The Impossibility of Free Will and Ultimate Responsibility

This paper concerns itself with the metaphysics of free will. To posit, as some philosophers do, that free will and determinism are incompatible is to provide a necessary condition for free will. Yet what should a sufficient condition look like? In other words, how might indeterminists provide a positive account of free will? In section 2 of this paper, I provide a few definitions and discuss an influential argument against compatibilism, namely the view that free will and determinism are compatible. This will help to identify some important criteria for theories of free will. Section 3 shows how abandoning determinism and adopting indeterminism is also problematic, and that we thus need to fill in the definition of free will. Section 4 presents the first part of Robert Kane’s definition of free will, which goes along the lines of “we make choices based on our beliefs, priorities, etc.” and section 5 offers Kane’s account of Self-Forming Actions to explain how our beliefs and priorities are our own. The core of my objection will take place in section 6, where I show how the concept of a Self-Forming Action cannot make free will compatible with indeterminism in that the idea of a Self-Forming Action is incoherent

Computing normal external descriptions and feedback design

AbstractGiven a linear system ẋ=Ax + Bu, we compute a normal external description (N(s), D(s)), using the Hessenberg form of the pair (A, B) and embedding techniques. We show how to compute a state feedback K that assigns the closed-loop invariant polynomials using a Diophantine equation. The solution to such an equation corresponds to a back-substitution problem, due to the special structure of the computed normal external description. A procedure to compute an output matrix C that assigns the desired finite zeros of the system is also outlined in terms of a Diophantine equation. The proposed algorithms are easy to implement and computationally efficient and therefore can form a useful toolbox in design problems

THE FLIGHT OF ICARUS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE EMOTIONAL CORRELATES OF HUBRIS IN GERONTOLOGICAL NURSES DURING THE SARS-COV-2 PANDEMIC

Persons in leadership positions are more likely to manifest hubristic symptomatology, the longer the person exercises power and the greater the power they exercise. No data exists for healthcare staff, such as nurses and more specifically for gerontological nurses who exercise power on their colleagues as well as older persons. This study aims to examine whether there are emotional correlates of gerontological experienced hubris when serving in a leadership position, and to investigate possible gender differences during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a little investigated period regarding its emotional aspects on healthcare professionals. Gerontological nurses in leadership positions completed Job Affect Scale, Emotional Labour Scale, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Generalized Immediacy Scale, General Index of Job Satisfaction, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Wong-Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, State-Anxiety-Inventory, Perceived Cohesion Scale, and a 5-point Likert scale measuring hubristic attributes. No statistically significant differences were found between male and female nurses regarding the abovementioned classic administered emotional scales and hubris. The analyses yielded only a negative correlation between negative affect and hubris. This research provides for the first time data regarding gerontological nurses in leadership positions, suggesting that various negative and positive emotional variables do no directly relate to hubristic symptoms for this group of healthcare professionals. As hubristic behaviors and their dangerous consequences are found not to be related to abovementioned emotional variables, researchers and hospital managers should consider and focus on other indices in their attempt to prevent such phenomena

THE FLIGHT OF ICARUS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE EMOTIONAL CORRELATES OF HUBRIS IN GERONTOLOGICAL NURSES DURING THE SARS-COV-2 PANDEMIC

Persons in leadership positions are more likely to manifest hubristic symptomatology, the longer the person exercises power and the greater the power they exercise. No data exists for healthcare staff, such as nurses and more specifically for gerontological nurses who exercise power on their colleagues as well as older persons. This study aims to examine whether there are emotional correlates of gerontological experienced hubris when serving in a leadership position, and to investigate possible gender differences during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a little investigated period regarding its emotional aspects on healthcare professionals. Gerontological nurses in leadership positions completed Job Affect Scale, Emotional Labour Scale, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Generalized Immediacy Scale, General Index of Job Satisfaction, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Wong-Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, State-Anxiety-Inventory, Perceived Cohesion Scale, and a 5-point Likert scale measuring hubristic attributes. No statistically significant differences were found between male and female nurses regarding the abovementioned classic administered emotional scales and hubris. The analyses yielded only a negative correlation between negative affect and hubris. This research provides for the first time data regarding gerontological nurses in leadership positions, suggesting that various negative and positive emotional variables do no directly relate to hubristic symptoms for this group of healthcare professionals. As hubristic behaviors and their dangerous consequences are found not to be related to abovementioned emotional variables, researchers and hospital managers should consider and focus on other indices in their attempt to prevent such phenomena

Efficacy of interferon in multiple sclerosis

Introduction of interferon b-1b in the therapeutic strategy against Multiple Sclerosis has resulted in a great amelioration of treatment in various terms. Relapse rates, delaying progression of the activity, improvement of imaging outcomes as well as reduction of disease activity itself consist great achievements against a pathological condition that challenged medical effectiveness throughout decades. Two recombinant human IFN-1a and an IFN-1b preparations have been proved effected and well tolerated. We reviewed the most important literature concerning pharmacodynamics, medical efficacy, tolerability and adverse effects of interferon-b usage. In parallel, despite the wide range of trials referring to INF-b treatment, we tried to categorize results of main trials in order to present our conclusions systematicall

Static output feedback: a survey

This paper reviews the static output feedback problem in the control of linear, time-invariant (LTI) systems. It includes analytical and computational methods and presents in a unified fashion, the knowledge gained in the decades of research into this most important problem

Management of multiple, late onset complications in a 33-year-old female, with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt and crohn\u27s disease

Numerous complications can occur after the placement of a venticuloperitoneal shunt. The late onset of an autoimmune disease such as Crohn\u27s disease can be the disruptive factor for a previously well functioning shunt. A 33-year-old female with a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt since the age of 7, as well as Crohn\u27s disease since the age of 25, presented in the ER with dysuria, long-lasting fever and intermittent severe headache. The patient underwent a CT scan of the chest, abdomen and brain. An enlargement of the ventricular system was revealed, suggesting malfunction of the shunt. Simultaneously, the abdominal scan revealed an abnormal course of the peritoneal catheter of the shunt in the lower abdomen, inside the bladder. The existence of the catheter inside the bladder was confirmed and filmed during a cystoscopy and was attributed to the several inflammations and surgeries performed for the treatment of Crohn\u27s disease.The absence of an obvious stenosis of the aqueduct, the early immunodeficiency due to Azathioprine and the multiple abdominal surgeries made the treatment selection a complex algorithm for the neurosurgeon