bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory characteristics of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia: an observational cohort study
Authors: Al Mutair Abbas , Alhumaid Saad , Alhuqbani Waad N. , Zaidi Abdul Rehman Z. , Alkoraisi Safug , Al-Subaie Maha F. , AlHindi Alanoud M. , Abogosh Ahmed K. , Alrasheed Aljwhara K. , Alsharafi Aya A. , Alhuqbani Mohammed N. , Alhowar Njoud A. , Salih Samer , Alhedaithy Mogbil A. , Al-Tawfiq Jaffar A. , Al-Shammari Haifa , Abdulqawi Rayid , Ismail Alaa F. , Hamdan Noura , Saad Fares , Olhaye Fahad A. , Eltahir Tarig A. , Rabaan Ali A. , Al-Omari Awad
Published: November 2020

Background

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) emerged from China in December 2019 and has presented as a substantial and serious threat to global health. We aimed to describe the clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory findings of patients in Saudi Arabia infected with SARS-CoV-2 to direct us in helping prevent and treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across Saudi Arabia and around the world.

Materials and methods

Clinical, epidemiological, laboratory, and radiological characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of pediatric and adult patients in five hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were surveyed in this study.

Results

401 patients (mean age 38.16 ± 13.43 years) were identified to be SARS-CoV-2 positive and 80% of cases were male. 160 patients had moderate severity and 241 were mild in severity. The most common signs and symptoms at presentation were cough, fever, fatigue, and shortness of breath. Neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, aspartate aminotransferase, C-reactive protein, and ferritin were higher in the COVID-19 moderate severity patient group. Mild severity patients spent a shorter duration hospitalized and had slightly higher percentages of abnormal CT scans and X-ray imaging.

Conclusions

This study provides an understanding of the features of non-ICU COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia. Further national collaborative studies are needed to streamline screening and treatment procedures for COVID-19.
The creation of inclusive governance infrastructures through participatory agenda-setting
Authors: Hinrichs Margaret M. , Johnston Erik W.
Published: November 2020

Though a stronger orientation of research and innovation with a focus on societal needs, demands, and preferences has recently become the main argument under the header of responsible research and innovation, the processes by which community members are included in studies of the future, as well as forward-looking science, technology, and innovation are underexplored. This paper explores the role of participatory agenda-setting in creating governance infrastructures that reflect community participation, boundary object creation, and experimental innovation for increased understanding of future decision tradeoffs. Drawing upon the authors’ leadership and participant observation of two participatory agenda-setting projects, this paper contributes to our understanding of what participatory agenda-setting looks like in practice at a boundary organization in higher education. Though not a traditional research study with control and experiment groups, we seek to share our insights and lessons learned from our leadership of two projects with inherent participatory agenda-setting components. The paper culminates in recommendations for future projects which seek to incorporate laypeople into future-oriented research.
Leukemia cutis with IDH1, DNMT3A and NRAS mutations conferring resistance to venetoclax plus 5-azacytidine in refractory AML
Authors: Wang JingHan , Ye Xingnong , Fan Cuihua , Zhou Jie , Luo Shuna , Jin Jingxia , Chen Dan , Zheng Yan , Wu Cai , Zhu Xiaoqiong , Jin Jie , Huang Jian
Published: November 2020

Abstractr

Recently, novel drugs like venetoclax plus 5-azacytidine (VA) were reported to have promising efficacy in refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, there are still some cases presented with novel drugs resistance, and its genetics composition and clinical phenotype are urging to study. We described a 58-year-old patient who was resistant to intensive chemotherapy. This refractory AML was presented with the persistence of RUNX1, IDH1 and DNMT3A mutations. RUNX1 mutations disappeared and leukemia cutis ensued after multiple chemotherapies. Leukemia cutis exhibited NRAS mutations in addition to IDH1 and DNMT3A mutations. With the VA salvage treatment, platelets were recovered to the normal level and blasts in bone marrow and peripheral blood were moderately controlled. However, leukemia cutis did not resolve. Unexpectedly, BM blasts obtained the new NRAS mutations after VA treatment, and consequently experienced leukostasis with two distinct leukemia clones. After survival of 230 days, this patient died because of spontaneous cerebral hemorrhage. This case highlights presentation of leukemia cutis with simultaneous mutations of IDH1, DNMT3A and NRAS in AML patients might act as a resistant niche to avoid the toxicity of multiple drugs including VA. There is unmet need to validate this result in the clinical trials or a large cohort of patients in the future.
A DNA methylation-based test for esophageal cancer detection
Authors: Salta Sofia , Macedo-Silva Catarina , Miranda-Gonçalves Vera , Lopes Nair , Gigliano Davide , Guimarães Rita , Farinha Mónica , Sousa Olga , Henrique Rui , Jerónimo Carmen
Published: November 2020

Background

Esophageal cancer (ECa) is the 7th most incident cancer and the 6th leading cause of cancer-related death. Most patients are diagnosed with locally advanced or metastatic disease, enduring poor survival. Biomarkers enabling early cancer detection may improve patient management, treatment effectiveness, and survival, are urgently needed. In this context, epigenetic-based biomarkers such as DNA methylation are potential candidates.

Methods

Herein, we sought to identify and validate DNA methylation-based biomarkers for early detection and prediction of response to therapy in ECa patients. Promoter methylation levels were assessed in a series of treatment-naïve ECa, post-neoadjuvant treatment ECa, and normal esophagus tissues, using quantitative methylation-specific PCR for COL14A1, GPX3, and ZNF569.

Results

ZNF569 methylation (ZNF569me) levels significantly differed between ECa and normal samples (p < 0.001). Moreover, COL14A1 methylation (COL14A1me) and GPX3 methylation (GPX3me) levels discriminated adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas, respectively, from normal samples (p = 0.002 and p = 0.009, respectively). COL14A1me & ZNF569me accurately identified adenocarcinomas (82.29%) whereas GPX3me & ZNF569me identified squamous cell carcinomas with 81.73% accuracy. Furthermore, ZNF569me and GPX3me levels significantly differed between normal and pre-treated ECa.

Conclusion

The biomarker potential of a specific panel of methylated genes for ECa was confirmed. These might prove useful for early detection and might allow for the identification of minimal residual disease after adjuvant therapy.
Alternative Polyadenylation: a new frontier in post transcriptional regulation
Authors: Ren Fanggang , Zhang Na , Zhang Lan , Miller Eric , Pu Jeffrey J.
Published: November 2020

Polyadenylation of pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) specific sites and termination of their downstream transcriptions are signaled by unique sequence motif structures such as AAUAAA and its auxiliary elements. Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is an important post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism that processes RNA products depending on its 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) specific sequence signal. APA processing can generate several mRNA isoforms from a single gene, which may have different biological functions on their target gene. As a result, cellular genomic stability, proliferation capability, and transformation feasibility could all be affected. Furthermore, APA modulation regulates disease initiation and progression. APA status could potentially act as a biomarker for disease diagnosis, severity stratification, and prognosis forecast. While the advance of modern throughout technologies, such as next generation-sequencing (NGS) and single-cell sequencing techniques, have enriched our knowledge about APA, much of APA biological process is unknown and pending for further investigation. Herein, we review the current knowledge on APA and how its regulatory complex factors (CFI/IIm, CPSF, CSTF, and RBPs) work together to determine RNA splicing location, cell cycle velocity, microRNA processing, and oncogenesis regulation. We also discuss various APA experiment strategies and the future direction of APA research.
powerLang: a probabilistic attack simulation language for the power domain
Authors: Hacks Simon , Katsikeas Sotirios , Ling Engla , Lagerström Robert , Ekstedt Mathias
Published: November 2020

Cyber-attacks on power-related IT and OT infrastructures can have disastrous consequences for individuals, regions, as well as whole nations. In order to respond to these threats, the cyber security assessment of IT and OT infrastructures can foster a higher degree of safety and resilience against cyber-attacks. Therefore, the use of attack simulations based on system architecture models is proposed. To reduce the effort of creating new attack graphs for each system under assessment, domain-specific languages (DSLs) can be employed. DSLs codify the common attack logics of the considered domain.

Previously, MAL (the Meta Attack Language) was proposed, which serves as a framework to develop DSLs and generate attack graphs for modeled infrastructures. In this article, powerLang as a MAL-based DSL for modeling IT and OT infrastructures in the power domain is proposed. Further, it allows analyzing weaknesses related to known attacks. To comprise powerLang, two existing MAL-based DSL are combined with a new language focusing on industrial control systems (ICS). Finally, this first version of the language was validated against a known cyber-attack.
Recent advances of non-ionic surfactant-based nano-vesicles (niosomes and proniosomes): a brief review of these in enhancing transdermal delivery of drug
Authors: G Durga Bhavani , P Veera Lakshmi
Published: November 2020

Background

Hepatic first-pass metabolism and poor therapeutic efficiency at targeted region are the endemic problems of new drug molecules. Thus, comprehensive research has been carried out on the novel vesicular drug delivery systems in nanotechnology from the last few years. These nano-carrier systems have developed to overcome the limitations that are associated with hepatic first-pass metabolism in conventional oral dosage forms and the barrier properties of the lipid bilayer in stratum corneum via transdermal drug delivery for improving the bioavailability of various drugs.

Main body

In recent years, several targeted vesicular drug delivery carriers are developing like liposomes, niosomes, proniosomes, transferosomes, ethosomes, and electrosomes. Among them, niosomes and proniosomes are to be better carriers to increase therapeutic efficiency and bioavailability by reducing the side effects and acting as a promising approach for transdermal drug delivery. Both are non-ionic surfactant-based vesicles and are amphiphilic. This article concisely reviews the possible mechanisms within niosomes and pronisomes to enhance transdermal drug delivery, types, composition, preparation techniques, characterizations, and its applications.

Conclusion

As per the researches done in the formulation of various nano-carrier systems through transdermal approach for the enhancement of bioavailability, it can be stated that the hepatic first pass metabolism can be reduced as well as therapeutic efficiency can be increased by many folds compared to their oral marketed formulations.
Ultrasound as a bedside tool for diagnosis of post-intubation tracheal stenosis
Authors: Farghaly Shereen , El-Abdeen Ashraf Zin , Shaaban Lamiaa H. , El-Malah Hossam El-Deen Galal M. , Kamal Maida
Published: November 2020

Background

Screening of post-intubation stenosis can allow early diagnosis, early management of stenosis, and possible prevention of progress. Fiberoptic bronchoscope is the gold standard for diagnosis of tracheal stenosis. Other imaging modalities as computed tomography can be considered but are not available in intensive care unit.

Purpose of the study

To evaluate the validity of ultrasound (US) as a bedside test for early diagnosis of post-intubation stenosis compared to multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and fiberoptic bronchoscope (FOB).

Results

Out of the 50 included patients, 12 patients were found to have definite stenosis by FOB. Compared to CT, significant positive correlation was found between all ultrasound parameters (laryngeal width, tracheal diameter) and corresponding CT parameters (r = 0.798, p < 0.001; r = 0.714, p < 0.001 respectively). Compared to FOB results, the yield of MDCT chest for diagnosis of stenosis had 91.6% sensitivity and 100% specificity, while the yield of US detected by mucosal irregularity as a diagnostic tool for tracheal stenosis had comparable sensitivity (91.6%) but lower specificity (88.9%).

Conclusion

Due to its high sensitivity, US could help in detection of possible post-intubation laryngotracheal stenosis in critically ill MV patients.
Barriers and facilitators for treatment-seeking for mental health conditions and substance misuse: multi-perspective focus group study within the military
Authors: Bogaers Rebecca , Geuze Elbert , van Weeghel Jaap , Leijten Fenna , van de Mheen Dike , Varis Piia , Rozema Andrea , Brouwers Evelien
Published: November 2020

Background

Globally, millions are exposed to stressors at work that increase their vulnerability to develop mental health conditions and substance misuse (such as soldiers, policemen, doctors). However, these types of professionals especially are expected to be strong and healthy, and this contrast may worsen their treatment gap. Although the treatment gap in the military has been studied before, perspectives of different stakeholders involved have largely been ignored, even though they play an important role.

Aims

To study the barriers and facilitators for treatment-seeking in the military, from three different perspectives.

Method

In total, 46 people participated, divided into eight homogeneous focus groups, including three perspectives: soldiers with mental health conditions and substance misuse (n= 20), soldiers without mental health conditions and substance misuse (n= 10) and mental health professionals (n= 16). Sessions were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was done by applying a general inductive approach using ATLAS.ti-8.4.4 software.

Results

Five barriers for treatment-seeking were identified: fear of negative career consequences, fear of social rejection, confidentiality concerns, the ‘strong worker’ workplace culture and practical barriers. Three facilitators were identified: social support, accessibility and knowledge, and healthcare within the military. The views of the different stakeholder groups were highly congruent.

Conclusions

Barriers for treatment-seeking were mostly stigma related (fear of career consequences, fear of social rejection and the ‘strong worker’ workplace culture) and this was widely recognised by all groups. Social support from family, peers, supervisors and professionals were identified as important facilitators. A decrease in the treatment gap for mental health conditions and substance misuse is needed and these findings provide direction for future research and destigmatising interventions.
Rapid systematic review of systematic reviews: what befriending, social support and low intensity psychosocial interventions, delivered remotely, are effective in reducing social isolation and loneliness among older adults? How do they work?
Authors: Boulton Elisabeth , Kneale Dylan , Stansfield Claire , Heron Paul , Sutcliffe Katy , Hayanga Brenda , Hall Alex , Bower Peter , Casey Dympna , Craig Dawn , Gilbody Simon , Hanratty Barbara , McMillan Dean , Thomas James , Todd Chris
Published: November 2020

Background: During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, millions of older adults are advised to avoid contact with those outside their household. ‘Social distancing’ has highlighted the need to minimise loneliness and isolation through the provision of remotely delivered befriending, social support and low intensity psychosocial interventions. We wanted to know what interventions are effective and how they work to help inform decisions about different approaches.

Methods: We followed a systematic ‘review of reviews’ approach and included systematic reviews focussed on the effectiveness or implementation of remote interventions to reduce levels of social isolation or loneliness in adults aged 50+. Searches of 11 databases were undertaken during April 2020 and eligible reviews were critically appraised using AMSTAR2. Narrative synthesis was used at a review and study level to develop a typology of intervention types and their effectiveness. Intervention Component Analysis (ICA) and Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) were used at a study level to explore the characteristics of successful interventions.

Results: We synthesised evidence from five systematic reviews and 18 primary studies. Remote befriending, social support and low intensity psychosocial interventions took the form of: (i) supported video-communication; (ii) online discussion groups and forums; (iii) telephone befriending; (iv) social networking sites; and (v) multi-tool interventions. The majority of studies utilised the first two approaches, and were generally regarded positively by older adults, although with mixed quantitative evidence around effectiveness. Focussing on processes and mechanisms, using ICA and QCA, we found that the interventions that were most effective in improving social support: (i) enabled participants to speak freely and to form close relationships; (ii) ensured participants have shared experiences/characteristics; (iii) included some form of pastoral guidance.

Conclusions: The findings highlight a set of intervention processes that should be incorporated into interventions, although they do not lead us to recommend particular modes of remote support.
Energy supply and energy efficiency: current issues of legal regulation
Authors: Shaydullina Venera , Ruchkina Margarita , Zalyubovskaya Natal'ya , Barkov Aleksey , None Lapina , Romashkova Irina , Kostyleva Galina , Karpuhin Dmitriy , Gorohova Svetlana , Simaeva Evgeniya , Efimova Nina , Rahmatulina Rimma , Shepelev Denis
Published: November 2020

The monograph is devoted to the development of practical recommendations of an institutional and legal nature aimed at improving the energy efficiency of the energy sector of the economy in the conditions of digitalization and economic restrictions. It contains scientific and practical proposals aimed at developing the activities of economic entities of the Russian energy market, energy infrastructure, and focuses on the problems of the state of the Russian energy sector, strategic planning and legal regulation of activities aimed at energy conservation and energy efficiency in the Russian Federation. It is intended for teachers, students and anyone interested in energy supply and energy efficiency.
Rapid Tests As an Aspect of Communication in the Digital Environment
Authors: Konnova Larisa , Stepanyan I.
Published: November 2020

The transition of the economy to a digital format requires universities to train graduates with special competencies. The most important of them, according to the government and employers, is the competence of communication and cooperation in the digital environment. For its sustainable formation, systematic work is required, covering the entire learning process. The article discusses the possibilities of developing communication competence in the framework of teaching mathematics to first-year undergraduate students of an economic university. The authors see the potential of online tests for building digital communication skills. Regular use of online response systems in the educational process makes it possible to prepare students for some of the features of digital communication: instant immersion on the necessary platform, communication under strict regulations and time constraints. The paper describes the experience of testing students using the Socrative and PollEverywhere resources. Methodical recommendations for the organization of the educational process are given. The effectiveness of using online tests is confirmed by a survey of students.
Scientific Potential of Teachers: Mechanisms for Identification and Improvement
Authors: Bychkov Anatoliy
Published: November 2020

Monitoring the levels of scientific potential of teachers is due to the need to improve the methodology for determining compliance with the position and the requirements of the first and highest qualification categories in accordance with the new procedure for certification of teachers.

On this basis, there are opportunities to develop mechanisms for increasing scientific potential in order to introduce it functionally into the structure of professional pedagogical activity of teachers in accordance with the job description and the requirements of Federal state educational standards to improve the effectiveness of educational activities.

When assessing the levels of scientific potential of teachers, along with other parameters, it is advisable to take into account the influence of age, educational level and retraining of specialists. It is necessary to take into account the level of teaching experience and work experience in the subject taught.
UNIFORM PLANTING OF SPROUTED TUBERS SEMI-AUTOMATIC POTATO PLANTER
Authors: Gavrilov Vladislav , Semenov Aleksandr , Novikov Aleksey , Ivanov Vladimir , Terent'ev Aleksey
Published: November 2020

Важную роль при производстве ранней продукции картофеля играет проращивание семенных клубней и последующая механизированная их посадка. В виду более жестких требований к процессу посадки пророщенных клубней использование автоматических сажалок при выращивании раннего картофеля ограничено. В такой ситуации удовлетворить все агротехнические требования можно путем их совершенствования для посадки в полуавтоматическом режиме. С этой целью картофелесажалка с элеваторным высаживающим аппаратом снабжается реверсивным механизмом, который позволяет сократить длину пути движения клубней и уменьшить высоту их падения при сходе с ложечек. Однако эти изменения могут ухудшить равномерность раскладки клубней на дне борозды. Для решения такой проблемы разработана конструкция специального удлинителя кожуха клубнепровода, изогнутого по радиусу на 80…90°, позволяющая снизить отклонение равномерности посадки клубней от среднего значения в 1,5 раза. В последующих теоретических исследованиях установлены основные параметры движения клубней (абсолютная скорость, время падения, перемещение в горизонтальной плоскости) и получено аналитическое выражение, с использованием которого можно рассчитать расстояния между клубнями на уровне дна борозды. Это уравнение полиномиальной функции второй степени, которое служит математической моделью раскладывания клубней борозде высаживающим аппаратом при несовпадении направления его вращения с движения сажалки. По результатам расчетов, проведенных по установленной зависимости, оптимальное распределение клубней в посадочной борозде достигается при посадке картофеля средней фракции (40…55 мм) со скоростью движения сажалки 1,5 км/ч. При этом показатель надежности процесса посадки – коэффициент равномерности распределения клубней – составляет 85,8 %, что соответствует агротехническим требованиям
IMPROVEMENT OF WORKING UNITS FOR STRIP-TILL TECHNOLOGY
Authors: Gureev Ivan
Published: November 2020

When cultivating agricultural crops in the system of soil-protective ecologically safe farming, the Strip-Till technology is effective, which allows you to cultivate the soil in strips in the zone of rows and thereby limit the area of the field subject to loosening. The required indicators for loosening the strips in one pass are achieved by the milling tools. Their disadvantage is increased energy consumption. The purpose of the research is to improve the working units of soil-cultivating cutters for strip tillage in the direction of reducing energy consumption. An innovative milling cutter with different-sized knives has been created, which allows, while maintaining a given quality of soil crumbling, reducing the intensity of excessive grinding of the lower part of the milled layer to small erosive hazardous particles. On soil with a moisture content of 21% and a hardness of 1.6 MPa, comparative tests of the innovative and basic cutters were carried out. In the tests, the factors were changed - the depth of processing was in the range of 8-12 cm and the forward speed was from 0.61 to 1.09 m/s. The test results were presented in the form of mathematical models of the relationship of variable factors with the energy intensity of soil milling with innovative and basic structures. In accordance with the method of optimal planning of a multifactorial experiment, a central orthogonal compositional plan was used. An experiment-planning matrix was drawn up for each of the tested structures. With two factors, it contains a core for 2 × 2 = 4 experiments, four star points and one central experiment. By comparing the models, an average reduction of 15.8% in the energy intensity of strip milling of the soil with the use of innovations with the same quality of soil crumbling was established. This allows us to recommend the innovation for use as part of a complex of soil cultivation and seeding machines for cultivation of crops using Strip-Till technology
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART (MET BREUER)
Authors: González Fraile Eduardo Miguel
Published: November 2020

El museo de arte Whitney de Breuer se ubica en la isla de Manhattan, en Nueva York, próximo a varios museos muy importantes: al Museo Americano de Historia Natural, al Museo Metropolitano de Arte y al Museo Guggenheim, la obra más conocida de Franz Lloyd Wright. En la génesis del proyecto influirán las características del lugar, la geometría de la parcelación, las metáforas concomitantes con la fachada del anterior Museo Whitney, la emulación de la aérea volatilidad del Museo Guggenheim y la bien engrasada disposición del programa funcional, condensadas en una sección principal que se hunde bajo la línea de tierra y busca allí las raíces del diseño. El plano del terreno original separa arquitecturas distintas respecto al programa, la estructura y la morfología: transparencia de la parte inferior de la fachada frente a la opacidad y masividad de los volúmenes que avanzan hacia el exterior. El patio mediterráneo subyace en el esquema de la disposición de la planta y el complejo patio inglés aporta la sección generadora y da forma literal a las fachadas, contenidas por una envolvente abstracta y poseedoras de un contenido encriptado.
MAR, PUERTO, CIUDAD Y HORIZONTE. EL CENTRO BOTÍN DE LAS ARTES Y LA CULTURA EN SANTANDER
Authors: Ramos-Carranza Amadeo , Añón-Abajas Rosa María , Rivero-Lamela Gloria
Published: November 2020

El Centro Botín de las Artes y la Cultura, diseñado por Renzo Piano con la colaboración de Luis Vidal + Architects, ha reconfigurado el espacio portuario de Santander frente a su bahía. En este artículo se revisa el proceso histórico de la formación de este suelo y su relación con la ciudad para entenderlo como el espacio-soporte en el que acontece esta arquitectura. Siendo parte del proceso de transformación urbana, las relaciones con la ciudad y los nuevos recorridos que provoca, justifican su posición, su forma, su construcción y su relación con el paisaje. Actualizado el soporte urbano y arquitectónico, el espacio portuario hasta el Palacio de Festivales se completa y ciudad y bahía quedan como fondos de escenario de diferentes actividades que ponen en valor otras construcciones de otras épocas que son también parte de la memoria y de la identidad de la ciudad.
CHRISTIAN NORBERG-SCHULZ: GENIUS LOCI: PAESAGGIO, AMBIENTE, ARCHITETTURA
Authors: Rivero-Lamela Gloria
Published: November 2020

Christian Norberg-Schulz publicó este libro en 1979 en italiano, y fue traducido al inglés solo un año después. Desde entonces, se ha posicionado como uno de los ensayos primordiales en la reflexión y comprensión del lugar desde la perspectiva fenomenológica de la arquitectura. Como secuela de sus trabajos teóricos precedentes, con esta obra pretende superar la teoría abstracta y científica para conquistar la dimensión existencial de la arquitectura en su contexto. Para ello, el libro se estructura en ocho capítulos que se podrían dividir en tres partes: en la primera, teórica, se asientan los fundamentos de los distintos tipos de lugares analizados: lugar, lugar natural y lugar artificial. La segunda parte, a modo de travelling, recorre y analiza tres ciudades para descender a su genius loci. En la última, conclusiva, se deducen en primer término los aspectos inherentes del lugar para finalizar con una reflexión del “lugar hoy”. Se perciben, de esta manera, las posibles contribuciones de la fenomenología en el mundo contemporáneo.
THE ROLE OF POLITICAL STABILITY IN FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT ATTRACTION: CROSS-COUNTRY ANALYSIS
Authors: Groznykh Rogneda , Mariev Oleg , Plotnikov Sergey , Fominykh Maria
Published: November 2020

This study is devoted to the evaluation and scrutiny of political stability as a determinant of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to different countries. The primary objective of the research is to estimate the impact and influence of various indicators of political stability on foreign direct investment inflows. The analysis is delivered based on a database on cross-country FDI inflows of 66 FDI-importer countries and 98 FDI-exporter countries, in the period between 2001-2018. This article uses the assumption that the impact of political stability might be different for both the groups of developed and developing countries. As the developed economies have higher political stability, they tend to attract larger amounts of foreign direct investment compared to developing economies, where the political situation can be less stable. Furthermore, the estimation applies the gravity approach, while the main method used for the econometric calculations is the Pseudo Poisson Maximum Likelihood (PPML) regression. The outcome revealed that in most cases the indicators of political stability had a positive impact on the foreign direct investment inflows. However, the results are not constant for all groups of countries. Therefore, if a developed country is an importer of investment, then most of the indicators of political stability become significant and have a positive influence on the foreign direct investment. At the same time, if the importer is a developing country, then for the investor-developed economy, political stability becomes a significant factor. Similarly, if the FDI-exporter is a developing economy, then determinants of political stability are insignificant. Based on these results, possible recommendations for refined government policies can be suggested.
COOPERATION OF ENTERPRISES WITH SECONDARY VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND SLOVAKIA
Authors: Hanák Michal , Ižová Katarína , Bočková Kateřina
Published: November 2020

: The presented paper deals with the mutual cooperation of secondary vocational schools and enterprises within the framework of the dual education system, respectively of the social partnership in the conditions of Czech Republic and Slovakia. It has a theoretically - empirical character. In the theoretical part we focused on defining the terms we work with and the empirical part focuses on the questionnaire survey, in which we find out the views of pupils, teachers and enterprise representatives on the real possibilities and possible benefits of cooperation between schools and business sector. In the framework of the questionnaire survey we focused on the Zlín region in the Czech Republic and the Žilina region in Slovakia, while the selection of the area was random. Using two self-designed questionnaires, we found out what pupils, teachers and enterprise representatives consider to be beneficial for the cooperation and what is necessary to be improved. Based on the findings, we have drawn conclusions and suggested measures to improve the current situation. We found that the social partnership in the Czech Republic is at a higher level and more secondary vocational schools are involved than the dual education system in Slovakia.
EU POLICY AGAINST FALSIFIED MEDICINES: OPTIONS FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Valcheva Krasimira
Published: November 2020

The globalization of trade and internet access significantly increased the health risks associated with falsified medicines. International organizations, pharmaceutical companies and national governments developed a wide variety of measures to combat their pervasive penetration into the legal supply chains. However, the lack of harmonization, broad acceptance and legally bound enforcement obstructed their endeavours. The unsatisfying outcomes resulted in enhanced supranational cooperation focused on strengthening the pharmaceutical regulatory frameworks and the improvement of patient protection. 

In 2011 the European Union joined the global fight with the adoption of Directive 2011/62/EU that became known as the Falsified Medicine Directive. It is legally binding for Member States and amends the fundamental for the pharmaceutical sector Directive 2001/83/EC. The objective of the present paper is to verify if it represents a comprehensive tool for effective prevention of the access of falsified medicines in the European legal pharmaceutical supply chains. The results revealed that although it is rather detailed, there are areas that could be further developed and improved when compared to analogical policies and initiatives.
METHODS TO DETERMINE COMPLEX DEGREES OF MUTUAL ANISOTROPY FOR THE DIFFERENTIATION OF HEMORRHAGES IN THE HUMAN BRAIN SUBSTANCE RESULTING FROM TRAUMATIC AND NON-TRAUMATIC GENESIS
Authors: Garazdiuk Marta , Bachynskіy Viktor , Nechytailo Olena , Garazdiuk Oleksandr , Malanchuk Svitlana
Published: November 2020

An issue that is often debated in forensic traumatology is the differential diagnosis of hemorrhages into the human brain substance (HBS) of traumatic and non-traumatic genesis.

Objectives. This study aims to identify new criteria for objective forensic differentiation of hemorrhages of traumatic origin, cerebral infarction of ischemic and hemorrhagic genesis by using the method of complex degree of mutual anisotropy. For this study native sections of HBS from 125 corpses were used in the case of: death from coronary heart disease - 35 (28%) of native sections (Group 1 - control); hemorrhages of traumatic genesis - 30 (24%) sections (Group 2); ischemic cerebral infarction - 30 (24%) native sections(Group 3); and hemorrhages of non-traumatic genesis - 30 (24%) native sections (Group 4).

Results. The statistical moments of the third and fourth orders, which characterize the asymmetry and excess of the complex degree of mutual anisotropy module size distributions, the strength of the method of polarization-correlation microscopy in the differentiation of the samples of the histological sections of the brain of control and experimental groups reached a good level — 87%-90%.

Conclusion. The method of complex degree of mutual anisotropy allows differentiating with great precision the genesis of hemorrhage into the substance of the brain.
DEEP VEINS THROMBOSIS MIMICKING AN INFECTION IN A POSTPARTUM WOMAN
Authors: Kolovani Entela , Ramosaço Ergys , Bylykbashi Edlira , Kraja Dhimiter
Published: November 2020

Ovarian Vein Thrombosis (OVT) is a rare, yet a serious complication, especially if it extends to an inferior cava vein. OVT can occur at any stage, but it mostly occurs during the postpartum period. Diagnosis is not often immediately apparent, and many other diseases can mimic this condition. Exclusion of any infectious etiologic cause in a postpartum patient with fever is the first step in establishing an OVT diagnosis. It can be accurately diagnosed by appropriate non-invasive investigations to enable early therapy with anticoagulants and intravenous antibiotics, which are the mainstay of treatment. We present a case of a 38-year-old female in the postpartum period who was diagnosed with right OVT reaching the inferior vein cava after a vaginal delivery. She was treated with intravenous antibiotic and anticoagulant therapy and had a successful recovery after repeated image six months after, showing complete resolution of thrombus.
SOME ASPECTS OF THE MATERIALS’ OPTICAL LIMITING FEATURES
Authors: Kamanina Natalia
Published: November 2020

Due to the effective use of the fullerenes and other nanoparticles in the materials for the general optoelectronic, laser and display technique, as well as for biomedicine, the different mechanisms to attenuate the light intensity are considered with good advantage in order to protect the human eyes and technical devises from high laser irradiation. Reverse saturation absorption, complex formation, scattering, etc. are taken into account. In the current paper the influence of the content of the nanoobjects on the interface relief is shown and considered as an additional possible optical limiting mechanism. Moreover, the diffraction from the nanostructured materials via high frequency Kerr effect is added to extend the numbers of the optical limiting mechanisms. Different experimental instruments and supporting models are presented. VIS lasers, AFM, OCA devises are applied to test and visualize the results. Theoretical and experimental data are in good coincidence.
ANALYSIS OF PROSPECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES OF CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS EDUCATION
Authors: Nikolcheva Galina
Published: November 2020

The readiness for digital transformation of industry is highly dependent from the existence of enough ICT experts with profiles to industrial applications and cyber-physical systems as well as the widespread promotion and application of existing industry standards and practices in the domain of Industry 4.0. The raising of the digital readiness index for the industry requires the development of educational and scientific initiatives in order to create capacity for institutional and organizational acceptance of the requirements and prerequisites of Industry 4.0 as well the creation of pilot projects and demonstration installations for the purpose of visualizing and presenting good practices. This paper analyses prospects and opportunities of Cyber-physical system education in order to prepare well-trained and capable specialists for Industry 4.0. Some good practices in this area are outlined. Ideas for building the foundation of the training as well as the organization of the laboratory practice are presented.
ACCUMULATION AND MOBILE FORMS OF SOME HEAVY METALS IN ROADSIDE URBAN SOILS
Authors: Nikolov Bogdan , Petrova Slaveya , Velcheva Iliana , Angelov Nikola , Valcheva Ekaterina , Zapryanova Penka , Hristozova Gergana , Varbanova Evelina , Georgieva Deyana , Stefanova Violeta
Published: November 2020

The accumulation of heavy metals and toxic elements in the topsoil horizon of urban areas is a big environmental problem as they could have long-term implications not only for the soils themselves but also on the human health and well-being. Many studies have shown that there is a clear relationship between the level of urbanization, volume of traffic, intensity of anthropogenic activities and heavy metal load.

We aimed to analyze the accumulation of heavy metals at urban roadside soils and to assess the proportion of their mobile forms. The total content and mobile forms of Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn in soils samples collected along the main boulevards of Plovdiv (Bulgaria) was determined by two instrumental methods - ICP-OES and ICP-MS.

The maximal concentrations were found in the Central and Eastern administrative regions of the city of Plovdiv. This finding well correlated with the wind rose characteristics and urban gradient theory. Our results revealed that the mobile forms of Mn represented 1.38-2.21% of total content and the mobile forms of Zn represented 8.48-11.81% of total content in studied urban soils. Mobile forms of Cu and Pb varied significantly and were in the range of 7.04-14.2% and 7.3-18.67% of the total content, respectively.
PSYCHOMETRIC INDICATORS OF THE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LONELINESS SCALE FOR ADULTS - SHORT VERSION (SELSA-S) IN BULGARIA
Authors: Alexandrova Nataliya , Babakova Liliya
Published: November 2020

This article examines the psychometric indicators of  Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults, the short version (SELSA-S; DiTommaso, Brannen, & Best, 2004). The scale contains 15 items, divided into three scales: social loneliness, emotional loneliness, and romantic loneliness. The survey was attended by 1713 persons over 60 years of which were 1042 women and 671 men; and 383 of whom were in early-to-middle adulthood (20-55 years). The results showed high-reliability ratios for both the full scale (α = 0.825) and the three subscales (α = 0.727-0.845) versions. The factor analysis showed a four-factor structure of the scale. There were also statistically significant correlations between the three subscales. It was found that social and emotional loneliness had the strongest influence among older people. Therefore, it was necessary to create more opportunities for satisfactory communication, forms, and functioning of social contacts. It was found that the romantic loneliness had the strongest influence on younger people, i.e., they experienced significantly the lack of a partner by them or dissatisfaction with him.
IMRAD USAGE IN LATVIAN LANGUAGE RESEARCH PAPERS
Authors: Dubova Agnese , Egle Baiba , Proveja Egita
Published: November 2020

Within the scientific discourse it is commonplace to write articles based on the IMRAD structure (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion). This structure is typical for the natural sciences (STEM) but scientists in other disciplines are also often required to use it. This paper looks at scientific texts in Latvian published from 2008 to 2018. The basis for this research project is a corpus of 758 scientific articles from natural sciences, engineering and technology, social sciences, humanities and arts. The aim is to show in which disciplines IMRAD is a dominant structure for texts written in Latvian and what wording authors use. It could be concluded that in the structure of Latvian scientific texts have a significant variation in the use of IMRAD and there are different wording versions used, it aligns to previous research about scientific text structure in other languages and cultures. Not all Latvian scientific texts adhere to the IMRAD structure and there are deviations based on the discipline.
LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYMENT OF THE RISK GROUPS IN THE SLOVAK LABOUR MARKET
Authors: Ladňáková Veronika , Špániková Martina
Published: November 2020

Long-term unemployment is a persistent problem for Slovakia. Despite the number of long-term unemployed people in Slovakia has decreased significantly in recent years, it still presents a high proportion of the total unemployment rate. According to the European Commission Report about Slovakia in 2019, while the long-term unemployment rate fell to 4% on a year-on-year basis, it is still well above the EU average of 2.9%. Although growth is expected in the upcoming years, spending on active labour market policies in Slovakia has been one of the lowest in the EU. The study aims at investigating the current situation of long-term unemployment among risk groups in the labour market in Slovakia and labour market measures taken to curb it. It also examines the consequences of unemployment on the family and to seek solutions for the long-term unemployment in Slovakia. The data has been analyzed by a statistical method and proposes solutions to reduce long-term unemployment in the northern part of Slovakia
ROLES OF SOCIAL WORKERS IN MENTAL HEALTH CARE TEAMS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Authors: Okech Victor , Neszméry Štefan , Mačkinová Monika
Published: November 2020

The aim of this review is to determine  roles of social workers in mental healthcare teams. This study used a systematic type of literature review in meeting its objective. It involved an online search of articles published in the ProQuest Central database. The search strategy involved retrieving articles using the key words ‘Social Worker’ AND ‘Mental health care’ from the ProQuest Thesaurus.

A total of 47 articles were retrieved from the  ProQuest database. After screening and conducting an eligibility test, a total of 37 articles were excluded from the study for failing  to meet the study inclusion criteria. We included articles that; were published in the English language from 2015 to 2020, outlined roles of social workers in mental healthcare teams, and had verifiable scientific procedures. The remaining 10 articles were subjected to content analysis after fulfilling all inclusion criteria set for the study. From the results of content analysis of the 10 articles, Four (4) articles showed that roles of social workers in mental healthcare teams were those of  social support facilitators, three (3) articles showed that their roles were those of social rehabilitation specialists,  two (2) articles indicated that they played roles of  social reintegration specialists, while one (1) article showed that their roles were those case managers.

We concluded that in mental healthcare teams, social workers play roles of social support facilitators, social rehabilitation therapists, social reintegration specialists, and case managers.
TRUST AMONG CO-PRODUCERS OF PUBLIC SERVICES AND THE IMPACT OF TRANSPARENCY
Authors: Puksas Andrius
Published: November 2020

The co-production of public services as a process requires parties to cooperate in creating new or improved existing public services and in the delivery of these services. As any other social process, it is expected to be built on trust, benevolence and the balance of interests. Trust between cooperating parties, and between the parties and users of final co-production services is crucial. In other words, trust among stakeholders is expected. The potential benefits of co-production lie in the involvement of qualitatively different stakeholders, who to some extent are interested in the result and have the required resources (human resources, financial, know-how, etc.) to contribute. Together with obvious benefits, co-production as a process brings a challenging task to balance the different interests, expectations, demands and maintain trust among co-producers and the users of public services. The paper is based on a conceptual analysis and the analysis of scientific literature; no empirical data was analysed. It provides the definition and the main features of co-production, and analyses the impact of trust among the stakeholders and the role of transparency. Despite the fact that co-production can cover different areas, the article is limited to co-production of public services.
EFFICIENCY OF THE MODEL FOR FORMATION OF PROFESSIONAL-PEDAGOGICAL COMPETENCE FOR SPORTS ANIMATION ACTIVITY
Authors: Zheleva-Terzieva Donka
Published: November 2020

Introduction: Thise article discusses the effectiveness of an educational model for students and postgraduates in acquiring vocational pedagogical competence for sports and animation activities in an educational environment.

Study Objective: The authors are based on the Kirkpatrick assessment model. Presented are results that shall establish the degree of effectiveness of applications at the Pedagogical Faculty of Trakia University, Stara Zagora of the competency model of three indicators – degree of satisfaction from the training program, degree of acquiring of competence and learning outcomes.

Methods: The methods of pedagogical research used are: questionnaire, didactic test, pedagogical observation, expert evaluation.

Results: The results prove the effectiveness of the developed didactical model.