Blockchain Mining Games with Pay Forward

We study the strategic implications that arise from adding one extra option to the miners participating in the bitcoin protocol. We propose that when adding a block, miners also have the ability to pay forward an amount to be collected by the first miner who successfully extends their branch, giving them the power to influence the incentives for mining. We formulate a stochastic game for the study of such incentives and show that with this added option, smaller miners can guarantee that the best response of even substantially more powerful miners is to follow the expected behavior intended by the protocol designer

Leibniz and Reductionism of Spatial Relations

This paper discusses Leibniz’s theory of space in the context of hismetaphysical view that extrinsic properties are ultimately grounded on theintrinsic properties of substances. In particular, it shows that Leibniz’s theoryof the ideality of spatial relations sits unconfortably with his principle ofidentity, according to which there is no quantitative difference which is notalso a qualitative one. The paper concludes that Leibniz’s theory seems tolack the resources to save the following dilemma: either space has no parts,in which case his theory cannot explain how we acquire the representationof space; or, space has parts, which means that there may be differencesthat are merely quantitative.Este trabajo discute la teoría del espacio de Leibniz en el contexto de suconcepción metafísica según la cual las propiedades extrínsecas de unasubstancia se fundamentan, en últimas, en sus propiedades intrínsecas. Enparticular, el artículo sostiene que la teoría leibnizeana de las relacionesespaciales se compagina difícilmente con su principio de identidad, segúnel cual no hay diferencia cuantitativa que no sea a las vez una diferenciacualitativa. La propuesta es que la teoría de Leibniz cae presa del siguientedilema: o bien el espacio no tiene partes, en cuyo caso la teoría no puedeexplicar cómo nos hacemos de la representación de espacio; o bien elespacio tiene partes, lo cual significa que puede haber diferencias que sonmeramente cuantitativas

Pandora's Box Problem with Order Constraints

The Pandora's Box Problem, originally formalized by Weitzman in 1979, models selection from set of random, alternative options, when evaluation is costly. This includes, for example, the problem of hiring a skilled worker, where only one hire can be made, but the evaluation of each candidate is an expensive procedure. Weitzman showed that the Pandora's Box Problem admits an elegant, simple solution, where the options are considered in decreasing order of reservation value,i.e., the value that reduces to zero the expected marginal gain for opening the box. We study for the first time this problem when order - or precedence - constraints are imposed between the boxes. We show that, despite the difficulty of defining reservation values for the boxes which take into account both in-depth and in-breath exploration of the various options, greedy optimal strategies exist and can be efficiently computed for tree-like order constraints. We also prove that finding approximately optimal adaptive search strategies is NP-hard when certain matroid constraints are used to further restrict the set of boxes which may be opened, or when the order constraints are given as reachability constraints on a DAG. We complement the above result by giving approximate adaptive search strategies based on a connection between optimal adaptive strategies and non-adaptive strategies with bounded adaptivity gap for a carefully relaxed version of the problem

An Evaluation of Bainton\u27s Concept of Luther and his Theology as Presented in The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century- Translation into Spanish of Bainton\u27s Book

Nevertheless, a critique is here attempted in order to evaluate some of Bainton\u27s concepts and judgments. The writer recognizes his own limitations, the lack of adequate time, the lack of n library, all the source books that Bainton employed for this work, and a lesser degree of skill in the necessary research techniques. For those reasons the scope of the evaluation was limited. Instead of trying to evaluate the entire field covered in his book, the writer limited himself to an evaluation of Bainton\u27s interpretation of\u27 Luther and his theology

Here, There, and Everywhere: The Problem with Microplastics in Water and What Women Scientists Are Doing to Solve It

Plastics — ubiquitous material we cannot seem to live without — are everywhere, but sadly we cannot live with plastics either, at least not peaceably, especially when you consider there will be more plastics in the ocean than fish by 2050. In the intervening years, the photodegradation of plastic resulting in microplastics pollution will be an even bigger problem, affecting every living creature in the ocean, and by extrapolation, mankind. The choices we make and the steps we take to combat the overabundance of plastics in our environment will dictate not just the next 30 years, but the fate of the world thereafter. This is not science fiction, but modern life. This article discusses the microplastics problem and some potential solutions

The Spanish Erasmian Movement of the Sixteenth Century

The purpose of this thesis is to familiarize the readers, at least in part, with the Spanish Erasmian movement of the sixteenth century. Lutheran historical research has given much attention and study to the historical events of the sixteenth century. But when Lutheran historians study one of the movements of that century, they are prone to connect it with the German Lutheran Reformation. This might be because, as Lutherans, they are especially interested in seeing the influence that Luther and Lutheranism might have had on the religious conscience of other nations. For this reason the figure of Erasmus has been somewhat neglected, and the influence of Erasmism on the religious movements of the sixteenth century minimized

PROFESSIONAL RISKS OF VOLUNTEER PSYCHOLOGISTS / PSYCHOTHERAPISTS WORKING WITH TRAUMA PATIENTS

In conditions of today's Ukraine, even experienced psychotherapists note quite serious and exhausting overload in their professional activities. The study of adverse conditions experienced by professionals has been based on the classification by B. H. Stamm, according to which the professional quality of life of a psychologist / psychotherapist is made up of the satisfaction from empathy and compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue includes the secondary traumatic stress and emotional burnout. The development of negative conditions associated with compassion fatigue is recognized as a major professional risk of the professionals working with the traumatized. There are general emotional, cognitive and behavioral indicators of compassion fatigue that are considered universal for professionals working with different age groups and categories of clients. On the basis of Western and our own research findings, we identified the stressors that significantly increase the risks of development of various symptoms of compassion fatigue. Diagnosis of conditions associated with compassion fatigue (secondary traumatic stress, emotional burnout symptoms) can be done via the assessment of professional quality of life using the appropriate questionnaire and other special instruments described in the article. Recent studies show that understanding of the negative psychological consequences of working with traumatized clients increases psychologists / psychotherapists' awareness of their emotional states, whereas psychologists / psychotherapists' continuing education and retraining as well supervisory group visits are reliable compassion fatigue prevention measures

Amigos por Agua

The role of non-profit organizations in outfitting the developing world with clean water has become more extensive as the world’s population grows, especially in places such as Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the western hemisphere. Nicaraguans suffer high rates of kidney disease, respiratory illnesses and parasites as a result of water borne diseases. NGOs such as Amigos for Christ are stepping in to fill the void in Chinandega where the local government lacks the financial wherewithal to provide a basic WASH infrastructure to its inhabitants. It is the goal of Amigos for Christ to bring water to every household in Chinandega thereby improving the health, education and welfare of the populace. This article is based on transcripts from an interview on how this NGO accomplishes their work