Overcoming Ostrea edulis seed production limitations to meet ecosystem restoration demands in the UN decade on restoration

The European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis, is a habitat-forming bivalve which was historically widespread throughout Europe. Following its decline due to overfishing, pollution, sedimentation, invasive species, and disease, O. edulis and its beds are now listed as a threatened and/or declining species and habitat by OSPAR. Increasing recognition of the plight of the oyster, alongside rapidly developing restoration techniques and growing interest in marine restoration, has resulted in a recent and rapid growth in habitat restoration efforts. O. edulis seed supply is currently a major bottleneck in scaling up habitat restoration efforts in Europe. O. edulis has been cultured for centuries, however, research into its culture declined following the introduction of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas to Europe in the early 1970 s. Recent efforts to renew both hatchery and pond production of O. edulis seed for habitat restoration purposes are hampered by restoration project timelines and funding typically being short, or projects not planning appropriately for the timescales required for investment, research-and-development and delivery of oyster seed by commercial producers. Furthermore, funding for restoration is intermittent, making long-term commitments between producers and restoration practitioners difficult. Long-term, strategic investment in research and production are needed to overcome these bottlenecks and meet current ambitious restoration targets across Europe

COPD uncovered: an international survey on the impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] on a working age population

Background: Approximately 210 million people are estimated to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] worldwide. The burden of disease is known to be high, though less is known about those of a younger age. The aim of this study was to investigate the wider personal, economic and societal burden of COPD on a cross country working-age cohort. Methods: A cross-country [Brazil, China, Germany, Turkey, US, UK] cross-sectional survey methodology was utilised to answer the research questions. 2426 participants aged 45-67 recruited via a number of recruitment methods specific to each country completed the full survey. Inclusion criteria were a recalled physician diagnosis of COPD, a smoking history of > 10 pack years and the use of COPD medications in the previous 3 months prior to questioning. The survey included items from the validated Work Productivity and Activity Impairment [WPAI] scale and the EuroQoL 5 Dimension [EQ-5D] scale. Disease severity was measured using the 5-point MRC [Medical Research Council] dyspnoea scale as a surrogate measure. Results: 64% had either moderate [n = 1012] or severe [n = 521] COPD, although this varied by country. 75% of the cohort reported at least one comorbid condition. Quality of life declined with severity of illness [mild, mean EQ-5D score = 0.84; moderate 0.58; severe 0.41]. The annual cost of healthcare utilisation [excluding treatment costs and diagnostic tests] per individual was estimated to be $2,364 [1,500] pound. For those remaining in active employment [n: 677]: lost time from work cost the individual an average of$880 [556] pound per annum and lifetime losses of $7,365 [4,661] pound amounting to$596,000 [377,000] pound for the cohort. 447 [similar to 40%] of the working population had retired prematurely because of COPD incurring individual estimated lifetime income losses of $316,000 [200,000] pound or a combined total of$141 m [89.6 pound m]. As the mean age of retirees was 58.3 and average time since retirement was 4 years, this suggests the average age of retirement is around 54. This would mean a high societal and economic impact in all study countries, particularly where typical state retirement ages are higher, for example in Brazil, Germany and the UK [65] and the US [65,66,67], compared to Turkey [58 for women, 60 for men] and China [60]. Conclusions: Although generalisation across a broader COPD population is limited due to the varied participant recruitment methods, these data nevertheless suggest that COPD has significant personal, economic and societal burden on working age people. Further efforts to improve COPD diagnosis and management are required

Canadian Science, Technology and Innovation Policy: The Product of Regional Networking?

Salazar M. and Holbrook A. (2007) Canadian science, technology and innovation policy: the product of regional networking?, Regional Studies 41, 1129-1141. The structure of federal countries poses challenges to science, technology and innovation (STI) policy-making and regional development not found in centrally governed nations. This paper tests the thesis that Canadian STI policy is highly regionalized in practice because of its networked structure, despite most of the funding coming from the federal government, which formulates most STI policies and programmes. Many of Canada's STI programmes promote the creation of networks. These networks are part of the federal emphasis given to provincial/regional economic development and more recently to industrial cluster promotion. Salazar M. et Holbrook A. (2007) La politique de STI au Canada: est-ce un produit de la constitution de reseaux regionaux?, Regional Studies 41, 1129-1141. La structure des pays federaux presente un challenge a la politique de science, de technologie et d'innovation (STI) et a l'amenagement du territoire, ce qui n'est pas le cas dans les pays centralises. On cherche a evaluer la these sur la forte regionalisation de la politique de STI au Canada en pratique a cause de sa structure en reseau, malgre que la plupart du financement provienne du gouvernement federal, qui elabore egalement des politiques et des programmes. Au Canada, beaucoup des programmes de STI favorisent la creation de reseaux. Ces reseaux constituent en partie le point de mire federal quant au developpement provincial et regional et, plus recemment, pour ce qui est de la promotion des grappes industrielles. Canada Politique de science de technologic et d'innovotion Reseaux Salazar M. und Holbrook A. (2007) Politik fur Wissenschaft, Technologie und Innovation in Kanada: das Produkt regionaler Netzwerke?, Regional Studies 41, 1129-1141. Die Struktur der Bundeslander stellt die Politik fur Wissenschaft, Technologie und Innovation und die Regionalentwicklung vor Herausforderungen, die sich in zentral regierten Nationen nicht ergeben. Wir schlagen eine Uberprufung der These vor, dass die Politik fur Wissenschaft, Technologie und Innovation in Kanada in der Praxis aufgrund seiner Netzwerkstruktur hochgradig regionalisiert ist, obwohl der Grossteil der Finanzierung durch die Bundesregierung erfolgt, welche auch die Politiken und Programmeme formuliert. Viele der kanadischen Programmeme fur Wissenschaft, Technologie und Innovation fordern die Entwicklung von Netzwerken. Diese Netzwerke sind Bestandteil des foderalen Schwerpunkts, den die Wirtschaftsentwicklung in den Provinzen und Regionen und seit einiger Zeit auch die Forderung industrieller Ballungsraume aufweist. Kanada Politik fur Wissenschaft, Technologie und Innovation Netzwerke Salazar M. y Holbrook A. (2007) La politica de ciencia, tecnologia e innovacion de Canada: �es producto de redes regionales?, Regional Studies 41, 1129-1141. La estructura de los paises federales presenta retos para la formulacion de politica en ciencia, tecnologia e innovacion (CTI), y para el desarrollo regional, no encontrados en naciones con gobiernos centralizados. En este articulo ponemos a preuba la tesis de que la politica canadiense en CTI es altamente regionalizada en la practica, por su estructura en red, a pesar de que la mayor parte del financimiento proviene del gobierno federal, quien tambien formula las politicas y programas. Muchos de los programas canadienses en CTI promueven la creacion de redes. Estas redes son parte del enfasis federal asignado al desarrollo economico provincial/regional y, mas recientemente, a la promocion de clusters industriales. Canada Politica de ciencia, tecnologia e innovacion RedesCanada, Science technology and innovation policy, Networks,

Una comparación de los indicadores de I + D para el grupo de biotecnología de Vancouver

The basis of this paper is to go beyond abstract defi nitions of what a cluster is, and look at a variety of measurable indicators, to see which can demonstrate the presence of a cluster. The example presented is based on the biotechnology industry in Vancouver, Canada. Biotechnology differs from conventional industries, in that there are few tangible goods or services traded, but rather the basis of value creation is primarily the sale or licensing of intangible intellectual property or the (usually pre-revenue) fi rms themselves. The two main questions we aim to test are (i) is there a biotechnology cluster in Vancouver, and (ii) what are its inputs, outcomes, and impact on the region? We use data provided from local and federal agencies such as LifeSciences British Columbia and Statistics Canada to compare biotechnology R & D activity across regions, and within the local economy. Our fi ndings indicate that there is signifi cant activity around biotechnology R & D and commercialisation in Vancouver, but no guarantee of the longevity of the innovation system

Potentially Inappropriate Prescribing in Hospitalized Older Adult High-Cost Health Care Users: A Pilot Study

Background: High-cost health care users use disproportionate amounts of health care resources relative to the typical patient. It is unclear to what extent poor-quality prescribing, including potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP), may be contributing to their adverse outcomes and health utilization costs. Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of PIP and to explore its impact in older adult high-cost health care users. Methods: The charts of older adult high-cost health care users admitted to 2 academic hospitals in Ontario, Canada, in fiscal year 2015/16 were reviewed. Eligible patients were at least 66 years old with at least 5 emergency department visits and 3 hospital admissions in the previous year. A total of 243 patients met these criteria, of whom 100 were randomly selected for review. Cases of PIP were identified using explicit prescribing quality indicators, including the STOPP/START criteria. Types of PIP included potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and potential prescribing omissions (PPOs). Log–linear regression was used to characterize the relationship between PIP and future health care utilization. Medications were reconciled to determine the proportion of PIP addressed by the time of discharge. Results: Eighty-nine of the 100 patients had at least 1 instance of PIP. In total, 276 PIMs and 54 PPOs were identified. Of the 271 instances of PIP identified on admission, only 38 (14%) were resolved by the time of hospital discharge. Each additional PPO was associated with a 1.43-fold increase in the rate of future emergency department visits (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The rate of PIP among older adult high-cost health care users was high. Despite frequent interactions with the health care system, many opportunities to improve the quality of prescribing for this vulnerable population were missed. Greater attention to medication optimization is needed. RÉSUMÉ Contexte : Les grands utilisateurs de soins de santé consomment une proportion disproportionnée des ressources par rapport aux patients moyens. On ne sait pas vraiment dans quelle mesure la prescription de mauvaise qualité, notamment la prescription potentiellement inappropriée (PPI), contribue aux effets indésirables et aux coûts d’utilisation des soins de santé. Objectifs : Évaluer la prévalence des PPI et étudier ses effets chez les grands utilisateurs des soins de santé âgés. Méthodes : Les dossiers des grands utilisateurs de soins de santé âgés admis dans 2 hôpitaux universitaires en Ontario, au Canada, pendant l’exercice 2015-2016 ont été examinés. Les patients admissibles étaient âgés d’au moins 66 ans, avaient effectué au moins 5 visites à l’urgence et avaient été admis 3 fois à l’hôpital au cours de l’année précédente. Au total, 243 patients répondaient à ces critères, dont 100 ont été sélectionnés au hasard pour un examen. Les cas de PPI ont été identifiés à l’aide d’indicateurs explicites de la qualité de prescription, notamment les critères STOPP/START. Les types de PPI comprenaient des médicaments potentiellement inappropriés (MPI) et les omissions potentielles de prescription (OPP). La régression log-linéaire a été utilisée pour caractériser la relation entre la PPI et l’utilisation future des soins de santé. Un bilan comparatif des médicaments prescrits a été effectué pour déterminer la proportion de PPI traités au moment de la sortie de l’hôpital. Résultats : Quatre-vingt-neuf (89 %) des patients présentaient au moins 1 cas de PPI. Au total, 276 MPI et 54 OPP ont été identifiées. Sur les 271 cas de PPI identifiés au moment de l’admission, seuls 38 (14 %) étaient résolus au moment de la sortie de l’hôpital. Chaque OPP supplémentaire était associée à une augmentation de 1,43 fois du taux de futures visites à l’urgence (p < 0,001). Conclusions : Le taux de PPI chez les grands utilisateurs de soins de santé âgés était élevé. Malgré des interactions fréquentes avec le système de santé, de nombreuses occasions d’amélioration de la qualité des prescriptions pour cette population vulnérable ont été manquées. Une plus grande attention doit être portée à l’optimisation des médicaments