This paper develops a probabilistic reconstruction of the No Miracles Argument (NMA) in the debate between scientific realists and anti-realists. The goal of the paper is to clarify and to sharpen the NMA by means of a probabilistic formalization. In particular, I demonstrate that the persuasive force of the NMA depends on the particular disciplinary context where it is applied, and the stabili...

The basic functions of a typical satellite, distilled to their quintessence, include only the absorption, processing, and subsequent re-radiation of photons. To this end, spacecraft components need only be able to exchange energy – which tends to be dichotomized into power and information – and transmit the occasional force or torque. Perfectly adequate and efficient mechanisms for accomplishin...

In view of non-specific toxicity of most chemotherapeutic agents against normal cells, the development of targeted chemotherapy is warranted. Efficient targeting of chemotherapeutic drugs to the cancerous area could be of great benefit for patients with advanced or metastatic tumors. Targeted cytotoxic peptide conjugates are hybrid molecules composed of a peptide carrier which binds to receptor...

Let S = Sg,n be a connected, orientable surface of genus g ≥ 0 with n ≥ 0 punctures. Let Teich(S) denote the corresponding Teichmüller space, and let Mod(S) denote the mapping class group of S. Understanding the analogy of Teich(S) with symmetric spaces is a wellknown theme. Recall that a complete Riemannian manifold X is symmetric if it is symmetric at each point x ∈ X: the map γ(t) 7→ γ(−t) w...

We describe the geometry of geodesics on a Lorentz ellipsoid: give explicit formulas for the first integrals (pseudo-confocal coordinates), curvature, geodesically equivalent Riemannian metric, the invariant area-forms on the timeand space-like geodesics and invariant 1-form on the space of null geodesics. We prove a Poncelet-type theorem for null geodesics on the ellipsoid: if such a geodesic ...

We introduce a family of extremal polynomials associated with the prolongation of a stratified nilpotent Lie algebra. These polynomials are related to a new algebraic characterization of abnormal subriemannian geodesics in stratified nilpotent Lie groups. They satisfy a set of remarkable structure relations that are used to integrate the adjoint equations.

Localized cell shape change initiates epithelial folding, while neighboring cell invagination determines the final depth of an epithelial fold. The mechanism that controls the extent of invagination remains unknown. During Drosophila gastrulation, a higher number of cells undergo invagination to form the deep posterior dorsal fold, whereas far fewer cells become incorporated into the initially ...

Given a linear isometry A0 : Rn → Rn of finite order on Rn , a general 〈A0〉-invariant closed subset M of Rn is considered with Lipschitz boundary. Under suitable topological restrictions the existence of A0-invariant geodesics of M is proven.

[1] We have identified a dust storm deposit in the GISP2 ice core that most likely originated from the Great Plains region of the United States during the 1930’s ‘Dust Bowl’ era. These results indicate that the Central U.S. can be a significant source of dust to the Greenland ice sheet, especially when the source area is affected by intense drought conditions.