Scientific problems and questions from a logical point of view

Scientific knowledge systems function as effective and specialized apparatus for formulating, analyzing and solving scientific problems. In science, problems become internal parts of the knowledge systems; thus they acquire new forms and properties in comparison with common-sense problems. Definite theoretical structures connected with problems and questions appear in the theory. Among them are erotetic expressions and languages, calculi and algebras of problems. On the basis of the structure-nominative reconstruction of a theory, the unified treatment of these structures is given. Methods of the theory of named sets are used in the logical analysis of problems and their systems. As a consequence a new formalized model of the problem part of theory is constructed.     

从患者角度看循证医学

循证医学是一门发展中的朝阳学科,其哲学思想正发生着演绎。在临床医学领域中,其定义也在不断拓展、深化。当前,更加强调:循证医学应是一种人性化的医学实践方法,在临床决策中,仅靠证据还远远不够,应有效地融合病人的价值观及意愿选择。从患者的角度来认识循证医学的理念与方法,探讨循证实践中病人的价值观及意愿选择。     

The explanation of actions and Marxism: From the point of view of the Poznań school

Studies in East European Thought -     

Knowledge spaces from a topological point of view

In this paper we consider the operations of restriction, extension and gluing of pre-topologies, antimatroids, neighborhood systems and heritage choice functions. Pre-topologies are also known as knowledge spaces in knowledge space theory, and some of these operations were recently discussed in a paper by Falmagne [Falmagne, J.-C. (2008). Projections and symmetric expansions of a learning space. arXiv:0803.0575]. We introduce the notion of a separator, which allows us to decompose such objects into simpler parts, or conversely, to assemble them from simpler parts.     

A model point of view

This paper reports a study of planning processes in the five-disc Tower of London (TOL) task in 20 younger and 20 older adult participants. A concurrent direct “think-aloud” method was used to obtain data on planning processes prior to moving discs in the TOL. A check was made of the effects of verbalising by comparing performance data from the experimental groups with data from control groups who did not verbalise during planning or moving. Verbalising slowed down planning and moving but did not appear to distort the participants' approaches to the task. Older and younger participants did not differ in average moves taken to solve the tasks. However, older participants' planning was less complete and more error-prone than that of younger participants. The planning processes were characterised as showing a means-ends “goal selection” strategy. In this strategy participants (1) identify a single active goal disc at the start, (2) select moves and move sequences to enable the placing of the current goal disc in its target position, and (3) continue in this way until all discs are in their target positions. Age differences were found in the planning stage, during which there was no stimulus support and hence a substantial working memory load. During the move phase there was stimulus support and hence little loading of working memory. Age differences in moves required were not found in the move phase. As older participants tend to have depleted working memory capacity the present results suggest that working memory is heavily loaded in TOL planning but less so in the move phase of TOL.