scholarly journals Abduction and the Scientific Realist Case for Properties

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Matthew Tugby
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Practice ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Scientific Realist ◽  
Behavioural Patterns ◽  
Scientific Argument

Abstract Traditionally, many arguments for realism about properties (universals or tropes) rely on a priori claims. The author argues that if we make use of an abductive principle that is commonly employed by scientific realists, a new argument for property realism can be formulated which is based firmly in scientific practice. The abductive principle says that we should believe in the existence of certain theoretical entities if they figure in the best explanation for what scientists observe. The scientific argument for property realism then says (roughly) that the best explanation for various behavioural patterns that physical scientists observe is that microscopic entities (such as electrons) instantiate stable, causally efficacious properties. After presenting the argument, the author defends it against possible objections. More generally, the article provides a case study for how science and metaphysics can work together to generate ontological claims.

Magnetotelluric static shift: Estimation and removal using the cokriging method

Geophysics ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. F25-F34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benoit Tournerie ◽  
Michel Chouteau ◽  
Denis Marcotte
Keyword(s):  
Apparent Resistivity ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Shift Factor ◽  
Static Shift ◽  
Geostatistical Model ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Resistivity Sounding ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Cross Variogram

We present and test a new method to correct for the static shift affecting magnetotelluric (MT) apparent resistivity sounding curves. We use geostatistical analysis of apparent resistivity and phase data for selected periods. For each period, we first estimate and model the experimental variograms and cross variogram between phase and apparent resistivity. We then use the geostatistical model to estimate, by cokriging, the corrected apparent resistivities using the measured phases and apparent resistivities. The static shift factor is obtained as the difference between the logarithm of the corrected and measured apparent resistivities. We retain as final static shift estimates the ones for the period displaying the best correlation with the estimates at all periods. We present a 3D synthetic case study showing that the static shift is retrieved quite precisely when the static shift factors are uniformly distributed around zero. If the static shift distribution has a nonzero mean, we obtained best results when an apparent resistivity data subset can be identified a priori as unaffected by static shift and cokriging is done using only this subset. The method has been successfully tested on the synthetic COPROD-2S2 2D MT data set and on a 3D-survey data set from Las Cañadas Caldera (Tenerife, Canary Islands) severely affected by static shift.

scholarly journals Modeling the bioconversion of polysaccharides in a continuous reactor: A case study of the production of oligogalacturonates by Dickeya dadantii

2018 ◽  
Vol 294 (5) ◽  
pp. 1753-1762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques-Alexandre Sepulchre ◽  
Sylvie Reverchon ◽  
Jean-Luc Gouzé ◽  
William Nasser
Keyword(s):  
A Priori ◽  
Pectate Lyase ◽  
Degradation Process ◽  
Continuous Reactor ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Dickeya Dadantii ◽  
Pectate Lyases ◽  
Upper Limit ◽  
Promising Avenue

In the quest for a sustainable economy of the Earth's resources and for renewable sources of energy, a promising avenue is to exploit the vast quantity of polysaccharide molecules contained in green wastes. To that end, the decomposition of pectin appears to be an interesting target because this polymeric carbohydrate is abundant in many fruit pulps and soft vegetables. To quantitatively study this degradation process, here we designed a bioreactor that is continuously fed with de-esterified pectin (PGA). Thanks to the pectate lyases produced by bacteria cultivated in the vessel, the PGA is depolymerized into oligogalacturonates (UGA), which are continuously extracted from the tank. A mathematical model of our system predicted that the conversion efficiency of PGA into UGA increases in a range of coefficients of dilution until reaching an upper limit where the fraction of UGA that is extracted from the bioreactor is maximized. Results from experiments with a continuous reactor hosting a strain of the plant pathogenic bacterium Dickeya dadantii and in which the dilution coefficients were varied quantitatively validated the predictions of our model. A further theoretical analysis of the system enabled an a priori comparison of the efficiency of eight other pectate lyase–producing microorganisms with that of D. dadantii. Our findings suggest that D. dadantii is the most efficient microorganism and therefore the best candidate for a practical implementation of our scheme for the bioproduction of UGA from PGA.

scholarly journals Design for learning – a case study of blended learning in a science unit

F1000Research ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 898
Author(s):  
Roslyn Gleadow ◽  
Barbara Macfarlan
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Scientific Practice ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Science Students ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
Learning Management

Making material available through learning management systems is standard practice in most universities, but this is generally seen as an adjunct to the ‘real’ teaching, that takes place in face-to-face classes. Lecture attendance is poor, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to engage students, both in the material being taught and campus life. This paper describes the redevelopment of a large course in scientific practice and communication that is compulsory for all science students studying at our Melbourne and Malaysian campuses, or by distance education. Working with an educational designer, a blended learning methodology was developed, converting the environment provided by the learning management system into a teaching space, rather than a filing system. To ensure focus, topics are clustered into themes with a ‘question of the week’, a pre-class stimulus and follow up activities. The content of the course did not change, but by restructuring the delivery using educationally relevant design techniques, the content was contextualised resulting in an integrated learning experience. Students are more engaged intellectually, and lecture attendance has improved. The approach we describe here is a simple and effective approach to bringing this university’s teaching and learning into the 21st century.

scholarly journals Integrating open science in the teaching of cognitive research methods

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph S. Redden ◽  
Colin R McCormick
Keyword(s):  
Research Methods ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Scientific Practice ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Methods Course ◽  
Replication Experiment ◽  
Successful Replication ◽  
Oral Presentations

Openness, transparency, and reproducibility are widely accepted as fundamental aspects of scientific practice. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that these features are not readily adopted in the daily practice of most scientists. The Centre for Open Science has been championing efforts for systemic change in the scientific process, with newly adopted practices such as preregistration and open sharing of data and experimental materials. In an effort to inculcate these practices early in training, we have integrated several key components of open science practice into an undergraduate research methods course in the cognitive sciences. Students were divided into four research teams, each with the goal of carrying out a replication experiment related to the study of attention; specifically, temporal orienting, alertness, prior entry, and the attentional blink. Teams completed a preregistration exercise, and importantly, were encouraged to consider a priori the criteria for a successful replication. They were also required to collect and analyze data, prepare manuscripts, and disseminate their findings in poster symposia and oral presentations. All project materials can be found at https://osf.io/gxkfq/. Critical appraisal of the goals and implementation of the course are discussed.

scholarly journals Robust Bayesian Joint Inversion of Gravimetric and Muographic Data for the Density Imaging of the Puy de Dôme Volcano (France)

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Barnoud ◽  
Valérie Cayol ◽  
Peter G. Lelièvre ◽  
Angélie Portal ◽  
Philippe Labazuy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Joint Inversion ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Constant Density ◽  
Acquisition Duration ◽  
Regularization Parameters ◽  
Absolute Density ◽  
Gravimetric Data ◽  
Ill Posed ◽  
Leave One Out

Imaging the internal structure of volcanoes helps highlighting magma pathways and monitoring potential structural weaknesses. We jointly invert gravimetric and muographic data to determine the most precise image of the 3D density structure of the Puy de Dôme volcano (Chaîne des Puys, France) ever obtained. With rock thickness of up to 1,600 m along the muon lines of sight, it is, to our knowledge, the largest volcano ever imaged by combining muography and gravimetry. The inversion of gravimetric data is an ill-posed problem with a non-unique solution and a sensitivity rapidly decreasing with depth. Muography has the potential to constrain the absolute density of the studied structures but the use of the method is limited by the possible number of acquisition view points, by the long acquisition duration and by the noise contained in the data. To take advantage of both types of data in a joint inversion scheme, we develop a robust method adapted to the specificities of both the gravimetric and muographic data. Our method is based on a Bayesian formalism. It includes a smoothing relying on two regularization parameters (an a priori density standard deviation and an isotropic correlation length) which are automatically determined using a leave one out criterion. This smoothing overcomes artifacts linked to the data acquisition geometry of each dataset. A possible constant density offset between both datasets is also determined by least-squares. The potential of the method is shown using the Puy de Dôme volcano as case study as high quality gravimetric and muographic data are both available. Our results show that the dome is dry and permeable. Thanks to the muographic data, we better delineate a trachytic dense core surrounded by a less dense talus.

Commercial microwave links instead of rain gauges: fiction or reality?

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Fencl ◽  
Jörg Rieckermann ◽  
Petr Sýkora ◽  
David Stránský ◽  
Vojtěch Bareš
Keyword(s):  
Rainfall Variability ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Rain Gauges ◽  
Precipitation Estimates ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Areal Rainfall ◽  
Quantitative Precipitation Estimates ◽  
Commercial Microwave Links ◽  
Unique Dataset

Commercial microwave links (MWLs) were suggested about a decade ago as a new source for quantitative precipitation estimates (QPEs). Meanwhile, the theory is well understood and rainfall monitoring with MWLs is on its way to being a mature technology, with several well-documented case studies, which investigate QPEs from multiple MWLs on the mesoscale. However, the potential of MWLs to observe microscale rainfall variability, which is important for urban hydrology, has not been investigated yet. In this paper, we assess the potential of MWLs to capture the spatio-temporal rainfall dynamics over small catchments of a few square kilometres. Specifically, we investigate the influence of different MWL topologies on areal rainfall estimation, which is important for experimental design or to a priori check the feasibility of using MWLs. In a dedicated case study in Prague, Czech Republic, we collected a unique dataset of 14 MWL signals with a temporal resolution of a few seconds and compared the QPEs from the MWLs to reference rainfall from multiple rain gauges. Our results show that, although QPEs from most MWLs are probably positively biased, they capture spatio-temporal rainfall variability on the microscale very well. Thus, they have great potential to improve runoff predictions. This is especially beneficial for heavy rainfall, which is usually decisive for urban drainage design.

scholarly journals Realism, empiricism and causal inquiry in International Relations: What is at stake?

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 562-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam R C Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Scientific Realism ◽  
Scientific Practice ◽  
World Politics ◽  
Constructive Empiricism ◽  
Van Fraassen ◽  
Scientific Realist ◽  
Bas Van Fraassen ◽  
Causal Mechanisms ◽  
Everyday World

Discussions of causal inquiry in International Relations are increasingly framed in terms of a contrast between rival philosophical positions, each with a putative methodological corollary — empiricism is associated with a search for patterns of covariation, while scientific realism is associated with a search for causal mechanisms. Scientific realism is, on this basis, claimed to open up avenues of causal inquiry that are unavailable to empiricists. This is misleading. Empiricism appears inferior only if its reformulation by contemporary philosophers of science, such as Bas van Fraassen, is ignored. I therefore develop a fuller account than has previously been provided in International Relations of Van Fraassen’s ‘constructive empiricism’ and how it differs from scientific realism. In light of that, I consider what is at stake in calls for the reconstitution of causal inquiry along scientific realist, rather than empiricist, lines. I argue that scientific realists have failed to make a compelling case that what matters is whether researchers are realists. Constructive empiricism and scientific realism differ only on narrow epistemological and metaphysical grounds that carry no clear implications for the conduct of causal inquiry. Yet, insofar as Van Fraassen has reformed empiricism to meet the scientific realist challenge, this has created a striking disjunction between mainstream practices of causal inquiry in International Relations and the vision of scientific practice that scientific realists and contemporary empiricists share, especially regarding the significance of regularities observed in everyday world politics. Although scientific realist calls for a philosophical revolution in International Relations are overstated, this disjunction demands further consideration.

Aprendizagem por investigação: possibilidades, limites e perspectivas no PIBIC-Programa Institucional de Bolsa de Iniciação Científica

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Joselma F. L. Silva ◽  
Maria Daiane da Silva Parentes
Keyword(s):  
Program Development ◽  
Scientific Practice ◽  
Research Knowledge ◽  
Scientific Rigor ◽  
Federal Institute ◽  
Scholarship Recipients ◽  
Qualitative Nature ◽  
Object Of Study ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

Scientific practice is procedural, systemic and presupposes the discovery of reality. Learning through investigative processes is training, education, and enhances multiple learnings. In this case study, descriptive-analytical, of a qualitative nature, it aimed to analyze the possibilities, limits and perspectives for learning by investigation within the Research Initiation Program. Highlights as theoretical and analysis categories: PIBIC and research knowledge. The data were generated by the semi-structured questionnaire with four scholarship recipients of the notice / 2019, from the Federal Institute of Piauí, Campus Piripiri and by the cut in the projects that bring the act of research as an object of study. Therefore, it becomes evident as to the possibilities for learning with research through the Program: development and deepening of studies, improvements in academic work, importance of scientific rigor and systematization of knowledge. The scholarship recipients point to the strengthening of research knowledge, personal and professional curriculum. Of the five projects approved by PIBIC, only one brings the act of research as the object of study, which was the focus sought. PIBIC is considered as an articulator of research knowledge and learning as investigative possibilities, minimizing the limiting aspects.

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