91 research outputs found
Cauchy's infinitesimals, his sum theorem, and foundational paradigms
Cauchy's sum theorem is a prototype of what is today a basic result on the
convergence of a series of functions in undergraduate analysis. We seek to
interpret Cauchy's proof, and discuss the related epistemological questions
involved in comparing distinct interpretive paradigms. Cauchy's proof is often
interpreted in the modern framework of a Weierstrassian paradigm. We analyze
Cauchy's proof closely and show that it finds closer proxies in a different
modern framework.
Keywords: Cauchy's infinitesimal; sum theorem; quantifier alternation;
uniform convergence; foundational paradigms.Comment: 42 pages; to appear in Foundations of Scienc
Digital Art as ‘Monetised Graphics:’ Enforcing Intellectual Property on the Blockchain
In a global economic landscape of hyper-commodification and financialisation, efforts to assimilate digital art into the high-stakes commercial art market have so far been rather unsuccessful, presumably because digital art works cannot easily assume the status of precious object worthy of collection. This essay explores the use of blockchain technologies in attempts to create proprietary digital art markets in which uncommodifiable digital art works are financialised as artificially scarce commodities. Using the decentralisation techniques and distributed database protocols underlying current cryptocurrency technologies, such efforts, exemplified here by the platform Monegraph, tend to be presented as concerns with the interest of digital artists and with shifting ontologies of the contemporary work of art. I challenge this characterisation, and argue, in a discussion that combines aesthetic theory, legal and philosophical theories of intellectual property, rhetorical analysis, and research in the political economy of new media, that the formation of proprietary digital art markets by emerging commercial platforms such as Monegraph constitutes a worrisome amplification of long-established, on-going efforts to fence in creative expression as private property. As I argue, the combination of blockchain-based protocols with established ambitions of intellectual property policy yields hybrid conceptual-computational financial technologies (such as self-enforcing smart contracts attached to digital artefacts) that are unlikely to empower artists, but which serve to financialise digital creative practices as a whole, curtailing the critical potential of the digital as an inherently dynamic and potentially uncommodifiable mode of production and artistic expression
The economics of debt clearing mechanisms
We examine the evolution of decentralized clearinghouse mechanisms from the
13th to the 18th century; in particular, we explore the clearing of non- or
limitedtradable debts like bills of exchange. We construct a theoretical model
of these clearinghouse mechanisms, similar to the models in the theoretical
matching literature, and show that specific decentralized multilateral
clearing algorithms known as rescontre, skontrieren or virement des parties
used by merchants were efficient in specific historical contexts. We can
explain both the evolutionary self-organizing emergence of late medieval and
early modern fairs, and its robustness during the 17th and 18th century
School Effects on the Wellbeing of Children and Adolescents
Well-being is a multidimensional construct, with psychological, physical and social components. As theoretical basis to help understand this concept and how it relates to school, we propose the Self-Determination Theory, which contends that self-determined motivation and personality integration, growth and well-being are dependent on a healthy balance of three innate psychological needs of autonomy, relatedness and competence. Thus, current indicators involve school effects on children’s well-being, in many diverse modalities which have been explored. Some are described in this chapter, mainly: the importance of peer relationships; the benefits of friendship; the effects of schools in conjunction with some forms of family influence; the school climate in terms of safety and physical ecology; the relevance of the teacher input; the school goal structure and the implementation of cooperative learning. All these parameters have an influence in promoting optimal functioning among children and increasing their well-being by meeting the above mentioned needs. The empirical support for the importance of schools indicates significant small effects, which often translate into important real-life effects as it is admitted at present. The conclusion is that schools do make a difference in children’s peer relationships and well-being
Applied Stress Measurement in Steel for Fatigue Load Monitoring
Over 40% of the nation’s bridges have been classified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, with the estimated cost of repairs running in the billions of dollars [1]. It would not be economically feasible to replace all of these structures. Therefore, quantitative assessment of bridge condition is needed to determine which structures need replacing and which are safe.</p
EFFECT OF VISUAL AND AUDIO FEEDBACK ON PERCEIVED RUNNING FATIGUE AND RUNNING BIOMECHANICS
A. Terterov, M. Dreher, L. Freiermuth, P. Schaps, H. Yeager, O. Feistner, J.H. Zhang-Lea
Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA
PURPOSE: Tempo and inspirational lyrics are two major components in music and can both potentially delay fatigue in endurance running through synchronizing the movement with the tempo (synchronous response) or distracting the runner with inspirational content (attentional processing). This study aims to determine which component of music is more influential in affecting running biomechanics and perceived fatigue. METHODS: 14 subjects completed three running trials for up to 10 minutes each, including a non-stimulus (NS), a visual stimulus (VS), and a visual and auditory stimulus (VAS) trial. We utilized a visual metronome to standardize cadence for the VS and VAS trial, and a motivational talk to standardize auditory feedback in the VAS trial. For each minute, we assessed runners’ Borg scale for perceived exhaustion and calculated root-mean-square (RMS) values to determine running sway using trunk triaxial acceleration data. We measured the subjects’ center of pressure (CoP) position while standing before and after each running trial using a force plate and calculated the area of a 95% confidence interval ellipse to quantify standing sway. RESULTS: Compared to running with NS, when running with VS and VAS, runners reported a lower exhaustion rating based on Borg’s scale (F=4.99, p=0.026). They also reported reduced running RMS in front-and-back (F=6.68, p=0.00147), up-and-down (F=6.19, p=0.0236), and resultant directions (F=6.30, p=0.00212). When looking at the percent difference relative to NS trials, we did not find a difference in resultant RMS between VS and VAS (F=0.46, p=0.50). Compared to pre-running, CoP sway increased after running due to fatigue (F=18.3, p=0.001), but CoP sway was not affected when running under different conditions (F=0.083, p= 0.92). CONCLUSION: Utilizing a visual metronome to control cadence delayed fatigue, which is potentially due to the theory that a synchronous movement with rhythmic beats delays fatigue and improves running efficiency. However, adding auditory stimulus with inspirational content did not further delay fatigue. We consider the tempo component in music more essential in delaying fatigue in endurance running
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