Against simplicity and cognitive individualism: Nathaniel T. Wilcox

Neuroeconomics illustrates our deepening descent into the details of individual cognition. This descent is guided by the implicit assumption that “individual human” is the important “agent” of neoclassical economics. I argue here that this assumption is neither obviously correct, nor of primary importance to human economies. In particular I suggest that the main genius of the human species lies with its ability to distribute cognition across individuals, and to incrementally accumulate physical and social cognitive artifacts that largely obviate the innate biological limitations of individuals. If this is largely why our economies grow, then we should be much more interested in distributed cognition in human groups, and correspondingly less interested in individual cognition. We should also be much more interested in the cultural accumulation of cognitive artefacts: computational devices and media, social structures and economic institutions

Relativistic particle motion in nonuniform electromagnetic waves

A charged particle moving in a strong nonuniform electromagnetic wave which suffers a net acceleration in the direction of the negative intensity gradient of the wave was investigated. Electrons will be expelled perpendicularly from narrow laser beams and various instabilities result

On pricing kernels, information and risk

We discuss the finding that cross-sectional characteristic based models have yielded portfolios with higher excess monthly returns but lower risk than their arbitrage pricing theory counterparts in an analysis of equity returns of stocks listed on the JSE. Under the assumption of general no-arbitrage conditions, we argue that evidence in favour of characteristic based pricing implies that information is more likely assimilated by means of nonlinear pricing kernels for the markets considered.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

What Students Expect and What They See: Ideology, Identity and the Double Auction Classroom Experiment

Many economists find that classroom experiments using the Double Auction (DA) trading institution are an effective pedagogical tool in introductory economics classes. Results of such experiments reliably illustrate the concepts and descriptive relevance of the theory of competitive equilibrium (or CE). However, we have noticed that the degree to which students are "surprised" by the CE theory's ability to predict DA outcomes seems to vary from class to class, and especially across classes at markedly different universities. We speculate that this is due to differences in students' ideological leanings and that these, in turn, are related to various socioeconomic or "identity" variables, such as class and race, that may vary systematically across universities. This paper reports some initial experimental results that explore this hypothesis. We find that only a few socioeconomic variables significantly predict students' ideology, and that at least one measure of ideology is a robust predictor of students' prior expectations and posterior evaluations of the predictive performance of CE theory. Several other variables, including sex, union status and work experience, also help predict students' expectations or evaluations; but none of these is as strong or robust as ideology itself.

Computation of turbulent boundary layers on curved surfaces, 1 June 1975 - 31 January 1976

An accurate method was developed for predicting effects of streamline curvature and coordinate system rotation on turbulent boundary layers. A new two-equation model of turbulence was developed which serves as the basis of the study. In developing the new model, physical reasoning is combined with singular perturbation methods to develop a rational, physically-based set of equations which are, on the one hand, as accurate as mixing-length theory for equilibrium boundary layers and, on the other hand, suitable for computing effects of curvature and rotation. The equations are solved numerically for several boundary layer flows over plane and curved surfaces. For incompressible boundary layers, results of the computations are generally within 10% of corresponding experimental data. Somewhat larger discrepancies are noted for compressible applications

Single Event Effect Testing of the Texas Instruments' MAX4595 Single-Channel Analog Switch

The Texas Instruments' (TI) MAX4595 was tested for single event latch-up (SEL) response at the Texas A&M University Cyclotron Facility (TAMU) on 26 October 2014. The device was exercised in varied load conditions to replicate its intended application with concerns about destructive effects on the commercial device

Experimental observation of the influence of furnace temperature profile on convection and segregation in the vertical Bridgman crystal growth technique

Azulene-doped naphthalene was directionally solidified during the vertical Bridgman-Stockbarger technique. Doping homogeneity and convection were determined as a function of the temperature profile in the furnace and the freezing rate. Convection velocities were two orders of magnitude lower when the temperature increased with height. Rarely was the convection pattern axisymmetric, even though the temperature varied less than 0.1 K around the circumference of the growth ampoule. Correspondingly the cross sectional variation in azulene concentration tended to be asymmetric, especially when the temperature increased with height. This cross sectional variation changed dramatically along the ingot, reflecting changes in convection presumably due to the decreasing height of the melt. Although there was large scatter and irreproducibility in the cross sectional variation in doping, this variation tended to be least when the growth rate was low and the convection was vigorous. It is expected that compositional variations would also be small at high growth rates with weak convection and flat interfaces, although this was not investigated in the present experiments. Neither rotation of the ampoule nor deliberate introduction of thermal asymmetries during solidification had a significant influence on cross sectional variations in doping. It is predicted that slow directional solidification under microgravity conditions could produce greater inhomogeneities than on Earth. Combined use of microgravity and magnetic fields would be required to achieve homogeneity when it is necessary to freeze slowly in order to avoid constitutional supercooling

Distribution and Dynamics in a Simple Tax Regime Transition

We examine transitions between excise tax and license fee regimes in the laboratory. The regimes have matched equilibrium Marshallian surplus, but license fees generate more tax revenue. The license fees are large “avoidable costs,” known to hamper competitive equilibrium convergence. With moderately experienced subjects, the prolonged transition to the license fee equilibrium has these features: (1) Prices below equilibrium levels, resulting in firm losses; (2) Marshallian surplus above equilibrium levels; and (3) transitional windfalls for the tax authority. With highly experienced subjects, license fees lead to the instability and lower seller profits and efficiency observed in past avoidable cost markets.Tax Regime Transitions, Avoidable Costs, Double Auctions, Experimental Methods.

A novel approach to determine the heat transfer coefficient in directional solidification furnaces

The heat transfer coefficient between a molten charge and its surroundings in a Bridgman furnace was determined using an approach utilizing in-situ temperature measurement. The ampoule containing an isothermal melt was suddenly moved from a higher temperature zone to a lower temperature zone. The temperature-time history was used in a lumped-capacity cooling model to evaluate the heat transfer coefficient between the charge and the furnace. The experimentally determined heat transfer coefficient was of the same order of magnitude as the value estimated by standard heat transfer calculations