55,509 research outputs found
Broadband Internet and Social Capital
We study how the diffusion of broadband Internet affects social capital using
two data sets from the UK. Our empirical strategy exploits the fact that
broadband access has long depended on customers' position in the voice
telecommunication infrastructure that was designed in the 1930s. The actual
speed of an Internet connection, in fact, rapidly decays with the distance of
the dwelling from the specific node of the network serving its area. Merging
unique information about the topology of the voice network with geocoded
longitudinal data about individual social capital, we show that access to
broadband Internet caused a significant decline in forms of offline interaction
and civic engagement. Overall, our results suggest that broadband penetration
substantially crowded out several aspects of social capital.Comment: Internet & Society; Economic
Characterizing cardiac involvement in chronic kidney disease using CMR—a systematic review
Purpose of Review:
The aim of the review was to identify and describe recent advances (over the last 3 years) in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We conducted a literature review in line with current guidelines.
Recent Findings:
The authors identified 22 studies. Patients with CKD had left ventricular global and regional dysfunction and adverse remodeling. Stress testing with CMR revealed a reduced stress-response in CKD patients. Native T1 relaxation times (as a surrogate markers of fibrosis) are elevated in CKD patients, proportional to disease duration. Patients with CKD have reduced strain magnitudes and reduced aortic distensibility.
Summary:
CMR has diagnostic utility to identify and characterize cardiac involvement in this patient group. A number of papers have described novel findings over the last 3 years, suggesting that CMR has potential to become more widely used in studies in this patient group
Technological convergence in audiovisual media technologies
This paper presents the results of a large-scale survey on viewing practices. Data from over 10,000 cases are used to explore the adoption-use diffusion gap and the correlation structures in the frequencies of the use of multiple channels (e.g. linear television, download, Vod) on multiple devices. The results show that although a lot of devices capable of audiovisual playback are adopted, few (only computers) of them are used to consume television content. Furthermore, in terms of viewing frequencies, the data suggest spill over effects of using multiple devices, rather than a displacement. Finally, it shows there is a stable tendency to use multiple delivery channels within devices, rather than forming a pattern between devices. That is, channels usage frequencies are correlated within devices, rather than scattered among devices
Magnetic resonance imaging of myocardial strain after acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction: a systematic review
The purpose of this systematic review is to provide a clinically relevant, disease-based perspective on myocardial strain imaging in patients with acute myocardial infarction or stable ischemic heart disease. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging uniquely integrates myocardial function with pathology. Therefore, this review focuses on strain imaging with cardiac magnetic resonance. We have specifically considered the relationships between left ventricular (LV) strain, infarct pathologies, and their associations with prognosis. A comprehensive literature review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Publications were identified that (1) described the relationship between strain and infarct pathologies, (2) assessed the relationship between strain and subsequent LV outcomes, and (3) assessed the relationship between strain and health outcomes. In patients with acute myocardial infarction, circumferential strain predicts the recovery of LV systolic function in the longer term. The prognostic value of longitudinal strain is less certain. Strain differentiates between infarcted versus noninfarcted myocardium, even in patients with stable ischemic heart disease with preserved LV ejection fraction. Strain recovery is impaired in infarcted segments with intramyocardial hemorrhage or microvascular obstruction. There are practical limitations to measuring strain with cardiac magnetic resonance in the acute setting, and knowledge gaps, including the lack of data showing incremental value in clinical practice. Critically, studies of cardiac magnetic resonance strain imaging in patients with ischemic heart disease have been limited by sample size and design. Strain imaging has potential as a tool to assess for early or subclinical changes in LV function, and strain is now being included as a surrogate measure of outcome in therapeutic trials
Grasping the Links in the Chain: Understanding the Unintended Consequences of International Counter-Narcotics Measures for the EU
No abstract available
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Evaluation of business steps extension (e-business)
Evaluation of the Business Steps (e-business) programme, delivered in the East Midlands between August 2007 and March 2010 to improve business take-up of ICTs ('e-adoption'). Based on 500 beneficiary survey responses to investigate Strategic Added Value (SAV) and desk research to investigate net impact in GVA
Dynamical Patterns of Cattle Trade Movements
Despite their importance for the spread of zoonotic diseases, our
understanding of the dynamical aspects characterizing the movements of farmed
animal populations remains limited as these systems are traditionally studied
as static objects and through simplified approximations. By leveraging on the
network science approach, here we are able for the first time to fully analyze
the longitudinal dataset of Italian cattle movements that reports the mobility
of individual animals among farms on a daily basis. The complexity and
inter-relations between topology, function and dynamical nature of the system
are characterized at different spatial and time resolutions, in order to
uncover patterns and vulnerabilities fundamental for the definition of targeted
prevention and control measures for zoonotic diseases. Results show how the
stationarity of statistical distributions coexists with a strong and
non-trivial evolutionary dynamics at the node and link levels, on all
timescales. Traditional static views of the displacement network hide important
patterns of structural changes affecting nodes' centrality and farms' spreading
potential, thus limiting the efficiency of interventions based on partial
longitudinal information. By fully taking into account the longitudinal
dimension, we propose a novel definition of dynamical motifs that is able to
uncover the presence of a temporal arrow describing the evolution of the system
and the causality patterns of its displacements, shedding light on mechanisms
that may play a crucial role in the definition of preventive actions
Recommended from our members
Evaluation of business link in the East Midlands
An evaluation of activities delivered through the Business Link service in the East Midlands region between April 2007 and March 2010, focussing on: net economic impacts; Strategic Added Value (SAV); and potential lessons for the future delivery of business support services
Dynamical Patterns of Cattle Trade Movements
Despite their importance for the spread of zoonotic diseases, our
understanding of the dynamical aspects characterizing the movements of farmed
animal populations remains limited as these systems are traditionally studied
as static objects and through simplified approximations. By leveraging on the
network science approach, here we are able for the first time to fully analyze
the longitudinal dataset of Italian cattle movements that reports the mobility
of individual animals among farms on a daily basis. The complexity and
inter-relations between topology, function and dynamical nature of the system
are characterized at different spatial and time resolutions, in order to
uncover patterns and vulnerabilities fundamental for the definition of targeted
prevention and control measures for zoonotic diseases. Results show how the
stationarity of statistical distributions coexists with a strong and
non-trivial evolutionary dynamics at the node and link levels, on all
timescales. Traditional static views of the displacement network hide important
patterns of structural changes affecting nodes' centrality and farms' spreading
potential, thus limiting the efficiency of interventions based on partial
longitudinal information. By fully taking into account the longitudinal
dimension, we propose a novel definition of dynamical motifs that is able to
uncover the presence of a temporal arrow describing the evolution of the system
and the causality patterns of its displacements, shedding light on mechanisms
that may play a crucial role in the definition of preventive actions
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