Efficient best-first search algorithms have been developed for deterministic two-player games with two-outcome.We present a formal framework to represent such best-first search algorithms.The framework is general enough to express popular algorithms such as Proof Number Search, Monte Carlo Tree Search, and the Product Propagation algorithm.We then show how a similar framework can be devised for two more general settings: two-player games with multiple outcomes, and the model checking problem in modal logic K.This gives rise to new Proof Number and Monte Carlo inspired search algorithms for these settings.Similarly, the alpha-beta pruning technique is known to be very important in games with sequential actions.We propose an extension of this technique for stacked-matrix games, a generalization of zero-sum perfect information two-player games that allows simultaneous moves.

We present a series of improvements to the Hybrid system, a formal theory implemented in Isabelle/HOL to support specifying and reasoning about formal systems using higher-order abstract syntax (HOAS). We modify Hybrid's type of terms, which is built definitionally in terms of de Bruijn indices, to exclude at the type level terms with `dangling' indices. We strengthen the injectivity property for Hybrid's variable-binding operator, and develop rules for compositional proof of its side condition, avoiding conversion from HOAS to de Bruijn indices. We prove representational adequacy of Hybrid (with these improvements) for a lambda-calculus-like subset of Isabelle/HOL syntax, at the level of set-theoretic semantics and without unfolding Hybrid's definition in terms of de Bruijn indices. In further work, we prove an induction principle that maintains some of the benefits of HOAS even for open terms. We also present a case study of the formalization in Hybrid of a small programming language, Mini-ML with mutable references, including its operational semantics and a type-safety property. This is the largest case study in Hybrid to date, and the first to formalize a language with mutable references. We compare four variants of this formalization based on the two-level approach adopted by Felty and Momigliano in other recent work on Hybrid, with various specification logics (SLs), including substructural logics, formalized in Isabelle/HOL and used in turn to encode judgments of the object language. We also compare these with a variant that does not use an intermediate SL layer. In the course of the case study, we explore and develop new proof techniques, particularly in connection with context invariants and induction on SL statements.

The author in his essay lays down pretreal and judicial opportunities of protection of patient‘s rights. For comparison there are analysed Lithuanian and British systems of protection of patient‘s rights. Patients suffer certain dificulties inherent only for this category of cases. Only a small number of patients have opportunity to embrace their rights in international level. Patients migrating wthin European Union have opportunity to apply to the Court of Justice of European Communities.

Automatinė įrodymų sistema koreliatyvių žinių logikai yra pristatoma disertacijoje. Sistemą sudaro sekvencinis skaičiavimas GS-LCK ir įrodymo paieškos procedūra GS-LCK-PROC. Sekvencinis skaičiavimas yra pagrįstas, pilnas ir tenkina taisyklių apverčiamumo, silpninimo, prastinimo ir pjūvio leistinumo savybes. Procedūra GS-LCK-PROC yra baigtinė ir leidžia patikrinti, ar sekvencija yra išvedama. Taip pat buvo įrodytas koreliatyvių žinių logikos išsprendžiamumas. Naudojant baigtinę procedūra GS-LCK-PROC, visų koreliatyvių žinių logikos formulių tapatus teisingumas gali būti patikrintas. / Automated proof system for logic of correlated knowledge is presented in the dissertation. The system consists of the sequent calculus GS-LCK and the proof search procedure GS-LCK-PROC. Sequent calculus is sound, complete and satisfy the properties of invertibility of rules, admissibility of weakening, contraction and cut. The procedure GS-LCK-PROC is terminating and allows to check if the sequent is provable. Also decidability of logic of correlated knowledge has been proved. Using the terminating procedure GS-LCK-PROC the validity of all formulas of logic of correlated knowledge can be checked.

The use of formal methods in software development seeks to increase our confidence in the resultant system. Their use often requires tool support, so the integrity of a development using formal methods is dependent on the integrity of the tool-set used. Specifically its integrity depends on the theorem prover, since in a typical formal development system the theorem prover is used to establish the validity of the proof obligations incurred by all the steps in the design and refinement process. In this thesis we are concerned with tool-based formal development systems that are used to develop high-integrity software. Since the theorem prover program is a critical part of such a system, it should ideally have been itself formally verified. Unfortunately, most theorem provers are too complex to be verified formally using currently available techniques. An alternative approach, which has many advantages, is to include a proof checker as an extra component in the system, and to certify this. A proof checker is a program which reads and checks the proofs produced by a theorem prover. Proof checkers are inherently simpler than theorem provers, since they only process actual proofs, whereas much of the code of a theorem prover is concerned with searching the space of possible proofs to find the required one. They are also free from all but the simplest user interface concerns, since their input is a proof produced by another program, and their output may be as simple as a `yes/no' reply to the question: Is this a valid proof? plus a list of assumptions on which this judgement is based. When included in a formal development system a stand-alone proof checker is, in one sense, superfluous, since it does not produce any proofs -- the theorem prover does this. Instead its importance is in establishing the integrity of the results of the system -- it provides extra assurance. A proof checker provides extra assurance simply by checking the proofs, since all proofs have then been validated by two independent programs. However a proof checker can provide an extra, and higher, level of assurance if it has been formally verified. In order for formal verification to be feasible the proof checker must be as simple as possible. In turn the simplicity of a proof checker is dependent on the complexity of the data which it processes, that is, the representation of the proofs that it checks. This thesis develops a representation of proofs that is simple and generic. The aim is to produce a generic representation that is applicable to the proofs produced by a variety of theorem provers. Simplicity facilitates verification, while genericity maximises the return on the effort of verification. Using a generic representation places obligations on the theorem provers to produce a proof record in this format. A flexible recorder/translator architecture is proposed which allows proofs to be recorded by existing theorem provers with minimal changes to the original code. The prover is extended with a recorder module whose output is then, if necessary, converted to the generic format by a separate translator program. A formal specification of a checker for proofs recorded in this representation is given. The specification could be used to formally develop a proof-checker, although this step is not taken in this thesis. In addition the characteristics of both the specification and possible implementations are investigated. This is done to assess the size and feasibility of the verification task, and also to confirm that the design is not over-sensitive to the size of proofs. This investigation shows that a checker developed from the specification will be scalable to handle large proofs. To investigate the feasibility of a system based on this architecture, prototype proof recorders were developed for the Ergo 5 and Isabelle 98 theorem provers. In addition a prototype checker was written to check proofs in the proposed format. This prototype is compatible with the formal specification. The combined system was tested successfully using existing proofs for both the Ergo 5 and Isabelle 98 theorem provers.

L’objectif de cette étude est de recueillir des informations biographiques sur Julio Cortázar grâce à des lettres, des interviews, des essais et des documents pédagogiques écrits par l’auteur lui-même. Notre objectif est de remodeler ces éléments de manière à exposer et réfléchir sur la façon dont Cortázar entendait sa fonction d’écrivain et la manière dont il s’y est investi tout au long de sa vie. Grâce à une approche globale de ces sources biographiques, nous avons retracé le parcours de formation et d’évolution littéraire de l’auteur, les inquiétudes intellectuelles, sociales et politiques qui l’entouraient et les problèmes professionnels auxquels il a dû faire face au quotidien. Nous commençons par nous plonger dans la trajectoire chronologique de Cortázar en tant que lecteur. Nous apportons une vision globale des lectures qui l’ont formé et de celles qui l’ont accompagné de son enfance à son décès. Nous poursuivons notre analyse avec une présentation chronologique des opinions qu’il exprime sur son oeuvre. Nous montrons ainsi un jeune poète et auteur de contes qui doute de la qualité littéraire de ses écrits, un écrivain connu de contes fantastiques qui s’impose le défi de changer de modalité ou de genre ainsi qu’un auteur déjà reconnu qui continue à chercher comment briser les moules. Nous apportons enfin des informations sur les aspects pratiques de la fonction d’écrivain. En d’autres termes, nous présentons l’énorme implication de Cortázar dans le processus de publication et de traduction de ses livres ainsi que son interaction avec le monde littéraire et éditorial. / This study aims to garner biographical information on Julio Cortázar, as obtained from his letters, interviews, essays and pedagogical texts, in order to offer new insights that allow us to expose and reflect on how he understood his writing career and worked as a writer throughout his life. In applying a global approach to said biographical sources, this study traces his first years as a writer and his literary evolution, his intellectual, social and political involvement, and the practical problems he had to face on a daily basis. To begin with, the study looks into Cortázar’s trajectory as a reader, providing an overview of the readings in which he was educated and of those that left an imprint on him from childhood to death. A chronological exposition of the opinions he expressed about his work follows. Thus, Cortázar offers a portrait of himself as a young poet and story writer who doubts about the literary quality of his texts, as a known writer of fantastic short stories who challenges himself with the task of changing modalities and genres, and as an acclaimed writer who constantly seeks to break moulds. Finally, this study furnishes data on the practical side of his writing career. Cortázar’s strenuous involvement in the publishing process and translation of his work is discussed, together with his interaction with the literary and editing world.

This article analyzes the trade name function as a distinctive sign of the economic agents, and the use of it, having in consideration the problems with the confusion between legal entity name, label or business sign, and service mark. Furthermore, it discusses the origin of the exclusive right to a trade name, the proof of its use, and the effects when use of the sign ceases. / Este artículo analiza la función del nombre comercial como signo distintivo del agente económico y su uso, teniendo en cuenta el marco regulatorio actual y los problemas generados por la confusión con el nombre de la persona jurídica, el rótulo de establecimiento o la marca de servicio. Además, se analiza el surgimiento del derecho sobre el referido signo, la acreditación del uso y los efectos de la falta del mismo.

Esta pesquisa busca identificar e analisar o uso do método texto-prova de interpretação bíblica entre os adventistas do sétimo dia (1986-2013) a partir dos materiais de orientação sobre o estilo de vida do jovem adventista, e sua influência sobre a hermenêutica da juventude adventista. O primeiro capítulo faz uma descrição histórica do "método texto-prova", sua origem e presença no cristianismo em geral e no adventismo em particular. Também faz uma distinção entre tal método e outros recursos hermenêuticos utilizados na teologia adventista, e uma breve avaliação do método à luz dos princípios hermenêuticos oficiais da Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia. O segundo capítulo verifica a presença do método texto-prova em materiais de orientação sobre o estilo de vida do jovem adventista, produzidos e divulgados pela Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia no período de 1986-2013. Finalmente, o terceiro capítulo avalia a influência do uso do "método texto-prova na espiritualidade e na formação hermenêutica dos jovens adventistas, utilizando-se da teoria dos Estágios da fé, de James Fowler. / This research aims to identify and analyze the use of the biblical interpretation method named "proof-text method" among Seventh-day Adventists (1986-2013) in the literature about the lifestyle of young Adventist, and its influence on the hermeneutics of Adventist youth. The first chapter is a historical description of the "proof-text method", its origins and presence in Christianity in general and in particular in Adventism. It also makes a distinction between this method and other hermeneutical resources used in Adventist theology, and a brief review of the method in the light of adventist official hermeneutical principles. The second chapter assesses the presence of the "proof-text method" in guidance materials on the lifestyle of young Adventist, produced and published by the Adventist Church Seventh Day in the 1986-2013 period. Finally, the third chapter analyzes the influence of the use of the "proof-text method" in spirituality and hermeneutical training of young Adventists, using the theory of "Stages of Faith" proposed by James Fowler.

Submitted by Guilherme Risério (guilherme.riserio@gmail.com) on 2014-03-17T18:48:40Z No. of bitstreams: 1 O DESEMPENHO DOS HEDGE FUNDS BRASILEIROS A PARTIR DA NÃO NORMALIDADE DE SEUS RETORNOS - GUILHERME RISERIO.pdf: 4785756 bytes, checksum: 67e0577d6e7563bff201f16f19a2fd59 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by PAMELA BELTRAN TONSA (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br) on 2014-03-17T19:15:53Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 O DESEMPENHO DOS HEDGE FUNDS BRASILEIROS A PARTIR DA NÃO NORMALIDADE DE SEUS RETORNOS - GUILHERME RISERIO.pdf: 4785756 bytes, checksum: 67e0577d6e7563bff201f16f19a2fd59 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-03-17T19:26:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 O DESEMPENHO DOS HEDGE FUNDS BRASILEIROS A PARTIR DA NÃO NORMALIDADE DE SEUS RETORNOS - GUILHERME RISERIO.pdf: 4785756 bytes, checksum: 67e0577d6e7563bff201f16f19a2fd59 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-26 / Devido à utilização de estratégias distintas de investimento dos hedge funds brasileiros caracterizadas pelo uso de derivativos, operações alavancadas e vendas a descoberto, esses fundos apresentam significante não normalidade dos retornos gerados. Portanto, as medidas usuais de avaliação de performance são incapazes de fornecer resultados consistentes com o verdadeiro desempenho dos portfólios de hedge fund. Este trabalho irá utilizar duas metodologias não tradicionais para analisar a performance dos hedge funds brasileiros e determinar qual estratégia supera o mercado acionário. Serão utilizadas duas medidas não paramétricas, Almost Stochastic Dominância (ASD) e Manipulation-Proof Performance Measure (MPPM). Os resultados demonstram que os hedge funds brasileiros não superam os benckmaks utilizados na dominância de primeira ordem, mas quando analisada a dominância de segunda ordem sete estratégias apresentaram desempenho superior ao Índice Ibovespa.

Entre as cinco provas da existência de Deus que Tomás de Aquino apresentou na Summa Theologiae, sobressai a chamada “primeira via”, considerada pelo autor como a “mais manifesta”. Esta dissertação formaliza-a em lógica quantificacional, explicitando cada uma das inferências a fim de julgar sua validade e correção. Depois de explicadas as teses metafísicas que constituem o cenário da discussão — como a doutrina aristotélica das quatro causas e as distinções entre substância e acidente, ato e potência —, são examinadas as objeções de Anthony Kenny (1969) e as sugestões interpretativas de John Wippel (2000) em defesa do raciocínio de Tomás. Mostra-se que a primeira parte, que procura demonstrar a irreflexividade do movimento, é um argumento válido, mas incorreto, por conter uma premissa falsa: aquela que afirma sem restrições a atualidade do movente. Já a segunda parte, o argumento contra o regresso infinito, contém uma ambiguidade que o deixa diante de duas alternativas: ou se trata de uma petição de princípio ou de uma falácia de equivocidade. Dado o fracasso material e formal da prova, é proposta finalmente uma abordagem não-dedutiva do problema. / Among the five proofs of God’s existence presented by Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologiae, the so-called "first way" stands out, for being considered by the author as the "most obvious" one. This dissertation formalizes it in quantificational logic, explaining each of the inferences in order to assess its validity and soundness. After explaining the metaphysical theses that provide the backdrop for the discussion — as the doctrine of the four Aristotelian causes and the distinctions between substance and accident, act and potency — it considers the objections of Anthony Kenny (1969) and interpretive suggestions of John Wippel (2000) in defense of Thomas’ reasoning. It is shown that the first part, which seeks to demonstrate the non-reflexivity of movement, is a valid argument, but unsound, because it contains a false premise: the one that states the mover’s actuality without restrictions. The second part, the argument against the infinite regress, contains an ambiguity that leaves you faced with two alternatives: either it begs the question or it is a fallacy of equivocation. Given the material and formal failure of the proof, a non-deductive approach to the problem is finally proposed.