Search

Purpose: Different health state utility (HSU) instruments produce different utilities for the same individuals, thereby compromising the intended comparability of economic evaluations of health care interventions. When developing crosswalks, previous studies have indicated nonlinear relationships. This paper inquires into the degree of nonlinearity across the four most widely used HSU-instruments and proposes exchange rates that differ depending on the severity levels of the health state utility scale.Methods: Overall, 7933 respondents from six countries, 1760 in a non-diagnosed healthy group and 6173 in seven disease groups, reported their health states using four different instruments: EQ-5D-5L, SF-6D, HUI-3 and 15D. Quantile regressions investigate the degree of nonlinear relationships between these instruments. To compare the instruments across different disease severities, we split the health state utility scale into utility intervals with 0.2 successive decrements in utility starting from perfect health at 1.00. Exchange rates (ERs) are calculated as the mean utility difference between two utility intervals on one HSU-instrument divided by the difference in mean utility on another HSU-instrument.Results: Quantile regressions reveal significant nonlinear relationships across all four HSU-instruments. The degrees of nonlinearities differ, with a maximum degree of difference in the coefficients along the health state utility scale of 3.34 when SF-6D is regressed on EQ-5D. At the lower end of the health state utility scale, the exchange rate from SF-6D to EQ-5D is 2.11, whilst at the upper end it is 0.38.Conclusion: Comparisons at different utility levels illustrate the fallacy of using linear functions as crosswalks between HSU-instruments. The existence of nonlinear relationships between different HSU-instruments suggests that level-specific exchange rates should be used when converting a change in utility on the instrument used, onto a corresponding utility change had another instrument been used. Accounting for nonlinearities will increase the validity of the comparison for decision makers when faced with a choice between interventions whose calculations of QALY gains have been based on different HSU-instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe harm associated with high-risk injected opiate use and the threat of the HIV epidemic among injecting drug users has become a worldwide problem. Twenty years ago, in the face of a rapid increase in mortality rates among injecting drug users and the upcoming threat of HIV, the first harm-reduction programs were implemented in the Western world. This paper is a literature review describing four forms of harm reduction currently in use in Europe, North America, and Australia. Each represents a reasonable counterapproach to the threat of increased prevalence of HIV among injecting drug users in transitional and developing countries. The paper attempts to explain the concepts behind the most commonly used types of harm reduction and provides a brief overview of the advantages and disadvantages of each and the reasons for their implementation. The main focus of the review is on the definition and the practical aspects of harm reduction; it includes a brief introduction of Chinese harm-reduction efforts and their implications.Acta Pharmacologica Sinica (2009) 30: 513–521; doi: 10.1038/aps.2009.30; published online 6th April 2009 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The quality of life during the first 4 months after fracture was estimated in 2,808 fractured patients from 11 countries. Analysis showed that there were significant differences in the quality of life (QoL) loss between countries. Other factors such as QoL prior fracture and hospitalisation also had a significant impact on the QoL loss. Introduction: The International Costs and Utilities Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study (ICUROS) was initiated in 2007 with the objective of estimating costs and quality of life related to fractures in several countries worldwide. The ICUROS is ongoing and enrols patients in 11 countries (Australia, Austria, Estonia, France, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Russia, Spain, UK and the USA). The objective of this paper is to outline the study design of ICUROS and present results regarding the QoL (measured using the EQ-5D) during the first 4 months after fracture based on the patients that have been thus far enrolled ICUROS. Methods: ICUROS uses a prospective study design where data (costs and quality of life) are collected in four phases over 18 months after fracture. All countries use the same core case report forms. Quality of life was collected using the EQ-5D instrument and a time trade-off questionnaire. Results: The total sample for the analysis was 2,808 patients (1,273 hip, 987 distal forearm and 548 vertebral fracture). For all fracture types and countries, the QoL was reduced significantly after fracture compared to pre-fracture QoL. A regression analysis showed that there were significant differences in the QoL loss between countries. Also, a higher level of QoL prior to the fracture significantly increased the QoL loss and patients who were hospitalised for their fracture also had a significantly higher loss compared to those who were not. Conclusions: The findings in this study indicate that there appear to be important variations in the QoL decrements related to fracture between countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relative influence of factors affecting light rail ridership on 57 light rail routes in Australia, Europe and North America through an empirical examination of route level data. Previous research suggests a wide range of possible ridership drivers but is mixed in clarifying major influences. A multiple-regression analysis of route level ridership (boardings per route km) and catchment residential and employment density, car ownership, service level, speed, stop spacing, share of accessible stops, share of segregated right of away and integrated fares was undertaken. This established a statistically significant model (99% level, R = 0.76) with five significant variables including service level, routes being in Europe, speed, integrated ticketing and employment density. In general these findings support selected results from previous research. A secondary analysis of service effectiveness measures (boardings/vehicle km, i.e. the relative ridership performance for a given level of service), established a statistically significant model (99% level, R = 0.67) with 6 significant explanatory variables including being in Europe, speed, employment density, integrated ticketing, track segregation and service level. The latter implies that a higher frequency results in higher service effectiveness. Overall the research findings stress the importance of providing a high level of service as a major driver of light rail ridership. The 'European Factor' is also an important though intriguing influence but its cause remains unclear and requires further research to elaborate its nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Review of Education / Internationale Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

As part of the study “The burden of rheumatoid arthritis and patient access to treatment”, this paper reviews evidence on the health burden of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in terms of morbidity (DALYs), mortality (% of deaths attributable to RA) and quality of life (utility and loss of QALYs), as well as the economic impact on society. Based on available literature on the prevalence and the cost of RA, combined with economic indicators, the annual cost per patient as well as the total national cost is estimated for Europe and North America (Canada and the United States), as well as Australia, Turkey, the Russian Federation and South Africa. Total costs to society were estimated at €45.3 billion in Europe and at €41.6 billion in the United States. Utility scores were found to be amongst the lowest compared to other diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The previous papers of this issue discuss the views teachers from the United States, Australia, Hong Kong SAR, and Mainland China have on effective mathematics teaching and learning. Similarities and differences are found and a differentiation from West to East can be worked out in the order of the regions as listed above. The picture of teachers' views can, however, be differentiated when they are looked at from a European perspective. On the basis of the analysis of two comparative studies on teaching cultures in three European countries and a questioning of teachers, this commentary therefore locates France, Germany, and England within this framework so that the East-West-contrast is distinguished in more detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The burden of health and safety related issues emanating from the modern workplace is overwhelming. Although the prevailing statistics found in the literature show that victims of workplace fatalities and injuries are higher in developing countries and transition economies, there is a very limited understanding of the causal factors that may correspond to the continuous increase in the occupational exposure of employees to various fatalities and injuries. The purpose of this study was to review the literature on occupational safety of workers with the objective of highlighting the major causal factors of workplace injuries and fatalities from a multi-regional perspective, particularly on job-contexts with highest safety and health related hazards. Methodology: A systematic review of the literature was conducted on 73 empirical studies in the regions of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and the Americas (the US & Canada). Findings: The results showed that the highest number of injuries and fatalities were mostly found in the construction industry. It further emerged that most of the studies were centered in developing countries within Africa and Asia. Other results and recommendations were discussed for each region. Value: The findings from this study have the potential to expose the regional dynamics in relation to safety in the workplace. This study also addresses the main areas of concern for stakeholders to promote organizational development and safety culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines empirically whether more stringent domestic environmental policies reduce the international competitiveness of environmentally sensitive goods (ESGs). Our time series evidence indicates that there are no systematic changes in trade patterns of ESGs in thelast three decades, despite the introduction of more stringent environmental regulations in most of the developed countries in the 1970s and 1980s. This observed phenomenon is then subjected to a multi-country econometric test using an extended gravity-equation framework. The test suggests that, overall, more stringent environmental regulations do not reduce total exports, exports of ESGs and exports of non-resource-based ESGs. Neither was there any evidence to support the hypothesis that new trade barriers emerge to offset the effects of more stringent environmental regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropological studies of mortuary ceremonies have focused primarily on their social and structural correlates and functions. Little attention has been given to their role in facilitating the expression and resolution of grief by the bereaved. The elaborate and extended mortuary rites of the people of northeastern Arnhem Land, Australia (the "Murngin") have several characteristics which promote and structure the mourning process and facilitate the full reintegration of the bereaved into the social life of the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the fertility transition in Ireland during 1880-1911. The decline in Irish marital fertility was neither uniform nor universal. Between 1881 and 1911, there were increases in Counties Galway, Mayo, Roscommon and Donegal, while the decline in several other counties was small. Cohort parity analysis (CPA), a fertility measure devised by researcher Paul David and his research associates, provides a means of inferring the extent and timing of birth control within marriage from distributions of married women by number of children born. A key aspect of CPA is the extent to which married couples resort to contraception in order to "space" births. Ireland has played an important part in the development of CPA, because David and his colleagues believe that the rural Irish of 1911 provide a suitable model, not only for urban Ireland in 1911 and the United States around the turn of the century, but also for Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, from the mid-nineteenth through the early twentieth centuries.

DATA SOURCES: Medline and Embase were searched, using the following keywords:“hypodontia”,“oligodontia”,“anodontia”,“agenesis”, and“prevalence or incidence”. Reference lists from retrieved articles were also examined. STUDY SELECTION: For inclusion, an article had to satisfy the following criteria: presence of an English abstract; the sample was representative for the underlying general population; the diagnosis of dental agenesis was based on a radiographic examination; the report presented information on the ethnic background; and the report presented prevalence of agenesis except third molars. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Data from Caucasian populations in North America, Australia and Europe were included in a meta-analysis. For the prevalence in African-American, Chinese and Arab groups, only indications could be reported because of a limited number of studies. Multiple-regression analysis was applied to evaluate the influence of chronological age, sample size, continent and year of publication. Statistical significance was established at P<0.05. The prevalence of agenesis per tooth type, affected patients and number of missing teeth per patient was calculated as far as reported in the papers. For the comparison of the prevalence for males and females, the relative risk (RR) was calculated. RESULTS: The search identified 141 articles, of which 31 met the inclusion criteria. Agenesis differs by continent and gender: the prevalence for both sexes was higher in Europe (males 4.6%; females 6.3%) and Australia (males 5.5%; females 7.6%) than for North-American Caucasians (males 3.2%; females 4.6%). In addition, the prevalence of dental agenesis in females was significantly higher than in males for all three continents, with an RR of 1.37 (95%CI, 1.28-1.45). The mandibular second premolar was the most affected tooth, followed by the maxillary lateral incisor and the maxillary second premolar. Unilateral occurrence of dental agenesis is more common than bilateral occurrence. Bilateral agenesis of maxillary lateral incisors is more common, however, than unilateral agenesis. In most patients, dental agenesis involved only one (48%) or two teeth (35%). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of dental agenesis in Europe and Australia is higher than in North America. The overall prevalence of agenesis in the maxilla is comparable with that in the mandible, but a marked difference was found between both jaws regarding tooth type. Absence of one or two permanent teeth is found in the majority of the subjects with dental agenesis.Evidence-Based Dentistry (2005) 6, 22-23. doi:10.1038/sj.ebd.6400312 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing culturally appropriate diabetes nutrition interventions for immigrants could be facilitated knowing what is successful in the home country and other relevant countries. The primary purpose of this scoping review was to identify the design and delivery methods of nutrition interventions for Chinese populations with type 2 diabetes, in their home countries and as immigrants to western countries. A total of 14 articles was retrieved and included. Overall, the approaches used in China often were modelled on intensive lifestyle programs although alternative strategies were also identified. Most interventions were not focussed solely on nutrition, and only a few were conducted in community settings. Most of the interventions were delivered in a group format, while those conducted in China also included individual counselling, particularly for nutrition. In addition, the diabetes and nutrition-related outcomes, cultural relevance and acceptability, and other factors that influenced protocol compliance were considered. Improvements in blood glucose control were observed in participants in all interventions where it was measured. Participants reported increased nutritional knowledge but nutritional behaviour was generally not well documented. Trials conducted in the United States emphasized the importance of cultural adaptation of intervention programs, particularly with respect to dietary patterns and specific foods. Practice-transferable characteristics are highlighted. Research gaps included trials conducted in community settings with pragmatic implementation and evaluation, comparative trials of interventions to gauge relative effectiveness, and measuring and reporting dietary outcomes for better understanding of the impact on dietary behaviours and their relationship to health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an issue of global concern and there is a dearth of research into the culture-specific barriers that migrant women in Australia face. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which migrant women in Australia experience IPV, and to understand the factors that influence their help-seeking behavior. One hundred and thirty migrant women from the continents of Asia, Europe, South America, North America and Africa aged between 19 and 65 years (M = 38.15 years) reported their experiences of IPV and their preparedness to seek assistance through surveys. The results showed that over 50% of the participants experienced some form of IPV, with the most common type being verbal and emotional, followed by physical and psychological, and then financial. Most women indicated that they needed help, however, many refrained from seeking it; a range of barriers influenced their decision to not seek assistance. The findings have implications for future studies examining violence against culturally and linguistically diverse minority women, the barriers in them seeking assistance and their main sources of support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of AIDS & Behavior is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The current research had the primary goal of investigating the difference in police reporting patterns by sexual assault victims in Western and in non-Western countries. The data for the present study were obtained from the International Crime Victimization Survey. The present work found a significant difference in police reporting behavior by sexual assault victims in Western and in non-Western countries. Gender, urban residency, and the number of offenders were important factors for victims in non-Western countries, but not for those in Western countries. On the other hand, a victim's prior relationship with his or her offender and family income level were significantly related to police reports in Western countries, but not in non-Western countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problems of sexual desire are often cited as the most prevalent of the female sexual dysfunctions. Despite this finding, considerable variability exists when comparing prevalence figures across studies, highlighting the inconsistency in how these problems are defined and therefore measured. The current study was designed to determine how the prevalence estimates of women's sexual desire problems varied according to the diagnostic criteria adopted to define such problems. The sample consisted of 741 women from Australia, the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Participants were between 18 and 71 years of age and were involved in a heterosexual relationship spanning between 3 months and 49 years duration. Sexual desire problems were defined using a variety of criteria, including (1) meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD), (2) meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for HSDD, removing the sexual thoughts/fantasy requirement, (3) self-identified 'lack of sexual interest,' and (4) low average ratings of sexual desire levels, as assessed using the Female Sexual Desire Questionnaire. The prevalence of sexual desire problems varied from 3.0 to 31.0 % depending upon the criteria used to define such problems. It is important to reach a consensus with regard to the criteria used to define sexual desire problems, in order to standardize and compare studies investigating these problems. How women's sexual desire problems are conceptualized has implications for their treatment. Therapists may or may not need to address absent sexual thoughts/fantasies and may be working with low normative levels of desire versus subjective evaluations of low desire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This narrative review summarizes current knowledge on adolescent gambling for the period 1990-2010, assesses adolescent gambling behavior and person and environment predictors, and suggests directions for future research. The review includes 99 studies that identified their subjects as adolescents, children, youth, and students, and discusses adolescent gambling behavior, male and female adolescent gambling, and person and environment variables relating to adolescent gambling. Results reveal that most past research was conducted in Australia, North America, and Europe under the hypothesis of behavior as a function of person and environment variables. Future research should examine the mediated effects of person and environment variables, gambling cessation, gambling in other countries, and internet gambling. Intervention and prevention of adolescent gambling need parental involvement with parents not gambling themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the population structure and linkage disequilibrium (LD) is a prerequisite for association mapping of complex traits in a target population. In this study, we assessed the genetic diversity, population structure and the extent of LD in a panel of 192 inbred lines of Brassica napus from all over the world using 451 single-locus microsatellite markers. The inbred lines could be divided into P1 and P2 groups by a model-based population structure analysis. Out of the 142 inbred lines in the P1 group, 126 lines were from China and Japan, and the remaining 16 lines were from Europe, Canada and Australia. In the P2 group, 33 out of the 50 lines were from Europe, Canada, and Australia, and the remaining 17 lines were from China. Structure analysis further divided each group into two subgroups. AMOVA, pairwise F and neutrality analyses confirmed the differentiation between groups and subgroups. More than 80 % of the pairwise kinship estimates between inbred lines were <0.05, indicating that relative kinship is weak in our panel. Only 6 % linked marker pairs showed LD, suggesting the low level of LD in this association panel. The LD decayed within 0.5-1 cM at the genome level, and varied considerably across each group and subgroup, due to the population size, genetic background and genetic drift. The characterization of the population structure and LD patterns would be useful for performing association studies for complex agronomic traits in rapeseed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complete coat protein (CP) nucleotide sequences of 13 Potato virus S (PVS) isolates from Australia and three from Europe were compared to those of 37 others. On phylogenetic analysis, the Australian sequences were in PVSO sub-clades III and IV, and the European isolates were in sub-clades I and VII. The European isolates invaded Chenopodium spp. systemically, but eight Australian isolates did not. Amino acid sequence differences at the N-terminal ends of the CPs were unrelated to the ability to invade Chenopodium spp. systemically. The acronym PVSO–CS is suggested for isolates that invade Chenopodium spp. systemically but are not within clade PVSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study investigates whether eye color provides a marker of Agreeableness in North Europeans. Extrapolating from Frost’s () research uncovering an unusually diverse range of hair and eye color in northern Europe, we tested the hypothesis that light eyed individuals of North European descent would be less agreeable (a personality marker for competitiveness) when compared to their dark eyed counterparts, whereas there would be no such effect for people of European descent in general. The hypothesis was tested in Australia to provide consistent environmental conditions for both groups of people. Results support the hypothesis. Implications and conclusions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drosophila melanogaster from Australia, Europe and North America enter an adult ovarian dormancy in response to short days and low temperatures. The independent effects of temperature and day length in the determination of dormancy have been examined only in one long-established laboratory line (Canton-S). In all other studies of natural or laboratory populations, dormancy has been assessed at either a single short day or a single moderately low temperature. Herein, we determine the relative roles of temperature, photoperiod, and their interaction in the control of ovarian dormancy in D. melanogaster from two natural populations representing latitudinal extremes in eastern North America (Florida at 27°N and Maine at 44°N). In both natural populations, temperature is the main determinant of dormancy, alone explaining 67% of the total variation among replicate isofemale lines, whereas photoperiod has no significant effect. We conclude that ovarian dormancy in D. melanogaster is a temperature-initiated syndrome of winter-tolerant traits that represents an adaptive phenotypic plasticity in temperate seasonal environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community pharmacists are potentially in a strong position to contribute to improved patient care by providing medicines management services. Several major trials of community pharmacy medicines management (CPMM) have been conducted in Europe, North America, and Australia. Their findings show that some, but not all, of the potential of CPMM is being met, and thus far, evidence of benefit from CPMM is equivocal. There is a need to review the appropriateness of some of the primary outcome measures used in research to date. Key factors in pharmacy practice that impede CPMM include insufficient integration of community pharmacy input into patient pathways through treatment, poorly developed relationships between pharmacists and primary care physicians, lack of access to patient information, inadequate methods for targetting services to patients with identified medication-related problems, and community pharmacists’ willingness (or lack thereof) to provide the service. Recommendations as to how to improve CPMM services so that they deliver their full potential include integrating work practices with medical colleagues, targeting of patients, providing pharmacist access to patientsʼ medical records, and improving communication with patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of our study was to compare various aspects of radiology training schemes in ten countries. A questionnaire was sent to senior residents in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Egypt, India, Malaysia and Greece. The questions concerned length of training, required pre-training experience, the organization of the training scheme, teaching, resources, stages at which residents can independently perform and report examinations, fellowships, and progression to jobs. A wide variety of training, ranging from highly scheduled programs with detailed aims and objectives, to self-learning occurs across the world. Examinations and assessments are also variable. There are lessons to be learned from varying practices; more exchanges of ideas should be encouraged. In view of the "internationalization" of radiology services and the variation in training styles an international qualification for quality assurance purposes may be desirable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regulation of fixed-to-mobile (F2M) termination charges has become increasingly important in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand under the Calling Party Pays principle. In the absence of any regulation, mobile operators have an incentive to set F2M termination charges “too high”. We show that the setting of the optimal F2M termination charges depends on the significance of network externalities, the intensity of competition in the mobile sector, and the distribution of customer preferences. We also discuss the merits of possible remedies which are not very intrusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: For many families and their children, the use of complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) is an accepted adjunct or alternative to conventional therapy, even if data available in the literature regarding risks and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) pertaining to childhood populations are scarce. Moreover, despite widespread and increasing use of CAM, there are limited data on how paediatricians communicate with mothers and/or patients about CAM. Therefore, we report the studies available in the literature in the paediatric field and summarise what is known about ADRs and risks of CAM, taking into account in particular problems related to interactions between phytotherapy and conventional medicines and to counselling.Conclusion: from the analysis of the literature, some interesting aspects emerge: (1) the extent of CAM use in the paediatric field is increasingly sought by parents of children with chronic illnesses; (2) most parents who choose CAM medicine for their children believe that these therapies are "natural" and thus "safe" and (3) physicians often feel to know too little about CAM and wish to learn more for different reasons including "to dissuade whether the alternative method is unsafe and/or ineffective". Therefore, paediatricians should be prepared to discuss alternative therapies with parents, since talking about CAM may help to minimise the risks and to restrain parental misconceptions and doubts. Educational interventions for parents should also be performed to bring about a more aware use of traditional and alternative medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Under-representation of ethnic minority groups in psychiatric services has been widely reported in Western nations. The present study examined whether there were differences between immigrant and Australian-born patients in their maintenance of contact with a statewide psychiatric service system.Methods: Groups were selected on the empirical grounds that they are differently represented in this service system. Employing a form of case-control design, four groups of patients were compared: those born in Australia, the United Kingdom, Southern Europe, and South East/East Asia respectively (n = 79 for each). Groups were identically matched on sex, age, diagnosis (either schizophrenia or bipolar illness) and locality of service. The groups did not differ as to the timing of their first appearance in the 3-year period in which their psychiatric contact was examined.Results: Despite their different representation in the psychiatric service system, the four groups did not differ on measures of continuity of contact. Measures included number of contacts with mental health community services, number of admissions to inpatient wards, length of stay in hospital and the longest interval between any two successive service contacts.Conclusions: The commonly reported underrepresentation of immigrant groups in the psychiatric service system does not appear to be due to greater discontinuation of contact with services. If the assumption of equal community prevalence of disorder is made, then the observed under-representation may be due to differential rates of access to (that is, initial contact with) psychiatric services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the framework of the European Concerted Action on Cystic Fibrosis (Biomed-2, BMH4-CT96-0462) a quality assessment was set up for 135 European and one Australian laboratory. Six DNA samples were sent to the various laboratories. These samples carried the following CFTR genotypes: dF508/N1303K; dI507/wild; dF508/G551D; dF508/621 + 1 GtoT; R553X/wild and 1717-1 GtoA/wild. Each laboratory was asked to process the samples as they routinely do, whether they checked for all mutations or not. More than 75% of the laboratories screened for at least six of these mutations. Heteroduplex analysis was the most frequently used primary testing method (47%), in many instances followed by restriction enzyme digestion. Only a minority of the laboratories made use of a commercial CFTR mutation detection kit. On average, 91% of the laboratories correctly typed both alleles of a given DNA sample. However, 35% of the laboratories incorrectly typed one or more alleles from a total of 12 alleles included in the trial. One laboratory even failed to identify four of the different alleles correctly. The genotyping error frequency tended to be lower in laboratories which perform more than 200 CFTR mutation analyses per year. The results of this quality control trial suggest that there are many laboratories (35%) which have a percentage of errors unacceptable in a routine testing setting. The development of a consensus testing strategy for routine diagnostic laboratories and centralised mutation analysis facilities for rare or country-specific mutations in a limited number of expert centres, in combination with regular training sessions and quality assessments, should further improve genotyping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulsar timing array (PTA) collaborations in North America, Australia, and Europe, have been exploiting the exquisite timing precision of millisecond pulsars over decades of observations to search for correlated timing deviations induced by gravitational waves (GWs). PTAs are sensitive to the frequency band ranging just below 1 nanohertz to a few tens of microhertz. The discovery space of this band is potentially rich with populations of inspiraling supermassive black hole binaries, decaying cosmic string networks, relic post-inflation GWs, and even non-GW imprints of axionic dark matter. This article aims to provide an understanding of the exciting open science questions in cosmology, galaxy evolution, and fundamental physics that will be addressed by the detection and study of GWs through PTAs. The focus of the article is on providing an understanding of the mechanisms by which PTAs can address specific questions in these fields, and to outline some of the subtleties and difficulties in each case. The material included is weighted most heavily toward the questions which we expect will be answered in the near-term with PTAs; however, we have made efforts to include most currently anticipated applications of nanohertz GWs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]