Managing Intra-Party Democracy: Comparing the French Socialist and British Labour Party Conferences

The French Socialists and British Labour consider intra-party democracy as a central tenet of their philosophies. It is a core value that orientates their political attitudes and defines their identity. Traditionally, they have privileged a particular type of decision-making, based on the sovereignty of the party conference. However, at the beginning of the 1990s, these meetings projected a damaging image of division and chaos. Confronted with the intense scrutiny of their internal debates by the media, the two parties had to find a better balance between their culture and practices, and the need to promote an image of unity and efficiency. They introduced a number of reforms that, they claim, have expanded the possibilities for individual members to participate while at the same time giving the two leaderships a firmer grip on decision-making. Based on qualitative research conducted over many years, this paper explores the parties' new attitudes to internal democracy and analyses the process of power redistribution within the organizations

Realities, Perceptions, Challenges and Aspirations of Rural Youth in Dryland Agriculture in the Midelt Province, Morocco

Active involvement of youth in agriculture is necessary for sustainable agricultural systems but is currently a challenge in many areas. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative participatory research methods, this study analyses rural youth’s realities, perspectives and aspirations in dryland Agricultural Livelihood Systems (ALSs) in the Midelt Province, Morocco, with a particular focus on gender. The data collected are an important first step in understanding the target group and working with youth to identify and develop appropriate programmatic interventions to improve their livelihoods and rural futures. Prior to expressing their aspirations for their rural life and career, the youth first raised the issue of unfulfilled primary needs: access to education, potable water, heath care, and lack of infrastructure in their villages. The issue of outmigration from rural areas is controversial and not so widespread. The youth’s dream village is envisioned as a rural place where people have a more comfortable life with their own families, farming better and more sustainably rather than seeking a job in urban areas. To support the youth’s aspirations and their willingness to stay in agriculture, there is a need for infrastructural and regulatory interventions and specific training in agricultural practices targeting and engaging youth

The genetic history of Scandinavia from the Roman Iron Age to the present

The authors acknowledge support from the National Genomics Infrastructure in Stockholm funded by Science for Life Laboratory, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and the Swedish Research Council, and SNIC/Uppsala Multidisciplinary Center for Advanced Computational Science for assistance with massively parallel sequencing and access to the UPPMAX computational infrastructure. We used resources from projects SNIC 2022/23-132, SNIC 2022/22-117, SNIC 2022/23-163, SNIC 2022/22-299, and SNIC 2021-2-17. This research was supported by the Swedish Research Council project ID 2019-00849_VR and ATLAS (Riksbankens Jubileumsfond). Part of the modern dataset was supported by a research grant from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), grant number 16/RC/3948, and co-funded under the European Regional Development Fund and by FutureNeuro industry partners.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Long-term follow-up after callosotomy : A prospective, population based, observational study

Objective Analyze the long-term outcome of callosotomies with regard to seizure types and frequencies and antiepileptic drug treatment. Methods This longitudinal observational study is based on data from the prospective Swedish National Epilepsy Surgery Register. Thirty-one patients had undergone callosotomy in Sweden 1995-2007 and had been followed for 2 and 5 or 10years after surgery. Data on their seizure types and frequencies, associated impairments, and use of antiepileptic drugs have been analyzed. Results The median total number of seizures per patient and month was reduced from 195 before surgery to 110 twoyears after surgery and 90 at the long-term follow-up (5 or 10years). The corresponding figures for drop attacks (tonic or atonic) were 190 before surgery, 100 2years after surgery, and 20 at the long-term follow-up. Ten (56%) of the 18 patients with drop attacks were free from drop attacks at long-term follow-up. Three of the remaining eight patients had a reduction of >75%. At long-term follow-up, four were off medication. Only one of the 31 patients had no neurologic impairment. Significance The present population-based, prospective observational study shows that the corpus callosotomy reduces seizure frequency effectively and sustainably over the years. Most improvement was seen in drop attacks. The improvement in seizure frequency over time shown in this study suggests that callosotomy should be considered at an early age in children with intractable epilepsy and traumatizing drop attacks

Long-term outcomes of epilepsy surgery in Sweden: A national prospective and longitudinal study.

To investigate prospective, population-based long-term outcomes concerning seizures and antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment after resective epilepsy surgery in Sweden

Incidence and prevalence of primary biliary cholangitis in the Netherlands – A nationwide cohort study

Background &amp; Aims: Although primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is considered a rare disorder, accurate determination of its incidence and prevalence remains challenging due to limited comprehensive population-based registries. We aimed to assess the incidence and prevalence of PBC in the Netherlands over time through the nationwide Dutch PBC Cohort Study (DPCS). Methods: DPCS retrospectively included every identifiable patient with PBC in the Netherlands from 1990 onwards in all 71 Dutch hospitals. Incidence and prevalence were assessed between 2008-2018 by Poisson regression between sex and age groups over time. Results: On the 1st of January 2008, there were 1,458 patients with PBC in the Netherlands. Between 2008-2018, 2,187 individuals were newly diagnosed, 46 were transplanted and 468 died. The yearly incidence of PBC in 2008 was 1.38, increasing to 1.74 per 100,000 persons in 2018. When compared to those aged <45 years, females aged 45-64 years (adjusted incidence rate ratio 4.21, 95% CI 3.76-4.71, p <0.001) and males ≥65 years (adjusted incidence rate ratio 14.41, 95% CI 9.62-21.60, p <0.001) were at the highest risk of being diagnosed with PBC. The male-to-female ratio of patients newly diagnosed with PBC during the study period was 1:14 in those <45 years, 1:10 in patients aged 45-64 years, and 1:4 in those ≥65 years. Point prevalence increased from 11.9 in 2008 to 21.5 per 100,000 persons in 2018. Average annual percent change in this time period was 5.94% (95% CI 5.77-6.15, p <0.05), and was the highest among the population aged ≥65 years (5.69%, 95% CI 5.32-6.36, p <0.001). Conclusions: In this nationwide cohort study, we observed an increase in both the incidence and prevalence of PBC in the Netherlands over the past decade, with marked age and sex differences. Impact and implications:: This nationwide Dutch primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) Cohort Study, including all hospitals in the Netherlands, showed that the incidence and prevalence of PBC have increased over the last decade. The age-dependent PBC incidence rate differed for males (highest risk ≥65 years) and females (highest risk between 45 and 65 years), which may be related to a difference in the timing of exposure to environmental triggers of PBC. The largest increase in PBC prevalence over time was observed in the population aged ≥65 years, which may have implications for the use of second-line therapies. These results therefore indicate that further studies are needed to elaborate on the advantages and disadvantages of add-on therapies in the elderly population