Computer Mediated Communication: Interaction and Interactivity

This study examines three popular theories of computer-mediated communication (CMC) and how they relate to increased modes of interactivity. The research takes place in a highly interactive virtual world called There. A total of 18 participants took part in the study. Using participant-observation and in-depth interviews, the study found that all three perspectives manifested themselves in both the reported and observed behavior. The three perspectives examined are the social information processing theory (SIPT), the social identity model of de-individuation effects (SIDE), and the hyperpersonal perspective. The study found that SIPT and the hyperpersonal perspective did the best job at explaining the observed behavior, although many factors of the SIDE model also helped

Alexander and Conway polynomials of Torus knots

We disprove the conjecture that if K is amphicheiral and K is concordant to K\u27, then CK\u27(z)CK\u27(iz)CK\(z2) is a perfect square inside the ring of power series with integer coefficients. The Alexander polynomial of (p,q)-torus knots are found to be of the form AT(p,q)(t)= (f(tq))/(f(t)) where f(t)=1+t+t2+...+tp-1. Also, for (pn,q)-torus knots, the Alexander polynomial factors into the form AT(pn ,q)=f(t)f(tp)f(tp2 )...f(tpn-2 )f(tpn-1 ). A new conversion from the Alexander polynomial to the Conway polynomial is discussed using the Lucas polynomial. This result is used to show that the Conway polynomial of (2n,q)-torus knots are of the form CT(2n ,q)(z)=K1K2...Kn where K1=Fq(z), Fq(z) being the Fibonacci polynomial, and Ki(z)=Ki-1(√z4+4z2)

Efficacy Of Continuous S(+)-ketamine Infusion For Postoperative Pain Control: A Randomized Placebo-controlled Trial

Aim. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy of continuous intraoperative infusion of S(+)-ketamine under intravenous anesthesia with target-controlled infusion of remifentanil and propofol for postoperative pain control. Methods. Forty-eight patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were assigned to receive continuous S(+)-ketamine infusion at a rate of 0.3mg.kg(-1).h(-1) (n = 24, intervention group) or an equivalent volume of saline at the same rate (n = 24, placebo group). The same target-controlled intravenous anesthesia was induced in both groups. Pain was assessed using a 0 to 10 verbal numeric rating scale during the first 12 postoperative hours. Pain scores and morphine consumption were recorded in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) and at 4 and 12 hours after surgery. Results. Pain scores were lower in the intervention group at all time points. Morphine consumption did not differ significantly between groups during PACU stay, but it was significantly lower in the intervention group at each time point after PACU discharge (P = 0.0061). At 12 hours after surgery, cumulative morphine consumption was also lower in the intervention group (5.200 +/- 2.707) than in the placebo group (7.525 +/- 1.872). Conclusions. Continuous S(+)-ketamine infusion during laparoscopic cholecystectomy under target-controlled intravenous anesthesia provided better postoperative pain control than placebo, reducing morphine requirement. Trial Registration. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02421913

The impact of administrative reform on the financial capacity of compulsorily united local governments in Estonia

Magistritöö Majandusarvestuse ja finantsjuhtimise õppekaval2017. aastal viidi Eestis läbi laiaulatuslik haldusreform eesmärgiga tõsta kohalike omavalitsuste võimekust. Suurem osa omavalitsustest ühines vabatahtlikult, kuid oli ka sundliitmisi. Teema on päevakohane seoses sundliitumisega kaasnevate negatiivsete emotsioonide ning reformi hiljutise toimumisega. Magistritöö eesmärk oli haldusreformiga kaasnenud finantsvõimekuse muutuste väljaselgitamine Eesti sundühendatud kohaliku omavalitsuse üksustes. Uurimisgrupis oli 25 kohalikku omavalitsust, mis 2017. aasta haldusreformi raames sundühendati. Võrdlusgrupis oli 28 kohalikku omavalitsust, mis 2017. aasta haldusreformi ajal ei liitunud. Finantsvõimekuse analüüsimiseks kasutati Eesti omavalitsuste finantsvõimekuse hindamiseks väljatöötatud finantsvõimekuse radari näitajaid aastail 2016–2019. Näitajate muutuste tuvastamiseks võrreldi kahe aasta keskmiseid andmeid. Võrdlusanalüüs viidi läbi finantsvõimekuse radari näitajate väärtuste tasemete ning omavalitsuse finantsvõimekust üldistava liitskoori muutuste osas. Lisaks selgitati välja uurimisgrupi ja võrdlusgrupi finantsvõimekuse muutuste erinevused. Muutuste erinevuste statistiline olulisus tuvastati t-testiga. Uuringu tulemusena selgus, et muutused sundühendatud omavalitsuste finantsvõimekuses, lähtuvalt kirjeldusvõimest, olid positiivsed jätkusuutlikkuse, paindlikkuse ning lühiajalise ja pikaajalise maksevõime näitajate puhul ning negatiivsed iseseisvuse näitajate puhul. Üldist finantsvõimekust kirjeldava liitskoori muutuse alusel tuvastati finantsvõimekuse kasv 25-st sundühendatud omavalitsusest 21-s. Statistiliselt oluline oli haldusreformiga kaasnenud muutuste erinevus sundühendatud ja mitteliitunud omavalitsuste üldise finantsvõimekuse ning omafinantseerimisvõimekuse tasemes.In 2017, a wide administrative reform was carried out in Estonia with the goal to raise the capability of local governments. Most of the municipalities joined voluntarily, but there were also some forced mergers. The subject of the research is relevant due to the negative emotions arising from the forced mergers as well as the recent conclusion of the reform. The goal of the Master’s thesis was to clarify the changes in financial capability in the forcibly merged municipalities accompanying the administrative reform. The study group was made up of 25 municipalities, which were forcibly merged during the 2017 administrative-territorial reform. The comparison group consisted of 28 municipalities that did not merge during the 2017 reform. In order to analyse the financial capability, the financial capability radar developed to assess the financial capability of Estonian municipalities and its data from the years 2016–2019 were used. In order to identify the changes in indicators, the average results of two years were compared. Comparative analysis was carried out regarding the indicator values of the financial capability radar as well as the summarized score indicating the financial capability of the administration. Additionally, the differences in changes in the financial capability between the study group and the comparative group were identified. The statistical significance of change differences was identified by a t-test. As the result of the study, it was clarified according to the descriptive power that the changes in forcibly merged administrations’ financial capability were positive in terms of sustainability, flexibility and long- and short-term solvency indicators and negative regarding the independence indicators. Based on the changes in the summarized score describing the general financial capability, the growth in financial capability was identified in 21 of the 25 forcibly merged municipalities. The difference in changes in the general financial capability and self-financing capability between the forcibly merged and unmerged municipalities accompanying the administrative reform was statistically significant

Kinnisasja omandamise ja võõrandamise tehingute notariaalse tõestamise nõude vajalikkus

http://www.ester.ee/record=b4412391~S1*es

Case Study: Mouse Parvovirus Outbreak Likely Caused by a Contaminated Commercial Lyophilized Antibody Powder

An MPV-contaminated lyophilized antibody product obtained from a commercial vendor was the probable cause of an outbreak of mouse parvovirus (MPV) in an academic research institution. The outbreak was initially discovered by the seroconversion of the mouse sentinels receiving soiled bedding from the affected cage(s). After further investigation, a suspected antibody product was submitted to a diagnostic laboratory and the sample tested positive for MPV via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). To confirm administration of this product to mice could produce MPV infection, we inoculated the MPV-positive antibody product into experimental mice (n=5). We collected faecal pellets at Days 0, 5, 9, 12, and 14 post-inoculation. At the end of the experimental period, we collected mesenteric lymph nodes (mLN) and submitted both mLN and faecal pellets for MPV analysis via PCR. While all faecal pellets were negative for MPV, we were able to detect MPV in mLN from one of the five mice, thus replicating the likely method of transmission and the cause of the MPV outbreaks

Replicating Bales Problem Solving Experiments on a Computerized Conference: A Pilot Study

Computerized Conferencing is a new form of communication in which the participants type their comments into a computer terminal, and receive their instructions and the comments of others printed on their terminal. This is a report on the results of a pilot study which was aimed mainly at exploring and solving the methodological problems presented by the need to adapt the procedures for conducting and coding face-to-face discussions to studies of this new medium. It represents the first set of controlled experiments on group discussions via a computerized conference. The independent variable in this pilot study was mode of communication (Computerized Conferencing vs. Face to Face discussion). Dependent variables measured various aspects of the process and outcome of the discussions conducted by groups of five students on updated versions of the Bales human relations problems, including Interaction Profiles, inequality of participation, whether or not the group reached a consensus by the end of the 40 minute discussion period, and subjective satisfaction. There were some uncontrolled sources of variation in this pilot study, and a very small total number of trials (twelve). Therefore the findings should be interpreted as suggestive of promising ones for further research rather than as a set of proven or disproven hypotheses. This report summarizes some of the qualitative differences between the communication modes which were observed as well as the differences which were measured quantitatively and can be subjected to statistical analysis. The most important of the findings are: Almost all subjects were able to learn to use a simple subset of the computerized conferencing system after only twenty minutes of training and practice. The trials themselves went quite smoothly; the ability to control and monitor the communications process and to obtain a complete record for later detailed analysis reaffirmed the experimenters\u27 initial supposi­tion that computerized conferencing is a promising medium for controlled experiments. In terms of face to face vs. computerized conferencing, differences were observed in amount of communication, proportion of overt agreement or disagreement, inequality of participation, and probability of reaching consensus on a problem solution within a forty minute time period. There were no significant differences in subjective satisfaction with the group discussion process

Kaposi sarcoma in the lower limbs: case report

The Kaposi sarcoma is an angio-proliferative malignant neoplasm that mostly affects the skin and subcutaneous tissue, although it can present in a more aggressive form, involving the oral cavity, lungs and gastrointestinal tract (visceral Kaposi sarcoma). It is classified into 4 clinical-epidemiological types: classic, endemic, iatrogenic and epidemic, all of them associated with the human herpesvirus 8. We report a rare case of Kaposi sarcoma in an elderly immunodepressed female patient, not related to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, that evolved fatally in five months, since the appearance of hematic necrotic bullous lesions which progressed with intense local exudation, dehydration, renal insufficiency and worsening of the clinical status, ending in death, caused by multiple organ failure.O sarcoma de Kaposi é uma neoplasia angioproliferativa maligna que na maioria das vezes se restringe à pele e ao tecido subcutâneo; porém, pode aparecer de forma mais agressiva, atingindo a cavidade oral, o trato gastrointestinal e os pulmões (sarcoma de Kaposi visceral). É classificado com quatro variantes clínco-epidemiológicas: clássica, endêmica, iatrogênica e epidêmica, todas associadas ao herpes vírus humano tipo 8. O objetivo desta publicação foi relatar um caso raro de sarcoma de Kaposi em paciente idosa imunossuprimida, não relacionado à síndrome da imunodeficiência adquirida, que evoluiu de forma desfavorável em um período de cinco meses a partir do aparecimento de lesões bolhosas hemáticas e necróticas que, posteriormente, progrediram com intensa exsudação local, desidratação, insuficiência renal e piora do estado geral, evoluindo então a óbito, tendo como causa mortis a falência de múltiplos órgãos.Hospital e Maternidade São Luiz Serviço de Cirurgia VascularHMSLUniversidade Cidade de São Paulo Curso de MedicinaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de MedicinaUNIFESP, EPMSciEL

Regulation of lymph node vascular growth by dendritic cells

Lymph nodes grow rapidly and robustly at the initiation of an immune response, and this growth is accompanied by growth of the blood vessels. Although the vessels are critical for supplying nutrients and for controlling cell trafficking, the regulation of lymph node vascular growth is not well understood. We show that lymph node endothelial cells begin to proliferate within 2 d of immunization and undergo a corresponding expansion in cell numbers. Endothelial cell proliferation is dependent on CD11c+ dendritic cells (DCs), and the subcutaneous injection of DCs is sufficient to trigger endothelial cell proliferation and growth. Lymph node endothelial cell proliferation is dependent on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and DCs are associated with increased lymph node VEGF levels. DC-induced endothelial cell proliferation and increased VEGF levels are mediated by DC-induced recruitment of blood-borne cells. Vascular growth in the draining lymph node includes the growth of high endothelial venule endothelial cells and is functionally associated with increased cell entry into the lymph node. Collectively, our results suggest a scenario whereby endothelial cell expansion in the draining lymph node is induced by DCs as part of a program that optimizes the microenvironment for the ensuing immune response