Radical practice? Writing 'beyond' system

Might writing be at once the context or system that restricts and forms us but also, in some instances, the means to evade or transform this very system? The question posed in the call for papers for this conference outlines the very grounds upon which the writing subject may be seen as negotiating questions posed by artistic practice and creative research. Here these are formulated around ‘encounters’ between seemingly autonomous or pre-determined realms: between subjects and objects, between knowing and being, between aesthetic systems however defined. This view accepts the fragmentary definitional world of capitalist social relations. What I suggest is that the kind of subject that is at stake in creative practice and research has much in common with a kind of radical subjectivity. What I suggest is that writing is a practice that can be seen through the lens of Karl Marx’s notion of purposeful activity. Writing, in other words, is a critical/creative practice founding a radical view of subjectivity that attempts to overcome the dualism of subject and object via the category of human practice. Against an individual expressivist paradigm, or modes of thought that envision writing (and language) objectively, this might be called radical practice in that writing is a critical/creative practice: critical in that it is against what exists, and creative in that it seeks to move beyond it.

Tuning radical species in graphene oxide in aqueous solution by photoirradiation

Graphene oxide (GO) possesses unusual electronic and mechanical properties, including the ability to stabilize graphene radicals (GRs). However, controlled generation of GRs remains a challenge for applications requiring large-scale production. In this study, we demonstrate controlled production of GRs by UVB irradiation of GO solutions. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy of GO solutions revealed a dose-dependent exponential growth in radical production as a function of UVB exposure time. The GRs were air-stable over a long period, both in the solution state and in freeze-dried powders, suggesting they are graphene-based phenalenyl-like radicals. The redox activity of GRs was demonstrated by their ability to oxidize the chromophore 3,5,3?,5?- tetramethylbenzidine, with oxidation capacity of GO increasing with GR content.

Violence and the sacred : Patrick White's radical vision

This chapter focuses on both the fiction of Patrick White and the connections between sacredness and violence.

The ProCaSP study: quality of life outcomes of prostate cancer patients after radiotherapy or radical prostatectomy in a cohort study urological oncology

Background: This study describes and compares health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of prostate cancer patients who received either radical prostatectomy (nerve-sparing, nsRP, or non-nerve-sparing, nnsRP) or radiotherapy (external RT, brachytherapy, or both combined) for treatment of localised prostate cancer. Methods: The prospective, multicenter cohort study included 529 patients. Questionnaires included the IIEF, QLQ-C30, and PORPUS-P. Data were collected before (baseline), three, six, twelve, and twenty-four months after treatment. Differences between groups' baseline characteristics were assessed; changes over time were analysed with generalised estimating equations (GEE). Missing values were treated with multiple imputation. Further, scores at baseline and end of follow-up were compared to German reference data. Results: The typical time trend was a decrease of average HRQOL three months after treatment followed by (partial) recovery. RP patients experienced considerable impairment in sexual functioning. The covariate-adjusted GEE identified a significant - but not clinically relevant - treatment effect for diarrhoea (b∈=∈7.0 for RT, p∈=∈0.006) and PORPUS-P (b∈=∈2.3 for nsRP, b∈=∈2.2 for RT, p∈=∈0.045) compared to the reference nnsRP. Most of the HRQOL scores were comparable to German norm values. Conclusions: Findings from previous research were reproduced in a specific setting of a patient cohort in the German health care system. According to the principle of evidence-based medicine, this strengthens the messages regarding treatment in prostate cancer and its impacts on patients' health-related quality of life. After adjustment for baseline HRQOL and other covariates, RT patients reported increased symptoms of diarrhoea, and nnsRP patients decreased prostate-specific HRQOL. RP patients experienced considerable impairment in sexual functioning. These differences should be taken into account by physicians when choosing the best therapy for a patient.

Adult education and radical habitus in an environmental campaign: learning in the coal seam gas protests in Australia

Summary: This paper examines the adult learning dimensions of protestors as they participate in a campaign to stop coal seam gas exploration in Gippsland in Central Victoria, Australia. On a global level, the imposition of coal seam gas exploration by governments and mining companies has been the trigger for movements of resistance from environmental groups. They are concerned about the impact of mining on their land, food and water supplies. In central Gippsland a group of ‘circumstantial activists’ comprised of farmers, tree changers and other local residents are campaigning against coal seam gas exploration. This unlikely coalition of environmental action groups has made effective use of a variety of community education strategies. This paper commences by outlining some of the key literature on learning and activism drawing on the education tradition of adult learning. We then draw on key concepts from Bourdieu’s writing on ‘habitus’ and ‘field’ to analyse the data from this research. We outline some of the learning practices of activists; through their involvement in this campaign, and the knowledge and skills they gain as they develop a feel for the game of protest. We argue circumstantial activists learn both formally and informally in the social environment of campaigning. Of particular interest is the role of more experienced activists from Friends of the Earth (FOE), a non-government organisation (NGO), as they pass on knowledge, experience, tactics and strategies to the novice and less experienced activists in this community campaign. We explore some of the contradictions of the protestors’ identification as activists using Bourdieu’s concepts of ‘doxa’ and ‘Ilusio’. The paper concludes by arguing learning in activism is a rich tradition of adult education and practice. However, Bourdieu’s writing on field and habitus makes an added contribution to interpreting the learning that occurs in the social space of a campaign or social movement.

Brønsted acid-mediated radical processes in organic synthesis

This highlight focuses on recent applications of Brønsted acid-mediated radical processes across a range of reaction manifolds, including transition metal-based catalysis, photochemistry, and polymer science. A brief overview of significant research developments in the area and a discussion of the key mechanistic features of notable transformations are provided.

Democracia, princípios democráticos e legitimidade : novos desafios na vivência democrática

A democracia, ao lado dos direitos fundamentais, é uma conquista inegável da sociedade moderna. No entanto, o panorama mundial atual, somado a modificações operadas na sociedade nos últimos 50 anos, expuseram aspectos importantes da democracia moderna, especialmente ligados a uma virtual ineficácia e, ainda pior, uma eventual perda de legitimidade do modelo democrático.

Democracia participativa e desenvolvimento : a influência do orçamento participativo no desenvolvimento rural de Floriano Peixoto

Este trabalho analisa o orçamento participativo de Floriano Peixoto, considerando principalmente a participação dos cidadãos, além da sua influência no desenvolvimento municipal. O objetivo geral do trabalho é identificar e analisar o que motiva e o que, de outro lado, impõe obstáculos à participação engajada do cidadão de Floriano Peixoto no orçamento participativo, além disso analisa a influência do orçamento participativo na construção das estratégias de desenvolvimento rural de Floriano Peixoto. Os objetivos específicos são: resgatar a história da implantação e do desenvolvimento do orçamento participativo; interpretar a relação entre níveis de participação e quantidade de recursos públicos investidos nas demandas produzidas; verificar se o orçamento participativo produz comportamentos eleitorais; analisar a relação entre a cultura política local e o orçamento participativo A metodologia que foi utilizada discutiu a revisão bibliográfica de parte dos escritos sobre o tema, aplicou questionários semi-estruturados, e elaborou um quadro analítico considerando as variáveis que respondem a problemática proposta. As principais conclusões produzidas por esta pesquisa são que o orçamento participativo de Floriano Peixoto possibilita a participação do cidadão no planejamento e na gestão das políticas públicas municipais influenciando decisivamente no desenvolvimento local. A participação dos cidadãos no planejamento e na gestão dos recursos públicos municipais produz uma esfera pública que influencia de forma determinante no desenvolvimento municipal. Esta esfera pública possibilita tratar de forma diferenciada a parcela da população historicamente desfavorecida pelas políticas estatais na medida em que mantém critérios que lhes favoreçam. O espaço público constituído pelo orçamento participativo de Floriano Peixoto possibilita condições desiguais para grupos sociais diferentes, favorecendo os desfavorecidos na medida que um dos critérios determinantes para a disputa das políticas públicas é a participação, ou melhor, a quantidade de participantes