Additional services for Journal of Public Policy: Email alerts: Click here Subscriptions: Click here Commercial reprints: Click here Terms of use : Click here Institutional trust and welfare state support: on the role of trust in market institutions Insti

Abstract : The importance of institutional trust for structuring welfare state support (WSS) has been advanced by several scholars. Yet, the thesis has not received convincing empirical support. We argue that the weak evidence observed by previous research is caused by the failure of not extending the analytical framework beyond the study of public institutions. Using Sweden as a test case, our analytical framework covers trust in public institutions (TPI) and market institutions (TMI). The main findings are: (1) TMI has a robust negative effect on WSS; (2) the expected relationship between TPI and WSS is strengthened controlling for TMI; (3) TMI mediates the relationships between socio-economic variables and WSS. These findings underline the importance of bringing in other institutional configurations that are seen as conceivable alternatives to the state for administrating social welfare, not the least in studies primarily interested in the link between TPI and support for state-organised welfare

Den extraarbetande studenten

Studenters ekonomi är ofta i fokus, både i media och i folkmun. Det talas ofta höjt studiestöd men också om studenternas vanor kring extraarbete. En del anklagar dem för att vara ovilliga att arbeta extra medan andra påpekar det faktum att en heltidsstudent förväntas lägga ner 40 timmar i veckan på sina studier. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att applicera Theory of Planned Behavior för att undersöka de psykologiska faktorernas inverkan på graden av extraarbete med hjälp av en enkätundersökning. Resultaten tolkades med en multipel regressionsanalys och olika oberoende variansanalyser. Studien visade att ”Attityd mot beteendet” och ”Upplevd beteendekontroll” var de psykologiska faktorer som bäst samvarierade med graden av extraarbete. Studien visade även att studenternas ålder inte var avgörande för hur mycket studenterna valde att arbeta extra. Samtliga studenter (N=50) som deltog i undersökningen var vid genomförandet heltidsstudenter samt arbetade extra minst en gång per vecka

Smartphone-centric Wi-Fi device-to-device sensor communication for user mobility in AAL services

This paper evaluates a use-case for smartphone-centric Wi-Fi device-to-device sensor communication that enables user mobility in ambient assisted living (AAL) services. A real-time performance measurement method has been developed and implemented to evaluate the smartphone’s ability to act as a hub and gateway for Wi-Fi connected sensor nodes. The results show that Wi-Fi Direct and Wi-Fi Hotspot are feasible solutions for smartphone-centric device-to-device communication that enables user mobility. In addition, a cloud-based web application for monitoring and displaying sensor data has been implemented.QC 20160914</p

Making Likelihood Ratios Digestible for Cross-Application Performance Assessment

Performance estimation is crucial to the assessment of novel algorithms and systems. In detection error tradeoff (DET) diagrams, discrimination performance is solely assessed targeting one application, where cross-application performance considers risks resulting from decisions, depending on application constraints. For the purpose of interchangeability of research results across different application constraints, we propose to augment DET curves by depicting systems regarding their support of security and convenience levels. Therefore, application policies are aggregated into levels based on verbal likelihood ratio scales, providing an easy to use concept for business-to-business communication to denote operative thresholds. We supply a reference implementation in Python, an exemplary performance assessment on synthetic score distributions, and a fine-tuning scheme for Bayes decision thresholds, when decision policies are bounded rather than fi

In Vitro Investigation of Thiol-Functionalized Cellulose Nanofibrils as a Chronic Wound Environment Modulator

There is currently a huge need for new, improved therapeutic approaches for the treatment of chronic wounds. One promising strategy is to develop wound dressings capable of modulating the chronic wound environment (e.g., by controlling the high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and proteases). Here, we selected the thiol-containing amino acid cysteine to endow wood-derived cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) with bioactivity toward the modulation of ROS levels and protease activity. Cysteine was covalently incorporated into CNF and the functionalized material, herein referred as cys-CNF, was characterized in terms of chemical structure, degree of substitution, radical scavenging capacity, and inhibition of protease activity. The stability of the thiol groups was evaluated over time, and an in vitro cytotoxicity study with human dermal fibroblasts was performed to evaluate the safety profile of cys-CNF. Results showed that cys-CNF was able to efficiently control the activity of the metalloprotease collagenase and to inhibit the free radical DPPH (1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical), activities that were correlated with the presence of free thiol groups on the nanofibers. The stability study showed that the reactivity of the thiol groups challenged the bioactivity over time. Nevertheless, preparing the material as an aerogel and storing it in an inert atmosphere were shown to be valid approaches to increase the stability of the thiol groups in cys-CNF. No signs of toxicity were observed on the dermal fibroblasts when exposed to cys-CNF (concentration range 0.1-0.5 mg/mL). The present work highlights cys-CNF as a promising novel material for the development of bioactive wound dressings for the treatment of chronic wounds

Polymorphisms of GSTT1, GSTM1, and EPHX genotypes in patients with cryptogenic polyneuropathy: a case–control study

The aim of this study was to analyze whether polymorphisms for the null alleles of Glutathione S-Transferase Mu-1 (GSTM1), Glutathione S-Transferase Theta-1 (GSTT1), and a low-activity genetic variation of epoxide hydrolase exon three (EPHX*3) affect the risk of developing polyneuropathy. The enzymes of these genes are important in the metabolism of toxic compounds. Seventy-nine patients with cryptogenic polyneuropathy (equivalent to chronic idiopathic axonal neuropathy) and 398 controls were tested for the genetic polymorphism. Medical records were reviewed to collect data regarding clinical findings at diagnosis, and exposure data was collected via questionnaires. The odds ratios (ORs) for the null forms of GSTM1 and GSTT1 and the normal activity YY form of EPHX*3 were close to one except GSTT1, which reached 1.86. The highest risk of polyneuropathy was found in smokers with GSTT1 null, who had a 3.7 times increased risk. Interactions between genes were analyzed and confirmed the increased OR for GSTT1, which was strongest if the patients had the low-activity HH form of EPHX*3 (OR 2.37). Our hypothesis is that the GSTT1 null polymorphism may be related to an impaired metabolism of toxic substances that could lead to nerve damage in the peripheral nervous system

Определение ускорений, приобретаемых характерными точками машинно-тракторного агрегата в процессе транспортного переезда

На основе функциональной математической модели и аппарата передаточных функций определены ускорения, приобретаемые характерными точками машинно-тракторного агрегата в процессе транспортного переезда

proposal and experimental evaluation of fall detection solution based on wearable and depth data fusion

Fall injury issues represent a serious problem for elderly in our society. These people want to live in their home as long as possible and technology can improve their security and independence. In this work we study the joint use of a camera based system and wearable devices, in the so called data fusion approach, to design a fall detection solution. The synchronization issues between the heterogeneous data provided by the devices are properly treated, and three different fall detection algorithms are implemented. Experimental results are also provided, to compare the proposed solutions