Terms Of Primitives Research Articles

Fusions in Intuitionistic Mereology

This paper investigates two intuitionistic mereological systems based on Tarski’s axiomatisation of general mereology. These systems use two intuitionistically non-equivalent formalisations of the notion of fusion. I study extensionality and supplementation properties as well as some variants of these systems, and defend parthood as a suitable primitive notion for intuitionistic mereology if working with Tarski’s axiomatisation. Furthermore, I arrive at an equi-interpretability result for one of the atomistic variants with intuitionistic plural logic. I discuss to what extent these results support the philosophical pertinence of the mereological systems under investigation as intuitionistic theories of parthood, thereby reacting to a conceptual challenge that we are confronted with when engaging in intuitionistic mereology.

Is a Passenger’s Death Onboard the Aircraft an ‘Accident’ Within the Meaning of Article 17 of the Montreal Convention 1999?: An Analysis of the Chinese Case Qatar Airways Group Q.C.S.C. v. Zhao et al.

The meaning of the undefined term ‘accident’ in Article 17(1) of the Montreal Convention 1999 (MC99) has been unclear in Chinese cases for several years. In 2020, for the first time, the appellate court in Qatar Airways Group Q.C.S.C. v. Zhao et al. (‘Zhao’) defined ‘accident’ with the meaning almost the same as the one defined by the US Supreme Court in Air France v. Saks, yet concluded that the passenger’s death onboard the aircraft which was not timely detected by the carrier constituted an Article 17 ‘accident’, and held the carrier liable, even if the death caused by the passenger’s acute heart and respiratory failure was due to natural causes. The Zhao ruling also contains unsatisfactory rationales as reflected in the court’s inconsistent and controversial approaches in identifying the ‘accident’. After explaining the representative practice in other MC99 jurisdictions regarding the meaning of ‘accident’, this article introduces the Zhao case and discusses three unresolved issues pertaining to the Zhao ruling, namely the misidentification of death per se as an ‘accident’, the tendency and ambiguity of identifying the carrier’s omissions as de facto ‘accidents’ and, the flawed application of the Saks test in identifying some usual and expected conditions in normal flight activities as de facto ‘accidents’. It concludes that though the Zhao ruling can serve as an example to show the trend of acknowledging the Saks definition in Chinese practice, the meaning of ‘accident’ in a case regarding passenger death onboard the aircraft remains unsettled.

Cramér–Lundberg asymptotics for spectrally positive Markov additive processes

This paper studies the Cramér–Lundberg asymptotics of the ruin probability for a model in which the reserve level process is described by a spectrally-positive light-tailed Markov additive process. By applying a change-of-measure technique in combination with elements from Wiener-Hopf theory, the exact asymptotics of the ruin probability are expressed in terms of the model primitives. In addition a simulation algorithm of generalized Siegmund type is presented, under which the returned estimate of the ruin probability has bounded relative error. Numerical experiments show that, compared to direct estimation, this algorithm greatly reduces the number of runs required to achieve an estimate with a given accuracy. The experiments also reveal that our asymptotic results provide a good approximation of the ruin probability even for relatively small initial surplus levels.

On the proliferation of the empathy concept in healthcare and medical education research

ObjectiveTo offer a critique of empathy concept usage in healthcare and medical education research. MethodsAnalysis of current usage and suggestions for authors and researchers. ResultsEmpathy is often undefined or inconsistently defined, and “empathy” as represented in research covers an unmanageably wide and varied range of intentions, attitudes, emotions, and behaviors. The ubiquitous use of “empathy” as a vague and often undefined umbrella term hinders comprehension and, therefore, scientific progress. Patients are rarely asked directly about empathy; instead, measures of so-called perceived empathy contain descriptive items that could as well be called quality of care, patient-centeredness, or patient satisfaction. Conclusions: Although “empathy” in medical care is widely valued by researchers, educators, and practitioners, the empathy concept as used in the published literature is overused and unclear, and potentially damaging to scholarship, medical education, and ultimately healthcare. The vague term empathy should be replaced as much as possible with concrete descriptions of what is actually measured, experimentally manipulated, or taught. Practice implicationsIdentifying patients’ own empathy definitions will improve medical education and medical care through clarifying what clinical behaviors will best fulfill patients’ needs and desires. This approach allows for greater specificity and personalized care delivery.

Inference under covariate-adaptive randomization with imperfect compliance

This paper studies inference in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with covariate-adaptive randomization (CAR) and imperfect compliance of a binary treatment. In this context, we study inference on the local average treatment effect (LATE), i.e., the average treatment effect conditional on individuals that always comply with the assigned treatment. As in Bugni et al. (2018, 2019), CAR refers to randomization schemes that first stratify according to baseline covariates and then assign treatment status so as to achieve “balance” within each stratum. In contrast to these papers, however, we allow participants of the RCT to endogenously decide to comply or not with the assigned treatment status.We study the properties of an estimator of the LATE derived from a “fully saturated” instrumental variable (IV) linear regression, i.e., a linear regression of the outcome on all indicators for all strata and their interaction with the treatment decision, with the latter instrumented with the treatment assignment. We show that the proposed LATE estimator is asymptotically normal, and we characterize its asymptotic variance in terms of primitives of the problem. We provide consistent estimators of the standard errors and asymptotically exact hypothesis tests. In the special case when the target proportion of units assigned to each treatment does not vary across strata, we can also consider two other estimators of the LATE, including the one based on the “strata fixed effects” IV linear regression, i.e., a linear regression of the outcome on indicators for all strata and the treatment decision, with the latter instrumented with the treatment assignment.Our characterization of the asymptotic variance of the LATE estimators in terms of the primitives of the problem allows us to understand the influence of the parameters of the RCT. We use this to propose strategies to minimize their asymptotic variance in a hypothetical RCT based on data from a pilot study. We illustrate the practical relevance of these results using a simulation study and an empirical application based on Dupas et al. (2018).

Differentiated Instruction in Mathematics: Its Effect on the Level of Critical Thinking Skills of Grade 7 Students

This research used a quasi-experimental research design, specifically the non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Cluster random sampling was used to determine the respondents of the study. The respondents of the study were Grade 7 students at Sta. Catalina National High School during the school year 2019-2020. Two sections among the Grade 7 students taking mathematics under the researcher for the school year 2019-2020 were selected as respondents – one section was used as curriculum compacting (experiment) and the other one was used as a flexible grouping (experiment). Each section had 30 students each such that the study will have a total of 60 student-respondents. This research study was conducted for five weeks and utilized McKenzie’s Multiple Intelligence Survey instrument in assessing the student’s multiple intelligences. The researcher crafted a 40-item multiple choice test covering the topics of undefined terms in geometry, angles, polygons, and quadrilaterals to assess the level of critical thinking skills of student-respondents. Both independent and dependent t-tests were utilized to determine the significant difference between the pre-test and post-test results of the experimental and control groups. Based on the findings, before exposing students to differentiated instructions, their level of reasoning skill was an apprentice for both flexible grouping and curriculum compacting. However, their levels of problem-solving skills were apprentice and novice, for flexible grouping and curriculum compacting, respectively. After using differentiated instruction, the student’s level of critical thinking skills from both groups was at a proficient level. Findings also showed that the mean pretest and mean posttest scores of each group of respondents were significantly different for both measures of critical thinking skills. This suggested that the two forms of differentiated instruction that were employed in this study are effective in developing students’ critical thinking skills, especially in discussing basic concepts of Geometry. This experimental study found out that flexible grouping and curriculum compacting as forms of differentiated instruction can significantly improve the critical thinking skills of the students, then it is recommended that teachers may utilize flexible grouping and curriculum compacting as forms of differentiated instruction in Geometry. Keywords: differentiated instruction, curriculum compacting, flexible grouping, critical thinking skill, problem-solving, reasoning

Book review of The Social Economy Act. A Commentary edited by M. Małecka-Łyszczek and R. Mędrzycki

The aim of this review is to examine and reflect on the recently published Commentary to the Social Economy Act, edited by Magdalena Małecka-Łyszczek and Radosław Mędrzycki (2023). Not only is social economy an enormously important and still underappreciated topic, as stated below, but it is also too often addressed in isolation in its numerous institutions. The Commentary’s strength is its comprehensive examination of the fundamental components and principles of social economy. Its content goes beyond the scope of a standard commentary in that it helps the reader interpret the relevant theoretical concepts as well as general clauses and undefined terms; moreover, the authors demonstrate axiological consistency in their approach to the issues discussed. It is a text of high scholarly quality, written in clear and accessible language while maintaining a firm grasp of the subject matter. The book will be a valuable resource for theorists and practitioners alike, especially the interpretations of social economy processes, which the reviewer believes are overly complicated and, like the entire Act, do not represent a particularly high legislative standard. The publication is also of great practical significance as it reflects the changing perspective on anthropological pessimism that has afflicted regulations in this field for too long. The authors provide the necessary knowledge in a synthetic manner, but never at the expense of an in-depth theoretical background or an insightful analysis of practical experience. The cross-sectional coverage of the literature on the subject is particularly noteworthy, as the authors provide a representative overview of the doctrine, especially in the context of the European Union Member States.

A formal, diagrammatic, and operational study of normative relations

Abstract In this work, we provide an extensive analysis of Hohfeld’s theory of normative relations, focusing in particular on diagrammatic structures. Our contribution is threefold. First, we specify an extensional formal language to represent the main notions in the two families of normative relations identified by Hohfeld (i.e. the deontic and the potestative family). Our primary focus is on the part of the theory concerning potestative relations. In this regard, we assign a key role to the concept of ability, which is treated as a primitive notion and used to formulate three fine-grained definitions of power (outcome-centered, change-centered and force-centered). Second, on the basis of these definitions we build Aristotelian diagrams of opposition for deontic and potestative relations, improving, extending and systematizing previous proposals formulated in the literature. Third, we present a model-theoretic interpretation and a logic programming (ASP) implementation of the proposed framework, elaborating on the procedural dimension of normative reasoning.

Geometric Event-Based Quantum Mechanics

We propose a special relativistic framework for quantum mechanics. It is based on introducing a Hilbert space for events. Events are taken as primitive notions (as customary in relativity), whereas quantum systems (e.g. fields and particles) are emergent in the form of joint probability amplitudes for position and time of events. Textbook relativistic quantum mechanics and quantum field theory can be recovered by dividing the event Hilbert spaces into space and time (a foliation) and then conditioning the event states onto the time part. Our theory satisfies the full Lorentz symmetry as a ‘geometric’ unitary transformation, and possesses relativistic observables for space (location of an event) and time (position in time of an event).

Openness in Situations of Joint Attention

Openness is a distinctive feature in the episodes of joint attention. In such an episode, everything is in the open, nothing is hidden (PEACOCKE, 2005, p. 298). But what is this metaphorical description supposed to grasp? On the common knowledge approach, openness is characterized by an infinite list of iterated perceptual knowledge attributions. This approach overloads the cognitive costs of joint attention. On the relational approach, openness is a primitive notion; the phenomenon results from the fusion of perceptions between the agents, a singular experience of co-percipience that explains joint attention for free. This paper aims to argue for an intermediate approach to explain openness. We offer here an account of openness in terms of non-wellfounded situations. We shall argue that it not only fully characterizes mutual awareness in a finite adequate way but that it also preserves the low cognitive burden of the co-presence situation.

Hypothetical structuralism

M. Resnik (2019) suggests a new version of structuralism which he calls non-ontological structuralism. In the present short article I discuss this view-point in the context of the Frege-Hilbert controversy about meaning of primitive notions in deductive theory, with special regard to the original views of K. Ajdukiewicz, Hilbert’s student. Following the proposed differentiations, I introduce a new type of structuralism which I call hypothetical structuralism, close to Resnik’s non-ontological structuralism.

Model-driven development for the seL4 microkernel using the HAMR framework

Verified microkernels such as seL4 provide trustworthy foundations for safety- and security-critical systems. However, their full potential remains unrealized due, in part, to the lack of application development environments that help engineers integrate the microkernel’s configuration and hosting of application code with modeling, analysis, and verification tools that address broader aspects of the development lifecycle.This paper presents a model-driven tool chain for the seL4 microkernel based on the open source High Assurance Modeling and Rapid engineering (HAMR) code generation framework for the Architecture and Analysis Definition Language (AADL). We describe how the semantics of AADL communication and threading can be realized in terms of the access primitives and strong spatial and temporal partitioning mechanisms provided by seL4. For AADL users, seL4 provides a high-assurance platform with formally verified enforcement of component boundaries and communication pathways. For seL4 users, AADL provides high-level abstractions for developing seL4 applications, along with an ecosystem of system engineering and analysis tools. We illustrate the framework by applying a model-based development environment for increasing resiliency against cyber attacks to an unmanned aircraft flight control system.

Incorporating conceptual site models into national-scale environmental risk assessments for legacy waste in the coastal zone

Solid wastes deposited in the coastal zone that date from an era of lax environmental regulations continue to pose significant challenges for regulators and coastal managers worldwide. The increasing risk of contaminant release from these legacy disposal sites, due to a range of factors including rising sea levels, associated saline intrusion, and greater hydrological extremes, have been highlighted by many researchers. Given this widespread challenge, and the often-limited remedial funds available, there is a pressing need for the development of new advanced site prioritization protocols to limit potential pollution risks to sensitive ecological or human receptors. This paper presents a multi-criteria decision analysis that integrates the principles of Conceptual Site Models (Source-Pathway-Receptor) at a national scale in England and Wales to identify legacy waste sites where occurrence of pollutant linkages are most likely. A suite of spatial data has been integrated in order to score potential risks associated with waste type (Source), likelihood of pollutant release relating to current and future flood and erosion climate projections, alongside current management infrastructure (Pathway), and proximity to sensitive ecological features or proxies of human use in coastal areas (Receptors). Of the 30,281 legacy waste deposits identified in England and Wales, 3,219 were located within the coastal zone, with coastal areas containing a density of legacy wastes (by area) 10.5 times higher than inland areas. Of these, 669 were identified as priority sites in locations without existing coastal defences or flood management infrastructure, with 2550 sites identified in protected areas where contaminant transfer risks could still be apparent. The majority (63%) of the priority sites have either undefined source terms, or are classified as mixed wastes. Mining and industrial wastes were also notable waste categories, and displayed strong regional distributions in the former mining areas of north-east and south-west of England, south Wales, and post-industrial estuaries. The large-scale screening process presented here could be used by environmental managers as a foundation to direct more high-resolution site assessment and remedial work at priority sites, and can be used as a tool by governments for directing funding to problematic sites. List of Acronyms.

Robust refinement of rationalizability with arbitrary payoff uncertainty

Following Fudenberg et al. (1988) and Dekel and Fudenberg (1990), we say that a refinement of (interim correlated) rationalizability is robust if it is prescribed by a solution correspondence that is upper hemicontinuous with respect to perturbations of higher-order beliefs. We characterize robust refinements of rationalizability subject to arbitrary common knowledge restrictions on payoffs. We demonstrate how the characterization pins down a novel family of robust refinements of rationalizability in arbitrary finite games as well as in specific economic examples such as first-price auctions and the Cournot competition. We also apply our characterization to study the critique raised by Weinstein and Yildiz (2007b) to the global-game equilibrium refinement approach. In terms of the model primitives, we provide a necessary and sufficient condition under which the Weinstein-Yildiz critique remains valid.

Intracellular complement: Evidence, definitions, controversies, and solutions.

The term "intracellular complement" has been introduced recently as an umbrella term to distinguish functions of complement proteins that take place intracellularly, rather than in the extracellular environment. However, this rather undefined term leaves some confusion as to the classification of what intracellular complement really is, and as to which intracellular compartment(s) it should refer to. In this review, we will describe the evidence for both canonical and non-canonical functions of intracellular complement proteins, as well as the current controversies and unanswered questions as to the nature of the intracellular complement. We also suggest new terms to facilitate the accurate description and discussion of specific forms of intracellular complement and call for future experiments that will be required to provide more definitive evidence and a better understanding of the mechanisms of intracellular complement activity.

Interpreting “Settled Abroad” in China’s Nationality Law: Theory, Practice, and Problems

The globalization of China and active international migration across Chinese borders involving millions of people have made understanding Chinese nationality law an issue of tremendous importance. In recent years, disputes concerning nationality have arisen out of undefined terms in the Nationality Law. At the center is the term “settled abroad,” which impacts the nationality of those who acquire foreign nationality and children born to overseas Chinese citizens. The limited literature and legislative interpretations do not clearly define the term. A thorough analysis shows that “settled abroad” means permanent or long-term residency and generally does not scrutinize the length of the actual residence period except for a complete absence of actual residence or undocumented migration. This Note further examines all publicly available cases disputing nationality in the past seven years to understand the judicial practice. It turns out Chinese courts also refrain from inquiring about the actual residence period in non-criminal cases. In recent years, the sensitive nature of the issue and the discoordination among authorities have prevented amendment or interpretation of the nationality law. This Note makes two key contributions to the literature. First, it provides a much-needed interpretation of the key provisions in Nationality Law that have profound implications for millions of people. In contrast to prior literature, which often lacks sufficient comparison and analysis, this Note addresses all prior discussions in a comprehensive way. Second, it is the first work that applies empirical methods to examine how Chinese courts apply the Nationality Law. Finally, this Note also offers several explanations for the stagnant amendment of the Nationality Law from a policy angle.

Peano’s structuralism and the birth of formal languages

Recent historical studies have investigated the first proponents of methodological structuralism in late nineteenth-century mathematics. In this paper, I shall attempt to answer the question of whether Peano can be counted amongst the early structuralists. I shall focus on Peano’s understanding of the primitive notions and axioms of geometry and arithmetic. First, I shall argue that the undefinability of the primitive notions of geometry and arithmetic led Peano to the study of the relational features of the systems of objects that compose these theories. Second, I shall claim that, in the context of independence arguments, Peano developed a schematic understanding of the axioms which, despite diverging in some respects from Dedekind’s construction of arithmetic, should be considered structuralist. From this stance I shall argue that this schematic understanding of the axioms anticipates the basic components of a formal language.

Undergraduate Students’ Use of Primitive Notions When Reasoning About Variability

Undergraduate Students’ Use of Primitive Notions When Reasoning About Variability

Encoding in Conceivability-Contexts: Zalta’s Theory of Intentionality versus Bourgeois-Gironde’s Notion of Quasi-encoding

Abstract In (Bourgeois-Gironde, S. 2004. “On Zalta’s Notion of Encoding in Conceivability-Contexts.” Metaphysica 5), the author proposes a survey of Zalta’s Object Theory (Zalta, E. N. 1983. Abstract Objects: An Introduction to Axiomatic Metaphysics. Dordrecht: Reidel Publishing Company; Zalta, E. N. 1988. Intensional Logic and the Metaphysics of Intentionality. Cambridge: MIT Press) and, more specifically, of the Modal Axiom of Encoding (MAE). MAE claims that if something x possibly encodes a property F, then x necessarily encodes F. According to Bourgeois-Gironde, MAE fails to account for intentional phenomena which occur in conceivability-contexts. His solution is based on the notion of quasi-encoding: x quasi-encodes F iff x possibly encodes F. In this paper, I show that Bourgeois-Gironde’s concern is misguided and that Zalta’s framework captures the conceivability-phenomena at issue by modeling Husserl’s notion of Noemata. I then argue that his solution is superior to Bourgeois-Gironde’s. The philosophical significance of such a discussion nonetheless goes well beyond the debate between these two authors. Indeed, Zalta’s theory of Noemata is only sketched and needs to be further explored to see, on the one hand, whether and how Object Theory successfully describes the behavior of objects in conceivability-contexts, and, on the other hand, to test the efficacy of its primitive notions that are – as the contemporary debate on Neomeinongianism largely shows – anything but uncontroversial.

Continuity postulates and solvability axioms in economic theory and in mathematical psychology: a consolidation of the theory of individual choice

This paper presents four theorems that connect continuity postulates in mathematical economics to solvability axioms in mathematical psychology, and ranks them under alternative supplementary assumptions. Theorem 1 connects notions of continuity (full, separate, Wold, weak Wold, Archimedean, mixture) with those of solvability (restricted, unrestricted) under the completeness and transitivity of a binary relation. Theorem 2 uses the primitive notion of a separately continuous function to answer the question when an analogous property on a relation is fully continuous. Theorem 3 provides a portmanteau theorem on the equivalence between restricted solvability and various notions of continuity under weak monotonicity. Finally, Theorem 4 presents a variant of Theorem 3 that follows Theorem 1 in dispensing with the dimensionality requirement and in providing partial equivalences between solvability and continuity notions. These theorems are motivated for their potential use in representation theorems.