Flow Fragmentalism

In this paper, we articulate a version of non-standard A-theory – which we call Flow Fragmentalism – in relation to its take on the issue of supervenience of truth on being. According to the Truth Supervenes on Being (TSB) Principle, the truth of past- and future-tensed propositions supervenes, respectively, on past and future facts. Since the standard presentist denies the existence of past and future entities and facts concerning them that do not obtain in the present, she seems to lack the resources to accept both past and future-tensed truths and the TSB Principle. Contrariwise, positions in philosophy of time that accept an eternalist ontology (e.g., B-theory, moving spotlight, and Fine’s and Lipman’s versions of fragmentalism) allow for a “direct” supervenience base for past- and future-tensed truths. We argue that Flow Fragmentalism constitutes a middle ground, which retains most of the advantages of both views, and allows us to articulate a novel account of the passage of time

Emphasizing Year-Round Physical Activity of Seniors in Vergennes, Vermont

Many senior citizens in the Vergennes community are active in the spring, summer, and fall with various activities, community groups, and walking. However, in the winter with colder temperatures and less sunlight, these activities are difficult to maintain, even more exacerbated by the current Covid-19 pandemic. Encouraging maintenance of physical activity throughout the winter months in Vermont is difficult, but can provide many benefits to these individuals both physically and mentally.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1677/thumbnail.jp

Labor Market Search and Optimal Retirement Policy

A popular view about social security, dating back to its early days of inception, is that it is a means for young, unemployed workers to 'purchase' jobs from older, employed workers. The question we ask is: Can social security, by encouraging retirement and hence creating job vacancies for the young, improve the allocation of workers to jobs in the labor market? Using a standard model of labor market search, we establish that the equilibrium with no policy-induced retirement can be efficient. Even under worst-case parameterizations of our model, we find that public retirement programs pay the elderly substantially more than labor market search theory implies that their jobs are worth. An important effect, ignored by the popular view, is that the creation of a vacant job by a retirement reduces the value of other vacant jobs.

Shockwave Interaction with a Cylindrical Structure

An increased understanding of the shockwave interaction with a cylindrical structure is the foundation for developing a method to explosively seal a pipe similar to the Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico. Shockwave interactions with a cylindrical structure have been a reoccurring focus of energetics research. Some of the most notable contributions of non-destructive tests are described in ``The Effects of Nuclear Weapons\u27\u27 (Glasstone, 1962). The work presented by Glasstone examines shockwave interaction from a 20-megaton bomb with a cylindrical structure. However, the data is limited to a peak overpressure of less than 25 psi, requiring several miles between the structure and the charge. The research presented in the following paper expands on the work Glasstone described by examining the shockwaves from 90, 180, and 270-gram C-4 charges interacting with a 6-inch diameter cylindrical structure positioned 52-inches from the center of the charge. The three charge weights that were tested in this research generated a peak overpressures of approximately 15, 25, and 40 psi, respectively. This research examines the peak pressure and total impulse from each charge acting on the cylindrical structure as well as the formation of vortices on the ``backside\u27\u27 of the cylinder surface. This paper describes the methodology and findings of this study as well as examines the causality and implications of its results on our understanding of the shockwave interaction with a cylindrical structure

A Comparison of ICA versus genetic algorithm optimized ICA for use in non-invasive muscle tissue EMG

Includes bibliographical references.The patent developed by Dr. L. John [1] allows for the the detection of deep muscle activation through the combination of specially positioned monopolar surface Electromyography (sEMG) electrodes and a Blind Source Separation algorithm. This concept was then proved by Morowasi and John [2] in a 12 electrode prototype system around the bicep. This proof of concept showed that it was possible to extract the deep tissue activity of the brachialis muscle in the upper arm, however, the effect of surface electrode positioning and effectual number of electrodes on signal quality is still unclear. The hope of this research is to extend this work. In this research, a genetic algorithm (GA) is implemented on top of the Fast Independent Component Analysis (FastICA) algorithm to reduce the number of electrodes needed to isolate the activity from all muscles in the upper arm, including deep tissue. The GA selects electrodes based on the amount of significant information they contribute to the ICA solution and by doing so, a reduced electrode set is generated and alternative electrode positions are identified. This allows a near optimal electrode configuration to be produced for each user. The benefits of this approach are: 1.The generalized electrode array and this algorithm can select the near optimal electrode arrangement with very minimal understanding of the underlying anatomy. 2. It can correct for small anatomical differences between test subjects and act as a calibration phase for individuals. As with any design there are also disadvantages, such as each user needs to have the electrode placement specifically customised for him or her and this process needs to be conducted using a higher number of electrodes to begin with

The effects select physical parameters have on an explosively formed projectile\u27s performance

Identifying how changes in the physical parameters of an Explosively Formed Projectile (EFP) affect its performance is crucial in determining what physical parameters could be changed to achieve a desired performance. This research analyzes five of the physical parameters of an EFP, similar to an Iranian design (Worsey, 2009), and the effects on performance. The five physical parameters selected for this research were charge weight, confining geometry, flyer thickness, flyer curvature, and explosives-type. Eighteen different EFP designs were used to test the penetration, measured velocity, production of a dominant projectile, and kinetic energy of these five physical parameters. Of the physical parameters tested, the charge weight and flyer thickness affected the projectile\u27s performance the most. The author\u27s objective of this work is to use the research information contained herein to design an EFP capable of testing military armor to protect and save lives --Abstract, page iii

Sunjammer

No abstract available

OH-equivalent temperatures derived from ACE-FTS and SABER temperature profiles – a comparison with OH*(3-1) temperatures from Maynooth (53.2 N, 6.4 W)

OH-equivalent temperatures were derived from all of the temperature profiles retrieved in 2004 and 2005 by the ACE-FTS instrument in a 5 degree band of latitude centred on a ground-based observing station at Maynooth. A globally averaged OH volume emission rate (VER) profile obtained from WINDII data was employed as a weighting function to compute the equivalent temperatures. The annual cycle of temperature thus produced was compared with the annual cycle of temperatures recorded at the ground-based station more than a decade earlier from the OH*(3-1) Meinel band. Both data sets showed excellent agreement in the absolute value of the temperature minimum (~162 K) and in its time of occurrence in the annual cycle at summer solstice. Away from mid-summer, however, the temperatures diverged and reach a maximum disagreement of more than 20K in mid-winter. Comparison of the Maynooth ground-based data with the corresponding results from two nearby stations in the same time-period indicated that the Maynooth data are consistent with other ground stations. The temperature difference between the satellite and ground-based datasets in winter was reduced to 14–15K by lowering the peak altitude of the weighting function to 84 km. An unrealistically low peak altitude would be required, however, to bring temperatures derived from the satellite into agreement with the ground-based data. OH equivalent temperatures derived from the SABER instrument using the same weighting function produced results that agreed well with ACE-FTS. When the OH 1.6μm VER profile measured by SABER was used as the weighting function, the OH equivalent temperatures increased in winter as expected but the summer temperatures were reduced resulting in an approximately constant offset of 8.6±0.8K between ground and satellite values with the ground values higher. Variability in both the altitude and width of the OH layer within a discernable seasonal variation were responsible for the changes introduced. The higher temperatures in winter were due to primarily to the lower altitude of the OH layer, while the colder summer temperatures were due to a thinner summer OH layer. We are not aware of previous reports of the effect of the layer width on ground-based temperatures. Comparison of OH-equivalent temperatures derived from ACE-FTS and SABER temperature profiles with OH*(3-1) temperatures from Wuppertal at 51.3 N which were measured during the same period showed a similar pattern to the Maynooth data from a decade earlier, but the warm offset of the ground values was lower at 4.5±0.5 K. This discrepancy between temperatures derived from ground-based instruments recording hydroxyl spectra and satellite borne instruments has been observed by other observers. Further work will be required by both the satellite and ground-based communities to identify the exact cause of this difference

OH-equivalent temperatures derived from ACE-FTS and SABER temperature profiles – a comparison with OH*(3-1) temperatures from Maynooth (53.2 N, 6.4 W)

OH-equivalent temperatures were derived from all of the temperature profiles retrieved in 2004 and 2005 by the ACE-FTS instrument in a 5 degree band of latitude centred on a ground-based observing station at Maynooth. A globally averaged OH volume emission rate (VER) profile obtained from WINDII data was employed as a weighting function to compute the equivalent temperatures. The annual cycle of temperature thus produced was compared with the annual cycle of temperatures recorded at the ground-based station more than a decade earlier from the OH*(3-1) Meinel band. Both data sets showed excellent agreement in the absolute value of the temperature minimum (~162 K) and in its time of occurrence in the annual cycle at summer solstice. Away from mid-summer, however, the temperatures diverged and reach a maximum disagreement of more than 20K in mid-winter. Comparison of the Maynooth ground-based data with the corresponding results from two nearby stations in the same time-period indicated that the Maynooth data are consistent with other ground stations. The temperature difference between the satellite and ground-based datasets in winter was reduced to 14–15K by lowering the peak altitude of the weighting function to 84 km. An unrealistically low peak altitude would be required, however, to bring temperatures derived from the satellite into agreement with the ground-based data. OH equivalent temperatures derived from the SABER instrument using the same weighting function produced results that agreed well with ACE-FTS. When the OH 1.6μm VER profile measured by SABER was used as the weighting function, the OH equivalent temperatures increased in winter as expected but the summer temperatures were reduced resulting in an approximately constant offset of 8.6±0.8K between ground and satellite values with the ground values higher. Variability in both the altitude and width of the OH layer within a discernable seasonal variation were responsible for the changes introduced. The higher temperatures in winter were due to primarily to the lower altitude of the OH layer, while the colder summer temperatures were due to a thinner summer OH layer. We are not aware of previous reports of the effect of the layer width on ground-based temperatures. Comparison of OH-equivalent temperatures derived from ACE-FTS and SABER temperature profiles with OH*(3-1) temperatures from Wuppertal at 51.3 N which were measured during the same period showed a similar pattern to the Maynooth data from a decade earlier, but the warm offset of the ground values was lower at 4.5±0.5 K. This discrepancy between temperatures derived from ground-based instruments recording hydroxyl spectra and satellite borne instruments has been observed by other observers. Further work will be required by both the satellite and ground-based communities to identify the exact cause of this difference