The Sociological Imagination and Its Promise Fifty Years Later

This paper offers a restatement of Wright Mills' The Sociological Imagination and tries to judge whether its promise can be credibly renewed today by addressing the question about the present and future possibilities of the social sciences as free forms of enquiry. Relying on Weber, Mills and other thinkers, the paper sustains that the possibilities for a truly free social science essentially depend on three major ‘conditions': the subjective stance or vocation, the sociological imagination proper, and an independent social science politics, conditions whose apt names can also be ‘love', ‘insight' and ‘courage'. An analysis of the presence and strength of each of these conditions in contemporary social science and in academia shows the magnitude of the task faced for the existence of a free social science

Performance of return models : a portfolio theoretical approach

Mestrado em FinançasO objetivo desta investigação é avaliar o impacto das assunções dos modelos geradores de retornos nas fronteira eficiente e seus portafolios. Isto foi conseguido mediante o trabalho in-sample (assim eliminando o risco de estimação, focando a investigação no risco de modelo) em ambos mercados de ativos financeiros, o Europeo e Americano, nos 7 anos anteriores, considerando ambos, o caso em que shortselling esta permitido como também o caso em que esta proibido. O processo inclui o calculo da fronteira eficiente seguindo as assunções dos modelos geradores de retornos. Em particular o Constant Correlation Model (CCM), o Single-Index Model (SIM) e o modelo de tres factores de Fama e French (1993) Multi-Factor Model (MFM). Para os dois mercados de investimentos, comparamos a fronteira eficiente gerada aplicando MVT nos dados in-sample com a fronteira eficiente dos modelos de retorno seleccionados. Mostramos que o risco do model è importante na aplicação do MVT. Sendo os erros encontrados em todos os modelos consideravel. Também, considerando o risco de modelo para o caso de shortselling proibido, o CCM mostra melhor desempenho que os modelos mais sofisticados. Por outra parte, em condiçoes de shortselling permitido, o SIM mostra melhor desempenho.The objective of this research is evaluating the impact of the return generating models assumptions in the efficient frontier and its portfolios. This is accomplished by working with in-sample data (eliminating the estimation risk and focus on the model risk) looking at both the European and American stock markets for the past 7 years, and considering both, the case when shortselling is allowed and the case when it is forbidden. The process includes the calculation of efficient frontier under the assumptions of return generating models. In particular, we look at the Constant Correlation Model (CCM), the Single-Index Model (SIM) and the three factors Fama and French (1993) Multi-Factor Model (MFM). For both markets we compared the true efficient frontier generated from the in-sample MVT with the corresponding efficient frontiers from the return generating models. We show model risk is an important issue when applying MVT. The errors in all model are considerable. In addition, considering model risk for cases when the short-sell is not allowed, the CCM is more accurate than more sophisticated models. On the other hand, under conditions of short-sell allowed, the SIM seams to be more accurate.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Subversive Weber: Subjectivation and World-Confrontation in Max Weber’s Teaching

That there is a subversive Max Weber may go unrecognized even by Marxist scholars otherwise appreciative, if critically, of Weber, to say nothing of mainstream Weber scholarship. That the subversive side of Weber’s thought and teaching lies in his figure of subjectivation or stance towards the world, is likely to be met with incredulity, even with a smug smile. Yet, it is precisely this claim what this article seeks to probe by bringing out that stance so as to delineate its pure form and disclose the subject carrying it, an operation which will in addition allow us to see how Weber’s social science is both summoned by that subject and specifically suited to study it. Seeking to grasp Weber’s thought and teaching from the standpoint of his stance involves a perspective which is consistent with the subjective disposition that Weber demands from himself and his addressees.This is a new approach to Weber’s thought which, by prioritising its subjective determinations, is able to demonstrate its fundamental unity, which is not thematic, its consistency, as well as the way in which Weber’s theoretical developments and educational efforts spring from his stance and unfold it. Weber’s thought is shown to be grounded on an unparalleled disjunctive figure of subjectivation whose two components, held together in pure subjectivity in the mode of tension, are deployed at several crucial levels of Weber’s oeuvre. By giving subjectivation its due both structurally and historically vis-à-vis rationalization, the article makes clear that Weber’s social and cultural science is not just a science ‘of Man’, i.e. a humanist science, still less a posthumanist science of human and nonhuman entities in a flattened world, but a science of ‘daemonized’ humans and rationalized daemons. Is not that social and cultural science, or a variant thereof, what we necessitate today

Breeding terrains with genetic terrain programming: the evolution of terrain generators

Although a number of terrain generation techniques have been proposed during the last few years, all of them have some key constraints. Modelling techniques depend highly upon designer’s skills, time, and effort to obtain acceptable results, and cannot be used to automatically generate terrains. The simpler methods allow only a narrow variety of terrain types and offer little control on the outcome terrain. The Genetic Terrain Programming technique, based on evolutionary design with Genetic Programming, allows designers to evolve terrains according to their aesthetic feelings or desired features. This technique evolves Terrain Programmes (TPs) that are capable of generating a family of terrains—different terrains that consistently present the same morphological characteristics. This paper presents a study about the persistence of morphological characteristics of terrains generated with different resolutions by a given TP. Results show that it is possible to use low resolutions during the evolutionary phase without compromising the outcome, and that terrain macrofeatures are scale invariant

Genetic terrain programming: an aesthetic approach to terrain generation

Comunicação apresentada na conferência Computer Games and Allied Technology, 8, Singapore, 2008.Nowadays there are a wide range of techniques for terrain generation, but are focused on providing realistic terrains often neglecting the aesthetic appeal. The Genetic Terrain Programming technique, based on evolutionary design with Genetic Programming, allows designers to evolve terrains according to their aesthetic feelings or desired features. This technique evolves TPs (Terrain Programmes) that are capable of generating different terrains, but consistently with the same features. This paper presents a study about the perseverance of terrain features of the TPs across different LODs (Levels Of Detail). Results showed it is possible to use low LODs during the evolutionary phase without compromising results and the terrain features generated by a TPs are scale invariant

Automatic evolution of programs for procedural generation of terrains for video games: accessibility and edge length constraints

Nowadays the video game industry is facing a big challenge: keep costs under control as games become bigger and more complex. Creation of game content, such as character models, maps, levels, textures, sound effects and so on, represent a big slice of total game production cost. Hence, the video game industry is increasingly turning to procedural content generation to amplify the cost-effectiveness of the efforts of video game designers. However, procedural methods for automated content generation are difficult to create and parametrize. In this work we study a Genetic Programming based procedural content technique to generate procedural terrains that do not require parametrization, thus, allowing to save time and help reducing production costs. Generated procedural terrains present aesthetic appeal; however, unlike most techniques involving aesthetic, our approach does not require a human to perform the evaluation. Instead, the search is guided by the weighted sum of two morphological metrics: terrain accessibility and obstacle edge length. The combination of the two metrics allowed us to find a wide range of fit terrains that present more scattered obstacles in different locations, than our previous approach with a single metric. Procedural terrains produced by this technique are already in use in a real video game

GenTP: uma ferramenta interactiva para a geração artificial de terrenos

Actualmente existe uma grande variedade de técnicas de geração artificial de terrenos. No entanto todas elas estão focadas em fornecer terrenos de aspecto realista, negligenciando por vezes a estética e a criatividade. Este artigo apresenta uma ferramenta interactiva para a geração artificial de terrenos, designada GenTP, inspirada nos sistemas de arte evolutiva com programação genética. Esta ferramenta permite aos designers evoluir TPs (Terrain Programs) de acordo com o seu sentido estético ou características desejadas. Os TPs, o produto desta ferramenta, geram terrenos diferentes a cada execução, mas sempre coerentes nas sua características morfológicas

El retablo de la capilla de Nuestra Señora de la Piedad en el claustro de la Catedral de Oporto: estudio, conservación y restauración

The retable located in the Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy, in the cloisters of Oporto’s cathedral, dates back to the 17th century. Artistically, it belongs to a transition period between the Mannerism and the Baroque styles. The artistic value and the lack of documented information about the artwork led to the development of a project contemplating its the study. Both chemical and physical analyses - observation of the support, micro-FTIR and SEM-EDS - suggest that the retable was carved in sweet chestnut wood, accordingly to the techniques used at the time. The retable presents water-gilded areas contrasting with blue and red phytomorphic motifs. The polychromed areas were later covered with lead white paint. There were also evidences of previous conservation-restoration interventions. The frail condition of the retable’s materials testified the need to conserve and restore it. Among other procedures, the materials were consolidated and the lacunae were filled and inpainted - partially regenerating the artwork’s aesthetic unity.O retábulo de Nossa Senhora da Piedade encontra-se na capela homónima no claustro da Sé do Porto. Executada no século XVII, trata-se de um obra de transição estilística entre o Maneirismo e o Barroco. O valor patrimonial da obra e a ausência de estudos mais profundos sobre a mesma, motivaram a necessidade de a caracterizar. As análises realizadas (observação do suporte, micro-FTIR e SEM-EDS) permitiram concluir que se trata de uma obra artística em madeira de castanho, executada segundo as técnicas comuns à época. O retábulo apresenta zonas de douramento a água, que contrastam com os vestígios de decorações fitomórficas em tons de azul e vermelho, os quais foram posteriormente repolicromados a branco de chumbo. Existem também evidências de intervenções de conservação e restauro anteriores. Entre outros tratamentos realizou-se: a consolidação dos materiais presentes, a aplicação de massas de preenchimento nas lacunas e a reintegração cromática das mesmas – devolvendo parcialmente à obra a sua integridade estética.El retablo de Nuestra Señora de la Piedad se encuentra en la capilla homónima del claustro de la Catedral de Oporto. Creada en el siglo XVII, es una obra de transición estilística entre el Manierismo y el Barroco. El valor patrimonial de la obra y la ausencia de estudios más profundos sobre ella, motivaron su caracterización. Los análisis realizados sobre el retablo (observación del suporte, micro-FTIR y SEM-EDS) permitirán concluir que se trata de una obra de madera de castaño, ejecutado conforme a las técnicas comunes de la época. La pieza presenta zonas de dorado al agua, que contrastan con vestigios de decoraciones fitomorfas en tonos azul y rojo, las cuales fueron posteriormente repolicromadas con blanco de plomo. Existían también evidencias de intervenciones de conservación y restauración anteriores. Conjuntamente, las patologías identificadas demostraron la urgencia de realizar una intervención de conservación – restauración. Entre otros tratamientos se realizó: la consolidación de los materiales presentes, se aplicó pasta de relleno en las lagunas, y se reintegró con color las mismas - devolviendo parte de la integridad estética de la obra.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Formadores y usuarios frente al doble vinculo de la formacion para la empleabilidad

Este artículo presenta una investigación realizada en tres países europeos (Bélgica, Francia y Reino Unido) sobre la formación profesional dirigida a los parados de larga duración. En ella se analiza la transformación de los centros de formación en intermediarios del mercado de trabajo, transformación defendida por los discursos oficiales sobre la activación de la protección social y por el enfoque de las «transiciones». Concretamente, la investigación muestra las demandas contradictorias que pesan sobre los centros de formación pues, si por un lado están obligados a ayudar a los parados más vulnerables, por otro, tienen que lograr buenos resultados de reinserción laboral. Para relajar la presión que genera esta contradicción, los centros llevan a cabo una labor clasificatoria entre los parados «empleables» y los «inempleables», convirtiéndose así en una pieza importante de los dispositivos de control de la empleabilidad y de la relegación de los «inempleables» a programas de rentas mínimas asistenciales y estigmatizantes