National Party Politics and Supranational Politics in the European Union: New Evidence from the European Parliament

Political parties play an important role in structuring political competition at different levels of governance in the European Union (EU). The political parties that contest national elections also participate in the EU legislative institutions, with the governing parties at the national level participating in the Council of Ministers and a broad range of national parties represented in the European Parliament (EP). Recent research indicates that national parties in the EP have formed ideological coalitions -- party groups -- that represent transnational political interests. These party groups appear to manage legislative behavior such that national interests -- which dominate the Council of Ministers -- are subjugated to ideological conflict. In this paper, we demonstrate that the roll-call vote evidence for the impact of party groups in the EP is misleading. Because party groups have incentives to select votes for roll call so as to hide or feature particular voting patterns, the true character of political conflict is never revealed in roll calls.

Preparedness of Hospitals in the Republic of Ireland for an Influenza Pandemic, an Infection Control Perspective

BACKGROUND: When an influenza pandemic occurs most of the population is susceptible and attack rates can range as high as 40–50 %. The most important failure in pandemic planning is the lack of standards or guidelines regarding what it means to be ‘prepared’. The aim of this study was to assess the preparedness of acute hospitals in the Republic of Ireland for an influenza pandemic from an infection control perspective. METHODS: This was a cross sectional study involving a questionnaire completed by infection control nurses, time period from June – July 2013, (3 weeks) from acute public and private hospitals in the Republic of Ireland. A total of 46 out of 56 hospitals responded to the questionnaire. RESULTS: From a sample of 46 Irish hospitals, it was found that Irish hospitals are not fully prepared for an influenza pandemic despite the 2009 Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic. In 2013, thirty five per cent of Irish hospitals have participated in an emergency plan or infectious disease exercise and have plans or been involved in local planning efforts to care for patients at non-health care facilities. Sixty per cent of Irish hospitals did not compile or did not know if the hospital had compiled a “lessons learned” from any exercise that were then used to revise emergency response plans. Fifty two per cent of hospitals have sufficient airborne isolation capacity to address routine needs and have an interim emergency plan to address needs during an outbreak. Fifty one percent of hospitals have taken specific measures to stockpile or have reserve medical supplies e.g. masks, ventilators and linen. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study carried out in the Republic of Ireland investigating the current preparedness for an influenza pandemic from an infection control perspective. Deficits exist in the provision of emergency planning committees, testing of emergency plans, airborne isolation facilities, stockpiling of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies and organisational schemes/incentives for healthcare workers to continue to work in a pandemic. While Irish standards are comparable to findings from international studies, the health care service needs to continue to enhance preparedness for an influenza pandemic and implement standard preparedness guidance for all Irish hospital

A second look at legislative behavior in the European Parliament: roll-call votes and the party system

'Jüngste Forschungen zum Wahlverhalten im Europäischen Parlament (EP) kommen zum Schluss, dass die Fraktionen der unterschiedlichen politischen Parteien das legislative Verhalten beeinflussen. Dadurch wird politischer Wettbewerb im EP entlang ideologischer und nicht nationaler Linien organisiert. Daraus folgt, dass das EP eine geeignete Arena für transnationale politische Auseinandersetzungen darstellt. Die Autoren überprüfen nochmals verschiedene empirische Resultate, die diese Schlussfolgerungen unterstützen. Basierend auf der Analyse eines neuen Datensatzes behaupten die, dass die empirische Basis für diese Schlussfolgerungen bedenklich ist. Denn die namentlichen Abstimmungen, welche bisher als Basis zu Studien zum legislativen Abstimmungsverhalten gedient haben, stellen ein verzerrtes Sample für eben solche dar. Es stellt sich somit die allgemeine Frage, inwiefern die bisherige Beschreibung von Parteikohäsion oder die Charakterisierung von Parteienwettbewerb in der Legislative noch Gültigkeit besitzen. Die Resultate weisen außerdem darauf hin, dass die Fraktionen den Großteil ihrer legislativen Abstimmungen vor den Wählern verbergen und somit ihr legislatives Verhalten verschleiern. Obwohl das EP häufig als Quelle für demokratische Legitimation in der EU-Politikgestaltung genannt wird, zeigen die Resultate, dass in der Praxis die verschiedenen Fraktionen die Kontrollmöglichkeiten der Bürger signifikant behindern.' (Autorenreferat)'A great deal of recent research on voting behavior in the European Parliament (EP) concludes that party groups dominate legislative behavior, effectively organizing political competition along ideological rather than national lines. As a result, some argue that the EP is a suitable arena for transnational political contestation. We re-examine several empirical findings used to support these conclusions. Based on an analysis of a novel set of data regarding EP votes that are unrecorded, we argue that the empirical basis for these conclusions is dubious. The fundamental finding is that roll call votes, which form the basis of studies of legislative voting behavior, are a biased sample of legislative votes. This calls into question the accuracy of any description of party unity or the character of party competition on legislation that is gleaned from roll call votes in the EP. In addition, our findings indicate that party groups hide the vast majority of legislative votes from the eyes of voters, therefore obfuscating legislative behavior. Thus, while the EP is often identified as a source of democratic accountability for EU policy-making because its members are directly elected, our findings suggest that in practice party groups significantly obstruct this channel of popular control over policy-making.' (author's abstract)

Differences in Arterial Occlusion Pressure of the Superficial Femoral Artery Between the Dominant and Non-Dominant Legs

The arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) is dependent on limb circumference. Previous research seldom reports the AOP of both limbs. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the superficial femoral artery AOP measured in the dominant and non-dominant legs. METHODS: Ultrasound (GE LOGIQ) was used to detect blood flow through the superficial femoral artery of both legs in a random order in 20 males and 20 females. Circumference of the upper thigh, leg volume, and skinfold thickness were measured in both legs. Blood pressure was continuously monitored using a CNAP device. An inflatable cuff was placed around the upper thigh. The cuff was inflated to 50 mmHg and then inflated continuously (10 mmHg/10 s) until arterial blood flow and pulse waves were no longer detectable by the ultrasound. The AOP was then measured in the opposite leg. The AOP data were analyzed with a mixed model analysis of variance while maintaining a family-wise p-value of 0.05. RESULTS: In males, the AOP of the dominant (209.4 ± 29.4 mmHg) and non-dominant legs (206.8 ± 32.5 mmHg) were not significantly different (p=0.790). Likewise, in females the AOP of the dominant (212.3 ± 58.3 mmHg) and non-dominant legs (203.5 ± 50.9 mmHg) were not significantly different (p=0.386). When combining the data for males and females, the AOP of the dominant (210.9 ± 45.6 mmHg) and non-dominant legs (205.2 ± 40.7 mmHg) were not significantly different (p=0.412). Thigh circumference was the only variable that significantly (p=0.027) contributed to AOP. In both males and females, there were no differences in thigh skinfold thickness, circumference, and volume between the dominant and non-dominant legs. The dominant leg was larger in 24 (60%) of the subjects; the larger leg had a higher AOP in 19 (47.5%) of the subjects; and the dominant leg had a higher AOP in 26 (65%) of the subjects. Although the AOP between the dominant and nondominant legs was not statistically significant, the largest difference in AOP between the two legs was 124 mmHg. CONCLUSION: There were no significant differences in AOP of the superficial femoral artery between the dominant and non-dominant legs in either males or females. Because of the potentially larger differences in the AOP between the two legs, we recommend measuring the AOP in both limbs when using blood flow restriction during exercise

Sex Differences in the Superficial Femoral Artery Occlusion Pressure

The measurement of arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) prior to the use of blood flow restriction during exercise is recommended. Not all previous studies that have included both male and female participants have reported sex differences in AOP. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the superficial femoral artery AOP of the dominant and non-dominant legs between males and females. METHODS: Ultrasound (GE LOGIQ) was used to detect blood flow through the superficial femoral artery of both legs in a random order in 20 males and 20 females. Circumference of the upper thigh, leg volume, and skinfold thickness were measured in both legs. Blood pressure was continuously monitored using a CNAP device. An inflatable cuff was placed around the upper thigh. The cuff was inflated to 50 mmHg and then inflated continuously (10 mmHg/10 s) until arterial blood flow and pulse waves were no longer detectable by the ultrasound. The AOP was then measured in the opposite leg. The AOP data were analyzed with a mixed model analysis of variance while maintaining a family-wise p-value of 0.05. RESULTS: The AOP of the dominant leg in males (209.4 ± 29.4 mmHg) and females (212.3 ± 8.3 mmHg) were not significantly different (p=0.844). Likewise, the AOP of the non-dominant leg in males (206.8 ± 32.5 mmHg) was not significantly different (p=0.804) than the AOP in the non-dominant legs of females (203.5 ± 50.9 mmHg). When combining the data for the dominant and non-dominant legs, the average AOP for males (208.1 ± 30.6 mmHg) and females (207.9 ± 53.1 mmHg) were not significantly different (p=0.986). Thigh circumference was the only variable that significantly (p=0.027) contributed to AOP. On the average the thigh circumference in the dominant and non-dominant legs of males (59.6 ± 5.5; 59.2 ± 5.2 cm) was greater than that for females (56.0 ± 2.9; 55.6 ± 3.2 cm), respectively. There were no sex differences in thigh skinfold thickness or thigh volume between males and females in either the dominant or non-dominant legs. CONCLUSION: There were no significant differences in AOP of the superficial femoral artery of the dominant and non-dominant legs between males females despite males having larger legs. Factors other than limb circumference likely have a role in determining AOP

Mixed-Reality Simulation of Minimally Invasive Surgeries

Our mixed-reality platform helps train surgeons in minimally invasive surgery and objectively assesses their performance. The platform uses multicamera stereo inside a patient manikin to measure the 3D positions of unmodified surgical instruments. It uses this information to drive a mixed-reality, computer-mediated learning system and provide objective measures of surgical skill

Differences in Arterial Occlusion Pressure Using Two Different Cuff Inflation Protocols

The occlusion pressure used during blood flow restriction during exercise is based on the arterial occlusion pressure (AOP). Although previous studies have measured AOP using two different cuff inflation protocols, no studies have compared the AOP measured using both protocols. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the superficial femoral artery AOP when measured using two different cuff inflation protocols. METHODS: Ultrasound (GE LOGIQ) was used to detect blood flow through the superficial femoral artery of both legs in 20 males and 20 females. An inflatable cuff was placed on the upper thigh. The superficial femoral artery was occluded using two different cuff inflation protocols in a random order in both legs. The continuous (CONT) protocol involved inflating the cuff to 50 mmHg then continuously inflating the cuff at a rate of 10 mmHg/10 s until blood flow could no longer be detected using the ultrasound. The incremental (INCR) protocol involved inflating the cuff to 50 mmHg for 30 s, and then deflating the cuff for 10 s. The cuff was then inflated incrementally with each subsequent inflation increasing by 30 mmHg for 30 s followed by deflating the cuff for 10 s. Once blood flow was occluded, cuff pressure was decreased in increments of 10 mmHg until there was evidence of blood flow. The cuff was then gradually inflated until blood flow was no longer detected. RESULTS: In males, the AOP measured in the dominant (209.4 ± 29.4; 208.2 ± 27.1) and non-dominant (206.8 ± 32.5; 206.2 ± 32.7) legs using the CONT and INCR cuff inflation protocols, respectively, were not significantly different (p\u3e0.05). Likewise, in females the AOP measured in the dominant (212.3 ± 58.3; 213.7 ± 53.9) and non-dominant (203.5 ± 50.9; 207.0 ± 50.2) legs using the CONT and INCR protocol, respectively, were not significantly different (p\u3e0.05). When combining male and female data, there were no significant differences in the AOP between the CONT and INCR cuff inflation protocols in either leg or when combining legs. CONCLUSION: Using a continuous or incremental protocol for occluding the superficial femoral artery resulted in similar AOP values. Either protocol can be used in future research as well as in settings where AOP is determined prior to the use of blood flow restriction during exercise

Differences in Arterial Occlusion Pressure as Measured using Ultrasound and a Hand-Held Doppler Device

In the research lab and clinical settings, expensive ultrasound machines are used to measure arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) prior to the use of blood flow restriction during exercise. Alternatively, inexpensive hand-held Doppler ultrasound devices may be used to measure AOP in various applications and settings. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the superficial femoral artery AOP as measured using ultrasound and a hand-held Doppler device. METHODS: Participants included 20 males and 20 females. An inflatable cuff was placed on the upper thigh. The superficial femoral artery was occluded by inflating the cuff to 50 mmHg then continuously inflating the cuff at a rate of 10 mmHg/10 s. A GE LOGIQ ultrasound was used to detect blood flow in the superficial femoral artery just below the cuff. A hand-held Doppler device was used simultaneously to detect blood flow (pulse waves) at the anterior medial malleolar artery of the ankle. The pressure at which blood flow could no longer be detected using the ultrasound and the hand-held Doppler were recorded as the AOP. The measurement of AOP using both devices simultaneously was performed on both legs in a random order. The data were analyzed with a mixed model analysis of variance while maintaining a family-wise p-value of 0.05. RESULTS: On the average, the AOP measured using the hand-held Doppler device was significantly (pCONCLUSION:Although the differences in the AOP measured using the Ultrasound and the hand-held Doppler in both legs in males and females was statistically significant, for all practical purposes, the small differences were of not practical importance. In settings in which blood flow restriction during exercise is employed, a hand-held Doppler device is a viable alternative to using expensive ultrasound machines to measure AOP

Reliability of Arterial Occlusion Pressure Measurements Using Two Different Cuff Inflation Protocols

Although previous studies have used two different cuff inflation protocols to measure AOP, no studies have reported the reliability of AOP measurements using both protocols. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of two measurements of AOP in the superficial femoral artery using two different cuff inflation protocols. METHODS: Ultrasound (GE LOGIQ) was used to detect blood flow through the superficial femoral artery of both legs in 20 males and 20 females. The AOP of the artery was measured twice in each leg. The artery was occluded using a continuous (CONT) cuff inflation protocol in one leg and an increment (INCR) cuff inflation protocol in the opposite leg. The CONT protocol involved inflating the cuff to 50 mmHg then continuously inflating the cuff at a rate of 10 mmHg/10 s until blood flow could no longer be detected using the ultrasound. The INCR protocol involved initially inflating the cuff to 50 mmHg for 30 s, and then deflating the cuff for 10 s. The cuff was then inflated incrementally with each subsequent inflation increasing by 30 mmHg for 30 s followed by deflating the cuff for 10 s. Once blood flow was occluded, cuff pressure was decreased in increments of 10 mmHg until there was evidence of blood flow. The cuff was then gradually inflated until blood flow was no longer detected. The pressure at which blood flow could no longer be detected was recorded as the AOP. The data were analyzed with a mixed model analysis of variance while maintaining a family-wise p-value of 0.05. RESULTS: The difference in the two measurements of AOP using the CONT and INCR cuff inflation protocols in males (0.9 ± 5.4 and 0.5 ± 5.1 mmHg) and females (1.9 ± 11.4 and 2.3 ± 12.2 mmHg), or when combining the data from males and females (0.4 ± 8.9 and 0.9 ± 9.3 mmHg), respectively, were not statistically significant. The correlations between the two measurements of AOP using the CONT and INCR cuff inflation protocols all exceeded 0.99. CONCLUSION: Measurements of AOP using a continuous or increment cuff inflation protocol are highly reliable. Either cuff inflation protocol can be used when making multiple measurements of AOP