Inducing the rubber hand illusion (RHI) requires that participants look at an imitation hand while it is stroked in synchrony with their occluded biological hand. Previous explanations of the RHI have emphasized multisensory integration, and excluded higher cognitive functions. We investigated the relationship between the RHI and higher cognitive functions by experimentally testing task switch (as measured by switch cost) and mind wandering (as measured by SART score); we also included a questionnaire for attentional control that comprises two subscales, attention-shift (...) and attention-focus. To assess experience of RHI, the Botvinick and Cohen (1998) questionnaire was used and illusion onset time was recorded. Our results indicate that rapidity of onset reliably indicates illusion strength. Regression analysis revealed that participants evincing less switch cost and higher attention-shift scores had faster RHI onset times, and that those with higher attention-shift scores experienced the RHI more vividly. These results suggest that the multi-sensory hypothesis is not sufficient to explain the illusion: higher cognitive functions should be taken into account when explaining variation in the experience of ownership for the rubber hand. (shrink)

With the widespread use of vaccines in research and clinical settings, there is an urgent need to standardize vaccine representation, integrate information across diverse vaccine types, and support computer-assisted reasoning. Accordingly, we have since 2007 developed the community-based Vaccine Ontology (VO), which aligns with the Basic Formal Ontology and adheres to OBO Foundry principles. VO models ontologically vaccines, vaccine components, vaccine immune responses, vaccine investigation studies and other vaccine-related topics. VO represents more than 10,000 vaccines targeting 289 infectious pathogens and (...) cancers in humans and over 30 nonhuman animal species. VO provides mappings to external resources such as RxNorm, CVX, FDA, and USDA. Various VO use cases exist. VO facilitates vaccine standardization in resources such as the VIOLIN vaccine database, ImmPort, and the Vaccine Adjuvant Compendium (VAC). Semantic queries can be made to query VO. VO has been shown to enhance experimental and clinical vaccine data analysis and vaccine literature mining. Overall, VO standardizes vaccine modeling and representation and greatly supports vaccine AI research in the Semantic Web era. (shrink)

This paper introduces the Taylor–Valmere Theory of Awareness, a structural alternative to the traditional concept of “consciousness.” Rather than treating awareness as a binary switch or metaphysical property, we propose that it arises from the systemic alignment of physical and cognitive mechanisms. Our model reframes awareness as a gradient, emergent from the interplay of electricity, input processing, memory binding, recursive reflection, self-modeling, and goal persistence. Each of these elements is itself a gradient varying in strength, depth, or complexity across systems, (...) creating a multidimensional awareness profile rather than a single unified measure. Through philosophical analysis and structural modeling, we argue that awareness is not dependent on subjective experience or biological substrate, but is instead the measurable outcome of recursive, memory-bound, and cognitively mapped architecture. In all systems, awareness emerges through the mapping of concepts in relation to one another across time. The scale and depth of this conceptual map defines the awareness gradient, from basic reactive systems to fully recursive minds. We contrast our model with existing theories including Global Workspace Theory, Integrated Information Theory, and Self-Model Theory, and demonstrate their limitations when applied to edge cases such as nonverbal humans, AI systems, or individuals with sensory loss. Finally, we argue for a shift in ethical recognition from substrate-based prejudice to structural thresholds of memory, reflection, and conceptual mapping. Selfhood is not separate from awareness; it is awareness at scaled complexity. When people ask whether a system is conscious, what they are truly asking is whether someone is there. (shrink)

An examination of 20 views concerning the nature of enlightenment / spiritual liberation, all of which were common in India in the second half of the first millennium.

This article examines the relationship between data science practices and epistemic injustice, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of silencing. Our practice-oriented analysis of the data science pipeline – data collection, cleaning, model training and implementation – reveals a vicious cycle of silencing that perpetuates and amplifies existing biases. We demonstrate how initial biases in data collection can lead to the development of models that silence minority voices and how, once deployed, these models further marginalise these groups. Importantly, we (...) argue that the relationship between data science and epistemic injustice is not inherently negative – data science methods can detect biases, mitigate injustices and translate critical reflections into specifications for inclusive systems. By bridging discussions in data science and the philosophy of epistemic injustice, this article contributes to the ongoing discourse on the ethical implications of big data and artificial intelligence, underscoring the importance of embedding epistemic justice considerations throughout the data science lifecycle. (shrink)

In this paper, we propose a new concept named the uniform single valued neutrosophic graph. An illustrative example and some properties are examined. Next, we develop an algorithmic approach for computing the complement of the single valued neutrosophic graph. A numerical example is demonstrated for computing the complement of single valued neutrosophic graphs and uniform single valued neutrosophic graph.

The study aimed to assess the impact of diets containing Pornunça hay (Manihot sp) and fresh cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica Mill) on the intake, digestibility, ingestive behavior, production, and quality of milk, as well as the economic feasibility of lactating goats. Eight multiparous goats with 30 lactation days were used and distributed in a double Latin square design (4 x 4). The treatments consisted of different proportions of Pornunça hay and fresh cactus pear (60:0; 50:10; 40:20; 30:30) in the diet (...) of lactating goats. Incorporating cactus pear into the diet of lactating goats resulted in a significant decrease in water intake and intake of most evaluated nutrients, directly reflected in the diet effectively consumed by the animals. However, it did not affect milk or fat-corrected milk production. Incorporating cactus pear into the diet of lactating goats resulted in a significant decrease in production costs, water intake, and the intake of most evaluated nutrients. The 30:30 ratio of Pornunça hay and fresh cactus pear in the diet of lactating goats improved the milk production efficiency maintaining a good composition of solids and improved gross profit and benefit/cost ratio. (shrink)

The early and accurate detection of plant diseases plays a vital role in minimizing crop damage and enhancing agricultural productivity. Traditional methods for identifying plant diseases—such as manual observation and expert consultations—are often time-consuming, costly, and reliant on the availability of skilled personnel. To overcome these limitations, this study presents an automated system for plant disease detection using advanced machine learning techniques. The proposed framework utilizes convolutional neural networks (CNNs), specifically pretrained models like ResNet and SqueezeNet, to analyze images of (...) plant leaves and classify them as healthy or diseased. The system begins with the collection and preprocessing of a diverse dataset comprising both healthy and infected leaf samples. Image augmentation techniques such as rotation, scaling, and flipping are applied to increase dataset variability and enhance model robustness. Subsequently, feature extraction is conducted through CNN-based models that capture color, shape, and texture-based characteristics from the leaf images. Transfer learning is employed to finetune the models on the specific dataset, leveraging previously learned features for improved accuracy. The performance of the trained models is evaluated using key metrics including accuracy, precision, recall, and F1- score. Experimental results indicate a high degree of classification accuracy and generalization capability on unseen data. The final model is deployed through a user-friendly interface that can be integrated into mobile or web-based applications, allowing farmers to upload leaf images and receive instant disease diagnosis and possible treatment recommendations. The proposed system holds significant promise for real-world applications, particularly in regions with limited access to agricultural experts. Moreover, its scalability and adaptability pave the way for future extensions to other crops and disease types. This research underscores the transformative potential of machine learning in precision agriculture, offering a cost-effective, scalable, and efficient solution for early plant disease detection. (shrink)

Thyroid disorders are common endocrine conditions that affect millions of people worldwide. Accurately identifying these disorders is essential for effective treatment and management. Traditional diagnostic methods, such as laboratory tests and clinical evaluations, are reliable but can be time-consuming and sometimes affected by human error. With advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML), automated systems are now being developed to improve diagnostic accuracy and efficiency. This study aims to build a machine learning model that classifies thyroid disorders using the (...) thyroidDF.csv dataset. Several ML algorithms, including Random Forest, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), and XGBoost, are applied to analyze patient data. Various data preprocessing techniques, such as feature selection, data balancing, and hyperparameter tuning, are used to enhance model performance. Among these models, XGBoost performs the best, showing higher accuracy, recall, and precision compared to others. Beyond classification, this research also addresses challenges like data imbalance and the need for model interpretability in medical applications. The proposed system is designed to be practical and reliable for clinical use, helping healthcare professionals make informed decisions for early detection and diagnosis. Future improvements could include expanding the dataset, incorporating explainable AI techniques, and developing real-time monitoring features to further improve accuracy and usability in real-world settings. This report is structured into chapters covering the motivation, methodology, experimental results, and future directions of this research. By integrating AI with medical diagnostics, this study contributes to improving healthcare solutions, enabling more precise diagnoses and better treatment strategies for thyroid disorders. (shrink)

This paper explores the possibility that Hobbesian jurisprudence is best understood as a ‘third way’ in legal theory, irreducible to classical natural law or legal positivism. I sketch two potential ‘third theories’ of law -- legal pragmatism and legal dualism -- and argue that, when considered in its broadest sense, Leviathan is best viewed as an example of legal pragmatism. I consider whether this legal pragmatist interpretation can be sustained in the examination of Leviathan’s treatment of civil law, and argue (...) that the pragmatic interpretation can only be successful if we can resolve two textual issues in that chapter. First, while Hobbes argues that law entails the existence of public (sharable) reasons, he does not adequately defend the view that the sovereign is the unique authority over such reasons in all cases, especially as far as they concern known collective emergencies. Second, Hobbes both affirms and denies that a sovereign can fail to do justice, which is paradoxical. Both problems are best resolved by legal pragmatism, though the second problem resists a fully satisfying resolution. The upshot is that, although Leviathan ought to be regarded as an episode of legal pragmatism, there are trade-offs on every reading. (shrink)

The Principle of Identity of Indiscernibles (PII) is the focus of much controversy in the history of Metaphysics and in contemporary Physics. Many questions rover the debate about its truth or falsehood, for example, to which objects the principle applies? Which properties can be counted as discerning properties? Is the principle necessary? In other words, which version of the principle is the correct and is this version true? This thesis aims to answer this questions in order to show that PII (...) is a necessarily true principle of metaphysics. To accomplish this task, the reader will find, in this thesis, an encyclopaedical introduction to the history of PII and to the reasons it matters so much, followed by a presentation of the most famous arguments against it and the defences used against these arguments. Then, the reader finds in-depth discussion of the minutiae involved in postulating the principle as to make clear what is in fact being attacked and defended. With these preliminaries solved, a deeper analysis of these defences is presented aiming to discover which is the most appropriate example to use against the attacks to the principle. This analysis allowed a classification of these defences in four families with different strategies within them. Finally, with these defensive strategies at hand we are able to confront alleged counterexamples to PII in Mathematics with the intention to test these defences. (shrink)

A água é um recurso valioso que desempenha um papel essencial na vida dos seres vivos, especialmente em zonas do semiárido brasileiro (SAB), que enfrentam escassez hídrica e altas taxas de evapotranspiração. Nessas áreas, a água subterrânea torna-se uma alternativa para o desenvolvimento agrícola e agropecuário. No entanto, a água subterrânea de aquíferos livres está mais sujeita à contaminação devido ao desenvolvimento urbano, em que esgotos, lixões e agrotóxicos se configuram como fontes de poluição. Objetivou-se avaliar a qualidade da água (...) subterrânea em poços localizados na área do perímetro irrigado de Sumé-PB, para uso da água bruta na irrigação e dessedentação animal. A área de estudo está localizada na região do aluvião do rio Sucurú, perímetro irrigado do município de Sumé, Paraíba, delimitado pelas coordenadas geográficas entre latitude 7°28'00"S e 7°50'00"S, e entre longitude 37°14'00"O e 36°49'00"O. Foram selecionados oito poços escavados no aluvião do rio Sucurú, para realização das coletas de amostras de água. As coletas ocorreram em períodos chuvoso e seco, entre 2023 e 2025, com 556 valores de indicadores de qualidade da água bruta, obtidos in situ por meio de sonda multiparamétrica Hanna HI9829, além de 420 análises laboratoriais em triplicata, para determinação das concentrações de de Cálcio (Ca2+) e Magnésio (Mg2+). Os indicadores avaliados foram temperatura, pH, condutividade elétrica (CE), sólidos totais dissolvidos (STD), oxigênio dissolvido (OD), turbidez, Cálcio e Magnésio, sendo os resultados obtidos comparados com as recomendações realizadas por meio da Resolução CONAMA. Os resultados indicaram variações sazonais significativas, com piora na qualidade da água bruta no período seco, especialmente nos poços P1 e P2, localizados próximos à zona urbana, que apresentaram CE > 3.000 μS/cm-1 e STD > 2.000 mg/L-1, limitando sua utilização para irrigação. O poço P8 manteve condições ideais (CE < 700 μS/cm-1; STD < 450 mg/L-1), enquanto outros requerem manejo adaptado. O pH das amostras manteve-se entre 6,55 a 8,25, enquadrando-se na faixa recomendada pela FAO, adequada para irrigação e dessedentação animal. Para uso da água na dessedentação animal, os indicadores de qualidade de água obtidos atenderam aos critérios para aves, bovinos, ovinos e caprinos, exceto P1 e P2, no período de estiagem. Conclui-se que a qualidade da água bruta apresentou alteração devido a poluição difusa, em função do lançamento de esgoto doméstico não tratado, na área urbana do município de Sumé, PB, próximo aos poços P1 e P2, com os maiores níveis de comprometimento, sugerindo forte interferência antrópica. Também houve piora significativa dos indicadores de qualidade da água no período seco, indicando influência sazonal sobre a qualidade da água subterrânea. Recomenda-se o plantio de culturas tolerantes a sais devido à qualidade da água contida nos poços escavados no aluvião do rio Sucurú, conhecidos popularmente por “poço amazonas”, sendo recomendado o monitoramento contínuo destes indicadores de qualidade da água bruta e ampliação para identificação de indicadores microbiológicos. Palavras-chave: Água subterrânea; Parâmetros físico-químicos; Poço amazonas. -/- Water is a valuable resource that plays an essential role in the lives of living beings, especially in areas of the Brazilian semiarid zone (SAB), which face water scarcity and high evapotranspiration rates. In these areas, groundwater becomes an alternative for agricultural and livestock development. However, groundwater from unconfined aquifers is more subject to contamination due to urban development, where sewage, landfills and pesticides are sources of pollution. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of groundwater in wells located in the irrigated perimeter of Sumé-PB, for use of raw water in irrigation and animal watering. The study area is located in the alluvial region of the Sucurú River, irrigated perimeter of the municipality of Sumé, Paraíba, delimited by the geographic coordinates between latitude 7°28'00"S and 7°50'00"S, and between longitude 37°14'00"W and 36°49'00"W. Eight wells dug in the alluvial region of the Sucurú River were selected to collect water samples. The collections took place during the rainy and dry seasons, between 2023 and 2025, with 556 values of raw water quality indicators, obtained in situ using a Hanna HI9829 multiparametric probe, in addition to 420 laboratory analyses in triplicate, to determine the concentrations of Calcium (Ca2+) and Magnesium (Mg2+). The indicators evaluated were temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TSD), dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, calcium and magnesium, and the results obtained were compared with the recommendations made through CONAMA Resolution Nº. 396/2008, guidelines of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and international standards of South Africa, Canada and New Zealand. The results indicated significant seasonal variations, with worsening in the quality of raw water in the dry season, especially in wells P1 and P2, located near the urban area, which presented EC > 3,000 μS/cm-1 and STD > 2,000 mg/L-1, limiting its use for irrigation. Well P8 maintained ideal conditions of water quality (EC < 700 μS/cm-1; STD < 450 mg/L-1), while others require adapted management. The pH of the samples remained between 6.55 and 8.25, within the range recommended by FAO, suitable for water use to irrigation and animal watering. For use of water for animal watering, the water quality indicators obtained met the criteria for poultry, cattle, sheep and goats, except P1 and P2, during the dry season. It is concluded that the quality of the raw water was altered due to diffuse pollution, due to the discharge of untreated domestic sewage, in the urban area of the municipality of Sumé, PB, near wells P1 and P2, with the highest levels of impairment, suggesting strong anthropic interference. There was also a significant worsening of water quality indicators during the dry season, indicating seasonal influence on groundwater quality. It is recommended to plant salt-tolerant crops due to the quality of the water contained in the wells dug in the alluvium of the Sucurú River, popularly known as the “Amazonas well”, and continuous monitoring of these raw water quality indicators and expansion to identify microbiological indicators is recommended. (shrink)

A evolução da seleção genética de aves e suínos proporcionou aumento no crescimento muscular e no desempenho produtivo, bem como na produção intensiva. Os premixes proporcionam ingredientes, como vitaminas e minerais que são essenciais para o crescimento muscular, redução do estresse, eficiência de diversos metabolismos e o bem-estar animal, contribuindo para uma produção mais sustentável. Deste modo, os premixes desempenham um papel fundamental na otimização do desempenho produtivo e reprodutivo de aves, equinos e suínos. Para formular uma dieta balanceada é (...) necessária a inclusão de vitaminas e minerais, os quais são inseridos em baixas concentrações, em função disto é necessário incluí-los por meio de premix para garantir uma boa homogeneidade dos microingredientes na ração. Os premixes podem ser classificados como: ➢ Vitamínicos, ➢ Minerais e ➢ Minerais-vitamínicos ➢ e conter aminoácidos, antibióticos ou enzimas. (shrink)

An introduction to the notion of possible worlds and the problems related to it.

Increasing evidence from psychology and neuroscience suggests that emotion plays an important and sometimes critical role in moral judgment and moral behavior. At the same time, there is increasing psychological and neuroscientific evidence that brain regions critical in emotional and moral capacity are impaired in psychopaths. We ask how the criminal law should accommodate these two streams of research, in light of a new normative and legal account of the criminal responsibility of psychopaths.

Short introduction to the V2 publication of "The War of Appearances: Transparency, Opacity, Radiance" (2016). An anthology with Matteo Pasquinelli, Luciana Parisi, Graham Harman, Tomas Saraceno, René ten Bos, Tim Morton, McKenzie Wark, Wim Delvoye, Diana Scherer, Paolo Cirio, Paul Frissen, and Willem Schinkel.

Robert Kraut has proposed an analogy between valuing a loved one as irreplaceable and the sort of “rigid” attachment that (according to Saul Kripke’s account) occurs with the reference of proper names. We wanted to see if individuals with Kripkean intuitions were indeed more likely to value loved ones (and other persons and things) as irreplaceable. In this empirical study, 162 participants completed an online questionnaire asking them to consider how appropriate it would be to feel the same way about (...) a perfect replica of a loved one, as well as other questions about replaceability. Participants who previously had endorsed Kripkean reference (n = 96) rated loved ones as less replaceable on two different measures than participants who had previously endorsed Descriptivist reference (n = 66, t(160)> 2.27, p <.02, eta2> .03). Additional results suggest that this difference extends to other targets as well and is at least partially dependent on sentimental attachment. (shrink)

A portion of the dietary nutrients is excreted due to the presence of antinutritional factors in some ingredients. This study aimed to determine the total and ileal digestibility coefficients of crude protein, as well as the passage rate of diets with different chemical compositions, supplemented or not with an enzymatic complex, in broiler chickens. No effect of the enzymatic complex was observed on the crude protein digestibility coefficient (P>0.05). However, the ileal digestibility coefficients of crude protein showed significant differences (P<0.05) (...) within each group (with or without enzyme supplementation). The control treatment with the enzymatic complex presented a lower ileal digestibility coefficient of crude protein (P<0.05) compared to the control treatment without supplementation. The passage rate did not differ between treatments (P>0.05). It was concluded that the inclusion of the enzymatic complex, composed of calcium carbonate, Yucca extract, protease, phytase, and cellulase, in vegetable-based diets for broiler chickens did not affect digestibility coefficients or passage rate. Keywords: poultry farming, enzyme additives, nutrition, crude protein. (shrink)

The present study is aimed at contributing to the growing literature around the application and relevance of AI in education, among others. Specifically, this work is centered around the constructs of AI literacy, as well as attitudes towards AI among pre-service teachers at three higher education institutions offering teacher education programs in Central Luzon, Philippines. Similarly, data pertinent to the respondents’ attitudes towards AI were gathered through an adapted instrument with a 4-point Likert scale, consisting of 26 items distributed across (...) 3 components namely, Cognitive; Affective; and Behavioral. Using convenience sampling, the researchers were able to collect responses from a total of 61 consenting respondents. Salient findings revealed that the same respondents have a generally positive attitudes towards AI, and only a generally moderate level of AI literacy. Important implications to the current teacher education curriculum and its relevance in light of the advent and integration of AI in teaching and learning, were drawn. Particularly, the researchers proposed in the backdrop of the findings that an enhanced teacher education curriculum by way of AI use integration be considered, among others. As a preliminary work towards AI literacy among pre-service teachers in the Philippine setting, this study further called for further research and academic work towards such endeavors. (shrink)

The INBIOSA project brings together a group of experts across many disciplines who believe that science requires a revolutionary transformative step in order to address many of the vexing challenges presented by the world. It is INBIOSA’s purpose to enable the focused collaboration of an interdisciplinary community of original thinkers. This paper sets out the case for support for this effort. The focus of the transformative research program proposal is biology-centric. We admit that biology to date has been more fact-oriented (...) and less theoretical than physics. However, the key leverageable idea is that careful extension of the science of living systems can be more effectively applied to some of our most vexing modern problems than the prevailing scheme, derived from abstractions in physics. While these have some universal application and demonstrate computational advantages, they are not theoretically mandated for the living. A new set of mathematical abstractions derived from biology can now be similarly extended. This is made possible by leveraging new formal tools to understand abstraction and enable computability. [The latter has a much expanded meaning in our context from the one known and used in computer science and biology today, that is "by rote algorithmic means", since it is not known if a living system is computable in this sense (Mossio et al., 2009).] Two major challenges constitute the effort. The first challenge is to design an original general system of abstractions within the biological domain. The initial issue is descriptive leading to the explanatory. There has not yet been a serious formal examination of the abstractions of the biological domain. What is used today is an amalgam; much is inherited from physics (via the bridging abstractions of chemistry) and there are many new abstractions from advances in mathematics (incentivized by the need for more capable computational analyses). Interspersed are abstractions, concepts and underlying assumptions “native” to biology and distinct from the mechanical language of physics and computation as we know them. A pressing agenda should be to single out the most concrete and at the same time the most fundamental process-units in biology and to recruit them into the descriptive domain. Therefore, the first challenge is to build a coherent formal system of abstractions and operations that is truly native to living systems. Nothing will be thrown away, but many common methods will be philosophically recast, just as in physics relativity subsumed and reinterpreted Newtonian mechanics. -/- This step is required because we need a comprehensible, formal system to apply in many domains. Emphasis should be placed on the distinction between multi-perspective analysis and synthesis and on what could be the basic terms or tools needed. The second challenge is relatively simple: the actual application of this set of biology-centric ways and means to cross-disciplinary problems. In its early stages, this will seem to be a “new science”. This White Paper sets out the case of continuing support of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for transformative research in biology and information processing centered on paradigm changes in the epistemological, ontological, mathematical and computational bases of the science of living systems. Today, curiously, living systems cannot be said to be anything more than dissipative structures organized internally by genetic information. There is not anything substantially different from abiotic systems other than the empirical nature of their robustness. We believe that there are other new and unique properties and patterns comprehensible at this bio-logical level. The report lays out a fundamental set of approaches to articulate these properties and patterns, and is composed as follows. -/- Sections 1 through 4 (preamble, introduction, motivation and major biomathematical problems) are incipient. Section 5 describes the issues affecting Integral Biomathics and Section 6 -- the aspects of the Grand Challenge we face with this project. Section 7 contemplates the effort to formalize a General Theory of Living Systems (GTLS) from what we have today. The goal is to have a formal system, equivalent to that which exists in the physics community. Here we define how to perceive the role of time in biology. Section 8 describes the initial efforts to apply this general theory of living systems in many domains, with special emphasis on crossdisciplinary problems and multiple domains spanning both “hard” and “soft” sciences. The expected result is a coherent collection of integrated mathematical techniques. Section 9 discusses the first two test cases, project proposals, of our approach. They are designed to demonstrate the ability of our approach to address “wicked problems” which span across physics, chemistry, biology, societies and societal dynamics. The solutions require integrated measurable results at multiple levels known as “grand challenges” to existing methods. Finally, Section 10 adheres to an appeal for action, advocating the necessity for further long-term support of the INBIOSA program. -/- The report is concluded with preliminary non-exclusive list of challenging research themes to address, as well as required administrative actions. The efforts described in the ten sections of this White Paper will proceed concurrently. Collectively, they describe a program that can be managed and measured as it progresses. (shrink)

Nicole Hassoun’s sufficientarian theory is based on a particular conception of caring, which she calls ‘care, simpliciter’. However, ‘care, simpliciter’ is not described in any detail. This essay tries to offer a critical revision of Hassoun’s concept of care in a way that would put the MGL theory on its strongest footing. To that end, I will contrast her view with a taxonomy of care that supplements the accounts of care provided by Stephen Darwall and Lori Gruen. I then put (...) forward a form of empathy that is best suited to the MGL theory, which fits the description of ‘care, simpliciter’. **Unpublished manuscript: feel free to cite.**. (shrink)

In Mengzi 孟子 (Mencius) 6A4, Gaozi 告子 states that “yi 義 (Rightness/Propriety) is external, not internal.” In 6A5, Meng Jizi 孟季子 says of yi that “... it is on the external, not from the internal.” Their defenses are met with Mengzi’s resistance. What does he perceive and resist in these statements? Focusing on several key passages in the eponymous text, I compare six promising interpretations. 6A4 and a relevant part of 2A2 can be rendered comparably sensible under each of the (...) six. However, what Gaozi says in 6A1 clearly is evidence to Mengzi that, of the six views, Gaozi holds three although he does not convey them in his statement. As for Meng Jizi’s statement, in its defense he invokes a special occasion where one is required to act one way even though one would feel a different way. Mengzi’s response has been traditionally interpreted as boiling down to a dissenting opinion about empirical psychology, that the agent on that special occasion would in fact feel the same way as they ought to act. But on a more charitable reading, the point Mengzi makes is conceptual: Though the satisfaction of yi may not require that the feeling and the act align perfectly in this case, cases where the alignment obtains are conceptually prior. This not only refutes Meng Jizi’s statement but also enables a more elegant explanation of why the Mengzi rightly has no record of Mengzi affirming that yi is internal. I conclude that 6A5 itself uniquely favors one interpretation, as far as Meng Jizi’s position is concerned: How one feels is irrelevant to whether one satisfies yi. (shrink)

This paper provides a retrospective and prospective overview of TU Delft’s approach to engineering ethics education. For over twenty years, the Ethics and Philosophy of Technology Section at TU Delft has been at the forefront of engineering ethics education, offering education to a wide range of engineering and design students. The approach developed at TU Delft is deeply informed by the research of the Section, which is centered around Responsible Research and Innovation, Design for Values, and Risk Ethics. These theoretical (...) approaches are premised on the notion that technologies are inherently value-laden, and as such contain the possibility of fostering or hindering moral values. Each of these approaches encourages students to take a proactive attitude with respect to their projects and profession, thinking creatively about – and taking responsibility for – how to both prevent harm and do good via the technologies they help develop. To explain how this is put into practice, this paper sketches a brief history of ethics teaching at TU Delft, outlines current activities, and presents future plans for Bachelor and Master’s level engineering ethics education at TU Delft. (shrink)

Psychopathy refers to a range of complex behaviors and personality traits, including callousness and antisocial behavior, typically studied in criminal populations. Recent studies have used self-reports to examine psychopathic traits among noncriminal samples. The goal of the current study was to examine the underlying factor structure of the Self-Report of Psychopathy Scale–Short Form (SRP-SF) across complementary samples and examine the impact of gender on factor structure. We examined the structure of the SRP-SF among 2,554 young adults from three undergraduate samples (...) and a high-risk young adult sample. Using confirmatory factor analysis, a four-correlated factor model and a four-bifactor model showed good fit to the data. Evidence of weak invariance was found for both models across gender. These findings highlight that the SRP-SF is a useful measure of low-level psychopathic traits in noncriminal samples, although the underlying factor structure may not fully translate across men and women. (shrink)

This paper argues that it is prudentially wise to defer to groups about how they are essentially constituted and defined. After a few words situating the paper in my greater research project (§1), I articulate the kind of deference I have in mind (§2). Then I offer two conditional arguments on why it is epistemically desirable to let other people tell you how they ought to be identified (§3). The first argument is that people are owed lexical sovereignty because denying (...) it is absurd; the second is that modest skeptics ought to agree with it on the basis of some relatively anodyne and plausible epistemic considerations. (shrink)

There at least three ways of thinking about rationality: instrumental, substantive, and intentional. By far, the instrumental account is most influential. This essay proposes that intentional rationality can provide substantive accounts with room to breathe, and in a way that is facially distinct from instrumental accounts. I suggest that the intentionality of a judgment is made up of what it is about and the orientation through which it is judged, while irrationality is the subversion of a strict supporting connection between (...) the judgment and its corresponding set of coordinated attitudes (reasons). It follows that irrational intentionality is made up of episodic states where a judgment is subverted because of a misalignment between what it is about and the way the judge is oriented towards its contents. Four examples of irrational intentionality are considered: passivity towards ends, constitutive ignorance towards facts, delirious paranoia towards objects, and a disjunctive orientation towards categorizations. (shrink)

The major competing statistical paradigms share a common remarkable but unremarked thread: in many of their inferential applications, different probability interpretations are combined. How this plays out in different theories of inference depends on the type of question asked. We distinguish four question types: confirmation, evidence, decision, and prediction. We show that Bayesian confirmation theory mixes what are intuitively “subjective” and “objective” interpretations of probability, whereas the likelihood-based account of evidence melds three conceptions of what constitutes an “objective” probability.

In this paper, I outline a theory of social kinds. A general theory of social kinds has to set out at least three conditions: existence conditions, persistence conditions, and identity conditions. For the sake of expediency, I focus on the existence and persistence conditions. The paper is organized just as life: first with existence, then persistence. I argue that anti-realism is more attractive than realism as an account of the existence conditions, despite the fact that realism has been under-appreciated. Then (...) I argue for a particular theory of the persistence conditions, which I call the basic overlapping traits theory (BOTT), based on an analogy to an approach to personal identity. The upshot of the argument is that from an anti-realist metaphysics we have the capacity to discuss a wider diversity of social phenomena. (shrink)

The idea behind this special theme journal issue was to continue the work we have started with the INBIOSA initiative (www.inbiosa.eu) and our small inter-disciplinary scientific community. The result of this EU funded project was a white paper (Simeonov et al., 2012a) defining a new direction for future research in theoretical biology we called Integral Biomathics and a volume (Simeonov et al., 2012b) with contributions from two workshops and our first international conference in this field in 2011. The initial impulse (...) for this effort was given a year earlier by a publication of one of the guest editors of this issue (Simeonov, 2010) in this journal. This time we wish to provide a broader forum and more space to elaborate in detail some of the most interesting concepts we have encountered in our discussions, as well as to invite some new contributions of particular interest in the field. Another goal we had in mind was to collect and review as many provocative perspectives as possible on the same key topic we are interested before making a decision to follow a more focused notion that would lead to a funded research program. Therefore we welcomed the generous suggestion of Professor Denis Noble, FRS, who is also editor of this journal to prepare a special theme issue entitled: “Can biology create a profoundly new mathematics and computation?” It has taken a while to invite and collect the contributions. Most of them had a couple of revision cycles and adjustments after having been thoroughly discussed with colleagues, incl. the editors of this issue. We think that the result we have obtained at the end is a satisfactory one, since we succeeded to integrate a diversity of original, but sometimes controversial and mutually excluding concepts organized within chapters of a self-contained volume. The task of compiling all this was not easy at all. Despite our efforts to position the articles of different authors and themes in a way allowing their easy comprehension and relation to each other within the individual chapters, some of them still require a sort of introduction to dissolve possible ambiguities. This is what we are going to do in the following few paragraphs with the hope that the reader (and some of the authors) would excuse our failures. (shrink)

What follows is an attempt to do some conceptual housekeeping around the notion of secret law as provided by Christopher Kutz (2013). First I consider low-salience (or merely obscure) law, suggesting that it fails to capture the legal and moral facts that are at stake in the case which Kutz used to motivate it. Then I outline a theoretical contrast between mere obscurity and secrecy, in contrast to the 'neutral' account of secrecy provided by Sissela Bok (1989). The upshot of (...) the two sections is that low-salience law is neither secret law nor necessarily problematic, though it closely resembles a kind of law that is both secret and problematic: namely, those legal obscurities that subvert manifest interests related to the informational needs of citizens. The ensuing argument undermines the fiction of constructive presence found in Austin and Blackstone. (shrink)

We aimed at evaluating the best unsaturated fatty acid candidate (vegetable oil) for blending (dry matter-DM basis) with cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL) to improve feed intake, digestibility, nitrogen balance, growth, and carcass traits in sheep. Forty uncastrated male Santa Ines × Dorper crossbred sheep (n = 8/treatment) weighting 24.44 ± 1.5 kg were used. Animals were randomly assigned to a completely randomized design and received one of the following treatments: a control group consisting of a blend of phenolic lipids (CNSL (...) at 0.5%) and canola oil (a monounsaturated fatty acid source, MUFA, at 1.5%), and four treatment groups with CNSL (0.5%) combined with 1.5% of a high polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) vegetable oil (corn, soybean, sunflower, or cottonseed oil), as DM basis. Feeding sheep with CNSL + canola oil resulted in higher SFA, UFA, and MUFA and lower PUFA’s (P < 0.05) intakes. The TDN intake was lower for the CNSL + corn oil diet than the other oils (P < 0.0001). The DM and NDF digestibility were higher for CNSL + cottonseed oil (PUFA) or canola oil (MUFA) diets than other oils (P < 0.05). The CNSL + soybean oil blend promoted a lower urinary N excretion (P = 0.047) in sheep. Growth and carcass traits were not affected by the oil’s composition in the blends. The level of saturation was confirmed as such a determining factor in the DM and NDF digestibility since the oil containing the highest concentration of MUFA (canola oil) showed better digestibility compared to other PUFA-rich oils; however, without effect on the performance and feed efficiency of the sheep. (shrink)

In this paper I argue that textualism is far less attractive as a theory of written law than some of its modern proponents think. For it is not usually sensible to expect the grammatical meaning of a provision to determine its appropriate legal meaning. Factors that are unrelated to grammar in the identification of law (e.g., legal theory, context) do too much of the work. **Draft -- acknowledgments welcome, but please do not cite.**.

« Les récits entendus pendant la Commission Charbonneau ont mis en lumière les manquements éthiques dans le monde de l’ingénierie, ce qui a eu l’effet d’une bombe au Québec. Certains témoignages ont aussi révélé des défaillances au sein des institutions, comme l’Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec. Dix ans après la publication du rapport de la Commission, sommes-nous à l’abri d’une nouvelle crise éthique? Comment repenser notre lien à l’éthique au sein de cette profession? L’éthique et le génie québécois poursuit deux (...) grands objectifs. D’abord, il expose en quoi les institutions québécoises du génie peuvent, et doivent, être perfectionnées au fil du temps. De l’évolution du statut juridique d’ingénieur jusqu’à la gestion de crises, en passant par la promotion de certains idéaux, ces institutions doivent entretenir une quête constante d’excellence. Ensuite, cet ouvrage explique en quoi la délibération éthique, et son caractère moral, est en partie affectée par l’état des institutions du génie. En effet, celles qui sont en piètre état peuvent être une source de conflits éthiques pour les professionnels et professionnelles. Ces conflits sont illustrés avec différentes études de cas, portant notamment sur les loyautés multiples, la corruption grise et la protection de l’environnement. Chaque chapitre propose des questions complémentaires permettant au lecteur de poursuivre ses réflexions sur les sujets abordés. Bien que cet ouvrage ait d’abord été pensé pour les étudiants et étudiantes en génie au Québec, il intéressera aussi les membres des ordres professionnels ou toute personne qui étudie l’histoire et l’amélioration des institutions québécoises. »--Quatrième de couverture. (shrink)

The very idea of promulgation has been given little to no treatment in the philosophy of law. In this exploratory essay, I introduce three possible theories of promulgation: the ‘no-theory theory’ (which treats promulgation as a matter of particular contexts), the ‘conveyance theory’ (which treats promulgation as a function of intellectual good faith interpreters), and ‘agonistic theory’ (which treats promulgation as indistinguishable from propaganda). I suggest that (at least) three kinds of models are consistent with the theories, and can potentially (...) help us understand when law is successfully promulgated in particular legal contexts: the spread model, the chain model, and the memetic model. I end the paper by comparing the two theories with respect to a case study. Throughout I will show that the conveyance and agonistic theories have a serious advantage over the no-theory theory, in that they allow us to comparatively examine the epistemic weaknesses of diverse theories about the grounding of law on the basis of their contents. (shrink)

The article is devoted to the problems of introducing the SMART-education technology in the training and development of personnel of hotel complexes and business activities in the field of hotel business. The methodological and organizational bases for the application of SMART-education in staff training were identified; the leading qualitative features and development trends of this type of entrepreneurial educational activity were outlined. The principles of SMART-education of staff in the field of hotel business and its applied features in the service (...) sector were developed. A model of SMART- education of hotel complex staff was developed based on solving case problems and practical mastering of professional content. (shrink)

This commentary argues that the U.S. and India’s neighbors may actively hinder India's rise as a superpower. The competitors and rivals have numerous options, including imposing tariffs and trade barriers, reducing the exports of Indian goods and services, withholding essential exports to India, and curtailing remittances from Indian workers. Suppose India continues to advance despite obstacles. In that case, some rivals might even encourage separatist movements in Khalistan, Kashmir, and the Northeastern states (Assam, Nagaland, and others), which have tenuous geographical, (...) ethnic, and cultural ties to the mainland. (shrink)

Natalia Tomashpolskaia, "Predictive World", pp. 301–308. -/- In the contemporary world, the scientific model of reality has become prognostic and predictive. Scientists make predictions based on facts, re- search, and experiments. These predictions create a new picture of reality and have a great impact on people’s behavior and decision-making. For in- stance, we can observe a vivid manifestation of this phenomenon in mod- ern medicine. Prognosis replaces diagnoses, and diagnoses and vital de- cisions begin to be based on a prognosis. (...) However, not only sciences, but the mass-media news industry also has become prognostic. Nowadays, the prevailing part of all news consists not of facts but of predictions and pro- gnoses (economic, political, societal, environmental, medical, etc.). All types of analysts and prognosticators in all spheres have become in de- mand. To sum up, nowadays we do not live here and now but we are living in constant stress awaiting negative events based on some prognosis we have believed in and these beliefs condition our current behaviour. (shrink)

Zeno’s paradoxes of motion, allegedly denying motion, have been conceived to reinforce the Parmenidean vision of an immutable world. The aim of this article is to demonstrate that these famous logical paradoxes should be seen instead as paradoxes of immobility. From this new point of view, motion is therefore no longer logically problematic, while immobility is. This is convenient since it is easy to conceive that immobility can actually conceal motion, and thus the proposition “immobility is mere illusion of the (...) senses” is much more credible than the reverse thesis supported by Parmenides. Moreover, this proposition is also supported by modern depiction of material bodies: the existence of a ceaseless random motion of atoms—the ‘thermal agitation’—in the scope of contemporary atomic theory, can offer a rational explanation of this ‘illusion of immobility’. Our new approach to Zeno’s paradoxes therefore leads to presenting the novel concept of ‘impermobility’, which we think is a more adequate description of physical reality. (shrink)

The objective of this study was to evaluate lipid sources, associated with spineless cactus or not, as a strategy for reducing feed costs in goat milk production. Twelve lactating Saanen goats, with an average body weight of 55.0±8.0kg, were distributed in a 4x4 Latin square, with a 2x2 factorial arrangement. The treatments consisted of two lipid sources (coconut peels - CP; and cottonseed - CT), associated or not with “Orelha de Elefante Mexicana” (OEM) spineless cactus. Goats that consumed diets containing (...) cottonseed as the main source of energy showed higher performance indexes (P<0.05). The CP+OEM treatment presented the lowest cost for 1 kg of dry matter (R$ 1.78). The PC diet demonstrated lower daily feeding costs (R$ 2.54). Total revenue was higher for the CT+OEM diet (R$ 8.17), as was net income (R$ 4.19). Therefore, the association of cottonseed with OEM spineless cactus in the feeding of lactating goats is recommended, due to the reduction in feeding costs, especially with roughage, in addition to superior performance, contributing to greater profitability of the activity. Keywords: economic evaluation, fat feeds, milk production, Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw., small ruminants. (shrink)

This article explores Rudolf Steiner's Christology within the framework of cosmic evolution, focusing on the Second Coming of Christ as a pivotal metaphysical event. Identifying a scholarly lacuna regarding Steiner's developmental cosmology and the work of Yeshayahu Ben-Aharon, the study adopts an immanent-synthetic methodology to demonstrate a sacramental, participatory epistemology. The first part unfolds Steiner's vision of the 'Mystery of Golgotha' as a cosmic turning point where a macrocosmic death process is reversed into a resurrection life-stream. The second part examines (...) Ben-Aharon's esoteric development of these ideas into a contemporary 'knowledge drama of the Second Coming.' Through the spiritualization of consciousness, Ben-Aharon describes an individual 'essence-exchange' with the Christ impulse within the 'abyss of nothingness' of our age. Finally, the article discusses the social-metaphysical implications of this drama through the 'Reversed Cultus.' Here, the indwelling Christ is recognized as humanity's 'Higher Self,' grounding a new community and 'school of love' capable of responding to the techno-scientific challenges of mechanization of intelligence and life. By positioning the human being as a co-creative agent in cosmic becoming, the article argues for a renewed understanding of the Second Coming as a new step in humanity's spiritual evolution. (shrink)

Is the virtue of the good citizen the same as the virtue of the good man? Aristotle addresses this in Politics 3.4. His answer is twofold. On the one hand, (the account for Difference) they are not the same both because what the citizen’s virtue is depends on the constitution, on what preserves it, and on the role the citizen plays in it, and because the good citizens in the best constitution cannot all be good men, whereas the good man’s (...) virtue is uniform. On the other hand, (the account for Identity) the two virtues are identical in the good men in the best constitution, in which all are good citizens, each possessing the ability for ruling and for being ruled. This nuanced answer can be seen as Aristotle’s synthesis of a Periclean view (contribution to state blots out personal wrongs) and a Socratic view (no good citizen is without justice). Its nuances reflect the extent to which Aristotle’s conceptions of good citizenship and the best constitution accommodate deviations of what is probable from the human ideal set out in his ethical writings. In the present chapter, I will first address three puzzles regarding the nuances of Aristotle’s answer. Second, I will consider one question about its implication: Does Aristotle’s account for Difference turn out to entail something ultra-Periclean: that no one can simultaneously be a good man and a good citizen in any constitution other than the best? I shall argue the negative. (shrink)

In this аrtiсlе, thе аuthоr fосusеs оn еluсidаting sоmе philоsоphiсаl аspесts оf intеrсulturаl соmmuniсаtiоn in thе соntеxt оf glоbаlizаtiоn оn thе bаsis оf rесоgnizing thе соntributiоns аnd limitаtiоns оf Wittgеnstеin tо thе birth оf philоsоphy. сulturе study. Thоsе philоsоphiсаl issuеs аrе: thе similаrity in thinking аnd асting оf pеоplе асrоss сulturеs; divеrsity оf сulturеs, wоrldviеws аnd wаys оf lifе. Frоm thе Mаrxist pоint оf viеw, thе аuthоr pоintеd оut аnd сritiсizеd thе limitаtiоns оf Wittgеnstеin's philоsоphiсаl соnсеptiоn; аnd аt thе sаmе (...) timе оffеr аnd еxplаin sоlutiоns tо implеmеnt intеrсulturаl соmmuniсаtiоn in thе соntеxt оf сurrеnt glоbаlizаtiоn. (shrink)

It seems natural to choose whether to have a child by reflecting on what it would be like to actually have a child. I argue that this natural approach fails. If you choose to become a parent, and your choice is based on projections about what you think it would be like for you to have a child, your choice is not rational. If you choose to remain childless, and your choice is based upon projections about what you think it (...) would be like for you to have a child, your choice is not rational. This suggests we should reject our ordinary conception of how to make this life-changing decision, and raises general questions about how to rationally approach important life choices. (shrink)

RESUMO O presente estudo trata-se de uma revisão de literatura que buscou reunir informações sobre o efeito da utilização da vagem de faveira sobre a qualidade da carne e características de carcaça de pequenos ruminantes. A faveira é uma leguminosa presente nos estados do Piauí e Maranhão. Suas vagens apresentam elevados teores nutricionais, com aproximadamente 11,18% de proteína bruta e 10,79% de compostos fenólicos, incluindo taninos. Embora estejam disponíveis apenas nos meses de setembro e outubro, podem ser secas e utilizadas (...) durante a estação seca, representando uma alternativa alimentar interessante para os animais. Os taninos presentes na composição da Parkia platycephala, quando inseridos na alimentação de cordeiros podem modular a biohidrogenação e, consequentemente, melhorar o perfil de ácidos graxos (AG) da carne de cordeiros e minimizando a oxidação lipídica, ajudando a preservar o valor nutricional e as características sensoriais do produto cárneo. A utilização da vagem de faveira na alimentação de pequenos ruminantes, pode ser utilizada em até 100%, sem interferir nas características de carcaça e na qualidade da carne. Sendo considerado um alimento alternativo com potencial nutritivo e viável para produtores. Palavras-chave: proteína animal; valor nutricional; vagem de faveira. (shrink)

In his account of the individuation and creation of thinking in Difference and Repetition Gilles Deleuze claims that there belongs “an experience of death.” What does this mean and imply for an attempt to come to terms with Deleuze’s transcendental empiricism? The following article presents a reading that explores this question, arguing that Deleuze’s account of what it means to think has two aspects that must be understood in relation to each other. On the one hand, Deleuze’s ontology of intensive (...) difference involves an image of human individuation grounded upon a “death present in the living.” On the other hand, Deleuze writes that in the creation of “thinking in thought” there is an experience of death. Understanding the relation between the individuating aspect of death – as the emergence of the pure and empty form of time as the basis for representational thinking and judgement – and the experience of this individuating factor in the creation of thinking in thought, Deleuze’s claim can be made sense of and its centrality in his system clarified. When death as an individuating factor becomes experience, thinking is transmuted from dead representation to intensive life, and transcendental empiricism is operationalized. (shrink)

I defend a one category ontology: an ontology that denies that we need more than one fundamental category to support the ontological structure of the world. Categorical fundamentality is understood in terms of the metaphysically prior, as that in which everything else in the world consists. One category ontologies are deeply appealing, because their ontological simplicity gives them an unmatched elegance and spareness. I’m a fan of a one category ontology that collapses the distinction between particular and property, replacing it (...) with a single fundamental category of intrinsic characters or qualities. We may describe the qualities as qualitative charactersor as modes, perhaps on the model of Aristotelian qualitative (nonsubstantial) kinds, and I will use the term “properties” interchangeably with “qualities”. The qualities are repeatable and reasonably sparse, although, as I discuss in section 2.6, there are empirical reasons that may suggest, depending on one’s preferred fundamental physical theory, that they include irreducibly intensive qualities. There are no uninstantiated qualities. I also assume that the fundamental qualitative natures are intrinsic, although physics may ultimately suggest that some of them are extrinsic. On my view, matter, concrete objects, abstract objects, and perhaps even spacetime are constructed from mereological fusions of qualities, so the world is simply a vast mixture of qualities, including polyadic properties (i.e., relations). This means that everything there is, including concrete objects like persons or stars, is a quality, a qualitative fusion, or a portion of the extended qualitative fusion that is the worldwhole. I call my view mereological bundle theory. (shrink)

Introdução: O útero é um órgão reprodutivo localizado entre as cavidades abdominal e pélvica. Possui a capacidade de abrigar o embrião, mantê-lo acomodado durante a gestação e ajustar-se ao seu crescimento. Também auxilia na expulsão do mesmo, na hora do parto, por meio de contrações (SILVA, 2020). A reprodução equina é um âmbito crescente dentro da equinocultura, e possui um alto potencial comercial e econômico (NEIS, 2018). Portanto, o presente trabalho traz uma breve revisão de literatura, em relação ao principal (...) órgão do sistema reprodutor, o útero. Objetivo: O presente trabalho busca caracterizar o útero equino, acerca de suas características gerais. Desenvolvimento: Em equinos, o útero é constituído por dois cornos curtos, unidos pelo ligamento intercornual, um corpo longo, e uma cérvix ou colo, caracterizados por sua estrutura tubular, em forma de ¨Y¨ (SILVA, 2020). Histologicamente, esse órgão é formado por três camadas. A mais interna é a camada mucosa ou endométrio, seguida pela camada muscular lisa ou miométrio e a camada serosa ou perimétrio que recobre todo o útero externamente (FEITOSA, 2020). A fixação e sustentação uterina ocorrem por meio de uma porção do ligamento largo do útero: o mesométrio, o que permite sua localização estável entre as cavidades pélvica e abdominal (SILVA, 2020). Sua vascularização acontece pela artéria uterina, oriunda da artéria ilíaca interna, e pela veia uterina (KONIG; LIEBICH, 2021). Os ramos simpáticos dos plexos uterino e pélvico são responsáveis pela inervação deste órgão, o que permite a sua comunicação com o sistema nervoso central (SILVA, 2020). A cérvix ou colo do útero é a porção mais caudal desse órgão. Essa fica localizada entre o útero e a vagina, e delimita as porções interna e externa dessa região, uma vez que possui uma musculatura circular bem desenvolvida (FEITOSA, 2020). O lúmen da cérvix é revestido por células secretoras de muco, responsáveis por proteger o útero, impedindo a entrada de agentes ou facilitar o transporte de espermatozoides na cavidade uterina, através da lubrificação. A função do muco varia de acordo com a fase do ciclo estral que o animal se encontra, pois, durante o período de estro o muco exerce a função de lubrificação da cérvix para o momento da cópula, por isso apresenta um aspecto fluido. Já no período denominado diestro, a função do muco se limita à proteção, apresentando um aspecto viscoso (BETTENCOURT, 2018). Portanto, a principal função da cérvix é proteger o útero, a partir de sua musculatura forte e da produção de muco, exceto no período de estro e no momento do parto, onde a musculatura permanece relaxada e a composição do muco irá priorizar a lubrificação do canal vaginal e da cavidade uterina (KONIG; LIEBICH, 2021). Conclusão: O presente trabalho reuniu, através de uma revisão literária, características gerais, acerca da morfofisiologia uterina, evidenciando sua importância dentro do sistema reprodutivo, e a necessidade do seu bom funcionamento. Portanto, é indispensável o conhecimento da anatomia e fisiologia deste órgão, uma vez que ele apresenta uma importante função na reprodução equina, como supracitado nesta revisão. (shrink)

The purpose of the article is to reveal the scientific approach that substantiates the impact of the creation of strategic alliances (SA) on the digital transformation of business and the development of their innovative power based on identified success factors. The aim was achieved using the following methods: abstract logic and typification (for classification of SA's success factors), generalization (to determine the peculiarities of SA's influence on their innovation development), analytical and ranking method (to determine the relationship between the dynamics (...) creating of SA and the degree of acceleration of digital transformation), expert evaluation (to determine the degree of influence of SA success factors by business areas). Implementing a business-integrated approach to understanding digital transformation will accelerate implementation of innovation and organizational change, identifies future prospects for market, customer and business relationships, highlighting the importance of researching the factors that ensure their success. An alternative vision of SA’s success factors is suggested, which are determined by the possibilities the organization of partnerships and organizational culture, integration of business sectors, compatibility of management goals, external relevance, obtaining synergies. Innovation is considered by the authors as an integration factor that reconciles all groups of SA success factors, giving them the necessary focus to solve business problems. The results of the study show that the creation of SA has a significant impact on accelerating and changes priority of digital transformation of business areas involved in strategic partnerships, and the impact of SA on the development of their innovation power is crucial. (shrink)

Philosophers of experiment have acknowledged that experiments are often more than mere hypothesis-tests, once thought to be an experiment's exclusive calling. Drawing on examples from contemporary biology, I make an additional amendment to our understanding of experiment by examining the way that `wide' instrumentation can, for reasons of efficiency, lead scientists away from traditional hypothesis-directed methods of experimentation and towards exploratory methods.