El presente trabajo analiza la construcción del espacio caribeño en la novela Rastro de sal de la escritora costarricense Arabella Salaverry. Este espacio se aborda desde dos perspectivas específicas: una, vinculada con la representación general del espacio caribeño. Este análisis se centra en tres relaciones concretas: conectividad/aislamiento, naturaleza/cultura, centro/periferia. La segunda perspectiva se interesa más bien en los espacios domésticos y su interacción con los personajes femeninos, a partir de las relaciones libertad/prisión e interior/exterior. Se concluye que, en Rastro de (...) sal, el Caribe se presenta como un espacio contradictorio, dinámico y desigual. (shrink)

A humane and respectful treatment of patients by the staff has inspired the creation of the Department of Humanism and Bioethics at the University Hospital of Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá which not only has met, but even surpassed established goals. Since 2013, the Department has developed different activities that have made it possible to respond more ethically to the daily needs of patients and to strengthen other humanization processes. Currently, the Department of Humanism and Bioethics addresses five lines of (...) work: a continuing education program, an assistance advisory program, support, and strengthening of existing committees, support for the activities of our institutional humanization program and research activities. This article updates the experience of this Department, specifically focusing on notable changes in the last years. (shrink)

Resumen El proyecto Es.Var.Atenuación se interesa por el estudio de la atenuación pragmática a nivel lingüístico, estructural, enunciativo y situacional, en corpus discursivos del español, a fin de reconocer las posibles estrategias atenuantes de un acto comunicativo. Para llevar a cabo el análisis se parte de una ficha de trabajo. Onomázein, 28, pp. 288–319; Albelda, Briz, Cestero, Kotwica y Villalba, 2014. Ficha metodológica para el análisis pragmático de la atenuación en corpus discursivos del español.. Oralia, 17, pp. 7–62) organizada en (...) cinco bloques de factores: funciones de la atenuación, procedimientos lingüísticos de la atenuación, factores estructurales, factores enunciativos y factores situacionales. A partir de esta ficha de trabajo, el propósito de nuestra investigación es considerar la implicación del componente fonoprosódico de la lengua, de modo que nos centramos en el segundo bloque de factores de la ficha indicada. Dicho bloque contiene 22 tácticas lingüísticas de atenuación; de ellas, la táctica 21 se refiere a los elementos prosódicos, paralingüísticos o gestuales y su papel en la expresión de atenuación. Esta táctica, no obstante, debe ser desarrollada para valorar mejor el peso de lo prosódico en la atenuación; se cuenta para ello con la experiencia previa del proyecto Fonocortesía, donde se manejan parámetros segmentales y suprasegmentales relevantes para la expresión de cortesía verbal. El objetivo de este trabajo es, en fin, desarrollar metodológicamente la descripción del componente prosódico en la actividad atenuadora, y precisar a través de parámetros acústicos objetivables en qué pueda consistir ese papel atenuante. (shrink)

A humane and respectful treatment of patients by the staff has inspired the creation of the Department of Humanism and Bioethics at the University Hospital of Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá which not only has met, but even surpassed established goals. Since 2013, the Department has developed different activities that have made it possible to respond more ethically to the daily needs of patients and to strengthen other humanization processes. Currently, the Department of Humanism and Bioethics addresses five lines of (...) work: a continuing education program, an assistance advisory program, support, and strengthening of existing committees, support for the activities of our institutional humanization program and research activities. This article updates the experience of this Department, specifically focusing on notable changes in the last years. (shrink)

Se presenta una panorámica de diferentes aspectos éticos vinculados con los procesos de investigación y de publicación académica. Se describen algunas interacciones entre los componentes del sistema de investigación, que pueden influir en conductas inapropiadas de los investigadores al realizar su trabajo y publicar sus resultados. Se destacan los principales valores y conocimientos que deben servir como marco de referencia a los investigadores para trabajar de forma honesta y hacer publicaciones balanceadas, justas y legales, dentro de un estilo académico riguroso (...) y claro. Se destacan algunas de las principales consecuencias del fraude académico y se hace un exhorto para fomentar una cultura de buenas prácticas académicas a los estudiantes durante su formación. (shrink)

Identifying the expression of anger in a foreign language and reproducing it appropriately and precisely are skills whose relevance and lack of satisfying proposals have been pointed by research on the pedagogy of emotions (Dewaele, 2010; Toya & Kodis, 1996). This paper combines an identification of lacks in the pedagogy of emotional intonation with an analysis of spontaneous samples of anger as a basis to didactic guidelines for the introduction of the contextualized teaching of anger expression in Spanish. Through colloquial (...) samples, key features for the expression of anger in Spanish are identified. A selection of technical features is adapted in an accessible didactic proposal that is conformed of the stages of identification, induction of recurrent patterns, guided and free production. The proposal offered here is a starting point for the design of didactic units on emotional and expressive speech, an area that lacks didactic guidelines. (shrink)

This article investigates the impact of the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on the comparability, quality, and efficiency of financial reporting, both in public administration and in emerging markets. Through a quantitative approach, data from various public institutions and emerging market companies that have adopted IFRS in recent years were analyzed. The results indicate a significant improvement in the comparability and quality of financial reports, although accounting efficiency varies depending on the degree of implementation and administrative modernization in (...) the countries. It is concluded that the adoption of IFRS has an overall positive effect, but its total impact depends on the institutional capacity of countries. (shrink)

In this study, we performed a comparative analysis to examine the extent to which local governments (LGs) in two Mediterranean countries – Spain and Italy – use their websites to disclose information related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in response to the launch of the United Nations' (UN) 2030 Agenda. We performed a manual content analysis of the official websites of all Italian and Spanish LGs with more than 100,000 inhabitants, constructing different disclosure indexes. We then used a non-parametric statistical (...) test to assess differences in disclosure behaviours between countries. Our findings show that the extent to which the investigated LGs disclose SDG-related information online remains limited. Based on Oliver's (1991) strategic responses framework, we postulate that Italian and Spanish LGs have responded to the launch of the SDGs by adopting compromise and avoidance strategies. (shrink)

Abstract: Introspection reveals that one is frequently conscious of some form of inner speech, which may appear either in a condensed or expanded form. It has been claimed that this speech reflects the way in which language is involved in conscious thought, fulfilling a number of cognitive functions. We criticize three theories that address this issue: Bermúdez’s view of language as a generator of second-order thoughts, Prinz’s development of Jackendoff’s intermediate-level theory of consciousness, and Carruthers’s theory of inner speech as (...) a rehearsal of action-schemata. We contend they have problems to account for those cases in which inner speech is fragmentary, and for the difference with those instances in which it appears as more sentence-like. In addition, we present verbal overshadowing as a phenomenon that neither of them can easily explain. Finally, we propose an account in which inner speech is fundamentally silent outer speech and argue that it is more explanatory than the alternatives. (shrink)

In this paper, using a multilevel approach, we defend the positive role of natural selection in the generation of organismal form. Despite the currently widespread opinion that natural selection only plays a negative role in the evolution of form, we argue, in contrast, that the Darwinian factor is a crucial (but not exclusive) factor in morphological organization. Analyzing some classic arguments, we propose incorporating the notion of ‘downward causation’ into the concept of ‘natural selection.’ In our opinion, this kind of (...) causation is fundamental to the operation of selection as a creative evolutionary process. (shrink)

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe how local research ethics committees (LRECs) consider and apply research ethics in the evaluation of biomedical research proposals. Design: A qualitative study was conducted using purposeful sampling, focus groups and a grounded theory approach to generate data and to analyse the work of the LRECs. Setting and participants: 11 LRECs of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS). Results: LRECs considered ethics to be implicit in all types of research, but that ethics reviews were only necessary (...) for projects that included the direct participation of human beings. The LRECs appeared to understand the importance of consent, as in the completion of a consent form, but did not emphasise the importance of the process of acquiring ‘informed’ consent. The committees considered their main roles or functions to be: (a) to improve the methodological quality of research and to verify – if applicable – the ethical aspects; (b) to encourage personnel to undergo research training; (c) to follow‐up research to oversee the adherence to norms and compliance with a specified research timetable. Conclusions: This study provides a valuable insight into how these LRECs understand the ethical review process. The emphasis of the committees was on rules, regulations, improving research methodology and research training, rather than a focus on efforts to protect the rights and well being of research subjects. The results encourage further normative and descriptive lines of investigation concerning education and the development of LRECs. (shrink)

El presente artículo pretende analizar el método que utiliza Norberto Bobbio para investigar sus objetos de estudio centrales, a saber: el derecho y la política. Se argumenta que el método de investigación propuesto por Bobbio es el de la reconstrucción. Además, se propone que para su despliegue su acude a la delimitación conceptual y la reconstrucción histórica. Un hallazgo importante del artículo muestra que es la perspectiva de la filosofía como concepción del mundo, elaborada por Bobbio, entre los años 40 (...) y 50 del siglo pasado permite la concreción del metido y las herramientas para entender la política y el derecho. Para la filosofía, en tanto concepción del mundo, Bobbio tomará elementos importantes de la tradición de la filosofía analítica, por una parte; por otra parte, de las enseñanzas de algunos filósofos, que, a través de los siglos, se han consolidado como clásicos. La reconstrucción como método de investigación mostrará que los objetos de estudio tales como el derecho y la política se comprenden partiendo de un cuidadoso y riguroso análisis de los conceptos fundamentales que los componen y del examen de las teorías esenciales de los filósofos clásicos del pensamiento occidental en el terreno político y jurídico. Para tratar estos asuntos, el presente artículo se dividirá en las siguientes partes: en un primer momento, se analiza la concepción de filosofía de Bobbio. En segundo lugar, se examina la idea de que la filosofía como método de investigación se debe entender como una dinámica de reconstrucción. Por último, el artículo propone que el desarrollo de la filosofía como método se efectúa a través de la delimitación y el análisis conceptual y a través de la reconstrucción histórica de los clásicos del pensamiento occidental. (shrink)

This article explores the question of how scientific uncertainty can be managed in medical decision making using the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices as a case study. It concludes that where a high degree of technical consensus exists about the evidence and data, decision makers act according to a clear decision rule. If a high degree of technical consensus does not exist and uncertainty abounds, the decision will be based on a variety of criteria, including readily available resources, decision-process constraints, (...) and the available knowledge base, among other things. Decision makers employ a variety of heuristic devices and techniques, thereby employing a pragmatic approach to uncertainty in medical decision making. The article concludes with recommendations for managing scientific uncertainty in medical decision making. (shrink)

In recent years, the most widespread doctrine about the conflicts between fundamental (usually constitutional) legal rights could be summarized in the following three main theses: (1) The elements in conflict are legal principles, as opposed to legal rules; (2) Those conflicts are not consequences of the existence of inconsistencies or antinomies between the norms involved, but rather depend on the empirical circumstances of the case. In other words, the norms are logically consistent and the conflicts are not determinable a priori (...) or in abstracto , but only in concreto ; and (3) The classical criteria for solving conflicts between norms, such as lex superior , lex posterior and lex specialis , are not suitable to solve conflicts among fundamental legal rights. Indeed, they require a specific method known as ‘weighing and balancing’. Although all three theses could be (and indeed have been) regarded as problematic, in this paper I address mainly the second one. I try to show that there is room for a tertium genus between antinomies (deontic inconsistencies) and conflicts caused by strict empirical circumstances that I call ‘contextual antinomies’. There are situations in which the norms involved are not inconsistent but the conflict arises for logical reasons. My thesis is that many conflicts between fundamental legal rights fall in this category. I offer, in an appendix, a proposal of formalization of this kind of conflict and the elements involved in it. (shrink)

I construct a quantum-logical model of the type of situation that seems to be at the root of the problem of interpreting the projection postulate (Luders' rule) as a criterion of minimal disturbance. It is shown that the most natural way of characterizing minimal disturbance leads to contradictory conclusions concerning the final state.

In this paper I consider recent discussions within the representationalist theories of phenomenal consciousness, in particular, the discussions between first order representationalism (FOR) and higher order representationalism (HOR). I aim to show that either there is only a terminological dispute between them or, if the discussion is not simply terminological, then HOR is based on a misunderstanding of the phenomena that a theory of phenomenal consciousness should explain. First, I argue that we can defend first order representationalism from Carruthers' attacks (...) and ignore higher order thoughts in our account of phenomenal consciousness. Then I offer a diagnostic of Carruthers' misunderstanding. In the last section I consider further reasons to include mindreading abilities in an explanation of phenomenal consciousness. (shrink)

Abstract:Our research investigated pricing policies of fast-food restaurants in predominantly black neighborhoods. We argue that the lack of monitoring of franchisees’ pricing policies leads to higher prices. Results indicate that franchisees are significantly more likely than company-owned outlets to charge higher prices based on the proportion of blacks in a neighborhood. These price differences do not appear to be explained away by cost or competition factors. Our findings do not establish an intent to discriminate; nevertheless, we discuss the fairness of (...) the pricing structure found. (shrink)

En este breve comentario se pretende dialogar con el estimulante texto de Guillermo Hurtado y profundizar en lo que parece su mayor preocupación: el papel político que la filosofía analítica debe desempeñar en una relación crítica y constructiva con las democracias latinoamericanas. In this brief paper we intend to engage in a dialogue with the stimulating text of Guillermo Hurtado, deepening in what we think is its main concern: the political role that analytical philosophy should take in a critical and (...) constructive relationship with Latin American democracies. (shrink)

Each chapter of this dissertation develops a standard with which to evaluate and guide the improvement of a different node of a democratic system. In the first chapter, I consider the relationship between citizens, their environment, and the formal infrastructure of democracy. The standard for this node is democratic health, which is a feature of the social epistemic environment in which citizens operate. I argue that a democratically healthy environment is one that is conducive to the development of citizens’ epistemic (...) capacities to reason and communicate about their interests. I then demonstrate how political phenomena such as polarization pose social epistemic challenges to democratic health and argue that an epistemic conception of civic virtue can guide efforts to improve it. In the second chapter, I consider the relationship between representatives and their constituents under non-ideal conditions. The key standard for this node is systemic interest-responsiveness. I argue that observed public opinion and citizens’ values, commitments, and goals can stand in tension, and that representative democracies must be responsive to both factors. On this basis, I argue in favor of pairing independent administrative agencies with expanded forms of public input. In the third chapter, I consider how civic education can promote epistemic civic virtue. The key standard I develop here is the social epistemic public good. I argue that civic education can provide social epistemic benefits through its civic exchange function, which enables citizens to learn about the views and traditions of other citizens, and prepares them to effectively communicate with diverse others. Furthermore, I argue that this function can be pursued in the absence of widespread agreement about which values civic education should promote. (shrink)

El artículo aborda planteamientos que llegan a postular que la ciencia ha de rehacerse de nuevo, lo que se inscribe en un postulado mayor de que la edad moderna ha terminado y que estamos atravesando un período de transición. Así, no estaríamos solamente ante una crisis de los fundamentos del conocimiento científico, sino también del filosófico, y, en general, ante una crisis de los fundamentos del pensamiento. Se señala que abrirse a este examen crítico podrá poner en evidencia muchos vicios (...) de lógica que se han ido convirtiendo en hábito en amplios sectores de la vida académica. El autor expone la teoría como referencia la teoría del conocimiento del positivismo lógico, para seguir con su cuestionamiento, tras lo cual presenta los basamentos para un nuevo paradigma epistémico, relacionándolos con sus autores y proponentes. (shrink)