424 research outputs found

    Symbolic capital as a resource of promotion of provincial cities: An analysis of place branding strategies of ural urban destinations

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    The article analyzes the concept of the symbolic capital of a territory and substantiates the importance of its identification and its use for the promotion of three provincial cities in Russia: Shadrinsk, Chebarkul, and Chelyabinsk. Based on the approach of symbolic interactionism and the use of semiotic analysis, the authors of the article propose to group the resources of the symbolic capital of a territory in three ways. They use signs or symbols, images of the territory, and archetypes. The capital of a provincial city can be perceived symbolically both by external (investors and tourists) and internal (local residents) audiences. They serve as a means of shaping the image and reputation of the place. Both P. Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic capital and V. Radaev’s classification for different types of capital allow us to give examples of conversion from the cultural resources of a territory into symbolic capital. The analysis of the communication resonance of a particular mega event (the meteorite fall on the territory of the Southern Urals in 2013) and the study of cultural heritage of the provincial Russian city of Shadrinsk make it possible to identify the actual directions for converting the intangible resources of cities into their symbolic capital. © 2020, FB and Media Group of Estonian Literary Museum. All rights reserved

    Cough reflex testing with inhaled capsaicin in the study of chronic cough

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    AbstractObjectives: To assess the utility of capsaicin test in the differential diagnosis of non-productive causes of chronic cough and to examine the effects of treatment on this reflex. Participants: 86 healthy volunteers and 101 patients with chronic cough: asthma (n: 54), gastroesophageal reflux (n: 35) and post-nasal drip syndrome (n: 12). Design: Prospective intervention trial. Spirometry, bronchoprovocation test with histamine (PC20), and cough challenge with ascending concentrations of capsaicin (0.49–500 μM) were initially performed in all subjects. Patients were treated for 3 months according to the origin of the cough. Concentrations that elicited two (C2) and five or more coughs (C5) were determined before and after treatment.Results: In healthy subjects, cough sensitivity to capsaicin was not influenced by gender or smoking status; however, women with chronic cough were more sensitive to cough challenge than men. C2 and C5 were significantly lower in patients with asthma or gastroesophageal reflux than in post-nasal drip syndrome. No significant correlation was observed between the capsaicin cough threshold and PC20. Cough sensitivity did not improve significantly in most patients with asthma or gastroesophageal reflux despite adequate medical treatment during 3 months. Discriminative value of capsaicin test to differentiate healthy subjects from patients with asthma or reflux was poor. Conclusions: Cough sensitivity to inhaled capsaicin is a safe and reproducible tool in the study of chronic cough. However, its usefulness for the management and differential diagnosis is limited

    Multiple scaling regimes in simple aging models

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    We investigate aging in glassy systems based on a simple model, where a point in configuration space performs thermally activated jumps between the minima of a random energy landscape. The model allows us to show explicitly a subaging behavior and multiple scaling regimes for the correlation function. Both the exponents characterizing the scaling of the different relaxation times with the waiting time and those characterizing the asymptotic decay of the scaling functions are obtained analytically by invoking a `partial equilibrium' concept.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

    Nonlinear anomalous diffusion equation and fractal dimension: Exact generalized gaussian solution

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    In this work we incorporate, in a unified way, two anomalous behaviors, the power law and stretched exponential ones, by considering the radial dependence of the NN-dimensional nonlinear diffusion equation ρ/t=(Kρν)(μFρ)αρ,\partial\rho /\partial{t}={\bf \nabla} \cdot (K{\bf \nabla} \rho^{\nu})-{\bf \nabla}\cdot(\mu{\bf F} \rho)-\alpha \rho , where K=DrθK=D r^{-\theta}, ν\nu, θ\theta, μ\mu and DD are real parameters and α\alpha is a time-dependent source. This equation unifies the O'Shaugnessy-Procaccia anomalous diffusion equation on fractals (ν=1\nu =1) and the spherical anomalous diffusion for porous media (θ=0\theta=0). An exact spherical symmetric solution of this nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation is obtained, leading to a large class of anomalous behaviors. Stationary solutions for this Fokker-Planck-like equation are also discussed by introducing an effective potential.Comment: Latex, 6 pages. To appear in Phys. Rev.

    Implementation of childhood obesity prevention and control policies in the United States and Latin America: Lessons for cross-border research and practice

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    Progress has been made in the development and widespread implementation of effective interventions to address childhood obesity, yet important challenges remain. To understand how the United States and Latin American countries achieved success in implementing obesity policies and programs (PAPs) and identify improvement opportunities using implementation science principles. We identified three comparative case studies: (1) front-of-food package labeling (Mexico and Chile); (2) Open Streets/play streets (Colombia and the United States); and (3) the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (Brazil and the United States). Information from multiple sources (e.g., scientific and gray literature and key informant interviews) was synthesized to describe barriers, facilitators, and progress of PAPs across RE-AIM framework dimensions. Evidence-based advocacy along with political will and evidence of scalability and impact were key for successful launch and implementation of all PAPs. Diverse adaptations of PAP design and implementation had to be done across contexts. Stronger process and impact monitoring and evaluation systems that track equity indicators are needed to maximize the population benefits of these PAPs. Implementation science offers an important contribution toward addressing knowledge gaps, enhancing obesity policy dialogue, and producing transferable lessons across the Americas and, therefore, should be used for research and evaluation during PAP development and throughout the implementation and maintenance phases

    Aging in Models of Non-linear Diffusion

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    We show that for a family of problems described by non-linear diffusion equations an exact calculation of the two time correlation function gives C(t,t')=f(t-t')g(t'), t>t', exhibiting normal and anomalous diffusions, as well as aging effects, depending on the degree of non-linearity. We discuss also the form in which FDT is violated in this class of systems. Finally we argue that in this type of models aging may be consequence of the non conservation of the "total mass".Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, to appear in Phys.Rev.

    Endogenous insulin secretion and suppression during and after sepsis in critically ill patients: implications for tight glycemic control protocols

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    Introduction: Insulin infusions over 2 U/hr can suppress endogenous insulin secretion in healthy subjects 30-45% [1]. Virtually all tight glycaemic control (TGC) protocols deliver insulin via infusion. This study examines the impact of bolus delivery of insulin in TGC on the endogenous insulin secretion of critically ill patients. Methods: 18 patients from the Christchurch Hospital ICU enrolled in a prospective clinical trial studying sepsis each had two sets of blood samples assayed for insulin and C-peptide. The first set was taken at the commencement of the SPRINT TGC protocol for patients with suspected sepsis. The second set was taken when their SIRS score was consistently below 2. Each set had 4 samples taken at: -1, 10, 40 and 60 min following bolus delivery of insulin as required by SPRINT to capture endogenous insulin secretion during the bolus profile. Bolus size was dictated by the protocol, but was in the range 2-6 units. Model-based methods [2] were used to calculate the endogenous insulin secretion rate for each set of samples. The level of suppression was calculated as the ratio of the secretion rate between 5-15 mins (just after peak plasma insulin) and average of the 0-5 min (basal) and 15-60 min (return to basal) secretion rates identified

    Statistical mechanics of a single particle in a multiscale random potential: Parisi landscapes in finite dimensional Euclidean spaces

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    We construct a N-dimensional Gaussian landscape with multiscale, translation invariant, logarithmic correlations and investigate the statistical mechanics of a single particle in this environment. In the limit of high dimension N>>1 the free energy of the system and overlap function are calculated exactly using the replica trick and Parisi's hierarchical ansatz. In the thermodynamic limit, we recover the most general version of the Derrida's Generalized Random Energy Model (GREM). The low-temperature behaviour depends essentially on the spectrum of length scales involved in the construction of the landscape. If the latter consists of K discrete values, the system is characterized by a K-step Replica Symmetry Breaking solution. We argue that our construction is in fact valid in any finite spatial dimensions N1N\ge 1. We discuss implications of our results for the singularity spectrum describing multifractality of the associated Boltzmann-Gibbs measure. Finally we discuss several generalisations and open problems, the dynamics in such a landscape and the construction of a Generalized Multifractal Random Walk.Comment: 25 pages, published version with a few misprints correcte

    Retarding Sub- and Accelerating Super-Diffusion Governed by Distributed Order Fractional Diffusion Equations

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    We propose diffusion-like equations with time and space fractional derivatives of the distributed order for the kinetic description of anomalous diffusion and relaxation phenomena, whose diffusion exponent varies with time and which, correspondingly, can not be viewed as self-affine random processes possessing a unique Hurst exponent. We prove the positivity of the solutions of the proposed equations and establish the relation to the Continuous Time Random Walk theory. We show that the distributed order time fractional diffusion equation describes the sub-diffusion random process which is subordinated to the Wiener process and whose diffusion exponent diminishes in time (retarding sub-diffusion) leading to superslow diffusion, for which the square displacement grows logarithmically in time. We also demonstrate that the distributed order space fractional diffusion equation describes super-diffusion phenomena when the diffusion exponent grows in time (accelerating super-diffusion).Comment: 11 pages, LaTe
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