Fænomenologien filosofisk: Sprogets vaklen og tænknings bevægelse

Med udgangspunkt i fænomenologien undersøges her filosofien som tænkning og dettes relation til, hvor og hvordan filosofien findes i det tekstuelle. Gennem Heidegger, Arendt og Merleau-Ponty undersøges tækning som overskridelse og uendelighed, som søgen efter mening frem for videnskabens dømmen. I forlængelse heraf sammenstilles det filosofiske begrebsapparat i sin apparathed med den filosofiske traditions forhærdede overlevering, der må smidiggøres eller optøs for at bevare netop det filosofiske. Det tekstuelle, værket, behandles således ud fra en forståelse af begrebet som et punkt, hvori tænkning kan stagnere, og sprogligheden som en central del af selve det filosofiske.Starting from phenomenology, this article investigates philosophy as thinking and, from this, the consequences for where and how philosophy exists in text. Through Heidegger, Arendt and Merleau-Ponty the article investigates thinking as transcendence and infinity, as a search for meaning rather than the scientific passing of judgement. Continuing from this, philosophical concepts used as an apparatus are set in connection to the hardened philosophical tradition that must be loosened or unfrozen to enable philosophy as philosophical. The philosophical text is thus treated through investigating the concept as a point in which thinking risk stifling, and viewing language use as a central part of the philosophical as such

Abject Object Relations and Epistemic Engagement in Clinical Practice

This article engages with medical practice to develop a philosophically informed understanding of epistemic engagement in medicine, and epistemic object relations more broadly. I take my point of departure in the clinical encounter and draw on French psychoanalytical theory to develop and expand a taxonomy already proposed by Karin Knorr-Cetina. In so doing, I argue for the addition of an abject-type object relation; that is, the encounter with objects that transgress frameworks and disrupt further investigation, hence preventing dynamic engagement and negatively shaping our epistemic pathways. This article is primarily theoretical, although partly grounded in qualitative fieldwork

Reversing the medical humanities

The paper offers the concept of reversing the medical humanities. In agreement with the call from Kristeva et al. to recognise the bidirectionality of the medical humanities, I propose moving beyond debates of attitude and aptitude in the application and engagement (either friendly or critical) of humanities to/in medicine, by considering a reversal of the directions of epistemic movement (a reversal of the flow of knowledge). I situate my proposal within existing articulations of the field found in the medical humanities meta-literature, pointing to a gap in the current terrain. I then develop the proposal by unfolding three reasons why we might gain something from exploring a reversed knowledge flow. First, a reversed knowledge flow seems to be an inherent—but still to be articulated—possibility in medical humanities and thus provides an opportunity for more knowledge. Second, the current unidirectionality of the field is founded on an inconsistency in the depiction of the connection between medicine and humanities, which risks creating the very divide that medical humanities set out to bridge. Practising a reversal may help avoid this divide. And third, a reversal might help rebalance the internal epistemic power, so as to motivate less external scepticism and in turn displace more external epistemic power towards medical humanities. I end the paper with a remark on precursors for a reversal, and ideas for where to go from here

Assessing the toxicity of safer by design CuO surface-modifications using terrestrial multispecies assays

Safer by design (SBD) modifications of nanomaterials (NMs) have been pursued, aiming to maintain functionality and yet reduce hazard and support sustainable nanotechnology. The present case study involves copper oxide nanomaterials (CuO NMs) used in paint that have been surface modified by a SBD approach to particles coated with citrate (CIT-), ascorbate (ASC-), polyethylenimine (PEI+), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). We assessed the effect of the 4 different surface modified (CIT, ASC, PVP and PEI) NMs plus the pristine non-coated (PRI NM) and a Cu salt (CuCl2), using the soil multispecies test system (samples at 28-56-84 days). Further, the species were tested individually, and Cu was measured in the test media (soil and soil solution) and organisms. There was a potential relationship with zeta potential, and toxicity of CuO NMs was as follows: -PEI (+28 mV) caused the least impact, -ASC and -CIT (-17 mV, -18 mV) the most, while PVP and PRI (-8 mV, -9 mV) caused an intermediate response. Differences were not explained by the contribution of soluble Cu. Coating interfered with the release of Cu2+ and/or the activation of copper regulators and detoxification mechanisms in the organisms, i.e. time to reach some kind of stability in organisms' uptake was shorter for -ASC and longer for -PVP during prolonged time. Thus, one of the main findings is that NMs hazard assessment requires long term testing to understand predicted effects across materials. Further, the coverage using a multispecies approach offers increased relevance and a more ecosystem qualified response.publishe

Environmental hazards of nanopesticides to non-target soil species - commercial nanoformulation versus its active substance (Karate Zeon® and lambda-cyhalothrin)

Nanopesticides (Npes) carry the potential of increased efficacy while reducing application rates, hence increasing agricultural productivity in a more sustainable way. However, given its novelty, the environmental risk assessment of these advanced materials is mostly absent. In the present study we investigated the ecotoxicity of a commercial insecticide, with reported nanofeatures, Karate Zeon®, and compared it to its active substance lambda-cyhalothrin. It is hypothesised that the use of the nanopesticide Karate Zeon® poses lower risk to enchytraeids than its active substance. The standard non-target soil invertebrate Enchytraeus crypticus was used, and exposure was done in LUFA 2.2 soil in 4 tests (endpoints: days): avoidance test [avoidance behaviour: 2 days], OECD standard reproduction test [survival, reproduction plus adults' size: 28 days] and its extension [total number organisms: 56 days], and Full Life Cycle (FLC) test [hatching and juveniles' size: 13 days; survival, reproduction and adults' size: 46 days]. Results showed that enchytraeids did not avoid Karate Zeon® nor its active substance lambda-cyhalothrin, which could be due to neurotoxicity. There was no indication of increased toxicity with prolonged exposure (46, 56d) compared to the standard (28d) for neither of the materials, being overall equally toxic in terms of hatching, survival, and reproduction. The FLCt results indicated that the juvenile stage was the most sensitive, resulting in higher toxicity for the adult animals when exposed from the cocoon stage. Although toxicity was similar between Karate Zeon and lambda-cyhalothrin, different patterns of uptake and elimination cannot be excluded. The benefits of using Karate Zeon will rely on reduced application rates.publishe

Confirmatory assays for transient changes of omics in soil invertebrates - copper materials in a multigenerational exposure

Environmental risk assessment (ERA) based on effects caused by chronic and longer term exposure is highly relevant. Further, if mechanistic based approaches (e.g. omics) can be included, beyond apical endpoints (e.g. reproduction), the prediction of effects increases. For Cu NMs (and CuCl2) this has been studied in detail, covering multi-omics and apical effects using the soil standard species Enchytraeus crypticus. The intermediate level effects like cell/tissue and organ alterations represent a missing link. In the present study we aimed to: 1) perform long term exposure to Cu materials (full life cycle and multigeneration, 46 and 224 days) to collect samples; 2) perform histology and immunohistochemistry on collected samples at 12 time points and 17 treatments; 3) integrate all levels of biological organization onto an adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework. CuO NMs and CuCl2 caused both similar and different stress response, either at molecular initiating events (MIE) or key events (KEs) of higher level of biological organization. Cell/Tissue and organ level, post-transcriptional and transcriptional mechanisms, through histone modifications and microRNA related protein, were similarly affected. While both Cu forms affected the Notch signalling pathway, CuCl2 also caused oxidative stress. Different mechanisms of DNA methylation (epigenetics) were activated by CuO NMs and CuCl2 at the MIE.publishe

Cellular energy allocation to assess the impact of nanomaterials on soil invertebrates (enchytraeids): the effect of Cu and Ag

The effects of several copper (Cu) and silver (Ag) nanomaterials were assessed using the cellular energy allocation (CEA), a methodology used to evaluate the energetic status and which relates with organisms’ overall condition and response to toxic stress. Enchytraeus crypticus (Oligochatea), was exposed to the reproduction effect concentrations EC20/50 of several Cu and Ag materials (CuNO3, Cu-Field, Cu-Nwires and Cu-NPs; AgNO3, Ag NM300K, Ag-NPs Non-coated and Ag-NPs PVP-coated) for 7 days (0-3-7d). The parameters measured were the total energy reserves available (protein, carbohydrate and lipid budgets) and the energy consumption (Ec) integrated to obtain the CEA. Results showed that these parameters allowed a clear discrimination between Cu and Ag, but less clearly within each of the various materials. For Cu there was an increase in Ec and protein budget, while for Ag a decrease was observed. The results corroborate known mechanisms, e.g., with Cu causing an increase in metabolic rate whereas Ag induces mitochondrial damage. The various Cu forms seem to activate different mechanisms with size and shape (e.g., Cu-NPs versus Cu-Nwires), causing clearly different effects. For Ag, results are in line with a slower oxidation rate of Ag-NMs in comparison with Ag-salt and hence delayed effects