Barriers to the development of palliative care in Western Europe

The Eurobarometer Survey of the <i>EAPC Task Force on the Development of Palliative Care in Europe</i> is part of a programme of work to produce comprehensive information on the provision of palliative care across Europe. Aim: To identify barriers to the development of palliative care in Western Europe. Method: A qualitative survey was undertaken amongst boards of national associations, eliciting opinions on opportunities for, and barriers to, palliative care development. By July 2006, 44/52 (85%) European countries had responded to the survey; we report here on the results from 22/25 (88%) countries in Western Europe. Analysis: Data from the Eurobarometer survey were analysed thematically by geographical region and by the degree of development of palliative care in each country. Results: From the data contained within the Eurobarometer, we identified six significant barriers to the development of palliative care in Western Europe: (i) Lack of palliative care education and training programmes (ii) Lack of awareness and recognition of palliative care (iii) Limited availability of/knowledge about opioid analgesics (iv) Limited funding (v) Lack of coordination amongst services (vi) Uneven palliative care coverage. Conclusion: Findings from the EAPC Eurobarometer survey suggest that barriers to the development of palliative care in Western Europe may differ substantially from each other in both their scope and context and that some may be considered to be of greater significance than others. A number of common barriers to the development of the discipline do exist and much work still remains to be done in the identified areas. This paper provides a road map of which barriers need to be addressed

Phasor-Based Assessment for Harmonic Sources in Distribution Networks

Phasor-based interdependencies of multiple harmonic sources, especially Distributed Energy Resources, on distribution networks are analyzed in this paper. A new index, Phasor Harmonic Index (IPH), is proposed by the authors. IPH considers both harmonic source magnitude and phase angle for different harmonic orders. Other commonly used harmonic indices are based solely on magnitude of waveforms. A very detailed model of a distribution network is used in the harmonic assessment. With the help of the detailed distribution network model, the phase couplings and the phase balancing impacts on harmonic propagation between three phases are investigated. Moreover, effects of harmonic source phase angle deviations are analyzed at both the customer side and the substation side. This paper investigates the importance of phase angles in harmonic assessment and how distribution netw

The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) Vector Magnetic Field Pipeline: Optimization of the Spectral Line Inversion Code

The Very Fast Inversion of the Stokes Vector (VFISV) is a Milne-Eddington spectral line inversion code used to determine the magnetic and thermodynamic parameters of the solar photosphere from observations of the Stokes vector in the 6173 A Fe I line by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). We report on the modifications made to the original VFISV inversion code in order to optimize its operation within the HMI data pipeline and provide the smoothest solution in active regions. The changes either sped up the computation or reduced the frequency with which the algorithm failed to converge to a satisfactory solution. Additionally, coding bugs which were detected and fixed in the original VFISV release, are reported here.Comment: Accepted for publication in Solar Physic

PWM digital configurable para simples proyectos

This paper presents the software implementation of an adjustable PWM (Pulse Width Modulator) prototype, developed in Verilog code, which functions as a training tool at the undergraduate level, or for the development of small projects. At the schematic level, the prototype presents the main module called PWM which integrates three modules (frequency, useful cycle, and display), as a complement to carry out results under the conditions specified in the functional profile. The base module integrates combinational and sequential circuits, i.e. counters, comparators, flip flops, function generators, etc. The final results obtained by simulation show the expected behavior in terms of frequency setting, duty cycle, and display.Este artículo presenta la implementación, en cuanto a software, de un prototipo de PWM (Modulador por Ancho de Pulso) ajustable, desarrollado en código Verilog, que funcione como herramienta de formación en el ámbito de pregrado, o el desarrollo de pequeños proyectos. En cuanto a esquema, el prototipo presenta un módulo principal llamado PWM el cual integra tres módulos (frecuencia, ciclo útil y display), como complemento para llevar a cabo resultados bajo las condiciones especificadas en el perfil funcional. La base de los módulos integra circuitos combinacionales y secuenciales, es decir contadores, comparadores, Flip Flops, generadores de funciones, etc. Los resultados finales obtenidos por simulación muestran el comportamiento esperado en cuanto a ajuste de frecuencia, ciclo útil y visualización

Respuestas vegetativa, productiva y calidad del aceite a la aplicación foliar de P y K a olivos “Arbequinos” y “Picual”

A completed hedgerow of cv. Arbequina and a youth vase trained orchard of cv. Picual were fertilized with foliar applications of Phosphorus (P) or Potassium (K) throughout four seasons. The orchards were located near Valdepeñas in the dry area of La Mancha (Spain). Vegetative growth, yield and oil quality were evaluated. Foliar treatments did not increase P or K leaf concentration. Most of the evaluated parameters were not significantly affected by treatments. It was observed that the P treatment increased olive growth and oil yield in both orchards and in certain seasons due to an increment in fruit number. P and K application significantly increased ‘Arbequina’ olive and oil yield in 2008 when spring was wetter than the other years. Oil quality was not modified by fertilizer treatments in the ‘Arbequina’orchard. However, oxidative stability was negatively affected by P and K treatments in ‘Picual’. Oil extraction could be negatively affected by treatments because of the increase in the water content in the fruit obtained from both orchards.Un olivar en seto completamente formado de la variedad Arbequina y otro olivar en vaso joven de la variedad Picual fueron tratados vía foliar con Fósforo (P) y Potasio (K) durante cuatro años. Los olivares estuvieron localizados cerca de Valdepeñas, en la zona árida de La Mancha (España). Se evaluaron el crecimiento vegetativo, el rendimiento y la calidad del aceite. Los tratamientos foliares no aumentaron los niveles foliares de P y K. La mayoría de parámetros de crecimiento y producción evaluados no se vieron afectados por los tratamientos. En ambos olivares y en algún año del ensayo, el tratamiento con P incrementó el crecimiento y el rendimiento, debido al incremento en el número de frutos. Las aplicaciones de P y K aumentaron significativamente el rendimiento en aceituna y aceite en Arbequina en 2008, cuando la primavera fue más húmeda que el resto de años. Los tratamientos no modificaron la calidad del aceite obtenido en ‘Arbequina’. Sin embargo, en ‘Picual’ los tratamientos con P y K afectaron negativamente a la estabilidad oxidativa del aceite. La extracción del aceite podría verse perjudicada por los tratamientos, debido al incremento en el contenido de agua en el fruto obtenido en ambos olivares

The influence of coronal EUV irradiance on the emission in the He I 10830 A and D3 multiplets

Two of the most attractive spectral windows for spectropolarimetric investigations of the physical properties of the plasma structures in the solar chromosphere and corona are the ones provided by the spectral lines of the He I 10830 A and 5876 A (or D3) multiplets, whose polarization signals are sensitive to the Hanle and Zeeman effects. However, in order to be able to carry out reliable diagnostics, it is crucial to have a good physical understanding of the sensitivity of the observed spectral line radiation to the various competing driving mechanisms. Here we report a series of off-the-limb non-LTE calculations of the He I D3 and 10830 A emission profiles, focusing our investigation on their sensitivity to the EUV coronal irradiation and the model atmosphere used in the calculations. We show in particular that the intensity ratio of the blue to the red components in the emission profiles of the He I 10830 A multiplet turns out to be a good candidate as a diagnostic tool for the coronal irradiance. Measurements of this observable as a function of the distance to the limb and its confrontation with radiative transfer modeling might give us valuable information on the physical properties of the solar atmosphere and on the amount of EUV radiation at relevant wavelengths penetrating the chromosphere from above.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures (pre-print format). Accepted for publication in Ap

Investigar e inovar na educação em ciências para um futuro sustentável

No pico de uma real situação de emergência planetária, a educação torna-se a melhor aliada de uma luta global com vista a um desenvolvimento sustentável. Para concretizar a Década da Educação para um Futuro Sustentável, a investigação em educação em ciências e a correspondente inovação na formação de professores e no ensino, apresentam-se entre os contributos mais fortes, amplos e eficazes. Parte do nosso contributo, que se apresenta neste artigo, tem passado pelo desenvolvimento de alguns estudos situados no quadro teórico que sustenta a educação CTS e assentes em temáticas centrais para a educação para a sustentabilidade ambiental: os transportes e a mobilidade, o uso da água, a fome no mundo, a preservação da biodiversidade. A aposta tem-se dirigido para o ensino nos primeiros anos através do desenho de propostas didácticas validadas por especialistas e em sala de aula e utilizadas quer no ensino quer como ferramentas de formação inicial e contínua de professores

Channeling 5-min photospheric oscillations into the solar outer atmosphere through small-scale vertical magnetic flux tubes

We report two-dimensional MHD simulations which demonstrate that photospheric 5-min oscillations can leak into the chromosphere inside small-scale vertical magnetic flux tubes. The results of our numerical experiments are compatible with those inferred from simultaneous spectropolarimetric observations of the photosphere and chromosphere obtained with the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter (TIP) at 10830 A. We conclude that the efficiency of energy exchange by radiation in the solar photosphere can lead to a significant reduction of the cut-off frequency and may allow for the propagation of the 5 minutes waves vertically into the chromosphere.Comment: accepted by ApJ