Potentials of a Harmonised Database for Agricultural Market Modelling

The study analysed existing databases for agricultural market data on errors and discrepancies and to elaborate the possibilities to harmonise datasets for policy modelling. The study supports DG AGRI in improving quality and timely availability of data for market modelling and ensuring that data from different sources are consistent. This study aims to provide a structure for a consolidated database for policy modelling which does not alter existing databases. Within this report, existing databases are analysed to derive key insights for setting-up a harmonised metabase. As available databases comprise statistical databases as well as scientific model databases, both groups are studied. For the purpose of this study, statistical databases are defined as providers of the information that international institutes receive from their reporters, while the reporters are required to provide harmonised, complete, consistent, and where possible, timely data series for establishing models or other quantitative methods. Nevertheless, a statistical database can also serve as a model database, such as e.g. PS&D. Statistical databases from international institutions (FAO, USDA, Eurostat), as well as model databases (AGLINK/COSIMO, AGMEMOD, CAPRI/CAPSIM, ESIM, FAPRI, GTAP, FARM, IMPACT), were studied to find ways of consolidating data and providing insights that allow for a better comparison of model results. For this reason, various classification schemes used in agricultural statistics were reviewed (country, product, balance item, year, unit), as was the manner in which the different modelling groups have dealt with these classifications in their databases. Besides a common classification, a harmonised database for market modelling purposes will require further efforts to be applied to a consolidation effort for the original data. Such a procedure must be supplemented by methods dealing with completion and balancing.JRC.J.5-Agriculture and Life Sciences in the Econom

Health Check der EU-Agrarpolitik - Auswirkungen der Legislativvorschläge

Zusammenfassung: Die Europäische Kommission hat Mitte Mai 2008 Legislativvorschläge zum Health Check (HC) der Gemeinsamen Agrarpolitik (GAP) vorgelegt. Das Ziel der durchgeführten Studie im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz ist es, die Wirkungen der HC-Vorschläge mit Hilfe des Modellverbundes der vTI-Agrarökonomie sowie mit einer statistischen Auswertung des EU-Testbetriebsnetzes (FADN) zu analysieren. Die Auswirkungen der HC-Vorschläge wurden in einer komparativ-statischen Betrachtung gegenüber einem Referenzszenario im Zieljahr 2015 analysiert. Nach den Modellberechnungen wird die Milcherzeugung in Deutschland nach Auslaufen der Quotenregelung um 6 % ausgedehnt. Dies impliziert ein Absinken des Marktpreises um 8 %. Die Ausdehnung erfolgt vor allem in Regionen mit hoher Produktionsdichte, so dass sich der regionale Konzentrationsprozess fortsetzt. Die Betriebseinkommen gehen im Bundesdurchschnitt um 5-7 % zurück; in Milchviehbetrieben um ca. 10 %. Höhere Einbußen sind durch die stärkere Kürzung der Direktzahlungen infolge der progressiven Modulation in Großbetrieben zu erwarten. Insgesamt stellen die HC-Vorschläge eine zu bewältigende Herausforderung für die deutsche Landwirtschaft dar, wenn die Möglichkeiten zur Ausgestaltung der Begleitmaßnahmen auf nationaler Ebene genutzt werden. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------- Summary: In May 2008, the European Commission presented legislative proposals for a Health Check (HC) of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The goal of the study, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, is to analyse the impacts of the HC proposal with the help of the Modelling Network of agricultural economics institutes of vTI, as well as with a statistical evaluation of the EU-wide Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN). The impacts of the HC proposal are analysed within a comparative-static approach vs. a reference scenario in the target year 2015. According to the model results, milk production will expand by about 6 % in Germany after elimination of the milk quota regulations. This implies a decline in the market price of 8 %. The expansion of production occurs particularly in high density production areas, so that the regional concentration process continues. Farm income drops on average of 5 %, in dairy farms by about 10 %. Significant income losses can be expected for large farms due to above-average reductions in direct payments as a result of progressive modulation. Overall, the HC proposals present a challenge that German agriculture can cope with, if the possibilities for shaping the accompanying measures at the national level are used accordingly.Health Check, Gemeinsame Agrarpolitik, modellgestützte Politikfolgenabschätzung, Common Agricultural Policy, model-based impact analyses, Agricultural and Food Policy, Q12, Q15, Q18,

Health Check der EU-Agrarpolitik - Auswirkungen der Legislativvorschläge: Studie im Auftrag des BMELV

Die Europäische Kommission hat Mitte Mai 2008 Legislativvorschläge zum Health Check (HC) der Gemeinsamen Agrarpolitik (GAP) vorgelegt. Das Ziel der durchgeführten Studie im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz ist es, die Wirkungen der HC-Vorschläge mit Hilfe des Modellverbundes der vTI-Agrarökonomie sowie mit einer statistischen Auswertung des EU-Testbetriebsnetzes (FADN) zu analysieren. Die Auswirkungen der HC-Vorschläge wurden in einer komparativ-statischen Betrachnmg gegenüber einem Referenzszenario im Zieljahr 2015 analysiert. Nach den Modellberechnungen wird die Milcherzeugung in Deutschland nach Auslaufen der Quotenregelung um 6 % ausgedehnt. Dies impliziert ein Absinken des Marktpreises um 8 %. Die Ausdehnung erfolgt vor allem in Regionen mit hoher Produktionsdichte, so dass sich der regionale Konzentrationsprozess fortsetzt. Die Betriebseinkommen gehen im Bundesdurchschnitt um 5-7 % zurück; in Milchviehbetrieben um ca. 10 %. Höhere Einbußen sind durch die stärkere Kürzung der Direktzahlungen infolge der progressiven Modulation in Großbetrieben zu erwarten. Insgesamt stellen die HC-Vorschläge eine zu bewältigende Herausfordenmg für die deutsche Landwirtschaft dar, wenn die Möglichkeiten zur Ausgestaltung der Begleitmaßnahmen auf nationaler Ebene genutzt werden. -- In May 2008, the European Commission presented legislative proposals for a Health Check (HC) of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The goal of the study, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, is to analyse the impacts of the HC proposal with the help of the Modelling Network of agricultural economics institutes of vTI, as well as with a statistical evaluation of the EU-wide Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN). The impacts of the HC proposal are analysed within a comparative-static approach vs. a reference scenario in the target year 2015. According to the model results, milk production will expand by about 6 % in Germany after elimination of the milk quota regulations. This implies a decline in the market price of 8 %. The expansion of production occurs particularly in high density production areas, so that the regional concentration process continues. Farm income drops on average of 5 %, in dairy farms by about 10 %. Significant income losses can be expected for large farms due to above-average reductions in direct payments as a result of progressive modulation. Overall, the HC proposals present a challenge that German agriculture can cope with, if the possibilities for shaping the accompanying measures at the national level are used accordingly.Health Check,Gemeinsame Agrarpolitik,modellgestützte Politikfolgenabschätzung,Health Check,Common Agricultural Policy,model-based impact analyses

Adverse late health outcomes among children treated with 3D radiotherapy techniques:Study design of the Dutch pediatric 3D-RT study

Background: Adverse late health outcomes after multimodal treatment for pediatric cancer are diverse and of prime interest. Currently available evidence and survivorship care guidelines are largely based on studies addressing side-effects of two dimensional planned radiotherapy. Aims: The Dutch pediatric 3D-planned radiotherapy (3D-RT) study aims to gain insight in the long-term health outcomes among children who had radiotherapy in the 3D era. Here, we describe the study design, data-collection methods, and baseline cohort characteristics. Methods and Results: The 3D-RT study represents an expansion of the Dutch Childhood Cancer Survivor study (DCCSS) LATER cohort, including pediatric cancer patients diagnosed during 2000–2012, who survived at least 5 years after initial diagnosis and 2 years post external beam radiotherapy. Individual cancer treatment parameters were obtained from medical files. A national infrastructure for uniform collection and archival of digital radiotherapy files (Computed Tomography [CT]-scans, delineations, plan, and dose files) was established. Health outcome information, including subsequent tumors, originated from medical records at the LATER outpatient clinics, and national registry-linkage. With a median follow-up of 10.9 (interquartile range [IQR]: 7.9–14.3) years after childhood cancer diagnosis, 711 eligible survivors were identified. The most common cancer types were Hodgkin lymphoma, medulloblastoma, and nephroblastoma. Most survivors received radiotherapy directed to the head/cranium only, the craniospinal axis, or the abdominopelvic region. Conclusion: The 3D-RT study will provide knowledge on the risk of adverse late health outcomes and radiation-associated dose-effect relationships. This information is valuable to guide follow-up care of childhood cancer survivors and to refine future treatment protocols.</p

Adverse late health outcomes among children treated with 3D radiotherapy techniques:Study design of the Dutch pediatric 3D-RT study

Background: Adverse late health outcomes after multimodal treatment for pediatric cancer are diverse and of prime interest. Currently available evidence and survivorship care guidelines are largely based on studies addressing side-effects of two dimensional planned radiotherapy. Aims: The Dutch pediatric 3D-planned radiotherapy (3D-RT) study aims to gain insight in the long-term health outcomes among children who had radiotherapy in the 3D era. Here, we describe the study design, data-collection methods, and baseline cohort characteristics. Methods and Results: The 3D-RT study represents an expansion of the Dutch Childhood Cancer Survivor study (DCCSS) LATER cohort, including pediatric cancer patients diagnosed during 2000–2012, who survived at least 5 years after initial diagnosis and 2 years post external beam radiotherapy. Individual cancer treatment parameters were obtained from medical files. A national infrastructure for uniform collection and archival of digital radiotherapy files (Computed Tomography [CT]-scans, delineations, plan, and dose files) was established. Health outcome information, including subsequent tumors, originated from medical records at the LATER outpatient clinics, and national registry-linkage. With a median follow-up of 10.9 (interquartile range [IQR]: 7.9–14.3) years after childhood cancer diagnosis, 711 eligible survivors were identified. The most common cancer types were Hodgkin lymphoma, medulloblastoma, and nephroblastoma. Most survivors received radiotherapy directed to the head/cranium only, the craniospinal axis, or the abdominopelvic region. Conclusion: The 3D-RT study will provide knowledge on the risk of adverse late health outcomes and radiation-associated dose-effect relationships. This information is valuable to guide follow-up care of childhood cancer survivors and to refine future treatment protocols.</p

Real-time monitoring shows substantial excess all-cause mortality during second wave of COVID-19 in Europe, October to December 2020.

The European monitoring of excess mortality for public health action (EuroMOMO) network monitors weekly excess all-cause mortality in 27 European countries or subnational areas. During the first wave of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Europe in spring 2020, several countries experienced extraordinarily high levels of excess mortality. Europe is currently seeing another upsurge in COVID-19 cases, and EuroMOMO is again witnessing a substantial excess all-cause mortality attributable to COVID-19.Funding statement: The EuroMOMO network hub at Statens Serum Institut receives funding from European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Solna, Sweden, through a framework contract 2017-2020.S

Comparison of two techniques for denervation of the sacroiliac joint

Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) dysfunction is a common cause of lower back pain, affecting 9 – 21% of all chronic back pain patients. Although medical history, pain referral patterns and provocation tests can be indicative of a SIJ syndrome, the current gold standard for diagnosis is a fluoroscopically guided anesthetic block of the joint. Patients should be primarily treated with pain medications and physiotherapy. In case of chronic pain, which is refractory to conservative therapy, radiofrequency denervation is an efficient treatment option. During conventional ablation of the SIJ, several electrodes are inserted targeting fine nerval branches on the dorsal aspect of the sacrum. High interindividual variety in the innervation of the SIJ and distribution of the branches make this procedure challenging. In the last two decades, several variations of this technique were developed to optimize the procedure. One of the most recent methods is denervation using a multi-electrode probe with three electrodes, generating three monopolar and two bipolar fields, thus creating a much larger lesion. Previous studies have proven its safety and efficiency. In this study, we compare conventional ablation of the SIJ and denervation using a multi-electrode probe. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical outcome of 121 patients, of which 57 received conventional ablation and 64 patients were denervated using the multi-electrode probe. Clinical outcome was measured using the numeric pain rating scale, Oswestry Disability Index, Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire and Short-Form 36. All patients had follow-up appointments at one, three, six and 12 months after the procedure. Patients in the multi-electrode probe cohort had stronger and longer lasting pain relief in comparison to the conventional ablation group, with 71.9%, 53.1%, 40.6% and 29.7% of the patients reporting over 50% pain relief at one, three, six and 12 months after the surgery, respectively. In contrast, in the conventional denervation group, this ratio was only 36.8%, 26.3%, 17.5% and 10.5%, respectively. Using the multi-electrode probe also showed a significant benefit over conventional ablation regarding pain-associated disability and health- related quality of life. Denervation with the multi-electrode probe proved to be a safe and efficient treatment for patients with SIJ pain, with significant advantages over the conventional technique.Iliosakralgelenk (ISG)-Dysfunktion ist eine häufige Ursache für tiefliegende Rückenschmerzen, woran 9-21% aller Patienten mit chronischen Rückenschmerzen leiden. Anamnese, Schmerzlokalisation und Provokationstests können hinweisend auf ein ISGSyndrom sein, wobei der aktuelle Goldstandard für die Diagnose eine fluoroskopiegestütze Infiltration des Gelenks mit einem lokalen Anästhetikum ist. Die Behandlung sollte mit Schmerzmedikation und Physiotherapie beginnen. Radiofrequenztherapie ist eine effiziente Therapiemethode bei chronischen Schmerzen, die auf eine konservative Behandlung nicht ansprechen. Bei einer konventionellen ISG-Denervation werden mehrere Elektroden eingebracht um die dünnen Nervenfasern auf der dorsalen Seite des Gelenks zu treffen. Große interindividuelle Unterschiede in der Innervation des ISGs und im Verlauf der einzelnen Fasern machen diesen Eingriff anspruchsvoll. In den letzten zwei Jahrzehnten wurden verschiedene Variationen dieses Verfahrens entwickelt um es zu optimieren. In einer der neuesten Denervationsmethoden wird eine Sonde mit drei Elektroden benutzt, die drei monopolare und zwei bipolare Felder generiert, womit eine deutlich größere Läsion erzeugt werden kann. Bisherige Studien haben die Effektivität und Sicherheit dieser Methode belegt. In dieser Studie vergleichen wir konventionelle Denervierung mit der Denervation mittels einer Multielektroden-Sonde. Wir haben die klinischen Ergebnisse von 121 Patienten retrospektiv analysiert, 57 Patienten haben eine konventionelle Denervation erhalten, 64 Patienten eine Denervation mittels einer Multi-Elektroden Sonde. Die Ergebnisse wurden anhand der numerischen Schmerz- Bewertungsskala, des Ostwestry-Disability-Indexes, des Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire und Short-Form 36 erfasst

Women in Neuromodulation: Innovative Contributions to Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery

Stereotactic neurosurgery emerged in the mid-20th century following the development of a stereotactic frame by Spiegel and Wycis. Historically women were underrepresented in clinical and academic neurosurgery. There is still a significant deficit of female scientists in this field. This article aims to demonstrate the career and scientific work of some of the most important women who contributed to the development of stereotactic and functional neurosurgery. Exceptional women from all over the world, represented in this review, assisted the evolution of modern stereotactic and functional neurosurgery as neurosurgeons, neuropathologists, neurologists, neurophysiologists and occupational therapists. Fortunately, we could conclude that in the last two decades the number of female researchers has increased significantly