Democratising expertise and socially robust knowledge

This paper presents arguments for the inherent ‘transgressiveness' of expertise. First, it must address issues that can never be reduced to the purely scientific and purely technical, and hence must link up with diverse practices, institutions and actors. Second, it addresses audiences that are never solely composed of fellow-experts, whose expectations and modes of understanding reflect the heterogeneous experience of mixed audiences. Recent demands for greater accountability have created a vast site for social experimentation, especially on the supra-national level, which are briefly reviewed. However, the democratisation of expertise also creates tensions, especially on the institutional level. Moving from reliable knowledge towards socially robust knowledge may be one step forward in negotiating and bringing about a regime of pluralistic expertis

Dare to know, dare to tell, dare to play

In her concluding statement summarising the discussions and themes presented during the workshops, lectures and concerts of the Aboagora symposium, Helga Nowotny underlines the need for researchers to be courageous and creative as they rethink the Enlightenment heritage in their various fields of research. Researchers today are part of an enormous epochal transformation in science, technology and institution building, she claims. This is a world largely of our own making which provides new opportunities as well as challenges and in which the future cannot be known. Yet, Nowotny points out, we continue with the desire to influence the future and we try to prepare for the encounter with a messy world of enormous complexity, uncertainty and contingency around us. In this situation, she concludes, music can provide science with an important lesson, namely: it is played. Playfulness can provide one possible mode to prepare for the future: by playing one learns to explore and to trust one’s own curiosity. Thus, the Enlightenment is unfinished, but it is also exciting in being unfinished

Don’t just complain, take the lead! Social Sciences and Humanities must look to integrate into Horizon 2020 targets.

It is a crucial point in time for the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) to demonstrate their value and relevance. Nothing would be more fatal than to fall back to the “complaining mode”, argues Helga Nowotny, President of the European Research Council. Rather, SSH must accept the fact that integration into policy research programmes is necessary and beneficial. Furthermore, disciplines themselves must take the lead to ensure this integration doesn’t turn into box-ticking, empty rhetoric

A marginal discipline in the making: Austrian sociology in a European context

"This paper aims to trace the development of the main strands of sociological thought in Austria, to present characteristic research conducted by Austrian sociologists and to provide an answer to the question which European schools have influenced sociology in Austria and, if this is found to be the case, which Austrian ideas have possibly prevaded European sociology." (excerpt)Mit einem historischen Überblick versucht der Beitrag den Stellenwert der österreichischen Soziologie im Rahmen einer gesamteuropäischen Soziologieentwicklung zu bestimmen. Innerhalb der österreichischen Soziologieentwicklung werden drei Phasen unterschieden: die erste bezieht sich auf die Anfänge der österreichischen Soziologie vor dem ersten Weltkrieg, die zweite auf die Entwicklung in der Zeit zwischen den Weltkriegen und die dritte auf die Entwicklung nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg bis zu den umwälzenden Ereignissen in Europa 1989. Ein Vergleich zwischen Phase I und der Phase nach 1989 verdeutlicht, daß die österreichische Soziologie damals und heute sich unter ähnlichen Bedingungen entwickelt hat bzw. entwickelt. Während diese für die Entwicklung der österreichischen Soziologie recht produktive Phase in der Zeit vor dem ersten Weltkrieg durch eine durch ethnische, soziale und innerstaatliche Konflikte hervorgerufene kosmopolitische Orientierung geprägt war, zeigen sich heute nach 1989 ähnliche, durch Migrationswellen ausgelöste Konflikte, die für die österreichische Soziologie eine positive Herausforderung mit innovativen Impulsen bedeuten könnten. (ICH

Die "Konstitution sozialer Probleme" als Ergebnis wissenschaftlicher Analyse: oder: Wie relevant ist die "Definitionsmacht" der Wissenschaft?

Soziale Probleme können in Gestalt sozialer Bewegungen auftreten oder als 'statische, statistisch-administrative Kategorien', wie etwa in den Sozialbürokratien moderner Wohlfahrtsstaaten. Soweit soziale Probleme einen 'sozialen Bewegungscharakter' aufweisen, ist die 'Definitionsmacht' der Sozialwissenschaften relativ hoch. Der Definitionsspielraum verengt sich mit dem 'Einfrieren der Bewegung sozialer Probleme in Kategorien staatlichen Handelns'. Diese Problematik der 'Definitionsmacht' der Sozialwissenschaften wird am Beispiel der Armutsforschung dargestellt. Abschließend wird auf die Frauenforschung als Beispiel für eine Beteiligung der Betroffenen im Wissenschaftsprozeß hingewiesen. (WZ

In Vitro Host-Cell Susceptibility to Usutu Virus

We investigated the susceptibility to Usutu virus (Flavivirus) of 13 permanent cell lines, 3 primary cell cultures, and chicken embryos. Vero, PK-15, and goose embryo fibroblast cells developed cytopathic effects; however, viral multiplication was detected in all mammalian cell types by immunohistochemical tests. Chicken embryo fibroblast cells and chicken embryos were resistant

Characterisation of archaeological waterlogged wood by pyrolytic and mass spectrometric techniques

1) Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, via Risorgimento 35. 56126 Pisa, Italy ; 2) IRNAS-CSIC, Seville, Spain; E-mail address: [email protected] combination of two techniques based on analytical pyrolysis and mass spectrometry, including direct exposure-MS (DE-MS) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), was used to study the chemical composition of waterlogged archaeological wood. In particular, the two techniques were used to chemically characterise samples of archaeological wood from the excavation of the Site of the Ancient Ships of Pisa San Rossore in Pisa (Italy). The data were compared to those of native sound wood of the same species. The results highlight that DE-MS is a valuable technique for the characterisation of archaeological wood. DE-MS allows us to use a minimal sample size and to perform the analysis in a few minutes, thus avoiding the long wet-chemical procedures that are commonly used to characterise wood. The results also confirm the importance of Py-GC/MS as a tool for shedding light on the chemical modifications of wood in archaeological objects. The analyses demonstrated that waterlogged wood from the site of Pisa San Rossore have undergone an extensive loss of polysaccharides together with partial demethylation of lignin units, both guaiacyl and syringyl monomers. In fact, catechols and methoxy catechols were identified among the pyrolysis products of the waterlogged wood samples.The authors wish to thank Dott.ssa G. Giachi (Restoration Laboratories of the Archaeological Superintendence of Tuscany, Florence, Italy) for providing archaeological wood samples and for her valuable support and collaboration. Funding was provided by the Archaeological Superintendence of Tuscany and by the Italian MIUR (PRIN Cofin05).Peer reviewe