Laser therapy in superficial morphea lesions – indications, limitations and therapeutic alternatives

Morphea or localized scleroderma is an uncommon autoimmune and inflammatory disease which affects patients of any age. Even if morphea lesions present systemic symptoms as myalgias or arthritis, it is distinct from systemic sclerosis because it does not associate Raynaud’s phenomena or sclerodactyly, which are encountered in systemic scleroderma. The most common form of morphea in children is `en coup de sabre`, which can alter the local anatomy by deep tissue involvement. In contrast, the most frequent form that affects adults is represented by circumscribed morphea. The initial lesions present an inflammatory phase that manifests in the form of erythematous plaques, sometimes accompanied by edema. In later stages, the inflammation decreases and the lesions become sclerotic to atrophic. Therapy is most beneficial when initiated in the inflammatory stage. Topical application of high potency steroids along with phototherapy demonstrates the best results in the active phase of the disease. Localized superficial morphea can be treated with the excimer laser (using ultraviolet type B light, in range of 308nm) if topical steroid administration shows no significant clinical improvement. Phototherapy with ultraviolet light is capable of decreasing inflammation and may also have immunomodulatory effects

Creating Educational Digital Artefacts Collaboratively in a Virtual Reality Environment

This paper discusses the use of virtual reality (VR) technologies in education and the collaborative creation of educational digital artifacts in a virtual reality environment. The paper presents a case study of students who collaborated creating digital artifacts in a VR environment. The artifacts were designed with the purpose of presenting the history of a local community. The study analyzed the interactions between learners, the effectiveness of the VR environment in facilitating collaboration, and the impact of the VR environment on learning outcomes. The study concludes that creating educational digital artifacts collaboratively in a virtual reality environment can lead to improved student engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes

Spin transport in ferromagnet-InSb nanowire quantum devices

Signatures of Majorana zero modes (MZMs), which are the building blocks for fault-tolerant topological quantum computing, have been observed in semiconductor nanowires (NW) with strong spin-orbital-interaction (SOI), such as InSb and InAs NWs with proximity-induced superconductivity. Realizing topological superconductivity and MZMs in this most widely-studied platform also requires eliminating spin degeneracy, which is realized by applying a magnetic field to induce a helical gap. However, the applied field can adversely impact the induced superconducting state in the NWs and also places geometric restrictions on the device, which can affect scaling of future MZM-based quantum registers. These challenges could be circumvented by integrating magnetic elements with the NWs. With this motivation, in this work we report the first experimental investigation of spin transport across InSb NWs, which are enabled by devices with ferromagnetic (FM) contacts. We observe signatures of spin polarization and spin-dependent transport in the quasi-one-dimensional ballistic regime. Moreover, we show that electrostatic gating tunes the observed magnetic signal and also reveals a transport regime where the device acts as a spin filter. These results open an avenue towards developing MZM devices in which spin degeneracy is lifted locally, without the need of an applied magnetic field. They also provide a path for realizing spin-based devices that leverage spin-orbital states in quantum wires.Comment: 30 pages, 12 figure

Laser therapy in superficial morphea lesions – indications, limitations and therapeutic alternatives

Morphea or localized scleroderma is an uncommon autoimmune and inflammatory disease which affects patients of any age. Even if morphea lesions present systemic symptoms as myalgias or arthritis, it is distinct from systemic sclerosis because it does not associate Raynaud’s phenomena or sclerodactyly, which are encountered in systemic scleroderma. The most common form of morphea in children is `en coup de sabre`, which can alter the local anatomy by deep tissue involvement. In contrast, the most frequent form that affects adults is represented by circumscribed morphea. The initial lesions present an inflammatory phase that manifests in the form of erythematous plaques, sometimes accompanied by edema. In later stages, the inflammation decreases and the lesions become sclerotic to atrophic. Therapy is most beneficial when initiated in the inflammatory stage. Topical application of high potency steroids along with phototherapy demonstrates the best results in the active phase of the disease. Localized superficial morphea can be treated with the excimer laser (using ultraviolet type B light, in range of 308nm) if topical steroid administration shows no significant clinical improvement. Phototherapy with ultraviolet light is capable of decreasing inflammation and may also have immunomodulatory effects

SPIDER4LEGS MOBILE ROBOT DESIGN CONTROLLED BY THE ESP32 PLATFORM

The grazing robot is a dynamic system, consisting of a platform (the body of the robot) and a number of legs with structures similar to the kinematic chains of manipulator robots. Grazing robots can have a redundant number of legs, therefore they can ensure a static stability even if one or more legs are destroyed [10]. The objective of the work is to design a mobile robot controlled with the Arduino board controlled by an ESP 32 logic processor. The robot proposed in the paper is a spider-type robot with four legs, named SPIDER4LEGS. The components used to make the robot are the following: ESP32 development board, ESP ROOM-32, WiFi and Bluetooth BLE, Dual Core; PCA9685 module, I2C interface, 16 CH, servo motor; 12 Servo motors SG90 180 degrees. A possible field of application of these robots is the internal inspection of pipelines transporting petroleum products [7],[8],[9]

Mapping biodiversity and cultural values complemented with understanding of social dynamics provides effective means for addressing opportunities for nature conservation in a cultural landscape

The ecosystem services framework can usefully complement biodiversity assessments in developing socially robust nature conservation strategies in protected areas and beyond. However, there is still little research, especially in Eastern Europe, which links biodiversity assessment and nature related values to the deeper social-economic dynamics and aspirations existing in the local communities. Here we address this knowledge gap with a study case from Romania. We used data from a thorough biodiversity survey to map the protected species and habitats in a Natura 2000 area. Then we used participatory mapping with key local community representatives to understand the type of values linking the local community with the protected area, distinguishing between the past (1960’s-1989 period) and present. We identified that socio-economic and cultural values were strong and synergistically manifested in the past but not in the present. A dramatic abandonment of land use practices was reported. The current distribution of protected species and habitats does not overlap with the farmed areas in the past and present. Interviewees report that the local community went through dramatic changes from the past to present: increased individualism weakened or lost local rules, diversifying individual aspirations, low level of collective actions and weak alignment between knowledge and aspirations and the protected area. New socio-cultural values are represented by educational activities, however, with a lack of genuine local community engagement. Key directions identified by participants for the future of the site were nature friendly activities such as tourism, biking trails, forestry, and the renewal of viticulture

Transient neonatal myasthenia gravis: case report

Transient neonatal myasthenia gravis (TNMG) is a distinct type of myasthenia gravis (MG), a temporary autoimmune condition due to the mother’s antibodies crossing over the placenta and affecting the baby. Studies suggest that 10 to 15% of infants born to mothers suffering from MG will develop TNMG. Undoubtedly, if not diagnosed and treated in time, TNMG can be a serious condition, even life-threatening. Almost 80% of newborns will present symptoms in the first 24 hours of life that will last up to 4 weeks and a complete recovery is expected by 2 months of age. Only 10% of the affected infants may still be symptomatic at 4 months

Этиологическая структура и антибактериальная резистентность при бактериальных ангинах у детей

Catedra Boli Infecţioase FECMF, USMF N. Testemiţanu, IMSP Spitalul Clinic Municipal de Boli Contagioase de CopiiРезюме. Острые бактериальные ангины продолжают быть одной из проблем здоровья детей в Республике Молдова. Нами проанализировано течение болезни у 150 детей с ангинами. Были выявлены особенности клиники, этиологическая структура и антибактериальная резистентность при бактериальных ангинах у детей, эффективность лечения. Доминирующим этиологическим фактором были Streptococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophylus influenzae.Summary. Acute tonsillitis infection remains an actual problem. In the period of 2010–2011 in Municipal Infectious Hospital 150 cases of tonsillitis infection were studied. In those study were mentioned peculiarities the clinical evolution, diagnosis and antibacterial resistant aspects. Etiological agent predominantly are Streptococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophylus influenzae

THE VALORIZING OF DIFFERENT WOODY WASTES AS NATURAL SUBSTRATES FOR INTENSIVE CULTIVATION OF MUSHROOMS

This paper presents the results of laboratory experiments regarding the valorizing of different types of lignocellulosic wastes coming from woody species through controlled cultivation of two mushroom species, namely Ganoderma lucidum and Pleurotus ostreatus. Both mushroom species were cultivated in controlled conditions of temperature, humidity, and aeration in order to get their carpophores. The main aim of this work was focused on finding out the best way to convert the woody wastes into useful food products, such as mushroom fruit bodies, by using them as growing sources for the mentioned edible and medicinal mushrooms. The final produced carpophores were weighted and the results were compared to find out the optimal variant to be applied for intensive cultivation of mushrooms