Explanatory Capacities Research Articles

Simultaneous all-versus-nothing refutation of local realism and noncontextuality by a single system

The quantum realms of nonlocality and contextuality are delineated by Bell’s theorem and the Kochen–Specker theorem, respectively, embodying phenomena that surpass the explanatory capacities of classical theories. These realms hold transformative potential for the fields of information and computing technology. In this study, we unveil a “all-versus-nothing” proof that concurrently illustrates the veracity of these two seminal theorems, fostering a more nuanced comprehension of the intricate relationship intertwining quantum nonlocality and contextuality. Leveraging the capabilities of three singlet pairs and a Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger state analyzer, our proof not only substantiates the conflict between quantum mechanics and hidden-variable theories from another perspective, but can also be readily verifiable utilizing the existing linear optics technology.

Two faces of message repetition: audience favorability as a determinant of the explanatory capacities of processing fluency and message fatigue

Abstract This study offers a critical test of two competing theoretical accounts of message repetition effects—processing fluency and message fatigue—which have yet to be examined together under a coherent framework. Furthermore, integrating research on metacognition and motivated processing, we propose audience favorability toward message advocacy as a crucial moderator in this dynamic. A repeated-exposure experiment (N = 845) involving five different messages about climate change mitigation was conducted. Multilevel moderated mediation analyses showed that audience favorability critically moderated the mediational effects of the two mechanisms: For favorable individuals, repeated exposure enhanced persuasion through increased fluency and decreased fatigue. In contrast, for unfavorable individuals, repeated exposure diminished persuasion via increased fatigue and decreased fluency. Collectively, this study demonstrates that message repetition does not have uniform effects on persuasion but rather its effects critically hinge on audience favorability and challenges the fundamental notion that fluency and fatigue necessarily increase with repetition.

Explanation, Enaction and Naturalised Phenomenology

This paper explores the implications of conceptualising phenomenology as explanatory for the ongoing dialogue between the phenomenological tradition and cognitive science, especially enactive approaches to cognition. The first half of the paper offers three interlinked arguments: Firstly, that differentiating between phenomenology and the natural sciences by designating one as descriptive and the other as explanatory undermines opportunities for the kind of productive friction that is required for genuine ‘mutual enlightenment’. Secondly, that conceiving of phenomenology as descriptive rather than explanatory risks committing us to what Zahavi (2019) identifies as the error of equating the phenomenological with the phenomenal. Finally, that the erroneous reduction to the descriptive occludes the rich resources that the phenomenological tradition can contribute to investigations of non-human cognition. The second half of the paper then turns to focus specifically on the promising relationship between phenomenology and enactive approaches to cognition. It will suggest that phenomenology must be seen as having explanatory capacities if it is to shed light on the structures of “mind in life” (Thompson, 2007), before drawing on the model of explanation put forward by Louis Sass to explore what this might look like.

Monitoring the Ice Thickness in High-Order Rivers on the Tibetan Plateau with Dual-Polarized C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar

River ice on the Tibetan Plateau has important impacts on the ecosystem and hydrology. High-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is an important tool for monitoring the thickness of river ice in high-altitude areas without ground data. However, due to the complex topography and narrow width, it remains challenging to monitor the ice thickness of high-order rivers (high-level branches in the plateau river system) on the Tibetan Plateau using SAR. Therefore, this paper focuses on inverting the ice thickness by utilizing dual-polarized C-band radar data. We select a typical watershed in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, namely, the Babao River basin (including the Babao River and Binggou River), as the study area. The results show the following: (1) Dual-polarized C-band radar data have the potential to monitor the ice thickness of high-order rivers. The RMSEs of the Babao and Binggou Rivers are 0.109 m and 0.258 m, respectively. (2) Ascending and descending orbit radar images perform differently in retrieving the ice thicknesses of rivers with different directions. (3) The thickness of river ice affects the inversion accuracy. (4) Polarization parameters have varying explanatory capacities depending on the river characteristics. Our findings can provide a reference for the subsequent development of highly generalizable river ice inversion equations using dual-polarized radar data.

A balanced perspective on the affordance of a gamified HRM system for employees' creative performance

Purpose Rather than overstating the favorable effects of gamification on work outcomes, the purpose of this paper is to present a more balanced perspective into the effects a gamified human resource management (HRM) system may have on creativity at work. This conceptual paper explores and delineates how employees' interaction with gamification features within a gamified HRM system enables and particularly undermines employees' motivation for workplace creative performance.Design/methodology/approachThe cross-disciplinary nature of this paper necessitates the reliance on theoretical principles, the explanatory and predictive capacities of theories central to human-computer interaction, employee motivation and creativity fields. Thus, the tenets of affordance, self-determination and dynamic componential theory were utilized to analyze the affordance of a gamified HRM system for employees' creative outcomes.Findings It is discovered that augmenting the HRM system with gamification affordance is crucial amid global market change and increasing digitization. However, incorporating game design elements into work systems does not necessarily guarantee an increase in creative outcomes. On the contrary, the system may equally undermine employees' motivation, which in turn hampers their creative outcomes.Originality/value Many gamification papers have more often than not touted the positive effects of such a system on the targeted outcome. Based on the affordance theory which shows that a user's interaction with gamification properties could produce different outcomes (not only favorable ones) and considering the intricacies of employees' motivation and behavioral outcomes at work, this paper takes a more balanced perspective to examine how gamification could generate intended as well as unintended consequences for employees' creativity, which is crucial to overall job performance.

A framework for integrated energy and exposure to ambient pollution (iEnEx) assessment toward low-carbon, healthy, and equitable cities

• A framework to explore urban energy and exposure disparities in cities introduced. • Hourly spatiotemporal LUR models with gradient boosting machine developed. • Local environmental data captured from Chicago's smart cities platforms. • Correlation between spatial disparities of energy burden and exposure to PM2.5 captured. • Households with higher energy burden have less opportunity to use natural ventilation. This research develops a framework for integrated energy and exposure to ambient pollution (iEnEx) assessment addressing energy, health, and equity as an interconnected problem within the built environment. Its focus is to explore spatial disparities of households’ energy burden and their exposure to ambient particulate matters (PM 2.5 as end point) in supporting energy efficiency goals of cities. In this study, energy burden is defined as energy affordability of households for paying energy costs. And natural ventilation (NV) is examined as a catalyst of building energy efficiency to measure tradeoffs between energy burden mitigation and exposure to ambient PM 2.5 pollution. The framework is built upon a five-step workflow using spatiotemporal land use regression (LUR) with gradient boosting machine (GBM) and bringing human behavioral patterns along with array of urban big data from smart cities platforms into the model to improve the explanatory capacities of the exposure model. We tested Chicago, IL as a case study. Findings indicate the effectiveness of the proposed framework in integrating urban energy and human health systems for envisioning urban building energy reduction goals. A web-based interactive platform is designed to communicate the results. iEnEx framework can assist designers, engineers, planners, and policymakers in better understanding these systems from environmental and social lenses in the context of equity within the built environment to ensure future sustainable cities.

How to define gastronomic identity from Cultural Studies: The Peruvian case

Identity is a concept that has received a multiplicity of very diverse approaches and references throughout the history of ideas. Cultural studies have approached with special interest the discussion around the contemporary meanings of this term. This study proposes the concept of gastronomic identity and examines its definition based on Stuart Hall's research on discursive identity. The explanatory capacities of this concept will become evident when it is applied to the case of Peruvian gastronomy through the analysis of texts located at the beginning of the so-called Peruvian gastronomic boom between 1980 and 1995.

Hareketler Teorisi Klasik Oyun Teorisinin Sağlayamadığı Neyi Sağlıyor? Hareketler Teorisinin Metodolojik Araçları Üzerine Bir Çalışma

Game Theory (GT) and game-theoretic models have been used for many years to examine particularly international politics and strategic interactions between rational actors, in general, the dynamics of the social world. Different models and approaches have been developed to enhance the explanatory capacities of GT. In this regard, Theory of Moves (TOM) was developed by Stephen Brams in order to analyze and explain strategic interaction more realistically. The purpose of this article is to examine the main assumptions, rules and concepts of TOM with the structure and drawbacks of Classical GT to evaluate methodological tools of TOM. The purpose of this article is to examine two game-theoretic models, Classical GT and TOM, and to scrutinize what sorts of methodological utilities could be achieved by them. Thus it is aimed to illustrate methodological constraints and drawbacks of Classical GT and how the rules and features of TOM intend to overcome these issues. In the study, although it is claimed that TOM made remarkable contribution to GT, the methodological constraints of TOM are pointed out.

Deconstructing the abundance–suitability relationship in species distribution modelling

AbstractAimLocal suitability estimated with species distribution models (SDMs) could indicate the maximum abundance attainable by species. Often the abundance–suitability relationship is wedge‐shaped because species do not reach their maximum potential in every suitable location. We explore how SDM performance, the amount of information lost when converting continuous abundance into presence–absence data and species prevalence influence the abundance–suitability relationship.LocationUndefined.Time periodUndefined.Major taxaVirtual species.MethodsDifferent abundance scenarios were simulated and converted into presence–absence maps. SDMs were parameterized using simulated predictors with different explanatory capacities. Quantile regressions were performed to characterize the abundance–suitability relationship. The strength of the wedge‐shaped pattern was estimated using the difference in slopes between the 90th and 50th quantile lines, the goodness‐of‐fit of the 90th quantile regressions was calculated, and variation of both parameters was analysed as a function of SDM performance, prevalence and maximum abundance.ResultsThe degree of wedge shape was directly related to maximum abundance. It also depended on SDM quality; the higher the discrimination capacity, the less wedge‐shaped the abundance–suitability relationship and higher the goodness‐of‐fit of the 90th quantile regressions. Prevalence exerted a significant effect on the shape of the relationship by influencing—together with maximum abundance—the extent of information loss.Main conclusionsSDMs cannot predict actual abundance even when the true determinants of abundance are included as predictors. Because presence–absence and abundance data are related but are different variables, wedge‐shaped patterns are unavoidable. Discrimination capacity and prevalence affect the strength of the wedge‐shaped pattern, so understanding their effects is necessary before any biological explanation is provided for the abundance–suitability relationship. Suitability maps derived from SDMs may transmit a false sense of precision at a local scale and should not be used as a perfect surrogate when abundance information is required.

Combining the Institutional Resource Regime (IRR) framework with the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) for a better understanding of environmental governance processes: The case of Swiss wind power policy

This article demonstrates the analytical added value of combining the Institutional Resource Regime (IRR) approach with the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF). To this end, we use the example of Swiss wind power policy and demonstrate the necessity of combining the two theoretical frameworks so as to understand why a more supportive policy regime (market incentives, clearer environmental regulations, inter-sectoral coordination mechanisms) for Swiss wind power during the 2000s and 2010s, did not lead to an increase in the number of wind turbines in Switzerland. In order to evaluate the explanatory capacity of such a theoretical combination, we analyze and compare two cases of wind power policy implementation: the successful case of Mont-Crosin and the failure of Tramelan. More concretely, we first analyze each of the cases through the institutional lenses of the IRR framework. After assessing IRR explanatory capacities and shortcomings, we then test the explanatory added value of the ACF and demonstrate that policy beliefs and advocacy coalitions are central explanatory factors of wind power project siting success or failure. We conclude by discussing the theoretical potential of combining the two frameworks in a future research agenda.

Synchronization: a framework for examining emotional climate in classes

This conceptual paper stems from a growing body of research examining the roles and functions of emotional climate (EC)—the collective state of students’ shared emotions—in classrooms. It suggests that EC in classrooms can be analyzed as a synchronization phenomenon. Synchronization is a natural phenomenon, in which autonomous objects that produce periodic rhythms adjust these rhythms to one another. The purpose of this article is thus twofold: to position the concept of EC within the broader context of synchronization theory; and to propose a new definition for EC that captures synchronization aspects. This paper first explains the theory of synchronization. It then critically discusses several sociological and biological theories regarding emotions, and the implications of these theories for teaching and learning. It subsequently delves into current conceptualizations of EC, and the descriptors used to characterize EC in classrooms. On the backdrop of this theoretical review, an argument is developed that humans’ produced emotions can be viewed as autonomous rhythmic oscillators that have the capacity to synchronize with one another, and that, consequently, EC can be studied as a form of synchronization within an ensemble of oscillators. Finally, a new definition of EC is proposed that integrates essential synchronization features. Overall, this paper suggests that synchronization theory can provide a framework of analysis of EC as a holistic phenomenon, not reduced to discrete emotional events. This approach may contribute to enhancing explanatory and predictive capacities in the study of EC.

A Comparative Analysis of the Ukraine Crisis Through the Prisms of Offensive Realism and Liberal Internationalism

In this article, the Ukraine crisis will be analyzed through the prisms of two different International Relations (IR) theories, namely Offensive Realism and Liberal Internationalism. While presenting relevant theoretical discussions, this work will specifically focus on two IR experts, John J. Mearsheimer and John G. Ikenberry, whose names have been associated with these theories. By drawing on the works of Mearsheimer and Ikenberry’s for Offensive Realism and Liberal Internationalism respectively, this work will try to make sense of the developments surrounding the Ukraine crisis, while also exploring the explanatory capacities of these two theories through a comparative approach. The insights offered by these theories in explainingRussia’s actions and Ukraine’s motivation during the crisis will be put to test. In addition, with a focus on the West, this work also aims to offer perspectives through the prisms of these theories on ways to end the Ukraine crisis.

Exploring the predictive performance of several temperature measurements on Neotropical dung beetle assemblages: Methodological implications

AbstractBasic characteristics of species assemblages are frequently related to temperature variables recorded at a coarse‐grained scale. In this study, 15 min instant‐measurements of environmental and soil temperatures were recorded during 1 year in six Atlantic Forest sites of southern Brazil, ranging from 250 to 1,630 m a.s.l. These measurements were used to examine the comparative explanatory capacity of several temperature variables in predicting species richness and total or specific variations of dung beetle abundance. The results suggest that temperature measurements obtained during the survey period have the highest explanatory capacity. Furthermore, average temperature values seem to have a relatively higher explanatory capacity than absolute minimum or maximum values reflecting extreme conditions. In general, there is no rule in selecting a temperature variable when the objective involves explaining the variation in species abundances. Both soil and air variables can have similar explanatory capacities. The present results should be considered when designing future ecological studies in Neotropical conditions.

Big data platform for health and safety accident prediction

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the use of the big data technologies for health and safety risks analytics in the power infrastructure domain with large data sets of health and safety risks, which are usually sparse and noisy.Design/methodology/approachThe study focuses on using the big data frameworks for designing a robust architecture for handling and analysing (exploratory and predictive analytics) accidents in power infrastructure. The designed architecture is based on a well coherent health risk analytics lifecycle. A prototype of the architecture interfaced various technology artefacts was implemented in the Java language to predict the likelihoods of health hazards occurrence. A preliminary evaluation of the proposed architecture was carried out with a subset of an objective data, obtained from a leading UK power infrastructure company offering a broad range of power infrastructure services.FindingsThe proposed architecture was able to identify relevant variables and improve preliminary prediction accuracies and explanatory capacities. It has also enabled conclusions to be drawn regarding the causes of health risks. The results represent a significant improvement in terms of managing information on construction accidents, particularly in power infrastructure domain.Originality/valueThis study carries out a comprehensive literature review to advance the health and safety risk management in construction. It also highlights the inability of the conventional technologies in handling unstructured and incomplete data set for real-time analytics processing. The study proposes a technique in big data technology for finding complex patterns and establishing the statistical cohesion of hidden patterns for optimal future decision making.

How to power encultured minds

Cultural psychologists often describe the relationship between mind and culture as ‘dynamic.’ In light of this, we provide two desiderata that a theory about encultured minds ought to meet: the theory ought to reflect how cultural psychologists describe their own findings and it ought to be thoroughly naturalistic. We show that a realist theory of causal powers — which holds that powers are causally-efficacious and empirically-discoverable — fits the bill. After an introduction to the major concepts in cultural psychology and describing causal power realism, we use a case study — the effects of pathogen prevalence on culture and cognition — to show the explanatory capacities of the powers framework

Does the product test really make a difference? Evidence from the launch of a new wine

Although both the concept and the product tests are considered important in predicting the acceptance of new food products into the market, there is scant research in the relevant literature comparing the predictive power of both tests, simultaneously, for the same product. To shed light on this line of research, this study compares the explanatory capacities of concept and product testing in the introduction of a new wine. To achieve this, a structural equation model, integrating sensory benefits, social norms and emotional dimensions with two consumer samples (one for the concept testing and another for the product testing) was proposed and tested. The results obtained showed that the modeĺs explanatory capacity did not increase significantly when the new wine was tested (product testing) in comparison to when only information about the wine was presented (concept testing). In both cases, the variables that explain purchase intention are the same. These results have important practical implications and open new research lines that can contribute to the theories that try to explain the acceptance of new foods.

The diversity of models as a means to better explanations in economics

ABSTRACTIn Economics Rules, Rodrik [(2015). Economics rules: Why economics works, when it fails, and how to tell the difference. Oxford: Oxford University Press] argues that what makes economics powerful despite the limitations of each and every model is its diversity of models. Rodrik suggests that the diversity of models in economics improves its explanatory capacities, but he does not fully explain how. I offer a clearer picture of how models relate to explanations of particular economic facts or events, and suggest that the diversity of models is a means to better economic explanations.

The Diversity of Models as a Means to Better Explanations in Economics

In Economics Rules, Dani Rodrik (2015) argues that what makes economics powerful despite the limitations of each and every model is its diversity of models. Rodrik suggests that the diversity of models in economics improves its explanatory capacities, but he does not fully explain how. I offer a clearer picture of how models relate to explanations of particular economic facts or events, and suggest that diversity of models is a means to better economic explanations.

Thermal tolerance and recovery behaviour of Thorectes lusitanicus (Coleoptera, Geotrupidae)

1. Population differences in physiological responses are examined in Thorectes lusitanicus, an endemic Iberian dung beetle species, by submitting individuals of different populations to the same experimental and acclimation conditions.2. An infrared thermography protocol was used, consisting of three assays: start of activity, cold response, and heat response. Individuals of 12 populations were studied and the comparative explanatory capacities of several environmental factors in relation to the observed inter‐population differences were examined.3. The heating rate from chill coma to the beginning of activity was the variable with the highest discrimination power among the studied populations, accounting for 94% of the observed variance. Regarding the heat response, only six of the 16 thermal variables reached significance (inter‐population differences accounted for 52–74% in these six thermal parameters).4. From the three considered environmental factors (Mediterranean climate, land cover, and trophic characteristics) only land cover characteristics remain statistically significant, affecting the cold response of individuals.5. Thorectes lusitanicus is a species characterised by a high diversity of thermotolerance and recovery traits across populations with a low degree of association with broad environmental factors. Finally, it is suggested that the apterous character of this species could be a determinant factor explaining the high diversity of ecophysiological traits related to thermal stress tolerance and the recovery time.

Capacities and the Eternal in Metaphysics Θ.8 and De Caelo

The dominant interpretation ofMetaphysicsΘ.8 commits Aristotle to the claim that the heavenly bodies’ eternal movements are not the exercises of capacities. Against this, I argue that these movements are the result of necessarily exercised capacities. I clarify what it is for a heavenly body to possess a nature and argue that a body’s nature cannot be a final cause unless the natural body possesses capacities that are exercised for the sake of its naturequaform. This discussion yields a better understanding of what capacities are, what explanatory work capacities do, and what it is to possess a nature.