152653 research outputs found
Sort by
The creation of FRONTEX and the politics of institutionalisation in the European Union External Borders Policy
No full textIn a context of high politicization, if not securitization, of asylum and migration in Europe, the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the EU – also known under its acronym FRONTEX – was created in 2004. Its activities have drawn a significant amount of attention and have been heavily criticised by human rights and pro-migrant groups. In contrast with most of the literature on FRONTEX, which focuses on its activities, this article examines the institutional issues associated with the creation and the work of FRONTEX, that is, the reasons for which Member States chose to create an agency, rather than establish another form of cooperation, and the specific mechanisms that they have put in place to exercise control over the activities of the Agency. The article, which is theoretically informed by the literature on European agencies, unveils a complex institutionalisation process, characterised by the existence of various models for increased cooperation and political struggles amongst the actors involved in the policy-making process
The moral foundations of constitutional change in Canada and Scotland at the end of the twentieth century
No full textAdaptive capacity in a Chilean context:a questionable model for Latin America
No full textClimate change impacts are already being keenly observed in the Andes, with significant implications for water use due to alterations in both volumes and seasonality from changes in snow and ice. Concurrently, the style of water governance in Chile has long been held up by international institutions such as the World Bank as a potential model for other Latin American countries seeking to reform their own water governance frameworks. In light of both these issues, a closer inspection of the Chilean water governance context in relation to its adaptive capacity to climate change is warranted. To this end, a governance-related adaptive capacity assessment was applied to a Chilean river basin, the Aconcagua in Region V that focussed on both short and long term resilience, as well as proactive and reactive capacity. Results show that for the Aconcagua Region, the Chilean water governance regime demonstrates significant challenges in adapting to increasingly recurrent and intense periods of drought. Reactive coping techniques for climate variability can be quickly mobilised through the networks that exist. However, longer term preparations and transformative approaches for meeting the mounting challenges of climate change are blocked by lack of trust and cooperation, lack of agency at regional operational levels and lack of accessible and appropriate information on water resources
Requirements gathering using drama for computer vision-based monitoring in supportive home environments
No full textThe use of theatrical techniques to provoke discussion amongst potential users of gerontechnology in order to assist with the design process was investigated. Specifically, the technology being developed was automated visual tracking and monitoring to support older people within their homes by analysing their activity and raising the alarm should they fall. A professional author produced a variety of stories, manifested as relatively short video scenarios, illustrating the various ways in which the technology might operate and be used. Professional actors played out these scenarios as video clips which were shown to groups of potential users as a means of generating discussion. The result was a rich, qualitative method of data collection used successfully with older people and providing a systematic way of accessing their valuable input on the design of a tool to help them to live independently. The method provided a way in which the results of drama, and the discussions provoked, could be fed back into the design process. Key words: Dramatised scenarios, fall detection, computer vision
The management and survival of patients with advanced germ-cell tumours:improving outcome in intermediate and poor prognosis patients
No full textThe survival of germ-cell tumours (GCT) was transformed after the introduction of cisplatin-based therapy. Previous trials have indicated BEP (bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin) as the optimum treatment, although some centres including our own advocate the use of the alternating regimen POMB-ACE (cisplatin, vincristine, methotrexate, bleomycin and dactinomycin, cyclophosphamide and etoposide) for men with intermediate or poor prognosis disease. We analysed the survival and management of GCT patients treated at a specialist cancer centre in relation to internationally recognised prognostic groupings
Factors associated with uptake of pandemic influenza vaccine among general practitioners and practice nurses in Shropshire, UK
No full textBACKGROUND: At the time of the 2009-10 influenza pandemic there was considerable unease about vaccination. Early surveys suggested that the intention to be vaccinated amongst healthcare workers was low. AIMS: To determine what influenced vaccination uptake among general practice healthcare workers in Shropshire County Primary Care Trust in the UK. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to all frontline healthcare workers in Shropshire County's general practices in June 2010. All 45 practices participated. Questionnaires were distributed by practice managers to frontline staff and returned by post. Practices with the lowest return rates were reminded by telephone after 3 months. RESULTS: 205 valid replies were received, giving a response rate of 48.0%. 10.0% reported being infected with the pandemic H1N1 strain by the time they received the questionnaire. 172 (83.9%) respondents reported that they had been vaccinated against H1N1. Influenza infection prior to vaccination had a negative impact on uptake (adjusted OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.56) and previous vaccination against seasonal influenza was associated with increased uptake (adjusted OR 4.07, 95% CI 1.62 to 10.24). Those who received the pandemic vaccine were seven times more likely to accept future vaccines (adjusted OR 7.04, 95% CI 2.70 to 18.37). CONCLUSIONS: Vaccination uptake was significantly higher than the national (40.3%), regional (40.9%), and county averages (49.3%). Motivation for and against vaccination was very similar to that for seasonal vaccination, with previous vaccination having the greatest influence. Ensuring healthcare workers receive vaccination early in their career is likely to set a precedent for future vaccination. This is the first detailed study purely in general practice in England
Computer-assisted history-taking systems (CAHTS) in health care: benefits, risks and potential for further development
No full textBackground: A computer-assisted history-taking system (CAHTS) is a tool that aids clinicians in gathering data from patients to inform a diagnosis or treatment plan. Despite the many possible applications and even though CAHTS have been available for nearly three decades, these remain underused in routine clinical practice.Objective: Through an interpretative review of the literature, we provide an overview of the field of CAHTS, which also offers an understanding of the impact of these systems on policy, practice and research.Methods: We conducted a search and critique of the literature on CAHTS. Using a comprehensive set of terms, we searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, The Cochrane Methodology Register, Health Technology Assessment Database and the NHS Economic Evaluation Database over a ten-year period (January 1997 to May 2007) to identify systematic reviews, technical reports and health technology assessments, and randomised controlled trials.Results: The systematic review of the literature suggests that CAHTS can save professionals' time, improve delivery of care to those with special needs and also facilitate the collection of information, especially potentially sensitive information (e.g. sexual history, alcohol consumption). The use of CAHTS also has disadvantages that impede the process of history taking and may pose risks to patients. CAHTS are inherently limited when detecting non-verbal communication, may pose irrelevant questions and frustrate the users with technical problems. Our review suggests that barriers such as a preference for pen-and-paper methods and concerns about data loss and security still exist and affect the adoption of CAHTS. In terms of policy and practice, CAHTS make input of data from disparate sites possible, which facilitates work from disparate sites and the collection of data for nationwide screening programmes such as the vascular risk assessment programme for people aged 40-74, now starting in England.Conclusions: Our review shows that for CAHTS to be adopted in mainstream health care, important changes should take place in how we conceive, plan and conduct primary and secondary research on the topic so that we provide the framework for a comprehensive evaluation that will lead to an evidence base to inform policy and practice
The Ambiguities of Transitional Narrative in The Porcupine by Julian Barnes
No full textThis article examines The Porcupine (1992) by Julian Barnes as a rare and early treatment of criminal trial in transitional states at a time when scholarship in the area of transitional justice was in its infancy. Its examination of the relationship between a deposed Communist dictator, a zealous prosecutor, and the public in a state based on Bulgaria foreshadowed many of the issues that would become apparent in later prosecutions by liberal regimes of their illiberal predecessors.In particular, it highlights the potency of fictional narrative to serve as a valuable corrective to the potentially hegemonic official, public narrative of trial or truth commission. It demonstrates that the novel or the play can give voice to the unacknowledged victim, to the vindications of the old regime transitional justice seeks to discredit, to the equivocacy and indeterminativeness of transitionthat the report or verdict cannot. The novel or play can “cut deeper” into the history of repression or violence, allowing more nuanced and even divergent understanding of the past, the process itself, and the future
Data sources:
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage University of Dundee Online Publications? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!