Phenomenal Contrast Arguments: What they Achieve

Phenomenal contrast arguments (PCAs) are normally employed as arguments showing that a certain mental feature contributes to (the phenomenal character of) experience, that certain contents are represented in experience and that kinds of sui generis phenomenologies such as cognitive phenomenology exist. In this paper we examine a neglected aspect of such arguments, i.e., the kind of mental episodes involved in them, and argue that this happens to be a crucial feature of the arguments. We use linguistic tools to determine the lexical aspect of verbs and verb phrases – the tests for a/telicity and for duration. We then suggest that all PCAs can show is the presence of a generic achievement-like phenomenology, especially in the cognitive domain, which contrasts with the role that PCAs are given in the literature

The Linguistic Determination of Conscious Thought Contents

In this paper we address the question of what determines the content of our conscious episodes of thinking, considering recent claims that phenomenal character individuates thought contents. We present one prominent way for defenders of phenomenal intentionality to develop that view and then examine ‘sensory inner speech views’, which provide an alternative way of accounting for thought-content determinacy. We argue that such views fare well with inner speech thinking but have problems accounting for unsymbolized thinking. Within this dialectic, we present an account of the nature of unsymbolized thinking that accords with and can be seen as a continuation of the activity of inner speech, while offering a way of explaining thought-content determinacy in terms of linguistic structures and representation

Identifiability and transportability in dynamic causal networks

In this paper we propose a causal analog to the purely observational Dynamic Bayesian Networks, which we call Dynamic Causal Networks. We provide a sound and complete algorithm for identification of Dynamic Causal Networks, namely, for computing the effect of an intervention or experiment, based on passive observations only, whenever possible. We note the existence of two types of confounder variables that affect in substantially different ways the identification procedures, a distinction with no analog in either Dynamic Bayesian Networks or standard causal graphs. We further propose a procedure for the transportability of causal effects in Dynamic Causal Network settings, where the result of causal experiments in a source domain may be used for the identification of causal effects in a target domain.Preprin

Devem os árbitros devem "viver" na arbitragem de direito público? Por um padrão mais exigente de independência e imparcialidade

The text intends to make the case for a more demanding standard of independence and impartiality in public law arbitration. Such standard is grounded on its functional, substantive, and procedural features, namely the fact that public law arbitrators review the validity of sovereign action, the non-confidentiality of the awards and the similarity of the claims. We explore whether the existing rules on public law arbitration (from a Portuguese standpoint) are fully in line with such more-demanding standard. Since a similar debate is also taken place in investment treaty arbitration, the text analyses the suitability of the proposals which have been put forward to address investment arbitrators’ (alleged) bias and if pursuant to the ECJ there is a new rule under EU law: no public law arbitration without guarantees of institutionalized independence.O texto analisa a necessidade de um standard de independência e de imparcialidade mais exigente na arbitragem de direito público. Esse standard justifica-se em razão das caraterísticas funcionais, substantivas e processuais deste tipo de arbitragem, em particular a circunstância de nela se proceder ao controlo da validade de atos de autoridade, o facto de as decisões serem públicas e a semelhança das questões a decidir. O texto avalia se as regras vigentes em matéria de arbitragem de direito público (de uma perspetiva de direito interno) estão em linha com esse standard mais exigente. Visto que na arbitragem do investimento está a decorrer um debate próximo, o texto procura perceber se as propostas avançadas para eliminar a (alegada) aparência de parcialidade desses árbitros se mostram eficazes e se, à luz da jurisprudência do Tribunal de Justiça da União Europeia, terá emergido uma nova regra segundo a qual não há (não deve haver) arbitragem de direito público sem garantias institucionais de independência.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The European Union’s proposal for the modernization of the energy charter treaty

After the European Court of Justice seminal decision in Achmea, where consent to investor-State arbitration enshrined in intra-EU bilateral investment treaties was found to be incompatible with the autonomy of the European Union (EU) legal order, the European Commission has presented a draft proposal for the modernization of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). The proposal relies markedly on the new investment agreements concluded between the European Union and third states, mainly CETA and the agreements with Singapore and Vietnam. It puts forward some key amendments on substantive provisions, by creating regulatory space for sustainable development and transition to clean energy. As regards the fair and equitable standard, the proposal adds that the ‘the tribunal may take into account whether a Contracting party made a specific representation to an investor to induce a covered investment, that created a legitimate expectation, upon which the investor relied in to make or maintain the covered investment’. This article focuses on the concept of ‘specific representation’, by asking whether it (still) encompasses promises made by the legislator, in order to access the impact that said provision might have on previous ECT arbitration case law concerning renewable energy and climate change.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Automated construction and analysis of political networks via open government and media sources

We present a tool to generate real world political networks from user provided lists of politicians and news sites. Additional output includes visualizations, interactive tools and maps that allow a user to better understand the politicians and their surrounding environments as portrayed by the media. As a case study, we construct a comprehensive list of current Texas politicians, select news sites that convey a spectrum of political viewpoints covering Texas politics, and examine the results. We propose a ”Combined” co-occurrence distance metric to better reflect the relationship between two entities. A topic modeling technique is also proposed as a novel, automated way of labeling communities that exist within a politician’s ”extended” network.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Learning definite Horn formulas from closure queries

A definite Horn theory is a set of n-dimensional Boolean vectors whose characteristic function is expressible as a definite Horn formula, that is, as conjunction of definite Horn clauses. The class of definite Horn theories is known to be learnable under different query learning settings, such as learning from membership and equivalence queries or learning from entailment. We propose yet a different type of query: the closure query. Closure queries are a natural extension of membership queries and also a variant, appropriate in the context of definite Horn formulas, of the so-called correction queries. We present an algorithm that learns conjunctions of definite Horn clauses in polynomial time, using closure and equivalence queries, and show how it relates to the canonical Guigues–Duquenne basis for implicational systems. We also show how the different query models mentioned relate to each other by either showing full-fledged reductions by means of query simulation (where possible), or by showing their connections in the context of particular algorithms that use them for learning definite Horn formulas.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Neuronal Mitophagy in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neuronal homeostasis depends on the proper functioning of different quality control systems. All intracellular components are subjected to continuous turnover through the coordinated synthesis, degradation and recycling of their constituent elements. Autophagy is the catabolic mechanism by which intracellular cytosolic components, including proteins, organelles, aggregates and any other intracellular materials, are delivered to lysosomes for degradation. Among the different types of selective autophagy described to date, the process of mitophagy involves the selective autophagic degradation of mitochondria. In this way, mitophagy is responsible for basal mitochondrial turnover, but can also be induced under certain physiological or pathogenic conditions to eliminate unwanted or damaged mitochondria. Dysfunctional cellular proteolytic systems have been linked extensively to neurodegenerative diseases (ND) like Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), or Huntington's disease (HD), with autophagic failure being one of the main factors contributing to neuronal cell death in these diseases. Neurons are particularly vulnerable to autophagic impairment as well as to mitochondrial dysfunction, due mostly to their particular high energy dependence and to their post-mitotic nature. The accurate and proper degradation of dysfunctional mitochondria by mitophagy is essential for maintaining control over mitochondrial quality and quantity in neurons. In this report, I will review the role of mitophagy in neuronal homeostasis and the consequences of its dysfunction in ND

Property rights and legitimate expectations under United States constitutional law and the European Convention on Human Rights: some comparative remarks

The present article aims to critically describe and compare how two rather different legal fora*the United States Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights*address the same constitutional issue: the protection of property rights and legitimate expectations in the face of a legal change. According to the US Federal Constitution, the effects of a legal change over patrimonial interests can be treated under the due process of law clause or the takings clause. Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights, alone or in conjunction with the right to a fair trial, plays the same role under the ECHR. Our concluding remarks will show that in both systems, property protection provisions amount to a guarantee against unfair governmental action. Regulatory takings and proportionality are areas of strong disagreement between the two systems, whereas retroactive legislation and patrimonial expectations reveal some interesting similarities.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio