Promoting Renewable Energy or Environmental Problems? Environmental Politics and Sustainability in Sino-Brazilian Relations

China is now Brazil’s largest trade and investment partner, with Brazil’s exports dominated by primary products such as iron ore, soy and crude oil. China and Brazil have also become major players in international environmental and debates as emerging powers, reflecting their contribution to carbon emissions and their vulnerability to climate change and environmental disasters such as droughts, floods, deforestation, landslides and pollution. In environmental terms, Brazil’s exports to China have led to changes in land use focused on export agriculture, the construction of infrastructure in vulnerable areas such as the Amazon region and a growing need for cheap, renewable energy to fuel transport, consumption and industrial development. In the context of these intensifying trade and economic connections between Brazil and China, this article examines the environmental dimensions of this relationship, focusing in particular on the contradictions created by renewable energy production. Paradoxically, given Brazil’s key role in the international climate change debate, one of the most controversial aspects of the country’s development agenda is the promotion of renewable energy as evidenced in the conflicts around hydro-electric power generation. The latter have provoked protests against the dams’ social and environmental effects among local communities and international environmental groups. Little studied compared to the more well-known aspects of Sino-Latin American relations, such as infrastructure and trade, the article argues that Chinese involvement in hydropower in Brazil reinforces an increasingly unsustainable domestic development agenda, as reflected in the asymmetry between arguments about the general benefits of hydropower and the negative effects on local communities

The International Human Rights Discourse as a Strategic Focus in Socio-Environmental Conflicts: The Case of Hydro-Electric Dams in Brazil

This article examines the mobilisation of human rights in campaigns against hydro-electric dams in Brazil. The symbolic and legal power of human rights has allowed activists to challenge official accounts of the impact of dams while deploying domestic and international legal frameworks. Although the politicisation of natural resources in Brazil has limited the effectiveness of anti-dam mobilisations, an appeal to the human rights agenda has translated into a powerful critique of the social impact of Brazil’s development agenda, thereby making a moral and legal claim for justice

Syndrom vyhoření u profesionálů ve zdravotnictví.

N. Riethof - Burnout syndrome in Health Care Professionals ABSTRAKT Syndrom vyhoření je stav úplného vyčerpání související s pracovními podmínkami a dlouhodobým stresem. Zatímco úvodní fáze vyhoření se podobají příznakům stresu, závěrečné fáze vyhoření jsou charakteri- zovány pocity beznaděje, ztrátou smyslu a zoufalství, které mají podobné rysy jako deprese, stejně jako existenciální vakuum popsané Franklem v jeho logoterapii. Navíc syndrom vyhoření zahrnuje fáze, kdy se lidé od- trhávají od svých emocí a využívají tuto sníženou schopnost prožívat vlastní pocity jako obranný mechanismu proti stresu. Syndrom vyhoření obvykle začíná pocity nadšení a idealizovanými vizualizacemi, což je v kontrastu s následně prožívaným rozčarováním a zklamáním. Po desetiletích výzkumu vyhoření přetrvává potřeba lépe definovat tento stav, včetně stanovení přesnějších diagnostických kritérií a určení mezinárodně uznávaných měřicích nástrojů, a to zejména v rámci systému zdravotní péče, kde jsou rizika nerozpoznaného a neošetřeného vyhoření vysoká. Tato studie je zaměřena na zkoumání potenciálních příčin syn- dromu vyhoření a vztahů mezi symptomy vyhoření s určitými osob- nostními rysy, obrannými mechanismy a "zvládacími reakcemi" jako jsou na jedné straně Kernbergova koncepce štěpení, dále deprese, traumatické stresové...N. Riethof - Burnout syndrome in Health Care Professionals ABSTRACT Burnout syndrome is a state of total exhaustion related to work condi- tions and prolonged stress. While initial phases of burnout resemble stress symptoms, final phases of burnout are characterized by feelings of hopelessness, loss of meaning and desperation that have similar qual- ities as depression as well as existential vacuum described by Frankl in his logotherapy. In addition, the burnout syndrome involves stages in which people detach from their emotions and feelings as a defense mechanism against stress and have decreased ability to experience their own feelings and emotional states. Burnout usually begins with feelings of enthusiasm and idealized visualizations and it is in contrast with sub- sequent disillusionment, disappointment experienced later. After decades of burnout research, there is still a need for better def- inition of this condition including more precise diagnostic criteria and internationally recognized measurement tools, especially within health care system where the risks of unrecognized and untreated burnout are high. This study is focused on examination of potential causes of burn- out and relationships of burnout symptoms with certain personality traits, defense mechanisms and coping reactions including...Department of Psychiatry First Faculty of Medicine and General University HospitalPsychiatrická klinika 1. LF UK a VFN1. lékařská fakultaFirst Faculty of Medicin

Researching Latin America in Liverpool: Transnational Connections of Hope and Solidarity

This article examines archival collections at the University of Liverpool and local community archives documenting academic, political, cultural and personal links between Liverpool and Latin America in the second half of the twentieth century. Centring on collections related to Chile and Central America between the 1960s and 1990s, the analysis highlights hidden histories of transnational solidarity, human rights campaigns and academic research connecting Liverpool with Latin America during a turbulent period of dictatorship, repression and opposition. The varied records – from institutional papers to exile ephemera and cultural artefacts – provide multilayered grassroots perspectives on resistance in Latin America and abroad, revealing the diverse motivations underpinning local solidarity activism. Ongoing digitization and community collaborations based on these archives underline their contemporary significance for research and education. This article argues that as key sites of exchange across activist, academic and migrant communities in Liverpool the archival collections represent vital tools for preserving diasporic heritage, as well as raising awareness of the importance of solidarity with Latin America.</jats:p

Fear of Flying, Stress and Epileptic-Like Symptoms

Matthew K Laker,1,2 Petr Bob,1 Norbert Riethof,1 Jiri Raboch1 1Center for Neuropsychiatric Research of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry & UHSL, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; 2School of Art and Sciences, LaSalle University, Philadelphia, PA, USACorrespondence: Petr Bob, Center for Neuropsychiatric Research of Traumatic Stress & Department of Psychiatry, First Faculty of Medicine of Charles University, Ke Karlovu 11, 128 00, Prague, Czech Republic, Email [email protected]: Intense fear of flying, called aviophobia, is a highly prevalent psychological phenomenon, afflicting (in some estimates) up to 40% of the population of industrialized countries and although aviophobia is a highly prevalent mental health problem, published studies about its epidemiology and treatment are rare.Methods: In this study, including 61 participants (28 males and 33 females; mean age 26.85) engaged in business related travels in the last two years, we assessed relationships of fear of flying problems with symptoms of stress also reflecting childhood traumatic stress experiences and its influences on brain sensitization and epileptic-like symptoms. In this assessment we also studied fear of flying symptoms and work related psychological problems described as burnout.Results: The results show that the participants who manifest higher levels of stress symptoms have higher levels of aviophobic experiences. Stress symptoms measured by TSC-40 manifested significant correlations with aviophobic experiences measured by Flight Anxiety Modality Questionnaire (FAS) (Spearman R=0.46, p< 0.01). Other correlations were found between FAS and Limbic System Checklist (LSCL-33) (Spearman R=0.39, p< 0.01) and FAS and Burnout Measure (BM) (Spearman R=0.30, p< 0.01).Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the experience of fear of flying is related to past and recent stressful events and also to levels of work related problems described and experienced as burnout.Keywords: anxiety, aviophobia, stress, epileptic-like symptoms, sensitizatio

Displaced Voices: A Journal of Migration, Archives and Cultural Heritage, Volume 3 Issue 2 (Autumn 2023)

Twentieth Century Histories of Civic Society’s Responses to Crises of Displacement: A Special Issue to mark the 70th Anniversary of Refugee Council Displaced Voices is a biannual digital magazine produced twice a year by the Living Refugee Archive team at the University of East London. Displaced Voices aims to provide a digital platform for activists, archivists, researchers, practitioners and academics to contribute to issues pertaining to refugee and migration history; refugee and migrant rights; social justice; cultural heritage and archives. We welcome a range of contributions to the magazine including articles of between 1000-2000 words; reports on fieldwork in archival collections; book recommendations and reviews; and more creative pieces including (but not limited too) cartoons; photography; and poetry. We would also welcome news on activities; publication of reports, projects; letters and news from your own networks. We welcome submissions from all writers whether you are a student, practitioner, activist or established academic. The Displaced Voices online magazine is born out of the collaborative and intersectional work that we have been undertaking through our work with the refugee and migration archives housed at the University of East London. Our work to date has explored the intersections of refugee and migration studies with narrative and life history research linked to oral history methods and archival approaches to the preservation, documentation and accessibility of archival resources recording the refugee experience. This magazine is a collaborative project between the Living Refugee Archive at the University of East London; the Oral History Society Migration Special Interest Group and the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration Working Group on the History of Forced Migration and Refugees. Thematically we are looking to engage with articles that explore the intersection of refugee and forced migration studies; history and cultural heritage studies; narrative research; oral history and archival science

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.

Burnout syndrome in Health Care Professionals.

N. Riethof - Burnout syndrome in Health Care Professionals ABSTRACT Burnout syndrome is a state of total exhaustion related to work condi- tions and prolonged stress. While initial phases of burnout resemble stress symptoms, final phases of burnout are characterized by feelings of hopelessness, loss of meaning and desperation that have similar qual- ities as depression as well as existential vacuum described by Frankl in his logotherapy. In addition, the burnout syndrome involves stages in which people detach from their emotions and feelings as a defense mechanism against stress and have decreased ability to experience their own feelings and emotional states. Burnout usually begins with feelings of enthusiasm and idealized visualizations and it is in contrast with sub- sequent disillusionment, disappointment experienced later. After decades of burnout research, there is still a need for better def- inition of this condition including more precise diagnostic criteria and internationally recognized measurement tools, especially within health care system where the risks of unrecognized and untreated burnout are high. This study is focused on examination of potential causes of burn- out and relationships of burnout symptoms with certain personality traits, defense mechanisms and coping reactions including..