From an axiological standpoint

I maintain that intrinsic value is the fundamental concept of axiology. Many contemporary philosophers disagree; they say the proper object of value theory is final value. I examine three accounts of the nature of final value: the first claims that final value is non‐instrumental value; the second claims that final value is the value a thing has as an end; the third claims that final value is ultimate or non‐derivative value. In each case, I argue that the concept of final value described is either identical with the classical notion of intrinsic value or is not a plausible candidate for the primary concept of axiology

Journal Staff

Electrical properties and strain gauge factor of Cr/SiOx cermet films with compositions 50/50 and 70/30 wt% were investigated in order to evaluate their use in strain gauge devices. The films were deposited by flash evaporation. The microstructures and resulting phases were characterized by electron diffraction and electron microscopy. The influence of the thickness and deposition rate on the sheet resistance, the temperature coefficient of resistance and the gauge factor were investigated. The results are consistent with a mixed conduction mechanism with metallic and a thermally activated tunneling components, between interconnected and discrete conductive phases, respectively.Se investigaron las propiedades eléctricas y el factor extensométrico de películas del cermet- Cr/SiOx en composiciones 50/50 y 70/30 % en peso, para evaluar su uso en dispositivos "strain gauge". Las películas fueron depositadas por evaporación "flash". Las estructuras y fases resultantes fueron caracterizadas por microscopía y difracción de electrones. Se estudió la influencia del espesor y la velocidad del depósito sobre la resistencia laminar, el coeficiente térmico de resistencia y el factor extensométrico. Los resultados son consistentes con un mecanismo de conducción mixto, con una componente metálica y otra por efecto túnel térmicamente activado, entre fases conductoras interconectadas y discretas, respectivamente

Ringing After a High-Energy Collision: Ambipolar Oscillations During Impact Plasma Expansion

High-velocity impacts on the Moon and other airless bodies deliver energy and material to the lunar surface and exosphere. The target and i mpactor material may become vaporized and ionized to form a collision al plasma that expands outward and eventually becomes collisionless. In the present work, kinetic simulations of the later collision less stage of impact plasma expansion are performed. Attention is paid to characterizing "ambipolar oscillations" in which thermodynamic distur bances propagate outward to generate "ringing" within the expanding e lectron cloud, which could radiate an electromagnetic signature of lo cal plasma conditions. The process is not unlike a beam-plasma intera ction, with the perturbing electron population in the present case ac ting as a highly thermal "beam" that resonates along the expanding de nsity gradient. Understanding the electromagnetic aspects of impact p lasma expansion could provide insight into the lasting effects of nat ural, impact-generated currents on airless surfaces and charging haza rds to human exploration infrastructure and instrumentation

Doubly-Shadowed Regions in Lunar Polar Craters: Hydrogen Accumulation in the Presence of Recursive Plasma Wakes

Permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) of the Moon have been identified as unique environments of extreme cold and comprise a natural cold trap for sequestering volatiles [Paige et al. 2010]. The diverse chemical composition of the LCROSS impact plume provided evidence for a volatile-rich and chemically-complex PSR environment [Cola prete et al. 2010, Schultz et al. 2010]. Additionally, the polar electrostatic environment is highly complex, with the possibility of strong, localized electric fields that divert solar wind ions directly into polar cold traps [Farrell et al. 2010, Zimmerman et al. 2011]. Thus, regional plasma physics processes couple directly with volatile sequestration. In the present work, kinetic simulations show that recursive plasma wake structure arises in the presence of step-like topographic features (Le. doubly-shadowed craters). Combining the plasma code with a numerical sputtering model demonstrates that solar wind protons can be either a hydrogen source via implantation or a volatile loss mechanism via sputtering, depending on properties of the regolith and solar wind. The present model provides a novel theoretical pathway toward understanding the lunar surface/solar wind physical and chemical interactions for complex topography near the poles

Concerning the Charging of an Exploration Craft on and near a Small Asteroid

Introduction: An object immersed in an airless plasma environment will experience a natural process of surface charging in order to acheieve current balance, or zero net electric current to the object. It has been shown in recent computer simulations that the small-body plasma environment is very complex [1], considering effects of photoemission, topography, and formation of a plasma wake. For this work we consider an exploration craft (or astronaut) immersed within a plasma environment near an asteroid, which exhibits widely varying solar wind and photoelectric particle fluxes and continuously evolving illumination conditions. Objective: We aim to determine how an explo-ration craft or astronaut suit accumulates charge while located in the "nightside" asteroid wake where the particle fluxes are reduced, and in the dayside near-surface photoelectron sheath, by combining an object charging model [2] with kinetic simulations of a near-asteroid plasma environment [1]. We consider an astronaut floating near the asteroid while not in contact with the surface, as well as an astronaut moving along the surface using their hands/gloves to crawl along. Results: The modeling results suggest that remediation of triboelectric charge via accumulation of plasma currents is an important factor to consider when designing future NEA mission infrastructure, especially if repeated and frequent contact with the surface is planned. In shadowed regions such as the location shown in Fig. 1a, the plasma currents are so low (and the effective charge-remediation timescale so long, e.g. minutes to hours) that repeated contact with the surface tribocharges the glove in an uncontrollable fashion, as shown for two representative electron temperatures in Fig. 2a. The resulting buildup of significant negative charge would eventually initiate some other "current of last resort" [4] such as transport of positively-charged dust, field-emission from the glove, or significant alteration of environmental ion currents within the wake. In contrast, the few-meters-thick dayside photoelectron sheath in which the astronaut of Fig. 1b is immersed in is so rich in electrons (and hence so electrically conductive) that accumulated tribocharge dissipates almost instantaneously (e.g. in less than a ms) as shown in Fig. 2b. As our model astronaut orbits the NEA they would experience plasma currents and associated charge re-mediation times spanning many orders of magnitude, and the fusion between our numerical models provides a detailed understanding of the charging hazards possibly associated with contact-based NEA exploration