Prejudice in the people’s game. A content analysis of race/ethnicity in Polish televised football

This study explores how televised football in Poland serves as a site for the (re)construction of discourses surrounding race and ethnicity and to what extent this squares with previous studies on sport media conducted mainly in Western countries. In our analysis, we identify the discourses surrounding race and ethnicity that the commentators in televised football draw on and examine how they relate to hegemonic discourses and categorizations in wider Polish society. Our findings show that Polish football commentators draw on transnationally circulating racialized/ethnicized discourses on assumed superior physicality when talking about Black football players and on supposed negative psychological capabilities when talking about White Southern European football players. The findings also show that when talking about non-Polish players and head coaches, the commentators regularly rely on an us-versus-them frame that constructs foreign influences as a threat

PAS Nitrogen Monitoring Report : State of affairs 2016

Het Programma Aanpak Stikstof (PAS) is ingevoerd om economische ontwikkelingen mogelijk te maken en tegelijkertijd de natuurdoelen voor de Natura 2000-gebieden te realiseren. Het programma omvat maatregelen om stikstofuitstoot te verminderen waardoor er minder vanuit de lucht op deze gebieden neerslaat (depositie). Hierdoor ontstaat ruimte voor nieuwe economische activiteiten. Daarnaast omvat het PAS herstelmaatregelen om de natuur aldaar te versterken. Het PAS is op 1 juli 2015 in werking getreden. De ontwikkeling van de depositie door de jaren heen laat in deze monitoringsronde een wisselend beeld zien. Vanuit het hoofdwegennet, de landbouwsector en de bijdrage vanuit het buitenland daalt de verwachte depositie voor 2030 gemiddeld genomen. Andere sectoren laten echter een minder gunstig beeld zien. In zijn totaliteit daalt de gemiddelde depositie 14 procent. Het PAS maakt het mogelijk, gezien de verwachte toekomstige depositiedaling, dat bestaande activiteiten kunnen uitbreiden, of dat nieuwe activiteiten kunnen starten. Met de op die manier beschikbaar gestelde zogenoemde depositieruimte maakt het PAS economische ontwikkeling mogelijk, onder de voorwaarden dat de totale stikstofdepositie blijft dalen, en de instandhoudingsdoelen van de Natura 2000-gebieden niet in geding komen. Bij nieuwe economische activiteiten wordt een onderscheid gemaakt tussen activiteiten die een meldingsplicht hebben omdat ze weinig stikstofdepositie veroorzaken, en vergunningsplichtige activiteiten. De ruimte die beschikbaar is voor activiteiten met meldingsplicht is gemiddeld over Nederland voor 55 procent benut. Van de ruimte voor vergunningsplichtige activiteiten is gemiddeld circa 30 procent benut. Het merendeel van de nieuwe activiteiten betreft de landbouwsector. Het RIVM rapporteert in opdracht van het PAS-Bureau jaarlijks over de stikstofdepositie, als onderdeel van de totale PAS-monitoring. Het gebruikt hiervoor de nieuwste stikstofemissiegegevens en de meest geactualiseerde modellen en rekenmethoden. Telkens worden de verwachte ontwikkelingen voor de ijkjaren 2020 en 2030 beschreven in relatie tot de situatie vóór de PAS (2014).The Nitrogen Action Programme (PAS) was launched in order to facilitate economic development while at the same time realising the nature policy goals for the 'Natura 2000' areas. The programme contains measures for reducing nitrogen emissions so that less nitrogen will be deposited from the air on these areas. This creates opportunities for new economic activities. In addition, the PAS contains measures aimed at strengthening the ability of nature in these areas to recover their natural functions. The PAS went into effect on 1 July 2015. In this monitoring round, the pattern of nitrogen deposition over the years is rather variable. For 2030, the predicted deposition from the main roads and the agricultural sector as well as the contribution from outside the country will, on average, decrease. However, other sectors present a less favourable picture. Overall, the average deposition decreases by 14%. In view of the expected decrease in deposition in future, the PAS makes it possible for existing activities to be expanded or for new activities to be initiated. By taking into account this so-called 'deposition buffer', the PAS makes further economic development possible, subject to the following conditions: a) the total nitrogen deposition continues to decrease, and b) the maintenance goals for the 'Natura 2000 areas' are not compromised. With regard to new economic activities, a distinction is made between activities that need to be reported, as they result in only a minor amount of nitrogen deposition, and activities for which a permit is required. Roughly 55% of the buffer or margin that is available throughout the Netherlands for activities that need to be reported has already been utilised. Roughly 30% of the buffer available for activities that require a permit has been utilised. Most of the new activities involve the agricultural sector. At the request of the PAS Agency, RIVM submits an annual report on the nitrogen deposition, as part of the total PAS monitoring effort. For that purpose, it uses the latest data on nitrogen emissions and the latest models and calculation methods. Each report describes the expected developments for the reference years 2020 and 2030 in relation to the situation that existed before the PAS (2014).Regiegroep Natura 2000 / PA

How many walking and cycling trips made by elderly are beyond commonly used buffer sizes: Results from a GPS study

In choosing appropriate buffer sizes to study environmental influences on physical activity, studies are hampered by insufficient insight into the distance elderly travel actively. This study aims at getting insight into the number of trips walked and cycled within various buffer sizes using GPS measures. Data were obtained from the Elderly And their Neighborhood study (Spijkenisse, the Netherlands (2011-2012)). Trip length and mode of transport were derived from the GPS data (N=120; total number of trips=337). Distance decay functions were fitted to estimate the percentage of trips to grocery stores within commonly used buffer sizes. Fifty percent of the trips walked had a distance of at least 729. m; for trips cycled this was 1665. m. Elderly aged under 75 years and those with functional limitations walked and cycled shorter distances than those over 75 years and those without functional limitations. Males cycled shorter distances than females. Distance decay functions may aid the selection of appropriate buffer sizes, which may be tailored to individual characteristics

Outcome and quality of life after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in octogenarians

ObjectiveThis study determined outcome and quality of life (QOL) in octogenarians, compared with patients aged <80 years, 1 year after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR).MethodsFrom March 2009 until April 2011, 1263 patients in the Endurant Stent Graft Natural Selection Global Postmarket Registry (ENGAGE) registry with an abdominal aortic aneurysm were treated with EVAR using the Endurant endograft (Medtronic Cardiovascular, Santa Rosa, Calif). The patients were grouped according to those aged ≥80 years (290 [22.9%]) and those aged <80 years (973 [77.1%]) at the time of the procedure. QOL was assessed using composite EuroQoL 5-Dimensions Questionnaire (EQ-5D) index scores. Baseline, perioperative, and follow-up data were analyzed at 1 year.ResultsOctogenarians had poorer anatomic characteristics. The technical success rate was almost 99% for both cohorts, with no deaths. The duration of the implant procedure was significantly longer in the elderly patients (P = .002), with significant differences in overall (P < .001) and postprocedure (P < .001) hospital stays in favor of the younger group. At 1 year, there was a significant difference in all-cause mortality (P = .002) and in the number of major adverse events (P = .003), including secondary rupture (P = .01), to the detriment of octogenarians. There were no significant differences in conversion to open surgery or in overall secondary endovascular procedures. The octogenarians scored lower in their overall health care perception (P < .001) but with no significant difference in the EQ-5D index. Compared with the group aged <80 years, they had still not completely recovered their QOL after 1 year (P = .01).ConclusionsOctogenarians are more difficult to treat by EVAR than younger patients due to poorer anatomic suitability and a higher incidence of complications. Recovery of QOL in octogenarians takes longer (>12 months) than expected

WEURO 2017 as catalyst? The narratives of two female pioneers in the Dutch women’s football media complex

2017 was a significant year for women’s football in the Netherlands. The Dutch women’s team won the Women’s European Champions football (WEURO 2017) for the first time in history. The screenings of their matches attracted massive audiences. This article explores the meanings given to gender and sport and the impact of WEURO 2017 by turning to two women pioneers in the field of elite women’s football and the sports media complex. We not only study how these women negotiate and experience the impact and meanings given to WEURO 2017 but we also explore how their narrativesprovide insights in the wider meanings given to (the development of) women’s football in the Netherlands. Results show, amongst other things, how an increased popularity and attention for women’s football from the part of the media goes together with a reproduction of hegemonic discourses that prioritize emphasized femininity and construct men’s football as normative

IL-4 and IL-13 exposure during mucociliary differentiation of bronchial epithelial cells increases antimicrobial activity and expression of antimicrobial peptides

The airway epithelium forms a barrier against infection but also produces antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and other inflammatory mediators to activate the immune system. It has been shown that in allergic disorders, Th2 cytokines may hamper the antimicrobial activity of the epithelium. However, the presence of Th2 cytokines also affects the composition of the epithelial layer which may alter its function. Therefore, we investigated whether exposure of human primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBEC) to Th2 cytokines during mucociliary differentiation affects expression of the human cathelicidin antimicrobial protein (hCAP18)/LL-37 and human beta defensins (hBD), and antimicrobial activity

How a turn to critical race theory can contribute to our understanding of 'race', racism and anti-racism in sport

As long as racism has been associated with sport there have been consistent, if not coordinated or coherent, struggles to confront its various forms. Critical race theory (CRT) is a framework established to challenge these racialized inequalities and racism in society and has some utility for anti-racism in sport. CRT's focus on social justice and transformation are two areas of convergence between critical race theorists and anti-racists. Of the many nuanced and pernicious forms of racism, one of the most obvious and commonly reported forms of racism in sport, racial abuse, has been described as a kind of dehumanizing process by Gardiner (2003), as those who are its target are simultaneously (re)constructed and objectified according to everyday myth and fantasy. However, this is one of the many forms of everyday racist experiences. Various forms of racism can be experienced in boardrooms, on television, in print, in the stands, on the sidelines and on the pitch. Many times racism is trivialized and put down as part of the game (Long et al., 2000), yet its impact is rarely the source of further exploration. This article will explore the conceptualization of 'race' and racism for a more effective anti-racism. Critical race theory will also be used to explore the ideas that underpin considerations of the severity of racist behaviour and the implications for anti-racism. © The Author(s) 2010