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Wittgenstein's method is simple: ‘Describe language-games!’
Get PDFThere are many interpretations of what Wittgenstein's later approach entails and what its motivations are. Yet, despite extensive exegesis significantly deepening our understanding, his later approach—howsoever one interprets it—remains at best marginal and at worst ignored in contemporary philosophy. This is especially puzzling given the general consensus that Wittgenstein is a very influential philosopher. I suggest a change in approach. Rather than focussing on the potential differences to be found in Wittgenstein's work, in this essay I propose that Wittgenstein's later approach entails a core overarching method, which Wittgenstein summarises through a simple instruction: ‘Describe language-games!’ (PI §486). I first explicate this instruction before contrasting it with the dominant method in philosophy and proposing that a recently promoted philosophical approach—Investigative Ordinary Language Philosophy—offers a practical way by which to put Wittgenstein's method into action
Is there anything left to eat? A lived experience insight of following a restrictive type 1 diabetes and dialysis diet.
Get PDFOBJECTIVES: Chronic kidney disease has a global morbidity burden of >10%, with diabetes being a major cause. Nutrition therapy is vital in managing both chronic conditions, yet CKD dietary guidelines contradict healthy eating advice, and can result in major psychological and social burdens. Few studies investigate the patient's experience of being placed on such a restrictive diet. This auto/biographical review provides a unique perspective and aims to assist practitioners as they guide patients on 'what is left to eat.' METHOD: An auto/biographical approach, supported by a comprehensive literature review using data from MEDLINE, Embase, and PsychoINFO, was used to answer the question: 'What are the diet and lifestyle challenges of following a restrictive Type 1 Diabetes/CKD dialysis diet?' RESULTS: Restrictive dietary and fluid regimes have a major effect on patients' illness beliefs, anxieties, and independence. This is discussed through five themes: Food is belonging; Normal is a Fallacy; Your numbers define you; A disease disguised as a virtue and Meeting the Elephant: ESKD diagnosis and the burden of dialysis. CONCLUSION: Dietary intervention is crucial in the management of T1D and ESKD, but equally important is to consider the implications of strict dietary regimes without sufficient evidence, guidance, and support
Influence of season, capture method, sample age and extraction protocols on the scale cortisol concentrations of three species of freshwater fish.
Get PDFScale cortisol concentration (SCC) is increasingly applied as a biomarker of chronic stress in fish, but knowledge gaps remain on how SCC is affected by the sampling season and method of fish capture, the time since sample collection, and the cortisol extraction protocol. Here, working with three freshwater fishes (common carp Cyprinus carpio, European chub Squalius cephalus and Northern pike Esox lucius), a robust extraction protocol was developed and then applied to identifying how scale cortisol levels can vary in fish populations according to aspects of the fish capture events. Across five scale cortisol extraction protocols, three provided relatively low yields, so their application would result in erroneously low SCC. Application of the extraction protocol providing the highest yields to scale samples indicated that fish sampled in winter have significantly lower SCC than those collected in spring and summer, while fish captured by angling have significantly lower SCC than fish collected from the same population by electric fishing. There were no significant differences in SCC measured from populations across 40 years, suggesting that archived scales potentially provide a valuable resource for measuring temporal changes in SCC. Future studies based on using scale cortisol for analyses of fish chronic stress should consider these issues in their study designs and evaluations to ensure measured differences in cortisol across time and space are due to differences in how the fish are responding to their environment rather than being an artefact of study design
Diffusion weighted imaging to predict longer term response in Crohn's disease patients commencing biological therapy: Results from the MOTILITY Trial.
Get PDFOBJECTIVES: Predicting longer term response to biological therapy for small bowel Crohn's disease (SBCD) is an unmet clinical need. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) may indicate disease activity, but its predictive ability, if any, is unknown. We investigated the prognostic value of DWI for one year response or remission (RoR) in SBCD patients commencing biologic therapy, including incremental value over C-reactive protein (CRP) and faecal calprotectin (FC). METHODS: A subset of participants in a prospective, multicentre study investigating the predictive ability of motility MRI for one-year RoR in patients starting biologic therapy for active SBCD, underwent additional DWI at baseline and post-induction (12-30 weeks). CRP and FC were collected in a subgroup. RoR at one year was evaluated using clinical and morphological MRE parameters. We calculated sensitivity and specificity to predict RoR and Quality of life (QoL) at one year, comparing apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value, Clermont score and CRP using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: 25 participants were included (mean 36.9 years, 32% female). ADC changes and Clermont score had poor sensitivity (30.0% [95%CI: 6.7-65.2] and 40.0% [95%CI: 12.2-73.8] respectively) and poor-to-modest specificity (50.0 [95%CI: 27.2-72.8] and 65.0% [95%CI: 40.8-84.6]) for RoR. None of Clermont score, CRP or FC predicted QoL. CONCLUSIONS: DWI has inadequate sensitivity and specificity for RoR at one year. There is no significant incremental prognostic value of DWI over CRP and FC to predict RoR and/or QoL at one year. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Early post-induction DWI has no prognostic value for RoR at one year
Word order effects in sentence reading
Get PDFThe SEAM model (Rabe et al., 2024) and the OB1-Reader model (Snell, van Leipsig, et al., 2018) suggest that readers lexically process words in parallel, with the OB1 model further specifying that those words are formed into a sentence-level representation irrespective of their order of presentation. The serial model, E-Z Reader (Reichle, 2011), in contrast, stipulates that words are identified serially and sequentially. The current eye tracking experiment investigated whether, how frequently, and how rapidly readers detect sentential anomalies arising from word transpositions and ungrammatical sentence final words. We also assessed the consequences in the eye movement record of processing such transpositions and ungrammaticalities to evaluate theoretical claims extrapolated from different eye movement models. This was done via target word pair (transposed vs. non-transposed) and a final word grammaticality (grammatical vs. ungrammatical) experimental manipulations. Readers were better at judging the grammaticality of sentences containing both a word transposition and an ungrammatical final word than those with solely a word transposition. Critically, transposed words caused significant disruption to reading, but not prior to readers fixating the first word of the transposed word pair. Furthermore, an ungrammatical sentence-final word attracted readers’ fixations and caused increased re-reading in the absence of a word transposition compared to when it was preceded by a transposed word pair. Together the results show the importance of canonical word order for natural undisrupted reading and question claims for parallel lexical identification in relation to eye movement control during reading
Rights-informed mass grave mapping
Get PDFMapping of human rights abuses and international crimes is an increasingly common tool to evidence, preserve and visualise information. This paper asks, what does rights-informed mapping in the context of mass graves look like? What are the rights concerned and allied goals, and how might these practicably apply during a pilot study? The study offers an analysis of the goals and benefits espoused to accrue to mapping and documentation efforts, as well as an explication of rights arising when engaging with mass graves. Our findings underscore the imperative of understanding the full ramifications of the applicable context, in our case the life-cycle of mass graves. This will bring to the fore the rights engaged with the subject as well as the challenges with data points, collation and reporting as experienced in a pilot (Ukraine) where realities on the ground are not static but remain in flux
Effect of Alloying and Reinforcing Nanocomposites on the Mechanical, Tribological, and Wettability Properties of Pulse-Electrodeposited Ni Coatings
Get PDFResearch into the introduction of alloying and reinforcing nanocomposites into nickel (Ni) coatings has been motivated by the need for tribologically superior coatings that will improve energy efficiency. Using pulse electrodeposition, this work investigates the effects of adding cobalt (Co) as the alloying nanoparticle and silicon carbide (SiC), zirconium oxide (ZrO2), and aluminium oxide (Al2O3) as reinforcing nanocomposites to Ni coatings. The surface properties, mechanical strength, nanotribological behaviour, and wettability of these coatings were analysed. Surface characteristics were evaluated by the use of a Scanning Electron Microscope, revealing a grain dimension reduction of approximately ~7–43% compared to pristine Ni coatings. When alloying and reinforc-ing nanocomposites were added to Ni coatings, nanoindentation research showed that there was an increase in nanohardness of ~12% to ~69%. This resulted in an improve-ment in the tribological performance from approximately 2% to 65%.The hydrophilic nature of Ni coatings was observed with wettability analysis. This study demonstrates that nanocomposite reinforcement can be used to customise Ni coatings for applica-tions that require exceptional tribological performance. The results point to the use of Ni-Co coatings for electronics and aerospace sectors, with more improvements possi-ble with the addition of reinforcing nanoparticles
A Moderated Mediation Analysis of Lebanon’s Food Consumers’ Green Purchasing Intentions: A Path Towards Sustainability
Get PDFAs the concern for climate change and ecological disasters grows globally, different elements that can encourage and increase green behaviors have become a point of attention for scholars and practitioners. The current research primarily focuses on the factors that can impact green purchasing intentions and steps toward achieving sustainable development goals in the Lebanese context and specifically Tripoli. This study examines the role of consumer spirituality in determining green purchasing intentions along with the moderating effect of subjective norms and environmental concerns and the mediating effect of perceived consumer effectiveness. By deploying a cross-sectional survey, 350 responses from food industry consumers were collected using a judgmental sampling technique. The data were analyzed using partial least square–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) under the premises of the theory of planned behavior and norm activation theory. The findings suggest that a direct linkage exists between consumer spirituality and green purchasing intentions among Lebanese food consumers. Moreover, the mediating role of perceived consumer effectiveness was partially supported along with the moderating impact of subjective norms. This is while the moderating effect of environmental concerns was not found statistically significant, which implies a distance between being environmentally aware and actions that support this concern. This finding highlights the importance of considering consumers’ spiritual orientation when analyzing the impact of spirituality in the realm of green marketing. The implications of the findings can be beneficial for strategic improvements among firms as well as directions for scholars to expand upon the current understanding
Advance care planning readiness among older adults in aged service centers: A cross-sectional study
Get PDFObjective: This study aimed to explore the readiness for advance care planning (ACP) among older adults in Macau's day service centers and investigate the influencing factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2022 using a convenience sampling method. A total of 312 older adults were selected from 13 day service centers for older adults in Macau, China. The Advance Care Planning Acceptance Questionnaire and the Family Adaptation, Partnership, Growth, Affection, Resolve (APGAR) Scale were used to survey the older adults. Results: A total of 306 older adults completed the survey. The score for advance care planning readiness was 65.55 ± 10.69, and 59.5% of participants (n = 182) were willing to participate in ACP. The family function score was 7.24 ± 2.51, while 70.3% of participants were from a highly functional family. The higher family function indicating a higher readiness for advance care planning (r = 0.396, P < 0.001). The multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the variables “age,” “knowledge of ACP,” “experience with ACP,” and “received resuscitation of yourself, relatives or friends” combined with “family function” can influence advance care planning readiness among older adults (R2 = 0.317, F = 27.898, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Older adults in Macau's day service centers were willing to engage in ACP. The importance of family involvement is highlighted in the ACP readiness. Health education and improved family communication are vital for promoting ACP, which ensures individuals receive care when they lack the capacity to make that choice. Additionally, healthcare professionals should enhance communication and education with older adults during the medical care process
Ecological impacts, efficacy and economic feasibility of algal mat removal from temperate intertidal mudflats under blue nitrogen trading schemes
Get PDFDriven by eutrophic conditions, AM (algal mat) proliferation is now ubiquitous in coastal areas generating significant ecological and economic impacts. The need to mitigate negative effects has prompted the exploration of removal methods, but neither the success nor the impacts on intertidal mudflats have been assessed. Limited success using a specially-adapted vessel, prompted a shift to manual removal by hand-rake at two UK (Portsmouth and Poole) and two French study sites (Brittany and Normandy). Significant reductions in AM biomass and percentage cover were only observed at one site (Portsmouth), in contrast to significant temporal effects throughout the 180 days at each site. Significant effects of removal on the benthos and birds were also limited to an increase in organic content at Brittany and a reduction in macrofaunal abundance at Poole but with all sites dominated by temporal effects. To assess if AM removal can be used to ameliorate excess nitrogen (N) we calculated the amount of N that could be removed from a site and its potential cost-effectiveness (price of N credit after subtraction of removal costs) within an NTS (Nutrient Trading Scheme). N export by AM removal is influenced by site and season, for example, 66 kg N ha−1 yr−1 (winter) to 95 kg N ha−1 yr−1 (summer) at Poole. N removal rates from some sites (Poole, all seasons; Brittany, autumn) are comparable to other Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) such as clam aquaculture. However, a single annual AM harvest at these sites yields lower N removal rates compared to seaweed, mussel, and oyster aquaculture. Using a global mean N credit price, the removals at Poole and Portsmouth have medium/high cost-effectiveness across all seasons, potentially generating up to half a million pounds of N credits, which could be increased if post-harvesting value-chains were maximised e.g. biofuel production. Although, implementation at scale could rapidly reduce the many impacts of AMs and contribute to the blue-green bioeconomy revolution, to improve water quality, AM removal must be framed within a multifaceted management process