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Science Studies (science + studies)
Kinds of Science Studies Selected AbstractsThe Place of Standpoint Theory in Feminist Science StudiesHYPATIA, Issue 4 2009JANET A. KOURANY First page of article [source] Gastrointestinal motility and the brain-gut axisDIGESTIVE ENDOSCOPY, Issue 2 2003TADASHI ISHIGUCHI The role of the brain-gut axis in gastrointestinal motility is discussed according to the specific organs of the gastrointestinal tract. Not only clinical studies but basic animal research are reviewed. Although the mechanism of functional gut disorders remains to be clarified, recent data suggest that there is evidence that the brain-gut axis has significant effects on gastrointestinal motility. The major role of endoscopy in the diagnosis of functional gastrointestinal disorders is to exclude organic gastrointestinal disorders. In the esophagus, the lower esophageal sphincter and a gamma-aminobutyric acid B mechanism are considered to play important roles in gastroesophageal reflux disease. In the stomach, corticotropin-releasing factor, neuropeptide Y and other substances might be involved in the pathogenesis of non-ulcer dyspepsia. In the small intestine, corticotropin-releasing factor, gamma-aminobutyric acid B and other substances are considered to modulate intestinal transit via central mechanisms. In the colon, it is known that psychiatric factors are related to the onset and clinical course of irritable bowel syndrome. Serotonin, corticotropin-releasing factor, gamma-aminobutyric acid, orphanin FQ and neuropeptide Y have been reported as putative neurotransmitters. More efforts in basic science studies and animal and human studies of physiology of the gastointestinal tract are still required. These efforts will elucidate further mechanisms to clarify the etiology of motility disorders and encourage the investigation of new therapies in this field. [source] Making Space for the Economy: Live Performances, Dead Objects, and Economic GeographyGEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 5 2008Trevor J. Barnes The article explores the usefulness of the recent literature on markets and performativity for economic geography. The article is divided into two main sections. The first reviews work on performativity, the idea that our statements and representations actively produce reality rather than being mere faithful copies of it. Writers in science studies, in particular, have taken up this notion and used it to understand the making of economic markets. The second argues that economic geography usefully amends the work on performance and economic markets by adding a geographical perspective that plays out in at least four registers: the performance of spatial theory; the geographical performance of economic theory; the spatial performance of market constitution; and the political performance of spatial markets. [source] The Analysis of the Borders of the Social World: A Challenge for Sociological TheoryJOURNAL FOR THE THEORY OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, Issue 1 2005GESA LINDEMANN ABSTRACT:In order to delimit the realm of social phenomena, sociologists refer implicitly or explicitly to a distinction between living human beings and other entities, that is, sociologists equate the social world with the world of living humans. This consensus has been questioned by only a few authors, such as Luckmann, and some scholars of science studies. According to these approaches, it would be ethnocentric to treat as self-evident the premise that only living human beings can be social actors. The methodological consequence of such critique is a radical deanthropologization of sociological research. It must be considered an open question whether or not only living human can be social actors. The paper starts with a discussion of the methodological problems posed by such an analysis of the borders of the social world, and presents the results of an empirical analysis of these borders in the fields of intensive care and neurological rehabilitation. Within these fields it must be determined whether a body is a living human body or a symbol using human body. The analysis of these elementary border phenomena challenges basic sociological concepts. The relevant contemporary sociological theories refer to a dyadic constellation as the systematic starting point of their concept of sociality. The complex relationship between at least two entities is understood as the basis of the development of a novel order that functions as a mediating structure between the involved parties. Based upon empirical data, I argue that it is necessary to change this foundational assumption. Not the dyad but the triad must be understood as the foundational constellation. This implies a new understanding of the third actor, which is distinct from the concepts developed by Simmel and Berger and Luckmann. [source] Endocrine parameters of cystic fibrosis: Back to basicsJOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2009Michael S. Stalvey Abstract Dramatic changes in the life expectancy of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are occurring, creating a cohort of aging individuals experiencing long-term complications of this chronic disease. The two most common of these complications include CF-related diabetes and CF bone disease. The clinical implications of each have become better understood, as have potential therapies. However, data obtained from the basic science studies of both diseases have not been widely recognized. In this review, we focus on the known and hypothesized pathogenesis of these two disorders. Additionally, the molecular underpinnings of CF will be explained along with the potential interactions with endocrine disease phenotypes. J. Cell. Biochem. 108: 353,361, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Signaling, delivery and age as emerging issues in the benefit/risk ratio outcome of tPA For treatment of CNS ischemic disordersJOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2010William M. Armstead J. Neurochem. (2010) 113, 303,312. Abstract Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. While tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) remains the only FDA-approved treatment for ischemic stroke, clinical use of tPA has been constrained to roughly 3% of eligible patients because of the danger of intracranial hemorrhage and a narrow 3 h time window for safe administration. Basic science studies indicate that tPA enhances excitotoxic neuronal cell death. In this review, the beneficial and deleterious effects of tPA in ischemic brain are discussed along with emphasis on development of new approaches toward treatment of patients with acute ischemic stroke. In particular, roles of tPA-induced signaling and a novel delivery system for tPA administration based on tPA coupling to carrier red blood cells will be considered as therapeutic modalities for increasing tPA benefit/risk ratio. The concept of the neurovascular unit will be discussed in the context of dynamic relationships between tPA-induced changes in cerebral hemodynamics and histopathologic outcome of CNS ischemia. Additionally, the role of age will be considered since thrombolytic therapy is being increasingly used in the pediatric population, but there are few basic science studies of CNS injury in pediatric animals. [source] Advancing Alcohol Biomarkers ResearchALCOHOLISM, Issue 6 2010Cynthia F. Bearer Biomarkers to detect past alcohol use and identify alcohol-related diseases have long been pursued as important tools for research into alcohol use disorders as well as for clinical and treatment applications and other settings. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) sponsored a workshop titled "Workshop on Biomarkers for Alcohol-Induced Disorders" in June 2008. The intent of this workshop was to review and discuss recent progress in the development and implementation of biomarkers for alcohol use and alcohol-related disorders with a goal to formulate a set of recommendations to use to stimulate and advance research progress in this critical area of alcoholism research. Presentations at this workshop reviewed the current status of alcohol biomarkers, providing a summary of the history of biomarkers and the major goals of alcohol biomarker research. Moreover, presentations provided a comprehensive overview of the current status of several well-recognized biomarkers of alcohol use, a summary of recent studies to characterize novel biomarkers and their validation, along with perspectives and experiences from other NIH institutes and from other federal agencies and industry, related to regulatory issues. Following these presentations, a panel discussion focused on a set of issues presented by the organizers of this workshop. These discussion points addressed: (i) issues related to strategies to be adopted to stimulate biomarker discovery and application, (ii) the relevance of animal studies in biomarker development and the status of biomarkers in basic science studies, and (iii) issues related to the opportunities for clinical and commercial applications. This article summarizes these perspectives and highlights topics that constituted the basis for recommendations to enhance alcohol biomarker research. [source] Deflating information: From science studies to documentationJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 13 2006Olof Sundin [source] A new method for analyzing scientific productivityJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 13 2001John C. Huber Previously, a new method for measuring scientific productivity was demonstrated for authors in mathematical logic and some subareas of 19th-century physics. The purpose of this article is to apply this new method to other fields to support its general applicability. We show that the method yields the same results for modern physicists, biologists, psychologists, inventors, and composers. That is, each individual's production is constant over time, and the time-period fluctuations follow the Poisson distribution. However, the productivity (e.g., papers per year) varies widely across individuals. We show that the distribution of productivity does not follow the normal (i.e., bell curve) distribution, but rather follows the exponential distribution. Thus, most authors produce at the lowest rate and very few authors produce at the higher rates. We also show that the career duration of individuals follows the exponential distribution. Thus, most authors have a very short career and very few have a long career. The principal advantage of the new method is that the detail structure of author productivity can be examined, such as trends, etc. Another advantage is that information science studies have guidance for the length of time interval being examined and estimating when an author's entire body of work has been recorded. [source] The Privatization of Public Legal Rights: How Manufacturers Construct the Meaning of Consumer LawLAW & SOCIETY REVIEW, Issue 3 2009Shauhin A. Talesh This article demonstrates how the content and meaning of California's consumer protection laws were shaped by automobile manufacturers, the very group these laws were designed to regulate. My analysis draws on and links two literatures that examine the relationship between law and organizations but often overlook one another: political science studies of how businesses influence public legal institutions, and neo-institutional sociology studies of how organizations shape law within their organizational field. By integrating these literatures, I develop an "institutional-political" theory that demonstrates how organizations' construction of law and compliance within an organizational field shapes the meaning of law among legislators and judges. This study examines case law and more than 35 years of California legislative history concerning its consumer warranty laws. Using institutional and political analysis, I show how auto manufacturers, who were initially subject to powerful consumer protection laws, weakened the impact of these laws by creating dispute resolution venues. The legislature and courts subsequently incorporated private dispute resolution venues into statutes and court decisions and made consumer rights and remedies largely contingent on consumers first using manufacturer-sponsored venues. Organizational venue creation resulted in public legal rights being redefined and controlled by private organizations. [source] On Neoliberalism and Other Social Diseases: The 2008 Sociocultural Anthropology Year in ReviewAMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 2 2009Justin B. Richland ABSTRACT In this article, I consider a selection of the 129 articles of new research published in five of the leading Anglo-American peer-reviewed outlets for sociocultural anthropology in 2008, discerning two general, but related, trends. The first suggests an ongoing interest among sociocultural anthropologists in new forms and contexts of market capitalism and a deepening concern for the multiple, complex, and even contradictory orientations to those forms by social actors caught up in them. The second reveals a concern with the imbrications of political and scientific epistemologies, particularly as they emerge in state policies and actions around issues of public health, the environment, and agriculture. Where they come together is in the number of studies whose objects of inquiry reside at the nexus where science, politics, and markets meet in what they see as the creeping expansion of neoliberal logics and their implications for the state as a political formation. [Keywords: sociocultural anthropology, neoliberalism, science studies, public health, capitalism] [source] A new form of collaboration in cultural anthropology: Matsutake worldsAMERICAN ETHNOLOGIST, Issue 2 2009TIMOTHY K. CHOY ABSTRACT Experiments in collaboration open new investigative possibilities for cultural anthropologists. In this report, we use our research on matsutake mushrooms to show the promise of collaborative experiments for ethnographers of scale making, global connection, and human,nonhuman relations. Anna Tsing introduces. Mogu Mogu (Timothy Choy and Shiho Satsuka) argue that the mushroomic figure of mycorrhizal life illuminates workings of capital and power, nature and culture. Lieba Faier examines contingency,through the effect of weather and bugs on matsutake production,as a form of self-positioning that emerges from local understandings of connection. Michael Hathaway uses postcolonial science studies to examine the transnational production, flow, and transformation of scientific knowledge about matsutake. Miyako Inoue discusses the anthropological subject that emerges through the kind of collaboration envisioned and practiced by the Matsutake Worlds Research Group. [collaboration, postcolonial science studies, multisited ethnography, naturecultures, contingency, knowledge production] [source] Theorizing modernity conspiratorially: Science, scale, and the political economy of public discourse in explanations of a cholera epidemicAMERICAN ETHNOLOGIST, Issue 2 2004Charles L. Briggs ABSTRACT When some five hundred people in eastern Venezuela died from cholera in 1992,93, officials responded by racializing the dead as "indigenous people" and suggesting that "their culture" was to blame. Stories that circulated in affected communities talked back to official accounts, alleging that the state, global capitalism, and international politics were complicit in a genocidal plot. It is easy to attribute such conspiracy theories to differences of culture and epistemology. I argue, rather, that how political economies position different players in the processes through which public discourses circulate, excluding some communities from access to authoritative sources of information and denying them means of transforming their narratives into public discourse, provides a more fruitful line of analysis. In this article I use,and talk back to,research on science studies, globalization, and public discourse to think about how conspiracy theories can open up new ways for anthropologists to critically engage the contemporary politics of exclusion and help us all find strategies for survival. [source] Science, Modernity, and the Making of China's One-Child PolicyPOPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, Issue 2 2003Susan Greenhalgh China's one-child-per-couple policy represents an extraordinary attempt to engineer national wealth, power, and global standing by drastically braking population growth. Despite the policy's external notoriety and internal might, its origins remain obscure. In the absence of scholarly research on this question, public discourse in the United States has been shaped by media representations portraying the policy as the product of a repressive communist regime. This article shows that the core ideas underlying the one-child policy came instead from Western science, in particular from the Club of Rome's world-in-crisis work of the early 1970s. Drawing on research in science studies, the article analyzes the two notions lying at the policy's core,that China faced a virtual "population crisis" and that the one-child policy was "the only solution" to it,as human constructs forged by specific groups of scientists working in particular, highly consequential contexts. It documents how the fundamentally political process of constituting population as an object of science and governance was then depoliticized by scientizing rhetorics that presented China's population crisis and its only solution as numerically describable, objective facts. By probing the human and historical character of population research, this article underscores the complexity of demographic knowledge-making and the power of scientific practices in helping constitute demographic reality itself. [source] Scientific infrastructure design: Information environments and knowledge provincesPROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2007Karen S. Baker Conceptual models and design processes shape the practice of information infrastructure building in the sciences. We consider two distinct perspectives: (i) a cyber view of disintermediation where information technology enables data flow from the ,field' and on to the digital doorstep of the general end-user, and (ii) an intermediated view with bidirectional communications where local participants act as mediators within an information environment. Drawing from the literatures of information systems and science studies, we argue that differences in conceptual models have critical implications for users and their working environments. While the cyber view is receiving a lot of attention in current scientific efforts, highlighting the multiplicity of knowledge provinces with their respective worldviews opens up understandings of sociotechnical design processes and of knowledge work. The concept of a range of knowledge provinces enables description of dynamic configurations with shifting boundaries and supports planning for a diversity of arrangements across the digital landscape. [source] Working artefacts: ethnomethods of the prototypeTHE BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY, Issue 2 2002Lucy Suchman ABSTRACT This paper follows recent science studies in theorizing information technologies as socio-material configurations, aligned into more and less durable forms. The study of how new technologies emerge shifts, on this view, from a focus on invention to an interest in ongoing practices of assembly, demonstration, and performance. This view is developed in relation to the case of the ,prototype', an exploratory technology designed to effect alignment between the multiple interests and working practices of technology research and development, and sites of technologies-in-use. In so far as it is successful, the prototype works as an exemplary artefact that is at once intelligibly familiar to the actors involved, and recognizably new. [source] Poetics of Memory: In Defence of Literary Experimentation with Holocaust Survivor TestimonyANTHROPOLOGY & HUMANISM, Issue 1 2010Frances Rapport SUMMARY This article defends literary experimentation through poetics, suggesting it is both valid and powerful for re-presenting social data. The article concentrates on methodological debates surrounding the use of poetics in social science studies, contextualizing the theoretical with exemplars taken from a study of Holocaust survivors' life stories that aimed to clarify whether notions of health and well-being were in evidence in survivor testimony. In so doing, the article raises an interesting question: "What happens when a poet and a qualitative health researcher work on the same sections of transcribed text?" The article argues for the value of poetics as a working method with oral histories of this kind, suggesting its major strength is to uphold processes of personal transformation via layers of differently mediated dialogue: between participant and researcher, researcher and reader, and the like. The article concludes with a discussion of how poetics might be useful to support others' research studies. [source] THE CHALLENGE OF ,TECHNOLOGICAL CHOICES'FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE APPROACHES IN ARCHAEOLOGY,ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 1 2000B. SILLAR Recently several anthropological and sociological studies have interpreted technologies as cultural choices that are determined as much by local perceptions and the social context fly any material constraints or purely functional criteria. Using the example of ceramic technology we consider how materials science studies can contribute to and benefit from this understanding of technology as a social construct. Although we acknowledge some potential difficulties, it is our contention that both materials scientists and archaeologists have gained much and have much to gain by cooperating together to study ancient technologies, and that the concept of ,technological choices'can facilitate a wider consideration of the factors shaping technological developments. [source] On the Outskirts of Physics: Eva von Bahr as an Outsider Within in Early 20th Century Swedish Experimental PhysicsCENTAURUS, Issue 1 2009Staffan Wennerholm Abstract Eva von Bahr (1874,1962) got her doctorate in experimental physics at the Physics Institute at Uppsala University in 1908. Subsequently she became the first woman assistant professor in physics in Sweden. In the face of many obstacles, she worked as a physicist for six years in Uppsala and Berlin. In 1914 she took a position as a school teacher. This article explores von Bahr's trajectory through academic experimental physics. It is argued that network connections with male scientists enabled her work. Her associations were a mix between institutional relationships and informal connections, resulting in what is labeled a ,hybrid of connections'. Furthermore it is argued that von Bahr became an ,outsider within' in academic experimental physics. Her connections created openings, but these coexisted with hindrances. It is argued that von Bahr oscillated between being an insider and an outsider which created a fractured identity. Her position and identity was a mix between membership and non-membership. Through examining von Bahr's career this article aims to bring together historical research on women in science and theoretical work in science studies. Furthermore, the article argues the analytical value of feminist perspectives on scientific collaborations as a way to a deeper understanding of the network structures of science. [source] | ||||||||||||||||