The purpose of this paper is to show some of the most important challenges of justice with regard to global identity. I explain the formation of global identity along historical lines in the Western tradition. I then discuss political, economic, cultural, social, scientific and bioethical challenges in achieving justice in the creation of global identity.

There currently is sufficient scientific evidence directly linking acquisition, exposure and prevalence of the human papillomavirus to cervical cancer. The article addresses HPV in women by taking NaProTechnology into account, which makes it posible to combine scientific evidence with ethical approaches. It looks at both the biological aspect of sexuality and the ability to become a person within one’s sexual nucleus. There is an analysis of sex education programs based on preventive health and on the anthropology of sexuality, and supported (...) by family institutions, that have demonstrated better acceptance in dealing with the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, including HPV infection. (shrink)

Este é um estudo sobre o conceito de vontade na história da filosofia. O centro de interesse está na obra De libero arbitrio, de Agostinho. Tanto se procura descrever a suposta “descoberta” da vontade por Agostinho quanto analisar a coerência do conceito obtido. Trata-se do primeiro de dois estudos sobre a vontade e a liberdade em De libero arbitrio I. PALAVRAS-CHAVE – Vontade. Liberum arbitrium. Liberdade. Razão. Desejo. Ação. Psicologia da ação moral. Assentimento. Juízo. Erro. Teodicéia. ABSTRACT – This is (...) a study on the concept of will in the history of philosophy. Its main concern is a work of the young Augustine, namely De libero arbitrio. Aim of the investigation is both to describe the alleged “discovery” of the will through Augustine and to examine the coherence of such concept. This is the first of two studies on will and freedom according to Augustine in De libero arbitrio I. KEY WORDS – Will. Liberum arbitrium. Freedom. Reason. Action. Psychology of moral action. Assent. Judgement. Error. Theodicy. (shrink)

Discovering the influences between paintings and artists is very important for automatic art analysis. Lately, this problem has gained more importance since research studies are looking into explanations about the origin and evolution of artistic styles, which is a related problem. This paper proposes to build a multiplex artwork representation based on artistic formal concepts to gain more understanding about the aforementioned problem. We complement and built our approach on the previous notion of Creativity Implication Network. We used the recently (...) proposed MultiRank algorithm to suggest possible explanations of the dynamic of some artistic styles. Our results corroborate some well-known facts about the artists analyzed and give qualitative and quantitative information that show the possibilities and strengths of the proposed framework. We plan to expand our analysis to include more abstract artworks. Ideally, we are going to be able to validate more our results and test how our methodology could be used to generate visual artifacts too. (shrink)

Este é um estudo sobre o conceito de vontade na história da filosofia. O centro de interesse está na obra De libero arbitrio, de Agostinho. Tanto se procura descrever a suposta “descoberta” da vontade por Agostinho quanto analisar a coerência do conceito obtido. Trata-se do primeiro de dois estudos sobre a vontade e a liberdade em De libero arbitrio I. PALAVRAS-CHAVE – Vontade. Liberum arbitrium. Liberdade. Razão. Desejo. Ação. Psicologia da ação moral. Assentimento. Juízo. Erro. Teodicéia. ABSTRACT – This is (...) a study on the concept of will in the history of philosophy. Its main concern is a work of the young Augustine, namely De libero arbitrio. Aim of the investigation is both to describe the alleged “discovery” of the will through Augustine and to examine the coherence of such concept. This is the first of two studies on will and freedom according to Augustine in De libero arbitrio I. KEY WORDS – Will. Liberum arbitrium. Freedom. Reason. Action. Psychology of moral action. Assent. Judgement. Error. Theodicy. (shrink)

Drawing on the Agency-Stewardship approach, which suggests that manager profile may range from the agent model to the steward model, this article aims to examine how important CEOs are to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Specifically, this exploratory study proposes the existence of a relationship between manager profile and CSR practices and that this relation is mediated by the perceived role of ethics and social responsibility. After applying a mediated regression analysis using survey information collected from 149 CEOs in Spain, results (...) show that those closer to the steward model are more inclined to attach great importance to ethics and social responsibility, and to implement CSR practices in their companies. Results also provide support for the suggested mediating effect. Thus, this article extends research in understanding top managers as drivers for CSR and suggests new ways to deal with this issue empirically. (shrink)

Este texto reflete sobre o memoricídio, consequente à presunção racial branca, como vestígio de operações para o genocídio dos corpos e das mentes negras a partir da Peleja de Inácio da Catingueira contra Romano. Sob o jogo discursivo da humilhação, já se encontrava a vontade brutal de destruição de qualquer traço, perspectiva, visão remanescente de saberes e culturas africanas ou descendentes, fossem de cunho material, simbólico, reflexivo, imagético, expressivo, na língua, no corpo. No embate, Inácio, negro, escravizado, já rebaixado sob (...) a égide do sistema escravocrata, embate-se contra a tentativa presunçosa de aniquilamento perpetrada por seu oponente. (shrink)

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a fast-growing technology that connects everyday devices to the Internet, enabling wireless, low-consumption and low-cost communication and data exchange. IoT has revolutionized the way devices interact with each other and the internet. The more devices become connected, the greater the risk of security breaches. There is currently a need for new approaches to algorithms that can detect malware regardless of the size of the network and that can adapt to dynamic changes in the network. (...) Through the use of a multi-agent reinforcement learning algorithm, this paper proposes a novel algorithm for malware detection in IoT devices. The proposed algorithm is not strongly dependent on the size of the IoT network due to the that its training is adapted using time differences if the IoT network size is small or Monte Carlo otherwise. To validate the proposed algorithm in an environment as close to reality as possible, we proposed a scenario based on a real IoT network, where we tested different malware propagation models. Different simulations varying the number of agents and nodes in the IoT network have been developed. The result of these simulations proves the efficiency and adaptability of the proposed algorithm in detecting malware, regardless of the malware propagation model. (shrink)

The majority of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) self-assemble in the form dimeric/oligomeric complexes along the plasma membrane. Due to the molecular interactions they participate, GPCRs can potentially provide the framework for discriminating a wide variety of intercellular signals, as based on some kind of combinatorial receptor codes. GPCRs can in fact transduce signals from the external milieu by modifying the activity of such intracellular proteins as adenylyl cyclases, phospholipases and ion channels via interactions with specific G-proteins. However, in spite of (...) the number of cell functions they can actually control, both GPCRs and their associated signal transduction pathways are extremely well conserved, for only a few alleles with null or minor functional alterations have so far been found. This would seem to suggest that, beside a mechanism for DNA repairing, there must be another level of quality control that may help maintaining GPCRs rather stable throughout evolution. We propose here receptor oligomerization to be a basic molecular mechanism controlling GPCRs redundancy in many different cell types, and the plasma membrane as the first hierarchical cell structure at which selective categorical sensing may occur. Categorical sensing can be seen as the cellular capacity for identifying and ordering complex patterns of mixed signals out of a contextual matrix, i.e., the recognition of meaningful patterns out of ubiquitous signals. In this context, redundancy and degeneracy may appear as the required feature to integrate the cell system into functional units of progressively higher hierarchical levels. (shrink)

Any living organism interacts with and responds specifically to environmental molecules by expressing specific olfactory receptors. In this paper, this specificity will be first examined in causal terms with particular emphasis on the mechanisms controlling olfactory gene expression, cell-to-cell interactions and odor-decoding processes. However, this type of explanation does not entirely justify the role olfactory receptors have played during evolution, since they are also expressed ectopically in different organs and/or tissues. Homologous olfactory genes have in fact been found in such (...) diverse cells and/or organs as spermatozoa, testis and kidney where they are assumed to act as chemotactic sensors or renin modulators. To justify their functional diversity, homologous olfactory receptors are assumed to share the same basic role: that of conferring a self-identity to cells or tissues under varying environmental conditions. By adopting this standpoint, the functional attribution as olfactory or chemotactic sensors to these receptors should not be seen either as a cause conditioning receptor gene expression, or as a final effect resulting from genetically predetermined programs, but as a direct consequence of the environmental conditions olfactory receptor genes have explored during evolution. The association of odorant patterns with specific environmental or contextual situations makes their relationship semiotically triadic, due to the emergence of an interpretant capable of perceiving odorants as meaningful signs out of a noisy background. This perspective highlights the importance of odorant-receptor relationships as respect to the properties of the interacting partners. It is our contention that only when taken together can these different explanatory strategies provide a realistic account of how olfactory receptor genes have been structurally and functionally modified during evolution. (shrink)

This paper based on the distinction between the instrumental and normative views of stakeholder management explores how business education and personal moral philosophies may influence the orientation adopted by an individual. A mediated regression analysis using survey information collected from 206 Spanish university students showed that those exposed to management theories were less willing to consider stakeholders when making business decisions if the consequent economic impacts on the firm were omitted. The results also provided support for a negative effect of (...) business education on idealism and a mediating effect of the latter on the relationship between education and stakeholder management orientation. This study thus raises awareness on the influence of business education on individuals’ ethical decision-making processes and suggests some possible changes for business education. (shrink)

Receptor oligomerization plays a key role in maintaining genome stability and restricting protein mutagenesis. When properly folded, protein monomers assemble as oligomeric receptors and interact with environmental ligands. In a gene-centered view, the ligand specificity expressed by these receptors is assumed to be causally predetermined by the cell genome. However, this mechanism does not fully explain how differentiated cells have come to express specific receptor repertoires and which combinatorial codes have been explored to activate their associated signaling pathways. It is (...) our contention that the plasma membrane acts as the locus where several contextual cues may be integrated. As such it allows the semiotic selection of those receptor configurations that provide cells with the minimum essential requirements for agency. The occurrence of protein misfolding makes it impossible for receptor monomers to assemble along the membrane and to sustain meaningful relationships with environmental ligands. How could a cell lineage deal with these loss-of-function mutations during evolution and restrain gene redundancy accordingly? In this paper, we will be arguing that the easiest way for bacteria clones to accomplish this goal is by getting rid of cells expressing mutated receptor proteins. The mechanism sustaining this cell selection is also occurring in many somatic tissues and its function is currently believed to counteract in vivo protein mutagenesis. Our discussion will be mainly focused on the significance and semiotic nature of the interplay between membrane receptors and the epigenetic control of gene expression, as mediated by the control of mismatched repairing and protein folding mechanisms. (shrink)

No presente número, reservado à Filosofia Medieval, há uma linha que perpassa quase todos os textos: o da recepção do pensamento antigo pelos pensadores do medioevo cristão.

En el trabajo reconstruimos la trayectoria seguida en España por los agentes económicos extranjeros a lo largo del período 1936-1959. El primer estudio fue de Muñoz, Roldán y Serrano en 1978. En nuestros días hay más aportaciones, pues el tema es crucial para cualquier país. Analizamos los problemas con los nuevos "arreglos" legales y el liderazgo final de los Estados Unidos. Los datos de EE.UU. muestran una buena evidencia y por tanto una muy buena prueba del gran impacto de la (...) inversión directa extranjera en España durante este periodo. Por otro lado, cuestionamos la percepción convencional sobre la escasez de inversión extranjera en el país entre 1936 y 1959. Eso fue debido a dos aspectos claves, uno la necesidad y por el otro lado, la red de inversiones antes de 1936 que lo hicieron posible. (shrink)

A pesar de que los filósofos modernos se caracterizan por ser versados en muchas disciplinas y ciencias, pocos son los intelectuales que, como Leibniz, logran formular una comprensión del mundo en la que cada una de estas disciplinas se articula con las demás. Esto hace que la propuesta filosófica y científica del hannoveriano, a diferencia de otras propuestas filosóficas de la modernidad, sea lo suficientemente compleja y robusta como para responder muchas problemáticas contemporáneas. Dada la amplia diversidad de temáticas que (...) aborda Leibniz a lo largo de su vida, sin embargo, el presente libro pretende reflexionar tan sólo sobre los alcances de algunas de estas problemáticas, las cuales se encuentran divididas en cinco grupos o ejes temáticos.El primer grupo de textos, así, aborda problemas relacionados con su metafísica y su caracterización dinámica del mundo. El segundo comprende aquellos textos relacionados con lógica, argumentación y filosofía del lenguaje, mientras que en el tercero se hace alusión a su caracterización de la belleza cara a su noción de orden y armonía. En el cuarto grupo nos encontramos una serie de textos que exploran la relación entre su propuesta filosófica y otras disciplinas, tales como las ciencias naturales, la literatura y la psicología. Finalmente nos encontramos con aquellos textos relacionados con su filosofía práctica, en particular con sus escritos sobre jurisprudencia y filosofía política. (shrink)

Maine de Biran passe à raison pour avoir rénové l'empirisme. Mais il semble qu'on n'ait pas toujours aperçu à quelle distance il a porté de son origine la méthode issue de Locke et de Condillac. Nous voudrions montrer ici comment il a pu infléchir la tradition empiriste dans un sens complètement opposé aux doctrines de ses fondateurs, comment il en a pu tirer une anthropologie tout à fait nouvelle, où l'homme n'apparaissait plus comme un élément de la nature, non plus (...) d'ailleurs que de la pensée, mais comme le principe absolu de tout ce qui est susceptible d'exister pour lui. Nous laisserons de côté le problème purement historique qu'a pu poser l'évolution personnelle de l'auteur par rapport à sa propre philosophic, et qui s'est notamment manifesté par l'abandon de la morale stoïcienne dans la dernière période de sa vie, de même que par la conversion tardive à certaines thèses, platoniciennes et substantialistes, sur la nature du moi. Ce qui sera examiné, c'est le biranisme tel qu'il fut, tel qu'il commença de se constituer, aux alentours de 1799, avec le premier Mémoire sur l'habitude. (shrink)

À partir de la reconstitution d’un contexte polémique divisant, dans le dernier quart du ve siècle, les tenants d’une conception traditionnelle de la religion et des savoirs d’une part, et les partisans d’une curiosité nouvelle pour l’étude des « choses d’en haut » (meteora) d’autre part, cet article se propose d’examiner la manière dont l’élément aérien a été investi par les seconds pour devenir le support matériel de l’« invisible » et se substituer ainsi à la divinité. L’analyse des caractéristiques (...) précises que certains philosophes et médecins ont associées à l’air permettra de mettre en évidence le rôle de puissance cosmologique et biologique qui a pu lui être reconnu dans cette tradition de pensée « aérienne ». (shrink)

Peindre si bien que la toile est un objet vivant est un exploit technique qui fut atteint par peu. Francis Bacon obtint de la toile qu’elle fasse son affaire de préserver en elle la vie, tandis que Carbonnier, avec une semblable modestie devant la toile et le métier, obtint que la Loi ne soit qu’un cadre, mais qu’elle ne laisse pourtant cette place-là à personne et surtout pas à l’opinion publique, afin que chacun puisse à sa façon et dans ce (...) cadre-là faire son propre droit, sur lequel le législateur dans sa délicatesse et pour reprendre les termes du Doyen n’appose qu’un « mince vernis ». Ces deux maîtres de l’art construisaient des cadres avec des principes rudimentaires pour que, sur cette toile, le mouvement advienne par lui-même. Ainsi la Législation créée par Carbonnier offrit à chaque famille la liberté de tisser chaque jour son droit. Mais c’est pourtant bien au Législateur seul que revint et doit revenir l’enfance de l’art consistant à tendre la toile sur le métier. Il est alors possible, comme le fit Bacon, d’obtenir un objet immobile qui permet que surgissent sans cesse les figures mobiles. Les gribouillis réglementaires sont à mille lieues de cet Art législatif-là. (shrink)

C’est par le Droit que l’être humain a acquis en Occident une unité (I). Ce que la Religion avait pu faire, le Droit l’a également fait en posant sur chaque être humain la notion indétachable de lui de « personne » (I.A). Mais c’est cela qui est remis en cause aujourd’hui, non pas la personnalité et le pouvoir que l’être humain a d’exprimer sa liberté mais l’unité que cela implique dans la disposition que l’on a de soi en repoussant le (...) désir qu’autrui a toujours eu de disposer de nous. Le Droit actuel tend en effet à « pulvériser » les êtres humains en données et à transformer en prestations juridiques neutres ce qui était considéré comme de la dévoration d’autrui. La notion juridique de « consentement », cessant d’être une preuve d’une volonté libre mais devenue une notion autonome, y suffirait (I.B.). Pour empêcher que ne règne plus que la « loi des désirs », laquelle ne fait que traduire l’ajustement des forces, il faut requérir ici et maintenant la souveraineté éthique du Droit, parce que le Droit ne peut pas être qu’une technique d’ajustement des intérêts (II). L’on peut former cette requête si l’on ne veut pas vivre dans un univers a-moral (II. A), si l’on constate que l’unité de la personne est l’invention juridique qui protège l’être humain faible (II.B.). Si on en admet l’impératif, il faut alors se demander enfin qui en Droit va l’exprimer et l’imposer, notamment de la Loi, ou du Juge, car nous semblons avoir perdu la capacité de rappeler ce principe de la Personne sur laquelle l’Occident fut si centré. Or, les principes qui ne sont plus dits disparaissent. Il ne resterait plus alors que l’ajustement au cas par cas des intérêts entre êtres humains dans le champ mondial des forces particulières. À cette aune, le Droit ne serait plus qu’une technique de sécurisation des ajustements particuliers. (II. C). Réduit à cela, le Droit aurait perdu son lien avec l’Éthique. (shrink)

Los estudios de ciencia, tecnología y sociedad revelan las interrelaciones entre la ciencia y la tecnología como procesos sociales. Este artículo persigue como objetivo: valorar la significación social de un entorno virtual en la enseñanza aprendizaje de la Estadística descriptiva en la carrera de Medicina. El diagnóstico preliminar mediante de la observación, la encuesta y el análisis documental, mostró que existen insuficiencias en el uso de las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones en el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje de (...) la Estadística. Se diseñó un entorno virtual constituido por cinco módulos que incluyen contenidos de Estadística descriptiva, ejercicios, bibliografía y ayuda. Con la validación a partir del criterio de especialistas y la sistematización con la introducción en la práctica, se evaluó el mismo como muy adecuado, fue considerado útil, necesario y aplicable al contexto objeto de estudio, lo que contribuye a la formación científica de los estudiantes desde una posición materialista. Science, technology and society studies reveal the interrelations between science and technology as social processes. This article pursues the following objectives: to assess the social significance of a virtual environment in the teaching and learning of descriptive Statistics in Medicine degree course. The preliminary diagnosis through the observation, opinion poll and documentary analysis, showed that there are insufficiencies in the use of Information and Communication technologies in teaching and learning Statistics. It was designed a virtual environment with five modules that include contents of descriptive Statistics, exercises, bibliography and help. With the validation of specialists and the systematization after putting it in practice, the virtual environment was assessed as adequate, useful, necessary and applicable to the context being studied, which contributes to the scientific training of students from a materialistic position. (shrink)

Cuando en el año 1989 comencé mis estudios universitarios en la licenciatura de Geografía e Historia uno de los hechos que más me sorprendió fue la ausencia de interés de los historiadores españoles por áreas que a mí me parecían fascinantes: Asia Central, Japón o China. Esa omisión pude suplirla entonces gracias a la colección Historia Universal Siglo XXI, que incluía interesantes volúmenes sobre esos territorios, o la maravillosa obra de Paul Akamatsu Meiji:1868. Revolución y contrarrevolución en Japón.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by dysfunctional processing of nociceptive stimulation. Neuroimaging studies have pointed out that pain-related network functioning seems to be altered in these patients. It is thought that this clinical symptomatology may be maintained or even strengthened because of an enhanced expectancy for painful stimuli or its forthcoming appearance. However, neural electrophysiological correlates associated with such attentional mechanisms have been scarcely explored. In the current study, expectancy processes of upcoming laser stimulation (painful and non-painful) and (...) its further processing were explored by event-related potentials (ERPs). Nineteen fibromyalgia patients and twenty healthy control volunteers took part in the experiment. Behavioral measures (reaction times and subjective pain perception) were also collected. We manipulated the pain/no pain expectancy through an S1–S2 paradigm (cue-target). S1 (image: triangle or square) predicted the S2 appearance (laser stimulation: warmth or pinprick sensation). Laser stimuli were delivered using a CO2 laser device. Temporal and spatial principal component analyses were employed to define and quantify the ERP component reliability. Statistical analyses revealed the existence of an abnormal pattern of pain expectancy in patients with fibromyalgia. Specifically, our results showed attenuated amplitudes at posterior lCNV component in anticipation of painful stimulation that was not found in healthy participants. In contrast, although larger P2 amplitudes to painful compared to innocuous events were shown, patients did not show any amplitude change in this laser-evoked response as a function of pain predictive cues (as occurred in the healthy control group). Additionally, analyses of the subjective perception of pain and reaction time indicated that laser stimuli preceded by pain cues were rated as more painful than those signaling non-pain expectancy and were associated with faster responses. Differences between groups were not found. The present findings suggest the presence of dysfunction in pain expectation mechanisms in fibromyalgia that eventually may make it difficult for patients to correctly interpret signs that prevent pain symptoms. Furthermore, the abnormal pattern in pain expectancy displayed by fibromyalgia patients could result in ineffective pain coping strategies. Understanding the neural correlates of pain processing and its modulatory factors is crucial to identify treatments for chronic pain syndromes. (shrink)