Global journalism and impartiality

Polis Intern and LSE MSc student Pressiana Naydenova reports on the latest Polis Media Agenda Talk featuring Liliane Landor Controller, Languages, BBC Global News “…language is never innocent” (Roland Barthes) Liliane Landor thinks this is “an extraordinary time to be a journalist” and that “those who tell stories rule the world”, which makes it important to have as many voices as possible involved in the narrative. But how in a major international news organisation like the BBC do you balance serving a global audience with a local one

SOME CONSEQUENCES OF BULGARIA’S NON-MEMBERSHIP IN THE EURO AREA

The accession of Bulgaria to the Eurozone has been a problem for 10 years now, and the non-persistent attempts of the Bulgarian governments have faced the organized opposition of the European institutions. The rules for adopting the European currency are known, but they seem unread, and the political interpretation of the full-scale criteria has placed Bulgaria outside the “inner” European club. The deprivation of our country from Eurozone membership has not only social or political, but also financial consequences. The annual losses are significant and the national economy, financial markets and society remain only partially integrated

A Super-Dimension Approach in ROLAP Environments

Often the designer of ROLAP applications follows up with the question “can I create a little joiner table with just the two dimension keys and then connect that table to the fact table?” In a classic dimensional model there are two options - (a) both dimensions are modeled independently or (b) two dimensions are combined into a super-dimension with a single key. The second approach is not widely used in ROLAP environments but it is an important sparsity handling method in MOLAP systems. In ROLAP this design technique can also bring storage and performance benefits, although the model becomes more complicated. The dependency between dimensions is a key factor that the designers have to consider when choosing between the two options. In this paper we present the results of our storage and performance experiments over a real life data cubes in reference to these design approaches. Some conclusions are drawn

What Capitalism isn’t and what it could be

This article is by LSE MSc student and Polis intern Pressiana Naydenova Reforming the religion of Economics Many of us do not question the current economic system because it requires effort to acquaint ourselves with the terminology behind which the biggest financial players hide their mistakes. Mistakes that often directly affect us. One of the more worrying elements of Eve Poole’s talk was the idea that the media is at the core of the chronic failure to understand and develop a critical approach towards Capitalism. While this may be doing a disservice to the many excellent financial correspondents and commentators out there, it was a provocative way for Poole to begin her talk, challenging some of the key assumptions of Capitalism

Trackless online two-server problems and red-black games

The online 2-server problem presents a number of challenges in the search for simple competitive algorithms for solving it. Finding the optimal off-line solution involves costly dynamic programming. Looking for more efficient algorithms, researchers have studied how restriction on the input information given to the algorithm affects its competitiveness. One such restriction is tracklessness. Trackless algorithms for the 2-server problem include many known server algorithms including BALANCE_SLACK and some paging algorithms. It is demonstrated that the trackless 2-server optimization problem has a deterministic lower bound of 2311\u3e2 for competitiveness, thus proving that tracklessness is a significant restriction. The optimally competitive online non-trackless algorithm for the 2-server problem is 2-competitive. Other current research on the topic is also discussed

The dark side of control assessing control in relationships from a dyadic and longitudinal perspective

Psychological research suggests that, other things being equal, the desire for or exercise of control over consequences is advantageous to the individual. However, in the context of relationships the preference and enactment of control may be more problematic. The primary purpose of the present research was to advance the study of control in relationships through the validation of a self-report instrument specifically designed to measure it. Specifically the goals of this research project included: (a) to further validate the Control in Relationships Scale (CIR) using a dyadic and longitudinal approaches, (b) to further differentiate the control and power construct, and (c) to explore the role and the importance of the construct in romantic relationships. Study 1 assessed the association between control and relationship satisfaction from a dyadic perspective. The results indicated that CIR was inversely associated with relationship satisfaction for both partners.Specifically, partner control was strongly correlated with own relationship satisfaction for women but not for men. Furthermore, men tended to perceive the relationship as more egalitarian than women did. Furthermore, in Study 1, CIR was compared with extant power measure and the results suggested that CIR was significantly associated with most power measures, but it was not a redundant construct and it was a better predictor of relationship satisfaction than any of the power measures. Study 2 assessed the relationship between control and satisfaction from a longitudinal point of view and the results suggested that individual\u27s self-perceived control ratings at Time 1 was inversely associated with their relationship satisfaction at Time 2, for high control women and average control men. Next, non-test validity analyses were undertaken by comparing CIR scores to rated narrative accounts of betrayal by students.As expected, CIR was significantly associated with ratings of own control at both Time 1 and Time 2. Taken together, results support that utility of the CIR as a valid measure of control in relationships, indicate the differences between the power and control constructs, and support the notion that control in relationships is associated with negative relationships functioning

A modern look at ketogenic diets - indications and health risks

Introduction: The ketogenic diet (KD) is characterized by extremely high fat (F) intake and high carbohydrate (CH) restriction. It is currently used uncontrollably by the population to reduce body weight or body fat.Aim: This article is an attempt to present the biochemical basis of KD and to summarize data regarding both the indications for its use as well as its undesirable effects and contraindications. Special attention is paid to the safety profile of KD.Materials and Methods: Articles, scientific books and publications related to low-carbohydrate diets and KD were searched in the PubMed database and Google Scholar. Articles published in the last decade were included in the review. The search was conducted with a list of keywords: ketogenic diet, safety, obesity, health, mortality.Results: Studies of the effect of KD on obesity showed no difference in appetite control and weight loss compared to other isocaloric (but normal carbohydrate) diets. KDs have many contraindications and create health risks. A meta-analysis of cohort studies finds a link between intake of CHs and overall mortality. The lowest risk of death is observed with the consumption of CHs, providing 50-55% of daily energy intake. Mortality is highest with an intake of CHs below 30%. A relatively higher risk of death was found when CHs on the menu were replaced with animal sources of fats and protein, and lower when replaced with vegetable fats.Conclusion: When switching to KD, it is advisable to choose foods containing mostly unsaturated fats as a priority. It is desirable to avoid sources of saturated fatty acids and, in particular, hydrogenated oils rich in trans isomers of fatty acids. A healthier alternative to the classic KD could be the replacement of CHs with vegetable fats and proteins. This eating pattern can contribute to longevity and good health

Attitudes and behavior of consumers who choose foods according to the content of technological additives

Добавките в храни или така наречените адитиви („Е` номер) „...са вещества, които обикновено не се консумират самостоятелно като храна, a се добавят целенасочено към храната с технологична цел като например запазването й`. Според учени употребата на продукти с различни адитиви със сходно химично съдържание може да доведе до натрупване на вредни вещества в организма, които могат да имат ефект върху поведението на консумиращите ги - стомашни проблеми, алергии, гадене, замайване, главоболие, хи-перактивност. Всичко се определя от хранителното поведение на индивида. Целта на нашето проучване е да установим нагласите и поведението на потребителите при избор на храни, съдържащи добавки в храните („Е` номер). Анкетирани са 103 потребители, разпределени по пол, образование и възраст. Над половината от респондентите (60.2%) нямат ясна информация какво представляват т.нар. „Е` номера. Потребителите не обръщат внимание на изписаният състав върху етикетите на продуктите. Приоритетно поставят на масата си храни според вкусовите си предпочитания. Сигнализирането на произхода на вложените вещества (натурални или синтетични) със символ и/или цвят, отличаващ се от останали те изписани съставки на етикета, ще доведе до информиран избор на консуматорите.Food supplements or so-called additives („E` number) „... are substances that are not normally consumed as food, but are added intentionally to food for a technological purpose, such as its preservation`. According to some scientists, the use of products with different additives with similar chemical content may lead to accumulation of harmful substances in the body, which may have an effect on the behavior of the consumers: stomach problems, allergies, nausea, dizziness, headache, hyperactivity. Everything is determined by the individual‘s eating behavior. The aim of our study is to determine the attitudes and behavior of consumers when choosing foods containing food additives (E-number). Interviewed were 103 users distributed by gender, education, and age. More than half of the respondents (60.2%) have no clear information on what the so-called E-numbers are. Consumers ignore the composition on the labels of the products. They prioritize their meal according to their taste preferences. Signaling the origin of ingredients (natural or synthetic) by a symbol and/or color, distinct from the ones of the other ingredients written on the label, will lead to an informed choice of consumers.additive, food supplement, E-number, food choic

An anti-fake counter-attack in the propaganda war

Polis Interns and LSE MSc students Bani Bains and Pressiana Naydenova report on the first Polis Lunchtime Talk featuring Yevhen Fedchenko, cofounder of the StopFake news website. In many ways Yevhen Fedchenko’s talk on Russian government–sponsored propaganda about Ukraine felt like an exposé. It was essentially a critique of both the readiness with which some Western media accepted pre-packaged information on critical situations, and their internal infiltration by Russian propagandists