Plant a tree! : climate change communication and perception in rural Uganda

Master's thesis Global development and planning UT505 - University of Agder 2019The impacts of climate change are one of the most pressing issues in our times. Thus, climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies are of key importance in development. For individuals to employ adaptation strategies, a perception of risk towards climate change is necessary which is mostly received through communicative activities. Not only is riskperception dependent on communication, also climate change is a topic that is mainly spread through communicative activities. Little has been done about the perception of climate change in Africa in general and Uganda in particular.Therefore, the objective of this Master thesis wasto find out how the framing of climate change in communication affects the risk perception of men and women in rural Uganda. The principals of feminist research wereapplied in this thesis.For the research design, a case study was selected. First, it was looked into the case of media reporting of climate change. Therefore, a qualitative content analysis was utilized to get a better understanding about how climate change is framed in media in Uganda. Following, a community in Eastern Uganda in Jinja District was studied to find out how climate change is perceived by people directly affected by it. This was done through qualitative interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation. The conducted research showed that the concept of climate change is not a familiar subject for most people in the community. As knowledge is a considerable contributor to risk perception, this unfortunately ceased to apply. However, people do experience a change in climate, mostly in the form of more occurring droughts. Those perceptions of a changing climate did not differ much in relation to gender. A more contributing factor of that was age and experience in farming. The community members have an explanatory model for more occurring droughts that stresses the importance of trees. This could also be observed in the framing of newspaper reporting where the focus was set on individual action and planting trees. Climate change is often outlined more in the sense of environmental degradation and the issue of emissions is rarely discussed. Clearly, emissions are not a big topic in Uganda as the country is responsible for only a marginal degree of global emissions. However, omitting this point in the explanation of globalclimate change can lead to single-sided explanatory models and false conclusions about causal relationships

Konstruktiver Journalismus: ein Ansatz zur kosmopolitischen Vermittlung fernen Leids?

Vor dem Hintergrund des partiellen Versagens journalistischer Medien in der Vermittlung gesellschaftlicher Andersartigkeit sowie der Kommerzialisierung humanitärer Kommunikation fragt dieser Artikel, inwiefern der emergente Trend ‚konstruktiver Journalismus’ zu einer kosmopolitischen Vermittlung fernen Leids in der medialen Berichterstattung beitragen kann. Mit Rückgriff auf die Theoriebildungen Becks und Chouliarakis zum Kosmopolitismus werden in einer konzeptionellen Literatursichtung diverse moralisch-ethische und politisch-kritische Ansprüche an einen normativ-kosmopolitisch gefärbten Journalismus formuliert. Diese werden mit dem Maßstab des konstruktiven Journalismus, sich neben Ursachen, Zusammenhängen und Hintergründen auch schlüssigen Lösungsansätzen für gesellschaftliche Probleme zu widmen, verknüpft. Die Analyse zeigt, dass ein konstruktiv orientierter Journalismus wichtige Impulse für eine Vermittlung fernen Leids im Sinne einer transnationalen Solidarität und Gerechtigkeit geben kann, wenn er sich als Kontinuum des klassischen Journalismus begreift

Requirements for the use of impact-based forecasts and warnings by road maintenance services in Germany

Impact-based forecasts and warnings (IBFs) are seen as important drivers for adequate anticipation and assessment of potential threats to public safety as they give a better understanding of the weather event's impacts. To prepare for impacts of weather events and prevent weather-related accidents, road maintenance services are actively using weather information in their daily work routine. This paper looks into the requirements that road maintenance services have for IBFs and how weather forecasts are used at the moment. The study is part of an interdisciplinary research project and follows a qualitative social science research approach. Findings show that the following factors are general user requirements: relevance of information, recognition of spatial and temporal requests, acceptability, comprehensibility, and technical demands. These are also applicable to IBFs with the extension to provide a benefit for road maintenance services in situations that rarely occur and where no embodied knowledge in the organization is existent

Improving Low-Resource Question Answering using Active Learning in Multiple Stages

Neural approaches have become very popular in the domain of Question Answering, however they require a large amount of annotated data. Furthermore, they often yield very good performance but only in the domain they were trained on. In this work we propose a novel approach that combines data augmentation via question-answer generation with Active Learning to improve performance in low resource settings, where the target domains are diverse in terms of difficulty and similarity to the source domain. We also investigate Active Learning for question answering in different stages, overall reducing the annotation effort of humans. For this purpose, we consider target domains in realistic settings, with an extremely low amount of annotated samples but with many unlabeled documents, which we assume can be obtained with little effort. Additionally, we assume sufficient amount of labeled data from the source domain is available. We perform extensive experiments to find the best setup for incorporating domain experts. Our findings show that our novel approach, where humans are incorporated as early as possible in the process, boosts performance in the low-resource, domain-specific setting, allowing for low-labeling-effort question answering systems in new, specialized domains. They further demonstrate how human annotation affects the performance of QA depending on the stage it is performed.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figure

Human blood-brain barrier receptors for Alzheimer's amyloid-beta 1- 40. Asymmetrical binding, endocytosis, and transcytosis at the apical side of brain microvascular endothelial cell monolayer.

This is the published version. Copyright 1998 by American Society for Clinical Investigation.A soluble monomeric form of Alzheimer's amyloid-beta (1-40) peptide (sAbeta1-40) is present in the circulation and could contribute to neurotoxicity if it crosses the brain capillary endothelium, which comprises the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in vivo. This study characterizes endothelial binding and transcytosis of a synthetic peptide homologous to human sAbeta1-40 using an in vitro model of human BBB. 125I-sAbeta1-40 binding to the brain microvascular endothelial cell monolayer was time dependent, polarized to the apical side, and saturable with high- and low-affinity dissociation constants of 7.8+/-1.2 and 52.8+/-6.2 nM, respectively. Binding of 125I-sAbeta1-40 was inhibited by anti-RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end products) antibody (63%) and by acetylated low density lipoproteins (33%). Consistent with these data, transfected cultured cells overexpressing RAGE or macrophage scavenger receptor (SR), type A, displayed binding and internalization of 125I-sAbeta1-40. The internalized peptide remains intact > 94%. Transcytosis of 125I-sAbeta1-40 was time and temperature dependent, asymmetrical from the apical to basolateral side, saturable with a Michaelis constant of 45+/-9 nM, and partially sensitive to RAGE blockade (36%) but not to SR blockade. We conclude that RAGE and SR mediate binding of sAbeta1-40 at the apical side of human BBB, and that RAGE is also involved in sAbeta1-40 transcytosis

Von Fachlicher Risikoanalyse zu Politischer Risikobewertung: Die Vermittlung von Risikoanalysen im Bevölkerungsschutz in die Bundespolitik

In Deutschland werden seit 2010 im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums des Innern und für Heimat (bis 8. Dezember 2021 Bundesministerium des Innern, für Bau und Heimat), unter der Koordination des Bundesamtes für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK) regelmäßig Risikoanalysen zu unterschiedlichen Risiken erarbeitet und zur politischen Bewertung vor allem an den Innenausschuss des Deutschen Bundestages gesandt. Diese Studie untersucht explorativ die Rahmenbedingungen der politischen Arbeit von Abgeordneten des Deutschen Bundestages und geht der Frage nach, welche Gründe und Bedingungen die Wahrnehmung der Risikoanalysen beeinflussen und die Verwendung dieser für die Entscheidungsfindung und Politikgestaltung erschweren oder erleichtern. Zur Beantwortung dieser Frage wurden 15 leitfadengestützte Interviews mit aktiven und ehemaligen Bundestagsabgeordneten sowie zwei Gruppendiskussionen mit wissenschaftlichen Mitarbeitenden von Bundestagsabgeordneten durchgeführt. Auf der Grundlage eines heuristischen Modells erfolgte eine strukturierte qualitative Inhaltsanalyse des Materials entlang festgelegter Auswertungskategorien. Durch die Analyse konnten grundlegende Rahmenbedingungen für die Arbeits- und Verhaltensweisen der Abgeordneten herausgearbeitet und Gründe aufgezeigt werden, die eine politische Diskussion der Risikoanalysen in der Vergangenheit erschwert haben. Gleichzeitig erzielte die Analyse eine große Anzahl von Anhaltspunkten für direkte oder indirekte Verbesserungen in der kommunikativen Begleitung der Risikoanalysen sowie deren inhaltlicher und visueller Aufbereitung. Zusätzliche Aspekte hinsichtlich der politischen Wahrnehmung und Bewertung der Risikoanalysen konnten im Rahmen einer Analyse politischer Dokumente erarbeitet werden, die über das Dokumentations- und Informationssystem für Parlamentarische Vorgänge (DIP) abrufbar sind. Die Studie stellt abschließend Handlungsempfehlungen für einen erfolgreichen Transfer der Inhalte der Risikoanalysen in die Bundespolitik vor

Response to a sexual risk reduction intervention provided in combination with hepatitis C treatment by HIV/HCV co-infected men who have sex with men: a reflexive thematic analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus reinfections in HIV-positive men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) challenge the effectiveness of antiviral treatment. To fight this problem, an adapted sexual risk reduction intervention was implemented within a hepatitis C treatment trial. Following this, the current study had two aims and describes 1) how the program was received by participants; and 2) their responses to the program regarding sexual risk taking. Based on the participants' input, we hoped to judge the intervention's potential for scale-up. METHODS: Seventeen participants who received the sexual risk reduction intervention in addition to hepatitis C treatment were recruited for semi-structured interviews six to 12 months post-intervention. We evaluated the responses via reflexive thematic analysis and applied the concept of sense-making. RESULTS: Giving hepatitis C a place and living without it again illustrates how participants received the program and how their experiences were altered by the impact of sense-making. Based on their responses, we allocated participants to three groups: 1. Avoid risks: get rid of hepatitis C for life. For these men, hepatitis C remained a life-threatening disease: they actively modified their risk behavior and felt supported by the intervention in maintaining their behavioral changes. 2. Minimize risks: live as long as possible without hepatitis C. In contrast to group 1, these men saw hepatitis C as a manageable disease. The intervention facilitated reflection on risks and how to develop behavioral changes that suited them individually. 3. Accept risks; live with the risk of hepatitis C. These men perceived behavioral changes as much more difficult than "easy" medical treatment. They expected to either undergo repeated rounds of treatment or stay HCV re-infected. CONCLUSION: These results illustrate the diversity of men's responses and their decisions regarding sexual risk behavior after participating in a combination of antiviral treatment and a sexual risk reduction intervention. Two major aspects were identified: 1) Teachable moments, particularly at the time of diagnosis/treatment, could offer an opportunity to develop openness for behavioral change; 2) adapting sexual risk reduction interventions to sense-making patterns could help to improve its effectiveness. Support for reducing infection risk and raising awareness of preventative measures are additional benefits. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trial Number: NCT02785666 , 30.05.2016

QUALINET white paper on definitions of Immersive Media Experience (IMEx)

With the coming of age of virtual/augmented reality and interactive media, numerous definitions, frameworks, and models of immersion have emerged across different fields ranging from computer graphics to literary works. Immersion is oftentimes used interchangeably with presence as both concepts are closely related. However, there are noticeable interdisciplinary differences regarding definitions, scope, and constituents that are required to be addressed so that a coherent understanding of the concepts can be achieved. Such consensus is vital for paving the directionality of the future of immersive media experiences (IMEx) and all related matters. The aim of this white paper is to provide a survey of definitions of immersion and presence which leads to a definition of immersive media experience (IMEx). The Quality of Experience (QoE) for immersive media is described by establishing a relationship between the concepts of QoE and IMEx followed by application areas of immersive media experience. Influencing factors on immersive media experience are elaborated as well as the assessment of immersive media experience. Finally, standardization activities related to IMEx are highlighted and the white paper is concluded with an outlook related to future developments

Study of doubly strange systems using stored antiprotons

Bound nuclear systems with two units of strangeness are still poorly known despite their importance for many strong interaction phenomena. Stored antiprotons beams in the GeV range represent an unparalleled factory for various hyperon-antihyperon pairs. Their outstanding large production probability in antiproton collisions will open the floodgates for a series of new studies of systems which contain two or even more units of strangeness at the P‾ANDA experiment at FAIR. For the first time, high resolution γ-spectroscopy of doubly strange ΛΛ-hypernuclei will be performed, thus complementing measurements of ground state decays of ΛΛ-hypernuclei at J-PARC or possible decays of particle unstable hypernuclei in heavy ion reactions. High resolution spectroscopy of multistrange Ξ−-atoms will be feasible and even the production of Ω−-atoms will be within reach. The latter might open the door to the |S|=3 world in strangeness nuclear physics, by the study of the hadronic Ω−-nucleus interaction. For the first time it will be possible to study the behavior of Ξ‾+ in nuclear systems under well controlled conditions

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat