scholarly journals TESTIMONY, PRAGMATICS, AND PLAUSIBLE DENIABILITY

Episteme ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Peet

AbstractI outline what I call the ‘deniability problem’, explain why it is problematic, and identify the range of utterances to which it applies (using religious discourse as an example). The problem is as follows: To assign content to many utterances audiences must rely on their contextual knowledge. This generates a lot of scope for error. Thus, speakers are able to make assertions and deny responsibility for the proposition asserted, claiming that the audience made a mistake. I outline the problem (a limited version of which Fricker 2012 discusses), before explaining why it is problematic. Firstly it blocks testimonial knowledge according to assurance views. Secondly it prevents epistemic buck passing (the importance of which is emphasized by Goldberg 2006 and McMyler 2013). Finally, it removes a key disincentive to dishonesty. The recent literature on context sensitivity (particularly Cappelen and Lepore 2004) seems to entail that the problem applies to a very wide range of utterances. I consider a series of responses which fail to provide a solution, but which help us narrow down the scope of the problem.

Quaternary ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentí Rull

In the coming years, the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) will submit its proposal on the ‘Anthropocene’ to the Subcommission of Quaternary Stratigraphy (SQS) and the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) for approval. If approved, the proposal will be sent to the Executive Committee of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) for ratification. If the proposal is approved and ratified, then the ‘Anthropocene’ will be formalized. Currently, the ‘Anthropocene’ is a broadly used term and concept in a wide range of scientific and non-scientific situations, and, for many, the official acceptance of this term is only a matter of time. However, the AWG proposal, in its present state, seems to not fully meet the requirements for a new chronostratigraphic unit. This essay asks what could happen if the current ‘Anthropocene’ proposal is not formalized by the ICS/IUGS. The possible stratigraphic alternatives are evaluated on the basis of the more recent literature and the personal opinions of distinguished AWG, SQS, and ICS members. The eventual impact on environmental sciences and on non-scientific sectors, where the ‘Anthropocene’ seems already firmly rooted and de facto accepted as a new geological epoch, are also discussed. This essay is intended as the editorial introduction to a Quaternary special issue on the topic.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 3166
Author(s):  
Anthi Petrou ◽  
Maria Fesatidou ◽  
Athina Geronikaki

Background: Thiazole is a good pharmacophore nucleus due to its various pharmaceutical applications. Its derivatives have a wide range of biological activities such as antioxidant, analgesic, and antimicrobial including antibacterial, antifungal, antimalarial, anticancer, antiallergic, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, and antipsychotic. Indeed, the thiazole scaffold is contained in more than 18 FDA-approved drugs as well as in numerous experimental drugs. Objective: To summarize recent literature on the biological activities of thiazole ring-containing compounds Methods: A literature survey regarding the topics from the year 2015 up to now was carried out. Older publications were not included, since they were previously analyzed in available peer reviews. Results: Nearly 124 research articles were found, critically analyzed, and arranged regarding the synthesis and biological activities of thiazoles derivatives in the last 5 years.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 20200449
Author(s):  
Jiangkun Wei ◽  
Zixin Huo ◽  
Stanislav N. Gorb ◽  
Alejandro Rico-Guevara ◽  
Zhigang Wu ◽  
...  

Nectarivorous insects generally adopt suction or lapping to extract nectar from flowers and it is believed that each species exhibits one specific feeding pattern. In recent literature, large groups of nectarivores are classified as either ‘suction feeders', imbibing nectar through their proboscis, or ‘lappers', using viscous dipping. Honeybees ( Apis mellifera ) are the well-known lappers by virtue of their hairy tongues. Surprisingly, we found that honeybees also employ active suction when feeding on nectar with low viscosity, defying their classification as lappers. Further experiments showed that suction yielded higher uptake rates when ingesting low-concentration nectar, while lapping resulted in faster uptake when ingesting nectar with higher sugar content. We found that the optimal concentration of suction mode in honeybees coincided with the one calculated for other typical suction feeders. Moreover, we found behavioural flexibility in the drinking mode: a bee is able to switch between lapping and suction when offered different nectar concentrations. Such volitional switching in bees can enhance their feeding capabilities, allowing them to efficiently exploit the variety of concentrations presented in floral nectars, enhancing their adaptability to a wide range of energy sources.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Una Stojnić

The chapter provides an introduction to the key themes of the book. It introduces the problem of context-sensitivity, and its theoretical significance. It then outlines the key elements of the account the book develops—the notion of context, of content, and of context-content interaction—situating them with respect to the dominant tradition in theorizing about context-sensitivity. The chapter, finally, outlines some of the philosophical ramifications of this account and of its criticism of the traditional model for the nature of context, content, and their interaction. The book argues that the traditional model of context-sensitivity underlies the linguistic arguments for non-propositional accounts of content and non-classical semantics that have gained support in recent literature. But it is the traditional model that should be abandoned instead, and replaced with a more adequate linguistic model of context this book develops.


2017 ◽  
Vol 131 (14) ◽  
pp. 1591-1604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walid A. Alsharafi ◽  
Zhaohui Luo ◽  
Xiaoyan Long ◽  
Yuanyuan Xie ◽  
Bo Xiao

Glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity is the major neuropathological process contributing to numerous neurological diseases. Recently, emerging evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) play essential roles in the pathophysiology of a wide range of neurological diseases. Notably, there have been significant developments in understanding the biogenesis of miRNAs, their regulatory mechanisms, and their potential as effective biomarkers and therapies. In the present review, we summarize the recent literature that highlights the versatile roles played by miRNAs in glutamate receptor (GluR)-dependent neurological diseases. Based on the reported studies to date, modulation of miRNAs could emerge as a promising therapeutic target for a variety of neurological diseases that were discussed in this review.


1979 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 91-100
Author(s):  
Lee W. Frederiksen

There seems to be little doubt that smoking can be dangerous to your health. A growing body of scientific data has linked the excessive use of tobacco to an increased incidence of a wide range of disorders including cancer of the lung, bladder and oral cavity, cardiovascular disorders such as coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis and pulmonary disorders such as bronchitis and emphysema (USPHS, 1975, 1877). yet, the development of effective and durable treatments for smoking behavior has been an elusive goal. While there are some encouraging signs of progress, recent literature reviews (Bernstein & McAlister, 1976; Frederiksen & Simon, in press; Lichtenstein & Danaher, 1976) continue to conclude that the treatment of smoking is characterized by good initial success but very high rates of “relapse”. Despite our best efforts we are unable to effectively help anywhere from 20–80% of smokers attempting to quit. While the abovementioned reviewers agree that we do have far to go, they also argue that a “behavioral” approach offers us our best chance for advancement, both from a methodological and treatment outcome perspective.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingfeng Zhao ◽  
Ting Zhao

Applications of generalized linear multiplicative programming problems (LMP) can be frequently found in various areas of engineering practice and management science. In this paper, we present a simple global optimization algorithm for solving linear multiplicative programming problem (LMP). The algorithm is developed by a fusion of a new convex relaxation method and the branch and bound scheme with some accelerating techniques. Global convergence and optimality of the algorithm are also presented and extensive computational results are reported on a wide range of problems from recent literature and GLOBALLib. Numerical experiments show that the proposed algorithm with a new convex relaxation method is more efficient than usual branch and bound algorithm that used linear relaxation for solving the LMP.


Mare basalts, which are believed to form by partial melting at considerable depths in the lunar interior, are capable of providing a wealth of information concerning the compositions of their source regions. Conversely, any acceptable estimate of the lunar bulk composition must in principle be able to provide source regions capable of yielding mare basalts. A wide range of lunar bulk compositions has been proposed in the recent literature. These differ principally in the proportions of involatile elements, e.g. Ca, A1, to elements of moderate volatility, e.g. Mg, Si, Fe. A detailed experimental investigation has been made of the capacity of the Taylor—Jakes compositional model (8.2 % A12O3) to provide source regions for mare basalts. It is demonstrated that this composition is much too rich in alumina to be acceptable. Other lunar bulk compositions even richer inA12O3 such as those advocated by Ganapathy & Anders, Wanke and co-workers and Anderson can likewise be rejected. In order to produce mare basalts, particularly the least fractionated varieties represented by some Apollo 12 and 15 basalts, lunar bulk compositions containing only about 4 % of A12O3 appear to be required. This is similar to the alumina content of the Earth’s mantle. The relative abundances of many other involatile elements, e.g. Ga, U, Ti, r.e.e., Zr, Ba, Sr, may likewise be similar in the Moon and in the Earth’s mantle. These relationships point towards a common origin for the Moon and for the Earth’s mantle.


1996 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Kelly

Recently, there has been renewed interest in the relationship between feminism and occupational therapy, but does occupational therapy continue to operate on the feminine principle which underlies the philosophical basis of the profession? There is a strong tendency by some occupational therapists to emulate the masculine principle which drives the medical model but this, in fact, places occupational therapy at a disadvantage in the prevailing male culture. Drawing on a wide range of recent literature related to education, professionalism, management, research, clinical reasoning and complementary therapies, this article argues that the feminine principle is very much alive in the theory and practice of occupational therapy today.


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