Re-imagining Paulo Freire through Rortian Neo-Pragmatism

Paulo Freire is arguably one of the most well-known educators of our time. Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Freire, 1970) is a very widely read book by an educator in the last century, and is worthy of holding a special place in the history of educational thought (Roberts, 2000). What makes Freire‘s work important is that it does not stand still. It offers itself up to different readings, audiences, and contexts (Giroux in McLaren & Leonard, 1993). This is partially because of the ingenuity of the educators who reinterpreted his work to make it better fit the times and the educational settings in which they were interested as well as the rich, complicated texture of his educational philosophy grounded in the experiences of a practitioner theorist with a very keen eye. Acknowledging the value and continuing usefulness of Freire‘s pedagogy, this paper aims to re-read and re-imagine some of Paulo Freire‘s work (1970, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2005; Freire & Macedo, 1987) using a Rortian1 (1979, 1989, 1991a, 1991b, 1999, 2007) perspective. The center of the analysis, Freire‘s claims about a universal human nature, is relatively narrow so as to have a sharper focus for the study. I argue that Richard Rorty, the late neo-pragmatist philosopher who was admired as well as criticized for his views on traditional philosophical questions, provides an effective set of tools to help us return to Freire‘s conception of a universal human nature. In Rorty‘s writings, I found only one indirect reference to Freire. When he was asked if religion can play a significant role in changing the society for the better, in pragmatist progress, Rorty responded: ―Sometimes it has been useful. ‗Liberation theology‘ was useful in Latin America until the present pope decided to stamp It out.‖ (Rorty & Mendieta, 2006, p. 157). This comment indicates that Rorty was probably aware of Freire‘s work even though I did not find any references to Rorty in Freire‘s writings analyzed for this paper

Reproducing Gender Inequality: A Critical Discourse Analysis of a Turkish Adult Literacy Textbook

Based on Critical Discourse Analysis of a prominent adult literacy textbook in Turkey, this paper discusses the text’s two main Discourses: (a) a normative parenting Discourse that assigns mothers responsibility for childrearing and caretaking, and fathers responsibility for discipline; and (b) a Discourse of the sexual division of labor that associates the outside, public world with men, and the private, domestic world with women

Perceptions of Distance Education Students on How a University Education will Help Achieve their Career Goals

Using the responses to an open-ended question on the annual web-based scholarship application on how students are planning to use their education in achieving their career goals, this study explored the intersection of educational and career goals of mostly non-traditional students

Translating the Word, Translating the World: A Closer Look into Translation in Adult Education Research

This paper outlines a proposed approach to the issue of translation in the instrument adaptation process in adult education field, and describes a design ensuring effective use of translators to achieve a translation that is appropriate and adequate for a given task

Women’s Involvement in Adult Education and Family Literacy: Consequences for Social Networks, Social Support, and Mental Health

This paper presents preliminary findings from a mixed-methods study that examines how women use adult education and family literacy programs to construct supportive social networks, and, in turn, how these influence their mental health. We argue that these programs offer opportunities to form friendships and to access emotional, informational, and material support, thereby alleviating psychological distress arising from poverty, caregiving, and other stressors. However, intentional efforts to cultivate social ties and support systems among adult learners are needed

Evaluation of beta-blockers on left ventricular dyssynchrony and reverse remodeling in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy: A randomized trial of carvedilol and metoprolol

Background: The effect of b-blockage on cardiac dyssynchrony in idiopathic dilated cardio­myopathy (IDC) is unknown. This study evaluated the impact of carvedilol and metoprolol succinate on left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony and reverse remodeling in IDC. Methods: In this small, prospective, double-blind study, we randomly assigned 81 IDC pa­tients to receive carvedilol or metoprolol succinate. Echocardiographic measurements (dyssyn­chrony, LV volumes and ejection fraction [EF]) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels were obtained at baseline and at first and sixth month of therapy. Results: A total of 74 (91%) patients completed all investigations at sixth month (38 and 36 taking carvedilol and metoprolol succinate, respectively). In the carvedilol group, reduction in LV end diastolic volume (D LVEDV at 6 months, 50 ± 15 mL to 40 ± 17 mL, p = 0.03) and increase in LVEF (D LVEF, 7 ± 2% to 5 ± 3%, p = 0.02) was higher compared to the meto­prolol group. Also improvement in inter-ventricular dyssynchrony achieved with carvedilol was higher than metoprolol (D interventricular delay at 6 months, 11 ± 8 ms to 6 ± 7 ms, p = 0.03). However, improvement in intraventricular dyssynchrony was similar in the two groups (D intraventricular delay, 9 ± 7 ms to 9 ± 6 ms, p = 0.91). Improvements in LV mechanical dyssynchrony and reverse remodeling achieved with both drugs were accompanied by reduction in NT-proBNP levels in both carvedilol and metoprolol groups (1614 ± 685 pg/mL to 654 ± ± 488 pg/mL and 1686 ± 730 pg/mL to 583 ± 396 pg/mL, respectively, p < 0.001 for both). Conclusions: Although reduction in LVEDV and increase in LVEF was higher with carvedilol, improvement in intraventricular dyssynchrony was similar in carvedilol and metoprolol groups.

Clinical features and major bleeding predictors for 161 fatal cases of COVID-19: A retrospective observational study

The aim of this study was to investigate the patient characteristics and laboratory parameters for COVID-19 non-survivors as well as to find risk factors for major bleeding complications. For this retrospective study, the data of patients who died with COVID-19 in our intensive care unit were collected in the period of March 20 - April 30, 2020. D-dimer, platelet count, C-reactive protein (CRP), troponin, and international normalized ratio (INR) levels were recorded on the 1st, 5th, and 10th days of hospitalization in order to investigate the possible correlation of laboratory parameter changes with in-hospital events. A total of 161 non-survivors patients with COVID-19 were included in the study.  The median age was 69.8±10.9 years, and 95 (59%) of the population were male. Lung-related complications were the most common in-hospital complications. Patients with COVID-19 had in-hospital complications such as major bleeding (39%), hemoptysis (14%), disseminated intravascular coagulation (13%), liver failure (21%), ARDS (85%), acute kidney injury (40%), and myocardial injury (70%). A multiple logistics regression analysis determined that age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, use of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) or low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), hemoglobin, D-dimer, INR, and acute kidney injury were independent predictors of major bleeding. Our results showed that a high proportion of COVID-19 non-survivors suffered from major bleeding complications

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Turkey’s energy system development: Linking an energy supply model with an industrial simulation model and solving it iteratively

Turkey is in the progress to include nuclear energy to its electricity generation capacity. The energy modelling studies for Turkey mainly focus on usage of renewable energy and local fossil fuels and include nuclear power plants (NPP) only with their electricity generation capacities without taking into consideration the front- and back-ends of the nuclear fuel cycle. This study takes into consideration the life cycle assessment (LCA) of nuclear energy based on optimisation of energy system costs and usage of energy resources under atmospheric CO2 and SO2 emission constraints using MESSAGE iteratively with an industrial simulation model. This iterative modelling calculates the marginal costs of final energy generation and energy demands for domestic production. The results of this study are assessed using economic, environmental and social indicators. The study concludes that both environmental and nuclear energy scenarios are viable options to set national atmospheric CO2 and SO2 emission targets for Turkey

Selected physical and mechanical properties of LVL made from Pterocarya fraxinifolia (Lam.) Spach

This study evaluated air-dry density, some selected mechanical properties, and surface roughness of laminated veneer lumber (LVL) from Pterocarya fraxinifolia (Lam.) Spach wood. The LVL was manufactured from 2.3-mm-thick rotary peeled veneers. Air-dry density and mechanical properties of LVLs were determined according to the following standards: air-dry density (EN 323), modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) (EN 310), tensile strength parallel to the grain of surface layer of plywood (ASTM D 3500-90), and bonding quality of LVL (EN 314-1). Surface roughness of LVLs was measured by the profile method using a Mitutoyo Surftest SJ 301 profilometer according to ISO 4287. It was found that density, MOR, MOE, tensile strength, bonding quality, and surface roughness (R-a) were 0.61 g/cm(3), 87.8 N/mm(2), 9541.0 N/mm(2), 97.6 N/mm(2), 2.86 N/mm(2), and 6.83 mu m, respectively. Based on the results of the study, Pterocarya fraxinifolia (Lam.) Spach LVL appears to be a suitable alternative to currently used LVL from species such as populus spp. and alnus spp