Religious Naturalism Today

Three questions are addressed. First, concerning the definition of naturalism, I accept the characterization by Rem Edwards (1972) but insist on a materialist or physicalist interpretation of these features. Second, the distinctive characteristic of my religious naturalism is an argument that although a theological position based on a physicalist ontology is constrained by physicalism, the ontology itself does not dictate theological content. Theological content can break free of ontology if this content is valuational rather than ontological. Such a valuational theism becomes possible when Rudolf Bultmann's and Fritz Buri's method of existentialist interpretation is wedded to Henry Nelson Wieman's naturalist conception of God. The knowledge of God in events of grace, therefore, is rooted in moments of creative transformation that are themselves always transformative. This approach makes possible a better approach to the problem of objectivity than Bultmann could achieve. Third, concerning the chief issues facing religious naturalism today, I argue that religious naturalists should more forthrightly confront the issue of ontological materialism and that the most pressing issue concerns thinking out more fully the religious or theological content to be ascribed to such a position after the nature of naturalism is resolved.     

Extending Energy Optimization in Goal-Directed Aiming from Movement Kinematics to Joint Angles

Energy optimization in goal-directed aiming has been demonstrated as an undershoot bias in primary movement endpoint locations, especially in conditions where corrections to target overshoots must be made against gravity. Two-component models of upper limb movement have not yet considered how joint angles are organized to deal with the energy constraints associated with moving the upper limb in goal-directed aiming tasks. To address this limitation, participants performed aiming movements to targets in the up and down directions with the index finger and two types of rod extensions attached to the index finger. The rod extensions were expected to invoke different energy optimizing strategies in the up and down directions by allowing the distal joints the opportunity to contribute to end effector displacement. Primary movements undershot the farthest target to a greater extent in the downward direction compared to the upward direction, showing that movement kinematics optimize energy expenditure in consideration of the effects of gravity. As rod length increased, shoulder elevation was optimized in movements to the far-up target and elbow flexion was optimally minimized in movements to the far-down target. The results suggest energy optimization in the control of joint angles independent of the force of gravity.     

Melting point depression method for determining the solid–liquid interfacial energy of metal elements: theoretical validation and updated compilation of data

Comparative analyses of the crystal nucleation method and the melting point depression (MPD) method for measuring the solid–liquid interface energy γ_sl are carried out. The MPD method is found more reliable and has several advantages from experiment through data analysis to theoretical generalisation. The MPD data in use, all reported before the 1970s, are updated with the derived γ_sl re-compiled. Finally, by invoking a melting model that we developed recently, an equation for calculating γ_sl is proposed on basis of the melting point depression method.     

Transcending the evidentiary boundary: Prediction error minimization,embodied interaction,and explanatory pluralism

In a recent paper, Jakob Hohwy argues that the emerging predictive processing (PP) perspective on cognition requires us to explain cognitive functioning in purely internalistic and neurocentric terms. The purpose of the present paper is to challenge the view that PP entails a wholesale rejection of positions that are interested in the embodied, embedded, extended, or enactive dimensions of cognitive processes. I will argue that Hohwy’s argument from analogy, which forces an evidentiary boundary into the picture, lacks the argumentative resources to make a convincing case for the conceptual necessity to interpret PP in solely internalistic terms. For this reason, I will reconsider the postulation and explanatory role of the evidentiary boundary. I will arrive at an account of prediction error minimization and its foundation on the free energy principle that is fully consistent with approaches to cognition that emphasize the embodied and interactive properties of cognitive processes. This gives rise to the suggestion that explanatory pluralism about the application of PP is to be preferred over Hohwy’s explanatory monism that follows from his internalistic and neurocentric view of predictive cognitive systems.     

工作中的能量:基于多层面表现形态的对流转化

工作中能量的研究经历了个体-交互-集体的发展历程。基于权变视角,本文对工作中能量的表现形态进行内涵解读与构念辨析,依托互动仪式理论,构建并解读能量表现形态的对流转化模型,为组织中工作能量的维持和补充提供思考。未来研究应重视关系能量与集体能量在组织中产生的双重效应,开展工作中能量构念的跨层面本土化实证研究。     

乳腺癌保乳术与根治术的比较

为了比较分析保乳术和根治术的治疗成本和对乳腺癌患者预后的影响,从2002年1月~2005年6月湘雅医院乳腺科的乳腺癌资料库中,随机抽取64例I~II期乳腺癌分为保乳治疗组(A组,32例)和根治术组(B组,32例),并随访。结果显示,A、B两组全部药品费用分别平均为32474.11±16126.00元、35107.30±19352.71元,总费用平均为53959.64±22033.28元、53382.10±24042.87元。两组药品费和总费用均无统计学差异(P=0.556、0.921)。中位随访时间30个月,两组病例均无局部复发。A、B组远处转移率分别为6.25%、9.38%,两组无明显差异(P=0.641);Kaplan-Meier生存分析表明A、B组生存率分别为96.88%、93.75%,两组无显著性差异(P=0.4566)。保乳术患者对残乳的满意率为90.61%,认为保留了乳房后其对家庭和社会生活仍充满自信的分别占75%和87.5%;相反,根治术者仅占28.13%和40.63%;A、B两组有显著性差异(P=0.000、0.000)。由此得出结论,保乳术和根治/改良根治术两种治疗方法对I~II期乳腺癌患者的预后无差异,成本亦无明显区别,而保乳术明显提高了患者的家庭、社会生活质量。     

THE COLLAPSE OF OLIGARCHIC CAPITALISM AND THE RISE OF REGENERATIVE LEARNING: HOW THE SCIENCE OF ENERGY SYSTEMS CLARIFIES WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY AND WHAT COMES NEXT

We live in a head-spinning, gut-wrenching time of multiplying crises. At home we face outsourced jobs, crumbling cities, underpaid teachers, unaffordable healthcare, endless wars, political corruption, a co-opted corporate media, skyrocketing inequality, and public “austerity” measures whose main purpose is to make tax-breaks for the rich more affordable. Working-class stagnation is producing widespread anxiety, mounting debt, and “despair deaths” from opioid abuse. Fear is fueling populist outrage, along with extremism, authoritarianism, and the conditions for a fascist takeover. Meanwhile, climate change poses an existential threat to humanity itself. All of these calamities spring from the same root cause: an oligarchic capitalism that puts short-term profit for owners over people and planet. While this system seems immutable, upheavals from Occupy Wall Street to the rise of right-wing populism signal a backlash to a political–economic establishment that treats people and planet as resources to be pillaged and expenses to be minimized. Its failures have also been driving the development of new possibilities in the form of more systemic approaches. Still, while systems thinking has improved approaches in fields from agriculture to medicine, so far none of these reforms have been able to channel public frustration into true transformation because none addresses the root problem: oligarchy. The science of systemic vitality we need is also being born, but so far, its findings are diffuse. This article shows how the science of energy systems can galvanize today’s economic reformation by articulating the common sense rules and rigorous measures of systemic vitality, while anchoring them in an evidence-based vision of humanity as a collaborative learning species. The result is a practical path to building systemic socioeconomic vitality by revitalizing human networks, energizing collective learning, and clarifying why oligarchic capitalism is a distortion of our original democratic free-enterprise dream, which is now careening toward collapse.     

Demand response management system with discrete time window using supervised learning algorithm

Demand Response (DR) is a key attribute to enhance the operation of smart grid. Demand response improves the performance of the electric power systems and also deals with peak demand issues. Demand Response (DR) implementation for residential consumers is potentially accredited by Home Energy Management System (HEMS). This paper presents an algorithm for home energy management system to shift the schedulable loads in a residential home, that neglects consumer discomfort and minimizes electricity bill of energy consumption using Hourly-Time-Of-Use (HTOU) pricing scheme. Supervised learning algorithm is used in this paper to learn the usage patterns of consumers to allow schedulable appliances at a residential home to autonomously overcome consumer discomfort. Simulation results confirms that the proposed algorithm effectively decreases consumer electricity bill, decreases peak load demand and also avoids consumer discomfort.     

定制化信息对家庭节能行为决策过程影响的追踪研究

在移动互联网和大数据时代, 通过定制化信息推动家庭能源消费行为变革是一个亟待解决的前沿科学课题。本研究通过对固定样本组被试进行长期的行为观察、深度访谈、焦点小组、个案研究和单被试设计, 基于扎根理论技术考察定制化信息的即期和远期作用, 探索定制化信息影响节能行为决策过程的路径和机制。整合横断设计和纵向设计两者特点, 本研究拟采用聚合交叉设计对6个实验组被试进行18个月的追踪实验, 运用方差分析检验同一实验组被试不同时期的节能心理和行为决策差异, 比较不同实验组被试在特定时点截面的横向(静态)差异; 运用多层线性模型检验不同实验组节能行为及其决策过程变动趋势之间的(动态)差异, 分析特定维度定制化信息框架的边际效应。在此基础上, 设计并论证定制化信息的优化路径、实施策略和组合应用构想。本研究拟构建定制化信息对节能行为决策过程作用机制的理论模型(信息呈现−心理机制−节能行为决策模型), 为探究定制化信息影响节能行为决策过程的作用机制黑箱提供理论支持和实验证据。