This research aims to describe how practicing lawyers perceive ‘plain writing’ in the legal field and to conceptualize this notion through the discourse analysis of these specialists. To do so, a qualitative research framed in the interpretive paradigm has been developed. Specifically, 18 practicing lawyers, from different countries and with different specializations in the practicing of Law, were surveyed. After analyzing the discourse of the interviewed lawyers, eight macro categories accounting for plain language both generally and particularly were identified. The (...) audience was identified as a key element in the production of legal texts which facilitate justice to citizens. Based on our analysis, we conclude with a definition of plain writing. (shrink)

Aberrations introduced by the atmospheric turbulence in large telescopes are compensated using adaptive optics systems, where the use of deformable mirrors and multiple sensors relies on complex control systems. Recently, the development of larger scales of telescopes as the E-ELT or TMT has created a computational challenge due to the increasing complexity of the new adaptive optics systems. The Complex Atmospheric Reconstructor based on Machine Learning is an algorithm based on artificial neural networks, designed to compensate the atmospheric turbulence. During (...) recent years, the use of GPUs has been proved to be a great solution to speed up the learning process of neural networks, and different frameworks have been created to ease their development. The implementation of CARMEN in different Multi-GPU frameworks is presented in this paper, along with its development in a language originally developed for GPU, like CUDA. This implementation offers the best response for all the presented cases, although its advantage of using more than one GPU occurs only in large networks. (shrink)

In this work I reflect, from the concepts of coloniality of power (Quijano 2007a) and coloniality of gender (Lugones 2008), key elements to sentipensar,2 the struggles of Indigenous women on the continent in defense of life in their territories. It is not new for Indigenous women to mobilize together with their peoples to defend the land-territory-life, but in recent years their participation has become more visible to the extent that the threat to the territories also involves fundamental elements for the (...) reproduction of life that previously had not been of interest to capital. In this context my interest is focused on the ways in which the women of the territories create and resist from other ontologies in defense of life.Thinking the reality of our countries from the coloniality of power and the coloniality of gender implies, among other things, taking as a baseline the existence of structures of domination, exploitation, and extermination that have been reproduced over the last five centuries in Abya Yala, and that have led to the imposition of a world classification that denies the existence of other worlds that inhabit these territories, and that have been persecuted, massacred, made invisible, but that exist and re-exist (Albán 2013). (shrink)

El autor revisa el proceso de la globalización para concluir que se trata de la culminación de la europeización del mundo. Desde esta perspectiva analiza los aspectos positivos y negativos del proceso – en sus aspectos económico, social y cultural- para pasar a formular algunas propuestas, tras advertir que estamos en la disyuntiva de elegir el buen o mal camino y que debemos hacerlo con responsabilidad, resaltando el rol que debe cumplir la educación.

Adaptive optics are techniques used for processing the spatial resolution of astronomical images taken from large ground-based telescopes. In this work, computational results are presented for a modified curvature sensor, the tomographic pupil image wavefront sensor, which measures the turbulence of the atmosphere, expressed in terms of an expansion over Zernike polynomials. Convolutional neural networks are presented as an alternative to the TPI-WFS reconstruction. This technique is a machine learning model of the family of artificial neural networks, which are widely (...) known for its performance as modeling and prediction technique in complex systems. Results obtained from the reconstruction of the networks are compared with the TPI-WFS reconstruction by estimating errors and optical measurements. The reconstructed wavefronts from both techniques are compared for wavefronts of 153 Zernike modes. For this case, a detailed comparison and grid search to find the most suitable neural network is performed, searching between multi-layer perceptron, CNN and recurrent networks topologies. In general, the best network was a CNN trained for TPI-WFS reconstruction, achieving better performance than the reconstruction software from TPI-WFS in most of the turbulent profiles, but the most significant improvements were found for higher turbulent profiles that have the lowest r0 values. (shrink)

El escenario energético de escasez a nivel mundial se empieza a reflejar fuertemente en América Latina. Chile tiene una política energética diseñada en el período dictatorial, y administrada en la democracia, que hace muy vulnerable su economía, su medio ambiente y su seguridad. En este artículo se analizan críticamente los diversos aspectos que inciden fuertemente en el actual escenario energético chileno, sobre todo en lo que respecta a la política de integración con sus vecinos latinoamericanos, desde donde se puede vislumbrar (...) también una solución sustentable a los problemas energéticos futuros. (shrink)

Childhood obesity, linked to a sedentary lifestyle and an unbalanced diet, is one of the main problems in today’s Western societies. In this sense, the aim of the study was to analyze students’ perceived satisfaction in physical education classes with learning strategies and engagement in learning and critical thinking as determinants of healthy lifestyle habits. The study involved 2,439 high school students aged 12–18 years (M= 14.66,SD= 1.78). Structural equation modeling was conducted to analyze the predictive relationships between the study (...) variables. The results showed that teaching, teaching mastery, and cognitive development are precursors to deep thinking on the part of students, indicators of the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits. These results reflect the importance of the methodology adopted by the teacher in order to positively influence the students’ habits. (shrink)

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by dysfunctional processing of nociceptive stimulation. Neuroimaging studies have pointed out that pain-related network functioning seems to be altered in these patients. It is thought that this clinical symptomatology may be maintained or even strengthened because of an enhanced expectancy for painful stimuli or its forthcoming appearance. However, neural electrophysiological correlates associated with such attentional mechanisms have been scarcely explored. In the current study, expectancy processes of upcoming laser stimulation (painful and non-painful) and (...) its further processing were explored by event-related potentials (ERPs). Nineteen fibromyalgia patients and twenty healthy control volunteers took part in the experiment. Behavioral measures (reaction times and subjective pain perception) were also collected. We manipulated the pain/no pain expectancy through an S1–S2 paradigm (cue-target). S1 (image: triangle or square) predicted the S2 appearance (laser stimulation: warmth or pinprick sensation). Laser stimuli were delivered using a CO2 laser device. Temporal and spatial principal component analyses were employed to define and quantify the ERP component reliability. Statistical analyses revealed the existence of an abnormal pattern of pain expectancy in patients with fibromyalgia. Specifically, our results showed attenuated amplitudes at posterior lCNV component in anticipation of painful stimulation that was not found in healthy participants. In contrast, although larger P2 amplitudes to painful compared to innocuous events were shown, patients did not show any amplitude change in this laser-evoked response as a function of pain predictive cues (as occurred in the healthy control group). Additionally, analyses of the subjective perception of pain and reaction time indicated that laser stimuli preceded by pain cues were rated as more painful than those signaling non-pain expectancy and were associated with faster responses. Differences between groups were not found. The present findings suggest the presence of dysfunction in pain expectation mechanisms in fibromyalgia that eventually may make it difficult for patients to correctly interpret signs that prevent pain symptoms. Furthermore, the abnormal pattern in pain expectancy displayed by fibromyalgia patients could result in ineffective pain coping strategies. Understanding the neural correlates of pain processing and its modulatory factors is crucial to identify treatments for chronic pain syndromes. (shrink)

Resumen Este artículo muestra que la pintura de Tiziano contiene en el fondo un esquema dialéctico de tensión entre elementos opuestos: jovial/trágico, clásico/cristiano, puñal/refugio. Esta tensión alimenta la intersección de estructuras significativas que caracteriza a toda obra de arte. Esta dialéctica explica el sentido último que tiene la pintura para Tiziano. Centramos esta dialéctica en la obra Desollamiento de Marsias, obra que enseña que la pintura, el arte en general, para Tiziano abre heridas, es un puñal, pero también es un (...) abrigo donde el que refugiarnos del horror del mundo. Abstract This article shows that Titian's painting contains at its core a dialectical scheme of tension between opposing elements: jovial/tragic, classical/christian, dagger/refuge. This tension feeds the intersection of meaningful structures that characterize every work of art. This dialectic explains the ultimate meaning of painting for Titian. We focus this dialectic on the work The Flaying of Marsyas, a work that teaches that painting, art in general, for Titian opens wounds, it is a dagger, but it is also a shelter in which to take refuge from the horror of the world. (shrink)

The foundations of Statistical Mechanics can be recovered almost in their entirety from the principle of maximum entropy. In this work we show that its non-equilibrium generalization, the principle of maximum caliber (Jaynes, Phys Rev 106:620–630, 1957), when applied to the unknown trajectory followed by a particle, leads to Newton’s second law under two quite intuitive assumptions (both the expected square displacement in one step and the spatial probability distribution of the particle are known at all times). Our derivation explicitly (...) highlights the role of mass as an emergent measure of the fluctuations in velocity (inertia) and the origin of potential energy as a manifestation of spatial correlations. According to our findings, the application of Newton’s equations is not limited to mechanical systems, and therefore could be used in modelling ecological, financial and biological systems, among others. (shrink)

Metallothioneins (MTs) are ubiquitous proteins with the capacity to bind heavy metal ions (mainly Cd, Zn or Cu), and they have been found in animals, plants, eukaryotic and prokaryotic micro‐organisms. We have carried out a comparative analysis of ciliate MTs (Tetrahymena species) to well‐known MTs from other organisms, discussing their exclusive features, such as the presence of aromatic amino acid residues and almost exclusive cysteine clusters (CCC) present in cadmium‐binding metallothioneins (CdMTs), higher heavy metal‐MT stoichiometry values, and a strictly conserved (...) modular–submodular structure. Based on this last feature and an extensive gene duplication, we propose a possible model for the evolutionary history of T. thermophila MTs. We also suggest possible functions for these MTs from consideration of their differential gene expressions and discuss the potential use of these proteins and/or their gene promoters for designing molecular or whole‐cell biosensors for a fast detection of heavy metals in diverse polluted ecosystems. (shrink)

In this text, we ask if analogy can enable a dialogue between religion and the social sciences. To do so, we focus in the conflict between the biblical understanding of man as a created being and the notion of human nature as a social construct. Although there seems to be a fundamental dispute in social constructivism between nature and freedom (Ian Hacking), we consider analogical reasoning (Mauricio Beuchot) enables anthropological views, like Philip Hefner’s, that include central aspects of the doctrine (...) of creation and understand nature and freedom as complementary human features, thus allowing the desired dialogue. (shrink)

La Sociedad del Conocimiento se caracteriza por un continuo contacto con una información de marcado carácter visual. No resulta extraño, pues, implementar en el aula universitaria una metodología basada en la imagen, el Visual Thinking. La metodología utilizada es de naturaleza cuantitativa. Se presentan los resultados de la aplicación de esta herramienta a 401 estudiantes de tres titulaciones de la Universidad de Córdoba, que manifiestan un alto nivel de satisfacción con la experiencia y mejoras en el aprendizaje de las asignaturas. (...) El Visual Thinking se considera una herramienta que favorece la implicación del estudiantado a partir del uso de imágenes. (shrink)

We present a proof of the equivalence between two deductive systems for constructive necessity, namely an axiomatic characterisation inspired by Hakli and Negri's system of derivations from assumptions for modal logic , a Hilbert-style formalism designed to ensure the validity of the deduction theorem, and the judgmental reconstruction given by Pfenning and Davies by means of a natural deduction approach that makes a distinction between valid and true formulae, constructively. Both systems and the proof of their equivalence are formally verified (...) using the state-of-the-art proof assistant Coq. The proof approach taken throughout the paper unveils the use of some alternative proof methods that allow for a smooth transition from the high-level mathematical proofs to their mechanised counterparts. (shrink)

La professionnalisation des enseignants comme facteur contribuant à la qualité de l’éducation répond, en partie, à la formation qu’ils ont reçue. Dans le système pédagogique de l’alternance, en raison de la diversité des éléments et des acteurs qui interviennent, l’enseignant se pose une série de difficultés liées à la pratique de ses fonctions qui en affectent la qualité. Dans cet article, à travers les résultats obtenus à partir d’entretiens semi-dirigés, une étude est présentée qui analyse le point de vue d’experts (...) dans le domaine de la formation des formateurs des centres d’alternance. (shrink)

Dean MacCannell (Washington, 1940), catedrático emérito de paisajismo de la Universidad de California en Davis, es un autor de referencia internacional en antropología, sociología y ética del turismo, con obras fundamentales como _The Tourist: A New Theory of the Leisure Class _(1976), _Empty Meeting Grounds_ (1992) – ambas publicadas en España por la editorial Melusina- o _The Ethics of Sightseeing_ (2011). Considerando que uno de los principales atractivos de su obra es su capacidad para captar la relación entre el turismo (...) y las transformaciones culturales y socio-económicas de los últimos cincuenta años, quisimos dirigirle una serie de preguntas para profundizar sobre su obra y reflexionar sobre el turismo en el mundo post-pandemia de la Covid-19. (Traducción al español a cargo de Carmen González). (shrink)

The importance of professional competence lies in the effective application of job-oriented knowledge and skills which guarantee one’s successful adaptation to the work. This study analyzes the perception of the importance of physical activity and sports professionals’ competence in working with individuals with disabilities in Spain. As a descriptive quantitative study, face-to-face interviews were conducted through a survey to extract the data. The sample consisted of 214 PAS professionals working with people with disabilities. According to the results, the analyzed constituents (...) of professional competence are important for adequate performance, with the exception of competences of leadership and use of new technologies. It was also found that the perceived importance of each element of professional competence varies according to age, experience and training. Based on the obtained results, the degree of importance of each constituent of professional competence and its implication for the access of people with disabilities to high-quality physical activity and sports services was determined. (shrink)

La obtención de alimentos sanos y seguros requiere de técnicas de conservación inocuas para el consumidor y para el me­dio ambiente, entre las que se destaca la bioconservación. A su ca­tálogo de compuestos naturales o microorganismos, utilizados de forma habitual, la bioconservación ha incorporado recientemente los bacteriófagos y las proteínas fágicas con actividad lítica. La utilización de fagos y endolisinas en el biocontrol ofrece importantes ventajas frente a otros sistemas de conserva­ción tradicionales. Entre dichas ventajas destacan su inocuidad, especificidad y (...) versatilidad. Por otra parte, la acuciante necesidad de reducir el uso de antibióticos en la cadena alimentaria ha impul­sado la investigación basada en estos antimicrobianos con el fin de aplicarlos en producción primaria. Sin embargo, y a pesar de la gran eficacia ya demostrada en múltiples sectores, la falta de legislación de la Unión Europea sobre el uso de bacteriófa­gos junto con la necesidad de ser aceptados por los consumidores, son factores que están afectando negativamente a su implantación como bioconservantes. En este contexto, este artículo recoge los últimos resultados relacionados con este tipo de antimicrobianos en la industria agro-alimentaria, y resume los puntos clave para entender las posibilidades reales de su aplicación ante los nuevos requisitos asociados con una producción sostenible tanto desde una perspectiva económica como ambiental. (shrink)

Este trabajo muestra los resultados de una investigación realizada en ESIC UNIVERSITY, consistente en la medición del impacto empresarial que puede tener la robótica. El estudio analiza las opiniones de los alumnos tras visitar y experimentar en un espacio dotado de robots y humanoides, denominado Aula Tech. Se realizó durante 2018 y 2021. El estudio fue cuantitativo. La muestra la compusieron 284 individuos, con paridad de género (140 mujeres y 139 hombres). Los resultados muestran el total desconocimiento de la robótica (...) en la empresa y el temor a la convivencia social. (shrink)

The objective of this research is to identify the main weaknesses of corporate social responsibility in the textile sector and to propose procedures that help to overcome them. We start from the assumption that the asymmetries and necessary relationships generated to manufacture textile garments in the international context are not attributable to a single circumstance. Equally, it is reasonable to assume that the solutions to these asymmetries are affected by the identification and transversality of such circumstances. The present research was (...) carried out by gathering the opinions and solutions of participants in a Delphi analysis to uncover the critical points and vulnerabilities of the sector. The weaknesses of the sector were then identified following the analysis of responses from two expert panels to two multidisciplinary questionnaires, the questions for which were developed from the stated hypotheses.El objetivo de esta investigación es detectar las principales debilidades del sector textil en relación con la responsabilidad social empresarial y proponer medidas que contribuyan a superarlas. Partimos de que las asimetrías y relaciones generadas necesarias para fabricar prendas textiles en el contexto internacional no son imputables a una sola circunstancia. Es igualmente entendible que sus soluciones pasen por la identificación y la transversalidad de dichas circunstancias. En la presente investigación, lo llevamos a cabo mediante la de la recolección de opiniones y soluciones expresadas por diferentes participantes, y a través de un análisis Delphi, para conocer cuáles son los puntos críticos y vulnerabilidades del sector, y la posterior identificación de sus debilidades tras el análisis de las respuestas de dos paneles de expertos a dos cuestionarios multidisciplinares con preguntas desarrolladas sobre las hipótesis planteadas. (shrink)

Background Abortion is one of the most common gynaecological procedures. It is related to personal, social, and economic reasons under a legal term that is recognised as a common sexual and reproductive right in most of countries. However, making the decision to abort is complex, because it is politicised and is often framed in public discourse related to moral or ethical issues beyond women’s experiences. Therefore, it is subject to medical criteria, religious evaluations, and sociological analysis. Purpouse The aim of (...) this synthesis of qualitative studies was to synthesise the decision-making experiences of women who legally aborted. Research design and method The Noblit and Hare’s interpretive meta‐ethnography was conducted, and it was written in accordance with the eMERGe meta‐ethnography reporting guidance. Ten studies met the research objective and inclusion criteria, after a comprehensive systematic search strategy in five databases. Findings The metaphor “The wrestling between why and what will happen next” and three themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) Forces that incite the arm wrestling; (2) Facing social stigma; and (3) Defeated by a greater rival. The metaphor provided interpretive experiences of the moral conflict experienced by women who decided to have an abortion and emerged from the confrontation of the reasons why they decided to abort and the social repercussions that making the decision entails. The result of the struggle was loneliness and vulnerability. Conclusion The lines of action impact policy makers, the media, and health professionals. Actions should focus on the de-stigmatisation and normalisation of abortion, the use of appropriate language, and the training and sensitisation of health professionals. (shrink)

How do scientists and theologians conceive new ways of mapping the world? Can parallels be found between the images they use, or the models they offer when new questions arise? I will explore Albert Einstein’s views on scientific imagination with the goal of contributing – at least within his own perspective – to answering these questions. Drawing on McGrath, I will first briefly describe Einstein’s desire for a unified vision of reality, the links between science and a ‘cosmic religion’, and (...) his overall ideas on transcendence. I will later further develop Einstein’s fundamental features of a cosmovision that grounds his work in physics, and encompasses his philosophical views on human existence and his general way of seeing the world. I will focus on Ideas and Opinions (1982), which will allow me to set the broad picture of his theory of everything and, at the same time, bring up the central aspects of Einstein’s ideas on the scientific imagination. Finally, I will briefly summarise my conclusions concerning Einstein’s views on the nature of scientific imagination as a mental device, especially regarding its twofold role in what I call ‘visual image play’ and conceptualization. (shrink)

Se exponen precisiones en torno al concepto de cultura científica sobre la base de numerosos referentes actuales y a partir de las diferencias en su tratamiento, en el que generalmente se asume como categoría que es vinculada a las grandes masas y que, por su oficio, deben portar los individuos que se relacionan directa o indirectamente con la construcción del conocimiento científico y los resultados o salidas derivados de estos. También se propone el concepto de cultura científico investigativa que parte (...) de una intencionalidad como regularidad del pensamiento científico en el modo de actuación del sujeto consciente y desarrollador de esa categoría esencial, núcleo de capacidades transformadoras que median el pensamiento científico y la toma de decisiones en función de las demandas sociales. On the basis of current references about of scientific culture concept, the authors detailed the differences in the treatment in which it is generally assumed as a category that is linked to the masses and which, due to their profession, must have the individuals that are directly or indirectly related to the construction of scientific knowledge and the results or outputs derived from them. In addition, the concept of scientific research culture is proposed, from intentionality as a regularity of scientific thinking in the action mode of the conscious individual and developer of that essential category, a nucleus of transformative capacities that mediate scientific thinking and decision making in function of social demands. (shrink)

La fe en el progreso técnico ha llevado a la liberación de las energías de la naturaleza y con ello, como dice Heidegger, se ha inaugurado el peligro de “ser absorbido por la tecnología”. En esta línea se encuentra las propuestas del transhumanismo, como el biomejoramiento humano, tratando de superar las limitaciones humanas como la salud, el conocimiento, la afectividad y moral, y mortalidad haciendo uso de las nuevas tecnologías NBIC. El filósofo francés, Fabrice Hadjadj, es un nuevo referente en (...) la discusión del transhumanismo con sus análisis sobre la tecnología y la corporeidad humana. Mi propósito es mostrar las críticas que se encuentran en el pensamiento de Hadjadj a los núcleos esenciales del movimiento transhumanista, interpretándolas como desarrollos que continúan y profundizan las ya realizadas por autores como Jürgen Habermas y Michael Sandel; además, pretendo mostrar que son plausibles, tienen consideraciones convincentes y una nueva forma de pensar y responder al transhumanismo. La estructura está dividida en tres partes: 1) la exposición de los argumentos y crítica que Hadjadj hace a esta postura filosófica basándome en las liberaciones de nuestras limitaciones antes mencionadas; 2) centrarme en la propuesta que hace para superar esta postura, cómo complementa las críticas que hacen Habermas y Sandel desde una perspectiva metafísica; y, por último, 3) la defensa del ser humano desde su visión basada en sus “cuatro vueltas”. (shrink)

The rapid increase of industry-sponsored clinical research towards developing countries has led to potentially complex ethical issues to assess. There is scarce evidence about the perception of these participants about the ethical compliance, security, and protection. We sought to evaluate and contrast the awareness and perception of participants and non-participants of industry-sponsored research trials on ethical, safety, and protection topics. A Cases-control survey conducted at twelve research sites in México. Previous and current participants of ISRT as well as non-participants with (...) one of four chronic diseases, were asked to complete the survey which focused on ethical compliance and protection issues of ISRT, and the perception of participating in a trial. A total of 604 cases and 604 controls were surveyed. Cases significantly answered that ethics committees are aware of what is happening in studies, and that medical care of industry-sponsored research trials is better than their usual medical care. The same proportion of cases and controls thought patients must receive economical reimbursement for participating in a research study. The informed consent of the pharmaceutical clinical trial was fully read by 90.4% of the cases. Most cases were satisfied or very satisfied with their overall study participation. Previous and current participants of industry-sponsored research trials have a more positive attitude towards ethics committees, the quality of medical care of the research trials, and the main purpose of economical reimbursements, when compared to non-participants. (shrink)

En esta investigación sometemos, a 640 alumnos/as de cuarto a sexto de Primaria, a prueba un modelo relacional entre seis habilidades socio – emocionales, la percepción y el resultado académico en Lengua Castellana y Literatura. Los resultados obtenidos en el análisis nos muestran significatividad entre la percepción y el resultado real obtenido en Lengua y las habilidades de toma de conciencia y control emocional, las habilidades socioemocionales, la cooperación y ayuda durante el trabajo, las habilidades de vida y bienestar subjetiva (...) como mejora de la calidad de vida y como poder motivacional en el rendimiento académico en Lengua Castellana y Literatura. (shrink)