Strategic Planning and Public Opinion Survey

Strategic Planning is a creative, practical planning process for community change. Community Strategic Planning produces a visionary statement of what the community wants to be 10 to 20 years in the future. There is no one ideal strategic planning process that has worked for all communities and community groups. Different communities have successfully used a variety of processes. The article describes methods important for evolvement of the situation analysis, particularly the method of representative public opinion survey that provides basis for SWOT analysis and formulation of the strategic goals. The method reflecting public’s attitudes, values, and beliefs regarding community development is demonstrated on the example of two cities located in the Eastern part of the Slovak Republic - Košice and Spišská Nová Ves. Key words: Community Strategic Planning, Community Needs Analysis, City and Place Marketing, Strategic Planning Methodology, Public Opinion Survey, Questionnaires design.

Strategic Planning and Public Opinion Survey

Strategic Planning is a creative, practical planning process for community change. Community Strategic Planning produces a visionary statement of what the community wants to be 10 to 20 years in the future. There is no one ideal strategic planning process that has worked for all communities and community groups. Different communities have successfully used a variety of processes. The article describes methods important for evolvement of the situation analysis, particularly the method of representative public opinion survey that provides basis for SWOT analysis and formulation of the strategic goals. The method reflecting public’s attitudes, values, and beliefs regarding community development is demonstrated on the example of two cities located in the Eastern part of the Slovak Republic - Košice and Spišská Nová Ves. Key words: Community Strategic Planning, Community Needs Analysis, City and Place Marketing, Strategic Planning Methodology, Public Opinion Survey, Questionnaires design

Regional Innovation Strategies in a Cross-border Environment

Innovations are considered to discover new solutions to exploit novelty in the technological, but in social and economic fields as well. It means, the concept of innovations is true also for a sustainable development. The sustainability of the regional strategies is studied at the background of the regionalisation of the governance system. Particularly, the regions of Eastern Slovakia and Northern Hungary, both having a tradition of heavy industry, are studied in their cross-border innovation and sustainability context. The realization of the joined regional innovation strategy represents a unique opportunity to test and implement the RIS process in a cross-border environment. The main priority, renewable energy sources, results from the historical heavy industry path, the cross-border clusters and especially in. The path dependence concept is applied to two border regions is studied on the background of historical and economic transformation along the axes: - from centrally planned economy to market economy - from sectoral orientation of economy to regionalized economy - from industrial economy to knowledge-based economy and services - from environmentally harmful production to renewable energy sources sector - from vertical organization and administration to horizontal partnerships and clustering - from regional production to regional innovations - from national governance to multi-level and cross-border regional governanc

Analysis of biophysical and functional consequences of Tropomyosin - fluorescent protein fusions.

The dynamic nature of actin polymers is modulated to facilitate a diverse range of cellular processes. These dynamic properties are modulated by different isoforms of Tropomyosin, which are recruited to distinct subpopulations of actin polymers to differentially modulate their functional properties. This makes them an attractive target for labelling discrete actin populations. We have assessed the effect of different fluorescent labelling strategies for this protein. Although tropomyosin fluorescent fusions decorate actin in vivo, they are either non-functional or perturb regulation of actin nucleation and cell cycle timings. Thus conclusions and physiological relevance should be carefully evaluated when using tropomyosin fusions

The chemistry and biological activity of the Hyacinthaceae

Covering: 1914 to 2012The Hyacinthaceae (sensu APGII), with approximately 900 species in about 70 genera, can be divided into three main subfamilies, the Hyacinthoideae, the Urgineoideae and the Ornithogaloideae, with a small fourth subfamily the Oziroëoideae, restricted to South America. The plants included in this family have long been used in traditional medicine for a wide range of medicinal applications. This, together with some significant toxicity to livestock has led to the chemical composition of many of the species being investigated. The compounds found are, for the most part, subfamily-restricted, with homoisoflavanones and spirocyclic nortriterpenoids characterising the Hyacinthoideae, bufadienolides characterising the Urgineoideae, and cardenolides and steroidal glycosides characterising the Ornithogaloideae. The phytochemical profiles of 38 genera of the Hyacinthaceae will be discussed as well as any biological activity associated with both crude extracts and compounds isolated. The Hyacinthaceae of southern Africa were last reviewed in 2000 (T. S. Pohl, N. R. Crouch and D. A. Mulholland, Curr. Org. Chem., 2000, 4, 1287-1324; ); the current contribution considers the family at a global level

Immunogenicity and safety of a booster dose of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in children primed with the 10-valent or 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in the Czech Republic and Slovakia

Background: Although both the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) and the 10-valent pneumococcal non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D-conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV) are widely used, it is unclear how interchangeable they are in terms of immunogenicity. Methods: Two phase 3, open-label, multicenter studies were conducted to assess the immunogenicity and safety of a booster dose of PCV13 in children primed with PHiD-CV or PCV13. In the Czech Republic, 12–15-month-old children received a PCV13 booster after 3-dose priming with either PHiD-CV or PCV13. In Slovakia, 11–12-month-old children received PCV13 following 2-dose priming with either PHiD-CV or PCV13. Serum IgG concentrations were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and functional antibodies were assessed by opsonophagocytic assay (OPA) before the booster and at 1 and 12 months afterward. The primary objective of these studies was to assess non-inferiority of OPA titers for serotype 19A in PHiD-CV-primed subjects compared to those in PCV13-primed children 1 month post-booster. Results: A total of 98 subjects in the Czech Republic and 89 subjects in Slovakia were included. One month after the PCV13 booster dose, the IgG and OPA immune responses to serotype 19A in subjects primed with 2 or 3 doses of PHiD-CV were non-inferior to those in subjects primed with PCV13. Non-inferior and persistent immune responses to most other vaccine serotypes were also observed after the PCV13 booster in PHiD-CV-primed subjects. No safety issues were raised in either study. Conclusions: Overall, robust IgG and OPA immunological responses were observed after booster vaccination with PCV13 in children primed with 2 or 3 doses of PHiD-CV or PCV13, including for serotypes not included in PHiD-CV. These results suggest that these vaccines are interchangeable in terms of safety and immunogenicity and that PCV13 can be used as a booster in the context of mixed schedules. (EudraCT numbers: 2012-005366-35 and 2012-005367-27)

Barriers to HPV vaccination in marginalized Roma communities in Slovakia

IntroductionLimited access to healthcare services leads to lower vaccination rates in marginalized Roma communities (MRCs). This study aimed to explore health system barriers to HPV vaccination faced by people from MRCs from multiple perspectives.MethodsThe qualitative study was conducted in Slovakia in 2021/22 with 43 community members and health professionals. Data were analyzed using a combination of content analysis and consensual qualitative research.ResultsA substantial barrier to vaccination is limited coverage of vaccination expenses for certain age categories by health insurance. Moreover, Slovakia faces a significant shortage of healthcare personnel, leading to work overload and a lack of capacity and motivation to address HPV vaccination. Impaired relationships between health care providers and people from MRCs lead to the avoidance of healthcare services, which contributes to insufficient delivery of information and a lack of awareness regarding HPV-related diseases and vaccination.ConclusionStrengthening the capacities of health care providers, expanding the age group covered by health insurance and providing tailored information to people from MRCs are necessary prerequisites to increase the availability of HPV vaccination and enable people to make informed decisions about HPV vaccination

Targeted amino-terminal acetylation of recombinant proteins in E. coli.

One major limitation in the expression of eukaryotic proteins in bacteria is an inability to post-translationally modify the expressed protein. Amino-terminal acetylation is one such modification that can be essential for protein function. By co- expressing the fission yeast NatB complex with the target protein in E.coli, we report a simple and widely applicable method for the expression and purification of functional N-terminally acetylated eukaryotic proteins

Enhancement of the Quality Assurance Model at the Slovak University: Case Study

&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Purpose:&lt;/strong&gt; The aim of the paper is to present an enhanced internal quality assurance model based on the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) principles, criteria for accreditation, and data management support in the web-based environment developed within the European Structural Fund (ESF) project.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methodology/Approach:&lt;/strong&gt; A literary survey and personal interviews with university representatives and ICT professionals have been conducted to evaluate and analyse the possibility of the enhanced internal quality assurance model implementation at the university. The SWOT analysis and TELOS framework feasibility study have been used to design the proposal for the decision makers.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Findings:&lt;/strong&gt; A case study confirmed the feasibility of an enhanced quality assurance model utilisation and also revealed the possibility of the existing system of quality management improvement concerning the teaching and learning process.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Research Limitation/implication:&lt;/strong&gt; The study is the output of an ESF project and is supposed to be implemented by top management in the very near future.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Originality:&lt;/strong&gt; The originality of the solution is that it connects the existing university QMS to the ESG standards and evaluation criteria for the internal system of quality assurance in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in Slovakia. The case study showed that the utilisation of a web-based quality management system has many advantages in comparison to the existing decentralised data management system.  &lt;/div&gt;</jats:p