Platonic Agonism: A Dialogical Addendum to Plato’s Sophist

The following addendum to Plato’s Sophist was fabricated as a kind of experimental answer to a specific contextual question: What is the relation of Plato’s conception of philosophy to the practice of the agōn in Ancient Greece? For the “contest-system,”[1] to adopt Gouldner\u27s phrase, has long been recognized as one of the salient features of Greek culture in the centuries leading up to Plato’s time.[2] Yet in the dialogues Plato never gives an explicit critique of the agōn the way he does other cultural phenomena, such as politics, poetry, rhetoric, education, etc. Many scholars have therefore concluded that Plato is more or less ambivalent toward the agōn as such, or, if anything, he “objects to the conventional Greek contest-system and usual economic virtues” in favor of a more rarefied account of the human good.[3] This conclusion seems to be derived in part from the fact that where Plato does mention agonistic activity and values, he seems to distance them from those of philosophy. One notable example is found in the Theaetetus, where Socrates warns his interlocutor that they would do well not to be like those sophistic “contestants” (ἀγωνισταί), who seem to care only about winning the argument, and says that they should rather pursue the truth in their inquiry as more prudent “lovers of wisdom” (φιλόσοφοι).[4] The distinction between true philosophers and mere sophistic contestants is here somewhat offhanded, but it anticipates a more in-depth and formal discussion in the Sophist—the dramatic action of which takes place the day after that of the Theaetetus. Interestingly, while Plato further confirms and elaborates upon the sophist as a contestant, he also provides an opportunity for the stark opposition between philosophy and agōn to be challenged. As it turns out, the sophist is only a particular kind of contestant, that is, one who engages in “fighting” (μαχητικόν), as opposed to “competition” (ἁμιλλητικόν).[5] But what distinguishes these two types of agōn? What are the characteristics of competition such that sophistry is not one of its kinds? Can it be that, just as sophistry is identified as a kind of fighting, philosophy can be characterized in terms of competition? Had Plato allowed his characters to survey these avenues of inquiry, the question of the relation between philosophy and the agōn would have a more definite answer. These questions, however, are left unexplored in the Sophist, and so they are taken up in the present addendum

Understanding choice in assistive technology service provision: considerations for research methodology

The adoption of choice as a policy principle in disability services reforms warrants research into the practical implications for assistive technology provision. This paper outlines methodological considerations for the investigation of how choice is constructed and experienced in assistive technology provision. It argues for an interpretive approach that considers the interactions between stakeholders and the influence of contextual factors on choices over time. Understanding stakeholders’ interpretations and contextual factors that affect their choice behaviors in AT acquisition will assist the interpretation of AT outcomes. It may also assist in efforts to increase the usability of AT services, develop improved service delivery models, and target policy initiatives to support AT provision practices

A modified general simplex method for solving linear programming problems, Station Bulletin, no.493

The Bulletin is a publication of the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire

Neutron induced background in the COMPTEL detector on the Gamma Ray Observatory

Interactions of neutrons in a prototype of the Compton imaging telescope (COMPTEL) gamma ray detector for the Gamma Ray Observatory were studied to determine COMPTEL's sensitivity as a neutron telescope and to estimate the gamma ray background resulting from neutron interactions. The IUCF provided a pulsed neutron beam at five different energies between 18 and 120 MeV. These measurements showed that the gamma ray background from neutron interactions is greater than previously expected. It was thought that most such events would be due to interactions in the upper detector modules of COMPTEL and could be distinguished by pulse shape discrimination. Rather, the bulk of the gamma ray background appears to be due to interactions in passive material, primarily aluminum, surrounding the D1 modules. In a considerable fraction of these interactions, two or more gamma rays are produced simultaneously, with one interacting in the D1 module and the other interacting in the module of the lower (D2) detector. If the neutron interacts near the D1 module, the D1 D2 time of flight cannot distinguish such an event from a true gamma ray event. In order to assess the significance of this background, the flux of neutrons in orbit has been estimated based on observed events with neutron pulse shape signature in D1. The strength of this neutron induced background is estimated. This is compared with the rate expected from the isotropic cosmic gamma ray flux

Cavity-QED entangled photon source based on two truncated Rabi oscillations

We discuss a cavity-QED scheme to deterministically generate entangled photons pairs by using a three-level atom successively coupled to two single longitudinal mode high-Q cavities presenting polarization degeneracy. The first cavity is prepared in a well defined Fock state with two photons with opposite circular polarizations while the second cavity remains in the vacuum state. A half-of-a-resonant Rabi oscillation in each cavity transfers one photon from the first to the second cavity, leaving the photons entangled in their polarization degree of freedom. The feasibility of this implementation and some practical considerations are discussed for both, microwave and optical regimes. In particular, Monte Carlo wave function simulations have been performed with state-of-the-art parameter values to evaluate the success probability of the cavity-QED source in producing entangled photon pairs as well as its entanglement capability.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures; submitted for the "Optical Quantum Information Science Special Issue" of JOSA

Atypical biological kinematics are represented during observational practice

The present study investigated the effect of stimulus-response compatibility on the representation of atypical biological kinematics during observational practice. A compatible group observed an atypical model that moved rightwards, whereas an incompatible group observed an atypical model that moved leftwards. Both groups were instructed to observe the model with the intention to later reproduce the movement trajectory. This was examined in a post-test where participants were asked to move rightwards with a kinematic profile that matched the atypical kinematics. Compared to a control group that did not engage in practice, and irrespective of whether the stimulus was observed in a spatially compatible or incompatible orientation, participants from both experimental groups reproduced velocity profiles that were comparable, and similar to the atypical biological kinematics. Bayesian analysis indicated equality between the two experimental groups, thus suggesting comparable sensorimotor processing. Therefore, by rotating the incompatible stimulus by 180 degrees during observational practice, the current study has isolated the processing and representation of atypical biological kinematics to the underlying sensorimotor processes, rather than spatial encoding of peak velocity via processes associated with stimulus-response compatibility

Facilitating sensorimotor integration via blocked practice underpins imitation learning of atypical biological kinematics in autism spectrum disorder

The reduced efficacy of voluntary imitation in autism is suggested to be underpinned by differences in sensorimotor processing. We examined whether the imitation of novel atypical biological kinematics by autistic adults is enhanced by imitating a model in a predictable blocked practice trial order. This practice structure is expected to facilitate trial-to-trial sensorimotor processing, integration and encoding of biological kinematics. The results showed that neurotypical participants were generally more effective at imitating the biological kinematics across all experimental phases. Importantly, and compared to a pre-test where imitation was performed in a randomised (unpredictable) trial order, the autistic participants learned to imitate the atypical kinematics more effectively following an acquisition phase of repeatedly imitating the same model during blocked practice. Data from the post-test showed that autistic participants remained effective at imitating the atypical biological kinematics when the models were subsequently presented in a randomised trial order. These findings show that the reduced efficacy of voluntary imitation in autism can be enhanced during learning by facilitating trial-to-trial processing and integration of sensorimotor information using blocked practice

Top and Bottom Squarks Decays under Cosmological Bounds

We investigate the fermionic decays of top squarks tilde t_{1,2} and bottom squarks tilde b_{1,2}$ in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with complex parameters M_1, mu, A_t and A_b . In the analysis we particularly take into account the cosmological bounds imposed by WMAP data. We plot the CP phase dependences of stop and sbottom decay widths.Comment: 1 text(9 pages)and 8 figures(6 pages). Total 15 pages. Accepted to be published in Phys.Lett.

Integration of first-principles methods and crystallographic database searches for new ferroelectrics: Strategies and explorations

In this concept paper, the development of strategies for the integration of first-principles methods with crystallographic database mining for the discovery and design of novel ferroelectric materials is discussed, drawing on the results and experience derived from exploratory investigations on three different systems: (1) the double perovskite Sr(Sb$_{1/2}$Mn$_{1/2}$)O$_3$ as a candidate semiconducting ferroelectric; (2) polar derivatives of schafarzikite $M$Sb$_2$O$_4$; and (3) ferroelectric semiconductors with formula $M_2$P$_2$(S,Se)$_6$. A variety of avenues for further research and investigation are suggested, including automated structure type classification, low-symmetry improper ferroelectrics, and high-throughput first-principles searches for additional representatives of structural families with desirable functional properties.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, 4 table

Evaluating the ability of citizen scientists to identify bumblebee (Bombus) species

Citizen science is an increasingly popular way of engaging volunteers in the collection of scientific data. Despite this, data quality remains a concern and there is little published evidence about the accuracy of records generated by citizen scientists. Here we compare data generated by two British citizen science projects, Blooms for Bees and BeeWatch, to determine the ability of volunteer recorders to identify bumblebee (Bombus) species. We assessed recorders' identification ability in two ways-as recorder accuracy (the proportion of expert-verified records correctly identified by recorders) and recorder success (the proportion of recorder-submitted identifications confirmed correct by verifiers). Recorder identification ability was low (<50% accuracy; <60% success), despite access to project specific bumblebee identification materials. Identification ability varied significantly depending on bumblebee species, with recorders most able to correctly identify species with distinct appearances. Blooms for Bees recorders (largely recruited from the gardening community) were markedly less able to identify bumblebees than BeeWatch recorders (largely individuals with a more specific interest in bumblebees). Within both projects, recorders demonstrated an improvement in identification ability over time. Here we demonstrate and quantify the essential role of expert verification within citizen science projects, and highlight where resources could be strengthened to improve recorder ability