In this paper we defend that elective ventilation (EV), even if conceived as the instrument to maximise the chances of organ recovery, is mainly the means to provide the patient who is dying with a dignified death in several ways, one of them being the possibility of becoming an organ donor. Because EV does not harm the patient and permits the medical team a better assessment of the patient's clinical trajectory and a better management of the dying process by the (...) family, EV does not violate the principle of non-beneficence nor the principle of autonomy if we restrict the initiation of EV to those cases in which it is not known what the previous wishes of the patient were as regards to his or her care at the end of life. (shrink)

Uterus transplantation (UTx) research has been introduced in several countries, with trials in Sweden and the United States producing successful outcomes. The growing interest in developing UTx trials in other countries, such as Spain, the Netherlands, Japan, and Australia, raises important questions regarding the ethics of surgical innovation research in the field of UTx. This paper examines the current state of UTx in the context of the surgical innovation paradigm and IDEAL framework and discusses the ethical challenges faced by those (...) considering the introduction of new trials. We argue that UTx remains an experimental procedure at a relatively early stage of the IDEAL framework, especially in the context of de novo trials, where protocols are likely to deviate from those used previously and where researchers are likely to have limited experience of UTx. We conclude that countries considering the introduction of UTx trials should build on the strengths of the reported outcomes to consolidate the evidence base and shed light on the uncertainties of the procedure. Authorities responsible for the ethical governance of UTx trials are advised to draw on the ethical framework used in the oversight of surgical innovation. (shrink)

Diseases of complex origin have a component of quantitative genetics that contributes to their susceptibility and phenotypic variability. However, after several studies, a major part of the genetic component of complex phenotypes has still not been found, a situation known as “missing heritability.” Although there have been many hypotheses put forward to explain the reasons for the missing heritability, its definitive causes remain unknown. Complex diseases are caused by multiple intermediate phenotypes involved in their pathogenesis and, very often, each one (...) of these intermediate phenotypes also has a component of quantitative inheritance. Here we propose that at least part of the missing heritability can be explained by the genetic component of intermediate phenotypes that is not detectable at the level of the main complex trait. At the same time, the identification of the genetic component of intermediate phenotypes provides an opportunity to identify part of the missing heritability of complex diseases. (shrink)

Are intelligent machines really intelligent? Is the underlying philosoph- ical concept of intelligence satisfactory for describing how the present systems work? Is understanding a necessary and sufficient condition for intelligence? If a machine could understand, should we attribute subjectivity to it? This paper addresses the problem of deciding whether the so-called ”intelligent machines” are capable of understanding, instead of merely processing signs. It deals with the relationship between syntax and semantics. The main thesis concerns the inevitability of semantics for any (...) discussion about the possibility of building conscious machines, condensed into the following two tenets: ”If a machine is capable of understanding (in the strong sense), then it must be capable of combining rules and intuitions”; “If semantics cannot be reduced to syntax, then a machine cannot understand.” Our conclusion states that it is not necessary to attribute understanding to a machine in order to explain its exhibited “intelligent” behavior; a merely syntactic and mechanistic approach to intelligence as a task-solving tool suffices to justify the range of operations that it can display in the current state of technological development. (shrink)

Health professionals are especially exposed to stress, with consequences on professionals’ health and wellbeing. However, palliative care professionals’ wellbeing has been the subject of very little research. The aim of this work is to study the Personal Wellbeing Index in a sample of Spanish palliative care professionals, as well as to study their levels of wellbeing and the relationships of wellbeing with variables such as gender, age, marital status, profession, and professional quality of life. A cross-sectional survey of Spanish palliative (...) care professionals was conducted. The Spanish version of the PWI and the Short version of the Professional Quality of Life Scale were used. Here, 296 palliative care professionals attending patients at the end of life participated in the study. They showed medium to high levels of wellbeing. The PWI showed an adequate internal structure [χ2 = 116.130 ]; Comparative Fit Index = 0.970; standardized root mean square residual = 0.041; root mean square error of approximation = 0.140 ] and excellent estimates of reliability [α = 0.879 and Composite Reliability Index = 0.923]. Wellbeing was higher for married compared to single and showed no relation with age, gender, and profession. Additionally, a structural equation model was estimated, in which a positive relation was found between wellbeing and compassion satisfaction and a negative one with burnout. The PWI is adequate to measure personal wellbeing in Spanish palliative care professionals. (shrink)

The aim of this paper is to analyze the idea of general resurrection of the dead at the end of times in the synoptic Gospels. We intend to clarify whether this concept can be interpreted as a transposition of the parallel belief contained in some intertestamental writings, or if the singularity of the religious experience expressed in the synoptic Gospels establishes an inexorable moment of discontinuity with the previous apocalyptic framework, making it impossible to understand this doctrine on the sole (...) basis of its Jewish precedents. In order to accomplish our goal, we shall first study the general resurrection of the dead in the Q source, the references to this notion in the gospel of Mark, and its meaning in both Matthew and Luke. We will exclude from our treatment all the topics related with the resurrection of Jesus, and we will be focused on the explicit mentions of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead as such. Since implicit beliefs are always difficult to assess, especially in the context of eschatological ideas, in which vagueness and absence of a systematic effort of exposition often prevail, we will not allude to other synoptic passages which have been regarded as potential expressions of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead at the end of times. (shrink)

The presence of patients’ families during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a controversial topic, due to its repercussions for clinical practice. While family members’ presence may help them to overcome their grief, it could be detrimental, as it may case posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and there is the possibility that family members may interfere with the procedure. For these reasons, families’ presence during CPR has rejected by some healthcare providers.To research concerns about families’ presence among providers dealing with CPR in the (...) Fundación Hospital Alcorcón (Madrid), I performed this study. Of the 190 providers surveyed, 115 submitted a complete questionnaire. The most frequently reported concerns were interference (78.3 percent of respondents), and PTSD (69.6 percent of respondents). Fewer pediatric providers were concerned about PTSD than other providers (41.2% percent versus 74.5 percent, p = 0.01). Providers were reluctant to offer families the option of being present unless they had requested it, and would only permit it under certain conditions. Having a staff member to support the family was of great value to most respondents. The author believes families have a negative right to be present during CPR and so should be invited to stay. (shrink)

The present study aims to explore whether the symptoms associated with fibromyalgia are contextually influenced by the area of residence. Furthermore, it is analyzed whether the effect of the acceptance of the disease on the emotional, cognitive and physical symptoms is moderated by the patients’ place of residence. Using a cross-sectional design, a total of 234 women with fibromyalgia were surveyed, of which 55.13% resided in rural areas and 44.87% in urban areas. Self-reported questionnaires were used to assess pain severity, (...) anxiety and depression, functional limitation, physical and mental fatigue and acceptance of the disease. The results show significant differences in acceptance, pain, and physical and mental fatigue between patients from rural and urban areas. The rural area patients presented higher levels of acceptance and pain and lesser levels of physical and mental fatigue compared to the urban area. The moderation analysis add that, only in patients from the rural area, the variables of physical symptoms were significantly and negatively associated with acceptance. This study addresses for the first time the role of the place of residence in suffering from fibromyalgia, suggesting that the rural or urban environment plays a relevant role in the severity and/or management of symptoms in fibromyalgia women. Limitations and practical implications are also discussed. (shrink)

Este texto se sitúa en la juntura de los feminismos del sur que señalaron el encubrimiento de la heterogeneidad de las mujeres indo-afro-latino-americanas. Desde las cadencias y los ritmos de las voces de mujeres de Nuestra América cuyos saberes interrumpen, disrumpen e intervienen muestra que los problemas del feminismo blanco burgués del norte no son los de todas las mujeres puesto que algunas mujeres escapan a la fragilidad femenina que justifica el paternalismo y los micromachismos dentro y fuera de (...) la academia, incluso dentro y fuera de la misma clase, etnia o generación. Desde los feminismos del sur se propone habilitar un diálogo entre/con “las otras” de nosotras no sólo para articular teóricamente y coalicionar políticamente nudos epistémicos que pongan en crisis el modelo de la representación y con ello una revisión del punto de vista, sino también para desmontar, paralelamente desde la ontología relacional que suponen, el privilegio epistemológico, la violencia epistémica y el extractivisimo académico que ubica y posiciona a unas sobre otras en la reproducción de “las otras de nosotras”. A partir de los posicionamientos de María Lugones, Rita Segato, Aura Cumes, Lorena Cabnal y Julieta Paredes, se propone visibilizar los nudos epistemológicos venidos de los feminismos comunitarios e indígenas que habilitan ampliaciones metodológicas desde las que podrían configurarse una historia de las resistencias de las mujeres de Latinoamérica en la exterioridad de los paradigmas euronortecentrados. (shrink)

En el proceso de conformación de la clase obrera en la Patagonia argentina se destaca la fundamental presencia de los trabajadores de origen chileno en general, y de quienes eran oriundos de Chiloé en particular. Estos obreros eran necesarios para una región que sufría la escasez de fuerza de trabajo, pero a la vez estaban siempre sindicados como una latente amenaza, ya sea por su nacionalidad, su ideología o sus prácticas sociales. Los trabajadores chilenos sufrieron un permanente control que en (...) muchos casos desembocó en represión abierta, siendo los “chilotes” blanco de una especial discriminación. Trabajamos con un prontuario policial específico del Territorio Nacional del Chubut, realizado a José Modesto Barrientos, obrero petrolero de Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales, detenido en varias ocasiones por situaciones de desorden público, ebriedad y, especialmente, por sospechas de actividades comunistas. Investigamos algunos rasgos de las prácticas obreras, las formas de resistencia y los ejes de la persecución política y social que desarrollaba la policía del territorio. Observaremos, además, ciertas características sobre la riesgosa labor que estos trabajadores desarrollaban. (shrink)

El siguiente texto incluye la nota del autor y dedicatoria del poema épico de G. K. Chesterton, La Balada del Caballo Blanco (1911) y la nota del traductor del poema. Estos textos están reproducidos de la traducción de este poema de J. Marcos Pérez Rabasa publicada en Buenos Aires, Argentina y presentada en el el Centro Cultural Borges, de esa ciudad, durante la conferencia del Instituto Chesterton, “Cien años de la Balada del Caballo Blanco” Esta es la primera (...) traducción a la lengua Española. Chesterton dedicó este poema a su esposa Frances. (shrink)

The Subjective Well-Being Scale and its short version were developed and validated to measure life satisfaction and positive affect in a Spanish-speaking population. The aim of the present study was to obtain additional evidence of validity for the EBS-8. To this end, the scale was applied in three successive studies to a total of 2259 Mexicans aged 12 to 81 years. The results of the first study allowed us to confirm its unifactorial structure and its adequate reliability ; in the (...) second its measurement invariance by sex, social group and age was tested. From the psychometric indices obtained, it is concluded that the EBS-8 is an excellent brief instrument constructed in Spanish to assess subjective well-being in adolescents, young people, adults and older adults. (shrink)

"The contributions to this book offer a broad vision of the relationships that were established between Greek Philosophy and the Mystery Cults. The authors centre their attention on such thinkers as Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoic and the Neoplatonist philosophers, who used - and in some cases criticised - doctrinal elements from Mystery Cults, adapting them to their own thinking. Thus, the volume provides a new approach to some of the most renowned Greek philosophers, highlighting the influence that Mystery Cults, (...) such as Orphism, Dionysianism, or the Eleusinian rites, had on the formation of fundamental aspects of their thinking. Given its interdisciplinary character, this book will appeal to a broad academic readership interested in the origin of Hellenic thinking and culture. It will be especially useful for those eager for a deeper approach to two fundamental domains that attract the attention of many Antiquity scholars: Greek philosophy and religion. (shrink)

In this paper we deal with some new axiom schemes for Peano's Arithmetic that can substitute the classical induction, least-element, collection and strong collection schemes in the description of PA.

El presente estudio busca determinar posibles diferencias por sexo en la aparición de variables asociadas al síndrome de Burnout medidos a través del clima y la satisfacción organizacional en una muestra de 233 trabajadores de la ciudad de Arica, pertenecientes a cinco diferentes actividades económicas (educación, salud, comercio de tangibles e intangibles, y administración pública).

Requiring family authorization for apnea testing subtracts health professionals control over death determination, a procedure that has traditionally been considered a matter of clinical expertise alone. In this commentary, we first provide evidence showing that health professionals’ (HPs) disposition to act on death determination without family’s prior consent could be much lower than that referred to by Berkowitz and Garrett (2020). We hypothesize that HPs may have reservations about their own expertise as regards death, and may thus hesitate to impose (...) their views on patients’ families. We then address the theoretical question of clinical expertise in death determination by distinguishing judgments about facts (e.g., the presence or absence of spontaneous breathing) from interpretations given of these facts (i.e., their meaning for the vital status of an individual). We argue that, while clinicians may claim some expert authority on the former, they hold no particular authority on the latter. (shrink)

RESUMEN La neurociencia ha proporcionado valiosas herramientas para analizar problemas filosóficos; sin embargo, el debate sobre el papel de las evidencias neurocientíficas en la explicación de determinados fenómenos mentales sigue abierto. La discusión se centra en la experiencia mística y sus bases neuronales, lo que permite efectuar consideraciones más genéricas acerca de la legitimidad y el alcance de los razonamientos neurocientíficos cuando versan sobre algunos de los más conspicuos productos de la cultura. ABSTRACT Neuroscience has provided valuable tools for the (...) analysis of philosophical problems; however, there is an ongoing debate over the role of neuroscientific evidence in the explanation of certain mental phenomena. The discussion focuses on the mystical experience and its neuronal bases, which makes it possible to carry out more generic considerations regarding the legitimacy and scope of neuroscientific arguments when they involve some of the principal cultural products. (shrink)

How can expressivists make sense of the practice of communication? If communication is not a joint enterprise aimed at sharing information about the world, why do we engage in communication the way we do? Call this *the problem of communication*. Starting from basic assumptions about the rationality of speakers and the nature of assertion, we argue that speakers engaging in conversation about normative matters must presuppose that there is a unique normative standard on which the attitudes of conversational participants ought (...) to converge. This gives the beginning of a solution to the problem of communication on behalf of expressivists. (shrink)

Within the field of didactics of second language teaching, it is believed that phonic errors cannot be completely corrected due to the significant influence of L1. However, improving the processes of acquisition of an L2 implies learning pronunciation properly. Given the importance of pronunciation for communication, it is necessary to deeply know the nature of phonic errors, which requires a specific classification aimed to describe, classify and categorize them. This article is intended to test the validity and efficiency of the (...) taxonomy developed in the project AACFELE. To accomplish our objective we: a) collected the most significant phonic errors made by learners of Spanish from nine different nationalities and b) categorized those errors. As a result, we found that the classification entails plenty of trouble caused by the impossibility of marking the boundaries of the numerous phenomena involved in the pronunciation of a sound; that is why we considered the need of redefining some of the suggested categories and assessed the adequacy of maintaining other ones less useful. Despite these circumstances, the most significant outcome was the reliable proof that the taxonomy AACFELE allowed us to label and describe diverse phonic errors using common criteria, which represents the first step to accurately study phonic acquisition of a foreign language. (shrink)

The conditions involved in the applicability of mathematics in science are the subject of ongoing debates. One of the best‐received approaches is the inferential account, which involves structural mappings and pragmatic considerations in a three‐step model. According to the inferential account, these pragmatic considerations happen in the immersion and interpretation stages, but not during derivation (symbol‐pushing in a mathematical formalism). In this work, I draw inspiration from the later Wittgenstein and make the case that the applicability of mathematics also rests (...) on pragmatic considerations at the mathematical derivation level. I make the further case that pragmatic considerations at the mathematical derivation level may substitute pragmatic considerations in the other two stages, thus showing how they are holistically interrelated. I illustrate these two points with the solution of a simple geometrical problem. (shrink)

BackgroundThe use of great apes (GA) in invasive biomedical research is one of the most debated topics in animal ethics. GA are, thus far, the only animal group that has frequently been banned from invasive research; yet some believe that these bans could inaugurate a broader trend towards greater restrictions on the use of primates and other animals in research. Despite ongoing academic and policy debate on this issue, there is no comprehensive overview of the reasons advanced for or against (...) restricting invasive research with GA. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review of the reasons reported in the academic literature on this topic.MethodsSeven databases were searched for articles published in English. Two authors screened the titles, abstracts, and full texts of all articles. Two journals specialized in animal ethics, and the reference lists of included articles were subsequently also reviewed.ResultsWe included 60 articles, most of which were published between 2006 and 2016. Twenty-five articles argued for a total ban of GA research, 21 articles defended partial restrictions, and 14 articles argued against restrictions. Overall, we identified 110 reason types, 74 for, and 36 against, restricting GA research. Reasons were grouped into nine domains: moral standing, science, welfare, public and expert attitudes, retirement and conservation, respect and rights, financial costs, law and legal status, and longer-term consequences.ConclusionOur review generated five main findings. First, there is a trend in the academic debate in favor of restricting GA research that parallels worldwide policy changes in the same direction. Second, in several domains (e.g., moral standing, and respect and rights), the reasons were rather one-sided in favor of restrictions. Third, some prominent domains (e.g., science and welfare) featured considerable engagement between opposing positions. Fourth, there is low diversity and independence among authors, including frequent potential conflicts of interests in articles defending a strong position (i.e., favoring a total ban or arguing against restrictions). Fifth, scholarly discussion was not the norm, as reflected in a high proportion of non-peer-reviewed articles and authors affiliated to non-academic institutions. (shrink)

Following Goldman’s seminal work, most contemporary philosophical contributions on the novice-expert relation have adopted a normative, expert-focused approach. In this paper, we aim to shift the focus of the philosophical analysis towards the characteristics of the novices, and how they might determine the choices that experts make. On the bases of recent empirical evidence from social psychology, we discuss how novices evaluate the messages that they receive and distinguish diverse kinds of novices according to their competence in message assessment. Building (...) on that analysis, we discuss the difficulties of approaches to expertise that focus only on the standpoint of novices or assume novices are homogeneous. In our analysis, we introduce the standpoint of experts, and we pay special attention to the heterogeneity of novices. This approach allows us to identify and address the difficulties faced by experts in the context of science communication. In the last part of the paper, we characterise and discuss the problem of experts when choosing a strategy in the issuing of a public campaign to advise or inform certain populations of novices. (shrink)

Abstract:: This essay addresses the notion of public order from the point of view of biopolitics. With that aim, it relates the authoritarian response to social protest with the moral ordering of public space, using the case of the 15-M movement in Spain. Then, it reads the notion of public order as a dispositive, in the Foucauldian sense of the term. Departing from there, it presents a brief genealogical approach to the relations among sexual and racial ordering o public space. (...) Finally, in dialogue with Sarah Ahmed and Mary Douglas, it explores the role of the biopolitics of public order in the constitution and policing of the moral and physical, internal and external borders separating the political community from its various others. (shrink)

El artículo muestra una estrategia metodológica para garantizar la dirección del proceso educativo para el desarrollo de la habilidad intelectual modelación en los estudiantes; devela sus principales fundamentos epistémicos, sus etapas y acciones esenciales. Para ello se aplicaron métodos científicos de investigación. La constatación de los resultados brinda evidencias positivas acerca de su pertinencia, al considerar el carácter coparticipativo y coprotagónico que adquieren las influencias educativas en el contexto institucional en la dirección de un proceso educativo único. The article shows (...) a methodological strategy to ensure the teaching process direction in order develop intellectual skill modeling in students; It reveals its main epistemic foundations, its stages and essential actions. That is the reason for which different research scientific methods were applied. Verification of results provides positive evidence of its pertinence when considering the collaborative nature of the educational influences within the institutional context in the direction of a unique educational process. (shrink)

Actualmente son necesarias propuestas educativas que promuevan la sostenibilidad mediante activismo digital. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la movilización de competencias digitales docentes a través de la creación de storytellings sobre la Fast Fashion. Su análisis mostró cómo estas experiencias pueden propiciar el desarrollo de capacidades de comunicación y colaboración, como son la participación para la creación de contenidos, la participación ciudadana en línea o la capacidad para compartir contenidos. Los vídeos creados relacionan las acciones cotidianas con las (...) consecuencias socioambientales y llaman a la transición hacia formas de consumo conscientes, mostrando su potencial creativo e inspirador. (shrink)

This article analyses the contested adoption of electric lights by the Spanish Catholic church during the Bourbon Restoration era. Through a careful reading of primary sources, namely Catholic popular magazines, and official documents, it will show how Catholic authorities and practitioners resisted, negotiated and, ultimately, engaged with electricity in religious spaces. The article argues that electric light contributed to wider exchanges in a non-monolithic Spanish Catholicism on the observance of traditional values or the possibilities of the church’s modernization. However, amid (...) a particularly tense moment regarding the secular–clerical relations, the systematic use of electric lights in churches at the turn of the twentieth century—but also in other public ceremonies—contributed to the making of religious sensations aimed at attracting new believers and reasserting the presence of the institution in a disputed public space. (shrink)

Extrapolation of causal claims from study populations to other populations of interest is a problematic issue. The standard approach in experimental research, which prioritises randomized controlled trials and statistical evidence, is not devoid of difficulties. Granted that, it has been defended that evidence of mechanisms is indispensable for causal extrapolation. We argue, contrarily, that this sort of evidence is not indispensable. Nonetheless, we also think that occasionally it may be helpful. In order to clarify its relevance, we introduce a distinction (...) between a positive and a negative role of evidence of mechanisms. Our conclusion is that the former is highly questionable, but the latter may be a trustworthy resource for causal extrapolation. (shrink)

The life of Saint Teresa of Jesus, the most famous mystic of sixteenth-century Spain, was characterized by recurrent visions and states of ecstasy. In this paper, we examine social components related to Teresa’s personal crises and the historical conditions of her times, factors that must be taken into account to understand these unusual forms of experience and behavior. Many of these factors (e.g., increasing individualism and reflexivity) are precursors of the condition of modern times. Indeed, certain parallels can be observed (...) between Saint Teresa and certain present-day psychopathological disorders. The analogy should not, however, be carried too far. Religion played a particularly crucial role in Teresa’s cultural context; as a result, it would be misleading to view her mystical experiences as resulting from a mental disorder. (shrink)

In 1980 L. M. de Rijk edited some texts connected with medieval disputation ( Die mittelaterlichen Traktate De modo opponendi et respondendi ), towards which he showed a strikingly contemptuous attitude. The reason for his contempt was that the treatises did not fit the obligationes and sophismata tradition. In this article I focus on the original version, the Thesaurus Philosophorum , to highlight the distinction of this family of treatises with respect to the “modern“ tradition. First, I study the features (...) of the disputation that can be recognised through the collection of fallacious arguments contained in the Thesaurus . Second, I briefly examine the contents of the treatise and their arrangement, showing that they are closely related to the kind of disputation in question. I hope to support the idea that neither the technique of disputation nor the contents and their arrangement deserve a straightforward rejection. (shrink)

Este es artículo es una reflexión en torno a la sociedad VUCA y BANI en la que nos hallamos inmersos. Tras caracterizar a una y otra, se describe las dos crisis que han marcado a esta sociedad: la primera, es la crisis económico-financiera del 2008 y, la segunda, es la crisis que generó la COVID-19 (2019). A estas dos, se le unía otra subyacente, en la sociedad, que es la llamada “crisis de valores” que alcanzó a distintas partes de la (...) sociedad. También, se describe cómo en las últimas dos décadas se ha agravado una crisis medio ambiental que se está produciendo a escala mundial. Además, a estas dos crisis, se añade una crisis geopolítica de alcance imprevisibles, para el conjunto, de la población mundial que se refleja en la invasión por parte de Rusia de Ucrania y el agravado conflicto palestino-israelí con las consecuencias que tienen tanto una como la otra en la población mundial. El impacto de esta situación que se refleja en la sociedad lleva al autor a plantearse su impacto en las personas, en las distintas partes implicadas en la tarea de educar y el reflejo/la necesidad de unas voces éticas en la Educación. (shrink)

El tema de los sueños en la obra de Foucault tiene un lugar marginal, aunque muestra una intermitente persistencia a lo largo del tiempo, ya que es posible encontrarlo primero en su escrito temprano sobre Binswanger; luego, en sus reflexiones en torno a la historia de la locura; y, finalmente, en sus abordajes sobre las “técnicas de sí” en la Antigüedad. En el presente artículo se propone un recorrido por estos tres momentos en los que Foucault se ocupa de los (...) sueños, con el objetivo de detectar las diferentes modulaciones de esta vía de acceso a la existencia, a la historia y a las “técnicas de sí”, alternativa al modelo “psicologizante”. (shrink)