We investigated the immediate and maintenance effects of mental-imagery-based mnemonic training on improving youths’ working memory, long-term memory, arithmetic and spatial abilities, and fluid intelligence. In Experiment 1, 26 Chinese participants aged 10–16 years were divided into an experimental group that received 8 days of mental-imagery-based mnemonic training and a no-contact control group. Participants completed pre-, post-, and three follow-up tests. In Experiment 2, 54 Chinese children, all 12 years old, were divided into experimental and control groups. Participants completed pre-, (...) post-, and follow-up tests. Results showed that the training significantly affected long-term memory-related task performance but no effects were observed on working memory, arithmetic or spatial ability, or fluid intelligence-related tasks. Moreover, the effect of the training on long-term memory lasted up to one year; the more frequently the training was used, the more effective it was. A content analysis of the feedback submitted by parents of participants in Experiment 2 three months after the training showed that the children used the strategy more for memorizing content such as Chinese and English, as well as for musical scores. Furthermore, there was also the possibility that the training improved abilities and academic performance such as concentration and math performance. Our results provide a basis for the further exploration of mental-imagery-based mnemonic training as a novel training modality. (shrink)

ObjectivesTo simulate hemodynamic changes after extraluminal compression in pulsatile tinnitus patients with a prominent transverse-sigmoid sinus junction.MethodsOne patient-specific case was reconstructed based on computed tomography venography images of a PT patient. The compression degree served as a new index in this study. Cases with 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90% of the compression degree of the control subject were constructed. Steady-state computational fluid dynamics were assessed. The wall pressure distribution, wall maximum pressure and flow pattern of (...) the PTSJ were calculated to evaluate hemodynamic differences among all cases.ResultsWith increasing compression, the wall pressure at the compression point and downstream of the PTSJ decreased but increased upstream. When the compression degree exceeded 70%, the upstream pressure increased significantly. Above 50% compression, the blood flow pattern downstream of the sigmoid sinus tended to spiral, especially after 80% compression. Beyond 60% compression, the blood flow pattern under the compression axis became more medial.ConclusionMechanical compression of PTSJ changes wall pressure and blood flow patterns. The degree of compression should be carefully observed to avoid possible complications or reoccurrence. (shrink)

Drawing on social exchange theory, we examine the conditions under which employees’ good intentions motivate them to engage in unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) and the psychological mechanism behind this behavioral decision. Findings from a time-lagged field study and a scenario study indicate (1) an interactive effect between perceived organizational support and employee performance on UPB; (2) that low performers who perceive high levels of organizational support are more likely to engage in UPB; and (3) that feelings of indebtedness to the (...) organization mediate the interactive effect on UPB. Therefore, the paper highlights the importance of conditional factors in motivating UPB by combining employee ‘good intentions’ and ‘disadvantageous situations’ to understand the UPB decision process. The paper concludes with theoretical and practical implications. (shrink)

Engineering ethics can be divided into three spheres, namely the technical, the professional, and the social. Ideally, engineering students should engage with all three spheres of ethics, but the literature suggests that this might not be the case. How do engineering students engage with the three spheres of engineering ethics during a global pandemic? The COVID-19 pandemic represents a dramatic and ongoing real-world challenge affecting many students personally. This research explores the extent to which engineering students engage with each sphere (...) of engineering ethics by examining how engineering students understand their roles in addressing the pandemic and its implications. We conducted a survey with undergraduate engineering students (n = 410) at a university in the Midwest. Qualitative analysis suggests that there was low engagement with both social ethics and professional ethics among respondents, while there was higher engagement with technical ethics. Quantitative analysis suggests that non-conservative engineering students from less wealthy families in our study show higher engagement with technical ethics as compared to conservative engineering students from less wealthy families. Non-conservative engineering students from wealthy families, however, show similar engagement with technical ethics as compared to conservative engineering students from wealthy families. In addition, engineering students from both wealthy and less wealthy families show higher engagement with technical ethics if they reside in urban areas as compared to engineering students from both wealthy and less wealthy families in non-urban areas. In addition, the difference in terms of engagement with technical ethics between non-urban engineering students from less wealthy families and urban engineering students from less wealthy families is larger than the difference in terms of engagement with technical ethics between non-urban engineering students from wealthy families and urban engineering students from wealthy families. Further investigation will be needed to explain these findings. However, qualitative results confirm that, despite the potential for the pandemic to encourage engagement with all three spheres of ethics, there continues to be low engagement with ethics beyond the technical level. (shrink)

A growing body of research has explored well-being in diverse cultural contexts, and indicates that the definition and perception of well-being vary according to cultural context. Little is known, however, about whether intercultural differences in China (i.e., Tibetan and Han) lead to different perceptions of well-being and how social contexts and personal characteristics are associated with well-being in Tibetan and Han emerging adults. Using a self-determination framework, the current study examines the relationship between parental autonomy support (PAS) and psychological well-being (...) (PWB) in Tibetan and Han emerging adults in China. Guided by implicit theory and self-regulatory theory, we propose a serial multiple mediation model of growth mindset and grit in the association between PAS and PWB. Propensity score matching was used to balance the two ethnic groups in terms of age, gender, socioeconomic status (SES), with a ratio of one to two. Finally, 59 Tibetan (71.2% girls) and 118 Han (69.5% girls) emerging adults aged from 18 to 25 years were included in the current study, and completed an online questionnaire survey. Findings suggest that (a) Tibetan emerging adults perceived higher levels of PWB than their peers from the Han ethnic group; (b) a serial multiple mediation model for the association between PAS and PWB was supported in Han emerging adults; (c) the indirect effects between PAS and PWB varied between Tibetan and Han emerging adults. Our findings suggest that PAS and grit contribute to PWB of emerging adults in both cultural contexts, whereas growth mindset may be beneficial for Han emerging adults only. (shrink)

It is well known that the computational complexity of propositional knowledge base revision is at the second level of polynomial hierarchy. A way to solve this kind of problems is to introduce approximate algorithms. In this paper, an approximate approach is introduced for belief change. Operators, which satisfy the AGM rational postulates, are defined to change belief sets or belief bases. Furthermore, approximate algorithms to implement the revision of finite belief bases are presented. The time complexities of the approximate algorithms (...) shown in this paper are at lower level than the time complexities of the existed approaches in literatures, although they may not generate the optimal solution, and this is meaningful from the theoretical point of view. (shrink)

Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, we examined the effect of leader-member exchange on the voice behavior via role breadth self-efficacy, and how the perceived overqualification moderates the relationship between LMX and voice behavior. We tested the theoretical model with data gathered from 407 individuals in China. The results revealed that LMX had an indirect effect on voice behavior through role breadth self-efficacy, and perceived overqualification moderated the positive association between LMX and role breadth self-efficacy. In addition, the mediating (...) effect of LMX on voice behavior through role breadth self-efficacy was stronger when the level of perceived overqualification was low and weaker when it was high. The findings have theoretical and practical implications for increasing employees’ voice behavior in organizations. (shrink)

This research investigates firms’ bribery motivations in China. Based on resource dependence theory and anomie theory, we identify resource conditions as firms’ proactive motivation to bribe and firms’ perceived institutional environment as their passive motivation to bribe. We use the data from 2002 World Business Environment Survey, collected by the World Bank, to investigate firms’ bribery in the world’s largest emerging market, China. We employ a multi-level logistic model to test our hypotheses. The results show that unsatisfactory general and task (...) environmental conditions may trigger firms to bribe in order to compete for better resources and opportunities; institutional conditions such as the security expenditure and anomie climate may make firms perceive bribery as a common phenomenon and thus induce firms to bribe. This research provides some insights to understand business bribery behaviors in emerging market. It also discusses some managerial implications and guidelines for policy-making from the findings. (shrink)

Live streaming shopping, the streaming of real-time videos promoting products that consumers can purchase online, has recently been a booming area of e-commerce, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The success of live streaming e-commerce largely relies on the extent to which the broadcaster can get consumers engaged by the live stream. Thus, it is important to discover the antecedents of consumer engagement in such a context. Drawing on consumer engagement and neuroscience literature, this study used electroencephalography inter-subject correlation to explore (...) how broadcasters' entrepreneurial passion during live streaming videos influenced consumers' neural engagement as they watched the live streaming videos. We used the framework of displayed passion and preparedness from the entrepreneurial passion literature to predict consumer engagement. We found significant ISC for strong displayed passion, while preparedness had partially significant effects on the first, second, and summed components of ISC. The interaction effects of these two factors on the first and summed components of ISC were partially significant. Strong displayed passion and preparedness activated the left and right prefrontal regions of the consumers' brains. These findings indicate that broadcasters' displayed passion and preparedness can influence consumer engagement in live streaming e-commerce settings. Our findings suggest that a scientific approach could be used to improve a broadcaster's performance by testing ISC during rehearsals before live streaming. (shrink)

As a traditional clothing symbol that is unique to the Chinese nation, the dragon symbol combines the distinctive features of the Chinese nation, reflecting the depth of mental changes and the historical context of Chinese culture. The image of the dragon has formed a kind of dragon pattern as a certain set of ideas about the culture that encoded all its changes. Therefore, in national clothing the dragon image has been one of the most favorite patterns for thousands of years. (...) With the interweaving of world cultures and the deepening of the concept of clothing design, the dragon pattern will incorporate fresh elements of Western culture while maintaining the essence of traditional Chinese culture, and show a new design image through the utilization of various innovative ideas and design methods. The following methods were used for the study: literature review, field research, analysis of design cases, analysis of fashion trends. Using these methods, the specifics of using dragon designs in the fashion industry in different seasons and years are analyzed, and the trend of their evolution in the field of high fashion is studied. In the article we analyzed modern trends of clothing design and gave their characteristics. The results of the study showed that even in modern youth fashion this national symbol is actively used, which indicates that the patterns and images of the dragon have real applicability and wide prospects of application in modern fashion design. Modern clothing design provides a rich cultural heritage for modern clothing to retain the characteristics of civilization on the basis of continuous innovation. The use of dragon motifs in modern clothing not only meets the aesthetic concepts of modern people, but also adds vitality to clothing design. (shrink)

As the per capita income level increases, both environmental quality and income inequality will change significantly, which arouses people’s attention on the relationship between income inequality and environmental quality. Based on mathematical derivations, we first prove that when the relationship between per capita income and environmental pollution is nonlinear, and environmental pollution is not only related to per capita income, but also, among other potential determinants, to income inequality. Then, we use the two-way fixed estimator to estimate the impact of (...) income inequality on environmental quality by decomposing the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology model. The impact of income inequality on environmental pollution is significantly positive, that is, as the income gap widens, industrial pollutant emissions, carbon dioxide emissions, and PM2.5 in the air will increase; there is an “Inverted U-shaped” impact relationship between income inequality and environmental quality, that is, environmental pollution increases first and then decreases with the increase of per capita GDP; per capita income is the intermediate variable between income inequality and environmental quality. The relationship between income inequality and environmental quality should be fully considered when formulating relevant policies. The government should adopt differentiated environmental policies targeted at low-and-high income groups to achieve a win-win situation of economic growth and environmental protection. (shrink)

Resumo: Arthur Schopenhauer possui uma concepção acerca da natureza do conceito que atravessa o seu pensamento, desde o início de sua produção filosófica. Inicialmente abordado a partir de sua acepção racional abstrata, em O mundo como vontade e como representação, o conceito adquire traços mais profundos em função do sentimento. O conceito “não-conceito” sentimento determinará os rumos da filosofia de Schopenhauer, ao evidenciar os limites da linguagem. A linguagem filosófica, por consequência, exprime um paradoxo, pois pretende expressar em linguagem abstrata (...) um conteúdo concreto cuja natureza não pode ser por ela determinado. Por ser um construto conceitual abstrato, a linguagem filosófica possui um estatuto ontológico secundário e, portanto, incompleto, em relação ao conteúdo da realidade concreta. Este artigo pretende mostrar que os sentimentos são, nesse sentido, o meio não conceitual que esclarece a própria natureza dos conceitos e, por consequência, a via não-filosófica que paradoxalmente melhor expressa o conteúdo da filosofia. No registro do sentimento, Schopenhauer reconhece na linguagem musical o âmbito de justificação adequado da linguagem filosófica.: Arthur Schopenhauer has a notion about the nature of the concept that runs through his thinking since the beginning of his philosophical production. Initially approached from its abstract rational meaning, in The world as will and representation, the concept acquires deeper traces from sentiment. The “non-concept” concept of sentiment will determine the direction of Schopenhauer”s philosophy by highlighting the limits of language. The philosophical language, therefore, expresses a paradox, since it intends to manifest, in abstract language, a concrete content, whose nature cannot be determined by it. As an abstract conceptual construct, philosophical language has a secondary and, thus, incomplete ontological status in relation to the content of concrete reality. Sentiments are the non-conceptual medium that clarifies the nature of concepts itself, and, consequently, the non-philosophical way that paradoxically best expresses the content of philosophy. In the recording of sentiment, Schopenhauer recognizes in musical language the proper justification scope of philosophical language. (shrink)

Traditional engineering courses typically approach teaching and problem solving by focusing on the physical dimensions of those problems without consideration of dynamic social and ethical dimensions. As such, projects can fail to consider human rights, community questions and concerns, broader impacts upon society, or otherwise result in inequitable outcomes. And, despite the fact that students in engineering receive training on the Professional Code of Ethics for Engineers, to which they are expected to adhere in practice, many students are unable to (...) recognize and analyze real-life ethical challenges as they arise. Indeed, research has found that students are typically less engaged with ethics—defined as the sensitivity and judgment of microethics and macroethics, sensitivity to diversity, and interest in promoting organizational ethical culture—at the end of their engineering studies than they were at the beginning. As such, many studies have focused on developing and improving the curriculum surrounding ethics through, for instance, exposing students to ethics case studies. However, such ethics courses often present a narrow and simplified view of ethics that students may struggle to integrate with their broader experience as engineers. Thus, there is a critical need to unpack the complexity of ethical behavior amongst engineering students in order to determine how to better foster ethical judgment and behavior. Promoting ethical behavior among engineering students and developing a culture of ethical behavior within institutions have become goals of many engineering programs. Towards this goal, we would like to present an overview of the current scholarship of engineering ethics and propose a theoretical framework of ethical behavior using a review of articles related to engineering ethics from 1997-2020. The review engages in theories across disciplines including philosophy, education, and psychology. In this work-in-progress paper, we present a subset of initial results based on a review of the first 50 articles out of the systematically selected 409 articles from Springer, Engineering Village, and EBSCO-Education Full Text. Preliminary results identify two major kinds of drivers of ethical behavior, namely individual level ethical behavior drivers and institutional drivers. Our preliminary results indicate that a sensitivity to both microethics and macroethics as well as the implicit and explicit understanding of ethics are essential in promoting ethical behavior amongst students. Furthermore, while drivers of ethical behavior at the individual level is important, one should not ignore the roles of the drivers of ethical behavior at the institutional level in promoting a collective ethical culture within organizations. The review also points to a need to focus on increasing students’ macroethical sensitivity to topics such as sustainability and protection of human rights. This research thus addresses the need, driven by existing scholarship, 2 to identify a conceptual framework for explaining how ethical judgment and behavior in engineering can be further promoted. (shrink)

Although prior research has demonstrated that switching schools poses a risk for academic and behavioral functioning among adolescents, relatively little is known about their emotional adjustment, or how it affects emotional well-being. Moreover, the cumulative effects of multiple risk and protective factors on their emotional well-being are even less covered in the existing literature. Guided by a risk and resilience ecological framework, the current study compared emotional well-being, operationalized as positive affect and negative affect, between adolescents who had switched schools (...) and their non-switch counterparts, and examined the direct and interactive effects of teacher autonomy support and two facets of grit (i.e., perseverance and consistency) on emotional well-being in both groups. A propensity score matching analysis was used to balance the two groups in terms of sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., age, gender, and socioeconomic status). A total of 371 adolescents who had switched schools and 742 non-switch counterparts aged from 13 to 18 years were involved in this study. Results indicated that adolescents who had switched schools reported higher levels of negative affect than their non-switch counterparts. Moreover, for adolescents who had switched schools, those who possessed higher levels of perseverance had a significantly negative association between teacher autonomy support and negative affect; however, the corresponding association was independent of perseverance for their non-switch counterparts. The current findings indicate that switching schools is a disadvantage for adolescents’ emotional states. However, teacher autonomy support and perseverance can protect adolescents who switch schools as critical stress-buffering factors against these negative feelings. (shrink)

A central thesis held by neo-Aristotelian virtue theories is that virtues require robust dispositions to have appropriate emotions. This thesis is challenged by a particular form of situationism, which suggests that human beings cannot develop this kind of emotional disposition because our integral emotions are too easily influenced by morally and epistemically irrelevant incidental affect. If the challenge stands, it implies that human beings cannot be virtuous. In response to the challenge, I propose an agential solution that’s grounded in the (...) affective sciences. Drawing from empirical evidence, I argue that agents can develop ameliorative abilities such as emotion differentiation to guard against the influence of incidental affect, thereby developing more robust emotional dispositions. My arguments thus defend the psychological plausibility of this key component of virtue. (shrink)

Proper and regular physical activity plays an important role in improving people’s health. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has posed a serious threat to individual health, residents’ PA has aroused deep concern. Based on the theory of planned behavior, this study examines the impact of residents’ PA intention and behavior in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from a sample of 961 residents in Wuhan in China using a questionnaire survey. The results show that residents’ (...) PA intention and behavior have been affected significantly by residents’ PA attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. The COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on both residents’ PA intention and behavior. In addition, there were gender and region differences in this impact. The findings are of great significance in promoting residents’ PA intention and PA behavior, which are of positive significance to the development of residents’ physical and mental health in the period of global serious health crisis. (shrink)

Borrowed from metallurgy, the concept of fusion casting is a method in the study of the humanities. In light of fusion-casting, this paper reviews the longstanding weakness of comparative studies and the limitations of its naming. Because of the superficiality and farfetchedness in comparative studies, fusion-casting studies are imperative remedies so as to break the bondage of empiricism and analogies. In the trend of globalization, comparative studies will continue to play a role, but the inherent weakness, excessive use and the (...) low quality of such studies must be overcome. The case of fusion-casting studies is not intended to get rid of comparative studies. Rather, it is intended to increase the depth of the latter so that there shall be ground-breaking progresses and innovations. (shrink)

Scholars have paid so much academic attention to UPB in the past decade. However, there is lacking a quantitative review to uncover the relationship between UPB and its antecedents. To address this, we make a meta-analytic review about UPB. Specifically, we propose a theoretical framework of antecedents of UPB and test it using meta-analysis technology (k = 67, n = 20,957). We found moral disengagement, organizational identification, identification with supervisors, leader UPB, ethical judgments, psychological entitlement, transformational leadership, and job satisfaction (...) are positively related to UPB. Moral identity and taking responsibility are negatively related to UPB. Besides, ethical leadership, abusive supervision, and authoritarian leadership have double-edged sword effects on UPB. For ethical leadership, it increases UPB via LMX, on the other hand, it decreases UPB via moral disengagement. For abusive supervision and authoritarian leadership, they increase UPB via moral disengagement and decrease UPB via LMX meanwhile. We discuss the results of the current meta-analysis and put some future research directions. (shrink)

In this paper we present some algorithms for computing minimal conflicts. First of all we discuss the relationship between minimal conflicts and minimally inconsistent subsets. Then we introduce an algorithm for computing all minimally inconsistent subsets, which is applied to generating all minimal conflicts. Furthermore, an algorithm for computing all minimal conflicts using structured description is introduced, and its correctness is proved; its time complexity is also shown. The algorithm using structured description terminates in polynomial time for some special system, (...) such as the tree–structured systems. The algorithms are also complared with related works. (shrink)

The discussion over the roles of genes and environment on the phenotypical specification of organisms has held a central role in science philosophy since the late 19th century and has re‐emerged in today's debate over genetic determinism and developmental plasticity. In fin‐de‐siecle Vienna, this debate coincided with a philosophical debate over empiricism/materialism versus idealism/vitalism. Turn‐of‐the‐century Vienna's highly interdisciplinary environment was also the birthplace for the model system of the un‐opposed molar. The un‐opposed molar system features new tissue formation at the (...) roots of teeth and tooth drift once opposing teeth are lost. The un‐opposed molar model system was revived by a group of Viennese scientists who left Vienna during the Nazi period to address Vienna's questions about evolution and heredity and about genes and environment in Chicago's post‐WWII scientific exile community. Here we are using the colorful history of the un‐opposed molar to investigate the role of culture and method in the scientific evolution of a model system. BioEssays 29:819–830, 2007. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (shrink)

On November 7, 1594, an Assembly was held in the Monastery of St. Mary in Mat, and was attended by “Governors and General Guardians of the Macedonian and Albanian Kingdoms”. The Assembly was attended by leaders representing the Albanian provinces, such as: Gjergj Skura from Rodoni, Gjek Lalësi from Dukagjini, Vlash Koreshi from Kruja, Domenik Jonima from Mati, Jeronim Mamëli from Elbasan, and bishops of Stefaniakë and Sapas etc. A detailed project was drafted for the liberation of the country from (...) the Ottoman invaders, addressed to the Western nations, to the Pope, the Kingdom of Naples etc. in order to seek material and military support. The action plan and the demands examined during the assembly meeting were entrusted to Tomë Plezha as the almighty delegate of the Pope to the king of Spain and other European princes. It was thought that he had authority over the peoples of these parts. (shrink)

Customers’ declining receptivity to conventional marketing tools has been a challenge for convenience stores. To overcome this, retailers are turning to social media as a new, potent marketing tool for creating business prospects and encouraging direct customer interaction. However, it is still unknown how social media marketing affects the shifts in customer behavior. This paper expands on the relationship of “loyalty program + virtual community experience → perceived value → customer loyalty” in the traditional convenience store scenario, refining the variables (...) of virtual community experience, perceived value, and customer loyalty. It also compares the effectiveness of different LP design structures and explores the mediation impact of program loyalty and the moderation effect of alternative attractiveness. The results demonstrate the superior performance of LPs with an expiry policy and differential returns and highlight the importance of enhancing members’ virtual community experiences in fostering customer perceived value and loyalty. The results also show the minor negative moderation impact of community group buying and prove that emotional value significantly impacts customer loyalty. Still, the social value does not affect program loyalty. The recommendations are offered, such as designing growing-oriented and periodical zeroing LPs, as well as using new social media marketing tools to empower traditional marketing techniques and constructing a “convenience store + community group buying” model. The findings have substantial theoretical and practical implications for traditional convenience stores in properly implementing loyalty and social media marketing tactics to maximize customer value and loyalty with a limited budget. (shrink)

Digital companies exhibit discontinuous growth in the process of shifting from their existing core business to a newer and less familiar business. This pattern of growth often ends in failure mainly because companies invest most of their resources in maintaining the value network of their existing core business, which ultimately results in a “lock-in” effect. The fractal theory assumes that there are similarities among fractals within companies. These similarities may reduce the threats posed by the value network lock-in effect and (...) increase the chances of successful discontinuous growth. In this study, we applied fractal theory to consider the following questions: in what aspects does the successful discontinuous growth of digital companies exhibit fractal characteristics? What strategy does digital companies use to ensure these fractal characteristics? We adopted an exploratory single-case study method and chose ByteDance as the case company to analyze its successful shift from Toutiao to Douyin. Our results show that a necessary condition for the successful discontinuous growth of digital companies is that similarities exist between the existing core business and the new business and entrepreneurial bricolage is a strategy used by digital companies to ensure the existence of fractal characteristics of similarities. We discuss the theoretical contributions and practical implications of this finding. (shrink)

With the growing need to nurture students’ independent learning, English language teaching practices should reflect student-centered assessment approaches, such as self-assessment, an ultimate goal of higher education. It has been pointed out that to conduct effective self-assessment, students need to be taught systematically, and that is where teachers are expected to step in. Prior to implementing such a change in ELT, it is important to conduct research on English as a foreign language teachers’ attitudes toward, and self-efficacy beliefs about, implementing (...) self-assessment to cultivate capable student self-assessors. Although the strong global endorsement of self-assessment over the past two decades has witnessed its classroom implementation in different disciplines, such studies are scant in relation to EFL writing classrooms. To address this gap, the present qualitative research examined five Chinese tertiary EFL writing teachers’ attitudes toward and self-efficacy beliefs about student self-assessment of writing, as well as possible reasons that discourage them from engaging students in self-assessment practices. Data collected from in-depth, semi-structured interviews indicated that self-assessment, a critical element of self-regulated learning, is surprisingly missing from the teachers’ knowledge base and previous practices. Additionally, the findings offer insights into the striking differences in teachers’ understanding of, attitudes toward, and low self-efficacy beliefs about self-assessment of writing. Reasons why teachers choose not to implement self-assessment of writing are also discussed. Findings from this study contribute to a deeper understanding of how EFL teachers’ attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs are enacted in relation to their classroom assessment practices in order to move forward discussions on the feasibility of implementing self-assessment of writing in tertiary EFL classrooms. (shrink)

RESUMO O presente artigo tem por objetivo caracterizar a “metafísica prática ” em Schopenhauer. Segundo essa caracterização, a metafísica prática corresponde ao correlato prático da “metafísica teórica” e, desse modo, ao correlato empírico do discurso filosófico. Para Schopenhauer, isto equivale a afirmar a possibilidade de comprovação, via experiencia, da tese metafísica fundante de “O mundo como vontade e como representação”, a saber, da identidade metafísica da vontade subjacente aoplano da multiplicidade aparente. Por funcionar como uma espécie de prova empírica desta (...) tese metafísica, a metafísica prática é também Experimentalmetaphysik, isto é, “metafísica experimental”. ABSTRACT This article aims to characterize the “practicalmetaphysics” in Schopenhauer. According to this characterization, the practical metaphysics corresponds to the practical correlate of the “theoretical metaphysics” and thus to the empirical correlate of the philosophical discourse. For Schopenhauer, this is equivalent to affirm the possibility of proving, via experience, the metaphysical founding thesis of “The World as Will and Representation”, namely, the metaphysical identity of the will underlying the plane of apparent multiplicity. Due to the fact that itfunctions as a kind of empirical proof of this metaphysical thesis, the practical metaphysics is also Experimentalmetaphysik, that is, “experimental metaphysics”. (shrink)

In Technology and the Lifeworld, Don Ihde advances what he calls “formalisms” for the ways in which we experience or relate to technology. In this article, I seek to clarify the grammar of Ihde’s formalisms. Ihde’s formalisms have not been the focus of scrutiny. Rather, they have largely been received in the literature as merely aphoristic or epigrammatical devices serving to clarify what can be explained in prose. My hypothesis is that Ihde’s formalisms do not merely serve an epigrammatical function (...) but rather admit of a generative grammar that extends his postphenomenological framework. I propose a notation that adheres to six rules of syntax that can be derived from Ihde’s framework. I show that the proposed notation makes explicit the inter-relations among hidden dimensions of human–technology relations. Relying on my notation, I also suggest that the so-called cyborg turn is actually a turn away from the unharnessed syntax of Ihde’s formalisms. (shrink)

To date, the value of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities has primarily been measured through the company’s reputation, with little attention given to exploring whether there are internal influences between CSR and other management practices. We argue that the efficacy of CSR extends beyond a company’s reputation for managing social and environmental concerns; in particular, it can influence other business practices such as risk management. Our results suggest that (a) overall, firms with better CSR performance are more likely to adopt (...) integrated risk management practices and (b) CSR activities that target both primary stakeholders and secondary stakeholders are equally important in facilitating the adoption of such risk management practices. Theoretically, we contribute to the CSR literature by providing a possible mechanism for risk reduction and insurance-like effects of CSR. Practically, we provide managerial implications demonstrating that the efficacy of CSR should not be viewed in isolation of other business practices. (shrink)