The Debate on the European Union's Future From the Perspective of Regional Members of Parliament

Differentiated integration has become ubiquitous in the European Union today. However, the evaluation of differentiated integration by the academic community is much contested: While some see it as a remedy to political gridlock, others think of it as the beginning of the end of the EU (i.e., disintegration). Our article sheds light on the relationship between differentiated integration and disintegration from the viewpoint of subnational members of Parliament. Assuming that at least some scenarios of differentiated integration are related to disintegration, we report on data from a survey of seven EU member states about subnational members of Parliament's preferences regarding future scenarios for the EU. Our results find that a preference for a Europe with a singular focus on "nothing but the single market" is related to a functionalist approach towards European integration and the perceived disintegration of the EU. This preference is especially prevalent among subnational MPs in the Czech Republic and Poland, both known for having opt-out solutions. While the Czech Republic constantly shows high levels of Euroscepticism in public surveys, the reverse is true in Poland. Obviously, a general commitment to the EU should not be equated with a shared common goal of further European integration. If such differences become permanent, European integration may genuinely be endangered

The Digital Divide - Any Reasons for enthusiasm? The Case of Austria

The paper presents a secondary analysis of the Austrian data of a Eurobarometer (conducted in all member states of the EU) data set and addresses questions of penetration and usage of new information and communication technologies. Before going into the empirical analysis we provide a brief theoretical analysis of the digital divide concept, based on a literature overview. Up to now, research on digital divide analyized predictors of this phenomenon only separately without considering interaction effects. Our analysis aims to develop various types of Users and Non-Users by combining demographics and information about internet usage in a cluster analysis. Results give strong support to consider Users and Non-Users not as homogenous groups in future research. A more differentiated view has to be applied: combinations of attributes can yield in deprivation in a double or even tripel sense, so that some groups are harder to reach by ICT-policies than others

Main household breadwinners aged between 25 and 34 years old in Spain (2006, 2011 and 2015)

Este artículo ha sido financiado por el Fondo Social Europeo en colaboración con la Junta de Andalucía y la Universidad de Granada, organismos a los que mostramos nuestra gratitud. Además, se ha contado con la generosa colaboración de Jorge Guardiola Wanden-Berghe, al que le agradecemos su paciencia y dedicación. Los posibles errores contenidos en este artículo son responsabilidad exclusiva de los autoresSe propone conocer la influencia de ciertas variables socioeconómicas sobre la emancipación de los jóvenes dependiendo de si éste es sustentador principal de su hogar, o bien si es hijo o hija del mismo. Con ello se realiza una aproximación a la emancipación de los jóvenes. Tomando como referencia tres fechas concretas (2006, 2011 y 2015) se persigue constatar en qué medida afecta la recesión económica. Se utilizan análisis descriptivos y regresiones logísticas binarias usando la Encuesta de Presupuestos Familiares. Existen algunas diferencias dependiendo del año, así como también ciertas tendencias generales. A mayor nivel de estudios, es más probable que un joven viva con su sustentador principal, mientras que ser varón, tener entre 30 y 34 años o percibir un salario mayor de 1000 € se aproxima más al perfil de “cabeza de familia”. En cuanto a los sustentadores principales, un varón de 30 a 34 años con un nivel de ingresos mayor de 1000 € es el perfil más próximo al contrato indefinido.It is proposed to know the influence of certain socioeconomic variables depending on whether a young person is the main breadwinner of his or her household, or the child of the main breadwinner. In this way, an approximation is made to the independence of youth. Taking three specific dates as a reference -2006, 2011 and 2015-, the aim is to ascertain the extent to which the economic recession is affecting them. Descriptive analyses and binary logistic regressions have been done, using the Household Budget Survey. There are some differences depending on the year, as well as some general trends. A higher level of education increases the probability that a youth is the child of the main breadwinner of the household, while being male, between 30 and 34 years old or receiving a salary greater than €1,000 is closer to the profile of breadwinner. As for the main breadwinners, a male aged 30 to 34 with an income level greater than €1,000 is the profile closest to a permanent contrac

Regression of Human Prostate Tumors and Metastases in Nude Mice following Treatment with the Recombinant Oncolytic Vaccinia Virus GLV-1h68

Virotherapy using oncolytic vaccinia virus strains is one of the most promising new strategies for cancer therapy. In the current study, we analyzed the therapeutic efficacy of the oncolytic vaccinia virus GLV-1h68 against two human prostate cancer cell lines DU-145 and PC-3 in cell culture and in tumor xenograft models. By viral proliferation assays and cell survival tests, we demonstrated that GLV-1h68 was able to infect, replicate in, and lyse these prostate cancer cells in culture. In DU-145 and PC-3 tumor xenograft models, a single intravenous injection with GLV-1h68 resulted in a significant reduction of primary tumor size. In addition, the GLV-1h68-infection led to strong inflammatory and oncolytic effects resulting in drastic reduction of regional lymph nodes with PC-3 metastases. Our data documented that the GLV-1h68 virus has a great potential for treatment of human prostate carcinoma

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome associated with COVID-19: An Emulated Target Trial Analysis.

RATIONALE: Whether COVID patients may benefit from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) compared with conventional invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effect of ECMO on 90-Day mortality vs IMV only Methods: Among 4,244 critically ill adult patients with COVID-19 included in a multicenter cohort study, we emulated a target trial comparing the treatment strategies of initiating ECMO vs. no ECMO within 7 days of IMV in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (PaO2/FiO2 <80 or PaCO2 ≥60 mmHg). We controlled for confounding using a multivariable Cox model based on predefined variables. MAIN RESULTS: 1,235 patients met the full eligibility criteria for the emulated trial, among whom 164 patients initiated ECMO. The ECMO strategy had a higher survival probability at Day-7 from the onset of eligibility criteria (87% vs 83%, risk difference: 4%, 95% CI 0;9%) which decreased during follow-up (survival at Day-90: 63% vs 65%, risk difference: -2%, 95% CI -10;5%). However, ECMO was associated with higher survival when performed in high-volume ECMO centers or in regions where a specific ECMO network organization was set up to handle high demand, and when initiated within the first 4 days of MV and in profoundly hypoxemic patients. CONCLUSIONS: In an emulated trial based on a nationwide COVID-19 cohort, we found differential survival over time of an ECMO compared with a no-ECMO strategy. However, ECMO was consistently associated with better outcomes when performed in high-volume centers and in regions with ECMO capacities specifically organized to handle high demand. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Perception of Collective Agency and Networks of Relations: The Case of Regional Parliaments in Four EU Member States

Regional parliaments have only limited formal possibilities to engage in the European Union's (EU's) multi-level system of governance. Our paper focuses on networking activities of regional members of parliaments (MPs) as informal attempts to make agency claims and as a main driver for perceived collective agency. We employ a relational perspective, taking into account the various stakeholders and environments which regional parliaments have to deal with in the EU. Engaging in such networks can enhance collective agency since such activity is linked to recognition and can open doors to new resources and networks. We use data from a survey of regional deputies in Austria, Germany, Spain, and the Czech Republic to investigate these associations. The results point to the importance of such activities for the perceived influence of regional parliaments on political decision-making in the region and for perceptions about the future role of regions in the EU. Contacts with European actors prove to be crucial in this respect since they can lead to new, agency-enhancing contacts and resources

Exploring social and spatial opportunities to move within a city : a resident's perspective on urban mobility

Elisabeth Donat & Madeleine Koch(VLID)246630

Les enjeux patrimoniaux d’une abbaye-prison en reconversion : le cas de Clairvaux

International audienc