784,381 research outputs found

    Is a bad will a weak will? Cognitive dispositions modulate folk attributions of weakness of will

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    In line with recent efforts to empirically study the folk concept of weakness of will, we examine two issues in this paper: (1) How is weakness of will attribution [WWA] influenced by an agent’s violations of best judgment and/or resolution, and by the moral valence of the agent’s action? (2) Do any of these influences depend on the cognitive dispositions of the judging individual? We implemented a factorial 2x2x2 between–subjects design with judgment violation, resolution violation, and action valence as independent variables, and measured participants’ cognitive dispositions using Frederick’s Cognitive Reflection Test [CRT]. We conclude that intuitive and reflective individuals have two different concepts of weakness of will. The study supports this claim by showing that: a) the WWA of intuitive subjects is influenced by the action’s (and probably also the commitment’s) moral valence, while the WWA of reflective subjects is not; b) judgment violation plays a small role in the WWA of intuitive subjects, while reflective subjects treat resolution violation as the only relevant trait. Data were collected among students at two different universities. All subjects (N=710) answered the CRT. A three-way ANOVA was first conducted on the whole sample and then on the intuitive and reflective groups separately. This study suggests that differences in cognitive dispositions can significantly impact the folk understanding of philosophical concepts, and thus suggests that analysis of folk concepts should take cognitive dispositions into account

    Analysis and Comparisons of some Solution Concepts for Stochastic Programming Problems

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    The aim of this study is to analyse the resolution of Stochastic Programming Problems in which the objective function depends on parameters which are continuous random variables with a known distribution probability. In the literature on these questions different solution concepts have been defined for problems of these characteristics. These concepts are obtained by applying a transformation criterion to the stochastic objective which contains a statistical feature of the objective, implying that for the same stochastic problem there are different optimal solutions available which, in principle, are not comparable. Our study analyses and establishes some relations between these solution concepts.Stochastic Programming, Optimal solution concepts.

    Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar Based on Digital Beamforming and Waveform Diversity

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    This paper introduces innovative SAR system concepts for the acquisition of high resolution radar images with wide swath coverage from spaceborne platforms. The new concepts rely on the combination of advanced multi-channel SAR front-end architectures with novel operational modes. The architectures differ regarding their implementation complexity and it is shown that even a low number of channels is already well suited to significantly improve the imaging performance and to overcome fundamental limitations inherent to classical SAR systems. The more advanced concepts employ a multidimensional encoding of the transmitted waveforms to further improve the performance and to enable a new class of hybrid SAR imaging modes that are well suited to satisfy hitherto incompatible user requirements for frequent monitoring and detailed mapping. Implementation specific issues will be discussed and examples demonstrate the potential of the new techniques for different remote sensing applications

    Ultra-Wide Swath SAR Imaging With Continuous PRF Variation

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    Innovative multi-channel synthetic aperture radar (SAR) concepts enable high-resolution wide-swath imaging, but the antenna length typically restricts the achievable swath width. This limitation can be overcome by a novel technique which is based on a single azimuth channel but operates the system with a continuously varied pulse repetition frequency (PRF) by this allowing in principle for arbitrary wide swaths. This paper introduces the basic principles and discusses design constraints for such a PRF variation. Further, a systematic performance analysis of an L-band reflector antenna system is carried out with focus on the sensitivity versus different input parameters

    On the STM imaging contrast of graphite: towards a “true’' atomic resolution

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    Different phenomena observed in the high-resolution images of graphite by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) or atomic force microscopy (AFM) such as the asymmetry in the charge density of neighboring carbon atoms in a hexagon, the high corrugation amplitudes and the apparent absence of point defects has led to a controversial discussion since the first published STM images of graphite. Different theoretical concepts and hypotheses have been developed to explain these phenomena. Despite these efforts a generally accepted interpretation is still lacking. In this paper we discuss a possible imaging mechanism based on mechanical considerations. Forces acting between tip and sample are taken into account to explain the image contrast. We present for the first time a direct atomic resolution of the graphite hexagonal structure by transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), revealing the expected hexagonal array of atoms and the existence of several types of defects. We discuss the possibility that the STM image of graphite is a result of convolution of the electronic properties and the atomic hardness of graphite

    Civil War Termination

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    Civil wars typically have been terminated by a variety of means, including military victories, negotiated settlements and ceasefires, and “draws.” Three very different historical trends in the means by which civil wars have ended can be identified for the post–World War II period. A number of explanations have been developed to account for those trends, some of which focus on international factors and others on national or actor-level variables. Efforts to explain why civil wars end as they do are considered important because one of the most contested issues among political scientists who study civil wars is how “best” to end a civil war if the goal is to achieve a stable peace. Several factors have contributed to this debate, among them conflicting results produced by various studies on this topic as well as different understandings of the concepts war termination, civil war resolution, peace-building, and stable peace
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