Controlling two-electron systems in their excited state by an intense laser field: Strong-field ionization of atomic helium & Wave-packet manipulation in molecular hydrogen

In this work fundamental light–matter interaction is studied in excited-state two-electron systems under the influence of an intense laser field in two respects: First, motivated by the results of a numerical simulation on the role of initial-state electron correlation for the ionization process, strong-field ionization out of selectively prepared doubly excited states (DESs) in helium is studied in a two-colour extreme ultraviolet (XUV)–infrared (IR) experiment using a reaction microscope (REMI). Detected recoil-ion and photoelectron momentum distributions help to identify a variety of different IR-induced ionization pathways for both single and double ionization out of different DESs as the initial state for strong-field interaction. Turning the focus from the atomic to the molecular two-electron system, in the second study, a novel all-optical approach enables visualisation of the dynamics of a vibrational wave packet in an electronically excited state of neutral H_2 through molecular self-probing by the ground state encoded in the reconstructed time-dependent dipole response of the excited system from XUV spectroscopy data. In a pump–control scheme, an additional interaction with a 5-fs near-infrared (NIR) pulse of adjustable intensity modifies the vibrational wave-packet revival. The adoption of an impulsive control mechanism together with state-resolved extraction of the accumulated strong-field induced phases leading to the observed revival shift brings access to state-dependent polarizability of different vibronic states in the excited wave packet. In future, both experimental approaches can be applied to multi-electron systems to study and control correlation in specifically prepared excited quantum systems

Correlating Twitter Sentiment with Basketball Game Events and Characteristics

This study performed sentiment analysis on Tweets created during 30 basketball games. 14,440 Tweets were collected using the Twitter Streaming API, parsed by a script and analyzed using the program SentiStrength. There was significant strong positive correlation between game sentiment of fan Tweets and the outcome of the game. Significant correlation was also found between fourth quarter sentiment of fan Tweets and the outcome of the game. Findings suggest that fans participate in live-Tweeting game events as a way to interact with the game and other fans. This study proposes that improvements can be made to sentiment analysis through domain-specific approaches such as improved domain dictionaries and lexicons.Master of Science in Information Scienc

Modafinil - the „smart medicine`

Модафинил спада към нова група психостимуланти. Наричат го умното лекарство. Открито е от Майкъл Джоувет през 1960 г. във Франция. Понастоящем в САЩ се класифицира като контролирана субстанция от списък IV. Основната разлика между него, кофеина и аденозина се състои в механизма на действие на модафинил, тъй като той забавя обработката на допамин и спира производството на норадреналин, освен това не нарушава режима и не променя съня. Предимствата на „умното лекарство` се състоят в подобряването на когнитивните умения и мозъчната дейност. Лекарството се използва за лечение на някои зависимости, помага при планиране, вземане на решения. Подобрява паметта и мисловните способности, както и креативността, спомага за решаване на дълги и сложни задачи. Активира вниманието и работ-ната памет, подпомага яснотата на съзнанието. Освен това модафинил е и силен афродизиак. Противно на многото му предимства, страничните ефекти се изразяват в кратко безсъние, главоболие, тревожност и по-рядко в замайване, нестабилност и други. В миналото модафинил е бил употребяван главно от Военновъздушните сили на САЩ при изпълнение на дълги мисии и полети, за по-добра концентрация, както и от астронавтите. Днес към модафинил проявяват интерес най-вече студентите по време на изпитни сесии. Новите проучвания ще докажат дали модафинил ще се окаже най-сигурното средство за подобряване концентрацията на хирурзите по време на дълги работни смени. Четиридесет минути след приема започва ефектът от употребата на умното лекарство, като липсва моменталният прилив на енергия, но след четири часа мозъкът работи на много високи обороти. Независимо от новото откритие, човек не трябва да пренебрегва и традиционните методи, които също работят: четене, писане, общуване и мислене.Modafinil belongs to a new group of psychostimulants. They call it the „smart medicine`. It was discovered by Michael Jovanet in 1960 in France. It is currently classified in the US as a controlled substance of list IV. The main difference between modafinil, caffeine and adenosine lies in the mechanism of action of modafinil as it slows dopamine processing and stops producing noradrenaline, it also does not disturb the regime and does not change sleep. The benefits of „smart medicine` consist of improving cognitive skills and brain activity. The drug is used to treat some addictions, helps in planning, making decisions. It improves memory and mental abilities, as well as creativity, helps solve long and complex tasks. Enables attention and memory, helps clarity of consciousness. In addition, modafinil is also a strong aphrodisiac. Contrary to its many advantages, side effects are expressed in short insomnia, headache, anxiety, and less often in dizziness, instability, and more. In the past, modafinil was mainly used by the US Air Force to perform long missions and flights for better concentration, as well as by astronauts. Today, modafinil is particularly interesting for students during sessions. New studies will prove whether modafinil will be the safest way to improve surgeon concentration during long-term work shifts. Forty minutes after taking it, the effect of using the „smart medicine` begins, with no instantaneous energy flow, but after four hours the brain runs at very high speeds. Notwithstanding the new discovery, one should not overlook traditional methods that also work: reading, writing, communicating, and thinking

Prevention of Hypotrophy in Children with Disabilities in `Faith, Hope And Love` Home for Medical and Social Care for Children of the Town of Bourgas

A child with disability is a severe problem for both parents and physicians. There are different degrees of disability leading to delay of physical and mental development. There is no perspective for a considerable improvement of the health status in a small group of children. Thus they need a specialized social support system because of their predisposition to hypotrophy. In this study, an inquiry investigation of medical staff engaged with specialized care for disabled children with hypotrophy was carried out. Some opportunities for hypotrophy prevention in the children with disabilities in ‘Faith, Hope and Love` Home for Medical and Social Care for Children of the town of Bourgas, one of the few institutions in this field in Bulgaria, were revealed and discussed

Experience of Parents and Specialized Daily Centers in Satisfying the Specific Needs of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism and autistic disorders are a heterogeneous group of disorders of the neuropsychological development which are of complex genetic etiology. They are characterized to a different extent by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication and behaviour problems. Recently, the incidence of autism as well as the interest in it increases and the establishment of more centres to work with these children testifies to that. An inquiry investigation among the relatives and parents of children with autistic disorders concerning their awareness about autism status, opportunities to meet the specific needs of their children and support of their development and social interaction as well as concerning the effectiveness of the applied treatments, programs, and interventions in ‘Faith, Hope and Love` Daily Care Centre of Bourgas for working with the children with autism was carried out

Bruxism, Bruxomania - Causes and treatment with a brace and thermoforming technology

Бруксизмът е несъзнателен акт на търкане и триене на зъбите. Често това става по времна сън и по тази причина човек даже и не подозира за заболяването си. Наблюдава се при всички възрасти, дори и при децата. При леки форми не създава проблеми. При по-тежки е причина за болки в долночелюстната става, напрежение или болки в мускулите, повишена чувствителност в зъбите, разрушаване на зъбните корони, главоболие. Най-разпространеният метод за лечение е изработването на шина, с която пациентът спи през нощта. Целта на настоящата публикация е чрез проучване на литературни източници да се опише състоянието бруксизъм, методите за лечение и по-конкретно термоформинг технологията за изработване на шината при бруксизъм.Bruxism is defined as an unconscious act of teeth grinding and clenching. The process frequently occurs during sleep and a person does not even suspect his/her illness. Bruxism is present at all ages, even in childhood. It does not cause any problems if present in its mild forms. In more serious forms, it can cause pain in the lower jaw joint, pressure or pain in the muscles, increased teeth sensitivity, teeth crown damage, and headache. The most common method of treatment is the manufacturing of a brace which the patient wears at night.By researching various literary resources the current publication aims at describing the state of bruxism, the methods of treatment and more precisely the application of thermoforming technology for brace manufacture in bruxism

Analysis of material efficiency aspects of personal computers product group

This report has been developed within the project ‘Technical support for environmental footprinting, material efficiency in product policy and the European Platform on Life Cycle Assessment’ (LCA) (2013-2017) funded by the Directorate-General for Environment. The report summarises the findings of the analysis of material-efficiency aspects of the personal-computer (PC) product group, namely durability, reusability, reparability and recyclability. It also aims to identify material-efficiency aspects which can be relevant for the current revision of the Ecodesign Regulation (EU) No 617/2013. Special focus was given to the content of EU critical raw materials (CRMs) ( ) in computers and computer components, and how to increase the efficient use of these materials, including material savings thanks to reuse and repair and recovery of the products at end of life. The analysis has been based mainly on the REAPro method ( ) developed by the Joint Research Centre for the material-efficiency assessment of products. This work has been carried out in the period June 2016-September 2017, in parallel with the development of The preparatory study on the review of Regulation 617/2013 (Lot 3) — computers and computer servers led by Viegand Maagøe and Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek NV (VITO) (2017) ( ). During this period, close communication was maintained with the authors of the preparatory study. This allowed ensuring consistency between input data and assumptions of the two studies. Moreover, outcomes of the present research were used as scientific basis for the preparatory study for the analysis of material-efficiency aspects for computers. The research has been differentiated as far as possible for different types of computers (i.e. tablet, notebooks and desktop computers). The report starts with the analysis of the technical and scientific background relevant for material-efficiency aspects of computers, such as market sales, expected lifetime, bill of materials, and a focus on the content of CRMs (especially cobalt in batteries, rare earths including neodymium in hard disk drives and palladium in printed circuit boards). Successively the report analyses the current practices for repair, reuse and recycling of computers. Based on results available from the literature, material efficiency of the product group has the potential to be improved, in particular the lifetime extension. The residence time ( ) of IT equipment put on the market in 2000 versus 2010 generally declined by approximately 10 % (Huisman et al., 2012), while consumers expressed their preference for durable goods, lasting considerably longer than they are typically used (Wieser and Tröger, 2016). Design barriers (such as difficulties for the disassembly of certain components or for their processing for data sanitisation) can hinder the repair and the reuse of products. Malfunction and accident rates are not negligible (IDC, 2016, 2010; SquareTrade, 2009) and difficulties in repair may bring damaged products to be discarded even if still functioning. Once a computer reaches the end of its useful life, it is addressed to ‘waste of electrical and electronic equipment’ (WEEE) recycling plants. Recycling of computers is usually based on a combination of manual dismantling of certain components (mainly components containing hazardous substances or valuable materials, e.g. batteries, printed circuit boards, display panels, data-storage components), followed by mechanical processing including shredding. The recycling of traditional desktop computers is perceived as non-problematic by recyclers, with the exception of some miniaturised new models (i.e. mini desktop computers), which still are not found in recycling plants and which could present some difficulties for the extraction of printed circuit boards and batteries (if present). The design of notebooks and tablets can originate some difficulties for the dismantling of batteries, especially for computers with compact design. Recycling of plastics from computers of all types is generally challenging due to the large use of different plastics with additives, such as flame retardants. According to all the interviewed recyclers, recycling of WEEE plastics with flame retardant is very poor or null with current technologies. Building on this analysis, the report then focuses on possible actions to improve material efficiency in computers, namely measures to improve (a) waste prevention, (b) repair and reuse and (c) design for recycling. The possible actions identified are listed hereinafter. (a) Waste prevention a.1 Implementation of dedicated functionality ( ) for the optimisation of the lifetime of batteries in notebooks: the lifetime of batteries could be extended by systematically implementing a preinstalled functionality on notebooks, which makes it possible to optimise the state of charge (SoC) of the battery when the device is used in grid operation (stationary). By preventing the battery remaining at full load when the notebook is in grid operation, the lifetime of batteries can be potentially extended by up to 50 %. Users could be informed about the existence and characteristics of such a functionality and the potential benefits related to its use. a.2 Decoupling external power supplies (EPS) from personal computers: the provision of information on the EPS specifications and the presence/absence of the EPS in the packaging of notebooks and tablets could facilitate the reuse by the consumer of already-available EPS with suitable characteristics. Such a measure could promote the use of common EPS across different devices, as well as the reuse of already-owned EPS. This would result in a reduction in material consumption for the production of unnecessary power supplies (and related packaging and transport) and overall a reduction of treatment of electronic waste. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) technical specification (TS) 62700, the Standard Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1823 and Recommendation ITU-T L.1002 can be used to develop standards for the correct definition of connectors and power specifications. a.3 Provision of information about the durability of batteries: the analysis identified the existence of endurance tests suitable for the assessment of the durability of batteries in computers according to existing standards (e.g. EN 61960). The availability of information about these endurance tests could help users to get an indication on the residual capacity of the battery after a predefined number of charge/discharge cycles. Moreover, such information would allow for comparison between different products and potentially push the market towards longer-lasting batteries. a.4 Provision of information about the ‘liquid ingress protection (IP) class’ for personal computers: this can be assessed for a notebook or tablet by performing specific tests, developed according to existing standards (e.g. IEC 60529). Users can be informed about the level of protection of the computer against the ingress of liquids (e.g. dripping water or spraying water or water jets) and in this way prevent one of the most common causes of computer failure. The yearly rate of estimated material saving if dedicated functionality for the optimisation of the lifetime of batteries (a.1) were used ranges from around 2 360 to 5 400 tonnes (t) of different materials per year. About 450 t of cobalt, 100 t of lithium, 210 t of nickel and 730 t of copper could be saved every year. The estimated potential savings of materials when EPS are decoupled from notebooks and tablets (a.2) are in the range 2 300-4 600 t/year (80 % related to the notebook category, and 20 % to tablets). These values can be obtained when 10-20 % of notebooks and tablets are sold without an EPS, as users can reuse already-owned and compatible EPS. Under these conditions, for example, about 190-370 t of copper can be saved every year. This estimate may increase when the same EPS can be used for both notebooks and tablets (at the moment the assessment is based on the assumption that the two product types were kept separated). Further work is needed to assess the potential improvements thanks to the provision of information about the durability of batteries (a.3), and about the ‘liquid-IP class’ (a.4). The former option (a.3) has the potential to boost competition among battery manufacturers, resulting in more durable products. The latter option (a.4) has the potential to reduce computer damage due to liquid spillage, ranked among the most recurrent failure modes. (b) Repair/reuse b.1 and b.2 Provision of information to facilitate computer disassembly: the disassembly of relevant components (such as the display panel, keyboard, data storage, batteries, memory and internal power-supply units) plays a key role to enhance repair and reuse of personal computers. Some actions have therefore been discussed (b.1) to provide professional repair operators with documentation about the sequence of disassembly, extraction, replacement and reassembly operations needed for each relevant component of personal computers, and (b.2) to provide end-users with specific information about the disassembly and replacement of batteries in notebooks and tablets. b.3 Secure data deletion for personal computers: this is the process of deliberately, permanently and irreversibly erasing all traces of existing data from storage media, overwriting the data completely in such a way that access to the original data, or parts of them, becomes infeasible for a given level of effort. Secure data deletion is essential for the security of personal data and to allow the reuse of computers by a different user. Secure data deletion for personal computers can be ensured by means of built-in functionality. A number of existing national standards (HMG IS Standard No 5 (the United Kingdom), DIN 66399 (Germany), NIST 800-88r1 (the United States (US)) can be used as a basis to start standardisation activities on secure data deletion. The estimated potential savings of materials due to the provision of information and tools to facilitate computer disassembly were quantified in the range of 150-620 t/year for mobile computers (notebooks and tablets) within the first 2 years of use, and in the range of 610 2 460 t/year for mobile computers older than 2 years. Secure data deletion of personal computers, instead, is considered a necessary prerequisite to enhance reuse. The need to take action on this is related to policies on privacy and protection of personal data, as the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and in particular its Article 25 on ‘data protection by design and by default’. Future work is needed to strengthen the analysis, however it was estimated that secure data deletion has the potential to double volume of desktop, notebook and tablet computers reused after the first useful lifetime. (c) Recyclability c.1 Provision of information to facilitate computer dismantling: computers could be designed so that crucial components for material aspects (e.g. content of hazardous substances and/or valuable materials) can be easily identified and extracted in order to be processed by means of specific recycling treatments. Design for dismantling can focus on components listed in Annex VII of the WEEE directive ( ). The ‘ease of dismantling’ can be supported by the provision of relevant information (such as a diagram of the product showing the location of the components, the content of hazardous substances, instructions on the sequence of operations needed to remove these components, including type and number of fastening techniques to be unlocked, and tool(s) required). c.2 Marking of plastic components: although all plastics are theoretically recyclable, in practice the recyclability of plastics in computers is generally low, mainly due to the large amount of different plastic components with flame retardants (FRs) and other additives. Marking of plastic components according to existing standards (e.g. ISO 11469 and ISO 1043 series) can facilitate identification and sorting of plastic components during the manual dismantling steps of the recycling. c.3 FR content: according to all the recyclers interviewed, FRs are a major barrier to plastics recycling. Current mechanical-sorting processes of shredded plastics are characterised by low efficiency, while innovative sorting systems are still at the pilot stage and have been shown to be effective only in certain cases. Therefore, the provision of information on the content of FRs in plastic components is a first step to contribute to the improvement of plastics recycling. Plastics marking (as discussed above) can contribute to the separation of plastics with FRs during the manual dismantling, allowing for their recycling at higher rates (in line with the prescription of IEC/TR 62635, 2015). However, detailed information about FRs content could be given in a more systematised way, for example through the development of specific indexes. These indexes could support recyclers in checking the use of FRs in computers and in developing future processes and technologies suitable for plastics recycling. Moreover, these indexes could support policymakers in monitoring the use of FRs in the products and, in the medium-long term, to promote products that use smaller quantities of FRs. An example of a FR content index is provided in this report. c.4 Battery marks: the identification of the chemistry type of batteries in computers is necessary in order to have efficient identification and sorting, and thus to improve the material efficiency during the recycling. It is proposed to start standardisation activities to establish standard marking symbols for batteries. The examples of the ‘battery-recycle mark’, developed by the Battery Association of Japan (BAJ), and the current standardisation activities for the IEC 62902 (standard marking symbols for batteries with a volume higher than 900 cm3) may be used as references to develop ad hoc standards. The benefits of actions for the design for recycling can be relevant. In particular, the proposed actions should contribute to increase the amounts of materials that will be recycled (6 350-8 900 t/year), in particular plastics (5 950-7 960 t/year of additional plastics), but also metals such as cobalt (55-110 t), copper (240-610 t), rare earths as neodymium and dysprosium (2 7 t) and various precious metals (gold (0.1-0.4 t), palladium (0.1-0.4 t) and silver (2 7 t)). Compared to the amount of materials recycled in the EU (2012 data), these values would represent a recycling increase of 1-2 % for cobalt, 2-5 % for palladium, and 13-50 % for rare earths.JRC.D.3-Land Resource

Palliative care in Bulgarian general practice

Background. GPs in Bulgaria provide basic care to people with advanced disease; there is no legislative framework for palliative care. The aim of the study was to investigate the activities of the GPs involving patients who need palliative care. Material and methods. The 42 GPs followed up a total of 211 patients, meeting the diagnostic criteria for inclusion. A form was developed for the purposes of the study, reflecting the activities during the 625 consultation. The subjective opinion of the patient was also registered. The statistical processing of data was made by a SPSS 17. Results. The patients above 60 years of age predominated. The ratio by gender was balanced. The distribution by diagnostic criteria was: oncological disease (87/41.28 ± 3.38%); chronic heart failure (CHF) (65/30.80 ± 3.17%); chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (20/9.47 ± 2.01%) and combinations (39/18,48 ± 2,67%). No significance was found between the referrals and the social and diagnostic characteristics. Weak correlations were found between the lower level of education, the lower social status, COPD patients and the greater frequency of home visits. Principal symptoms in our study were pain and fatigue. Discrepancy between the evaluations of patients and GPs was found regarding the ones that are subjective. In cases of oncological diseases the diagnosis and prognosis, were discussed more frequently with the relatives. Conclusion. Within the framework of their general obligations, GPs perform activities characteristic of palliative care. The investigation of these activities and the analysis of the results can serve as a first step in the formation of structured palliative care in our country. Adv. Pall. Med. 2011; 10, 1: 17–22Background. GPs in Bulgaria provide basic care to people with advanced disease; there is no legislative framework for palliative care. The aim of the study was to investigate the activities of the GPs involving patients who need palliative care. Material and methods. The 42 GPs followed up a total of 211 patients, meeting the diagnostic criteria for inclusion. A form was developed for the purposes of the study, reflecting the activities during the 625 consultation. The subjective opinion of the patient was also registered. The statistical processing of data was made by a SPSS 17. Results. The patients above 60 years of age predominated. The ratio by gender was balanced. The distribution by diagnostic criteria was: oncological disease (87/41.28 ± 3.38%); chronic heart failure (CHF) (65/30.80 ± 3.17%); chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (20/9.47 ± 2.01%) and combinations (39/18,48 ± 2,67%). No significance was found between the referrals and the social and diagnostic characteristics. Weak correlations were found between the lower level of education, the lower social status, COPD patients and the greater frequency of home visits. Principal symptoms in our study were pain and fatigue. Discrepancy between the evaluations of patients and GPs was found regarding the ones that are subjective. In cases of oncological diseases the diagnosis and prognosis, were discussed more frequently with the relatives. Conclusion. Within the framework of their general obligations, GPs perform activities characteristic of palliative care. The investigation of these activities and the analysis of the results can serve as a first step in the formation of structured palliative care in our country. Adv. Pall. Med. 2011; 10, 1: 17–2

Design for circularity guidelines for the EEE sector

The increased diversity and complexity of plastics used in modern devices, such as electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), can have negative impacts on their recyclability. Today, the main economic driver for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling stems from metal recovery. WEEE plastics recycling, on the other hand, still represents a major challenge. Strategies like design 'for', but also the much younger concept of design 'from' recycling play a key role in closing the material loops within a circular economy. While these strategies are usually analysed separately, this brief report harmonises them in comprehensive Design for Circularity guidelines, established in a multi-stakeholder collaboration with industry leaders from the entire WEEE value chain. The guidelines were developed at the product and part levels. They are divided in five categories: (1) avoidance of hazardous substances; (2) enabling easy access and removal of hazardous or polluting parts; (3) use of recyclable materials; (4) use of material combinations and connections allowing easy liberation; (5) use of recycled materials. These guidelines are the first harmonised set to be released for the EEE industry. They can readily serve decision-makers from different levels, including product designers and manufacturers as well as policymakers