270 research outputs found
Democratic politics as interpretation of time
"Modern culture has found in representative democracy the most refined form of government of our time. This form of democracy created and increments public time as confrontation of political parties, of ideologies, of opinions and at the same time as occasion of political participation. The emergence of economic time and of economistic mentality has led to a radical ideological transformation of the meaning of contemporary politics. Public time, within which democratic dialectic took place, has become publicity time; the moral tie of citizenship has been substituted by a plurality of demands; the representation has been reduced to a representation of vested interests, namely a debased form of representation limited in time, space and function. In face of radical changes and of the claims of economistic mentality one could argue that the political time has come to an end and that the future will be decided by economic time and the force of vested interest. But it is also possible that time of democracy will be reconstructed, taking into account mass phenomena as well as including the emerging aspects of vital worlds." [author's abstract
Appendiceal abscess in a giant left-sided inguinoscrotal hernia: a rare case of Amyand hernia
The hernia of Amyand is an inguinal hernia containing the appendix in the sac. It is a rare pathology often diagnosed only intra-operatively. We report a case even more rare of a giant left-sided inguinoscrotal Amyand hernia with appendiceal abscess without clinical findings of incarceration/strangulation, occlusion, perforation, or acute scrotum and with the presence in the sac of the caecum and other anatomical structures (last ileal loops, bladder and omentum). The 68-years-old man patient successfully underwent surgical treatment only through the hernia sac (meshless repair according to Postempski technique)
A Game of NFTs: Characterizing NFT Wash Trading in the Ethereum Blockchain
The Non-Fungible Token (NFT) market in the Ethereum blockchain experienced
explosive growth in 2021, with a monthly trade volume reaching \$6 billion in
January 2022. However, concerns have emerged about possible wash trading, a
form of market manipulation in which one party repeatedly trades an NFT to
inflate its volume artificially. Our research examines the effects of wash
trading on the NFT market in Ethereum from the beginning until January 2022,
using multiple approaches. We find that wash trading affects 5.66% of all NFT
collections, with a total artificial volume of \$3,406,110,774. We look at two
ways to profit from wash trading: Artificially increasing the price of the NFT
and taking advantage of the token reward systems provided by some marketplaces.
Our findings show that exploiting the token reward systems of NFTMs is much
more profitable (mean gain of successful operations is \$1.055M on LooksRare),
more likely to succeed (more than 80% of operations), and less risky than
reselling an NFT at a higher price using wash trading (50% of activities result
in a loss). Our research highlights that wash trading is frequent in Ethereum
and that NFTMs should implement protective mechanisms to stop such illicit
behavior.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, 3 table
The Conspiracy Money Machine: Uncovering Telegram's Conspiracy Channels and their Profit Model
In recent years, major social media platforms have implemented increasingly
strict moderation policies, resulting in bans and restrictions on conspiracy
theory-related content. To circumvent these restrictions, conspiracy theorists
are turning to alternatives, such as Telegram, where they can express and
spread their views with fewer limitations. Telegram offers channels -- virtual
rooms where only administrators can broadcast messages -- and a more permissive
content policy. These features have created the perfect breeding ground for a
complex ecosystem of conspiracy channels.
In this paper, we illuminate this ecosystem. First, we propose an approach to
detect conspiracy channels. Then, we discover that conspiracy channels can be
clustered into four distinct communities comprising over 17,000 channels.
Finally, we uncover the "Conspiracy Money Machine," revealing how most
conspiracy channels actively seek to profit from their subscribers. We find
conspiracy theorists leverage e-commerce platforms to sell questionable
products or lucratively promote them through affiliate links. Moreover, we
observe that conspiracy channels use donation and crowdfunding platforms to
raise funds for their campaigns. We determine that this business involves
hundreds of donors and generates a turnover of over $90 million
Occlusione intestinale su briglia in paziente con pregressa diagnosi di sindrome di Ogilv
A case of a 72-year-old man with abdominal pain and ileus is reported. Previous surgery for Ogilvie?s syndrome had been performed.
Despite conservative therapy, the occlusive symptoms worsen. Therefore the patient was submitted to surgery. At laparotomy two abdominal adhesions were found and sectioned.
The differential diagnosis between mechanical ileus and pseudo-obstruction for neuro-mechanics dissociation (Ogilvie?s syndrome) is difficult, particularly in patients with neurodegenerative diseases
Tumori dell’intestino tenue: nostra esperienza in urgenza
I tumori dell’intestino tenue sono neoplasie relativamente rare.
Sintomi di natura aspecifica ed esami diagnostici di basse sensibilità e
validità sono complessivamente responsabili di una diagnosi ritardata
e, in caso di malignità, di malattia spesso avanzata e per lo più incurabile con l’intervento.
Uno studio retrospettivo è stato effettuato in 42 casi con presentazione clinica di acuzie, dal 1972 al 2001; l’età media dei pazienti è
stata di 52 anni (range 14-79 anni); c’è stata una lieve prevalenza del
sesso femminile (57.1% vs 42.9%). La presentazione acuta più comune è stata l’occlusione (57.1%), seguita da sanguinamento gastrointestinale (23.8%), perforazione (14.3%) e occlusione/perforazione (4.8%).
I tumori benigni si sono presentati nel 38.1% (16 casi), l’adenoma rappresenta il tipo più comune; le forme maligne sono state il 61.9% (26
casi), l’adenocarcinoma e i linfomi rappresentano l’istotipo più comune.
La chirurgia radicale è stata possibile solo nel 57% delle forme maligne
(24 pazienti): la morbidità è stata del 4.8% (2 casi: 1 deiscenza anastomotica e 1 ascesso subfrenico); la mortalità è stata del 14.3%.
Dal nostro studio retrospettivo possiamo affermare che la sopravvivenza per le lesioni maligne è strettamente dipendente dalla precocità
della diagnosi TNM e dalla possibilità di una procedura chirurgica
radicale, prima che la lesione diventi non resecabile, come è accaduto
nel 42% dei nostri casi. Un indice di sospetto estremamente elevato
nella valutazione di sintomi, spesso aspecifici, integrato con studi diagnostici specifici, potrebbe rappresentare l’approccio più appropriato.
La prognosi per le forme benigne è invece eccellente in tutti i casi
[Gangrene of Meckel's diverticulum in strangulated left inguinal hernia].
We report a case of a 57-year-old woman admitted for abdominal pain and a not reducible mass in left inguino-abdominal region. With a diagnosis of strangulated inguinal hernia, the patient underwent urgent surgery. The surgical exploration showed a gangrenous intestinal loop with a Meckel's necrotic diverticulum. A small bowel resection (20 cm) was performed. The post-operative course was uneventful. This seems the first case reported in the literature of woman with a Meckel's diverticulum involved in a strangulated left inguinal hernia
Principles of Periodontology
Periodontal diseases are among the most common diseases affecting humans. Dental biofilm is a contributor to the etiology of most periodontal diseases. It is also widely accepted that immunological and inflammatory responses to biofilm components are manifested by signs and symptoms of periodontal disease. The outcome of such interaction is modulated by risk factors (modifiers), either inherent (genetic) or acquired (environmental), significantly affecting the initiation and progression of different periodontal disease phenotypes. While definitive genetic determinants responsible for either susceptibility or resistance to periodontal disease have yet to be identified, many factors affecting the pathogenesis have been described, including smoking, diabetes, obesity, medications, and nutrition. Currently, periodontal diseases are classified based upon clinical disease traits using radiographs and clinical examination. Advances in genomics, molecular biology, and personalized medicine may result in new guidelines for unambiguous disease definition and diagnosis in the future. Recent studies have implied relationships between periodontal diseases and systemic conditions. Answering critical questions regarding host‐parasite interactions in periodontal diseases may provide new insight in the pathogenesis of other biomedical disorders. Therapeutic efforts have focused on the microbial nature of the infection, as active treatment centers on biofilm disruption by non‐surgical mechanical debridement with antimicrobial and sometimes anti‐inflammatory adjuncts. The surgical treatment aims at gaining access to periodontal lesions and correcting unfavorable gingival/osseous contours to achieve a periodontal architecture that will provide for more effective oral hygiene and periodontal maintenance. In addition, advances in tissue engineering have provided innovative means to regenerate/repair periodontal defects, based upon principles of guided tissue regeneration and utilization of growth factors/biologic mediators. To maintain periodontal stability, these treatments need to be supplemented with long‐term maintenance (supportive periodontal therapy) programs
International Capital Markets and Informal Dollar Standards in the CIS and East Asia
Although most CIS and East Asian countries are de jure classified as free floaters, they de facto pursue (tight) dollar pegs. This paper emphasizes dollar denomination of shortterm and long-term payment flows as reasons for exchange rate stabilization. Based on the analysis of ‚competitive depreciations' and ‚competitive appreciations‘ among the CIS and East Asian currencies it is argued that the adherence to a common external anchor currency enhances macroeconomic stability. Finally, the potential of euro and ruble (CIS) as well as yen and yuan (East Asia) to challenge the dollar as anchor currencies in the respective regions is explored
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