This paper identifies and describes two new norm-based strategies for institutional change to address intractable social problems. In both strategies, advocates “foreground” and criticize norms supporting the institutional status quo before either promoting an alternative existing norm via normative reframing of the issue, or creating and promoting an entirely new norm via normative innovation ...

In a recent paper, Koshny, Markos, Smith, and Soukoulis [Phys. Rev E 68, 065602 (2003)] report that their computations show that the product of imaginary parts of electric permittivity and magnetic permeability in a passive media is negative. They also criticize a well-known theorem that both imaginary parts are positive as a result of the second law of thermodynamics. I argue that this critici...

This paper clarifies and evaluates a premise of William Alston’s argument in Perceiving God. The premise in question: if it is practically rational to engage in a doxastic practice, then it is epistemically rational to suppose that said practice is reliable. I first provide the background needed to understand how this premise fits into Alston’s main argument. I then present Alston’s main argume...

A remarkable theorem by Clifton, Bub and Halvorson (2003) (CBH) characterizes quantum theory in terms of information–theoretic principles. According to Bub (2004, 2005) the philosophical significance of the theorem is that quantum theory should be regarded as a “principle” theory about (quantum) information rather than a “constructive” theory about the dynamics of quantum systems. Here we criti...

The theory of mind (ToM) deficit associated with autism spectrum disorder has been a central topic in the debate about the modularity of the mind. In a series of papers, Philip Gerrans and Valerie Stone argue that positing a ToM module does not best explain the deficits exhibited by individuals with autism (Gerrans 2002; Stone & Gerrans 2006a, 2006b; Gerrans & Stone 2008). In this paper, I firs...

Arrhythmias (i.e., irregular cardiac beat) classification in electrocardiogram (ECG) signals consists in an important issue for heart disease diagnosis due to the non-invasive nature of the ECG exam. In this paper, we present an X-ray, a generic view, on methods aiming at arrhythmia classification in ECG signals, which starts with signal preprocessing, and then segmentation of each heartbeat an...

of uniform -excellence. This, of course, indicates editorial expertise of a high order. Naturally the expert in a particular field will find matters of detail to criticize-this is inevitable in a comprehensive textbook. For example (p. 82) osteoblasts are said to increase by mitotic activity. They don't. Osteoblasts are always recruited from neighbouring undifferentiated cells: the latter alone...

ous and constructive disagreement can lead to needed changes. As advocates of rehabilitation for the aging, we need a clear understanding of all reimbursement systems, including the Medicare program, so that we can work effectively within the existing structure, as the letter writers suggest. Even more so, we need the clarity of vision to see where changes in the system are needed, the courage ...

Probabilistic modeling is a powerful approach for analyzing empirical information. We describe Edward, a library for probabilistic modeling. Edward’s design reflects an iterative process pioneered by George Box: build a model of a phenomenon, make inferences about the model given data, and criticize the model’s fit to the data. Edward supports a broad class of probabilistic models, efficient al...

We scientists prefer the high quality of the published papers and we like to reduce the number of revisions required before a manuscript gets published. Most relevant problems in information systems often require knowledge in reference sciences, too. Those needs above increase competence requirements for authors and referees, and may at the same time create ethical dilemmas. Do we only follow p...