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This article proposes that travel literature played an important role in the production of knowledge in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. To address these issues, the entire corpus of travel literature that covers India up to 1761, the year commonly accepted as the beginning of English control, was studied. This includes the work dating from the classical period, though the majority of accounts fall within a period when European economic activity was beginning to dominate the world, circa the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. A crucial aspect of the argument detailed in this paper is a belief that such travel accounts are really far more indicative of European mores than that of Indian society. In short, the only means by which to understand the foreign is through conscious and unconscious references to one's own cultural constructs, similar to the historian's understanding that the past is always interpreted in terms of the present. This paper also proposes that the literature of travel accounts was tied up with the larger production of knowledge of the period, and the rise of European hegemony. As Europe came to understand what the world looked like and what was available for economic exploitation, travel literature spurred on competing interests to stake their claim.

Abstract: The paper reviews key aspects of the new constitutional framework for the European Union, once the Treaty of Amsterdam has been ratified, in the light of the core challenges of managing flexible integration in an enlarged Union and securing adequate legitimacy for the integration project. Reviewing briefly the general debates on flexibility, and its relationship to different constitutional and political futures for the Union which are suggested by those involved in the debates, the paper examines the principal provisions governing what is termed `closer cooperation' within the new Union treaties. The emphasis is placed on the framework provisions of the TEU, and those in the First Pillar. It is noticeable that the Treaty takes a `non-ideological' approach to flexibility, eschewing direct support for those who interpret flexibility as meaning more or less integration in the future. It provides a framework for future cooperation which is likely to be too restrictive to be workable, except in very limited circumstances. However, particular instances of flexibility are provided in the Treaty, in the form of the opt-outs from the new free movement title and the communitarisation of Schengen for the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark, and some might even describe these as `pick-and-choose'. The paper concludes by reviewing the flexibility debate against the background of the ongoing legitimacy challenge for the Union, arguing that, as currently conceived, flexibility is more to do with balancing political interests than with securing or enhancing legitimacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes cattle killing by First Nations in Southern Alberta in the 1890s m light of different theoretical approaches to the issue of First Nations crime. This paper suggests that this form of criminal behaviour was not a result of cultural differences or cultural misunderstandings between First Nations and Europeans. Rather, this type of First Nations criminality was rooted in material circumstances characterized by extreme hunger, and was reflective of a process of resistance to state policies. The crime of cattle killing was, in part, a political act that was part of Treaty Seven First Nations efforts to oppose and change the Department of Indian Affairs rations policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among ladybirds, diapause has evidently been most studied in Coccinella septempunctata L . adults. Coccinella septempunctata ( C-7), the seven spot, has attracted attention both in Europe and the USA for being heterogeneous as to the induction of diapause. A polyphenic character of diapause is a prominent feature in C. septempunctata and this phenomenon generally and often generates voltinism heterogeneity within populations. A greater part of the C-7 population shows an obligatory univoltine cycle, whereas a smaller proportion is facultatively polyvoltine. Coccinella s. bruckii in Japan is bivoltine, in which the first generation of adults aestivate while the second generation hibernates. This paper reviews this heterodynamic cycle and its importance in the life history of C-7, as reported from different regions of the world. Heterogeneous voltinism and diapause smooth the progress of a portion of C-7 populations to take benefit of aphids well into late summer and autumn. Understanding such variation and plasticity in the life history of this species can help in organizing proper biological control attempts using it as a biocontrol agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the migrants' occupational integration process. Two main theoretical perspectives are tested: the first one (assimilation view) claims that in the short-run migrants are penalized, but as they settle in the receiving country they get integrated into the host society; the second one (segmented assimilation view) claims that disadvantages persist in the long-run. EU-LFS and ESS data are described and modelled, in order to compare the labour market performances of migrants in four European old-receiving countries (Germany, France, Great Britain and Sweden) and in two new-receiving countries (Spain and Italy) both in a short-term and in a long-run perspective. We find that a) in the short-run, migrants' labour market condition is worst with respect to the natives; b) this gap decreases with older migrants; c) the ethnic penalty disappears with the second generation, when they achieve a level of education comparable to that of the natives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cirrhosis is the eighth leading cause of 'years of lost life' in the United States and accounts for approximately 1% to 2% of all deaths in Europe. Patients with cirrhosis have a high risk of developing acute kidney injury. The clinical characteristics of hepatorenal syndrome ( HRS) are similar to prerenal uremia, but the condition does not respond to volume expansion. HRS type 1 is rapidly progressive whereas HRS type 2 has a slower course often associated with refractory ascites. A number of factors can precipitate HRS such as infections, alcoholic hepatitis, and bleeding. The monitoring, prevention, early detection, and treatment of HRS are essential. This paper reviews the value of early evaluation of renal function based on two new sets of diagnostic criteria. Interventions for HRS type 1 include terlipressin combined with albumin. In HRS type 2, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt ( TIPS) should be considered. For both types of HRS patients should be evaluated for liver transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analyse the sectoral and functional division of labour in Central and Eastern European ( CEE) regions within the convergence debate. By analysing the investment decisions of multinational corporations in 49 NUTS 2 regions across six European CEE countries ( Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria), we show that capital city regions not only receive more greenfield FDI but also attract a larger variety of investments in terms of sectors and functions. Capital cities are more likely to host higher-end sectors and functions, which provides an explanation for the existing regional disparities within CEE countries. These results highlight the importance of functional and sectoral divisions of labour in the view of regional profiling and contribute to the recent EU Cohesion Policy debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the coming years, the share of the working-age population in the total population will start to decline in all countries of the European Union. All other things remaining equal, this so-called demographic burden will have a downward effect on economic growth. This paper examines whether the Europe 2020 employment targets would be sufficient to compensate for the downward impact of demographic burden and whether the impact of demography on economic growth differs between EU countries and between urban and rural regions. The results show that raising employment rates to the Europe 2020 targets can restore positive opportunities for economic growth, but not in all countries and only to a limited extent. They also show that even though urban and rural regions differ in terms of population growth and growth of the working age population, the prospects for demographic burden are highly similar for both types of regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Green-grabbing', in which environmental arguments support expropriation of land and resources, is a recognized element in neoliberal conservation. However, capitalism's strategic interest in promoting the neoliberalization of conservation is accompanied by attempts to exploit hitherto protected natures without any pretence at 'greenness'. In this paper we explore the dialectics between 'green' and 'un-green' grabbing as neoliberal strategies in the reconstruction of nature conservation policies after the 2008 financial 'crash' in Greece and the UK. In both countries, accelerated neoliberalization is manifested in diverse ways, including initiatives to roll back conservation regulation, market-based approaches to 'saving' nature and the privatization of public nature assets. The intensification of 'green' and 'un-green' grabbing reflects capitalism's strategic interest in both promoting and obstructing nature conservation, ultimately leaving for 'protected natures' two choices: either to be further degraded to boost growth or to be 'saved' through their deeper inclusion as commodities visible to the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an attempt has been made to evaluate the contents volumes I to X of Sociologia Ruralis (1960-1970), with the understanding that only the (75) English written papers are being reviewed. The main starting points have been derived from Article 4 of the Constitution of the European Society for Rural Sociology. After having proposed a number of critical remarks on the subject that have been dealt with in the papers concerned, a tentative evaluation has been made of the practical, theoretical, and methodologic relevance of these papers. In the final section, some ideas are suggested which might be used in order to remove several shortcomings brought to light in to previous sections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Diet quality indices add an important dimension to dietary assessment. The aim of this systematic review was to: (i) identify and describe the attributes and applications of diet quality indices developed for use or used in paediatric populations; (ii) describe associations between these diet quality indices and health-related variables in paediatric populations; and (iii) identify factors that are associated with diet quality in paediatric populations worldwide. Methods Studies were identified by searching electronic databases for relevant papers from 1980 to October 2013 using keywords. Inclusion criteria were original studies that utilised a quantitative measure of diet quality in children and adolescents aged 0-18 years. Results One hundred and nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria, from which 80 different diet quality indices were identified. The majority of studies had >1000 participants and were of acceptable quality. Of the 56 studies that investigated health-related outcomes, weight status was the most researched. Europe produced the most number of diet quality indices ( n = 27 indices). Of the 119 studies, seven intervention studies were identified. Paediatric diet quality indices were found to be associated with environmental, behavioural and maternal factors. Conclusions The use of diet quality indices in paediatric populations is a rapidly expanding area of research in diverse populations internationally. In economically disadvantaged countries, diet quality indices may be predictive of child growth. However, prospective cohort, intervention and validation studies are required to draw stronger conclusions concerning risk of future disease in paediatric populations in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are still blank areas on the map of distribution of silica-scaled chrysophytes in Europe, the subtropical regions are especially understudied. Here, a survey of species from nine sampling sites from the Istrian Peninsula is provided. In total, only 17 mostly cosmopolitan or widely distributed species were recorded. A relatively low number of species per locality (3.7 on average) might be a consequence of low connectivity of freshwater bodies in the Istrian Peninsula, and higher levels of conductivity and pH, caused by carbonate and flysch bedrock. Species known to prefer or tolerate higher levels of those factors were especially prevalent in the investigated sites (e.g. Mallomonas heterospina and M. alata). Resistant silica scales make silica-scaled chrysophytes a flagship group of organisms to study the biogeography of protists. Records of species from European humid subtropical climate regions have not been published to date, and the current paper may help to fill in the missing information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heritage tourism commonly involves displays designed to represent and commemorate a valued cultural past. Our particular focus in this paper is mining heritage, and how it has been developed in Wales and Cornwall to reflect their rather different, but culturally and nationally defining, industrial histories. From some historical and critical perspectives, heritage is still a controversial concept involving simulation and commercialisation, which is often perceived as inauthentic. Yet heritage sites like Geevor in Cornwall and Big Pit in Wales, our two empirical foci, are promoted largely in terms of their authentic value. Visitors can 'experience the past', e.g. by going underground, being guided by 'real miners' and engaging with material artefacts of mining, not merely observe it. We draw on recent critical perspectives that move beyond essentialising conceptions of (in)authenticity, to analyse the competing claims to authenticity that we see in the promotional and interpretive discourses of mining heritage. We argue that, at the two sites, such discourses are organised within four frames, which we refer to as material, cultural, performative and recreational. Each frame defines a social dimension in which authenticity can be experienced. Together, the four frames provide a productive means of discursively managing the competing priorities that lie at the heart of heritage tourism. Mewn twristiaeth treftadaeth defnyddir yn fynych arddangosion a luniwyd i gynrychioli a choffáu gorffennol diwylliannol a drysorir. Ar dreftadaeth mwyngloddio yr ydym yn canolbwyntio'n benodol yn y papur hwn, a'r modd y datblygodd yng Nghymru ac yng Nghernyw i adlewyrchu hanes diwydiannol y ddwy ardal, hanesion eithaf annhebyg, ond rhai sy'n diffinio diwylliant a chenedligrwydd y ddwy ardal. O rai safbwyntiau hanesyddol a beirniadol, mae treftadaeth yn parhau'n gysyniad dadleuol, un sy'n ymwneud ag efelychu a masnacheiddio a ystyrir yn fynych yn anawthentig. Ac eto, caiff safleoedd treftadaeth fel Geevor yng Nghernyw a'r Pwll Mawr yng Nghymru, ein dau ffocws empirig, eu hyrwyddo i raddau helaeth o safbwynt eu gwerth awthentig. Gall ymwelwyr 'fyw'r gorffennol', e.e. drwy fynd o dan y ddaear, cael eu harwain gan 'fwyngloddwyr go iawn' a thrin a thrafod arteffactau materol mwyngloddio, nid dim ond edrych arnyn nhw. Rydym yn tynnu ar safbwyntiau beirniadol diweddar sy'n mynd y tu hwnt i gysyniadau sy'n hanfodoli (an)awthentigrwydd, i ddadansoddi'r gwahanol enghreifftiau o hawlio awthentigrwydd a welwn mewn disgyrsiau hyrwyddo a dehongli yn nhreftadaeth mwyngloddio. Rydym yn dadlau y caiff disgyrsiau o'r fath, ar y ddau safle, eu trefnu yn ôl pedair ffrâm, sef beth a alwn yn ffrâm faterol, ffrâm ddiwylliannol, ffrâm berfformiadol a ffrâm hamdden. Mae pob ffrâm yn diffinio dimensiwn cymdeithasol lle gellir cael profiad o awthentigrwydd. Gyda'i gilydd, mae'r pedair ffrâm yn ffordd ddefnyddiol o drin, drwy ddisgwrs, yr amryw flaenoriaethau sydd wrth wraidd twristiaeth treftadaeth [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CommFABnet is a European Commission-funded project aimed at significantly improving the information flow between European research projects in the fields of food, agriculture and fisheries, and biotechnology (the so-called bioeconomy) and stakeholders, such as businesses, policy makers and European citizens. This includes children and young people, who are the target group of an educational toolkit that is being developed by the British Nutrition Foundation, a partner of the CommFABnet project, for use in classrooms across Europe. This paper focuses on the development of the educational toolkit, and in addition outlines the role of educating and inspiring young people in the science communication process, and how other networks or projects can learn from the CommFABnet model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Recent attention to health of people with intellectual disabilities has used a health disparities framework. Building on historical context, the paper summarizes what is known about health disparities from reports and research and provide direction on what to do to reduce these disparities among adults with intellectual disabilities. Methods The present authors examined literature from 2002 to 2011 on health disparities and people with disabilities looking for broad themes on documenting disparities and on research approaches and methods. Results Multiple countries published reports on health of people with intellectual disabilities. Researchers summarized existing research within a health disparities framework. A number of promising methodologies are identified such as health services research, health indicators, enhanced surveillance and mixed-methods. Conclusions Strategies to reduce health disparities include use of data to educate decision makers, attention to social determinants and a life-course model and emphasis on leveraging inclusion in mainstream services where possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertebrate scavengers can modify surface deposited human remains which can hinder forensic investigations. The effects of such scavenging vary between species and regions. Published research into the effects of the scavenging of human remains is dominated by work from North America with few studies covering Northwestern Europe. Forensic scientists, investigators, and police search officers in Northwestern Europe are often left questioning on a basic level as to which scavengers are active and how they might affect human remains. This paper presents the results of a field study utilizing deer ( Cervus nippon; Capreolus capreolus) as surface deposits observed by motion detection cameras in a British woodland. The most common avian and rodent scavenger species recorded included the buzzard ( Buteo buteo), carrion crow ( Corvus corone), wood mouse ( Apodemus sylvaticus), and gray squirrel ( Sciurus carolinensis). The scavenging behaviors observed were affected by seasonality, rates of decomposition, and insect activity. Scavenging by buzzards, unlike carrion crows, was most frequent during fall to winter and prior to insect activity. Overall, avian scavengers modified and scavenged soft tissue. Rodents scavenged both fresh and skeletonized remains with gray squirrels only scavenging skeletal remains. Wood mice were most active in winter and scavenged both soft tissue and bone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale, aims and objectives Differences in the performance of medical care may be due to variation in the introduction and diffusion of medical innovations. The objective of this paper is to compare seven European countries ( United Kingdom, the Netherlands, West Germany, France, Spain, Estonia and Sweden) with regard to the year of introduction of six specific pharmaceutical innovations (antiretroviral drugs, cimetidine, tamoxifen, cisplatin, oxalaplatin and cyclosporin) that may have had important population health impacts. Methods We collected information on introduction and further diffusion of drugs using searches in the national and international literature, and questionnaires to national informants. We combined various sources of information, both official years of registration and other indicators of introduction (clinical trials, guidelines, evaluation reports, sales statistics). Results and conclusions The total length of the period between first and last introduction varied between 8 years for antiretroviral drugs and 22 years for cisplatin. Introduction in Estonia was generally delayed until the 1990s. The average time lags were smallest in France (2.2 years), United Kingdom (2.8 years) and the Netherlands (3.5 years). Similar rank orders were seen for year of registration suggesting that introduction lags are not only explained by differences in the process of registration. We discuss possible reasons for these between-country differences and implications for the evaluation of medical care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Methylchloroisothiazolinone ( MCI) and methylisothiazolinone ( MI) are the active ingredients in commonly used preservative systems (e.g. Kathon CG®). MCI/ MI is present in the European baseline patch test series at 100 ppm aq. Since 1986, 200 ppm (dose 0.006 mg/cm2) has been used in Sweden without causing skin irritation. Centres in Spain, the United Kingdom and Ireland have also used 200 ppm in their baseline series. Objectives To find the optimal patch test concentration for MCI/ MI. Materials and methods MCI/ MI 100 ppm aq. and MCI/ MI 200 ppm aq. were simultaneously patch tested in 3300 consecutively tested dermatitis patients at eight European patch test clinics and one US patch test clinic. With the Finn Chambers® technique (diameter 8 mm), 15 µl was micropipetted on to the filter paper in the chamber. The corresponding volume for Van der Bend® chambers was 20 µl, and that for IQ Chambers® was 25 µl. Results Contact allergy to MCI/ MI at 100 and 200 ppm was found in 1.2% and 2.1% of patients, respectively ( p < 0.001). Conclusions MCI/ MI 200 ppm aq. (dose 0.006 mg/cm2) diagnoses significantly more contact allergy than the presently used concentration of 100 ppm (dose 0.003 mg/cm2), without resulting in more adverse reactions. MCI/ MI at 200 ppm should therefore be considered for inclusion in the European baseline test series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparative research on gentrification is on the rise, especially since gentrification is no longer confined to historical, central neighbourhoods in First World countries, but also appeared in rural, new-built areas and Second World countries. In this paper we present our comparative approach to investigate gentrification processes in four European cities (Arnhem, Istanbul, Vienna, Zurich), which differs from previous studies in its use of assemblage theory as research framework. The multi-layered framework discerns three levels: 'metrics', 'interpretations', and 'practices'. We argue that many comparative studies mainly focus on metrics, while researching interpretations and practices instead - and how these three levels influence each other through processes of actualisation and counteractualisation - would enhance our knowledge on gentrification. In doing so, we aim to provide a precise account of the nested relations of different layers of empirical reality and thus respond to various calls in the debate to intensively examine 'geographies of gentrification'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LINKED CONTENT This article is linked to Pol et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16197 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16251 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The language and wording used in the signatures of paintings by Domenikos Theotokopoulos (' El Greco') reveal a self-conscious construction of cultural identity in the early modern era. This paper argues that El Greco, an artist born in Crete who later worked in Venice and Rome for nearly ten years, and then for the rest of his career in Toledo, Spain, used his signature as a means to broadcast his artistic brand as a Greek other during his decades-long estrangement from his homeland. Regardless of where he worked or of the style that his paintings adopted, he always and without exception drafted his signatures in Greek, while at key moments of his career, especially during his frequent transitions from one city to the next, he appended his name with a declarative ' Cretan' in order to make it unmistakable that the viewer is looking at the work of a foreigner. In so doing, El Greco's use of language - a topic never taken into consideration with regards to the meaning of its deployment in his signatures - reveals much about the politics of cultural identity in the multicultural societies in which he worked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of the Water Framework Directive requires EU member states to establish and harmonize ecological status class boundaries for biological quality elements. In this paper, we describe an approach for defining ecological class boundaries that delineates shifts in lake ecosystem functioning and, therefore, provides ecologically meaningful targets for water policy in Europe., We collected an extensive data set of 810 lake-years from nine Central European countries, and we used phytoplankton chlorophyll a, a metric widely used to measure the impact of eutrophication in lakes. Our approach establishes chlorophyll a target values in relation to three significant ecological effects of eutrophication: the decline of aquatic macrophytes, the dominance of potentially harmful cyanobacteria and the major functional switch from a clear water to a turbid state., Ranges of threshold chlorophyll a concentrations are given for the two most common lake types in lowland Central Europe: for moderately deep lakes (mean depth 3-15 m), the greatest ecological shifts occur in the range 10-12 μg L−1 chlorophyll a, and for shallow lakes (<3 m mean depth), in the range 21-23 μg L−1 chlorophyll a., Synthesis and applications. Our study provides class boundaries for determining the ecological status of lakes, which have robust ecological consequences for lake functioning and which, therefore, provide strong and objective targets for sustainable water management in Europe. The results have been endorsed by all participant member states and adopted in the European Commission legislation, marking the first attempt in international water policy to move from physico-chemical quality standards to harmonized ecologically based quality targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the discovery of prehistoric flint mines across Europe during the nineteenth century, mining has been recognized as a central component of the Neolithic 'package'. In the south of Britain a small group of mines date to the early fourth millennium BC, posing a problem for traditional interpretations of the Early Neolithic, as they appear a significant period of time before other Neolithic monuments. This paper will look at evidence preserved in the mines of southern England, examining whether these sites demonstrate flint-mining techniques already practised in Continental Europe. Central to the research is a notion that complex activities, such as mining, involve long periods of trial and error before evolving into an accomplished working methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Training for dental practitioners in implant dentistry ranges from 1- or 2-day short Continuing Professional Development ( CPD) courses to certificate/diploma programmes run by universities. In general, the teaching of implant dentistry in Europe lacks structure and standardisation. This paper aims to: (i) identify the current trends in CPD in implant dentistry in Europe; (ii) identify potential and limitations with regards to the design and implementation of CPD activities in implant dentistry; (iii) provide recommendations on the future structure and development of CPD activities in implant dentistry. Methods A search of the literature was undertaken in Pub Med for manuscripts published in English after 2000 reporting on CPD in dentistry and in implant dentistry in particular. In addition, an electronic survey was conducted, investigating the attitudes towards CPD among a wide group of stakeholders in implant dentistry education. Conclusions There is a wide diversity of educational pathways towards achieving competences in implant dentistry through CPD. At present, there is a need for improving the CPD structures in implant dentistry, strengthening the quality assurance and encouraging standardisation and transparency of the learning outcomes. Development of a structured CPD system with clearly defined educational objectives mapped against specific levels of competence is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polygala subgen. Chamaebuxus comprises five perennial species, distributed in Europe and northwestern Africa. Polygala webbiana was hitherto thought to be endemic to Morocco. In this paper, we report the first known population of this species in Europe, present in the province of Málaga (Spain). Detailed pictures of the flower, fruit, and seed are presented, as well as a map of the whole distribution. Moreover, a key to identify the species of Polygala subgen. Chamaebuxus is provided. The names P. chamaebuxus and P. vayredae are lectotypified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to identify the determinants of the geographical mobility of skilled individuals, such as inventors, across European regions. Among a large number of variables, we focus on the role of social proximity between inventors' communities. We use a control function approach to address the endogenous nature of networks, and zero-inflated negative binomial models to accommodate our estimations to the count nature of the dependent variable and the high number of zeros it contains. Our results highlight the importance of physical proximity, job opportunities, social networks, as well as other relational variables in mediating this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper examines cross-national differences in the utilisation of work-family resources at the organisational level and the relationships between these resources and work-to-home interference ( WHI) and satisfaction with work-family balance ( SWFB) among professional and non-professional service sector employees in five Western European countries. Further, it explores cross-national variations in the gap between professionals and non-professionals with respect to both outcome variables. Professional service sector employees were consistently found to experience higher levels of WHI and lower levels of SWFB. The use of organisational work-family resources differed across welfare state regimes and levels of national gender equality. It was highest in Sweden and the Netherlands and lowest in Portugal. A family-supportive supervisor and a family-supportive organisational culture differentially affected WHI of professional and non-professional workers, with a family-supportive supervisor being more beneficial to non-professionals and a family-supportive organisational culture being more beneficial to professional employees. Finally, the gap between professionals and non-professionals was also found to vary across countries for WHI but not for SWFB. It was significantly larger in the UK and in Sweden than in the other three countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building upon the companion paper in this issue, this essay analyses five case studies that can be taken as prototypes of the system-wide cultural district culture-led developmental model. The research targets five cities in Europe and the U.S.: Valencia, Austin, Newcastle/ Gateshead, Linz, and Denver. Each presents specific characteristics but also some deep, structural common traits. The case studies are compared and their future viability is evaluated in terms of the factors presented in the companion piece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To assess the participation of European urology residents in urological laparoscopy, their training patterns and facilities available in European Urology Departments., Materials and Methods A survey, consisting of 23 questions concerning laparoscopic training, was published online as well as distributed on paper, during the Annual European Association of Urology Congress in 2012., Exposure to laparoscopic procedures, acquired laparoscopic experience, training patterns, training facilities and motivation were evaluated., Data was analysed with descriptive statistics., Results In all, 219 European urology residents answered the survey., Conventional laparoscopy was available in 74% of the respondents' departments, while robotic surgery was available in 17% of the departments., Of the respondents, 27% were first surgeons and 43% were assistants in conventional laparoscopic procedures. Only 23% of the residents rated their laparoscopic experience as at least 'satisfactory'; 32% of the residents did not attend any course or fellowship on laparoscopy., Dry laboratory was the most frequent setting for training (33%), although 42% of the respondents did not have access to any type of laparoscopic laboratory., The motivation to perform laparoscopy was rated as 'high' or 'very high' by 77% of the respondents, and 81% considered a post-residency fellowship in laparoscopy., Conclusions Urological laparoscopy is available in most European training institutions, with residents playing an active role in the procedure. However, most of them consider their laparoscopic experience to be poor., Moreover, the availability of training facilities and participation in laparoscopy courses and fellowships are low and should be encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few decades professional service firms have increasingly expanded their activities beyond national borders and established international offices throughout the world. This paper describes and analyses spatial patterns of internationalisation within the engineering consulting sector. By mapping expansion biographies of European engineering consulting firms and conducting dynamic Cox regression models, external factors influencing international market selection are examined. It is shown that current spatial patterns are only partly shaped by the declining importance of cross-national distance. Instead, market seeking motivations and the exploitation of time-critical opportunities appear to be of more significance. Further, changing patterns of market selection are observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The political will to reduce global GHG emissions has largely contributed to increased global biofuel production and trade. The expanding cultivation of energy crops may drive changes in the terrestrial ecosystems such as land cover and biodiversity loss. When biomass replaces fossil energy carriers, sustainability criteria are therefore crucial to avoid adverse impacts and ensure a net positive GHG balance. The European Union has set mandatory sustainability criteria for liquid biofuels in its Renewable Energy Directive ( RED) 2009/28/ EC to ensure net positive impacts of its biofuel policy. The adoption of sustainability criteria in other world regions and their extension to solid and gaseous biomass in the EU is ongoing. This paper examines the effect of the EU RED sustainability criteria on the availability of biomass resources at global and regional scale. It quantifies the relevance of sustainability criteria in biomass resource assessments taking into account the criteria's spatial distribution. This assessment does not include agricultural and forestry residues and aquatic biomass. Previously unknown interrelations between sustainability criteria are examined and described for ten world regions. The analysis concludes that roughly 10% (98.5 EJ) of the total theoretical potential of 977.2 EJ occurs in areas free of sustainability concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why do some immigrants naturalize and others not? While much of the literature emphasizes the importance of country of origin features and individual characteristics, there is surprisingly little systematic research on the relation between citizenship policies in destination countries and citizenship take-up among immigrants. Most research in this field draws on data from single country cases and has limited comparative scope. In this paper we analyze citizenship take-up among first generation immigrants in 16 European countries. We apply an explicit cross-national perspective and argue that immigrant naturalization in Europe is determined not only by country of origin features and individual characteristics, but also by the opportunity structure set by the citizenship laws in the countries of origin and destination. We show that more accessible citizenship policies matter little for immigrants from highly developed countries, particularly those with fewer years of residence, but matter significantly for immigrants from less developed countries. As the composition of immigrant populations and citizenship policies across Europe vary significantly, this comparative design is ideally suited to testing the relative importance of factors related to country of origin, individual background and legal opportunity structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After half a century of corridor development in Europe, the corridor concept is well-established in the academic discourse on transportation. Transport corridors have also been common practice in European transport policy since the creation of a borderless Europe in the 1990s. What is largely lacking in present-day research on European transport corridors is a consideration of a sector-transcendent and comprehensive spatial approach. We argue that adopting such an approach is beneficial to a valued analysis of European transport corridors, especially in the light of EU cohesion policy, agglomeration effects and place-based development. Also, negative external effects of persisting bottlenecks on welfare and quality of life in transport corridors should be better assessed and contextualised. This paper therefore suggests that policy can and should capitalise more on spatiality in corridors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to estimates the mobile device will soon be the main platform for searching the web, and yet our knowledge of how mobile consumers use information, and how that differs from desktops/laptops users, is imperfect. The paper sets out to correct this through an analysis of the logs of a major cultural website, Europeana. The behavior of nearly 70,000 mobile users was examined over a period of more than a year and compared with that for PC users of the same site and for the same period. The analyses conducted include: size and growth of use, time patterns of use; geographical location of users, digital collections used; comparative information-seeking behavior using dashboard metrics, clustering of users according to their information seeking, and user satisfaction. The main findings were that mobile users were the fastest-growing group and will rise rapidly to a million by December 2012 and that their visits were very different in the aggregate from those arising from fixed platforms. Mobile visits could be described as being information 'lite': typically shorter, less interactive, and less content viewed per visit. Use took a social rather than office pattern, with mobile use peaking at nights and weekends. The variation between different mobile devices was large, with information seeking on the iPad similar to that for PCs and laptops and that for smartphones very different indeed. The research further confirms that information-seeking behavior is platform-specific and the latest platforms are changing it all again. Websites will have to adapt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Please cite this paper as: Vega et al. (2012) Influenza surveillance in Europe: establishing epidemic thresholds by the moving epidemic method. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 7(4), 546-558. Background Timely influenza surveillance is important to monitor influenza epidemics. Objectives (i) To calculate the epidemic threshold for influenza-like illness (ILI) and acute respiratory infections (ARI) in 19 countries, as well as the thresholds for different levels of intensity. (ii) To evaluate the performance of these thresholds. Methods The moving epidemic method (MEM) has been developed to determine the baseline influenza activity and an epidemic threshold. False alerts, detection lags and timeliness of the detection of epidemics were calculated. The performance was evaluated using a cross-validation procedure. Results The overall sensitivity of the MEM threshold was 71·8% and the specificity was 95·5%. The median of the timeliness was 1 week (range: 0-4·5). Conclusions The method produced a robust and specific signal to detect influenza epidemics. The good balance between the sensitivity and specificity of the epidemic threshold to detect seasonal epidemics and avoid false alerts has advantages for public health purposes. This method may serve as standard to define the start of the annual influenza epidemic in countries in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the failure of the Avantis cross-border business estate. The inception of this hitherto largely undeveloped site took place in the early 1990s, a period which we suggest characterising with the notion of EUphoria, that is, a widely held belief in the future of a borderless Europe. EUphoria is seen as the key to bringing together otherwise separate discourses under one shared ambition of constructing a cross-border business estate. With the fading of EUphoria, however, Avantis resurfaces as a shared problem and appears to have been built on expectations and promises held within a discourse of European integration rather than among private investors. In retrospect, Avantis as a product of EUphoria remains a EUtopia, albeit with very few believers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper summarises materials on the mammal remains in northeastern Europe, dated by radiocarbon. Altogether, 23 local faunas of small mammals and 47 local faunas of large mammals were analysed. Multidimensional statistical analysis shows a strong correlation between changes in small mammal fauna composition and climate changes throughout time. The correlations with the spatial gradients, however, are less pronounced. The faunas are classified into three groups: (1) faunas of Holocene age; (2) Late Pleistocene 'stadial' assemblages; and (3) Late Pleistocene 'interstadial' assemblages. In some cases, changes in species abundance are better understood in terms of biotic interrelations rather than of climatic effects. The most pronounced change in small mammal fauna composition and structure occurred at the Preboreal/ Boreal boundary, and a less conspicuous alteration took place at the LGM/Lateglacial transition. The most noticeable transformation in the large mammal fauna composition is dated to the early Holocene. Less significant changes are observed at the Middle Weichselian/ LGM transition and at the LGM/Lateglacial transition. It is safely concluded that variations in the faunas of small and large mammals recorded in NE Europe during the last 35 000 years occurred synchronously and unidirectionally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim One of the main gaps in the assessment of biodiversity is the lack of a unified framework for measuring its taxonomic and functional facets and for unveiling the underlying patterns. Location Europe, 25 large river basins. Methods Here, we develop a decomposition of functional β-diversity, i.e. the dissimilarity in functional composition between communities, into a functional turnover and a functional nestedness-resultant component. Results We found that functional β-diversity was lower than taxonomic β-diversity. This difference was driven by a lower functional turnover compared with taxonomic turnover while the nestedness-resultant component was similar for taxonomic and functional β-diversity. Main conclusions Fish faunas with different species tend to share the same functional attributes. The framework presented in this paper will help to analyse biogeographical patterns as well as to measure the impact of human activities on the functional facets of biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key question of this paper is whether social integration, both for minority (migrants) and majority groups (natives) in Western Europe, varies across contexts of exit (ethnic origins) and contexts of reception (Western European countries); and if so, how does religious identity and practice serve to mediate these contextual differences? To investigate this question I draw on the international comparative dataset EURISLAM which includes comparisons between Muslim migrants of ex-Yugoslav, Turkish, Moroccan and Pakistani origin with majority group members of Belgium, Britain, Germany and Switzerland. Social integration is measured through attitudes towards intermarriage across Muslim/non-Muslim lines. As results show, ethnic groups differ in their probabilities to approve of intermarriage. Especially migrants from the former Yugoslavia encounter a significantly lower approval of intermarriage by natives. However, approval of intermarriage is closely tied to religiosity. Once religiosity is controlled for, all migrant groups become significantly more positive about intermarriage than natives. Following theories on in-group favouritism and the homophily principle, we find that religious identity among migrants and practice among both natives and migrants are associated with reluctance to intermarry. Policy makers are advised to take note that contextual differences in perceived social integration of immigrant groups could be confounding other factors, including how differences in religiosity affect social integration. Migrants' significantly higher approval of intermarriage after controlling religiosity implies that policy makers may conceivably have to shift attention from migrants to natives and undertake some action in order to enable a greater intercultural understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is twofold. First, we aim to assess the role played by inventors' cross-regional mobility and collaborations in fostering knowledge diffusion across regions and subsequent innovation. Second, we intend to evaluate the feasibility of using mobility and co-patenting information to build cross-regional interaction matrices to be used within the spatial econometrics toolbox. To do so, we depart from a knowledge production function where regional innovation intensity is a function not only of the own regional innovation inputs but also external accessible knowledge stocks gained through interregional interactions. Differently from much of the previous literature, cross-section gravity models of mobility and co-patents are estimated to use the fitted values to build our 'spatial' weights matrices, which characterize the intensity of knowledge interactions across a panel of 269 regions covering most European countries over 6 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood had extraordinary prominence in medieval Europe across medical, religious, legal, courtly, and fictional discourses: for example, in humoral theory, in the Eucharist, in Christ's Passion, and in warfare. This paper provides an overview of the main characteristics ascribed to blood: it worked as an authenticity effect; as part of a body-soul unit; and by defining the outlines of the person. Christ's blood was regarded as exceptional, and for some people it was impossible to achieve integrity as regards blood. The article shows that blood was believed to grant access to the truth and to hold body and soul together, separate from the external world, but always precariously so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction By maintaining skills and keeping dentists up-to-date, continuing professional development ( CPD) supports safe clinical practice. However, CPD for dentists across Europe is not harmonised. Aim One aim of the ' Dent CPD' project (www.dentcpd.org) was to identify and agree essential CPD requirements for EU dentists. As part of the process, data were collected on existing approaches to CPD for EU dentists. This paper reports those findings. Methods Informed by a review of the literature and internet search, the CPD for Graduate Dentists questionnaire gathered data from dental educators on CPD systems, requirements, provision and accreditation in Europe. It sought opinion on mandatory CPD and e-learning. Results Responses were received from 143 individuals from 30 EU countries. About half the countries had a compulsory CPD system which typically included mandatory core topics. Elsewhere CPD was optional or based on recommended hours. University dental schools and professional dental associations were the most common CPD providers. National regulatory bodies were the most common accrediting body. Only 41% of respondents thought they knew the criteria for successful accreditation of CPD. Eighty-one percent agreed that ' CPD should be obligatory for all dentists'. Conclusion These results present an overview of the status of CPD for EU dentists. Despite a notable trend towards regulated CPD systems, current requirements for dentists to engage in CPD show variation. The harmonisation of requirements would enhance both dentist mobility and safe clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To provide evidence-based and peer-reviewed recommendations for the development of dental continuing professional development ( CPD) learning e-modules. Methods The present recommendations are consensus recommendations of the Dent CPD project team and were informed by a literature research, consultations from e-learning and IT expert, discussions amongst the participants attending a special interest group during the 2012 ADEE meeting, and feedback from the evaluation procedures of the exemplar e-module (as described in a companion paper within this Supplement). The main focus of these recommendations is on the courses and modules organised and offered by dental schools. Results and discussion E-modules for dental CPD, as well as for other health professionals' continuing education, have been implemented and evaluated for a number of years. Research shows that the development of e-modules is a team process, undertaken by academics, subject experts, pedagogists, IT and web designers, learning technologists and librarians. The e-module must have clear learning objectives (outcomes), addressing the learners' individual needs, and must be visually attractive, relevant, interactive, promoting critical thinking and providing feedback. The text, graphics and animations must support the objectives and enable the learning process by creating an attractive, easy to navigate and interactive electronic environment. Technology is usually a concern for learners and tutors; therefore, it must be kept simple and interoperable within different systems and software. The pedagogical and technological proficiency of educators is of paramount importance, yet remains a challenge in many instances. Conclusions The development of e-courses and modules for dental CPD is an endeavour undertaken by a group of professionals. It must be underpinned by sound pedagogical and e-learning principles and must incorporate elements for effective visual learning and visual design and a simple, consistent technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the use of mobile technologies in relation to the aims of the European Union's Lifelong Learning programme. First, we explain the background to the notion of mobile lifelong learning. We then present a methodological framework to analyse and identify good practices in mobile lifelong learning, based on the outcomes of the MOTILL project ('Mobile Technologies in Lifelong Learning: Best Practices'). In particular, we give an account of the methodology adopted to carry out meta-analyses of published literature and accounts of mobile learning experiences. Furthermore, we present the results of an implementation of our Evaluation Grid and the implications arising from it in terms of management, pedagogy, policies and ethical issues. Finally, we discuss lessons learnt and future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose The main objective of the European Association of Young Neurologists and Trainees ( EAYNT), an independent Brussels-based association of junior neurologists, is to represent and promote the interests of European junior neurologists. Methods and results A wide variety of projects and activities are ongoing, carried out by members of the organization in close collaboration with major European and National Neurology bodies. Most recently, we surveyed European junior neurologists about their views on the European Board of Neurology Examination, the status of e-learning in postgraduate neurology training and migration patterns of young neurologists. Conclusions The aim of this paper is to outline the current and future activities of the EAYNT. We run a series of lectures (' EAYNT special sessions') at the major European conferences and disseminate information to young neurologists at the EAYNT booth. We provide information about travel grants, fellowships as well as sharing personal experiences of working abroad. EAYNT members have the opportunity to sit on the scientific subcommittees of the European Federation of Neurological Societies ( EFNS) and European Neurological Society ( ENS), to chair poster sessions and review abstracts. Furthermore, we continue to provide a forum for young neurologists from all over Europe to network and socialize by means of get-together events and hospital visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Knowledge-intensive services (KIS) are important activities for regional growth and considered to be located at the top of urban and regional hierarchies. However, the widespread use of information and communication technologies (ICT) may lead to a higher degree of decentralisation. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the geographical distribution of KIS across European regions, highlighting some important patterns. Our results confirm that the location of KIS remains linked to regions with a high international profile but, contrary to what some previous studies have suggested, the relative concentration of KIS is rather low. However, important differences exist depending on the type of KIS, the country analysed and the comparative statistical level. Recent trends also present uneven results, but show a higher concentration of business services-related KIS. The importance of tacit knowledge may play a role in explaining this result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multilingualism and diversity in legal culture delay the process of European legal integration. While most of the literature on multilingualism and translation in the legal domain focuses on nouns or noun phrases, such as contract or due diligence, this article is concerned with connectives, such as notwithstanding or subject to. Despite the fact that semantic equivalence is a prerequisite for both interpretation and implementation of EU legislation, such connectives are used inconsistently in both primary and secondary legislation. This paper argues that it is possible to achieve a better understanding of the semantic differences in law by adopting a comparative text linguistics approach, and offers strategies on how to tackle the problem on both a theoretical and a practical level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International treaties are usually drafted in one negotiated lingua franca and then translated into the other authentic languages. The quality of these translations must be uncontroversial because once authenticated, they become original versions with equivalent legal effect. This paper investigates semantic-pragmatic aspects of performatives in the UN Declaration of Human Rights ( UN 1948) and in the more recent EU Charter of Fundamental Rights ( EU 2000), in English and Italian. Considering the 50 years elapsing between the publications of the two treaties, the analysis aims at ascertain translational equivalence and equivalent legal effects when rendering similar and in some cases, almost repetitive provisions. The comparison will ideally contribute to reflect on the implications of multilingual translation in the current global environment with special regard to legal instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifteen years ago, the illusions of equality and equivalence were identified as cornerstones of EU translation. This paper revisits these concepts from a contemporary point of view. Several new official languages have been introduced, a new communication policy has been adopted, and social media tools have entered the field of EU communication. Particular emphasis is placed on virtual linguistic landscapes in the EU blogosphere and social media networks, and on the emerging language policy identifiable from the language practices in them. The analysis of language choices in Commissioners' blogs, the European Commission's Facebook profile, EUtube and Europarl TV indicates that, to further the aim of creating a European public sphere, communication practices are shifting from the policy of multilingualism towards a hegemonic language policy where English dominates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The empirical study presented in this paper is about the rendering of linguistic politeness in the institutional translation of the European Union ( EU). The analysis examines specifically one aspect of politeness - (im)personalization - in a bilingual corpus of EU texts (i.e. English originals and Italian translations). Its underlying goal is to highlight a further dimension - pragmatic - in the EU's challenge of preserving institutional multilingualism while speaking with a single voice. Due to the sociocultural grounding of politeness, the way polite discourse is rendered can ultimately shed light on the impact of EU translation policy and practice over the sociolinguistic ecosystem of the EU and over the cultural and identity perceptions of Europeans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]