On the Correlation between Globalization and Vulnerability in Times of Economic Crisis — A Statistical Analysis for Europe

In this paper, we test the hypothesis that more globalized countries in Europe are equally vulnerable to the current crisis as less globalized European countries. To determine the level of globalization, we use the Maastricht Globalization Index (MGI). We measure the severity of the economic crisis with five key economic indicators. The results seem to suggest that the rising level of globalization increases vulnerability to economic crises on the one hand, while, on the other, higher levels of globalization increase the opportunities to deal with a crisi

Multiport VNA Measurements

This article presents some of the most recent multiport VNA measurement methodologies used to characterize these highspeed digital networks for signal integrity. There will be a discussion of the trends and measurement challenges of high-speed digital systems, followed by a presentation of the multiport VNA measurement system details, calibration, and measurement techniques, as well as some examples of interconnect device measurements. The intent here is to present some general concepts and trends for multiport VNA measurements as applied to computer system board-level interconnect structures, and not to promote any particular brand or produc

Foraging for spatial information: Patterns of orientation learning using desktop virtual reality

The purpose of the study was to provide a description of how learners use desktop VR systems for orientation learning that instructional designers could use to improve the technology. The study used a mixed method, content analysis approach based on a theoretical framework that included principles of self-regulated learning (SRL) and orientation learning. Twelve participants used desktop virtual reality (VR) systems to explore the virtual surround of a residential space. A screen-recording program captured participants' navigation movements and think-aloud verbalizations. Participants' recorded think-aloud verbalizations were coded to identify the orientation learning and SRL events they used during the session. Analysis of the participant movement data revealed that eight of the participants generally moved in a single direction through the surround, whereas the remaining four moved in a direction and then reversed that direction. Movement patterns of some participants were found to be different at the beginning and end of their VR session, and some participants tended to navigate through certain areas of the surround more slowly than through other areas. Some participants tended to view the scene at a constant field of view level, whereas other varied the level. Additionally, some participants tended to view a particular area of the scene with narrower or wider fields of view, but others varied the field of view level across the scene. A model of orientation learning events was derived from content analysis of the think-aloud transcripts showing that participants engaged in four major types of learning categories: identifying, locating, regulating, and contextualizing. Participants were classified into four groups according to relative frequency distributions of the event categories. The study concluded that use of SRL events varied amongst the participants, and that the participant used a diverse set of movement and learning event patterns. Further conclusions noted that virtual scene objects possessed meaning for learners, and that thought verbalizations indicated that some of the learners attained a sense of presence in the VR environment. Finally, the study concluded that qualitative techniques such as thought verbalizations may provide a new paradigm for measuring presence in virtual environments

Propositional Identity and Logical Necessity

In two early papers, Max Cresswell constructed two formal logics of propositional identity, PCR and FCR, which he observed to be respectively deductively equivalent to modal logics S4 and S5. Cresswell argued informally that these equivalences respectively “give … evidence” for the correctness of S4 and S5 as logics of broadly logical necessity. In this paper, I describe weaker propositional identity logics than PCR that accommodate core intuitions about identity and I argue that Cresswell’s informal arguments do not firmly and without epistemic circularity justify accepting S4 or S5. I also describe how to formulate standard modal logics (K, S2, and their extensions) with strict equivalence as the only modal primitive