Le peuple, sujet et agent de l’histoire! « Il serait important d’éradiquer cette pensée du sens commun pour laquelle la réalité biologique est tout et tout provient d’elle. Nous sommes habitués à enquêter sur le sens de la vie, si mystérieuse, si riche en imprévus ; on devrait peut-être donner du sens à sa propre vie, plutôt qu’en chercher la signification. Nous devons consacrer notre temps à essayer de construire quelque chose pour nous-mêmes par rapport aux autres ; et tout (...) cela est possible, pour autant que l’empan de la vie ne soit pas le premier critère. C’est la qualité qui importe, la qualité des choses que nous réalisons dans l’espace de temps dont nous disposons ; bref ou long quel qu’il soit, il est à chérir en tous ses moments, à cultiver, à nourrir, à vivre sans peur ou sans honte, mais toujours en voulant être d’illustres modèles sur le plan humain. » – Alberto Cardosi, octobre 2007 Ce livre est le fruit d’une longue, d’une profonde et d’une amoureuse familiarité d’Alberto Cardosi avec la pensée de Gramsci. Il a été publié quelques mois après qu’il eut disparu, le 3 juillet 2014, à l’âge de 42 ans. La réflexion d’Alberto Cardosi s’attache à analyser l’évolution du concept du peuple chez Gramsci dès son apparition au cours des années turinoises jusqu’à la naissance du Parti communiste italien. L’auteur précise ensuite le concept de peuple par rapport à la société de classes et finit par l’identifier au prolétariat, lui-même déterminé comme sujet et agent de l’histoire et d’un renouveau spirituel. Un aperçu de perspectives contemporaines et une bibliographie complètent cet ouvrage important qui compte parmi les rares études de la pensée du jeune Gramsci. (shrink)

The central concern of this book is to demonstrate how Puritanism was a theme which ran through all Green's biography and political philosophy. It thereby reveals how Green’s connections with Evangelicalism and his known affinities with religious dissent came from his way of conceiving Puritanism. In Green’s eyes, its anti-formalist viewpoint made Puritanism the most suitable tool for avoiding the drawbacks of democracy. The key objective of the book is to illustrate how the philosophy elaborated by Green aimed to encapsulate (...) the best of Puritanism whilst eschewing the dangerous abstractions of both Puritan philosophy and German idealism. It follows that Green’s conception of positive and negative freedom, and his vision of political obligation, stemmed from his effort to revive the Puritan heritage rather than from an ambiguous flirtation with idealism. The book purports to show how the influence of Puritanism in Green’s political thought is an element which can help to integrate the literature in the area, contributing to a better comprehension of a philosopher who, despite being unanimously considered as the founder of the so-called Oxford idealist school, had a very difficult and sometimes obscure connection with idealism. It has been widely argued that Green’s relationship with idealism seemed to be infected by a religious germ which, because it was unrelated to German idealism, gave it a bad taste. This study aims to encourage further investigation into the nature and propagation of that germ in the British idealist School. (shrink)

A intenção deste tratado é a exposição das doutrinas científicas atribuídas a Platão e contidas na República, prescindindo da argumentação dialética. Queremos ser muito concisos para assim poder falar sucintamente de todo ele. Sem embargo, e em razão do bom andamento expositivo, cremos que era necessário um prefácio introdutório, no qual o objeto de estudo se apresentasse na ordem devida, já que Platão escreveu este livro somente depois de haver concluído outros escritos acerca desta ciência. Também indicaremos, sempre que pudermos, (...) algumas precisões acerca da utilidade deste saber, de sua finalidade e de suas partes. (shrink)

The discovery and publication, throughout the XX century, of a number of manuscript documents referring to Duns Scotus, as well as the development of new techniques of research and critical edition of texts, have brought new knowledge about this author. Conversely, several legends regarding Scotus have been proved wrong. The edition of his oeuvres, though not concluded at this time, has allowed the determination of which works are indeed of his authorship, even though manuscripts originally written by Scotus are not (...) available. KEY WORDS – History of Philosophy. Duns Scotus. Life. Oeuvres. Critical Edition. (shrink)

No Brasil, ao contrário de outros países, o número de estudiosos da Filosofia Medieval, como aliás também da Filosofia Antiga, é relativamente pequeno. Os medievalistas tomaram consciência dos problemas que enfrentavam, quando se reuniram pela primeira vez, em Brasília, no ano de 1982. Daquele primeiro Encontro surgiu um livro dedicado especialmente ao tema Filosofia Medieval. De lá em diante, reuniões periódicas, ou ocasiões especiais, permitiram que outros textos sobre o mesmo assunto fossem publicados. Criou-se também a Comissão Brasileira de Filosofia (...) Medieval, dirigida inicialmente pelo colega Prof. Dr. José Antônio de Camargo Rodrigues de Souza. (shrink)

A leitura do Itinerarium mentis in Deum de S. Boaventura requer que se leve em consideração a diferença que existe entre o pensamento dele e o de outros autores, principalmente Tomás de Aquino. Nesse sentido, o presente artigo aborda, em primeiro lugar, a teologia trinitária de S. Boaventura. Este não possui um tratado sobre a unidade de Deus, anterior ao De trinitate. Nisso ele se aproxima da tradição bíblico-antioquena, bem como da catequese e da liturgia da Igreja primitiva e abre (...) espaço para uma teologia que repense o significado fundamental da Trindade para a fé cristã. Em segundo lugar, a questão do Cristocentrismo. Com efeito, Cristo, como intermediário em todas as coisas, é visto como o médium metaphysicum que explica a produção e a compreensão dos seres, e que se coloca como princípio, meio e término da História. Em terceiro lugar, o artigo reflecte sobre o exemplarismo em S. Boaventura. As coisas são sinais, imagens, símbolos de uma realidade maior, à qual se referem; e o verdadeiro metafísico é aquele que sabe que tudo procede de um exemplar primeiro. Finalmente, a noção de transitus. A saída do Egipto e a peregrinação pelo deserto, rumo à Terra Prometida, são imagem da caminhada da Igreja e de cada um dos cristãos em direcção ao descanso do oitavo dia, o dia da paz sem fim. /// A reading of the Itinerarium mentis in Deum of Saint Bonaventure requires that we take into consideration the difference that exists between his thinking and the thought of other authors, especially Thomas of Aquinas. Taking this into consideration, the article analyses, in the first place, Bonavenrure's Trinitarian theology. He does not have a treatise on the unity of God that antecedes the De trinitate. In this, he is close to the biblical-antiochean tradition, as well as to the catechesis and the liturgy of the Primitive Church and opens space for a theology that restores the fundamental meaning of the Trinity for the Christian faith. Secondly, the question of Christocentrism. As a matter of fact, Christ, as intermediary in all things, is seen as the medium metaphysicum that explains the production and the comprehension of all beings, recognized as principle, median and end of History. In the third place, the article also reflects on the exemplarism in Saint Bonaventure. According to his thought, the things of the world are signs, symbols of a greater reality, to which they refer; therefore, the true metaphysician is the one who knows that everything proceeds from a first exemplar. Finaly, the notion of transitus. The exodus of Egypt and the peregrination through the desert, in the direction of the Promised Land, are for Bonaventure images of the peregrination of the Church and of each and every Christian in direction to the rest of the seventh day, the day of peace without end. (shrink)

This review shows the various tools used to implemente the food quality system in food establishments. Presenting the various laws that subsidize this process, establishing criteria and instrumentes for a correct implementation of the quality system in order to offer adequate hygiene processes in the production of safe food, in addition to favoring the maintenance of companies in the consumer market. The implementation of food safety management systems such as Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) e Hazard Analysis (...) and Critical Control Points (HACCP), in order to guarantee the safety of the food served and portray the organization of the company. It is essential to implement these systems ensuring the quality of the servisse (planning, control and improvement). In order to achieve healthy criteria related to foodstuffs, it is necessary to implement quality programs as prerequisites of the Hazard Analysis System and Critical Control Points in food services. Regulating and inspecting are just a few points that guarantee food security, since food that does not pose a health hazard to consumers is considered safe. (shrink)

A Bayesian measure of evidence for precise hypotheses is presented. The intention is to give a Bayesian alternative to significance tests or, equivalently, to p-values. In fact, a set is defined in the parameter space and the posterior probability, its credibility, is evaluated. This set is the “Highest Posterior Density Region” that is “tangent” to the set that defines the null hypothesis. Our measure of evidence is the complement of the credibility of the “tangent” region.

In the course of his philosophy, in various contexts, Kant comes to reject three theses about existence: (i) that the thoroughgoing determination of a thing implies its existence, (ii) that existence is a real predicate or determination of a thing, and (iii) that existence is the complement of inner possibility or essence. Kant’s target here is Baumgarten, who advocates these theses as the criterion, classification, and definition of existence. In this article I seek to clarify Kant’s elusive theory of existence (...) through its opposition to Baumgarten. I will show that Kant’s refutation of (i)–(iii) does not stand alone but is grounded on his own definition of existence as (absolute) positing. Thus contrary to common practice, Kant’s negative claims about what existence is not cannot be understood in isolation but must be taken as jointly dependent on Kant’s positive claim of what existence is. I will show that the theses (i)–(iii) fail because they presuppose that existence contributes to the intension or content of a concept, whereas according to Kant existence in fact posits a (non-empty) extension to the concept. (shrink)

La province jésuite du Brésil est parcourue au début du XVIIe siècle par une série de tensions qui relèvent autant de son rapport à la société coloniale contemporaine que de ses relations avec le centre romain. À travers l'étude d'un document programmatique exceptionnel et original, dont l'auteur et la date de rédaction demeurent inconnus, les Advertências para a provincia do Brasil, on analyse l'inscription de l'entreprise missionnaire dans sa double dimension économicopolitique, avec l'engagement dans la production sucrière, et spirituelle, assurer (...) le salut du missionnaire et la conversion des Indiens. Ce projet, qui fait de l'a ldeia la structure déterminante de la présence et de l'action jésuites en terre de Brésil, révèle une vision globale de la mission, à la fois géopolitique, économique et religieuse que l'historiographie traditionnelle a occultée au profit d'une approche exclusivement spirituelle. (shrink)

in Oct-14-1998 ordinance INDESP-IO4 established the federal software certification and verification requirements for gaming machines in Brazil. The authors present the rationale behind these criteria, whose basic principles can find applications in several other software authentication applications.

The unit root problem plays a central role in empirical applications in the time series econometric literature. However, significance tests developed under the frequentist tradition present various conceptual problems that jeopardize the power of these tests, especially for small samples. Bayesian alternatives, although having interesting interpretations and being precisely defined, experience problems due to the fact that that the hypothesis of interest in this case is sharp or precise. The Bayesian significance test used in this article, for the unit root (...) hypothesis, is based solely on the posterior density function, without the need of imposing positive probabilities to sets of zero Lebesgue measure. Furthermore, it is conducted under strict observance of the likelihood principle. It was designed mainly for testing sharp null hypotheses and it is called FBST for Full Bayesian Significance Test. (shrink)

Statistical tests that detect and measure deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) have been devised but are limited when testing for deviation at multiallelic DNA loci is attempted. Here we present the full Bayesian significance test (FBST) for the HWE. This test depends neither on asymptotic results nor on the number of possible alleles for the particular locus being evaluated. The FBST is based on the computation of an evidence index in favor of the HWE hypothesis. A great deal of (...) forensic inference based on DNA evidence assumes that the HWE is valid for the genetic loci being used. We applied the FBST to genotypes obtained at several multiallelic short tandem repeat loci during routine parentage testing; the locus Penta E exemplifies those clearly in HWE while others such as D10S1214 and D19S253 do not appear to show this. (shrink)

This article describes the Full Bayesian Significance Test for the problem of separate hypotheses. Numerical experiments are performed for the Gompertz vs. Weibull life span test.

La autenticidad de la Heroida 15 de Ovidio (Sappho Phaoni) fue objeto de grancontroversia crítica. Sin adentrarnos en la misma, pero a la luz de ella, mostramoslos mecanismos intratextuales, narrativos y estilísticos que instauran esta epístolacomo instancia de transición entre las simples (1-15) y las dobles (16-21).Abordamos fundamentalmente dos aspectos: en qué medida la Heroida 15 seconstruye como un “proemio en el medio” que determina la arquitectura global dela obra, y de qué manera su inscripción en el discurso elegíaco anticipa (...) algunosrasgos del Ars y delimita ciertos ejes de la praxis literaria ovidiana. (shrink)

The basic assumption present in these articles is that naturalism is highly compatible with a wide range of relevant philosophical questions and that, regardless of the classical problems faced by the naturalist, the price paid in endorsing naturalism is lower than that paid by essentialist or supernaturalist theories. Yet, the reader will find a variety of approaches, from naturalism in Moral Philosophy and Epistemology to naturalism in the Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Mind and of the Aesthetics.

We describe a software system for the analysis of defined benefit actuarial plans. The system uses a recursive formulation of the actuarial stochastic processes to implement precise and efficient computations of individual and group cash flows.

Much forensic inference based upon DNA evidence is made assuming Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) for the genetic loci being used. Several statistical tests to detect and measure deviation from HWE have been devised, and their limitations become more obvious when testing for deviation within multiallelic DNA loci. The most popular methods-Chi-square and Likelihood-ratio tests-are based on asymptotic results and cannot guarantee a good performance in the presence of low frequency genotypes. Since the parameter space dimension increases at a quadratic rate on (...) the number of alleles, some authors suggest applying sequential methods, where the multiallelic case is reformulated as a sequence of “biallelic” tests. However, in this approach it is not obvious how to assess the general evidence of the original hypothesis; nor is it clear how to establish the significance level for its acceptance/rejection. In this work, we introduce a straightforward method for the multiallelic HWE test, which overcomes the aforementioned issues of sequential methods. The core theory for the proposed method is given by the Full Bayesian Significance Test (FBST), an intuitive Bayesian approach which does not assign positive probabilities to zero measure sets when testing sharp hypotheses. We compare FBST performance to Chi-square, Likelihood-ratio and Markov chain tests, in three numerical experiments. The results suggest that FBST is a robust and high performance method for the HWE test, even in the presence of several alleles and small sample sizes. (shrink)

RESUMEN Un atento repaso por la concepción de la violencia chulhaniana en el contexto de las formas tradicionales que han estudiado este fenómeno social permite exponer con mayor detalle y claridad esta propuesta en cuanto a la relación con el otro se refiere. Cuando lo sucedido durante el colonialismo que azotó al mundo en el transcurso de los siglos XVIII y XIX se asumía como las más peligrosas acciones cometidas en procura de la supresión de las características propias de cada (...) uno, en la medida en que los fenómenos de invasión suprimían materialmente la diferencia que poblaba el mundo, apareció la violencia de la positividad como la disposición sistémica que parte de la libertad y el consentimiento individual para, tácitamente, eliminar cualquier tipo de sentido de otredad presente en su constitución. ABSTRACT A careful review of the conception of Chulhanian violence in the context of the traditional forms that have studied this social phenomenon makes it possible to explain in greater detail and clarity this proposal as to the relationship with the other refers. When what happened during colonialism that hit the world during the 18th and 19th centuries was assumed to be the most dangerous actions committed in seeking the suppression of each other's own characteristics to the extent that invasion phenomena materially suppressed the difference that populated the world, the violence of positivity appeared as the systemic disposition that begins with freedom and individual consent to, tacitly, to eliminate any kind of sense of otherness present in its constitution. (shrink)

The Full Bayesian Significance Test, FBST, is extensively reviewed. Its test statistic, a genuine Bayesian measure of evidence, is discussed in detail. Its behavior in some problems of statistical inference like testing for independence in contingency tables is discussed.

This article gives a conceptual review of the e-value, ev(H|X) – the epistemic value of hypothesis H given observations X. This statistical significance measure was developed in order to allow logically coherent and consistent tests of hypotheses, including sharp or precise hypotheses, via the Full Bayesian Significance Test (FBST). Arguments of analysis allow a full characterization of this statistical test by its logical or compositional properties, showing a mutual complementarity between results of mathematical statistics and the logical desiderata lying at (...) the foundations of this theory. (shrink)

t Intentional sampling methods are non-randomized procedures that select a group of individuals for a sample with the purpose of meeting specific prescribed criteria. In this paper we extend previous works related to intentional sampling, and address the problem of sequential allocation for clinical trials with few patients. Roughly speaking, patients are enrolled sequentially, according to the order in which they start the treatment at the clinic or hospital. The allocation problem consists in assigning each new patient to one, and (...) only one, of the alternative treatment arms. The main requisite is that the profiles in the alternative arms remain similar with respect to some relevant patients’ attributes (age, gender, disease, symptom severity and others). We perform numerical experiments based on a real case study and discuss how to conveniently set up perturbation parameters, in order to yield a suitable balance between optimality – the similarity among the relative frequencies of patients in the several categories for both arms, and decoupling – the absence of a tendency to allocate each pair of patients consistently to the same arm. (shrink)

Abstract: The Pull Bayesian Significance Test (FBST) for precise hy- potheses is applied to a Multivariate Normal Structure (MNS) model. In the FBST we compute the evidence against the precise hypothesis. This evi- dence is the probability of the Highest Relative Surprise Set (HRSS) tangent to the sub-manifold (of the parameter space) that defines the null hypothesis. The MNS model we present appears when testing equivalence conditions for genetic expression measurements, using micro-array technology.

Conditional independence tests have received special attention lately in machine learning and computational intelligence related literature as an important indicator of the relationship among the variables used by their models. In the field of probabilistic graphical models, which includes Bayesian network models, conditional independence tests are especially important for the task of learning the probabilistic graphical model structure from data. In this paper, we propose the full Bayesian significance test for tests of conditional independence for discrete datasets. The full Bayesian (...) significance test is a powerful Bayesian test for precise hypothesis, as an alternative to the frequentist’s significance tests (characterized by the calculation of the p-value). (shrink)

Intentional sampling methods are non-probabilistic procedures that select a group of individuals for a sample with the purpose of meeting specific prescribed criteria. Intentional sampling methods are intended for exploratory research or pilot studies where tight budget constraints preclude the use of traditional randomized representative sampling. The possibility of subsequently generalize statistically from such deterministic samples to the general population has been the issue of long standing arguments and debates. Nevertheless, the intentional sampling techniques developed in this paper explore pragmatic (...) strategies for overcoming some of the real or perceived shortcomings and limitations of intentional sampling in practical applications. (shrink)

The Full Bayesian Significance Test (FBST) for precise hypotheses is presented, with some applications relevant to reliability theory. The FBST is an alternative to significance tests or, equivalently, to p-ualue.s. In the FBST we compute the evidence of the precise hypothesis. This evidence is the probability of the complement of a credible set "tangent" to the sub-manifold (of the para,rreter space) that defines the null hypothesis. We use the FBST in an application requiring a quality control of used components, based (...) on remaining life statistics. (shrink)

This article presents a two level hierarchical forecasting model developed in a consulting project for a Brazilian magazine publishing company. The first level uses a VARMA model and considers econometric variables. The second level takes into account qualitative aspects of each publication issue, and is based on polynomial networks generated by Genetic Programming (GP).

Clearing algorithms are at the core of modern payment systems, facilitating the settling of multilateral credit messages with (near) minimum transfers of currency. Traditional clearing procedures use batch processing based on MILP - mixed-integer linear programming algorithms. The MILP approach demands intensive computational resources; moreover, it is also vulnerable to operational risks generated by possible defaults during the inter-batch period. This paper presents TORC3 - the Token-Ring Clearing Algorithm for Currency Circulation. In contrast to the MILP approach, TORC3 is a (...) real time heuristic procedure, demanding modest computational resources, and able to completely shield the clearing operation against the participating agents’ risk of default. (shrink)

The data analyzed in this paper are part of the results described in Bueno et al. (2000). Three cytogenetics endpoints were analyzed in three populations of a species of wild rodent – Akodon montensis – living in an industrial, an agricultural, and a preservation area at the Itajaí Valley, State of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The polychromatic/normochromatic ratio, the mitotic index, and the frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocites were used in an attempt to establish a genotoxic profile of each area. It (...) was assumed that the three populations were in the same conditions with respect to the influence of confounding factors such as animal age, health, nutrition status, presence of pathogens, and intra- and inter-populational genetic variability. Therefore, any differences found in the endpoints analyzed could be attributed to the external agents present in each area. The statistical models used in this paper are mixtures of negative-binomials and Poisson variables. The Poisson variables are used as approximations of binomials for rare events. The mixing distributions are beta densities. The statistical analyzes are under the bayesian perspective, as opposed to the frequentist ones often considered in the literature, as for instance in Bueno et al. (2000). (shrink)

To estimate causal relationships, time series econometricians must be aware of spurious correlation, a problem first mentioned by Yule (1926). To deal with this problem, one can work either with differenced series or multivariate models: VAR (VEC or VECM) models. These models usually include at least one cointegration relation. Although the Bayesian literature on VAR/VEC is quite advanced, Bauwens et al. (1999) highlighted that “the topic of selecting the cointegrating rank has not yet given very useful and convincing results”. The (...) present article applies the Full Bayesian Significance Test (FBST), especially designed to deal with sharp hypotheses, to cointegration rank selection tests in VECM time series models. It shows the FBST implementation using both simulated and available (in the literature) data sets. As illustration, standard non informative priors are used. (shrink)

Gene clustering is a useful exploratory technique to group together genes with similar expression levels under distinct cell cycle phases or distinct conditions. It helps the biologist to identify potentially meaningful relationships between genes. In this study, we propose a clustering method based on multivariate normal mixture models, where the number of clusters is predicted via sequential hypothesis tests: at each step, the method considers a mixture model of m components (m = 2 in the first step) and tests if (...) in fact it should be m - 1. If the hypothesis is rejected, m is increased and a new test is carried out. The method continues (increasing m) until the hypothesis is accepted. The theoretical core of the method is the full Bayesian significance test, an intuitive Bayesian approach, which needs no model complexity penalization nor positive probabilities for sharp hypotheses. Numerical experiments were based on a cDNA microarray dataset consisting of expression levels of 205 genes belonging to four functional categories, for 10 distinct strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To analyze the method’s sensitivity to data dimension, we performed principal components analysis on the original dataset and predicted the number of classes using 2 to 10 principal components. Compared to Mclust (model-based clustering), our method shows more consistent results. (shrink)

El objetivo de esta nota es señalar una de las ideas centrales de la concepción de Joaquim Xirau de la experiencia amorosa, que es la de que el amor propio, el concebirse a uno mismo como persona –es decir: como un fin en sí mismo y con su propia dignidad y autonomía–, es condición necesaria para la entrega amorosa para con el prójimo.

We show how the Full Bayesian Significance Test (FBST) can be used as a model selection criterion. The FBST was presented by Pereira and Stern as a coherent Bayesian significance test. Key Words: Bayesian test; Evidence; Global optimization; Information; Model selection; Numerical integration; Posterior density; Precise hypothesis; Regularization. AMS: 62A15; 62F15; 62H15.

This article presents important properties of standard discrete distributions and its conjugate densities. The Bernoulli and Poisson processes are described as generators of such discrete models. A characterization of distributions by mixtures is also introduced. This article adopts a novel singular notation and representation. Singular representations are unusual in statistical texts. Nevertheless, the singular notation makes it simpler to extend and generalize theoretical results and greatly facilitates numerical and computational implementation.

Translated from the Italian by Dorothy Bonchino-Demmler.

This article aims, first, to describe some of the main features of Latour’s actor network theory. Second, it shows how the practice of writing nature could be seen as a precursor to the actor network theory. Third, some Deleuzian and Harman concepts are outlined, which could be useful for future actor network theories. And finally, this work argues that making an actor network theory implies a series of fundamental changes in the practice of literary and cultural studies, as well as (...) in the practice of the humanities and social sciences in general. (shrink)

The problem is focused on showing how fundamental knowledge arises from two dominances in opposition. Such fundamental knowledge gives structure to texts whose content is dedicated to the teaching.