Property in the Moral Life of Human Beings

AbstractLiberal egalitarian political philosophers have often argued that private property is a legal convention dependent on the state and that complaints about taxation from entitlement theorists are therefore based on a conceptual mistake. But our capacity to grasp and use property concepts seems too embedded in human nature for this to be correct. This essay argues that many standard arguments that property is constitutively a legal convention fail, but that the opposition between conventionalists and natural rights theorists is outmoded. In doing this, the essay draws on recent literature in evolutionary biology and psychology. Even though modern property in a complex society involves legal conventions, those conventions should be sensitive to our natural dispositions concerning ownership.</jats:p

Lightning in the eastern Alps 1993-1999, part I: Thunderstorm tracks

International audienceThunderstorm tracks in the eastern Alps for the summers of 1993-1999 are investigated based on lightning data. The tracking method consists of three steps. Step one filters weak storms. Step two fixes the positions of the single cells, which are then connected. The wind at 700hPa, which approximates the steering level of the thunderstorms, is used to distinguish between six weather patterns. Maps including all discovered tracks are discussed for each flow type. While locations from which thunderstorms originate are almost similar, the track patterns are distinct for each flow type. Main initiation areas are mountain ranges of moderate altitude (?2.5km MSL) from where most of the tracks lead into flat areas

QCD Tests in High Energy Collisions

Recent measurements and theoretical developments on the hadronic final state in deep-inelastic scattering, pp and ee collisions are presented

Growth and Investigation of Nd_{1-x}Sm_{x}ScO_{3} and Sm_{1-x}Gd_{x}ScO_{3} Solid-Solution Single Crystals

The pseudo-cubic lattice parameters of rare-earth (RE) scandate, REScO3, single crystals grown by the Czochralski technique with RE=Dy to Pr lie between about 3.95 and 4.02 Angstrom. These crystals are the only available perovskite substrates in this lattice constant range that can withstand virtually any thin film growth conditions. Two members of this series, PmScO3 and EuScO3, are, however, not suitable for substrate applications. Because the pseudo-cubic lattice parameters between neighbouring REScO3 compounds decrease with rising atomic number of the RE in about 0.01 Angstrom steps, the unsuitability of PmScO3 (radioactivity) and EuScO3 (incompatibility with Si) causes an interruption in this lattice spacing sequence. To replace them, solid solutions of their adjacent rare-earth scandates, i.e., (Nd0.5Sm0.5)ScO3 and (Sm0.5Gd0.5)ScO3, were grown by the Czochralski method. Their average pseudo-cubic lattice parameters of 3.9979 Angstrom and 3.9784 Angstrom are very close to those of PmScO3 and EuScO3, respectively, and they show very low segregation. These qualities make these solid solutions excellent substitutes for PmScO3 and EuScO3.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, 6 table

Indication of electron neutrino appearance from an accelerator-produced off-axis muon neutrino beam

The T2K experiment observes indications of nu(mu) -> nu(mu) e appearance in data accumulated with 1.43 x 10(20) protons on target. Six events pass all selection criteria at the far detector. In a three-flavor neutrino oscillation scenario with |Delta m(23)(2)| = 2.4 x 10(-3) eV(2), sin(2)2 theta(23) = 1 and sin(2)2 theta(13) = 0, the expected number of such events is 1.5 +/- 0.3(syst). Under this hypothesis, the probability to observe six or more candidate events is 7 x 10(-3), equivalent to 2.5 sigma significance. At 90% C.L., the data are consistent with 0.03(0.04) < sin(2)2 theta(13) < 0.28(0.34) for delta(CP) = 0 and a normal (inverted) hierarchy

Multilinear Wavelets: A Statistical Shape Space for Human Faces

We present a statistical model for $3$D human faces in varying expression, which decomposes the surface of the face using a wavelet transform, and learns many localized, decorrelated multilinear models on the resulting coefficients. Using this model we are able to reconstruct faces from noisy and occluded $3$D face scans, and facial motion sequences. Accurate reconstruction of face shape is important for applications such as tele-presence and gaming. The localized and multi-scale nature of our model allows for recovery of fine-scale detail while retaining robustness to severe noise and occlusion, and is computationally efficient and scalable. We validate these properties experimentally on challenging data in the form of static scans and motion sequences. We show that in comparison to a global multilinear model, our model better preserves fine detail and is computationally faster, while in comparison to a localized PCA model, our model better handles variation in expression, is faster, and allows us to fix identity parameters for a given subject.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures; accepted to ECCV 201

Ideal MHD theory of low-frequency Alfven waves in the H-1 Heliac

A part analytical, part numerical ideal MHD analysis of low-frequency Alfven wave physics in the H-1 stellarator is given. The three-dimensional, compressible ideal spectrum for H-1 is presented and it is found that despite the low beta (approx. 10^-4) of H-1 plasmas, significant Alfven-acoustic interactions occur at low frequencies. Several quasi-discrete modes are found with the three-dimensional linearised ideal MHD eigenmode solver CAS3D, including beta-induced Alfven eigenmode (BAE)- type modes in beta-induced gaps. The strongly shaped, low-aspect ratio magnetic geometry of H-1 causes CAS3D convergence difficulties requiring the inclusion of many Fourier harmonics for the parallel component of the fluid displacement eigenvector even for shear wave motions. The highest beta-induced gap reproduces large parts of the observed configurational frequency dependencies in the presence of hollow temperature profiles

On the curvature of vortex moduli spaces

We use algebraic topology to investigate local curvature properties of the moduli spaces of gauged vortices on a closed Riemann surface. After computing the homotopy type of the universal cover of the moduli spaces (which are symmetric powers of the surface), we prove that, for genus g>1, the holomorphic bisectional curvature of the vortex metrics cannot always be nonnegative in the multivortex case, and this property extends to all Kaehler metrics on certain symmetric powers. Our result rules out an established and natural conjecture on the geometry of the moduli spaces.Comment: 25 pages; final version, to appear in Math.

Assessment of the 2,4 km run as a predictor of aerobic capacity

CITATION: Burger, S.C., Bertram, S.R. & Stewart, R.I. 1990. Assessment of the 2,4 km run as a predictor of aerobic capacity. S Afr Med J, 78(9):327-329.The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since the 2,4 km run time test is routinely used in military training programmes as an indicator of aerobic capacity and its possible improvement, an atemtp was made to: (i) establish a regression equation of VO2(max) v. 2,4 km run time in a group of 20 young military volunteers; and (ii) determine whether this equation could be used to predict VO2(max) reliably from the 2,4 km time obtained from another group. Before and after training, VO2(max) was measured in all subjects using a treadmill test, and 2,4 km run time was determined in the field. Linear regression equations using the 2,4 km run time as the independent variable accounted for 76-92% of the variance in VO2(max), while the standard error of the estimate varied from 2,24-2,91 ml/kg/min. In the second test group, the directly measured VO2(max) was 59,89 ± 0,99 ml/kg/min, while the mean values estimated from the regression equation of the first group was 59,61 ± 1,16 ml/kg/min (P< 0.001). It was concluded that, in the population studied, the 2,4 km run time in the field reliably predicts VO2(max) measured during treadmill exercise in the laboratory.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaarPublisher’s versio