Logical Gap Research Articles

Bell vs. Bell: A Ding-Dong Battle over Quantum Incompleteness

Does determinism (or even the incompleteness of quantum mechanics) follow from locality and perfect correlations? In a 1964 paper, John Bell gave the first demonstration that quantum mechanics is incompatible with local hidden variables. Since then, a vigorous debate has rung out over whether he relied on an assumption of determinism or instead, as he later claimed in a 1981 paper, derived determinism from assumptions of locality and perfect correlation. This paper aims to bring clarity to the debate via simple examples and rigorous results. It is first recalled, via quantum and classical counterexamples, that the weakest statistical form of locality consistent with Bell’s 1964 paper (parameter independence) is insufficient for the derivation of determinism. Attention is then turned to critically assess Bell’s appeal to the Einstein–Rosen–Podolsky (EPR) incompleteness argument to support his claim. It is shown that this argument is itself incomplete, via counterexamples that expose two logical gaps. Closing these gaps via a strong “counterfactual” reality criterion enables a rigorous derivation of both determinism and parameter independence, and in this sense justifies Bell’s claim. Conversely, however, it is noted that whereas the EPR argument requires a weaker “measurement choice” assumption than Bell’s demonstration, it nevertheless leads to a similar incompatibility with quantum predictions rather than quantum incompleteness.

Salome’s Dance and the Question of Historical Plausibility

Abstract The Markan account of Salome’s dance before the Herodian court is historically plausible. There is a logical gap, however, between what is historically plausible and what is historically probable. Roman (i.e., pagan) and Jewish individuals that were high born and low born – both men and women – could occasionally dance. Sometimes those dances were seen as transgressive according to Roman mores. Sometimes they occurred in the context of festivals. Mark describes Salome’s dance in such a context. The narrative explains Herod’s puzzlement about Jesus’ identity and his view that Jesus is Iohannes redivivus and is significant for historical Jesus research because Mark uses it to foreshadow Jesus’ own death for seditio.

Hydroxylamines: From Synthetic Intermediates to Synthetic Targets.

ConspectusSynergy between the teaching and research activities of a University should be a source of new ideas, each informing the other. A classroom discussion gave rise to our concept of using hydroxylamines as a form of "tethered nitrogen" for alkaloid synthesis. The "tether" temporarily connects a nucleophilic nitrogen atom to the substrate, rendering an intermolecular reaction intramolecular, thus providing stereo- and regiochemical control for C-N bond formation. In the context of the synthesis of 1,3-amino alcohols, this necessitated the synthesis of isoxazolidines. This concept led to the exploration of methods for the synthesis of these heterocycles beyond the well-established 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions. The first two methods developed based upon this concept were palladium catalyzed cyclocarbonylation and silver catalyzed allene cyclization. These new methods were applied to two syntheses of sedamine and the synthesis of three Nuphar alkaloids. Intramolecular aza-Michael addition, combined with the use of cross-metathesis to generate the substrates, gave access to both isoxazolidines and tetrahydro-1,2-oxazines. This new method made possible a synthesis of monomorine with high stereochemical control. The extension to more complex alkaloids required the incorporation of additional chemistry. Combining allene cyclization with iminium ion chemistry allowed the extension to the more complex piperidine alkaloids porantheridine and sedinine. In these cases, successful stereocontrol relied on the ability to predict the conformation of the intermediates and the trajectory of the nucleophilic attack, which may be sterically or stereoelectronically controlled. Inspection of our collection of methods revealed that we had good methods for cis-3,5-disubstituted isoxazolidines and trans-3,6-disubstituted tetrahydro-1,2-oxazines. Inspired by earlier work involving iminium ions, methods were developed to provide the complementary trans-isoxazolidines and cis-oxazines, using an allylation reaction. This, combined with our interest in applications of hydroformylation, led to the synthesis of 5-hydroxysedamine. Venturing away from piperidines, this method was successfully applied to the synthesis of the β-amino acid antibiotic negamycin. Use of N,O-heterocycles as intermediates naturally sparked an interest in N,O-heterocycles as synthetic targets, as there are many natural products that contain the hydroxylamine moiety, often incorporated into an isoxazolidine or 1,2-oxazine ring. As the presence of the hydroxylamine moiety cannot be fully demonstrated using the usual spectroscopic methods, total synthesis can be employed to bridge this logical gap. A synthesis of raistrickindole A, utilizing an intramolecular Mitsunobu reaction of a hydroxamic acid to form a 1,2-oxazine, confirmed the structure of this diketopiperazine natural product. A synthesis of preisomide, using an aza-Michael addition to form the required 1,2-oxazine, also confirmed the structure of this natural product.

Fault-Tolerant Postselection for Low-Overhead Magic State Preparation

We introduce a framework for fault-tolerant postselection (FTPS) of fault-tolerant codes and channels—such as those based on surface codes—using soft-information metrics based on visible syndrome and erasure information. We introduce several metrics for ranking configurations of syndromes and erasures. In particular, we introduce the (and variants thereof) as a powerful soft-information metric for predicting logical error rates of fault-tolerant channels based on topological error-correcting codes. The logical gap is roughly the unsigned weight difference between inequivalent logical corrections and is adaptable to any tailored noise model or decoder. We deploy this framework to prepare high-quality surface-code magic states with low overhead under a model of independent and identically distributed (IID) Pauli and erasure errors. Postselection strategies based on the logical gap can suppress the encoding error rate (EER) of a magic state preparation channel to the level of the physical error rate with low overhead. For example, when operating at 60% of the bulk threshold of the corresponding surface code, an overall reduction of the EER by a factor of 15 is achievable with a relative overhead factor of <2 (approximately 23 times less than that of simple syndrome-counting rules). We analyze a schematic buffer architecture for implementing postselection rules on magic state factories in the context of magic state distillation. The FTPS framework can be utilized for mitigating errors in more general fault-tolerant logical channels. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

“Complicating images of the modern Chinese woman, from only child to ‘leftover woman’”

ABSTRACT Two recent documentaries, Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s One Child Nation (2019) and Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia’s Leftover Women (2019), investigate the legacy of China’s one-child policy and its social impacts on marriage, career and motherhood in the present day. In the films, seemingly progressive young women subjects are depicted against a backdrop of culturally backward and brainwashed individual community members, representing Chinese culture at large, which results in a confusing narrative replete with logical gaps and unanswered questions. This article brings together qualitative data collected from interviews with “leftover women” with film analysis and scholarship on transnational feminism to argue for the importance of critical modes of representation and cautions against the tendency to blame culture.

Physics analysis with Leibniz’s differential operators dn

We introduce a systematic approach to represent Leibniz’s nth-order differential operator d^n as the ratio of an infinite product of infinitesimal difference operators to an infinitesimal parameter. Because every difference operator can be expressed as a difference of two shift operators that translate the argument of a function by finite amounts, Leibniz’s differential operator d^n is eventually expressed as the infinite product of infinitesimal binomial operators consisting of the shift operators. We apply this strategy to demonstrate the derivation of the translation or time-evolution operators in quantum mechanics. This fills the logical gap in most textbooks on quantum mechanics that usually omit explicit derivations. Our approach could be employed in general physics or classical mechanics classes with which one can solve the equation of motion without prior knowledge of differential equations.

Quantum fluctuations, particles and entanglement: solving the quantum measurement problems

The so-called quantum measurement problems are solved from a new perspective. One of the main observations is that the basic entities of our world are particles, elementary or composite. It follows that each elementary process, hence each measurement process at its core, is a spacetime, pointlike, event. Another key idea is that, when a microsystem ψ gets into contact with the experimental device, factorization of ψ rapidly fails and entangled mixed states appear. The wave functions for the microsystem-apparatus coupled system for different measurement outcomes then lack overlapping spacetime support. It means that the aftermath of each measurement is a single term in the sum: a “wave-function collapse”. Our discussion leading to a diagonal density matrix, ρ = diag(|c 1|2,…,|cn |2,…) shows how the information encoded in the wave function gets transcribed, via entanglement with the experimental device and environment, into the relative frequencies Pn = |cn |2 for various experimental outcomes F = fn . Our discussion represents the first, significant steps towards filling in the logical gaps in the conventional interpretation based on Born’s rule, replacing it with a clearer understanding of quantum mechanics. Accepting objective reality of quantum fluctuations, independent of any experiments, and independently of human presence, one renounces the idea that in a fundamental, complete theory of Nature the result of each single experiment must necessarily be predictable.

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Support, Barriers, and Expectations of the Reader: On Textual and Visual Choices in a Picturebook Based on the Animated Feature Film Cars
 Whenever an animated feature film aimed at children is released from a bigger production company, tie-ins will follow, including picturebooks. These books can be found in everyday grocery stores and have the potential to reach many children. Although discussed, few systematic descriptions of the literature in question exist. In this article, I examine textual and visual choices in the picturebook Bilar (Cars, 2015) based on the Disney & Pixar film with the same name (Lesseter). I investigate what barriers and what support it offers the reader to grip the story, but also whom the book addresses as a reader. The analysis focuses on resources important for comprehension, namely temporality and cohesion. Close-up analysis of text and pictures reveals and tries to explain temporal and logical gaps. The analysis shows that Bilar is quite complex, with features that contribute to distancing the story from the reader. The temporal unfolding advances quickly, but quite evenly, with few pauses. Leaps are drastic and linguistically unmarked, and intentions and events are presented indirectly. The text has few explicit causal ties and deviates from what is expected. Overall, the pictures repeat information in the text, but they also contradict the text in a way that suggests it was unintentional. Although the text manages to mediate the plot and intention – to the adult reader – it is hard to grasp in total without the movie in mind. The addressed reader, then, is plural: an adult and a child who have watched the movie and can fill the gaps, and who do not care too much about logical details. However, the study and the conclusion is based on a traditional view of the book and of reading. An investigation of the book in use might change or widen the understanding of this type of product.

Quantum fluctuations, particles and entanglement: A discussion towards the solution of the quantum measurement problems

The quantum measurement problems are revisited from a new perspective. One of the main ideas of this work is that the basic entities of our world are various types of particles, elementary or composite. It follows that each elementary process, hence each measurement process at its core, is a space–time, pointlike, event. Another key idea is that, when a microsystem [Formula: see text] gets into contact with the experimental device, factorization of [Formula: see text] rapidly fails and entangled mixed states appear. The wave functions for the microsystem-apparatus coupled systems for different measurement outcomes then lack overlapping space–time support. It means that the aftermath of each measurement is a single term in the sum: a “wave function collapse.”Our discussion leading to a diagonal density matrix, [Formula: see text] shows how the information encoded in the wave function [Formula: see text] gets transcribed, via entanglement with the experimental device and environment, into the relative frequencies [Formula: see text] for various experimental results [Formula: see text].These results represent the first, significant steps towards filling in the logical gaps in the standard interpretation based on Born’s rule, and replacing it with a more natural one. Accepting objective reality of quantum fluctuations, independent of any experiments, and independently of human presence, one renounces the idea that in a fundamental, complete theory of Nature the result of each single experiment must necessarily be predictable.A few well-known puzzles such as the Schrödinger cat conundrum and the Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) paradox are briefly reviewed: they can all be naturally explained away.

A Contemporary Reading of Vitruvius’ Opening Statements and a Proposed New Partial Translation of De Architectura I.1

The present paper offers a new reading of Vitruvius’ opening statements in De Architectura I.1; it understands that the Roman author attempts to explain what architecture is by describing how architecture-related knowledge is acquired. It further understands that Vitruvius claims that the architect’s scientia is born out of the bodily involvement with construction, as well as out of the exercise of the proper deductive reasoning. The knowledge required for the design and erection of sound buildings that can be integrated into the world order is akin to what we today name the “designerly” way of thinking and knowing, enriched with expertise on the realization of the design produced. Finally, it proposes a new translation of I.1 that produces a coherent text with no logical gaps.

Comment on “flavor invariants and renormalization-group equations in the leptonic sector with massive Majorana neutrinos”

Recently in JHEP09 (2021) 053, Wang et al. discussed the polynomial ring formed by flavor invariants in the leptonic sector with massive Majorana neutrinos. They have explicitly constructed the finite generating sets of the polynomial rings for both two-generation scenario and three-generation scenario. However, Wang et al.’s claim of the finiteness of the generating sets of the polynomial rings and their calculation by the approach of Hilbert series with generalized Molien-Weyl formula are both based on their assertion that the unitary group U(n, ℂ) is reductive, which is unfortunately incorrect. The property of being reductive is only applicable to linear algebraic groups. And it is well-known that the unitary group U(n, ℂ) is not even a linear algebraic group. In this paper, we point out the above issue and provide a solution to fill in the accompanying logical gaps in JHEP09 (2021) 053. Some important results from the theory of linear algebraic group, the invariant theory of square matrices and group theory are needed in the analysis. We also clarify some somewhat misleading or vague statements in JHEP09 (2021) 053 about the scope of flavor invariants. Note that, although built from incorrect assertion, Wang et al.’s calculation results in JHEP09 (2021) 053 are nonetheless correct, which is ultimately because the ring of invariants of U(n, ℂ) is isomorphic to that of GL(n, ℂ) which is itself reductive.

The epistemic, production, and accountability prospects of social impact: An analysis of strategic research proposals

Abstract This article addresses the debate on pre-evaluative choices of impact depictions and the forms of responses between applicants and funders. By adopting a reflexive perspective on the social impact of social sciences, this article explores researchers’ vocabularies in the research proposals and mid-term reports of consortiums during the Strategic Research Council (SRC) calls in the period 2015–18. This article develops a logical–contextual approach to identify the rationale and structure of the correspondence between the researchers’ depictions and the funders’ guidance. Moreover, the article shows that the logic of social impact and interaction is disconnected from the epistemic contextualization of social problematics. I argue that productional style vocabularies used by funders call for mechanistic depictions of impact, the logical gaps of which researchers attempt to fill through research design and stylistic embellishments for stakeholder interaction. Impact assessment could benefit greatly from relying on the integrity of the epistemic contextualization of public policy problems rather than on the summative forms of social outcomes or interactions. This article provides reflexive means of designing evaluation of usefulness and utilization of research.

Polanyi and Kahneman and on Judging and Deciding

Similarities between what Michael Polanyi and Daniel Kahneman wrote about the acts of judging and deciding are partly the result of taking seriously the findings of Gestalt psychology. Both men treat acts of judging and deciding as analogous to acts of perceiving. This similarity is the reason that the differences between Kahneman and Polanyi are mostly complementary, rather than contradictory. Among the things Polanyians can contribute to the interdisciplinary field of judgment and decision making are commitment, the from-to structure, and the image of leaping across a logical gap. Among the things Polanyians can learn from Kahneman is a pragmatic distinction between judging and deciding, a distinction between fast and slow thinking, and a heightened awareness of the many ways tacit heuristics and biases lead to mistaken judgments and bad decisions.

Исследование влияния оптического излучения на резистивное переключение МДП-структур на основе ZrO-=SUB=-2-=/SUB=-(Y) на подложках Si(001) с наноостровками Ge

The effect of optical radiation in the visible and near-infrared bands on resistive switching of a MOS stack based on ZrO2(Y) film on an n-Si(001) substrate with self-assembled Ge nanoislands on its surface has been studied. An increase in the resistive switching logical gap was observed upon the photoexcitation, in particular, when the photon energies were smaller than the Si band gap. The effect was associated with the impact of the photovoltage at the Si/Ge/ZrO2(Y) interface. In the latter case, the effect is associated with spatially indirect interband optical transitions in Ge nanoislands.

Investigation of the effect of optical radiation on resistive switching of MIS-structures based on ZrO-=SUB=-2-=/SUB=-(Y) on Si(001) substrates with Ge nanoislands

The effect of optical radiation in the visible and near-infrared bands on resistive switching of a MOS stack based on ZrO2(Y) film on an n-Si(001) substrate with self-assembled Ge nanoislands on its surface has been studied. An increase in the resistive switching logical gap was observed upon the photoexcitation, in particular, when the photon energies were smaller than the Si band gap. The effect was associated with the impact of the photo-emf at the Si/Ge/ZrO2(Y) interface. In the latter case, the effect is associated with spatially indirect interband optical transitions in Ge nanoislands. Keywords:: memristor, photo-induced resistive switching, yttria-stabilized zirconia, MIS-structure, Ge/Si nanoislands.

Modern Evolutionist Naturalism And Šankara’s Arguments Contra Sankhya

This comparative study aims at juxtaposition of modern Western naturalistic evolutionism and the mostly similar attitude in the classic Indian philosophy in the shape of Sankhya’s cosmology in the context of their corresponding critiques by contemporary creationists and Advaita-Vedanta. The long and pointed polemics with Sankhya in the Brahmasutrabhasya by Šankaracharya (7th-8th centuries A.D.) is in the focus of this investigation along with numerous references to the Sankhya-karika by Isvarakrsna (5th century A.D.) as the basic text of the philosophical school criticized by its most powerful opponent. Comparing Western and Indian evolutionism reveals some very important differences to such a degree that the Indian species of the genus would be, in the author’s opinion, better identified as not evolutionism in the strict sense but as a “développisme” combining features of evolutionism with those of emanationism. As to Sankhya’s naturalism, it turns to be much more “sophisticated” than that, e.g., of Thomas Huxley or the so-called New Atheists because its “stuff” is more psychological than material. Nevertheless, crucial logical gaps remain the same in both cases (along with an antitheistic “faith” instead of rationalism), while their taking into account by opponents of naturalism offers a challenge for comparative philosophical theology.

The problem of evil and critical realism

ABSTRACT This paper applied the philosophical theory of critical realism to the problem of evil. Using the method of critical analysis of related literature, the paper discovered, among other things, that existing theodicies that are responses to the problem of evil can broadly be categorized into the compatibility thesis and the incompatibility thesis, respectively; and that the relevance of critical realism for the problem of evil lies in preserving a logical gap between the idea of the nature of ‘God as He really is, and how He is conceptualized or described by human theodicies’. The paper argued that whereas the thesis of the non-observability of the nature of God as He really is, independent of human cognition, conforms to critical realism, the non-observability of the omnibus does not. And to accommodate this, the novel concept of critical theism is proposed.

제대군인 취업지원 가산점제도와 남성 병역의무제도의 재조명: 헌법재판소 결정에서 나타나는 고용기회에서의 성차별

Preferential treatment for veterans and the mandatory military service system for men are both topics that deal with gender discrimination in Korea’s military service sector, but logical gaps arise when trying to develop different logic depending on the gender of the party subject to infringement of rights. While acknowledging the constitutional justification of only men fulfilling their military service obligations, the logic that male-centered preferential treatment as a reward for such statutory-based efforts is not constitutional justification is aimed at correcting gender discrimination. Recently, however, various discussions on military service have been held due to changes in military service technology and environment, and the existing logic of the Constitutional Court clearly needs to be reviewed in terms of women

Евристики Макса Вебера про університет та освіту і виклики ХХІ століття

The article is devoted to the study of Max Weber's view of the problems of education and the university in the light of its latest actualizations. The chosen subject is studied using both philosophical and sociological tools. Max Weber's concept is studied in the context of its historical conditions of formation and development, in comparison with classical and modern concepts, as well as in terms of its heuristic capabilities in describing, analyzing and explaining modern problems and challenges in the field of education in general and in the university world in particular. On the basis of the historical and cultural retrospective of Weber's Germany at the end of the 19th century, the prerequisites for the formation of the Weberian concept are studied and compared with the socio-cultural situation at the beginning of the 21st century. The authors of the article, critically approaching Weberian epistemologiсs, separately focus on the theoretical and methodological limitations and vulnerabilities of the application of the Weberian concept in the modern world, while pointing out the epistemological advantages and opportunities that it offers. Such subjects as the importance of the political in educational activities; perspectives of the university in the society of commodification; the importance of the worldview component in comparison with generally significant knowledge; place of scientific asceticism and its limitations are revealed. Weber's ethical concepts (“absolute ethics”, “ethics of persuasion”, “ethics of responsibility”) and their heuristic possibilities in the analysis of transformations of the university and education are analyzed in detail. The logical and epistemological gaps in Weber's concept are critically examined, its internal complexity is shown, built on the basis of the ontology of the plurality of social orders. A conclusion is made about the potential of Weber's concepts and ideas for analyzing the current state of the university, science and education.

Ethical recommendations for music therapy in neurorehabilitation: impure a priori foundations and transpersonal holism

Music therapy has been proven useful in the treatment of a wide range of disorders, even if often in only an auxiliary role. Its use for patients requiring neurological rehabilitation is rather recent and its effectiveness has been assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Practitioners must undergo rigorous training to obtain certification and must be able to combine a high level of therapeutic and artistic skills. As members of multidisciplinary teams, music therapists are expected to (1) justify their participation by employing the most effective methods at their disposal; (2) adapt or even create musical material best suited to patients’ needs; and (3) strive for a theoretical understanding of what their intervention is trying accomplish. These recommendations emerge from concrete realities that we could not take cognizance of purely a priori. An attempt to ground them post hoc in an abstract universal conception of human dignity realized in Kant’s practical reason, attractive as that might seem philosophically, is ridden with logical gaps (non-sequiturs) and circularity (Rorty). Moral concepts ought rather to be understood as impure a priori criteria for moral judgment acquired and negotiated through linguistic socialization (Herder, Piaget, Vygotsky, Wittgenstein, Habermas). The collective construction of a future neuroethics makes sense as a humanitarian plea (Herder’s Humanität) following the jurisprudential practice of English common law rather than the top-down imposition of a global civil code. In so far as music therapy is concerned, it will most likely remain embedded in the moral anthropological context of local languages, cultures and traditions, albeit with some foreign influences caused by international exchange.