What's wrong with promising to try?

There is often something wrong with merely promising to try to φ. In this article I explain what is wrong with such promises. I argue that a promise to try to φ, when it is entirely up to us to φ, is always wrong because it hides a possible choice under the veil of our susceptibility to circumstances beyond our control. I furthermore argue that this is often also the case when matters are not entirely up to us. Finally, I contend that sometimes the promise to try places undue burdens on the promisee.     

Variation with density of the transport properties of YBaCuO superconductors

Abstract

The dependence of the normal-state resistivity, resistive superconducting transition (T _c, ΔT _c), and of the upper critical-field slope (dH _c2/dT|T=T_c) on density has been investigated for several YBa₂Cu₃O_9-x(x?2.1) samples. The resistivity decreases rapidly with increasing density, whereas T _c and ΔT _c are rather insensitive to a change in density. dH _c2/dT|T_c depends sensitively on the preparation conditions. The implications of these results both for the evaluation of the parameters relevant to the understanding of the nature of superconductivity and for the technological applications of granular superconductors are briefly discussed.     

The Self-Knowledge Gambit

If we hold that perceiving is sufficient for knowing, we can raise a powerful objection to dreaming skepticism: Skeptics assume the implausible KK-principle, because they hold that if we don’t know whether we are dreaming or perceiving p, we don’t know whether p. The rejection of the KK-principle thus suggests an anti-skeptical strategy: We can sacrifice some of our self-knowledge—our second-order knowledge—and thereby save our knowledge of the external world. I call this strategy the Self-Knowledge Gambit. I argue that the Self-Knowledge Gambit is not satisfactory, because the dreaming skeptic can avail herself of a normative counterpart to the KK-principle: When we lack second-order knowledge, we should suspend our first-order beliefs and thereby give up any first-order knowledge we might have had. The skeptical challenge is essentially a normative challenge, and one can raise it even if one rejects the KK-Principle.     

Exact solution of the one-dimensional Potts bridge model with competing interactions

Abstract

The exact solution of the q-state Potts bridge model with competing ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions is obtained and corresponding regular and critical behaviour studied.     

Effect of time and space uncertainty on a vigilance task

Two groups, each of 12 Ss, were instructed to detect increments in light level from displays of one or five lights. Signals appeared in regular and in irregular intervals. The display was flashed on simultaneously for 0.8 sec every 3.2 sec. Signal detection was superior with a display of one light than with a display of five lights. For two extreme response criteria, there was a decrement of false alarms and an increment of beta during a run. These changes were not dependent upon time and spatial uncertainty. There were no systematic changes in correct detections and d’ during a run. No difference was found between central and peripheral light positions. Correlation of measures was also examined.     

The Structure of Adolescent Affective Well-Being: The Case of the PANAS Among Serbian Adolescents

The structure of affective well-being and the relationship between positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) have rarely been examined among adolescents. The aim of the present research was to investigate the question of bipolarity versus independence of PA and NA as measured by the PANAS across three studies in adolescent samples. The results of Study 1 (N = 1038) showed that a two-factor structure of the PANAS, with correlated PA and NA and allowed correlated errors between similarly worded items provided the best fit to data. Study 2 included three independent samples (total N = 1071), and showed that PA and NA differed in terms of their relationship to various well-being indicators. Study 3 (N = 482) tested the predictive validity of PA and NA in a 5 month follow-up design, and showed that both PA and NA had independent predictive benefits for depression, risky behaviors and life satisfaction, and that PA had no unique role in the prediction of stress and anxiety, while NA had no unique role in the prediction of academic achievement. The results of the present research provided strong support for the relative independence of PA and NA as measured by the PANAS among adolescents.     

Autobiographical reflections on what it means to experience disruption

Accepting disruption as an inevitable occurrence in life, five nurse-teacher-researchers explore their experience with being disruptive/being disrupted. Reflection on the all-encompassing embodied experience of disruption takes us through a process of exploration and meaning-making. We pause to show what it is like to be in-between the known and unknown in creating a life in academia through stories. Plotlines such as being in-between family and work; transplanted outsider seeking a sense of belonging; going into the chaos while feeling invisible; and self-induced disruption in response to loss illuminate our reflection. The metaphor of the breathturn allows us to reconstruct our experience and to discern possibilities beyond the usual negative connotations.