How many manuscripts should I peer review per year?

Peer review provides the foundation for the scholarly publishing system. The conventional peer review system consists of using authors of articles as reviewers for other colleagues' manuscripts in a collaborative-basis system. However, authors complain about a theoretical overwhelming number of invitations to peer review. It seems that authors feel that they are invited to review many more manuscripts than they should when taking into account their participation in the scholarly publishing system. The high number of scientific journals and the existence of predatory journals were reported as potential causes of this excessive number of reviews required. In this editorial, we demonstrate that the number of reviewers required to publish a given number of articles depends exclusively on the journals' rejection rate and the number of reviewers intended per manuscript. Several initiatives to overcome the peer review crises are suggested

Fatherhood and wage inequality in Britain, Finland, and Germany

Objective This study investigates whether and how fatherhood shapes the wage distribution in Britain, Finland, and Germany. Background Existing research debates whether fatherhood is associated with greater wages. However, it remains unclear whether the association between fatherhood and wages varies along the wage distribution as well as institutional contexts. To explore this, we compare three countries that differ in their wage bargaining institutions and family policies. Method We use unconditional quantile regression on longitudinal data from the 1995 to 2016 waves of the Finnish Linked Employer Employee data, German Socio-Economic Panel, and UK Longitudinal Household Study. To control for selection into fatherhood, we combine quantile regressions with fixed effects techniques. Results Results show little evidence of substantial fatherhood wage effects along men's wage distribution. In all countries, fathers' higher wages at the median and top of the wage distribution are mostly accounted for by selection, but fatherhood shifts the bottom part of the distribution to the left particularly in the UK. Conclusions The extent to which having a child affects men's wages across the wage distribution is similar across three diverse policy contexts. Yet, differences across the wage distribution are larger in the UK. We argue this may be linked to its higher level of inequality typical of liberal labour markets

Atypical work and unemployment protection in Europe

This paper evaluates the degree of income protection the tax-benefit system provides to atypical workers in the event of unemployment. Our approach relies on simulating transitions from employment to unemployment for the entire workforce in EU member states to compare household financial circumstances before and after the transition. Our results show that coverage rates of unemployment insurance are low among atypical workers, who are also more exposed to the risk of poverty, both while in work and in unemployment. Low work intensity employees are characterized by high net replacement rates. However, this is due to the major role played by market incomes of other household members. Finally, we show that in countries where self-employed workers are not eligible for unemployment insurance benefits, extending the eligibility to this group of workers would increase their replacement rates and make them less likely to fall into poverty in the event of unemployment

Validación a largo plazo de datos de nivel 3 de tierra de SMOS con medidas de ELBARA-II en la Valencia Anchor Station

Revista oficial de la Asociación Española de Teledetección[EN] The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission was launched on 2nd November 2009 with the objective of providing global estimations of soil moisture and sea salinity. The main activity of the Valencia Anchor Station (VAS) is currently to assist in a long-term validation of SMOS land products. This study focus on a level 3 SMOS data validation with in situ measurements carried out in the period 2010-2012 over the VAS. ELBARA-II radiometer is placed in the VAS area, observing a vineyard field considered as representative of a major proportion of an area of 50×50 km, enough to cover a SMOS footprint. Brightness temperatures (TB) acquired by ELBARA-II have been compared to those observed by SMOS at the same dates and time. They were also used for the L-MEB model inversion to retrieve soil moisture (SM), which later on have been compared to those provided by SMOS as level 3 data. A good correlation between both TB datasets was found, improving year by year, mainly due to the decrease of precipitations in the analyzed period and the mitigation of radio frequency interferences at L-band. The larger homogeneity of the radiometer footprint as compared to SMOS explains the higher variability of its TB. Periods of more intense precipitation (spring and autumn) also presented higher SM, which corroborates the consistency of SM retrieved from ELBARA-II’s observations. However, the results show that SMOS level 3 data underestimate SM as compared to ELBARA-II’s, probably due to the influence of the small soil fraction which is not cultivated in vineyards. SMOS estimations in descending orbit (6 pm) had better quality (higher correlation, lower RMSE and bias) than the ones in ascending orbit (6 am, when there is a higher soil moisture). Guardar / Salir Siguiente >[ES] La misión de SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) se lanzó el 2 de Noviembre de 2009 con el objetivo de proporcionar datos de humedad del suelo y salinidad del mar. La principal actividad de la conocida como Valencia Anchor Station(VAS) es asistir en la validación a largo plazo de productos de suelo de SMOS. El presente estudio se centra en una validación de datos de nivel 3 de SMOS en la VAS con medidas in situ tomadas en el periodo 2010-2012. El radiómetro ELBARA-II está situado dentro de los confines de la VAS, observando un campo de viñedos que se con-sidera representativo de una gran proporción de un área de 50×50 km, suficiente para cubrir un footprint de SMOS. Las temperaturas de brillo (TB) adquiridas por ELBARA-II se compararon con las observadas por SMOS en las mismas fechas y horas. También se utilizó la inversión del modelo L-MEB con el fin de obtener humedades de suelo (SM) que, posteriormente, se compararon con datos de nivel 3 de SMOS. Se ha encontrado una buena correlación entre ambas series de TB, con mejoras año tras año, achacable fundamentalmente a la disminución de precipitaciones en el perio-do objeto de estudio y a la mitigación de las interferencias por radiofrecuencia en banda L. La mayor homogeneidad del footprintdel radiómetro ELBARA-II frente al de SMOS explica la mayor variabilidad de sus TB. Los periodos de preci-pitación más intensa (primavera y otoño) también son de mayor SM, lo que corrobora la consistencia de los resultados de SM simulados a través de las observaciones del radiómetro. Sin embargo, se debe resaltar una subestimación por parte de SMOS de los valores de SM respecto a los obtenidos por ELBARA-II, presumiblemente debido a la influencia que la pequeña fracción de suelo no destinado al cultivo de la vid tiene sobre SMOS. Las estimaciones por parte de SMOS en órbita descendente (6 p.m.) resultaron de mayor calidad (mayor correlación y menores RMSE y bias) que en órbita ascendente (6 a.m., momento de mayor humedad de suelo).This work is carried out within the framework of the project MIDAS-7/UVEG Productos y Aplicaciones Avanzados de SMOS y Futuras Misiones (Parte UVEG) from the Spanish Research Programme on Space, Spanish Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness.Fernandez-Moran, R.; Wigneron, JP.; López-Baeza, E.; Miernecki, M.; Salgado-Hernanz, P.; Coll, M.; Kerr, YH.... (2015). Towards a long-term dataset of ELBARA-II measurements assisting SMOS level-3 land product and algorithm validation at the Valencia Anchor Station. Revista de Teledetección. (43):55-62. doi:10.4995/raet.2015.2297.SWORD55624

Serviços Farmacêuticos em Doentes com Insuficiência Renal Crónica

O papel dos farmacêuticos na assistência a doentes com insuficiência renal crónica tem sido documentado na literatura internacional e este estudo teve como objetivo compilar os serviços farmacêuticos prestados para que possam vir a ser considerados para eventual adaptação à realidade Portuguesa.Conduziu-se uma busca nas fontes secundárias Medline, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, Pharmacy Abstracts e The Cochrane Library para recolher estudos descrevendo intervenções farmacêuticas em doentes com insuficiência renal crónica. No final, e após aplicação dos critérios de inclusão e exclusão, foram incluídos e analisados 37 estudos (correspondendo a 38 artigos). As intervenções farmacêuticas reportadas nos estudos foram: revisão do perfil farmacoterapêutico para identificação de problemas relacionados com a medicação, ajuste e otimização da terapêutica, identificação e correção de discrepâncias nos processos clínicos, avaliação da adequação da terapêutica durante a admissão e alta hospitalares, monitorização de parâmetros laboratoriais, implementação de protocolos de atuação na anemia, hiperparatiroidismo secundário, e hiperlipidemia, educação dos doentes, promoção da adesão à terapêutica, participação nas visitas médicas e reuniões multidisciplinares, comunicação e interação com outros profissionais de saúde, e fornecimento de informação sobre a escolha de fármacos e regimes terapêuticos.Em conclusão, a análise da literatura internacional revelou uma multiplicidade de potenciais intervenções farmacêuticas em doentes com insuficiência renal crónica que evidenciam o potencial de atuação do farmacêutico no processo de uso de medicamentos destes doentes e na melhoria dos resultados clínicos.The role of pharmacists caring for patients with chronic kidney disease has been documented in the international literature. This study aims at compiling all pharmaceutical services provided to these patients in order to adapt them to the Portuguese reality. Medline, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, Pharmacy Abstracts and The Cochrane Library were searched for studies describing pharmacist interventions in patients with chronic kidney disease. Ultimately, and after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 37 studies (corresponding to 38 articles) were included and analysed. Pharmacist interventions reported were: performing medication reviews to identify drug-related problems, adjusting and optimising drug therapy, identifying and correcting drug records discrepancies, evaluating admission and discharge medication appropriateness, performing laboratory monitoring of specific parameters, implementing anaemia-managing, phosphate-managing and lipid-managing protocols, performing patient education, improving compliance, participating in medical rounds and multidisciplinary patient care meetings, communicating and interacting with other health care professionals, and providing information about drug selection and therapeutic regimes. In conclusion, a multitude of potential pharmacist interventions in patients with chronic kidney disease was reported in the literature, where pharmacists played a key role in contributing to improve the process of use of medicines and clinical outcomes in these patients.

Tipos de Serviços Farmacêuticos Clínicos: O que dizem as Revisões Sistemáticas?

Muito vem sendo publicado nos últimos anos em termos de desenhos de novos serviços farmacêuticos clínicos. Predomina hoje incerteza sobre que serviços farmacêuticos apresentam melhores resultados ou são promissores em termos de implementação e adoção pelos profissionais. Além disso, a diversidade de denominações dificulta a padronização de práticas entre farmacêuticos e organizações. O objetivo deste trabalho foi descrever os serviços farmacêuticos clínicos avaliados em revisões sistemáticas publicadas e identificar de forma qualitativa os seus componentes principais. Foi realizada uma busca sistemática de revisões sistemáticas, seguindo as recomendações da colaboração Cochrane, na base de dados Medline via Pubmed no período compreendido entre 2000 e 2010. Foram encontrados 343 artigos potencialmente relevantes, dos quais 49 foram incluídos após o processo de seleção. Foram identificadas oito categorias de serviços clínicos, agrupadas segundo o seu objetivo principal: aconselhamento do doente, controlo de fatores de risco, adesão ao tratamento, revisão da farmacoterapia, acompanhamento farmacoterapêutico, elaboração ou aprimoramento da história farmacoterapêutica, informações ao médico e equipa de saúde e prescrição de novos tratamentos. De um modo geral, estes serviços têm como foco a melhoria da qualidade do uso dos medicamentos e dos resultados terapêuticos sob o ponto de vista clínico, humanístico e económico. In the last years, much has been published on the development of new clinical pharmacist services. However, uncertainty persists as to which services show better results or can be successfully implemented by pharmacists. Furthermore, the diversity of designations available hinders practice standardization among practitioners and professional organizations. The aim of this study was to describe clinical pharmacist services assessed by systematic reviews and to qualitatively identify the main categories of the pharmacist intervention. We searched Medline for systematic reviews compiling evidence of the impact of clinical services on patient health outcomes published between 2000 and 2010, following the recommendations of the Cochrane collaboration. The search returned a total of 343 potentially relevant citations, of which 49 studies were included after the selection process. We identified eight categories of clinical services, which were grouped according to their main goals: patient counselling, risk factors prevention and control, adherence/compliance, medication review, pharmacotherapy follow-up, medication reconciliation, information to physicians or the health care team and prescription of new treatments. In general, all services focus on the improvement of the process of use of medicines as well as clinical, humanistic and economic outcomes.

Language Barriers, Physician-Patient Language Concordance, and Glycemic Control Among Insured Latinos with Diabetes: The Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE)

BackgroundA significant proportion of US Latinos with diabetes have limited English proficiency (LEP). Whether language barriers in health care contribute to poor glycemic control is unknown.ObjectiveTo assess the association between limited English proficiency (LEP) and glycemic control and whether this association is modified by having a language-concordant physician.DesignCross-sectional, observational study using data from the 2005-2006 Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE). Patients received care in a managed care setting with interpreter services and self-reported their English language ability and the Spanish language ability of their physician. Outcome was poor glycemic control (glycosylated hemoglobin A1c > 9%).Key resultsThe unadjusted percentage of patients with poor glycemic control was similar among Latino patients with LEP (n = 510) and Latino English-speakers (n = 2,683), and higher in both groups than in whites (n = 3,545) (21% vs 18% vs. 10%, p < 0.005). This relationship differed significantly by patient-provider language concordance (p < 0.01 for interaction). LEP patients with language-discordant physicians (n = 115) were more likely than LEP patients with language-concordant physicians (n = 137) to have poor glycemic control (27.8% vs 16.1% p = 0.02). After controlling for potential demographic and clinical confounders, LEP Latinos with language-concordant physicians had similar odds of poor glycemic control as Latino English speakers (OR 0.89; CI 0.53-1.49), whereas LEP Latinos with language-discordant physicians had greater odds of poor control than Latino English speakers (OR 1.76; CI 1.04-2.97). Among LEP Latinos, having a language discordant physician was associated with significantly poorer glycemic control (OR 1.98; CI 1.03-3.80).ConclusionsLanguage barriers contribute to health disparities among Latinos with diabetes. Limited English proficiency is an independent predictor for poor glycemic control among insured US Latinos with diabetes, an association not observed when care is provided by language-concordant physicians. Future research should determine if strategies to increase language-concordant care improve glycemic control among US Latinos with LEP