Legislation of direct-to-consumer genetic testing in Europe: a fragmented regulatory landscape

Despite the increasing availability of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing, it is currently unclear how such services are regulated in Europe, due to the lack of EU or national legislation specifically addressing this issue. In this article, we provide an overview of laws that could potentially impact the regulation of DTC genetic testing in 26 European countries, namely Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Emphasis is placed on provisions relating to medical supervision, genetic counselling and informed consent. Our results indicate that currently there is a wide spectrum of laws regarding genetic testing in Europe. There are countries (e.g. France and Germany) which essentially ban DTC genetic testing, while in others (e.g. Luxembourg and Poland) DTC genetic testing may only be restricted by general laws, usually regarding health care services and patients’ rights

A review of the benefits and drawbacks to virtual field guides in today’s Geoscience higher education environment

Virtual Field Guides are a way for educators to tackle the growing issue of funding pressures in areas of higher education, such as geography. Virtual Field Guides are however underutilised and can offer students a different way of learning. Virtual Field Guides have many benefits to students, such as being more inclusive, building student skills and confidence in a controlled environment pre fieldtrip and can increase engagement in the topic studied. There are also benefits to the educator, such as reduced cost, more efficient students on fieldwork tasks and the ability to tailor and update their field guides to suit their needs. However there are drawbacks in the challenge of creation and their outcome as educational standalone tools. This paper reviews the literature around the benefits and draw backs to the creation and incorporation of virtual field guides in geoscience education. © 2017, The Author(s)

Robust Smith Predictor Design for Time-Delay Systems with H∞ Performance

A new method for robust fixed-order H∞ controller design for uncertain time-delay systems is presented. It is shown that the H∞ robust performance condition can be represented by a set of convex constraints with respect to the parameters of a linearly parameterized primary controller in the Smith predictor structure. Therefore, the parameters of the primary controller can be obtained by convex optimization. The proposed method can be applied to stable SISO and MIMO models with uncertain dead-time and with multimodel and frequency-dependent uncertainty. It is also shown that how the design method can be extended to unstable SISO models. The design of robust gain-scheduled dead-time compensators is also investigated. The performance of the method is illustrated for both SISO and MIMO systems by simulation examples

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and EU Disability Law: Towards a Converging Vision of Equality?

The conclusion of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) by the European Union (EU) in 2010 marked a milestone in the history of EU disability equality and non-discrimination law, and also implacted on the field of EU disability law outside the sphere of non-discrimination. The CRPD is a progressive human rights treaty, the substantive provisions of which are underpinned by a model of ‘inclusive equality’, which not only views disability as arising from the interaction between individuals with impairments and societal barriers, but also seeks to make space for difference, and to give recognition to the dignity of persons with disabilities and intersectional disadvantage. The EU is bound by the CRPD to the extent of its competences, and the UN Convention has become the golden standard against which EU disability laws and policies are measured. This contribution examines the four main ways in which the CRPD has already shaped, or could potentially (further) influence, EU disability law. While this contribution focuses primarily on EU equality and non-discrimination law, it also analyzes recent legislation on accessibility. It demonstrates the extent to which the CRPD can potentially foster a robust conception of equality in EU non-discrimination law; enhance the understanding of EU non-discrimination law duties and concepts; promote a gendered approach to defining disability in EU non-discrimination law; and mainstream inclusive equality in EU disability law outside the sphere of non-discrimination