Policy Coordination under Minority and Majority Rule

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Persson
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Majority Rule ◽  
National Level ◽  
Policy Coordination ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Before And After ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Over Time

This chapter analyzes mechanisms for policy coordination inside and outside Sweden’s Government Offices. It looks at how governments of different types have coordinated their policies, and focuses on the mechanisms used by single-party minority governments and by coalition minority and majority governments. Over time, Swedish political parties have developed methods for achieving stable, long-term cooperation, and these methods have become increasingly formalized and institutionalized. Coordination at the national level takes place both before and after elections, and tends to blur the boundary between majority and minority governments. These new patterns of cooperation pose new challenges to the government’s ability to coordinate policy.

scholarly journals Disentangling niche theory and beta diversity change

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Godsoe ◽  
Peter J Bellingham ◽  
Elena Moltchanova
Keyword(s):  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Price Equation ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Environmental Requirements ◽  
Habitat Specialists ◽  
Montane Tropical Forest ◽  
Ecological Drift ◽  
Over Time

Beta diversity describes the differences in species composition among communities. Changes in beta diversity over time are thought to be due to selection based on species' niche characteristics. For example, theory predicts that selection that favours habitat specialists will increase beta diversity. In practice, ecologists struggle to predict how beta diversity changes. To remedy this problem, we propose a novel solution that formally measures selection's effects on beta diversity. Using the Price equation, we show how change in beta diversity over time can be partitioned into fundamental mechanisms including selection among species, variable selection among communities, drift, and immigration. A key finding of our approach is that a species' short-term impact on beta diversity cannot be predicted using information on its long-term environmental requirements (i.e. its niche). We illustrate how our approach can be used to partition causes of diversity change in a montane tropical forest before and after an intense hurricane. Previous work in this system highlighted the resistance of habitat specialists and the recruitment of light-demanding species but was unable to quantify the importance of these effects on beta diversity. Using our approach, we show that changes in beta diversity were consistent with ecological drift. We use these results to highlight the opportunities presented by a synthesis of beta diversity and formal models of selection.

scholarly journals O7C.2 Developing a measuring strategy for monitoring and evaluation of a national occupational health intervention programme in great britain (GB)

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. A64.3-A65
Author(s):  
Yiqun Chen ◽  
Andrew Curran
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
National Level ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Measurement Framework ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Over Time

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the GB regulator for health and safety at work. The HSE Health and Work (H&W) program designs and carries out a wide range of interventions; including inspection, enforcement and other regulatory activities as well as prevention; targeting priority health conditions in high-risk sectors. It is anticipated that long-term, sustainable and coordinated actions developed as part of the program will over time improve awareness, behaviors, control of exposures, and, as a result, prevent work-related ill health in GB workforce.An HSE Measuring Strategy, together with measurement framework and principles, has been developed. The measurement framework draws together data systems, covering Attitudes (A), Behaviors (B), Control of exposures (C), and Disease and work-related ill health reduction (D), based on a simple model to provide evidence required for evaluating the short, medium and long term impacts of the large scale and complex H&W program on the GB health and safety system. The Strategy gives a new focus on measuring behavioral changes and risk reductions; and emphasizes longitudinal measurement designs to assess progress over time.For developing the Strategy, workshops were organized to bring stakeholders across HSE to review existing systems for conducting population surveys, collecting exposure intelligence and occupational health surveillance, which have contributed to forming a long-term vision of fit-for-purpose measurement systems.We will present the development of the Strategy and the plans to implement it with the H&W program, which requires close collaborations between epidemiologists and social researchers, policy makers, and other multidisciplinary regulatory specialists. The lessons learnt will help HSE towards building the right evidence base for monitoring and evaluation of a range of national level intervention programs for work-related ill health prevention.©British Crown copyright (2019)

scholarly journals Health service utilisation by people living with chronic non-cancer pain: findings from the Pain and Opioids IN Treatment (POINT) study

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Nielsen ◽  
Gabrielle Campbell ◽  
Amy Peacock ◽  
Kimberly Smith ◽  
Raimondo Bruno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Insurance ◽  
Cancer Pain ◽  
Private Health Insurance ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Opioid Therapy ◽  
Limited Evidence ◽  
Financial Barriers ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Before And After

Objective The aims of the present study were to describe the use, and barriers to the use, of non-medication pain therapies and to identify the demographic and clinical correlates of different non-opioid pain treatments. Methods The study was performed on a cohort (n = 1514) of people prescribed pharmaceutical opioids for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP). Participants reported lifetime and past month use of healthcare services, mental and physical health, pain characteristics, current oral morphine equivalent daily doses and financial and access barriers to healthcare services. Results Participants reported the use of non-opioid pain treatments, both before and after commencing opioid therapy. Services accessed most in the past month were complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs; 41%), physiotherapy (16%) and medical and/or pain specialists (15%). Higher opioid dose was associated with increased financial and access barriers to non-opioid treatment. Multivariate analyses indicated being younger, female and having private health insurance were the factors most commonly associated with accessing non-opioid treatments. Conclusions Patients on long-term opioid therapy report using multiple types of pain treatments. High rates of CAM use are concerning given limited evidence of efficacy for some therapies and the low-income status of most people with CNCP. Financial and insurance barriers highlight the importance of considering how different types of treatments are paid for and subsidised. What is known about the topic? Given concerns regarding long-term efficacy, adverse side-effects and risk of misuse and dependence, prescribing guidelines recommend caution in prescribing pharmaceutical opioids in cases of CNCP, typically advising a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. There is a range of evidence supporting different (non-drug) treatment approaches for CNCP to reduce pain severity and increase functioning. However, little is known about the non-opioid treatments used among those with CNCP and the demographic and clinical characteristics that may be associated with the use of different types of treatments. Understanding the use of non-drug therapy among people with CNCP is crucial given the potential to improve pain control for these patients. What does this paper add? The present study found that a wide range of non-opioid treatments was accessed by the study sample, both before and after commencing opioids, indicating that in this sample opioids were not the sole strategy used for pain management. The most common treatment (other than opioids) was CAM, reported by two-fifths of the sample. Having private health insurance was associated with increased use of non-opioid treatments for pain, highlighting the importance of considering how treatments are paid for and potential financial barriers to effective treatments. What are the implications for practitioners? Patients’ beliefs and financial barriers may affect the uptake of different treatments. Many patients may be using complementary and alternative approaches with limited evidence to support their use, highlighting the need for clinicians to discuss with patients the range of prescribed and non-prescribed treatments they are accessing and to help them understand the benefits and risks of treatments that have not been tested sufficiently, or have inconsistent evidence, as to their efficacy in improving pain outcomes.

Political Parties, Regimes, and Social Cleavages

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Riedl
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
Historical Institutionalism ◽  
Social Cleavages ◽  
Historical Approach ◽  
Antecedent Conditions ◽  
Political Outcomes ◽  
Over Time

Historical institutionalism is central to the study of political parties because party creation, competition, and adaptation are fundamentally processes structured over time. In these processes, time and sequence frequently are necessary components of causal arguments in understanding contemporary political outcomes. An historical approach to party politics highlights how, in particular moments, agency and contingency can generate long-term legacies, whereas in other moments party systems are resilient to elite attempts to re-order competition. Historical institutionalist arguments identify the mechanisms that sustain particular outcomes over time, and demonstrate when change occurs, according to which constraints, opportunities, and antecedent conditions.

Are staged dyadic encounters useful for studying aggressive behaviour of arvicoline rodents?

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (7) ◽  
pp. 1051-1058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Harper ◽  
George O. Batzli
Keyword(s):  
Aggressive Behaviour ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Prairie Voles ◽  
Testing Procedures ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Continued Use ◽  
Over Time

We investigated the aggressiveness of adult prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) in dyadic encounters staged in different types of arena trials to determine if responses differed (i) between neutral arena trials conducted in the laboratory and resident–intruder trials conducted in the field, (ii) between trials staged before and after 3 months of isolation from social contact, (iii) between voles reared in the laboratory and voles reared in the field, and (iv) among trials staged with the same individual over time. Though rodents are usually expected to be more aggressive on their own home range, female prairie voles tended to be more aggressive in neutral arenas. Males showed no difference in aggression between trials held in neutral arenas and trials held in arenas placed in their home ranges. Aggressiveness was not affected by 3 months of isolation for either males or females, suggesting that recent social cues may not strongly influence aggressive behaviour in this species. Voles reared in the laboratory were significantly more aggressive than those reared in enclosed field populations, which suggests that direct comparisons of field and laboratory studies of aggressive behaviour may be suspect. Individuals showed little change in aggressiveness when tested over several weeks in three trials with different opponents. We conclude that encounters staged in arenas provide standardized estimates of aggressiveness that are robust to differences in testing procedures and are repeatable over time. Therefore, their continued use seems warranted for studying aggressive behaviour of voles and lemmings.

scholarly journals Can we always trust rhinomanometry?

2011 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-52
Author(s):  
Helle L. Thulesius ◽  
Anders Cervin ◽  
Max Jessen
Keyword(s):  
Nasal Cavity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Nasal Airway ◽  
Nasal Surgery ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Nasal Stuffiness ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Active Anterior Rhinomanometry

Objectives: Rhinomanometry before and after decongestion distinguishes a nasal airway organic stenosis from congestion of nasal mucosa in patients with nasal stuffiness. Together with rhinoscopy and patient history, it is used to decide if nasal surgery would benefit the patient. Rhinomanometry measurements should thus be reliable and reproducible. Materials and methods: We performed repetitive active anterior rhinomanometry in 9 persons during 5 months to test reproducibility of nasal airway resistance (NAR) over time. We also did test-retest measurements in several participants. Xylometazoline hydrochloride was applied in each nasal cavity to minimize effects of mucosal variation and the nasal cavity was examined with rhinoscopy. The participants evaluated subjective nasal stuffiness on a visual analogue scale (VAS). Results: The long term mean coefficient of variation (CV) of NAR over time was 27% for the whole group while the short term CV was 7 - 17% for test-retest within an hour. Mean NAR reduction after decongestion was 33%, but 13% of NAR values were not reduced after decongestion. Participants had difficulties estimating stuffiness on a VAS in 15% of the assessments, but there was no correlation between the VAS estimates and NAR. Conclusion: We found a high NAR variation over a period of five months. This implies low long-term rhinomanometry reproducibility and we suggest future research on standardised decongestion to increase the reproducibility.

scholarly journals Long-term consistency of personality traits of cattle

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 191849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather W. Neave ◽  
Joao H. C. Costa ◽  
Daniel M. Weary ◽  
Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Sexual Maturation ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Farm Animals ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Physiological Changes ◽  
Personality Changes ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Over Time

Personality is often defined as the behaviour of individual animals that is consistent across contexts and over time. Personality traits may become unstable during stages of ontogeny from infancy to adulthood, especially during major periods of development such as around the time of sexual maturation. The personality of domesticated farm animals has links with productivity, health and welfare, but to our knowledge, no studies have investigated the development and stability of personality traits across developmental life stages in a mammalian farm animal species. Here, we describe the consistency of personality traits across ontogeny in dairy cattle from neonate to first lactation as an adult. The personality traits ‘bold’ and ‘exploratory’, as measured by behavioural responses to novelty, were highly consistent during the earlier (before and after weaning from milk) and later (after puberty to first lactation) rearing periods, but were not consistent across these rearing periods when puberty occurred. These findings indicate that personality changes in cattle around sexual maturation are probably owing to major physiological changes that are accelerated under typical management conditions at this time. This work contributes to the understanding of the ontogeny of behaviour in farm animals, especially how and why individuals differ in their behaviour.

Part III UK Derivatives, Money, and Debt Markets, 10 UK Government Debt Management and the Gilt Market

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Cash Flows ◽  
Debt Management ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Risk Appetite ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Financing Costs ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Executive Agency ◽  
Over Time

This chapter provides an overview of the UK Debt Management Office (DMO) that was established on 1 April 1998 and was tasked to manage government wholesale sterling debt issuance, which was originally the Bank of England's responsibility. It highlights the DMO's purpose on carrying out the government's debt management policy of minimising financing costs over the long term and minimising cost to offset the government's net cash flows while operating in a risk appetite approved by Ministers. It also points out that the DMO, in institutional terms, is legally and constitutionally part of HM Treasury (HMT) as an executive agency. This chapter discusses the gilt market, which is comprised of two different types of securities: conventional gilts and index—linked gilts. It compares the different types of gilt and shows how the breakdown of the gilt market has changed over time.

Abstract 2145: The Long-term Trajectory Of Functional Decline Before And After Stroke: The Northern Manhattan Study

Stroke ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandip Dhamoon ◽  
Yeseon P Moon ◽  
Myunghee C Paik ◽  
Consuelo McLaughlin-Mora ◽  
Ralph L Sacco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Functional Status ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Insurance Status ◽  
Population Based Study ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Over Time

Background: Previous research in our population showed a steeper long-term decline in functional status after first ischemic stroke among those with Medicaid or no insurance compared to those with Medicare or private insurance. With only post-stroke data, it was unknown whether these findings were caused by the stroke. We sought to compare the long-term trajectory of functional status before and after ischemic stroke. Methods: The Northern Manhattan Study contains a prospective, population-based study of stroke-free individuals >40 years of age, followed for a median of 10 years. The Barthel index (BI) was assessed annually. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess functional decline over time before and after stroke. The 6 months after stroke were ignored, since the course of recovery during this period is well documented, and our interest was the long-term course of functional status. Follow-up was censored at the time of recurrent stroke. Sociodemographic and medical risk factors were included and results were stratified by insurance status. Linearity of the curves was evaluated by plotting residuals against time and with a lowess curve. Results: Among 3298 participants, 261 had an ischemic stroke during follow-up, of which 51 died within 6 months of stroke. Among the remaining 210 participants, mean age at stroke (standard deviation) was 77+9 years, 38% were male, 52% were Hispanic, 37% had diabetes, and 31% had coronary artery disease. There was no difference in functional decline over time before and after stroke (p= 0.51), with a decline of 0.96 BI points per year before stroke (p<.0001) and 1.24 after stroke (p=0.001). However, when stratified by insurance status, among those with Medicaid or no insurance, in a fully adjusted model, there was a difference in slope before and after stroke (p=0.04), with a decline of 0.58 BI points per year before stroke (p=0.02) and 1.94 after stroke (p=0.001). Other predictors of worse functional status were increasing age, female sex, diabetes, and being married. Conclusion: In this large, prospective, population-based study with long-term follow-up, there was a significantly steeper decline in functional status after ischemic stroke compared to before stroke among those with Medicaid or no insurance, after adjusting for confounders. The cause of this differential decline is not known but may be related to poor control of risk factors, silent strokes, or an effect of socioeconomic status.

An Exploratory Study on the Köhler Effect and Flow in Long-term Exergaming

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 538-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seungmin Lee ◽  
Nicholas D. Myers ◽  
Taiwoo Park ◽  
Christopher R. Hill ◽  
Deborah L. Feltz
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Psychological State ◽  
Flow State ◽  
Social Physique Anxiety ◽  
Group Exercise ◽  
Multivariate Multiple Regression ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Kohler Effect ◽  
Over Time

Background. One way to motivate people to exercise is to create a motivating social context, such as group exercise, due to social comparison opportunities. However, typical group exercise is not always easy for those who have problems in scheduling or social physique anxiety. Software-generated partners (SGPs) could offer a solution because they have advantages over human partners. Aim. This exploratory study examined the psychological state of flow under Köhler paradigm over a 24-week exergame with different types of SGPs: Individual Control (IC), Always Superior Partner (AWS), and Not Always Superior Partner (NAS). Method. The experiment was a 3 (Type of the partner) × 3 (Time blocks) factorial design. Fifteen participants engaged in the experiment. A multivariate multiple regression with type of SGPs predicting flow state at the second and third block was conducted. Results. Participants with an NAS partner had significantly higher flow state, as compared to participants under IC, at both blocks. Participants with an AWS partner had approximately equal flow state, as compared to participants under IC, at both blocks. Conclusions. Possible reasons for flow perceptions with different types of SGPs over time were discussed in terms of programming SGPs and flow theory.

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