bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rechtstoepassing in andere continenten
Authors: Schreiner Agnes
Published: December 2020

Law practices in other continents

From day one of the journal Recht der Werkelijkheid (Journal of Living Law) the Legal Anthropology was welcomed. What once started as the jurisprudential study on Folk Law on the one hand and the cultural anthropological study of law on the other hand, evolved into an intensive collaboration among the researchers. Even more intensive under the subject Legal Pluralism. The legal anthropological studies extended over the years to subjects closer to the First World legal practices, i.e. the studies of social groups like the one on migrants. Under the concept of semi autonomous social fields many contributions on cultural versus legal norms were published. Later on, the legal anthropological expertise that sustained the comparative studies for international and supranational law was welcomed. The article thus shows that the journal provided room for the socio legal studies of law practices in other continents, expanded to those of other continents in the home continent as well as to those in all continents.
Policy Initiatives on Healthy Ageing in Russia from 2010-2020
Authors: Golubeva Elena , Emelyanova Anastasia
Published: December 2020

Background: A number of various policy strategies has been adopted in the last decade in response to population ageing in Russia. Governmental actions have yet to be evaluated in terms of their efficacy. By making a detailed overview of policy actions and relevant research, we are able to define successes and failures on the way to having a thriving and healthy older population. Aims: To analyse policy initiatives targeting healthy ageing in terms of both the entire population and the individuals thereof, and provide the overview for the most recent years of 2010–2020. Methods: The study has a theoretical nature. We undertake an analysis of available research literature and policy documents. In Section 2.2.1, we used a systematic literature review approach. Regarding the segment of the collection of literature discussed in the paper, a mixed approach was used retrieving online indexing services and additional searching in the Russian electronic library eLibrary.ru. Results: Main demographic documents and primary structural changes focus on the population decline, ageing, retirement, and overall population health. Research on healthy and active ageing in the Russian academic literature, and elaboration of the new strategies and programs designed specifically for the benefit of older people and their health, have been discussed, with special attention given to the mental health of older people. Conclusion: The initiatives mainly prioritise further increases in life expectancy, the quality of life of older persons, stimulating old-age productivity and active ageing. Many aspects require further improvement such as clear definitions, focused attention to geriatric care, better coordination of managing authorities, sustainable funding, and realistic expectations toward implementation indicators.
Infancy in 21st Century Hungary - A Project Introduction: Policy, Theoretical and Methodological Framework and Objectives of the First National Representative Parent Survey on Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Authors: Danis Ildikó , Bóné Veronika , Hegedűs Réka , Pilinszki Attila , Szabó Tünde , Dávid Beáta
Published: December 2020

Objectives: Infancy in 21st Century Hungary is the first Hungarian national representative parent survey to examine early childhood mental health problems and important individual, family and broader environmental risk and protective factors associated with them. Methods: In the study, families raising children aged 3–36 months were included. The sample was nationally representative according to the children’s age and gender, and the type of residence. Data were collected in the winter of 2019–2020 from 980 mothers and 122 fathers. The parents were interviewed using a CAPI (computer-assisted personal interview) instrument at first, and then they filled out a self-administered questionnaire (SAQ). The measurement package was planned by an interdisciplinary research network coordinated by the Institute of Mental Health at Semmelweis University, while the sampling and the data collection were conducted by the TÁRKI Research Institute. Results: Based on the parental reports, we will examine the prevalence of infant and early childhood mental health problems perceived by the parents, and the relationships between the background variables measured in several ecological levels. Due to the representative sample’s socio-demographic diversity, we can map the generalizable variability of each examined construct and identify risk and protective factors behind the perceived developmental and mental health difficulties. Conclusions: In this article, the policy, theoretical and methodological framework, the justification and objectives of the research, and the measurement package are presented.
Sustainable Tax Policy Through the Lens of Intergenerational Justice
Authors: Buchanan Neil
Published: December 2020

Professor Lind’s summary of the papers in this issue ably captures the range of topics addressed by the scholars who gathered for our conference at the University of Gävle last year. More importantly, she points out how well the various articles translate into the era of COVID-19. Even though no one could possibly have imagined the changes that we have experienced just since February of 2020, the issues of inequality, environmental degradation, international tax coordination, gender-and race-based unfairness, and so on have become even more important as the world explores how to move forward from this global tragedy.

One of my long-term research projects has involved exploring the obligations between generations, in particular the “downward” obligations from older generations to younger generations that determine whether new members of society will thrive in the future.1 It is a source of inspiration but also some frustration that nearly every policy issue can be viewed from an intergenerational perspective—inspiration because it reminds us that all policy decisions have effects (direct and indirect) that carry into the future, but frustration because merely “having an impact in the future” does not necessarily make a policy question ripe for an intergenerational analysis and is thus too broad.
Capital, an Elusive Tax Object and Impediment to Sustainable Taxation
Authors: Ordower Henry
Published: December 2020

Sustainable taxation requires stability and predictability. Sustainable taxation is a tax or taxes that collect sufficient revenue to support the governmental goods and services the society needs and wants. The taxes must provide for: 1) even-handedness—something akin to horizontal equity; 2) distributional fairness—aconcept emerging from notions of vertical equity; 3) transparency in application so that the populace understands and accepts the tax and the need for it; and 4) collection mechanisms that do not favor some societal groups, especially those with resources to secure creative tax advisors, over others who lack the resources. Narrow base taxes—fuel, alcohol, tobacco—cannot meet these criteria and the broad base taxes currently applicable—value added, payroll, and income—alsofail to meet one or more of the criteria. While specialized taxes like environmental taxes and sin taxes—alcohol, tobacco—serve useful regulatory functions and may achieve their behavioral objectives in part, they do so primarily by increasing the cost of engaging in the undesirable behavior and pricing some actors out of the activity. Using a pricing rather than a direct regulatory mechanism, the specialized taxes change the conversation from social rejection of the behavior to acceptance as long as the actor is willing and able to pay the high price. Is it all right to pollute if one pays to do so? Direct regulation might prove less regressive and less likely to be viewed as simply a matter of price and more as a matter of societal mainstream and commitment to addressing a problem.

To secure sustainable taxation this Article recommends a non-preferential income tax on a comprehensive income tax base. While by no means a new idea, the growing resource disparity between affluent individuals and individuals with limited resources renders the idea of a non-preferential income tax on all income including realized and unrealized gains all the more compelling. This Article outlines a method for transition to the recommended tax base from the current realization-based tax base and suggests that in limited cases a taxpayer might defer payment of tax on some items of income but not defer inclusion of the items in the tax base. As it describes its tax plan, this Article reflects on the objectives and shortcomings of the targeted taxes and purposive tax base modifications that have proliferated during the 20th century. This Article concludes that a non-comprehensive tax base may accomplish narrow objectives successfully but is unlikely to become functionally sustainable to support essential governmental goods and services. Neither are targeted taxes and purposive tax base modifications fully justifiable. They are likely to distribute tax burdens unevenly among taxpayers without any compelling reason for preferring some taxpayers to others. The narrowness of the base of such taxes frequently leads to regressive tax incidence.
Targeting Risk Lovers? Taxation of Private Pension Savings, Risk Preferences, and Gender
Authors: Larsson Bo
Published: December 2020

Many countries need to stimulate savings, and especially voluntary pension planning, to meet the demands of an ageing population. This is especially true for the female population as women are expected to live longer while simultaneously having accumulated lower pension wealth. Sweden has been a front-runner in introducing tax-deferred designated pension accounts to stimulate private pension saving, along with self-directed individual public pension accounts. However, a particular feature of these tax-deferred designated pension accounts was that savings were taxed through a presumptive return. In this Article, we show that with heterogeneous risk preferences, this tax policy makes designated pensions unattractive for risk-averse individuals. Using data on self-directed choices and designated pension savings, we empirically confirm our result. In particular, we show that as women are on average more risk averse compared to men, this tax policy had negative effects for women. This Article thus sheds light on the importance of accounting for risk preferences in policymaking addressed towards stimulating adequate pension planning. The Article additionally sheds light on the overall negative consequences of a presumptive tax design such as, e.g., the Dutch “Box-III” tax system.
Evaluating the real-world representativeness of participants with mild cognitive impairment in Canadian research protocols: a comparison of the characteristics of a memory clinic patients and research samples
Authors: Huang Vivian , Hogan David B. , Ismail Zahinoor , Maxwell Colleen J. , Smith Eric E. , Callahan Brandy L.
Published: December 2020

Background
Studies of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) employ rigor­ous eligibility criteria, resulting in sampling that may not be representative of the broader clinical population.
Objective
To compare the characteristics of MCI patients in a Calgary memory clinic to those of MCI participants in published Canadian studies.
Methods
Clinic participants included 555 MCI patients from the PROspective Registry of Persons with Memory SyMPToms (PROMPT) registry in Calgary. Research participants in­cluded 4,981 individuals with MCI pooled from a systematic literature review of 112 original, English-language peer-reviewed Canadian studies. Both samples were compared on baseline sociodemographic variables, medical and psychiatric comorbidities, and cognitive performance for MCI due to Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
Results
Overall, clinic patients tended to be younger, more often male, and more educated than research participants. Psychiatric dis­orders, traumatic brain injury, and sensory impairment were commonplace in PROMPT (up to 83% affected) but > 80% studies in the systematic review excluded these conditions. PROMPT patients also performed worse on global cognition measures than did research participants.
Conclusion
Stringent eligibility criteria in Canadian research studies ex­cluded a considerable subset of MCI patients with comorbid medical or psychiatric conditions. This exclusion may con­tribute to differences in cognitive performance and outcomes compared to real-world clinical samples.
Family Presence in Long-Term Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Call to Action for Policy, Practice, and Research
Authors: Tupper Susan. M. , Ward Heather , Parmar Jasneet
Published: December 2020

Family presence in long-term care (LTC) homes is crucial for meeting the health, psychosocial, and practical needs of residents. Initially during the COVID-19 pandemic, visitation restrictions essentially locked-out families as public health orders prioritized prevention of harm from spread of infection. Although telephone and technology-assisted communication with families was encouraged, many residents were unable to participate. The outcry from families on the injustice of disruption of family units and emerging reports of harms arising from prolonged restrictions highlight the need for provincial and organizational policies to recognize the impact of resident and family separation on well-being. In this commentary we describe family caregiving, review the impact of visitation restrictions on residents, families, and LTC staff, and provide a resident- and family-oriented perspective on policy implications that challenge the outdated notion that extreme restrictions to family presence protect resident health.
Human Resource Management Systems and Work Engagement: Exploring the Impact of Employee Paternalistic Values
Authors: Farndale Elaine , Metto Zipporah , Nakhle Samer
Published: December 2020

Organizations implement high-commitment human resource management (HRM) systems to increase work engagement as they provide employees with a sense of being looked after in the workplace. This relationship is rarely considered alongside the responsibility of management to look after employees beyond the workplace too in return for hard work and loyalty, as represented by paternalistic values. This study, therefore, investigates the effect of high-commitment HRM systems on work engagement, mediated by employees perceiving the HRM system to be distinctive, consistent, and consensual (i.e., a strong system), and moderated by employee belief in paternalistic values. Based on an empirical study of 384 employees, high-commitment HRM is found to increase work engagement as hypothesized. However, HRM system strength does not mediate this relationship as expected and instead is associated with lower levels of work engagement. When testing for the moderating effect of employee belief in paternalistic values, when this is low, high HRM system strength leads to lower levels of work engagement. These findings imply that strong HRM systems may be perceived as intrusive, as paternalism may be, for employees with low belief in paternalistic values.
Voluntary disclosures on control system over financial reporting and corporate governance mechanisms: Evidence from Poland
Authors: Gad Jacek
Published: December 2020

The paper presents the results of research on the mechanisms of corporate governance functioning on the Polish capital market. The purpose of this article is to identify the impact of selected internal mechanisms of corporate governance on the scope of disclosures on the control system over financial reporting. Disclosures were presented by public companies operating on the capital market with an insider model of corporate governance. The research covered 301 companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and their voluntary disclosures published in 2013. The results indicate that the scope of disclosures on the control system over financial reporting is positively correlated with the presence of audit committee and the share of independent supervisory board members in their total number. The obtained research results confirm the belief presented in the literature that in an insider model of corporate governance internal mechanisms affect the scope of voluntary corporate disclosures. In addition, research results indicate that the scope of voluntary disclosures depends on the size of the company.
Shadow IT and ERP: Multiple Case Study in German and Serbian Companies
Authors: Rakovic Lazar , Duc Tran Anh , Vukovic Vuk
Published: December 2020

More and more companies are trying to optimize their corporate goals through digitalization. These include large corporations, medium-sized companies, but also small businesses. Starting with a central information system, companies are networking to obtain as much information as possible and to keep processes lean in order to increase sales and profits. The complexity of an ERP system often prevents complete transparency in use due to gaps in knowledge. This makes faster, simpler solutions from the common software shelf appear more attractive and is preferred by the user. The aim of this research is to determine the factors for the use of shadow IT. Thus, connections with general information systems such as an ERP system become recognizable. The research questions which are derived from this: What types of shadow IT exist in Germany and Serbia? What are the reasons for a use and do they entail risks? In order to be able to answer these questions, a thorough analysis of the applied software is required. In this case, this also includes an analysis from the user's point of view. These considerations are also differentiated regionally as well as content-related in the following research. Here, experts from European companies were interviewed. By means of a survey, participants were able to explain their use of additional software. This results in interpretations regarding the use of shadow IT. There is a clear trend towards the use of certain auxiliary software. In addition to the strengths and weaknesses of the shadow IT, this work also conveys the weak points of the standardized information system, such as the ERP system and its modules.
Contribution of Domestic Tourism to Sustainable Tourism Development
Authors: Kabote Forbes
Published: December 2020

Tourism literature is awash with evidence of the value of domestic tourism to the tourism industry in general. However; there is limited knowledge of how domestic tourism is contributing towards sustainable tourism development especially in developing countries. This study explored the contribution of domestic tourism to sustainable tourism development in Zimbabwe, one developing country in Southern Africa. Using qualitative methodologies, data were collected and thematically analysed. The study revealed that domestic tourism has both positive and negative contributions to sustainable tourism development in unique ways. In conclusion, it was noted that without domestic tourism, Zimbabwe as a tourism destination would be struggling to grow its tourism product offering and expand its market share on the global tourism market.
Challenges in the Treatment of Oligometastatic Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Vrankar Martina
Published: December 2020

Since 1995, when the concept of oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer was first described, no high-level evidence has been introduced for management of those patients subset. Data from retrospective reports and analysis and from every-day clinical practice revealed that some of the non-small cell lung cancer patients with a few metastases could benefit significantly with local radical treatment approach of primary and metastatic lesions. Recent advances in modern local treatment approaches with minimally invasive surgery and stereotactic radiotherapy, as well as introduction of immunotherapy, open new field of interest for personalized treatment of limited metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. In this report, we are summarizing limited data of case reports, retrospective studies and few randomized studies of patients with oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer and discuss challenges of treatment in the era of molecular targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
Insights into Marker Assisted Selection and Its Applications in Plant Breeding
Authors: Kumawat Gayatri , Kanta Kumawat Chander , Chandra Kailash , Pandey Saurabh , Chand Subhash , Nandan Mishra Udit , Lenka Devidutta , Sharma Rohit
Published: December 2020

Burgeoning the human population with its required food demand created a burden on ever-decreasing cultivated land and our food production systems. This situation prompted plant scientists to breed crops in a short duration with specific traits. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) has emerged as a potential tool to achieve desirable results in plants with the help of molecular markers and improves the traits of interest in a short duration. The MAS has comprehensively been used in plant breeding to characterize germplasm, diversity analysis, trait stacking, gene pyramiding, multi-trait introgression, and genetic purity of different cereals, pulses, oilseeds, and fiber crops, etc. Mapping studies pointed out several marker-trait associations from different crop species, which specifies the potential application of MAS in accelerating crop improvement. This chapter presents an overview of molecular markers, their genesis, and potential use in plant breeding.
Electroconvulsive Therapy for a Patient with Suicide by Drinking Bleach During Treatment of COVID-19: A Case Report
Authors: Hassani Valiollah , Amniati Saied , Kashaninasab Fatemeh , Niakan Mohammad , Moradi Moghadam Omid , Jafarian Ali Akbar , Farahmand Rad Reza , Sehat-Kashani Saloome , Habibi Azadeh
Published: December 2020

: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was first experienced in 1938 and had been conducting without anesthesia for 30 years. In this study, the most common indication for ECT was mood disorder (major depressive disorder and bipolar I disorder). We introduce a patient with a history of COVID-19 and suicide who required emergency ECT. Electroconvulsive therapy can be life-saving in patients with suicide history or catatonic schizophrenia. Health workers are at the front line of the COVID-19 outbreak control and must follow health instructions. Aerosol-producing procedures such as suction in anesthesia for ECT may facilitate the transmission of infectious diseases such as COVID-19. When performing aerosol-producing procedures during the pandemic of novel coronavirus, every patient should be considered suspicious.
Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) in Psychiatric Patients
Authors: Shojaei Zahra , Mohammadi Abolfazl , Zarei Mohammad
Published: December 2020

Background: The fundamental problems with the personality disorders diagnostic system in DSM-IV led to the revision of the DSM approach and proposition of a dimensional model for DSM-5. The DSM-5 Personality and personality disorders workgroup developed the personality inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) to assess the pathological personality traits within this new model. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of PID-5 in psychiatric patients. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, the Persian translation of the PID-5 was administered to 400 psychiatric patients admitted to the Roozbeh Hospital. After data collection, the reliability of the inventory was investigated using internal consistency and test-retest methods. In addition, confirmatory factor analysis and convergent validity methods were used to evaluate the validity of the scale. Results: Adequate internal consistency coefficients were obtained for domains and facets. In addition, the test-retest coefficients (up to 0.70) suggested scale stability. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original five-factor model of the inventory. The convergent validity of the inventory with the TCI-R scale was appropriate. Conclusions: The results of the study supported the psychometric properties of the Persian version of PID-5 in psychiatric populations.
Isolation and Identification of Biosurfactant Producing Bacterial Strain from Saline Soil Samples in Iran; Evaluation of Factors on Biosurfactant Production
Authors: Sajadi Bami Marzieh , Khazaeli Payam , Forootanfar Hamid , Dehghannoudeh Gholamreza , Ohadi Mandana
Published: December 2020

Background: Biosurfactants are a group of valuable amphiphilic molecules that have been widely used in different industries such as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Objectives: The current study aimed to screen and identify a bacterial strain able to produce biosurfactant from environmental soil samples, followed by evaluating factors that contribute to biosurfactant production. Methods: The biosurfactants production was evaluated every 24 hours by emulsiﬁcation index (EI), oil spreading ability, and surface tension measurement. Thereafter, the sequences of 16S rDNA genes and biochemical tests were performed to identify the isolated bacterial. Furthermore, the effect of different factors, including nitrogen, vegetable oil, and cations on biosurfactant productivity of the selected bacterial strain, was also evaluated. Results: In primary screening, out of the six bacterial strains, only one isolate was found to produce a hemolytic zone on the blood agar plate. The EI index was increased in a time-dependent manner with a maximum EI of 10% after 12h. Surface tension measurement revealed decreased surface tension (51 mN/m) after 12 hours' incubation compared to that of the blank sample. The selected isolate was recognized as Bacillus atrophaeus by 16S rDNA gene sequencing and biochemical test. All applied factors in culture media could decrease the surface tension of culture broth compared to that of the blank sample. Conclusions: This study demonstrated a Bacillus strain able to produce biosurfactants. Such biosurfactant producers would have great potentials in bioremediation activities and microbial enhanced oil recovery.
Assessment of Clinical Communication Skills of Medical Students Through the Simulated Patient Approach
Authors: Chavda Nilesh , Solanky Priti , Dhanani Jatin V , Shah Aashal , Patel Nirav , Bhadiyadara Sunilkumar
Published: December 2020

Background: Good communication skill is as crucial for the medical practitioner as medical knowledge for better patient outcome. Incorporating simulated patients for teaching communication skills and assessment can be beneficial for the learners as it gives them learning opportunities under a controlled environment. Objectives: 1. To assess the improvement in communication skills with the use of simulated patients after communication skills training. 2. To obtain feedback from simulated patients about patient satisfaction. 3. To obtain feedback from students and faculties about communication skills training intervention and simulated patients for assessment. Methods: After a thorough introduction and explanation of the study, out of total of 139 students from the fifth-semester bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery (MBBS), 44 students gave the willingness to participate. Students were divided into two groups of 22 students; one group acted as doctors, and the other group acted as a standardized patient group. Each simulated patient was randomly assigned to one doctor to make a pair; thus, 22 random pairs of doctor and patients were formed. Before and after giving communication skills training, each doctor-patient pair's consultation was analyzed for clinical communication skills using the Kalamazoo scale adapted version by trained observers. After each consultation, each patient was given a patient satisfaction questionnaire to fill. Results: In this study, students were improved significantly in each competency of the Kalamazoo scale after communication skills training. Before giving this training, the total mean communication skills score of students was 49.86 (SD=10.73), and after training, it significantly improved to 75.45 (SD=15.78) (P < 0.05). Before the training, the mean patient's satisfaction score was 48.95 (SD=12.18), which significantly improved after training to 60.36 (SD=3.99) (P < 0.05). Students as well as observers, found the Kalamazoo scale very useful for communication skills training and assessment. In feedback, they mentioned that the simulated patient approach for the assessment of communication skills was useful. Conclusions: This study showed that the clinical communication skills training with a structured scale was helpful for medical students. Students were found interested in learning such new skills; thus, clinical communication skills training should be an integral part of medical education. Simulated patients were found useful and can be used for the assessment of other clinical skills in medical education.
The Relationship Between Hemoglobin Level and No-Reflow Phenomenon in Patients with Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary PCI
Authors: Separham Ahmad , Seyedi Seyedeh Zeinab , Heidari Sarvestani Ali
Published: December 2020

Background: Anemia is a predictor of no reflow with high rate morbidity and mortality particularly in patients with heart failure. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between hemoglobin level and no-reflowing in patients with myocardial infarction undergoing primary PCI. Methods: In this retrospective cross sectional study, all patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing coronary angiography from 2016 till 2018 were included. According to post procedural TIMI flow, the patients were divided into two groups: patients with TIMI flow III and those with TIMI flow less than III. Patients’ demographic and laboratory data such as hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelets count, white blood cells, serum creatinine level and troponin were collected. To compare the quantitative variables chi square test and to compare qualitative variables t-test were applied by SPSS software version 19. Results: In this study 1200 patients with acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary PCI were included. The mean Hemoglobin level in normal TIMI group and low TIMI group were 14.15 ± 1.49 and 13.66 ± 1.69, respectively (P < 0.001). Our results also showed a significant lower RBC count (P < 0.001), lower HCT level (P < 0 .001) and lower RDW (P < 0.001) in those patients with lower TIMI flow. Based on the multivariate regression analysis lower hemoglobin has a significant association with lower TIMI flow and no-reflow (OR = 0.747, CI = 0.618 - 0.888, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Our study showed that in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI, hemoglobin level had a significant association with post procedural low TIMI flow and no-reflow. Our results emphasize the need for randomized control trials to evaluate the importance of pre-simultaneous blood transfusion in patients with anemia undergoing PPCI.
Curiosity: Vice or Virtue? Augustine and Lonergan
Authors: Byrne Patrick H. ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: December 2020

Two recent studies by Joseph Torchia and Paul Griffiths show the importance of Augustine’s critique of the vice of curiositas to contemporary life and thought. Superficially, it might seem that Augustine condemned curiosity because it “seeks to find out whatever it wishes without restriction of any kind.” Though profoundly influenced by Augustine, Bernard Lonergan praised intellectual curiosity precisely insofar as it is motivated by an unrestricted desire to know, rather than by less noble motives. Drawing upon the researches of Torchia and Griffiths, this article endeavors to show that Augustine does not simply equate curiositas with an unrestricted desire to know, and that the virtue of intellectual curiosity as Lonergan understood it is in fact endorsed by Augustine by means of its relationship to the virtue of studiositas. This more nuanced view of the virtues and vices of intellect can provide guidance for contemporary intellectual pursuits, both how to pursue and not to pursue knowledge.
Social Understanding and the Problem of “Other Mind”
Authors: Filatov Vladimir P. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: December 2020

The article discusses the main developments in the theory of social understanding. This new interdisciplinary area of research emerged at the end of the 20th century as a synthesis of a number of directions – analytical epistemology, philosophy of mind, cognitive psychology, neuroscience. Most philosophers and scientists believe that the core of social understanding is the ability to understand the mental states of other people. Studies of this ability have been called ≪theory of mind≫. This traditional problem of epistemology has now ceased to be the subject of “armchair philosophy” and turned into a field in which philosophy began to interact with the empirical cognitive sciences. Discussions about cognitive mechanisms that provide social understanding are dominated by two main approaches: theory-theory and simulation theory, as well as various options for their integration. The article also discusses an alternative interactive approach to social understanding research. Its supporters believe that people in real interactions with each other rarely use theorizing or mental simulation, but use direct social perception and various forms of embodied social practice.
Making ‘Science as a Public Good’ Meaningful
Authors: Fuller Steve ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: December 2020

I respond to the challenging comments of Nico Stehr, Stephen Turner and Raphael Sassower to my own article on the sense in which science can be regarded as a ‘public good’. I agree with Stehr that this conceptualization brings various hazards that are exacerbated with increasing democratization of the knowledge system. Here I elaborate on an astute remark he raises from Georg Simmel. Based on a historically well informed account, Turner takes a more ‘demystified’ view of science as a public good, ultimately seeing it as corresponding to John Ziman’s idea of ‘reliable knowledge’. For his part, Sassower pursues a more ‘transcendental’ approach about knowledge being in the ‘common good’, while admitting that it is an aspiration rather than a reality.
Collaboration in Science
Authors: Pronskikh Vitaly S. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: December 2020

The article provides a brief overview of the philosophical and methodological problems of modern collaborative research. Collaborations – distributed organizations with variable membership, consisting of a large number (sometimes several thousand) of participants – are common in experimental high-energy physics studying microcosm objects, elementary particles arising in collisions of beams of accelerated particles and nuclei at collider accelerators, as well as in biomedicine and climatology. The central issues are authorship, epistemic ownership and dependence in collaborations, the division of epistemic labor in interdisciplinary research, as well as related issues of scientific organization – peer review and distribution of credit in a team. Formally, the author, conceived as a list of persons appearing as authors of a collaborative scientific work, seems to be defined by the specific participants of the collaboration core, i.e., is a construct. However, the question can also be understood as “What does it mean to be the author of a scientific work?”, and then the answer becomes much less certain. Authorship of thousand-people articles is justified psychologically as the desire for regular performance of a ritual, which allows demonstrating joint belonging to a certain tradition, such as a long experiment, affiliation with the “workshop” of scientists studying phenomena of the microworld, which allows scientists, despite of their daily preoccupation with technical routines, to distinguish themselves from non-epistemic communities (engineers, technicians). However, specific rules that determine exactly who and why are worthy of being included as co-authors have been undergoing changes in recent years. In addition to theoretical significance, many of the problems discussed are related to actual practical issues of scientometry and the organization of scientific research, and therefore approaches to their solution can be directly embodied in scientific policy.
Interdisciplinarity and Crowdsourcing in Ecology as Reply to the Challenges of the Technogenic Civilization
Authors: Petrova Ekaterina V. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: December 2020

The main characteristic of the modern environment is the negative change by its people – destruction and pollution. Man is part of the biosphere and the technogenic transformations of the biosphere inevitably affect him. Under the influence of technogenic civilization, all spheres of human activity undergo changes, and science above all. Ecology is especially keenly aware of the challenges of technogenic civilization. It focuses on anthropogenic factors, works with the human environment. At the same time, its problem field is expanding due to interdisciplinary research and the allocation of knowledge of new environmental disciplines into an independent industry. The interdisciplinarity of modern ecology is most clearly visible on the example of such a direction as informational ecology. The presence of the digital environment in human life has grown so much that it requires the separation of the digital information environment into a separate subsystem. Information ecology studies the laws of the influence of information on the formation and functioning of man. In turn, interdisciplinarity, assuming the use of knowledge from various branches of science, brings us to the problems of the collective agent of cognition and distributed knowledge. In ecology, the problems of the collective agent of cognition are implemented through crowd-sourcing technology. Ecology is a science that requires massive collection of observation data (samples of water, air, soil pollution in various, sometimes hard-to-reach corners of the planet, observation of fluctuations in the number of species of animals and plants). The popularity of crowdsourcing projects in the field of ecology is explained by the fact that the challenges and threats of anthropogenic civilization have generated such a trend of our time as environmental orientation or environmentalism. Ecological crowdsourcing projects, inspired by the philosophy of environmentalism, can serve as an answer to the challenges of technogenic civilization.
The Problem of Priority in the Invention of Scientific Journals
Authors: Kupriyanov Victor A. ,   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: December 2020

The article is devoted to the discussion on priority in the invention of scientific journal. In the first part of the article, the author makes a critical analysis of the arguments in the discussion, explicating some contradictions. In the second part, he develops his own approach claiming that the solution lies in the correct definition of the social demand which has impulsed the search for new tools of scientific communication. The author argues that, because of the universality of the socio-economic processes, this demand was common for the early Modern European sciences in general. The author shows that the first scientific journals (Philosophical Transactions, Journal des scavans) have appeared in the atmosphere of competition for the invention of new forms of scientific communication. He argues that Kantian distinction of the public and private application of reason seems to be helpful for better understanding of this process.
Interactionist Moral Character and the Causal-Constitutive Fallacy
Authors: Lutman Cameron ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: December 2020

Interactionism has emerged as a promising approach to moral character in the wake of the situationist challenge and the character-situation debate. This paper will consider whether interactionism is troubled by a familiar problem from the philosophy of mind: the coupling-constitution or causal-constitution fallacy (C-C fallacy). In relation to character, this issue pertains to whether the external factors featured in interactionist models are partly constitutive of the agent’s character, or whether they merely play a causal role. In contrast to some other interactionist theorists, I argue that interactionism doesn’t need to make distinctions regarding causation and constitution, and would be better off without attempting to do so. Making such claims would only add metaphysical baggage to interactionism that won’t aid in its goal of providing an empirically adequate moral psychology of character. Interactionists are thus better off evading the C-C fallacy challenge, rather than attempting to meet it head-on.
'Colonial virus'? Creative arts and public understanding of COVID-19 in Ghana
Authors: de-Graft Aikins Ama
Published: December 2020

In this paper I examine how responses to COVID-19 by Ghana�s creative arts communities shape public understanding of the pandemic. I focus on comedy, music, textile designs, and murals created between March and August 2020, through frameworks of the social psychology of everyday knowledge and arts and health. The art forms perform three functions: health promotion (songs), improving environmental aesthetics (murals), and memorialising (textile designs). Similar to arts-based interventions for HIV and Ebola, Ghanaian artists translate COVID-19 information in ways that connect emotionally, create social awareness, and lay the foundation for public understanding. Artists translate COVID-19 information in ways that connect emotionally, create social awareness, and lay the foundation for public understanding. Some offer socio-political critique, advocating social protection for poor communities, re-presenting collective memories of past health crises and inequitable policy responses, and theorising about the Western origins of COVID and coloniality of anti-African vaccination programmes. I consider the implications for COVID public health communication and interventions.
Game Theory: An Application of Probability
Authors: Rector Robert E.
Published: December 2020

In searching for topics to include in a summer honors seminar for high school students, we have found game theory to be a most appropriate area of study. The directors of the seminar determined that the program of study for these academically talented high school students should include topics that are unfamiliar, interesting, challenging (but understandable), and adaptable to applications. The theory of games meets these criteria and has proved to be a successful segment of the program. We would recommend it highly as a final topic in a unit on probability or as a topic for a mathematics club. Matrix notation and matrix operations provide a model for analyzing certain situations involving conflict. Probability theory can be used to determine the best strategies for the players.
The 1985 Nationwide University Mathematics Examination in the People's Republic of China
Authors: Becker Jerry P. , Yi-Yun Zhou
Published: December 2020

In the late 1970s the Chinese set scientific and technological development as a major national priority. At this time, following the Cultural Revolution (1966–76), the Chinese set into motion new national science policies, with education serving as a major link in their plans to revitalize efforts toward scientific development.
Some Theorems Involving the Lengths of Segments in a Triangle
Authors: Byrkit Donald R. , Dixon Timothy L.
Published: December 2020

Many theorems in geometry concern the relationships among the lengths of various line segments of a triangle. One theorem of elementary geometry states that the segments into which an angle bisector divides the opposite sides of a triangle are in proportion to the adjacent sides.
Variations on a Well-known Trick
Authors: Schwartzman Steven
Published: December 2020

By the time they reach high school, most students have seen one version or another of the following trick. The class is asked to agree, in secret, on a positive integer from 1 through a certain maximum stated value. The teacher then holds up a bunch of cards, each containing many numbers, and asks whether the chosen number is on each card. When the students tell the teacher on which of the cards their chosen number appears, he or she immediately announces the number. Figure 1 shows the six cards that would be used to guess any chosen number from 1 through 63. All the teacher has to do is add up the numbers that appear in the upper left corner of the cards on which the students say their number appears.
Finance Charges on Credit Card Accounts
Authors: Kost Franklin
Published: December 2020

There are 114 million Visa accounts worldwide (Newsweek 1985) and 66 million in the United States (Visa U.S.A. 1986b), of which 72 percent had balances during 1985. (This number is compared to 15 million American Express and 65 million MasterCard.) The average balance was nearly 900 dollars. These U.S.A. Visa accounts were assessed finance charges during 1985 in excess of 6 billion dollars. About 71 percent of the 500 million statements sent out in 1985 had finance charges assessed for an average of 18 dollars per statement. Sears, the nation's largest retail chain, collected 2.1 billion in finance charges in 1984 on its 40 million accounts.
Is Three Years Enough?
Authors: Waits Bert K. , Demana Franklin
Published: December 2020

It is well known that students needing remedial mathematics when they enter colleges and universities are at serious risk. Only about one-third of the students with remedial mathematics placement actually graduate (Demana and Waits, n.d.). Further, those who do graduate, do so in a limited number of areas that require little or no mathematics. Graduation rates and career choices depend heavily on the mathematics skills students possess upon entering the university. College programs in engineering and scientific areas are essentially out of reach for students who enter the university needing remedial mathematics
A Geometric Solution to a Problem of Minimization
Authors: Changming Li
Published: December 2020

The authors of the article solved the problem by trigonometric methods instead of the standard method in calculus using derivatives. Their method can be summarized as follows.
Triangles of Equal Area and Perimeter and Inscribed Circles
Authors: Kilmer Jean E.
Published: December 2020

Much has been written on triangles having areas and perimeters of equal numerical value. Markowitz (1981) determined that only five triangles having sides with integral lengths exist for which the areas equal the perimeters, but that infinitely many have rational side lengths. (Throughout this article, when it is stated that triangles have equal area and perimeter, it means that they are numerically equal.) Markowitz (1981) and Bates (1979) both determine equations satisfied by triangles having equal areas and perimeters, but these equations can only be used through trial and error. The purpose of this article is to find a method that will easily generate any number of triangles of equal area and perimeter, and also geometrically characterize such triangles.
Let the Computer Draw the Tessellations That You Design
Authors: Woods Jimmy C.
Published: December 2020

During a presentation of transformation geometry it is motivating and entertaining to introduce tiling. If a figure tiles the plane (no gaps or overlaps) then that figure is said to “tessellate” the plane and the tiling is called a “tessellation.” Figures that tessellate are many and varied.