Este artículo explora los artilugios conceptuales que utiliza la teoría de Bruno Latour para comprender y explicar la realidad natural y social. Asimismo, se exponen cuáles son los límites a su principio de “indeterminación radical” o principio de simetría generalizado. Este análisis muestra la posibilidad de un estudio normativo de la realidad social y tecnocientífica compatible con la evolución que se encuentra en el mismo Latour respecto del significado y funcíon políticos de la ciencia.This article explores the conceptual tools which (...) philosopher, sociologist and anthropologist Bruno Latour uses to understand and also to explain natural and social realities investigated by the sciences and by the philosophy of science. This text also sets the limits to Labour’s principle of radical indeterminacy, also known as the principle of generalized symmetry. As a result of this, the possibility of a normative study of social and techno-scientific realities is emphasized as a type of technoscientfic and social research, which is compatible with Latour’s own evolution of thought concerning the meaning and function of the politics of science. (shrink)

En este artículo analizo ciertos problemas que se derivan de los principios que se utilizan en el discurso ético sobre la «mejora humana», y que guardan relación con el positivismo. Comienzo esbozando las dos posiciones principales que configuran el debate sobre la mejora humana: la posición creativa, post-humanista o pro-mejora frente a la postura bio-conservadora u orientada a la gratitud. Mi objetivo es mostrar, primero, que el debate ético sobre la mejora humana proviene, especialmente en el bando pro-mejora, de una (...) visión demasiado optimista, casi ingenua, de la ciencia y de la tecnología; y segundo, que este debate ha prestado poca atención a las cuestiones epistemológicas, sociales y políticas que están en juego. (shrink)

El término estrés es una aportación de un médico húngaro llamado Has Selye (1907-1982). Su primera intuición sobre la existencia de este proceso psicológico se produjo mientras realizaba su rotatorio hospitalario al final de sus estudios de medicina. Observó que todos los pacientes, independientemente de la enfermedad que padecieran, presentaban unos síntomas comunes que denominó el síndrome de "simplemente estar enfermo", y que posteriormente en su tesis doctoral fue renombrado como "síndrome general de adaptación". Esto dio lugar a que el (...) resto de su vida lo dedicara al estudio y formalización del concepto de estrés. (shrink)

In this special issue we explore practices of scientific inquiry into human populations in Latin America in order to generate new insights into the complex historical and sociopolitical dynamics that have made certain human groups integral to the production of scientific knowledge in and about the region. In important contributions, other scholars have shown that the science of human difference is racist and all too often has been a mediator of development ideologies. To further unpack these arguments we focus attention (...) on the complex interaction between scientists and the populations they study. We explore cases from across the fields of evolutionary biology, demography, epidemiology... (shrink)

This paper aims to enhance security in IoT device networks through a visual tool that utilizes three projection techniques, including Beta Hebbian Learning (BHL), t-distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (t-SNE) and ISOMAP, in order to facilitate the identification of network attacks by human experts. This work research begins with the creation of a testing environment with IoT devices and web clients, simulating attacks over Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) for recording all relevant traffic information. The unsupervised algorithms chosen provide a set (...) of projections that enable human experts to visually identify most attacks in real-time, making it a powerful tool that can be implemented in IoT environments easily. (shrink)

This paper argues that the “long 1970s” (1969–1983) is an important though often overlooked period in the development of a rich landscape in the research of metabolism, development, and evolution. The period is marked by: shrinking public funding of basic science, shifting research agendas in molecular biology, the incorporation of new phenomena and experimental tools from previous biological research at the molecular level, and the development of recombinant DNA techniques. Research was reoriented towards eukaryotic cells and development, and in particular (...) towards “giant” RNA processing and transcription. We will here focus on three different models of developmental regulation published in that period: the two models of eukaryotic genetic regulation at the transcriptional level that were developed by Georgii P. Georgiev on the one hand, and by Roy Britten and Eric Davidson on the other; and the model of genetic sufficiency and evolution of regulatory genes proposed by Emile Zuckerkandl. These three cases illustrate the range of exploratory hypotheses that characterised the challenging landscape of gene regulation in the 1970s, a period that in hindsight can be labelled as transitional, between the biology at the laboratory bench of the preceding period, and the biology of genetic engineering and intensive data-driven research that followed. (shrink)

Recent research has shown that cultural, linguistic, and sociodemographic peculiarities influence the measurement of trait emotional intelligence. Assessing trait EI in different populations fosters cross-cultural research and expands the construct’s nomological network. In mental health, the trait EI of clinical populations has been scarcely researched. Accordingly, the present study examined the relationship between trait EI and key sociodemographic variables on Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire datasets with mental healthcare patients from three different Spanish-speaking countries. Collectively, these datasets comprised 528 participants, 23% (...) from Chile, 28% from Peru, and 49% from Spain. The sociodemographic variables we used for trait EI comparisons were gender, age, educational level, civil status, and occupational status. Analyses involved Multigroup Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling and analysis of covariance. Our results revealed significant between-country differences in trait EI across the studied sociodemographic variables and interactions between these variables. Measurement invariance across the datasets was attained up to the scalar level regarding gender and education, although analyses on age, civil status, and occupation displayed non-invariance. The resultant psychometric evidence supports the suitability of the TEIQue-SF for the accurate cross-cultural assessment of trait EI in mental health settings. It also highlights the importance of incorporating trait EI into extant psychotherapeutic frameworks to enhance non-pharmacological treatment efficacy. (shrink)

Although subsistence hunting is cross-culturally an activity led and practiced mostly by men, a rich body of literature shows that in many small-scale societies women also engage in hunting in varied and often inconspicuous ways. Using data collected among two contemporary forager-horticulturalist societies facing rapid change, we compare the technological and social characteristics of hunting trips led by women and men and analyze the specific socioeconomic characteristics that facilitate or constrain women’s engagement in hunting. Results from interviews on daily activities (...) with 121 Tsimane’ and 159 Baka show that Tsimane’ and Baka women participate in subsistence hunting, albeit using different techniques and in different social contexts than men. We also found differences in the individual and household socioeconomic profiles of Tsimane’ and Baka women who hunt and those who do not hunt. Moreover, the characteristics that differentiate hunter and non-hunter women vary from one society to the other, suggesting that gender roles in relation to hunting are fluid and likely to change, not only across societies, but also as societies change. (shrink)

The technical possibilities of biomedicine open up the opportunity to intervene in ageing itself with the aim of mitigating, reducing or eliminating it. However, before undertaking these changes or rejecting them outright, it is necessary to ask ourselves if what would be lost by doing so really has much value. This article will analyse the desirability of ageing from an individual point of view, without circumscribing this question to the desirability or undesirability of death. First, we will present the three (...) most widely used arguments to reject biomedical interventions against ageing. We will argue that only the last of these arguments provides a consistent answer to the question of the desirability of ageing. Second, we will show that the third argument falls prey to a conceptual confusion that we will call the paradox of ageing: although ageing entails negative health effects, it leads to a life stage with valuable goods. Both valuations, one positive and the other negative, refer to two different dimensions of ageing: the chronological and the biological. We will defend that, by not adequately distinguishing these two types of ageing, it does not become apparent that all the valuable goods exclusive to ageing derive only from its chronological dimension. Third, we will argue that, if we just conceive ageing biologically, it is undesirable. We will elaborate on the two kinds of undesirable effects biological ageing has: direct and indirect. Finally, we will respond to potential objections by adducing that these are insufficient to weaken our argument. (shrink)

El presente artículo se enmarca en el campo de la comprensión acerca del sentido que se le otorga a la escuela. En este caso se contextualiza la pregunta en estudiantes mapuche que asisten a un colegio rural de alta vulnerabilidad socioeconómica. A través de un enfoque cualitativo se buscó principalmente comprender el sentido que le dan niños y niñas a la escuela y las motivaciones que tienen para asistir. Participaron 20 niños y niñas en dos grupos focales. Luego de los (...) análisis iniciales se procedió a volver al campo realizando diez entrevistas individuales. Los resultados muestran que el sentido de la escuela se configura tanto por motivaciones internas como expectativas que tienen los padres sobre el futuro de sus hijos. Desde la mirada de los estudiantes, tanto profesores como padres motivan a los estudiantes a salir de la ruralidad, a seguir estudios superiores como una fórmula de éxito social. (shrink)

We have recently stated the reasons why we claim that biological ageing is undesirable. Räsänen has responded to our article by arguing that this process has certain desirable aspects and, therefore, our position is inconsistent. Räsänen develops two arguments to defend his position. We will call the first the argument from the totality of the ageing process and the second the argument from the reduced goods of the ageing process. In this reply, we will give reasons to show that both (...) arguments fail. The first, on the one hand, starts from a dubious conception of ageing and, on the other hand, even accepting this conception, its reformulation is morally empty. The second incurs in an absurd conclusion. (shrink)

ObjectiveThis study aimed to analyze the influence and measurement of the relationship and interaction between the elderly lifestyles after the appearance of the SARS-CoV-2 variant and the factors analyzed comprised life satisfaction levels, social relationships, and daily-life activities.MethodsThe study population was ≥ 65 in Castile-La Mancha. The research design was quantitative and arose from primary data collected via an ad hoc survey carried out through the Computer Assisted Telephone Interview system by randomly stratified sampling. The sample size was made up (...) of 1,065 cases, and the participants were selected through a random sampling stratified by gender quotas, age, province, and habitat size.ResultsThe results obtained revealed two main lifestyles, from which a notable behavioral change in personal relationships led to infer toward alternative lifestyles.ConclusionNotwithstanding the variation in lifestyles of the elderly after the pandemic, certain relationships remained unaltered. Thus, from the analyzed variables, relatives and friends relationships were scarcely influenced by the supervened incident. (shrink)

This article aims to pay heed to the rational and deliberative dimensions of moral agency within the project of moral enhancement. In this sense, it is presented how the technique of neurofeedback might contribute to the enhancement of moral deliberations and autonomy. Furthermore, this brain-computer interface is thought as a possible element of a Socratic moral assistant interested in improving moral enhancement within a model of full interaction between moral agents and such a moral assistant. This proposal does not embrace (...) the project of moral bioenhancement, centred in the improvement of moral emotions through neuropharmacology. Moreover it rejects the delegation of moral decision-making to moral artificial agents because this would mean that there is continuity between moral human and artificial moral agents. (shrink)

En filosofía de la percepción el relacionamiento con el entorno es el terreno donde el Realismo Ingenuo y el Intencionalismo se posicionan como dos posturas contrarias. La primera de ellas presenta una explicación que satisface al que busca un esclarecimiento del relacionamiento íntimo en la presentación del entorno durante la percepción, mientras que la otra teoría podría satisfacer a aquellos que buscan un esclarecimiento de la manera en la cual el entorno se presente de tal o cual modo a diferentes (...) percipientes, dando espacio para la formación de juicios y creencias particulares. Pero ¿podrá existir un planteamiento intermedio que asegure la intimidad de la presentación perceptual y la representación del entorno? El siguiente articulo expondrá los elementos del debate abordando una definición de cada teoría, luego avanzando hacia una alternativa intermedia y, finalmente, concluyendo de la posibilidad de tal postura intermedia, pero con un enfoque representacional dinámico. (shrink)

Con una indagación cualitativa se intenta averiguar si el método de palabras generatrices de Paulo Freire presenta ventajas para la enseñanza-aprendizaje de la lengua escrita castellana en la edad infantil. Se extraen los datos de la experiencia práctica acumulada por profesorado que lo ha aplicado en el segundo ciclo. Cinco maestras aportan informes escritos individuales y dos equipos docentes se constituyen en grupos de discusión. Tras la categorización y análisis de los datos, se concluye que el método tiene muchas ventajas. (...) Entre las ventajas de tipo didáctico cabe resaltar el respeto al protagonismo del alumnado y a su pensamiento sincrético, ser muy motivador, conseguir la comprensión lectora desde el principio, desarrollar simultáneamente las conciencias léxica, silábica y fonológica; enriquecer el vocabulario, fijar una ortografía correcta, integrar todos los ámbitos de conocimiento, y desarrollar la capacidad simbólica y la creatividad. Como ventajas de tipo pedagógico: considerar los efectos de tipo actitudinal que actúan sobre los procesos cognoscitivos, adaptarse a los contextos, permitir al profesorado conocer mejor a su alumnado, propiciar el desarrollo de la dimensión afectivo-emocional, favorecer la socialización por trabajarse siempre en grupo y la ayuda entre iguales, el buen clima de aprendizaje y la colaboración familiar. (shrink)

RESUMEN El presente artículo está dirigido a sistematizar una concepción teórica y metodológica que sustente el proceso de extensión universitaria en la carrera de Medicina en Cuba. Entre los resultados se destaca el lugar y papel de la extensión universitaria en el sistema de la formación integral del profesional a la que se asigna una connotación especial, de marcado contenido axiológico, coherente con las necesidades y proyecciones sociales que facilita la formación del educando y fortalece la relación institución-comunidad. Es factible (...) de ser aplicado pues puede devenir en una importante contribución a elevar el impacto social de la docencia médica en tanto atiendan aspectos como la preparación de los implicados en las diferentes instancias; la colaboración de los consejos populares y los factores de la comunidad que se manifiestan en el modo de actuación del profesional. ABSTRACT The present article is directed to systematize a theoretical and methodological conception that sustains the process of university extension in the career of Cuban medicine. Among the results he/she stands out the place and paper of the university extension in the system of the integral formation from the professional to which a special connotation is assigned, of marked axiological contained, coherent with the necessities and social projections that it facilitates the formation of the educating and it strengthens the relationship institution-community. It is feasible of being applied then it can become in an important contribution to elevate the social impact of the medical teaching as long as they assist aspects like the preparation of those implied in the different instances; the collaboration of the popular advice and the factors of the community that are manifested in the way of the professional's performance. (shrink)

Por razones de eficacia (cohesión social, comunidad cívica) y, unidas a ellas, por razones éticas (valores de libertad, igualdad y solidaridad) la propuesta normativa de nuestro tiempo debe ser la universalización de la democracia. No hay futuro para nadie si no se avanza en ella, en la universalización de los derechos humanos, en su protección y realización efectiva en esa escala. Frente a los hechos que impone hoy el neoliberalismo conservador y la muy desigual globalización realmente existente, deben prevalecer los (...) derechos que derivan de la filosofía ética, política y jurídica de la democracia. Su expresión institucional -se estima aquí- es aquella que se concreta en la fórmula o paradigma del Estado social y democrático de Derecho: es decir, un Estado de importante intervención cualitativa; una sociedad civil más y mejor vertebrada, de trama más ajustada, más inclusiva de los nuevos movimientos sociales (feministas, ecologistas, antixenófobos, etc.); un sistema económico mixto, con sector público estatal y social donde el mercado y el sector privado encuentren coherente articulación; todo ello para la protección y realización de los derechos humanos civiles y políticos, económicos, sociales y culturales, así como los nuevos derechos fundamentales de las minorías, los derivados de las diferencias personales y sociales (étnicas, sexuales...), del medio ambiente, etc. En definitiva la razón de ser del Estado de Derecho es la protección y realización efectiva de los derechos humanos. La universalización de éstos y de la democracia exige, pues, la universalización del Estado social y democrático de Derecho. (shrink)

ArgumentThis paper analyzes the research strategies of three different cases in the study of human genetics in Mexico – the work of Rubén Lisker in the 1960s, INMEGEN's mapping of Mexican genomic diversity between 2004 and 2009, and the analysis of Native American variation by Andrés Moreno and his colleagues in contemporary research. We make a distinction between an approach that incorporates multiple disciplinary resources into sampling design and interpretation (unpacking), from one that privileges pragmatic considerations over more robust multidisciplinary (...) analysis (flattening). These choices have consequences for social, demographic, and biomedical practices, and also for accounts of genetic variation in human populations. While the former strategyunpacksfine-grained genetic variation – favoring precision and realism, the latter tends toflattenindividual differences and historical depth in lieu of generalization. (shrink)

En un mundo que enfrenta cada día un mayor número de problemáticas ambientales, el presente trabajo busca demostrar la creciente necesidad de proveeduría en el sector de bienes y servicios ambientales en las distintas regiones, además, busca dar un panorama general de la competitividad y el crecimiento de las pymes en la Ciudad de Chihuahua, México, enfocadas en este sector. Con base en la construcción de un sector de estudio por medio de datos estadísticos, el análisis de las regulaciones de (...) políticas para pymes y la perspectiva de actores que forman parte de la región. (shrink)

Synaesthesia is a condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces photisms, i.e. mental percepts of colours. R is a 20 year old colour blind subject who, in addition to the relatively common grapheme-colour synaesthesia, presents a rarely reported cross modal perception in which a variety of visual stimuli elicit aura-like percepts of colour. In R, photisms seem to be closely related to the affective valence of stimuli and (...) typically bring out a consistent pattern of emotional responses. The present case study suggests that colours might be an intrinsic category of the human brain. We developed an empirical methodology that allowed us to study the subject's otherwise inaccessible phenomenological experience. First, we found that R shows a Stroop effect elicited by photisms despite the fact that he does not show a regular Stroop with real colours. Secondly, by manipulating the colour context we confirmed that colours can alter R's emotional evaluation of the stimuli. Furthermore, we demonstrated that R's auras may actually lead to a partially inverted emotional spectrum where certain stimuli bring out emotional reactions opposite to the normal ones. These findings can only be accounted for by considering R's subjective colour experience or qualia. Therefore the present paper defends the view that qualia are a useful scientific concept that can be approached and studied by experimental methods. (shrink)

Synaesthesia is a condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces photisms, i.e. mental percepts of colours. R is a 20 year old colour blind subject who, in addition to the relatively common grapheme-colour synaesthesia, presents a rarely reported cross modal perception in which a variety of visual stimuli elicit aura-like percepts of colour. In R, photisms seem to be closely related to the affective valence of stimuli and (...) typically bring out a consistent pattern of emotional responses. The present case study suggests that colours might be an intrinsic category of the human brain. We developed an empirical methodology that allowed us to study the subject's otherwise inaccessible phenomenological experience. First, we found that R shows a Stroop effect (delayed response due to interference) elicited by photisms despite the fact that he does not show a regular Stroop with real colours. Secondly, by manipulating the colour context we confirmed that colours can alter R's emotional evaluation of the stimuli. Furthermore, we demonstrated that R's auras may actually lead to a partially inverted emotional spectrum where certain stimuli bring out emotional reactions opposite to the normal ones. These findings can only be accounted for by considering R's subjective colour experience or qualia. Therefore the present paper defends the view that qualia are a useful scientific concept that can be approached and studied by experimental methods. (shrink)

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo caracterizar el proceso de evaluación del aprendizaje del contenido estadístico en la carrera de Medicina. Los resultados obtenidos evidencian que el nivel de asimilación alcanzado por los estudiantes en muchas ocasiones es el reproductivo, lo que refleja la necesidad de seguir profundizando en los estudios de esta problemática. Issues related to the learning evaluation have been present throughout the teaching learning process history. The following research aims at characterizing the learning process of evaluation of the (...) statistical content in medicine. Results demonstrate that the assimilation level reached by students, on many occasions, is the reproductive one, as a need to deepen on methodology of the design of the system of evaluation of the statistical content learning in medicine. (shrink)

AimThe functional prognosis of patients after coma following either cardiac arrest or acute structural brain injury is often uncertain. These patients are associated with high mortality and disability. N20 and N70 somatosensory evoked potentials are used to predict prognosis. We evaluated the utility of SSEP as an early indicator of long-term prognosis in these patients.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study of patients admitted to the intensive care unit with a diagnosis of coma after CA or ABI. An SSEP study was (...) performed, including N20 and N70 at 24–72 h, after coma onset. Functional recovery was assessed 6–12 months later using the modified Glasgow scale. The study was approved by our local research ethics committee.ResultsIn the CA and ABI groups, the absence of N20 or N70 was a strong indicator of poor outcome. Conversely, the presence of N70 was an indicator of a good outcome.ConclusionSomatosensory evoked potentials are useful early prognostic markers with high specificity and sensitivity. Moreover, N70 has additional potential value for improving the prediction of good long-term functional outcomes.Clinical Trial Registration:[https://clinicaltrials.gov/], identifier [2018/01/001]. (shrink)

Assessing physical fitness has emerged as a proxy of the health status of children and adolescents and therefore as relevant from a public health point of view. DAFIS is a project included in Plan Galicia Saudable of the regional government of Galicia. DAFIS consists of an on-line software devoted to record the results of a standard physical fitness protocol carried out as a part of the physical education curriculum. The aims of this study were: to obtain normative values of physical (...) fitness of the Galician school population evaluated in the DAFIS project, and to identify a reduced number of components and tests able to capture a significant amount of the variability in the physical fitness of children and adolescents. From an initial sample of 27784 records, 15287 cases were considered after filtering. Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape were used for obtaining percentile curves and tables for each sex. Furthermore, a principal components analysis was performed, selecting the number of components by applying the Kaiser’s rule and selecting a subset of variables considering the correlation between each variable and the components. Percentile curves and normative values are reported for each test and sex. Physical fitness was better in boys than in girls throughout age groups, except for flexibility that was consistently higher in girls. Two main components were detected throughout age groups: the first one representing body composition and partially cardiorespiratory fitness and the second one muscular fitness. For boys and girls, waist to height ratio had the highest correlations with the first component in four out of six age groups. The highest correlation with the second component, was most frequently observed for the handgrip test both in boys and girls. This study provides evidence about the utility of school community actions like DAFIS aimed to track the health-related fitness of children and adolescents. The results suggest that fat mass distribution and muscular performance concentrate a high proportion physical fitness variance. (shrink)