Guns and/or Butter: The Relationship between the Economy and the Military

SUMMARY The relationship between military expenditure and economic performance is a complex one, changing over time. At this historical juncture — especially for the UK and the USA — the evidence suggests that the net impact of military expenditure is negative. Although there are important technological spin?offs, these appear to be more than outweighed by their opportunity cost and the distortion of R & D. Military expenditure, because of its capital and import intensity and its use of scarce skills, also serves as a poor Keynesian pump primer. The prospects of ‘conversion’ are, however, constrained by the close political and economic meshing between military contractors, the defence establishment and political interest groups. SOMMAIRE Des fusils et/ou du beurre: Les rapports entre l'économie et le militaire Le rapport entre la dépense militaire et la performance économique est trés complexe, toujours changeant. A ce point de rencontre historique — surtout pour le Royaume Uni et les Etats Unis — l'évidence suggère que l'impact net de la dépense militaire est négatif. Quoiqu'il y ait d'importants dérivatifs technologiques, ceux?ci sont largement dépassés par leur coût et leur distortion. La dépense militaire, à cause du capital et de l'intensité de l'importation et de son pauvre usage de compétence, montre un bien pauvre exemple Keynesien. Les perspectives de ‘conservation’ sont, toutefois, restreintes par le filet serré politique et économique existant entre les entrepreneurs militaires, l'administration de la défence et les groupes d'intérêt politiques. RESUMEN Cañones y/o mantequilla: relación entre la economía y lo militar La relación entre gasto militar y comportamiento económico es muy compleja y cambia a través del tiempo. En la coyuntura histórica presente — especialmente para el Reino Unido y los EEUU — la evidencia indica que el impacto neto del gasto militar es negativo. Aun cuando tiene importantes ventajas tecnológicas éstas parecieran estar contrarrestadas por la pérdida de mejores oportunidades de inversión y por la distorción provocada en investigación y desarrollo. Debido a que requiere capitales e importaciones intensivos y destrezas especializadas escasas, el gasto militar es un pobre estímulo para la economía en el sentido keynesiano. Las posibilidades de ‘conversión’ están restringidas por la íntima interrelación política y económica entre los contratistas militares, el ‘sistema’ de defensa y los grupos de intereses políticos

An exploration of hydration practices in Maltese residential care homes for older people

Background: The integral relationship between adequate hydration and good health is widely recognised. Older people with complex needs and frailty can struggle to maintain adequate hydration, with residents in care home settings being at an increased risk of dehydration. Aims: To explore current hydration practices in residential care homes in Malta. Methods: An exploratory qualitative approach was adopted to explore staff’s views and approaches in supporting resident’s hydration. Data was collected via semi-structured, individual and small group interviews with 2 care homes from the central and southern region of Malta. A process of open coding, followed by axial coding were used to analyse the data. Peer debriefing was performed throughout, until agreement was reached amongst the research team about the final themes and sub-themes. Findings: Three themes emerged from the data: culture of promoting fluid intake; challenges in supporting older people to achieve optimum hydration; hydration practices and approaches. Conclusion: A hydration promotion culture was demonstrated through various practices adopted in the care homes. The strong focus on water intake, in response to concerns about consuming sugary beverages, has implications on the promotion of a person-centred approach to hydration care. Inconsistencies in monitoring of fluids and daily recommended targets, highlights the importance of policies or guidelines to guide hydration practice. Challenges related to refusal of fluids and language barriers amongst non-native staff were evident and justifies further research is this area

Dvegrajski zbornik, br. 4, zbornik radova znanstvenih skupova "Crtice uz povijesti Kanfanarštine" 2016. i 2017., gl. urednik Marko Jelenić, Kanfanar: Općina Kanfanar / Udruga za očuvanje i promociju nasljeđa - Dvegrajci, 2018., 287 str.

Antibiotic resistance forms a serious threat to the health of hospitalised patients, rendering otherwise treatable bacterial infections potentially life-threatening. A thorough understanding of the mechanisms by which resistance spreads between patients in different hospitals is required in order to design effective control strategies. We measured the differences between bacterial populations of 52 hospitals in the United Kingdom and Ireland, using whole-genome sequences from 1085 MRSA clonal complex 22 isolates collected between 1998 and 2012. The genetic differences between bacterial populations were compared with the number of patients transferred between hospitals and their regional structure. The MRSA populations within single hospitals, regions and countries were genetically distinct from the rest of the bacterial population at each of these levels. Hospitals from the same patient referral regions showed more similar MRSA populations, as did hospitals sharing many patients. Furthermore, the bacterial populations from different time-periods within the same hospital were generally more similar to each other than contemporaneous bacterial populations from different hospitals. We conclude that, while a large part of the dispersal and expansion of MRSA takes place among patients seeking care in single hospitals, inter-hospital spread of resistant bacteria is by no means a rare occurrence. Hospitals are exposed to constant introductions of MRSA on a number of levels: (1) most MRSA is received from hospitals that directly transfer large numbers of patients, while (2) fewer introductions happen between regions or (3) across national borders, reflecting lower numbers of transferred patients. A joint coordinated control effort between hospitals, is therefore paramount for the national control of MRSA, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and other hospital-associated pathogens

Population genetic structuring of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clone EMRSA-15 within UK reflects patient referral patterns

Antibiotic resistance forms a serious threat to the health of hospitalised patients, rendering otherwise treatable bacterial infections potentially life-threatening. A thorough understanding of the mechanisms by which resistance spreads between patients in different hospitals is required in order to design effective control strategies. We measured the differences between bacterial populations of 52 hospitals in the United Kingdom and Ireland, using whole-genome sequences from 1085 MRSA clonal complex 22 isolates collected between 1998 and 2012. The genetic differences between bacterial populations were compared with the number of patients transferred between hospitals and their regional structure. The MRSA populations within single hospitals, regions and countries were genetically distinct from the rest of the bacterial population at each of these levels. Hospitals from the same patient referral regions showed more similar MRSA populations, as did hospitals sharing many patients. Furthermore, the bacterial populations from different time-periods within the same hospital were generally more similar to each other than contemporaneous bacterial populations from different hospitals. We conclude that, while a large part of the dispersal and expansion of MRSA takes place among patients seeking care in single hospitals, inter-hospital spread of resistant bacteria is by no means a rare occurrence. Hospitals are exposed to constant introductions of MRSA on a number of levels: (1) most MRSA is received from hospitals that directly transfer large numbers of patients, while (2) fewer introductions happen between regions or (3) across national borders, reflecting lower numbers of transferred patients. A joint coordinated control effort between hospitals, is therefore paramount for the national control of MRSA, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and other hospital-associated pathogens