Green growth or degrowth? : Assessing the normative justifications for environmental sustainability and economic growth through critical social theory

Scientists agree that changes in the organization of human society and economy are needed to stop the degradation of the natural environment. The most commonly proposed solution, green growth, has been increasingly criticized, but the offered alternative of degrowth has remained a marginal undertaking in academia and in practice. This article further develops the argument for degrowth. The article conducts a comparative analysis of the normative foundations of green growth and degrowth using frameworks from critical social theory. The analysis shows that green growth and degrowth work toward different normative ideals that are justified in different ways. The analysis shows that degrowth has a stronger normative justification than green growth and therefore, should be preferred. The article contributes to the debate about green growth and degrowth by establishing normative grounds for focusing efforts for environmental sustainability on degrowth rather than green growth. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

It takes two to tell a life. An analysis of the negotiation of a life story in Demian Vitanza’s Dette livet eller det neste (This Life or the Next)

Copyright © 2021 Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).Artikkelen tek føre seg Demian Vitanzas Dette livet eller det neste (2017) for å diskutere kva det vil seia å fortelja og gjenfortelja eit liv. Romanen utforskar eit etisk og litterært grenseland, der forhandlinga mellom Tariq (som fortel livet sitt) og forfattaren (som gjenfortel det) gjer det mogleg å realisere og problematisere livshistoria til ein norsk framandkrigar. Med utgangspunkt i diskusjonar om fiksjonell referensialitet og etikk i romanar som baserer seg på eit faktisk liv, blir det argumentert for at romanen forhandlar fram både ein røyndomskontrakt og ein fiksjonskontrakt, noko som gjer at den narrative konstruksjonen kan overta for livet som er levd. Vidare argumenterer artikkelen for at den eksplisitte forhandlinga i romanen, som gir kjelda medråderett over si eiga livshistorie, skaper eit korrektiv til etikken i røyndomslitteraturen.Abstract: This article explores Demian Vitanza’s Dette livet eller det neste (2017; This Life or the Next) and discusses what it means to tell and retell a life. The novel enters an ethical and literary borderland in which the negotiation between Tariq (who is telling his life story) and the author (who re-tells Tariq’s life) functions as the central element to convey and problematize the life story of a Norwegian foreign fighter. The point of departure is discussions on fictional referentiality and ethics in fiction based on actual lives, and the article argues that the novel closes both a reality contract and a fictional contract, making it possible for the narrative construction to substitute the lived life. Furthermore, the explicit negotiation in the novel, where the author gives the source the possibility to be heard in questions pertaining to his life story, functions as a corrective to the ethics in other novels read as life writing.publishedVersio

Transcranial magnetic stimulation-induced motor cortex activity influences visual awareness judgments

The influence of non-visual information on visual awareness judgments has recently gained substantial interest. Using single-pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), we investigate the potential contribution of evidence from the motor system to judgment of visual awareness. We hypothesized that TMS-induced activity in the primary motor cortex (M1) would increase reported visual awareness as compared to the control condition. Additionally, we investigated whether TMS-induced motor-evoked potential could measure accumulated evidence for stimulus perception. Following stimulus presentation and TMS, participants first rated their visual awareness verbally using the Perceptual Awareness Scale, after which they responded manually to a Gabor orientation identification task. Delivering TMS to M1 resulted in higher average awareness ratings as compared to the control condition when the hand with which participants responded was contralateral to the stimulated hemisphere (TMS-response-congruent trials). This effect was accompanied by longer Perceptual Awareness Scale response times, irrespective of the congruence between TMS and identification response. Moreover, longer identification response times were observed in TMS-response-congruent trials in the M1 condition as compared to the control condition. Additionally, the amplitudes of motor-evoked potentials were related to the awareness ratings when response congruence was taken into account. We argue that motor-evoked potential can serve as an indirect measure of evidence accumulated for stimulus perception and that longer Perceptual Awareness Scale response times and higher amplitudes of motor-evoked potentials in the M1 condition reflect integration of additional evidence with visual awareness judgment. In conclusion, we advocate that motor activity influences perceptual awareness judgments

Making sense: dopamine activates conscious self-monitoring through medial prefrontal cortex

When experiences become meaningful to the self, they are linked to synchronous activity in a paralimbic network of self-awareness and dopaminergic activity. This network includes medial prefrontal and medial parietal/posterior cingulate cortices, where transcranial magnetic stimulation may transiently impair self-awareness. Conversely, we hypothesize that dopaminergic stimulation may improve self-awareness and metacognition (i.e., the ability of the brain to consciously monitor its own cognitive processes). Here, we demonstrate improved noetic (conscious) metacognition by oral administration of 100 mg dopamine in minimal self-awareness. In a separate experiment with extended self-awareness dopamine improved the retrieval accuracy of memories of self-judgment (autonoetic, i.e., explicitly self-conscious) metacognition. Concomitantly, magnetoencephalography (MEG) showed increased amplitudes of oscillations (power) preferentially in the medial prefrontal cortex. Given that electromagnetic activity in this region is instrumental in self-awareness, this explains the specific effect of dopamine on explicit self-awareness and autonoetic metacognition

Causal Inferences in Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Research: Challenges and Perspectives

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is used to make inferences about relationships between brain areas and their functions because, in contrast to neuroimaging tools, it modulates neuronal activity. The central aim of this article is to critically evaluate to what extent it is possible to draw causal inferences from repetitive TMS (rTMS) data. To that end, we describe the logical limitations of inferences based on rTMS experiments. The presented analysis suggests that rTMS alone does not provide the sort of premises that are sufficient to warrant strong inferences about the direct causal properties of targeted brain structures. Overcoming these limitations demands a close look at the designs of rTMS studies, especially the methodological and theoretical conditions which are necessary for the functional decomposition of the relations between brain areas and cognitive functions. The main points of this article are that TMS-based inferences are limited in that stimulation-related causal effects are not equivalent to structure-related causal effects due to TMS side effects, the electric field distribution, and the sensitivity of neuroimaging and behavioral methods in detecting structure-related effects and disentangling them from confounds. Moreover, the postulated causal effects can be based on indirect (network) effects. A few suggestions on how to manage some of these limitations are presented. We discuss the benefits of combining rTMS with neuroimaging in experimental reasoning and we address the restrictions and requirements of rTMS control conditions. The use of neuroimaging and control conditions allows stronger inferences to be gained, but the strength of the inferences that can be drawn depends on the individual experiment’s designs. Moreover, in some cases, TMS might not be an appropriate method of answering causality-related questions or the hypotheses have to account for the limitations of this technique. We hope this summary and formalization of the reasoning behind rTMS research can be of use not only for scientists and clinicians who intend to interpret rTMS results causally but also for philosophers interested in causal inferences based on brain stimulation research

Opioids for Treatment of Pre-hospital Acute Pain: A Systematic Review

Introduction Acute pain is a frequent symptom among patients in the pre-hospital setting, and opioids are the most widely used class of drugs for the relief of pain in these patients. However, the evidence base for opioid use in this setting appears to be weak. The aim of this systematic review was to explore the efficacy and safety of opioid analgesics in the pre-hospital setting and to assess potential alternative therapies. Methods The PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, Scopus, and Epistemonikos databases were searched for studies investigating adult patients with acute pain prior to their arrival at hospital. Outcomes on efficacy and safety were assessed. Risk of bias for each included study was assessed according to the Cochrane approach, and confidence in the evidence was assessed using the GRADE method. Results A total of 3453 papers were screened, of which the full text of 125 was assessed. Twelve studies were ultimately included in this systematic review. Meta-analysis was not undertaken due to substantial clinical heterogeneity among the included studies. Several studies had high risk of bias resulting in low or very low quality of evidence for most of the outcomes. No pre-hospital studies compared opioids with placebo, and no studies assessed the risk of opioid administration for subgroups of frail patients. The competency level of the attending healthcare provider did not seem to affect the efficacy or safety of opioids in two observational studies of very low quality. Intranasal opioids had a similar effect and safety profile as intravenous opioids. Moderate quality evidence supported a similar efficacy and safety of synthetic opioid compared to morphine. Conclusions Available evidence for pre-hospital opioid administration to relieve acute pain is scarce and the overall quality of evidence is low. Intravenous administration of synthetic, fast-acting opioids may be as effective and safe as intravenous administration of morphine. More controlled studies are needed on alternative routes for opioid administration and pre-hospital pain management for potentially more frail patient subgroups.publishedVersio

Femoral nerve blocks for the treatment of acute pre-hospital pain: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Background Pain management is one of the most important interventions in the emergency medical services. The femoral nerve block (FNB) is, among other things, indicated for pre- and post-operative pain management for patients with femoral fractures but its role in the pre-hospital setting has not been determined. The aim of this review was to assess the effect and safety of the FNB in comparison to other forms of analgesia (or no treatment) for managing acute lower extremity pain in adult patients in the pre-hospital setting. Methods A systematic review (PROSPERO registration (CRD42018114399)) was conducted. The Cochrane and GRADE methods were used to assess outcomes. Two authors independently reviewed each study for eligibility, extracted the data and performed risk of bias assessments. Results Four studies with a total of 252 patients were included. Two RCTs (114 patients) showed that FNB may reduce pain more effectively than metamizole (mean difference 32 mm on a 100 mm VAS (95% CI 24 to 40)). One RCT (48 patients) compared the FNB with lidocaine and magnesium sulphate to FNB with lidocaine alone and was only included here for information regarding adverse effects. One case series included 90 patients. Few adverse events were reported in the included studies. The certainty of evidence was very low. We found no studies comparing FNB to inhaled analgesics, opioids or ketamine. Conclusions Evidence regarding the effectiveness and adverse effects of pre-hospital FNB is limited. Studies comparing pre-hospital FNB to inhaled analgesics, opioids or ketamine are lacking.acceptedVersio

On the importance of hippocampal segmentation for the neural mapping of memory: Evidence from a large-scale study of neural architecture in healthy adults

The hippocampus (HC) is traditionally considered the key neuroanatomical hub responsible for memory. However, previous MRI studies that aimed to relate volumetric hippocampal measures to associative memory (AM) performance have yielded mixed results. In the current study, we aimed to reevaluate these findings in a large sample of young healthy participants (N = 246; age M = 24.95, SD = 4.58; 56% female). Participants were scanned with 3T MAGNETOM Prisma using a 64-channel head coil, followed by the AM assessment in the lab setting. To maximize the scope of AM assessment, we employed four paired-associate tasks of various stimuli modalities (faces, words, scenes) and outcome measure types (recognition, recall). Synthetic T1-weighted images were produced out of relaxometry parameter maps, after which volumetric measures were calculated using FreeSurfer. The whole HC volume showed no correlation with any of the memory measures. However, further segmentation of HC into its functional and anatomical subfields (Parasubiculum, Presubiculum, Subiculum, CA1, CA2/3, CA4, GC-DG, HATA, Fimbria, Molecular layer, Hippocampal fissure, Hippocampal tail) showed scattered yet consistent patterns of significant correlations between different subfield volumes and memory outcomes. The results suggest that distinctive contributions of HC subfields may lead to a null effect when the whole HC volume is considered, thus demonstrating that drawing conclusions based on the volumetric measures of neural macrostructures can be misleading. The results highlight the importance of in-depth segmentation for neural mapping

Havbruksnæringen i Møre og Romsdal En verdiskapingsanalyse

Havbruksnæringen skaper betydelige verdier i Møre og Romsdal Analysen gir en beskrivelse av den totale betydningen av havbruksnæringen i Møre og Romsdal målt i verdiskaping og sysselsetttng basert på siste tilgjengelige tall fra Nasjonalregnskapet. Analysen gir også en generell beskrivelse av næringen basert på tilqjengellg statistikk og intervjuer med næringsutøvere. Den totale havbruksnæringen i Møre og Romsdal representerte i 2010 en verdiskaping (bidrag til BNP) på over 3,8 milliarder kroner og ga sysselsetting til ca 2 900 årsverk. Kjernevirksomheten nærmere bestemt oppdretts-, slakteri/foredlings- og grossistleddet i Møre og Romsdal representerte en verdiskaping på til sammen 2,5 mrd kroner og sysselsatte 1 300 årsverk. Denne aktiviteten gav opphav til samlede ringvirkninger i eget fylke tllsvarende 1,3 mrd i verdiskaping, og sysselsetting av 1600 årsverk. I 2010 skapte hver krone i verdiskaping i havbruksnæringens kjerneaktiviteter 0,50 kroner i verdiskaping i annet næringsliv i Møre og Romsdal og hvert årsverk skapte 1.25 årsverk i annet næringsliv i fylket.publishedVersio