Academic literature on the topic 'McCarthy Theory'

AbstractIn this paper, the theory of McCarthy’s extensional arrays enriched with a maxdiff operation (this operation returns the biggest index where two given arrays differ) is proposed. It is known from the literature that a diff operation is required for the theory of arrays in order to enjoy the Craig interpolation property at the quantifier-free level. However, the diff operation introduced in the literature is merely instrumental to this purpose and has only a purely formal meaning (it is obtained from the Skolemization of the extensionality axiom). Our maxdiff operation significantly increases the level of expressivity; however, obtaining interpolation results for the resulting theory becomes a surprisingly hard task. We obtain such results via a thorough semantic analysis of the models of the theory and of their amalgamation properties. The results are modular with respect to the index theory and it is shown how to convert them into concrete interpolation algorithms via a hierarchical approach.

This chapter aims to use Maurice Blanchot’s theory of literature as an interpretive tool for explaining how McCarthy’s work operates in both philosophical and literary registers. Blanchot explains that literary meaning emerges from a resistance to generic classification. I expand upon Blanchot’s position to offer an innovative account of how McCarthy adopts a similar strategy. Pinpointing Suttree as the culmination of McCarthy’s early Appalachian period, I argue that McCarthy’s writing to this point, and Suttree especially, makes apparent the structure of McCarthy’s ontology and ethics through the novel’s execution of both form and content.

Abstract Optimality Theory (OT) (following McCarthy and Prince 1993; Prince and Smolensky 1993) has focused on the identification and articulation of ranked phonological constraints by test-driving phonological phenomena from a variety of languages through selected subsets of those constraints. OT’s goal has been to account for phonological generalizations within languages, and for differences among languages, using universal surface constraints that are prioritized on a language-specific basis, instead of using rules, derivations and intermediate representations, as in Chomsky and Halle (1968) (henceforth SPE).

Abstract Faithfulness constraints have been an essential part of Optimality Theory (OT) since its inception (Prince and Smolensky 1991, 1993), but the form and function of faithfulness constraints have evolved. McCarthy and Prince (1995a) propose that faithfulness constraints are formalized within a Correspondence Theory of relations between representations. Correspondence Theory permits the statement of constraints demanding faithfulness to diverse linguistic entities, such as features, segments, and prosodic constituents. Furthermore, it generalizes faithfulness from its original role, comparing underlying and surface forms, to similar but distinct linguistic relations, such as comparing a stem to its reduplicative copy.

Abstract Certain classes of sentences when formalized in first-order logic, may give rise to paradoxical conclusions. Within this class are sentences with one or more occurrences of such words as know, believe, aware, discover, and so on. McCarthy (1979) has introduced the first order theory of individual concepts and propositions as a formal language for representing such sentences. McCarthy’s formal language is intended to avoid paradoxical conclusions. This paper presents an example whose formalization in the latter language gives rise to similar paradoxical conclusions.

Abstract Most of the analyses which will be proposed or discussed in this book are framed in Optimality Theory (Prince and Smolensky 1993; McCarthy and Prince 1993a; McCarthy 2004). The analyses of segmental phonology make use of a version of the Parallel Structures Model (Morén 2003; 2006). In this chapter I give a short introduction to the two theories; both will be used in tandem in Chapter 4. The analyses of phonological structure beyond the segment will be based on a basic notion of syllable structure, moraic theory, and the prosodic hierarchy as proposed in Prosodic Phonology (Kahn 1980; Nespor and Vogel 1986). The basics of the former two will be taken for granted here. The latter, the prosodic hierarchy, will be introduced in Chapter 7 in the appropriate context.

This chapter responds to two arguments concerning the possibility of a deconstructive politics. The first, offered by critical theorists such as Dews, Fraser and McCarthy, I call the withdrawal argument. The key claim is that deconstruction, as a matter of principle, rejects the empirical realm and withdraws into a politically disabling transcendental reflection. The second, offered by poststructuralist thinkers such as Ernesto Laclau, I call the mere openness argument. While Laclau insists on the political usefulness of deconstruction, he argues that, as a matter of principle, no ethico-political injunction guides the quasi-transcendental reflections of deconstruction. This chapter shows why both arguments are mistaken. The final section sets out a novel reading of Derrida’s concept of ‘experience’ and ‘ordeal’ to show that the ‘experience of undecidability’ – central to Derridean deconstruction - is normatively structured.

ABSTRACT: This paper examines the consequences of subjectivity on universal design methodologies, and emphasizes the need for a cohesive and globally accepted rock mass classification (RMC) framework to foster innovation and efficiency in rock engineering projects. Challenges posed by varied rock mass classification systems and core logging practices complicate the task of data collection and preparation for emerging technologies. Integrating new technologies into rock engineering relies heavily on quality, standardized data. Inconsistencies in terminology, measurement standards, and emphasis on specific rock characteristics can introduce biases which will hinder the development of robust designs. This paper examines the importance of overcoming data preparation hurdles in order to utilize the full potential of new technologies in rock engineering. By unravelling the intricacies of this multidimensional problem, this study provides a foundation for discussions on standardization, collaboration, and innovation within the field, ultimately paving the way for more reliable and efficient rock engineering practices on a global scale. This research aims to provide insights that will contribute to the overarching goal of developing universal design methods for rock engineering while addressing the current challenges of data preparation in rock engineering. 1. INTRODUCTION In the past few years, the field of Artificial Intelligence has flourished. Numerous, unrelated industries have adopted machine learning to improve workflow, worker safety and productivity (Patel et al., 2021). Interest in artificial intelligence models for applications in the Rock Engineering field has increased significantly in recent years. Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) was defined by John McCarthy (2004) as "the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. It is related to the similar task of using computers to understand human intelligence, but AI does not have to confine itself to methods that are biologically observable". To this end, various models have been developed and deployed for Rock Engineering applications such as using Convoluted Neural Networks (C.N.N.) for optical rock fracture mapping (Azhari et al, 2021).

This paper investigates the Gülen movement’s repertoires of action in order to determine how it differs from traditional Islamic revivalist movements and from the so-called ‘New Social Movements’ in the Western world. Two propositions lead the discussion: First, unlike many Islamic revivalist movements, the Gülen movement shaped its identity against the perceived threat of a trio of enemies, as Nursi named them a century ago – ignorance, disunity, and poverty. This perception of the opposition is crucial to understanding the apolitical mind-set of the Gülen movement’s fol- lowers. Second, unlike the confrontational New Social Movements, the Gülen movement has engaged in ‘moral opposition’, in which the movement’s actors seek to empathise with the adversary by creating (what Bakhtin calls) ‘dialogic’ relationships. ‘Moral opposition’ has enabled the movement to be more alert strategically as well as more productive tactically in solving the everyday practical problems of Muslims in Turkey. A striking example of this ‘moral opposition’ was witnessed in the Merve Kavakci incident in 1999, when the move- ment tried to build bridges between the secular and Islamist camps, while criticising and educating both parties during the post-February 28 period in Turkey. In this way the Gülen movement’s performance of opposition can contribute new theoretical and practical tools for our understanding of social movements. 104 | P a g e Recent works on social movements have criticized the longstanding tradition of classify- ing social movement types as “strategy-oriented” versus “identity-oriented” (Touraine 1981; Cohen 1985; Rucht 1988) and “identity logic of action” versus “instrumentalist logic of ac- tion” (Duyvendak and Giugni 1995) by regarding identities as a key element of a move- ment’s strategic and tactical repertoire (see Bernstein 1997, 2002; Gamson 1997; Polletta 1998a; Polletta and Jasper 2001; Taylor and Van Dyke 2004). Bifurcation of identity ver- sus strategy suggests the idea that some movements target the state and the economy, thus, they are “instrumental” and “strategy-oriented”; whereas some other movements so-called “identity movements” challenge the dominant cultural patterns and codes and are considered “expressive” in content and “identity-oriented.” New social movement theorists argue that identity movements try to gain recognition and respect by employing expressive strategies wherein the movement itself becomes the message (Touraine 1981; Cohen 1985; Melucci 1989, 1996). Criticizing these dualisms, some scholars have shown the possibility of different social movement behaviour under different contextual factors (e.g. Bernstein 1997; Katzenstein 1998). In contrast to new social movement theory, this work on the Gülen movement indi- cates that identity movements are not always expressive in content and do not always follow an identity-oriented approach; instead, identity movements can synchronically be strategic as well as expressive. In her article on strategies and identities in Black Protest movements during the 1960s, Polletta (1994) criticizes the dominant theories of social movements, which a priori assume challengers’ unified common interests. Similarly, Jenkins (1983: 549) refers to the same problem in the literature by stating that “collective interests are assumed to be relatively unproblematic and to exist prior to mobilization.” By the same token, Taylor and Whittier (1992: 104) criticize the longstanding lack of explanation “how structural inequality gets translated into subjective discontent.” The dominant social movement theory approaches such as resource mobilization and political process regard these problems as trivial because of their assumption that identities and framing processes can be the basis for interests and further collective action but cannot change the final social movement outcome. Therefore, for the proponents of the mainstream theories, identities of actors are formed in evolutionary processes wherein social movements consciously frame their goals and produce relevant dis- courses; yet, these questions are not essential to explain why collective behaviour occurs (see McAdam, McCarthy, and Zald 1996). This reductionist view of movement culture has been criticized by a various number of scholars (e.g. Goodwin and Jasper 1999; Polletta 1997, 1999a, 1999b; Eyerman 2002). In fact, the debate over the emphases (interests vis-à-vis identities) is a reflection of the dissent between American and European sociological traditions. As Eyerman and Jamison (1991: 27) note, the American sociologists focused on “the instrumentality of movement strategy formation, that is, on how movement organizations went about trying to achieve their goals,” whereas the European scholars concerned with the identity formation processes that try to explain “how movements produced new historical identities for society.” Although the social movement theorists had recognized the deficiencies within each approach, the attempts to synthesize these two traditions in the literature failed to address the empirical problems and methodological difficulties. While criticizing the mainstream American collective behaviour approaches that treat the collective identities as given, many leading European scholars fell into a similar trap by a 105 | P a g e priori assuming that the collective identities are socio-historical products rather than cog- nitive processes (see, for instance, Touraine 1981). New Social Movement (NSM) theory, which is an offshoot of European tradition, has lately been involved in the debate over “cog- nitive praxis” (Eyerman and Jamison 1991), “signs” (Melucci 1996), “identity as strategy” (Bernstein 1997), protest as “art” (Jasper 1997), “moral performance” (Eyerman 2006), and “storytelling” (Polletta 2006). In general, these new formulations attempt to bring mental structures of social actors and symbolic nature of social action back in the study of collec- tive behaviour. The mental structures of the actors should be considered seriously because they have a potential to change the social movement behaviours, tactics, strategies, timing, alliances and outcomes. The most important failure, I think, in the dominant SM approaches lies behind the fact that they hinder the possibility of the construction of divergent collective identities under the same structures (cf. Polletta 1994: 91). This study investigates on how the Gülen movement differed from other Islamic social move- ments under the same structural factors that were realized by the organized opposition against Islamic activism after the soft coup in 1997. Two propositions shall lead my discussion here: First, unlike many Islamic revivalist movements, the Gülen movement shaped its identity against perceived threat of the triple enemies, what Nursi defined a century ago: ignorance, disunity, and poverty. This perception of the opposition is crucial to grasp non-political men- tal structures of the Gülen movement followers. Second, unlike the confrontational nature of the new social movements, the Gülen movement engaged in a “moral opposition,” in which the movement actors try to empathize with the enemy by creating “dialogic” relationships.

This paper examines how audio podcasts can be deployed by universities and other educational institutions to engage with a broader range of audiences and encourage critical discussion of contemporary issues. Using the case study of a podcast I produced, I consider how the medium is an accessible and user-friendly format that enables the generation of content aimed at a general listenership. Insight into how this approach can bring teaching and research materials to new groups of people is created by reflecting on the process of making and distributing a series (Hacker 2017). Since their emergence in the early 2000s, podcasts - as a form of internet on-demand radio – have been used by universities as an additional dissemination system. Departments and universities were early adaptors to help spread knowledge, research findings, and commentary on topics of public interest (Open Culture 2006). One of the main deployments has been to augment student learning through the recording of podcasts as an alternative or supplement to lectures or as a revision or feedback tool (Fernandez et al. 2015; Kidd 2011; Lonn and Teasley 2009). More recently, within the discipline of geography, podcasts are being recognised as a distinct tools for more inclusive research that can reach groups who do not usually follow academic discourses (Kinkaid, Brain, and Senanayake 2019). Building on these strands, this paper focuses on how a podcast can be used as an educational mechanism both for general audiences and undergraduates, which recognises diverse forms of learning and the importance of accessible materials (Ambrose et al. 2010; Towler, Ridgway, and McCarthy 2015).

Beginning with McCarthy's Advice Taker (1959), AI has pursued the goal of providing a system with explicit, general knowledge and having the system reason over that knowledge. However, expressing the knowledge in a formal (logical or probabilistic) representation has been a major obstacle to this research. This paper investigates a modern approach to this problem where the facts and rules are provided as natural language sentences, thus bypassing a formal representation. We train transformers to reason (or emulate reasoning) over these sentences using synthetically generated data. Our models, that we call RuleTakers, provide the first empirical demonstration that this kind of soft reasoning over language is learnable, can achieve high (99%) accuracy, and generalizes to test data requiring substantially deeper chaining than seen during training (95%+ scores). We also demonstrate that the models transfer well to two hand-authored rulebases, and to rulebases paraphrased into more natural language. These findings are significant as it suggests a new role for transformers, namely as limited "soft theorem provers" operating over explicit theories in language. This in turn suggests new possibilities for explainability, correctability, and counterfactual reasoning in question-answering.

Abstract The Everest Field is a gas condensate field produced by natural depletion from the Forties and Mey/Maureen reservoirs. The Everest Field reservoirs display complex geology which sets up the possibility of variability in formation water compositions and a recent evaluation of the produced water analyses (mixtures of formation water and condensation water) for the field identified five compositionally distinct formation waters in the reservoirs (FW 1, FW 2 (Ba-rich), FW 2 (Ba-depleted), FW A and FW A(SA)) (McCartney and Ross, 2021). In that study, the compositions of the formation waters were estimated from the produced water analyses after correction for their condensation water fraction. This information has been used to obtain predictions of scaling risks to the production wells which has aided the development of scale mitigation plans for the field. However, for one well, ET-14z, it has been challenging to obtain good quality produced water samples from it because it produces water at very low rates. This has raised questions over the type of formation water being produced from the well; most samples indicate that FW 1 is being produced from the well, but some suggest that FW 2 (Ba-rich) is being produced. In addition, possibly due to slugging in the test separator, it has not been possible to correct the produced water analyses for their condensation water fraction to obtain a reliable estimate of the composition of FW 1. Therefore, there are uncertainties over the predicted scaling risks to this well. To try to reduce these uncertainties, a well testing procedure has been developed with the specific purpose of obtaining more reliable produced water samples from this well. This objective was achieved when the well test was implemented, and the resulting sample compositions showed that ET-14z initially produces only FW 2 (Ba-rich), then both FW 1 and FW 2 (Ba-rich) with the fraction of the latter decreasing over time. Throughout, condensation water dominates produced water production (>86%) whilst produced formation water rates are very low (<1 m3/day). A conceptual model to explain this behaviour has been developed in which the type of formation water being produced is determined by (a) differences in pressure between the Mey and Maureen Formations, (b) the duration of ET-14z shut-in and (c) the duration of subsequent production. The influence of formation pressures on the composition of commingled produced water has also been observed in the Veslefrikk Field, Norwegian North Sea. The results of the well test and associated model have allowed the range of production scaling risks for this well to be confirmed with more certainty.

The US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) is a global leader in the regulation of device combination products and founded the Office of Combination Products (OCP) in December 2002, Combination products range from physical or chemical combinations to products packaged together and separately packaged products that need to be used together. The OCP has developed many policies and guidance, in particular, the US FDA Human Factor Guidance, the regulatory lens for this paper (1, 2). In the Combination Product Human Factors component, the US FDA, similar to other leading agencies, in Europe, China, Japan, and WHO, stresses the importance of usability studies in medical device combination product design to promote patient ease of use and error reduction. This guidance further emphasizes the physical safety features of the device when used by the end-user. Device design flaws can cause injury to the end user and prescription compliance to the patient. End-users refer to healthcare practitioners: pharmacists, nurses, doctors administering the drug to the patient, or the patient administering it to oneself (4, 5). The 2024 US FDA draft and China’s National Medical Products Administration (Final, Oct. 2024) guidance are closely aligned in requiring manufacturers to use user-focused design principles in the design and development of new drug delivery devices and recommend specifications based on rigorous usability research rather than technical properties of device components (6, 7). New pharmaceutical products are generally developed for most of the population and largely exclude the special segments of the population which include pediatrics, geriatrics, and people with debilitating diseases or specific physical impairments. (1) Geriatric Population: Impaired vision, cognitive decline, motor sensory challenges.(2) Pediatric Population: Pediatric drug delivery systems repurposed from adult formulations and devices are difficult to administer, leading to compliance issues. Off-label use, physician- directed and Adult devices are difficult to use in pediatrics, i.e. Nasal, meter-dose, and dry powder inhalers. (3) Patient disabilities such as hand dexterity, and color blindness.(4) Patients with specific illness or disability: Rheumatoid Arthritis - Did you test your device or container closure with an arthritic glove; Schizophrenia - Very sensitive to any change in drug product appearance or design. There is a case for including Human Factor Engineering-led user-centric design principles and usability research in designing and developing device combination products targeting these special patient populations (8, 9, 10, 11).References1. Lauritsen, K. J., & Nguyen, T. (2009). Combination products regulation at the FDA. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 85(5), 468-470.2. Tian, J., Song, X., Wang, Y., Cheng, M., Lu, S., Xu, W. & Zhang, X. (2022). Regulatory perspectives of combination products. Bioactive Materials, 10, 492-503.3. Schillinger., D. C. (2004). The office of combination products: its roots, its creation, and its role. 4. Jackson, J. (2022, July 11). FDA “hit list” of highest priority medical device for human factor guidance, Blogarithmic Thinking, Starfish Medical.5. World Health Organization. (2022, July). WHO global model regulatory framework for medical devices including in vitro diagnostic medical devices6. Food and Drug Administration. 2024. , Guidance for Industry and FDA Staff. Purpose and Content of Use: Related Risk Analyses for Drugs, Biological Products, and Combination Products. Rockville: Food and Drug Administration.7. ClariMed. (2024, Aug). New NMPA Human Factors Guidelines for Medical Devices in China: What Manufacturers Need to Know.8. Espinoza, J., Shah, P., Nagendra, G., Bar-Cohen, Y., & Richmond, F. (2022). Pediatric medical device development and regulation: current state, barriers, and opportunities. Pediatrics, 149(5).9. Djukic et al., 2020). Training improves the handling of inhaler devices and reduces the severity of symptoms in geriatric patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.10. Schneider, A., Richard, P., Mueller, P., Jordi, C., Yovanoff, M., & Lange, J. (2021). User-Centric Approach to Specifying Technical Attributes of Drug Delivery Devices: Empirical Study of Autoinjector- Cap Removal Forces. Patient preference and adherence, 159-168.11. Randal McCarthy, R & Li, Z (2024, Feb.). The Role of Human Factors in the Design of Drug Delivery Systems to Optimize Patient and Heath Care Provider Use and Compliance, US Annual Medical Device Human Factors and Usability Engineering Conference, Boston.

The adaptive thermal comfort concept has been developed over many years and proven in numerous field studies (e.g. Webb 1964, Nicol and Humphreys 1973, Auliciems 1981b, de Dear et al. 1997, McCartney and Nicol 2002, Manu et al. 2016), showing that people are satisfied with a wide range of thermal conditions. Prerequisite is that people are provided with means to make themselves comfortable, that they know which opportunities they have, that it is socially acceptable to use these opportunities and that they are willing to use them (Hellwig, 2015). However, the overall understanding of how to design for such opportunities enabling the occupant to make themselves comfortable in relation to climate and building type, thus how to convert the adaptive thermal comfort concept into building design and concepts for operating buildings, is still limited. There are still common misunderstandings in the interpretation of the adaptive comfort approach among building planners and operators e.g. regarding the amount of control, the seriousness of this topic or the level of information needed by occupants for which reason guidance (e.g. CIBSE 2010, Cook et al. 2020) and knowledge transfer (e.g. Hellwig and Boerstra 2017, 2018) is absolutely essential. Consequently, there is still a gap between scientific research and real-world-application, which this report aims to diminish.

Aging infrastructure within the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) nuclear facilities poses a major challenge to their resiliency against natural phenomenon hazards. Examples of mission-critical facilities located in regions of high seismicity can be found at a number of NNSA sites including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Nevada National Security Site. Most of the nation’s currently operating nuclear facilities have already reached their operating lifetime, and most currently operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) have already reached the extent of their operating license period. While the domestic demand for electrical energy is expected to grow, if currently operating NPPs do not extend their operations and additional plants are not built quickly enough to replace them, the total fraction of electrical energy generated from carbon-free nuclear power will rapidly decline. The decision to extend operation is ultimately an economic one; however, economics can often be improved through technical advancements (McCarthy et al. 2015) and research and development (R&D) activities. Similarly, the operating lifetime of the current DOE- and NNSA-owned critical infrastructure can be extended using the Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) framework to systematically identify the risk associated with designing and operating existing facilities and building new ones. Using this framework consists of several steps, including (1) system analysis considering the interaction between components, such as evaluating the soil-foundation-structure system response; and (2) assessment of areas of uncertainty. Both of these steps are essential to assessing and reducing risks to the DOE and NNSA nuclear facilities. While the risks to the DOE’s facilities are primarily due to natural hazard phenomena, data from large-scale tests of the soil-foundation-structural system response to seismic shaking is currently lacking. This workshop aimed to address these key areas by organizing an international workshop focused on advancing the seismic safety of nuclear facilities using large-scale shake table testing. As a result, this workshop, which was held virtually, brought together a select group of international experts in large-scale shake table testing from the U.S., Japan, and Europe to discuss state-of-the-art experimental techniques and emerging instrumentation technologies that can produce unique experimental data to advance knowledge in natural hazards that impact the safety of the DOE’s nuclear facilities. The generated experimental data followed by research and development activities will ultimately result in updates to ASCE 4-16, one of the primary design guides for DOE nuclear facilities per DOE-STD-1020-2016. The ultimate objective of the workshop was to develop a “road map” for the future experimental campaign and innovative instrumentations using the newly constructed DOE-funded large-scale shake table facility at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) as well as other large-scale shake table testing facilities. This new facility resulted from a collaborative project engagement between UNR and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. (LBNL). This report summarizes the proceedings of the workshop and highlights the key outcomes from presentations and discussions.