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On the relevance of logic for artificial intelligence, and the promise of neuro-symbolic learning
No full textIn this position paper, we examine some of the assumptions held about logic and its relevance to the development of modern AI, which is primarily driven by deep learning. The paper aims to address fundamental misunderstandings about logic and ultimately argue for the benefits of symbolic formalisms in modeling uncertain worlds. While it is now recognized that statistical associations learned from data are limited in their ability to understand the world, there is still a great deal of criticism and hesitancy regarding the use of symbolic logic to achieve or support a broader vision for AI. By arguing that symbolic logic is more flexible than nonexperts believe, we make a case for Neuro-Symbolic AI, which offers the best of both worlds.<br/
Management Measures and Trends of Biological Invasions in Europe: A Survey‐Based Assessment of Local Managers
Get PDFBiological invasions are a major threat to biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and nature's contributions to people worldwide. However, the effectiveness of invasive alien species (IAS) management measures and the progress toward achieving biodiversity targets remain uncertain due to limited and nonuniform data availability. Management success is usually assessed at a local level and documented in technical reports, often written in languages other than English, which makes such data notoriously difficult to collect at large geographic scales. Here we present the first European assessment of how managers perceive trends in IAS and the effectiveness of management measures to mitigate biological invasions. We developed a structured questionnaire translated into 18 languages and disseminated it to local and regional managers of IAS in Europe. We received responses from 1928 participants from 41 European countries, including 24 European Union (EU) Member States. Our results reveal substantial efforts in IAS monitoring and control, with invasive plants being the primary focus. Yet, there is a general perception of an increase in the numbers, occupied areas, and impacts of IAS across environment and taxonomic groups, particularly plants, over time. This perceived increase is consistent across both EU and non-EU countries, with respondents from EU countries demonstrating more certainty in their responses. Our results also indicate a lack of data on alien vertebrates and invertebrates, reflecting a need for more targeted monitoring and knowledge sharing between managers and policymakers and between countries. Overall, our study suggests that Europe's current strategies are insufficient to substantially reduce IAS by 2030 and hence to meet the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework target
Care and vulnerability in Delphine de Vigan and Martin Winckler
Get PDFIf care studies is sometimes dismissed as maternal and essentialist, Tronto argues that care is political and her concept of ‘caring with’ or solidarity has broadened out care. Some recent critics like Fineman have favoured instead a vulnerability model which Engster applies to care studies to look at ontological vulnerability as part of the human condition and consider the obligations of the state to provide adequate provision. This paper applies a vulnerability studies lens to care in a comparative reading of fictional works by Vigan and Winckler. In an analysis of the undertheorized role of doctors in care studies I argue that literary studies can advance debates which have hitherto mainly taken place in healthcare and the social sciences and expose failings in institutional care. Medical practices are a reflection of society and the texts critique the uncaring face of Neoliberalism, with Winckler proposing an alternative relational model of patient-centred care
Parents’ use of coercive and indulgent feeding practices for children with avid eating behaviour:An Ecological Momentary Assessment study
Get PDFBackground: Children with avid eating behaviour display high food responsiveness, high emotional overeating and low sensitivity to fullness; behaviours which may increase the risk of obesity and are challenging for parents to manage. This study explores the situational predictors of coercive or indulgent feeding practices among parents of children with avid eating behaviours using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). Methods: The study involved 109 parents of 3-5-year-old children exhibiting avid eating behaviour. Over 10 days, participants completed EMA surveys via a mobile app to report on their mood, stress, feeding goals, and feeding practices during eating occasions. Multilevel modelling was used to assess how parental mood, goals, and the eating context (e.g., meal versus snack, public versus private setting) influenced feeding practices. Results: Parents were more likely to use specific coercive or indulgent feeding practices when experiencing higher stress, when aiming to avoid mealtime conflict, and during meals versus snacks. A negative meal atmosphere and a public setting also increased the likelihood of certain indulgent practices. Notably, parents were more likely to report giving their child food to calm them down or help manage their behaviour when the meal atmosphere was perceived as negative and if they aimed to reduce conflict at the meal. The findings highlight that the context of feeding occasions significantly drives the use of coercive or indulgent feeding practices. Conclusions: Parental stress, goals, and the eating context are key determinants of coercive or indulgent feeding practices with children exhibiting avid eating behaviours. Interventions to support parents should consider these dynamic factors, promoting healthier feeding strategies tailored to real-life contexts.</p
Developing coaches through a cognitive apprenticeship approach:A case study from adventure sports
Get PDFA cognitive apprenticeship (CA) approach to the development of professional judgement and decision making has been examined in a variety of professional contexts in recent years. More recently several authors have theorised that CA may be an effective approach to developing judgement and decision making in outdoor professionals. This paper reports on a unique study of an in-house national coach development programme in the Outward Bound Trust (the Trust) in the UK. It examines the extent to which a CA framework is currently utilised in the development of coaches and considers how the current approach to coach development may be enhanced. This embedded mixed methods study proceeded in two parts: firstly a mixed online survey for the coaches, followed by a participatory focus group of the ‘in house’ coach trainers. The results found that aspects of the CA approach are used to varying degrees, depending on the experience and knowledge of the coach trainers, although limitations with the application of the CA approach are compensated by the organisation’s educational culture and through an established community of practice. Additionally, the application is inconsistent across the organisation. The findings highlight the need for increased intentionality, alignment with organisational values, and Trust-wide development of coach trainers in order to expand the existing approach and align it with the application of a CA within the Trust.<br/
MyPath: the roadmap to implementing patient-centred care
Get PDFGlobally, healthcare systems are grappling with economic and human resource struggles. The ageing of the population and the rising prevalence of cancer are some of the main drivers of healthcare expenditure. If these challenges are not properly managed, the quality of the cancer care provided can deteriorate. Moreover, people with cancer struggle with physical, psychological, and social problems that are not routinely addressed despite overwhelming evidence of the benefits of the systematic assessment and management of symptoms. Based on the evidence that the delivery of patient-centred care (PCC) with active anticancer treatment improves most clinical outcomes and satisfaction with care, international consensus and guidelines revisions recommend the delivery of PCC as an integral part of anticancer treatment. Unfortunately, PCC is not implemented routinely, and patients do not receive the care they need. Funded by the EU, the MyPath project aims to assess whether PCC can be integrated into clinical practice using patient-centred care pathways supported by health information technology. At the core of the project is implementation science. Understanding what is required to successfully implement PCC will facilitate the uptake of evidence-based medicine across the continuum of routine cancer care, from active treatment to palliative care, to ensure that patients receive the care they need, when they need it. The purpose of this article is to present the methodology to be used in the MyPath project to implement PCC routinely. This study will be performed in nine European cancer centres. After its completion, we will assess if the proposed solution is successfully implemented
Post-industrialization and social inclusion:Elite access to high-performing entrepreneurship in Vietnam
Get PDFThis article examines how high-performing digital entrepreneurship enables wealth generation or perpetuates inequalities. We integrate and extend entrepreneurship and sociology of (transnational) education scholarship to investigate how socio-economic background affects the likelihood of entrepreneurs building high-growth, digital businesses. Specifically, we address whether Vietnam’s transition from industrialization (1986) to post-industrialization (since 2009) broadens entrepreneurial opportunities or concentrates them among the country’s (upper) middle class. Our findings reveal digital entrepreneurs are five times more likely to have tertiary education from costly destinations like the United States, United Kingdom, or Australia, and three times more likely to have worked in English-speaking countries, than the entrepreneurs who built physically oriented businesses during the industrialization era. These findings suggest that the advance of Vietnam’s digital economy reinforces socio-economic divides, as digital entrepreneurship opportunities increasingly depend on access to (upper) middle-class backgrounds that can afford elite transnational education.</p
Effect of Changes in Canine Thyroid Cancer Terminology on Caregiver Anxiety Levels and Treatment Preferences in a Scenario-Based Study
Get PDFIn human medicine, the choice of medical terminology influences patients' choice of management options and associated anxiety levels in relation to their diagnoses. The objective of this study was to determine the association between canine caregiver's treatment choices and anxiety levels when papillary thyroid cancer is described with or without the term cancer. This randomised cross-sectional study surveyed 683 people over 18 years old over 8.5 months. Respondents ranked their treatment preference (total thyroidectomy, active surveillance, medical therapy, or radiation therapy) following a scenario-based diagnosis of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), thyroid papillary lesion (TPL) or abnormal cells (AC) in their canine pet. Respondents stated their level of anxiety associated with the diagnosis and treatment choice. Of 683 respondents, 622 (91.7%) were female. When presented with a diagnosis of PTC, TPL or AC, 78.1%, 34.2% and 59.3% of participants, respectively, reported being anxious or very anxious about this diagnosis (p < 0.01). Surgery was chosen as a first-choice treatment for PTC, TPL and AC by 71.8%, 39.8% and 53.8% of respondents, respectively, whereas active surveillance was chosen as a first-choice treatment by 24.5%, 57.5% and 43.9% of respondents, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in first-choice treatment selection (p < 0.01) and anxiety levels related to treatment (p < 0.01) between the three different terms. The terminology used when presenting caregivers with a diagnosis of PTC influences treatment choices and levels of anxiety.</p
Peace agreements in a changing climate:Three ways in which climate change and peace processes interact
Get PDFPrevious research has shown that climate change can exacerbate conflict drivers or, on the other hand, incentivise ‘environmental peacebuilding’. One might, therefore, expect to find references to climate issues in peace agreements. This study draws on the PA-X Peace Agreement Database to shed new light on climate–peace interactions. Only seven out of 2,003 peace agreements signed between 1990 and 2023 explicitly mention ‘climate change’. However, an analysis of provisions in 28 peace agreements reveals that climate–peace interactions are much more complex than the paucity of the term ‘climate change’ in agreements suggests. Based on PA-X data, I argue that there are three main ways in which climate change and peace processes interact: First, as existing literature shows, the consequences of climate change can affect conflict parties’ bargaining positions and lead to conflict (de-)escalation. Second, conflict parties agree on climate action – often implicitly and for political reasons. This article provides the first comparison of levels of climate action ambition in peace agreements, from incremental and transformational adaptation to mitigation. Third, the results of political bargaining in peace processes can have positive and negative unintended consequences for the climate. For example, although conflict de-escalation can produce a more conducive environment for climate action, its stabilising effect may also enable carbon-intensive economic activities
Risks of major arterial and venous thrombotic diseases after hospitalisation for influenza, pneumonia, and COVID-19: A population-wide cohort in 2.6 million people in Wales
Get PDFObjective: Pneumonia, influenza, COVID-19, and other common infections might increase the risk of thrombotic events acutely through an interaction between inflammation and the thrombotic system. The long-term risks of arterial and venous thrombotic events following hospitalisation for COVID-19 and hospitalisation for pneumonia or influenza are unclear. Materials and methods: In a population-wide cohort of linked Welsh health data of adults, we calculated the incidence of arterial and venous thrombosis after hospitalisation for COVID-19 (2020−2021). We then compared this post-hospitalisation incidence with the incidence prior to COVID-19 hospitalisation in the same individuals, and with the incidence in individuals who were never hospitalised for COVID-19. We then repeated this analysis for hospitalisation for pneumonia or influenza in a separate cohort (2016–2019). We estimated adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) in separate time periods starting from the date of the first infection that resulted in hospitalisation (day 0, 1 to 7 days, 2 to 4 weeks, 5 to 16 weeks, and 17 to 75 weeks) using time-varying Cox regression. Confounders included age, sex, smoking status, obesity, deprivation (fifths of Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation), rural or urban setting, care home attendance, Elixhauser comorbidity index, surgery in the last year, medications (e.g. lipid-lowering and antiplatelet/anticoagulant use), hypertension and/or hypertensive medication use, and past medical history of chronic kidney disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dementia, cancer, or any CVD. Results: For the first arterial thrombosis, the aHRs were 3.80 (95 % CI: 2.50–5.77) between days 1–7, 5.24 (4.21–6.51) between weeks 2–4, 2.12 (1.72–2.60) between weeks 5–16, and 1.60 (1.38–1.86) between weeks 17–75 after hospitalisation for COVID-19. The corresponding aHRs after hospitalisation for pneumonia/influenza were: 5.42 (4.35–6.75), 3.87 (3.32–4.49), 1.96 (1.74–2.21), and 1.41 (1.30–1.53). For first venous thrombosis, aHRs were 7.47 (3.56–15.7) between days 1–7, 22.6 (17.5–29.1) between weeks 2–4, 6.58 (4.98–8.68) between weeks 5–16, and 2.25 (1.67–3.02) between weeks 17–75 after hospitalisation for COVID-19. The corresponding aHRs after hospitalisation for pneumonia/influenza were: 15.1 (10.3–22.0), 11.8 (9.23–15.1), 5.80 (4.75–7.08), and 1.89 (1.57–2.29). Excess risk was highest in individuals aged ≥60 years, in whom we estimated 2,700 and 2,320 additional arterial and 1,270 and 840 additional venous events after 100,000 hospitalisations for COVID-19 and pneumonia/influenza, respectively. Conclusions: Both hospitalisation for COVID-19 and pneumonia/influenza increase the risk of arterial and venous thrombosis. Preventative healthcare policies are needed for cardiovascular risk factor management, vaccination, and anticoagulation in high-risk patients with hospitalised or severe infections.</p
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