing the objective present time). In this paper, I examine the additional arguments offered by P. Forrest and G. A. Forbes to back the DPGB-theory and show that they do not work. I also examine a proposal to rescue the DPGB-theory suggested by an anonymous reviewer for this journal and argue that it does not work either. Moreover, in line with D. Braddon-Mitchell and against Forbes, I argue that the DPGB-theory is indeed committed to the existence of zombies in the past. Being ad hoc and burdened by a very odd and counterintuitive ontological commitment, the DPGB-theory turns out to be rather unpalatable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing inoculation theory as a theoretical framework, we conducted an independent-groups experiment (N = 150), comparing the effects of an inoculation treatment to a control condition and examining uncertainty as a mediator of inoculation effects. To test inoculation effectiveness, we used an excerpt from an anti-vaccination conspiracy film Vaxxed as a counterattitudinal attack message. The results indicated that inoculation roused motivational defenses to protect initial attitudes and, subsequently, was effective at conferring resistance to conspiracy propaganda. Furthermore, relative to the control condition, inoculation treatment decreased attitudinal uncertainty. Importantly, and as predicted, within the inoculation condition, attitudinal uncertainty emerged as a mediator of the resistance process: For inoculated participants, an increase in motivational threat to defend one's attitudes fostered by the inoculation treatment reduced uncertainty, and attitudinal certainty, subsequently, facilitated resistance against the message advocated in the conspiracy film, damaging to public health. These results have theoretical implications for research on inoculation and offer practical import for attempts at mitigating conspiratorial ideation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we tackle the widely held view that practice-oriented approaches to ethics are conservative, preserving the moral status quo, and, in particular, that they do not promote any (fundamental) change in our dealings with animals or formulate clear principles that help us to achieve such change. We shall challenge this view with reference to Wittgensteinian ethics. As a first step, we show that moral thought and action rest on basic moral certainties like: equals are to be treated equally and unequals unequally. We then explore the relations between this insight and the notion of the difficulty of reality elaborated by Cora Diamond. Our goal is to show that a Wittgensteinian-Diamondian approach to animal ethics is not necessarily morally conservative. Indeed, it offers a profound practice-oriented approach to animal ethics that is capable of promoting change in human dealings with animals because it is compatible with radical critique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new multiport DC–AC converter is proposed for standalone and off‐grid tied applications. The configuration converts power from DC to AC form in a single stage with suitable voltage gain. To increase the certainty of supporting power, the converter is designed to operate in four modes, including battery‐alone mode. The other advantage of the presented work is supplying the output power during unbalanced voltage conditions of the input ports. The advanced features of the converter for being used in standalone applications are related to the suitable placement and structure of the bidirectional port. In addition, the configuration is designed in a way to contain appropriate structural properties such as the existence of a common ground between the DC section and inverter, continuity of input currents, configured by an acceptable number of components, and low‐voltage stress on the DC–DC section's switches. Furthermore, it has an impedance network to protect the inverter's switches in a shoot‐through state. To confirm the converter advantages from the mentioned points of view, it has been compared with similar configurations. A prototype rated at 110 V is prepared to demonstrate the advantages of the converter performance per different conditions. The results of the steady‐state and transient experiments validate the suitability of the presented converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study scrutinizes the influence of certainty and uncertainty on identity and beliefs. While certainty is often perceived as positive and uncertainty as negative for an individual, this research reveals that they can operate in more nuanced ways. The focus here is understanding their effects on individuals with interconnected yet conflicting identities and beliefs. Through a case study of Antonio – a member of organized crime who also embraces identities as an artist and a migrant – narratives emerge that illustrate how these forces act upon him. Rather than merely describing how certainty and uncertainty shape involvement in organized crime, the study highlights the complexities they introduce to an individual's various identities and beliefs systems, and reveals their alignment with specific contextual and communicative needs. This study thus holds significant implications for comprehending how attitudes toward certainty and uncertainty influence identity and belief development in a world typified by both stability and change, and how a criminal identity might intersect with other identities based on the processing of these certainties and uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to show how the understanding of Leibniz's notion of toleration in matters of faith should be considered not merely as a pragmatic, but also as an epistemologically and metaphysically relevant concept. Following Maria Rosa Antognazza's account, I will argue that Leibniz's view on the belief of mysteries is 'above reason' and the relation between faith and experience plays an important role in his discussion of transubstantiation with Des Bosses, but also that Leibniz allows for presumptions based on faith to enter metaphysical discussions. Doing so, despite the fact that we cannot achieve certainty in these matters and have to accept a variety of different beliefs regarding the same objects, enriches our understanding of the world and of God—and also gives us reason to take seriously Leibniz's engagement with corporeal substances, albeit only as presumptions rather than as necessary consequences of his basic metaphysical system. Finally, I will illustrate this point by showing how it is also in play in Leibniz's response to Tournemine regarding the mind-body-union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article asks the question "Why did Plato not write the 'unwritten doctrine'?" and answers it by citing a combination of two obstacles. The first derives from the limitations of the episteme available to an embodied soul about the essence of the good. Even if the dialectician has access to some kind of knowledge, the mismatch between the unchanging essence of the good and the precarious logoi which aim to identify it (and allow others some measure of access to it) can never fully be overcome. At best, Socrates (or Plato) can lead souls to an incomplete account of it: It is possible that even the most expert dialectician can only have a claim to knowledge, but no absolute certainty. Another obstacle lies in the audience or readership itself: No shortcut to understanding is possible, and yet a mere written presentation, which is all they have, is just such a shortcut, and so represents an empty promise. In memory of Charles H. Kahn (1928–2023), a letter of his from September 5, 1989, concerning the question "Why did Plato not write the 'unwritten doctrine'?" is published, along with some comments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legal certainty in property ownership is crucial for protecting the rights and interests of property owners. This study examines the legal certainty provided by ownership certificates for flats under Indonesia's "Law No. 20 of 2011" (UURS). It also explores the legal implications of constructing flats on land with building use rights, a status that differs from full ownership rights. Using a normative research method, the study analyzes relevant laws, regulations, and academic literature to understand how legal frameworks govern flat ownership and ensure the legitimacy of ownership certificates. The findings reveal that ownership certificates for flats confer private ownership of specific units and related common areas, but legal challenges arise when flats are constructed on land with building use rights, especially concerning the renewal of these rights. The study underscores the importance of continuous legal oversight and clear legislative guidelines to maintain and strengthen legal certainty over ownership certificates. Additionally, it highlights the potential legal risks and uncertainties that flat owners may face if the underlying land rights are not properly managed or renewed. The study concludes that while ownership certificates offer significant legal protection, the dependence on building use rights for the underlying land introduces potential vulnerabilities. Future research should explore the legal and practical implications of the expiration and renewal of building use rights, the impact on flat ownership, and alternative legal frameworks that could provide greater security for property owners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Methods Results Significance This study was undertaken to develop a model and perform a preliminary internal validation study of the Scale for Objective Diagnostic Components of Paroxysmal Events (STAMP).We developed STAMP, which builds on the International League Against Epilepsy task force scale for functional seizures with additional categories for epileptic seizures and syncope. We included 200 consecutive referrals to a Dutch tertiary epilepsy center to evaluate seizurelike events. We recorded demographic and clinical data and collected the clinical evaluation at referral and after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of follow‐up. We ascertained the STAMP at each time point and evaluated factors predicting an improvement in STAMP grade during follow‐up.Of the 200 referrals at baseline, 131 were classified as having epileptic seizures, 17 as functional seizures, and three as syncope, and 49 were unclassifiable. STAMP grade at baseline was 4 (absent) in 56 individuals, 3 (circumstantial) in 78, 2 (clinically established) in six, and 1 (documented) in 11. Over time, 62 cases STAMP grades improved, and 23 remained unclassifiable. A refinement of STAMP grade during follow‐up was due to successful event recordings in 34 people (30 video‐electroencephalographic [EEG] recordings, four tilt table testing), home videos or clinician‐witnessed events in 13, and identification of interictal EEG or magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities in seven. An improved STAMP grade after 12 months of follow‐up was significantly more likely in those with higher event frequency, unclassifiable events, longer event duration, and a shorter time since the first event and less likely in those with a history suggestive of seizures.This epilepsy service evaluation underscores the crucial role of event recording in improving diagnostic certainty. STAMP may be used to monitor diagnostic performance over time but requires further validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel cache replacement technique based on the notion of combining periodic popularity prediction with size caching. The popularity, size, and time updates characteristics are used to calculate the value of each cache item. When it comes to content replacement, the information with the least value is first eliminated. Simulation results show that the proposed method outperforms the current algorithms in terms of cache hit rate and delay. The hit rate of the proposed scheme is 15.3% higher than GDS, 17.3% higher than MPC, 20.1% higher than LRU, 22.3% higher than FIFO, and 24.8% higher than LFU when 350 different categories of information are present. In real-world industrial applications such as including supply chain management, smart manufacturing, automation energy optimization, intelligent logistics transportation, and e-healthcare applications, it offers a foundation for the selection of caching algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational tools might tempt us to renounce complete certainty. By forgoing of rigorous proof, we could get (very) probable results for a fraction of the cost. But is it really true that proofs (as we know and love them) can lead us to certainty? Maybe not. Proofs do not wear their correctness on their sleeve, and we are not infallible in checking them. This suggests that we need help to check our results. When our fellow mathematicians will be too tired or too busy to scrutinize our putative proofs, computer proof assistants could help. But feeding a mathematical argument to a computer is hard. Still, we might be willing to undertake the endeavor in view of the extra perks that formalization may bring—chiefly among them, an enhanced mathematical understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, art history has repeatedly renewed interest in a number of the most important artists of various periods, especially Rembrandt. Research, both on his art and on the large legacy of knowledge and documentation concerning his working processes, should add to his influence on certain of his followers and among Bulgarian artists. Rembrandt's plastic and professional approach is expectedly and unexpectedly found in dialogue with a number of our artists, such as Karl Yordanov, Acad. Iliya Petrov, Kiril Gyulemetov, Prof. Petar Chuklev, Yavora Petrova, and others. On the other hand, it is the innovativeness of the Dutch master that adds certainty to the paths to modernity, which is highlighted in a number of notes, diaries, and interviews of our artists, including those of Prof. . Lyubomir Dalchev, Boris Angelushev, and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of fully automatic operation (FAO) and location-based services, the evaluation criteria of average localization accuracy can no longer meet our demands, in favor of deterministic localization. However, most localization researches modeled localization performance function and enhanced it by minimizing average localization root mean square error (RMSE). The performance degradation in a small region was not considered. In this paper, we present a survey of deterministic localization and analyze the relationship between accuracy and certainty. In this paper, two common solutions of localization enhancement are presented and their localization certainties are discussed. Furthermore, we carry out related localization enhancement experiments in rail transit line and analyze their improvement on deterministic localization. The experimental results show that the overall localization performance is improved, while the deterministic localization requires the stricter solution to promote. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Independent decision making requires forming stable estimates of one's preferences. We assessed whether adolescents learn about their preferences through choice deliberation and whether depressive symptoms disrupt this process. Adolescents aged 11–18 (N = 214; participated 2021–22; Female: 53.9%; White/Black/Asian/Mixed/Arab or Latin American: 26/21/19/9/8%) rated multiple activities, chose between pairs of activities and re‐rated those activities. As expected, overall, participants uprated chosen and downrated unchosen activities (dz =.20). This value refinement through choice was not evident in younger participants but emerged across adolescence. Contrary to our predictions, depressive symptoms were associated with greater value refinement. Despite this, more depressed adolescents reported lower value certainty and choice confidence. The cognitive processes through which choice deliberation shapes preference develop over adolescence, and are disrupted in depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why engage in inquiry? According to many philosophers, the goal of inquiring into some question is to come to know its answer. While this view holds considerable appeal, this paper argues that it stands in tension with another highly attractive thesis: knowledge does not require absolute certainty. Forced to choose between these two theses, I argue that we should reject the idea that inquiry aims at knowledge. I go on to develop an alternative view, according to which inquiry aims at maximizing the epistemic value of our credences. This alternative view makes room for knowledge that falls shy of certainty, and it coheres nicely with a rich body of work in epistemic decision theory. I proceed to highlight the implications of this replacement for some important topics in epistemology, including the dogmatism paradox, the nature of interrogative attitudes, and the norm of practical reasoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While research on youth vaping prevention has begun to grow, little work has examined language choice in vaping prevention messages. This study examined adolescents' responses to vaping prevention statements that varied on three features: behavioral framing, linguistic certainty, and target specification. We conducted a 2 (behavioral framing) by 2 (linguistic certainty) by 2 (target specification) by 3 (risk type) plus control condition between-subjects experiment using a national probability sample. Adolescents (N = 1,603) were randomly assigned to one of 25 conditions in which they viewed a vaping prevention statement (or a control statement about vape litter) followed by measures of perceived message effectiveness (PME), perceived severity and susceptibility of vaping risks, message trustworthiness, message relevance, and intentions to seek more information about vaping risks. Results showed main effects of behavioral framing, such that a declarative frame ("Vaping can ... ") led to higher PME, higher perceived severity, and greater information seeking intentions than a contingent frame ("If you vape, it can..."), while an interaction revealed that most declarative frame effects were driven by adolescents who were susceptible to vaping. There were also main effects of linguistic certainty, such that the word "can" ("Vaping can ... ") led to higher PME, higher perceived susceptibility and severity, and greater information seeking intentions than the word "could" ("Vaping could ... "). No main effect of target specification ("you" vs. "teens") was observed. Overall, findings suggest that vaping prevention messages that communicate greater certainty have greater behavior change potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research examined whether consideration of individuals' certainty in their holism can enhance the ability of this individual difference to predict how they respond to contradiction‐relevant outcomes. Across four studies, participants first completed a standardized measure of holistic‐analytic thinking. Then, they rated how certain they were in their responses to the holism scale or were experimentally induced to feel high or low certainty. Next, participants were exposed to dialectical proverbs (Study 1a and 1b), to a counter‐attitudinal change induction (Study 2), or to a paradigm of attitudinal ambivalence (Study 3). Results revealed that participants with higher certainty in their holistic thinking exhibited higher preference for dialectical proverbs (Study 1a and 1b), changed their attitude less following a counter‐attitudinal task (Study 2) and showed weaker correspondence between objective and subjective ambivalence (Study 3). Beyond examining new domains and discovering novel findings, the present work was designed to be the first to show moderation of previously identified effects in the domain of holistic thinking and responses to contradiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Chengdu University (Social Science) is the property of Journal of Chengdu University (Social Science Edition) Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Digital de Derecho Administrativo is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Monatsschrift fuer Kriminologie und Strafrechtsreform is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Opuntia Brava is the property of Universidad de Ciencias Pedagogicas de Las Tunas, Centro de Documentacion e Informacion Pedagogica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Foro Revista de Derecho is the property of Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar, Sede Ecuador and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This research aims not only to explore the mechanisms of restitution implementation, the assessment benchmarks for determining the amount and form of restitution, and the execution of restitution decisions but also to devise a comprehensive model ensuring fair and legally certain restitution for crime victims. Through qualitative empirical research and employing legal, conceptual, and comparative law approaches, it has been identified that the restitution mechanism has faced issues from its inception, both in terms of regulation and implementation, resulting in failures in restitution claims. Furthermore, the benchmarks for assessing restitution have accumulated future losses for victims without being actionoriented. Numerous failures in the execution of restitution decisions have also been uncovered. Therefore, it is recommended to develop a restitution model based on justice and legal certainty. Among these recommendations are: eliminating limitations on victim types for restitution claims, establishing a mechanism that refers to diversion requests to compel law enforcement agencies to pursue restitution, developing restitution in actionable forms, seizing the perpetrator's assets from the investigation stage, executing restitution without waiting for inkracht, adjusting subsidiary sanctions, implementing installment payments, revoking the convicted individual's rights, and integrating a restitution and compensation scheme through the development of a victim assistance fund. Additionally, the establishment of oversight for the implementation of restitution is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, some constructions related to interval generalized set-valued neutrosophic quintuple sets and score and certainty functions are given. Moreover, optimistic union, pessimistic union, mean union, optimistic intersection, pessimistic intersection and mean intersection operators are defined for interval generalized set-valued neutrosophic quintuple set. Thus, interval generalized set-valued neutrosophic quintuple set are effectively used in decision making applications. An example application was realised using these operators and functions. With this application, the use of operators and functions in decision making methods was demonstrated. In addition, it was concluded that similar or different results can be obtained by using different operators. In addition, the importance of choosing the appropriate operator for the problem in decision making applications was mentioned for the decision making process. Researchers can obtain more objective results in decision making processes by using the operators and functions in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the emotional landscape of courtship and engagements in seventeenth-century Sweden. By using a framework by Illouz, understanding courtship as a cultural technique aimed at creating certainty in socially risky situations, the courtship of two women by one student is examined. The analysis moves from the intimate interactions of the couple to the family, the community and lastly the ecclesiastical and university authorities. The article shows that the main sources of uncertainty in the courtship process stemmed from procedural and ontological uncertainty—the order of courtship, the rituals of engagements and the significance of exchanged gifts were not clear, causing confusion and disruption in the courtship process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research critically examines the justice system and legal certainty pertaining to stateless persons in Indonesia. Stateless individuals in Indonesia frequently encounter systemic discrimination and endure hardships due to inadequate legal protections. The study employs a normative juridical research approach, combining statutory analysis and conceptual exploration to assess the current regulatory framework. The findings underscore significant gaps in existing regulations that fail to adequately safeguard the rights of stateless persons. These individuals often struggle to access basic human rights such as education, healthcare, and employment, highlighting a critical need for legislative reforms. Legal certainty is a pivotal issue, as the ambiguity and inconsistencies within Indonesian laws contribute to the vulnerability of stateless populations. Furthermore, the research identifies discrepancies between national laws and constitutional mandates, which further complicate the legal landscape for stateless persons. This analysis aims to advocate for policy reforms that align with principles of justice and constitutional integrity, proposing measures to enhance legal protections and ensure equitable treatment for stateless individuals in Indonesia. By illuminating these challenges and proposing potential avenues for legal reform, this research seeks to contribute to broader discussions on human rights, migration, and legal justice within the Indonesian context, ultimately advocating for a more inclusive and just society for stateless persons

Abstract Background Clinicians diagnosing autism rely on diagnostic criteria and instruments in combination with an implicit knowledge based on clinical expertise of the specific signs and presentations associated with the condition. This implicit knowledge influences how diagnostic criteria are interpreted, but it cannot be directly observed. Instead, insight into clinicians’ understanding of autism can be gained by investigating their diagnostic certainty. Modest correlations between the certainty of an autism diagnosis and symptom load have been previously reported. Here, we investigated the associations of diagnostic certainty with specific items of the ADOS as well as other clinical features including head circumference. Methods Phenotypic data from the Simons Simplex Collection was used to investigate clinical correlates of diagnostic certainty in individuals diagnosed with Autistic Disorder (n = 1511, age 4 to 18 years). Participants were stratified by the ADOS module used to evaluate them. We investigated how diagnostic certainty was associated with total ADOS scores, age, and ADOS module. We calculated the odds-ratios of being diagnosed with the highest possible certainty given the presence or absence of different signs during the ADOS evaluation. Associations between diagnostic certainty and other cognitive and clinical variables were also assessed. Results In each ADOS module, some items showed a larger association with diagnostic certainty than others. Head circumference was significantly higher for individuals with the highest certainty rating across all three ADOS modules. In turn, head circumference was positively correlated with some of the ADOS items that were associated with diagnostic certainty, and was negatively correlated with verbal/nonverbal IQ ratio among those assessed with ADOS module 2. Limitations The investigated cohort was heterogeneous, e.g. in terms of age, IQ, language level, and total ADOS score, which could impede the identification of associations that only exist in a subgroup of the population. The variability of the certainty ratings in the sample was low, limiting the power to identify potential associations with other variables. Additionally, the scoring of diagnostic certainty may vary between clinicians. Conclusion Some ADOS items may better capture the signs that are most associated with clinicians’ implicit knowledge of Autistic Disorder. If replicated in future studies, new diagnostic instruments with differentiated weighting of signs may be needed to better reflect this, possibly resulting in better specificity in standardized assessments.

Islamic jurisprudence principles play a crucial role in Islamic law, with many scholars, including Ibn al-Malqan, meticulously attending to them, organizing and eloquently articulating them. However, Ibn al-Malqan did not address all principles explicitly. Here, I highlight some. Among the major ones, I mention "Matters are judged by their intents," along with its subprinciples. Ibn al-Malqan only discussed one, "Certainty is not removed by doubt." I also cover "Custom is authoritative," including rules on when to abandon or apply custom, and "No harm shall be inflicted or reciprocated," emphasizing harm avoidance, exemplified by "Harm is to be removed." Ibn al-Malqan's references on this principle are included. The research relied on the inductive, analytical, and descriptive method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to analyse the constitutionality of Law 19/2022, based on the theory of the rights of nature, specifically its compatibility with the constitutional framework used by the Spanish State (Art. 149.1.23 of the Spanish Constitution) as a regulatory basis in the new field of the rights of nature and its impact on the regulatory possibilities of the autonomous communities. This article also studies the Law from the perspective of legal certainty (Art. 9.3 of the Spanish Constitution). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Test the effect of perceived likelihood of arrest on criminal behavior under a relaxed set of measurement assumptions. Specifically, responses that are commonly associated with inaccurate reporting practices–particularly, the 0%, 50%, and 100% categories–can be treated as partially identified. By doing so, scholars are able to bound the effect of perceived arrest risk on criminality, which provides more credible, although less precise, estimates of β 1 . Scholars can use this approach to not only produce more defensible findings, on the whole, but also gain insight into the possible threat posed by measurement misspecification. Methods: Point estimates of a perceived certainty effect were elicited via Quasi-Poisson regression using data derived from the Pathways to Desistance study. These estimates were subsequently bounded under progressively weaker measurement assumptions by a series of hill-climb algorithms. Results: In nine out of seventeen total algorithms, the worst-case bound remained in the expected direction and was statistically significant. For as long as a relatively minor level of response inaccuracy is assumed, supportive conclusions can be drawn. Conclusions: Support for a certainty effect can be found under relaxed measurement assumptions, up to a point. This not only provides further support for the deterrence hypothesis, but also implies the effect might be somewhat resilient to measurement error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how deduction preserves certainty and how much certainty it can preserve according to Descartes's Rules for the Direction of the Mind. I argue that the certainty of a deduction is a matter of four conditions for Descartes. First, certainty depends on whether the conjunction of simple propositions is composed with necessity or contingency. Second, a deduction approaches the certainty of an intuition depending on how many "acts of conceiving" it requires and—third—the complexity or difficulty of the acts of thinking, which is determined by the content of the thoughts and on external factors. Fourth, certainty depends on the intellectual aptitude of the person using the deduction. A deduction lacks certainty when it relies on memory such that it is not apprehended with immediacy. However, the mental capacity and speed of a mind can be increased by training the special mental faculties of perspicacity and discernment. Increasing one's intellectual aptitude allows for more steps of a deduction to be inferred in fewer acts of conceiving, thereby helping preserve the certainty of a deduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea of a social nature of humans clarifies that the phenomena, usually called intrapsychic, such as mind, freedom and ethics are shared property of the group. How does this idea manifest in the group situation? I present some of my reflections and experiences from practice related to this issue. We can see how the desire for sharing and addressing others creates a new, deeper understanding of relations in the group. I describe how a fellow member unpredictably can become the Other. The I-Thou relations, developed in the group, are ethical in their essence, and it is in these ethical relations that trust is created. Such processes never give the feeling of complete understanding and equality. Something is always missing and this is what drives the group to go beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kierkegaard's pseudonym Johannes Climacus famously defines faith as a risky "venture" that requires "holding fast" to "objective uncertainty." Yet puzzlingly, he emphasizes that faith requires resolute conviction and certainty. Moreover, Climacus claims that all beliefs about contingent propositions about the external world "exclude doubt" and "nullify uncertainty," but also that uncertainty is "continually present" in these very same beliefs. This paper argues that these apparent contradictions can be resolved by interpreting Climacus as a belief‐credence dualist. That is, Climacus holds that beliefs and credences (i.e., degrees of belief) are two irreducibly distinct types of mental states. Beliefs are resolutions that close inquiry, thereby excluding doubt and reflecting subjective certainty by disregarding the possibility of error. Credences, by contrast, reflect assessments of evidential probabilities, thereby encoding a recognition of "objective uncertainty" by acknowledging the possibility of error. In addition to solving a vexing interpretive puzzle and showing how Kierkegaard anticipates contemporary views about the nature of belief and credence, this paper demonstrates that Kierkegaard developed a sophisticated account of the nature of belief, doubt, and certainty that merits serious philosophical consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological reactance is a key construct in persuasion, but experimental inductions often confound imperative language with epistemically certain language (i.e., language that belies grounds for doubt). Two online experiments examine the effects of each language type on indicators of psychological reactance across two scientific contexts. In Study 1 (N = 274), imperative language increased felt anger and perceived threat to freedom, while epistemically certain language did not. In Study 2 (N = 402), epistemically un certain language attenuated felt anger and perceived threat to freedom. Findings offer theoretical and practical insight into the effects of each language type on resistance to persuasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Death by neurological criteria has been at the center of ethical debates. I argue that brain death is a valid determination of death. This follows from an understanding that the brain is the effective integrator of the body and that following the death of the brain the body stops functioning as an integrated whole. Questions regarding this certainty have been reignited, however, by a study out of Yale that demonstrated synthetic perfusates, such as the compounds dubbed BrainEx and OrganEx, could restore cellular and even organ function in a porcine body and brain after death. Through analyzing medical, scientific, and theological literature I argue that even in the face of developing scientific technology moral certitude in brain death determinations is secure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I consider the philosophical question of chance in the context of a comparative discussion of two early twentieth-century intellectuals, Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) and Walter Benjamin (1892–1940), contemporaries who deliberately involved themselves in the risks of chance in the time of a hazardous historical epoch. In different ways they chose or liked to live on the edge, which invites us to consider how within that context they responded to chance in their own work. This might encourage us to think of their work not in terms of biography as narrative or the life-work made meaningful, but to consider something of the dialectical relation between the two as the irruption of chance moves in and out of their lives, their writing, the roles that it plays there and in our reading of them, starting with chance's most intimate, intimidating and ineffaceable effect, the destruction of meaning itself. The essay concludes by arguing that Benjamin conceived the Passagen Werk as his retranslation of Proust into the realm of history, employing the method developed by Eisenstein for his film of Marx's Capital. Wittgenstein, in turn, offers a model of how to read the Passagen Werk as if it were a film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Kant-Studien is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of FinanzRundschau is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Collaborative filtering is a popular recommender system (RecSys) method that produces rating prediction values for products by combining the ratings that close users have already given to the same products. Afterwards, the products that achieve the highest prediction values are recommended to the user. However, as expected, prediction estimation may contain errors, which, in the case of RecSys, will lead to either not recommending a product that the user would actually like (i.e., purchase, watch, or listen) or to recommending a product that the user would not like, with both cases leading to degraded recommendation quality. Especially in the latter case, the RecSys would be deemed unreliable. In this work, we design and develop a recommendation algorithm that considers both the rating prediction values and the prediction confidence, derived from features associated with rating prediction accuracy in collaborative filtering. The presented algorithm is based on the rationale that it is preferable to recommend an item with a slightly lower prediction value, if that prediction seems to be certain and safe, over another that has a higher value but of lower certainty. The proposed algorithm prevents low-confidence rating predictions from being included in recommendations, ensuring the recommendation quality and reliability of the RecSys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metacognitive mental states are mental states about mental states. For example, I may be uncertain whether my belief is correct. In social discourse, an interlocutor's metacognitive certainty may constitute evidence about the reliability of their testimony. For example, if a speaker is certain that their belief is correct, then we may take this as evidence in favour of their belief or its content. This paper argues that, if metacognitive certainty is genuine evidence, then it is disproportionate evidence for extreme beliefs. In support of the argument, we report findings from five studies with different participant samples, designs, and measures. These studies show that, the more extreme an agent's belief (positive or negative), the more certain they are about it, and vice versa. This relationship might contribute to moralism, virtue signalling, and polarisation, which in turn may be epistemically and morally problematic. Therefore, we caution against taking metacognitive certainty as genuine evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]