While the right to adequate food is often discussed in the context of developing countries, especially in situations where access to adequate food is a problem on a larger scale, this book focusses on the right to food in two Western countries in which theoretically the circumstances allow this right to be enjoyed by each individual. Through a legal comparative study, the enforceability of the right to food is compared between the Netherlands and Belgium in light of the current UN Human Rights system. There seems to be a difference between what the countries do, what they say they do, and what they should do on the matter. As it appears, the coincidental constitutional circumstances mainly determine the enforceability of the right to food, rather than the content of the human right in itself. This book includes a thorough analysis of suitable comparative legal methodology and the embedment of the right to food in the UN human right system. Furthermore, for both countries, an in-depth analysis of the case law on the right to food (mostly concerning the status of foreigners), the constitutional context in which the Judiciary operates, and the relevant UN reports and subsequent procedures are outlined. Finally, recommendations are made to both countries and the relevant UN Committees.
DOCUMENT
University of Applied Sciences Van Hall Larenstein and Wageningen University and Research recently conducted a comparative study of artificial reefs within the Caribbean. This study provides new insights into the impacts of these structures on local marine life and neighboring ecosystems and highlight the need for comprehensive monitoring and integration into marine management plans.
LINK
In the preparation of the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the MA CESS all alumni were invited to participate in an alumni survey. The purpose of the survey was to thoroughly investigate the professional activities of MA CESS alumni and the way they build an alumni community. Another reason for starting the project is that it may play a part in maintaining and enhancing a mutually beneficial relationship between MA CESS and its alumni. All over Europe there are graduates working in the social and social political field who experienced the same education and spirit in the MA CESS course. It’s an important thing to reach out to them, renew and encourage a spirit of enthusiasm and desire for continuing education, by creating instruments of communication and networking opportunities. The first part of the report deals with the construction of the alumni survey, namely the background, the assignment, the survey design, the sampling, the research limitations, the influences of gender and age on professional activities and the way of making contacts, facts and figures about the sectors of activity in which the alumni are engaged, what alumni have to say about the international dimension in their professional activities, their ideas about network building, and finally their critiques and suggestions for the MA CESS study programme. The second part contains a reflection about the alumni community, particularly the role of CESSNET (Network of the Comparative European Social Studies Alumni ) in the strategy to reach out to the alumni. The report ends with conclusions and recommendations.
DOCUMENT
A comparative study of the effects of the pandemic across six countries, including The UK, Australia, Belgium, Cyprus, Ireland and The Netherlands. The authors outline 21 design principles for mobile learning, which is hoped will help us respond effectively in the uncertain present, and plan systematically for an unpredictable, post-pandemic future. This paper is based on the emergency changes we have had to make in the European DEIMP Project (2017-2020), “Designing and Evaluating Innovative Mobile Pedagogies” (DEIMP). DEIMP is undertaken by a transnational consortium comprising partner institutions and schools from the participating countries.
MULTIFILE
Background: Neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) is a rehabilitation approach increasingly used in the care of stroke patients, although no evidence has been provided for its efficacy. Objective: To investigate the effects of NDT on the functional status and quality of life (QoL) of patients with stroke during one year after stroke onset. Methods: 324 consecutive patients with stroke from 12 Dutch hospitals were included in a prospective, non-randomised, parallel group study. In the experimental group (n = 223), nurses and physiotherapists from six neurological wards used the NDT approach, while conventional treatment was used in six control wards (n = 101). Functional status was assessed by the Barthel index. Primary outcome was poor outcome, defined as Barthel index ,12 or death after one year. QoL was assessed with the 30 item version of the sickness impact profile (SA-SIP30) and the visual analogue scale. Results: At 12 months, 59 patients (27%) in the NDT group and 24 (24%) in the non-NDT group had poor outcome (corresponding adjusted odds ratio = 1.7 (95% confidence interval, 0.8 to 3.5)). At discharge the adjusted odds ratio was 0.8 (0.4 to 1.5) and after six months it was 1.6 (0.8 to 3.2). Adjusted mean differences in the two QoL measures showed no significant differences between the study groups at six or 12 months after stroke onset. Conclusions: The NDT approach was not found effective in the care of stroke patients in the hospital setting. Health care professionals need to reconsider the use of this approach.
DOCUMENT
Background: Lipoedema is a chronic disorder of adipose tissue typically involving an abnormal build-up of fat cells in the legs, thighs and buttocks. Occurring almost exclusively in women, it often co-exists with obesity. Due to an absence of clear objective diagnostic criteria, lipoedema is frequently misdiagnosed as obesity, lymphoedema or a combination of both. The purpose of this observational study was to compare muscle strength and exercise capacity in patients with lipoedema and obesity, and to use the findings to help distinguish between lipoedema and obesity. Design: This cross-sectional, comparative pilot study performed in the Dutch Expertise Centre of Lymphovascular Medicine, Drachten, a secondary-care facility, included 44 women aged 18 years or older with lipoedema and obesity. Twenty-two women with lipoedema (diagnosed according the criteria of Wold et al, 1951) and 22 women with body mass index ≥30kg/m2 (obesity) were include in the study. No interventions were undertaken as part of the study. Results: Muscle strength of the quadriceps was measured with the MicroFET™, and functional exercise capacity was measured with the 6-minute walk test. The group with lipoedema had, for both legs, significantly lower muscle strength (left: 259.9 Newtons [N]; right: 269.7 N; p < 0.001) than the group with obesity. The group with lipoedema had a non-significant, but clinically relevant lower exercise-endurance capacity (494.1±116.0 metres) than the group with obesity (523.9±62.9 metres; p=0.296). Conclusions: Patients with lipoedema exhibit muscle weakness in the quadriceps. This finding provides a potential new criterion for differentiating lipoedema from obesity. We recommend adding measuring of muscle strength and physical endurance to create an extra diagnostic parameter when assessing for lipoedema.
LINK
Due to the Covid-19 crisis, higher education was forced to offer online alternatives to their courses. This change drastically increased the number of students partaking in online education. However, the effects of obligatory online education could potentially be harmful and are not yet sufficiently explored. This research analyses the impact of obligatory online education on business students’ social life, well-being and academic performance. The study used a phenomenological and a comparative approach to assess and compare students’ personal experiences in Germany and the Netherlands. A total number of 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted with students in the mentioned countries. Results show, that students’ academic performance decreased due to a lack of student identity, study life balance, motivation and technological issues during e-learning. Furthermore, mixed findings were recorded about the impact on social life. Finally, a slight drop in students’ well-being caused by a decline in physical and mental health was observed. Findings of this study are significant in a sense that they can provide crucial information for policymakers, educators and managers in higher education which enable them to make more informed decisions when delivering online education in crucial times and enhance students’ experience. This will consequently create a more positive impact for students’ well-being, social life and academic performance.
DOCUMENT
Objective: In myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), abdominal activity often interferes with the evaluation of perfusion in the inferior wall, especially after pharmacological stress. In this randomized study, we examined the effect of carbonated water intake versus still water intake on the quality of images obtained during myocardial perfusion images (MPI) studies. Methods: A total of 467 MIBI studies were randomized into a carbonated water group and a water group. The presence of intestinal activity adjacent to the inferior wall was evaluated by two observers. Furthermore, a semiquantitative analysis was performed in the adenosine subgroup,using a count ratio of the inferior myocardial wall and adjacent abdominal activity. Results: The need for repeated SPECT in the adenosine studies was 5.3 % in the carbonated water group versus 19.4 % in the still water group (p = 0.019). The inferior wall-to-abdomen count ratio was significantly higher in the carbonated water group compared to the still water group (2.11 ± 1.00 vs. 1.72 ± 0.73, p\0.001). The effect of carbonated water during rest and after exercise was not significant. Conclusions: This randomized study showed that carbonated water significantly reduced the interference of extra-cardiac activity in adenosine SPECT MPI. Keywords: Extra-cardiac radioactivity, Myocardial SPECT, Image quality enhancement, Carbonated water
DOCUMENT
Aim and method: To examine in obese people the potential effectiveness of a six-week, two times weekly aquajogging program on body composition, fitness, health-related quality of life and exercise beliefs. Fifteen otherwise healthy obese persons participated in a pilot study. Results: Total fat mass and waist circumference decreased 1.4 kg (p = .03) and 3.1 cm (p = .005) respectively. The distance in the Six-Minute Walk Test increased 41 meters (p = .001). Three scales of the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite questionnaire improved: physical function (p = .008), self-esteem (p = .004), and public distress (p = .04). Increased perceived exercise benefits (p = .02) and decreased embarrassment (p = .03) were observed. Conclusions: Aquajogging was associated with reduced body fat and waist circumference, and improved aerobic fitness and quality of life. These findings suggest the usefulness of conducting a randomized controlled trial with long-term outcome assessments.
DOCUMENT
The EU-28’s food service sector generates excessive amounts of food waste. This notwithstanding, no comparative, cross-national research has ever been undertaken to understand how food waste is managed in restaurants across the EU-28. This study contributes to knowledge by presenting a first attempt to conduct a comparative analysis of restaurant food waste management practices in the UK and the Netherlands. It finds that although restaurateurs in both countries use demand forecasting as a prime approach to prevent food waste, forecasting does not always work. When this happens, food waste management programmes such as repurposing excess foodstuffs, redistribution of surplus food and consumer choice architecture are mostly considered commercially unviable. To improve the effectiveness of food waste management in the food service sectors of the UK and the Netherlands it is necessary to ensure that food waste mitigation becomes a corporate target for restaurateurs and the progress towards its achievement is regularly monitored by top management. This corporate commitment should be facilitated by national policy-makers, but also by EU regulators, by raising consumer awareness of food waste, incentivising surplus food redistribution and enabling food waste recycling.
LINK
