Presentism and the flow of time

The paper examines the relations between presentism and the thesis concerning the existence of the flow of time. It tries to show that the presentist has to admit the existence of the passage of time and that the standard formulation of presentism as a singular thesis saying that only the present exists is insufficient because it does not allow the inference of the existence of the passage of time. Instead of this, the paper proposes a formulation of presentism with the aid of the notion of becoming; not only does a formulation state the existence of the flow of time in such a way as to avoid the question of the rate of the passage of time, it also allows the inference of the existence of only present things and events. The paper demonstrates that the proposed conception of presentism also has other virtues, such as homogeneity, non-triviality, and ability to express dynamicity of presentists’ image of the world which testify for it

Realism, Objectivity, and Evaluation

I discuss Benacerraf's epistemological challenge for realism about areas like mathematics, metalogic, and modality, and describe the pluralist response to it. I explain why normative pluralism is peculiarly unsatisfactory, and use this explanation to formulate a radicalization of Moore's Open Question Argument. According to the argument, the facts -- even the normative facts -- fail to settle the practical questions at the center of our normative lives. One lesson is that the concepts of realism and objectivity, which are widely identified, are actually in tension

Improving model quality through foundational ontologies: Two contrasting approaches to the representation of roles

Several foundational ontologies have been developed recently. We examine two of these from the point of view of their quality in representing temporal changes, focusing on the example of roles. We discuss how these are modelled in two foundational ontologies: the Unified Foundational Ontology and the BORO foundational ontology. These exhibit two different approaches, endurantist and perdurantist respectively. We illustrate the differences using a running example in the university student domain, wherein one individual is not only a registered student but also, for part of this period, was elected the President of the Student Union. The metaphysical choices made by UFO and BORO lead to different representations of roles. Two key differences which affect the way roles are modelled are exemplified in this paper: (1) different criteria of identity and (2) differences in the way individual objects extend over time and possible worlds. These differences impact upon the quality of the models produced in terms of their respective explanatory power. The UFO model concentrates on the notion of validity in “all possible worlds” and is unable to accurately represent the way particulars are extended in time. The perdurantist approach is best able to describe temporal changes wherein roles are spatio-temporal extents of individuals

Padronização das técnicas de processamento e extração de RNA viral de amostras de sêmen caprino.

O sêmen se mostrou uma amostra adequada para a detecção de RNA genômico do vírus da artrite-encefalite caprina; As sucessivas lavagens com PBS estéril foram eficientes para a retirada do fluido seminal do restante dos componentes celulares; A incubação do sêmen fresco a 60°C por 30 minutos, após a homogenização em solução denaturante, foi eficiente para a dissolução protéica e inibição de Rnases, sendo adequada para iniciar o protocolo de extração de RNA viral de amostras de sêmen

Infecção experimental em cabras pelo vírus da artrite encefalite caprina através da inseminação artificial.

Objetivando avaliar a transmissão do Lentivírus Caprino (LVC) pela via venérea, 30 cabras Sem Raça Definida negativas para a Artrite Encefalite Caprina, foram inseminadas com sêmen de um reprodutor caprino também negativo, porém, o sêmen foi inoculado com títulos infectantes para alta e baixa carga viral. Divididas em três grupos, 10 delas foram inseminadas com alta carga viral, 10 com baixa carga viral e 10 com sêmen sem o vírus como controle negativo. Após as IA´s foram acompanhadas com testes de diagnóstico, sendo que com 30 dias em duas foram detectados anticorpos para o vírus da CAE por IDGA no grupo de alta carga viral. Por Western Blot, doze reagiram positivamente, sendo duas no grupo baixa carga viral e dez do grupo de alta carga viral. Das cabras do grupo controle nenhuma foi positiva nos dois testes. Concluiu-se que a via venérea é uma via de infecção para o vírus da CAE, sendo o primeiro relato descrito pela literatura

Isolation and identification of caprine lentivirus in synovial fluid and blood using Nested PCR and western blotting.

The caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE) is an infectious, multisystem disease, caused by a retrovirus belongs to the Lentivirus genus, which affects all ages goats and breed types. This study aimed to investigatethe caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV)through the isolation of native strains and identification with polymerase chain reaction (nested PCR) and western bloting (WB)

Vagueness and Quantification

This paper deals with the question of what it is for a quantifier expression to be vague. First it draws a distinction between two senses in which quantifier expressions may be said to be vague, and provides an account of the distinction which rests on independently grounded assumptions. Then it suggests that, if some further assumptions are granted, the difference between the two senses considered can be represented at the formal level. Finally, it outlines some implications of the account provided which bear on three debated issues concerning quantification

Padronização das técnicas de processamento e extração de RNA viral de amostras de líquido sinovial.

O LS se mostrou uma amostra adequada para a detecção de RNA genômico do vírus da artrite-encefalite caprina. A centrifugação refrigerada por 30 minutos das amostras de LS se mostrou adequada para a sedimentação e isolamento de células caprinas e RNA livre do vírus, não acarretando em degradação significativa do último por Rnases

Realism about the Wave Function

A century after the discovery of quantum mechanics, the meaning of quantum mechanics still remains elusive. This is largely due to the puzzling nature of the wave function, the central object in quantum mechanics. If we are realists about quantum mechanics, how should we understand the wave function? What does it represent? What is its physical meaning? Answering these questions would improve our understanding of what it means to be a realist about quantum mechanics. In this survey article, I review and compare several realist interpretations of the wave function. They fall into three categories: ontological interpretations, nomological interpretations, and the \emph{sui generis} interpretation. For simplicity, I will focus on non-relativistic quantum mechanics.Comment: Penultimate version for Philosophy Compas