SUSTAINABLE EFFICIENCY OF FIRMS WHEN NEW SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS ARE INTRODUCED

There is a high potential for simultaneously increasing sustainability of the earth system and economic development by removing inefficiencies currently present both at the production input and output side. In this paper a static view on sustainability is employed, by introducing capacity constraints as the boundaries above (or below) which the system cannot maintain its stable state. Currently these capacity constraints are often not respected. In this paper it is shown how the efficiency improvement pathway of an industry and the firms within it can be calculated to come to a sustainable, profit maximizing state, given the existence of these capacity constraints.Efficiency analysis, sustainability, DEA, directional distance vectors, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Surviving meningococcal septic shock in childhood: long-term overall outcome and the effect on health-related quality of life

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate associations between long-term physical and psychological outcome variables in patients who survived meningococcal septic shock (MSS) in childhood.Methods: The study population was made up of all MSS patients requiring intensive care treatment between 1988 and 2001.Results: A total of 120 patients visited the follow-up clinic (age at paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission 3.1 years; follow-up interval 9.8 years; age at follow-up 14.5 years (all medians)). Four major outcomes were considered: 1) major physical sequelae (defined as major scars and/or orthopaedic sequelae) (29/120), 2) mild neurological impairments (39/120), 3) problem behaviour (defined as a total score above the 90thpercentile of the reference groups on questionnaires to screen for psychopathology) (16/114) and 4) total intelligence quotient < 85 (18/115). No differences were found between patients with major physical sequelae and patients without major physical sequelae as to the presence of problem behaviour or total IQ < 85. Also, no differences were found between patients with mild neurological impairments and patients without as to the presence of problem behaviour or total IQ < 85. Finally, no differences were found between patients with major physical sequelae and patients without as to the presence of mild neurological sequelae. Less favourable scores on behavioural and emotional problems were significantly associated with poorer health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). HR-QoL scores were to a lesser amount predicted by severity of illness at time of PICU admission or by adverse physical outcome.Conclusions: Long-term adverse physical and psychological outcomes in survivors of MSS did not seem to be associated. Poorer HR-QoL was mainly predicted by problem behaviour

Réduction linéaire de cotisations patronales à la sécurité sociale et financement alternatif

La Belgique est un des pays européens où le coin fiscal et parafiscal sur les revenus du travail est le plus élevé tandis que le taux d'emploi y est plus faible que la moyenne européenne. Elle est également caractérisée par le rôle prédominant exercé par les cotisations sociales dans le financement de la sécurité sociale. C'est pourquoi on peut imaginer d'étendre le financement alternatif pour peser moins sur le travail tout en préservant l'équilibre des comptes publics. Pour évaluer les mérites de diverses mesures susceptibles de participer à une telle réforme de la sécurité sociale, on simule à l'aide du nouveau modèle de la Banque des diminutions de cotisations patronales à la sécurité sociale et des mesures alternatives de financement: augmentation de la TVA, instauration d'une cotisation sur la valeur ajoutée et d'une cotisation sociale généralisée. Pour la cotisation sur la valeur ajoutée, l'incidence financière mécanique sur les différentes branches d'activité est examinée au travers de données des comptes nationaux. Une mesure de réduction des cotisations patronales a des effets favorables sur l'emploi car elle induit une substitution entre facteurs de production en faveur du travail et elle améliore la compétitivité des entreprises. Ces effets bénéfiques sont plus marqués si la réduction des charges se fait sans récupération dans les salaires bruts. Toutes les mesures compensatoires sont destructrices d'emploi mais rapportent aux finances publiques. Une augmentation de TVA a un effet très inflationniste et est négative pour la croissance, la position compétitive et l'emploi. Si la liaison entre l'accélération de l'inflation et des salaires est neutralisée, ces effets négatifs sur l'emploi mais également l'effet de retour sur les finances publiques sont fortement réduits. Une cotisation sur la valeur ajoutée détruit beaucoup d'emplois et affecte fortement la compétitivité et ce surtout au détriment des entreprises les plus intensives en capital. Une cotisation sociale généralisée a des effets relativement modérés à condition qu'elle ne donne pas lieu à des augmentations de salaires consécutives à l'agrandissement du coin fiscal qu'elle engendre.Cotisations sociales, coûts salariaux, emploi.

MentalHealth4All: Mapping and Assessing Existing Multilingual Resources in Mental Healthcare

The aim of this article is to illustrate the goals, process and results of the first stage of a European project, MentalHealth4All. Partners from 9 different European countries have worked together to design a multilingual validated repository targeted at third-country nationals with limited language proficiency (LLP TCNs) and healthcare providers, which contains resources to improve this population’s knowledge and understanding of how to access interlinguistic support in mental healthcare services in the main languages of the countries involved in the project. The present article provides a detailed overview of the assessment process of resources and its main results

Severe Pediatric COVID-19 and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children from Wild-type to Population Immunity: A Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study with Real-time Reporting

Background: SARS-CoV-2 variant evolution and increasing immunity altered the impact of pediatric SARS-CoV-2 infection. Public health decision-making relies on accurate and timely reporting of clinical data. Methods: This international hospital-based multicenter, prospective cohort study with real-time reporting was active from March 2020 to December 2022. We evaluated longitudinal incident rates and risk factors for disease severity. Results: We included 564 hospitalized children with acute COVID-19 (n = 375) or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (n = 189) from the Netherlands, Curaçao and Surinam. In COVID-19, 134/375 patients (36%) needed supplemental oxygen therapy and 35 (9.3%) required intensive care treatment. Age above 12 years and preexisting pulmonary conditions were predictors for severe COVID-19. During omicron, hospitalized children had milder disease. During population immunity, the incidence rate of pediatric COVID-19 infection declined for older children but was stable for children below 1 year. The incidence rate of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children was highest during the delta wave and has decreased rapidly since omicron emerged. Real-time reporting of our data impacted national pediatric SARS-CoV-2 vaccination- and booster-policies. Conclusions: Our data supports the notion that similar to adults, prior immunity protects against severe sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infections in children. Real-time reporting of accurate and high-quality data is feasible and impacts clinical and public health decision-making. The reporting framework of our consortium is readily accessible for future SARS-CoV-2 waves and other emerging infections