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In Europe, if not internationally, the past decade in early school leaving prevention research and policy can be characterised as involving an emotional-relational turn. Some key features of this accelerated emotional-relational focus previously documented include the need to address authoritarian teaching and teacher conflict resolution skills, to prevent students being alienated from school. It also involves stronger integration of health and education policy and research, including emotional counselling supports and multidisciplinary teams in and around schools. This emotional relational turn is argued here to include four further pillars as part of an inclusive systems approach: children's voices, integrated bullying and early school leaving prevention supports, positive school climate, together with social and emotional education.

The increase in numbers of children travelling unaccompanied to Europe has provoked a sensitive debate as to how to treat their family members. While EU Member States generally grant family reunification for unaccompanied minors, the UK has opted to permit reunion in only 'exceptional circumstances'. Widely criticised, the UK government counters that child-sponsored family reunification creates incentives for unaccompanied migration that place children at risk. This article explores both policies from a human rights perspective. It suggests that, as regards children reaching Europe, EU policy is more consistent with human rights norms. However, UK policy raises legitimate questions about obligations towards children beyond Europe's borders. A rights-based justification for either EU or UK policy can be constructed, but requires recourse to additional principles on the balancing of rights among different groups of children. Clearer articulation and scrutiny of these principles could strengthen the rights rationale for child-sponsored family reunification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on educational transition in Europe topics including impact of poverty and social exclusion; risk of early school leaving; and school bullying and violence.

This research is a legal analysis concerning four scenarios for cross-border carbon dioxide (CO2) transport that could increase the deployment of carbon-capture and storage (CCS) deployment in Europe. The legal analysis categorizes the law into three levels--international, national and local--and considers the four scenarios in light of these three levels of energy law. Upon reviewing the four scenarios, it is clear that the Rotterdam Nucleus (referred to as the 'Pilot Case') is the leading scenario and as a result it is explored in more detail. The potential Pilot Case is based on the development of Rotterdam (in the Netherlands) as a southern North Sea hub. Under this Rotterdam Nucleus scenario, captured CO2 will be transported through the Port of Rotterdam to depleted gas fields offshore the Netherlands. CO2 will also be transported through further links using CCS infrastructure to facilitate the processing of undeveloped gas fields offshore UK. The Pilot case contemplates further expansion opportunities, increasing the capture clusters through additional pipelines, expanding to further gas fields and using the port of Rotterdam for CO2 shipping--hence the analysis of the other scenarios may be invaluable in the future development of CO2 networks in the EU. Finally, and an original contribution of this article is that it employs the three lawyers of energy law theoretical framework to an energy problem that was examined by an interdisciplinary research team. Furthermore, this research was developed further through two key industry stakeholder meetings with CCS experts in the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Penile carcinoma is a rare genitourinary malignancy in North America and Europe with highest rates recorded in South America, Africa and Asia. Recent classifications have refined the terminology used in classifying intraepithelial/in situ lesions and additionally newer entities have been recognised in the invasive category. While increasing recognition of a bimodal pathway of penile carcinogenesis has facilitated understanding and classification of these tumours, handling and subtyping of penile malignancies presents a challenge to the reporting pathologist, in part due to their rarity. This article reviews the terminology and classification of in situ and invasive carcinomas and their relationship to human papilloma virus status. In addition, associated non-neoplastic dermatological conditions of relevance and appropriate ancillary investigations will be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, a controversial footnote has been included in many additive provisions of the Codex Alimentarius General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA). Codex members perceive Note 161, referring to national legislation, to exempt domestic measures from the intended disciplines of Codex standards. Its principal advocates, the EU, believe that Note 161 is necessary where the GSFA has failed to take account of basic principles governing the appropriate use of additives. Critics view it to undermine the standardsetting body's harmonisation goals and give rise to trade barriers. This article explains the upset around Note 161 and examines, in the context of World Trade Organization (WTO) law, whether the footnote has the implications negotiators assume. It also reflects on the EU's need for recourse to this note to defend its food additive regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To quantify the burden of uterine fibroids (UF) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and work productivity in a general population of women. Study design: Women diagnosed with or experiencing UF-related symptoms living in five Western European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom) were identified through a cross-sectional Internet-based survey. The following parameters and outcomes of interest were captured and analysed: patient history and demographics, treatment and diagnosis patterns, symptom severity and HRQOL, work productivity and activity impairment, and disease or symptom-related health care resource use for the past year (e.g., provider visits, hospitalisation). Results: This analysis included 1756 women (France, 358; Germany, 345; Italy, 351; Spain, 352; United Kingdom, 350). Prevalence of a diagnosis of UF ranged from 11.7% to 23.6%, and that of undiagnosed bleeding symptoms from 14.7% to 24.6% across the five countries. Between 9.0% and 32.5% of women waited ≥5 years before seeking treatment for UF. Mean UFS-QOL symptom severity scores ranged from 24.7 (95% confidence interval [CI], 21.1–28.3) to 37.6 (95% CI, 32.2–43.0; P <0.001), suggesting mild to moderate severity. Mean UFS-QOL scores ranged from 59.2 (95% CI, 54.2–64.2) to 69.7 (95% CI, 66.5–73.0; P =0.002), suggesting moderate impairment. In pooled analyses, absenteeism was reported by 32.7% of employed women with a diagnosis of UF. Overall worker productivity was reduced by 36.1% and general activity was impaired by 37.9%. Conclusions: UF are common in women residing in Western Europe. They are associated with impairment of HRQOL and productivity. A substantial number of women delay seeking medical help. Encouraging symptomatic women to seek help and treatment earlier may benefit women by improving their HRQOL and may also benefit society through enhanced worker productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lower crustal garnet-bearing mafic granulite xenoliths from beneath the cratonic areas of NE Europe (NW Russia, Belarus, Finland) have unradiogenic 143 Nd/144 Nd ratios that differ strongly from those of xenoliths from beneath Phanerozoic regions of the European plate and worldwide, but closely resemble xenoliths from other cratonic regions of the world. Phanerozoic lower crustal xenoliths worldwide also show a very limited range of Pb isotope compositions whereas most cratonic lower crustal xenoliths have more varied but usually unradiogenic Pb isotope compositions, plotting to the left of the Geochron. However, many of the xenoliths from beneath NE Europe plot on the right-hand side of the Geochron and also have more radiogenic 208 Pb/204 Pb ratios. Thus, the lower crust of NE Europe shows characteristics of both cratonic lower crust (unradiogenic Nd isotopes) and Phanerozoic lower crust (radiogenic Pb isotopes). Its present-day low U/Pb and Th/Pb ratios indicate that it has been depleted in heat-producing elements, but the radiogenic Pb isotope ratios show that this depletion occurred relatively recently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the spatial coverage of regional policy in Central and Eastern Europe. Hungary; Slovenia; Czech Republic; Poland; Estonia; Slovakia; Bulgaria; Romania.

Abstract The transformation of central and eastern Europe has created new spatial patterns of economic and social inequality including west-east, core-periphery and urban-rural disparities and industrial problem areas. This situation is increasingly demanding a regional policy response, evident in rearms to territorial and administrative structures, the drafting of regional policy legislation and the implementation of spatially targeted incentives, sometimes in specifically designated areas. Particular challenges face future progress in this field including prioritising between equity and efficiency goals and effectively managing the influence of the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]