Objectivity – what it is for, when we can have it and when we can’t

The usage of the words “public” and “public sphere” betrays a multiplicity of concurrent meanings. Their origins go back to various historical phases and....they fuse into a clouded amalgam. Jűrgen Habermas German: I wonder what future historians will make of all this? Clemenceau: One thing is certain. They will not say that Belgium invaded Germany. From a conversation between the French Prime Minister Clemenceau and a German representative at Versailles in 19192 I introduce these quotations to highlight two important themes in this paper. The first is that the word objectivity has a ‘multiplicity of concurrent meanings’ which ‘fuse into a clouded amalgam’. We cannot start, and I do not start, by assuming or stipulating a well behaved definition of the word or a specification of its correct usage. What has to be clarified is not what it really means, or what we should require it to mean, but rather how its ambiguities work to confuse the conversations of ordinary people, or at least ordinary professionals, in their practical lives. The second is that although the notion of objectivity is attractive above all because it promises clarity and certainty, it does not follow that its failure to do so throws us into a subjective, relativist, only a matter of opinion, world in which anything goes. Practical reasoning and deciding require that we find at least some things that we have good reasons to agree on, and that Belgium invaded Germany is not one of them. There are many difficulties in practical life in deciding what is true and what is relevant. We have to be careful not to assume that these difficulties are best resolved by searching for what is objective, nor to fear that if we do not or cannot do that, we are in the Wild West. There are other good reasons for believing other than that we have achieved objectivity

Evidence alone is not enough: policymakers must be able to access relevant evidence if their policy is to work

It is not enough to look for evidence of a previous policy success. Jeremy Hardie and Nancy Cartwright argue that exactly what evidence is needed, and of what, is the key question that needs to be asked for making real evidence-based social policy interventions

Why we should stop talking about objectivity and subjectivity in social work

In debates about knowledge in social work, the terms objectivity and subjectivity are frequently used with varying degrees of positive and negative connotations. We argue that the terms have become so ambiguous that they should be avoided. In its place, we suggest focusing on the individual attributes associated with objectivity and subjectivity and consider how the desirable attributes can be strengthened and the undesirable ones avoided. This division differs significantly from the typical objective/subjective division. We examine three key social work issues: the contribution of empirical research, dealing with dissent, and the role of the personal. When the attributes of objectivity and subjectivity are examined in detail, it becomes apparent that they vary in how desirable and how feasible they are. A more precise use of language makes it easier to see the contributions of values, bias and power in social work policy and practice and reduce the risks of people over-claiming the reliability and neutrality of their assertions

Isoform-specific AMPK association with TBC1D1 is reduced by a mutation associated with severe obesity

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key regulator of cellular and systemic energy homeostasis which achieves this through the phosphorylation of a myriad of downstream targets. One target is TBC1D1 a Rab-GTPase-activating protein that regulates glucose uptake in muscle cells by integrating insulin signalling with that promoted by muscle contraction. Ser237 in TBC1D1 is a target for phosphorylation by AMPK, an event which may be important in regulating glucose uptake. Here, we show AMPK heterotrimers containing the α1, but not the α2, isoform of the catalytic subunit form an unusual and stable association with TBC1D1, but not its paralogue AS160. The interaction between the two proteins is direct, involves a dual interaction mechanism employing both phosphotyrosinebinding (PTB) domains of TBC1D1 and is increased by two different pharmacological activators of AMPK (AICAR and A769962). The interaction enhances the efficiency by which AMPK phosphorylates TBC1D1 on its key regulatory site, Ser237. Furthermore, the interaction is reduced by a naturally occurring R125W mutation in the PTB1 domain of TBC1D1, previously found to be associated with severe familial obesity in females, with a concomitant reduction in Ser237 phosphorylation. Our observations provide evidence for a functional difference between AMPK α-subunits and extend the repertoire of protein kinases that interact with substrates via stabilisation mechanisms that modify the efficacy of substrate phosphorylation

Chromosome 17q12 duplications: Further delineation of the range of psychiatric and clinical phenotypes

Copy number variants at chromosome 17q12 have been associated with a spectrum of phenotypes. Deletions of 17q12 are well described and associated with maturity onset diabetes of the young type 5 (MODY5) and cystic renal disease (HNF1β) as well as cognitive impairment and seizures. Duplication of 17q12 is emerging as a new genetic syndrome, associated with learning disability, seizures, and behavioral problems. The duplication is often inherited from an apparently unaffected parent. Here, we describe a three‐generation family with multiple individuals carrying a17q12 microduplication with varying clinical features, consistent with variable penetrance. The proband who inherited a 1.8 Mb interstitial 17q12 duplication from his mother presented with developmental delay, behavioral problems, and mild dysmorphism. One of his sisters, his maternal uncle, and his maternal grandmother also carry the 17q12 microduplication. Clinical features of the carriers include renal problems, diabetes mellitus, learning difficulties, epilepsy and mental illness. Cognitive abilities range from normal function to moderate impairment (full‐scale IQ range: 52‐99). In light of recent reports of association of this locus with schizophrenia, we performed a detailed psychiatric assessment and confirmed that one family member has symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and another has a prodromal syndrome with attenuated positive symptoms of psychosis. This report extends the clinical phenotype associated with the 17q12 microduplication and highlights the phenotypic variability

Chlorhexidine versus povidone–iodine skin antisepsis before upper limb surgery (CIPHUR) : an international multicentre prospective cohort study

Introduction Surgical site infection (SSI) is the most common and costly complication of surgery. International guidelines recommend topical alcoholic chlorhexidine (CHX) before surgery. However, upper limb surgeons continue to use other antiseptics, citing a lack of applicable evidence, and concerns related to open wounds and tourniquets. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of different topical antiseptics before upper limb surgery. Methods This international multicentre prospective cohort study recruited consecutive adults and children who underwent surgery distal to the shoulder joint. The intervention was use of CHX or povidone–iodine (PVI) antiseptics in either aqueous or alcoholic form. The primary outcome was SSI within 90 days. Mixed-effects time-to-event models were used to estimate the risk (hazard ratio (HR)) of SSI for patients undergoing elective and emergency upper limb surgery. Results A total of 2454 patients were included. The overall risk of SSI was 3.5 per cent. For elective upper limb surgery (1018 patients), alcoholic CHX appeared to be the most effective antiseptic, reducing the risk of SSI by 70 per cent (adjusted HR 0.30, 95 per cent c.i. 0.11 to 0.84), when compared with aqueous PVI. Concerning emergency upper limb surgery (1436 patients), aqueous PVI appeared to be the least effective antiseptic for preventing SSI; however, there was uncertainty in the estimates. No adverse events were reported. Conclusion The findings align with the global evidence base and international guidance, suggesting that alcoholic CHX should be used for skin antisepsis before clean (elective upper limb) surgery. For emergency (contaminated or dirty) upper limb surgery, the findings of this study were unclear and contradict the available evidence, concluding that further research is necessary

Capital Markets and Corporate Control: A Study of France, Germany and the UK

This paper examines the relation between capital markets and corporate control in France, Germany and the UK. It compares levels of takeover activity in the three countries and describes the degree to which takeovers are associated with changes in corporate control. The paper examines the influence of regulation on forms of corporate ownership and control. It compares regulation pertaining to the rights of employees, managers and shareholders in the three countries and finds that regulatory rules are related to patterns of ownership and control changes. The paper suggests that a fundamental objective of control changes is to correct managerial failure, and that takeovers are suited to the correction of particular classes of managerial failure that cannot be readily rectified by contracts. Thus, markets with low levels of takeovers may suffer from a low level of correction of managerial failure. However, by changing ownership, takeovers may give rise to an inability of owners to commit themselves to the long-term interests of managers and employees. As a consequence, financial systems with active takeover markets may be associated with inadequate investment in firm-specific assets and an unduly short-term investment horizon. There is, therefore, a tradeoff between alternative methods of correcting managerial failure. This is particularly important for European countries facing an extension of UK takeover activity to the Continent. The process is being encouraged by the European Commission which aims to harmonize regulation on a UK-style takeover code. Harmonization of regulation may have far-reaching consequences for the structure of different countries' capital markets and, in view of the tradeoff, is of uncertain merit

Evaluation of the Rapid ID 32A system for identification of anaerobic Gram-negative bacilli, excluding the Bacteroides fragilis group

ObjectiveTo evaluate the Rapid ID 32A system (bioMérieux, Marcy-l'Etoile, France) for the identification of anaerobic Gram-negative bacilli, excluding the Bacteroides fragilis group.MethodsFive hundred and twenty-eight identified clinical isolates of non-B. fragilis group anaerobic Gram-negative bacilli were tested in the Rapid ID 32A system, and identifications were compared with those obtained with conventional biochemical tests and gas-liquid chromatography.ResultsThe Rapid ID 32A system correctly identified 280 (60.9%) of the 460 isolates tested for which taxa were included in the database, without the need for additional testing. A further 97 (21.1%) isolates were correctly identified to species level following the performance of complementary tests recommended by the manufacturer. Fifty-nine (12.8%) isolates were identified at the genus level only, and 21 (4.6%) were misidentified at the species level. Three isolates of Prevotella were not identified by the system. Of the 68 isolates belonging to taxa not included in the database, no identification was obtained for 33 (48.5%), while 35 (51.5%) were misidentified.ConclusionsThe Rapid ID 32A system provided a rapid and reliable method for the identification of non-B. fragilis group, anaerobic Gram-negative bacilli to the genus level, while the success of species-level identification varied with different taxa. There was poor discrimination between Fusobacterium nucleatum and F. necrophorum, between Porphyromonas asaccharolytica and Porphyromonas endodontalis, and between Prevotella buccalis, Prevotella denticola, Prevotella loescheii, Prevotella melaninogenica and Prevotella oralis. The need to perform conventional complementary tests on 149 (32.4%) of the 460 isolates compromised the usefulness of the system for rapid species identification