This article draws on the Conversational Structure Model (CSM) to explore a different explanation of the educational phenomenon. It is argued that education can be seen as a lifelong individual process that is lived by a human being in the different niches with which he or she interacts. These niches are modified by the persons' actions that are part of that structure; at the same time, the environments he or she interacts will modify the person, structurally. These structural changes produce, (...) in human beings, behaviors different from those shown before the interaction: the person has learned. The conclusion is that education occurs in a specific kind of conversations. (shrink)

In this article, we use the principlist approach to identify, analyse and attempt to solve the ethical problem raised by a pregnant woman's request for cesarean delivery in absence of medical indications.We use two different types of premises: factual (facts about cesarean delivery and specifically attitudes of obstetricians as derived from the EUROBS European study) and value premises (principles of beneficence and non-maleficence, respect for autonomy and justice).Beneficence/non-maleficence entails physicians' responsibility to minimise harms and maximise benefits. Avoiding its inherent risks (...) makes a prima facie case against cesarean section without medical indication. However, as vaginal delivery can have unintended consequences, there is a need to balance the somewhat dissimilar risks and benefits. The principle of autonomy poses a challenge in case of disagreement between the pregnant woman and the physician. Improved communication aimed to enable better informed choice may overcome some instances of disagreement. The principle of justice prohibits unfair discrimination, and broadly favours optimising resource utilisation.Available evidence supports vaginal birth in uncomplicated term pregnancies as the standard of care. The principlist approach offered a useful framework for ethical analysis of cesarean delivery on maternal request, identified the rights and duties of those involved, and helped reach a conclusion, although conflict at the individual level may remain challenging. (shrink)

The Monographs produced by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) apply rigorous procedures for the scientific review and evaluation of carcinogenic hazards by independent experts. The Preamble to the IARC Monographs, which outlines these procedures, was updated in 2019, following recommendations of a 2018 expert Advisory Group. This article presents the key features of the updated Preamble, a major milestone that will enable IARC to take advantage of recent scientific and procedural advances made during the 12 years since (...) the last Preamble amendments. The updated Preamble formalizes important developments already being pioneered in the Monographs Programme. These developments were taken forward in a clarified and strengthened process for identifying, reviewing, evaluating and integrating evidence to identify causes of human cancer. The advancements adopted include strengthening of systematic review methodologies; greater emphasis on mechanistic evidence, based on key characteristics of carcinogens; greater consideration of quality and informativeness in the critical evaluation of epidemiological studies, including their exposure assessment methods; improved harmonization of evaluation criteria for the different evidence streams; and a single-step process of integrating evidence on cancer in humans, cancer in experimental animals and mechanisms for reaching overall evaluations. In all, the updated Preamble underpins a stronger and more transparent method for the identification of carcinogenic hazards, the essential first step in cancer prevention. (shrink)

Z recenzji prof. Barbary Stawickiej-Pireckiej: Układ artykułów, przebieg granic tematycznych, zasięg problemowy proponowanych tekstów składają się na logiczną, ciekawą i różnorodną mapę tez i koncepcji, stanowiących niejako osnowę wiążącą Stary Kontynent z Nowym Światem, myśl głównych przedstawicieli filozofii hiszpańskiej – Unamuna i Ortegi y Gasseta – z „wędrującą”, wielokulturową świadomością bytu Marii Zambrano, złożone konteksty problematyki socjologicznej Peru w świetle nowelistyki Alfreda Bryce`a Echeniquego z polityczną utopią wybitnego meksykańskiego poety i eseisty – Octavio Paza. Filozoficzny wymiar dzieła literackiego w poszukiwaniu (...) nowych dróg dla słowa (Cervantes, Machado, Goytisolo, Cortázar) spotyka się w przedstawionym tomie z próbą odnalezienia nowych dróg dla koncepcji jednostki i społeczeństwa (teologia wyzwolenia, twórczość Santayany, koncepcje Manuela Castellsa i Nicolasa Gomeza Dávili). [...] -/- Wszyscy autorzy tekstów, piszący zarówno po polsku jak i po hiszpańsku, mają wypracowany własny, indywidualny sposób wypowiedzi, obrazowania, argumentacji. Czytelnik tomu obcuje zatem z dojrzałymi formami nie tylko opisu zjawisk i problemów, lecz także z ich wnikliwą i ciekawą interpretacją. (shrink)