1,498 research outputs found
Ist Notwehr erlaubt?
No full textBittner R. Ist Notwehr erlaubt? In: Bleisch B, Strub J-D, eds. Pazifismus : Ideengeschichte, Theorie und Praxis. Bern: Haupt; 2006: 265-275
The Network-Extended Mind
No full textWhereas the traditional view in cognitive science has been to view mind and cognition as something that is the result of essentially inner, neural processes, the extended cognition perspective claims that at least some human mental states and processes stem from complex webs of causal influence involving extra-neural resources, most notably the resources of our social and technological environments. In this chapter, we explore the possibility that contemporary and near-future network systems are poised to extend and perhaps transform our human cognitive potential. We also examine the extent to which the information and network sciences are relevant to our understanding of various forms of cognitive extension, particularly with respect to the formation, maintenance and functioning of extended cognitive systems in network-enabled environments. Our claim is that the information and network sciences are relevant on two counts: firstly, they support an understanding of the mechanisms underpinning socially- and technologically-mediated forms of cognitive extension; secondly, they serve to guide and inform engineering efforts that strive to enhance and expand our cognitive capabilities. We discuss the relevance and applicability of these conclusions to current and future research exploring the contribution of network technologies to military coalition operations
Towards spatial assessment of carbon sequestration in peatlands: spectroscopy based estimation of fractional cover of three plant functional types
No full textPeatlands accumulated large carbon (C) stocks as peat in historical times. Currently however, many peatlands are on the verge of becoming sources with their C sequestration function becoming sensitive to environmental changes such as increases in temperature, decreasing water table and enhanced nitrogen deposition. Long term changes in vegetation composition are both, a consequence and indicator of future changes in C sequestration. Spatial continuous accurate assessment of the vegetation composition is a current challenge in keeping a close watch on peatland vegetation changes. In this study we quantified the fractional cover of three major plant functional types (PFTs; Sphagnum mosses, graminoids, and ericoid shrubs) in peatlands, using field spectroscopy reflectance measurements (400–2400 nm) on 25 plots differing in PFT cover. The data was validated using point intercept methodology on the same plots. Our results showed that the detection of open Sphagnum versus Sphagnum covered by vascular plants (shrubs and graminoids) is feasible with an R2 of 0.81. On the other hand, the partitioning of the vascular plant fraction into shrubs and graminoids revealed lower correlations of R2 of 0.54 and 0.57, respectively. This study was based on a dataset where the reflectance of all main PFTs and their pure components within the peatland was measured at local spatial scales. Spectrally measured species or plant community abundances can further be used to bridge scaling gaps up to canopy scale, ultimately allowing upscaling of the C balance of peatlands to the ecosystem level
Shared Understanding within Military Coalitions: A Definition and Review of Research Challenges
No full textShared understanding is commonly seen as essential to the success of coalition operations. Anecdotal reports suggest that shared understanding enables coalition forces to coordinate their efforts in respect of mission goals, and shortfalls in shared understanding are frequently cited as the reason for poor coalition performance. In spite of this consensus regarding the importance of shared understanding, however, there are very few empirical studies that attempt to explore shared understanding in a military coalition context. This paper attempts to support future research efforts into shared understanding by proposing a specific definition for shared understanding and identifying a number of research challenges. Shared understanding is defined as the ability of multiple agents to exploit common bodies of causal knowledge for the purposes of accomplishing common (or shared) goals. This definition implies that agents possessing shared understanding will be capable of coordinating their respective behaviours in order to ensure the efficient realization of cognitive and behavioural objectives. We also identify a number of areas for future research into shared understanding. These include the factors that affect shared understanding, the effect of shared understanding on coalition performance, and the development of techniques to reliably measure and assess understanding in coalition environments
Case 2: Digital Workflow for the fixed implant-supported rehabilitation of edentulous jaws
No full textFriedrich Wolf: Fabeln
No full textThere are 23 fables here, ranging from a few lines to five pages in length, each with a black-and-white design. The fables are understandable, regularly humorous, and often quite pointed. The tree asks the wind with what right the latter strips the former of his leaves. Then the wind asks the tree with what right the latter stands in the former's way (10). A city man with a knife meets a farmer with a loaf of bread. The former demands Give me a piece of bread and I'll lend you my knife, and you can cut a piece for yourself. Lend? You have to give me the knife! They argue till sundown and are still hungry. I will give you a piece of bread. Lend me your knife. No! Give me the whole loaf and you'll get the knife. That is what they do, and again one has the bread and one has the knife (13-14). A fox, a wolf, and a badger once fell into a trap-hole. They got out and started to argue about whether they should fill the hole to save their comrades. Badger and wolf fought; the fox tried to break them up and was bitten for his trouble. Hunters came and tied all three up together (32-34). A missionary pleads for help from his homeland for his starving flock. Folks at home send flour and bibles, but his superiors insist that the bibles arrive first. The flock cannot read them. When the flour arrives, many thousands need neither the bibles nor the flour (45). The cartoon-like illustrations are helpful. Best of all may be the delightful cover illustration: How similar is this long-nosed man to a stork! T of C at the back.This is a hardbound book (hard cover)Language note: GermanFriedrich Wol
Cognitive Extension and the Web
No full textThere has been a growing interest in recent years regarding the relationship between social interaction processes, technological artefacts and human cognition. Human cognition, it is argued, is often dependent on features of our social and technological environments, and changes to these environments can exert a profound influence on the kind of cognitive processing that we are capable of. Given this assertion, our attempts to understand a technology as pervasive as the Web assumes a new significance; for inasmuch as Web resources and technologies are apt for potent forms of cognitive extension and incorporation, we may fully expect such resources and technologies to fundamentally transfigure the space of human thought and reason. Our aim in this paper is to evaluate the legitimacy of this claim. We assess whether the current properties of the Web enable it to meet the criteria for cognitive extension that have been proposed in the philosophical and cognitive scientific literature. Our analysis suggests that the Web is capable of participating in the external realization of (at least some) human mental states, but that further work is required to leverage its full potential. Relevant capability targets for future research and technology development include (but are not limited to) a move from resource-centric to data-centric modes of information representation, enhanced mechanisms for information quality assessment, and improved opportunities for the active (re-)structuring and personalization of information content. We conclude that the Web does constitute a potentially important element of the bio-technological matrix associated with mind and cognition; however, we suggest that further technological innovation is required to enable it to participate in the external realization of human mental states and processes. The notions of distributed and extended cognition seem to be highly relevant in understanding the transformative potential of the Web in relation to human cognition, and the continued study of the psycho-cognitive effects of the Web should, we argue, be key elements of a mature web science discipline
Towards an Understanding of Shared Understanding in Military Coalition Contexts
No full textShared understanding is commonly seen as essential to the success of coalition operations, and current research efforts are attempting to develop techniques and technologies to improve shared understanding in military coalition contexts. In spite of this, our understanding of what the term ‘shared understanding’ actually means is surprisingly poor. In part, this problem is attributable to the difficulty in comprehending the true nature of understanding itself, although confusions also arise about the precise nature of the differences between shared understanding and ostensibly similar constructs, such as shared mental models and shared situation awareness. In this paper, we attempt to improve our understanding of shared understanding by exploring the nature of understanding, situation awareness and mental models. Following Wittgenstein, we suggest that understanding is best conceived of as something akin to an ability, and shared understanding is, we suggest, best conceived of as the sharing of individual forms of understanding by multiple agents. We further suggest that mental models may provide a mechanistic realization for some of the performances that manifest understanding, and that situation awareness should best be seen as a particular kind of understanding, namely a dynamic form of situational understanding. In addition to discussing the nature of understanding and shared understanding, we also discuss their potential relevance to military coalition operations. We propose that shared understanding is important to coalition operations because it contributes to improvements in coalition performance, the optimal use of limited communication assets, and an improved sense of group cohesion, group solidarity and mutual trust
Modelling DESTINY+ interplanetary and interstellar dust measurements en route to the active asteroid (3200) Phaethon
No full textThe JAXA/ISAS spacecraft DESTINY+ will be launched to the active asteroid (3200) Phaethon in 2022. Among the proposed core payload is the DESTINY+ Dust Analyzer (DDA) which is an upgrade of the Cosmic Dust Analyzer flown on the Cassini spacecraft to Saturn (Srama et al., 2011). We use two up-to-date computer models, the ESA Interplanetary Meteoroid Engineering Model (IMEM, Dikarev et al., 2005a, c), and the interstellar dust module of the Interplanetary Meteoroid environment for EXploration model (IMEX;Sterken et al. 2013; Strub et al., 2019) to study the detection conditions and fluences of interplanetary and interstellar dust with DDA. Our results show that a statistically significant number of interplanetary and interstellar dust particles will be detectable with DDA during the 4-years interplanetary cruise of DESTINY+. The particle impact direction and speed can be used to descriminate between interstellar and interplanetary particles and likely also to distinguish between cometary and asteroidal particles
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