126 research outputs found
Time Series Properties of the German Monthly Production Index
No full textThe production index is an important indicator for assessing the cyclical state of the economy. Unfortunately, the monthly time series is contaminated by many noisy components like seasonal variations, calendar and vacation effects. Only part of those nuisance components are explicitly considered in the seasonal adjustment procedures used by statistical agencies. In this paper, we propose a more flexible specification for the seasonal and working day effects and introduce an indicator for the summer vacations effect. We allow for time-varying parameters and show that the resulting Unobserved Components Model delivers more reliable results for the adjusted series.production index, seasonal adjustment, working day effect, business cycles, unobserved components models
Neurofeedback in ADHD: Further Pieces of the Puzzle
No full textAmong the different neuromodulation techniques, neurofeedback (NF) is gaining increasing interest in the treatment of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this article, a methodological framework is summarised considering the training as a neuro-behavioural treatment. Randomised controlled trials are selectively reviewed. Results from two smaller-scale studies are presented with the first study comprising a tomographic analysis over the course of a slow cortical potential (SCP) training and a correlational analysis of regulation skills and clinical outcome in children with ADHD. In the second study, ADHD-related behaviour was studied in children with tic disorder who either conducted a SCP training or a theta/low-beta (12-15 Hz) training (single-blind, randomised design). Both studies provide further evidence for the specificity of NF effects in ADHD. Based on these findings, a refined model of the mechanisms contributing to the efficacy of SCP training is developed. Despite a number of open questions concerning core mechanisms, moderators and mediators, NF (theta/beta and SCP) training seems to be on its way to become a valuable and ethically acceptable module in the treatment of children with ADHD
The material life of world cinema : dynamics of ‘discovery’ and ‘rediscovery’ at the Cineteca di Bologna (1960-2018)
No full textThis thesis explores how concepts and canons of world cinema were historically and materially conditioned by European film institutions. Using the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna as a dynamic case study, it retraces the permutations of world cinema over the last half century, as it shifted from a universalist yet Eurocentric term to a militant phase in which European left-wing intellectuals sought to support and give visibility to Third World oppositional filmmakers and, finally, to a neoliberal phase in which filmmakers and films from the Global South have become dependent on the support of European and North American film institutions. Emphasising its “material life” over these three phases, this thesis argues that world cinema has emerged out of the preceding Third World Cinema, and describes a set of films produced in the so-called Global South and sustained and circulated by film institutions, primarily based in Europe. It focuses on two distinct historical periods, investigating two phenomena that have received scant attention in film historical research thus far. First, it excavates the neglected history of Italian Antifestivals, in particular the Porretta Terme Mostra Internazionale del Cinema Libero and early history of the Cineteca. In the 1960s-1970s period, these Antifestivals revolutionized the conventional festival format, energised innovative theoretical and critical discourses and, above all, crucially contributed to the European “discovery” of Third World Cinema. Second, this thesis explores the impact of film festivals’ rediscoveries of the world cinema canon by analysing the Cineteca’s subsequent phase, beginning with its archival film festival (Il Cinema Ritrovato) before turning to more recent conservative initiatives of the World Cinema Project and the African Film Heritage Project. In conclusion, the thesis concludes with an analysis of the Cineteca’s restoration of Med Hondo’s early films, which illuminate the different modes curators, critics and scholars use to relate to the film-historical past embedded in rediscovered world cinemas."This work was supported by the Postgraduate Research Scholarship (fee waiver and maintenance stipend) from the AD Links Foundation (Scholarship Reference Number: 111ADLINK002/1701/170023209/1). This work was also supported by the Postgraduate Award (research trip expenses) from the Russell Trust." --Fundin
Wie umgehen mit Kants Schriften in Forschung und Lehre?
No full textDie abschließende Folge der Diskussionsreihe „Kant Ein Rassist?“ beschäftigt sich mit der Frage „Wie umgehen mit Kants Schriften in Forschung und Lehre?“. Dabei werden sowohl die Ergebnisse der vorangegangenen Sitzungen als auch weitere Perspektiven diskutiert und diese auf ihre praktischen Implikationen hin untersucht. Das Impulsreferat hält Franziska Dübgen, Professorin für Philosophie an der Universität Münster mit Schwerpunkten in der politischen Philosophie und der Rechtsphilosophie. Franziska Dübgen forscht zu transkultureller Philosophie und der Critical Race Theory. Die erste Replik auf das Impulsreferat hält Volker Gerhardt, Leiter des Akademienprojekts „Neuedition, Revision und Abschluss der Werke Immanuel Kants“ und Seniorprofessor an der Humboldt Universität Berlin mit ausgewiesenen Forschungsschwerpunkten in der Ethik, der Politischen Philosophie und der Ästhetik. Die zweite Replik stammt von der Kant Expertin Andrea Esser, Professorin für Praktische Philosophie an der Universität Jena. Sie gibt im Rahmen der Neuedition der gesammelten Schriften Immanuel Kants die „Kritik der Urteilskraft“ heraus. In der anschließenden Diskussion knüpfen Egon Flaig, Anke Graneß, Peggy Hetman Breitenstein, Miriam Rose, Dieter Schönecker, Karolin Sophie Stüber und Marcus Willaschek an die Vorträge an und erweitern die Perspektive. Durch die Sitzung führt Michael Hackl. Zur Einteilung der Kapitel: Der Impulsvortrag von Franziska Dübgen beginnt ab Minute 8:12. Die Replik von Volker Gerhardt beginnt ab Minute 32:05. Die Replik von Andrea Esser beginnt ab Minute 47:19. Franziska Dübgen antwortet ab Minute 59:30 kurz auf die beiden Repliken. Die allgemeine Diskussion startet ab Minute 67:00
A espiritualidade numa concepção de educação que compreende a integralidade humana
No full textThe present work deals with the theme Education and Spirituality, having as object of study,
specifically, spirituality in a conception of education that comprehends human integrality. The
general objective of the work is to associate spirituality with a formative conception that
contemplates human integrality. To achieve this goal, the following specific objectives were
defined: to understand the meaning of human integrality; address the philosophical
assumptions of spirituality in human formation; and associate education and spirituality. For
the construction of this theoretical framework, we conducted a qualitative research and
bibliographic procedure. The research was referenced in Röhr (2010), Röhr (2011) and Röhr
(2013), dialoguing with the author Policarpo Júnior (2010). The philosophical studies of the
authors presented constituted the epistemological part of the research, through which the
arguments were interpreted and constructed (GADAMER, 2015). The association of the
educational task with spirituality is based on the assumption that education can be a path that
leads the subjects involved (educator and student) towards integral human formation. The
preparation to include the spiritual dimension in the educational processes begins when the
pedagogical practices favor the care with the immanent basic dimensions.O presente trabalho trata da temática Educação e Espiritualidade, tendo como objeto de
estudo, especificamente, a espiritualidade numa concepção de educação que compreende a
integralidade humana. O objetivo geral do trabalho é associar a espiritualidade a uma
concepção formativa que contemple a integralidade humana. Para o alcance do mesmo, foram
delimitados os seguintes objetivos específicos: compreender a acepção de integralidade
humana; abordar os pressupostos filosóficos da espiritualidade na formação humana; e
associar educação e espiritualidade. Para a construção deste arcabouço teórico, realizamos
uma pesquisa de modalidade qualitativa e procedimento bibliográfico. A pesquisa foi
referenciada em Röhr (2010), Röhr (2011) e Röhr (2013), dialogando com o autor Policarpo
Júnior (2010). Os estudos filosóficos dos autores apresentados constituíram o recorte
epistemológico da pesquisa, por meio do qual foi feita a interpretação e construção dos
argumentos (GADAMER, 2015). A associação da tarefa educacional com a espiritualidade
parte do pressuposto de que a educação pode ser um caminho que conduz os sujeitos
envolvidos (educador e educando) na direção da formação humana integral. O preparo para
incluir a dimensão espiritual nos processos educativos começa quando as práticas pedagógicas
favorecem o cuidado com as dimensões básicas imanentes
"I must, and I can live with that": a thematic analysis of patients' perspectives on polypharmacy and a digital decision support system for GPs
No full textBrunn R, Muller BS, Flaig B, et al. "I must, and I can live with that": a thematic analysis of patients' perspectives on polypharmacy and a digital decision support system for GPs. BMC family practice. 2021;22(1): 168.BACKGROUND: To investigate patients' perspectives on polypharmacy and the use of a digital decision support system to assist general practitioners (GPs) in performing medication reviews.; METHODS: Qualitative interviews with patients or informal caregivers recruited from participants in a cluster-randomized controlled clinical trial (cRCT). The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis.; RESULTS: We conducted 13 interviews and identified the following seven themes: the patients successfully integrated medication use in their everyday lives, used medication plans, had both good and bad personal experiences with their drugs, regarded their healthcare providers as the main source of medication-related information, discussed medication changes with their GPs, had trusting relationships with them, and viewed the use of digital decision support tools for medication reviews positively. No unwanted adverse effects were reported.; CONCLUSIONS: Despite drug-related problems, patients appeared to cope well with their medications. They also trusted their GPs, despite acknowledging polypharmacy to be a complex field for them. The use of a digital support system was appreciated and linked to the hope that reasons for selecting specific medication regimens would become more comprehensible. Further research with a more diverse sampling might add more patient perspectives.; TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03430336 . Registered on February 6, 2018. © 2021. The Author(s)
"Meritocracy" of the Roman Republic: Law, Rite, Political Culture
No full textВ статье рассматривается концепция "римской меритократии". Уделяется внимание работам П. Бурдьё, К.-Й. Хёлькескампа, Э. Флаига и др. Автор высказывает собственные замечания по данной теории и предлагает толкование «римской меритократии» как прототипа государственно-правового устройства, в котором важнейшим является принцип представительности.
In the article a conception of “roman meritocracy” is considered. Works of P. Bourdieu, K.-J. Hölkeskamp, E. Flaig and others are anylized. Author gives out with the comments on the examined theory and suggests interpreting of “roman meritocracy” as a prototype of political system where the most important principle was that of representation
Neurofeedback of Slow Cortical Potentials in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Multicenter Randomized Trial Controlling for Unspecific Effects
No full textBackground: Neurofeedback (NF) in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been investigated in a series of studies over the last years. Previous studies did not unanimously support NF as a treatment in ADHD. Most studies did not control for unspecific treatment effects and did not demonstrate that self-regulation took place. The present study examined the efficacy of NF in comparison to electromyographic (EMG) feedback to control for unspecific effects of the treatment, and assessed self-regulation of slow cortical potentials (SCPs). Methods: A total of 150 children aged 7-9 years diagnosed with ADHD (82% male; 43% medicated) were randomized to 25 sessions of feedback of SCPs (NF) or feedback of coordination of the supraspinatus muscles (EMG). The primary endpoint was the change in parents' ratings of ADHD core symptoms 4 weeks after the end of treatment compared to pre-tests. Results: Children in both groups showed reduced ADHD-core symptoms (NF 0.3, 95% CI -0.42 to -0.18; EMG 0.13, 95% CI -0.26 to -0.01). NF showed a significant superiority over EMG (treatment difference 0.17, 95% CI 0.02-0.3, p = 0.02). This yielded an effect size (ES) of d = 0.57 without and 0.40 with baseline observation carried forward (BOCF). The sensitivity analysis confirmed the primary result. Successful self-regulation of brain activity was observed only in NF. As a secondary result teachers reported no superior improvement from NF compared to EMG, but within-group analysis revealed effects of NF on the global ADHD score, inattention, and impulsivity. In contrast, EMG feedback did not result in changes despite more pronounced self-regulation learning. Conclusions: Based on the primary parent-rated outcome NF proved to be superior to a semi-active EMG feedback treatment. The study supports the feasibility and efficacy of NF in a large sample of children with ADHD, based on both specific and unspecific effects. Trial Register: Current controlled trials ISRCTN76187185, registered 5 February 2009
Factors associated with participation of Alberta dairy farmers in a voluntary, management-based Johne’s disease control program
No full textThe Alberta Johne's Disease Initiative (AJDI) is a voluntary, management-based prevention and control program for Johne's disease (JD), a wasting disease in ruminants that causes substantial economic losses to the cattle industry. Despite extensive communication about the program's benefits and low cost to participating producers, approximately 35% of Alberta dairy farmers have not enrolled in the AJDI. Therefore, the objective was to identify differences between AJDI nonparticipants and participants that may influence enrollment. Standardized questionnaires were conducted in person on 163 farms not participating and 61 farms participating in the AJDI. Data collected included demographic characteristics, internal factors (e.g., attitudes and beliefs of the farmer toward JD and the AJDI), external factors (e.g., farmers' JD knowledge and on-farm goals and constraints), as well as farmers' use and influence of various information sources. Nonparticipants and participants differed in at least some aspects of all studied categories. Based on logistic regression, participating farms had larger herds, higher self-assessed knowledge of JD, better understanding of AJDI details before participation, and used their veterinarian more often to get information about new management practices and technologies when compared with nonparticipants. In contrast, nonparticipants indicated that time was a major on-farm constraint and that participation in the AJDI would take too much time. They also indicated that they preferred to wait and see how the program worked on other farms before they participated
AgeWell.de – study protocol of a pragmatic multi-center cluster-randomized controlled prevention trial against cognitive decline in older primary care patients
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