The Theme of Subjectivity in Foucault's Lecture Series 'Herméneutique du Sujet'

The 'late' Foucault and his purported 'return to the subject' is a much discussed issue. Over the past twenty years, various suggestions have been made as to how to integrate Foucault's ethics into his oeuvre as a whole. This paper holds that there is a 'conceptual continuity', rather than a break, between Foucault's earlier works on normalizing power, and his later works on ethical self-constitution. On the basis of a conceptual framework, which is developed in Section II, a reading of two themes concerning certain practices of the self is offered in the following sections (namely, dietetics and spiritual guidance). The material, drawn from the recently published lecture series L'herméneutique du sujet as well as from other published works, is related back to Foucault's ideas on the process of 'subjectivation', in order to support the claim that 'fabrication' and 'self-constitution' are but two aspects of subjectivation. Keywords: late Foucault, ethics, practices of the self, self-constitution, discipline, power, surveillance, spiritual guidance, meditation, parrhesia, dietetics, art of living, aesthetics of existence, return of the subject, subjectivation, relation to self

Emotionale Einstellungen : Ein moralpsychologischer Lösungsansatz zu Michael Smith’s „Moral Problem“

Die vorliegende Arbeit nimmt ihren Ausgangspunkt von der sog. „Internalismus-Externalismus-Debatte“ (vgl. Bernard Williams). Die Debatte beruht auf der Humeanischen Handlungstheorie, der gemäß eine Handlung aus zwei Teilen besteht: einem Motiv (pro-attitude) und einem Glaubenszustand (vgl. Donald Davidson). Jegliche kognitivistische Theorie der Moral wird ein moralisches Urteil als Glaubenszustand identifizieren, da es ein Urteil über einen Sachverhalt darstellt und wahrheitsfähig ist. Daraus folgt nun das sog. „moral problem“ (nach Michael Smith), dass trotz des Habens einer moralischen Überzeugung – ceteris paribus – dennoch keine entsprechende Handlung erfolgt, da ein moralisches Urteil nicht notwendig eine motivationale Einstellung (pro-attitude) einschließt. Kognitivistische Theorien (der (Neo-)Kantianismus bspw.) handeln sich leicht das Problem des Externalismus ein, d.h. sie können nicht erklären, wie ein moralisches Urteil (mit seiner typischen „Geist-auf-Welt“ Ausrichtung, vgl. John Searle) allein handlungswirksam werden kann. Dieses Problem umgeht der Emotivismus (nach Ayer und Stevenson), der stets auch ein motivationaler Internalismus ist. Der Emotivismus positioniert sich jedoch in krassem Gegensatz zu unserem intuitiven Moralverständnis, da angenommen wird, dass emotive moralische Überzeugungen keinen Wahrheitswert haben und daher auch nicht Gegenstand rationaler Kritik werden können. In neuerer Zeit wird jedoch bezweifelt, dass sich die Theorie des motivismus tatsächlich auf genuin „emotive“ Einstellungen bezieht. Die gesamte neuzeitliche Philosophie, über Descartes, Hume und Kant, vertritt die These, dass Emotionen Affekte oder „passiones“ seien, also nicht-rationale Bewusstseinszustände, die außerhalb unserer Kontrolle liegen und denen wir als Erleidende, also passiv ausgeliefert sind. Auf einer solchen Konzeption fußt auch die Theorie des Emotivismus, ohne jedoch ein substanziell gehaltvolles Bild von „Emotion“ anbieten zu können. Ein Anschluss an die Internalismus-Externalismus-Debatte scheint in jüngster Zeit wieder möglich unter Einbeziehung der neuen Forschungsresultate zur Theorie der Emotionen in Philosophie und Psychologie. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird die These vertreten, dass die Kategorie einer moralischen Überzeugung als emotionale Pro- oder Contra-Einstellung zu verstehen sei, wobei folgende Kriterien gewahrt bleiben, die als grundlegend für eine moralische Theorie angesehen werden. (1) Eine solche emotionale Einstellung ist für ihren Träger ein „interner“ oder „motivierender“ Grund, also ein Motiv, die entsprechende Handlung auszuführen. (2) Der Vorzug gegenüber dem klassischen Emotivismus ist wiederum, dass diese emotionalen Einstellungen wahrheitsfähig sind. (3) Es lässt sich sinnvoll auch von „Verantwortung“ für emotionale Einstellungen sprechen, da Emotionen hier nicht in erster Linie als „Affekte“ verstanden werden, sondern als kultivierte und von einer gewissen Form der Zustimmung getragene Einstellungen des Akteurs. (5) Da emotionale Einstellungen auf Kognitionen beruhen, entgeht dieses Modell dem Vorwurf des Subjektivismus. Es geht gerade nicht um „desires“ im Humeschen Sinne, die wir in uns vorfinden, ohne sie verändern zu können. Das in Kap. 2 der vorliegenden Arbeit entworfene Modell von „Emotion“ ist dabei inspiriert sowohl vom Kognitivismus (der Stoa), von der aristotelischen Emotionstheorie, als auch von neuropsychologischen Theorien (v.a. Antonio Damasios). Dabei werden in Kap. 2.11 die zentralen Merkmale der hier vertretenen Emotionstheorie zusammengefasst. „Emotionen“ werden verstanden als motivational gehaltvolle Prozesse, basierend auf der Erfahrung sozialer Transaktionen, die ontologisch die Existenz einer Körperperipherie beim Subjekt voraussetzen und sowohl in aktualer als auch dispositionaler Form auftreten können. Klarheit in der wissenschaftlichen Sprache zur Beschreibung von „Emotion“ wird geschaffen durch die Unterscheidung einer genetischen und hermeneutischen Perspektive. Nachdem in Kap. 3 besonders mit Blick auf den (Neo-)Humeanismus die Beziehung zwischen „Werten“ und „Emotionen“ diskutiert wurde, wird in Kap. 4 das meta-ethische Umfeld der erarbeiteten Theorie diskutiert und eine Lösung zu dem von Michael Smith sog. „moral problem“ aus emotionspsychologischer Perspektive angeboten

Embodied Discourses of Literacy in the Lives of Two Preservice Teachers

This study examines the emerging teacher literacy identities of Ian and A.J., two preservice teachers in a graduate teacher education program in the United States. Using a poststructural feminisms theoretical framework, the study illustrates the embodiment of literacy pedagogy discourses in relation to the literacy courses’ discourse of comprehensive literacy and the literacy biographical discourses of Ian and A.J. The results of this study indicate the need to deconstruct how the discourse of comprehensive literacy limits how we, as literacy teacher educators, position, hear and respond to our preservice teachers and suggests the need for differentiation in our teacher education literacy courses

Gemcitabine Maintenance Therapy in Patients With Metastasized Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Background: Metastasized soft-tissue sarcomas still pose a significant therapeutic challenge given the limited efficacy of currently available multimodal treatment strategies. Recent progress in molecular characterization of sarcoma subtypes has enabled successful personalized therapy approaches in a minority of selected patients with targetable mutations. However, in the majority of patients with refractory soft tissue sarcomas, long-term survival remains poor. Methods: We report on three adult patients with various soft tissue sarcomas subjected to Gemcitabine maintenance therapy. Tumor entities included leiomyosarcoma of the pancreas (patient 1), undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma of the right femur (patient 2), and peri-aortic leiomyosarcoma (patient 3). Metastatic sites encompassed liver, lung, and bones. All patients received Gemcitabine maintenance therapy until disease progression following prior salvage chemotherapy with Docetaxel and Gemcitabine. Patients were treated outside of clinical trials. Response assessment was based on radiological imaging. Results: In response to salvage chemotherapy with Docetaxel and Gemcitabine, one patient exhibited a partial remission, and two patients showed stable disease. Patient 1 exhibited stable disease for 6 months during Gemcitabine maintenance therapy before suffering rapid progression of hepatic metastases. Patient 2 underwent 21 months of Gemcitabine maintenance therapy, which was discontinued after progressive pulmonary metastases were detected. Patient 3 is still being treated with Gemcitabine maintenance therapy. Remarkably, owing to significant chemotherapy-associated hematotoxicity, the dose of Gemcitabine dose was reduced by two-thirds. Nevertheless, stable disease with constant pulmonary metastases has been maintained in this patient for 14 months. Conclusions: Gemcitabine maintenance therapy following prior Docetaxel and Gemcitabine chemotherapy is manageable and reveals potential benefits for patients with aggressive metastasized soft tissue sarcomas. Prospective trials evaluating Gemcitabine maintenance therapy are encouraged

HIV-Nef and ADAM17-Containing Plasma Extracellular Vesicles Induce and Correlate with Immune Pathogenesis in Chronic HIV Infection

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Enhancing emotional experiences to dance through music: the role of valence and arousal in the cross-modal bias

It is well established that emotional responses to stimuli presented to one perceptive modality (e.g., visual) are modulated by the concurrent presentation of affective information to another modality (e.g., auditory)-an effect known as the cross-modal bias. However, the affective mechanisms mediating this effect are still not fully understood. It remains unclear what role different dimensions of stimulus valence and arousal play in mediating the effect, and to what extent cross-modal influences impact not only our perception and conscious affective experiences, but also our psychophysiological emotional response. We addressed these issues by measuring participants' subjective emotion ratings and their Galvanic Skin Responses (GSR) in a cross-modal affect perception paradigm employing videos of ballet dance movements and instrumental classical music as the stimuli. We chose these stimuli to explore the cross-modal bias in a context of stimuli (ballet dance movements) that most participants would have relatively little prior experience with. Results showed (i) that the cross-modal bias was more pronounced for sad than for happy movements, whereas it was equivalent when contrasting high vs. low arousal movements; and (ii) that movement valence did not modulate participants' GSR, while movement arousal did, such that GSR was potentiated in the case of low arousal movements with sad music and when high arousal movements were paired with happy music. Results are discussed in the context of the affective dimension of neuroentrainment and with regards to implications for the art community

In Silico and Biochemical Analysis of Physcomitrella patens Photosynthetic Antenna: Identification of Subunits which Evolved upon Land Adaptation

Background. In eukaryotes the photosynthetic antenna system is composed of subunits encoded by the light harvesting complex (Lhc) multigene family. These proteins play a key role in photosynthesis and are involved in both light harvesting and photoprotection. The moss Physcomitrella patens is a member of a lineage that diverged from seed plants early after land colonization and therefore by studying this organism, we may gain insight into adaptations to the aerial environment. Principal Findings. In this study, we characterized the antenna protein multigene family in Physcomitrella patens, by sequence analysis as well as biochemical and functional investigations. Sequence identification and analysis showed that some antenna polypeptides, such as Lhcb3 and Lhcb6, are present only in land organisms, suggesting they play a role in adaptation to the sub-aerial environment. Our functional analysis which showed that photo-protective mechanisms in Physcomitrella patens are very similar to those in seed plants fits with this hypothesis. In particular, Physcomitrella patens also activates Non Photochemical Quenching upon illumination, consistent with the detection of an ortholog of the PsbS protein. As a further adaptation to terrestrial conditions, the content of Photosystem I low energy absorbing chlorophylls also increased, as demonstrated by differences in Lhca3 and Lhca4 polypeptide sequences, in vitro reconstitution experiments and low temperature fluorescence spectra. Conclusions. This study highlights the role of Lhc family members in environmental adaptation and allowed proteins associated with mechanisms of stress resistance to be identified within this large family

Circulating microRNAs in sera correlate with soluble biomarkers of immune activation but do not predict mortality in ART treated individuals with HIV-1 infection: A case control study

Introduction: The use of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has dramatically reduced HIV-1 associated morbidity and mortality. However, HIV-1 infected individuals have increased rates of morbidity and mortality compared to the non-HIV-1 infected population and this appears to be related to end-organ diseases collectively referred to as Serious Non-AIDS Events (SNAEs). Circulating miRNAs are reported as promising biomarkers for a number of human disease conditions including those that constitute SNAEs. Our study sought to investigate the potential of selected miRNAs in predicting mortality in HIV-1 infected ART treated individuals. Materials and Methods: A set of miRNAs was chosen based on published associations with human disease conditions that constitute SNAEs. This case: control study compared 126 cases (individuals who died whilst on therapy), and 247 matched controls (individuals who remained alive). Cases and controls were ART treated participants of two pivotal HIV-1 trials. The relative abundance of each miRNA in serum was measured, by RTqPCR. Associations with mortality (all-cause, cardiovascular and malignancy) were assessed by logistic regression analysis. Correlations between miRNAs and CD4+ T cell count, hs-CRP, IL-6 and D-dimer were also assessed. Results: None of the selected miRNAs was associated with all-cause, cardiovascular or malignancy mortality. The levels of three miRNAs (miRs -21, -122 and -200a) correlated with IL-6 while miR-21 also correlated with D-dimer. Additionally, the abundance of miRs -31, -150 and -223, correlated with baseline CD4+ T cell count while the same three miRNAs plus miR- 145 correlated with nadir CD4+ T cell count. Discussion: No associations with mortality were found with any circulating miRNA studied. These results cast doubt onto the effectiveness of circulating miRNA as early predictors of mortality or the major underlying diseases that contribute to mortality in participants treated for HIV-1 infection

Development and Validation of a Risk Score for Chronic Kidney Disease in HIV Infection Using Prospective Cohort Data from the D:A:D Study

Ristola M. on työryhmien DAD Study Grp ; Royal Free Hosp Clin Cohort ; INSIGHT Study Grp ; SMART Study Grp ; ESPRIT Study Grp jäsen.Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health issue for HIV-positive individuals, associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Development and implementation of a risk score model for CKD would allow comparison of the risks and benefits of adding potentially nephrotoxic antiretrovirals to a treatment regimen and would identify those at greatest risk of CKD. The aims of this study were to develop a simple, externally validated, and widely applicable long-term risk score model for CKD in HIV-positive individuals that can guide decision making in clinical practice. Methods and Findings A total of 17,954 HIV-positive individuals from the Data Collection on Adverse Events of Anti-HIV Drugs (D:A:D) study with >= 3 estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) values after 1 January 2004 were included. Baseline was defined as the first eGFR > 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 after 1 January 2004; individuals with exposure to tenofovir, atazanavir, atazanavir/ritonavir, lopinavir/ritonavir, other boosted protease inhibitors before baseline were excluded. CKD was defined as confirmed (>3 mo apart) eGFR In the D:A:D study, 641 individuals developed CKD during 103,185 person-years of follow-up (PYFU; incidence 6.2/1,000 PYFU, 95% CI 5.7-6.7; median follow-up 6.1 y, range 0.3-9.1 y). Older age, intravenous drug use, hepatitis C coinfection, lower baseline eGFR, female gender, lower CD4 count nadir, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) predicted CKD. The adjusted incidence rate ratios of these nine categorical variables were scaled and summed to create the risk score. The median risk score at baseline was -2 (interquartile range -4 to 2). There was a 1: 393 chance of developing CKD in the next 5 y in the low risk group (risk score = 5, 505 events), respectively. Number needed to harm (NNTH) at 5 y when starting unboosted atazanavir or lopinavir/ritonavir among those with a low risk score was 1,702 (95% CI 1,166-3,367); NNTH was 202 (95% CI 159-278) and 21 (95% CI 19-23), respectively, for those with a medium and high risk score. NNTH was 739 (95% CI 506-1462), 88 (95% CI 69-121), and 9 (95% CI 8-10) for those with a low, medium, and high risk score, respectively, starting tenofovir, atazanavir/ritonavir, or another boosted protease inhibitor. The Royal Free Hospital Clinic Cohort included 2,548 individuals, of whom 94 individuals developed CKD (3.7%) during 18,376 PYFU (median follow-up 7.4 y, range 0.3-12.7 y). Of 2,013 individuals included from the SMART/ESPRIT control arms, 32 individuals developed CKD (1.6%) during 8,452 PYFU (median follow-up 4.1 y, range 0.6-8.1 y). External validation showed that the risk score predicted well in these cohorts. Limitations of this study included limited data on race and no information on proteinuria. Conclusions Both traditional and HIV-related risk factors were predictive of CKD. These factors were used to develop a risk score for CKD in HIV infection, externally validated, that has direct clinical relevance for patients and clinicians to weigh the benefits of certain antiretrovirals against the risk of CKD and to identify those at greatest risk of CKD.Peer reviewe