Foreign Investment, Large-scale Land Deals, and Uncertain "Development" in Sierra Leone. Impacts, Conflicts, and Security Concerns

Sierra Leone recently attracted significant inflows of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in export-oriented mining and agribusiness. These investments have usually involved large-scale land deals with local communities that have been facilitated and brokered by government officials, local politicians, and paramount chiefs. Affected people and communities were supposed to receive compensations for lost land and, in addition, they expected to find gainful employment opportunities with multinational companies. But they have often seen little of the FDI-driven development that they had expected and that had been promised to them. Based on available studies and my own field research, this paper will describe and discuss impacts, conflicts, and security concerns related to foreign investment in mining and agribusiness in Sierra Leone. Through these descriptions and discussions I hope to offer a disconcerting perspective into the uncertainties and ambiguities of FDI-driven development in Sierra Leone ‒ a “development” that has often brought no tangible betterment for affected people and communities but rather confirmed and even escalated experiences of marginalization and disappointment

Responding to Sexual Violence: How (De-)Politicization and Technicalization Shape Donor-Funded Interventions

This article introduces an analytical framework for studying and interpreting the sometimes surprisingly different ‘shapes’ (key topics and approaches) of donor-funded responses to sexual violence in and after armed conflict. Our framework highlights processes of politicization, depoliticization, and technicalization and their influence on interventions. Drawing on available studies, published documents, and our own field research in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sierra Leone, we show that donor-funded responses to sexual violence since the early 2000s have taken remarkably different shapes – despite the emergence of influential international policy narratives and roughly similar forms of sexual violence in both contexts. A focus on context-specific processes of politicization, depoliticization, and technicalization reveals how these differences came about and persisted over time. (De-)Politicization and technicalization of sexual violence as a ‘weapon of war’ in DRC have led to medicalized and security-centred statebuilding interventions in the county's eastern conflict zones. By contrast, donor-funded responses in Sierra Leone framed and addressed sexual violence as ‘domestic violence’ even before the war had officially ended. We find that these different shapes emerged from initial differences in (de)politicization and technicalization processes driven by different ‘first responders’ in both contexts, which created enduring path dependencies

Global Hierarchies and Unequal Pressures in the Report-Making of Truth Commissions

In this analytical essay, we situate truth commissions as relevant sites for International Relations (IR) research, in particular on professional communities and knowledge hierarchies. With an empirical focus on report-making, we argue that there is a need to rethink and revise established professional community concepts. While these concepts stress professional communities’ detachment from mundane pressures, we suggest a “pressure lens” to better grasp the key dynamics of expert knowledge production. Based on in-depth interpretive research on three truth commissions—in Sierra Leone, Kenya, and Tunisia—we set out to identify key dynamics in the report-making of truth commissions that contribute to the gap between high expectations and sobering realities regarding truth commissions as “victim-centred” policy instruments. Understanding the dynamics at play requires us to pay attention to unequal pressures—such as time and funding pressures, powerholder interference, and demands voiced by victims and survivors—that bear on the work of experts and professionals who produce truth commission reports. We argue that these pressures and, crucially, the ways in which they tend to play out under conditions of coloniality, are expressions of global hierarchies that shape professional report-making work.En este ensayo analítico, situamos a las comisiones de la verdad como lugares relevantes para la investigación en el campo de Relaciones Internacionales (RRII), en particular en lo referente a las comunidades profesionales y a las jerarquías de conocimiento. Argumentamos, con un enfoque empírico en la elaboración de informes, que es necesario repensar y revisar los conceptos establecidos por parte de la comunidad profesional. Si bien estos conceptos enfatizan el desapego por parte de las comunidades profesionales hacia las presiones mundanas, sugerimos una “lente de presión” para poder comprender mejor las dinámicas clave de la producción de conocimiento experto. Partimos de la base de una investigación interpretativa en profundidad sobre tres comisiones de la verdad (en Sierra Leona, Kenia y Túnez), con el propósito de identificar aquellas dinámicas clave en la elaboración de informes de las comisiones de la verdad que contribuyen a la brecha existente entre las altas expectativas y las realidades aleccionadoras con respecto a la concepción de las comisiones de la verdad como instrumentos políticos “centrados en las víctimas”. Para poder comprender las dinámicas en juego, es necesario que prestemos atención a las presiones desiguales (tales como las presiones en materia de tiempo y financiamiento, la interferencia de los poderosos y las demandas expresadas por víctimas y supervivientes), las cuales afectan al trabajo de los expertos y profesionales que producen los informes de las comisiones de la verdad. Argumentamos que estas presiones y, lo que es más importante, las formas en que tienden a desarrollarse en condiciones de colonialidad, son una expresión de las jerarquías globales que dan forma al trabajo profesional de elaboración de informes.Dans cette analyse, nous resituons les commissions de la vérité comme des sites pertinents de recherche en relations internationales (RI), et plus particulièrement s'agissant des communautés professionnelles et des hiérarchies de connaissances. Sur le plan empirique, nous nous concentrons sur la création de rapports et affirmons qu'il existe un besoin de repenser et de réviser les concepts établis sur les communautés professionnelles. Bien que ces concepts mettent l'accent sur le détachement des communautés professionnelles vis-à-vis des pressions mondaines, nous proposons un « angle de pression » pour mieux comprendre les dynamiques clés de la production de connaissances expertes. En nous fondant sur des travaux de recherche interprétative approfondie sur trois commissions de la vérité (en Sierra Leone, au Kenya et en Tunisie), nous nous proposons d'identifier les dynamiques clés de la création de rapports des commissions de la vérité qui contribuent à l’écart entre des attentes élevées et des réalités dégrisantes concernant les commissions de la vérité, des instruments politiques « centrés sur la victime ». Pour comprendre les dynamiques intrinsèques, nous devons nous intéresser à l'inégalité des pressions qui pèsent sur le travail des experts et des professionnels qui produisent les rapports de la commission de la vérité. Par exemple, les pressions du temps et du financement, l'interférence des détenteurs du pouvoir et les demandes des victimes et des survivants. Nous affirmons que ces pressions et, plus important encore, les façons dont elles s'expriment souvent dans des conditions de colonialité, révèlent les hiérarchies mondiales qui façonnent le travail professionnel de création de rapports

Zur Situation gehörloser Menschen im Alter (SIGMA)

In dem Projekt SIGMA wurden im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend erstmals aus der Perspektive gehörloser Menschen im Alter ihre individuellen Ressourcen sowie die Qualität und Quantität von Angeboten und Maßnahmen der Altenhilfe erforscht. Zwischen 2006 und 2009 wurden u.a. mehr als 200 gehörlose Menschen über 55 Jahre zu ihren spezifischen Lebensbedingungen und Lebensvorstellungen interviewt. Darüber hinaus wurden auch Experten zu der Versorgungssituation der Zielgruppe befragt. Die Ergebnisse belegen, dass für gehörlose Menschen auch im Alter der Kontakt zur Gehörlosengemeinschaft neben der Familie die zentrale soziale Ressource bildet. Sobald hier die Teilhabe aufgrund eingeschränkter Mobilität nicht mehr möglich ist, sind gehörlose Menschen besonders von Vereinsamung bedroht. Gehörlosen Menschen stehen von wenigen Ausnahmen abgesehen keine spezifischen Angebote zur Verfügung, die ihre sprachlichen und kulturellen Bedürfnisse angemessen berücksichtigen. Insbesondere Angebote der medizinischen und ambulanten Ver­sor­gung sowie Altenwohnheime, die hörenden Menschen zur Verfügung stehen, sind auf die kommunikativen Anforderungen gehörloser Menschen nicht vorbereitet

Making sense of girls empowerment in Sierra Leone: a conversation

This Testify article features a conversation about the emancipatory potentials and pitfalls of girls empowerment as practiced, experienced, and judged by Sierra Leonean activists. We – two scholars and four activists – discussed views on and experiences of girls empowerment approaches that have been interpreted in critical scholarly literature as a form of neoliberal responsibilization. Also within this critical literature, there is often the notion that these approaches may yet create openings for emancipatory agency and counter-conduct. However, it remains unclear whether this happens and to what extent. Our conversation centres activists’ views on the academic critique of girls empowerment and raises a number of questions, including: Why do many feminist activists in Sierra Leone embrace girls empowerment approaches? What do they see in them? How do they interpret and practice them? Where do they see potentials and pitfalls? And what is the role of donors

Acute corneal melt and perforation - A possible complication after riboflavin/UV-A crosslinking (CXL) in keratoconus.

Purpose To report two cases of acute corneal melting and perforation requiring emergency penetrating keratoplasty after corneal crosslinking (CXL) in advanced keratoconus. Observations Case 1 was a 34 and case 2 was a 16-year old male, both with progressive keratoconus, who underwent CXL (Dresden protocol). After riboflavin imbibition, patients had a minimal pachymetry of 337 μm and 347 μm, and therefore required stromal swelling by hypoosmolar riboflavin resulting in pachymetries of 470 μm and 422 μm, prior to the 30 minute UV-irradiation with 3mW/cm2. In case 1, on the 7th postoperative day a 4mm linear perforation occurred. Extensive post-hoc examinations revealed no infectious cause. In case 2, a corneal melting developed within 24 hours, from which Staphylococcus aureus was cultured. Conclusions and importance Acute corneal melting and perforation may occur after CXL. Dysfunctional collagen metabolism, atopia, thin preoperative pachymetry and the use of hypoosmolar substances may have initiated this complication in our cases

Longitudinal randomised controlled trials in rehabilitation post-stroke: a systematic review on the quality of reporting and use of baseline outcome values

Sauzet O, Kleine M, Menzel-Begemann A, Exner AK. Longitudinal randomised controlled trials in rehabilitation post-stroke: a systematic review on the quality of reporting and use of baseline outcome values. BMC Neurology. 2015;15(1): 99.Background The World Health Organisation stresses the need to collect high quality longitudinal data on rehabilitation and to improve the comparability between studies. This implies using all the information available and transparent reporting. We therefore investigated the quality of reported or planned randomised controlled trials on rehabilitation post-stroke with a repeated measure of physical functioning, provided recommendations on the presentation of results using regression parameters, and focused on the difficulties of adjustment for baseline outcome measures. Methods We performed a systematic review of the literature from 2011 to 2013 and collected information on the way data was analysed. Moreover we described various approaches to analyse the data using mixed models illustrated with real data. Results Eighty-four eligible studies were identified of which 61 % (51/84) failed to analyse the data longitudinally. Moreover, for 30 % (25/83) the method for adjustment for baseline is not known or not existent. Using real data we were able to show how much difference in results an adjustment for baseline data can make. We showed how to provide interpretable intervention effects using regression coefficients while making use of all the information available in the data. Conclusions Our review showed that improvements were needed in the analysis of longitudinal trials in rehabilitation post-stroke in order to maximise the use of collected data and improve comparability between studies. Reporting fully the method used (including baseline adjustment) and using methods like mixed models could easily achieve this

Buque supply AHTS 250 TPF

[Resumen]: El buque proyecto es un buque de apoyo a las plataformas petrolíferas, en concreto un AHTS que además de llevar suministros a las plataformas está especializado para el transportar anclas y elemento de fondeo para plataformas además de prestar servicio de remolque. Posee un sistema de lucha contra incendios FIFI I, y un sistema de posicionamiento dinámico DP2, y además de los datos de la RPA, este buque para su propulsión cuenta con dos propulsores azimutales en popa, y para el posicionamiento dinámico, dos túnel thrusters y un thruster retráctil.[Abstract]: The Project vessel is an AHTS vessel of suport to the oil platforms that in adiction to carrying supplies to the platforms, is specualized for the transporting anchors and elements of anchor of platforms and to towing sercice. It has a FIFI I fire-fighting sistem and DP2 dynamic positioning sistem, and in adiction, this vessel has two aft azimurhal propellers ans for dynamic positioninig, two tunnel thruster and a retactable thruster on the bow.[Resumo]: O buque proxecto é un buque de apoio ás plataformas petrolíferas, en concreto trátase dun AHTS, que ademáis de levar suministros ás plataformas está especializado para transporte e manexo de anclas e elementos de fondeo para as plataformas así comoa tamén para prestar servizo de remolque. Posée un sistema de loita contraincendios FIFI I, e un sistema de posicionamento dinámico DP2, ademáis dos datos da RPA, este buque conta con dous propulsores acimutais en popa e en proa dous túnel thrusters e un thruster retráctil que será utilizados para o posicionamento dinámicoTraballo fin de grao (UDC. EPS). Enxeñaría Naval e Oceánica. Curso 2016/201

scAmpi—A versatile pipeline for single-cell RNA-seq analysis from basics to clinics

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has emerged as a powerful technique to decipher tissue composition at the single-cell level and to inform on disease mechanisms, tumor heterogeneity, and the state of the immune microenvironment. Although multiple methods for the computational analysis of scRNA-seq data exist, their application in a clinical setting demands standardized and reproducible workflows, targeted to extract, condense, and display the clinically relevant information. To this end, we designed scAmpi (Single Cell Analysis mRNA pipeline), a workflow that facilitates scRNA-seq analysis from raw read processing to informing on sample composition, clinically relevant gene and pathway alterations, and in silico identification of personalized candidate drug treatments. We demonstrate the value of this workflow for clinical decision making in a molecular tumor board as part of a clinical study