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Denied a Certificate of Fitness to Marry: The Nuremberg Race Laws as a Threat to Black German Futures
Get PDFThe 1935 Nuremberg Race Laws were one of the cornerstones of Nazi racial policy. Among other racial restrictions, they prohibited marriages and sexual relationships between German Jews and so-called Aryans. Wilhelm Frick, the Minister of the Interior, extended them to also cover men and women racialized as Black. The fact that this extension remains widely unknown is emblematic of the wider public and academic ignorance of Black experiences under the Nazis racial state. Using a wide range of new source materials, this article considers the application of the Race Laws, in word and spirit, as part of a more general assault on Germany’s Black residents, their children, and their white partners, which the Nazi regime undertook to protect German “racial purity.” In multiple localities, Nazi policing forces intervened in the private lives of Black residents, resorting to violence, in particular the very real threat of sterilization, to prevent the development of future generations of Black Germans
Critically appraised paper: An internet intervention with or without telephone support in primary care is not superior to usual care for low back pain [commentary]
Get PDFHeld to Account: Comparing Adversarial Questioning in Remote and In-Person Parole Hearings
Get PDFThis article analyses the use of adversarial questions in oral hearings conducted by the Parole Board of England and Wales. This is important because the Board is supposed to use an inquisitorial approach to oral hearings so adversarial questions are examples of where Parole Board members deviate from this norm. The article outlines the work of the Parole Board, the process for carrying out oral hearings and the recent move to increased remote hearings following the COVID19 pandemic. Using conversation analysis, the research casts light on the relationship between mode of hearing (remote vs in-person) and adversarial questions and how discourses of blame and responsibility operate in the production of these challenging question types. A chi-square test reveals that adversarial questions are statistically significantly more common in remote hearings, although they remain low in frequency. The article concludes with thoughts on why remote hearings are more conducive to adversarial questions
Developing a community of student engagement practitioners: Evidence of value from a postgraduate professional development course at a UK university
Get PDFStudent engagement practitioners, who work within and beyond higher education (HE) providers, have vital roles in contributing to students’ learning and experiences and they collaborate with various staff and student groups across organisational boundaries to initiate change. It is essential that organisations and the HE sector support these staff to achieve their potential, for example, by addressing the lack of relevant professional development opportunities available. This paper presents evidence of an effective pathway of development that enables a community of student engagement practitioners, conceptualised as ‘integrated practitioners’ (McIntosh & Nutt, 2022), to have impact in diverse HE settings. The findings of an impact and process evaluation of the UK's first accredited professional development course for student engagement practitioners, the Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) and Master’s (MA) in Student Engagement in Higher Education at the University of Winchester, are presented. Co-constructed with an advisory group of practitioners who were studying on the course and graduates, the evaluation was planned and structured using Theory of Change. A total of 22 practitioners provided evidence of the value of the course by taking part in peer-led interviews, online reflective activities and meetings, while seven staff members from the programme team participated. The paper outlines how the evaluation generated understanding about: the purposes and design of the course; the effectiveness of its blended delivery model and processes; and how the course contributed to the formation of a community and equipped practitioners to enact changes in their practice and within their organisations
Reverse pulse strategies for silicon dioxide thin films deposition by high power impulse magnetron sputtering.
Get PDFHigh density transparent oxide layers on polymers and glass can improve the environmental viability of photovoltaics‚ displays‚ and low emissivity layers in glazing as well as aid the design of optical filters. High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HIPIMS) produces high density microstructures and high hardness due to the delivery of an ionised metal and dissociated Oxygen deposition flux to the substrates. Silicon dioxide (SiOx) films were deposited by reactive HIPIMS of a metallic target in an Argon-Oxygen atmosphere. Single-target HIPIMS sputtering with reverse voltage operation was evaluated. The HIPIMS process was carried out by controlling the current within the pulse. This resulted in the elimination of stability issues associated with runaway currents for all target poisoning states from metallic to compound. SiOx was deposited at a peak current density of 0.5 Acm−2 in a plasma dominated by Si1+ ions as shown by energy- and mass- resolved spectrometry. The measured signal of atomic Oxygen was twice the amount of molecular Oxygen. The pulse duration was 20 microseconds. Plasma persisted to >150 μs after the pulse switch off as evidenced by the Ar neutral (Ar I) optical emission intensity. Arcing rates were significantly reduced when reverse pulsing was used due to the discharging of the target surface. The key attributes of the reverse voltage which influenced the extent of film defects caused by arcing events and deposition conditions were the amplitude and the delay between the switch-off of the pulse and the application of the reverse voltage. Applying a reverse voltage immediately after the end of the pulse utilised the undispersed high-density plasma still present in the racetrack at the point of switch off to neutralise the target surface and reduce arc energy. Reverse voltages of +25 V coupled with short delay times resulted in enhancing the flux and augmenting the energy of metal ions to the substrate. The gains in adatom mobility afforded by this approach promoted the formation of smooth and dense films with microscopic roughness of Ra = 3 nm as observed by AFM and high optical transmittivity of up to 97 % at a wavelength of 800 nm for 200 nm thick films. The high density supported a high nanohardness of 1 μm thick films of 10 ± 1 GPa and Young's modulus 77 ± 9 GPa, representing a 10 % increase over a glass substrate. Reverse voltages of +75 V and beyond were detrimental due to the production of ions of process and contaminant gases near the chamber walls and the target, which disrupted the lateral growth of film grains and induced the formation of globular morphology with a high microscopic surface roughness
Global, regional, and national prevalence of adult overweight and obesity, 1990–2021, with forecasts to 2050: a forecasting study for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
Get PDFBackground: Overweight and obesity is a global epidemic. Forecasting future trajectories of the epidemic is crucial for providing an evidence base for policy change. In this study, we examine the historical trends of the global, regional, and national prevalence of adult overweight and obesity from 1990 to 2021 and forecast the future trajectories to 2050.
Methods: Leveraging established methodology from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study, we estimated the prevalence of overweight and obesity among individuals aged 25 years and older by age and sex for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2050. Retrospective and current prevalence trends were derived based on both self-reported and measured anthropometric data extracted from 1350 unique sources, which include survey microdata and reports, as well as published literature. Specific adjustment was applied to correct for self-report bias. Spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression models were used to synthesise data, leveraging both spatial and temporal correlation in epidemiological trends, to optimise the comparability of results across time and geographies. To generate forecast estimates, we used forecasts of the Socio-demographic Index and temporal correlation patterns presented as annualised rate of change to inform future trajectories. We considered a reference scenario assuming the continuation of historical trends. Findings: Rates of overweight and obesity increased at the global and regional levels, and in all nations, between 1990 and 2021. In 2021, an estimated 1·00 billion (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 0·989–1·01) adult males and 1·11 billion (1·10–1·12) adult females had overweight and obesity. China had the largest population of adults with overweight and obesity (402 million [397–407] individuals), followed by India (180 million [167–194]) and the USA (172 million [169–174]). The highest age-standardised prevalence of overweight and obesity was observed in countries in Oceania and north Africa and the Middle East, with many of these countries reporting prevalence of more than 80% in adults. Compared with 1990, the global prevalence of obesity had increased by 155·1% (149·8–160·3) in males and 104·9% (95% UI 100·9–108·8) in females. The most rapid rise in obesity prevalence was observed in the north Africa and the Middle East super-region, where age-standardised prevalence rates in males more than tripled and in females more than doubled. Assuming the continuation of historical trends, by 2050, we forecast that the total number of adults living with overweight and obesity will reach 3·80 billion (95% UI 3·39–4·04), over half of the likely global adult population at that time. While China, India, and the USA will continue to constitute a large proportion of the global population with overweight and obesity, the number in the sub-Saharan Africa super-region is forecasted to increase by 254·8% (234·4–269·5). In Nigeria specifically, the number of adults with overweight and obesity is forecasted to rise to 141 million (121–162) by 2050, making it the country with the fourth-largest population with overweight and obesity.
Interpretation: No country to date has successfully curbed the rising rates of adult overweight and obesity. Without immediate and effective intervention, overweight and obesity will continue to increase globally. Particularly in Asia and Africa, driven by growing populations, the number of individuals with overweight and obesity is forecast to rise substantially. These regions will face a considerable increase in obesity-related disease burden. Merely acknowledging obesity as a global health issue would be negligent on the part of global health and public health practitioners; more aggressive and targeted measures are required to address this crisis, as obesity is one of the foremost avertible risks to health now and in the future and poses an unparalleled threat of premature disease and death at local, national, and global levels.
Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Vaccine Inequity in the COVID-19 Crisis: Lessons to Leverage Global Health Law through Market-Shaping Policies.
Get PDFThis article critically examines the inequities in the access to COVID-19 vaccine and the lessons for global health law. Despite the rapid development and approval of COVID-19 vaccines, the rollout exposed severe systemic failures rooted in preexisting economic distortions and market inefficiencies. The article argues that addressing vaccine inequity requires more than improved distribution and solidarity, but effective reinvention of the global vaccine supply chain through evidence-based and meaningful market-shaping measures. It calls for a transformative approach to global health governance, emphasising the need for a comprehensive, human rights-compliant policy framework to correct structural problems in international markets, moving beyond superficial exhortations to equity
Changing life expectancy in European countries 1990-2021: a subanalysis of causes and risk factors from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
Get PDFBackgroundDecades of steady improvements in life expectancy in Europe slowed down from around 2011, well before the COVID-19 pandemic, for reasons which remain disputed. We aimed to assess how changes in risk factors and cause-specific death rates in different European countries related to changes in life expectancy in those countries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe used data and methods from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2021 to compare changes in life expectancy at birth, causes of death, and population exposure to risk factors in 16 European Economic Area countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden) and the four UK nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) for three time periods: 1990-2011, 2011-19, and 2019-21. Changes in life expectancy and causes of death were estimated with an established life expectancy cause-specific decomposition method, and compared with summary exposure values of risk factors for the major causes of death influencing life expectancy.FindingsAll countries showed mean annual improvements in life expectancy in both 1990-2011 (overall mean 0·23 years [95% uncertainty interval [UI] 0·23 to 0·24]) and 2011-19 (overall mean 0·15 years [0·13 to 0·16]). The rate of improvement was lower in 2011-19 than in 1990-2011 in all countries except for Norway, where the mean annual increase in life expectancy rose from 0·21 years (95% UI 0·20 to 0·22) in 1990-2011 to 0·23 years (0·21 to 0·26) in 2011-19 (difference of 0·03 years). In other countries, the difference in mean annual improvement between these periods ranged from -0·01 years in Iceland (0·19 years [95% UI 0·16 to 0·21] vs 0·18 years [0·09 to 0·26]), to -0·18 years in England (0·25 years [0·24 to 0·25] vs 0·07 years [0·06 to 0·08]). In 2019-21, there was an overall decrease in mean annual life expectancy across all countries (overall mean -0·18 years [95% UI -0·22 to -0·13]), with all countries having an absolute fall in life expectancy except for Ireland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, which showed marginal improvement in life expectancy, and Belgium, which showed no change in life expectancy. Across countries, the causes of death responsible for the largest improvements in life expectancy from 1990 to 2011 were cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms. Deaths from cardiovascular diseases were the primary driver of reductions in life expectancy improvements during 2011-19, and deaths from respiratory infections and other COVID-19 pandemic-related outcomes were responsible for the decreases in life expectancy during 2019-21. Deaths from cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms in 2019 were attributable to high systolic blood pressure, dietary risks, tobacco smoke, high LDL cholesterol, high BMI, occupational risks, high alcohol use, and other risks including low physical activity. Exposure to these major risk factors differed by country, with trends of increasing exposure to high BMI and decreasing exposure to tobacco smoke observed in all countries during 1990-2021.InterpretationThe countries that best maintained improvements in life expectancy after 2011 (Norway, Iceland, Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden) did so through better maintenance of reductions in mortality from cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms, underpinned by decreased exposures to major risks, possibly mitigated by government policies. The continued improvements in life expectancy in five countries during 2019-21 indicate that these countries were better prepared to withstand the COVID-19 pandemic. By contrast, countries with the greatest slowdown in life expectancy improvements after 2011 went on to have some of the largest decreases in life expectancy in 2019-21. These findings suggest that government policies that improve population health also build resilience to future shocks. Such policies include reducing population exposure to major upstream risks for cardiovascular diseases and neoplasms, such as harmful diets and low physical activity, tackling the commercial determinants of poor health, and ensuring access to affordable health services.FundingGates Foundation