Suchergebnisse

17 pages, 1 figure, 3 tables.-- Data Availability Statement: The data analyzed in this study are subject to the following licenses/restrictions: Requests to access datasets related to this publication should be directed to caroline.cusack@marine.ie ; This paper discusses the conceptual and methodological challenges to co-developing high-quality and transferable knowledge to understand and manage harmful algal bloom (HAB) risks as part of adaptation to changing aquatic ecosystems in Europe. Global HAB-climate change research efforts to date have focused on enhancing the credibility of scientific knowledge by conducting basic scientific research aimed at understanding the physical and biogeochemical drivers and mechanisms shaping HAB dynamics in order to predict their occurrence and prevent their societal and ecological impacts. However, the rapid and interconnected changes occurring in marine ecosystems worldwide necessitate a simultaneous shift toward enhancing the salience, legitimacy, usefulness, and usability of this knowledge for decision-making. To address this need, we present and discuss empirical findings from the marine-focused CoCliME project, which set out to co-develop user-oriented climate services to support HAB risk mitigation and adaptation in European coastal regions. We present lessons learned in relation to four areas of project implementation, across five regional cases, that emerged as essential for enhancing the quality of knowledge for managing HAB-climate risks: (1) Engaging stakeholders to understand their knowledge, experiences, interests and concerns; (2) Co-developing a shared terminology and framing of the "HAB-related problems"; (3) Advancing scientific understanding of drivers and interactions shaping HAB-climate risks and; (4) Co-producing prototype services that integrate social and HAB-climate data and knowledge to support decision-making. We find that efforts to reduce scientific knowledge gaps and uncertainties about HAB-climate linkages (efforts to enhance credibility), while important, risk overlooking key aspects of knowledge co-production and application that are necessary to render this knowledge more salient, legitimate, useful, and usable. Understanding the multi-risk decision-making context within which societal stakeholders appraise HAB and climate change risks and approaching knowledge co-production as a learning process, are vital lessons learned in this respect. Drawing on project learning, we highlight key priorities for enhancing the societal relevance and impact of HABs-climate research during the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development ; Project CoCliME is part of ERA4CS, an ERA-NET initiated by JPI Climate, and funded by EPA (IE), ANR (FR), BMBF (DE), UEFISCDI (RO), RCN (NO), and FORMAS (SE), with co-funding by the European Union (Grant 690462). CoCliME is endorsed by the International Programme of IOC UNESCO and SCOR GlobalHAB (www.globalhab.info). [.] EB received institutional support from the Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S) ; Peer reviewed

The critical current of a superconducting nanostructure can be suppressed by applying an electric field in its vicinity. This phenomenon is investigated throughout the fabrication and electrical characterization of superconducting tungsten-carbon (W-C) nanostructures grown by Ga+ focused ion beam induced deposition (FIBID). In a 45 nm-wide, 2.7 μm-long W-C nanowire, an increasing side-gate voltage is found to progressively reduce the critical current of the device, down to a full suppression of the superconducting state below its critical temperature. This modulation is accounted for by the squeezing of the superconducting current by the electric field within a theoretical model based on the Ginzburg–Landau theory, in agreement with experimental data. Compared to electron beam lithography or sputtering, the single-step FIBID approach provides with enhanced patterning flexibility and yields nanodevices with figures of merit comparable to those retrieved in other superconducting materials, including Ti, Nb, and Al. Exhibiting a higher critical temperature than most of other superconductors, in which this phenomenon has been observed, as well as a reduced critical value of the gate voltage required to fully suppress superconductivity, W-C deposits are strong candidates for the fabrication of nanodevices based on the electric field-induced superconductivity modulation. ; P.O. acknowledges Aragón Government for funding. The project that gave rise to these results received the support of a fellowship from "la Caixa" Foundation (ID 100010434). The fellowship code is LCF/BQ/PR19/11700008. Funding from the the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 892427 has been received. Authors acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through Projects MAT2018-102627-T and MAT2017-82970-C2-2-R, from CSIC through project PIE202060E187, and from the Aragón Regional Government (Construyendo Europa desde Aragón) through Project E13_20R, with European Social Fund funding. The microscopy works have been conducted in the Laboratory for Advanced Microscopies (LMA), at the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragón (INMA)—University of Zaragoza. Authors acknowledge the LMA for offering access to their instruments and expertise. Authors acknowledge the use of the Physical Measurements Service in Servicio General de Apoyo a la Investigación (SAI)—University of Zaragoza. This work has been supported by projects H2020 (FATMOLSproject) and Excellence Unit María de Maeztu (CEX2019-000919-M). This work has been supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) project #FO 956/6-1 (Germany) and European Cooperation in Science and Technology—COST Action #CA16218 (NANOCOHYBRI). V.M.F. acknowledges partial support from the MEPhI (Russia). ; Peer reviewed

Aging and cancer are two interrelated processes, with aging being a major risk factor for the development of cancer. Parallel epigenetic alterations have been described for both, although differences, especially within the DNA hypomethylation scenario, have also been recently reported. Although many of these observations arise from the use of mouse models, there is a lack of systematic comparisons of human and mouse epigenetic patterns in the context of disease. However, such comparisons are significant as they allow to establish the extent to which some of the observed similarities or differences arise from pre-existing species-specific epigenetic traits. Here, we have used reduced representation bisulfite sequencing to profile the brain methylomes of young and old, tumoral and nontumoral brain samples from human and mouse. We first characterized the baseline epigenomic patterns of the species and subsequently focused on the DNA methylation alterations associated with cancer and aging. Next, we described the functional genomic and epigenomic context associated with the alterations, and finally, we integrated our data to study interspecies DNA methylation levels at orthologous CpG sites. Globally, we found considerable differences between the characteristics of DNA methylation alterations in cancer and aging in both species. Moreover, we describe robust evidence for the conservation of the specific cancer and aging epigenomic signatures in human and mouse. Our observations point toward the preservation of the functional consequences of these alterations at multiple levels of genomic regulation. Finally, our analyses reveal a role for the genomic context in explaining disease- and species-specific epigenetic traits. ; This work was supported by the Spanish Association Against Cancer (PROYE18061FERN to M.F.F.), the Asturias Government (PCTI) cofunding 2018-2022/FEDER (IDI/2018/146 to M.F.F.), Fundación General CSIC (0348_CIE_6_E to M.F.F.), and the Health Institute Carlos III (Plan Nacional de I + D+I) cofunding FEDER (PI15/00892 and PI18/01527 to M.F.F and A.F.F.). They also acknowledge support from the Ramón Areces Foundation (CIVP18A3891 to P.J.F.M.), the AECC (SIRTBIO to P.J.F.M.), the MICINN (SAF2017-85766-R to P.J.F.M.), a Ramón y Cajal fellowship (MICINN, RYC-2017-22335 to P.J.F.M.), and the European Commission ATTRACT project (777222 to A.P.C.). J.R.T. is supported by a Juan de la Cierva fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (FJCI-2015-26965). R.F.P. and P.S.O. are supported by the Severo Ochoa program (BP17-114 and BP17-165, respectively). R.G.U. is supported by the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (Health Institute Carlos III). L.V. was supported by the UAB Predoctoral training programme (PIF predoctoral fellowships). They also acknowledge support from the IMDEA Food Institute and IUOPA-ISPA-FINBA (the IUOPA is supported by the Obra Social Cajastur-Liberbank, Spain). ; Peer reviewed

The development of a highly sensitive, specific, and reliable immunochemical assay to detect pyocyanin (PYO), one of the most important virulence factors (VFs) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is here reported. The assay uses a high-affinity monoclonal antibody (mAb; C.9.1.9.1.1.2.2.) raised against 1-hydroxyphenazine (1-OHphz) hapten derivatives (PC1; a 1:1 mixture of 9-hydroxy- and 6-hydroxy-phenazine-2-carobxylic acids). Selective screening using PYO and 1-OHphz on several cloning cycles allowed the selection of a clone able to detect PYO at low concentration levels. The microplate-based ELISA developed is able to achieve a limit of detection (LoD) of 0.07 nM, which is much lower than the concentrations reported to be found in clinical samples (130 μM in sputa and 2.8 μM in ear secretions). The ELISA has allowed the investigation of the release kinetics of PYO and 1-OHphz (the main metabolite of PYO) of clinical isolates obtained from P. aeruginosa-infected patients and cultured in Mueller-Hinton medium. Significant differences have been found between clinical isolates obtained from patients with an acute or a chronic infection (~6,000 nM vs. ~8 nM of PYO content, respectively) corroborated by the analysis of PYO/1-OHphz levels released by 37 clinical isolates obtained from infected patients at different stages. In all cases, the levels of 1-OHphz were much lower than those of PYO (at the highest levels 6,000 nM vs. 300 nM for PYO vs. 1-OHphz, respectively). The results found point to a real potential of PYO as a biomarker of P. aeruginosa infection and the possibility to use such VF also as a biomarker for patient stratification[2] and for an effective management of these kinds of infections. ; This work has been funded by the Spanish Government to M-PM through the Ministry of Science and Innovation (SAF2015-67476-R, RTI2018-096278-B-C21, PI, M-PM) and by Fundació Marató de TV3 (201825-30-31, PI, M-PM). The Nb4D group is a consolidated research group (Grup de Recerca) of the Generalitat de Catalunya and has support from the Departament d'Universitats, Recerca i Societat de la Informació de la Generalitat de Catalunya (expedient: 2017 SGR 1441). CIBER Actions are financed by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III with assistance from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Moreover, BR-U has an FI fellowship from the AGAUR (Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris I de Recerca) of the Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya) (2019FI_B00289). El Fons social Europeu Inverteix en el teu futur. ; Peer reviewed

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and causes substantial morbidity and mortality. At the time this clinical trial was planned, there were no available vaccine or therapeutic agents with proven efficacy, but the severity of the condition prompted the use of several pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. It has long been hypothesized that the use of convalescent plasma (CP) from infected patients who have developed an effective immune response is likely to be an option for the treatment of patients with a variety of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) of viral etiology. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of convalescent plasma in adult patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. The ConPlas-19 study is a multicenter, randomized, open-label controlled trial. The study has been planned to include 278 adult patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 infection not requiring mechanical ventilation (invasive or non-invasive). Subjects are randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio (139 per treatment arm), stratified by center, to receive intravenously administered CP (single infusion) plus SOC or SOC alone, and are to be followed for 30 days. The primary endpoint of the study is the proportion of patients that progress to category 5, 6, or 7 (on the 7-point ordinal scale proposed by the WHO) at day 15. Interim analyses for efficacy and/or futility will be conducted once 20%, 40%, and 60% of the planned sample size are enrolled and complete D15 assessment. This clinical trial is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of passive immunotherapy with convalescent plasma for the treatment of adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The results of this study are expected to contribute to establishing the potential place of CP in the therapeutics for a new viral disease. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04345523 . Registered on 30 March, 2020. First posted date: April 14, 2020. ; This research is funded by the Government of Spain, Ministry of Science and Innovation, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, grant n° COV20/00072 (Royal Decree-Law 8/2020, of 17 March, on urgent extraordinary measures to deal with the economic and social impact of COVID-19), co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) "A way to make Europe," and supported by SCReN (Spanish Clinical Research Network), ISCIII, project PT17/0017/0009. The funding institutions do not have any role in the design of the study, data collection, analysis, or interpretation of data, nor in writing the manuscript. ; Sí

Funding Information: The authors wish to thank all adolescents, their families, and professionals from the educational centers involved in the UPRIGHT project. Funding. UPRIGHT is a research and innovation project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No. 754919. The grant agreement (protocol) has undergone peer-review by the European Commission reviewers (governmental and major funding organism) before getting approval. This paper reflects only the authors' views and the European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. The funding body has had no role in the study design, in the writing of the protocol or in the decision to submit the paper for publication. Funding Information: UPRIGHT is a research and innovation project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No. 754919. The grant agreement (protocol) has undergone peer-review by the European Commission reviewers (governmental and major funding organism) before getting approval. This paper reflects only the authors' views and the European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. The funding body has had no role in the study design, in the writing of the protocol or in the decision to submit the paper for publication. Publisher Copyright: © Copyright © 2021 Anyan, Morote, Las Hayas, Gabrielli, Mazur, Gudmundsdottir, González, Królicka-Deregowska, Zwiefka, Olafsdottir and Hjemdal. ; Resilience is the process and outcome of healthy adaptation despite significant adversity. Proliferation of research on the resilience construct has led to scientific concerns about the operationalization and measurement of resilience for assessment science and practice. Various studies that have investigated the psychometric properties and construct validity of the Resilience Scale for Adolescents (READ) have yielded inconsistent findings, which could partly be due to variations in the methodological approaches. This study investigated the factor structure and construct validity of the READ in four European regions participating in the Universal Preventive Resilience Intervention Globally Implemented in Schools to Improve and Promote Mental Health for Teenagers (UPRIGHT) project. Participants included adolescents aged 10–15 years from Spain (n = 391, females = 51%), Iceland (n = 379, females = 55%), Italy (n = 460, females = 55%), and Poland (n = 316, females = 51%). The five-factor model of the READ was similar across gender and participating regions. Construct validity of the READ was supported. After establishing construct separability, incremental validity was supported (except for the social competence subscale). The READ is a valid and reliable measure of protective factors involved in resilience and demonstrates promise for cross-cultural applicability. Recommendations for measuring resilience and validating the READ in future investigations are provided. ; Peer reviewed

Ministerial advisers are the specially appointed individuals working for ministers. As such they are an integral part of political-partisan and governmental elites, although they mostly stay hidden from view. As a distinct category of actors, they do not receive a lot of scholarly attention and there are still many blind spots as to their contributions to policymaking processes. However, in Belgium, it was demonstrated that ministerial advisers were key players in the formulation of policies at the level of governments. In some ways, approaching them is tantamount to focusing on the main venues of policy formulation, where decisive policy work is carried out and where important arbitration between a range of policy options is realized. As much as they are producers of advice destined to their ministers, ministerial advisers are also receivers of policy relevant knowledge. They are notably active in the coordination of internal and external sources of advice. Yet, exposure to policy-relevant information and advisory linkages with a series of actors more or less distant from government, might lead them to adopt a different view about the policies they actively prepare. They might change their appreciations of the various elements constitutive of policies. Such cognitive dynamics, consisting in updating beliefs about policies, are typically referred to as policy learning. This research thus asks the following question: What are the learning patterns of ministerial advisers when engaged in processes of policy formulation and how can differential learning patterns be explained? This study is based on online survey data collected in 2018-2019, from ministerial advisers working for two Belgian governments: the Walloon Region and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation Governments (n=107, response rate=64%). Statistical analyses were performed using multiple linear and tobit regression techniques. This research shows that, despite remaining political partisan and thus interested actors, ministerial advisers do learn about policies in preparation. It also uncovers some conditions of their policy learning experiences. First, contrasting attitudes in policy-relevant advisory and informational exchanges seem to elicit divergent learning pathways in them. Second, the various roles of ministerial advisers and their arenas of activity, tend to direct their learning on specific aspects of policies and to affect both the intensity and direction of their puzzling. Third, diverse features of the policy challenges they are confronted with, like varying needs for coordination and levels of mutual agreements over the goals to pursue with policy proposals, further shape their learning experiences. This study not only contributes to research on ministerial advisers through the application of a novel theoretical perspective, but also to policy learning as a lens, because of the specificities of learning patterns that are captured here. ; (POLS - Sciences politiques et sociales) -- UCL, 2021

Mestrado Bolonha em Actuarial Science ; The ageing of the population is leading to reforms in Social Security systems with negative impact on the levels of retirement income. One way to minimize this impact is to reinforce the role of complementary pension schemes. Pension projections can be an important tool to support individuals in their decision-making about the savings for retirement and have been a part of several initiatives at the European Union level. This report is the result of an internship at the Insurance and Pension Funds Supervisory Authority (ASF) and focuses on the development of a calculation tool for making pension projections in the scope of occupational defined contribution pension schemes. The work aims to study the potential performance of different investment strategies using an Economic Scenario Generator framework and evaluate the impact on the retirement income that such investment strategies produce, considering also different assumptions with regard to mortality tables and discount rates applied in the calculation of annuities. The model developed considers three main risk factors: (1) financial market risk, which includes uncertainty over return on investment, inflation and interest rates; (2) labour risk, originated from uncertainty over real wage growth path; (3) demographic risk, as a result of increasing life expectancy. ; O envelhecimento da população tem conduzido a reformas nos sistemas públicos de pensões, com impacto negativo nos níveis de rendimento de reforma, sendo que uma das formas de minimizar esse impacto é o reforço do papel dos sistemas complementares de pensões. As projeções relativas aos benefícios de reforma podem constituir uma importante ferramenta para a tomada de decisão dos indivíduos, em relação ao investimento das suas poupanças direcionadas à reforma, e têm sido objeto de várias iniciativas a nível europeu. Este relatório resulta de um estágio realizado na Autoridade de Supervisão de Seguros e Fundos de Pensões (ASF). O estudo centra-se no desenvolvimento de uma ferramenta de cálculo de projeção de benefícios de reforma no âmbito dos planos profissionais de contribuição definida. O trabalho procura estudar o potencial desempenho de diferentes estratégias de investimento recorrendo a um Gerador de Cenários Económicos (ESG) e avaliar o impacto nos benefícios de reforma que essas estratégias produzem, considerando também diferentes pressupostos em relação às tábuas de mortalidade e taxas de desconto para o cálculo de anuidades. O modelo desenvolvido considera três tipos de riscos: (1) risco financeiro, fruto da incerteza do retorno dos investimentos, inflação e taxas de juro; (2) risco laboral, relacionado com a incerteza da evolução salarial; (3) risco demográfico, decorrente do aumento da longevidade. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Ministerial advisers are the specially appointed individuals working for ministers. As such they are an integral part of political-partisan and governmental elites, although they mostly stay hidden from view. As a distinct category of actors, they do not receive a lot of scholarly attention and there are still many blind spots as to their contributions to policymaking processes. However, in Belgium, it was demonstrated that ministerial advisers were key players in the formulation of policies at the level of governments. In some ways, approaching them is tantamount to focusing on the main venues of policy formulation, where decisive policy work is carried out and where important arbitration between a range of policy options is realized. As much as they are producers of advice destined to their ministers, ministerial advisers are also receivers of policy relevant knowledge. They are notably active in the coordination of internal and external sources of advice. Yet, exposure to policy-relevant information and advisory linkages with a series of actors more or less distant from government, might lead them to adopt a different view about the policies they actively prepare. They might change their appreciations of the various elements constitutive of policies. Such cognitive dynamics, consisting in updating beliefs about policies, are typically referred to as policy learning. This research thus asks the following question: What are the learning patterns of ministerial advisers when engaged in processes of policy formulation and how can differential learning patterns be explained? This study is based on online survey data collected in 2018-2019, from ministerial advisers working for two Belgian governments: the Walloon Region and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation Governments (n=107, response rate=64%). Statistical analyses were performed using multiple linear and tobit regression techniques. This research shows that, despite remaining political partisan and thus interested actors, ministerial advisers do learn about policies in preparation. It also uncovers some conditions of their policy learning experiences. First, contrasting attitudes in policy-relevant advisory and informational exchanges seem to elicit divergent learning pathways in them. Second, the various roles of ministerial advisers and their arenas of activity, tend to direct their learning on specific aspects of policies and to affect both the intensity and direction of their puzzling. Third, diverse features of the policy challenges they are confronted with, like varying needs for coordination and levels of mutual agreements over the goals to pursue with policy proposals, further shape their learning experiences. This study not only contributes to research on ministerial advisers through the application of a novel theoretical perspective, but also to policy learning as a lens, because of the specificities of learning patterns that are captured here. ; (POLS - Sciences politiques et sociales) -- UCL, 2021

The global energy transition slowed in 2019 according to the Energy Transition Index report from World Economic Forum, and South Africa (SA) was ranked one hundred and fourteenth out of the one hundred and fifteen countries assessed South Africa thus demonstrated low results in both the energy system performance index and the readiness for energy transition. A range of countries are also facing challenges that are central to the transformation of the energy sector, including protecting the environment, energy security and climate change. These persistent global crises and problems experienced by the energy sector in relation also to scarcity of natural resources, widening social inequalities and environmental degradation, have necessitated reforms and transitions in the energy sector. This study follows an interpretivism research philosophy because it is more suitable for a qualitative research methodology. The strategy of case study research is related to the paradigm of interpretivism approach and thus to the methodology of qualitative research. Various research strategies are used to gain in-depth knowledge, including the use of a case study research methodology to investigate a particular natural setting phenomenon. The research methodology with the embedded sub-units of analysis uses a single case study instrument. The primary unit of analysis considered for this study is the energy sector in South Africa in its current state. For this study, semi-structured interviews are utilised as the research instrument forming the primary data. Transition management and research propositions as conceptualised in this case study are theoretical concepts that management could use to positively influence the South African energy transition. SA is seriously impacted by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic since the beginning of 2020. The online research approach used resulted in some limitations during data collection, not being able to conduct interviews face-to-face and inability to observe participants during data collection. The researcher also found limitations on accessing data from some of the energy experts recruited to participate in the research. Some reported being busy and not having time to fill out the questionnaires. The researcher carried out follow-ups and recruited new participants. Primary data was ultimately collected from a total of five energy experts who participated in the study against the initial plan for eight participants. Most energy transition studies have focused almost entirely on energy technologies choices. The research intends to contribute to the body of knowledge and provides solutions for management, government and energy sector stakeholders to build strategies to resolve the complex and persistent challenges that slow down the energy transition in South Africa. ; Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences , Business Administration, 2021

One socio-economic problem that South Africa is currently facing is the youth and women unemployment rate, which is among the highest in the world. The Government of South Africa has been involved in a number of initiatives, along with the advancement of a labour-intensive Expanded Public Works Program (EPWP) to reduce unemployment and poverty. The EPWP was initiated in 2004 with the aim of putting the unemployed into productive work in the social services of the public sector where relevant training and transfer of appropriate skills are provided to EPWP beneficiaries. However, the EPWP provides only temporary job opportunities that have little impact on the beneficiaries' lives. The main objective of the study was to analyse the Expanded Public Works Programme as a strategy for poverty reduction in order to assess its effectiveness on poverty reduction in Buffalo City Municipality, and to learn best practices that can be emulated by other municipalities or other programmes of Buffalo City Municipality. The secondary aim of the study was to suggest possible solutions and ways to overcome the problems and challenges faced by the metropolitan municipality of Buffalo City in tackling poverty reduction. Another goal was to explore whether the job prospects in Public Works would improve participants' future employability after they leave EPWP. Lastly, the study forwards suggestions on how best to use the EPWP as a tool to provide disadvantaged youth and women with sustainable job opportunities. The sample comprised of ten (10) individuals, and it was arrived at using purposive sampling. The self-administered questionnaire was sent to two (2) councilors and eight (8) EPWP managers involved in the EPWP management in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. The data was collected through the self-administered questionnaire, followed by telephone follow-ups for points of clarity, because the study took place at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, which took everyone by surprise and left the whole world astonished as it seemed no one was fully prepared for the disaster. The study found that, overall, the design elements and implementation aspects of EPWP are not ideal for helping the unemployed to become more employable on a large scale. Other issues include the absence of advanced skills training for EPWP participants; the unsustainable essence of the administration of the EPWP, and the non-approval of the draft EPWP policy. This study suggests measures with regard to EPWP coordination, enhanced project monitoring, preparation, indigent requirements and acceptance of the EPWP regulation under the BCMM. The study also recommends, in addition to the above, properly consulted management framework according to international best practices of programme management and evaluation to allow the EPWP to achieve its goals more effectively. ; Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 2021

Safety riding dapat diartikan sebagai cara berkendara yang aman dan nyaman baik bagi pengendara, safety riding mengacu kepada perilaku berkendara yang secara ideal harus memiliki tingkat keamanan yang cukup. Data dari Korps Lalu Lintas Kepolisian Republik Indonesia mencatat jumlah kecelakaan di Indonesia sepanjang 2018 sebanyak 109.215, jumlah tersebut naik 4,69% dibandingkan pada tahun 2017 dengan 104.327 kejadian, selama kurun waktu 2014-2018, jumlah kecelakaan lalu lintas mengalami kenaikan rata-rata 3,30% per tahun. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui "Faktor-Faktor yang Berhubungan dengan Perilaku Aman Berkendara (Safety Riding) pada Mahasiswa Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik, Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta tahun 2020".Penelitian ini adalah penelitian kuantitatif dengan desain penelitian cross sectional dengan jumlah responden dalam penelitian yaitu 107 sampel. Metode pengambilan data menggunakan kuesioner dalam bentuk google form. Adapun analisis data dalam penelitian ini menggunakan uji statistik chi-square pada perangkat lunak statistikAda hubungan yang signifikan antara jenis kelamin, pengetahuan, dan self efficacy dengan perilaku aman berkendara (safety riding) (P value = 0,000), tidak ada hubungan yang signifikan antara masa berkendara dengan perilaku aman berkendara (safety riding) (P value = 0,171).Faktor-faktor yang memiliki hubungan dengan perilaku aman berkendara (safety riding) yaitu jenis kelamin, pengetahuan, dan self efficacy. Perlunya pihak universitas dapat bekerja sama dengan pihak kepolisian lalu lintas dalam mengadakan penyuluhan atau pelatihan untuk para mahasiswa terkait perilaku aman berkendara (safety riding).---Safety riding can be interpreted as a way of driving safely and comfortably for drivers, safety riding refers to ideal driving manners with adequate safety level for drivers. Data from the Indonesian Police Traffic Corps recorded the number of accidents in Indonesia throughout 2018 as many as 109,215, this number increased by 4,69% compared to 2017 with 104,327 incidents, during the 2014-2018 period, the number of traffic accidents increased by an average of 3,30% per year.The purpose of this study is to discover Factors Related to Safety Riding Behavior on Students of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta in 2020. This study is a quantitative research with cross sectional experiment design with 107 samples of respondents. Questionnaire through google form is used for data collection. The data analysis in this study used the chi-square statistical test in the SPSS 23 application.There is a significant correlation between gender, knowledge of driving, and self efficacy with safety riding (P value = 0,000) while there is no significant correlation between driving time with safety riding (P value = 0,171).This study indicates that gender, knowledge and self efficacy are the influencing factors of safety riding. It's necessary to joint action between university and government/police officials is needed to provide seminar or training programs regarding safety riding for university students.

The impacts of fisheries on ocean resources are no longer considered in isolation but should account for broader ecosystem effects. However, ongoing ecosystem-wide changes added to the inherent dynamics of marine ecosystems, create challenges for fisheries and fisheries management by affecting our ability to ensure future fishing opportunities and sustainable use of the seas. By reviewing a corpus of fisheries science literature, we contribute to informing managers and policymakers with considerations of the various threats to fisheries and the marine ecosystems that support them. We identify and describe 25 ecosystem challenges and 7 prominent families of management options to address them. We capture the challenges acting within three broad categories: (i) fishing impacts on the marine environments and future fishing opportunities, (ii) effects of environmental conditions on fish and fishing opportunities, and (iii) effects of context in terms of socioeconomics, fisheries management, and institutional set-up on fisheries. Our review shows that, while most EU fisheries are facing a similar array of challenges, some of them are specific to regions or individual fisheries. This is reflected in selected regional cases taking different perspectives to exemplify the challenges along with fishery-specific cases. These cases include the dramatic situation of the Baltic Sea cod, facing an array of cumulative pressures, the multiple and moving ecosystem interactions that rely on the North Sea forage fish facing climate change, the interaction of fishing and fish stocks in a fluctuating mixed fishery in the Celtic Sea, the bycatch of marine mammals and seabirds and habitat degradation in the Bay of Biscay, and finally the under capacity and lack of fundamental knowledge on some features of the EU Outermost Regions. In addition to these ecoregion specific findings, we discuss the outcomes of our review across the whole of European waters and we conclude by recognizing that there are knowledge gaps regarding the direction of causality, nonlinear responses, and confounding effects. All of the challenges we identify and characterize may guide further data collection and research coordination to improve our fundamental understanding of the system and to monitor real changes within it, both of which are required to inform an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM). An European EAFM could build upon an array of management measures currently tailored for fisheries management only, including promoting funding interdisciplinary research and ecosystem monitoring. Such integrative management should reduce uncertainties in environmental, social and economic trends, and lower the risk for disruptive events or ecosystem effects with far-reaching consequences, including a shift toward less productive marine ecosystems.

Since 2020 the modern world has been witnessing a complex crisis, which is essentially a medical crisis (the COVID-19 pandemic) within a structural economic crisis. In addition to the current nexus of risk stressors, such as anthropogenic climate crisis, biodiversity loss, financialization and income inequality, all global and cross-cutting by their very nature, in the last period biorisk has been growing dramatically. The COVID-19 pandemic is a devastating and tragic moment which is rapidly becoming a matter of primary public concern. Social distancing, as the most effective anti-pandemic measure, has pushed the economy into sleep mode. Hibernation provokes a truly systemic economic downturn. The current crisis is particularly deepening structural imbalances of the neoliberal model of capitalism. Core policies responses, such as liquidity infusion and fiscal stimulus, are massive and permanent. Increasing moral hazard and irrational exuberance, such policies are destroying capital markets, as a brain of the market economy. But every crisis is also a chance to change. By tackling the neoliberal capitalism' fault lines in a more effective way, it may actually accelerate the pace to the future we had in mind. A quick restart (or recovery) of the economy and a later rebound require systemic and concerted action in order to mitigate the negative effects of both medical and economic crisis. In managing a complex crisis such as this one, guided by the vision of a sustainable, inclusive and prosperous economy, governments all around the world should take radical reform steps. It means, at least, two things at once. First, dealing with the pandemic as a macroeconomic variable. Second, implementing core economic policies (monetary and fiscal) in a structural way. To do so, the transition from shareholder capitalism to stakeholder capitalism is imminent. An emerging system will combine two institutional choices, the "visible hand" of state (impact investments based on structural or industrial policies) and the "invisible hand" of market forces. It's time to give the government a stronger voice in the economy. To create value instead of redistributing value, the major part of impact investments will be in circular and regenerative economy, health care, infrastructure (physical and conceptual), science, and education. The objective of this paper is twofold. First, to fill the present conceptual vacuum created by the neoliberal doctrine economics rules with the aim of identifying key components of Serbia's economy revival based on its macroeconomic specifics and catalytic impact of new economics rules during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, to highlight the relevance of key components of stakeholder capitalism, including the regenerative and circular model of growth and heterodox economic policy platform for the Great Reset, or recovery and rebound respectively.

Background: Although there are many interventions targeting childhood obesity prevention, only few have demonstrated positive results. The current review aimed to gather and evaluate available school-based intervention studies with family involvement targeting dietary, physical activity and sedentary behaviors among primary schoolchildren and their families, in order to identify the most effective strategies. Methods: Studies published between 2000 and January 2015 were retrieved from scientific electronic databases and grey literature. The databases used included MEDLINE/PubMed, Web-of-Science, CINAHL and Scopus. Included studies had to be experimental controlled studies and had duration over 1 school year, had family involvement, combined PA and dietary behaviors and were implemented in school setting. A complementary search was executed to update the review to cover the period from February 2015 to January 2019. Results: From the studies examined (n = 425), 27 intervention programs (33 publications) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Among these, 15 presented significant effect on weight status and/ or overweight/ obesity or clinical indices, 3 presented significant effect on most energy balance-related behaviors (EBRBs) while 9 presented significant effect on some/few EBRBs or determinants. Strategies implemented in effective interventions were: teachers acting as role-models and being actively involved in the delivery of the intervention, school policies supporting the availability of healthy food and beverage choices and limiting unhealthy snacks, changes in the schoolyard, in the recess rules and in the physical education classes to increase physical activity, and involving parents in the intervention via assignments, meetings, informative material and encouraging them to improve the home environment. Use of incentives for children, social marketing techniques, collaboration with local stakeholders were found to increase effectiveness. Programs that focused only on educational sessions and material for parents, without promoting relevant environmental and policy changes, were found to be less effective. Cultural adaptations have been suggested to increase the intervention's acceptance in specific or vulnerable population groups. Conclusions: Several effective strategies were identified in the reviewed programs. Outcomes of the current review were taken into account in developing the Feel4Diabetes-intervention and summed up as recommendations in the current work in order to facilitate other researchers designing similar childhood obesity prevention initiatives. Keywords: Obesity prevention, Type 2 diabetes prevention, Primary school children, Families, School based intervention. ; The Feel4Diabetes-study has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme [Grant Agreement: n degrees 643708]. The content of this article reflects only the authors' views and the European Community is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.