What Makes a Basic Structure Just?

In his multi-faceted attack on Rawls’s account of justice, G.A. Cohen has argued that the notion of basic structure is necessarily insensitive to the importance of informal social norms to social justice. The paper argues that the most plausible account of the basic structure is not blind to informal social norms in any meaningful sense. Whereas informal, non-legally coercive institutions are not part of the basic structure as such, their careful consideration is necessary for the assessment of whether the basic structure itself is indeed just. This claim is based on an account of what it means for normative principle to apply to institutions, which I expound in detail throughout the paper. Principles apply to institutions, I argue, not in that they restrain their conduct, but in that they indicate which social conditions they should bring about.

The enactive approach and disorders of the self - the case of schizophrenia

Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences - The paper discusses two recent approaches to schizophrenia, a phenomenological and a neuroscientific approach, illustrating how new directions in...     

Religiosity and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours in Malaysian Muslims: The Mediating Role of Subjective Well-Being and Self-Regulation

Past research on healthy lifestyle behaviours has been primarily conducted within Western or Judeo–Christian contexts, while non-Western or Muslim contexts remain under-represented. This study examined predictors of healthy lifestyle behaviours (religiosity, goal-setting, impulse control, and subjective well-being) in Malaysian Muslims and explored the mechanisms underlying the relationship between religiosity and healthy lifestyle behaviours. Self-report survey responses from 183 healthy adults (M _age = 28.63 years, 18–50 years) were analysed using regression and multiple mediation analyses. The results indicated that subjective well-being emerged as the strongest predictor, followed by goal-setting. Furthermore, subjective well-being and goal-setting mediated the religiosity–healthy lifestyle behaviour relationship. The findings provide guidance for future health-promoting interventions.     

Prospective memory in youth with perinatally-acquired HIV infection

Youth with perinatal HIV infection (PHIV) are at increased risk for neurocognitive impairment (NCI). Prospective memory (PM) is a complex neurocognitive function that has been shown to be impaired in adults with HIV disease and independently associated with poorer daily living skills, including medication nonadherence. The current study sought to determine the presence and extent of PM deficits in youth with PHIV. Participants included 173 youth with PHIV and 85 youth perinatally HIV-exposed but uninfected (PHEU), mean age 14.1 years, 75% black, 18% Hispanic. Among youth with PHIV, 26% had a past AIDS-defining condition (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], Class C), 74% did not (non-C). Adjusted generalized estimating equation models were used to compare groups (PHIV/C, PHIV/non-C, and PHEU) on the Naturalistic Event-Based Prospective Memory Test (NEPT) and the Prospective Memory Assessment for Children & Youth (PROMACY). Secondarily, subgroups defined by HIV serostatus and global NCI were compared (PHIV/NCI, PHIV/non-NCI, PHEU). PHIV/C had significantly lower NEPT scores than PHEU, with decreases of 40% in mean scores, but did not differ from PHIV/non-C. PHIV/NCI had 11–32% lower PROMACY scores and 33% lower NEPT scores compared to PHIV/non-NCI (all p < .05); significantly, lower scores for PHIV/NCI versus PHEU also were observed for PROMACY and NEPT indices. Findings suggest a subset of youth with PHIV (those with a prior AIDS-defining diagnosis) is vulnerable to PM deficits. The extent to which PM deficits interfere with development and maintenance of independent living and health-related behaviors during transition to adulthood requires further study.     

Evaluation of the effects a caregiver training programme has on the cognitive and functional maintenance of the elderly / Valoración de los efectos de un programa de formación de cuidadores sobre el mantenimiento cognitivo y funcional de ancianos

Abstract

With the increase in the elderly population comes a need to ensure they remain cognitively and functionally stable for as long as possible. Achieving this through a caregiver training programme based on the Person Centred Care (PCC) approach has been suggested. On this basis, the purpose of this study has been to evaluate the effectiveness of a caregiver training programme on the cognitive and functional maintenance of the elderly. The study sample comprised 56 elderly people and 14 caregivers, who were assessed using the MMSE, Clifton, Barthel, EuroQol, RMBPC (elderly) and SSFQ (caregivers) measurement scales. The results at intergroup level show significant differences in the pre-treatment assessment: the control group had higher scores for MMSE, Barthel, EuroQol and RMPBC scales, but that difference disappeared as scores for the treatment group increased. At an intragroup level, increases in scores were observed in the MMSE, Clifton and EuroQol scales for the treatment group and decreases in the Clifton, EuroQol and Barthel scales for the control group. From these results we can conclude that a caregiver training programme based on a PCC approach produces cognitive and functional benefits in the elderly. In addition, caregivers in the treatment group felt more competent, confident and satisfied with their work.     

Money,Money, Money: Gift Exchange and Credit Giving in Coastal Kerala

For Kerala’s Latin Catholics, financial expenses related to life-cycle events like weddings, baptisms, funerals, and paying for children’s education or for medical treatment are customary expenditures. Yet, many Malayali Latin Catholics in the coastal region are craftsmen and fishermen, and their incomes tend to be unsteady. When they cannot afford these costs using their own resources, borrowing money and accruing debt is a common solution. Besides loans from banks and other institutions, credit is given among relatives, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances. This type of credit is known as ka?a? (“debt”). The article argues that ka?a? can be interpreted as a kind of gift exchange, since it is inseparable from the people involved and the (kind of) relationship that exists between them. Interdependence is the necessary basis of ka?a?, and like gift exchange, credit giving among relatives and friends serves to confirm and strengthen existing relationships.     

Evaluation of Breast Cancer Patients with Genetic Risk in a University Hospital: Before and After the Implementation of a Heredofamilial Cancer Unit

The identification of patients at risk for breast cancer by genetic testing has proven to reduce breast cancer mortality. In 2010, due to a lack of systematization in hereditary cancer assistance in our center, we implemented a multidisciplinary Heredofamilial Cancer Unit (HFCU). We analyze if the HFCU improved the rates of referrals and preventive management of breast cancer patients with genetic risk. We retrospectively compared family history records, referrals of high-risk patients to genetic counseling, and detection and management of patients with BRCA1/2 mutations in two cohorts of breast cancer patients diagnosed before (first period: 2007–2010) and after the creation of the HFCU (second period: 2010–2013). In the first period, 893 patients were included, and 902 were included in the second. Due to the inability to establish their genetic risk, 142 patients (15.9%) vs. 70 (7.8%) were excluded from analysis (p?<?0.001). Among the evaluable patients, 194 (25.8%) vs. 223 (26.8%) fulfilled one or more risk criteria (p?=?0.65). Family history documentation in patient’s medical records (92.4 vs. 97.8%, p?<?0.001) and referral rate (26.3 vs. 52%, p?<?0.0001) significantly increased in the second period. Eight BRCA1/2 mutations were detected among patients referred in the first period and 17 among those referred to the HFCU. The rate of preventive surgeries in patients with BRCA mutations significantly increased in the second period (25 vs. 76.5%, p?=?0.03). In conclusion, there was a clear improvement in family history records, referrals, and preventive surgeries in breast cancer patients with genetic risk after the implementation of the HFCU.     

Assessing Psychiatric Symptoms in Youth Affected by HIV: Comparing a Brief Self-Administered Rating Scale with a Structured Diagnostic Interview

Brief psychiatric assessment tools are needed for evaluating children affected by HIV for emotional and behavioral problems. We compared a self-administered symptom rating scale (CASI-4R) to a semi-structured diagnostic interview (DICA-P) in 136 U.S. children affected by HIV. Agreement and performance measures for the two instruments were computed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, anxiety, and disruptive behavior. Correlations and regression analyses were conducted to compare the two instruments, and to evaluate their associations with social, academic, and global function. Higher CASI-4R symptom severity scores were associated with DICA diagnoses (p?<?0.02 for all disorders). Agreement (κ) between DICA diagnoses and CASI-4R Clinical Cutoffs (which incorporated symptoms and impairment) was low to moderate (0.19–0.40 for all disorders). Thirty-two percent of cases with a DICA diagnosis were identified by the CASI-4R Clinical Cutoff (sensitivity), yet over 90% of DICA-negative cases were negative by the CASI-4R (specificity). Sensitivity was higher using CASI-4R Severity Score thresholds based on median scores compared to the DICA diagnoses. The presence and severity of psychiatric symptoms and impairment were associated with poorer academic, social, and global function. The CASI-4R symptom checklist can be used to inexpensively screen youth affected by HIV for emotional and behavioral problems, although it is important that there be appropriate mental health evaluation follow-up.     

Dissociation between magnitude comparison and relation identification across different formats for rational numbers

ABSTRACT

The present study examined whether a dissociation among formats for rational numbers (fractions, decimals, and percentages) can be obtained in tasks that require comparing a number to a non-symbolic quantity (discrete or else continuous). In Experiment 1, college students saw a discrete or else continuous image followed by a rational number, and had to decide which was numerically larger. In Experiment 2, participants saw the same displays but had to make a judgment about the type of ratio represented by the number. The magnitude task was performed more quickly using decimals (for both quantity types), whereas the relation task was performed more accurately with fractions (but only when the image showed discrete entities). The pattern observed for percentages was very similar to that for decimals. A dissociation between magnitude comparison and relational processing with rational numbers can be obtained when a symbolic number must be compared to a non-symbolic display.