scholarly journals The metaphysics of perception: enactivism, phenomenology and information.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Rose
Keyword(s):  
Structural Realism ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Mathematical Concept ◽  
Physical Reality ◽  
Word Perception ◽  
Major Research ◽  
Philosophy Of Perception ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Metaphysical Status ◽  
Do So

Enactivism is a major research programme in the philosophy of perception. Yet its metaphysical status is unclear, since it is claimed to avoid both idealism and realism yet still has aspects of both within it. One attempt to solve this conundrum is based on the fusion of enactivism with phenomenology and the mathematical concept of symmetry breaking (Moss Brender, 2013). I suggest this is not entirely successful and propose it needs the addition of a multi-level, non-reductive metaphysics (for example, Informational Structural Realism). The processes we commonly call ‘perception’ are causal transfers of information at certain levels in the hierarchy of meaningful structures that comprise physical reality. Phenomenologists could use the word ‘perception’ metaphorically across all levels, although realists need not do so.

scholarly journals Antibodies and the Aberdeen typhoid outbreak of 1964: I. The Widal reaction

1977 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
B J. Brodie
Keyword(s):  
Typhoid Fever ◽  
Antibody Titre ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Widal Test ◽  
Antibody Titres ◽  
Discharge From Hospital ◽  
Somatic Antigens ◽  
High Antibody Titre ◽  
Do So

SUMMARYThe outbreak of typhoid fever in Aberdeen during 1964 (Walker, 1965) presented an opportunity to study the antibody titres of typhoid fever patients and of TAB immunized individuals to obtain further knowledge concerning the behaviour of these titres with the passage of time.This paper gives an abbreviated version of part of a research programme which followed the Aberdeen typhoid outbreak of 1964.The antibody titres of patients were followed up for a period of 2 years after discharge from hospital and the findings have been compared with those in TAB immunized healthy individuals. The following points emerged:(1) The value of the Widal test as an aid to diagnosis was limited;(2) the flagellar antibody titre in patients' sera provided a more reliable aid towards diagnosis than did the somatic antibody titre;(3) the response of immunized and non-immunized patients to the somatic antigens was poor and often delayed well into the period following discharge from hospital;(4) titres of 1/40 and over for Vi agglutinins were present in immunized and non-immunized patients for at least 12 months after discharge without their beingS. typhiexcretors;(5) Vi agglutinin titres as high as 1/40 were present in TAB immunized healthy individuals and also in members of the general public;(6) the presence ofS. typhisepticaemia need not result in a high antibody titre; (7) patients who relapse, may do so without enhancement of previous antibody titres and may relapse even in the presence of earlier appreciable titres.

scholarly journals Wd*-test: Robust Distance-Based Multivariate Analysis of Variance

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bashir Hamidi ◽  
Kristin Wallace ◽  
Chenthamarakshan Vasu ◽  
Alexander V. Alekseyenko
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Analysis ◽  
Analysis Of Variance ◽  
Multivariate Analysis Of Variance ◽  
General Applicability ◽  
R Language ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
Microbiome Data ◽  
Do So

AbstractBackgroundCommunity-wide analyses provide an essential means for evaluation of the effect of interventions or design variables on the composition of the microbiome. Applications of these analyses are omnipresent in microbiome literature, yet some of their statistical properties have not been tested for robustness towards common features of microbiome data. Recently, it has been reported that PERMANOVA can yield wrong results in the presence of heteroscedasticity and unbalanced sample sizes.FindingsWe develop a method for multivariate analysis of variance, , based on Welch MANOVA that is robust to heteroscedasticity in the data. We do so by extending a previously reported method that does the same for two-level independent factor variables. Our approach can accommodate multi-level factors, stratification, and multiple post hoc testing scenarios. An R language implementation of the method is available at https://github.com/alekseyenko/WdStar.ConclusionOur method resolves potential for confounding of location and dispersion effects in multivariate analyses by explicitly accounting for the differences in multivariate dispersion in the data tested. The methods based on have general applicability in microbiome and other ‘omics data analyses.

scholarly journals The Evolutionary Ecology of Age at Natural Menopause: Implications for Public Health

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail Fraser ◽  
Elise Whitley ◽  
Cathy Johnman ◽  
Alex Alvergne
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Animal Kingdom ◽  
Natural Menopause ◽  
Biological Ageing ◽  
The Public ◽  
Age At Menopause ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Evolutionary Perspectives ◽  
Do So

Evolutionary perspectives on menopause have focused on explaining why early reproductive cessation in females has emerged and why it is rare throughout the animal kingdom, but less attention has been given to exploring patterns of diversity in age at natural menopause. In this paper, we aim to generate new hypotheses for understanding human patterns of diversity in this trait, defined as age at final menstrual period. To do so, we develop a multi-level, inter-disciplinary framework, combining proximate, physiological understandings of ovarian ageing with ultimate, evolutionary perspectives on ageing. We begin by reviewing known patterns of diversity in age at natural menopause in humans, and highlight issues in how menopause is currently defined and measured. Second, we consider together ultimate explanations of menopause timing and proximate understandings of ovarian ageing. We find that ovarian ageing is highly constrained by ageing of the follicle - the somatic structure containing the oocyte - suggesting that menopause timing might be best understood as a by-product of ageing rather than a facultative adaptation. Third, we investigate whether the determinants of somatic senescence also underpin menopause timing. We show that diversity in age at menopause can be, at least partly, explained by the genetic, ecological and life-history determinants of somatic ageing. The public health implications of rethinking menopause as the by-product rather than the catalyst of biological ageing are discussed.

A Multi-Level Governance Approach to Residence Rights of Migrants and Irregular Residence in the EU

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-204
Author(s):  
Kevin Fredy Hinterberger
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Member State ◽  
National Level ◽  
Legal Literature ◽  
Legal Situation ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Legislative Decision ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Do So

Abstract This contribution analyses residence rights of migrants and irregular residence from a conceptual viewpoint. In the pertinent legal literature, it is argued that every Member State still decides autonomously if the residence of a migrant is permitted; in other words, if he or she is found to be irregular. I question this view, since it ignores the multi-layered character of decision-making in the EU. To do so, I differentiate between migrants who have privileged residence rights (e.g. Union citizens) and those who have not. In depicting the legal situation of migrants with privileged residence rights, I am able to identify three different levels among which the legislative decision-making power in the EU is distributed (international, EU and national level). Consequently, I challenge the ‘statist assumption’ in showing that legislative decisions with regard to residence rights of migrants have been partly taken out of the exclusive domain of Member States in the EU.

scholarly journals Electoral Accountability, Responsibility Attributions, and the Democratic Deficit in Devolved Wales

2018 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-45
Author(s):  
Einion Dafydd ◽  
Sanja Badanjak
Keyword(s):  
Government Performance ◽  
Democratic Deficit ◽  
Election Study ◽  
Electoral Accountability ◽  
Responsibility Attributions ◽  
Retrospective Voting ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Do So ◽  
Voting Model

Abstract This study explores electoral accountability at the devolved level in Wales. The retrospective voting model assumes that electoral accountability requires that citizens assign responsibility accurately and vote on the basis of their evaluation of government performance. Drawing on data from the 2016 Welsh Election Study, we examine whether citizens in Wales can identify devolved policy competences and office holders, and identify factors that are linked to accurate attributions. We then examine whether voters seek to use devolved elections as a sanctioning tool, even if they do not have the information required to do so accurately. The findings indicate that there is an acute accountability deficit at the devolved level in Wales: few have the knowledge or the inclination to hold those in power to account. The conclusion discusses the implications of these findings for democracy in Wales and in other multi-level settings.

scholarly journals Examining the Equitability of Public Transit Policies in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Robert William Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Transportation Networks ◽  
Transportation Systems ◽  
Vertical Equity ◽  
Major Research ◽  
Transit System ◽  
Transit Network ◽  
The Government ◽  
Equity Measures ◽  
Do So

This major research paper (MRP) will provide a comparative analysis of the equity policies within the transportation networks of three major Canadian cities: Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver. During the course of researching this MRP, it became evident that Vancouver’s TransLink transit system would be a useful model to utilize as the basis of this comparative study, due to its extensive equity policies, and funding of its transit network, in relation to the transportation systems of Toronto and Montréal. In addition, TransLink has implemented these equitable measures without being mandated to do so by the Government of British Columbia. Vancouver’s transit policies employ a number of comprehensive equity measures, which were examined using two theoretical lenses of horizontal and vertical equity, and these were then compared to Montréal’s Société de Transport and the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). These lenses aid in providing a deeper understanding of the policies employed by these transportation networks; as well as affording a basis for the comparative analysis.

scholarly journals Unpacking the Category of Migrant Workers in Trade Union Research: A Multi-Level Approach to Migrant Intersectionalities

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 314-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maite Tapia ◽  
Gabriella Alberti
Keyword(s):  
Trade Union ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Migrant Worker ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Migration Status ◽  
Societal Challenges ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Do So

This article reflects on the theoretical and empirical challenges that arise when researching trade union strategies towards migrant workers. By bringing together the debates on migration and intersectionality in Employment Relations, the authors highlight the problems of conflating different experiences of migrants under a homogenous view of the ‘migrant worker’ and rather suggest to (1) take account of ‘migrant intersectionalities’ – including the category of migration status among other categorical differences in the workforce, and (2) to do so at different levels of the analysis (micro, meso and macro). This multi-level, intersectional approach we argue leads to a more nuanced understanding of the realities of migration at a time of major societal challenges for organized labour.

scholarly journals The World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE)

1987 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-71
Author(s):  
J. R. E. Lutjeharms ◽  
M. L. Gründlingh
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
World Ocean ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Quantum Leap ◽  
The World ◽  
World Ocean Circulation Experiment ◽  
Do So

An international research programme of enormous scope, WOCE (World Ocean Circulation Experiment), is being planned for the last decade of this century. It is aimed at increasing our knowledge and understanding of the world ocean circulation by a quantum leap, thereby contributing to a better understanding of world climate changes. This programme is of great interest to South Africa and, while lacking the resources of the larger countries. South Africans can make key contributions in certain specific areas and have started preparing to do so.

A theory limited in scope and evidence

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Miu ◽  
Robert Boyd ◽  
Peter J. Richerson ◽  
Thomas J. H. Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Comprehensive Theory ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Cumulative Cultural Evolution ◽  
Do So

Abstract What promised to be a refreshing addition to cumulative cultural evolution, by moving the focus from cultural transmission to technological innovation, falls flat through a lack of thoroughness, explanatory power, and data. A comprehensive theory of cumulative cultural change must carefully integrate all existing evidence in a cohesive multi-level account. We argue that the manuscript fails to do so convincingly.

scholarly journals The evolutionary roots of creativity: mechanisms and motivations

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1664) ◽  
pp. 20140099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraint A. Wiggins ◽  
Peter Tyack ◽  
Constance Scharff ◽  
Martin Rohrmeier
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Social Mechanisms ◽  
Song Repertoire ◽  
Complex Song ◽  
Creative Behaviour ◽  
Human Creativity ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Do So ◽  
Key Questions

We consider the evolution of cognition and the emergence of creative behaviour, in relation to vocal communication. We address two key questions: (i) what cognitive and/or social mechanisms have evolved that afford aspects of creativity?; (ii) has natural and/or sexual selection favoured human behaviours considered ‘creative’? This entails analysis of ‘creativity’, an imprecise construct: comparable properties in non-humans differ in magnitude and teleology from generally agreed human creativity. We then address two apparent problems: (i) the difference between merely novel productions and ‘creative’ ones; (ii) the emergence of creative behaviour in spite of high cost: does it fit the idea that females choose a male who succeeds in spite of a handicap (costly ornament); or that creative males capable of producing a large and complex song repertoire grew up under favourable conditions; or a demonstration of generally beneficial heightened reasoning capacity; or an opportunity to continually reinforce social bonding through changing communication tropes; or something else? We illustrate and support our argument by reference to whale and bird song; these independently evolved biological signal mechanisms objectively share surface properties with human behaviours generally called ‘creative’. Studying them may elucidate mechanisms underlying human creativity; we outline a research programme to do so.

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