Some new luminance-gradient effects

Three compelling luminance-gradient effects are described. The first effect concerns a brightness enhancement and a luminous mist spreading out from a central area having the same luminance as the white background and surrounded by four rectangular inducers shaded with a linear luminance gradient. The second effect is perceived with a photographically reversed configuration, and concerns what may be considered a brightness reduction or the enhancement of a darkness quality of a target area of the visual scene. The third effect concerns the perception of a self-luminous disk inside a somewhat foggy medium. The effects are worthy of further examination because they challenge current theories of luminosity perception and brightness perception in general.     

The model of a simple self-reproducing system

The model of a simple self-reproducing system has been investigated. The current model has been developed in the framework of syser systems. The term syser is the abbreviation of the words “SYstem of SElf-Reproduction”. The syser model can be considered as a reasonable model of the prebiological macromolecular self-reproducing systems. The syser includes a polynucleotide matrix, a replication enzyme, a translation enzyme, and other enzymes and protein. Earlier, we studied the model of sysers with a large number of macromolecules. However, a large number of macromolecules is a certain disadvantage of models of prebiological systems. In order to overcome this disadvantage, a new syser model with a small number of macromolecules has been constructed and investigated in the present work. The macromolecules of the syser are located inside the protocell. Additionally, we consider special macromolecules that provide sysers with energy. There is a mechanism for duplication of protocells. We consider the evolution of the population of sysers. The dynamics of macromolecules in protocells and evolution of sysers populations have been analyzed by means of computer simulation. It was shown that during the evolution of the sysers population, the comparative number and rate of synthesis of macromolecules, which provide protocells with energy, could be increased. The decrease of the synthesis rate of polynucleotide matrices is also possible.     

The first glimpse determines the perception of an ambiguous figure

The ambiguous rat-man figure was tachistoscopically presented to 36 subjects in successive segments to test the hypothesis that the starting segment would determine the perception of the figure. Starting segments were selected which were expected to produce the perception of a rat, a man, or either a rat or man. The remaining segments came from figures evaluated in a preliminary study. The selected figures differed in drawn bias and tended to be seen as a rat, a man, or either a rat or a man. The three starting segments were combined factorially with the three levels of drawn bias of the remaining segments. The effect of the starting segment was significant; the effect of drawn bias was not. A further experiment showed that presentation of the rat vs. man starting segments by themselves did not produce a reliable difference. The results support a constructive model of form perception in which the stimulus material first presented establishes a hypothesis which is used to interpret the remaining material.     

Events,processes, and the time of a killing

The paper proposes a novel solution to the problem of the time of a killing (ToK), which persistently besets theories of act-individuation. The solution proposed claims to expose a crucial wrong-headed assumption in the debate, according to which ToK is essentially a problem of locating some event that corresponds to the killing. The alternative proposal put forward here turns on recognizing a separate category of dynamic occurrents, viz. processes. The paper does not aim to mount a comprehensive defence of process ontology, relying instead on extant defences. The primary aim is rather to put process ontology to work in diagnosing the current state of play over ToK, and indeed in solving it.     

Two apparatus assemblies for the study of real movement

Two forms of apparatus are described for the study of real movement. The first is characterized as a hydraulic system and is used where the S’s rate of movement threshold is to be deter-mined. The basis of the apparatus is a hydraulic cylinder with a piston rod carrying a crosspiece with a visual stimulus attached. The piston-crosspiece assembly is raised,by charging the apparatus with oil, which is then discharged back into a reservoir through a finely tapered adjustable needle valve. Velocity of motion may be regulated by varying the needle valve opening or a mass placed on the piston. The second apparatus is useful for determining the displacement threshold, the minimal distance through which a change of stimulus from one position to another can be perceived. The apparatus consists of a cathode ray display of a linear change of voltage from one value to another. Both total displacement and rate of displacement are adjustable. The S views the cathode ray trace through an optical system designed to minimize perception of extraneous motion.     

Wear behaviour of a gradient surface produced by a punching process in a Cu-30 Ni alloy

The grain size variation in a gradient surface produced by a punching and recovery process on a Cu-30Ni alloy has been observed by atomic force microscopy. The friction characteristics of the gradient surface in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution were investigated using a micro-indenter probe, a pin-on-disc type tribometer, a strain sensor and an optical microscope. The results showed that the hardness and grain size can be well represented by the Hall–Petch relationship when the gain size is more than 30?nm. The wear rate, friction coefficient and adhesive force all increase depth below the surface. These variations are attributed to a gradual increasing grain size with depth. The morphologies of the worn track were also studied to understand further the corrosive wear behaviour of gradient surfaces.     

国际关系伦理学:研究对象、内容和方法

本文将初步探讨国际关系伦理学的定义以及主要议题。国际关系伦理学是一门跨学科的学问,并且是国际关系学中的主要分支。国家的义务和责任构成了它的主题。随着新的国际关系的转型,国际关系伦理学的研究重点也会随着改变。本文概述了其主要研究手段,以期引起对这门新学科的兴趣。     

Assessing change with the extended logistic model

The purpose of this article is to define a method for the assessment of change. A reinterpretation of the extended logistic model is proposed. The extended logistic model for the assessment of change (ELMAC) allows the definition of a time parameter which is supposed to identify whether change occurs during a period of time, given a specific event or phenomenon. The assessment of a trend of change through time, on the basis of the time parameter which is estimated at different successive occasions during a period of time, is also considered. In addition, a dispersion parameter is calculated which identifies whether change is consistent at each time point. The issue of independence is taken into account both in relation to the time parameter and the dispersion parameter. An application of the ELMAC in a learning process is presented. The interpretation of the model parameters and the model fit statistics is consistent with expectations.     

Identification with an aggressor or a victim and its relation to creativity

Studied identification using a meta-contrast design. The first stimulus was the word 'I'. The second stimulus depicted an aggressor and a victim facing each other. The subliminal 'I' was flashed on either the victim or on the aggressor, or completely withheld. The subjects were 33 school children, aged 10–12 years. They also took a percept-genetic (PG) test of creativity, measuring willingness to return to and recognize early conceptions of a stimulus picture (a still-life). The results showed that the creative children reacted with less anxiety and defense when manipulated to identify with the aggressor than with the victim. The uncreative children showed the opposite reaction, namely a preference for the passive, surrendering victim.     

Webcam testing: Validation of an innovative open-ended multimedia test

A modern test that takes advantage of the opportunities provided by advancements in computer technology is the multimedia test. The purpose of this study was to investigate the criterion-related validity of a specific open-ended multimedia test, namely a webcam test, by means of a concurrent validity study. In a webcam test a number of work-related situations are presented and participants have to respond as if these were real work situations. The responses are recorded with a webcam. The aim of the webcam test which we investigated is to measure the effectiveness of social work behaviour. This first field study on a webcam test was conducted in an employment agency in The Netherlands. The sample consisted of 188 consultants who participated in a certification process. For the webcam test, good interrater reliabilities and internal consistencies were found. The results showed the webcam test to be significantly correlated with job placement success. The webcam test scores were also found to be related to job knowledge. Hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that the webcam test has incremental validity up to and beyond job knowledge in predicting job placement success. The webcam test, therefore, seems a promising type of instrument for personnel selection.     

Pastoral excellence and Pastoral Theology: A slight shift of paradigm and a modest polemic

The existence of Pastoral Theology as a discipline is problematic. The possibility of becoming a discipline is discussed as requiring a shift from a clinical/therapeutic to an ecclesial paradigm as its center. The shift would foster a valuing of the pastor as an interpreter of human existence, attention to the need for a pastoral hermeneutic, and an appreciation for particularity. The field needs to attend its intellectual tasks and to assess the debits/credits of its relations to secular disciplines.     

The Blood of Jesus in revival theology and the contemporary Church with particular reference to the East African Revival and Roy Hession

One of the most common phrases heard in testimony, preaching, and song during the East African Revival (EAR) was the phrase ‘The Blood of Jesus Christ’. Taken from a rich biblical heritage, this phrase encapsulates a wide range of ideas concerning the work of the cross and the power of forgiveness in a believer's life. Whilst, as will be noted, the use of The Blood has been common to many revivals, this article examines especially the theology behind this phrase by looking at the most prominent of the EAR authors – Roy Hession. It investigates seven different applications of The Blood in a believer's life: The Blood as a testament that sin is forgiven, The Blood as cleansing the conscience, The Blood as victory over despair, The Blood as the remover of shame, The Blood as washing away sin, The Blood as the gateway of the Holy Spirit, and finally The Blood as the source of true fellowship. The theology of The Blood has a long history of use in the Church but it also comes with difficulties. To this end the article will investigate the legitimacy of the practice often found in Africa and some Pentecostal circles of invoking The Blood as protection against the demonic. The article closes by considering the reasons why speaking of The Blood in church can be uncomfortable yet is paradoxically of vital importance to revival.     

Interpreting action as an answer

The aim of this paper is to introduce a logically grounded approach to action semantics and action interpretation. The main idea is to present the context of action as a set of questions demanding an action to answer. I introduce (a) a basic procedure of action interpretation, which is a reformulation of Hilpinen's semantical procedure for imperatives; (b) a procedure of what-interpretation; (c) a procedure of why-interpretation. The conditions of mutual reducibility of interpretation procedures are explicated. The paper concludes by putting forth the problem of interpretive bounds of moral responsibility.     

Object loss and psychotic regression

The author explores the structures and dynamics of a case of acute schizophrenic decompensation, which is shown to be a pathological grief reaction. How the patient comes to terms with the loss of the object can be traced through the various stages of the illness. The nature and fundamental disturbance of object relations becomes especially clear. The psychotic regression serves to deny the loss and simultaneously constitutes repeated attempts--and their failures--to introject a good object and thereby achieve a belated primary identification. The latter would be a basic precondition for the capacity to mourn a loss adequately.     

A puzzle about mental self-representation and causation

The paper articulates a puzzle that consists in the prima facie incompatibility between three widely accepted theses. The first thesis is, roughly, that there are intrinsically self-representational thoughts. The second thesis is, roughly, that there is a particular causal constraint on mental representation. The third thesis is, roughly, that nothing causes itself. In this paper, the theses are articulated in a less rough manner with the occurrence of the puzzle as a result. Finally, a number of solution strategies are considered, and a preliminary diagnosis is provided.     

Process dissociation and mixture signal detection theory

The process dissociation procedure was developed in an attempt to separate different processes involved in memory tasks. The procedure naturally lends itself to a formulation within a class of mixture signal detection models. The dual process model is shown to be a special case. The mixture signal detection model is applied to data from a widely analyzed study. The results suggest that a process other than recollection may be involved in the process dissociation procedure.     

The effects of memory strategy instruction in the short-term motor memory of the mentally retarded

The present study investigated the effectiveness of teaching mnemonic strategies aimed at overcoming difficulties of mentally retarded students in retaining the motor short-term memory information of a preselected movement. The memory strategy employed was a combination of the "feel" of the movement and the spatial location of the hand relative to the body. The design of the study was a 2 x 2 (Instructional Treatment x Retention Condition) factorial. The instructional treatment factor included teaching the subjects a memory strategy versus no memory-strategy instruction. The retention condition factor included immediate recall and a 15-sec retention interval. There were five trials per subject. The data were interpreted as supporting the effectiveness of the memory-strategy instruction.     

Why can't I get hives: brief strategic therapy with an obsessional child

A case study is presented of a 10-year-old boy who obsessively feared he would vomit. The material is formulated within a psychodynamic as well as a strategic model, and treatment approaches are suggested for each. The treatment consisted of a five-session, strategic, problem-focused approach over three months with a two-year follow-up. The rationale and effective ingredients of the intervention are discussed.     

EDP (electronic data processing)-oriented special documentation in neurology--extension to a computer epicrisis

The contribution describes a final neurological documentation system for in-patients that permits the computerized print-out of an epicrisis. The computer automatically summarizes the elementary findings and presents them as a number of important neurological syndromes. The structure of the documentation and the experience gained in the course of many years of routine application are described. The system has proved to be basically sound under the conditions existing at a university hospital and a specialized hospital for psychiatry and neurology and has proved applicable for a large proportion of the patients without major restrictions.     

No Time, No Wholes: A Temporal and Causal-Oriented Approach to the Ontology of Wholes

What distinguishes a whole from an arbitrary sum of elements? I suggest a temporal and causal oriented approach. I defend two connected claims. The former is that existence is, by every means, coextensive with being the cause of a causal process. The latter is that a whole is the cause of a causal process with a joint effect. Thus, a whole is something that takes place in time. The approach endorses an unambiguous version of Restricted Composition that suits most commonsensical intuitions about wholes.