Showing papers by "Hampshire College published in 1997"

Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures

Abstract: This reference contains almost 6000 entries dealing with the history of the scientific, technological and medical accomplishments of cultures outside of the USA and Europe. It aims to bring together knowledge of many disparate fields in one place and to legitimize the study of other cultures' science. No superiority is claimed for other cultures, rather the aim is a mutual exchange of ideas. There are inter-cultural articles on a broad range of topics, such as mathematics and astronomy; philosophical articles on concepts and ideas related to the study of non-Western science, such as rationality, objectivity and method, religion and science, East and West, and magic and science; and more factual ones on topics such as China and the Islamic world, where individual scientists are known to us. Readers can compare disciplines across cultures (Chinese mathematics, trigonometry, maps, medicine, geography etc), and cultures across disciplines (for example, Islamic, Chinese, Indo-Malay, African, and native American astronomy). The entries are arranged alphabetically, with many cross-references, and bibliographies enable readers to move on to the scholarly literature.

Expanding the biocultural synthesis toward a biology of poverty

Abstract: Les AA. presentent et discutent brievement la demarche des contributions a ce numero dont l'objectif est d'explorer les nouvelles approches bioculturelles qui integrent l'analyse sociale, economique, et politique en biologie humaine, et qui centrent l'analyse sur les consequences biologiques de la pauvrete et des inegalites. Les articles presentes sont issus de deux symposiums tenus en 1994 par l'American Association of Physical Anthropologists et l'American Anthropological Association dont les intitules etaient respectivement : Perspectives sociales et d'economie politique en anthropologie biologique, et La biologie de la pauvrete. Les AA. soutiennent notamment que l'anthropologie biologique occupe une position particuliere dans le champ de l'anthropologie. L'integration des perspectives socioeconomiques et politiques de l'anthropologie sociale et culturelle aux perspectives sur l'ecologie et les processus d'adaptation de l'anthropologie biologique, met en evidence que la biologie humaine est affectee, au moins a court terme, par le controle, la production, et la repartition des ressources materielles, l'ideologie, et le pouvoir.

Investigating the Relationship Between Economic Status and HIV Risk

Abstract: Although anecdotal information suggests that there is a relationship between socioeconomic status and HIV risk, there have been few investigations of that possible relationship Understanding that relationship can have important implications for designing and implementing prevention programs This study investigated the relationship between indicators of socioeconomic status and HIV prevalence in Massachusetts using seroprevalence data from publicly funded test sites HIV seroprevalence was found to differ depending on demographic groups and the health care insurance/provider Those who had no insurance or were Medicaid recipients had higher rates of HIV infection Homeless individuals were also at higher risk Further, low-income ZIP codes in Massachusetts were four times more likely to have high seroprevalence rates among residents voluntarily testing for HIV Thus, HIV seroprevalence appears to be associated with socioeconomic status in this group of voluntarily tested individuals

Ergonomic string instrument

Abstract: The invention is an ergonomically constructed string instrument which is achieved by rotating both the nut and the bridge about a longitudinal axis in the direction from which the player's hand approaches, to the degree which is predetermined to accommodate a particular player. The invention addresses the high incidence of overuse or repetitive strain injuries suffered by players due to extreme wrist flexion.

Population Control I: Birth of an Ideology

Abstract: Population control, as a major international development strategy, is a relatively recent phenomenon. However, its origins reach back to social currents in the 19th and early 20th centuries, culminating in an organized birth control movement in Europe and the United States. The conflicts and contradictions in that movement's history presage many of today's debates over population policy and women's rights. Eugenics had a deep influence on the U.S. birth control movement in the first half of the 20th century. After World War II private agencies and foundations played an important role in legitimizing population control as a way to secure Western control over Third World resources and stem political instability. In the late 1960s the U.S. government became a major funder of population control programs overseas and built multilateral support through establishment of the U.N. Fund for Population Activities. At the 1974 World Population Conference, Third World governments challenged the primacy of population c...

Automatic generation of intelligent agent programs

Abstract: One cause for excitement about agent oriented AI is the belief that it is easier to write programs for many narrow, autonomous systems than for fewer, broader, user-driven systems. A related cause for excitement is the primary message of these comments: it is also easier to automatically generate agent programs. The artificial life, machine learning, and automatic programming literature already describes many experiments in which systems with agent-like properties have been automatically generated. Although most of the previously generated systems have been too simple to perform helpful tasks for actual users, recent advances suggest that useful intelligent agents will soon be within reach of these techniques. The paper focuses on one particular technology, genetic programming, but related points should apply to other automatic programming technologies.

Handbook of Black American Health: The Mosaic of Conditions, Issues, Policies, and Prospects

Abstract: Handbook of Black American Health: The Mosaic of Conditions, Issues, Policies, and Prospects. Ivor Lensworth Livingston, ed. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1994 (cloth). xxxv + 453 pp.

Regress arguments against the language of thought

Abstract: The Language of Thought Hypothesis (LOT) is a familiar theory in contemporary philosophy of mind, though it remains highly controversial.1 One of the most persistent and influential reasons for rejecting the theory is that it involves some kind of infinite regress. Indeed, in many circles the Regress Argument (as we will call it here) is considered decisive. Defenders of LOT, we are told, have failed to appreciate a pivotal turn in analytic philosophy and are repeating mistakes that Wittgenstein and others have warned us about time and again. Simon Blackburn's discussion in Spreading the Word is fairly representative. While endorsing the Regress Argument he suggests that it forms a central part of a set of 'considerations which are by now quite familiar in modern philosophy of language' that 'destroy' any 'dog-legged theory' Blackburn's term for a theory that holds that words are 'reinterpreted into another medium, such as that of Ideas, whose own powers explain the significance words take on' (Blackburn 1984: 40). We think this is all wrong. But, moreover, we think that even the most ardent supporters of LOT tend to give the Regress Argument too much credit. The argument is fundamentally mistaken. To show this, we will work through three crucial versions of the argument and point to the different ways supporters of LOT have handled them. Then we will offer our own response. Let's begin with Jerry Fodor's discussion in what has come to be the classic presentation and defence of LOT (in Fodor 1975). Fodor considers two versions of the Regress Argument, the first of which addresses the fact that natural languages are learned. The argument can be represented as follows. Regress on Learning (1) Natural languages are learned. (2) Supporters of LOT appeal to certain features of a postulated language of thought in order to explain this fact.

Designing interactive multimedia (panel)

Abstract: This paper presents contrasting metaphors and paradigms for designing interactive media interfaces. Multimedia interface designers and researchers with diverse backgrounds discuss their own design approaches and important design ‘issues. Discussion of these issues is continued beyond this paper through a web site:

Viscous liquid applicator

Abstract: The invention features an applicator for delivering a defined, adjustable quantity of a viscous liquid, in a short stream. The applicator can be used, for example, to accurately and easily apply oil to ears of sweet corn to prevent infestation by corn earworms.

Population Control II: The Population Establishment Today

Abstract: Although population assistance represents a relatively small share of official development assistance, it influences many other aspects of development planning. The organizations that comprise the population establishment have a common purpose--the reduction of population growth in the Third World--but they are not homogeneous and sometimes have conflicting goals and strategies. National governments, multilateral agencies, nongovernmental organizations, foundations, academic centers, and pressure groups all contribute to creating and sustaining what has become a virtual population control industry. Through scholarships, travel grants, awards, and favorable publicity, Third World elites have been encouraged to join the population establishment. The World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.N. Fund for Population Activities have pursued explicit strategies for pressuring Third World governments to design and implement population policies, most recently in Africa.

Social Justice in Outdoor Leadership.

Abstract: Equitable outdoor leadership responsive to social justice issues has historically been absent in the field of adventure education. The call for social justice in the field has been hampered by lack of information, negligible programmatic support, personal conditioning and bias, resistance to reform from those in power, and firmly established traditions in outdoor leadership. Researchers attempting to identify key competencies needed by leaders of outdoor adventures, for example, asked only experienced outdoor leaders for input. Since a disproportionate number of respondents were White males with advanced degrees, the voices of the poor, women, and racial minorities in the field were not prevalent in determining key components of outdoor leadership. Gender biased language, such as using the words "hard" and "soft" to describe skills better defined as "technical" or "interpersonal," has also made it difficult for the development of socially just programs. Most accreditation program literature is lacking in any mention of social and cultural competencies in outdoor leaders and program administrators. One example of a socially just program offering Bachelor's of Science and Master's of Science degrees in environmental education is examined. Contains 16 references. (Author/TSP) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** Social Justice in Outdoor Leadership Karen Warren Hampshire College OPRA Amherst, MA 01002 USA Phone: (413) 582-5470 Voice Mail: (413) 582-5745 Fax: (413) 582-5584 Email: kwCC@hamp.hampshire.edu Angel Russek Audubon Expedition Institute Box 365 Belfast, ME 04915 USA Phone: (207) 338-5859 ABSTRACT U.S. OEPARTNENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement ED TONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. 0 wodMinor charges quality. have been made to improveU.S. OEPARTNENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement ED TONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. 0 wodMinor charges quality. have been made to improve 1 Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY