Good Definitions Research Articles

A case study of Ethernet anomalies in a distributed computing environment

Fault detection and diagnosis depend critically on good fault definitions, but the dynamic, noisy, and nonstationary character of networks makes it hard to define what a fault is in a network environment. The authors take the position that a fault or failure is a violation of expectations. In accordance with empirically based expectations, operating behaviors of networks (and other devices) can be classified as being either normal or anomalous. Because network failures most frequently manifest themselves as performance degradations or deviations from expected behavior, periods of anomalous performance can be attributed to causes assignable as network faults. The half-year case study presented used a system in which observations of distributed-computing network behavior were automatically and systematically classified as normal or anomalous. Anomalous behaviors were traced to faulty conditions. In a preliminary effort to understand and catalog how networks behave under various conditions, two cases of anomalous behavior are analyzed in detail. Examples are taken from the distributed file-system network at Carnegie Mellon University. >

What Theology Is

Trying to describe to newcomers what theology is can be an instructive exercise. This article sums up whatwassaid in a series of introductory talks on Catholic theology given to first-year students at the Angelicum University, Rome.I will begin by mentioning three possible definitions of the theological task that I cannot accept, on the principle that many good definitions are arrived at by ruling out what things are not. Each of these ‘negative definitions’ will be to some extent a caricature, yet all caricatures have some relation to reality. Moreover, each of the rejected definitions will prove to have incorporated in it an element of value. This element is capable of being disengaged and used afresh in a positive definition of the theological task to be offered in the second part of the article.Three negative definitions1. A first account of the theological task that one might meet has it that theology is the misguided attempt to turn into a science something which is strictly mysterious: the dogmas, or as we say (precisely) the mysteries of the Christian religion. Since these mysteries by definition transcend the scope of the human mind, what is the point of trying to work them out intellectually? As Lord Dacre of Granton has put it, theology is ‘sophisticated ninnery’. If we have accepted a revealed religion, we must take the consequences. The consequences are that we cannot theorise about a revelation. We can only reform our own attitudes and feelings on the basis of it.

Hume and Derrida on Language and Meaning

99 HUME AND DERRIDA ON LANGUAGE AND MEANING "...Language itself is menaced in its very life, helpless, adrift in the threat of limitlessness , brought back to its own finitude at the very moment when its limits seem to disappear, when it ceases to be self-assured, contained, and guaranteed by the infinite signified which seemed to exceed it." Is this true? What does it mean? Derrida is making a contrast between two views of language. On the view that Derrida believes correct, the linguistic sign, whether spoken or written, acquires its meaning, its significance, from conventions. On this view, meaning is a matter of nomos or institution rather than physis or nature. Since meaning is a matter of convention rather than nature, the sign on this view is arbitrary. And in this respect, there is no distinction between the linguistic or phonic sign and the written or graphic sign. The other view of language denies that all significance is a matter of nomos. There are, rather, at least some signs the signification of which is natural. This view of language is one that Derrida, quite correctly, locates in Plato. It is there already, perhaps especially, in the Meno. Socrates distinguishes knowledge from true opinions : ...true opinions, as long as they remain, are a fine thing and all they do is good, but they are not willing to remain long, and they escape from a man's mind, so that they are not worth much until one ties them down by (giving) an account of the reason why. And that, Meno my friend, is recollection, as we previously agreed. After they are tied down, in the first place they become 100 knowledge, and then they remainin place. That is why knowledgeis prized higher than correct opinionin being tied down. Knowledge is thus certain, or incorrigible. There is no knowledge that lacks a guarantee of its truth. This knowledge is obtained through a form of knowing that Socrates argues is akin to "recollection." The details of what recollection is need not detain us; what is important is what recollection is a knowledge of. There are in fact two cases with which the Meno deals. The first is the case of geometrical 4 propositions. In the course of Socrates' interrogation, Meno' s slave boy discovers that a certain geometrical proposition is true. Recollection is, thus, in the first place a discovery of facts that makes propositions true. That a proposition is true is, in general, not a matter of convention: truth depends upon the facts that the proposition is about, and whether those facts do or do not obtain will in general not be dependent upon any social institutions or conventions. On the other hand, it is compatible with this to hold that what a proposition means is a matter of convention. That 'Hume ist tot' means in German that Hume is dead is a matter of convention, just as it is a matter of convention that 'Hume is not dead' means in English that Hume is not dead; but it is not a matter of convention, but of non-linguistic fact, that the former is true and the latter false. Importantly, Socrates first obtains from Meno an affirmative answer to the question "Does he speak Greek?" before he begins his examination of the slave boy. The boy can thus be taken to understand the conventions that determine the meaning of the proposition the truth of 101 which he discovers. Grasping meaning may in this way be a matter of grasping conventions; but to grasp the truth is not a matter of convention. However, this is not Plato's view, as is made clear by the second example of the sort of thing of which recollection is supposed to yield knowledge. What Socrates seeks is a definition of 'virtue;' he even gives Meno a brief course on how to give good definitions. And this search is, for Socrates, analogous to the search for the truth of the slave boy's geometrical proposition. As the slave boy searches for the truth with respect to a geometrical proposition, so Socrates searches for the truth with respect to the definition of 'virtue.' In each case the...

Impact of Corn Prices on Slaughter Beef Composition and Prices

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between feed grain prices and the beef product mix. An annual econometric model of the U.S. livestock industry (Ospina and Shumway 1979, 1980) is used to evaluate the impact of corn price changes on the composition of slaughter beef supplies and the relative prices of the quality categories by analyzing the reduced-form dynamic multipliers. The structural form of this model disaggregates beef demand among three quality components (U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] grades prime and choice, good, and standard-and-lower, labeled for convenience as choice, good, and utility, respectively).' Supplies are disaggregated among the same quality categories and also among sex categories (steers, heifers, and breeding herd culls). Simultaneity is modeled in the demand, supply, and inventory decisions. Pork and broiler functions are incorporated. The separate effects of current and expected prices on supplies are differeptiated, and feed grain prices are assumed to be exogenous.2 All functions are linear, and the analysis is at the carcass level. Three changes were made in the earlier model, and its parameters are reestimated (Ospina and Shumway 1981). The changes include the following. (a) Three subsequent years of data are added, thus making a twenty-three-year data period, 1956-78. (b) Because important changes in USDA beef grades took place in early 1976 which affected the choice and good grade definitions (Nelson), an intercept dummy variable is added to these supply and demand equations to account for its impact. (c) A relatively minor change is made in the disaggregation of data among the good and utility beef categories.3 The change in USDA grade definitions significantly increases the supply of choice beef and decreases the supply of good beef. The estimated parameters of the grade change dummy variables have expected signs and low standard errors in five of the six structural equations to which they are added. Several substantive differences from the earlier estimation occur in the magnitudes of individual parameters because of the additional data and other modifications. However, parameter signs and the earlier general conclusions are stable. In particular, the aggregate short-run beef supply response remains positive (this finding contrasts with the conclusions of some earlier writers, e.g., Reutlinger, Tryfos), and the supply response to a 1% decrease in corn price remains greater than the response to a 1% increase in beef prices. At 1978 prices, the elasticities of beef supply are estimated to be -0.23 with respect to corn price and +0.15 with respect to average beef price. These estimates are similar to our earlier estimates of -0.25 and +0.14, respectively, at mean 1956-75 prices.

Einfhrüng in die Bodenkunde der Seen

THE part of “Die Binnengewsser” before us deals exclusively with lake bottoms. It is a large and interesting subject and very thoroughly handled from all aspects. The study of fresh waters as undertaken at the present day is a comparatively recent branch of science, and there has arisen, with its growth, a number of new terms, mostly introduced by the Swedish school at the Limnological Laboratory, Aneboda, of which Dr. Naumann is director. This laboratory is a model for all such fresh-water research. Most of these terms have come to stay, although many of them have no English equivalent. Good definitions are given throughout the work. The chapters deal with the development and origin of the various bottoms, their layers and zoning, principles and methods of sampling, with descriptions of apparatus; the botany and zoology of the layers, including bacteria; and the organic and inorganic deposits. All these are carefully classified and described. Bodenkunde is the study of the origin, qualities, and changes of the bottoms. In it, geology, zoology, and botany are all involved, besides physics and chemistry. It is an extremely important part of the larger and wider study of fresh waters in general. This volume is indispensable to all those engaged in such researches, and is one of the most interesting of the series. It is illustrated by photographs, maps, and text figures which are good and well selected.

Radio Telegraphy and Telephony

A VERY large number of books on radio telegraphy and radio telephony have recently been published. Many are of little use to the general scientific reader because they are too elementary; others fail because they are too technical, the authors revelling in technical terms which are in general very vaguely defined. Prof. Marchant seems to have hit on the happy mean in this little volume. The science is accurate, the descriptions are good, and the information is up-to-date. To make assurance doubly sure the author has added a glossary giving good definitions of the technical words used in the text. This book can be recommended to the reader who wants to understand the principles utilised in radio telephony, broadcasting, and directional radio signalling.

The standardization of electrical measuring instruments

This paper points out the advantages, both to the maker and the customer, of national standard specifications for manufactured articles. The history of standardization in England is outlined. British specifications for electrical instruments appeared first in 1909, and in improved and enlarged form in 1919. French specifications were adopted in 1921, German in 1922. The outstanding features of the three foreign specifications are compared. The British go into much detail concerning scale construction and marking, the French concerning definitions and temperature rises. The German specifications contain very good definitions of instruments and their parts, principles, etc. They prescribe severe tests for mechanical and thermal robustness, and have an elaborate scheme of symbols to indicate the grade, operating principle, kind of current, test voltage, etc. An account is then given of the consideration which the subject of instrument standardization has received in this country. The National Meter Committees have done a related piece of work by having the Meter Code prepared, and revised, and have made recommendations to the makers from time to time concerning matters of instrument standardization. The Instruments and Measurements Committee of the Institute has considered the foreign specifications, and has determined by a personal canvass that a majority of American makers are in favor of standardization. However, this canvass also showed that most of them would have felt much freer to discuss proposed standard specifications rather than the abstract question as to whether specifications should be formulated. The Instruments and Measurements Committee therefore appointed a subcommittee of four members to prepare such tentative specifications, which are given as an Appendix to the paper. The specifications omit some important topics because the Subcommittee wished to include at the start only those on which general agreement could be had without difficulty. The paper concludes with a discussion of some of the features of the tentative specifications.

The Standardization of Electrical Measuring Instruments

This paper points out the advantages, both to the maker and the customer, of national standard specifications for manufactured articles. The history of standardization in England is outlined. British specifications for electrical instruments appeared first in 1909, and in improved and enlarged form in 1919. French specifications were adopted in 1921, German in 1922. The outstanding features of the three foreign specifications are compared. The British go into much detail concerning scale construction and marking, the French concerning definitions and temperature rises. The German specifications contain very good definitions of instruments and their parts, principles, etc. They prescribe severe tests for mechanical and thermal robustness, and have an elaborate scheme of symbols to indicate the grade, operating principle, kind of current, test voltage, etc. An account is then given of the consideration which the subject of instrument standardization has received in this country. The National Meter Committees have done a related piece of work by having the Meter Code prepared, and revised, and have made recommendations to the makers from time to time concerning matters of instrument standardization. The Instruments and Measurements Committee of the Institute has considered the foreign specifications, and has determined by a personal canvass that a majority of American makers are in favor of standardization. However, this canvass also showed that most of them would have felt much freer to discuss proposed standard specifications rather than the abstract question as to whether specifications should be formulated. The Instruments and Measurements Committee therefore appointed a subcommittee of four members to prepare such tentative specifications, which are given as an Appendix to the paper. The specifications omit some important topics because the Subcommittee wished to include at the start only those on which general agreement could be had without difficulty. The paper concludes with a discussion of some of the features of the tentative specifications.

On Astronomical Seeing

In the Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution for 1902 Prof. Langley has published an important note on “Good Seeing,” in which he describes some experiments undertaken with the view of improving the definition of telescopic images, so far as it depends on the conditions of the air in the vicinity of the instrument. Up to now the belief has prevailed among astronomers that in order to obtain good definitions the air inside the telescope-tubes should be kept as much as possible not only at a uniform temperature but also in a state of perfect tranquillity. Langley, however, shows that this view is not quite correct, and that maintaining constant and uniform temperature inside the tube, while preventing circulation between the air inside and outside the instrument, is not sufficient to produce satisfactory telescopic images. Particularly, this method does not diminish the troublesome boiling which in solar observations proves so often to be a source of grave inconvenience to the observer. But he shows that if the air inside and near the telescope-tube is agitated by stirring, the definition becomes at once markedly better. The improvement has in all cases been so decided that the reality of this beneficial effect of stirring cannot well be doubted.