scholarly journals Fear in a Handful of Dust: The Epidemiological, Environmental and Economic Drivers of Death by PM2.5 Pollution

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8688
Author(s):  
James Chen ◽  
Mira Zovko ◽  
Nika Šimurina ◽  
Vatroslav Zovko
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
European Union ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
Supervised Machine Learning ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Kuznets Curve ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Pm2.5 Exposure

This study evaluates numerous epidemiological, environmental, and economic factors affecting morbidity and mortality from PM2.5 exposure in the 27 member states of the European Union. This form of air pollution inflicts considerable social and economic damage in addition to loss of life and well-being. This study creates and deploys a comprehensive data pipeline. The first step consists of conventional linear models and supervised machine learning alternatives. Those regression methods do more than predict health outcomes in the EU-27 and relate those predictions to independent variables. Linear regression and its machine learning equivalents also inform unsupervised machine learning methods such as clustering and manifold learning. Lower-dimension manifolds of this dataset’s feature space reveal the relationship among EU-27 countries and their success (or failure) in managing PM2.5 morbidity and mortality. Principal component analysis informs further interpretation of variables along economic and health-based lines. A nonlinear environmental Kuznets curve may describe the fuller relationship between economic activity and premature death from PM2.5 exposure. The European Union should bridge the historical, cultural, and economic gaps that impair these countries’ collective response to PM2.5 pollution.

The European Union as an object of insecure collective attachment: A response to ‘Brexit: Who is afraid of group attachment? Part I. Europe: What Europe?’ by Arturo Ezquerro

2021 ◽  
pp. 053331642110012
Author(s):  
Antigonos Sochos
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Attachment Theory ◽  
Well Being ◽  
European Population ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Group Attachment ◽  
Asymmetrical Power ◽  
The Eu

In this commentary I argue that the European Union has been functioning as an insecure object of collective attachment for large parts of the European population for many years. According to attachment theory, in relationships of asymmetrical power insecure attachment is formed as the narrative constructed by the most powerful party overwrites the authentic experience of the weakest, generating conflicted representation of self and the attachment object. That attachment object may be interpersonal or collective. The EU narrative on how it safeguards democracy and citizen well-being contradicts the true experience of many Europeans who struggle to make ends meet in neoliberal Europe. On this basis, an insecure collective bond with the EU is established, as the latter fails to recognize and address the needs of many of its citizens.

scholarly journals The Influence of Broilers’ Body Weight on the Efficiency of Electrical Stunning and Meat Quality under Field Conditions

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1362
Author(s):  
Giorgio Smaldone ◽  
Stefano Capezzuto ◽  
Rosa Luisa Ambrosio ◽  
Maria Francesca Peruzy ◽  
Raffaele Marrone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Meat Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Electrical Equipment ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
Corneal Reflex ◽  
Experimental Trials

Water-bath stunning represents the most-applied stunning system in poultry slaughtering, but within the European Union, specific indications on electric parameters that should be used, such as voltage, are missing. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of two commercially available types of electrical equipment (A and B) on broilers with different live body weights and the influence of the tested parameters on meat quality. Experimental trials in a European Union-approved slaughterhouse were carried out using two different stunners. 6600 broilers, divided into three weight groups, were stunned applying different protocols based on the same current frequencies and intensity but different voltages. The state of unconsciousness (presence of corneal reflex and wings flapping) and post-mortem defects (pectoral hemorrhages and dark meat) were evaluated by blinded trained operators. The presence of corneal reflex and petechiae were the most reported consciousness signs and post-mortem injuries, respectively. Different weights played an important role within stunner A, registering statistical differences (p < 0.01) among groups. Considering injuries, an inverse relationship between body weight and lesions was found. The results highlighted the effectiveness of both stunning systems applying the best combination of electrical parameters considering the weight of the animal and ensuring its well-being.

scholarly journals THE VOLUME OF WOOD FOREST RESOURCES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna TURCZAK
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Causal Analysis ◽  
Forest Resources ◽  
Forest Area ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Growing Stock ◽  
European Union Countries ◽  
Two Factors

The contributions of forests to the well-being of humankind are extraordinarily vast and far-reaching. They are an important element in mitigating climate change. The aim of the paper is to determine the influence of particular factors on the diversity of the European Union countries in terms of the amount of wood forest resources compared with the country size. Two factors affecting the variable have been analysed in the paper: 1) the growing stock per 1 hectare of forest area and 2) the quotient of the forest area and the land area without inland water. Those two independent variables are directly proportional to the dependent variable, thus the higher the growing stock density and the higher the forest cover, the bigger the amount of wood forest resources of the analysed country. The causal analysis allowed to answer the question how the two factors affect the variable considered in the twenty eight countries, namely, what the direction and the strength of their influence are. The logarithmic method was used to carry out the causal analysis. The average results obtained for the entire European Union were compared with those received for each country separately and, on this basis, final conclusions were drawn. Data for 2005, 2010 and 2015 have been used for all needed calculations.

scholarly journals Work-Family Conflict in the European Union: The Impact of Organizational and Public Facilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (22) ◽  
pp. 4419
Author(s):  
Chantal Remery ◽  
Joop Schippers
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Family Conflict ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Work Family Conflict ◽  
European Working ◽  
Work Family ◽  
The Impact

Today, as an increasing share of women and men is involved in both paid tasks at work and unpaid care tasks for children and other relatives, more people are at risk of work-family conflict, which can be a major threat to well-being and mental, but also physical health. Both organizations and governments invest in arrangements that are meant to support individuals in finding a balance between work and family life. The twofold goal of our article was to establish the level of work-family conflict in the member states of the European Union by gender and to analyze to what extent different arrangements at the organizational level as well the public level help to reduce this. Using the European Working Conditions Survey supplemented with macro-data on work-family facilities and the economic and emancipation climate in a country, we performed multilevel analyses. Our findings show that the intensity of work-family conflict does not vary widely in EU28. In most countries, men experience less work-family conflict than women, although the difference is small. Caring for children and providing informal care increases perceived work-life conflict. The relatively small country differences in work-family conflict show that different combinations of national facilities and organizational arrangements together can have the same impact on individuals; apparently, there are several ways to realize the same goal of work-family conflict reduction.

scholarly journals The prototype device for non-invasive diagnosis of arteriovenous fistula condition using machine learning methods

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin Grochowina ◽  
Lucyna Leniowska ◽  
Agnieszka Gala-Błądzińska
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Arteriovenous Fistula ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Special Kind ◽  
Classification Model ◽  
Supervised Machine Learning ◽  
Signal Acquisition ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Prototype Device

Abstract Pattern recognition and automatic decision support methods provide significant advantages in the area of health protection. The aim of this work is to develop a low-cost tool for monitoring arteriovenous fistula (AVF) with the use of phono-angiography method. This article presents a developed and diagnostic device that implements classification algorithms to identify 38 patients with end stage renal disease, chronically hemodialysed using an AVF, at risk of vascular access stenosis. We report on the design, fabrication, and preliminary testing of a prototype device for non-invasive diagnosis which is very important for hemodialysed patients. The system includes three sub-modules: AVF signal acquisition, information processing and classification and a unit for presenting results. This is a non-invasive and inexpensive procedure for evaluating the sound pattern of bruit produced by AVF. With a special kind of head which has a greater sensitivity than conventional stethoscope, a sound signal from fistula was recorded. The proces of signal acquisition was performed by a dedicated software, written specifically for the purpose of our study. From the obtained phono-angiogram, 23 features were isolated for vectors used in a decision-making algorithm, including 6 features based on the waveform of time domain, and 17 features based on the frequency spectrum. Final definition of the feature vector composition was obtained by using several selection methods: the feature-class correlation, forward search, Principal Component Analysis and Joined-Pairs method. The supervised machine learning technique was then applied to develop the best classification model.

scholarly journals Understanding the Environmental Background of an Invasive Plant Species (Asclepias syriaca) for the Future: An Application of LUCAS Field Photographs and Machine Learning Algorithm Methods

Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Péter Szilassi ◽  
Gábor Szatmári ◽  
László Pásztor ◽  
Mátyás Árvai ◽  
József Szatmári ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Invasive Species ◽  
European Union ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithm ◽  
Invasive Plant Species ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Asclepias Syriaca

For developing global strategies against the dramatic spread of invasive species, we need to identify the geographical, environmental, and socioeconomic factors determining the spatial distribution of invasive species. In our study, we investigated these factors influencing the occurrences of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.), an invasive plant species that is of great concern to the European Union (EU). In a Hungarian study area, we used country-scale soil and climate databases, as well as an EU-scale land cover databases (CORINE) for the analyses. For the abundance data of A. syriaca, we applied the field survey photos from the Land Use and Coverage Area Frame Survey (LUCAS) Land Cover database for the European Union. With machine learning algorithm methods, we quantified the relative weight of the environmental variables on the abundance of common milkweed. According to our findings, soil texture and soil type (sandy soils) were the most important variables determining the occurrence of this species. We could exactly identify the actual land cover types and the recent land cover changes that have a significant role in the occurrence the common milkweed in Europe. We could also show the role of climatic conditions of the study area in the occurrence of this species, and we could prepare the potential distribution map of common milkweed for the study area.

Punching Above its Weight: Current and Future Aging Policy in Malta

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (8) ◽  
pp. 1384-1391
Author(s):  
Marvin Formosa ◽  
Charles Scerri
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Active Ageing ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Aging Policy

Abstract Malta has been at the forefront in aging policy and healthy aging development. It was the first country to highlight the need of a United Nations-led international action plan aimed at meeting the needs of an emerging global aging population. Through a number of initiatives, Malta has managed to put aging as a top priority on its national policy agenda. The country boasts of the longest life span spent in good health among all European Union countries with its inhabitants expected to live a significant portion of their life free of disability. Malta’s ranking in the Active Ageing Index experienced consistent improvements in the past decade, registering the sharpest progress in the European Union. In response to an increase in individuals with dementia, Malta was also among the first countries to adopt a national strategic policy for dementia. Notwithstanding such significant progress, Malta still lags behind in developing policy directions addressing gender inequalities and minority groups’ interests among its older population. Similar to other Southern European countries, Malta’s accelerated rate of population aging raises concerns with regard to economic growth, sustainability of effective health care and pension systems, and the well-being of older persons. Gender will also feature prominently in the future planning of long-term care policy as older women are projected to increase threefold in the foreseeable years with the high risk of poverty associated with older single and widowed women, implying that a few would be able to opt for private care.

Psychosocial aspects of adjusting to disability in older people

1998 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
MC Ward ◽  
P Higgs
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
European Union ◽  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Older People ◽  
Medical Practice ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Health And Illness

Studies across the European Union have noted that chronic illness and chronic disabling conditions rather than acute infectious diseases are now the major causes of morbidity and mortality in member states. This transformation in the nature of health and illness has, and will continue to have, profound effects on the nature of both medicine and the policy and organization of health care. It is estimated that not only will the share of consultations with doctors about issues connected with problems of living with chronic conditions increase, but there will also be a corresponding shift in medical practice from cure to care.

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