The methodical approach to the evaluation of the competitiveness of the border territories

With the globalization along with increasing crisis in the global economy, it becomes obvious that the improvement in the competitiveness of the territory is a crucial factor in formation of the international competitive advantages of the region. The border territories have certain characteristics, which largely determine the features of assessment of its competitiveness. The proposed methodological approach includes a system of factors of competitiveness, based on which the integral indicator of the competitiveness of the border territory under estimation regarding the rival territory is calculated. The approbation of the proposed methodological approach is based on the assessment of the competitiveness of the Primorsky Territory of the Russian Federation regarding the Heilongjiang Province of China.peer-reviewe

An ensemble approach to the analysis of weighted networks

We present a new approach to the calculation of measures in weighted networks, based on the translation of a weighted network into an ensemble of edges. This leads to a straightforward generalization of any measure defined on unweighted networks, such as the average degree of the nearest neighbours, the clustering coefficient, the `betweenness', the distance between two nodes and the diameter of a network. All these measures are well established for unweighted networks but have hitherto proven difficult to define for weighted networks. Further to introducing this approach we demonstrate its advantages by applying the clustering coefficient constructed in this way to two real-world weighted networks.Comment: 4 pages 3 figure

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the Quadratus Lumborum Block type I using ropivacaine in postoperative analgesia after a cesarean section — a controlled clinical study

Objectives: Quadratus Lumborum Block in contrast to Transversus Abdominis Plane Block contains a unique component which not only stops somatic pain but also inhibits visceral pain by spreading the local anesthetic to the paravertebral space. This study was designed to determine whether performing the Quadratus Lumborum Block type I in patients un­dergoing cesarean section would be associated with both decreased morphine consumption and decreased pain levels in the postoperative 48-hour period. Material and methods: Sixty patients undergoing caesarean section under spinal anesthesia were randomly and equally assigned to one or other of two groups: QLB I (who received Bilateral Quadratus Lumborum Block type I with the use of 24 mL 0.375% ropivacaine per side) or a Control group. In both groups, on-demand morphine analgesia was administered postoperatively within the first 48 hours. The following were measured: the morphine consumption; the time elapsed from the C-section until the first dose of morphine; and the levels of pain intensity among patients in rest (numeral pain rating scale). Results: There were no statistically significant demographic data differences between the QLB I and Control groups. The following significant differences were observed in the 48-hour postoperative period: morphine consumption was higher in the Control group (p = 0.000); the time elapsed from the C-section until the first dose of morphine was longer in QLB I group (p < 0.05); and the median of the pain numeric rating scale was higher in the Control group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Quadratus Lumborum Block type I significantly reduces morphine consumption and pain levels up to 48 hours postoperatively

Alphabetic Letter Identification: Effects of perceivability, similarity, and bias

The legibility of the letters in the Latin alphabet has been measured numerous times since the beginning of\ud experimental psychology. To identify the theoretical mechanisms attributed to letter identification, we report\ud a comprehensive review of literature, spanning more than a century. This review revealed that identification\ud accuracy has frequently been attributed to a subset of three common sources: perceivability, bias, and simi-\ud larity. However, simultaneous estimates of these values have rarely (if ever) been performed. We present the\ud results of two new experiments which allow for the simultaneous estimation of these factors, and examine\ud how the shape of a visual mask impacts each of them, as inferred through a new statistical model. Results showed that the shape and identity of the mask impacted the inferred perceivability, bias, and similarity space of a letter set, but that there were aspects of similarity that were robust to the choice of mask. The results illustrate how the psychological concepts of perceivability, bias, and similarity can be estimated simultaneously, and how each make powerful contributions to visual letter identification

The influence of epidural analgesia on the course of labor

Summary Objective: The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of epidural analgesia (EA) on the course of labor. Material and methods: The study group consisted of 191 women with EA („walking anesthesia”). 209 women without EA were chosen for controls. All the patients delivered at the 1st Dept of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland. T-test and chi2 test were used for statistical analysis and