La mise en garde d'un psychiatre spécialiste de l'enfance sur les dérives de l'indifférenciation sexuelle.

La gestation pour autrui ( gpa ) est une des méthodes de procréation médicalement assistée qui pose aujourd’hui le plus question. En effet, sa légitimité est discutée tant elle bouscule toutes les représentations classiques de la famille et la parentalité. Afin de mieux comprendre ce phénomène, l’étude reprise dans cet article s’est penchée sur la motivation des mères porteuses à offrir leurs services à un couple souhaitant avoir un enfant en recourant à la gpa. Quatre femmes ont été rencontrées à (...) qui il a été proposé de raconter la manière dont elles ont vécu cette « expérience ». La méthodologie est qualitative et comprend un entretien semi-structuré complété par deux génogrammes. Seront présentés dans cet article les principaux résultats concernant la motivation de la mère porteuse. Deux aspects ont particulièrement retenu l’attention : leur haut niveau d’empathie et la présence d’une dette au fondement de la motivation des mères porteuses. (shrink)

A review of the literature indicates that linear models are frequently used in situations in which decisions are made on the basis of multiple codable inputs. These models are sometimes used normatively to aid the decision maker, as a contrast with the decision maker in the clinical vs statistical controversy, to represent the decision maker "paramorphically" and to "bootstrap" the decision maker by replacing him with his representation. Examination of the contexts in which linear models have been successfully employed indicates (...) that the contexts have the following structural characteristics in common: each input variable has a conditionally monotone relationship with the output; there is error of measurement; and deviations from optimal weighting do not make much practical difference. These characteristics ensure the success of linear models, which are so appropriate in such contexts that random linear models may perform quite well. 4 examples involving the prediction of such codable output variables as GPA and psychiatric diagnosis are analyzed in detail. In all 4 examples, random linear models yield predictions that are superior to those of human judges. (shrink)

Aujourd’hui, l’être humain est en danger non seulement sur le plan éthique mais aussi sur celui de sa survie en tant que tel, puisque nous sommes en train de changer non seulement de civilisation mais de vision de l’homme, après la révolution technologique. Seuls la loi et le droit peuvent intervenir dans cette mutation inédite, et il appartient au droit de statuer sur l’avenir de l’humanité et de décider pour l’homme de ce qu’il deviendra de lui.

This study investigates factors impacting perceptions of ethical conduct of peers of 293 students in four US universities. Self-reported ethical behavior and recognition of emotions in others (a dimension of emotional intelligence) impacted perception of ethical behavior of peers. None of the other dimensions of emotional intelligence were significant. Age, Race, Sex, GPA, or type of major (business versus nonbusiness) did not impact perception of ethical behavior of peers. Implications of the results of the study for business schools and industry (...) professionals are discussed. (shrink)

Studies have found that academic dishonesty is widespread. Of particular interest is the case of business students since many are expected to be the leaders of tomorrow. This study examines the cheating behaviors and perceptions of 819 business and engineering students at three private Lebanese universities, two of which are ranked as the top two universities in the country. Our results show that cheating is pervasive in the universities to an alarming degree. We first analyzed the data by looking at (...) the variables gender, college, GPA, and whether the students had taken the business ethics course. We then supplemented this analysis by building an ordered logistic regression model to test whether these independent variables affect the level of engagement in cheating behavior when we control for the other variables. The results show that males engage in cheating more than females and that students with a lower GPA engage in cheating more. We initially find a difference between business and engineering students, but once we control for the other variables, this difference ceases to exist. Our most surprising result is that the business ethics course seems to have a detrimental effect on the cheating behavior of students. Finally, we find that perception plays a key role in defining the behavior of students. The more that students perceive that others are engaging in a certain behavior, the higher the probability that they will engage in the behavior, even if they believe that this behavior constitutes cheating. (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)

In behavioral research, exploring bivariate relationships between variables X and Y based on the concept of probability-of-superiority (PS) has received increasing attention. Unlike the conventional, linear-based bivariate relationship (e.g., Pearson's correlation), PS defines that X and Y can be related based on their likelihood—e.g., a student who is above mean in SAT has 63% likelihood of achieving an above-mean college GPA. Despite its increasing attention, the concept of PS is restricted to a simple bivariate scenario ( X - Y pair), (...) which hinders the development and application of PS in popular multivariate modeling such as structural equation modeling (SEM). Therefore, this study addresses an empirical-based simulation study that explores the potential of detecting PS-based relationship in SEM, called PS-SEM. The simulation results showed that the proposed PS-SEM method can detect and identify PS-based when data follow PS-based relationships, thereby providing a useful method for researchers to explore PS-based SEM in their studies. Conclusions, implications, and future directions based on the findings are also discussed. (shrink)

Using student self-reported cheating admissions and answers from a hypothetical cheating scenario, this paper analyzes the effects of individual and situational factors on potential cheating behavior. Results confirm several conclusions about student factors that are related to cheating. The probability of cheating is associated with younger students, lower GPAs, alcohol consumption, fraternity/sorority membership, and having cheated in high school. Student perceptions of the certainty and severity of punishment appear to have a negative and significant impact on the probability of cheating (...) on in-class assignments. Students who report a belief that cheating is never acceptable appear to be significantly less likely to cheat in any circumstance. This study illustrates the context-dependent nature of academic dishonesty, and the associated difficulty in understanding the relationships between measurable factors and cheating behavior. (shrink)

Using a Solomon four-group design, we investigate the effect of a case-based critical thinking intervention on students’ critical thinking skills. We randomly assign 31 sessions of business classes to four groups and collect data from three sources: in-class performance, university records, and Internet surveys. Our 2 × 2 ANOVA results showed no significant between-subjects differences. Contrary to our expectations, students improve their critical thinking skills, with or without the intervention. Female and Caucasian students improve their critical thinking skills, but males (...) and non-Caucasian do not. Positive performance goals and negative mastery goals enhance and decrease improvements of their CTA scores, respectively. ACT and age are related to pre- and post-test. Gender is related to pre-test. GPA is related to post-test. Results shed light on the Pygmalion effect, the Galatea effect, ability, motivation, and opportunity as signals for human capital, and business ethics. (shrink)

This study examined whether undergraduate students’ perceptions regarding the acceptability of cheating were influenced by the amount of ethics instruction the students had received and/or by their personality. The results, from a sample of 230 upper-level undergraduate students, indicated that simply taking a business ethics course did not have a significant influence on students’ views regarding cheating. On the other hand, Machiavellianism was positively related to perceiving that two forms of cheating were acceptable. Moreover, in testing for moderating relationships, the (...) results indicated that the extent to which taking a business ethics course influenced attitudes varied substantially across individuals. Specifically, taking a course in business ethics did result in students who scored lower on Machiavellianism holding even more negative views regarding certain forms of cheating. In addition, individuals with higher grade point averages (GPAs) who had taken a course in business ethics were also less accepting of certain forms of cheating than individuals with similar GPAs who had not taken the business ethics course. The implications of these findings are discussed. (shrink)

The value–attitude–behavior and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) appear to provide limited explanation for consumer green purchase behavior. This study aims to examine the relationship between pro-environmental value, consumption value, and TPB toward green car purchasing intention among the young Chinese generation. A total of 541 student responses were collected, and the results showed that altruistic value positively influenced subjective norm (SN) and perceived behavioral control (PBC), but negatively influenced green purchase attitude (GPA). Biospheric value positively influenced GPA and (...) PBC. Function value and emotional value positively influenced GPA, respectively, and emotional value fully mediated the relationship between function value and GPA. Furthermore, GPA, SN, PBC positively influenced intention toward green car purchasing behavior, respectively, and SN mediated the relationship between GPA and intention. This study shows how pro-environmental value and consumption value can influence components of TPB in green car purchase intention. (shrink)

This paper expands the current business ethics research area by empirically testing the relationships between students’ misconduct including academic dishonesty (i.e., plagiarism/fabrication and/or exam cheating) and undesirable academic behaviors (i.e., disrespectful behaviors and/or slacker behaviors) and their perception of business ethics. Based on 133 surveys from the students in a northwestern regional comprehensive university business program, this study reveals that students who have reported higher frequencies of engaging in exam cheating, disrespectful behavior, or slacker behavior have perceived the given questionable, (...) unethical employee practices as more acceptable conducts than the students who have reported lower frequencies. Students who have more frequently engaged in plagiarism/fabrication are found to be more accepting of both questionable, unethical business operations and employee practices. Gender, age, and cumulative GPA have been additionally explored and found to have correlations with business ethics perception. For ethically-sensitive future practitioners, this paper calls for institutions of higher education (IHEs) to provide clear guidelines on academic conduct/misconduct along with business ethics education in curriculum. (shrink)

The present study is quantitative applied educational research that first analyzes a theoretical framework that affirms that the academic performance of students constitutes a central element in university education since it represents a measure of the learning achieved by individuals and, at the same time, an indicator of the quality of higher education institutions and systems. Likewise, it is specified that the problem of the study is: How does the academic performance of university students’ impact in the Peruvian context? Considering (...) that there are factual realities that need to be reviewed in a relevant way, such as difficulties in grades and GPA, difficulties in-class participation, difficulties in delivering assignments and projects on time, inadequate interaction with professors and classmates, and absenteeism. A case study was used, selecting 106 students from a private university in Lima through a non-probabilistic and intentional sampling. The technique applied was the survey and the instrument was a questionnaire. A total of 20 questions were asked considering a work structure called "Construction and Validation of the RAU scale of University Academic Performance" composed of three dimensions (contribution to academic activities, dedication to study, and lack of organization of teaching resources). As a main result, the importance of formative management of students' motivation became evident. It is concluded that it was possible to obtain two dimensions resulting from the model, which are the formative metacognitive dimension and the formative socio-humanistic dimension. (shrink)

Recent research in the educational context has focused not only on academic achievement but also on subjective well-being (SWB) as both play a major role in students’ lives. Whereas the determinants of academic achievement have been extensively investigated, little research has been conducted on school-related determinants of SWB in comparison with other students’ characteristics. In the present cross-sectional study, we set out to investigate whether perceived school climate predicts school grades and SWB above and beyond other variables that are important (...) for SWB and academic achievement. A sample of 767 8th and 9th grade students (n = 361 female adolescents; age: M = 14.07 years, SD = 0.92) completed measures of SWB, perceived school climate, test anxiety, self-efficacy, and interest. Grade point average (GPA) indicated students’ academic achievement. Data were analyzed with latent structural equation models in which GPA and SWB were regressed on the school climate variables and students’ characteristics. Results indicated that a positive school climate as well as self-efficacy and the worry component of test anxiety predicted SWB and/or GPA after all other variables were controlled for. Directions for future research and the importance of school climate variables on adolescents’ SWB and academic achievement are discussed. (shrink)

Over the last 80 years, a major goal of medical educators has been to improve the quality of applicants to medical school and, hence, the resulting doctors. To do this, academic standards have been progressively strengthened. The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) in the United States and the undergraduate science grade point average (GPA) have long been correlated with success in medical school, and graduation rates have been close to 100 percent for many years. Recent studies have noted that some (...) doctors having difficulties in practice were found to have had similar problems while in school. In this essay, we present a brief historical account of attitudes and approaches to admissions requirements, then discuss basic broad areas of accomplishment in clinical practice: academic mastery, clinical acumen, and professionalism. We then review data that suggest that lack of competency can often be detected very early in a student’s career and may or may not be immune to remediation efforts. We end with a recommendation for a course of action that upholds and fulfills the profession’s social responsibility. This will be a moral argument, defending an aggressive but equitable approach to maintaining both public accountability and trust. (shrink)

A l'été 2019, le parlement français se saisira de la loi sur la bioéthique. Ajouter une pierre au débat, tel est l'objectif de ce court livre qui aborde les différentes questions liées à l'éthique et aux sujets actuellement en débat au sein de la société française et sur lesquels le parlement sera amené à délibérer : - procréation (PMA, GPA), - fin de vie (assistance au suicide, accompagnement des malades en fin de vie), - dons d'organes, - intelligence artificielle.

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced significant disruptions and challenges to the learning environment for many post-secondary students with many shifting entirely to remote online learning. Barriers to academic success already experienced in traditional face-to-face classes may be compounded in the online environment and exacerbated by stressors related to the pandemic. In 2020–2021, post-secondary institutions were faced with the reality of rolling out fully online instruction with limited access to resources for assisting students in this transition. Instructional interventions that target students’ ability (...) to self-regulate their learning have been shown to improve academic performance and self-regulated learning competencies have also been found to mediate the effect of SRL interventions on higher education. However, few studies have examined the efficacy of fully online SRL intervention on mitigating the impact of psychological distress and academic challenges on academic success. This study examined the moderating roles of self-regulatory practices and SRL intervention in buffering the influence of COVID-related psychological distress and academic challenges on academic outcomes and academic challenges) in a Canadian sample of undergraduate students. We found levels of metacognitive and motivational challenges fully mediated the impact of COVID distress on GPA, SRL adapting practices moderated the impact of metacognitive challenges on GPA, and semester-long SRL intervention buffered the impact of COVID distress on academic challenges and resulted in lower levels of social-emotional, cognitive, and metacognitive challenges for first year undergraduate students. (shrink)

The research seeks to ascertain the influence of the Needham and Cosgrove-Osborne models on the comprehension of educational foundations among students at the Faculty of Education. Employing a partially controlled experimental design, the researcher randomly selected a control group from Division C, with Division A representing the first experimental group and Division B the second. The study involved 92 participants, with 30 students in each experimental group and 32 in the control group. To ensure statistical equivalence among the three groups, (...) the researcher utilized one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to assess variables such as chronological age (in months), intelligence test results, and the previous year's Grade Point Average (GPA). A test was crafted to evaluate concept acquisition, with its validity and reliability duly established. Upon statistical analysis of the students' responses using ANOVA and the Scheffe test to pinpoint differences in means, the findings revealed significant disparities between the average scores of students in the first and second experimental groups, who studied the subject matter using the Needham, Cosgrove, or Osborne models. The researcher posits that the Needham and Cosgrove-Osborne models should be integrated into teaching practices, given their demonstrated effectiveness as instructional paradigms. (shrink)

The aim of this study was threefold: First, to examine the dimensionality of the construct of General Academic Ability at the subscale level providing additional insights over and above on the conceptualization of the construct. Second, to explore different degrees of measurement invariance of the GAA across gender using more recent advancements in the examination of Measurement Invariance. Third, to examine gender differences across the different facets of the GAA at the latent mean level. The sample consisted of 1,800 high (...) school graduates who applied for higher education in Saudi Arabia. The results from the analysis indicated that the hierarchical model with one higher-order factor and four lower-order cognitive factors exhibited an excellent fit to the data. In terms of the measurement invariance hypothesis, it was found that the hierarchical model exhibits full configural and metric invariance and partial scalar invariance. Finally, using the Latent Mean Difference procedure, the results showed gender differences in the Verbal and GPA domains. Although significant differences were also found in the Scholastic aptitude domain, this finding is not stable due to several non-invariant items within the domain. In both cases, females scored higher than males. Finally, regarding the higher-order factor, the results showed that females scored higher than males. There were no significant differences in the Quantitative domain. (shrink)

The present study examined relationships between chronic regulatory focus and motivation to improve upon academic outcomes in a sample of individuals varying in degree of hopelessness depression (HD) symptoms. Participants recalled a recent negative academic outcome, completed a measure of regulatory focus, reported their subsequent motivation to improve upon future academic outcomes, and then indicated whether their grades on examinations, assignments, and their GPAs had improved or worsened since the described outcome. Results indicate that degree of HD symptoms positively relates (...) to prevention focus and negatively relates to promotion focus, and the negative relationships between HD symptoms and both motivation and performance outcomes are mediated by (lack of) promotion focus. (shrink)

In the last few years, a great deal of attention has been paid to the effects that the achievements of the Human Genome Project will have on the confidentiality of medical information. The Genetic Privacy Act is an attempt to address the privacy, confidentiality, and property rights relating to obtaining, requesting, using, storing, and disposing of genetic material. The GPA grew out of concerns over the vast amount of genetic information that is a product of the Human Genome Project. The (...) central goals of the GPA are twofold: to define an individual's right to control access to their genetic material and the privilege to control the information derived therefrom; and to prevent potential and actual abuse of genetic information by third parties, such as insurance companies, employers, and government. The GPA is one of a group of proposals that seek to control the flow of medical information from the individual to health care professionals and to other persons. (shrink)

Despite the flourishing of positive education, understanding of whether different character strengths have different predictive effects on academic achievement/ well-being and the mechanisms of actions between character strengths is limited. Specifically, this study adopted strength use as a mediator to understand well how character strength (assessed by caring, inquisitiveness, and self-control) is associated with students’ end-of-year academic achievements and well-being. Survey data from 349 adolescents from three different schools showed that three factors of character strengths have positive correlations with academic (...) achievements and well-being. Regression models indicated that inquisitiveness and self-control predicted academic achievements, while caring, inquisitiveness, and self-control predicted well-being, with the foremost as the strongest predictor. Mediation analyses indicated that (1) strengths use fully mediated the relationship between inquisitiveness, self-control, and academic achievements/well-being, while (2) caring had a direct effect on well-being. These findings provided possible explanations on how character strengths could affect students’ academic achievements or well-being and theoretical and empirical evidence for practices that aim to enhance students’ academic achievements and positive developments via interventions based on character strengths. (shrink)

Urban networks have been widely examined using infrastructure connection and firm connection data. In particular, urban networks constructed based on firm connection data have been used to depict the circulation of capital, information, personnel, and products between cities. Existing studies on firm connection networks rely on either inter- or intrafirm relationships. However, there exist various important extra-firm relationships, such as those between firms and governments, research institutions, and nonprofit organizations. This study innovatively incorporates the extra-firm relationships between governments and firms (...) into urban network construction to provide new insights into the field of urban network research. Using Northeast China as a case study, we construct government procurement activity connection networks for both central projects and local projects at the regional and national scales. Social network analysis and regression analysis are used to analyze the network characteristics and factors associated with the network structure. The results show that three provincial capitals hold dominant positions across all the networks. While these capitals serve as GPA suppliers in the region, they are mainly GPA consumers nationally. The factors of spatial proximity, economic development, population, and provincial boundaries were found to be significantly associated with GPA connections. Our study provides important insights into the role of cities in firm-government supply-demand networks. This research can be used to help formulate effective strategies to improve a city’s competitiveness and cities’ cooperation in the GPA supply-demand network. (shrink)

This study investigates the relationship between the usage of artificial intelligence (AI), specifically AI-based personalized recommendations (AI-PR), and its impact on consumers’ green product awareness (GPA) during online shopping. Recognizing that AI’s influence alone may not significantly affect green buying behaviours, we introduce emotional intelligence (EI) as a moderator to better understand human impact when using AI. The research framework is built upon the Interactive Recommendation Agents and the SOBC framework. A self-administered survey was conducted with 403 respondents, and the (...) data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that AI and AI-PR positively impact GPA, with partial mediation observed among the variables. Furthermore, emotional intelligence positively moderates the relationship between perceived AI usage and GPA. Specifically, individuals with higher emotional intelligence exhibit a stronger positive association between AI usage and GPA. Conversely, emotional intelligence negatively moderates the relationship between AI-based personalized recommendations and GPA, indicating that higher EI weakens the relationship between AI-PR and GPA, while lower EI strengthens it. The implications of this study are significant for marketers and retailers aiming to utilize AI-based personalized recommendations to encourage green behaviour and contribute to a sustainable future. These insights can help them understand the complex dynamics between AI, emotional intelligence, green product awareness, and behavioural intentions. (shrink)

BackgroundFear of failure is described as a “dispositional tendency to avoid failure in achievement settings.” It may potentially and adversely affect students’ ability to perform well in their educational activities.ObjectivesTo measure FoF among medical students at King Saud University, FoF between men and women, academic levels, grade point average, and other factors among medical students were compared.MethodA cross-sectional observational study was carried out using a stratified random sampling method. A total of 455 medical students completed “the Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory” (...) during the academic year 2019–2020 at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.ResultsThe results showed that the mean of FoF was −0.3117. Moreover, higher levels of fear of devaluing one’s self-estimate were seen in women, and higher levels of fear of important others losing interest were seen in men. A significant relation was seen between different academic levels and fear of shame and embarrassment, fear of upsetting important others, as well as FoF. Higher levels of FoF were seen in those who had a GPA below 3.5 and a GPA greater than 4.9. Also, it was high in students who were not interested in studying medicine. The Cronbach’s α value of 0.93 of all items indicates good internal consistency, and the factor analysis confirms five items of an instrument.ConclusionThe overall level of FoF was low among medical students at King Saud University. However, the domains and levels of FoF differed significantly according to gender, academic level, GPA, and interest in studying medicine. (shrink)

Recent policy reports documented that a growing group of students in secondary education could perform better given their expected performance. Studies showed that school performance is related to a range of social-emotional factors, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and responsible decision making. However, experimental studies in schools on the relation between these factors and school performance are scarce and results are mixed. This study used a randomized field experiment to examine whether self-reflection on school behavior of underperforming secondary school students (...) affected their school performance (GPA), school engagement and self-concept. The sample comprised 337 9th grade students (M = 15.74 years old; SD = 0.58) from 18 secondary schools in the Netherlands. The intervention was designed in co-creation with teachers, to be as close to school practice as possible. Underperformance was measured using achievement test scores from both primary and secondary school, supplemented with teacher and parental assessments. Different model specifications were estimated to perform the analyses, and test for robustness of findings. The results showed that for treatment compliance, students with higher school motivation were approximately 29 percent more likely to comply. Students who reported higher levels of self-concept of school tasks were 17 percent less likely to comply. No significant effects of the treatment were observed on students’ GPA, school motivation, hours spent on homework or self-concept of school tasks. The treatment showed a negative effect on self-concept of leadership skills. (shrink)

The Genetic Privacy Act is a comprehensive effort to protect individuals from unauthorized analysis of their DNA and from unauthorized disclosure of information resulting from genetic analysis. Irrespective of merit, every bill must survive legislative scrutiny. This is a considerable challenge, particularly for a bill as complex and far-reaching as the GPA. To illustrate my point, I describe the fate of two bills introduced into the Maryland Senate in 1995 by Senator Jennie Forehand. The first, also entitled the Genetic Privacy (...) Act, was a slightly modified version of the model legislation prepared by Annas, Glantz, and Roche. After a hearing, the bill received a 9-2 unfavorable vote from the Economic and Environmental Affairs Committee. The second was a much shorter bill, DNA Testing – Informed Consent and Confidentiality, which simply stated that “DNA analysis may only be performed with the informed consent of the person being analyzed” and that the results of such analysis “are the exclusive property of the person tested, are confidential, and may not be disclosed without the consent of the person being tested.” This bill had a hearing but was never put to a vote by the Judicial Proceedings Committee. My principal aim is to examine the testimony on these bills. I will conclude with some suggestions about accomplishing the goals of genetic privacy legislation. (shrink)

The present study investigates the influence of a virtual laboratory-based learning kit on the development of clever thinking skills among middle school students engaged in chemistry education. This research responds to the increasing demand for effective and engaging pedagogical approaches within the realm of science education. The study formulates a null hypothesis asserting that there is no statistically significant difference, at the 0.05 significance level, between the average scores of students in the experimental group utilizing the virtual laboratory-based learning kit (...) and those in the control group receiving instruction through traditional methods. An experimental design with partial control was employed, featuring an experimental group comprising 34 students and a control group consisting of 32 students from Qadisiyah Middle School for Boys. Participants were randomly selected to create an unbiased sample of 66 students. The groups were equated based on key variables, such as age, grade 6 grade point average (GPA), and prior knowledge of the subject matter. To facilitate effective learning, twenty-four daily teaching plans were meticulously constructed: the experimental group’s plans were aligned with the virtual laboratory-based educational kit, while the control group adhered to conventional instructional techniques. Subsequent statistical analysis was performed using SPSS to assess the outcomes of the two independent samples with unequal sizes. The findings revealed a significant enhancement in clever thinking skills among students in the experimental group who engaged with the virtual laboratory-based educational kit, in comparison to their counterparts in the control group. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate notable advantages associated with the incorporation of a virtual laboratory-based educational kit into chemistry instruction to foster the development of clever thinking skills among students. This research advocates for the integration of virtual laboratories into pedagogical practices and encourages further investigation across various educational levels and subjects to ascertain their broader implications for learning outcomes. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:The Weight I Just Can’t LoseShelley Lynn MeyersI have always been a “fat person”. According to the medical definition though, I have not always been obese. I have spent most of my life on a journey from chubby to obese, finally ending at my current “overweight” status. After years of struggling with obesity I had gastric bypass surgery, finally losing enough weight to be “normal.” However, regardless of the (...) number on the scale or the BMI category into which I fell, I was still “fat”. I may have lost weight but I did not lose the experience and memories of life as an obese person. I was a fat girl on the inside.My earliest memories of childhood consist of feeling fat and awkward. I was the kid reading a book, watching other little girls practice their cartwheels and boys play tag. I was the kid who also hated gym class, especially the days we practiced tumbling or had to climb ropes. I heard the other kids laugh when I had difficulty doing these things. It’s no surprise that I was last or next to last when we had to choose teams for sports. At least when we played flag football I could play center and use my weight as an asset, blocking players from the other team.Certainly, taunts about my weight and even my own intrusive condemning thoughts were not constant, but they were frequent. Admittedly, I probably berated myself much more often than my peers did. I hated being different. What saddens me to this very day are promises I would make to God if I only I could be “like everyone else”. Oh the things that I would change, or give up for the gift of being a normal size. Even my good qualities, such as academic achievement, became another characteristic that made me stand out when all I wanted to do was hide amongst the crowd. I would have happily traded the high GPA for a lower number on the scale. [End Page E4]Some memories from that era seem to be forever etched into my mind. It has been more than thirty years since I was in the seventh grade, but I remember one particular incident very clearly. I went to my first school dance and was thrilled that I actually slow danced with a boy that I had liked since the fourth grade, Jeff1*. We danced to “How Much I Feel” by Ambrosia. Jeff wore a plaid flannel shirt, and I remember how soft it felt when I put my arms around his neck. The puppy love joy I felt that night was short-lived. At school the next day I read a note written by a female classmate. She wrote about the dance, saying that she had wanted to dance with Jeff, but “he was dancing with that fat pig”. She included my name as well, so there was no mistaking to whom she was referring. I felt nauseous. I decided that happiness was just a set-up for disappointment.Even though I thinned out somewhat during high school, I was still larger than most of my friends and saw myself as fat. I received few actual comments about my weight but I just knew they were thinking it. My best friends were exceptionally thin (one, I would later find out had an eating disorder), which added to my distorted body image. I also was the “friend”, rather than the “girlfriend”, with boys asking me to introduce them to my skinny friends. I was ecstatic when I had a horrible case of the flu and lost a lot of weight due to vomiting and the inability to keep food down. I remember hoping that I could get the flu every couple of months.I read fashion magazines and studied the latest, greatest ways to lose weight. Diet pills, fad soup diets and low calorie frozen dinners were popular and I tried most of them. Sadly, the very methods I tried to “get skinny” likely put me on the path to obesity. Starving myself just led to unhealthy eating, cravings and quite possibly, a metabolism that had no... (shrink)

International studies focus on the successful transition into higher education, which is considered crucial for both the students and the educational institution in the context of students' learning and adjustment in higher education. The aim of the current study was to identify student profiles that include cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational aspects of learning, but also aspects of resilience, emotion dysregulation, and anxiety. The sample consists of 316 Greek undergraduate students. The results showed four different -cognitive-emotional learner profiles: the emotionally stable (...) and highly adaptive learner; the emotionally dysregulated and at risk learner; the emotionally dysregulated and highly adaptive learner; the emotionally stable and at risk learner. Emotionally dysregulated and at risk learner has a lower GPA than the emotional stable and highly adaptive learner, the emotionally dysregulated and highly adaptive learner and the emotionally stable and at risk learner. (shrink)

This study investigates the impact of learning strategies on the psychological well-being and academic performance of university students at Hanoi Metropolitan University, Vietnam. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the research combines quantitative data from a cross-sectional survey and qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that students who frequently employ cognitive strategies, such as elaboration and organization, and metacognitive strategies, including self-monitoring and goal-setting, report lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, and achieve higher academic performance. Quantitative results show a (...) significant difference in GPA between high and low users of these strategies, with a notable reduction in psychological distress among frequent users. Qualitative data further support these findings, highlighting the benefits of strategic learning in managing academic stress and enhancing academic outcomes. The study suggests that educational institutions should integrate training on these strategies into their curricula to improve both student well-being and academic success. (shrink)

Computation and Metacognitive skills are essential sub-skills under the domain of Critical Thinking which is a 21 st Century Skill. Having acquired these skills can greatly help students to have a better performance in the Mathematics course. The purpose of this study was to determine whether computation and metacognitive skills are significant predictors of students' performance in Mathematics. Students from four sections of the course Mathematics in the Modern World which was offered during the first semester of the academic year (...) 2018-2019 were selected as the participants of this study which was conducted at Gov. Alfonso D. Tan College, Tangub City, Misamis Occidental, Philippines. The results of this study showed that students' scores in computation and metacognitive test of skills significantly correlate with the students' performance in Mathematics in terms of Grade Point Average (GPA) and a positive direct relationship has been established. Using the Regression Analysis, the result revealed that both computation and metacognitive skills of the students were significant predictors of their performance in Mathematics. These research outcomes affirm that if students acquire these skills, they tend to perform better in Mathematics. This suggests that teachers are encouraged to be more strategic in training the students to acquire and develop computation and metacognitive skills by administering various mathematical problems that encourage students to think critically. (shrink)

The results are presented of first-principles calculations of the structural, elastic and lattice dynamical properties of GdX (X ¼ Bi, Sb). In particular, the lattice parameters, bulk modulus, phonon dispersion curves, elastic constants and their related quantities, such as Young’s modulus, Shear modulus, Zener anisotropy factor, Poisson’s ratio, Kleinman parameter, and longitudinal, transverse and average sound velocities, were calculated and compared with available experimental and other theoretical data. The temperature and pressure variations of the volume, bulk modulus, thermal expansion coefficient, (...) heat capacities, Gru¨neisen parameter and Debye temperatures were predicted in wide pressure (050 GPa) and temperature ranges (0–500 K). The plane-wave pseudopotential approach to the density-functional theory within the GGA approximation implemented in VASP (Vienna ab initio simulation package) was used in all computations. (shrink)

In Philosophy, it is well known that of the total faculty population, the proportion of women is significantly lower than men. This disproportion is odd for a discipline within the humanities; these numbers seem more compatible with what is found in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) careers. These proportions are in turn a product of the low female presence that exists from the previous levels of academic training in philosophy. What happens in the case of the philosophy student body? For (...) example, the report presented by BeeBee and Saul (2011), on women in philosophy in the United Kingdom, in the period 2008 and 2009, points out that in the first degrees of academic training, in the bachelor's degree, women occupy 45% of the student population, in the master's degree 38% and in the doctorate 35%. Thus, "it is notable that there is a reduction in the proportion of women from the bachelor's degree to the doctorate [...]. This has as a consequence that at the professional level women holding positions as professors represent only 19%" (BeeBee & Saul, 2011, p. 11). Recently, Torres González (2018), based on European Union studies, points out that in Spain, with respect to gender disparity in students, "the data yield as a result masculinized studies, where, contrary to what happens in the branch of the humanities to which it [philosophy] belongs, males outnumber females by 28 percentage points" (2018, p. 328). This disparity is reflected in philosophy at the professional level, "the indicators of vertical segregation show a reinforced glass ceiling, which presents one of the worst data of hierarchical discrimination in the university: the percentage of female professors in philosophy is 12% compared to 21% of female professors in higher education" (Idem). Although it is a fact that there are fewer women than men studying philosophy and, therefore, fewer women than men working professionally in this discipline, we do not yet have possible explanations for this phenomenon of gender disparity in the student body in philosophy. In some cases, even if the number of women entering the philosophy degree program is already low, the number of women graduating is even lower, which indicates that there is attrition along the way; the initial numbers of women entering the program tend to decrease by the time they graduate. Thus we come to the question that is the subject of this paper: What causes female students to drop out of the philosophy program? In this article we answer this question from the philosophy of science and supported by local empirical data, so we do not give a complete or even less exhaustive answer. We review two explanatory models that purport to answer the question of why there are fewer women in philosophy, both formatively and professionally. These are the Different Voices Model (DVM) and the Perfect Storm Model (PSM); we opt for the latter and give reasons for it. Regarding the empirical aspect of our research, our source of statistical data belongs to the undergraduate program in philosophy at the Facultad de Estudios Superiores Acatlán-UNAM, Mexico (FES Acatlán), obtained in the framework of the SWIP-Analytic Mexico workshops. Our analysis of these data shows that even when female students have better GPAs than male students and take fewer subjects while enrolled, female students graduate less than male students in the FES Acatlan degree program. (shrink)

Women’s entry into the legal academy in significant numbers—first as students, then as faculty—was a 1970s and 1980s phenomenon. During those decades, women in law schools struggled: first, for admission and inclusion as individual students on a formally equal footing with male students; then for parity in their numbers in classes and on faculties; and, eventually, for some measure of substantive equality across various parameters, including their performance and evaluation both in and in front of the classroom, as well as (...) in the quality of their experiences as students and faculty members and in the benefits to be reaped from their tenure. This part of the story of women’s entry into the legal academy in the 1970s and 1980s—a story of attempted admission, then inclusion, then integration and assimilation, and then, finally, equality—is now a familiar one, at least in broad outline. It is not, in its entirety, an uplifting story. According to a raft of articles produced by women law students in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, women law students during those decades participated less in the classroom, were called on and responded to differently when they did participate, suffered from more law-school-induced anxiety disorders and other mental health issues, graduated with lower GPAs and less law review experience, published fewer notes and filled fewer editorial positions on those journals, held fewer leadership positions overall while in law school, and had far more difficulties connecting with mentors, teachers, and would-be recommenders among the faculty than male students. Women law professors during those decades were tenured at significantly lower rates than men and, particularly at high prestige schools and at schools with fewer female faculty among the tenured ranks, were hired at lower rates that did not reflect their number in the pool of qualified applicants, had trouble asserting or maintaining authority in the classroom or being perceived as having authority, taught lower-prestige courses and received low teaching evaluations, and, like their students, were published far less frequently in the major and most prestigious law reviews. Much of this, albeit not all, has not changed much for either students or faculty. As women in law schools enter the posttenure and midcareer phase, many of the old problems persist while new ones appear: women faculty are invited to participate on panels less often than men, and both women students and faculty are underrepresented as authors in law reviews. Although gender-neutral parental leave is now available to faculty at most law schools, many such policies are still ad hoc. There is considerable worry, although no hard evidence, over whether men disproportionately use the time off to write rather than care for children. Women are still disproportionately overrepresented in some fields and underrepresented or unrepresented in others, and those fields correlate in unsurprising ways with levels of prestige: the more women in a field, the less prestigious. As elsewhere in the workforce, women faculty in legal education suffer from sexual harassment, most of which is unremedied. Women still suffer a pay gap in law schools that remains unaddressed at most universities, as it does elsewhere in academia. There is a sizeable literature on these depressing phenomena that stubbornly do not seem to abate. In these comments, however, I want to focus on another, less appreciated, part of the story of women’s entry into the legal academy in the 1970s and 1980s: the emergence of a body of scholarship—sometimes called feminist legal theory—produced by some of these women legal scholars over the same time period. The story I want to focus on, in other words, is not that of second- or third-wave women’s struggles within the academy, either for admission, acceptance, assimilation, or equality in law schools. Rather, this Article focuses on the story of the scholarship some of those second-wave assimilated women produced once they got there. Feminist jurisprudence, understood largely as scholarship on issues pertaining to gender equality, was launched in the 1970s, endures today, and continues to shape debates. Feminist legal theory, however, was in effect a subfield within feminist jurisprudence and, as its name implies, was an attempt to fashion a broad- based theoretical account of the relationship of law in liberal legal regimes to women’s subordination, patriarchy, and gender and sexual inequality— particularly in a post–civil rights era, when women enjoyed broad access to rights of formal equality, reproductive liberty, and liberal antidiscrimination law. Feminist legal theory so understood—a body of scholarship in search of a theoretical understanding of the relation of law to women’s subordination or, more simply, of law and patriarchy—was birthed in the 1970s, nurtured in the 1980s, and matured in the 1990s. I suggest in this Article that it is now seemingly in decline, and may soon disappear altogether. The reasons for this trajectory, I believe, are to date unexplored. Some reasons are fairly self-evident. Feminist legal theory was a product of three time-specific factors peculiar to the 1970s and 1980s: it reflected the political and the legal struggles of second-wave feminism. The critical theory schools were, to varying degrees, present or thriving in the academy in the 1970s and 1980s, within which feminist legal theory was birthed, grew, and then coexisted with critical theory, albeit at times very uneasily; and this feminist theory reflected second-wave women faculty and students’ mixed experiences of assimilation, success, and alienation in law schools themselves, as briefly recited above. Those three factors—the background politics, the presence of critical theory in law schools, and the differences in women’s experience of those schools—are all themselves either disappearing or dissipating in felt urgency, albeit in different ways and at different speeds, and that dissipation clearly is a part of the story of feminist legal theory’s decline. There are other reasons for its decline as well, however. Some are internal to feminism and feminist theory, and some pertain to the changing nature of legal scholarship from the 1980s to the present. I explore these reasons in Part II below. The story of the development of a distinctively feminist legal theory during the 1970s through the 1990s, and the story of its decline in the 2000s, is of obvious relevance to the history of second- and third-wave feminism. It should also be of interest for what it reveals about the nature of legal scholarship as it was understood, received, and produced in those decades. Its decline likewise reveals something about the changing nature of legal scholarship and the legal academy today. Thus, one conclusion I draw is that the feminist legal theory of the 1970s through the 1990s—regardless of the truth or lasting power of its claims—stands as an example of a type of legal scholarship that was somewhat distinctive to those decades. That form of legal scholarship, furthermore, likely can only emanate from the legal academy. For a host of reasons, we are currently in danger of losing this entire genre of intellectual work, which would be the polity’s loss, not just feminism’s or the legal academy’s. (shrink)

The Pão de Açúcar Group was a pioneer in food retailing in Brazil and is now one of the largest Brazilian retailers. Working in a pulverized market characterized by small players, the Group produces US$ 20.4 billion in gross sales. It has become the largest employer in the country with 140,000 of employees working in over 1,800 stores, in 18 of the 25 states in Brazil, and covering a sales area of over 2,800,000 m2 (Grupo Pão de Açúcar, GPA Consolidado. (...) Resultados 3T12. São Paulo, Brazil, p. 2. November, 1, 2012). The objective of this article is to analyze a business inclusion strategy of the Pão de Açúcar Group. The Caras do Brasil Program (Faces of Brazil) was created in 2002, by the Group directors as an effective initiative, aiming to develop a new sales channel for sustainably handling products. The Program opens opportunities for small suppliers, not only in the Pão de Açúcar chain but also among competitors and in other industries. The Program established some requirements for the producer to become a supplier, aiming to adapt the products to a regular commercialization with the Group. In this way, small producers can now rely on a complete business process, while beforehand the goods were sold mostly through small channels. (shrink)

La gestación por sustitución, llamada también subrogación de útero o alquiler de vientres, es una práctica que suscita múltiples problemas éticos relacionados con los límites morales del mercado, la idea del cuerpo humano como objeto de contrato o los conflictos entre libertad negativa y positiva. Además, la repercusión de las ideologías políticas y del feminismo en el debate es notable: por un lado, las izquierdas critican la mercantilización de la capacidad reproductiva, pues genera injusticias y grandes desigualdades; por otro, el (...) feminismo se opone a que las mujeres sean tratadas como medios para cumplir fines, y considera que la subrogación de útero conduce a la negación de las libertades conquistadas. El autor de este libro denuncia que el mercado reproductivo de corte neoliberal, nutriéndose del deseo de tener hijos y escudándose en la defensa de la libre elección, fomenta prácticas que perjudican a las mujeres gestantes, en clara desventaja económica y social, para satisfacer los intereses procreativos de las clases privilegiadas. Y en su crítica rescata conceptos clave de la izquierda emancipadora para abordar el debate en términos de derechos básicos y justicia social. (shrink)