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This essay discusses the futuristic view of radical human enhancement through the lenses of the transhumanist project. The focus of the essay is on the transhumanistic values proposed by Nick Bostrom, and the technological progress that transhumanism proposes. In this essay I ask if the transhumanist project is a desirable project and in our long-term interests as humans. I propose that at least two of three criteria must be fulfilled in order for any radical human enhancement project to be a desirable project. Of these 3 criteria, two will be addressed in this essay. The two criteria discussed is named “The worthwhile criterion”, and “The obsolescence criterion”. The thirds criteria regarding feasibility will not be addressed in this essay. The conclusion is that transhumanist project cannot fulfill these two criteria and thus it is not a desirable project. / Den här uppsatsen diskuterar den futuristiska synen på radikal mänsklig förbättring genom linserna av det transhumanistiska projektet. Fokuset i uppsatsen ligger på de transhumanistiska värderingar som förslagits av Nick Boström, och det de tekniska framstegen som transhumanism föreslår. I denna uppsats ställer jag frågan om det transhumanistiska projektet är ett önskvärt projekt i våra långsiktiga intressen som människor. Jag föreslår att åtminstone två av tre kriterier måste uppfyllas för att ett radikalt mänskligt förbättringsprojekt ska vara ett önskvärt projekt. Av dessa tre kriterier så kommer två att behandlas i denna uppsats. De två kriterierna som diskuteras heter ”Det värdefulla kriteriet” och ”Föråldrande kriteriet”. Det tredje kriteriet angående genomförbarhet kommer inte att behandlas i denna uppsats. Slutsatsen är att det transhumanistiska projektet inte kan uppfylla dessa två kriterier och därför inte är ett önskvärt projekt.

<p>This thesis develops a formalism of function tables, inspired by the work of D. Parnas. It adapts that formalism so as to apply to topological partial algebras, involving continuous partial functions on the reals. In particular, it studies semantics-preserving transformations between two classes of tables: normal and inverted. This leads to a 3-valued logic different from that used by Wei Lei (2007) who investigated the application of function tables to "error algebras".</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

<p>Peter Berger's commitment to religious values is remarkable if you consider that he is also committed to the "impossible struggle" for "valuefree research concerning mankind's ultimate values." Against "heartless observers" or technocrats, Berger argues (using sociology of knowledge,) that it is impossible to divorce oneself from the Lebenswelt, the world of values. Against ideologues on the other hand, he contends that one"s engagement to personal values need not prevent one from attempting to understand the world objectively. Against technocrats and ideologues Berger holds out an approach to religion which calls for the practice of "dual-citizenship." This approach enables one to be academically credible and responsive to the political, religious and scientific concerns of our epoch.</p> <p>My thesis centers on Berger's dual-citizenship approach to religion. Guided by the task of determining whether Berger's dual-citizenship constitutes an ''impossible struggle" or a workable model for the study of religion, the first part is devoted to explaining what dual-citizenship entails. The second part tests the coherence of Berger's approach. Rather than proposing a new method for the study of religion, my thesis has the more modest aim of unpacking and testing an already established approach in the field, namaly that of Peter Berger. </p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Reference intervals are important estimates used to determine whether an individual is healthy or unhealthy. They are the most widely used decision making tool in medicine and heavily influence doctor’s decisions regarding patient care. Despite the abundance of reference interval research in the field of clinical chemistry, age-related reference intervals have yet to be well-established for elderly populations. Many physiological and biochemical changes have been documented to occur with age however limited attempts have been made to quantify these changes. As a result, it is typical in clinical practice to assess geriatric patient data using an adult reference interval. Such practices can result in over-medicalization, unnecessary medical procedures and/or missed diagnoses. This thesis aims to address this gap in literature by summarizing what geriatric reference intervals are available and by investigating how reference intervals are affected by the presence of morbidity, a common characteristic of the elderly. The first chapter of the thesis introduces the reader to reference intervals, summarizes the current guidelines used in their determination and provides a rationale for the use of age-related reference intervals in geriatrics. Chapter 2 presents a systematic review that summarizes all available reference intervals for populations ≥65 years of age and the methodology used in their determination. Despite extreme variability in methodology, evidence suggests that geriatric reference intervals are significantly different from those of adults for many analytes. Chapter 3 presents a study that evaluates the effect morbidity has on reference intervals. In this study data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was used to calculate age-specific reference intervals for creatinine, a marker of kidney function known to increase with age. Findings suggest that the presence of morbidity significantly increases the upper limit for creatinine in elderly populations. Finally, the concluding chapter summarizes the overall findings of the thesis, proposes areas for future research and reinforces the importance of the above findings. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Reference intervals are estimates used to determine whether an individual is healthy or unhealthy. In particular this thesis investigates reference intervals for blood test results. Currently no age-specific reference intervals for the elderly are used clinically, instead the normalcy of a blood test result for an elderly person is based on adult reference intervals. This process may lead to over-medicalization or missed diagnoses in geriatrics. Within this thesis is a systematic review of the literature that was performed to capture any available reference intervals that have been published for populations greater than 65 years of age. It was determined that a multitude of geriatric reference intervals are available in literature but they are not used clinically and have no standardized methodology for their determination. Despite this lack of standardization, studies proved that geriatric reference intervals are significantly different from those of adult populations. Given that morbidity or the presence of disease is common in older patients it was suspected this may be a reason for the difference in reference intervals. A separate study was then performed to determine whether the presence of disease affects reference interval calculations. Results from this study showed that the presence of disease affects reference intervals in older individuals more so than younger individuals.

The study investigated the degree to which the personal values, morals, or ethics of educational leaders enter into their decision making processes. A review of the literature suggests that leadership preparation programs for educators do not adequately equip aspiring administrators for the ethical challenges in a global society. The scholarship of John Dewey and Donald Willower in the field of educational leadership laid the groundwork for the dual methodology pilot study conducted with high school administrators and retired superintendents. Retired division superintendents from Virginia were interviewed to yield a database of thematic strands for developing ethical construct statements. Demographic data was collected in the first portion of the survey. In the second portion of the instrument, respondents indicated strength of relevance for each of twenty valuation statements applied to each of the four ethical scenarios. The third section ended by respondents assigning one of four value labels to each of the ethical scenarios. Implications for further research include early administration to members of new leadership preparation cohorts for comparison at program completion. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to identify specific cultural elements within one elementary school to provide information about the school's identity and functioning. These elements included values, beliefs, play, rituals, ceremonies, and cultural objects. Schools are distinct and unique cultures. The culture of each school building drives the daily happenings. The culture either enhances or stifles growth. By creating an awareness of school culture, educators can better understand the meaning of their day to day activities and how their school evolves towards continuous improvement. The aim of interpreting a school culture is thus to understand meaning and symbols as they have been created by the members of the culture (Schultz, 1995). This study uncovered evidence to demonstrate that the awareness of stakeholders of a school's culture influences how the culture works. Interviews, artifact collection, digital photographs, meeting analysis, and fieldnotes from observations comprise the data. The interviews were conducted with educators, staff, and parents to ascertain their perceptions of their culture. Artifacts include documents such as weekly bulletins and meeting agendas that reflect the cultural workings. These focus on personal and social aspects of the culture such a party invitation, which spoke of the members' personal and interpersonal connections. Digital photographs were taken of inanimate objects within the building that visually depicted the values of the culture. Meetings play a key role in cultivating and representing a culture's values and beliefs. Meeting analysis helped to emphasize how this culture made decisions and how the culture structured its daily rhythm. Fieldnotes based on direct observations of meetings an - 3 -d of key events within specific locations in and around the school building were taken. Data sources were analyzed across interconnected themes. These themes explain how the culture worked and why its members did the things they did. This study isolated specific cultural elements, specified the internal relationships among those elements, and then characterized the whole culture based on the current knowledge of the culture. / Ed. D.

This study investigated the stability of health care decisions and the influencing values of 21 competent older adults. Face to face interviews were conducted initially (T1) followed by taped, telephone interviews seven years later (T2). Each participant was presented with a list of value indicators from which they were asked to identify the five most influential values to their health care decision-making process. They were also instructed to make decisions regarding five health care treatment and five life-sustaining treatment scenarios across two health states and three different levels of prognosis. Using open ended questions, participants described why they would or would not consent to medical or life-sustaining treatments. No significant change in healthcare decisions was found for life-sustaining treatments over the seven year period. The only significant change for health care treatments was an increase in the proportion of individuals "not consenting" to hip replacement surgery from T1 to T2 regardless of health state or prognosis. Similarly, change occurred between T1 and T2 with more participants refusing cataract surgery with a prognosis of 50/50. High stability was noted with the values selected by participants. Four out of the top five values selected at the initial interview were also selected seven years later. Data from the interview transcripts revealed congruence between the values chosen on the values inventory and those described as factors determining whether or not consent was given to the medical or life-sustaining treatments at T1 and T2. / Ph. D.

The aim of the research is to identify core conditions that support increased delivery of sustainability in the built environment. The selected methodology is constructive research, which is distinguished by the dual focus on practical industry perspectives and theoretical knowledge. The first research question examines how Target Value Design (TVD), an integrated design management process, can elicit better delivery of sustainability values. This is developed through case study research of an exemplary design team and project. The findings identify a gap in the capability of the team to adopt a whole systems approach in order to make explicit the values of sustainable prosperity and develop a unified vision. This provides the basis for the second research question - how can design teams gain an understanding of the systemic nature of sustainability, and how can this understanding impact the design process? �The research proposes an intervention method that aligns learning models from the disciplines of experiential learning cycles, design thinking, behavior modeling, systems thinking and unified vision. This integrated approach leverages creative design activities to capture the learning potential for individual skills and team building. �While the research acknowledges the limitations from the testing of a single workshop experiment, post-workshop data suggests the intervention framework is sufficiently robust and versatile enough to adapt to individual workshop circumstances. �The key research outcome is the importance of the people in the process of collaborative design, in their ability to envision a future state of sustainable prosperity and articulate explicit actionable values. / Ph. D.