173 research outputs found
Social media and politics: the case of Ukraine
Abstract
Nowadays, politics is undergoing several changes, especially because of the growing use of social media from politicians, who are using these virtual platforms as tools to gain more and more consent. Social media are also leading to extreme democratization of politics, making it possible for non-politicians not only to enter the sphere of politics but even to win major competitions, such as presidential elections. To bring an actual and highly illustrative example, in this article the authors go through a deep analysis of the former actor and recently elected prime minister of Ukraine Volodimir Zelenskij and his strategical use of social media compared to the one carried out by his opponents, leading him to win the presidential elections with an enormous consent
Compressive Sensing for Dynamic XRF Scanning
X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) scanning is a widespread technique of high
importance and impact since it provides chemical composition maps crucial for
several scientific investigations. There are continuous requirements for
larger, faster and highly resolved acquisitions in order to study complex
structures. Among the scientific applications that benefit from it, some of
them, such as wide scale brain imaging, are prohibitively difficult due to time
constraints. However, typically the overall XRF imaging performance is
improving through technological progress on XRF detectors and X-ray sources.
This paper suggests an additional approach where XRF scanning is performed in a
sparse way by skipping specific points or by varying dynamically acquisition
time or other scan settings in a conditional manner. This paves the way for
Compressive Sensing in XRF scans where data are acquired in a reduced manner
allowing for challenging experiments, currently not feasible with the
traditional scanning strategies. A series of different compressive sensing
strategies for dynamic scans are presented here. A proof of principle
experiment was performed at the TwinMic beamline of Elettra synchrotron. The
outcome demonstrates the potential of Compressive Sensing for dynamic scans,
suggesting its use in challenging scientific experiments while proposing a
technical solution for beamline acquisition software.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl
Ukraine a country in crisis between Europe, Russia, and a complex electoral process
Abstract
To this day, Ukraine is still experiencing difficult times both economically and politically. The economic and political crisis at the end of 2014, which led to the dismissal of President Yanukovich, meant that the territory of Crimea and, therefore, the port of Sevastopol as well, remained under Russian control. The new elections of 2019 carried a breath of fresh air and hope also for new relationships with Russia. The paper wants to photograph this situation and analyse the recent 2019 presidential elections
Campaña de comunicación para Asociación Peruana de Agencias de Viaje y Turismo
El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo dar a conocer a la Asociación Peruana de Agencias de Viajes y Turismo (Apavit) y motivar a millenials a que viajen en agencias. Debido a la coyuntura de la pandemia de COVID-19, también comunica los beneficios y seguridad de viajar con los asociados de Apavit, todo esto a través de una campaña de comunicación integral “decide viajar seguro”
First Experimental Evidence of Amorphous Tin Oxide Formation in Lead-Free Perovskites by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry
The most promising lead-free options for producing perovskite solar cells are tin halide perovskite materials. Herein, while in situ monitoring the optical evolution of the material in humid air, spectroscopic ellipsometry is used to investigate the dielectric function of FASnI3 layers (with and without additives) within the range of 1–5 eV. According to calculations based on the density functional theory that shows oxygen diffusion on FASnI3 surfaces, the steady decrease in absorption coefficient in the band gap region (1.47 eV) and simultaneous increase in absorption in the 3–4.5 eV region suggest the production of amorphous tin oxide. Concurrently, X-ray diffraction reveals a clear degradation of FASnI3. With the addition of sodium borohydride and dipropylammonium iodide, the optically active area of about 1.47 eV is preserved for a longer period while SnO2 production is prevented. Last but not least, FASnI3's stability is investigated in dry N2 environment and shown that it is optically durable for thermal operations up to 100 °C, particularly when additives are used
optimizing patient referral and center capacity in the management of chronic hepatitis c lessons from the italian experience
Abstract Aims In 2017 the Italian Drug Agency (Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco, AIFA) revised the criteria for access to therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C as part of a three-year plan to eradicate HCV. We conducted a Delphi study to determine strategies to identify and treat patients with HCV and to develop through a shared pathway, a model to manage patient referral and optimize prescription center capacity with the overall aim of increasing access to therapy. Methods The process took place in two phases – Phase I (January 2017), before the criteria for treatment of HCV were revised and Phase II (May 2017) when AIFA developed a framework for the eradication of HCV infection in Italy. Two questionnaires were devised with Q1 administered in Phase I and Q2 in Phase II. Results Q1 was sent to 823 hepatitis specialists working in 235 Italian HCV centers authorized to prescribe direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs). Overall, 167 centers (71%) participated with a good geographical representativeness (North 69%, Centre 74%; South and islands 70%). 548 prescribers (68.8%) provided responses to Q1 and 443 (80%) specialists who responded to Q1 completed Q2. Over 70% considered that to meet the new therapy targets local/regional networks need to be consolidated and reinforced with GPs providing the 'missing link' in current regional networks. Adherence to therapy was considered important by 75% of clinicians with reduction in follow-up intervals/length considered important by 65% – to free up staff/resources to manage increasing numbers of new patients. About 80% of respondents stated that medical personnel were principally involved in follow-up with follow-up having a significant impact on center capacity. Conclusion Enhancing patient referral, the need for an increased role of GPs, increasing center capacity in particular medical personnel in outpatient centers and greater liaison between Hub centers and healthcare professionals currently managing high-risk groups as yet untreated, were factors that need to be streamlined in order to meet treatment targets for eradication of HCV
Voltammetric determination of sibutramine in beverages and in pharmaceutical formulations
A simple and sensitive method has been proposed for the determination of sibutramine-HCl in energy drinks, green tea and pharmaceutical formulations using differential pulse voltammetry performed on a hanging mercury drop electrode. In the chosen experimental condition (Mcllvaine pH 4.0 buffer, 50 mV pulse amplitude and 40 mV s-1 scan velocity), sibutramine-HCl presented a reversible behavior and a peak maximum at -80 mV. Detection limit was 0.4 mg L-1 and the working linear range extended up to 33.3 mg L-1 (r = 0.99). Analysis of real and fortified samples enabled recoveries between 91 and 102%. The electroanalytical method was compared with a HPLC method which indicated it accuracy
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