Reporting the Referendum and why you prefer this headline

This article is by Polis Summer School student Emily Steckhan on a talk given by Nina Trentmann In the context of the ever growing industry of digital journalism, it comes as no surprise that, globally, there have been job cuts across most major newspapers

Baseline Report for the German-Myanmar Programme on Sustainable Economic Development

With the resumption of German-Myanmar bilateral cooperation in 2012, the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) saw this as a unique opportunity to pay special attention to the impact orientation of the new German-Myanmar Programme on Sustainable Economic Development from the early planning phase onwards, with the aim of addressing the issue of measuring impact at country-programme level. Accordingly, the German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval) was asked to support and accompany this process and to create the prerequisites for impact evaluation on programme level

Voice analysis for neurological disorder recognition – a systematic review and perspective on emerging trends

Quantifying neurological disorders from voice is a rapidly growing field of research and holds promise for unobtrusive and large-scale disorder monitoring. The data recording setup and data analysis pipelines are both crucial aspects to effectively obtain relevant information from participants. Therefore, we performed a systematic review to provide a high-level overview of practices across various neurological disorders and highlight emerging trends. PRISMA-based literature searches were conducted through PubMed, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore to identify publications in which original (i.e., newly recorded) datasets were collected. Disorders of interest were psychiatric as well as neurodegenerative disorders, such as bipolar disorder, depression, and stress, as well as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease, and speech impairments (aphasia, dysarthria, and dysphonia). Of the 43 retrieved studies, Parkinson's disease is represented most prominently with 19 discovered datasets. Free speech and read speech tasks are most commonly used across disorders. Besides popular feature extraction toolkits, many studies utilise custom-built feature sets. Correlations of acoustic features with psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders are presented. In terms of analysis, statistical analysis for significance of individual features is commonly used, as well as predictive modeling approaches, especially with support vector machines and a small number of artificial neural networks. An emerging trend and recommendation for future studies is to collect data in everyday life to facilitate longitudinal data collection and to capture the behavior of participants more naturally. Another emerging trend is to record additional modalities to voice, which can potentially increase analytical performance

Ketogenic diet and fasting diet as Nutritional Approaches in Multiple Sclerosis (NAMS): protocol of a randomized controlled study

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common inflammatory disease of the central nervous system in young adults that may lead to progressive disability. Since pharmacological treatments may have substantial side effects, there is a need for complementary treatment options such as specific dietary approaches. Ketone bodies that are produced during fasting diets (FDs) and ketogenic diets (KDs) are an alternative and presumably more efficient energy source for the brain. Studies on mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis showed beneficial effects of KDs and FDs on disease progression, disability, cognition and inflammatory markers. However, clinical evidence on these diets is scarce. In the clinical study protocol presented here, we investigate whether a KD and a FD are superior to a standard diet (SD) in terms of therapeutic effects and disease progression. METHODS: This study is a single-center, randomized, controlled, parallel-group study. One hundred and eleven patients with relapsing-remitting MS with current disease activity and stable immunomodulatory therapy or no disease-modifying therapy will be randomized to one of three 18-month dietary interventions: a KD with a restricted carbohydrate intake of 20-40 g/day; a FD with a 7-day fast every 6 months and 14-h daily intermittent fasting in between; and a fat-modified SD as recommended by the German Nutrition Society. The primary outcome measure is the number of new T2-weighted MRI lesions after 18 months. Secondary endpoints are safety, changes in relapse rate, disability progression, fatigue, depression, cognition, quality of life, changes of gut microbiome as well as markers of inflammation, oxidative stress and autophagy. Safety and feasibility will also be assessed. DISCUSSION: Preclinical data suggest that a KD and a FD may modulate immunity, reduce disease severity and promote remyelination in the mouse model of MS. However, clinical evidence is lacking. This study is the first clinical study investigating the effects of a KD and a FD on disease progression of MS

Evaluierung des Aktionsplans des BMZ zur Inklusion von Menschen mit Behinderungen

Der Aktionsplan Inklusion von Menschen mit Behinderungen des Bundesministeriums für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) war darauf gerichtet, die Inklusion von Menschen mit Behinderungen in der deutschen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit (EZ) systematisch und querschnittsmäßig zu verankern. Das BMZ hat als einziges Ressort einen eigenen Aktionsplan erarbeitet, der seit 2013 umgesetzt wird. Er ordnet sich ein in die Verpflichtungen Deutschlands aus der Ratifizierung des völkerrechtlich verbindlichen Übereinkommens der Vereinten Nationen über die Rechte von Menschen mit Behinderungen. Die Evaluierung hat überprüft, inwieweit der Aktionsplan seine Ziele erreicht hat. Sie leistet zudem einen Beitrag zur Weiterentwicklung der Inklusion von Menschen mit Behinderungen in der deutschen EZ. Daraus abgeleitete praxisrelevante Empfehlungen können für die strategische Neuausrichtung der Förderung von Inklusion von Menschen mit Behinderungen in der deutschen EZ ab 2018 genutzt werden. Die Evaluierung folgte einem menschenrechtsbasierten Vorgehen. Dabei wurde ein breites Spektrum von Erhebungsmethoden (Interviews, Fokusgruppen, Workshops, Onlinebefragung, Dokumentenanalyse) eingesetzt. Besonderen Stellenwert haben die Fallstudien, die in Vorhaben der deutschen bilateralen EZ in fünf Ländern durchgeführt wurden

Institutionelle Evaluierung von Engagement Global

Bürgerschaftliches Engagement findet in unterschiedlichen Formen statt. Aus entwicklungspolitischer Sicht kommt der Stärkung bürgerschaftlichen Engagements im Politikfeld eine besondere Bedeutung zu, weil durch staatliche Förderung gemeinschaftliches Engagement sinnvoll unterstützt und im Sinne der entwicklungspolitischen Zielerreichung verstärkt werden kann. Um die staatlichen Angebote zur Unterstützung bürgerschaftlichen Engagements in der Entwicklungspolitik unter einem gemeinsamen organisatorischen Dach zu bündeln, gründete das Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung 2012 Engagement Global als gemeinnützige GmbH. Der Anlass für die vorliegende institutionelle Evaluierung war die zunehmende, in den letzten Jahren auch in einem starken Mittelaufwuchs zum Ausdruck kommende politische Relevanz von bürgerschaftlichem, zivilgesellschaftlichem und kommunalem entwicklungspolitischem Engagement. Gegenstand der Evaluierung war Engagement Global als Organisation mit ihren Strukturen, Prozessen und dem Portfolio unterschiedlicher Programme sowie deren Ergebnissen. Die Evaluierung leistet damit einen Beitrag zur institutionellen Weiterentwicklung von Engagement Global. Die Empfehlungen sollen zur Stärkung ihrer Handlungsfähigkeit und zur Verbesserung ihrer Unterstützungsangebote dienen

Determination of the miscibility gap in the solid solutions series of methylammonium lead iodide chloride

Perovskites are widely known for their enormous possibility of elemental substitution, which leads to a large variety of physical properties. Hybrid perovskites such as CH3NH3PbI3 MAPbI3 and CH3NH3PbCl3 MAPbCl3 are perovskites with an A[XII]B[VI]X[II] 3 stoichiometry, where A is an organic molecule, B is a lead II cation and X is a halide anion of iodine or chlorine. Whereas MAPbCl3 crystallizes in the cubic space group Pm3m, MAPbI3 is in the tetragonal space group I4 mcm. The substitution of I by Cl leads to an increased tolerance against humidity but is challenging or even impossible due to their large difference in ionic radii. Here, the influence of an increasing Cl content in the reaction solution on the miscibility of the solid solution members is examined systematically. Powders were synthesized by two different routes depending on the I Cl ratio. High resolution synchrotron X ray data are used to establish values for the limits of the miscibility gap which are 3.1 1.1 mol MAPbCl3 in MAPI and 1.0 1 mol MAPbI3 in MAPCl. The establishment of relations between average pseudo cubic lattice parameters for both phases allows a determination of the degree of substitution from the observed lattice parameter

Post Hoc Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial on Fasting and Plant-Based Diet in Rheumatoid Arthritis (NutriFast): Nutritional Supply and Impact on Dietary Behavior

This study aimed at comparing the nutrient supply and dietary behaviors during a plant-based diet (PBD) combined with time-restricted eating (TRE) to standard dietary recommendations in rheumatoid arthritis patients. In this open-label, randomized, controlled clinical trial, patients were assigned to either a 7-day fast followed by an 11-week PBD including TRE (A) or a 12-week anti-inflammatory diet following official German guidelines (German Nutrition Society, DGE) (B). Dietary habits were assessed by 3-day food records at weeks -1, 4 and 9 and food frequency questionnaires. 41 out of 53 participants were included in a post-hoc per protocol analysis. Both groups had similar energy, carbohydrate, sugar, fiber and protein intake at week 4. Group A consumed significantly less total saturated fat than group B (15.9 +/- 7.7 vs. 23.2 +/- 10.3 g/day; p = 0.02). Regarding micronutrients, group B consumed more vitamin A, B-12, D, riboflavin and calcium (each p <= 0.02). Zinc and calcium were below recommended intakes in both groups. Cluster analysis did not show clear group allocation after three months. Hence, dietary counselling for a PBD combined with TRE compared to a standard anti-inflammatory diet does not seem to lead to two different dietary clusters, i.e., actual different dietary behaviors as expected. Larger confirmatory studies are warranted to further define dietary recommendations for RA

The effects of short-term fasting on quality of life and tolerance to chemotherapy in patients with breast and ovarian cancer: a randomized cross-over pilot study

Background This pilot trial aimed to study the feasibility and effects on quality of life (QOL) and well-being of short-term fasting (STF) during chemotherapy in patients with gynecological cancer. Methods In an individually-randomized cross-over trial patients with gynecological cancer, 4 to 6 planned chemotherapy cycles were included. Thirty-four patients were randomized to STF in the first half of chemotherapies followed by normocaloric diet (group A;n = 18) or vice versa (group B;n = 16). Fasting started 36 h before and ended 24 h after chemotherapy (60 h-fasting period). QOL was assessed by the FACIT-measurement system. Results The chemotherapy-induced reduction of QOL was less than the Minimally Important Difference (MID; FACT-G = 5) with STF but greater than the MID for non-fasted periods. The mean chemotherapy-induced deterioration of total FACIT-F was 10.4 ± 5.3 for fasted and 27.0 ± 6.3 for non-fasted cycles in group A and 14.1 ± 5.6 for non-fasted and 11.0 ± 5.6 for fasted cycles in group B. There were no serious adverse effects. Conclusion STF during chemotherapy is well tolerated and appears to improve QOL and fatigue during chemotherapy. Larger studies should prove the effect of STF as an adjunct to chemotherapy. Trial registration This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01954836