ABSTRACTThe ability to evaluate scientific claims and evidence is an important aspect of scientific literacy and requires various epistemic competences. Readers spontaneously validate presented information against their knowledge and beliefs but differ in their ability to strategically evaluate the soundness of informal arguments. The present research investigated how students of psychology, compared to scientists working in psychology, evaluate informal arguments. Using a think-aloud procedure, we identified the specific strategies students and scientists apply when judging the plausibility of arguments and classifying (...) common argumentation fallacies. Results indicate that students, compared to scientists, have difficulties forming these judgements and base them on intuition and opinion rather than the internal consistency of arguments. Our findings are discussed using the mental model theory framework. Although introductory students validate scientific information against their knowledge and beliefs, the.. (shrink)

To explore literary silence is to explore the relationships between literary texts and the silence of the ineffable. Philosophical and critical accounts tend to operate with a dualistic understanding of silence as the negative other of text. This study, however, seeks to place silence within the literary text. Central to this theoretical endeavour are thinkers like Blanchot, Derrida, Gadamer and Vattimo, and the result is a fundamental challenge to our ideas of silence and text. The study continues to draw on (...) the ideas of Kierkegaard and Bataille to develop an effective methodology for reading such literary silences. (shrink)

Background and objectives: Summary measures of overall health inequality are independent of group membership and enable international comparisons of distribution of health. We compare inequality between and within countries over time and identify normative issues underlying such comparisons. Methods: We used a set of modeled historical life tables for 193 World Health Organization member states from the years 1990, 2000 and 2008 and calculated inequality in age at death and inequality-adjusted life expectancy. Results: Our calculations suggest that overall health inequalities (...) in age at death have been decreasing in the period 1990–2008 in most countries of the world. Only 20 countries experienced increasing distribution in age at death. Simultaneously, overall life expectancy has increased in 85 per cent of all countries. Thus, the combined measure IALE has improved globally. The same overall trend of reduced health inequality applies to all groups of countries stratified by income level. Conclusion: Overall health inequalities, in addition to average health outcomes, could be reported regularly to monitor the health status of populations and the performance of health systems. We find, on normative grounds, the combined measure IALE to be preferable to measuring trends in inequality only. Likewise, we find the Absolute GiniH to be preferable to Relative GiniH. (shrink)

Background In the context of limited health care budgets in countries where Neglected Tropical Diseases are endemic, scaling up disease control interventions entails the setting of priorities. However, solutions based solely on cost-effectiveness analyses may lead to biased and insufficiently justified priorities. Objectives The objectives of this paper are to 1) demonstrate how a range of equity concerns can be used to identify feasible priority setting criteria, 2) show how these criteria can be fed into a multi-criteria decision-making matrix, and (...) 3) discuss the conditions under which this decision-making procedure should be carried out in a real-world decision-making context. Methods This paper draws on elements from theories of decision analysis and ethical theories of fair resource allocation. We explore six typical NTD interventions by employing a modified multi-criteria decision analysis model with predefined criteria, drawn from a priority setting guide under development by the WHO. To identify relevant evidence for the six chosen interventions, we searched the PubMed and Cochrane databases. Discussion Our in vitro multi-criteria decision analysis suggested that case management for visceral leishmaniasis should be given a higher priority than mass campaigns to prevent soil-transmitted helminthic infections. This seems to contradict current health care priorities and recommendations in the literature. We also consider procedural conditions that should be met in a contextualised decision-making process and we stress the limitations of this study exercise. Conclusion By exploring how several criteria relevant to the multi-facetted characteristics of NTDs can be taken into account simultaneously, we are able to suggest how improved priority settings among NTDs can be realised. (shrink)

BackgroundIn the context of limited health care budgets in countries where Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are endemic, scaling up disease control interventions entails the setting of priorities. However, solutions based solely on cost‐effectiveness analyses may lead to biased and insufficiently justified priorities.ObjectivesThe objectives of this paper are to 1) demonstrate how a range of equity concerns can be used to identify feasible priority setting criteria, 2) show how these criteria can be fed into a multi‐criteria decision‐making matrix, and 3) discuss (...) the conditions under which this decision‐making procedure should be carried out in a real‐world decision‐making context.MethodsThis paper draws on elements from theories of decision analysis and ethical theories of fair resource allocation. We explore six typical NTD interventions by employing a modified multi‐criteria decision analysis model with predefined criteria, drawn from a priority setting guide under development by the WHO. To identify relevant evidence for the six chosen interventions, we searched the PubMed and Cochrane databases.DiscussionOur in vitro multi‐criteria decision analysis suggested that case management for visceral leishmaniasis should be given a higher priority than mass campaigns to prevent soil‐transmitted helminthic infections. This seems to contradict current health care priorities and recommendations in the literature. We also consider procedural conditions that should be met in a contextualised decision‐making process and we stress the limitations of this study exercise.ConclusionBy exploring how several criteria relevant to the multi‐facetted characteristics of NTDs can be taken into account simultaneously, we are able to suggest how improved priority settings among NTDs can be realised. (shrink)

This paper examines the representation of modern friendship in the digital age via literary analysis of contemporary texts. Taking a postcritical stance, it is argued that literary works of art may hold important insights in relation to our shared, social reality and can be used as empirical sources for approaching social challenges and questions. In dialogue with novels by Patricia Lockwood (US) and Anne Mari Borchert (DK) – and from a theoretical framework centred on a reconfiguration of space – it (...) is argued that ethical dimensions of friendship tend to assume a secondary role in literary representations of digital culture; a development that runs parallel with – and is fuelled by – a distinct reorientation of space in which physical materialities slide into a peripheral position while digital sociality comes to the fore. Specifically, this dimensional shift puts values of mutuality, equality and voluntariness under pressure in a literary depiction of online worlds characterised by commercial interests and consumption. On a final note, it is contended that such representations may prompt us to think about ways in which we may use platforms and digital technologies in constructive, design-critical ways. (shrink)

The patient’s home is a common setting for palliative care. This means that we need to understand current palliative care philosophy and how its goals can be realized in home‐care nursing encounters (HCNEs) between the nurse, patient and patient’s relatives. The existing research on this topic describes both a negative and a positive perspective. There has, however, been a reliance on interview and descriptive methods in this context. The aim of this study was to explore planned HCNEs in palliative care. (...) The design was a multiple case study based on observations. The analysis includes a descriptive and an explanation building phase. The results show that planned palliative HCNEs can be described as a process of co‐creating possibilities for the patient to reach vital goals through shared knowledge in a warm and caring atmosphere, based on good caring relations. However, in some HCNEs, co‐creation did not occur: Wishes and needs were discouraged or made impossible and vital goals were not reached for the patients or their relatives. Further research is needed to understand why. The co‐creative process presented in this article can be seen as a concretization of the palliative care ideal of working with a person‐centered approach. (shrink)

This volume examines some of the most contentious social justice issues present in the corpus of Augustine's writings. Whether one is concerned with human trafficking and the contemporary slave trade, the global economy, or endless wars, these essays further the conversation on social justice as informed by the writings of Augustine of Hippo.

Collaboration for nursing is a core competence and therefore educational interventions are essentials for collaborative skills. To identify such interventions, we carried out a study to understand nursing students' collaborative process. A narrative inquiry method was used to explore the collaborative process of first‐year undergraduate nursing students. The analysis was conducted on field notes from 70 h of observation of 87 nursing students' collaboration during skills lab activities. It also included transcriptions of four focus group discussions with 11 students. The (...) results are presented as a sequential process of (1) navigating in unfamiliar territory, (2) navigating together to cope, and (3) navigating together towards independency and the future nursing profession. We identified a transition from teacher‐led assistance and guidance to student interdependency and reciprocal learning, ending with student‐led assistance supporting independency. In line with Vygotsky's theory of zone of proximal development, different scaffolding interventions are needed depending on where the students are in the collaborative process. (shrink)

TOT states may be viewed as a temporary and reversible microamnesia. We investigated the effects of lorazepam on TOT states in response to general knowledge questions. The lorazepam participants produced more commission errors and more TOTs following commission errors than the placebo participants . The resolution of the TOTs was unimpaired by the drug. Neither feeling-of-knowing accuracy nor recognition were affected by lorazepam. The higher level of incorrect recalls produced by lorazepam participants may be due to the fact that they (...) were more frequently temporarily unable to access a known item. For some of these items, the awareness of the retrieval failure resulted in a commission TOT . The resolution of the TOT conflict is discussed in the light of the anxiolytic and anticonflict effects of lorazepam. The data are discussed in terms of contemporary theories of TOTs and the effects that benzodiazepines have on semantic memory. (shrink)

Despite their widespread use in assessing nutritional status, anthropometric data have not previously been used to assess alleged war crimes. When eyewitness accounts or other documentation is unavailable, anthropometric analyses can be used to support or refute allegations of war crimes, or to explore situations in which war crimes may be suspected. I here introduce the field of anthropometrics, outlining its history and use, with emphasis on the interdisciplinary nature of the field. Three instances are provided in which anthropometric analysis (...) might be successfully utilized to provide evidence for or against war crimes. I conclude with practical examples, highlighting anthropometric work that has already been completed, as well as suggesting ways that they may be extended. (shrink)

Recent studies have shown that schizophrenia may be a disease affecting the states of consciousness. The present study is aimed at investigating metamemory, i.e., the knowledge about one's own memory capabilities, in patients with schizophrenia. The accuracy of the Confidence level (CL) in the correctness of the answers provided during a recall phase, and the predictability of the Feeling of Knowing (FOK) when recall fails were measured using a task consisting of general information questions and assessing semantic memory. Nineteen outpatients (...) were paired with 19 control subjects with respect to age, sex, and education. Results showed that patients with schizophrenia exhibited an impaired semantic memory. CL ratings as well as CL and FOK accuracy were not significantly different in the schizophrenic and the control groups. However, FOK ratings were significantly reduced for the patient group, and discordant FOK judgments were also observed more frequently. Such results suggest that FOK judgments are impaired in patients with schizophrenia, which confirms that schizophrenia is an illness characterized by an impaired conscious awareness of one's own knowledge. (shrink)

Subjective reports and theories about memory may have an influence on other beliefs and behaviours. Patients with schizophrenia suffer a wide range of deficits affecting their awareness of daily life, including memory. With the Metamemory Inventory in Adulthood we ascertained patients’ memory knowledge and thoughts about their own cognitive capacities and about several aspects of cognitive functioning: personal capacities, knowledge of processes, use of strategies, perceived change with ageing, anxiety, motivation and mastery. The participants’ ratings were correlated with their intellectual, (...) cognitive and psychiatric data. Patients felt they had a lower capacity and marginally lower mastery over their memory than comparison subjects. They reported less recourse to strategies, and higher levels of memory-related anxiety. However, their knowledge of basic memory processes, motivation to succeed, and perception of ageing effects were similar. So patients with schizophrenia do not suffer a general and non specific impairment of their metacognitive knowledge. (shrink)

Packed with ideas designed to help children learn to sing, this booklet offers criteria for selecting songs, strategies to bring out the best in children's voices, and suggestions for games, ideas, and resources.

To explore literary silence is to explore the relationships between literary texts and the silence of the ineffable. It is to enquire what dynamics texts develop as they strive to 'say the unsayable', and it is to think literature as a silence that speaks itself. This study describes these literary and silent dynamics through readings of Pascal's Pensées, Rousseau's Rêveries, and Beckett's trilogy Molloy, Malone meurt, and L'Innommable. It contributes to our understanding of three major writers and challenges our idea (...) of what silence is. The subject of silence and of the ineffable has a long philosophical and critical tradition. A careful study of this tradition reveals the dominance of a limiting dualistic understanding of silence and its relationship to noise or language: silence becomes the negative other, the beyond, about which there remains nothing to say. The study of literary silence seeks rather to trace a language that becomes its own silence. It compromises the attempt to think a silence that moves within and through texts, that is inherent to the literary expression. Central to this theoretical endeavour are thinkers like Derrida, Deleuze, Gadamer, and Vattimo (among several others). The theoretical understanding of silence permits an effective methodology for reading literary silence. Notions of repetition, the aporia and the implosion, which are developed in reference to Kierkegaard and Bataille, describe textual strategies of literary silence and structure the readings. Finally, the reading of literary silence has its point of reference in writers like Mallarmé, Blanchot, and Beckett. It is their texts that have taught us to become topological readers, to move in and out of texts' movements; they have shown us how the literary expression is irreducible to linear, meaning oriented language. As readers of such texts we have been prepared to read the dynamics of the unsayable, and finally to start discerning the silences of the literary. (shrink)

In a time when the social, economic and ethical implications of artificial intelligence on society are subject to intense debate, films and novels are conducive theoretical can openers into the complexities of what it means to live with artificial companions. With the purpose of examining and describing how we relate to and interact with such AI-powered life-simulating machines, the article turns to a qualitative analysis of contemporary anglophone literary texts and films. In works by Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McEwan, Disney’s Lightyear (...) and the Alien franchise, AI companions tend to be portrayed as agents capable of eliciting conflicting social responses in humans – conceptualised here as ‘flipping’. The notion of uncanniness is applied to capture the general unreliability of artificial intelligence in the cultural imagination, and it is argued that the uncanny benefits from being combined with notions of ‘flipping’ friendship – in the sense that it locates the ambivalence of cultural representations of AI companions in relations, rather than mechanics. From this platform of cultural analysis, the article contributes a social dimension to analytical endeavours aimed at understanding the meaning of artificial companions in today’s world. (shrink)

Easeful Death sets out straightforwardly the arguments for and against the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia. Exploring the philosophical and legal debates as well as the medical practicalities of this sensitive issue, the authors ultimately conclude that the law should embrace a more compassionate approach to assisted dying.

Literaturkritikerinnen und -kritiker, die das Neue der Gegenwartsliteratur beobachten und filtern, sind im Vergleich zur Zeit der,Kritikerpäpste‘ mit einem deutlichen Relevanzverlust konfrontiert. Beobachter sprechen ihnen die Unabhängigkeit ihres Urteils ab, und das betrifft nicht nur die Legitimität ihrer literarischen Kriterien, sondern auch ihre Souveränität über ihre medialen Plattformen. Die Frage, was den Blick der Literaturkritik lenkt, ist deswegen auch eine nach ihren ökonomischen und systemischen Bedingungen. Die haben sich im vergangenen Jahrzehnt vor allem durch die Digitalisierung fundamental verändert. Feuilletons und (...) Kritiken, die in der herkömmlichen Landschaft der Massenmedien ihren Ort,unter dem Strich` auf den Zeitungsseiten hatten, finden sich jetzt im Feed, im konstanten Nachrichtenstrom, in Konkurrenz zu Ereignissen und Angeboten höchst unterschiedlicher Dimension wieder. Wie können sie sich behaupten? (shrink)

In this article, we present research in the making of a collective work environment within the framework of a distance education course. We base our theoretical and methodological standpoints on examples of dialogical discourses recorded within the framework of this CSCL system called Symba. In fact, the results of previous research lead us to rethink our vision of the study of collaborative moments between participants in a computer-supported human learning environment that proposes several communication tools. Redefining the methodological process aiming (...) at finding and understanding these rich learning moments is also necessary. We intend to describe “socio-technical” instances during which these collaboration phases appear. More generally speaking, our aim is to draw up both new theoretical and methodological perspectives that would be reusable in CSCL environments; in view of the nature of these two perspectives, and the diversity of the domain knowledge (sociology, cognitivism, linguistics, philosophy, statistics, etc.) brought to bear in the study of the environment in question, our approach constitutes a trans-disciplinary reassessment of the uses of the communication tools—and the study thereof—proposed. (shrink)

BackgroundDeciphering the amount of work provided by different co-authors of a scientific paper has been a recurrent problem in science. Despite the myriad of metrics available, the scientific community still largely relies on the position in the list of authors to evaluate contributions, a metric that attributes subjective and unfounded credit to co-authors. We propose an easy to apply, universally comparable and fair metric to measure and report co-authors contribution in the scientific literature. MethodsThe proposed Author Contribution Index (ACI) is (...) based on contribution percentages provided by the authors, preferably at the time of submission. Researchers can use ACI to compare the contributions of different authors, describe the contribution profile of a particular researcher or analyse how contribution changes through time. We provide such an analysis based on contribution percentages provided by 97 scientists from the field of ecology who voluntarily responded to an online anonymous survey.ResultsACI is simple to understand and to implement because it is based solely on percentage contributions and the number of co-authors. It provides a continuous score that reflects the contribution of one author as compared to the average contribution of all other authors. For example, ACI(i) = 3, means that author i contributed three times more than what the other authors contributed on average. Our analysis comprised 836 papers published in 2014-2016 and revealed patterns of ACI values that relate to career advancement.ConclusionThere are many examples of author contribution indices that have been proposed but none has really been adopted by scientific journals. Many of the proposed solutions are either too complicated, not accurate enough or not comparable across articles, authors and disciplines. The author contribution index presented here addresses these three major issues and has the potential to contribute to more transparency in the science literature. If adopted by scientific journals, it could provide job seekers, recruiters and evaluating bodies with a tool to gather information that is essential to them and cannot be easily and accurately obtained otherwise. We also suggest that scientists use the index regardless of whether it is implemented by journals or not. (shrink)

BackgroundDementia care is essential to promote the well-being of patients but remains a difficult task prone to ethical issues. These issues include questions like whether manipulating a person with dementia is ethically permissible if it promotes her best interest or how to engage with a person who is unwilling to recognize that she has dementia. To help people living with dementia and their carers manage ethical issues in dementia care, we developed the CARE intervention. This is an intervention focused on (...) promoting the ethical self-efficacy of people living with dementia and carers, i.e., their confidence that they can manage ethical issues when they occur. The purpose of this paper is to explain and discuss how we have developed the CARE intervention to promote the ethical self-efficacy of people living with dementia, their family, and professional carers through a specific and, we believe, new use of literary texts.MethodsThe CARE intervention has been developed in two phases: First, we conducted a needs assessment of the occurrence of ethical issues in dementia care and the need for an intervention to support people living with dementia and their carers in managing such issues. Second, in a design phase, we developed the CARE intervention to meet identified needs.ResultsTo address identified ethical issues in dementia care we designed the CARE intervention as a workshop format where people living with dementia and carers can meet, discuss literary texts, and deliberate on how to solve such issues. The workshop is structured by the following elements: An agenda of ethical issues, a collection of literary cases exemplifying ethical issues, a moderator with an understanding of dementia care, and an overview of the ethical principles relevant to the discussion of ethical issues. >This workshop concept is operationalized in three applications tailored to meet the specific ethical issues of each of the study´s three target groups: people living with dementia and family carers, professional and family carers, and professional carers.ConclusionWe conclude the paper by stating that it is possible to develop an intervention that promotes the ethical self-efficacy of people living with dementia and family and professional carers. (shrink)

This special issue arises from the observation that an exploration of the role of non-evidential considerations in epistemology through a broader lens is missing from the current landscape of philosophical research. The present collection of contributions fills this research gap by bringing together three central and much-discussed epistemological topics for which non-evidential considerations become relevant.

In diesem Kapitel entwickeln wir in einem ersten Schritt zunächst ein Analyseraster, mit dem sich systematisch die in den einzelnen Städten umgesetzen Abfallvermeidungsmaßnahmen erfassen lassen. Das Tableau der Maßnahmen bildet das Spektrum einer „idealen Abfallvermeidungspolitik“ ab, entsprechend würde die Umsetzung in der Summe mit 100 Punkten bewertet werden. Anhand der Analyserasters beschreiben wir in einem zweiten Schritt außerdem, wie die Abfallvermeidungspolitiken und der 22 kreisfreien Städte im Untersuchungszeitraum ausgeprägt sind. Deutlich wird, dass zwar alle Städte Abfallvermeidungsmaßnahmen umsetzen und erhebliche Unterschiede (...) zwischen den einzelnen Städten bestehen, keine Stadt jedoch das vollständige Spektrum kommunaler Abfallvermeidungsmaßnahmen umsetzt. (shrink)

IntroductionA symptom cluster is very common among oncological patients: cancer-related fatigue, emotional distress, sleep difficulties, pain, and cognitive difficulties. Clinical applications of interventions based on non-ordinary states of consciousness, mostly hypnosis and meditation, are starting to be investigated in oncology settings. They revealed encouraging results in terms of improvements of these symptoms. However, these studies often focused on breast cancer patients, with methodological limitations. Another non-ordinary state of consciousness may also have therapeutic applications in oncology: self-induced cognitive trance. It seems (...) to differ from hypnosis and meditation, as it involves the body more directly. Thus, investigating its clinical applications, along with hypnosis and meditation interventions, could improve available therapeutic options in oncology. This article details the study protocol of a preference-based longitudinal controlled superiority trial aiming to assess the effectiveness of 3 group interventions to improve oncological patients’ quality of life, and more specifically CRF, emotional distress, sleep, pain, and cognitive difficulties.Methods and analysisA power analysis required a total sample of 160 patients. Main inclusion criteria are: cancer diagnosis, active treatments completed for less than a year, no practice of hypnosis, meditation, or SICT, and presence of at least one of these four symptoms: fatigue, sleep difficulties, depression, or anxiety. Each participant will choose the intervention in which they want to participate. To test the effectiveness of the interventions, data will be collected by questionnaires and neurobiological measures and directly from the medical record at four time points: before inclusion in the study ; immediately after the intervention; and at 3- and 12-month follow-up. The longitudinal data in each group will then be measured.DiscussionIn addition to standard cancer therapies, there is a growing interest from patients in complementary approaches, such as hypnosis, meditation, and SICT. The results of this study will be useful to increase knowledge about short- and long-term effectiveness of 3 group interventions for CRF, emotional distress, sleep, pain, and cognitive difficulties in patients with different cancers.Clinical Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov/. Retrospectively registered on the 29th of April 2021. url: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04873661. (shrink)

In Kapitel 3 untersuchen wir mittels einer fuzzy set Qualitiative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), was die Bedingungen sind, unter denen eine kreisfreie Stadt in Nordrhein-Westfalen eine relativ ambitionierte Abfallvermeidungspolitik verfolgt oder nicht. Zunächst leiten wir unter Rückgriff auf die Erklärungsansätze der vergleichenden Policyforschung sowie Forschungsergebnisse zu kommunaler Kreislaufwirtschaftspolitik die von uns untersuchten Erklärungsfaktoren her. Dies sind der Einfluss der parteipolitischen Verhältnisse im Stadtrat, des Problemdrucks, eines möglichen „Müllsogs“ durch die Kapazitäten der Müllverbrennungsanlagen (MVA) sowie der Organisationsstruktur in der kommunalen Kreislaufwirtschaft. Nach (...) der theoretischen Herleitung der Erklärungsfaktoren (Abschn. 3.1), führen wir kurz in die Methode der fsQCA ein (Abschn. 3.2) und kalibrieren das zu untersuchende Phänomen und die Erklärungsfaktoren für die QCA (Abschn. 3.3). Die Ergebnisse der fsQCA präsentieren wir in Abschn. 3.4. (shrink)

Natürliche Ressourcen sind nicht nur knapp, sondern ihr Abbau, die Verarbeitung, Nutzung und Entsorgung sind auch mit negativen Auswirkungen auf Umwelt und Klima verbunden. Vorhandene Rohstoffe müssen nicht nur langfristig im Kreislauf gehalten, sondern Stoffströme insgesamt reduziert werden, sollen diese negativen Umwelt- und Klimawirkungen entlang des gesamten Lebenszyklus reduziert werden (SRU 2022). Die tatsächliche Situation in Deutschland weicht hiervon jedoch deutlich ab.

In Kapitel 4 resümieren wir ausgehend von der Notwendigkeit, Abfälle konsequent zu vermeiden, unsere deskriptiven Befunde aus Kapitel 2 sowie die Ergebnisse der fsQCA aus Kapitel 3.

Lorazepam has been repeatedly shown to induce memory impairments. The effects of this benzodiazepine on the processes involved in the strategic regulation of memory accuracy have not as yet been explored. An experimental procedure that delineates the role of monitoring and control processes was used. Fifteen lorazepam and 15 placebo subjects were examined using a semantic memory task that combined both a forced- and a free-report option and a no-incentive and an incentive condition. Memory accuracy was lower in the lorazepam (...) than in the placebo group. Lorazepam impaired control sensitivity . While the absolute aspect of monitoring was impaired , both the discriminative aspect and the response criterion setting were spared. The pharmacological dissociation between monitoring effectiveness and control sensitivity indicates that these two components involve distinct processes. (shrink)

Objective: Previous research suggests a positive association between pain, depression and sleep. In this study, we investigate how sleep correlates with varying levels of pain and depression in nursing home patients with dementia.Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study with sleep-related data, derived from two multicenter studies conducted in Norway. We included NH patients with dementia according to the Mini-Mental State Examination from the COSMOS trial and the DEP.PAIN.DEM trial whose sleep was objectively measured with actigraphy. In the COSMOS trial, NH patients (...) were included if they were ≥65 years of age and with life expectancy >6 months. In the DEP.PAIN.DEM trial, patients were included if they were ≥60 years and if they had depression according to the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia. In both studies, pain was assessed with the Mobilization-Observation-Behavior-Intensity-Dementia-2 Pain Scale, and depression with CSDD. Sleep parameters were total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep onset latency, wake after sleep onset, early morning awakening, daytime total sleep time and time in bed. We registered use of sedatives, analgesics, opioids and antidepressants from patient health records and adjusted for these medications in the analyses.Results: Mean age was 86.2 years and 76.3% were female. Hierarchical regressions showed that pain was associated with higher TST and SE, less WASO and more DTS. More severe dementia was associated with more WASO and TiB. More severe depression was associated with less TST, less DTS and less TiB. Use of sedative medications was associated with less TiB.Conclusion: When sleep was measured with actigraphy, NH patients with dementia and pain slept more than patients without pain, in terms of higher total sleep time. Furthermore, their sleep efficiency was higher, indicating that the patients had more sleep within the time they spent in bed. Patients with more severe dementia spent more time awake during the time spent in bed. Furthermore, people with more severe depression slept less at daytime and had less total sleep time Controlling for concomitant medication use did not affect the obtained results. (shrink)

In Anbetracht knapper natürlicher Ressourcen und der mit ihrem Abbau, der Verarbeitung und Entsorgung verbundenen Umwelt- und Klimaauswirkungen wird zunehmend eine konsequente Kreislaufwirtschaft gefordert. Vor dem Hintergrund jüngster Ansätze zur Stärkung der Abfallvermeidung auf EU- und Bundesebene untersucht dieses Buch, wie die kommunalen Abfallvermeidungspolitiken der kreisfreien Städte in Nordrhein-Westfalen ausgestaltet sind und welche Ambitionsniveaus sie aufweisen. Zudem identifiziert der Band mittels einer fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) Bedingungen, unter denen Abfallvermeidungspolitiken ambitioniert ausfallen - oder eben nicht. Der Band ordnet (...) die Abfallvermeidung in den Kontext kommunaler Kreislaufwirtschaft ein, bietet eine detaillierte Übersicht des Spektrums möglicher kommunaler Abfallvermeidungsmaßnahmen und zeigt, welches wichtige Einflussfaktoren für das Zustandekommen solcher Maßnahmen sind. Das Buch ist mit seinen Analysen und ergänzenden Fallstudien sowohl für Forschende aus dem Bereich der Policyforschung als auch der Kommunal- und der Verwaltungswissenschaft relevant. (shrink)

It is often assumed that Kant would accept diverting the trolley in the standard trolley case. The negative element of Kant’s Formula of Humanity (FH), it is said, is not violated by diverting the trolley, since the one is not used as a mere means. Some even consider it possible that diverting the trolley in the loop case—a case in which the one clearly seems to be used as a mere means by diverting the trolley—can be permissible with regard to (...) the negative element of FH, since the one, it is said, is not necessarily used as a means. I will argue that this debate has taken a wrong course in two respects. First, I shall argue that there is no way to divert the trolley in the loop case without infringing on FH. Second, within Kant’s ethics, it is not even permissible to divert the trolley in the standard trolley case. To show this, I will present the argument from the scope of duties. (shrink)

Unlikemost interpreters, I do not take it for granted that Kant’s decision would be to divert the trolley. Rather, I submit, the trolley ought not to be turned, given the Kantian difference between narrow and wide duties. It is a narrow duty not to kill innocent human beings, but only a wide duty to save them. Given the latitude of the wide duty (to save the five) and the narrow and negative character of the other duty (not to kill the (...) one), it is morally obligatory to obey the latter, i. e., not to kill the one. Also, because of the latitude of the wide duty, no conflict of duties arises. I shall rebut three objections against this wide/narrow interpretation (as I will call it) and present three additional arguments supporting it. In conclusion, I will discuss the relevance of these findings for the ethical challenges that come along with autonomous vehicles. (shrink)