On the Classification of UGC1382 as a Giant Low Surface Brightness Galaxy

We provide evidence that UGC1382, long believed to be a passive elliptical galaxy, is actually a giant low surface brightness (GLSB) galaxy which rivals the archetypical GLSB Malin 1 in size. Like other GLSB galaxies, it has two components: a high surface brightness disk galaxy surrounded by an extended low surface brightness (LSB) disk. For UGC1382, the central component is a lenticular system with an effective radius of 6 kpc. Beyond this, the LSB disk has an effective radius of ~38 kpc and an extrapolated central surface brightness of ~26 mag/arcsec^2. Both components have a combined stellar mass of ~8x10^10 M_sun, and are embedded in a massive (10^10 M_sun) low-density (<3 M_sun/pc^2) HI disk with a radius of 110 kpc, making this one of the largest isolated disk galaxies known. The system resides in a massive dark matter halo of at least 2x10^12 M_sun. Although possibly part of a small group, its low density environment likely plays a role in the formation and retention of the giant LSB and HI disks. We model the spectral energy distributions and find that the LSB disk is likely older than the lenticular component. UGC1382 has UV-optical colors typical of galaxies transitioning through the green valley. Within the LSB disk are spiral arms forming stars at extremely low efficiencies. The gas depletion time scale of ~10^11 yr suggests that UGC1382 may be a very long term resident of the green valley. We find that the formation and evolution of the LSB disk is best explained by the accretion of gas-rich LSB dwarf galaxies.Comment: 17 pages, 16 figures, 4 tables; accepted to the Astrophysical Journa

Internet use by people in the second half of life during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Social inequalities persist

Access to and use of the internet offers additional opportunities (especially during the pandemic) to cope with the challenges of everyday life. This chapter aims to clarify whether the proportion of people in the second half of life with access to the internet has increased since 2017, and whether internet use has also increased since the beginning of the pandemic. It investigates whether social inequalities continue to structure access and use of the internet

Er e-læring riktig kurs? : hva mener de ansatte?

Masteroppgave i helse- og sosialinformatikk HSI500 - Universitetet i Agder 2017Background E-learning has become an important part of the training of employees in health organizations. Successful e-learning requires, co-operation, good interaction between educational tools, organizational culture and technology. An important precondition for achieving this good interaction is to focus on the education and organization and not so much on the technology itself. This study aims to find out what employees think and believe about e-learning. The following question is the basis for this study: «How do employees at Sørlandet Hospital HF evaluate e-learning courses, and are they likely to be positive to use e-learning courses in Læringsportalen again?» Method To answer the question, a quantitative method has been used based on a research model developed by Dr. Ming-Chi Lee at National Pingtung University in Taiwan. His research instrument was translated and used in the survey. The instrument consists of 31 statements that the respondents should consider. In addition, the respondents were asked to evaluate the e-learning course they had just completed. The questionnaire was linked to six different elearning courses in the Læringsportalen for a period of eight weeks. Result There were 115 respondents who completed the entire survey and thus form the basis for the data analysis. The findings show a general positive attitude towards e-learning both from the respondents' evaluation of the various statements and the current e-learning course. Conclusion The study shows that the research model can provide answers to the question concerning employees' attitude towards e-learning. The results and the statistical analyzes selected indicate that employees at Sørlandet Hospital HF are positive to Læringsportalen. This may imply that employees are also likely to be positive to undertake new e-learning courses. Keywords Competence, e-learning, employees, hospital, learning management system, attitude, continuance intentio

Патентная система как метод налогового регулирования малого бизнеса

В современной рыночной экономике малый бизнес играет важную роль. Но существование малого бизнеса практически невозможно без активной поддержки со стороны государства, которая должна заключаться в разработке различных программ содействия малому бизнесу, в том числе формирование льготной налоговой политики, направленной на стимулирование его развития. В настоящей работе дана характеристика новой патентной системы налогообложения, введенной в действие с 2013 г., проанализированы ее основные отличия от действующих специальных налоговых режимов. Сделан вывод о том, что новая патентная система как метод налогового регулирования малого бизнеса требует существенной доработки

Evaluation of a duplex real-time PCR in human serum for simultaneous detection and differentiation of Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium infections - cross-sectional study

Background: We evaluated a one-tube multiplex real-time PCR targeting DNA of Schistosoma haematobium complex and S. mansoni complex in serum samples obtained at different German diagnostic centers. Methods: Simplex real-time PCR protocols for the detection of the multi-copy DNA-repeats Dra1 of S. haematobium complex and Sm1-7 of S. mansoni complex in serum were combined to a new one-tube multiplex format. The new PCR was subjected to full validation including evaluation in a diagnostic real-life setting with travelers and migrants. PCR results were compared with those of stool and urine microscopy, serology, and circulating cathodic antigen (CCA) rapid diagnostic tests in urine. Sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic approaches were analyzed using latent class analysis (LCA). Results: LCA assessment indicated sensitivity and specificity of 94.9% and 98.4%, respectively, for serum PCR if serology was included in the calculation, and 100% and 95.6%, respectively, if serology was not included as a parameter not necessarily associated with active infection. Agreement between the compared diagnostic procedures at genus level was fair (kappa 0.273) if serology was included and moderate (kappa 0.420) if serology was not included. Discussion: The PCR assay proved to be highly reliable for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis in travelers and migrants

Internetnutzung von Menschen in der zweiten Lebenshälfte während der Corona-Pandemie: Soziale Ungleichheiten bleiben bestehen

Die Corona-Pandemie und die damit verbundenen Maßnahmen zur Eindämmung haben den Alltag der meisten Menschen stark verändert. Sie sollen nur in Ausnahmefällen die eigene Wohnung verlassen. Soziale Kontakte zu pflegen und an Veranstaltungen teilzunehmen, ist kaum noch oder nur digital möglich. Verändert sich deshalb das Nutzungsverhalten rund um das Internet? Doch zuallererst ist ein Internetzugang erst einmal notwendig. Im Rahmen des Deutschen Alterssurveys (DEAS) wurde untersucht, wie sich im Juni/Juli 2020 der Zugang zum Internet und seine Nutzung im Vergleich zu 2017 verändert haben. Befragt wurden Personen im Alter von 46 bis 90 Jahren. Circa ein Fünftel der Befragten gab an, das Internet seit Beginn der Corona Pandemie im März häufiger für private Zwecke zu nutzen als vor Beginn der Pandemie. Besonders häufig suchten die Befragten im Jahr 2020 im Internet nach Informationen. Darunter fallen Nachrichten und Service-Angebote, beispielsweise um sich über das aktuelle Pandemiegeschehen zu informieren. Ebenfalls zeigen die DEAS-Daten, dass bestehende soziale Kontakte stärker über das Internet gepflegt wurden als noch im Jahr 2017. Vielfach ersetzen offenbar Videochats Zusammenkünfte innerhalb der Familie, z. B. von Großeltern und ihren Enkelkindern. Auch Angebote zur Unterhaltung und Kultur im Netz wurden stärker nachgefragt als 2017. Um auf solche digitalen Möglichkeiten auszuweichen, ist zunächst ein Internetzugang erforderlich. Zwar ist zu erkennen, dass mehr Menschen darüber verfügen als noch im Jahr 2017 – aber die Unterschiede zwischen verschiedenen Bevölkerungsgruppen sind immer noch deutlich. Auch im Jahr 2020 sind es weniger Frauen als Männer, die einen Zugang hatten. Noch entscheidender sind aber der Bildungsstatus und – das Alter. Insbesondere unter den 76- bis 90-Jährigen hat nur etwas mehr als jeder Zweite Zugang zum Internet – und damit zu wichtigen Ressourcen gerade in Pandemiezeiten. Diese Unterschiede beim Zugang spiegeln sich auch bei der Art der Internetnutzung wider. Selbst unter denjenigen, die die Möglichkeit haben, im Internet zu surfen, nutzen Personen in der ältesten Altersgruppe seltener die damit verbundenen Möglichkeiten. Beispielsweise scheinen die über 76-Jährigen dem Online-Einkauf noch immer kritisch gegenüber zu stehen. Die Corona-Pandemie hat noch einmal deutlich gezeigt, welche Handlungsmöglichkeiten das Internet eröffnen kann. Daher ist es wichtig, dass der Zugang zum Internet möglichst niedrigschwellig und kostengünstig gestaltet wird, sodass allen die Möglichkeit offen steht, das Internet zu nutzen. Dazu gehört auch die gezielte Vermittlung und Stärkung von Kompetenzen der Internetnutzung

Achievements of primary prevention targets in individuals with high risk of cardiovascular disease: an 8-year follow-up of the Tromsø study

Aims To study change over 8 years in cardiovascular risk, achievement of national guideline-based treatment targets of lipids, blood pressure (BP) and smoking in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), medication use, and characteristics associated with target achievement among individuals with high CVD risk in a general population. Methods and results We followed 2524 women and men aged 40–79 years with high risk of CVD attending the population-based Tromsø study in 2007–08 (Tromsø6) to their participation in the next survey in 2015–16 (Tromsø7). We used descriptive statistics and regression models to study change in CVD risk and medication use, and characteristics associated with treatment target achievement. In total, 71.4% reported use of BP- and/or lipid-lowering medication at second screening. Overall, CVD risk decreased during follow-up, with a larger decrease among medication users compared with non-users. Treatment target achievement was 31.0% for total cholesterol <5 mmol/L, 27.3% for LDL cholesterol <3 mmol/L, 43.4% for BP <140/90 (<135/85 if diabetes) mmHg, and 85.4% for non-smoking. A total of 9.8% reached all treatment targets combined. Baseline risk factor levels and current medication use had the strongest associations with treatment target achievement. Conclusion We found an overall improvement in CVD risk factors among high-risk individuals over 8 years. However, guideline-based treatment target achievement was relatively low for all risk factors except smoking. Medication use was the strongest characteristic associated with achieving treatment targets. This study has demonstrated that primary prevention of CVD continues to remain a major challenge

Cognitive tasks, anatomical MRI, and functional MRI data evaluating the construct of self-regulation

We describe the following shared data from N = 103 healthy adults who completed a broad set of cognitive tasks, surveys, and neuroimaging measurements to examine the construct of self-regulation. The neuroimaging acquisition involved task-based fMRI, resting state fMRI, and structural MRI. Each subject completed the following ten tasks in the scanner across two 90-minute scanning sessions: attention network test (ANT), cued task switching, Columbia card task, dot pattern expectancy (DPX), delay discounting, simple and motor selective stop signal, Stroop, a towers task, and a set of survey questions. The dataset is shared openly through the OpenNeuro project, and the dataset is formatted according to the Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) standard