Focus on quality in healthcare in Ireland.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to summarise the recent debates and issues on the healthcare system in Ireland, which have come to the fore through media exposure. The implications for these debates on quality are suggested and questions are raised to stimulate further debate. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Recent reports and media opinion articles are reviewed in the light of the health reform programme and the increased prosperity due to the Celtic Tiger era in Ireland. FINDINGS: The Health Service in Ireland is not what it should be. Progress has been made but resistance at all levels is significant due to the mistrust and miscommunication between the managerial and clinical personnel which have built up during the past number of years. The trust of the public is at an all-time low. However, once patients are within the system they are satisfied with their care. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This is a discussion paper which raises more questions than answers and is timely with the focus on quality in healthcare, particularly now as Ireland prepares for a general election for a new government with healthcare a priority issue

A Note on Fluxes and Superpotentials in M-theory Compactifications on Manifolds of G_2 Holonomy

We consider the breaking of N=1 supersymmetry by non-zero G-flux when M-theory is compactified on a smooth manifold X of G_2 holonomy. Gukov has proposed a superpotential W to describe this breaking in the low-energy effective theory. We check this proposal by comparing the bosonic potential implied by W with the corresponding potential deduced from the eleven-dimensional supergravity action. One interesting aspect of this check is that, though W depends explicitly only on G-flux supported on X, W also describes the breaking of supersymmetry by G-flux transverse to X.Comment: 15 pages, harvmac, v2: reference adde

Discovery of large genomic inversions using long range information.

BackgroundAlthough many algorithms are now available that aim to characterize different classes of structural variation, discovery of balanced rearrangements such as inversions remains an open problem. This is mainly due to the fact that breakpoints of such events typically lie within segmental duplications or common repeats, which reduces the mappability of short reads. The algorithms developed within the 1000 Genomes Project to identify inversions are limited to relatively short inversions, and there are currently no available algorithms to discover large inversions using high throughput sequencing technologies.ResultsHere we propose a novel algorithm, VALOR, to discover large inversions using new sequencing methods that provide long range information such as 10X Genomics linked-read sequencing, pooled clone sequencing, or other similar technologies that we commonly refer to as long range sequencing. We demonstrate the utility of VALOR using both pooled clone sequencing and 10X Genomics linked-read sequencing generated from the genome of an individual from the HapMap project (NA12878). We also provide a comprehensive comparison of VALOR against several state-of-the-art structural variation discovery algorithms that use whole genome shotgun sequencing data.ConclusionsIn this paper, we show that VALOR is able to accurately discover all previously identified and experimentally validated large inversions in the same genome with a low false discovery rate. Using VALOR, we also predicted a novel inversion, which we validated using fluorescent in situ hybridization. VALOR is available at https://github.com/BilkentCompGen/VALOR

A promising Start? The Local Network Fund for Children and Young People: Interim Findings from the National Evaluation

This is a summary of the interim evaluation report of the National Evaluation of the Local Network Fund (LNF) for Children and Young People. It is based on data gathered during the first phase of the evaluation (between October 2002 to December 2003). A final report of the National Evaluation will be available early in 2005. A consortium of research organisations, led by the University of Hull and including BMRB Social Research, The University of York and the University of Sheffield were commissioned in August 2002 by the-then Children and Young People’s Unit (CYPU) to carry out the evaluation

From lilac to larkspur: self-refutation in T. S. Eliot’s later poetry

This paper argues that much of Eliot's poetry is unconsciously self-refutational and self-deceived. Our attention is distracted from this by its lyricism and intensely personal poignancy. Disgust at the contemplation of humanity, and self-disgust, underlie Eliot's parodie treatment of life: the horror of the sinfulness of the flesh, which can 'only die'. I argue that, while we cannot ask a poet to give an untruthful report of experience, something is wrong when the creative faculty is given so strongly to expressions of general disgust, over and above Eliot's anti-semitism, misogyny, sexual ambivalence and prurience.To counterbalance this effect, Eliot posits tlie ambivalent 'enchantment' of 'death's twilight kingdom', with its promise of redemption from sin, and the enchantment of childhood memories, which he presents as ultimately beguiling and illusory.But in 'Marina' the quasi-liturgical passage on spiritual death is 'placed' by the effect of the poem as a whole. Similarly, the life and vitality of the sixth section of 'Ash-Wednesday' evokes poetic values which repudiate the author's conscious intentions. In 'Little Gidding' he recalls 'Things ill done and done to others' harm.' It is the compound ghost who speaks (containing the Eliotic alter-ego), the Brunetto Latini of Canto XV of the Inferno. That Eliot is, in a broad sense, sexually — and therefore humanly — maladjusted explains the persistent presence in his work of a condition which 'remains to poison life and obstruct action.' His major critics have been curiously uncritical in this regard.His exasperation I suggest, is not with the deceptions of humanism but, part-unconsciously, with the self-deceived character of his Christian 'acceptance'. This is poetry of self-appeasement. DOI: 10.28998/0103-6858.2005v2n36p71-8

The influence of music on mood and performance while driving

Mood can influence our everyday behaviour and people often seek to reinforce, or to alter their mood, for example by turning on music. Music listening while driving is a popular activity. However, little is known about the impact of music listening while driving on physiological state and driving performance. In the present experiment, it was investigated whether individually selected music can induce mood and maintain moods during a simulated drive. In addition, effects of positive, negative, and no music on driving behaviour and physiological measures were assessed for normal and high cognitive demanding rides. Subjective mood ratings indicated that music successfully maintained mood while driving. Narrow lane width drives increased task demand as shown in effort ratings and increased swerving. Furthermore, respiration rate was lower during music listening compared to rides without music, while no effects of music were found on heart rate. Overall, the current study demonstrates that music listening in car influences the experienced mood while driving, which in turn can impact driving behaviour. Practitioners Summary: Even though it is a popular activity, little is known about the impact of music while driving on physiological state and performance. We examined whether music can induce moods during high and low simulated drives. The current study demonstrates that in car music listening influences mood which in turn can impact driving behaviour. The current study shows that listening to music can positively impact mood while driving, which can be used to affect state and safe behaviour. Additionally, driving performance in high demand situations is not negatively affected by music

The social protection of workers in the platform economy

This study investigates the social protection of workers in the platform economy at the request of the European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee. The report reviews literature and previous research on the platform economy with the aims of defining it and developing a typology for understanding its nature. It discusses the growth and drivers of the platform economy, as well as benefits and challenges for workers, reporting findings from 50 interviews conducted with expert stakeholders in eight European countries and from an original survey of 1,200 platform workers. It dissects the different normative layers that need to be considered when looking at the challenges of social protection of platform workers from a legal perspective. Finally, the report draws conclusions and makes recommendations concerning arrangements for the provision of social protection for workers in this growing sector of the economyEste estudio investiga la protección social de los trabajadores en la economía de plataforma a petición de la Comisión de Empleo y Asuntos Sociales del Parlamento Europeo. El informe revisa la literatura y las investigaciones previas sobre la economía de plataforma con el objetivo de definirla y desarrollar una tipología para comprender su naturaleza. Discute el crecimiento y los motores de la economía planificada, así como los beneficios y los desafíos para los trabajadores, y presenta los resultados de 50 entrevistas realizadas a expertos de ocho países europeos y de una encuesta original de 1.200 trabajadores de la plataforma. Disecciona los diferentes estratos normativos que deben considerarse cuando se analizan los retos de la protección social de los trabajadores de las plataformas desde una perspectiva jurídica. Por último, el informe extrae conclusiones y formula recomendaciones relativas a las disposiciones para la provisión de protección social para los trabajadores de este creciente sector de la economía