Reply to Nathan: How to reconstruct the causal argument

Nicholas Nathan tries to resist the current version of the causal argument for sense-data in two ways. First he suggests that, on what he considers to be the correct re-construction of the argument, it equivocates on the sense of proximate cause. Second he defends a form of disjunctivism, by claiming that there might be an extra mechanism involved in producing veridical hallucination, that is not present in perception. I argue that Nathan’s reconstruction of the argument is not the appropriate one, and that, properly interpreted, the argument does not equivocate on proximate cause. Furthermore, I claim that his postulation of a modified mechanism for hallucinations is implausibly ad hoc.     

On the bounded version of Hilbert's tenth problem

 The paper establishes lower bounds on the provability of 𝒟=NP and the MRDP theorem in weak fragments of arithmetic. The theory I ⁵ E ₁ is shown to be unable to prove 𝒟=NP. This non-provability result is used to show that I ⁵ E ₁ cannot prove the MRDP theorem. On the other hand it is shown that I ¹ E ₁ proves 𝒟 contains all predicates of the form (∀i≤|b|)P(i,x)^Q(i,x) where ^ is =, <, or ≤, and I ⁰ E ₁ proves 𝒟 contains all predicates of the form (∀i≤b)P(i,x)=Q(i,x). Here P and Q are polynomials. A conjecture is made that 𝒟 contains NLOGTIME. However, it is shown that this conjecture would not be sufficient to imply 𝒟=N P. Weak reductions to equality are then considered as a way of showing 𝒟=NP. It is shown that the bit-wise less than predicate, ≤₂, and equality are both co-NLOGTIME complete under FDLOGTIME reductions. This is used to show that if the FDLOGTIME functions are definable in 𝒟 then 𝒟=N P. Received: 13 July 2001 / Revised version: 9 April 2002 / Published online: 19 December 2002 Key words or phrases: Bounded Arithmetic – Bounded Diophantine Complexity     

Stationary entanglement between macroscopic mechanical oscillators

We show that the optomechanical coupling between an optical cavity mode and two movable cavity mirrors is able to entangle two different macroscopic oscillation modes of the mirrors. This continuous variable entanglement is maintained by the light bouncing between the mirrors and is robust against thermal noise. In fact, it could be experimentally demonstrated using present technology. Received 2 September 2002 / Received in final form 10 October 2002 Published online 7 January 2003     

Chemisorption at interfaces between organic semiconductors and metals: role of the electron affinity

Chemisorption is a well-known phenomenon for many interfaces between organic semiconductors and metals. It is shown that many published data indicate that the occurrence of chemisorption can be rationalized upon the consideration of the metal work function versus the electron affinity of the organic semiconductor.     

Synthesis of thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine and quinazoline derivatives from monothiooxamides

A method for syntheses of previously unknown derivatives of thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines and quinazolines from monothiooxamides was proposed.     

A Mössbauer and Electrochemical Characterization of the Corrosion Products Formed from Marine and Marine-Antartic Environments

Hyperfine Interactions - Corrosion products formed on low alloy steel under two marine environments are characterised. Both environments are classified as C4 according to the ISO 9223 Standard. The...     

放射性9C束流不同贯穿深度上的线能谱测量

为阐述放射性⁹C束流应用于治癌的物理基础, 运用一个球形生物组织等效正比计数器测量了⁹C束流不同贯穿深度上的线能谱, 得到了沿束流贯穿深度上的剂量平均线能分布. 将实验测量得到的线能谱转换成为不同传能线密度在吸收剂量中所占份额的分布, 得到了该⁹C束流在不同贯穿深度上的剂量平均传能线密度分布. 将生物组织等效正比计数器测量得到的与先前通过平行板正比计数器测量得到的该⁹C束流的剂量平均传能线密度分布进行比较, 发现: 在束流入射通道上, 两者测量数据符合很好, 而在束流Bragg峰附近⁹C离子的沉积区域, 由组织等效正比计数器测量得到的剂量平均传能线密度值大于由平行板正比计数器测量得到的值.     

Poincaré-Hopf inequalities

In this article the main theorem establishes the necessity and sufficiency of the Poincaré-Hopf inequalities in order for the Morse inequalities to hold. The convex hull of the collection of all Betti number vectors which satisfy the Morse inequalities for a pre-assigned index data determines a Morse polytope defined on the nonnegative orthant. Using results from network flow theory, a scheme is provided for constructing all possible Betti number vectors which satisfy the Morse inequalities for a pre-assigned index data. Geometrical properties of this polytope are described.