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Economic Policy Uncertainty and Income Inequality Across Europe
Full text linkThis paper investigates the impact of Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU) on incomeinequality across a broad set of European countries from 1995 to 2022, with a particular focus on the core-periphery divide. Applying both time series and panel datamethodologies—including Vector Autoregressions (VAR), panel VAR, and local projections—we assess how economic uncertainty influences inequality dynamics. Our findingsreveal three key insights. First, uncertainty shocks significantly affect income inequalityin nearly all countries, and the effect is time-varying. Second, the effect is heterogeneousacross countries but varies: uncertainty tends to reduce inequality in core Europeancountries such as Belgium, Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands, while mainly increasing it in periphery and intermediate countries like France, Greece, Italy, and Spain.Third, panel analysis confirms this asymmetry, showing more persistent and positiveinequality effects in periphery countries. These results suggest that income inequalityin Europe’s periphery is more vulnerable to economic uncertainty, underscoring theimportance of stable policy environments and targeted fiscal responses
Finite element modal analysis of a twin-disc tribometer: Sensitivity analysis and experimental validation using vibrometry
No full textInvestigating tribological systems using tribometers is challenging due to the complex interaction between machine vibrations and contact forces. Numerical simulations are therefore essential for interpreting tribological measurements and for improving the design and reproducibility of test rigs. To support the analysis of wear patterns by coupling structural dynamics and contact behaviour, this study develops and validates a high-fidelity finite element model of a twin-disc tribometer as the structural-dynamic foundation of a digital twin. The model includes detailed geometry, bolt pretension, nonlinear contact, nonlinear joints and rigid body components to accurately capture the dynamic behaviour of the system. A sensitivity study quantifies the influence of model parameters on the modal system characteristics. Operational modal analysis of vibrometer measurements confirms the numerical model, and enables the identification of vibration modes that strongly modulate the disc contact forces. These modes are shown to be governed primarily by disc cover stiffness, contact friction and bearing stiffness, explaining experimentally observed shifts in resonance frequencies associated with periodic wear patterns. The validated model therefore provides insights into the interaction between machine dynamics and contact behaviour and forms a basis for the development of a digital twin, taking machine dynamic effects into account
The importance of self-care and contextual factors: A process evaluation of a recovery intervention for new nurses
Full text linkBackground: Newly graduated nurses often face demanding working conditions including high workload, stress, and irregular working hours. During the first years of practice, burnout symptoms are common. Recovery, including sleep, can be seen as a key protective factor in the associations between stress, shift work and negative health outcomes. Previously, a proactive, group-based intervention (recovery programme) for new nurses, promoting individual strategies for recovery, decreased burnout and fatigue symptoms post-intervention and showed preventive effects on somatic symptoms over time. To optimise the implementation and outcomes of an intervention, it is important to understand its mechanisms of impact (i.e., how it produces change) as well as to identify contextual factors influencing its implementation. Objective: To deepen the understanding of the recovery programme’s mechanisms of impact and to explore how its implementation, including participants’ opportunities for recovery and the feasibility of recovery strategies, was influenced by the context. Design: Qualitative descriptive design. Participants and setting: Twelve nurses (nine women) who had participated in the intervention at four Swedish hospitals, between 12 and 25 months (M = 19) after participation. Methods: Semi-structured individual telephone interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: The programme’s proposed mechanisms of impact, including increased knowledge about sleep, enhanced motivation for behavioural change, and the use of recovery strategies, were confirmed. Motivation to apply recovery strategies was supported by a shift in mind-set regarding the importance of self-care; to improve readability; and follow-up on the behavioural change process during sessions. Contextual factors influencing recovery opportunities and the feasibility of strategies were related to both the work context and the individual. These factors included demanding schedules, extended and disrupted working hours, workload, opportunities for recovery at work, social norms, the organisation of work procedures, private life circumstances, and the deprioritisation of personal recovery needs. Booster sessions and reminders were suggested to facilitate the continued use of recovery strategies after the programme. Conclusions: When supporting nurses in developing individual recovery strategies, it is important to provide opportunities to share experiences with other new nurses and to follow-up on their behavioural change process. Importantly, several organisational factors should also be considered. Organisations should work systematically with the planning and management of working hours that promote recovery, create opportunities for recovery during work shifts, organise work procedures with recovery in mind, and continuously monitor and manage employees’ stress and fatigue symptoms. Together, such efforts could promote a social norm that supports recovery
Comparison of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of ultra‐rapid‐acting insulin aspart and rapid‐acting insulin aspart around continuous moderate intensity exercise in adults with type 1 diabetes: A randomised controlled trial
Full text linkAimsTo compare the effects of dose reductions of ultra-rapid-acting insulin aspart (URA-IAsp) and rapid-acting insulin aspart (IAsp) on blood glucose concentrations during continuous moderate-intensity exercise in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D).Materials and MethodsIn this double-blind, laboratory-controlled study, 43 adults with T1D completed four experimental visits in a randomised crossover design. Participants injected a 50% or 75% reduced dose of URA-IAsp or IAsp with a standardised breakfast 60 min prior to 45 min of cycling at ~61% V̇O2peak. The same insulin type and dose were administered 4 h after the first injection, alongside an identical lunch meal. Venous blood samples were taken at 5-, 10-, and 15-min epochs, for a total of 70 timepoints, throughout the trial day until 4 h after the second injection to determine blood glucose and insulin concentrations. The primary endpoint was the four-way comparison of blood glucose change from exercise start to end.ResultsBlood glucose declined during exercise to a similar extent between 50% dose URA-IAsp (−4.0 ± 2.8 mmol L−1) and all other conditions (all p > 0.05), yet fell more in the 50% IAsp dose (−5.1 ± 3.0 mmol L−1) compared to the URA-IAsp (−2.8 ± 3.3 mmol L−1) and IAsp (−3.4 ± 3.3 mmol L−1) 75% reduced dose conditions (both p < 0.05). Differences in blood insulin concentrations between trials were only resultant of insulin doses and not insulin type from 30 min after the first insulin injection.ConclusionsInsulin dose reductions around acute moderate-intensity exercise yield similar glucose-lowering effects with URA-IAsp and IAsp. The extent of dose reductions exerts greater influence on glycaemia than the type of fast-acting insulin
Advances in visitor attraction research: A critical and thematic review
Full text linkThis study provides a critical and thematic review of the visitor attraction literature over the period 2015-2024, a decade which reflects significant changes in tourism demand, technological innovation, societal trends and global crises. The study identifies and critiques the dominant themes and emerging issues in visitor attraction research in this period, outlines how research methodology has evolved during this period, and what implications such changes have for management practice and theory. The study delivers a multi-dimensional review of visitor attraction scholarship that enables both synthesis of ideas and critical reflection and informs both academic scholarship and practitioner strategy. For the future, the study advances the need to continue to engage critically with the evolving challenges and opportunities facing the sector, and to deepen reflection on the role of attractions within broader tourism systems and their potential to contribute positively to cultural, social, and ecological wellbeing
Complex Firms, Controversial Outcomes: Global Evidence on ESG Failures and Remedies
No full textWe examine whether business complexity increases firms' exposure to negative environmental, social, and governance (ESG) outcomes, specifically ESG controversies, using a global panel of firms from 37 countries over the period 2002–2021. We further investigate the moderating roles of external monitoring by financial analysts; internal governance mechanisms, including board independence and workforce gender diversity; and international policy frameworks, with particular emphasis on the Paris Agreement as a regulatory tightening mechanism. Our results show that business complexity is strongly and positively associated with ESG controversies worldwide. Analyst scrutiny amplifies, rather than mitigates, this effect, indicating that external capital market monitoring does not effectively discipline ESG risk in complex firms. In contrast, stronger internal governance, reflected in greater board independence and a higher proportion of female employees, significantly attenuates the complexity controversy link. We also find that the positive effect of complexity on ESG controversies weakens in the post-Paris Agreement period, consistent with heightened regulatory pressure and compliance expectations imposed on firms following the Agreement. Overall, the study provides novel cross-country evidence on how organizational structure shapes negative ESG outcomes, integrating insights from complexity and agency theories with important implications for managers, policymakers, and investors
Patient Experience and Perception of First Language Usage in Healthcare: The Welsh Perspective
No full textResearch shows that using a patient's preferred language is vital for effective healthcare communication. Consultations in a second language can lead to treatment delays and misdiagnoses. In Wales, while Welsh and English have equal status in the public sector, independent primary care providers like General Practices (GPs) are not fully bound by Welsh Language Standards (WLS), resulting in inconsistent bilingual provision. This mixed methods study combined focus groups and a survey of 361 Welsh speakers to explore awareness of WLS and experiences of bilingual GP care. Analysis revealed low awareness (27%) of the WLS and significant unmet language needs. 71% had never been offered a Welsh-language consultation and 57% with English-speaking GPs said they would feel more comfortable having Welsh-medium consultations. In high Welsh-speaking areas, 32% felt restricted by not being able to use their first language during GP appointments. There was strong support for recording language preference in health records. Findings highlight both the need and desire for Welsh-language provision in primary care, and the importance of policy changes to support an “active offer” approach
Spectroscopic and Microscopic Analysis of Degradation Pathways in PTQ10:IDIC Solar Cells
Full text linkWe report a comprehensive spectroscopic, microscopic, and device-level investigation of the ambient-driven degradation of PTQ10:IDIC bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells (BHJ-OSCs), up to 500 h. The power conversion efficiency dropped from 9.51% to 7.69% (≈19% relative loss), primarily due to a decrease in short-circuit current density (JSC 15.93 to 13.82 mA cm−2), while the open-circuit voltage remained largely stable (0.92 to 0.90 V). Atomic force microscopy reveals surface smoothing upon ageing, with the root-mean-square roughness decreasing from 4.29 to 3.45 nm, and the UV–vis absorption spectra show negligible changes, indicating preserved bulk light-harvesting capability. In contrast, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates pronounced surface compositional evolution, with a decrease in oxygen (5.18 to 3.18%) and a substantial increase in fluorine content (3.23 to 7.23%), consistent with fluorine-rich surface segregation or reorientation. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy further reveals a 0.48 eV reduction in surface work function, indicative of surface dipole modification and near-surface electronic reorganization. Collectively, these results demonstrate that ambient ageing primarily impacts interfacial chemistry and morphology rather than bulk optoelectronic properties, highlighting interfacial engineering and encapsulation as effective strategies for improving long-term device stability
Categorifying computable reducibilities
No full textThis paper presents categorical formulations of Turing, Medvedev, Muchnik, and Weihrauch reducibilities in Computability Theory, utilizing Lawvere doctrines. While the first notions lend themselves to a smooth categorical presentation, essentially dualizing the traditional idea of realizability doctrines, Weihrauch reducibility and its extensions to represented and multi-represented spaces require a separate investigation. Our abstract analysis of these concepts highlights a shared characteristic among all these reducibilities. Specifically, we demonstrate that all these doctrines stemming from computability concepts can be proven to be instances of completions of quantifiers for doctrines, analogous to what occurs for doctrines for realizability. As a corollary of these results, we will be able to formally compare Weihrauch reducibility with the dialectica doctrine constructed from a doctrine representing Turing degrees
Ageing Workers
No full textMuch research on ageing workers focuses on those over 50 years old, thus comprising a relatively ‘young’ population compared to many areas of gerontology. These have been heavily influenced by medical discourses where 65 has often been regarded as the entry marker to old age. It is perhaps then not surprising that studies of work have not featured heavily in gerontology, which instead is orientated towards retirement and when the ‘non-work’ phase of life takes over. Therefore, in relation to ageing workers, retirement transitions have been the main gerontological focus to date.However, cultural gerontology has long adopted a reflexive approach, recognising that how older and ageing workers might be defined rests as much on social conventions as on medical discourse. Meanwhile significant demographic shifts have prompted policy changes resulting in a reversal of the push to early retirement through extending working lives (Hyde et al. 2018). This leads Riach to suggest that ‘the workplace is one of the most important public settings where we encounter aging’ (2022 p. 106). Cultural gerontology (Twigg and Martin 2015) thus has much in common with researchers in work and organization studies who, like Riach, approach age from a social constructionist perspective, highlighting discursive, material and/or embodied views on ageing workers.Our chapter explores three contemporary areas of research, providing an overview of the contribution of different perspectives to our understanding of the following: ways of working in later life; older workers’ bodies; and ageing, work and retirement. We conclude with a summary of ongoing work, including the reinvigoration of life course perspectives and the importance of intersectionality. We also reflect on new issues and understandings emerging from our crisis-ridden contemporary context
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