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Against the background of a thorough specialization, any professional, no matter his/her specialization, has to build around and for himself strong integrated and marketing campaigns, which should shed light on him/her and make him/her eligible for the consumers of services from his/her area of specialization. The personal brand is what a person wishes to do in order for him/her to escape the anonymity of his/her profession, to become visible in a certain circle or for a particular cause. The cover is important, but the content is essential, as it is the one that gives the final touch to the product and/or services. As regards the medical field, the evolution of the medical system in Romania and, even more so, the existence of private medical services are factors against which the imposing app, the reputation, the fame of a doctor work as an elegant and outstanding label placed in front of the consumers. Unlike other types of services, medical services, including doctors, no matter their specialization, have that particular feature of being evaluated by the consumers only from the point of view of perception, few of them having the necessary competences to make an objective assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multimedia streaming to mobile devices is challenging for two reasons. First, the way content is delivered to a client must ensure that the user does not experience a long initial playback delay or a distorted playback in the middle of a streaming session. Second, multimedia streaming applications are among the most energy hungry applications in smartphones. The energy consumption mostly depends on the delivery techniques and on the power management techniques of wireless access technologies (Wi-Fi, 3G, and 4G). In order to provide insights on what kind of streaming techniques exist, how they work on different mobile platforms, their efforts in providing smooth quality of experience, and their impact on energy consumption of mobile phones, we did a large set of active measurements with several smartphones having both Wi-Fi and cellular network access. Our analysis reveals five different techniques to deliver the content to the video players. The selection of a technique depends on the mobile platform, device, player, quality, and service. The results from our traffic and power measurements allow us to conclude that none of the identified techniques is optimal because they take none of the following facts into account: access technology used, user behavior, and user preferences concerning data waste. We point out the technique with the best playback buffer configuration, which provides the most attractive trade-offs in particular situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We appreciate that once with the entry into force of the new Codes (Civil and Criminal) the existence of someclearer regulations adapted to the situations found in practice, to the shaping and the highlighting of the rights of the Individual, but we would have preferred a corroboration between the text of the twocodes which should also reflect a sanction in the Criminal Code for thosetempted to apply the eugenic practices. The eugenic practices do not alignthemselves to the purposeestablished through the norms of the European Convention on Human Rights, and they are far from being perceived as possible human rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THIS PARALLEL INGRESSION INTO THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE GERMAN NATIONAL SOCIALIST AND THE ROMANIAN COMMUNIST PARTIES ATTEMPTS TO TRACE, USING A COMPARATIVE APPOACH, THE SERIES OF STAGES IN THEIR ACCESSION TO POWER AS WELL AS THE CONTEXT AND SEQUENCE OF EVENTS THAT ULTIMATELY ALLOWED THESE PARTIES TO BECOME TOTALITARIAN REGIMES IN 20th CENTURY EUROPE. THE CONTRASTIVE METHOD ALLOWS THE EMPHASIS OF BOTH CONVERGING POINTS AND DIVERGENT ASPECTS OF THE INCIPIENT PATHS TOWARDS TOTALITARIAN POWER. THE COMMON TRAITS INCLUDE A POOR INITIAL REPRESENTATIVITY, INCLINATION TO VIOLENCE, DISREGARD FOR LEGALITY, OPPORTUNISTIC SPECULATION OF THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT, USE OF COMPROMISE FOR ATTAINING KEY POSITIONS OF GOVERNMENTS THAT ARE TO ORGANISE NEW ELECTIONS, PRE-ELECTORAL COMBAT OF POLITICAL OPPONENTS IN QUESTIONABLE WAYS AND EVENTUALLY ACCESSION TO AND MONOPOLIZING POWER BY METAMORPHOSIS INTO A STATE-PARTY. YET, THE ESSENTIAL DIFFERENCE CONSISTS IN THE DE FACTO LEGITIMITY OF THE GERMAN NATIONAL SOCIALISM IN STARK CONTRAST TO THE PURELY FORMAL, FABRICATED LEGITIMITY OF ROMANIAN COMMUNISM, THAT WAS IMPELLED BY SOVIET SUPPORT AND BY OBVIOUSLY ILLCIT MEANS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THIS PAPER DEALS WITH THE CONCEPT OF WITNESS LITERATURE, FOCUSSING ON THE COMPLEX PREDICAMENT OF POST-TOTALITARIAN TESTIMONY. ONE IMPEDIMENT ORIGINATES IN THE PHILOSOPHICAL BACKGROUND2 UNDERMINING THE CONCEPT OF SUBJECTIVITY ITSELF, BY THE DESTITUTION OF THE SUBJECT OF ITS AUTHORITY TO INTERPRET THE HISTORIC EXPERIENCE OF CONTEMPORARY MAN, ESPECIALLY THAT OF TOTALITARIANISM ELIMINATING TESTIMONY BY ACTUAL EXTERMINATION OF WITNESSES. THE ERASURE OF ALL PROOF AGAINST THE PERPETRATING TOTALITARIAN POWER AND THE TYPE OF EXPERIENCE ITSELF POSE FURTHER LIMITATIONS: EXPERIENCING THE CONCENTRATION CAMP OR THE COMMUNIST POLITICAL PRISON BECOMES DIFFICULT TO RECALL, SINCE IN EXTREME SITUATIONS OBLIVION BECOMES AN INSTINCTUAL PROTECTION REFLEX. ANOTHER OBSTACLE IS THE FACT THAT MOST POTENTIAL WITNESSES ARE NOT LEFT ALIVE, THUS UNABLE TO TESTIFY. THE SURVIVOR OF TOTALITARIANISM MUST TESTIFY BOTH FOR HIMSELF AND FOR MOST OF HIS COMPANIONS SILENCED BY DEATH. HIS INCAPACITY TO ACCOUNT FOR THE COMPLETE EXPERIENCE IS DENOMINATED BY CURRENT CRITICISM AS THE LACUNA OF TESTIMONY. THERE ARE FAR LESS SURVIVORS OF THE CONCENTRATION CAMP OR OF THE COMMUNIST PRISON COMPARED TO THE NUMBER OF POTENTIAL WITNESSES WHO HAVE PERISHED BUT THIS VERY IMPAIRMENT ONLY PLACES ADDITIONAL EMPHASIS UPON THOSE FEW SURVIVING WITNESSES, UPON THOSE TESTIMONIES THAT CAN BE SHARED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze function approximation (regression) capability of Fuzzy ARTMAP (FAM) architectures - well-known incremental learning neural networks. We focus especially on the universal approximation property. In our experiments, we compare the regression performance of FAM networks with other standard neural models. It is the first time that ARTMAP regression is overviewed, both from theoretical and practical points of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Ferroportin is the primary means of cellular iron efflux and a key component of iron metabolism. Hepcidin regulates Fpn activity by inducing its internalization and degradation. The mechanism of internalization is reported to require JAK2 activation, phosphorylation of Fpn tyrosine residues 302 and 303, and initiation of transcription through STAT3 phosphorylation. These findings suggest Fpn may be a target for therapeutic intervention through JAK2 modulation. To evaluate the proposed mechanism, Fpn internalization was assessed using several techniques combined with reagents that specifically recognized cell-surface Fpn. In vitro results demonstrated that Hepc-induced Fpn internalization did not require JAK2 or phosphorylation of Fpn residues 302 and 303, nor did it induce JAK-STAT signaling. In vivo, inhibition of JAK2 had no effect on Hepc-induced hypoferremia. However, internalization was delayed by mutation of two Fpn lysine residues that may be targets of ubiquitination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to prepare new nanocomposite catalysts of Metal/LDHs type by mild reduction of transition metal cations Co2+ and Cu2+ substituted in the matrix of ZnAl-LDH at 150°C and atmospheric pressure, under hydrogen flow. To this end, a series of ZnCuCoAl layered double hydroxides (LDH) precursors were synthesized by co-precipitation method. M2+/M3+ (i.e., Zn2+/Al3+) molar ratios were kept constant while the Cu2+/Co2+ molar ratios were varied in order to investigate their influence on the structural and textural properties of the resulted catalysts. The LDH precursors were systematically characterized by different techniques such as powder XRD, nitrogen physisorption, FT-IR and DR UV-Vis spectroscopy as well as temperature programmed reduction (TPR). The results indicate that all the precursors present well-crystallized layered structures and a high degree of substitution of cobalt and copper cations in the ZnAl matrix. Upon the mild reduction treatment the layered structure of precursors was maintained, whereas a certain part of transition cations was reduced to metallic centers acting as highly dispersed catalytic active sites. The effect of chemical composition of the ZnCuCoAl LDHs on the catalytic properties in the selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde was studied in propylene carbonate at 150°C and atmospheric pressure. It was observed that catalytic activity gradually increases with the Cu content of LDH, whereas the selectivity to unsaturated alcohol does not depend on the chemical composition. However, a substantial increased chemoselectivity to cinnamyl alcohol can be attained by replacing Cu with Ni in ZnCoAl LDH precursors at the expense of decreased activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to make an analysis of passenger car customer behavior with an emphasis on the adoption of low-carbon and fuel efficient vehicles, based on the research existing on the subject. As literature shows, consumer behavior is influenced by instrumental factors as well as affective and symbolic ones. The affective and symbolic factors are not so large researched in the literature in the field. Moreover, the instrumental factors are easiest to tackle by the public authorities in their will to make consumer behavior more environmental responsible. But most of these policies fail to succeed in a large scale because the symbolic and affective factors are not took into account. In this paper we analyse the main ideas existing in the academic literature on the study of the consumer behavior for passenger cars and highlight the role of the car in the consumers' mind and what blocks adopting environmental friendly cars. This article is among the firsts to approach this important field of using the influence factors of passenger car consumer behavior in the environmental and public policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The liquid phase hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde has been carried out over various non-calcined layered double hydroxides with Cu2+/Ni2+/Mg2+/Al3+ molar ratios in the synthesis mixture from 1:0:1:1 to 0:1:1:1. The substitution of Cu2+ and Ni2+ cations in the hydrotalcite matrix has strong influences on the catalytic properties of LDH samples reduced at 150°C. The catalytic activity increases with copper content, while the selectivity to cinnamyl alcohol (CNOL) increases with nickel content. It was assumed that the pair Cu°-Ni2+ could play an important role in the mechanism of cinamaldehyde (CNA) hydrogenation. Also, the influence of other factors such as the activation conditions and the nature of solvent was studied. It was observed that the dielectric constant of solvent strongly influences the CNA conversion and the selectivity to CNOL. The recycling test indicated that these catalysts are stable and they can be reused. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Levosimendan, an inodilator without proarrhythmogenic properties, has been shown to reverse ropivacaine-induced negative inotropy in isolated heart preparations. In this randomized and blinded study, we investigated whether levosimendan is able to reverse rapidly bupivacaine-induced myocardial depression in pigs.Methods: Twenty invasively monitored pigs anesthetized with isoflurane 1% received bupivacaine 2 mg/kg per minute into a central vein until mean arterial pressure decreased to 55% of baseline. Thereafter, levosimendan 80 microg/kg for 10 mins, followed by 0.7 microg/kg per minute during the next 50 mins (L-SIM) or corresponding amounts of placebo were administered intravenously. Simultaneously, Ringer's acetate was infused intravenously, 20 mL/kg for 10 mins, followed by 20 mL/kg for 50 mins.Results: Two pigs in each group developed cardiac arrest immediately after bupivacaine and could not be resuscitated. Bupivacaine induced widening of the QRS complex in the electrocardiogram and bradycardia.In the remaining 16 pigs, 3 (2 in L-SIM group and 1 in placebo group) needed short-lasting manual cardiac compression and 1 dose of epinephrine. Cardiac output, ejection fraction, and stroke power/end-diastolic volume recovered initially very rapidly in the L-SIM group.However, there was no time x group effect difference in the overall recovery in the various parameters between the 2 groups, except in heart rate which was higher (P G 0.05) when levosimendan was administered.During the 50-min levosimendan infusion, mean arterial pressure and systemic vascular resistance stayed slightly lower in comparison with placebo infusion, but the difference was not statistically significant.Conclusions: Levosimendan together with the infusion of Ringer's solution rapidly reversed the cardiac depression, but there was no difference in overall cardiovascular recovery in comparison to treatment with Ringer's solution alone. Levosimendan-induced increase in heart rate possibly facilitated the recovery from bupivacaine intoxication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuzzy ARTMAP with Relevance factor (FAMR) is a Fuzzy ARTMAP (FAM) neural architecture with the following property: Each training pair has a relevance factor assigned to it, proportional to the importance of that pair during the learning phase. Using a relevance factor adds more flexibility to the training phase, allowing ranking of sample pairs according to the confidence we have in the information source or in the pattern itself. We introduce a novel FAMR architecture: FAMR with Feature Weighting (FAMRFW). In the first stage, the training data features are weighted. In our experiments, we use a feature weighting method based on Onicescu's informational energy (IE). In the second stage, the obtained weights are used to improve FAMRFW training. The effect of this approach is that category dimensions in the direction of relevant features are decreased, whereas category dimensions in the direction of non-relevant feature are increased. Experimental results, performed on several benchmarks, show that feature weighting can improve the classification performance of the general FAMR algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Filter-based publish/subscribe and content-based routing have been proposed for flexible information dissemination in distributed environments. A content-based router is part of an overlay structure, in which each router forwards events to neighbouring routers and local clients based on their interests. Filter merging or summarization has been proposed as an optimization strategy in this environment. These techniques combine filters to reduce the number of propagated filters and thus the size of distributed state. In this paper, we present the algorithms for generic dynamic filter merging and filter mergeability detection, and discuss integration with routing tables. The algorithms are based on a formal framework of merging rules. Experimental results are examined and analyzed for both desktop systems and small devices. The results indicate that dynamic filter merging is feasible given that the workload is mergeable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cognition of correlations offers the possibility to evaluate complicated characters by evaluating the less complicated ones. Multiple correlations are useful in finding a balance between principal characters studied in breeding programs. The aim of the study was the evaluation of principal component characters of production capacity in a collection of 24 landraces of sweet pepper landraces from West Romania. Evaluated characters were: number of fruit per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit weight, pulp thickness, pulp weight, number of seeds in fruit, production of fruits per plant. The evaluated collection presents increased variability for number of fruits per plant, average weight of single fruit and fruit pulp weight. Production of fruit per plant, fruit diameter and fruit length are lower. Production of fruits per plant is influenced in proportion of 50% by fruit number and secondly by fruit diameter. Fruit diameter has a significant and major contribution (over 70%) on fruit weight, less important being the fruit length and diameter, pulp thickness. From simple regressions study we conclude that single fruit weight is influenced by fruit diameter and pulp thickness, and production per plant depends on number of fruits per plant and fruit diameter. Number of seeds per fruit is higher in longer fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reason of this paper is that Romanian minimal standards regarding the evaluation of quality in education target exclusively the degree of insertion of graduates on the labor market. The requests and satisfaction of students aren't followed, except for general quantitative data. VGWUA Romania, a private accredited university, member of EUA, promotes an integrated system of quality assurance in education. In this context there is a real concern for the integration of a growing number of external stakeholders, especially from graduates, members of Alumni Association. VGWUA has an operational procedure and a questionnaire addressed to the graduates through which an important feedback can be obtained in order to be used for the curricula projection and for the shift from teaching to learning. This paper identifies the actual status and the good practices regarding the contribution of Alumni Graduates Association into the consolidation of the culture of learning in the University. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the envisioned 6G landscape, data sharing is expected to become increasingly prevalent, giving rise to digital marketplaces that foster cooperation among organizations for collecting, sharing, and processing data for analysis. These marketplaces serve as connectors between data producers and consumers, empowering multi-tenancy scenarios for seamless and secure data sharing both within and outside organizations. Given that 6G networks promise ultra-low latency, enhanced connectivity, and massive data throughput, the need for robust data access control mechanisms becomes imperative. These mechanisms ensure security and trust among entities, particularly in multi-tenant environments where multiple organizations share infrastructure and data resources. In this paper, we have designed and implemented a novel access control mechanism tailored for a distributed data streaming system developed by Nokia Bell Labs. Our approach leverages fine-grained policies, dynamic enforcement, and transparency mechanisms to enhance trust between data owners and consumers. By facilitating secure multi-tenancy data sharing, our solution contributes to the seamless exchange of data across diverse entities within the next-generation communication ecosystem. We demonstrate that our proposed access control mechanism incurs minimal overhead while ensuring data confidentiality and integrity. The introduction of such advancements in data sharing markets strengthens the overall ecosystem by providing heightened transparency and enhanced control over data, promoting collaboration and innovation in the 6G era.

Water covers most of the Earth’s surface and is nowhere near a good ecological or recreational state in many areas of the world. Moreover, only a small fraction of the water is potable. As climate change-induced extreme weather events become ever more prevalent, more and more issues arise, such as worsening water quality problems. Therefore, protecting invaluable and useable drinking water is critical. Environmental agencies must continuously check water sources to determine whether they are in a good or healthy state regarding pollutant levels and ecological status. The currently available tools are better suited for stationary laboratory use, and domain specialists lack suitable tools for on-site visualisation and interactive exploration of environmental data. Meanwhile, data collection for laboratory analysis requires substantial time and significant effort. We, therefore, developed an augmented reality system with a Microsoft HoloLens 2 device to explore the visualisation of water quality and status in situ. The developed prototype visualises geo-referenced sensor measurements incorporated into the perspective of the surroundings. Any users interested in water bodies’ conditions can quickly examine and retrieve an overview of water body status using augmented reality and then take necessary steps to address the current situation.

In the context of the apparition of new materials used in manufacturing the elements that form the vehicles’ steering systems, both in the design and prototyping stages, the tests regarding their behavior from the tribology viewpoint represent an essential stage in the development of a product. The stands are generally dedicated to a specific configuration regarding the contact and/or the dynamics of the movements that the product can achieve. This paper presents a universal stand for such trials, which can be adapted to more extensive research.

The combined effects of breeder age and oxygen (O2) concentrations on embryo development, hatching events, chick quality, embryonic mortality and hatchability were investigated. A total of 900 hatching eggs of average weight of 53.85 ± 2.40 g and 60.42 ± 2.02 g from 33 to 50 wks ISA layer breeders were incubated for six days at 37.7 °C temperature and 56 % relative humidity (RH) before exposure to hypoxic stimulation of 15 % and 17 % O2 (experimental groups) and 21 % O2 (control group). In a 2 x 3 factorial experiment, air-N2 flushing to reduce O2 was 1 h daily from embryonic day (ED)7–9. The study investigated fresh egg weight before setting, egg weight loss and embryonic parameters at ED11, hatching events, chick quality, embryonic mortality and hatchability. Results showed that regardless of breeder age, early mild hypoxia reduces (P

AbstractThis paper introduces population digital health (PDH)—the use of digital health information sourced from health internet of things (IoT) and wearable devices for population health modeling—as an emerging research domain that offers an integrated approach for continuous monitoring and profiling of diseases and health conditions at multiple spatial resolutions. PDH combines health data sourced from health IoT devices, machine learning, and ubiquitous computing or networking infrastructure to increase the scale, coverage, equity, and cost-effectiveness of population health. This contrasts with the traditional population health approach, which relies on data from structured clinical records (eg, electronic health records) or health surveys. We present the overall PDH approach and highlight its key research challenges, provide solutions to key research challenges, and demonstrate the potential of PDH through three case studies that address (1) data inadequacy, (2) inaccuracy of the health IoT devices’ sensor measurements, and (3) the spatiotemporal sparsity in the available digital health information. Finally, we discuss the conditions, prerequisites, and barriers for adopting PDH drawing on from real-world examples from different geographic regions.

BackgroundMental health conditions are expressed in various ways in different people, and access to health care for these conditions is affected by individual factors, health care provider factors, and contextual factors. These factors may be enablers or barriers to accessing primary care for mental health conditions. Studies have reported a gap in treatment for mental health conditions in many countries in West Africa due to barriers along the access pathway. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is yet to be a review of the factors influencing access to primary care for common mental health conditions among adults in West Africa. ObjectiveOur scoping review will explore the factors influencing access to primary care for common mental health conditions among adults aged 18 years and older in West Africa from 2002 to 2024. MethodsOur review will follow the approach to scoping reviews developed by Arksey and O’Malley in 2005. This approach has five stages: (1) identifying the research question; (2) identifying relevant studies; (3) selecting studies; (4) charting the data; and (5) collating, summarizing, and reporting the results. We will search electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Cairn.info, and Google Scholar), source gray literature from relevant websites (the World Health Organization and country-specific websites), and manually explore reference lists of relevant studies to identify eligible records. Pairs of independent authors (NYA-B, RNBA, VR, or DS) will screen the titles, abstracts, and full texts of studies based on predefined eligibility criteria. We will use a data extraction tool adopted from the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis to chart the data. Deductive, thematic analysis will be used to categorize factors influencing access to mental health care under predetermined themes. New themes derived from the literature will also be charted. ResultsDatabase searches were conducted between February 1, 2024, and February 12, 2024. As of July 2024, the review report is being drafted, and it will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal. ConclusionsThe results of the review will inform decision-making on policies, programs, and their implementation in West Africa to improve primary care access for mental health care. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/58890