Options for IIASA's Future Agricultural Project: Preliminary Findings of the Feasibility Study: Start

The feasibility study "Strategies and Tactics for Agriculture Reconstruction and Transformation" was planned to investigate the possibility of a new future agricultural project at IIASA. In order to specify possible options for research in this field and to discuss the NMOS' proposals, a seminar on sustainable agriculture was held in Sopron, Hungary, 2-5 March 1987. In this paper the authors summarize the preliminary findings of the feasibility study, including also ideas raised and discussed during the seminar. A more detailed description of these findings will be available in the Proceedings of the seminar to be published later in 1987

Experiences in effective communication on transgenic technology in Africa – the case of the insect resistant maize for Africa (IRMA) project

The Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA) Project, aimed to improve food security through developing and deploying locally adapted stem borer resistant maize varieties using both conventional and biotechnology mediated methods, especially Bt technology. This technology uses a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to create transgenic maize varieties. Transgenic technologies have been a controversial and emotive topic in recent years, and the IRMA project was launched against this backdrop. To ensure widespread acceptance of the IRMA project and its Bt technology, the project carefully planned and implemented its communication and public awareness strategy. Following its public launch in March 2000, the project promoted an open communication environment and continuously engaged with stakeholders to update them on progress. The project achieved this through targeted and diverse communications products such as media articles and broadcast news pieces, newsletters, websites, videos and reports. To complement these, the project conducted annual stakeholders’ meetings, and specialized training for frontline project staff and collaborators, especially extension agents. This paper reviews the IRMA Project’s public awareness and communication strategy and analyzes its effectiveness.Key words: Transgenic technology, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize technology, communication, public awareness, insect resistant maize for Africa (IRMA) project

Toksikološka istraživanja efluenata iz procesa uplinjavanja ugljena. Kronični pokus

The health effects of the gasifier ash (0.5, 1.0 and 5.0% added to the diet) from a Lurgi coal gasification plant in Yugoslavia were studied in a chronic experiment in rat\u27s. The exposure lasted 32 weeks. The growth .rate was dower only in animals exposed to the highest level of ash additive (5%). Determination of health effect parameters at the end of exposure i.e. of urinary protein excretion, hematological and hlstopathological examination revealed no morphological or functional impairment attributable to the treatment with ash. Therefore no health hazard of ash from coal gasification in conditions of environmental exposure is expected.Svrha ovog rada je bila ispitivanje mogućih učinaka šljake iz procesa rasplinjavanja ugljena na neke pokazatelje zdravstvenog stanja u štakora. Pokusne životinje su bile izložene šljaci putem hrane. Miješanjem samljevene šljake i standardne smjese za štakorsku hranu pripremljene su hrane koje su sadržavale 0,5, 1,0 i 5,0% šljake. Štakori obaju spolova, koji su na početku pokusa bili stari 6 tjedana, bili su izloženi šljaci tokom 32 tjedna. Za cijelo vrijeme trajanja pokusa životinje su svakodnevno promatrane radi praćenja mogućih promjena zdravstvenog stanja, a sedam puta tokom pokusa su svim životinjama izmjerene tjelesne težine. Na kraju pokusa određena je koncentracija proteina u mokraći, te standardna krvna slika. Sve životinje su nakon žrtvovanja u suvišku etera makroskopski pregledane, a u nekih je životinja učinjen i histološki pregled organa. Rezultati ovog kroničnog pokusa su pokazali da tretman šljakom nije utjecao na promatrane pokazatelje zdravstvenog stanja. Jedino je u životinja izloženih najvišoj koncentraciji šljake u hrani (5%) opaženo zaostajanje u rastu koje je bilo nešto izraženije u mužjaka. Na temelju rezultata prikazanih u ovom radu kao i naših ranijih istraživanja toksičnosti šljake i njezinih ekstrakata može se pretpostaviti da šljaka, iako sadržava niz toksičnih elemenata, neće predstavljati ozbiljnu opasnost za zdravlje kada se nađe u okolišu, čak ni u uvjetima kronične izloženosti viših organizama

Toksikološka istraživanja efluenata iz procesa uplinjavanja ugljena. Kronični pokus

The health effects of the gasifier ash (0.5, 1.0 and 5.0% added to the diet) from a Lurgi coal gasification plant in Yugoslavia were studied in a chronic experiment in rat\u27s. The exposure lasted 32 weeks. The growth .rate was dower only in animals exposed to the highest level of ash additive (5%). Determination of health effect parameters at the end of exposure i.e. of urinary protein excretion, hematological and hlstopathological examination revealed no morphological or functional impairment attributable to the treatment with ash. Therefore no health hazard of ash from coal gasification in conditions of environmental exposure is expected.Svrha ovog rada je bila ispitivanje mogućih učinaka šljake iz procesa rasplinjavanja ugljena na neke pokazatelje zdravstvenog stanja u štakora. Pokusne životinje su bile izložene šljaci putem hrane. Miješanjem samljevene šljake i standardne smjese za štakorsku hranu pripremljene su hrane koje su sadržavale 0,5, 1,0 i 5,0% šljake. Štakori obaju spolova, koji su na početku pokusa bili stari 6 tjedana, bili su izloženi šljaci tokom 32 tjedna. Za cijelo vrijeme trajanja pokusa životinje su svakodnevno promatrane radi praćenja mogućih promjena zdravstvenog stanja, a sedam puta tokom pokusa su svim životinjama izmjerene tjelesne težine. Na kraju pokusa određena je koncentracija proteina u mokraći, te standardna krvna slika. Sve životinje su nakon žrtvovanja u suvišku etera makroskopski pregledane, a u nekih je životinja učinjen i histološki pregled organa. Rezultati ovog kroničnog pokusa su pokazali da tretman šljakom nije utjecao na promatrane pokazatelje zdravstvenog stanja. Jedino je u životinja izloženih najvišoj koncentraciji šljake u hrani (5%) opaženo zaostajanje u rastu koje je bilo nešto izraženije u mužjaka. Na temelju rezultata prikazanih u ovom radu kao i naših ranijih istraživanja toksičnosti šljake i njezinih ekstrakata može se pretpostaviti da šljaka, iako sadržava niz toksičnih elemenata, neće predstavljati ozbiljnu opasnost za zdravlje kada se nađe u okolišu, čak ni u uvjetima kronične izloženosti viših organizama

Does deep neuromuscular blockade during laparoscopy procedures change patient, surgical, and healthcare resource outcomes? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND:Deep neuromuscular blockade may facilitate the use of reduced insufflation pressure without compromising the surgical field of vision. The current evidence, which suggests improved surgical conditions compared with other levels of block during laparoscopic surgery, features significant heterogeneity. We examined surgical patient- and healthcare resource use-related outcomes of deep neuromuscular blockade compared with moderate neuromuscular blockade in adults undergoing laparoscopic surgery. METHODS:We conducted a systematic literature review according to the quality standards recommended by the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews. Randomized controlled trials comparing outcomes of deep neuromuscular blockade and moderate neuromuscular blockade among adults undergoing laparoscopic surgeries were included. A random-effects model was used to conduct pair-wise meta-analyses. RESULTS:The systematic literature review included 15 studies-only 13 were analyzable in the meta-analysis and none were judged to be at high risk of bias. Compared with moderate neuromuscular blockade, deep neuromuscular blockade was associated with improved surgical field of vision and higher vision quality scores. Also, deep neuromuscular blockade was associated with a reduction in the post-operative pain scores in the post-anesthesia care unit compared with moderate neuromuscular blockade, and there was no need for an increase in intra-abdominal pressure during the surgical procedures. There were minor savings on resource utilization, but no differences were seen in recovery in the post-anesthesia care unit or overall length of hospital stay with deep neuromuscular blockade. CONCLUSIONS:Deep neuromuscular blockade may aid the patient and physician surgical experience by improving certain patient outcomes, such as post-operative pain and improved surgical ratings, compared with moderate neuromuscular blockade. Heterogeneity in the pooled estimates suggests the need for better designed randomized controlled trials

Financial performance–efficiency nexus in public health services: A nonparametric evidence-based approach

Public health services, as a preventive aspect of health care, are essential for the sustainability of the entire health care system. However, the context of public health services, which focus is primarily on prevention, is not a common setting when measuring the efficiency within nonparametric evidence-based approach. The aim of this study is to measure the efficiency of the financial performance of organizational units of the public health institute in Croatia, the Health Ecology Department in particular, during the period 2016–2018 using data envelopment analysis. Among the many reasons behind choosing this nonparametric method is the fact that it identifies the sources of inefficiency and specifies the directions and magnitudes of improvements required. Two input-oriented models – CCR under constant and BCC under variable returns-to-scale assumption – are employed for evaluating three types of efficiency – technical, pure technical and scale efficiency. Two hypotheses are examined and empirically confirmed: first, that there is significant between-unit variability in financial performance, and second, that investments are the major source of inefficiency among the observed indicators. The results have additionally revealed that the mentioned differences are less pronounced in the case of pure technical efficiency, implying that the overall inefficiency of the Health Ecology Department units can be generally attributed to scale efficiency. Besides, only three out of twelve department units are considered efficient. The implications of the research results are aimed at further research and testing the efficiency of the entire network of public health institutes, as well as to provide policy makers with new insights when considering different modes of organizing and delivering public health services