This paper aims to explore mechanistic and teleological explanations of consciousness. In terms of mechanistic explanations, it critiques various existing views, especially those embodied by existing computational cognitive models. In this regard, the paper argues in favor of the explanation based on the distinction between localist (symbolic) representation and distributed representation (as f...

Tip-dating methods are becoming popular alternatives to traditional node calibration approaches for building time-scaled phylogenetic trees, but questions remain about their application to empirical datasets. We compared the performance of the most popular methods against a dated tree of fossil Canidae derived from previously published monographs. Using a canid morphology dataset, we performed ...

In response to the nuclear industry desire extend burnup beyond current licensing practices, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) released a research information letter (RIL) that provides basis for analyzing fuel fragmentation, relocation, and dispersal (FFRD) in light-water reactors. Of five elements discussed, most ambiguous is significance of transient fission gas (FG) release (FGR) (tFGR...

Abstract Background Mountain pine beetle (MPB) is a native disturbance agent across most forests in the western US. Climate changes will directly and indirectly impact frequencies severities of MPB outbreaks, which can then alter fuel characteristics wildland fire dynamics via stand structure composition. To investigate importance to past future landscape dynamics, we used mechanistic, spatiall...

Erosion, corrosion, and erosion-corrosion are common problems in offshore pipelines, tubing and pipe fittings. Corrosion has an important impact on the total cost of oil and gas production. Considering the diversity of corrosion related problems, CO2 corrosion (sweet corrosion) is probably the material degradation mechanism most extensively assessed in this industry over the last 30 years. In t...