Use and effectiveness of policy briefs as a knowledge transfer tool : a scoping review

There is a significant gap between researchers’ production of evidence and its use by policymakers. Several knowledge transfer strategies have emerged in the past years to promote the use of research. One of those strategies is the policy brief; a short document synthesizing the results of one or multiple studies. This scoping study aims to identify the use and effectiveness of policy briefs as a knowledge transfer strategy. Twenty-two empirical articles were identified, spanning 35 countries. Results show that policy briefs are considered generally useful, credible and easy to understand. The type of audience is an essential component to consider when writing a policy brief. Introducing a policy brief sooner rather than later might have a bigger impact since it is more effective in creating a belief rather than changing one. The credibility of the policy brief’s author is also a factor taken into consideration by decision-makers. Further research needs to be done to evaluate the various forms of uses of policy briefs by decision-makers

Mures : Un système de recommandation de musique

Pendant la dernière décennie nous avons vu une transformation incroyable du monde de la musique qui est passé des cassettes et disques compacts à la musique numérique en ligne. Avec l'explosion de la musique numérique, nous avons besoin de systèmes de recommandation de musique pour choisir les chansons susceptibles d’être appréciés à partir de ces énormes bases de données en ligne ou personnelles. Actuellement, la plupart des systèmes de recommandation de musique utilisent l’algorithme de filtrage collaboratif ou celui du filtrage à base de contenu. Dans ce mémoire, nous proposons un algorithme hybride et original qui combine le filtrage collaboratif avec le filtrage basé sur étiquetage, amélioré par la technique de filtrage basée sur le contexte d’utilisation afin de produire de meilleures recommandations. Notre approche suppose que les préférences de l'utilisateur changent selon le contexte d'utilisation. Par exemple, un utilisateur écoute un genre de musique en conduisant vers son travail, un autre type en voyageant avec la famille en vacances, un autre pendant une soirée romantique ou aux fêtes. De plus, si la sélection a été générée pour plus d'un utilisateur (voyage en famille, fête) le système proposera des chansons en fonction des préférences de tous ces utilisateurs. L'objectif principal de notre système est de recommander à l'utilisateur de la musique à partir de sa collection personnelle ou à partir de la collection du système, les nouveautés et les prochains concerts. Un autre objectif de notre système sera de collecter des données provenant de sources extérieures, en s'appuyant sur des techniques de crawling et sur les flux RSS pour offrir des informations reliées à la musique tels que: les nouveautés, les prochains concerts, les paroles et les artistes similaires. Nous essayerons d’unifier des ensembles de données disponibles gratuitement sur le Web tels que les habitudes d’écoute de Last.fm, la base de données de la musique de MusicBrainz et les étiquettes des MusicStrands afin d'obtenir des identificateurs uniques pour les chansons, les albums et les artistes.In the last decade we have seen an incredible transformation of the world of music, from cassette tapes and compact discs to online digital music. With the explosion of the digital music we need music recommender systems to select those probably preferred songs from these huge online or personal databases. Currently, most music recommender systems use either collaborative (social) filtering or content-based algorithms. In this work we propose an original hybrid collaborative and tag-based algorithm improved by the context-of-use filtering technique in order to generate better playlists. Our approach assumes that user preferences change depending on the context of use. For example, a user listen one kind of music while driving to work, another type while traveling with the family on vacation, another one in a romantic evening or at parties. Additionally, if the playlist was generated for more than one user (family trip, party) the system will propose songs depending on the preferences of all these users. The main goal of our system is to recommend music to the user from the personal music collection or new music from system music collection, new releases and incoming concerts. Another goal of our system it will be to gather data from external sources based on crawling techniques and RSS Feeds to provide music related content like: new releases, incoming concerts, lyrics, similar artists. We’ll try to interlink some free available datasets on the web like listening habits from Last.fm, music database from MusicBrainz and tags from MusicStrands in order to obtain unique identifiers for songs, albums and artists

The partnership co-creation process: conditions for success?

Staff-student partnership activity continues to increase across the higher education sector, expanding to encompass a broad range of initiatives. Numerous frameworks and typologies have been proposed to help organise the literature and facilitate comparisons among different types of partnerships. The research reported here draws on a case study of a quality-enhancement staff-student partnership to identify the stages of the partnership co-creation process. It argues that the establishment of partnership values is intertwined with the stages of the co-creation process and is critical to the partnership’s success. This research contributes to practice and the literature by offering a practical approach to managing a staff-student partnership, adding to work on quality enhancement partnerships, and extending prior work evaluating partnership activity from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders

Learning together: a case study of a partnership to co-create assessment criteria

This case study outlines a staff-student partnership to co-create generic assessment criteria to use in a UK business school. It highlights the potential for staff-student partnerships to create a temporary subfield, in which the established power differentials of academia are dissolved and partnership values can be established. We draw on a series of 10 semi-structured interviews with partnership participants. The values that underpin partnerships are linked to three major phases of the partnership process: establishing the partnership, partnership operation and atmosphere, and the partnership outcomes. The findings indicate that the values of authenticity, reciprocity, and inclusion are critical antecedents to establishing a successful partnership and that careful attention should be paid to establishing the partnership. The case extends our understanding of the partnership process by emphasising these antecedents. The study is multi-authored, which reflects an extension to the partnership process described in the case study

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia with pneumothorax, a challenge for the neonatologist on call

Objectives. Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) represents a developmental defect of the diaphragm, which allows the protrusion of the abdominal viscera into the thoracic cavity. In view of the fact that herniation occurs during a critical period of lung development, the pathological effect is pulmonary hypoplasia in different degrees, usually more severe on the ipsilateral side of the hernia, and also may be present contralateral if the mediastinum is bulged, compressing the lung. Material and methods. We present the case of a patient hospitalized in the Neonatology Department of “St. Andrew” County Emergency Clinical Hospital of Constanta, diagnosed with left CDH at birth. Outcomes. Full-term male newborn, gestational age (GA) 39 weeks, birth weight (BW) 3300g, Apgar Score 6. The 35-year-old mother, Gravida-VI, Para-III, has a pregnancy with inadequate prenatal care, with no structural abnormalities of the fetus detected by the 3rd-semester ultrasound. At birth, the newborn needed neonatal resuscitation, initially with positive pressure ventilation (on mask and bag) and after that, intubated and mechanical ventilated. Chest X-Ray showed a left diaphragmatic hernia, and the pediatric surgery team was called for further therapeutic management. Approximately 48 hours postoperatively, the chest X-Ray identified right upper lobe pneumothorax, with complete remission in 24 hours, under mechanical ventilation. Conclusions. CDH represents a condition with a challenging diagnosis and management. In the best cases, newborns have a very good clinical outcome with neonatal care and surgical treatment after birth. The management of infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia requires the services of an interprofessional team. After the diagnosis in the antenatal period, parents should be allowed to discuss with a team, including maternal-fetal medicine, pediatric surgery, neonatology, and social work as appropriate. Genetic evaluation and counseling are recommended to identify risks in future pregnancies. Following the repair in the postnatal period, a standardized and interdisciplinary follow-up to provide surveillance, screening, and clinical care is recommended to improve outcomes

Case of talidomida in Spain: aspects of private international law

RESUMEN: A finales de 1950 se comenzó a comercializar, primero en Europa y poco tiempo después por el resto del mundo, un medicamento fabricado por la farmacéutica alemana Grünenthal GmbH que contenía talidomida como principio activo. Este medicamento se dio a conocer como un sedante que calmaba las náuseas durante los primeros meses del embarazo. Como consecuencia de la ingesta de este fármaco durante los años cincuenta y sesenta se produjo un aumento del número de nacimientos de niños con malformaciones, que consistían en la falta de desarrollo en las extremidades. La llamada “generación de la talidomida” ha buscado soluciones en los juzgados de diversos países recibiendo respuestas positivas. Mientras Alemania, Reino Unido y Australia, entre otros, han indemnizado a las víctimas, e incluso han creado fundaciones a las que el gobierno realiza donaciones para los afectados, en España, los tribunales han adoptado una decisión opuesta. El trabajo se enfoca en el recorrido judicial en España de la talidomida y su estrecho vínculo con el Derecho Internacional Privado que parece que hasta ahora los tribunales no se han cuestionado.ABSTRACT: A drug produced by the German pharmaceutical company Grünenthal GmbH containing thalidomide as an active ingredient began to be marketed in Europe at the end of 1950, and shortly after that in the rest of the world. This medication was released as a sedative that calmed nausea during the first months of pregnancy. As a consequence of the ingestion of this drug during the fifties and sixties, the number of births of children with malformations increased. These malformations consisted in the lack of development in the extremities. The so-called "generation of thalidomide" has sought solutions in the courts of different countries, and apparently Spain is the only one that according to the route made by those affected in the courts has adopted a different position and, consequently, the decisions and repercussions were different. While Germany, the United Kingdom and Australia, among others, have compensated the victims, and even created foundations to which the government makes donations for those affected, Spain seems to have turned its back to them. The thesis focuses on the judicial route in Spain of thalidomide and its close link with International Law which seems that until now the courts have not been questioned.Grado en Derech

Análisis comparativo de las NIA con la legislación española

RESUMEN: El trabajo realizado en las siguientes páginas consiste en la comparación de la Normativa Internacional de Auditoría (NIA), que será de aplicación a partir del 2014, con la Normativa española, Normas Técnicas de Auditoría (NTA), vigente hasta dicho ejercicio. En concreto se centra en las NIA de la serie 200, 300, 400, 500 y 600. El motivo de la implantación de las NIA en España ha sido la sustitución de la normativa nacional de todos los países miembros de la Unión Europea (UE) para homogeneizar los procedimientos de trabajo de auditoría. El objetivo del proyecto es analizar cada NIA con su NTA correspondiente y destacar aquellos aspectos que han sido ampliados y otros muchos que se han suprimido. La metodología utilizada para cumplir dicho objetivo consiste en una comparación de las NIA con la NTA recogidas en una tabla con un breve resumen de las diferencias más relevantes. Hay que tener en cuenta que las NIA son una traducción literal del inglés, por lo que nos encontramos con términos anglosajones que hay que interpretar y “trasladar” algunas de sus connotaciones al ámbito local en España. Una de las conclusiones de este trabajo es que las NIA, a diferencia de las NTA, son más complejas y en algunos aspectos difíciles de interpretar; e incorporan y desarrollan adicionalmente nuevos enfoques, complementando algunos de los ya existentes.ABSTRACT: The Paper Degree that is exposed on the next few pages consists in the comparative relation of the NIA which will be applied since 2014, and the spanish regulation - NTA which was valid until this project was made. In particular it is focused on the NIA series 200, 300, 400, 500, 600. The reason this changes were introduced in the spanish system was the replacement of the national regulation in all the state members of the European Union in order to homogenize the procedures in the audit area. The aim of the project is to analyze each NTA with the NIA it is related to and emphasize the ¨parts¨ that were extended and many others that were eliminated. The method used to accomplish the purpose consists in contrasting and comparing the NTA and NIA compiled in a list completed with a short summary of the most important and relevant differences between them. It must be taken into account that the NIA are literally translated from english to spanish, that´s why there can be found expressions that may contain english terms. These must be explained, defined and brought to spanish field in order to mantain the fundamental essence and the connotation. One of the conclusion of this undergraduate Paper Degree is that the NIA are more complex and at some point not easy to interpret. At the same time they add and develop new aspects and complement some of the existing ones.Grado en Administración y Dirección de Empresa

Increased Left Atrial Stiffness is Significantly Associated with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation in Diabetic Patients

Diana-Aurora Arnautu,1,2 Sergiu-Florin Arnautu,1,3 Mirela-Cleopatra Tomescu,1,3 Silvia Luca,2,4 Constantin-Tudor Luca2,4 1Multidisciplinary Heart Research Center of the “Victor Babes”, Internal Medicine Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania; 2Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Timisoara, Romania; 3Municipal Clinical Emergency Hospital, Timisoara, Romania; 4Department of Cardiology, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Timisoara, RomaniaCorrespondence: Sergiu-Florin Arnautu, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania, Email [email protected]: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are common pathogenic diseases. Diabetes is an independent risk factor for AF, and coexisting AF is a risk factor for the diabetic pa-tient’s progression. The purpose of this study was to see if two-dimensional-speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) might provide valuable criteria for determining the risk of AF in diabetic patients.Patients and Methods: This retrospective study compared 30 adult diabetic patients with documented paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) with 30 age- and sex-matched diabetic patients without PAF. Inclusion criteria were: age ≥ 18 years, sinus rhythm, diabetes mellitus type 2, and the ability to sign the informed consent. Exclusion criteria included: moderate or severe valvular disease, previous myocardial infarction, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 50%, congenital heart disease, a history of cardiac surgery, paced atrial or ventricular rhythm, inadequate echocardiography imaging. The medical history, clinical, biochemical data and the results of the transthoracic cardiac ultrasound examination were registered during their evaluation at the outpatients cardiology clinics.Results: The mean age of the patients was 62.5± 1.7 years, 60% were men. Diabetic patients who experienced PAF episodes demonstrated significantly impaired left atrial (LA) deformation patterns, with decreased LA strains and increased LA stiffness (p < 0.05).Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that LA strains and LA stiffness are significantly associated with the occurrence of PAF in diabetic patients. As 2D-STE of the LA is more sensitive than routine echocardiographic examination, it should be performed in patients suspected of being suffering from PAF.Keywords: diabetes mellitus, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, 2D-speckle tracking echography, left atrial strains, left atrial stiffnes