The Invisible Thin Red Line

The aim of this paper is to argue that the adoption of an unrestricted principle of bivalence is compatible with a metaphysics that (i) denies that the future is real, (ii) adopts nomological indeterminism, and (iii) exploits a branching structure to provide a semantics for future contingent claims. To this end, we elaborate what we call Flow Fragmentalism, a view inspired by Kit Fine (2005)’s non-standard tense realism, according to which reality is divided up into maximally coherent collections of tensed facts. In this way, we show how to reconcile a genuinely A-theoretic branching-time model with the idea that there is a branch corresponding to the thin red line, that is, the branch that will turn out to be the actual future history of the world

Report on the activity of the GILDA-CRG beamline 2009-2013

Index Technical description of the beamline..................................................................................................3 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................3 Optics..............................................................................................................................................3 The XAS end station........................................................................................................................6 Standard data collection setup.....................................................................................................6 Surface XAS apparata.................................................................................................................8 Recent sample environment and Instrumentation developments................................................9 The x-ray diffraction (XRD) end-station.......................................................................................13 Beamline control...........................................................................................................................14 Administrative aspects........................................................................................................................16 Organisation..................................................................................................................................16 Beamline Staff Situation................................................................................................................17 Statistical data on Users and scientific production.............................................................................21 Future perspectives and plans for upgrade.........................................................................................25 Aim of the project.........................................................................................................................25 Design...........................................................................................................................................26 Timetable......................................................................................................................................31 Overview of the overall scientific activity.........................................................................................33 Selection of five publications........................................................................................................33 Highlights of the scientific activity................................................................................................34 Local order in semiconductors..................................................................................................34 Nanotechnology.......................................................................................................................44 Cements and porous systems....................................................................................................48 Chemistry.................................................................................................................................56 Earth Science............................................................................................................................61 Environment.............................................................................................................................67 Cultural Heritage.......................................................................................................................72 Health, medicine and life science .............................................................................................77 Acknowledgements...........................................................................................................................84 References.........................................................................................................................................85 Generic References.......................................................................................................................85 GILDA 2009-2013 Publications....................................................................................................8

86-GBaud subcarrier multiplexed 16QAM signal generation using an electrical 90 degree hybrid and IQ mixers

We experimentally demonstrate an aggregate 86-GBaud (over three sub-bands and one polarization) signal generation based on subcarrier multiplexing technique using IQ mixers, an electrical 90 degree hybrid, and diplexers. The electrical hybrid allows transmitter-side digital signal processing to be simplified to pulse shaping and digital pre-emphasis. We verified the configuration by testing the performance of an 86-GBaud Nyquist-shaped 16 quadrature amplitude modulation signal with differential bit encoding. The implementation penalty assuming 7% hard-decision forward error correction is reduced to 2 dB by utilizing a 31-tap decision-directed least mean square based multiple-input multiple-output equalizer for sideband crosstalk mitigation

Presentism remains

Here I examine some recent attempts to provide a new way of thinking about the philosophy of time that question the central role of ‘presentness’ within the definition of presentism. The central concern raised by these critics turns on the intelligibility and theoretical usefulness of the term ‘is present’ (cf. Correia and Rosenkrantz in Thought 4:19–27, 2015; Deasy in Nous, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1111/nous.12109; Williamson in Modal logic as metaphysics, OUP, Oxford, 2013). My overarching aim is to at least challenge such concerns. I begin with arguments due to Deasy (Nous, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1111/nous.12109). Deasy develops a view that he calls ‘transientism’ and that he takes to be a well-motivated version of presentism. I show that both this way of thinking about presentism and the argument supposedly motivating it all fail. I then move to an argument due to Correia and Rosenkrantz (Thought 4:19–27, 2015). Correia and Rosenkrantz purport to show that presentism can be salvaged without making recourse to the term ‘is present’. I demonstrate that their arguments fail. I then move on to a view, proposed and defended by Merricks (Truth and ontology, OUP, Oxford, 2007), Tallant (Erkenntnis 79:479–501, 2014), and Zimmerman (Philos Pap 25:115–126, 1996), and show that it has the wherewithal to meet the challenges raised by Williamson (Modal logic as metaphysics, OUP, Oxford, 2013) who, as noted above, raises genuine concerns about our capacity to define presentism

The Invisible Thin Red Line

The aim of this paper is to argue that the adoption of an unrestricted principle of bivalence is compatible with a metaphysics that (i) denies that the future is real, (ii) adopts nomological indeterminism, and (iii) exploits a branching structure to provide a semantics for future contingent claims. To this end, we elaborate what we call Flow Fragmentalism, a view inspired by Kit Fine (2005)’s non-standard tense realism, according to which reality is divided up into maximally coherent collections of tensed facts. In this way, we show how to reconcile a genuinely A-theoretic branching-time model with the idea that there is a branch corresponding to the thin red line, that is, the branch that will turn out to be the actual future history of the world

Flow Fragmentalism

In this article, 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 the 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

Filosofia del Futuro : Un'Introduzione

Il volume offre un’introduzione al contempo accessibile e rigorosa ai più recenti sviluppi di una fondamentale branca della filosofia del tempo: la filosofia del futuro. Al centro dell’attenzione sono le domande chiave del dibattito contemporaneo. Il futuro è già scritto o esistono cammini alternativi che il tempo è in grado di imboccare? Esistere significa semplicemente essere presenti o ci sono veri e propri oggetti futuri? Siamo davvero liberi di scegliere quali azioni compiere e di modificare il corso degli eventi? Il dibattito intorno alle risposte di volta in volta offerte dalla filosofia esplora un’intrigante zona d’intersezione tra metafisica, logica ed etica, e interessa discipline diverse come la fisica, la psicologia e l’economia. Gli autori offrono gli strumenti necessari per inquadrare concettualmente le domande sul futuro, introducendo tutte le nozioni tecniche in un linguaggio chiaro e intuitivo

Filosofia del Futuro : un'introduzione

Il volume offre un’introduzione al contempo accessibile e rigorosa ai più recenti sviluppi di una fondamentale branca della filosofia del tempo: la filosofia del futuro. Al centro dell’attenzione sono le domande chiave del dibattito contemporaneo. Il futuro è già scritto o esistono cammini alternativi che il tempo è in grado di imboccare? Esistere significa semplicemente essere presenti o ci sono veri e propri oggetti futuri? Siamo davvero liberi di scegliere quali azioni compiere e di modificare il corso degli eventi? Il dibattito intorno alle risposte di volta in volta offerte dalla filosofia esplora un’intrigante zona d’intersezione tra metafisica, logica ed etica, e interessa discipline diverse come la fisica, la psicologia e l’economia. Gli autori offrono gli strumenti necessari per inquadrare concettualmente le domande sul futuro, introducendo tutte le nozioni tecniche in un linguaggio chiaro e intuitivo