Dementia becoming popular. Representations of a cultural phenomenon in contemporary fiction, the arts, and mainstream media

Die Herausgebenden Aagje Swinnen und Mark Schweda versammeln im vorliegenden Sammelband Expertisen aus verschiedenen Disziplinen, die mit einer Fülle von Fragestellungen und Methoden die Repräsentation und die Popularisierung von Demenz in Literatur, bildender Kunst und den Massenmedien kritisch hinterfragen. Dabei werden sowohl die zugrundeliegenden kommunikativen Prozesse als auch Demenzbilder von negativen Stereotypisierungen bis hin zu neuen, alternativen Diskursen beleuchtet. Der Band verweist auf die bestimmende wie heikle Rolle populärer Medien für die Informationsgesellschaft – gerade im Fall eines die Betroffenen marginalisierenden Phänomens wie Demenz. Dieser reichhaltige Band macht von neuem aufmerksam und gibt sowohl der Forschung als auch politischem Engagement wertvolle Anregungen.Editors Aagje Swinnen and Mark Schweda assemble a variety of expertise from different disciplines, and a range of methods and research designs to critically investigate the representation and the popularization of dementia in literary fiction, the visual arts, and the mass media. The volume sheds light on the communication processes at work and the images of dementia ranging from negative stereotypes to new and alternative discourses. It hints at the crucial and delicate role of mainstream media in the information society – especially when it comes to a phenomenon such as dementia – threatening the agency of those affected. With a very broad scope, this book continues to raise awareness and provides stimuli for research as well as activism

On UV/IR Mixing via Seiberg-Witten Map for Noncommutative QED

We consider quantum electrodynamics in noncommutative spacetime by deriving a $\theta$-exact Seiberg-Witten map with fermions in the fundamental representation of the gauge group as an expansion in the coupling constant. Accordingly, we demonstrate the persistence of UV/IR mixing in noncommutative QED with charged fermions via Seiberg-Witten map, extending the results of Schupp and You [1].Comment: 16 page

A comparison of three interactive television AD formats

This study explores the effects of interacting with three current interactive television (iTV) ad formats, using an Australian audience panel. Interaction with iTV ads has positive effects on awareness and net positive thoughts, which increase purchase intentions compared with the influence of regular ads. The telescopic format represents the best format, likely because it makes the most of the entertaining possibilities of iTV by offering additional long-form video; its superior performance cannot be explained readily by self-selection effects. The results suggest that the effectiveness of iTV ads should be measured by their interaction rate rather than the much smaller response rate, and iTV advertisers should consider ways to maximize interaction and response rates

Non Local Theories: New Rules for Old Diagrams

We show that a general variant of the Wick theorems can be used to reduce the time ordered products in the Gell-Mann & Low formula for a certain class on non local quantum field theories, including the case where the interaction Lagrangian is defined in terms of twisted products. The only necessary modification is the replacement of the Stueckelberg-Feynman propagator by the general propagator (the ``contractor'' of Denk and Schweda) D(y-y';tau-tau')= - i (Delta_+(y-y')theta(tau-tau')+Delta_+(y'-y)theta(tau'-tau)), where the violations of locality and causality are represented by the dependence of tau,tau' on other points, besides those involved in the contraction. This leads naturally to a diagrammatic expansion of the Gell-Mann & Low formula, in terms of the same diagrams as in the local case, the only necessary modification concerning the Feynman rules. The ordinary local theory is easily recovered as a special case, and there is a one-to-one correspondence between the local and non local contributions corresponding to the same diagrams, which is preserved while performing the large scale limit of the theory.Comment: LaTeX, 14 pages, 1 figure. Uses hyperref. Symmetry factors added; minor changes in the expositio

No UV/IR Mixing in Unitary Space-Time Noncommutative Field Theory

In this article we calculate several divergent amplitudes in phi^4-theory on non-commutative space-time in the framework of Interaction Point Time Ordered Perturbation Theory (IPTOPT), continuing work done in hep-th/0209253. On the ground of these results we find corresponding Feynman rules which allow for a much easier diagrammatic calculation of amplitudes. The most important feature of the present theory is the lack of the UV/IR mixing problem in all amplitudes calculated so far. Although we are not yet able to give a rigorous proof, we provide a strong argument for this result to hold in general. Together with the found Feynman rules this opens promising vistas towards the systematic renormalization of non-commutative field theories.Comment: 23 pages, uses package feynmf, v2: typos, added reference, minor improvement

The "spare parts person"? Conceptions of the human body and their implications for public attitudes towards organ donation and organ sale

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The increasing debate on financial incentives for organ donation raises concerns about a "commodification of the human body". Philosophical-ethical stances on this development depend on assumptions concerning the body and how people think about it. In our qualitative empirical study we analyze public attitudes towards organ donation in their specific relation to conceptions of the human body in four European countries (Cyprus, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden). This approach aims at a more context-sensitive picture of what "commodification of the body" can mean in concrete clinical decisions concerning organ donation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We find that moral intuitions concerning organ donation are rooted in various conceptions of the human body and its relation to the self: a) the body as a mechanical object owned by the self, b) the body as a part of a higher order embodying the self, and c) the body as a hierarchy of organs constitutive of the self.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The language of commodification is much too simple to capture what is at stake in everyday life intuitions about organ donation and organ sale. We discuss how the plurality of underlying body-self conceptions can be taken into account in the ethical debate, pointing out consequences for an anthropologically informed approach and for a liberal perspective.</p

Excluded from the Good Life? An Ethical Approach to Conceptions of Active Ageing

Contesting previous deficit-oriented models of ageing by focusing on the resources and potential of older people, concepts of ‘successful’, ‘productive’, and ‘active ageing’ permeate social policy discourses and agendas in ageing societies. They not only represent descriptive categories capturing the changing realities of later phases of life, but also involve positive visions and prescriptive claims regarding old age. However, the evaluative and normative content of these visions and claims is hardly ever explicitly acknowledged, let alone theoretically discussed and justified. Therefore, such conceptions of ‘ageing well’ have been criticised for promoting biased policies that privilege or simply impose particular practices and lifestyles. This appears problematic as it can obstruct or even effectively foreclose equal chances of leading a good life at old age. Against this backdrop, our contribution aims to discuss current conceptions of active ageing from an ethical point of view. Starting from an analysis of policy discourses and their critique, we first examine the moral implications of prominent conceptions of active ageing, focusing on evaluative and normative premises. By employing philosophical approaches, we analyse these premises in light of a eudemonistic ethics of good life at old age and detect fixations, shortcomings, and blind spots. Finally, we discuss consequences for ethically informed active ageing research and policies, highlighting the interrelations between one-sided ideals of ageing well and social discrimination and exclusion

Before it is too late: professional responsibilities in late-onset Alzheimer's research and pre-symptomatic prediction

The development of a wide array of molecular and neuroscientific biomarkers can provide the possibility to visualize the course of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) at early stages. Many of these biomarkers are aimed at detecting not only a preclinical, but also a pre-symptomatic state. They are supposed to facilitate clinical trials aiming at treatments that attack the disease at its earliest stage or even prevent it. The increasing number of such biomarkers currently tested and now partly proposed for clinical implementation calls for critical reflection on their aims, social benefits, and risks. This position paper summarizes major challenges and responsibilities. Its focus is on the ethical and social problems involved in the organization and application of dementia research, as well as in healthcare provision from a cross-national point of view. The paper is based on a discussion of leading dementia experts from neuroscience, neurology, social sciences, and bioethics in the United States and Europe. It thus reflects a notable consensus across various disciplines and national backgrounds. We intend to initiate a debate on the need for actions within the researchers’ national and international communities