The brain is often taken to be a paradigmatic example of a signaling system with semantic and representational properties, in which neurons are senders and receivers of information carried in action potentials. A closer look at this picture shows that it is not as appealing as it might initially seem in explaining the function of the brain. Working from several sender-receiver models within the teleosemantic framework, I will first argue that two requirements must be met for a system to support (...) genuine semantic information: 1. The receiver must be competent —that is, it must be able to extract rewards from its environment on the basis of the signals that it receives. 2. The receiver must have some flexibility of response relative to the signal received. In the second part of the paper, this initial framework will be applied to neural processes, pointing to the surprising conclusion that signaling at the single-neuron level is only weakly semantic at best. Contrary to received views, neurons will have little or no access to semantic information (though their patterns of activity may carry plenty of quantitative, correlational information) about the world outside the organism. Genuine representation of the world requires an organism - level receiver of semantic information, to which any particular set of neurons makes only a small contribution. (shrink)

From reviews of the hardback edition: a deep study of 20th century field ... of the conceptual origins and development of twentieth century field theories, ...

Philosophical proponents of predictive processing cast the novelty of predictive models of perception in terms of differences in the functional role and information content of neural signals. However, they fail to provide constraints on how the crucial semantic mapping from signals to their informational contents is determined. Beyond a novel interpretative gloss on neural signals, they have little new to say about the causal structure of the system, or even what statistical information is carried by the signals. That means that (...) the predictive framework for perception can be relabeled in traditional, non-predictive terms, with no empirical consequences relevant to existing or future data. To the extent that neuroscientific research based on predictive processing is both innovative and productive, it will be due to the framework’s suggestive heuristic effects, or perhaps auxiliary empirical claims about implementation, rather than a difference in the information-processing structure that it describes. (shrink)

This article examines whether the likelihood and amount of firm charitable giving in response to catastrophic events are related to firm advertising intensity, and whether industry competition level moderates this relationship. Using data on Chinese firms’ philanthropic response to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, we find that firm advertising intensity is positively associated with both the probability and the amount of corporate giving. The results also indicate that this positive advertising intensity-philanthropic giving relationship is stronger in competitive industries, and firms in (...) competitive industries are more likely to donate. This study thus provides evidence suggesting that even in the wake of catastrophic events, corporate philanthropic giving is strategic. (shrink)

What are the functional units of the brain? If the function of the brain is to process information-carrying signals, then the functional units will be the senders and receivers of those signals. Neurons have been the default candidate, with action potentials as the signals. But there are alternatives: synapses fit the action potential picture more cleanly, and glial activities (e.g., in astrocytes) might also be characterized as signaling. Are synapses or nonneuronal cells better candidates to play the role of functional (...) units? Will informational signaling still be the best model for brain function if we move beyond the neuron doctrine? (shrink)

Despite the increasingly multinational nature of the workplace, there have been few studies of the convergence and divergence in beliefs about ethics-based leadership across cultures. This study examines the meaning of ethical and unethical leadership held by managers in six societies with the goal of identifying areas of convergence and divergence across cultures. More specifically, qualitative research methods were used to identify the attributes and behaviors that managers from the People’s Republic of China (the PRC), Hong Kong, the Republic of (...) China (Taiwan), the United States (the U.S.), Ireland, and Germany attribute to ethical and unethical leaders. Across societies, six ethical leadership themes and six unethical leadership themes emerged from a thematic analysis of the open-ended responses. Dominant themes for ethical and unethical leadership for each society are identified and examined within the context of the core cultural values and practices of that society. Implications for theory, research, and management practice are discussed. (shrink)

In the literature, different axiomatizations of Public Announcement Logic (PAL) have been proposed. Most of these axiomatizations share a “core set” of the so-called “reduction axioms”. In this paper, by designing non-standard Kripke semantics for the language of PAL, we show that the proof system based on this core set of axioms does not completely axiomatize PAL without additional axioms and rules. In fact, many of the intuitive axioms and rules we took for granted could not be derived from the (...) core set. Moreover, we also propose and advocate an alternative yet meaningful axiomatization of PAL without the reduction axioms. The completeness is proved directly by a detour method using the canonical model where announcements are treated as merely labels for modalities as in normal modal logics. This new axiomatization and its completeness proof may sharpen our understanding of PAL and can be adapted to other dynamic epistemic logics. (shrink)

China does not seem to believe the existence of universally acknowledged values in science and fails to promote the observation of such values that also should be applied to every member of the scientific community and at all times. Or, there is a separation between the practice of science in China and the values represented by modern science. In this context, science, including the pursuit of the Nobel Prize, is more a pragmatic means to achieve the end of the political (...) leadership – the national pride in this case – than an institution laden with values that govern its practices. However, it is the recognition and respect of the latter that could lead to achievement of the former, rather than the other way around. (shrink)

Ethics education has become essential in modern engineering. Ethics education in engineering has been increasingly implemented worldwide. It can improve ethical behaviors in technology and engineering design under the guidance of the philosophy of technology. Hence, this study aims to compare China-US engineering ethics education in Sino-Western philosophies of technology by using literature studies, online surveys, observational researches, textual analyses, and comparative methods. In my original theoretical framework and model of input and output for education, six primary variables emerge in (...) the pedagogy: disciplinary statuses, educational goals, instructional contents, didactic models, teaching methods, and edificatory effects. I focus on the similarities and differences of engineering ethics educations between China and the US in Chinese and Western philosophies of technology. In the field of engineering, the US tends toward applied ethics training, whereas China inclines toward practical moral education. The US is the leader, particularly in the amount of money invested and engineering results. China has quickened its pace, focusing specifically on engineering labor input and output. Engineering ethics is a multiplayer game effected at various levels among lower level technicians and engineers, engineering associations, and stockholders; middle ranking engineering ethics education, the ministry of education, the academy of engineering, and the philosophy of technology; and top national and international technological policies. I propose that professional engineering ethics education can play many important roles in reforming engineering social responsibility by international cooperation in societies that are becoming increasingly reliant on engineered devices and systems. Significantly, my proposals contribute to improving engineering ethics education and better-solving engineering ethics issues, thereby maximizing engineering sustainability. (shrink)

This paper discusses the theme of “progress” in Australian and Chinese cultures in the period of 1920s and 1930s. During this period, both cultures had an outpouring of patriotic and sentimental feelings. In this social context, both cultures constructed a theme of “progress” – the transformation of natural environment with human power, or the active participation in social life, for the purpose of “civilization”, a concept closely connected with the idea of social engagement, transformation and modernization. In Australia, this ideology (...) was a continuation of the old idea of transforming “untamed” nature and bringing material progress through human labour; in China, it was a new theme which betrayed the old “reclusive” spirit. In Australia, it is represented most clearly in film, in China, it is represented in both film and painting. (shrink)

This essay sets out to search for an equivalent Chinese word to the English word ‘justice’ in classical Chinese language, through ancient Chinese philosophical texts, imperial codes and idioms. The study found that there does not seem to be a linguistic sign for ‘justice’ in classical Chinese, and further, yi resembles ‘justice’ in some ways and has been used sometimes to translate ‘justice’, but yi is a complex concept in traditional Chinese philosophy with multiple meanings and it is dissimilar to (...) ‘justice’ in their semantic and pragmatic meanings in Chinese and English legal culture. While ‘justice’ is a keyword and fundamental to Western law, yi is not a legal word or concept in classical Chinese in traditional China. Given its complexity, yi does not have a one-to-one equivalent in English. It sometimes carries a sense of ‘righteousness’ and occasionally ‘justice’, but yi and ‘justice’ are not equivalent. In view of these, it becomes understandable that the translations of yi in contemporary Chinese usage vary ranging from ‘friendship and justice’ to ‘greater good’, among others. The meaning of yi is still uncertain and context sensitive as it was two thousand years ago. (shrink)

Retractable roofs are commonly used in designing large-span stadiums because of their versatility. However, retractable roofs are subject to sudden changes in shape, and thus, factors in addition to those considered for conventional roofs need to be taken into account. In particular, retractable roofs are considerably more sensitive to snow loads because their shapes are complex, and snowdrift on roofs may lead to difficulties for the operating of retractable roofs. To investigate the distribution of snow on retractable roofs, this study (...) proposes a method based on a numerical simulation of snowdrift obtained using the Euler–Euler method in multiphase flow theory. This numerical model employs a mixture model by using the commercial computational fluid dynamics software FLUENT. A suitable turbulence model is selected for the simulation through verification against two-dimensional data obtained from field measurements reported in previous studies. However, the snow load on retractable roofs cannot be determined by a 2D distribution easily. The accuracy of predicting the overall distribution of snow load on roofs was verified by experiments conducted on a horizontally retractable roof. The results show that a nonuniform snow distribution on such roofs is distinct and should be considered. (shrink)

Social capital can serve as informal governance in weak investor-protection regimes. Using hand-collected data on entrepreneurs’ political connections and firm ownership, we construct several original measures of social capital and examine their effect on the performance of entrepreneurial firms in China after their initial public offerings. Political connections or a high percentage of external investors tend to enhance firm performance, but intragroup related-party transactions commonly lead to performance decline. These forms of social capital have a strong influence on the performance (...) of Chinese firms, whereas formal governance variables such as board size or board independence have little effect. Although social capital may serve as an informal governance mechanism and effectively substitute for formal governance mechanisms in an emerging market, this role of social capital raises several ethical concerns, notably the development of rent-seeking and crony capitalism. (shrink)

Business Ethics: A European Review, EarlyView.

Currently, abortion can be lawfully performed in China at any gestational stage for a wide range of social and medical reasons. I critically explore the Chinese regulatory model of abortion in order to examine its practical effects on women. Although I focus on the post-Maoist abortion law, I also analyse the imperial Confucianism-dominated regulation and the Maoist ban on abortion in order to scrutinise the emergence of the notion of ‘glorious motherhood’. By examining how ‘glorious motherhood’ is constructed and reinforced (...) in the Chinese family planning context, I argue that the post-Maoist government intentionally made abortion ‘law in the books’ unrestrictive in order to impose its control over female fertility. As a result of this, women are persuaded and even forced to lead a ‘glorious’ maternal life, which means sacrificing themselves for the purpose of achieving the state’s Malthusian and eugenic demographic goals. Furthermore, I argue that, in addition to exacerbating gender oppression, abortion law’s embrace of the idea of ‘glorious motherhood’ also produces ‘group oppression’ of unmarried women and working-class women. (shrink)

For theorists interested in screen cultures and the digital economy, looking beyond Facebook and YouTube prompts a more refined conceptualization of participation and monetization on social networks. This paper examines YY as representative of Chinese platforms that monetize spectacles of social inequality. I first discuss why these financially successful platforms have eluded the attention of media and cultural critics, and then explain how these social network platforms blend subversive texting with streaming through a format called ‘bullet screen’. This format collapses (...) social inequality into a spectacle of money flowing and vanishing on screen. This investigation contributes to the theoretical discussion of mixed-semiotics, reorients several Marxian neologisms and explains what texting means on screen in both semiotic and economic terms. (shrink)

The pore structure controls the formation processes of tight oil reservoirs. It is meaningful to study the characteristics and origin of the pore structure of the tight oil reservoir. We have analyzed the pore structure of the tight oil reservoir by thin sections, scanning electron microscopy, and mercury intrusion porosimetry. We analyze the origin of the pore structure based on sedimentological, diagenetic, and tectonism processes. The porosity of the tight oil reservoirs is mainly approximately 2%–10%, and the permeability is mainly (...) from 0.01 to 0.3 mD. The pores of the lacustrine tight oil reservoir can be classified into the primary pore and the secondary pore. The main pores are matrix micropores and clay intercrystalline pores, as well as a few dissolved pores. However, the primary residual intergranular pore has almost disappeared, leading to a poor connectivity with a general size between 20 and 50 μm. The pore throat is divided into three categories according to the porosity, permeability, and throat size and distribution. We determine that the pore structure of the lacustrine tight oil reservoir is related to sedimentary, diagenetic processes, and later tectonic events. The compaction and cementation are the main factors, whereas the dissolution and tectonic events have minor effects. (shrink)

The degree of organic matter enrichment in shale determines its oil and gas potential. To understand the factors controlling this OM enrichment, we have used petrological and geochemical analyses to study the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation Shale in the eastern shelf margin of the Yangtze Block. Our results reveal that the total organic carbon content of the Niutitang Formation Shale varies significantly throughout the vertical section. The lower part of the Niutitang Formation has a high TOC content, likely due to (...) its formation in a dysoxic/anoxic environment with intense upwelling that favored OM enrichment. The middle part of the Niutitang Formation has the highest TOC content, which can be attributed to its formation in an environment with more hydrothermal activity, moderately upwelling, high paleosalinity, dysoxic/anoxic conditions, and moderately restricted water contents. Finally, the upper part of the Niutitang Formation records the lowest TOC contents because it likely formed in an oxic to dysoxic environment with weakly restricted hydrographic conditions that did not favor the preservation of OM. Therefore, these data demonstrate that the factors controlling OM enrichment in the Niutitang Formation Shale on the shelf margin include intense upwelling, greater amounts of hydrothermal activity, high paleosalinity, dysoxic/anoxic conditions, and moderately restricted water contents. (shrink)

This paper discusses the out lag synchronization of fractional order complex networks including both internal delay and coupling delay and with the employment of pinning control scheme. Using comparison theorem and constructing the auxiliary function, several synchronization criterions by linear feedback pinning control are presented. The model and the obtained results in this work are more general than the previous works. Correctness and effectiveness of the theoretical results are validated through numerical simulations.

Recently implemented Chinese health insurance schemes have failed to achieve a Chinese health care system that is family-oriented, family-based, family-friendly, or even financially sustainable. With this diagnosis in hand, the authors argue that a financially and morally sustainable Chinese health care system should have as its core family health savings accounts supplemented by appropriate health insurance plans. This essay’s arguments are set in the context of Confucian moral commitments that still shape the background culture of contemporary China.

This study examines the impact of mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility reporting on firms’ financial reporting quality using a quasi-natural experiment in China that mandates a subset of firms to report their CSR activities starting in 2008. We find that mandatory CSR disclosure firms constrain earnings management after the policy. The result is robust to a battery of sensitivity tests and more prominent for firms with lower analyst coverage. Further analyses reveal that upward earnings management by mandatory disclosure firms is more (...) likely to be caught after the policy. The findings suggest that mandatory CSR disclosure mitigates information asymmetry by improving financial reporting quality. (shrink)

Tian Yu Cao has written a serious and scholarly book covering a great deal of physics. He ranges from classical relativity theory, both special and general, to relativistic quantum …eld theory, including non-Abelian gauge theory, renormalization theory, and symmetry-breaking, presenting a detailed and very rich picture of the mainstream developments in quantum physics; a remarkable feat. It has, moreover, a philosophical message: according to Cao, the development of these theories is inconsistent with a Kuhnian view of theory change, and supports (...) better a quali…ed realism. (shrink)

The antifloating property of underground structures in areas with high underground water levels is a key design aspect. Evaluating the buoyancy forces acting on underground structures is complicated, particularly in the presence of confined water beneath the structures. Herein, the effects of the permeability coefficient of layered soil, hydraulic gradient, and embedment depth of the aquiclude on the buoyancy force acting on underground structures are investigated through three model tests: calibration of the test system, buoyancy force acting on a structure (...) located in homogeneous soil considering vertical direction seepage, and buoyancy force acting on a structure located in layered soil considering vertical seepage of confined water. The results show that the pore pressure along the structure and the buoyancy force acting on the underground structure considering seepage are greater than those obtained under hydrostatic conditions. The raising ratios of the pore pressure and buoyancy force are equal to the vertical hydraulic gradient when seepage occurs in homogeneous soil. In the presence of confined water, the raising ratio is significantly greater than the hydraulic gradient. In the cases studied herein, the raising ratio is approximately twice the hydraulic gradient. Simplified equations are proposed to calculate the buoyancy force acting on underground structures considering the vertical seepage of confined water. Finally, a finite element analysis is carried out to verify the conclusions obtained from the model test and the rationality of the proposed equations. (shrink)

This paper investigates the problem of stabilization for semi-Markov chaotic systems with fuzzy sampled-data controllers, in which the semi-Markov jump has generally uncertain transition rates. The exponential stability condition is firstly obtained by the following two main techniques: To make full use of the information about the actual sampling pattern, a novel augmented input-delay-dependent Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional is firstly introduced. Meanwhile, a new zero-value equation is established to increase the combinations of component vectors of the resulting vector. The corresponding fuzzy sampled-data (...) controllers are designed based on the stability condition. Finally, the validity and merits of the developed theories are shown by two numerical examples. (shrink)

Poor imaging is frequently observed in many subsalt regions, making the subsalt stratigraphy interpretation and prospect evaluation challenging. We propose a critical reflection illumination analysis to evaluate subsalt illumination in areas where high-velocity contrasts create illumination and imaging shadows. Critical reflection often occurs at the base or flank of salt bodies. If critical reflection occurred, continued iterations of processing and imaging would generate little, if any, improvement in imaging results. Similarly, increasing the offset/azimuth of the acquisition would offer limited or (...) no advantage. We introduce the critical reflection illumination map and illumination rose diagram to efficiently and effectively evaluate the probability of critical reflection for the target. This analysis can help avoid expensive processing, imaging, and acquisition efforts for areas that are in the critical/postcritical reflection regime. Critical reflection illumination analysis can also be applied to other high-velocity contrast scenarios. (shrink)