Who Owns Europe?... and why it matters for Progressives

First paragraph: Ownership matters. Owners of businesses set their strategic direction, purpose and the terms of employment. Owners of land decide what should be done with it and who can access it. Owners of property decide how it is deployed and who can enjoy its benefits. These decisions have a profound impact on the rest of European economy and society. Too often when we try to understand who owns the assets on which we all rely, the beneficial owners are obscured, and capital is controlled by owners whose interests are divergent from the citizenry at large. Politicians rarely consider questions of ownership when making policy, but the frameworks that they establish for market economies have a profound effect on the levels of corporate plurality in business, and ultimately the outcomes for citizens. Progressives must offer a thoughtful critique which ensures that the benefits of ownership are not concentrated in the hands of the few. Policy should facilitate a fair ownership opportunity for all. This project seeks to examine ownership across the EU, it considers how Europe’s businesses are owned and where the benefits of business flow. It looks closely at different types of ownership model, for example - the joint-stock company, the private business, the partnership model and the mutually-owned enterprise. At the same time, it is concerned with ownership more widely. Who owns the land on which our produce is grown, the apartment blocks in which we live and the institutions in which we store our earnings? We have examined whether some forms of ownership are more conducive to the public good and to what extent public goals can be discharged by a wider range of ownership types. Ownership in the public interest can be achieved, but it requires a consistent approach across EU member states, with policy, legislative and regulatory frameworks that support and protect ownership that is designed for a common purpose, rather than simply focussed on maximising private profit. This report makes a series of recommendations which seek to ensure strong economies which are purposeful and successful, but which also benefit the wider public good

Who Owns Europe?... and why it matters for Progressives

First paragraph: Ownership matters. Owners of businesses set their strategic direction, purpose and the terms of employment. Owners of land decide what should be done with it and who can access it. Owners of property decide how it is deployed and who can enjoy its benefits. These decisions have a profound impact on the rest of European economy and society. Too often when we try to understand who owns the assets on which we all rely, the beneficial owners are obscured, and capital is controlled by owners whose interests are divergent from the citizenry at large. Politicians rarely consider questions of ownership when making policy, but the frameworks that they establish for market economies have a profound effect on the levels of corporate plurality in business, and ultimately the outcomes for citizens. Progressives must offer a thoughtful critique which ensures that the benefits of ownership are not concentrated in the hands of the few. Policy should facilitate a fair ownership opportunity for all. This project seeks to examine ownership across the EU, it considers how Europe’s businesses are owned and where the benefits of business flow. It looks closely at different types of ownership model, for example - the joint-stock company, the private business, the partnership model and the mutually-owned enterprise. At the same time, it is concerned with ownership more widely. Who owns the land on which our produce is grown, the apartment blocks in which we live and the institutions in which we store our earnings? We have examined whether some forms of ownership are more conducive to the public good and to what extent public goals can be discharged by a wider range of ownership types. Ownership in the public interest can be achieved, but it requires a consistent approach across EU member states, with policy, legislative and regulatory frameworks that support and protect ownership that is designed for a common purpose, rather than simply focussed on maximising private profit. This report makes a series of recommendations which seek to ensure strong economies which are purposeful and successful, but which also benefit the wider public good

Inhaled Corticosteroids Alone and in Combination With Long-Acting beta(2) Receptor Agonists to Treat Reduced Lung Function in Preterm-Born Children A Randomized Clinical Trial:A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE: Decreases in future lung function are a hallmark of preterm birth, but studies for management of decreased lung function are limited. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether 12 weeks of treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) alone or in combination with long-acting β(2) agonists (LABA) improves spirometry and exercise capacity in school-aged preterm-born children who had percent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (%FEV(1)) less than or equal to 85% compared with inhaled placebo treatment. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to evaluate ICS and ICS/LABA against placebo. Preterm-born children (age, 7-12 years; gestation ≤34 weeks at birth) who did not have clinically significant congenital, cardiopulmonary, or neurodevelopmental abnormalities underwent spirometry, exercise testing, and measurement of fractional exhaled nitric oxide before and after treatment. A total of 144 preterm-born children at the Children’s Hospital for Wales in Cardiff, UK, were identified and enrolled between July 1, 2017, and August 31, 2019. INTERVENTIONS: Each child was randomized to 1 of 3 cohorts: fluticasone propionate, 50 μg, with placebo; fluticasone propionate, 50 μg, with salmeterol, 25 μg; or placebo inhalers, all given as 2 puffs twice daily for 12 weeks. Children receiving preexisting ICS treatment underwent washout prior to randomization to ICS or ICS/LABA. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was between-group differences assessed by adjusted pretreatment and posttreatment differences of %FEV(1) using analysis of covariance. Intention-to-treat analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Of 144 preterm-born children who were identified with %FEV(1) less than or equal to 85%, 53 were randomized. Treatment allocation was 20 children receiving ICS (including 5 with prerandomization ICS), 19 children receiving ICS/LABA (including 4 with prerandomization ICS), and 14 children receiving placebo. The mean (SD) age of children was 10.8 (1.2) years, and 29 of the randomized children (55%) were female. The posttreatment %FEV(1) was adjusted for sex, gestation, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intrauterine growth restriction, pretreatment corticosteroid status, treatment group, and pretreatment values. Posttreatment adjusted means for %FEV(1), using analysis of covariance, were 7.7% (95% CI, −0.27% to 15.72%; P = .16) higher in the ICS group and 14.1% (95% CI, 7.3% to 21.0%; P = .002) higher in the ICS/LABA group compared with the placebo group. Active treatment decreased the fractional exhaled nitric oxide and improved postexercise bronchodilator response but did not improve exercise capacity. One child developed cough when starting inhaler treatment; no other adverse events reported during the trial could be attributed to the inhaler treatment. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The results of this randomized clinical trial suggest that combined ICS/LABA treatment is beneficial for prematurity-associated lung disease in children. TRIAL REGISTRATION: EudraCT number: 2015-003712-2

Capturing Debriefing and Enhancing Reflection within Simulated Clinical Learning Environments

This article presents findings from an evaluation of a new A3-size learner notes sheet designed for use by healthcare students engaging in clinical simulation and clinical skills sessions. The notes sheet consists of an adapted form of the SBAR (situation, background, assessment, response) tool, whilst capturing post-simulation oral debriefing provided by a facilitator. Additionally, the Driscoll (2007)model is used to provide students with an opportunity to reflect on their engagement in clinical simulation. Two cohorts of students, who engaged in separate simulation sessions, completed the A3 sheet. The study featured 33 midwifery and 21 operating department practitioner (ODP) students undertaking a simulation. Documentary analysis was undertaken to identify the depth of reflective writing of both groups of students. Midwifery student participants reflected on their experiences of simulation at a slightly deeper level than their ODP counterparts. All students adhered to the structure of the notes sheet when receiving their briefing from the facilitator and when asked to write their reflective accounts. This study has sought to explore an under-researched area of clinical simulation: the extent to which healthcare students can utilise reflection when engaging with a clinical scenario within a simulated learning environment

Capturing Debriefing and Enhancing Reflection within Simulated Clinical Learning Environments

This article presents findings from an evaluation of a new A3-size learner notes sheet designed for use by healthcare students engaging in clinical simulation and clinical skills sessions. The notes sheet consists of an adapted form of the SBAR (situation,background, assessment, response) tool, whilst capturing post-simulation oral debriefing provided by a facilitator. Additionally, the Driscoll (2007) model is used to provide students with an opportunity to reflect on theirengagement in clinical simulation. Two cohorts of students, who engaged in separate simulation sessions, completed the A3 sheet. Thestudyfeatured 33 midwifery and 21 operating department practitioner (ODP) students undertaking a simulation. Documentary analysis was undertaken to identify the depth of reflective writing of both groups of students. Midwifery student participants reflected on their experiences of simulation at a slightly deeper level than their ODP counterparts. All students adhered to the structure of the notes sheet when receiving their briefing from the facilitator and when asked to write their reflective accounts. This study has sought to explore an under-researched area of clinical simulation: the extent to which healthcare students canutilise reflection when engaging with a clinical scenario within a simulated learning environment

Intergenerational family support for ‘Generation Rent’:The family home for socially disengaged young people

This paper critically discusses the concept of intergenerational family support in housing for young people. Recognizing increased difficulties faced by the younger generation in the housing market, this paper highlights that support from older family members is increasingly important. Nonetheless, it is critiqued that the role of the family home has been largely ignored in the current ‘generation rent’ discourse. By drawing on recent youth studies debates, this paper argues living in the family home could be an important form of support in housing, especially for marginalized youth. This paper presents insights from qualitative studies in Hong Kong and Scotland and analyses interview accounts of socially disengaged young people. It reflects how remaining at the family home could be interpreted as intergenerational support, and further elicits complexities in expectations, negotiations and emotions involved. This analysis offers new evidence and a more nuanced perspective of intergenerational family support in housing research

Mapping interactions between the RNA chaperone FinO and its RNA targets

Bacterial conjugation is regulated by two-component repression comprising the antisense RNA FinP, and its protein co-factor FinO. FinO mediates base-pairing of FinP to the 5′-untranslated region (UTR) of traJ mRNA, which leads to translational inhibition of the transcriptional activator TraJ and subsequent down regulation of conjugation genes. Yet, little is known about how FinO binds to its RNA targets or how this interaction facilitates FinP and traJ mRNA pairing. Here, we use solution methods to determine how FinO binds specifically to its minimal high affinity target, FinP stem–loop II (SLII), and its complement SLIIc from traJ mRNA. Ribonuclease footprinting reveals that FinO contacts the base of the stem and the 3′ single-stranded tails of these RNAs. The phosphorylation or oxidation of the 3′-nucleotide blocks FinO binding, suggesting FinO binds the 3′-hydroxyl of its RNA targets. The collective results allow the generation of an energy-minimized model of the FinO–SLII complex, consistent with small-angle X-ray scattering data. The repression complex model was constrained using previously reported cross-linking data and newly developed footprinting results. Together, these data lead us to propose a model of how FinO mediates FinP/traJ mRNA pairing to down regulate bacterial conjugation

Structural basis of cooperative DNA recognition by the plasmid conjugation factor, TraM

The conjugative transfer of F-like plasmids such as F, R1, R100 and pED208, between bacterial cells requires TraM, a plasmid-encoded DNA-binding protein. TraM tetramers bridge the origin of transfer (oriT) to a key component of the conjugative pore, the coupling protein TraD. Here we show that TraM recognizes a high-affinity DNA-binding site, sbmA, as a cooperative dimer of tetramers. The crystal structure of the TraM–sbmA complex from the plasmid pED208 shows that binding cooperativity is mediated by DNA kinking and unwinding, without any direct contact between tetramers. Sequence-specific DNA recognition is carried out by TraM’s N-terminal ribbon–helix–helix (RHH) domains, which bind DNA in a staggered arrangement. We demonstrate that both DNA-binding specificity, as well as selective interactions between TraM and the C-terminal tail of its cognate TraD mediate conjugation specificity within the F-like family of plasmids. The ability of TraM to cooperatively bind DNA without interaction between tetramers leaves the C-terminal TraM tetramerization domains free to make multiple interactions with TraD, driving recruitment of the plasmid to the conjugative pore

Search for eccentric black hole coalescences during the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo

Despite the growing number of confident binary black hole coalescences observed through gravitational waves so far, the astrophysical origin of these binaries remains uncertain. Orbital eccentricity is one of the clearest tracers of binary formation channels. Identifying binary eccentricity, however, remains challenging due to the limited availability of gravitational waveforms that include effects of eccentricity. Here, we present observational results for a waveform-independent search sensitive to eccentric black hole coalescences, covering the third observing run (O3) of the LIGO and Virgo detectors. We identified no new high-significance candidates beyond those that were already identified with searches focusing on quasi-circular binaries. We determine the sensitivity of our search to high-mass (total mass M>70 M⊙) binaries covering eccentricities up to 0.3 at 15 Hz orbital frequency, and use this to compare model predictions to search results. Assuming all detections are indeed quasi-circular, for our fiducial population model, we place an upper limit for the merger rate density of high-mass binaries with eccentricities 0<e≤0.3 at 0.33 Gpc−3 yr−1 at 90\% confidence level