Taste Disagreements and Predicates of Personal Taste

In my dissertation, I explore the role of taste disagreements in the debate about the semantics of predicates of personal taste. Linguistic data derived from examples of gustatory disagreement often plays a major role in deciding the correct semantics of taste. I claim that, contrary to the trend in the recent literature, taste disagreements should not play any part in this debate. I argue that the data can be accommodated independently of the semantics by a theory of the purpose of “subjective” disagreements, such as taste disagreements. In support of this claim, I develop such a theory—one that includes an appeal to distinctively gustatory norms. I demonstrate how this theory can be applied equally well to the two major competing semantic theories—relativism and contextualism—to explain taste disagreements. If I am correct, this discovery represents a substantial contribution to the dialectic because it offers philosophers and linguists decisive motivation to discontinue their reliance on disagreement data in the debate about the semantics of taste

The Effect of Collective Efficacy and Neighborhood Structural Disadvantage on Depressive Symptoms among Adolescents in the United States

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine (1) the moderating role of parental neighborhood perceptions on the relationship between neighborhood structural disadvantage and adolescent depressive symptoms, (2) if adolescent neighborhood perceptions moderated the association between neighborhood structural disadvantage and adolescent depressive symptoms, and (3) the effects of neighborhood structural disadvantage on depressive symptom trajectories as well as the moderating role of neighborhood perceptions on the relationship from adolescence to young adulthood. Data came from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) (N=12,105), and random effects multilevel modeling along with growth curve modeling were used. Results showed that parental-perceived neighborhood disorder was significantly associated with higher levels of adolescent depressive symptoms (β=0.27, SE=0.05, p≤0.001), while adolescent-perceived neighborhood social cohesion (β=0.24, SE=0.04, p≤0.001) and safety (β=0.47, SE=0.04, p≤0.001) were significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms among adolescents after full adjustment. Parental-perceived collective efficacy was not associated with adolescent depressive symptoms (p\u3e0.05). Interactions between neighborhood concentrated poverty and parental-perceived neighborhood disorder, adolescent-perceived collective efficacy, contentment, and safety were also significant (p≤0.05). Parental-perceived collective efficacy was not found to be a moderator (p\u3e0.05). Findings suggest that aspects of the neighborhood social environment may help to buffer against depression, particularly in high poverty neighborhoods. Components of neighborhood structural disadvantage and disorder, collective efficacy, contentment, and safety could serve as targets for the development of structural and other intervention strategies such as community-level interventions, aimed at reducing or preventing depression. Ultimately, addressing neighborhood structural disadvantage and improving the social environment may help to reduce depressive symptoms among adolescents as well as depression prevalence and risk, thereby reducing the growing mental health burden among youth

Diet in the treatment of ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, is estimated to be the most common behavioural disorder in children. The condition has only a few options for evidence-based treatment, and public accessible numbers have shown more than a threefold increase in the use of medication for ADHD in Norway since 2004. Studies have shown an association between ADHD and western dietary pattern, and it seems to be an increasing interest in whether diet influences the symptoms or not. The aim of this review was to determine whether there is any conclusive data on diet as the treatment for ADHD. 21 articles were selected through a defined search strategy in PubMed, U.S National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, and reviewed. The result does not give a defined answer but points out several interesting findings for further investigation: There is compelling evidence for Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as a treatment for ADHD, but the effects of other nutritional supplements are not negligible and suggest not only single nutrients but whole diets as treatment options for ADHD

The Desk as a Barrier and Carrier in Social Work

This chapter explores the desk as a material object as well as its sym- bolic representations in social work from a professional perspective. As we will demonstrate, different and sometimes incompatible meanings and functions associated with the desk reflect current tensions and profession- al dilemmas: On the one hand, ever since the emergence of the social work profession, the desk has symbolized a distanced and uncommitted social worker, even representing asymmetric power relations.2 On the other hand, recent endeavors at professionalization, evidence-based practices, and ac- countable welfare work have resulted, to some degree unintentionally, in an administrative turn and a strengthening of the bureaucratic understand- ing of the mission.3 Social workers, often described as semi-professionals striving for higher status, face trade-offs between traditional ideals of being committed and working close to the community, and administrative work in the office

Основні засади формування та реалізації боргової політики України

У статті розглядаються засади формування та реалізації боргової політики України, а також окремі критерії оцінки її ефективності. Визначено роль боргової політики в досягненні цілей макроекономічної стабільності та подоланні фінансово-економічної кризи. Досліджено широкий спектр положень нормативно-правових документів щодо формування та впровадження боргової політики України на сучасному етапі. Оцінено роль та види ризиків, пов'язаних із формуванням та реалізацією боргової політики. Окреслено послідовність дій відповідних державних органів щодо формування заходів з управління державним боргом, забезпечення публічності та прозорості у сфері державних фінансів і державного боргу зокрема