Levinas’ standpoint in the hermeneutic turn: language as ethics”. This paper develops Emmanuel Levinas’ conceptions about language and its placein the linguistic-hermeneutic turn of contemporary philosophy. It examines the relations with the authors associated to this turn (Heidegger, Gadamer, Ricoeurand Derrida) due to the importance given to language and, at the same time, it sets him apart from them for his original ethical transmutation of language. This paper also considers the main philosophical notions by which Levinas treats the topic of language: desire, diachrony, the said and the saying, trace, absence, no-indifference, otherness. / El artículo desarrolla la concepción de Emmanuel Levinas sobre el lenguaje y su ubicación dentro del giro lingüístico-hermenéutico de la filosofía contemporánea. Se lo relaciona con los autores comprendidos en este esto giro (Heidegger, Gadamer, Ricoeur, Derrida) por la importancia concedida al lenguaje a la vez que se lo distingue radicalmente de ellos por su original transmutación ética del lenguaje. En la argumentación se recuperan las nociones filosóficas principales con que Levinas tematiza la cuestión del lenguaje: deseo, diacronía, decir y dicho, huella, ausencia, no-indiferencia.

The Ontological Foundation of the Relationship between Memory andHistory in Paul Ricoeur’s Memory, History, Forgetting”. This paper will analyze PaulRicoeur’s Neo-Kantian proposal to articulate memory and history. The first step isto consider the concept of representation as a way to make both means of referringto the past comparable. In the next step, these two types of representationsare articulated by leading back to Heidegger’s temporal ontology. Amongst otherconsequences of this foundation, it follows that the possibilities of past agentscan be reinterpreted in the present. This situation legitimizes the impossibility ofsetting fixed rules for the articulation between memory and history. Finally, thispaper will discuss whether the philosopher does, or does not, commit a fallacyof composition, since his description is based on a specific form of history, whilehis prescriptions seem to have a general reach. / En el presente artículo analizaremos la propuesta neokantiana dePaul Ricoeur de articular la memoria y la historia. El primer paso consiste entomar el concepto de representación como modo de volver comparables ambosmodos de referirse al pasado. En el siguiente, se articulan estos dos tipos derepresentaciones retrotrayéndose a la ontología temporal de Heidegger. Entre lasconsecuencias de esta fundamentación se desprende que las posibilidades delos actores pasados pueden ser reinterpretadas en el presente. Esta situaciónlegitima la imposibilidad de establecer reglas fijas para articular la relación entrememoria e historia. Se concluirá discutiendo si el filósofo no cae en una suertede falacia de la parte por el todo, en el sentido en que su descripción se basaen un tipo específico de hacer historia y sus prescripciones parecieran tener unalcance general.

A tese O sujeito da educação em um contexto pós-metafísico repõe a problemática do sujeito da educação seguindo o fio condutor da reviravolta lingüística. Tendo em consideração a crise da razão (ocidental) e a crítica do sujeito, – que impugnou uma idéia de ratio (metafísica) dissolvendo a concepção de sujeito (subjectum) soberano, consciente e responsável –, retoma os questionamentos dirigidos ao esclarecimento moderno (Aufklärung), situando a derrocada dos fundamentos normativos da educação (Bildung) em um contexto pós-metafísico. Diante desse quadro social contemporâneo amplo, radicalmente modificado e, densamente complexo, adentrando na conversação teórico-filosófica e pedagógica, O sujeito da educação em um contexto pós-metafísico, busca compreender – no horizonte de uma leitura hermenêutica –, o sujeito da educação em sua configuração lingüística. Para tanto, analisa e distingue, contrastando, a abordagem teórico-metodológica de Richard Rorty e de Jürgen Habermas, autores contemporâneos identificados com a reviravolta lingüísticopragmática. O neopragmatismo de Rorty redescreve o sujeito rede de crenças e desejos; a teoria do agir comunicativo de Habermas reconstrói o sujeito de fala e ação. Explicita-se, assim, o sujeito como agente lingüístico. Contingente e descentrado, o sujeito lingüístico não mais constitui um fundamento subjacente (hypokeimenon) e necessário. Destrancendentalizada a razão metafísica, o sujeito, em um contexto pós-metafísico, no influxo da reviravolta lingüística apresenta-se modesto em suas pretensões, comunicativo em suas interações, intersubjetivo em suas razões. Com base nesses pressupostos, a possibilidade de um sujeito lingüístico constitui uma alternativa para uma outra compreensão do sujeito da educação. Incorporando as demandas do sujeito no plano interativo lingüístico-intersubjetivo, o discurso pedagógico renova o sentido da própria tarefa educativa de assegurar, dinamizar e potencializar o caráter dialogal da formação (Bildung) do sujeito. Quer dizer, a educação é uma interação efetível, tanto quanto, em sua ação, constitui-se enquanto espaço possibilitador da conversação, do diálogo, do processo de socialização-individuação do sujeito lingüístico. O desenvolvimento da competência lingüística do sujeito posicionado intersubjetivamente caracteriza e orienta a ação educativa. / This thesis entitled The subject of the education in a postmetaphysical context replaces the problem of the education’s subject following the connecting thread of the linguistic turn. Considering the crisis of the occidental reason and the critics of the subject – which didn’t accept an idea of metaphysical ratio, dissolving the conception of sovereign subject (subjectum), conscious and responsible – takes up again the questions addressed to the modern Illuminism (Aufklärung), placing the collapse of the normative foundations of the education (Bildung) in a postmetaphysical context. In face of this contemporary survey, radically modified and very complex, involving the conversation in the point of view of philosophical-theoretical and pedadogic aspects, The subject of the education in a postmetaphysical context tries to understand – by means of a hermeneutic reading – the education’s subject in his linguistic configuration. Thus are analysed and distinguished, but also compared, the theoretical and methodical approaches of Richard Rorty and Jürgen Habermas, two contemporary authors identified with the linguistic and pragmatic turn. The Neo Pragmatism of Rorty focuses on the subject as a net of religious convictions, and desires. Habermas’ theory of communicative acts rebuilds the subject as speaking and acting. Thus appears the subject as linguistic agent. As contingent and not more as center, the linguistic subject doesn’t constitute an underlying and necessary foundation (hypokeimenon). Without a transcendence, the metaphysical reason, the subject, in a postmethaphysical context, influenced by the linguistic turn, appears modest in its pretensions, communicative in its interactions, intersubjetive in its reasons. Based on such presupposition the possibility of a linguistic subject is an alternative for an other understanding of the education’s subject. Incorporating the requests of the subject at the interactive and intersubjective level, the pedagogic discourse renews the meaning of the educative task in order to reinforce and ensure with dynamism the dialogical character of the formation (Bildung) of the subject. In other words: the education is a realizable interaction in its action and represents a space which makes possible the conversation, the dialogue, the process of socialization and individuation of the linguistic subject. The evolution of the linguistic competence of the subject intersubjectively considered characterizes and orientates the educative action.

A partir do estudo do fenômeno educational turn, que consistiu numa espécie de virada educacional nas práticas artísticas e curatoriais contemporâneas, o presente trabalho busca, com base em pesquisa histórica, empírica e documental, compreender e problematizar às relações construídas historicamente entre arte e educação no âmbito da arte, bem como discutir as relações e tensionamentos do referido fenômeno no que tange ao contexto de arte brasileiro, propondo, para isso, três estudos de caso: os Domingos da Criação, a experiência educativa da Bienal do Mercosul e a obra-intervenção Café Educativo. / Based on the study of the educational turn phenomenon, the present dissertation aims, based on historical, empirical and documental research, to understand and problematize the relations built historically between art and education in the "eld of art, as well as discussing the relations and tensioning of the before mentioned phenomenon regarding the Brazilian context of art, proposing, in order to do so, three case studies: the Domingos da Criação [Sundays of Creation], the educational experience of the Mercosul Biennial and the work-intervention Café Educativo [Educative Coffee].

A presente dissertação investiga a adequação do método da Corrente Crítica para a programação dos projetos de parada de plataformas marítimas de exploração de petróleo, que envolvem processos de tomada de decisões em condições de risco. O método da Corrente Crítica (Critical Chain Project Management - CCPM), baseado na Teoria das Restrições (TOC), se propõe a oferecer instrumentos de controle mais precisos e focados que os tradicionalmente utilizados no método do Caminho Crítico (Critical Path Method - CPM), indicando em que momento agir, onde e como deve ser direcionada a ação. A hipótese subjacente à pesquisa é a de que a Corrente Crítica (CCPM) traduz, de forma mais adequada que o Caminho Crítico (CPM), a incerteza existente na parada de plataforma, permitindo a elaboração de um cronograma a um só tempo mais realista e mais desafiador, no sentido de atender metas de menor interrupção na produção. Com base nessa hipótese, as duas principais perguntas que nortearam toda a investigação foram: 1. O método da Corrente Crítica é adequado à programação da parada de plataformas marítimas de exploração de petróleo? 2. Que vantagens poderia trazer em comparação aos métodos tradicionais de programação de projetos em uso nas paradas de plataformas? Para responder a tais perguntas, além de revisar a bibliografia existente sobre o assunto, optou-se por coletar depoimentos de diversos especialistas do setor, por meio de três abordagens qualitativas: pesquisa-ação, entrevistas semi-estruturadas e grupo focal. A análise e interpretação dos dados revelaram que, devido aos seus instrumentos de controle de restrição de recursos serem mais afinados, o Método da Corrente Crítica (CCPM) é mais adequado ao problema da parada de plataformas marítimas - caracterizado pelo ambiente de alta limitação de recursos e por grande paralelismo de atividades. O presente estudo leva a concluir que a implantação do novo método, por oferecer aos gestores ferramentas mais precisas de controle, resulta em melhores chances de cumprimento do prazo dos projetos. / The present study discusses the adequacy of the Critical Chain Project Management Method (CCPM) - also known as the Critical Chain Method - for scheduling projects involving shutdowns on oil platforms, as such projects involve decision-making processes under risk conditions. The CCPM is based on the Theory of Constraints and aims at providing more precise and more clearly focused control instruments than those traditionally used in the Critical Path Method (CPM). The CCPM also indicates the best moments to act and where and how the action should be directed. The hypothesis underlying the research is that the CCPM portrays, more adequately than the CPM, the uncertainty that exists in a platform shutdown. This characteristic also makes it possible to draw up a schedule that is both more realistic and more challenging, as it addresses the goal of causing less interruption of production. On the basis of this hypothesis, the two main questions that oriented the entire investigation were: 1) Is the CCPM suitable for scheduling the shutdown of an offshore oil platform and, 2) What advantages might it have over the traditional scheduling methods in use on platform shutdown? To answer these questions the authors reviewed the existing bibliography on the topic and made direct on-site observations during an actual shutdown. In addition, interviews were held with a number of specialists in the area using qualitative approaches, namely, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and action research. The Data analysis revealed that the instruments used in the CCPM for controlling the constraints of resources are more refined, so the method has been proven to be more adequate than others for facing problems that come up in offshore platform shutdowns, which are characterized by strict constraints on resources and considerable parallelism of activities. The results have led to the conclusion that the implementation of the CCPM provides managers with more precise tools for control than the CPM, and may thus increase the chances for complying with the timeframes set down for projects.

A virada linguística da filosofia contemporânea implicou a recaracterização de problemas epistemológicos em termos da natureza e estrutura da linguagem (lógica), assim como em termos de interpretações das práticas linguísticas concretas (pragmática). Nesta última forma, a concepção da linguagem como instrumento de interação social, somada à constatação do caráter contextual das situações de interação, conduz em alguns casos a um tratamento das diferentes linguagens como jogos fechados em si mesmos, dotados de regras próprias e, nos casos extremos, incomensuráveis. É por esse caminho que Richard Rorty conduz a sua versão da virada linguística. Para Rorty, os desenvolvimentos da filosofia analítica em especial, a forma como W. O. Quine, W. Sellars e D. Davidson carregam o bastão que julgam receber das Investigações filosóficas de L. Wittgenstein apontam para uma concepção holística (contextual) da linguagem e, consequentemente, da racionalidade. Essa maneira de entender a linguagem tem, naturalmente, implicações para o tratamento de outras questões filosóficas morais, políticas e para a caracterização da própria atividade filosófica. Este trabalho procura reconstruir e indicar deficiências das elaborações de Rorty em relação a tais questões. / The linguistic turn in contemporary philosophy entailed the restatement of epistemological problems in terms of the nature and structure of language (logic), and in terms of interpretations of linguistic practices (pragmatics). In the latter form, the conception of language as an instrument of social interaction, together with the contextual understanding of interaction situations, leads in some cases to the treatment of different languages as closed games endowed with their own rules and, in extreme cases, incommensurable. This is the path down which Richard Rorty takes his own version of the linguistic turn. For Rorty, the developments of analytical philosophy most importantly, the way W. O. Quine, W. Sellars and D. Davidson follow the lead of Wittgensteins Philosophical Investigations point to a holistic (contextual) understanding of language and, as a consequence, of rationality. This way of understanding language is related to Rortys treatment of other philosophical issues (moral and political) and to his characterization of Philosophy itself. This dissertation aims at reconstructing (and pointing to shortcomings of) Rortys understanding of these issues.

The study aims at the understanding of the meaning-building process during a group work interaction of tertiary-level students. The article highly emphasizes on the fact that meaning evolves through the interaction of the people, whether verbal or non-verbal, and the group work interaction substantiates the meaning-building process quite emphatically as the interaction is quite intensive and peer-centered. In the way to understand the meaning-making, the study has focused its concentration on turn-taking procedures of the participants as well as the materialization of their competence.

In the first essay titled “Monthly Cyclicality in Retail Investors’ Liquidity and Lottery-type Stocks at the Turn of the Month”, we find that the well-documented underperformance of lottery stocks masks a within-month cyclical pattern. Demand for lottery stocks increases at the turn of the month especially in areas whose demographic profile resembles that of the typical lottery-ticket buyers (i.e., gamblers) driving their prices higher at the turn of the month. This effect is particularly pronounced among firms located in areas whose demographic profile resembles that of the typical lottery-ticket buyer and propelled by the within-month cyclicality of local investors’ personal liquidity positions. A long-short investment strategy based on this cyclical pattern of lottery stocks performance yields gross abnormal returns of about 15% per year. In the second essay titled “Lottery-type Stocks and Corporate Strategies at the Turn of the Month”, we test whether cyclical demand for lottery stocks by retail investors, that tends to peak at the turn-of-the-month (ToM), affects firms’ financial activities. Consistent with the notion that the peak in demand is driven by a propensity to gamble and is associated with inattention, we find underreaction to earnings news issued at the ToM by lottery-type firms located in areas with many gambling investors. We also find that the ToM also provides a window of opportunity for SEO issuing lottery-type firms. Such issuing firms may strategically choose to issue lottery-type stocks at the ToM to save the direct marketing costs because it flattens the elasticity of pre-offer demand curve.

Disagreements regarding to what degree right-turn lanes improve or worsen the safety of intersections and driveways provided the motivation and the need for this study. The objectives of this study were to: a) carry out an in-depth study to determine the safety impacts of right-turn movements in different contexts, and b) develop safety-based volume warrants for right-turn lanes if safety indeed improves. Lack of adequate study on the applicability of past warrants and guidelines for the specific context of right-turn movements made from major uncontrolled approaches at unsignalized intersections, and particularly driveways, on two-lane roadways provided the scope for this study. Five-year historical data of statewide traffic crashes reported on Minnesota’s twolane trunk highways were analyzed using binary/multinomial logistic regressions. Conflicts due to right turns were analyzed by fitting least squares conflict prediction models based on the data obtained from field surveys and traffic simulations. The safety impacts of rightturn lanes were determined through crash-conflict relationships, crash injury severity, and crash and construction costs. The study found that the probabilities of right-turn movement related crash ranged from 1.6 to 17.2% at intersections and from 7.8 to 38.7% at driveways. Rear-end, samedirection- sideswipe, right-angle and right-turn crash types constituted 96% of right-turn movement related crashes. Rear-end crash probabilities varied from 13.7 to 46.4% at approaches with right-turn lanes and from 37.9 to 76.9% otherwise. The ratios of rearend/ same-direction-sideswipe crashes to conflicts were 0.759 x 10^6 at approaches with right-turn lanes and 1.547 x 10^6 otherwise. Overall, right-turn lanes reduced right-turn movement related crash occurrences and conflicts by 85% and 80%, respectively. Right-turn lanes also reduced crash injury severity, hence, reducing the economic cost by 26%. Safety benefits, in dollars, realized with the use of right-turn lanes at driveways were 29% and 7% higher compared to those at intersections at low and high speed conditions respectively for similar traffic conditions. Depending on roadway conditions, interest rate and construction costs, the safety-based volume thresholds ranged from 3 to 200 right turns per hour during the design hour at intersection approaches, and from 2 to 175 right turns at driveway approaches.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate PMSM models with internal faults. Two fault models are introduced. One of them is suitable for simulation of stator winding inter-turn short fault in case of one pole-pair motor and other one for simulation of inter-turn fault in case of multiple pole-pair motor. There are described some methods for model based fault detection of internal faults and sensor faults.