Neutralism and the Observational Sorites Paradox

Neutralism is the broad view that philosophical progress can take place when (and sometimes only when) a thoroughly neutral, non-specific theory, treatment, or methodology is adopted. The broad goal here is to articulate a distinct, specific kind of sorites paradox (The Observational Sorites Paradox) and show that it can be effectively treated via Neutralism

An investigation of the reduction of carbon dioxide in a silent electric discharge

The reduction of CO2 to O2 and CO in a silent electric discharge was studied. It was found that current alone (in the ionized plasma induced by the silent electric discharge) was reponsible for the CO2 reduction process. Voltage and frequency were important only in so far as they induced current in the plasma. Pressure and temperature were of minimum influence in the process. The large power consumption in the process was recognized as resulting from the low power factor of the reactor vessel which electrically behaved like a capacitor. The power factor was subsequently improved by adding an inductive element to make the reactor vessel capacitance part of a resonant circuit. It was found that the CO2 reduction process was most efficient in terms of power vs reduction rate when a voltage was employed that was only slightly higher than that needed to induce the plasma

The Hankie Probe: A Materialistic Approach to Mobile UX Research

Mobile user experience (UX) research can benefit from unexplored opportunities from theory and practice. Contemporary sociology has developed sophisticated understandings of mobilities that can expand the scope of mobile HCI research. At the same time, we need to extend the scope of mobile experience beyond its current main foci on the portable device and moments of experience. We report the interim results of exploratory pilot studies of a fabric based probe that has been developed to extend the scope of mobile experience research both theoretically and in the range of insights that can be collected in mobile user studies. We report our initial experiences with a 'hankie' (handkerchief) probe that aims to gather rich usage and experience insights for early stages of design

Project SPACE: Solar Panel Automated Cleaning Environment

The goal of Project SPACE is to create an automated solar panel cleaner that will address the adverse impact of soiling on commercial photovoltaic cells. Specifically, we hoped to create a device that increases the maximum power output of a soiled panel by 10% (recovering the amount of power lost) while still costing under $500 and operating for up to 7.0 years. A successful design should operate without the use of water. This will help solar panel arrays achieve a production output closer to their maximum potential and save companies on costs associated energy generation. The current apparatus utilizes a brush cleaning system that cleans on set cleaning cycles. The device uses the combination of a gear train (with 48 pitch Delrin gears) and a 12V DC motor to spin both a 5.00 foot long, 0.25 inch diameter vacuum brush shaft and drive two sets of two wheels. The power source for the drive train is a 12V deep cycle lead-acid battery. Our light weight design eliminates water usage during cleaning and reduces the potential dangers stemming from manual labor. Our design’s retail price was estimated to be around$700 with a payback period of less than 3.5 years. To date, we have created a device that improves the efficiency of soiled solar panels by 3.5% after two runs over the solar panel. We hope that our final design will continue to expand the growth of solar energy globally

Evaluation of a manufacturing task support system using the Task Technology Fit Model

This paper presents an exploratory study of a Task Support System (TSS) supporting manufacturing task operations. The study investigated the degree to which a TSS, in use in a company, actually supports the task of the shop floor personnel. The approach has been to adopt the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) instrument to measure the degree of fitness between the TSS and the associated task. The analysis gives an indication of the state of the TSS and the potential improvements that can be made. The study also shows that the instrument can be used as a foundation for the development of a hypermedia TSS and a benchmarking tool for a TSS

Bimodule categories and monoidal 2-structure

We define a notion of tensor product of bimodule categories and prove that with this product the 2-category of C -bimodule categories for fixed tensor C is a monoidal 2-category in the sense of Kapranov and Voevodsky ([KV91]). We then provide a monoidal-structure preserving 2-equivalence between the 2-category of C -bimodule categories and Z( C )-module categories (module categories over the center of C ). The (braided) tensor structure of C1⊠D C2 for (braided) fusion categories over braided fusion D is introduced. For a finite group G we show that de-equivariantization is equivalent to the tensor product over Rep( G). The fusion rules for the Grothendeick ring of Rep(G)-module categories are derived and it is shown that the group of invertible Rep( G)-module categories is isomorphic to H2 (G, kx), extending results in [ENO09]

Pulmonary Complications and Lung Function Abnormalities in Children with Sickle Cell Disease

The pulmonary complications of sickle cell disease (SCD) have a high morbidity and mortality. Fatal pulmonary complications occur in 20% of adults; those with sickle chronic lung disease (SCLD) and pulmonary hypertension have a significantly increased mortality. Treatment of SCLD is only supportive. Recurrent acute chest syndrome (ACS) episodes are the major risk factor for SCLD, and ACS is the leading cause of death. Adults with SCD tend to have restrictive lung function abnormalities, whereas, in children, obstructive abnormalities are more frequent. Lung function abnormalities are common even in young children and may reflect their chronic anaemia and increased pulmonary capillary blood volume, which increases airway obstruction and may be responsible for their increased wheezing. Whether more aggressive treatment of anaemia would improve lung function and long-term outcomes merits testing. Children with SCD experience a decline in lung function, which is most rapid in younger children in whom ACS episodes are most common highlighting the importance of identifying effective strategies to prevent and optimally treat ACS

Activism in the Queer Biblical Studies Classroom

This article serves as an injunction for queer biblical studies to be reclaimed and mobilised as activist practice. First, I discuss the application and activist potential of queer theory – in and beyond the academy. To address concerns around queer elitism, I argue how rupturing the binary between theory and practice recharges the accessibility and the activist potential of queer. In my discussion of queer pedagogy in the biblical studies classroom, I offer practical strategies based on queer commentaries in teaching and learning. I explore the notions of risk, experimentation and failure, as well as of tackling specific issues relating to resistance to queer biblical criticism based on religious faith. Moreover, I consider how flipped learning theory can offer a personalised and holistic approach to queer studies. In emphasising the value of queer biblical studies as activist practice, I stress inclusion, intersectionality and student-educator parity as important elements in this project. In detailing my commitment to activism, I conclude that true commitment to social justice means that researchers aspire for their work to be irrelevant to future audiences: When the work of activist academics becomes irrelevant, it means scholarship has effected change, with social justice becoming realised rather than wish-ideology

How Stock Compensation Effects Analyst Projections for New Firms

Stock based compensation has experienced growth as a form of non-cash compensation to employees. Equity compensation is used to align management’s long-term objectives with those of the company. Stock-based compensation gives management incentives to grow the company responsibly over a somewhat longer term versus making short-term decisions to meet bonus requirements. The longer-term incentive is due to the vesting period of stock options. However, many scholars and practitioners, including Warren Buffet, argue stock options provide shorterterm incentives than shares. Current accounting treatment of stock compensation by investors and analysts alike, however, draws the ire of many business world. Analysts treat stock compensation as a non-cash add back to free cash flow and ignore the costs or dilutive effects. Thus, stock compensation is linked to overvaluation (Mohanram, White and Zhao 2020). This study examines whether equity research analysts who treat stock compensation as a pro forma add back to free cash flow produce statistically different price target prices than those who do not. If considering stock compensation explicitly in valuing a firm improves the accuracy of analysts’ valuation, then I expect analysts that adjust for stock compensation have more accurate price targets. Alternatively, adding stock compensation back to calculate free cash flow may inflate valuation because it ignore the true cost of the options. The sample includes reports from analysts covering a subsample of companies in the technology sector. I compare the forecast error of earnings per share and revenue forecasts for analysts who explicitly consider stock compensation relative to those who do not. I find that the accuracy of analysts’ price targets does not differ significantly based upon stock compensation treatment. This finding implies that the overvaluation effects of stock compensation might not be significant enough to result in higher price targets by analysts who adjust for it