The changing landscape of OSH regulation in the UK

This report presents key findings of a research project on the changing landscape of OSH regulation in the UK. Understanding the changing landscape of OSH regulation and standards and its implications are of central importance for ensuring that OSH outcomes are not compromised and the needs of different types of organisations are met. This project examined the landscape of OSH in the UK since its origin and in particular looked at how regulation of OSH has evolved over time. It considered both policy and practice issues as well as the role of key stakeholders in this process with a view to identify how the right balance can be achieved to promote health and safety going forward. To achieve its aims, a qualitative methodology was implemented in five stages: a. a literature and policy review, including a comparative analysis with other countries; b. case study analysis; c. stakeholder interviews, d. stakeholder workshops including focus groups; and e. research output synthesis

Factors shaping distribution and abundance of raptors wintering in two large Mediterranean islands

A growing number of ecological studies suggest that animal distributions are not only influenced by classical ecological features such as habitat availability, but also by the motion capacity of the studied animal. Here we analyse the diversity and density of two wintering raptor communities from Crete and Sicily, two large Mediterranean islands located along migratory flyways. We performed 611 and 1030 km of transects in Crete and Sicily respectively, examining the spatial distribution of raptors in relation to land use, topography, raptor species diversity and abundance. Our results show that community diversity and specific abundance are strictly related in accordance with the ‘More Individuals Hypothesis’. Comparing the two most common raptors, the density of the Eurasian kestrel was the highest in Sicily and that of the common buzzard in Crete. An overall positive effect of Eurasian kestrel density on that of the common buzzard was found in both islands, but higher in Crete. Our findings suggest that the distribution and density of the Eurasian kestrel, because of its higher movement ability, are less influenced by the presence of ecological barriers along potentially migratory flyways. We cannot exclude that higher inter specific competition with common buzzards in Crete might have pushed the smaller species to cross the Mediterranean Sea in order to overwinter in Africa

Chitosan Nanogel with Mixed Food Plants and Its Relation to Blood Glucose in Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic and Meta-Analysis Review of Observational Studies

This systematic review with metanalysis evaluated and analyzed the beneficial effects of certain plants food in type 2 diabetes (T2D) when consumed alone or in combination with chitosan. The main objective of the paper was to examine the relation of chitosan nanogel and mixed food plant (MFP) to control T2D. The databases included Medline, Scopus, PubMed, as well as Cochrane available between the month of January 1990 to January 2021. The eligibility criteria for selecting studies were case-controlled studies that included unripe plantain, bitter yam, okra, and chitosan either used-alone or in combination with non-specified food plants (NSFP). Two-fold autonomous critics retrieved the information required and evaluated the risk of bias of involved studies. Random-effect meta-analyses on blood glucose controls, were performed. Results of 18 studies included: seven that examined unripe plantains, one bitter yam, two okras, and eight chitosan, found regarding the decrease in blood glucose level. Meta-analysis of the results found a large proportion of I2 values for all studies (98%), meaning heterogeneity. As a consequence, the combined effect sizes were not useful. Instead, prediction interval (PI) was used (mean difference 4.4 mg/dL, 95% PI −6.65 to 15.50 and mean difference 3.4 mg/dL, 95% PI −23.65 to 30.50) rather than the estimate of its confidence interval (CI). These studies were at 50% high risk of bias and 50% low risk of bias and there was judged to be an unclear risk of bias due to the insufficient information from the included study protocol (moderately low). The intervention lasted between three and 84 days, indicating potency and effectiveness of the intervention at both short and long durations. Due to the moderately low quality of the studies, the findings were cautiously interpreted. In conclusion, the current evidence available from the study does support the relation of chitosan with mixed unripe plantain, bitter yam and okra for the management of T2D. Further high-quality case-controlled animal studies are required to substantiate if indeed chitosan nanogel should be cross-linked with the specified food plant (SFP) for the management T2D

Etude pharmacodynamique de la plante toxique Œnanthe silaifolia

Aspiotis N., Lavrentiades G., Andréou Ch. Étude pharmacodynamique de la plante toxique Œnanthe silaifolia. In: Bulletin de l'Académie Vétérinaire de France tome 113 n°1, 1960. pp. 75-80

Copper-promoted regioselective synthesis of polysubstituted pyrroles from aldehydes, amines and nitroalkenes via1,2-phenyl/alkyl migration

The facile Copper-catalyzed synthesis of polysubstituted pyrroles from aldehydes, amines and β-nitroalkenesis reported. Remarkably, the use of α-methyl substituted aldehydes provide efficient access to a series of tetra- and pentasubstituted pyrroles via an overwhelming 1,2-phenyl/alkyl migration. The present methodology is also accessible to non α-substituted aldehydes yielding the corresponding trisubstituted pyrroles. On the contrary, the use of ketones, in place of aldehydes, does not promote the organic transformation signifying the necessity of α-substituted aldehydes. The reaction proceeds under mild catalytic conditions with low catalyst loading (0.3 – 1 mol %), a broad scope, very good functional-group tolerance, high yields and can be easily scaled up to more than 3 mmol of product, thus highlighting a useful synthetic application of the present catalytic protocol. Based on formal kinetic studies, a possible radical pathway is proposed that involves the formation of an allylic nitrogen radical intermediate, which in turn reacts with the nitroalkene to yield the desired pyrrole framework via a radical 1,2-phenyl or alkyl migration

Evidence of threat to European economy and biodiversity following the introduction of an alien pathogen on the fungal–animal boundary

Recent years have seen a global and rapid resurgence of fungal diseases with direct impact on biodiversity and local extinctions of amphibian, coral, or bat populations. Despite similar evidence of population extinction in European fish populations and the associated risk of food aquaculture due to the emerging rosette agent Sphaerothecum destruens, an emerging infectious eukaryotic intracellular pathogen on the fungal–animal boundary, our understanding of current threats remained limited. Long-term monitoring of population decline for the 8-year post-introduction of the fungal pathogen was coupled with seasonal molecular analyses of the 18S rDNA and histological work of native fish species organs. A phylogenetic relationship between the existing EU and US strains using the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer sequences was also carried out. Here, we provide evidence that this emerging parasite has now been introduced via Pseudorasbora parva to sea bass farms, an industry that represents over 400 M€ annually in a Mediterranean region that is already economically vulnerable. We also provide for the first time evidence linking S. destruens to disease and severe declines in International Union for Conservation of Nature threatened European endemic freshwater fishes (i.e. 80% to 90 % mortalities). Our findings are thus of major economic and conservation importance

Evolutionary Fuzzy Cognitive Maps: A Hybrid System for Crisis Management and Political Decision Making

This paper proposes an extension of Certainty Neuron Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (CNFCMs) used in crisis management and decision-making, aiming at increasing their reliability. The objective of the Genetically Evolved Certainty Neuron Fuzzy Cognitive Map (GECNFCM) as it is introduced here is to overcome the main weakness of CNFCMs, which lies with the recalculation of the weights corresponding to each concept every time a new strategy is adopted. The problem is overcome through the introduction of a Genetic Algorithm (GA), which produces a set of solutions and new weights following a strategy change. The GA concepts are very appealing since they offer the optimal solution without a problem-solving strategy, once the requirements are defined. It is interesting to point out that the hybrid approach is reflected in both the implementation of the GA and in the methodology applied for solving the problem. In fact, the reasoning behind this hybrid methodology is to use it for obtaining the optimal values of the weights corresponding to the variables of the model rather than the optimal values of the variables themselves

Evolutionary Fuzzy Cognitive Maps: A Hybrid System for Crisis Management and Political Decision Making

This paper proposes an extension of Certainty Neuron Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (CNFCMs) used in crisis management and decision-making, aiming at increasing their reliability. The objective of the Genetically Evolved Certainty Neuron Fuzzy Cognitive Map (GECNFCM) as it is introduced here is to overcome the main weakness of CNFCMs, which lies with the recalculation of the weights corresponding to each concept every time a new strategy is adopted. The problem is overcome through the introduction of a Genetic Algorithm (GA), which produces a set of solutions and new weights following a strategy change. The GA concepts are very appealing since they offer the optimal solution without a problem-solving strategy, once the requirements are defined. It is interesting to point out that the hybrid approach is reflected in both the implementation of the GA and in the methodology applied for solving the problem. In fact, the reasoning behind this hybrid methodology is to use it for obtaining the optimal values of the weights corresponding to the variables of the model rather than the optimal values of the variables themselves

Crisis Management and Political Decision Making Using Genetically Evolved Fuzzy Cognitive Maps

This paper examines the use of Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) as a technique for modeling political and crisis situations and supporting the decision-making process. FCMs use notions borrowed from artificial intelligence and neural networks to combine concepts and causal relationships, in the form of dynamic models that describe a given political setting. The present work proposes the use of the Genetically Evolved Certainty Neuron Fuzzy Cognitive Map (GECNFCM) as an extension of Certainty Neuron Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (CNFCMs) aiming at overcoming the main weaknesses of the latter, namely the recalculation of the weights corresponding to each concept every time a new strategy is adopted. This novel technique combines CNFCMs with Genetic Algorithms (GAs), the advantage of which lies with their ability to offer the optimal solution without a problem-solving strategy, once the requirements are defined. We demonstrate the value of such a hybrid technique in the context of a model reflecting the complexity of the Cyprus problem. The scenario analysis performed makes decision makers aware of political uncertainties, while multiple scenario analysis brings uncertainty into the decision process by combining it with different future states

Fuzzification and Defuzzification Process in Genetically Evolved Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (GEFCMs)

This paper describes the fuzzification and defuzzification process in the framework of hybrid systems comprising Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) and Genetic Algorithms (GAs). More specifically, it provides a stepwise methodology for fuzzification and defuzzification aiming at both an improved approach of the human reasoning pattern and an increase of the decision-making potentials. The fuzzification process is primarily based on producing fuzzy information provided by a group of experts. Each concept is analyzed into trapezoidal membership functions of either fixed or variable widths, with these intervals labeled and stored for the defuzzification process later on, during which the levels are matched according to the membership functions of each concept. The defuzzification process is more complicated than the fuzzification one and consists of four basic iterative stages: The Iteration, the Max-Min Average Computation, the Categorization and, finally, the Realization Inference Stage