scholarly journals Taking full advantage of modelling to better assess environmental risk due to xenobiotics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandrine Charles ◽  
Aude Ratier ◽  
Virgile Baudrot ◽  
Gauthier Multari ◽  
Aurélie Siberchicot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Risk ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Time Dimension ◽  
New Era ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Regulatory Bodies ◽  
On Line ◽  
The Individual ◽  
User Friendly

AbstractIn the European Union, more than 100,000 man-made chemical substances are awaiting an environmental risk assessment (ERA). Simultaneously, ERA of chemicals has now entered a new era. Indeed, recent recommendations from regulatory bodies underline a crucial need for the use of mechanistic effect models, allowing assessments that are not only ecologically relevant, but also more integrative, consistent and efficient. At the individual level, toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic (TKTD) models are particularly encouraged for the regulatory assessment of pesticide-related risks on aquatic organisms. In this paper, we first propose a brief review of classical dose-response models to put into light the on-line MOSAIC tool offering all necessary services in a turnkey web platform whatever the type of data to analyze. Then, we focus on the necessity to account for the time-dimension of the exposure by illustrating how MOSAIC can support a robust calculation of bioaccumulation factors. At last, we show how MOSAIC can be of valuable help to fully complete the EFSA workflow regarding the use of TKTD models, especially with GUTS models, providing a user-friendly interface for calibrating, validating and predicting survival over time under any time-variable exposure scenario of interest. Our conclusion proposes a few lines of thought for an even easier use of modelling in ERA.Graphical art

scholarly journals Taking Full Advantage of Modelling to Better Assess Environmental Risk Due to Xenobiotics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandrine Charles ◽  
Aude Ratier ◽  
Virgile Baudrot ◽  
Gauthier Multari ◽  
Aurélie Siberchicot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Risk ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Time Dimension ◽  
New Era ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Regulatory Bodies ◽  
On Line ◽  
The Individual ◽  
User Friendly

Abstract In the European Union, more than 100,000 man-made chemical substances are awaiting an environmental risk assessment (ERA). Simultaneously, ERA of chemicals has now entered a new era. Indeed, recent recommendations from regulatory bodies underline a crucial need for the use of mechanistic effect models, allowing assessments that are not only ecologically relevant, but also more integrative, consistent and efficient. At the individual level, toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic (TKTD) models are particularly encouraged for the regulatory assessment of pesticide-related risks on aquatic organisms. In this paper, we first propose a brief review of classical dose-response models to put into light the on-line MOSAIC tool offering all necessary services in a turnkey web platform whatever the type of data to analyze. Then, we focus on the necessity to account for the time-dimension of the exposure by illustrating how MOSAIC can support a robust calculation of bioaccumulation factors. At last, we show how MOSAIC can be of valuable help to fully complete the EFSA workflow regarding the use of TKTD models, especially with GUTS models, providing a user-friendly interface for calibrating, validating and predicting survival over time under any time-variable exposure scenario of interest. Our conclusion proposes a few lines of thought for an even easier use of modelling in ERA.

Perceived Trust and Confidence for Cryptocurrency Adoption

2022 ◽  
pp. 250-279
Author(s):  
Ewilly Jie Ying Liew ◽  
Wei Li Peh ◽  
Zhuan Kee Leong
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Perceived Trust ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Regulatory Bodies ◽  
The Individual ◽  
National Databases

This chapter seeks to examine the influence of public perceptions of trust in people and confidence in institutions on cryptocurrency adoption, taking into account the individual-level demographic factors and the regional-level contextual factors. Data is obtained from three large-scale international surveys and national databases and analyzed using R software. The multivariate results demonstrate that individuals' public perceptions of trust and confidence significantly contribute to cryptocurrency adoption. Lower perceived trust in people and higher perceived confidence in civil service and international regulatory bodies increase cryptocurrency adoption, while perceived confidence in political and financial institutions discourages cryptocurrency adoption. Additionally, the univariate results find significant comparisons of gender and perceived trust differences on the predictors of cryptocurrency adoption. This chapter discusses and provides insights on the social impact and future of cryptocurrency adoption, particularly among the upper- and lower-middle-income countries.

scholarly journals Job separation rates of immigrants and natives in the UK during the Great Recession

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 1036-1054
Author(s):  
Dafni Papoutsaki
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
The Business Cycle ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the probability of job separations of immigrants and natives in the UK before and during the economic crisis of 2008. Design/methodology/approach A mixed proportional hazard duration model with a semi-parametric piecewise constant baseline hazard is used on a data sample of inflows into employment. Findings It is found that the crisis increased the probability of exits to unemployment for all groups, while immigrants from the new countries of the European Union seemed to have the lowest hazard towards unemployment even after controlling for their demographic and labour market characteristics. More specifically, even when we account for the fact that they tend to cluster in jobs that are most vulnerable to the business cycle, they are still less likely to exit dependent employment than natives. However, this migrant group is adversely affected by the crisis the most. Research limitations/implications Possible implications of out-migration of the lower performers are discussed. Originality/value This paper makes use of the panel element of the UK Quarterly Labour Force Survey, and uses duration analysis on the individual level to assess the labour market outcomes of natives and immigrants in the UK.

scholarly journals Beyond the formal/informal employment dualism: evaluating individual- and country-level variations in the commonality of quasi-formal employment

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Williams ◽  
Besnik Krasniqi
Keyword(s):  
Social Protection ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Formal Employment ◽  
The Individual

PurposeTo transcend the view of employment as either formal or informal, this paper evaluates the prevalence of quasi-formal employment where formal employers pay formal employees an unreported (“envelope”) wage in addition to their formal reported salary. To explain the individual-level variations in quasi-formal employment, the “marginalisation” thesis is evaluated that this practice is more prevalent among vulnerable groups and to explain the country-level variations, and a neo-institutionalist theory is evaluated that it is more prevalent where formal institutional failures lead to an asymmetry between the formal laws and regulations and the unwritten socially shared rules of informal institutions.Design/methodology/approachTo evaluate the individual- and country-level variations in the prevalence of quasi-formal employment, a multi-level logistic regression is provided of data from special 2019 Eurobarometer survey 92.1 involving 11,793 interviews with employees across 28 European countries (the 27 member states of the European Union and the United Kingdom).FindingsOf the 3.5% of employees (1 in 28) who receive under-reported salaries, the marginalisation thesis is supported that it is largely vulnerable population groups. So too is the neo-institutionalist explanation that quasi-formal employment is more common in countries where the non-alignment of formal and informal institutions is greater, with the formal institutional failings producing this identified as lower levels of economic development, less modernised state bureaucracies and lower levels of taxation and social protection.Practical implicationsThe policy implication is that tackling quasi-formal employment requires not only enforcement authorities to improve the risk of detection of this illegal wage practice but also governments to change wider macro-level structural conditions. These are outlined.Originality/valueContemporary new evidence is provided of the prevalence of quasi-formal employment along with how this illegal wage practice can be explained and tackled.

scholarly journals Establishing a Dementia-Inclusive Community: The Evaluation of Dementia Friends in Cleveland Heights

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 514-514
Author(s):  
Jennifer Cardellini ◽  
Sarah Nicolay ◽  
Jessica Bibbo
Keyword(s):  
Education And Training ◽  
Community Member ◽  
Community Living ◽  
Community Members ◽  
National Network ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
On Line ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Two Sectors ◽  
And Training

Abstract Cleveland Heights, in northeast Ohio, is currently working towards becoming a member of the Dementia Friendly America National Network. Utilizing the Dementia Friends curriculum to raise community members’ awareness of issues related to dementia is a key component of this initiative. Our initial efforts toward this goal targeted two sectors, namely community member and libraries. Participants completed on-line surveys at the beginning and end of each session. The surveys include the Brief Tool for Dementia-Friendly Education and Training Sessions developed by the Administration for Community Living. Of the 22 participants, nine had not previously attended a Dementia Friends session and completed both pre- and post-session surveys. Results indicated participants felt more confident interacting with people living with dementia at post-session compared to pre-session (t = -2.83, p=.022). Changes at the individual level may create more inclusive communities for people living with dementia and those who care for and about them.

scholarly journals Getting the most out of family data with the R package fSRM

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Stas ◽  
Felix D. Schönbrodt ◽  
Tom Loeys
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
R Package ◽  
Family Data ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Different Levels

Family research aims to explore family processes, but is often limited to the examination of unidirectional processes. As the behavior of one person has consequences that go beyond that one individual, Family functioning should be investigated in its full complexity. The Social Relations Model (SRM; Kenny & La Voie, 1984) is a conceptual and analytical model which can disentangle family data from a round-robin design at three different levels: the individual level (actor and partner effects), the dyadic level (relationship effects) and the family level (family effect). Its statistical complexity may however be a hurdle for family researchers. The user-friendly R package fSRM performs almost automatically those rather complex SRM analyses and introduces new possibilities for assessing differences between SRM-means and between SRM-variances, both within and between groups of families. Using family data on negative processes, different type of research questions are formulated and corresponding analyses with fSRM are presented.

scholarly journals Trends and correlates of the public’s perception of healthcare systems in the European Union: a multilevel analysis of Eurobarometer survey data from 2009 to 2013

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e018178 ◽  
Author(s):  
AlJohara M AlSaud ◽  
Henock B Taddese ◽  
Filippos T Filippidis
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Financial Crisis ◽  
National Income ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Significant Drop ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
The Individual

ObjectiveThe aim of the study is to assess trends in public perceptions of health systems in 27 European Union (EU) member states following the financial crisis (2009–2013), in order to discuss observed changes in the context of the financial crisis.DesignRepeated cross-sectional studies.Setting27 EU countries.ParticipantsEU citizens aged 15 years and older.MethodsThe study mainly uses the Eurobarometer Social Climate Survey, conducted annually between 2009 and 2013, thereby analysing 116 706 observations. A multilevel logistic regression was carried out to analyse trends over time and the factors associated with citizens’ perceptions of their healthcare systems.ResultsEuropeans generally exhibit positive perceptions of their national healthcare systems, 64.0% (95% CI 63.6% to 64.4%). However, we observed a significant drop in positive perceptions in the years following the crisis, especially within countries most affected by the crisis. Concerning fiscal characteristics, wealthier countries and those dedicating higher proportion of their national income to health were more likely to maintain positive perceptions. At the individual level, perceptions of healthcare systems were significantly associated with respondents’ self-perceptions of their social status, financial capacity and overall satisfaction in life.ConclusionsOur finding confirms previous observations that citizens’ perceptions of their healthcare systems may reflect their overall prospects within the broader socioeconomic systems they live in; which have in turn been affected by the financial crisis and the policy measures instituted in response.

Ochratoxin A in food and urine: a nationwide Portuguese two-year study

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.C. Duarte ◽  
C.M. Lino ◽  
A. Pena
Keyword(s):  
Ochratoxin A ◽  
Maximum Level ◽  
Animal Origin ◽  
Contamination Level ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Food Of Animal Origin ◽  
Carry Over ◽  
The Individual

Several toxic effects have been described after exposure to ochratoxin A (OTA), which can enter the human diet directly through food or through animal products via carry-over from contaminated feed. To assess the exposure of the Portuguese population to OTA, a study over a two-year period was conducted. It involved analysis of 472 morning urine samples from inhabitants of four regions, together with a survey of regional bread (738) and pork (254) samples. These foodstuffs are two staple foods in the Portuguese and Mediterranean diet that present a high and widespread consumption by the majority of the population. The bread samples analysed showed a low level of contamination, although the contamination range was broad and some of the samples exceeded the maximum level established in the European Union. Maize bread (broa), especially when made by mixing with rye, was the most contaminated, followed by whole grain-, rye- and wheat-based bread. However, the latter contributed more to OTA exposure, because they were more commonly consumed. Even though the occurrence was rather low, the average OTA amount in pork was relatively high compared to previous national and other surveys. The observed high within-subject variability of OTA in urine limited the use of this biomarker of exposure at the individual level, but not on a population or subgroup of subjects scale. Among the studied population, a widespread exposure was confirmed by the high frequency of OTA contamination in urine, although characterised by a low average contamination level. Independent of region or population, pork appears to be the main contributor to the daily OTA intake in Portugal. These data were clearly in contrast with previous studies showing that cereals and their derived products were the major contributors, while food of animal origin only contributed a small part to the total human dietary OTA exposure.

scholarly journals A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE EU INTEGRATION PROCESS OF ALBANIA AND KOSOVO

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zerina Causevic ◽  
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Levels Of Analysis ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Eu Integration ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Foreign Policies ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Level Of Analysis ◽  
The Eu

Having their populations add up to over 80% of Albanian ethnicity, Kosovo and Albania can be conceptualized as being closely intertwined namely when it comes to their foreign policies. This article will primarily focus on the foreign policies of Albania and Kosovo through the lens of their major foreign policy goals and their connections with the European Union. The path of the contemporary existence of Albania and Kosovo has been marked by various events such as the dissolution of Kosovo from Serbia. Their primary efforts include building and maintaining a democratic society that would enable the two countries to gradually flourish and establish closer ties with neighboring countries as well as Europe and the EU if successful. This research provides a comparison of the two foreign policies through a lateral method by also focusing on one of the three levels of analysis, the individual, state, and system. Within the individual level emphasis is laid on crucial individuals such as Rama, Pacolli, Cakaj, and Meta. This level of analysis and the outline of influential decisionmakers statements and actions can confirm the idea that the two countries of Kosovo and Albania can survive only in case of successful cooperation amongst each other as well as through Euro Atlantic integration namely with the European Union.

scholarly journals When “Too Much and Too Slapdash” No Longer Satisfies: Existential Changes Brought by Altering the Speed of Life

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-67
Author(s):  
Milda Pivoriūtė ◽  
Karolina Poškauskaitė
Keyword(s):  
Fast Time ◽  
Slow Time ◽  
Time Dimension ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Working Age ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Authentic Life ◽  
Sociological Studies ◽  
Post Industrial ◽  
Industrial Societies

This article uses two opposing concepts of time to articulate the tensions that are common among the working-age urban population of today’s post-industrial societies and their solutions at the individual level. The importance of the time dimension for the analysis of today’s people’s lives is revealed through the analysis of sociological studies of the concepts of fast and slow time and the results of a qualitative study which includ­ed interviews with 18 people who linked their changes in life to different regimes of time. For some people who live in fast-time mode, turning back to slow time becomes an essential principle for achieving significant existential changes that lead to a subjectively more meaningful, qualitative, freer, and more authentic life.

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