Background: Personality pathology does not have to be a contraindication to a bariatric surgery if a proper pre-surgical assessment is done. Indicating subgroups of patients with their specific needs could help tailor interventions and improve surgical treatment outcomes.Objectives: Using the Alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorders and the ICD-11 model for PDs to detect subgroups of patients with obesity based on a specific constellation of maladaptive personality traits and the level of overall personality impairment.Methods: 272 consecutively consented patients who underwent (...) a standard pre-surgical psychological assessment. The majority were women, age range was 22–79 years. Patients’ average body mass index was 43.95 kg/m2. All participants were administered the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 from which Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Self Report and Standardized Assessment of Severity of Personality Disorder scores were gained using the “crosswalk” for common metric for self-reported severity of personality disorder. The k-means clustering method was used to define specific subgroups of patients with obesity and replicated for equality testing to the samples of non-clinical respondents and psychiatric patients.Results: The cluster analysis detected specific groups in the sample of patients with obesity, which differed quantitatively from the samples of non-clinical respondents and psychiatric patients. A vast majority of patients with obesity showed above-average values in most of the PID-5 facets compared to the United States representative general community sample. In two out of the three clusters defined, patients demonstrated moderate to severe personality psychopathology within the Detachment and Negative Affectivity domains according to PID-5, which in one of the clusters corresponded to the mild overall impairment in both, LPFS-SR and SASPD. Moreover, higher levels of psychopathology prove to be associated with higher age and use of psychiatric medication.Conclusions: The dimensional DSM-5 and ICD-11 trait models are suitable procedures for defining specific “characters” of patients in a pre-bariatric setting. As such, they help to identify subgroups of patients with obesity who are different from general population and psychiatric patients. Implications for clinical practice and further research are discussed. (shrink)

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a childhood prevalence of 5%. In about two-thirds of the cases, ADHD symptoms persist into adulthood and often cause significant functional impairment. Based on the results of family and twin studies, the estimated heritability of ADHD approximates 80%, suggests a significant genetic component in the etiological background of the disorder; however, the potential genetic effects on disease risk, symptom severity, and persistence are unclear. This article provides a brief review of the genome-wide and (...) candidate gene association studies with a focus on the clinical aspects, summarizing findings of ADHD disease risk, ADHD core symptoms as dimensional traits, and other traits frequently associated with ADHD, which may contribute to the susceptibility to other comorbid psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, neuropsychological impairment and measures from neuroimaging and electrophysiological paradigms, emerging as potential biomarkers, also provide a prominent target for molecular genetic studies, since they lie in the pathway from genes to behavior; therefore, they can contribute to the understanding of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms and the interindividual heterogeneity of clinical symptoms. Beyond the aforementioned aspects, throughout the review, we also give a brief summary of the genetic results, including polygenic risk scores that can potentially predict individual response to different treatment options and may offer a possibility for personalized treatment for the therapy of ADHD in the future. (shrink)

I argue for the role of trust and cooperation as part of the foundation of digital commerce by expanding the reach of the Integrative Social Contract Theory of Donaldson and Dunfee. I propose that a digital business community can be a community in the morally relevant ways that Donaldson and Dunfee describe, and that the basic framework of ISCT can apply to the digital business world similarly to its application in the offline business world. I then analyze the roles of (...) trust and cooperation in e-commerce, showing how they are important to the digital business community and explaining their moral relevance under a digital form of ISCT. I use the ISCT framework to show that trust and cooperation are an instantiation of the hypernorm of necessary social efficiency, and that authentic microsocial norms developed for the ends of trust and cooperation carry moral responsibility. (shrink)

The Daode jing is an essential work in both traditional Chinese culture and world philosophy. This guide provides an overview of the text, presenting its historical unfolding, its major concepts, and its contemporary use.

Neste artigo, investigamos práticas de citação de literatura científica na escrita reflexiva do gênero relatório de estágio supervisionado, produzido por professores em formação, em disciplinas de estágio obrigatório em Ensino de Língua Inglesa numa Licenciatura em Letras. Analisaremos, especificamente, como esses professores se representam a partir de citações de literatura científica, e caracterizaremos algumas funções exercidas pelas citações na escrita reflexiva emergente na esfera acadêmica. Utilizamos a abordagem dialógica da linguagem dos estudos bakhtinianos como referencial teórico de base, além de (...) aportes teórico-metodológicos acerca de tipos de sequência e de discurso propostos por Adam e Bronckart. Os resultados da pesquisa mostram que a prática de citação da literatura científica é uma invocação de autoridade com função de erudição, amplificação e ornamentação do discurso produzido, podendo orientar a ação pedagógica desenvolvida pelo professor em formação no estágio supervisionado.In this paper we investigate citation practices of scientific literature in reflexive writing from the genre of supervised pre-service training report produced by pre-service teachers enrolled in the mandatory pre-service training subject of English Language Teaching, at an undergraduate language teaching course. The aim of this research is to analyze how these pre-services teacher represent themselves based on citation practices of scientific literature, and characterize some of the functions deployed by the citations in the reflexive writing emerging in the academic sphere. We use the dialogic approach to language from Bakhtinian studies as a theoretical base, as well as theoretical and methodological contributions regarding types of sequences and of discourse proposed by Adam and Bronckart. The results of this research show that the practice of citation of scientific literature is an invocation of authority as a form of erudition, amplification and ornamentation of the discourse produced. This practice can also guide pedagogical action developed by pre-service teachers in their supervised training. (shrink)

Ljudski se mozak polako otvara znanstvenoj spoznaji. Novi uvidi u način rada ovog vrhunski sofisticiranog ljudskog/digitalnog »stroja« bacaju povratno svjetlo na načine »aktiviranja « ljudske osjetilnosti, načine doživljavanja i spoznavanja svijeta.Cilj je ovog rada istražiti moguću povezanost tehničkih naprava kao ljudskih ekstenzija i procesa u mozgu koji povratno određuju načine percepcije svijeta. Istovremeno riječ je o promišljanju zanimljive i u znanosti prisutne teze o podijeljenosti hemisfera ljudskoga mozga kao oblika podijeljenosti temeljnih ljudskih sposobnosti.U tom kontekstu želimo propitati bioetičku dimenziju McLuhanovog (...) razmišljanja o paraleli podijeljenosti hemisfera ljudskoga mozga i hemisfera civilizacija nastanjenih na istočnoj odnosno zapadnoj strani zemaljske kugle.Područja istraživanja su dakle sljedeća: tehnologije kao ekstenzije i ljudski mozak; lijeva i desna hemisfera mozga; tehnologije, kultura, mozak; ekstenzije jezika i pisma u predjezičkom i predpismenom; »digitalno« ustrojstvo mozga; mozak kao krajnji korektiv tehnocivilizacijskih zabluda.Postoje poveznice između neurolingvističkih, teoloških, filozofijskih i biologijskih stavova o mozgu. Tragajući za svojim odgovorima o izvorima jezika, o determiniranosti ljudskoga mišljenja, o odnosu potencijalnoga i realiziranoga, o sukobima u čovjeku između utilitarnog i empatije… u konačnici promišljanje želi odgovoriti na pitanje regulativnog karaktera ljudskog mozga u uspostavljanju balansa moći kako pojedinih ljudi tako i civilizacija.Science is slowly revealing secrets of the human brain. Latest discoveries on the functioning of this digital, highly sophisticated human “device” reflect the ways how sensations, experience and understanding of the world are “activated”.The aim of this study is to investigate the eventual link between technical devices as human extensions and brain processes that in return determine the ways of the perception of the world. At the same time it is a reflection on interesting thesis which exists in the science on the split of the human brain hemispheres as a form of a division between basic human abilities.In this context we want to investigate the bioethical dimension of McLuhan’s thought on the parallel between two hemispheres of the human brain and civilisations which exists on Eastern and Western hemisphere of our planet.The areas of investigation are the following: technologies as extensions and human brain; left and right hemisphere of the brain; technologies, culture, brain; extensions of spoken and written language in pre-linguistic and pre-literacy; “digital” configuration of the brain; brain as the final corrective of the techno-civilisations delusions.There are links between neurolinguistical, theological, philosophical and biological standpoints on human brain. Research into the origins of language, determination of human thoughts, relation between potential and realised, the internal conflict between utilitarian and human empathy… at the end the contemplation tries to answer the question on the regulatory nature of the human brain in establishing the balance of power of both individuals and civilizations. (shrink)

_Care of the Self: Ancient Problematizations of Life and Contemporary Thought_, by Lívia Flachbartová, Pavol Sucharek, and Vladislav Suvák, focus on different manifestations of “taking care of the self” present in ancient and contemporary thought.

Drawing on the status characteristic theory, we investigate the effect of gender on board directors’ status ranking and find that all else being equal, female directors’ status ranking is 81.48% of one position lower than that of male directors, a discrepancy that is attributable to gender. We theorize on the mechanism that determines the ways in which the status value of gender on a board affects board interactions, and we predict how this mechanism influences firm outcomes, including excessive managerial spending, (...) social responsibility performance, and firm risk. We test our hypotheses in Chinese firms using an unbalanced panel that includes 5396 firm-year observations for a period of 6 years and find them supported. (shrink)

Did Chinese mysticism vanish after its first appearance in ancient Taoist philosophy, to surface only after a thousand years had passed, when the Chinese had adapted Buddhism to their own culture? This first integrated survey of the mystical dimension of Taoism disputes the commonly accepted idea of such a hiatus. Covering the period from the Daode jing to the end of the Tang, Livia Kohn reveals an often misunderstood Chinese mystical tradition that continued through the ages. Influenced by but (...) ultimately independent of Buddhism, it took forms more various than the quietistic withdrawal of Laozi or the sudden enlightenment of the Chan Buddhists. On the basis of a new theoretical evaluation of mysticism, this study analyzes the relationship between philosophical and religious Taoism and between Buddhism and the native Chinese tradition. Kohn shows how the quietistic and socially oriented Daode jing was combined with the ecstatic and individualistic mysticism of the Zhuangzi, with immortality beliefs and practices, and with Buddhist insight meditation, mind analysis, and doctrines of karma and retribution. She goes on to demonstrate that Chinese mysticism, a complex synthesis by the late Six Dynasties, reached its zenith in the Tang, laying the foundations for later developments in the Song traditions of Inner Alchemy, Chan Buddhism, and Neo-Confucianism. (shrink)

In Monastic Life in Medieval Daoism, a senior scholar of Daoist studies presents for the first time a detailed description and analysis of the organization and practices of medieval Daoist monasteries. Following an introduction to the wider, comparative issues involved in the study of monasticism, Livia Kohn outlines the origin, history, conceptual understanding, and social position of the monasteries, which came into their own early in the Tang dynasty. She examines texts from this period along with the architectural layout (...) of Daoist monasteries, the daily discipline and interpersonal etiquette of monks and nuns, their implements and vestments, as well as the liturgical dimension of monastic life. Throughout, Professor Kohn maintains a high comparative level, linking the Daoist situation and practices not only with Chinese popular, Confucian, Buddhist, and lay Daoist traditions, but also with relevant examples from Indian Buddhism and medieval Christianity. Monastic Life in Medieval Daoism breaks new ground in Daoist studies, the understanding of Chinese religion and medieval society, and the theoretical understanding and interpretation of the comparative phenomenon of monasticism. It will be required reading for scholars of Daoist studies and Chinese religion and medieval history and illuminating to experts in comparative religion and religious studies in general as well as to the wider public interested in questions of monastic life. (shrink)

Ethical considerations arise when individuals who were contracted and paid to conduct a research study and write it up for publication, are denied authorship on a scholarly publication on the grounds that their work was contracted and paid for. Each of the various stakeholders should be considered. Researchers need to make sure that the contract recognizes their intellectual contribution and their right to be named as authors if and when the contracted study is published. If authorship disputes of published works (...) arise, journal editors should have mechanisms in place for addressing such disputes. They should be able to see the contract and have all disputing parties agree to any changes in authorship. If the dispute cannot be resolved, the manuscript should be retracted. Contractors should develop a publication plan and include in the contract stipulations ensuring transparent and unambiguous authorship on any publication ensuing from contracted work. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the Committee for Publication Ethics should update their guidance for authors to include advice regarding researchers involved in contracted work and how to resolve an authorship disputes around it. (shrink)

The latest academic discussion has focused on the potential and risks associated with technological systems. In this perspective, defining a set of legal rules could be the priority but this action appears extremely difficult at the European level and, therefore, in the last years, a set of ethical principles contained in many different documents has been published. The need to develop trustworthy and human-centric AI technologies is accomplished by creating these two types of rule sets: legal and ethical. The paper (...) aims to critically analyse and compare these rule sets in order to understand their possible relationships in the regulation of legal problems, not only theoretically but also, where present, in some practical applications of AI, such as self-driving cars, smart toys, smart contracts and legal design. Indeed, the purpose is to identify how legal rules and ethical principles can interact for adequate regulation of AI, with particular regard to the fields of application that will be analysed. (shrink)

Daoism: A Contemporary Philosophical Investigationexplores philosophy of religion from a Daoist perspective. Philosophy of religion is a thriving field today, increasingly expanding from its traditional theistic, Christian roots into more cosmologically oriented Asian religions. This book raises a number of different issues on the three levels of cosmos, individual, and society, and addresses key questions like: What are the distinctive characteristics of Daoist thought and cosmology? How does it approach problems of creation, body, mind, and society? What, ultimately, is Dao? (...) How does it manifest and play a role in the world? What are the key features of Daoist communities and ethics? What role does the body play in Daoism? What do Daoists think is the relationship between language and reality? What is Daoist immortality? How do Daoists envision the perfect life on earth? The volume delves into philosophical subject matter in a way that is accessible to those approaching the topic for this first time, while also making an original contribution to Daoist philosophy of religion. This volume is suitable for use by undergraduate and graduate students studying Chinese religion and philosophy, as well as more general introductory courses on Daoism. (shrink)

Daoist Identity is an exploration of the various means by which Daoists over the centuries have created an identity for themselves. Using modern sociological studies of identity formation as its foundation, it brings together a representative sample of in-depth analyses by eminent American and Japanese scholars in the field. The discussion begins with critical examinations of the ways identity was found among the early movements of the Way of Great Peace and the Celestial Masters. The role of sacred texts and (...) literary culture in Daoist identity formation is discussed. The volume then focuses on lineage formation and the increasing role of popular religious practices, such as spirit-writing, in modern Daoism since the Song dynasty. Finally it discusses the Daoist adaptation and reinterpretation of Buddhist rites, such as the feeding of souls in hell and the use of ritual gestures, and the changes made in contemporary Daoism in relation to traditional rites and popular practices. Contributors: Asano Haruji, Suzanne Cahill, M. Csikszentmihalyi, Edward L. Davis, Terry F. Kleeman, Livia Kohn, Mabuchi Masaya, Maruyama Hiroshi, Mitamura Keiko, Mori Yuria, Peter Nickerson, Charles D. Orzech, Harold D. Roth, Shiga Ichiko, Tsuchiya Masaaki. (shrink)

This paper presents some reflections about an approach in work psychology: the Activity Clinic. After a brief introduction to the conceptual background of the “Activity Clinic”, it covers three deeply interconnected themes. The first concerns the meaning attributed to the development of the affects present in the work situation under analysis; the second discusses the reasons for the conflicts that are ultimately due to these affects; the third considers how a method of co-analysis of the activity can lead towards transformation (...) of those conflicts. Our reflections refer to the process engendered by this methodological approach as one of “transferential activity”. The paper explains this process by empirically describing the “transport” of affects involved in the conflicts. The personal interpretation of the cause of problems gives way to the understanding that they are due to organizational dysfunction rather than to individual personalities. Measures can then be taken to break the deadlocks experienced both at the personal and collective level. (shrink)

Drawing on the similarity-attraction perspective and social identity theory, we argue that male versus female interlocking directors are likely to have different experiences when they work alongside female board directors of other firms. The theorized source of such experiences for male interlocking directors is in-group favoritism and/or a social identity threat-related discomfort. Interlocking female directors are theorized to be ambivalent between desiring social support versus experiencing identity threat-based career concerns. These experiences are predicted to motivate male versus female interlocking directors (...) in different ways to reduce or, conversely, to potentially facilitate female representation on focal boards. We additionally predict that economic crisis reduces the biases of male directors against appointing female directors to boards. We test our hypotheses based on a novel data set that includes 25,460 directors in Chinese A-share public companies with a sample of 27,058 firm-quarter observations for 1635 firms between 2006 and 2010 and find most of our hypotheses supported. (shrink)

Livia Kohn presents the first Western introduction to this central text of medieval Daoist mysticism.

This is a second major text on ancient Daoism, one with multiple aspects and dimensions.

New Visions of the Zhuangzi is a collection of thirteen essays on the ancient Daoist philosophical work, presenting new angles and approaches. It overcomes the traditional division of schools in favor of topics, sheds new light on key philosophical notions, examines Zhuangzi's use of language, and explores issues of his use of language. In addition, it also applies modern neuroscience to its instructions, explores its vision of the ideal mind, and connects Zhuangzi's teachings to issues of education and community relevant (...) in contemporary society. (shrink)

Este artigo evidencia algumas breves fotografias de uma dissertação de mestrado realizada entre 2020 e 2022 na Universidade Federal de São Paulo. A pesquisa objetivou buscar traços da produção de significado de alunos de um curso de licenciatura em matemática em relação às questões de gênero e apresentar uma leitura plausível dos documentos oficiais desta mesma licenciatura de uma instituição pública do estado de São Paulo. Para a produção de dados realizamos conversas com dois alunos e uma aluna da respectiva (...) licenciatura e, também, desenvolvemos uma análise documental deste curso através da grade de disciplinas, ementas e projeto político pedagógico. Para este artigo apresentaremos uma síntese da discussão teórica entre gênero, educação matemática e formação de professores; um pequeno recorte das conversas que realizamos com os três estudantes e algumas conclusões; a leitura dessas conversas foi realizada por meio do Modelo dos Campos Semânticos e este trecho será apresentado no formato de narrativas, assim como consta na pesquisa original. (shrink)

O artigo apresentar os resultados de uma pesquisa em rede, dados do estado da Paraíba, a qual procurou rastrear a produção do conhecimento dos mestres e doutores que atuam nos cursos de educação física nesse estado e as condições para a sua realização. Para tanto, foi preciso resgatar o processo histórico e articular os elementos epistemológicos e políticos que sustentam os programas da pós-graduação no Brasil, com o objetivo de revelar as instituições do estado da Paraíba que oferecem o curso (...) de Educação Física, seu nome, siglas; o total de docentes que atuam nas instituições, suas titulações; a localização e caracterização das produções oriundas das regiões do Brasil e do exterior. (shrink)

A amizade é concebida neste estudo como tendo um sentido político, pois uma condição necessária do exercício político é aquela de considerar a opinião do outro. Em seu sentido político, a amizade favorece o questionamento de pontos de vista fixos e a irrupção de ações inovadoras. A experimentação política da amizade constitui uma relação agonística, de abertura ao outro na qual os corpos estão dispostos a afetar e serem afetados, implicados em contribuir com o aumento da capacidade de reflexão e (...) ação do amigo. Este artigo tem como objetivo discutir a experimentação política da amizade a partir da teoria dos afetos de Baruch Espinosa: o corpo é essencialmente relacional e é na relação com seus outros, na maneira como afeta e é afetado por elesque se dá a condição de possibilidade da resistência à tristeza e afirmação da alegria – compreendida como aumento da potência de pensar e agir. (shrink)

My main goal in this paper is to vindicate Hume’s belief that morality is exclusively a matter of sentiment, when it is apparent that the reflective or general perspective necessary to making a moral judgment requires reason. My solution to the supposed inconsistency is to show that reason is understood in two ways: in the preliminary understanding, reason is opposed to sentiment; in the final understanding, reason is actually reduced to sentiment, or explained away in favor of it. In this (...) final sense, when reason affects morality, it consists in bringing to the mind imaginary sensations and sentiments to which we react sympathetically. (shrink)

The Committee for Ethics in Science and Higher Education was created in Croatia as a national body appointed by the Parliament. Thus Croatia became one of a handful of countries with national means of responding to allegations of scientific misconduct. The Committee’s duties, with the help of the Ethics Code, include promotion of ethical norms and values in science and higher education. The CESHE will work on cases of possible research misconduct and alleged disregard for the ethical norms associated with (...) research. (shrink)

El objetivo de este texto es proponer una reflexión sobre las teorías sobre la cultura o de la literatura originaria en los diferentes países del Caribe y su presencia en los estudios literarios y culturales del continente. Dibujado con amplias pinceladas, tiene el objetivo de poner en claro el ensayo titulado La isla que se repite (1998) del cubano Antonio Benítez Rojo y, a partir de su lectura, nos aproximamos de la canción Haití, de Caetano Veloso y Gilberto Gil, grabada (...) originalmente en el CD Tropicalia II, de 1993.Los planteos de Benítez Rojo traen elementos que se encuentran en la base de nuestra cultura, marcada por la presencia de los negros y de su cultura por toda América. De cada área y de cada región brotó un tipo de música y ritmo que tiene como rasgo común constituirse en una voz contra la tiranía. El negro spiritual, entonado en las iglesias de América del norte, el jazz, el blues, el samba, el son, el tango, la rumba, la salsa, el merengue, la cumbia, prácticamente todas las expresiones musicales de América, están relacionadas con la música y el ritmo producido por los negros desde que, por primera vez, pusieron los pies en nuestro continente. (shrink)

Obesity is a widespread and broadly consequential health condition associated with numerous medical complications that could increase mortality rates. As personality concerned individual’s patterns of feeling, behavior, and thinking, it may help in understanding how people with obesity differ from people with normal-weight status in their typical weight-relevant behavior. So far, studies about personality and BMI associations have mainly focused on broad personality traits. The main purpose of this study was to explore the personality and health associations among a clinical (...) group composed of 46 outpatients with overweight/obesity in comparison to a healthy control group that included 46 subjects. Both the clinical and control groups were composed of 14 males and 32 females. Several personality and psychopathological aspects were assessed with the Personality Assessment Inventory. The results of the analysis of variance of aligned rank transformed showed that patients with overweight/obesity reported higher scores for Somatic Complaints, Depression, and Borderline Features than the control group. Logistic regression highlighted specifically that the subscales of the Borderline Features assessing the Negative Relationship contributed to the increased risk of belonging to the clinical group. For the purpose of this study, the role of gender was considered. The present findings highlight the importance of focusing on assessing personality functioning in the health context and on specific characteristics of interpersonal relationships to promote more tailored treatments. (shrink)

The paper examines the relationship between ancient Cynicism and his modern counterpart – cynicism. Ancient Cynicism is a strictly ethical way of life, while modern cynicism despises all ethical values. Ancient Cynicism is said to be a „shortest way to virtue“ and characterized by its commitment to a life in agreement with nature, radical freedom, self-sufficiency and by the absence of philosophical theory in favour of practical, lived philosophy. Modern cynicism is a result of a long lasting history of interpreting (...) and misunderstanding of ancient Cynicism . However, cynicism is the consequence of „the unfulfilled promises“ of Enlightenment. It is a reason which turned against reason itself. The paper offers a brief history of the reception of Cynicism on its way toward the modern cynicism. (shrink)