The notion of a “query” occurred in legal, medical, theological and scientific writings during the early modern period. Whereas the “questionary” (from c. 1400s) sought replies from within a doctrine (such as Galenic medicine), in the 1600s the query posed open-ended inquiries, seeking empirical information from travellers, explorers and others. During the 1660s in Britain, three versions of the query (and lists of queries) emerged. Distinctions need to be made between queries seeking information via observation and those asking for experimentation, (...) and between those aiming to keep theory to one side and those that framed theoretical conjectures. My examples are drawn from the work of the Royal Society of London (founded 1660) and from some of its leading members, especially Robert Boyle, Robert Hooke and Isaac Newton. (shrink)

_Riassunto_: La _Deep Brain Stimulation _(DBS) è un dispositivo annoverato tra le interfacce-cervello computer e che si qualifica come una promettente soluzione medica per far fronte al decorso di alcune malattie neurodegenerative come il Parikinson. Decenni di utilizzo clinico della DBS hanno permesso di comprenderne gli effetti collaterali e il loro impatto sul PIAAAS (_Personality, Identity, Agency, Authenticity, Autonomy and Self_). In tal senso, per sondare cambiamenti psicologici legati all’uso della DBS si è fatto ricorso a metodi quantitativi, come questionari (...) incentrati su valutazioni di ordine numerico, e metodi qualitativi, che si appoggiano alle esperienze riportate dai pazienti tramite interviste. Questo articolo ha l’obiettivo di evidenziare come, a prescindere dai metodi di indagine utilizzati, la ricerca sia stata sempre focalizzata sugli effetti collaterali della DBS e gli eventuali cambiamenti sulle dimensioni comprese nel PIAAAS, lasciandosi sfuggire l’occasione di usare i numerosi dati raccolti per effettuare un’analisi fenomenologica che potesse restituirci una descrizione della sintesi uomo-macchina. Per colmare questo iato, proponiamo l’utilizzo sinergico di due metodi di raccolta e analisi dati di origine fenomenologica. _Parole chiave_: Deep Brain Stimulation; Effetti collaterali; Sintesi uomo-macchina; Fenomenologia _Deep Brain Stimulation and the human-machine synthesis: A possible phenomenological perspective_ _Abstract_: Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a device included among the brain-computer interfaces and that qualifies as a promising medical solution to cope with the course of some neurodegenerative diseases such as Parikinson’s. Decades of clinical use of DBS have allowed us to understand its side effects and their impact on PIAAAS (_Personality, Identity, Agency, Authenticity, Autonomy and Self_). In this sense, to investigate psychological changes related to the use of DBS, quantitative methods, such as questionnaires focused on numerical assessments, and qualitative techniques, which are based on experiences by patients through interviews, have been used. This article aims to highlight how, regardless of the survey methods used, research has always been focused on the side effects of DBS and possible changes in the concepts included in the PIAAAS, missing the opportunity to use the numerous data collected to carry out a phenomenological analysis that could give us a description of the human-machine synthesis. To bridge this hiatus, we propose the synergistic use of two phenomenological methods of data collection and analysis. _Keywords_: Deep Brain Stimulation; Side Effects; Human-machine synthesis; Phenomenology. (shrink)

This article is about the rights of the Roma in North Macedonia and the level of discrimination that Roma are facing while employed in the public sector in the Republic of North Macedonia. The aims and objectives of the article are theoretical and practical understanding of the situation of Roma and the violation of their rights through direct and indirect discrimination at work. The data was collected during the period from May-July 2019 via 52 collected questionaries from a total (...) of 70 public servants who were asked to be a part of the research. The article shows new data we have collected from employed Roma as public servants in different institutions in the state. The surveyed public servants were 52 in total, from which 34 are employees with secondary education, 17 are with university education and only 1 has a masters degree. The questionnaire is composed out of 17 questions about the forms of discrimination, feeling or witnesing discrimination at their workplace, who caused the discrimination, witnessing the spread of prejudices and stereotypes about the Roma, rejection of colleagues to share an office with Roma, and who caused the discrimination. One of the results shows that 55% of the surveyed Roma did not have a single training from their employer in the last 12 months and that 69% of those surveyed stated that they felt discrimination in the last 12 months on everyday basis. (shrink)

A Study of Ecclesiastical Conservativism and AnxietyA German translated form of the “IPAT Anxiety Scale Questionnaire” by Cattell & Scheier and a specially developed ecclesiastical conservativism questionary were given to a sample of 330 adult, catholic, urban Ss. Several item analyses and reliability computations showed the usefulness of the scales. Analyses of correlations and variances yielded the following main results: There are statistical significant functional interrelations between ecclesiastical conservativism and the variables age, educational level, professional type, and church attendance. The (...) same holds for anxiety level and the variables professional type and church attendance. Ecclesiastical conservativism and anxiety level indices have been found to be negatively interrelated. Especially this last result is being discussed on the backgrounds of submission to authorities, individual freedom, responsibility, and anxiety. (shrink)

Introduction: Few studies are available on the prevalence and sleep-related factors of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) in Chinese older adults, aiming to explore the associations between sleep characteristics and DLB.Methods: A cross-sectional study with 7,528 individuals aged ≥65 years in 106 communities in Northern China was conducted from April 2019 to January 2020. Questionaries (including demographic characteristics, comorbidities, lifestyles, and sleep characteristics) were administered, and neuropsychological assessments and physical examination were conducted in phase I; screening for probable DLB (...) was done in phase II. Logistic regressions were used to assess associations.Results: A total of 919 (12.2%, 919/7,528) participants had dementia, and 101 (1.3%, 101/7,528) participants were diagnosed with DLB. The prevalence of dementia and DLB were slightly higher or equal in women, increased with age, and roughly decreased with nighttime sleep duration. Of the 101 participants, all of them (100.0%) had cognitive impairment, 46 (44.54%) displayed fluctuating cognition, 72 (71.29%) of them showed visual hallucination, 22 (21.78%) individuals reported RBD, and 27.71% showed Parkinsonism. Sleeping for 8 h had combined diagnostic value for DLB (AUC = 0.783, 95%CI: 0.734–0.831, p < 0.001).Conclusions: The current prevalence of DLB is 1.3% in Northern China. Short or long nighttime sleep duration is independently associated with the occurrence of dementia and DLB. (shrink)

Résumé Cette première traduction française d’une portion significative de l’In « Isagogen » Porphyrii Commentorum Editio secunda, en regard d’un texte latin reponctué en conséquence et accompagné d’annotations critiques, est précédée d’une présentation historico-doctrinale mettant en relief le rôle — à la fois central et problématique — de l’abstraction dans la solution boécienne, ouvertement rattachée à Alexandre d’Aphrodise, du statut des genres et des espèces dans ce texte qui, à travers l’exégèse du célèbre questionnaire porphyrien, a fait connaître le problème (...) des universaux à l’Occident latin et en est demeuré l’expression la plus achevée jusqu’au xiie siècle, où Abélard en a donné un méta-commentaire particulièrement brillant dans sa Logica « Ingredientibus » : Super Porphyrium, éditée, traduite et étudiée ci-après dans ce numéro thématique.This first French translation of a relevant portion of the In “Isagogen” Porphyrii Commentorum Editio secunda, in parallel with a consequently reponctuated and critically annotated latin text, is preceded by a historico-doctrinal presentation highlighting the role — both central and problematic — of abstraction in the Boethian solution, openly linked to Alexander of Aphrodisias, of the status of genera and species in this text which, through the exegesis of the well-known porphyrian questionary, has revealed the problem of universals to the Latin West and remained its most achieved expression until the 12th century, where Abelard wrote on those pages a particularly brilliant meta-commentary in his Logica “Ingredientibus” : Super Porphyrium, edited, translated and studied hereafter in this thematic issue. (shrink)

Fundamento: La investigación científica y la divulgación de los resultados obtenidos es uno de los puntales del desarrollo científico del país. Objetivo: Considerar la productividad científica de los especialistas de Higiene y Epidemiología de su Centro Provincial en Camagüey, a partir del número de publicaciones en los últimos cinco años. Método: Se diseñó un estudio transversal desde abril de 2008 hasta abril de 2013, a través de un cuestionario estructurado, de carácter anónimo y con el consentimiento informado de los mismos, (...) donde se recogieron las variables tiempo de graduado, publicaciones en los últimos cinco años, categoría docente e investigativa, conocimientos de técnicas estadísticas, motivación, participación en eventos científicos, dificultades para publicar y dominio del idioma inglés para consultar las bases de datos EBSCO y PUBMED. Resultados: Se mostró una escasa productividad científica independientemente del tiempo de graduado; el número de categorías investigativas por especialista es muy pobre y si bien la mayoría de los mismos reconoce que la especialidad le confiere los conocimientos y motivación necesarias durante su formación, al final expresan tener dificultades para publicar y en el manejo del idioma inglés para estos fines. Conclusiones: La formación del especialista de Higiene y Epidemiología no da salida, al menos de la manera deseada, a uno de sus perfiles básicos como es la investigación. Basis: Scientific research and promotion of the obtained results is one of the objectives of the scientific development of the country, mainly when a specialty is involved, in which this task is included in different versions of the study plans. Objectives: to consider starting from the number of publications in the last five years, the scientific productivity of the specialists of Hygiene and Epidemiology of the Provincial Center of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology of Camagüey. Method: To carry out this task a cross sectional study was designed by authors through a small, anonymous structured questionary and with the informed consent of all of them, in which the following variables were analyzed: graduation date, publications in the last five years, teaching or scientific category, knowledge of statistical techniques, motivation, participation in scientific events, difficulties for publishing and knowledge of the English language to consult de databases EBSCO and PUBMED. Results: Poor scientific performance is observed, apart from graduation experience, the number of scientific categories by specialists is very low and even though most of them accept that the specialty promotes knowledge and necessary motivations during their postgraduate studies, finally they confirm there are difficulties for publishing and to manage English language for this purpose. Conclusions: The teaching curriculum of Hygiene and Epidemiology specialist does not promote research, one of its basic fields. (shrink)

A Study of Ecclesiastical Conservativism and AnxietyA German translated form of the “IPAT Anxiety Scale Questionnaire” by Cattell & Scheier and a specially developed ecclesiastical conservativism questionary were given to a sample of 330 adult, catholic, urban Ss. Several item analyses and reliability computations showed the usefulness of the scales. Analyses of correlations and variances yielded the following main results: There are statistical significant functional interrelations between ecclesiastical conservativism and the variables age, educational level, professional type, and church attendance. The (...) same holds for anxiety level and the variables professional type and church attendance. Ecclesiastical conservativism and anxiety level indices have been found to be negatively interrelated. Especially this last result is being discussed on the backgrounds of submission to authorities, individual freedom, responsibility, and anxiety. (shrink)

This introduction to the following five articles discusses concepts, practices and debates before and after the adoption of the term “questionnaire” in the late nineteenth century. Information gathering by way of itemized questions was established in the early modern period (c. 1500–1700). Developments associated with questionnaires in the modern period (such as mass standardized items) began in the late 1800s; but there was significant scrutiny of the questionnaire itself in the decades between the two World Wars.