Perceptions of politics: a South African case

Amaior parte das teorias sobre o político em África baseia-se, de uma maneira ou de outra, sobre o pressuposto de uma distinção fundamental entre uma forma de dominação ocidental, burocrática e formal, e uma dominação africana muito mais personalizada. Este artigo propõese contribuir para o debate, examinando em detalhe concreto, num projecto de desenvolvimento urbano em Durban/África do Sul, a interacção destes dois modos de compreender o político. A existência das duas lógicas é identificada no caso, senda o forma legal representada pela organização encarregada de promover o desenvolvimento, e a forma personalizada pelas organizações comunitárias. Verifica-se, porém, que as duas concepções do político são menos dicotómicas do que parece à primeira vista. Com efeito, a introdução de relações patrimoniais foi condicionada pelo quadro legal, e os recursos utilizados para estabelecer o podes dos líderes comunitários foram postos à sua disposição pelo quadro legal.Most theories of politics in Africa rest in some way on the assumption of a fundamental distinction between a western bureaucratic, legal form of domination, and an African domination that is much more personalised. This article sets out to contribute to the debate by examining in concrete detail the interaction of these two understandings of politics in an urban development project at Durban/South Africa. Both logics are identified in the case, where the development organisation represents the legal form and community organisations the personalised form. It appears however that the two conceptions of politics are less dichotomical than it first would seem. In fact, the patrimonial relations that were introduced were conditioned by the legal framework, and the resources that went into establishing power as community leaders were made available because of the legal framework.La plupart des théories de la politique en Afrique se fondent d'une manière ou de l'autre sur l'hypothèse d'une distinction fondamentale entre une forme de domination occidentale, bureaucratique et formelle, et une domination africaine beaucoup plus personnalisée. Cet article se prose de contribuer au débat en examinant en détail concret, dans un projet de développement urbain à Durban/Afrique du Sud, l'interaction de ces deux façons de comprendre le politique. Les deux logiques y sont identifiées, la forme légale étant représentée par l'organisation chargée de promouvoir le développement et la forme personnalisée par les organisations communautaires. Il apparaît cependant que les deux conceptions du politique sont moins dichotomiques qu'il ne semble à première vue. En fait, l'introduction de rapports patrimoniaux a été conditionné par le cadre légal, et les ressources utilisées pour établir le pouvoir des leaders communautaires ont été mises à leur disposition par le cadre légal

Spatial Dependency in Methylation Data - A Bayesian Approach with R-INLA

DNA methylation is a chemical process that regulates gene transcription and is known to interact with development and differentiation of the DNA. It affects almost exclusively CpG sites, and with the Illumina HumanMethylation$450$k BeadChip we are able to measure the methylation level for more than $450 000$ CpG sites in the human DNA. The locations of these CpG sites have been accurately measured to a base pair resolution, making it possible to look into spatial dependencies. In this paper, we investigate differences in mean between two groups of people by taking the spatial dependency into account. The investigations and analysis is done on a data set containing methylation data from $62$ persons classified as having Schizophrenia and $33$ Healthy persons. An exploratory analysis have been done, to investigate which assumptions that should be made when analyzing methylation data. Through auto correlation analysis, correlation estimates and regression evaluations, we have seen that the data is influenced by spatial dependencies. With Bayesian regression with Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations(INLA), we have investigated different models to be able to quantify the spatial dependency structure, and in general the underlying structure of the methylation data at a part of chromosome $6$. The model that obtained the best fit included spatial dependency and an independently, identically distributed random effect in the linear predictor. The model was optimized using a likelihood that assumed a location independent precision parameter $\phi$. Through simulations, we have seen that a test for differently methylated positions that builds on a model which utilizes the spatial dependency, might lead to better results than a T-test. Still, further studies are required. Some of the results obtained by the simulations deviates from those obtained by the case study, which might indicate the presence of an underlying structure in the methylation data that is not yet quantified

Validation of a New Ramping Aerobic Exercise Protocol (NDKS) in Overweight, Obese, and Normal Weight Individuals

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(4): 386-398, 2022. The research purpose was to establish reliability and validity of determining VO2max via a new NDKS (Nustad Dressler Kobes Saghiv; named for the sir names of department faculty at the time) ramping protocol compared to the Standard Bruce protocol in normal weight, overweight, and obese individuals. Forty-two physically active participants (23M, 19F) ages 18-28 years were grouped into normal weight (N = 15, 8F, BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2), overweight (N = 27, 11F, BMI = 25-29.9 kg/m2), and Class I obese (N = 7, 1F, BMI = 30-34.9 kg/m2). Blood pressure, heart rate, blood lactate, respiratory exchange ratio, test duration, rate of perceived exertion, and preference via survey were analyzed during each test. Test-retest reliability of the NDKS was determined first, via tests scheduled one week apart. The NDKS was then validated by comparison with results of the Standard Bruce protocol; tests also conducted one week apart. The normal weight group’s Cronbach’s Alpha was .995 for absolute VO2max (L/min) and .968 for relative VO2max (mL/kg.min). Overweight/obese Cronbach’s Alpha for absolute VO2max (L/min) was .960 and for relative VO2max (mL/kg.min) .908. Relative VO2max was slightly higher with NDKS and test time lower compared to the Bruce (p \u3c .05). 92.3% of subjects identified more localized muscle fatigue with the Bruce protocol vs NDKS. The NDKS is a reliable and valid exercise test which can be used to determine VO2max in physically active, young normal weight, overweight and obese individuals

Man gjennomfører risiko- og sårbarhetsanalyser, men hva så?

Denne oppgaven har satt søkelys på oppfølgingen av helhetlige risiko og sårbarhetsanalyser (ROS) i kommuner rettet mot et bestemt fylke. Kommunene har gjennom kommunal beredskapsplikt et ansvar for befolkningens sikkerhet og trygghet. Basert på forskriften om kommunal beredskapsplikt er derfor kommunene pålagt et ansvar rettet mot samfunnssikkerhet og beredskapsarbeid, der en av oppgavene deres vil være å utarbeide en helhetlig risiko og sårbarhetsanalyse. Uavhengig om det er et krav for en kommune å ha en helhetlig ROS-analyse, kan det fortsatt oppstå utfordringer når det kommer til planverket. Her vil oppfølgingen av helhetlig ROS være nødvendig for å kunne klare å være godt nok beredt på en uønsket hendelse som kan kunne inntreffe kommunen. Problemstillingen og forskningsspørsmål til denne oppgaven har som mål å se på om oppfølgingen av helhetlig risiko og sårbarhetsanalyser, der problemstillingen og forskningsspørsmål er formulert på følgende måte: Hvordan er oppfølgingen av helhetlig risiko og sårbarhetsanalyser i kommuner, og er det behov for endring så analyser får ut potensialet sitt? 1. Hvordan følges de helhetlig ROS-analysene opp i kommunene? 2. Hvilke faktorer påvirker oppfølgingen av analysene? 3. Hva kan gjøres for å styrke oppfølgingen? Forskingsspørsmål 1 presenterer et innblikk i hvordan arbeidet med oppfølging ble gjennomført i kommunene der man antyder at det er varierende, på grunnlag av at 35% av kommune sine helhetlige ROS-analyser ikke har med forsalg til nye tiltak eller oppfølging. Det var 65% av kommunene som inkluderte forsalg til nye tiltak eller oppfølging, og på grunnlag av kommentarer fra informanter fikk man et innblikk i at noen av kommunene har et bevist fokus på kontinuerlig forbedring. På den andre siden får man ikke det inntrykket når det kommer til saker som blir tatt opp i kommunestyret, der det var 38% av kommunene som hadde tatt opp saker relatert til helhetlig ROS i perioden 2019-2022. I forskingsspørsmål 2 kom det frem fra intervjuer med informanter at faktorer som mangel på bevissthet, kommunesammenslåing, politiske prioriteringer, stramme budsjett og tid til rådighet på mange måter har hatt sine påvirkninger på oppfølgingen av helhetlige ROS-analyser i de respektive kommunene. Det ble i forskningsspørsmål 3 fremlagt punkter som blant annet ble presisert av informantene, som kan være med på å styrke oppfølgingen, deriblant forbedre bevisstheten gjennom organisasjonen, hyppigere tilsyn angående kommunal beredskapsplikt, bedre øvingskultur og betydeligere opplæring av kommunale ledere, var noe som ble påpekt. For å kunne besvare problemstillingen var det høyst aktuelt å ta frem teorier fra fagfeltet som innebærer rammeverk for risikostyring, prosesser innenfor risikostyring og en modell for sikkerhetsstyring. Disse drar frem viktige elementer, spesielt når det kommer til hva som kreveres for å kunne få et optimalt arbeid innenfor styring av risiko og samfunnssikkerhet. Gjennom intervjuer med aktuelle informanter fra kommuner, gjennomgang av helhetlig ROS-analyser og referater fra kommunestyrer, har jeg kunnet vurdere om saker relatert til helhetlig ROS blir tatt opp i kommunene. Dette har resultert i et datagrunnlag for å svare på problemstillingen til oppgaven. Den innsamlende dataen har videre blitt presentert og diskutert opp mot teorier innenfor risikostyring og samfunnssikkerhet, med den hensikt å diskutere rundt datafunnene fra kommunen og se hvordan disse kan være med å forbedre arbeidet kommunene har med tanke på oppfølging av helhetlig ROS-analyser. Her viser det seg at flertallet av kommunene jeg som forsker fikk innsyn til, har inkludert forsalg til nye tiltak og oppfølgingsplan, men at det ikke er alle som hadde dette med i sitt planverk, noe som er verdt å bemerke. Et annet datafunn som vil være med å svare på problemstillingen, var ut ifra mine datafunn at det kun var 38% av kommunene som hadde tatt opp saker i kommunestyret relatert til helhetlig ROS i perioden 2019-2022. Selv om 41% av kommunen har helhetlig ROS fra perioden 2014-2017, er det fortsatt oppsiktsvekkende begrenset med saker som er blitt tatt opp i kommunestyrene. Selv om noen av kommunene i undersøkelsen viser et positivt arbeid når det kommer til oppfølging både gjennom deres helhetlige ROS-analyser og kommentarer som informantene uttrykker, er det fortsatt behov for endring i flere av kommunene. Det området det bør fokusers mest på i fremtiden vil være å endre bevisstheten med søkelys på kontinuerlig forbedring når det angår oppfølging av helhetlig ROS-analyse i en kommune. En helhetlig ROS-analyse kan være gjennomført på en så tilfredsstillende måte som overhodet mulig, men om det ikke er en systematisk tankegang og bevissthet gjennom hele organisasjonen relatert til oppfølging av helhetlig ROS, vil man kunne streve med å få ut analysen sitt fulle potensiale

Perceptions of politics: a South African case

A maior parte das teorias sobre o político em África baseia-se, de uma maneira ou de outra, sobre o pressuposto de uma distinção fundamental entre uma forma de dominação ocidental, burocrática e formal, e uma dominação africana muito mais personalizada. Este artigo propõe-se contribuir para o debate, examinando em detalhe concreto, num projecto de desenvolvimento urbano em Durban/África do Sul, a interacção destes dois modos de compreender o político. A existência das duas lógicas é identificada no caso, senda o forma legal representada pela organização encarregada de promover o desenvolvimento, e a forma personalizada pelas organizações comunitárias. Verifica-se, porém, que as duas concepções do político são menos dicotómicas do que parece à primeira vista. Com efeito, a introdução de relações patrimoniais foi condicionada pelo quadro legal, e os recursos utilizados para estabelecer o podes dos líderes comunitários foram postos à sua disposição pelo quadro legal.Most theories of politics in Africa rest in some way on the assumption of a fundamental distinction between a western bureaucratic, legal form of domination, and an African domi nation that is much more personalised. This article sets out to contribute to the debate by examining in concrete detail the interaction of these two understandings of politics in an urban development project at Durban/South Africa. Both logics are identified in the case, where the development organisation represents the legal form and community organisations the personalised form. It appears however that the two conceptions of politics are less dichotomical than it first would seem. In fact, the patrimonial relations that were introduced were conditioned by the legal framework, and the resources that went into establishing power as community leaders were made available because of the legal framework.La plupart des théories de la politique en Afrique se fondent d'une manière ou de l'autre sur l'hypothèse d'une distinction fondamentale entre une forme de domination occidentale, bureaucratique et formelle, et une domination africaine beaucoup plus personnalisée. Cet arti cle se prose de contribuer au débat en examinant en détail concret, dans un projet de développement urbain à Durban/Afrique du Sud, l'interaction de ces deux façons de comprendre le politique. Les deux logiques y sont identifiées, la forme légale étant représentée par l'organisa tion chargée de promouvoir le développement et la forme personnalisée par les organisations communautaires. Il apparaît cependant que les deux conceptions du politique sont moins dichotomiques qu'il ne semble à première vue. En fait, l'introduction de rapports patrimoniaux a été conditionné par le cadre légal, et les ressources utilisées pour établir le pouvoir des leaders communautaires ont été mises à leur disposition par le cadre légal

FOSTERING DEMOCRATIC PREPAREDNESS TO PREVENT GROUP FOCUSED ENMITY IN NORWEGIAN SCHOOLS

U ovom radu predstavljen je konceptualni okvir norveškog projekta kojemu je cilj suzbijanje rasizma, antisemitizma i drugih oblika neprijateljstava usmjerenih prema manjinskim skupinama, kroz obrazovanje u nižim razredima srednje škole. Projekt pod naslovom “Demokratskom spremnošću protiv rasizma i antisemtizma” (“Democratic preparedness against Racism and Anti-Semitism” – Dembra) kombinira elemente stručnog usavršavanja nastavnika i razvoj škola. U projektu se koristilo uvidima iz međunarodnih istraživanja o neprijateljstvu usmjerenom prema skupinama (Zick et.al 2008, 2011), prema kojima će ljudi koji se osjećaju marginalizirano, isključeno i lišeno mogućnosti u društvu najvjerojatnije zadržati negativne stavove o jednoj ili nekoliko manjinskih skupina. Predrasude prema manjinama, osjećaj ugroženosti njihovom blizinom i protudemokratski stavovi, čini se, idu ruku pod ruku. Posljedica toga je da se pristup prema prevenciji neprijateljstva usmjerenog prema manjinskim skupinama kroz obrazovanje fokusira na razvoj inkluzivnog školskog okruženja, kao i na poticanje kritičkog razmišljanja, raspravu i aktivno sudjelovanje u demokratskim i različitim okruženjima. Ovaj rad opisuje cjelokupni školski pristup primijenjen u projektu, kombinirajući fokus na nastavnu praksu, školsku upravu i kulturu, koji se moraju razvijati u pojedinačnom kontekstu svake škole. Temeljeno na ovim principima, u trogodišnjem projektu radilo se s učiteljima i voditeljima 11 norveških škola. U radu se mogu vidjeti konkretni primjeri kako su pojedine škole implementirale aktivnosti povezane s različitostima, predrasudama i negativnim stavovima prema određenim manjinama. Koristeći se povratnim informacijama dobivenim od učitelja, razmotrit ćemo pozitivan utjecaj koji je projekt ostvario na učitelje škola koje su sudjelovale u njemu.This article introduces the conceptual framework of a Norwegian project which sets out to counteract racism, anti-Semitism and other forms of group focused enmity trough education in lower secondary schools. The project with the title “Democratic preparedness against Racism and Anti-Semitism” (Dembra) combines elements of in-service teacher training and school development. Conceptually, it operationalized insights from international research on group focused enmity (Zick et.al 2008, 2011) according to which people who feel marginalized, disconnected and deprived from opportunities in society are most likely to hold negative attitudes about one or several minority groups. Prejudice against minorities, a sense of being threatened by their presence and anti- democratic attitudes seem to go hand in hand. As a consequence, the approach towards prevention of group focused enmity through education focuses on developing inclusive school environments, as well as fostering critical thinking, debate and active participation in democratic and diverse environments. The article describes the whole school approach applied in the project, combining a focus on classroom practice, school governance and culture, which need to be developed in the particular context of each school. Based on these principles, the three-year project has worked with teachers and school leaders from 11 Norwegian schools. The article gives concrete examples of how some of the participating schools implemented activities related to diversity, prejudice and negative attitudes towards certain minorities. Based on the feedback from the participating teachers we will discuss the project’s positive impact on the teachers and the participating schools

FOSTERING DEMOCRATIC PREPAREDNESS TO PREVENT GROUP FOCUSED ENMITY IN NORWEGIAN SCHOOLS

U ovom radu predstavljen je konceptualni okvir norveškog projekta kojemu je cilj suzbijanje rasizma, antisemitizma i drugih oblika neprijateljstava usmjerenih prema manjinskim skupinama, kroz obrazovanje u nižim razredima srednje škole. Projekt pod naslovom “Demokratskom spremnošću protiv rasizma i antisemtizma” (“Democratic preparedness against Racism and Anti-Semitism” – Dembra) kombinira elemente stručnog usavršavanja nastavnika i razvoj škola. U projektu se koristilo uvidima iz međunarodnih istraživanja o neprijateljstvu usmjerenom prema skupinama (Zick et.al 2008, 2011), prema kojima će ljudi koji se osjećaju marginalizirano, isključeno i lišeno mogućnosti u društvu najvjerojatnije zadržati negativne stavove o jednoj ili nekoliko manjinskih skupina. Predrasude prema manjinama, osjećaj ugroženosti njihovom blizinom i protudemokratski stavovi, čini se, idu ruku pod ruku. Posljedica toga je da se pristup prema prevenciji neprijateljstva usmjerenog prema manjinskim skupinama kroz obrazovanje fokusira na razvoj inkluzivnog školskog okruženja, kao i na poticanje kritičkog razmišljanja, raspravu i aktivno sudjelovanje u demokratskim i različitim okruženjima. Ovaj rad opisuje cjelokupni školski pristup primijenjen u projektu, kombinirajući fokus na nastavnu praksu, školsku upravu i kulturu, koji se moraju razvijati u pojedinačnom kontekstu svake škole. Temeljeno na ovim principima, u trogodišnjem projektu radilo se s učiteljima i voditeljima 11 norveških škola. U radu se mogu vidjeti konkretni primjeri kako su pojedine škole implementirale aktivnosti povezane s različitostima, predrasudama i negativnim stavovima prema određenim manjinama. Koristeći se povratnim informacijama dobivenim od učitelja, razmotrit ćemo pozitivan utjecaj koji je projekt ostvario na učitelje škola koje su sudjelovale u njemu.This article introduces the conceptual framework of a Norwegian project which sets out to counteract racism, anti-Semitism and other forms of group focused enmity trough education in lower secondary schools. The project with the title “Democratic preparedness against Racism and Anti-Semitism” (Dembra) combines elements of in-service teacher training and school development. Conceptually, it operationalized insights from international research on group focused enmity (Zick et.al 2008, 2011) according to which people who feel marginalized, disconnected and deprived from opportunities in society are most likely to hold negative attitudes about one or several minority groups. Prejudice against minorities, a sense of being threatened by their presence and anti- democratic attitudes seem to go hand in hand. As a consequence, the approach towards prevention of group focused enmity through education focuses on developing inclusive school environments, as well as fostering critical thinking, debate and active participation in democratic and diverse environments. The article describes the whole school approach applied in the project, combining a focus on classroom practice, school governance and culture, which need to be developed in the particular context of each school. Based on these principles, the three-year project has worked with teachers and school leaders from 11 Norwegian schools. The article gives concrete examples of how some of the participating schools implemented activities related to diversity, prejudice and negative attitudes towards certain minorities. Based on the feedback from the participating teachers we will discuss the project’s positive impact on the teachers and the participating schools

Epigenetics, heritability and longitudinal analysis

Background Longitudinal data and repeated measurements in epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) provide a rich resource for understanding epigenetics. We summarize 7 analytical approaches to the GAW20 data sets that addressed challenges and potential applications of phenotypic and epigenetic data. All contributions used the GAW20 real data set and employed either linear mixed effect (LME) models or marginal models through generalized estimating equations (GEE). These contributions were subdivided into 3 categories: (a) quality control (QC) methods for DNA methylation data; (b) heritability estimates pretreatment and posttreatment with fenofibrate; and (c) impact of drug response pretreatment and posttreatment with fenofibrate on DNA methylation and blood lipids. Results Two contributions addressed QC and identified large statistical differences with pretreatment and posttreatment DNA methylation, possibly a result of batch effects. Two contributions compared epigenome-wide heritability estimates pretreatment and posttreatment, with one employing a Bayesian LME and the other using a variance-component LME. Density curves comparing these studies indicated these heritability estimates were similar. Another contribution used a variance-component LME to depict the proportion of heritability resulting from a genetic and shared environment. By including environmental exposures as random effects, the authors found heritability estimates became more stable but not significantly different. Two contributions investigated treatment response. One estimated drug-associated methylation effects on triglyceride levels as the response, and identified 11 significant cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites with or without adjusting for high-density lipoprotein. The second contribution performed weighted gene coexpression network analysis and identified 6 significant modules of at least 30 CpG sites, including 3 modules with topological differences pretreatment and posttreatment. Conclusions Four conclusions from this GAW20 working group are: (a) QC measures are an important consideration for EWAS studies that are investigating multiple time points or repeated measurements; (b) application of heritability estimates between time points for individual CpG sites is a useful QC measure for DNA methylation studies; (c) drug intervention demonstrated strong epigenome-wide DNA methylation patterns across the 2 time points; and (d) new statistical methods are required to account for the environmental contributions of DNA methylation across time. These contributions demonstrate numerous opportunities exist for the analysis of longitudinal data in future epigenetic studies

Modeling dependency structures in 450k DNA methylation data

Motivation: DNA methylation has been shown to be spatially dependent across chromosomes. Previous studies have focused on the influence of genomic context on the dependency structure, while not considering differences in dependency structure between individuals. Results: We modeled spatial dependency with a flexible framework to quantify the dependency structure, focusing on inter-individual differences by exploring the association between dependency parameters and technical and biological variables. The model was applied to a subset of the Finnish Twin Cohort study (N = 1611 individuals). The estimates of the dependency parameters varied considerably across individuals, but were generally consistent across chromosomes within individuals. The variation in dependency parameters was associated with bisulfite conversion plate, zygosity, sex and age. The age differences presumably reflect accumulated environmental exposures and/or accumulated small methylation differences caused by stochastic mitotic events, establishing recognizable, individual patterns more strongly seen in older individuals.Peer reviewe