Multiple sclerosis registries in Europe – results of a systematic survey

Background: Identification of MS registries and databases that are currently in use in Europe as well as a detailed knowledge of their content and structure is important in order to facilitate comprehensive analysis and comparison of data. Methods: National MS registries or databases were identified by literature search, from the results of the MS Barometer 2011 and by asking 33 national MS societies. A standardized questionnaire was developed and sent to the registries’ leaders, followed by telephone interviews with them. Results: Twenty registries were identified, with 13 completing the questionnaire and seven being interviewed by telephone. These registries differed widely for objectives, structure, collected data, and for patients and centres included. Despite this heterogeneity, common objectives of the registries were epidemiology ( n=10), long-term therapy outcome ( n=8), healthcare research ( n=9) and support/basis for clinical trials ( n=8). While physician-based outcome measures (EDSS) are used in all registries, data from patients’ perspectives were only collected in six registries. Conclusions: The detailed information on a large number of national MS registries in Europe is a prerequisite to facilitating harmonized integration of existing data from MS registries and databases, as well as comprehensive analyses and comparison across European populations.

Extended Exergy as a Locally Significant Environmental Indicator

The concept of “environmental impact” has evolved to encompass a multi-disciplinary and quite detailed examination of the local and global implications of the interactions of anthropic processes with the biosphere. Sets of quantitative measures of the interaction, called Environmental Indicators (EI), have been proposed with the intent of providing a synthetic, accurate and reliable decision support basis for planners and decision makers. This approach is not devoid of drawbacks: generality conflicts with specificity and it is often difficult to connect a local EI with a more global measure of environmental impact. Furthermore, several of the proposed EIs lack a sound physical basis (in particular, they are not always rigorously rooted on thermodynamics). This paper proposes a method to bridge both gaps by introducing an EI derived strictly from prime thermodynamic concepts (the extended exergy cost, EEC or cee) and by defining a procedure to apply it to local and global scales alike. It is argued that such an EI successfully solves the “externalities” problem for industrial energy conversion systems and that it can also be employed to assess the evolutionary patterns of natural systems. All applications to date demonstrate that cee is indeed a useful tool for the quantification of the primary equivalent resource costs and for their proper internalization in energy systems analyses.

Analysis-Sensitive Conversion of Administrative Data into Statistical Information Systems

This chapter presents a case study concerning the development of a Statistical Information System (SIS) out of data coming from administrative archives of the PAs. Such archives are a rich source of up to date information, but an attempt to use them as sources for statistical analysis reveals errors and incompatibilities among each other that do not permit their usage as a statistical and decision support basis. These errors and incompatibilities are usually undetected during administrative use, since they do not affect their day-by-day use in the PAs; however they need to be fixed before performing any further aggregate analysis. The reader is engaged with the basic aspects involved in building a SIS out of administrative data, such as design of an integration model for different and heterogeneous data sources, improvement of the overall data quality, removal of errors that might impact on the correctness of statistical analysis, design of a data warehouse for statistical analysis, and design of a multidimensional database to develop indicators for decision support. Finally, some examples are presented concerning the information that can be obtained by making use of a SIS constructed out of Registry and Income Office archives.

Linking Ideas and Opportunities in Contentious Politics: The Israeli Nonparliamentary Opposition to the Peace Process

Theorists of contentious politics have been divided over the influence on agency behaviour of ideational or cultural factors on the one hand, and rational strategic calculations of opportunities on the other. Based on an Israeli nonparliamentary opposition movement to the peace process, this study presents an integrative approach in which ideational variables are elevated to the level of independent motivating forces in which the objectives of the movement are embedded. Argumentation at the strategic level provides the movement with opportunities for increasing its support basis beyond the natural constituency with which it shares ideology and, ultimately, for mobilizing protest. The case illustrates how a political context that limits activity actually mobilizes contention, while a context of more open opportunity can demobilize protest activity.

Alcohol and Drug Education Programs

The design and implementation of alcohol and drug education efforts and programs are discussed by presenting necessary concepts for effective programming. Philosophy and policy statements, which form the support basis for educational efforts, are outlined. Specific prevention goals and the interpretation of these goals into program content and methodology are presented. Significant aspects of program evaluation and the need for improved approaches and further research in this area conclude the focus on alcohol and drug education programs.