Income, deprivation and economic stress in the enlarged European Union

At risk of poverty indicators based on relative income measures suggest that within the enlarged EU societies located at quite different points on a continuum of affluence have similar levels of poverty. Substantial differences in levels of income between societies do not in themselves invalidate this approach. However, the relative income approach fails to capture the fact that, if countries are grouped in terms of level of GDP, between economic cluster differences in life-style deprivation are sharper at lower income levels. Support for the argument relating to restricted reference groups is found in relation to the contrast between the twelve most affluent EU countries and all others. The limitations of relative income poverty lines have little to do with the process of enlargement as such. Instead the major problem involves the weak association between income and deprivation in the more affluent countries. However, as a consequence of such difficulties, such indicators do not provide entirely meaningful comparisons of levels of disadvantage across economic clusters. The current analysis, rather than supporting the alternative of a focus on absolute income or an EU wide poverty line, suggests that we should take the argument for adopting a multidimensional approach to the measurement of poverty more seriously.

Knowledge and perceived competence among nurses caring for the dying in long-term care homes

Background: The quality of care provided to dying long-term care (LTC) residents is often inadequate, which may be due to the lack of formal training that LTC staff receive in palliative care (PC). This cross-sectional study assessed PC knowledge and self-efficacy in ability to provide PC in a sample of registered nurses working in LTC homes. Method: A survey was conducted in four LTC homes in October 2009 to June 2010. Nursing staff knowledge of PC was evaluated using the Palliative Care Quiz for Nurses (PCQN). The Self-Efficacy in End-of-Life Care Survey (S-EOLC) was used to measure nursing staff confidence in their ability to provide PC. Findings: Close to 60% of the nursing staff participated (69 of 119). The participants did not score highly on the PCQN: the average correct score ranged from 52.50% to 63.41% across the homes. There were no significant differences between the homes for the mean number of correct responses on the PCQN (P=0.329) or mean scores for the three S-EOLC subscales. Rank ordering of the percentage of correct PCQN answers by item and LTC home demonstrated that similar misconceptions were held across homes. Conclusion: Despite their confidence in PC practice, the participants' PC knowledge gap reveals a need for PC training for staff working in LTC homes. The PC education and training provided should both include a gerontological perspective and address the expertise and knowledge already held by staff.

Controlled fragrance delivery in functionalised ionic liquid-enzyme systems

It is often believed that both ionic liquids and surfactants generally behave as non-specific denaturants of proteins. In this paper, it is shown that amphiphilic ionic liquids bearing a long alkyl chain and a target molecule, where the target molecule is appended via a carboxylic ester functionality, can represent super-substrates that enable the catalytic activity of an enzyme, even at high concentrations in solution. Menthol has been chosen as the target molecule for slow and controlled fragrance delivery, and it was found that the rate of the menthol release can be controlled by the chemical structure of the ionic liquid. At a more fundamental level, this study offers an insight into the complex hydrophobic, electrostatic, and hydrogen bond interactions between the enzyme and substrate.

EXPERT-SYSTEM SUPPORT USING BAYESIAN BELIEF NETWORKS IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION BIOPSY SPECIMENS OF THE BREAST

Aim-To develop an expert system model for the diagnosis of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the breast.

Methods-Knowledge and uncertainty were represented in the form of a Bayesian belief network which permitted the combination of diagnostic evidence in a cumulative manner and provided a final probability for the possible diagnostic outcomes. The network comprised 10 cytological features (evidence nodes), each independently linked to the diagnosis (decision node) by a conditional probability matrix. The system was designed to be interactive in that the cytopathologist entered evidence into the network in the form of likelihood ratios for the outcomes at each evidence node.

Results-The efficiency of the network was tested on a series of 40 breast FNAC specimens. The highest diagnostic probability provided by the network agreed with the cytopathologists' diagnosis in 100% of cases for the assessment of discrete, benign, and malignant aspirates. A typical probably benign cases were given probabilities in favour of a benign diagnosis. Suspicious cases tended to have similar probabilities for both diagnostic outcomes and so, correctly, could not be assigned as benign or malignant. A closer examination of cumulative belief graphs for the diagnostic sequence of each case provided insight into the diagnostic process, and quantitative data which improved the identification of suspicious cases.

Conclusion-The further development of such a system will have three important roles in breast cytodiagnosis: (1) to aid the cytologist in making a more consistent and objective diagnosis; (2) to provide a teaching tool on breast cytological diagnosis for the non-expert; and (3) it is the first stage in the development of a system capable of automated diagnosis through the use of expert system machine vision.

A psycho-educational intervention for family caregivers of patients receiving palliative care:a randomized controlled trial

This study describes an evaluation of a psycho-educational intervention for family caregivers of patients dying of cancer at home. In a randomized controlled trial, participants (n = 106) received standard home-based palliative care services (n = 52) or these services plus the new intervention (n = 54). Data were collected at three time points: upon commencement of home-based palliative care (Time 1), five weeks later (Time 2), and then eight weeks following patient death (Time 3). No intervention effects were identified with respect to preparedness to care, self-efficacy, competence, and anxiety. However, participants who received the intervention reported a significantly more positive caregiver experience than those who received standard care at both Times 2 and 3. The findings indicate that it is possible to increase caregiver rewards despite being immersed in challenging circumstances that often yield considerable negative psychosocial sequelae. Furthermore, it is feasible for health professionals to discuss emotive topics, such as impending death, with caregivers without adverse effects.

Nonadherence in difficult asthma - facts, myths, and a time to act

Nonadherence to prescribed treatment is an important cause of difficult asthma. Rates of nonadherence amongst asthmatic patients have been shown to range between 30% and 70%. This is associated with poor health care outcomes and increased health care costs. There is no such thing as a "typical" nonadherent patient. The reasons driving nonadherence are multifactorial. Furthermore, adherence is a variable behavior and not a trait characteristic. Adherence rates can vary between the same individual across treatments for different conditions. There is no consistent link between socioeconomic status and nonadherence, and although some studies have shown that nonadherence is more common amongst females, this is not a universal finding. The commonly held perception that better adherence is driven by greater disease severity has been demonstrated to not be the case, in both pediatric and adult patients. Identification of nonadherence is the first step. If adherence is not checked, it is likely that poor adherence will be labeled as refractory disease. Failure to identify poor adherence may lead to inappropriate escalation of therapy, including the potential introduction of complex biological therapies. Surrogate measures, such as prescription counting, are not infallible. Nonadherence can be difficult to identify in clinical practice, and a systematic approach using a variety of tools is required. Nonadherence can be successfully addressed. Therefore, assessment of adherence is of paramount importance in difficult asthma management, in order to reduce exacerbations and steroid-related side effects as well as hospital and intensive care admissions, health care cost, and inappropriate treatment escalation. In this paper, we present an overview of the literature surrounding nonadherence in difficult asthma. We explore the facts and myths surrounding the factors driving nonadherence as well as how it can be identified and addressed.

Protecting the most vulnerable in an economic crisis: a participatory study of civil society organisations in the Republic of Ireland

This paper advances knowledge of how civil society organisations (CSOs) negotiate the shift from boom-time public expenditure to governmental austerity. The study focuses on the Republic of Ireland, where CSOs occupied an important role in providing a voice for ‘vulnerable’citizens in corporatism for over a decade. The global financial crisis and subsequent austerity measures caused the country’s model of corporatist-style ‘social partnership’ to collapse. The article connects CSOs’ adaptation to austerity measures when protecting the ‘people behind the cuts’ to broader questions about co-optation of civil society through state-led policymaking
institutions.

Characterisation of pavement profile heights using accelerometer readings and a combinatorial optimisation technique

Pavement surface profiles induce dynamic ride responses in vehicles which can potentially be used to classify road surface roughness. A novel method is proposed for the characterisation of pavement roughness through an analysis of vehicle accelerations. A combinatorial optimisation technique is applied to the determination of pavement profile heights based on measured accelerations at and above the vehicle axle. Such an approach, using low-cost inertial sensors, would provide an inexpensive alternative to the costly laser-based profile measurement vehicles. The concept is numerically validated using a half-car roll dynamic model to infer measurements of road profiles in both the left and right wheel paths.

Behavioral Model Generation from Use Cases Based on Ontology Mapping and GRASP Patterns

This paper contributes a new approach for developing UML software designs from Natural Language (NL), making use of a meta-domain oriented ontology, well established software design principles and Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools. In the approach described here, banks of grammatical rules are used to assign event flows from essential use cases. A domain specific ontology is also constructed, permitting semantic mapping between the NL input and the modeled domain. Rules based on the widely-used General Responsibility Assignment Software Principles (GRASP) are then applied to derive behavioral models.

Sex hormone binding globulin and insulin resistance

Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) is a glycoprotein composed of two 373-amino-acid subunits. The SHBG gene and a promotor region have been identified. The SHBG receptor has yet to be cloned but is known to act through a G-protein-linked second-messenger system following plasma membrane binding. The principal function of SHBG has traditionally been considered to be that of a transport protein for sex steroids, regulating circulating concentrations of free (unbound) hormones and their transport to target tissues. Recent research suggests that SHBG has functions in addition to the binding and transport of sex steroids. Observational studies have associated a low SHBG concentration with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) independent of sex hormone levels in men and women. Genetic studies using Mendelian randomization analysis linking three single nucleotide polymorphisms of the SHBG gene to risk of developing type 2 DM suggest SHBG may have a role in the pathogenesis of type 2 DM. The correlation between SHBG and insulin resistance that is evident in a number of cross-sectional studies is in keeping with the suggestion that the association between SHBG and incidence of type 2 DM is explained by insulin resistance. Several potential mechanisms may account for this association, including the identification of dietary factors that influence SHBG gene transcription. Further research to characterize the SHBG-receptor and the SHBG second messenger system is required. An interventional study examining the effects on insulin resistance of altering SHBG concentrations may help in determining whether this association is causal.

Nonreciprocal scattering by stacked nonlinear magneto-active semiconductor layers

The combinatorial frequency generation by the periodic stacks of magnetically biased semiconductor layers has been modelled in a self-consistent problem formulation, taking into account the nonlinear dynamics of carriers. It is shown that magnetic bias not only renders nonreciprocity of the three-wave mixing process but also significantly enhances the nonlinear interactions in the stacks, especially at the frequencies close to the intrinsic magneto-plasma resonances of the constituent layers. The main mechanisms and properties of the combinatorial frequency generation and emission from the stacks are illustrated by the simulation results, and the effects of the individual layer parameters and the structure arrangement on the stack nonlinear and nonreciprocal response are discussed. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The German Federal Constitutional Court's Ruling on Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT) - Another Step Towards National Closure?

The German Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) ruling of 14 January 2014 deserves a thorough evaluation on several accounts: It is the first ever reference by the FCC to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), it represents a continuation of FCC case law aimed at restricting the impact of European Union law as interpreted by the Court of Justices of the European Union (CJEU) on German law as well as questioning Germany’s participation in an ever closer European Union, and it has the potential to dictate the future course of the EU’s Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).

This case note discusses three aspects of this decision. First, it considers the aims of challenging the youngest measures to contain the euro currency crisis before the FCC, focusing on the question in how far the claims are based on national closure as opposed to an ever closer union of the peoples of Europe. Secondly it analyzes in how far the aims the claims pursue are reflected in the FCC’s response. Thirdly, it considers the substantive relevance of this reference, highlighting the surprisingly vague consequences the FCC envisages should the CJEU not re-interpret the OMT decision as the FCC suggests, and illuminating the strategic aims of the reference without deference. In conclusion, it sketches the remaining scope for the EU to engage in or at least facilitate transnational solidarity.