Arguments For and Against Communication on Policy Intentions

This article identifies, describes and analyzes arguments for and against more transparent government communication about its policy intentions. In our view the advantages from improved government communication are: (a) the Government can counterbalance misleading and/or incorrect information from the opposition; (b) communication about policy intentions can reduce and/or avoid possible public surprises, misunderstandings, resistance, frustrations and speculations, and increase efficiency; and (c) due to such communication, citizens are informed regarding several points of view, which is an important democratic value. We see the disadvantages of greater transparency as: (a) public money may be used to spread propaganda; (b) there is an increased risk of confusion between policy intentions and actual policy decisions; and (c) the Parliament is not the first body to be informed about the Government’s intention

E-democracy: exploring the current stage of e-government

Governments around the world have been pressured to implement e-Government programs in order to improve the government-citizen dialogue. The authors of this article review prior literature on such efforts to find if they lead to increased democratic participation ("e-Democracy") for the affected citizens, with a focus on the key concepts of transparency, openness, and engagement. The authors find that such efforts are a starting point toward e-Democracy, but the journey is far from complete

Newspaper communication on global warming: Different approaches in the US and the EU?

Global warming is one of the major policy challenges for contemporary societies. The construction and implementation of an environmental policy largely depends on public attitudes. Those public attitudes can be influenced by the mass media in several ways. Therefore, exploring the quality of the media coverage on global warming is important. So far content analyses of the communication on climate change have mostly focused on the USA and the UK press. Although the UK coverage has been examined several times, content analyses in other European countries are very sparse. Research of the EU coverage should be broadened, because previous research suggests that there might be differences in the way American and European media report on global climate change. Content analyses in the US press have shown that in many articles the emphasis is on scientific uncertainty. This critical reporting is less prominent in the UK, and in Germany the emphasis is on scientific certainty. On the other hand, the UK press reflects a very alarmist tone when it covers global warming and Germany describes global warming as a ‘climate catastrophe’, while US newspapers tend to use a more neutral tone. Because these results suggest that there might be differences between US and EU reporting, we argue that more research in Europe is needed and suggest a research method for pursuing it. Keywords: global warming, climate change, press communication, USA, EU, cultural differences/influence

Professionele onderzoekstaal in lerarenopleidingen basisonderwijs

Diederen, S., Geldens, J., Pauw, I., Popeijus, H., & Brand-Gruwel, S. (2010, June). Professionele onderzoekstaal in lerarenopleidingen basisonderwijs. Poster presented at the 37th Onderwijs Research Dagen (ORD), Enschede, Nederland.Om op te kunnen leiden tot onderzoekende leraren is het noodzakelijk dat hiertoe benodigde competenties helder zijn voor de lerarenopleiding. Aannemelijk is dat professionele onderzoekstaal een belangrijke rol speelt bij het verwerven van onderzoekscompetenties. Taal is essentieel bij competentieontwikkeling (o.a. Klarus, 2003; Pauw, 2007), en onderwijsonderzoek beoogt de praktijk te verbeteren door deel te nemen aan de taalgemeenschap van de beroepsgroep (Klarus, 2003). Aanstaande leraren dienen het concrete professionele taalgebruik van docenten en leraren over te nemen om zich als professional te kunnen ontwikkelen (Pauw, 2007). Dat professionele taal niet automatisch ontwikkeld wordt blijkt uit de onderzoeksresultaten van Schrijver en Pauw (2009) en Schrijver, Visser en Pauw (2010) die een (grote) discrepantie laten zien tussen de verwachting van de docent over de te beheersen professionele taal en de feitelijke professionele taal. Dit onderzoek heeft als doel inzicht te krijgen in onderzoekscompetenties en de professionele taal die aanstaande leraren moeten verwerven om een onderzoekende leraar te worden. (De aard van) de mogelijke discrepantie tussen de wenselijke professionele onderzoekstaal van aanstaande leraren volgens docenten en sleutelpersonen en de feitelijke professionele onderzoekstaal van aanstaande leraren wordt daarbij in kaart gebracht. De resultaten kunnen gebruikt worden om verbeteringen voor te kunnen stellen ten aanzien van onderwijs over en begeleiding van onderzoek(sactiviteiten) binnen het curriculum van de lerarenopleiding basisonderwijs. Aan dit onderzoek hebbe

Baseline assessment of WHO's target for both availability and affordability of essential medicines to treat non-communicable diseases

Background: WHO has set a voluntary target of 80% availability of affordable essential medicines, including generics, to treat major non-communicable diseases (NCDs), in the public and private sectors of countries by 2025. We undertook a secondary analysis of data from 30 surveys in low- and middle-income countries, conducted from 2008-2015 using the World Health Organization (WHO)/Health Action International (HAI) medicine availability and price survey methodology, to establish a baseline for this target. Methods Data for 49 medicines (lowest priced generics and originator brands) to treat cardiovascular diseases (CVD), diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and central nervous system (CNS) conditions were analysed to determine their availability in healthcare facilities and pharmacies, their affordability for those on low incomes (based on median patient prices of each medicine), and the percentage of medicines that were both available and affordable. Affordability was expressed as the number of days' wages of the lowestpaid unskilled government worker needed to purchase 30 days' supply using standard treatment regimens. Paying more than 1 days' wages was considered unaffordable. Findings In low-income countries, 15.2% and 18.9% of lowest-priced generics met WHO's target in the public and private sectors, respectively, and 2.6% and 5.2% of originator brands. In lower-middle income countries, 23.8% and 23.2% of lowest priced generics, and 0.8% and 1.4% of originator brands, met the target in the public and private sectors, respectively. In upper-middle income countries, the situation was better for generics but still suboptimal as 36.0% and 39.4% met the target in public and private sectors, respectively. For originator brands in upper-middle income countries, none reached the target in the public sector and 13.7% in the private sector. Across the therapeutic groups for lowest priced generics, CVD medicines in low-income countries (11.9%), and CNS medicines in lower-middle (10.2%) and upper-middle income countries (33.3%), were least available and affordable in the public sector. In the private sector for lowest priced generics, CNS medicines were least available and affordable in all three country income groups (11.4%, 5.8% and 29.3% in low-, lower-middle and upper-middle income countries respectively). Interpretation This data, which can act as a baseline for the WHO target, shows low availability and/or poor affordability is resulting in few essential NCD medicines meeting the target in low- and middle-income countries. In the era of Sustainable Development Goals, and as countries work to achieve Universal Health Coverage, increased commitments are needed by governments to improve the situation through the development of evidence-informed, nationallycontextualised interventions, with regular monitoring of NCD medicine availability, patient prices and affordability.IS

Physical and structural properties and thermal behaviour of starch-poly(ɛ-caprolactone) blend films for food packaging

[EN] Structural and physical properties (barrier, mechanical, and optical properties) and thermal behaviour of corn starch-PCL blend films, containing glycerol as plasticizer, obtained by compression moulding, at 160 °C and 130 bars, were studied. The stability on the films properties was also evaluated. Blend films showed phase separation of the polymers in a heterogeneous matrix with starch rich regions and PCL rich regions. Nevertheless, a small miscibility of PCL in the starch phase was detected trough the shift in the glass transition temperature of the starch phase, which leads to a partial inhibition of amylose crystallization during film formation and storage. The lack of interfacial adhesion of PCL and starch phases promoted films fragility and reduced stretchability, although elastic modulus of the films with small PCL ratios increased. Water barrier properties of starch films were improved as the PCL increased in the blend, but oxygen permeability increased. Due to the food compatibility of this polymer blends (without any toxic compound) these could be an interesting alternative for food packaging, where some drawbacks of starch films has been overcome.The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Ministerio de Economi'a y Competitividad (Spain) throughout the project AGL2013-42989-R. Rodrigo Ortega-Toro thanks the Conselleria de Educacio de la Comunitat Valenciana for the Santiago Grisolia grant. Authors also thank to Electron Microscopy Service of the UPV for their technical assistance.Ortega Toro, R.; Contreras, J.; Talens Oliag, P.; Chiralt, A. (2015). Physical and structural properties and thermal behaviour of starch-poly(ɛ-caprolactone) blend films for food packaging. Food Packaging and Shelf Life. 5:10-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2015.04.001S1020

The AppNL-G-F mouse retina is a site for preclinical Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and research

In this study, we report the results of a comprehensive phenotyping of the retina of the AppNL-G-F mouse. We demonstrate that soluble Aβ accumulation is present in the retina of these mice early in life and progresses to Aβ plaque formation by midlife. This rising Aβ burden coincides with local microglia reactivity, astrogliosis, and abnormalities in retinal vein morphology. Electrophysiological recordings revealed signs of neuronal dysfunction yet no overt neurodegeneration was observed and visual performance outcomes were unafected in the AppNL-G-F mouse. Furthermore, we show that hyperspectral imaging can be used to quantify retinal Aβ, underscoring its potential as a biomarker for AD diagnosis and monitoring. These fndings suggest that the AppNL-G-F retina mimics the early, preclinical stages of AD, and, together with retinal imaging techniques, ofers unique opportunities for drug discovery and fundamental research into preclinical AD