204 research outputs found
Modelling state in mind and machine
No full textThis paper discusses and illustrates the application of Empirical Modelling (EM), as developed by the author and his collaborators, to computer programming. The discussion centres on the perspective EM gives on procedural and experiential vs. declarative and logical approaches to knowledge representation. The illustration focuses on demonstrating the potential for pedagogical use of EM in teaching algorithms. It is based on a family of practical models that have been developed to teach the principles of heapsort
Radical empiricism, empirical modelling and the nature of knowing
No full textThis paper explores connections between Radical Empiricism (RE), a philosophic attitude developed by William James at the beginning of the 20th century, and Empirical Modelling (EM), an approach to computer- based modelling that has been developed by the author and his collaborators over a number of years. It focuses in particular on how both RE and EM promote a perspective on the nature of knowing that is radically different from that typically invoked in contemporary approaches to knowledge representation in computing. This is illustrated in detail with reference to the modelling of several scenarios of lift use. Some potential implications for knowledge management are briefly reviewed
Intuition in software development revisited
No full textThe role of intuition in software development was discussed in a most original fashion by Peter Naur in 1984. Yet there has been little subsequent interest in elaborating on Naur's ideas. In seeking to explain this neglect, we argue that the accepted views of software development, both within the formal and pragmatic traditions, are deeply influenced by a conceptual framework inherited from computer science and that, within this framework, making sense of the relation between intuition and software development is inherently difficult. In much more recent publications, Naur himself has related his thinking about software development to the philosophical outlook of William James. We discuss the current status and potential implications of Naur's original reflections on the role of intuition with reference to trends in thinking about software development since 1984, and to an alternative conceptual framework for computing, afforded by Empirical Modelling, that can be directly related to a Jamesian philosophical stance
Cadence and the empirical modelling conceptual framework : a new perspective on modelling state-as-experienced
No full textThe aspiration in Empirical Modelling (EM) is to build artefacts for sense-making ("construals") that exhibit interactive characteristics similar to those observed in the situation to which they refer. The relation between an artefact and its referent is established through constructing a close correspondence between dependencies, observables and instances of agent action. Specifically, different kinds of agent interaction with the referent have counterparts in the model that are recognisably congruent in that they disclose similar dependencies between observables. The full elaboration of this notion lies beyond the scope of this paper - it has been a central theme of the EM project as documented at www.dcs.warwick.ac.uk/modelling. A crucial aspect of the approach is the emphasis that is placed upon the experiential nature of the correspondence between an artefact and its referent. This represents a radical departure from the conventional functional and operational manner in which a computer program is interpreted. It means that the interpretation of an artefact is open and fluid. For instance, it is subject to evolve over time (e.g. "facility in recognising dependencies can be learned"), can be dependent on the observer (e.g. "relationships can only be discerned if the observer isn't colour-blind"), and on the specific situation within which interaction and observation is being conducted (e.g. "whether changes to observables can be identified may depend on the level of lighting"). To date, the typical approach to EM has been to exploit modelling with definitive scripts (MWDS) as supported by the EDEN interpreter. This approach has limitations with practical and conceptual consequences. The Cadence environment, as developed by the second author, offers an alternative framework - as yet less thoroughly explored - for supporting EM. This report discusses the impact that Cadence has had in exposing problematic ways in which MWDS has biased the conception and practice of EM, and the extent to which developing Cadence can help to redress this bias
Edge of centre: Australian cities and the public architecture of recent immigrant communities
No full textIn the late 1990s, the author undertook a survey of the public architecture of non-western immigrant communities in Melbourne (Beynon 2002). The survey was undertaken within a social context of rapid recent growth in non-Western immigration to Australian cities, coupled with a political context where at state and local level Australian governments were engaged in managing cultural diversity through multiculturalist policies. By the late 1990s, the number of overseas-born, or with overseas-born parentage, had become almost 40% of Australia's total population (Australian Bureau of Statistics 1998-89). Substantial numbers of such immigrants originated from outside the 'West'. Compared to other Australian cities, Melbourne had at the time of the survey the largest communities of certain birthplace groups: notably Sri Lankans, Malaysians, Turks and Somalis. The purpose of this survey was to see to what extent Melbourne's diversifying demography had changed its architectural landscape, and more broadly, what such changes in the built environment indicated about Melbourne's (and by extension Australia's) cultural identity
Chapter 6 The remarkably diverse pathogenicity effectors of the obligate oomycete Hyaloperonospora parasitica
No full textTransgressing the moral economy: Wheelerism and management of the nationalised coal industry in Scotland
No full textThis article illuminates the links between managerial style and political economy in post-1945 Britain, and explores the origins of the 1984–1985 miners' strike, by examining in longer historical context the abrasive attitudes and policies of Albert Wheeler, Scottish Area Director of the National Coal Board (NCB). Wheeler built on an earlier emphasis on production and economic criteria, and his micro-management reflected pre-existing centralising tendencies in the industries. But he was innovative in one crucial aspect, transgressing the moral economy of the Scottish coalfield, which emphasised the value of economic security and changes by joint industrial agreement
Plant genomics – a way forward?
No full textThis report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference. Diseases of plants cause significant losses in crop yield and quality. Plants contain a battery of genes whose role is to prevent pathogens invading. Their effective use in crop plants is very important in crop production and especially in chemical free cropping systems. Such genes are introduced into crop varieties by plant breeding. The new science of genomics may enable scientists to recognise all the resistance genes present in a plant. This will eventually allow plant breeders to more precisely and rapidly select useful resistant plants in their breeding programmes. Furthermore, genomics could enable effective deployment of these genes in cropping systems, so providing more durable resistance
The Arabidopsis TIR-NB-LRR GeneRAC1 confers resistance to Albugo candida (white rust) and is dependent on EDS1 but not PAD4
No full textResistance to Albugo candida isolate Acem1 is conferred by a dominant gene, RAC1, in accession Ksk-1 of Arabidopsis thaliana. This gene was isolated by positional cloning and is a member of the Drosophila toll and mammalian interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat (NB-LRR) class of plant resistance genes. Strong identity of the TIR and NB domains was observed between the predicted proteins encoded by the Ksk-1 allele and the allele from an Acem1-susceptible accession Columbia (Col) (99 and 98%, respectively). However, major differences between the two predicted proteins occur within the LRR domain and mainly are confined to the β-strand/β-turn structure of the LRR. Both proteins contain 14 imperfect repeats. RAC1-mediated resistance was analyzed further using mutations in defense regulation, including: pad4-1, eds1-1, and NahG, in the presence of the RAC1 allele from Ksk-1. White rust resistance was completely abolished by eds1-1 but was not affected by either pad4-1 or NahG
Improving crop disease resistance : lessons from research on Arabidopsis and tomato
No full textOne of the great challenges for food security in the 21st century is to improve yield stability through the development of disease-resistant crops. Crop research is often hindered by the lack of molecular tools, growth logistics, generation time and detailed genetic annotations, hence the power of model plant species. Our knowledge of plant immunity today has been largely shaped by the use of models, specifically through the use of mutants. We examine the importance of Arabidopsis and tomato as models in the study of plant immunity and how they help us in revealing a detailed and deep understanding of the various layers contributing to the immune system. Here we describe examples of how knowledge from models can be transferred to economically important crops resulting in new tools to enable and accelerate classical plant breeding. We will also discuss how models, and specifically transcriptomics and effectoromics approaches, have contributed to the identification of core components of the defense response which will be key to future engineering of durable and sustainable disease resistance in plants
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