Search

Problem: A difficult concept to understand, spirituality is not often addressed in healthcare. Purpose: This paper will explore the concept of spirituality and spiritual care using the theory of meaning by Viktor Frankl. Implications: Authors will provide ways for nurses to think about spiritual needs and spiritual care for patients and identify barriers to spiritual care implementation. Suggestions are made for spiritual inquiry, resources are provided for spiritual care education and training, and recommendations are made for nursing education curricula and health care policy change. Conclusions: With a greater understanding of spirituality, nurses practicing holistic care can increase their spiritual care competence and implement spiritual care into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is only in the last few decades that analytic philosophers in particular have begun to pay any serious attention to the topic of life's meaning. Such philosophers, however, do not usually attempt to answer or analyse the traditional question 'What is the meaning of life?', but rather the subtly different question 'What makes a life meaningful?' and it is generally assumed that the latter can be discussed independently of the former. Nevertheless, this paper will argue that the two questions are indeed connected, and that identifying and expanding upon the most plausible analysis of the former will provide the resources necessary to determine the most plausible answer to the latter. Specifically, this paper will argue that the traditional question is simply a request for the information which constitutes a coherent answer to one or more of a certain set of questions regarding human existence that were salient to the asker. In simpler language, the meaning of life itself is the information a person needs to make sense of it. This analysis can then also be applied to individual lives, such that asking for the meaning of X's life is an analogous request for the information necessary to make sense of that life in particular. Running with this concept of the 'meaning' of something as its 'sense', the paper then outlines an accompanying theory of 'meaningfulness' as 'sensefulness': a measure of the richness of certain aspects of the life, multiplied by their intelligibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Anales del Seminario de Historia de la Filosofía is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper looks at two early books written and edited, respectively, by Ludwig von Bertalanffy, both published in 1928. They share an interest in the individuality of individual things and living beings and thus are both skeptical of a general substance able to explain existence and life. The first book is Bertalanffy's Critical Theory of Form Formation; the second, a small collection of texts written by Nicholas von Cusa and preceded by an introduction by Bertalanffy, which is as admiring of the Cardinal and Bishops diplomatic life as it is impressed by his philosophy containing many ideas which only later, and differently, became prominent by writers like Leibniz, Pascal, or Luther. Von Bertalanffy calls von Cusa the first philosopher with a notion of infinity, which proves to be pertinent both theologically and mathematically. The paper discusses the problem of the individuality of individual living beings within the context of the so‐called philosophy of organism, in which Plato is fascinated by the question of how organisms manage to distinguish themselves from a surrounding they at the same time depend on. The paper introduces Fritz Heider's notion of medium and George Spencer‐Brown's notion of form to show how a possible calculus of indications doubling as operations of reflexive negation relate to a medium of life which consists, among other things, of decaying forms of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper illuminates some of the journey taken by me, the researcher, whilst completing my doctoral research into the lived experience of epiphanies. The research journey is conceptualised as one of the discoveries into the task of qualitative research to "carry forward" the meaning of human experience, that is, considered "more than words can say." Six participants took part in an unstructured interview aimed at exploring how they made sense of their epiphanic experiences. Following the application of an interpretative phenomenological analysis, an arts‐based representation of the research findings, in the form of found poetry, was chosen to supplement the emerging interpretation. Six found poems are dispersed throughout the paper. The aim is to offer the reader the crucial opportunity to simultaneously engage responsively and rationally with an exploration of the value of found poetry. Moreover, this style of presentation may offer the reader more space and time to notice, observe and reflect on the impact of research poetry as they move through the paper. An evaluation of the utility of found poetry is also offered. By providing an insight into the process of constructing found poetry, it is intended that the merits of its integration within qualitative enquiry are highlighted as successfully being able to bring the meaning of exceptional human experience alive to the reader. Furthermore, the experiential knowledge offered here is considered particularly relevant to professionals working in caring or therapeutic roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of prognostics and health management is ever more prevalent with advanced techniques of estimation methods. However, data processing and remaining useful life prediction algorithms are often very different. Some difficulties in accurate prediction can be tackled by redefining raw data parameters into more meaningful and comprehensive health level indicators that will then provide performance information. Proper data processing has a significant importance on remaining useful life predictions, for example, to deal with data limitations or/and multi-regime operating conditions. The framework proposed in this paper considers a similarity-based prognostic algorithm that is fed by the use of data normalisation and filtering methods for operational trajectories of complex systems. This is combined with a data-driven prognostic technique based on feed-forward neural networks with multi-regime normalisation. In particular, the paper takes a close look at how pre-processing methods affect algorithm performance. The work presented herein shows a conceptual prognostic framework that overcomes challenges presented by short-term test datasets and that increases the prediction performance with regards to prognostic metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses youth and the significance of age in the lives of persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. The analysis is based on an ethnographic research project that explores what makes a good life for this group of people. The findings indicate that whilst the meaning and significance of youth and age were discussed often by care workers and family members, age had very little significance in the lives of our research participants. Youth as a phase of life gets lost in the transition from children's services to adult services: age in the lives of persons with profound intellectual disabilities means merely a move from one service system to another. For the care workers, age provides a way to evaluate and criticize the service system and whether it caters for the individual needs of persons with profound intellectual disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Occupational scientists have offered various theoretical propositions regarding the dimensions of meaning derived from engagement in occupations, and empirical studies have explored the personal meaning of engaging in a wide range of occupations. Purpose. The study aimed to distil the dimensions of personal meaning from existing research, with a view to informing theory in this area. Method. A qualitative metasynthesis of research studies was conducted, focusing on research reporting individuals' accounts of the personal meaning of an occupation to them. Twenty papers met the search criteria and were reviewed, rated for quality, analyzed, and synthesized following a process of meta-aggregation. Findings. There were four common dimensions of personal meaning: a sense of fulfilment; a sense of restoration; social, cultural, and intergenerational connection; and identity shaping. Implications. This review provides occupational therapists with sound evidence of the link between engagement in a meaningful occupation and a sense of personal and social well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I discuss the neo-Aristotelian approaches, which usually reinterpret Aristotle's ideas on form and/or borrow the notion of formal cause without engaging with the broader implications of Aristotle's metaphysics. In opposition to these approaches, I claim that biosemiotics can propose an alternative view on life's form. Specifically, I examine the proposals to replace the formal cause with gene-centrism, functionalism, and structuralism. After critically addressing these approaches, I discuss the problems of reconciling Aristotelianism with the modern view of life's organization. I claim that the notion of the final cause proposes a cosmological hierarchy and that this is the main problem with applying the formal cause to biology. An alternative categorization of conceptualizing life's form involves (1) the processual identity, (2) relational property clusters, and (3) context-dependent transmission of representational units. The third category points to a semiotic basis of the form of life. In this context, I offer to readjust the focus of the problem of matter-form duality by pointing out that form is primarily an issue of the subject-object relation. Biosemiotics helps to understand the constructive role of symbolic representation in living systems, which is crucial to extend the analysis of the form from cognitive representations to external phenomena. Emergence of subjectivity and perspectivity of interactions are key elements to bridge the form and actual processes within a non-hylomorphic account. To demonstrate transitions from the physical influence of shapes to the organic recognition of forms, I address the biological studies on the synchronization of coincidental inputs and enzyme specificity.

Accessible Summary: What is known on the subject: The meaning in life consists of an individual's values, experiences, goals and beliefs. It has been shown to be negatively associated with depression, hopelessness and suicidal ideation.Depression and hopelessness are related to increased suicidal ideation. Meaning in life has been shown to be a protective factor against depression, hopelessness and suicidal ideation. What the paper adds to existing knowledge: A path model was developed to clarify the associations among meaning in life, depression, hopelessness and suicidal ideation. For clarity, the outcomes were depression and suicidal ideation, the independent variable was hopelessness, and the mediator was meaning in life. Hopelessness had a direct association with meaning in life, and meaning in life had a direct association with depression, supporting the mediating effect of meaning in life from hopelessness to depression.Meaning in life had the strongest association with depression, and depression had the strongest association with suicidal ideation. Meaning in life did not have a significant direct association with suicidal ideation; it did have an indirect association with suicidal ideation through depression. This study estimated that one‐point increase in meaning in life score was associated with 0.47‐point decrease in depression score and 0.13‐point decrease in suicidal ideation score, respectively. What are the implications for practice: Logotherapy is a meaning‐centred therapy to find meaning in life. This study reveals that increased levels of meaning in life are associated with decreasing degrees of depression. Mental health nurses could help patients to find meaning in life by logotherapy and thus associated with reductions in depression.Mental health nurses could help patients to find hope by exploring meaning in life and promoting positive attitudes towards life from meaningless life to meaningful life, there is a reduction in depression, which in turn reduces suicidal ideation indirectly. Introduction: Meaning in life can be good protective factor against depression, hopelessness and suicidal ideation. Aim: To analyse the mediating effect of meaning in life on the associations among hopelessness, depression and suicidal ideation. Method: A cross‐sectional study was conducted among 90 patients diagnosed with depression. A structural equation modelling approach was applied for this path analysis to examine the mediating effect of meaning in life on the association among hopelessness, depression and suicidal ideation. Results: The results showed that meaning in life mediated the association between hopelessness and depression. Hopelessness had a direct positive association with depression (β = 0.23, p <.03), and meaning in life had a direct negative association with depression (β = −0.51, p <.01) and indirect association with suicidal ideation through depression; this indirect association was −0.21 (p <.01). Discussion: Meaning in life revealed strong mediating association with the relationship between hopelessness and depression. By reducing the level of depression, meaning in life demonstrated its mediator association with suicidal ideation. Implications for Practice: Logotherapy is a meaning‐centred therapy to find meaning in life. Mental health nurses could help patients to manage their depression through logotherapy, thus leading to reductions in suicidal ideation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The life of a nurse since the Covid-19 pandemic is characterized by high rates of anxiety, depression, and burnout, leading national organizations to declare the nursing shortage a national emergency. Solutions cite work-life balance, but this term has no clear guiding definition. Experts in the organizational psychology and personal development literature suggest other ways to reconsider this dilemma, that of integration. In this paper the concept of integration is proposed to focus on relationships with family and friends, work, and oneself. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses 'standards for a healthy work environment are used to frame the benefits of an integrated life. Strategies to achieve an integrated life, one with meaning and purpose, are described to create more happiness and joy and to begin to mitigate the nursing shortage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through this paper, a real debate develops on an existential issue, namely the correlative obligation of the right to life, respectively, the obligation to pay for it with death. We know from the General Theory of Law that every right has a correlative obligation. Compared to the first laws and principles of life, life ends naturally. Modernity brings to the fore the right to die and its term as a personal and multiple payment. Everyone has the right to life and is bound to die. From the viewpoint of human rights, evolution protects us and gives us the opportunity to relate to our own lives within the limits expressly and exhaustively provided by law. Is the law to be understood in its letter and spirit? The obligation to die is one with indefinite execution, but sure to be fulfilled. The law does not provide for the cessation of life, but it could. Involving private law and combining the subject matter of individuals with that of civil succession, thus using as the method of research chosen, respectively, empirical and qualitative research, descriptive and exploratory, I design this paper in the hope of innovation and evolution of civil matters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cauriensia: Revista Anual de Ciencias Eclesiásticas is the property of Instituto Teologico San Pedro de Alcantara de Caceres and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and theoretically framed within Frankl's logotherapy, the current paper explored how members of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) with long-term recovery (LTR) experience aging and health-related issues. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken to explore the lived experiences of three older members of AA with LTR. IPA revealed five higher-order group concepts: spirituality, being in the present, acceptance, self-esteemandfellowship: a support network. Interpretation of the themes revealed that LTR in AA is beneficial in helping individuals transition to later life, develop coping mechanisms for poor health and find a purpose and meaning to life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethics is ever-present in all aspects of human interaction and, in any physiotherapy situation there is an inherent claim to act and care for the patient in the best possible way. The physiotherapy profession is provided with rules, guidelines and codes to support and ensure ethical professional conduct. In recent decades however, physiotherapy literature has emphasized how ethical agency is immersed in clinical reasoning in each particular situation, in the doing of physiotherapy. The Danish philosopher and theologian Knud E. Løgstrup offers a bottom-up approach to ethics, which may augment the philosophical underpinning of this development in ethical thinking. Løgstrup departs from the given pre-conditions of life; a point of departure where the ethical claim emerges from sensation in the concrete situations. This paper introduces Løgstrup's situational ethics and its ontological framing, with four foci: how we can tune in to sensation and sense the ethical claim of the other; how human interdependence can be heard in what Løgstrup calls sovereign life utterances; relational responsibility and ethical norms; and the metaphorical importance of poetic understandings of the world. In four themes we reflect on how these ethical issues are at stake in physiotherapy practice with regards to: (1) uncertainty, tuned sensation and therapeutic attitude in physiotherapy; (2) sensuous, narrative and poetic meaning-making in physiotherapy; (3) physiotherapy and coming to oneself in new embodied experiences; and (4) ethical claims and codes of conduct in physiotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metallic structures operating at high temperatures can have creep as a life-limiting mechanism. The limit can arise by nucleation and growth of creep cavities that eventually merge becoming the leading damage of the fracture mechanisms. Understanding and modelling for creep cavitation can therefore help in prediction of structural safety and condition of such structures. The present paper will introduce a new model to predict creep cavitation damage so that the associated creep strain is also modelled out of the predictive expression without losing accuracy in the time to critical damage and corresponding residual life. The model was verified for OFHC copper, low-alloy 0.5CMV steel and higher-alloy X20 steel, to cover a wide range of polycrystalline metals and their microstructures. The new model performed as well as or better than the classical approach which requires access to measured strain. The model was applied to predict creep cavitation damage from time, stress and temperature as predictive variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Universitas Philosophica is the property of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Universitas Philosophica is the property of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Theologica Xaveriana is the property of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: Self-reliance and social participation are strongly promoted by social policy. Both concepts are linked to the concept of vulnerability, for people who do not meet these standards are labelled "vulnerable people". In this paper, the insider's perspective takes central stage by seeking to explore what it means to be labelled a "vulnerable person", and through this to further our insight into the meaning of the concept of vulnerability. Method: Thirty-three in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 allegedly vulnerable people. The data were subjected to thematic content analysis. Results: Our analysis revealed three main dimensions and eight sub-dimensions of perceived vulnerability, outlining an insider's concept of vulnerability. This concept includes manifestations of vulnerability, feelings coexisting with vulnerability, and the image of vulnerable people. Conclusion: The perception of vulnerability changes when interacting with others in society, especially with social policy implementers. In this interaction, the perceived vulnerability increases and becomes societal vulnerability. It concerns a dependency situation in which one's strength and self-determination are not recognized, and the help needed is not provided. By acknowledging the insider's perspective, social policy can fulfil a more empowering role towards "vulnerable people" and contribute to people's well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I reply to the critics of my book, Hegel's Concept of Life, by taking up the question of how a science of pure thought thinking itself arrives at the conclusion that it must determine itself as life. In particular, I consider how the logical concept of life informs Hegel's understanding of subjects, objects, and ground, and I also take up the relationship between logic and Realphilosophie in Hegel's system. Throughout, I aim to clarify and elaborate on one of the central arguments from my book, namely, that for Hegel, life is the primitive or original form of judgment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper links discussions of two topics: biological individuality and the simplest forms of mentality. I discuss several attempts to locate the boundary between metabolic activity and 'minimal cognition.' I then look at differences between the kinds of individuality present in unicellular life, multicellular life in general, and animals of several kinds. Nervous systems, which are clearly relevant to cognition and subjectivity, also play an important role in the form of individuality seen in animals. The last part of the paper links these biological transitions to the evolutionary history of subjective experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frank Ramsey is usually taken to be an emotivist or an expressivist about the good: he is usually taken to bifurcate inquiry into fact-stating and non-fact stating domains, ethics falling into the latter. In this paper I shall argue that whatever the very young Ramsey's view might have been, towards the end of his short life, he was coming to a through-going and objective pragmatism about all our beliefs, including those about the good, beauty, and even the meaning of life. Ethical beliefs are not mere expressions of emotion, but rather fall under our cognitive scope. They can be assessed as rational or irrational, true or false. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The main policies of China have promoted the development of the urbanization and the industrialization. The rise of infrastructure energy consumption shows the process of modernization in our country; however, despite there are a lot of researches about the energy consumption in the field of construction, transportation and other infrastructure, in academia, there are less statistics about energy consumption for the infrastructure as a whole, and its proportion in total energy consumption in the whole country. Thus, this paper tries to characterize infrastructures of China, which include construction, transportation, energy, water supply and drainage, post and telecommunication system by establishing an estimation model of infrastructure system CO emissions through national official macro-level statistical data. We employ the simplified LCCOA method to analyze the activities in each stage and calculate associated CO emissions throughout infrastructures' whole life cycle in China from 1993 to 2012. The results show that CO emissions from the infrastructure have rapidly grown over the past decades. The total emissions of the standard coal were 888.16 million tons in 1993, up to about 7.76 billion tons in 2012. The operation stage emissions dominate over the infrastructure emissions, accounting for 80-90 % of the impact. In this paper, on the one hand, from the perspective of the overall environmental benefits, we provide a more comprehensive environmental assessment analysis method for the policy makers. On the other hand, the infrastructure construction of China has periodic characteristic. We analyze the specific features of the infrastructure CO emissions in different stages, and put forward emission-reduction measures in consideration of the current conditions, which reflects that the key of balancing the relationship between modernization and environment is adjusting emission reduction policy according to different stages to adapt to the 'new normal'. In addition, the method development is also important for future quantifications of CO emissions of other sectors in China and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this article is to clarify the concept of spirituality for future nursing research. Background: Previous concept analyses of spirituality have mostly reviewed the conceptual literature with little consideration of the empirical literature. The literature reviewed in prior concept analyses extends from 1972 to 2005, with no analysis conducted in the past 9 years. Design: Rodgers' evolutionary framework was used to review both the theoretical and empirical literature pertaining to spirituality. Evolutionary concept analysis is a formal method of philosophical inquiry, in which papers are analyzed to identify attributes, antecedents, and consequences of the concept. Data Source: Empirical and conceptual literature. Results: Three defining attributes of spirituality were identified: connectedness, transcendence, and meaning in life. A conceptual definition of spirituality was proposed based on the findings. Also, four antecedents and five primary consequences of spirituality were identified. Conclusions: Spirituality is a complex concept. This concept analysis adds some clarification by proposing a definition of spirituality that is underpinned by both conceptual and empirical research. Furthermore, exemplars of spirituality, based on prior qualitative research, are presented to support the findings. Hence, the findings of this analysis could guide future nursing research on spirituality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper aims at revealing main elements and features that define the "transfer" links resulted from the wealth on the dimensions of the quality of life. This paper proposes a study concerning the relations between countries in the productivity matter. "Transfer" links resulted from the wealth, at the national level of Romania, are analysed, on the grounds of servicity approach and from the point of view of the dimensions of the quality of life. Theoretical conclusions concerning economic growth are extracted from certain empirical data, and analyses in the light of Europa 2020 objectives. The analysis is based on the Physiocrat criteria of value creation and on this basis, is (re) interpreted the productive capacity and competitiveness at countries level. As part of a larger study, the paper aims to formulate fundamental principles - useful for further research - concerning the concrete manner of redistributing, through market mechanisms, the surplus value created. The paper examines the retrieval of such transfers value in certain dimensions of the quality of life, formulating the key assumptions and few main criteria required for adequate modelling (proposed for testing). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Everyday aesthetics, at its core, is based on the supposed dichotomy between art and life, considering life as something routine-like, and art as the breaking of the routine, something charismatic. Different authors of everyday aesthetics use different words to describe this dichotomy. For example, in his article “What is ‘Everyday’ in Everyday Aesthetics?”, Ossi Naukkarinen simply uses everydayness and non-everyday-like, while Arto Haapala, in his “On the Aesthetics of the Everyday: Familiarity, Strangeness, and the Meaning of Place” uses the terms familiarity and strangeness. The authors also propose different ways of bridging this dichotomy. However, as the paper shows, the real question is not how to bridge the dichotomy itself but rather whether the dichotomy exists in the first place. Moreover, the paper suggests a change of direction in future investigations of everyday aesthetics, and focusing on the nuances that exist on the routine-charisma and charismatic-routine spectrum, supported by academic research and the personal account of the paper’s author art project. Moreover, the implications of this shift extend beyond the boundaries of everyday aesthetics.

Mass mortality events (MMEs) threaten the health of fish and are also a potential threat to the health and safety of workers. This paper presents findings from a desktop risk assessment exercise focused on potential aquaculture occupational health and safety (AOHS) hazards and risks associated with MMEs in Chile. The study reviews academic and grey literature, government regulations and MME reports and statistics to assess the scale and distribution of MMEs; identifies associated documented and potential health and safety hazards; and documents and assesses policy responses to MMEs in the Chilean context through the lens of health and safety. The paper documents the size and regional distribution of salmon MME occurrences in Chile from 2016 to 2022. It discusses AOHS hazards associated with MMEs such as exposure to hydrogen sulfide, drowning and diving-related illnesses and potential issues around accessing hospitals and hyperbaric chambers for workers in remote aquaculture regions, as well as exposure to antibiotics and antibiotic residues. Recent Chilean regulatory requirements around reporting and management of MMEs that have the potential to help reduce identified MME-related risks for workers are described and addressed. Key policy highlights Risk of mass mortality events (MMEs) in marine aquaculture is increasing as the industry expands and climate change increases fluctuations in marine conditions. Policies need to be developed to counteract these risks. MMEs-related worker accidents and environmental degradation point to the urgent need to develop environmental and occupational health and safety (OHS) guidelines that prevent MMEs and protect workers and the environment. The Chilean OHS guidelines related to aquaculture MMEs may be adapted and used in other countries. Surveillance programs on harmful algal blooms and antibiotic resistance (AMR) markers may be a preventive measure towards MMEs and exposure to AMR markers.

In recent years, spirituality and the meaning of life are becoming increasingly important variables in the study of well-being, health, and happiness. The concept of spiritual intelligence (SI) was suggested as a potentially significant construct expanding our understanding of psychological determinants of human functioning. The aim of this paper was to investigate the factorial validity of the Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory (SISRI; King, 2008) in the context of research on a general factor of spiritual intelligence as a psychological construct. The SISRI was administered to 833 adults in Poland. A four-factor solution with one second-order factor of spiritual intelligence provided an inadequate solution. A four-factor solution with correlated factors and a reduced number of items provided an adequate fit to the data. It is concluded that so far, no data are supporting a single factor of SI measured by SISRI-24, and previous studies, including the original study, show that the measurement with this scale is highly problematic. Without a strong theory and proper measurement, the development of this highly promising area of research may be hindered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that mechanism, occasionalism and finality (the acceptance of final causes) can be and were de facto integrated into a coherent system of natural philosophy by Johann Christoph Sturm (1635–1703). Previous scholarship has left the relation between these three elements understudied. According to Sturm, mechanism, occasionalism and finality can count as explanatorily useful elements of natural philosophy, and they might go some way to dealing with the problem of living beings. Occasionalism, in particular, serves a unifying ground: It will be shown that occasionalism can account for the problems of the source and transmission of motion that mechanism faces, while at the same time explaining the finality of non-rational living beings as designed by God. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nasleđe is the property of University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Philology & Arts and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses postmodernist approaches to the problem of nuclear weapons, taking as an example Jacques Derrida’s paper No Apocalypse, Not Now. Proceeding from the widespread conception of postmodernism as relativism, the author hypothesizes that postmodernist philosophers would either try to demonstrate the non-absolute nature of the nuclear threat or suggest relativist ways of countering it. If we agree with Boris Groys’ interpretation of Derrida’s work, then it perfectly conforms to such expectations. However, a careful reading of the paper in question proves both our hypothesis and Groys’ interpretation to be wrong. Although No Apocalypse, Not Now does contain a number of relativist theses (for instance, Derrida portrays nuclear war as a textual phenomenon, a non-event, the absent referent that finally blurs all the distinction between knowledge and opinion, doxa and episteme), they play a minor role in the overall argument. Firstly, Derrida acknowledges the absolute nature of nuclear weapons: for him, they threaten the destruction of the entire archive and all symbolic capacity, that is, of culture as a social mechanism for coping with death, if not the destruction of the whole humanity as a biological species. Secondly, the philosopher criticizes the strategy of deterrence for relying on the logic of escalation and being prone to chance and accident. Thirdly, Derrida emphasizes that a nuclear war, which would destroy all the values and ideals that might legitimate starting it, would in fact be fought (should it happen) in the name of the name, and of nothing else, thus of nothing. To counter such urges, at the same time fundamentalist and nihilistic, the philosopher invites us to fall in love with life. In the later works of Derrida this invitation develops into a principle of responsibility for the life of the other, one of the central tenets of his ethical and political thought. However, since Derrida chooses to focus on individual instead of collective survival, questions remain as to whether his philosophy is able to meet the challenges of the nuclear age.

This paper aims to consider whether there is a link between youth happiness levels and adult life satisfaction. Our results are unequivocal that such a link exists both because demographic and socio-economic conditions are persistent over a lifetime and also because there is a persistence in personality effects. To test this link, we estimate a model of happiness for a sample of young people. This model provides us with a range of variables measuring socio-economic effects and personality effects amongst young people. These variables are then included in the adult life satisfaction model. The model is estimated using data from the British Household Panel Survey for 1994-2008. In addition to childhood happiness levels influencing adult life satisfaction significantly, we also find that the youthful personality trait for happiness has a larger effect on adult life satisfaction than demographic and socio-economic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene expression is the process by which DNA is decoded to produce a functional transcript. The collection of all transcripts is referred to as the transcriptome and has extensively been used to evaluate differentially expressed genes in a certain cell or tissue type. In response to internal or external stimuli, the transcriptome is greatly regulated by epigenetic changes. Many studies have elucidated that antemortem gene expression (transcriptome) may be linked to an array of disease etiologies as well as potential targets for drug discovery; on the other hand, a number of studies have utilized postmortem gene expression (thanatotranscriptome) patterns to determine cause and time of death. The "transcriptome after death" involves the study of mRNA transcripts occurring in human tissues after death (thanatos, Greek for death). While antemortem gene expression can provide a wide range of important information about the host, the determination of the communication of genes after a human dies has recently been explored. After death a plethora of genes are regulated via activation versus repression as well as diverse regulatory factors such as the absence or presence of stimulated feedback. Even postmortem transcriptional regulation contains many more cellular constituents and is massively more complicated. The rates of degradation of mRNA transcripts vary depending on the types of postmortem tissues and their combinatorial gene expression signatures. mRNA molecules have been shown to persist for extended time frames; nevertheless, they are highly susceptible to degradation, with half-lives of selected mRNAs varying between minutes to weeks for specifically induced genes. Furthermore, postmortem genetic studies may be used to improve organ transplantation techniques. This review is the first of its kind to fully explore both gene expression and mRNA stability after death and the trove of information that can be provided about phenotypical characteristics of specific genes postmortem., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Most attempts to define life have concentrated on individual theories, mentioning others hardly at all, but here we compare all of the major current theories. We begin by asking how we know that an entity is alive, and continue by describing the contributions of La Mettrie, Burke, Leduc, Herrera, Bahadur, D'Arcy Thompson and, especially, Schrödinger, whose book What is Life? is a vital starting point. We then briefly describe and discuss (M, R) systems, the hypercycle, the chemoton, autopoiesis and autocatalytic sets. All of these incorporate the idea of circularity to some extent, but all of them fail to take account of mechanisms of metabolic regulation, which we regard as crucial if an organism is to avoid collapsing into a mass of unregulated reactions. In a final section we study the extent to which each of the current theories can aid in the search for a more complete theory of life, and explain the characteristics of metabolic control analysis that make it essential for an adequate understanding of organisms., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

This paper aims to study the application of the Hilbert-Huang transform in automotive component strain data. The objective is to analyse time-frequency strain data and investigate specific and indicative behaviour patterns of the time-frequency parameters by using the Hilbert-Huang transform. Hilbert-Huang transform is different from the traditional Fourier transform, which is used only for linear and stationary signals analysis. Fourier transform is different if compared with the Hilbert-Huang transform. Hilbert-Huang transform is designed to analysing the nonlinear and non-stationary signals and a more suitable tool for this kind of system. Empirical mode decomposition can characterise the intrinsic mode function to decompose the signal by mean of the time-frequency variations of signals. The empirical mode decomposition extracts both the original signals into a set of intrinsic mode functions which emphasises different oscillation mode with different amplitudes and frequencies. The intrinsic mode functions component produces significant and more effective physical analysis in the physical process at different time scales. The results obtained can also be observed from numerical parameters that there are difference between the wide inter-subject differences in the variance and the contribution period of each signal mode in intrinsic time-frequency to the total number of signal content. The mean period for both first decomposition signals is ~2 and ~6. Reconstruction of new signal is done using the result of decomposition signal, intrinsic mode functions and the residue. The reconstruction signals have a difference in the maximum amplitude less than 1.136×10-13 and 2.273×10-13 that indicate unknown noise. This study represents the decomposition signal which was at high frequency in the histogram of Kernel estimation probability based on the strain data signal in the automotive component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policymakers have begun looking for multidimensional alternatives to income-based measures for assessing well-being in societies. The Human Development Index (HDI) and related composite indices have been widely criticized in the welfare economic literature, yet are still some of the most influential income-alternatives in the research and policy arena. What are the theoretical links that bridge the gap between these composite indices and the criticisms levelled at them? This paper introduces the “preference index approach,” a multidimensional measure bringing together the “equivalence approach” and the “distance function” in welfare economic theory. It retains convenient similarities with HDI-type composite indices, but assesses well-being in a way that reflects interpersonal differences in preferences between dimensions of well-being, whilst retaining comparability of well-being levels between individuals. The approach is applied empirically with data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) to estimate different preference types between well-being dimensions. The empirical application finds that preferences differ by age, education level and unemployment status, and finds a weaker preference for the health and income dimension within older groups. Across all groups, health is strongly prioritized over income. When preference heterogeneities are taken into account, the picture of well-being looks quite different than that painted by standard welfare measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is about Peter Hall, documenting and commenting on how Peter's contemporaries, be they peers, colleagues, friends or students, or even the older generation of the statistical community, perceived Peter, in their own words. To some extent, I also do the same with Peter's own perceptions and thoughts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Is there a relationship between political participation and individual life satisfaction? The idea that political participation makes people more satisfied with their lives has long been debated. However, the existing empirical research has not been very successful in demonstrating that such a relationship exists while some studies show that instead it is individual life satisfaction that impacts political participation. This paper aims to shed some light on the issue of causality between political participation and individual life satisfaction. Unlike former studies, we resort to panel data and apply a three wave model which allows us great flexibility to test several hypotheses. Also unlike previous studies, after correcting for measurement error, our analysis shows no compelling evidence of a causal relationship between political participation and life satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Praxis Filosófica is the property of Universidad del Valle and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Salud Bosque is the property of Universidad El Bosque and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Loss is a universal human experience that every person encounters. In our life journey, loss may come in many forms including suffering the death of a loved one, living with chronic illness, disabilities, separation, being abused, unemployment, and there are many other losses. These changes signal the reality of significant losses, which are often viewed negatively, affecting an individual’s experiences and inclination to travel. Many scholars neglect that, for some, loss can prompt positive reflection of their own mortality, existence and purpose, which may reshape their travel experiences. This paper aims to critically review these issues within the tourism literature to ascertain how loss is conceptualized and understood in relation to its influence on travel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose:In 2013, the Australian Government Senate formed a committee for inquiry and report into the prevalence of speech, language, and communication disorders and speech pathology services in Australia. Submissions were sought from individuals and organisations. In this paper, submissions made by individuals with a history of childhood communication disorder were examined to explore their life experiences and the impact on their lives when the right to communicate could not be enacted. Method:There were 305 submissions to the Australian Government Senate Committee Inquiry, of which 288 were publically accessible. In this study, the submissions (n = 17) from children or adults with a history of communication disorder (including speech, language and stuttering), who provided personal accounts of their experiences, were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological approach. Result:Four themes emerged relating to: personal identity, life with communication disorder, the importance of help, and how life would be different without a communication disorder. Conclusions:This paper gives voice to children and adults with communication disorder. In listening to these voices, the impact of communication disorder on the right to communicate and on other human rights can be heard, and the need for a response is clear. However, the challenge is to determine how the voices of these individuals, and others like them, can be enabled to exert real influence on practice and policy so communication disorder will no longer be a barrier to attainment of their human rights. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores connections between affect studies and critical disability studies. Our interest in affect is sparked by the beginnings of a new research project that seeks to illuminate the lives, hopes and desires of young people with ‘life-limiting’ or ‘life-threatening’ impairments. Cultural responses to these young people are shaped by dominant discourses associated with lives lived well and long. Before commencing our empirical work with young people we use this paper to think through how we might conceptualise affect and disability. We present three themes; ontological invalidation in neoliberal-able times; affect aliens and crip killjoys; disability and resistant assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background. The dominant view in the literature is that informal payments in healthcare universally are a negative phenomenon. By contrast, we theorize that the motivation healthcare users for making informal payments (IP) can be classified into three categories: (1) a cultural norm, (2) "grease the wheels" payments if users offered to pay to get better services, and (3) "sand the wheels" payments if users were asked to pay by healthcare personnel or felt that payments were expected. We further hypothesize that these three categories of payments are differently associated with a user's outcomes, namely, satisfaction with healthcare, local and national government, satisfaction with life, and satisfaction with life of children in the future. Methods. We used microdata from the 2016 Life-in-Transition survey. Multivariate regression analysis is used to quantify relationships between these categories of payments and users' outcomes. Results. Payments that are the result of cultural norms are associated with better outcomes. On the contrary, "sand the wheel" payments are associated with worse outcomes. We find no association between making "grease the wheels" payments and outcomes. Conclusions. This is the first paper which evaluates association between three different categories of informal payments with a wide range of users' outcomes on a diverse sample of countries. Focusing on informal payments in general, rather than explicitly examining specific motivations, obscures the true outcomes of making IP. It is important to distinguish between three different motivations for informal payment, namely, cultural norms, "grease the wheels," and "sand the wheels" since they have varying associations with user outcomes. From a policy making standpoint, variation in the links between different motivations for making IP and measures of satisfaction suggest that decision-makers should put their primary focus on situations where IP are explicitly asked for or are implied by the situation and that they should differentiate this from cases of gratitude payments. If such measures are not implemented, then policy makers may unintentionally ban the behaviour that is linked with increased satisfaction with healthcare, government, and life (i.e., paying gratitude). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]