Falling Cats, Parallel Parking, and Polarized Light

This paper addresses issues surrounding the concept of geometric phase or "anholonomy". Certain physical phenomena apparently require for their explanation and understanding, reference to toplogocial/geometric features of some abstract space of parameters. These issues are related to the question of how gauge structures are to be interpreted and whether or not the debate over their "reality" is really going to be fruitful

Universality and RG Explanations

I discuss the concept of universality, specifically of physical phenomena, and even more specifically of the behavior of critical phenomena. In the philosophical literature, I believe, this concept has been widely misunderstood. In particular, a number of recent attempts to formulate what counts as an explantation for the possibility of universal behavior are misguided because they fail to properly understand what the explanandum is. A proper explanation involves recognizing that universality implies a kind of stability of behavior under perturbation. Furthermore, this stability itself requires explanation. I relate the explanation of the stability characteristic of universality to the autonomy of certain models or theories at continuum scales from those and scales of the molecular or atomic

Influential Receptors in Targetted Emission Control Strategies

Emission abatement strategies which are targeted on environmental goals may provide cost-effective alternatives to flat-rate, source-oriented policies. It is not a trivial matter, however, to develop targeted strategies. Such strategies may require the numerical optimization involving large numbers of variables and constraints. These problems demand large computer resources. Moreover, the optimization process itself is likely to be obscure for all but the most technically competent decision-makers. In this paper, several techniques are presented which identify the receptors locations which influence the outcome of targeted emission abatement strategies. As only such "influential" receptors are needed in optimization problems, their identification may permit a dramatic reduction in the computational burden. These receptors also allow a more direct interpretation of the optimization problem. After developing these filters, influential receptors are identified for several policies related to the reduction of sulfur deposition in Europe

Estimating pollutant exposures from coal fired power plants in a rural region

A critical issue in epidemiological studies of ambient air pollution is the measurement of pollutant exposure in the study population. Accurate characterization of air quality is necessary in any study relating exposure to health effects, and is essential in attempting to quantify risk estimates for specific exposure concentrations. Despite the importance of accurate air quality data, most epidemiological investigations have used relatively crude estimates of pollutant exposure. Results from such investigations may be only qualitative at best.Early studies of air pollution health effects were limited by a lack of air pollution monitoring sites, and thus, exposures were often based on surrogate measures such as tons of coal consumed. With the introduction of reliable and reasonably accurate measurements of pollutant concentrations, several important constraints remained. These limitations include the relatively sparse siting of monitor sites and the variable relationship of monitor concentrations to the exposure experience of the study population. Other considerations in using monitor data include the selection of the pollutant specie(s), the duration of the sampling period, the use of short-term versus long-term averages, peak versus mean concentrations and the cyclical variation in pollutant levels.The Chestnut Ridge region of Pennsylvania is the site of an ongoing study of health effects from air pollution. This site was selected in part because of the extensive and well maintained air pollution monitoring network, and the previous studies of pollutant dispersion in the area. Several studies of respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function in women and school age children have been carried out in the area. The current study evaluated aspects of air pollution exposure estimates which are relevant to these epidemiologic studies. Subsequent papers will discuss findings of the various epidemiologic studies which employ these air pollution measures

Can Artificial Intelligence be Inventors under Current Patent Law?

As technological developments in artificial intelligence (AI) develop, so have questions as to what AI’s role should be within the larger universe of intellectual property. For instance, in U.S. patent law it is normally the person who conceives of the invention who has the right to be named the inventor of the patent and thus afforded patent protection. “Conception” requires an inventor to have a specific solution to a problem and is considered to be accomplished only when the idea is so clearly defined in the inventor’s mind that “only ordinary skill would be necessary to reduce the invention to practice, without extensive research or experimentation.” However, some AI have advanced to the point where they can currently conceptualize and produce inventions with minimal help from humans. Computer scientist Dr. Thaler brought this issue to the national level when he filed two patent applications in seventeen different countries listing his AI software, the Device for the Autonomous Bootstrapping of Unified Sentience (DABUS), as the sole inventor. This post was originally published on the Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review on November 17, 2022. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above

Using The Old To Speak To The New: An Appropriative Studio Approach

This thesis is an A/R/Tographically-based investigation of my appropriative studio approach, resulting in a series of multi-media collage works entitled Tonight’s Programming, dealing with issues of militarism and commercialism in our everyday lives. Through research regarding appropriation in art history, examination of personal artistic influences, and regarding the work through the lenses of Artist, Researcher, and Teacher, I gained a deeper insight into not only my appropriative practices, but how these practices could be applied in the high school art classroom

Correction: Jia, C. and Batterman, S. A Critical Review of Naphthalene Sources and Exposures Relevant to Indoor and Outdoor Air. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2010, 7, 2903–2939

The authors would like to make the following corrections to their published paper

A Critical Review of Naphthalene Sources and Exposures Relevant to Indoor and Outdoor Air

Both the recent classification of naphthalene as a possible human carcinogen and its ubiquitous presence motivate this critical review of naphthalene’s sources and exposures. We evaluate the environmental literature on naphthalene published since 1990, drawing on nearly 150 studies that report emissions and concentrations in indoor, outdoor and personal air. While naphthalene is both a volatile organic compound and a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, concentrations and exposures are poorly characterized relative to many other pollutants. Most airborne emissions result from combustion, and key sources include industry, open burning, tailpipe emissions, and cigarettes. The second largest source is off-gassing, specifically from naphthalene’s use as a deodorizer, repellent and fumigant. In the U.S., naphthalene’s use as a moth repellant has been reduced in favor of para-dichlorobenzene, but extensive use continues in mothballs, which appears responsible for some of the highest indoor exposures, along with off-label uses. Among the studies judged to be representative, average concentrations ranged from 0.18 to 1.7 μg m−3 in non-smoker’s homes, and from 0.02 to 0.31 μg m−3 outdoors in urban areas. Personal exposures have been reported in only three European studies. Indoor sources are the major contributor to (non-occupational) exposure. While its central tendencies fall well below guideline levels relevant to acute health impacts, several studies have reported maximum concentrations exceeding 100 μg m−3, far above guideline levels. Using current but draft estimates of cancer risks, naphthalene is a major environmental risk driver, with typical individual risk levels in the 10−4 range, which is high and notable given that millions of individuals are exposed. Several factors influence indoor and outdoor concentrations, but the literature is inconsistent on their effects. Further investigation is needed to better characterize naphthalene’s sources and exposures, especially for indoor and personal measurements