In this article, we analyze the relationship between the main dimensions of organizational structure (i.e., formalization, centralization, and complexity) and ecological responsiveness in a sample of 109 firms in the European air passenger transport industry. Broadly confirming our hypotheses, the results show that high formalization of routine tasks favors ecological responsiveness. Structures characterized by high decentralization and low complexity also favor ecological responsiveness. Furthermore, decentralization has a significant, positive relationship with ecological responsiveness among firms with low vertical complexity. Overall, the (...) results indicate that organizational structure plays a major role in ecological responsiveness. (shrink)

O presente artigo tem como objetivo analisar a cooperação militar entre Brasil e Suriname. Nas últimas décadas a América do Sul tornou-se plataforma estratégica de inserção internacional, modernização da defesa nacional e amadurecimento das relações regionais nos temas de segurança e defesa. Nosso recorte temporal é entre o ano de 1975, ano de independência do Suriname e de inicio de suas relações diplomáticas com o Brasil, até o ano de 2014, final do primeiro mandato da presidente Dilma Rousseff. A metodologia (...) consistiu em análise bibliográfica, levantamento e análise dos acordos de cooperação militar entre o Brasil e Suriname, análise documental e de declarações oficiais, discursos e posicionamentos dos atores sociais e políticos da região sobrea cooperação militar. Nossa análise demonstra que mesmo o Suriname apresentando uma baixa interação diplomática com o Brasil, o país ocupa posição de destaque na cooperação militar. (shrink)

In this article, we draw on established views of CSR dysfunctionalities to show how and why CSR is regularly observed to be both shaped by and supportive of capitalism. We proceed to show that these dysfunctionalities are maintained by both the pro- and anticapitalist approaches to CSR, both of which imply an ill-defined separation of the economy and society as well an overly strong problem or solution focus on political and economic issues. Finally, we present a post-capitalist approach to CSR (...) that overcomes (1) the ill-defined separation of the economy and society, (2) the capitalist bias towards economic rationalities, and (3) the overidentification of society with its political system; this approach thus helps to manage the abovementioned CSR dysfunctionalities. (shrink)

In the present study we asked whether it is possible to decode personality traits from resting state EEG data. EEG was recorded from a large sample of subjects (n=289) who had answered questionnaires measuring personality trait scores of the 5 dimensions as well as the 10 subordinate aspects of the Big Five. Machine learning algorithms were used to build a classifier to predict each personality trait from power spectra of the resting state EEG data. The results indicate that the five (...) dimensions as well as their subordinate aspects could not be predicted from the resting state EEG data. Finally, to demonstrate that this result is not due to systematic algorithmic or implementation mistakes the same methods were used to successfully classify whether the subject had eyes open or closed. These results indicate that the extraction of personality traits from the power spectra of resting state EEG is extremely noisy, if possible at all. (shrink)

Notre défi consiste à penser avec les lèvres, à faire sentir la portée de certaines philosophies contemporaines qui font jouer l'exigence d'avoir la bouche bien ouverte et des lèvres qui montrent les dents. Comment faire de la philosophie, non pas avec le langage, mais avec la langue, autrement dit avec sa matérialité et sa singularité? Ce livre ne traite pas du langage, de l'identité ou du sujet, ou peut-être que si, mais à partir des lèvres : il questionne la frontière, (...) l'altérité, le pouvoir, la jouissance, la littérature et ses politiques. Bref, il recherche le plaisir de faire de la philosophie en langues. (shrink)

El lenguaje conceptual es la singularidad de la filosofía. En sus comienzos nos encontramos con la obra filosófica de Platón, la cual es aquí interrogada desde la experiencia del diálogo como una pedagogía del concepto, mostrando cómo la conversación platónica lleva implicada un camino hacia el concepto. Tomados algunos de sus Diálogos, mostramos cómo en ellos existe una orientación en torno a la manera como el pensador asume la tarea de una formación conceptual: de la doxa al saber, la llamada (...) Teoría de las Ideas de Platón, en sus distintos momentos, es la respuesta histórica a la necesidad del pensamiento de comprender lo sensible a la luz de lo inteligible y de encontrar en el concepto esa palabra común para el entendimiento mutuo, en el conjunto de las diversas experiencias humanas. (shrink)

El presente trabajo es un estudio descriptivo y con un enfoque sincrónico que da muestra de las deficiencias de los profesores universitarios al redactar textos científicos. Este estudio tiene como objetivo proponer varias acciones de superación para perfeccionar el manejo del lenguaje y el arte de redactar de los docentes de la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas "Dr. Faustino Pérez Hernández" de la provincia Sancti Spíritus que cursan la octava edición de la Maestría en Ciencias de la Educación de la Universidad (...) de Sancti Spíritus "José Martí Pérez". Para darle cumplimiento a este propósito, se aplicaron varios métodos y técnicas de recolección de datos a una muestra seleccionada al azar de informantes y de sus publicaciones, lo que permitió fundamentar la existencia de varias problemáticas en la redacción científica de dichos profesores y la necesidad de implementar formas organizativas básicas del proceso de educación de posgrado para su inmediata y eficaz aplicación. The present work is a descriptive study grounded in a synchronic approach that identifies the deficiencies of university professors when writing scientific texts. This study aims to propose several measures to improve the use of language and the art of writing of teachers of the " Dr. Faustino Pérez Hernández" University of Medical Sciences in Sancti Spíritus, Cuba who are participating in the eighth edition of the Master's Degree in Educational Sciences program at the "José Martí Pérez" University, also located in Sancti Spiritus. Several methods and techniques of data collection were applied to a random sample of informants and their scientific articles. This allowed for the detection of several problems in scientific writing and the need to implement basic organizational forms of postgraduate education for immediate and effective application. (shrink)

From the most prominent thinkers in Latin American philosophy, literature, politics, and social science comes a challenge to conventional theories of globalization. The contributors to this volume imagine a discourse in which revolution requires no temporalized march of progress or takeovers of state power but instead aims at local control and the material conditions for human dignity.

This paper shows the brain correlates of Cloninger’s personality model during the presentation of social scenarios under positive or negative valence situations. Social scenarios were constructed when participants played the Dictator game with two confederates that had two opposites roles as the cooperator and non-cooperator. Later the same day during a fMRI scanning session, participants read negative and positive situations that happened to confederates in the past. Participants were asked to think “how do you think those people felt during that (...) situation?” A dissimilarity matrix between stimuli were obtained from fMRI results. Results shown that Harm Avoidance trait people make use of right middle frontal gyrus and left superior frontal gyrus to discriminate between Coop and NoCoop. Cooperation as a trait makes use of the right superior temporal gyrus and the right precuneus to discriminate between Coop and NoCoop in positive social scenarios. Finally, Self-directedness trait people make use of the right inferior parietal lobe to discriminate between Coop and NoCoop in negative social scenarios and the right precuneus to discriminate between Coop and Strangers. An intuitive link between discrimination findings and behavioral patterns of those personality traits is proposed. (shrink)

No Brasil, diversos grupos de pesquisa apresentam interesse em aprofundar a Educação em outros países latinoamericanos. A presente pesquisa forma parte do grupo “Filosofia e Educação” (Educogitans), Universidade Regional de Blumenau (FURB), Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brasil, que tem interesse em aprofundar a problemática epistemológica educacional latino americana. Colômbia é um dos países com uma expressiva produção sobre a referida problemática. Assim, o objetivo da presente pesquisa é identificar e analisar algumas concepções de cientificidade no pensamento epistemológico da educação na Colômbia. (...) Visa aprofundar as concepções de Ciências da Educação por parte de autores colombianos. Também se aprofundará em como consideram o objeto da epistemologia e sua importância para a América Latina. Os dados foram coletados mediante os levantamentos bibliográficos e documentais e interpretados no contexto das perspectivas da epistemologia da Educação na América Latina. (shrink)

The European Union Commission’s whitepaper on Artificial Intelligence proposes shaping the emerging AI market so that it better reflects common European values. It is a master plan that builds upon the EU AI High-Level Expert Group guidelines. This article reviews the masterplan, from a culture cycle perspective, to reflect on its potential clashes with current societal, technical, and methodological constraints. We identify two main obstacles in the implementation of this plan: the lack of a coherent EU vision to drive future (...) decision-making processes at state and local levels and the lack of methods to support a sustainable diffusion of AI in our society. The lack of a coherent vision stems from not considering societal differences across the EU member states. We suggest that these differences may lead to a fractured market and an AI crisis in which different members of the EU will adopt nation-centric strategies to exploit AI, thus preventing the development of a frictionless market as envisaged by the EU. Moreover, the Commission aims at changing the AI development culture proposing a human-centred and safety-first perspective that is not supported by methodological advancements, thus taking the risks of unforeseen social and societal impacts of AI. We discuss potential societal, technical, and methodological gaps that should be filled to avoid the risks of developing AI systems at the expense of society. Our analysis results in the recommendation that the EU regulators and policymakers consider how to complement the EC programme with rules and compensatory mechanisms to avoid market fragmentation due to local and global ambitions. Moreover, regulators should go beyond the human-centred approach establishing a research agenda seeking answers to the technical and methodological open questions regarding the development and assessment of human-AI co-action aiming for a sustainable AI diffusion in the society. (shrink)

The integration of virtual reality into STEM education has generated growing interest in how this technology impacts the understanding and application of scientific concepts. This study focuses on investigating this relationship by using the MICMAC technique to identify key variables and their interactions in virtual educational environments. It was found that variables such as the design of educational content, the quality of the virtual experience, and the interactivity of the environment are key to the learning process in STEM. In addition, (...) determinant and autonomous variables were identified, which play fundamental roles in the generation of scientific knowledge for students. These results highlight the relevance of considering various aspects of virtual educational design to improve the effectiveness of learning in STEM. The practical implications of this study are significant for educators and educational program designers, highlighting the need to create immersive, interactive, and collaborative virtual environments to promote better understanding and application of scientific concepts. This study contributes to existing knowledge by providing a deeper understanding of how virtual reality can enhance learning in STEM, and suggests directions for future research in the field. (shrink)

This paper presents a human-robot closely collaborative solution to cooperatively perform surface treatment tasks such as polishing, grinding, finishing, deburring, etc. The proposed scheme is based on task priority and non-conventional sliding mode control. Furthermore, the proposal includes two force sensors attached to the manipulator end-effector and tool: one sensor is used to properly accomplish the surface treatment task, while the second one is used by the operator to guide the robot tool. The applicability and feasibility of the proposed collaborative (...) solution for robotic surface treatment are substantiated by experimental results using a redundant 7R manipulator: the Sawyer collaborative robot. (shrink)

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis generates a series of ethical and legal questions: Which goals does it pursue? Does it protect the embryo? Should this technique be regulated by the legal system? And if so, which is the incumbent criteria? This research describes the limits that some international laws regulating this technique have considered. Additionally, a series of judgments about the legal problems that have occurred with the application of this technique will be analyzed, among them, the misdiagnosis.

Antoni Andreu fue un pensador clave en la formación y difusión del pensamiento escotista. El objetivo del presente número monográfico consiste en arrojar un poco de luz sobre estos dos aspectos fundamentales de la obra de Antoni Andreu: el pensamiento filosófico de Andreu y las diferencias que presenta respecto al de Escoto, y su influencia posterior, fundamentalmente en autores de la modernidad.

REFLEXÕES SOBRE DEMOCRACIA E ATIVISMO JUDICIAL.

Résumé Considéré comme l’action individuelle par excellence, le dribble renvoie le plus souvent à l’exercice d’une maîtrise technique que seuls quelques protagonistes d’exceptions sont à même d’exécuter. Cette image purement descriptive, centrée sur le seul pratiquant, n’entretient qu’un lointain rapport avec la réalité de ce qui constitue la raison d’être profonde de cette action motrice. Le dribble, entendue comme un acte qui consiste à conduire un objet, – une balle, un palet –, en alternant des temps de contact et de (...) non contact, est avant tout à envisager dans sa dimension collective. Là est le point aveugle des analyses menées à son propos. Dans cette étude, on considérera le dribble comme un type de conduite motrice porteur d’intentions auxquelles sont attachées des significations de nature essentiellement sociale. Fondamentalement le dribble est relation, c’est-à-dire interaction. Il doit être envisagé sous l’angle de la sémiotricité, autrement dit des significations que les pratiquants lui accordent. Sa fonction est essentiellement d’annoncer les actions futures. À ce titre, il renvoie à une classe de comportements tactiques dont les significations relèvent d’une interprétation en situation sous la dépendance directe des règles du jeu sportif considéré. Loin d’être univoque, le dribble doit être envisagé comme un « signe » qui doit être décodé par les pratiquants en fonction de la grammaire du jeu considéré selon un double axe ; syntagmatique et sémantique. Ce travail à pour objectif de repérer les différentes significations possibles du « signe-dribble », considéré comme un praxème. (shrink)

Attitudes toward robots influence the tendency to accept or reject robotic devices. Thus it is important to investigate whether and how attitudes toward robots can change. In this pilot study we investigate attitudinal changes in elderly citizens toward a tele-operated robot in relation to three parameters: (i) the information provided about robot functionality, (ii) the number of encounters, (iii) personality type. Fourteen elderly residents at a rehabilitation center participated. Pre-encounter attitudes toward robots, anthropomorphic thinking, and personality were assessed. Thereafter the (...) participants interacted with a tele-operated robot (Telenoid) during their lunch (c. 30 min.) for up to 3 days. Half of the participants were informed that the robot was tele-operated (IC) whilst the other half were naïve to its functioning (UC). Post-encounter assessments of attitudes toward robots and anthropomorphic thinking were undertaken to assess change. Attitudes toward robots were assessed with a new generic 35-items questionnaire (attitudes toward social robots scale: ASOR-5), offering a differentiated conceptualization of the conditions for social interaction. There was no significant difference between the IC and UC groups in attitude change toward robots though trends were observed. Personality was correlated with some tendencies for attitude changes; Extraversion correlated with positive attitude changes to intimate-personal relatedness with the robot (r = 0.619) and to psychological relatedness (r = 0.581) whilst Neuroticism correlated negatively (r = -0.582) with mental relatedness with the robot. The results tentatively suggest that neither information about functionality nor direct repeated encounters are pivotal in changing attitudes toward robots in elderly citizens. This may reflect a cognitive congruence bias where the robot is experienced in congruence with initial attitudes, or it may support action-based explanations of cognitive dissonance reductions, given that robots, unlike computers, are not yet perceived as action targets. Specific personality traits may be indicators of attitude change relating to specific domains of social interaction. Implications and future directions are discussed. (shrink)

Judo is a multifactorial sport where many variables or key performance indicators such as force-velocity profile, bioenergetic capacity, technical and tactical skills, and cognitive and emotional competence play a role and influence the final result. While there have been many academic studies of these variables, usually in isolation, none have examined KPIs holistically or analyzed their impact on strategic performance. The main objective of the present study, therefore, is to apply a novel and easily replicable methodology to identify and prioritize (...) the main KPIs affecting performance in professional judo. Such a methodology was applied to the High-Performance Judo Centre of Valencia, using a multi-criteria decision aid technique: the analytic network process. The ANP is used to identify and quantify cause and effect relationships not only between KPIs but also between KPIs and performance objectives. Further, the ANP offers effective results when there is a lack of historical KPI data, because it is based on experts' opinions and judgments. A judo expert group comprising elite judo coaches and half-lightweight male judokas applied the methodology to discriminate between the characteristics required when aiming to reach high-level strategic objectives. The JEG, which consisted of five elite judokas, national and international champions, and three Olympic coaches—including a former European champion and silver medalist in a world championship—provided high added value to the study. The main findings were that the KPIs that made the most difference were mostly psychological, specifically motivation, stress, and team cohesion. Of these, motivation was by far the most important KPI for success in our case study, so judokas should make sure that they analyze it properly. Motivation is usually intrinsic to the competitor and should be maintained at a high level, not only during tournaments but also during daily training and lifestyle activities. Physical and other specific forms of training, as well as lifestyle KPIs, are very important for the elite competitor but are not sufficient to reach high-level objectives. The most important of these KPIs were Kumi-Kata, dual career, focus and concentration level, scouting, nutrition, and basic technique. Power and strength were the most important physical KPIs. In general, these are essential for meeting strategic objectives, but they do not make the crucial difference. This suggests that professional psychological support should be provided in daily training and that international team composition and internships should be fostered. (shrink)

Learning Management System (LMS) platforms provide a wealth of information on the learning patterns of students. Learning Analytics (LA) techniques permit the analysis of the logs or records of the activities of both students and teachers on the on-line platform. The learning patterns differ depending on the type of Blended Learning (B-Learning). In this study, we analyse: (1) whether significant differences exist between the learning outcomes of students and their learning patterns on the platform, depending on the type of B-Learning (...) [Replacement blend (RB) vs. Supplemental blend (SB)]; (2) whether a relation exists between the metacognitive and the motivational strategies (MS) of students, their learning outcomes and their learning patterns on the platform. The 87,065 log records of 129 students (69 in RB and 60 in SB) in the Moodle 3.1 platform were analyzed. The results revealed different learning patterns between students depending on the type of B-Learning (RB vs. SB). We have found that the degree of blend, RB vs. SB, seems to condition student behavior on the platform. Learning patterns in RB environments can predict student learning outcomes. Additionally, in RB environments there is a relationship between the learning patterns and the metacognitive and (MS) of the students. (shrink)

The objective of this study was to develop and determine the psychometric properties of an instrument designed to detect traits and behavior that are associated with predatory violent behavior, which is defined as a determined, planned, controlled, and proactive aggression. The sample was comprised of 546 students, mostly in their last year of high school or in their first year of college. The initial instrument had 78 items, ultimately resulting in 15 with good internal consistency (α =.825). Factor analysis showed (...) four factors: anger-in, appeal for weapons, suicidal ideation, and the tendency to take justice into one’s own hands. Said factors showed significant correlations of convergent validity. Data shown here allows inferring that the instrument is a novel and concise tool that evaluates and detects the potential of predatory violent behavior. (shrink)

A destination’s image is a critical factor in tourists’ perceptions and evaluations of said destination. This paper analyzes the formation of the tourist destination image of Segóbriga Archeological Park, a cultural destination located in the province of Cuenca (Spain) that holds great heritage value. To this end, the paper adopted a multidimensional approach and used PLS-SEM to analyze the destination image, taking into account not only its cognitive and affective components, but also the unique image component. The latter has received (...) less attention in the literature and is a novel factor among cultural destinations. The results show that this component is essential to the overall image of an archeological destination, but is not influenced by information sources. (shrink)

Endorsing the idea of group knowledge seems to entail the possibility of group belief as well, because it is usually held that knowledge entails belief. It is here studied whether it would be possible to grant that groups can have knowledge without being committed to the controversial view that groups can have beliefs. The answer is positive on the assumption that knowledge can be based on acceptance as well as belief. The distinction between belief and acceptance can be seen as (...) a refinement of the ordinary language concept of belief, and it may be useful in understanding the nature of epistemic justification and classifying various types of epistemic subjects. (shrink)

The objective of this study is to explore and to verify the utility of the five moral foundations (care, fairness, loyalty, authority, and purity) to differentiate between two understudied groups, namely, young offenders who use violence against their parents or dating partners, as well as to predict the extent to which these young people justify violence and perceive themselves as aggressive. Although both types of violence imply, by definition, harming someone (low care) and adopting a position of authority (high authority), (...) we hypothesize a very different role for at least these two moral foundations. Our results support this idea and show a much lower regard for the five moral foundations, including care and authority, in the child-to-parent violence group (CPV;N= 65) than in the dating violence group (DV;N= 69). Additionally, the authority foundation was able to increase the effectiveness of correctly classifying the participants in one group or the other by 29%. Finally, care and authority, along with fairness, served to predict justification of violence and self-perceived aggressiveness. The moral foundations approach provides preliminary evidence to better understand two specific types of youth violence and extract preventive educational and treatment strategies. (shrink)

Juan Huarte de San Juan (1529–88) was a physician of the Spanish Renaissance. He wrote the Examen de Ingenios para las Ciencias, translated as The Trial of Men’s Wits (1989[1575–94]), a book that has been acknowledged as a precursor of educational psychology, organizational psychology, behaviorism, neuropsychology and psychiatry. Huarte suggested that before beginning a course of study, students’ intellectual capabilities (i.e. ingenio) should be matched up with the professional studies that best suit their aptitudes. His book had a great impact (...) in Europe from the late 16th century to the mid-18th century. The influence of the Trial spread throughout many areas including philosophy, politics, linguistics and literature. Although there has been a growing interest in Huarte’s work in recent years, biographical studies have been rare; as a result, the information about Huarte’s life is currently incomplete, scattered and sometimes inaccurate. This study presents a systematic archival research on Spanish original sources. We present a reconstruction of Huarte’s life-story based on 32 original documents (1549– c.1650), some of them first discovered during the present survey. Documents are described according to the General International Standard of Archival Description, ISAD(G). The documents uncovered allow for a reappraisal of Huarte’s biography. (shrink)

Today, societal decisions in areas of complexity are often dominated by one of three alternative ways: (a) by scientists, nowadays often in combination with commercial interest; (b) by politicians alone; and (c) by simply “laissez-faire,” or “the tyranny of small steps.” None of these three ways of decision making is fully democratic because they do not create enough awareness among the politicians and the general public. One reason is that the decision making basis becomes too narrowly framed and fragmented. Biotechnology (...) will continue to feed society with new democratic challenges for many years, perhaps decades, to come. The initially promising ideas of participative and deliberative democracy do not seem to solve the awareness problem. Instead, the authors propose an approach with more structured efforts for awareness building with transparency and participation taking place within the framework of representative democracy. (shrink)

En este artículo, analizamos el modo en que se articulan distintas representaciones sobre la Causa Malvinas, la guerra de 1982 y la posguerra en las letras de las canciones de rock nacional, en tanto expresiones de la cultura popular que fijan sentidos y que pueden manifestar ideas coincidentes con las dominantes o, por el contrario, visiones que las cuestionen y pongan en juego su hegemonía. Para ello, tomando al conflicto bélico de 1982 como punto de inflexión, hemos relevado un corpus (...) de veintisiete canciones que explícitamente refieren a la Guerra de Malvinas y sus implicancias, y que han contribuido a articular distintas perspectivas acerca de esta cuestión en el imaginario social. (shrink)

This study aimed to identify and assess the association between a high-sugar diet and the prevalence of dental caries in young adults. In addition, these variables were prioritized based on their relevance and dependence using the complementary methodologies MICMAC and Regnier’s abacus. A literature review was conducted to identify the related variables. A group of 10 dentistry and nutrition experts assesses the importance of these variables using a structured questionnaire. As a result, both methodologies agreed on the importance of dental (...) hygiene and the frequency of sugar consumption in the prevalence of dental caries. Access to dental health services was also identified as a significant factor. These findings are relevant because they have implications for the formulation of public health policies and the design of strategies that can reduce the impact of dental caries to improve the dental health of the population. (shrink)

This article explores the intersection between critical pedagogies and social justice in the context of environmental education, with a focus on transforming educational projects to promote meaningful social change. Through theoretical analysis and qualitative methodology, it highlights how critical pedagogies offer a valuable framework for addressing social and environmental inequalities. This approach fosters students' awareness of their role as agents of change in environmental protection and in creating more equitable and resilient communities. The results show that the application of these (...) principles facilitates the development of critical thinking and empowerment competencies in students, promoting active participation in environmental management. (shrink)

"El repertorio bibliográfico no presenta resumen".

Objective: To assess the impact of Khan Academy on the Mathematics educational process for UNDAC students and determine the relevance and efficacy of its content and strategies within the Mathematics-Physics program. Methodology: This research is framed within the positivist paradigm and takes on a quantitative approach. An experimental pre-experimental design was used with pretest and posttest in a single group. The study is applied in nature and is grounded in the contributions of expert researchers and methodologists on the subject. Analytical (...) tools were developed with a reliability coefficient of 0.90, and the investigated population consisted of students from the Mathematics-Physics program at UNDAC. Results: Students who incorporated Khan Academy exhibited significant improvements in their mathematical performance. Persistence in using the platform led to significant enhancements in academic achievement. 70 % of the students reached high levels of mathematical skill development. The majority expressed high satisfaction with the platform. Conclusions: Khan Academy has a meaningful and positive impact on mathematics learning among university students at UNDAC. The platform not only promotes content mastery but also fosters learning autonomy. These findings advocate for the adoption of innovative educational technologies in teaching, especially within STEM disciplines. (shrink)

In recent years, educational organisations have used different tools and strategies to enhance their services, such as gamification, flipped classroom and Project-Based Learning have been imple-mented to provide quality education. In this sense, enjoyment, which is focused on the emotional well-being of students, contributes to integral formation and academic performance. Therefore, the target was to explore students' perceptions about enjoyment, as a tool that allows identifying the needs, and weaknesses, addressing the risks of educational organisations of higher education as well, (...) so that it provides educational agents to conduct improvement actions for the benefit of interested parties. A quantitative approach was assumed, with a non-experimental design and descriptive scope, in which a Scale of Enjoyment with Learning of Science Subjects was used, adapted to collect information concerning the enjoyment level of students in the first cycles of higher education. The results revealed that 78% of physics students experience high levels of en-joyment, evidencing a positive attitude towards the professor, concerning personal enjoyment and social as well. In conclusion, enjoyment of the teaching-learning process is essential for academic quality, as it helps students achieve significant learning. Furthermore, it enables higher education institutions to improve academic quality management and provide quality services. (shrink)

Is Plato’s philosophy still relevant for current issues in politics and political science? In order to answer this question, the contributions to this volume endeavour to re-read the Platonic dialogues and to interpret them in terms of textual hermeneutics on the one hand. On the other hand, they refer to Plato from a systematic point of view and apply his philosophy, in particular the method of Socratic dialogue, to discussions on contemporary political issues. The volume is dedicated to Barbara Zehnpfennig, (...) whose works aim at making Socratic–Platonic philosophy fruitful for the present on the basis of a new interpretation of Plato’s philosophy. With contributions by Anke Adamik, Sarah Al-Taher, Viktoria Bachmann, Philip Breuer, Johanna Falk-Seifert, Bettina Fröhlich, Benjamin A. Hahn, Hendrik Hansen, Thomas Haslböck, Raul Heimann, Johannes Frank Hoerlin, Vanessa Jansche, Peter Kainz, Christina Kast, Eva-Maria Kaufmann, Ulrich Kühn, Laura Martena, Julian Obenauer, Victor Peneff und Thomas Wimmer. (shrink)