Maja Bučar

Short-term effects of bicarbonate/lactate-buffered and conventional lactate-buffered dialysis solutions on peritoneal ultrafiltration: a comparative crossover study

BACKGROUND This study was designed to compare the effects of a conventional lactate-based peritoneal dialysis (PD) solution (D) and a new biocompatible bicarbonate/lactate-based solution with a low concentration of glucose degradation products (P) on peritoneal ultrafiltration (UF) and other peritoneal membrane indices. METHODS Twenty-six stable, prevalent PD patients were enrolled in this prospective study. They sequentially underwent 3 months of therapy with the D solution and 3 months with the P solution in a randomized order. Daily, overnight and 4-h UF on PET were measured and other peritoneal membrane indices were also assessed using PET with 2.27% glucose solution. RESULTS Twenty-one patients successfully completed the study. The mean daily peritoneal UF with D was 1324 +/- 602 ml and 881 +/- 633 ml with P (P < 0.001) and this lower daily UF of 443 ml (95% CI 275-610 ml) with P was associated with a similarly lower daily total fluid removal of 394 ml (95% CI 210-577 ml), as urine volume did not differ between D and P. The decrement in UF with the P solution was reversible. There were no significant differences in other peritoneal membrane indices (D/P creatinine, D/D0 glucose, 4-h UF at PET, weekly creatinine clearance, weekly urea Kt/V) or blood pressure and body weight between the solutions whereas calculated peritoneal fluid absorption rate was significantly higher with the P than with the D solution. CONCLUSION This study shows that the daily UF with the P solution may be lower than with the D solution. The mechanism for this short-term and reversible effect that conceivably reflects differences in biocompatibility is not clear although our results implicate that the peritoneal fluid absorption rate may differ between the two solutions.

Cell-free DNA in the peritoneal effluent of peritoneal dialysis solutions.

The beneficial effects of novel peritoneal dialysis solutions low in glucose degradation products regarding peritoneal cell apoptosis and necrosis are well established in vitro, however in vivo data is lacking. Cell‐free DNA quantification is a possible method to determine cell damage through apoptosis and necrosis in vivo. We performed a prospective, cross‐over study on 26 stable continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients, treating each patient for 3 months in a randomized order with a conventional, lactate‐buffered, acidic solution (solution D) and a novel, bicarbonate/lactate‐buffered neutral solution (solution P). The timed overnight peritoneal effluent was sampled for cell‐free DNA quantification using a fluorometric assay. The effluent samples of eighteen patients were finally available for DNA quantification. The concentration range of cell‐free DNA in the peritoneal effluents was 1.8–9.5 µg/L. The coefficient of intrapatient variation in overnight effluent cell‐free DNA appearance was 15.6 ± 12.4%. Cell‐free DNA peritoneal appearance using solutions D and P was 14.9 ± 6.8 µg and 11.8 ± 3.4 µg, respectively (P = 0.02), with the average difference of 3.1 µg (95% CI, 0.7–5.6 µg). Our results show that cell‐free DNA is present in the overnight peritoneal effluent of stable CAPD patients. A significant decrease in the cell‐free DNA appearance with solution P was found; however, before accepting this as an indicator of a more biocompatible profile causing less peritoneal membrane cell necrosis and apoptosis, confirmatory data on larger patient samples are needed. Our results indicate the potential future role of cell‐free DNA in the diagnosis and prognosis of therapy‐related peritoneal membrane degeneration.

Reliability and validity of judging in women's artistic gymnastics at University Games 2009

Abstract The aim of our research was to analyse the reliability and validity of judging on all womens apparatuses and all sessions (qualification, all round finals and apparatus finals) at the World University Games-Universiade 2009 in Belgrade. For validity assessment, mean absolute and rank deviations of judges’ execution scores were calculated. For consistency and reliability assessment, Cronbachs alpha coefficient, intra-class correlations, Armors theta and Kendalls W coefficient were calculated. Vault and floor exercise finals were the sessions with the highest scores and the lowest score dispersion. The overall highest individual judge average absolute deviation was 0.34 point and the largest mean rank deviation was 0.88 with most values well below this. A correlation matrix for between-judge correlations identified three judges (out of 20) in the apparatus finals sessions with remarkably inferior correlations with others. Except for vault and floor finals, the results in terms of consistency (Cronbachs alpha mostly above 0.95) and reliability (Armors theta mostly above 0.94, intra-class correlation for single and average measures above 0.87 and 0.94, respectively) were satisfactory. In conclusion, overall high values of reliability and consistency indices were found. Sessions where the variability between competitors is low (such as vault and floor finals in this competition) should be inspected with special care in future judging analyses.

RIO Country Report 2015: Slovenia

The 2015 series of RIO Country Reports analyse and assess the policy and the national research and innovation system developments in relation to national policy priorities and the EU policy agenda with special focus on ERA and Innovation Union. The executive summaries of these reports put forward the main challenges of the research and innovation systems. 2. Recent Developments in Research and Innovation Policy and systems 2.1 National R&I strategy The direction of Finnish research and innovation policy is set by the Government Programme and guided by the Research and Innovation Council (RIC). The current government of PM Juha Sipilä, nominated in May 2015, has announced its Strategic Government Programme for the period of 2015–2020, which includes five strategic target areas and under those are 26 Spearhead Projects for implementation. The five strategic objectives of the Programme are: 1. Improving employment and competitiveness; 2. Reforming knowledge and education; 3. Promoting welfare and health; 4. Facilitating the bioeconomy and clean solutions; and 5. Reforming ways of working through digitalisation, experimentation and deregulation. The government has set specific goals and plans for these and will devise indicators to monitor their attainment. In June 2015, ministerial working groups were assigned to each of them. Many of these Spearhead Projects also include specific research and innovation objectives, with further budget allocations attached to them. The specific R&I contributions of Spearhead Projects have not been estimated. The Research and Innovation Council (RIC) advises the government and its ministries on strategic issues (such as policy priorities and budget allocations, as well as on the evaluation and development of national innovation system as whole) and coordinates science and innovation policies across ministries, whereas the implementation of these policies is the responsibility of respective thematic ministries. Ministers, industries, funding agencies and the research community are represented in the Council headed by the Prime Minister. In practice, the Council operates through the work of its two sub-committees (i.e. science policy and innovation policy) and with the help of a network of research coordinators representing each relevant ministry. The network of other relevant stakeholders is present, visible and well connected at the operational level. According to the government decree, the RIC is appointed for the duration of each government term. 1 The first task of each RIC is to advise the newly appointed government with an updated research and innovation policy review. In September 2015, the new government of PM Sipilä had not yet nominated its RIC members and therefore the Council was not yet operational. Hence, currently the latest and technically still valid RIC review dates back to 2014, to the time when RIC gave its advice and recommendations to the previous government (PM Stubb): Reformative Finland: Research and Innovation Policy Review 2015–2020. The recommendations focus on the most important development themes that are the radical renewing of the HEI system; boosting the utilisation and impact of the results of R&I activities; and strengthening new growth sources, intangible assets and entrepreneurship. Other major themes are: Extensive improvement of knowledge base, selective support to cutting edge knowledge creation, reform of the public research system and enhancement of horizontal cooperation, and sufficient and focused R&D funding. 1 Government Decree on the Research and Innovation Council 1043/2008 (amendment 1028/2011 The recommendations emphasise performance, quality and impacts, interaction and cooperation between different stakeholders, and internationalisation. The recommendations define that “internationalisation must be integrated in all R&D activities and decision making it is not a separate task ... Finland will be proactive in the EU R&D policy. The target is that funding which will be received from the Horizon 2020 is 50% higher than the funding received from the 7 Framework programme.” H2020 is rather well aligned with national themes. government prepares an EU R&D strategy, which finds synergies across EU and national objectives. RIC points out knowledge areas and sectors, which are important for Finnish economy and wellbeing, including: ICT, especially mobile and software knowhow; clean solutions in energy, environment and material efficient technologies (cleantech), bioand nanotechnologies, health and wellbeing, and arctic knowhow. The RIC recommendation, related to the radical renewing of the HEI system, refers to the need of rising the quality and internationalisation, reducing fragmentation, making strategic choices, focusing, building stronger and fewer units, and developing the HEI and PRO system as an entirety. Concerning public funding the recommendation states that “real governmental R&D funding grew by 15 % during 2006–2010 but declined by 13 % during 2010–2014. Especially institutional funding for VTT and the funding mandate of Tekes have declined: real governmental R&D investments to build knowledge base and for the renewal of industries have dropped in four years by 35 %. At the same time governmental R&D funding for health care has decreased by 20 % and the funding for research in university hospitals has declined by 28 %”. The RIC recommends increasing governmental funding in R&D during 2015–2020 by 2 % yearly in real value. By 2020 this means a €210m increase in real value compared to funding in 2015 level. 65 % of the increase should be allocated through competitive funding (Tekes €85m and the Academy of Finland €50m). Implementation of the recommendations for 2015–2020 starts in 2015 but the changes compared to the previous recommendations from 2010 are not that radical. The RIC recommendations are taken seriously indeed most of the previous recommendations (in 2010) have already been implemented. It is noteworthy that the new Sipilä government has introduced major changes to the Finnish research and innovation policy, which also deviate from the line and recommendations made in the RIC 2014 review. This, combined with the continuing decrease of private sector RDI investments, has quickly made the RIC 2014 review budget recommendations somewhat outdated. In March 2016 (with an effect from April 1st), the Finnish Government approved an amendment to the degree of the Research and Innovation Council (RIC). According to the new amendment, the composition of the council will be reduced (the maximum number of ministers reduced from nine to four) and its tasks will be more strategic and pre-emptive than before. The council will be headed by the Prime Minister, and supported by the key research ministers; the Minister of Education, Science and Culture and Minister of Employment and the Economy. It is noteworthy that the Council Secretariat will cease to exist and the preparatory tasks will be assumed by the ministries, Tekes and the Academy of Finland. It is now anticipated that a new Council will soon be nominated and operational accordingly. The major R&I programmes in Finland are thematic and funded by the Academy of Finland, Tekes and by the industry led SHOK consortia. However, as stipulated in the new Government Programme, the SHOK and INKA programmes will be terminated, leaving the Academy and Tekes as the main programme funders. Policies promoting clusters and collaboration platforms will still be continued through other means and by transferring the lessons and practices from SHOK and INKA. 2 http://www.minedu.fi/OPM/Tiedotteet/2016/03/TIN.html?lang=fi 2.2 R&I policy initiatives  Due to the severe economic situation in Finland, the PM Sipilä’s Strategic Government Programme introduced significant budget cuts to public expenditure from 2016 onwards, with direct impact on the allocations and implementation of the national R&I policy. The proposed reductions in Government R&D budget allocations for 2015–2016 were in total of €157m (-9.4%) and were distributed followingly (Government R&D funding in the state budget)  Universities, -0.4 %  Public research organisations, -24 %  Academy of Finland, +3.9%

Slovenia: From High Enthusiasm to Frustrating Indifference

Since Slovenia’s independence in 1991, accession to the EU and NATO has been a key focus of the country’s external politics. The 2003 referendum on EU membership received nearly 90% support. Yet this enthusiasm has dwindled over the years, and by 2017, only 45% of its citizens think that EU membership is a good thing for the country.

RIO Country Report Slovenia 2014

The report offers an analysis of the R&I system in Slovenia for 2014, including relevant policies and funding, with particular focus on topics critical for two EU policies: the European Research Area and the Innovation Union. The report was prepared according to a set of guidelines for collecting and analysing a range of materials, including policy documents, statistics, evaluation reports, websites etc. The report identifies the structural challenges of the Slovenian research and innovation system and assesses the match between the national priorities and those challenges, highlighting the latest policy developments, their dynamics and impact in the overall national context.

The Role Of R&D And Innovation In Local Economic Development

The paper looks at the issue of R&D and innovation first from the overall impact on economic growth and development and discusses questions of national innovation system and its constitutive elements. From there we focus more precisely on the concept of innovation capacity, which is a prerequisite for a specific environment if R&D and innovation efforts are to result in economic development. The build-up of innovation capacity depends on the development of innovation infrastructure, R&D capacity, diffusion and assimilation of innovation as well as the level of market development. Each of these elements can be influenced by appropriate innovation policy and a set of innovation support measures provided by the state, regional or/and local government. The ability to successfully implement innovation support measures depends on governance capacity, which is one of the most critical issues in many transition countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina.