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When does a state of affairs constitute a harm to someone? Comparative accounts say that being worse off constitutes harm. The temporal version of the comparative account is seldom taken seriously, due to apparently fatal counterexamples. I defend the temporal version against these counterexamples, and show that it is in fact more plausible than the prominent counterfactual version of the account. Noncomparative accounts say that being badly off constitutes harm. However, neither the temporal comparative account nor the non-comparative account can correctly classify all harms. I argue that we should combine them into a hybrid account of harm. The hybrid account is extensionally adequate and presents a unified view on the nature of harm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the conversations surrounding moral cultivation in Confucianism often focus on the debate regarding the starting point of moral learning (and corresponding features of the learning process) that is inspired by the disagreements between the Mengzi 孟子 and the Xunzi 荀子, there is another group of scholarship on moral cultivation which tends to the experiential qualities felt by the learning agents. This essay participates in the latter group of scholarship. The majority of discussions regarding the learning experience center around mental states such as an 安 (tranquility or equanimity) and le 樂 (happiness, joy, or pleasure) of a special kind. There is, nonetheless, a minor trend that emphasizes the significance of you 憂 (worry or distress). In this essay, I raise attention to the significance of you and argue that in the Analects, an indispensable and significant part of Confucian moral cultivation is to learn to worry well, which involves learning to worry broadly about society in general, and to worry deeply about particular individuals standing in important relationship to us. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his discussion of prime matter in De rebus naturalibus, Jacob Zabarella (1533–1589) defends the position that prime matter is extended. However, it is less clear how he accounts for its extension. There is an important text where he apparently suggests that prime matter is extended in and of itself (the intrinsically extended view). However, there are two other texts apparently stating that matter is extended in virtue of a distinct accident in the category of quantity (the accidentally quantified view). Each interpretation has been represented by a contemporary commentator, based upon the corresponding texts. However, I argue that a decisive reading based solely upon any particular text(s) is not available. Nevertheless, examining Zabarella's writing on the topic as a whole, the trajectory of his overall argument is remarkably sympathetic to Averroes, who famously took the accidentally quantified position. Thus, from this systematic feature, the accidentally quantified reading is more reasonable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I examine Spinoza's claim in the Metaphysical Thoughts (CM) that the attributes of God are only distinguished by a distinction of reason. I contend that for Spinoza essential attributes, such as Thought or Extension, cannot be distinguished by Francisco Suarez's distinction of reasoning reason, as Martin Lin (2019) suggests, nor can he be using Suárez' distinction of reasoned reason for this purpose, as Yitzhak Melamed (2017) believes. Since reasoning reason and the distinction of reasoned reason are the only two kinds of rational distinction available to Spinoza, it follows that for him the distinction between God's essential attributes in the CM cannot be a distinction of reason. But I show that Spinoza is not mistakenly using Suarez's distinction in the CM. Rather, I argue, Spinoza consistently follows Suárez and uses reasoned reason to distinguish between God's necessary properties and not between God's essential attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are two main ways in which the notion of mereological fusion is usually defined in the current literature in mereology which have been labelled 'Leśniewski fusion' and 'Goodman fusion'. It is well-known that, with Minimal Mereology as the background theory, every Leśniewski fusion also qualifies as a Goodman fusion. However, the converse does not hold unless stronger mereological principles are assumed. In this paper I will discuss how the gap between the two notions can be filled, focussing in particular on two specific sets of principles that appear to be of particular philosophical interest. The first way to make the two notions equivalent can be used to shed some interesting light on the kind of intuition both notions seem to articulate. The second shows the importance of a little-known mereological principle which I will call 'Mild Supplementation'. As I will show, the mereology obtained by adding Mild Supplementation to Minimal Mereology occupies an interesting position in the landscape of theories that are stronger than Minimal Mereology but weaker than what Achille Varzi and Roberto Casati have labelled 'Extensional Mereology'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of I2D: Information, Données & Documents is the property of ADBS 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 article studies an experimental pattern-cutting workshop part of a series of extension courses offered by a Brazilian University. It addresses ways in which to develop student-centred approaches to learning, highlighting the situatedness of the practitioner. In the workshop, the participants were invited to explore personal experiences as informants to their creative pattern-cutting process. The design outcomes show that experimental exercises are open to new successful encounters but also to failure, chance and disruptions. The activity is described and investigated from a participant observation viewpoint in terms of what an experimental approach to learning pattern-cutting may offer fashion design education. The results contribute to understand the roles of expectations in pattern-cutting activities, and challenges the teacher-orientation paradigm in fashion. Through these findings, the study adds to previous academic endeavours in creative pattern-cutting and fashion design education. The article concludes with a discussion on future directions for both education and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborations between researchers and practitioners are valuable for community development but are challenging to implement. This study aimed to assess how researchers and practitioners perceive such collaborations and examine their ideas about how collaborations can be conducted more effectively. Developing one such research-practice collaboration to conduct this project, we examined the collaboration experiences of youth development researchers and 4-H practitioners in New York State. Quantitative and qualitative data from this investigation illustrate the challenges and rewards of collaboration and point to communication as a key element in success. Results also highlight the importance of researchers and practitioners having the interpersonal and practical skills to overcome considerable challenges and reveal that, although the benefit may not be equal, many on both sides are passionate about developing these partnerships. The results of this study can enable future collaborations to be more effective and useful for researchers and the communities who engage with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has led to mixed findings regarding the effect of extensions on the family brand name. This research identifies "accessibility of extension information" as a factor that moderates the effects of the valence of extension information and extension category on brand evaluations. Under higher accessibility, negative information about the extension led to dilution and positive information led to enhancement of the family brand regardless of extension category. Under lower accessibility, extension information affected evaluations based on category diagnosticity. Negative information about a close (vs. far) extension led to dilution and positive information about a far (vs. close) extension led to enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technical progress changes space and human relationships. Modern physics and psychoanalysis have emphasized the relational basis of the spaces we live in. While our day to day sensible experience places us in front of a double space, the one outside and the one inside each of us, the articulation between the two has taken a new dimension with Winnicott's and Green's work. Using the analysis of Theo, who experienced the analytic setting as a dangerous cavern, and the myth of Perseus, as read by Pasche, the importance of a personal shield is discussed. The mediation offered by digital technology is compared to a Perseus' shield of a different order. Its impact is questioned at the light of developmental research and of clinical experience with adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay explores the philosophical insights of Zhu Xi, Wang YangMing, Kant, and Husserl and therefore proposes a new epistemic constructivism. It demonstrates that a knowing mind is a constructor, not merely a mirror-like copier or a camera-like copier in the experience of knowing. It argues that just as different kinds of machine produce kinds of product of different qualities, different kinds of mind produce different kinds of knowledge; to know X is to construct belief and understanding of X that has truth. Therefore, while Kant correctly indicated that before we set out to know things in the world, we should inquire what the mind can know, Confucian masters profoundly suggest that in order to know things in the world and know better, we should constantly expand our mind to the extent that it is broad（博）， great（大）， refined（精）and profound （深）so that our mind can know millions of things in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Fine particulate matter is becoming a primary component of air pollution in China, damaging public health and economic growth. Although environmental regulation is an important instrument to control air pollution, studies on the effect of environmental regulation are mixed. Do environmental regulations help improve the air quality in urban centers, and what mechanism explains their effects in China? In order to explore the causal relationship between environmental regulations and air quality, the effectiveness of the New Ambient Air Quality Standards —primarily the monitoring of PM2.5—was evaluated using the Difference-in-Differences (DID) method to weaken the endogeneity problems. Our results suggest that the New Standards reduce the concentration of PM2.5 and emissions of SO 2 in pilot cities in neither the short-term nor the long-term. Our heterogeneous analyses show that the monitoring efforts, pollution control efforts, and ownership structures can affect outcomes of New Standards significantly, and that they have different influences on various categories of pollutants. Our paper implies that the Chinese government should make more efforts beyond setting up environmental regulations. Highlights • The average treatment effects in treated group of New Standards on SO 2 and PM2.5 are zero. • Monitoring efforts and pollution investments can reduce SO 2 in treated group, but will not affect PM2.5. • The effect of New Standards will be weakened for SO 2 and PM2.5, in areas with high proportion of state-owned economy. • A reason for an ineffective environmental regulation is that its heterogeneous effects caused by regional features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the 1810-11 version of the Thatsachen des Bewusstseins as Fichte's final brush strokes on Kant's canvas. It takes a closer look at Kant's claim that there is no such thing as a merely partial representation of space. The question is: what shape does this doctrine take in Fichte's Thatsachen des Bewusstseins? On the one hand, there is something very similar to Kant's view in Fichte's analysis of external perception (äußere Wahrnehmung) and its essential components. On the other hand, this superficial resemblance disguises a deeper dissimilarity: almost everything Fichte says on this subject entails a significant shift away from Kant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explicit model predictive control (eMPC) has been proposed to reduce the huge computational complexity of MPC while maintaining the performance of MPC. Therefore, this control method has been more widely employed in the automotive industry than MPC. In this paper, an eMPC is designed to perform a double-lane-change (DLC) maneuver. This task has been employed to demonstrate the efficacy of controllers in an autonomous driving situation. In this sense, the proposed controller shows better performance than a driver model designed in CarSim at a high vehicle longitudinal velocity. The main contribution of this paper is to present an eMPC for discrete-time linear time-variant (LTV) systems so that the proposed controller can be robust against parameter variation. In a state-space representation of the vehicle, the longitudinal velocity of the vehicle is assumed to be a constant so that the whole system is linear time-invariant (LTI). However, it is inevitable that this velocity varies in an actual driving situation. Therefore, an eMPC controller is designed using an add-on unit to consider the varying parameter without modification of the eMPC solution. The CarSim simulation results of eMPC show enhanced performance compared to that of eMPC for the LTI system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses India's space programme matures and becomes more sophisticated, space exploration is the natural next step. With larger launchers and more complicated space operations, India's space capabilities have risen slowly but steadily. Further space exploration to improve technical capabilities would be the logical next step. Second, while these missions may not directly aid development or society.

Highlights • A robust clustering algorithm(IVDPC) is proposed to solve the ”chain reaction“ and cut off distance selecting problems of DPC. • A new similarity coefficient is introduced to represent the relevance between the points which is an extension of γ defined in DPC. • The local density is estimated through a non-parametric density estimation method so as to eliminate the reliance of user-defined parameter dc. • Clusters are characterized by veins rather than one representative point, which allows IVDPC to identify the main structure of clusters more visualized and precise. • The robustness of the algorithm with respect to the choice of input parameters is proved via statistical method. Abstract Clustering by fast search and find of density peaks(DPC) was an efficient clustering algorithm proposed by Rodriguez and Laio [49]. It adopts a concise but effective categorizing strategy which assigns data points to the same cluster as their nearest neighbors with higher densities. However, it suffers from the so-called “chain reaction” due to the simplistic strategy. What’s more, the accuracy of DPC badly depends on the selection of cut off distance d c when the data scale ranges. In order to take advantage of DPC whilst avoiding the drawbacks aforementioned, this paper proposed a robust clustering algorithm named IVDPC which provides a feasible approach for solving the classification problem of data with different shape and distribution. The local density is estimated through a non-parametric density estimation method first. Then, by calculating the similarity matrix of points and connecting the most resembled pairs continuously from high density regions to the edge of clusters, IVDPC identifies the main structure(veins) of clusters and classifies the rest of the samples precisely to the nearest vein. Having veins rather than one representative point to represent a cluster allows IVDPC to adjust well to the geometry of non-spherical shapes and decrease the chain reaction of DPC. The method proposed is benchmarked on artificial and real-world data sets against several baseline methods. The experimental results demonstrate that IVDPC can recognize the structure distribution of clusters and perform better in clustering accuracy over several state-of-art algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present century has seen renewed interest in characterizing cognition, the object of inquiry of the cognitive sciences. In this paper, I describe the problem of cognition—the absence of a positive characterization of cognition despite a felt need for one. It is widely recognized that the problem is motivated by decades of controversy among cognitive scientists over foundational questions, such as whether non-neural parts of the body or environment can realize cognitive processes, or whether plants and microbes have cognitive processes. The dominant strategy for addressing the problem of cognition is to seek a dichotomous criterion that vindicates some set of controversial claims. However, I argue that the problem of cognition is also motivated by ongoing conceptual development in cognitive science, and I describe four benefits that a characterization of cognition could confer. Given these benefits, I recommend an alternative criterion of success, ecumenical extensional adequacy, on which the aim is to describe the variation in expert judgments rather than to correct this variation by taking sides in sectarian disputes. I argue that if we had an ecumenical solution to the problem of cognition, we would have achieved much of what we should want from a “mark of the cognitive”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the notion that conversion should be viewed as being metonymical, which is well-established in Cognitive Linguistics. Against the background of the wider discussion of metonymy in word-formation, criteria for distinguishing derivation from figurative extension are proposed, criteria which support the notion of conversion as being metonymical, despite the fact that change from one lexeme to another is not typical of figurative readings. Such a conclusion raises other questions about the role of metonymy in word-formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I present, generalize and develop the extensionalist theory of rigidity for general terms in light of criteria commonly applied to theories of general term rigidity. According to the theory, a general term is rigid if its extension is constant across all possible worlds. This position has been widely dismissed because it conflicts with the seemingly straightforward idea that natural kind terms have varying extensions from world to world. This criticism holds only to the extent that natural kind terms are indeed rigid. If it turns out that we need not view them as rigid, then the extensionalist theory fares well when compared with other theoretical requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Logical geometry systematically studies Aristotelian diagrams, such as the classical square of oppositions and its extensions. These investigations rely heavily on the use of bitstrings, which are compact combinatorial representations of formulas that allow us to quickly determine their Aristotelian relations. However, because of their general nature, bitstrings can be applied to a wide variety of topics in philosophical logic beyond those of logical geometry. Hence, the main aim of this paper is to present a systematic technique for assigning bitstrings to arbitrary finite fragments of formulas in arbitrary logical systems, and to study the logical and combinatorial properties of this technique. It is based on the partition of logical space that is induced by a given fragment, and sheds new light on a number of interesting issues, such as the logic-dependence of the Aristotelian relations and the subtle interplay between the Aristotelian and Boolean structure of logical fragments. Finally, the bitstring technique also allows us to systematically analyze fragments from contemporary logical systems, such as public announcement logic, which could not be done before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article addresses the early-modern conception of figuration, and more specifically the form in which it appears in Descartes’ early writings. There is textual evidence suggesting that Descartes was aware both of the mathematical and of the poetical characters of figures, contributing to the design of methodical processes. It is argued that figures play a central role in the Cartesian conception of method, in which figuration, leaning on the universal laws of geometry, is being used as carrier of data from reality to the observing mind and back, as well as from one domain of inquiry to another. It is therefore a central binder of the Cartesian ‘Unity of Science’, being responsible for the interconnectedness of various domains of inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article examines the role that the author Martín Luis Guzmán (1887–1976) and hisMemorias de Pancho Villa([1951] 2010) played in the vindication of General Francisco ‘Pancho’ Villa (1878–1923). It demonstrates how the work functions as both a domesticating intralingual translation and as a physical monument to the general. It then examines the relationship between theMemorias, Guzmán in his role as Villa’s translator, and the construction of monuments in Mexico City following the Mexican Revolution – specifically a statue of Villa erected the capital in 1969. It concludes by making the case for the study of translation as it relates to physical space and political power within the evolving landscape of the city. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives: The main objective of this study has been qualitative investigation of the effects of external loading on the lumbar extension moment during squat lifting. Findings of this study may allow to determine the factor with the most considerable effect on the lumbar extension moment and may help determine the lumbar spine risk factors at temporo-spatial coordination during squat lifting.Material and Methods: Twelve healthy men volunteered to perform slow and fast squat lifting of a box of varied mass (4 kg, 8 kg and 12 kg). The eight-channel electromyography was applied to detect the activities of abdominal (rectus abdominis and external oblique) and lower back muscles (iliocostalis lumborum and multifidus). The lumbar extension moment was calculated using 3D linked segment model. Ground reaction forces and kinematic data were recorded using a Vicon system with 2 parallel Kistler force-plates.Results: Significant increases (both p-values < 0.05) were detected for the peak lumbar extension moment with increases in the lift speed and box weight. Moreover, a significant interaction (p = 0) was detected between the lift speed and box weight. Furthermore, insignificant differences (all p-values > 0.05) were detected between the lumbar angles related to the lower trunk muscles peak activities and lumbar angle related to the peak lumbar extension moment in most of the lifts.Conclusions: According to the findings, the inertial force of the lifted box is the most important factor that affects the lumbar extension moment during squat lifting. Moreover, critical lumbar angles are seemingly those ones in which the lifted box reaches the peak acceleration. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(4):665-679. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spontelectric state of matter is exemplified by the presence of static, spontaneous electric fields extending throughout thin films of dipolar solids. The spontelectric state was discovered using a low energy electron beam technique, using the ASTRID storage ring at Aarhus University. Following a resume of the characteristics and of a model for the spontelectric effect, a description is given of the counter-intuitive behaviour of fields in films of methyl formate as a function of deposition temperature, T. It is found that films for T ≤ 77.5 K show the expected decrease in the field with increasing T but, for T ≥ 77.5 K, an increase in the field for higher T is revealed. Analysis of these results illustrates the non-linear and non-local characteristics of the spontelectric state. Recently it has been shown that Reflection-Absorption Infrared Spectroscopy (RAIRS) provides a new and independent technique for the detection of the spontelectric effect, through the observation of vibrational Stark shifts in spectra of films. Stark shifts for nitrous oxide are demonstrated to be in harmony with electric fields measured using the electron beam technique. The method is then applied to carbon monoxide, showing that this material displays the spontelectric effect between deposition temperatures of 20 K and 26 K. Graphical abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will explore the notions of intensity, the virtual/actual and different/ciation in Gilles Deleuze's work. It will focus in particular on excavating the Bergsonian dimension of these terms in Deleuze's philosophy and their relations to one another. While much has been written on the role of Bergson in shaping Deleuze's virtual/actual philosophy, far less attention has been paid to the way in which Deleuze's thoughts on intensity and the movements of different/ciation are also developed out of his reading of Bergson. To address this I will explicate the 'triple form of difference' that Deleuze locates in Bergson, which includes renditions of intensity and the process of differentiation, after which I will map the movements from this early Bergsonian work to Deleuze's mature position on the matter, as it is found in the final chapter of Difference and Repetition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An account of the nature of knowledge must explain the value of knowledge. This paper argues that modal conditions, such as safety and sensitivity, do not confer value on a belief, and so any account of knowledge that posits a modal condition as a fundamental constituent cannot vindicate widely held claims about the value of knowledge. The implications for epistemology are explained: One must either eschew modal conditions as a fundamental constituent of knowledge, or retain the modal conditions but concede that knowledge is not more valuable than that which falls short of knowledge. This second horn--concluding that knowledge has no distinctive value--is unappealing since it renders puzzling why so much epistemological theorizing focuses on knowledge, and why knowledge seems so important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caribbean writing in English highlights the call for a pluralization of world literature(s) in a double sense. It is produced in multiple Caribbean spaces, both domestic and diasporic, and it clearly stands for the extension of what used to be a rather small set of (Western) world literature. Moreover, not least as a legacy of the colonial New World/Old World distinction, visions of the world are at the heart of the Caribbean spatial imaginary as probed in many literary works. This article explores the trajectory of Caribbean spaces and Anglophone world literatures as a matter of migration and circulation, but also in terms of the symbolic translation by which experiences of movement and space are aesthetically mediated. Because of its global span across different locations Caribbean writing in English is constituted as world literature almost by definition. However, some works pursue a more circumscribed concern with domestic spaces and local artistic idioms, which affects their translatability and redefines a conventional 'from national to world literature' narrative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Possible-worlds accounts of mental or linguistic content are often criticized for being too coarse-grained. To make room for more fine-grained distinctions among contents, several authors have recently proposed extending the space of possible worlds by 'impossible worlds'. We argue that this strategy comes with serious costs: we would effectively have to abandon most of the features that make the possibleworlds framework attractive. More generally, we argue that while there are intuitive and theoretical considerations against overly coarse-grained notions of content, the same kinds of considerations also prohibit an overly fine-grained individuation of content. An adequate notion of content, it seems, should have intermediate granularity. However, it is hard to construe a notion of content that meets these demands. Any notion of content, we suggest, must be either implausibly coarse-grained or implausibly fine-grained (or both). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the stability problems for the following functional equation f(x + ay) + f(x - ay) - 2f(x) + a - a2/ 2 f(y) - a + a2/ 2 f(-y) - f(ay) = 0 in random normed spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When we analyse a clause complex we take into account the ideational metafunction of language and we are interested in the ways a clause can combine with further clauses in order to form a clause complex. According to Halliday (1994), clauses within complexes are interrelated grammatically in two systems, taxis and logico-semantic. In this paper we are going to analyse only one part of logico-semantic system of a language, namely the expansion which includes the meanings realised by conjunctions. The paper is made up of three parts. In the first part we make a short presentation of the taxis and logico-semantic systems, pointing out the ways they combine within clause complexes. The second part analyses the three major types of expansion: elaboration, extension and enhancement that can be finite (paratactic and hypotactic) or non-finite. Elaboration represents the adding of a non-essential new element to the message, but which gives more information and it can be either paratactic or hypotactic. The paratactic type emphasises, exemplifies or further specifies the initial clause. The hypotactic elaboration is realised by non-restrictive relative clause, providing some kind of description or comment. The extension has two basic meanings: addition and variation. This type of expansion is mainly paratactic. The enhancement refers to the circumstances within the clause. Enhancing relations are more frequently found in combination with hypotaxis, but we will also analyse the paratactic links, paying attention to the conjunctions that may signal different semantic relationships. At the end of the second part, we discuss the most important conjunctions that can mark different logico-semantic relationships. The third part gives examples of cases in which the expansion phenomenon is difficult to identify. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space-time constraints imposed by employment and household responsibilities may lead to greater gender differences in individuals' participation in daily activities. However, few studies have directly examined the impact of household structure on the gender differences in space-time constraints associated with various daily activities due to the lack of accurate space-time data. Using a 7-day GPS-based activity-travel diary dataset collected in Beijing, this paper investigates how household structure influences men's and women's space-time constraints and reduces the related gender differences in daily activity participation. The results suggest that gender and household structure matters. Getting help from retired parents reduces the level of fixity household heads perceive and decreases gender differences in space-time constraints. However, the degree of the impact differs among activities and retired parents' age, and fixity level depends on the individual and household background of the person initiating the activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide necessary and sufficient conditions in terms of characteristic classes for a closed smooth orientable 6-manifold to admit a CR regular immersion/embedding into C4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stephani cosmological models are considered which describe spacetimes for a shear-free matter distribution and include Friedmann models as a particular case. The possibility is considered of constructing cosmological models in which a change of sign of the acceleration of the Universe expansion arises only due to curvature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The external matter stress-tensor supporting charged Vaidya solution appears to violate weak energy condition in certain region of the spacetime. Motivated by this, a new interpretation of charged Vaidya solution was proposed by Ori (Class Quant Grav 8:1559, 1991) in which the energy condition continues to be satisfied. In this construction, one glues an outgoing Vaidya solution to the original ingoing Vaidya solution provided the surface where the external stress-tensor vanishes is spacelike. We revisit this study and extend it to higher-dimensions, to AdS settings, and to higher-derivative f( R) theories. In asymptotically flat space context, we explore in detail the case when the mass function m( v) is proportional to the charge function q( v). When the proportionality constant $$\nu = q(v)/m(v)$$ lies in between zero and one, we show that the surface where the external stress-tensor vanishes is spacelike and lies in between the inner and outer apparent horizons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a response to Paul Bartha's 'Making Do Without Expectations'. We provide an assessment of the strengths and limitations of two notable extensions of standard decision theory: relative expectation theory (RET) and Paul Bartha's relative utility theory (RUT). These extensions are designed to provide intuitive answers to some well-known problems in decision theory involving gaps in expectations. We argue that both RET and RUT go some way towards providing solutions to the problems in question but neither extension solves all the relevant problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the guest editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including spaces and their philosophical issues, capitalism, and humanitarian crises.

Copyright of Art / Umění is the property of Institute of Art History of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic 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 paper presents a novel qualitative description theory in the context of integrated design, which here incorporates assembly sequence planning in the early product design stages (also called assembly oriented design – AOD). Based on a literature review of current AOD approaches, product models and mereotopology-based theories, the authors introduce a promising mereotopological theory which enables the formal product relationships description in integrated design by introducing an emerging framework, four-dimensionalism (i.e. perdurantism in philosophy). The proposed efforts aim at providing a concrete basis for describing the evolution of spatial entities (i.e. product parts) and their relationships over time and space during the design phases by considering their related assembly processes. In product design, the interpretation of engineering reality from a perdurantist point of view leads to a seamless consideration of relationships between spatial, temporal and spatiotemporal dimensions. Indeed, with such a mereotopological theory, formal product design description is enabled by proactively considering its assembly sequence from a temporal point of view in the early stages of the product development process, and ensures information and knowledge consistency over space and time. Finally, an ontological implementation is presented within Protégé through a mechanical assembly as a case study, so as to illustrate the applicability and the relevance of the theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I will focus on the extension theories of technology. I will identify four influential positions that have been put forward: (1) technology as an extension of the human organism, (2) technology as an extension of the lived body and the senses, (3) technology as an extension of our intentions and desires, and (4) technology as an extension of our faculties and capabilities. I will describe and critically assess these positions one by one and highlight their advantages and their shortcomings and limitations. Along the way, I will explicate some of the differences and similarities between the various approaches. I conclude the paper with some suggestions for future research directions that will be beneficial for advancing theory building and that will drive forward the philosophical refinement of extension theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The future is not a new idea. The philosophers of the Enlightenment freed it of the historic wrappings of Christian eschatology and the notion of Providence itself by rationalising the idea of progress, the possible improvement of Mankind and the terrestrial city that stemmed from it. Making use of the Renaissance, the utopian authors transformed spiritual preparation for the end of time into a view of material, earthly delight made possible by science and scientific research. This ideal was certainly embodied in Francis Bacon's New Atlantis, although Thomas More was the first of all. In passing from work on consciousness to that of the spirit, the utopians of the eighteenth century espoused Reason and soon turned the future into something much more than critical discourse: It became social opportunity, a new political framework. Audaciously shifting the utopia of 'elsewhere' ( u-topos) to 'the future' ( u-chronos) in the manner of Louis-Sébastien Mercier or Marquis de Condorcet, the utopians pursued a programme relying on scientific promise: Identify the technological processes of the transformation of reality and spread the word, an aim which would give birth to a new, less discursive, more popular genre-science fiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent thinking within philosophy of mind about the ways cognition can extend (e.g., Clark, 2008; Clark & Chalmers, 1998; Menary, 2006; Wilson, 2000, 2004) has yet to be integrated with philosophical theories of emotion, which give cognition a central role. We carve out new ground at the intersection of these areas and, in doing so, defend what we call the extended emotion thesis: the claim that some emotions can extend beyond skin and skull to parts of the external world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three observers performed a task designed to quantify their ''pictorial relief '' in visual awareness for a photograph of a piece of sculpture. In separate sessions, they were instructed to assume one of two ''mental viewpoints. '' The main objective was to investigate whether human observers have such command. All three observers could redirect their ''mental view direction'' by up to 20 . These observers experience ''paradoxical monocular'' stereopsis, whereas a sizable fraction of the population does not. Moreover, they had some experience in assuming various ''viewing modes. '' Whereas one cannot generalize to the population at large, these findings at least prove that it is possible to direct the mental viewpoint actively. This is of importance to the visual arts. For instance, academic drawings require one to be simultaneously aware of a ''viewing'' (for the drawing) and an ''illumination direction'' (for the shading). Being able to mentally deploy various vantage points is a crucial step from the ''visual field'' to the ''visual space. '' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser interferometric gravitational wave detection in space holds the promise of being a new window to probe and address certain key problems in astronomy and cosmology, such as stellar evolution and galaxy formation in the early Universe, co-evolution of black holes and galaxies, etc. After two phases of feasibility study commissioned by Chinese Academy of Sciences and under the support of the Pioneer Explorer (Xiandao) Program, by considering relative merits between scientific significance and technological viability, a preliminary Chinese mission design with measurement waveband from mHz to 0.1 Hz is put forward, with the primary drivers being intermediate and supermassive black hole binaries at high redshift as well as intermediate mass ratio inspirals within dense star clusters in our local Universe. On the basis of the mission design, the scientific significance of gravitational wave detection in space as a possible new probe in astronomy is briefiy discussed. The primary science drivers together with the potential detection capability of the Chinese mission design will also be touched upon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues the identity between space-time and physical substance's extension following Descartes and Einstein. Field and particles' distinct spatiotemporal attributes are derived fromtheir different extension types. Through elucidating the continuous space-time of the field world, we can supersede the genesis of the universe by the beginning of the particle world. Given two proposals: (i) any fundamental particle is finite but unbounded, (ii) a singularity is the only site for transformations of two extension types of physical substance, and then by the general theory of relativity, we determine the flexible intertwined structure of the cosmological time and its irreversibility. The thermodynamic entropy can only be applied in the particle world, which indicates that the thermodynamic time is a constituent part of the cosmological time. The indestructibility of physical substance reveals that the reciprocal transformations of two extension types of physical substance enable a self-sufficient universe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social studies of science have often treated natural field sites as extensions of the laboratory. But this overlooks the unique specificities of field sites. While lab sites are usually private spaces with carefully controlled borders, field sites are more typically public spaces with fluid boundaries and diverse inhabitants. Field scientists must therefore often adapt their work to the demands and interests of local agents. I propose to address the difference between lab and field in sociological terms, as a difference in style. A field style treats epistemic alterity as a resource rather than an obstacle for objective knowledge production. A sociological stylistics of the field should thus explain how objective science can co-exist with radical conceptual difference. I discuss examples from the Canadian North, focussing on collaborations between state wildlife biologists and managers, on the one hand, and local Aboriginal Elders and hunters, on the other. I argue that a sociological stylistics of the field can help us to better understand how radically diverse agents may collaborate across cultures in the successful production of reliable natural knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the convergence properties of an iterative process which involves sequences of convergent self-mappings in probabilistic Menger spaces which are used to generate the sequences of interest. The convergent self-mappings under consideration satisfy conditions of either uniform or point-wise convergence, in a probabilistic sense, to a self-mapping on the same abstract space of the considered probabilistic metric space. Furthermore, the self-mappings of the considered sequence satisfy a probabilistic ϕ-contractive condition which is based on the use of a control ϕ-function. Some illustrative examples are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we address an infamous argument against divisibility that dates back to Zeno. There has been an incredible amount of discussion on how to understand the critical notions of divisibility, extension, and infinite divisibility that are crucial for the very formulation of the argument. The paper provides new and rigorous definitions of those notions using the formal theories of parthood and location. Also, it provides a new solution to the paradox of divisibility which does not face some threats that can possibly undermine the standard Lebesgue measure solution to such a paradox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]