The ant or the grasshopper? The long-term consequences of Unilateral Divorce Laws on savings of European households

Unilateral Divorce Laws (UDLs) allow people to obtain divorce without the consent of their spouse. Using the staggered introduction of UDLs across European countries, we show that households exposed to UDLs for a longer period of time accumulate more savings. This effect holds for both financial and total wealth and is stronger at higher quantiles of the wealth distribution. Consistent with a precautionary motive for savings, we also find that exposure to UDLs increases female labour supply, numeracy, trust in others and dispositional optimism

Analgesic effects of alcohol: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled experimental studies in healthy participants

Despite the long-standing belief in the analgesic properties of alcohol, experimental studies have produced mixed results. This meta-analysis aimed to clarify whether alcohol produces a decrease in experimentally-induced pain and to determine the magnitude of any such effect. PubMed, PsycINFO and Embase databases were searched from inception until 21/4/2016 for controlled studies examining the effect of quantified dosages of alcohol on pain response to noxious stimulation. Eighteen studies involving 404 participants were identified providing alcohol vs. no-alcohol comparisons for 13 tests of pain threshold (N=212) and 9 tests of pain intensity ratings (N=192). Random effects meta- analysis of standardized mean differences (SMD) provided robust support for analgesic effects of alcohol. A mean blood alcohol content (BAC) of approximately 0.08% (3-4 standard drinks) produced a small elevation of pain threshold (SMD=0.35[0.17, 0.54], p=.002), and a moderate-large reduction in pain intensity ratings, (SMD=0.64[0.37, 0.91], p<.0001), or equivalently, a mean reduction of 1.25 points on a 0-10 point pain rating scale. Furthermore, increasing BAC resulted in increasing analgesia, with each .02% BAC increment producing an increase of SMD=.11 for pain threshold and SMD=.20 for reduced pain intensity. Some evidence of publication bias emerged, but statistical correction methods suggested minimal impact on effect size. Taken together, findings suggest that alcohol is an effective analgesic that delivers clinically- relevant reductions in ratings of pain intensity, which could explain alcohol misuse in those with persistent pain despite its potential consequences for long- term health. Further research is needed to corroborate these findings for clinical pain states

Burdens and Resources of Staff of a Specialized Ward for Neuropalliative Care: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Palliative care adds significant burdens to healthcare workers. In neuropalliative care (NPC), additional challenges include patient symptom burdens, such as impairments in mobility, cognition, and communication. After one year of operating the first NPC ward in Germany, we assessed burdens, resources, and the number of deaths perceived as stressful. NPC physicians and nursing staff were compared with the team of other neurological wards, including a stroke unit. The assessment took place between March 2022 and May 2022. All 64 team members were contacted; the responder rate was 81%. The perceived burden was high but did not differ between groups. There were no differences between the NPC- and the neurological wards in the number of deaths perceived as stressful. However, rather than the number of deaths, the circumstances of dying influence the perceived distress. The resources mentioned were similar between groups, with the team and private life being most important. Communication difficulties were frequently cited as stressful, whereas successful communication was identified as a resource

Radiation dose and image quality of high-pitch emergency abdominal CT in obese patients using third-generation dual-source CT (DSCT)

In this third-generation dual-source CT (DSCT) study, we retrospectively investigated radiation dose and image quality of portal-venous high-pitch emergency CT in 60 patients (28 female, mean age 56 years) with a body mass index (BMI) (3) 30 kg/m(2). Patients were dichotomized in groups A (median BMI 31.5 kg/m(2);n = 33) and B (36.8 kg/m(2);n = 27). Volumetric CT dose index (CTDIvol), size-specific dose estimate (SSDE), dose length product (DLP) and effective dose (ED) were assessed. Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and dose-independent figure-of-merit (FOM) CNR were calculated. Subjective image quality was assessed using a five-point scale. Mean values of CTDIvol, SSDE as well as normalized DLP and ED were 7.6 +/- 1.8 mGy, 8.0 +/- 1.8 mGy, 304 +/- 74 mGy * cm and 5.2 +/- 1.3 mSv for group A, and 12.6 +/- 3.7 mGy, 11.0 +/- 2.6 mGy, 521 +/- 157 mGy * cm and 8.9 +/- 2.7 mSv for group B (p 36.8 kg/m(2)

Inner transformation to sustainability as a deep leverage point: fostering new avenues for change through dialogue and reflection

This article provides a rationale for inner transformation as a key and hitherto underresearched dimension of sustainability transformations. Inner transformation relates to various aspects of human existence and interactions such as consciousness, mindsets, values, worldviews, beliefs, spirituality and human-nature connectedness. The article draws on Meadows\u27 leverage points approach, as places to intervene in a system, to reveal the relevance of inner transformation for system change towards sustainability. Based on insights from a series of dialogue and reflection workshops and a literature review, this article provides three important contributions to sustainability transformations research: first, it increases our conceptual understanding of inner transformation and its relevance for sustainability; second, it outlines concrete elements of the inner transformation-sustainability nexus in relation to leverage points; and third, it presents practical examples illustrating how to work with leverage points for supporting inner transformation. In sum, the paper develops a systematized and structured approach to understanding inner transformation, including the identification of deep, i.e., highly influential, leverage points. In addition, it critically discusses the often contentious and divergent perspectives on inner transformation and shows related practical challenges. Finally, current developments in inner transformation research as well as further research needs are identified

Climate change impacts on European arable crop yields: Sensitivity to assumptions about rotations and residue management

Most large scale studies assessing climate change impacts on crops are performed with simulations of single crops and with annual re-initialization of the initial soil conditions. This is in contrast to the reality that crops are grown in rotations, often with sizable proportion of the preceding crop residue to be left in the fields and varying soil initial conditions from year to year. In this study, the sensitivity of climate change impacts on crop yield and soil organic carbon to assumptions about annual model re-initialization, specification of crop rotations and the amount of residue retained in fields was assessed for seven main crops across Europe. Simulations were conducted for a scenario period 2040–2065 relative to a baseline from 1980 to 2005 using the SIMPLACE1 framework. Results indicated across Europe positive climate change impacts on yield for C3 crops and negative impacts for maize. The consideration of simulating rotations did not have a benefit on yield variability but on relative yield change in response to climate change which slightly increased for C3 crops and decreased for C4 crops when rotation was considered. Soil organic carbon decreased under climate change in both simulations assuming a continuous monocrop and plausible rotations by between 1% and 2% depending on the residue management strategy

Climate change impacts on European arable crop yields: Sensitivity to assumptions about rotations and residue management

Most large scale studies assessing climate change impacts on crops are performed with simulations of single crops and with annual re-initialization of the initial soil conditions. This is in contrast to the reality that crops are grown in rotations, often with sizable proportion of the preceding crop residue to be left in the fields and varying soil initial conditions from year to year. In this study, the sensitivity of climate change impacts on crop yield and soil organic carbon to assumptions about annual model re-initialization, specification of crop rotations and the amount of residue retained in fields was assessed for seven main crops across Europe. Simulations were con-ducted for a scenario period 2040-2065 relative to a baseline from 1980 to 2005 using the SIMPLACE1 modeling framework. Results indicated across Europe positive climate change impacts on yield for C3 crops and negative impacts for maize. The consideration of simulating rotations did not have a benefit on yield variability but on relative yield change in response to climate change which slightly increased for C3 crops and decreased for C4 crops when rotation was considered. Soil organic carbon decreased under climate change in both simulations assuming a continuous monocrop and plausible rotations by between 1% and 2% depending on the residue management strategy