1,940 research outputs found
The Singer or the Song? Developments in Performers' Rights from the Perspective of a Cultural Economist
No full textOver the last century, performers gradually acquired statutory protection of their economic and moral
rights. These rights are not copyright in the legal sense but neighboring rights and until recently, they
were mainly remuneration rights that are collectively administered. With the WPPT (WIPO
Performers and Phonograms Treaty), performers now have individual exclusive rights for digital
performances; this leads to the question: what has motivated this change – is it a change in the
perception of the value of performer or a change brought about by the changing technology of copying or,
indeed, a change that reflects different economic costs and benefits? The paper discusses the role of
copyright law as an incentive to performers and asks if the economic role of the performer is so different
from that of the author. The conclusion is that a complex interaction of the legal regulations, economic
conditions and institutional arrangements for administering these new rights will determine the outcome
[Herrn Dr Ludwig Speidel : Schriftsteller].
No full textHandwritten letter from Isidore Singer to author Ludwig Speidel regarding Singer's book Sollen die Juden Christen werden? Ein offenes Wort an Freund und Feind
von J. Singer. Mit einem facsimilirten Schreiben Ernest Renan's an den Verfasser.Processed for digitizationSent for digitizationReturned from digitizationLinked to online manifestationdigitize
Deficits in high- (>60 Hz) gamma-band oscillations during visual processing in schizophrenia
No full textCurrent theories of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia have focused on abnormal temporal coordination of neural activity. Oscillations in the gamma-band range (>25 Hz) are of particular interest as they establish synchronization with great precision in local cortical networks. However, the contribution of high gamma (>60 Hz) oscillations toward the pathophysiology is less established. To address this issue, we recorded magnetoencephalographic (MEG) data from 16 medicated patients with chronic schizophrenia and 16 controls during the perception of Mooney faces. MEG data were analysed in the 25–150 Hz frequency range. Patients showed elevated reaction times and reduced detection rates during the perception of upright Mooney faces while responses to inverted stimuli were intact. Impaired processing of Mooney faces in schizophrenia patients was accompanied by a pronounced reduction in spectral power between 60–120 Hz (effect size: d = 1.26) which was correlated with disorganized symptoms (r = −0.72). Our findings demonstrate that deficits in high gamma-band oscillations as measured by MEG are a sensitive marker for aberrant cortical functioning in schizophrenia, suggesting an important aspect of the pathophysiology of the disorder
Determination of critical cooling rates in metallic glass forming alloy libraries through laser spike annealing
No full textThe glass forming ability (GFA) of metallic glasses (MGs) is quantified by the critical cooling rate (RC). Despite its key role in MG research, experimental challenges have limited measured RC to a minute fraction of known glass formers. We present a combinatorial approach to directly measure RC for large compositional ranges. This is realized through the use of compositionally-graded alloy libraries, which were photo-thermally heated by scanning laser spike annealing of an absorbing layer, then melted and cooled at various rates. Coupled with X-ray diffraction mapping, GFA is determined from direct RC measurements. We exemplify this technique for the Au-Cu-Si system, where we identify Au56Cu27Si17 as the alloy with the highest GFA. In general, this method enables measurements of RC over large compositional areas, which is powerful for materials discovery and, when correlating with chemistry and other properties, for a deeper understanding of MG formation.Peer reviewe
Book review : Christopher J. Berry, Adam Smith : a very short introduction
No full textChristopher J. Berry, Adam Smith: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018, xx + 128 pp, ₹250. ISBN 978-0-198-78445-6 (paperback).
Oxford University Press began its “very short introductions” in 1995 “for anyone wanting a stimulating and accessible way into a new subject”. Since then, it has published four books on key economic thinkers: Peter Singer on Karl Marx (2001; second edition in 2018), Robert Skidelsky on Maynard Keynes (2010), Donald Winch on Robert Malthus (2013; originally published as an OUP Past Master in 1987) and Christopher Berry on Adam Smith (2018) which is the book under review. Berry’s Adam Smith devotes Chapter 1 to Smith’s “life and times”, Chapter 2 to his relatively less known work on the history of astronomy, rhetoric and scientific explanation, Chapters 3 and 4 to the Theory of Moral Sentiments (TMS hereafter), Chapters 5 and 6 to the Wealth of Nations (WN hereafter) and Chapter 7, the final one, to Smith’s “legacy and reputation”
Can reforming global institutions help developing countries share more in the benefits from globalization?
No full textGlobalization could significantly expand trade, international investment, and technological advances, but the gains from global integration have been unevenly distributed across and within nations. Greater global interdependence has also brought greater macroeconomic volatility, resulting in several serious financial crises in the second half of the 1990s. The global matrix of Bretton Woods and United Nations institutions that developed starting in the 1940s, formed under a different balance of power, in a world of fixed exchange rates and limited capital mobility. Since the 1960s regional financial institutions have emerged because of the greater autonomy of different regions and the greater financial needs of development. The author reviews different proposals for reform of the international financial institutions and changes in the roles of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. He highlights the implications for developing countries of (1) Policy conditionality. (2) The countercyclical role of multilaterals'lending. (3) Greater lending to middle-income than to low-income developing countries. (3) Access to liquidity at times of crisis. (4) Mechanisms for giving low-income countries a greater voice in IMF and World Bank decisionmaking. The author streses the overlapping responsibilities of the Bretton Woods and regional financial institutions and the need to reassess the allocation of responsibilities and to develop better coordination mechanisms between these institutions. Those designing institutional reform must consider the corporate capabilities of each type of institution. The corporate cultures of global and regional institutions differ. So does the kind of knowledge they generate and disseminate, and so do patterns of interactions with, and mechanisms for representation of, client countries.Finally, the author calls attention to the need to harmonize national and global growth-oriented policies in a way that reduces volatility and promotes social equity.Environmental Economics&Policies,Governance Indicators,Financial Intermediation,Economic Theory&Research,Banks&Banking Reform
Peter Singer foundations of Moral Philosophy
No full textThis research aims to reconstruct and explain the argument proposed by Peter
Singer to justify the principle of equal consideration of interests (PECI). The PECI is
the basic normative principle according to people should consider the interests of all
sentient beings affected when somebody taking a moral decision. It is the join that
Singer proposes between universalizability and the principle of equal consideration of
interests that constitutes a compelling reason to justify it. The universalizability
requires to disregard the numerical differences, putting yourself in other people s
shoes, and to consider preferences, interests, desires and ideals of those affected.
Singer joins universalizability to normative principle and molds the form and content
of his theory. The first chapter introduces the discussion will be developed in this
essay. The second chapter deals the historical and philosophical viewpoint from
which Singer starts his studies. The third chapter is about the Singer s critiques of
naturalism, intuitionism, relativism, simple subjectivism and emotivism. The fourth
chapter exposes the design of universal prescriptivism proposed by R. M. Hare. The
universal prescriptivism indicates, in the Singer s viewpoint, a consistent way to
create the join between the universalizability and PECI. It highlights also the criticism
designed by J. L. Mackie and Singer himself to universal prescriptivism. The second
part of this chapter shows briefly some of the main points of the classical conception
of utilitarianism and its possible relationship with the theory of Singer. The fifth
chapter introduces the Singer s thesis about the origin of ethics and the
universalizability as a feature necessary to the point of view of ethic, and the way
which this argument is developed to form the PECI. The sixth chapter exposes the
main distinctions that characterize the PECI. Finally the seventh chapter provides a
discussion about the reasons highlighted by Singer for one who wants orient his life
according to the standpoint of ethics. This structure allows explaining the main ideas
of the author concerning the theoretical foundations of his moral philosophyCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível SuperiorEsta investigação tem como objetivo reconstruir e explicitar o argumento proposto
por Peter Singer para justificar o princípio de igual consideração de interesses
(PICI). O PICI é o princípio normativo básico segundo o qual as pessoas devem
considerar igualmente os interesses de todos os seres sencientes afetados ao
tomarem uma decisão moral. É o vínculo que Singer estabelece entre a
universalizabilidade e o princípio de igual consideração de interesses que se
constitui em uma razão convincente para justificá-lo. A universalizabilidade consiste
na exigência de desconsiderar as diferenças numéricas, de colocar-se no lugar do
outro e de consideração igual pelas preferências, interesses, desejos e ideais dos
afetados. Singer ao vincular a universalizabilidade e o princípio normativo estabelece
a forma e o conteúdo da sua teoria. No primeiro capítulo, introduzimos a discussão
que será desenvolvida nesta dissertação. No segundo capítulo, apresentamos o
panorama histórico-filosófico no qual Singer inicia suas investigações. No terceiro
capítulo, apresentamos a sua crítica ao naturalismo, intuicionismo, relativismo e
subjetivismo simples e, por fim, ao emotivismo. No quarto capítulo, expomos a
concepção do prescritivismo universal proposta por R. M. Hare. O prescritivismo
universal indica, para Singer, uma forma consistente para estabelecer o vínculo
entre a universalizabilidade e o PICI. Apontamos, também, as críticas feitas por J. L.
Mackie e pelo próprio Singer ao prescritivismo universal. Na segunda parte do
capítulo, apresentamos resumidamente alguns pontos centrais da concepção
clássica do utilitarismo e uma possível relação com a teoria de Singer. No quinto
capítulo, apresentamos a tese de Singer sobre a origem da ética e sobre a
universalizabilidade como uma característica necessária do ponto de vista da ética,
bem como o argumento que é desenvolvido para estabelecer o PICI. No sexto
capítulo, expomos as principais distinções que caracterizam o PICI. Encerramos no
sétimo capítulo com uma discussão sobre as razões apresentadas por Singer para
que uma pessoa oriente a sua vida de acordo com o ponto de vista da ética. Essa
estrutura permite-nos explicitar as principais ideias do autor naquilo que concerne
aos fundamentos teóricos da sua filosofia mora
Portrait of Bob Hope.
No full textPhotograph of Bob Hope, an American actor, comedian, singer, author, and athlete, taken in 1973
Biotic modifiers, environmental modulation and species distribution models
No full textThe ability of species to modulate environmental conditions and resources has long been of interest. In the past three decades the impacts of these biotic modifiers have been investigated as ‘ecosystem engineers’, ‘niche constructors’, ‘facilitators’ and ‘keystone species’. This environmental modulation can vary spatially from extremely local to global, temporally from days to geological time, and taxonomically from a few to a very large number of species. Modulation impacts are pervasive and affect, inter alia, the climate, structural environments, disturbance rates, soils and the atmospheric chemical composition. Biotic modifiers may profoundly transform the projected environmental conditions, and consequently have a significant impact on the predicted occurrence of the focal species in species distribution models (SDMs). This applies especially when these models are projected into different geographical regions or into the future or the past, where these biotic modifiers may be absent, or other biotic modifiers may be present. We show that environmental modulation can be represented in SDMs as additional variables. In some instances it is possible to use the species (e.g. biotic modifiers) in order to reflect the modulation. This would apply particularly to cases where the effect is the result of a single or a small number of species (e.g. elephants transforming woodland to grassland). Where numerous species generate an effect (such as tree species making a forest, or grasses facilitating fire) that modulates the abiotic environment, the effect itself might be a better descriptor for the aggregated action of the numerous species. We refer to this ‘effect’ as the modulator. Much of the information required to incorporate environmental modulation effects in SDMs is already available from remote-sensing data and vegetation models
ZWITTERIONS AND CAGES: NEW RESULTS FOR NEUTRAL AND PROTONATED WATER CLUSTERS
No full textShannon McDonald, Lars Ojam\""ae and Sherwin J. Singer, J. Phys. Chem. A 102, 2824 (1998) Jer-Lai Kuo, James V. Coe, Sherwin J. Singer, Yehuda B. Band, and Lars Ojam\""ae, J. Chem. Phys. 114, 2527 (2001)Author Institution: Ohio State University; Department of Chemistry, Ohio State University; Department of Physics, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University; Physical Chemistry, Ohio State University; Department of Chemistry, Ohio State UniversityCommonly held wisdom stipulates that hydrogen bonds between water molecules stabilize a structure by apiece. Therefore aqueous clusters that differ only by the direction of hydrogen bonds, but otherwise have the same number of H-bonds and placement of oxygen atoms should have roughly the same energy, and spread of energies should be far less than per water molecule. This belief lies behind calulations performed to date for the dodecahedron, and the associated formed by adding a hydronium ion, in which only one, or a handful of arbitrarily chosen hydrogen bond arrangements were selected for study. Presumably the H-bond arrangement in the dodecahedral cage has minor effect on the chemistry of this cluster. In this work we show that H-bond topology strongly affects the structure and energy of . This was implicated in our previous studies of using empirical and semi-empirical models, and is now confirmed by ab initio electronic structure calculations. Furthermore, we find that the H-bond arrangement strongly affects not just the structure and energy of , but also its chemistry. In fact, a seeming innocuous rearrangement of the H-bonds in leads to spontaneous autoionization of this structure, producing spatially separated hydrogen and hydroxide ions in the cluster. Thermal behavior and zwitterion formation in smaller aqueous clusters is also considered
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