Local Units Research Articles

How much is too much: A case study of local self-government units in Slovakia using absolute variability to determine the importance of financial criteria in MCDM analysis.

The performance evaluation of local self-government entities is very difficult, as their primary goal is not to make a profit, but to provide services to their residents that will contribute to an increase in their quality of life. In this context, it is necessary to evaluate their activity from the point of view of several available criteria, for which it is possible to find relevant and recognized sources. The presented research works with five criteria, identified by the Institute for Economic and Social Reforms, and aims to quantify the agreement of the results of the assessment of the financial health of territorial self-government entities in 2020 using the TOPSIS technique with a gradually decreasing number of criteria. For this purpose, a total of 26 combinations of criteria are created, with the number of 5, 4, 3 and 2 used criteria, the importance of which is determined based on their absolute variability using the standard deviation method. The results obtained in this way are interpreted using a wide range of mathematical and statistical methods including the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Levene test, Jaccard index and others. As a result, the multi-criteria evaluation of territorial self-government subjects (in our case, district cities) proved to be highly applicable. However, the result itself is largely determined by the structure and number of entry criteria. Based on the performed analyses, we can see that significant differences result from their reduction. Each such reduction has an impact on the overall results, but it is possible to find combinations that defy this conclusion.

Ocular Syphilis: The Resurgence of an Old Disease Experience of a Tertiary Centre in Portugal

ABSTRACT Purpose To estimate the number of ocular syphilis (OS) cases diagnosed in a tertiary care centre in Portugal, correlate with increasing syphilis diagnoses and characterize the OS population. Materials and methods Retrospective, observational, single-center study that included patients diagnosed with OS between 2015 and 2023 at the local health unit of Coimbra. Demographic data were collected, and a complete ophthalmological examination was performed with multimodal imaging acquisition. Data on syphilis reports from the National System of Epidemiologic Surveillance were correlated with OS data. Results Fifty-four patients with OS were observed; mean age was 54.17 ± 14.46 years, 38 (70.37%) were male and 18 (47.37%) men who have sex with men. The proportion of OS in syphilis patients per year ranged from 0% to 10.34%. One-quarter were co-infected with HIV. Forty-nine patients (91.84%) complained of decreased visual acuity on presentation. Twenty-two (40.74%) had systemic findings (mostly skin rash). Two-thirds had bilateral disease and half presented with anterior segment involvement. Eighty-five percent had posterior segment involvement, mostly placoid chorioretinitis. Forty-one percent had optic nerve involvement. All patients were admitted and underwent 2-week treatment with intravenous penicillin. Visual acuity improved from logMAR 0.70 to logMAR 0.26 (p < 0.001). Conclusions Ocular syphilis is a heterogeneous disease with a wide range of presentations. The incidence is on the rise and therefore OS must be considered in every patient with anterior and posterior uveitis, panuveitis and optic neuritis, with or without systemic manifestations.

Provenance of the Mesoproterozoic Shennongjia Group in the north Yangtze Block, South China, and implications for reconstructions of the Nuna and Rodinia supercontinents

Magmatic activity in the range ca. 1.6−1.5 Ga is spatially restricted globally, and its distribution has been an important tool for constraining the reconstruction of the Nuna supercontinent. Abundant ca. 1.6 Ga detrital zircons have recently been discovered in the Luanshigou and Taizi formations of the middle Mesoproterozoic Shennongjia Group in the north Yangtze Block, South China. Detrital zircon age spectra and multi-dimensional scaling results indicate the Shennongjia Group was derived from variable sources. The ca. 1.6 Ga detrital zircons in the middle Mesoproterozoic units were probably sourced from Laurentia and Australia-Mawson, whereas detrital zircons of other age groups were provided by the local rock units in the north Yangtze Block. Similarities in sedimentary sequences, detrital zircon age spectra, and corresponding Hf isotopic patterns of the Shennongjia Group with other Mesoproterozoic successions in Yangtze Block (e.g., Baoban-Shilu, Huili, and Kunyang groups) suggest that the block contained a number of micro-blocks during the Mesoproterozoic. Furthermore, the compiled new and published detrital zircon data from the north Yangtze Block along with those from other continents containing ca. 1.6 Ga zircons reveal that the Yangtze Block was most likely situated within a rift zone between southeast Australia-Mawson and southwest Laurentia. The ca. 1.6 Ga zircons in the Shennongjia Group were derived from these bounding source regions during the middle Mesoproterozoic. By the late Mesoproterozoic, based on a comprehensive provenance analyses and comparison of detrital zircon data, the Yangtze Block was probably located on the margins of the Rodinia supercontinent, close to north-central India, Australia, and East Antarctica.

The Mundeck Salt Unit: A Review of Aptian Depositional Context and Hydrocarbon Potential in the Kribi-Campo Sub-Basin (South Cameroon Atlantic Basin)

The Kribi-Campo sub-basin, located in the Gulf of Guinea, constitutes the southeastern segment of the Cameroon Atlantic Margin. Drilling in the Aptian salt unit revealed a sparse hydrocarbon presence, contrasting with modest finds in its counterparts like the Ezanga Salt in Gabon and the Rio Muni Salt in Equatorial Guinea. This discrepancy prompted a reassessment of the depositional context and hydrocarbon potential of the Mundeck salt unit. By integrating 2D seismic reflection and borehole data analysis, this study established the structural and stratigraphic framework of the area, emphasizing the salt unit’s significance. Borehole data indicate a localized salt unit offshore Kribi, with seismic reflection data revealing distinct forms of diapir and pillow. This salt unit displays a substantial lateral extent with thicknesses ranging from 4000 m to 6000 m. The depositional context is linked to the following two major geological events: a significant sea-level drop due to margin uplift during the Aptian and thermodynamic processes driven by transfer faults related to mid-oceanic ridge formation. These events were crucial in forming and evolving the Mundeck Salt. Regarding hydrocarbon prospects, this study identifies the unit as being associated with potential petroleum plays, supported by direct hydrocarbon indicators and fault-related structures. The findings suggest that untapped hydrocarbon resources may still exist, underscoring the need for further exploration and analysis.

Modelling scenarios for water supply and sanitation technologies in Jordan

The influx of refugees, population growth and current agricultural practices have led to an increase in water demand in Jordan, placing pressure on existing water provision. Climate change further exacerbates declining water availability. Against this backdrop, the techno-economic feasibility of four water supply and sanitation alternatives for small and medium scale cities in Jordan were explored, using local unit costs and Al-Mafraq as a case study. City level piped network combined with household rooftop rainwater harvesting and surface runoff collection into local ponds and piped networks with treatment using the nature-based solution of root-zone for sanitation were demonstrated to provide the highest benefits in terms of cost, convenience and water conservation. Our work highlights the need to invest in long-term urban infrastructure networks to promote sustainable future growth of cities. This is vital to address severe water scarcity challenges that ultimately impact those at the urban fringes most.

Evolution and hydro-stratigraphy of the coastal aquifer in Garopaba/SC: Interpretation from georadar and tubular wells

This work analyzes the geological evolution of sedimentary deposits in the coastal aquifer of Garopaba, south Brazil, using ground penetrating radar (GPR) and data from tubular wells. The aquifer is localized in the coastal plain, where Quaternary lagoon-barrier environments are set between the Precambrian crystalline mountains and the sea. Over ten tubular wells are scattered in urbanized areas, which highlights the vulnerability of the unconfined, granular shallow aquifer. The results show that the aquifer has lithologic units of local scale. Tubular well data show the basal limit of the aquifer overlying clayey layers between 30 and 40 m deep and intercalation of sand layers up to the surface, mostly fine to very fine sand, with metric thickness, secondary lenses of clay and minor occurrence of gravel. The radarfacies interpretation shows fluvial-estuarine deposits as a local hydrostratigraphic unit, with lateral accretion bars filling a NE-axis paleochannel. The basal surface of the channel is interpreted as the sequence boundary surface of the lagoon-barrier systems III (upper Pleistocene) and IV (Holocene). The geological evolution of the aquifer is related to the upper Pleistocene marine regression (120–18 ka), that caused the aerial exposure of the continental shelf, and the development of complex drainage channels, which were superimposed during the Holocene transgression by lagoon-barrier IV deposits. After the post-glacial transgression, the lowering of the RSL to the current level promoted the silting of part of the lagoon system by continental sedimentation and aeolian deposits composing the surface.

Lung cancer and smoking: years lived with disability in Tuscany (Italy). An analysis from the ACAB study

BackgroundLung cancer (LC) is among the most common neoplasms, mostly caused by smoking. This study, carried out within the ACAB project, aims to provide local, updated and systematic estimates of years lived with disability (YLD) from LC due to smoking in the Tuscany region, Italy.MethodsWe estimated YLD for the year 2022 for the whole region and at subregional level by local health unit (LHU) using data from the Tuscany Cancer Registry and local surveys. YLD were calculated by applying the severity-specific LC prevalence, estimated with an incidence-based disease model, to the corresponding disability weight. The burden from smoking was computed by: modelling the prevalence of smokers with a Bayesian Dirichlet-Multinomial regression model; estimating the distribution of smokers by pack-years simulating individual smoking histories; collecting relative risks from the literature.ResultsIn 2022 in Tuscany, LC caused 7.79 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] = 2.26, 17.27) and 25.50 (95% UI = 7.30, 52.68) YLDs per 100,000 females and males, respectively, with slight variations by LHU, and 53% and 66% of the YLDs were caused by smoking.ConclusionThe updated estimates of the burden of LC attributable to smoking for the Tuscany region as a whole and for each LHU provide indications to inform strategic prevention plans and set public health priorities. The impact of smoking on YLDs from LC is not negligible and heterogeneous by LHU, thus requiring local interventions.

THE DIGILIZATION AND CONNECTION OF NOTARIES WITH THE REPUBLIC REGISTERIES IN THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA

In a time of rapid social and dynamic changes, due to the legal security of the circulation of goods and services, in the Republic of North Macedonia, the need was felt to present the notarial service as a guarantee of safety for the parties, to be achieved through the state their legal security. This country applied the German-Latin model, which today is a safe step. With the independence of the Republic of North Macedonia from 1991, the need was felt for the legal circulation of goods and services. In order to facilitate legal transactions due to their multiplicity, in 1996, for the first time, we brought the corresponding law for notaries. They operate within various branches based on law. Development of the notarial service as a public service, independent and self-contained, where the works of the type of public authorizations are performed based on the law. In 2016, in certain articles, the innovation of digitally referencing the notarial document is established, respectively by placing them in the Central Notarial Archive, which includes: electronic certificate, certified electronic description and their archiving in electronic form. Whereas, as far as data submission is concerned, the recording and entry of notarial documents in electronic form in public registers and electronic communication of the notary with the notarial databases. Today there are several links such as: 1. The electronic link with the Real Estate Cadastre Agency; Electronic connection with the Central Registry; Electronic connection with the Pawn Registry (movables); Electronic connection with the Debt Register; Electronic connection with the Official Gazette; Electronic connection with the Directorate for financial disclosure; Electronic connection with local self-administration units, etc. All these electronic links will be analyzed in this scientific paper!

Simulation-aided development of a compact local ventilation unit with the use of CFD analysis

Simulation-aided development of a compact local ventilation unit with the use of CFD analysis

BCAN: Bidirectional Correct Attention Network for Cross-Modal Retrieval.

As a fundamental topic in bridging the gap between vision and language, cross-modal retrieval purposes to obtain the correspondences' relationship between fragments, i.e., subregions in images and words in texts. Compared with earlier methods that focus on learning the visual semantic embedding from images and sentences to the shared embedding space, the existing methods tend to learn the correspondences between words and regions via cross-modal attention. However, such attention-based approaches invariably result in semantic misalignment between subfragments for two reasons: 1) without modeling the relationship between subfragments and the semantics of the entire images or sentences, it will be hard for such approaches to distinguish images or sentences with multiple same semantic fragments and 2) such approaches focus attention evenly on all subfragments, including nonvisual words and a lot of redundant regions, which also will face the problem of semantic misalignment. To solve these problems, this article proposes a bidirectional correct attention network (BCAN), which introduces a novel concept of the relevance between subfragments and the semantics of the entire images or sentences and designs a novel correct attention mechanism by modeling the local and global similarity between images and sentences to correct the attention weights focused on the wrong fragments. Specifically, we introduce a concept about the semantic relationship between subfragments and entire images or sentences and use this concept to solve the semantic misalignment from two aspects. In our correct attention mechanism, we design two independent units to correct the weight of attention focused on the wrong fragments. Global correct unit (GCU) with modeling the global similarity between images and sentences into the attention mechanism to solve the semantic misalignment problem caused by focusing attention on relevant subfragments in irrelevant pairs (RI) and the local correct unit (LCU) consider the difference in the attention weights between fragments among two steps to solve the semantic misalignment problem caused by focusing attention on irrelevant subfragments in relevant pairs (IR). Extensive experiments on large-scale MS-COCO and Flickr30K show that our proposed method outperforms all the attention-based methods and is competitive to the state-of-the-art. Our code and pretrained model are publicly available at: https://github.com/liuyyy111/BCAN.

Structural and Functional Consolidation Processes of Local Government Units in Norway and Croatia. A Comparative Study

The aim of the article is to synthesise the process of the introduction of the reform of the basic territorial division of the state in Norway between 2016 and 2020, creating a new structure of municipal and regional self-government with a simultaneous change in some of the tasks carried out at both levels of municipal and provincial (regional) self-government. We comparatively analyse the process of development of territorial selfgovernment in Croatia, with a particular focus on changes in the attitude of academia and politics towards the consolidation of local self-government units. The analysis is based on the assumptions and categories of neo-institutional methodology. The main thesis of the paper emphasises the importance of the process of structural and functional consolidation of local government units carried out in order to optimise the delivery of public services, enhance the well-being of local communities and exploit economies of scale. The essence and evolution of local self-government institutions in Norway and Croatia and their political and theoretical conditions will also be the subject of synthesis in the paper.

BEYOND SDG LOCALISATION: A POLICY ANALYSIS

In the wake of the transition from Millennium Developmental Goals to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the United Nations Agenda 2030, India finds a shift in policy focus towards integrating SDGs in policy planning and implementation. This policy analysis explores the effectiveness of this shift in the form of SDG Localisation. SDG Localisation addresses several challenges ranging from behavioural and planning to prioritisation. It incorporates local governance units in a nationally coordinated and locally- relevant policy planning. It attempts to see alternate governance approaches to solve diverse problems in India. This analysis utilises a comparative approach within four alternative models: Bottom-Up Decentralisation Model, Centralised Governance Model, Market-Driven Solution Model, and Sectoral Governance Model. It employs twelve criteria for the comparative analysis. The analysis finds that while the SDG Localisation Model is flexible to regional conditions, it suffers from a Top-Down state of decentralised decision-making in India. The Centralised Governance Model excels in nationally coordinated actions but lacks local responsiveness. Market-Driven Solution Model uses market forces to improve innovation but is unresponsive to equity and inclusiveness. The Sectoral Governance Model boasts a specialised focus on targeted goals but is ineffective in inter-sectoral policies. The policy analysis concludes that the Bottom-Up Decentralisation Model offers the most strategic Plan of Action towards localising SDGs in local policy planning. It recommends amplifying the focus on SDGs by prioritising them and improving educational indicators, improving bottom-up decision-making, and promoting experimentation.

Development and characterization of formulations based on combinatorial potential of antivirals against genital herpes.

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) treatment faces challenges due to antiviral resistance and systemic side effects of oral therapies. Local delivery of antiviral agents, such as tenofovir (TDF) and zinc acetate dihydrate (ZAD), may offer improved efficacy and reduced systemic toxicity. This study's objective is to develop and evaluate local unit dose formulations of TDF and ZAD combination for local treatment of HSV-2 infection and exploring their individual and combinatory effects in vitro. The study involved the development of immediate-release film and pessary formulations containing TDF and ZAD. These formulations were characterized for physicochemical properties and in vitro drug release profiles. Cytotoxicity and antiviral activity assays were conducted to evaluate the individual and combinatory effects of TDF and ZAD. Film formulations released over 90% of the drugs within 1h, and pessary formulations within 90min, ensuring effective local drug delivery. ZAD showed moderate antiviral activity while TDF exhibited significant antiviral activity at non-cytotoxic concentrations. The combination of TDF and ZAD demonstrated synergistic effects in co-infection treatments, reducing the concentration required for 50% inhibition of HSV-2. Developed film and pessary formulations offer consistent and predictable local drug delivery, enhancing antiviral efficacy while minimizing systemic side effects. The combination of TDF and ZAD showed potential synergy against HSV-2, particularly in co-infection treatments. Further preclinical studies on pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy are necessary to advance these formulations toward clinical application.

3D Point Cloud Semantic Segmentation based on Multi-scale Dense Nested Networks

Aiming at the problem that the relationship between geometric features and semantic features is ignored in the point cloud data downsampling process, which leads to inaccurate segmentation of object boundaries and structural details, this paper proposes a 3D point cloud semantic segmentation network based on multi-scale dense nested type. Firstly, a dense nested network architecture is constructed by nesting multiple multi-scale feature fusion modules to fuse multi-scale features of different directions between encoder-decoder paths, so as to effectively propagate local ge-ometric context information and enhance the ability of cross-scale information interaction. Secondly, a local feature aggregation unit is constructed in the multi-scale feature fusion module, which strengthens the structural awareness within the local point set based on graph convolution and attention mechanism, and promotes the complementarity of local geometric features and abstract semantic information. Then, the cross-layer multi-loss supervision module is combined to further optimize the multi-scale feature propagation, which makes the network training more stable and improves the point cloud segmentation accuracy. Finally, this paper verified the proposed network on the S3DIS dataset. The experimental results show that the proposed network has the mean intersection over Union of 71.2% and the overall accuracy of 88.7%, which is 1.2 and 0.7 percentage points higher than RandLA-Net, respectively, which proves that the proposed network can effectively improve the accuracy of 3D point cloud semantic segmentation.

Production and management practices and technologies used for growing potatoes and tomatoes

Purpose. The aim of this study was to assess production and management practices and technologies used by farmers for tomato and potato production, as well as their productivity. Methodology / approach. This research was conducted in Ziway-Dugda and Tiyo districts of Arsi Zone in Oromia National Regional State of Ethiopia during 2022 cropping season. Data were collected from 400 households in 10 kebeles (local administrative unit) of both districts using Kobo toolbox from respondents through face-to-face interview and descriptive analysis using SPSS version 22. Results. The results of the study showed that farmers in the study areas used different pre-harvest practices. These include cultivation tools and methods, planting locations, tomato staking, potato hilling and irrigation practices to successfully grow vegetables and increase land productivity by rotating different crops on their land. Various diseases, weeds and insects have been observed on their farms, which were managed by cultural, agronomic, mechanical and chemical management practices on tomato and potato farms during the last cropping years in the study districts. Thus, majority farmers in the study areas have used insecticides and fungicides on tomato and potato farms; but most of the weeds were removed by hand weeding. Most tomato and potato farmers have determined the type of chemical and its use from their own previous experience, in consultation with salespeople and extension agents in their regions. However, the study results showed that there are unused production and management practices for tomato and potato cultivation by some farmers. There are many production and management practices and technologies used by farmers to improve vegetable productivity in the study areas, although some farmers did not adopt improved production and management technologies, resulting in reduced production, which requires future interventions to increase their capacity through training and technology adoption. Originality / scientific novelty. This study stands out in the field of production and management practices and technologies used by smallholder tomato and potato producers due to its innovative approach and unique contribution to existing knowledge and skills. While previous studies have examined the relationship between production and management practices and technologies in an agricultural context, particularly focusing on state farms, our study focuses on small-scale tomato and potato producers. Through our thorough case study research and interview structure, we not only deepened our understanding of production and management practices in the agricultural sector, but also provided practical recommendations for improving the efficiency and sustainability of small-scale tomato and potato producers on different farms/fields. Practical value / implications. The findings of this study can be used to develop recommendations for policy makers and researchers on how to improve labour productivity in the future Thus, the policy focuses on developing strategies for producers to adopt modern production and management practices and technologies, raising farmers’ awareness of available technologies, improving management practices and increasing crop productivity in the study area.

Human Resource Competence Effect on the Quality of Regional Work Unit of Financial Reports with the Government's Internal Control System

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of human resource competence on the quality of financial reports of Local Government Work Units (SKPD), with the government internal control system as a moderating variable. This research adopts an explanatory approach utilizing quantitative methods. The population consists of 38 SKPD holding general functional positions responsible for financial reporting in the West Java Provincial Government. The sampling method employed is census, encompassing the entire population as the research sample. Data collection involves primary data gathered through questionnaires. Hypothesis testing utilizes Moderation Regression Model with the assistance of Statistical Product and Service Solution (SPSS) version 25. The findings of this study demonstrate that human resource competence has a positive and significant influence on the quality of SKPD financial reports. However, the government's internal control system does not enhance the influence of human resource competence on the quality of SKPD financial reports. Recommendations stemming from this research include urging the West Java Provincial Government to enhance human resource competence, particularly in accounting cycle skills and regulatory knowledge. Additionally, it is advised to strengthen the Internal Control System (SPIP) with a focus on effective communication of risk management, regular briefing sessions, workload analysis, implementation of measurable rewards and punishments, clear Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), and structured internal control monitoring.

PROPORTION OF EARLY ONSET SEPSIS IN LOCAL NICU AND IDENTIFICATION OF MATERNAL RISK FACTORS

Early onset neonatal sepsis (EOS) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Identifying maternal risk factors associated with EOS is crucial for early diagnosis and prevention. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of early onset sepsis in neonates admitted to the local neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and identify maternal risk factors associated with neonatal sepsis. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at the Pediatrics Department, Combined Military Hospital Peshawar, from January 2021 to May 2022. One thousand neonates admitted to the NICU due to any indication were included. A consultant paediatrician or neonatologist diagnosed neonatal sepsis based on clinical signs and laboratory findings. Maternal factors such as age, premature rupture of membranes (PROM), maternal fever, and chorioamnionitis were analyzed for their association with early onset sepsis. Data were statistically analysed using SPSS, with p-value &lt;0.001 considered significant. Results: Out of 1000 neonates, 690 (69%) were male and 310 (31%) were female. The mean maternal age was 33.38 ± 4.53 years. EOS was observed in 123 neonates (12.3%), while 877 (88.7%) neonates showed no signs of sepsis. PROM and chorioamnionitis were significantly associated with early-onset sepsis (p-value &lt;0.001). Conclusion: Early onset neonatal sepsis is a common condition in neonates admitted to the NICU. Neonates born to mothers with PROM or chorioamnionitis were at a significantly higher risk of developing EOS. These findings emphasise the importance of addressing maternal risk factors in reducing the incidence of neonatal sepsis.

Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in Sleep Referrals and Related Medical Conditions in a Local Chest Unit in Hong Kong

Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in Sleep Referrals and Related Medical Conditions in a Local Chest Unit in Hong Kong

Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in Sleep Referrals and Related Medical Conditions in a Local Chest Unit in Hong Kong

Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in Sleep Referrals and Related Medical Conditions in a Local Chest Unit in Hong Kong

SP5.2 - Reducing Elective Colorectal Surgical Site Infections with Change of Gloves and Instruments Prior to Abdominal Closure; A Multicycle Audit

Abstract Aims Surgical site infections (SSI) carry a significant impact on patient morbidity, length of stay and antibiotic resistance. Our local colorectal unit has made several interventions over many years with no significant nor sustained improvement in the rate of SSI. The ChEETAh trial (Lancet, 2022) demonstrated a reduction in the rate of 30-day SSI by 13% with routine change of gloves and instruments (COGI) prior to abdominal closure. We aim to reduce our rate of SSI through implementation of COGI prior to abdominal closure; involving whole scrub team change of gloves and use of sterile instruments. Methods Adults undergoing elective colorectal surgery with an abdominal wound greater than 5cm were eligible for this study. Diagnosis of SSI was made based on at least one clinical indicator of infection or at least one symptom of SSI with data collection over 3 cycles spanning 11 months using clinical notes, imaging and microbiology results. The primary outcome was the diagnosis of a SSI involving the skin, subcutaneous, muscle or fascial layer up to 30 days post-operatively. Results The baseline SSI rate prior to intervention was audited at 29%. After implementation of COGI the rate fell to 23%. Further reinforcement of COGI and team education has demonstrated a further decrease in SSI to 15%. This has been sustained across a 6-month period post intervention. Conclusions Change of gloves and instruments is an effective, reliable and sustainable method to reduce the rate of surgical site infection in elective colorectal abdominal surgery.