Office of the Children’s Commissioner: 'Don't make assumptions': Children's and young people's views of the child protection system and messages for change

"The aim of this research, commissioned by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner and carried out by a team from the University of East Anglia, was to seek children and young people’s views of the child protection system and to consider how those views might contribute to improving responses to abuse and neglect. It aimed to gather the views of children and young people living with their parents, who all had a child protection plan in place. The research is timely as it comes during a period when the child protection system in England is being reviewed. We hope that the findings will be of interest to children and families involved in child protection, as well as to professionals working with children and to policy makers." - Page 7

The effects of etifoxine on the NLRP3 inflammasome and its relevance in elucidating the pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neuroinflammatory disease that is characterized by immune-mediated demyelination within the central nervous system. Nod-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation has been previously reported as a possible pathophysiological contributor to microglial activation and oligodendroglial loss in MS, particularly in progressive forms of the disease. Herein, it is demonstrated that etifoxine, a translocator protein (TSPO) ligand, attenuates the clinical symptoms in a mouse model of MS and significantly inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation in human and murine myeloid-derived cells in vitro by decreasing inflammasome-associated genes and inflammatory cytokine production. These anti-inflammatory effects of etifoxine were mediated independently of its previously described mechanisms related to engagement with TSPO and the GABAA receptor. Furthermore, we observed a similar anti-inflammatory effect of etifoxine on MS patient-derived monocytes, which provides clinical relevance for the investigation of etifoxine as a potential therapeutic in progressive MS. Lastly, through the use of a gene array, we identified multiple signalling pathways in order to elucidate a novel mechanism whereby etifoxine may be inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation

Leg Muscle Mass and Foot Symptoms, Structure, and Function: The Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project

Loss of muscle mass occurs with aging and in lower limbs it may be accelerated by foot problems. In this cross-sectional analysis, we evaluated the relationship of leg muscle mass to foot symptoms (presence or absence of pain, aching, or stiffness), structure while standing (high arch or low arch), and function while walking (pronated or supinated) in a community-based study of Caucasian and African American men and women who were 50–95 years old

What Drives Private Participation in Infrastructure Developing Countries?

This chapter reviews the empirical literature on the determinants of private participation in infrastructure investments and presents a more detailed discussion of the political, institutional, and governance determinants. It also identifies areas in which additional efforts are required if the private sector were to play a larger role in financing infrastructure development in emerging markets and developing economies

Foot Symptoms are Independently Associated with Poor Self-Reported and Performance-Based Physical Function: The Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project

To examine associations of foot symptoms with self-reported and performance-based measures of physical function in a large, bi-racial, community-based sample of individuals ≥ 45 years old

Racial Differences in Foot Disorders and Foot Type: The Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project

To describe racial differences in the frequency of structural foot disorders and pes planus, and cavus foot types in a large cohort of African American and Caucasian men and women 50+ years old

Analysis of climate change impacts on EU agriculture by 2050

The 2013 EU strategy on adaptation to climate change aims at contributing to a more climate-resilient Europe. However, there are still large gaps in understanding and characterising climate impacts in Europe and how impacts in the rest of the world could affect Europe. This report provides quantitative modelling-based results from biophysical and agro-economic models as part of the PESETA-IV (Projection of Economic impacts of climate change in Sectors of the European Union based on bottom-up Analysis) project. We analyse climate change projections for 2050 considering the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) of 8.5 W/m2 (with corresponding global warming levels ranging between 1.6 oC and 2.7 oC compared to pre-industrial levels), as well as for 1.5 °C and 2 °C warming conditions. Results show that climate change will pose a threat to global food production in the medium to long term, and that Europe will also be affected. Forced by the projected changes in daily temperature, precipitation, wind, relative humidity, and global radiation, grain maize yields in the EU will decline between 1% and 22%. In addition, wheat yields in Southern Europe are expected to decrease by up to 49%. However, in Northern Europe some of the negative productivity effects caused by climate change may be partially offset by higher levels of atmospheric CO2 concentrations and changing precipitation regimes. Losses, especially in Southern Europe may be reduced by tailored adaptation strategies; e.g. changing varieties and crop types, increasing and improving irrigation practices for certain crops and when economically feasible. However, limitations on sustainable water abstraction levels could become a barrier to increase irrigation levels, specifically in the Mediterranean countries (particularly Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Italy and Turkey) where duration of water scarcity under global warming are projected to intensify. As large negative climate change impacts on productivity outside of the EU are estimated, large market spill-over effects will push up production in both Northern and Southern Europe through higher demand for some agricultural commodities outside of EU, resulting in higher producer prices. This, in turn, may benefit farmers' income and have positive effects on the EU’s agricultural commodity exports. However, other limiting factors (not all fully integrated into the used modelling system yet), such as increasing water shortage in Southern Europe (Task 10) and constraints on the expansion of irrigation, increasing impacts of heatwaves and droughts, consequences of reduction of nutrient use due to environmental and climate mitigation constraints, need to be further evaluated.JRC.D.4-Economics of Agricultur

Psychometric Properties of the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score in a Community-Based Study of Adults with and without Osteoarthritis

Foot and ankle problems are common in adults, and large observational studies are needed to advance our understanding of the etiology and impact of these conditions. Valid and reliable measures of foot and ankle symptoms and physical function are necessary for this research. This study examined psychometric properties of the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) subscales (pain, other symptoms, activities of daily living [ADL], sport and recreational function [Sport/Recreation], and foot and ankle related quality of life [QOL]) in a large, community-based sample of African American and Caucasian men and women 50+ years old

Foot Disorders Associated With Overpronated and Oversupinated Foot Function: The Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project

The occurrence of musculoskeletal foot disorders differs by race and obesity, and these disorders may be related to pronated (low arch) or supinated (high arch) foot function. This cross-sectional analysis examined relationships of foot disorders and foot function by race and obesity in a community-based observational study of adults 50+ years old with and without osteoarthritis