Virtue perspectivism, externalism, and epistemic circularity

Virtue perspectivism is a bi-level epistemology according to which there are two grades of knowledge: animal and reflective. The exercise of reliable competences suffices to give us animal knowledge; but we can then use these same competences to gain a second-order assuring perspective, one through which we may appreciate those faculties as reliable and in doing so place our first-order (animal) knowledge in a competent second-order perspective. Virtue perspectivism has considerable theoretical power, especially when it comes to vindicating our external world knowledge against threats of scepticism and regress. Prominent critics, however, doubt whether the view ultimately hangs together without succumbing to vicious circularity. In this paper, I am going to focus on circularity-based criticisms of virtue perspectivism raised in various places by Barry Stroud, Baron Reed and Richard Fumerton, and I will argue that virtue perspectivism can ultimately withstand each of them

On the calculation of energy release rate in composites by Finite Elements, Boundary Elements and Analytical Methods

To characterize a transversal crack evolution in a cross-ply [0/90]s fiber reinforced composite laminate, the associated energy release rate (ERR) was calculated by means of the J-integral embedded into the finite element method (FEM). The ERR values computed for the propagation of the transversal crack were correlated to the ones obtained by using the virtual crack closure technique (VCCT) embedded within the boundary element method (BEM). In addition, the results were compared with analytical values. The results correlated well except when the crack length was approximately 80% of the ply thickness. In such case, ERR values showed some discrepancies between FEM and BEM. The reason stems from the fact that in the VCCT used not all components of the stresses are considered, resulting in smaller ERR values. In addition, the results proved that transversal cracks can influence each other only at a limited distance

Temperature and relative humidity requirements for conidiogenesis of Beauveria bassiana (Deuteromycetes: Moniliaceae).

Assays were conducted to assess the number of Beauveria bassiana (Bals) Vuill. conidia on Diatraea saccharalis F. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), Nezera viridula (L.) and Piezodorus guildinii (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Pantatormidae) corpses maintained at different levels of relative humidity (RH) (75%, 80%, 90% and 100%) and temperatures (22oC, 26oC, 30oC and 34oC) during five days. The isolates produced conidia when exposed to RH from 75% to 100%. Conidiogenesis was incipient at 75% RH on D.saccharalis larvae, but did not occur on N. viridula and P. guildinii. In ideal conditions od RH and during 10 days, mathematical equations were developed to estimate the number of condia produced by isolates ARSEF 933 and ARSEF 2515. Conidia number were shown to be dependant on RH, temperature, fungal isolate, host species, host stage, and time

Flutuação populacional de Noctuídeos determinada pela captura com armadilhas luminosas na região norte de Londrina, Paraná.

Objetivo: analisar a composição das espécies e a flutuação da população durante o ano, no distrito da Warta, norte da cidade de Londrina, PR, por meio da captura de armadilhas ?Luiz de Queiróz

Introduction: Examined Live – An Epistemological Exchange Between Philosophy and Cultural Psychology on Reflection

Besides the general agreement about the human capability of reflection, there is a large area of disagreement and debate about the nature and value of “reflective scrutiny” and the role of “second-order states” in everyday life. This problem has been discussed in a vast and heterogeneous literature about topics such as epistemic injustice, epistemic norms, agency, understanding, meta-cognition etc. However, there is not yet any extensive and interdisciplinary work, specifically focused on the topic of the epistemic value of reflection. This volume is one of the first attempts aimed at providing an innovative contribution, an exchange between philosophy, epistemology and psychology about the place and value of reflection in everyday life. Our goal in the next sections is not to offer an exhaustive overview of recent work on epistemic reflection, nor to mimic all of the contributions made by the chapters in this volume. We will try to highlight some topics that have motivated a new resumption of this field and, with that, drawing on chapters from this volume where relevant. Two elements defined the scope and content of this volume, on the one hand, the crucial contribution of Ernest Sosa, whose works provide original and thought-provoking contributions to contemporary epistemology in setting a new direction for old dilemmas about the nature and value of knowledge, giving a central place to reflection. On the other hand, the recent developments of cultural psychology, in the version of the “Aalborg approach”, reconsider the object and scope of psychological sciences, stressing that “[h]uman conduct is purposeful”

Quantum state tomography by continuous measurement and compressed sensing

The need to perform quantum state tomography on ever larger systems has spurred a search for methods that yield good estimates from incomplete data. We study the performance of compressed sensing (CS) and least squares (LS) estimators in a fast protocol based on continuous measurement on an ensemble of cesium atomic spins. Both efficiently reconstruct nearly pure states in the 16-dimensional ground manifold, reaching average fidelities FCS = 0.92 and FLS = 0.88 using similar amounts of incomplete data. Surprisingly, the main advantage of CS in our protocol is an increased robustness to experimental imperfections

Changes in food cravings and eating behavior after a dietary carbohydrate restriction intervention trial

Compared to low-fat diets, low-carbohydrate (CHO) diets cause weight loss (WL) over a faster time frame; however, it is unknown how changes in food cravings and eating behavior contribute to this more rapid WL in the early phases of dieting. We hypothesized that reductions in food cravings and improved eating behaviors would be evident even after a relatively short (4-week) duration of CHO-restriction, and that these changes would be associated with WL. Adult participants