Critical Remarks Research Articles

Online peer feedback training based on self-regulated learning in english as a foreign language writing: Perceived usefulness and students’ engagement

Peer feedback is crucial in second language academic writing. As technology progresses, online peer feedback is replacing traditional feedback methods in tertiary education. In this study, wherein we utilized Zimmerman’s self-regulated learning model, the authors aimed to train English as a foreign language (EFL) students in providing self-regulated learning-based online peer feedback over one semester. We explored English as a foreign language students’ engagement in providing and receiving feedback, their interpretations, their follow-up actions in response to peer feedback during the training, and their overall perceived improvements in self-regulated writing strategies by analyzing the feedback that peers received and how they responded to that feedback. Data were collected from analyses of peer feedback on essays written by 20 Vietnamese university students. The results revealed that feedback typically includes critical and constructive remarks about language details, as well as praise for content; students prioritize feedback on local language aspects such as grammar and vocabulary over aspects such as global content and structure. The results also showed that providing and receiving online peer feedback significantly enhance English as a foreign language students’ self-regulated writing strategy use by fostering learning motivation, positive attitudes toward online peer feedback, a positive learning environment, and the increased use of writing and peer help-seeking strategies, as well as self-improvement strategies and knowledge transfers from peer assistance across the three phases of self-regulated learning. These findings suggest that self-regulated learning-based online peer feedback can enhance English as a foreign language students’ writing skills and strategic learning application, providing insights for instructional practice.

The sufficiency-based, the de-growth, and the official – Critical remarks of the electricity chapter of the Hungarian national energy and climate plan based on a comparison to alternative scenarios

Hungary relies heavily on fossil and nuclear fuel imports from Russia. An urgent challenge is to develop a more sustainable and more independent energy system. There is a 2019 and a 2023 (draft) version of the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) but they arguably do not follow this direction. However, there are also alternative scenarios for Hungary that propose more comprehensive changes. This paper compares the targets proposed by the Hungarian NECPs to those proposed in two alternative studies: the sufficiency-based European-focused CLEVER (Collaborative Low Energy Vision for the European Region) scenario (created by a research team including 26 partner organisations from 20 European countries), and the de-growth-based “This Way Ahead” (TWA) scenario (which is the result of a Hungarian inter-university research, coordinated by the ELTE University's energy geography research group). A new element of this recent study is the simulation of hourly electricity supply and demand in these scenarios using EnergyPLAN to compare import requirements, potential surplus generation, and self-sufficiency. The review shows that the NECPs need to be reconsidered to increase the share of decentralized renewable electricity supply in a way that allows progress without increasing energy use and environmental burdens. Priority must be given to the rapid expansion of wind energy capacity by at least 10–20 times, which should be complemented by biogas-based flexible energy supply.

Sustainable C-H Methylation Employing Dimethyl Carbonate.

The use of CO2 and CO2-derived chemicals offers society sustainable and biocompatible chemistry for a variety of applications, ranging from materials to medicines. In this context, dimethyl carbonate (DMC) stands out owing to its low toxicity, high biodegradability, tunable reactivity, and sustainable production. Further, the ability of DMC to act as an ambient electrophile at varied temperatures and reaction conditions in order to produce methoxycarbonylated (via BAC2) and methylated products (via BAL2) is very promising. While the methylation of hetero-H (N-, O-, and S-methylation) with DMC is established and well-reviewed, the C-H methylation reaction with DMC is limited, and there is no specific literature detailing the C-methylation reaction using DMC, creating new opportunities as well as challenges in the same domain. In this context, the present perspective focuses on the new breakthroughs, recent advances, and trends in C-H methylation reactions employing DMC. A critical analysis of the mechanistic course of reactions under each category was undertaken. We believe this timely perspective will offer an in-depth analysis of existing literature with critical remarks, which will certainly inspire fellow researchers across disciplines to understand and pursue cutting-edge research in the area of C-H methylation (alkylation) using DMC and related organic carbonates.

Illegal logging or illegal transportation, storage, sale of forest: criminal and legal characteristics of the environmental offense

The article is devoted to the criminal and legal characterization of illegal logging or illegal transportation, storage, and sale of forest. The author identifies distinct features of the subject matter of the crime, such as: the integrity of trees and shrubs, their virginity, and the absence of age restriction criteria for felled trees and shrubs. The author formulates the criteria for attributing certain territories to the crime scene. The author emphasizes that the understanding of deforestation only as separation of a tree from the root leads to a narrowing of the scope of criminal law prohibition, since such actions as damage, uprooting, causing significant damage to the environment remain outside the scope of criminal liability. It is proposed to give a clear explanation of the meaning of the concept of “deforestation” in the note to Article 246 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The author emphasizes the critical remarks on the legislator’s expansion of the objective party, namely, the inclusion in the disposition of Part 1 of Article 246 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, in addition to felling, of such actions as transportation, storage, sale of illegally felled trees or shrubs that caused significant damage. The author establishes that the legislative approach to the formulation of the material elements of a crime which are characterized by the above actions creates a number of problems in the process of qualifying an act. The author provides arguments that it is inexpedient to decriminalize transportation, storage, and sale of illegally felled trees or shrubs which caused significant damage, since such actions do not lose their public danger, especially in the context of the environmental situation complicated by the war. At the same time, the author does not support the view that it is expedient to establish administrative liability for transportation and storage of illegally felled trees and shrubs. It is proposed to differentiate criminal liability in this regard. Transportation, storage, and sale of illegally felled trees or shrubs should be provided for as a criminal offense with a formal composition (Part 1 of Article 246 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), while excluding transportation and storage of illegally felled trees or shrubs from the disposition of Part 1 of Article 65 of the Code of Administrative Offenses as administratively punishable actions. Liability for illegal felling of trees or shrubs in forests, protective and other forest plantations which caused significant damage should be provided for in Part 2 of Article 246 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (as a crime with material composition). It is found that the most common motives for this crime are mercenary motives.

A review of approaches to assessment of potential radon hazard of land plots

According to Rosstat statistics, in recent years there has been a tendency in the Russian Federation to increase the intensity of construction, while both the number of buildings put into operation and their total area are increasing. The assessment of the potential radon hazard of land plots for construction provides the possibility of timely inclusion of the necessary protective (preventive) measures against radon in the design of buildings. This is a legal requirement in cases where the density of radon flux from the ground surface within the building area exceeds the established hygienic standards (action levels). The paper presents a review of Russian and foreign approaches to assessing the potential radon hazard of land plots conducted within the framework of engineering and environmental surveys. The current regulatory requirements to radiation safety indicators of land plots for construction of residential, public and industrial buildings and facilities in the Russian Federation are analyzed. The main drawbacks of the algorithm for determining the potential radon hazard of land plots, used in the current guidelines MU 2.6.1.2398-08 approved at the federal level more than 15 years ago, are described. Critical remarks (the unsuitability of the value of density of radon flux from the ground surface for designing radon protective and mitigation (remedial) measures, lack of consideration of seasonal variations of radon flux density, etc.) accumulated over the years as a result of practical application of these guidelines are presented. Benefits and drawbacks of foreign approaches to assessing the potential radon hazard of the territory based on the results of measurements of radon concentration in soil gas, as well as the very possibility of a transition in Russian regulations from the density of radon flux from the ground surface to the radon concentration in soil gas, are analyzed. Some rational proposals of various Russian research teams on improving the algorithm for determining the potential radon hazard of land plots are considered.

Учение об эффективности судопроизводства: несколько слов о монографии Сергея Анатольевича Курочкина «Эффективность гражданского судопроизводства»

The issues of the effectiveness of judicial activity are receiving increasing attention in the scientific literature. The review contains an analysis of the main provisions of S.A. Kurochkin's book «The efficiency of civil litigation» devoted to these issues. The author's contribution to the development of the procedural doctrine is noted, and some critical remarks are also made.

Should psychology adopt Bhaskar’s critical realist philosophy of science?

Robert Archer argues that psychology should abandon its use of Karl Popper’s philosophy of science. He recommends that psychology ought to adopt the philosophy of critical realism in its place. I put Archer’s concern with Popper to one side and provide a selective critique of mainstream critical realism, in the light of some developments in contemporary philosophy of science. I express some misgivings about the ontological commitments of Roy Bhaskar’s critical realism, and comment on the limitations of his DREI(C) model of scientific inquiry. In doing so, I also respond to a number of critical remarks Archer makes about replication in psychology.

Entelechy and Energy

This article reconsiders Hans Driesch’s vitalism, as articulated in his English book The Science and Philosophy of the Organism, from a novel perspective. The central thesis posits that Driesch’s vitalism was intricately intertwined with contemporary physical sciences, particularly the version of energy physics prevalent in the energetics movement at the turn of the twentieth century. More specifically, based on the conceptual framework provided by energeticists like Wilhelm Ostwald and Georg Helm, Driesch offered an intriguing treatment of the relationship between entelechy and energy within an updated Kantian philosophy of nature. This article reconstructs Driesch’s approach by elucidating four points. First, Driesch asserted that an entelechy strictly adhered to the conservation of energy. Second, he posited that the entelechy was not a form of energy and thus did not constitute a special kind of bio-specific vital energy. Third, he identified the entelechy’s most critical characteristic as its ability to suspend certain physico-chemical changes. Fourth, Driesch suggested that the entelechy influenced mechanical systems in a manner akin to Maxwell’s demon, raising the possibility of contravening the second law of thermodynamics. This article also contextualizes Driesch’s treatment within the broader development of energy physics in the latter half of the nineteenth century. In conclusion, this article offers some critical remarks on the peculiar historical phenomenon of chronic vitalism as identified by Driesch and others.

PECULIARITIES OF BODY IMAGE INFLUENCE ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH HIGH AND LOW LEVELS OF PHYSICAL

The article discusses the peculiarities of the influence of body image on the quality of life in individuals with high and low levels of physical perfectionism. The analysis of scientific literature shows that today, satisfaction with one’s appearance and a healthy body image are among the key aspects of the psychological and physical health of a modern person. In our study, we define the concept of “body image” as a person’s perception of his or her body, not only in terms of appearance and the degree of its attractiveness. It is also a set of ideas about one’s physical abilities, health, body endurance, etc. By the term “physical perfectionism” we mean a system of personal beliefs and attitudes related to a person’s appearance: increased concern and dissatisfaction with one’s appearance, the desire to meet high body standards, to achieve the best results in the struggle for an ideal figure, as well as a painful attitude to any critical remarks about one’s appearance. To test the theoretical construct of those psychological features that determine the specifics of the impact of body image on the quality of life in individuals with high and low levels of physical perfectionism, we used diagnostic tools, namely: Physical perfectionism scale (A. B. Kholmogorova, A. O. Dadeko, adaptation on the Ukrainian sample by M. I. Babchuk); The Situational Body Image Dissatisfaction Inventory (SIBID) (T. Cash); Body Image Influence on Quality of Life (BIQLI) (T. Cash). The next step was a differential psychological analysis of the results obtained, which consisted of: first, grouping the subjects by qualitative and quantitative combination of indicators of physical perfectionism, and second, studying the personality traits inherent in the representatives of the selected groups. Subsequently, on the basis of the constructed profiles, the psychological characteristics of individuals from the selected groups with high and low levels of physical perfectionism were compiled and described.

Evaluation of the Quality of ChatGPT’s Responses to Top 20 Questions about Robotic Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: Findings, Perspectives and Critical Remarks on Healthcare Education

Robotic-assisted hip and knee arthroplasty represents significant advancements in orthopedic surgery. Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven chatbots, such as ChatGPT, could play a significant role in healthcare education. This study aims to evaluate the quality of responses provided by ChatGPT to the top 20 questions concerning robotic-assisted hip and knee arthroplasty. We have asked ChatGPT to select the top 20 questions on Google concerning robotic hip and knee arthroplasty and to provide a detailed answer to each of them. The accuracy and completeness of the information provided were examined by three orthopedic surgeons with scientific and clinical experience in hip- and knee-replacement surgery. The accuracy was assessed through a 5-point Likert scale (from 1—completely incorrect to 5—correct); the completeness through a 4-point Likert scale (from 0—comprehensiveness not assessable for completely incorrect answers to 3—exhaustive information) on two different occasions to ensure the consistency of the assessment. Our analysis reveals that ChatGPT provides a relatively high degree of accuracy; moreover, the explanations can be considered satisfying, especially for factual questions. The findings suggest that ChatGPT can serve as a valuable initial resource for general information on robotic hip and knee arthroplasty but the integration with human expertise remains essential.

Психометрия латентных характеристик: инструменты, проблемы обработки ранговой информации, решения

<p>The paper examines the problems of correctness and adequacy of the use of psychometric tools in psychosocial research and applications. The main attention is paid to the problem of correct processing of rank information, which is non-numeric information that does not allow the use of classical mathematical operations, starting with the addition operation. The approach of forming the results of processing expert, ranked information in the scale of relations based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), which includes a measurement apparatus and decision-making algorithms, is presented. An example is given that simulates the situation of an expert council and demonstrates unacceptable contradictions that arise with the "numerical" approach to processing rank information. The algorithms of the AHP normative approach are presented, which allow obtaining numerical, personalized assessments of psychosocial characteristics. The basic concepts of the Rasch Measurement (RM) for comparing the capabilities of AHP and RM in psychosocial applications are described. Some critical remarks about the methods of psychometry are considered. It is shown that the origins of the criticisms are associated with a superficial understanding of the basic concepts of psychometric measurements and the scope of their applications, as well as with elementary errors when using the apparatus of psychometric instruments.</p>

Вл. Соловьев и его время в оценке А.Ф. Лосева

The article considers A.F. Losev's analysis of the philosophy of unity of V. Solovyov, carried out by him in the book “V. Solovyov and his time”. The comparative method and techniques of historical and philosophical reconstruction are used. Methodological guidelines for comparing the views of Solovyov and Losev are formulated. The main attention is paid to the characteristic of Solovyov's theoretical philosophy. The categorical structures of the concept of unity and its basic categories are revealed. The question of to what extent Solovyov's teaching can be considered mysticism is discussed. Losev's characterization of Solovyov's concept as a classical type of philosophy is explained. The national aspect of his theoretical ideas is highlighted. The content of Solovyov's image-concept of Sofia is considered, as well as the critical remarks of Losev, who discovers the contradiction contained in it. It is argued that Solovyov's understanding of evolution cannot be considered as a variant of religious natural philosophy. It is noted that cosmology, developed by the philosopher, organically transforms into anthropology, permeated with the Messianic idea of human vocation. He formulated the idea of the need to save the world through its rebirth under the influence of communion with the divine principle. The fruitful influence of Solovyov's concept on V.F. Erna, Vyacheslav Ivanov, A.N. Berdyaev, S.L. Frank – all subsequent Russian philosophy. The article concludes that A.F. Losev's book is a deep and independent study of V. Solovyov's philosophical concept, and his analysis sets important guidelines for the development of modern theoretical thought.

Insights into teachers' training and professional development: introducing online technologies

The article deals with the problem of professional development of teachers and lecturers in Ukraine in today's challenging conditions. The authors of the article are representatives of the development team of the online course "Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) Methodology" for educators. It is a product of the collective creativity of the Foreign Language Teacher Training Capacity Development as a Way to Ukraine’s Multilingual Education and European Integration (MultiEd) project team, сo-working under the umbrella of the Erasmus+KA2 programme. The course is hosted on the Moodle platform of Zaporizhzhia National University; it is aimed at training specialists capable of adapting and implementing advanced teaching methods in the educational process of the New Ukrainian School. This course is designed for subject teachers, foreign language teachers in secondary and higher education, as well as educational institution leaders who understand the contemporary challenges of education in line with the demands of the job market and are interested in modernizing existing educational programs, improving teaching and learning methods, and implementing a culture of quality assurance in education. The course is developed in the Ukrainian and English languages; it is flexible in time and choosing subject themes to fill the gaps in knowledge. The article presents the stages of course development and implementation, description of its content and structural elements. The course was piloted in all UA universities, partnered with the MultiEd team, encompassing 583 participants, 466 of which successfully completed the course. This article focuses on the results of 194 participants’ training on the Moodle platform of Zaporizhzhia National University (March – November 2023), their progress, evaluation and critical remarks, and highlights the prospects of its use in the system of professional teacher training

The Revival of Virtue Ethics: Critical Remarks on a Commonplace Narrative

The Revival of Virtue Ethics: Critical Remarks on a Commonplace Narrative

PENSION STRATEGIES OF UNWILLING JOINING PENSION PLANS: AN ISSUE OF A RATIONAL CHOICE

This article presents the analysis of Russian «silencers» participation in mandatory pension accumulation. The paper examines the peculiarities of pension strategies of the Russians in forming a funded pension with automatic enrolment through an interdisciplinary approach and methods of statistical data analysis. Based on the achievements of economic science of neoclassical, institutional and behavioral directions, the author argues that the use of such methodological prerequisites as rationality and irrationality of individuals leads to an oversimplification of the relationship between behavioral strategies and their results. The purpose of this article is to analyze the features of “silent” pension strategies through the prism of irrationality and rationality and to assess the consequences of passive participation strategy in the Russian pension process in the 2000s. The article examines the works of foreign and Russian scientists on pension programs with automatic enrolment, while the factual base is presented by materials of the Federal state statistics service and Russian Pension Fund. The article provides an overview of prior works on аutomatic enrolment to retirement plans in the United States and other foreign countries: it reveals critical remarks on the practice of automatic enrolment and reveals the problems of using automatic enrolment in the pension process. The author argues that the economic behavior of the Russian «silent» is primarily due to the specifics of institutional environment as well as the level of trust in the state and financial institutions. It has been established that irrationality and financial illiteracy are not always the primary causes of “silent accession” strategy. The conclusions and proposals of the work can be used for further research in pension strategies and the development of pension policy in Russia.

Uredinales of Maharashtra State, India

This paper deals with 140 species of rust fungi, which are so far reported from the Maharashtra State and are distributed amongst 34 rust genera. The deposition number of an authentic state material is indicated, wherever available. The critical remarks by the author, wherever necessary are included, which might help in clarifying the taxonomic position of the particular rust. The nomenclature of some rusts which needed rectification is achieved in this work. The host index is also provided to facilitate ready reference.

“Des peines en général” in the French “Code pénal” of 1791

The publication is a continuation of the author’s studies on the history of judicial law of revolutionary France, with the author seeking to shed light on the sometimes underestimated first French criminal codification, adopted by the National Assembly in 1791. The researcher’s interests focus on the regulations determining the system of penalties adopted in the codification. Although the author’s dominant research method is exegesis of the normative text in the formal-dogmatic convention, the instruments of comparative legal studies have been used as well. Confronting the provisions of the code with the doctrinal assumptions and demands of the Enlightenment, the author seeks to show the complexity of multifaceted issues and specificity of the realities of revolutionary legislators, which necessitated compromises that are controversial for some researchers. Regardless of the critical remarks that have often been made about the French legislators, it is impossible to underestimate the crucial importance of the Code for the development of a European legal culture, which the author has tried to demonstrate by emphasising the pioneering nature of the law from the point of view of the development of new legal institutions.

Спиритуализм в истории русской религиозной мысли: ключевые оценки и трактовки

The article presents a critical review of the assessments of Modern Spiritualism in Russian philosophical historiography and positions it as a certain kind of natural theology. The author positions spiritualism as a special religious philosophy and outlines the reasons why it was considered as a practice without any philosophical significance. The article considers philosophical characteristics of Spiritualism given by Russian religious philosophers and offers some critical remarks on historiography's opinion about Spiritualism as a kind of "positivism". The author suggests, that spiritualism should be investigated in the perspective of the history of philosophical and theological thought of the early New Modern period. The article deals with analogies between the themes of early modern natural theology and the problems spiritualists were deeply interested in. It touches upon the discussions about the nature of the soul, especially, the questions of its corporeality and possible annihilation. Early modern discussions about witchcraft should be studied as a key issue, which links natural theology and spiritualism. The article proposes to compare seventeenth-century "witch-hunts", aimed to prove the existence of the spirit world, and nineteenth-century investigations of mediums. The importance of Leibnizianism and pneumatological teachings of the eighteenth century as precursors of spiritualist religious and philosophical thought is also pointed out. The article proposes to investigate Spiritualism not only as a subject for Orthodox apologetics’ criticism, but also as a special kind of Christian apologetics that emerged in the early Modern period and aimed at proving the immortality of the soul while refuting the arguments of materialist critics. Both Russian spiritualists and Russian philosophers (V.S. Soloviev, N.Y. Grot, L.M. Lopatin) were interested in "mediumistic phenomena". It is argued that the spiritualists of the late 19th century sought to overcome «positivist» limitations, and were not satisfied with the Kantian solution, which put a barrier to the cognition of the "real" world. The study of Spiritualism in the perspective of Christian natural theology makes it possible to grasp the main reason for the interest of Russian philosophers in Spiritualism and its’ "psychic phenomena" – the potential opportunity to find new arguments in favor of the immortality of the soul.

Ecclesiology from Below in Contemporary Orthodox Christianity

Abstract This article aims to critically and comparatively explore a recent model of ecclesiology from below as worked out by a contemporary Ukrainian Orthodox theologian and worldwide known scholar, Cyril Hovorun (b. 1974). In order to discern Hovorun’s original contribution to the field of Orthodox ecclesiology and its ecumenical potential, his doctrine of the church is placed in a wider scholarly context by emphasising the way in which the Ukrainian theologian is influenced by his main sources. Afterwards, the concrete implications of Hovorun’s ecclesiology from below are examined and some critical remarks are further articulated. Finally, this study sheds light on the strengths and shortcomings of Hovorun’s approach when compared with one of the most influential ecclesiological perspectives in contemporary Orthodox Christianity, namely, John Zizioulas’ eucharistic ecclesiology.

Multiculturalism, identity and language: Some critical remarks on Molefi Asante’s idea of Afrocentrism

This article reconsiders Molefi Asante’s idea of Afrocentrism. It discusses Eurocentrism and the search for identity that provoked Afrocentrism as an intellectual paradigm. It details some basic tenets of the Afrocentric paradigm and makes some critical remarks on certain issues in the conceptualisation of the Afrocentric paradigm. Essentially, those remarks revolve around the notions of multiculturalism, identity and language. First, the article argues that the Afrocentric paradigm, through its openness to anyone interested in it – an extension of its claim to multiculturalism – drags itself back into the problem of identity that it initially set out to resolve. This is because it provokes the dilemma of extreme inclusivity and extreme exclusivity. Second, it uses the language of Eurocentrism to fight against Eurocentrism, which seems absurd. Third, it glosses over the fact that, apart from Africa, other cultural civilisations might have significantly influenced the intellectual development of the ancient Geeks. The article argues, therefore, using the methods of analysis and critical argumentation typical of philosophical writing, first, that Afrocentrists may need to re-articulate the Afrocentric paradigm in such a way that would address the problem of identity which it set out to resolve by properly delineating its boundaries. Second, they need to address the language question, which is an important aspect of the problem of identity. Third, they need to recognise and respect the contributions of other cultural civilisations to the Greek intellectual development. This does not upset their multiculturalist programme.