Psychologies of not Knowing: On the (Re)Production of Oppression via Processes of not Knowing or Ignorance

Social and liberation movements all over the world have acted on the premise that oppression is kept alive, among other ways, through psychological mechanisms. Feminist and critical race epistemologies such as “feminist standpoint theories” and “epistemological ignorance” suggest that there might be different forms of not knowing involved depending on the social location of the (not) knowing subject. In this paper we suggest that the concrete psychological mechanisms involved in not knowing or outright ignorance differ according to one’s position in the social fabric of oppression and privilege. Drawing on various critical psychological and psychoanalytic reflections, as well as interpreting selected passages from a group discussion among elderly retirement home residents in Vienna, we illustrate how social position is translated into lack of knowledge about systems of oppression and privileg

Smarter, greener, more inclusive? Indicators to support the Europe 2020 strategy - 2017 edition

The 2017 edition of "Smarter, greener, more inclusive? - Indicators to support the Europe 2020 strategy" continues the series of Eurostat flagship publications supporting the Europe 2020 strategy by monitoring progress towards the targets and goals defined under the three mutually reinforcing priorities of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The analysis is based on the Europe 2020 headline indicators chosen to monitor progress towards the strategy's targets. Other indicators focusing on specific subgroups of society or on related contextual issues are also used to deepen the analysis and present a broader picture. The data used mainly come from official statistics produced by the European Statistical System and disseminated by Eurostat. It covers the period from 2002 or 2008 up to the most recent year for which data are available (2015 or 2016)

Adopt(ed by) the attitude!

Der Beitrag befasst sich mit der Affektgenese moralisch-welterschließender Haltungen und diskutiert diese mit Blick auf das Ressentiment. Dabei fassen wir das Ressentiment mit Rückgriff auf Scheler (1913, 49) als »dauernde psychische Einstellung«, die sich aus der Erfahrung eines (moralischen) Unrechts heraus entwickelt und sich in einer negativen Werthaltung gegenüber verschiedensten Objekten äußert. Anhand einer von uns konstruierten Fallvignette zeigen wir zunächst, dass sich eine präkognitive Einschätzung der Situation, als ein leibliches Zur-Situation-ausgerichtet-Sein, an einer anderen als der die Affekte eigentlich evozierenden Stelle entladen kann, und analysieren, wie diese Verschiebung hin zu einer moralisch-welterschließenden Haltung verstanden werden kann. Auf Basis von Schelers Theorie der Ressentimentgenese argumentieren wir anschließend, dass Ressentimentbildungen als eine spezifische Form moralisch-welterschließender Haltungen verstanden werden können. Abschließend diskutieren wir die in diesem Artikel fokussierte psychogenetische Betrachtung moralisch-welterschließender Haltungen mit Blick auf eine soziogenetische Perspektive. Rückbeziehend auf die Fallvignette greifen wir in einem Ausblick auf, wie bereits bestehende (und weiter zu entwickelnde) sozialwissenschaftliche Perspektiven und Konzepte genutzt werden können, um die psychoaffektive Analyse der geschilderten Situation in sozialund machttheoretischer Weise zu vertiefen.This article addresses the affective development process of a moral attitude in and towards the world and brings this into conversation with concepts of ressentiment. We understand ressentiment in respect to Scheler’s early moral-philosophical approach. He defined it as a »lasting mental attitude« that departs from the experience of a (moral) injustice and is expressed by a negative value-attitude (Werthaltung) towards »other« objects. Drawing on a fictive case example, we will first show that a pre-cognitive assessment of the situation – that means a bodily being oriented towards the situation – can discharge at a point other than the situation that triggers the actual affect. Futhermore, we analyze how the initial affect can gradually shift to becoming a moral, world-disclosing posture. Based on Scheler’s theory of ressentiment development, we argue that ressentiment can be understood as a specific form of a morally disclosive posture. Finally, we discuss the psychological domain of this morally disclosive posture with respect to a socio-genetic perspective. Referring back to the case example and in an outlook, we address how already existing (and future) social scientific perspectives could deepen the psycho-affective analysis by systematically considering the influence of socio-political dimensions of power

Towards efficient initiators for two-photon induced polymerization: Fine tuning of the donor/acceptor properties

In this work we present the design, synthesis and systematic investigation of the optical properties of symmetric triphenylamine (TPA)-substituted thiophenes. The use of electron-donating (-OMe, -tBu, -Me, -TMS), -neutral (-H) or -withdrawing (-F, -CN, -SO2Me) substituents gives rise to D-A-D based two-photon absorption (2PA) chromophores. The photophysical properties of these compounds, including one-photon absorption and 2PA using two-photon-excited fluorescence, were investigated in different organic solvents with varying polarity. The maximum 2PA cross sections prove to be strongly dependent on the nature of the TPA substituent and range between ~173 GM (Goeppert-Mayer units) and 379 GM. Although most of the investigated substances also exhibit high fluorescence quantum yields, two-photon absorption screening tests of an acrylate monomer formulation revealed the efficiency of these materials as 2PA photoinitiators. These results are supported by quantum chemical calculations of the spin density distribution indicating that the mechanism of polymerization initiation using acrylate monomer is favored by strong localization of the unpaired electrons in the triplet state on the C2 carbon of the thiophene moiety. © 2019 The Royal Society of Chemistry

Peroxisomal very long-chain fatty acid transport is targeted by herpesviruses and the antiviral host response

Very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA) are critical for human cytomegalovirus replication and accumulate upon infection. Here, we used Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection of human B cells to elucidate how herpesviruses target VLCFA metabolism. Gene expression profiling revealed that, despite a general induction of peroxisome-related genes, EBV early infection decreased expression of the peroxisomal VLCFA transporters ABCD1 and ABCD2, thus impairing VLCFA degradation. The mechanism underlying ABCD1 and ABCD2 repression involved RNA interference by the EBV-induced microRNAs miR-9-5p and miR-155, respectively, causing significantly increased VLCFA levels. Treatment with 25-hydroxycholesterol, an antiviral innate immune modulator produced by macrophages, restored ABCD1 expression and reduced VLCFA accumulation in EBV-infected B-lymphocytes, and, upon lytic reactivation, reduced virus production in control but not ABCD1-deficient cells. Finally, also other herpesviruses and coronaviruses target ABCD1 expression. Because viral infection might trigger neuroinflammation in X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD, inherited ABCD1 deficiency), we explored a possible link between EBV infection and cerebral X-ALD. However, neither immunohistochemistry of post-mortem brains nor analysis of EBV seropositivity in 35 X-ALD children supported involvement of EBV in the onset of neuroinflammation. Collectively, our findings indicate a previously unrecognized, pivotal role of ABCD1 in viral infection and host defence, prompting consideration of other viral triggers in cerebral X-ALD

EndoVAscular treatment and ThRombolysis for Ischemic Stroke Patients (EVA-TRISP) registry: basis and methodology of a pan-European prospective ischaemic stroke revascularisation treatment registry.

PURPOSE The Thrombolysis in Ischemic Stroke Patients (TRISP) collaboration was a concerted effort initiated in 2010 with the purpose to address relevant research questions about the effectiveness and safety of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). The collaboration also aims to prospectively collect data on patients undergoing endovascular treatment (EVT) and hence the name of the collaboration was changed from TRISP to EVA-TRISP. The methodology of the former TRISP registry for patients treated with IVT has already been published. This paper focuses on describing the EVT part of the registry. PARTICIPANTS All centres committed to collecting predefined variables on consecutive patients prospectively. We aim for accuracy and completeness of the data and to adapt local databases to investigate novel research questions. Herein, we introduce the methodology of a recently constructed academic investigator-initiated open collaboration EVT registry built as an extension of an existing IVT registry in patients with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS). FINDINGS TO DATE Currently, the EVA-TRISP network includes 20 stroke centres with considerable expertise in EVT and maintenance of high-quality hospital-based registries. Following several successful randomised controlled trials (RCTs), many important clinical questions remain unanswered in the (EVT) field and some of them will unlikely be investigated in future RCTs. Prospective registries with high-quality data on EVT-treated patients may help answering some of these unanswered issues, especially on safety and efficacy of EVT in specific patient subgroups. FUTURE PLANS This collaborative effort aims at addressing clinically important questions on safety and efficacy of EVT in conditions not covered by RCTs. The TRISP registry generated substantial novel data supporting stroke physicians in their daily decision making considering IVT candidate patients. While providing observational data on EVT in daily clinical practice, our future findings may likewise be hypothesis generating for future research as well as for quality improvement (on EVT). The collaboration welcomes participation of further centres willing to fulfill the commitment and the outlined requirements

Disease-specific molecular events in cortical multiple sclerosis lesions

Cortical lesions constitute an important part of multiple sclerosis pathology. Although inflammation appears to play a role in their formation, the mechanisms leading to demyelination and neurodegeneration are poorly understood. We aimed to identify some of these mechanisms by combining gene expression studies with neuropathological analysis. In our study, we showed that the combination of inflammation, plaque-like primary demyelination and neurodegeneration in the cortex is specific for multiple sclerosis and is not seen in other chronic inflammatory diseases mediated by CD8-positive T cells (Rasmussen’s encephalitis), B cells (B cell lymphoma) or complex chronic inflammation (tuberculous meningitis, luetic meningitis or chronic purulent meningitis). In addition, we performed genome-wide microarray analysis comparing micro-dissected active cortical multiple sclerosis lesions with those of tuberculous meningitis (inflammatory control), Alzheimer’s disease (neurodegenerative control) and with cortices of age-matched controls. More than 80% of the identified multiple sclerosis-specific genes were related to T cell-mediated inflammation, microglia activation, oxidative injury, DNA damage and repair, remyelination and regenerative processes. Finally, we confirmed by immunohistochemistry that oxidative damage in cortical multiple sclerosis lesions is associated with oligodendrocyte and neuronal injury, the latter also affecting axons and dendrites. Our study provides new insights into the complex mechanisms of neurodegeneration and regeneration in the cortex of patients with multiple sclerosis

Obeticholic acid for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: interim analysis from a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial

Background Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a common type of chronic liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis. Obeticholic acid, a farnesoid X receptor agonist, has been shown to improve the histological features of NASH. Here we report results from a planned interim analysis of an ongoing, phase 3 study of obeticholic acid for NASH. Methods In this multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, adult patients with definite NASH,non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) activity score of at least 4, and fibrosis stages F2–F3, or F1 with at least oneaccompanying comorbidity, were randomly assigned using an interactive web response system in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive oral placebo, obeticholic acid 10 mg, or obeticholic acid 25 mg daily. Patients were excluded if cirrhosis, other chronic liver disease, elevated alcohol consumption, or confounding conditions were present. The primary endpointsfor the month-18 interim analysis were fibrosis improvement (≥1 stage) with no worsening of NASH, or NASH resolution with no worsening of fibrosis, with the study considered successful if either primary endpoint was met. Primary analyses were done by intention to treat, in patients with fibrosis stage F2–F3 who received at least one dose of treatment and reached, or would have reached, the month 18 visit by the prespecified interim analysis cutoff date. The study also evaluated other histological and biochemical markers of NASH and fibrosis, and safety. This study is ongoing, and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02548351, and EudraCT, 20150-025601-6. Findings Between Dec 9, 2015, and Oct 26, 2018, 1968 patients with stage F1–F3 fibrosis were enrolled and received at least one dose of study treatment; 931 patients with stage F2–F3 fibrosis were included in the primary analysis (311 in the placebo group, 312 in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group, and 308 in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group). The fibrosis improvement endpoint was achieved by 37 (12%) patients in the placebo group, 55 (18%) in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group (p=0·045), and 71 (23%) in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group (p=0·0002). The NASH resolution endpoint was not met (25 [8%] patients in the placebo group, 35 [11%] in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group [p=0·18], and 36 [12%] in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group [p=0·13]). In the safety population (1968 patients with fibrosis stages F1–F3), the most common adverse event was pruritus (123 [19%] in the placebo group, 183 [28%] in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group, and 336 [51%] in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group); incidence was generally mild to moderate in severity. The overall safety profile was similar to that in previous studies, and incidence of serious adverse events was similar across treatment groups (75 [11%] patients in the placebo group, 72 [11%] in the obeticholic acid 10 mg group, and 93 [14%] in the obeticholic acid 25 mg group). Interpretation Obeticholic acid 25 mg significantly improved fibrosis and key components of NASH disease activity among patients with NASH. The results from this planned interim analysis show clinically significant histological improvement that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit. This study is ongoing to assess clinical outcomes