Tony Abbott: the expert the UK has been waiting for?

Is Tony Abbott the expert the UK has been waiting for, asks Laurenz Mathei? Putting aside his exclusionary views, the appointment of the Australian is questionable, he maintains

Brexit, batteries and the fate of the British car industry

While the British automobile industry was spared from costly tariffs in the Trade and Cooperation agreement (the Brexit deal), Bob Hancké and Laurenz Mathei argue that strict Rules of Origin requirements could spell its demise in the near future if the UK doesn’t boost its efforts to establish a large-scale battery supply chain

Dancing in the dark: what Brexit means for UK-EU trade and UK industry

The post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the UK and the EU is nominally a free trade agreement for goods. Bob Hancké, Laurenz Mathei and Artus Galiay examine in more detail what the agreement does and does not mean for trade. They argue the agreement falls some way short of establishing ‘free trade’ and that the combination of Brexit, wider secular societal and industrial trends, and the pandemic are creating a perfect storm for British exporting companies

UK-EU trade: the combination of Brexit, wider societal and industrial trends, and COVID-19 is creating a perfect storm for British exporting companies

The post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the UK and the EU is nominally a free trade agreement for goods. Bob Hancké, Laurenz Mathei and Artus Galiay examine in more detail what the agreement does and does not mean for trade. They explain why it falls some way short of establishing ‘free trade’

Avaliação de técnicas de classificação para dados desbalanceados

Orientador: Prof. Dr. Luiz Eduardo Soares de OliveiraMonografia (especialização) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Exatas, Curso de Especialização em Data Science e Big DataInclui referênciasResumo: Um conjunto de dados desbalanceado ocorre quando há diferença no número de amostras em diferentes classes. A fase de aprendizagem para a predição do modelo pode ser afetada em caso de dados desbalanceados. Então, neste estudo, foram aplicadas técnicas de oversampling e undesampling para lidar com dados desbalanceados. Os resultados mostraram um melhor desempenho do modelo Random Forest e das técnicas de oversampling para as métricas acurácia e precisão, um melhor desempenho das técnicas de oversampling para a métrica F1 e um melhor desempenho das técnicas de undersampling para as métricas recall e área sob a curva ROCAbstract: An imbalanced data occurs when there is a difference between the distribution of classes within a dataset. Machine learning models can be influenced by imbalanced datasets. So, in this study, it was applied the oversampling and undersampling techniques to deal with imbalanced data. The results show a better model performance for Random Forest and oversampling techniques for accuracy and precision metrics, a better oversampling performance for F1 metric, and a better undersampling performance for recall and ROC curve metric

Effect of stigma reduction intervention strategies on HIV test uptake in low- and middle-income countries:A realist review protocol

Background Several stigma reduction intervention strategies have been developed and tested for effectiveness in terms of increasing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) test uptake. These strategies have been more effective in some contexts and less effective in others. Individual factors, such as lack of knowledge and fear of disclosure, and social-contextual factors, such as poverty and illiteracy, might influence the effect of stigma reduction intervention strategies on HIV test uptake in low- and middle-income countries. So far, it is not clearly known how the stigma reduction intervention strategies interact with these contextual factors to increase HIV test uptake. Therefore, we will conduct a review that will synthesize existing studies on stigma reduction intervention strategies to increase HIV test uptake to better understand the mechanisms underlying this process in low- and middle-income countries. Methods A realist review will be conducted to unpack context-mechanism-outcome configurations of the effect of stigma reduction intervention strategies on HIV test uptake. Based on a scoping review, we developed a preliminary theoretical framework outlining a potential mechanism of how the intervention strategies influence HIV test uptake. Our realist synthesis will be used to refine the preliminary theoretical framework to better reflect mechanisms that are supported by existing evidence. Journal articles and grey literature will be searched following a purposeful sampling strategy. Data will be extracted and tested against the preliminary theoretical framework. Data synthesis and analysis will be performed in five steps: organizing extracted data into evidence tables, theming, formulating chains of inference from the identified themes, linking the chains of inference and developing generative mechanisms, and refining the framework. Discussion This will be the first realist review that offers both a quantitative and a qualitative exploration of the available evidence to develop and propose a theoretical framework that explains why and how HIV stigma reduction intervention strategies influence HIV test uptake in low- and middle-income countries. Our theoretical framework is meant to provide guidance to program managers on identifying the most effective stigma reduction intervention strategies to increase HIV test uptake. We also include advice on how to effectively implement these strategies to reduce the rate of HIV transmission.status: publishe

Interação entre as áreas funcionais do sistema visual e do sistema vestibular: estudo com RMF e EGV

The static body equilibrium is controlled by three sensory systems: the vestibular system, responsible for informing the position and the movements of the head; the visual system, which informs the spatial objects position relative to the body; and the proprioceptive system, which controls posture and body movements. These three systems must always work in harmony, otherwise the individual will present balance problems. Thus, it is important to characterize the cortical regions, as well as their interactions, involved in this process. For this it is necessary to use functional neuroimaging techniques, the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is one of the most used techniques in this field nowadays. However, a large fMRI experiments require the use of electronic devices for producing somatosensory stimulation in the human body, where the main difficulty is its hostile environment for electronic circuits. The galvanic vestibular stimulation is one of the most used methods to stimulate the vestibular system. This stimulation consist of applying a low current amplitude directly on vestibular afferents, which acts firing the primary vestibular neurons, affecting the otolithic afferents and the semicircular canals fibers. The objective of this work is to evaluate and analyze the brain areas involved with visual and galvanic vestibular stimulations and their interactions using fMRI. Therefore, as a first step of this research, a galvanic vestibular stimulator was validated in vivo. The electrical stimulator did not interfere in a significance way on magnetic resonance images quality and could be safely used in fMRI experiments. Tests were performed to select an electrode sufficiently comfortable for the volunteer during the galvanic vestibular stimulation and that do not cause artifacts in the images. After completed these steps, 24 subjects were selected to perform three tasks: a purely visual (a flashing checkerboard in the center of the screen), a purely vestibular (with application of galvanic vestibular stimulation) and a simultaneous, presenting the visual and vestibular stimuli together. The purely visual stimulation showed activation of the primary and associative visual cortices, while the purely vestibular stimulation led to activation of areas involved in multimodal function of the vestibular system, such as the parieto-insular vestibular cortex, the inferior parietal lobe, the superior temporal gyrus, the precentral gyrus and the cerebellum. The simultaneous stimulation of visual and vestibular systems resulted in activation of the middle and inferior frontal gyri. In addition to the reciprocal inhibitory visualvestibular interaction pattern had been more evident during the simultaneous condition, it was observed that frontal regions (dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and superior frontal gyrus) are involved with the executive function processing when there is conflicting information of visual and vestibular systems.CAPES, CNPqO equilíbrio estático corporal é comandado por três sistemas sensoriais: o sistema vestibular, responsável pelas informações sobre a posição e os movimentos da cabeça; o sistema visual, que informa a posição espacial dos objetos em relação ao nosso corpo; e o sistema proprioceptivo, que controla a postura e a movimentação corporal. Estes três sistemas devem funcionar sempre em sintonia, caso contrário, o indivíduo apresentará problemas de equilíbrio. Dessa forma, é importante caracterizar as regiões corticais, bem como suas interações, envolvidas neste processo. Para isto, é necessário a utilização de técnicas de neuroimagem funcional, sendo a ressonância magnética funcional (RMf) uma das técnicas mais utilizadas neste campo nos dias de hoje. Entretanto, uma grande parte dos experimentos de RMf requer o uso de aparelhos eletrônicos para produzir estimulações somatosensoriais no corpo humano, onde a principal dificuldade é o seu ambiente hostil aos circuitos eletrônicos. A estimulação galvânica vestibular é um dos métodos mais utilizados para estimular o sistema vestibular. Esta consiste em fornecer uma corrente de baixa amplitude diretamente nas aferências vestibulares, a qual atua no disparo dos neurônios vestibulares primários atingindo principalmente as aferências otolíticas e as fibras dos canais semicirculares. O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar e avaliar as áreas cerebrais envolvidas com as estimulações visual e galvânica vestibular e suas interações, utilizando a técnica de RMf e um estimulador galvânico vestibular. Para tanto, como primeira etapa desta pesquisa, validou-se in vivo um estimulador galvânico vestibular. O estimulador elétrico não interferiu de forma significativa na qualidade das imagens de ressonância magnética e pode ser utilizado com segurança nos experimentos de RMf. Testes foram realizados para determinar um eletrodo suficientemente confortável para o voluntário durante a estimulação galvânica vestibular e que não causasse artefato nas imagens. Após estas etapas concluídas, 24 voluntários foram selecionados para realizarem três tarefas: uma puramente visual (um tabuleiro de xadrez piscante no centro da tela), uma puramente vestibular (pela aplicação da estimulação galvânica vestibular) e uma simultânea, com a apresentação em conjunto dos estímulos visual e vestibular. A estimulação puramente visual mostrou ativação dos córtices visual primário e associativo, enquanto que a estimulação puramente vestibular levou a ativação das principais áreas envolvidas com a função multimodal do sistema vestibular, como o córtex parietoinsular vestibular, o lóbulo parietal inferior, o giro temporal superior, o giro pré-central e o cerebelo. A estimulação simultânea dos sistemas visual e vestibular resultou na ativação dos giros frontal médio e inferior. Além do padrão de interação visual-vestibular inibitório recíproco ter sido mais evidente durante a condição simultânea, observou-se que as regiões frontais (córtex dorsomedial pré-frontal e giro frontal superior) estão envolvidas com o processamento da função executiva quando existem informações conflitantes dos sistemas visual e vestibular

Transition du patient malade chronique vers un style de vie physiquement actif : une étude de type DELPHI auprès d'experts du milieu sportif/associatif

peer reviewedIntroduction et objectifs Les interventions pour soutenir l’activité physique chez les patient atteint de cancer, de maladies cardiovasculaires ou de diabète sont de plus en plus nombreuses et efficaces 2 mais rare sont les tentatives de faire se rejoindre les mondes sportifs/associatifs et (para-)médicaux. Une fois sorti d’une structure médicalisée, il reste un certain nombre de barrières avant d’atteindre un niveau d’autonomie permettant au patient malade chronique de poursuivre son engagement dans l’activité physique 1. L’objectif de cette étude est dede recueillir l’avis des experts du milieu sportif/associatif de manière à pouvoir dégager des solutions d’interventions concrètes pour promouvoir un style de vie actif chez ces patients, Méthodologie Cette recherche suit la méthodologie « DELPHI ». Ce type d’étude se construit autour de plusieurs questionnaires qui ont pour objectif d’obtenir un avis aussi consensuel que possible sur des événements futurs grâce à un processus structuré de communication organisant la production et l'agrégation des opinions d'un groupe indépendant d'experts 3. Une cinquantaine d’experts du monde sportif/associatif (responsables de fédération, entraineurs, gestionnaires d’infrastructures,…) ont donc été recrutés de manière à obtenir un résultat le plus représentatif possible. Ces experts ont été amenés à répondre à trois questionnaires en ligne envoyés à deux mois d’intervalles, et se construisant systématiquement sur base des résultats de la collecte précédente afin d’arriver progressivement à un consensus. Résultats, discussion, conclusions & perspectives Bien que de nombreux initiatives sont mises en place pour augmenter la littératie de la santé 4, celles qui optimisent la continuité de la pratique entre les milieux de la santé et du sport sont moins développées à l’heure actuelle. La finalisation de cette étude est programmée pour le mois de mai 2022. En associant nos résultats aux besoins des patients souffrant de pathologie chronique, nous pourrons dégager des modalités d’interventions pertinentes en faveur d’une pratique pérenne d’activité physique

Optimizing community-driven development through sage tradition in Cameroon

Powering community development requires a re-invention of traditional authority. This paper interrogates this proposition: how does sage tradition engender social resilience and what is the impact of traditional authority on the modern governance architecture? Sage tradition construed culturally as elder-led authority is anchored on wisdom and respect for elders—a pivotal asset in community development transactions. Informed by indigenous knowledge, social capital and asset-based concepts, an empirical account of strategic leadership by the elderly is proffered, uncovering indigenous governance in the North West Region, Cameroon. A pyramidal power structure validates village elders as key players in advancing social justice. They offer counsel and arbitrate in community affairs and mobilise community members for infrastructure provision—community halls, equipping schools, digging roads, building bridges and supply of fresh water. Though elder esteemed traditions prove perfunctory, findings show communities are benefiting from the accumulated, incremental cultural assets factored into local development. The paper concludes that thriving cultural assets should be amalgamated through a policy drive that taps into the utility of traditional authority, in synergy with modern state institutions to bolster social development, address poverty and social inequality