Metaphysics of love in the religious philosophy of Pável Florensky

This article focuses on the analysis of the concept of love in the religious philosophy of Pavel Florensky, who shares the ontological approach to the consideration of love with other representatives of Russian religious philosophy (N. berdyaev and S. bulgakov). We pay more careful attention to the understanding of love-άγαπαν by Florensky. We have drawn the conclusion that, in the philosophy of P. Florensky, Love, closely connected with truth and beauty, is considered an ontological basis existence of personality. We develop the ideas of Pavel Florensky, and accordingly assume that it is possible to synthesise love-agape and love-eros around the idea of sacrificial love. Agapelogical and erotical ‘bezels’ of one jewel of love is aspects of united love, which is given by God. this gift of God, the gift of united love, is kept by humans through prayer and deeds of love.

What is this thing called Historical Archaeology?

Historical archaeology, in its narrow temporal sense -as an archaeology of the emergence and subsequent evolution of the Modern world- is steadily taking pace in Spanish academia. This paper aims at provoking a more robust debate through understanding how Spanish historical archaeology is placed in the international scene and some of its more relevant particularities. In so doing, the paper also stresses the strong links that have united historical and prehistorical archaeology since its inception, both in relation to the ontological, epistemological and methodological definition of the first as to the influence of socio-political issues in the latter. Such reflection is partly a situated reflection from prehistory as one of the paper’s authors has been a prehistorian for most of her professional life.

Desde una arqueología inclusiva, por un pasado mejor. Un ensayo epistemológico y axiológico

En este trabajo se reflexiona sobre la necesidad de un marco epistemológico inclusivo que aborde la multivocalidad de los procesos históricos objeto de estudio y permita crear relatos históricos más plurales y representativos. Pero el relato sobre el pasado será mejor si, además de ser inclusivo a nivel epistemológico, también contribuye de alguna manera a mejorar la sociedad actual. Por ello se reclama una arqueología que incluya una preocupación axiológica y busque posibles ámbitos de aplicación para los resultados de sus investigaciones. Ejemplificamos esta reivindicación con un caso de estudio sobre cerámica, que subraya que los objetos cotidianos fueron y son utilizados en las estrategias de construcción social de la desigualdad. En este contexto se reclama la toma de consciencia de esta práctica en la actualidad y la renuncia a determinados recursos discursivos. Por ejemplo, se propone retomar el concepto inclusivo, este vez para oponerlo a la significación social del adjetivo exclusivo. Aunque todas estas reflexiones derivan de casos de estudio de arqueología histórica, pueden ser útiles a la arqueología en general, sin sesgo cronológico alguno.

El dinero en la historia del pensamiento econ��mico: la teoría monetaria postkeynesiana y su confrontación con la ortodoxia

Las disputas en torno a determinados aspectos del dinero, como su neutralidad y el carácter endógeno o exógeno de la oferta monetaria, han sido permanentes entre las distintas escuelas de pensamiento y autores, estando su origen, probablemente, en la época de desarrollo del pensamiento escolástico. En este artículo pretendemos, en primer lugar, realizar un recorrido cronológico e histórico sobre el tratamiento científico econ��mico del dinero, para, en segundo lugar, poner sobre la mesa la macroeconomía ortodoxa a la que han dado lugar las interpretaciones al respecto, así como los enfoques alternativos frente a este pensamiento dominante. Finalmente, intentamos poner en valor los desarrollos monetarios post-keynesianos, integrados en lo que denominan “Economía Monetaria de Producción���, confrontándolos con la llamada Nueva Síntesis Neoclásica.

Magnetic field generation during intense laser channelling in underdense plasma

Channel formation during the propagation of a high-energy (120 J) and long duration (30 ps) laser pulse through an underdense deuterium plasma has been spatially and temporally resolved via means of a proton imaging technique, with intrinsic resolutions of a few micron and a few ps, respectively. Conclusive proof is provided that strong azimuthally symmetric magnetic fields with a strength of around 0.5 MG are created inside the channel, consistent with the generation of a collimated beam of
relativistic electrons. The inferred electron beam characteristics may have implications for the cone-free fast-ignition scheme of inertial confinement fusion

Food for Pollinators: Quantifying the Nectar and Pollen Resources of Urban Flower Meadows

Planted meadows are increasingly used to improve the biodiversity and aesthetic amenity value of urban areas. Although many ‘pollinator-friendly’ seed mixes are available, the floral resources these provide to flower-visiting insects, and how these change through time, are largely unknown. Such data are necessary to compare the resources provided by alternative meadow seed mixes to each other and to other flowering habitats. We used quantitative surveys of over 2 million flowers to estimate the nectar and pollen resources offered by two exemplar commercial seed mixes (one annual, one perennial) and associated weeds grown as 300m2 meadows across four UK cities, sampled at six time points between May and September 2013. Nectar sugar and pollen rewards per flower varied widely across 65 species surveyed, with native British weed species (including dandelion, Taraxacum agg.) contributing the top five nectar producers and two of the top ten pollen producers. Seed mix species yielding the highest rewards per flower included Leontodon hispidus, Centaurea cyanus and C. nigra for nectar, and Papaver rhoeas, Eschscholzia californica and Malva moschata for pollen. Perennial meadows produced up to 20x more nectar and up to 6x more pollen than annual meadows, which in turn produced far more than amenity grassland controls. Perennial meadows produced resources earlier in the year than annual meadows, but both seed mixes delivered very low resource levels early in the year and these were provided almost entirely by native weeds. Pollen volume per flower is well predicted statistically by floral morphology, and nectar sugar mass and pollen volume per unit area are correlated with flower counts, raising the possibility that resource levels can be estimated for species or habitats where they cannot be measured directly. Our approach does not incorporate resource quality information (for example, pollen protein or essential amino acid content), but can easily do so when suitable data exist. Our approach should inform the design of new seed mixes to ensure continuity in floral resource availability throughout the year, and to identify suitable species to fill resource gaps in established mixes.

Wildlife as a Priority in Park Development: A Study of Illinois Park Professionals

The purpose of this thesis is to consider the factors that impact decision making in city park settings, with specific emphasis given to wildlife. Additionally, professional bias was considered as a possible response determinant. Studies connecting perceptions of wildlife and Illinois park managers have been rare or nonexistent, but offer the potential for the improvement of management strategies and recreational opportunities. Data was collected using mixed methods. City recreation practitioners statewide were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire considering wildlife as a decision-making factor in land acquisition or restoration decisions. A small follow-up sample of park managers was interviewed via telephone for further explanation of their response. Analysis of responses from questionnaires and interviews suggested that wildlife habitat is a factor in land use decision making, but is not considered one of the highest importance. Respondents identified that nuisance wildlife, access to wildlife, and public value of wildlife were also factors in decision making. Factors associated with a high-ranking of the importance of wildlife were agencies with a high number of natural area acres, a high number of overall park acreage, personnel devoted to natural area management, the presence of hiking trails, and cities with a large population. Professional bias of recreation managers was suggested via anecdotal interview data, but could not be empirically connected with wildlife-related decision-making processes, as no managers identified themselves as having completed formal wildlife-related training. As a result, management implications include separate training for both practitioners and public. This study broadens the understanding of wildlife management in city park settings, and reaffirms that further understanding of public and pracitioner values of wildlife will lead to improved land use decisions and recreationally valuable experiences.

Composts addition may improve biology in cotton soils

Composts can provide a source of organic carbon and nutrients for soil biota and increase soil fertility as well as provide other biological and structural benefits hence compost addition to cotton soils is seen as a way to improve cotton soil biological health and fertility. In a six month incubation experiment we analysed the changes in microbial populations and activities related to C and N cycling following the application of feedlot, poultry manure and gin trash compost materials. A significant variation in the chemical composition, e.g. major nutrients and trace elements, was found between the three compost products. The feedlot compost generally contained higher levels of dissolved organic carbon, total nitrogen and bicarbonate extractable phosphorus whereas the Gin trash compost had lower carbon and nutrient concentrations. The effect of compost addition @ 5 and 10t/ha generally increased microbial activity but the effect was only evident during the first two weeks of incubation. Composts effects on the abundance of total bacteria (16S), nitrifying (amoA), nitrogen fixing (nifH) and denitrifying bacteria (nosZ) and total fungi (ITS gene) varied between different composts. The addition of feedlot and poultry compost material significantly increased the levels of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) in soil compared to that in control soils while ‘Gin trash’ compost had no effect. These differences reflected in the microbial catabolic diversity changes in the compost amended soils. Therefore, chemical analysis of the compost material before application is recommended to more fully consider its’ potential benefits.

A critical study of John Hick's religious pluralism

This study examines the pluralistic hypothesis advanced by the late Professor John Hick viz. that all religious faiths provide equally salvific pathways to God, irrespective of their theological and doctrinal differences. The central focus of the study is a critical examination of (a) the epistemology of religious experience as advanced by Professor Hick, (b) the ontological status of the being he understands to be God, and further asks (c) to what extent can the pluralistic view of religious experience be harmonised with the experience with which the Christian life is understood to begin viz. regeneration. Tracing the theological journey of Professor Hick from fundamentalist Christian to religious pluralist, the study notes the reasons given for Hick’s gradual disengagement from the Christian faith. In addition to his belief that the pre-scientific worldview of the Bible was obsolete and passé, Hick took the view that modern biblical scholarship could not accommodate traditionally held Christian beliefs. He conceded that the Incarnation, if true, would be decisive evidence for the uniqueness of Christianity, but rejected the same on the grounds of logical incoherence. This study affirms the view that the doctrine of the Incarnation occupies a place of crucial importance within world religion, but rejects the claim of incoherence. Professor Hick believed that God’s Spirit was at work in all religions, producing a common religious experience, or spiritual awakening to God. The soteriological dimension of this spiritual awakening, he suggests, finds expression as the worshipper turns away from self-centredness to the giving of themselves to God and others. At the level of epistemology he further argued that religious experience itself provided the rational basis for belief in God. The study supports the assertion by Professor Hick that religious experience itself ought to be trusted as a source of knowledge and this on the principle of credulity, which states that a person���s claim to perceive or experience something is prima facie justified, unless there are compelling reasons to the contrary. Hick’s argument has been extensively developed and defended by philosophers such as Alvin Plantinga and William Alston. This confirms the importance of Hick’s contribution to the philosophy of religion, and further establishes his reputation within the field as an original thinker. It is recognised in this thesis, however, that in affirming only the rationality of belief, but not the obligation to believe, Professor Hick’s epistemology is not fully consistent with a Christian theology of revelation. Christian theology views the created order as pre-interpreted and unambiguous in its testimony to God’s existence. To disbelieve in God’s existence is to violate one’s epistemic duty by suppressing the truth. Professor Hick’s critical realist principle, which he regards as the key to understanding what is happening in the different forms of religious experience, is examined within this thesis. According to the critical realist principle, there are realities external to us, yet we are never aware of them as they are in themselves, but only as they appear to us within our particular cognitive machinery and conceptual resources. All awareness of God is interpreted through the lens of pre-existing, culturally relative religious forms, which in turn explains the differing theologies within the world of religion. The critical realist principle views God as unknowable, in the sense that his inner nature is beyond the reach of human conceptual categories and linguistic systems. Professor Hick thus endorses and develops the view of God as ineffable, but employs the term transcategorial when speaking of God’s ineffability. The study takes the view that the notion of transcategoriality as developed by Professor Hick appears to deny any ontological status to God, effectively arguing him out of existence. Furthermore, in attributing the notion of transcategoriality to God, Professor Hick would appear to render incoherent his own fundamental assertion that we can know nothing of God that is either true or false. The claim that the experience of regeneration with which the Christian life begins can be classed as a mere species of the genus common throughout all faiths, is rejected within this thesis. Instead it is argued that Christian regeneration is a distinctive experience that cannot be reduced to a salvific experience, defined merely as an awareness of, or awakening to, God, followed by a turning away from self to others. Professor Hick argued against any notion that the Christian community was the social grouping through which God’s Spirit was working in an exclusively redemptive manner. He supported his view by drawing attention to (a) the presence, at times, of comparable or higher levels of morality in world religion, when contrasted with that evidenced by the followers of Christ, and (b) the presence, at times, of demonstrably lower levels of morality in the followers of Christ, when contrasted with the lives of other religious devotees. These observations are fully supported, but the conclusion reached is rejected, on the grounds that according to Christian theology the saving work of God’s Spirit is evidenced in a life that is changing from what it was before. Christian theology does not suggest or demand that such lives at every stage be demonstrably superior, when contrasted with other virtuous or morally upright members of society. The study concludes by paying tribute to the contribution Professor Hick has made to the field of the epistemology of religious experience.

W stron�� radykalnego pluralizmu religijnego

Książka stanowi poszerzon�� i uzupełnion�� wersję pracy magisterskiej, napisanej pod kierunkiem prof. Tadeusza Buksińskiego w Instytucie Filozofii im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu.

Language-based Techniques for Practical and Trustworthy Secure Multi-party Computations

Secure Multi-party Computation (MPC) enables a set of parties to collaboratively compute, using cryptographic protocols, a function over their private data in a way that the participants do not see each other's data, they only see the final output. Typical MPC examples include statistical computations over joint private data, private set intersection, and auctions. While these applications are examples of monolithic MPC, richer MPC applications move between "normal" (i.e., per-party local) and "secure" (i.e., joint, multi-party secure) modes repeatedly, resulting overall in mixed-mode computations. For example, we might use MPC to implement the role of the dealer in a game of mental poker -- the game will be divided into rounds of local decision-making (e.g. bidding) and joint interaction (e.g. dealing). Mixed-mode computations are also used to improve performance over monolithic secure computations. Starting with the Fairplay project, several MPC frameworks have been proposed in the last decade to help programmers write MPC applications in a high-level language, while the toolchain manages the low-level details. However, these frameworks are either not expressive enough to allow writing mixed-mode applications or lack formal specification, and reasoning capabilities, thereby diminishing the parties' trust in such tools, and the programs written using them. Furthermore, none of the frameworks provides a verified toolchain to run the MPC programs, leaving the potential of security holes that can compromise the privacy of parties' data. This dissertation presents language-based techniques to make MPC more practical and trustworthy. First, it presents the design and implementation of a new MPC Domain Specific Language, called Wysteria, for writing rich mixed-mode MPC applications. Wysteria provides several benefits over previous languages, including a conceptual single thread of control, generic support for more than two parties, high-level abstractions for secret shares, and a fully formalized type system and operational semantics. Using Wysteria, we have implemented several MPC applications, including, for the first time, a card dealing application. The dissertation next presents Wys*, an embedding of Wysteria in F*, a full-featured verification oriented programming language. Wys* improves on Wysteria along three lines: (a) It enables programmers to formally verify the correctness and security properties of their programs. As far as we know, Wys* is the first language to provide verification capabilities for MPC programs. (b) It provides a partially verified toolchain to run MPC programs, and finally (c) It enables the MPC programs to use, with no extra effort, standard language constructs from the host language F*, thereby making it more usable and scalable. Finally, the dissertation develops static analyses that help optimize monolithic MPC programs into mixed-mode MPC programs, while providing similar privacy guarantees as the monolithic versions.

Trace Oblivious Program Execution

The big data era has dramatically transformed our lives; however, security incidents such as data breaches can put sensitive data (e.g. photos, identities, genomes) at risk. To protect users' data privacy, there is a growing interest in building secure cloud computing systems, which keep sensitive data inputs hidden, even from computation providers. Conceptually, secure cloud computing systems leverage cryptographic techniques (e.g., secure multiparty computation) and trusted hardware (e.g. secure processors) to instantiate a “secure” abstract machine consisting of a CPU and encrypted memory, so that an adversary cannot learn information through either the computation within the CPU or the data in the memory. Unfortunately, evidence has shown that side channels (e.g. memory accesses, timing, and termination) in such a “secure” abstract machine may potentially leak highly sensitive information, including cryptographic keys that form the root of trust for the secure systems. This thesis broadly expands the investigation of a research direction called trace oblivious computation, where programming language techniques are employed to prevent side channel information leakage. We demonstrate the feasibility of trace oblivious computation, by formalizing and building several systems, including GhostRider, which is a hardware-software co-design to provide a hardware-based trace oblivious computing solution, SCVM, which is an automatic RAM-model secure computation system, and ObliVM, which is a programming framework to facilitate programmers to develop applications. All of these systems enjoy formal security guarantees while demonstrating a better performance than prior systems, by one to several orders of magnitude.

Propiedades psicométricas de los instrumentos para la medición de la actividad física en adultos con discapacidad física relacionada con lesión de médula espinal: una revisión sistemática

Objetivo: Evaluar las propiedades psicométricas de los instrumentos para la medición de la actividad física en adultos de 18-65 años con discapacidad física por lesión de médula espinal. Materiales y métodos: Revisión sistemática. Las bases de datos de Medline, Scopus, Web of Science y 19 revistas especializadas fueron consultadas durante once días entre abril de 2015 y febrero de 2016 para identificar estudios originales de validación, sin límite de tiempo y que estuvieran publicados en español, francés y/o inglés. La calidad metodológica de los instrumentos de medición se evaluó usando las diferentes cajas de propiedades de la lista COSMIN. Resultados: Se identificaron 9229 referencias, de las cuales sólo 12 cumplieron los criterios de inclusión, dando como resultado 13 instrumentos de medición. Se evaluaron seis propiedades psicométricas. La propiedad más común fue la confiabilidad, además se observó que la calidad metodológica de los estudios incluidos no representa los resultados de las propiedades psicométricas de los instrumentos de medición. La calidad metodológica de los instrumentos para la evaluación de la actividad física en población con lesión medular espinal es “baja” para propiedades como consistencia interna, error de medición, sensibilidad, validez de criterio (con excepción del WISCI II que tiene buena validez) y excelente para validez de contenido y fiabilidad. Conclusión: Se ha encontrado que instrumentos empleados hasta el presente en la medición de la actividad física en población con discapacidad física relacionada con lesión de médula espinal han sido creados para otros tipos de discapacidad y otros instrumentos deben ser validados en futuros estudios.