Approaches to Agrippan scepticism

I begin from the intuitive requirement that a proper explanation of the possibility of empirical knowledge cannot assume any empirical knowledge in order to explain its possibility. But in conjunction with a radical scepticism I call 'the Agrippan problematic' this requirement leads to the ostensibly paradoxical observation that we require empirical knowledge to explain the possibility of empirical knowledge, and yet we cannot assume any empirical knowledge in order explain its possibility. This ostensibly paradoxical observation is at the heart of that problematic. That observation is paradoxical, and not a straight contradiction, in virtue of how the Agrippan sceptic argues. But we should say that it is ostensibly paradoxical because the challenge to the epistemologist is to show why it is not paradoxical. To that end I delineate four applications of the general argumentative methodology of the Agrippan sceptic in regards to four epistemic loci I identify within the traditional notion of a justification or warrant for a belief. The most prominent of those epistemic loci is that of a justification itself, and in application to that locus the argumentative methodology of the Agrippan sceptic is commonly known as 'the epistemic regress argument'. I suggest that a formally sufficient answer to that argument should also enable an answer to the other three applications of the Agrippan sceptic's argumentative methodology. There are various responses in the literature to the epistemic regress argument, however I focus on three. They are: 'foundationalism', 'coherentism', and finally the epistemology of Wilfrid Sellars. Each in a different way questions the premise of the epistemic regress argument. That premise is that all justification must be inferential. I indentify two assumptions which underlie that premise: firstly, that the only way in which a belief can justify another belief is inferentially; and secondly, that a justification for some proposition must always be epistemically distinct from a belief in that proposition. The foundationalist questions that second assumption, essentially claiming that certain beliefs can justify themselves. However, I argue that we simply cannot make intelligible sense of the idea that a belief can justify itself except in certain specific cases. The coherentist questions neither assumption, instead suggesting that the Agrippan sceptic assumes that inferential justification is linear. However, I argue that the coherentist's position is a holistic foundationalism, and suffers from the same defects as that other position. Sellars, however, questions that first assumption, arguing that a belief can justify another belief without being inferentially connected to it. I argue that Sellars's epistemology may be taken to have the resources to illustrate that ostensibly paradoxical observation to be just that - ostensibly paradoxical

Development of mucoadhesive sprayable gellan gum fluid gels

The nasal mucosa provides a potentially good route for local and systemic drug delivery. However, the protective feature of the nasal cavity make intranasal delivery challenging. The application of mucoadhesive polymers in nasal drug delivery systems enhances the retention of the dosage form in the nasal cavity. Several groups have investigated using low acyl gellan as a drug delivery vehicle but only limited research however, has been performed on high acyl gellan for this purpose, despite its properties being more conducive to mucoadhesion. High acyl gellan produces highly elastic gels below 60 °C which make it difficult to spray using a mechanical spray device. Therefore, in this study we have tried to address this problem by making fluid gels by introducing a shear force during gelation of the gellan polymer. These fluid gel systems contain gelled micro-particles suspended in a solution of un-gelled polymer. These systems can therefore behave as pourable viscoelastic fluids. In this study we have investigated the rheological behavior and mucoadhesion of fluid gels of two different types of gellan (high and low acyl) and fluid gels prepared from blends of high and low acyl gellan at a 50:50 ratio. The results demonstrated that by preparing fluid gels of high acyl gellan, the rheological properties were sufficient to spray through a standard nasal spray device. Moreover fluid gels also significantly enhance both high acyl and low acyl gellan mucoadhesion properties

Exploring the contextualisation of methods in research synthesis: Three studies in dementia and communication

This thesis constitutes a programme of research to adapt and test three review methodologies. The methodologies include: a Scoping Review, a Meta Study and a Narrative Synthesis. The objective of methodological development was to create systematised processes for identifying suitable forms of communication for participants from contextualised research evidence and synthesis. Communication (data collection) methods are pivotal in understanding lived experience and representing views. The empirical focus of the thesis surrounds forms of alternative communication methods in the context of people with dementia. These alternative research methods are particularly important for participants who may not use verbal forms of communication as their primary method of interaction. The thesis proposes the introduction of a new review genre called ‘methods contextualisation’ which could assist reviewers in critiquing data collection methods and interpreting voices in research. The thesis is structured in three phases: development, implementation, and conceptualisation of the methodologies. Outcomes of the thesis produced both methodological and empirical findings. The adapted methodologies are presented as a typology, offering different forms of critical understanding about communication methods to influence future choice and use of those methods. Findings identify and synthesise relevant forms of knowledge. The thesis proposes methods contextualisation processes could be embedded into dementia theory, research and practice

Accounting for images of ‘equality’ in digital space: towards an exploration of the Greek accounting professional institute

The paper draws upon the broad framework of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to relate the content of the Greek Accounting Professional Institute’s [‘Σώμα Ορκωτών Ελεγκτών Λογιστών’ (SOEL)] digital space to the broader structures and the gendered accounting discourses deployed by accountants. The processes of constructing and redesigning electronic space and the selection of the images appearing on it are analysed as essential mechanisms which not only reflect ‘realities’, but also contribute to the reproduction of diachronically established power relations, gender inequalities and gendered hierarchies. This exploratory study reveals a proliferation of images of (accounting) men which reflect the dominant male structures of the profession. The outcome of this is to exclude and marginalise women. The empirical evidence presented in this study, points towards a lack of images representing professional accounting women. Where women are represented, they are depicted in listening roles, support roles or in the role of ‘other’. These findings illustrate the exercise of gendered based exclusionary practices, which facilitate male (professional) elite dominance and assist in the reinforcing of gendered stereotypes. This study argues that an increase in the representation of (accounting) women in Greek digital space would signal a positive step towards the inclusion of women in the Greek profession

Contextualizing the findings of a systematic review on patient and carer experiences of dementia diagnosis and treatment : a qualitative study

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Involving service users in the systematic review process is seen as increasingly important. As systematic reviews often include studies from diverse settings and covering a time span of several decades, involving service users in consideration of applicability to specific populations or settings might make reviews more useful to practitioners and policymakers.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

The influence of charge on the multiple thermal transitions observed in xanthan

Helix-coil transitions in xanthans occur at lower temperatures when the pyruvate group is charged, destabilising the polymer chains. Increasing salt content increases the transition temperature by reducing the effective charge on the pyruvate. A simple equivalent mass action model predicts how transition temperatures change as a function of salt concentration. The functional form of the change in transition temperature (1/T) versus natural log (salt concentration) is approximately linear and similar to more traditional polyelectrolyte theories. Transition temperatures in xanthans containing nominally homogeneous pyruvate contents show biphasic transitions, this is because the phases contain different pyruvate levels, however the transitions approach one another in temperature and eventually merge as salt content is increased. It is proposed that pyruvate groups, despite being present at a lower concentration relative to glucuronic acid, dominate the charge interactions due to their location on the outside of the helices

A systematic review of the impact of ‘missed care’ in primary, community and nursing home settings

Aim To explore ‘missed care’ in relation to primary and community settings, including nursing homes, and to build an understanding of implications for patients, public, politicians and policymakers. Background Missed care occurs when any aspect of required patient care is omitted or delayed. Little attention has examined missed care in primary, community and nursing home settings. Methods Systematic review of the literature. Searches were conducted of PubMed, CINAHL, Google Scholar (July 2018). The quality of empirical studies was appraised using CASP and SURE tools. Results The search identified 15 metrics papers (2004–2019) and eight empirical papers (2015–2018) (five studies). Empirical studies were rated as good quality. Missed care impacts on safety in community/primary care contexts and differs from acute care. Causes of missed care include acuity, complexity of cases, volume of care and organisational factors. Metrics have been adapted to community/nursing home settings but not in a standardised way. Tools are required to evaluate missed care within a culture of personal reflection and quality improvement. Conclusion The prominence of missed acute care should not distract from its impact in primary, community and nursing home settings. Nurse leaders should consider causes for missed care, and how it is conceptualized and evaluated