European Patterns Research Articles

Does Geographic Diversification Work to Mitigate a Company’s Weather Risk?

Does Geographic Diversification Work to Mitigate a Company’s Weather Risk?

Energy drink consumption in europe: a review of the risks, adverse health effects, and policy options to respond.

With the worldwide consumption of energy drinks increasing in recent years, concerns have been raised both in the scientific community and among the general public about the health effects of these products. Recent studies provide data on consumption patterns in Europe; however, more research is needed to determine the potential for adverse health effects related to the increasing consumption of energy drinks, particularly among young people. A review of the literature was conducted to identify published articles that examined the health risks, consequences, and policies related to energy drink consumption. The health risks associated with energy drink consumption are primarily related to their caffeine content, but more research is needed that evaluates the long-term effects of consuming common energy drink ingredients. The evidence indicating adverse health effects due to the consumption of energy drinks with alcohol is growing. The risks of heavy consumption of energy drinks among young people have largely gone unaddressed and are poised to become a significant public health problem in the future.

Provision of health services: Trends and patterns in Europe

Background Little systematic comparative information is available about differences in the provision of health care across countries. The European Observatory’s Trends in EU Health Systems Project aimed, amongst other things, to analyze the provision of health services in the 28 EU Member states plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. The objectives were to identify common trends and patterns as well as differences concerning institutional arrangements, …

Health Financing: Trends and patterns in Europe

Background Health financing performs a vital role in a health system. The WHO defines health financing as “a [f]unction of a health system concerned with the mobilization, accumulation and allocation of money to cover the health needs of the people, individually and collectively, in the health system”. In addition, these funds need to be allocated and utilised in such a way that it guarantees …

From Sado Valley to Europe: Mesolithic dietary practices through different geographic distributions

This study presents new stable isotope (carbon and nitrogen) data from human and faunal remains from three Mesolithic shell middens (Cabeço das Amoreiras, Arapouco and Cabeço do Pez), located on the estuary of the Sado River, Portugal. The results have revealed a diet composed mainly of terrestrial C3 resources (from terrestrial animals and a small contribution from vegetable sources) and a proportion of marine resources close to 20%. These groups followed a subsistence pattern characterized by a variable settlement regime promoted by the availability of the resources in each region, and social and demographic factors that would induce human dietary diversification.The Sado Valley results were compared with other European Mesolithic groups in order to provide a general view of the subsistence patterns of some of the last hunter-gatherer groups. The high degree of regionalization observed with the comparisons shows that it is impossible to characterise a single subsistence pattern for all European Mesolithic groups. In this sense, environmental characteristics, the geomorphology, the effectiveness of communities' adaptation, and the influence of social and demographic factors probably influenced Mesolithic subsistence patterns in Europe.

Gastric cancer: ESMO–ESSO–ESTRO clinical practice guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up

In 2012, there were ∼140 000 new cases of gastric cancer diagnosed across all European countries, making it the sixth commonest cancer diagnosis. Perhaps more importantly, it remains the fourth commonest cause of cancer-related death, being responsible for ∼107 000 deaths annually. 1 Ferlay J. Steliarova-Foucher E. Lortet-Tieulent J. et al. Cancer incidence and mortality patterns in Europe: estimates for 40 countries in 2012. Eur J Cancer. 2013; 49: 1374-1403 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (4054) Google Scholar Despite a gradual decline in the worldwide incidence of gastric cancers, there has been a relative increase in the incidence of tumours of the oesophago-gastric junction (OGJ) and gastric cardia. The peak incidence is in the 7th decade, and the disease is approximately twice as common in men as in women. There is marked geographic variation, with the highest rates in East Asia, South America and Eastern Europe and the lowest rates in the United States and Western Europe. 2 Forman D. Burley V.J. Gastric cancer: global pattern of the disease and an overview of environmental risk factors. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2006; 20: 633-649 Crossref PubMed Scopus (347) Google Scholar

Drivers of forest harvesting intensity patterns in Europe

Forests provide humankind with essential raw materials and the demand for these materials is increasing. Further expanding forestry into unmanaged forests is environmentally costly and increasing forest area via plantations will not immediately lead to increased wood supply. Thus, just like in agriculture, forestry faces the challenge how to intensify forest management in existing production forests in sustainable ways. Yet, our current understanding of what determines forest management intensity is weak, particularly at broad scales, and this makes it difficult to assess the environmental and social trade-offs of intensification. Here, we analyse spatial patterns of forest harvesting intensity as one indicator for forest management intensity across Europe, a region where most forests suitable for production are already in use and where future intensification is likely. To measure forest harvesting intensity, we related harvested timber volumes to net annual increment for the period 2000–2010. We used boosted regression trees to analyse the spatial determinants of forest harvesting intensity using a comprehensive set of biophysical and socioeconomic explanatory variables. Our results show that forest harvesting intensity varied markedly across Europe and harvested timber volumes were well below the increment in most regions. Harvesting intensity was especially high in southern Finland, southern Sweden, southwestern France, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. The spatial patterns of forest harvesting intensity were well explained by forest-resource related variables (i.e., the share of plantation species, growing stock, forest cover), site conditions (i.e., topography, accessibility), and country-specific characteristics, whereas socioeconomic variables were less important. We also found the relationship between forest harvesting intensity and some of its predictors (e.g., share of plantation species, accessibility) to be strongly non-linear and characterised by thresholds. In summary, our study highlights candidate areas where potentials for sustainably intensifying timber production may exist. Our analyses of the spatial determinants of harvesting intensity also provides concrete starting points for developing measures targeted at increasing regional wood supply from forests or lowering harvest pressure in regions where forests are heavily used. Finally, our study emphasises the importance for systems’ understanding for designing and implementing effective sustainable forest management policies.

On the Variables to be Considered in Assessing the Impact of Climate Change to Alluvial Aquifers: A Case Study in Central Italy

Most of the scientific community agrees that global climate change is occurring with a general increase in mean overall temperature (+0.74±0.18°C from 1906-2005) and that the precipitation pattern in Europe is trending toward wetter conditions in the northern region and drier conditions in the southern and central-eastern regions. A much larger uncertainty concerns how the changes in precipitations will impact on the water resources, particularly on the groundwater. The goal of this paper is to investigate the variables to be considered in order to estimate the Sustainable Pumping Rate of an aquifer (SPR) in a context of climate change. For this goal the case study of the Petrignano d’Assisi porous aquifer has been considered, mainly fed by the inflow from the carbonatic ridges and by the effective infiltration; it is exploited since the 1970s through a well field (about 350 l/s). Changes in the precipitation regime could significantly affect the recharge to the aquifer and the related SPR. This study shows the key role played by the interactions of the aquifer with the surface bodies (rivers): in case of a significant decreasing in the effective infiltration, the aquifer system decreases the outflow to the rivers (base flow) leaving almost constant the sustainable pumping rate.

Rail Transit

Regression analyses were performed to study the relationship between rail transit network parameters (e.g., length of line, age of the system, network topology) with city parameters (e.g., population, city area, population density). Transit ridership patterns in Europe, Asia, and North America were investigated. Ring transit lines were found to be an important factor in network topology and the improvement of transit network efficiency and reliability. Cities that had ring rail transit services were assessed. Parameters that justified the implementation of a rail transit network in a city, particularly a ring line, were analyzed through the investigation of cities that had implemented such services. Ring lines were seen to be less popular in North America than in Europe and Asia. A highly concentrated central business district surrounded by remote residential neighborhoods would make circumferential travel less appealing than in larger and mixed land-use city centers with several cross-town activity centers. Further regression analyses were conducted to investigate the relevant parameters for the length of a ring rail transit line. Arguably, a ring transit line can improve the connectivity and directness of a transit network and thus improve transit ridership.

Demand Side Response: Patterns in Europe and Future Policy Perspectives under Capacity Mechanisms

Demand Side Response (DSR) has been slow to emerge in European electricity markets. This paper aims to both examine the reasons for low levels of DSR in Europe and reflect on factors that might affect the participation of DSR in capacity mechanisms. It relies on available evidence from the literature, secondary data on existing DSR programmes and energy aggregator's data from industries participating in DSR. Findings show that changes to the duration of contracted loads under existing or new programmes might increase the penetration of DSR. The introduction of capacity mechanisms may increase DSR from demand turn down if longer response times were available.

Anthropometric Indices and Cardiovascular Risk: Spanish Perspectives

Circulatory diseases are the leading cause of mortality in Spain, accounting for 36% of all deaths. An analysis of mortality patterns in Europe reveals an east-west trend, with the highest rates observed in Eastern Europe.

MNC Headquarters as Global Network Orchestrators: Insights from Headquarters Relocation Patterns in Europe

MNC Headquarters as Global Network Orchestrators: Insights from Headquarters Relocation Patterns in Europe

MNC Headquarters as Global Network Orchestrators: Insights from Headquarters Relocation Patterns in Europe

MNC Headquarters as Global Network Orchestrators: Insights from Headquarters Relocation Patterns in Europe

Information and Communication Technologies in Primary Healthcare – Barriers and Facilitators in the Implementation Process

Abstract Despite the great expansion and many benefits of information and communication technologies (ICT) in healthcare, the attitudes of Polish general practitioners (GPs) to e-health have not been explored. The aim of this study was to determine the GPs’ perception of ICT use in healthcare and to identify barriers to the adoption of EMR (Electronic Medical Records) in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Online and telephone surveys were conducted between April and May 2013. Responses from 103 GP practices, 43% of all practices in the region, were analysed. The results showed that 67% of the respondents agreed that IT systems improve quality of healthcare services. In the GP group who declared at least partial EMR implementation, 71.4% see the positive impact of IT on practice staff processes and 66.1% on personal working processes. In this group, more than three-quarters of GPs did not see any positive impact of ICT on the average number of patients treated per day, number of patients within the practice or scope of services. The four most common barriers to EMR implementation were: lack of funds, risk of a malfunction in the system, resistance to change, and lack of training and proper information. Although the use of ICT by Polish GPs is limited, their attitude to e-health is generally positive or neutral and resembles the overall pattern in Europe. Barriers identified by GPs need to be taken into account to ensure the effective implementation of e-health across the country.

Clinical management patterns and treatment outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) across Europe: EPICLIN-Lung study

Background:Throughout Europe, physicians face similar challenges in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) management, but comprehensive international information on usual clinical practice is lacking so the burden of NSCLC is not fully understood.Methods:This multinational, multicentre, non-interventional study (NCT00831909) was conducted in eight European countries. Patients with confirmed NSCLC were consecutively enrolled from January to March 2009 and followed for 12 months or until death. Information was collected on patient and disease characteristics, diagnosis and treatment patterns, and clinical outcomes. Spontaneously reported adverse events (AEs) were also recorded.Results:Data were available for 3508 patients. Most patients (77.5%) were male, median (range) age was 65.0 years (21.6–90.7), the majority of patients had a World Health Organization performance status of ≤1 (74.7%), and 10.8% were never smokers. The most prevalent histologies were adenocarcinoma (43.8%) and squamous-cell carcinoma (29.4%). Most patients presented with advanced disease (11.6% with stage IIIA, 18.7% with stage IIIB, 48.6% with stage IV). In stage IV disease, median progression-free survival and overall survival (months) by first-line treatment cluster were platinum regimens: 6.5, 10.8; non-platinum regimens: 4.3, 8.5; regimens with bevacizumab 8.7, 12.9; investigational regimens: 5.6, 10.8; best supportive care: 5.4, 6.6. The most frequently reported severe (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v3.0 >2) AEs were blood/bone marrow (16.0%) and pulmonary/upper respiratory (7.8%). Key limitations of this study related to its non-interventional nature and wide regional focus; for example, achieving a representative sample of the overall NSCLC population, variation in recruitment between countries, and data based on information from medical records derived from routine visits.Conclusions:The Epidemiological Study to Describe NSCLC Clinical Management Pattern in Europe–Lung (EPICLIN-Lung) study provides new insights into the descriptive patterns and clinical management strategies for NSCLC across Europe, and how they affect patient outcomes.

Real-world healthcare resource utilization in a European non-small cell lung cancer population: the EPICLIN-Lung study

Background:There is a lack of data on health resource assessment in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to inform clinical decision-making. The Epidemiological Study to Describe NSCLC Clinical Management Pattern in Europe–Lung (EPICLIN-Lung) study provides information on healthcare resource utilization associated with different NSCLC treatment strategies in real-life clinical settings.Methods:This multinational, multicenter, non-interventional study (NCT00831909) was conducted in eight European countries in 2009–2010. Patients with confirmed NSCLC were enrolled and followed for 12 months or until death. Information was collected on patient and disease characteristics, diagnosis and treatment patterns. Healthcare resource utilization was described in relation to diagnostic patterns and treatment received.Results:Data were available for 3508 patients (median age = 65.0 years, male = 77.6%, Caucasian = 98.4%, adenocarcinoma = 43.8%, stage IV = 48.6%, 10.8% never smoked). The overall mean number of hospitalization days was 16.4 (standard deviation (SD) = 18.42). Patients were followed up for a mean of 245.8 (131.4) days. Most patients (96.0%) underwent imaging procedures, most commonly scanning (93.9%). Surgery was associated with a mean of 12.5 (9.33) hospitalization days, with lobectomy and extended procedures (20.3%) being the most common surgery types. Radiotherapy resulted in a mean of 11.6 (14.12) hospitalization days. The majority of radiotherapy was palliative (56.0%), which resulted in fewer (mean 9.5 [11.12]) hospitalization days. Administration of systemic treatment resulted in a mean of 6.5 (8.04) hospitalization days, 1.7 (3.59) visits for disease-related events, 2.3 (1.83) adverse events and 5.4 (5.86) blood-specific resources. The key limitations of this study are those inherent to its non-interventional nature and wide regional focus, and the lack of cost-effectiveness data.Conclusions:EPICLIN-Lung provides important, Europe-wide information on drivers of healthcare resource use in different treatment strategies for NSCLC.

A Trail of Precious Goods: Colonial Latin American Commodity History

AbstractProducts such as cacao, tobacco, sugar, cochineal, emeralds, and silver were produced or extracted and, in many cases, originated in the region now called Latin America. They became global commodities under Spanish and Portuguese colonial rule during the early modern period, roughly 1500 to 1800, when they were traded to Europe and Asia. In many cases, goods that were originally limited to elites and defined as luxuries were transformed into products destined for mass consumption. African and indigenous slavery and other forms of unfree labor were crucial in the production of colonial commodities. Commodity historians approach these goods in different ways, some taking a world systems approach to discuss the development of capitalism while others focusing on physical and esthetic taste, patterns of consumption, and social relations and status. Some commodity writers focus on consumption patterns in Europe and Asia while others focus on the production and labor side of the equation. Recently, scholars have used a commodity chain approach that looks at all stages of the process of production, commodification, circulation, and consumption.

Cancer incidence and mortality patterns in Europe: Estimates for 40 countries in 2012

IntroductionCancer incidence and mortality estimates for 25 cancers are presented for the 40 countries in the four United Nations-defined areas of Europe and for the European Union (EU-27) for 2012. MethodsWe used statistical models to estimate national incidence and mortality rates in 2012 from recently-published data, predicting incidence and mortality rates for the year 2012 from recent trends, wherever possible. The estimated rates in 2012 were applied to the corresponding population estimates to obtain the estimated numbers of new cancer cases and deaths in Europe in 2012. ResultsThere were an estimated 3.45 million new cases of cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) and 1.75 million deaths from cancer in Europe in 2012. The most common cancer sites were cancers of the female breast (464,000 cases), followed by colorectal (447,000), prostate (417,000) and lung (410,000). These four cancers represent half of the overall burden of cancer in Europe. The most common causes of death from cancer were cancers of the lung (353,000 deaths), colorectal (215,000), breast (131,000) and stomach (107,000). In the European Union, the estimated numbers of new cases of cancer were approximately 1.4 million in males and 1.2 million in females, and around 707,000 men and 555,000 women died from cancer in the same year. ConclusionThese up-to-date estimates of the cancer burden in Europe alongside the description of the varying distribution of common cancers at both the regional and country level provide a basis for establishing priorities to cancer control actions in Europe. The important role of cancer registries in disease surveillance and in planning and evaluating national cancer plans is becoming increasingly recognised, but needs to be further advocated. The estimates and software tools for further analysis (EUCAN 2012) are available online as part of the European Cancer Observatory (ECO) (http://eco.iarc.fr).

Effects of Religiosity on Social Behaviour: Experimental Evidence from a Representative Sample of Spaniards

This study explores the effect of several personal religion-related variables on social behaviour, using three paradigmatic economic games: the dictator (DG), ultimatum (UG), and trust (TG) games. A large carefully designed sample of a Spanish urban adult population (N=766) is employed. From participants’ decisions in these games we obtain measures of altruism, bargaining behaviour and sense of fairness/equality, trust, and positive reciprocity. Three dimensions of religiosity are examined: (i) religious denomination; (ii) the intensity of religiosity, measured by active participation at church services; and (iii) converting out into a different denomination than the one raised in. The major results are: (i) individuals with “no religion” made decisions closer to rational selfish behaviour in the DG and the UG compared to those who affiliate with a “standard” religious denomination; (ii) among Catholics, intensity of religiosity is the key variable that affects social behaviour insofar as religiously-active individuals are generally more pro-social than non-active ones; and (iii) the religion raised in seems to have no effect on pro-sociality, beyond the effect of the current measures of religiosity. Importantly, behaviour in the TG is not predicted by any of the religion-related variables we analyse. Given the accelerating share of “no religion” individuals (in Europe and elsewhere) and the large influx of immigrants – who tend to be more religiously active compared to the native populations – our findings have significant implications for the future pro-sociality patterns in Europe.

Accessibility of Cities in the Digital Economy

This paper introduces a new measure to approach the accessibility of places in the frame of the digital economy. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the Internet are not equally spread around places and this heterogeneity affects spatial configuration. Despite the wide societal changes due to ICTs and the extensive interest in accessibility studies, these two themes have not yet come together in order to study the digital accessibility (DA) of places. Adopting an infrastructural perspective and a potential accessibility framework, a DA measure - embedding different types of impedance distance functions - is calculated for cities in Europe. Spatial Interaction Model and Complex Network Analysis are employed to calibrate and validate the DA results. The outcome of this approach is a new urban hierarchy which reveals a core-periphery pattern in Europe owing to digital accessibility.