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Public procurement is widely used in order to incorporate competition into public services. Competition in procurement often leads to efficiency but the process can also raise some problems. While providing the procurement documents you do not know who will be your upcoming partner. Another aspect is how flexibility can be managed in contract design while maintaining a high service quality. The ai

This article examines the role of national parliaments in policy processes related to the realization of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, adopted in the UN General Assembly in 2015. We outline three main roles of parliaments in the case of national policy-making based on intergovernmental agreements: legislative and policy approval, citizen representation, and accountability. The cases

Sterile liver inflammation and fibrosis are associated with many liver disorders of different etiologies. Both type 1 and type 2 inflammatory responses have been reported to contribute to liver pathology. However, the mechanisms controlling the balance between these responses are largely unknown. Natural killer T (NKT) cells can be activated to rapidly secrete cytokines and chemokines associated w

African countries such as Nigeria are anticipated to be more susceptible to the impacts of climate change due to reliance on rainfed agriculture. In this regard, the impacts of climate change on crop water requirements (CWR), yields and crop water productivity (CWP) of soybean in the Ogun-Ona River Basin, Nigeria, were evaluated for the baseline period (1986–2015) and future period (2021–2099) und

Background: Symptom management in conjunction with proton beam therapy (PBT) from patient's perspective has not been explored. Such knowledge is essential to optimize the care in this relatively new treatment modality. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the process of symptom management in patients with brain tumor receiving PBT. Methods: Participants were 22 patients with primary bra

In this article, we problematize the notion that the continuously growing use of bibliometric evaluation can be effectively explained by ‘neoliberal’ ideology. A prerequisite for our analysis is an understanding of neoliberalism as both denoting a more limited set of concrete principles for the organization of society (the narrow interpretation) or as a hegemonic ideology (the broad interpretation

Although there are some epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) of insulin resistance, most of them did not replicate their findings and are focused in populations of European ancestry limiting the generalizability. In EPIPREG (294 Europeans and 162 South Asians), we conducted an EWAS of insulin resistance in maternal peripheral blood leukocytes, with replication in Born in Bradford (n=879; 430

Background: Carvone (l-carvone) is a mint-tasting flavour additive that most of us is exposed to and can cause allergic contact reactions. Objectives: To analyse the frequency and the relevance of positive carvone reactions in a dermatitis population. Method: A retrospective analysis of dermatitis patients consecutively tested with carvone from 2017 to 2021. Data were retrieved from the department

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are causally related, yet there is considerable heterogeneity in the consequences of both conditions and the mechanisms of action are poorly defined. Here we show a genetic-driven approach defining two obesity profiles that convey highly concordant and discordant diabetogenic effects. We annotate and then compare association signals for these profiles across clinical an

Financial incentives to encourage healthy and prosocial behaviours often trigger initial behavioural change, but a large academic literature warns against using them. Critics warn that financial incentives can crowd out prosocial motivations and reduce perceived safety and trust, thereby reducing healthy behaviours when no payments are offered and eroding morals more generally. Here we report find

Aim: To investigate whether unnecessary harm could be avoided in children admitted to paediatric intensive care (PICU), we analysed the impact of arterial blood gas on the paediatric index of mortality score2 (PIM2) and the derived predicted death rate (PDR). Methods: From January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2010, 1793 consecutive admissions, newborn infants to 16 years of age (median 0.71 years) from

The aim of this report is to provide a detailed description of the eight development projects recommended for the first strategy period (2021-2023) of the project “A National Strategy for Standardisation of Digital Information Management within the Built Environment”. The report also contains a description of the vision and the objectives of the strategy. The project has been led by Pontus Bengtso

A series of worldwide projects concerning assessment, student outcomes and quality in higher education has revealed the need for a change in how higher education institutions assess student outcomes; however, many academics remain unconvinced. The success of assessment change arguably depends on the assessment culture within the institution. This qualitative investigation of assessment cultures drA series of worldwide projects concerning assessment, student outcomes and quality in higher education has revealed the need for a change in how higher education institutions assess student outcomes; however, many academics remain unconvinced. The success of assessment change arguably depends on the assessment culture within the institution. This qualitative investigation of assessment cultures dr