The Richard commission and the financing of devolved government : the economics of devolution in Wales: Briefing No. 8

If the Barnett formula is rigorously applied to determine the budget of the Welsh Assembly Government, this will ultimately adversely affect the economy of Wales by limiting the growth in aggregate demand. This effect is reinforced now that population weights determining rises in expenditure in Wales (and Scotland and Northern Ireland) are regularly up-dated. There is some controversy in Wales about whether some form of needs-assessment exercise would favour Wales relative to its current position. What is clear is that the outcome of a rigorous, long term application of the Barnett formula would be a share of UK public expenditures in Wales (and Scotland and Northern Ireland) that was almost certainly below the level that would be dictated by any conventional understanding of 'needs'. The impact of the tax-varying power favoured by the Richard Commission is ambiguous, with the direction of effects dependent on the reaction of the current labour force and potential migrants. If workers insist on full compensation for loss of income to tax through a rise in gross wages a tax rise would lead to an economic contraction. However, if workers value the additional public services financed by the tax rise as equal to their loss of disposable income, this effect can be avoided. Much in other words would depend on how the proceeds of the tax rise were spen

A national facilitation project to improve primary palliative care : impact of the Gold Standards Framework on process and self-ratings of quality

Background: Improving quality of end-of-life care is a key driver of UK policy. The Gold Standards Framework (GSF) for Palliative Care aims to strengthen primary palliative care through facilitating implementation of systematic clinical and organisational processes. Objectives: To describe the general practices that participated in the GSF programme in 2003–5 and the changes in process and perception of quality that occurred in the year following entry into the programme, and to identify factors associated with the extent of change. Methods: Participating practices completed a questionnaire at baseline and another approximately 12 months later. Data were derived from categorical questions about the implementation of 35 organisational and clinical processes, and self-rated assessments of quality, associated with palliative care provision. Participants: 1305 practices (total registered population almost 10 million). Follow-up questionnaire completed by 955 (73.2%) practices (after mean (SD) 12.8 (2.8) months; median 13 months). Findings: Mean increase in total number of processes implemented (maximum = 35) was 9.6 (95% CI 9.0 to 10.2; p<0.001; baseline: 15.7 (SD 6.4), follow-up: 25.2 (SD 5.2)). Extent of change was largest for practices with low baseline scores. Aspects of process related to coordination and communication showed the greatest change. All dimensions of quality improved following GSF implementation; change was highest for the "quality of palliative care for cancer patients" and "confidence in assessing, recording and addressing the physical and psychosocial areas of patient care". Conclusion: Implementation of the GSF seems to have resulted in substantial improvements in process and quality of palliative care. Further research is required of the extent to which this has enhanced care (physical, practical and psychological outcomes) for patients and carers

Fatal encephalitis due to the scuticociliate Uronema nigricans in sea-caged, southern bluefin tuna Thunnus maccoyii

A syndrome characterized by atypical swimming behaviour followed by rapid death was first reported in captive southern bluefin tuna Thunnus maccoyii (Castelnau) in the winter of 1993. The cause of this behaviour was found to be a parasitic encephalitis due to the scuticociliate Uronema nigricans (Mueller). Based on parasitological and histological findings, it is proposed that the parasites initially colonise the olfactory rosettes and then ascend the olfactory nerves to eventually invade the brain. Possible epidemiological factors involved in the pathogenesis of the disease include water temperature (>18 degrees C) and the immune status of the fish

A cost analysis of surgery for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm

AbstractObjective: this study compares our costs of salvaging patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) with the costs for unruptured AAAs. Methods: details of all AAAs presenting over 18 months were obtained. Costs of repair were carefully calculated for each case and were based upon ITU and ward stay and the use of theatre, radiology and pathology services. We compared the costs in unruptured AAAs with both uncomplicated ruptures and ruptures with one or more system failure. Results: the mortality rate for ruptures undergoing repair was 18% and for elective repairs was 1.6%. The median cost for uncomplicated ruptures was £6427 (range £2012-13 756). For 12 complicated ruptures, it was £20 075 (range £13 864-166 446), and for 63 unruptured AAAs, was £4762 (range £2925-47 499). Conclusion: relatively low operative mortality rates for ruptured AAA repair can be achieved but this comes at substantial cost. On average, a ruptured AAA requiring system support costs four times as much as an elective repair.Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg 26, 299-302 (2003

Parents exposed to warming produce offspring lower in weight and condition

The parental environment can alter offspring phenotypes via the transfer of non-genetic information. Parental effects may be viewed as an extension of (within-generation) phenotypic plasticity. Smaller size, poorer physical condition, and skewed sex ratios are common responses of organisms to global warming, yet whether parental effects alleviate, exacerbate, or have no impact on these responses has not been widely tested. Further, the relative non-genetic influence of mothers and fathers and ontogenetic timing of parental exposure to warming on offspring phenotypes is poorly understood. Here, we tested how maternal, paternal, and biparental exposure of a coral reef fish (Acanthochromis polyacanthus) to elevated temperature (+1.5°C) at different ontogenetic stages (development vs reproduction) influences offspring length, weight, condition, and sex. Fish were reared across two generations in present-day and projected ocean warming in a full factorial design. As expected, offspring of parents exposed to present-day control temperature that were reared in warmer water were shorter than their siblings reared in control temperature; however, within-generation plasticity allowed maintenance of weight, resulting in a higher body condition. Parental exposure to warming, irrespective of ontogenetic timing and sex, resulted in decreased weight and condition in all offspring rearing temperatures. By contrast, offspring sex ratios were not strongly influenced by their rearing temperature or that of their parents. Together, our results reveal that phenotypic plasticity may help coral reef fishes maintain performance in a warm ocean within a generation, but could exacerbate the negative effects of warming between generations, regardless of when mothers and fathers are exposed to warming. Alternatively, the multigenerational impact on offspring weight and condition may be a necessary cost to adapt metabolism to increasing temperatures. This research highlights the importance of examining phenotypic plasticity within and between generations across a range of traits to accurately predict how organisms will respond to climate change

Rapid Patient-Side Evaluation of Endothelial Glycocalyx Thickness in Healthy Sedated Cats Using GlycoCheck (R) Software

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A model of appraisal: Spanish interpretations of President Trump’s inaugural address 2017

This article analyses President Trump’s inaugural speech (2017) from the point of view of appraisal theory. It compares the source text appraisal profile with that of six Spanish target texts (five simultaneous interpretations and one written translation) in order to identify critical points of interpreter/translator intervention. The article replicates analysis of President Obama’s 2009 inaugural speech, enabling further generalisation of the earlier findings and a refinement of methodology. This new study concurs with the earlier one in revealing that expressions of attitude rarely shift; by contrast, shifts in graduation are less frequent in Trump’s speech, possibly because the reduced speed of delivery does not force the interpreter into so many omissions. More sensitive are shifts in engagement, particularly counter-expectancy indicators and pronouns, which affect deictic positioning. The article concludes with a discussion of the methodology and the role played by speech mode, since problems described by interpreters are found more frequently in Trump’s impromptu or unscripted speeches than in the more formal scripted inauguration

Interpretación errónea del concepto de entropía

Background Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) and sodium fluoride augment oral hygiene by inactivating bacteria and inhibiting enamel demineralisation, respectively. However, there are few reports in the literature documenting the antibacterial efficacy of their combined use in mouthrinses. We have used six experimental systems to compare the antibacterial effects of mouthrinses containing 0.075 % CPC (test rinse, TR) or 0.075 % CPC with sodium fluoride (test fluoride rinse, TFR). Results Effects against planktonic bacteria were determined using viable counting (for Streptococcus mutans and salivary bacteria), a redox dye (for Actinomyces viscosus and salivary bacteria) and viable counting (for ex vivo oral rinses). Effects against saliva-derived biofilms were quantified using confocal microscopy and differential viable counting. Inhibition of biofilm formation was evaluated by pre-treating hydroxyapatite coupons with mouthrinses prior to inoculation. Otherwise-identical controls without CPC (control rinse and control fluoride rinse, CR and CFR, respectively), were included throughout. Compared to the controls, TFR and TR demonstrated significant antimicrobial effects in the redox assays, by viable counts (>3 log reductions) and in oral rinse samples (>1.25 log reductions, p 3 log difference, p < 0.05). Overall, there were no consistent differences in the activities of TR and TFR. Conclusions Sodium fluoride did not influence the antibacterial and anti-biofilm potency of CPC-containing formulations, supporting the combined use of CPC and sodium fluoride in mouthrinses to control oral bacteria and protect tooth enamel

The Cubic Mile project : workshop overview

The City of London Corporation and the British Geological Survey (BGS) hosted a workshop to conclude the ‘Cubic Mile’ project, an embedded researcher project carried out between November 2021 and October 2022. Focusing on the City of London (Figure 1), the year-long partnership investigated how urban subsurface space could be better utilised to improve the City’s resilience to the impacts of long-term climate change and extreme weather. The workshop event brought together a range of stakeholders to discuss the progress of this project over the past 11 months, and to develop recommendations and next steps in the understanding, and potential development, of the urban subsurface for climate resilience. The project aimed to identify the current gaps and uncertainty in subsurface use and associated data, focussing on five potential subsurface adaptation measures: • Urban greening and tree planting • Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) • Cool spaces below ground • Ground source energy • Resilience of buried utilities networks This document provides a summary of key findings and recommendations from the workshop, as well as a more detailed insight into issues raised during the discussions. Further background information on the project, as well as more information on climate resilience, is available on the UK Climate Resilience Programme website: https://www.ukclimateresilience.org/projects/climate-action-strategy-for-city-of-london-adaptive-design-pathways-for-londons-cubic-mile

The Cubic Mile project : policy summary and overview

The City of London ‘Square Mile’ (Figure 1) is the historic centre of London and the financial and commercial heart of the UK. It is a very high-density urban environment. Specific modelling carried out by the Met Office (UKCP18) for London indicates that overall, winters will be 20% wetter and summers 30% drier, combined with more extreme weather events and sea level rise. Increased rainfall and surface water run-off present a key issue for the City, where the presence of many hard, impermeable surfaces significantly increases the risk of flooding of high-profile commercial premises. The projected increase in temperatures and heatwaves will also lead to overheating and increased mortality for the City’s people and services, which, given its central urban location, is vulnerable to the urban heat island effect. The future resilience of the City to climate change is high on the City of London Corporation’s agenda. The collaborative ‘Cubic Mile’ project with the British Geological Survey under the UK Climate Resilience Programme Embedded Researcher scheme was designed to support the delivery of the City of London’s Climate Action Strategy, by understanding to what extent subsurface space could support climate resilience and adaptation. This policy review forms part of an exercise to determine policy barriers and enablers to urban subsurface climate resilience