Universism and extensions of V

A central area of current philosophical debate in the foundations of mathematics concerns whether or not there is a single, maximal, universe of set theory. Universists maintain that there is such a universe, while Multiversists argue that there are many universes, no one of which is ontologically privileged. Often model-theoretic constructions that add sets to models are cited as evidence in favour of the latter. This paper informs this debate by developing a way for a Universist to interpret talk that seems to necessitate the addition of sets to V. We argue that, despite the prima facie incoherence of such talk for the Universist, she nonetheless has reason to try and provide interpretation of this discourse. We present a method of interpreting extension-talk (V-logic), and show how it captures satisfaction in `ideal' outer models and relates to impredicative class theories. We provide some reasons to regard the technique as philosophically virtuous, and argue that it opens new doors to philosophical and mathematical discussions for the Universist

Paying for public transportation : the optimal, the actual, and the possible

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2007.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.:June 2007."Includes bibliographical references (p. 110-121).Passenger transportation poses challenges to American cities in the form of air pollution, traffic congestion, auto collisions, and barriers to mobility. Public transit has the potential to be part of a solution to these urban problems, yet transit agencies across the country clamor for more resources. Transit finance in the U.S. is heterogeneous, and rarely approached with a comprehensive view of transit's social benefits. This thesis suggests a framework for a more rational magnitude and incidence of public transit funding based on a more comprehensive view of transit's social benefits. I take up the case of the Chicago metropolitan region and quantify the transit system's major emissions, safety, congestion, and mobility benefits. Next, I survey and highlight current practices in transit finance from other cities in North America and Western Europe. Finally, I assess the size, structure, and distribution of burden of Chicago's current transit funding status quo against theoretical and practical principles of transit funding and offer a range of financing alternatives to solve the current fiscal crisis in Chicago.(cont.) I find evidence that the social benefits of public transportation in Chicago outweigh its costs, suggesting that preserving transit services there is justifiable. Transit's benefits accrue to a variety of jurisdictions in diverse and measurable ways which the current funding structure does not approximate. I find evidence that of the multiple beneficiaries of transit in the region, the subsidy structure in Chicago disproportionately benefits auto drivers who receive significantly more congestion benefits than they pay for. Last, I propose several policy options to increase public subsidy to transit in Chicago, and suggest that one particularly theoretically appealing alternative may be to establish tolls on existing roadways.by Justin David Antos.M.C.P

Fourier factorization with complex polarization bases in the plane-wave expansion method applied to two-dimensional photonic crystals

We demonstrate an enhancement of the plane wave expansion method treating two-dimensional photonic crystals by applying Fourier factorization with generally elliptic polarization bases. By studying three examples of periodically arranged cylindrical elements, we compare our approach to the classical Ho method in which the permittivity function is simply expanded without changing coordinates, and to the normal vector method using a normal-tangential polarization transform. The compared calculations clearly show that our approach yields the best convergence properties owing to the complete continuity of our distribution of polarization bases. The presented methodology enables us to study more general systems such as periodic elements with an arbitrary cross-section or devices such as photonic crystal waveguides

UM ESTUDO DE CASO DA SINTAXE DE CONCORDÂNCIA VERBAL EM TEXTOS ESCRITOS POR ALUNOS DA EDUCAÇÃO BÁSICA: CONSIDERAÇÕES IMPORTANTES PARA SEREM ANALISADAS

Este trabalho busca investigar o processo de concordância verbal efetivado em textos escritos, produzidos por alunos da série final do Ensino Fundamental e por alunos da série final do Ensino Médio. Como corpus deste artigo, utilizamos seis produções textuais, sendo três textos de alunos do Ensino Fundamental e três textos de alunos do Ensino Médio. Essa escolha é justificada por dois motivos: amplitude da temática e a representatividade da ocorrência que queremos discutir no tocante à estrutura da concordância verbal quando o sujeito se encontra distante do verbo. Para tanto, nos baseamos na perspectiva da Linguística Funcional Centrada no Uso - LFCU e também nos estudiosos Furtado da Cunha (2003); Oliveira (2010); Possenti (2010); Cezário, Furtado da Cunha (2013); Aparecida Baccega (1989). Os resultados indicam uma tendência de o falante não flexionar o verbo, quando este se encontra distante do sujeito, ou seja, tem-se assim uma variação no uso da concordância verbal em relação às regras da gramática normativa. ABSTRACT: This work search investigate the process of effective verbal agreement in texts written for students from the final year of elementary school and students from the final year of high school.  In the body of this article we utilize six texts, being three texts from elementary school students and three from students in high school. This choice is justified for two reasons: amplitude of themes and the representativity of occurrence that we want to discuss touching on the structure of verbal agreement when the subject is found far from the verb.  Therefore, we based on the perspective of Functional Linguistics Focused on Use- LFCU, and also the scholars Fortado of Cunha (2003); Oliveira (2010); Possenti (2010); Cezário, Furtado da Cunha (2013); Aparecida Baccega (1989).  The results indicate a tendency of the speaker do not flex the verb, when it is located far away from the subject, in the other words, this has so a variation in the verbal agreement in relation to the rules of normative grammar

U.S. Physicians’ Views on Financing Options to Expand Health Insurance Coverage: A National Survey

Background: Physician opinion can influence the prospects for health care reform, yet there are few recent data on physician views on reform proposals or access to medical care in the United States. Objective: To assess physician views on financing options for expanding health care coverage and on access to health care. Design and Participants: Nationally representative mail survey conducted between March 2007 and October 2007 of U.S. physicians engaged in direct patient care. Measurements: Rated support for reform options including financial incentives to induce individuals to purchase health insurance and single-payer national health insurance; rated views of several dimensions of access to care. Main results: 1,675 of 3,300 physicians responded (50.8%). Only 9% of physicians preferred the current employer-based financing system. Forty-nine percent favored either tax incentives or penalties to encourage the purchase of medical insurance, and 42% preferred a government-run, taxpayer-financed single-payer national health insurance program. The majority of respondents believed that all Americans should receive needed medical care regardless of ability to pay (89%); 33% believed that the uninsured currently have access to needed care. Nearly one fifth of respondents (19.3%) believed that even the insured lack access to needed care. Views about access were independently associated with support for single-payer national health insurance. Conclusions: The vast majority of physicians surveyed supported a change in the health care financing system. While a plurality support the use of financial incentives, a substantial proportion support single payer national health insurance. These findings challenge the perception that fundamental restructuring of the U.S. health care financing system receives little acceptance by physicians