Interest Groups Research Articles

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Osbeckia leschenaultiana DC extract: Optimization of synthesis, biological activities, larvicidal activity and toxicity analysis

Presently the Osbeckia leschenaultiana DC leaf - extract was used to synthesis the silver nanoparticles and the green synthesized AgNPs were characterized by UV–vis spectrophotometer, FTIR, XRD, DLS, Zeta potential and SEM. Absorbance at 405 nm was obtained in UV–vis spectrophotometer and multiple peaks emerged in FTIR analyses that represent the presence of some interesting functional groups. XRD results proved that the synthesised AgNPs were face-centered cubic and crystalline in nature. SEM revealed the particles are Cuboid and irregular forms; the particle size ranged between 70 nm and 100 nm. And the antibacterial and antioxidant characterization of green synthesized silver nanoparticles Osbeckia leschenaultiana DC leaf − extract against. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae, Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli, revealed the potential antibacterial efficiency against gram positive bacteria Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (23.0 ± 1.0) and Bacillus subtilis (22.0 ± 1.0) and they showed 60–70 % high antioxidant activity compared to Osbeckia leaf extract. AgNPs showed the highest mortality against Aedes aegypti with LC50 value of 49.17 µg/mL, followed by the Osbeckia leaf extract have LC50 value of 85.95 µg/mL. The toxicity profile analyzed using non-target organism Artemia salina exhibited less toxicity. The results revealed that the Osbeckia leschenaultiana DC mediated AgNPs had multifaceted antibacterial, antioxidant and larvicidal potential.

The whole community? Assessing FEMA’s inclusion of Tribal governments in hazard mitigation efforts

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has long advocated for what it calls a “Whole Community approach” to disaster resilience and recovery. This philosophy holds that the priorities of all governmental, commercial, and interest groups should be considered, and their capabilities leveraged, in preparing for and responding to disasters. According to FEMA, federally recognized Tribal governments are part of the “Whole Community.” In this paper we use systematic content analysis techniques to examine policy documents derived from the Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant program to assess whether and how FEMA has taken the concrete policy steps necessary to include Tribal governments in the “Whole Community.” We find that while FEMA has expressed interest in a more equitable and accessible program that serves the needs of Tribal governments, it has taken few practical steps toward this goal.

Synthetic Strategies to Prepare Bioactive Lysine and Peptide Conjugates With Triazolium Derivatives

AbstractPeptides conjugated with organic molecules can be useful tools for the development of novel bioactive compounds. The lysine side‐chain is an interesting functional group to act as a linker to connect small molecules in peptide conjugates. Herein we present the design and synthesis of four Safirinium derivatives, their facile conjugation to lysine in solid phase, and incorporation in peptides. The compounds differing in the functionalization of nitrogen N2 of the condensed triazolyl moiety are novel building blocks to design conjugates to perform structure‐activity relationship studies of elastase inhibitors. Consequently, structural investigations of the lysine building blocks and of the corresponding peptide conjugates were performed. We present herein the potential of the Safirinium analogs to act as elastase inhibitors in assays performed on porcine pancreas elastase.

Corporations and corporatism: Swedish big business and the Harpsund conferences 1955–1962

ABSTRACT Between 1955 and 1962, the Swedish Social Democratic Prime Minister Tage Erlander invited big business leaders to his country estate Harpsund to discuss issues of common concern. Erlander called the conferences ‘consultative democracy’ and the meetings have come to symbolise compromise and cooperation between big business and organised labour during the zenith of Swedish corporatism. This article finds that participating in the talks was a political maximisation strategy for business. Corporatist institutions, such as the Harpsund conferences, were used to communicate business core issues to the government, while at the same time, businesses tried to return the centre-right parties back into power through financial support and public relations campaigns. The article further argues that the cordial relationship between business and labour at the Harpsund conferences fits Katzenstein’s theories on corporatism, including the factors of an export reliant economy, an ideology of social partnership between elites, centralised peak organisations and continuous political bargaining between interest groups, the state, and political parties. Also, the article maintains that the unique good relations were a consequence of a generation of leaders on both sides who gained influence in an era of fast economic growth and mounting international geopolitical tension.

Two-week intensive medical student point-of-care ultrasound training impact on long term utilization

BackgroundThere is little to no data evaluating long term usage of point of care ultrasound (POCUS) after a training intervention for medical students. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of an intensive POCUS training program on medical student’s usage at 9-months post-program.MethodsThis was a prospective cross-sectional study of rising second year medical students who participated in a 2-week summer POCUS training program. Instruction consisted of 8 h of asynchronous online didactic material, 2–4 h of daily hands-on instructor-led and independent scanning, and instruction on how to teach POCUS. Students were assessed pre- and post-program, and again at 9 months post-program to evaluate POCUS usage.ResultsA total of 56 students participated in the program over 2 summers; 52 (92.9%) responded to the 9-month post-program survey. At 9 months, 49 (94.2%) of students taught POCUS after the program to peers or faculty. Students reported serving as a POCUS instructor in 283 subsequent teaching sessions accounting for 849 h of POCUS instruction time. Six (11.5%) students were involved in the creation of a POCUS interest group on their regional campus, 7 (13%) created a POCUS curriculum for their student interest group, and 4 (7.7%) created an opt-in co-curricular POCUS program for students at their regional campus. Three (5.8%) students did not serve as educators after the program and only one student reported not using POCUS again after the program.ConclusionAfter a 2-week intensive POCUS training program for medical students, the majority of students demonstrated continued involvement in POCUS learning and education at 9-month follow-up including serving as peer instructors and assisting with limitations in financial resources and trained faculty.

Photoredox-Catalysis Fluorosulfonyldifluoromethylation of Unactivated Alkenes and (Hetero)arenes with ICF2SO2F.

The fluorosulfonyldifluoromethylation of unactivated alkenes and (hetero)arenes with iododifluoromethanesulfonyl fluoride (ICF2SO2F) under visible light photoredox catalysis was successfully developed. Key to the successful fluorosulfonyldifluoromethylation of aromatic compounds was the usage of AgOTf as an additive to promote the formation of the CF2SO2F radical. The protocol provided a straightforward way to introduce the interesting and useful CF2SO2F group on sp3 and sp2 carbons.

Functional neurological disorder in Europe: regional differences in education and health policy.

Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a common cause of neurological disability. Despite recent advances in pathophysiological understanding and treatments, application of this knowledge to clinical practice is variable and limited. Our aim was to provide an expert overview of the state of affairs of FND practice across Europe, focusing on education and training, access to specialized care, reimbursement and disability policies, and academic and patient-led representation of people with FND. We conducted a survey across Europe, featuring one expert per country. We asked experts to compare training and services for people with FND to those provided to people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Responses from 25 countries revealed that only five included FND as a mandatory part of neurological training, while teaching about MS was uniformly included. FND was part of final neurology examinations in 3/17 countries, unlike MS that was included in all 17. Seventeen countries reported neurologists with an interest in FND but the estimated mean ratio of FND-interested neurologists to MS neurologists was 1:20. FND coding varied, with psychiatric coding for FND impacting treatment access and disability benefits in the majority of countries. Twenty countries reported services refusing to see FND patients. Eight countries reported an FND special interest group or network; 11 reported patient-led organizations. FND is largely a marginal topic within European neurology training and there is limited access to specialized care and disability benefits for people with FND across Europe. We discuss how this issue can be addressed at an academic, healthcare and patient organization level.

A group decision-making model for architectural programming in megaprojects

PurposeDue to the complexity and diversity of megaprojects, the architectural programming process often involves multiple stakeholders, making decision-making difficult and susceptible to subjective factors. This study aims to propose an architectural programming methodology system (APMS) for megaprojects based on group decision-making model to enhance the accuracy and transparency of decision-making, and to facilitate participation and integration among stakeholders. This method allows multiple interest groups to participate in decision-making, gathers various perspectives and opinions, thereby improving the quality and efficiency of architectural programming and promoting the smooth implementation of projects.Design/methodology/approachThis study first clarifies the decision-making subjects, decision objects, and decision methods of APMS based on group decision-making theory and value-based architectural programming methods. Furthermore, the entropy weight method and fuzzy TOPSIS method are employed as calculation methods to comprehensively evaluate decision alternatives and derive optimal decision conclusions. The workflow of APMS consists of four stages: preparation, information, decision, and evaluation, ensuring the scientific and systematic of the decision-making process.FindingsThis study conducted field research and empirical analysis on a practical megaproject of a comprehensive transport hub to verify the effectiveness of APMS. The results show that, in terms of both short-distance and long-distance transportation modes, the decision-making results of APMS are largely consistent with the preliminary programming outcomes of the project. However, regarding transfer modes, the APMS decision-making results revealed certain discrepancies between the project's current status and the preliminary programming.Originality/valueAPMS addresses the shortcomings in decision accuracy and stakeholder participation and integration in the current field of architectural programming. It not only enhances stakeholder participation and interaction but also considers various opinions and interests comprehensively. Additionally, APMS has significant potential in optimizing project performance, accelerating project processes, and reducing resource waste.

A global review of publicly available image datasets for the anterior segment of the eye.

This study comprehensively reviewed publicly available image datasets for the anterior segment, with a focus on cataract, refractive, and corneal surgery. The goal was to assess characteristics of existing datasets and identify areas for improvement. PubMED and Google searches were performed using the search terms "refractive surgery", "anterior segment", "cornea", "corneal", "cataract" AND "database", with the related word of "imaging". Results of each of these searches were collated, identifying 26 publicly available anterior segment image datasets. Imaging modalities included optical coherence tomography, photography and confocal microscopy. Most data sets were small, 80% originated in the USA, China, or Europe. Over 50% of images were from normal eyes. Disease states represented included keratoconus, corneal ulcers, and Fuchs' dystrophy. Most datasets were incompletely described. To promote accessibility going forwards to 2030, the ESCRS Digital Health Special Interest Group will annually update a list of available image datasets for anterior segment at www.escrs.org.

Analisis Kesetaraan Gender di Pedesaan (Studi Kasus Petani Tanaman Hias di Kampung Wisata Sewu Kembang)

<p><em>The principle of sustainable management of natural resources is equality. Equality comes not only from the roles of different interest groups but also from gender equality. This research aims to analyze the impact of developing tourist villages on gender equality. The basic method in this research is qualitative, using a case study approach. The gender analysis model used in this research is the Gender Analysis Matrix (GAM). The research location was selected purposively, and informants were selected using purposive sampling and snowball sampling. Research data was obtained by interviews, observation and documentation. Data analysis was carried out by means of data reduction, data presentation, data interpretation, and conclusions drawing. The validity of the data used is triangulation of sources and techniques. The results of this research show that men and women have their respective roles in the aspects of labor, time, resources and social culture. The development of tourism villages has not achieved gender equality because women’s positions are still weak in community institutions. There is a need for public awareness to improve institutions, so that men and women obtain equal positions in deliberations and management of the institution itself.</em></p>

Evaluation of the Effect of Nutrition Education on Osteopathic Medical Students' Personal Nutrition Choices and Incorporation Into Future Medical Practice.

Our current research project evaluates the impact of nutrition education on the medical student's personal nutrition goals and the likelihood of incorporating nutrition needs into patient evaluation and treatment plans in future practice. The growing popularity of lifestyle medicine has further emphasized the importance of nutrition in the treatment of all patients, especially those suffering from chronic diseases. The paucity of formal medical nutrition education in medical school curricula leaves a significant gap in the knowledge base of physicians in practice. In an attempt to close the gap, we increased nutrition education in first-year osteopathic medical students by establishing a nutrition course emphasizing modern competencies and their importance in clinical practice. Methods: The course evaluation utilized a two-group quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test study design. The intervention group consisted of medical students participating in the newly established course, and the control group consisted of second-year medical students who had not taken the course as part of their curriculum. Information was collected about students' knowledge, attitudes, behaviors around nutrition, their plans to pursue a residency with a focus on culinary medicine and incorporate medical nutrition into their medical practice in the future, and their intention to incorporate culinary medicine into future treatment plans. Participation rates within a voluntary culinary medicine interest group were also tracked. Students in the intervention group were 26% more likely to report that proper nutrition for patient care had been addressed in coursework. This suggests that medical students exposed to the medical nutrition course have received more training that is critical in proper patient care than students in the control group. Students in the intervention group were 93% more likely to believe that proper nutrition can be used to prevent disease. Lastly, significantly more students in the intervention group (33% more) intend to explore residency programs with a focus on culinary medicine than those students in the control group. These results demonstrate that nutritional education promotes an awareness of the effectiveness of nutritional counseling in disease prevention and management. Furthermore, it will hopefully prompt future physicians to consider nutritional counseling during their clinical rotations, through residency, and into their independent practice. The presentation of nutrition in the first year of medical school is critical to develop increasing numbers of primary care physicians that promote the importance of nutrition and a healthy lifestyle for patients.

Some policies matter more: party salience and interest group access to political parties in Western democracies

ABSTRACT Political parties and interest groups play important roles in incorporating societal interests into democratic decision-making. Recent studies have analysed the causes of interactions between individual political parties and interest groups and of interest groups’ choices to seek access to one or more parties. Meanwhile, we know less about why some parties grant access to a range of interest groups while others focus on a few. This article theorises about party strategies and suggests that party salience – that is parties’ emphasis on different policy areas – affects the range of interest groups to which they grant access. I combine interest group survey data from six European democracies with data from party manifestos and use regression analyses to test this hypothesis. I find that parties provide access to multiple interest groups representing various interests in legislative politics and, above all, in policy areas that are salient to them. Thus, parties are more likely to be aware of diverse interests’ perspectives on policies in areas they prioritise. The results have important implications for our understanding of the consequences of party–interest group interactions in democracies.

Quality-of-care standards in adult type 3 intestinal failure caused by benign disease: A European society of clinical nutrition and metabolism (ESPEN) position paper

BackgroundOutcomes related to chronic intestinal failure (CIF) vary significantly within and between countries. While there are extensive European Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) guidelines on the delivery of optimal care in CIF, there are no international consensus recommendations on the structure or resources required, nor on the process and appropriate outcome measures for delivering such quality care in CIF. AimThe aim of this position paper is therefore to devise ESPEN-endorsed, internationally agreed quality of care standards, covering the resources, systems and standards that centres should aim for in order to deliver optimal CIF care. MethodsMembers of the Home Artificial Nutrition-CIF Special Interest Group of ESPEN proposed an initial set of quality-of-care standards which was submitted to voting amongst clinicians from international CIF centres using a modified Delphi process, with participants rating each proposed statement as ‘essential’, ‘recommended’ or ‘not required’. Any statement receiving 80% of more ‘not required’ responses was excluded. ResultsAll 30 proposed standards relating to the structure, 18 relating to the process and 16 to the outcome measures of CIF care were deemed to be essential or recommended in more than 80% of respondents. ConclusionThis is the first paper to determine and describe internationally-agreed quality of care standards in CIF, which are now aimed at forming the basis for all CIF teams to develop and monitor their service, while also informing policymakers and payers on the infrastructure required for the optimal approach to multi-disciplinary team CIF care delivery. The recording of standardised outcomes should also allow internal and external benchmarking of care delivery within and between CIF centres.

European union funding of interest groups: Reassessing the balancing function and the promotion of good organizational practices

European union funding of interest groups: Reassessing the balancing function and the promotion of good organizational practices

Improving fake job description detection using deep learning-based NLP techniques

ABSTRACT In the modern online society, where social networks are increasingly developed, the authenticity of information is one of the essential needs. There are many problems with detecting fake information, such as fake news detection, fake review detection, etc. Fake job description (FJD) detection is an interesting problem many groups have studied recently. However, current studies still need improvement in predictability. Therefore, this study develops a new method named NLP2FJD that utilizes deep learning-based NLP techniques for improving FJD detection. Firstly, we utilize the pre-trained Word2Vec to extract features from textual information from the dataset. Next, combining textual information and meta-information in the experimental dataset to improve the performance of FJD detection. The above two improvements will help the recommender system significantly improve the predictive ability of the proposed model. Finally, the empirical experiments are conducted to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method on the experimental dataset compared with cutting-edge methods. The experimental results demonstrate that the NLP2FJD framework transcends other experimental methods for FJD detection on the experimental dataset. Besides, this study also conducts ROC curve analysis to show how to determine the optimal threshold for distinguishing the fake or real job description on the experimental dataset.

Exemplifying the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) in Fostering Peaceful Co-Existence among Christians and Muslims in Nigeria

In the last three decades, most of the major conflicts in Nigeria are centered on ethnicity and religion. Fundamental Muslims and Christians or moderate (liberal) Muslims and adherents of African Indigenous Religions have wrecked a lot of havoc in Nigeria. In many cases, religious leaders and politicians have manipulated these conflicts for political and economic gains. These conflicts have resulted in the death of several thousands of people and loss of unquantifiable amount of money and property. Various attempts by government, individuals, religious and other interest groups on resolving the lingering and hydra-headed crisis have not yielded holistic and desirable result. Some scholarly articles have been written to proffer solutions to Nigeria's ethno-religious crisis; these include research on interfaith dialogue, social integration, sustainable communal developments, the impact of ethno- religious crisis on the security, economy and sociopolitical stability of the country. However, the exemplary nature of loving, empathizing, accepting, accommodating and living with one’s known or perceived enemies have not been adequately explored with religious hindsight. This paper therefore considers the exemplary character of the “Good Samaritan” in the parable of Jesus Christ (Luke 10:25-37) as a spring board for peaceful co-existence between Christians and people of other faiths in Nigerian multicultural contexts, particularly the Muslims. Exegetical and historical methods are used; the Theoretical Framework is premised on Eisenberg Pro-social Behaviour theory, which is defined as voluntary behaviour intended to benefit another (Eisenberg, 1986). Findings reveal that Nigeria has been wracked by periodic violent clashes between political, ethnic and religious groups since the second half of the 20th century. Reasons for these clashes vary from one locality to another but they are mostly motivated by religious, social, economic and political disputes. Conclusively, exemplifying the teaching of Jesus Christ on love for one's neighbour in the parable of the "Good Samaritan" here proposed first to the Christian community gives a new hope on the quest for peace in Nigeria and re-orientation for Christians and their Muslim neighbours. It is recommended therefore that both Christians and Muslims in Nigeria should leverage on the “Good Samaritan’s” peace accord to one’s neghbour proposed by Jesus Christ without prejudice or stereotyping one another.

Adoption of herbicide resistance tests in German arable farming: Insights from the theory of planned behaviour

AbstractAn increasing number of herbicide‐resistant weeds challenge farming systems worldwide. Bans on active ingredients in chemical crop protection, which result in fewer weed control options, emphasise the importance of herbicide resistance management in arable farming. Resistance testing allows farmers to get an objective overview of the prevailing herbicide resistances on their land and to adjust their management strategies accordingly. Nevertheless, no study has examined farmers' adoption of herbicide resistance tests. For this purpose, an online survey with 197 German arable farmers was conducted. The adoption decision was investigated by applying the theory of planned behaviour framework. The results suggest that informing farmers of the economic benefits associated with herbicide resistance tests can facilitate widespread adoption. Furthermore, awareness of the availability of herbicide resistance tests needs to be raised through both advertising and crop consultants. Results from this study are relevant for several interest groups as the usage of herbicide resistance tests can help reduce the emergence of new resistance by optimising herbicide use at the farm level.

Rickettsia Species: Genetic Variability, Vectors, and Rickettsiosis-A Review.

Rickettsiae are an interesting group of bacteria comprising a large number of obligate intracellular species. The circulation of these bacteria in the environment depends on the presence of vectors (blood-sucking invertebrates) and their hosts. On the basis of phylogenetic analyses in 2022, a division into five groups of Rickettsia has been proposed: I belli group, II canadensis group, III typhus group, and IV and V spotted group fever (respectively II, phylogenetically older, and I). The genus Rickettsia includes species that are both pathogenic and nonpathogenic to humans and domestic and wild animals. Some Rickettsia species are invertebrate symbionts. Currently, rickettsiae, which are transmitted mainly by ticks, are spreading worldwide. This has been promoted by climate change, environmental changes caused by humans, and the synanthropisation of plants and animals. Therefore, it is extremely important to monitor the natural and urban environments. The study of potential vectors and reservoirs of bacteria in the genus Rickettsia should be a permanent part of the analysis of the modern human environment.

Budgets and the timing, intensity, and composition of interest group lobbying in the U.S. states

This paper examines state level lobbying data to determine how budgeting affects the timing, intensity and composition of lobbying expenditures. Using a database of all available lobbying expenditures in the U.S. states ranging up to 25 years, the paper shows interest group lobbying increases substantially during the budgeting process, and the budgeting process is unlike other issues lobbyists face. Spikes in lobbying during budgeting are driven primarily by business groups, and these business groups account for most of the changes on the margin in lobbying activity. Moreover, even groups relatively unaffected by budgets lobby more intensely during legislative budgeting, consistent with the “Christmas tree” effect of appropriations and budget bills.

European survey of diagnosis and management of the polycystic ovary syndrome: full report on the ESE PCOS Special Interest Group's 2023 Questionnaire.

Although polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a very common endocrinopathy, there are several issues related to this disorder which perplex clinicians in their everyday practice. To determine the current state of knowledge among European endocrinologists concerning the full spectrum of PCOS. An online survey comprising 41 items covering various aspects of PCOS diagnosis and management was distributed to members of the European Society of Endocrinology. A total of 505 European endocrinologists (64% females), with a mean age of 47 ± 11.6 years, participated in the survey. The Rotterdam criteria were the primary diagnostic tool for 85% of respondents. Most referrals (87.1%) occurred between ages 20 and 40 years. Twenty-five percent of physicians have access to mass spectrometry for the evaluation of androgen levels. While an extended metabolic profile was commonly employed as part of the workup, there was uncertainty regarding chronic anovulation diagnosis. Diabetes, including gestational or type 2, was recognized as a significant risk factor with universal screening irrespective of BMI status. Lifestyle modification and metformin were considered as standard interventions by all participants alongside oral contraceptives, though there was significant discrepancy in treatment duration. The Rotterdam diagnostic criteria are widely adopted for PCOS diagnosis among European endocrinologists. The current updated survey shows an emphasis on steroid profiling as an important part of diagnostic workup and a strong position held for recognition of PCOS as a metabolic condition with potentially serious implications. Current therapy thus shifted to the demand for prioritizing lifestyle interventions and metabolic therapies, either as monotherapy or in combination with standard hormone compounds.