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An increase in Short Rotation Forestry (SRF) in Ireland is expected in response to the increasing demand for fibre products and wood energy. SRF is the practice of cultivating fast growing tree species mainly for the production of biomass, through a rotation length of less than 20 years in Ireland. Although forest policy is promoting SRF, currently establishment is limited. This thesis aims to investigate the potential financial value of practicing SRF and evaluate whether SRF should be financially managed to allocate a range of assortments to diverse markets or supply a single market only. The work included: 1) Quantification of above ground biomass by dry matter content, merchantable volume and energy content from four SRF stands, two of Eucalyptus spp. and two of Populus spp.; 2) A market survey identifying pallet producers and the wood energy sector as most willing to use SRF material; 3) Benchmarking conditions that facilitated market development in Oregon with current conditions in Ireland, identifying: large scale plantations; high value product market development; and, investment in research, education and marketing, as key conditions; 4) Development of a unit conversion tool to quantify and value wood resources by volume, weight and energy parameters for market segment comparison and 5) Determination, from the landowner’s perspective, of the optimal financial value of SRF and finding maximum returns were for eucalyptus stands used for diverse markets, mainly small sawlog for pallet production. Contrary to policy objectives, SRF will not contribute significant biomass to fibre and fuel markets, under current financial and market conditions. Policy promoting SRF must be long term, and supported by industry, research and education to gain landowners acceptance. Further research on SRF wood properties and yield models will be necessary to underpin SRF development in Ireland.

Low-carbohydrate diets (LCD) are increasing in popularity, but their effect on vascular health has been questioned.Endothelial microvesicles (EMV) are membrane-derived vesicles with the potential to act as a sensitive prognostic biomarker of vascular health and endothelial function. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of a LCD on EMV and other endothelial biomarkers of protein origin. Twenty-four overweight women (age, 48.4 ± 0.6 years; height, 1.60 ± 0.07 m; body mass, 76.5 ± 9.1 kg; body mass index, 28.1 ± 2.7 kg·m−2; waist circumference, 84.1 ± 7.4 cm; mean ± standard deviation) were randomisedto either 24 weeks on their normal diet (ND) or a LCD, after which they crossed over to 24 weeks on the alternative diet.Participants were assisted in reducing carbohydrate intake, but not below 40 g·day−1. Body composition and endothelial biomarkers were assessed at the crossover point and at the end of the study. Daily carbohydrate intake (87 ± 7 versus 179 ± 11 g) and the percentage of energy derived from carbohydrate (29% versus 44%) were lower (p < 0.05) on the LCD compared to the ND, but absolute fat and saturated fat intake were unchanged. Body mass and waist circumference were 3.7 ± 0.8 kg and 3.5 ± 1.0 cmlower (p < 0.05), respectively, after the LCD compared with the ND phases. CD31+CD41−EMV, soluble (s) thrombomodulin, sE-selectin, sP-selectin, serum amyloid A and C-reactive protein were lower (p < 0.05) after the LCD compared to the ND, but serum lipids and apolipoproteins were not different. EMV along with a range of endothelial and inflammatory biomarkers are reduced by a LCD that involves modest weight loss.

International audience; Drawing on fieldwork in four condition areas (rare diseases, childbirth, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Alzheimer’s disease), thisarticle shows that patients’ organizations’ (POs) engagement with knowledge is neither limited to a set of diseases nor restricted to biomedicalknowledge. Their work on and with academic and experiential knowledge contributes to an understanding of their conditions and the problemsthey induce, and to the shaping of the causes they defend. This results in the production of new evidence for grounding research and healthpolicies in their condition areas. The authors propose the notion of “evidence-­‐based activism” to capture the centrality of knowledge activitiesin contemporary POs.

ObjectivesCell-derived microparticles (MPs) are small plasma membrane-derived vesicles shed from circulating blood cells and may act as novel biomarkers of vascular disease. We investigated the potential of circulating MPs to predict (a) carotid plaque instability and (b) the presence of advanced carotid disease.MethodsThis pilot study recruited carotid disease patients (aged 69.3 ± 1.2 years [mean ± SD], 69% male, 90% symptomatic) undergoing endarterectomy (n = 42) and age- and sex-matched controls (n = 73). Plaques were classified as stable (n = 25) or unstable (n = 16) post surgery using immunohistochemistry. Blood samples were analysed for MP subsets and molecular biomarkers. Odds ratios (OR) are expressed per standard deviation biomarker increase.ResultsEndothelial MP (EMP) subsets, but not any vascular, inflammatory, or proteolytic molecular biomarker, were higher (p < .05) in the unstable than the stable plaque patients. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve for CD31+41− EMP in discriminating an unstable plaque was 0.73 (0.56–0.90, p < .05). CD31+41− EMP predicted plaque instability (OR = 2.19, 1.08–4.46, p < .05) and remained significant in a multivariable model that included transient ischaemic attack symptom status. Annexin V+ MP, platelet MP (PMP) subsets, and C-reactive protein were higher (p < .05) in cases than controls. Annexin V+ MP (OR = 3.15, 1.49–6.68), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (OR = 1.64, 1.03–2.59), and previous smoking history (OR = 3.82, 1.38–10.60) independently (p < .05) predicted the presence of carotid disease in a multivariable model.ConclusionsEMP may have utility in predicting plaque instability in carotid patients and annexin V+ MPs may predict the presence of advanced carotid disease in aging populations, independent of established biomarkers.

International audience; In this article, we examine how European patients' organizations (EPOs) contribute to moving patient advocacy beyond national level organizing and acting. In contrast to Europeanization studies, our contention is that EPOs are not content merely to bring national claims up to the European level nor simply enrich national debates with European issues. Rather, we argue that EPOs engage in a compounded multilevel construction of patients as 'European individuals' and of their conditions as matters of concern for Europe. Based on an analysis of the projects, pronouncements, and politics of three EPOs - European Organization on Rare Diseases, Alzheimer Europe, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Europe - we explore how they form European communities of patients and give shape to health issues they deem important to address at European level. We show that EPOs' involvement in the ongoing construction of Europe relies on their capacities to collect, format, and circulate comparative facts, figures, and data on the functioning of domestic health systems, drawn notably on their members' experiences. This helps them to raise discussions on the need for European health-care policies which articulate a 'Europe of markets' and a 'social Europe' to the, benefit of the patients. We discuss the form of politics that this EPOs' 'evidence-based activism', as we all it, entails, and conclude with a few thoughts on their influence on the making of European health-care policies.

Drawing on fieldwork in four condition areas (rare diseases, childbirth, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Alzheimer's disease), this article shows that patients' organizations' (POs) engagement with knowledge is neither limited to a set of diseases nor restricted to biomedical knowledge. Their work on and with academic and experiential knowledge contributes to an understanding of their conditions and the problems they induce, and to the shaping of the causes they defend. This results in the production of new evidence for grounding research and health policies in their condition areas. The authors propose the notion of "evidence-­‐based activism" to capture the centrality of knowledge activities in contemporary POs.

CSI WORKING PAPERS 030; The last two decades have witnessed an efflorescence of European lobbying organizations, including European civil society organizations (Lahusen 2004). Lobbying activity is mainly clustered around enterprise and environmental policy, domains in which the EU has greatest regulatory competencies. However, health has been identified as the fastest growing lobbying sector (Coen 2007). Patients' organizations have been part of the 'rush to Europe'. This domain is of particular significance because healthcare is a major area of the welfare state in which the EU has in the past had little involvement, but one which has in recent years witnessed an increasing Europeanization of policy (Greer et al. 2008). To date, very few studies have explored the species of organizations that European patients' organizations (EPOs) constitute, and the form of activism they develop. This article examines these two issues.

International audience

The purpose of this study is to investigate how indigenous software companies are pricing and licensing their product and service offerings. Nearly a decade ago, almost all software product companies sold software by offering perpetual licences and the software companies performed local installations on their clients’ premises. Today the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model is having a profound influence on the way software is currently charged and licensed. In place of an upfront payment in the form of a licence fee the cost of the service, upgrades, backups and support are all included in a specific fee (subscription). The Ireland-Newfoundland Partnership (INP) fund supported this research project. The research focused on Irish and Newfoundland indigenous software companies and with the help of the INP fund, the researcher collected part of the primary data in Newfoundland, Canada. Conducting the study in two jurisdictions enabled the researcher to identify similarities and differences amongst the indigenous software vendors in the two regions. Mixed-methods surveys are pursued to achieve the research objectives. The primary data used in this study was gathered through a questionnaire administered to 220 indigenous Irish software companies, with a response rate of 29% and a series of six semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted with owners and managers in Ireland and Newfoundland. This mixed-method survey enabled the researcher to establish information as regards the industry sector, gain an in-depth understanding of how software companies are pricing and licensing their software offerings and understand exportation of software. The findings that emerged from this research show that pricing was dependent on a vendor’s software business model. The outcome of this study shows that there appears to be a mixture of software licensing methods used by software vendors surveyed. Some vendors are using the traditional software licensing methods while others are using contemporary methods such as usage-based methods. A second finding that surfaced from this study relates to the pricing methods used by software vendors surveyed. In general, vendors’ pricing methods are categorised as cost-based, competition-based or customer-based. It emerged that despite the software owners indicating that they use customer-based methods, a cost-based approach dominated both the questionnaire and interview findings. It was also discovered that software vendors were no longer offering pure product or pure services to their customers and that SaaS was increasing in popularity as a pricing model amongst the Irish and Newfoundland software vendors. The outcome of this study offers a software-pricing template attached as Appendix F, which would help practitioners to learn from their experience and induct staff assuming responsibility in this area.