Affective polarisation is increasingly viewed as a threat to democratic societies. However, the lack of consensus on measurement approaches hinders our understanding. This study assesses the concurrent validity of several affective polarisation measurements, challenging existing US-centric measurement approaches and advocating for a more nuanced understanding tailored to Europe’s diverse multiparty contexts. It leverages data from Belgium and the Netherlands (N = 2,174), two ideal-type multiparty systems to test various measurements of affective polarisation. Its novelty arrives from its examination of like-dislike and social distance measures in conjunction with social avoidance and out-group dislike. The findings reveal that while these measurements share common drivers, their outcomes differ substantially. Only out-group dislike and social distance are linked to decreased satisfaction with democracy, whereas affective polarisation as the difference between in- and out-group affect seems to stimulate voting intentions. Hence, this study cautions researchers against interchangeably using different measurements.
In dit essay evalueert historicus Henk de Smaele zijn bijdrage aan een aflevering van de serie Het verhaal van Vlaanderen. Hij denkt na over zijn eigen impressies van deze samenwerking, en plaatst die reflecties binnen de complexe Belgisch-Vlaamse politieke en culturele context en binnen het format van een televisieproductie.
and “King” celebrations in nineteenth-century New Orleans and elsewhere to argue that connections between such celebrations and similar activities in Latin America and the Caribbean illustrate not “pan-African communalities” (172) but “Afro-Iberian roots” (174). Extending this line of thought, Dewulf sees the affinity of some “charter generation” blacks for Dutch Reformed or Anglican churches as being rooted in perceived similarities between Catholicism and these Protestant faiths, the material benefits of joining, and the possibilities that joining could lead to freedom. From there, Dewulf’s narrative ties into conventional understandings of early Black Christianity in colonial America to raise the issue of “whether the presence of Afro-Atlantic Catholics . . . may, in any form, have influenced the development of Black Protestantism” (183). He argues that it did, making connections between Pinkster ceremonies as Pentecost celebrations and Pentecost celebrations elsewhere in the black Atlantic, the possible Kongolese origins of the “ring shouts” used in rituals of black mutual aid societies as late as the nineteenth century, and other parallels between Afro-Catholic brotherhoods, black American mutual-aid societies, and black evangelical churches, with special attention given to the South Carolina low country. Engaging with and expanding upon recent scholarship in Atlantic history and American religious history, Dewulf has provided a thoughtful examination of the history of black Catholicism and its shaping of life for African peoples and for the charter generation of enslaved Africans in the Americas. His bold and intriguing arguments for connections between Afro-Atlantic Catholics and black Christianity in the United States should be a starting point for further research and historiographical debate.
Purpose This paper aims to review female entrepreneurship in a (post) transition context, analysing its almost three-decade development in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Little research has focussed to date on female entrepreneurship in the Baltic countries. Using an institutional perspective, this paper aims to explain the unique interplay of formal and informal contexts that have shaped the development of female entrepreneurship in (post-) transition contexts. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on an institutional reading and analysis of secondary data: statistical data, international reports and previous studies on female entrepreneurs. Findings There are more than 130,000 female entrepreneurs in the Baltic countries who share many common features and challenges. While the formal entrepreneurship environment is considered to be very developed in the Baltic countries, women are under-represented among the population of entrepreneurs, and there is gender-based sectoral segregation of female entrepreneurs in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. This indicates a need to recognise the diversity of patterns in entrepreneurial development, reflecting different inheritances from the Soviet past and the inertial character of some informal institutions, not to mention the differences in the pace of change during the transition period following the Soviet era. Practical implications This research can be used for academics, professionals, researchers and policymakers working in the fields of small business and entrepreneurship. Its data can furthermore be used to develop evidence-based policy and actions that would foster the participation of women in entrepreneurship in Baltic countries. Originality/value So far, little research has focussed on female entrepreneurship in the Baltic countries. The paper attempts to investigate that Baltic countries with their history of emphasis on gender equality on one hand and the award-winning business and entrepreneurship system on the other hand demonstrate relatively low levels of women’s entrepreneurship. This paper aims to contribute to the field of entrepreneurship, illustrating how entrepreneurship is linked to its social context.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a growing burden across the world. In Asia and the Middle East, in particular, CVD is among the most prevalent and debilitating diseases. Dyslipidemia is an important factor in the development of atherosclerosis and associated cardiovascular events, and so effective management strategies are critical to reducing overall cardiovascular risk. Multiple dyslipidemia guidelines have been developed by international bodies such as the European Society of Cardiology/European Atherosclerosis Society and the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association, which all have similarities in practice recommendations for the optimal management of dyslipidemia. However, they differ in certain aspects including pharmacological treatment, lifestyle modification and the target levels used for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The evidence behind these guidelines is generally based on data from Western populations, and their applicability to people in Asia and the Middle East is largely untested. As a result, practitioners within Asia and the Middle East continue to rely on international evidence despite population differences in lipid phenotypes and CVD risk factors. An expert panel was convened to review the international guidelines commonly used in Asia and the Middle East and determine their applicability to clinical practice in the region, with specific recommendations, or considerations, provided where current guideline recommendations differ from local practice. Herein, we describe the heterogeneous approaches and application of current guidelines used to manage dyslipidemia in Asia and the Middle East. We provide consensus management recommendations to cover different patient scenarios, including primary prevention, elderly, chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, documented CVD, acute coronary syndromes and family history of ischemic heart disease. Moreover, we advocate for countries within the Asian and Middle East regions to continue to develop guidelines that are appropriate for the local population.
Background: In spite of knowledge of the causes and prevention of cervical cancer, screening programs for cervical cancer have not yet been fully implemented in most developing countries including Nigeria. Documented data on the prevalence of preinvasive cervical lesion in pregnancy are scarce in our environment. Objectives: To determine the prevalence, risk factors, and course of preinvasive cervical lesion in pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) Zaria, Northern Nigeria Study Design: This was a cross-sectional longitudinal study. Setting: The study was conducted in an antenatal clinic of ABUTH Zaria. Materials and Methods: A prospective cross-sectional longitudinal analysis was carried out at an Antenatal Clinic of ABUTH Zaria, Nigeria. A total of 250 consecutive pregnant women who fulfilled the inclusion criteria and have given their consent were recruited into the study at the time of their first prenatal (booking clinic) visit for antenatal care. Data from the pregnant women were obtained using a pro forma to evaluate sociodemographic characteristics and risk factors for preinvasive disease. Conventional Papanicolaou smear was taken using the standard procedure. The cytopathologic findings of initial and postpartum Pap smear were documented in the pro forma. Prevalence, persistence, progression, and regression rates of preinvasive diseases were determined. Results: Out of the 250 pregnant women who had cervical cytology by Pap smear during the study, 15 had preinvasive cervical lesion, giving a prevalence rate of 6%; 13 (87%) were low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LGSIL) while 2 (13%) were high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HGSIL). Negative smears were seen in 158 women (63.2%). Inflammatory and other conditions of the cervix which are technically negative smears made up the remaining 30.8%. At postpartum follow-up of the 13 women with LGSIL, 2 (15.4%) became negative while persistence of the disease was observed in 9 (69.2%) of the cases. Two women with LGSIL were lost to follow-up. Of the two women with HGSIL, persistence of the disease was seen in one woman (50%) and regression of the disease was seen in the other woman. Risk factors that were found to be associated with preinvasive cervical lesion were age at coitarche <16 years, number of sexual partners since coitarche, and previous history of sexually transmitted infection and human immunodeficiency virus. Parity, smoking, and use of contraception were found not to be significant risk factors. Conclusion: Preinvasive lesion of the cervix is relatively common among antenatal clients in our center. Antenatal clients with HGSIL should have a repeat smear at the end of the puerperium before treatment. Routine Pap smear should be offered to all antenatal clients in our setting.
The birth of the Low Countries is a thorny issue since the rise of history as an academic discipline in the nineteenth century, and the problem is likely to haunt historians for some time to come. From the eleventh century onwards, the patchwork of principalities that had emerged between France and the German Empire acquired a distinct cachet as most of these principalities became exceptionally urbanized. As Flanders, Brabant, Guelders, Holland, and so on were all fiercely independent, scholars all agree that the increasingly structural socio-economic integration of these urbanised regions did not automatically lead to political integration, even if the ruling dynasties of these principalities were prone to intermarry. Yet, this political integration did take shape in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries when a series of contingent factors – ranging from bankrupt princes to accidental deaths – allowed a collateral branch of the royal house of Valois to inherit, to purchase, or to conquer a lengthy string of principalities that eventually stretched from Frisia to the Franche-Comté. This article is part of the discussion forum 'Constructing and Deconstructing the ‘State’: the Case of the Low Countries'.
The idea that academic work requires certain personal qualities, character traits or dispositions is as old as the university. However, no matter how ubiquitous the phenomenon, it is only in recent years, in the wake of a ‘cultural turn’ in the history of science, that historians have begun exploring ideals and practices of scholarly selfhood. This theme issue seeks to make a modest contribution to this emerging field of scholarship with articles that offer conceptual reflection, as well as case studies drawn from the Low Countries. They do so under the banner of ‘scholarly personae’, not with the intention of excluding competing vocabularies, but by way of entry into a new and not yet clearly defined field of study.
This article is part of the special issue 'Scholarly Personae'.
Introductie: repertoires voor de academische identiteit
Het idee dat academisch onderzoek bepaalde persoonlijke kwaliteiten, karaktertrekken en talenten vereist is zo oud als de universiteit zelf. Toch zijn historici pas recent, in het kielzog van de ‘cultural turn’ in de wetenschapsgeschiedenis, de idealen en praktijken van de academische identiteit gaan onderzoeken. Dit themanummer wil met conceptuele reflecties en casestudies over de Lage Landen een bescheiden bijdrage leveren aan dit opkomende veld van onderzoek. De artikelen gebruiken daarvoor het concept ‘schoarly personae’, niet met de bedoeling om andere benaderingen uit te sluiten, maar bij wijze van ingang in een nieuw en nog niet helder afgebakend onderzoeksgebied.
Dit artikel maakt deel uit van het themanummer 'Scholarly Personae'.