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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionately negative affect on women, especially women from minoritized groups. Minority news media are an important information source for these groups, when it comes to providing alternative views, and health related information. Whilst the poor representation of women in COVID-19 related mainstream news coverage is acknowledged, little is known regarding the representation of women in digital minority news content, during the pandemic and beyond. Considering this gap, we examine how women have been represented within a diverse corpus of minority news, and explore how these representations serve to bridge between different social groups. Critically analyzing the representation of these marginalized groups offers a lens through which we can better understand the function of minority news media in a democracy. Using critical discourse analysis, this study examines three online minority newspapers and one podcast from the US. Findings show that women are covered in an inclusive and empowering way, containing perspectives and concerns unique to the minority group, strengthening identities, platforming community-specific issues, communicating a call to action, and promoting intersectional solidarity. These representations also reveal the complex tensions between counterhegemonic and dominant publics which minority news media sources constantly negotiate through their content.

Research into parliamentary speech making–behaviour of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) usually takes a static perspective. We offer an interactive and dynamic approach that understands parliamentary debates as a relational network phenomenon and investigates MEPs’ debate interactions. This allows us to uncover dynamics of inclusiveness and pluralism, self-reinforcing power relationships and transnational policy alliances. Analyzing 11,408 debate interactions between MEPs using a combination of text and dynamic network analysis, we find that male, senior and influential parliamentarians from powerful member states receive more attention with evidence for a self-reinforcing effect over time. Interestingly, seniority matters more for debate attention than leadership positions. Sharing the same nationality and a similar political leaning also shape debate coalitions with the former being more important than the latter.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 is the foundation of the European University on Responsible Consumption and Production consortium (EURECA-PRO). This article introduces the eight EURECA-PRO partner universities: Montanuniversität Leoben (Austria), Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (Germany), Technical University of Crete (Greece), University of León (Spain), Silesian University of Technology (Poland), Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (Germany), University of Petroşani (Romania), and Hasselt University (Belgium). In addition, each university’s role within the alliance and unique research and study programmes are outlined. The synergy created by EURECA-PRO enables the pursuit of an ambitious research agenda with five research “Lighthouse Missions” as well as the implementation of joint study programmes.

In addition to offering education and conducting research, transferring knowledge from academia to society is the third core task of universities, their so-called Third Mission. A framework for transferring research results from science to society and integrating everyday problems into scientific research is a crucial starting point for academics seeking to generate solutions to socio-economic problems. At the beginning of the European University Alliance EURECA-PRO cooperation there were disparate understandings of Third Mission; as a result, related research and activities were variably conducted. Given that a common Third Mission strategy is a fundamental requirement for the establishment of the European University Alliance, EURECA-PRO is focused on all partner universities coming to a common Third Mission understanding. One way to pursue this goal is presenting EURECA-PRO scientific research from each university in video form. These videos have a clear and targeted focus on being relevant to everyday life; initial results show that this kind of science communication is both well accepted by scientists and supportive of developing a common Third Mission understanding within EURECA-PRO.

A key Eurosceptic argument is that countries can selectively retain only those aspects of European integration from which they benefit, while opting out of those aspects they dislike. How convincing is this “have your cake and eat it, too” argument to voters? This article argues that voters can learn about the feasibility of such a strategy by looking at the experience of countries that pursued a similar path. Positive experiences can strengthen voters’ support for a similar strategy, while negative experiences can deter them. This argument is tested in a study of the effects of the Brexit negotiations on public opinion in Switzerland. Drawing on a panel survey fielded between 2019 and 2021, the article shows that Brexit had a small but non-negligible impact on Swiss voters’ expectations about the EU’s resolve, as well as on vote intentions on two EU-related policy proposals. These findings confirm that voters learn from foreign political developments about the costs of non-cooperation.

ZusammenfassungIn diesem Kapitel werden die Ergebnisse der Analysen analog der Reihenfolge der FK vorgestellt. Zuerst wird die (In-)Akzeptanz der Bevölkerung sowie die Befunde zu den Akzeptanzfaktoren dargelegt. Daran schließen sich die Ergebnisse zur sächsischen Energie- und Rohstoffbranche an. Es folgen Ausführungen zum Nutzen und den Möglichkeiten der Akzeptanzsteigerung mittels Kommunikation. Die Erkenntnisse führen zur Vorstellung der auf dieser Grundlage entwickelten Webapplikation sowie deren Evaluierung. Beendet werden die Ausführungen mit Ableitungen zur Steigerung der soziopolitischen Akzeptanz.

ZusammenfassungAuf die kritische Reflexion des Stands des wissenschaftlichen Diskurses folgend, gilt es eine interdisziplinäre Thematik zu bearbeiten und die bestehenden Forschungslücken zu schließen. Dabei werden konkrete Zielstellungen verfolgt und anhand dieser das methodische Vorgehen abgeleitet. Dabei ist abzugrenzen, wie der Terminus Akzeptanz in dieser Arbeit verwendet und sein Ausprägungsgrad ermittelt wird. Um die Akzeptanzgenese positiv zu beeinflussen, müssen Kommunikationsmaßnahmen gruppiert und bewertet werden. Dies ermöglicht die systematische Aufbereitung der Ergebnisse und den Wissenstransfer in die Wirtschaft, der durch die Entwicklung einer Webapplikation geleistet werden soll.

Zusammenfassung„KIES IST MIES“ (NEIN zum Sand- und Kiesabbau in Königshain, Claußnitz & Altmittweida, 2020b), „REST IN KIES“ (ebd.) und „Bei uns ist KEIN KIES zu holen!“ (NEIN zum Sand- und Kiesabbau in Königshain, Claußnitz & Altmittweida, 2020a) – diese Slogans sind auf Plakaten und Schildern in und um Altmittweida zu lesen: Bürger:innen engagieren sich gegen den seit 20 Jahren in Planung befindlichen Sand- und Kiesabbau vor Ort. Teile der mittelsächsischen Bevölkerung positionieren sich gegen den Rohstoffabbau, gegen fossile Energieumwandlung oder den Bau erneuerbarer Energieumwandlungsanlagen in ihrem Umfeld. Auf regionaler Ebene ist bürgerschaftlicher Widerstand eher Normalfall denn Ausnahme (Rugenstein, 2017).

ZusammenfassungIn dieser Forschungsarbeit wurde zum Verständnis des Phänomens der Akzeptanz beigetragen, die (In-)Akzeptanz der sächsischen Bevölkerung gegenüber Anlagen der Energie- und Rohstoffwirtschaft ermittelt sowie akzeptanzsteigernde Maßnahmen bestimmt. Um den Wissenstransfer zu befördern und insbesondere KMU der untersuchten Branchen zu unterstützen, wurden Teile der Forschungsergebnisse in der Webapplikation Akzeptanz-O-Meter zusammengeführt. In diesem Kapitel werden die Erkenntnisse gebündelt wiedergegeben, kritisch diskutiert sowie der zukünftige Forschungsbedarf abgeleitet.

ZusammenfassungDie Bedeutung von Akzeptanz nimmt bei der Realisierung von Projekten zu – seien sie wirtschaftlicher, politischer oder gesellschaftlicher Art (Hitschfeld & Lachmann, 2013). Sachargumente von Politiker- und Industrievertrer:innen werden oft nicht mehr akzeptiert, Aussagen von Expert:innen zum Teil infrage gestellt und Vorhabensträger:innen, Parlamente, Genehmigungsbehörden und selbst Gerichte erfahren öffentlich Kritik (SzéIl, 1992; Brettschneider, 2012, 2013, 2016). Davon sind nicht nur einzelne Branchen betroffen, sondern es handelt sich um einen gesellschaftlichen Wandel, in dem Akzeptanz ein Teil des gesellschaftlichen Wertekanons ist (Bentele et al., 2015).

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Hintergrund In Krisenzeiten wie der Covid-19-Pandemie hat das individuelle Coping für jeden Tumorpatienten eine besondere Bedeutung zur Bewältigung ihrer spezifischen Belastungen. Material und Methode Wir haben in zwei Projekten Daten zu Mental Health für Patienten mit Kopf-Hals-Karzinomen erfasst: WHO-5, SpREUK, Distress-Thermometer zu Belastung. Vor der Pandemie inkludierten wir 113 Patienten, während des 1. Lockdowns 84 Patienten und während des 2. Lockdowns 86 Patienten. Ergebnisse Wir sehen während des 1. Lockdowns im Trend eine Abnahme der allgemeinen Krankheitslast gegenüber der Zeit vor Covid-19. Lebenszufriedenheit steigt, Copingstrategien wie Sinnsuche, Vertrauen und Reflexion der eigenen Situation werden aktiviert. Im zweiten Lockdown lassen diese Entwicklungen wieder nach, wobei insbesondere das per se nicht sehr große religiöse Vertrauen geschwunden zu sein scheint. Schlussfolgerung Tumorpatienten können Krisensituationen durch Coping besser überwinden. Spiritual Care kann gezielt diese Copingmuster unterstützen.

Objective During the COVID-19 pandemic, tumor patients not only perceived fears and worries but were experiencing also positive changes as the perception of nature and silence, moments of wondering awe, and more intense relationships. We intended to analyze whether these perceptions may differ between patients from waves 1 and 2 of the pandemic. Methods Cross-sectional study at two time periods (May to June, sample 1) and September to November 2020 (sample 2) with standardized questionnaires (i.e. WHO-5, MLQ, PCQ-12). Results Patients from sample 1 (n = 292) and sample 2 (n = 221) did not differ with respect to gender, age, partner or tumor status. Most are still “irritated by statements about danger and course of the infection” (58%) and are “worrying to be infected and to have complicated course of disease” (55%). Neither their well-being nor meaning in life nor fears and worries were significantly different. In sample 2 patients, Worrying reflections and loneliness scored significantly lower, while their Perception of nature and silence was lower in trend only; more intense relationships are still relevant. Moments of wondering awe and religious trust were perceived less often during wave 2. Particularly religious patients scored stronger for Perception of nature and silence and Worrying reflections and loneliness. Conclusion Oncologists/psychologist have to know that patients’ situation has not changed within the time of pandemic and that they still require information, close support and encouragement to rely on their resources to cope. Perceived changes are reflecting coping strategies that could be trained to increase patients’ resilience during further pandemic waves.

Objective While the second wave of COVID-19 has started in Europe, data are still missing on the consequences of the first one for patients with cancer. The aim of our study was to learn more about the experiences of German patients and staff in the oncology services. Materials and methods An anonymous online survey was conducted among cancer patients and their therapists (physicians, medical staff, psychologists, spiritual care givers) in Germany between April and May 2020 asking about burden, fears, and perceived changes in German oncology service system. Besides answer frequencies of different stakeholders, uni- and multivariate analyses were performed for selected items to identify areas of high impact. Results In total 752 participants were included. All groups have identified high mental burden as central problem. A majority was confused about varying information policies and strategies against the pandemic. Patient reported restricted visits, isolation and delay of treatment as central fears and problems. The majority of fears could be coped by the health care workers. The patients describe processes at the oncology services during the first wave. Personal experiences with COVID-19 have had no influence on the felt burden of the patients. Physicians, medical staff, psychologists and spiritual care givers were extremely stressed but repressed their own burden. They await financial, physical and mental problems for their own future. Conclusions The presented personal views and experiences allow focusing the discussions about heath care systems during the on-going pandemic. Support for health care workers, as much routine as possible in oncology services, and transparency in information will be the keys for good management in futural situations of crisis. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00432-020-03492-4.

Dietary phosphate intake in the Western population greatly exceeds the recommended dietary allowance and is linked to enhanced cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. It is unclear whether a chronic high phosphate diet (HPD) causes kidney injury in healthy individuals. Here, we show that feeding a 2% HPD in C57BL/6N mice for one up to six months resulted in hyperphosphatemia, hyperphosphaturia, increased plasma levels of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 23, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) compared to mice on a 0.8% phosphate diet. Kidney injury was already noted after two months of HPD characterized by loss of proximal tubular (PT) cell polarity, flattened epithelia, disruption of brush border membranes, vacuolization, increased PT cell proliferation, marked interstitial mononuclear infiltration, and progressive accumulation of collagen fibers. HPD increased Stat3 activation and Kim-1 expression in PT epithelial cells and enhanced renal synthesis of chemokines recruiting monocytes and macrophages as well as macrophage related factors. Enhanced recruitment of F4/80

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Dietary phosphate intake greatly exceeds the recommended daily allowance in the Western population. Elevated phosphate levels are linked to increased cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, impaired bone health and premature ageing. The renal effects of chronic high dietary phosphate intake for healthy individuals are still not clear. METHOD Male C57BL/6 mice received a 2% high phosphate diet (HPD) or a 0.8% normal phosphate diet (NPD) for 1 to 6 months. We collected blood, urine and kidneys to investigate phosphate metabolism and progression of kidney injury. In vitro analysis for the toxic effects of phosphate or the phosphaturic hormones parathyroid hormone (PTH) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 23 was done in HK-2 humane proximal tubule (PT) cells. RESULTS HPD in mice caused hyperphosphataemia despite increased phosphaturia. Both intact FGF23 and PTH plasma levels were significantly increased in mice on HPD at 1 month onward. Mice on HPD showed significantly increased creatinine levels and albuminuria. Histopathological analysis of the kidneys revealed increased PT injury in mice receiving HPD compared to NPD controls from 2 months onward followed by a rapid progression of organ damage from month 5 to 6. Picrosirius red staining of kidney sections showed a progressively increased accumulation of collagen fibers in renal cortex of mice on HPD, which was significant from 4 months onward and accompanied by enhanced expression of transforming growth factor-β1, collagen 1 and fibronectin. The significant induction of the tubular injury marker Havcr1, encodes for Kim-1, started already after 1 month of feeding HPD, progressed over time and was strongest after 6 months. Immunofluorescence staining revealed Kim-1 localization to damaged PT, which was most prominent after 3 and 6 months of HPD. Renal Kim-1 protein levels were positively associated with tubular injury score and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Histological staining and quantification revealed significantly increased number of pStat3+ cells in PTs of HPD-fed mice at months 1, 2, 5 and 6, indicating activated Stat3 signaling. The number of pStat3+ cells was positively associated with Kim-1 synthesis. Inflammation cytokine array with kidney tissue lysates showed, among others, enhanced expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (MCSF) in HPD-fed mice. The mRNA expression of Csf1 (encodes for MCSF) was upregulated in HPD-fed mice and most pronounced after 6 months. Ccl2 mRNA expression (encodes for MCP-1) was significantly enhanced after 3, 5 and 6 months of HPD compared to NPD. Immunofluorescence staining showed a strong and specific induction of MCP-1 in PT epithelial cells due to HPD. The HPD-induced Ccl2 expression was positively associated with Kim-1 expression indicating an interaction between pStat3/Kim-1 signalling pathway and MCP-1. Immunohistochemical staining and flow cytometry analysis revealed a significantly increased recruitment of F4/80+ macrophages in renal tissue of HPD-fed mice after 3 and 6 months. The enhanced renal macrophage recruitment in the entire HPD cohort was associated with increased MCP-1 protein synthesis and increased tubular injury score. In vitro experiments using HK-2 cells showed that stimulation with FGF23 or high phosphate, but not PTH, induced the phosphorylation of STAT3. Interestingly, only treatment with high phosphate significantly upregulated HAVCR1 and CCL2 expression. CONCLUSION Chronic oral phosphate load in mice induced progressive inflammatory kidney injury dominated by macrophages. The direct toxic effects of phosphate are mediated by Stat3/Kim-1 signalling activation in PT cells. Our data support the hypothesis that kidney injury induced by widespread high dietary phosphate intake may cause a global health problem and underline the urgent need for clinical studies on this issue.

ZusammenfassungWissenschaft und Journalismus beruhen auf unterschiedlichen Logiken. Aus Sicht der Systemtheorie überrascht es also nicht, wenn WissenschaftlerInnen Wissenschaftsjournalismus kritisieren. Gleichzeitig wird aber auch eine Medialisierung von Wissenschaft postuliert. Demnach würde sich Wissenschaft zunehmend an Medienlogiken orientieren. Diese Studie prüft explorativ, welche Kriterien WissenschaftlerInnen bei der Beurteilung journalistischer Artikel heranziehen und welche Aspekte sie loben und kritisieren. Dazu werten wir die Kommentare auf dem Blog „Climate Feedback“ qualitativ inhaltsanalytisch aus. Induktiv werden zunächst die angelegten Evaluationskriterien der WissenschaftlerInnen kategorisiert und dann den Überkategorien „journalistische Vermittlungsleistung“ oder „wissenschaftliche Informationsleistung“ zugeordnet. Unsere Ergebnisse, basierend auf 82 Blogeinträgen und den Kommentaren von 184 WissenschaftlerInnen im Zeitraum von 2015 bis 2017, zeigen, dass sich die WissenschaftlerInnen intensiv und sogar häufiger mit Aspekten der journalistischen als der wissenschaftlichen Leistung beschäftigen. Sie sehen die journalistischen Kriterien eher als erfüllt an, während sie das Fehlen wissenschaftlicher Standards kritisieren. Die beteiligten WissenschaftlerInnen kombinieren die Kommunikationsnormen beider Systeme. Für den Ansatz der Medialisierung von Wissenschaft ergibt sich der Befund, dass die Diffusion von Medienlogiken keineswegs zur Aufgabe von Logiken der Wissenschaft führen muss, sondern dass kompetente Akteure an der Schnittstelle zwischen Journalismus und Wissenschaft Mehrsystemkompetenz erwerben und anwenden können.

How do external economic shocks influence domestic politics? We argue that those materially exposed to the shock will display systematic differences in policy preferences and voting behavior compared to the unexposed, and political parties can exploit these circumstances. Empirically, we take advantage of the 2015 surprise revaluation of the Swiss franc to identify the Polish citizens with direct economic exposure to this exogenous event. Using an original survey fielded prior to the 2015 elections and an embedded survey experiment, we show that exposed individuals were more likely to demand government support and more likely to desert the government and vote for the largest opposition party, which was able to use the shock to expand its electoral coalition without alienating its core voters. Our article clarifies the connection between international shocks, voters’ policy preferences, partisan policy responses, and, ultimately, voting decisions.

First published online: 21 June 2020 Despite years of crisis, the euro has enjoyed strong popular support across the Eurozone periphery. In light of the high costs of internal devaluation strategies, this begs the question why the public has remained in favor of the common currency. In this article, we propose a theoretical mechanism that accounts for both voters' pocketbook preferences and their sociotropic assessments over the noisy trade-offs associated with the outcomes of euro membership and euro exit. Using original survey data from three consecutive survey waves in Greece (conducted in July, September, and December 2015, respectively), we analyze the attitudes of Greek voters toward the euro in an environment of acute uncertainty, austerity, high unemployment, and economic recession. First, we juxtapose our uncertainty mechanism of popular euro attitudes against other explanations put forward in the literature and find strong support for our argument. Second, we conduct a survey experiment to tap into attitudes toward the euro-austerity trade-off and find that as uncertainty over policy outcomes diminishes, framing effects abate in significance, especially among those who voted 'No' in the July 2015 referendum. Finally, we derive distinct sets of euro preferences for different 'vulnerability profiles'. Over time, as the trade-offs of euro membership become more pronounced, we find a marked fall in euro support between July and December 2015.

In developing countries, trade is increasingly associated with greater returns to high-skilled labor and rising inequality. These empirical patterns are at odds with canonical models of trade in the developing world. What does this mean for the political economy of trade in these countries? We argue that although developing countries have a comparative advantage in low-skill products, these are produced by workers that are relatively high-skilled compared to their peers. Trade and global production benefit relatively skilled workers, particularly those exposed to exports and inward foreign direct investment in manufacturing. Our argument offers insight into why relatively skilled workers are most supportive of free trade and why inequality is rising in developing countries. We examine micro- and macro-level implications of our argument using cross-national survey data on policy preferences and aggregate data on trade and inequality. The findings have important implications for the political economy of trade and global production in developing countries.