The Foundations of Branching Space-Times

In this chapter the reader is guided through the construction of the core theory of Branching Space-Times. This discursive approach culminates in proposing a set of postulates that a structure of the core theory of Branching Space-Times (common BST) has to satisfy. The theory’s basic notion is that of a set of events, partially ordered by a pre-causal relation. Histories are then defined as maximal directed subsets of the base set. The chapter proves essential facts about histories and the postulates that the core of BST is assumed to satisfy. Among other things, it proves the so-called M-property that determines how any two point event in a common BST structure are related.

Two Options for the Branching of Histories

The chapter discusses how the histories in a common BST structure are related. By the axioms of the core theory of BST, any two histories share some past, but there are different ways to implement this. These are distinguished by the so-called prior choice principles, which make specific demands on the way in which histories branch. On one option (which yields structures of BST92), histories branch, or remain undivided, at points, which means that there is a maximal element in the overlap of any two histories. The other option (which yields BSTNF structures) prohibits the existence of such maximal elements and works with so-called choice sets. The chapter discusses the pattern of branching in the two theories, BST92 and BSTNF, also with respect to topology. As it turns out, the two theories are are intertranslatable. The chapter ends with a sketch of these translatability results.

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on veterinary medical education

SARS-CoV-2 infection is considered an international disaster. The second and third waves of the SARSCoV-2 pandemic are ongoing. The universities of most countries of the world are closed to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Many universities of the globe stopped direct classroom teaching, and some started online teaching to minimise the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on education. In this manuscript, an attempt has undertaken to analyse the influence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on global veterinary medical education. We have conducted a literature search in different databases following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines using different keywords to find out peer-reviewed scientific articles about the impact of COVID-19 on veterinary medical education. The literature search generated 17 eligible scientific papers for qualitative analysis of the effect of COVID-19 on veterinary medical education. The COVID-19 pandemic has a severe adverse influence on veterinary medical education. Shifting from direct classroom teaching to online teaching is one of the sweeping impacts. It might be possible to conduct online classes for veterinary medical education. But the supply of electronic devices, motivation to students in self-learning, institutional support etc., are crucial for interactive situated learning of veterinary courses. Research and development of sustainable, worthwhile methods for remote teaching veterinary medical students are essential. Reshaping the veterinary medical education programs using core theory, practical and clinical curricula is crucial for conducting uninterrupted veterinary education programs during current COVID-19 and future pandemics.

The Theory of Selective Accommodation

This chapter presents a theory of selective accommodation, which comprises two elements. The first, the core theory, contains the general conceptual model of selective accommodation and its basic influence formula — the use of positive incentives (e.g., promises, rewards, and concessions) to create divergent pressures on members or potential members of an opposing alliance. It describes how selective accommodation works (when it works) and suggests conditions under which states are likely to attempt it (initiation conditions). Meanwhile, the second consists of propositions about contingent conditions, and associated mechanisms, conducive to the success or failure of attempts. Like the initiation conditions, these are probabilistic. Combined, these elements offer an overarching framework to explain selective accommodation attempts and outcomes, one that is geared to the priorities of policy-applicable theory. It thus furnishes two kinds of “usable” theoretical insight: (1) a general conceptual model of the strategy of selective accommodation, and (2) generic knowledge about the conditions that favor its success. The chapter then sets up the methods — of structured focus comparison and qualitative analysis — that organize the historical case studies in the following chapters.

Following Brodsky. Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Apocrypha

The article presents the study of the short film Apocrypha by Andrei Zvyagintsev. The text is aimed at the interpretation of the movie in the context of the problem of memory, which is emphasised in the selected work in the explicit and implicit visual associations with the figure and poetry of Iosif Brodsky. The recognition of these characteristic elements in the structure of Zvyagintsev’s film has the influence on the perception of its meaning, leading the culturally aware recipient towards discovering its broad interpretative potential in view of the Russian literary tradition. The study is conducted using the comparative method of analysis. The core theory which constitutes the methodological foundation of the study is Astrid Erll’s concept of cultural memory expounded as intertextuality, i.e. the continuous building up of layers of texts, which are mediated, as well as her idea of transcultural memory, defined in the first instance as a process of fluctuation between the individual and collective level of remembering. Attention is turned to the motifs, which are characteristic both for Brodsky’s and Zvyagintsev’s poetics, such as the aquatic symbolism, temporal and topographical relationships, chromatography of cold colours etc. The application of the selected methodology in the presented discussion allows for exposing the dynamics of the changing nature of culture, which becomes the container of the social and territorial fluctuations of memory.

Representações sociais da aprendizagem autodirigida entre médicos da atenção primária à saúde

Introduction: In a scenario of a great information availability, the production of scientific knowledge in medicine has been increasingly accelerated. The way the medical professional perceives and directs their acquisition of knowledge still lacks national studies, particularly in times of easily accessible internet. Objective: To analyze the social representations of physicians working in Primary Health Care (PHC) teams about self-directed learning. Method: This is a qualitative-quantitative study based on Moscovici’s Social Representations Theory, with a structural approach to Abric’s Central Core Theory, conducted in three municipalities of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on the subject, which were recorded and transcribed. The freely evoked words that emerged from the inducing term “medical self-learning” were analyzed with the aid of EVOC® software through the four-quadrant chart and CHIC® software analyzed the similarity. Content analysis was performed for the participants’ speeches. Results: Fifty interviews were carried out and the freely evoked words that possibly constitute the core of the representations were “knowledge”, “dedication”, “study”, “reading”, “need”, contrasting “research” and “book”. Conclusion: The results showed that the learners’ characteristics, practice as a learning locus as opposed to theory, associated with the time barrier, define the core content of the social representation of the participating physicians. In this assessed context, PHC reinforces its importance as a scenario for medical self-learning.

Evolution

Evolution is one of the most important processes in life. It not only explains the detailed history of life on earth, but its scope also extends into many aspects of our own contemporary behavior-who we are and how we got to be here, our psychology, our cultures-and greatly impacts modern advancements in medicine and conservation biology. Perhaps its most important claim for science is its ability to provide an overarching framework that integrates the many life sciences into a single unified whole. Yet, evolution-evolutionary biology in particular-has been, and continues to be, regarded with suspicion by many. Understanding how and why evolution works, and what it can tell us, is perhaps the single most important contribution to the public perception of science. This book provides an overview of the basic theory and showcases how widely its consequences reverberate across the life sciences, the social sciences and even the humanities. In this book, Robin Dunbar uses examples drawn from plant life, animals and humans to illustrate these processes. Evolutionary science has important advantages. Most of science deals with the microscopic world that we cannot see and invariably have difficulty understanding, but evolution deals with the macro-world in which we live and move. That invariably makes it much easier for the lay audience to appreciate, understand and enjoy. Evolution: What Everyone Needs to Know® takes a broad approach to evolution, dealing both with the core theory itself and its impact on different aspects of the world we live in, from the iconic debates of the nineteenth century, to viruses and superbugs, to human evolution and behavior.