Storytelling in den Vereinten Nationen: Mahbub ul Haq und menschliche Entwicklung

Ausgehend von der Beobachtung, dass Mitarbeiter der Vereinten Nationen eine wichtige Rolle in Prozessen des ideellen Wandels auf internationaler Ebene spielen können, beschäftigt sich dieser Beitrag mit einer bestimmten Form individuellem Einflusses – dem storytelling. Mein Verständnis von storytelling als Einflusstaktik kombiniert dabei kollektive Elemente der soziologischen Praxistheorie mit den reflexiven, akteursbezogenen Überlegungen von Michel de Certeau. Ich analysiere storytelling anhand von drei analytischen Elementen: einem (chronologischen) Plot, einer Reihe von Charakteren und einem interpretativen Thema – die jeweils ihre Wirkung im Zusammenspiel mit der Subjektivität ihres storytellers entfalten. Ich illustriere diese theoretischen Überlegungen mit dem Fall von Mahbub ul Haq, dem es als Sonderberater des United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-Administrators zu Beginn der 1990er Jahre gelungen ist, die Idee der menschlichen Entwicklung im System der Vereinten Nationen und der internationalen Entwicklungspolitik zu etablieren

Normative resistance to responsibility to protect in times of emerging multipolarity: the cases of Brazil and Russia

This article assesses the normative resistance to Responsibility to Protect adopted by Brazil and Russia against the backdrop of their international identities and self-assigned roles in a changing global order. Drawing upon the framework of Bloomsfield's norm dynamics role spectrum, it argues that while the ambiguous Russian role regarding this principle represents an example of 'norm antipreneurship', particularities of Brazil's resistance are better grasped by a new category left unaccounted for by this model, which this study portrays as 'contesting entrepreneur'.- (undefined

Quantitative assessment and functional correlates of cardiac mechanics and energetics in newborn infants

Introduction: As preterm birth and survival rates continue to rise, circulatory failure remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Structural and functional variations in circulatory physiology within the preterm population have been described, secondary to pre and post natal factors. This study applied magnetic resonance imaging techniques to assess cardiac function; analysed suitable techniques for indexing functional parameters by body size and applied a novel method of body composition quantification to investigate the impact of varying growth patterns on cardiac measures. Methods: Steady state free precession MRI imaging was used to analyse cardiac function in 78 preterm neonates. Analysis techniques were validated by comparison to phase contrast measures in 40 infants. Current methods of indexing for body size were compared. A modified DIXON whole body MRI scan utilising chemical shift was validated in phantoms and in vivo and successfully applied to 20 infants to assess adipose tissue content. Results: Validation of acquisition and analysis techniques demonstrated an acceptable level of accuracy. Functional measures indexed by body weight generally decreased with increasing corrected gestational age but patterns were altered when indexed by body surface area. Allometric transformation did not significantly improve correlation between size and function. Full body MDIXON scans demonstrated variations in body fat percentage of between 15 and 25%. Indexing cardiac function by lean body mass gave differing trends to total weight. Conclusions: Analysis of cardiac function in preterm neonates using MRI can be used to describe normative ranges and causes of variation for functional parameters. However, until an appropriate indexing technique for body size can be determined, the impact of pre and post natal factors cannot be fully understood. Analysis of body composition using MRI imaging may present a new indexing technique and allow us to investigate the effects of different growth patterns on cardiac function.Open Acces

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance of cardiac function and myocardial mass in preterm infants:a preliminary study of the impact of patent ductus arteriosus

Background Many pathologies seen in the preterm population are associated with abnormal blood supply, yet robust evaluation of preterm cardiac function is scarce and consequently normative ranges in this population are limited. The aim of this study was to quantify and validate left ventricular dimension and function in preterm infants using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). An initial investigation of the impact of the common congenital defect patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) was then carried out. Methods Steady State Free Procession short axis stacks were acquired. Normative ranges of left ventricular end diastolic volume (EDV), stroke volume (SV), left ventricular output (LVO), ejection fraction (EF), left ventricular (LV) mass, wall thickness and fractional thickening were determined in “healthy” (control) neonates. Left ventricular parameters were then investigated in PDA infants. Unpaired student t-tests compared the 2 groups. Multiple linear regression analysis assessed impact of shunt volume in PDA infants, p-value ≤ 0.05 being significant. Results 29 control infants median (range) corrected gestational age at scan 34+6(31+1-39+3) weeks were scanned. EDV, SV, LVO, LV mass normalized by weight and EF were shown to decrease with increasing corrected gestational age (cGA) in controls. In 16 PDA infants (cGA 30+3(27+3-36+1) weeks) left ventricular dimension and output were significantly increased, yet there was no significant difference in ejection fraction and fractional thickening between the two groups. A significant association between shunt volume and increased left ventricular mass correcting for postnatal age and corrected gestational age existed. Conclusion CMR assessment of left ventricular function has been validated in neonates, providing more robust normative ranges of left ventricular dimension and function in this population. Initial investigation of PDA infants would suggest that function is relatively maintained