¿Verdades eternas o contingentes?

La doctrina cartesiana de la creación de las verdades eternas surge por vez primera en 1630 y se repite en 8 cartas respuestas a las quintas y sextas objeciones a las Meditaciones metafísicas (a parte en la Entretien avec Burman y de un par de referencias en los Principia). Sin embargo, Descartes nunca difundió esta doctrina publicándola, lo que probablemente se debe a que era consciente de las graves dificultades lógicas que implicaba y que no sabía del todo cómo resolver. La importancia de tal teoría como fundamento lógico del sistema está hoy fuera de duda

Searching for the New Zion. Salt Lake or the Invisible City

In Mormonism the idea of Zion was prominent from the beginning. Joseph Smith was initially looking for an American city to become the City of God, the New Zion. Afterwards, he aimed at founding a brand new city. Finally, after several unsuccessful attempts and Smith’s death, Brigham Young realized the Mormons needed a whole new land, with its capital located beyond the reach of hostile Gentiles. Thus, Mormons marched far away to the West, and Salt Lake City was set up, planned and developed. But the idea of Salt Lake-Zion involved a contradiction. It should be a pure, organized, harmonious, saint and luminous city, reflecting the Glory of the Lord. But it also should attract people from all over the world, in order to finally conquer the Earth and surrender all nations to the true God. And these tensions have been present all along Salt Lake City history: a city both hidden and a crossroad, sacred and mundane, spiritual and material, apart from the U.S. and a State of the Union, where the LDS Church is a big corporation, and most companies have some religious component. It was designed to be a secret, invisible city, but also to eventually become the axis mundi, and the place for the Lord to arrive in His second and final comin

Universos múltiples versus creación inteligente

The teleological or design argument has gathered high reputation along history, mainly based on the biological field. After Darwin it has vanished from biology, but has vigorously reappeared into contemporary cosmology to explain the surprising phenomenon of the so called �fine-tuning� of the universe parameters. Nevertheless, various recent physical theories which claim the existence of multiple universes, together with an anthropic reasoning, have provided a purely naturalistic explanation alternative to the idea of an intelligent divine design of the origin of the universe. One first problem is the meaning of �multiple universes�, since there are various competing theories, though the best supported is that of the �Bubble universes� produced by quantum fluctuations in the void. Another problem is to what extent are these theories scientific or rather metaphysical, and yet another problem is whether they explain the fact of the tuning better than the theist hypothesis. Given both the complexity and provisional character of these theories we are not in a position to rationally choose between either horn of the dilemma at this time. But this �draw� are bad news for theism, since it means the last trench of the teleological argument has been besieged. What cosmologists cannot explain, though, is the rise of the multiverse itself, neither the origination of the void or of the inflation process generating such universes. Usually they are compelled to admit that it must be a quantum fluctuation out of pure nothingness. The precariousness of such a response invites the cosmological argument. But this argument works as a foundation for the god of pantheism or deism, not for the god of classical theism.El argumento teleológico o del diseño ha gozado de una gran reputación a lo largo de la historia basada sobre todo en el ámbito biológico. Tras Darwin ha desaparecido de la biología, pero ha reaparecido con fuerza en la cosmología contemporánea para explicar el sorprendente hecho del llamado �ajuste fino� de los parámetros del universo. Sin embargo, recientemente diversas teorías físicas, que afirman la existencia de múltiples universos, junto con un razonamiento antrópico, han suministrado una explicación puramente naturalista alternativa a la idea del designio inteligente divino del origen del universo. Un primer problema es el significado de �universos múltiples�, pues hay diversas teorías alternativas, aunque la más respaldada es la de los �universos burbuja� producidos por fluctuaciones cuánticas del vacío. Otro problema es en qué medida son científicas o metafísicas tales hipótesis, y aún otro es si explican mejor que la hipótesis teísta el hecho del ajuste. Mi conclusión es que, incluso si se trata de hipótesis tanto o más filosóficas que científicas, no están en peor situación epistémica que la hipótesis teísta. Dada la complejidad y provisionalidad de tales teorías en este momento no podemos optar racionalmente por ninguna de las alternativas del dilema. Pero este �empate� son malas noticias para el teísmo, pues significa que el argumento teleológico es asaltado incluso en su última trinchera. Lo que, empero, no consiguen explicar los cosmólogos es la aparición del multiverso mismo, ni la originación del vacío o del proceso de inflación que genera tales universos. A menudo se ven forzados a admitir que se trata de una fluctuación cuántica desde la pura nada. La precariedad de tal respuesta invita al argumento cosmológico. Pero tal argumento sólo sirve de base al dios del panteísmo o del deísmo, no del teísmo clásico

Gamification Strategies for Music Educators: An Online Continuing Education Course

This curriculum project is designed to provide music educators in the public and private sector with introductory knowledge about the topic of gamification and game-based learning, framed within the scope of an online continuing education course. It is meant for adult learners who teach young musicians in the K-12 range. The course offers a set of strategies and step-based processes that help transform a traditional music lesson plan into an interactive and meaningful learning experience that leverages games. The games created by the students in the course can serve to motivate music students by incorporating a sense of competition and personal achievement in and out of the classroom. Research in game-based design will demonstrate the usability of gamification within music education. This project aims to provide gamified knowledge delivery methods and assessment tools that apply to students in K-12. While one of the goals of gamification is to enhance music education through the creation of fun activities, the curriculum does not lose focus on the importance adhering to the National Core Arts Standards of creating and performing. 1 Game-based learning can complement hard-work and consistent practice through the use of game elements during a music lesson. Educational games can be a valuable method of instruction when a student struggles to understand complex subjects such as music theory by helping the student develop necessary critical thinking skills. Game-based music learning can also increase student interest and participation during class. Keywords: gamification, game-based learning, gamified system design, engagemen

Evaluación del comportamiento de conejos parasitados con Toxocara canis

Toxocara canis es un parasito de los perros, debido a su ciclo biológico y a que las larvas pueden sobrevivir ya sea en el pasto o suelo por un largo tiempo. Puede infectar a diversos animales como; ratones, caballos, vacas, conejos, gatos, borregos, cerdos, humanos etc. A estos se les conoce como huéspedes paraténicos ya que no son huéspedes habituales. T. canis causa tres síndromes en los humanos; larva migrans visceral (LMV), larva migrans ocular (LMO) y neurotoxocariosis, por lo que es de gran importancia zoonótica. Estudios realizados han demostrado que conforme avanza la infección y de acuerdo a la carga parasitaria, llegan a cerebro. Se utilizaron 40 conejos, para estudiar las alteraciones en el comportamiento de conejos infectados con larvas de T. canis. Los conejos se dividieron en dos grupos: Tx1, 20 conejos divididos en 10 conejos hembras y 10 machos no infectados se les dio un placebo de agua de 0.2 ml, Tx2, 20 conejos divididos en 10 hembras y 10 machos infectados cada uno oralmente con 2, 000 óvulos de T. canis en suspensión en 0.2 ml de agua destilada, antes de infectarse se les dio una semana para que aclimataran. Durante un periodo de quince días se observaron ambos tratamientos, registrando sus acciones por hora durante 24 horas. Se registraron las siguientes acciones: ingestión de alimento, movimiento de orejas, termorregulación, ingestión de agua, desplazamiento, aseo, orino, rasco, mordisqueo, defeco, descanso, estornudos y movimientos de un lado al otro de la jaula. Los datos obtenidos indican que los conejos infectados no tuvieron diferencias significativas que indicaran una alteración en su comportamiento comparándolos con los conejos control

Non-linear dynamic analysis of the response of moored floating structures

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. The complexity of the dynamic response of offshore marine structures requires advanced simulations tools for the accurate assessment of the seakeeping behaviour of these devices. The aim of this work is to present a new time-domain model for solving the dynamics of moored floating marine devices, specifically offshore wind turbines, subjected to non-linear environmental loads. The paper first introduces the formulation of the second-order wave radiation-diffraction solver, designed for calculating the wave-floater interaction. Then, the solver of the mooring dynamics, based on a non-linear Finite Element Method (FEM) approach, is presented. Next, the procedure developed for coupling the floater dynamics model with the mooring model is described. Some validation examples of the developed models, and comparisons among different mooring approaches, are presented. Finally, a study of the OC3 floating wind turbine concept is performed to analyze the influence of the mooring model in the dynamics of the platform and the tension in the mooring lines. The work comes to the conclusion that the coupling of a dynamic mooring model along with a second-order wave radiation-diffraction solver can offer realistic predictions of the floating wind turbine performance.Postprint (published version

Prediction of homogeneous azeotropes with interval analysis techniques exploiting topological considerations

In this paper, we present an efficient method for the prediction of homogeneous azeotropes. The method is an adaptation of a former method based on interval analysis techniques. An interval Newton with generalized bisection (IN/GB) technique is used to find all the roots of a set of equations representing the azeotropy condition. The novel contribution is to combine this robust technique with the Zharov - Serafimov topological index theory. By checking the topological consistency, it is possible to avoid the numerical verification of the nonexistence and therefore to reduce significantly the total computation time. In addition, a simplified model is selectively used at the first stage of the algorithm for providing good starting points for the second stage, where the full model is used for solution refining. In this way, more computation time is saved without compromising the reliability of the method. As a result, the performance of the method is comparable to the one of the fastest local methods.Fil: Salomone, Hector Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo y Diseño. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo y Diseño; ArgentinaFil: Espinosa, Hector Jose Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo y Diseño. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo y Diseño; Argentin