Groundswell Of Opinion Research Articles

Primal-Dual Learning Based Risk-Averse Optimal Integrated Allocation of Hybrid Energy Generation Plants under Uncertainty

A groundswell of opinion in utilizing environmentally friendly energy technologies has been put forth worldwide. In this paper, we consider an energy generation plant distribution and allocation problem under uncertainty to get the utmost out of available developments, as well as to control costs and greenhouse emissions. Different clean and traditional energy technologies are considered in this paper. In particular, we present a risk-averse stochastic mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model to minimize the total expected costs and control the risk of CO2 emissions exceeding a certain budget. We employ the conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) model to represent risk preference and risk constraint of emissions. We prove that our risk-averse model can be equivalent to the traditional risk-neutral model under certain conditions. Moreover, we suggest that the risk-averse model can provide solutions generating less CO2 than traditional models. To handle the computational difficulty in uncertain scenarios, we propose a Lagrange primal-dual learning algorithm to solve the model. We show that the algorithm allows the probability distribution of uncertainty to be unknown, and that desirable approximation can be achieved by utilizing historical data. Finally, an experiment is presented to demonstrate the performance of our method. The risk-averse model encourages the expansion of clean energy plants over traditional models for the reduction CO2 emissions.

Faith-based Education and Religious Ethos – Some Reflections

Faith-based Education and Religious Ethos – Some Reflections1 t Michael Jackson Introduction In addressing this broad area, I want to lay out a few pointers which may help in setting the context as it impacts on me. The first is that every school has an ethos of some sort and also that religion shows no signs of going away in Ireland any time soon. The second is that no Church should be afraid of the secular and the challenges which it brings but all too often an agenda of aggressive secularisation masquerades as pluralism. The third is that ethos is, at its simplest, a habitat and a Church of Ireland ethos, particularly in an educational context, needs to be shaped by contemporary traditional Anglican principles more than it is by the mores of a social and sometimes tribal Church of Ireland. Ethos and Religion classes My heart regularly sinks when, in any discussion of education, the argument slides from ethos to Religion classes in schools. The latter has become a battle-ground about denominational and doctrinal invasion of publiclyfunded space and time. The former, I think, is different and deserves to be considered as part of a contribution to the holistic educational experience of all involved in the school; it has, however, become embroiled in the former and is manifestly part of the controversy. In the situation in which I have obligations as patron, the argument sometimes advanced now is to the effect that schools under Church of Ireland management should have only practising Church of Ireland pupils in their classrooms. To me this causes untold problems of imposed lack of diversity. I think that ethos is quite different from religious instruction, because it offers a shape to the life of a school which is formed and sustained by specific values. These pervade and proof how people behave towards one another and how they exercise the opportunities to think with responsibility and to form opinion with integrity, in the particular context which education affords. It Michael Jackson Studies • volume 108 • number 429 74 is this word ethos which I should like to explore. And, at the end of the day, I can explore it most pertinently from an Anglican perspective, that is, as Christianity lived and argued from Anglican principles because I am an Anglican Christian. Theocracy and secularisation Faith-based education per se has in recent times raised more questions and antagonisms than it used to do. I suggest a number of reasons. People in Ireland today generally have much greater confidence in challenging theocracies and, viewed from both history and living experience, Ireland in both its parts still has strong overtones of religious belief and practice. Even if many in Ireland decry this as some sort of failure on the part of the societies to evolve seamlessly towards Godlessness, this is what characterises a significant number of Irish people. Visitors from outside notice it, even if we do not. Politically, there is a groundswell of opinion that secularisation of itself creates a wider platform of choice and capacity for decision in a way which is not compromised either by settled and stale positions or by the circularity of religious argument which, of itself, makes too many presuppositions and takes too many liberties. The tension seems to me to be one played out by those who are ultimately using arguments against the existence of a God who intervenes in a transformative sense in the lives of individuals and communities for good, and against a Constitution which safeguards the entitlement of parents and guardians to have their children educated in an environment which reflects and implements in daily life their religious tradition. Such religious positions, it is argued, were taken up and embedded when there was a totally different worldview and therefore have no relevance in a ‘new and secular Ireland’. Into this well-oiled debate, I would simply wish to say that, from my own perspective, people like me who are involved in a full-time way in religion and its dynamic are well aware that the old Christendom model is long over. In fact, it is very much an impediment in what I call the contemporary experiment in...

Clinical leadership as an integral curriculum thread in pre-registration nursing programmes

In recent years there has been a growth in leadership development frameworks in health for the existing workforce. There has also been a related abundance of leadership programmes developed specifically for qualified nurses. There is a groundswell of opinion that clinical leadership preparation needs to extend to preparatory programmes leading to registration as a nurse. To this end a doctoral research study has been completed that focused specifically on the identification and verification of the antecedents of clinical leadership (leadership and management) so they can shape the curriculum content and the best way to deliver the curriculum content as a curriculum thread. To conceptualise how the curriculum content, identified and verified empirically, can be structured within a curriculum thread and to contribute to the discussion on effective pedagogical approaches and educational strategies for learning and teaching of clinical leadership. A multi-method design was utilised in the research in Australia. Drawing on core principles in critical social theory, an integral curriculum thread is proposed for pre-registration nursing programmes that identifies the antecedents of clinical leadership; the core concepts, together with the continuum of enlightenment, empowerment, and emancipation. The curriculum content, the effective pedagogical approaches and the educational strategies are supported theoretically and we believe this offers a design template for action and a way of thinking about this important aspect of preparatory nursing education. Moreover, we hope to have created a process contributing to a heighten sense of awareness in the nursing student (and other key stakeholders) of the what, how and when of clinical leadership for a novice registered nurse. The next stage is to further test through research the proposed integral curriculum thread.

The safe administration of long-acting depot antipsychotics

Injectable long-acting antipsychotics are a well-established and common treatment for schizophrenia and other mental health problems. While these medicines have traditionally been injected into the dorsogluteal muscle, the primacy of this site has been challenged over recent years, both through the emergence of the deltoid muscle as a less intrusive alternative, and through a groundswell of opinion raising concerns over the safety of injecting into the gluteal muscle. As these concerns have included calls for the dorsogluteal site to no longer be considered suitable for the administration of injections, there is a need to clarify the basis of such claims and the appropriateness of continued use of this area. Review of relevant literature allowed exploration of the evidence used in supporting these claims and identified that UK licencing agreements for these medicines fails to support such wholesale change and that there are considerable inconsistencies in the evidence presented. Recommendations are made for further study in this area and for measured change to practice if required, particularly around use of the deltoid site and for review of the licencing agreements for these medicines.

Beyond differential expression: the quest for causal mutations and effector molecules

High throughput gene expression technologies are a popular choice for researchers seeking molecular or systems-level explanations of biological phenomena. Nevertheless, there has been a groundswell of opinion that these approaches have not lived up to the hype because the interpretation of the data has lagged behind its generation. In our view a major problem has been an over-reliance on isolated lists of differentially expressed (DE) genes which – by simply comparing genes to themselves – have the pitfall of taking molecular information out of context. Numerous scientists have emphasised the need for better context. This can be achieved through holistic measurements of differential connectivity in addition to, or in replacement, of DE. However, many scientists continue to use isolated lists of DE genes as the major source of input data for common readily available analytical tools. Focussing this opinion article on our own research in skeletal muscle, we outline our resolutions to these problems – particularly a universally powerful way of quantifying differential connectivity. With a well designed experiment, it is now possible to use gene expression to identify causal mutations and the other major effector molecules with whom they cooperate, irrespective of whether they themselves are DE. We explain why, for various reasons, no other currently available experimental techniques or quantitative analyses are capable of reaching these conclusions.

Thinking in Practice: Redefining the Relationship

This paper examines the challenge of reconnecting probation knowledge, theory and practice throughout Europe. It will describe the history and rationale of the Thinking in Practice Seminar Series which was intended to promote thinking and debate about the supervision of offenders. It will consider how a collaborative approach might produce a greater groundswell of opinion and shared vision. The paper will draw upon practice literature and will use the seminar series as a case study to explore ways which allow probation services to continue to develop best practice. The paper will argue that the seminars have had some success in connecting with wider debates and could be replicated and developed further in other European jurisdictions.

"A Quaint and Dangerous Anachronism"? Who Supports the (Dis)Establishment of the Church of England?

This article synthesizes the contemporary evidence base for attitudes towards the Establishment of the Church of England, both as a principle and in terms of some of its specific manifestations. Secondary analysis is undertaken of 59 surveys of the general population, initially at headline level and subsequently by demographic sub-groups. Results from 22 studies of committed Anglicans (laity and clergy) are then summarized, for comparative purposes. Establishment and disestablishment do not emerge from this review as pressing issues, about which the majority of people feel especially strongly or are very knowledgeable. Nor are they necessarily holistic concepts, individual components being “picked and mixed” at will. There is no obvious groundswell of opinion for radical and urgent change, and thus little prospect of early steps to sever church-state links completely. Establishment is part of England’s religious furniture which is, in large measure, taken for granted or grudgingly accepted. It no longer entails much commitment and thus fails to meet the classic definition of implicit religion.

PMETB and article 14: lost opportunity?

Lack of transparency and lack of public scrutiny are anomalies in the medical world these days – except it appears for the article 14 process of the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB). The busy surgeons involved in assessing applications, while being passionate about keeping surgery safe, give their time freely because they believe the country needs more surgeons. There is now unfortunately a groundswell of opinion that their involvement is being used to give credibility to a process which is not fit for surgery. Because of the way PMETB works, public scrutiny over the competence of surgeons admitted to the specialist register by this route has been lost.

Liaison old age psychiatry

Older people are commonly encountered in general hospital settings, where they occupy two-thirds of all beds. There are high levels of psychiatric comorbidity in this population, with depression, dementia and delirium being particularly common. This psychiatric comorbidity results in poor outcomes for patients, carers and services alike. Traditionally, old age psychiatry input has been on a consultation basis, relying on general ward staff to detect problems and refer appropriately. This does not always work well, since general hospital staff often lack the necessary knowledge and skills to detect and manage psychiatric illness correctly, and this in turn contributes to the observed poor outcomes. In recognition of this, some areas have developed specialist old age liaison psychiatry services delivered by general hospital-based mental health professionals. These liaison services are able to respond more quickly to referrals than the traditional service model. Staff working in these services are able to develop specialist skills relevant to the psychiatric conditions found in general hospitals, thus improving the quality of the psychiatric input. More importantly, liaison staff spend time educating and training their general hospital colleagues to improve the core knowledge and skills, including better detection of psychiatric conditions, better delivery of basic care and recognition of the time to call for specialist psychiatric help. Although the evidence base for the efficacy and effectiveness of these services is limited, there is a groundswell of opinion that they are necessary to improve the care of older people with psychiatric problems on general hospital wards.

Carotid endarterectomy versus carotid angioplasty

This istherefore a fundamental baseline upon which we can allwork to plan the future care of our patients. However,subsequent to the publication of these trials, there hasbeen an exceptional increase in the number of carotidendarterectomies in the UK, together with ongoing debatethat although this procedure may be clinically effective, itmight not be costeffective in terms of stroke prevention. Inaddition, the success of our interventional radiologicalcolleagues in undertaking ever more complexpercutaneous angioplasties has meant that the onceforbidden territory of carotid angioplasty is no longer out-of-bounds.When peripheral angioplasty was first introduced andgaining acceptance in the 1970s there was a groundswellof opinion that it could never work, was dangerous, andwould ultimately lead to vascular surgeons having toundertake further surgery to rectify problems. In fact, aswe all know such revisions have not happened, andwithout peripheral angioplasty many of us could not copewith current workloads. The present situation is thereforeanalogous to that facing cardiac surgeons and cardiologistsafter the introduction of coronary angioplasty. However,coronary angioplasty has now become acceptedcomplementary practice, and a similar open perspectiveneeds to be adopted by vascular surgeons with respect tothe future role of carotid angioplasty.When asked to justify their role in the management ofpatients with symptomatic cerebrovascular disease, mostvascular surgeons would claim that the place of carotidendarterectomy in selected patients has been indisputablyproven by international studies, despite the reluctance ofmany to actually participate in the trials. Subsequently,increased awareness of the fact that inadvertent technicalerror is probably the commonest cause of perioperativestroke has led vascular surgeons to review critically manyaspects of their care. Vascular surgeons have establishedpersonal, unit, and even national carotid endarterectomyaudit databases, and have actively embraced qualitycontrol assessment—the overall aim being to reduce theinitial operative risk to an absolute minimum. Forexample, if the initial operative risk could be reduced from7·5% to zero, the long-term reduction in relative strokerisk would increase from 44% to 75%. Vascular surgeonsalso face such difficulties in that they are (in most centres)ultimately responsible for clinical outcome and, in the rareevent of a postoperative complication, will ensure thatthere is no underlying remediable technical error requiringimmediate re-exploration (eg, carotid thrombectomy).Perhaps some vascular surgeons are therefore a littleindignant that should the radiologist experience a similarcomplication, they rarely have to speak to the patient’sfamily or indeed take the patient to theatre to rectify thesituation. There is also perhaps a quietly held view thatinterventional radiologists are acquiring all the interestingvascular procedures to the detriment of the vascularsurgeon, and if the sacred cow of carotid reconstruction isalso lost, then many may wonder what would be next.By contrast, interventional radiologists are surprised atthe perceived indignation of the vascular surgeons becausethe surgeons were also openly antagonistic towards theintroduction of the randomised trials of carotidendarterectomy. Moreover, interventional radiologistsnow feel that since publication of international trials somevascular surgeons have merely used the results to justifytheir own vascular practice and perhaps proceed withimpunity. For example, first, there is nothing to stop avascular surgeon who has not been trained in carotidsurgery from performing a carotid endarterectomy.Second, there is a tendency among vascular surgeons tocite the results of the international studies when askedabout the mortality or morbidity associated with thisprocedure. It is imperative that all vascular surgeons usetheir own personal and unit data when discussing relativerisks with patients. Similarly, vascular surgeons rarelydiscuss the potential for cranial nerve injury, perhapsbecause they do not like to admit that it occurs more oftenthan they would accept. Third, and on a similar theme,although surgeons generally have embraced audit, thereare still many units in which continuous carotid audit isnot undertaken and, moreover, the results are not open toscrutiny. There is also a perception that many consultantvascular surgeons do not like to take their higher surgicaltrainees through carotid endarterectomy because of thepotential for complications.Although the Vascular Surgical Society of Great Britainand Ireland has established a database of carotidcomplications, it is not obligatory to registercomplications, nor is the database universal. Accordingly,the overall results may not be as good as surgeons mighthope. That published results do not always reflect trueclinical practice was exemplified by Hsai and colleagues’report.

Tongues untied

A prominent lawyer discusses the implications of Algeria's recent political crisis and argues that there is now a strong groundswell of opinion in favour of change.

Political Communications in the USSR: Letters to Party, State and Press

The letters sent by Soviet citizens to party and state bodies and to the press have been relatively little studied in the West, although the Soviet authorities themselves have been devoting increasing attention to this ‘link with the masses' since at least the late 1960s. An examination of the extent and nature of such communications shows that their total number has increased significantly since the 1950s, and that more constructive and general proposals have been increasing at the expense of particular individual grievances, although this change is less apparent at the local level. Critics are sometimes victimized and frequently ignored, but the evidence suggests that a considerable groundswell of opinion as reflected in letters can have some influence upon public policy and that particular cases of maladministration or abuse of position can be relatively readily corrected in this way.

BARRIERS TO THE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN

The post‐war period has been characterised by a persistent and substantial expansion in the employment of women. At the same time, women have become increasingly protected in employment by a legislative framework that includes the Equal Pay Act (1970), the Social Security and Pensions Act (1975) and the Sex Discrimination Act (1975). Nevertheless, a number of vestiges of discrimination under the law still remain, such as the special treatment of women with regard to the length and timing of their paid employment. Despite the attempts to remove discrimination by legislation, there remains a considerable groundswell of opinion that there are still substantial differences in the treatment of women vis‐a‐vis men in employment. One continuing concern is the tendency of the organisation of tasks to polarise into men‐only and women‐only jobs. As a result, it has been argued that the situation approximates to a dual labour market, with women being funnelled into the secondary labour market. Complex, interacting forces are at play that make the estimation of statistical models of the existing distribution of employment by sex (from which evidence of sex discrimination might be sought) extremely difficult. A potentially more rewarding approach is to examine those jobs that employers believe to be of the men‐only or women‐only types. Questions of this type were included in a recent survey of employers across all sectors of employment in British industry. While the formulation of such questions and the interpretation of the results are associated with important problems, nevertheless, the survey provides a useful impression of the size and nature of the barriers faced by women in their search for employment opportunities and the manner in which these barriers may be broken down.