The truth functional hypothesis does not imply the liars paradox

The truth-functional hypothesis states that indicative conditional sentences and the material implication have the same truth conditions. Haze (2011) has rejected this hypothesis. He claims that a self-referential conditional, coupled with a plausible assumption about its truth-values and the assumption that the truth-functional hypothesis is true, lead to a liar’s paradox. Given that neither the self-referential conditional nor the assumption about its truth-values are problematic, the culprit of the paradox must be the truth-functional hypothesis. Therefore, we should reject it. In this paper I argue that, contrary to what Haze thinks, the truth-functional hypothesis is not to blame. In fact, no liar’s paradox emerges when the truth-functional hypothesis is true; it emerges only if it is false

Indicative Conditionals are Material - Expanding the Survey

Adam Rieger (2013) has carried out a survey of arguments in favour of the material account of indicative conditionals. These arguments involve simple and direct demonstrations of the material account. I extend the survey with new arguments and clarify the logical connections among them. I also show that the main counter-examples against these arguments are not successful either because their premises are just as counter-intuitive as the conclusions, or because they depend on contextual fallacies. The conclusion is that the unpopularity of the material account is unjustified and that a more systematic approach in the analysis of arguments is long overdue in our attempts to understand the nature of conditionals

A stochastic spreadsheet model analysing investment options for the development of pasture on beef cattle farms : a dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Applied Science at Massey University

The decision to proceed with farm development to increase animal production is complex. Standalone personal computer software to study either the financial or physical aspects of farm development is available, but models which integrate these components and account for the risks associated with the investment are not. A stochastic spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel®) model was therefore developed to predict the profitability, feasibility and risk of pasture development for two case farms: one in southern Brazil and the other near Wanganui in New Zealand. Pasture was developed at different rates for each farm and the model was used to predict the associated physical and financial changes over-time and a probability distribution of the net present values (NPV) of the net operating profit after tax and before interest (NOPAT) relative to the status quo situation. The extra pasture was used solely for increasing beef cattle production. On the Brazilian case farm the development of 2,263 ha at two rates was studied. The continuation of the status quo had first degree stochastic dominance in terms of the NPV over both development rates; it was superior by about NZ$46.000 for the 200 ha/y option and ca. NZ$ 110.000 for the 500 ha/y option at a 16% discount rate. However, at a 6% discount rate the 500 ha/y development rate had first degree stochastic dominance in terms of the NPV over both the continuation of the status quo (by about NZ$960.000) and the 200 ha/y option (ca. NZ$ 120.000). This indicates that pasture development could proceed profitability if interest rates continue to fall in Brazil as predicted. For the New Zealand case farm the development of 247 ha at 50 ha/y had first degree stochastic dominance over the 25 ha/y (ca. NZ$24,000) and continuation of the status quo (ca. NZ$ 208.000) at a 6% discount rate. Pasture development should therefore continue. Stochastic analysis of the pasture development investment options gave a better insight into the likely outcomes for a project, and provides the farmer with more information for making a decision on whether, and how. to proceed with farm development. The model could easily be adapted for studying farm development with respect to other types of livestock enterprises Keywords: pastures, development, risk, feasibility, profitability, model

Carbohydrate-based 1,3-oxazoline-2-thiones as original bioactive structures:synthesis and reactivity

Tese de doutoramento, Química (Química Orgânica), 2009, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de CiênciasDisponível no document

Does Education Reduce Wage Inequality? Quantile Regressions Evidence from Fifteen European Countries

We address the impact of education upon wage inequality by drawing on evidence from fifteen European countries, during a period ranging between 1980 and 1995. We focus on within-educational-levels wage inequality by estimating quantile regressions of Mincer equations and analysing the differences in returns to education across the wage distribution and across time. Four different patterns emerge: 1) a positive and increasing contribution of education upon within-levels wage inequality the case of Portugal; 2) a positive but stable role of education in terms of inequality Austria, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK; 3) a neutral role Denmark and Italy; and 4) a negative impact Germany and Greece. We thus find that in most countries dispersion in earnings increases with educational levels and that education is a risky investment. These results suggest a positive interaction between schooling and ability with respect to earnings.Returns to Education, Earnings Inequality, Quantile Regressions, Ability, Education Systems, Labour-Market Institutions.

Azores tourism product perceptions : the Influence of the country of origin

This study focused on the Autonomous Region of the Azores (ARA), which has some features that are considered favorable to the development of tourism and to the interest in the tourism product. However, the region’s geographical dispersion, its high dependence on transportation and the seasonality of the industry constrain its development. The present research aimed to assess tourists’ perception of certain costs (living, accommodation, plane ticket, and transportation to/from the airport), and whether these differ between tourists of different nationalities. The findings show that tourists, both residents and non-residents, have the perception that the cost of living and of the plane ticket are high, while the cost of accommodation and of transportation to the airport is considered normal by most respondents. We concluded that the models differ when applied to residents and non-residents. For non-residents, living in certain countries induces them to express differences in the perception of the costs studied, when compared to individuals that live in other countries.N/

The extended minimal geometric deformation of SU(NN) dark glueball condensates

The extended minimal geometric deformation (EMGD) procedure, in the holographic membrane paradigm, is employed to model stellar distributions that arise upon self-interacting scalar glueball dark matter condensation. Such scalar glueballs are SU($N$) Yang-Mills hidden sectors beyond the Standard Model. Then, corrections to the gravitational wave radiation, emitted by SU($N$) EMGD dark glueball stars mergers, are derived, and their respective spectra are studied in the EMGD framework, due to a phenomenological brane tension with finite value. The bulk Weyl fluid that drives the EMGD is then proposed to be experimentally detected by enhanced windows at the eLISA and LIGO.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure