231 research outputs found

    Populism as new wine in old bottles in the context of Germany: 'symbolic violence' as collective habitus that devalues the human capital of Turks

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    Populism in Germany is not a new phenomenon. For a long time, the alleged integration problems of Turkish workers in Germany have been at the center of the dominant discourse and academic studies. This paper demonstrates how ‘symbolic violence’ as collective habitus frames the human capital of Turks as deficient, a phenomenon which has prevailed even prior to the recent populist movements. Drawing on a company case study, interviews, and observations, our empirical investigation operationalises and expands the Bourdieusian conceptual trinity of habitus, capital, and symbolic violence through the lens of ethnicity and how it relates to populism

    The ‘new’ migration for work phenomenon: The pursuit of emancipation and recognition in the context of work

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    This article examines the ‘new’ migration for work phenomenon gripping Southern Europe since the Global Financial Crisis struck in 2008, by focusing on the case of skilled Greeks migrating to Germany for work purposes. In applying Honneth’s concept of emancipation to the domain of work, the article frames emancipation as a phenomenon which emerges from an individual’s search for meaningful work and as a form of resistance to deteriorating institutions and social injustice. Informed by this is an assessment of the new migration for work phenomenon from Greece to Germany by employing survey data on the perceptions of skilled emigrants. Following analysis of the findings, it is concluded that migration is a form of emancipation that allows individuals to regain recognition and self-respect while also to protest the erosion of social and human rights in their home country

    Risk of allergic reactions to wine, in milk, egg and fish-allergic patients

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>European legislators and wine producers still debate on the requirement for labeling of wines fined with potentially allergenic food proteins (casein, egg white or fish-derived isinglass). We investigated whether wines fined with known concentrations of these proteins have the potential to provoke clinical allergic reactions in relevant patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In-house wines were produced for the study, fined with different concentrations of casein (n = 7), egg albumin (n = 1) and isinglass (n = 3). ELISA and PCR kits specific for the respective proteins were used to identify the fining agents. Skin prick tests and basophil activation tests were performed in patients with confirmed IgE-mediated relevant food allergies (n = 24). A wine consumption questionnaire and detailed history on possible reactions to wine was obtained in a multinational cohort of milk, egg or fish allergic patients (n = 53) and patients allergic to irrelevant foods as controls (n = 13).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fining agents were not detectable in wines with the available laboratory methods. Nevertheless, positive skin prick test reactions and basophil activation to the relevant wines were observed in the majority of patients with allergy to milk, egg or fish, correlating with the concentration of the fining agent. Among patients consuming wine, reported reactions were few and mild and similar with the ones reported from the control group.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Casein, isinglass or egg, remaining in traces in wine after fining, present a very low risk for the respective food allergic consumers. Physician and patient awareness campaigns may be more suitable than generalized labeling to address this issue, as the latter may have negative impact on both non-allergic and allergic consumers.</p

    Impacts on biodiversity from codend and fisher selection in bottom trawl fishing

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    Fisheries have important impacts on marine biodiversity. In this work, combined information on the abundance, species richness, diversity indices, species composition, trophic level and vulnerability index were examined for the first-time to detect differences in five units related to trawl fishing: the fish assemblage entering the trawl codend, and the escaping, retained, discarded and landed fractions, derived by the gear and fisher selection practices. The work was based on a case study conducted in the Mediterranean Sea, using three different meshes in the trawl codend (40mm-40D and 50mm-50D diamond meshes, and 40 mm-40S square meshes) and a cover of the codends with small mesh size. In general, trawl fishing produces an escaping fraction that was always lower in abundance, richness, and vulnerability index, similar in diversity indices and trophic level, and different in species composition compared to the fish assemblage entering the codend. In almost all cases, fishers selected as landings a fraction that was the lowest in diversity indices, and the highest in trophic level. In contrast, fishers discarded a fraction that was the highest in diversity and vulnerability index, and the lowest in trophic level. Although the three codends did not differ significantly in the fraction of escapees in terms of diversity indices, trophic level, and vulnerability index, the 40S codend showed a significantly higher percentage in the escaping number of species and individuals, and less differences in the species composition; in addition, lower percentage in abundance of discards and higher of landings in the retained catch (0.6:1) than did the other two codends (0.9:1). It was suggested that an urgent modification of the trawl for the elimination of the discarded highly vulnerable species (e.g. Elasmobranchs) is needed, and that trawl species-selectivity should be improved by allowing escape or avoiding catch of the discarded fraction to minimize biodiversity losses.publishedVersio

    The dose response principle from philosophy to modern toxicology: The impact of ancient philosophy and medicine in modern toxicology science

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    Since ancient times the concept of dose response, from a toxicological perspective, has been a matter of concern. Already by the 8th century BC and over the years, many enlightened people have attempted to interpret this phenomenon, observing and coming across its results and practical implementation through exposure to chemical substances, either from natural or synthetic sources. Nowadays, the environmental exposure of human populations to chemicals in terms of quantity and quality might differ. Nevertheless, dose response still remains an issue joining hands with scientific and technological progress. The aim of the present review is not only to briefly recount the history of the dose response concept, from ancient time theories to novel approaches, but also to draw the outline of challenges and requirements toxicology science needs to fulfill

    Early Anticoagulation in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke Due to Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

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    Introduction: There is uncertainty regarding the optimal timing for initiation of oral anticoagulation in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled clinical trials (RCTs) and prospective observational studies to assess the efficacy and safety of early anticoagulation in AF-related AIS (within 1 week versus 2 weeks). A second comparison was performed assessing the efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) versus vitamin-K antagonists (VKAs) in the two early time windows. The outcomes of interest were IS recurrence, all-cause mortality, symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage (sICH) and any ICH. Results: Eight eligible studies (6 observational, 2 RCTs) were identified, including 5616 patients with AF-related AIS who received early anticoagulation. Patients that received anticoagulants within the first week after index stroke had similar rate of recurrent IS, sICH and all-cause mortality compared to patients that received anticoagulation within two weeks (test for subgroup differences p = 0.1677; p = 0.8941; and p = 0.7786, respectively). When DOACs were compared to VKAs, there was a significant decline of IS recurrence in DOAC-treated patients compared to VKAs (RR: 0.65; 95%CI: 0.52-0.82), which was evident in both time windows of treatment initiation. DOACs were also associated with lower likelihood of sICH and all-cause mortality. Conclusions: Early initiation of anticoagulation within the first week may have a similar efficacy and safety profile compared to later anticoagulation (within two weeks), while DOACs seem more effective in terms of IS recurrence and survival compared to VKAs

    Health profiles of 996 melanoma survivors: the M. D. Anderson experience

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    BACKGROUND: The incidence and survival of melanoma are increasing, but little is known about its long-term health effects in adult survivors. METHODS: A health survey was available from 996 melanoma survivors (577 treated with surgery alone, and 391 with combined treatments). Their medical/physiologic and psychosocial responses were analyzed and compared with those of the survivors from other cancers. RESULTS: The melanoma survivors were 44.8 ± 12.8 years of age at diagnosis (significantly younger than the survivors of other cancers) and 63.7 ± 12.8 years at survey. Melanoma survivors were less likely to report that cancer had affected their health than survivors of other cancers (15.8% vs. 34.9%). The 577 individuals treated with surgery alone reported arthritis/osteoporosis, cataracts, and heart problems most frequently (less often than survivors of other cancers). The 391 individuals who had undergone combined treatments reported circulation problems and kidney problems generally as often as survivors of other cancers. Health problems were not associated with number of decades since diagnosis but with age at diagnosis, treatment modality, and family relationships. CONCLUSION: We present information from a large cohort of long-term survivors of melanoma. As a group, they were less likely to report that cancer had affected their overall health than survivors of other cancers; a number of disease related and psychosocial factors appear to influence their health profiles
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