Showing papers on "Space (commercial competition) published in 1989"

Real space and represented space: Cross-cultural perspectives

Abstract: This paper examines the contribution of cross-cultural studies to our understanding of the perception and representation of space. A cross-cultural survey of the basic difficulties in understanding pictures—ranging from the failure to recognise a picture as a representation to the inability to recognise the object represented in the picture— indicates that similar difficulties occur in pictorial and nonpictorial cultrues. The experimental work on pictorial space derives from two distinct traditions: the study of picture perception in “remote” populations and the study of the perceptual illusions. A comprison of the findings on pictorial space perception with those on real space perceptual illusions. A comparison of findings on pictorial space perception with those on real space perception and perceptual constancy suggersts that cross-cultural differences in the perception of both real and representational space involve two different types of skills: those related exclusively to either real space or representational space, and those related to both. Different cultural groups use different skills to perform the same perceptual tasks.

Networks of Communicating Processes and Their (De-)Composition

Abstract: In this paper we sketch a general framework within which a study of networks of processes can be conducted. It is based upon the mathematical technique to abstract from irrelevant detail. We start out with a large class of objects and some operations upon them. Depending upon a correctness criterion to be imposed, some of these objects turn out to be equivalent. The resulting space of equivalence classes and operations upon them is, under certain conditions, the (fully) abstract space of interest for that particular correctness concern.

Outer Space: Problems Of Law And Policy

Abstract: This book examines the international and domestic American legal problems associated with activity in outer space from a strong policy perspective, with particular attention given to problems associated with space commercialization and with military activities in outer space. Outer Space: Problems of Law and Policy is indispensable as a casebook, reference, and self-teaching tool for students, practitioners, academics, and members of the aerospace industry.

Military Space Forces: The Next 50 Years

Abstract: Complex technology and issues of military space forces are made comprehensible to the concerned reader. Citizens are provided with an essential frame of reference for dealing with the future. Illustrated.

Robust interactive decision-analysis (RID): Behavioral results and implications

Abstract: We have proposed a novel interactive procedure for performing decision analysis, called Robust Interactive Decision Analysis (RID), which permits a decision maker (DM) to voluntarily and interactively express strong (viz, sure) binary preferences for actions, partial decision functions, and full decision functions, and only imprecise probability and utility function assessments. These serve as INPUTS TO operators to prune the state probability space and decision space until an optimal choice strategy is obtained. The viability of the RID approach depends on a DM's ability to provide such information consistently and meaningfully. On a limited scale we experimentally investigate the behavioral implications of the RID method in order to ascertain its potential operational feasibility and viability. More specifically, we examine whether a DM can (1) express strong preferences between pairs of vectors of unconditional and conditional payoffs or utilities consistently; (2) provide imprecise (ordinal and interval) state probabilities that are individually as well as mutually consistent with the state probabilities imputed from the expressed strong preferences. The results show that a DM can provide strong individually and mutually consistent preference and ordinal probability information. Moreover, most individuals also appear to be able to provide interval probabilities that are individually and mutually consistent with their strong preference inputs. However, the several violations observed, our small sample size, and the limited scope of our investigation suggest that further experimentation is needed to determine whether and/or how such inputs should be elicited. Overall, the results indicate that the RID method is behaviorally viable.

Knowledge formation through context formalization

Abstract: The method for context formalization based on empirical analysis is suggested. The contextual space is defined to describe the notions of problem area using linguistic estimates of attributes. The constructive method of knowledge base automatic formation is presented

Lost in computer space

Abstract: This paper reviews the difficulties commonly experienced by non‐professional computer users and the remedies proposed for these problems.

Arrangement of stands for coin-operated entertainment machines

Abstract: Arrangement of stands for coin-operated entertainment machines. Particularly in amusement arcades, stands on which a plurality of entertainment machines are arranged next to one another are employed. The new device for receiving entertainment machines is to be adaptable to the prevailing conditions of space of an amusement arcade. The meander-shaped wall-like device for receiving entertainment machines consists of individual stands, to each of which an entertainment machine can be fastened, the said entertainment machines being joined together by means of fitting parts.

Social Space and Nonprofane Places in a Japanese Village

Abstract: In recent years, social geographers have dealt with problems regarding the social construction of space. Their studies, whether explicitly or implicitly, separate society and space conceptually. From this perspective the author focuses on the structuring of rural space by social subjects (territorial social groups and the political powers ruling them). While ‘social space’ in the title is here defined as subjective space occupied by territorial social groups and expressed symbolically by them as their own, ‘nonprofane place’ includes liminal places, sacred places and places of fear (places said to be haunted and graveyards) constructed by social subjects. This paper aims at: 1) reconstructing how the rural space is structured by social spaces and nonprofane places and 2) interpreting the meaning of the rural space as a structured whole. A case study was made in Shimosagawa, a village on the Yamato Plateau, Nara Prefecture.Shimosagawa as a social group is divided into six shoshurakus (small settlements) given proper names. Moreover, shoshuraku are divided into kinrinshudans (neighborhood groups). Subjective social spaces of these groups can be detected only through overt group behavior interpreted as bounding and expressing those spaces. Most shoshuraku formerly performed the mushiokuri (an evil-exorcising ritual) in each specific place (mushiokuri-ba), which may be interpreted as the liminal place symbolic of shoshuraku's social space. And each shoshuraku is in charge of its own network of paths, which is considered a visible manifestation of the group's social space. On the other hand, neighborhood groups are reorganized into many groups performing the tondo (a ritual seeing off of the deity). The place where the ritual is performed (tondo-ba) symbolizes a tondo group's social space. Thus, subjective social space is symbolically expressed rather than territorially defined.Besides mushiokuri-ba and tondo-ba, various types of nonprofane places were constructed by shoshurakus. But neighborhood groups are hardly concerned with the construction of such places.In terms of the distribution of social spaces and nonprofane places, the structure of Shimosagawa space is interpretatively reconstructed as in Fig. 9. The relationship between shoshuraku's social space and tondo group's is not hierarchical, but the latter constitutes the ordinary part of Shimosagawa space on a level different from the former. Most shoshurakus have performed the fujigoritori (a ritual praying for the group's safety in the river) in each specific sacred place on the riverbank, where, in addition, are located some other sacred places. Therefore, the riverbank in Shimosagawa can be regarded as a space able to produce sacred places and is here called ‘sacred space’. Sacred places are also located outside the space. Graveyards are in the periphery of Shimosagawa space, and in gaps between shoshuraku's social spaces are the places said to be haunted. These places of fear are all in a dim, deserted space, here referred to as ‘wilderness’, which is a contextual space productive of the former. Shimosagawa space as structured in this way is not a social space subjectively bounded and expressed. Rather, the space has the meaning as an ‘institutionalized region’ in Paasi (1986)'s sense, constructed by the political power of a medieval lord.

Perceptual Space is Monadic

Abstract: The defense involved (a) responding to some objections; and (b) offering an independent argument in support of the theory. One prevalent objection asserts that predicates such as 'sinister' which are alleged by (MT) to designate monadic positional properties actually designate relational properties such as being to the left of the center point of the visual field. After arguing that this objection is unfounded, I pointed out that even if it were true, it would not establish that (MT) is false.' For the property of being in the center of the visual field is irreducibly nonrelational. Lorne Falkenstein offers two objections to my defense of (MT). He maintains "that it is possible to give a purely relational account of locations in visual space . . . [aind . . . that it is Casullo's monadic account of perceptual space which involves a tacit reliance on spatial relations rather than the other way around."3 His supporting arguments, however, are not convincing. He argues for the first claim by offering a relational analysis of the property being in the center of the visual field:

The Commercialization of Outer Space: Opportunities and Obstacles for American Business

Abstract: The Uses and Importance of Outer Space to the United States Economic Opportunities in and Obstacles to Space Commercialization: An Overview Space Operators Materials Processing in Space Spin-offs and Market Opportunities SDI Is Big Business A Methodology for Identifying Customers for In-Orbit Facilities How to Market to NASA Space Insurance: Its Role and Importance Space Law Appendix A: Space Business Publications Appendix B: Firms Involved in Space Commerce Index

A metaphysical introduction to a relational theory of space

Abstract: Relational theories of space can be divided into two sorts, pure relational theories and impure relational theories.1 Pure relational theories reduce spatial things, such as points of space and shapes of material objects, to non-spatial things; it is usually difficult to specify exactly what those nonspatial things are.2 Impure relational theories reduce some spatial things, such as spatial points, to other spatial things, such as the shapes of material objects and the spatial relations between them. For an impure theory the points of space are, in some way, ontologically dependent on the material objects, so it could be said that space vanishes when the objects vanish. The purpose of this paper is to discuss an impure relational theory of space where this does not happen.3 If the points of space are to be understood relationally, then it seems unreasonable to regard the whole of space itself as the sum of those points. On such a view, space itself would be an ontologically obscure notion, and space would vanish when the objects vanished. In the theory put forward in this paper, we make a distinction between space itself, which we call 'the void' to mark the distinction, and the points of space, which are contingent on material objects. I call it a relational theory, because the void provides no notion of absolute rest or absolute velocity, despite the fact that the void appears to be similar to absolute space.4 The theory has affinities with both

The space logistics challenge

Abstract: The application of standard logistics analysis to military activities in space is discussed. Consideration is given to space-system segmentation, orbital placement, orbital maneuvers, and space assembly and maintenance options. It is argued that plans for a normalized space infrastructure should consider the total space support requirements and not be based on just the needs of a particular system. >