Bunge’s Mathematical Structuralism Is Not a Fiction

In this paper, I explore Bunge’s fictionism in philosophy of mathematics. After an overview of Bunge’s views, in particular his mathematical structuralism, I argue that the comparison between mathematical objects and fictions ultimately fails. I then sketch a different ontology for mathematics, based on Thomasson’s metaphysical work. I conclude that mathematics deserves its own ontology, and that, in the end, much work remains to be done to clarify the various forms of dependence that are involved in mathematical knowledge, in particular its dependence on mental/brain states and material objects

Alien Registration- Marquis, Joseph P. (Van Buren, Aroostook County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/32224/thumbnail.jp

Introducing Object-Based Concepts in a COBOL Course

While making decisions on curriculum content, many colleges have to resolve the conflict between teaching the traditional skills required by future employers of their students, and teaching new technology. These decisions are further constrained by the limited number of courses available for the major. One such conflict is between teaching COBOL and teaching Object-Oriented (O-O) techniques. A review of the current literature, both practitioner and academic, clearly indicates that the teaching of the O-O paradigm needs to be included within MIS curricula. Two approaches can be taken: to integrate the teaching of O-O concepts into several courses spread across the curriculum; or to teach a single course covering the entire O-O model. It is suggested that the more practical approach is to distribute the teaching of O-O concepts across several courses. In particular, the elements of encapsulation and modularity can be addressed in a beg course covering the COBOL language. The paper begins with a literature review and an explanation of the major elements of the O-O model. The paper then describes a student project that was developed to introduce two of these concepts in a course in COBOL

A Knowledge Compilation Map

We propose a perspective on knowledge compilation which calls for analyzing different compilation approaches according to two key dimensions: the succinctness of the target compilation language, and the class of queries and transformations that the language supports in polytime. We then provide a knowledge compilation map, which analyzes a large number of existing target compilation languages according to their succinctness and their polytime transformations and queries. We argue that such analysis is necessary for placing new compilation approaches within the context of existing ones. We also go beyond classical, flat target compilation languages based on CNF and DNF, and consider a richer, nested class based on directed acyclic graphs (such as OBDDs), which we show to include a relatively large number of target compilation languages

“I CAME TO TAKE MY PLACE”: Contemporary discourses of Rastafari in Jamaican popular culture

Este artigo explora o lugar das representações do rastafarismo na cultura da música popular jamaicana do século 21, como um reflexo de um movimento discursivo para fora dos discursos tradicionais do rastafarismo, em direção a uma convergência com os discursos, em conflito, ocidentais de Babilônia, incluindo o material e o carnal. O texto rastreia brevemente o movimento do Rastafarismo na cultura e na música dancehall, por meio das primeiras manifestações de artistas de dancehall radicais que se tornaram DJs Rastas nos anos 1990, até a primeira explosão de artistas influenciados pelo Rastafarismo no século 21, e então para os representantes mais atuais do ideário Rastafári na música popular jamaicana, como refletidos na ascensão do híbrido entre dancehall e rasta, o Gangsta Ras. A manifestação do Gangsta Ras é especificamente examinada mediante a lírica, os vestidos e a autorepresentação do Honorável Munga na cultura dancehall. As inherentes tensões nesta paradoxal auto representação rompe as tradicionais noções do que significa ser Rastafari. Embora a ideología e o discurso de Munga tem um parentesco com o grupo de artistas influenciados por los Rastafaris, os quais corriqueiramente andam pelos espaços dos dancehal, significando a recolocação dos Rastafaris dentro do espaço da cultura musical popular jamaicana, sugirindo uma variante renascida da masculinidade jamaicana na cultura musical popular.Palabras-chaves: Rastafari. Música popular jamaicana. Gangsta Ras. MasculinidadeAbstractThis article explores the place of 21st century representations of Rastafari in Jamaican popular music culture as reflective of a discursive move away from traditional discourses of Rastafari towards a convergence with “conflicted”, Western discourses of Babylon, including the material and carnal. It briefly traces the movement of Rastafari in dancehall music and culture through the early manifestations of the hardcore dancehall artiste turned Rastafari deejay of the 1990s, to the early 21st century explosion of Rastafari-influenced artistes, and then to the most current representation of Rastafari in Jamaican popular music as reflected in the rise of the hybrid the dancehall/Rasta or Gangsta Ras. The manifestation of the Gangsta Ras is specifically examined through the lyrics, dress and self-presentation of Munga Honourable in dancehall culture. The inherent tensions in this paradoxical self-presentation interrupt the traditional notions of what it means to be Rastafari. Yet, Munga’s ideological and discursive kinship with a cadre of Rastafari-influenced artistes who currently flit through dancehall’s spaces imply a re-placement of Rastafari within the contemporary space of Jamaican popular music culture and suggests a renewed variant of Jamaican masculinity in Jamaican popular music culture.Keywords: Rastafari. Jamaican popular music. Gangsta Ras. MasculinityResumenEste artículo explora el lugar en el siglo XXI de las representaciones de los Rastafaris en la cultura musical popular jamaicana. Es una reflexión de un movimiento discursivo que incluye lo material y lo carnal, dislocando el tradicional discurso Rastafari a la convergencia con el conflictivo occidentalizado discurso de Babilonia. Este breve trazado del movimiento de los Rastafari en la música dancehall, mediante sus tempranas manifestaciones de la música dura del artista convertido em DJs Rastafari, durante los años 90 del siglo XX y los primeros años del siglo XXI. La explosión de la influencia de los artistas Rastafaris conllevó a la representación de la música popular jamaicana como Rastafari, tal como se refleja en el ascenso del dancehall Rasta o Gansta Ras. La manifestación de los Gangsta Ras es especificamente examinada mediante la lírica, las ropas y la autorepresentación del Honorable Munga en la cultura dancehall. Las inherentes tensiones en esta paradójica auto representación rompe con las tradicionales nociones de lo que significa ser Rastafari. Aunque la ideología y el discurso de Munga tiene un parentesco con el grupo de artistas influenciados por los Rastafaris, quienes cotidianamente revolotean por los espacios de los salones de baile, significando la recolocación de los Rastafaris dentro del espacio de la cultura musical popular jamaicana, sugiriendo una variante renacida de la masculinidad jamaicana en la cultura musical popular.Palabras claves: Rastafari. Música popular jamaicana. Gangsta Ras. Masculinida

The Strategy-Proofness Landscape of Merging

Merging operators aim at defining the beliefs/goals of a group of agents from the beliefs/goals of each member of the group. Whenever an agent of the group has preferences over the possible results of the merging process (i.e., the possible merged bases), she can try to rig the merging process by lying on her true beliefs/goals if this leads to better merged base according to her point of view. Obviously, strategy-proof operators are highly desirable in order to guarantee equity among agents even when some of them are not sincere. In this paper, we draw the strategy-proof landscape for many merging operators from the literature, including model-based ones and formula-based ones. Both the general case and several restrictions on the merging process are considered

Polyhydroxybutyrate accumulation by a Serratia sp

A strain of Serratia sp. showed intracellular electron-transparent inclusion bodies when incubated in the presence of citrate and glycerol 2-phosphate without nitrogen source following pregrowth under carbon-limitation in continuous culture. About 1.3 mmol citrate were consumed per 450 mg\ud biomass, giving a calculated yield of maximally 55% of stored material per g of biomass dry wt. The inclusion bodies were stained with Sudan Black and Nile Red (NR), suggesting a lipid material, which was confirmed as polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) by analysis of molecular fragments by GC and by FTIR spectroscopy of isolated bio-PHB in comparison with reference material. Multi-parameter flow cytometry in conjunction with NR fluorescence, and electron microscopy, showed that not all cells contained heavy PHB bodies, suggesting the potential for increasing\ud the overall yield. The economic attractiveness is\ud enhanced by the co-production of nanoscale hydroxyapatite\ud (HA), a possible high-value precursor for bone replacement materials