The NNBAR experiment for the European Spallation Source will search for free neutrons converting to antineutrons with an expected sensitivity improvement of three orders of magnitude compared to the ...last such search. This paper describes both the simulations of a key component for the experiment, the neutron optical reflector and the expected gains in sensitivity.
The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) was established in 2010 with $500 million in funding provided by British Petroleum over a 10‐year period to support research on the impacts of the ...Deepwater Horizon oil spill and recovery. Contributions of the GoMRI program to date focused on human health are presented in more than 32 peer‐reviewed papers published between 2011 and May 2019. Primary findings from review of these papers are (i) the large quantity of dispersants used in the oil cleanup have been associated with human health concerns, including through obesogenicity, toxicity, and illnesses from aerosolization of the agents; (ii) oil contamination has been associated with potential for increases in harmful algal blooms and numbers of pathogenic Vibrio bacteria in oil‐impacted waters; and (iii) members of Gulf communities who are heavily reliant upon natural resources for their livelihoods were found to be vulnerable to high levels of life disruptions and institutional distrust. Positive correlations include a finding that a high level of community attachment was beneficial for recovery. Actions taken to improve disaster response and reduce stress‐associated health effects could lessen negative impacts of similar disasters in the future. Furthermore, GoMRI has supported annual conferences beginning in 2013 at which informative human health‐related presentations have been made. Based on this review, it is recommended that the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 be updated to include enhanced funding for oil spill impacts to human health.
Key Points
Nearly 3% of >1,200 Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative publications were directly related to human health, a higher proportion than previous oil spill research
Dispersants contained possible obesogens and decreased aerosolized volatile organic compound exposure but increased particulate matter concentrations
Those who rely on natural resources are more vulnerable to oil spills and cleanup methods that may increase exposure to harmful chemicals, algae, and bacteria
Impaired fertility is the main reason for involuntary culling of dairy cows in Sweden. The objective of this study was to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) influencing fertility and calving traits in ...the Swedish dairy cattle population. The traits analyzed were number of inseminations, 56-d nonreturn rate, interval from calving to first insemination, fertility treatments, heat intensity score, stillbirth, and calving performance. A genome scan covering 20 bovine chromosomes was performed using 145 microsatellite markers. The mapping population consisted of 10 sires and their 417 sons in a granddaughter design. Nine of the sires were of the Swedish Red Breed, and one was a Swedish Holstein. Least squares regression was used to map loci affecting the analyzed traits, and permutation tests were used to set significance thresholds. Cofactors were used in the analyses of individual chromosomes to adjust for QTL found on other chromosomes. The use of cofactors increased both the number of QTL found and the significance level. In the initial analysis, we found 13 suggestive QTL that were mapped to chromosomes 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 20, and 29. When cofactors were included, 30 QTL were detected on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 18, 19, 22, and 25, in addition to the 8 previously mentioned chromosomes. Some of the results from the cofactor analysis may be false positives and require further validation. In conclusion, we were able to map several QTL affecting fertility and calving traits in Swedish dairy cattle.
Abstract
Introduction
Collaboration between SDU and two Saudi Arabian (KSA) Universities started in 2012. Case 1 was a new public university for women; the contract (until spring 2017) aimed at ...knowledge transfer from SDU to two Bachelor of Science curricula (Epidemiology, and Health Education and Promotion). The aim was to train the trainers by teaching the 1st student cohort 100% by the SDU staff and for later cohorts to increase the teaching by local staff gradually. The SDU teams travelled to KSA to run 1-month courses at a time. In Case 2 (ongoing since 2017), 1-week courses for health professionals are offered in an established mixed-gender university; the courses are for a fee.
Lessons learnt
In case 1, knowledge transfer was challenging, since the local staff was busy ‘with their own courses’ and had low interest to learn from SDU. The SDU and the local group were working as separate teams. The local staff saw knowledge transfer as receiving the slides and other material from SDU. Only in the 5th contract year, interaction started mainly via staff capacity building workshops organized by SDU. The students appreciated the SDU teaching, and on the administrative level collaboration worked very well. Due to the lack of ownership among local teachers and deficits in cultural adaptation on- site, knowledge transfer was not successful.
In case 2, different cultural approaches seem to clash; SDU prefers to market the courses early and e tailor them for the target groups; the Saudi cultural tradition relies less on organized marketing and is flexible with the registration deadlines. For the 1st course, this meant that the SDU team travelled to KSA without knowing who and how many participants had signed up. Learning the background of the participants only when the course started meant that the teaching was finalized from day-to-day while running the course. In the end, based on the course evaluation, the 9 participants were very satisfied with the course.
Abstract
Introduction
A student-centered teaching method engages the student to take responsibility for his/her own learning. In this pedagogical approach, the role of the teacher has become to be a ...supportive coach rather than an authority and one-way superior knowledge provider. A teacher with good teaching skills actively involves and engages students in the learning process. Qualified teacheŕs competence consists of the substance of the subject taught, pedagogical skills as well as of the teaching experience gained after teacher training.
Lessons learnt
In our case we organized a 9-day workshop to enhance the teaching skills of teachers in one department of our collaborator university in Saudi Arabia (KSA). The workshop included lectures on-site and individual and group assignments such as integrating active learning methods into teaching. The pedagogical workshop was a part of the cross-cultural knowledge transfer project between SDU and (case 1) university in KSA in the Bachelor level education in 2013-2017. The project disclosed the cultural differences in teaching and learning and the different traditions of education. We found that there was a strong tradition of memorizing among students in KSA, which reflected into the attitudes of both teachers and students.
This workshop was the first pedagogical training for the most of participants and it revealed that they lacked theoretical knowledge on teaching, e.g. the concepts of student-centered teaching were new to the participants. However, they had extensive teaching experience and strong knowledge of the content of the subjects taught. The acquired knowledge of the basic approaches of student-centered teaching expanded participantś thoughts on how they could better interact with students instead of one-way lecturing. In the workshop, dialogue was used as a teaching method, and participants found the sharing of learning experiences in a peer group a useful and new way to learn at work.
Abstract
Introduction
In an increasingly complex, rapidly changing world with a growing inequality gap, capacity building (CB) could function as an essential instrument for improving population ...health in a resilient and sustainable way. The PH community has been engaged in CB for decades, but there is little empirical evidence about the effectiveness of the efforts. Most evaluations focus on the individual level disregarding the complex, dynamic and multidimensional nature of CB. The aim is to provide an overview of CONFIDE’s 4-level evaluation framework - individual, organizational, network and system - and to share the findings and learning from the first 18 project months.
The progress
A participatory, multilevel evaluation approach is used in CONFIDE. Existing evaluation models/tools, adapted to the project needs, are used to evaluate the interventions; Kirkpatrick’s 4-level model guides the assessment of the training program’s effectiveness and impact, social network analysis for the networking interventions and organizational capacity and sustainability tools to evaluate the performance of the C4EHPs. Data collection has been conducted via surveys and document reviews at multiple time points.
The preliminary findings show that, on the individual level, the trainees perceived increased knowledge and skills in the three PH fields. On the organizational level, human resources to deliver PH-related training in the participating Tunisian universities have been developed. On the network level, challenges have been encountered in building partnerships beyond the medical field. On the system level, significant delays have occurred in the establishment of the C4EHPs mainly due to the centralized administrative processes in Tunisia.
Conclusions
While the project’s CB process is still at an early phase, the current findings indicate that the diversity of the activities used has contributed positively to the enhancement of the beneficiaries’ existing capacities in PH.
Abstract
Background
Evidence often shows that migrants in the European region have poor access to quality health care. Having a large number of migrants seeking towards Europe, crossing through i.e. ...Serbia, it is crucial to improve migrants' access to health care and ensure equality in service provision
Aim
To investigate what are the barriers and facilitators of access to health care in Serbia, perceived by migrants, policy makers, health care providers, civil servants and experts working with migrants.
Methods
six migrants in an asylum center and eight civil servants in the field of migration were conducted. A complementary questionnaire to key civil servants working with migrants (N = 19) is being distributed to complement the data. The qualitative and quantitative data will be analysed through Grounded Theory and Logistic Regression respectively.
Results
According to preliminary findings, migrants reported that they were able to access the health care services quite easily. Migrants were mostly fully aware of their rights to access these health care services. However, the interviewed civil servants experienced that, despite the majority of migrants in camps were treated fairly, some migrants were treated inappropriately by health care professionals (being addressed inappropriately, poor or lacking treatment). The civil servants believed that local Serbs, from their own experiences, were treated poorer than migrants (I.e. paying Informal Patient Payments, poor quality of and access to health care services). The interviewed migrants were trusting towards the health system, because they felt protected by the official system that guaranteed them services. The final results will be presented at the conference.
Conclusions
There was a difference in quality of and access to health care services of local Serbs and migrants in the region. Migrants may be protected by the official health care system and thus have access to and do not pay additional fees for health care services.
Key messages
Despite comprehensive evidence on Informal Patient Payments (IPP) in Serbia, further research is needed to highlight how health system governance and prevailing policies affect IPP in migrants. There may be clear differences in quality of and access to health care services between the local population and migrants in Serbia.
Learning from games Spitters, H.P.E.M.; van de Goor, L.A.M.; Lau, C. Juel ...
Journal of public health (Oxford, England),
03/2018, Letnik:
40, Številka:
suppl_1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Since public health problems are complex and the related policies need to address a wide range of sectors, cross-sectoral collaboration is beneficial. One intervention focusing on stimulating ...collaboration is a ‘policy game’. The focus on specific problems facilitates relationships between the stakeholders and stimulates cross-sectoral policymaking. The present study explores stakeholders’ learning experiences with respect to the collaboration process in public health policymaking. This was achieved via their game participation, carried out in real-life stakeholder networks in the Netherlands, Denmark and Romania. The policy game (In2Action) was developed and implemented as a 1-day roleplay. The data consisted of: (i) observations and evaluation notes during the game and (ii) participant questionnaire after the game. All three countries showed similar results in learning experience during the collaboration processes in local policymaking. Specific learning experiences were related to: (i) the stakeholder network, (ii) interaction and (iii) relationships. The game also increased participant’s understanding of group dynamics and need for a coordinator in policymaking. This exploratory study shows that the game provides participants with learning experiences during the collaboration process in policymaking. Experiencing what is needed to establish cross-sectoral collaboration is a first step towards enhancing knowledge exchange and more effective public health policies.
Abstract
This paper discusses the policy game methodology and design that will be used in a simulation that aims to assess and understand the public health policy making in Tunisia. The policy game ...aims to analyzes the interactions, alliances and networks formed by the institutions and stakeholders during a policy game intervention that will be organized in Tunis, in which policy makers, civil servants, researchers and practitioners will simulate the use of evidence in real life policy making. The simulation has been realized within the Erasmus+ CONFIDE project focused on enhancing transnational partnerships and building capacity to inform evidence-based policies in Tunisia. This capacity building project and policy game is built on the collaboration of four Tunisian universities, from Tunis, Sfax, Sousse and Monastir, and three universities from the European Union, from Romania, Denmark and Slovakia. The policy game will focus on the drafting and implementation of a national strategy for fighting the increase of drug consumption among the Tunisian youth, a phenomenon which is rather new in Tunisia and spreading rapidly. The policy game will be followed by an analysis aiming to explore the impact of the intervention in enhancing cross-sector collaboration and the use of local stakeholder network regarding drug policy making. The preliminary results showed that the stakeholders approached this problem in a collaborative way and were willing to up-take evidence-based measures in the creation of a national strategy to fight drug consumption. This exercise has also shown that the policy game can be an effective tool in enhancing the use of scientific arguments in policy making and encourage stakeholders to approach policy making in a cross-sector way.
Key messages
Policy game can be an effective tool in enhancing the use of scientific arguments in policy making and encourage stakeholders to approach policy making in an interdisciplinary way. Stakeholders approached this problem in a collaborative way and were willing to up-take evidence-based measures in the creation of a national strategy to fight drug consumption.
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