Is there introspective evidence for phenomenal intentionality?

The so-called transparency of experience (TE) is the intuition that, in introspecting one’s own experience, one is only aware of certain properties (like colors, shapes, etc.) as features of (apparently) mind-independent objects. TE is quite popular among philosophers of mind and has traditionally been used to motivate Representationalism, i.e., the view that phenomenal character is in some strong way dependent on intentionality. However, more recently, others have appealed to TE to go the opposite way and support the phenomenal intentionality view (PIV), according to which intentionality is in some strong way dependent on phenomenal character. If this line of argument succeeds, then not only TE does not speak in favor of Representationalism, but it actually speaks against it, contrary to the philosophical common-sense of the last two decades. Moreover, the representationalist project of naturalizing phenomenal character turns out to be seriously undermined on the same intuitive grounds that were supposed to make it plausible. In this paper, I reconstruct and discuss the line of argument from TE to PIV and argue that our introspective intuitions (TE) do not push us in the direction of PIV. On the contrary, the line of argument from TE to PIV is (at best) simply too weak to force us to conclude that intentionality depends on phenomenal character in the sense required for PIV to be true

A theory of the strain-dependent critical field in Nb3Sn, based on anharmonic phonon generation

We propose a theory to explain the strain dependence of the critical properties in A15 superconductors. Starting from the strong-coupling formula for the critical temperature, and assuming that the strain sensitivity stems mostly from the electron-phonon alpha^2F function, we link the strain dependence of the critical properties to a widening of alpha^2F. This widening is attributed to the nonlinear generation of phonons, which takes place in the anharmonic deformation potential induced by the strain. Based on the theory of sum- and difference-frequency wave generation in nonlinear media, we obtain an explicit connection between the widening of alpha^2F and the anharmonic energy. The resulting model is fit to experimental datasets for Nb3Sn, and the anharmonic energy extracted from the fits is compared with first-principles calculations.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Herbert Caro nas cartas de Erico Veríssimo

Erico Verissimo’s letters to Herbert Caro, during the 1950s, offer a portrait of the translator of Thomas Mann, revealing his taste for music and movies as well as an insights in his role as a critic and confident of the Brazilian author

06261 Abstracts Collection -- Foundations and Practice of Programming Multi-Agent Systems

From 25.06.06 to 30.06.06, the Dagstuhl Seminar 06261 ``Foundations and Practice of Programming Multi-Agent Systems\u27\u27 was held in the International Conference and Research Center (IBFI), Schloss Dagstuhl. During the seminar, several participants presented their current research, and ongoing work and open problems were discussed. Abstracts of the presentations given during the seminar as well as abstracts of seminar results and ideas are put together in this paper. The first section describes the seminar topics and goals in general. Links to extended abstracts or full papers are provided, if available

Self-Field Effects in Magneto-Thermal Instabilities for Nb-Sn Strands

Recent advancements in the critical current density (Jc) of Nb$_{3}$Sn conductors, coupled with a large effective filament size, have drawn attention to the problem of magnetothermal instabilities. At low magnetic fields, the quench current of such high Jc Nb$_{3}$Sn strands is significantly lower than their critical current because of the above-mentioned instabilities. An adiabatic model to calculate the minimum current at which a strand can quench due to magneto-thermal instabilities is developed. The model is based on an 'integral' approach already used elsewhere [1]. The main difference with respect to the previous model is the addition of the self-field effect that allows to describe premature quenches of non-magnetized Nb$_{3}$Sn strands and to better calculate the quench current of strongly magnetized strands. The model is in good agreement with experimental results at 4.2 K obtained at Fermilab using virgin Modified Jelly Roll (MJR) strands with a low Residual Resistivity Ratio (RRR) of the stabilizing copper. The prediction of the model at 1.9 K and the results of the tests carried out at CERN, at 4.2 K and 1.9 K, on a 0.8 mm Rod Re-Stack Process (RRP) strand with a low RRR value are discussed. At 1.9 K the test revealed an unexpected strand performance at low fields that might be a sign of a new stability regime

Manufacture and Test of a Small Ceramic-Insulated Nb3_{3}Sn Split Solenoid

A small split solenoid wound with high-Jc Nb$_{3}$Sn conductor, constituted by a 0.8 mm Rod Re-stack Process (RRP®) strand, was built and tested at CERN in order to study the applicability of: 1) ceramic wet glass braid insulation without epoxy impregnation of the magnet; 2) a new heat treatment devised at CERN and particularly suitable for reacting RRP® Nb$_{3}$Sn strands. This paper briefly describes the solenoid and the experimental results obtained during 4.4 K and 1.9 K tests. The split solenoid consists of two coils (25 mm inner diameter, 51.1 mm outer diameter, 12.9 mm height). The coils were initially separately tested, in an iron mirror configuration, and then tested together in split solenoid configuration. In all the tests at 4.4 K the coils reached a current higher than 95 % of their short sample limits at the first quench; in split solenoid configuration the maximum field values in the coils and in the aperture were respectively 10.7 T and 12.5 T. At 1.9 K the coils had premature quenches due to self field instability despite the rather high RRR of the two coils (190 and 270). This phenomenon at 1.9 K, predicted by our theory [1], was confirmed by strand measurements

Досвід промислової стратегії країн Європейського Союзу

З метою прискорення виходу української економіки з кризи варто було б опиратися на накопичений у світі досвід розробки й проведення промислової й структурної політики, адаптуючи його до умов нашої країни. Найбільший інтерес представляє досвід у цій сфері Європейського союзу (ЄС) з урахуванням євроінтеграційного курсу розвитку України

Comparação do Brief Core Set e Comprehensive Core Set da CIF para a esclerose múltipla, a partir da perspetiva da população portuguesa

Introdução: O desenvolvimento dos Core Sets pretende identificar e agrupar as categorias da CIF que mostram os principais problemas de funcionalidade de indivíduos com uma condição de saúde específica. Este instrumento simplifica o número de categorias da CIF, facilitando a sua utilização na prática clínica. Objetivos: O objetivo deste estudo consiste em identificar em que medida os problemas percecionados pelos indivíduos portugueses com EM encontram-se representados na versão atual dos Comprehensive And Brief Core Set da CIF para esta condição de saúde, desenvolvido pela Organização Mundial de Saúde. Metodologia: Foi realizado um estudo qualitativo, com uma amostra de 27 indivíduos com EM, com a recorrência a entrevistas segundo o protocolo de Coenen (2008). Foram utilizadas as escalas Mini Mental State Examination, Self-Administered Comorbidity Questionnaire e a Expanded Disability Status Scale para caraterização da amostra. Resultados: Foram incluídos no estudo 25 indivíduos, com mediana de idades de 52 anos, dos quais 68% são mulheres e 32% são homens. Foram identificadas 45 das 123 categorias de 2º nível do Comprehensive Core Set e 13 das 19 categorias do Brief Core Set. O teste Qui-Quadrado apresentou um valor de p=0,034, mostrando relação entre as variáveis componentes da CIF identificadas e incapacidade. Conclusões: Os resultados obtidos sugerem que o Comprehensive Core Set é demasiado específico para alguns problemas identificados e demasiado extenso pois, inclui categorias não relevantes para a população estudada. O Brief Core Set mostrou ser relevante com a perspetiva dos indivíduos. As variáveis incapacidade e componentes da CIF mostram relação de dependência