Desiring under the Proper Guise

According to the thesis of the guise of the normative, all desires are associated with normative appearances or judgments. But guise of the normative theories differ sharply over the content of the normative representation, with the two main versions being the guise of reasons and the guise of the good. Chapter 6 defends the comparative thesis that the guise of reasons thesis is more promising than the guise of the good. The central idea is that observations from the theory of content determination can be used in order to constrain possible theories of the representational contents associated with desire. The authors argue that the initially most promising versions of the guise of the good fail to meet these constraints, and then explain the steep challenge confronting any who wish to craft a new guise of the good theory which meets the constraints while also preserving the initial motivations for adopting any guise of the normative theory at all. But a simple version of the guise of reasons not only avoids the troubles besetting the guise of the good but proceeds immediately from a deep diagnosis of the source of its difficulties

On the Epistemological Significance of Value Perception

This paper explores the epistemological significance of the view that we can literally see, hear, and touch evaluative properties (the high-level theory of value perception). My central contention is that, from the perspective of epistemology, the question of whether there are such high-level experiences doesn’t matter. Insofar as there are such experiences, they most plausibly emerged through the right kind of interaction with evaluative capacities that are not literally perceptual (e.g., of the sort involved in imaginative evaluative reflection). But even if these other evaluative capacities turn out not to alter the content of perceptual experience, they would still be sufficient to do all of the justificatory work that high-level experiences are meant to do. I close by observing that it may matter a great deal whether a certain other picture of value perception is true. This alternative picture has it that desires and/or emotions are perceptual-like experiences of value

Role of FXR in the Adaptive Response to Bile Acids during Pregnancy

The bile acid receptor FXR maintains bile acid homeostasis through the dynamic regulation of transporters, detoxification and biosynthesis enzymes. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is caused by disturbance in bile acid homeostasis in predisposed individuals. The first genetic variants in FXR, identified in an ICP population, are investigated in this thesis using in vitro approaches and a functional effect is demonstrated. Reproductive hormones are implicated in the aetiology of ICP but experiments in mice suggest that estrogen and progesterone alone are unlikely to be the cause of gestational cholestasis. Pregnancy increases the metabolic demand on the maternal liver and, in mice, causes maternal hepatomegaly that is associated with pro-cholestatic gene expression and raised serum and hepatic bile acids. Gestational hepatomegaly is characterised in detail for the first time and Fxr is shown to be required to maintain the normal mechanisms driving this process. Furthermore, pro-cholestatic gene expression and the fact that hepatic bile acids do not accumulate in pregnant Fxr-/- or cholate-fed mice suggest that for unknown reasons, gestation could be a period of reduced Fxr function. Conclusions: Pregnancy causes perturbed bile acid homeostasis in mice. This may be a result of Fxr playing a complex role in mediating, or responding to, the metabolic demands of gestation. Furthermore, FXR protects individuals from developing pregnancy-specific cholestatic disease

Learning difficulties among foreign pupils in primary school

Migration, economy globalization, international communication networks creation, new technologies, easy access to knowledge, cultural values redefinition and the new universal cultural models creation have led to new data and issues in relation to the education in Europe and globally, as well as in Greece which from a sending country is being transformed in migrants receiving country. Modern intercultural pedagogical current expressing cultural plurality and difference is addressed not only to cultural and linguistic minorities of the school community but to all the students. Increasing migrants’ mobility with the resulting educational problems has led to international organizations reaction as well to important initiatives in Greece and Europe in general, indicating the will to change the attitude towards minority education and intercultural education promotion

Learning difficulties among foreign pupils in primary school

Migration, economy globalization, international communication networks creation, new technologies, easy access to knowledge, cultural values redefinition and the new universal cultural models creation have led to new data and issues in relation to the education in Europe and globally, as well as in Greece which from a sending country is being transformed in migrants receiving country. Modern intercultural pedagogical current expressing cultural plurality and difference is addressed not only to cultural and linguistic minorities of the school community but to all the students. Increasing migrants’ mobility with the resulting educational problems has led to international organizations reaction as well to important initiatives in Greece and Europe in general, indicating the will to change the attitude towards minority education and intercultural education promotion

Primary school pupils with speech disorders (Spoken and written language)

The present study aims to investigate speech disorders among bilingual pupils and to assess their performance in primary school according to the didactic and pedagogical methods of education. In particular, we investigate: a) speech disorders among culturally different pupils in primary school, b) whether and to what extent they affect pupils’ school performance according to the goals of modern education in primary school and c) factors that influence speech disorders in combination with bilingual pupils’ school performance

Primary school pupils with speech disorders (Spoken and written language)

The present study aims to investigate speech disorders among bilingual pupils and to assess their performance in primary school according to the didactic and pedagogical methods of education. In particular, we investigate: a) speech disorders among culturally different pupils in primary school, b) whether and to what extent they affect pupils’ school performance according to the goals of modern education in primary school and c) factors that influence speech disorders in combination with bilingual pupils’ school performance

Primary school pupils with speech disorders (Spoken and written language)

The present study aims to investigate speech disorders among bilingual pupils and to assess their performance in primary school according to the didactic and pedagogical methods of education. In particular, we investigate: a) speech disorders among culturally different pupils in primary school, b) whether and to what extent they affect pupils’ school performance according to the goals of modern education in primary school and c) factors that influence speech disorders in combination with bilingual pupils’ school performance