A New Societal Self-Defense Theory of Punishment—The Rights-Protection Theory

In this paper, I propose a new self-defense theory of punishment, the rights-protection theory. By appealing to the interest theory of right, I show that what we call “the right of self-defense” is actually composed of the right to protect our basic rights. The right of self-defense is not a single, self-standing right but a group of derivative rights justified by their contribution to the protection of the core, basic rights. Thus, these rights of self-defense are both justified and constrained by the basic rights they are supposed to protect. I then explain how this theory responds to a common objection. Opponents argue that, to exercise the right of self-defense, some threat must be present. However, in the context of punishment, the threat has already taken effect or is already gone. Thus, the right of self-defense becomes irrelevant when we punish an offender. I show that this objection is based on an implausibly narrow conception of self-defense. A reasonable conception would allow us to exercise our right of self-defense when there is a present definite threat, a future definite threat, or a potential threat. Thus, we may still exercise our right of self-defense in the context of punishment

Auto and hetero-associative memory using a 2-D optical logic gate

An optical system for auto-associative and hetero-associative recall utilizing Hamming distance as the similarity measure between a binary input image vector V(sup k) and a binary image vector V(sup m) in a first memory array using an optical Exclusive-OR gate for multiplication of each of a plurality of different binary image vectors in memory by the input image vector. After integrating the light of each product V(sup k) x V(sup m), a shortest Hamming distance detection electronics module determines which product has the lowest light intensity and emits a signal that activates a light emitting diode to illuminate a corresponding image vector in a second memory array for display. That corresponding image vector is identical to the memory image vector V(sup m) in the first memory array for auto-associative recall or related to it, such as by name, for hetero-associative recall

Supersymmetric Lepton Flavor Violation at the NLC

Supersymmetric theories generally have new flavor violation sources in the squark and slepton mass matrices. If significant lepton flavor violation exists, selectron and smuon should be nearly degenerate. This leads to the phenomenon of slepton oscillations, which is analogous to neutrino oscillations, if sleptons are produced at the Next Linear Collider. The direct slepton production at the Next Linear Collider provides a much more powerful probe of lepton flavor violation than the current bounds from rare processes, such as $\mu \to e\gamma$.Comment: 5 pages, LaTeX, 1 figure, Talk presented at the 1st Symposium on Flavor-Changing Neutral Currents, Feb.19-21, 1997, Santa Monica, Californi