Evaluating the Integrated Measurement and Evaluation System IMES: A Success Story

This case study serves to illustrate an integrated and practical methodology for evaluating advanced information database systems. The goal of the integration is to create a top-down evaluation process that reduces user and data requirements to a standard evaluation structure. In this framework, the evaluation of the Integrated Measurement and Evaluation System IMES was implemented by the Energy Policy Unit of the National Technical University of Athens. Evaluation team members successfully followed the proposed evaluation methodology

Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms in multiple sclerosis patients in northwest Greece

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene have been linked to both multiple sclerosis (MS) and osteoporosis. We examined the frequency of the Taq-I and Bsm-I polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene in 69 patients with MS and 81 age and sex-matched healthy individuals. Genotyping of Taq-I (rs731236) and Bsm-I (rs1544410) was performed using TaqMan^®SNP Genotyping Assay. All patients and controls had determination of body mass index (BMI), bone mineral density (BMD) and smoking history.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean age of patients was 39 ± 10.5 years compared to 38.7 ± 10.7 years of the controls (p = 0.86), the BMI was 24.8 ± 4.2 kg/m²compared to 25.7 ± 4.8 kg/m²of the controls (p = 0.23), the BMD in the lumbar spine 0.981 ± 0.15 compared to 1.025 ± 013 of the controls (p = 0.06) and the total hip BMD was 0.875 ± 0.14 compared to 0.969 ± 0.12 of the controls (p < 0.001). There were no differences of the Taq-I (TT, CT, CC) and Bsm-I genotypes (GG, GA, AA) and allelic frequencies between MS and control individuals. Multivariate analysis also failed to show any association of the Taq-I and Bsm-I polymorphisms and MS or sex, BMI, BMD and smoking history.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study suggests that the Taq-I and Bsm-I polymorphisms of the VDR gene are not associated with MS risk, BMI or BMD in the Greek population studied.</p

Declarations, independence, and text in the information age

Within the last decade many projects have been implemented in order to provide Technical Assistance (TA) to countries, which have initiated their transition from centrally planned to market economies (such as some countries in Eastern Europe). The pace and the degree of success of this transition, which these economies and - most important - their societies are undergoing, will certainly have an impact on the global economy, politics, social security, democracy and peace. Monitoring and evaluation (M and E) exercises assist these TA projects in achieving their objectives, by providing management with information on the projects' implementation, so that structured decisions can be taken, if and when needed. In this framework, it became obvious that an overall M and E database system was needed. An Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation System (IMES) was developed for the needs of the European Commission (DG1A).Its main objective was to improve management reporting, by extracting relevant information on the performance of projects from various monitoring and evaluation reports and by producing overall statistics at NIS (New Independent States) level